Jeremy stood on the inside of Alyssa's door leaning against the wall watching her unpack. "You're here and unpacking. I guess this means you're back."
"I am." She stops and looks and looks at him. "You got a problem with that."
"No." She continues to unpack. "It's just you haven't been back since Jenna died. Other than the night you killed me ."
She stops and looks at him again. "That was only to throw Klaus off the trail. If Damon drew back here would have found Elena."
"Except he did find her and if it wasn't for you figuring out that she was the key to saving his Hybrids she'd probably be dead for real."
"Being kept alive just so you can be used as a blood donor isn't that much better than Jere."
"It's better than being dead."
"Speaking of dead," she continued to unpack. "You're still seeing Anna." She hadn't had a chance to talk to him about it since finding out about his short death and resurrection. In fact, she hadn't had much time to talk at all since she had been back since she had been trying to keep him off Klaus's radar.
"Occasionally."
She shuts the draw after putting away the last of her clothes. "I bet Bonnie must really love that."
"She isn't too thrilled about it."
"Then why are you? Bonnie's your girlfriend right. And correct me if I'm wrong but Anna's dead."
"Yeah, so are you."
"Yes but I'm living dead," she pulled a coat out of the closet, "she's dead dead. You're never going to have a normal relationship."
"We live in a town full of vampires, witches, and hybrids." He leaned away from the wall and left. "Dating a ghost wouldn't be too far of a stretch."
"You got a point." She said as he left. She grabbed her phone and keys and left. She was on her way out of the door when she got a call. She checked the caller's idea before she answered, "Whatever you've called to tell me the answer is no, I'm taking a personal day." She opened her car door and stopped short of getting in. "Wait what?"
Despite what she told Stefan she found herself walking inside the Salvatore house called for Stefan, she stopped when she heard a painful grunting noise and followed it to the conservatory.
What she saw was Damon tied to a chair with a fireplace stoker in his chest makes her stop and turn back and Stefan tries to help free him. "Now this looks familiar." She taunts as she walks in. "Where have I seen it before," as if getting hit with a sudden revelation she says, "oh wait…"
Damon however is unamused, "Whatever twisted game this is, leave me out of it."
"Oh I didn't do this," she said as she circled his chair thoroughly enjoying his discomfort. "But I can appreciate the irony though."
"I'm not screwing around."
"It wasn't me," she rounded his chair, coming to face him with her hands up in an innocent gesture. "Scouts honor," She tugs on the chain admiring the work. "It is pretty messed up though," she crosses her arms, "someone chaining you up the way I did Mason before you ripped out his heart." She couldn't keep the smile off her face as she said it.
"Yeah, laugh it up."
"I'm sorry." She tried to stop smiling but couldn't. "I'm just taking the time to enjoy the moment. One that I didn't cause by the way but I do applaud whoever did."
Damon removes the chains and stands up. "Who else would be twisted enough to try and kill me the way I did Mason?"
"I don't know Damon, the list of people who want you dead is pretty long. Finding out who did it could take a while. But I'd start with the person who you killed who chained to a chair."
"Mason is dead."
"So was Vickie but she managed to worm her way out of the other side long enough to torch a car with you and Elena inside. My guess is she isn't the only one. If only there was someone you could ask."
"What about you?"
"I'm going to do what I was told. Keep Elena safe. If I'm right and Mason is not the only one, and anyone with unfinished business can come through then she's in danger. So is Jeremy and Rick." She left texting Elena asking about her location.
She texted back that she was on her way to town square. It was the Night Of Illuminations after all. A time honored tradition where the town hung up lanterns in town square and turned off the lights and turned on the lanterns. She didn't see the purpose in that but as with all things in Mystic Falls, the town was big on traditions and Elena loved celebrating those traditions. So it was reasonable to believe that's where she would be, which meant she would also be there amongst the group preparing the town.
Carol Lockwood was making a speech for the volunteers and the citizens who had come to watch but not helped when she arrived given a little back history into the night.
"As a long-time member of the Historical Society, I am especially proud to be kicking off this day of festivities. Thank you, volunteers. Tonight, we turn off our town's lights and flare up our lanterns in honor of the night of illumination started by our founders 150 years ago. Here's founding family member Tobias Fell with a history lesson."
Everyone applauded and Tobias Fell took the stage and Alyssa saw Alaric and Jeremy not too far off.
Jeremy had asked Alaric, "What are we doing here?"
"Tobias Fell is the head of the history department. I didn't have a choice."
"All right, that explains what you're doing here."
"Well, I'm the one who can fail you if you don't help me out."
Elena rejoins them. "Hey, sorry I'm late. What did I miss?"
Alyssa started to join them then but the sight of Bonnie with Caroline made her change her mind and direction.
"The first illumination was held in celebration with the newfound prosperity that Mystic Falls enjoyed after the war." Tobias continued. "The founders placed lanterns over the doors to indicate that it was safe for their neighbors to come outside again. That night was an opportunity for the community of Mystic Falls to come together, a chance to strengthen ties with neighbors, business owners, and the…"
Caroline was helping Bonnie to hang lanterns from the trees as she headed over to them. From the sounds of it they were in the middle of a serious conversation.
"So when you did the spell to send Vicki away, did that get rid of Anna, too?"
"I wish." Bonnie said, "All I did was block the magic that was helping Vicki get a physical foothold here. Jeremy's still got a direct line to the other side, and as long as he wants to see Anna and she wants to see him, she's still here."
"Okay, you don't think I can actually resist commenting on that."
"There. You commented."
"Bonnie…"
"What do you want me to say, Caroline? I went against the balance of nature when I brought Jeremy back to life, and now I'm paying the consequences."
"Well, I want you to say you're not okay with it."
"I'm a thousand times not okay with it. I just don't know what to do about it."
She arrived at the same time Damon drove up in his car.
"Greetings, blondie. Witchy. I think you got your voodoo wires all crossed when you got rid of Vicki Donovan."
"What do you mean, why?"
"Because I got spit roasted by Mason Lockwood's ghost last night." Damon says.
"And why would you think that?" Caroline asked.
Alyssa shares a look with Damon, "Let's just say we're having a bad case of déjà vu."
Caroline looks at Bonnie."I thought you said that ghosts couldn't physically interact with people."
"They can't." Bonnie insists.
Damon disagreed, "Yeah, well, I don't have time for a vengeful Lockwood. When I kill someone, they're supposed to stay dead. Whatever you screwed up, fix it."
He drives away fast with his tires squealing. Matt is on the other side of the road, looking at them.
"I'm going to talk to Matt." Bonnie said, sitting down on her lantern. "I need to make sure Vicki's really gone."
"Why do you think it's Vicki and not Mason?"
"Vicki has as good of a reason to hate Damon as Mason Lockwood. But if it's not and any ghosts other than Vicki Donovan have a physical foothold on our side, then that means Damon's right and something has gone really, really wrong."
"Can you fix it?"
"I don't know."
Alyssa turns back to the last place she saw Elena but she wasn't there. "Talk to Matt and see what you can find out. I need to find Elena." If they were right and Vicki and Mason weren't the only other ghost who slipped through the cracks then she needed to stick close to Elena and Jeremy. She spots Rick at the bar and walks over to him.
She headed in the direction she last saw them both just outside the grill but neither one of them was there. She walked inside taking a look around. She didn't see them initially in the first scan so she decided to check the ladies restroom and saw Jeremy kissing Anna. "What the hell?"
Before she could ask more, her phone rang. It's Caroline.
"Hey, was Bonnie able to find out anything?"
"Yeah apparently an original witch on the side used Vickie to pry open the door for any vampire with unfinished business."
"How do we close it?"
"Apparently the old witch can draw power from this side because of her talisman."
"Talisman... Elena's necklace?"
"It's some ju-ju power source. Bonnie needs to destroy it, only Elena's not answering."
"I just walked in on Jeremy kissing Anna. I'm sure she'd be completely okay with that."
"What?! Are you kidding?"
"I wish. Look, Katherine took the necklace but knowing how much it means to Elena I'm sure Damon found a way to get it back. Text him. Call me when you have it."
She hangs up and looks at Anna.
"Alyssa…" Jeremy says but he ignores him and looks at Anna.
"You need to disappear or evaporate or whatever it is that you ghosts do."
Jeremy defended her. "Hey, it's not her fault."
"You're right, it's yours."
Anna disappears.
"How did this happen?"
"I don't know. Okay? I don't know. It just...it did. Alyssa please. You can't tell Bonnie."
"I'm not. You are because I know how it feels to be in love with someone who's in love with someone else and it sucks. You're better than that and Bonnie sure as hell deserves better." She leaves the restroom and calls Stefan to fill him in on what's going on and looks out the window and sees the last person she expected. "Jenna?" She hangs up the phone and walks out of the grill slowly approaching her. "Is it you?"
"You can see me?"
"Yeah." She says tears pooling her eyes. "I can."
"How?"
"Magic," she answers, whipping her eyes. "I don't know how long it's gonna last though."
"So let's not waste it." There were things that they needed to talk about. Questions she knew she needed answered. They went back to the Gilbert house and to Jenna's old room. "I'm guessing you want to know why I never told you."
"I just figured that it was for the same reason Elena didn't know. The three of you got together and decided that it was for the best to keep it a secret. Except Elena found out and that right there would have been the perfect opportunity to go hey by the way I'm your mother."
"I wanted to tell you so many times over the years every time you felt out of place and like you didn't belong but your mom would always stop me."
"What about after she died?"
"You just lost your parents, your whole world has already been turned upside down. I didn't think you could handle it."
"Right, because finding out you were my mom after you had your heart ripped out in front of me was the perfect time."
"I thought I was doing what was best for you. I was young. Too young to be a mom. Miranda and Grayson had been trying for a while to have a baby when this young girl suddenly showed up."
"Isabelle."
"It was like all their prayers had been answered. I saw how much they cared for, loved Elena like they were their own so when I found myself suddenly pregnant and alone, I asked them to take you. I knew you'd be better off."
"What about my father? Did you know about him? What he was? What would I become?"
"We never really talked about his family. We never really talked at all. It was meant to just be a summer fling. A way to cleanse Logan out of my system. All I really knew about him was that he was from New Orleans. It's where you were born."
Even where she was born was a lie.
"I know that this is a lot to take in." She holds her face in between her hands. "You've already been through so much to protect this family. I know it hasn't always been easy. You've sacrificed so much more than any one person should."
"They're all still alive." That's the only thing that mattered.
"But at what cost. When is it going to be too much?"
She takes her hands off her face. "When they no longer have anything to fear."
"I don't want that life for you."
"I didn't want this life at all. But it's mine and I have to make it mean something or what's the point."
"There is none, that's the point. Sometimes life just sucks. But I know whatever happens you can handle it, anything else it throws at you."
"I really miss you." She says pulling her into a hug.
"I'll be here watching. Always." She hugged her tightly.
The two spent the rest of the afternoon chatting like old times and for a while Alyssa could almost forget that Jenna wasn't really here. Almost.
"It's Stefan." Alyssa said checking her phone after it went off.
"It could be important."
"He probably needs help cleaning up after Damon." She said answering the phone. "Whatever he did, it's not my problem."
"It's not Damon. It's Tobias Fell who was found hanging from a tree. One guess as to how he got there."
"The vampires from the tomb. They're back."
"Yeah, which means Elena and Jeremy are in danger."
"Not just them. They kidnapped you the last time they were freed."
"Yeah and I don't want a repeat of that. Damon's not answering his phone."
Alyssa looks at Jenna who gives her a nod.
Alyssa gets off the bed and heads out the door. "Find Jeremy and Elena. Keep them safe till I get there and I'll try and find Damon. We gotta find that Necklace."
She sends a quick message to Rick and gets in the car. It just means before she's parked in town square and heads towards the center of it. It doesn't take her long to spot Stefan and when she does she walks over to him.
"I couldn't get Damon. Caroline and Bonnie are looking for the necklace but it's not where he said it was." Stefan says.
"Let's worry about the necklace after we find Elena and Jeremy."
"I'll check the grill. You stay here." Stefan says jogging off. Alyssa does a three sixty but there's too many people to be able to see anything so she decides to find higher ground. She falls on the tallest building in the square, which is the tower and looks down at the people.
It's not long before she spots Jeremy talking to Anna and she's back in the middle of town square heading towards them.
"She said she didn't take it." Jeremy was on the phone with Caroline.
"Oh, and you believe her."
"I didn't take it, Jeremy."
Jeremy turns his back on Anna.
"You know what, yeah, yeah, I do believe her."
"You know what, you're an even bigger idiot than I thought. So wake up, Jeremy, before you lose everything."
She hangs up. Jeremy turns to face Anna, but she's not there.
"I think Caroline's right about Anna."
Jeremy jumps as he turns and faces his sister. "Jeeze"
Alyssa continues. "She was the only person who heard us talking about it. Of course she took it. Okay? We have to get it back. We have to destroy it and then close the door.
"I know, but…"
"But what? What, Jer?"
"I can touch her, Alyssa. I can kiss her again. And I know it's wrong, and I know that I shouldn't feel this way, but I do. I love her. I've always loved her."
"But it's not real. She's dead. Gone. Everything that you're holding on to is in the past, Jet. Are you going to love a ghost for the rest of your life?" She looks over Jeremy's shoulder. Anna's there. "He's at the beginning of his life, Anna. You're just holding him back. You know that."
Anna holds up the necklace in her hand. Alyssa takes the necklace from Anna and calls Caroline.
"Hey, I found the necklace." She looks at her brother. "I'm sending Jeremy to you now." She hung up. "They're meeting you at the old church." She looks at Anna and looks at Jeremy. "I'd strongly suggest you go alone."
Jeremy looks at Anna before leaving with the necklace. Now that Jeremy was out of harm's way she could focus on helping Stefan find Elena. She made her way over to the grill when she heard someone scream. She followed it and saw someone from the founders council getting attacked.
She rushes over to help and pulls one of the tomb vampires off her. "Go run." She tells the women she barely got a look at her before she was gone and her sights were set elsewhere. "I got to warn you." She told him. "I'm having a bit of a rough week. So this is going to hurt." Her face transformed and her eyes glowed a golden color catching the vampire off guard. "A lot."
Alyssa rushed back home to see Jenna after putting down the tomb vamp. "Jenna."
Alaric stood when she came in. "She's gone."
"Damon thinks he found something in the cave that Mason took him that might help kill Klaus." Stefan says handing Alyssa a glass filled with blood from a blood bag. She had gone to the Salvatore house after Rick left after getting a call from Damon.
"Thanks." She takes the glass from him. "Rick filled me in. Damon called when I was there. Mason vanished right before he told Damon what he found and whatever is there is protected from vampires. So he couldn't get in."
"Hopefully Rick will be able to figure out what's written on the wall and it'll help us get rid of Klaus."
"Yeah." She put the glass up to her lips. "Hopefully."
"You okay." Stefan asked after studying her.
She lowered her glass to her lap. "I saw Jenna today." She admitted. "We spent the afternoon together, just the two of us. It felt so real that for a while I almost forgot. And then you called and I remembered that none of it was real. Since the day she died all I ever wanted was to see her again one last time. And I got the chance to today but instead of being with her I wasted my one shot on cleaning up more vampire problems. I didn't even make it back to say goodbye. So no Stefan, I'm not okay." She sat her glass down and stood up, "far from it." She turns to leaves and comes face to face with Damon and Elena. She looks back at Stefan and walks out the door.