Who Names Their Kid Malachai?

Civil Wars

I'd been staying with the Salvatores for over a week when Founder's Day rolled around. I tried to get out of going but Damon bribed me. He promised to teach me how to drive, and compel me a license for my birthday.

~~~~~~~

" Look at you, all retro. " Drama called out as he dragged me through parade prep to torment Stefan.

" What are you doing here?" the younger vampire responded, decked out in what I could only deduce, based on the grumbling from the attic the day before, were his own clothes from 1864.

" Why wouldn't I be here?" Damon stopped. " Bonnie de-activated the Gilbert invention,"

" Or so she says." I mumbled.

" Isobel's gone." We hope." Heh. And it's founder's day. I'm here to," he smacked his brother's on the shoulder, " eat cotton candy and steal your girl." Cue eye roll.

" Don't start with me Damon." Stefan looked around.

" Oh you started it Stefan." Drama crossed his arms over his chest. " With that whole I',-insecure-leave-Elena-alone. speech." He impersonated. " I'm just enjoying that."

I looked at Damon as if to ask, what speech, but he just motioned that he'd explain later.

" As long as you heard it." Stefan pushed.

" Wait...Huh?" Drama cupped his ear mockingly. "What?"

Stefan pressed his mouth thin and chuckled humorlessly.

" You have no sense of humor, Stefan."

" Actually," Stefan looked down, " I just have no sense of Damon humor." He pointed and looked at his brother's face before turning to walk away.

" Damon humor?" Drama looked at me and followed. " Hey, look. I get it. " He got in front of Stefan. " I'm the better, hotter, superior choice." He held his hands out between them.

I thought about leaving to find Jenna or Jeremy, nut decided to stay in case Damon got hurt... again. They stopped face to face again.

" And you're scared, now that Katherine's out of the picture that I'm gonna turn all my attention to Elena. But don't worry. Elena is not Katherine." Damon said pointedly, looking his brother in the eye, trying to convey more.

" You're right. She's not." Stefan replied as Damon's attention caught on something over his shoulder.

Stefan and I followed his line of sight, and there was Elena all dolled up in 1860's attire, looking every bit like our ancestor. I watched as both brothers' faces softened in wonder and squeezed Damon's hand, breaking him out of her thrall. My sister soaked up the attention and curtsied with what was probably meant to be a sultry look. No, she wasn't Katherine, yet.

" That's it." The boys looked at me. " The three of us need to talk at home. Come on, Damey." I pulled him away.

We hadn't made it far when Anna called me. She's been distant since her mother's death, the night Jeremy was taken. When I answered, she didn't even wait for a greeting,

" I gave Jeremy a vial of my blood." She started frantically, it sounded like she might cry. " I asked him to turn and leave town with me and he said he couldn't."

" You're leaving?" For some reason, it hurt.

" After what happened with my mom," her voice softened and leveled out," and the remaining vampires from the tomb wanting revenge, I can't stay here. Not now."

" I understand. Believe me I understand." Hadn't I spent my entire life preparing to run? wasn't I running now?

"They have an attack planned, for tonight."