The foursome walked into the Gilbert house to the sound of 'Eye of the Tiger' playing while Jenna danced around in the living room.

"Nice moves, aunt Jenna." Elena smiled at her aunt when the song was over.

"Elena!" Jenna jumped in shock, not having notice the foursome arrive. "You're back!"

"Nope, you're just imagining things." Elena laughed.

"Show me, show me, show me!" Jenna bounced over.

Elena held her right arm forwards, showing of the five butterflies, they started on her pointer finger and moved up wards to her middle finger, then on her hand up to her wrist. Elena then turned her arm over to show the symbol on her inner wrist.

"I like the butterflies." Jenna hummed. "But what is that symbol?"

"Tatama," Elena smiled. "It basically means 'Order out of Chaos'."

"Fits your life to a t." Jenna laughed and turned to Jeremy. "Show me!"

Jeremy laughed and pulled off his shirt, showing off the tribal dragon done in Viking style on the left side of his chest.

"That looks so cool!" Jenna gasped as she looked at Jeremy's tattoo.

"Damon and Alaric got tattoos too." Jeremy smirked.

Jenna turned expectantly towards the two men.

Alaric smiled with a sigh and pulled up his shirt, showing of his left forearm. The tattoo depicted an old pocket watch, with an arrow almost looking like it went through it and the words 'The Trouble Is, You Think You Have Time'.

"That's beautiful but also masculine." Jenna admired the tattoo before she turned towards Damon.

Damon pulled his shirt off with a laugh and turned around. On his right shoulder blade there was a raven in flight and partly hidden in the ravens back was a human skull.

"That is epic." Jenna said slowly, "And fitting."

"I'm happy with mine." Elena smiled and shrugged. "But I sort of want one along my spine now."

"I want to get one to but I haven't had the time." Jenna hummed.

"Why don't you go this weekend?" Elena offered. "Me and Jeremy will be fine."

"Yeah and take Alaric with you." Jeremy smirked. "You two deserves to get some couples time."

"That works for me." Alaric smiled at Jenna.

"Okay." Jenna agreed, then she frowned. "Shouldn't the tattoos be redder and still be healing?"

"We have Damon to thank for that, actually." Elena smiled and kissed Damon on the cheek. "He offered us his blood to heal the 'wounds' so to speak."

"You offered yours in return to heal mine." Damon smiled at her, then he turned towards Jenna. "I'll give you some blood when you have done your tattoo."

"Thank you, Damon." Jenna smiled gratefully.

"You're welcome." Damon nodded at her.

"Who wants pizza?" Jeremy asked as he pulled out his phone.

Elena's stomach gave a loud growl and she smirked. "Apparently I do."

XOXOXOX

Elena was sitting at a table alone at the grill a few days later, drinking milkshake and reading The Hobbit, when Damon suddenly sat down beside her.

"So, this is what you do when you're not plotting murder, torture and world domination." Damon smirked.

"Yup." Elena smiled and then she offered him her glass, "Milkshake?"

"Thanks." Damon took a slow sip. "You going to help me test Mason Lockwood at Jenna's barbecue later?"

"Do I get to stab him?" Elena asked with big excited eyes.

"Possibly." Damon laughed. "I love that you are a tiny bit psychotic and like to stab people."

"Why thank you." Elena smirked.

"Did you see Jenna's new tattoo?" Damon asked after a while.

"Yeah and I think it fits her." Elena smiled as she put a marker in the book and put it in her bag.

"Oh?" Damon hummed.

"Orchids mean love, luxury, beauty and strength." Elena told him.

"That is really fitting for her." Damon agreed.

"Here's your pie, sir." A waitress come up to Damon and gave him a box.

"Perfect, thank you." Damon smiled at the waitress who nodded and left. "I'm hoping everyone likes peach cobbler."

"Well, Jeremy will be your eternally loyal servant if you give it to him and it's Jenna's guilty pleasure." Elena laughed and got up along with Damon.

"How about you?" Damon asked as they walked out of the grill.

"I can eat it when someone offers but I wouldn't buy it for myself." Elena shrugged.

"What's your favorite desert then?" Damon looked at her.

"Gooey chocolate cake." Elena sighed dreamily.

"Good to know." Damon laughed.

A few hours later Elena is in the Gilbert kitchen talking to Jenna. "Thanks for letting me invite Caroline, she could really use a day of distraction."

"Anytime, Elena." Jenna smiled. "Caroline is like another niece, she's family."

"So, we are all in agreement, you, me and Jeremy, that Caroline is an honorary Gilbert?" Elena chuckled. "I'm a little sad though, that Jeremy decided to spend the evening with Anna."

"Absolutely." Jenna agreed. "But I also heard that Damon is coming."

"Yup, he's bringing pie." Elena nodded.

"Elena, I don't think he's here for the food." Jenna smiled at her niece.

"Why else would he be here?" Elena looked confused.

"Oh, you are so oblivious it's almost not funny." Jenna giggled.

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked but before Jenna could answer Mason arrived.

"Good news!" Mason said. "I found the shot glasses!"

"No Elena you are not taking shots in this house!" Jenna mock glared at her.

"Poodoo." Elena pouted as she closed her mouth.

"You're here for 10 minutes and I'm already back under the bleachers at the pep rally." Jenna giggled.

"Like old times, huh?" Mason laughed. "Only difference is that I didn't swipe this bottle from my old man."

"Wait..." Elena said as she looked between her aunt and Mason. "You two?"

"Well...not really." Jenna stuttered slightly.

"Why not, aunt Jenna?" Elena laughed. "He has a great ass."

"Elena!" Alaric sounded scandalized as he walked in.

"What?!" Elena smirked. "He does!"

"But not as great as mine, right?" Damon asked as he walked in.

"I don't know, Mason's ass looks very nice." Elena hummed thoughtfully.

"I'm just going to take Jenna out to the back yard and get her to start breathing again." Alaric started to lead a laughing Jenna out of the kitchen. "Hopefully."

"Was it something I said?" Elena looked between Damon and Mason innocently.

"You are a very different young woman." Mason chuckled.

"Thank you." Elena beamed as she took Jenna's shot glass and downed it.

"I thought your aunt said you weren't doing shots in this house?" Mason looked at her with a smirk.

"What she doesn't know can't get me in trouble." Elena laughed. "And if she finds out I'll know it was you who told her."

"And how do you know Damon won't be the one to tell her?" Mason raised an eyebrow.

"Because Damon hasn't said anything before and he won't say anything now." Elena kissed Damon on the cheek as she left the kitchen.

Elena walked out on the porch and sat down on the steps.

"God!" Caroline came over and sat down beside her. "I cannot stop eating. Stefan says it's a great way to sublimate the cravings, but it's horrible fighting the urge for blood every minute of every day. Damon said it will get easier with time, but still."

"Would some of mine help?" Elena offered.

"Yeah, thank you Elena." Caroline looked so relived.

"No problem." Elena smiled and gave Caroline her left wrist.

Caroline bit down as gently as possible and drank slowly and carefully. She pulled back with a grateful smile as she licked her lips clean. "Thank you so, so, much."

"Anytime." Elena said and wrapped her scarf around her wrist. "It was decided earlier today that you are an honorary Gilbert so that makes you family."

"I need to tell you something." Caroline murmured softly.

"You can tell me anything, you know that." Elena smiled gently.

"Kathrine visited me and told me to keep you away from Stefan and to spy on you." Caroline admitted quietly.

"So, she's still obsessed with Stefan, then?" Elena hummed.

"I'm sorry." Caroline looked at Elena sadly.

"Hey, it's okay." Elena smiled softly at her best friend/sister. "I know that you wouldn't tell her anything of importance."

Caroline pulled Elena into a tight hug just as Alaric opened the door. "Foods ready."

"Finally, I'm starving." Caroline said and got up as Elena giggled.

After dinner they were playing Pictionary, with Damon only drawing wolf related things making Elena having to leave before she peed herself laughing.

"Jenna is getting tipsy." Damon smirked as he joined her.

"Could be because you're plying her with alcohol." Elena laughed as she put the pie on a big plate.

"Could be." Damon chuckled and shrugged.

"How's operation Lockwood?" Elena asked smiling.

"He's my new BFF." Damon said with a dramatic flair.

"There you two are." Jenna said as she came into the kitchen. "Isn't this fun?"

"Yes, thank you so much for inviting me." Damon smiled at Jenna.

"You're welcome." Jenna hummed then she whispered, or at least tried to whisper, to Damon as she nodded towards Elena. "How is it going?"

"It's a work in progress." Damon looked slightly embarrassed.

"I'm rooting for you." Jenna patted Damon on the cheek and turned around to grab the pie from Elena.

"Use this aunt Jenna." Elena held out a cake knife from the old the old silver set.

"These are fancy." Damon picked up a knife to look closer at it.

"Thanks." Jenna smiled. "My mother's silver set."

Elena laughed quietly as Damon discreetly put the silver knife in his jacket and then the three of them walked back into the living room.

"Mason, why don't you start us off?" Damon gestured to the pie and the silver knife.

Mason bends forward and takes a piece of pie with his hands, avoiding the knife. "I apologize, I'm an animal."

"Wonder if he has fleece?" Elena muttered so only Damon and Caroline could hear her making them chuckled quietly.

"So Mason, you and Jenna never dated?" Alaric asked.

"She was always lost in Logan Fell land." Mason smirked at Jenna.

"Wait, wait, wait, you choose Logan Scum Fell over that?!" Elena looked at Jenna as she gestured to Mason.

Elena had decided that if Kathrine could pretend to be her, she could pretend to be Kathrine. And if she had to flirt with Mason Lockwood to get the information they needed to find out what Kathrine was up to, she would flirt with the mutt. There is very little she wouldn't do to protect her family and friends. Or maybe she could turn him to their side...

"I was young and dumb, I'm sorry!" Jenna laughed. "Anyway, Mason always had girls lining up."

"Really?" Damon hummed. "I always pegged you for a lone wolf."

"I'm sure I wasn't half the lady killer you were." Mason smirked at Damon.

"Men, woman, a dwarf in drag once..." Elena chuckled.

"Oh, I didn't know you liked men, Damon?" Jenna asked intrigued with mischief in her eyes.

"I appreciate beauty in all its forms." Damon smirked, knowing that Jenna actually knew that Elena meant that he didn't discriminate in who he killed.

"How about a toast?" Mason asked, holding up his glass. "To new friends!"

"To new Friends!" The others chorused.

A while later Elena and Damon were in the kitchen doing the dishes when Mason walked in.

"Jenna just brought out 'Guitar Hero'." Mason chuckled. "Might be time to mutiny."

"Why did Jeremy have to be at Anna's place tonight?" Elena groaned. "He could have beat you all at 'Guitar Hero' without even trying."

"I like 'Guitar Hero'." Damon admitted. "So, you, my friend, are barking up the wrong tree."

"Okay, enough with the innuendos." Mason groaned. "You win, you are hilarious."

"Thank you." Damon smirked. "And I know."

"Come on man. You don't think I know what this barbeque is about?" Mason looked at Damon with a raised eyebrow.

"How do you know about me?" Damon demanded to know. "Your brother was completely clueless."

"It doesn't matter; I'm not your enemy, Damon." Mason said.

"You tried to kill my brother." Damon glared.

"That was a mistake." Mason admitted.

"Really?" The disbelief in Damons was pretty obvious.

"There was confusion; I couldn't chain myself up in time." Mason intoned seriously. "I have no control once I shift."

"Wait, does this mean I don't get to stab him?" Elena asked from where she had snuck up beside Mason with a silver knife in her hand. Then she sagged in disappointment and pouted. "Aww man, this sucks."

"You were going to stab me?!" Mason asked looking wide eyed at Elena.

"Well, you did almost kill one of my best friends," Elena hummed with a shrug. "So, I thought it only fair that I get to stab you."

"Let's not spark some age-old feud that doesn't apply to us." Mason pleaded with Damon even as he inched away from Elena in worry.

"You expect me to believe that you are in Mystic Falls planting peach trees?" Damon sneered.

"I lost my brother; my nephew lost his father. I'm here for my family." Mason told him and held out his hand. "Let's be above this."

"Sure." Damon smiled coldly as he shook Mason's hand. "But the moment you do something that proves dangerous towards Elena, Stefan or anyone we care about, you're dead."

"Are we friends now?" Elena asked happily as she sent a smirk at Mason. "I've always wanted a puppy."

"Funny." Mason actually laughed along with Damon and Elena.

"Oh, I have a lot of dog/werewolf and vampire jokes in my arsenal." Elena giggled as the three of them joined the others in the living room.

"Oh, tell me a vampire joke then." Mason told her with a chuckle.

"What do you get if you cross a snowman with a vampire?" Elena asked brightly.

"No idea." Mason said and the others nodded in agreement.

"Frostbite." Elena smirked.

"That was so, so bad." Jenna giggled.

"That's what makes it so funny." Elena wiggled her eyebrows.

"Do a werewolf joke next." Caroline demanded as she giggled.

"What do you call a werewolf with no legs?" Elena looked around the room and when no one answered she continued. "Whatever you like, he can's chase you either way."

"That was dark." Alaric said as they all laughed.

"Okay how about this; Did you hear about the comedian who entertained at a werewolf's party?" Elena hummed with a giggle. "He had them howling all night!"

About an hour later Mason shrugged on his jacket, "No takers for drinks at the grill?"

"I would love to but I don't think the cops or my aunt would be happy." Elena chuckled. "But me Caroline and Damon are going to the grill to, we're just going to pick up Stefan first."

"Well, the moment you turn eighteen the first drink is on me." Mason smiled, then he turned towards Jenna and Alaric. "Thanks for having me, it was awesome. Alaric, catch that game next week?"

"Yeah, I look forward to it." Alaric nodded.

"I might join you for drinks at the bar if I get bored with Stefan and his friends." Damon shrugged.

"We can find out who can hold their liquor better, werewolves or vampires." Mason laughed as he walked out of the Gilbert house.

XOXOXOX

"I'll go get Stefan!" Elena called out as she jumped out of the car when they arrived at the boarding house.

"Stefan? Come on you slow poke, we're going for burgers at the grill!" Elena said loudly as she walked into the parlor.

"You must be Elena." Elena jumped around to see Kathrine standing there.

"Nope, I'm just some other woman who looks just like you." Elena said sarcastically.

"Hmm." Kathrine smirked and vamp-sped away as Stefan entered the room.

"Elena?" Stefan looked down on her right arm and relaxed when he saw the tattoo.

"You look rough." Elena stated calmly.

"I wonder why." Stefan muttered.

"Go change!" Elena ordered. "We are going to the grill."

"But..." Stefan started to say.

"No buts, except maybe mine." Elena tried to look over her shoulder at her own ass, then she focused back on Stefan. "You can tell us all about your day with Kathrine on the way."

"Us?" Stefan asked.

"Damon, Caroline and me." Elena walked over to him and started to herd him towards the stairs. "Now, chop, chop, the burgers won't eat themselves."

"Didn't you just come from a BBQ?" Stefan asked as he made his way up the stairs.

"That is not the point!" Elena called after him.