Chapter 1: The First

Part1

One day after Stefan has joined Klaus.

Damon was lying in his bed, his eyes closed, when a shadow came over him. Soft lips touched his and he opened his eyes, staring at the brown ones of the woman he had loved for many years. He knew it was her; the other girl wouldn't be so playful, especially not now her boyfriend was gone.

"Get off" Damon said, not in the least impressed by her lack of clothing. She held her head diagonally and put a teasing smile on her face. "Damon, Damon, Damon, you should know better than to say no to me. You know how … vicious I get when I don't get what I want" She played her fingers around the buttons of his shirt he never took off the night before.

Damon grabbed her fingers and nearly squeezed them. "I said, get off, Katherine. I don't-" He didn't get to finish his sentence, because Katherine firmly pressed her lips on his. "You were saying?" she asked, still with that teasing smile. Damon smiled as well. "You might want to leave" "Why?" she asked with a giggle. Suddenly she felt her skin boiling and burning.

"Aaaaaaaaaah!" she screamed. She jumped right in the corner, seeking the shadow. She looked up, her face a mask of fear. Damon was now sitting up, with a satisfied smile on his face, and at the window…

"Because the sun's coming up" Elena answered Katherine's question.

"Bitch!" Katherine snapped.

"Pleasure's all mine" Elena said without any trace of a smile. She turned to Damon. "Are you getting up? We won't find Stefan while we're sleeping" Damon raised his eyebrows. "Yes, ma'am"

Elena sighed. "Damon. I can't do this alone, I need your help" She looked at Katherine. "And yours" she added. Now Katherine raised her eyebrows. "One little tip, sweetie. If you want vampires to help you, you better not expose them to the sunlight" "I'm sorry, I'm just nervous. You two are playing with each other, while Stefan is missing" Elena explained herself.

Damon, who saw she needed some comforting, raced out of bed and put his strong arms around her. "Don't worry, we'll find him. We'll find him and we'll save him" he whispered in her ear. "I promise" He ignored the soft voice inside of him, praying they wouldn't succeed in their purpose.

Elena, who knew how Damon felt about her, gently pushed him away. "I know you'll do everything that's in your power to get him back" she said with a sharp look in her eyes, as if she could read his mind. Damon nodded.

A cough brought both back to earth. "Yeah, I don't want to ruin this cute, intimate moment, but I'd rather not stay here all day" Katherine said grumpy. "So, if one of you could shut the sun out, that would be real nice"

Elena, who was closest to the window, closed the curtains.

Part 2

A few hours earlier

Klaus and Stefan were sitting at a table with a group of voluptuous clothed women all with the same hungry gleam in their eyes, staring at the young girl sitting in the center of Klaus and Stefan.

She kept her eyes on the table, her heart beating painfully. She should've gone straight home after school, but her boyfriend had asked her to come to this place. There had been something odd about him, like he wasn't himself. Like he was under hypnosis.

And now she was sitting here with these people, who had come sit by her uninvited. First just the men, but one by one the women joined them, as if it was a planned meeting, as if they had been waiting for her. Well, she was here. Her boyfriend, however, was nowhere to be found.

She could use his help right now. If she could just put her hand in her pocket and get out her cell phone. She let her hand glide off the table, but before she could get it into her pocket one of the two men grabbed it and forced her to look up, with a terrified face.

"Please" she begged, tears in her eyes. "Let me go" "What are you up to?" Klaus asked. The girl recognized a British accent. "What do you have in there?" Klaus asked while turning out the girl's pocket, conjuring the cell phone.

He widened his eyes and waved with it. "Were you planning on calling your mommie?" The girl shook her head heavily. "Yes, you were" Klaus said, so soft it was almost a whisper. "And you're going to" He looked the girl sharp in the eye. "You're going to call your mother and you're going to say you got attacked by an animal, but you're okay and you will be staying with your boyfriend"

"Why would I say that?" the girl asked with a trembling voice. "Because it's the truth and because I say so" Klaus answered. He gave her the cell phone and she dialed her home number. She heard a click and then her mother's voice.

"Mom? It's me, Amber. I got attacked by an animal, but I'm okay. I'll be staying with Derek" She heard her mom protesting, but she closed her cell phone. "Good girl" Klaus said. He looked up at Stefan.

"Stefan, where are your manners? You haven't offered Amber a drink yet" "I am so sorry" Stefan said and he brought his arm to his mouth. Ambers eyes bulged when she saw how Stefan's face mutated, how he opened his mouth, showed four large canines, and let them sink into his flesh, blood streaming over his arm.

He grabbed Amber by her hair and forced his bleeding arm on her lips. Amber had no choice but to drink. Stefan pulled his arm back and showed his canines again. "My turn" he said. Amber, who knew that whatever was coming wasn't anything good, begged him to let her go.

"Please, don't hurt me. I just want to go home. Please" she cried. Stefan's face went back normal and his canines grew back to human size. He hesitated, something Amber noticed. Klaus grabbed Amber by her arm and threw her on the ground. She scribbled up and ran outside the door.

"You let her escape!" one of the other women yelled with a high pitched voice.

"Off course not" Klaus slowly said. "There's no fun if the food walks into your arms so easy" He turned to Stefan. "I'd go get her, if I were you. I could easily sent some werewolf to your brother, getting him to bite him...again. I won't be so generous of giving my blood a second time"

Stefan got up and raced out of the door.

Amber ran for her life, having no idea where she was heading to. All she knew was that anywhere was better than the place she had just left. She reached a high fence. She turned around, to make sure she hadn't been followed.

No one was there. She turned back around and started climbing the fence. When she had her feet back on the ground she felt the air breezing in her neck. Her heart pounded in her chest, she swallowed to remove the crop in her throat. She dared not to turn around, because she knew it wasn't just air.

She felt how a cold hand lay her hair over her shoulder, slowly and gently. She squeezed her eyes, tears rolling over her face and hooked her fingers in the holes of the fence. "I'm sorry" she thought she heard him whisper, before she felt a sharp, inflaming pain in her neck. She tried not to make a sound, but something in her took over and screamed the lungs out of her body.

Part 3

Present Day

Jeremy was brushing his teeth when he saw Anna's reflection in the mirror. He should have startled, but he just spit out the toothpaste and washed his mouth. "When I turn around you'll be gone, won't you?" he said. He saw Anna shrugging her shoulders.

"You'll never know if you don't try" she said. Jeremy turned around and to his surprise Anna was still standing by the window-ledge. "How is this possible?" Jeremy asked. "How can you be standing there while I know you're dead? I saw how they took you. And Damon said they killed you"

Anna looked down. "Damon was speaking the truth, I got killed, I am dead" she answered. "Then why are you standing there, talking to me like a living person?" Jeremy continued asking. Anna lifted her hands. "I haven't figured that out yet. I must have some unfinished business. I was hoping you could help me find out what that is"

"We all want Jeremy's help" a female and familiar voice said. Jeremy rotated his head to the closet to see Vicky, leaning comfortably onto the closet's door. "Hi, Jer, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Jeremy stared at her, not knowing what to say.

"I get why you're so…overwhelmed by our presence. But Anna's right, we have some…unfinished business to solve. The only difference is that I at least know what the…unfinished business in my case is" Vicky explained.

Jeremy pulled a 'you're nuts' face. "And that is?" "Let's see, who attacked me multiple times, snapped my neck and turned me into a vampire?" "What, you're here to take revenge on Damon?" he slowly asked.

Vicky shrugged. "Who knows?" "Stop the cryptic talk. Whatever the truth is, I can handle it. I was dead, you know. Puts quite a lot in perspective" Jeremy said, getting agitated. He turned back to Anna. "And you? Are you here to take revenge on the person who killed you?"

But instead of answering both girls disappeared. Jeremy looked around, feeling cold wind swirling around him.

"Don't ask" he heard Anna's voice whispering in his ear. "Don't tell" Vicky whispered. "Don't search" Anna softly said. "Don't…fall…asleep" Vicky said, before the swirling wind stopped and everything was quiet and peaceful again. Jeremy held onto the hand basin, trying to keep his balance, while heavily breathing.

Part 4

"So, what's the plan?" Katherine's voice came out of Damon's bedroom. Damon and Elena were outside, leaning against the wall opposite of the door. "The plan is to lock you in here for all eternity" Damon replied.

"You've always had a great sense of humor, Damon" Katherine sarcastically said. "Come on" Damon said to Elena. He walked downstairs, Elena behind him. "Damon, what is the plan?" Elena asked.

Damon opened the door and let Elena go first as he answered. "We're going to your place" he said. Elena blinked. "Why? How is going to my house solving Katherine's problem?"

"We need to have something. Something your witch friend can put a spell on to protect Katherine from the sun" Damon explained. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but I don't really have woman friendly stuff in my house" Elena nodded. That made sense.

"Wait! I have to give something that belongs to me to her?" Elena now realized upset. Damon shrugged his shoulders. "Only temporarily. Once we get Stefan back and we're all safe and happy you get back whatever you'll give and then she can burn like a barbecue steak for all I care" he said with a smirk.

"Well, I guess I can miss something. I'll see" Elena reluctantly gave in. "Get in the car" Damon said waving at the car.

A few minutes later Elena opened the door of her house, running into Jeremy. She waved at her brother, but he was looking behind her. "Damon! I can see you!" he said shocked.

Damon frowned his eyebrows. "Yeah, good for you" he slowly said with an expression that looked as if he seriously questioned Jeremy's mental well being. "But you're dead!" Jeremy continued. "Thanks for rubbing it in, pal!" Damon said.

Elena made a few steps towards her brother. "Jeremy, are you okay? You haven't been taking any drugs, have you? Let me see your eyes" she commanded, sounding worried.

"Maybe he's on blood now" Damon suggested. Elena abruptly turned around. "You're not helping, so stay out of it" She turned back to her brother. "What's going on?" she asked, accenting every word.

"I don't know" Jeremy said, helplessly lifting his hands. "I don't know what's wrong. I'm probably just hallucinating. Maybe I just need to get some rest. Yes, that's what I should do"

"But…" Elena started to protest, but Jeremy already ran upstairs. She looked at Damon. "What the hell was that all about?" Damon lifted his hands. "I don't know, I'm just…staying out of it"

Part 5

The sun fell on Amber's face and she woke up by the heat of it. She rubbed her eyes, trying to orientate, as she saw a man sitting next to her. He looked familiar. As she tried to recall she felt an insistent pain in her neck. She lay her hand on it, to see what it was.

"I bit you, that's why you're in pain" Stefan explained. Amber looked at him. "Who are you?" she asked, crawling backwards. Stefan reached out his hand. "I'm here to help you" he said softly.

Amber shook her head. "No, stay away from me!" she said terrified. Stefan didn't move an inch. "You need help. You're in transition, it's not a nice feeling if you don't feed anytime soon. I bet you're starving" he said.

Amber shook her head heavily as her stomach rattled. "I'm going home" she said with a breaking voice. "Leave me alone!" She scribbled up and staggered away from Stefan.

Part 6

Damon was lying on Elena's bed as Elena was going through her jewelry, looking for some bracelet or necklace she didn't like anyway. "I think your wiccan friend might be an issue" Damon said.

"How's that?" Elena asked distracted without turning around. "Well, she and I are not the best friends, you know. I doubt she'll invite me in, in her magical little house" Damon replied.

"So?" Elena shrugged. "You can wait outside, we don't need you to do the spell" Damon frowned his eyes angry. "Well, then I suppose I can go back home, so I can play with Katherine, like you said so expressing this morning" he said grumpy.

Now Elena turned around so quickly her neck cracked. She ignored the pain and shot Damon a furious look. She grabbed a necklace and walked to Damon. "She can have this one" she waved with the necklace, trying to sound normal. "I tried it on and it doesn't suit me. So, if it doesn't look good on me, it won't look good on her, either"

Damon got up and walked towards Elena until he was just an inch away. He took her hands and looked her in the eyes. "I don't believe that for a second, Elena" he said softly. "I think you can make the most worn diamond look brand new"

A tensing silence filled the room as they stared in each other's eyes until Elena averted her head. "We have to go" she said, swallowing. She left her room, walking downstairs.

Damon waited a few seconds, thinking in himself. He had to keep himself together. It was not going to happen. She loved Stefan, period.

"Damon? Are you coming?" Elena shouted from down the stairs. "Yeah!" Damon shouted back. "I'm there" He left the room and ran downstairs to find Elena waiting for him.

"What were you still doing there?" Elena asked slowly. "Just… thinking" Damon said honest. Elena nodded. "Okay" She opened the front door, walking to the car. As she and Damon got in the car and he started the engines she lay her hand on his.

"Damon" she sighed. "We need to talk. About what happened last night" Damon looked down at the steering wheel before he looked at Elena. "I know what you're going to say" he started.

"You thought I was going to die. You thought you would never see me again. And though you love Stefan you do care about me and you felt the need to let me die with a happy feeling. It was a sweet kiss, and I will cherish it, but it was nothing but a moment of compassion"

Elena blinked and shook her head confused. "What, I-" "Elena" Damon said as he caressed her hair behind her ear. "It's okay. I understand. I don't want you to love me against your will" He looked back eyes front and pushed the accelerator pedal.

Part 7

A woman with brown curly hair was cleaning the lunch table while looking at the clock on the wall every five seconds. Her husband was gone working. She still couldn't believe it. How could he be so calm?

"Don't worry, Rachel, she's with Derek. She called you, that means she's learning to be responsible"

Responsible, my ass, Rachel thought. Responsible would be coming home after school instead of hanging around with that boyfriend of hers. And could she really trust him? After all he was a seventeen year old guy who probably did his thinking with his dick instead of his head.

As she was caught up in her concern, the front door opened but no one came in the kitchen. Rachel frowned and put down the cloth she had just used to clean the sink. She walked to the kitchen door and wanted to open it when the latch was pushed down and Amber pushed the door open.

She looked completely wrecked. There was blood on her neck, her face was patchy from the tears she cried, her clothes were dirty and ripped and her hair was a mess. Rachel gasped and covered her mouth before throwing an arm around her daughter.

"Oh my God" she said heavily breathing. "Who has done this to you?" she moaned while Amber was crying again. She took Amber's face in her hands and repeated her question looking her sharp in the eye.

Amber shook her head. "I… I don't know. I didn't see" she sobbed, avoiding to look in her mother's eyes. "Sweetie, I know you're scared" Rachel said serious and comforting. "But you have to go to the police. You have to report this. Even if you don't know who it was"

"No, I can't go to the cops. He'll find me and he'll kill me. The police can't stop him, he'll kill them, too. Don't get anyone else involved in this, okay?" Amber pleaded. "Please, mom" she begged when her mom didn't answer.

"Amber, you were assaulted. You can't just let this guy get away with it" Rachel protested. Now Amber would hate her, but she knew that someday she would thank her.

However, the hating part came out now. Amber pushed her mother so hard she fell down a few yards further. She just missed the wall. Rachel looked up with a surprised look in her eyes. What the heck?, she thought.

Amber walked towards her in a high speeded race, grabbed Rachel by her neck and lifted her up. "Now we're going to make a deal. You shut up about this whole thing and I don't rip your head off, because I'm really trying to control myself"

Rachel gave a little nod; that's all she could since Amber was squeezing her throat. Amber let go of her and she fell hard on the ground, looking up frightened. "So" Amber said. "What's there to eat?"

Part 8

Damon and Elena were standing in front of Bonnie's house, waiting for Bonnie to open up. Elena looked from the door to Damon, seeming to be uncomfortable.

"Maybe you should let me do the talking" she suggested. "Like you said, you and Bonnie are not the best friends" Damon pursed his lips. "Suuuure, all you want" he said with a smirk and a wink.

The door went open and Bonnie looked at them. "Hi, Elena" she said and hugged her friend. She looked at Damon as if he was dirt. "Sorry, but I'm not going to hug you" "But that would've been the highlight of my day!" Damon said sarcastic, which gained him an angry eyeshot from Elena.

"Don't play games with me, Damon" Bonnie said. "Say what you want and get the hell out of here" Elena made a step forward. "We need your help" she showed her the necklace. "We need you to put a spell on this, so it can protect people from the sun"

Bonnie's face stiffened. "By people you mean vampires, I assume" she said with a cold voice that didn't suit her, but that usually was reserved for Damon. "Well, yeah" Elena said reluctantly.

Bonnie shook her head. "I can't believe you're asking me this, Elena. I'm going against all of my believes if I do this. Last time I helped them I almost lost Jeremy! I won't go through that again!" she said upset.

She turned to Damon. "This is your idea, isn't it? Of course it is. Only you can come up with something that tactless. You really have no shame-whoah" Bonnie lost her balance and Damon caught her by her shoulders, pushing her back on her feet.

"Bonnie, are you okay?" Elena asked concerned. She nodded. "Damon, let's go" Elena said softly. "She's right. We were wrong to ask her" She and Damon turned around and walked away.

"Wait!" they heard a few seconds later. They turned around again, waiting for Bonnie to catch up with them. "Who do you want to protect?" she asked serious.

"It's not that I want it" Elena started. "But we have to protect Katherine. We need her to find Stefan back. She knows Klaus better than Damon and I"

"How do you know she's not playing tricks with you? Maybe she will lead you right in his arms" Bonnie said.

"I survived him once. Facing him again is a risk I'll have to take" Elena answered.

"And what if Katherine is planning on killing you? Offering you to Klaus to get Stefan back?" Bonnie continued.

"That's a possibility, but I know Damon won't let that happen" Elena said.

"Why, because he's in love with you?" Bonnie asked sarcastic.

Elena looked at Damon and he looked back right in her eyes. "That's only one reason" she softly said.

Part 9

Katherine was lying lazy on the bed, looking bored at the ceiling. She would kill Klaus for taking her bracelet. Correction, she would let Damon kill him. She was really strong, but yet no match for the Originals.

Not that Damon was, but if she had to choose, she believed her afterlife to be more worthy than Damon's. "Geez, hurry up" she mumbled frustrated. Being locked up in this room was getting on her nerves.

There was nothing interesting in here and you could only examine Damon's rubbish so many times. After a while it was not fun anymore. The door went open and Katherine got up. Finally, she thought.

Damon and Elena walked in, looking both bedraggled, which made Katherine immediately suspicious. "What have you two been doing?" she asked slowly. Damon and Elena shared a look.

"It's not what you think" Damon said, with a nearly unnoticed undertone of disappointment. "The car broke down and it's storming outside, but I bet you've heard the rain" he explained. "And you ran through the rain?" Katherine asked contemptuously.

"Something like that" Damon replied mischievous.

Right after Bonnie had cast the spell the sky had split open and it started raining. Bonnie had suggested to let Elena shelter in her house; Damon would have to go home alone and Bonnie would give Elena a ride to her house.

Damon had walked away already, because he believed Elena would accept Bonnie's offer. But when he tried to start the car he saw Elena in front of the car. He let the window down. "Do you have a death wish or something? Get out of the way!" he yelled.

Elena walked to the passenger's side and got in. "I'm coming with you" she said. "Really?" Damon asked suspicious. "Damon, I ran through the rain. I'm soaked. Don't go question my honesty now" Elena said.

"Okay, I just… I assumed you'd stay with your friend" Damon said, still surprised. "You assumed wrong" Elena said calm. Damon focused on the car again, with no success. "I can't get him started" he said annoyed.

"Yeah" Elena said pointing at the gas meter. "You forgot to gas" Damon looked and groaned. "God, talking about cliché. Okay, we've got two options. We stay here until it stops raining, which could take hours. Or we run"

Elena stared at the rain. She knew what she wanted, but that didn't make it the best option. She sighed and looked at Damon. "We can't let Katherine wait any longer than she has to"

Damon nodded and took the car key before getting out. He opened Elena's door and helped her out. He threw her arm around his shoulder and lifted her in his arms. "Ready? Hold on, here we go" And they raced away.

"Here's the necklace" Damon said and he threw the necklace to Katherine. She caught it. "You're not going to tell me what happened, are you?" she said.

Damon and Elena shared another look. "Nope" Damon said.

Part 10

Night came in and Amber's mood had not gotten any better. She was in her room, throwing all her stuff around. She was angry. No, she was starving. The crap she had found in the fridge couldn't be called food.

She heard a key; it sounded like it happened right next to her. She heard footsteps and her father saying "I'm home!" She heard him walk to the kitchen and opening the fridge. As he got himself a beer he saw Rachel sitting on the couch.

He walked towards her and sank down to her. That's when he saw the bruisers on her cheek. "What happened? Who did this? Where's Amber?" he asked insisting. Rachel looked up with a weird gleam in her eyes. She smiled silly. "Really stupid" she said. "I ran into a glass door, when I was doing grocery's"

"Where's Amber? Did she come home?" he repeated. Rachel nodded. He got up with the intention to go to his daughter's room. Amber looked around, agitated. She had to get out. She couldn't risk hurting her dad as well. It was bad enough to hurt her mom.

She turned to the window, realizing no other option was left. Just when she wanted to put her plan into action she felt a firm grip on her arm. She turned around and looked in Stefan's face.

"You" she groaned and wanted to scratch him. He avoided her sharp nails. "If you want to escape, we might as well escape together" Stefan said, being his calm self.

"You just want to deliver me to that other guy" Amber said scared. "Listen to me" Stefan said. "I want to help you" But Amber bit his arm with her fangs and jumped out of the window.

She landed on her feet and ran instinctive to the shag next to the house. She turned around, to see where Stefan was, but he wasn't there. Backwards she shuffled the shag in. She kept walking backwards, keeping her eyes focused on the door, until her back hit something.

She turned around slowly and when she saw what she had bumped into, it felt like someone had driven a stake through her heart; though she had no idea how that felt, but she imagined it would be something like that.

She wanted to scream, but a hand covered her mouth. "Don't make a sound" Stefan said accenting every word. He removed his hand and jumped up, untied the rope and dropped the body that was hanging there.

Amber bent down on her knees and sobbed. "Derek. What happened to him? Why did he do this?" "Oh, haven't you heard?" Stefan said cheerful. "He was having a depression. Both his parents murdered by some beast that had sucked them dry. Having nightmares. He just couldn't take it anymore. He wrote a goodbye letter. You want to read it?"

Amber looked up, feeling like she had to vomit. "He talked to me yesterday!" she cried. "He asked me to come…" she paused, because suddenly she understood everything. There had been something odd about him, like he wasn't himself. Like he was under hypnosis.

"You did something to him" she said slowly. "You've put him under a spell or hypnosis to make him do everything you ask. Like that other guy did. He did something with my mind, making me call my mom" she looked back at Stefan, fear being replaced by grudge.

"You killed him! You've murdered my boyfriend!" She tried to punch him and kick him, but Stefan speeded away, reappearing at Derek's head. He lifted the body with one hand. "Don't you want a bite?" he teased Amber.

Amber adverted her head. "I'm not feeding on my boyfriend" She heard a crack and turned around. Stefan had bitten Derek's neck. Though first upset the blood streaming over Derek's neck wakened a new and strange longing inside of her.

"Just try it" Stefan tempted her. He held the body in front of her and she took the head in her hand, sucking the blood. Stefan grinned as she seemed to enjoy it. Amber grabbed the head with more force and drove her fangs into the flesh, more blood spilling on the ground.

Soundtrack

Pink: Mean (1x01, Katherine crawling up on Damon)

30 seconds to mars: One night of the hunter (1x02, Stefan chasing Amber)

Sara Bareilles: Alone (1x03 Anna and Vicky visiting Jeremy)

Kate Voegele: Better days (1x04, Jeremy acting strange)

Avril Lavigne: Tomorrow (1x05, Stefan reaching out to Amber)

Howie Day: Oxygen (1x06, Damon and Elena talk in the car)

Avril Lavigne: Take me away (1x07, Amber attacking Rachel)

Evanescene: Thoughtless (1x08, Bonnie refusing to help Elena and Damon)

The Fray: Unsaid (1x109, Elena and Damon in the rain after their visit to Bonnie)

Rihanna: Disturbia (1x10, Amber in transition)