❪ 𝓢𝑰𝑿 𝓕𝑬𝑬𝑻 𝓤𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹 ❫ ⚰️ ˖ ׁ ⁩ 𓂃
𝚃𝚅𝙳  ⸻  ✸ 🔮⭑.ᐟ
❝ 𝖳𝖱𝖴𝖣𝖨𝖤 𝖯𝖤𝖳𝖤𝖱𝖲𝖮𝖭 ❞

✦ ╮ 𝟏𝟔. ❝ 𝖠 𝖥𝖤𝖶 𝖦𝖮𝖮𝖣 𝖬𝖤𝖭 ❞ ── .✦

   
ANASTASIA SMILED AT Jenna and Elena as she walked into the house, making her away up the stairs and into Jeremy's bedroom, "So, how are you processing everything.....again?" She asked as she sat on his bed.

"Honestly, I haven't been able to sleep." Jeremy tells her, leaning down to peck her lips as she moved to sit across from her in his computer chair, "Now I understand why some things have been so weird and off lately."

Anastasia sighed, "Yeah, I know. And I wish that I could tell you everything, but I don't want to piss off too many people because I told you that the unthinkable exist."

"Who exactly is all a vampire in this town?" Jeremy asked, keeping his voice quiet in case his sister or Jenna were to come up the stairs.

"Me, Uncle Stefan, Dad, and Anna." She tells him, "Her mom is a vampire, too."

"Speaking of Anna...." Jeremy trailed off, watching his girlfriend raise an eyebrow at him, "Before I blacked out - or whatever it was that happened to me - Anna tried to kiss me. But I swear, I blacked out before she could and that's when I passed out. I wouldn't do that to you."

"Jeremy." Anastasia laughed, grabbing his face, "I believe you. Don't work yourself up about it."

"So, you aren't mad?" He asked.

"At you? No. At her......Well, I might kick her ass when I see her again." She shrugged her shoulders.

Jeremy chuckled, grabbing her hands and yanking her up from the bed, bringing her to stand between his legs.

Her hands rested on his shoulders as his hands rested right above the back of her thighs.

"Good, 'cause I kind of like someone, and I can't go around messing that up."

"Hmm? She sounds like she keeps you on your feet." Anastasia joked, bring her voice to a whisper as she leaned down, brushing her lips against his.

"Yeah, she does."

"Anastasia."

The two turn their heads to find Stefan and Elena standing by the door.

"We need to talk to you."

"Okay, I'm coming." She tells them, turning back to kiss Jeremy, "I'll come back later."

"Okay."

彡☆

          "ALARIC'S WIFE might have been your mother?" Stefan asked as Elena puts her stuff away.

Elena sighed, "It can't be true, right? I mean, the coincidence alone is just crazy." She turned to look at them, holding up a post-it-note, "I have the address for her friend Trudie."

"You wanna talk to her." Anastasia said.

"I don't know. I - I - I don't know. If it's true and they are the same person, that means that my birth mother is dead, and I don't know if I could handle that."

"Elena, did Jenna tell you anything about Alaric's dead wife? How she died?" Stefan asked his girlfriend.

"Just that she was killed and the case was never solved." Elena tells them, watching Stefan and Anastasia look at each other and nod, "You two knew that already?"

"The night at the school when he attacked us, he told the two of us some things about her death." Anastasia tells her.

"Well-,"

"No, no." Stefan gently grabs her wrist, "It's not possible. The coincidence is - it's too much. Now listen, if you do decide to talk to Isobel's friend, "I'll go with you, okay? Or Eloise will go with you."

"Don't volunteer me!" Anastasia tells her uncle, who shot her a look. "Okay, I'll go if you go."

"I just don't know what I'm gonna do yet." Elena says, wrapping her arms around Stefan's neck, both of them hugging.

"I should get going, I gotta deal with Damon."

"How's he doing?" Questioned Elena.

"He's dealing in his own way." Anastasia tells her.

彡☆

          "ARE YOU sure you wanna do this?" Anastasia asked as she glanced at the post-it-note in her hand before looking up at the house, "We don't have to if you aren't sure."

"Might as well. We came all this way." Elena says, walking up to the front door with Anastasia trailing behind her, "Wait, what if you can't get inside?"

"Wanna know a little secret?" She smirked, "Due to the witch side of me, for some reason, I don't have to be invited in."

Elena nods her head before she knocked on the door, but shook her head soo after she did so and went to turn around, but the door was already beginning to open.

"Trudie? Tru - Trudie Peterson?" Elena asked.

"Yes?" The blonde woman asked.

"Uh, my name is Elena Gilbert and this is my friend, Anastasia." Elena spoke, the green eyed Salvatore waving at the woman with a smile on her face, "I wanted to talk to you about Isobel Flemming."

"Well, I haven't heard that name in years?" Trudie smiled, "How do you know her?"

"I think that, um, well, do you know if she had a baby that she gave up for adoption?" Elena asked, scratching her forehead out of nerves.

"My god. You're her daughter." Trudie laughed, "I was just gonna make some tea. Would you girls like some?"

"Sure." Elena smiled.

"Uh, the kitchen's this way." Trudie tells her girls.

The blonde woman watches as the two girls stepped over the threshold, releasing the breath she was holding in and shutting the front door after them, nervously glancing at the front door.

"Told you." Anastasia mouthed to Elena who looked at her in surprise.

"I wasn't gonna come." Elena tells her as she took off her jacket, Trudie walking into the room after going to the kitchen, "I didn't think I was, but I was driving, and I hit the stoplight. And it made me think about when I was learning how to drive and then my mom would always warm me about this blind turn on the left-hand side, and then I was thinking about my mom, and - I had your address. I'm sorry for barging in."

"It's no problem. Um, just surprised though." Trudie said as Elena and Anastasia sat at the table, "I haven't thought about Isobel in years."

"When was the last time you saw her?" Asked Elena.

"About seventeen years ago, when she left to go have you. We kept in touch for a while, but, well, you know. People drift apart."

"And you don't know where she ended up?" Elena questioned, curious about her birth mother.

"She was in Florida for a while. She was on her own. I know it wasn't easy." Trudie says.

"Do you have an idea who my father is?"

"I could never get her fess up." Trudie shook her head, "Anyway, she finally pulled it together, got into college on a scholarship."

"Where'd she go?" Asked Anastasia.

"Somewhere in North Carolina. Duke, I think. Smart girl, school smart." Trudie says just as the kettle in the kitchen started to whistle, "Let me just grab that."

彡☆

          "AH. THEY came to the games for us?" Trudie tells Elena as they look through an old yearbook. "The football team hadn't won in years. We were the stars. Well, Izzie was. But I was a damn good backup."

Elena smiled, "Heh. This is great. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She glanced over at the teacups, "You both haven't touched your tea."

"Oh, yeah." Elena picks up the teacup and take a sip but as she does, she takes a whiff, "What is this?"

"Oh, it's just some herbal mixture." Trudie says, eyeing Anastasia who just sat the teacup down after drinking some of the tea as if it were nothing.

"Vervain?" Elena questioned, Trudie staying quiet. "You know?"

"Know what?" Trudie asked.

"You didn't invite us in, and you're serving vervain tea. You know." Elena tells her.

Trudie stands up from her chair, "I think you both should probably leave."

Elena puts the cup down, "Wait, what are you not telling me?"

"Please leave. Now!"

Both of the girls stand up and leave the house.

"Anastasia." Elena grabs her arm as she notices a man standing in the middle of the road.

"Shit. Elena, get in the car!" Anastasia exclaimed, the two girls rushing towards Jenna's car and getting in, "Go, go, go!"

Elena quickly started the car before driving off as Anastasia glanced behind her, watching the man walk to where Elena's car had just been parked.

"How - How were you not affected by the tea? You were drinking it."

"I've been drinking vervain for 109 years." Anastasia tells her.

"Why?"

"Some things are just made to be kept secret."

彡☆

          ANASTASIA STOOD with Caroline, Matt and Elena at the front of the Grill.

"He's already been hit on, like, thirty-five times. He's total cougar bait." Caroline joked about Matt.

"Impressive." Elena says.

"More like embarrassing." Matt grinned.

Anastasia wrapped her arms around Matt's shoulders, "Don't worry, Matty. I'll save you from the big, bad single ladies."

"Shut up, you goof." Matt laughed, pushing the girl slightly.

"Hi, Mrs. Donovan." Caroline smiles at Matt's mom as she walks into the Grill and over to the table where they were all standing.

Kelly glanced at Caroline before looking at Elena, "Elena, honey."

"Hi, Kelly." Elena laughs, hugging the woman.

"Long time, no see." Kelly says, noticing Anastasia who still had her arms wrapped around Matt's shoulders. "And who is this? You are absolutely precious."

"Mom, this is a friend of our, Anastasia Salvatore. Ellie, this is my mother, Kelly Donovan." Matt introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you." Anastasia shook her hand with a smile.

"Same goes to you."

"How are you doing?" Elena asked Kelly.

"Oh, same old." Kelly tells her son's ex-girlfriend, "Oh, Matty tells me you broke his heart."

"Mom."

"Just kidding. Calm down. He found his rebound girl." Kelly glanced at Caroline, "Oh, here you go, sweetheart. However many that'll buy." She handed some money over to Caroline, "I just hope I don't get Bachelor number three. I dated him in high school. Not impressive. In any way."

Matt shook his his head in embarrassment as Anastasia rubbing his back as she tried not to laugh.

"Very exciting." She say's before walking off.

彡☆

          "AND WHAT do you do, bachelor number three?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, I'm a plumber."

"Well, isn't that wonderful? We could always use more plumbers. Moving on. Number four, Alaric Saltzman." Carol walked over to him, "Wow. That's quit a mouthful. What do you do, Alaric?"

"I'm a teacher at Mystic Falls High." He answered.

"Oh, beauty and brains, ladies. This one's a keeper. What do you teach?" Carol asked.

"If only I could bid on him." Anastasia mumbled, earning a laugh and a slap on the shoulder from Jenna.

"History."

"History. Oh, well, give us a fun fact about Mystic Falls, something crazy."

Alaric glanced at Damon, "Uh, well.."

Carol pulled the microphone away, "He's probably saving the best stories for his date. And last, but not least, Damon Salvatore. We don't have much on you."

"Well, I'm tough to find on a card." Damon says.

"Do you have any hobbies, like to travel?" Carol asked.

"Oh, yeah. L.A, New York. Couple years ago, I was in North Carolina. Near the Duke campus, actually. I think - I think Alaric went to school there. Didn't you, Ric?" Damon turned to look at him, "Yeah, 'cause I - I know your wife did."

Stefan glanced over at Elena and started to make his way over to her once he saw the look on her face.

"I had a drink with her once. She was - she was a great girl. I ever tell you that? 'Cause she was delicious."

Jenna looked over at her niece, seeing the tears filling her eyes, "Are you okay?"

"I just need some air." Elena said, grabbing Anastasia's hand, pulling her outside as Stefan followed behind them.

"Elena."

Elena turned to Stefan, "He killed her? Damon was the vampire that killed her?"

"We don't know what happened." Stefan says, "Alaric said that they never found the body."

"Oh, my god. Stefan."

"I know. I'm sorry. We wanted to tell you." Stefan motioned between himself and Anastasia, "But I just - we wanted to know more."

"I was feeling sorry for him, hoping that this whole Katherine thing would change him. I'm so stupid." Elena tells them.

"He doesn't know about the connection to you." Anastasia said.

"I thought about confronting him, but he's already so on edge." Stefan says.

"Why are you both protecting him?!" Elena questioned, looking between the two of them.

"Because he may be a shitty father, but he's still my dad."

"Because you're the only one hopping that he might actually change." Stefan tells her.

Elena shakes her head before she looks over Stefan's shoulder, noticing the man that she and Anastasia had seen earlier when they were leaving Trudie's.

"That man. Anastasia."

Stefan and Anastasia turn around to find the guy staring at them.

"We saw him outside of Trudie's." Anastasia tells her uncle.

"Get back inside. Come on." Stefan gently pushed the two girls back towards the Grill, following behind them.

彡☆

          ELENA WALKED back into the Grill, Anastasia behind her as she was still upset and in shock about what she had learned.

As she continued walking, she ran straight into Damon, the very person she was angry and upset at.

"Whoa. Easy there. Buy a ticket like everyone else." Damon tells her.

"Did you enjoy that? Rubbing it in to Alaric Saltzman?" Elena asked him.

Damon looked at her in confusion, glancing at his daughter, "What?"

"Just as I was starting to think that there was something redeemable about you." Elena says as Stefan walks up to the three.

"Elena." Stefan shakes his head.

Damon looks between the three in front of him, "Am I missing something here?"

"Did I forget to mention earlier when we were talking about my birth mother? The one that gave me up?" Elena questioned him.

"Mm-hm."

"Her name was Isobel." Elena tells him and Anastasia could see his face falter at the news, "Go ahead. Reminisce about how you killed her."

彡☆

          "COME ON. Let's get you home." Stefan tells Elena as the three walk out of the Grill once again.

Elena and Anastasia stop as they see the man from earlier standing in front of them.

Stefan moves in front of his girlfriend and niece, putting his hand out in front of him to protect the two of them.

"I have a message for you." The man speaks.

"What?" Elena questioned.

"Who are you?" Stefan asked her.

"Stop looking."

"Stop looking for what?" Anastasia glares at him.

"She doesn't want to know you." The man tells Elena, "She doesn't want to talk to you."

"Isobel?" Anastasia questioned, eyebrows raised.

"You need to stop looking. Do you understand?"

"She's alive? Does that mean she's a-," Elena starts to move forward, but Anastasia grabbed a hold of her arms to stop her.

"Elena, he's under compulsion." Stefan tells her.

"Do you understand?" The man asked again.

"Yes. I do."

"Good. I'm done now."

The man steps backwards into the road as a large truck blared it's horn for him to move out of the way, but it hits him, which ended with the unknown man dying.

Stefan, Anastasia and Elena run over to him. The two crouched down to look at the man while Elena sees a phone that must have fallen out of the man's pocket, and she picks it up.

Stefan quickly stands up and grabs Elena's arm, "Come on. Let's get out of here. Come on."

彡☆

          DAMON WALKED across the parlor, going to making himself a drink as Alaric quietly makes his way into the room with a stake in his hand.

"Are you really this stupid?" Damon asked as he finished pouring his drink and turned around, looking at Alaric who was now standing behind him. "Guess so."

Damon takes a drink of the Bourbon he poured, before placing the glass down and speeding at  Alaric, throwing him across the room.

The history teacher lands on the floor, then he gets up and tries to attack Damon again.

"You gonna put that stake down?" Damon asked him, but Alaric stays in the same position. "Wow. That's courage."

"Where's Isobel? What have you done to my wife?" Alaric asked as Damon walks towards him.

"You want me to tell you I killed her? Would that make you happy? Because I think you know what happened." Damon tells him.

"I saw you feeding on her." Alaric says.

"Yeah, I did, and I wasn't lying." He tells him, "She was delicious."

Alaric rushed towards the vampire, but he's hit in the stomach causing him to double over.

"Oh, come on. What do you think happened? Not an inkling? Never considered the possibility?" Damon asked as Alaric looked up at him, "I turned her."

"Why?"

"She came to me, all pathetic, looking for vampires. There was something about her, something I liked. There was something special." Damon says.

"You turned her because you liked her?" Alaric asked him.

"No, I slept with her because I liked her. I turned her because she begged me to. Yeah. But you knew that too, didn't you?" Damon questioned, "Hmm. I guess she wasn't happy at home, wasn't happy with life in general, wasn't happy with you."

Alaric rushes at Damon, who is quick to grab the stake from his hands and stabbed him in the chest, causing the stake to puncture one of his lungs.

"Ah, this is a shame. We're kindred spirits, abandoned by the women we love. Unrequited love sucks." Damon removed the stake from Alaric chest, causing him to wheeze out in pain. "Sounds like I got a lung. Which means I get to sit here and watch you die."

Damon tosses Alaric to the floor as he gasps for air and places his hands over his chest.

The Salvatore man threw the stake to the floor, grabbing his drink and sitting down on the couch, watching as Alaric took his final breath before dying.

Seconds later, Stefan and Anastasia walk into the house and notices Alaric's body on the floor.

"What happened? What did you do?" Stefan asked his brother as Anastasia looked over Alaric.

"Do what? He attacked me." Damon tells him.

"Dad."

"All I did was tell him the truth. His wife didn't want him anymore." Damon says, "It's not my fault he couldn't handle it."

"Like you've been handling Katherine?" Anastasia stood up.

"I'm handling it fine. You know what? Isobel came to me. She found me. And if she's related to Elena, that means she's related to Katherine. Maybe Katherine sent her to me." Damon says.

"Stop it. You don't have to keep looking." Stefan tells his brother.

"Can't be a coincidence Isobel sought me out. Uh-huh. Can't." He point's at Alaric's body, "I'm assuming the two of you will take care of this."

Stefan watched his brother leave the room before he sits on the couch next to Alaric's body.

Anastasia kept her focus on the dead history teacher, noticing that his finger starts to move, "Uh, Uncle Stefan? He's moving."

He looks at his niece in confusion before Alaric gasps back to life, panting heavily as he sits up, confused.

"What happened? What's going on?" Alaric asked, looking between the two.

"You were just - Did Damon turn you?" Stefan asked.

"No. I - I went for him and then he, uh - he stabbed me."

"No, no, no. You much have vampire blood in your system." Anastasia tells him, "Somebody slipped it to you."

Alaric flexed his fingers, "No. It's, uh, it's something else."

"Then how?" Stefan questioned.

"I, uh," He looks down at his ring on his finger, "Isobel."

彡☆

          "THIS RING protected me." Alaric tells them.

Stefan and Anastasia shared looks with each other.

"That's impossible." Stefan tells him.

"I know."