"All passengers please fasten your seatbelts as we are about to land into Virginia. The time is 4pm and we thank you for flying with us today."

I sighed and leaned back in my seat, my shoulders tensing into a tight band of muscles as the plane began its rocky descent.

Who would've thought that I would finally be returning home?

My lips pressed tight together in a straight line at the mere thought. My expression hard and unchanging. Deep down, some part of me still believed this was a bad idea. A terrible decision made out of a mere whim. Because after all these years, my heart still ached with a strange yet familiar longing.

And I couldn't dampen that ache.

It had been such a long time, but the memories as a child had still stayed with me. The memories of happiness. Of freedom. Of family.

And in a small moment of weakness, I realised I wanted those memories… those feelings back. I wanted something more than the cataclysm of emotions which was currently my life. My hell.

I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped the armrests tightly as the plane finally descended to the ground, speeding to a thundering halt.

The seatbelt sign flickered out and I was off. My bags were soon in hand and I exited the plane before anyone had even begun to move. I didn't care for formalities of politeness; I just had to get off. Flying had never been my strongest suit.

Hauling my bag onto my shoulder, I passed the all too cheery hostess without a second glance. I vaguely heard her wish me a 'pleasant day' and I flicked my brunette ringlets back before swiftly retrieving my suitcase.

A fast crowd was gathering and I gracefully weaved between them; stepping out of the airport doors into the bright daylight. My curled fingers relaxed around the suitcase handle, letting the baggage drop to the floor. I fumbled around for my sunglasses, letting the shades shield my vision from the sunlight glare before squinting around for a taxi.

A gangly blonde man in his early twenties, laughing heartily with a dark-haired male caught my attention and with rapid and level paced strides, I closed the distance between us.

"Excuse me, I need a lift."

The man, still laughing, turned around and as soon as he saw me, he started. I didn't miss his dark haired friend man non so subtly nudge him, all the way wiggling his eyebrows in a way which mentally made me cringe.

"S-s-sure thing miss," the blonde stuttered whilst taking in my appearance. I smiled gently back at him through tight lips and smoothed out my summer dress before handing him my luggage.

Just before he could open the door for me with his quivering fingers, the companion shoved him out of the way. When I raised a brow, he casually explained, "My friend here has other obligations which must have slipped his mind but on the positive side, you get to be stuck with me."

He grinned and I nodded politely back before turning towards the blonde who was now flushing a deep red. "So sorry," he stuttered, unable to meet my curious gaze. "I completely f-forgot."

I would be a fool if I called any ounce of truth to his words but I nevertheless went along with his bluff. "It's completely fine," I stated then opened the car door. "Shall we?" I asked my driver and after nodding quickly, he reversed out of the lot.

"So… where abouts are you heading babe?" he asked, his eyes wandering away from the road to appraise me.

I ignored the sly suggestiveness behind his tone and answered simply, "Mystic Falls."

That made him falter. A flash of worry crossed over his face but it had gone as rapidly as a light flicker. "Why Mystic Falls?" he wondered and I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

Why indeed.

"Personal reasons," I finally responded, my eyes drifting to the window as I lowered my voice to a whisper. "After all, it is my hometown."

"I would have remembered someone like you."

My lips twitched at his confusion and my shoulders lifted into a small shrug, "Eight years is a long time." My lips began to dry and I swallowed back my rising nerves. "I've been… travelling, I guess you could say."

If he sensed my reluctance to elaborate, he didn't show it. "Well if you need an escort, I will gladly help you." He pulled up and I blinked, gazing unseeingly out at a familiar building to the left.

I slowly opened the door and slid out. "How much do I owe you?" I uttered as he unloaded the bags.

"Just $15."

When I handed it over, his fingers closed over my hand and pressed a thin piece of paper into my palm. I regarded him blankly to which he responded to with a toothy grin, "If you need anything and I mean anything, give me a call."

"I'll keep that in mind."

As soon as the taxi sped out of sight, my smile immediately dropped. I tore the paper cleanly in half, letting the pieces float away on a small gentle gust of wind. Then remembering where I was, I spun round and my gaze softened despite my slightly quivering hands as I read the bold letters.

Mystic Grill.

"Hello again," I whispered to myself before shouldering my bag and dragging my suitcase behind me. The loud music was already bursting through my eardrums as I took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Heads immediately turned. Inquisitive eyes followed my every move. I wasn't surprised. It was a small town after all and the gossip spread like wildfire. Especially when a new face appeared within their midst.

Sighing, I pushed up my sunglasses and steadily approached the bar. When I took a seat, the chatter rekindled although the hairs on the back of my neck still tingled.

My cheeks littered with red at the continued scrutiny and I rapidly twirled a strand of hair around my finger, my heart stuttering as a face I struggled to place walked towards me, carrying four empty glasses on a tray.

When his bright blue eyes focused on mine, I pulled out some money. "You free to order me a drink?"

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he ran a hand through his short dark blonde hair. "Sure," he said, taking my offered money. "You new here?"

Despite my reservations, my lips curved. He was a pretty boy that much was certain but pretty went beyond his exterior. His warm personality and not overly curious questioning made me feel obliged to answer. "Sort of," I uttered. "It's been quite a while since I last lived here."

His next question threw me. "I know you."

Startled, I tilted my head towards him and studied him carefully. All the while, he did the same. In my mind's eye, I watched as time reversed. To the memories I had as a child. His face younger and rounder but those eyes... those vibrant blue eyes never changed.

My mouth dropped slightly as I blinked back into focus and observed at the busboy in a new and clearer light. "Matt? You're Matt Donovan, right?"

His eyes slowly drifted towards mine for the first time and his body stiffened. I could see his rising realisation. My eyes gave away my identity. One green. One grey. And then his lips spoke the one word which sealed his revelation. "Sophie?"

The barstool scraped back as I slowly got to my feet. "Long time, huh," I uttered and he smiled weakly.

"I'll say." He then paused and gave me a once over. His face flushed and his hand rose to awkwardly rub his brow. "You… you look good," he offered.

"And he's a charmer now I see," I mused with a light and teasing smile, to which he responded with one of his own.

"Well eight years changes people I suppose."

More than you know

I didn't say it out loud. No need to get into that conversation.

Matt's expression relaxed after a few short moments, his embarrassment gone to be replaced by an expression of concern. He voiced it cautiously. "Does she know?"

The question was vague but it gave me a sense of foreboding. The nerves were rising to the surface once more. I straightened up and bit down on my lower lip hard.

"Not yet," I replied steadily. "I know how emotional she used to get when we were kids and I'm worried that…"

"Sophie, she won't hate you. She'll just want to know what happened. Why you left."

"I didn't really have much of a choice." I felt my face go blank as images of the past flashed involuntarily in my mind's eye. In the small silence which followed, it seemed as though I had fallen so deep inside my thoughts that I could hardly feel Matt's hand as it gently touched mine.

"Sophie, look at me," he murmured. It took a few seconds for me to comply. I raised my head and his smile was as warm as those blue eyes. "Soph, a long time ago you were like family to me. Your siblings still are. I know you left for a reason, so when you feel ready, know that I'm here."

My lips twitched and I lightly squeezed his hand. "Thanks Matt."

He nodded before straightening up. "Well, I have to get back to work. These tables don't clean themselves."

I reluctantly took my seat once more. "Alright fair enough but make it snappy, you still need to serve me my drink and honestly, I don't care what's in it."

"Prolonging the moment?" he guessed with a humoured lip twitch. It was only when he walked away, did I finally utter the answer.

"Just for a little while longer."

The sun was emitting its last evening rays by the time I had gathered up the courage to leave the grill. I took my time walking at a pace which seemed more gingerly than leisurely but no matter how hard I prolonged, I would always eventually find myself in the same place in which I stood right now. Looking out towards a familiar archaic house.

Letting out a low sigh, I tentatively climbed the three porch steps and leaned against one of the white pillars as I tried to calm my tumbling stomach. The worry and the doubt… all of it was coming back. Because the person behind that door had the potential to reject me and the pain which followed would be deeper than I could probably imagine.

After all, she was family. And that was my one weakness.

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I plucked up my courage, reached out one trembling forefinger and pressed the doorbell hard. The quiet echo of sound reverberated through the house.

The few minutes in which I waited seemed like an eternity. I still wanted to turn around, to run and put this down to a stupid lapse of the heart.

That was when I heard her.

"I'm answering the door Ric, even if it's not important."

Oh how wrong she was.

There was a rattle of a key in the door complete with her angry mutters. I squared my shoulders and braced myself. This was it.

The door swung open to reveal a girl of eighteen with a heart-shaped face, straight chocolate-brown hair and doe-brown eyes. My eyes could easily pick up all the similarities whilst hers widened in shock, quickly followed by recognition.

"Sophie," Elena Gilbert whispered softly.

I gave her a half-hearted smile. And so it begins.

"Long time sister."

Hope you liked it and hope you enjoy my story :D Should be a fun ride - let me know what you think!

A/N: 13/06/18 - To those who are re-reading this, you may have noticed a fair few changes! So this was the first story I ever came up with. I remember writing the first few chapters during the end of Vampire Diaries Season 3, (my god that was a long time ago!) but when I came to drafting out the whole plotline last year, I didn't want to edit my initial writing too much out of sentimentality. But when I went back to these chapters a few days ago, I thought I could make them better so here it is! Hope you love the little changes as much as I do :) x