DONOVAN HOUSEHOLD

Aella stiffly sat opposite Matt as she pulled on the loose thread of her sweater.

"So..." Matt cleared his throat, rubbing his neck. "What, um... What are you?"

Aella shuffled forward, "... I'm a witch, Matt."

Matt's eyes widened a fraction at her admittance; he cleared his throat again, "Like, Hocus Pocus, or some shit like that?"

With a small snort, Aella shook her head, "I'm not really into sucking out a child's soul to retain my youthfulness. But, magic wise? A little." She twisted her ring on her finger, "Officially I am part traditional witch and part elemental witch."

Matt's brow's creased, "There's different kinds of witches?"

"You'd be surprised," Aella chuckled, a short huff of air out her nose that was barely perceptible. "Traditional Magic is one of the oldest and purest forms of sorcery; however, it is also the most exhausting. And my Elemental Magic is quite a rare one," Aella shrugged a single shoulder, "I believe my coven is the only one that practices it. Our souls are entwined with the sacred elements of nature, and we are tasked with maintaining the balance of it."

There was a small quirk to Matt's lip, "So, Mystic Lia is a legit thing."

Aella let out a real laugh for the first time since she entered Matt's home. "Oh, I wish I could bring on visions as easily as Mystic Lia does, but my visions can be quite... temperamental."

Matt stilled, "Wait. You can actually see the future?"

"Mhmm," Aella nodded. "The past too. It can be a gift, but it can also be quite the opposite."

"God, A," Matt roughly rubbed his face. "This is crazy."

While it was a comfort for Aella to hear Matt call her by one of her nicknames, she could see the panic beginning to grow again, "I know, Matt. I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I-"

"Would you have ever told me?"

Aella's throat went dry as Matt cut her off, eyes fiercely aimed at her. She could have lied and told him eventually; yes, she would have revealed her secret, but instead, she told him the truth; he deserved the truth. "No. I wouldn't have told you." She looked up as she heard Matt's scoff, tongue press hard to the roof of her mouth to prevent tears from falling. "I feel like every time I bring someone into my world, they're faced with the horror's of it." Her glistening eyes returned to Matt, "If I could prevent at least one of my closest friends from facing that, then I would make that same shitty decision every day."

"And, Vic?"

Aella winced at the break in Matt's voice, "Vicky made some really bad decisions... but I swear, Matt. If I could have done anything to prevent what happened to her and you, I would have done it without thought."

The tears were now flowing on both teen's faces, as Matt seemed to accept her answer but still pushed her on it, "And what exactly happened."

Aella fidgeted with her hands; she looked away from Matt as she answered, "Damon."

"That son-of-a-" Matt closed his mouth firmly, his lips pale as he held back his emotions. "Why the hell isn't he in prison or... dead?!"

Aella held her hands up to her friend, "Because he's not the same as when he came." Matt rolled his eyes, but Aella continued, "He and Stefan, they've had awful lives, and because of what they are, those feelings are only intensified. Stefan has battled his demons and is winning. However, Damon is still struggling with facing his actions and the consequences of those actions."

"My sister died, Aella!" Aella winced at Matt's shout, which soon turned into a whimper. "My sister died."

"I know," Aella nodded to him, swallowing hard because of the lump that had grown there. "And I am so, so sorry."

It was silent for a few moments between the friends as they looked everywhere around the room except for each other. All of a sudden, Matt spoke, "And Caroline... is she like Stefan and... Damon?"

Aella licked her lips as she nodded at him, "When Tyler crashed his car, Caroline was hurt really bad."

Matt nodded; he was pale as he remembered that night in the hospital, as he sat with Aella as they both silently prayed for a miracle. "You said it was bad."

"It was really bad, Matt," Aella confessed tearfully. "Her heart had stopped multiple times, and they couldn't control the bleeding inside her chest... When they told me to contact Liz asap, I just knew..." She paused as she recalled the despair on the doctor's face and the fear in her heart. "We made a group decision to give Caroline some of Damon's blood, to heal her."

Matt nodded numbly, "And that's why she was miraculously healed the next morning." He then frowned, "But how did she...?"

"Become a vampire?" Matt winced at the word finally being said aloud. Aella nervously licked her lips, "I'm not sure-"

"No!" Matt exclaimed as he stood, knowing she wasn't going to tell him. "I didn't know about Vic; I deserve to know about Caroline."

Aella flinched at Matt's tone but told him the truth, "Not if it puts you in more danger, Matt."

Matt laughed without humor, "And who decides that, Aella? You?" He moved towards his friend, crouching in front of her and forcing her eyes to meet his fury-filled ones, "I deserve to know."

But Aella couldn't risk another one of her friends' lives and silently but firmly shook her head, tears falling rapidly. Matt scoffed at her wordless answer and stood, "Then I don't have anything else to say to you, Aella."

Aella's lips quivered as she croaked out, "Matt."

He marched over to the front door and opened it; he looked purposely out of it as he told her, "Then I have nothing else to say, Aella."

Shakily, Aella rose and walked towards the door. As she exited, she looked up at her friend, and her heart broke when Matt purposely turned away from her. Aella slowly rose onto her toes and kissed his cheek, breath shuddering when she felt his wince. "I'm sorry, Matt," she whispered before she walked out of the house.

As Aella walked towards her car, she flinched when Matt slammed his door shut. She tried to stay strong as she reached her car, but once she was inside the vehicle, Aella's sob broke free. As Aella wept in her hands, she was unaware that Matt had fallen against his door, sobbing into his knees. Two friends; broken.

SHEILA'S HOUSEHOLD

"Grams!?"

Bonnie watched as Sheila jumped with surprise as she stormed in. Her hands quickly gathered the same documents that had been spread out when Liz had been over earlier that day. Bonnie's eyes narrowed for a moment as Sheila pushed the documents haphazardly into a folder and then put them in a cupboard.

"Bonnie," Sheila laughed stiffly. "What in the blazes-" she stopped talking when she saw the tears on Bonnie's face. "-Bonnie. What happened?"

It was strange how such a question could mean so many things in their new world. Who was dead? Who had done what? Was Aella okay? Was the town all good? Sadly for Bonnie, it was the first as she rushed to her grandmother's arms, "Caroline's a vampire!"

Sheila's eyes widened, and she held onto Bonnie tighter as she absorbed the news, "Wh-what?"

Bonnie nodded against her shoulder as she let out another sob, "Caroline's a vampire, and she killed an innocent tonight."

The two fell onto the couch as they held each other. Bonnie wishing her actions had been different that night, and Sheila thinking about the woman who had come to help her only that morning. The woman whose daughter had officially died that night. Yet as Sheila held tightly onto her granddaughter, Bonnie's eyes drifted to the cupboard Sheila had pushed the document-full folder into.

SALVATORE BOARDING HOUSE

Aella laid on Stefan's bed, arm's around Caroline as her blonde friend slept. Aella's eyes stared out at the new day, praying it would be better than the previous one.

Unknown to Aella, Stefan watched his girlfriend; his form leaned against the doorway of his bedroom. Aella had not spoken of her talk with Matt, but when she had returned with her face blotchy from the dried tears, he knew it hadn't gone well. He heard Damon's footsteps come up behind him but did not move, his eyes firmly on Aella.

"So, the Brady Bunch are here," Damon quipped quietly. "She okay?"

Stefan finally looked at his brother, "Her best friend is a vampire, and I'm pretty certain her friendship with Matt is over. She's not okay."

"Ric's here," Damon told him. "Thought you'd want to be in on the talks."

Stefan nodded as he pushed himself off the doorway, "Aella would want me there."

The two vampires headed downstairs to the library, where Jenna and Elena sat on the far side of the room while Ric remained standing. Damon walked in first, heading towards the teacher, "Thanks for coming, Ric. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, bourbon? Bourbon in your coffee?"

Jenna scoffed at the vampire's offer. She shifted her intense glare from Damon to look at Stefan with a concerned smile, "Where's Caroline?"

"She's upstairs with Aella," Stefan answered as he stepped into the room.

Elena's brow furrowed, "Is she okay?"

Stefan only nodded, his lips firmly pressed together. He would tell her about Aella meeting with Matt after they talked about what Damon needed to speak to Ric about. When Stefan looked at the teacher, Ric shook off Damon's offer, "Jenna mentioned you needed my help."

Damon frowned over at Elena, wondering how Jenna knew enough to ask Ric. Elena shrugged, "Jenna and I spoke, and we decided it seemed more logical for Jenna to contact my teacher than me."

"And if one of my kids are in the house with Damon," Jenna spat out the vampire's name. "Then I'm here too."

Damon smirked at the guardian, "Well, doesn't that make me feel all warm and fuzzy."

Stefan could see an argument brewing between Damon and Jenna, so he looked to Ric, "We were hoping you could help shed some light on the Lockwood family."

Alaric crossed his arms, "Now, why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?"

Damon raised a brow at the teacher, "Well, you wouldn't. But your dead, not-dead vampire wife might."

"Isobel's research from when you guys were at Duke together," Elena told Alaric.

Jenna smiled tightly at Ric; she knew Isobel was a challenging subject for him, "You told me that she had spent years researching this town... She could have hidden a lot more from you."

Ric shrugged his shoulders, "Isobel's research here in Mystic Falls rooted in folklore and legends, that I once thought much of which was fiction."

Damon motioned to himself with a sly smile, "Like that amazing vampire story."

Stefan's eyes glanced up to where Aella sat with Caroline, "Aella's had multiple visions of yellow eyes when she touched the skin of Tyler and Mason. What else is possible?"

Ric rubbed his neck, "Well there's lycanthrope."

Elena frowned, "Wait, like werewolves?"

Damon shook his head firmly, "No way, impossible, way too, Lon Chaney."

Jenna held up her hand, "Aella's PowerPoint did not mention werewolves."

Elena wearily smiled at her aunt, "You know she made up that whole thing, right?"

Jenna's eyes widened, "She what?"

Stefan smirked at the memory, "She wrote it while binging Supernatural. The only thing she knew for sure was vampires and magic."

Jenna's lips firmed as she muttered out, "That little..."

Damon ignored the guardian cursing out her ward as he looked between Stefan and Ric. "We've been on this planet one hundred and sixty some odd years, never came across one. If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?"

"Why do you suspect the Lockwoods?" Alaric instead asked the brothers.

Damon counted on his fingers, "Well, Pixie had a reaction to them. Because vervain didn't affect the mayor at Founders' Day, but the Gilbert device did, and it affected Tyler. Then we have Uncle Mayo's demonstration at the carnival... Once is chance, twice is a coincidence, third time... something freaky is occurring."

Jenna frowned at Damon's nickname for Mason as she looked to Stefan, "What happened at the carnival?"

"Mason exhibited inhuman strength when we faced each other at the wrestling booth," Stefan explained as he crossed his arms. "The same happened when he fought with one of the carnival's workers."

"And Aella can't see anything else other than yellow eyes?" Elena asked Stefan, knowing he would know more than anyone else.

Stefan shook his head, "I know with Tyler she tried forcing a vision but saw just the yellow eyes. She was surprised when the same happened with Mason but was unable to investigate further..." They all knew why that was. "But what she and I are certain of, it suggests they are some sort of a supernatural entity."

Ric moved to sit on the arm of one of the couches, "And because Aella saw something, it automatically means it's supernatural?" While he knew the young girl was powerful, it was foolish to rely only on that.

Damon scoffed and held up his hands as he walked over to his drink's table, "I've fought Pixie's visions before and lost. If she's seen something that only occurs when she's touching the skin of a Lockwood, something is not right."

While Elena was pleased Damon trusted her best friend, she knew his opinion wasn't that influential with Ric or Jenna. She shuffled forward to focus on Ric, "We were hoping that Isobel's research could help us figure it out."

Alaric looked unsure as he looked at them all, "Well, all her things are still at Duke... I mean, her office is still there. Technically she's still missing."

Damon drank his fresh glass of whiskey as he looked at the teacher, "So can we get access to it?" Alaric still looked unsure, and Damon stepped towards him, "Ric, we need to know what we are dealing with. If this wolfman thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good..."

Elena frowned as Stefan straightened up, "What do you mean?"

"It means if Mason Lockwood is a real-life Lon Chaney, then that little Tyler punk may just very well be Lon Chaney Junior," Damon raised a severe brow. "That means Bella Lugosi, meaning me, and Edward here..." He thumbed at Stefan. "Are totally screwed."

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

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

"So... car trip with Damon," Caroline smiled tightly at Elena. She raised her two hands sarcastically, "Yay."

"Don't forget Momma Bear, Jenna, is going too," Aella smirked. "Now that is a journey that needs to be recorded."

Elena groaned into Aella's lap; the three girls laid on Stefan's bed as Elena updated them regarding that morning's meeting. Though she kept the suggestion of the Lockwood's to herself until they were sure. "Ugh," the teen sighed. "This is going to be awful."

Aella smoothed her long hair in comfort as Caroline smiled, "It could be a good opportunity to learn about Isobel before she went all, Mommie Dearest."

Elena snorted at the reference but nodded at Caroline's words, "I suppose." She glanced at the blonde, "How are you feeling today?"

Caroline pushed her hand into Elena's face with a proud smile, but both girls could see it was forced, "I got a new permanent addition."

Elena twisted the ring on Caroline's hand, "That's pretty..." She glanced at Aella, "You spelled it so she can go out in the sun?"

"First thing I did," Aella nodded, leaning into the blonde. "And Quelle, surprise, she didn't burst into flames when she went out with Stefan earlier on."

Caroline nodded solemnly, "Burnt flesh does not go with my aesthetic... you know?"

Elena snorted at the typical Caroline answer, "What did you and Stefan do so early?"

"He wanted to practice with my new abilities," Caroline answered as she picked the loose threads on Stefan's bedspread. "Early enough while it was quiet."

Elena bit her lip, "I'm so sorry-"

"No," Caroline cut Elena off with a firm shake of the head. "Don't you dare apologize. This isn't your fault."

"But, I-"

"Elena," It was Aella that cut off the doppelganger this time. "This was Katherine's doing." The witch's eyes darkened, "She'll pay for doing this to Caroline."

Elena swallowed harshly; it wasn't often Aella was so serious. However, Katherine had messed with the one person in Mystic Falls that she shouldn't have. Katherine's biggest mistake was going after Caroline. Elena could see Aella would not mess around when it came to retribution for her best friend. Clearing her throat, Elena shuffled herself off the bed, "I better go and get ready for the road trip."

"Be safe," Aella smiled at her, the light back in her eyes. "And if Jenna tries to kill Damon... please record it."

Elena laughed as she walked away, "Love you guys."

She smiled brightly when the two girls called back, "We love you too!"

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

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

Aella let out a relaxed sigh as she nestled in Stefan's tub. She'd been in there about an hour and had been practicing with her firepower by heating the water up whenever it got cold. While she couldn't hold the flame for more than a few seconds, she was getting better.

Stefan had suggested the idea before he and Caroline went out to the woods so Stefan could help Caroline with her new vampire skills. Knowing how big Stefan's tub was, it didn't take too much convincing for her to accept. But it seemed the world thought an hour was enough for Aella to relax as her cell rang.

Aella used her air magic to hover the phone over her face with a flick of the wrist. When she saw Tyler calling, she grasped the phone out of the air and answered, "Hey, Ty."

Instead of greeting her, Tyler asked, "Are you busy?"

Aella wriggled her wrinkled fingers, "Not at the moment. Why?"

It was silent for a moment until Tyler spoke, "I found something... Can you meet me at the lake near my house?"

Noticing the seriousness in Tyler's voice, she sat up, "Yeah. Give me twenty minutes?"

"Meet you then," Tyler told her before he hung up. Biting her lip, Aella wondered what had Tyler in such a tizzy before she got out of the bath. As she wrapped herself in one of Stefan's cotton towels and wandered into his room, she wondered if this had anything to do with the reason Elena, Jenna, Damon, and Ric had gone to Duke.

ALARIC'S CAR

The white Chevrolet traveled along the highway, it's occupants surprisingly quiet for their journey. Jenna and Elena sat in the back admiring the bare scenery as Alaric drove and Damon messed with the radio.

Ric's hands tightened around the steering wheel as the radio's static noise echoed around the car as Damon unsuccessfully searched for a channel. When Jenna let out her own huff, Ric saw Damon smirk and knew the vampire was messing with them all, especially as Jenna had declared she would not talk to the vampire after his murderous behavior towards her nephew.

As the static rose to an ear aching squeal, Jenna threw her magazine on the floor, "That's enough, Damon!"

Damon's smirk grew, but his hands did not stop as he sang to Jenna, "You're speaking to me."

"Choose a damn station," Jenna told him through clenched teeth.

Damon casually looked over his shoulder at her, "You know, you make a lot of noise for someone who is ignoring me."

Jenna's eyes narrowed, and the two had a staredown before Jenna slowly reached down and picked up her magazine. As she aggressively flipped the pages, she muttered under her breath, "You're not worth the dynamite it'd take to blow you to hell."

As Damon's curved lips opened to respond in some kind of sarcastic way, Elena pushed herself through the small gap between Damon and Ric's seat and turned the infernal static noise off. As she returned to her seat, she raised a brow at Damon and Jenna, "Now it's off, so you two can continue to ignore each other while we all bask in the silence."

As Damon's mouth opened again, Ric reached over and held his hand over the vampire's lips. As Damon's eyes met his, Ric's stern eyes and a firm shake of the head told Damon enough was enough.

LOCKWOOD PROPERTY

As Aella's car pulled into the Lockwood's drive, Tyler was waiting for her, sitting on the benches outside. Getting out of the vehicle, Aella smirked, "Are you the new valet?"

Tyler snorted, "Don't give my mom any ideas." His arm came around her back and led her towards the greenery that surrounded Tyler's home rather than into the house. "It's this way."

Aella's brow pinched, "What's this way?"

"The original Lockwood Plantation House," Tyler told her. "As much as we played in these woods, I had no clue it was here."

Tyler helped Aella over a fallen tree in their path, "So how did you find it now?"

Tyler stopped and turned to her. He swallowed hard as his eyes darted around, "I followed my Uncle."

"Um, why?" Aella questioned, concerned at Tyler's behavior and the fact he'd followed Mason.

Pulling her arm, Tyler shook his head, "Just come, and you'll see."

Aella pulled back, her forehead puckered, "No, Tyler, tell me first, and then we'll go." When his eyes darted around again, Aella began to feel worried, "What's got you so on edge, Ty?"

"I just don't want anyone finding us," Tyler answered, and when he pulled her arm a second time, she began walking with him again. "It's been so good getting to know my uncle, but something also feels..."

At his pause, Aella pushed him, "Feels like what, Ty?"

Walking ahead of her, Tyler rubbed the back of his neck, "It was that same feeling when I realized you were hiding something, and you turned out to be a witch..."

Aella was quiet as she pondered his words. Tyler wasn't the only one who had strong feelings about Mason. So, to hear him add his own worries into the mix, Aella's mind began contemplating what the deal was with Mason... her Mayo.

Aella pulled Tyler to a halt, deciding to be truthful with him. As his worried eyes met her, she swallowed the lump forming in her throat, "You're not the only one feeling off about Mason."

As Tyler's eyes narrowed in on her, she pulled him over to a large log and sat them both down, "Stefan and Damon have noticed things, things Mason shouldn't be able to do."

Tyler frowned at her pause and pushed her on, "Such as?"

With wide eyes, Aella shrugged, "Being super strong..." and with guilt, she confessed, "Plus, I saw something the night of the carnival when his hand touched mine."

"You mean a vision?" Tyler slowly questioned. "Like the ones you've had when shit's hit the fan in the past?"

Aella rolled her green eyes, "To put it politely, yes." She shuffled forward and finally admitted, "I've seen the same when our hands have touched."

Tyler pulled away in a panic, "When? How long ago? Were you even going to tell me?"

Aella winced, "At Vicki's memorial, and then a few following it..." She purposely missed the last question, unsure of the actual answer.

Tyler rubbed his face in frustration, "So something isn't right, I'm not just making this whole thing up."

Aella shook her head sadly, "I don't think so."

Tyler stood up suddenly; he wanted to be mad at her for hiding something else from him. Still, at the same time, he knew she would never do anything with the intent of hurting him. With a groan, he looked down at her sad face and knew if he'd had any anger before looking at her, it would all have disappeared at the guilt in her eyes, "You're killing me, Aella."

Aella jumped up and hugged him, "Just think how dull your life would be without me, Ty."

Tyler rolled his eyes as Aella began walking off, "You mean normal?" He then smirked at her, "You're going the wrong way."

With a huff, Aella stomped back to him and waved in a random direction, "Well then, please lead the way, Dora."

Instead of reacting to the nickname, Tyler just began leading her through the forest again.