.
I know what you think in the morning
When the sun shines on the ground
And shows what you have done
It shows where your mind has gone
And you swearing to your parents
That it will never happen again
I know, I know oh ow, what that means
Guns for Hands – Twenty one Pilots
When she was violently shaken awake she knew it was too early and that could only mean that something was wrong. Alex's hands were slightly trembling and his expression was beyond distressful - it was as if he had witnessed a murder and she seriously hoped it wasn't the case. From looking at him she could gather that he had just returned from his morning run, not only because of the sporty clothes but also due his tousled hair and the sheen of transpiration on his forehead. His hands leave her shoulders once she opens her eyes and he walks away, glancing twice in her direction. While she rubbed the sleep away from her body - it had been one of the best nights of sleep she had in Mystic Fall, she hadn't been plagued with weird dreams nor had woken up with nightmares of what was about to happen - she saw him grab a candle, light it up and throw something into it. She furrows her eyebrows as he walks to the door apparently making sure it was closed. The fact he hadn't uttered a word yet was making her feel beyond nervous. Her heart was beating so frenetically that she could almost feel beneath her tongue. Hell, he had literally scared the sleep away from her.
"It failed. We failed... She was attacked but she's alive," he tells her urgently, returning to the bed. His voice was in a low tone and his eyes were almost unblinkingly locked in hers as he remains standing next to her. "We." His gaze was jumping around her face, watching her emotions unravel. Confusion, anger, worry and sadness. "We didn't prevent it."
She violently rubs her face. She didn't even know what to feel much less what she should say. "Bloody hell."
"Tom's fine and so is Caroline... Vicki was the only one-"
She jolts from the bed startling him in the process. A new concern taking place regarding what had exactly happened with Tom and Care. "Did they go home?" He seemed confused at her question and the urgency in her tone. By the look on his face she knew that he didn't know the answer to her question. "Uh, Caroline wasn't in danger in the party, it was after it... sorta." He looked like he wanted to ask her what the hell was she talking about, but she didn't stop long enough for him to ask. "Did they? Did they go to the Grill?"
"I... Uh, no clue," he mumbled scratching his neck. He had a frown on his face and even if she didn't think it was possible, he looked even more worried. "The Grill?"
She nods. While he was partially frozen to place, clenching and unclenching his fists, Olivia quickly pulls clothes she would dress, if anything they had to get a grasp of the situation quickly before things got out of hand. "I'll check. How are we in the vervain situation?"
He flashes her a look of relief seemingly letting his other questions to remain unspoken for the moment. "That actually went fine. Got a bracelet for you and some spare vervain."
"I don't need it," she tells him before signaling him to turn around. Once he had his back to her, she quickly discards her pajama and dresses herself. "Look, compulsion won't work on me... Even if I got no magic, I'm a witch."
"We don't know that," he mutters clenching his fists. "You can be completely vulnerable-"
"Promise I'm not," She interrupts. It didn't make sense, they had prevented her from wandering in the woods. Why had Damon crossed paths with her? Or, maybe even more importantly, where? Did this mean that even if she prevented things from happening in the place that she saw in the show it could still happen? If so, was Caroline still in danger? But it made no sense what so ever.
"We don't know," he stresses as his temper flares pulling her from her trance. "We don't know much about what you are."
She sighs, dismissing his concern. They had bigger things to worry about. "Where was she attacked?"
"No one is sure." He seemingly drops the other issue for the moment. "Jimmy told me that Matt found her outside the Grill."
She briefly collects all the clothes she had discarded before tapping him in the shoulder. Damon wouldn't have moved her so that meant that she was most likely attacked outside the Grill. Maybe that meant he found her instead of Caroline? But what did that even mean? Oh, what changes had she caused to the plot? Not that the plot didn't had issues that had little to nothing to do with her... like the Jackson's presence and even Tom's and Caroline's relation. "Okay. We cocked it up," she mumbles closing her eyes briefly. Oh, what were they supposed to do now?
"What?"
She furrows her eyebrows, not understanding his point. "It went all to pot. We just need to think what we're going to do with her. We also need to discover if Tom and Care went to the Grill, that's the easy part... Yeah, I'll deal with that."
"With the necklace will she be safe?"
If this wasn't such a serious matter she would have laughed. It was the first time in almost four months that she had seen him worrying about Caroline. "Theoretically, yes. Her danger is completely different from Vicki's," she explains. Alex was merely furrowing his eyebrows. "She could become his puppet."
"With vervain she isn't," he finishes with some uncertainty since Olivia herself didn't seem too sure.
"But he can always snap her neck. How can I know what's going to happen if the guy is a nutter at this point," she admits.
Alex lips become a tense line, his hands were clenched into fists and it seemed that his temper was flaring again. The kid had clear anger issues but what surprised her has how well - to her knowledge - he controlled it. "Why don't you tell me who he is and we pass the message along and the council deals with him? The guy deserves a-"
"Liam, he's a nutter right now," she tells him almost gently, trying to calm him down. "Worse things will come... He'll get better, he'll eventually protect the town. Please trust me," she pleads grabbing his hand so she could squeeze it. "Trust me."
"Fuck, I don't know how that shit works," he confesses closing his eyes briefly and taking deep, calming breaths of air. "How do you... How do you know?"
"I just do." She suddenly remembers that he had lit a candle. "What was the deal with that?"
He raises an eyebrow. "So no one hears us, I'm sure that it will get fucking worse if the others know what we did... what you know..." He makes a pause as she nods. "You sure we shouldn't speak with them? 'Cause it might be in bit over our heads..."
She shakes her head vigorously. The last thing she needed right now was to have the Jackson's like hounds on her. "No, not only will we put them in danger but I'm sure I wouldn't have free reign over my actions. Maybe later, maybe once I get a grasp of this thing." She makes a vague gesture in the air. "I won't be able to do anything if Cass is on me 24/7."
He acquiesces almost reluctantly. "Fine but if I see you in over your head..." He didn't finish but she got the message.
She nods finding that it was fair enough. She would do her best so things didn't reach that point. "Give me a warning before you tell them."
"Sure. What's our plan?"
She sits on the bed. "I need you to change while I have a chat with Tom... I'll inquire about their whereabouts." She makes a pause. "Maybe I can give him the vervain while I'm at it. Then we should stop by the hospital to check on Vicki, maybe one of us could have a chat with Matt." She looks to him, frowning. "Which one of us is friendlier with him?"
He scratches his neck. He was clearly uncomfortable with the question, way too many weird things were happening: her memory hadn't returned - weirder even was the fact that their older brothers had told him to not concern himself with it, even after that they had confirmed his worries that this was most likely permanent giving neither explanations nor any sign that they would do anything to change it- she was now seeing the future and for some reason she had a pointed herself and him to solve it. "Uh, Tom... I'm sure I can get the info all the same."
"Good, good." She suddenly groans loudly. The comet, Vicki was going to be manhandled by Damon today and if memory served her right it was also when Caroline bumped into Damon and became his puppet. How was she going to deal with that?!
"I'm also sure that Jimmy can get us in," Alex adds when he realizes that Olivia was lost in thought. He extends his hand to her, taking a deep breath of air. "Take some from me. Maybe you'll have a vision..."
She shakes her head. She wasn't going to have visions. "I'm okay. Tomorrow Jimmy's turn, I still have a bit," she reminds him but he merely thrusts his hand again. "Liam."
"Just do it, okay? I'll be fine as long as you don't take too much." His lips were a tense line, like he was preparing himself for the pain. "Look, we need all the help we can get. I'm gonna try to find some spell to make it easier for you to trigger the visions."
She had to fight of the urge of groaning. That would never happen! However, it wasn't like she could explain him the truth, was it? It had been a stupid decision of going with it but she was sure that the truth would be even harder to cope with. So, to keep up the pretense that she had visions, she knew that she wouldn't be able to dissuade him. "Can we focus on the issue at hand?" She tries again being almost sure that it wouldn't dissuade him.
"Go," he insists.
With a sigh she places her hand above his as the tell-tale sign that she was siphoning appears in the form of the faint red glow on her hand. Even when she tried her hardest to be gentle, it always hurt whoever she was taking magic from. He didn't whimper or made any sounds, however, his other hand was clenched at his side and his lips were a tense line. She wasn't sure why he acted in such manner - she was fully aware that it was painful. Whether it was so she didn't freak out - doing this with someone screaming their lungs out couldn't be pleasant if whoever did it cared for the person - or because he wanted to keep up the pretense that he was someone strong. Maybe it was for both their benefits, maybe in his ridiculously big shoes she'd do exactly the same - the success depending on just how painful the whole ordeal was.
Another of the thing that she hadn't expected when she first came to this universe (or even when she saw the show) was just how pleasant was the feel of having magic coursing on her body actually felt. It was as if suddenly she felt alive, in tune, as if the planets aligned themselves and she found herself belonging. It was like the feel of having sun shining on you, all around you... warming you to the bones. She never deemed it possible, but she could understand why Kai had wanted magic so much... Sure, she wouldn't go lunatic on them if they suddenly decided to cut back on their magic donations, but she was sure that it would cause her severe discomfort. It would be like losing a part of herself. Thankfully, at least in some regards, the Jackson's were caring and would never do something like that to her in fear that it harmed her - which she honestly didn't know if it did. She even started to wonder if the lack of magic in siphoners didn't somewhat affected their personalities. However, it wasn't like they were lurking around, at the moment, and that she could ask them. Or, returning to her previous point, how to make it less painful whenever she siphoned someone.
Cass, under the impression she had a case of magical amnesia, had explained her that whenever she siphoned she should focus and imagine pulling a liquid to her body. She would stress that the 'liquid' she took should never be too much or else she could hurt the siblings a lot - she didn't had to because Olivia was fully aware that she could kill a witch like that something that Olivia wondered if their siblings were aware of. At the question of what she could do to make it hurt less, Cass frowned and admitted that she had no clue. The only thing that over the years that she had found was that she should be fast doing it but not as fast as to leave them winded. They had (the previous Olivia and Cass) numerous conversations on the subject but had never reached a suitable answer. Sadly, she hadn't mastered it still and her appearance on this universe, or the memory loss that the Jacksons insisted that was the occurrence, had put a setback on things. Cass had been the one that she had tested it on till she found a pace that wasn't overly painful.
When she removes her hand from Alex, his breaths were still labored. She didn't know if it was because it had been particularly painful because her lack of knowledge or if it usually ended with him like that. The older siblings had more mastery in controlling their expressions so she didn't feel... out of place. But, because of how pained he looked she felt regret and shame. She should have fought him harder. "Sorry."
"You're getting better." She wasn't sure if he really meant it, but she smiled at the try nonetheless. He gets up from the bed. "You're ready?"
"Yeah, thanks." She mimics his movements and gets up. He blows the candle and they both leave the bedroom.
Like they had discussed, Alex goes straight to his bedroom while Olivia goes to Tom's. She knocks on the door and after a grunt of his she enters. He seemed confused, she didn't know if it was caused by her presence in his bedroom at early hours of the morning for unknown reasons - it was barely six in the morning - or if it was simply because she was there, it was clear to everyone that nowadays Olivia sought Alex more than her twin. He pulls his body up, yawning and stretching, before asking if something was wrong.
"Not at the moment," she says as truthfully as she could. "I didn't see you when you got home," she comments, hoping that she didn't look like she was fishing for information. "How was your night with Care?"
If he noticed that she seemed eager to learn what they had been up to, he didn't react physically nor commented. A grin appears on his lips. "It was good. How about yours? Where you okay at the party with Alex?"
She nods, feeling partially aggravated since he hadn't told her what they had been up to. Now she would have to press and she didn't know how to do that without acting weird - she had never manifested much interest in his and Care's plans. "Yeah, everyone left a bit after you," she trails off being sure to put a smile on her face. "We left after a couple of drinks. Cass was waiting for us," she adds being sure to show her displeasure at the older sibling actions. "I was surprised that she didn't have an alcoholic test on her to check us."
Tom laughed. "She always waits for us. She was still up when I got here too." He then furrows his eyebrows. "Why are you up anyway?"
She sighs. Oh, this conversation wasn't going how she wanted it to. "Vicki was attacked, Liam and I are going to drop at the hospital to see her."
Tom looks attentively to her face, groaning at the end. "He told you." It wasn't a question but she nodded nonetheless. "Cass' gonna kill him."
She narrows her eyes. "At least someone told me what was going on," she mutters. "And we got vervain for Care so she isn't in danger." He looked dumb folded. "You're welcome by the way." There was a scornful smile on her lips.
"I'm sorry Ollie... It's just." He takes a deep breath of air. "You're not yourself lately."
"I'm fully aware."
They were in an uncomfortable silence now. There were many emotions flashing in Tom's eyes: regret, sadness and a bit of anger. But neither knew how to deal with it. Things had changed and now everyone was trying to cope with it, especially the younger ones.
In the first weeks Tom had dismissed almost completely Olivia's odd behavior. She didn't do any of the things she previously did, there was no Olivia drawing nor lots of pranks to catch Alex of guard. She didn't try to leave the house to spend time with her best friend nor did she tease their relatively recent relationship with neither advices nor my commenting just how lovey-dovey they acted. Saying she was a shell of her former self was a massive understatement. Instead he saw her depressed and withdrawn - especially, for some odd reason in the mornings, in the morning was when she was at her absolute worst and they'd often find her with (or in) tears. She barely interacted with the family, speaking mostly with him and Alex and it was clear that she didn't understand half of what was going on. And the way she acted with the older siblings didn't just change in the way that she didn't interact much with them. It was almost like things, somehow, had become the opposite inside of her. Whenever before she'd stay silent and accept their judgment she would now challenge them - especially in the first few weeks when they were trying to discover what had happened to her, when they asked her to leave so they could discuss it she'd refuse and blow up a storm - making her relationship with Cass strained at first, but when she'd argue before - when she wanted to go out of the house to spend time with her friends - she now didn't and would calmly accept it. He honestly didn't know what to think nor what to feel.
It had been during the second month after the change that Cass approached him. By then it was clear that no one knew what had happened and the hopes of finding out where minimal - even if the girl sometimes would still say that she wasn't their Olivia - and that the new family dynamics where there to stay, for the foreseeable future. Cass told him that it had been a spell that had damaged her mind and she was sure of it - something that he was aware that she'd later share with Alex - She also stressed that Olivia was their sister despite acting unlike herself that she had checked if it was someone else. It wasn't. Olivia was Olivia and the girl in question was paying for whatever she had done - Tom found curious that her sister had used the word 'paying' but even when he questioned she didn't offer insight - and that she wanted his help in keeping the younger siblings out of problems. Everyone by then was aware that Olivia had a clear preference by the youngest Jackson and given that they were the most disruptive siblings, someone had to keep tabs on them.
If things had been normal, Tom would have refused to play spy for Cass. He and Olivia had always been a unified front against everything... nowadays he wasn't sure if she was ever going to be his Ollie again and he knew that it would be dangerous to just let her unchecked while Alex acted as her partner in crime. So he agreed, being fully aware that the before spell gone wrong Olivia wouldn't hold this against him and that there was a good chance that the after spell Olivia could very well try to bite his head off.
As time progressed the feel of sadness and impotency regarding the changes his sister exhibit changed. He started to feel petty and jealous of her relation with Alex. Almost as if Alex has stolen his twin, the other half of his being. He knew that it was stupid, silly and somewhat shallow - the girl had her life thrown upside down and he was worrying about his hurt feelings - but he couldn't exactly help it. He felt almost betrayed and like there was something wrong with him. He didn't understand what was Alex offering that he didn't... and that put a strain in their already strained relationship.
Alex and he always had a complex and somewhat difficult relation, to put it mildly. The older Jacksons had always looked to Tom, given that he was the mature one of the twins, to make sure than in his absence Olivia would be fine and Alex hadn't exactly enjoy his role of being left in the dark nor that his brother, who was almost his age, was treated as if he was older. He also wanted to help out in protecting their family, he didn't want to be treated like a child. Alex didn't understand that their siblings were trying to spare him so he could have a relatively normal childhood. So, he was always pushing his limits to better himself - having good grades and progressing in his magical studies - and when it became clear that he'd never be treated like Tom, he rebelled. He didn't know if it had been because he had found it to be the easiest way to aggravate everyone or if he was also rebelling because Olivia paid more attention to everyone but him - often saying that he had more cooties than everyone else - their prank war started and lasted till recently. Sure, they were fond of each other and nobody did anything harmful to Alex without suffering Olivia's (and Tom's) wrath - in his part, as age progressed so did their rivalry and sometimes it was hard to have a normal conversation with the teenager - but it was nothing compared to now. Now, it was almost as if Olivia was Alex's twin and while the younger sibling had calmed due his apparently new place as making sure that Olivia - who had always been the weakest link of the family because she didn't produced magic and also because that they saw that fact as if she had a magic illness that could be terminal - was well and protected it was like he had Tom's prudence. While Tom always tried to calm down her more disruptive tendencies, Alex seemed to revel in causing mayhem with her and knowing the pair... it couldn't end well.
Honestly, he just wanted things to go back as they were... however, everyone told him that it wouldn't happen overnight and that there was a strong possibility of it never happening. Cass and James told him that if it happened, it would be by Olivia's terms. That they had to give her space and that maybe her fried brain would be able to salvage something. Only time would tell now.
"How about we don't argue?" She suggests.
"I don't want to argue," he agrees flashing her an uncertain smile that she soon mimics. "You want me to go with you and Alex to the hospital?"
She shrugs. "Your call."
A knock on the door makes both look to the source of noise. They immediately see Alex's head appear, he glances at the pair before entering and closing the door behind himself. Tom promptly narrows his eyes, remembering that he had gone against Cass' wishes - despite the conversation they had. The older teenager wasn't pleased. "Something happened?"
"He knows you told me," Olivia shares almost dismissively, trying to prevent an argument. "Vervain?" Alex nods and hands it to her. "Want me to take care of this?" Her question was directed to Tom.
He shakes his head accepting the herb. "I'll do it. Thanks, saved me an awkward conversation with Cass."
Olivia rolled her eyes when Alex handed her the bracelet. "Told you I don't need it."
"Humor me," he says dryly. "Are you done here?" He was giving her a meaningful look that confused Tom. It further served to remind him that things weren't the same: before he was the only one that could communicate with her without words.
"Uh, yeah." She gets up from the bed without accepting the jewelry. "We'll see you later?"
Tom glances at the pair before nodding uncertainly. "Are you guys up to something?"
Alex immediately smirks. "We always are. Later."
Olivia smiles before following Alex. "See you at school!"
When she closed the door, Alex rose an eyebrow. "You know what you wanted to know?"
"No." Well, she was sure that Care would happily divulge the information and if not... well... she'd deal with it… somehow. "He didn't told me and I didn't want to press," she whispers as they walk downstairs. "He'd be suspicious."
"Girls have looser lips anyway," he comments encouragingly. Even if she appreciated the effort - it did cheer her up a bit - she smacks his stomach. "Not you," he defends, raising his hands in the air after a groan.
Suddenly, both feel an arm around their shoulders and a head in the middle of them. "What are we up to?" Both of them promptly jump, scared at the sudden appearance of their brother James. He laughs.
"Prat," she mutters narrowing her eyes.
Alex groans. "Not cool."
"You're not the only ones allowed to have fun," he defends himself with a small smile. He plants a kiss on Olivia's head, smiling when she merely sighs in resignation. "You're up early," he comments.
She looks to Alex, who just nods at her. "Uh, Liam told me about Vicki." James looks to Alex with his eyes narrowed. The older male seemed to be preparing a long speech and by the look of his face it was clear that he didn't approve. "Hey, don't give me that. I just wanted to check on her..."
She manages to shift his attention to her. He raises his eyebrow looking attentively to her. "Since when are you friends with Vicki Donovan?"
Thankfully Alex is the one that speaks because she honestly had no idea what would be an acceptable answer to his question. "We're worried and Fred wants to make sure that Donovan is okay."
She nods approvingly. "Friendship has nothing to do with this. It's called being a decent human," she states.
James raises his hands over his head in mocked defeat. He gives her an once-over before sighing. He either didn't found what he was searching for or what he saw satisfied whatever he was trying to find in her face/posture. "Fine. You guys can come with me but I can't drop you off at school."
Both of the teenagers nod in agreement. "Are you the one taking care of her?"
Jimmy sighs. "Yeah. She's fine, she lost a lot blood." Both Alex and Olivia give him a deadpan look that made him roll his eyes. "What I'm trying to say is that... whoever did it, didn't want her dead." Alex and Olivia share a look, James squints his eyes glancing at them. "What was just that?"
Alex puffs his chest. "Doesn't that worry you? Vampires usually kill people."
"We're safe," James promises, giving them an encouraging smile. He thought that the teenagers were scared - he wasn't that far off, but the reality was more complicated than that. "No one will let anyone harm you." He smiles, even if it was clear that his words where meant for both, his gaze was locked in Olivia's. "You should eat while I take a shower." He stops briefly to ruffle Olivia's hair and goes up the stairs. "Put the bracelet on or we'll have a chat with Cass missy." That was by far the best threat anyone could ever do to her.
A defeated groan leaves her lip as Alex thrusts the bracelet to her. There was a grin in his lips as he locks said item in her wrist before she changed her mind. "This doesn't change anything," she mutters. "He wouldn't be able to compel me."
"You don't know that," he hisses. "You barely know anything Fred so stop taking stupid risks."
She sighs and pitched the bridge of her nose. Arguing about it wouldn't help and she really did think that they had bigger worries at the moment. And well, it wasn't like people listened to her anyway... She hadn't been aware that Alex also belonged to the bunch but it was clear that he didn't believed when she promised she was safe from compulsion. To be honest, maybe she wouldn't believe herself in his shoes. Everyone knew that she had the minimum of knowledge and well, that didn't turn her in the most reliable source. What they didn't know was that what she lacked in common knowledge – she couldn't really cast simple spells and if they asked her things about spell casting or potions she usually didn't know what to answer – she made up in spades with information about the people (the cast of the show) and the future events.
They were at the table eating cereal in silence when Cass enters. She spares them a glance, walking to the coffee machine and promptly fixing herself a cup of coffee, before questioning them. Whereas Alex being awake at six in the morning wasn't nothing out of the ordinary, they had never seen Olivia up at these hours before.
"What's going on?"
"Good morning Cass," Alex says almost snidely.
She merely raises an eyebrow making both of the teenagers sigh. "We're having breakfast early before we go to the hospital with Jimmy."
"Why?"
Alex gives Olivia an exasperated look before turning to Cass. One of his hands was clenched and both of them knew that it wouldn't end well. Sadly, neither one had thought of a plan in case they bumped into Cass. "She knows," he states simply. "I told her and we're going to check on Donovan."
Several emotions go through Cass's face but the most prominent was anger. "Why would you? I told you to and Tom to not divulge this information and I merely told it to both so you could protect yourselves and her-"
"Am I that much of a dead weight?" Her plain question cuts Cass' speech and makes part of her anger disappear.
Cass frowns and immediately shakes her head. "No, no Liv. It's not like that... You just can't protect yourself like we can. And they aren't going to do anything... I just wanted them to be mindful of what was going on and that was all. Someone to look aft-" She makes a pause as if she wasn't going to continue down that particular chain of thought. However, the intent was clear. She had warned the brothers because she wanted someone to look after Olivia.
"That's hardly fair," Olivia interrupts her speech with an aggravated tone. "I should also know what's going on."
Cassandra narrows her eyes before sighing tiredly. "Damnit," she mutters as she rubs her forehead tiredly. "Liv you know that you're..." she trails off. Olivia raises an eyebrow in defiance, wanting to know what her exact words would be. "I'm just trying to protect you," she states instead of finishing her previous thoughts. "And I need your cooperation so I don't even want to risk you going to look for problems."
Olivia scoffs, throwing an are you serious look before jolting from her chair and slapping her hands hard on the table. "That's insane. You told them, trusting them enough to behave... Why am I always the one that is treated like an insane person? Do you think that I'd try to kill myself? Do you think I'm suicidal?"
Cass's laughs bitterly. "No... But can I trust you?" She shakes her head looking almost disappointed. "You should remember why you're in your current state Olivia, you did this to yourself."
"Bloody hell, I've told you that I didn't do anything!"
Alex was now looking slightly horrified to both of his siblings. "Everyone needs to calm down. We shouldn't argue." He was afraid that now both of them would be put on lock down.
"Of course not," Cass mutters paying no mind to his words. "Because these sort of thing just happens?"
Olivia groans. "It did just happen!"
"Woah people," James yells over them. "Let's not start the day like this," he says calmly as he looks to Cassandra. "The whole neighborhood can hear you guys and we don't need this kind of attention." He gives a look to the younger siblings, mentioning with his head to the exit. "Grab your stuff. We're leaving."
Cass sighs. "They haven't eaten." However, Olivia leaves the room - stomps her way out - without even acknowledging her words. Alex looks worriedly to the other siblings before following after her, walking hurriedly. "What?" She had a defensive expression.
He shakes his head. "Look, we're all worried and I know that this is really strange and I also want it to go back to normal-"
"Please, spare me the lecture," Cass mutters as she quickly finishes her coffee. Her appetite was lost. "You're too soft on them."
"And you're too hard. I know she got herself in a sticky situation but you should really stop throwing it to her face." When she glares he sighs. "She doesn't even remember Cassy and we haven't found a way to reverse it, let it go. Pressing too hard is going to make her break and we don't want that."
"He told her," Cassandra says instead. "It wasn't Tom, it was him."
James sighs, shaking his head a bit. "We knew that one of them would tell her… It was nothing like we hadn't anticipated."
"I told him not to but he did," she stresses as if she hadn't heard him. "I explained that it was best if she didn't know… that knowing could make everything worse for her mind… He told her regardless. You want me to let it go too?"
"The damage is done, isn't it?" He offers her a smile. "We're keeping an eye on them and it's not like they're going to try to find the vampire, okay?"
Cass reluctantly nods. "A fucking vampire of all things," she says through her clenched teeth. "At least it isn't him."
There was a tart smile in James lips. "You know was well as I that it's never going to be him. And if by any chance it ever is... he won't be alone." When they hear the teenagers on the stairs they both straighten their backs dropping the conversation. "I'll get them breakfast and I'll even drop them by the school despite messing up my schedule."
Cass waves off her hand. "They can get there by themselves, it's not like the vampire is lurking at daylight, right?"
Instead of replying to her, James looks to the two teenagers. "Ready?"
"Have a good day," Olivia mumbles before leaving.
Cass looks surprised to James - whenever the younger female argued with someone she'd always pretend that they didn't existed for a bit, however she seemed almost... agreeable. James merely shrugs before grabbing his keys and leaving. "I'll bring dinner today."
"Thank you," she says loudly as they leave.
They didn't spend too much time on the hospital. Like on the show, Vicki was sleeping when they got there. They did managed to catch Matt, who was leaving to change his clothes before going to school - he was also surprised that the Jackson's had come to check on his sister - but he hadn't told them anything they already didn't know. When Olivia left, her brother wanted to give her money so the pair could buy something to eat before going to school, Matt and Alex spoke more freely. She was beyond surprised to learn that Matt had told Alex that his sister had said it had been a vampire since she didn't know that they were close enough for him to disclosure that information.
Alex and Olivia parted ways inside the school. Olivia left him so she could catch up with Caroline before Tom got there and promised that she'd share whatever she learned by lunch. Caroline seemed surprised to see Olivia without Tom but apart from asking if something was wrong, she didn't dwell on it. After a brief conversation that revolved on checking out Vicki who had been attacked - something that Caroline hadn't been aware - that explained why Tom wasn't there, they continued onto more normal topics.
Wasting no time, Olivia goes right into the mission of trying to discover if her blonde friend had bumped into Damon. her plan was simple, first she'd try to find out their whereabouts - she was mostly convinced that if Caroline wasn't at the Grill she and the older Salvatore wouldn't meet right away - and then by trying to assess if she had seen someone new in the city.
"How was your night Care?"
Her blonde friend automatically grins, clearly she held good memories of her night. It was one of the good changes from the show, on the show Caroline had a miserable night... "It was close to perfect," she shares with the grin still in place. "At first I wasn't feeling it with Tyler and Donovan there... but it was a lot of fun."
"Yeah," Olivia agrees conversationally. "I meant when you and Tom left." She nudges her conspiratorially. "When I got home he wasn't there, despite you guys leaving earlier."
Caroline laughs and waves her hand dismissively. "We went to my house... if it weren't for worrying about Cassandra, he would have spent the night." In contrast to her previous behavior, Caroline now seemed almost bashful. "I really, really like him."
Olivia laughs as the worry that she might have bumped into Damon starts to lift. "He really, really likes you too."
Caroline looked beyond pleased with her words. "How about you?" She squints her eyes a bit. "Found someone that tickles you fancy?"
Olivia snorts before rolling her eyes. "I spent the rest of the party with Alex. Everyone ended up leaving us."
"How about Stefan?" Olivia raises an eyebrow that made Caroline cross her arms over her chest almost defensively. "What? He's cute."
"I fail to see how that matters."
Caroline rolls her eyes. "I am in a happy relationship... and I want my best friend to be happy too."
Olivia gaps. This was a recipe for disaster and she had to do something before it ended badly. "Uh... thank you but I'm fine." Caroline raises an eyebrow dubiously. "Pretty sure he and Elena will be together." She was one hundred percent sure but she could outright tell that to Caroline. "They'll be happy." Somewhat happy, tons of issues but that's none of my business. Got enough to worry about and Elena's and Stefan's love life doesn't make into that list… not even the bottom of it.
"I know." Caroline sighs exasperatedly. "It's just... we're lacking in the male department and Stefan's nice. You deserve a nice guy."
"Thank you." Even if trying to set her up with a vampire was bizarre, she was oddly touched by Caroline's concern of her happiness. Sure, she wasn't looking for someone and she still held the hope that somehow she was going to find a way to return to her old life... but it was pleasant to have a friend. "No need to play Cupid, okay? I'm happy."
"If you say so," Caroline mumbles with uncertainly. "What do you think of our new guy anyway?"
If there were subjects that Olivia didn't want to discuss, Stefan belonged in that category. She knew Caroline well enough to know that her silence could be misinterpreted, so she had to give her blonde friend something - that preferably removed whatever hopes of playing matchmaker she had. "I don't really know him. He's nice enough, sort of quiet."
Caroline huffs. "Oh, I was told that he and Elena chatted the entire party-"
Things were taking a turn for the worse. It seemed that whatever problems Caroline had in the show with Elena, they were still present. "They're going to be a couple," Olivia interrupts. "I wish them the best." And they would certainly need luck.
"I guess so... it's just." Caroline groans. There was a self-deprecating smile on her lips. "Don't get me wrong. I really like Tom and Elena is my friend... but everything seems so easy for her."
Olivia rubs her back gently. This was the first time that she didn't feel like she was out of place or more accurately, stealing someone's place. Caroline was also her friend and her friend needed her support, so she'd give it. If anything, she was somewhat good at that sort of thing. "Hey, I'm sure it's not that easy for her too. She lost her parents and her life is a mess... Plus, you're a force of nature. You do things that no one else is able to, you shouldn't forget that. You are amazing Care."
Caroline smiles. "Yeah, you're right. I am amazing... Guess old habits die hard," she mumbles uncertainly. "Thanks for not... you know... think that I'm just jealous of her."
"Don't mention it." Caroline bumps her hip against hers with a grin making her laugh.
The day went fairly normal for her after that. She was well aware of what was happening in the background, but nothing seemed to directly reach her. Tom and Caroline were fine, there were no mentions of seeing someone new in town and Olivia was sure that she would comment if she saw Damon - and maybe so would Tom after all two new people in town was something out of the ordinary. Alex didn't have any new devolvement's either, however, he didn't know half of what was going on so that was expected. During lunch, Tom had given Caroline a necklace and had somehow wriggled out of the blonde a promise of always wearing it without rousing suspicion... so everything was fine. Sure, she had no clue on how she'd deal with it and she could barely remember how everything had went down... but at least on Caroline's front everything was fine (or so she hoped).
After school, she was dragged by Caroline to The Grill so she, along with Bonnie and Elena could prep for the Comet night. That was putting her on edge, it wasn't all due the fact that she was slightly uncomfortable because neither of her brothers would be there... but mostly because it signaled that time was indeed ticking away and she still didn't have a game plan. Alex had promised to keep an eye on both of the Donovan's and it seemed that Tom would be keeping an eye on him - if the constant stares were anything to judge. If anything, at least Tom and Alex would be fairly safe. Sure, Damon was an old guy... but Tom and Alex where witches, witches that had tapped into their powers so maybe they'd be able to deal with the situation or call their older siblings. She hoped that it didn't come to that or she was fairly certain that Damon would bite the dust and that could create complications with Stefan, in spite of the fact that they weren't on the best of terms.
They were folding the stack of programs when Bonnie started speaking about the comet, pulling the focus of the conversation from Elena's and Stefan's night. "Well, I was talking to Grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom. The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. So much blood and carnage, it created a bed of paranormal activity."
Caroline shots her a dubious, slightly mocking, look. "Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens." Caroline looks to Elena. "So then what?"
"So then nothing," Elena replies.
Caroline had an incredulous expression. "You and Stefan talked all night? There was no sloppy first kiss or touchy feely of any kind?"
"Nope. We didn't go there."
"Not even a handshake?" She pauses. "I mean, Elena, we are your friends. Ok?" She gestures to Bonnie, herself and Olivia. "You are supposed to share the smut."
"We just talked for hours."
Caroline snorts. "Talked for hours? Are you in kindergarten?"
"C'mon, it's sweet," Bonnie interrupts smiling in assurance to Elena. "Not everything has to end up with sex."
Caroline rolls her eyes as if she found their words silly. "Not saying that it does. But sex is a part of life. Please, she isn't exactly as pure as snow," she states making Elena look to the program slightly embarrassed.
"That was unnecessary," Bonnie mutters giving Caroline a pointed look.
"What's your opinion Libbie?"
She looks to Caroline's encouraging expression and to Bonnie's curious on slightly alarmed. Even Elena was giving her curious looks. "Uh."
"C'mon, you're really quiet, back me up, will you?"
Bonnie snorts. "You're awfully quiet."
She blinks again. She sighs when she realizes that in fact the ground wouldn't open beneath her feet and she wouldn't be able to vanish from their sight no matter how much she didn't want to participate in the conversation. "I really don't see how does my insight comes into play," she admits. "Elena seems happy and if she wanted more to happen I'm sure that she'd have done something else."
"Would she?" Caroline sighs and looks to Elena. "Just jump his bones already! Ok, it's easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex! Plus, he's cute... it's a sin that you're not doing anything with that."
Elena raises an eyebrow. "Profound." She suddenly gets up surprising the other two girls.
"Where are you going?"
"Caroline's right." She gives a curt nod to the blonde that immediately smiles. "It is easy. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying what I was going to do."
"Proud of you," Caroline says at the leaving figure.
Bonnie shakes her head with a smile on her lips. "Sometimes I don't know how to deal with you." She glances to Olivia, whose focus was still on the programs. "Nor how you do it."
Caroline swats her hand in Bonnie's direction. "Libbie loves me, I'm her BFF."
"Not contesting that but if you spoke about sex and your sex life was also my brothers' I'd be put off," Bonnie reasons.
Caroline scoffs as Olivia laughs. "She keeps the details to a minimum. They're happy, that's all that matters. No details to scar me for life."
Bonnie laughs. "Don't know what happened this summer but you really calmed down."
Olivia looks to the stack of programs she had folded feeling unsure. "Hey, Libbie's fine," Caroline immediately states jumping in the conversation. "Does it matter that she's not playing any pranks? She outgrew it."
Bonnie raises her hands in the air in mock surrender. "I didn't mean anything by it." She looks to Olivia and offers her a smile. "Sorry if I offended you."
She waves her hand in dismissal. "We're mint."
Bonnie furrows her eyebrows. "Uh?"
"We're fine," she says as an explanation.
Caroline rolls her eyes. "Clearly she's still the same," she tells Bonnie. "She now gets her kicks out of seeing us confused whenever she speaks."
"That wasn't nice." She had a faux pout that made Caroline giggle and gently grab her hand in reassurance.
"We're still 'mint'?"
She laughs at the silliness. "We're always mint."
Bonnie shakes her head with a smile on her lips. Caroline turns her attention to her as if she had suddenly remembered something. "Oh, what were you telling me about being clairvoyant?"
Bonnie peers into Olivia's face, who was controlling her expression so nothing out of the ordinary could be seen, before answering. "Uh, no. Technically, Grams says I'm a witch. My ancestors were these really cool Salem witch chicks or something. Grams tried to explain it all but she was sorta looped on the liquor so I kinda tuned out."
Caroline scoffs. "You should really control your grams liquor ingestion. I mean witches?"
"Exactly what I told her." Bonnie looked slightly more comfortable now. "Crazy family, yes. Witches? I don't think so."
Bonnie was now looking to Olivia as if she wanted her input. She shrugs her shoulders. "All families have their weird things, however Salem witches? That's cool... and sorta terrifying. Plenty of people died."
Caroline's nose was scrunched. "Let's not get into that." She smiles pleasantly. "So, we'll distribute the programs during the afternoon and I've everything prepped with the candles. You two plus Tom and Elena will give me a hand during the night."
Olivia suddenly blinks. What? The comet wasn't today? "Uh, tomorrow?"
Caroline nods with a small apprehensive look on her face. "Yeah." She makes a pause as she furrows her eyebrows. "You forgot?"
"I thought it was today," she confesses. It wasn't like she had discussed this with anyone prior to this. She could feel herself tensing. Was she forgetting the plot or was it just her old life? What else was she overlooking?
Caroline was looking worriedly to her. "Hey, are you okay?"
"You're looking... off," Bonnie mumbles in agreement.
She forces herself to relax, if anything she had another day to plot what to do. "Sorry." She waves off their apparent concern. "Just really surprised that it's tomorrow."
Caroline raises an eyebrow unconvinced. "We spoke about it last week when you and Tom helped me with the candles," she states. "I'm pretty sure I told you the date. Are you really okay Libbie?"
She nods. "I just muddled the dates, that's all." She honestly hoped that it was all.
All the work had been done, programs distributed, tasks divided... And supposedly it was now the part where they'd relax and enjoy the work that they had put into it. Olivia did not share the sentiment. Their plan was sloppy at best - once again they were winging it she hoped that it wouldn't end like last time - and they had two fronts to cover, Caroline who by her accounts hadn't even dreamed about Damon Salvatore and Vicki. She didn't even know whoever was in more danger. Vicki could very well die today even if in the show nothing too life threatening had happened, she had been tossed around but she had been over all fine, however, with the changes, who knew what would happen. Two, today would be the mark to signal if Caroline was in the path to become Damon's toy. Sure, she had vervain and a loving boyfriend but what would (or could) that mean to the vampire in question... if he wanted something, he'd get it.
Part of her wanted to divide and conquer, Alex would cover one end and she the other. That wasn't without risks and his brother had told her much when she discussed that possibility. They had to stay together to be stronger if they did bumped in to the vampire. She knew he was right but she didn't know what to do... She definitely liked Caroline more and wanted the blonde safe but she didn't feel well knowing that she'd leave Vicki Donovan to her own devices if said devices would result in injury.
"I'm going to The Grill," she tells Tom while Caroline chatted with Tyler. They were making plans to seeing the comet with the whole gang together. "I need a bottle of water."
Tom looks to Caroline before setting his attention on her. "I can go with you," he offers.
Alex interrupts, placing his hand over Olivia's shoulder. "You have a girlfriend to worry about." By the look on Tom's face - with was something akin to bitter and rage - she realized that he didn't get that Alex was speaking out of concern. Alex promptly clenches his jaw and narrows his eyes. "There's a vampire lurking, remember?" He mutters through gritted teeth smirking when Tom's expression turned into one of worry mixed with surprise.
Olivia flashes Alex a grateful smile. Oh, Alex was genial sometimes. "Yeah, don't leave her alone. We don't know what can happen," she adds trying to make sure that during the bit of time that they'd be away, Caroline wouldn't be without protection.
"Yeah, you're right. Sorry." His words seemed directed at her while she had preferred them to be spoken to Alex. Neither of the brothers seemed to share her observation. Alex grabbed her hand and pulled her away and Tom returned to Caroline.
"You are genial," she whispers with a grin on her lips.
Alex laughs, shaking his head. "I was just lucky." There was now a grin on his lips that mimicked hers. "We're a good team."
They either had terrible luck or really amazing luck. At the moment Olivia couldn't decide which applied to the situation. Vicki was staring at Damon and it seemed like they hadn't spoken to each other yet. She rapidly turns her attention to Alex - who was greeting a team mate that was there - wanting to get rid of him for a bit so he didn't connect the dots and realized that the vampire was Damon. Nothing good would result out of it.
"There's Vicki, you get me the water," she tells him.
He raises an eyebrow. "You really want water?"
She rolls her eyes. Sometimes he was a bit too smart for his own good. "It's a cover, Tom might ask." She gives him a pointed look that she hoped that was effective and when he walked away she barely contained the relief. However, she couldn't act suspiciously. Damon was there and Damon had really good hearing. "Hey!" She says loudly attracting not only her target's attention (Vicki) but also Damon's. She smiles and forces herself to ignore him. "You want to see the comet with us? Everyone is gathering outside." Now that she thought about it, wasn't this scene supposed to happen later when the comet was actually in the sky?
Vicki Donovan had a tentative smile on her lips. She didn't understand why all of the sudden a girl like Olivia Jackson seemed to be welcoming her into their group of friends but hoped that it meant that Tyler liked her. Even if it wasn't the case, the fact that she spent time with his usual friend could only add up to her chances. She glances to the stranger, who was now looking to his glass before walking to the girl. "Sure, I just have to finish up here."
Olivia smiles and nods her head. "Want me to wait up to take you to our spot?"
Vicki laughs and waves her hand in dismissal. "The Town Hall isn't that big." She's momentarily distracted by the younger Jackson approach. He handed Olivia a bottle of water before looking to her. If the girl seemed welcoming even if a bit frazzled - Vicki thought that it was the huge bandaged on her neck and was now starting to feel sort of self-conscious - the guy seemed cold and like he didn't want to be there. "I'll find you there."
"We'll be waiting," Olivia states before looking to her brother. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. We're done here?"
They were exchanging weird looks and it made Vicki realize that she really didn't know much about the Jacksons to understand what was going on. Well, she knew next to nothing about them... Both Tom and Alex were in the team and the later was good friends with Tyler seeing that they spent quite a bit of time training together. Apart from that and that they had a huge family - oh, the older one had been her doctor! Even if said doctor hadn't given her the good stuff, the guy was nice - they kept to themselves... Which was odd, now that she thought about it. Not only as football players was their popularity high but Olivia also had a cheerleader as best of friends... not to mention that she also spent time with her brother ex... She shakes her head as she realizes that she was thinking too much into it, after all, there was nothing wrong in keeping to themselves. They weren't shy or anything, but in a small town like this being private was expected. There were too many people readily spreading gossip so it was good that at least someone had a bit of sense.
Olivia nods. "We'll see you in a bit Vicki."
She smiles. "Thanks for the invite."
Olivia wasn't happy with Vicki not coming with them but she honestly didn't want to linger. Damon was around and she had to get away before she did something that attracted his attention. It was slightly disappointing, but hers and Alex's survival ranked higher than helping out Vicki... maybe she wasn't that good of a person. Plus, even if she was aware of what his goals were... the guy was more than a little off the rails at the moment and running into him wouldn't be good to anyone's health. So, in a way, her selfishness and self-preservation where justified. But then again, she could be just making excuses so she didn't feel as much as a shitty person.
Catching up on her mood, Alex questioned why she seemed so... torn all of the sudden.
"I think I'm not a good person," she admits as they walk back. Her gaze was locked on the ground and she felt ashamed.
He snorts and pulls her into a halt. "Why?"
"I rather save myself and you than..." She lets the words trail in the air. When she was about to look to the ground again so she didn't see his disappointment, she hears him laugh.
"Maybe I'm not too," he mumbles offering her a smile. "I rather if we're safe than whatever it is... this." He pats her shoulder. "Family first."
She smiles. Sometimes he sounded like an Original and that thought alone was scary. "I don't even know what... what's the right thing to do."
"We'll figure it out," he promises. "We should get there before Tom launches a search party."
Eventually it became clear that Vicki Donovan wouldn't meet them. The comet had already passed and it was every bit as daunting as Olivia had expected it to be. Hoping that forwarding a bit would help the missing person - not that anyone was aware that she was missing - Olivia turns her attention to Matt.
"Do you know where Vicki is? I asked her to join us and she said she would." Alex nods in confirmation making Matt furrow his eyebrows.
Caroline also seemed confused. "You invited her?"
"Why would you?" Tyler quips giving her an odd look. "Didn't know you were friends."
She immediately crosses her arms over her chest. Vicki Donovan had never been one of her favorite characters, worse than that, Vicki Donovan hadn't even one anything to catch her attention long enough to be on the list of characters she disliked. She was... inconsequential. However, if there was something that had always pissed her off was how Tyler treated said girl. "Unlike you, I was taught some manners Lockwood." He raises his hands in the air mockingly.
It seemed like the fact that she was intervening made whatever forces controlling the story interfere. Soon Jeremy was next to Elena - who was brooding ever since her conversation with Stefan had ended - asking about Vicki. "You guys saw Vicki?"
Tyler scoffs. "You're her stalker. You tell us."
"I can't find her," Jeremy states after glaring.
"She probably found somebody else to party with. Sorry, pill pusher, I guess you've been replaced." Tyler sniggers.
Elena furrows her eyebrows and turns to Tyler. "What's with the pill pusher?"
"Ask him," Tyler instructs her.
Sadly, or fortunately - depending on the view - Olivia had enough. "Enough, alright." Everyone was looking to her with surprised expressions. "You two can size up your dicks at a later date. We ought to find her." At her words she looks to Alex and Tom so they were aware of what was happening - sort of, she hoped that her look made the later think about vampires and that it would mean that he'd keep his guard up.
Matt is the first to recover from her outburst. He shots her a grateful smile. "I'll check the square."
Jeremy promptly offers, "I'll come with you."
Elena narrows her eyes. "Oh, no, no, no. You are coming with me and Bonnie." She looks at said girl. "We'll check the Grill?"
"We can divide the square," Tom mumbles looking to Caroline who nods.
Alex, unlike the rest, seemed deeply amused. "Measuring dicks? Who knew you were so... crass." He trails off mockingly.
"Effective way of making them stop," she declares before a small - totally not appropriate - smile appearing on her face. "I actually always wanted to say that."
"What's our plan?"
She didn't really know about vampire hearing range, so she took out her phone and quickly types: Look around and I'll look up. They are around. She didn't know exactly where, but Stefan had found them when he was in a parking lot.
He raises an eyebrow probably wondering why she was writing all of the sudden. Trusting her to have a decent reason for it, he removes the phone from her hands. Okay, tell me any details if you know them.
Uh, parking lot and some people lingering in the background, she writes before handing him the phone. "We should hurry."
He looks at written message before deleting it. "Yeah." He grabs her by the hand and starts dragging her.
They wander for a while and she couldn't really spot anyone in the roofs they had also passed by several parking spaces but nothing seemed to fit her faint memories of the even - it was times like these that she cursed the fact that she didn't have eidetic memory. The only progress they made was stumbling to Stefan that was holding onto Vicki. It was clear that he hadn't planned on being caught and maybe it was the fact that he had many more years of acting under his belt, but he merely smiled pleasantly before guiding the girl to them.
"I found her wandering," he offers as an explanation. Olivia didn't know if she should feel grateful or not. Everything had gone - to her knowledge - like on the show and she felt like she owed an apology for her callousness to the girl. However, Damon did scare her shitless.
"Sorry," Vicki mumbles slightly dazed. "I guess I got lost?"
Alex was giving them both suspicious looks. "You found her?"
Stefan's nonchalant expression hardens a bit. He gives Alex a curt nod. "Matt told me she was missing."
"Where was she?" Alex presses.
Olivia knew that if she didn't interfere something bad could happen. Scratch that, something terrible was in the making with this conversation. It was clear that Alex's distrust was alarming Stefan - who might do something about it if this got worse - and Alex was finding his timing just a little too opportune. "You're bleeding," she tells Vicki loudly so she could attract their attention. "We better take you somewhere to put a bandage on it." It also didn't helped that Alex's questions where making a former ripper spend time next to blood and she wasn't sure if the prolonged stay wouldn't make his control slip. Being dinner wasn't a part of her plans... not that anything seemed to be going according the feeble plans she had made. "Warn everyone Liam, please."
He gives Stefan a harsh look before pulling his phone. "I'll call Matt before texting the others."
Vicki, as if she only noticed now that she was with people laughs it off. "Don't worry man. I'm fine." Her hand was still pressed against her neck. "My stiches ripped though... I must have fallen." You were tossed around between vampires, you're lucky that all you got was ripped stitches.
"Uh, I should really go," Stefan mumbles looking to Olivia. When he noticed that Alex - even if he was at a slight distance - looking to them he amended, "Looks like you got everything covered."
"Sure-"
Alex disconnects the call. "Shouldn't you stay around in case Matt has questions?" He gestures to Vicki who seemed in an oblivious bliss. "She's out of it."
Olivia considered just how wrong she had been. Through the show she had never found the character Stefan the most expressive of the bunch, but - maybe it was because she was close - that had been a poor assessment. It was clear that Stefan was torn, he had clearly noticed that Alex was suspicious (maybe he didn't suspect that Alex and her knew about vampires) of his involvement in the whole thing but at the same time, it was clear that his control was slipping. He was fidgeting, hiding his face under the excuse of checking their surroundings, and he wasn't at all pleased at this development. "We got her," Olivia says amicably. Making Stefan stay was a disaster in the making. "How about we walk to the Grill," she coos at the oblivious girl. "And wash you up." She starts walking, one arm thrown around Vicki's waist, as she wonders just what had the girl ingested to be so out of it.
"You're pretty nice," Vicki comments as Alex hurries to match her pace - she hoped that it would give space to Stefan disappear even if it would undoubtedly rouse suspicion with Alex if he did so. "Even if you're pretty weird."
Olivia laughs it off. "No one is normal nowadays," She shares. "Being normal sounds a bit boring anyway."
Alex kept glancing back - to make sure that Stefan was following them and the vampire was to her surprise - and to his sister, trying to understand what was going on. Clearly there was something happening that he wasn't seeing and he did wonder if his sister was missing the weird vibes he was getting from Stefan or knew more than she was letting on. "Matt suggested we met them at the Grill."
Vicki seemed impressed. "Woah, how did ya'know? You're like magic?"
Alex rolls his eyes and Olivia laughs the tension out of her. "It's the only place still open Donovan."
Vicki scoffs. "You're an ass. Like Tyler. You're both a like."
"Please don't insult my brother," she tells Vicki pleasantly. "He's great." Vicki nods with a silly smile on her lips. It just served to make Olivia further wonder just how out of it she was and just how Jeremy had gotten clearly strong drugs.
"You can come closer," Alex mutters throwing a glance to Stefan. "We're not gonna bite you."
Olivia, however, did had to bite her lower lip hard so she didn't laugh. This whole ordeal had frazzled her brain. "Don't push him Liam."
Alex merely scoffs. "He's rude," mutters. The vampire remains silent and continues following them - she wondered if he was silent because he was losing his control or if he couldn't make himself respond pleasantly after the shitty night he was having.
Thankfully, they had gotten to the Grill pretty quick. Matt was by the door and quickly pulled the girl into his arms. "Thanks," he tells the trio.
"You should take care of her neck," Olivia advises. "Maybe she should drop by the hospital later... I could see if Jimmy's there..."
He flashes her a grateful smile. "It's okay, I'll take her there later." He pulls her inside and Olivia could almost feel the tension slowly leaving Stefan's body.
Alex, however, kept glancing at the guy. "How did you find her?"
"I heard her," he states casually. What surprised her was the fact that he was telling them the absolute truth, he had in fact found her because listened to her screams and whimpers. "Matt had told me she was missing."
Even if Alex didn't seem all sold out on the matter, he seemed like he was about to let it go. "Man, I need a drink," he shares giving Olivia a meaningful glance. "You want something?"
"Whatever you're having," she answers before squeezing his hand. When he entered the Grill, she turned her attention to Stefan being sure that a smile was on her face. She had to do some damage control before something bad happened because of Alex's behavior. "Sorry about my brother."
Stefan shakes his head. "Brothers are hard."
She knew that his was definitely harder to deal with than hers. "Isn't that the truth," she agrees. "Sisters too."
"Big family?"
She nods. "We're eight." He raises his eyebrows. "I know." By the look on his face it was like he was imagining what it would be like if he had to deal with eight Damon's. "Anyway, thanks. We're a bit worried that we wouldn't find her."
"No, it's okay." He walks a bit closer to her, looking much more at ease - she faintly wonders if that meant that he could no longer smell Vicki's blood. "Why was he acting... like that?"
She had hoped that he wouldn't question but had found it unlikely. "Everyone's a bit worried right now. People dying left and right and Vicki was attacked in town by an animal."
Stefan nods. "I get that."
"When he's worried he gets a bit... like that," she ends up saying. "It's nothing personal but I apologize if it made you feel out of place."
He waves her apology off. "He was right. Matt might have questions and I was the one that found her... I'm just not a fan of blood," he says meekly with a self-deprecating smile that would have totally fooled her if she didn't know who he was. "Sound bad, uh?"
"Everyone's entitled of feeling uncomfortable." She makes a pause thinking about her words so she didn't give anything away. "You do better than most," she states. "I once saw someone faint at the sight so I know it can get rough." It was by no means a lie, one of her cousins - who she couldn't remember neither the name nor the face - always fainted at the sight.
He smiles to her pleasantly. She could almost see one of his dimples. "We should get inside before you catch a cold. The temperature is dropping."
She nods and walks inside. "Thanks," she mumbles almost embarrassedly when he opens the door for her.
He didn't have a chance to say something because soon Caroline was pulling her into a hug. "Your ass of a brother just told us you were here." She pauses when she notices Stefan and smiles, glancing inquisitively to Olivia that shot her a pointed look. "With Stefan..."
"I'd like to sit down," she mumbles as Caroline lets her arms drop. "With luck Liam ordered me something warm."
Caroline snorts. "He had two beers when I saw him." She looks to him. "Joining us?"
"Yes."
Then everything went like it was on the show. Matt thanked Stefan again, Elena wasn't around so Bonnie gave Stefan her number, touching his hand a freaking out which in turn made the Jackson's look to her and Stefan trying to spot whatever had made Bonnie flee. Caroline was invited to spend the night at her house - sharing her room - which surprised Tom seeing that Alex had been with her when she asked Cass. It had been a precaution and Olivia sincerely hoped that it served to further remove Caroline from Damon's radar - Olivia was almost 100% certain that she hadn't so much as glanced in his direction so it all pointed to a success.
She didn't even want to consider Tanner's death and merely wanted to have a good night of sleep. With luck, tomorrow would be the day she was finally back to her old life... Dealing with the show's plot - despite the fact that she had really fell in love Caroline and the Jackson's - was too much for her and she wanted her old, calm and boring life back. Yeah, maybe tomorrow would be the day... She just had to hang on for a little longer and she'd return to seeing the show instead of living it.