Avery had had a relaxed day in an attempt to recover from her episode the previous day. Stefan had been concerned enough to inform Zach on what had happened, much to Avery's dismay. She hadn't had these types of episodes in a long time, so she was scared enough without getting her father involved. She believes that he worries about her too much but she knows he only wants the best for her. The best education, the best health and the best life they can have despite their situation with their family.

Avery's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her father's voice.

"What is Damon doing here? Why did he come home?" He sounded agitated.

Avery stood up and made her way towards his voice. She found Stefan and her father talking heatedly.

"'Cause I came home. He wants to make my life miserable. That's how he enjoys his."

Zach looked up at his daughter's arrival and sighed.

"Well, he's putting us all at risk. This girl in the hospital could talk." Zach said.

"Vicki Donovan." Avery noted.

"She won't. I took care of her." Stefan explained. Avery frowned slightly at his statement. She didn't particularly like Vicki Donovan, but what had happened to her was awful.

"You're sure?"

"No, I'm not sure, Zach. I don't know how well it worked. I'm not as strong as Damon." Avery bristled at the sound of his name.

Damon was giving Avery extremely bad feelings, more than usual. She hated the fact that he had so much control over her. She wished she could be brave like her father, at least on the outside. He was clearly enjoying his stay in the small town, causing chaos and making Stefan's life even more difficult. Avery could only hope he'd get bored of the small town life and disappear for another decade or so.

"So what happens if it doesn't work?" Avery asked quietly.

"I don't know. I'll deal with it." Stefan reassured them. Not that it calmed either of the human Salvatores in the slightest.

"Is she worth it, Uncle Stefan, this girl you came back for?" Zach asked.

Avery watched for a reaction but Stefan said nothing.

***

Stefan had somehow managed to drag Avery out to see the Comet. She was quite happy to observe from her bedroom window, but apparently Stefan had other plans. She was standing behind the Grill, shivering from the cold as she waited for something to happen. Pulling her coat hood over her head and shoving her hands further into her coat pocket, she looked up as Caroline Forbes approached her.

"Hey, I got some candles." She smiled.

"Oh, thank you, Caroline." Avery smiled slightly as Matt Donovan lit her candle. She was a little surprised that the blonde even acknowledged her. Perhaps Caroline thought that being nice to her was a shortcut to Stefan's feelings. Avery was stood at the edge of the group of friends. She felt out of place but stayed for Stefan nonetheless, trying to at least give him a chance to prove he was more than a blood-thristy monster. She walked closer when Stefan beckoned her towards them.

"You known, that comet... it's been traveling across space for thousands of years. All alone." Stefan began.

"Yeah, Bonnie says it's a harbinger of evil." Elena commented.

Fantastic, Avery thought.

"I think it's just a ball of... snow and ice, trapped on a path that it can't escape. And once every 145 years, it gets to come home." Stefan said sadly.

Avery found it sad how the comet's story almost mirrored Stefan's. He was trapped on a path he couldn't escape because he was a vampire. It's been 145 years since he turned into a vampire and he has now returned to Mystic Falls, his home all those years ago.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I wasn't myself." Stefan was now talking to only Elena, but Avery was too busy watching the Comet to move away from them.

"You seem to spend a lot of time apologising." Elena sighed.

"Well, I have a lot to apologise for. Yesterday, that wasn't about you, okay?" Stefan reassured her.

"You didn't tell me you had a brother." Elena stated.

"We're not close. It's, uh... it's complicated." Stefan replied awkwardly.

"He's an ass." Avery cut in, eyes still on the comet.

"Always is. He told me about your ex, Katherine." Elena continued.

"What did he say?"

"That she broke your heart."

"That was a long time ago." Stefan sighed.

"When you lose someone, it stays with you, always reminding you of how easy it is to get hurt." Elena said sadly.

"Elena..."

"It's okay, Stefan. I get it. You have no idea how much I get it. Complicated brother? Check. Complicated ex? Check. Too complicated to even contemplate dating, double check. It's okay. We met, and we talked, and it was epic, but... then the sun came up and reality set in so..."

And then she was walking away, leaving the two Salvatores standing watching the Comet.

***

"Avery! Hey."

Avery and Stefan turned at the sound of her name being called. Matt Donovan was jogging towards them.

"Hey, Matt. What's wrong?" Avery questioned, her brows furrowing at the sight of his worried face.

"Have you seen my sister?" He asked.

"No, we haven't sorry." Stefan replied.

"I can't find her. She's missing." Matt sounded exhausted.

"We'll keep an eye out for her, Matt. I promise." Avery smiled slightly.

Matt nodded gratefully at her before turning to Stefan, "Hey. I saw you at the hospital yesterday."

"Did you?"

"What were you doing there?" Matt questioned suspiciously.

"Visiting." Stefan replied simply.

"Visiting? You know, Elena and I, we've known each other for a long time. We might not be together right now, but I look out for her. And I'll always look out for her." Matt told him.

Avery averted her eyes and awkwardly cleared her throat. It was at this moment that Stefan heard voices on the roof of a nearby building.

"I have somewhere I need to go. Avery, why don't you go and help Matt look for Vicki and I'll meet you in the Grill in a bit?"

Before either of them could reply, Stefan was gone.

***

Avery was sat at a booth in the Grill, swirling her straw around in a glass of lemonade. She had searched with Matt for a while, but figured that their efforts were in vain. Stefan had clearly heard something and Avery assumed that it was something to do with Vicki. She looked up as Stefan approached her.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

"No, but I'll handle it." he replied.

Both Salvatores looked up as Matt appeared at their booth, "She said you found her wandering around."

"Yeah."

"So, um, thanks." Matt thanked him awkwardly, the conversation from earlier echoing in their minds.

***

"Uhh, it's just so much drama. Ever notice how the druggies are the biggest attention whores?" Caroline complained as the two Salvatores approached her.

"Yeah." Bonnie replied lamely.

"Excuse me. Hi." Stefan interrupted.

"Hi." Bonnie said.

"Um, have you guys seen Elena?" Stefan asked.

"I think she went home. I'm gonna give you Elena's cell number and her email. She is big on texting, and you can tell her... 'I said so'." Bonnie smiled whilst writing everything down.

Stefan thanked her but as their hands made contact, Bonnie appeared to space out. Avery watched as her eyes glossed over.

"You okay?" He asked her.

"What happened to you?" Bonnie whispered to him, before shaking her head. "That's so rude. I'm sorry. Excuse me."

"Yeah, she kind of wigs out. It's like her thing." Caroline attempted to excuse her friend.

"Well, I guess we better be going." Stefan said awkwardly.

Avery smiled at Caroline before walking out of the Grill with Stefan.

***

The Boarding House hadn't been quiet ever since the Salvatore brothers returned to Mystic Falls, but with Stefan preoccupied with Elena and Damon out causing mischief, Avery and her father were finally able to have some alone time.

The father and daughter spent the evening catching up on everything they had missed in each others lives since the brothers had arrived and ended up falling asleep in front of the television screen.