Try {One | Alaric Saltzman}

Under Control

"Elena! Jeremy!" Abigail called from the base of the stairs. "Going to school, walking out of the door now!"

Elena barreled into the foyer. "I'm right here!"

Jenna came in from the kitchen with Abigail's thermos. "Forgot this."

"Thank you." She turned back to the stairs. "Jeremy, we're leaving!"

Ignoring her sibling's pleas, she opened the front door. Her uncle, John, who was just about to knock smiled at her. She had completely forgotten that he was coming to town after Vicki's funeral, but now that he was right in front of her, she could very clearly remember the dread that filled her when Jenna told her he was.

"Abigail!" His smile brightened. "Elena!"

Together they said, "Uncle John!"

He looked past them at Jenna, nodding curtly. "Jenna."

"John." The same irritated tone that was frequently used between the two was already in place. "You made it."

He nodded, stepping inside. "I said I'd be here before noon."

"Oh, what you say and what you do are typically two very different things."

"Uncle John!" Jeremy was finally downstairs. "What's up?"

"Hey! I had some business in town; I thought that a visit was in order."

Inching closer to the door, Abigail asked, "How long are you staying?"

He shrugged. "I don't know yet."

"Okay, well, we've got to go to school." She stepped out onto the porch. "We'll see you later."

Elena was supposed to follow Abigail to Alaric's classroom, but she got caught up in the social gathering on the school lawn.

"I made a copy of the paper Jeremy wrote for me." He passed the paper to her. "I think you should take a look at it."

"'Fact or Fiction: The Truth About Vampires in Mystic Falls.'" She furrowed her eyebrows. "Jeremy wrote this?"

He nodded slowly. "He made it very clear that he didn't think it was real."

"I really hope you're right, Ric."

Elena entered the classroom. "Sorry, Tyler was-"

"I really don't want to hear about Tyler." She handed her the paper. "Look at this."

Elena read the title, mulling over the words as they fell into silence.

"So," Alaric said to Elena. "How do you deal with it?"

"What do you mean?" Elena asked.

"With all the lies and the secrets," he elaborated. "You have to lie to everyone who's important to you."

"It's not safe for them to know the truth," Elena answered. "So, yes I keep it from them, but it's only because I love them."

"I think Stefan is a good guy, but, at the end of the day, he's still a vampire."

As if she shouldn't have to, Elena said, "Stefan is different. He would never do anything to hurt me."

Abigail watched her walk away. The hallway was no longer empty, taking Elena out of sight faster than it would have before. So, she turned back to Alaric. A smirk had formed on his lips, beckoning her forward as he leaned against his desk.

"Subtle." She pressed her lips together, tilting her head to the side. "Especially considering you and I have one massive secret."

Founders' Day was rapidly approaching, leaving little time for games of pool with Matt after school. Instead, Abigail's afternoons had been taken up by preparation for the month of Founders' celebrations to come. It wasn't often that she could convince anyone to help her, but now that John was in town, he wasn't going to let anyone in the house escape their duty.