(Changes Made and Reposted 15/05/2020)

Watching Faith

1. Pilot

It had been ten years since the war had ended and the truth had been revealed to the Wizarding World. Ten years, since Molly Weasley had seen her self-proclaimed eighth child. Since Faith Potter had been offered the chance to start over with a new life, in a new world, with a new family.

Faith had struggled for months, trying to decide what to do with the offer that had been presented to her by Lord Voldemort. She had been so tempted to have the chance to do things in a different way, in a new world, with a family all her own. It pained her to leave the Weasley's – the family she had found for herself – but they were her biggest supporters in this endeavour.

Faith's childhood with the Dursley's had left mental scars and the continuous tests Dumbledore put her through had not had the result the old wizard had wished for, though he hadn't realized this until it was too late. It was hard for her to trust and she had to supress so much of herself, to be the perfect Golden Girl the world still chose to see her as.

The Weasley's saw how much she was cracking under the strain to keep herself contained.

Ron and Hermione were the first to push her towards the possibility. They loved their best friend – their sister – so much and wanted her to have the chance of a happy life. They would miss her with everything they had, but they wanted her to become everything she had the potential to be. Good and Bad.

Fred and George were the next to see the situation for what it was. They loved their adopted sister and saw how she was cracking. They lost count of the amount of times they had found her curled up in a ball, in some dark corner, trying to keep her magic contained so no one would get hurt. She was supressing everything to the point she was forgetting how to be Faith Potter.

It didn't take long for the rest of the Weasley's to follow suit: Ginny, Bill, Charlie, Arthur, Percy … But the one whose permission Faith wanted the most was struggling with her own demons.

Molly Weasley didn't want to let her go.

Molly – who had lost her brothers in the first war, who had come so close to losing her children and husband in the second war – was terrified at the thought of losing the daughter she had chosen for herself.

There had been no guarantee Faith would wind up with a good family. That she would be in a world with no drama and no magic. What if she wound up with a family like the Dursley's? Who would tuck her in at night? Who would comfort her when life threatened to bring her to her knees? Would she have any siblings? Would they be kind? What if her life in the new world simply mirrored her current life – with all the hardships and struggles?

Molly fretted and worried for months. One day, she sat Faith down and they had an honest conversation about what they both wanted, about their fears and worries.

Faith left the Burrow that day with Molly's whole-hearted support and love.

Faith Potter was nineteen years of age when she underwent the ritual which would take her to a new world. She was nineteen when she said goodbye to the family she had carved for herself, to the friends she had fought beside and trusted with her life, to her school rivals who were also as eager for her to have a good life as her friends, to her enemy who turned out to be her greatest ally.

Ten years.

And now, the magic of the ritual was going to show them if their efforts had been in vein. The Minister for Magic – Lord Voldemort – had found a way for them to view her life in her new world, like those Muggle TV shows.

Gathered in Hogwarts, during the Summer Holidays, a large group were gathered, waiting for the opportunity to see their sister, their friend, their schoolyard nemesis, their hero.

To see if, finally, she had gotten the true happiness she deserved.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Molly Weasley held her steaming mug of tea with both hands, ignoring the noise and commotion all around. Her family were seated alongside her, minus the young children, who were being taken care of by the Hogwarts House Elves, and they were all employing the same level of silence she was.

They were all nervous, all experiencing bouts of nausea and what appeared to be butterflies in their stomachs, thinking about their lost family member. Though they had given Faith their wholehearted support, it didn't mean they didn't miss her with all their hearts.

When Hermione had given birth to her children – Rose and Hugo – her eyes had taken an instinctive glance around the hospital room to find her sister in all but blood. They had all noticed how her smile had dimmed for a split second; but hadn't said a word. Ron, when he'd received a competition prize to view the World Cup Quidditch Match, had automatically gone to ask his best friend. Fred and George, who had set up a fund for a third owner in their shop, had transferred the account into Teddy Lupin's name; Faith had made them promise they would make sure Teddy never wanted for anything.

Bill, Charlie and Percy had all, at various time, missed the heated debates they got into with Faith. She had always been willing to lend an ear for even the most boring parts of their jobs. When she was fourteen, she had entered an hour-long discussion with Percy about his cauldron report; unknowingly gaining Percy's loyalty along the way, ensuring he became their greatest spy in the Ministry during the war. Bill and Charlie missed the girl who had been like another younger sister to them, who would always support them in their jobs, who waited up with hot chocolate and a steaming, hot dinner so they wouldn't eat alone after they got back from late shifts, or early morning Portkey's.

Ginny missed her sister, her saviour, her hero. The one who saved her life more times than she wanted to count. The one who, despite Ginny's embarrassment and inability to have a proper conversation with her, had sat down with her and helped her through her difficult early menstrual cycles. Ginny's fondest memory was of them in Ginny's room in the Burrow – just the two of them, as Hermione hadn't arrived yet – in Ginny's bed, reading her favourite childhood bedtime stories, with a muggle hot water bottle pressed to her abdomen and eating smuggled in Honeydukes chocolate. Faith had worked her way to a true friendship with Ginny for years, unwittingly becoming family along the way.

Arthur missed his dark-haired daughter. He always remembered fondly how she would wake early on the odd occasion and patiently sit at the kitchen table, or in his shed with him, and explain the various muggle gadgets he had accumulated. How she would spend galleons of her trust fund and buy him easy-to-read muggle books explaining everything he wished to know.

Molly missed her girl. The one who would barge her way into the kitchen and helped her with the cooking, who was always eager to help her with the housework, and whose hand she still kept on the clock at home – except for today. It was resting beside her mug, with Faith's laughing and happy face set inside. Letting go of her mug, Molly gripped the little clock hand tighter, hoping what they were about to view would be happiness and a good life. She hoped – and she would never admit this out loud – even a life of adventure.

The Weasley's were not the only ones who were nervous. Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell – the Original Gryffindor Quidditch Team – were sat a little way's down the table. They'd all leapt at the opportunity to see their little Seeker and what she had become.

Lee Jordan, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Nigel Wolpert, Colin and Dennis Creevey were the only other Gryffindor's who went to school with her present. Any others hadn't been given permission to sit in on the viewing or had made their peace with her departure long ago. Many of the group were laying down bets as to what type of person Faith was now and anything else they could think of. Colin had a picture of Faith on her Firebolt, happy and carefree, on the table between the group. It was the only picture she had ever signed and had been a gift for him after she had made the decision to leave. He'd had taken it and given it to her during her sixth year. He'd never been able to thank her.

He'd vowed to never sell it.

Of the Ravenclaw students, only Luna Lovegood and Astoria Greengrass were present. Any others had been dismissed from, or not been interested in, the viewing. The two girls babbled on about the latest articles in the Quibbler and what they could report on the viewing, when it was all over.

The only Hufflepuff was Ernie McMillan, as he was the only one to have any sort of relationship with Faith. Any others that were curious, were also not permitted to be involved in the viewing, due to problems having occurred during her time in Hogwarts. Susan Bones, much to her aunt's disgust, had been banished from the viewing in its entirety after a disaster with Veriterserum.

From Slytherin: Marcus Flint, Lucian Bole, Peregrine Derrick, Cassius Warrington, Graham Montague, Adrian Pucey, Flora and Hestia Carrow, Miles Bletchley, Terrence Higgs, Urquhart, Vaisey, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Daphne Greengrass, Theodore Nott, Tracey Davis, Harper – who vowed to flay anyone who even thought his first name – and Graham Pritchard. Faith had been close, or had a great many interactions, with these students. They kept themselves busy talking about work, or their families, not bothering with the what if questions. They were all curious and wanted to see what she had become, though they were content to wait for the viewing to proceed.

Rita Skeeter was the only reporter in the room. It had been surprising to many of them, though Faith was one of the few people Rita had ever respected in any sense of the word. Rita was not there to report what she had seen, but to write a book on it; no embellishments or falsehoods were allowed. They all wanted the truth of Faith's life to be recorded for the history books.

Of the Hogwarts teachers; Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Horus Slughorn and Rubeus Hagrid were permitted.

Of the old Order of the Phoenix: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Fleur Delacour (married to Bill Weasley) and Augusta Longbottom. Remus and Tonks had left their only child – Teddy – under the care of his grandparents. One day, a small viewing would be made available for him but, until then, he was deemed too young.

Death Eaters included: Antonin Dolohov, Augustus Rockwood, Avery Sr., Avery Jr., Barty Crouch Jr., Corban Yaxley, Lestrange Sr., Lucius Malfoy, Nott Snr., Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange and Thorfinn Rowle.

Others included Amelia Bones from the Ministry, Fenrir Greyback the Alpha of all Werewolves, Unspeakable Croaker, Narcissa Malfoy and Lord Voldemort, himself, sat at the Head Table in the Headmasters seat.

After exchanging a few quiet words with Croaker, Lord Voldemort scanned the Hall. Standing, everything fell silent, knowing it was now all going to begin.

"We all know what we are here for," he began, "so I'm not going to go on a pointless speech. There are questions we all want answered, but I will leave that to what we are about to watch. I will now explain how this works."

A pin could have been heard dropping in the room.

"A fog-like magic will cover the whole wall where the entrance to this Great Hall is and, from there, we will view everything the ritual deems us to in a muggle television fashion. We have all endured the muggle television series' in mandatory Muggle Studies classes for all ages over the last ten years, so I need not explain more. You need not worry about there being large groups in front of you; I have been assured this viewing will present itself to us in a way that we will see through all the people around us – let us consider Alastor Moody's famous eye for one moment." The man in question rolled said eye. "I have been told this … story … we are about to see in not solely about Faith herself, but about the people around her, as well. There will be times this story will come away from Faith and we will see other people as to better understand the world and life in which she lives – again, I refer you to a muggle television series. The Unspeakables have informed me it shall also act somewhat like a book, in a way, with us able to follow the story more than in a simple viewing fashion."

The minor humour in the speech made them all relax and smile.

"There will be times we will see very personal moments – moments which should not be viewed by outside sources – and even scenes in which there will be physical intimacy. This is unavoidable, as this is the nature of the ritual. Before you worry about seeing things Faith would rather we didn't; I assure you the two of us spoke at length before her departure and she wanted me to promise you that whatever you see is with her full support. In fact, she wants you to crack as many jokes as you wish, to make it easier on yourselves."

Laughter sounded and everyone was amused. It was just like Faith to make such a joke.

"Now, I need to inform you the world Faith is residing in does, in fact, have magic and magical beings."

Shock was palpable around the room. They had all believed it would be a non-magical world.

Lord Voldemort looked over at the Weasley Clan and saw Molly, so nervous, he knew he had to tell them the other details. "The ritual had one unforeseen side effect when it comes to Faith's life – or, lives, I should say." Everything was silent. "In this world, Faith has lived several different lives, all at various points throughout its history. Currently, she is on her seventh – and, as far as we can tell, final – life in this world. The seven power sources used to give her this new chance took on a path of its own and gave her more chances than originally anticipated. It was apparent to the Unspeakables early on, none of her lives have been particularly easy. However, this does not mean they have been unhappy, as I believe will be shown."

Molly gripped Arthur's hand, already dreading what they were about to see. She hoped she hadn't made a mistake in agreeing to the viewing.

"Going back to the magic in this world; it is not magic as we know it, nor will these beings be as we have come to know them. This will be an educational experience for us all, as well as satisfying our curiosity with Faith. While we are viewing her life, this ritual will freeze us in time – this whole castle, in fact. Our bodies will function as normal, so we will still need to eat and drink. However, we will experience no need for sleep or rest. Consulting with the Unspeakable's, we have come to the mutual decision that, though our bodies will not need it, we will take periodic breaks to ensure we can take in all the new information, before unloading even more unto ourselves."

Hermione was relieved. An overload of information wasn't healthy and could cause damage in the long run. She was also happy it was the whole castle that was going to be frozen, as she was loathed to be away from her children for so long.

"Before we begin, I will advise you to take quills and parchment from their piles on the table in front of you. Please, have them in your hands and write notes during the viewing. We will watch these proceedings in an episode-like fashion and the ritual will not allow us to interact with each other during the viewing. Once a segment is finished, we will take a short break and be able to discuss what we have viewed with anyone we wish."

There was a sudden rush to gather the parchment and quills, even from the worst of the notetakers. Neville Longbottom managed to smash a bottle of ink he tried to grab, to no one's surprise. Hermione waved her wand and fixed the mess, gently levitating another bottle to land in from of him.

"I will not bore you, or myself, as longer. It is time to begin."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Viewing Begins – Faith Potter's New World

-x-x-x-x-x-

Night.

A fog descended upon the forest, hiding muddy paths and tress from view. An unnatural silence filled the gloom.

"For centuries, they have lived in secret; hiding in the shadows, alone in the world. Until now. They are vampires and their story has only just begun."

Along the road, a car sped along with a young couple inside. They were listening to an upbeat song which wasn't as well liked by the male as it was by the female.

"An hour's drive to hear that crap," the male, Darren, complained. "You know it wasn't even a band. A guy with a guitar. An hour each way."

The female, Brooke, chuckled in amusement. "He wasn't that bad."

"He sounded like James Blunt."

Exasperated, Brooke shook her head. "What's wrong with that?"

"We already have a James Blunt," Darren explained. "One's all we need."

"So why did you come?" Brooke asked, smiling.

"Because I love you."

Brooke's eyes softened, as her gaze met Darren's. "Nicely done."

Turning to face forward again, her brow furrowed. She couldn't even see ten feet in front of the car. "What's with all the fog?"

Unconcerned, Darren shrugged. "It'll clear in a second."

Not even a split second later, Brooke spotted someone standing in the middle of the road, fat too close for comfort. "Watch out!"

Darren, just spotting the figure, couldn't stop in time. Slamming his foot onto the brake, his car swerved and spun, the unknown figure hitting the windshield and flying over the roof, to land hard on the concrete. They skidded to a stop fifteen feet away.

The young couple were shaken and turned to glance out of the back window, before turning away again.

"Are you okay?" Darren asked.

Brooke tried hard not to cry. "We just hit someone! Oh, my god!"

Darren took immediate action, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car. "Call for help."

Running back to the figure lying on the ground, he knelt on the concrete and tried to examine the situation. "Please be alive."

Gripping an exposed wrist to try and find a pulse, he noticed a strange ring on the figure's finger. As he inspected the strange piece of jewellery, he noticed it appeared to be a family heirloom type, because it wasn't a modern style of ring.

"Oh, my god." He was horrified. He may have just killed a wealthy heir, or someone of that ilk.

Suddenly, the figure sprang up and gripped his neck. Within the split second, the previously unmoving figure was behind him and exposing sharp fangs, biting into his neck. He couldn't even gasp, before everything was over.

Back in the car, Brooke had her phone in her hand, trying desperately to call the police or an ambulance. Knowing she wasn't getting anywhere, she undid her seatbelt and got out of the car.

"There's no signal!" she called out. "Darren!"

As she tried to spot her boyfriend, she was confused. There was no figure in the middle of the road and Darren was nowhere in sight. "Darren?"

A loud crash from behind her made her spin around. Horrified, she saw her boyfriend laying on the hood of the car, his neck mauled, unmoving. She screamed, turned and ran away as fast as she could.

She wasn't fast enough.

A dark figure swept upon her and she was gone.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Standing on the roof of an old building, a young man with light brown hair watched the sunrise.

He knew he shouldn't have returned home, with all the risk involved. However, he'd seen her and found out she was alive. He had to be close to her and keep her safe.

Taking a step forward, the young man jumped off the roof and landed safely on his feet, at least three stories below.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Mystic Falls, 2009 – Present Day

-x-x-x-x-x-

Putting on her last shoe, a young woman with dark hair stood and examined herself in her floor length mirror. She wore skinny jeans, a green vest shirt with a v neck and a black sheer, lacy long-sleeved shirt over the top which clung to her and accentuated every curve. Her ankle high leather boots had five-inch heels and she grabbed her dark jean jacket, to complete the look.

Her entire wardrobe held the latest of fashions; stylish clothing and shoes. The only jewellery she wore were the diamond studded earrings.

Her hair held thin braid's keeping it back from her face, with green coloured threads weaved through the plaited strands and leaving the majority of her hair to continue its waterfall flow down her back.

Above her mirror was the name 'Grace', in beautiful block letters stuck to the wall.

Smiling to herself, Grace walked out of her room, pausing for a moment outside of her sister's bedroom. With the door open, she could see Elena writing in her diary. Her good mood souring, Grace gritted her teeth and walked downstairs with renewed vigour. She didn't need to know what Elena would be writing, as she had a good guess.

An expert opinion coming from reading her older sister's diary ever since she was eleven; a younger sister's privilege, she always said.

Entering the kitchen and turning on the coffee pot, she smiled as a light brush ran across her ankles. Bending down and picking up the family cat, Grace sat at the kitchen counter and held the black and white fluffball closer.

"Don't strangle Muffins."

Rolling her eyes at her younger brother, Jeremy, she alluded all attempts of him trying to take their cat out of her arms with great success. Smiling, Jeremy accepted the loss and sat next to her, waiting for the coffee pot to be ready.

"Ready for school?" Grace asked.

Jeremy shrugged, not giving a verbal answer as their older sister walked into the room, going straight over to the coffee pot. As their Aunt Jenna walked into the kitchen, Grace and Jeremy exchanged slight smiles at her panic.

"Toast," Jenna said, bustling around the room. "I can make toast."

"It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna," Elena answered, taking out a single mug and pouring herself a steaming cup.

Jeremy glared and stood, taking two more mug's out of the cupboard. "Is there coffee?" he asked, sarcastically, pouring himself and Grace a mug each.

Sitting back down, he waited for Grace to release Muffins to run around the room, before handing her the steaming mug to hold between her hands. "Thank you, Jeremy."

Neither of them looked over at Elena when she winced, realizing her mistake.

"You're first day of school and I'm totally unprepared." Jenna pulled out a couple of dollars, before offering them to the three siblings. "Lunch money?"

"I'm good," Elena denied.

Grace shook her head. "It's Tyler's turn to buy lunch."

Jeremy rolled his eyes and grabbed hold of the money, muttering a 'thanks' as he did.

"Anything else?" Jenna asked. "A number two pencil? What am I missing?"

Grace handed her a book left on the counter behind her. "You have that presentation today."

Jenna glanced at her watch. "I'm meeting with my thesis advisor at … now! Crap!"

"Then go," Elena insisted. "We'll be fine."

Jenna sighed, but smiled and left. Grace and Jeremy waved her goodbye, both drinking from their coffee mugs.

Elena turned to face her younger siblings with sadness etched on her face, before softly asking, "You two okay?"

They barely glanced at her; Grace scoffed and walked out of the room, taking her coffee with her, but Jeremy downed the rest of his – ignoring the burn – and said, "Don't start." He followed his sister out of the room, ignoring the tingling sensation of Elena's persistent stare on his back.

Elena leaned back against the counter and sighed, upset the once close bond the three of them shared had shattered alongside their parent's deaths. None of them saw the news report of Darren Malloy and Brooke Fenton being declared missing on the television.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Grace sat in the back of her friend Bonnie's car, while Elena was in the passenger seat. She was annoyed she'd chosen to go to school with Bonnie and Elena, instead of with Jeremy, but didn't let it show on her face. Being in her sister's presence for longer than ten minutes these days always guaranteed an argument.

"So, Grams is telling me I'm psychic," Bonnie told them. "Our ancestors were from Salem – which isn't all that, I know, crazy – but she's going on and on about it. And I'm like, put this woman in a home already!"

Grace chuckled, wiggling her fingers. Bonnie rolled her eyes as a braid magically weaved itself on the right side of her head.

"You're different, Grace," Bonnie insisted, smiling, laughter in her tone. "You brought your magic with you. It's, like, part of your very soul." Bonnie's eyes met Grace's in the mirror.

Grace caught the private thought that ran through Bonnie's head and gave a small smile. Elena never wanted to talk about the fact that this wasn't Grace's first life in this world, so they were all careful not to bring it up in her earshot. If it weren't for Grace's magic, she would no doubt believe that everything was a fabrication of her younger sister's imagination.

And Grace had quite the imagination.

"But, anyway," Bonnie continued, "then I started thinking, I predicted Obama and I predicted Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands."

Grace shook her head, her brow furrowed. "I don't think that counts, Bonnie; global warming tells us that."

That was where Bonnie knew to cut the conversation. Grace was quite opinionated about Global Warming, having lived through different times and seeing its effects first-hand. Glancing at the other Gilbert, she saw Elena wasn't listening anymore. "Elena! Back in the car."

Elena spun her head around and focused her attention back on Bonnie, giving a slight shake of her head. "I did it again, didn't I? I – I'm sorry, Bonnie. You were telling us that …"

"That she's psychic now," Grace interceded in a sharp tone. Elena winced, knowing her little sister had cut across her to show how annoyed she was.

Elena gave a small smile. "Right. Ok, then predict something. About me."

Bonnie caught the neutrally settled expression on Grace's face and smiled at Elena despite it. "I see …"

Suddenly, a small and dark object hit the windscreen of the car. All three girls let out sounds of surprise and Bonnie slammed on the brakes, sending the car into a squealing stop.

"What was that?" Bonnie asked, gasping. "Oh, my god! Elena, Grace, are you okay?"

Elena leaned back into her seat, while Grace sat rigid in the back seat, trying to regulate her heart back to normal. They both hated cars for very different reasons.

"It's okay," Elena assured Bonnie. "I'm fine. Grace?"

Grace took a deep breath. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"It was like a bird or something," Bonnie told them, trying to reassure them and herself at the same time. "It came out of nowhere."

Elena shook her head. "Really, I can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of my life."

Grace met Bonnie's eyes through the rear-view mirror again. "Bonnie, we're fine. How about you?"

Bonnie was shaken, still giving them both a tentative smile. "I'm okay. Now, I predict this year is going to be kickass. And I predict all the sad and dark times are over and you both are going to be beyond happy."

All three of them smiled and let out little chuckles. Bonnie leaned back and started the car again. As they drove away, Grace took a glance out of the window and saw the crow watching the vehicle from on top of the Laurel Avenue sign. Narrowing her eyes, she faintly reached out with her magic, having sensed the darkness when the crow hit the car. After a second, her heart pounded in her chest as she recognized the presence controlling the crow.

Just before the crow left her sight, she smiled.

Everything she had been waiting for had finally returned home to Mystic Falls.

-x-x-x-x-x-

When they arrived at Mystic Falls High School, they made their way through the halls of students, heading to their lockers. Bonnie made most of the commentary.

"Major lack of male real estate. Look at the shower curtain on Kelly Beach." Grace glanced over and grimaced. Hah she missed something since her last life? When had that fashion ever been popular? "She looks a hot – can I still say 'tranny mess'?"

They paused by a set of lockers.

Elena shook her head. "No, that's over."

"It was never in," Grace corrected.

"Ahh," Bonnie sighed. "Find a man, coin a phrase."

Bonnie opened her locker at the same time Grace opened hers, right next to her. Bonnie was the one who spotted someone watching them from down the hall. Elena and Grace caught the expression on her face and turned to see Matt Donovan watching the three of them. Elena gave a small smile and wave.

Matt gave no response other than taking a book out of his locker, closing the door and walking away.

Elena was dejected and leaned back against a random locker. "He hates me."

"That's not hate," Bonnie denied. "That's 'You dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it, but secretly I'm listening to air supplies greatest hits'."

Grace couldn't help but cut in. "I believe it is his 'I'm secretly relieved' look."

Elena flinched, hard, while Bonnie shot Grace a glare which would have made the toughest of men whither. "Grace!" Bonnie scolded.

Grace closed her locker door after putting her books into her bag. "I'm not going to pretend I ever approved of their relationship, Bonnie; you know me better than that. However, the way Elena chose to dump him was completely uncalled for. Don't pretend you don't agree."

Bonnie couldn't say anything, because she knew Grace was right. Elena hadn't been happy in the relationship for a long time but had strung Matt along for weeks, being too afraid to break up with him. When Elena finally had, it hurt Matt worse than it would have than if she'd bitten the bullet and gotten it over with earlier.

It was like Grace had said when Elena first told them she wasn't sure she wanted to keep seeing him, "Then tell him you want to take a break. He's not stupid, Elena; he knows you're not happy. The longer you take, the more he's going to convince himself everything is going to be fine."

So, yes, Bonnie did agree. It's why she was unable to say anything further to scold her friend.

"Elena! Oh, my god." It was thankful that, before the conversation could become even more heated, a voice called out and approached them.

Grace smiled as a beautiful blonde came and gave Elena a tight hug. Caroline Forbes threw her arms around her friend and asked, "How are you?" Releasing her, Caroline continued, "Oh, it's so good to see you." Turning to Bonnie and Grace, Caroline asked, "How is she? Is she good?"

"Caroline, I'm right here," Elena answered, with a slight exasperated smile. "And I'm fine. Thank you."

"Really?" Caroline had trouble hiding the scepticism on her face.

Elena nodded. "Yes. Much better."

Grace wasn't sure how she managed to keep from rolling her eyes. She knew for a fact those phrases were what Elena had written in her journal this morning. She would use those words to everyone who asked, not meaning a single word.

Caroline didn't buy a single word. She gave Elena another firm hug. "Oh, you poor thing."

"Ok, Caroline," Elena murmured, strained from the pressure of the hug.

Caroline pulled away from the hug and turned on Grace, pulling her into a hard hug without warning. Grace gasped as all the air was pushed from her lungs, wrapping her arms around her friend and silently pleading with Bonnie for help. Bonnie gave a small smirk.

"You saw me yesterday, Care," Grace managed to gasp out.

Caroline pulled away and gave a beaming smile. "I know. That's twenty-four hours I haven't given you a hug."

Grace smiled.

"Ok, see you guys later?" Caroline gave short glances to each of them.

They all smiled. "Ok. Bye!"

As Caroline walked away, they all gave small waves. When she disappeared from their view, they all chuckled with exasperation.

"The force of nature that is Caroline Forbes," Grace commented in fondness. "What would we do without her?"

"Chaos," Bonnie agreed, fondly.

Elena gave a slight shake of her head. "No comment."

Grace bit back her retort at Elena's casual dismissal of their friend and knew she had to get away before she said something she'd regret.

"I'm going to find Jeremy." She didn't wait for a reply before she walked away. As she did, she overheard Elena being the one scolded this time.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Grace searched over the part of the school which was the well-known crackheads hangout. She saw Vicki Donovan with a random sophomore, getting handed pills Grace knew weren't paracetamol. Shaking her head in disgust, she turned and walked around the corner and smiled when she saw her younger brother sorting through his book bag on the bench.

"You got everything?" Grace asked, as she stopped next to him, but didn't sit herself.

Jeremy nodded, happy to see her before their classes. "Yeah. I promise, I'm going to go to all my classes. I'll do better this year."

Before they died, their parents had set Jeremy up in summer classes in history and art. Jeremy loved both subjects – he loved hearing about Grace's past lives and how she described living in those times, which is what started his passion – and wanted to get extra credit for both, so he could be put into the AP classes. He had aims to graduate top of his class and get into a great university to study historical art, restore old artworks and, hopefully, produce his own.

After their deaths, Jeremy hadn't attended any of the classes and had gotten into drugs. Grace hated the fact it had taken her so long to notice the crowd he'd fallen into and the habits he was forming. She trashed his room searching for the drugs – on a weekend Elena and Jenna were spending together – and had given Jeremy such a scolding he believed he was about ten inches tall afterward; though it may have been because Grace was sobbing hard during her speech, more than what she'd actually said. She apologized for not being there for him and, that very day as they walked home from getting coffee and a batch of muffins, they found a stray kitten in an alley.

They took the kitten to the vets and, after a few days of deliberating, went back to adopt her. Jenna went with them, signed all the legal paperwork and they took Muffins home the same day. They chose the name because, if Jeremy hadn't stepped into the alley to throw out the rubbish from the coffee and muffins they had had, he never would have heard the kitten's cries.

The vet told them, the day before, a cat had been run over by a car on accident. It was a guess that said cat had been the mother to the kitten they had found.

The kitten had grown well under their care and often spent time in either Jeremy or Grace's rooms. The growing bond with Muffins had allowed Jeremy a different outlet than drugs or booze.

Jeremy vowed to never let his sister down in such a way ever again.

Grace nodded. "I know you will. Don't let Tanner get to you. He's an ass to everyone."

Tanner would never forgive Jeremy for skipping his classes for booze and drugs, but the other teachers had all offered him ways to catch up and make extra credit.

"Did you have a nightmare last night?" Jeremy asked, concerned. "I thought I heard you moving around."

Grace shrugged. "Just memories. Don't worry about it."

But Jeremy did worry. Grace spoke about her past lives with great fondness, never really going over any of the bad points. He only knew everything wasn't all sunshine and roses because he heard her call out things in her sleep – things she never told him in her stories. He never understood the majority of them, because they were all in foreign languages' he didn't know a word of. He looked up some words before stopping, because he realized he was violating her privacy and wanted her to be able to tell him herself.

"I want to know everything," Jeremy told her. "When we're back on out feet, I don't want any more secrets. You're my sister, Grace, and I want to help you like you've always helped me."

Grace gave a tentative smile, touched. She nodded a little and gave her word. Her last life had taught her to mistrust even those closest to her, in ways nothing ever had before. It had been reinforced by Elena's dismissal of her magic and past lives; but wanted to be able to talk to Jeremy about everything. She wanted him to prove worthy of her trust, in a way a sibling of hers hadn't in more than a thousand years. Even though it wouldn't be the same.

"I knew I'd find you here!" a male voice called out.

Grace and Jeremy turned around to find Tyler Lockwood approaching them with a grin. Tyler threw an arm around Grace's shoulders and gave her a kiss on the cheek, before gracing Jeremy with a quick glance.

Jeremy rolled his eyes, focusing on his schoolbag and sorting it out. He never understood the friendship between Grace and Tyler; they weren't dating and yet, on occasion, they acted like they were. He knew for a fact they participated in activities regular friends didn't do.

"You didn't call me this morning," Tyler complained to Grace, in a playful manner.

Grace gave him a small smile. "Had a busy morning. I'll make it up to you."

Tyler gave her a smile showing his mind had taken a more personal turn. Jeremy glanced up and cringed, seeing Tyler had brought his sister in closer for a slow, passionate kiss – including tongue.

"I could have gone my whole life without seeing that," he complained.

Tyler pulled away and shot Jeremy a glare. "You know, Pete Wentz called; he wants his nail polish back." He noted the black nail polish on Jeremy's nails was chipping away.

Sensing the fight brewing, Grace put herself between them. "Don't do it. Both of you need to start getting along. Vicki played you against each other. Let's not go down that road again."

Tyler and Jeremy were both ashamed, knowing she was right.

Tyler agreed. "I'll see you later, Grace. Gotta find Matt before class. See you, kid." Jeremy didn't need to be a genius to know the last part was directed at him.

As Tyler walked away, Jeremy was filled with exasperation and he met his sister's eyes. "Pete Wentz? That's his go to? He a Carlson Daily fan?" Grace smiled and laughed, before they walked inside.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Bonnie and Elena stood outside the front office. Bonnie was the first to spot the guy they hadn't seen before standing in there, getting all his papers checked.

"Hold up. Who's this?"

Elena didn't know. "All I see is back."

"It's a hot back."

Elena chuckled.

Inside the office, the secretary was scanning the documents in front of her. "Your records are incomplete. You're missing immunization records, and we do insist on transcripts."

The young man took off his sunglasses and the secretary met his gaze – his pupils fluctuating. "Please look again. I'm sure everything you need is there."

For a few long seconds the secretary stared into his eyes, a blank stare on her face, before scanning through the papers once again. "Well, you're right. So it is." She smiled.

Outside of the office, Bonnie and Elena were still watching the new guy, hoping to catch a glimpse of the fresh meat.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes in an observatory manner. "I'm sensing Seattle and he plays the guitar."

Elena scoffed with a lack of humour. "You're really going to run this whole psychic thing into the ground, huh?"

"Pretty much," Bonnie agreed.

Over Bonnie's shoulder, Elena saw Jeremy and Grace walking through the hall, talking to each other with smiles on their faces. Grace stopped walking and waited while Jeremy walked into the boys' toilets.

"Hey, Grace, can you ask Jeremy-?"

"Fuck off, Brandon," Grace cut off the blonde-haired boy who had approached her. "Not a chance."

Brandon was a known hardcore crackhead and was always after his newest fix. He glared at Grace and shoved past her. Elena heard the exchange and narrowed her eyes. There was no way.

"I'll be right back," Elena told Bonnie and stormed away. Bonnie gave a vague acknowledgement, still staring at the new guy and muttering, "Please be hot."

Grabbing Grace's elbow "Hey! Elena!", she dragged her into the Boys' toilets and over to where Jeremy was washing his hands. One guy noticed them as he left a cubicle and said, "Woah! Pants down chicks." He quickened his step as he left without washing his hands.

Grace glared at Elena and yanked her elbow away. "What the hell, Elena?"

"Are you dealing?" Elena asked Jeremy, before whirling on Grace. "Are you helping him?"

"No, I'm not," Jeremy denied, at the same time Grace all but snarled, "You think I'd let him?"

Elena didn't believe them. "Where is it? Is it on you?" She began bodily searching Jeremy, raising Grace's ire even further.

Jeremy pushed Elena away. "Stop! You need to chill yourself, all right?"

"Chill myself?" Elena asked in disbelief. "What is it, stoner talk?"

Before Elena could say more, her shoulder was grabbed in a tight grip and she was pulled away from Jeremy by Grace. "Enough, Elena! He's not taking and he's not dealing."

"Then what the hell was that with Brandon!" Elena accused, not believing a word Grace spoke. "I gave you both summer passes. I'm done with watching you" she pointed to Jeremy "destroy yourself and you" she pointed to Grace "allowing him to."

Jeremy stood straighter, to defend himself and Grace, but Elena pushed him back against the sink. "No, no, no, you know what? Go ahead. Keep it up. Both of you. But just know that I am going to be there to ruin your buzz every time, you got it?"

A toilet flushed and another guy walked out of a cubicle, quickly heading out of the room to avoid the family spat – what was it about teenage boys not washing their hands? Elena watched him leave, exhaling deeply. Grace and Jeremy were both furious and struggling to hide it.

As Elena turned back to face them, Grace had had enough. "Now you've said your piece, get the fuck away from us." Grace had always had issues with her temper – it carried over into all her lives – but, in that moment, instincts she had long since buried were coming to the surface. She knew she had to leave before she did worse than slap her sister.

Grace shoved passed her. Elena being pushed back into the sinks and, before she could say anything else, her siblings had walked away. Before they both left the room, Jeremy turned to face his eldest sister, his expression frigid.

"You gave me a summer pass? Grace didn't even give me that. I've been clean for six weeks. If you took your head out of your journal long enough, you might have known that."

Elena watched the door click shut, eyes open wide in shock. Sagging back against the sink, she didn't need Bonnie's psychic ability to tell her how much she had just screwed up.

Grace waved goodbye to Jeremy as they went their separate ways. Grace turned and saw Caroline by her locker, seeing the perky blonde's attention was drawn to something. As she changed direction, hoping to talk to her before class, she walked into a hard chest.

Scolding herself for not being more aware of her surroundings, the hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end, cold ice ran down her spine and a similar darkness from the crow crept on her senses. Grace gasped, knowing exactly what she had just run into. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It was my fault."

Grace went still, recognizing the voice. Seeing the light brown hair in the funny, pushed back style and forest green eyes, she smiled. "Stefan Salvatore."

Stefan's eyes were soft and there was a gentle smile on his lips. "It's good to see you again, Temperance."

"It's Grace now," she corrected him, giving him a hug. Stefan's arm was firm around her waist and his hand was in her hair for those few seconds. "I told you that already. I didn't think you've be moving back this quickly."

"I decided it was time." His eyes moved over her shoulder. "Isn't that the men's room?"

Grace glanced over her shoulder to see Elena leaving the toilet, apologetic and distraught. Grace turned back to Stefan, ignoring her older sister. "Yes, it is. Long story. I'll tell you later, if you'd like to catch up."

"I'd love to," Stefan agreed. "I'll see you in class."

Grace gave a nod and they continued their separate ways. Catching Caroline's eyes, she could see the shock on her friends face and gave a small groan. She knew Caroline would be on her back for the rest of the day.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Mystic Falls, 1850

-x-x-x-x-x-

Stars were sparkling, as a dark carriage travelled down a path. A family of four were inside, eager and restless to get home, after having a small holiday together. It was the Salvatore family.

"As soon as we are home," Giuseppe Salvatore was saying, "you boys are going straight to bed. The journey has been long and hard. We all deserve a rest."

Lillian Salvatore sat opposite her husband. In her lap was her youngest son, Stefan, who was struggling to keep his eyes open. Her eldest, Damon, was next to her and watching the trees go by outside.

Giuseppe had been becoming more irritable by the hour and Lillian knew better than to question him, even though Stefan's sleep routine had not been kept to with the long journey – he had been falling to sleep for an hour or so at various intervals all day. Damon, she knew, would not complain as he was quite tired himself.

"Of course, Giuseppe," Lillian agreed. "It has been a long journey and we are all tired. It will be relieving to be back in our own beds."

Giuseppe just gave a nod. He was ready to be home.

Damon, who had been ignoring most of the conversation, tensed. Something had caught his sight, outside, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Father, there's a girl in the trees."

Giuseppe looked at him, his gaze sharp. "What, son?"

"Over there." Damon gestured to the treeline where, sure enough, a young girl no older than his youngest boy, was stood by a tree.

"Stop the carriage!" Giuseppe yelled out, before opening the door and jumping out.

Ordering his family to remain inside, he cautiously approached the little girl. He knew, without looking, his carriage driver had his hidden gun withdrawn and his personal slave would defend his wife and children, should this turn out to be some sort of trap.

The young girl didn't appear to notice anything around her. Her dark hair was matted with dirt, with leaves and twigs caught up in the tangles. Her skin was covered in mud and other filth, while the moon shinning down on them highlighted her porcelain skin tone even underneath all the dirt. The dress she wore was nought but rags now, though it had clearly been of high stock. Her feet were bare and oozing blood in the moonlight.

As Giuseppe approached the young girl, her eyes met his and he was taken aback to see the emerald orbs shinning so bright. Tear tracks ran down her cheeks and more unshed tears were swimming in her eyes.

Giuseppe crouched down. The girl took a small step back and it was clear she was frightened. He couldn't imagine what could have put a young child into such a state.

"Don't worry," Giuseppe told her. "You're safe now."

He would never know what made him use those words. It took him over an hour of gently coaxing the girl to get her into the carriage, to take her home. He ordered his slave to get the physician when they arrived back at the manor.

The physician's arrival was prompt and the village alerted to the strange news of a young girl being found. Nothing would ever be found of where she came from and she did not appear to know what her own name was.

Within days, the Salvatore family took her in as a ward. She was never given a last name, as hope was still held out for her family to be found. However, Lillian Salvatore, growing attached to the young girl gave her a name of her own within days and treated her as the daughter she never had.

From that day, the young girl was called Temperance.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Mystic Falls, 2009 – Present Day

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Once our home state of Virginia joined the Confederacy in 1861, it created a tremendous amount of tension within the state."

Grace was doodling in the margins of her notebook, trying not to fall to sleep during Tanner's speech. She loved history, but she'd lived through this era and knew more than Tanner did, so felt no need to pay too much attention. Taking a glance around the room at her fellow classmates – she hated the fact that being put up a year meant she was in the same classes as her sister – she rolled her eyes as she saw Matt Donovan's eyes keep glancing over to Elena.

She had hoped he'd grown out of it during the summer. It was hard for her to say about her own sister, but he was better off.

"People in Virginia's northwest region had different ideals than those from the traditional deep south. Then Virginia divided in 1863 with the northwest region joining the Union …"

Grace tuned out the rest of the speech as she noticed Elena keep giving sneaky glances over at Stefan. Her eyes narrowed, realizing Elena wanted a new relationship and was searching for one, blatantly in front of Matt – she wasn't surprised at the choice, either. She was pleased, however, that Stefan was ignoring her – she knew the reason for that, as well.

She was concerned when she saw Matt follow Elena's glances to Stefan. She didn't want him getting to wrong idea.

Grace stared back at her notes, trying to get caught up in Tanner's speech, missing the fact that Stefan glanced at her just as she did. Bonnie and Matt didn't. Bonnie took out her phone discreetly and sent a quick message. Grace's phone buzzed in her pocket and, taking it out, she hid it behind her history book to read the message.

HAWT-E. STARING U.

Grace gave a simple smile and shook her head in amusement. Towards the back of the class, Matt frowned.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Neither Grace nor Jeremy wanted to follow Elena on her daily trip to Mystic Falls Cemetery, so they went ahead of time. Grace heard the squawk of a bird and glanced around, not seeing anything, but sensing the presence from earlier. She ignored it. Jeremy glanced up and saw the crow land on the sign.

They made it to their destination and stood there.

IN MEMORY

GRAYSON GILBERT – MIRANDA SOMMERS GILBERT

MAY 23RD, 2009

LOVING PARENTS

Jeremy gripped his sister's hand and fought back the tears. He'd not been able to come here alone since the funeral. Grace had helped him, by coming with him once a week and allowing him to spend time at their parents' graves. Grace found it easier with her brother beside her, as well.

Wiping dust and dirt off from the top of the headstone, Grace put down the bouquet of white roses they'd bought on their way there. Their mother had loved white roses and their father had always made sure a fresh bouquet was in the house.

Seeing the tears in her brother's eyes, Grace pulled him in for a hug.

"We're going to be okay, Jeremy," Grace whispered in his ear. "I promise."

Jeremy nodded, not wanting to let the tears fall and buried his face into her hair. "Does it ever get easier?"

Grace had lost many parents over the years. "No."

Pulling away and looking back at the grave, Jeremy asked the question which had been bothering him for a while. "How did you lose them? Your other parents?"

"That's not really a conversation to be having here."

Jeremy gave her a look. "It's not like they can hear us."

Grace gave a vague acknowledgement. "My first life, my parents gave me and my sister away. They had too many mouths to feed and, to give us the chance of a better life, we became the handmaidens to a powerful witch. I was too young to remember them."

She didn't tell Jeremy she had gone back later in life and found out what happened to them. She had found out the truth. The betrayal had encompassed anything she had ever felt. In a magically induced fit of rage, she had killed most of her family and left them for the animals to find. Their screams still echoed in her ears on the darkest of nights.

"My second life was my first with parents raising me. That may be why I still find it so difficult to talk of. My father was killed by an English King and my mother by my father's first wife, in a fit of jealously – which I still stand by, despite her insistence otherwise. I had five brothers and we didn't always get along. However, that's typical for Viking culture."

Jeremy wanted to ask questions at that, but something in her expression stopped him. He could tell her second life was a difficult discussion point, even now.

"My third life, my parents died when I was relatively young. They were caught by a threat to our village and couldn't get away. My sister and I were raised by the people of our village after that. It was a good life and I was close to one of the families."

Her third life had had its own difficulties. She hadn't just been close to one of the village families; they had been everything to her. She would have died for them, as they would have for her. She did die for them.

"My fourth life, I had a number of brothers and was the only girl. My father was a nobleman in Italy and my mother was one of his wife's servants. When my mother died in childbirth, his wife took me in as her own – no one outside the family knew the truth – and raised me with my brothers. She was the only mother I had known in that life and I called her as such. They died when I was thirteen."

They'd been killed by vampires, which was likely what had ignited her brothers' hatred of them. She had been the only witness and it was thanks to her magic she survived the encounter. It still hurt she hadn't been able to save her mother.

"My fifth life … There was an attack with my mother's family. She'd remarried after my father's death and was far away from me. I didn't get the news for months. I was quite young, only in my late teens, when she passed away. I outlived them by a great many years. I didn't mourn my mother; she abandoned me when I was just a girl and allowed my stepfather banished my half-sister from her home for an indiscretion that wasn't tolerated at the time."

It was true. She didn't know how her mother had died, but she could make an educated guess.

"My sixth life was here in Mystic Falls. I never knew my biological family – have never had any memory of them. I was taken in by a Founding Family, after they found me wandering on the side of the road. I was never given a last name."

Something in Jeremy's memory clicked. He knew that story – Grace had read the history of Mystic Falls to him one night when he was ill. Giuseppe Salvatore had taken in a young girl and raised her alongside his sons. She had been given the name Temperance and was expected to marry into one of the founding families. She had died at the age of seventeen or eighteen – no one was entirely sure of her exact age – after catching an unknown illness. It killed her within a few short weeks.

Jeremy said none of this. He had wanted to know. More details would come out over time and he would know the whole story. He could tell some of the finer details were being kept from him, but he didn't begrudge her.

"Grace? Jeremy?"

Turning around, they could see Elena walking out from behind a tree. Grace wasn't surprised; she had sensed Elena's presence minutes ago. Elena had heard everything.

"We were just leaving." Jeremy wasn't happy to see her. The accusations from earlier were still fresh in his mind and he did not want to continue the conversation that had, to be frank, hurt him in a way neither of his sisters had ever hurt him before. Today had been one of a long line of problems which were cropping up between the siblings. Lines were being drawn in the sand.

They both walked away from the grave and Elena didn't try to stop them. As Grace walked by her, Elena just put her hand on her shoulder gently. It was all the apology Grace would get and that made her angrier. They both just continued down the path, leaving Elena to sit in front of the grave and pull out her journal.

"What do you think she's writing?" Jeremy asked.

Grace gave an unconcerned shrug. "That she made it through the day. That she's not okay, even though she told everyone she was. You know, Jeremy, if she'd spoken to more people than Bonnie, Caroline and us two this summer, then she wouldn't have had to put on a front today. Did she even realize no one asked me or you if we were okay, because they'd seen us around and spoken to us before the first day of school?"

Jeremy shook his head. "Like I said, she doesn't take her head out of her journal."

A bird squawking caught the attention of them both and they stopped walking to see a crow resting on the back of a bench.

Grace looked at it for a long moment, wondering whether she should be amused or annoyed. "That's the same bird that hit Bonnie's car this morning."

Her tone caught Jeremy's attention more than what she'd said. He made vague noise of interest. "Hi, bird. Why are you following my sister?"

"Why are you talking to the bird?" Grace asked, concerned for her brother's mental health.

"Connecting to nature." At least Jeremy's answer was prompt, even if people hadn't done anything like that in centuries.

Grace rolled her eyes. "Mom just had to have a boy, didn't she?"

Jeremy gave her a small shove in mock offence. They both kept walking, ignoring the bird and the fog which had begun encroaching the air around them. They found it difficult to ignore, when the bird flew over their heads and landed on another bench a few feet in front of them, squawking louder and demanding to be noticed.

Jeremy grew very uncomfortable; the bird's behaviour and the fog getting thicker made his nerves come to the forefront. His palms became sweaty and a cold chill broke out on the back of his neck. "Grace."

Grace gripped his arm. She could see a recognizable figure standing in the trees, facing their direction. Seeing the figure, she couldn't help the small smile. He did always enjoy the spooky games. "We're fine, Jeremy. Trust me."

He did. However, he still increased their pace as they walked down the path and turned onto the next one. As soon as they were clear of that section of the graveyard, the fog disappeared. The sun shone on them again and Jeremy moved a lot easier.

Jeremy scanned the area, hoping they hadn't been followed. He had seen the same figure Grace had. He knew he was safe with his sister, but he didn't want her to be in the position where she had to protect him.

"Was that a witch?" Jeremy asked. "Was that another witch trying to frighten us?"

Grace shook her head. "No. The only other active witch in this area wouldn't take part in such frivolities – her words, not mine. Besides, a witch's magic has a different sensation to that."

"Then what was it?"

Grace was quiet. This would be a long story she had to tell Jeremy, but she would tell him. Jeremy caught the look on her face and asked no more questions. He would get his answers, he knew.

"Hey."

Grace and Jeremy both spun round and saw Stefan standing behind them. Jeremy's heart jumped straight into his throat again and he tried to calm himself.

"Hi, Stefan," Grace greeted, as if nothing had just happened. "Are you visiting family?"

Stefan nodded. "Thought I'd pay my respects."

There was only one person in this cemetery Stefan would pay his respects to and Grace didn't begrudge him, even if she couldn't bring herself to do the same.

Jeremy took a deep breath. "Okay. If Elena as here, she'd be saying this is all very Hitchcock. The crow following us, the strange fog … That is the Hitchcock movie, right?"

Grace nodded. "Yes. I knew we shouldn't have watched the movie last week. Jeremy, this is Stefan. Stefan, this is my brother, Jeremy."

"That's a nice ring," Jeremy commented, having noticed the gaudy piece of jewellery on his finger. "Family heirloom?"

Stefan moved it around on his finger, giving it the bare minimal of glances. "It is. I'm kinda stuck with it. Always found it a bit weird."

Grace chuckled. "It's like I told him a while ago, there are rings and then there is that."

Stefan smiled. The joke wasn't a new one; it was over a hundred years old. Grace was the one who had made the ring and had joked she could have chosen a better piece.

Jeremy laughed.

Stefan's eyes moved over Grace's shoulder. "Has your sister hurt herself?"

Grace spun around and saw Elena approaching them, blood staining her jeans around her left calf. Jeremy turned around and shook his head in exasperation. Typical Elena.

Grace glanced back over her shoulder at Stefan. His sclera had turned blood-red, dark veins had grown under his eyes and fangs had descended in his mouth. The moment he saw her cool expression, he forced it back and his features became human again.

"You should go and take care of her," Stefan told her, before vanishing from her line of sight.

"Damn super speed," Grace muttered, in annoyance.

Hearing Elena talk about the fog and the bird, Grace turned back around. She knew they'd have to help Elena get home before heading out to meet with their friends.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"I lost control today. Everything I've kept buried inside came rushing to the surface. Temperance – Grace – is right. I need to make changes and I need to accept the monster inside. Or I won't be able to resist either of them."

Stefan Salvatore sat in his room, writing into his journal. Meeting Grace again before returning to Mystic Falls had been the best thing to happen to him in over a century. She was alive again! It had also allowed him to enter the situation with a clear head.

At the corner of his desk, a green bound journal was resting in the corner. He'd found it after getting control of his bloodlust, recognizing it as Elena Gilbert's she never allowed to leave her side.

He had to return it.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Grace sat at a table with Matt and Tyler, eating a burger and fries. Vicki, who worked at the Grill, brought over Tyler's meal and smiled.

"Do you need another refill?" Vicki asked, attempting to flirt with him.

"Sure," Tyler replied, not wanting to encourage her, but still wanting the drink.

Vicki recognized the dismissive tone and frowned, grabbed his glass and left.

Matt ate a fry. "I am so pleased you stopped hooking up with my sister. That was just weird."

"Please tell her to stay away from me. I don't want to get into it again." Tyler turned to Grace. "What's up with you and the new guy?" He wasn't accusing, just curious. After all, it wasn't like the two of them were an exclusive pair.

Grace gave a mild shrug. "I met him about six, seven, months ago when I was visiting family. He was passing through town, got on the wrong side of the wildlife and I helped him out. He took me to lunch a couple of times in thanks." Her – obvious – quick glance around made them realize they weren't getting the full story. "I didn't think he was moving back for a couple more months."

Tyler and Matt caught onto a single word. "Back?"

Bonnie and Caroline were talking as they walked through the Grill in search of a table. Caroline was telling Bonnie everything she had found out during the day. "His name is Stefan Salvatore. He lives with his uncle up at the old Salvatore Boarding House. He hasn't lived here since he was a kid; military family, so they moved around a lot. He's a Gemini and his favourite colour is blue."

"You got all of that in one day?" Bonnie asked, incredulous.

Caroline scoffed. "Oh, please, I got all that between third and fourth period. I'm planning a June wedding between him and Grace. Did you see him watching her? Finally, someone not interested in Elena."

Not giving Bonnie the chance to reply, Caroline turned around and walked away to catch up on even more gossip. Bonnie watched her go, conflicted. She didn't like their once strong group of four was splintering off into pairs.

"It looked like Elena was interested in him," Matt commented to Grace, as they waved to Caroline passing-by their table.

Grace rolled her eyes. "Elena's putting on a front, trying to convince everyone she's fine. She's using her journal as an outlet and, though it's a healthy alternative to other focuses she could have chosen, she needs to get her head back in the real world. Knowing Elena, she's latching onto the first new and shiny thing she can. I'm hoping it's a phase."

Tyler gripped her hand in comfort, knowing Grace mourned the loss of the close relationship she'd once had with Elena. Their parent's deaths hadn't been the catalyst, but it had been the straw which broke the camel's back.

"Will Stefan go for it, do you think?" Matt asked, persistent in his line of questioning.

Grace shook her head and swallowed a bite of her burger. "Let's just say that Elena reminds him a bit too much of an … old friend."

-x-x-x-x-x-

"I'm meeting Bonnie at the Grill," Elena told Jenna, as she walked to the front door.

"Ok, have fun." She didn't get far before Jenna rounded on Elena again. "Wait! I got this. Don't stay out late, it's a school night."

Elena chuckled. "Well done, Aunt Jenna."

Jenna smiled and walked into the kitchen, satisfied. Elena, still chuckling, walked to the front door. Opening it, she gasped in shock, seeing Stefan standing on the other side. "Oh."

Stefan smiled. "Sorry, I was about to knock. I was hoping to catch Grace. I wanted to apologize to her for my disappearing act earlier."

Elena managed to hide her disappointment he wasn't there to see her. "No worries. Grace isn't here right now, but she did tell us you have issues with blood."

Stefan chuckled. "Yeah. We didn't meet under the best of circumstances, Grace and I, but I'm pleased she was there." Unbeknownst to Elena, he wasn't just talking about her current life. "How's your leg?"

"Oh, it's fine," Elena assured him. "Just a scratch, barely. I would ask how you knew where we lived, but Grace probably told you."

Stefan nodded. "That, and it's a small town. All I would have to do is ask the first person I saw." He pulled a small journal out of his back pocket. "Another reason I'm here is because I thought you might want this back. I found it on the path."

Elena was shocked to see her journal, not even having realized she'd lost it. "Ooh, I must have dropped it. I – thank you."

"Don't worry," Stefan continued, "I didn't … read it."

Elena's eyebrows rose a tiny bit. "No? Why not? Most people would have."

"Well, I wouldn't want anyone to read mine."

"You keep a journal?" Elena asked, shocked.

"Yeah," Stefan replied, "if I don't write it down, I forget it. Memories are too important."

Elena continued staring at him. With every word coming out of his mouth, she believed they were forming a strong connection with each other. "Yeah. I'm just gonna, um, you don't have to stay out there." She backed away and walked into the house, to put her journal away.

Stefan stood at the door and saw the line where it would close. He couldn't get in and he didn't want to. Walking back a few steps, he leaned against the porch railing. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Having seen he hadn't entered, Elena came back to the door, a confused and amused expression on her face.

Stefan spoke, not wanting to get into a full conversation of why he didn't go into the house. "I only came to give you your journal back. I was hoping to catch Grace before she went to the Mystic Grill, but I suppose I'll just have to meet her there."

Elena couldn't quite disguise how disgruntled she was, but Stefan ignored it. He'd seen it before in another woman and it sent a rather unpleasant shiver down his spine. "I'm heading to the Grill myself. I'm meeting a friend."

Stefan gave a small smile, hiding the discomfort that had settled in his stomach. "Well, I'm a gentleman and I don't think your siblings would like it if I let you head there alone, since we are heading in the same direction."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Bonnie and Caroline had joined Tyler, Matt and Grace. They'd all moved to a larger table, knowing Elena would be there soon and they would need more space. Matt held off on asking anymore questions about Elena. He knew he was winding Grace up with his pestering, but it was hard for him to move on after a relationship he had invested so much into.

Tyler and Grace had put a small amount of alcohol into their soft drinks when no adult had been around, much to everyone else's secret amusement.

As they were chatting about their first day back at school, Grace saw Elena and Stefan walking into the Grill. Grace gritted her teeth at the expression on Elena's face. Peeking over at Matt, she grimaced in apology and he gave a small shrug in return. Elena and Stefan approached the table and Matt stood, holding his hand out to Stefan.

"Hi, I'm Matt," he greeted. "It's nice to meet you."

Stefan shook his hand. "Hi. Stefan."

Matt gave a short nod to Elena, but otherwise said nothing as he sat back down. That caused her smile to falter a bit, but she shook it off. Grace moved aside a small amount, so Stefan could shift his chair next to her a bit more. This action caused Elena to be on the opposite side of the table and it was clear she wasn't happy about it.

As soon as introductions and greetings were out of the way, Caroline started in on the expected interrogation. "So, you were born in Mystic Falls?"

Stefan made a sound of agreement. "And moved when I was still young."

"Parents?"

"My parents passed away," Stefan stated in a simple manner.

Elena was the only one at the table who didn't notice the tone in which it was stated; the cool indifference. A sheen of tears was present in her eyes, thinking this was another thing they had in common, with her own parent's deaths still fresh on her mind. "I'm sorry."

Stefan gave her a quick, slight dismissive glance. Tyler and Matt both met Grace's gaze, asking the obvious question with their eyes. Grace gave a small nod, letting them know Stefan hadn't had a good relationship with one or both of his parents; they both understood parental problems.

Grace, on the other hand, was the only one who knew the real reason Stefan didn't want to linger on the subject. It was for the same reason she, herself, never tried to think of Giuseppe Salvatore.

"Any siblings?" Elena asked.

Stefan gave a sardonic smile. "None that I talk to."

Grace snorted. "You two need to sort that out. Preferably soon."

Stefan grimaced, having caught the undercurrent of anger in her tone. He knew she was right. "I hope you said the same to him."

Grace just nodded. Not long after she'd met Stefan again, she'd run across the other Salvatore brother. If anything, he'd been even more enthusiastic in finding her alive again after all this time than his brother had been.

"I live with my uncle," Stefan told the others.

Caroline was smart enough to steer the conversation away from family. Everyone at the table had family issues and, if Stefan didn't want to talk about his, it was up to him. "So, Stefan, if you're new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow."

"It's a back to school thing at the Falls," Bonnie interjected.

"Of course, he's going," Grace cut in towards Bonnie, before continuing as she glanced at Stefan, "You'll be there. There are a lot of social events in Mystic Falls and this is going to be your first."

Stefan smiled.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Mystic Falls, 1858

-x-x-x-x-x-

Temperance had snuck into Stefan's rooms. She was laying on his bed with him, in only her nightclothes, trying to be quiet so Giuseppe wouldn't wake up from his drunken stupor in the study.

"I finished the story," she told him. "I am not sure I liked the ending."

"Why?" Stefan asked, confused. He was sure she would have liked it. "The girl was happy. She had her brother back and they were able to grow up together."

Temperance rolled her eyes. "I liked that part. I didn't like that the horrible man wasn't punished for what he did. Everyone just forget all the bad things he'd done when the boy and girl found each other again."

Stefan considered this. "Maybe they didn't want to remember anymore. They had each other. What was the point in looking back at the bad?"

"Because their past is what made them so strong," Temperance explained. "Without their past, they wouldn't be who they became. Making sure the man was punished would have been them proving they were better than him and they would recover."

Stefan nodded in understanding. "That makes sense."

They were both quiet for a moment.

"Do you think Damon is okay?" Stefan asked. "He was quite angry earlier."

"He'll be fine. I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding."

They both knew it wasn't, though. Damon and Giuseppe had been arguing with more frequency; it was getting worse as Damon grew older and began forming his own opinions outside of Giuseppe's influence. The tension in their relationship had grown with Lillian Salvatore's death from consumption earlier in the year.

Stefan reached out and held Temperance's hand in his own, needing the comfort. As he grew, he began seeing things differently. Where he had once seen Temperance as a sister-like figure, everything had changed. His father had told himself and Damon she would marry into one of the prominent families when she was older. Neither of them liked it, as it meant they would have to share her with someone else.

Temperance glanced down at their joined hands and smiled, coming to a decision she had been debating for a long while.

"Stefan?"

"Yeah?"

"Close your eyes."

He did. His bed moved a little and he felt the brush of her hair as she leaned over him. Before she could question herself, Temperance leaned down and pressed her lips to his. His eyes shooting open, Stefan took a deep breath in shock.

As Temperance pulled away, unsure how he would react, Stefan gave a small smile. Her eyes lighting up, Temperance leaned down and gave him another kiss. Stefan's other hand came up and tangled in her hair.

From outside Stefan's partially closed bedroom door, a tall figure with icy blue eyes was stood peering through the crack and watching the preteens exchange their first kisses.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Mystic Falls, 2009 – Present Day

-x-x-x-x-x-

Later that evening, Grace was sat with Stefan in the Salvatore Boarding House, in his room. Stefan changed his shirt and sat with her at the small table.

"You sure you're okay with being here?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm staying with Tyler tonight. He's agreed to cover for me until I get there. My family won't know."

"Are you seeing him?" He was curious, because Grace had told him there was no romantic attachment in her life and yet Tyler acted like it was different. He was also mature enough to admit that he was a little jealous. There was a time it was him in Tyler's shoes.

Grace shook her head and gave a small laugh, knowing what Stefan was thinking. "No. Tyler and I know how to have fun with no strings – kind of like we used to." Stefan smiled, knowing he'd been caught out. "He's an asshole, but he's always been good to me. We're both free to see other people if we want."

Stefan chuckled, having some idea the last part hadn't just been said for his own benefit. "That's good." He was quiet for a moment. "Everything you told me about Elena is true. I can see she's a good person, but …"

"Elena can be self-absorbed." Grace understood what Stefan was trying to say. "I love my sister, Stefan, but it doesn't mean I'm blind to her faults. She's not as good at reading people and situations as she likes to think. Elena has a very black and white way of looking at things, which clashes with my own world view. I have my own problems, of course; I can be shallow, cold to those I don't like and even those I do, I'm a bit too blunt and probably shouldn't speak my mind as much as I do, and I have always had – in every life – raging anger issues. At least I admit it, though. I don't walk around pretending I don't have my problems."

Stefan was quiet as he listened to her rant, wondering how much she was still holding in.

"I love my sister, I do; I just wish I knew when I stopped liking her."

Grace had tears in her eyes by the time she finished. She had said most of this to him and others before. Grace missed the once close relationship she had with Elena, but she couldn't forget about all the qualities in Elena that made her upset and angry. Stefan gripped her hands in his own, trying to comfort her.

"Is there any chance that part of this had to do with your past lives?"

Grace nodded. "I used to think part of it could have been. I look at her and I see the others; sometimes, I can't help but compare them. But after so many lifetimes, I've learned how to judge the present without the past colouring my views. Elena is different to Katherine and the others that came before. As much as I notice the similarities, I also notice the differences. I blame our parents for encouraging Elena's more prominent faults. I hope I'm jumping ahead of the gun. She's only seventeen."

"And you're only sixteen."

"With several other lifetimes in my head. Let's not forget that."

Stefan shook his head. "More than that, from what you've told me. People mature in different ways. Give Elena time. She might surprise you."

Grace smiled. "I hope so."

"How do they all know, by the way?" Stefan asked. "About your magic and past lives? It's clear they don't know everything, but I'm surprised they know anything considering what happened in your last life."

Grace grimaced. "I had a strong magical outburst when I was eight and burnt down this abandoned house, we'd all snuck away to play in. They kept it secret for me, though kept pestering me afterwards. You know how it works, Stefan. I don't remember the truth until I hit puberty, though I always have some vague knowledge. This time, the recollection was the worst I've had. Tyler's uncle helped me through it and I will never be able to thank him enough for it. It's also how Tyler found out more than I wanted him to, at the time. After that, I told the others as much of the whole story as I would allow myself to and they calmed down. Matt was afraid to be alone with me for years after my outburst, but not because he was afraid of me. He knew I was struggling to control it. My stronger temperament in this life hasn't helped."

"Who all knows?"

"Matt, Tyler, Elena, Bonnie, Caroline and Jeremy among my friends – family in Jeremy's case. My aunt, Jenna, is aware and both of my parents knew, as well – my father only vaguely. As do Sheila and a few other people, some of them you don't know. My biological father knew most of all."

Stefan nodded and was quiet for a moment. "Who was he? You're biological father."

Grace grimaced and began explaining. It was the worst kept secret in Mystic Falls that Grace Gilbert was born from an affair. Miranda Gilbert had, not long after Elena's birth, walked out on her husband and child in a rare moment of weakness. Elena hadn't been an easy baby and it had taken its toll on the new parents – Miranda worst of all. She had left one morning, naught but a note on the kitchen table and driven away from Mystic Falls.

From this point, all anyone knew was she returned from a four-month disappearance, her second child within her womb. Grayson had welcomed his wife back with open arms and raised Grace as his own, even officially adopting her before her first birthday.

"Not long after the adoption," Grace continue to explain, "my mother went back to search for my biological father. Grayson, being a doctor, knew they needed to know if there would be any medical problems from my paternal side of the family. My mother knew how to find him. My father had known about the pregnancy and had waited for news ever since my mother returned to Mystic Falls. He hadn't expected it to take so long. Nor, I expect, was my mother expecting him to fight for his right to see me."

"Why not?" Stefan asked. It was a parent's right to see their child.

"Because of his condition, among other reasons." Grace rolled her eyes. "I'm lucky my father had some good people on his side to fight for me, or I might never have known him."

Stefan understood who those people were. He'd met some of them when he'd seen her again.

"He died when I was thirteen." Grace's eyes showed her grief.

Before Stefan could do anything to comfort her, a door opening made them pull away from each other and turn around. Zach Salvatore entered the room, holding a newspaper, not pleased in the least. He ignored Grace and threw the paper down in front of Stefan.

"You promised."

Stefan and Grace both saw the front-page article about Darren Malloy and Brooke Fenton. The headline read 'BODIES FOUND MUTILATED BY ANIMAL'.

Stefan was confused. "This was an animal attack."

Zach didn't believe him. "Don't give me that. I know the game. You tear them up enough, they always suspect an animal attack. You said you had it under control."

"And he does." Grace was angry on Stefan's behalf. "I'm helping him, Zach; you know that."

Zach wasn't hopeful. "Over one hundred years of animal blood hasn't kept him from falling off the rails. How do you know you can?"

"Because animal blood is never meant to be a permanent solution," Grace answered. "Just a bit of human blood at a time and he'll be able to build to where he needs to be. This wasn't him, Zach. I promise."

There was a high chance Stefan would relapse a few times before then, but Grace didn't believe Zach needed to know of such a possibility.

Zach, faced with them both, was now on edge. "Please, Uncle Stefan. Mystic Falls is a different place now. It's been quiet for years, but there are people who still remember. And you being here, it's just going to stir things up."

"It's not my intention," Stefan told him.

"Then what is? Why did you come back? After all this time, why now?"

Zach didn't know the truth about Grace. He knew of her magic, but he held no knowledge of her past lives and they wanted to keep it that way. Stefan's tone turned sharp. "I don't have to explain myself."

Zach avoided Grace's glare as he tried to continue calmly. "I know that you can't change what you are. But you don't belong here anymore."

Stefan stared at his hands. "Where do I belong?"

"I can't tell you what to do. But coming back here was a mistake." Leaving the newspaper behind, he gave an apologetic pat on Grace's shoulder and left the room. Stefan watched him leave, resigned.

"He might be right," Stefan admitted. "What if I can't be helped?"

"You can be," Grace assured him. "I'm not going to abandon you in this Stefan, no matter how long it takes. I've done terrible things in my own past. I'd be a fool to judge you."

She stood, walked over to a cupboard and opened it, seeing all his journals throughout the years. She grabbed a simple leather bound one and walked back over to the table. Opening it, they inspected the picture inside, labelled 'Katherine, 1864'.

Grace turned the journal and picture to face Stefan. "Every action has a consequence. Don't let her ruin anything more than she already has."

The picture was of a woman who was identical to Elena Gilbert.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war, in our very own Mystic Falls. How many casualties resulted in this battle?"

Back in History class with Tanner, Grace tuned out most of his speech, sketching in the margins of her notebook; drawing little bunnies, foxes and so on. She didn't have the same passion for art Jeremy had, nor did she have the patience to study it in all its forms, but she enjoyed using a vast variety of supplies. From paints, to inks, to charcoals and everything in between.

"Ms. Bennett?"

Bonnie peeked up from where she was also doodling in her notebook, like a deer in the headlights. "Um … a lot? I'm not sure. Like a whole lot."

A few of the students sniggered.

Tanner wasn't impressed. "Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett."

Bonnie's face fell, as she was shamed in front of all her classmates.

"Mr. Donovan. Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?"

Matt was the type of guy who let undertone insults fly right over his head. "It's okay, Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it."

Grace let out a small giggle, as she shot Matt a thumbs up.

"Hmm. Elena? Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical events?"

Elena looked like a small animal caught by a large predator, before she gave a minor shake of her head. "I'm sorry, I – I don't know."

It was this that made Tanner lose his cool. "I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena, but the personal excuses ended with summer break. Grace? What about you?"

The pencil Grace was using snapped into two at this statement, because Tanner hadn't been lenient, at all. He had not been less of an asshole by any degree of imagination. She gave her teacher a false little smile.

"There were 346 casualties," Grace told him, "unless you're counting local civilians."

"That's correct." Tanner gave a small nod. "Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle."

This time it was another voice that cut across, before Grace could elaborate. "Actually, there were twenty-seven, sir."

Stefan caught the entire classes attention as he spoke. "Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss."

Tanner regarded him for a moment. "Our new student. Mister … ?"

"Salvatore."

"Salvatore. Any relation to the originals settlers here at Mystic Falls?"

"Distant."

"Well, very good. Except, there is no evidence of civilian casualties."

"There is, sir," Grace spoke again. "The founder's archives are stored in Civil Hall, if you'd like to brush up on your facts." Everyone gawped at Grace in shock, grins forming on their faces. "Mr. Tanner."

Tanner showed no expression. It was a simple running battle between the two of them, who could one up the other. "Hmm."

As he turned back to the chalk board, Grace and Stefan smiled at each other. Their eyes, however, reflected the pain of memories this lesson had brought to the surface.

-x-x-x-x-x-

That night, the party was in full swing.

Grace was with Caroline, stood in the gazebo, watching Bonnie and Elena by the bonfire. Using her magic, she refined the hearing in her left ear and listened in on the conversation the other two were having. Caroline browsed the area, covering for her by chatting about nonsense and giving the allusion they were in a conversation.

"Just admit it, Elena."

"Oh, ok, so he's a little pretty."

"He has that romance novel stare," Bonnie teased. "Stefan looked deep into her eyes, piercing her very soul. Come on, just admit that you like him."

Grace scoffed. "I'm going to be sick."

"What are they saying?" Caroline asked, curious.

Taking a large gulp of her beer, Grace was angry. "When did Elena become the girl that needs a guy in her life to function like a normal human being? This is not Twilight. Bella Swan in not a role model for young girls."

"Hey!" Caroline protested. "I happen to like those books."

"And I still love you in spite of that, Caroline."

Caroline's expression of mock offense sent Grace into peals of laughter.

By the fire, Elena and Bonnie were still engaged in conversation, unaware they were being listened to.

"So, where is he?" Bonnie asked, searching the area with her eyes.

"I don't know. You tell me; you're the psychic one."

Bonnie nodded. "Right, I forgot. Ok, give me a sec. Grams says I have to concentrate."

"Wait! You need a crystal ball." Elena bent down and picked up a discarded beer bottle. "Ta da!"

Chuckling, Bonnie reached out and grabbed it. Immediately, her eyes widened and her whole body stiffened, going cold. Elena was confused. After a second, Bonnie let go of the bottle, still leaving it in Elena's hand.

"What?" Elena questioned. Was Bonnie alright?

Bonnie was shaken. "That was weird. When I touched you, I saw a crow."

Remembering the crow in the graveyard, Elena's blood ran cold. She hadn't told anyone about the incident at the graveyard. "What?"

"A crow," Bonnie elaborated. "There was fog, a man."

Elena tried to stop her hands from shaking. She hadn't mentioned any of this to anyone – not even Grace, who she was sure would be able to explain it to her.

Bonnie gave a rapid shake of her head. "I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Ok, I'm gonna get a refill."

Bonnie walked away, leaving Elena by the fire, shaken and confused. Examining the students around her, Elena decided it might be time to talk to someone but, as she caught sight of Grace and Caroline, she stopped.

Stefan was with them.

"Hey," Grace greeted, as she saw Stefan approach. "You made it."

Stefan smiled. "I did. Hi, Caroline."

"Hi, Stefan." Turning to Grace, Caroline made her excuses. "I'm going to go and see if Bonnie's all right; she left Elena pretty quickly there. I'll see you later."

After watching Caroline's retreating form, Grace smiled at Stefan and gestured with her head for them to walk.

"You're the talk of the town," Grace told him, as they moved away from the party, hoping for quiet.

"Am I?"

Grace gave an affirmative hum. "Mysterious new guy in town. People have questions."

Stefan chuckled. "Brings back memories."

Grace was quiet for a moment. "It does."

"I still remember that day when we found you. Did you ever find out why you were there?"

Grace just shook her head.

"What about your life now?" Stefan asked. "I've been hear rumours myself. People still talk about the affair."

Neither of them could stop the roll of their eyes. Gossip was central to life, even now.

"I've had a good life. If anyone holds the circumstances of my birth against me, then I've never caught a whisper of it. Except from Tanner, of course." Grace scoffed. Tanner's opinion meant nothing to her. "My mother told me the story once. She found a party in the middle of the woods and was invited to join. She scolded herself for it later, knowing they could have been anyone and she turned out to be right. She was drunk enough to end up in my father's arms, but not drunk enough to forget what happened a few hours later. You could say it sobered her up."

Stefan winced, remembering the first time he had witnessed the truth of Grace's paternal family. Miranda must have been terrified. "How did she react?"

A muscle in Grace's jaw jumped. It was answer enough. Stefan didn't ask how Miranda had been kept quiet, as he could make several educated guesses.

"Did Grayson Gilbert know?"

"No. I think he suspected something in later years – which would explain a great many things that happened between us – but he never said anything if he did. He found it difficult enough to accept my magic, though I know he loved me."

Stefan watched Grace carefully as she spoke. He could see the sadness in her eyes and the tenseness to her stance. He found it difficult to hear, as he knew not a single life of hers in this world had been easy for her.

He simply held her hand and let her know he as there for her.

She smiled.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Tyler and Jeremy had been drinking beer and talking in low voices. They didn't often talk like this – or, at all – but they owed it to Grace. Neither of them wanted to disappoint her like they had this summer again.

As they shook hands, agreeing to hang out more often and get to know each other, the very brunette they had avoided with great success all night approached them.

"Tyler, Jeremy." She was smiling, as if she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Why are you here, Vicki?" Jeremy asked. "Need another fix?"

Tyler snorted under his breath. "Or are you already high and other needs have made themselves known?"

Vicki's smile vanished. "I -"

"You what?" Tyler's prominent temper boiled to the surface. "Forgot you already had a boyfriend, when you went for Gilbert? Forgot that I was friends with his sister, so I'd inevitably find out about you screwing us both?"

"You're more than 'just friends' with Grace," Vicki spat out, angry. Even when going with her, if Grace called, he'd drop everything and run.

"That's got nothing to do with you anymore." It was Jeremy who spoke. "Just leave us both alone. Go and play another fool. You want to complain how bad you've got it, Vicki? How about the fact you never do anything to change it?"

Vicki had tears in her eyes. She thought he understood.

"Nothing will change unless you want it to, so don't come crying to us when you fall down that hill again."

They left it there. This was Matt's sister and they had enough respect for him to not throw all their anger at her. They walked away and left her standing there, trying not to cry over the choices she had made.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"You've got some good friends here."

They could both see Caroline and Matt watching them from a distance, with beer cups in their hands.

"I do." Grace was smiling. "When we were younger, it was Elena, Bonnie, Caroline and I against the world. Things have changed as we've grown older, but we're still close. Caroline grew into the eccentric young woman she is now, and I stuck by her through everything. Bonnie and Elena began developing their own twosome. We've all developed different personalities. Caroline loves all the social events and cheerleading; she'd a bit of a perfectionist. Bonnie and Elena are social butterflies, as well, but in the more typical small-town girl way."

"Like Elena dating Matt Donovan," Stefan guessed.

"And Bonnie being the best friend on the side. She doesn't have much of a life outside of my sister and her needs; or focusing on helping her friends over herself. I don't think she even realizes she revolves everything around everyone other than herself. The worst part – with them both – is the absolute lack of strength."

Stefan knew what she was trying to say. It was old speak. "They're the eternal damsels."

Grace was pleased she was talking to Stefan about this. She had hoped to find him and her brother during this life, having believed they would be far away from here. Often, she would speak seriously with Caroline, but they tried to prevent negative thoughts from clouding their judgements. They had their own problems and didn't want to judge Elena and Bonnie on their own quirks.

"The eternal judgemental damsels," Grace corrected. "That's the main problem. If it doesn't fit into their world view, then it's wrong and needs to be corrected. They have quite a black and white view of the world. I have no doubt they'll find out about you and, when they do, keep your past to yourself as much as possible. They shall judge."

Stefan watched her carefully for a long moment. "You speak from experience."

Grace met his gaze and gave a short nod. There was no elaboration and there didn't need to be. Her very first life – not of this world – was rarely talked about and he could guess that it would be more of a fantasy to them. Her other lives, in this world, even he didn't know all the details. There were things she would never share. He knew more than most and there were still things he had found difficult to hear as a human. As a vampire, he had a better perspective.

He could speak from experience with the difficulties Elena and Bonnie would have been facing. He also knew Grace understood that and it was why she wasn't taking any of it too personally.

That didn't mean it didn't hurt.

Stefan was pleased she could speak to him about her burdens and what she was thinking. Grace loved Elena and Bonnie. She would be one of the first to defend them and protect them. But, with Stefan, she could release her worries and fears, without letting them bottle up inside.

It was after, as they stood quietly, when Grace noticed the change in Stefan's stance. For a split second, dark veins appeared under his eyes as he gazed at the party. She gritted her teeth and gripped his wrist, pulling him away and walking down the bridge.

"We're doing this now," Grace told him, as she pulled him into the woods. "No argument."

He didn't dare.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Walking through the woods, Vicki knew she'd screwed up. Using Jeremy and Tyler was always going to catch up to her.

Jeremy had been there, hurting as much as she was, and she had thought it was nice having someone who understood the pain. Tyler was a jackass, but he had always been good to Grace and she had hoped he could be good to her in the same way, as well. She had never believed they would find out they were both with her at the same time.

When they did, it was over.

Hearing a creek, Vicki spun around. "Jeremy? Tyler?"

She was hoping they had followed her. Seeing nothing except for a fog crawling in by her feet, she continued walking. Vicki failed to see the dark clad figure that appeared behind her, but the sharp sting of pain on her neck let her know she was being attacked.

Terror and pain filled her as she screamed.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Matt decided it was time to bite the bullet and approach Elena. He deserved answers and not half explanations anymore.

Walking up to her, he caught her attention as she was casting an eye over everyone else. "Looking for someone?"

Elena was quiet for a moment, cautious as she regarded him. "Hey. Yeah, I was trying to find Grace."

Matt didn't but it. Grace was with Stefan on the bridge a few minutes ago and Elena had been making her interest in the new guy clear. "When you broke up with me, you said it was because you needed some time alone. You don't particularly look like you're searching for solitude to me."

Elena tried to make excuses. "Matt, you don't understand, it's -"

Matt shook his head. "That's okay, Elena. You do what you have to do. Just … next time you decide to break up with a guy, do the both of you a favour and don't lie to him. It would hurt a lot less."

Walking away, he ignored Elena trying to get his attention again. He hadn't meant to say any of that. He had wanted to say he wasn't giving up on them and he still believed they could work out. As soon as he started saying the words, he realized he no longer meant them. He might have listened to Grace too much, but he knew she was right; he deserved better than the way Elena had treated him.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Grace was laughing with Stefan in the gazebo when she heard the smash of a bottle close to her. It caught her attention and she saw Jeremy stumbling off into the woods. Even worse, Elena was following behind him and she was not happy in the least.

"Oh, dear lord."

"What is it?" Stefan asked.

Grace gestured. "My brother and sister."

Stefan was worried for her. "Do you need help?"

Grace shook her head. "I have a feeling you're not going to want to witness this. Jeremy! Elena!" She ran off after them, leaving Stefan standing there, smiling as he watched her.

Entering the treeline, she caught up to them both. Elena was trying to apologize and Jeremy didn't want to hear it. Grace grabbed Elena's arm and stopped her from walking.

"You've done enough, Elena. Leave him be."

"He's drunk," Elena pointed out, "and stumbling through the woods. We don't need him getting lost."

Before Grace could say anything else, Jeremy let out a grunt and fell to the floor a few feet away from them. Immediately, he came face-to-face with Vicki Donovan lying there, with a huge bleeding wound on her neck.

"Vicki? Oh, god, no!"

Grace and Elena scrambled over, kneeling beside her. Jeremy moved to the side, letting Grace assess the situation. As soon as Grace touched Vicki's shoulder, her eyes snapped open.

"Jeremy, grab her legs," Grace ordered. "Elena, her shoulders. I'm going to try and stop the bleeding, but we need to get her out of here."

Grace had smelt the blood as soon as she entered the treeline and she now recognised the type of wound it was. There was no need for her to be told what had done this to Vicki. She focused on getting her to safety.

Jeremy and Elena followed her instructions and picked her up. Grace took off her outer blouse, leaving her in a vest shirt underneath and pressed it to Vicki's bleeding wound. Grace's lips were moving without sound, but neither of her siblings needed to ask to know she was muttering a spell under her breath to slow the bleeding.

As they left the treeline, Elena yelled out, "Somebody help!"

Everybody moved out of the way staring at them in shock and drunken fear. Matt's heart dropped out from his chest as he saw who they were carrying.

"Vicki?" he called out, shocked and panicked. "Vicki, what the hell?!"

Tyler, who was close by, cleared off a food table and helped them lay Vicki on it. "What happened?" he asked.

Matt ran over and stood by his sister's side, looking her over. "Somebody, call an ambulance!"

Tyler turned around and snapped at everyone around them. "Everybody back up, give her some space!"

Grace continued pressing her shirt to Vicki's wound, but had stopped her spell, not able to continue in public. "It's her neck. Something bit her. She'd losing a lot of blood."

Grabbing Matt's hand, she guided him to pressing on Vicki's wound which he did without hesitation. He switched places with her and tried to speak to his sister, who was struggling to keep her eyes open. "Vicki, Vicki, come on, open your eyes, look at me."

As Elena, Matt, Tyler and Jeremy were taking care of Vicki and trying to keep her conscious, Grace glanced up. Stefan was hiding in the crowd, scrutinizing the scene before him in shock. His eyes met hers and he gave a small nod, before turning and leaving.

He needed to get out of here and find out what was going on.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Running into the Boarding House, Stefan glanced at Zach who was sitting at his desk doing paperwork.

"What's going on?" Zach asked, concerned.

"Someone else was attacked tonight, Zach, and it wasn't me."

Stefan ran up the stairs and headed straight for his room. Closing the door behind him, he walked in a few feet, before coming to a halt. He heard the squawk of a bird and the flapping of wings, before he saw the crow. It flew in through his open window terrace and passed him, landing on the rafters in the corners of the room. Watching it for a few moments, every muscle in his body tensed and he needed no further explanation.

Turning back around, he faced the dark clad figure now standing in his open window. "Damon."

The dark-haired man smirked. "Hello, brother."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Taking a few steps into the room, the crew flew over him and landed on the small railing of the window terrace.

"Crow's a bit much, don't you think?" Stefan questioned.

Damon examined the objects on the table. "Wait till you see what I can do with the fog."

The brother's eyes – icy blue and forest green – met for a long moment, before Stefan asked, "When'd you get here?"

Damon began walking around, his manner nonchalant. "Well, I couldn't miss your first day of school." He leaned against the shelves, searching through all the artefacts his little brother had accumulated. "Your hair's different. I like it."

"It's been fifteen years, Damon."

"Thank god," Damon exclaimed, in overexaggerated relief. "I couldn't take another day of the nineties. That horrible grunge look?" He chuckled. "Did not suit you." He walked around the room again, peering back and forth from his brother as he did. "Remember, Stefan, it's important to stay away from fads."

"Why are you here?" Stefan demanded, sick and tired of the small talk.

"I miss my little brother," Damon told him, as if it could explain his actions to the one who knew him best.

"You hate small towns. It's boring. There's nothing for you to do."

Damon shrugged. "I've managed to keep myself busy."

Stefan glared at him. "You know, you left that girl alive tonight. That's very clumsy of you."

Damon leaned against the desk, giving a fake 'oops' expression. "Ah. That could be a problem …" his eyes once again met Stefan's "… for you."

Stefan shook his head. "Why are you here now?"

Damon stared. "I could ask you the same question. However, I'm fairly certain your answer came be summed up all into one little word … Grace."

As Stefan's face remained blank, Damon smirked.

-x-x-x-x-x-

An ambulance. The police. Animal control.

Everyone and everything had arrived. Grace was stood in the gazebo with a beer, while Elena stood at the railing, watching the ambulance drive away with Vicki – and Matt – inside.

Bonnie approached them all. "Hey, Caroline and I are gonna go Mainline Coffee and wait for news."

"Will you give me a couple of minutes, Bonnie?" Grace asked. "I'd like to come, as well, and help Caroline sober up before she goes home."

"Sure."

Elena regarded her little sister. "I'm gonna take Jeremy home."

Bonnie took a deep breath. "Elena, Grace, there's no way I'm psychic. I know that. But whatever I saw, or I think I saw, I have this feeling …"

"Bonnie, what?" Elena questioned.

Grace didn't need Bonnie to finish her sentence. She did it for her, already knowing. "That it's just the beginning." Bonnie nodded.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"She took my breath away; Grace," Damon continued. "Her hairs styled a little different, but she's still the same." His eyes turned hard. "Now, her sister – Elena – she's a dead ringer for Katherine."

Stefan said nothing. He'd had the same thought when he first saw her. It was why he hadn't called Damon about Grace, because he had to make sure. When Grace said she'd seen his brother in Louisiana, it hadn't mattered anymore.

"Is it working, Stefan?" Damon goaded, approaching his younger brother again. "Being around them, being in their world? Does it make you feel alive?"

"Elena is not Katherine," Stefan told his brother, slowly. He could see the temper boiling just beneath the surface of his brother's expression.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Well, let's hope not. We both know how that ended." He was thoughtful now. "You know, I can't quite believe it took us over a hundred years to know Grace's kind existed and you know I'm not talking about her magic."

If Stefan was tense before, he was even more so now. He had wanted to break that part to Damon slowly.

"Tell me something, when was the last time you had something stronger than a squirrel?"

An hour ago. Grace hadn't been happy by his other face coming out the little it had and wanted him to get a jump start. It had been a couple of drops from the tip of her finger, but the changes it had brought about were apparent to him already. He knew this would finally be the push he needed. "I know what you're doing, Damon. It's not gonna work."

Damon hit his shoulder, hard. "Yeah? Come on. Don't you crave a little?"

Stefan shook his head. "Stop it."

Damon hit him again. "Let's do it. Together. I saw a couple of girls out there."

Stefan stepped back as Damon landed another hit.

"Or just, let's just cut to the chase, let's go straight for the Katherine lookalike."

This made Stefan angry, because he knew where Damon's fury was coming from. No one hated Katherine more than him. He shoved Damon back. "Stop it!"

"Imagine what her blood tastes like!" Damon continued, not deterred. "I can."

The mirror off to the side showed Stefan's face had turned to show the monster beneath the surface. Vampire fangs, black veins and blood shot eyes were exposed.

Stefan glared at his brother in fury. "I said stop!"

Growling, Stefan pushed Damon back and they both went flying across the room, out of the window and landed hard on the asphalt in front of the house. Picking himself off the floor, amidst the shattered glass, Stefan's energy returned to him far quicker than it would have before.

He stood and dusted himself off, scanning the area around him and seeing Damon by the hedges. Damon was staring at him, no expression on his face. It was clear he had noticed the slight difference.

"I was impressed," Damon told him, giving his brother a critical eye. "I give it a … six and a half. Missing a little style, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very good with the whole face" he made a growling, squeal of a sound "thing. It was good."

Stefan had had enough. "You know, it's all fun and games, Damon, huh? But wherever you go, people die."

Damon's brow furrowed and he gave a minor shrug. "That's a given."

"Not here," Stefan denied. "I won't allow it."

Damon smiled. "I take that as an invitation."

"Damon, please," Stefan begged. "After all these years, can't we just give it a rest? She's alive. I get it; you blame me – I blame myself! But she's here now."

Damon, who had been quiet as Stefan spoke, stepped forward. "I promised you an eternity of misery, so I'm just keeping my word."

Stefan gritted his teeth. "Just stay away from Elena. She is not Katherine."

Damon ignored him, inspecting Stefan's hands. "Where's your ring?"

Startled, Stefan's eyes snapped down and found his fingers bare of his daylight ring.

"Oh yeah." Damon played around with his own ring, faking concern and nervousness. "Sun's coming up in a couple of hours and, poof, ashes to ashes."

Stefan stared at him and Damon chuckled.

"Relax," Damon instructed, walking over to him and holding out his hand, where the ring rested in his palm. "It's right here."

Stefan was cautious as he took it and put it back on his finger. Suddenly, Damon's hand shot out and gripped Stefan's throat, his own vampire face showing. As he was thrown through the air, Stefan hit the green wooden fence where the cars were parked. Stefan was lucky he had enough strength to land on his hands and knees, before pushing himself to his feet.

Damon was right next to him, scrutinizing him in the same strange manner. "You should know better than to think you're stronger than me. You lost that fight a while ago. I wouldn't try it again."

Stefan glared.

Damon was going to say more, but a rustling noise caught his attention and he grinned. "I think we woke Zach up." He turned around and walked away, calling out, "Sorry, Zach!"

Stefan watched him go, before pulling out his phone and sending a quick message.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Jeremy wished he had decided to go with Grace, instead of waiting with Elena. Downing the last of his beer, he tried to ignore his oldest sister as she stood next to him.

"I called Jenna," Elena told him. "She's on her way."

Jeremy threw his beer bottle away and pulled out a bottle of water from his backpack. He needed to keep hydrated if he didn't want one hell of a hangover in the morning and he made a promise to Grace he planned to keep.

"I'm sorry, Jeremy."

He glanced at Elena when she said this, still not verbally replying.

Jeremy shook his head. "How about being sorry you weren't there for me? Even Grace, dealing with her own shit and her own grief, managed to notice the spiral I was in. You talk about wanting to be better, but we've both seen you in the cemetery writing in your diary – and not just yesterday. Is that supposed to be you moving on?"

Elena was silent for a moment and shook her head. "Mom and dad wouldn't have wanted this."

Jeremy grew angrier at this. "How about this, Elena? When you figure out how to be our sister again, come and talk to us. Until then, do what you want. Throw yourself at the new guy, even when he's made it plain he doesn't want anything from you. Keep pushing away the people you grew up with – your friends. Keep being selfish and putting people down. Try to ignore Grace's magic and the other lives she's lived, even when she, too, needs someone to just listen." Why did Elena think this thing Grace had with Tyler started? "But, until you get off your high horse, stay away from us."

Jeremy stood and walked away, leaving Elena watching his retreating form in shock, with tears in her eyes. Jeremy could sense her gaze. It was time she realized the rift between the siblings hadn't just been caused by their parent's deaths and she held a lot of fault herself.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Are you sober, yet?" Bonnie asked.

Caroline had her head in her hands. She'd overdone it on the booze if the sick sensation in her stomach was telling her right. It was as though she'd drunk the entire alcohol supply herself. "No."

Grace chuckled. "Keep drinking your coffee, Caroline. We've all got to get home."

Caroline gave a small smile. "Why am I never the one? Why is it always you, or Elena?"

Bonnie and Grace knew Caroline must have been building up to this for a while. She never usually complained in a direct manner to Grace, always encouraging her in every aspect.

Without waiting for an answer, Caroline continued. "I'm inappropriate. I always sat the wrong thing. And … you and Elena always say the right thing. Neither of you even try! You're always the one's that everyone picks. I try so hard, but I'm never the one."

Grace, not taking any of this personally, reached over and grabbed Caroline's hand in comfort. "Look at me." The blonde did. "You are Caroline Forbes. You are the only girl I know who can run several projects at the same time, keep up with her homework, be head cheerleader and have time for beauty sleep. You are not the stereotypical high school cheerleader you pretend to be and no one will convince me otherwise. You got through your parent's divorce, your father revealing he was gay and still came out in one piece. You are one of the most strong-willed people I know. You are one of my best friends and, one day, you are going to get what you deserve. I promise."

Caroline gave a small smile. "I'm not as strong as you." She was referring to Grace's past lives.

Grace shook her head. "Those were different times. They required different types of strength. The modern world is … difficult. Sometimes, I wish I could reverse time and go back, but I can't. No. You are Caroline Forbes. You are flawed, you are loving and you are perfect just the way you are."

Tears in her eyes, Caroline leaned over and hugged Grace, knowing she was her truest friend.

-x-x-x-x-x-

In the hospital room, Matt sat next to Vicki's bed. Her neck had been bandaged and she was unconscious, but alive.

He had been so afraid he was going to lose her. When Elena, Grace and Jeremy had carried her from the woods, he had been terrified. It was always so easy for him to recognize Vicki and he had known it was her the instant he'd seen her. Seeing the state she was in had sent him into a panic.

Vicki was all he had. Their parents were both screw ups and his sister was heading the same way, but he loved her all the same. He never doubted she loved him, despite the problems she had.

Hearing a small moan, Matt's gaze was drawn back to his sister and saw Vicki stir. The weight lifted off Matt's shoulders as he saw his sister's eyes open. "Vicki. Hey. Hey, it's okay. You're gonna be okay."

"Matt," Vicki managed to say in a whisper.

"Shh. Hey, don't try to talk, okay? You're fine."

Vicki stared at him, true terror in her eyes. "Vampire."

Matt's eyes went wide.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Sitting in her bedroom, Jeremy held a framed picture of his parents in his hands. Studying every detail, tears brimmed in his eyes and stuck to his eyelashes.

During the day, it was easier not to think about them. At night, when he had nothing to focus on, he fell apart all over again. He knew Grace found it as hard as he did, despite her issues with their father in the end. They'd spent many nights curled up in his room, or hers.

The dip in his bed made Jeremy glance around to see Jenna sitting next to him, her eyes shining. He gave a watery smile and leaned into her embrace, letting his tears fall. As he embraced his aunt, Jeremy was thankful she was there and angry at himself that he hadn't appreciated her before. He vowed not to do so again.

As they both let their tears fall, the smiling faces of Miranda and Grayson Gilbert stared up at them from their picture frame.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked, worried leaving Grace would cause a problem.

"Yeah. I've called for another ride. You just get Caroline home and focus on yourself tonight. I know you were freaked out."

Bonnie was grateful, peering back at Caroline in the car and at Grace again. "I'm not stupid. I know magic must exist here, because you have it. You couldn't have brought it with you otherwise. I just …" Bonnie was frightened "… I don't want your life. Any of them."

Grace hugged Bonnie, saying nothing. Bonnie had been interested in her very first life and had never wanted to talk about the darker points Grace had sometimes let them know about. It was relieving to know she hadn't overlooked them. Grace wasn't just convinced Bonnie was a true witch, but she was also a powerful one. A lesson she had learned in this world was, it didn't matter how late of a bloomer you were, certain lines of witches had extraordinary power running through their veins.

There was a reason, though, Grace hadn't told Bonnie this herself.

"Talk to your Grams, Bonnie," Grace instructed. "There is still a lot I haven't been able to tell you. If you need anything, don't ever forget I'm here."

Bonnie smiled.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Watching the car turn a corner, Grace allowed her peaceful and happy stance to shift. She had sensed his presence whilst drinking her coffee, before even reading Stefan's message. Taking a turn down a small alley, Grace stopped and looked around.

"Are you going to come out?" she asked.

For a long moment, everything was quiet, until a hand grazed her shoulder. Glancing behind her, Grace met the eyes of Damon Salvatore.

"I've missed you, Gracie." Damon's tone was sincere.

Grace turned to face him fully, with a smile on her lips. "I've missed you, too. I've been watching you over the years."

His hands moved to her waist and he leaned in closer. "You'll have to tell me all about it. Who else were you watching?"

Grace pursed her lips. "Not her. I couldn't seem to find her." Meeting his gaze, her eyes were pained. "Are you sure?"

Damon gave a simple nod.

Grace took a deep breath, tears filling her eyes. She refused to let them fall and just hugged Damon, hard.

"We'll find out for sure," Damon assured her. "I tried locator spells, but they never worked."

"They wouldn't have. I gave her a gift many centuries ago, which would hide her from such magic."

Damon nodded in understanding, his grip tightening. Grace knew it would leave bruises, but she didn't mind. For a long moment, Damon said nothing, but he had to know.

"Are you giving Stefan your blood?"

Grace pulled away a little and made direct eye contact – something he had always admired about her, even when he was human. "You already know the answer to that, Damon."

"How could you forgive him?" Damon asked, through his teeth.

Grace simply gave him a look. "The same way you have." At Damon's protesting expression, Grace just shook her head. "You forgave him years ago, Damon. Don't try and lie. I've been watching, remember?"

Damon's mouth snapped shut.

Giving him a light kiss on his cheek, Grace pulled away. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Damon watched Grace walk away from him, true sadness in his gaze. He didn't want to admit she was right.

Grace had always been special to him. It was why he was so angry to see her current sister looked so much like the whore who had caused all the problems in the first place. He could have made her happy in that life, until Katherine ruined it all.

Damon would find out the truth. When he did, he'd drive a stake through her heart himself.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Mystic Falls, 1861

-x-x-x-x-x-

Walking through the garden, Temperance was reading a small novel. She was careful where she stepped, not able to take her eyes off the written words. Stefan was out hunting with his father, which gave her time to relax and enjoy one of her favourite past times. She wore an intricate cream dress and her hair was pinned back in its usual curls.

"Be careful; you don't want to trip."

Startled, Temperance's eyes snapped up. The tall dark-haired man standing on the back porch made her grin. "Damon!"

Damon Salvatore smiled and opened his arms, allowing Temperance to throw herself at him.

"When did you get back?" Temperance asked, pulling away.

"Just a few minutes ago," Damon told her. "I had to see you before I unpacked."

Walking inside, Temperance placed her book inside a secret pocket of her dress. Damon noticed the movement and gave a small, secret smile. She was always hiding her books in her dresses, as his father didn't approve of how much she read. He preferred her learning more feminine attributes, which didn't include a men's education.

"Where's Stefan?" Damon asked, as they ascended the stairs, heading to his rooms.

"Out hunting with your father." Temperance knew Damon would be upset his brother wasn't there to great him. "Giuseppe wanted to hunt for tonight's meal himself."

"For my return?" Damon was sceptical.

Temperance shook her head. "No, I doubt it. I didn't even know you were returning today." She was quiet for a moment. "The Gilbert's have officially asked for a formal betrothal."

Damon stopped and faced her, his brow furrowed and expression angry. "There is only one Gilbert male available and he's almost twice your age."

Temperance couldn't meet his eyes. "Jonathan Gilbert isn't married, nor does he have children. Giuseppe feels it will be a fine match."

Damon was furious. "Jonathan Gilbert goes through more woman than you do dresses."

Temperance couldn't say anything. Jonathan Gilbert wasn't a bad man, but she knew it would not be a happy marriage. "He goes through whores, you mean. I doubt he even knows what a virginal woman is – he is no less a man than you are, Damon."

She was referring to the womanizing Damon was known for throughout Mystic Falls. He liked women, booze, parties and gambling. It was one of the reasons he and Giuseppe had such fierce arguments and why his father believed he was a disappointment to the family.

If Giuseppe heard her speak like this, he'd slap her and force her to go to confession or, worse, send her to a nunnery. Damon and Stefan had never cared and allowed her to express herself as she wished.

Damon's hands framed her face and he brought her in for a forceful and fierce kiss. Temperance smiled into it, reaching up and gripping his wrists. She loved it when he was forward with her, knowing it was only her he reached such heights with. Pulling away, Damon gave her the assurance she had been searching for – that Stefan had been unable to give.

"You won't marry him. I promise."

Temperance nodded and allowed him to pull her into his room, carefully closing the door behind them. None of the servants would dare enter the room without express invitation, though they would know to alert them to Giuseppe and Stefan's return.

Neither emerged from the room for hours.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Mystic Falls, 2009 – Present Day

-x-x-x-x-x-

Walking up her front steps, Grace smiled. Stefan was sat on the front porch, looking no worse than he had earlier that night.

"It looks like Vicki's going to be okay," she told him. "She got to the hospital just in time."

Stefan stood, at ease. "That's good. Do you know why Damon's back in town?" He didn't question if she'd seen him, because the answer was obvious. He could smell him all over her.

Grace nodded. "I do. You won't like it. Come in, Stefan. We've got a lot to talk about."

Neither of them spotted Elena looking down from her bedroom window, an upset expression plastered on her face and gripping her journal so hard her knuckles turned white.

From his position hiding in the shadows, Damon Salvatore did.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Viewing Ends – Hogwarts, Great Hall

-x-x-x-x-x-

Everyone woke from a stupor, when the fog began clearing and the room became apparent to them once again. Whispers broke out as they all realized they were not alone, as the ritual had made them believe as they were viewing.

Hermione Granger looked down at her notes. She had jotted things down in shorthand, as she had been so fascinated by what she was watching, she had barely taken her eyes away from the story.

Molly Weasley was still staring at the back wall. She had no interest in the discussion about to take place and only wanted to see her little girl again; scarred, yet strong and alive.

Lord Voldemort stood, his mind analysing all he had seen. "You have half an hour until the next viewing. Snacks will be made available and you may discuss anything you have seen amongst yourselves. Take the time to stretch your legs. I will be calling attention five minutes before we are due to start."

-x-x-x-x-x-

End of Chapter One