An old friend has returned to Mystic Falls. I know it is not without reason, he must be one of the other vampires who have come back. I am unsure of whether I can trust him or not, he is one of my oldest friends yet I'm worried our intentions don't align.

Alexander Frost was an old friend of Felix, they had met in London a couple years after Felix turned. He was also a vampire, an older and seemingly wiser vampire than Felix. His friend looked exactly as Felix remembered, dressed in a tailored coat that screamed London sophistication, Alexander looked out of place in Mystic Falls.

"What are you doing here?" Felix asked, his tone surprised.

Alexander's lips curved into a smile, offering his old friend a handshake. "Business, as always. Mystic Falls is brimming with opportunities."

Felix shook his hand, but was still sceptical. "What kind of opportunities?"

Alexander stepped closer, his tone dropping conspiratorially. "I'm here to open the tomb."

Felix stiffened. "You're wasting your time. Emily destroyed the crystal - it's impossible."

"Ah, but there's another way," Alexander replied smoothly, "it requires patience and a touch of finesse."

Felix's jaw tightened. "Why? You want to let all those vampires out?"

Alexander scoffed. "Hardly. My interest isn't in them. I'm here for Pearl."

Felix raised an eyebrow. "Pearl? You're still hung up on Anna's mother? After all these years? You could hardly shut up about her when we first met all those years ago."

Alexander's expression darkened slightly, but he didn't respond to the jab. Instead, he let the silence hang, as if daring Felix to question his motives further.

Felix sighed. "And I presume Anna is here too?"

Alexander nodded. "We've been travelling together."

"Well I commend you on being together for, who knows how long now? Few centuries? Considered marriage yet?" Felix joked.

Alexander didn't respond but a small smile crept onto his face.

Something clicked in Felix's mind. "Wait...the vampire who attacked Elena - it wasn't you, was it?"

Alexander shook his head. "No, that would have been Noah."

-

Felix's car pulled up into the high school car park, the hum of student chatter filling the air. As he exited his car, he saw Caroline outside painting a banner for the upcoming Decade Dance. Felix could tell something was up, and part of him knew it had something to do with him.

"Caroline." Felix called out softly.

She looked up, startled. For a moment, her face lit up with surprise. "Felix. Hey."

There was an awkward pause as he approached. "You're...busy." he noted, gesturing to the banner.

"Just the usual school spirit stuff," she replied with a shrug, her tone casual but her eyes searching his face. "Are you going to the dance tonight?"

"I hadn't planned on it."

Caroline set the brush down and looked at him hopefully. "Well, if you're not doing anything, maybe you could come with me. As friends of course."

Felix was certainly taken aback by her question, as there was a flicker of hesitation. "Caroline-"

She cut him off, her voice firm but not unkind. "I get it. You don't want to lead me on. But it's a dance, Felix. We're just going as friends. Nothing about that can lead me on. I get it, you're just not into me."

"Don't take it personally, it's complicated," Felix said, feeling a pang of guilt. "But sure, I'll come tonight with you. As friends."

"Well you did stay in my bed, cuddle me, flirt with me and then tell me you didn't want to lead me on. It does feel pretty personal."

Sensing the awkwardness of the situation, Felix quickly excused himself from the conversation - leaving Caroline be.

After an uneventful school day, Felix was preparing for the dance. As he adjusted the cuffs of his shirt, his phone buzzed on the dresser. He picked it up and saw Stefan's name flashing on the screen.

"What's up?" Felix asked, holding the phone to his ear.

"A vampire tried to attack Elena. He's been invited in."

Felix's expression darkened. "Who is he?"

But even Felix knew the answer, it was Noah.

"I don't know yet," Stefan admitted, his voice grim. "But we need to stop him tonight. At the dance."

Felix exhaled slowly, his mind racing. "Ok. Let's do it."

Hanging up, Felix stared at his reflection in the mirror. With Alex's arrival to Mystic Falls and his intentions, Felix knew that it was about to get complicated. Yes they had a long-standing friendship, but if Alex was threatening the safety of people he cared about, Felix would have to do something about it.

He finished getting ready and made his way to the high school for the Decades Dance. When he arrived, the gymnasium buzzed with life as students were all dressed in 50s outfits. Felix entered alongside Stefan and Elena, his eyes scanning the crowd. His mission was clear: find Noah and kill him. But tonight was also about trying to repair the strained friendship he'd felt with Caroline.

He spotted her by the punch table, chatting with Bonnie. Taking a deep breath, Felix approached.

"Hey." he said, offering a tentative smile.

Caroline looked up, her expression flickering between surprise and uncertainty. "Felix. I didn't think you'd come."

"You did ask," he replied, gesturing toward her outfit, "you look nice, by the way."

She blushed lightly. "Thanks. Want to dance?"

They found a spot on the floor as the music slowed, and he placed a hand on her waist, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. For a few moments, the tension between them seemed to dissolve.

"I didn't intend for it to be awkward," Felix admitted, "I was just trying to do the right thing."

"I get that you want to be the good guy and not lead me on," she said, her gaze locking with his. "But it did hurt. It's fine though, we don't need to be awkward around each other. Can we just be friends? Forget this all happened."

He sighed, though something about this conversation made him feel sad. "Yeah...sure."

Caroline smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Good." she pulled back slightly. "I should find Bonnie."

As she left, Felix stood alone on the dance floor, a strange mixture of guilt and hope swirling within him. It seemed as though, bit by bit, Caroline Forbes was doing the impossible - making him want to try again.

-

In a quiet corridor outside the gym, three figures stood in hushed conversation. Noah leaned casually against a locker, his expression dark and amused. Anna crossed her arms, her patience clearly wearing thin whilst Alex stood to the side, watching the exchange with a bemused smirk.

"What are you doing here?" Noah demanded, his voice sharp.

"Trying to get the journal," Anna replied. "Sticking to the plan - something you seem to have forgotten. Leave the girl alone."

Noah's eyes darted to Alex. "Why are you even here?"

Alex's eyes met Noah's. "Just a bit of spying." he turned to Anna. "I must admit, I feel rather jealous seeing you get all cosy with Jeremy Gilbert."

Anna rolled her eyes. "It's called strategy. I'm just using him to get the journal."

Alexander chuckled. "If you say so."

"What about you and Bonnie, huh?"

Alex smirked. "Touché, I can't help that she has a thing for accents."

She rolled her eyes. "Consider me jealous too."

Alex grinned, leaning down to kiss her lightly. "Relax, darling. You know I only have eyes for you."

Noah watched the exchange with thinly veiled irritation. "Right well I'm going to go. Don't fancy third wheeling."

Anna turned back to him, her tone firm. "Leave Elena alone. She's not Katherine."

"She looks like her," Noah said, his voice tinged with obsession, "and until we open the tomb, she's mine to play with."

Anna's expression darkened. "Don't be stupid. She's with the Salvatore brothers. And the Montgomery, he's powerful. You're going to ruin everything."

"Ah my dearest old friend, Felix." Alex said reminiscing. "Trust me, you don't want to get on his bad side."

"I've got it under control," Noah said dismissively. "Trust me."

With that, he pushed past them, leaving Anna to sigh in frustration. Alexander tilted his head, his playful smirk returning.

"Well, that went well," he said, "now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a certain witch to charm."

-

Felix's instincts prickled as he realised Elena was missing. He scanned the gym but couldn't find her among the crowd. His heart sank, dread clawing at his chest. Spotting Stefan and Damon near the entrance, he hurried over.

"Elena's gone." Felix said urgently.

The three of them exchanged tense glances before heading out of the gym. They followed the faint sound of struggling to a darkened hallway, where they found Noah, his fangs out, just about to bite her.

Stefan rushed forward, ripping him away from Elena and tossing him to the ground.

"Hey, dickhead," Damon said casually, stepping forward with a stake in hand. "Nobody wants to kill you. We just want to talk."

Noah sneered, his eyes flicking to Elena before lunging at her again. Damon reacted quickly, tossing the stake to Stefan, who drove it into Noah's stomach. The vampire fell to his knees, gasping in pain.

"Now you feel like talking?" Stefan asked, his tone cold.

Noah glared up at them. "Screw you."

Stefan twisted the stake slightly, eliciting a pained groan. "Wrong answer. Why are you doing this?"

"Because it's fun," Noah spat, his defiance unwavering.

Stefan pushed the stake deeper. "What do you want with Elena?"

"She looks like Katherine," Noah said, a twisted smile playing on his lips.

The revelation hung in the air, shocking them all.

"You knew Katherine?" Damon asked, his voice sharp.

"Oh, you thought you were the only ones?" Noah laughed bitterly. "You don't even remember me."

Felix eyed Noah. "Just shows how irrelevant you were."

Damon leaned closer. "Tell me how to get into the tomb."

Noah's grin faded slightly. "The grimoire." he muttered through clenched teeth.

"Where is it?" Damon demanded.

Noah hesitated, but the pressure of the stake forced his hand. "Check the journal. Johnathan's journal."

"Now who are you working with?" Stefan asked.

Noah's defiance returned as he refused to answer. Felix watched silently, his mind racing. He knew Alex and Anna were part of this, but revealing their involvement would complicate everything.

When it became clear Noah wouldn't give them any more information, Stefan twisted the stake one final time, ending him.

Felix stayed behind as the others left, his thoughts a storm of guilt and indecision. He knew secrets had a way of unravelling and he knew, sooner rather than later, he'd have to tell the brothers of his history with Alex.

-

The alley outside the Mystic Grill was bathed in the dim glow of the streetlights, Anna leaned casually against the brick wall, as she watched Alex emerge from the shadows. His blonde hair gleamed faintly in the light, as he walked closer Anna sped over to him, grabbing him and pushing him against the wall.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people." Alex said dryly, though the corner of his mouth tugged into a smirk.

"You love it." Anna retorted, playfully pushing him away.

Alex chuckled, brushing off her light shove. "Where's Noah? Don't tell me he's off being reckless again."

Anna's smile faltered slightly, her gaze flickering downward. "His obsession got the best of him - and so did the Salvatore brothers."

Alex raised a brow. "They killed him?"

"Tortured and staked." Anna said flatly, though her tone carried little emotion.

"You don't seem too broken up about it." Alex observed, folding his arms as he leaned against the wall beside her.

"I warned him," Anna replied with a shrug, "he was just going to screw everything up anyway. Let's be honest - Noah wasn't exactly an asset."

"How did you do?" Alex asked.

Anna smirked. "Oh, Jeremy Gilbert's totally falling for me. The journal's as good as ours."

Alex's smile widened, and he reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "And people say I'm the manipulative one."

Anna rolled her eyes. "You still are. How's your little witch project coming along?"

"She's warming up to me," Alex said with a wink. "give me a little more time and it'll be done."

The two shared a passionate kiss underneath the streetlights of Mystic Falls, pleased that they were getting somewhere with their plans.

As they began to leave, Alex noticed Felix leaning against the hood of his car.

"I'll see you back in the room." Alex told Anna, giving her a quick kiss before he approached Felix.

Felix looked up. "Alexander."

Alex gave the younger vampire a nod. "I presume you were involved in killing Noah?"

Felix straightened, folding his arms across his chest. "Stefan killed Noah. He'd been invited in. I'm sure you understand."

Alex didn't react immediately, his face remaining impassive. Finally, he let out a low sigh. "That's a shame. Oh well."

Felix frowned, watching him carefully. "You're not even a little upset? I thought he was part of your plan."

"He was an unpredictable liability," Alex replied smoothly, "always causing trouble. It was only a matter of time before he got himself killed."

Felix's scepticism deepened. "And what about your plan, Alexander? We can't have that tomb open, they're all too dangerous. We can't let them out."

Alex's smile was thin, almost condescending. "I don't want the tomb open for the others, Felix. I want it open for Pearl. Anna's her daughter, and Pearl's the closest thing I've had to a mother in centuries. I'm not leaving her to rot in there."

"And you're willing to risk unleashing dozens of dangerous vampires to do it?" Felix challenged.

"I'll deal with that when the time comes," Alex said, his tone icy, "but make no mistake Felix. I'm going to open that tomb, with or without your help. If you get in my way, well I'm sure you'll understand our friendship only extends so far."

Felix fell silent, his jaw tightening as he weighed his next words. Despite their long friendship, it was clear their paths were diverging. He didn't doubt Alex's sincerity about Pearl, but his methods made Felix's gut twist with unease.

"You've changed." Felix said quietly.

Alex tilted his head, his expression unreadable. "I'm just doing this for the girl I love, let's not pretend you wouldn't do the same."

There was a pause before he spoke again.

"Well, you'd do a lot worse. Wouldn't you, mate?"