When Lori woke up, she looked between Lucas and Claire with unsure eyes. Lucas sat in the chair beside her bed and Claire stood by the door with her arms crossed.

"To what do I owe the pleasure. I didn't think anyone would visit" Lori whispered. Lucas slid her some water then sat back in his chair.

"You don't give people a lot of reasons to want to." Lucas said. He wasn't sure how a person could throw innocents in a basement and expect people to be grateful.

"I see you've brought Claire... tell me Claire, how old are you again?" Lori said, making Claire roll her eyes.

"Shove it up your ass Lori. Lucas knows and has known the entire time. He also knows you tried to kill me" Lori narrowed her eyes at Lucas and clenched her fist.

"What does she mean? How could you know and not understand?" Lori asked, genuinely confused.

"Because they're not all what you think they are. Some of em trust me, I get it but they're not all like that. Claire is different" Lucas said gesturing to his girlfriend.

"I'm disappointed in you Lucas. You are a McBride. Your families entire legacy is built on the council and keeping them out of this town." Lucas frowned when she said that.

"Your great grandfather was the one who invented that machine I used. And his journal that's over there in my bag... that's how I knew how to use it" Lucas went to her bag and sure enough wrapped in old leather was worn notebook he assumed was the journal. How could he have not known this? Why would they keep this from him "Your father wanted to wait until you were old enough to understand. I wanted you to know sooner. And now I fear I may have been right to" Lori said, looking down at her hands.

"You not telling me has nothing to do with what's happening right now. Claire changed my mind about vampires. Nothing else" Lucas said, sure of that at least. Lucas wasn't sure if there was anything that could've stopped him from feeling the way he does about the girl.

"Pathetic" Lori whispered.

"No pathetic is laying in a bed casting judgment with no fingers. Now why did Julius cut them off?" Claire said tired of the back and forth by now.

"I don't have to tell you anything" Lori said proudly. Lori wasn't going lose out three times to this. Between the machine, Julius cutting off her fingers and them grilling her now. She was starting to feel like more of a supporting character than the story's hero.

"Lori the guy tried to kill you in our home. He's already invited in. If he kills Dina because you want to be spiteful there'd be no forgiving you" Lucas didn't care about Lori's hatred of vampires. It wasn't about that, it was about his double who seemed to want to take everything from him. Lucas had to do something, but he couldn't unless he knew what Julius wanted.

"Julius got in contact with someone who knew me. Said he needed me to get rid of the vampire issue in Mystic Falls. To which I replied vampires have been gone for decades. I was clearly wrong. Regardless, Julius and his contact hadn't explained the full reason why. But they said that it would be in the best interest of our family if we got rid of the vampires here" Lucas could only assume that they meant the tomb vampires. Figured that they'd have a grudge against the family that imprisoned them. And the guy who looked like the vampire who betrayed them.

"Who's this contact?" Claire asked. They didn't have time for cryptic stories. They needed the whole thing. Lori didn't respond, only stared at the vampire. Lucas rolled his eyes and slammed his hand on the bed.

"Answer the damn question, Lori" he said, he'd lost his patience with the woman. There was more at stake here than Lucas could feel it. He needed her information.

"Brady Tomlinson" Lori said simply. This conversation was taking an uncomfortable turn. She was debating on how honest she should be. Lori never really wanted to lie in the first place. Now that Lucas was here practically begging for answers she could hardly hold back now "Your father" she finished. Weight lifted off her shoulders to say his name and tell the truth. All those years of watching from afar. It felt good to be free.

"My father died in a crash Lori. Stop being an asshole" Lori gave him a look.

"She's not." Claire said watching Lori closely. Claire knew she wasn't lying, there was no need to.

"What are you talking about? My father died in a crash! Right Lori?" Lori shook her head softly.

"Your parents lied. Allison and Xavier were never your parents. Brady was nomad passing through the town. When he came there was nothing and then he left and... there was you" Lori said leaving out pieces finding herself unsure of her decision to tell the full truth.

"Why would they take me? They had no connection. Why take me?" Lucas said as he rolled his eyes. This made no sense. Why would they have lied about so much?

"They did. Through me" those words were the only ones Lori had the courage to say. It wasn't a full admission but it was enough. Lori didn't think it'd be this hard to explain herself. Claire knew exactly what she meant. And when Lucas frowned in confusion, Claire rubbed his shoulder.

"You? All this time. You? And you all just... no. This is a lie. It's an obvious and honestly fucking dumb lie! Why the fuck would you run around my life for 17 years and not say anything?!" Lori hung her head low, this was the part she wasn't expecting.

"Lucas I don't think we should continue this here. Why don't we go home and come back?" Lucas shrugged Claire off as she spoke and shook his head.

"No! There's still more questions to be answered. Ok, Mom what the fuck does Brady want with me now all of a sudden. To partner up with a murderer to ensure we're safe. Which if you ask me is backwards but hey, maybe that's the reason he didn't want to even be my father" Lori could hardly answer his question. If that's what it was. She'd never known him to be this way, Lori had no idea how to take it.

"I don't know. I didn't ask. All I knew was that he said you were in danger and we had to protect you. And Julius was the way. He pointed me to the journal. Told me what to look for. Without that the tomb vampires would've killed us" Lucas shook his head after running a hand through his hair.

"Well, congradu-fucking-lations, you just got conned by a vampire. The tomb was sealed with a spell to keep the vampires from escaping. So clearly, that's not why Julius sent you. Whatever his reason was, you helped him do it, so I hope you feel good about yourself. I hope murdering the mayor and putting people in the hospital was all worth it. I really do. Oh- and if it wasn't obvious, I want you and your shit out of my house" Lucas said walking out without another word to either woman. Claire didn't mind, once he gathered his witts they'd talk but for now Claire had her own message to get across.

"You're lucky." Claire said approaching the bed.

"What" Lori asked.

"You're lucky. I love him. Because... if I didn't... you'd be dead" Claire said rushing up Lori with a hand around her neck.

"You wouldn't have killed me. You're on a diet remember?" Lori said sneering at the girl.

"Actually. Due to your little machine I needed a pick-me-up. So I'm a little off the wagon, shall we say. So it's as I said, lucky" Claire said, digging her nail deeper and deeper into Lori's neck as she spoke blood running down her arm.

"I'm not scared of you" Claire shrugged.

"No... but you are scared of this. You now have 24 hours to get out of my town. If you don't, the next time I see you, I will snap your neck and make you a vampire. So you can spend every last day of your life hating yourself more than you already do" Claire whispered in Lori's ear after force feeding her Claire's own blood. She then backed away slowly and gave Lori some gauze to hold to her neck while it healed. The door closed and Lori threw her head back frustratedly. No, this was NOT how this was supposed to go. At all.

•••

Lucas hadn't come out of his room since the visit with Lori. He couldn't believe any of it. His parents, Nick, all liars. And for what? What they did they do this to him for? Lucas couldn't get it. At the same time he couldn't bring himself to truly be mad at them. He loved and missed them too much to be mad. If anything Lucas was more sad that he couldn't talk to them about it. He found all this out when they couldn't be more out of reach to him. And it broke his heart. He wanted nothing more than to talk to them and let them know that regardless of whatever biology said... they were his parents. And he'd love them that way forever.

"Hey cousin" Dina said with a small smile. Lucas didn't even look her way. He was in no mood to joke around with her "I'm sorry. Bad timing... I want to talk. I know you need to" Nadine said sitting next to him on his bed.

"I don't want to talk" Lucas said.

"I thought we talked about lying to me?" Nadine said leaning back a bit.

"Dina, please just- you don't understand. Everything about my life is a question now. Everything. All the things I thought I knew are lies. And the truth is starting to look more fucked than the lie. I'm trying to figure out how in all of that I'm supposed to be normal. How I'm supposed to act as if nothing's changed" Nadine didn't get it. She never would, she understood not having them anymore but she couldn't imagine being lied to by them all this time and not being able to even be upset about it. Nothing brought them back. No amount of shouting or crying or begging would make that happen.

"I don't get it really. But I do know you're not supposed to act like nothing happened. You know the truth now. If you're just gonna act like you never heard it, then you shouldn't have asked for this. It happened. It sucks. Now you have to decide what kind of person you're gonna let that make you" Lucas frowned and stood up.

"It doesn't make me. I made me. Our parents made me." Lucas realized then what she meant. Just because it happened doesn't mean his life is over. It's just different.

"Right. Your girlfriend's downstairs making banana creme waffles. Go and love her. You have the house to yourself Nick is out and I have a date. So yea... don't wait up" Nadine said leaving with a wink. Lucas couldn't help the smile that crawled to his lips after that. He was happy for Nadine. She needed to move on.