CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: Guess who's back?
WARNINGS: mention of death, mention of murder, referenced/implied murder, violence, threats, damon, stefan, matt

NEW JERSEY — 24 HOURS BEFORE
A FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL WITH BROWN HAIR AND dark brown eyes skips down the steps of her two-story house. The house isn't much, but it's enough for her and her grandmother, Crystal.

"Abuela, ¿dormiste bien?" She asked as she walked into the kitchen where the older woman was making food. Crystal was a fantastic chef and owned a restaurant for most of her life, but since they've had to go into hiding, the only money they have is what the teenager's mother put away in an account for them. [Grandma, did you sleep well?]

The woman sets a plate in front of her granddaughter with a smile. "Sí, Lorelei. ¿Y tú?" Crystal grabbed some food for herself and came to sit beside the young girl. They were having pancakes, sausage, bacon, and eggs this morning. [Yes, Lorelei. And you?]

Lorelei nodded her head, muttering a "same" under her around a mouth full of food.

Crystal tsked, "don't speak with your mouthful, querida," she chastised. Lorelei apologized and the two fell silent as they ate their food. Once they were finished, Lorelei got up to put the leftover food away while Crystal went to do the dishes. "Did you finish your homework?"

"I did, yeah," Lorelei nodded even though the older woman's back was toward her, "there wasn't very much to do anyway. I get most of my work done during class." She could be one of the top students in the school, but considering the target on her head, she has to pace herself slower than usual. It's annoying, but she'd rather keep herself and her grandmother safe for fame that'll be over as soon as she graduates.

"Good. You were always so smart," Crystal smiles, wiping her hands on a towel and then kissing Lorelei's forehead. "You got that from your mothers'. They were both very bright women."

The mention of her mothers' bring back painful memories. She had witnessed the woman who birthed her be murdered and then she had witnessed her Maw lose the memories that connected them. "Maw's not dead, abuela," Lorelei murmurs with a sigh, leaning into the woman's touch as they slowly begin to sway side-to-side.

"Well, I know that," Crystal says quietly with a frown. She rests her head on top of Lorelei's, sighing. Athena had been trying to contact them for weeks. Spells, calls, astral projecting. None of it has worked. If they engaged, they'd be in more danger and while that wasn't fair to Athena, it wasn't a choice. "But, you haven't—seen her in a long time," the woman's frown deepened.

When Athena had found out she was losing her memories she had cried into Crystal's lap. That was one of the only times Crystal had ever seen Athena so emotional. It was terrifying to say the least—to watch someone so strong and with walls so high to just sob for almost an hour.

"I know," Lorelei says, pulling away from the embrace. She discreetly wipes her eyes as she turns around. She has work in the yard she needs to do. "I'm gonna go to the front. Get some air," she tells the woman before walking off down the hallway. Crystal sighed and watched her go.

Her eyes flicked over to the notepad that lay at the corner of the counter. A pen lay beside it, a grocery list already in progress. She thinks for only a second before she's picking up the pen, ripping off the list, and scribbling down a note onto the pad.

New Jersey – C

She stares at it for a moment, hesitating. Athena's face pops up in her head. The day that Lorelei was born. The day that Davina was born. Athena had never looked so happy and emotional as she did that day. No matter how many times Athena smiled at Cassidy or at anyone, nothing could compare to the looks she reserves for her children.

That's the final nail in the coffin. Crystal mutters a small spell and the paper disappears. She lets out a breath. Now, all we have to do is wait, she thinks. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

FIVE HOURS LATER
LORELEI BRUSHES OFF her hands on her knees, the dirt from the garden staining her hands and pants. She stands up and wipes the sweat off her forehead with the back of her forearm. She grabs a shovel and pushes it into the ground, gently putting the dirt back around the plant that she had just planted.

Lorelei and Crystal had taken up gardening recently after reading one of Athena's old journals from 1406. Athena had said gardening was one of the many ways she kept herself calm and the blood lust at bay. Crystal had suggested doing that as a way to feel closer to her mother. And so far, Lorelei really enjoyed it.

"Hey, Lorelei." The girl all but jumped, spinning around, the shovel raised in defense. The boy raised his hands in surrender, the shovel head inches away from his throat. "Woah, karate kid—"

"Jeezus, Luke! You can't just sneak up on people like that!" Lorelei breathed out; her muscles slowly relaxing as she lowered the shovel. She was paranoid to no end. Claire Valkwood was still alive, and that woman was not a fan of Athena nor her family. Danger lurked around every corner and Lorelei knew she had to be careful.

"I thought you heard me," he defended, dropping his hands from their position beside his head, "you always do during school."

Lorelei gestured around, "well, we're not in school, are we?" She cocked an eyebrow and turned back to her garden. "What are you even doing here? My grandma doesn't want visitors."

Luke was nothing, but kind. He was a good guy and Lorelei tolerated him, yet he seemed to want something more that she just couldn't give him. That and her attraction to men had died when she was 10 when the coolest little witch in the quarter kissed her cheek. You'd think having two mothers would settle the internalized homophobia down.

"I dunno. I was bored," Luke shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Lorelei rolled her eyes and turned back around, reaching over to her left to get the watering can. She began watering his plants, trying to block out Luke's presence. "Do you need any help?" He asked, stepping up beside her.

This guy really couldn't take a hint, could he? "No," she replied shortly.

He bit his lip and looked down at the garden, tilting his head. "This is really nice," he complimented, looking at the rows of different foods and flowers. They all had their own little section of the yard, kept apart by the wooden planters they were in.

Lorelei merely hummed and walked over to the next planter, beginning to water the tomatoes. She could feel Luke following her, watching her every move. It was frustrating and unsettling. She hated being watched.

"So, I had an ulterior motive of coming here," he said with a sheepish smile, raising his hand to the back of his head. He scratched the nape of his neck, looking both embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Lorelei glanced at him; her eyebrows raised in a who would've guessed look. She moved onto the next planter.

"I was wondering, maybe, you'd want to go out with me? On a date. A movie or whatever you want to do and then we can get some dinner before or after—"

"Why would you want to eat after? You're literally stocking up on candy when you're at the movies. And when you eat before, it has to be like a couple hours difference so you can get some candy," Lorelei interrupted, her eyes narrowed. She's seen a lot of rom coms and romance movies, so she liked to think she at least had some knowledge of dates. She shakes her head slightly, scrunching her nose, "but, no. I don't want to go out with you."

Lucas sighed behind her, disappointed. Lorelei didn't care to comfort him, she just continued what she was doing in silence, hoping he'd leave. But that's the exact opposite that he did.

"You should've said yes. Now we have to do this the hard way," he said, his voice lower and way more threatening than before. The hairs on the back of Lorelei's neck raised her mind screaming DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! Her hand went to her belt, the sheath that was through her loops holding her dagger. She pulled it out, spinning around and shoving the weapon through the boy's palm when he tried to grab it. "AHH!" He cried out, stumbling back and grabbing onto his wrist.

"¡Abuela, corre! ¡Están aquí!" She shouted, panic in her voice as multiple people began to appear and come out of the bushes. She grabbed a werewolf's arm as they were about to punch her and kicked them in the stomach. She punched the wolf in the face to knock them out. [Grandma, run! They're here!]

Crystal came running out of the house, her knife in her hand. Lorelei looked over at the woman as the woman looked at her. Crystal gave her a small nod, "Matar." [Kill.]

Lorelei snapped her fingers, and her dagger flew back into her hand. She twirled it, getting into a fighting position, her eyes darkening, and mouth set into a tight line.

Then, they attacked.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

MYSTIC FALLS — PRESENT TIME
"CRYSTAL?" ATHENA BREATHES in horror, her eyes widening as a nauseating feeling takes over.

Hayley glances up, her eyes red and glossed over. Her hair is a mess from her running her hands through it. She sees Athena's expression and is instantly by her side. "Athena? Hey, babe, what's wrong?" She asked frantically, thinking maybe she heard something from Caroline's operating room.

The door behind them opens again and both turn to look. Standing barely inside the hospital, a 5'5" girl with brown dark brown eyes and blood-stained clothes. She had tear stained cheeks and red eyes and looked thoroughly exhausted and devastated.

"Lorelei?" Athena whispered, her eyes widening in shock and denial. She can't believe this is happening right now. Everything is a mess. She feels like she's hallucinating everything. It feels like her mind is playing tricks on her. She doesn't think she can handle that at the moment. Hayley tears her gaze away from the girl who looks no older than 15, her eyes staring wide at the side of Athena's head.

Lorelei stares at Athena, unmoving and breathing heavily. Then she breaks, tears beginning to fall from her eyes once more as her knees buckle underneath her. Hayley flinches toward her, but holds back, letting Athena catch the girl and cradle her close.

Lorelei's arms wrap tightly around her mother's torso as she cries into Athena's chest. The redhead holds her, threading her fingers through the girl's hair—it had soothed her when she was young, and she hoped it was still the same.

Athena looked back at Hayley for a second, looking frightened. It had been so long since she saw any of her children except for one, but that one didn't remember her. Hayley holds out a hand, rushing away and disappearing into the ER where Liz came from minutes before.

Athena looks back at Lorelei. She glances around them, seeing Liz, Matt, and Tyler throwing them confused and quizzical looks. She sighs under her breath and kisses the top of her daughter's head. She stands up slowly, taking Lorelei with her effortlessly and guides them away and around the corner so they're out of sight.

Once they're out of sight, Athena pulls back a bit and takes Lorelei's face in her hands, wiping away the tears with her thumbs. "Mi amor, can you look at me?" She asked softly and the girl's eyes slowly met her, tears still falling and choked sobs coming out her mouth, "hey, hey. You're safe now. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you or nonna, okay? I promise. I promise."

She pulls Lorelei back into her and the girl clings tightly to her as she nods. Athena closes her eyes and murmurs soothing words into the teenager's ear, trying to calm her down.

When Lorelei finally calms down, Hayley returns. Athena sits her daughter down in one of the chairs and brushes some hair away from her head. "This is what I could get out of the doctors," Hayley tells Athena, handing her a folder.

Athena takes it and opens it up, reading through it.

Minor concussion, rupture to her stomach, internal bleeding, minor scratches, and sprained wrist.

Athena closes the folder and sets it onto one of the other chairs, kneeling down in front of her daughter. "Hey," she taps Lorelei's chin gently, encouraging her to look up. When she does, Athena speaks, "this is my friend Hayley. She's gonna watch you for a second, okay? I'm gonna go make arrangements for your grandmother and a friend of mine. They're gonna get the best treatment they can, alright? Nonna's still wearing her ring, yeah?"

Lorelei merely nods. Athena's fist clenches. She was going to murder anyone and everyone who touched her daughter and Crystal. She presses a kiss to her daughter's forehead and then gets up. She looks back at Hayley and takes her hand, placing her car keys in her palm.

"Just watch her, okay?" Athena asked quietly.

"Of course," Hayley replied with a nod, "go."

Athena smiled but it was more of a grimace and left a lingering kiss on Hayley's cheek, near her lips, before walking over to the front desk to sort everything out. Hayley watches her go for a moment before turning toward Lorelei. She takes a small step toward the girl, slowly kneeling down and making sure to show her hands at all times.

"Hey, sweetie," she says softly, smiling a bit when Lorelei looks at her, "my name's Hayley Marshall. I've heard a lot about you." Lorelei tilts her head a bit, her expression unchanging, but Hayley can see the curiosity in her eyes. The girl has some of Athena's features—the slope of her nose, the looks in her eyes, the jawline. "You look like your mom," she whispers.

Lorelei's attention suddenly seems more peaked, eyes a little brighter than before. "I do?" She asked, her voice hoarse.

Hayley nods, "yeah."

Lorelei's eyes narrow a bit, her head tilting further to the side. Hayley is suddenly uncomfortable. It feels like the girl's staring into her soul. It's unnerving but reminds her of Athena.

"You're not just my mom's friend, are you?" Lorelei asked with a small smirk, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Hayley's cheeks turn pink as she smiles at the girl. She holds up the keys to Athena's car, "Athena gave me her keys. Want to stop by her house to change?" She asked, changing the subject and avoiding the question. Lorelei's expression shifts as she looks back at the emergency room doors. "Hey," Hayley says softly, "Athena will make sure she's alright. We can come right back once we're done."

Lorelei bites her lip, hesitating, before she nods. Hayley smiles and stands up. The younger brunette follows her, and they both make their way out of the hospital. They had to walk a bit since Athena's car was parked around the town square, but they got there soon enough.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

WHEN THEY GOT to the house, Lorelei went invisible, leaving Hayley with answering questions from the pack. Hayley was a tad bit overwhelmed and confused as to how Lorelei was going to get to Athena's room without knowing where to go but went with the flow.

She explained how Caroline was hurt, in surgery, and how they didn't know anything quite yet. She told them that Athena would be back later and made sure to check that everyone was here and that they didn't miss anyone.

After everyone was accounted for, Hayley went up to Athena's room. Lorelei was rolling the bottom of a pair of Athena's jeans up since they were very large on her. Her hair was wet from the shower she had taken, and the blood was gone. She stood up once she was finished, showing the oversized black band t-shirt she was wearing.

"Give me 15 minutes. I'm gonna take a shower. I reek of smoke," Hayley grimaced, heading over to the closet and plucking a long-sleeve and jeans. Then she disappeared into the bathroom.

Lorelei instantly turned to look around the room, taking everything in. The room was dark even with the lights on. She walked over to the bookshelf with a large number of journals—one for every year since Athena was 8 in her most recent life. She runs her fingers over the spines, holding herself back from just grabbing one to find out something about her mother. Lorelei turns away, tears burning the back of her eyes, and moves onto the paintings and sketches that are piled into the corner of the room near the balcony.

There are multiple of herself, standing under a lamp post each with more detail than the last. There are some of a young blonde woman and Hayley, twice as many with the two of them together. There are drawings of the Petrova doppelganger, Elena Gilbert—the one Lorelei danced with during the Founders Day pageant. Then there are some of Jenna—the brunette and the redhead together and some with a boy that Lorelei recognizes as Jeremy Gilbert.

"Do you draw?"

Lorelei startles, her head swiveling to look behind her. Hayley is dressed in the clothes she had picked out, a brown leather jacket on and her hair tied up into a ponytail. The hunter can see why her mother draws her—Athena always drew the most beautiful things.

Lorelei swallows and looks back at the sketch of the blonde woman and Hayley. They are standing back-to-back. Hayley's eyes are glowing golden, and her fingers are clawed. The blonde's eyes are electric blue, electricity dancing between her fingers and swirling around the two women beautifully.

"Sometimes," she admits. It's usually just her siblings, her grandmother, her aunts, her uncle, and her maw. Her family. She doesn't remember really what Cassidy was like; the woman was absent a lot. The only reason she knows who and what the woman looked like is because of the few pictures Crystal had up and the stories her aunt Avery and grandmother would tell her. "But I'm not nearly as good as my—Athena..."

"I know she's your mother, honey," Hayley says, squatting down beside her and rummaging gently through the mess. Athena hid most if not all when she and Caroline were in the room. It was nice to be able to see some of what's going on in the redhead's mind.

"You... you do?" Lorelei asked, shocked and surprised. She'd think that Athena wanted to forget after she lost her memories. Crystal had told her that her mother was one for grieving and moving on, leaving the past in the past. Lorelei had accepted that—she hadn't, but she likes to think she has—and had focused on trying to get her baby sister back.

"Mhm," Hayley hummed, plucking a painting of two little girls. One is three and the other is one. Lorelei and Davina. Lorelei is sitting on Athena's favorite chair from the plantation all those years ago, staring down with bright eyes at the bundle in her arms. Davina is reaching up towards her, fingers wrapped around the tip of her nose.

Lorelei's eyes water once again as she slowly takes it. She remembers this. It was one of the few times that Lorelei got to hold Davina. The oldest had trouble controlling her magic and whenever Lorelei held her, something bad would happen. Athena had reassured her that it was normal—it happened with her and Niklaus. Her and Kol. Her and Rebekah—but Lorelei had always been frightened to try again, scared of hurting her little sister.

"Maybe you could show me some of your drawings sometime," Hayley says, "your Athena's daughter—I have no doubt that whatever you draw is a masterpiece." Lorelei looked over at the brunette, a small smile on her lips.

The hunter sets the painting down, brushing her fingers off the baby's face before picking up the drawing of Hayley and the blonde. "Who is this?" She asks, pointing to the blue-eyed girl.

Something passes over Hayley's features, but it's gone as quick as it came. "That's Caroline," the wolf replied with a small, love-sick smile. Lorelei takes note of it but says nothing. "She's... she's in the hospital as well. The friend Athena had told you about before. We were there for her."

Lorelei raises an eyebrow, "what happened to her?" She asked. She hopes the woman wasn't seriously injured. Her mother has lost a lot already in her life, losing a friend would only hurt her more.

"Car crash. Internal bleeding," Hayley responds, eyes darkening slightly. She blames one person for this. One person Athena thought she could trust. Caroline had told her that Athena had written in her journals that the Bennett bloodline likes to do everything but keep their word when it comes to the redhead. Lorelei grimaces, nodding her head. The blonde—Caroline—was human. "Come on," Hayley says after a moment, "let's go back to the hospital."

The hunter nods and the two stand up. The younger girl goes invisible once again and the two leave the house. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

WHEN HAYLEY AND Lorelei arrived back at the hospital, they walked inside, Hayley listening for Athena to try and pin-point where she was. The brunette put her hood up, crossing her arms as she looked around at the people.

She's become a people-watcher. Having to stay in hiding for almost a decade makes one become observant and paranoid—not that it did much with Luke. She's such an idiot, she should've figured out that he was up to no good. He had found their house without ever speaking to her about it.

She doesn't turn back right away when she feels Hayley tug her sleeve and walk away, but when she does, her body collides with a taller one. The person is almost sent sprawling to the ground, but Lorelei's quick reflexes catch them with two hands gripping their waist.

"My apologies," she says instinctively, the manners that Athena had drilled into her from a young age shining through.

"It's not your fault. I was in a rush and—" they stop suddenly, and Lorelei takes a step back, finally looking up and meeting the shocked brown eyes of Elena Gilbert. "You're... you're the girl who danced with me," the doppelganger breathes, her hold on Lorelei's sleeve from when she almost fell becoming tighter.

"I think you have the wrong person," Lorelei murmurs, her voice lower than before as she gives the older girl a wry smile. It's dangerous for anyone to know she's here despite Athena's promise to protect her. Some things you can't control, and some promises can't be kept.

Elena shakes her head, her eyes never leaving Lorelei's, "no. No, I don't. I recognize your eyes and your voice. You're her," she says firmly.

Lorelei's eyes darken slightly, and she yanks the girl closer making Elena gasp. The darker-eyed girl grabs the doppelgangers wrist tightly, their noses brushing. "You're gonna want to keep quiet, Bella. I can ruin you with a flex of my pinky," she whispers. [Beautiful.]

Elena glares back at her, something daring her eyes. "I'm not afraid of you. I've been around a lot more deadlier people than you," she hisses back, unafraid despite the fast pace of her heart.

Lorelei smirks slightly, "oh, love. You underestimate me. Those Salvatores are no match for me."

Elena smirks back at her, "I wasn't talking about them."

There's a whistle and Lorelei's attention flicks behind Elena to where Athena is staring at them. Hayley is standing near her, but her attention is taken by one of the nurses. Athena raises her hand, using two fingers to tell Lorelei to 'come here'.

The hunter lets go of Elena, looking back at the older girl. She can feel her mother's gaze burning into her head, but adds anyways, "you're not stupidly brave. You're bravely stupid." Then she brushes past the brunette and walks over to her mother and Hayley.

"You've been here five seconds and are already threatening people," Athena says, unimpressed as she stares down at her daughter, "you really are my kid." Lorelei shrugs and Athena rolls her eyes fondly. "Want to explain to me what happened and where your sister is?"

"We were attacked by a kid who I went to school with. They surrounded us and we barely got away. We were driving for hours before they caught up. They made us crash and we fought as many off as we could, but one got to grandma and shoved a piece of glass through her stomach. I killed them, but that didn't fix the damage," Lorelei explained quickly, not wanting to relive the memories. It hurt to think that if she were only a few seconds earlier, her grandmother would be standing beside her instead of in the operating room. "And... Davina's in New Orleans. With zero memory of who we are." She turns on her heel and walks over to a chair, plopping down on it.

Athena stares after her, her mouth opened slightly in bewilderment. Hayley glances at the redhead, gives her arm a squeeze, and goes to sit beside Lorelei. Athena rubs her forehead, slightly overwhelmed.

She tries to think about how that could happen. She left the girls with Mrs. Claire moments before she lost her memory. The woman had promised to take care of them for the few short hours before Crystal came to pick them up. But she's learned that only a few New Orleans witches could be trusted with Mikaelson's needs.

She'll talk with Lorelei later about it, right now she's gotta make the decision between feeding Caroline her blood or not. She shakes her head slightly and walks over to her daughter, pulling her phone out of her pocket and handing it to Lorelei. "Call your aunt and cousin. I gotta go check in with someone and then I'll be right back," she says. Lorelei nods and takes the phone. Athena gives Hayley a nod before going to find the operating room that Caroline is in. She's already been to Crystal's; the woman is pulling through greatly—her hunter and witch genes are keeping her alive and strong.

"They don't know if she's gonna make it," she hears the familiar voice of one Bennett witch. She slows down a bit and follows the voice. She finds a terrified and panicked looking Elena being hugged by a scared Bonnie. Damon is standing near them, watching the scene unfold just as she is.

Athena walks over as Elena frantically asks Bonnie if she could do something to fix Caroline. "She doesn't know how," Damon says as he walks over which makes Bonnie glare at him, "do you?"

"No," Bonnie admits, "I don't." Elena, looking pale, raises a hand to her forehead, seeming as if she's about to be sick.

"No, you don't," Damon taunts.

"Damon," Athena cuts in, her hand wrapping around Elena's bicep as she gives the man a sharp glare, "cut it out." His nostrils flare, but he goes quiet. "We're not fighting—" she shoots Bonnie a glare as well "—when Caroline is hurt."

Elena's fingers wrap around Athena's tightly, leaning into her a bit with distant eyes. Damon notices the shift and places a hand on the brunette's shoulder, "I can give Caroline some blood," he says.

Elena instantly looks at him, "no, no way!" She denies, shaking her head.

"That's not gonna happen, Damon," Athena agrees.

Damon gives the redhead a look, "it'd just be enough to heal her. It'll be out of her system in 24 hours. She'll be safe in the hospital, and she'll be better," he said.

"That's too much of a fucking risk, Damon," Athena snaps, "Caroline has not expressed a want to become a vampire and I'm not about to risk something that she doesn't want."

"And if she dies? Then what?" Damon hisses, glaring into the Heretic's eyes. He shoves a finger into her chest, "her blood would be on your hands. She'd be dead. Liz would have lost her daughter, Elena and Bonnie would have lost their best friend—you would have lost your girlfriend! What happened to protecting the ones you love?"

Athena grabs Damon by his shirt, slamming him back into the wall behind him. He groans in pain, grimacing. Elena gives an awkward smile to the nurses and doctors that pass by, throwing them weird looks. Bonnie crosses her arms, two seconds away from casting an aneurysm spell.

"Don't you dare question me, Damon," Athena snarls, her eyes darkening to an almost black color, "I want Caroline to survive this just as much as anyone else. If not more. But I would never force this curse on anyone, not even if it meant keeping them alive."

Damon shoves her off and looks toward the brunette, "it'll save her, Elena."

Elena crosses her arms. She wants Caroline to survive. She wants her best friend to be standing next to her, whispering gossip to her during cheer, holding her hand, gushing or complaining over Athena. She wants Caroline back. But Athena is right, Caroline had never expressed a want to become a vampire. "It's too much of a risk," the brunette whispered, shaking her head.

Damon looks surprised, having thought she'd choose his side. Athena gives him a look as if to say 'see' and steps back beside Elena.

The brunette bites her thumbnail, her thoughts torn between the girl from before and Caroline dying. "That girl from Founders Day showed up, but you already know that. Now I think it's time you tell me who she is," Elena murmured, turning to look up at the redhead. Athena clicks her tongue, staring down at the brunette out of the corner of her eye.

While they were distracted, Bonnie gives Damon a look and mouths, do it to him. Damon nods slightly and the Bennett witch leaves as quickly as she came.

"Elena," Damon says, and the girl turns to look at him, raising an eyebrow. She just wanted Athena to answer her question. "Alright, look, I know this is probably the last thing you want to be thinking about, but we should talk about what happened tonight," he said quietly, glancing around as if Stefan would pop up at any moment.

Athena gives him a weird look, her eyes narrowed.

Elena nods, "yeah, one of the tomb vampires broke into the house and attacked John," she said.

"What?" Both Athena and Damon ask, bewildered.

"When? After I left?" Damon frowns in confusion.

Elena gives him a confused look, "what do you mean? You were at the house?"

Damon rolls his eyes, looking exasperated, "oh, come on, Elena you know I was," he said softly and maybe a bit awkwardly.

Athena places a hand on Damon's chest, pushing him away from Elena after she figures out what he's talking about. Elena gives both of them confused looks as they glare at each other.

"When were you at the house?" Elena demands, settling her gaze on Damon.

The dark-haired Salvatore gives her a look. "Really? Earlier, on the porch... we were talking, all cathartic, feelings exposed. We kissed, Elena," he said, sighing and raising his eyebrows at her.

Elena takes a slight step back looking both confused and weirded out, "Damon, I don't have time for this." As she goes, Athena steps between the Salvatore and the Gilbert.

"I think that smoke got to your head, Damon," Athena says through clenched teeth as Elena glances over at the vampire. Damon gives her an offended look, opening his mouth to defend himself when they were interrupted.

"Elena, I came as soon as I got your message," said a voice from behind the three women.

Damon turns away while the two turn to look at her.

Jenna looks at her niece, "how's John?"

"Where have you been?" Elena asked instead, becoming far too overwhelmed with everything that's happened. Damon thinks they kissed, Athena knows the girl who threatened her in a hospital, and Caroline is dying!

Jenna's brows furrow, "at the—at the fire department. I had to fill out a report. I told you this," she said with a frown.

Elena slowly shakes her head, "no, you didn't."

Jenna smiles, frustrated as she nods her head, "yes, I did."

"No, Jenna, you didn't," Elena repeats.

Athena tenses. Fuck. The same realization seems to come to Damon. Athena is suddenly reminded that they are all out in the open and that there is someone here who would be great leverage against her.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Damon said which caused Elena and Jenna to look over at him with confused and annoyed looks. He and Athena share a look, Damon with annoyance in his eyes and Athena with a 'shut the fuck up' look on her face. He glances between Elena and Jenna, his annoyed expression dropping, and then rushes away.

Athena shakes her head and quickly walks away from the other two, making her way over to where Hayley and Lorelei are still sitting. Hayley looks up at her as she approaches, frowning in concern at the hard look in the redhead's eyes. Lorelei doesn't seem to notice her presence, focused on whatever she was doing on Athena's phone.

"Time to go," Athena murmurs the second she gets close enough, placing a hand on Lorelei's shoulder as she gives a quick glance around. Her daughter looks up then, frowning.

"I'm not going anywhere," Lorelei argues, shrugging off the woman's hand.

Athena looks down at her, lips set in a firm line and her eyes revealing that she wasn't going to back down from this. "Yes, you are. Both of you," she said, sparing Hayley a glance. The werewolf scoffs, shaking her head.

"I'm not leaving. Caroline is in surgery—"

"I know. But you two need to go to my house, alright? Katherine showed up at the Gilberts' and now John is in the hospital, and she could be coming for Elena or Bonnie or Jenna next—She can't find out about you, Lorelei," Athena breathes out, staring down at her daughter with a pleading expression. She can't be worried about their safety while she tries to keep everyone else safe and alive. She needs them to be safe in her house, away from any disaster so that she can do her job.

Hayley stands up and places her hands on Athena's shoulders, making the redhead look at her. "I think you're tired and you need to rest for a little while. Maybe you should sit down," the werewolf says softly, her eyes gentle as her hands move to rest on Athena's neck.

Athena closes her eyes in frustration, huffing through her nose as she shakes her head. "No, I don't need to sit down, Hayley. You two need to go; you need to leave," she said, placing her hands on the werewolf's forearms and squeezing firmly to try and get her point across.

Lorelei interrupts now, standing. "Look, I understand that this is all overwhelming and trust me, I'm happy to see you, but you can't tell me what to do," she said, and Athena turned her attention to her. Hayley drops her hands, stepping back a bit as she glances between the two. Athena's expression doesn't change. "You... Nonna raised me, okay? I'm staying here until she wakes up. You can't tell me what to do."

Athena nodded, her expression staying the same as it's been. Lips drawn tight, eyes hard and piercing, face blank. "Crystal would want you to go," Athena says, her voice quieter than it was before and Lorelei raises an eyebrow, unconvinced as she crosses her arms over her chest. "I've known her for longer than you have, Lorelei. She would want you to be safe. So, please, go to my house," Athena said, "I can't be in multiple places at once. But I need to protect Jenna too."

Lorelei's expression shifts, her whole demeanor dropping with it. "Jenna? Why do you need to protect Jenna, she's—"

"She doesn't have her memories," Athena murmurs tiredly, glancing behind her where Elena and Jenna are somewhat arguing over whether or not Jenna had told Elena she was going to the fire department.

Lorelei drops her head, "of course she doesn't," she sighs quietly, pulling the hood tighter over her head.

Athena grimaced, "I'm working on it. Bianca should be here in a couple of days—a week perhaps at the latest. She remembers. She wants to see you," the redhead explained, trying to give her daughter at least a little hope.

Lorelei lifts her head and inhales deeply through her nose. She nods, "okay. Fine. I'll go, but I'll keep an eye on Jenna. You need to stay here with Nonna and Caroline," she said determined, leaving no room for argument.

"Lori—"

"Mom," Lorelei interrupts. Athena looks at her helplessly. The brunette smiles back at her, "I'll be okay. I'll have turned Katherine into a pretzel before she could get within twenty feet of me. You know that. I'm your daughter after all."

Athena huffs through her nose, giving her a look before pulling her close. She kisses the top of Lorelei's head. "Fine, you can go. You stay in the shadows, alright?" She asked, looking her daughter in the eye to express how serious she was.

"Of course," Lorelei nodded. She glanced over at Jenna and Elena. Jenna was holding Elena close to her, trying to calm her down. "Are you sure Jenna doesn't have her memories?" Lorelei asked, tilting her head a bit when she noticed that Jenna didn't have anything in her hand one second, but then had a water bottle in her hand the next.

"Ninety... six percent sure," Athena replied, giving her daughter a sheepish smile at the dry look she received.

Hayley rolled her eyes, grabbing Athena's jacket and yanking her away. "Goodbye, Lorelei. We'll see you in a bit," the wolf said, giving her a wave.

Lorelei waved back before turning her gaze back to Jenna. Elena and her part ways and the hunter witch quickly followed after Jenna.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

ELENA CATCHES A ride with Damon back to her house even though she's a little weirded out with the previous conversation. Jenna was going to check in with John and get his health plan sorted out before she came back. Athena was staying at the hospital to keep an eye on Caroline. Bonnie disappeared after their talk. And the girl from before had seemingly disappeared too.

She was so confused. Athena didn't want to answer her question earlier and Elena had seen her talking to the girl. She knew Athena knew a lot of people, but why did she know so many people of her age group?

"So... are we not gonna—"

"No," Elena cut off, staring out the passenger window with her arms crossed. She did not want to hear Damon's voice right now. He fell silent fortunately and she decided to listen to the radio instead of her thoughts.

They arrived at her house a couple of minutes later and the two got out, making their way up the pathway to her front door. She unlocked the door and pushed it open, walking in only to see her boyfriend laying on the ground.

He got up shakily and she raised an eyebrow, confused. "Stefan?" She asked, concerned.

"Elena," Stefan breathed, relieved.

She narrowed her eyes a bit and glanced at the ground, "do I need to be worried that the ground is more your type?" She asked, confused as to why he was on the ground in the first place. She knew he was only here to keep an eye on Jeremy, not wander her house. Damon, who had come to stand beside her, snickered and she smiled a little.

Stefan made a face, apparently not finding her joke as amusing as Damon did. "No, but you gotta be worried about Katherine," Damon said, placing his hands on his hips and glancing around. Elena quickly looked at him, his reaction from the hospital now making sense and the reason why Jenna thought she told her that she went to the fire department.

Elena threw her head back, groaning as she walked toward the stairs. She went up them, making her way to Jeremy's room. First, Damon and Athena almost get burned alive underneath her father's old building. Then, Caroline gets sent to the hospital and could die. And then, Elena gets threatened in said hospital by a girl who danced with her during the fucking Miss Mystic Falls Day pageant. Now, there's a psycho bitch running around with her face. Oh, and what the hell, her brother tries to kill himself too and now she has to tell him that said psycho bitch is running around with her face. Fuck her life.

"Did she at least say what she wanted?" Damon asked as he followed Stefan into the kitchen.

"No, Damon, she didn't," Stefan replied, beginning to pace back and forth. Damon stops between the islands.

"Well, woman certainly knows how to make an entrance," Damon says, clicking his tongue.

"She said she fooled one of us at least," Stefan remembered, his brows drawn together, and face screwed up in confusion. "What does that, what does that mean?" He asked, looking at Damon.

Damon stood up straighter and looked over at him, "she pretended to be Elena too when I showed up earlier tonight," he explained with a shrug. Stefan stared at him, his confusion only growing.

Elena came down and into the kitchen, rubbing her forehead as she went. "I told Jeremy," she said, pausing whatever question Stefan was going to ask Damon, "the truth, I mean. He knows everything else. No point in lying to him." She walked over to the table, stretching her neck out.

"Are you alright?" Stefan asked, walking over to her.

"No, I'm not alright, Stefan," Elena snapped, giving him a glare and making him pause. He didn't move closer, surprised by the hostility in her voice. Damon seemed to be too, but he made no move to intervene or question it. "The tomb vampires, the ones that are against the Founding Families and not part of Athena's treaty, are gone, I thought things would get better. Not worse." She looks away from her boyfriend and brushes her hair out of her face, sitting down in the chair.

Stefan nods his head, "we all did," he said, chancing a step forward. He stopped when Elena lifted her head once more.

"Katherine was in this house. Which means that she's been invited in. We can't stop her anymore. What am I gonna do?" She groans and puts her head back in her hands, massaging her skull. Honestly, she doesn't want to be in the same place as these two men right now. She wants to be with Caroline, make sure she's okay and she's alive. She wants to talk to Athena and find out what the fuck is going on. Athena would know how to keep Katherine out of the house—she did it with Damon and Stefan and the Boarding House.

"Move," Damon suggested, leaning on his forearms against the counter. He gives her a sarcastic smile which she returns.

"Very helpful, buddy. Thank you," she snips. He winked at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Look, Katherine wants you dead? There's zero you can do about it, you would be dead, but you're not," Damon said, raising his eyebrows at her, "so clearly she has other plans."

Stefan begins to pace once more as he takes in what Damon said. "Right, and we need to find out what exactly those plans are and not provoke her in the process," he said, giving Damon a look at the last bit. Damon didn't even acknowledge him, tired of being the one at blame even if there is a good reason why the finger should be pointed at him. "What happened tonight when you thought she was Elena?" Stefan asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Elena looks over at Damon who looks at her. They both get awkward and quickly look away from each other, Damon scrunching his nose and Elena gagging down at the table as she hides her face in her hands.

Damon cleared his throat, "to risk another frown line encroaching on a very crowded forehead we..." He moved to stand in front of the counter, not looking at Elena as he crossed his arms and shifted, "kissed." He gives Stefan a smug, sarcastic smile, raising his eyebrows and then dropping them.

"And he thought it was me. The end," Elena grimaced, massaging her skull once again.

"What do you mean you kissed?" Stefan asked, his grip tightening on the back of Elena's chair. His tone was smooth and calm despite the rage he was feeling.

"Well, you know, when two lips pucker, and they go..." Damon made kissing sounds. Stefan ran at him with his increased speed and Damon evaded easily, appearing in Stefan's place as Stefan appeared in Damon's. "Don't be obvious, Stefan," Damon joked.

Stefan stormed towards him again, but Elena quickly got in the middle, placing one hand on Damon's chest to keep him back and raising a hand in Stefan's direction. "Stefan, wait, he–he–he kissed Katherine. Not me," she said, giving Stefan a meaningful look even though he and Damon were too busy glaring at one another. She gave Damon a look, yanking his shirt a little to get his attention, "I wouldn't do that. You know that." Damon curtly nods, keeping his attention on her instead of his brother. "Look, we don't have time for this, guys. I can't keep calming you both down over this when I'm with you," she gives Stefan a sharp glare, but he doesn't spare her a glance, "and you're," she gives Damon an exasperated look, "one of my best friends."

Damon raises his hands in surrender as she lets go of his shirt and Elena goes back to her seat.

"Later," Stefan says, glaring at Damon who cocks an eyebrow back at him.

Elena grinds her teeth together, annoyed and frustrated. She should just go back to the hospital and talk to Athena about this. She'd be a much better help than these two doofuses. Even Hayley would! At least Hayley would listen to her.

"John must know something," she muttered, narrowing her eyes at the table as she tried to think about the connection between John and her doppelganger, "there has to be a reason why Katherine tried to kill John."

"She's Katherine," Damon shrugged, "she loves to play games, and you're fooling yourself if you think you're gonna find out what she's up to before she wants you to know."

Elena grunted, aware that she was only seventeen and Katherine was much older. And that Damon was probably right considering he's known her for a hundred-sixty-something years.

"No, actually, Elena's right," Stefan interrupts, "John could know something through Isobel." Elena grimaces at the thought of the woman. "Your mother—"

"That bitch is not my mother," Elena deadpans and Damon snickers once more, ruffling her hair. She smacks his hand with an irritated, but endeared sigh and fixes her hair.

Stefan looks even more surprised at the curse especially toward someone and he clears his throat, "Isobel, she was in touch with Katherine so maybe we can go to the hospital and get him to talk."

"I've got a better idea," says a new voice, making all three of them whip around toward the entrance of the kitchen—beside Damon—to see Lorelei with a glowing, purple metallic knife. She's staring straight at Stefan with nothing, but murderous rage.

"Lorelei?" Stefan's eyes widen in shock as he takes a step back. She lunges and he shouts in surprise, landing on his back. He grabs her arm, struggling to hold it back as Lorelei tries to drive her knife into his heart. He knows what those knives do. He may not know the history behind them, but he sure as hell knows they hurt, and his wounds don't heal like normal.

Damon speeds toward them, planning on taking the girl off and tossing her away, but instead he gets knocked off his feet, being flung into the ceiling with an invisible force trapping him. He groans in pain, his head spinning from the sudden movement and harsh hit to the back of his skull.

Stefan's arms begin to shake with the effort to hold her back. "Why are you so—strong?" He demands through his teeth, veins straining against his neck and forehead.

Elena grips the back of the chair, not sure it would do anything, but planning to at least distract the girl from trying to impale her boyfriend. Before she could even make a move though, a flash of red hair appears and tackles the girl off of Stefan, the brunette's knife sliding across the floor toward the backyard entrance.

"Elena, get the knife!" Jenna yells at her as she struggles to hold down the hunter witch. Elena moves toward the knife quickly. Lorelei kicks Jenna off, sending her into Stefan where they're both crushed under Damon's weight as he falls from the ceiling. Lorelei spins around toward Elena, scrambling up as the doppelganger picks up the knife, keeping it in a tight grip.

Lorelei smirks evilly at her, "oh, you look just like her," she sneers, her voice sounding different than it had earlier. It's not by much, but it's there. "No wonder my wife was so fascinated with you," she snapped.

"You stay the fuck away from her, Cassidy!" Jenna yells, shoving Damon and Stefan off of her right as Lorelei lunges at Elena. The doppelganger startles, stumbling backward into the wall behind her. "NO!" Jenna yells, moving to get between them, but pausing when she notices that Lorelei's body had stopped moving right in front of Elena, their faces inches away and bodies even less.

Elena breathes heavily, her heart racing from both fear and something else that she really doesn't want to name. Lorelei is slightly more composed, but her chest still rises and falls at a slightly less than normal pace, a bead of sweat dripping down the side of her face as more drips down her neck.

Jenna almost collapses in relief, her whole-body aching from her use of her powers. It's been far too long since she's used them. She's rusty and out of shape.

Lorelei inhales sharply through her nose, grabbing onto the wall to support her. Her eyes close in pain as she reaches up for the necklace around her neck. She has no strength left in her, her arms and legs feeling like jelly. She feels light-headed and out-of-body.

"Elena, help her," Jenna mutters, raising a finger when Damon goes to speak, silencing him. Elena gives Jenna a look like she's completely lost her mind. "Trust me, okay?" Jenna whispers, her face showing her sincerity, "help her take the necklace off. She'll freak if I get too close."

Elena gulps and looks back at Lorelei whose face is screwed up in pain. With a shaking hand, Elena goes to unclip the necklace from behind Lorelei's neck. She can't do it with just one hand, but she has a feeling that if she lets go of the knife, hell will break loose again. So, carefully, she moves the hand with the knife up as well, making quick work of the necklace and pulling it off.

Lorelei inhales shakily, a noise coming from her throat as she did so. The girl blearily opens her eyes, barely able to register Elena's face through the blurriness. "I'm sorry," she whispered before collapsing against Elena. The brunette gasps in a bit of pain as her back slams into the wall again, but she doesn't let the girl fall, holding her upright and against her.

Jenna exhales through her mouth, her eyes closing in relief. Stefan stays on the ground for a moment, just kinda staring at the wall in front of him. Damon is already up on his feet, looking confused out of his mind while also pissed.

"What the fuck just happened?" Damon demands as he looks over at Elena who gives him an awkward smile back. He looks at Stefan who blinks helplessly up at him. He then looks at Jenna as she stands, brushing off her clothes. The woman doesn't look put off by anything that just happened—she looks relaxed even. Damon knows for a fact that Jenna isn't a vampire, so, "what the fuck?"

Jenna doesn't answer him, moving toward the fridge to pull out a frozen bag of peas. Stefan stands up as well on shaky limbs, being more thrown off than with Katherine earlier.

"I thought... you know Cassidy?" Stefan asks Jenna with wide eyes as the redhead walks over to her niece and scoops up Lorelei effortlessly. She lays Lorelei down on the couch behind the dining table and places the peas on her head to cool the fever.

"I knew Cassidy," Jenna corrects, brushing some sweat matted hair back as she kisses the top of Lorelei's head. She then goes back over to the kitchen, getting a towel. She lifts her shirt, revealing the nasty wound on her abdomen.

"Jenna," Elena gasps in worry, rushing over. Jenna tsked and lightly slapped her hands away as she placed the towel over it to put pressure.

"I'm fine," she said.

"I thought Cassidy was dead," Damon interrupts, looking slightly manic as he looked between his brother and Jenna, "I mean, that's the whole reason Athena kicked us to the curb, right?!" Stefan flinched a bit at the mention but nodded.

Elena looks between the two, confused. "Who is Cassidy?" She asked, "and why was that girl saying her wife was fascinated by me? She looks my age, if not younger."

"That wasn't her talking," Jenna grimaced, walking past her niece and sitting down at the table, "that was Cassidy. And Cassidy, to answer your question, was a bitch. Never liked that woman."

"You and me both," groaned Lorelei.

Jenna rolled her eyes, "go to sleep." Lorelei grumbled something but was soon silent once more. "Look, none of this really concerns you. It's family drama which Stefan is a part of," she gives the youngest Salvatore a sarcastic smile.

"Yeah, exactly, family drama. So really, you two are the only ones this doesn't concern," Damon intervenes, gesturing between Elena and Jenna.

The redhead rolled her eyes, "Elena can I have the knife?" She asked, tired of this boy and his uneducated comments. Elena stares at her aunt wide-eyed and shakes her head, pursing her lips. Jenna grunted, "that's probably for the best."

Elena taps her fingers against the grip of the knife, her arms crossed. She's still holding onto the necklace in her right hand as well, both items she'd rather not let out of her possession at the moment.

"I'm confused," Stefan rubbed his forehead, "how do you know anything?" He asked.

"That's classified," Jenna deadpanned, and Stefan frowned at her, "what? Want to test me, pretty boy? You're dating my niece, so I suggest leaving it alone." Stefan straightens up as if suddenly remembering who he's talking to and clearing his throat.

Elena gave her aunt a look, "but you do know?" She asked.

Jenna nodded, "yes, I do."

"Why did you never say anything?"

Jenna didn't answer right away, something flashing across her face. It was gone too quickly to even register. "Athena seemed to know what she was doing," was what came out.

Elena frowned and looked down at the floor. She's been surrounded by vampires who wanted to kill her and her friends for maybe half a year and yet it's okay because 'Athena seemed to know what she was doing'. She knew Athena was here before her brothers and she knew that neither her nor her friends had any idea of the existence of vampires or witches. And she knows she blamed Athena for everything going on in the past, but it was never her. It was these two men in her kitchen who screwed everything over.

Athena was merely living amongst them. There were no murders. There were no blood bank robberies. There were no suspicious attacks. There were no threats. It was still peaceful Mystic Falls. Besides the fact her parents had drowned beneath a bridge.

Her eyes caught onto the necklace, and she unfolded her arm to look at it more closely. It looked ancient. Kind of like the pendant that Bonnie had from her ancestor. The chain was gold and led to a bulky emerald. It was shaped into an oval, framed by golden vines intertwining around it and bleeding into it to keep it in place. She looked closer and found an older looking woman with luscious brunette hair and dark brown eyes that seemed to burn into her soul. There was that same evil smirk that she had seen on Lorelei's face. It was unnerving and she quickly folded her arms again.

"You know what? I'm not doing this. I'm gonna ignore all of this just like I'm gonna ignore that bitch who's back in town. See ya," Damon said, saluting the three of them.

Elena frowned at him, trying to shake off the nerves she felt from the necklace. "Is that smart?" She asked as Jenna rolled her eyes at the dark-haired man.

"If Katherine thinks she's being ignored... it'll lure her out, she'll make a move," he explained, smirking at her.

"Yeah, then what?" Stefan scoffed.

"Stake her, rip her head off," Damon shrugged, looking disinterested, "something poetic."

Jenna scoffed out a laugh, standing up and pulling the towel off her already healed wound. She pulled her shirt down before the other three could see.

"What's funny?" Damon asked.

"The fact you think you could kill Katherine," Jenna smirked at him.

He glared at her then spun on his heel and left. 

AN: i know you guys have been waiting a while and i'm so sorry, but here it is! i hope you guys enjoyed it and thanks for reading. season 2 is gonna be a huge rollercoaster so be prepared! let me know what you guys want to see more of and i'll try to make it happen <3 (p.s. all translations are from google translate so if they're wrong, i'm sorry!)

finished: 12/22/22

wc: 9834