GILBERT HOUSEHOLD

Stefan watched Aella as she slept, a soft smile pulled at the corner of his lift at seeing her so at peace, even at the small amount of drool escaping her slightly open mouth. Aella breathed in through her nose sharply before wiggling it, a sign she was about to wake up.

As if she could see him through her closed eyes as she turned over and snuggled into his chest, she mumbled, "Stop watching me sleep."

Stefan gently pecked the top of her head, holding her closer, "You're just so adorable." He laughed as she snuggled close to him for warmth, "My little drooling monster."

"I'm not a monster..." Aella pouted against his chest before stretching out her body. Her lips quirked as she moaned, "I am a human being!" Her eyes opened a fraction, "Told ya I was listening in class."

"The Elephant Man," Stefan recognized from her quote. "Joseph Merrick."

Aella's eyes slowly opened further, leaning back to look up at him, "He was about during your time. Did you ever hear about him?"

"Yes," Stefan admitted, thinking back. "I remember news of a man in England, a monster by all accounts. He was used as an incentive to visit England."

Aella frowned against his chest, "Sad." She shuffled around so she could look at Stefan without having to bend her head at an awkward angle, "Speaking of monsters... how are we feeling about Katherine?"

"I'm fine," Stefan admitted truthfully; it had Aella raising an uncertain brow, but he laughed and pulled her close to him again. Holding her tight. "Really. I'm fine. Do I wish we could have killed her, so I knew she was completely out of our lives? Yes. But am I happy she's suffering, just as she made Damon and I suffer all these years?" He kissed the top of her head again, "I'm even happier she can't get to you."

"Yeah," Aella nodded in agreement. "It'll be nice for all of us not to look over our shoulders, worry who she's going to torture just because we insulted her. It'll be even nicer for Elena not to worry she's been posing as her."

"Speaking of Elena..." Stefan started. "How was she after you healed her?"

Aella snuggled even closer to him, "She was upset. I remember when you were taken by Frederick... when I unintentionally channeled you. That first slice in my stomach... the overwhelming pain and panic because I was getting hurt yet nothing was doing it, there was no way to stop it." She swallowed heavily, remembering not only the physical pain but the pain of knowing Stefan was going through that too. "It's hard to explain, even now. But I know how freaked out she was. All Katherine needed to do was damage an organ or cut a vein, and Elena could have bled out there. It's unnerving."

"It's scary," Stefan added, and she agreed with him. He pecked her lips gently, "We'll keep an eye on her today."

"Yeah," Aella smiled and began kissing him back. She was happy to finally have a quiet moment alone with him; sadly, she realized it had been far too long since they chilled in bed and talked, kissed, and loved one another.

Stefan slid down the bed as their kiss grew heated, and Aella swung a short clad leg over his hips and pulled her body as close to his as she could. Needing his skin touching hers. Tongues entwined, and breaths became heavy when a gentle knock echoed around the room. Stefan pulled away, but Aella drew him back, "Ignore it." He did, until a second knock, alongside Jeremy's voice saying her name in a tone that had them both pulling away. Aella climbed off Stefan and jogged to the door. When she opened it, Jeremy was standing there, already dressed and holding his backpack, ready to go despite it being too early for school. "Morning, J."

Jeremy had a slight redness to his cheeks, obviously having a clear idea of what was happening by Aella's rumpled clothes and swollen lips. "Sorry for interrupting, but have you seen Elena? Her bed's not been slept in."

Aella's brow furrowed; she looked over at Stefan, who had sat back up in the bed. He shook his head, and Aella looked back to Jeremy, "No. She was pretty upset. Maybe she went home with Caroline? Ric should know; he was her ride home."

Jeremy's blush deepened, "He's in the shower...." He swallowed heavily and looked a tad green." With Jenna."

At least someone was getting action, Aella wanted to say as Jeremy continued, looking at his watch. "I promised Anna I'd meet her before school, and I'm running late. Can you ask Ric and text me when you know? After last night...."

"I know, baby J," Aella touched his arm in comfort. "As soon as I see Ric, I'll ask." Then, she threw a thumb to where her phone sat on the side, "I'll text C as well."

"Thanks," Jeremy said with some relief. "I'll see you at school."

Once he was out of sight, Aella closed the door and leaned against it, chewing her lip in thought. Stefan got up and walked over to her, pulling her lip from her teeth before she broke the skin, "She's probably with Caroline."

Aella didn't like the feeling in her gut, and she pushed past him and marched to her phone. Instead of texting, she called Caroline. She nervously shifted from side to side on the spot as the phone rang, and rang, and rang, Stefan only watching her, arms crossed. When the phone switched to voicemail, Aella frowned, "She always answers my calls."

"Because she's probably with Elena, getting ready," Stefan offered her, and it made sense. Caroline could get in quite the zone when she had the opportunity to dress her friends. Stefan approached her again and rubbed her arms with comfort, "Let's think positive before we jump to conclusions, okay."

While the feeling in her gut didn't disappear, she still nodded. Falling into his arms, she mumbled against Stefan's chest, "This was supposed to be a normal day."

The doorbell rang. She heard someone, she assumed Jenna, run to the door. Then her guardian shouted her name in the most unnerving way, "Uh... Aella? You have visitors."

Aella's head darted up, eyes wide as she locked gazes with Stefan. He plastered a fake smile on his lips and repeated, "Positive thoughts before we jump to conclusions."

"Jumping to conclusions," Aella scowled, pulling away from him. "My favorite form of cardio." They began walking down the stairs as Aella muttered to herself, "Positive thinking. Positive thinking." That was until she got to the bottom of the stairs and saw who was standing in the doorway, with an awkward Jenna hovering. "Grams? Bonnie?"

Sheila smiled shakily, "Hello, Aella."

Aella didn't respond; instead, she began marching back up the stairs, pushing past Stefan as she shouted, "Positive thoughts can kiss my ass!"

Jenna let out an uneasy laugh as she looked between the Bennett women and Stefan, "Well... at least she didn't set the house on fire."

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It was quiet as Stefan, Aella, Bonnie, and Sheila sat at the kitchen table. Aella green eyes stared at her grandmother, noticing how thin and pale she looked, brazen like her granddaughter; Sheila stared back. Meanwhile, Bonnie stared at her clasped hands, and Stefan watched Aella, holding her hand tightly. After Aella had marched upstairs and Stefan had followed her, walking into her room to see clothes flying everywhere as she tried to find an outfit for the day. Finally, after some deep breaths and promising a trip to her favorite coffee shop, Aella had calmed enough for Stefan to convince her to go down. To get the answers to questions she'd been asking since she was bombarded on the steps of her home by Sheila before the two had left.

"Okay," Jenna faked a smile as she carried over a tray of drinks. "A nice chamomile tea for everyone-" her eyes zoned in on Aella "-to keep everything nice and calm."

Sheila smiled as she accepted her cup, "Got any whiskey to go with that?"

"Grams!"
"Grams!"

The exclamation came from both granddaughters for very different reasons. Bonnie shook her head in disappointment, "Grams, you know you can't have that." While Aella looked to Jenna determinedly, "If she's having some, I should get some too!"

"No, whiskey!" Jenna shook her head as she sat down with her own tea. "Anyway, we don't have alcohol in this house.."

Aella snorted into her tea, and the bare-faced lie, Jenna only kicked her under the table.

The awkward silence appeared again as everyone sipped on their teas. Jenna nudged Stefan and motioned with wide eyes to Sheila, hoping the vampire would say something. Stefan rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, so everyone's attention was on him, "Sheila, you're looking well."

Sheila smiled thankfully at him and opened her mouth to do the same when Aella's sharp voice cut her off, "No, she doesn't."

"Aella!" Jenna exclaimed, aghast.

But Aella either didn't hear her or didn't care, and she continued, eyes furiously on her grandmother, "You're pale. Your hair is thinner, lackluster, and you've lost an obscene amount of weight that you were hoping your coat would hide...." Her voice filled with emotion as she scowled, "It doesn't. Your usual perfect nails are bitten down, and you look tired. Tireder than I've ever seen you before."

Sheila nodded, agreeing with all Aella had said, while Bonnie had paled. "You're right," Sheila told her straight. She pulled off her coat, and it took all of Aella's might to not flinch at how thin her grandmother was. Jenna was not so mighty. Sheila's mouth set a hard line at how breathless she was after such a simple action, "Aella, I left because-"

"-I'm off!"

The table jumped at the male voice, and Bonnie choked on her own spit as Ric came running into the kitchen, gulping down the last dregs of his coffee. His eyes went wide as he dropped his things and began coughing as his coffee went down the wrong tube once he spotted Sheila and Bonnie. Sheila merely sat up as Bonnie exclaimed, "Mr. Saltzman."

"Ric!" Jenna jumped up in concern and began hitting his back to stop him from choking. Aella could only smirk over at Stefan. Still, her boyfriend could see the slight sheen in her eyes from her sharp words to Sheila.

"Mr. Saltzman?" Sheila repeated with some suspicion. She looked between Bonnie and Aella as Ric began to stop coughing, "Your history teacher?"

Ric waved awkwardly at her and bent down to pick up his things. Jenna opened her mouth to explain, but Aella beat her there, "Yeah, she's banging my history teacher, and he still won't raise my grade."

Ric's foot slipped at the direct comment, and he fell to the ground in surprise while Jenna hit her hand to her forehead. Bonnie let a little giggle escape, realizing how much she had missed her cousin's lack of filter. Aella leaned around Stefan to look at Ric sprawled out on the ground, "Ah gravity, thou art a heartless bitch."

Ric jumped up and began brushing himself down; he noticeably ignored Aella's glee as he looked at Jenna, who looked mortified. "I'm okay," he smiled off his embarrassment. "I am going to work and pretend none of this ever happened."

With a kiss to Jenna's head, he began to walk out with what little dignity he had remaining when Aella's voice stopped him from doing that, "Hey Ric?"

He paused and wondered if he could just ignore her; unfortunately, that would just make her worse. So with a tight smile, he turned to her, "Yes, Aella?"

While her eyes had glimmered with humor when she had humiliated him, now they looked serious, and it had Ric straightening up. "How was Elena when you brought her home last night?"

Ric frowned, looking between her and Jenna, "She didn't." Aella tensed, eyes flashing to Stefan's for a second. "I assumed she came home with you and Jer, or went to Caroline's."

Knowing he had work and he was running late, Aella smiled fakely, "Yeah, sorry, I forgot, she did go to Caroline's."

Jenna frowned; Aella didn't forget things like that. With a small smile, Ric nodded and began walking out again, "Okay, see you guys at school."

The door shut, and Jenna turned on Aella, "You didn't forget, did you?"

Aella only shook her head as she pulled out her phone. Stefan answered for her, "Jeremy said her bed hadn't been slept in."

"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked nervously from the table. "Where's Elena?"

Stefan smiled tightly at her as he saw Aella talking frantically to someone, "Things have happened since you've been gone."

"Is this about that Katherine girl?" Sheila asked, obviously caught up by Bonnie.

"For once, no," Stefan sighed in frustration. He then remembered what Katherine told Damon the night before, "I think."

"Katherine is the tomb," Jenna explained for him. Sheila and Bonnie shared identical looks, and Jenna nodded, "Yes, that tomb. She tried to hurt Elena with another witch, but Aella was able to stop her, and they incapacitated her and put her in the tomb."

Sheila nodded in thought, "So she's finally in the tomb that was created for her so long ago. Seems quite the circle."

"But what about Elena?" Bonnie asked, relieved Katherine was locked away, but where was her best friend?

Stefan opened his mouth when Aella answered for him, "We don't know." She motioned to her phone, "That was Caroline; she went home alone. She has no clue where Elena is."

Jenna went pale, and Stefan pulled out his own phone and called the last number dialed. When it was answered, he simply said, "Come to Aella's. Elena is missing."

MYSTIC FALLS HIGH SCHOOL

Caroline bit her lip as she got out of her car, hoping to some deity that Elena had gotten herself home and off to school early before anyone had seen her. She saw Tyler walking towards the school, his stride slow, and she ran to catch up with him.

"Hey..." She smiled softly at him. He looked surprised to see her there, and she could see the bags under his eyes, "Don't suppose you've seen Elena this morning?"

Tyler shook his head, "No, sorry." He carried on walking. "Why?"

"No reason," Caroline lied, not wanting to give him more bad news as people stared at him as they walked the corridor. Word had spread quickly that Sarah had died during Lockwood's party. "How are you doing?"

Tyler looked at his feet to avoid the stares, "Not good."

"How's your mom?" She asked, hoping to distract him from the gazes. "My mom said that she was pretty freaked out about everything that happened with Sarah."

Tyler shrugged, "She didn't want me to come today, she-" he paused, and Caroline winced when she saw the candles and the pictures at Sarah's locker.

He carried on walking, and Caroline had to jog to catch up to him, "It's not your fault, Tyler."

He reached his locker and began inputting his combination, "Doesn't feel that way." When his locker didn't open, he hit it and tried again as people started staring. Caroline opened her mouth to try and calm him when his combination failed again, and he pulled at it with anger, only for the small metal device to break in his hand. Tyler stared at it in shock, once again faced with his new reality.

"Tyler..." Caroline began, but Tyler was over it and marched off, the broken lock hanging from the locker. Caroline fell against it, watching him storm away as she sighed to herself, "Just another manic Monday."