VIENNA--••--DS&SS

•• Chapter forty Eight ••

Vivian fans her invitation in her hands carelessly as she sits in Elena Gilbert's living room. The words on the paper haunts her as she reads them over and over again in her mind. 'Time for a family reunion.' It read. Loud and clear and in her fathers mockingly deep voice she heard it. She scoffed and stood up from the couch and made her way into the kitchen where the Salvator brothers and Elena discussed her own personal invitation she received a few moments ago from the original mother.

"If Esther wants to talk to me, I should find out why." Elena's voice traveled through one ear and straight out the other.

"Well that's a dumb idea. She already tried to kill you once." Damon rebuked. Vivian didn't say anything as she leant up against the wall and played with her invitation, ripping small corner pieces of the paper and letting it fall into a small pile on the floor below her. Stefan moved to stand beside her, their shoulders connected and Vivian could feel Elena's eyes starring daggers in their direction. However Vivian didn't pay much attention to it, for the paper in her hands kept her occupied enough.

"Maybe Elena's right. Bonnie was led to open that coffin for a reason." Stefan says, "I think there might be more to this than some family reunion."

"Can we go back to the Stefan who cared if Elena lived or died?" Damon asked, causing Vivian to chuckle, a bit bitterly if anyone asked.

"What for? I thought that was your job now?"

"Look," Elena said, making both brothers to turn and face her. "Stefan has a point, Damon. I should find out what she wants."

"You can't protect yourself."

"Okay, fine, I'll go."

"You pissed off enough Originals to last a lifetime, I'll go." Damon said. Vivian rolled her eyes.

"Like you both haven't done the exact same thing. I'm the one with an actual invitation..." Vivian said, holding her ripped up card to their face. Her fathers hand writing exposed on the front of it. "You'll just piss them off more if you two show up uninvited."

"Right, look, I don't—"

"It's a decent idea." Damon said.

"Sure. If that's what you want to call it."

"You know we're still going to show up right?" Damon raised a brow in Vivian direction.

"He's right." Stefan said to her.

"I expect nothing less." Vivian smirked and turned to Elena. "It might be smart for them to tag along. I have matters of my own to attend to and I can't be busy babysitting you all night."

Elena rolled her eyes and huffed away, leaving Damon and Stefan standing in front of her. "Matters of your own?" Damon asked, reaching for the invitation, she let him grab it and watched as his eyes scan the card.

"So, you gentlemen ready for a ball?" Vivian smiled.

—

Vivian hadn't dressed for a ball in a long time. Considering she didn't have a place of her own, she left most of her things at the Salvatore boarding house. Her normal Corning resided in Damon's closet and as she looked through them she realized she didn't have any extravagant dresses that were fit for a Original ball. As she sifted through her wardrobe she was starting to worry that she'd have to go out and get a new dress to wear for the night. The ball started at eight and it was only seven so she had the time, but she didn't necessarily want to go out of her way and get one.

With an annoyed huff she grabbed a long black, simple dress she had lingering around and decided that even though it was not elegant enough for a ball, it would have to do. As she stripped of her clothes, she grabbed a towel and headed for the shower, turning it to the highest temperature, she got in and out in record time.