Keeping the promise she made to Elena while being trapped in the disheveled house, once they returned to Mystic Falls, Riley brought her, Stefan, and Damon to her house. Her father was very reluctant to invite two vampires inside. He did not judge vampires but it took a lot of trust for him to extend any invitation. After a lot of pleading and pouting from Riley, he relented though he did warn Damon and Stefan that if they caused harm to anyone in his family, he knew painful ways to remove the invitation and keep them away from any houses. Elena had immediately questioned Riley's parents about her role in breaking the sun and moon curse. They showed their old research, mostly about the curse, and explained to her that the blood of an ancestor in her Petrova bloodline, which she shared with Katherine, had been used to enact the curse on werewolves and vampires. Since nature required balance, the blood of a Petrova doppelgänger was the key to breaking it.

Unfortunately, they refused to answer many more questions. The subject of Elena dying was not exactly a topic for casual conversation. Rose showed up at the boardinghouse to warn them about Klaus. He was considered the oldest and most feared of the Originals. She told them that Elijah had intended to bring Elena to Klaus to help him break the curse. Since Riley's parents were not willing to discuss the curse, Elena resorted to getting information from Katherine while Damon and Rose met with her friend Slater, who knew people connected to Klaus. Katherine admitted to Elena that Klaus had killed her entire family when she escaped him over 500 years ago and he would do the same to Elena's family and friends if he did not get his way. Riley continued to question her parents about the Originals and the curse. She would have asked for her friends to help but they were all busy with other supernatural problems. Caroline was helping Tyler understand his werewolf transformations after he learned that she was a vampire. Bonnie was learning about two new warlocks in town, Luka Martin and his father Jonas, and Jeremy was too distracted with making googly eyes at Bonnie everytime he saw her. He had not been very subtle about his crush.

To make matters worse, Elena decided to do more digging by herself despite everyone telling her to stay in her house for her protection. She had forced Rose to take her to see Slater. Instead of Slater, they met his girlfriend Alice and Elena was going to give herself up to Klaus to keep her loved ones safe. Damon found her, thanks to a call from Rose, before she made such a foolish mistake. Everyone was shocked, to say the least, when Elijah somehow rose from the dead and killed two of Klaus's men by ripping out their hearts. With Elijah somewhere in the town, Riley tripled her efforts to get more information from her parents. They would purposely avoid her, leaving for work before she woke up for school and going straight to bed when they returned home late into the night.

Riley was sitting in front of the door, holding an apple. Her mother hurried down the staircase, putting on her coat.

"Riley, what are you doing?"

"I am not moving until we talk. Before you think you can easily just pick me up, I have your car keys"

"Sweetheart, I know that you're worried for Elena but we would never let anything happen to her"

"And yet you're doing nothing while two Original vampires could just walk up to her door and take her out of Mystic Falls"

"I told you that Klaus is nowhere near the town. Your father and I have a trusted source that would tell us if he was, Riley. As for Elijah, he would have made his move by now if he was going to take Elena. He clearly has another agenda"

"Or he's giving us a false sense of security"

Knowing that this was a losing battle, her mother sighed to herself. Her father left the kitchen, carrying a small box. The box shook in his hands. Riley questioned him about its contents.

"Incentive to make you stop cornering us everytime we try to leave the house. We're keeping an eye out for any trouble"

"Nothing is going to make me stop, Dad. You are being way too calm about everything"

Putting the box on the ground, he took out yorkshire terrier. It was very tiny with black and brown fur. Riley's eyes widened in surprise. Ever since she was four years old, she wanted a dog. Her mother disliked the idea, thinking that dogs would cause a huge mess. Riley always felt a connection with animals and her desire for a pet caused her to bring stray or injured animals home, which drove her mother crazy. When they were living in England and Riley was eleven years old, it had gotten so bad that their house resembled a miniature zoo. Her mother put a ban on animals but it did not stop Riley from sneaking them into the house.

"Brendon" said her mother, shocked.

"The choice is yours, Riley. You can have the dog you always wanted…or you can keep talking about curses and sacrifices"

"You'll really let me keep it?"

Reluctantly, her mother nodded. Riley picked up the dog and smiled when it licked her face. Her phone vibrated. Jeremy had sent her a text, asking for help with babysitting Elena. She hugged her parents, thanking them for the new dog, and drove to Elena's house. Elena was standing in the doorway, touching an invisible shield. Bonnie and Jeremy were near the staircase.

"I should've asked you to do this to my house, Bonnie. It would've made my parents more willing to talk with me"

"It's effective"

"You guys can't keep me trapped here" said Elena.

"Obviously, we can"

Riley stepped into the house. Jeremy noticed the dog in her arms.

"You're not starting with the stray thing again, are you? I thought your mom banned all animals from your house…even goldfish"

"They bribed me with the dog to get out of answering more questions about the curse. Say hello to Brownie. Isn't he the cutest little thing you've ever seen?"

Seeing the frustrated look on Elena's face, Riley held Brownie in front of her. Her expression softened. Riley kept her occupied by playing video games and watching their favorite movies. She received multiple texts from Tyler, asking for help with the full moon tonight. Damon had made her promise to focus all of her attention on Elena. She apologized to Tyler for not being with him, lying that Elena was feeling very ill. Caroline assured Riley that she would protect Tyler. They were already planning to chain him up in the old Lockwood cellar, the same place that Mason used for his own transformations. Tyler also mentioned that some girl had stopped by his house, looking for Mason. Riley did not tell Elena about the situation with Tyler, pretending that the text was from her mother. Elena moped on the couch, clutching a pillow.

"Stop with the moping, Ellie. This is for your own good. You'd do the same to me"

"I just wish Stefan wasn't stuck in the tomb with Katherine. What if she hurts him?"

"He can handle himself. I'm going to make us some popcorn before the movie"

Riley went into the kitchen. As she made popcorn in the microwave, she heard Damon. She carried the bowl into the living room. Damon was on the phone. She stood on a chair to reach his height and leaned her head against his to listen to the conversation. Alaric was on the other end, telling him about the girl that asked about Mason. Damon decided to meet him at the Grill to learn more about her. He told Jeremy and Riley to be on 'Elena duty'.

"You know, you should get out, enjoy the sun…oh wait, you can't"

Elena chucked a pillow at him. Riley followed him to the door.

"Do you think this girl is a werewolf?"

"Hopefully not"

"Here, take this. I took it from my parents' stash of supernatural stuff. I gave some to Tyler already so he could be ready for tonight" she said, taking out a small bag of wolfsbane.

Damon hid the bag in his pocket. "Make sure Elena doesn't do something stupid"

"Got it"

She shut the door behind him and returned to the living room. A couple hours later, Jenna arrived at the house and made dinner for them. They were sitting at the table, having a fun conversation. Elena stayed silent the entire time, moping about Stefan. When Jenna looked at Riley for an explanation, she shook her head as a sign to ignore it. After dinner, she followed Elena to her room to do their homework. Elena kept staring out the window. Riley threw an eraser at her head.

"Hey!"

"Elena, Stefan is fine. Once Bonnie removes the spell on the moonstone, she'll work on getting him out of the tomb"

"And then Klaus will come find us to get his revenge"

"Would it be so terrible for you to think positively? For all we know, Klaus thinks that his men didn't find you. Enough homework. Let's go to the grill…me, you, and Jeremy"

"But"

"No buts. We are going. You need to keep that frown off of your face"

As they left the room, they heard a commotion downstairs. Jenna was kneeling in front of the closet, taking out boxes filled with papers and tattered books. She handed one to Elena, telling them that Mrs. Lockwood roped her into helping the Historical Society. The boxes contained aunt Miranda's old files. As she shut the door, they saw Elijah standing in the hallway. Riley hid her shock while Elena nearly dropped the box. She kicked Elena in the back of her leg, not wanting to scare Jenna.

"Hey. I'm Elijah" he said, smiling.

Jenna grabbed the box from Elena. She explained that Elijah was in Mystic Falls for historical research. As Jenna went into the living room, Elijah walked over to them. He extended his hand.

"It's a pleasure"

"Not for us. If you don't want to lose that hand, you'll keep it away from my cousin" retorted Riley.

"I see you're still violent, Riley"

"Says the guy who knocked off a guy's head"

Elijah chuckled. Jenna returned, offering to help him put the boxes into his car. He told her that he would get them tomorrow morning. As she walked with him towards the door, he thanked her for inviting him into the house.

"Elena, Riley, I hope to see you two again sometime"

Once he left, Elena hurried up the staircase. Riley followed her to Jeremy's room. She took out her phone to warn her father. He had a magical dust that would remove the vampire's invitation to a house. As she waited for him to answer, Elena knocked on the door, frantically. A hand covered Riley's mouth, pulling her against the wall. He turned off her phone. Looking at Elena, he put his finger to his lips. Jeremy opened the door, his headphones around his neck. Elena lied that Jenna needed help with the boxes. He nodded and went downstairs. Riley bit down on Elijah's thumb, causing him to let go of her. She glared harshly.

"What do you want?" asked Elena.

"I think it's time you and I had a little chat…in private"

"Riley, why don't you go make us ice cream?"

"I'm good"

"I'll be fine. Go" she whispered, pleadingly.

Riley grabbed Jeremy's old wooden baseball on the floor of his room. He had gotten it for his birthday when he was very young. She looked at Elijah.

"If you do anything to her, I will shove this so far up your ass that you cough up wood chips. Understand?"

"Perfectly clear"

Elena nudged her side. Wary of leaving her alone with him, Riley went downstairs. Jeremy was bringing boxes into the living room. He noticed the bat in her hands.

"Why do you have my old bat?"

"I almost tripped over it, dork. Don't leave your stuff everywhere"

"It's not a long trip down for you" he teased.

"Ha ha. Just for that, I'm giving you strawberry ice cream instead of chocolate"

"But I hate strawberry!"

Riley entered the kitchen. She wondered what was so private about the conversation in Jeremy's room. As she grabbed bowls from a cabinet, she struggled to not call Damon. With his vampire speed, Elijah could leave with Elena and none of them would be aware until it was too late. Brownie followed her around the kitchen. She bent down to him.

"Go up to Jeremy's room. Spy on Elena"

He merely barked, wagging his tail. She pet his head.

"You're not ready for that responsibility yet. You'll learn"

Riley opened the fridge. It was packed with all kinds of food. She searched for the cartons of ice cream. Finding the chocolate and strawberry, she reached into the back of the fridge.

"Do you need help?"

She almost hit her head on the fridge door, hearing Elijah's voice. He was standing next to the counter.

"I am perfectly capable of doing it myself. No vampire strength required. I'm guessing your conversation with Elena is over"

"Yes, we came to an agreement. I ensured her that her family and friends would come to no harm. I wanted to have our own little chat. To keep up my end of the deal, I would like to spend the day with you"

Riley almost dropped the cartons. She was unsure if she heard him correctly. Closing the fridge, she looked at Elijah, expecting him to call it a joke. She put the cartons on the counter.

"You're kidding"

"Quite serious"

"Well sorry to burst your bubble but I'm busy on all days that end in y"

"Then we could meet tomorrow"

Elijah had seen throug her usual trick. Whenever she wanted to get out of being alone with a guy, she used that line. It was sad that no guys saw through it though honestly, Elijah was probably smarter than all of them combined. She tried to come up with another excuse.

"My dog is a good judge of character. He doesn't really like anybody"

To her frustration, Brownie yipped as Elijah pet his head. "Perhaps I am an exception"

"This isn't a date"

"We can call it…getting to know each other better"

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise"

"Surprises with a vampire…comforting. Fine, we can hang out or whatever but if you pull some cheesy thing out of a chick flick, I'll stand you up"

Elijah told her that he would find her tomorrow. She tried not to blush when he kissed her hand delicately.

"I look forward to tomorrow. Have a good night, Riley"

He left the kitchen in a quick blur. She looked down at her hand. When Elena entered the kitchen, she scooped ice cream into the bowls. Elena was watching her, grinning from ear to ear.

"So what did Elijah want?"

"What?"

"He said he needed to talk to you before he left…to make sure he stayed on your good side. What happened? Don't lie"

"He just…sort of asked me to…spend time with me"

Riley smacked Elena's hand with the scooper when she let out a loud giggle. She poked Riley's shoulder.

"I think he likes you"

"Don't start. It isn't a date. It's a hang out"

"Do you like him?"

"I don't even know him"

Elena continued to tease her about her 'date' with Elijah. She did not even stop when Jenna and Jeremy entered the kitchen, pretending that he was a guy in the senior class. At school the next day, Riley had to endure even more teasing from her friends. Caroline wanted to go to Riley's house to pick out the perfect outfit. Riley had never felt more embarrassed in her life, listening to Caroline's tips. She understood their excitement since she had been away from Mystic Falls during her first date but it did not give them the right to giggle and repeatedly ask her if she liked Elijah. Riley was at her locker, grabbing cans of silly string and streamers for the booster club barbecue. The barbecue was going to make money for the school's sports teams. After classes, everyone was helping to set it up at the back of the building. Riley had to wear her cheerleading outfit for the entire day. Caroline had planned for them to do a special routine. Jayden stopped by her locker, holding paper cups and a package of hamburger buns.

"So is my favorite little cheerleader ready to do her routine?"

"Hopefully, I won't have to"

"Why not?"

"I'm hanging out with someone"

He looked at her, curiously. "Do you have a date?"

"It's not a date" she insisted.

She regretted mentioning it to Jayden. He asked her multiple questions about Elijah. After a while, it started to sound like an interrogation.

"Relax, Dad. My clothes will stay on the entire time" she joked.

"Am I interrupting?"

Elijah walked over to her locker, wearing a casual black suit. Jayden looked between him and Riley. She was sure that he noted the age difference.

"I did not expect you to be a cheerleader"

"Not by choice. My friend Caroline evoked a promise from when we were nine to make me be on the team. This is my friend Jayden. Jay, this is Elijah"

"Nice to meet you"

Jayden crossed his arms, giving him a curt nod. Riley grabbed a bag of clothes from her locker. She did not want to walk around the town in her cheerleader uniform.

"Jay, can you come with me to the bathroom?"

"No, I should get to know"

"Come on. I need you to hold my bag while I change"

Tugging on his shirt, she dragged him towards the bathrooms. Some of the football players passed by them. Cameron wolf-whistled at her.

"Looking sexy, Ri"

"Go jump off a bridge, Cam"

He grabbed her behind. Without a second thought, she slammed his head into a nearby locker. Cameron fell to the ground, holding his nose. The other guys backed away from her.

"Anyone else want to cop a feel?"

They shook their heads. She brought Jayden into the bathroom. Changing in a stall, she told him that she did not need him to be a protective older brother. He mentioned that Elijah did not look like a high school student.

"He's not"

"How did you meet him?"

"He's in town doing research and he asked for my help"

"Really? That's your story?"

"Jay, nothing is going on. It's not a date. If our hang out ends before the barbecue, I'll stop by"

They left the bathroom to find Elijah waiting outside, leaning against the wall. She gave the bag to Jayden to put in her locker. Shooting Elijah a suspicious look, he walked down the hallway.

"I think your friend dislikes me"

"No. He just…we've been best friends since we were little and he's always been protective"

Riley followed him out of the school, curious about where he would take her. He led her through the woods. She was taken aback when he asked to know more about her. On her usual dates, guys would take her to a movie and try to touch or kiss her within the first five minutes. Elijah seemed generally interested in knowing about her and it was a nice change.

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything. I find you interesting"

"Is that just because my blood smells amazing to you?"

"Do you think that's the only reason I asked to spend time with you, Riley?"

"It crossed my mind. I know it's like catnip for vampires"

"After 1,000 years as a vampire, I have excellent self control. I would never harm you"

After a while, she began to warm up to Elijah. He was very charming, kind, and compassionate. Like Riley, he was protective of his family. He assured her that he wanted to protect Elena and he had no intention of helping Klaus to break the curse. They were standing on the bridge that passed over the Falls.

"Have I changed your perception of me?"

"You're not completely awful"

Elijah smiled. Her phone vibrated in her jeans pocket. She received a text from Elena, telling her that Rose had died earlier tonight. Yesterday, Damon had antagonized the girl who arrived in Mystic Falls to find Mason. She turned out to be a werewolf and bit Rose. The bite caused hallucinations and she ended up attacking three people at the barbecue. Elena was worried about Damon, who left the boardinghouse. He had developed a close relationship with Rose. Riley tried to call Damon but he was not answering her.

"Is everything all right?" asked Elijah.

"Can I ask you a weird favor? Could you use your super hearing to find Damon? He's in a really bad mood and no one knows where he went. I'm totally ruining this d—hang out thing right now"

He put his hand on her shoulder. "I will help. Do you have any idea where he would go?"

"No, but he's probably drunk"

They headed back towards the town. Elijah stopped her as they neared the edge of the forest.

"I hear him. He's close"

A few minutes later, they ended up on the main road. Damon had a girl pinned to the side of a car and bit into her neck. Riley rushed over to him. She punched the back of his head. Turning around, he dropped the girl. He was holding a bottle of whiskey in his other hand. His eyes were dark red with veins protruding under his eyelids. He sniffed her neck.

"You smell really good, Riley"

She smacked him across the face. His eyes returned to normal, welling up with tears. He mumbled incoherently. She hugged him, not sure of how else to help him.

"It'll be okay. I'll take care of this. Just go back to the boarding house

"I can't"

"Riley, allow me"

Elijah grabbed onto Damon's chin, peering directly into his eyes. He compelled him to forget that he had seen him tonight, return home, and go to sleep. Riley took the bottle of whiskey. Damon vanished down the road. The girl was laying lifeless beside the car. Elijah offered to have someone take care of the incident.

"Would you like me to take you home?"

"Actually, I want to go see Elena. I want to make sure she's okay"

They walked to Elena's house. She apologized for the ruined evening.

"I had a wonderful time with you, Riley. I wanted a chance to get to know you…and I did. I hope to see you again without distractions"

"I'll think about it"

Elijah kissed her cheek. "Good night"

He disappeared from the front porch. Riley turned around, feeling flustered, and bumped into the front door. The door opened, revealing Elena. Based on her gleeful expression, she heard the entire conversation.

"So how was your date?"

"For the millionth time, it was not a date"

"Uh huh…"

"Can we drop this subject? I took care of Damon. He is back at the boardinghouse and asleep"

"Did he look okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Far from it but we'll take it one day at a time"

Stefan walked over to them. Elena looked surprised to see him. He had left Mystic Falls to find Isobel to learn more about Klaus. She asked if he was able to contact Isobel. Riley's nails dug into the banister as her uncle John entered the hallway.

"Hello Elena, Riley"

"What the hell is he doing here?" Riley asked Stefan.

"The number led to him. Why don't we just sit and talk?"

Both Riley and Elena did not trust John. He proved to be very dishonest, even during their childhoods. Stefan led them into the living room. While Elena helped Stefan make some coffee, Riley crossed her arms, silently glaring at her uncle.

"You've certainly grown. Are we still doing the silent treatment? I haven't gotten one of the icy Riley glares since you were nine"

"Do my mom and dad know that you're here?"

"Not yet. I just got into town tonight. How are they?"

"Great"

Stefan and Elena returned with cups of coffee. He sat between her and Riley, wanting to keep both from attacking John.

"I'm surprised your parents let you near any vampires, Riley"

"I would never hurt her, John"

"I'm sure you think that. My brother thought the same, trusting your kind. I guess he hasn't learned from the little incident in France"

Riley's hand was shaking while holding her cup. John had no right to talk about what happened in France. He was here barely five minutes and he already wanted to start drama with the family. Elena looked at her.

"What does he mean?"

"Nothing. Instead of being annoying, why don't you tell us why you're here, uncle jackass?"

John was not very forthcoming with information. He would only tell them that he returned to Mystic Falls to protect Elena. Riley rolled her eyes and listened to Elena pester him for more answers…

A/N: Thanks for reading. The next chapter is going to show why there is so much hostility between Riley and John and the tensions will rise even more when he reveals that he knows a secret about her.