Tangled Fate

Daddy Issues

April 1, 2010

It was morning and Louise had just returned back from the Salvatore Boarding House. She was planning just to shower and get clean clothes before heading back there but had been halted in her tracks by the sight of John Gilbert. She let out a low groan. "What ae you doing here?

"Coffee?" John offered her as she headed into the kitchen. Louise ignored him. "You're giving me the silent treatment?"

"I asked you a question." Louise pointed out sharply. She hadn't played nice with her birth father last time she'd seen him and she didn't plan to do so now, either.

"Stefan couldn't get hold of Isobel so he got the next best thing." John told her. The brunette snorted.

"The next best thing would have been Vivienne and Katherine." Louise got a sense of satisfaction from seeing her insult had actually gotten him. He was far enough down the rungs for her to say that after what he had tried to do to Damon, and his refusal to help them in the past. Her attention shifted onto the television where Carol Lockwood was talking about hosting a memorial in the town square to honour those have recent passed.

Just then the eldest Gilbert girl stormed into the kitchen.

"Morning." John greeted her. Louise frowned when he turned the television off, muttering something about watching it.

"What are you doing here?" Elena demanded moodily.

"Coffee?" he offered, using the same trick he did not moments ago.

"I think you should practice the art of subtle subject change." Louise muttered and John shot her a look but she merely rolled her eyes.

Elena shook her head. "We're not doing that. We did that last night. No more avoiding. Why are you here?"

"I'm here to protect you. Both of you." John stated. "That's all I can say right now."

The two brunette's responded at the same time, their words overlapping; "Right now?" Louise repeated the two words angrily. "What do you mean that's all you can say?" Elena questioned with quirked eyebrows.

"I'll tell you more when I'm convinced I can trust you."

Louise was outraged at the idea of John Gilbert of all people calling her untrustworthy, but before she could say anything more to him, Jenna and Alaric entered the room, both extremely surprised to find John there.

"What the hell?" Jenna blurted out at the sight of her hated brother-in-law.

"Good morning to you, Jenna." John's eyes flickered towards Alaric who looked uncomfortable with the given situation. "Alaric..."

"It's okay I'm confused, right?" Jenna asked as her eyes bounced between her two nieces. "Because we were not expecting you, like, ever." Jenna's rambling was starting to sound identical to Elena's the night before.

"Well, I got in late last night." John responded with a slight shrug of his shoulders as if that would sooth Jenna. "Elena let me in."

"You know, I'm uh, probably just gonna take off." Alaric announced as he nudged a still gaping Jenna before he slowly edged out of the kitchen and away rom the debacle at present.

"I'm still confused here." Jenna stated, looking around at everyone in the room for answers.

"I decided to come back and stay for a while." John said but made no attempt to explain to Jenna about what the reason was for him staying, much like he had been avoiding with the twins.

Jenna snorted and shook her head. "Not here, you're not."

In typical John fashion, he chose to drop the bombshell that he was Louise and Elena's birth father to Jenna before departing cheerily, leaving the girls to puck up the pieces and explain. Alaric had already made his exit, so the two Gilbert girls were faced with their confused aunt.