Author's Note

I fully admit, formatting might be a bit of a problem with future chapters - I like to show occasional text conversations spread out, but I'd forgotten that this site isn't nearly as fond of them as I am, so it might look a bit wonky this chapter. Please let me know if it's not readable in any way (and if it isn't, man, I might have to move this to AO3, but we shall see!) That said, I'm also taking wild liberties with the general S1 plot, but the main events should hopefully remain the same!

Stefan had sent Damon a text halfway through the school day.

Car broke down. Mind giving me and Tyler a ride home after Model UN? I asked Elena, but she had a cheer competition.

Damon only took one look at the text before he sighed. As much as he loved his brother, Stefan had terrible taste in friends. Mason Lockwood may have made poor life choices most of the time, but Mason had a good heart. Mason's kid nephew Tyler, on the other hand, lacked sound moral judgment. Not like Damon expected anything better from Dickwood's only son.

Stefan saw some diamond in the rough that needed a bit of polish, and for better or worse, the two had remained fast friends. Tyler often defended Stef from bullies, and in exchange, Stefan tutored Tyler in Biology and English. Their friendship had systematically broken just about every high school clique barrier known to mankind. If Damon hadn't witnessed it himself, he would've claimed that it was straight out of some kids' TV show.

sure. i get out at 5, so see you around 5:45?

Sounds good. We'll see you then. :)

Right at 5:45, Damon parked in front of the main entrance of Mystic Falls High and waited for Stefan and Tyler Lockwood to meet him. Not even two minutes later, the boys barreled out the door towards the car. Tyler lacked Mason's height - he was about four inches shorter - but what they didn't share in stature, they shared in facial features. Tyler was growing into that Lockwood jaw, and for a brief second, Damon was reminded of his athletic best friend who didn't give a damn about the world.

Then Tyler gave Damon a casual salute, jolting Damon back to reality. Stefan greeted Damon warmly, with his body leaning slightly forwards as he approached his older brother. "Hey. Sorry, I should've told you I gave Tyler a ride this morning."

"It's cool." Damon shrugged, opening the doors for them. "What happened to your car?"

"I'm... not really sure." Stefan pressed his lips together. "It kind of spontaneously combusted from the inside."

"He saw that new girl make a move on Elena, all lesbian-like," Tyler said with a chuckle, licking his lips as he tossed his backpack inside. "And then bam! The car's engine and tires melted - like, onto the ground - and the parking lot starts to crack, like there's a big earthquake. I figure it was a freak heatwave kind of thing." Noticing Damon's furrowed brow, Tyler added hastily, "No one was hurt, man. Only a melted engine and some Quarterbacks unable to take their cars out of the lot."

Just like when he'd watched Logan mack on Sheena one too many times... except worse, because Logan's car had never melted into the asphalt. Damon cast a wary look towards Stefan. "New girl?"

"Yeah, she was all up in Elena's face." Stefan's face darkened, hunching forward as he pressed his elbows against his knees. "Asking her about the classes they shared, wondering if she was free after school... I know you're supposed to be nice to the new kid, but this girl took it to a new level. Like, almost-asked-her-out kind of level." He gripped his keys tighter, intently staring at them as if they were the most important thing in the world. Damon knew better than to tease Stefan about his mood - even if it didn't suit his (usually) brooding brother.

"She says she's Mrs. Bennett's grandkid," Tyler added after a moment, his glance shifting from Stefan to Damon. "Do you know her? Bonnie Bennett? I haven't seen Ms. Abby for a couple of years, but... I think we would've known if she had other kids."

So Bonnie was planning on staying in town for a while. Great, just what Damon needed: a centuries old high school student actually following through on her job description.

"I... maybe?" Damon strained to affect some confusion in his voice, as if the name came as a total surprise to him. "I'd have to double-check. How'd Model UN go?"

"Eh." Tyler pressed his lips together and quickly but casually shook his hand from left to right multiple times. While Tyler had never been the best at school, he had usually enjoyed politics (even the pretend kind). "We both got what we wanted - Security Council and Press - but we won't be on the same committee."

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Better than being on General Assembly. Remember when we had to represent Malaysia, and you didn't realize it was a Muslim country for two whole months? Right up until we were about to leave for Richmond, and then Mrs. Smallwood asks if we thought about dietary restrictions..."

Blood immediately rushed to Tyler's face, causing his cheeks to burn a bright red. "How was I supposed to know?"

"Gee, I would've guessed the call to prayers five times a day made it obvious."

Damon snorted. Sometimes, the Lockwoods seemed so distantly related, and sometimes, they were two identical peas in a pod. God bless that family and their astounding ignorance of world affairs. While Damon still wasn't familiar with the schematics of Model UN, he figured he'd catch an explanation later. Carefully, he scanned the parking lot. "Stef, when did you call the shop? I don't see your car here."

Stefan relaxed his stance slightly, leaning back in his seat. "During lunch. Elena offered us a ride home, but they've got a competition in Whitechapel." Normally Stefan didn't miss a single one. The kid must've been mortified for him to openly acknowledge that he would stay home, rather than watch his girlfriend and childhood friend (and fellow shallow cheerleader) dance their hearts out. Said shallow cheerleader - Caroline - would acknowledge it for sure. If she spent any more time with Damon, he swore, he would lose more brain cells in a month than most people did in a lifetime. "I would've stuck around, but..."

Elena asked him to stay home. Any sane person would've insisted upon it, no matter how stubborn her boyfriend could've been.

"But you promised me you'd keep me company at our first meeting," Tyler said quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I really don't know why Dad insists I do these things."

"Maybe because he thinks you'd be good at it?" Stefan's expression looked almost hopeful for a second there.

Tyler snorted. "After the Malaysian debacle? It's a miracle I'm still part of the delegation."

"Considering you did use debacle correctly, maybe there's hope for you after all," Damon responded cheerfully. Even from the rearview mirror, he could see Tyler scowling at him like an angry puppy. "What're your plans for tonight, guys? Wild homework parties?"

Stefan shot him a mystified look. "On a Friday night? More like wild sleepover parties with thrilling action flicks."

It was Friday already? No wonder Misao had rushed out of the office in a hurry - she must've had a hot date. For the first time this month, Damon had no big plans for the weekend. Some weeks, he and Mason had Skype dates with an episode of police procedurals; others, he and Jenna would hit Richmond and for just one night, they could pretend they were two normal 20-somethings out on the prowl. Occasionally, Damon relaxed with a good action thriller and some popcorn. Before Bonnie waltzed into town, Damon would've said that he wanted something more exciting. He would've wanted to live in New York, LA, or Boston or just - or just somewhere that entertained him at all hours of the day. Now, however, a movie sounded like the low-key kind of evening he needed.

Damon snorted. "Like the time you marathoned an entire season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?"

"Those turtles were slamming," Tyler said just as cheerfully, holding up his fingers in an outdated 'cowbunga' motion. "If I remember correctly, a certain someone stuck around for a couple of episodes."

Yeah, against his will!

Completely ignoring Damon's insult towards his show, Stefan released his grasp of Tyler's hand. "Well, do you have plans? If you don't, you could watch something with us. I was thinking a Charlie Chaplin, but Tyler wants something made in the last decade. You'd be the tiebreaker."

"Aw, you sure you wouldn't be up for a good Disney movie? I hear all the girls loved Tangled. Or Snow White, if we're gonna live in 1935."

Stefan smothered a smile, despite his current frustration at the world. "Didn't Elena have to drag you to the theater by the arms?"

Tyler chuckled, hiding his amused expression behind a hand. "He's got you there, man."

Busted by the one girl on Earth who managed to make him a weak kitten when she wasn't even trying. While Jenna had boosted his confidence, 'Lena had been his adorable little sister who tried too hard to grow up (and even when she tried to act sexy, she just couldn't). Damon shook his head, "Then something made in the last decade. We've seen Modern Times too many times to count."

For a teenage boy, Stefan's tastes sure strayed towards the ancient. No wonder he got along so well with Dad! Just when Damon was certain that his evening plans were cemented with babysitting the boys, his phone buzzed. Stefan reached for it - and in that instant, his eyes widened.

"Wh-what is it?" Tyler peered, snapping in front of Stefan's face. "Earth to Stefan?"

"Oh." Stefan listlessly stared down at Damon's phone. "When I touched you, I saw... a streetlamp. I saw fog, two girls, and those numbers again. 8, 14, 22."

"Hoookay, I think you're out of it." Tyler furrowed his brows in deep thought.

Those words were Damon's cue to drive home faster. Whatever plans he had with the boys could wait. Right now, he needed to drop them off and figure out just what the hell fog, a streetlamp, two girls, and the numbers 8, 14, and 22 had to do with each other. "You might want a nap first, Stef. Who texted me?"

Stefan shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Uh, Jenna. She wanted to know if you could join her at the Grille tonight to celebrate her big presentation."

"Depends. Do you guys want me to stick around or not?"

"Go ahead." Tyler nodded fervently, watching as Stefan typed back a reply. "We'll still be here when you get done." The boys had a point. Usually, when Tyler came over on a Friday night, Tyler crashed on Stef's bed and stayed until mid-Saturday morning (or earlier, if there was sports practice). He paused for a second. "No booze for us either. Not with Stefan being this out of it."

"I'm not going crazy," Stefan protested quietly, placing the phone back in Damon's pocket. "At least, I don't think I am."

Damon could feel his heart slowly crumbling into pieces. "Of course you're not," he replied just as softly and gently. "You're going to be alright, Stefanizo."

His kid brother sat up straighter, staring at his older brother with grateful eyes. "Th-thanks."

"It's the truth." Even as Damon kept his eyes focused on the road ahead, he couldn't help sneaking a peek at Stefan. The kid was genuinely shell-shocked, like he couldn't believe his older brother's affection for him. Gee, maybe Damon should've made it more obvious over the years. (Or not.) "Just text me if you losers need anything before I get back."

Parking near the Manor's curb, Damon unlocked the door and watched as the boys headed inside. Once he was certain that they'd safely locked the door, he drove off. Normally, he wouldn't have left Stefan in Tyler's hands... but something about Tyler tonight felt different. Maybe Dickwood Jr. cared more for his friends than he let on.

Every Friday Night, the Grille bustled with activity. Nearly everyone hung out here, when they didn't feel like staying at home with popcorn and a movie. As Damon stepped through the front double doors, he remembered exactly why he hated this town. He recognized everyone - and he did mean everyone, from Logan Scumfell to Mr. and Mrs. Dickwood - without missing a beat. This town, if he weren't careful, could easily suffocate him.

Since there wasn't a football game tonight, most of the high school set were also here. Damon could see some of Jeremy and some of his classmates playing a game of pool. For once, that kid wasn't stuck at home playing one of those obscure Japanese video games.

"Hey," one of the waitresses said as she came forward.

Damon glanced over at her, pursing his lips when he realized just who was serving him tonight. Tall, brunette, and Jeremy's backstabber in the flesh. Vicki Donovan wasn't exactly someone Damon wanted to be around. Sure, she meant well, and Damon pitied any child of wild Kelly Donovan, but she had hurt Jeremy badly over the summer. Although Jeremy refused to disclose details, his haggard expressions and lethargic manner had spoken for him. Anyone that hurt Jeremy was on Damon's instant blacklist, no questions asked. Maybe that's why Jeremy stayed home - he must've memorized Vicki's shift schedule.

"Hey, Vick." Damon gave her a polite nod of acknowledgement. "What's good tonight?"

She shrugged, affecting as much apathy as she could, considering that she was stuck here on a Friday night. Most kids would disappear to some wild party after dinner - Damon knew from experience - and as much as he loved some underage booze, he knew these kids needed something better in their lives. Couldn't they have a Battle of the Bands or something? Kids liked those outside of bad movies, right?

"The burgers, I guess?" She reached forward and grabbed him a menu. "You'll probably get the usual."

"But of course." Damon smirked, waving the menu away from his face. As much as he loved food, he was pretty peculiar about how it was prepared. As long as the Grille didn't stray from it - or "forgot" to serve him some bourbon - he would be a happy camper.

Vicki glanced cursorily at the tables. "You sitting alone?"

"With Jenna, actually." Damon followed her gaze and groaned internally when he couldn't find his best friend anywhere. In true Sommers fashion, his girl still hadn't arrived. The traffic up by Whitmore must've been worse than usual. "Or well, we planned on sitting together."

He heard the door click, and an all-too familiar voice calling, "Here! Sorry! I'm right here!"

Damon held his tongue, desperately biting back the first witty thing that came to mind. "Hey, Jenna."

She tugged at her violet cardigan, stepping forward so that she was right beside him. "Table for two, Vicki?"

Vicki's entire face lit up the moment she saw Jenna's hand brush against his. Damon swore, if anyone thought they were a couple again, he might actually hex someone. Turning towards the seating area, Vicki swayed slightly in rhythm with the pop song playing overhead. "Sure thing. Follow me!"

She ushered them to an empty booth, setting the menus down as they sat down. As usual, Damon ignored the menu, telling her, "Can you get me a Coke and Jenna an Iced Tea with lemon?" Vicki nodded, heading back towards the bar.

Jenna raised an eyebrow. "I'm impressed."

"You really shouldn't be." Damon leaned forward on the table, resting his elbows as he better looked at her. Jenna must've been worried about her presentation today, to curl her hair and cake on an additional layer of make-up. Not that she really needed it; she was beautiful even in her pink kitten pajamas. "We've known each other for how many years now? I'd be more surprised if I didn't know what you liked."

"Yeah, well, I don't see you ordering drinks for Mason."

"Mason also lives in Florida." Damon shot her an exasperated look. "Maybe if we were at Disney World, I'd surprise him with a Sprite on the rocks..."

"He still orders that?" Jenna giggled, leaning back in her seat and reaching for a menu. "You'd think one of his many, many girlfriends would've taught him better."

"Apparently not."

The chatter around them slowly started to fade. Damon had noticed the various cliques running in and out: the cheerleaders were starting to trickle inside; the geeks had commandeered a table for some card game; the drama club was arguing passionately about a script; the stoners (Jeremy included) had seized the pool table for a game; and some group Damon couldn't identify was by the dartboard.

He recognized the girl with the darts before he recognized her friends. She narrowed her eyes, holding her arm steady before throwing it squarely in the bullseye. Her companion, a blond jock, held his arm up for a hi-five. "Bonnie, that was awesome!"

"Aw, thanks Matt!" She returned the hi-five, turning to grab another set of darts. Just as she got the box, her eyes met Damon's.

Damon hastily tore his gaze away from her. As much as he hated the bloodsucker, she wasn't actively killing anyone, and he was technically here to celebrate with Jenna. If she hadn't asked him, he'd be home, making sure that Stefan took the nap he so badly needed. Just in case, Damon sent Tyler a text.

If Stef's napping, help yourself to whatever. Thanks for watching him.

When Tyler responded only mere seconds later (thanks bro. stef's been asleep for a while. if he's not up by 9 i'll grab something from the kitchen myself), Damon allowed his shoulders to sag with relief.

"Checking up on Stefan?"

Damon nodded. "Yeah, Tyler's babysitting him." Which sounded kind of weird coming from his lips, considering how much Damon hated Tyler, but Tyler was also Mason's kid nephew. If Damon couldn't trust Dickwood Jr., then by extension, he didn't trust Mason much either.

Jenna nodded in understanding. "Tyler's a good kid. I kinda feel bad that I couldn't make Elena's cheer competition..." She stared guiltily at Jeremy, watching as he sunk some pool balls into the net.

"In Whitechapel?" Damon lazily followed her line of sight. "Elena said they suck this year." Or maybe that was Fell's Church. Damon didn't exactly pay Elena much attention when she went on one of her crazy cheerleading spiels. He had intended to reassure Jenna, but she just slumped further into her seat.

"Yeah, well, Miranda and Grayson always went. Videotaped the whole thing too - or at least, put Jeremy in charge of it. Not sure why he's back early..."

As if right on cue, Jeremy set his pool stick down and headed back towards them. "Did something happen? You two look like you just killed someone."

Damon leaned back in his seat and bared his teeth as much as he could. "Yeah, it was fantastic. You should've seen where we stashed the body."

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "In the trunk, right? It's always the trunk." Turning towards Jenna, he stuffed his hands lazily in his sweatshirt pocket. "The competition ended early. I got the entire thing on tape, by the way. Elena and Caroline said they'd drop by later, if you and Damon'll be around then."

"They let you come by yourself?" Damon asked, in mock incredulity.

"I'm not five." Jeremy snorted. "You guys seen Vicki yet? I thought she was serving you guys."

Come to think of it, she hadn't returned with their drinks. Jenna shook her head. "Not in the last ten minutes or so. I don't think she normally takes this long." She really didn't, especially when she indirectly supported a couple. Her affection was almost nauseating – and Damon would know, considering how much she had fawned over her kid brother's new girl these past few months.

Damon turned his head towards the bar. He recognized the bartender, Ben, from various school functions, but Vicki was absolutely nowhere to be seen. "I'll check up on her." He rose from his seat, heading towards the front of the restaurant.

"She might be on a smoke break!" Jeremy called a little too loudly, causing the blond jock with Bonnie to narrow his eyes at the poor kid. Jeremy just glowered at him in return before scooting next to Jenna. "What? Matt, you know she likes her cigarettes."

It was official: Mystic Falls really needed some kind of cultural activity that wasn't drugs, cigarettes, or wild teen parties. Damon tilted his head at her. "How do you know?"

Jeremy nervously rubbed his elbows. "Long story."

"You memorized her work schedule?"

Jeremy winced. "Why would you think that?"

Damon just sighed before tapping the nearest waitress on the shoulder and asking about Vicki. ("Nope, sorry," one of them called, casually pouring water for one table.) He moved onto the next - "check the back" - and he'd maybe just started to ask the third before he stared at the small crowd of people milling by the door. Just how understaffed was this place?

He headed out the front door, casually brushing past Elena and one of her bubbly, blond friends as he surveyed the front entrance. A couple was quietly kissing on the bench, and a few townspeople passed them on the way to some church event... beyond them, no one was in sight.

"Probably in the back," Damon grumbled to himself quietly, heading towards the alleyway behind the restaurant. As he did, a light fog settled over the city. Weird. He would've remembered it raining earlier. He involuntarily glanced up at the Grille's lights. In the fog, they were indistinguishable from the lamp posts. Inhaling sharply, he then clasped his hands together and broke through the low-hanging clouds. Just as the mist subsided, he watched as a girl seductively stepped closer towards someone else. "Aw, you sure you don't remember anything?"

"I already told you, I don't! I don't know anything about your mom or that stupid tomb!" Vicki shrunk back underneath the square's clock, holding her arms out protectively.

Damon couldn't move quickly enough; the fog settled again, just as the newcomer bit straight into Vicki's neck. Damon could just barely make out the red '22' embroidered on her sleeve as she savored each sip.

He pushed through the fog and focused his attention on the newcomer. She howled, clutching her brain as she released her meal to the ground.

As the clouds disappeared again, she forcibly looked up, glaring at Damon as she mouthed, "You're next." Lowering her head, so that she could hide behind her mane of wavy, jet-black hair, she then pushed Damon backwards before running off.

There wasn't time to focus on the vampire. Involuntarily glancing up at the clock, Damon stared blankly at the time. 8:14 PM. Shit. Shitshitshit, this was so not what he envisioned when Stefan had lost his marbles. Cautiously, Damon reached for his phone and mentally recited a protection ward before feeling her pulse. Good, he could hear her heartbeat. Just in case, he channeled some of his energy into her to ensure she'd fight long enough to reach the hospital.

"Vicki? Vicki!"

Jeremy frantically ran out the back entrance, turning his head in every direction before he finally noticed Damon – and the young woman lying beside him. He stopped straight in his tracks, hesitantly kneeling beside her. Before Damon could even react, Jeremy had already scooped her into his arms. It must've been the adrenaline - normally, this kid couldn't even benchpress 25 pounds.

"What're you staring at? Call 911, Damon!"

Damon could only stare at the blood streaming down from her neck. Even with all of his magic, he couldn't protect one innocent human. Struggling to keep his hands steady, he shakily pulled out his phone and called for emergency services. "Hi? Yes, I'd like to call an ambulance in front of the Mystic Grille, we've got a girl with acute blood loss..."

As he was straightening details, Jeremy motioned for him to move to the front of the restaurant. Carrying her as quickly as he could, Jeremy hiccuped, his gaze focused on his ex-girlfriend's face. "I-is she gonna be okay? I-I thought she was taking forever with the drinks, and she never takes this long, and… and…" His voice cracked. "I'm sorry I left Jenna, but I…"

Damon wanted so badly to just ruffle the kid's hair and reassure him that everything would be alright, but honestly, he wasn't entirely sure. Not when he had just learned that there were two little high school vampires running around. Even though Vicki's blood had clotted by now, she hadn't opened her eyes. Damon couldn't exactly determine if she'd joined the grand world of the undead without alerting Jeremy to his intentions. "I hope so. Let's see when the paramedics get here."

Jeremy slowly nodded, with a levity that Damon really wished he could forget. Jeremy was what, 14? He was too young to have such haunted eyes.

An ambulance had rolled up in front of them, and as the siren continued to wail, a crowd started to form near the door. Damon could make out Jenna's, Elena's, and Bonnie's confused faces as he and Jeremy gently placed Vicki on the stretcher.

Matt – Vicki's poor kid brother - rushed straight to them. "Vicki?! Vicki?" Then his piercing glare turned on Damon. "What happened?"

"We don't know, man," Jeremy called in defense, rushing to take the brunt of Matt's verbal abuse.

Damon gently pushed Jeremy to the side. "Neck piercing gone wrong? I'd say an animal attack, but we're downtown..."

"Hasn't stopped some of the more vicious ones before." Matt lowered his fists, inhaling sharply and turning to face the paramedics. "Is... is she going to be okay?"

"We hope so," one of the paramedics called, motioning for Matt to follow them inside. "It's too early to tell."

Bonnie, still slack-jawed with horror, immediately pushed back through the crowd and fled through the side. ("Bonnie!" he could hear Elena call, as she too chased after her. "Bonnie, it's okay to be scared!") Damon watched them run past the stunned bystanders and towards the forest before he gently embraced Jeremy.

"If you even say it's gonna be okay..." Jeremy clung to Damon's shirt, nearly suffocating him as he rested his head on Damon's shoulder.

Damon forcefully bit down on his tongue. Thankfully, Matt spoke up for Damon just as he sat down in the ambulance. "What if I say it, Jeremy? Huh?"

Despite the tears streaming down Jeremy's face, he held the smallest trace of a smile. "Then you're just as terrible."

Matt and Damon exchanged knowing smiles before the door slammed shut and the ambulance sped back to the hospital. Jenna rushed towards them, pushing through a circle of onlookers before she wrapped her arms around her nephew. "I'll get you home."

Reluctantly letting go, Jeremy slung an arm across Jenna's shoulders. "Y-yeah."

Jenna pursed her lips, bowing her head slightly as she looked at Damon. "Let's take a raincheck?"

"Sounds good." He dismissed her apology with a wave of his hand. "I'll check on Elena and her friend before I head home - and give her a ride if I need to." For once, Tyler and Stefan had the good sense to miss all the excitement.

"Got it. See you Tuesday!" Jenna called, ushering Jeremy back to her car.

Damon waited for them to drive off before he tore towards the forest. While Bonnie may have not been the thirsty bloodsucker looking for a drink tonight, she'd lead him straight to Elena and the answers he sought.