Bloodlines - Part 2

Stefan was taking longer than Victoria had expected, so she puttered around the antiques store with Lexi, helping the older woman shelve items. They even went to the clothing section on Lexi's short break and Victoria tried to guess which pieces Lexi might have worn during their respected time periods. The owner of the antiques shop, a lovely elderly woman named Ms. Crutcher, stopped by about an hour and half into Victoria's stay at the shop and regaled Lexi and Victoria with stories of her youth. It was entertaining for Victoria to witness Lexi nodding her head in confirmation when Ms. Crutcher mentioned something about the economy or governmental structure back in her childhood. After about two hours, Victoria offered to jump over to the Mystic Grill to grab her and Lexi some food (Lexi requested fries with a side of ketchup specifically. It would make adding her "secret sauce" much more hidden). Victoria told Lexi to come and get her if Stefan returned, or to make him wait until she got back.

Victoria was strolling down the main square, hands in her pockets. Her body was aimed straight towards the Grill and she was striding with a purpose. She only stopped when she heard her name being called frantically.

Victoria turned over her shoulder and saw Sheriff Forbes heading straight towards her, her eyes wide with relief and concern. Victoria stopped heading towards the Grill and instead, turned her direction towards the Sheriff. It would be best to nip whatever conclusions the Sheriff had concocted about her right in the bud, as to not reveal the truth about herself. "Hi, Sheriff. Is there something I can do for you?"

"What happened last night, Victoria?" Caroline's mom demanded, jumping straight into the questions. "Caroline was frantic when she found me and told me that you had used the NORA code. She said you were in the passenger seat with Logan Fell, and yet when I left the building to try and find you, you two were gone."

"I-I..." Victoria began, trailing off under the intense stare of her friend's mother. It was so hard to lie to her. Victoria didn't like lying to these people. She wanted to care about them and she wanted them to care for her in return, and she knew that with every lie she told, she was hurting them unintentionally more and more. The other side of Victoria's brain replied that knowledge was power, and when people were granted power, they became targets. Lying was the only way to keep the people she cared about safe. "I don't remember much, honestly. Logan...Logan hit me. In the head. Really hard, actually. I think I passed out. Everything from last night has been kind of...fuzzy. I just remember waking back up in my bed with a massive headache. It's the reason why I've been allowed to skip school."

"Are you here with your mother?" the Sheriff asked, glancing around the park as if she was trying to spot Kelly. "You shouldn't be out in the town by yourself, especially if you're recovering from even more head trauma."

Victoria opened her mouth, wanting to insist that she was waiting for Stefan, but she paused. If she did that, then the Sheriff would know that Stefan was skipping school. True, it wasn't the end all of the situation, but it wasn't something that needed to be brought up to the Sheriff, especially since Damon and Zach were a part of the council. She would insist on telling them and then expect them to make him go to school when he had more important things to do...

"She's actually with me," a new voice interrupted. Victoria looked over her shoulder and visibly relaxed when Carol Lockwood came strutting over, decked out in beautiful heels, a dark magenta pencil skirt with a beautiful long-sleeved peach blouse. She smiled warmly at Victoria, nodding a quiet hello to her. Turning to Caroline's mom, Mrs. Lockwood continued, "I asked Victoria to meet me over by that lovely antiques store. We window-shopped for a little bit and then I had to run a quick errand, so I asked her to meet me at the Mystic Grill for some late lunch before I took her back home." She offered an arm out to Victoria. "Shall we, my dear?"

"I'd love to," Victoria answered honestly, slipping her arm in with Mrs. Lockwood's. Glancing at Caroline's mom, Victoria added, "Tell Caroline that I'm alright. I know she's probably panicking. My phone got damaged last night so I need to get a new one soon."

"Of course," the Sheriff replied, if not a little hesitantly. She nodded her head once towards Mrs. Lockwood in a goodbye before turning around and striding back towards her police cruiser.

Mrs. Lockwood tugged softly on Victoria's arm, sending them off on a nice steady pace towards the Grill. "I'm surprised to see you, Victoria. It's been a while since we've last chatted. How have you been doing?"

"Honestly? Could be better, but I'm still breathing, so I count my blessings," Victoria admitted, blushing lightly in embarrassment. That sounded like such an old person answer, even Victoria had to cringe. "How about you?"

"Just the usual stuff that comes with being the Mayor's wife," Mrs. Lockwood sighed, rolling her eyes humorously. "Tyler's been a handful as well, so that has certainly not helped his temper."

"Tyler was at the career night, right? I thought I saw him looking over the graphic artist section," Victoria mentioned. While she had not personally seen it, she did remember the moment from the TV show. It was the moment that she felt Jeremy and Tyler shared a true connection, and not in a romantic sense. Two artists lost in their ways...wait. Did anyone ever tell them that Klaus was an artist too? They could have troubled artist parties. Victoria added that to her ever-growing mental list. "I don't know if I've actually seen his work personally, but from what I've heard, he's really good."

"I swear he gets it from his uncle," chuckled Mrs. Lockwood. "Mason's always been a painter, through and through. When Tyler was little, maybe one years old, Mason was only eighteen or nineteen. He sat down and taught Tyler everything he knew about colors and shapes, even though it didn't fit in with his 'cool guy' image." Mrs. Lockwood smiled warmly. "Tyler and his uncle were very close when Mason used to live here. They lost touch after Mason moved down to Florida. We never knew why Mason insisted on leaving, not when he had so much left here in Mystic Falls."

"Sometimes it's people's time to go," Victoria found herself saying. Something in the way Mrs. Lockwood spoke her words reminded Victoria of her mother. Her birth mother, MacKenzie Vanacore. The way MacKenzie would shriek at her, demanding to know why she moved away. The words tumbled out of Victoria's mouth before she could stop it. "Sometimes it's the only way to break free of the chains that hold us down. To truly be free."

"That's what Mason believed too, I think," Mrs. Lockwood hummed, nodding her head in agreement.

The two of them reached the Grill and slipped inside, content with remaining silent. They each took a seat at one of the tables by the window and Victoria wished that she had a phone still so she could text Lexi that she might be a few minutes late. When a random waitress came and requested their orders, Victoria put in her order and Lexi's, and requested that Lexi's be put aside and kept warm until it was time for her to leave. Mrs. Lockwood ordered her meal, a simple chicken Caesar salad meal with some water.

Once the waitress was gone, Mrs. Lockwood folded her hands on her lap and leaned back in her chair. "Are you excited for the upcoming Decade's Dance at the school?"

Shit. Victoria had forgotten completely about the Decade's Dance. It wasn't like it was unimportant, and she figured that the real Victoria LeBlanc would have been ecstatic (wasn't it the 50s too? One of her favorite time periods), but she had honestly had more pressing things on her plate. Still, she managed a smile for Mrs. Lockwood and nodded, lying straight through her teeth, "Very. I believe me and Caroline are going to be shopping for this whole week trying to find a good outfit."

"I'm sure the two of you will be the most beautiful girls at the dance," Mrs. Lockwood told her confidently, and Victoria blushed. That was very nice praise indeed. "If I may...?" She looked like she wanted to add something, but she wasn't going to say anything until Victoria gave her the greenlight. Victoria nodded and gestured with her hand for Mrs. Lockwood to continue. Mrs. Lockwood cleared her throat and continued, "The attic in the Lockwood Manor has some beautiful pieces if you would be interested. Many of them are around your size, I believe."

Victoria gaped like a fish. Then she blinked a couple of times and stammered out a weak, "W-What?" just to make sure that she had heard Mrs. Lockwood correctly. Mrs. Lockwood smiled warmly, so Victoria took that as a sign that what she had been saying was real.

"O-Oh my gosh," Victoria murmured, shaking her head to clear her mind. "Mrs. Lockwood, t-that's amazing! Thank you so much! I'll definitely convince Caroline to come with me to check it out. I'd be honored. But are you sure? They aren't like Lockwood treasures, right? Because I would absolutely hate to potentially ruin something that's invaluable, you know?"

"I've known you since you were a baby, Victoria," Mrs. Lockwood chuckled as the waitress arrived with their food. "I knew Kelly when we were children. I consider you to be a niece to me. What I offer to you might as well be yours as well."

"Not sure how Mayor Lockwood and Tyler would feel about that," sniffed Victoria as she grabbed her burger. She took a large bite, humming when a flavorful explosion hit her tongue. "Good golly, this is good." She swallowed and continued, "I mean, I haven't re-met Mayor Lockwood just yet and I know that me and Tyler are slowly reconciling our relationship from the time he punched me in the face and put me in the hospital, but I'm not a Lockwood."

Mrs. Lockwood took a long drink from her water and sat forward, tilting her head as she silently observed Victoria. "If there's anything I've learned from living in this town for so long, it's that sooner or later, you are family with anyone and everyone."

A question popped into Victoria's mind and it came out of her mouth before she could think through it clearly, "What about your family?"

Mrs. Lockwood blinked, obviously as taken aback by the question as Victoria was. "Excuse me?"

Well, she had to clarify now. Feeling a blush rise on her cheeks, she fiddled awkwardly with a French fry on her plate as she restated, "I mean, I call you Mrs. Lockwood and all that stuff, and everyone in town knows you as that and as being the Mayor's wife, but...you had a life before you met Mayor Lockwood. You were someone else, not a Lockwood. C-Could...could you maybe tell me about that family?"

Mrs. Lockwood leaned back in her seat and took another bite of her salad. "You know what, Victoria? Nobody has asked me about my family in close to ten years. Not the Lockwoods...the Walters."

Victoria couldn't help it; she snorted. Mrs. Lockwood raised an eyebrow and Victoria spluttered out, "W-Walters? You went from Walters to Lockwood?" Mrs. Lockwood gave a slow nod. "Sorry, that's a glow-up in the last name department, continue."

"Thank you," Mrs. Lockwood said sarcastically, rolling her eyes for extra effect. "Anyways, I had a mother and a father who both passed away when I was in my early twenties, roughly around the time when Tyler was born. They were sweet people; kind and caring, very generous with their time. We weren't a Founding Family, so we didn't get the perks that most of them do. I actually have a twin sister."

Victoria's jaw just about dropped to the floor. "Shut up. For real?"

Mrs. Lockwood nodded and smiled widely. "Identical twin sister. Her name was Natalie and she was younger than me by eighteen minutes and hated that with every fiber in her being. She was a spitfire, and made sure to let everyone know that she couldn't stand being related to me, especially when I started hanging around Richard more. As soon as we graduated high school, she hightailed it straight to California, a place where no one knew who she was or who she was related to. Stayed there, went to college, eventually met a man and got married, and had a beautiful baby girl. I believe she starts high school next year. Takes after her mother a lot, or so I've been told."

"Do you keep in touch with your sister often?" Victoria asked curiously.

Mrs. Lockwood took another bite of her salad. "Not as much as I prefer, but we do have a call once every three months. She's very busy with her life and I am with mine. But I do remember this time when she was away in college. Natalie called me, exclaiming that she had had a terrible feeling that I was hurt and in pain and she needed to call to make sure I was alright. She soon found out that I was in the hospital with a burst appendix. Ever since that day, we started the call every three months to make sure the other one is safe. Occasionally, we'll call each other if one of us gets a bad feeling. Twin sensations, you know?"

"I'd love to say I do, but unfortunately, I'm kind of an only child," Victoria laughed, shaking her head. "Never had siblings to call my own."

This time, Mrs. Lockwood snorted and rolled her eyes. She gestured towards Victoria with her salad fork, a piece of lettuce still hanging off the end of it. "That's a load of bull, and you know it. Biologically or even adopted? Sure, you're the only child of Kelly. Emotionally? You have Caroline, you had Vicki before she disappeared off to who knows where," Victoria flinched lightly, but it was so small that Mrs. Lockwood didn't even see it and just kept trucking along, "and whoever else you've become friends with recently because I have not been watching you that hard to find out who your friends are." Unlike Noble. "There is a phrase known as 'found family'. Another one of my favorites is 'family is more than blood'."

"You're on the verge of sounding very philosophical," Victoria commented.

Mrs. Lockwood cracked a grin. "Better stop while I'm ahead then. What I'm just trying to say is that your family is whoever you choose it to be. Don't let the standard norms of our society dictate how you should choose." Mrs. Lockwood popped her salad helping into her mouth and munched on it contently, turning to look out of the windows. She paused and swallowed heavily, squinting lightly. "Victoria, isn't that the young man you were dancing with at the Founder's Ball?"

Victoria looked over her shoulder and looked out of the windows, following Mrs. Lockwood's eyeline until she spotted Stefan, striding towards the Mystic Grill with a purpose in his step. Victoria sighed. It was about time he showed up. To Mrs. Lockwood, she added, "Yep, that's Stefan Salvatore, alright. He was supposed to meet me at the antiques shop over two hours ago and he's late."

"And does Kelly know that you are out on the town with no parental supervision while having 'head trauma', so the Sheriff says?" Mrs. Lockwood mentioned, tilting her head and giving Victoria a look that screamed Parental Authority.

Victoria didn't miss a beat. "She actually does. Stefan's very mature for his age, and he also just turned eighteen, so there's that." She pushed her seat out and got up, looking mournfully at her burger. "I'll just find the waitress so I can pay for this -"

"- No need, Victoria, it's on me," Mrs. Lockwood interrupted. Victoria opened her mouth to say that she could pay for her own food, but the mother raised a hand to silence the adult-turned-teen. "It was an opportunity for me to open up about my life and to spend time with the beautiful young woman I consider to be like a niece to me." Victoria smiled softly at her. "Now, I'm sure your mother can give you my contact information. Just call and we can schedule a time for when you can come over and search the attic."

"Perfect," Victoria agreed. "It was really nice talking to you some more, Mrs. Lockwood."

"Call me Carol, Victoria," Mrs. Lockwood, or Carol, insisted. She sent Victoria a cheeky wink. "Mrs. Lockwood was my mother-in-law."

Victoria was giggling all the way up to the bar, where she retrieved Lexi's still (thankfully) warm food, and she was even laughing on her way out of the Grill. She caught up to Stefan on the sidewalk.

"We need to go," Stefan stated immediately, with no hello or anything.

Victoria narrowed her eyes. She didn't like his tone of voice, and while he was doing excellent in trying to regain her side of the friendship, the making her wait for two hours with Lexi wasn't helping it all that bit. "I promised Lexi that I would bring her her lunch, so no. We can leave after that."

Victoria blinked and Stefan was suddenly gone; then again, so was the takeout bags in her hands. When she blinked again, trying to see if she had just hallucinated Stefan's arrival, Stefan was there again, and there was a slight breeze hitting Victoria's face. She gasped as she realized what had just happened. "Are you out of your freaking mind? You can't just use your abilities in broad daylight!"

"Elena just called me again and refused to talk to me after I insisted that I didn't know anything about her similarities to Katherine," Stefan grunted.

Victoria folded her arms across her chest. "And once again, that is my problem why?"

"Going to Bonnie didn't work; her powers are on the fritz and she can't use them," Stefan retorted. "After Elena's phone call, I went to her house, but she wasn't there. Her dad told me I should go visit Shelia Bennett and that she would know where to find Bonnie."

"All true," Victoria admitted.

"So, I need you to come with me."

Victoria blinked once, and then twice. "Stefan, Elena blinders."

"What?"

"Elena blinders. You have them on again, because you're being a jackass. Want to try again, maybe add in a couple of magic words?"

Stefan let out a large sigh and he said again, this time more apologetically and with a hesitant look, "I'm worried about Elena and I am worried about Bonnie's lack of powers. Would you like to accompany me to Shelia Bennett's house to ask her if she knows where Bonnie is? I would appreciate it, please and thank you."

Victoria scrunched her eyes at him. "Getting better, but still needs a little finesse. You can work on that later."

Shelia Bennett, known more affectionately by her granddaughter Bonnie as Grams, was a character that Victoria had originally tried to go to to obtain a piece of vervained jewelry to prevent herself from being compelled way back when she first arrived in Mystic Falls. All of those plans had subsequently fallen through when Victoria realized that she had no idea where Grams' house was. And then the anklet and its mysterious powers were dropped into her lap so there was no need to.

Victoria felt nervous to meet the great witch. Nervous and worried. Grams would lose her life in the attempt to break the spell surrounding the tomb. Was there anything that Victoria could do to save her life? The only idea she could come up with was to convince the witch not to trap the vampires in the first place...

Stefan stepped up onto the porch and Victoria followed suit, hands fiddling awkwardly with her sleeves. Was her outfit formal enough? She was wearing a gray turtleneck with a thin-strapped black-and-red flowered dress that had more v-neck than she preferred. Maybe she could have done something different, or...

"Victoria, you're thinking really loudly," Stefan commented, causing Victoria to flinch at the sudden noise.

She blushed awkwardly and resumed fiddling with her sleeves. "I-I'm just nervous, that's all."

Stefan raised an eyebrow at her. "To meet Shelia? Is she someone important from...you know what?"

"Yeah and she's important to Bonnie," Victoria added, shrugging her shoulders. "I just want to make a good first impression. Or, I guess, second impression since she's probably already met me."

"I was there when your mama brought you home from being checked out at the hospital," a voice interrupted. Victoria and Stefan looked away from each other and standing in the doorway of the house was the great Bennett witch herself, Shelia. She had a warm smile on her face as she observed Victoria. "I've babysat both you, Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline together when your mothers needed a break, so trust me: there are no impressions that need to be made." She turned to look at the two of them quizzically. "Can I help you two?"

"Mrs. Bennett -"

"- Call me Grams, sweetheart. You're just about my granddaughter as Bonnie is -"

"- Grams," Victoria amended, smiling brightly. She gestured towards Stefan, who held out a hand in greeting to Shelia. "This is Stefan Salvatore. He's Zach Salvatore's nephew." Shelia grabbed Stefan's hand and gave him a firm handshake. "He's also a friend of Bonnie's. We were looking for Bonnie. Her dad said she might be here."

"She was," Shelia answered, nodding her head. "Not anymore."

"Do you know where she went?" Stefan asked.

"No, but you do."

Stefan blinked, taken aback by the statement. "I'm sorry?"

Shelia folded her arms across her chest as she gave her full attention to Stefan. "I told her to face down her fear. And I'm sensing now that you know exactly why she was scared." She gestured with one hand to herself. "You know what I am. And yet you offered me your hand, which means you wanted me to see that I can trust you."

"Can you?" Victoria interjected, curious at the answer.

"I trust you'll keep her safe," Shelia admitted, nodding her head. She looked towards Victoria. "Both of them safe." She brushed off her clothing and added, "You'd better be on your way, then. I'm not going to invite you in. I'm sure you understand why."

"Of course," Stefan said, nodding his head. Victoria was about to turn away with Stefan when Shelia interrupted, "Victoria?"

"Yes, Grams?" Victoria said, looking back towards the older woman.

Shelia had a warm smile on her face as she took a step away from her doorframe, gesturing towards the inside of her house. "Stefan can return my granddaughter safe and sound. I'd like to talk to you while he's doing so."

Victoria looked towards Stefan, a kind of scared curiosity look on her face, and Stefan reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. He leaned in a little and whispered, "You'll be fine. I'll be back soon."

"That's what you said last time, you liar," Victoria huffed, playfully shoving him. "Just...be careful, okay?"

"Of course," Stefan reassured her, and he was flashing away in a moment's notice.

Shelia made a 'hmph' noise as she watched him go. "Don't believe that's the smartest choice to do in the daylight, but to each his own."

"I'm working on it with him," Victoria admitted awkwardly. She froze as a sudden thought hit her and she felt the blood drain from her face. "Oh my gosh. You're not weirded out or scared that I know about Stefan or witches."

"Come inside and we'll talk," Shelia told her. Victoria quickly strode into the house and stood awkwardly in the front hall as Shelia shut and locked her door. Once Shelia walked past her, Victoria fell in line and Shelia continued talking, "When I shook Stefan's hand, I caught a glimpse of him. I saw the amount of trust he has with you."

Victoria couldn't help but snort. "Yeah right, we're not exactly on 'BFF' terms anymore. We're sort of in the middle of a rough patch, one might say."

"There are always layers of trust," Shelia told her as she brought her into a cozy little living room. She gestured for Victoria to take a seat and Victoria sat down awkwardly on the couch, tucking her dress down. "At the base of your friendship, there is a strong concrete layer of trust. On top of that, there is a cracked foundation. The 'rough patch' you were saying is merely a temporary setback."

"That's good to know, I guess," Victoria said, biting her lower lip. "So, Grams, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Shelia came over to the same couch and sat back on the opposite end, having some space between the two of them. She looked at Victoria fondly and there was a little bit of warmth that was starting to spread in Victoria's chest at the look. "We have not seen each other for many months; since before the accident on Wickery Bridge. What do you remember?"

Victoria licked her lips as she tried to remember the story she had been rolling with for months. "Nothing pertaining to me. I can remember bits and pieces of information about other people, like the divorce between Caroline's mom and dad, for instance, but if it has to involve me or Kelly then it's a blank."

"So you don't remember anything about your immediate family?" Shelia recounted, and Victoria nodded. "What about your studies?"

"School's actually been pretty okay since the accident," Victoria admitted. "Being in and out of the hospital hasn't helped that, though. Stefan's been really great and has helped with my homework when I get late on things and shoot, I guess I need to get caught up again."

There was a look in Shelia's eyes, one that Victoria couldn't quite interpret, that was there for a moment and then gone. Shelia nodded, absorbing the information that Victoria had explained to her.

"Has your mother told you much about your family history?"

"She's tried to a few times, but unfortunately, most of the times I wasn't listening," Victoria admitted sheepishly. "Those were some rough days and I had a lot on my mind. But there are a few things I do remember. I know that we're the only two LeBlancs left alive. The LeBlancs apparently loved adoption. I know a little about my maternal grandmother, Grammie Blanc, but she passed away just past my fifth birthday, and then I think we're a Founding Family, oddly enough. And my great-great-something-or-other-grandfather attended the original Founder's Ball. His name was Piero LeBlanc."

"Ah yes, Piero," hummed Shelia, a smile growing on her face. "He was a great man." There was a twinkle in her eye as she added, "An even better witch."

Victoria's jaw dropped in shock. "Shut up. Piero was a witch?"

"I guess the appropriate term for a male witch is a warlock, but yes," Shelia stated. She got up and walked over to the bookshelf, her fingers tracing the different spines until she found the one she was looking for. She pulled out a large photo album and brought it around to the couch. She set it down on the glass coffee table and opened it up, flipping through the different pages. "Emily Bennett, a witch back in the Civil War times, knew of him and wrote fondly about him in her journals." Shelia paused on a particular picture and pointed to it, gesturing towards one man in particular.

Victoria shifted forward and looked at the picture. It was a group picture, one with many people in it. Victoria noted Emily's presence in the bottom right corner, and it appeared that maybe there was even Katherine Pierce sitting right next to her. Next to the potential Katherine (the pictures were not that clear) sat a tall man. He wore a soldier's uniform and had a mop of black, curly hair. He was white, but that odd mix of white that wasn't tanned but wasn't pale; that awkward shade in the middle.

"Emily liked to say that Piero was one in a million," Shelia said, a fond note in her voice. "Not in a romantic sense, but more in a companion way. He was one of a few witches who skated death the night that my ancestor lost her life. Not much is known about Piero from my texts. I suspect that your family's journal will know more about him. But the witches of the Other Side do like to gossip, and they say that he is a fine man indeed. He likes to watch over all of his descendants."

"But Kelly and I aren't his descendants," Victoria interjected. She winced. "Not technically since we were both adopted."

"If you take on the last name of LeBlanc, then you are his descendant," Shelia said firmly. She reached out and grabbed Victoria's hand, giving it a squeeze. "You and Kelly are LeBlancs. Never forget that."

"I won't," Victoria promised. "Is there anything else that you know about Piero's life? He seemed like an extraordinary guy if all the witches on the Other Side are talking about him."

"He was an Irish immigrant, or so says Emily," Shelia began, leaning back in her couch. Victoria followed suit and adjusted herself so she was looking straight towards Shelia as she started to story-tell. "Just a young man looking to make his fortune. He was an original founding member of Mystic Falls, which is why your family is a Founding Family. He owned a department store in town. Emily talked about how he once shared that many wanted him to become a plantation owner. Piero said he did not want any living creature working for him without their consent. I think that was the moment that Emily realized her affection towards Piero. The two became close friends in her time spent here."

"Did he have a family?"

"Not when Emily knew him," Shelia confessed. "He must have continued your family tree later on in his life. It was not like he had much time for a family. He had just been discharged from the Confederate army after being drafted only months previously. He was wounded in battle, and had a terrible limp in his leg. Said between working and the limp, that was all he could manage."

"He sounds like such an interesting person," Victoria said. "I would have loved to meet him."

"I'm sure he would love to meet you too," Shelia told her confidently. "Now then, I have been fixing to bake this apple pie for a while. Would you care to help?"

And thus, Victoria spent many hours with Shelia, making an apple pie and then other goodies. She had a whole pan of brownies all to herself and when Stefan and Bonnie arrived back at the house, safe and intact, she had to grab an extra tin of brownies for the members of the Salvatore clan (read: Zach Salvatore, Damon Salvatore, Stefan Salvatore, Lexi Branson, and Lee Ledger). Knowing them, they would try and steal all of her treats.

Stefan gave her the keys to the Coupe so she could head over to the car and set the trays in carefully in the backseat. By the time she was done with that, Stefan was heading over, a small smile on his face. Victoria made sure to wave goodbye to Shelia and Bonnie, who were watching from the doorway, before she got inside of Stefan's car. Stefan drove the two of them to the boarding house, where Zach was toiling away in the library (no surprise there). Victoria put both sets of brownies on the kitchen counter, dictating with sticky notes which belonged to her and which belonged to Salvatore Inc. After that, a wave of exhaustion hit Victoria and all she wanted to do was sleep. Or nap. Or everything in between. She murmured a sleepy goodnight to Stefan, knowing full well it was still in the late afternoon, and joined Zach in the library. The vampire didn't comment against Victoria plopping down onto the couch he was sitting on. She rested her head on the armrest opposite of him and fell asleep almost immediately.

It was the sound of crying that woke Victoria up. Lots and lots of sobbing. It was filled with pain and heartbreak and just the sound alone was enough to tear out Victoria's heart. Oh gosh, she was a sympathy crier. What on Earth had happened?

Victoria sat up from the couch, wincing at the horrible crick in her neck. Zach was long gone, but he had apparently placed a fuzzy blanket around her shoulders while she was asleep. She secured the blanket tighter around her shoulders as she got up, shuffling out of the library. The cries got louder the closer she got to the living room.

Victoria stepped into the room and immediately spotted Elena on the couch, leaning into Stefan's arms and bawling her eyes out. Stefan's face was tight with emotions and he looked towards Victoria helplessly, as if asking her silently for support.

Victoria ran through her mental notes, trying to remember why Elena was so upset. What the hell had happened on the way home from Georgia? Everything should have been fine...

Oh shit.

Stefan had just dropped the adoption bomb.

"Elena," Victoria whispered, her voice filled with empathy. She took a step forward, ready to offer her support, when Elena's pained, tear-filled voice interrupted her.

"You knew."

"What?" Victoria asked incredulously, her eyes widening in confusion.

Elena rose from Stefan's arms, and her face wasn't that of sorrow or depression.

It was rage.

"You knew!" Elena screamed, stumbling to her feet. She reached down and grabbed one of the pillows from the couch behind her and chucked it at Victoria as hard as she could. Victoria ducked to the side, letting out a terrified squeak as it smashed into one of the candlestick displays off to the side of the living room. She whirled around to reface Elena, dropping her blanket in the meantime. Elena's shoulders were heaving and she looked ready to...

Victoria didn't know what she looked ready to do, because her heart was pounding so hard that she couldn't really think straight.

"Elena -" Victoria tried again, but she was cut off when Elena let out a scream and threw herself at Victoria.

Victoria let out a gasp of surprise as Elena tackled, hands wrapping around her throat as the two girls hit the ground. Victoria let out a pained gasp when she got the wind knocked out of her. She blindly threw a hand up, her palm catching on Elena's cheek. The slap-slash-push was enough for Elena to tumble off of her and Victoria jumped to her feet, taking quick steps to put some distance between her and Elena.

Elena was on her feet in an instant and glared at Victoria. "You knew! All of this time, you knew about my parents! You knew that I was adopted."

"I'm sorry, Elena. I never meant to keep this from you -"

"- Shut up, Victoria!" Elena hissed, her eyes narrowing. "This was not your secret to keep and yet you kept it anyways. What other secrets are you keeping from us?" Her eyes widened suddenly and she whispered, "You know what's the deal with me and Katherine."

"I can't tell you that," Victoria insisted, holding a hand up. Her eyes flashed around the room. Stefan was standing at the couches, looking torn as to what he should be doing. "There are things that you have to find out naturally!"

"So you're just going to keep yet another piece of important information away from me? From us?" Elena demanded, gesturing between her and Stefan. She scoffed and dropped her arms. "God, you are such a bitch!"

"Elena," Stefan said sharply, giving her a stern look. "That's too far."

"Is it, Stefan?" Elena retorted. "She is keeping information from us! What would you suggest we do?"

"We trust her," Stefan stated, folding his arms across his chest. "I learned my lesson; Victoria is not here to be our Magic 8 Ball. She can give hints, but if we step into spoiler territory, she needs to keep that to herself. And we need to acknowledge that just because she has this information, that does not make her supernatural. She is human. She can get hurt and she can forget. Her wisdom is not infinite."

"Thanks, Stefan," Victoria whispered, low enough that only Stefan heard her. He gave her a subtle nod, one that Elena missed thankfully.

"But it's enough," a new voice interjected.

Victoria whipped around to see Damon standing in the entranceway to the living room. He was leaning up against the doorframe. A sense of relief hit Victoria at seeing him alive and unharmed, and she said, "Damon. You're okay." More sternly, she added with a hint of a laugh, "You forgot to call when you got to Bree's bar."

Damon didn't smile back. His face was as hard as stone. He pushed himself off of the frame and stalked towards Victoria. Not walked. Stalked. There was something predatory in his swagger and it made Victoria's blood feel cold.

"D-Damon?" she repeated, her brow furrowing in worry.

"The tomb can be opened," Damon hissed, his voice sharp like a sword. There were dark veins that were beginning to appear under his eyes and Victoria sucked in a sharp breath. Bree, Emily's grimoire, everything. He would want to know everything. "All I have to do is use Emily Bennett's grimoire, but Bree didn't know where it is. But you do."

"Damon, you don't want to get into the tomb," Victoria tried to reason, but Damon silenced her with an audible snap of his jaw.

"You are going to tell me where to find her grimoire," Damon ordered.

Victoria started to back up, not letting Damon within a couple of feet of her. She held a hand up and brought her other hand to wrap her necklace. If push came to shove, then Victoria could use her necklace as a weapon. The stone would burn any vampire.

"Damon, there is nothing for you in that tomb," Victoria said firmly, with only a small part of her voice coming off as shaky and scared.

Damon's smirk turned into a frown and he growled, "How could you say that, Victoria?" No Mama Bear. She was not his friend right now. She wasn't even his ally. "You know how much Katherine means to me. You, out of everyone, should know how much I want to do this. How much I need to do this."

"If you do this, Damon, you are going to come to regret it more than anything you could possibly believe -"

"- And how the hell do you know that -?"

"- Because Katherine isn't in the tomb!"

There was a shocked silence. No one spoke. Barely anyone breathed. Her heart was pounding so hard that it was threatening to escape from her chest. Damon looked pale, Stefan looked confused, and Elena looked to be in shock and her face was filled with disbelief.

Then, a harsh whisper. "Stop lying."

"I'm not lying to you, Damon."

"Stop. Lying."

"Hear my heartbeat, Damon!" Victoria shouted, throwing her hands out to the side. "I'm not lying -"

Damon let out a roar, something that chilled Victoria to the very core. She saw him begin to move and knew she was probably going to die. At the hands of a man she was considering to be her friend.

There was a noise, as loud as a thunderclap, and Damon was sent flying into the wall, hitting the mantle of the fireplace. Photographs and antiques shattered as he slammed into them and he dropped to the ground at the edge of the fire. Victoria let out a gasp of shock as Elena let out a tiny scream, shielding her face from the bits and bobs that flew through the air. Stefan was running, coming to Elena's side. He picked out the different pieces from her hair, whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

Victoria couldn't focus on that. Her eyes were focused on the group standing across from Damon in the living room.

Zach stood at the front, dropping his arms slowly from where he had had them to shove Damon. Over his right shoulder, Lee was standing tall, his arms folded across his chest. Lexi stood behind Zach's other side, already moving to Victoria.

Lexi grabbed Victoria's arms and began to gently, but firmly, redirect her so she was standing behind all three vampires. Across from the group, Damon was pulling himself up, grunting as Victoria heard his bones snap back together. She winced at the noise.

"Get out of my way, Zach," Damon spat, spitting out a glob of blood that had been collecting in his mouth.

"You are not going to touch her," Zach ordered. Victoria couldn't see his face, but she could tell that Damon was not at all pleased with that piece of information.

"I am older than you, I am stronger than you!" Damon yelled, his vampiric features jumping to the surface. He let out a dangerous hiss and rushed the group.

Lexi was the one to step out in front, holding a hand out and nimbly wrapping it around Damon's neck. She gripped his throat tightly and threw him up before slamming him back into the floor. The wooden flooring of the boarding house cracked and buckled under the force of Damon's body, but no pieces stabbed into Damon at least. Victoria knew she shouldn't feel relieved by that since Damon had just tried to kill her, but she was nonetheless.

"I am older than you," Lexi hissed, her voice low as her vampire features were on full display. "I am stronger than you. You won't even be able to touch him, Damon."

"Victoria is lying to us!" Damon said in a painful huff. "Who knows what else she is keeping from us? Things that we should know because it is our damn right to!"

"Stefan was the person to save Elena's life at the Wickery Bridge accident."

Victoria's voice brought everyone's attention to her. She was shaking, not taking deep breaths, and looked like she was ready to collapse. But she continued, "Stefan saved her. Elena's adopted. Zach and Lexi died in the TV show, but I saved their lives in this world. Damon was supposed to permanently kill the both of them." Zach and Lexi both looked at her incredulously, eyes flashing to each other before looking back towards her. "Lee was supposed to try and kill Damon in Georgia because he killed Lexi. There is no such thing as Noble in the TV show, and neither is there a Kelly LeBlanc or a Victoria LeBlanc. Yes, I knew all of these things. I know why Katherine and Elena are identical, I know who turned Logan Fell into a vampire, and I swear on all things holy and good in this damned world that Katherine Pierce is not in that tomb!"

Victoria's shoulders were heaving and she didn't realize that there were tears streaming down her face as she started to fall into her panic. "And no! I can't tell you because I don't want to screw this world up, because I care about all of you! Because this world, a world I'm not even supposed to be in, has felt more like my home these last two and a half months than my life in my world felt for twenty-one years! Because yeah, I was adopted in this world and I can guarantee you that it was way better than the alternative, and I know, Elena, I freaking know!, that when you learn the truth on your own terms, you will feel the same exact way!"

"Victoria," Stefan said lowly, taking a few steps towards her. His hands were lifted up, in what was supposed to be a calming gesture.

"No!" Victoria screamed, darting away from Stefan. He jumped back, startled by her reaction. Victoria stumbled away from the group, up into the entryway. "No, don't touch me, please."

"You're panicking," Stefan began again, dropping his hands. He kept his voice low and Victoria supposed it had a small calming effect. "You need to breathe, Victoria. Tori? Tori." He snapped his fingers and Victoria flinched, a strangled sob coming from her lips. "Tori, none of this is your fault."

"Everything is my fault, Stefan!" Victoria cried. Her hands moved automatically, reaching up and grasping at her hair. "Nobody is ever going to be happy with any decision I make! If I admit every dark secret, every little detail on things you are going to face in the future, I could be changing your future into a darker, worse one than before. If I keep the information to myself, if I only administer it in small doses, than I will forever be the selfish bitch." She let out a crazed laugh as tears continued to pour down her cheeks. "Hell, I'm not even the real Victoria LeBlanc! I'm just some socialite from a shitty family who ended up here when we both got hit by a car! You saved the wrong girl!"

"I didn't save you," Stefan said, his brow furrowing.

It was like a cold wave hit Victoria. She froze, her panic evaporating in a moment's notice. "W-What?"

"I didn't save you after the accident," Stefan repeated, pausing in his approach. "I only ever saw Elena and her family. The car. That was all I saw."

"B-But..." Victoria stammered, her mind whirling. "The doctors said that someone pulled me out from the water. They resuscitated me. I'm only alive because they saved me."

"Whoever it was," Stefan told her. "It wasn't me."

"W-What the hell...?" Victoria breathed, staggering backwards. She stumbled into one of the entryway table's and she grabbed tightly to the edge. Everything was growing fuzzy. She was starting to hyperventilate.

"Victoria." Someone spoke. Was it Lee?

Victoria had to get out. She couldn't breathe. No one wanted her there.

Victoria flipped around and ran for the door. Her hands wrapped around the doorknob when arms snuck around her body, trapping her hands on the knob. She struggled weakly against the person, but they weren't trying to do anything. They just kept her in place.

"Let us take you home," Lee whispered into her ear. Her whole body was shaking and everything just suddenly hurt. She was tired and she just wanted to sleep and never wake up. Maybe then people would be content with her finally. Her friends, her mother. "Victoria. Let us help you."

"No one wants to help me," Victoria whispered weakly, shaking her head as she started to cry, this time from true sadness and not just panic. "I-I'm just the screw up."

"You are not the screw up, Victoria," a new voice interrupted. Zach appeared to Lee's side. Lexi came on the other side. Victoria was blocked with the door in front of her, Zach to the right, Lee behind her, and Lexi to her left. "You have been through way too much, way too fast. We want to help you. We know you are trying your best."

"Grief is making them lash out," Lexi explained to Victoria softly. "I am not condoning their actions, just explaining. They will learn that they're assholes and beg for your forgiveness or I will personally kill them myself."

"No death, please."

"Alright. For you, Vee-Bee."

"I'll make sure Elena and Damon don't do anything stupid," Victoria heard Stefan reassure her.

Victoria squeezed her eyes shut tight, managing to whisper, "Thank you. And I'm so sorry." Just afterwards, she felt as if every ounce of fight she had in her body left, and she collapsed to the ground, blacking out from the sheer stress.

A/N: Does anybody recognize Natalie? If you're a fan of supernatural shows, you should get it ;). Also, I chose Walters as Carol Lockwood's maiden name because it's the last name of the actress who plays her. And we got to meet Shelia Bennett! And what's this? Piero was a witch too? Neat! (I face-cast Fra Fee as Piero). And yaaaaay! Mooooore trauma! Y'all, the next episode is when things get real; when the actual plot I've been waiting for starts. I'm so freaking excited!

One note: from this point on, I'm going to be taking some artistic liberties with some characters. Like, they might not like act perfectly like this in the TV show, but I'm changing things because of Victoria's presence. It shouldn't affect anything for a little bit, but I can reveal that it will change Shelia Bennett and Katherine Pierce as characters (just a little for Katherine, little mannerisms, that's it). Don't like it? Oh well, I'm the author. Mwahahaha! ;P.

Also, another thing: there is no reason to call my OC "f*g dumb" just because she doesn't do things your way or because you're frustrated with her actions. She's human and she's a fictional character. Get over it. Also, please refrain from using vulgar language in your reviews (I'm alright for the most part with cursing, but if you can't find a way to express your opinions without using 'f*', then maybe you shouldn't review). Y'all for the most part have been amazing! Just a handful of bad apples. The review that has contained this language has been deleted.

THE SHIPPING WARS! (feel free to keep on voting (you can vote for more than one ship!); 1 full point for if you choose one ship, two half points for two separate ships, more than 2, smaller decimals. Anything that is not a full point will be italicized. This will not decide the final pairing; I already know who Victoria will end up with, I just want you all to be able to guess):

ROMANTIC:

Team Stetoria {Victoria/Stefan} (15.5): insert name here XD, sammyleann's dad, TikiKiki, Maistryia, Don't-Say-It-Feel-It, another guest, Elyse1821, Lime, herewegoagain, K, Yukihino-Sama, emma, just another guest, BookwormStrawberry, heyyeah, Guest (3), guest4ithinklol, Guest (6), Guest (9), guest (1), theappleseed

Team Datoria {Victoria/Damon} (20.5): Sciave, Guest, ArganRose, CrystalAris, Marine76, Assenavira, CarlaPA, Guest (1), Maistryia, emma, just another guest, Freeshavacahdoh, Guest (3), Guest (4), Guest (6), sabrinaannpierson, Guest (7), Guest (8), Guest (9), guest (1), hfgfgfrdr, lillen20, Yolo, theappleseed, Guest (10), Juko

Team Vilijah {Victoria/Elijah} (22.5): guest, Guest, SoraLover987142, insert name here XD, sammyleann, Orange keys 25, LoyalElijahFangirl, Hinata Megumi, A. G Herz, Aryabloodlust, ferallahey, AngelColdHeart, BlueDragibus, dreamwalkerlisa, Guest, Stachelbeere, Guest (1), jocillyria, Guest (2), BookwormStrawberry, Ieviheichu, Teghan-Potter1370, karenc0r, Hachiko33200

Team Klatoria {Victoria/Klaus} (5): Tayla141, TikiKiki, Guest (9), Mythology216 the Beard King, thisIsNotATest, Guest (10)

Team Koltoria {Victoria/Kol} (2): DreamerPop, MelissaMorningstar

PLATONIC:

Vinn {Victoria/Finn) (.4): LoyalElijahFangirl, Orange keys 25

Varcel {Victoria/Marcel) (1.4): LoyalElijahFangirl, Orange keys 25, jocillyria

Zinn {Zach/Finn} (.9): LoyalElijahFangirl, Orange keys 25, karenc0r

Jol {Jenna/Kol} (1.4): LoyalElijahFangirl, Lime, Orange keys 25, karenc0r

Kelas {Silas/Kelly L.} (.4): LoyalElijahFangirl, Orange keys 25

Koltoria {Victoria/Kol} (.2): Orange keys 25

Kennett {Kol/Bonnie} (.5): Lime

Autoria {Aurora/Victoria} (1.2): LoyalElijahFangirl, hfgfgfrdr

Vonnie {Victoria/Bonnie} (1): bpopa7110

Vibekah {Victoria/Rebekah} (1): BookwormStrawberry

New Followers!: Lord Loptr, Lolly Raven, House of Stargarian,

New Favoriters!: silentmayhem (congrats! You're the 200th Favoriter!), DBZSUPERGT

Onto reviews!:

DBZFAN45: Lee is a lucky fella, isn't he? XD. Lexi and Lee also spent the night with them; they just were sleeping through the night. Lexi is a total MILF (I'd dare say Kelly LeBlanc is one too). Thank you! I'm glad it's turning out so well. I agree that Victoria doesn't seem ready to let Vicki go just yet either. I can guarantee you that Mind Vicki will be a part of this story for a loooooooong time to come. Elena's a tough case because she always makes things about her. I hate people who are like that. Like, nobody cares. Stand up for yourself for once. And she's so overly emotional that it's hard to take her seriously. Katherine knows what she wants, she'll get it, and yeah, she's a bit of a jerk, but that's because she's confident in herself. "I'm the pretty one" whenever she refers to herself and Elena is my favorite line of hers. I can't wait for her and Victoria to meet. It's gonna be awesome. 2nd Amendments!: Klaus isn't a great person in the beginning, I agree. I think Victoria's presence in Mystic Falls will definitely change him for the better, but it might take a while. Here's the explosion from Elena! And yeah, Jaime Ray Newman is Tori's faceclaim, only taller (I can't believe I just learned she's 5'4"! Tori's more 5'6" or 5'7") and with more brown-blond hair than red). With Stefan, I feel like he has good days and bad days too, and he had just slept with Elena and she totally ditched him. Yeah, no wonder he'd be prickly.

Juko: Your vote has been added! Really? I can kind of see that. Damon does have a good development. Here's Elena doing something stupid.

theappleseed: Thanks! I really liked it too! The Magic 8 Ball line is my favorite line of the last few chapters.

CarlaPA: Hey you! It's been a while! Yeah, I feel like Stefan was just having a bad day. As I mentioned above, he did just sleep with Elena and she ditched him (granted, for a good reason). He's bound to be a little prickly.

lillen20: Thank you! Everyone has their good days and their bad days.

Guest (Ch. 12): I sort-of have that problem except for me, it's "When you ship Victoria with literally every guy that there is with the exception of the parental figures, Tyler, and Matt...and maybe Jeremy, but that's undecided, but you know who she is going to end up with, but you still ship nonetheless".

Guest (Ch. 14): Yeah, I took some artistic liberties. It's fanfiction. Tori, like many characters in TVD, has an issue being a martyr. Not like she's striving to be recognized as that, but she wants to help and save everyone.

Lime: That was his canon dialogue, but I changed a few words to make it apply to Victoria. We'll get to see what's truly up with Kelly in a handful of chapters, so stay tuned! Everyone else had a huge reaction (maybe not Zach, but he was told "offscreen", so to speak), so I wanted Lexi to be more laid-back and chill. I keep mentioning this, but he did just sleep with Elena and was ditched, and then he called Victoria. He wasn't having a good evening/morning XD. Definitely Season 2, Stefan passed the Elena Blinders to Damon. It's like throwing a pebble into a pond and just straight up ignoring the ripples you've caused. The age gaps between some of these relationships is vast and wide (Klaus and Caroline, to name one), but I have some fun pairings that should really settle in with those ideas. Yeah, Lee and Lexi's relationship is so cute (from his nickname of "Lexington" to calling her a cougar). I will reveal that Lee got his librarian job too; not important really to the plot, but fun nonetheless. Oh yeah, here's the fallout. Good luck.

Alright y'all, before we close out, just want to say that I'm super thankful for all of you who have read this story, who have reviewed this story. You have made my last half of 2021 so much fun with all your kind words of encouragement, and I can't wait to see what 2022 has in store for Immortalis!

And I can officially say...

SEE YOU ALL NEXT YEAR! XP!

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