THAT TIME OF YEAR

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

This is just a one-shot. I'm not really sure where this came from other than the fact that Elena and Tyler barely have any interaction scenes. Takes place after "A Few Good Men". I use a name from Harper's Island which belongs to CBS, but this isn't a crossover fic. The Vampire Diaries belongs to LJ Smith and the CW, I only own the plot.

Elena let out deep breath. It was that time of the year again. The time of the year where she got jumpy and nervous thanks to the incident from when she was thirteen. She had been relatively okay last year, but this was the first year where she'd have to deal with everything without her parents' support. Presently, Tyler walked up to her.

"Hey. You holdin' up okay?" he asked in concern, placing a hand on her shoulder. Elena sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's just-"

"It's that time again…I know. I'm a little edgy too." Tyler squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and Elena gave him a grateful smile. Though they weren't close friends, the memories of this time of the year brought them together.

"I better get to class." Tyler nodded and watched as she headed out. Man, I hope she's okay. This is the first time she's had to deal with this on her own, he thought to himself. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He hated this time of the year. Unbidden, a memory cropped out. Tyler scrambled backwards, pushing Elena behind him as slow, heavy footsteps advanced on them. The girl whimpered. Tyler shook his head to clear it and then went to his own class. Throughout the day, he kept a subtle eye on the girl, who smiled and laughed, hiding the terror that only he could see in her eyes. The only reason he could see it was because he had felt the same fear. Like her, he couldn't shake the memory of wondering if they were ever going to get rescued, or if they would die at the hands of the man who had taken them. Finally, at lunch, he was able to approach her again.

"Hey, you wanna get out of here for a little bit?" he offered.

"Yeah, that'd be great," she agreed and they headed off.

"Elena," Stefan said, suddenly appearing in front of them.

"Whoa. Fast," Tyler noted.

"Look Stefan, I-I can't deal with this right now," she told him.

"What's going on? You've been frightened all day, I can tell," he stated.

"You wouldn't understand," she replied.

"Come on. Let's go," Tyler said, and Stefan watched in confusion and hurt as they walked off together.

"Don't take it personally," Bonnie told him as she came to stand beside him. He looked at her. "Those two went through something around this time of the year, and ever since then, they've looked out for one another when ever the anniversary rolls around," she continued.

"What happened?" Stefan wondered.

"It's not my story to tell, it's Elena's," Bonnie answered. Stefan frowned. Elena and Tyler got into Tyler's car and drove to his house. When they got there, he stopped the car, cut the engine, and they walked into the house.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked.

"Yes, please," she answered. Though she didn't normally indulge, she could use a good, strong drink. Tyler went to his father's liquor cabin and brought out a bottle and two glasses.

"Hard to believe it's that time of the year again," he commented as he poured the beverage into the glasses.

"Three years since we were kidnapped and held by that psycho," Elena said, taking one of the glasses.

"Well, here's to the friends that we lost," Tyler stated, holding up his glass.

"And may John Wakefield rot in Hell," Elena finished, doing the same. They clinked their glasses together and then downed their drinks.

THE END