The Gilbert Twins

Chapter 44: Founder's Day Part I

"Who the hell are you, Scarlett O' Hara?"

Holly didn't know if she should take that as a compliment or as an insult, Caroline would probably take it as a compliment, Holly not so much especially when it was coming from Damon. Today was the Founder's Day parade and she had somehow got roped into helping with the lemonade stand. Since Mrs. Lockwood wanted everything to be as "real" as possible, she had also been forced to wear a Southern Belle style dress.

Elena had helped style her hair in tight curls along with a little blue feathered hat that matched the pretty dark blue dress with the sky blue sash that she was wearing. The dress was pretty even though it was not comfortable especially in the hot sun.

"You're not funny." Holly said she filled a glass of lemonade. "Hey!" she snapped as Damon took the glass from her.

"Oh, come on its one glass." He threw a dollar on the table. "What's with the get up?"

"Mrs. Lockwood wants it to be authentic," Holly said sarcastically. "Did they even have lemonade back in 1864 and are corsets supposed to hurt this much?"

"I don't know I've never worn a corset and FYI we invented lemonade," he hesitated. He really didn't want to bring up the topic of what he and Stefan had discovered last night about Elena and Holly's birth parents. "Listen, we need to talk."

"About what?" Holly huffed. "How my birth mom is a selfish vampire bitch, how my uncle John is running around, or how by brother is utterly disgusted by me because I've been keeping all of my dirty little secrets to myself."

"Oh, come on they weren't that dirty, no one even got naked." Holly raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, you're right about the first two."

Holly frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Stefan and I did a little research last night after Isobel left, we're not a hundred percent sure but it does add up." Damon handed her a folder. "Isobel and John were childhood friends, they went to the same school together, John brought Isobel to Grayson's clinic when she was 15 ergo-"

"He's my birth father?" Holly choked out feeling like she was going to throw up. "John Gilbert can't be my birth father, he just can't." but the details seemed to add up and she knew that Damon wouldn't spring this on her without proof. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure."

"Does Elena know?"

"Pretty sure and I imagine she's having a similar reaction."

"Great." Holly picked up her skirts and started walking in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?"

"To get out of this stupid get up."

"I like you better like this," Damon said when he saw Holly exiting the Grill's bathroom wearing a jean skirt and a purple blouse. "The modern look suits you better, not playing Southern Barbie."

"Um, thanks."

Damon smirked. "You're welcome."

Holly half smiled, half groaned. "Ok, if we're going to try being friends you're going to have to stop with the flirty little comments and that eye thing you do."

Damon winked. "What eye thing?"

"That eye thing." her smiled faded when she saw Jeremy drawing, from what she had heard Elena hadn't had much luck with him either. "I'll see you later, Jeremy!"

Jeremy grabbed his notebook the minute he saw Holly. "Jeremy, wait," she tugged on his shoulder. "Please, you can't ignore me forever. Look, I know you're mad and you have every right to be, but you need to understand we didn't want you to get hurt . . . and I'm sorry about Vicki . . . can't we just start over?"

"This isn't something you can simply forget Holly," he spat. "I can't forget that you and Elena have been lying to me and both of you can go to hell."

"Will you stop eating we have more important things to worry about right now?" Damon hissed as he grabbed Holly's arm, half spilling the popcorn that she was holding. "Ric, over here!"

"What is your problem?" Holly demanded as Ric joined them.

Damon ignored her. "Hey, do you have those handy vampire weapons in your car?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Fifteen words or less the tomb vampires are here ready to get revenge on the founding families which means, you, Jeremy, Elena and half of the people in this town. Anna just informed me."

"I though Pearl was keeping them in check." Ric said.

"Well, she's dead so," he saw Stefan approaching them with Elena. "Good, you're here. Get them out of here unless you want to be picking caskets."

"Where are you going?" Stefan demanded.

"That's more than fifteen words, Stefan!"

Stefan mumbled something under his breath as he looked at the two girls. "Come on."

"Wait." Elena said as she looked over the crowd. "Jeremy is still out there."

"Let's go find him," Stefan said. "Come on!"

They were halfway across the town square when Stefan suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his head. "My head!"

"What?" Elena squeaked.

"My head!" Elena put her arms around Stefan's trying to muff out his screams. A deputy approached them, but Alaric waved him away. "What's happening?"

"The device, it's still working." Holly guessed. "They're rounding up the vampires."

"That's not all." Ric said. "They are rounding them up, injecting them with vervain, they are getting all the vampires in Mystic Falls."

"But Bonnie was supposed to deactivate the device!" Holly demanded as she looked around. Where was Damon? Had he been captured already?

"Well, apparently it didn't work." Elena looked around. "We need to leave before they get Stefan-Stefan?" she noticed that Stefan had stopped clutching his head. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, the pain it stopped." Stefan said wearily, "But Holly is right, Bonnie should have deactivated the device."

"What if she didn't?" Ric pointed out. "They are taking the vampires to Grayson's old medical practice."

"Ric's right," Elena piped in. "The device was supposed to protect against vampires, it wouldn't be much use if you could easily dispell it."

"Have any of you seen Damon?" Holly dared herself to ask, they shook their heads. She turned to Ric. "Can you take my brother home?"

He nodded.

"All right." She turned to Stefan and Elena. "Let's go."