Chapter 4: Family Ties

Elena wakes up in the middle of the night, and goes downstairs to check if someone's in the house. When she gets down the stairs she goes to the living room, where the TV has been turned on. The news is about her being found dead after an "animal attack". Damon then chases her around the house, until he attacks her and bites her on the neck. Stefan then wakes up and realizes that it was just a nightmare. Damon was actually playing with Stefan's head, which he realizes when he mockingly asks "bad dream?". After deciding to stay in Mystic Falls for a while, Damon gleefully tells Stefan that the officials have announced the capture of the "animal" responsible for the recent attacks in town.

As Stefan writes an entry in his journal: "The real animal is still out there. Waiting for me. Challenging me to fight back, to stop him. But how do I stop the monster without becoming one myself?"

Over at the Gilbert House, Jenna is watching the news, mocking the reporter, Logan Fell, "Scum Ball. Scum Bucket."

"Who are you talking to?" Elena asked, entering the room.

Jenna nodded to the TV, "Him."

"The news guy?" she questioned.

"Also known as Logan 'Scum' Fell," Jenna confirmed.

Phoebe entered the kitchen, and began fixing her coffee, "What do you have against the news guy?"

"Did your mom ever tell you why I moved away from Mystic Falls?" Jenna replied.

The twins shared a look, then said in unison, "No way!"

"He's cute," Elena added.

"He is not cute. There is nothing cute about him," Jenna argued, turning the TV off. "You ready to go?"

Elena sat down at the table, and began polishing the contents of her mother's trinket box, "Go where?"

"Jenna's taking me dress shopping for the Ball tonight," Phoebe answered. "Apparently nothing I own is nice enough for something like this."

Elena grinned, "Lucky."

Jeremy joined Elena in the kitchen, as Jenna and Phoebe headed for the door. He saw the antiques she was polishing, and picked one up, "How much do you think this stuff is worth? You know, like on eBay?"

"You're not gonna find out," Elena told him, taking back the piece he had picked up.

"That stuff is mom and dad's. You can't just give it away," said Jeremy.

"I'm not giving it away. It's called a loan, Jeremy," she replied.

Jenna and Phoebe opened the front door to leave, and found Stefan standing there. Jenna told him to come on in, while Phoebe called out, "Elena, Stefan's here!"

Jenna and Phoebe left, and Elena got up to greet Stefan. After which, the two went up to her room to make out, but Stefan's face changes and he backs off. Elena then asks Stefan to escort her to the Founder's Ball. Stefan accepts the invitation.

In Caroline's room Damon teases Caroline about "Twilight" and compels her to ask him to accompany her to the Founder's Ball. Caroline asks if the bites will turn her into a vampire, which Damon then explains how one is 'turned' into a vampire. Later at the Grill, Vicki is angered by Tyler's indifference displayed towards her when he is with his parents. Bonnie and Caroline arrive, and Bonnie expresses concern about Caroline seeing Damon, but Caroline assures Bonnie that Damon is safe. He just has lots of issues with his brother. Bonnie can tell she's hiding something and encourages Caroline to give away the secret that she's keeping. After his parents leave the Grill, Tyler repays Vicki by asking her to the Founder's Ball. Jeremy makes the unwelcome remark to Vicki that she had to ask Tyler to ask her to go to the Founder's Ball.

Over at the dress shop, Phoebe is having a hard time finding a dress she likes. Jenna manages to help her find a couple, but once she tried them on it's clear they aren't for her. As Phoebe tries on dresses in the dressing room, Jenna glances over and sees the perfect dress. She grabs one in Phoebe's size, and brings it over to the dressing rooms.

"Hey, Phoebe, I think I found the perfect dress for you," Jenna called.

"That's what you said last time," Phoebe called back.

"I know, but this one really is perfect," Jenna told her.

"That's what you said last time," Phoebe repeated.

Jenna rolled her eyes, "Just try it on."

"I'm tired of trying on clothes," Phoebe whined.

"At least stick your head out, and look at it," Jenna pushed.

Phoebe sighed and stuck her head out of the stall to look. Jenna held up the dress for her to see. The dress was perfect. It was a sleeveless black cocktail dress, with a sleek bodice and a bateau neckline. It had an A-line skirt that was mid-thigh length.

"I'll take it!" Phoebe declared, dashing back inside the stall.

Jenna smiled to herself, proudly, "Good. I'll bring it to the register. You go find a pair of shoes to wear with it."

Phoebe exited the stall, frowning, "I don't have to wear heels, do I?"

Jenna laughed, "No. Just grab a pair of black flats."

"Oh, thank God," Phoebe sighed. She took off to find the shoes, while Jenna brought the dress to the register. It didn't take Phoebe long to find some shoes and bring them to the register. By the time she got there, though, the dress was already folded up inside the bag. They paid for the merchandise, and headed home.

At the Salvatore boarding house, Zach angers Damon by asking why he has returned to Mystic Falls. Damon then chokes Zach, but Stefan intervenes between the two. Zach encourages him to get rid of Damon by using vervain on him, which he has secretly been growing in the basement of the boarding house.

Tyler goes to the Gilbert home to retrieve a box of donated items for the heritage display at the Founder's Ball. While helping Elena ready herself for the party, Bonnie shares Caroline's secret, which is that Katherine picked Damon over Stefan and that Stefan did everything to break them up. Elena thinks that it's only Damon's side of the story, but Bonnie points out how little she actually knows Stefan.

Later on, while everyone is getting ready for the Ball, Mrs. Lockwood calls. Jenna is in the shower, and the other two Gilbert children have headphones on, so Elena answers the phone. Mrs. Lockwood tells Elena that the pocket watch was not among the items that Tyler picked up for the display. Elena tells her she will find it, and bring it with her to the Ball. Once off the phone, Elena charges into her brother's room and accuses him of taking the watch.

Across the hall in Phoebe's room, Phoebe finishes her makeup and removes her headphones. She hears her siblings arguing, and peers at them through her open door.

"Don't even play that card. Jeremy, you took it," Elena accused. "If I go online, am I going to find it on eBay? Is that how you pay for your pot?"

"Screw you," Jeremy snapped. He got to his feet, and retrieved the watch from its hiding place. "I would never sell this, okay?"

"Then why did you take it?" Elena asked.

"Because it's supposed to be mine. Dad said it goes to the firstborn son. His father gave it to him, and now what?" he replied, slapping the watch into her hand.

"And he was going to give it to you," Elena mumbled.

"Yeah."

"Look, Jeremy, it's still yours, okay? Mom promised Mrs. Lockwood," she explained. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just take it and get out," Jeremy told her.

Elena felt bad, but took the watch anyway. Phoebe turned away, and resumed getting ready.

At the Boarding House, the brothers get ready for the Ball. Damon blames Stefan for spiking his Scotch with vervain. On his way out the door, Zach hands Stefan a small vial of vervain, telling him that this time it is twice as strong. Stefan takes it, and heads for the Gilbert house.

Back at the Gilbert House, the girls, except for Phoebe, are just about ready to go. Phoebe's a little slower, because she doesn't get this dressed up very often. She walks over to her sister's room, and knocks on the door.

"Come in," Elena calls.

Phoebe enters the room, "Hey, do you mind if I borrow that hair clip with the black bow on it?"

"It's all yours," Elena replied with a smile. She turned away so Bonnie could zip her up.

Phoebe headed towards the bathroom where the clip was, but on her way she snatched the watch out of Elena's handbag. When she got into the bathroom, she grabbed the clip, and walked briskly back to her room. Shortly after returning to her room, she heard the doorbell ring. It was Stefan. Aunt Jenna, Bonnie, Stefan, and Elena all left together and Phoebe gave a huge sigh of relief. She walked to her mirror, and pinned back the hair on the left side of her head with the clip. Satisfied, she walked over to her bed where Jenna had laid out her dress, and picked it up. As she turned it over to unzip it, she found there was no zipper. In fact the entire upper part of the back was made of wide straps, made to show off some skin.

Phoebe's jaw dropped, and her eyes widened, "Oh no."

The doorbell rang, again. Phoebe dropped the dress on the bed, and ran downstairs to answer the door. It was Matt. She grabbed his arm, and dragged him upstairs to her room.

"What's going on?" Matt asked, very much confused.

"Aunt Jenna took me dress shopping today, because nothing I owned was 'appropriate'," she began.

"Okay?"

Phoebe held up the dress for him to see, "This is the dress she found, claiming that it was perfect for me."

Matt studied the dress, "Looks fine to me."

Phoebe turned it around to show the back, "The back is all strappy."

Matt laughed, "So what? People will see a part of your back."

"It's not funny, jerkface, I'm too self-conscious to show off that much skin," Phoebe replied, playfully hitting him with the dress.

"Phoebe, it's not that bad. You're overreacting," he told her.

She thought about it, and sighed, "Maybe I am overreacting, a little."

"Glad you somewhat agree. Now, you get dressed, I'll be downstairs," he told her.

Phoebe smiled, and nodded. Matt went downstairs, and Phoebe slipped on the dress. She put on her shoes and a pair of diamond stud earrings, then studied her reflection in the mirror. She was still iffy on the strappy back, but took a deep breath and headed out. She makes a quick stop over to Jeremy's room, and places the pocket watch on the desk in front of him. Jeremy, who has his headphones on, looks at the watch, then up at his sister. Phoebe places a finger on her lips, as she smiles down at him. Jeremy smiles back, and gives her a gesture of 'thank you'. Phoebe winks in response, and leaves.

At the Founder's Ball, Damon and Caroline arrive while the sun is still up, as so do Elena and Stefan. Caroline argues with her mom about her bringing Damon as her date. Damon looks around for Phoebe and spots her arriving with Matt. He was happy to see her, but not with Matt. He didn't like her bringing a date, because he was hoping to talk to her alone, again. Now he was going to have to work for it. A former boyfriend of Jenna's, Logan Fell, makes an attempt at reconciliation.

Once it got dark, Damon went to work on getting Phoebe alone. He compelled Caroline to ask Stefan to dance, and then compelled Matt to ask Elena to dance. With both of their siblings and dates occupied, Damon set out to find Phoebe. He found her looking at the exhibit with the original Founders' Party guest registry. She'd noticed Damon and Stefan's names on it, and was confused.

"Stefan and Damon Salvatore?" she questioned, in a hushed tone.

"The original Salvatore brothers," said Damon, walking up to her. "Our ancestors. Tragic story, actually."

"I'm sure it is," replied Phoebe, walking away.

"Wait," he called after her. He followed her, and blocked her path, "I'm assuming Elena told you about the other night."

"You mean, when you tried to kiss her?" she asked, bitterly.

"Yes. That one," he confirmed. "I wanted to apologize to her, but she won't give me the chance. I was hoping you could tell her for me. I was a world-class jerk, and there's no excuse. My therapist says I'm acting out, trying to punish Stefan."

Once again, Phoebe knew she was being baited, but bit anyway, "For what?"

"It is all in the past. I don't even wanna bring it up. Let's just say that the men in the Salvatore family have been cursed with sibling rivalry," he replied. "And it all started with the original Salvatore brothers."

On the dance floor, Stefan toasts to Caroline and watches her sip from the glass that he obtained for her. Back at the exhibit, Phoebe knew there was more to what Damon was saying, or rather, not saying; but she gave an intrigued expression, anyway.

Damon began showing her around, telling her about his family, "The Salvatore name was practically royalty in this town, until the war. There was a battle her-."

"The Battle of Willow Creek," said Phoebe, cutting him off.

Damon was impressed, "Right."

"I read about it, once. And we've been talking about it in class," she explained. "Confederate soldiers fired on a church with civilians inside."

"What the History books left out was that the people that were killed, they weren't there by accident. They were believed to be Union sympathizers, so some of the Founders on the Confederate side back then ordered them round up and burned alive," added Damon. He looked down at the model of the church, as though recalling a painful memory," Stefan and Damon had someone they loved very much in that church. And when they went to rescue them, they were shot. Murdered in cold blood."

"Phoebe took note of his body language, and proceeded carefully, "Who was in the church that they wanted to save?"

He looked up at her, "A woman, I guess. Doesn't it always come down to the love of a woman?"

Phoebe looked into his eyes, and could tell the smile he gave was genuine. And in that moment she knew that, no matter what was really going on, they had a connection. No matter what deep, dark secrets lay between the two brothers, no matter what he's done, will do, or was even capable of; he would never hurt her, nor would he let anything happen to her. She wasn't sure how she knew these things, she just did. She could feel it in her gut. She also felt and overwhelming desire to kiss him, thus making her wish more than ever that he wasn't dating Caroline. However, it wasn't because of his charms, good-looks, or smooth-talking abilities. It was because she could look past his uncaring, bad-boy act, and see the qualities that no one else could see. He did care about things, and had feelings. He had good in him. It was just buried deep down. Very deep down.

Phoebe realized that she had been staring too long, and tore her eyes away, "I hope that, whatever your issues are with Stefan, you two can work them out."

"I do, too," he replied. He then escorted her out to the dance floor, where they reunited with their respective dates.

Outside, Vicki is insulted by Tyler's refusal to treat her with respect, and leaves the party early. Bonnie alone at a table relights a candle just by staring at it. Damon and Phoebe made it out to the dance floor, and found Stefan and Elena had paired back up, and Matt and Caroline were talking. The next song began to play, Damon thought about asking Phoebe to dance. However Matt beat him to it.

Matt turned to Phoebe and asked, "Wanna dance?"

Phoebe smiled at her friend and replied, "Of course."

Damon watched with envy, as Matt took Phoebe out on the floor. Caroline commented on how cute the twins were with their dates, which only annoyed Damon all the more.

Back inside, Logan tries again with Jenna, but fails. Elena asks Stefan about Katherine, though he doesn't tell her. Frustrated, Elena leaves Stefan alone on the dance floor. Phoebe was having a good time dancing with Matt, until she heard Stefan and Elena fighting. Elena walked away from Stefan, and back into the house. Phoebe excused herself from Matt, and followed her sister. Just inside the door, Carol Lockwood asks Elena for the pocket watch. Elena opens her purse to give it to her, but discovers it's missing. She's confused for a moment, but then realizes Phoebe must've taken it to give to Jeremy. She apologizes to Mrs. Lockwood, and makes an excuse not having it.

Elsewhere, Damon reveals the true motive for attending the Founder's Ball when he retrieves a crystal hidden in a wooden box in the Heritage Display. Logan wins over Jenna when she finally agrees to a date. Bonnie amazes herself when she is able to light every candle in the dining room using her powers.

Phoebe follows Elena into the ladies room, where Elena gives Phoebe the cliff notes version of the argument. Not wanting to ruin her night, Elena assures her sister that she'll be fine, and encourages her to go have fun with Matt. Phoebe does as she wishes, and returns outside. However, her intention is to speak with Stefan, not return to having fun. On her way out, Caroline enters the ladies' room for a makeup touch-up. There Elena discovers the bite marks on Caroline, and heads out to confront Damon.

Back outside, Damon is waiting for Phoebe to return. Once he lays eyes on her, he wastes no time, "Phoebe. Just the girl I was looking for."

"Really? Why?" asked Phoebe, confused. She looked around as though she expected to find some other girl behind her, named Phoebe.

"I was hoping to steal a dance," he replied.

"With me?" she questioned.

"Yes, you," he confirmed.

"I'd love to. I mean, sure," she answered, nervously.

"Good," grinned Damon, holding out his hand.

Phoebe looked down at his hand, "I can't. Not right now, at least. I have to take care of something, real quick. But after-."

Damon nodded, understandingly, "I'll be right here."

Phoebe smiled back, before taking off to find Stefan. Damon watched her leave, smiling to himself. He received a rude awakening, when Elena found him. Elena spun him around to face her, before tearing into him.

"There is something seriously wrong with you. You stay away from Caroline or I will go straight to her mother, the Sheriff. And I don't know what's going on with you and my sister, but it stops now. You don't go anywhere near her, or you're gonna have to deal with me. You got it? Stay away from them," scolded Elena.

She gave him no chance to answer. She walked away, leaving Damon worried about what she might say to Phoebe. As soon as she was far enough away, Damon went to find Caroline.

Phoebe finds Stefan not far from the party, by the water. His back was to her, but he already knew she was there. However, Phoebe didn't know that.

"Trust is earned, ya know," commented Phoebe.

Stefan played surprise, turning around, "Phoebe? What are you-."

Phoebe silenced him by holding up her hand, "I'm not here to argue with you, or to get into a lengthy discussion. I have someone waiting to sign my dance card. I'm just here to tell you that my sister really likes you, and that's why she's so insistent on knowing more about you. That's how relationships work. The mysterious stranger appeal only goes so far. If you really care about my sister, and you want a relationship with her, then you're going to have to open up. She's not asking you to become an open book, and reveal your deep, dark secrets. She just doesn't want you to be that blacked-out CIA file anymore."

Stefan laughed at her comparison.

"Just tell her the little things, Stefan. Your favorite color, favorite food, favorite movie, your middle name, etc.," she continued.

"I get your point," he replied.

"I hope you do," she said, heading back to the party. Unfortunately, Damon was gone when she returned for their dance.

Vicki appears on Jeremy's doorstep and they kiss. Having removed Caroline from view, Damon sinks his teeth into her neck, and then collapses on to the grass in pain. Stefan confesses to Damon that he couldn't spike his drink so he spiked Caroline's drink with vervain. After awakening, Caroline grabs the crystal and conceals it within her purse. Elena then finds and comforts Caroline.

At the Boarding House, Stefan and Zach lock Damon into a cell in the basement. After which, Stefan makes a new entry in his journal: "I did what I had to do. To protect Elena. To protect everyone. Yes, Damon, the headline reads 'Deadly Beast Captured. All is Well in Mystic Falls'."

Later that evening, the mayor, his wife, Sheriff Forbes, and Logan Fell meet to discuss how to retrieve the pocket watch, saying, "They've come back."