AN: Hey guys, here's the next chapter. I had a lot of trouble with it, so if it's choppy I apologize. I'm really just waiting to get to the homecoming episode, so please bear with me. I hope you like the chapter and please leave feedback.

Anissa: I'm also looking forward to the end of season 3 to see just how things are going to change for Sophia and everyone else. Thanks for the reviews.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to The Vampire Diaries.

Chapter 10: Unexpected Guests

"I'll take her upstairs." Stefan said when they arrived at the Gilbert porch, Sophia still grasped in Rebekah's arms. Elena darted forward to open the door, guilt eating away at her, especially since none of the trio would look at her.

"Come in Rebekah." Sophia murmured against her friend's shoulder, making both Elena's and Stefan's eyes to widen in alarm. The Original smirked at the other doppelgänger before stepping over the threshold and heading up the stairs, moving to the room Sophia specified.

"You know your sister isn't going to like that I have an invite now."

"It's my house too." Sophia muttered as the blonde sat her down against her pillows, giving a shrug.

She really didn't care what Elena thought right now, not after she'd vervained Stefan and tried to kidnap him. Besides, she knew Rebekah wouldn't do anything to her family because she knew the witch would never forgive her if she did.

"Here." Sophia took the offered wrist, her small fangs sliding into the flesh quickly. Rebekah looked up as Stefan entered the room, followed by Elena. The large space between the two showed just how disjointed their relationship was at the moment; the Original had a flash of hope that things wouldn't be resolved between them and she could have her Stefan back.

"How're the legs?" Stefan asked as he leaned against the dresser, not wanting to be too close to his girlfriend. He felt betrayed by both her and Ric, people he'd thought would never do something like this to him. He'd expect as much from Damon, but not them.

"Healing, looks like." Rebekah supplied as Sophia took another pull of the ancient blood before removing her fangs, tongue flicking out to catch a drop from her lip. Elena had to fight back a shudder as she saw the red eyes and fangs, still unnerved by this new Sophia.

"Yes, looks like it. I'm going to go take a shower and wash this blood off." The witch said before getting off the bed, surprised that no blood had gotten on the duvet. Strange. But whatever.

"I'll uh, go make you something to eat." Elena murmured and stood.

"That's alright, I'm sure you've got other stuff to do. More people to drug." Sophia refuted before grabbing her robe and going into the bathroom she shared with Jenna.

Elena's face dropped in shame before she left the room, hating that she'd agreed to this entire thing. Would she lose her sister, as scary as she now was, in the journey to saving Stefan from himself?

"Well tonight's been positively delightful." Rebekah said sarcastically as she moved around the room, examining the inner-sanctum of her best friend.

"It's been interesting, to say the least." Stefan replied, arms crossing over his chest.

"So what are you going to do now? They clearly want to get you off human blood before you lose complete control of yourself and start ripping people's heads off." The blonde arched a perfectly manicured brow as she picked up a picture frame to examine.

Stefan shrugged, not really sure of his plans himself. Sophia'd managed to keep him from slipping over that edge all summer, to allow him to keep a sliver of his humanity to remind himself of what he didn't want to turn into. But was that little piece enough to keep him from going back to his old ways or was he just deluding himself? Should he just let them lock him up and starve him off the addictive blood?

"Tell Sophia I'll see her later. I'm going to go have words with my brother."

"Sure." Rebekah said as she watched him leave the room, wondering how he could just forgive their betrayal like she guessed he was going to end up doing. But family was family and at the end of the day, you'd forgive family for just about anything.

Bored, the blonde opened Sophia's bag, smiling when she found the tablet she was looking for. Pulling it out, the vampire made herself comfortable on the bed to wait for her friend.

Sophia emerged a few minutes later and quickly changed into cotton shorts and a t-shirt, ready to hit the sack and forget she'd almost been barbequed alive. It really wasn't an awesome experience and she really hoped never to relive it again, especially if super healing wasn't one of her hybrid abilities. Although, the burns had seemed to be healing, just at a much slower rate than a vampire; this just left the witch confused.

"Stefan said he'd see you later." Rebekah commented as she tilted the tablet so the car on the screen would swerve.

"We really have to come up with a plan for him, Beks. I don't want him to turn back into a ripper, but I know making him go cold-turkey isn't going to work either. He needs to learn control." Sophia said as she pulled a hoodie on before sitting cross legged on the bed. The two were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Hey, Elena told us what happened. Are you alright?" Bonnie said as her and Matt came in, the later looking as if he'd set the fire himself.

"Yeah, a little vampire blood and I'm all good. Do you know what happened?" Sophia questioned and patted the empty mattress space for the two to situate themselves. Rebekah set the iPad to the side, eyes scanning the new comers, stopping as she gazed at the footballer.

"I'm so sorry Sophia. I never meant for this to happen." Matt said, blue eyes filled with guilt.

"What are you talking about?" Sophia asked in confusion. Bonnie and Matt exchanged a look before his shoulders slumped.

"I…I did something that let Vicki come over to this side and she set the car on fire." He mumbled, surprising both witch and vampire.

"The witch that was helping her wanted Vicki to kill Elena." Bonnie added.

"Oh."

"I'm so sorry."

"Hey, we all make mistakes Mattie. No one was killed, so that's a positive." Sophia reached out and grasped his hand.

"I just…I never got to say goodbye and—"

"I understand and I'm not made. But…what you did was really reckless Mattie. The Other Side shouldn't be messed with."

"I know. I just wanted my sister back." Matt said sadly, blue eyes glassy.

"We've all lost loved ones, Matt." Bonnie murmured, heart still sore over her gram's death.

"It's been a thousand years, but I still miss my little brother Henrik and my mother." Rebekah said softly, the pain old but still always a small ember in her soul. The saying "time heals all wounds" doesn't really ring true; it's more like "time dulls the pain, fogs the memory".

"After the accident, I was…I was devastated. I even tried to do a séance when I found out I was a witch. I just wanted to see them one more time, to say goodbye and that I loved them. But—" Sophia trailed off to wipe at her eyes and clear her clogged throat. Bonnie and Rebekah both reached out to touch her, and with Matt's hand still in hers, they were all connected in their grief.

"But they weren't on the Other Side; they'd moved on. Which I'm happy for, but I would give anything to see them again. So I'm jealous you got to speak with Vicki, but we have to move on, Mattie. Our lives are…hellish already with all the supernatural things we have to deal with, we really don't need to be stuck in the past too." She squeezed his hand, lashes wet with tears.

"I know." He said softly, gripping her hand tightly. Rebekah hesitated a moment before reaching out and laying a hand on Matt's shoulder, giving a small smile when he looked at her.

"Well don't we make a happy bunch." Bonnie said, wiping at her own eyes and making the others give strained chuckles.

"She's right, no more crying. We're too pretty for that." Sophia said, making Matt laugh more freely.

"I'm sorry for you getting burned. I—"

"It's alright, you didn't know what she was going to do. Now, while you're both here, I was hoping you could give me the low down on Damon." Bonnie and Matt looked at each other, confused.

"What about him?"

"I don't think I know the whole story about him and what he's been up to since coming to town. The most of what I know John told me, and I doubt it was the whole truth. I need to know what he's like, especially with him and Elena being so close."

"Uh, well, he's a dick, really." Matt shrugged, making Sophia smile and give a small laugh.

"He's nothing but trouble. Ever since he got here…"

/*/

"How are you feeling?" Sophia turned from the window to see her sister standing uncertainly at her door.

"Healed." She replied before turning back to the window, staring out at the dark night as her conversation with the others circled in her mind.

"Sophia—"

"So Bonnie told me all about Damon; all the things that you and John both neglected to tell me. Like how he snapped Jeremy's neck without knowing he had the Gilbert ring on." Elena flinched at the tone of her twin's voice.

"I know he must seem like—"

"A total douche bag?"

"…Yeah. But he's really not that bad of a guy anymore." Sophia turned back to look at her, face unconvinced.

"How can you forgive Damon for all he's done but not Klaus?"

"Klaus killed us, Sophia. Like actually killed us. And he tried to kill Bonnie."

"So? Damon killed Jeremy and Vicki and countless others. It's thanks to the supernatural any of us are still alive. The sister I used to know wouldn't judge someone on other's words; she'd want to get to know a person before forming her own opinions. What happened to that girl?"

"I'm not the one that's changed! I don't even know you anymore."

"Don't. Don't try to blame this on me or the fact that I'm a hybrid now. I've grown and matured, but I'm still me, I'm still the Sophia you grew up with." Elena sighed and sat down on Sophia's bed.

"Maybe you're right, maybe it is me that's changed. I don't know anymore." Sophia came and sat down next to her sister, reaching out to clasp hands.

"You're still my sister, no matter who's changed. I'll always love you, no matter what." Elena squeezed her hand tightly.

"Me too. I'll love you, no matter who you boyfriend is." The two shared a small smile before Sophia stood back up.

"There's nothing I can say that'll convince you to stay away from Damon, just like there's nothing you can say about Klaus that'll stop me. But be careful, Lena. You don't know the trouble Damon's inviting by waking Mikael. He'll kill us all to get to Klaus, no matter what he says."

"There's not much I can do, Sophia. Damon's made up his mind and there's no talking him out of it." Elena said as she got up.

"I figured as much, but I wanted you to know Mikael's no friend to anyone. And I won't let anything happen to Klaus or you, no matter what." Elena's breath caught at the look her twin gave her, knowing she'd most likely kill someone to protect Klaus. Kill Damon.

"I, uh, I should get to sleep." Elena edged out of the room, unnerved again at the reminded that Sophia wasn't completely human anymore.

"Night."

Sophia didn't try to stop her, knowing there wasn't anything she could say to get her to stop whatever plan Damon had in motion. She hated that they were divided, and over men of all things, but Sophia wasn't going to give up the love of her life. She could only hope that they all somehow found a way to live in peace with each other.

/*/

"So what're we doing here?"

"The tunnels your family used to use are below us and I thought it'd be neat to try and find them. You know, find a place that you've actually been so you don't feel so lost." Sophia explained as she gestured to the forest floor.

"Oh." Rebekah glanced around, not really seeing anything familiar. Although, it'd been over a thousand years, so there wasn't anything there that she would recognize anyway.

"Here." Sophia handed the blonde a flashlight before she got her own out. She was just about to see if her new strength would help her stomp through the ground when Rebekah let out a startled noise, causing the girl to spin around in alarm.

"What the—"

"You…you can see me?" The friends shared a wide eyed look before turning back to the woman who was dressed in a medieval dress. How was this even possible.

"I…I'm calling Bonnie." Sophia said, not taking her eyes off the apparition as she pulled her phone out.

"Hey Sophia, it's really not a good time."

"Caroline? Are you with Bonnie?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Uh, because I'm looking at my long dead ancestor and would like to know why."

"What? Bonnie she—

"What's wrong?"

"Bon, what've you done? I'm seeing a ghost right now and am trying not to flip out."

"I did a manifestation spell because a witch on the Other side was able to wedge the door open. As soon as we figure out how to close the door, they'll disappear. Who're you seeing?"

"Oh, you know, Tatia Petrova."

"Who?"

"Never mind. Just fix it." Sophia hung up, eyes still glued to the original Petrova.

"Tatia?" Rebekah finally voiced, getting a bright smile from the long dead girl before she was hugging the vampire.

"Oh, you do not know how good it is to see you." Tatia beamed before she pulled Sophia into a hug, relishing in the physical contact after a millennia of being nothing but a ghost.

"Okay, totally freaking out right now." Sophia said as she untangled herself from her ancestor and backed up a few paces.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to frighten you. I've just been so alone for so long that it's overwhelming to actually be able to converse with others." Tatia's hands twisted in unease.

"You've been on the Other side for a thousand years? Why haven't you moved on?" Rebekah asked with one blonde brow arched.

"Oh yes, it's been a very long time." Tatia nodded.

"But I thought only supernatural beings could get stuck there." Sophia murmured, eyes still wide.

"That is true, but after your mother and father killed me to create vampires, I was forced to remain there as penitence." The original Petrova sighed sadly, her hand ghosting over her stomach, where Mikael's sword had slashed her open.

"That doesn't make sense though. It wasn't your fault. You were murdered." Sophia said, glancing at Rebekah, whose eyes lowered. She might not have liked that the girl had her brothers fighting over her, but she'd also been Rebekah's friend and hadn't deserved to die.

"I don't understand fully either. I'm not privy to the discussions held between witches, but I gathered that it had to do with my role in the vampire creation, despite being an unwilling participant." Tatia shrugged, having had a thousand years to get over her anger.

"I'm so sorry, Tatia. My father shouldn't have killed you." Rebekah murmured.

"If not me, it would have been someone else, Rebekah. My only regret is that I never got to say goodbye to all of you. I've watched all of you and it's broken my heart how strangled your relationships have become over the centuries."

"That'll happen with Klaus daggering them and all." Sophia muttered, getting a nod from her friend.

"I played a part in it as well. I was too childish to pick a brother and instead had Elijah and Niklaus at odds with one another."

"Yeah, it's really not cool being with both guys. I personally don't get love triangles." Sophia said as she stuffed her flashlight back in her bag, figuring they wouldn't be looking for the tunnels now.

"I was foolish, I admit. Neither of them deserved it."

"Uh, why don't we head to my apartment; get Tatia some fresh clothes. We don't know how long the veil is going to be raised, so it'd be best not to draw attention." Rebekah said, drawing the two's attention.

"Yeah, you're right. Besides, I'd hate to be stuck in limbo dressed like that." Sophia muttered as she started back towards where they'd parked the blonde's car.

"Come on. We'll even stop by and get you some fast food. It's outrageously bad for humans, but they still seem addicted to it." Rebekah gave a small smile to her long lost friend.

"Uh, sure. Alright. It'd be nice to be able to actually eat and drink something." Tatia replied with a shy smile as she followed the others. She didn't know what was going on or how she was actually corporal, but she was going to enjoy it for as long as it lasted, knowing she'd revert to a ghost and once more be all alone when it was all over. And no one wanted to spend eternity alone.

/*/

"So how're things going? Are you gonna be able to send the ghosts away?" Sophia asked as she watched Tatia munch on a fry.

"We have to find Elena's necklace because it's a talisman for the witch who's on the Other side, but we can't find it. We're working on it." Bonnie sighed in frustration.

"Didn't Katherine steal it?"

"Damon got it back apparently, but it's not where he said he put it, so we're thinking someone stole it. And now Elena wants us to put it off because Lexi is helping with Stefan but Anna's back too and apparently Jeremy is kissing her and—"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on. Jeremy and Anna kissed?" Sophia asked, confused.

"Yeah. Elena saw them."

"Oh, Bonnie I'm so sorry."

"It's not important right now. I just need to find that necklace and close the veil and then I can deal with this."

"Yeah, I understand. Do you want my help?"

"No, it's alright, we'll find it."

"Okay, keep me posted. I've got a dead girl to deal with."

"Have fun." The two hung up and Sophia pocketed her phone.

"Your mother is the witch doing this. They need to find her necklace to close the door to the Other side." She said as she sat down across from the two.

"Why would my mother do this?"

"I'm guessing to try and get her own foothold on this side." Sophia shrugged and picked up her own fries.

"Do you know anything? You know, since you're both stuck in limbo?"

"Ester exists with the other witches, though I believe she is also alone as punishment for her actions. I've never actually seen anyone; it's like we're all in our own worlds, unable to interact with each other. So I don't really know anything about your mother's plans. I'm sorry."

"No, that's alright."

"So I was wondering if maybe part of the problem with you being stuck there was that you didn't get to say goodbye. Maybe if you were able to, you'd get to move on." Rebekah voiced, sharing a look with the witch.

"I…I suppose it's worth at least trying. But how would I do that? I mean, Elijah is daggered and Niklaus is not here." Sophia bit her lip before snapping her fingers.

"While I can't undagger Elijah, as Klaus would kill me, but we can record you or you can write a letter or something."

"We could skype Nik." Rebekah put in with an amused look.

"Yeah, good thinking." Sophia said and pulled her phone back out.

"What?"

"Just hold on." Sophia said and clicked on Klaus's name, moving so she was sitting next to her ancestor and had the phone out in front of both of them.

"What are we doing?" Tatia asked again, jerking in shock when Klaus's face was suddenly filing the screen.

"Darling, I'm in the middle of something. Can we talk later?" Klaus asked, eyes leaving the screen to look beyond.

"Not really, Nik, this is kinda time sensitive." Sighing, Klaus refocused on the screen.

"What is it? Have you and your sister made amends?"

"No, this isn't Elena. It's…Tatia."

"Excuse me?"

"It's true, Nik. We were in the forest and suddenly she was there because the veil between this world and the Other side was lifted or something." Rebekah supplied from behind the two.

"How…"

"We don't really have time to get into it, Nik. Tatia just wanted to speak with you before the veil is closed again. I'll call you myself later. Love you." Sophia said before she showed Tatia how to hold the phone. She got up and pulled Rebekah from the room, wanting to give them a little privacy, even though the two could hear the conversation anyway.

"Hello, Niklaus." Tatia said quietly, amazed to actually be speaking with her ex-lover.

"How…I don't really understand what's going on." Klaus said in frustration.

"I know, but I don't think I have much time to explain everything. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry I was the cause for the tension between you and Elijah, for the two of you fighting. I should never have seduced you, Niklaus."

Klaus rubbed at his face, uncomfortable with being face to face with the very woman he'd tried not to think about for the last thousand years. He never acknowledged it, but he always felt guilty over the relationship he'd had with her. How he'd betrayed his brother.

"I was not blameless in our affair, Tatia. I should've stayed away from you, knowing how Elijah felt about you."

"We were young and stupid and made a mistake. It's time for us both to just put it behind us and move on; it's in the past and that's where it should stay." Tatia said firmly.

"I couldn't agree more. I hope you're able to find peace after what my mother did to you."

"And I hope you don't mess things up with Sophia. I've been watching her and she's an amazing young woman who loves you more than anything. Don't mess that up."

"I won't." Klaus promised firmly.

"It was good to speak with you again, Niklaus. Goodbye."

"Bye." Klaus ended the call with a heavy sigh, not really knowing what just happened.

Glancing around, Tatia spotted a notebook and pen, which she grabbed and started in on her letter to Elijah. She had so much to say, to apologize for; and a video just wasn't as personal. Plus, she didn't want the others to read what she'd written, as it was straight from her heart and meant solely for Elijah's eyes.

When she ventured from the room, letter and phone in hand, the others were sitting on the couch watching something on the television. Rebekah muted the screen when she saw her.

"Everything taken care of?"

"Yes. If you could please give this to Elijah whenever Klaus undaggers him, I would greatly appreciate it." Tatia said and handed Sophia the items.

"Sure, no problem. So do you wanna go out? It's the night of illumination so there's going to be a celebration in the two square if you wanna go." Sophia said as she pocked the phone and slid the letter into her purse.

"Uh, sure, I guess." Tatia shrugged.

"Cool. Let's go." The two got off the couch and grabbed their jackets.

Tatia followed behind them as they set out on foot, enjoying the wind on her face. She really hoped that when the curtain closed, she was actually able to move beyond the eternal hell of limbo and actually find peace now that the guilt of her betrayal to Elijah was lifted. She really didn't want to be all alone again.

/*/

The fun filled evening did not pan out, unfortunately, as there were cop cars surrounding the square. Obviously something had gone down.

Spying her siblings, Sophia headed over to where they were standing, the other two following behind her.

"Hey, what's going on?" She asked once she reached them.

"Sophia? Are you with Katherine?" Elena asked in alarm as another mirror image stepped up next to her sister.

"What? Oh, no, uh, this is actually Tatia Petrova. You know, the founder of our line." She explained.

"Hi." Tatia gave a little wave and Rebekah just crossed her arms over her chest, bored.

"So what's going on?" Sophia asked again.

"Some vampires that were down in the tomb are back and they killed Tobias Fell." Jeremy said.

"And we think Anna has the necklace and won't give it back." Elena added, getting a scowl from their brother.

"Look, I don't even know for sure if she took the necklace."

"Oh please, of course she took it. She doesn't want to go back now that she's here." Rebekah retorted with a sarcastic eye roll.

"She was the only person who heard us talking about it, Jeremy. We have to get it back and destroy it and then close the door." Elena said.

"I know, but…"

"But what? Do you know how dangerous it is having our world open to the Other side, Jeremy? I mean, Tatia died over a thousand years ago. Can you imagine the number of supernatural creatures that could be crossing over even as we speak? If we don't close it soon, it won't only be Mystic Falls that has an open door." Sophia said, glaring at her brother as she stood shoulder to shoulder with her sister.

"Yeah, but I can touch her, Sophia. I can kiss her again. And I know it's wrong, and I know that I shouldn't feel this way, but I do. I love her. I've always loved her."

"But it's not real, Jer. She's dead. Gone. Everything that you're holding onto is in the past. Are you going to love a ghost for the rest of your life?" Elena questioned, eyes catching sight of Anna behind his back. Jeremy turned to see what had caught all their attention.

"He's at the beginning of his life, Anna. You're just holding him back. You know that."

"You're holding yourself back too. You should move on, find peace. Take it from someone who's spent a millennia alone." Tatia added. Anna looked down sadly before she lifted the necklace up so they could see it.

"Call Bonnie. Tell her that you have the necklace. Get her to send the ghosts away." Elena said before she walked away.

"Say your goodbyes Jeremy, while you still can." Sophia squeezed his shoulder before she too walked away.

/*/

"I think the door is closing." Tatia whispered as she looked up, almost as if she could see it.

"I hope you get to move on, Tatia. Especially since you didn't deserve to die like that." Rebekah said, giving the girl a hug before moving back.

"Me too, Rebekah, me too."

"Good luck, Tatia." Sophia said, also giving her a hug.

"You too. Be careful. I don't want to see either of you again for a very long time." She smiled and waved before her body disappeared.

"Elijah's going to hate he missed this." Rebekah said.

"Yeah, but hopefully he'll get closure from her letter."

"So what does it say?"

"I dunno, I haven't opened it."

"Well what are you waiting for?" Rebekah demanded and lunged for her purse, which she pulled out of reach.

"Nope, not gonna happen, Beks. I don't want Tatia haunting me, and I imagine she would if we read that."

"You're such a bore sometimes."

"You love me and you know it." The blonde rolled her eyes at her friend but looped her arm through the witch's as they strolled down the street none the less.

"It seems to be unavoidable for the Mikaelsons." Sophia laughed.

"Well, I don't think all the Mikaelsons will have warm and fuzzies for me. You wanna come over a watch a movie?"

"Sure. It's not like I have anything better to do. And I know how much Elena hates I have an invite, so it'll be amusing." Sophia rolled her eyes.

"Play nice, Beks. There's a "no being mean to Sophia's family" rule, remember."

"Yeah, yeah." Sophia just smiled as the two continued to walk, ready to get into some pjs and just relax.

Today had definitely been one of the strangest she'd had since learning about the supernatural and she thought she deserved a nice pint of ice cream for her troubles. And knowing her aunt like she did, the witch could guarantee the freezer was full to the brim, just waiting to be devoured.

Life may be super scary and difficult at times, but ice cream had a way of just making everything better.

AN: So what'd you think? Let me know please. And I've been really ill, so reviews would make me feel better! Hint hint.