MYSTIC FALLS HIGH 

Aella took a deep breath as she finally spotted Matt outside, he was laughing with members of the football team and Aella did not want to be the one that changed his life tonight but Damon had made that impossible for, she almost started crying again as she watched Matt. Hadn't this boy had enough shit happen his life, why was this happening to one of the nicest guys on the planet. But she knew she had to be strong for Matt and sucked in her tears and started making her way over to him.

It showed just how good of a person Matt was that as soon as Matt saw Aella, her makeup smudged and blood all over her dress and hair, his smile faded as he ran over to her, "A? Whoa. wh...what happened?"

Aella wanted to roll her eyes, Caroline had told her it would be best to clean herself up, but she just wanted to find Matt, "Nothing." She smiled fakely to him, "Some idiot with some fake blood got me, and it went in my eyes, blood and Halloween contacts are a no go."

Matt seemed to calm at that, but then he brought up the topic Aella was dreading, "Have you see Vicki? Someone said they saw her here."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about Matt," Aella frowned, and Matt sobered up at her tone. "Jeremy and I were getting some air, and we saw Vicki running towards the woods crying." She swallowed hard as Matt shook his head in frustration. "We went after her, but she just had a bigger head start on us."

"Is this what I'm in for A," Matt asked her in defeat. "A lifetime of worrying about her? You know we had an argument before I came here about her behavior and now she does this!"

Aella was shocked, Matt had come home between her and Stefan leaving Vicki and Vicki coming to the school, now she understood why Vicki had come to the school; She needed to apologize to Matt. Aella's heart broke again, and it took everything within her to not cry, so she told Matt precisely what he needed to hear, "You are an amazing brother Matt, just know I'm here for anything."

Matt nodded with a shy smile on his face, "Maybe she went home?"

She wasn't, but Aella couldn't tell that, and so she nodded hesitantly, "Maybe? Do you want a lift to your house to check?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Thanks, A."

Aella and Matt made their way over to her car, as they were walking Matt asked, "So where's the vampire?"

"What?!" Aella spun to him eye open wide. "Vampire?"

"Yea," Matt asked a bemused expression on his face. "Stefan? He was dressed as a vampire, right?"

"Yes!" Aella exclaimed a little too loud, relief flowing through her veins. "Stefan is dressed as a vampire. But it's only a costume."

Matt was a little baffled, Aella was a little crazier than usual, "So?"

"So?" She repeated back confused, heartbeat back to normal. Then remembered Matt's original question, "Oh Stefan? He's with Caroline and Bonnie, I told them about Vicki, and they're checking the school to see if she returned."

"But Caroline and Bonnie know what Vick is like, why are they looking?" Matt confusedly asked.

"She looked really upset Matt," Aella emphasized. "It worried us all."

Matt nodded, and they carried on to the car, Matt a little more worried than he was before, he was about to question Aella some more when he saw Jeremy leaned against Aella's car, "Jer?"

"Hey Matt," Jeremy straightened up and cleared his throat.

"Wow, Vick must have looked really upset if you're helping too." Matt chuckled at the younger Gilbert. "Thought you didn't like my sister anymore?"

Jeremy panicked, he thought he would be good to go with Aella and Matt, but now faced with Vicki's brother he had no clue how to act. How could he act like normal knowing that only an hour ago Vicki died right in front of him and now he had to act as if nothing had happened? Aella noticed his panic and nudged him with the toe of her shoe, but that did nothing, so she answered for him, "Not like?" Aella chuckled fakely, and she pushed Jeremy away from the driver's side so she could get in the car, and to also knock some sense in him, "He was just trying to play cool in front of her."

Matt chuckled in with her as he moved around the car and got in the passenger's side, "Well I believed it."

While Matt got in the car, Aella turned to Jeremy eyes wide as she mouthed 'What are you doing?', Jeremy just winced and got in the back of the vehicle. Taking another deep breath, she placed the fake smile back on her face and got in the car, "Onwards to Casa Donovan."

DONOVAN HOUSEHOLD

When they reached Matt's House, Matt quickly got out of the car before Aella could place the car in park. His humor of the situation as they got closer to his house, he knew Aella was trying to keep the atmosphere light, but he knew that she was worried, and a worried Aella worried him.

It was silent in the car as the two teens watched Matt's front door. After a few minutes Jeremy growled lightly, Why are we worrying him even more if we know what's happened? Why can we just tell him to go into the woods and he finds her?"

Aella turned to him, brow raised, "If you didn't know about Vicki already, would you go trouncing through the woods first? Or would you try all the places she goes to when she's upset?" Jeremy didn't answer, and Aella continued, "We have to make this real, J, and a real missing person means that people get worried. It's going to be hard because we know the truth, but if that's what it takes to protect us all, Matt included, then that's what we're going to have to do. That's the price of knowing the truth, okay?"

Jeremy nodded as she turned back to staring at Matt's door, "Okay. Doesn't mean we have to like it."

Aella whirled round at him, eyes angry, "You think I like this Jeremy? You think I was happy to have a dying girl in my arms as she cried out her brother's name? Do you think I like having lie to everyone just to keep them safe?"

Jeremy was in shock, Aella had lightly berated him in the past, but she had never been angry at him, but he could also see the hurt in her eyes at his words, "I'm sorry Aella... I didn't think."

Aella laughed sarcastically, "Well maybe you should start thinking before you say anything from now on Jer." She was silent, glaring at Matt's door again, "And what the hell takes so long to look around a house?" Jeremy didn't answer her, and she stewed for another minute until she opened up the door grumbling how long Matt was taking.

She got halfway to the house when the door flew open, and Matt ran out of the house, a piece of paper in hand, and tears running down his face. Aella frowned and ran over to the blonde teenager, "Matt?"

Matt's eyes met her, and he let out a sob, moving the letter in his hand towards her, "She's left Aella." Aella skimmed through the letter as Matt let out another sob as he fell to the floor and Aella took hold of him and fell with him, holding him close, "She's left me like everyone else."

MYSTIC FALLS POLICE STATION

Liz Forbes had the mindset of the rest of Mystic Falls when Matt Donovan called her that Vicki Donovan had run off, only this time she had left quite an emotive note. She was very happy to tell Matt that if Vicki left a note and she was, in the eyes of the law, an adult there was nothing she could do, but when her Aella and Jeremy expressed how upset Vicki had looked as she ran into the woods she knew she couldn't just let it be. The dead Mountain Lion that had been found had calmed the town, with the exception of the Town Council, and knowing Vicki had wondered in the precise woods that a group of teenagers, associated with Vicki, that had been found dead less than a week ago, she knew that she had to make a decision fast.

"Where did Vicki say she was going?" Liz asked three teenagers as they sat in her office. Aella sat between the two boys, one of the hands holding Matt's, the other holding onto the chair's arm tight.

"She didn't," Jeremy shrugged, trying to keep his words minimized not to arise suspicion.

"We only know what the letter says Sheriff," Aella went into more detail, nodding to the letter in front of Liz.

"Did she tell you where she was going, Matt? Or even when you last spoke?"

"You mean when we last argued," Matt spat out, glaring at the floor. "Matt: No she didn't say anything to me. She just acted like her being missing for nearly a week as nothing."

Liz frowned, "So how do we know that this isn't just one of those times?"

Matt pointed to the letter, "Because of that. She's never left a note before."

Liz didn't seem to be moved by that, and so Aella leaned forward looking into the Sheriff's eyes, "Because if that were any other teenager in Mystic Falls, Sheriff Forbes, crying hysterically while running into a dark forest, a search party would have been out as soon as we arrived." And then Aella added the one thing that would get Liz moving, "What if it was Caroline, or me?"

Liz stared at Aella for a few moments until she reached over to the phone and pressed a number, it was quiet until the other end was answered and Liz told them, "Call all officers in, we have a missing person and need all hands on deck."

Aella smiled gratefully and mouthed to the Sheriff, 'Thank you."

Aella stood up and pulled Matt up with her, she motioned with her head to Jeremy they were going, and Jeremy stood up too when they left Liz's office Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie, Tyler, and Elena were waiting. Tyler headed over to Matt and pulled him into a brotherly hug, "Stefan told us what happened, is this real she's not just getting high somewhere."

"No man," Matt pulled away as he accepted a hug from Elena. "Something just doesn't feel right, so they're starting a search."

When Elena and Matt pulled away from each other Caroline pulled him into her arms, tighter because she knew the truth and she also didn't like how long his hug with Elena lasted, "I'm so sorry Matt."

"Don't be," Matt held her tight, breathing in her scent to help calm him a little. "It's not the first time she's run off if your Mom's right and she just ran off, turns out Vicki's just like our mother; I can't count on either of them."

Aella, who now stood holding onto Stefan on the other side of the small room, frowned at his words. She knew he had to go through these emotions to make this all look real, but she hated it. Almost hearing her thoughts, Stefan pulled her closer and kissed her head.

"Should we be out there looking too?" Bonnie looked to everyone as she pulled away from her hug with Matt.

"Yes," Stefan nodded, Aella nodding with him. "Let's make as many people as we know aware."

Caroline pulled out her cell phone, "Well that where my expertise comes in." She turned to Bonnie, Elena, Jeremy, and Tyler, "Tyler, you text all the athletes you have in your contacts, Bonnie, you do the same for the cheerleaders, Jeremy, you contact your weird emo friends and Elena and I can text all our contacts and ask them to tell people."

Matt smiled gratefully at the blonde, who could only blush as she started texting her contacts.

"Why don't we do that while we're driving to the woods?" Aella suggested, and when she saw nods, she pointed to herself and Bonnie, "Stefan can drive my car, and I can drive Bonnie's car while everyone makes contact. Matt, you can come with me."

Everyone started leaving, and Aella was just pulling away from Stefan when he grabbed her arm to stop her, "Wait." Aella knew that look, she had the same face when she listened in on conversations, Stefan motioned with his head to Liz's office and Aella was just about to say the spell to allow her to listen in when Stefan shook his head, and Liz came storming out of her office. Stefan waited until Liz was out of earshot when he looked down at Aella, "She's just informed the Mayor of the search, and he's not happy."

Aella frowned, "Not happy as Mayor, or not happy as part of the Town Council?"

Stefan raised his brow, "What do you think?"

"I really hate that man," Aella growled.

Stefan pulled her to him again and held her tight just for a minute to calm them both before he tugged her towards the exit, "Let's see if Caroline's been able to wrangle people together."

Aella let him pull her along as she smiled for the first time that night, "This is Caroline Forbes your talking about Stefan, that girl can do anything with her cell phone."

MYSTIC FALLS WOODS

And Aella was right, when the two cars arrived at the first opening, there was already a large group of teens, teachers, and parents standing and waiting for an update. And while Caroline and Tyler took control and updated the group more and more people turned up, it turned Matt's negative mind into a more positive state, while those who were aware of the supernatural secret knew that the hope would be soon crumbled.

Jeremy and Bonnie who were relatively new to this world wondered to themselves how Caroline and Aella could act so positive during this whole drama, and it was Jeremy while walking with Caroline that asked the question, "How can you do this?"

"Do what?" Caroline wondered as she kept an eye on the ground, Stefan had told them that Vicki was laid on the floor and it wasn't apparent until you were literally stood over her.

Bonnie glanced up as Jeremy unknowingly asked what she had been thinking, "You know how this is going to end. How can you lead this and be so vocal if you know this is just going to end badly?"

Caroline was quiet, which made Bonnie uneasy as she knew her blonde friend wasn't usually this contemplative when faced with any question. It took a good few minutes before Caroline looked at the two, "We failed Vicki," the blonde explained and when Bonnie and Jeremy opened their mouths to disagree she held her hand up, "No, we did. We all labeled Vicki as this drug-taking, non-caring, runaway girl that only cared about herself. And it's only been today as she opened up to Aella and Stefan that we realized she was just scared and needed help and we didn't give her that help."

"Not just us, nobody in this town cared enough to just sit her down and listen to her for two minutes. So now it's our time to take that time that we should have given her when she was alive, so that if there is an afterlife she can know we did care and that we're sorry we never took those 2 minutes out of our self-centered lives to just listen." Caroline wasn't interested in their thoughts to what she had just explained and walked a little faster, she knew her thoughts on what this whole search was about, and she wasn't going to let anyone tell her different. 

After a few minutes of walking alone, she realized she may have been a little harsh and turned to see where Jeremy and Bonnie were when she tripped on a branch and landed heavily on something soft. Caroline knew instantly what she had fallen on... more like who, and as she turned her face to look down at where her hands had landed she couldn't help but scream out loud as her eyes met the grey misted eyes of a very dead Vicky Donovan, "Aghhhhhhhhhhh!"

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Aella and Stefan walked hand in hand as they searched the woods with Tyler and Matt, she knew it was imminent that Vicki was found, so when Stefan's grip tightened in hers, and he stumbled slightly with sadness etched on his face for a brief moment, Aella knew that Vicki had been found. Se did everything she possibly could to stop the sob building in her throat, so she squeezed Stefan's hand back knowing they felt each other feelings clear as day before they carried on walking, knowing any minute the hopeful teen next to them would be told the worst news of his life.

"Matt?"

Time seemed to slow as everyone stopped their steps and turned towards Liz, everyone except Aella and Matt; Aella could only close her eyes tight as the tears started to fall down her face, as Matt froze on the spot as his brain focused on the tone Sheriff Forbes had just called his name in.

"No," Matt whispered to himself, but his group of friends was close enough to hear the desperation in his tone.

When she looked to Matt she could see Liz was now next to him, she too had tears in her eyes, "Matt, I'm so sorry."

"No," Matt declared again pulling away and trying to carry on walking, ignoring the looks of sympathy from the people around him as they realized their search was in vain.

"Matt," Tyler placed his and on his best friends shoulder to try and stop him, tone full of sympathy.

"No!" Matt exclaimed as he shrugged Tyler's hand off and carried on.

Aella looked up to Stefan who had been watching the scene in silence, the guilt burning in his stomach that his brother had caused this devastation. When she heard a sob break from Matt's throat as he shoved Tyler away for the second time, she pushed her guilt away and focused on her friend and rushed over to the boy placing her hands around him and stopping him in his place.

"No, A" Matt exclaimed again, but Aella didn't let go. "Aella, no!" Matt screamed and finally stopped in his spot, and Aella just held him close not saying a word. "No," he finally whispered and looked down to Aella sad eyes, "No, A, she can't be gone."

"I'm so sorry Matt," Aella finally was able to say the words she had wished to speak to him since Vicki died in her arms.

Matt seemed to stop breathing for a minute until his knees buckled and he sobbed out, "No! Not my Vick!"

"I'm sorry Matt," Aella whispered into his hair as he just held her tight sobbing, and calling out his sisters name. "I'm so sorry."