Updated: June 8, 2015
This story starts at the beginning of season three. I know that the beginning is a little rough but I promise it will get better :-) Before you ask I'm not sure how relationships are going to turn out, but I can say that everyone will be a little Out Of Character at times and I might lean away from the TV story line from time to time.
Things you need to know::
Vicki has no relation to Matt whats so ever. She was just friends with baby Gilbert and stuff
Maddie has been friends with the gang for years but has been gone for the past 11 months.
ALWAYS READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES!
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It felt odd to be back. It had been less than a year since she had left on the Mystic high overseas trip but time had a way of twisting itself and Maddie couldn't tell if it had been an eternity since she had been back or if no time at all had passed since she last drove through these streets. It felt like just yesterday she had been driving off to the airport with her friends, and yet the memory felt like it had been made years ago. Her friends. A smile pulled at her lips at the thought of the upcoming reunion. She had missed the girls, Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena, dearly. They were the reason behind her early return after all.
Everything had gone crazy after she left, but she had been persuaded to stay on her trip up until now. For some reason she couldn't fathom, Maddie stayed away when Elena's parents died the month after she left and again when Bonnie's grandmother passed. She had heard that Vicki had OD'd (that one she wasn't as surprised about), Ty's dad died in a fire, and surprisingly enough the list just went on and on. It was like an angel of death had taken her absence as an invitation. Then there was also the 'normal' drama such as Elena's new boyfriend, Bonnie's relationship with Jere, and other high school shenanigans. Caroline's had kept her up to date with daily phone calls about everything and in return, Maddie had told her all about her trip to Europe. It had honestly been great. It was an exchange program sort of thing, Maddie went to Europe with her group of Americans and a group of kids from all over Europe came to the US. It had given her a chance to practice her French and Italian, see some of the world, go to new shops, and practice her magic.
Yes, it was true, Maddie Donovan was a witch. She had always known that there was something different about herself. It was something that she could always feel, but had never been able to understand until Bonnie's Grams had reached out to her. If it wasn't for Grams, Maddie have never understood. The young witch shuttered to think of what may have become of her had she been left to deal with her developing powers alone. She would be eternally grateful to Sheila for helping her keep control of her emerging powers when she was thirteen. Since then she had gone to the occult teacher's house twice a week to learn, telling her friends that she was earning service hours by helping Grams with things at her work. The girls had believed her fib in the beginning, but after a while it was clear she had already earned more than the needed number of service hours. They had correctly deduced that she enjoyed her time with the occult teacher and after some friendly teasing they had accepted that and moved on.
Lying to them was one of the hardest things Maddie was asked to do in the course of her training, but Sheila had said if they were to live normal lives they couldn't know of her powers. Maddie wanted that for them. She wanted to make sure that Caroline and Elena could go off to college and move away from this crazy little town if they wanted. She knew Bonnie would come into her powers at some point and she had waited eagerly for the day that she could share what she knew to at least one of the three.
When Bonnie, Caroline and Elena had video called her and told her that Grams had died she had openly cried her eyes out. She had tried to convince them that she would come back to Mysticfalls but had been convinced to stay overseas. She remembered that Bonnie had been the one to finally stop her protests. She had said one little sentence that made Maddie's hear swell.
"Grams wouldn't want you to."
It was true and all of them knew it. It was also why she had waited this long to return. Sheila had gotten her to leave, despite how nervous she was about leaving all of her friends and her adoptive brother. The old witch had given her a grimoire and told her that she had learned all she could at Mystic Falls and that it was time she had her own adventures.
The young witch shook her head and felt a tear slide down her cheek at the thought of her mentor. I'm home now, I'll make her proud. She silently vowed, pushing the sad thoughts away as she focused on pulling in to the Grill. Taking a deep breath, she checked her reflection in the rear view mirror and propped her sunglasses up on her head. Caroline will disown me if I walk into the Grill with smeared make up. She thought, a soft smile appearing on her full pink lips. Without giving herself another moment to disappear into her thoughts, Maddie opened the door and got out of her car, ready to see her brother.
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Sliding into a seat, Maddie snatched up a menu to hide her face as she saw Matt start towards her table. She risked a single glance at him and saw that he looked irritated to say the least. Well, here's hopping I brighten his day.
"What can I get for you?" Matt sounded, as the blonde had predicted, peeved. He flipped open a notepad and didn't bother looking up at his customer, pen posed to start writing.
"And here I was expecting a warm welcome." Maddie muttered, feigning disappointment as she set down the menu. Despite her best efforts, a mischievous little smirk grew on her lips, ruining her weak attempt at acting.
Matt's head snapped up at the familiar voice, all traces of his previous irritation gone. "Maddie!" He exclaimed, shocked.
The blonde giggled and held her arms out expectantly for a hug. "Surprise!" she shouted, standing up as Matt set down his pad and pen to wrap his arms around her. The star quarterback had no trouble in lifting her off her feet and spinning his adoptive little sister around. His grin growing at her cheerful laughter as she pulled herself closer despite the fact that both knew Matt would never dream of dropping her.
"Maddie! Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?" He blurted out after they finished goofing around. He placing her back on the floor, but still kept his arms around her, enjoying the first hug he had gotten from her in eleven months.
The girl kept a firm hold on her brother, hugging him for with a platonic love that all siblings had. "Well it wouldn't be much of a surprise if you knew." She joked, pulling back after a moment to find him grinning just as widely as she was.
"Who knows your here squirt?" He asked, unable to withhold a chuckle as she wrinkled her nose at the childhood nickname.
"Just you, Matty." She said honestly, pulling him into another hug, "I decided I'd had enough of Europe and made plans to switch my flight from next month to yesterday." She explained, mostly telling the truth. "Just in time for Elena's birthday."
Matt nodded and went back to grinning, "We've got to call everyone, let them know your back!"
She shook her head and smirked her signature smirk, "No! I hear there's a party tonight, Matt, and I'm the perfect present for Elena." She claimed jokingly, but Matt chuckled and got the point.
"Fine, I won't tell anyone. It's just great to have you back."
"Aww, I missed you too Matty."
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Later that night...
Music pounded through the old Salvator boarding house as the party raged. Maddie had never been in here before, and was more than excited to be seeing it now. Everything looked amazing, the furniture, the beautiful old woodwork, and even the mildly creepy paintings looked timeless in her eyes... Then again she had just helped empty a few bottles of bourbon so she would need to look again later when she had a clearer head to be sure.
After a while of partying with old friends she finally spotted someone she wanted to talk with. Standing there with a bottle in one hand and a pout on her lips was Caroline Forbes. Quickly excusing herself from whatever half drunken partygoer she had been talking too, Maddie raced over to stand by other Blonde. She looked over the older girl's shoulder to try and see what she was staring, or more accurately, glaring at. When her eyes found Tyler dancing against another girl she wrinkled her noise and made a noise of disgust.
"Gross! Is that Slutty Sophie?" She asked, making a face. She knew Tyler was a bit of a player, so it wasn't surprising but she wasn't a fan of his latest hook-up. There was a best of silence when Caroline just took another long swig out of her bottle before her mind caught up with her ears.
Caroline's eyes widened and she spun around so fast she almost dropped her drink. "Oh my god!" She squealed, throwing herself at Maddie, who barely had time to put her drink down before being barreled into by her best friend. A grunt slipped past Maddie's lips at the strength of the cheerleader's grip and held back a sarcastic comment about weightlifting. Seemed someone had upped their game since she left. Maddie was vaguely aware of a sudden chill that washed over her at the touch, but easily chalked it up to the drinks and excitement of the night. "Wait, are you actually here, or am I just really drunk?" Caroline suddenly blurted, pulling back and looking at her friend at arms length.
Luckily someone else was able to answer her seeing as Maddie broke down laughing. "Nope, I see her too." Matt assured with a chuckle, figuring he could tolerate his ex while Maddie was around. Then he spotted Tyler and nodded towards he and his dance partner, "Since when are they a thing?" He asked.
Caroline frowns and turns away from him to look back at the werewolf. After a pause she said "I thought you were ignoring me." While she was happy to see her friend, her drunken pride still wouldn't allow her to let Matt off the hook so easily.
Matt released a half sigh, half chuckle combination while his sister shifts on her feet debating if she should slip back into the crowd and let these two sort out whatever it was that was bugging them. "I'm not ignoring you."
Caroline sighed, "Well you've only said five words to me all summer... And those were four of them." She retorts, clearly not believing him.
"Maybe because every time I've seen you you've been with him."
"Because he's my friend. Which is what I thought you were." Maddie frowns and jumps into the conversation.
"Ok, lets not do this on Elena's birthday, hmm?" She prompted, slapping Caroline's arm lightly and gently hitting Matt upside the head. Her brother sighed and they both seem to calm down a bit. "Yes?" She prompted, giving Matt a jerk in the ribs with her elbow.
"Sorry... I'm, uh, I'm out of it I guess... I'm sorry." He said before walking away with a single nod to the girls.
Maddie glanced over at Caroline giving her a look that clearly read 'annoyed'. "What?" Caroline asked, defensive at the sight of it.
Maddie rolled her eyes and grabbed her cup again. "I didn't say anything." She surrendered, making a mental note to fight this fight another day. They stand there in awkward silence for a moment before Caroline finally gets tired of it. "Come on, let's find Elena." She suggested, figuring the birthday girl hadn't seen Maddie yet. The witch nodded, smiling at the idea as the vampire grabs her hand and leads her off to search for the girl.
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Maddie hears the door open as she waits around the corner with Caroline. She's sitting on the counter while her friend leans on the marble surface beside her. After spending an impressive amount of time searching for the birthday girl they had decided to wait out the party. During cake or something they would be able to surprise Elena, and until they they would catch up.
"This room's off limits!" Caroline calls, before walking over to shoo away who ever came in. Maddie stays there, smiling as she hears Elena's voice.
"Caroline?"
"Sorry..." Caroline replied, biting her lip a little. "I just... Needed to take a beat." She lied. Maddie gets off the counter and starts over as she hears Elena chuckle and finally makes her appearance.
"Are you hiding, Birthday girl?" She questioned with a smile. Elena is speechless for a moment before she walks over in three strides and greets her friend with a hug. Unlike Caroline's excited squeeze, Elena held her as if Maddie was a precious china doll who would shatter with too much pressure.
"Maddie..." She said with a sigh of almost relief, making the witch smile wider. Tightening her grip on the brunette, Maddie hummed in contentment.
"Happy birthday." The blonde muttered kindly as she pulled away, giving one of Elena's hands a friendly squeeze. "I couldn't think of a present, so I came instead." She joked with a grin. Both Caroline and Elena chuckled at the familiar antics of the youngest member of their best friend group.
"Thanks." Elena said before Caroline pipes up. She never was one for beating around the bush.
"So, are you hiding?" She asked, repeating Maddie's earlier question.
Elena sighed and admitted "I was just looking for Damon."
Maddie made a face and interjects her two cents into the conversation. Turning mostly towards Care seeing as she had been her personal reporter for the past eleven months. "Ah, now lets see... He's the angry one, right? The impulsive brother of the boyfriend?" Elena can't help but chuckle at her description.
"Yeah that's him." She agreed a bit reluctantly while Caroline snickered, clearly happy that Maddie had chosen to adapt her own opinion of the devilish vampire, before realising.
"Wait, he better be here! We haven't even done the cake yet." And practically stomps her foot with irritation.
"I think I'm gonna pass on the whole 'cake' thing." Elena sighed, preparing herself for the outburst that she knew was coming. Both Caroline and Maddie frowned and started complaining at the same time.
"What? No!"
"No way, no!"
They exchanged glances as Elena raises a brow, amusement leaking through her clearly depressed mentality. Caroline eventually continues. "Its your birthday... You know, its a dawn of a new day and you can't get on with your life until you've made a wish and blown out the candles." She said, adding in hand gestures as if it would help her point.
Elena frowns and realization dawns on her features. "Is... Is that what you all want me to do? Just get on with my life?" She asked sounding more than a little offended.
Caroline shook her head "No..." She muttered sensitively. Elena kept looking at her sceptically and then Caroline finally admitted "Maybe." Her voice getting stronger as she looked at her friend. "I just don't think anyone wants to keep seeing you like this."
Elena frowned and so did Maddie but for different reasons. Maddie was growing confused as the conversation continued, but Elena was getting upset. "I'm not giving up on finding Stefan." She said forcefully.
Caroline shook her head again "No of course not!" She agreed before being interrupted.
"I thought you said Stefan was away visiting family..." Maddie said slowly, confusion glowing brightly in her eyes. That effectively snapped the two out of their mini-fight. The girls shared a look as they realized their mistake. They had practically forgotten Maddie was even there as the argument grew. In some twisted way it was funny, since Maddie hadn't told them she knew about everything that went bump in the night, they had kept her out of the loop. Their latest lie was that Stefan had gone to visit some old family friends back home. It wasn't like they could say, 'An evil hybrid sacrificed Elena on an altar of fire, and jumped town with her boyfriend.' Now they weren't sure what to say to cover their tracks.
"Uh, well, yeah. She's just been waiting for him to come back." Caroline said quickly when it was clear that Elena wasn't going to say anything.
"She said 'find'." Maddie pointed out, suspicion seeping into her beautiful hazel blue eyes.
"I must have just made a mistake." Elena final snapped out of her momentary panic. "Slip of the tongue."
"If it had just been a mistake, you wouldn't both be staring at me like two kids who just got caught with one hand in the cookie jar." Maddie retorted. Caroline opened her mouth to say something but Maddie shook her head and sighed. "Ya know what, I'm drunk, forget it." She dismissed finally and the two let out a silent sigh of relief. "Which reminds me, I need a refill." She claimed sending them a small smile before exiting the room.
Elena looked over at Caroline once she was gone. "We can't keep lying to her, Care." The doppelgänger pointed out.
"I know, I know..." Caroline whined, taking a step back and leaning on Damon's bedpost. "But she's the only one of us that might be able to be, I don't know... Normal." She reminded her. "Should we really keep that away from her?"
Elena let out a breath and rubbed her forehead, "I don't know, Caroline. Lets just agree to put this on pause for now."
Caroline reluctantly nodded "We can see what Bonnie thinks when she gets back."
The two nod and start to exit the room with the blonde vampire in the lead, but Elena slows as she spots something. Damon's closet door was open and throughout the crack she spotted a large map inside.
"But your doing the cake thing." Caroline retorts over her shoulder. When she hears no reply she stops and looks back. "Elena?" She asks, walking back inside Damon's room. She finds the other teen standing wide eyed in front of Damon's closet. "What are you doing?" She asked, confusedly. She walks closer and sees that the walls are littered with newspaper articles and maps. "Whats all that?" She mutters to her friend, looking around at the various notes and tacks on the doors.
Elena spots a stick note with one word written in red. Klaus. She replied just as softly, "Its Klaus... Damon's been tracking him without me..." Her eyes look up and down the walls of the closet, a combination of betrayal and anger in her eyes.
Caroline is just as confused, "Why wouldn't he just tell you?"
Elena's eyes grow a little wider as she sees two more stickies that say, Stefan and Neck wounds. "I don't know..." She breathed.
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This story will take some time but I have to redo the whole thing. Since it was deleted. Sorry for the inconvenience!
Hope you liked it,
AnissaCartagena