CHAPTER TWELVE

Nyx sinks further into the couch and turns so that her back is resting against Dean. She pulls his arm across her torso, and starts laughing again as she looks at Jessica. The two girls found a lot of joy in annoying Damon those four months that they were there.

"Hey, you can't cheat anymore." The blonde says, and Nyx's eyebrows furrow.

"What?"

"We'd be sparring in the living, and Damon would yell that breakfast was ready. So, me and you would race to the kitchen, and you'd use your vampire speed to beat me. You can't do that anymore — you're human."

"Oh, son of a bitch." She mutters, and Dean laughs.

"Some things never change." He says, and she smiles as she looks up at him.

"Hey." Nyx nudges Vicki with her foot as she looks at her. "What are you gonna do now?"

"What do you mean?" Vicki asks.

"Well, you're human. Dean and I are back, so you don't have to raise the twins anymore — not that I'm trying to kick you out in any way. That's why I'm asking. Do you plan on sticking around, or are you gonna head back to Mystic Falls?" She asks.

"Where everyone thinks that I died three years ago?" She asks. "Because I did."

"So, what's your plan? Stay here and keep helping Bobby? Come with us where we go?"

"We could train her." Jess says. "If that's what she wants."

"She has one success, and she wants to convert everyone to being like us." Nyx smirks, and Jess shoots her a sarcastic look.

"I don't know what I want." Vicki answers honestly. "I didn't really have to consider it before now."

"Well, no rush. I was just curious." She tells her.

"What about you, Lexi?" Elena asks, and they all look at her. "You have a daylight ring now. You could go anywhere."

"I think I'm gonna stay with Stefan for a while." The vampire says. "We were friends for a long time, and we haven't had much time to hang out since I got back. He was traveling, looking for a way to save Damon and Nyx—"

"Until he stopped." Vicki says bitterly.

"Cut him some slack." Nyx says, and she looks at her. "He lost his big brother. And he'd sort of made himself my unofficial guardian angel. So, when neither of us came back after he and everyone else did... He lost hope, Vic. You can't really blame him for that. We all did."

Nyx and Jess exchange a sad look, knowing they're both thinking the same thing. The five of them spent four months stuck in the prison world, and Bonnie was the only one who never lost hope, and then she didn't get to make it home.

"Fine." Vicki reluctantly agrees, and Nyx smirks. "I need another beer."

"So does Dean." Nyx says as she holds up the empty bottle.

"Yeah, Dean ran out." He says sarcastically, and she smiles as she looks up at him.

Vicki takes the bottle and heads into the kitchen, where Sam disappeared to a couple minutes ago. Jess looks at him through the open door and then gets up from where she was sitting on the floor, but she doesn't go to talk to him. Instead, she sits down on the couch next to Nyx and rests her legs over the brunette's lap.

"Hey." Nyx whispers as she looks at the blonde. "Give him some time. He was trying to protect you from all of this. When you died, it was bad for a while. Now, he finds out that you're back, and I taught you about everything that he never wanted you to know."

Jess sighs, but nods.

"Here's your beer, Dean." Vicki says as she hands the bottle out toward Nyx.

She smirks as she takes it. "I've been called worse. By you, actually."

"So much for the clean slate."

"Just because the slate's been wiped doesn't mean my memory's​ been as well. I remember you calling me a bitch on multiple occasions." Nyx tells her.

"And there was that one time she called you a slut." Elena says, and Dean raises his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, what?" He questions, and Nyx laughs.

"It was after my first date with Carter." She tells him.

"And those weren't my exact words." Vicki argues.

"No, she asked me how it was slutting it up with the hot new guy." She clarifies.

"I wasn't exactly myself back then. That was right after I started with the drugs. I was mad at you for butting into my business." She says.

"I remember. You had quite a few choice words for me."

"Yeah, well, from sixteen to eighteen wasn't exactly my proudest life moments." Vicki looks down.

"None of that matters anymore." Nyx tells her. "None of us are the same as we were at sixteen."

"I have to get going." Elena says before looking at Vicki. "Can you help me get Nyx's stuff out of my car?"

"Why can't she do it?" Vic questions. "It's her crap."

"Uh..." She motions to Nyx and Dean. "You gonna pry them apart?" She smiles as Dean tightens his arm around her sister.

"I'll help you." Sam says as he walks back into the room.

"Um, okay." Elena nods. "Thanks." She looks at Nyx, who just shrugs and shakes her head.

Nyx's phone rings, and she looks at the caller ID, but it's just a number. "Who is it?" Dean asks, and she shakes her head.

"I have no idea." She answers and then holds the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"My favorite Gilbert." A familiar British accent comes through the phone, and her eyebrows furrow.

"Enzo? How the hell did you get my number?"

"I stole Damon's phone, but I didn't want him to seem desperate if you thought he was calling you again." He says, and she shakes her head.

"What do you want?"

"Do you know of anyone in Mystic Falls who would know about us? Tripp is surprisingly torture resistant, and I'm not allowed to kill him." He tells her.

"Did you miss the part where I was gone for four months?" She questions. "I have no idea what's going on in Mystic Falls, or who knows what about any vampires."

"What about the founder's council?"

"They blew up on Pastor Young's farm last year — he killed them. The only surviving members of the council are Sheriff Forbes, Damon, and Meredith. But Mere moved to Alaska with her new husband." She tells him.

"Are they any other founding family members who could be back?"

"Didn't you just tell me that you were with Damon? Ask him."

"He didn't know that Tripp was part of a founding family." He tells her.

"Okay, well, neither did I." She says. "What founding family is Tripp from?"

"The Fells." He says, and she starts laughing.

"His name is Tripp Fell?"

"According to Matt, he goes by his mother's maiden name. That's why nobody knew that he was a Fell. He didn't like his father."

"Makes sense, I guess." She nods. "The only Fell that I could ever even tolerate was Meredith."

"So, you don't know of anyone else?"

"Um... Well, the only Gilberts left are me and my siblings. Caroline and Sheriff Forbes are the only Forbes' left. Tyler's the only Lockwood that I know of. And I couldn't tell you anything about the Fells." She shakes her head. "Have Damon call the sheriff."

"Well, see, love, I would, but Tripp's men kidnapped her." He tells her, and she raises her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, what?" She questions. "You couldn't open with that? I'm over here laughing at Tripp Fell, and the sheriff was kidnapped? What the hell is wrong with you, Enzo?"

"I didn't know I had to tell you anything. It's not like you can help get her back from over there."

"Well, let me tell you this. If anything happens to her because you're torture happy with Tripp, I'll drive back over there and kill you myself. How does that sound?"

"Like I see what Damon likes about you." He says with a smile, and she hangs up on him.

"Remind me not to kill Enzo." Nyx says as she nudges Jess' leg.

"Is everything okay?" The blonde asks.

"Well, Enzo's torturing Tripp for information so Tripp's men kidnapped Caroline's​ mom as leverage to get him back." She tells her.

"What are you doing?" Dean asks as he looks at her phone.

"Oh, I'm saving his number as DO NOT ANSWER." She tells him, and he chuckles.

"That's my girl."

"Pst. Hey. Come here." She whispers as she looks up at him, and he leans down. "I love you." Her voice is still quiet, and he smiles before kissing her.

"Alright, we got your stuff into Dean's car, the twins' stuff is still in Vicki's truck, and Lexi now has her stuff in my car." Elena says as she and Sam walk back into the living room with Lexi right behind them. "We're gonna head out."

"I gotta get up." Nyx pats Dean's arm, and he moves it so that she can get to her feet. She then walks over and hugs her sister. "Have fun becoming Dr. Elena Gilbert. I'll call you soon, okay? I promise."

"Okay. And hey..." She pulls back to look at her sister. "I'm really sorry. What I did, and how it affected the two of you..." She looks between Nyx and Dean. "There are no words for how horrible I feel about the whole thing. I wish I could take it all back."

Nyx looks at Dean and then back at her sister. "He's alive, I'm alive. I'm human, and we're together now. I really just want to put everything else behind us." She tells her. "You're my sister, and I love you. And I know you weren't exactly yourself. Believe me, I said and did a lot of things that I wish I hadn't. Although, I am glad I got to stake Rebekah." She says, and Elena chuckles.

"I just feel responsible for what happened to you after. If you hadn't shut off your emotions, then you never would've been in the cellar, and—"

"And Kol still would've found me. He was going to kill us both, Elena." She reminds her. "Besides, we have no idea how Jess ended up with me and Damon. It's possible she'd still be dead if I hadn't died. So... I don't know, maybe some things do happen for a reason. I'm not gonna say everything, because damn, but... You know."

"I love you, Nyx." Elena hugs her again.

"I love you too."

The girls pull apart, and Elena looks back over at Dean. "I really am sorry for everything that you went through. I can't imagine what that must've been like for you." She tells him, and he nods.

"I appreciate that, Elena." He says, and she simply nods, understanding that he hasn't quite forgiven her yet. And she doesn't ever expect him to.

They say bye to Elena and Lexi, and then the two vampires leave. Nyx walks over to Vicki and leans down to whisper in her ear. Dean watches her and the two girls smile before looking over at Jessica. The three of them head into the kitchen, leaving the three men in the living room with the twins.

—

"That was one hell of a dinner you three made tonight." Dean says as he walks up behind Nyx in the twins' room.

"It was fun too." She smiles as he wraps his arms around her. "It's been a long time since I've cooked anything."

"You never cooked while you were in the prison world?" He asks, and she shakes her head.

"No. Damon made pancakes every morning, and I never ate lunch. Dinner..." She shakes her head. "I just didn't cook."

Bonnie usually made their dinner. Or Jenna, and Damon would help sometimes. Nyx and Jess were usually training. Nyx needed a project to throw herself into, and Jess could see that. So, she let training be that project.

"I really missed this." She says as she looks between the two cribs. "And I missed you."

"I love you." He whispers in her ear, and she smiles as she turns around in his arms.

"I love you." She says, and he leans down to kiss her. She wraps her arms around his neck as he rests his forehead against hers. "I wanna go talk to Sam. Jess is asleep in Vic's room. I think now's a good time." She tells him, and he nods.

Nyx goes downstairs and finds Sam in the kitchen. She walks over to the fridge and grabs two beers, she opens them both before sitting down with him at the table.

"How many are you gonna drink tonight?"

"I'll have you know, I've yet to drink an entire beer myself." She tells him. "The one I took from your brother was half gone before I finished it, and I didn't have any from the one that Vicki brought him."

He nods. "If this is supposed to be a peace offering, it's not gonna work." He says as he looks at her. "'Cause I'm not mad at you."

"You wanna tell me what is going on in that freaky head of yours?" She asks, and he smirks, amused by the way she sometimes sounds like his brother.

"I guess I'm just a little surprised." He tells her. "I wasn't expecting her to come back."

"I get that." She nods. "But why are you acting so...strange?"

"I..." He sighs. "I think I have feelings for Caroline." He admits, and her eyes widen.

"What? Really?"

"She was with us for over a month after you turned, and we kept in contact after she went home." He tells her. "She's the only one that I kept in contact with this summer, and I can't really explain why. And she was a lot of help during that year that you were gone. If I called her, she'd listen for hours, and..." He sighs. "She's different than everyone that I've ever met. And I think she might...feel the same. You know, if I were around more... So, Jess coming back..."

"Awkward. Gotcha." She chuckles. "Talk to her, Sam. Both of them, actually. I'm sure that Jess would understand. It's been three years, and she didn't expect you to never move on. She wants you to be happy, Sammy. Trust me, I've gotten to know her pretty well in the last four months."

"Have I mentioned that I missed you?" He asks, and she smiles.

"Not yet."

"Well, I've missed you." He tells her, and she chuckles.

"I missed you too, Sammy." She says, and then her phone rings.

"You're a rather popular one."

"Well, who can resist my awesomeness?"

"Yeah, that's it." He laughs as he shakes his head.

"Hey, Stef, what's up?" She asks as she answers her phone.

"We haven't really had a chance to talk since the night you came back." Stefan says, and she nods. "I just wanted to apologize."

"Apologize for what?" She asks, confused.

"I stopped looking for you guys when you needed me the most. I shouldn't have given up on you, and I'm sorry that I did."

"Stefan, you of all people, have nothing to be sorry for. You've always been there for me, even when I didn't realize it." She says. "You saved me from drowning when I was sixteen, and because of that I met an amazing guy who gave me the most beautiful children on the planet.

"You threatened your brother to stay away from me, saying that I'm better off with Dean than him. Then you tried to kick his ass when he forced his blood down my throat, and you promised that you'd make sure the transition went my way. You tried to save Jenna from Klaus.

"You convinced me to drink your blood when you knew that I'd bleed out if I didn't, which ended up being the thing that saved me from dying when that original bitch had me murdered. And then you checked in on me after I left Mystic Falls to make sure that I was doing okay.

"You took a page out of the Damon playbook by doing the wrong thing for the right reasons when you worked with Klaus to find the cure for me and Elena. You were there after Jeremy died, and you helped try to get me to turn my humanity back on.

"And I remember when we showed you my body in the cellar — how hard you took it. This has been hard on all of us, and we all coped in different ways. I don't blame you for losing hope and giving up, so don't be so hard on yourself, Stefan." She tells him.

"You're pretty amazing, you know that?" He asks, and she smiles. "Thank you, Nyx."

"You know, I never thanked you for our conversation after you took me back to the hospital — after we got Evil-Alaric to tell us where the stake was." She says. "I felt a little ridiculous, and more than a little hopeless, about everything. You helped a lot. Well, you and Damon, but I've already thanked him."

"You don't need to thank me. What are friends for, right?" He asks, and she nods.

"Goodnight, Stefan."

"Goodnight, Nycole." He hangs up the phone.

"Sounds like this summer's been hell for everyone." Sam says, and she takes a deep breath as she looks back at him.

"You have no idea." Nyx then reaches across the table and grabs his hand, giving it a light squeeze. "But we're back together now. And we'll all deal." She offers him a small smile before getting up and making her way back upstairs.

"How's he coping?" Dean asks as the brunette walks over and sits on the foot of their bed; he's standing by the window, still looking at the twins.

"About as well as can be expected, I think." She says, and he nods. "Can you come and sit with  me? I need to talk to you."

His eyebrows furrow. "Is everything alright?" He walks over and sits beside her.

"Um..." Nyx clears her throat as she pulls one of her legs up onto the bed, turning to face him as she speaks. "Jess, Damon, and I agreed not to tell everyone the full story about the prison world we were stuck in for the last four months. Stefan knows, and he's promised to keep our secret, but I don't wanna keep anything secret from you." She tells him.

"What else happened over there?"