Riley and Caroline spent hours at Mystic Grill, playing pool with guys from Whitmore College. The guys had bought them multiple drinks from the bar. One of the guys, Jake, sat Riley on the edge of the pool table. Throughout the night, he had been heavily flirting with her and she did not mind the attention. Caroline was forgetting about what made her upset, returning to her usual perky self. It felt like old times when they would hang out at the restaurant with Elena and Bonnie, gossiping about things like cute boys and incidents at school. During her travels with her parents, she had met many newborn vampires. Most of them would have a complete personality change, becoming far more vicious and emotionless. She was comforted by the fact that Caroline, despite the fangs and thirst for blood, was still the same person. As Riley waited for Caroline to take her shot, Jake tried to convince her to come back to his apartment. She declined the offer since she noticed that Caroline was getting tipsy and should not walk outside alone at night.

"My place is really cool"

"I don't want to leave Caroline"

"She could come too. I don't mind"

He leaned closer, about to kiss her. She stopped him, pushing her hand against his chest.

"Not tonight. Maybe another time when we're a little more sober"

Jake chuckled. "You're a tease. I'll hold you to that. Let me get you another drink"

Caroline stumbled, leaning her arm on the pool table. Riley decided to take her home. She wrote her number down on a napkin and handed it to Jake, who kissed her cheek. Holding onto Caroline, she brought her out of the restaurant and sat in the passenger seat of her car. She drove towards Caroline's house. Caroline hiccuped a couple times. She giggled, covering her mouth.

"I think I'm wasted"

"You definitely are, Care"

After a few minutes, she reached the house. Her mother's car was not the in the driveway, meaning she was still at the police station. Riley was relieved that she would not have to show her Caroline's current state. Putting Caroline's arm around her neck, she helped her into her house and up to her bedroom. Caroline's strong grip caused both of them to fall onto her bed.

"You're such a good friend to me, Riley"

"I wasn't going to ditch you. You, alcohol, and guys is a bad combination"

"I'm glad you're back in Mystic Falls. I don't know how I'd get through this without you"

"Through what?"

Riley watched Caroline struggle to take off her shirt. She was having trouble with the sleeves.

"All these bad things keep happening. I want to tell you but everyone says I can't. They think you'll freak out or you can't handle it but I know you can because you're tough. It would be so much easier if we could just talk about it in front of you instead of making up random conversations all the time"

"Don't worry about it. You should get some sleep, okay? I'll see you tomorrow"

Riley returned to her house, finding papers strewn across the coffee table in the living room. Her mother was prone to staying up very late at night for her archaeological work. With the added stresses of being a professor, she rarely got any sleep except on the weekends. Walking into the living room, Riley picked up one of the papers. She was surprised to see information about vampires. All of the papers dealt with vampire myths. A circle had been drawn around the words The Originals. She saw a drawing of a large oak tree with seven stick figures surrounding it. Another circle had been drawn around the fifth stick figure, which had an intertwined moon and sun above its head.

"Riley?"

Her mother was standing in the doorway, holding a cup of coffee. "What are you doing? I thought you were at the Grill"

"Caroline had a little too much to drink so I brought her home. Why do you have your research? I've never seen these papers. Who are the Originals?"

"Nothing important. I must've grabbed those by mistake. When we moved, all of my things got a bit jumbled"

"Does it have to do with the attack in London? You know who attacked me?"

With a heavy sigh, she sat Riley down on the couch. Her mother took the papers from her and began to tell her the myth of the Originals. They were supposedly the first vampires in existence. The Original Witch, who was very powerful, wanted to protect her husband and their five children from the werewolves so she created the spell that turned them immortal. Since nature liked to keep things in balance, the price was the blood lust and weakness to the sun and vervain. The Originals had abilities different from a regular vampire, such as being able to compel other vampires and enhanced strength, healing, and agility. Wooden stakes were not fatal to them and sunlight would merely burn their skin. Her mother told her that there was not much information about them since their existence dates back to a thousand years.

"But you think one of them did it"

"Riley, I don't know anything. The Originals could be purely myth. I was just curious because you mentioned how the stake had little effect on the vampire. Your father says that you just didn't stake him hard enough but I've had my doubts"

"Well vampires had to come from somewhere, right? They didn't just drop out of the sky one day"

"Like I said, the story changes very often. I've just gotten this information over the years, mostly from my father. I want you to put that incident behind you. That man is not going to find you again" she said, reassuringly.

Riley heard a hint of reluctance in her voice. She nodded and left her mother to her work, heading to her room. Sitting on her bed, she drew in her notebook. She had not fallen asleep until half past midnight.

The next morning, Riley was woken up by someone shaking her bed. She opened her eyes slightly, seeing Jayden.

"Wake up, sleepy head"

Ignoring him, she put her pillow over her head. Jayden continued to shake the bed. He tugged hard on her blanket, causing her to fall to the floor. She was still wrapped in her blanket like a little cocoon. Matt and Garrett were standing in the hallway, laughing.

"Come on, lazy. We have volunteering to do, remember?"

"Why does Caroline sign us up for all this stuff? It's not fair" she whined.

"We still have to pick up Ty. Let's go"

"Fine. Get out of my room so I can change"

"We promise not to peek" said Garrett, innocently.

Riley pushed Jayden out of the room and shut the door. She had forgotten that Caroline made her sign up to help with Mystic Falls Historical Society Volunteer Day. Caroline caught her off guard at school, asking her while she was busy taking notes in Chemistry. The Fells had donated a large amount of money to expand the town park. Once she got dressed and failed to convince her dad to make her work with him at the hospital, she met the guys outside. They were waiting in Jayden's car. She sat next to Matt, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Is someone hungover from last night? I saw you with those guys when I was picking up my check"

"No. I just don't feel like being up this early. It should be against the law"

He laughed and let her get a few more minutes of rest. Jayden turned around in his seat.

"Go get Ty"

"Why can't you do it?"

"Because it's my car and I said to go do it"

"And you call me lazy. Keep pushing me and I'll tell Alison that you've got a big crush on her"

"Do not even joke about that"

She stuck her tongue out at him and walked over to Tyler's house. Knocking on the door, she was greeted by Mrs. Lockwood.

"It's wonderful that you're volunteering, Riley. Tyler is in his father's study with Mason. I should get going to the park. I'm hosting the event and it will look bad if people get there before me"

Riley entered the study, finding Mason and Tyler near the hidden safe. The safe was open and Mason was taking out the papers and old photos. She listened to their conversation, hiding behind the wall. They were talking about the moonstone. Mason claimed that he wanted it for sentimental value. Tyler did not believe him and asked for the real reason. She knocked on the door. Both of them glanced up and Tyler smiled at her.

"Hey Riley. What are you doing here?"

"We signed up to help your mom with the park today. The guys are waiting outside. They sent me to come get you"

"Oh yea, the—I actually think I'm going to skip it. Cover for me if my mom asks where I am?"

"Sure. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yea. I'm just not in a volunteering mood right now"

"I wonder if it's true about her"

"If what's true?" she asked Mason.

Mason looked at her, surprised. It was as if he had not expected her to hear him. He passed it off as him just thinking out loud. When he offered to drive her to the park, she told him that Jayden was taking her. He shut the safe and placed the carpet over it.

"I'll see you there. Feel better, Ty"

As Mason left the study, giving her a quick smile, she walked over to Tyler. She sat on the floor with him.

"I know you're not sick. What's up?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you"

"Try me, Lockwood. The guys won't mind being late to volunteer"

"Do you believe in supernatural stuff? You know, weird monsters?"

"Pretty sure I dated a few"

"I'm serious, Ri. Look, you can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. Pinky swear?"

"If we're doing that, it is serious. What's going on?"

Tyler locked the door to the study. Lowering his voice, he admitted to her about being a werewolf. Riley pretended to be surprised. He explained the curse to her and how it was triggered by killing a person. The curse was the reason for his anger issues. Tyler felt unsure if Mason really came back for him or just for the moonstone. He was also worried about triggering the curse and having to shift into a wolf on every full moon. From Mason's description of the transformation, it sounded very painful.

"That's really intense"

"You are taking this a lot better than I expected. I thought you'd call me crazy"

"I'm open-minded. Why would you lie about something like this, Ty? Do you still have the moonstone?"

"Yea, I hid it. I'm not giving it to Mason until I'm sure I can trust him"

"I should get going before Caroline bites my head off. I'll meet you here after the volunteer thing"

She hugged him. "Everything will be okay, Ty. I've got your back"

Riley returned to the car and lied that Tyler was feeling ill. Garrett muttered that he was lucky for getting out of the event. Jayden drove them down to the park. It was already packed with people from the town. Everyone was put to work, carrying boxes, painting, mowing the grass, and selling food and drinks. Sheriff Forbes walked over to them.

"Here are my big, strong helpers"

"Oh no, I don't like the sound of that" said Matt.

"Who said she was talking about you, chicken legs? Liz obviously meant me"

Matt pushed her shoulder, shooting her a playful glare. Liz sent them over to the new playground to help set up the equipment. Riley was assigned to paint with Elena and Caroline. She grabbed a bucket of paint and a brush from a nearby truck. Walking around the park, she spotted Elena and Stefan having a tense conversation. It seemed that they really had broken up last night. Caroline was nearby, painting a gazebo while Damon stood next to her. Riley rolled her eyes and walked over to the gazebo.

"Here you are. Why are you so late?"

"Relax, Care, it's only ten minutes. I think the park will still look nice"

She started to paint one of the wooden columns. Damon moved beside her.

"Hello my favorite little Gilbert"

"Stalker" she retorted, making him smirk.

"You are looking lovely today"

"Is that the best you've got, Damon? Disappointing"

"Could I talk to you alone for a minute?"

"That's not happening, Damon. We're busy" replied Caroline.

"It's only for a minute. I'll be gentle with her"

Damon grabbed Riley by the waist, slinging her over his shoulder. Riley beat on his back with her fists. He chuckled, joking that she gave a good massage. She noticed Elena's eyes widen, seeing Damon walking across the park as Riley kept hitting him. When he reached the lake, he put her down on the ground.

She crossed her arms. "What is this? Because Elena shot you down, you're going to go after the next Gilbert? You'd have a better shot of hooking up with Jeremy"

"I have no feelings for Elena"

"Sure. I'll pretend to believe that. Caroline's told me all the gossip to catch me up on what I've missed over the years"

"I wanted to have a little chat. Katherine said you really did some damage"

"I don't know a Katherine"

"She's the little vampire you beat up outside the Mystic Grill last night"

Stefan ran over to them. He pushed Damon angrily, telling him to not be reckless.

"Calm down, Stef. Mini Gilbert, you can drop the little innocent routine. I know that you know about us"

"What makes you so sure?"

"You weren't very subtle at the barbecue with your vampire bats during pictionary"

"Well you weren't subtle with your wolf references towards Mason Lockwood"

"You know about the Lockwoods?" asked Stefan, taken aback.

Riley explained that her parents told her everything about the supernatural world at just five years old. She was aware of the Lockwoods being werewolves and the Bennetts being witches. Her parents taught her how to spot vampires in an instant and how to fight them. She assumed that Katherine and Elena were doppelgangers, which explained why Katherine looked very much like her cousin. Stefan and even Damon looked shocked that she knew so much, including the sun and moon curse.

"Do you seriously think I've never met any supernaturals outside of Mystic Falls? By the way, you guys suck at pretending to be talking about some random thing when I just happen to walk into a room"

"If you knew, why did you never tell Elena or Jeremy?"

"Because they wouldn't be able to handle it when they were that young. You can't just bring it up in a conversation. My dad said that my uncle would tell them when he felt the time was right. I'm not scared of either of you, Stefan. I can tell that you don't even drink human blood so you're not that strong and I'm pretty sure if I held up a mirror to Damon, he'd get distracted by it because he's narcissistic"

Damon smiled. "See, we need her in our little gang. I can't be the one making the funny jokes all the time. It gets tiring after awhile"

"Damon, Riley is not getting involved"

"By definition of being a Gilbert and knowing about us, she is involved. She's close with the Lockwoods. Maybe she can help us with our little Mason problem"

"I'm not helping you with anything. Stop bugging me. If you keep it up, you'll find out just how good I am at killing vampires and trust me, I can make anything look like an accident"

Riley returned to the gazeo to help Elena and Caroline. Both of them looked extremely worried. She assured them Damon was just attempting to flirt with her. Elena told her that if he got too rough, Stefan would handle him. As they finished painting, Mrs. Lockwood asked Riley to help with the lemonade stand. As she walked over to the stand, she saw Damon and Mason in front of it. There was a lot of tension between them. She had one of the little girls get more cups.

"Riley, we keep bumping into each other. This is clearly fate" said Damon.

"Or you don't know when to take a hint"

"I was just talking to my good buddy Mason here"

"You have a good day, Damon. Riley, could you help me in the woods?"

"Yea, I'll just get someone to take my place. I'll meet you there in like five minutes"

Great"

Mason headed into the woods. Riley poured lemonade into the cups. She thought that it smelled weird. Stefan and Damon were talking about the breakup with Elena. Damon believed it was just a ruse. One of the girls handed Damon a cup. Riley spilled lemonade on her hand. As she wiped it with a napkin, she recognized the smell.

"Damon, wait"

He had already drank the lemonade and began to choke. Stefan sat him down at a table. The girls looked worried but Riley lied that he was fine. She grabbed a water bottle and handed it to Damon. He took a small sip.

"It was Mason. I'm going to kill him"

Stefan forced him to stay at the table. Riley glanced around the park. Everyone was drinking the lemonade happily. Since only Damon had been affected, it made sense that someone spiked the drinks with vervain.

"Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine, Riley. Thanks for the water"

"I'm supposed to meet Mason. I'll go see if he has vervain on him. It could have been anyone on the council who did it"

Riley had Jayden take her spot at the lemonade stand. She went into the woods, looking for Mason. He was in a small clearing, carrying trash bins.

"Hey Riley. I'm glad you came to help. I thought this would be a little more fun than helping to sell lemonade"

"No problem. Just tell me what to do"

"It's clean up. Put the leaves and branches in the bins"

She walked around the clearing, picking up fallen branches. As she turned to throw it into a trash bin, she bumped into Mason. He peered down at her.

"I need to draw them out, Riley. They can't keep hiding. They're too dangerous for this town"

"Draw what out?" she asked, confused.

"I think you know. You were pretty chummy with the Salvatores earlier. I saw you three talking by the lake"

"That was nothing, Mason. Damon likes to flirt and he was trying to get me alone. I didn't really fall for his charm"

"You know the truth about them…about my family. My brother was furious when he heard that your parents told you everything. I even overheard the last council meeting that your parents attended before you left town. It was one big argument"

"I'm going to go back down to the park. This is a little too dirty for me"

Mason grabbed her wrist roughly. She winced, struggling against his grip. He lifted her up, carrying her through the woods.

"Mason, let go of me!"

"Do you want to know what else I heard that night? I heard that your blood is like catnip for vampires. They can smell it on you right away and they can't help but want it. Is that true?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mason. Put me down! I'll scream"

"No one will hear you. I'm sorry, Riley, but you're my best shot at getting rid of the Salvatores. I need them out of the way. After they're dead, I'll take you to a hospital, okay? You can trust me"

She continued to struggle as he pinned her against a tree. Her eyes widened when she felt something sharp pierce her stomach. Mason covered her mouth to keep her quiet. He pulled out a bloody knife and stabbed her multiple times. She was fading in and out of consciousness. Before she fainted from the blood loss, she saw two blurs moving through the trees.

Riley woke up, feeling very dizzy. She was no longer in the woods, now sitting in a hospital bed. Her stomach wounds had been sealed with stitches. Her head hit the pillow as she was tackled by multiple people. Elena, Jeremy, and Caroline were hugging her.

"Riley, we were so worried. We didn't know if you were going to make it" said Elena.

"What happened?"

"Mason was using you to get to Damon and Stefan. It was a trap so that Caroline's mom and some of the deputies could shoot them with wooden bullets. Mason lied that you were a vampire too so they'd kill you but Caroline saved all three of you"

"A vampire?"

Elena sat beside her on the bed. "We know that you know, Riley. Damon told us and he assured Caroline's mom that you are not a vampire. I'm sorry that we kept it from you"

"I get it. I kept that secret from you for years"

Caroline told her proudly that she had beat up Mason in the woods. When her parents entered the room, Elena and Caroline promised to see her later. They were going to the Salvatore boardinghouse. Jeremy had to return home due to his curfew set by Jenna.

"How are you feeling, scamp?" asked her father.

"Fine. My head's a little dizzy but I'll live"

"You're lucky they got you here in time. You were bleeding very badly. Who attacked you?"

"Mason. He was using me to get Damon and Stefan"

"Why would he use you?"

Riley remembered what Mason said about the council meeting. Her parents had gone to a meeting the night before they moved from Mystic Falls. When she asked them about it, they said it was just to say goodbye to them.

"I think you know that answer"

"What does that mean?"

"Mason said that he was listening to your last council meeting before we left town. You were talking about me…about my blood"

"Riley, that's not true. Mason wasn't thinking clearly. He would say anything to confuse you"

"Are you lying to me?"

"We would never lie to you" said her mother.

"Then be honest with me. He could have used anyone's blood to lure them into the woods but he used mine because he said it would attract them faster. Why would he think that?"

She stared at her parents, waiting for an answer. Her father suggested that Mason was desperate to get rid of vampires. He pointed out that the feud between werewolves and vampires made both sides paranoid at times. It did not even answer her question.

"Whatever Mason told you was just to distract you, Riley. I wish we could get some justice for what he did to you but the council won't believe three teenage girls. Just forget it"

Her fists clenched. "That's your solution to everything, isn't it? Just forget it. When I was attacked in France, you said to just drop it and put it behind me. You keep avoiding it everytime I bring it up in a conversation. Just tell me the truth. Was Mason really lying?"

"Riley"

She got out of bed and grabbed her car keys off of the side table. "Nevermind. Follow your own advice…just forget it"

"Where are you going? You're in no condition to"

"I feel fine, Dad. I'm going out. I'll be back when I feel like it"

Leaving the hospital, she found her car and drove to the boardinghouse. She knocked on the door. The door opened, revealing Damon.

"You heal quickly. Maybe you are part vampire" he joked.

She grabbed a sharp rock on the ground. Moving the rock across her palm, she cut herself. Damon stepped back.

"What are you doing? Are you loopy from your meds?"

"What does it smell like? Tell me"

"Riley"

Veins appeared under his eyes. He took deep breaths. She kept the door open with her foot. The veins slowly vanished, giving him his normal appearance.

"Tell me what my blood smells like"

"It's very sweet. It's like honey and—it's hard to describe, okay? When I'm close to you, it takes every bit of control in me not to want to taste it. That's why Stefan and I were watching you at the carnival. We never smelled anything like it. Neither of us would hurt you, Riley. Why aren't you at the hospital?"

"Because right now, my parents are keeping something from me and I don't want to hear bullshit. You seem like the honest type…plus Caroline mentioned last night that you have good whiskey"

Damon let her into the house. She followed him into the living room and sat on the couch. He poured two glasses of whiskey and handed one to her.

"I wouldn't worry about your parents. It's in the job description for parents to keep things from their kids"

"Today made me realize exactly why I used to hate this town sometimes. Everyone has their secrets and it's full of lies. You're on the council, aren't you?"

"Carol is letting me run it. It's good for knowing when they're planning something against vampires"

"Tyler and I always used to sneak in after the meetings at his house. His dad kept a record of what they talked about at every meeting in these little notebooks. Could you find them and see if I was ever mentioned at a meeting?"

"And what do I get for this little favor? Maybe a little late night fun?"

Riley moved onto his lap. She unbuttoned the top buttons on his shirt and leaned closer, their noses touching lightly.

"You wish you could be that lucky"

He smirked when she returned to her spot on the couch. She offered that if he helped her, she would owe him a favor.

"You've got a deal, mini Gilbert. You are the partner in crime that I've been needing here"

Riley spent the night at the boardinghouse, drinking whiskey and talking with Damon…

A/N: Thanks for reading. For the pairings in this story, it is going to be Riley/Elijah and Riley/Klaus. The relationship between her and Damon will be more of a close friends/drinking buddy kind of thing. Promise to update soon :)