CHAPTER 1: THE RETURN PART 1

GILBERT HOUSE

*Third Person POV*

John is in the kitchen, and as he closes the refrigerator door, he sees Aalleeyah (Outfit on profile) standing there, posing as Elena.

"You scared me," John tells the imposter, startled.

"Sorry" Aalleeyah simply replies with a non apologetic tone

"Is Jenna home?" John asks curiously

Aalleeyah replies to his question with "She had to meet the fire chief about the building. She doesn't know the truth. They've covered it up."

"Yeah I know. How's Jeremy?" John sighs

"Holed up in his room." Aalleeyah tells him

"Can I help?" John asks Aalleeyah

"Sure." Aalleeyah tells her uncle after taking a quick glance at his fingers, seeing he's wearing the Gilbert ring.

On the porch

"You want me to pick you up?" Stefan asks his girlfriend

"I'm just gonna check on Jeremy before I go to the hospital, can you meet me there?" Was Elena's response

"You bet."

"Okay, I love you Stefan."

"I love you too." Stefan responds as Elena hangs up

Kitchen

Aalleeyah suddenly grabs a knife and cuts John's fingers off, ring included. With a strong push, she shoves him against the sink.

"Katherine?!" John asks with a painful and fearful tone

"Guess again? Uncle John? Or should I say dad?" Aalleeyah replies with a smirk

"Aalleeyah?" John asks horrified, praying that his daughter wasn't one of them

Aalleeyah shows her vampire face proving to John her species. "Hello John, Goodbye John" She says dramatically as she stabs him. At this time Elena is entering the house, which Aalleeyah of course notices. Aalleeyah speeds around a corner with her vampire speed as to not get caught by her twin sister.

"Jeremy? Are you up?" Elena calls up the stairs. She suddenly hears a noise coming from the kitchen and goes in that direction to investigate. The scene Elena walks into is bloody. John is on the floor missing four fingers and bleeding severely. Elena runs to him and grabs her phone as she tries to stop the bleeding.

" 911, what's your emergency?" The person on the phone asks

"Hi, I-I need an ambulance to 2104 Maple Street." Elena tells them in a panicked tone

"Behind you." John faintly whispers once he sees Aalleeyah standing behind them

"What?"

"Behind you!"

Elena turns around with a gasp but sees nobody there. Thinking quickly she grabs the knife used to stab her uncle and advances towards the hallway with cautiousness. Suddenly Aalleeyah speeds around attempting to frighten Elena, which works, before she runs out the door. Elena is still in her frightened state. Elena then remembers her brother upstairs and calls his name as she runs up the stairs.

"Please, Jeremy, wake up!" Elena pleads desperately as she sees her unconscious brother on his bed. In a last attempt, Elena shakes Jeremy fiercely to which he finally wakes up.

John is being taken away in an ambulance as Stefan arrives and tries to enter the house only to be pushed back from an officer

"He's okay." Elena tells the policeman before he lets Stefan through. Stefan and Elena then walk up the stairs towards Jeremy's room

"What happened?" Stefan sighs

"He said that Anna gave him her blood and then he took these pills and now… I mean he looks fine but then again so do you. So, I just... I don't know." Elena explains. Stefan takes Jeremy's face in his hands and examines his eyes.

"Look at me." Stefan demands Jeremy

"I'm fine, okay? I feel exactly the same." Jeremy tells them, irritated

"Should I call a paramedic up here? What should I do?" Elena asks Stefan, as she is still worried about her little brother

"No, he's fine." Stefan tells the worried sister

"You mean I'm not a vampire? Damn it!" Jeremy sighs

"Don't say that Jeremy! Jer, why would you want that?" Elena demands of him

"Did you hear about Anna, what happened to her tonight? She's dead." He replied sadly

"Jeremy, Jeremy. Come here, sit down" Stefan tells the boy

Stefan pushes Jeremy back down on the bed. He grabs his face in his hands and makes him look at him.

"I am very sorry about Anna but it's very important that you listen to me right now. With every passing moment, Anna's blood is leaving your system. If you try to kill yourself right now, you could really die." Stefan explains as Jeremy just looks away in response.

"Hey!" Stefan slaps him "Do you understand me?!"

"Stefan..." Elena cautions

"Yeah, I understand." Jeremy tells his sister's boyfriend

"Good." Stefan shortly replies as he stands up and walks to Elena "What about the pills that he took?" Elena continues her questioning

"He didn't take enough to die so Anna's blood actually healed him, I bet." Stefan explains as a policemen knocks on the doorframe of Jeremy's room.

"Miss Gilbert?" The man questions

"I'll be right there." She tells him

"You need to be at the hospital." Stefan tells her

"But..."

"No, no, no, I'll stay here with Jeremy."

"No, I don't need a babysitter." Jeremy chimes in

"Yes, you do." Elena states

MYSTIC FALLS HOSPITAL

Matt is sitting alone outside of Caroline's room as Bonnie arrives and walks over to him.

"How is Caroline?" Bonnie questions her friend

"She's not good, Bon." Matt tells her in a sad tone

"What happened?"

"We were driving and Tyler heard this noise and he got…"

"A noise?" Bonnie asks curiously

"He got this migraine or something and he lost control of the car and ... I thought that Caroline was fine and then ... and then she wasn't so ..." Matt explains

Damon walks over to Sheriff Forbes at the hospital desk.

"Liz, I came as soon as I got the message. Is she okay?" Damon asks the mother

"She's in surgery, it's ... they're doing everything they can. I need your help Damon." She explains on the verge of tears

"Sure, anything Liz."

"Mayor Lockwood is dead. They thought he was a vampire. They put him in the basement." Liz says to the man

"Mayor Lockwood was a vampire?"

"No, no. A mistake was made, they said he dropped like the others when John's device went off but he… he couldn't have been a vampire, I've known the man my whole life and now Carol Lockwood is gonna want answers and all I can think of right now is Caroline and ... " Liz tells him as she finally ends up breaking into tears.

"It's okay. It's okay." Damon soothes as he hugs her

Elena then arrives at the hospital and walks over to Bonnie who is now alone

"Bonnie. How's Caroline?" Elena questions her best friend

"She's weak. They don't know if she's going to make it." Bonnie explains

"What?" Elena says tearfully as Bonnie embraces her. Damon then pays attention to the pair

"Is there something that you can do? Like a spell or something?" Elena asks desperately

"She doesn't know how, do you?" Damon probes, making his presence known

"No, I don't."

"No, you don't because it took Emily years to learn a spell like that."

"Well, I can take down a vampire, that spell was easy to learn." Bonnie threatens

"I can give Caroline some blood." The vampire suggests

"No, no way." Elena immediately says

"No, just enough to heal her. She will be safe in the hospital and it will be out of her system in a day, she will be better Elena." Damon says to the girl in an attempt to persuade her.

"It's too risky, I can't agree to that." She says still not liking the idea

"Do it." Bonnie pipes up

"This is Caroline. We can't let her die. Do it." Bonnie explains after seeing the look on Elena face

"If I do this, you and me, call a truce?" Damon asks the witch

"No. But you'll do it anyway. For Elena." Bonnie replies smugly. She then walks away leaving Elena and Damon alone.

"I know this is probably the last thing you want to do right now but we should talk about what happened tonight." Damon tells Elena

"Yeah, one of the tomb vampires got into the house and almost killed John." Elena replies, oblivious to what Damon is really trying to talk about; the kiss.

"What? When? What are you talking about? After I left?" Damon asks confused

"You were there?" Elena replies equally as confused.

"Come on, Elena, you know I was."

"When were you at the house?"

"Really? Earlier, on the porch, we were talking, all cathartic, feelings exposed. Come on, we kissed, Elena." Damon stresses

"Okay, I don't have time for this Damon."

"If you want to forget what happened fine but I can't."

Jenna then arrives. Damon moves away while Jenna glares at him, but listens in.

"Elena, I came as soon as I got your message. How is John?" Jenna asks her niece

"Where have you been?" Elena asks her

"At the fire department, I had to fill out a report. I told you earlier."

"No, you didn't." Elena tells her, confused once again.

"Yes, I did."

"No, Jenna, you didn't."

"Yes, I did." Jenna and Elena bickered as Damon suddenly assumes that Katherine was the one he kissed and not Elena. Jenna and Elena look at him with confusion.

"Mmm, you got to be kidding me." Damon says angrily

He looks at both Jenna and Elena and walks away.