Vampire Diaries 1. Morning After

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries,just the plot. **_

_**Okay so! Caroline is 17,Stefan is 16,and Elena is 16 (Stefan older by 9 months)**_

Sixteen year old Stefan sat up in his bed,tentatively. His muscles screamed at his change of movement and he let out a yelp of pain. Elijah had done a major number on him last night.

He squinted his eyes at the light protruding it's way through the glass of his window. Immediately he groaned at the thought of having to go to school today,and the fact that it was Monday. He just wished he could close the curtains and let darkness take over the room so he can go back to sleep. But he definitely didn't want Elijah to come upstairs pissed at him for not getting up.

He withdrew the covers from himself and slipped out of bed,ignoring the aches and pains of his newly fresh injuries that his own _father_ had created last night.

He managed to walk over to his closet,his eyes staying clear of the mirror beside it. He always hated having to look at the damage that's been done. But he had to. That is if he wanted to know how to get dressed today.

He let out a deep sigh as he opened his eyes,revealing his own reflection. His eyes instantly darted to the black and purple bruises that mainly covered his torso. Tears pricked his eyes as he barely grazed his hand over his collarbone sending a shock wave of pain shoot through his body. It was bruised so badly that he didn't even know if it was broken or not. He checked his ribs and let out a sigh of relief that none of them were broken this time. Bruised,but not broken.

But what really made him grateful was the fact that there was barely any damage done to his face. All but a scratch mark,with a slight bruise around it,on his cheek. He shivered at the image of his dad backhanding him across the face,his ring breaking through Stefan's skin.

Stefan shook the thoughts out of his head and breathed out a sigh.

_Okay,so I'll need to wear a jacket and jeans today. _He thought to himself.

He quickly got dressed,but carefully at the same time. Once he was dressed,he made his way towards the bathroom that connected his and Elena's room. Stefan quickly fixed his hair and brushed his teeth before entering his sister's room. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw that her door,that led to the hallway,was still locked. She always locked her door every night,claiming that it made her feel safer in case a robber decided to break in. But Caroline-Stefan's other sister,and him both knew it was because she was scared of their dad. Basically if he found her door ever unlocked,he'd know that Elijah made a little visit.

"Elena. Time to wake up."He said,shaking her shoulder gently.

Stefan always had to get her up every morning because this girl refused to wake up on her own. She could sleep through the whole school day without even trying. But he would definitely rather him wake her up than dad have to. _His_ way involves hair pulling.

Elena groaned in protest and rolled over onto her other side away from her brother. Stefan simply shook his head and snapped his fingers at her until she finally woke up. She rubbed her eyes and quickly sat up,knowing not to waste time with getting ready. She turned towards her brother and frowned as she noticed the large cut beneath his eye.

"D-Did he hurt you badly this time?"She asked in a tiny voice,grasping onto his hand seeing that it was best not to hug him after what happened last night.

"Nothing too major. I promise."Stefan replied and squeezed her hand with a small reassuring smile. His sister nodded her head and got out of bed after releasing her hold on him.

"See ya downstairs. Don't take too long."He stated and unlocked her door.

"I won't."She answered and disappeared into the bathroom.

Stefan closed the door behind him and made his way down the hall of his house.

_**~Stefan's POV~**_

I went downstairs and instantly tensed up at the sight of Elijah sitting at the kitchen table,reading the newspaper. Caroline noticed me as she was pouring our dad a cup of coffee. "Morning Stefan."

"Morning."I replied and walked into the kitchen. "Morning,sir."I said to the man at the table who acted as if nothing had even happened just hours ago in the night.

He didn't even look up from his paper but I knew he would of yelled at me if I hadn't said anything at all.

I sat down at the counter quickly and bit my lip nervously. I couldn't even stand being in the same room with him.

"Coffee?"Caroline asked,looking at me with sadness in her eyes. I figured she must've heard what happened since her room is next to mine,hers just not being connected like Elena's and mine.

"Mmm..no thanks."I said,tapping my ring against the counter.

"Cut that out!"Elijah hissed,making me freeze what I was doing. "And your sister went out of her way to make coffee so you _**will**_ drink it."He ordered,icily.

Caroline turned her back on him and rolled her eyes at our dad. She and I both knew it wasn't exactly 'out of her way' since she made coffee every morning for him. He just wants to give me hell for anything.

"Y-Yes sir."

Caroline slid a cup over to me and I thanked her for it. As she made her way over to the sink,she slipped me a tiny white pill,secretly, and made sure dad wasn't watching.

I quickly popped it in my mouth and downed it with my coffee. What she had slipped me was my anti-depressant pill. I've been taking it for about a year and a half now after a very bad incident occurred and I sort of went off the rails. I don't really think about what happened since I basically shut down that memory from my thoughts. I know if I were to start thinking about it again then bad things would probably happen. Dad doesn't even know about the medication but Caroline stashes it away in her room. I don't know where though. She makes sure that I take it every day too.

My dad cleared his throat,snapping me out of my thoughts.

"That's quite a nasty cut you've got there,son."He said,gesturing towards my cheek. "What happened?"His fake concern clearing evident in his voice.

_**You **happened_.

Unfortunately,if I were to say that then I'd basically just be asking for another beating. He did this every time I had a visible injury. He was testing me so he can see what I would tell other people if they asked.

"Elena and I were messing around and she accidentally scratched me,sir."I replied,staring at my hands. The lie practically rolled off my tongue because I was now used to having to lie about everything.

"Hmm,that's what I thought."He smirked.

I gritted my teeth,keeping a tight hold on the counter top. I hated him. I hated him _so_ much.

Caroline must've sensed my agitation as she rubbed my back,trying to calm me down. She knew that I was one to speak out or challenge him. That was sort of why I got a beating last night. It was like I couldn't control what I was saying and the words just flew from my mouth. It was like I wasn't even afraid of him...that is until he yanked me up by my hair from the dining room and upstairs. Caroline was begging him not to hurt me and Elena was crying her eyes out. Elijah had yelled at them to shut up and when they refused to not listen,he threatened to shove me down the stairs. That made them instantly go quiet.

I pushed the memory aside as Elena came downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Look who decided to finally join us."Elijah glared at her from over the paper.

"S-Sorry. I-I was just looking..looking for my,uh.."

"Hairbrush?"Caroline quickly covered for her and Elena nervously laughed.

"Y-Yeah! I just misplaced it by accident."She said,rubbing her forehead.

"Well maybe you should keep track of your things better."He replied,coldly.

"Yes sir."Elena said and went over to sit down next to me.

All of the sudden she tripped over the leg of my chair. I reached out to try to catch her but I couldn't in time. She fell to the floor,knocking over a glass mug from the table and onto the ground,causing it to shatter into a million pieces.

Elijah stood up,completely fuming,and stomped his way towards her.

I got up and stood in front of her but he pushed me out of his way like I weighed nothing.

"Dad no-"Caroline started but he told her to shut up.

Elena sat up on her elbows and stared at him much like a deer in headlights.

"You little bitch!Why must you be so damn stupid?! First you get down here late and now you can't even walk on your own two feet?And you even broke something in the process. Wow just unbelievable. God you're such a waste of space!"He growled at her,venom lacing his voice.

Elena stared at the ground,nothing but hurt in her eyes.

I wanted to strangle him for talking to her like that.

"I-I'm sorry..I-"

Caroline and I gasped as his foot collided with her jaw,sending her backwards across the floor.

"Dad!"I yelled out in shock.

Caroline had her hands covering her mouth and it looked like she was close to tears.

"You. Clean this up now."He ordered Caroline and pointed towards the shards of glass that scattered the floor. He then turned to Elena who was now clutching her face,tears escaping her eyes.

"Next time you should be more careful. Wouldn't want you to get hurt now."He smiled smugly at her.

"It was just an _**accident**_."I stressed to him,trying to put at least _some_ sense into his head.

"No. _**She**_ is the accident."He snarled before collecting his stuff and leaving the house for work.

I knelt down in front of Elena,who was hiccuping and sniffling from trying to not break down. I pulled her into my arms,rubbing circles into her back trying to get her to calm down. Who knows what rumors would be made if she came to school crying and a giant bruise on her face.

"God,I just can't believe him."Caroline said,after picking up the pieces of glass,and covered her face with her hands. "Why does he have to be so _cruel_?"She sniffled.

"Because we're walking reminders of mom."I sighed,sadly.

Elena released the hug from me and wiped the remaining tears away from her now puffy cheeks. I grabbed her hands with mine and lifted her up to a standing position.

"S-So to him I'm just some accident. Just..great."She sighed with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"Listen to me Elena,don't let him get to you,okay?You were never an accident. He just wants to say anything that will make you feel horrible."I told her,seriously. "Understand me?"

She nodded her head and stared down at her feet.

"Good."I replied,rubbing her arm,comfortingly.

"Well,I'd hate to have to spoil this _wonderful _morning,but we gotta get going or we'll be late for school."Caroline breathed,picking up her bag from the table.

We nodded in agreement and followed behind her after getting our stuff. We definitely didn't want the school to call our dad saying we were late. It wasn't very pretty last time that happened.

"So. You guys ready to act like our lives are completely perfect and amazing?"Caroline muttered,locking the door behind us.

"Always."Elena and I responded simultaneously.

_**Ahhh meh first chapptterr! Hope you all looovvveeddd it! Don't hate me I love Elijah! I just thought he'd be the best fitted for the role. PLEAAASSEEE REVIEWWW :DDD I wanna know what you guys think! And check out the next chapters that I uploaded! I worked really hard on this story so please,no unnecessary hate..eh you get what I mean lol!Peeeaaaceeee!**_

_**~Harmony**_


	2. Extra Credit

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries,just the plot. **_

"What do you mean I can't go to football practice?"Stefan feverishly asked his older sister,following her out of the car and into the school parking lot.

"I never said you couldn't go to practice. I said that you're not _**playing**_ during it."She simply clarified herself.

"But that's not fair!"Stefan groaned in frustration.

"Aw,life isn't fair Steffy."She puckered back at him and made her way towards the entrance of the school.

Stefan rolled his eyes at his nickname and pulled her back towards him. "Seriously Caroline. I need to practice for our next game."

"Stefan,you're not in any condition to be playing football. Like seriously,after last night you shouldn't even be considering it."Elena interjected,pushing her bag onto her shoulder more.

"Thank you,Elena."Caroline stated,happy that at least someone had some sense.

"I'm not even in pain."Stefan mumbled. He winced as Elena lightly hit him on the chest,sending a shocking pain through his collarbone.

"No pain,huh?"Elena said,cocking her head to the side.

"Well I can't just tell Coach that I can't play when I look perfectly fine."

"Just say you're not feeling well but you want to stay and watch so you don't miss any drills or whatever you guys do.."Caroline insisted as if it were the most easiest thing in the world.

"Fine,whatever."He snapped at her before walking into the school,leaving the two girls behind.

Caroline breathed out a sigh and looked at Elena with concern. "Was that the right thing to do?"

Elena bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah,I think so. He's just mad because that's the only time he can probably have fun."

"It's not like I'm trying to take that away from him,I just don't want him to be in any more pain."

"I know."Elena said,patting her on the shoulder before they went inside.

_**~o~**_

As they walked into the school,Elena immediately went to her group of friends that were hanging out by her locker. Caroline set off to find her boyfriend-Matt. Stefan usually just hung out with the football team but he was pretty much friends with everyone at school. To everyone else,they were the kids who had everything. Everyone always assumed that their lives were perfect,nobody would ever suspect that they lived in hell at home. But Elijah made sure that no one would even suspect a thing. To everyone else,he was the perfect dad. He bought them all anything they'd ever asked for. Like the newest phone out there or expensive clothes,or really _hot_ cars.

But they've never asked for any of that. Elijah made damn sure that his children seemed like they had everything a person could ever want in life. His philosophy was-how could the best dad in the world ever harm a hair on their perfect children?

To Elena,Stefan,and Caroline it was practically a slap in the face saying that nobody would _**ever**_ believe them if they told someone how he treated them. That they would lose that battle and he would do anything in his power to make sure of that.

I mean,who could think something was wrong anyway?They were the kids with everything.

They always got straight A's,had a lot of friends,rarely gotten into trouble,had loving personalities,and participated in sports.

They were the kids who had _**everything**_. Their lives were _**perfect.**_

_As far as they know..._

_**~o~**_

_**~Elena's POV~**_

My heart sunk in my chest as the bell rang through the now empty hallway of the school. Great just great. I'm now late for my last class of the day-which just happens to be the one I hate the most. History with Alaric. But I had a legitimate excuse. I spent most of the time trying to cover up my gigantic bruise from this morning.

I skidded to a stop outside the classroom door and took a second to catch my breath. I practically dashed my way over here when I heard the bell ring.

"Ah,Miss Mikaelson. I'm so glad you can finally join us."Alaric glared as I stepped inside the room,hoping that I could sneak my way in when he had his back turned. Unfortunately he turned back around.

"Uh,sorry Mr. Saltzman. I lost track of time.."I murmured,ducking my head away from the scowl on his scruffy face.

"No excuse. Take your seat."He spat.

I scurried towards my desk in the back of the room and quietly sat down.

After letting out a shaky breath I glanced over at Stefan who gave me a worried look.

"What happened?"He mouthed,silently.

I made sure Alaric wasn't looking before I gestured towards the bruise on my jaw. He then nodded in understanding and turned back in his seat when Alaric cleared his throat.

"Something wrong,Stefan?"

"Nope."He simply answered with a slight hint of bitterness in his voice. Stefan wasn't very fond of Alaric since he's buddy-buddy with our dad. He's definitely not a kind person either.

"Good. Maybe you should get back to your work instead of having Elena distract you."He smirked from behind his desk.

"Well maybe-"

I cut him off by letting out an evident cough as a way to tell him to stop talking. Stefan heaved out a sigh and sat back in his chair,focusing on the worksheet that was on all of our desks.

"That's what I thought."Mr. Saltzman mumbled. "Okay now class,I'm going to be handing back your tests from last Friday. Keep working on the work I gave you."He said,grabbing a stack of our papers and stood up.

I worked through the problems for a few minutes until he passed back Stefan's test. I gave a small smile when I knew he would pass his test. But my smile faltered when I noticed the huge F scribbled across his paper in red ink.

"I expected more from you,Mr. Mikaelson." I heard Alaric say.

Sounded like he wanted everyone to know that he didn't do good on his test.. But Stefan should have passed it! I mean,I studied with him and I studied my ass off! All of us very rarely get bad grades,especially on tests because..well lets just say that our dad doesn't take bad grades.._lightly._

Stefan stared at the test confused as ever. After a few seconds he shoved the paper in his bag.

"Sorry. I'll try harder next time."He said,not even bothering to mention that he knew he got most of them right.

"I hope so too."He stated,patting him on the back a little rough.

Okay that definitely seemed a lot harder than any other regular pat on the back if you ask me..

A minute or so ticked by before I saw him make his way to the back of the room towards me.

I pretended to be focused on my work because I didn't want him getting on my case about not working.

"Unacceptable." I heard him mutter as the test landed on my desk. I stared at the identical F that was written at the top of my paper like Stefan's.

"I-I don't understand,I studied so hard."I said,honestly.

"Apparently not hard enough."His face was rigid but I could tell that his eyes held a lingering smirk that seemed to taunt me.

He bent down to where his mouth was inches from the side of my face. I had to mentally stop myself from moving away from him.

"You know what the extra credit is for my class,sweetheart."He whispered to me.

I felt like I was going to puke.

A chill ran down my spine as he moved away and slightly brushed against my shoulder as he walked by. Surely he didn't mean that the way it sounded..Alaric was just creepy,that's all.

Once he had made his way back up the white board, I looked over my test and started to become angry. Most of these answers were _right_. I remember studying some of these questions over and over and I know for a fact that I should have gotten at least a B on this freakin test. From the looks of everyone smiling at their papers,it seems like it was only Stefan and I who got an F.

What a coincidence..

After a few minutes ticked by, collected our worksheets."Okay class,for the last five minutes of class you can all talk,just stay quiet while I grade your work."Alaric said. The sound of kids getting up from their desks and chatting was all that was heard.

Bonnie swiveled around in her seat and turned towards me. "Hey."She smiled.

"Hey.."I breathed,rubbing my forehead over and over again.

"What's wrong?You look a little..tense."She stated,becoming concerned.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just tired is all."The lie rolling off my tongue easily. I don't even know why I lied about it. But I was actually just upset about this whole test situation. Yes, to others it's no big deal but I'm sure it's because you're not waiting for a beating when you get home because of it.

"Better not let Caroline know that,she'll probably make you run laps at practice today."She laughed,putting her things away in her bag.

"No doubt about that."I answered with a tiny giggle.

"Wanna hang at the Grill after practice?Caroline can tag along too."

"Yeah,sounds good. I just have to ask my dad first."I replied and she nodded.

The last bell of the day echoed through the classroom and Bonnie stood up.

"You comin?"She asked after I stayed in my seat.

"Nah. I'll meet you at the field. I just have to talk to first. Tell Caroline I won't be long."

"Okay. Seeya in a few."Bonnie said and walked out of the classroom with a few other students who were eager to get home.

I quickly got out of my chair and snagged Stefan's paper from his book bag while he was still talking to Tyler.

"Um Stefan?Matt says he's wanting to talk to you. Says it's something important?"I lied,hoping he wouldn't see right through it. I definitely wasn't the best at lying..especially when he can read me like a book sometimes.

"Alright. I'll talk to him at practice. Let's go."He said picking up his bag.

"Uh..I'll be there in a minute."I answered,biting my lip.

Stefan simply nodded and he and Tyler left the room. I went back to my seat and grabbed my test and bag.

My whole body froze when I heard the door lock.

I looked up to see a smirking Alaric glaring at me with black cold eyes.

"U-Um,I..I was about to ask you a-about the..extra credit."I stumbled over my words making him chuckle.

"How's your dad,Elena?"He asked,completely disregarding my question.

"H-He's fine."I squeaked out.

"Well,I'd imagine he'd be very upset with you and Stefan when he finds out about those grades."He stated,gesturing towards the papers in my hands.

Did I mention that Alaric knows about what our dad does to us?Did I tell you that he doesn't even care?

"Y-Yeah. I'd do anything to get extra credit,Stefan would too."

"You would do _anything_?"He clarified my statement.

I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded my head. I would honestly write a freakin five thousand word essay just to avoid a beating.

He motioned me to come over to him and I did. He held out his hand and I gave him our tests.

"I suppose I could change these to an A.."

"But what about the extra credit?"I questioned him,confused.

"Well you said you'd do anything for it."He stated,cocking his head to the side and tossing our papers on his wooden desk.

"Yeah but.."

He took a step towards me,making me step back. He advanced on me until I was between him and a student desk.

"I'd choose my words more carefully next time,Elena."

"W-What?"I gulped.

He didn't answer. His lips crashing against mine answered it for me.

_**Ohhh snap! Poor Elena D: **_

_**Don't hate me! Trust me I freakin love Alaric! I was soo sad to see him leave the show! So please don't kill me XD! Please review because I love hearing feedback! Ugh,I use to many exclamation points..Eh whatevs!(;**_

_**Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**_

_**~Harmony**_


	3. Make it stop

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries,just the plot. **_

_**~Caroline's POV~**_

"So I'll see you after practice then?"Matt asked,moving the hair away from my face. I fought back the urge to wince since the bruise hasn't gone away yet from when my dad bashed my head against the wall last week.

"If you can find me."I giggled. "The girls will probably kill me for making them do laps today."

"Well I'll be sure to come save you if they attack you with..pom poms."He chuckled,kissing my forehead,softly.

"Oh how very brave of you."I playfully rolled my eyes and hit his chest,lightly.

"Hey,being the boyfriend to the captain of the cheer leading team can be some hard work."He responded,trying to hold a straight face.

"Oh shut up!"I giggled and pushed him towards the locker room. "Now go get to practice or Coach Tanner will kill me if you're late."

He gave a dimpled smile before disappearing behind the locker room door.

I then spotted Bonnie down the hallway and I quickly caught up with her. "Hey Bonnie."

"Hey,Care!"Bonnie smiled.

"How come Elena's not with you?"I asked in confusion.

"She said for me to tell you that she's talking to and that she won't be long."She simply answered with a shrug.

"Oh...alright."I managed to say. I hated Alaric. There's something about him that just screams 'douche bag.' But maybe it's because he's friends with my dad and he doesn't give a damn about us.

"Everything okay?"Bonnie asked,snapping me away from my thoughts.

"Yeah. Just fine."I gave a tiny smile.

"So,Elena and I are going to hang at the Grill later. Wanna come?"

"Sure,I don't see why not."I said,opening the door to the locker room. Once we got changed we headed out to the track and over by the bleachers where we usually held our practice.

Practice didn't start for another ten minutes so Bonnie and I decided to start stretching.

"So how are things with you and Jeremy?"I nudged her,wiggling my eyebrows at her which made her laugh.

"We're good. I'm still trying to convince him to go to the homecoming dance but he doesn't seem to into it this year."

"Ugh,boys are such.._boys_. They see one corsage and they run for the hills."I chuckled,tying my hair in a ponytail.

Bonnie was about to answer when she seemed to be looking past me,confusion filling her features.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just thought you said Stefan wasn't going to be practicing today."She answered,stretching her arm.

"He's not.."I trailed off,following her gaze. But there stood Stefan in his uniform chatting with Tyler and Matt.

"That little..UGH!"I hissed and stood up from the grass.

"Wait,Care what's the big deal?"Bonnie questioned me,taking a hold of my arm.

"Uh..he just whined all day about not feeling well so I told him no practice. Clearly he must be feeling _much_ better."I lied,clenching my teeth together. I shook my arm from her grip and stomped my way over to the football field.

"Stefan!Get over here!"I yelled out,grabbing his attention from across the field.

Once he saw me he gave his friends sheepish smiles,since I probably embarrassed him,before walking over to me by himself.

"What the hell,Stefan!Did you misunderstand when I said you weren't playing today?!"

"Calm down,Care. It's only football practice."He simply answered.

"I don't care what it is,Stefan. After what dad did to you.."I sighed,,rubbing my forehead.

"Caroline,believe me. I get where you're coming from;I really do. But football helps me stop thinking about everything. It keeps me distracted from not thinking about what might happen when we get home tonight or who gets hurt next."He whispered. "Besides,I-I don't want to get on coach's bad side.."He mumbled,staring down at his hands.

I nodded in understanding. Stefan wasn't exactly comfortable with talking to adults,especially guys. But who could blame him right?

"I shouldn't have expected you to talk to him. I would've spoken to him for you if I had realized...But go. Practice is about to start."I told him,making his head shoot up.

"Really?"

"Yes. Just _please_ be careful."

"I will. Thanks,Care!"He waved and quickly made his way back over to the field.

"Oh Stefan.."I sighed,running my hands through my hair. I turned and headed back over to where Bonnie was. I let out a _tsk_ when I realized Elena was still not here yet. Guess she'll be late for practice..

_**~Elena's POV~**_

I slammed the door closed behind me,breathing heavily. .Happened.

I fixed my shirt back into it's correct place and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Why was I so stupid to fall right into his trap?He probably knew I would want the extra credit,especially since Stefan had the chance of getting hurt.

Tears glossed over my eyes as his touch lingered across my body. How could he do that to me,let alone a student!

I felt completely disgusting. I don't care if he only _touched_ me. I felt nothing but violated and humiliation all at once. I don't know if I could face him ever again,especially as my teacher.

Lord knows he's probably going to tell Elijah. My dad would probably congratulate him and then invite him over so I could run into him at my own home.

"You're so stupid Elena. Nothing but stupid."The negative thoughts flooded my mind as tears began to slide down my cheeks.

_You better not tell anyone._ Alaric's threat echoed through my ears. I gripped onto my bag tighter as another rack of sobs hit me like a ton of bricks.

I couldn't tell nobody. Not Bonnie,Stefan, or Caroline.

_Caroline!_

Dammit! I forgot about cheer leading practice!

I glanced at the clock in the hallway and saw that I was about ten minutes late. _Stupid Elena,always late. God can you be anymore careless?_

I walked down the vacant hallway as fast as I could,in the mean time,trying to collect my emotions.

Have to put on a show and act like nothing's ever wrong,right?Can't have a concerned by passer call my dad wondering whatever is wrong with his perfect little daughter?No,because to everyone else nothing could ever be wrong with Elena. _Stupid_ Elena that is.

The sound of my foot crashing against the nearest locker echoed all around me.

I needed to get out of here. Fast.

"_It'll be our little secret._"_He chuckled as his hands roamed over my waist as I stood there petrified. _

"God get these fucking things out of my head!"I hissed,grabbing at my hair,my throat throbbing from trying to hold back tears.

Now I have to add this to the list of things wrong with my life.

I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs or break down crying. Everything just felt so overwhelming right now.

"_You're such a waste of space!**She's** the accident!"_My dad's words protruded it's way into my mind from earlier this morning.

_Just breathe._

_Elena,just breathe sweetie._ The voice sounded like my mother.

"Mom?"

"Elena?"

I snapped out of my trance to see a worried Caroline standing right in front of me. I was now outside over by the bleachers.

"H-How did I get here?"I frantically asked,looking around.

"Uh..you walked?You've been crying. What's going on?"She quizzed me,leading me away from everyone.

"B-But I was just in.."I stopped when I realized how crazy I would sound if I finished that sentence. "I'm fine."

Caroline scoffed and pulled me into a tight embrace. "I know when you're lying Elena."She softly spoke.

I felt like crying again. Fortunately I was able to blink back my tears and pull away from her.

"Everything is fine."I told her,plastering a fake smile onto my face.

She stared at me for a long moment before nodding her head. I could tell by the expression on her face that she wasn't believing me.

The sound of Coach Tanner's whistle made us both jump. We snapped our heads over to the field to see the players crowding around someone on the ground and Coach Tanner running over.

"Oh God..someone must've gotten hurt."Caroline squinted,trying to see through the crowd of players.

"I think it's Stefan!"We heard one of the cheer leaders yell from a distance.

Caroline and I stared wide eyed at each other once we realized that we couldn't find Stefan in the crowd of players on the field.

We both took off running towards the commotion.

"Care,no!"Matt quickly grabbed Caroline around the waist,making her struggle in his grip. Tyler tried to grab me as well but I was already kneeling next to my barely conscious brother.

"Stefan!"I cried out,touching his face gently. His eyes were opening and closing as if he were just about to drift to sleep.

"Stefan you need to stay awake!"I told him,shaking his shoulder.

"What the hell happened?!"Caroline asked.

"I was running to catch the ball and I ran into him,but I didn't think I hit him that hard! I heard something crack;it may have been his rib. I-I don't see how though!"Tyler exclaimed with worry lacing his voice.

Caroline and I knew how though. Stefan's beating last night probably messed up his rib and hitting Tyler just broke it.

My attention was snapped towards Stefan again when he let out a ragged breath.

"I-I...c-can't..I can't..breathe."He whispered,trying to gasp for air.

"I'm calling an ambulance,he may have a punctured lung!"Coach Tanner spoke,pulling out his cellphone.

Wait..why the hell was Stefan even playing today?!

_**Aww poor Stefan! And poor Elena!Don't they know that Caroline is always right?XD! Okay sooo I didn't really like this chapter but oh well! It is what it is!Hopefully everyone loved this chapter though. So please REVIEW :D**_

_**I'd love to hear your feedback on this story,it motivates me to write quicker! **_

_**~Harmony**_


	4. Don't worry about it

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries,just the plot. **_

_~**Stefan's POV**_~

My eyes flickered open to a very bright room. I winced and rubbed my eyes,letting out a muffled groan. What the hell happened?

I guess I'm in a hospital based on the machines hooked up to me and the very uncomfortable bed I was laying on.

I was about to sit up before I felt a hand push me back down,gently.

"Stefan,you can't sit up. You need to rest."A feminine voice told me. I looked up to see a pretty woman, dressed in scrubs,examining my IV fluid. I guess she's my nurse.

"W-Why am I here?"I asked her,confused. The last thing I remember was being at football practice..

"Your lung was punctured by your rib,causing it to collapse. You passed out before the medics got to you."She replied,scribbling a few things down on a clipboard.

Instinctively,I pressed my hand to my side and was welcomed by a sharp pain.

"Hey hey,take it easy..You just got out of surgery sweetie. I'll have the doctor give you more antibiotics when he examines you."She explained,removing my hand from my side.

"Are my sisters here?"

"Yes. I'll go get them after I'm done here. Your father is on his way here but he's coming from a business meeting so it may take a while."She answered,scribbling down whatever was on the machine to the report.

Shit. Of course my dad would be at a business meeting. He's probably going to be so pissed at me for getting hurt and making him have to leave.

"Stefan?"

"Yeah?"

"I asked you if you wanted to maybe rest a little more before visitors come. Are you alright?"She raised her eyebrow at me.

I nodded my head in response.

The nurse bit the inside of her cheek before setting down the paperwork on the side table.

"Your sister Elena told me that a kid hit your side pretty hard at football practice. Your injury is pretty common,especially when it comes to playing that sport. But..we did notice that you have excessive bruising all over your body,Stefan."She stated with a sympathetic expression.

Wait,is she possibly hinting as it being a sign of abuse? I mean,yeah she's right but why is she looking at me like she actually cared?Didn't she see this kind of stuff all the time at the hospital?Or maybe my dad made a deal with her or something so that he can test me.. Or maybe she's just simply stating the obvious and I'm over analyzing things way too much.

"Um..I-I get into a lot of fights at school.."I quickly lied,hoping she didn't notice my voice wavering.

"Alright. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."She patted my arm with a tiny smile.

"Wait but-"

"I'll go get Caroline and Elena for you. They've been really worried."She said,cutting me off. She grabbed the paperwork and walked out of the room,leaving me shaken.

What the hell?

Hopefully the nurse didn't suspect anything going on. Then again who cares? It's not like she can do anything about it. Nobody can..

After a few minutes drew by,the door opened,revealing a smiling Elena and a worried Caroline.

"Stefan!"Elena cried,practically running over to me. "We were so worried about you!"

"So I've heard. And I'm sorry. I must not have been paying attention when Tyler hit me."I shrugged.

"He's really sorry,he didn't think he hit you very hard.."Elena muttered. We all knew Tyler didn't hit me hard at all. Just enough to make my bruised rib crack I guess.

"It's fine. I don't blame him at all for it."

"Good because he's like,really freaking out about it. He didn't mean to hurt his bff!"Elena nudged me with her elbow.

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. I looked over to see a distanced Caroline,with her arms crossed and eyes attached to the floor.

"Care."Her head snapped up at the sound of her name. "Don't even think think about blaming yourself for this."I frowned.

She let out a sigh and her arms flew to her sides. "How can I not? I shouldn't have let you play. I should've gone to coach and tell him that you weren't playing. You don't know how _furious_ dad was when I called him."

I gulped at her words and shook my head. "I don't care about dad right now. He finds any way to be mad at me so I get used to it. But you can't feel guilty over this. I knew how badly I was hurt but I still played. So it's my fault."

"Yeah but-"

"Caroline..."

"Okay fine. But I still have to look out for my baby brother."She ruffled my hair and I laughed.

"Good. But I am only one year younger.."

"And?"She laughed. "I'm going to go call Tyler and Matt to tell them you're feeling better."Caroline pulled out her cellphone and walked out of the room.

After the door closed,I glanced over at Elena who was staring out the window. Her face looked solemn with a hint of sadness.

"What's wrong?"

I must've snapped her out of her thoughts because she immediately shook her head and a smile appeared on her face. A fake smile.

I breathed out a sigh and scooted over on the bed,carefully,patting the spot next to me. "Cmon."

She didn't hesitate to come over and lay down next to me.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "So tell me,what's up?"

She blew puffs of air in her cheeks and stayed silent for a few minutes. Finally she reached into her backpocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper,placing it on my chest.

"I got Mr. Saltzman to give us extra credit on our tests."She explained as I unfolded my test revealing an A at the top.

"Woah. Since when does he give extra credit that bumps up our grade to an A?"I asked with a chuckle. That seriously made me so relieved. I definitely didn't want to see dad and explain to him why I failed a test that I should've gotten an A on.

My eyesbrows scrunched together in confusion when Elena's eyes filled with tears at my question.

"Don't worry about it."She snapped at me.

What the hell?

"No I will worry about it. Tell me right now what happened."I demanded as a tear slid down her cheek.

"You stay away from Mr. Saltzman,Stefan. I don't want you staying after class with him and you stay out of trouble in his class. I won't have you getting a detention with him."She sniffled,completely disregarding my question.

"I-I don't understand. Why are you saying all of this?Did he fucking do something to you?"I hissed.

"Stefan I don't question what Uncle Klaus did to you,okay?So just drop it."

I gave a small nod and stared down at my hands,messing with the hospital bracelet on my wrist.

"Stefan I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."Elena sighed,grasping onto my hand.

"It's fine,Elena. I know what you meant."I answered,giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

I better not find out that,that sick bastard is hurting my sister. She's _**not**_ going to go through what I went through.

_**~Damon's POV~**_

I walked through the hospital's entrance and looked around. I quickly made my way over to the receptionist desk with a lady typing away on her computer.

She looked up at me when I approached her. "How can I help you?"

"Uh,yeah I'm looking for a Katherine Salvatore; she's a nurse here. I'm her husband."I answered her,tapping my fingers against the counter.

She gave me a look of you-better-not-be-a-freakin-phyco-killer,before searching on her computer.

"She's in the five hundred wing."She answered after a minute or so of looking.

I added a thanks before taking off down the hallway towards the wing of the building.

"Katherine!"I half yelled down the hallway when I spotted her at the counter. She turned around when she heard her name and saw me.

"Damon! I was just about to call you!"She stated,hugging me.

"It's alright. I heard that someone got hurt during football practice on the news. They said it was Stefan. Is he okay?They didn't say what happened!"

"He's fine. He just woke up half an hour ago. He had a punctured lung so we took him into surgery before things got serious. We're gonna have to keep him here for a few days though."She replied.

I let out a sigh of relief and ran my fingers through my hair. "Am I able to see him?"

"Yes. But before you do. You should know that I found something..strange. When I examined him,God Damon he was covered in bruises and cuts."

I looked at her alarmed. "It couldn't have been from the injury?"

Katherine bit her lip before shaking her head. "No. He told me that it was from fighting at school,but I could tell he was lying. He couldn't even look me in the eye at all."She said,before writing a few things down on a paper form.

"Well is Elijah here yet?"

"No. He's at a business meeting out of town,but he should be here soon. Well,that's what he told me when I called him that is.."

I scoffed at that. Same old Elijah. I never liked him when my sister dated him,let alone _married_ the guy.

"Now Damon,don't start anything okay?"Katherine told me,placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I won't. I'm just not very fond of him."I sighed.

"I know,hun. Caroline and Elena are here though. They're in Stefan's room."

"Alright. Do they know that you're their aunt?"I chuckled as she shook her head.

"Nope. To them I'm only their nurse. But hey,there isn't a better way to tell them right?"She laughed,picking up her work. "Stefan's in room 107. I'll be there in a few to check on him."

I nodded and kissed her cheek before I headed down the hallway that reeked of detergent and bleach.

_**Yay Damon made his first appearance! Tell meh what ya'll think! I know this chapter may have been a little bit boring but I've been thinking up some awesome plans for this story! I love reading your amazing reviews guys(:**_

_**Would love to read some more!**_

_**~Harmony**_


	5. Something weird is going on

**_Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries,just the plot. _**

_~**Caroline's POV~**_

I walked back into Stefan's hospital room,shoving my phone back into my pocket.

"Well Tyler,Matt,and Bonnie are relieved that you aren't dead. They'll come by to visit later."I said to Stefan with a small laugh. Elena was sitting criss-crossed on the edge of the hospital bed.

Stefan only looked at me amused though and Elena opened her mouth to say something before I cut her off.

"Elena,your makeup is smudged. You need to keep track of that,because I can see your bruise."I told her,now rummaging through my purse for some coverup.

"Um,Caroline. Why don't you say hi to Uncle Damon first."Stefan suggested quickly. I stared at him confused before following his gaze. I turned around and saw our Uncle,leaning against the wall near the window.

"Oh my God,Uncle Damon!What?When did you get here?"I grinned at him.

"I heard what happened on the news so I rushed right over."He replied,pulling me into a tight hug. "I got here about ten minutes ago."He explained.

"Oh okay. I was just calling Matt and Tyler. I wouldn't have been so long if I knew you were coming."I said,after releasing from the hug. Now I felt my stomach drop as I realized what I said to Elena right in _front_ of him.

"Nah,it's fine. How are those two crazy kids anyways?"

"Well Tyler is still freaking out for putting Stefan in the hospital and Matt is just..Matt."I laughed.

"Who just so happens to be her little lover!"Elena giggled,puckering her lips at me.

"Elena!"I hissed,feeling heat rush to my cheeks.

"Ugh..girls I swear.."Stefan shook his head with a chuckle. "You can't live with them."

"Correction;you can't live _with out_ them."Elena stated,nudging his foot with her elbow. "Speaking of girls though..I see you've tied the knot."She smiled,acknowledging towards the ring on Uncle Damon's finger.

"Woah,when did that happen?"Stefan exclaimed,making Damon chuckle.

"About two summers ago. It was more of a private thing,we couldn't really afford an extravagant wedding at the time."He explained,twisting his ring.

"That sounds _so_ cute!"

"You think everything is cute,Elena."Stefan joked.

"And is that a bad thing?"She shot back at him with a playful glare. "We'll definitely have to visit so we can meet her!"She said,turning back towards Damon.

My eyes widened as I shot her a look. She knows dad would _never_ let that happen. He would immediately think we would try to get him arrested or something.

"Well,you actually _have_ met her. At least I know you have."He said,gesturing towards Stefan. "She's your nurse."

"M-My nurse?Seriously?No wonder she was so nice to me.."Stefan said with a smile. Although I could tell something was worrying him. I'll have to ask him about that later when I get the chance.

"Wait,the lady that told us where Stefan's room was?"Elena asked,looking over at me.

"I guess so!"I shrugged,with a laugh.

"So she's our Aunt?"Elena clarified,turning towards Damon,who couldn't help but chuckle at her.

"Technically yes. She's very much aware of who you guys are,but thought I should probably be the one to tell you."

We all nodded our heads in understanding. It was definitely cool that we have an Aunt because honestly,I'm not too fond with our other Uncle-Klaus. It seemed to be only mom's side of the family was normal. Dad's side of the family just made me want to cringe or want to rip their heads off. Especially Uncle Klaus. I will never forgive him for what he did to my baby brother. Never.

"So uh,how did this happen?"Uncle Damon asked,tilting Elena's head to the side to get a better look at the bruise on her jaw.

She gave me a worried glance that seemed to go unnoticed by Uncle Damon before she spoke. "Just ya know..Cheerleading."She shrugged. "A girl sorta..kicked me in the face."

Okay even I laughed at that lie.

"It's not funny!"She scolded me as Stefan let out a few chuckles.

Elena crossed her arms and pouted as if she was actually hurt by us laughing at her. At least she fooled Uncle Damon into believing that's what actually happened.

Just then the door opened and I noticed Stefan instantly tense up,his smile had completely vanished. I didn't even have to turn around to know who was standing behind me.

_**~Damon's POV~**_

I couldn't help but see the frown on Stefan's face when the door opened,revealing Elijah standing there. Elena sat up straighter and Caroline rolled her eyes almost as if she were annoyed at someone interrupting the light mood. I don't see how she would be annoyed if she didn't even know who it was unless she turned around.

"Hi daddy!"Elena spoke,her enthusiasm never seeming to reach her eyes.

"Come sit over here,Elena. You should give Stefan some more room."Caroline suggested,sitting down in a chair,gesturing to the one next to hers.

Elena nodded and immediately got off the bed,taking a seat next to her.

Huh,why would that be a problem now?

As he looked over at Stefan,Elijah's eyes flashed with something strange...was it anger? I couldn't see why it would be. Whatever it was though was gone in an instant as his eyes landed on me.

"Oh. Hello Damon. It's been a while."

I scratched the back of my head,feeling nothing but tension in his voice. "Uh yeah,I heard about Stefan's accident on the news. I came as soon as I heard. Katherine is their nurse."

"Katherine?How is she doing?"He asked me with a slight smirk.

Stefan,Caroline,and Elena all looked at him,confused. Probably wondering why Elijah didn't tell them about Katherine if he knew about her.

"Fine."I bluntly answered.

"Just..fine?"His tone almost sounded like he was taunting me. What the hell is his deal?And why does he even care?His son was just in a freakin accident and he's going on about this?

"So I hear Stefan just got out of surgery. Glad they got him in quick enough."I said,directing the conversation to where it _should_ be.

"I just don't see why he was playing since he was hurt to start out with."Elijah stated,shaking his head.

Not even a,'Hey son,are you okay?Are you in any pain?Do you need anything?' Seriously,what the hell.

"Uh,yeah. I heard he's got a lot of bruising and cuts all over him. Katherine told me had to check with the doctors for any internal bleeding.."

"Yes well,he just got in a car accident only a day or so ago. Him and his friends decided to be stupid and fool around on the road. Luckily it was only minor,but still enough to cause quite some damage."Elijah explained,clamping a tight squeeze onto Stefan's shoulder.

He let go though when Stefan started to wince.

"Did the car get pretty banged up?"I sighed.

"Definitely some major dents,but nothing too drastic."He said and I nodded.

"Stefan you gotta be more careful,man. Don't let your friends get you into any trouble,okay?"

Stefan shook his head in understanding and stared down at his hands.

What confused me was I wasn't called when this happened. Usually the insurance company would've called me if there was an accident. Maybe I missed the call or something. I guess I can always try to call them back and see.

All I know is,something weird is going on.

_**Finally! Okay wow I had MAJOR writers block on this. But I know what I'll write to get the next chapter going. I hope you guys enjoyed it though, so sorry it took so long to upload! I get so easily distracted,not even gonna lie XD! But damn,LOVED TVD's finale! Freaked out at the end especially haha! **_

_**PLEASE REVIEWWWWW AND STAY FABULOUS! :3**_

_**~Harmony(:**_


	6. What's done is done

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries,just the plot. _

**"Stefan are you sure you're-"**

**"I'm fine."Stefan cut Elena off,staring out the window of the car. **

**Elena let out a sigh and sat back in her seat,crossing her arms. She figured he was probably still mad about her not confessing to what Alaric did but also the fact that their uncle decided to pay Stefan a little visit last night at the hospital.**

**"We need to get you home and back on those pills."Caroline muttered,gripping onto the steering wheel.**

**"I don't need them!"His outburst caused both of the girls to jump.**

**Caroline scoffed and turned her head towards Stefan,who was drumming his fingers against his knee.**

**"Don't you even start that crap again. You've been off of them for about a week now and last night.."Caroline bit her lip and shook her head,staring intently at the rode ahead. **

**"Last night,what Caroline?Huh?Are we just going to pretend now that he didn't show up last night?"He responded along with a humorless laugh.**

**"Stefan I know you're upset right now and-"**

**"I'm not upset."**

**Caroline and Elena weren't stupid though. Being off of his medication had him feeling more irritable and with Klaus visiting only hours ago...set him off. **

**Around nine last night,he came to visit with Elijah. It wouldn't surprise them if their dad had asked him to come along. Fortunately,Elena saw them coming and warned her older siblings. The only thing Stefan could do was pretend to be asleep while Caroline tried to get him to leave. It infuriated Elena so badly when Klaus had tried to get them to leave the room. It wasn't just to leave the room,but to leave Stefan alone with him. Yeah like that's gonna happen. So after a few failed attempts he gave up and told them that he'd be back the next day when Stefan was awake. Which is why Caroline had us leave early in the morning the next day before he came by. **

**"I can handle it **_**myself**_**,Care."**

**"Right. Because that worked out ****_so _****well last time. Stefan,you actually ****_hurt_**** yourself last time. I'm not going to have that happen again."Caroline told him,genuinely concerned.**

**"Are you kidding me?So you obviously still don't believe that I cut myself by accident?"He scowled,running his hand through his hair.**

**"No I don't Stefan,I really don't."**

**Elena shook her head and stared out the window from the backseat,trying to block out Caroline and Stefan's bickering. She wanted her brother and sister to stop fighting like she had years ago. The day when their lives changed forever. The day that their father decided to disown and hate them forever.**

**_No Elena,you don't need to think about it..It's not worth feeling the pain again._**

**But she couldn't shake the memories that was practically engraved into her mind,probably forever.**

"_Mom,where are we going?"Eleven year old Caroline asked. _

"_Um..nowhere sweetie. Just going to visit your Uncle,Damon."Their mother replied,gripping onto the steering wheel tightly. Her lips were pressed together in a thin line and her eyes were fixed on the road ahead. _

"_Why isn't daddy coming?"Nine year old Elena asked,braiding her Barbie Doll's hair that was on her lap. _

"_Because daddy doesn't like Uncle Damon. He takes mommy away from him for too long."Ten year old Stefan replied,staring outside the glass window into the pitch black night. _

"_Stefan!Why would you say that?Who told you?"Their mother-Miranda,questioned. She looked back at her son in the backseat through the mirror. _

"_I heard daddy say it.."_

"_Well your father is wrong."She snapped at him,turning her attention back on the road._

"_Sorry.."He mumbled,sticking out his lower lip in a pout._

"_Steffy stop that! I don't like it when you're sad!"His younger sister Elena cried. _

"_That's what he gets for eavesdropping on dad."Caroline taunted,sticking her tongue out at him. _

"_I wasn't listening to him!"_

"_Were so!"_

"_Nuh uh!"_

"_Yessss you werreee!"_

"_NO!"_

"_YES!"_

"_Stop it!"Elena yelped,covering up her ears. _

_Both of the children glanced at their younger sister, who was in distress, before going back into their argument. _

"_I wasn't listening to him!"_

"_Oh cmon,Steffy. You can lie better than that,right?"Caroline mocked,poking Stefan's shoulder. _

_Stefan rolled his eyes in annoyance and swatted her hand away before opening his mouth to argue back._

"_Enough!Both of you either stop fighting or I will ground the both of you when we get home!"Miranda scolded,swiveling around in her seat to glare at her children."Got it?"_

"_MOMMA!"Elena's scream filled the car and her eyes widened in horror. _

_Miranda snapped her head back towards the road to be greeted by a pair of headlights heading straight towards them. And that's when everything went black._

**"Look I don't care what you say,Stefan!You're taking them when we get home!"Caroline scolded.**

**Elena swore that sometimes when it came to Stefan's well-being,she was like a mother to him. Then again,once their father turned his back on them,it was her that took care of Stefan and Elena.**

**Stefan opened his mouth to argue back but Elena cut him off.**

**"Look,both of you just drop it! Stefan,you're taking your meds when you get home and that's final. Caroline,you already know how he was going to react to this so there is no need to continue arguing over it. We don't need **_******another**_** accident because trust me,I'm sure dad wouldn't want to lose another one of his punching bags!"**

**That made both of them go quiet instantly.**

**Caroline turned into the driveway of our home before turning around to look at her younger sister. **

**"Please. Don't assume that dad hit mom. He was only like that **_**after**_** mom died."Caroline stated,a flicker of pain seeming to reach her eyes. **

**It suddenly occurred to Elena that Caroline probably couldn't take the thought of Elijah hurting Miranda. Maybe to Caroline,she only knew their mother as the 'protected one'. The one who didn't have to endure the pain that they had to from their father.**

**"Sorry..I just couldn't help but think it."Elena blinked.**

**"It's okay. You don't need to worry about mom,she was perfectly fine."She reassured her and reached out to squeeze her sister's hand. Elena tried her best to muster a tiny smile but seemed to fail miserably.**

**Stefan on the other hand,muttered something inaudible under his breath and got out of the car,slamming the door shut behind him.**

**"God,I hate seeing him like this. I just wish he would understand that I'm just trying to help him."Caroline sighed as Stefan disappeared into the house.**

**"Can you blame him though?I mean his own Uncle **_**molested**_** him. It's gotta be really hard on him."Elena said,staring down at her sister's hand that still rested on top of hers.**

**Caroline stayed silent for a few moments before she squeezed my hand tighter. "Elena,I need to tell you something."**

**Elena's eyes locked with Caroline's and she realized just how serious this was. "What?What is it?"**

**Caroline bit her lip and Elena couldn't help but notice the tears glossing over her eyes. This sent a pang of panic through her. "Caroline tell me!"**

**"Uncle-Actually no. He doesn't deserve to even be called our Uncle."Caroline shook her head in disgust. Elena stared at her completely lost,but waited for her to continue. Whatever it was seemed to be hard for her to say,which scared Elena more.**

**"E-Elena,I wasn't completely honest with you on what happened between Klaus and Stefan. I'm really sorry but you were only fifteen,I didn't want you to know what kind of evil people are out there. I-I just-"**

**"Caroline. W-What did he do to Stefan?"Elena demanded,hesitantly. She almost didn't want to know by the horrified look on her sisters face. **

**"H-He..He raped him,Elena."**

**Elena snatched her hand away and moved further into her seat,her eyes going twice their normal size. "Y-Your lying!"**

**"No,Elena please. You need to understand!"**

**"No! H-How could you keep something like this from me?! H-He's my brother!"Elena breathed,feeling tears brimming her brown eyes. **

**"P-Please just calm down.. I didn't want you to have to constantly worry about him,like I do,Elena. But now that Klaus looks like he's visiting town for a while..I need your help in making sure he stays away from Stefan."Caroline explained,wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. **

**"Oh my God..h-he had t-the nerve to v-visit Stefan i-in the hospital?! E-Even trying to g-get Stefan a-alone with him?!"Elena cried,angrily. "D-Dad knows about this doesn't he?! B-But he doesn't care l-like usual right?!"**

**Caroline breathed out a sigh and stared out the car window. "Yeah. He..knows."**

**Elena wasn't sure if she felt more hurt or sad..actually she felt more furious. "I-I tell you guys e-everything and y-you kept **_**this**_** from me.."**

**"Are you kidding me?Apparently you **_******don't**_** tell us everything. Why is Stefan telling me that something bad may have happened between you and Alaric?!"**

**Elena's mouth dropped open in disbelief and for once,she became speechless. **

**"Elena please,tell me what happened I-"**

**"It doesn't fucking matter! What's done is done!"Elena snapped,catching Caroline by surprise. **

**Elena glared coldly at her sister before opening the car door and slamming it shut behind her. She couldn't take finding out what actually happened to her brother,but now having that thrown in her face? Why was their lives so horrible? Why couldn't things go back to the way they **_**used**_** to be!**

**"Elena wait!"She heard Caroline call from behind her but she ran inside,not even taking a glance back at her. **

**She ran up the steps of the staircase and stopped once she saw her brothers door,that was now shut with light showing from underneath his door. Elena took a step towards it,but decided against it. She figured he probably didn't want to talk about it and it was probably best if she were to calm down before she brought anything up. So she ran into her room and locked the door behind her,before lying on her bed. She definitely didn't want Caroline to try to get answers out of her because in this state,Elena just might give them to her. **

_**Something ********has**** to change.**_

**That was all that Elena could think about. That's all that she **_**needed**_** to think about. She was going to find a way out of this shitty life no matter how long it took. **

_**Okay wow! I am so terribly sorry for the long wait you guys! I got too caught up in summer haha! But anyways,I hope you all enjoyed this chapterrrr. I tried to make things more realistic with the kid who never wants to take his medication. My friend is like that and she will do anything to not have to take them,but she always loses XD Well,you've all been giving me comments like 'OMG WHAT DID KLAUS DO?' So I finally answered it! But I love Klaus! Just not in this story..lol!And I decided to put in a bit of their past with their mom(:**_

_**So please REVIEW guys! Love reading them!**_

_**~Harmony(:**_


	7. Nice try

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries,just the plot. _

_**(A/N: I really don't know why the text was in all bold in the last chapter. I tried fixing it but it wouldn't work. Sorry if it was a bit distracting!)**_

_**~Elena's POV~**_

_My eyes shot open when I heard banging coming from the hallway outside my room. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and let out a short moan when I got to my feet. I figured I had only been asleep for about an hour or so since it was still light outside. I unlocked my door and peeked out,praying that it wasn't dad._

_But it was only Caroline knocking hardly on Stefan's door. "Stefan please open up!"_

_I let out a huff of annoyance and almost decided to go back to bed and sleep through the rest of this horrible day. But this could be important and dad would probably beat me senseless if I skipped dinner._

_"__What's going on?"I yawned,shuffling my way over towards her. _

_"__I've been standing out here for half and hour arguing with him to take his meds but now he's not even answering. I tried to go through your room to get into his but your door was locked! And I have to get dinner started before dad comes home from work and beats the shit out of us!"She rambled,breathing heavily. _

_Any anger that I had towards my sister instantly vanished as I saw the fear in her eyes. I took the bottle from her hands and sighed. "I'll deal with Stefan while you start dinner. Then I'll come down and help you."_

_"__No it's fine. Just take care of him and I'll come up with something quick to cook. Thank you!"She rushed towards the stairs as I walked towards my room. "And Elena?"_

_I turned around and looked at her expectantly. "Yeah?"_

_"__I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I shouldn't have approached it like that."_

_"__It's fine,Care. I just..need time to think things over I guess."I shrugged,fiddling with the orange prescription bottle in my hands._

_"__Okay. I understand."She nodded and turned on her heal,towards the kitchen._

_Once I was in my bathroom,face to face with Stefan's door,I decided against knocking. He would probably lock it before I could get in. So I twisted the knob,that fortunately wasn't locked,and found that Stefan's room was empty. _

_If he was smart,he'd run away. But he doesn't want to leave us behind apparently. Trust me,we've all tried to run away before. Elijah figured out our plan though before we even took a step out the front door. Every few months or so,Stefan will come to us with a plan but things just never worked out._

_My eyes drifted towards his window that was open slightly,now knowing where he was. I made my way over towards the glass and pushed it open,stepping out onto the flat part of the roof. There I saw Stefan sitting on the edge of the roof,staring off into the distance. It definitely wasn't unusual for us to find him here. This was where he liked to be to get away from everything._

_"__So you left Caroline talking to an empty room for however long?"I said with a light laugh as I went over to him. _

_He looked up at me,startled but gave a sheepish smile. "Yeah.."_

_"__I definitely wouldn't tell her that or she might put you in the hospital again."I smiled._

_He rubbed the back of his head and stared off towards the forest not too far from our house. _**I saw mist forming in his eyes. He blinked at them and looked away, almost ashamed for some reason. I put a hand on his shoulder, kneeling down beside him.**

**"****Stefan..Stefan hey,what's wrong?"**

**"****Back in the car..y-you were thinking about it weren't you?The night..the night of the accident,right?"**

**He looked over at me when he felt me tense up by his question. I simply nodded my head. "Yeah. Yeah I was."**

**"****I should of told you both in the car,but Caroline..She seemed so sure about mom."He sighed. **

**"****Wait,what do you mean?"I questioned him,confused on what he was saying.**

**"****Elena,the reason we were even in the car the night mom died was because she was running away."He merely whispered to where it took me a second to process what he even said. **

**"****Who was she running from?"I asked,shutting my eyes. I felt like I already knew the answer.**

**"****She was running from dad. And she took us with her."**

_**~Stefan's POV~**_

_Elena pulled her knees up to her chest and shook her head. "I-I don't understand though. How..How do you know this,Stefan?"Her voice now sounded choked up._

_"__Because that was the same night I saw him hit her."_

_I raised my eyebrows in question as she let out a scoff which was followed by a hollow laugh. "What?"_

_"__Nothing. It's just..today's been hard. And let's just say the last story I heard wasn't so happy either."She sighed._

_When she looked over at me though,the expression in her eyes was just complete sadness. I've never seen her look at me like that..almost as if she were feeling sorry for __me.__But I didn't see why. _

_I opened my mouth to ask her why but she immediately cut me off._

_"__Tell me about what happened that night. I don't really remember that much..just being in the car."_

_"__It's not exactly a happy story,Elena. You know that."_

_"__Please,Stefan. I want to know."She replied,grabbing a hold of my arm. _

_"__I only remember that night though.."I pointed out but she nodded her head,telling me it was okay._

_"__I had gone downstairs in the middle of the night for a glass of water. But when I was in the kitchen I heard to what sounded like mom and dad whispering back and forth in dad's office. I could tell they were mad at each other again so I peeked around the corner because I was curious to see why they were fighting. Mom was crying and dad was just pacing back and forth. God,he looked so __pissed__and it scared the hell out of me pretty bad. But mom kept telling him over and over to '__be quiet,you'll wake the kids!__' or '__just calm down,please!You'll wake them up!__'. That's when he pushed her to the floor and started slapping her."I told her,feeling frustrated tears sting my eyes. _

_"__Oh my God..w-what?What happened next?"Elena asked,looking as if all the color had drained from her face._

_"__He just yelled at her. Telling her stuff like,'__Don't you dare order me to ever do something!That's for me to do and for you to listen! Those are my kids not yours bitch. And don't even think for a second that I won't hurt them if you do something stupid.__' So of course I made some kind of scared noise,making them both notice me. Mom just looked completely horrified that I had seen what he just did..but dad?All he did was smileat me. I remember asking him why he would hurt her but he just saidthat 'D__addy was just teaching mommy a lesson. You'll understand when you're older and have a wife of your own.__'"I muttered through my clenched jaw._

_"__He said that to you?Right in front of mom?!That fucking bastard!"Elena was now seething with anger from what I could tell. "How can he tell his own kid that?Making it sound so normal and okay to hit someone!"_

_"__Exactly. I knew he was wrong so I just ran back upstairs,nothing but terrified. He must've left a few minutes later because that's when mom came into my room,carrying you with Caroline by her side,saying we were going to Uncle Damon's house. And well,we never got there."I sighed,running my hand through my hair._

_"__I couldn't even imagine what I would do if I saw that. And I mean,he pins her death on us when really,he was the one that killed her. We wouldn't have even been on the road that night if it wasn't because of __him__."She hissed,locking her hands into fists._

_"__You mean we wouldn't have been on the road if I hadn't seen him hit her."A shaky breath escaped my lips._

_"__What?Stefan..don't think it was because of you. Please.."She breathed,blinking hard at me._

_I didn't say anything in response. Instead I took my prescription bottle from her hands,opened it,and dry swallowed a pill. She stared at me surprised as I handed it back to her._

_"__I assume that's what you came out here in the first place."I shrugged,probably answering her question._

_"__Stefan why don't you like taking these?"_

_"__It just..makes me feel numb I guess. Like I'm not feeling what I'm supposed to feel. I don't know,I don't want to seem like I don't care with what he did to me."I answered,summing everything up to the point._

_"__But it also makes you angry or have panic attacks if you __don't__take them,Stef. You really scared me last time."Elena replied,rubbing my back comfortingly. "And trust me,we know you care what he did to you. We just want to make things easier for you."_

_I nodded my head and was about to answer but stopped when a pair of headlights pulled into the driveway. Great,dad's home from work._

_"__I'm still far too pissed off at him. I don't care how long ago it was either."Elena muttered,crossing her arms. _

_"__Trust me. I am too."I said,giving her knee a reassuring squeeze. _

_I felt Elena stiffen underneath my touch as a voice,that belonged to Alaric, was heard,followed by a car door slamming shut. She quickly moved to the edge of the roof to get a better look. But what she saw made her eyes widen._

_"__Um,Stefan.."_

_My whole body froze and the color drained from my face as I heard __his__voice echoing through the air as well. Elena was instantly by my side,her hand now gripping my shoulder. _

_"__Stefan,listen it's going to be okay."She tried reassuring me as my breath caught in my throat. _

_"__N-No..h-he's gonna hurt me!"I exclaimed as I felt my hands begin to tremble. _

_"__Shh..just calm down. I don't want them to hear us."_

_"__But Elena,y-you don't..you don't understand!"_

_"__Yes,Stefan I do. Caroline told me what he really did to you this morning. She was afraid something like this would happen."Elena confessed,grabbing both sides of my face,trying to get me to look at her and not freak out. _

_"__H-he always does this!He never stops!"I whimpered as I heard the front door close._

_"__You mean he's tried to take advantage of you more than once?"She quickly asked me._

_"__He's..__tried__."I replied,biting my lip nervously._

_"__Alright. Uh,just stay right here. I'll be right back."_

_**~Elena's POV~ **_

_Stefan gave me a slight nod and I quickly went over to the window,and stepped into his room. I then grabbed his jacket that held his wallet and cellphone before silently walking into the hall. It sickened me hearing Alaric and Klaus in my own home,laughing and carrying on a conversation with my dad. But how can he be so cruel as to actually invite them over?_

_I moved carefully across the hall and opened the door to Caroline's room._

_"__Elena?"Caroline said,a hint of worry in her voice. Which is understandable because I probably looked terrified. _

_I motioned for her to be silent as I closed the door behind me. "We need to get out of here. Dad is home and he brought Uncle Klaus and Alaric with him."I explained to her,quietly._

_Her eyes doubled in size as the words left my mouth. "Where's Stefan?"She whispered,now concerned._

_"__Outside on the roof. He's really freaking out,Care. So let's just go to the Grill for a while until they leave."It wasn't the best plan in the world,especially since we don't know when they'll leave..but I just want to get Stefan out of here first. And get as far away from Alaric as possible._

_Caroline nodded and slipped on her boots. _

_I placed Stefan's prescription bottle on her dresser before I could forget to put it back._

_A minute later we were out in the hallway. We had to be quick this time to get to Stefan's room because we could faintly hear footsteps coming up the stairs. But we made it in unnoticed and managed to get back onto the roof silently but still fast. _

_"__W-What's going on?"Stefan questioned us,worriedly. _

_"__We're going to the Grill,come on. We need to be fast."I replied,handing him his jacket._

_He slipped it on and we were able to climb down by using the tree that grew close to our house. We always used to climb this thing when we were kids,so it was easy. _

_Once my feet touched the ground,I was able to look through the porch window as I waited for Caroline and Stefan._

_I almost wanted to scream when I saw Elijah and Alaric sitting at the table,too focused on their conversation. But Uncle Klaus was nowhere to be seen. Which means the footsteps on the stairs was his..heading towards Stefan's room. _

_"__Should we take the car?"Caroline asked me,wiping her hands on her jeans. _

_"__No. They'll notice it if it's gone all of the sudden. Plus they might hear so we will be better off with just walking." _

_They both nodded in agreement and we set off down the road. The Grill was only three blocks from here so it wasn't that long of a walk anyways. The only thing I didn't like was that it was now dark outside,but that's not a big problem._

_"__Caroline,be sure to text dad to tell him where we're at the Grill and we'll just have dinner there."_

_"__Okay,but what if he tells us to come home?"She questioned,pulling her cellphone out of her pocket._

_"__Well we're certainly not doing that any time soon."I said after Stefan shot me a worried glance._

_I looked over my shoulder,half expecting to see all three of them chasing us down the street,but fortunately that wasn't the case._

_Yeah,nice try dad._

_THE TEXT IS SCREWING UP REALLY BAD GUYS! IT'S CAUSING IT'S OWN MISTAKES BY SQUISHING THE WORDS TOGETHER SO PLEASE BEAR WITH ME,OKAY? I'M TRYING TO FIX IT BUT IT'S NOT COOPERATING. SORRY!_

_**Yayy I finally uploaded! I know you guys hate me,cuz I hate me too for making you guys wait so long. Trust me,I've thought about this story every day so it kills me when I get distracted lol. Soo it's literally 5 am right now...and I'm too lazy to go back and reread this chapter. I really don't know what I even wrote tbh XD I'm soo tired and I know it's rushed at the end. Oh! Next chapter will have a major scene with Caroline and Elijah. And I'm still trying to find the right time to bring Damon back in. It MIGHT even be the next chapter,but I'm not sure cuz I change my mind very frequently. **_

_**PLEASE REVIEW YOU AWESOME LITTLE PEOPLE! :D**_

_**~Harmony(:**_


	8. Secrets

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries,just the plot._

**_(A/N: Wow,so I'm really upset over this text screw up whenever I post a chapter. It kept bolding words randomly and squishing words together in the freakin chapter. It literally made me so mad when I uploaded the last chapter because I didn't make it italicized like that. So now I'm using copy and paste on here and see if it actually does what I write this time haha. Sorry if it was a bit distracting!)_**

**_~Stefan's POV~_**

I heaved out a sigh as we slid into a secluded booth in the back of the Grill. Elena had explained on the way up here how Uncle Klaus was heading towards my room when she and Caroline were in the hallway. Since then I can't clear my head on what I would've done or what could've happened if I were in my room and he just barged in. I don't know what I was more sickened by-the fact that he wanted to try to hurt me again or that my dad let him do it again. I don't know why I'm still surprised by the amount of shit he puts us through.

"Stefan,you okay?"Caroline questioned me,her hand grasping mine from across the table.

I shook my head in response,pulling away from her hold. I was still hurt and a bit angry that she had told Elena what Klaus really did to me. I didn't want her knowing about that kind of stuff. Hell,I didn't want to know.

"You're upset.."She frowned.

"I don't know. I just thought we figured it was best that Elena didn't know."I answered with a shrug.

Caroline tilted her head with a look of confusion written across her face. "What do you mean?"

"What you told me in the car this morning."Elena said,biting her lower lip.

Caroline sat further into the seat,crossing her arms with a sigh. "Uncle Klaus is in Mystic Falls,Stefan. It can't just be me that looks over you. And if I hadn't told her,who knows what could've happened tonight because I had no idea that Klaus or even Alaric was at our house. I know that's probably not what you meant but you have to realize that."She told me,giving me a knowing look. A look that she wouldn't stop giving if I didn't indicate that I understood her. So I just nodded.

"And Stefan,it's okay that I know now-"

"No it's not Elena. I don't want you to have to live your life wondering if you can freakin trust people or not! I can't even talk to my football coach alone because in the back of my mind,I think he's going to screw me over. Same goes for anyone else. Hell,even when Uncle Damon visited me in the hospital I felt uneasy around him! It shouldn't have to be this way. It shouldn't have to be this hard.."I mumbled,rubbing my forehead.

"So..that's why you were at practice the other day?"Elena asked.

"Yes. And see where that got me? In the hospital. Which,not only did I get caught in my own lie,but now Aunt Katherine knows somethings up. Then dad is telling Uncle Damon that I got into a _car accident_? He seemed pretty suspicious if you ask me."

Elena glanced between Caroline and I's concerned faces and let out a scoff. "Oh cmon! Guys,that's not a **terrible** thing! Wouldn't you want Uncle Damon to be suspicious?! To find out what's going on?"

"Right because last time we tried to get his help,our mother died. We just have to..tough it out."Caroline answered.

"T-Tough it out?! Do you hear yourself,Care? We just ran away from home over people coming over to our house!"Elena cried out,becoming exasperated.

"To stop the possibility of Stefan getting hurt or hell,keeping Alaric away from you!"

"Wow,is this like the third time he's been brought up?! God,he only touched me!"Elena harshly whispered,taking us by surprise with what she said.

"What do you mean he _touched _you Elena?"I questioned her,leaning against the table more. "Is that what all of that was at the hospital?"

"You know **exactly** what it means,Stefan. Looks like we got another thing in common."She harbored back a sigh,examining her nails instead of making eye contact with us. This is what Elena always did when she was uncomfortable with something. She acted as if it wasn't a big deal.

While Caroline started freaking out, I thought back to the day when I got hurt on the field,back before practice even started. Alaric had acted more unfair to Elena and I than usual that day in History. I remember him saying something to Elena when he handed back her test,but whatever he said had made her look worried to me. And didn't she tell me that Matt needed to talk to me? But when we were at practice Matt had said that he never said anything to Elena along those lines. I was going to confront her about it later,but at the hospital she had explained how she got Alaric to give us extra credit on our tests. So I just assumed that she wanted to talk to Mr. Saltzman alone or something. But wait..._extra credit?_

Oh God no.

"You fucking let him touch you just to raise up a bad grade?"I said through a clenched jaw.

"Stefan please..I-I don't want anyone to hear."She shushed me,glancing around to see if anyone was even looking in our direction. When she noticed her answer not phasing me in the slightest,her gaze was instantly locked on the table. "I didn't _let_ him do anything."

"Really?'Cause when I asked you how you got us extra credit,you completely snapped at me and said not to worry about it!"

"That doesn't mean I gave him _permission_ to do anything! It was all a **_trap. _**I planned on talking to him alone about it but once everyone was gone he locked the door! Then he goes and starts talking about how pissed dad was going to be if he found out we failed Alaric's test,which I know you and I passed it. So I asked him about raising our grade and I made the mistake of saying,'I would do anything to get it'. But I-I thought he meant...a-an essay or something! N-Next thing I know..he's fucking kissing me a-and his dirty hands a-are all over me!"By now tears were falling freely down her cheeks and her breathing had quickened.

Caroline immediately pulled her into an embrace,while rubbing her back trying to get her to calm down. I felt a familiar ache in my heart as the scene unfolded in front of me. I knew what she was going through. I knew what she was feeling right now. The one thing Caroline and I had wanted to keep her safe from-happened. I wanted to tell her I was so sorry and try my best to comfort her but I needed be sure of one thing.

"Elena,he didn't...ya know..did he?"

"W-What?Oh. God no."She let out a shaky breath. Relief eased my mind when she said that. "A-And here I-I am crying over this w-when you've go-gone through much worse. I-I couldn't even i-imagine..."She sniffled,rubbing her now puffy eyes.

"Don't say that,Elena. It's still bad."Caroline told her,as I sat there not really knowing how to respond. Caroline was definitely right though.

"Um,I-I'm just gonna..go freshen up real quick. I-I think I saw Matt at the counter,so I'll just order us something when I get back."Elena quickly mumbled,pulling out of Caroline's embrace and slid out of the booth,heading straight for the restrooms.

"Now it all makes sense."Caroline whispered with a shake of her head. "When she came late to practice,she had been crying. But she looked so.._horrified_ and lost."

"I'm going to kill him."That's the only thing that was set on my mind. I can take it if it happens to me,but not my sisters. "I just have to."

"No,Stefan. You sure as hell are **_not _**going near Mr. Saltzman _period._"She told me,pointing at me. "Besides,it's too late in the year to change History teachers. So,just make sure that Elena is never alone with him again,same goes for you. I don't care what you have to do. If he decides to be completely unfair and gives her a detention-even for the dumbest reason,you get one too. For all we know he could take it a step further but we're not going to let that happen. Understand?"

"Yeah,I understand."I replied with a nod. Still wanted to hurt him though but if it would keep Elena safer then I would do it. "He didn't do anything like this to you when you had him last year,right?"I asked,a little bit uneasy.

"Well I've never gotten a detention with him to know,but no. I was always a good student but..I remember he would always get on my back for anything he didn't approve of-like talking during class or something. I would sometimes catch him staring at me sometimes when we were taking a test,but that was it. I only thought it was because he knew dad but now.."She trailed off with a sigh.

"Not so sure?"I finished and she nodded.

"Doesn't matter anymore I guess."She replied with a shrug.

We both fell into silence as Elena came walking back over to the table,carrying a tray of food. "Well I thought I'd save Matt the trouble of having to serve us since they're about to close up soon."She simply informed us,taking a seat.

Caroline and I shared a glance,noticing at how normal Elena was now acting. If it weren't for her slightly red tear stained face,I would of thought the past ten minutes didn't even happen.

"Well we better eat quick because dad wants us to come home."Caroline stated,showing us the text message that she had just got.

**_-TVDTVDTVD-_**

**_~Caroline's POV~_**

"Do you think they left by now?"Elena spoke,worry lacing her voice.

"I have no idea.."I softly answered,straining my neck to see if I could somehow see inside our house that was down the street from where we were.

"We've been gone for like,an hour and a half. So lets hope so."Stefan breathed. That made Elena cling onto his arm for support as we made our way down the silent neighborhood road. Unfortunately our house was at a dead end with nothing but forest around. Not any neighbors close enough to hear our screaming. Or they could but maybe they just think we deserved it.

"Look in the window."Elena whispered towards me as we approached the front door.

I peeked through the narrow window by the side of the door,looking into the living room and dining room. Empty. A sigh of relief escaped my lips when I saw that the coast was clear. Dad always hangs out in the living room if he has guests over so that's how I knew.I twisted the doorknob,(fortunately it wasn't locked because I didn't have my keys),and opened the door.

"Um,dad we're home!"I called out,shutting the door behind us and locking it.

"Maybe he's not-"Elena cut off at the sound of footsteps echoing through the house.

_Just one pair of footsteps._

"So you're finally home."Elijah appeared from the kitchen,carrying a glass of bourbon in his hand. Our eyes were fixated on the glass as he set it down on a nearby table. Not before taking a huge gulp of the alcohol,emptying the glass. "What took you so long?"

"Uhm..we uh,we walked."Elena replied,giving him a nervous smile.

"Is that so?Didn't decide to take the car or anything..you just..walked?"He quizzed us with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes,daddy."She nodded.

"You see,that just seems so.._peculiar _to me."He said followed with a dry humorless laugh. "I was just at the Grill with Alaric and Klaus right before we came here. We certainly didn't see you there.."

"We must've gotten there right after you guys left."Stefan lied,surprisingly swiftly.

"I guess so."He chuckled. "But you see,I thought you were all home. So I go upstairs and knock on your door,Caroline. But there was nooo answer!"He drawled out his words dramatically. We could tell he was slightly drunk. "So I just decide to walk right in! But then..I find something rather _odd. _Something very odd on your dresser!"He clapped his hands with a lopsided grin plastered on his face.

"No.."Elena merely whispered,covering her mouth with her hand. I looked over at her to see her staring at me with wide sympathetic eyes.

"Would any of my lovely children like to explain what this is?"He said,pulling out a familiar orange tube from his coat pocket. He gave us an amused expression as we stared at him,blankly.

"Shall I ask Stefan? I mean that would make sense since it has his name on it."He chuckled,glancing at his son. "Or maybe Caroline! Why was it in your room?"

"Um,uh I-I make sure..he t-takes them."I stumbled over my words,nervously. This.._This_ was _**not**_ good.

"Huh. So Stefan,feeling a little down?Can't take things like a man so you need _drugs_ to help you? It's okay to say it,I won't judge. Since we are family after all.."He smirked.

I was already biting back my tongue enough but that just did it. "He suffers from _depression_ dad. Something that isn't his fault!"

His smirk fell into a scowl as his eyes were now shooting cold daggers at me. "You two."He gestured towards Stefan and Elena. "Get upstairs right now! I'll deal with you both after I'm done teaching your sister a little lesson."

I choked back a whimper as his words truly terrified me,which kept my feet rooted to the spot.

"GO!"He shouted at them after they hesitated. Elena pushed Stefan along towards the stairs and they both quickly disappeared into their rooms.

My dad was now towering over me,his glare sending a shiver down my spine. He waited until he heard the sound of their doors close. I had expected him to say something but instead he backhanded me across the face. It was so hard and unexpected that it sent me to my knees. I cradled my cheek with my hand as tears stung my eyes.

"You think you can **_hide _**things from me and think I won't FIND OUT?!"He growled,sending a powerful kick to my side,causing me to completely crumble to the floor. "You think you're _smarter_ than me don't you,little girl!"He crouched down in front of me,grabbing a firmly tight grip on my face,which sent tears running down my face. "Well let me tell you something. **_I _****_ALWAYS FIND_**** OUT!**"

"T-Took you almost two years to f-figure t-that out though.."I spat at him. "H-Hit my a-all you want."I smirked as I managed to find some courage.  
"I'm not afraid to do it ya know. You're pretty damn stupid if you think Uncle Klaus is the only twisted one in the family."He threatened with a sick sly grin.

My whole body went completely numb as I realized what he was referring to. I swear that smirk was gone in a second and was replaced by a horrified stare as I violently shook my head at him. "P-P-Please..n-no.."I breathed out,shakily.

His eyes seemed to be taunting me as he watched my reaction. "Of course I won't sweetie. You'd have to do something _way_ worse than this."He laughed,moving the hair out of my eyes. It sickened me so badly at how normal he made it sound.

I let out a yelp as his soft touch against my hair turned into a grip,dragging me up to my feet. He pulled me into the kitchen and slammed me against the cabinets. I was confused as he left me to go grab something. When he came back he sauntered over to the sink.

"You know,you rotten kids annoy the fuck out of me sometimes! All I do is take care of you and this is how you repay me?! Doing drugs in my own home,that just will not do."He tsked as he fumbled with something in his hand. I moved my now aching head to get a better look and saw that he was unscrewing the cap to Stefan's prescription bottle.

"W-What are you..NO!"I yelled when he dumped the pills into the sink,turning on the water. I quickly pushed passed him only to see it all disappear down the drain.

"Maybe now this will teach you not to disrespect and hide things from me,bitch!"He screamed,shoving me to the ground,landing multiple kicks and swats at me. Tears were just streaming down my face,blurring my vision. I tried covering my face as best as I could to avoid his hard kicks but he managed to get me in the mouth,splitting my lip. Now all I could taste was blood,but that wasn't my main concern.

After a while his kickings got less and less powerful,even to where it just stopped. I stayed curled up in a ball on the floor but I opened my eyes to peak around. "Worthless."Was all I heard and I could hear him walking away. I moved my head in the direction he was in and all I could do was watch as he made his way up the stairs. I let out a sob as he paused,_deciding_ on which room to go to next.

He chose Stefan's room.

**_~Elena's POV~_**

I tightened my grip around my ears when I heard another yell of pain coming from my brothers room. First I had to listen to Caroline get hurt and now Stefan. Then it was my turn next. You honestly have no idea how hard my heart hammers against my chest when I think about it. But I've been sitting in a corner of my room for the past hour,crying my eyes out in a tiny ball.

The suspense was the worst kind of feeling. Knowing you're about to be hit..for _no reason?_ I'm not talking about me-I mean _all_ of us.

But this has _never_ happened before. He **never** hits _**all **_of us. Usually it's just one of us getting into trouble and punished. Even if we all did something,he would just do each of us a different day. I don't know why he does that..he just _does_.

Maybe this is a whole lot worse than I think. Maybe he's never been this _furious_ at us before!

I clung onto my knees,that were pulled against my chest,and let out a scared whimper. I don't get why abused kids say that they go to some 'happy place' when they get hit and not feel a thing until they come back. I've tried so many times but it's useless.

"_P-PLEASE..STOP!"_

I couldn't take it anymore. Hearing Stefan and Caroline's cries for help. Hearing dad yell nothing but profanity at them,and soon to be me. Caroline was wrong. We can't _tough_ this out! We'll probably die trying. All we needed was _help_.

Before I could talk myself out of it,I reached onto my bed and retrieved my cellphone. My fingers were shaking so badly as I scrolled through my contact list and stopped once I found his number. I opened it up to a text message,seeing it was best not to call since it was almost midnight and I don't know when my dad will come in.

_Stefan was never in a car accident. He didn't get the other injuries from fights either. It was_

My head snapped up from the screen when I heard the door to the bathroom open and the light flicker on. I instantly pressed '_send_' on the message,hoping that will at least give Uncle Damon enough concern to become suspicious. I could hear him twisting the knob that led into my room. I shut my phone off,in case Uncle Damon did respond,and kicked my phone underneath my bed.

"Now why are you sitting in the dark?"The monster spoke,flicking on the light,making me wince. "Now lets talk about why you don't keep secrets from daddy.."

**_Woahhh! Anyone else get the shivers from reading that? Maybe it's just me cuz I wrote it but damn! I honestly wasn't expecting to write it this way lol! I mean,did you guys like it? I was really excited to write the ending because I finally figured out how I can put Damon back in! :D This was a LONG chapter guys! But I just couldn't stop writing..lets see I started at like 3 am and it's now 9 am...I think I have a problem XD But I do it for you guys which makes me really appreciate your reviews. I honestly do,they put a smile on my face whenever I read them. It gives me inspiration! :D_**

**_I swear this copy and paste thing better work or I think I may cry if it screws up my chapter again. BTW! I love Elijah with all my Original heart,so don't think I hate him or anything! XD_**

**_PLEASE REVIEW YOU AWESOME LITTLE PEOPLE!_**

**_~Harmony(:_**


	9. Authors note (:

**_A/N: Soo I was almost finished with this chapter..And I lost all my work. I swear I'm like about to cry right now. So as we speak I am rewriting everything. I don't really remember what I wrote either so this chapter will most likely suck. Fuck,I'm really pissed off about this you guys. Now it'll take longer. So,sorry about the long wait. I'm going to try my best to get it done as quick as possible. But it should be done in a few days or so. It's really frustrating cuz I'm trying to remember what I wrote and it's not coming back to me. But,let's try this again!-.-_**


	10. The message

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries,just the plot.

(**_A/N: Okay guys. So so sorry for the long wait! I know,I probably upset most of you thinking that I updated when it was really just an authors note. I had to take a few days off with the story because it still made me so mad. Mainly because I can't remember what I originally wrote. And I wasn't even happy with Damon's part the first time I wrote it so having to do it over is a bit frustrating lol. I really appreciate you guys being patient with me though,means a lot!)_**

**_~Damon's POV~_**

_'Stefan was never in a car accident. He didn't get the other injuries from fights either. It was'_

My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as I read the message on my cell screen over again. I checked to see if there was another message maybe to finish what she was saying but it was just this single text. Why would Elena text me something like this out of nowhere? And why hadn't she finished the message?

I felt my stomach drop when I actually focused on what the message said and it regarding to Stefan. So he was never actually in a car accident..why did Elijah lie then? Then again why did _Stefan_?

_Like father like son? _I shook the stupid thought from my head and shoved my phone into my back pocket.

But could this just be family business though? Is it something that I should have no part of? Then again,why would Elena send me this if it wasn't important. Does she want me to do something? Maybe if she wanted me to do something she would've finished the text message..Oh screw it Damon,you have the worst logic ever. Katherine would probably know what to do about it.

I shook out my damp hair,since I had just showered,and threw on a clean shirt before exiting the bedroom.

"Hey,Katherine?"I called out,walking down the hallway.

"Yeah?"I heard her answer,followed by plates clattering together indicating that she was in the kitchen.

"Um,I just got this strange text from Elena.."I stated,as I walked into the kitchen.

Katherine appeared from behind the cabinets,from putting things away,and crossed her arms over her chest. "Is everything okay?"She asked when she saw the confusion on my face.

"See that's the thing..I'm not really _sure._"I replied,fishing my phone out of my pocket and handing it over to her.

Katherine took the phone from me and looked over the message. Her eyebrows raised in surprise at the words on the screen and she stayed silent for a few moments. "It's seems to be cut off. Is there another message or..?

"That's the only thing she sent me."I sighed,leaning against the counter.

"God,it says that it was sent at _midnight_! What on earth was she doing up so late on a school night?"Katherine tsked with a shake of her head.

I chuckled at her reaction. "Kat,they're kids. We did the same exact thing when we were their age."

"I suppose."She sighed. "I don't understand though..Why is she talking about a car accident?"Katherine questioned,biting the inside of her cheek.

"Elijah said that Stefan had gotten in one when I mentioned he had a lot of extra bruises. Which is weird because I had never heard anything about it."I shrugged.

I gave her a questioning look when Katherine let out a scoff. "Is that what he told you? See,if he had said that to me I would've immediately disregarded it."

"How come?"

"Damon,I wasn't really clear with you on how he was bruised..they were _hand marks._ All over him. A car accident wouldn't be in the shape of a hand or fist."She told me,carefully,and set my phone down on the counter.

"So why rule out the fact about him getting into fights? Hell,when I was a kid I got into brawls all the time with dicks."

"Yes but Damon,he couldn't even look me in the eyes at the hospital. I deal with people all the time who lie straight to my face and it's clearly obvious. And I felt the same way when I was talking to Stefan. I'm starting to think this is maybe something.._else._"She hesitantly spoke.

"Woah wait,Kat.._cmon._ I know Elijah could be a bit of a douchebag but he's not a _monster._"I reassured her.

"You're right. It's just odd is all..but I'm sure Elijah is good for them. They all seem to be great kids."Katherine smiled,grasping my hand.

"Yeah they are. I just wish Miranda could've been here to see them grow up..ya know?"

Katherine nodded in silent agreement. "Tell you what. I get off of work at three today so how about I come get you and we can figure this whole text mystery out."She laughed,picking my phone up and handing it over to me.

"Sounds like a plan."I winked.

"Great. I'll try to take a look at Stefan's file again and see if I can come up with any solutions. Hopefully I will."She stated,collecting her purse and keys. "Call me if you find out anything,okay?"

"Yes dear."I joked,causing her to hit my arm,playfully as she walked to the front door. "Love youuuu.."

"Love you too."She laughed before closing the door behind her.

I gave one last glance at the text before placing it in my pocket,_praying _that this wasn't something to be worried about.

_**~TVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVD~**_

Stefan's eyes shot open instantly when he felt something hit him square in the face. All he saw was his fathers face looming over him,with nothing but a sneer,causing Stefan to shudder.

"Morning,son. Have a nice sleep?"

_I was until you fucking woke me up._

"Yes?"Stefan guessed,not really sure if his dad wanted an answer or not.

He fought back the urge to move away from him as Elijah's fingers slid down his face. Whimpers escaped his parted lips as the pain began to make itself known,making him wonder just how bad the damage was to his face.

"Oh I'm sorry. Does that hurt?"He hummed,suddenly clenching a tight hold around Stefan's jaw.

The boy let out a cry and desperately tried to pry his father's hands off of him. That only seemed to upset Elijah further,so he pulled Stefan's hands away from his own grip and slapped him straight across the face. The familiar stinging on his cheek made Stefan realize that Elijah had _slapped _him awake the first time. Not thrown something at him. Although that was what it felt like.

_Why is he even here? Since when does he ever come in the next morning? _Stefan thought as he stared at his father,confused as ever.

"Answer me when I talk to you!"He ordered,his grip somehow becoming even _more _painful.

"Okay yes,yes it hurts!"He breathed a sigh of relief as the hold was gone a second later. Stefan shifted underneath the sheets uncomfortably as the man looked at him like he was _pathetic _and _worthless._ But that's how he actually felt,and the aches and pains his body screaming at him was just another reminder that it was true. He tried his best to not let it show though.

All Stefan wanted to do though was get back to sleep. His beating last night had carried on for what seemed like forever and took a major toll on him.

"Don't you dare turn away from me!"He threatened,yanking Stefan back towards him by his hair when he tried to roll over.

"P-Please..what did I do?!"Stefan pleaded.

"Don't even ask something so stupid. I'm still debating on whether or not I should beat the shit out of you twice! Now if I _ever_ catch you doing _drugs_ again in my house,you're dead. And if I were you,I'd be careful because you're walking on _very _thin ice right now with me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes,sir."

Elijah smirked at his son's reaction and straightened his posture. "Now,I'm going to work. Hopefully there won't be any more hospital interruptions this time."He said with a roll of his eyes. He made his way to the door but glanced back when he noticed Stefan (attempting) to get out of his bed. "What the hell are you doing?"

_What does it look like?_ Stefan thought,bitterly. The words even almost slipped from his mouth when he felt a jolt of horrible pain in his side. "I have..I have to get ready for school."He responded,trying to ease his ragged breathing. Yeah,he knew that was a major red flag considering how hard it was getting to breathe..but that's how it always was when he got punished so he's used to it.

"I don't think so. Think you can just show up to school looking like that? Are you just plain stupid or looking for attention?"He scoffed,crossing his arms over his chest.

"N-No I..wait why would you risk..why would you risk someone seeing me then?"Stefan questioned him,trying his best not to come off as having an attitude.

"I'm not risking anything since you're staying home. Since it's Friday you'll have the whole weekend to _heal_. But also,sometimes you kids need a good _beating_."He simply smiled and walked out of the room.

Stefan felt tears rush to his eyes at his father's words. It wasn't fair to him. It wasn't fair to any of them that they had to deal with a fucked up family. It almost terrified Stefan at how normal his dad was to them before his mom died. Sure,she was secretly getting hurt by him..but Stefan was just so _sick_ of waking up in pain. He sometimes couldn't help but feel _anger_ towards Miranda for not leaving him. All those times she would be home with them while Elijah was at work would be the perfect opportunity to run.

But..is that what they should be doing then? Running away when they had the chance? Whenever they did try to run they would always get caught though..and the beating they got afterwards definitely kept them from trying it again anytime soon.

Stefan watched from his window as Elijah got into his car to set off for work. Was it bad that he wished that car would go off Wickery Bridge with him inside it?

Now would've been a good time for all of them to just make a run for it,but not when they were all in this condition. Besides,Stefan definitely thinks his ankle was hurt pretty badly since his dad ended up on top of it last night,trying to hold Stefan down.

He then walked,(well limped),his way over to the bathroom. He noticed Elena's door open and her room vacant so he figured that she was downstairs. But that surprised him since she usually never wakes up on her own. Maybe Elijah 'woke' her up too.

Stefan closed Elena's door and locked it,along with his door. A habit he's been doing since..well since that _thing_ happened. It's not that he didn't trust his sisters or anything,just who might show up. Especially since _he's _back in town now. I guess it just made him feel vulnerable and an easy target-even though Stefan **_hated_**the fact that he had to feel this way.

He wanted to avoid looking in the mirror because,no matter how hard he tried,it still scared him. But something red caught his eye.

_Is that blood?!_

He doesn't even know why it sketches him out but it just _does._ So now Stefan was inches away from the mirror,staring at his own messed up reflection. The first thing he noticed was the gigantic bruise lining his jaw. So he figured that was probably why it hurt so much when Elijah grabbed him moments ago. The corner of his his mouth was split,no doubt from that ring of his,along with a cut above his eyebrow which is where the dried blood was from. He swears he's going to burn that fucking ring. He lightly traced his fingers underneath his slightly puffy eye,making him wince. He hated black eyes the most.

And that was only his face. He almost felt sick having to see what the rest of the damage was. Although Elijah did stay clear of his recent injury,thankfully. That would've been unbearable pain.

Stefan peeled off his clothes from the previous night and didn't even bother with looking. It was always the same. But last night was one of the _more worse _nights. Which is hard to believe considering the fact that his father wasn't even _that_ drunk. And that's a terrifying thing.

He turned on the shower and stepped in almost _immediately_ regretting it. Stefan gritted his teeth and fought back a whimper as the water stung against his aching muscles. It hasn't been this bad in a while.

**_~Stefan's POV~_**

I threw on a pair of basketball shorts,a white tank,and a grey hoodie. I didn't care if I was staying home or not,but I just liked to cover up the markings. Since I did have a glance at my arms,I definitely wanted to cover up. When his father first started hitting him,he didn't really have a problem with it as long as no one was around to see him..but then he noticed Elijah looking at his bruises,almost like he was admiring them like a _trophy._

After I was done,I made my way downstairs trying to figure out how to walk without putting too much pressure on my left foot. It definitely wasn't broken,just either sprained or bruised. Wouldn't surprise me with either one.

He spotted Caroline and Elena at the dining room table,flipping through a few magazines.

"Oh I like the color on this one.."Caroline stated,showing Elena something she found on one of the pages.

"I do too. I think maybe-Oh Stefan,hey."Elena spoke,once she noticed me enter the room,making Caroline look up.

I wish I could've avoided their sympathetic expressions when they saw me. I never understood why they did that. I mean,they were hurt too..well actually their faces are perfectly fine. Which is odd because from what it sounded like,Elijah was pretty pissed at them too. But that was fine with him since it was his own fault that he was on that medication. He deserved to get the blame on that one,not them.

"Hey. You guys okay?"I asked,failing at hiding my limp when I went over to the fridge for a bottle of water. Unfortunately they noticed.

"Oh my God,Stef do you need help?"Caroline questioned,staring at me concerned and ready to jump in if I were to fall or something.

"No,no I'm fine."I replied,carefully sitting down at the table across from them. "It's not that painful,I promise."I told them,followed by a forced laugh.

"I'm sure.."Elena muttered,a frown tugging at her lips.

"I see you both are fine. What exactly happened last night?"I asked,taking a sip of water.

Elena and Caroline glanced at one another before looking back at me from across the table. "I think you've forgotten the wonders of makeup,Stef."Elena responded with a light laugh.

"Oh..I-I was just hoping that he didn't hurt you guys that bad."I mumbled.

"Stefan.."Elena grasped my hand but I shook my head.

"So what are you ladies up to now?"I said,deciding that it was probably best to switch the subject. Preferably to a lighter subject.

Caroline's mouth dropped open and gave me an 'are you even serious?' kind of look. "Um,looking at dresses for homecoming of course!"She told me,like it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Homecoming..oh yeah.

"Right..when is that again?"

Caroline let out a groan,making Elena and I laugh. "Next Saturday stupid! Oh and don't think you can sneak your way out of this one! You're _going_ this time."

"Oh yeah and who do you suppose I go with,hmm?"

"This boy I swear.."Caroline sighed,looking over at Elena. "Stefan must we spell her name out for you?! REBEKAH MASON!"Caroline laughed,slapping her hands down on the table for effect.

"Is it sad that I knew you were going to say that?"

"Stefan,you've liked her for like a whole _year_ now and she likes you back! Um,DATE!"Elena exclaimed,earning a high-five from Caroline.

"Yeah,yeah I'll think about it."I waved them off with a smile. "And what about you Elena?"I challenged.

"Oh that's easy,Tyler Lockwood."Caroline answered for her with a 'duh' look.

"_Caroline!_"Elena whined,a blush creeping to her cheeks.

"Really 'Lena? My best friend? How cliche.."I laughed. "Nuh uh Caroline! I will not be involved with this!"I quickly cut her off when she opened her mouth to say something.

"You didn't even know what I was going to say!"

"Probably something along the lines of 'find out if Tyler likes Elena'. That didn't work out when you made me do it with Matt so nope!"

Caroline let out a sigh of defeat and shook her head. "Whatever. I already know he likes her. I can tell by the way he stares-"

"Okay! I think that's enough talk for now. Let's go shopping for dresses,Care!"Elena cut her off and stood up,dragging Caroline with her. She mumbled a sorry though when Caroline yelped.

"Alright I guess we can go. Stefan you wanna come?"

"I don't really think _dress_ shopping is my thing. Besides I can't really walk well to begin with."I shrugged.

"Well you could go wherever you wanted.."Caroline offered.

"Nah,I'm fine really. Plus it would kinda be beside the point of staying home. But you guys go ahead."

"Alright. We'll be back before dad gets off of work."Elena replied,rubbing my shoulder as she walked by.

I was able to fight back a wince from that and watched them leave out the front door.

For the rest of the day I just basically watched a few movies and ended up falling back asleep since I didn't get that much last night for obvious reasons. But by the time two-thirty rolled around,I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door.

**_Thanks for being so patient with me guys! I felt so bad for not updating sooner. Sorry if this chapter was boring ):Sooo school starts tomorrow..I'm freaking out haha! So I spent my last day of summer writing for you guys but it's okay because this is what I love to do (: _**

**_Oh! And please don't take offense to the pairings I chose for Stefan and Elena. I don't necessarily ship them together but for this story I am! But their relationships aren't going to be a big part of the story. Promise! _**

**_I swear I suck at this. I almost lost my work AGAIN. Thank God I copied it all. Please don't judge me,I already know I'm stupid XD_**

**_SO PLEASE REVIEW YOU AWESOME LITTLE PEOPLE! :D_**

**_~Harmony(:_**


	11. Terrified

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries,just the plot.

**_~Elena's POV~_**

"Hmm,I don't know if I like the ruffles on this one.."Caroline stated,holding a dress up to herself,examining it in the mirror. "What do you think?"She asked,turning to look at me.

"Oh uh,it looks pretty.."I told her,trying to muster a smile.

"Okay,so you drag me out here all afternoon looking for dresses but you're moping around and practically giving me the same answer every time!"Caroline sighed,rummaging through a rack of clothes from Forever 21.

"I know,sorry. I just haven't been able to bounce back yet from last night."I decided to lie,rubbing my aching shoulder. The truth was,guilt has been gnawing through my body all day. The second I woke up this morning,I instantly regretted texting Uncle Damon last night. Why didn't I at least text him something like,'Our dad is beating the shit out of us! Please help!' He'll probably be so confused when he gets it and maybe even call our dad! Oh God,_no_.

I'm going to get another beating.

"Elena?Hey,are you okay?"

My watery eyes snapped open to see Caroline standing in front of me,worried. I realized that my breathing had gone ragged like I was on the verge of a panic attack or something. I was definitely freaking myself out with this. I have to tell her. But will she be furious at me since she pretty much shut down the idea of getting help at the Grill last night?

"Elena,what's going on?"Caroline demanded,furrowing her eyebrows together in concern.

"I-I have to tell you something.."I merely whispered,only hoping that she wouldn't hear me and forget I said anything.

"You're officially scaring me. Please,just tell me."

"I guess I...did something really _really_ stupid. A-And I'm terrified that dad could find out.."I whimpered,feeling a lump rise in my throat.

"Oh my God. Are you pregnant?! You've been looking like hell these past few days and-"

"You _know _why I look like hell,Care. And no I'm not.._pregnant_,okay?"I firmly whispered to her,wanting to get **_that _**point across without anyone overhearing us. "I uh..maybe texted Uncle Damon last night.."

Caroline's features filled with relief and she released her solid grip on my arm that I didn't even notice. "Oh Elena,why would you be scared over that?"She asked in confusion.

"Because I sorta told him that..that uh,Stefan didn't get in a car accident or any fights. I-I was going to tell him that it was dad who hurt him but..it was my turn to get _punished._"I replied,staring at my feet,not even wanting to see the look on her face.

"You..WHAT?!"She said,her eyes going wide in shock. "Please tell me you didn't.."

"Caroline what was I supposed to do? Sit there and listen to you get beaten and then having to hear Stefan in pain? Not to mention that I was going to be next. I was just _scared_,okay?"I stressed to her before walking out of the store. I was afraid as it was,I didn't need Caroline yelling at me,especially in a store full of people.

Caroline quickly followed me out and stopped me on the sidewalk when she caught up to me. "Elena..just wait okay!"She said,exasperated.

I turned to face her and saw just how freaked out she was.

"Okay.."Caroline mumbled to herself,taking a deep breath. "So,Uncle Damon now knows _something_. And you're afraid that dad will somehow find out..let's just go home. Tell Stefan what's going on and then we'll figure out something,alright?"

I nodded my head,actually finding her words reassuring in a way. Caroline then grasped my hand and led me back to the car.

**_~Stefan's POV~_**

I got up from the couch,once I heard someone knocking on the front door, and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. It was probably just Caroline and Elena coming home and forgot their key or something. But I was dead wrong.

I opened the front door to come face to face with a familiar person.

"Hi."Uncle Damon spoke with a small smile.

"Uhm,hey..hey Uncle Damon.."I mumbled,surprised.

I quickly ducked my head down away from his line of vision and involuntary pulling my hood over my head. Shit,why didn't I look before I answered?! He can't see me like this! "W-What are you doing here?"

"Well..Katherine and I decided to stop by."Damon said. I now noticed someone else walking up to the door,but I still kept my head down. Either way I knew who it was. "Elena sent me something rather odd last night and-"

"Elena's not home."I quickly stated,cutting him off briskly.

This wasn't good at all. I wanted to just slam the door in their faces and hide from them. But I didn't want to be rude..but I also don't want to get caught either.

"Stefan are you okay?"I heard a feminine voice ask me. You know,I have the worst first impressions with this lady well..Aunt.

"Fine..just fine."I bit my lip,wanting to be out of this situation _now. _"I-Is that all you need?"I questioned,now finding it better off staring at my feet. I pulled my hood closer to my face,trying my best to hide anything but still be casual at the same time.

Why did they have to come now? I Elena did to have them come over here..

"Actually Stefan we-"

"I'm actually pretty busy right now..but I'll call you guys as soon as I can. Promise."Was all I could come up with on the spot. I reached for the door and was about to close it before a foot wedged in between it and the doorframe.

"You better not be high on drugs,Stefan."Damon warned,pulling my hood down,exposing my face.

Uncle Damon took a step back and Aunt Katherine's hand covered her mouth to hide a gasp.

"Oh my God..Stefan what the hell happened to you?!"He spoke,pulling me outside onto the front porch so he could get a better view in the lighting.

The sudden change of movement cause my muscles to scream in pain,making me groan. Damon immediately released his hold on me,and stared at me horrified.

"Nothing happened..I've been this way all week,before I even left the hospital.."I lied with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Um,no. No I specifically remember your face not being purple and blue. Oh my God,who did this to you?!"Aunt Katherine spoke,nothing but horror written across her face. "Stefan please.."She then said,seeing that I wasn't going to answer.

"Look I-I'm fine guys..I just..no I'm fine and you don't need to worry about anything."I sighed.

"You're _fine_? No. You're not _just fine_,Stefan! Does your dad know you're hurt?"Damon exclaimed,pulling something out of his pocket.

It was his _cellphone. _

"No! No please don't call him! I-I got in a fight..yesterday. After football practice. These guys wouldn't leave Elena and Bonnie alone so things got nasty..I don't know it was stupid but I'm perfectly okay."I rambled,managing to come up with something convincing at least.

"Wait,you were released from the hospital yesterday and you went to school? Then football practice?Stefan!"Uncle Damon scolded me,rubbing his forehead in frustration. "How can I even be sure you're telling the truth when Elena texted me last night about you not being in an accident or a fight! What is with all these secrets with you kids?"

His response had me taken aback and I stood there,speechless. Elena..had she tried to tell him?Had she tried to tell him without talking it over with me or Caroline? Maybe Caroline knew about it too..I think it was safe to say that I was confused on this whole situation. But I needed to say something.

"I..I don't know. I don't know why she would send that to you. I'll have to ask her when she gets home..from school."

And the lies keep piling up.

"Obviously you're not fine enough since you can't go to school."Aunt Katherine said,her face falling into a frown when she closely observed my injuries once more. "You didn't get hit on your side,right? Because that can screw up the healing process,Stefan.."

"No I made sure that the guy didn't hit my side. He mainly just aimed for my face I guess.."I mentioned,with a forced laugh.

"What was the prick even doing?"Damon asked,crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just not leaving them alone and being an ass."Was all I could come up with. I wasn't even good with lying to begin with so I definitely wasn't able to come up with good ones either. But that still seemed like a good reason to beat a guy up.

"Sounds like he deserved it."Uncle Damon shrugged.

I watched as their car drove off before making my way back inside. It was good that I managed to walk without my ankle hurting as bad as it was earlier.

Uncle Damon and Aunt Katherine had only stayed for about twenty minutes later. Damon did seem to believe me easily though,but it was Katherine who looked suspicious. Then again,she's probably seen this kind of thing before since she's a nurse.

Don't get me wrong,I wanted them to know so badly what's been going on but I just.._can't. _Our dad would make sure he would get us back and hell,he'd probably convince them that we were the bad ones. Or that we deserved it and it was just _parenting_. Something that they wouldn't _understand _because they didn't have kids yet. And maybe they would even be _okay _with the way our dad treats us.

Maybe every parent is like that..

About half an hour later,Caroline and Elena burst into the house and found me sitting on the couch. Elena looked _extremely _guilty and terrified,while Caroline looked anxious and jumpy.

"Stefan I have to tell you something.."Elena said,her eyes attached to the floor.

"You don't have to say it. I already know."I answered,making her head snap up at me.

**_It's sooo short! But it's midnight and I have school tomorrow. I'VE NEVER BEEN THIS TIRED WHILE WRITING! So if something doesn't make sense please let me know! QUESTION: Do you guys have any ideas on where you want this story to go? I mean I have a plan and everything but I think it's nice to see what ideas you guys have! Let me know! :D_**

**_PLEASE REVIEW YOU AWESOME LITTLE PEOPLE! _**

**_~Harmony(:_**


	12. Unwanted Pain

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries,just the plot.

_***IMPORTANT: Okay soo..this chapter is going to have a big jump I guess. I know it'll be a bit confusing when you first read it since I go into something different but you'll understand what I'm talking about when you get to the second half of this chapter.**_

_**So I got a few PM messages on what a few of you want to see, so this is probably the best time for it. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THE SECOND PART OF THIS CHAPTER IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO. I do not want any of you feeling uncomfortable with anything so if you do not wish to read the second part of it,please skip it because it is only a flashback so you won't miss anything really. I have warned you so don't say I didn't. And for the rest,please enjoy this chapter then!**_

_**~Stefan's POV~**_

"Stefan I have to tell you something.."Elena spoke,keeping her eyes attached to the floor.

"You don't have to say it. I already know."I answered with a sigh.

Elena's head snapped up and was now staring at me with confusion. "What? What do you know?"

"Not much but I know enough. Someone knocks on the door and I'm dumb enough to answer it,thinking it was you both! But no of course it's Uncle Damon and Aunt Katherine trying to find out what's going on with you. And I tried sending them away because I wouldn't be able to hide the evidence that dad just beat the shit out of me but they saw it anyways."I rambled to them,and got up from the couch.

Elena's eyes went completely wide during my explanation. "Wait,when the hell did Uncle Damon stop by?! Caroline I _told _you he was going to do something about it! And he's going to tell dad and I'm _dead._ Oh my God..no this isn't happening right now!"Elena cried out and wrapped her arms around herself because she was now actually trembling.

"Elena..just calm down..It's okay. Don't get worked up over this again.."Caroline told her,rubbing circles into her back as a way to try to get Elena to calm down. "Now,just tell Stefan what happened and I _promise_ he won't get mad."She spoke,sending me a warning look.

"I-I'm sorry Stefan but I couldn't take it anymore last night. Hearing what he was doing to you both was just too much for me and so I..I sort of texted Uncle Damon _planning_ on telling him what was happening but I was only able to tell him that you weren't in a fight or a car accident before dad came to my room."She explained and kept her eyes at anything but me.

But it's understandable because I was definitely pissed off about this whole situation.

"You were actually going to _tell _him. Without talking to either one of us first? Elena you can't just go around trusting people with this kind of thing! You trusted Alaric when you first met him and confided in him and what did he do? Tell dad and got you and me in trouble! What if Uncle Damon is the same way?! I don't think I can handle _another_ person trying to hurt us."

"Stefan you know Uncle Damon isn't like that! You need to start putting _some_ trust in people again. And I'm not trying to be insensitive at all because I understand where you're coming from but..we can't just sit here and take a beating every day! But,what happened after they saw what happened to you?"Elena now questioned.

"Well for starters,they tried to call dad when they saw how badly I was hurt."I sighed. "But I managed to stop them."I quickly added when I saw the panicked look on Elena's face. "Then I just came up with _another _lie. So basically if anyone asks,a dude from school was messing with you and Bonnie and we fought. Simple to remember."I shrugged.

It's weird how our life is pretty much based off of lies but lately they just seem to be caught up in a web and keep getting nothing but _**bigger.**_

"Why couldn't you just tell them the truth for once! God,I should've been here when they came over!"Elena suddenly snapped at me,taking me by surprise.

"Oh I don't know,maybe to save our asses from being beaten again! Don't think I've forgotten how bad our punishment was when you told Alaric,expecting him to help us when we were kids!"I scoffed,crossing my arms over my chest.

"Okay enough. Both of you. Stefan,if you're absolutely _positive _Uncle Damon won't call dad..then we'll just let this whole thing blow over. Forget it ever happened and move on with our horrible lives."Caroline stated,making both of us fall into silence.

"Sounds good to me."I spoke up.

"Well that just ruins the whole freakin point of trying to get out of here."Elena huffed,before stomping her way upstairs.

"It wasn't such a bad idea you know."Caroline sighed,once she heard Elena's door slam shut.

"Look,I'm all for a plan that is good enough to where we can actually get away and not get caught. But we sure as hell can't be making plans on our own and not telling each other. And I understand where she's coming from but I sure as hell can't afford pissing off dad right now.."

"Our lives really do suck,don't they.."Caroline said with a light laugh.

"I'm afraid so."I replied,patting her shoulder.

**_TVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVD_**

**_*Last chance to turn back now! I couldn't think of anything else to write so I decided on putting this in since people requested it! THIS PART IS RATED M YOU'VE BEEN WARNED(;_**

Stefan glanced at his alarm clock on his bedside table and saw that it was midnight. He didn't really care though since it was the weekend and he didn't have any school to wake up to. He felt his eyelids become heavy as he rested his head against the headboard and shut his eyes,listening to the music on his ipod.

As the minutes drew by,Stefan soon became even more tired and knew that if he stayed like this any longer,he would be fast asleep. And most likely wake up with a sore neck from sleeping like that.

Stefan removed his headphones and set his ipod next to his alarm clock. But once he opened his eyes,he saw a figure standing practically in front of his bed staring directly at him. He let out a surprise yell but was soon cut off by a loud '_Shhhh_'.

"It's just me,Stefan."The voice said.

"Uncle Klaus? God,you almost scared me to death."Stefan breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you left hours ago..Is something wrong?"He asked,about to get up from the bed but Klaus stopped him.

"No. I was just having a drink with your father is all."He stated with a slight smirk on his scruffy face.

"Oh. Is there something you need then?"Stefan asked,noticing the man to being slightly drunk. But not completely drunk to where he couldn't get home on his own.

"Well I just came up here to..talk to my nephew is all. But now that you mention it,I'm sure there is something I want."Klaus simply answered and took a seat next to him.

"Uncle Klaus it's midnight."Stefan replied with a laugh. "You should probably be getting home."

"What?Don't want to talk to your favorite uncle? I'm hurt."Klaus chuckled,patting Stefan's knee.

Stefan found it odd that his hand stayed there,instead of moving away,but maybe Klaus was more drunk than he thought.

"Do you miss your mother,Stefan?"The older man asked out of the blue,with nothing but a twisted smile on his face.

"Why would you ask me that? Of course I do."He answered,looking away from his uncle's intense gaze.

"It's okay to admit that it was your fault,Steffy. We all make mistakes and in the end,we deserve our punishment."Klaus told him and gripped onto his knee tighter.

"W-What? I-I didn't kill her!"Stefan replied,feeling a lump rise in his throat. He didn't even like talking about his mom to begin with but the way his uncle brought it up made him feel even worse. _Why was he acting like dad?_

"You don't have to hide the truth with me."His uncle whispered to him.

Stefan's eyes locked on Klaus' hand that was now placed on his thigh and became confused. "W-What are you doing?"He questioned,starting to feel uneasy with his uncle's actions.

"We're just talking,Stefan. That a problem?"Klaus responded,innocently.

"No, I mean.."Stefan trailed off when his hand began to move upwards again. "No stop it!"

"Shhh you don't want to wake up your sisters now do you?"He chuckled.

In fact,that's what Stefan wanted to do now that his uncle wouldn't take his hand off his leg. He tried to swat him away but Klaus' hand was firmly grasped onto him. Now this really started to freak Stefan out and he gave an attempt to move away from the man,but Klaus' other hand was used to keep him there.

"I-I don't understand.."Stefan whispered as he felt tears rush to his eyes as his very own uncle continued to touch him. He knew very well what his uncle was doing but there was nowhere to go.

"I'm just giving you what you deserve,boy."Was all he said in response.

Stefan suddenly realized that Klaus was moving towards him,forcing Stefan into a laying position. And it suddenly occurred to him that that was what his uncle probably wanted him. But before he could even move a muscle,Klaus had him completely pinned down to the bed,sending Stefan into a complete panic.

"P-Please..please just stop."Stefan cried out,finding his voice to be quietly tiny.

"You have far too many clothes on for my liking."Klaus laughed as if he were making some kind of joke and completely disregarding Stefan's pleas. Stefan kept struggling underneath his uncle's hold as Klaus somehow managed to pull Stefan's shirt over his head. Tears were now running down his cheeks as Klaus' hands roamed over his body.

_This isn't happening. It's not real,just some sick nightmare._ Stefan repeated in his head over and over,almost convincing himself that it was true. _Just wake up! Why am I not waking up?!_

"Please! Please stop,I won't tell anyone I promise!"Stefan frantically pleaded as Klaus' shirt was now on the floor.

"Just relax,Stefan.."Klaus smiled down at him but that made Stefan cringe.

But once Stefan felt his pants being tugged at,he went completely ballistic. "GET OFF OF ME! JUST STOP IT! PLEASE LET ME-"Stefan was cut off by Klaus' free hand,covering his mouth,causing Stefan's words to become muffled.

"If you don't shut your fucking mouth,it'll be a lot _worse_ for you,Stefan."He threatened,glaring at him menacingly. "Stop fighting it."Klaus ordered him as the younger boy kept struggling in his grip.

When Stefan didn't listen to him,he felt a sharp sting right across his cheek and he realized that he had slapped him. As he was focused on the pain,Klaus was able to remove Stefan's pants easily.

Once Stefan noticed this,he instantly burst into tears when he knew that he wasn't getting out of this situation. He tried his hardest at throwing punches but Klaus easily blocked them until Stefan was too exhausted to continue. His uncle was too strong for him.

"W-Why?"He sobbed.

"You're just making this harder. It'll be over before you know it."Klaus winked down at him.

When the sound of a belt buckle filled his ears,Stefan let out a whimper and moved his head to the side,squeazing his eyes shut. Since that was the only thing he could move. His heart was beating so fast that Stefan thought he was going to pass out right then and there. _It's just a dream. It's just a dream. It's not real!_

Stefan felt Klaus' hand return to his mouth and he could feel his uncle's hot breath against his neck.

"This might hurt just a little.."I heard him whisper to me,followed by a chuckle.

_You'll wake up any second now,Stefan. Uncle Klaus would never do something like this. It's just a dream!_

But a second later,Stefan's eyes snapped open as an inhuman noise was ripped from his mouth when he felt the most unbearable pain rip through his entire body. Unfortunately,his uncle's hand silenced him which wouldn't gain him any help he now desperately needed.

Once Klaus removed his hand to help support his weight,Stefan broke out in uncontrollable tears. "Please! Take it out!"He desperately begged,as his uncle continued to move inside him. In response,Klaus just pulled Stefan's head into his chest to muffle his cries and carried on with the torture. He was fifteen years old. Fifteen fucking years old.

Stefan couldn't do anything else but lay there,crying, and accepting the unwanted pain. He was at least grateful that his sobs had drowned most of his uncle's grunts out. But he still knew it was there.

He didn't know how much more of this he could take and it had only been a few minutes. But it felt like hours of torture and the pain was getting indescribably horrible. But once he felt Klaus' speed pick up,he couldn't take it anymore. He saw the black spots appear in front of his vision as he fought to stay conscious. Stefan didn't want to pass out until he knew he was absolutely safe and far away from Klaus.

Stefan was about to slip away into the darkness when he felt that he had no more energy left in him,but his uncle collapsing on top of him brought him back. All that he could hear was the sound of Klaus' ragged breathing against his shoulder.

He couldn't look at the man on top of him at all. The man he considered family had done _this_ to him. Just like that.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Klaus staring at him,a sick maniacal smile plastered on his face. But he kept at avoiding his uncle's gaze.

Stefan let out a huge sigh of relief as the pressure in between his legs was now gone and he could hear Uncle Klaus getting dressed.

"Why?"Stefan finally spoke up,his voice sounding nothing like him because of how hoarse it was now.

"You know deep down that you deserved it."Klaus smirked at him and pulled on his shirt that he found on the floor.

Stefan figured that was the best answer he would probably get out of his uncle and didn't question it again. But _did _he deserve it? Was Stefan not understanding something that Uncle Klaus did? He wasn't sure but right now he was far too tired to think about it.

Without saying anything else,Klaus made his way towards the door,without taking a second glance back at his broken nephew.

Stefan managed to pick his head up,even though it felt like it weighed a ton at the moment, and looked over to see his dad standing in the doorway,sharing a few words with his brother. Stefan's heart broke when he saw Elijah give a laugh at something Klaus said,not giving a care in the world for him.

Elijah caught his son's eye and turned to look at him. "Get to sleep now,Stefan."

His words actually weren't demanding which surprised Stefan.

His dad shut his door closed before he could hear the disappearing footsteps down the hallway. Stefan knew he should just sleep since he was by far exhausted..but he decided against it. How could he possibly fall asleep after that? He was scared.

So without thinking twice,he snuck out of his room and managed to limp his way to Caroline's bedroom where he burst through the door,crying his eyes out once again,telling his older sister what had just happened to him.

"STEFAN!"

Sixteen year old Stefan sat up in his bed,staring around his bedroom in confusion.

"Oh my God,Stefan..you're finally awake."

His head snapped over to the side of his bed to see an extremely worried Elena by his side. He stared at her confused as ever and she wrapped her arms around him.

"You were having a nightmare. I woke up and heard you screaming..you almost scared me to death! I thought something was wrong."She explained,wiping the tears away from his cheeks.

Stefan wasn't even aware that he was crying until then. It took him a second to realize what he had actually just dreamt about but having to remember it sent an ache through him. That wasn't a dream at all. It was a _memory._

"Do you..do you want to talk about it?"

Stefan bit his trembling lip and just decided on saying it. "U-Uncle Klaus..I-It was about Uncle K-Klaus."He stuttered out his words,feeling fresh tears resurface his eyes.

**_I'M SORRY! AH PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW HARD IT WAS FOR ME TO WRITE KLAUS LIKE THAT! But I did warn you so you can't say anything HAH! No I'm kidding. But some of you wanted to see more Klaus in the story and requested a flashback of this! Since my past few chapters have been boring,I decided to throw this in there. I can take CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICSIM just please don't be rude :D Now I'm going to post this before I regret it cuz I definitely will. Especially if you all hated it ):_**

**_PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK!_**

**_~Harmony(:_**


End file.

Vampire Diaries, Family, Hurt-Comfort