MYSTIC FALLS WOODS

"So, what happened next?" Aella asked after they had kissed for a few moments. Walking back to their original seats outside the ruins, they left the past behind in that room.

"I went to meet Damon," Stefan began again as they both sat down, still holding onto both Aella's hands. "And I was on such a high from the blood and transition that I told Damon about how amazing it felt to be a vampire. It was a gift; how he could willingly turn off his emotions, the pain, and the guilt. I had compelled a young woman on the way to meet him, where I convinced my brother to become a vampire by drinking her blood. Damon initially refused, but I would not relent, saying I couldn't let him die. Eventually, Damon drank the girl's blood and told me that I was right, that it felt like a whole new world being a vampire. I hoped this meant we could be brothers and companions together forever."

"Well, you know what they say about hope, right?" Aella asked as she rolled her eyes, "It breeds eternal misery."

Stefan snorted with a sad smile, "And that's exactly what Damon promised me. He promised that he would make my life miserable for the rest of eternity."

"Which is now the reason why instead of being all buddy, buddy like, The Jonas Brothers, you're Earth's version of Hades and Zeus," Aella simplified in her own unique way.

Stefan pursed his lips together, "Not exactly how I would describe it, but essentially yes."

"So, the only reason Damon is here is that he saw you happy?"

Stefan sighed deeply, he knew he'd have to get to this part, "Not exactly, it was because of Elena."

"Elena?" Aella repeated, confused, "As in my Elena? The girl that never takes her head out of diary Elena? Why?"

Stefan reached into his pocket and pulled out the photo that he had kept all these years and handed it to her, "Because of this."

Aella stared at the photo of Elena in a dorky dress and with very large hair and started laughing, "Where did you get this from? Did you put it in an online generator or something? Because damn, that looks awesome... Weird... But awesome!"

Aella looked to Stefan. When she realized he wasn't laughing with her, she sobered up pretty quickly, "Why did Damon come because of Elena? Why would that affect you?"

"Because the girl in that photo is not Elena Gilbert, it's Katherine Pierce."

"What?" Aella ripped her hands from his and stood up, taking a step back. "That's impossible.

Stefan only shrugged, "I'm a 170-year-old vampire, and you're a witch, we've beaten the impossible."

Aella only looked down at the picture, tears developing again as a twist pulled in her stomach, "Did you come for Elena? Are you here for Elena, to replace Katherine?"

"No!" Stefan was quick to stand and take hold of Aella's face, making her look into his eyes. "I wanted to return to Mystic Falls because it had been so long and I saw Elena and it was crazy and yes I felt something, but then I met you, and you smiled at me, and that was it. I knew at that moment that what I had with Katherine, with any woman in all my years, I would never be able to meet another woman and feel what I felt for you that day. I go to sleep, and I think of you, I wake up, and I think of you, I'm in class or sitting at home and I. Think. Of. You."

Aella took hold of his hands on her face and squeezed them as the tears started to fall, "But this is not normal, Stefan. The woman you loved is the spitting image of my best friend, how is that possible?"

"I don't know," he shrugged and wiped her tears away. "How are we possible? Just know that no matter what, it's you, and it will always be you."

"Promise?" Aella whimpered, and Stefan only nodded and kissed her firmly.

When he pulled away, Aella groaned and roughly wiped her tears away, "Is this a part of being in a relationship? Tears? If it is, I hate it!"

"Relationship?" Stefan questioned with a soft, teasing smile, "Have something you want to ask me?"

Aella stared at him for a second in disbelief before she gathered herself together and cleared her throat, way too loud. "Well, since I'm the only one alive in this relationship," Aella rolled her eyes dramatically, "Stefan, will you be my boyfriend?"

Stefan leaned forward and kissed her again when they came out for breath, and before he could kiss her again, Aella confirmed, "Is that a yes?"

He sweetly pecked her head, and nose, and lips, before looking into her eyes, "That's a yes."

Following the big reveal and the new relationship status, Stefan and Aella walked back to her car hand in hand.

"So, what is Damon's plan?" Aella asked after a few moments of silence.

Stefan sighed, "I don't know, and that worries me. Animal blood keeps me alive, but not as strong as Damon. He can be very powerful."

"And can't we-" Aella shrugged in frustration, "-threaten him to leave town?"

Stefan quickly shook his head at that idea, "Forcing Damon not to do something is much more dangerous, believe me."

"So, he sees that you are happy here and with me, and what?" Aella shrugged in frustration. "He'll get mad and want to ruin it. That's his evil plan?"

They reached her car, and Stefan leaned her against it, trapping her between him and the car, "That's the thing about Damon. He doesn't get mad. He just gets even. He'll retaliate in the only way that he knows he can hurt me."

"Which is?"

"By hurting you."

"Oh, wow!" Aella exclaimed, eyes wide, as Stefan rubbed her side in comfort. "That's a bummer. Does he know I'm a witch?"

Stefan shook his head, "I don't think so, but as soon as he hears your surname, he'll know - like I did."

Aella nodded to herself at that information and took a deep breath, she had all the information, and now she had to buckle up and deal with it. She wasn't a scardy cat, she didn't run at the first sign of danger - she usually ran towards it. Damon may be a 170-year-old vampire with an eye for vengeance on his brother... on her, but she wasn't going to take that lying down. "Okay, then. We can deal with this. We know he's going to have a plan up his sleeve, I mean; why reveal yourself if you don't already have a game plan. We've just got to be careful."

" Very careful," Stefan emphasized, raising his brow at her.

He had heard some very interesting things about Aella since arriving.

"That's what I said," She smirked, eyes glistening in mischievousness. "Very careful."

Stefan wasn't swayed and instead changed the subject, "So now what?"

Looking at her watch, Aella sighed in mock sadness, "So now, I have to explain to my best friends where I've been all day. School finished 10 minutes ago.

"Well then," Stefan smiled and opened the car door, "Your carriage awaits."

"Oh," Aella grinned and took on Scarlett O'Hara i.e., Gone with the Wind, "Why, thank you, kind Sir." And took a seat in the car. Giggling to herself when she heard Stefan laugh as he made his way around to the driver's side.

GILBERT HOUSE

Aella sleepy, made her way into the dark house, and tip-toed up the stairs to her room. Thankfully she had annoyed Caroline so much with Full House references that Caroline had kicked her out.

Mission Accomplished.

She literally collapsed on the bed, clothes fully on, and soon she was fast asleep.

Not for too long, thanks to her messed up dreams.

Aella thought she would dream like other girls who had met a cute guy, a filthy dream of future sexy moments so that she could pretend it was a vision and not just a dirty dream.

Instead, she had a vision of Tanner and Jenna.

At least she hoped to god it was a vision and not a dirty dream as the two sat in Tanner's classroom.

Her visions were always strange to go through, it was almost like her mind was wide awake, while her body was fast asleep. She could literally have a one-sided conversation with her sleeping self-depending on the vision, and her body would just look so peaceful. The only problem was the next morning that she would be so mentally exhausted it would affect her mood.

" Jeremy's skipped six of his classes, and you're related to the family how? The, uh, mother's kid sister? "

Aella turned over to the other pillow on her bed, trying to shake away the patronizing tone Tanner was talking to Jenna in.

" He's moody, withdrawn, argumentative, hungover. Are there any other relatives in the picture? Could there be? "

Aella wanted to laugh out loud, but she didn't think this was possible in her sleep. Jeremy used to be like that, not anymore. He was speaking of Jeremy - pre-summer vacation.

" It is an extremely impossible job, and anything less, and you're not doing it properly. "

At his final words, Aella shot up from her sleep, eyes wide and hands reaching out to strangle someone. When she blinked a few times, she realized her rage had woken her up, and unfortunately for her, when she woke from her sleep, she usually couldn't get back to it.

Looking at her alarm clock, she saw that the bright red numbers said 05:45, a lot earlier than she would usually get up, but Aella knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.

Pulling herself out of bed, Aella shrugged on the maroon sweater, laid over her desk chair, and stepped carefully out of her bedroom. She tip-toed down to the kitchen, where she could get some coffee.

She'd just stepped into the living room when she heard the uniquely beautiful sound of the coffee machine running. Cautiously, she stepped towards the kitchen and saw the familiar auburn hair of her adopted guardian.

Aella purposely made her steps loud so she wouldn't alarm her. She knew Jenna had heard her when she pulled out Aella's personalized tie-dye mug and filled both cups with coffee.

"So," Aella said, jumping onto the stool. "What time did you get up?"

Jenna laughed sarcastically, "An answer for that question would mean I actually went to sleep."

"Ouch!" She winced, taking a nice long sip of her coffee. "Tanner?"

Jenna looked up from her coffee, shocked, "How did you..?" She shook her head, laughing, "Forget I asked, you always seem to know what's going on. But yes, I have my meeting with Tanner today."

"About Jeremy?"

"Yup," Jenna nodded, handing her the letter she received from Tanner.

Aella took it, drinking her coffee while she skimmed the letter. The words that her eyes drew to were so like the words Tanner had spoken to Jenna in her vision.

She nodded, placing the letter in front of her and taking a red pen from Jenna's college paperwork. "Well, to start," she circled the number of times Tanner said Jeremy hadn't been in class. "Jeremy has only been skipping Tanner's class, why? Because he is a jackass that picks on those that are vulnerable or are struggling to keep up."

She then circled the phrase, 'Extra-Curricular activities,' "This is pre-summer Jeremy. He's talking about Jeremy drinking and when he was recreationally taking pain pills because it numbed everything. Jeremy is now drug-free and willing to ask his family for favors, talk to his family about his problems, and realize right from wrong."

She looked up at Jenna and saw that she was actively listening and taking down notes, "Finally, just know that Tanner has a folder for his most hated students. If you looked in there now, you'd find a folder for Jeremy and for me.

"What kind of folder?" Jenna asked, concerned.

"The kind of folder with a typed label called ' Jackasses ,'" Aella shrugged, taking the final sip of her coffee.

"Typed!" Jenna repeated disgustedly. "Jackasses? What an idiot! And Jeremy only skips his class?"

"Yup," Aella frowned. "He's dreadful to Elena, and she doesn't skip his class, so I can't imagine what Tanner is like with Jeremy."

Jenna nodded and quickly wrote down some more things on the notepad, Aella took hold of her writing hand so she could get Jenna's attention. As soon as Jenna looked into her eyes, Aella smiled gently, "And I only know this because I have classes with that idiot. AND, Jeremy is forced to tell me this only when I threaten to spit in his coffee."

Jenna sniggered but nodded, getting at what Aella was telling her. But Aella wasn't finished, "You didn't question me staying here with you guys once when they died. You have become my aunt that I can go to whenever I feel happy, sad, angry, or lost. Most importantly, you have not belittled us, treated us like children, or hovered over us. That's why you are the perfect guardian for us." Jenna's eyes filled with tears as she held Aella's hand tighter, "You lost your brother-in-law and your big sister, you nearly lost your niece too! If that doesn't make you the best guardian for us, then nobody is."

Jenna smiled, and the tears started falling down her face, "I love you, kiddo." She pulled Aella into a firm hug.

"I love you too, Jenna," Aella smiled, squeezing her back.

"Aunt," Jenna corrected her and pulled back slightly to look into Aella's eyes. "Call me, Aunt Jenna?"

Aella smiled at Jenna and fell into her arms again, "I love you too, Aunt Jenna."

..............................................

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An hour later, Elena, who had arrived home from Caroline's, laid with Aella on their fronts on Jenna's bed, watching her try on clothes for her meeting with Tanner. Since her talk with Aella, Jenna was pumped for the meeting, ready to give him hell and not about to take any of his shit.

Jenna stepped out, wearing a black dress to which Elena nodded while wolf-whistling at her. Still, Aella was quick to shake her head, "No way, Tanner is gonna think you're a fashion-conscious airhead that can spend time getting dressed but can't look after her nephew, no offense."

"None taken," Jenna grumbled, heading back into her wardrobe.

A few minutes later she stepped out in jeans, a blue blouse, and a black blazer, Elena and Jenna looked to Aella who nodded lips pursed, "I like. Jeans are laid back, but the blazer looks like you tried without trying too hard."

Jenna nodded satisfied and closed her closet door looking in the full-length mirror, "Hair up or down?"

Aella now looked to Elena, as was the wannabe hairstylist in their house, and put Aella's hair into crazy designs. Jenna fluffed her curls then twisted them up into a clip, "Sexy stewardess." Jenna let her hair down, "Boozy housewife."

"Up it is," Jenna declared, twisting it back up. "You're feisty today."

"She learned from the best," Aella smirked, leaving the room to get changed.

Elena chuckled, "I feel good, which is rare. So I've decided to go with it. Fly free, walk on the sunshine, and all that stuff. Where is Jeremy?"

"Downstairs making us all coffee," Jenna told her, placing some grips in her hair to properly secure it. "I think he feels bad that I have to do this meeting with Mr. Douche."

"As long as you kick ass in that meeting, that is all that matters, Aunt Jenna," Elena told her, leaving the room and going downstairs. Unlike her best friend, she was dressed.

Ten minutes later, Aella ran downstairs and into the kitchen. She saw her coffee cup on the table with a spoon standing in it, meaning Jeremy had already added her sugar.

"Hmmmm," Aella moaned while gulping her coffee. "Perfect, Jeremy, thanks!"

"No problem," Jeremy smiled amused, sipping his own coffee.

It was silent as all of the inhabitants of the Gilbert House drank their coffees.

"Hey, Lia?" Jeremy turned to her.

Over the rim of her coffee cup, Aella's eyes were suspicious, "I knew my coffee was too good to be true."

Jeremy laughed, "Can you give me a lift to the hospital, so I can see Vicki before school? I tried to go yesterday, but she wasn't allowed, visitors."

"Sure," she nodded, then stood up. "But I'm giving Bonnie a lift to school, so we have to go now."

Jeremy quickly stood, grabbing his bag from the floor, "Thanks."

Aella nodded and put on her khaki jacket that she had brought down with her. Just then, Jeremy kissed Jenna's cheek and wished her a good meeting, as Jeremy ran out to Aella's car, the three women stared in shock at each other.

"Did... he just..?" Jenna stuttered, pointing to where Jeremy had just left.

"Glad I wasn't the only one to see that," Aella chuckled and followed the teen out the door. "Kickass, Jenna!"