Link had woken up in a bed that was not his own. He looked around the bare room only seeing white painted walls and grey carpet around the borders of the black blanket he was under.

As quietly as he could, Link got up with a wince in pain. But he pushed through, quietly cringing as he got out of the bed and grabbed his shoes. He had left the spare room and made it to the kitchen about to break for the door when a the sound of a throat clearing alerted him that he wasn't the only one awake. Akwardly Linkin turned stiffly trying not to show any emotion as he looked to the man behind the kitchen island.

"Morning." Ryan said wearing a tank top and baggy checkered black pants holding a cup of coffee.

"H.. Hi." Linkin said akwardly.

"Want some coffee." Ryan offered, gesturing to the glass pot of dark brown liquid infront of him.

"Oh, ah no thank you. I should probably just go." The boy said.

"You don't have to." Ryan told him. "I promise my house is a safe place." He assured him.

"You've already helped me enough." Link politely tried to dismiss.

LAST NIGHT

After Linkin had called the number on his phone Ryan had shown up less than five minutes later in a black truck. He had brought Linkin back to his house and he told them about the group of guys who attacked him.

"You should report them." Ryan told the Linkin as the boy laid on the couch and the fireman dabbed some cream onto a large foot sized bruise on his chest.

"Whats the point. I don't know who they where." Linkin told him.

"Your a terrible liar." Ryan deadpaned pushing a little too hard on the bruise making Link instinctively curl up with a pained groan.

"Are we done?" Linkin asked sore and embarrassed behing half naked on a strangers couch. Even if he called them for help.

Ryan looked over the wounds and old scars on the boys body. It was something he was familiar with and that he would never wish on someone else. "I think so." He sighed. "I've adequate the pare bed for you. It's the first door on your left. The bathroom is the first door on your right." He told him.

Linkin grabbed his shirt and stopped himself vocalising his pain as he put it on and dragged himself tieredly down the to the hall an into the spare bed.

Ryan let put a deep breath as he cleaned up the mess he made from bandage packets and cotton balls as well as putting his stethoscope back in his work pack. He could see so much if his younger self in Linkin and that scaird him alot. He shivered at the flash of his father's fist raised to him that that forced itself to the forefront of his mind.

After he cleaned up he was heading to bed when he heard the sound of something muffled. The spare room door was slightly open and Ryan peeked through the gap and saw Linkin was crying into the pillow. "I have to help this kid." He thought to himself.

END OF FLASH BACK.

"At least let me give you a ride." Ryan said.

Linkin looked unsure.

"Need I remind you that I was the one that drove you here. Hence you have no car." Ryan pointed out.

"Okay." Linkin said knowing he didn't have any other real options.

"Great, I'll get my keys." Ryan said quickly ducking to his bedroom.

...

"Just a left up here." Linkin directed seeing the Lockwood estate driveway.

"You live here?" Ryan said as he turned the black truck between the large open black gate seeing the mansion at the end.

"You did know I was the son of the mayor right?" Linkin asked.

"Well yair. But this is kinda overkill." He voiced as they got closer

"It's mostly old money passed down from the first Lockwood founder, also the house is also a museum of the twins history. They just live in it." Link recited like he was reading his words from a book.

"You live here too." Ryan added with slight distaste in his tone.

"Most of the time I'm at Bonnie's and before that Jeremys. But not so much lately." Link sighed.

"You don't have to go in there." Ryan told him as the car came to a stop infront of the house.

Just as the words left his mouth the front door opened and Carol Lockwood stepped past the threshold sending a curious look to the car on her property. Her eyes landed on Linkin and she scoffed before walking down the stairs. She put on a kind face as she got to eye level with the handsome driver.

"Linkin." She said with fuax concern. "Your father and I where worried sick when you didn't come home last night." Her glance turned to the unknown man in the driver's seat. "Thank you from bringing him home. He tends to wonder to his friends for a night or two but he was meant to come home last night." She exclaimed like a worried mother. "I wouldn't be able to get your name would I?" She asked now in a sultry tone.

"The names Ryan ma'am. I'm a fireman at the station." He said flatly, unimpressed by her flirting.

Carols face dropped into her usual scowl and Linkin rolled his eyes as he got out of the car.

"Well thanks you for your kindness. But I think it's about time you leave. " She remarked.

"Gladly." Ryan said dryly. He turned to Link. "Call me if you need anything." He told him kindly before turning back to Carol with a bored look. "Ma'am." He said flatly before driving off.

Carol scoffed. "I think I'll be having a word with Chief Barnaby at the station." She said to herself with a smug look as she watched Ryan's car leave the driveway.

He didn't know where it came from but his anger flaired. "You do that and I'll call child service." Linkin growled.

Carols whole demeanour changed as her smug expression dropped and she stiffly turned with a glare at the boy. "Excuse me?" She asked unsure if she had heard him correctly.

Linkins own glare formed as he almost seemed to snarl out his next words. "If you make that call I'll make my own."

Carols was shocked. Never has Linkin spoken to her in such a way, let alone threatened her. She was suprised and not in the good way. "You would'nt dare." She said calling his bluff.

Linkin to in a deep breath. "Do it an find out." He growled befor turning away and heading up the stairs to the front door.

Carol eyes sent dagger into the boys back as he walked into the house.

...

It was the next day and Linkins whole body was in agony. The stuff that Ryan had given him the day before had worn off and it felt like a building fell on him.

He groaned painfully as he got out of his bed and moved to his bag that had his spell book. He flicked through the page's until he made it to the potions section that held a Bulgarian recipe for pain nullification. "Most of this stuff I can find in the kitchen but the others." He sighed. "I don't even know what the hell nulroot and findle orbs are." He groaned.

The pain was just getting worse and worse. But then he got an idea. Stepping painfully over to the his bed, Link reached for his phone and dialed.

"Hello?" Stefan asked from the phone.

"Ah, um. Hey." Linkin stumbled.

"Whats wrong?" Stefan asked immediately hearing the pain in his voice.

"I need your help. We'll more specifically, your blood."

...

It didn't take long for Stefan to run over. He had vamp sped into the the youngest Lockwoods room as he was changing his shirt. He saw all the bumps and dark bruises on his body just before his shirt fell over his back. "What happend?" He asked.

Link jumped in shock befor it turned into a yelp of pain and dropped from the shock running through his body.

Stefan sped over and caught him before he fell. He could see the beads of sweat on his face and the paleness in his skin and the dark circles under his eyes.

"You really need to not do that." Link laughed out with agony.

"Who did this to you?" Stefan asked seriously.

"I don't know." Link hissed as he was pulled back up to his feet.

Stefan heard his heart rate spike an new he was lying as he sat Linkin on his bed. "Here." He said rasing his arm up to his to his lips before biting into it and lowing the wounded arm to the boys face. "Drink it." He told him.

Linkin reached with shaking hands, gripping around Stefan's wrist and joining there hands together as he pressed his mouth down on the open wound and started drinking the blood. His body began to heal rapidly as a feeling of euphoria filled his body.

Stefan started to feel something similar and had to close his eyes at the suprising and unexpected feeling of pleasure in his body. When he opened his eyes he saw Linkins hands where glowing an unlike last time it didn't hurt at all, infact it was the opposite. But then his mind started to clear as he started to feel more drained and pleasure. "Link. You, need to stop." Stefan said taking in a deep breath.

But Linkin was so caught up in whatever he was feeling that he didn't hear the vampires words at all.

"Linkin stop." Stefan said managing to shake off the sensation long enough to pull his hand back. But as soon as he did the feeling faded and his arm began to heal.

They were both breathing heavily.

"What the hell was that?" Linkin said still in a slight daze.

"I.. I don't know." Stefan said.

Linkins wierd buzz began to fade and his feelings shifted into a sense of embarrassment. "Ah, thank you. For the uh, blood." He told Stefan unable to look at him.

"Yair, that's um okay." Stefan replied akwardly. He saw Link didn't have anything else to say so he turned to head for the bedroom door but stopped as an idea poped into his head. "Did you want to maybe come back to my place. I know your probably wanting to avoid anything vampire but, I have a friend in town and I think you two would get along great." He suggested.

Link wasn't sure he really wanted to go. But since his father is no dought wondering around now and after his spat at Carol. He figured it would be good to leave the house for a while. "Sure." He agreed.

Stefan was visibly suprised by the answer. "Ah, cool." He said.

"Just give me a second to get ready." Linkin told him.

"All right." He replied with a soft smile.

With that Linkin walked over to his dresser and took of his shirt going to change it.

Stefan was not expecting the six pack the boy was sporting as his eyes widened seeing them. He also saw all the scars lining his body, all of different shapes and lengths.

"Would you mind turning around for a second?" Linkin said seeing the vampire looking at his body.

Stefan didn't even realise he was staring until it was pointed out to him. He went wide eyes and immediately did a one eighty. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean too st-"

"It's fine Stefan." Link said before unzipping his pant and changing his lower half into dark brown skinny jeans and put on his green t. He decided to slip on some blue joggers, he had a feeling he'd be running today. "All done." He told Stefan who than turned around.

"Hold on." He told him.

"Do you have too-" Linkin tried to say but was interrupted as his body was moved at blinding speed. He could only make out fuzzy parts of his house before there was a lot of green from the woods. In as little of a moment his body stopped and he was inside the Salvatore house. "I think I'm gonnna hurl." He said as he went slightly pale.

"I'll run-"

"Nope." Linkin said immediatly throwing a hand infront of Stefan as he choked back some vomit. "I'll walk." He said before speed walking to the nearest bathroom.

A blonde girl vamp sped into the room seeing a boy run around a corner. "What was that all about?" She asked giving Stefan a look.

"He's a friend that I've made since I moved back here. His... family. There not good, not at all. So I brought him here." He explained to her.

"Dose he know your a-"

"Vampire." He chuckled. "Yes. He's also-"

"I am never letting you do that agai-" Linkin froze mid sentence seeing the stranger by Stefan.

"It's all right." Stefan told him. "This is the friend I was telling you about." He said.

"Hi." The girl said zooming infront of him impossibly fast. Linkin instinctively threw a hand forward and the girl went flying back into a wall and sliding down it to the floor.

"Ouch." She said rubbing the back of her head.

"Lexi." Stefan hissed giving his friend a 'what the hell' look.

She got up to her feet and dusted herself off. "So your a witch boy." Lexi said to Linkin.

Said boy still stood ready for a fight.

"I'm sorry for scaring you. I was just trying to have a laugh." She said smiling kindly and walked over at normal speed before stopping an holding out her hand. "The names Lexi."

Stefan watched half expecting the boy to throw a spell at her and run.

Link seemed to visibly relax. "I'm Linkin." He said taking her hand . He then took a smidgeon of her body magic.

Lexi felt a zapp in her hand an immediately jerked her hand back looking from it to the boy. She scoffed and smiled boystresly. "Oh I like you. I like him." She told Stefan smiling.

Said Vampire rolled his eyes.

"Sorry for blasting you into the wall." Linkin told her.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I totally deserved that." She said.

Stefan was smiling at the two. Happy they where actually getting along.

"So what are we doing tonight?" Lexi asked Stefan as she took a seat on an old chair.

"For what?" Linkin asked.

"He didn't tell you?" Lexi said. "How unsurprising." She scoffed.

"What. Is it like your birthday or something?" Linkin asked.

"Good guess." Lexi said. "He's only going to be what? About a hundred and forty five years old." She said teasingly.

"Your how old?!" Linkin said shocked looking at Stefan. He then looked back at Lexi. "How old are you?' He asked.

"It's not polite to ask a woman's age." She said playfully, avoiding the question.

"Three hundred and fifty. Give or take a couple decades." Stefan chimmed.

"Rude." Lexi scoffed at him with a moch glare.

"I feel like a toddler." Linkin said quietly to himself.

Both the vampires laughed.

"Oh I hate vamp hearing." The boy groaned.

"But seriously. What are we doing tonight?" Lexi said repeating her prior question.

"There's a party at the Grill tonight." Damon said. Announcing his arrival. "Caroline's set it up. Oh don't give me that pouty face brother." He added seeing his brother who was indeed pouty. "Besides. No one will even know it's your birthday."

"You need to stay away from Caroline Damon." Stefan told him.

"Unless you want a repeat of what happened at the founder party." Linkin said.

"Oh, great. Your here." Damon groaned.

"Do you want to be set on fire." Linkin snarked.

"Ooo. I like you." Lexi said to Link with a smirk.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I promise I won't lay a hand on her. Or fang." He said, mockingly raising his hands in surrender. "You should come to scamp. You look like you could use a drink."

Linkin just scoffed.

Lexi reached down to her suitcase an opened it revealing a bunch of blood bags. "I need a drink." She said tiered of Damon.

"I prefer mine at nighty six point three." Damon said disgusted and took his leave.

Lexi then pulled out a straw and stabbed it into the blood bag and took in a deep sip before sighing in satisfaction.

Linkin was suprisingly unbothered by the sight of a girl drinking blood through a straw.

Stefan however seemed a little on edge as his shoulders tensed and he took a small subtle step back.

"What?" Lexi said seeing her friends look. "I tried your animal diet. Lasted three weeks so don't give me your judgy face." She wined putting the blood bag down and laying into her chair. "You can have some if you want to." She told him seeing the side glances he gave the blood.

"Lex, I would never judge you. An I can't, I don't know if I'ed.."

"Be able to stop." She finished for him. "I just admire your restraint."

"Wait? So you don't feed on people?" Link asked Stefan suprised.

"No. I haven't in a long time." He said.

"Why?" Link said curious.

Lexi could see Stefan immediately become more uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going as Stefan stayed silent. "Well." She said clapping her hands together. "Let's get ready for this party." She said changing the subject.

"Do we have to go?" Stefan asked.

Lexi sent him a heated look that gave him his answer.

"All right, all right fine." Stefan gave in with a small smile.

"Well you guys have fun with that." Linkin said getting up and heading for the exit.

"An where do you think your going?" Lexi said stopping him.

"Ah, home." He said like it was obvious.

"No way. Your definitely coming. Your beat Damon's ass. That makes you my second favourite person, after captain broody over there." She said gesturing to Stefan who rolled his eyes. "I'll tell you about the time he got drunk an we danced on the torch of the statue of liberty." She said.

Linkin went wide eyed. "You did that?" He asked Stefan shocked.

"What, ah. Lexi." Stefan hissed.

"Or about the time we partied with Bon Jovi after getting back stage to one of his concerts." She also mentioned.

Linkin was gobsmacked. "Oh you have to tell me." He said.

"Stay and come to the party and I'll tell you everything." She said with a grin.

Linkin looked over to a half grumpy and amused Stefan. "All right." He agreed.

"Perfect. You can borrow his clothes. I'm sure we'll fin you something. If not, then we can just go into Damon's closet." She told him as she began to drag him along the house and up the stairs.

"Or we could do all that and still go into Damons closet and turn all his cloths pink." Linkin said.

Lexis smirk grew into a full blown devilish smile. "Sorry Stefan bit your now my second favourite supernatural creature." She called back as they two made there way up the stairs.

"If there's a God. Please kill me now." Stefan sighed.

"Not on my watch!" Lexi yelled through the house hearing him.

Stefan just chuckled.

For the next few hours Lexi ripped through her suitcase and Stefan cloths finding her and Linkin the perfect outfits. She may or may not have convinced Linkin to actually turn all of Damon's clothes pink.

They laughed and got to know one another while Stefan was the talk of most of the conversation as Lexi told Linkin the most outrageous storys about what her an Stefan had done. From travelling the world to raiding the Vatican drunk as skunks and compelling the Pope to pretend to be a school girl.

Linkin went into the shower after Lexi. He had just wrapped a towl around his waist when he heard yelling so he walked out into the room.

"Are you out of your dam mind!" Lexi howled at Stefan.

"What?" The vampire asked throwing on an unbuttoned shirt.

Linkin saw Stefan over chiselled abbs and was momentarily astounded.

"I just met Elena." She said with a glare and held up an old looking portrait.

Stefan went wide eyed in shock and immediately turned to Linkin but it was to late. He had already seen the image of the woman who looked almost identical as his friend with the name Katherine Pirce and the year eighteen sixty four written on it.

"What the fuck." Linkin said.

...

"You have some serious damage." Lexi said applying some dark nude lipstick while gazing into her small hand held mirror as she sat on Stefan's bed.