Hey guys! Thanks so much for the nice reviews and the follows. I came up with this story a while ago but only now did I decide to post it. I'll try to make the chapters long. To answer some of your questions-yes, I will write Bamon and I have plans for them but in this chapter I am trying to make the story between Stefan and Elena move ahead. As far as what happened with Chicago- I won't let it out immediately of course but there probably will be something about that in next chapter. I am including some characters that are not seen in the show and I hope you are patient enough to see them evolve too.

Anyway- enjoy and please review cause your opinions matter and keep me going. ((:

Bonnie 's POV

I liked getting up early in the mornings even though I often lacked sleep. I enjoyed it because I was usually the first one to wake up in the house. Around 5:30 in the morning James usually started awaking so I had to take him with me and go to the kitchen in order to let Damon sleep a little more before his shift started.

Honestly I was a bit afraid when we took the decision to move here. I was used to the life in Chicago. The neighbourhood we were living in there wasn't what I would call a safety environment, especially when I had in mind that I was soon to give birth, but I guess I wasn't also ready to leave. It took Damon weeks to persuade me this is the right thing. And I am glad that I took a leap and trusted him.

Now I loved everything about our home and even if it was small it was also cozy and something about it made me feel safe. I loved the way the sun shined trough the kitchen window in the morning. I also thought the neighbours were good, I liked the little backyard we had and I loved the bench where Damon and Stefan usually smoked in the evenings.

I often wondered how did I got so lucky with a man like Damon. We've dated for so many years that marriage was just another step for us to take on the road of our unconditional love. And I really did love him. Moreover my love grew bigger everyday-something I never expected to happen. He was stubborn and we often argued but we wouldn't be a real family if that never happened. He was sometimes confused to as how he should deal with certain stuff. He was unsure how to handle Stefan and watching him like this twisted him. My husband was in a constant worry trying to provide enough for James. He never wanted him to miss anything. Him and Stefan wore shabby t-shirts, faded jeans, shoes with holes on them but they never ever complained because that meant James was fed, well-dressed and had everything he needed.

My thoughts were interrupted by the phone. Every time James heard it ring he started silently laughing in his baby kind of way and I never could figure out why. It turned out it was from Damon's firm-he had to go early today so I woke him up and in twenty minutes he was out of the door, kissing James on the forehead and reminding me that I had to wake up Stefan now since he wasn't driving him to school.

I hurried to feed James and to change his diapers and left him on his baby chair near the table to play with his rattles and went to Stefan's room. It was the smallest one in the house. I think even the kitchen was bigger.

I opened slowly the door so I wouldn't scare him. He was in deep sleep though. The room smelled like cigarettes which meant he probably woke up in the middle of the night again and smoked. His work clothes were hanging from the wardrobe door, there were some books on the floor-he loved reading, especially history stuff, as well as some boxes, which he still refused to unpack even if we've been here for more than a month. On the cupboard near his bed was a photo of him and Anna.

I tried hard to suppress the tears in my eyes, coughed so as to clear my voice and came closer to him

"Stefan!" I gently pushed him on the shoulder "Steeefan! Come on you have to get up." I started picking his tossed clothes from all over the room while he moved a bit and mumbled

"Ugh…Bonnie…Isn't it early?"

"No, you'll have to take the bus to school. They called Damon earlier for work today."

"Damn."

"Don't swear. And get up already! You'll be late." I tossed him a relatively decent t-shirt and he finally stood up while scratching his head.

We were interrupted by James's cry from the kitchen and I hurried to go there. Stefan followed me limping while also trying to put his jeans on. Once we got there I took James in my hand and started trying to calm him down but he kept crying so Stefan reached out to me and took him in his hands and started talking to him. There was something in his voice that always calmed my son.

"Hey hey, who is grumpy this morning?" asked Stefan and raised him above his head "What? You angry we left you alone, huh?"

"I have no idea how you do that." I put his cup of coffee on the table once James was again not letting his uncle out of his sight. "Why don't you put a shirt on today?"

"I have work after that, I can't carry woods with my best shirt on." he shook his head in disagreement, like he was trying to say "Girls…they don't understand what we do". But I did and I appreciated it. I just wished he didn't have to work so hard for me. For my son.

"Come on, get ready, smarty pants." I said and he hurried up unwillingly. It was time for him to go back to school. "And please behave today."

Stefan's POV

I was on the verge of getting late for the first class which to much of my surprise turned out to be history. I got lost in the corridors even thought the school wasn't that big, but I finally managed to find the room a little before the teacher came in. Everybody knew I was the new student and they all looked me with interest, trying to understand what my story is. It wasn't anything unfamiliar for me, I have been too many schools and it was always the same. I hated the whole system, I hated the people in it. I hated the high school chain of cheerleaders and football players. Even though that back in Chicago, before the incident and everything that went down with Anna I was playing basketball for the school team.

Now I despised it. Actually I despised it back then too. I hated the crowd and the attention. I was ok with playing by myself and I was considering leaving the spot on the team because it took too much time but I also liked the thrill to play against other good teams. It made me feel like all of it had a meaning. Now I wasn't so sure that it did, but I was too full of regrets already and I didn't feel like making this another one of them.

I sat in the back right corner, it was the only free place but it was perfect for me. While limping through there I could hear them whisper, talk, discuss, gossip. They are people after all, moreover they were teenagers with their hormones up in the sky- they lived for making other people's life's hell. I know I was also still a teenager but I somehow felt different and I think I also acted different. I didn't feel better than them, I just felt distant. And I was desperately trying not to draw any kind of attention to me. Once they realized I was the new poor retard boy they weren't going to deal with me. I would be on the bottom of the high school chain.

As I sat down and looked to the left when I noticed a boy with dark brown messy hair and glasses sleeping on his desk. He looked ridiculous and one of the girls upfront was talking about him with a disgusted look on her face. He was indeed in deep sleep because I could hear him snore. He was dressed in a nice expensive shirt and somehow seemed familiar. I had no idea from where since I didn't know anyone in this town. Maybe he just reminded me of someone in Chicago.

In a few minutes the teacher came in and started blabbing. I immediately stopped listening. It wasn't like I was doing it on purpose I just already knew everything he was gonna say since I've read it last year so I also lay down on my desk and hid behind that tall boy in front of me. I started dosing off. I felt so sleepy and tired in the mornings.

"Maybe Mr. Fell and Mr. Salvatore will finally wake up and enlighten us when the civil war started?"

I suddenly stood straight as well as the other boy, him still looking very confused as I managed to notice.

"I'm sorry Mr. Salzman" he murmured. I stayed indifferent though. I wasn't trying to make a point. I honestly just didn't care what this guy had to say.

"If I catch you sleeping once again it will be a detention Mr. Fell. The same goes for you too Mr. Salvatore" you're not making a very good first impression.

I simply noded and leaned back on the chair trying to suppress my boredom, unfortunately for me very unsuccessful. I didn't took a note for the whole class and I noticed that this guy next to me didn't too.

Once the class was over I waited until everyone were left the room and got outside last. I was trying not to draw attention but I guess I've already failed that task since the same boy who sat beside me, has leaned on the wall, apparently waiting for me because when I tried to surpass him he got in my way.

"Hi." he had a very childish smile behind which however I could see pain and misunderstanding. I really didn't need anyone broken in my life since I couldn't even fix myself.

I tried to leave again but he just stretched his hand.

"You aren't very friendly, are you?"

"I'm sorry.."

"Peter. Peter Fell."

"Yeah..wait what? You're Peter Fell?" I asked finally starting to remember where I've seen him.

"Yeah..yeah I am?" he seemed confused too. "We know each other?"

"No…but my brother works for your father. He owns the car factory at the edge of town, right?" the boy nodded clearly upset that I knew who he was. I let out a deep sigh. His father was a total ass. "Now if you'll excuse me."

"Oh I know my father is an ass indeed" he stood in my way again and I was starting to get very nervous. "You smoke?"

"I do, but I don't see how is that relevant to the conversation."

He smiled again and pointed to one of the back exits.

"Come on. I'll show you the smoking corner here."

I followed him unwillingly. I couldn't understand why he decided he should talk to me. As we continued walking through the corridor I noticed that he was very slim but kind of strong. He had a posture of a basketball player but he didn't wore any kind of uniform which meant he wasn't a jock, which was good cause I hated jocks. He seemed like a loner, but more like a loner with certain reputation. I guess that the popular bunch of idiots here didn't bothered him because his father was rich and money always mean power. He nodded to a few people in the corridor but exchanged an extremely hateful glance with what seemed like a football player surrounded by a bunch of girls.

"Who's that?"

"Tyler Lockwood-the star-crossed quarterback." I caught the anger in his voice.

"I bet he's an ass."

Peter looked at me at first a bit surprised by my statement and then he nodded slowly, moving his glance again to the door.

"He is indeed. So" he started again and I felt that I was about to be interrogated as we approached some stairs leading to a clearly closed metal door at the end of this side of the building. From there you could see the yard and the benches and all the people sitting on them and chatting about stuff. I realized I look at them from away, from a different place. "you're new in town?" his question interrupted my thoughts.

"Yeah..yeah I am new." I opened my pack only to see the last cigarette in it. Peter noticed my annoyance with that fact so he reached out his pack and added "Please try those. They are good."

"No, thanks. I like mine better." I light it on and for a moment we stayed like that in silence staring at the people in front of us.

"It's stupid isn't it?" he asked

"What's that?"

"Those people, right?" he nodded towards the yard. "They all seem to believe they have a good life. Look at them-they are smiling, enjoying their grey daily routine. Some of them consider to be on top of the world" he nodded towards one of the benches near the entrance where I recognized the red jackets of the football players. " Others prefer to stay silent so as to avoid being mocked at" he then changed the direction of his stare to what seemed like a bunch of nerd girls with their noses in the student books. "Third are lost in their own kinds of worlds " I noticed a group of stonerheads sitting near us."

"What's your point, Fell?" I asked harshly. He was starting to get on my nerves. I didn't need an explanation of the high school student society.

"I don't have a point. I just admire this simplicity."

"There's nothing to admire here." I laughed and faced again his surprised look-It's high school, not real life.

"It seems like you already have an idea of what that is?"

"I do. And for your information -it sucks."

"Well I might have a slight idea too." he smiled and tossed the cigarette's butt on the ground.

"If you say so." I threw my own down and stepped on it with my healthy leg. Then I headed to the entrance but I felt his presence behind me.

"God you're persistent aren't you?" I turned around to face him but instead felt that I bumped my back into someone.

"Heyy! Watch where you going!" I turned again only to face an extremely good looking girl, dressed in a cheerleading uniform with beautiful long brown hair who's angry expression and piercing eyes got me a bit confused at the beginning. She leaned down to pick her pompons which apparently fell when I crashed into her.

"I'm sorry." I fell tried to lean and help her but I was slow-she was already up and passing me by

"Just watch where you're going, dumbass." she murmured angrily and ran so as to catch up with her friends.

"Ah..the beautiful Elena Gilbert. Head of the cheerleading squad and the quarterback's love."

"Ugh…I hate those." I said silently "And you" I pointed at him "leave me the hell alone."

I turned back again but this time he didn't follow me. Though I could feel his eyes at the back of my neck. I knew he was an annoying kid, he wouldn't simply let me go, but I couldn't understand why was he in such a desperate need of a friend.

I didn't like him, he seemed like a pain in the ass, but I felt that we were similar somehow.

I later realized what it was-he seemed lonely. And loneliness brings people together.

Elena's POV

My best friend Caroline was blabbing about something again. Maybe a boy she met in the store or a new romantic film she's watched. I didn't follow what she was saying. Actually I was hardly listening to anyone lately. I tried so hard to participate in a world I wasn't so sure I wanted to live in anymore but because it seemed like my old world-the one in which my parents were still alive-I was desperately trying to keep it whole, to keep living like I used too.

I was trying really hard but I felt deep down that it wasn't working. And because of that I felt angrier and angrier with every passing day. I yelled at Jenna, I avoided Jeremy. I've declared a revolution to reality because reality hurts too damn much.

I couldn't stop time. I couldn't stop the world. I realized that a little after the funeral. It wasn't because they were gone-no more present here with me. It was because nobody else cared.

People kept on getting up, going to work. I had to push myself out of bed and go to school, go to practice, talk to Caroline. But I fell shallow inside. I was empty.

It amazed me actually-how nothing really changes for the rest of the people out there. I was amazed by the cruelty of the world and by the oblivion we irreversibly fall in after our death.

I reminded myself that I have to keep going, but immediately after I came home from school and realized that they wouldn't be there I turned mad. I wanted to scream and crush and throw stuff at people .I stopped seeing the point of it all for a while now, but in the meantime something unknown inside me pushed me to the edge of my strength, reminding me that I have to keep a balance, that I have to preserve what I've built-my reputation, my boyfriend, my good grades.

Or maybe I didn't want to face the fact that I was actually afraid of losing myself. Afraid of disappearing, of becoming a ghost.

We sat on our usual spot on the benches in the yard, near the back entrance and I looked around myself. I could hear Caroline's mumbling in the back of my mind ,somewhere there. I still wasn't paying attention to her words.

Words-I was sick of them. People talk to damn much. Like it would make a difference. Our English -says that words behold a certain power. I used to believe that before the accident. I used to think that words express our true inner self, which is why I picked them carefully before letting them out. Now I just threw them like stones in a river-they've lost their meaning to me.

As the bell rang we stood up and crossed the yard so as to get to the front part of the building for our Biology class. I finally decided it was time I pay attention to Caroline and I even let out an opinion about boy number seven who seemed cute to her today. I wasn't really looking where I was walking and I suddenly bumped into someone.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

As I finally faced him-because it took me a while to realize I've bumped into his back, I saw that new boy, whose name I couldn't recall. He had a beautiful blond messy hair and green eyes but other than that there wasn't anything attractive about him. He wore an old t-shirt, whose holes on the sleeve proved he wasn't trying to make a good impression on the first school day. By the look on his face, however, he seemed exhausted. I didn't let that make me feel bad for him anyway. So I just mumbled something bad, picked my pompons and passed him by.

"Ah, the new boy-Stefan." she said not long after we have cought up with the other girls.

"He looks like he's homeless."

"Have some sympathy for the poor Elena. I find him cute though."

"Caroline, you find everyone cute." she shrugged with a playful smile on her face which made me suspicious "What now?" I asked, trying to hide the annoyance in my voice.

"Oh, nothing."

"He is a limping poor retard. How did you even notice him, Caroline?" I stated and glanced at her with a judging look.

"I still believe he looks more decent than Tyler. Did you look at his arms?"

"That is because you're desperately trying to find someone else so I can break up with him."

"I'm not denying anything, because I still believe he's a dick. An enormous one even!"

I just shake my head and urged her to hurry up because we were about to be late for the third time today. I smiled more to myself than to anyone else-Caroline was a good friend, she thought about me, but I wasn't going to break up with Tyler.

He was part of my old world after all.

Stefan's POV

"Come on, guys! Fifteen minutes break and then back to work!" I heard Daniel yell and stood up very much relieved. I loved working but today I felt very tired, probably because of school. I would need time to get used to this schedule. I brushed out the sawdust from my sleeves and took off the work jacket-it was still warm outside.

The Joseph Evan's wood factory was a relatively big one. I was working in the basement with the youngest ones and Daniel Jackson was something like our supervisor though we hated him and called him Daniel Dickson. He was an ass indeed. No matter how I burnished to wood or how many work I did he was always scolding me. The rest of the boys said I'll get extra hate because I am new. But I guessed he also didn't like me because I found this job thanks to our father's connections and even though he was already dead-I still didn't earn it like the rest of them. Which is also one of the reasons I felt like an outsider here too. Most of them were part of the poor working class-people who has just finished school and to whose minds the thought of university has never passed. They've tried hard to get those work places unlike me. What can I say other that my life is like an never ending celebration of the underdog.

So anyway Daniel gave me a hard time no matter of the circumstances. He made me move heavy stuff or unload trucks with wood material even though the doctor has specifically said and reminded me numerous times that I shouldn't do that. Of course I didn't tell Damon cause he would get in a fight with him and I didn't want to lose my workplace. Especially not now. And moreover-I was handling it. The amount of work he gave me didn't scare me. Sometimes I had to stay an hour or two more just to finish it but I did it and that was the important thing. He was trying to catch me off guard and I knew it. That's why I was extra cautious.

We went in the backyard of the factory and I let my new pack out. All the workers-the old and the new were here. I guess our breaks coinsided today.

This yard however was differed from the high school one. It was like I participated in two different worlds at the same time but couldn't find my place in neither of them. The air here was filled with some heaviness as well as maybe hope and expectations. People were never happy with what they had-they were greedy, craved for more. When I was here I could feel the heaviness on my shoulders too. Somehow my thoughts were always connected to James ,to Damon, to Bonnie, to the whole house even. I was thinking about the family and what I can do to keep it whole. I realized most people were consumed by the same-they were tired from the hard work but there was an urge inside them, a flame that kept them going.

I noticed an expensive Land Rover parked just outside the metal gates. I guess someone might've come to ask for a worker at their house. I prayed that they wouldn't send me. On the second week here Daniel made me go to the Lockwood house and fix their fences. I did the work as fast as I could and Daniel wasn't pleased of course because people paid more when they hired a worker.

That wasn't the problem though. I didn't like going to people's houses-they were extra grumpy because I was making much noise or if it wasn't that they either pitied me and discussed me when they thought I couldn't hear them or they treated me like garbage. Either way-I hated it.

"Salvatore!" I almost jumped when I heard my name. That's how deep in thoughts I was. "Come here. Now!" Daniel was yelling at me from a few meters in front of the entrance. He couldn't even walk two meters and come to me-he liked to yell. It was part of him trying to act like a tough dude who didn't spare his workers.

As I approached I noticed a relatively young woman, maybe in her thirties, behind him. I was starting to get what this all was about.

"Sir?"

"This is Ms. Sommers" he nodded towards her and she smiled politely at me. "She needs someone to fix the porch at the back of her house. Did you finish the orders I gave you yesterday?"

"I am about to do it, sir." I answered with the calmest voice I had and I didn't fail to notice that she was looking at him with a certain amount of despise. I guess nobody liked that guy.

"Well, l do it faster. You're going to Miss Sommer' s house on Friday."

"But my brother asked you to give me a free day on Friday, sir. He talked to Mr. Evans and he said I can take two shifts in one of the next days."

Daniel didn't like that and he furrowed his eyebrows. I was sure he was about to start yelling at me but the woman interrupted him.

"That's ok. Why don't you come on Saturday then?"

"But it's the weekend, madam. You wouldn't like someone making noise in seven in the morning believe me." Daniel was a sly dude who liked to kiss asses and receive great joy upon yelling at people. When it came to pleasing the customers though he was the nicest guy in the world.

"No, that's not a problem." she nodded reassuringly.

"Good. Then I want you to the Gilbert's house at seven in the morning on Saturday and not a minute later. You understand, Salvatore?"

"I do, sir."

"Ok. will give you the details now. Then go back to work, the break is almost over."

I nodded and he left us alone for which I was more than grateful. I waited patiently for her to get out something which looked like a notebook and to write me the address. Then she handed it to me still smiling. She seemed like a nice person.

"Here you go. Do you have any questions?"

"No, madam. I promise I'll do my best."

"I'm sure you will. I'll see you on Saturday."

I didn't ask why her name was Sommers but I was about to go to the Gilbert house. Wasn't that girl I bumped into today named Gilbert? Great..now I'll have to deal with a grumpy cheerleader who thought she's on top of the high school society.

I didn't like queen bees.

"You are not doing it for yourself. You are doing it for James." I repeated that thought at least a dozen times in the next few hours, while trying to hide my annoyance and tiredness. There was a point in this. There had to be. Because I was trying to put someone else's needs above mine.