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❝ 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴
𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘯
𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺. ❞
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Oh God, I missed this place. It had only been a month since I left Mystic Falls, but it felt like a decade. Everything about this small, chaotic town had a way of pulling me back, no matter how far I tried to run.

A quick recap: I'd been living in the Salvatore house with Damon and Stefan. A few months ago, after my mother's death, I couldn't keep up with the bills, and Damon—surprisingly—suggested I move in with them. Truth be told, it had been one of the best decisions I'd ever made. Except for the part where I drank all of Damon's bourbon. He complained about it daily, but deep down, I knew he enjoyed my company.

I walked into the familiar living room and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. It felt good to be back.

"Oh my God, you're back!"

I turned to see two familiar figures rushing toward me—Caroline and Elena.

"It's nice to see you too, girls," I said, running to hug them tightly.

Caroline squeezed me so hard I thought I might pass out, while Elena offered a softer embrace.

"Oh, and Elena—happy birthday for yesterday."

I felt a pang of guilt as I said it. I hadn't called her. I'd been too caught up with a crime scene I'd been studying back in New York. Not to mention, I'd been trying to avoid any reminders of Mystic Falls and the chaos I'd left behind. Still, I hated that I hadn't reached out.

Elena gave me a small smile. "Thanks, Madi."

But I could tell something was wrong. She wasn't her usual self—no light in her eyes, no spark in her voice. Then again, why would she be okay?

Who was I kidding? Of course, something was wrong. Her boyfriend had been taken by Klaus, the crazy hybrid. She didn't know where Stefan was, and, if recent events were any indication, he'd probably flipped his humanity switch.

"I missed you so much," Caroline said, her worried expression breaking my heart a little. "Thank God you're here. Stefan's gone, and everything is falling apart."

I hugged her tighter. "I missed you too, Care. Don't worry—we'll find him. And when we do, that hybrid dick will pay."

Caroline smiled faintly, but I could still see the doubt in her eyes.

"And what's your definition of 'making someone pay,' exactly?" A familiar, sarcastic voice echoed through the room. "Because last I checked, you can't kill him. He's an Original. And you're not even a vampire."

I turned to see Damon leaning casually against the doorway, his arms crossed. Same Damon, same infuriating smirk.

"Hello, Damon," I said, walking over to him. I hugged him briefly, and he patted me on the back like an older brother—right before I drove a stake into his stomach.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" he yelled, stumbling back and clutching the stake.

I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. "That's for only calling me when you need my help."

"Oh, come on! You're the one who said you needed 'space' or whatever. And since when do you just carry stakes around?" Damon grimaced as he struggled to pull the stake out.

"You're lucky I didn't throw a vervain grenade," I shot back, giving him my sweetest smile.

"Oh, hilarious," he grumbled, finally yanking the stake free. He tossed it onto the coffee table and glared at me. "You know I'm immortal, right? Stabbing me doesn't exactly get your point across."

"Oh, I think it does," I said with a smirk. "You deserved it."

Elena shook her head, clearly used to our banter by now. "You two never change, do you?"

Damon gave her an exaggerated shrug. "What can I say? I bring out the best in people."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't get used to it, Salvatore. I'm here for one reason and one reason only—finding Stefan."

"And here I thought it was because you missed me," Damon quipped, smirking again.

I sighed. "You're ruining the moment, dumbass."

Damon raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine. You're here to save my brooding little brother and take down Klaus. But don't get too cocky, Madi—tracking down an unhinged Ripper and a psychotic hybrid isn't exactly the same as solving a normal murder case."

"Good thing I'm not normal, then," I shot back confidently.

Caroline grinned, her faith in me apparent. "Welcome back, Madi. We're really glad you're here."

And despite the chaos I knew was waiting for me, I realized I was glad to be back too.

...