'Why didn't you say anything about Isobel's mother being in town?' Damon asked as they walked into the Fell's Church retirement cottage.

Damon, Alaric, and I had decided to see her before classes started.

'I didn't know Isobel's mother was here.' Alaric replied. 'I don't know much about her; I met her several times. Once, at our wedding and when she left.'

'They weren't close?' I asked. 'Do you want why?'

'No, I mean, Isobel told me her mom disowned her because of her choice of college, but now...'

'Now..?'

'Bella was born a year before we started dating.'

'Maybe her mother wanted her to get an abortion.'

Damon snickered, and Alaric made a face but said nothing; he and Damon went to the receptionist while I lingered in the waiting room.

My heart was beating a mile a minute.

What was she like?

Does she know about me?

Did Bella tell her about me?

What did she say about me?

Is she poisoned against me?

'Elena.' I heard Damon call, his voice taking me away from my thoughts.

I turned to find them not looking at me.

'What's wrong?'

'I'm sorry, Elena.' Alaric muttered.

'I'm sorry, what?!'

Rosalie and I were in front of the school, talking about Margaret; she'd passed away at midnight hours after we left.

'Yeah, they called us around 12:30. Gran and I just left there a few hours.'

'I'm so sorry, Bella.'

I shrugged. 'I am too, I guess, but I am grateful that I got to meet Margaret.'

I thought about Elena, who never got- no scratch that, wanted to meet her.

But still... I would text Jeremy and Caroline and ask them if they wanted to tell Elena.

'What about the husband?'

'The husband?'

'You said that she wanted her ex-husband to meet you. Did anyone tell him?'

'I don't know; I mean, I wouldn't know how to contact him.'

'Do you have a name?'

'No, but I imagine Gran does. Maybe she already told him, I don't know. It's out of my hands.'

'Have you seen Elena?' Caroline asked Bonnie as they stood in front of their lockers.

'No, why?'

'I got a text message at midnight from Bella saying that Isobel's mother died.'

'Oh. Does Elena know?'

'I doubt it.'

'Poor Bella.'

'She did make an effort; it's more than what Isobel deserved, but at least she has closure.'

'Are you going to tell Elena?'

'I suppose I'll have to.'

Victoria walked into class after the Hale girl, Saltzman, watching her every step.

She noticed that both the Swan and The Gilbert Boy were absent.

'Where's Isobel?' Saltzman asked as the Hale girl sat down.

'Isabella felt an anxiety attack coming on, so she went to the nurse's. She's going through a lot right now.'

Victoria noticed Saltzman glaring at The Swan's empty seat, then turned his glare on the blonde. 'I am her teacher; I should be informed first.'

'Well, the next time she has an anxiety attack, I'll make sure she informs you first.'

'Thank you.'

The students snickered.

'Dick.' The blonde muttered under her breath, making Victoria snicker as she sat in the back of the room.

Fast-approaching footsteps and a soft knock made Victoria jump. The door crept open, and in walked Kathe-Elena Gilbert.

'Sorry,' she muttered, 'I think I left something in here.' she claimed, but the way she immediately looked in the seat where Bella Swan would be made Victoria doubt her.

Elena turned to Saltzman, and he shrugged, resulting in her lour expression. She looked at Hale, then glanced at Victoria; Elena turned to Saltzman, who nodded.

She turned to leave when the Hale girl, without looking up, said, 'Aren't you forgetting something?'

'Excuse me?' Elena flared.

'You said that you forgot something.' Victoria pointed out, curious to see what Elena would do or say.

'What?'

'What did you forget, Elena?' Rosalie looked up; Victoria didn't have to read her to know she, too, was dubious of Elena's visit.

Elena stammered an excuse about a missing pen, then Saltzman handed her a pencil, and she left.

The door burst open, and in ran a panting Jeremy Gilbert. 'Sorry, I'm late.' he looked at Bella Swan's empty seat. 'I guess she is at the nurse's.'

'Why are they so interested in Bella?' The blonde muttered.

Why, indeed?

Brother Bonding.

I glanced reproachfully at my brother as he hung up on Elena.

I could tell he was getting a kick out of being Elena's knight in shining armor.

'Hopefully, something a little bit warmer...and a little bit blonder...' I growled as I eyed the blonde bartender behind the bar.

She approaches us. 'Hi!'

'Hello...' Damon glanced at her name tag. 'Callie. I would love a shot of your best whiskey, and my brother here would love, 'he commenced to compel her,' a shot of you.'

'What's the catch, Damon?'

'No catch, brother. Drink up. It's on me.'

I grabbed the woman's wrist and bit her while Damon leaned over to shield us.

'Hi, Callie.'

'Bella!' screeched a voice, followed by banging on my front door.

Gran went to the grill, and neither of us felt like cooking. I peeked out the window to find a vexed-looking Elena.

I was on the couch reading.

'We need to talk.' she flared.

'What about?'

'Open the door.'

'Not a chance.'

'I don't want anyone hearing-'

'There was once a man named Alexander Graham Bell, and he invented the telephone; maybe you've heard of it.'

'Open the door, Bella-'

'Go screw yourself, Elena.'

'Why do you have to be such a bitch?'

'Maybe it's in the blood.'

'Elena.' The Saltzman ran up, panting.

It is another one of my least favorite people, yippee; all they needed was Damon, and I'd have two jerkers and an acehole.

'I'm trying to have a civilized conversation-'

'By banging on the door like a lunatic?'

'We just want to talk-'

'What's stopping you?'

'Could you please open the window?' the salt asked.

'She has to open the door.'

'She's not going to let us in.' he sighed as I lifted the window.

'What do you want?'

'Isobel's mother, she died.'

'I know.'

'Did Caroline or Bonnie tell you?'

'I told Caroline.'

'Who told you?!' Saltzman demanded.

'The home told us at midnight.'

'Why did you keep this from us?'

'What are you talking about?'

'Why didn't you tell anyone about this?'

'Excuse me, I met the woman a few weeks ago; I feel like I should be allowed to process -'

'Why didn't you tell us about Margaret? All summer, you have been hounding Elena-'

'And why do you think I was hounding her?!' I flared. ' To build a relationship with her?!' he looked at her, and she looked away. 'No thanks! Her, I can do without.'

'Why-' he stopped, clearly flustered.

'Elena kept you in the dark, not me.'

He paced the porch, throwing Elena an annoyed glance ever so often, clearly vexed.

'How did you know Tori is a vampire?'

'Isobel informed me, met them both on the same day.'

'Isobel told you?' Elena sniffed. 'Were they working together?'

'I sincerely doubt it. Victoria took off when Isobel approached us.'

'She's been around this whole time,' Saltzman started again, 'and you didn't tell-'

'I told Stefan.'

Elena scoffed at my answer.

'Who told you Margaret died?'

Elena spun away from me as Saltzman stopped and turned. 'Damon and I took Elena to see her.'

'Well, I had Caroline tell her about Isobel's mother the day after Gran told me, so she can't contend ignorance.'

'She's a kid-'

'Me too.' I countered.

'She just lost her parents-'

'Me too.'

'Elena is going through-'

'Everything I'm going through.'

'She's a kid!' Saltzman growled, clearly flustered about losing the argument he started.

'She's two years older than me. She is technically an adult now. And now she has to live with the knowledge that she took out her hatred for Isobel on an innocent old woman.'

'Can't you cut her some slack?!'

'None of you are extending that to me-'

'FOR FUCKS SAKE, ISOBEL-'

'My name is ISABELLA! I'm NOT your WIFE-'

'I KNOW THAT!' Saltzman roared as he threw a flower pot- the pot Jessica made me at summer camp- at the door, making me jump. I glanced at Elena; she peeked at me, anxious. 'WHY MUST YOU KEEP SAYING THAT?!'

'Because I have to keep reminding you.' I pointed out, making sure that the door was locked.

'Maybe we should go.' Elena said in a shaky voice.

'I'm calm! I'm calm.' he attempted to assure her.

It didn't work.

'I would like the two of you to leave.'

'Ric, maybe we should go.'

'You said you wanted answers, Elena!'

'Let's wait; if her grandmother saw you this...'

Saltzman looked at her, then threw an angry glance at me, then they left.

Mikael stood outside the house; it'd been over a decade, but a scent like hers was difficult to forget.

The memory of the then four-year-old girl looking up at him fearfully but demanding.

She wanted to go back home; she wanted to see her family and friends again.

She even insisted that she missed Elena Gilbert, the girl she hated more than anything.

He held the picture she drew of them when she left for him.

Thoughts of his own children when flooded his mind: Freya, Finn, Elijah, Rebekah, Kol, Henrik, and even...

Klaus...

The memories of Klaus as a boy both angered and elated him, but he pushed them down as he wiped his mouth of blood from Petrova vampire.

A/N: What do we think of the story so far?