A/N: Hello Hello people, the story is moving along..but trust me, a lot of exciting things are coming up. Thanks for your reviews. Here is the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters used in this story.

Chapter 7

"Uncle John, hi!" Elena opened the door to give her uncle a warm hug. "We brought the good stuff…" Isoble held up a bottle of wine cheerfully and was welcomed into the house immediately. After some light chat in the living room, Miranda called the guests to the dinner table for a long overdue family dinner.

It was a pleasant gathering; laughter broke over the delicious home cooked meal. Miranda slaved away in the kitchen the whole afternoon to ensure the success of the dinner and her hard work had definitely paid off judging on how everyone cleared their plates.

"Oh Miranda, you really out done yourself…" Isobel said. She was very family oriented, so gatherings such as these were a dream come true for her. It was a shame they never had their own kids, Isobel would have been a great mother; Elena thought as she wondered what kind of mother she wanted to be for Adam.

"We haven't done this in such a long time, it's too bad Damon can't be here" a sigh of regret escaped Isobel but she returned cheerful again in seconds. Elena glanced up from wiping mashed potatoes off Adam's chin at the mention of Damon's name before noticing John's gaze on her. His expression told her there was something wrong.

"So Elena…" he started as dessert was served. " What's your plan after this? Are you job hunting now or what?" he ask with concern in his voice. Uncle John had always been the father figure for Elena and Jeremy, although Katherine had always been out of his reach. Kat refused to listen to John or any advice he offered, in fact she managed to consistently do the opposite. They had never gotten along with each other. But Elena felt John had the right to know where her life was going especially when he supported much of her tuition fee throughout her studies.

"I don't really know, I think I'm gonna take some time off for awhile…" Elena made a confession that was new not just to John but to everyone around the table. She kept her attention at Adam, avoiding the ray of expressions plastered on her family's face. John shrugged off her response; "Okay, well my old friend at Yale told me about this great scholarship…" John said suggestively, bringing another spoon full of apple pie to his mouth.

"It's called the Howard Memorial Law Scholarship. You should apply and maybe continue your master's degree…" it sounded more insistent this time and Elena knew it was more than just a suggestion.

The subject was dropped temporarily only to be brought up again later after dinner when John was alone with Elena in the study. "I'm not really planning to do go back to university, Uncle John. That's not really in my plans right now.." Elena gave what she hoped was a convincing smile but John saw where her gaze fell afterwards; a picture of Adam on the bookshelf.

"What are you going to do, Elena? Babysit Adam?" John looked agitated when Elena said nothing as tension filled the air.

"You have a lot ahead of you Elena, what happened to your plans? Your ambitions?"

"I still have them, I just…need to sort things out. My priorities are different now"

"Adam is not your priority Elena, he is not your responsibility and you don't have to clean up after Katherine's messes." He practically shouted.

"That's not what I'm doing, Adam needs me. This is what Katherine would have wanted and I will take care of Adam for her" Elena's voice matched his but she was careful not to disrespect her beloved uncle. He paced the floor for a few minutes, throwing her a fiery glance once in a while. When he seemed to come to a final conclusion, he stood tall in front of her.

"No Elena, I want you to apply for that scholarship. I'll help pull any string to make it happen and you will finish what you started…" he spoke sternly.

"Katherine ruined her future but that does not mean I will let the same thing happen to you" the cold expression on his face told Elena he meant every word he said.

John's words still echoed in her head long after he and Isobel left. Elena found herself sleepless that night, contemplating her future but she was surprised at how easy it was to abandon John's orders, they appeared inadequate by comparison to Adam and how much he needed her.

This is a short chapter to prove that no matter in whichever alternate universe I put him in, Uncle John will still be an ass. I will normally follow up a short chapter with another chapter soon, just so I could feed hungry readers out there hehe.

Thank you for reading, please review.