Moving to Beacon Hills was supposed to be a fresh start for the Argent's. Well, at least until Chris took care of the rogue alpha he soon found out was terrorizing the poor town. Though what the hunter hadn't counted on was his daughter- his daughter Allison who he had yet brought into the hunting business- befriending a newly bitten beta werewolf, his spastic best friend, and finding out that his own sister went against the hunter code and burned a house down with an innocent family of humans and werewolves inside.

Living in Beacon Hills then turned out to be the worst thing possible seeing as the family that Kate Argent murdered, the Hale family, had actually been quite loved in the town. And when the events of the Hale fire came to light along with the identities of the arsonists, everyone took pleasure in making the other Argent lives hell since Kate met her demise in the form of the rogue alpha who just so happened to be a Hale that had escaped from the house fire.

So when young Allison was forced to deal with such hateful teenagers who made their fun by slandering the Argent name, Chris and Victoria decided another move to a completely friendlier town was what their daughter needed.

They packed up their bags, sold the house and moved from the west coast all the way to the east coast.

Yes, Virginia would be their fresh start.

Mystic Falls was the perfect hiya, neighbor! sort of town. It was the sort of town that Chris, Victoria and Allison could find themselves blending in in.

It's the beginning of summer before Allison starts her Junior Year at Mystic Falls High.

The house the Argent's managed to snag is one that's secluded not too far into the woods, but far back enough with enough privacy so Allison can continue to train in her own backyard without suspicious gazes watching her. Now that she knows just what's out there in world, she rather not be weak and defenseless.

Allison gets taught hand-to-hand by her Dad, as well as learning to handle Chinese ring daggers. Training with her bow is the most fun part of training, as well as finding a route to run along their property line.

She's so focused on her training and absorbing all the information her Dad passes on that she's never truly ventured out into the town to make friends. But all that changes a month and a half into her daily routine.

xXx

Having just come back from her run, earbuds jammed in her ears and sweating up a storm, Allison's quite confused as to why her mother is waiting at the top of their back porch for her with narrowed eyes. Arms crossed over her chest, the redheaded woman with hair cropped short stands with her hip cocked and one foot tapping impatiently. Her mouth moves, but since music is pounding in Allison's ears, the teenager has to yank out a bud and smile apologetically at her mother.

"I'm sorry. What was that?"

Victoria sighs and rolls her eyes. "Honestly, Allison, you should be more aware of your surroundings."

And having grew up with Victoria's harsh and strict personality, Allison lets the words slide right over her. "Sorry, Mom."

She huffs, but lets it go. "As I was saying, I need you to drive into town and pick up dinner from Mystic Grill. I've already called in the order, but your father's busy on the phone and I'm sorting the bills out."

"Yeah, sure. Just let me put go put a shirt on." Gesturing down to her sport's bra clad upper torso, Allison smiles sheepishly when her mother nods to show her understanding.

"Hurry. The money's on the table by the front door."

Allison jogs up the back steps of the porch, following her Mom inside until she can rush around her and then through the house, finally rushing up the stairs to the second level of their home where her room resides. She makes quick work of wetting a wash cloth to rid herself of as much sweat as she can, releases her hair from it's ponytail to brush out quickly before it's thrown back up into a more suitable ponytail and then fishes out a graphic tank top with the logo for Beacon Hills High to pair with her leggings.

Once downstairs again, she finds the money her mother had said was on the table beside the front door and her car keys in the dish bowl beside where the money had been. Making her way outside, Allison then hurries to her black Mazda Six and hops on in, firing up the engine and driving carefully along the gravel driveway all the way towards the main road.

She passes up the only other house that's a whole football field away from hers- a beautiful Boarding House that's mainly just used as a personal house nowadays and not for out-of-towners- that's a little less secluded than her own home. The woods soon give way to the town Allison's only seen once- and that was when they first moved to said town- and she easily finds her way to Mystic Grill since it was the only place that the people really hung out at. Or at least, that's what she's heard from her parents.

She easily finds a parking spot and cuts the engine, checking one last time to make sure her hair isn't too crazy. She gathers up her necessities and as soon as she's standing outside of her car, Allison slides her phone into the waistband of her leggings and hooks her keys on her finger while holding tight to the money.

Entering Mystic Grill, Allison's stunned by the humble and laid back vibe the establishment has going for itself. The entire place is dimly lit, the outside sun rays giving more than enough light so it's not completely dark inside, and is decently packed with patrons. She allows her gaze to wander over the bar, tables and booths, wondering where it is she's supposed to ask for her order when someone greets her.

"Uh, hi. Looking for someone?" a friendly guy asks. Short cropped blonde hair and blue eyes, the guy standing before her is the ultimate definition of an All American Boy.

"No," Allison smiles kindly and chuckles nervously. "I'm actually wondering where I'm supposed to go to pick up a food order that's been called in?"

"Oh," he chuckles. "Uh, yeah. Just follow me to the bar," he tells her. Allison sighs in relief, finally seeing the small waist apron tied around his waist and thanks him for the help. He smiles over his shoulder, introduces himself as Matt and makes his way behind the bar after motioning for her to take a seat on one of the stools. "Whose name is the order under?"

"Not sure. Could be Victoria or Argent," she shrugs. "My mom called it in."

"Got it." Matt disappears into the back and Allison drums her fingers along the bar top while she waits for him. And then, "So, it'll be about another five minutes. Sorry."

Smiling a dimpled grin, Allison nods. "That's fine."

As she settles down, Matt eyes her curiously. "You new around here? I haven't seen you before."

"Yeah. Well, we've been here for a month or so. I just didn't leave the house," she tells him. "My parents and I moved into that house over on Ruttlidge Road."

Brow furrowing for a moment, Matt's eyes then widen in surprise. "Yeah! Over by the Salvatore Boarding House, right? Man, that house has been empty for years."

"I guess so," she chuckles. "I don't really know anyone here."

Matt hums, smiling friendly and waving her off. "Don't worry. When the welcoming committee realizes there's someone our age and new in town, you'll have the gossip on everyone."

"Welcoming committee?" She frowns. "And our age? You don't seem like you're in High School."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." He's back to laughing and wiping down the bar, and Allison finds herself chuckling with ease. His gaze soon darts over her shoulder and his grin widens. "Speak of the devils and they shall appear." Before Allison can ask what he's talking about, Matt's soon waving someone over. She looks to see who he's calling over and finds three girls waving back and headed in their direction. "Ladies," Matt greets them once they're in hearing distance, "I want you to meet Allison. Allison, this is Elena, Bonnie and Caroline. They're the gossips I was telling you about."

The blonde gasps in mock outrage, her two companions laughing, but Allison's mind is on something else. She always wondered when she'd meet a Caroline, the name sticking out to her since that particular name was part of her soulmate's words to her. Very little in Allison's life has been coincidence, so she wonders if this is the place she'll finally meet her other half.

"Hi," the brunette girl- Elena- smiles at her. "It's nice to see a new face around here. You just move in?"

"Uh, yeah," Allison quickly snaps out of her daze. "Over on Ruttlidge Road. Matt said something about it being close to a Boarding House?"

The brunette perks up, eyes sparkling. "Oh, yeah! My soulmate owns the Boarding House. Well, he and his brother, but yeah. I know the place you're talking about."

The girls make small talk as Matt goes to retrieve Allison's food, she then apologizing to the three girls about having to hurry and get back home. Seeing as everyone seemed on the same page, the three girls then extend an invite to hang out over the weekend if Allison's not too busy. And surprisingly, Allison accepts.

Allison falls in with Elena, Bonnie and Caroline as if she was meant to be there from the very beginning. Chris and Victoria are pleased to see their daughter make normal friends- even more so pleased when the three girls don't even bat an eye at their back yard that's half-filled with dummies Allison likes to beat the crap out of. Hell, the three girls even find themselves joining in on Allison's daily run around the property line, and when Chris and Victoria become the slightest bit suspicious- because lets face it, those three didn't look like the types to work out- all three of them shrug and answer that they're cheerleaders who like to stay fit.

Chris lets it be known about Allison's gymnastics background and then Allison's left to fend off Caroline's plea to join the squad.

"So where is the soulmate?" Allison had asked Elena one night, spending the night at Caroline's for a sleepover.

"On a road trip with his brother," Elena had told her. "They were.. not exactly on good terms, but they're trying to get that brotherly bond back so they left for a bit to travel."

Elena left it that and Allison let the conversation slip away.

Another day, after their run, the girls return to Allison's house to find Chris and Victoria gone. They have a snack in the kitchen and it's Bonnie who has a question for Allison now.

"So I saw that some of the trees outside have targets stapled to them. Who shoots?"

Allison takes a sip of her water, three gazes suddenly locked on her. Capping her drink then, Allison answers. "My Dad and I mostly. He's a gun man and I'm.. well, I prefer my bow."

No one believes that Allison actually handles a weapon, so after shooing everyone outside Allison makes a beeline for the garage to retrieve her bow and a quiver of arrows. She soon takes her stance in the middle of the back yard, grinning at her friends before cataloging every tree that holds a target. Then one by one, with accurate aim and great speed, Allison sinks an arrow into each target- hitting the bulls eye every time.

"Oh, wow," Caroline breathes in awe. "You really know what you're doing."

"Yeah," Allison breathes happily. "Archery's always been a hobby of mine, but I started taking things more seriously about a year back. Had to, actually," she says before thinking.

"Had to?" Bonnie wonders. "You do archery competitions or something?"

"Or something," she murmurs. Then closing her eyes and groaning, Allison lets her head fall back with another groan before straightening up and facing her friends. "The last place we moved from.. I- there were some animal attacks around town and I usually found myself in the middle of it all. I felt safer knowing I could shoot my bow properly should I need the protection."

The three girls pale and for once Allison wonders what they know. During their friendship, the girls had been quite open with her, but there was something they were obviously hiding. Allison never pushed when the girls realized they said something they weren't supposed to and let it go because she knew what it was like to keep secrets.

"A-animal attacks?" Elena stammers.

"Yeah."

"Funny," Caroline scoffs. "We have animal attacks here, too."

Allison's gaze then darts to Caroline who's not really paying attention, and she doesn't miss the way Elena and Bonnie's eyes widen at their blonde friend's words. Bonnie's gaze darts to Allison then, as does Elena's, and then Allison's staring suspiciously at her new friends. "What aren't you telling me?"

"What aren't you telling us?" Bonnie fires back, shifting from foot to foot nervously.

A brief silence lingers as Allison weighs her options and then shrugs. These girls obviously knew something and if they dealt with what she thinks they dealt with, well then it's not really news to them and she can't get in trouble since they already know. So pursing her lips, Allison releases some tension that was gathering on her shoulders. "Our animal attacks weren't your average animal attacks."

Caroline finally tenses as she realizes what's being said, her attention snapping towards Allison. "You have a vampire problem, too?!"

"Caroline!" both Elena and Bonnie whirl on the blonde, said blonde shrinking back at their raised voices.

"Vampire?" Allison's brow furrows. "Uh, no." Elena and Bonnie tense, and Allison just tells them. "We had a rogue alpha werewolf terrorizing the town and killing people."

And that- that really wasn't what anyone was expecting to hear.

Silence lingers briefly and then secrets start pouring out.

Allison confesses she and her Dad are hunters- werewolves being their targets, but only the werewolves that killed innocent human beings. She tells them of a werewolf friend back in Beacon Hills and that seemed to soothe Elena, Caroline and Bonnie. And when Bonnie confesses she's a witch, Allison understands their cautiousness.

"You really have nothing to fear," Allison tells her. "Your secret's safe with me and my Dad won't find out unless it's a life or death situation."

"Thank you."

Then Elena's confessing that her soulmate Damon is a vampire, as well as his brother Stefan, but they actually help keep the town safe. Allison just bobs her head, telling her the same thing she told Bonnie. However, if her Dad figured out that something fishy was going on with this town, there was a good chance that he'd be getting involved.

Elena understood and with the air now cleared out between them, things seemed.. simpler.

"You're really good with weird," Elena smiles kindly.

"Yeah, well, when your aunt is a secret mass murderer and a werewolf kills her to avenge his innocent family.. weird is easy." Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie are gaping, and Allison laughs. "Pick a night, plan a sleepover and I'll fill you in on what went down in Beacon Hills."

School is just around the corner and the town's getting ready for a back-to-school type of party. And since Caroline's on nearly every committee known to the town, Allison gets roped into helping decorate town square.

Showing up a little late- she wanted to buy the girls a drink since they were going to be under the sun- Allison drops her bag on the ground and offers up a tray of iced coffees. "What has you all smiles?"

Elena looks up from where she's painting a poster, sighing in relief when she spots the drinks and reaches for one. "Damon's coming home," she answers. "He and Stefan should be here a little later. You'll finally be able to meet them."

"Nice," Allison smiles. "Do they- do they know about me?"

Elena nods, sipping her drink. "Yeah. I told them you're a hunter, but that you follow a family code and everything. I also told them that you know about them, but you're okay with them as long as no humans are hurt. They're okay with it."

"Good. Well, uh, let me drop off Caroline and Bonnie's drink, and I'll come back to start painting another poster."

xXx

The girls have made it through finishing three posters, numerous tables having been set up and draped in cloths, and eaten lunch that Chris took them all for doing good in the community when Allison makes a break for it with Elena in tow.

They make it to the steps of the white gazebo, crouching down and laughing when Bonnie can be seen huffing and puffing at being left alone to deal with Caroline.

"She's gonna kill us when she finds us," Elena laughs.

"Us? Pft," Allison scoffs. "She can't take me. If push comes to shove, I'll protect you."

"Glad to hear it," a voice mutters right beside both their ears since they were crouched together.

Allison and Elena yelp, both twirling and falling over only for Elena to squeal and jump to her feet. "Damon!"

Allison watches the brief reunion of soulmates, she smiling happily for her friend. She's seen numerous pictures of Damon and a few of Stefan, and Allison had to hand it to the Salvatore brothers. Both of them were really good looking. And when the duo get a little more enthusiastic about reuniting, she politely averts her gaze long enough for them to get their PDA out of their systems.

"So," Damon drawls eventually and Allison turns her attention to him. "Elena's told me some about you," he smirks. "Glad there's another one of us who's in the know, but I gotta admit I'm not too thrilled about the family of hunters."

"Yeah, well," Allison shrugs one shoulder. "I could say the same about you."

"Touché."

Allison laughs then, as well as Elena before she's asking where Stefan is.

"Ah. Baby bro got roped in by Caroline. She started barking orders, so I just waltzed away."

"Of course, you did," Elena sighs.

Elena and Damon banter back and forth- Damon standing with his arm draped over her shoulders and Elena's arm draped behind his waist- and Allison watches them in fascination. From her peripheral vision, she sees someone