(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Prologue

Note: So I wasn't happy with the first chapter, or the way it played out, and an idea was offered by SumiJepsen that I loved so I am going to incorporate that. 

Daphne wasn't exactly expecting a big welcome home. Her parents are dead. Her aunt and uncle are dead. It doesn't really leave that long of a list of people waiting for her. Plus with it being the first time she is going home and not having her parents, it blows a little. She's not sure what it's going to be like. She's not even sure if they're going to get along anymore, it's one thing getting along for the sake of a few weeks but for permanent, that's going to be a shock to the system. She apparates into the living room, dropping her trunk to the ground next to her when she arrives. Her eyes scanning around the dark living room. The time difference also doesn't help. It's early still but close enough to wake up time. She thought she timed it pretty well. She'd be lying in wait for Jeremy and Elena to get up. Surprise them. Though she really, really did not expect to return home to find some strange old man sleeping on her couch. She's pretty sure she doesn't know who this is. She glances over him. Definitely doesn't know who this is. He wakes a little, looks up at her, she raises an eyebrow at him.

"Hi" She greets, he shifts a little.

"Hey" He greets back. She raises an eyebrow at him. He jerks up, fully awake and now aware of the teenaged girl watching him sleep. Which is weird. He thinks he knows who this is from photos around the house, stories, but all the photos were old. She folds her arms over her chest.

"Who the fuck are you?" She asks.

"I urm...." He struggles because he's still sleepy and aware of how this looks to the girl. She comes home from boarding school to find some half-naked old dude sleeping in her house. Footsteps hurry down the stairs causing both her and Alaric to look towards them. Elena's face breaks out into pure joy seeing her big sister standing in their living room.

"Daph!" Elena shouts, happy and surprised. Jeremy breaks out in a huge smile behind Elena before he is following her down the stairs.

"Hey, guys" Daphne greets with a smile. "Did ya miss me?" Elena hurries to her and hugs Daphne tightly. Daphne chuckles and hugs her back. She waves at Jeremy who smiles and waves back. "You got tall," She tells Jeremy who nods in agreement.

"Wouldn't be so noticeable if you came home more" He comments.

"Yeah, sorry about Christmas" She offers, they know though. "Exams were brutal"

"It's okay" Elena assures her, Daphne hums and then side-eyes Alaric.

"Who's the dude?" She asks.

"I told you about him" Elena points out, Daphne tilts her head as she tries to think back to the people Elena has told her about in the last year and then nods.

"He's a little older than you mentioned" Elena frowns at her sister before she realises.

"He's not Stefan" She defends, Jeremy barks out a laugh. "He's....Alaric....Jenna's...."

"Oh," Daphne realises and then cringes a little. "Oooohhh" She looks at Alaric. Jenna wrote to her about him too. She was really excited about that relationship, about him. Like love excited. "I'm sorry, about Jenna...." She tells him softly.

"Thanks" He offers. "You too" She hums and nods.

"I'm Daphne" She introduces, he nods.

"Yeah, I figured it out..." He motions to her hair. "Red hair kind of gives you away" He looks between the siblings. "I urm..." He clears his throat. "Leave you guys to catch up....put some coffee on" He mumbles and then heads into the kitchen.

"Okay, so what have I missed?" Daphne asks. Jeremy and Elena share a look with one another, trying to figure out how much they are going to worry Daphne with what they've been going through.

"Not a lot" Elena settles on, Jeremy shakes his head. He would have told her everything.

"So do you want it now or later at the party I've heard so much about?" Daphne offers. Elena frowns at her.

"What?"

"Your gift" Daphne answers. "Happy Birthday" She offers and then moves to her trunk, giving it a kick, the lid flips open and Daphne picks up the wrapped gift box from the top before she gives it to Elena. Elena sets the box on the tabletop and unwraps it. Elena pulls a small rock from the box. It's a geode. But it's not like anything she's ever seen before. It seems to shift colour when she turns it around. Jeremy and Daphne share a look and she winks at him causing him to smirk a little. "Do you like it?" She asks Elena who nods.

"It's beautiful, thank you" She sets it back into the box and smiles at her sister. Daphne folds her arms over her chest and gives the two of them a look.

"So question" She starts. "With Jenna dead....why is there a strange adult man sleeping on our couch?"

"He's a friend" Elena answers. "And he's grieving, he needs people who care around him" Daphne pulls a face of disagreement. It's a little weird. A man his age, hanging around teenagers. "Do you need me to set up the camp bed?"

"No" Daphne answers. "I'm not staying in your room"

"But you always stay with me" Elena points out. Not sure how she feels about them not sharing a room anymore. They've shared for as long as she can remember. It always makes her feel safe and protected with Daphne sleeping in her room with her. It makes her feel less lonely.

"You have a boyfriend and you're an adult now, you don't want to be sharing your room with your big sister" Daphne argues as she closes her trunk up again. "I'll just take mom and dad's old room" She shrugs a little. "It's not a big deal" Elena gives her a sad smile. Daphne chuckles. "I am literally six feet away from you, you scream, I'll hear you...." Elena snorts a little and smiles, more genuine now. "That also goes for you know, other sounds....so keep it down, yeah?" Elena nudges Daphne who smirks away.

"Daph" Elena starts. "How did you hear about the party?" Daphne snorts.

"Caroline" She offers. "The second I got to London my phone blew up with texts from her. No matter how many times I tell you guys, you all still try to text or call me when I'm away...." She shrugs a little.

"You know what Caroline's like" Elena points out, Daphne hums in agreement.

"Right, so I am going to box up the 'rents stuff, anything you want left out?" Elena shakes her head.

"No, I don't think so" She answers. Daphne nods and then heads up the stairs, it's going to be a hard task, going through their stuff, but she needs her own space now. She can't keep bunking with Elena. They are both too old to do that. "And you're going to be late for work" Elena scolds Jeremy.

"Aww, you got a little job, that's so adorable" Daphne teases with a smile, Jeremy sticks his tongue out at her as he heads back upstairs to get ready. "It's like he's a fully grown human" Elena smirks and looks down.