A/N I fail, so much, i know. Sorry for the wait but i hope it was worth it! 2 chappies at once! Anyway on with the story! Review!

"Ms Gilbert, for the third time can you solve number twelve for us?" my head snapped up, I looked up and around, and then down and my textbook, I was pretty sure I was on the wrong page anyway

"Um 42?" I said the confusion I'm sure written all over my face, a few people snickered

"Nice try Ms. Gilbert, pay attention next time." he said and continued to drone about other math terms I had no intention to understand. Since this morning, the entire school had been buzzing. It was clear everyone in Mystic falls was excited about our new comer. Questions were asked in almost every class, who was he? Where did he come from? Stefan Petrova, it sounded Italian, was he Italian? How long would be staying? And the comment that came from every girls lips, and even some guys, wow he's hot. To say the least Damon was in a crap ass mood. Katherine had gotten a ride with Caroline so they could both be extra early to welcome him and show him around Mystic falls high, which put him in an even crappier mood. The bell sounded jolting me from my thoughts, throwing everything in my bag I walked out meeting Damon in the hallway. We walked silently to the cafeteria, oh he was full on brooding now. Crease between the eyebrows, frown perfectly set, fingers roughly being drug through his hair. We got our lunch quickly, both of us just grabbing side salads and waters, neither of us really hungry. He was trying to play it cool but I could see his blue eyes shifting, looking for Katherine.

"I haven't seen her either." I said offering he only nodded. I scanned the room too, first looking at our usual table finding no one but Bonnie and her friend Rose, I looked at the row next to our table, nothing, it wasn't until I heard an ear piercing squeal that I followed it.

"Oh my God" I said quietly but apparently loud enough because Damon followed my eyes, he said nothing and even though we weren't touching, I could feel his posture go rigid. There at the table, was Katherine draped across Stefan's lap, his green eyes dancing as he whispered something in her ear as she giggled. Caroline sat next to her with Matt, and they were laughing too.

Damon wasted no time walking over to the table and I followed behind him

"What the hell are you doing?" he said, venom lacing his every word, Katherine merely smiled, Caroline answering for her

"What does it look like? She's making Stefan feel welcomed" Caroline said laughing along with everyone else, Katherine turned to us, not moving an inch

"In case this wasn't a big enough hint, it's over." she said nonchalantly

"What do you mean it's over?" Damon asked slowly, Caroline scoffed

"Ugh, I'm so not one to get sentimental, can we skip the break up speech? It's over. Done. We are no longer a we." she said motioning with her hands

"Why?" Damon asked, his voice was hard but I could hear the quivering, fist clenched

"Because I found someone better" she said simply, Stefan smirked. Damon said nothing, and silently stalked off, everyone looking at him, I'm sure everyone heard what happened it wasn't exactly quiet.

I was seething

Katherine went back to whispering with Stefan, I was seeing red

"God nothing ever changes with you does it?" I said, my voice rising with every word

"Ele-" Katherine started but I cut her off

"Don't Elena me Katherine! Just don't! You've been this way since we were little, you get what you want and then you throw it away as it soon as something better comes along!" I said now fully yelling all eyes were on us, Katherine let out a nervous laugh

"C'mon Ele-" she started but I cut her off with the thing I had been trying to bite back for years

"You're just like her." I said my voice tense, hard. Her eyes widened, she got up off of Stefan's lap, everything was still

"What did you say?" she said eyes hard

"You're. Just. Like. Her" I said simply, quietly, I felt the rage I had been holding inside since the entire thing with Damon started, since that fateful December morning, stir in me, I couldn't stop "You're just like her!" I screamed "You turn innocent people into monsters, you are a monster! You're just fucking like her!" I yelled, if anyone was talking they stopped, some stared, others looked away

Katherine didn't miss a beat, and with a smirk said

"And you're just like him, to weak to do what needs to be done" she said cruelly, her smile twisted, tears welled up but I wouldn't give her the satisfaction, without another word, I left the cafeteria and looked for the nearest exit, I wasn't staying here, I couldn't

I looked around for Damon's car and as I suspected, he was gone, I pulled out my phone. I scrolled through my contacts and thought briefly of calling Jenna, but she was at work,

so I scrolled down to the L's and hit call

She answered on the second ring

"Elena honey?" Lucy said, worry clearly in her tone

"Lucy" I said my voice shaking

"Oh sweetie what happened?" she asked anxiously

"Can you just please come get me?" I said, tears finally escaping and running down my cheeks

"Of course, of course, I'll be there in 10" she said hanging up hastily, I sat on the corner, and finally allowed myself to cry

Twenty minutes later I was in Lucy Salvatore's kitchen, her embrace tight

"I'm so sorry sweetie" she said quietly, I sniffled and nodded

"You know, your mother, she wasn't a bad-" she started I cut her off angrily

"She was too a bad person! She killed him! She killed my dad with her selfishness, she didn't even show up for the funeral! Now she's god knows where! Still living, still breathing, while he never will again." I said sobs taking over again, Lucy rubbed small circles on my back

"She had big dreams, your mother. Too big for a town like this. Too big for your father. Some people are made for the sky Elena, they're born with big dreams and big hearts and then there are people like your father, anchors by birth. But your father loved your mom so much, God did he, and he wanted to escape himself so bad, he wanted to fly too. Your mom did that for him, gave him wings. She wanted to travel and live in a different city every year, she wanted the whole world, and to your dad, she was the whole world. He wanted it all with her. When she got pregnant with you and Katherine, he was ecstatic. And she was…happy, but, she didn't want to be tied down. She had you girls, and she wasn't happy. She wanted so much more, and that's not your fault, it's no ones Elena. She loved you, all of you, your father included, but she just wanted so much more. When she left, he was heartbroken. I had known Alaric since Jr. High, and never had I seen him that depressed, not since Lexi." Lucy finished

"Lexi?" I asked, dad had mentioned her once or twice, always smiled fondly at the name

"He told you about Lexi, yeah?" Lucy asked

"Well... I mean…he mentioned the name, but no details." I said shrugging, Lucy laughed

"Oh of course he didn't give details" she replied

"Tell me about her." I said simply, Lucy complied

"Lexi was a spit fire, that girl, she had no censor. If she thought about something, she said it. Half the time she didn't mean to but it just came tumbling right out anyway, she met me and your father when we were in 7th grade. Didn't change a bit as we got older. She always had something to say. She was your fathers best friend you know? Kept him in line. Whenever he was doing something stupid, she would just wait, then he would figure out he was being stupid and boy did she waste no time giving him a piece of her mind. He loved that girl, she had him at 'Who the hell are you, and why are you staring at me?'" Lucy said laughing

"What happened then, why didn't he marry Lexi?" I had heard about her only a handful of times, mostly because mom would interrupt whenever she was brought up, now I knew why.

Lucy smiled sadly "They dated. Many times. But Lexi, she was afraid. Your father was to quite the player," I nodded, I knew that, he used to joke about it all the time "And Lexi kept him grounded, true to himself. But your father, he wanted some big adventure, he was always searching for something bigger than himself. He loved Lexi, but he wanted to escape himself, your mother was the ultimate escape. In 11th grade, one day she just didn't show up. We never heard from her again." Lucy finished sadly

"Oh my God…poor dad" I said Lucy nodded

"He was broken. He got himself into a lot of trouble, drinking, breaking hearts, he always kept the goodbye note she left him, tucked in his jacket, his wallet, in fact, you probably still have at home" Lucy said with finality, I nodded

"I had no idea" I said in awe, I had just taken in so much information, god it had been a long day

"Now you do" Lucy smiled "I'll make sure Damon's texts or calls when he gets home, I'll give you a ride honey"

Katherine didn't come home, which wasn't shocking. I covered for her with Jenna, saying she was spending the night with Caroline. After I got home, I cried. For I don't know how long. I cried for Damon, for myself, for my dad who I missed more than ever, and now I just sat on my bed, staring. I needed to know if he had still kept it.

Quietly, I made it down the hallway and opened the room I had avoided as much as possible, the air was stale, the windows definitely needed to be opened, I went straight for the dresser. Dad always kept his wallet in his underwear drawer, somewhere on the side. I slid it open, and with a deep breath, dug around on the sides, my breath hitched when I felt the familiar leather. I pulled out the black leather wallet and opened it. Their were pictures, and his credit card, and in a zipper compartment, was a crinkled piece of paper, tears pooled in my eyes

I opened the paper slowly, careful not to rip it, it looked so fragile

Alaric,

I could offer you an explanation, a reason, an excuse, but none of it would change anything. I have no real excuse, nothing good enough to keep yourself from asking why. I want you to be happy Alaric, and Isobel does that for you. My moms been offered a position in Vermont, she's going to take it, and I'm going with her. I have no doubt you'll be fine without me, I've taught you well Alaric, you've always been so strong, so much stronger than me. I'm not leaving with the notion that everything will be okay, or that I won't miss you like hell, but I'm leaving with the knowledge that you are loved, and well taken care of. I'll always love you Alaric, more than I should. Goodbye

Lexi

A sob caught in my throat, I clutched the paper to my chest,

"I'm so sorry dad, so sorry" I whispered. I folded the paper back into a tiny square, and tucked it away back into the wallet, and returned it to the drawer. Just as I was leaving the room, my phone buzzed the screen read Damon

I'm home. I'll see you tomorrow? We'll talk about it then. Love you

I quickly typed a response

Tomorrow's fine. Love you too.

I went to bed with a heavy heart, and my thoughts all over the place.