Chapter Text
Things were in chaos, though after the last few months that was hardly surprising. Alice watched blearily as her older sister ran around the kitchen, gathering random bits of paper and shoving them into her bag. The slow ticking of the clock seeped into the exhausted woman sat at the corner, drinking tepid coffee on autopilot.
"It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna." Her niece's voice brought her back to the present, though she vaguely heard her older sister muttering something about toast.
"Is there coffee?" Jeremy asked as he walked into the room, snatching Elena's mug right out of her hand. Alice smiled gently at the infuriated look on her niece's face.
"Your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared." Jenna sighed, desperately looking at her remaining sister for help. Alice rolled her eyes and slid the bills on the counter to her. "Lunch money?"
At Elena's shake of her head Jeremy snatched the lot, ducking his head as he caught Alice's eye.
"Don't you have a big presentation today?" Elena asked, tilting her head as she clutched the mug like a lifeline.
"Yes."
"I'm meeting my thesis advisor..."
"Now, Jen." Alice said around a yawn.
"Crap!" Taking her hair out she rushed into the hallway before spiralling back into the kitchen and grabbing the bag Alice had dangling from her finger. "Thanks." She said breathlessly before speeding out of the room and house.
"You OK?" Elena softly asked her brother after a few moments, her brown eyes wide.
"Don't start." He scoffed before leaving the room and back up the stairs.
"I don't know how to help him." She murmured to her aunt, sitting down heavily, her grip on her coffee tightening even further.
"Just be there, honey." Alice reached over and gently pulled her hand to hold it. "You're his sister, not his guardian. You need to focus on yourself; you're a teenage girl, should be easy." Elena smiled and huffed a laugh.
"I just - I'm worried about him. He's - he's not himself, Aunt Alice."
"Are any of us?"
"Don't go over Wickery Bridge, Grayson."
"I won't."
Shaking her head from the ghosts of her memories, she focused back on her neice who was now looking at her in concern.
"Elena...we're all struggling, no matter what face we put on. But we're also all together and able to support one another. And that's what's important. So don't worry about Jer - that's Jen's and my job."
The beep of a horn outside had Elena downing the coffee in one. "That's Bonnie, I gotta go." Kissing her aunt on the cheek she swept out of the house.
Rubbing her face, Alice groaned quietly before blowing out a breath and trudged up the stairs and knocking on her nephew's door.
"Come in."
"You need me to drop you off?" She asked as she watched him exit his game.
"Nah. I'm good, thanks." When she didn't reply he turned round to see her leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. "Er. Actually, maybe that's a good idea."
"Great decision." She smirked at his pout. "Come on then. Wouldn't want to be late."
The drive was quiet between them, the only sound was the radio playing softly. As the gates of the school came into view Jeremy sighed.
"Will it get easier?"
Alice frowned. "School? Fuck no. You'll have exams galore soon."
"I meant mom and dad."
Alice winced. "I want to say yes. I really do. But I honestly don't know, honey."
He turned to look at her. "What about when grams and pops died?"
"I was never overly close to your grams. Too much But dad...it was harder. But then again, he was very ill before he died so we had time to, I don't know, prepare?" She answered with a considered shrug before flicking a look at him and grabbing his hand. "But, Jer, there isn't a deadline that you have to meet with this. You take it at your pace, not anyone else's. I'll fight them otherwise."
A small smile quirked on his face as he rolled his eyes. "Even Elena?"
"Especially Elena. She doesn't get to dictate how you grieve, or the how long."
She pulled into the parking lot and stopped, turning so she could face him fully and look him over.
"You're fifteen, Jeremy, and your sister was the sole survivour of a crash when your parents were picking her up. Your feelings are going to be a tangled mess and four months isn't going to magically make that disappear. I'll speak to Elena if she's badgering you, cause honestly, she isn't in the right place to do so either."
As he nodded his thanks, she smirked. "Though I will tell you this," she warned, making him turn to her with a frown. "If you use my nail polish again without asking, it's us who'll be having words."
He flashed a small grin at her, wiggling his fingers in her face before hopping out the car and into the mass of school kids flooding into the building. Flopping her head on the rest, she stared at the dated building, her memories of Miranda herding her and Jenna into classes overlapping the present. Christ she missed her sister.
Shaking her head at herself she pulled out of the school and drove into the town centre, parking in the first space she could find that wasn't a million miles away from the courthouse where she was to meet the family lawyer.
Mystic Falls was a strange town. It was, apparently, a little over a century and half years old, and yet there was an aura of ancient mystery that surrounded it. The woods especially held a feeling that disquieted so many people that only thrill seeking teenagers would go deeper into for parties and keggers. Even then, they rarely went deeper into the woods, where old legends of wolves and creatures sleeping were told to children. The houses bordering on the woods were the old plantation homes, and though one was made into a museum and archive, most were converted into some form of shared accommodation. Only the Fells and Lockwoods kept living in them. Though that wasn't a suprise: the former family loved to hold on to their superiority complex that they were once important people in the community, and the latter had a borderline nepotistic tendency to be voted the mayors and judges in the town. The only other home that was out of the way was the Salvatore Boarding House, a place which no longer actually functioned as one and instead was home to the sole occupant Zach. He was a recluse for the most part, unwilling to venture too often into the town for gatherings unless he could reasonably get away with it. But the Salvatores had always been a weird bunch.
The only family - in her biased opinion - who weren't somewhat weird were the Gilberts: though due to her being the sister in law of Grayson likely was a major contribution to that idea. Grayson's younger brother John was the odd one, though that was more his arrogant and smarmy attitude than anything else. The Gilberts weren't as set in stone as the Lockwoods, or even the Forbes', in their chosen occupations, though many chose to be the local doctors, like Grayson. But then again, there wasn't much choice for people to work without going out the way; the nearest town was Grove Hill and that was over an hour away.
The town centre itself was a mixture of eclectic buildings. The town hall was an attempt at Georgian architecture with sandstone columns and large windows. The police station was set in the courthouse itself, with only a couple of cells which usually was occupied by drunks and disorderlies. The Mystic Grill - basically the only place to eat or drink - was a retro looking place next to the courthouse and was deceptively large. Her brother in law's clinic was down the road and in a typical civil war era looking building, complete with creaking wooden stairs to the upstairs office. In the middle of the town square was a generously called park; in reality it was a green with an ostentatious fountain in the middle of it and benches dotted about.
It was overly quiet and Alice and Jenna hated it. They used to joke that it was too quiet; even small Southern towns should have some level of noise, not the 'literally nothing ever happens' type of quiet. And recently, it felt like it had got even quieter, as if it was holding its breath before an explosion. Though, that may have been her grief talking and the fear that she and Jenna were completely out of their depth in looking after two devastated children, one of whom was in total denial and the other so tightly wound that mood swings were not uncommon.
"Alice! What are you doing here?" The sheriff, Liz Forbes, asked as she walked through the courthouse door.
"Ah you know, just admitting to murder and mayhem. The usual."
Liz snorted before nodding sagely. "I was wondering when you were going to confess." She scanned her over, frowned before opening her mouth to say something before thinking better of it. "What're you actually doing? Everything OK?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just gotta meet the lawyer. Apparently John is kicking up something or other."
Liz pulled a face at his name, making Alice fin. "Yeah, our thoughts exactly. I gotta go, but I'll see you later?"
"Yeah, no doubt there'll be the bonfire school thing tomorrow."
"That we know nothing about." Alice nodded, swinging her keys on her finger.
"Obviously. It never happened when we were in school or anything." As an irate woman came storming in, Liz waved to Alice as she turned to address the newcomer.
Heaving herself up the flight of stairs - why were there so damn many? - Alice tried to calm her breathing. She had been in this building far too many times over the past month, and each time it was a kick in the gut as they went over wills and accounts that she, Jenna and John were now owners of, or looking after until the kids came of age.
She knocked on the mahogany door, cracking her fingers as she waited for the lawyer to let her in. The door opened quickly, the elderly lawyer ushering her in with a small smile under his pencil moustache.
"Ah Miss Sommers, right on time as usual."
"I've told you to call me Alice." She chided with a smile as she looked at her watch - apparently he had actually scheduled her in twenty minutes later than she realised. Did she write it down wrong again, or had he started telling her it was twenty minutes earlier?
"I've told you I'd do so only outside of a professional capacity." He shot back with a chuckle, as he shuffled into his green leather captain's chair.
"Fair enough. What can I do for you, Mr Shaw?"
"Mr Gilbert has asked to access some of the locked family records again. He hasn't stated a reason so I've managed to push him back for now, however I want to warn you that he may keep asking. But he'll need both yours and your sister's permission to do so."
"What records? I can't really see there being an issue in letting him have the access."
He shifted in his seat before tapping a finger against his lips. "They're old records, decades old in fact, spanning from the late 1800s to the fifties."
Alice pulled a face. "What is he doing, a history report?" Mr Shaw spread his hands as he shrugged. She flicked her gaze to the window as a crow landed outside, seemingly staring at her. "Could it be detrimental to our guardianship over the kids? Or harm the kids in any capacity - financially or otherwise I mean?" She turned her gaze back to him.
"Not that I can see reason to, no. As I said, he hasn't given reason for access, nor any actual specifics for the records wanted. It was, at first glance, a general request."
"But?" She prompted when he hesitated.
"If I may speak candidly?" At her nod he sighed. "We're speaking of John Gilbert - there's nothing general about him. He's always been an oddball, very tightknit with the council and proud of the Founding Family heritage and respect associated of being a member. I can't see how it would effect the wellbeing of the children, no."
"But mine and Jenna's guardianship could." She deduced. Scrubbing her hand down her face she muttered a quiet "fuck". Cracking her fingers again, much to the lawyer's disgust, she looked at him steadily. "So. How do we go about this?"
As he leaned forwards, she raised her eyebrows. "Well, Alice, I'm glad you asked."
They shared a grin before delving further into the discussion on how to once again throw a curveball at John Gilbert.
The rest of the day went smoothly, allowing Alice time to be able to focus as she sat down and do her coursework. Jenna arrived back home after lunch, looking frazzled as she ranted and raved about her thesis advisor and his asshole way of patronising her.
"I just don't get him, Al! My last one was so understanding, especially with all the shit that's happened, then he decides to move and I get handed over to a dick that just has the mentality of a spoon." She griped before viciously biting into an apple.
"From what you've told me, he's probably pissed that he was the back up advisor for most people. Clearly the university are aware, but they can't exactly push him out, can they?"
Jenna shot her a look. "Yes they can - it's called getting fired."
Alice rolled her eyes at her sister. "Not if he's tenured. And if he's as old as you say, then likelihood is that that's the case."
"You can still fire them. Just...really hard to do." Sitting down in the opposite chair to her sister she huffed. "What're you doing, anyway?"
"Coursework."
Jenna rolled her eyes. "You don't say. What's it on now?"
"Fuck if I know honestly."
"How's that work?" Jenna asked with a grin.
"God knows. It's banging on about archetypes and flow states. I've just been on autopilot all day." Alice admitted, throwing her pen on the table as she leaned back, rubbing her face.
"That bad at the lawyer office?"
Alice waved her hand in a so-so gesture. "John's trying to get some old ass records open which are currently locked but won't give a reason. Mr Shaw said it won't hurt the kids, but it may hurt our guardianship. But he doesn't know particulars because John won't give them."
"Like what?"
"The names of the records for a start. Just general allusions as to which ones."
"Fuck. Anything we can do?"
"Mr Shaw's on it. He's working around things for us if he can."
"It's a shame he's happily married. He adores you." Jenna said with a grin as she finished off her apple.
"Not to mention old as all hell."
"Having a sugar daddy is nothing to be ashamed of, Alice." Jenna laughed as Alice threw her eraser at her sister.
Before she could reply, Elena limped through the door, her face twisted in a cringe.
"What's up with you?"
"Ugh. I managed to cut myself and humiliate myself even more in front of the new guy."
"Is he hot?" Alice asked as Jenna got up to have a look at the cut.
"That's your question?" She asked her sister in disbelief. "She's cringing! Of course he's hot!" She laughed as Elena huffed and pouted.
"Do we have a first aid kit in here still?"
"It's a kitchen and we're terrible cooks. Of course we do." Alice deadpanned as she pushed Jenna out the way so she could reach it. "Sit down, Elena. I'll get you fixed in a - holy crap that's a lot of blood."
"I know! And I showed it to the new guy. Why would I do that?"
"Cause you're a Gilbert." Jenna snickered. "You're all awkward."
Alice nodded as she ripped open the antibacterial wipes, scrunching her nose as the dried blood slowly came away.
"What did you do anyway?"
"I was in the cemetery, writing in my journal and got freaked out cause there was all this fog, and a bird was following me I swear. So I ran and tripped."
"And how's the hot new guy fit in?"
"He was there too. I checked - he was visiting."
Jenna looked at her weirdly. "Why would you check?"
Elena shifted in her seat, wincing and glaring as Alice poked her cut to get her to sit still. "I kind of got, well, a bit on the offensive? I don't know. I was totally freaked out.'
"There. All done." Alice said as she slapped on the large band aid and sat back on her heels. "So what did you do before to humiliate yourself?"
"Thanks. It doesn't matter." Elena dismissed, getting up from the chair, stretching out her leg to check her movement and flitting away. "I need to get changed - I'm meeting Bonnie at the Grill."
"Have fun! Oh wait - don't stay out late, it's a school night."
Elena grinned at Jenna. "Well done, Aunt Jenna."
Fifteen minutes later their niece jogged down the stairs again, hair restraigtened and jeans changed, a sparkling black top now on, shooting a wave at her aunts as she opened the door.
"Oh." Needing to know what was going on, Alice edged closer to the door, waving Jenna over to listen in.
"I was, uh, about to knock." An unfamiliar male voice said awkwardly. "I wanted to apologise for my disappearing act earlier....it was strange, I know."
"No worries," Elena smiled, "I get it, blood makes you squeamish."
Alice and Jenna looked at each other, silently sniggering at the awkward teenage not quite flirting.
"Yeah, um, something like that. How's your leg?"
"Oh it's fine. Just a scratch."
"Fucking big scratch." Alice whispered to Jenna who nodded with a smirk.
"How did you know where I live?" Elena said slightly louder, shifting in the doorway and waving her aunts away behind the door.
"It's a small town; I asked the first person I saw. Um, I brought this, I figured you'd want it back."
"Oh, I must have dropped it." Elena murmured. "I - thank you."
"Don't worry, I didn't read it."
"No? Why not? Most people would have."
"Well, I wouldn't want anyone reading mine."
"You keep a journal?" Elena asked softly, almost in awe. Alice looked at her sister and pretended to swoon.
"Oh, Jenna! He acts like a teenager, hold me!" She mocked quietly, gaining a glare from her neice as she turned inside to put it down on the table.
Blowing a kiss to her niece, Alice followed her older sister away from the door, and flopped on the couch. After a few minutes they heard the door shut.
"Well. That was entertaining. What d'you want to do?" Jenna asked, popping up to grab a drink.
"I don't know. What d'you do wanna do?"
"Don't start that again." Jenna retorted with a grin.
"Jungle Book?" Alice asked, returning a grin, jumping up when she got the affirmative, grabbing the DVD.
The majority of the evening was spent with the two of them curled up on the couch, a blanket covering their legs as they watched the classic Disney films, a bowl of popcorn between them, topped with M&Ms.
It was halfway between The Hunchback of Notre Dame that Jenna's phone rang.
"Elena?"
Pausing the movie, Alice watched as her sister's eyes widened before nodding rapidly.
"Yeah. Of course I will. I'll come now. Keep safe."
Hanging up, she got up and grabbed her keys while shoving her feet into her lazy ballet flats.
"Vicki Donovan was attacked by something at the party. I'm going to grab the kids now."
"Jesus. Alright, she OK? Well, ish."
"No idea. I'll see you later."
Waving her off, Alice got up and moved into the kitchen, tidying up the mess from dinner as she waited for her family to return home. Her leg bounced restlessly, her mind flashing back to the last time someone went to pick up someone from a party in the woods.
The opening and closing of the front door startled her out of her thoughts, watching as Jeremy barely acknowledged her as he went upstairs to his room, Elena instead going to the bay window and curling up to write. Flopping back on the sofa, Jenna waved Alice over, turning the movie back on, choosing to ignore the once again tragic turn of events at a Mystic Falls teenage party.