Chapter Three: Be Concerned

Take it for granted,
Trust is damaged and now we panic,
Living empty-handed,
Living lives like we can't manage,
I can't feel you,
But I still know where home is
Almost dropped the bat
Like every base was fully loaded.
So be concerned.
~Twenty One Pilots

"What are you doing, Damon?" Stefan's stern voice said. He looked behind him to where Nilly sat, seemingly unaware of that just a moment ago Damon had been toying with her brain.

"Well look who it is," Damon said, lounging back in his chair as he took in his brother's appearance. "Come to join the fun, little brother?" He gave Stefan an irritatingly mocking smile. Something stirred behind Stefan. Nilly suddenly popped up next to Damon and him, wearing an awkward smile on her face.

She turned to Damon, "I think I'm going to head out. Uh, thanks for the drinks, it was nice meeting you."

He opened his mouth to reply, but before Damon could get a word in Stefan said, "Elena's waiting for you. I think her and Jeremy are getting ready to leave too." He didn't take his eyes off Damon as he spoke to her.

"I better go find them, then. Nice meeting you as well Stefan. I guess, I'll see you two around." Her smile transformed into a sincerely sweet one before she turned and jimmied herself through the crowd.

Stefan only looked away from Damon to watch her until he was sure she had made it back to her cousins. Elena saw him and nodded, he returned the nod and turned back to his brother, Damon, who was currently flirty with a brunette bartender. "What were you doing with her?" Stefan said.

Damon turned toward him slowly, a bored irritated look on his face. "With who, brother?" he gave Stefan a cocky smile. Making him want to throw his brother through the wall, not caring who saw.

Stefan took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke. "With Nilin Gilbert, Damon," he said with a locked jaw.

"Just being a gentleman, of course."

Stefan sneered, "Of course."

Damon always seemed to know which buttons to push, how to get Stefan so close to the edge. He drove Stefan crazy, slowly pushing him over and he'd watched with delight. Stefan wanted to leave, he want to get out of the cramped grill and out of his brothers sight. He wanted to be with Elena. But he couldn't leave, not with Damon dangerously flirting with a new victim.

"Leave her alone, Damon. She doesn't need you screwing her life up. Just leave her be," he warned. "I know you, and I know what you're thinking. Cut it out, now. You're not laying a finger on that girl." Stefan told him.

When Stefan stopped speaking Damon was sitting there with an amused look on his face. "Oh come now, brother, what do you think I was going to do? Certainly, not one of my evil schemes to turn this god awful town upside down." Damon said his eyebrows lifting, taking a sip of his drink. "I was just having a conversation with her, Stefan. Calm down." He gave Stefan a crooked smile then turned his attention back on the bartender.

Stefan had had enough. He turned quickly and headed for the exit. Then he heard his brother cool voice behind him, "Don't get selfish, now. You can't have them both, brother." Stefan froze, he turned quickly towards Damon, who was still sitting at the bar, drink in hand.

He raised his glass toward Stefan, "You can't protect them both, brother," he said so only Stefan could pick up his voice. Damon smiled and drank the remnants of his drink. "At least not from me," he added before turning his back on Stefan.

Stefan's heart raced at the thought of Damon even thinking of hurting Elena. And now he was setting his sights on Nilly. He wanted to go back there and rip his brother's head off. But he didn't. He wouldn't, not yet. Instead he clenched his fist and made his way out the door. The cool nigh air felt good on his face, but his jaw began to ache. He needed to get back to the boardinghouse.

They were all packed into Nilin's Jeep. Nilly in the driver's seat, Elena in the passenger's with Nilly's guitar between her legs, and poor Jeremy crammed in the back with Nilly's suitcase. The atmosphere had a strange tension to it and she didn't understand why.

She had her favorite radio station on, and she and Jeremy were humming along to it. But from the moment Nilly met back up with them in the grill, something had been wrong. Elena was in a major rush to get out of there. When Nilly asked what was wrong, Elena had thrown Nilly's jacket and guitar at her and all but forced her out the door.

Now they were heading back to her cousins' house and Elena hadn't said a word.

"Did you and Stefan get into a fight?" Nilin asked, lowering the volume and receiving a grunt of disapproval from the backseat.

"What? No, no we-"

"I didn't mean to offend him. I was just kidding," she quickly blurted out.

"Nilly, we didn't fight. And what did you say that would have offended him?" Elena asked turning towards her with an eyebrow raised.

"Nothing, nothing." Nilly shook her head, "Then what's wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong." Elena said, but Nilin knew she was lying. She knew because she and Elena always seemed to be on the same frequency. Ever since they were little, they were always in tune with each other. It was creepy sometimes and it was probably the reason why Nilly knew something wasn't right in the first place.

Elena seemed to be fascinated by something on the dashboard and wouldn't look up at her. "Elena, tell me now." She looked over at her cousin. "Elena," she said more sternly, remaindering her of her aunt, Elena's mother.

"Nilin…" she said hesitantly, "Just listen to me first before you start going off, okay?" When Nilly didn't answer Elena used the same tone on her, "Okay?"

"Sure, sure." Suddenly she was nervous, her heart began to speed up just a little. She gripped the steering wheel slightly harder and glanced in her rearview mirror to find that Jeremy had slid his headphones off his neck and on to his ears.

"You need to stay away from Damon Salvatore," Elena informed abruptly. That surprised Nilly. She took her attention off Jeremy and looked at Elena. She didn't even know Elena knew she had been talking with Damon. He was just a guy, anyway.

"Is that what this is about?" she asked, laughing a little as she navigated through the streets of Mystic Falls from memory.

"You need to stay away from him," she repeated, her voice dropped to a whisper as she continued. "He's dangerous, Nilin, more dangerous than you realize. Something bad always happens to the people around him, very bad. Don't trust him, you'd be stupid to trust him." How could Elena be saying this? Nilly's shocked returned.

"I don't-" she tried to mutter out her confusion.

"You're not going to understand, but you need to trust me. You need to listen to me, please." Elena pushed.

Nilly laughed a little, a nervous laugh. "Elena—" she began.

"Nilly, for once in your life just listen to me this one time. I'm begging you." Elena pleaded. "You know me, I wouldn't be saying this unless I was serious." When Nilly turned towards her cousin, the look that was cast on her face made Nilly's heart stop. Elena was truly distraught, her hands were ridged into fist and her foot was shaking nervously. The worry lines on her forehead stood out against her olive skin.

"Okay," Nilly said breathlessly. "I'll listen. I'll just ignore him, no more talking."

"Thank you." Elena said, as if she was letting out a breath she'd been holding.

Nilly turned the music up higher and the rest of the ride to the house was silent. Nilly had no idea what happened that night the resulted in a conversation like this.

Had it just been Nilly merely talking to the mysterious Damon Salvatore, that caused it? It left her replaying over their conversation. Her guy feeling that something was off about him must have been right. But what did Elena know that she didn't? Nilin knew there was no use in asking, Elena wouldn't tell her because she would think that that peeked Nilly's interest. Well, this already had.

A realization came to her that Damon and she had done more than just talked, something happened between them. And something else was going to happen between them, if Stefan hadn't interrupted. Would Nilly had really left with him? She like to believe no, but the fact that she didn't have a definite answer left her scared.

The harder she tried to piece the night together, the more tired she became. It was causing her to get a headache.

Elena began to calm down the closer she got to home. She just needed to get Nilly home and end the night. She could handle tomorrow when it came, but she could only take one day at a time. Having Nilin back in Mystic Falls should be a good thing. Elena should be happy right now. Then why was stomach twisted and all she felt was dread?

Elena was aware of the dangers that lucked in this town, but her cousin wasn't. Nilly didn't need any more pain in her life. The only thing this town could give Nilly was more pain. But Elena knew why she had come back. Nilly came back because of Elena, because of her family. Nilly had a hard life; she was never dealt a good hand. The only times Elena remembers seeing Nilly truly smile, really smile, was when it was just the two of them.

They were so close, people would joke that they were twins because of how in sync they were and how eerily they resembled one another. And Nilly's father would always say, "It's the strong Gilbert genes." The thought of her uncle made Elena smile as she turned her head slightly to glance at Nilly, who was driving. Nilin was silent, eyes straight forward and biting her lip raw.

"You're going to scab your lips up, Nil," she said, calling her by a nickname that Elena, alone, dared to use.

"Sorry," was all Nilly said, focusing back on the road.

They were almost to her house. Elena sighed softly, her hair falling over her shoulders. She brushed it behind her ear and glanced at Nilly again. Nilin was Elena's better half, she was the wild, worry free side that Elena needed. She knew exactly what to say, when to say it. Nilly knew how to fight too. She'd fight anyone, anything. And Elena admired Nilly for that, no matter what happen in life they always had each other's backs.

When Elena had gotten into the accident that killed her parents, Nilly's face was the first she saw when she woke up in the hospital. Nilin had taken the burden of telling Elena that her parents didn't make it. Nilin was the one who sat with her for an endless amount of hours as Elena cried; just holding her, crying with her, singing to her. Elena couldn't imagine if Nilin wasn't there those few weeks after. She pulled Elena and Jeremy out of the aftermath, mostly, intact. But, people forget that Nilly lost family too in that accident.

Just then they pulled up to her house and Nilly seemed to snap out of her trance. She turned to Elena, a huge smile on her face, as she shifted the gear into park. "Jenna's home, right?" she asked.

Elena nodded, a smile slowly growing on her face, "Yeah, Jenna's home."

Jenna was her and Jeremy's aunt. She was the younger sister of their mother and when Elena's parents passed away, she was accounted guardian. Only 25, she moved back to MysticFalls, into Elena and Jeremy's house and tried her best to cope, like they all had to. Even though it was rocky in the beginning Elena loved her aunt and was very grateful to have her there with them.

They all got out of the car quickly. Elena grabbed Jeremy's sleeve. "Come on," she said to him. "You stay here," she instructed Nilly as she and Jeremy hoped up the porch steps. Elena unlocked the door.

"Aunt Jenna, were home," she called. Then, out of the kitchen popped a head.

"Hey guys, didn't think you would be home till later." Jenna said.

She reminded Elena so much like her mother. They both had that same shade of auburn red hair and green eyes. Her Aunt Jenna was younger, more petti, but she didn't have a personality that went with it. Jenna always said what was on her mind and her heart was worn on her sleeve. She thought with her heart and that's why Elena loved her.

Jenna stepped around the corner and crossed her arms over her chest. She smiled sweetly. "Have fun?" she asked.

Elena shrugged and nudged Jeremy to move out of the way. "Yeah it was fine." Elena said.

"Oh, well yo-" Jenna began to say but then her eyes widen ad they focused on something behind Elena.

"Knock, knock. Did I come at a bad time?" asked Nilin as she revealed herself by stepping into the doorway.

Jenna smiled, momentarily stunned and shook her head. Then she started to laugh. "Nilin Gilbert, what are you doing here?"

"Came for a visit, Aunt Jenna." Nilin explained, leaning on the doorframe. "But, I mean, if you're busy I could just—"

"That's not what I meant, come here," Jenna said.

Elena and Jeremy parted out of the way as Nilly went by. She wrapped her arms around Jenna. They had always had this special relationship, Nilly and Jenna, which Elena could never figure out.

Technically, Nilly had no blood relation to Jenna. But that didn't mean anything to Nilin, family was family. Elena's mother, Miranda, and her Aunt Jenna were sisters, the closest, even though Jenna was a few years younger.

When Elena's mother was six and her aunt only two, a new family moved across the street from them. They had a daughter in the same grade as Miranda. Her name was Rocklynn, Nilly's mother. Jenna, Miranda and Rocklynn grew up together in Mystic Falls, they were inseparable from the beginning. When you saw one, the other two were right behind.

Elena and Nilly's mothers' were best friends since the moment they met.

They both referred to themselves as sisters and they both, ironically, fell in love with Gilbert men. Nilly's mother and father, Jack Gilbert, were high school sweethearts and married young. At their wedding Rocklynn introduced Miranda to Jack's older brother, Grayson Gilbert and it was love at first sight, or so Elena's mother would say. Elena's parents soon married after that and Jenna was the maid of honor at both weddings. The three of them were so close.

Kind of like Nilly, Jeremy and herself, Elena thought. And poor Jenna had lost both Rocklynn and Miranda. Maybe that's why she and Nilly had such a bond. Nilly acted so much like her mother at times it was as if she never died.

"Does your father know you're here?" Jenna asked when they stopped hugging.

"Uh-huh. I told him I was coming down here after school ended." Nilly said. They began to make their way into the kitchen, Elena followed.

Jeremy called, "Nilly, want me to grab your stuff?"

"I—" she began to say, looking at Jenna wearily as if unsure. But Jenna cut her off saying, "Of course, bring her things in the house."

Nilly smiled and tossed her keys to Jeremy, muttering a "Thank you".

"Nil, you know you're welcomed here, anytime. Whenever you need, no matter what." Elena said sitting next to Nilly at the kitchen table.

"I know, I just didn't want to intrude. You know, showing up unannounced and all." Nilly shrugged with a sad smile on her face. She kept her eyes down as she leaned on the back of the chair.

"Nilly… This is your home too. It's always been your home; it will always be your home. Remember that," Elena said, nudging Nilin's side.

Nilly started to smile, nudging her back with her elbow. She looked up at Elena, about to say something when suddenly she interrupted by Jeremy stumbling into the room. He had her suitcase and keys in his hands and her guitar around his neck. "A little help?" he asked.

Nilly and Elena looked at each other, rolling their eyes before they got up to help Jeremy.

Author's Notes:
Now that the first two chapters are up, tell me what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts about it. This story is my baby, its going on a year in the making. So please Favorite, Follow & Review.
I'll try and post a new section every Friday, that might change though.
Thank you for reading!
RLS