Elena's eyes were bright with excitement as she entered the Salvatore boarding house. Damn, it was good to be back.

She set her bags down and did a quick inspection of the front room. As far as she could tell, everything was in the exact same place it had been when they left nearly half a century ago. The old grandfather clock was still in the corner, the couches hadn't moved an inch, and the center table was still, well... in the center. She drew in a deep breath, cringing slightly at the musty, old scent. Damon had said he hired some cleaning ladies to tidy up the place before they got there, but Elena still noticed a thin layer of dust on almost everything. As far as she was concerned, the boarding house really hadn't changed at all.

Damon came in behind her, dropped his bags, and put his arm around her shoulder. She smiled and leaned into him, a slight feeling of dread filling her stomach. All the worries and insecurities from the night before began to catch up, and she found herself clinging to her on-again, off-again boyfriend.

"Are you sure this will work? I know it's been.. what, 47 years? But still, what if someone recognizes us?" Elena wondered out loud.

Her throat began to sting and Elena fought her hardest to keep back tears. She thought of Stefan and how he had come back to Mystic Falls every 60, 70 years or so. He had gone unrecognized every time, but Elena still worried that some of the now older citizens of Mystic Falls would remember her. It pained her and made her incredibly nervous to be back, but it also brought her a familiar comfort. After years of traveling and discovering the world and herself, Elena Gilbert was finally home. She only wished more of her friends- no- her family could be there with her.

Of the original Mystic Falls group, she, Damon, Caroline, Rebekah, Klaus, and maybe Stefan were the only ones left. Caroline would move in with Damon and Elena tomorrow, Rebekah was back in New Orleans, and Klaus was taking care of "business" somewhere in Europe. And Stefan... well, she hadn't heard from Stefan in almost 40 years. No one had.

Bonnie, Matt, and Tyler had been dead for a long time now. She hoped Stefan hadn't suffered the same fate they did.

Damon planted a quick kiss on her forehead and murmured into her ear, "This will work, trust me. And if after a while you decide you don't want to be here... then we can move."

Elena grinned through her tears and wrapped her arms around Damon's neck. I'm gonna be happy here, she thought, and maybe being back will help me.. move on from Stefan; will make me stop wanting to hear from him just once more. She hoped to god Damon was right when he said this would work.

After hours of unpacking, Damon grabbed his keys and headed for the Mystic Grill, happy to be out of the musty house and into the dry, summer night air. After Elena's constant pestering of what should go where and why, being out of her presence was relaxing. Finally living with her again would be an adjustment, but it was an adjustment Damon was happy to make.

As far as he was concerned, the grill hadn't changed a whole lot. Sure, it had updated appliances, new booths, and some new bar stools, but overall it was the same as it was when he last left it. The only thing missing was Alaric, but he wasn't about to go down that road right now. Save the emotional crap for another day.

As he ordered himself a drink, he vaguely wondered what to do about his baby brother's room. He sure as hell didn't think Stefan would come back anytime soon, but he didn't necessarily want to throw everything out either. If by some chance he did show up again, he would be pissed to find out Damon had tossed everything, especially his precious journals, which he had so conveniently left behind.

He wanted to hate Stefan for practically dropping off the face of the universe, but all the hatred towards him was overshadowed by his constant worry. He remembered quite well that things hadn't ended on the best of terms between him and his brother, but would his brother really leave his friends and family behind? Blondie would have never let him get away with that, especially after the whole Silas thing was resolved. But Stefan had never called, and after a while, that action went both ways. Everyone had finally given up on hearing from him again.

Damon figured his brother was someplace happy, maybe a girl with him. That was the only logical explanation that Damon would allow himself to accept. He didn't ever want to think about the other option.

As Damon ordered himself another drink, a young woman came and sat down a few seats away from him. She was, in Damon's opinion, an attractive woman, and the youthful spark in her eyes told him she couldn't have been older than 22. Her long, wavy hair bounced slightly as she eagerly ordered a drink, and the bartender asked to see an ID. She nodded, pulled out an ID and pursed her lips while she waited for the bartender to respond.

Finally, he looked up and said with a smile, "Well, looks like you just made the mark. Happy belated birthday, then."

The girl innocently smiled back at him, and gently thanked him.

Though Damon could never quite remember what it was that made him say so, he looked at the woman and said, "Happy Birthday."

She turned, and gave him a sly, almost intimidating look. "Thank you," she retorted, but her words were tasteless and monotonous, as if she were used to responding to strangers in a similar position to Damon's.

There was something about her eyes that was familiar, and Damon stared at her longer than what was probably necessary. She shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry…" Damon said quickly and effortlessly. "There's just something really familiar about you. I didn't catch your name before?".

The girl's expression hardened. "Look," she began, "I really don't mean to be rude, but I'm not… I'm not interested."

Damon shook his head. Didn't she understand he was just genuinely curious?

"I'm not… I'm not trying to get in your pants, I swear. I'm just… I feel like we've met before, and I'm simply wondering your name, that's all."

At that, she seemed to slightly relax and finally she muttered, "Genevieve. My name's Gen."

"Genevieve….?" Damon pressured.

"Salvatore."

Damon felt his breath hitch in his throat and he had to swallow a few times before finally being able to slip out "oh". Salvatore…? No, that couldn't be right. It was probably just a coincidence that this girl shared the same last name… and happened to be in Mystic Falls. But her eyes… her eyes told him otherwise. They were the same leafy green as his brother's, and much like his sibling's, they told a story filled with both joyous and sorrowful moments. They twinkled like his brother's did, and held the same guilt and regret. But… it was impossible. Vampires couldn't reproduce. It was as simple as that. That was what the rule had always been; there was no way to change that… unless, had Stefan found some other cure?

"This is gonna come across as a little creepy, so I'm sorry, but w-who are your parents?" Damon finally asked.

Genevieve turned again to face him, and Damon saw her face contort to a pained a saddened expression. Her face told Damon not to ask, but he pressured on. "Please? I think I might know them, I'm just curious."

Finally, she sighed and responded coolly, "That depends on who's asking."

Damon smiled. At least the girl wasn't dumb. "I'm Damon. I used to live here, and I've just recently moved back."

He watched with anticipation as the girl processed what he said. Her eyes lit up a little bit, and she looked straight at him, her eyes piercing his confidence and making him squirm.

"Damon Salvatore?" she questioned.

He nodded.

"Oh my god…" she breathed and brought her hand up to chest where she fingered a silver chain. "You're my dad's brother, aren't you?"

"That depends," Damon responded. "Is your father Stefan?"

She nodded slowly and then quickly stood up, grabbing her small bag. "I need to go."

Damon stood up to and followed her out to the parking lot where he called, "Wait!"

Gen whipped around and shook her head. "I really don't need to be involved with you."

Damon loudly sighed and said, "Can we at least talk, just a little bit? You're my niece."

And the reality of what he had just said hit Damon hard. This girl was his niece. The offspring of his baby brother. But Stefan… Stefan had chose to keep Damon out of this girl's life, out of his own. The sense of rejection and loss was like a dull knife slowly entering Damon's chest. The longer he stared at Genevieve, the deeper the knife went, and the more it pained him. Stefan didn't want his brother to be a part of his life. And, well… that hurt.

Finally, Gen's eyes softened and her voice was gentle. "I know how things ended between you and my father. I'm just wary, that's all. I came here for a reason, and that wasn't to meet you."

Damon ran his hand over his face, remembering how he himself had rejected Stefan oh so long ago. Had it been fair for his baby brother to keep Damon away?

I deserve it, Damon thought. I deserve to feel this way. This is how Stefan felt, so now it's time for me to feel shitty and rejected.

"Then why did you come here?" Damon asked.

"To help my... my brother. I need to find someone," she responded quickly. "Someone both you and my dad knew. I can't find her though."

"And who exactly are you looking for? Maybe I can help."

She sighed, then muttered slowly, "Bonnie Bennett."

Damon nodded, biting his tongue to keep back his surprise at her lack of knowledge. Bonnie Bennett had died a long time ago. But apparently Gen didn't know that. Damon seized the opportunity.

"Look. I know Bonnie. I can hook you up with her, but I just want to talk to you first, that's all. Once we talk, I'll take you to her."

Although the first part of that statement was false, the second part reeked of honesty. Damon did want to talk. With each passing second, a new question arose and he had to almost pinch himself to keep from asking it. There was so much he didn't know, and odds were this girl knew the answers.

"I won't ask you to ride in my car; you can follow me with your's. Come back to the boarding house. Meet Elena. Tomorrow you can meet Caroline. I'm sure you've heard of her, yes? I promise you I just want to talk."

After a moment of hesitation, Gen finally nodded and Damon quickly hopped in his car, silently hoping she wouldn't call out and change her mind.

To Damon's relief, she didn't, and he stepped on the gas.