GILBERT HOUSEHOLD

CRUNCH

Aella crunched her cereal between her teeth louder than ever before, each bite making the two men opposite her recoil at the loud noise, both for excellent reasons. Her emerald eyes, usually full of love and humor, now stared daggers between the two.

First, at Stefan, a fury he hadn't had the pleasure of being a target of, and now he knew why. The second is John, a hatred that the elder Gilbert deserved and wasn't sure if he should have been afraid of or proud of.

CRUNCH

Stefan shifted a little, and Aella's eyes narrowed even further, "Coffee, hunny?"

CRUNCH

When Elena entered the kitchen, both men seemed to relax a little. John smiled at his daughter, "Morning."

Elena froze, eyes widening at her birth father, "What are you still doing here?"

CRUNCH

At the loud noise, Elena's eyes darted to Aella, and she raised her brow, "You don't look surprised." Aella simply shrugged, eyes still narrowed on her boyfriend.

John held up the carafe of coffee, "Coffee?"

Elena firmly shook her head as she sat opposite John with a hard stare, "We're not doing that. We did that last time you were here, and caused us hell. No more avoiding. Why are you here?"

"I'm here to protect you." John wiped his hands with a napkin with a casual shrug, "That's all I can say for the moment."

Aella scoffed while Elena could only stare aghast at him, "What do you mean that's all you can say?"

John settled back in his chair and took a single sip of coffee, "I'll tell you more when I'm convinced I can trust you."

"Bitch please," Aella laughed scornfully. "You trust us? You are so fake; even China denied they made you!"

Stefan rubbed his face tiredly as John opened his mouth to argue with Aella when Jenna and Alaric rushed in, "Oh God, I'm late."

Alaric felt exhausted yet slept all night without waking; while looking for the coffee, he muttered, "That's what you get for hitting the snooze three times!"

Aella, who seemed to enjoy mocking all in sight that morning, mused, "Snooze? Is that the new term for sex?"

"Aella-aahhh!" Jenna's scolding took a high pitch turn as she turned to glare at Aella, only to see John at the table. "What the hell?"

Aella blinked; she'd never heard her name called in such a way and noted to herself aloud as she finished her cereal, "Well, that's a new one."

John, always eager to rile up Jenna, only smiled widely, "Good morning to you, Jenna. Alaric..."

Jenna's scowl returned as she pointed at John, "Okay, I'm confused, right? Because we were not expecting you, like, ever."

"Mhmm," Aella cheered on her guardian. "Kick his ass out, Jenna."

"It's my house!" John exclaimed, glaring at the witch, who only shrugged and muttered, "Semantics."

"I got in late last night. Stefan, let me in."

Jenna turned to the vampire aghast, "Stefan!"

Aella pushed away her empty bowl with a snarl as she hissed towards Stefan, "I knew I should have been worried when your BuzzFeed quiz result said you were a Peter Pettigrew!"

Alaric gently stepped towards Jenna, "Jenna, maybe you should calm down." The guardian turned her glare on him, and he quickly backed up with arms raised, "You know, I'm uh, probably just gonna take off."

"Ric?" Aella smiled a little too widely at him, motioning him close with a finger wave. "A little advice?" The teacher swallowed heavily with a tight nod. "Telling a woman to calm down works about as well as baptizing a cat." With that, Ric left the house, his pallor a little paler than when he had entered the kitchen.

Jenna stood between Elena and Aella, "I'm still confused here."

"I decided to come back and stay for a while," John declared.

Jenna laughed a little too loudly, "Not here, you're not."

John seemed a little too pleased as he sipped his coffee, "Actually, you can't stop me from living here."

Jenna adjusted her stance, leaning on her right hip. Elena and Aella exchanged glances around Jenna, too familiar with the pose, "Actually, I can, as legal guardian."

John's cockiness seemed to dial up to 100 as he grinned at Elena, "Yeah, about that...um, Elena, you want me to explain the situation, or would you like to do the honors?"

"Wha-?"

"-No, Jenna," Aella stopped Jenna from speaking. Sitting up, she tried to hide her glee as she realized what John was insinuating to Jenna. "Let him continue..." To dig his grave. Aella silently added.

Stefan's posture was begging to deflate. He could feel the joy radiating from both John and Aella but knew only one would feel victorious soon.

Elena could also see where this was heading. Instead of allowing it to continue, she tried in vain to stop John, "John, she-"

But John being John Gilbert thought Elena was trying to stop him from revealing the big secret. Gleefully he announced, "I'm Elena's biological father." The room froze, and John sat back with a satisfied smile on his face. "There, now you know."

Jenna's whole being froze, and Aella could see John was enjoying every second of it, especially as Jenna whispered, "You really are a bastard."

John began to rise as his face morphed into a false sympathy, "I'm sor-"

WHACK!

John's body somersaulted over the chair he had raised from and landed on the floor in the corner with a bang. While his limbs stuck up in the air due to the awkward position he fell, Jenna shook her fist in agony.

To Aella's pure delight, Jenna had punched John Gilbert in the face and knocked him into the corner, his legs and arms stuck in the air, and he looked like an absolute idiot.

Before she could cheer on Jenna, while Elena screamed her aunt's name in disbelief, Jenna marched to John and stuck her finger in his bleeding face. "Unlike you, we're family; we tell each other everything. I know you like to play this heartless bastard, but even for you, that was despicable."

Jenna stormed out while Elena looked tearfully down at John. She opened her mouth to speak but found no words for him and ran after her aunt.

"Elena!" John shouted after her, trying to get himself up.

Aella shot up from her chair, glaring at her boyfriend, who hadn't moved, "You see what you've done, Stefan?"

"Ael-"

"Nope!" Aella stopped him from talking and began to follow Elena and Jenna. "I am now walking away mid-conversation, Stefan. You are an idiot, and he is a jackass; my survival instincts have kicked in, so instead of murdering you both. I am leaving."

Stefan pushed off his chair and ignored the grunting from John, who was still stuck in the corner, to run after his girlfriend. "Aella!"

SALVATORE BOARDING HOUSE

"If you just listene-"

"-No!" Aella hissed at Stefan as they marched into the Library where Damon waited for them. Stefan moved to put a hand on Aella's shoulder, but Aella jerked back, a small part of her enjoying the hurt in Stefan's eyes at the move. "No, Stefan. There may be two sides to every story, but right now? You're a douche in both of them."

Damon snickered at the insult and enjoyed Stefan's irritated roll of the eyes, "So... You brought back John Gilbert? That was your big 'Save us from Klaus' move?"

Stefan rubbed his face tiredly, "I went to go look for Isobel, and I got John instead. He said he can help us, and we're desperate."

"And who told you to go to Isobel?" Aella sat on the arm of Damon's chair, eyes narrowed on Stefan, waiting for his answer.

She and Damon knew the answer, only one person in this town would ever consider Isobel as help, and she was locked away in the tomb.

"Isobel was a research expert," Stefan avoided her question as he sat opposite the two. "She found Katherine-" he motioned to Damon, "-and we all know how hard it is to find her." Damon's eyes darkened, but Stefan continued, "I left Isobel a voicemail, but-"

"-But just like all of Katherine's ideas," Aella cut in with a sarcastic round of applause at Stefan. "We got Elena's psycho/biological father instead of her psycho/biological mother, who we hate a little bit less." Aella scuffed her boot on the carpet, "I wouldn't have to share coffee with Isobel."

"Plus..." Damon raised a hand, "The guy tried to barbecue me!"

Aella rapidly nodded, Damon reminding her of that fact, "No one wants a Chargrilled Damon Kebab!"

Stefan wasn't swayed, "Bonnie's new witch friend is working with Elijah, so we have to assume that the moonstone was never destroyed. Assume that this was Elijah's doing."

"Orrrrr," Aella interjected with faux enthusiasm. "Maybe, like all the other witches we've had the not-so-much pleasure of meeting, Bonnie's own Emperor Palpatine is a double-crosser. He did it to Bonnie; who says he isn't doing the same with Elijah?"

Stefan stood up, looking down at Aella in disbelief, "What is it with you putting all your faith into Elijah? Into some deal that will keep everyone safe?" He turned to Damon, "I mean, do you trust Elijah?" He pointed to himself, "Because I don't trust him. He's an original; he can't be trusted. It's not like we can just go up and kill him because, apparently, he can't die!"

"Yet you were happy to get advice from the lunatic that tried to kill us all only a few weeks ago!" Aella exclaimed just as emotively, rising up to meet Stefan face-to-face. "The vampire who has made it very clear as long as you are safe, Stefan, she doesn't care if any of us die!"

As much as he loved the drama happening before him, Damon needed answers and interjected, "I'm still waiting for the part where John Gilbert is the answer."

"He knows about the sacrifice, Isobel told him," Stefan answered, glancing at Aella with a bitter smile. "Something Elijah has refused to share with you, right, Aella?" He turned back to Damon. "He said he knew of a way to keep Elena safe."

Damon held back a smirk at his brother's gall, Pixie was getting increasingly riled up, and Stefan wasn't helping things. "And how do we do that?"

Stefan shifted; it had Damon's grin lifting and Aella's temper rising, "He's not talking."

"Ha!" Aella exclaimed.

John Gilbert always had an ace up his sleeve.

"At least not to me anyway." Stefan quickly added on, narrowing his gaze on Aella. "At least he's willing to explain things."

Aella snorted, "As willing as a 40-year-old virgin in a convent." She stepped closer to Stefan, hurt in her emerald eyes, "John Gilbert has been nothing but an enemy to us. He's lied, he's manipulated, and he's killed. How can you trust him?"

Stefan's eyes closed, hating to see the hurt they were causing each other, "John Gilbert has one weakness; Elena." He looked between her and Damon, "He'll do anything to protect his daughter." He returned his gaze directly to Aella, "So why is Elijah protecting Elena?"

Aella hesitated before she confessed in a low, pained whisper, "I can't tell you."

The two stared at one another, Stefan needing to know why Aella had so much trust in Elijah and Aella needing Stefan to just trust her. Aella bit her lip to hold back the tears, knowing he wouldn't - that he couldn't trust her until he knew more. Unable to be near him, Aella walked away from the two brothers, and Stefan could only watch her walk away.

With a groan, Damon's head fell back into the seat cushion, "Great work, Stefan. Top-notch. As if I didn't have enough problems."

Stefan's eyes remained on the door Aella had walked out of. With a deep breath, he shook his head before he turned to his brother, "I never got to say it last night, but I'm sorry about Rose."

"Whatever," Damon stood with a tight grin, moving to leave the room. "I knew the woman for five minutes."

Stefan raised a doubtful brow, "And you cared about her after five minutes. I wonder what that means?"

Damon paused at the door, his back to his brother, "It means I care, Stefan. It means I'm changing, evolving into a man capable of greatness." Looking over his shoulder with a forced smirk, Damon added, "Better watch your back because I may just have to go get a hero-hairdo of my own and steal your thunder." Stefan snorted, and Damon went to leave, calling back to Stefan, "And patch things up with Pixie; it's not fun when someone else is annoying her."

With a roll of his eyes, Stefan fell back onto the chair. His eyes stared at his phone; he willed himself to pick it up and call Aella to return. However, it seemed fate had other plans when his phone vibrated. Looking at the message sent, he sprung up when he saw Tyler's text.

Tyler: Jules is here.

GILBERT RESIDENCE

When the front door opened, Elena was just returning from bringing Jenna a camomile tea. Aella marched in, followed by Damon. Elena paused as Aella announced, "Okay, where is that pumpernickel dingleberry?"

"What?!" Elena exclaimed, stepping off the last stair to follow her best friend. "What are you talking about?" She glanced back at Damon, "Did she hit her head? Is she okay?"

Damon hummed; he had not moved from the front door, "That's yet to be determined." At Elena's glare, he conceded, "Stefan's pissed her off."

Elena was still bewildered, "And the... pumpern-?"

"-Pumpernickel dingleberry," Aella repeated with a snarl, returning to Elena and Damon when she couldn't find John. She tossed a glare Damon's way before revealing, "Damon wouldn't let me drive, so I scrolled Pinterest, which usually calms me down...."

Elena nodded; Pinterest was Aella's friend until she failed at a hack, and it became her enemy.

"...Then I saw this challenge with all these words like, whippersnapper, discombobulated, poppycock, loads!"

Elena still wasn't sure what Aella was going on about; a glance at Damon, she saw the vampire yawning; he'd obviously already had this conversation with Aella.

"...And it challenged me to put two to three words in a sentence." Aella suddenly beamed, "And now I've completed three sentences, suck it Pinterest challenges!"

"Anyway," Damon pushed past Aella to take his own look into the house. "Where's daddy, dearest?"

Elena folded her arms in frustration, "Well, after pissing off Jenna, Jeremy finally helped him up from the corner, and he left."

A small smile broke through Damon's annoyed facade, "How long was he in the corner for?" Elena just hit his arm while Aella chuckled darkly next to him. "Okay," Damon stepped from her reach, "He said what he's actually doing here?"

Elena rolled her eyes, "You mean 'save me'?" She glanced at Aella, "Does Stefan actually believe he's telling the truth about wanting to help me?"

Aella snarled and opened her mouth to answer, but Damon answered for her more diplomatically, "Stefan doesn't want Aella hurt, emotionally or physically. You getting hurt hurts Aella; he'll work with whoever he needs to prevent that."

Aella's scowl slid from her face; Damon explaining Stefan's actions that way made her anger settle just a smidge. At times like this, she cursed how protective and stubborn Stefan was. She was pulled back into the conversation as Elena asked about their plan. Looking at Damon, she chuckled when he said, "We kill him."

Clapping her hands, Aella jumped up and down excitedly, "Now that's a plan I can get on board with."

Elena's fast hands were slapping Aella's arm before the witch could blink as she warned the two of them, "No killing!"

"I'm joking," Damon held up his hands to stop Elena from hitting him again. The answer had Aella deflating until Damon added, "Okay, I'm a little serious."

"Damon!"

Aella did a fist pump while Elena stared the vampire down.

"I'm not gonna hurt him, Elena," Damon backed away with a cocky grin. "I'm the good guy now, remember?" He looked to Aella for support.

Immediately the witch nodded, "Yeah. He totally stopped me from letting myself be run over last night." Her eyes widened at the thought, "Damon, pre-barbecue, would have watched from the side of the road as he sipped his bourbon."

Elena rubbed her temple, hoping to stop the migraine that was forming. Ignoring Aella, she turned to Damon, "What does that mean?"

Damon's smile was a little too wide as he confessed, "I'm gonna have a civil conversation with your father."

As he left the house, Elena could only watch him go. Aella's dark chuckle had the doppelgänger turning toward the witch, "What?"

"Damon having a civil conversation with anyone?" Aella repeated slowly, "Especially John Gilbert?" She went to follow Damon, "He is so going to murder him." She called out to Damon, "Do you mind if we get popcorn first?"

The migraine hit Elena full force as she dived for her jacket, calling out to Damon and Aella, "Wait, I'm coming with you!"