GILBERT HOUSEHOLD

"Jenna, I'm fine." Aella smiled lightly as Jenna tucked the blanket around her tight, before fluffing the pillows behind her.

"I'm not listening," Jenna sang. Reaching for the camomile tea and giving it to Aella. "You were sobbing, not breathing, and you fainted. That is not fine Aella Grace, those three statements have never been you, and better not be you ever again!"

Elena bit her lip as she looked to Aella on the couch, Stefan had stuck to his girlfriend like glue, until he suddenly just left. It was Jeremy who had told her and Jenna that he and Stefan actually thought Aella was dead for a moment. Elena could see why Stefan needed time away, seeing some you loved die was an image that never left your mind.

Once Jenna had finished tucking in Aella, again, Elena moved forward, "What happened, A?"

Aella took a sip of her tea, then stared down at the liquid as Jenna took a seat on the arm of the chair Elena sat in.

For a moment, Elena thought Aella hadn't heard her until the brunette suddenly spoke, her voice small, "I don't know. But I hope it never happens again."

Jenna looked to her cell, "Maybe we should call your uncle?"

Aella snorted tearfully, yet her eyes never left her tea, "And say what Jenna? Hey Uncle Nate, so today, when I touched a dead body with vampire bites I not only saw his death but also felt every emotion the vampire felt after being locked away for 164 years and starved until he realized the only way he would survive was to murder the kind man that wanted to help him."

Her eyes met Jenna's, as tears fell down both their faces, "We can't do that."

"What about Grams?" Elena softly asked.

Aella shook her head at that too, "This isn't a Bennett Witch issue; it's a Samphire." Aella took a large gulp of her tea before setting it roughly on the table, "And because some jackass decided to get drunk and drive in the middle of the night and kill my parents, I can't ask them either!"

Jenna's eyes met Elena's in surprise, Aella never talked about her parent's deaths, especially exhibit emotions either.

Running a hand roughly through her hair, Aella scowled at nothing, "I just times like this..." Her voice cracked as she trailed off. Her voice was tearful as she took a deep breath to speak again, "I just wish my mom was here, to kiss away the pain."

Her mind went back to a moment that kisses to stop the pain became a thing between her and her mom, the day she fell off her bike when she was nine. Her mom had placed her on her lap and wiped away her tears as she held a clean tissue to the scrape on her knee, her words healing and loving.

"I love that you have my eyes and my coffee addiction, my taste in music and movies. But what I love most about you, Aella Grace Bennett, is your strength. This-" Natasha removed the soiled tissue from her daughter's bloodied knee, "is nothing you can't handle."

Aella winced as looked down at the scrape, "But it hurts. Like that time, daddy hit his thumb with the hammer," her green eyes widened. "But I didn't curse like he did, I swear."

Natasha's bell-like laugh echoed in the kitchen as she stood up with her daughter and set her down on the counter with a kiss to the head, "That was a $5 one, right?"

"Yup!" Aella exclaimed, swinging her legs in the air as her mom brought over the first aid kid. "I finally got enough to buy my nerf gun!"

"Don't I know that," Natasha smirked, the memory of Aella and Calvin having world war three in her living room when she was away for work for two days. She actually wondered if she's stayed away any longer her garden would have had trenches. She held up two different bandaids, "Batman or Spider-Man?"

"Hmmm?" Aella squeezed her face tight as she tried to make the tough decision to choose between her favorite superheroes. Natasha couldn't help but smile; it was a look her husband also had when he made tough decisions. Suddenly Aella's big green eyes turned on her, "Can I have both? It's a really big owie."

Natasha's eyes narrowed, usually, she would have said no, in life sometimes you had to choose between things you liked. But I'm this case her daughter was right, it was a big owie. "Both it is."

Aella cheered until Natasha added antiseptic to the bandaids and pulled her little leg closer, and the little girl's fear returned, quickly she pulled it back and cupped her hands around the scrape. "It's gonna hurt."

As a doctor, Natasha knew this would hurt, and she could just easily move Aella's hands, but as a mother, it was times like this a parent used these moments to instill knowledge in their child.

So Natasha sunk down to her knees and kissed just below the scratch, where her little fingers cupped the hurt. "It will hurt my little warrior, but know I will always be there to kiss it better."

Aella bit her lip in thought, "Did you do that with Daddy's owie?"

"Are you kidding me?" Natasha's eyes widened, "Your dad would not stop whining. I had to kiss his thumb better three times before he stopped crying and let me take a look."

Aella's little giggle tinkled around the kitchen, then she looked sad again. Still, Natasha could see a twinkle in her eyes, "I think I need two kisses to feel better, but because I'm stronger than daddy, I don't think I'll need three."

Natasha pondered it, letting out a "hmmm?" As she tapped her rose-colored lips until she let out a smile, "I think that's a deal. But first-" she held up the bandaid. "-bandaids."

Aella looked at her, green eyes matching green eyes, but she remembered her mother's words, 'I will always be there to kiss it better.' And with a nod of her head, she removed her hands, "Okay."

Natasha grinned wide, "That's my brave girl." She quickly placed the bandaid on her daughter's knee, and when Aella's eyes teared up from the stinging, she kissed away the pain, and as quick as they'd appeared, the tears were gone.

Pulling her daughter into her arms, she kissed her head multiple times, "You're such a brave girl... how about ice cream?"

Aella's head shot off her mom's shoulder with an excited gasp, "Coffee Ice cream?"

Natasha's eyes almost rolled, it was her own fault, she'd eaten the ice cream almost daily when pregnant with Aella, now she was facing the consequences. "One scoop only."

Aella cheered and stayed in her mother's arms as Natasha gathered her keys and bag so they could go to Mrs. Harris' Ice Cream Heaven, Aella's home away from home if she couldn't live there.

As they exited the house, Aella looked to her mother, "Mommy?"

Natasha smiled at her daughter as she locked up their home, "Yes, hunny."

"You promise you'll always be there to kiss it better?"

Natasha stopped what she was doing and looked at her daughter in the eyes and promised a promise she never knew she'd unwillingly break in just five years, "I will always be there for you, my little witch."

That was enough for Aella, and the two went on with their day.

"But, I'm good." She smiled fakely at Jenna and Elena, blinking away the tears and the memory, "I can deal with this, I've dealt with it for all these years. I can continue dealing with it."

Jenna always knew Aella to be strong and independent. Still, she knew she had to be the adult her adopted niece needed, and knowing the brunette wouldn't react well with what she was about to do, she got up and sat next to Aella on the couch. Her charge looked up in confusion for a moment, but Jenna didn't say anything and pulled Aella in for a hug.

"What are you doing, Jenna?"

Aella tried to pull away from Jenna, the memory of her mother doing the exact thing flashing in her mind, but Jenna held on tight. Aella refused to show weakness, and Jenna needed her to know it was safe to do so here.

"Jenna! What are you doing, get off!"

Elena closed her eyes as she heard the pain in Aella's voice as she tried to pull away, but Jenna wouldn't let go. She needed Aella to know she was here for her, and she wouldn't let go.

"Jenna, you're not my mom let me go!"

Jenna's eyes squeezed tightly at Aella's words, her arms may have been around Aella, but she knew the teenage witch would be able to easily escape them, witch or no witch.

"You're not my mom," Aella cried out in anger as the tears started to fall, but her hands took hold of Jenna's and held tight. "You are not my mom!"

Jeremy walked into the room as Aella's struggles echoed around the room, his eyes wet as his fingers took hold of Elena's, and they both squeezed hard.

"I will always be there to kiss it better, my brave little girl."

Natasha's words echoed in her mind, and with that, Aella fell into Jenna as an inhuman sob tore through her throat, "Mom! Oh my god, I want my mom!" Her arms wrapped around Jenna, as the guardian just held on tighter and began to rock them in comfort. "I want my mom!"

Elena couldn't stay where she was, and through tear-stained eyes, pulled Jeremy over to the sobbing teen and their Aunt. Elena next to Aella, and Jeremy next to Jenna. Their arms encircled the pair, and they held on.

They just held on tighter.

They held onto each other because they were family.

Stefan stood outside the Gilbert house, tears falling as his girlfriend broke down. Her family was with her, and he knew she needed them at this moment, and not him.

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The next day things were calmer in the Gilbert House, no one spoke of Aella's breakdown, and the vampires escaping the tomb had been put on the backburner for now. Once her tears had dried, Stefan picked her up and took her upstairs, where he just held her and stroked her hair.

He had called Lexie for any information on Aella's family magic, or her history but Lexi had nothing. She was told there could be something in Europe, but until she had exhausted all avenues in the States, only then would she follow the lead on Europe.

Stefan watched Aella and Jenna laugh with each other as he recalled the previous night when Aella explained what she thought had happened.

Aella held him tight as he held her just as close. It was quiet for what seemed hours as he just stroked her hair until Aella's tired voice filled the room, "This happened to my mom one time."

Stefan frowned, "The vision, or what happened after?"

"Both," Aella replied, snuggling closer to him. "I was about five or six, we were at my grandparents, and my mom and I were playing hide and seek in the garden. And she just dropped to the ground, and next minute I knew, she was screaming and so was I." Aella chuckled lightly, "I've never seen my dad so scared as he and my grandfather ran out. He was just as confused and scared as I was, and he just held me as my grandfather tried to calm mom down."

Aella sat up, and Stefan followed her. As she wiped away the new tears with one hand, with a wiggle of her fingers with the other hand, her grimoire floated over to them. It was times like this that Stefan loved watching how in sync Aella and her magic was, such simplistic magic to do, but for it to look so flawless always impressed him.

Aella flipped through her book until she found the right one, it was near the beginning of her personal grimoire. As she laid it between the two, Stefan read the title, 'Soul Reading.'

Aella traced the title with her fingers, "It's similar to empathy, only the soul feels more than the brain could ever. Soul Reading means I can observe the nature of one's soul; see/feel the being's characteristics. Their personality, feelings, memories, whether they even have a soul, damage others' souls have endured, and whether or not another entity is possessing or influencing the person on a spiritual level."

Aella pointed at the entry and looked to Stefan, "This is what happened to my mom, this is what happened to me. I'm sure of it."

Stefan suddenly realized why Aella was affected so severely, "So when you touched the hiker, you not only felt his pain but also the anguish of the vampire who killed him."

"Yes," Aella whispered with a shaky nod. "The hunger, the anguish, the pain, the anger, the confusion. Everything. And because he was a vampire-"

"The emotions were amplified," Stefan finished, and only then did the magnitude of what Aella must have felt hit him. He pulled her in tightly, "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry."

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"Nooooooo, Jenna. Please don't make me go!"

Stefan looked to Aella with a brow raised at her whine while Jenna just laughed, "Kid one, and kid two have been, now kid three has to. Those the rules, Jack."

Stefan walked over to the two as Elena laughed while making her breakfast, "What does kid three have to do?"

Aella eyes widened, as if she'd forgotten Stefan was there, she wrapped her arms around his waist, "Boyfriend! Save me from the monster!!"

Stefan only looked at Jenna, who shrugged, the both of them far more used to this dramatic Aella than the one the night before, "She's helping me meet with Carol Lockwood to organize for the auction tonight."

Stefan smirked down at Aella, "The bachelor auction, good thing I'm taken."

Aella grinned up at him, "Darn tootin' you are!" She turned to Jenna, pouting, "Please don't make me go."

"Nice try, A," Elena beamed. "Me and Jer had to go, and you're a part of this family."

Aella fell into her arms on the counter, "That was such a nice sentiment once, now it's just a way for me to lighten yours and Jeremy's founding family burdens."

Elena took a bite of her bagel as she smirked at the brunette, "Family, eh. Don't you just love it."

"Speaking of family," Jenna pointed to the open notepad in front of her. "Your dad kept everything from his medical practice—records, logs, old appointment books." She looked to Elena, "I think I may have found your birth mother."

Aella's head shot up from the counter, she and Stefan shared a look, "Should we go?"

Elena's head shook immediately, "No. I'd like you both here for this."

Stefan nodded along with Aella, "Of course. Anything to make this easier for you."

Elena came round the counter to look at the journal Jenna had, Jenna pointed to the date, Elena's birthdate, "I found an entry from the night you were born. Patient and a birth date. Isobel Peterson."

"Well, at least we've been celebrating your birthday on the right day," Aella smiled lightly at her friend. She'd known Elena had been wondering lots since the discovery of her adoption, and that was one of the questions.

Elena traced the name on the book, strange to see her father's handwriting again, "Do you think that's her real name?"

"Pregnant teenage runaway?" Jenna's brow rose. "Probably not. First name, maybe. But where'd she get Peterson? Classmate? Best friend? So I binged it."

They walked over to the dining table and took a seat, as she pulled the laptop towards her that had been on sleep mode as they talked. "I searched for all the Petersons in this area born the same year as Isobel, I found three. Two men and a woman, Trudie, who lived in Grove Hill, Virginia."

"Check out, Miss Marple here," Aella chuckled, then looked at her boyfriend. "This is like an episode of CSI, can you get the popcorn?"

The group ignored her, while Stefan pointed at the address, "Grove Hill is not too far away from here."

Jenna grinned, "I have more."

Aella sighed loudly, "Seriously, we could be watching a tv show right now, we should have popcorn."

"Jeremy ate the last popcorn," Jenna told her as she brought up a photo, ignoring Aella gasp of disgust. "I found a picture," She pointed to the two cheerleaders, "...there next to the blonde."

They all leaned in, and Aella smiled when she saw Elena read the caption, "Isobel. She was a cheerleader."

Stefan turned quickly and placed his hand on Aella's mouth, who looked to him wide-eyed. Jenna and Elena raised a brow at him, and he just shrugged, "There was an inappropriate comment about to come out." Aella made a noise, and Stefan looked down at her, "Was there an inappropriate comment about to come out?"

Aella eyes dropped to the floor, "Mmyemh."

Jenna smirked, "Thank the Lord for vampire speed, right Aella."

Aella only glared, Stefan's hand still on her mouth.

Jenna turned back to the computer, out the corner of her eye she saw Stefan release Aella and her smack him on the arm, Jenna had to chuckle at the two. "Trudie still lives there," she wrote on a post-it and passed it to Elena, "This is her address."

Elena took the paper with a frown, "What about Isobel?"

Jenna shrugged, "I couldn't find anything about her."

Elena frowned disheartened as she sat down next to Aella, the brunette pulling her in for a hug, "It's okay, E. We can still look some more."

Jenna shifted and awkwardly cleared her throat, Aella's eyes turned to her suspiciously, "Listen. There's something else."

Aella looked up to Stefan and whispered, "I told you this was like an episode from CSI."

Jenna, not hearing Aella continued, "Mr. Saltzman, Ric, his wife was from around here, and her name was also Isobel."

Stefan's eyes widened while Aella actually felt speechless for once, both for two different reasons. At the same time, Elena realized the tense Jenna had just spoken in, "Wait. 'Was,' as in..."

Jenna sadly smiled at her niece, "She died, Elena."

"Whoa," Aella whispered and took hold of Elena's hand. "That's just, whoa."

Elena suddenly chuckled in disbelief, "It can't be true, right? I mean, the coincidence alone is just crazy."

Stefan made a noise in his throat, and three heads turned to him - exorcist like - as Aella's brow raised, "Got something to say, boyfriend?"

Stefan's eyes darted between the three women, and he knew he had to tell them what Ric had told him, "The night at the school when he attacked me, he told me some things about her death."

When he didn't continue, Aella's brow raised even further, "Well come on Stefan, Don't let this be another 'I take thee Rachel' cliffhanger!"

Stefan started pacing, and that when Aella became worried, "It's not possible." Stefan mumbled as each of the girls watched him in confusion, "The coincidence is—it's too much."

Elena frowned, "Whatever it is, Stefan, I want to know. I've been kept in the dark too long."

"Yeah! Spill," Aella pursed her lips. "Snitches get Stitches can be null and void here."

"Alaric's wife was a parapsychologist," Stefan explained to them, but more so Elena. "She spent her life researching paranormal activity. It was her work that led him here, to Mystic Falls.

"You mean it wasn't for our glorious town that may become murder capital of America soon?" Aella deadpanned, but her eyes were still not sure. "There's more, talk."

Stefan suddenly took a seat opposite the three, his hands twisting on the tabletop, "When I asked where she was, he didn't just say dead." Aella groaned silently as she realized what Stefan was about to tell them, his panic now evident. "A vampire killed her."