"I'm sorry about Rose, Damon." Ana murmured, upon seeing Damon with his head perched on top of Rose's dead body.

After Elena, Damon and Ana brought Rose back to the boarding house, Ana opted out of being present while Rose died, partly due to guilt and partly because the vampire just needed some space and time to think.

Damon nodded, though the frown still remained etched on his face. "She wasn't meant to pass like that."

"I know, Dame." Ana slid onto the bed, trying to comfort Damon by wrapping his hands into her small ones. "I wish Katerina never turned. Imagine where Rose would be if Katerina wouldn't have hung herself..."

"No, don't think like that. None of this was your fault, it was that stupid mutt's-"

"Damon, stop." Ana breathed, putting a hand to her forehead. "You need to calm down. Rose- she wouldn't have wanted to be remembered like this. It's such a... a horrible situation."

Damon nodded quietly, rising from the bed.

"Where are you going, mister?" Ana asked, pointing a finger at Damon and pouting from the bed.

"To drown my soul in bourbon before turning Rose's body over to the sheriff." Damon replied, moseying towards the lounge, where he poured himself a large glass of his favourite drink.

Ana hummed, adding "Pour me two of those."

"On it."

★·'¯'·★

"Hey, Elena!" Ana shouted from the entrance to the Gilbert household, waiting outside for the teenager to invite her inside. Technically speaking, Ana could walk in if she wanted - she had been invited in previously - but she decided to have manners and wait. Upon everything that happened with Rose yesterday, Ana thought she'd take it upon herself to check up on the doppelganger and maybe even apologise. Maybe.

When Elena opened the door, Ana grimaced at who stood behind her.

"Jonathan Gilbert?" Ana asked, her eyebrows raised in question as she glanced behind the doppelganger at the smug man.

Elena nodded silently, gesturing to the hallway. "You can come in."

"So, what life changing event happened for the infamous John to show up?" Ana asked, prancing around the Gilbert house.

"Nothing. I'm here to look after my daughter." John spat, glaring at the cocky, black-haired vampire in front of him.

Looking between the two, Elena frowned "Wait. You two know each other? Did you two have a... thing?"

Ana scoffed. "He wishes. We know of each other." Ana perched on Elena's kitchen table once she stopped wandering around. "I know enough about him that I chose not to introduce myself."

"Him has a name." John added, his eyes narrowed at Ana. "I know too much about you Petrova siblings to know of the trouble you cause. Elena..." John shifted his gaze to his daughter. "Why are you hanging around with... her? Haven't you seen what Katherine can do?"

"John, Ana is nothing like Katerine."

Ana glanced between Elena and Jonathan, finally cottoning onto what John had mentioned earlier. "Here to protect your daughter? Wait..."

Before Elena could explain, the doorbell rang and John grabbed his jacket from the counter.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked John, heading to open the door.

The older man shrugged, replying "Anywhere away from her."

"Au revoir!" Ana called, following Elena to see who was at the door.

As soon as Elena swung the door open, Damon came marching in, his eyebrows knitted as he stated "Where's John?"

"Hello to you, too." Ana added, rolling her eyes and watching the uptight vampire scout the house.

"He's not here. He left." Elena replied, following Damon, too. "I don't know where he went. He just blew in, announced to Jenna that he's my dad, made his distaste in my friendships clear, and then took off."

Damon turned around at this, confused. "It's public knowledge that he's your dad now?"

"Apparently." Elena commented, a hand to her forehead.

Ana scoffed, smirking slightly "At least I was finally one of the first people to know something! Jesus, I feel like I'm never in the loop with you guys, and-"

"You okay?" Damon asked Elena, and Ana stopped rambling when she noticed just how distraught the Gilbert looked.

"Yeah." Elena said, though half-heartedly. "Jenna's head is spinning, but I'm okay."

Scanning the house, Damon quizzed "He say what he was doing here?"

"You really think Johnathan Gilbert would reveal his schemes with me in the house?" Ana raised an eyebrow, draping herself across the sofa.

Elena sighed, nodding in agreement with her friend. "He didn't. You know, Stefan thinks that he's telling the truth about wanting to help me."

"You believe him?" Damon asked, looking between both dark-haired girls in question.

Whilst Ana merely shook her head and hummed in response, Elena remarked "No. I don't believe him for a second."

"I don't, either." Damon said, his facial expression drawn inwards, tension shown by the way his forehead creased when he gazed at Elena.

Ana shifted on the sofa, asking "Plan, then?"

"Kill him." Damon suggested, walking past Elena towards the exit to her house.

Sighing, Elena started "Damon--"

"I'm joking." Damon turned, the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. "Okay. I'm a little serious."

"Damon!" Elena scolded, but Ana didn't seem that bothered.

Rising from her comfortable position on the sofa, Ana interjected "It's not the worst idea I've heard from Damon-"

"We are not going to kill my biological father!" Elena explained, throwing her arms in the air from exasperation.

Damon strolled over to the brunette, responding "I don't know about Ana, but I'm not gonna hurt him, Elena. I'm the good guy now, remember?"

"What does that mean?" Elena asked, looking unsure, and Ana strolled over calmly to make sure that Damon didn't try anything.

"I'm gonna have a civil conversation with you father." Before Damon walked out the door, he turned to Ana and waved for her to follow. "Just in case, I'm gonna need Ana as backup!"

"You heard him." Ana shrugged, rushing after Damon.

Rushing after the pair, Elena added "Wait. I'm coming with you."

Elena sighed, putting a hand to her forehead and choosing not to imagine what the two vampires planned to say to her biological father. The doppelganger couldn't imagine that it'd be anything good...

★·'¯'·★