Damon and I go back home. After he parks his car, he runs over to me just as I'm getting out of mine. He takes my keys from my hands.

"What are you doing?"

"Go get your books."

"But you said_"

"I know what I said. Just go get your books."

Glaring at him, I open my mouth to speak but decide against it. I go into the house and grab every single one of my textbooks. When I walk back outside, I see Damon sitting my car, tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel and bobbing his head to whatever is on the radio. I shake my head as I walk over, dropping the books behind the passenger seat. I open the passenger door and take my seat, looking over at him.

"So where are we going?"

"To the school."

"But_"

"Just trust me."

He winks and blows me a kiss before driving away. I want to question him further but I just sit back and enjoy the ride.

…

It's only midday when we reach the school; we spent so much time by the river. From what I can see, just about everyone is outside for lunch. I manage to catch sight of Stefan. Damon has to catch me when I unknowingly begin walk in his direction.

"Calm yourself, love." He whispers, "We'll deal with him later."

I nod but I don't look away from Stefan and his friends. I can hear Damon grabbing the books just before he takes my hand. He pulls me into the building, eventually forcing me to look away. He leads me to the front office and slams the stack of books on the counter.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asks.

"Yes, I am here to take her," he says, pointing at me, "out of this school."

"And why is that?"

"We're moving."

"Didn't she just enroll? It's the second day of school."

"We know." He leans on the counter, locking his gaze with hers.

I smile. I know what he's doing.

"You see something came up and she can't attend classes anymore."

"Of course."

She blinks and starts typing something into the computer. A couple of papers are printed. She staples them together and gives them to me.

"Take this and the books to the guidance counselor and she'll take care of everything."

Damon smiles and winks, "Thank you."

He picks up the stack of books and takes my hand. He pulls me out into the hallway and looks both ways.

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?"

"Not a clue."

I roll my eyes, "Come on."

I lead him down the hall to the counselor's office. We don't have to say much once we give her the papers. She takes the books from us and sends us on our way.

"Well that was easy." Damon says as we make our way toward the front door.

"What were you expecting, Damon? It's the second day." I sigh when we reach the car, "So what now?"

"I told you. We're going to go somewhere for a while. We'll come back eventually."

"But where are we going to go?"

"Wherever you want to go."

"I have an apartment in New York."

"Seriously? How to get that? Same way you got the car?"

"No, I worked a legitimate job for a while. When I left the city, I just managed to get the landlord to let me keep it."

"So it is the same way you got the car?"

"Essentially."

He smiles, "I guess we're going to New York then."

"Who's going to New York?"

It takes every ounce of my self-control not to turn around and slap him in the face. When I turn around, Damon wraps his arms around me, holding my arms at my sides.

"We're going on a little trip." Damon says, his breath on my neck.

"That's not possible. If she's staying, she has to go to school. That was the deal."

"You know what Stefan, you have some nerve. Who are you to tell me how to live my life? At first, I agreed to this because Damon wanted me to. You can't tell me what to do and neither can he. As of now, our deal is null and void on the grounds that you're a dick."

"Besides, we're not staying. We'll be gone by the end of the week."

Damon tries pulling me away but I'm not letting Stefan off that easy.

"Can you just explain to me why this is so important to you? Why do I need to go to school and stop drinking in public? Just because you chose this mundane way of living doesn't mean I have to. Maybe you're just mad that you can't control and manipulate me like the rest of these people. I know you Stefan. I know the real you, just like I know the real Damon."

"If you know me, then my by all means tell me what it is you know."

"I know you try so hard to fit in because you're afraid of being left alone. You tricked me, talked me into leaving Damon behind all those years ago because you thought I was taking him away from you. You try to act innocent, like you're some kind of gentleman but it's an act. Now that I think about it, the way this town sees you is the way Damon is behind closed doors. The way this town sees Damon, well that's you, hands down." I look into Stefan's eyes; I want to make sure he hears this next part, "I was never going to take Damon from you. He's your brother and I would never dream of coming in between the two of you. It may seem the opposite because I was with you first. I wanted to love you in the beginning, Stefan, but I had a choice to make. I had to either love you because you wanted me to or love him because I needed to. Don't you see, Stefan? I needed Damon and he needed me. You didn't need me. You wanted me." I take a step toward him, pulling out of Damon's arms, "After I found that picture of Katherine, I figured something out."

"And what was that?"

"You still hadn't given her up, not completely. It was her you were yearning for and I like to think I was a fine substitute. I didn't want to be your distraction and I was Damon's main focus."

"If you had just given me more time…"

I look back Damon, who moves away from me to get in the car.

I lower my voice just a little and meet Stefan's eyes, "I gave you six months. How long were you expecting me to wait?"

"You tried to make me choose, didn't you?"

"If you loved me the way you said you did, it wouldn't have been the ultimatum it ended up being. I asked you to burn that picture and you refused, even after I told you why I wanted you to get rid of it. What was I supposed to do, Stefan? I was only human."

He doesn't say anything. By the look on his face, he's looking for the right words. I don't wait.

"You know, Damon got rid of everything. Anything that reminded him of her, we burned it together and it made us stronger. I didn't even have to ask. You wouldn't even burn a picture for me, one picture. No matter what you say, you weren't ready to love me. Damon was ready to give up everything, to give me everything." I sigh, "I know everything you've done is to protect your brother, but you don't have to protect him from me. Besides, he's a grown man. He can take care of himself."

I don't give him time to speak. I get into the passenger seat. Damon starts the car and drives away, leaving Stefan there looking a little more than bewildered.

"Well that was awkward." Damon mutters, taking my hand.

"I'm hungry."

"Vampire hungry or_"

"Do you really have to ask? Let's go to the next town. I'm tired of blood bags."

"We can go to a college party."

"Whitmore?"

He nods and smiles. I kiss his cheek and lean back in my seat.

"Don't get so excited."

"Why not? I can drink all I want to. I can do whatever I want to."

"Tonight, we both shall be free to do as we please," he pauses, "on one condition."

"Condition? What is it?"

"If any of those college boys gets a little too close, you let me know."

"Yeah well same to you, mister." He chuckles so I bend his thumb back, "I'm serious. I don't want to have to kill anyone."

"I think you broke my thumb."

"You'll be fine."

"Put it back!"

"Fine!"

I pop his thumb back into place, his hand tensing in mine, "Now kiss it." he mutters.

I roll my eyes and kiss his hand, right at his knuckle, "Better?"

"Yes."

"You're such a punk."

"I am not."

I lean away from him, trying my best not to laugh too hard. He doesn't say anything else. I sigh and lean back in the seat, watching Mystic Falls pass me by. The drive is quiet aside from the music coming softly from the speakers. When Damon starts to sing along, I smile and look at him. He glances over at me and stops singing.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm just sitting here listening to you sing your little heart out."

"Oh."

He smiles, lifting my hand to his lips. He kisses the back of my hand before sighing.

"Are you okay?" I ask, moving our hands to my lap.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about all of this."

"You want to talk about?"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"You're the one with the problem."

"Aria, there's something going on with you."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Don't do that."

"Do what, Damon?"

"Don't treat me like I'm stupid. I notice more than you think I do and I know you, Aria, the same way you know me. You have never been one to get angry, not really. We fought a lot in the beginning but you never stayed mad. Now when we fight, it's like you want nothing to do with me afterward. Maybe it was the way you stared down Stefan when we went to school or how I had to hold you back when he stopped us."

"I wanted to kill him, Damon. I'm sure I would have been able to. It was a whole new experience for me, being so angry. I felt the same way yesterday, sitting there alone at lunch. I felt like I could kill every single one of those kids and not look back. It was like my humanity was off all over again." I look to the horizon for a moment and back at him, "Then I thought about how you would feel if I did that. Then you touched me and it brought me back. Then when Stefan said it, I decided that leaving was my only option. I figured it would free you from having to deal with me and my bullshit. Then I could go back to what I was doing before. You just wouldn't let me leave."

He pulls his hand away from me. The expression on his face is almost angry. He pulls the car over and stops. I watch him get out of the car and come around to my side. He opens my door and waits. I get out of the car slowly, watching his every move. He slams the door shut and grabs me by my shoulders.

"Never think for one second that leaving is the only solution. I will chase you to the ends of the earth if I have to. I should have done that the first time. I didn't and you got away. Never again, do you hear me? Never again will I let that happen. Damn it, Aria, do you not see what you mean to me? You said it yourself. I gave up everything for you because I loved you then, just like I love you now. Why is it so hard for you to see that?"

"I see that, Damon. I do, but nothing is going to stop me from thinking that you're better off without me."

"What I'm about to say might change your mind on that." He sighs, "I fell off the deep end when I finally stopped looking for you. I didn't know how to handle it so I shut off my humanity and I went out to parties. I would drunk and just feed. There were times I thought I could stop but I didn't. I kept seeing your face and I would break down and do it all over again. I was unstable. I was a monster. I assumed turning my humanity off meant I wouldn't care anymore. I thought I wouldn't hurt anymore but I was wrong because when I finally had to turn it back on, I cared too much. I would think about the day I came home to find you gone and I would break down. I finally turned it off again and then I didn't care. I didn't care about anything, not Stefan and not you." He sighs again but smiles this time, "I get it now. You carry my humanity with you. I literally need you to stay sane." He wipes away the tear that falls from my eye, "Why are you crying?"

"I can't help it. It's when you talk like that. I think about the day we met, the day we had our first kiss. Most of all, I think about the first time you told me that you loved me. We were only together a year before you left. I went with you that day and you kissed me and said it. I didn't want you to. I wanted you to leave without saying it so while you were gone, I couldn't miss you as much. But you said it and every day without broke my heart. Then you were home again and everything happened so fast. I had my secrets and you were just as perfect as ever. I didn't know what to do. After you turned and I told Stefan everything, I needed to run and I did. I didn't want that to happen. I didn't want it to be like this. Every day I looked at you and I felt so guilty."

"You didn't need to feel that way! None of that was your fault."

"Then look what I did. I caused you to kill. I killed so much. I turned us into monsters. All because I was ashamed, I broke the only rule I had for myself. I wasn't going to let what happened change me and it did, more than I'd care to admit."

"None of that matters now. You're here and this time, I'm not going to let you run away from me. I'm not going to let you keep secrets from me. I'm not going to let my brother run you out of town. You are my first priority. So we're go to Whitmore. We're going to find a party and leave all of this behind for a while."

I smile, "Let's go."

He kisses me once and smiles, "I love you."

"I love you."

We get back into the car and Damon quickly pulls the car back onto the road.

…

It's too early to go to the college campus so we spend some time around town, doing a little shopping for our trip. Once the sun is down, we make our way to the campus. I watch the students. Some carry books. I catch sight of a small group of girls, each of them dressed a little skimpier than the last.

"Do you see what I see?" Damon whispers.

"I see some girls on their way to a party."

"Let's go."

We follow behind the girls at a safe distance. They lead us to a fraternity house already overflowing with people.

"How are we going to get inside?" Damon asks, placing his hand at the small of my back.

I look around and manage to find a boy who happens to be wearing a jacket with the same letters as the house.

"Leave it to me." I say, leaving Damon standing there.

As I walk over, I pull my skirt up a little higher and my shirt a little lower. I toss my hair a bit and put on my sexiest smile. I keep my eyes locked on him. The guy he's talking to points at me and walks away as the frat boy turns to look at me. He smiles and takes a big gulp from his cup.

"Hey," I say, keeping my smile, "this is a great party."

"It's just getting started. Are you new here?"

"Not exactly. Why do you ask?"

"I think I would remember you otherwise."

"I was thinking about transferring. I heard about the party from my friend over there. I thought I'd check it out."

"I'm glad you did. I'm Derek."

"I'm Aria." I put my hands on my hips and toss my hair, "So where can a girl get a drink around here?"

"Inside." He offers me his arm, "Come on, I'll show you."

"Cool." I take his arm. As he starts to lead me to the door, I suddenly stop, "I need to grab my friend. I promised I wouldn't leave him alone."

"I'll be right here."

I smile and run to grab Damon. When I grab his hand and try to pull him with him, he doesn't budge.

"You are good." He mutters.

"Come on."

He takes a few steps forward, "How many times have you done this?"

"A few, just come on."

"Did you at least compel him?"

"Yeah but not with my mind."

Finally I get Damon over to Derek.

"This is Damon." I say, taking Derek's hand.

"Nice to meet you, dude. The name's Derek." When Damon says nothing and doesn't shake his hand, Derek says, "Let's get you two a drink."

He leads us right in. I breathe a sigh of relief, as does Damon. Derek leads us to the kitchen area. Damon gets himself a drink while Derek pours mine.

"Let's dance."

"Sure." I smile, "Damon, will you be alright by yourself for a while?"

"I'll manage."

As Derek leads me to the dance floor, I glance back at Damon. He grins and nods. I drink slowly from the red cup in my hands as we dance to the club music that surrounds us, echoing in my ears. Derek pulls me closer, moving against me in a way only Damon had before. I pretend to enjoy it. When his gaze finally meets mine, I do my best to hold it there as I begin to speak.

"You won't speak. You won't make a sound until I say. Don't worry. You'll enjoy this."

I pull on his collar, moving the fabric from his shoulder. Even after my teeth pierce his flesh, he moans softly. I drink from him for a while. When I stop, I move his shirt back into place and take his hand, looking into his eyes again.

"Come with me."

He nods and follows behind me. I find an empty room and shut the door behind us. I bite my wrist and let my blood fall into the empty cup in his hands.

"Drink that."

Hesitantly, his raises the cup to his lips and drinks it down. I bare the wound again, watching as it heals. I meet his gaze one last time.

"You got me a drink and we danced. Nothing else happened but we had a great time."

He nods.

"You're free to speak now."

"Okay."

"Now go back to the party."

I take the cup from his hands before he leaves the room. I put some more of my blood in the cup before going back into the party. I look around and when I finally find Damon, he has some girl's arms wrapped around him; they're against a wall. I roll my eyes and put on my angry face. I walk over and grab his collar, pulling him away from her.

"What do you think you're doing?" I yell at her.

"Aria, what are you doing here?"

"I'll deal with you in a minute!" I say, turning to him.

I turn back to her and look into her eyes, "Drink this."

She takes the cup from me and drinks it to the last drop. Once her throat begins to heal, I meet her gaze again.

"We got into argument and you left the party. Now go home."

She nods and leaves. I turn back to Damon and smile.

"What's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem. I needed people to think we argued since that's what she now believes."

He pulls me into his arms and smiles, "You said you've done this a few times."

"Mhm."

"How many times is a few?"

I kiss him and smile, "Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to."

"Is it that bad?"

"Seriously. Don't ask."

I walk away but he follows, continuing to ask for the answer. We push through the crowd and back to the front door.

"Can you at least give me a minimum?"

I sigh, "Twelve minimum."

"That's not a few!"

"I told you not to ask. Maybe next time you'll listen."

I look around outside, trying to catch that scent on the wind again.

"Aria, what are you looking for?"

Beneath a light on the pathway that divides the courtyard from the front lawn of the frat house, I see a man. He's blond, his eyes shine blue in the light.

"Augustine…" I whisper.

"What?"

"Nothing. We have to go."

I take his hand and pull him back through the party. We leave through the backdoor. I watch my surroundings as we head back toward the city, back to the car. I stop once we're close; Damon stops with me. I reach into his pocket and take the car keys. I waste no time. I run to the car and jump in. I start it, rolling up the windows and putting the top up. Damon gets into the passenger seat. I can feel his eyes on me as I drive away.

After about twenty minutes of silence, he finally speaks.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You looks scared back there, like you were running from something."

"Nope."

"Aria."

I glance at him for only a moment before looking back to the road. There are no other cars on the road. This is as good a place as any. I pull over and turn off the car. I turn to face Damon, meeting his gaze steadily.

"Damon, there's something you need to know."