Stefan's POV

Damon has gotten more unstable by the day. Elena and I have done all we can but he doesn't want destroyedwhatever was good in him when she died and Elena only makes it worse.

I've almost given up hope on him. All he does is drink and mope around with Katherine's picture in his hand.

Elena broke through my thoughts when she sat down next to me.

"What's bothering you?" she asked as she layed her head in my lap.

"Damon." I said, staring into her warm brown eyes.

"Oh. Well, let's go eat. Get your mind off him." She jumped up and dragged me behind her.

After we were done we sat next to the lake where we usually came after eating.

'Isn't there something or someone that can get through to Damon?' I thought to myself. That's it!

"Elena, I think I found a solution to our Damon problem." She stared at me, her eyes willing me to go on.

"Remember Katherine?" Which was a stupid question because who could forget her?

"Yes?''Elena's eyes hardened at the mention of her name.

"Well, she had a sister, Nikki. Nikki was nicer than her sister, but was mean when got away the night of the round-up, but she told Damon and me that if we ever needed her to not hesitate to find her. Her and Damon were sweet on each other but Katherine compelled Damon to believe he was in love with her and Nikki couldn't betray her sister."

"Oh, Stefan we have to find her. This may be Damon's last chance." Elena pulled me towards the house.

"I'll have to track her down. She likes this area so she'll be near, but I need you to stay with Damon till I get back. Are you sure you wanna stay here with him?" I really didn't want her to stay here with him, but I had to if I wanted to help my brother.

"Positive. Go on and find her."

" Okay I'll be back soon. With Nikki hopefully. I love you." I kissed her shortly and then I ran off.

Elena's POV

I started back towards the house. It was a three-story house , Victorian style, similar to the Salvatore Boarding House.

I walked in the large, hand-carved door and saw a, for once, sober Damon staring into the fire.

"Damon?" I quietly said his name, knowing he would hear me.

"What?" he said harshly, not turning toward me. I knew it hurt to look at me, so it didn't bother me'

"Stefan left for a while."

"Okay." He drifted away again and I sighed and headed upstairs.

Nikki"s POV

(Somewhere in southern Pennsylvania)

I was wandering through another national park, looking for anyone who stranded off the trail.

When I hunted, I always thought of Damon. Damon Salvatore. The name brought a calming but exciting feeling at the same time. I had loved him in 1864, and still do, but my sister has claimed as her own, and I can't betray her. (A/N: Nikki doesn't know Katherine's dead.)

While I was thinking, I didn't notice a tall,dark man with bright green eyes approach me from behind.

"Nikki? Is it really you?" I spun around at the quiet voice I hadn't heard in a very long time.

"Stefan?'' He nodded and I tackled him in a hug. I loved Stefan too, but like a brother. Unlike Katherine, I chose one Salvatore and stuck with him.

When I finally pulled back, Stefan looked deeply into my dark green eyes.

"Nikki, do you know about your sister? And what happend?" A thousand thoughts raced through my head. Had Katherine finally mad up her mind and chosen Damon? Had she taken the one thing I still cared about?

"No, what happend?" I asked, dreading the answer but still needing to know.

"They, they got her. The Founders' Council. Nikki, they killed her. I saw them stake and burn her."

I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. She's gone? Katherine, my selfish, proud, controlling, younger sister is gone? No,no,no. This just another trick of hers. But, Stefan saw them stake her.

I know, I' m suppose to hate her for messing with Damon, and I do, but she is-was-my sister. She was my only connection to my old life.

I finally got my thoughts straight, but all I could say was, "Oh."

"Nikki, are you ok?" Stefan reached out to comfort me, sincere worry in his eyes. Am I ok? Sure, Katherine was my sister, but the sister I knew and loved died a long time ago. The Katherine after she was changed was a whole different person, a stranger.

"Yeah. I'm ok, or I will be. I just need some time. By the way, what were you doing out here?" I looked at him.

" I was actually looking for you. I know your upset about your sister's death, but I need you to come back with me." he almost pleaded.

"Why?"

''It's Damon."

Those were the only words I needed to hear, to make me come running back.

Damon's POV

Stefan's been gone for almost a week now. My brother is only gone this long when it's an emergency or he's running from me. I chuckled to myself.

But Elena's still here, so he's coming back. Stupid love birds.

Just thinking about Elena hurt, because she looked so much like her . No, I won't think about her. It hurts too much.

I grabbed the scotch bottle on the table and started chugging it. My mind became fuzzy and I couldn't see the glass in my hand.

I heard the door slam close, so I knew it wasn't Elena. She never slammed the door. I faced the entrance to the living room where I stood. I expected Stefan to come waltzing through the door ready to lecture me about drinking or some other crap.

Instead, I see a tall, slim body wrapped in tight jeans and a band tee. I looked up to see a perfect face with green eyes boring into me.

Nikki Jade Pierce was back.

Her voice finally reached my ears after what seemed like a decade after I saw her lips move.

"Hello, Damon." She smirked at me.

Then everything went black.

I woke up sometime later, to sunlight beaming onto my face. I sat up and automatically reached for my ring.

"It's still there. What did you think we'd do, let you burn?" An angelic voice said from the corner of the room. And it hit me like a speeding bullet.I don't know what caused it, if it was the way Nikki looked with the sun on her face or if it was the alcohol still in my blood stream.

I hadn't been in love with Katherine at all. Those feelings had been forced on to me. But these feelings came from what's left of my heart.

I was in love with Nikki Pierce.

Only a few seconds had passed between this revalation and I still had to answer Nikki.

"Maybe." That was all I could think of to say to her.

"Of course you would think so, Damon. Are you hungry?" Just as she mentioned it, the scorching feeling in my throat mad itself known.

"Uh, yeah. Really thirsty." I smirked at her. She rolled her eyes and then she was gone. A few minutes later she reappeared in my room again, this time with three blood bags and a glass.

"Here." She set them on the nightstand and flopped down next to me on the watched me silently as I swallowed the bags one by one.

"Nikki,why'd you come back?" I finally asked her.

She laughed, then said, "What? No,how yah been, Nikki?" I just stared at her, waiting for my answer.

"I missed you...and Stefan." She quickly added at the end.

"Really?'' I gave her my famous smirk.

"Really."

Nikki's POV

Damon and I talked for hours, catching up. A question I had been anxious to ask finally came spilling out of my mouth.

"Are you ok? I mean, about my sister's death." I saw pain and sadness flash through his eyes and I felt guilty by bringing it up. But then, when he looked up at my face, pure bliss graced his face.

"I was really bad. I drank all the time. But now I think I'm better." He smiled at me, really smiled.

"How? How did you get better?"

"I finally realized something I should of realized a long time ago. I was never really in love with Katherine. Nikki, I'm in love with you." He stared at me, anxiousness etched on his face, while I tried to bring myself to believe that Damon Salvatore had just said he is in love with me.

He was starting to pull back from me when I grabbed his face and smashed my lips on his full pink ones.

I literally saw the fireworks going off. The kiss was soft and gentle, but full of passion and desire too.

When we finally pulled away for air, I whispered in his ear," I love you too, Damon. Forever."

He hugged me tight and whispered back, "Forever."