Chapter Text
I don't own Vampire Diaries and Supernatural.
Chapter 1
Mystic Falls sits like a perfect postcard in the heart of Virginia. Its changing residents are shaped by secrets and time. Founded in 1860 by the old Founding Families—the Fells, Forbes, Gilbert, Lockwood, and Salvatore—it holds more history than its quiet streets show.
A red Toyota Highlander with a rattling trailer headed for Mystic Falls. Diane Blackwood came home after her mother begged—her father was getting old, and time felt short. She left busy New York for quiet Virginia. Diane Blackwood, a fit forty-year-old gym trainer with warm brown eyes and hair, gripped the wheel as she drove her family home.
Aubrielle Blackwood, daughter of Diane Blackwood and one-night stand John Winchester, carried a last name that felt more like a question than an answer. Her long, dark, wavy hair cascaded around her shoulders, framing a face with large, expressive eyes of warm brown and subtly rosy lips. She wore a black t-shirt under a striking, asymmetrical jumpsuit of bold red and black panels. One leg was mostly black, distressed, rhinestone-studded, spelling "THIS IS"; the other, red with a dark pocket, was connected by red suspenders. A beaded necklace, wristwatch, and bright red high-top sneakers completed her look. Glancing at herself, Aubrielle wished her outfit felt like the armor she needed for another new beginning in a town eager to box her in. The truth about her parentage and frequent moves weighed on her, leaving her restless and resentful beneath her calm exterior.
Bark!
Completing their trio, Winston—their blue merle Australian shepherd—barked and panted, eager to explore the new town as they pulled up. Aubrielle ruffled his fur, grateful for the loyal company beside her.
"Does Winston need to do his business?" Diane asked.
"No, I think he wanted to check out all the hangouts and ruin everyone's dates," Aubrielle replied.
Diane snorted at her daughter's dry humor.
They rolled into town just as the clock struck noon. Gazing out the window, Aubrielle felt her heart sink—every town blurred together, but this one felt especially unwelcoming. After passing shops and old buildings, they stopped at their new house: a cozy two-story nestled among trees, one door from her grandparents' single-story home.
"So, what do you think?" Diane stepped out with a hopeful smile. Aubrielle followed, letting Winston leap from the car to sniff every inch of their new yard, tail wagging with excitement.
"We've had six homes already. It doesn't look any different from the others." Aubrielle shrugged.
Diane looked at her daughter, sad. She knew they had moved a lot, but thought Aubrielle would understand one day.
"I promise, Aubrie, this will be our last move." Diane side hugged her daughter with her nickname.
"That's what you said the last time," Aubrielle muttered.
The rumble of the moving truck signaled the next wave of chaos. Aubrielle held onto Winston while Diane directed the movers. Suddenly, a young woman appeared with two kids and a dish of beef Wellington—a neighborly welcome wrapped in pastry.
Diane was about to greet their neighbors when a woman approached. "Hi, I'm Jenna Sommers. These are my niece and nephew, Elena and Jeremy." Jenna introduced them, and Diane gasped as she recognized her.
"Jenna? Jenna Sommers from high school?" Diane asked. Jenna looked confused. "It's me, Diane Blackwood—from the newspaper club."
Jenna gasped. "Diane? Oh my god!" They hugged.
Aubrielle guessed this was one of her mom's old classmates, reunited by chance and a moving van. She wondered how this new-old friend would change things, and if meeting old friends would make it harder to stay unnoticed. Part of her braced for questions and dinners, knowing that in Mystic Falls, no one stayed a stranger for long.
"Where have you been?" Jenna asked. "Oh, just here and there. Life is full of surprises—busy working, and then I ended up with a kid." Diane motioned to Aubrielle. "This is my daughter, Aubrielle."
"Aubrielle? Wow. That's an unusual name." Jenna shook Aubrielle's hand.
"It's our family name. My dad insisted my daughter have it." Diane remembered how her dad pushed for that name.
Looking at the two kids—one with a forced smile hiding something, the other acting laid-back—Aubrielle decided to check in on her grandfather. With Winston next to her, she walked four houses down, hoping to find him at home since his store was closed on Tuesdays.
Aubrielle thought her grandfather would not be happy about their move, no matter what her mom thought. Grandma would be very happy, but Grandpa was set in his ways. The house was empty, so Aubrielle shrugged and went to explore: Mystic Grill, Lockwood Mansion, Twelve Oaks Bed & Breakfast, the Clock Tower, and Scoops Ice Cream Shop. With summer still hot, she had time to look around.
She lingered, watching locals soak up the last days of summer break, until her phone buzzed—a call to duty. The movers were done, and it was time to unpack. She ordered pizza, promising herself a reward in forty minutes, then jogged home with Winston at her side.
Aubrielle and Winston returned home and began unpacking. She took out pillows, blankets, and her books. She set her computer on her desk and put all her clothes and shoes into her closet.
When the pizza came, Aubrielle was busy with boxes in her new room. She had chosen the second biggest room—definitely good—until she saw the window looked right at the Salvatore boarding house on the hill. She closed the blinds to block the view.
"Did you get to see grandpa and grandma?" Diane sat down at the table.
Diane entered, balancing a plate piled high with pizza slices.
"He wasn't home," Aubrielle said. "I think he went fishing. He said there was a river nearby. And I think Grandma went grocery shopping to cook."
"I think so too. I tried calling him, but he wouldn't answer. That usually means he's fishing and he has it on silent." Diane sighed. "I wish he wouldn't do that."
Diane said, "I talked to Grandma today. She can't wait to see us and will visit..."
"We're here!" Her grandmother, Barbara, and her husband, Joseph Blackwood, burst through the open door.
"Soon," Diane finished lamely.
Aubriella turned and waved. "Hey, Grandma. Hey, grandpa."
The Blackwood family was together under one roof, but peace did not last. In their quiet new home, the windows shook a little in the wind, and a cold feeling settled in the corners. Outside, shadows gathered by the trees, where something hidden watched. They did not know that the town kept old secrets—stories of disappearances, animal attacks, and warnings at night. Danger came closer, sharp and cold, as if the past had woken up and was searching for its next victim.
The last nights of summer slipped by in a familiar haze. On the eve before school began, Darren and Brooke cruised through the woods, headlights slicing through the dusk.
Darren said, "An hour's drive to hear that crap. You know, it wasn't even a band. A guy with a guitar. An hour each way."
Brooke laughed, "He wasn't that bad."
Darren denies that notion. "He sounded like James Blunt."
Brooke looked at her boyfriend. "What's wrong with that?"
Darren pointed. "We already have a James Blunt. One's all we need."
Brooke leaned forward. "So why did you come?"
Darren turned and said, "Because I love you."
Brooke smiled and leaned back as she noticed something strange. "Nicely done. What's with all the fog?"
A thick fog swallowed the road, blurring the world beyond their headlights.
Darren shrugged, "It'll clear in a second."
Brooke gasped, and she saw someone on the road. "Watch out!"
Suddenly, a figure appeared—too late to swerve. The car thudded over something, and Darren slammed the brakes, heart pounding.
Darren panted and turned to Brooke. "Are you okay?"
Brooke quickly panicked. "We just hit someone! Oh my god!"
Darren took off his seatbelt and said to Brooke. "Call for help."
Brooke took out her cellphone. She pleaded for someone to pick up and help—the person they hit might have been dead or dying. "Come on, come on!"
Darren leaned down to a still body, a man. "Please be alive! Oh my God!" The man wakes up and bites him in the neck.
Brooke didn't see what happened. "There's no signal! Darren! Darren?"
Brooke tried to run, but something yanked her upward into the night. Her scream echoed through the darkness, unanswered.
I welcome reviews. Let me know which characters or crossovers you'd love to see in future chapters. Your suggestions might help shape where the story goes next!
Cover poster for the book.
My Oc Aubrielle Blackwood
her dog Winston.