A lot happened in a few days. Isobel showed up on the front door of the Gilbert residence. Apparently, she was Elena's biological mother and Alaric's supposed 'dead' wife. On top of Jenna's surprise, Elena knew about Isobel along with Alaric.

It was obviously a betrayal to Jenna to lie to her. That's why Jenny was over at the Gilbert residence all night with Jenna, comforting her.

"You don't have any dark secrets, do you?" Jenna asked.

"You know I could never keep anything from you," Jenny stated with a smile causing Jenna to smile too. "That and I'm a terrible liar."

Jenna snorted, "Yeah. You got us both grounded so many times when we snuck out because of your 'I can't lie to save my life'."

"I can't help it," Jenny said. "You know I punched Logan Fell in the face for you, do you want me to punch Alaric?"

"No, I got it," Jenna said before she started to laugh. "You know he had a bruise on his face for a whole month."

______

Then Jenna decided in the morning she was going to Whitmore College for a few days. Alaric and Elena had been waiting for Jenna at the bottom of the stairs of the Gilbert residence.

But Jenna didn't let them talk. She knew she'd just hear more lies. And Jenna left but before Jenny walked next door to her house, Elena questioned her.

"Jenny, will she come around?"

"She's your Aunt, Elena. Of course she will," Jenny spoke before diverting her eyes to Alaric. "Can't say the same for you."

And Alaric ducked his head in guilt before she left.

_______

The next couple of days had been very quiet for her. She went to the high school, lectured, went home, spoke to Jenna on the phone, and eventually she went to bed before starting the same over again.

But today was weird. It was the day of the 60's Decade Dance and Alaric was acting odd. He kept staring at her in the teacher's lounge when they all had their break. But Jenny wasn't one to be shy so she confronted him.

"Hey, I know you and Jenna are on the outs but staring at me like I'll somehow spill my secrets isn't going to work," Jenny addressed Alaric.

"Right, Jenna," Alaric looked confused for a moment. "I'm sorry, Jenny. That was rude of me."

Jenny crossed her arms and stared at him in concern before she started to walk away. But Alaric spoke again, "Have a nice day, Jenny."

She looked back to find him smiling oddly. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at his behavior but she walked away.

_______

Later that evening, she stood among students in the gymnasium which was decorated in a 60's theme. She was a chaperone and she stood against the wall. She smiled at all the students enjoying their youth.

"What are you doing here?" she was startled at the voice and found Damon.

"What do you mean? I'm a chaperone. What are you doing here?"

"Same thing."

"You? A chaperone?" she said before she giggled.

"What? I can be a good influence," he argued.

"Damon, you're version of good influence would be giving alcohol to underaged kids," Jenny explained.

"So?" he shrugged. "They'd find it anyways."

Damon analyzed her. She was wearing a cute, little sixties outfit and he didn't even dress up. She was at the edge of the crowd, hiding in the shadows, but her face was sunlight; he'd find her anywhere.

"Do you want to dance with me?" he asked.

Jenny's eyes widened and she looked at him like he'd gone insane, "I'm a chaperone, Damon. Not a student. That'd be highly inappropriate. No."

And she walked away but before she did, she kissed his cheek, "Try to behave, please."

"Only for you, Jen."

______

She stood on the sidelines again in another part of the gym. She was approached by Alaric and she greeted him; she didn't want to be rude even if he was acting weird.

He stood beside her for awhile before he asked a question, "Why do you smile so much?"

She looked at him and smiled wider. No one had ever asked her why she smiled. "Why shouldn't I be? It's not like I'm having a bad day and even if I did, I had plenty of good ones."

Niklaus admired her optimism and he could finally see beyond the radiant smile that had his brother and Damon Salvatore so enamored.

Alaric smiled slightly but this one didn't look odd or dark, "So this is what Elijah sees in you."

Jenny furrowed her eyebrows, "I suppose but he's gone." And she had started to frown at the mention of Elijah.

Alaric-Klaus smirked then but Jenny didn't notice. She did really love his brother if the woman of all smiles frowned at his absence. He imagined his brother would be quite upset if he hurt the woman. It was precisely that imagined rage that made Jenny the safest person in town.

That's why he warned her.

"I'd be careful," Alaric leaned towards her and his eyes were in the direction of a student that turned away too quickly. "That one watches you too much."

Before Jenny could respond, Alaric was walking away.

_______

After the decade dance ended, she went home and a rose awaited her on her porch. She picked it up and unlocked her door. She stepped inside, her foot stepping on something and she looked down. It was another rose. Inside her house. That's when she pulled out her phone to call the cops.

She never thought a rose could represent a nightmare. It was her student, the senior, and he was obsessed with her. If he couldn't have her, no one else could.

His hands had grabbed her neck, squeezing until there was nothing left. She couldn't breathe and in her last acts of life she was able to reach out to her phone on the floor and just hit buttons, hoping for a miracle.

Jenny then felt numb and she couldn't move anymore. She could feel her eyes start to close and her breath completely leave her body. The only thing she could focus on was her student that she had wanted to guide, to nurture, to teach. Instead she felt only his wrath, his intolerance, and his bare hands.

Then she heard a sickening snap she would never forget and saw the odd angle of his head as her eyes closed to what she thought was the end.

_______

Red and blue lights flashed outside her house incessantly. It caught everyone's attention except her own. Her eyes were glued to the body being hauled away from her floor.

"Thank god this wasn't a messy crime scene," she heard as the gurney passed her.

It was such a relieved statement and her stomach clenched. Wasn't it messy enough that a person died?

Her hands trembled as she stared at the spot on the floor where the boy died, where she almost died. Her soul felt pretty messy right now, all twisted in knots with shock and grief.

Someone grabbed her hands with theirs and she looked down at her trembling hands, surprised at their weakness. She looked up, hoping to find warm, brown eyes she could melt in but she found bright, blue ones instead.

Damon was looking at her with worry and he was speaking but she didn't hear it. She wondered how he got to her so fast after the phone dialed the first number she pressed. She wondered how he was so okay with what he did. He killed someone, for her, and she could still hear the snap of his neck in her mind, an echo that would stay with her forever.

All of these thoughts were swirling as she leaned forward and laid her head on his chest. Only one thought got out.

"You came for me," she mumbled.

"You think I wouldn't drop everything for you," his statement was too much and she started to sob into his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her, and they weren't the arms she wanted, but he was her friend and it was his tight hold that held her together, to keep her from crumbling, and that meant everything.

AN: I hope this was good. I really just want to get part I finished so all the character relationship building is done. It's honestly so hard.