Unstoppable | The Vampire Diaries

53. The Hostage Collector

"Hey!" Chris Fletcher said enthusiastically when Riley walked out of her bedroom one morning before 8am. "This has to be some kind of record."

"You're so funny," Riley scoffed sarcastically. "I couldn't sleep."

Her father looked at her sympathetically when she joined him on the couch, curling herself around him like a cat, like she did when she was little.

"Still thinking about your mom?" he asked tentatively.

Riley shrugged. She didn't know what was more terrifying, the fact that there was a hunter in town threatening her friend's lives, or the fact that her mother, her own flesh and blood, was doing the same.

"I'm gonna go to the Grill," she said, groaning as she stood because terror apparently added 50 years to your life. "Hang out with some people who aren't being hunted."

"OK honey," her dad agreed. As much as he trusted the vampires in town (or tried to), it still worried him that his only daughter was caught up in their world. "But before you go, I want to talk to you about something."

Riley frowned, the serious edge to her father's tone catching her off guard.

"What is it?"

He took a breath. "Well, as you know, things with Liz are going very well, extremely well. And I'd like to move our relationship forward. But I want to make sure that you're OK with that; I don't want you to feel like she's replacing your mom."

Riley smiled. With everything that was happening lately, her dad and Liz provided the stability that both she and Caroline desperately needed – there was no way that moving forward could be a bad thing.

"I'm happy for you guys," Riley told him honestly. "And if you're thinking what I think you're thinking... it's about time!"

***

"Hey," she said when she walked into the Grill and saw Matt talking to a girl that she didn't know. The room was empty and chairs were still on tables, signaling that the Grill was closed. "Can I hang out in here until you open?"

Matt smirked, wondering when his place of work had become the neutral zone of Mystic Falls. "Sure."

Riley walked closer to the girl as Matt introduced them.

"April, this is Riley Fletcher. Riley, April Young."

"Young?" Riley asked, the name taking her aback. "As in Pastor Young?"

April nodded slowly. "My very dead father."

There was a small awkward silence, before Matt cleared his throat. "April was looking for Rebekah. Have you seen her?"

Riley raised an eyebrow, wondering what a seemingly innocent human girl would want with an Original vampire, let alone a ruthless one like Rebekah.

"I can't even believe that Rebekah's still in town," Riley thought aloud, refusing to voice the part of her statement that wondered if Elijah would ever be coming back to join his younger sister.

All of a sudden, Jeremy was pushed into the room, with vampire hunter Connor Jordan standing behind him, holding a knife to his throat. Instinctively, Matt took a step in front of the girls.

"Sit down!" Connor shouted, watching them jump at the sound of his voice and scramble for a seat. Then he pushed Jeremy down next to them.

"Let April go," Jeremy demanded. "She doesn't have anything to do with this."

"She has everything to do with this," Connor dismissed. "She and her father. Plus, she and I have history."

Riley could feel April trembling beside her as she spoke. "I've never seen you before in my life."