Bad Moon Rising

"Thanks for coming, Ric. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, bourbon? Bourbon in your coffee?" Damon says to Ric and they are both walking from the door into the Salvatore Boarding House.

"Er, yeah thanks. So you have a sister?" Ric asks looking very confused that a sudden third Salvatore has arrived in Mystic Falls.

"Yeah. Lola, she's the second oldest. She just tends to keep herself to herself plus she doesn't really like coming back here. Also she doesn't really like people knowing about her, I still have to find out why that is." Damon says while pouring Ric a glass of bourbon.

"Is there er bad blood between you guys or something?" Ric asks.

"What? No, not at all. Lola & I are close actually, we always keep in touch and we catch up face to face every few years. Her and Stefan aren't on great times though. She's still pretty pissed at the whole him forcing her to turn." Damon says and then taking a sip of his drink.

"Uh-right. Sorry, it's just quite a big plot twist ya know? I just can't believe there's a third Salvatore running around Mystic Falls." Ric says.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Lola says in a sarcastic tone, leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed against her chest. Both men turn around in shock, they didn't know Lola was standing there.

"Lola, didn't think you would be back so soon little sister." Damon says walking over to Lola and giving her hug.

"Yeah well, what I needed to do was done a lot quicker than I thought." Lola walks up to Ric and reaches her hand out towards him "Ric I presume? I'm the third Salvatore." Lola gives Ric a cocky smile.

"Yeah, hi, nice to meet you Lola. I didn't mean it in a bad way." Ric shakes Lola's hand.

Lola giggles "I know you didn't, I can be quite stand-offish when I first meet someone. I'm still trying to work on not being like that anymore." She then walks over to the bar and grabs herself a drink. She looks up and sees Stefan and Elena walking into the room "Hello little brother. Nice to see you again, Elena." Lola says smirking.

"Lola, you're back." Stefan gives Lola an awkward smile and Elena smiles but then looks down to the ground.

Lola rolls her eyes "So, no I'm happy to see you sister? How have you been sister?" Lola looks at Stefan who is just looking at her with a blank expression. "No? Okay then." Lola says turning her back on him and taking a sip of her drink then walking over and sitting on the couch besides Damon.

Alaric coughs breaking up the tension "So, Elena mentioned you needed my help."

"Yeah, we were hoping you could help shed some light on the Lockwood family." Damon says gesturing Alaric to take a seat.

"Now, why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?" Alaric asks and then glances over to Lola as though she may know something as well.

"Well, you wouldn't. But your dead, not-dead vampire wife might." Damon says while smirking which makes Lola smirk too.

Lola also knew Isobel, she found Lola before Damon practically begging Lola to turn her. Lola hated it when people asked her this, it's one thing she never did so she told Isobel to find Damon who had no issues with turning her.

"Isobel's research from when you guys were at Duke together." Elena speaks up, Damon had explained to Lola that Isobel is Elena's birth mother.

"You said that she had spent years researching this town." Stefan says as he takes Lola's glass and fills it up for her. Was this his way of giving a peace offering? Lola gives Stefan a small smile when he hands the glass back to her.

"Isobel's research here in Mystic Falls rooted in folklores and legends but at the time I thought much of which was fiction." Alaric states.

Lola laughs, "Like that amazing vampire story?" Lola says and then takes another sip of her drink, that comment made Damon laugh remembering their time with Isobel.

"Aside from vampires, what else?" Elena says while glaring over to Damon for laughing.

"The lycanthrope." Alaric says.

"Wait, like werewolves?" Elena asks looking confused.

Damon, Stefan and Lola all glance at each other realising they aren't the only supernatural beings in Mystic Falls.

"No way, impossible, way too Lon Chaney." Damon says as he stands up and starts to pace.

"Is it?" Lola asks looking up at Damon.

"I've been on this planet one hundred and sixty some odd years, never came across one. If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?" Damon asks.

Lola was just about to speak up but Alaric spoke up first. "Why do you suspect the Lockwoods?"

"Because vervain didn't affect the mayor at Founders' Day but the Gilbert device did and it affected his son Tyler." Damon says.

"And at the school carnival his uncle Mason exhibited inhuman behaviour when he fought with one of the carnival's workers." Stefan speaks up. "It suggests it's some sort of a supernatural entity."

"We were hoping that Isobel's research could help us figure it out what it is." Elena says to Alaric.

Alaric sighs, "Well, all her things are still at Duke. I mean her office is still there. She's technically still missing."

"So can we get access to it?" Elena sits up and asks.

"Ric, we need to know what we are dealing with. If this wolfman thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good." Damon says. "It means Mason Lockwood is a real-life Lon Chaney and that little Tyler punk may just very well be Lon Chaney junior, which means Bella Lugosi, meaning me," Damon points to Stefan and Lola "and these two are totally screwed."

Lola is biting her lip trying not to speak up, it's for her brother's own protection that she doesn't say what she knows.

Damon, Elena & Alaric all agree that they are the ones to go to Duke University. Alaric walks out of the boarding house and goes towards his car. Damon follows but then turns around and looks over to Lola, "You coming little sister?"

"Um no I'm going to stay here. I, er, I'm going to unpack my things and get sorted." Lola says with her arms crossed against her chest.

Damon can tell when his sister is up to something so he walks over to her and pulls her to the side "What are you planning?"

"Nothing. I just-I just think it's time Stefan & I have a talk. I mean it's been years, I think it's about time we clear the air, especially if I'm going to be here a while."

Damon smiles at his sister and hugs her and whispers into her ear "Look at my little sister not being stubborn for once."

Lola laughs and pulls away from the hug and hits Damon's arm. "You're an ass."

Damon walks back over to the car and Stefan and Elena walk out of the boarding house and walks towards the car.

"Hey, Stefan! Can we talk for a second?" Lola shouts over to them, Stefan looks at Lola and then looks back at Elena, smiles at her and nods to say it's okay. Elena then continues to walk over to the car and Stefan approaches Lola.

"I was just going to say I think we should have a talk. With them three going to Duke this is probably the only time we will get chance to talk without Damon the lurker watching us." Lola looks over and sees Damon watching them and he rolls his eyes when she says that.

"Uh, yeah sure. I'm going to go with them to Elena's house, but when I come back we can talk." Stefan says and smiles at Lola.

Lola smiles back "Okay, great. I'll, er, I'll unpack a few things until you get back."

Stefan nods and then walks over to the car and gets in and Alaric drives them over to Elena's house before heading to Duke.

***********************

They all arrive at the Gilbert's house, Damon is waiting outside, Alaric is chatting to Jenna downstairs and Stefan and Elena are upstairs while Elena packs to go to Duke.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Stefan asks Elena watching her back her bags.

"Which part? Digging through my birth mother's life work or going to Duke with Damon?" Elena stops packing and sighs.

"Either, both." Stefan says walking up to her and pulling her in an embrace.

"Well, I'm not sure about the first part but then again Ric is a good buffer so we can bond in our anti-Damon solidarity. I wish you were coming though." Elena smiles and puts her arms around Stefan's neck.

"You know what? Maybe we should wait a couple days, huh? Wait until Caroline is less of a danger and then I could go with you."

"It's okay that I'm going, right? And be honest because if it's not then I can just stay here and we can take care of Caroline."

"Listen, I want you to go okay? I do. You have questions about your lineage and about Katherine and...look I'm not gonna let the fact that Damon is going keep you from an opportunity to get some answers."

"You hate it though." Elena says

"I hate it but I love you." Stefan smiles and kisses Elena.

"I love you too. What do you think Lola wants to talk to you about?" Elena pulls away and continues to pack her things.

"I'm not sure, I'm hoping we can just put everything behind us and move on. There's something she wants to say though, I can tell." Stefan says while taking a seat on Elena's bed.

"Stefan, I know it's not my place but give her a chance okay? Even I could tell she was being genuine." Elena walks up to Stefan and wraps her arms around his neck while he is still sitting and Stefan puts his arms around Elena's waist.

"I will, let's just hope you don't come back to me being staked on the rug." Stefan laughs.

Elena playfully hits Stefan on his arm "Don't even joke about that. Everything will be fine. Come on."

They both then walk out the house and Elena gets into Alaric's car and they all drive off leaving Stefan standing on the pavement.

**************************

Stefan texts Lola to meet him at the Mystic Grill. Lola grabs her jacket and makes her way to her car and then drives into the town square. Lola parks her car up and looks around the square. Even though it's been over 100 years, Mystic Falls has hardly changed.

Lola makes her way over to the bar, Stefan isn't here yet. She takes a seat at the bar when a young blonde guy walks over and takes her order.

"Here's your drink." The blonde guy says and smiles at Lola.

"Thank you." Lola hands over a 50 dollar bill giving the bartender a very generous tip.

"Wow, thank you. I've not seen you around here before. Have you just moved here?"

"Something like that." Lola takes a sip of her drink "I've just moved back, haven't been back for quite some time."

"What brings you back?"

Lola looks up from her drink with a raised eyebrow. "Pretty bold to ask a stranger questions when said stranger doesn't even know your name."

He laughs, "Sorry, my name is Matt."

"Nice to meet you Matt." Lola reaches her arm out to shake his hand. "I'm Lola."

"Ah, Lola you found it okay." Stefan says walking up to her.

"You two know each other?" Matt pipes up.

"Yeah, I'm his older sister." Lola smirks.

"Oh wow, Stefan you never said that you had a sister." Matt says looking at Stefan confused.

"Yeah well, Stefan's not one to brag." Lola drinks the rest of her drink and stands up next to Stefan "Shall we?" pointing towards a table in the corner away from prying eyes. "Two glasses of bourbon when you can Matt." Lola turns smiling at Matt then walks over to the table with Stefan.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Stefan says as they both take a seat.

Lola takes a deep breath ready to talk to Stefan. She isn't great at talking. "Well first of all I just wanted to apologise. For er, breaking your arm the other day."

"I want to apologise too for losing my temper with you. I just panicked thinking you were going to harm Elena." Stefan says, Matt then walks over with their two drinks, "Thanks." Stefan says to Matt then Matt walks back over to the bar.

"I know I threatened her, but I wouldn't do anything to harm her. I just got annoyed that I didn't get the welcome off you like I got off Damon."

"Well, it's not like we are close like you and Damon." Stefan snaps.

"Stefan, listen. Even when we were human I was closer to Damon than I was with you. Maybe because father would beat us a lot more than he would beat you, so we would know when to comfort each other. Then when Katherine came along, I felt like you and I just grew further apart."

"But you were friends with Katherine?"

"Yes we were friends. But she spent a lot more time with you than me. I just got jealous she was spending more time with my own brother than I was, I guess. I think I can count on one hand how many times we spoke while Katherine was there. It was like you were hypnotised by her and no one else mattered. It hurt. It felt like I had lost my brother. Then the night everything happened, you forcing me to drink the blood, claiming you didn't want to lose me. It just got me angry that one minute it is like I'm a stranger and then the next you want me by your side as a vampire, without giving me the choice." Lola says all of this while looking down at her drink, too scared to make eye contact with Stefan, she felt like if she did, she would just break.

"I-I I didn't know that was how you felt." Stefan looks over to Lola with a sad look in his eyes.
Lola looks up giving Stefan eye contact with the exact same expression on her face

"Yeah, well, you know me. I don't tell people how I feel, I just let it build up and up and up until I break." Lola fake laughs and then looks back down to her drink.

"I'm sorry for making you feel like that, I was suppose to be your brother and I failed you." Stefan grabs Lola's hand making her look at him and she now has tears in her eyes. "I can tell there's more you to want to say, but you don't have to. I can see in your eyes you're not ready yet. Let's just start fresh, yeah?"

Lola smiles and nods at Stefan.

"One of Elena's friends is coming here soon, she's a Bennett witch. Do you want to help me out with a little newbie vampire situation we've got?" Stefan says letting go of Lola's hand and taking a sip of his drink.

"Of course I'll help."

Stefan then goes on to explain to Lola how Katherine killed Caroline which turned her into a vampire and at the fair a couple days ago she killed a guy. Stefan then goes on to say he is going to try and convince Bonnie to make Caroline a day light ring.

As soon as he finishes explaining Bonnie walks in and spots Stefan and walks over to the table and then notices Lola and looks over to Stefan confused.

"Bonnie, I'd like you to meet Lola." Stefan says.

Bonnie smiles at Lola and reaches her hand over for Lola to shake. When Lola does, Bonnie gets a vision that makes her gasp and steps back slightly. She looks over to Lola scared and whispers "Vampire."

Stefan stands up and grabs Bonnie so she looks at him "You don't need to be scared of Lola, she's my sister. She's here to help."

Lola smiles at Bonnie making Bonnie smile back and she then takes a seat and Stefan goes on to explain to Bonnie that he needs her help.

"I don't know how to make a day-walking ring." Bonnie says looking at both of the Salvatore's.

"Emily made mine" Lola says showing Bonnie her ring, "She made Stefan and Damon's too, instructions must be in the Grimoire."

"That doesn't mean I can cast the spell." Bonnie looks down at her hands shuffling them about.

"Bonnie, you know how to drop vampires with a single look, okay? I think you can figure it out." Stefan reassures Bonnie.

"Caroline killed someone, Stefan. I can't make it easier for her to do it again." Bonnie says.

"No, we're not making it easier for her; we're just giving her the chance to survive. Listen, every day that she's cut off from her old life - from you, from Elena, from Matt, it'll make it that much harder for her to hold on to her humanity." Stefan says.

"And how do you know she won't hurt anyone else?" Bonnie questions them both.

"We don't" Lola says looking at them both, "But if we don't do everything we can to help her or at least trust the fact that she can keep it together, we might as well just stake her right now. I've been in her shoes before I know how hard it can be but I also know the relief once I got everything under control."

"I don't know if I can trust her, not with this." Bonnie says looking at Lola.

"Then trust me." Stefan says. Bonnie nods and smiles at Stefan.

Bonnie agrees to help out Caroline. They make their way over to Caroline's house but Lola says she will see Stefan back at home tonight. With Caroline now being a vampire and Caroline's mom not being at home, she can't be invited in. Plus she wanted to have a trip down memory lane and look around Mystic Falls.

Later, Lola gets back to the boarding house where she is looking through old photographs of her and her brothers from when they were younger. For the first time in years Lola felt like she was where she was meant to be - back with her brothers. Let's just hope it can stay like this.