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This is a work I've started posting on my ao3, same username (shippasfuxk) there are two more chapters there, and more coming soon! It's a work in progress but check it out and let me know what you think!! 

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"Okay, Penelope we're here." Caroline looks to Penelope, who has sprawled herself in the backseat of the car. Penelope wipes her eyes and takes her headphones out. "I don't want to fucking be here Caroline." is all she says when she gets out of the car and slams the door behind her.

Caroline sighs, and gets out of the car herself. Penelope has been difficult, but she gets it and she's trying to help her with her grief. But if Penelope was a bitch before, now she's...a monster. The only person she's remotely nice to is Caroline, only because she was with her through the whole thing- Caroline was by her side when they found her mother, at the small family funeral, and when Penelope couldn't sleep for three whole days until she crashed, and Caroline was there for that too.

Penelope demanded that Caroline not tell anyone why they were coming back until they were back. So Caroline listened, but now she's laughing at everyone peeking out the windows to look at them. Penelope did not want to come back to Salvatore, and was planning to grieve by sleeping all day and barely eating until Caroline basically pulled her here by her hair.

"Everyone's staring." Penelope grumbles and pulls her suitcases out of the car, "Should I light them all on fire? I could do it in one second."

"No..no I don't think you should do that. When we get inside you can go right to your own room, okay? You don't have to talk to anyone." Caroline pulls her a quick side hug and kisses Penelope's head. Penelope just sighs and puts her headphones back in, pulling her suitcases behind her.

Caroline follows her up the stairs and inside, and pauses when she sees Alaric reaching out to shake her hand with a look of sympathy. Bad idea.

"How are you, Penelope?" he asks and holds onto her hand.

Caroline speeds up the stairs, "Ric that's not-"

But he's already set Penelope off, "Well for starters, my mother is dead. And apparently she left me in the custody of none other than Caroline Forbes if she were to die. So here I am, back to be a menace to the Salvatore school." she adjusts her bag and walks up the stairs to her old room, past Josie, who's jaw is on the floor, Hope who is just staring as she goes, and Lizzie, who is picking at her nails because she couldn't be bothered that Penelope is back. Jade just stands next to Josie, looking confused as ever.

"So...Penelope is back." Caroline says lamely while her daughters stare at her for an explanation.

"Girls..why don't we talk in the office." Alaric offers up and everyone follows.

Everyone but Jade follows, and Josie kisses her on the cheek before she walks into her father's office.

"Dad, is that why you called us down here?" Josie is asking questions as soon as she sits.

Caroline answers, "Yes. Penelope didn't want anyone to know until we were here, but I had Alaric call you down here so I could tell you."

"Why are you with the she-devil, mother? And what did she say to dad?" Lizzie pipes up, interrupting.

"Elizabeth" Caroline says gently and pats Lizzie's arm, "Please listen to me, it's important." Lizzie nods gently at her mother, and she continues.

"Okay, Penelope's mother died. I'm sure you all know that Penelope never knew her father, and she's an only child, so her mother is all she had." Caroline says and stops to sigh, "And I got to know her mother very well in Belgium, and...I am now Penelope's primary caretaker. So that is why I brought her here." Caroline sits back and looks at everyone's reactions.

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