1X04 Family Ties: part two

Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron

Running the thick brush through Dawn's thin, golden locks, a faint smile was laced upon Caroline's lips. It was nice for her to have some alone bonding time with Dawn. No Bonnie, no Elena, just her and Dawnie. At the mere thought of the other two girls, Caroline could feel the horrible presence of the green giant brewing her gut. But who could blame Caroline? The blonde had been best friends with Dawn for eleven years! Caroline had even shared her grape juice box with Dawn and yet Elena and Bonnie were wiggling their way into Dawn's good books.

Caroline, could recall when she had been jealous of Bonnie and Elena's close friendship. After all, it was hard to talk to people who constantly made inside, rather stupid jokes. During her high school 'I'm much cooler than you' stage, Caroline had brushed Dawn to the side slightly and clung to Bonnie and Elena's sides. She had wanted them to become three best friends and the most popular girls in the school. But after a mere week of sticking to the girls' sides, Caroline had missed her blonde best friend. After, Caroline finally realized that her eyes had deceived her.

She had been blind to what was in front of her. She hadn't realized that Dawn had been there for her during everything. Through all the tears, through all the boy troubles and throughout the dreadful Nicholas Sparks movies that she hated, Dawn had always been there for Caroline. The blonde faintly smiled at the memory

The blonde's happiness was short-lived as her mind flooded back to Elena. Why did Elena take everything from her? Caroline knew the doppelgänger didn't mean to, but Elena seemed to naturally take everything from her. First Stefan and now Dawn…

Everyone loved perfect Elena… Don't get Caroline wrong, the perky blonde loved Elena, she was one of her best friends, but Caroline couldn't deny the natural competition that was between the two. However, sometimes it was almost like Elena didn't notice…

"Care… Is everything okay?" Caroline was snapped out of her thoughts by Dawn's harmonious voice.

Looking up from Dawn's mass of blonde curls, Caroline furrowed her thin brows together.

"Yeah, why?" Caroline answered automatically, sending her best friend a tight-lipped smile.

She wasn't okay. Nothing was okay. Damon was using her as a chew toy, her best friend was being poached and Caroline was beyond stressed.

After reading a magazine article about how overworking could affect the baby, Caroline was worried. Both her and Liz had commented on how Dawn was overworking, but Dawn wouldn't have any of it. Dawn had claimed she really needed the money, but there was only one question on Caroline's mind: at what cost?

The blonde had found out that overworking in a pregnancy lead to stress, which wasn't good for the baby either. Doctors believe the stress of being at work could be increasing hormone levels that put women at greater risk of pre-eclampsia, a common and dangerous complication of late pregnancy. Not only this, stress could also lead to preterm labor, premature birth, a low birth weight, miscarriages and sleep or behavioral disorders in the baby. Caroline didn't want her future godson/goddaughter unhealthy. All Caroline wanted was Dawn's baby to be born red faced with strong lungs.

"Care." Dawn gave her best friend a stern look.

Just like Caroline knew everything about her, Dawn knew her best friend well, and clearly something was wrong with her. The beautiful blonde had a habit of crossing her arms over her chest when she was defensive, she placed her hands on her hips when she was confident and she sent tight-lipped smiles when she was withholding feelings.

Huffing, Caroline untangled the brush and placed it on the dressing table. As she did so, Dawn spun around to face her best friend and patted the desk chair besides her own. "Sit, C'mon, tell me what's up." Dawn urged.

Defeated, Caroline nervously nibbled her lower lip and began playing with her fingers. "I don't want to burden you." Caroline insisted.

The cheerleader didn't want to add any more stress onto Dawn. Her best friend was distraught enough with the whole business with her father.

"You could never burden me, Care. If something is bothering you, I want to know. You know why?"

Caroline shook her head, her brows furrowed. "Why?"

"Because you're my sister, you're my best friend. And if you have a problem, I have a problem." Dawn replied firmly, taking Caroline's hand in her own. Although Dawn wasn't the biggest fan of physical contact, Dawn ignored the dreaded feeling in her gut. Her best friend needed her. She couldn't let her foolishness stop her from comforting her best friend.

Caroline's lips curved into a large, touched smile. Leaning her head on Dawn's shoulder, Caroline smiled. "I'm so lucky to have you as a best friend." Caroline murmured.

"Sister, not just a best friend." Dawn corrected gently, smiling.

The grin couldn't be wiped off Caroline's face. "I love you."

"I love you too." Dawn replied.

As the two sat there in silence, Caroline looked up at Dawn. "What time is it?" Caroline asked.

Peering down at her watch, Dawn sighed. "5:50."

Silence flooded between them for a moment. "We should really hurry…" Caroline replied as Dawn nodded before the two bolted from their embrace and carried on getting ready.

With his signature smirk on his lips, Damon watched in amusement as his brother clutched the glass of bourbon in his hand. It seemed he'd driven his poor brother to drinking, Damon laughed at the thought.

"It's cool not growing old. I like being the eternal stud." Damon informed Stefan, wiggling his brows as his baby brother scoffed.

Shaking his head, Stefan's forehead creased. "Yes, being a 150-year-old teenager has been the height of my happiness." Stefan replied sarcastically, his voice low as Damon sniggered.

"You cracked a funny, Stefan. I should have a drink to celebrate. 1864. You and Katherine were the perfect couple. It was hell watching you dance with her." Damon replied as the memory sparked back to Damon's mind.

Katherine had looked beautiful that night. The curly haired vixen had been wearing an off shoulder plum dress that emphasized her small waist, her ample bust and her large hips, while her brown ringlets had been tied up into a fancy up-do. Katherine's brown ringlets had usually pooled down her back, so it was a special occasion to see Katherine's hair tied up.

"My happiness was short-lived, as you well know." Stefan replied dryly.

With a smirk on his face, Damon pulled the drink out of Stefan's hand and swirled the glass around in his palm. "I remember. I left the party early, I was waiting for her. The night you dropped her off, I was waiting just inside. You were such a gentleman, gave her a kiss on the cheek. And what she really wanted was... Oh, well."

Glancing down at the drink, Damon pulled it to his lips, but paused when a strong tinge affected his senses. This wasn't the smell of plain bourbon. Leaning down, Damon met Stefan's eyes as he smirked. It was spiked with vervain. His sneaky baby brother…

Dropping the drink to the ground, Damon chuckled. "I admire your effort, Stefan. Pouring yourself a drink then spiking the bottle with vervain. I'm not some drunk sorority chick. You can't roofie me. But I can't help but feel a little used. I thought we were having a moment. I have to go to the party angry. Who knows what I'll do?"

Anxiously nibbling her lower lip, Dawn looked at her reflection. Granted, Dawn thought she looked acceptable, but that didn't mean Dawn felt comfortable in the dress. The powder blue dress hugged her bump far too much for her liking…

With her blue dress, Dawn was wearing a pair of white pumps and her usual necklace. Caroline had done Dawn's makeup and kept the look natural, knowing Dawn didn't want flashy over the top makeup. While Dawn's shoulder-length hair was styled in a short messy fishtail braid.

"You look beautiful, Dawnie."

Glancing at her best friend through the reflection of the mirror, Dawn blushed. Playing with the hem of her dress, Dawn nervously bit her lip.

Without turning to look at her friend, Dawn flushed. "T-Thanks."

Rolling her eyes playfully, Caroline spritzed her hair with a layer of extra strong hair spray before turning back to her best friend. Clearly Dawn didn't believe she looked beautiful. Was her best friend blind? Clearly.

Grabbing a posh bottle of perfume of her desk, Caroline gently held it out. "Here."

Dawn's brows furrowed as she stared at the pink bottle of perfume. The perfume was a very expensive, and a lush smelling one at that. It had been bought by Caroline's grandmother before she passed away, so Caroline only used it for important occasions.

"What?"

"Use it." Caroline demanded as Dawn awkwardly accepted the bottle.

With her brows furrowed, Dawn looked at Caroline in confusion. "What..." Dawn trailed off.

Caroline rolled her eyes playfully. "Use it, Dawnie."

"I know what you meant… But isn't this your grandmothers expensive perfume?" Dawn murmured, gripping the bottle tightly, afraid she'd drop the bottle.

A smile rose to Caroline's lips. "Yup-" Caroline popped the 'p'. "-And I want you to use it. You're my best friend Dawn, I don't mind. Plus, you're the only one who I'd let use it." Caroline added.

The cheerleader couldn't help but think back to when her mother had asked to use the perfume for some date that end pretty bad. Caroline had told her mother she could use the perfume when hell froze over.

"Thanks, Care." Dawn smiled.

Grinning, Caroline jumped when a swift knock on the door interrupted them.

"I'll get it!" Caroline sung hyperactively, bounding to the door in her heels.

After spraying a small amount of the perfume on her neck and wrists, Dawn gently placed the bottle back on the desk. Letting out a sigh, Dawn brushed a short strand, that had fallen out the top of her fishtail, to the side. Dawn could hear Damon's smooth, melodic tone.

Taking a deep breath, Dawn forced her numb legs to walk out the room and into the hall. As she did, Damon's eyes snapped towards her. Damon completely blocked out Caroline as he eyed Dawn.

The leggy blonde looked stunning. "Dawnie, you look beautiful." Damon took pleasure in the way she flushed pink. Averting her eyes to the floor, Dawn anxiously bit her lower lip.

"Shall we go?"

Without another word, Damon lead the two to his baby; his 69' Chevy Camaro Convertible.

Playing with the hem of her dress, Dawn awkwardly followed Caroline and Damon as they headed up the entrance steps of the large manor. Although Dawn had seen the house from afar, Dawn hadn't seen it close up. It was truly beautiful. Dawn couldn't even imagine living in such a luxurious manor. Tyler Lockwood was one lucky junior.

Dawn had been so caught up in her thoughts, she ended up crashing into the back of Damon. Flushing as Damon spun around, the pregnant blonde nervously nibbled her lower lip.

"S-sorry." Dawn apologized sheepishly.

Caroline took no notice as she knocked on the Lockwood door. As the door swung open to reveal Carol Lockwood, Damon gave Dawn a quick, flirtatious wink before turning back to Carol. Dawn's cheeks lit up as she looked towards the door.

"Caroline! Dawn! You two look smashing." Carol chimed, her eyes glancing between the two before landing on Damon. Dawn noticed how the woman gave Damon a one over, but who could blame her? Damon was very handsome.

The older woman looked very nice herself. Carol was wearing a slim fitting cocktail dress, her hair was straightened, her makeup was natural and she had a pair of expensive heels on. Carol Lockwood's high heels alone probably cost more than Dawn's entire outfit.

Giving the woman a sweet smile, Caroline spoke up. "Thank you, Mrs. Lockwood. This is my boyfriend Damon."

Dawn frowned sadly. Boyfriend. They had made it official. It didn't matter anyways, even if they weren't 'official', Dawn couldn't date Damon, not only for Caroline but for Damon himself. Damon deserved better than a broken girl as herself, he deserved someone like Caroline.

Eyeing Damon up, a large smile formed on Carol's lips. "Oh, well, come on in."

"Lovely to meet you. I've been looking forward to this party for quite a while."

As live classical instruments rebounded through the entire Lockwood manor, Dawn couldn't help but marvel her surroundings in wonder. The white brick dwelling had looked spectacular outside, but inside? Inside it looked as if it was straight out of a high budget movie set. It was almost too perfect to be true. White marble counters, velvet curtains and large vases of flowers. It was beautiful.

"Impressed?"

Dawn jumped as she turned to find Damon looking at her, his blue eyes trapped on hers as she flushed. Damon looked as if he had just walked off a Calvin Klein catwalk. The raven haired vampire was attired in a matt black tuxedo and a smart pair of dress shoes. Damon's hair was jelled and he was freshly shaven.

Blushing, Dawn pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I, uh, haven't ever been in such a… Extravagant place." Dawn admitted, looking around shyly as Damon's smirk widened.

Taking a step forward, Damon grabbed a drink of one of the trays. Judging from the golden color of the liquid, Dawn assumed it was champagne.

"You should have seen my old home. You would have loved it. It was much better than this place. Grand staircases, huge libraries, lots of land…" Damon trailed off, pausing to take a sip of his champagne as Dawn's eyes lit up.

"Wow… My house only had one bathroom…" Dawn murmured.

Damon just smirked. "So, having fun?"

The blonde shuffled on her feet as she noticed Caroline speaking with Liz. Nodding, Dawn played with the ends of her dress. "Yeah, I just feel a little out of place. Most of the people here are relatively wealthy." Dawn murmured, self-consciously looking around the elegantly dressed crowd.

Surprised by this, Damon gave Dawn a look up and down. She had nothing to worry out. Dawn looked good, good enough to eat.

The blonde's baby blue dress brought out warmer tones in her skin while highlighting her jaw-dropping figure. Clearly she had been hiding her curvy body under chaste clothing for a while. Damon would have loved to see Dawn in a skin-tight bodycon dress. Although due to her baby bump, Damon knew Dawn would imagine have avoided a dress as such like the plague. Anyways, Dawnie was too innocent for that sort of clothing.

Damon would never understand why Dawn had few friends. After all, Dawn was kind, beautiful and smart. Maybe people were intimidated by this, or perhaps it had something to do with her religion? Damon wasn't sure. All he knew was the blonde was highly addictive.

She was intoxicating. Once you got a taste of her chaste personality you couldn't stay away. She was a breath of fresh air; she wasn't like most girls nowadays. That's what Damon liked about her.

"You shouldn't: you look beautiful." Dawn flushed pink as Damon's gaze softened.

Damon cursed to himself. What the hell was happening to him? He was in Mystic Falls to get Katherine out of the damn tomb and here he was, being nice to Dawnie. It had to be something supernatural, surely? Dawn's presence was inebriating.

"T-Thanks."

Judging from her flushed cheeks, neck and arms, Dawn wasn't used to compliments. It seemed her blush was travelling down her body. As Damon let out a chuckle, he leaned forward and slowly brushed his fingertips against her cheek.

Caressing her smooth skin, Damon noticed how her heart beat sped up. Over his long life, Damon had grown use to simple human behavior. When a human was terrified, their heartbeats would quicken, their eyes would widen, their breathing would become rapid and then they'd lose all sense of control, their flight or fight stage would kick in as they became the prey.

And as Dawnie's heartbeat fastened, Damon immediately knew it was fear. She was scared and Damon had no idea why, he wasn't even purposely scaring her…

"Who hurt you?" Damon's voice was a hushed whisper as his eyes softened.

Granted, Damon was a murdering, cruel, vicious vampire, but he couldn't stand violence against helpless women. Especially pregnant, chaste women. Yes, he had killed Gail and her baby, but to be fair, he had his humanity switch flipped. Damon didn't go a day without thinking of the poor baby and Zac's wife who he killed: not that he'd ever admit that.

Yes, Damon killed women, he fed on women and used women. But that didn't mean he would purposely physically or sexually abuse a woman.

As Dawn's orbs dilated in panic, she began to slowly hyperventilate. Damon frowned as she slapped his hand away from her cheek.

"Don't touch me." Tears clouded in Dawn's eyes as she took a terrified step back.

Slowly, everyone's eyes landed on the petrified blonde. Dawn was now trembling, she had paled and was breathing extremely heavily.

This wasn't right.

"Don't touch me." Dawn murmured as Damon took a step forward. Putting his hands out, Damon frowned. "Hey, I'm not gonna' hurt you." Damon promised as Dawn took another step back.

"Get away from me."

Damon frowned. "Hey, Dawnie. It's me. Damon."

"Get the hell away from me!" Dawn's voice cracked as tears threatened to stream down her face.

"Dawnie…"

Shaking her head, Dawn allowed tears to stream down her cheeks as her lip quivered. Before Damon could say anything else, Dawn hurried off, a frown on her face as she bolted in the opposite direction. All Damon did was watch Dawn. There was no point in going after Dawn, he needed to focus on one thing: the crystal.

Trembling fingers wrapped around the glass of water as the sound of traditional music flooded throughout the room. Shakily swallowing the water, Dawn failed to steady her nerves as Liz rubbed her back. The sheriff had found a flustered and sobbing Dawn.

"Now, are you going to tell me what got you in such a state?" Liz's voice was kind as she comforted the girl who was a daughter to her.

Dawn Ellis had never really had a biological mother. After all, her biological mother had died due to complications after birth. But even so, Dawn had another mother: Elizabeth Forbes. The blonde haired, brown eyed woman was one of the most important people in Dawn's life.

Shaking her head sheepishly, Dawn kept her gaze on the floor.

As a frown curved across Liz's lips, the Sheriff sighed. "Dawn, you're like a daughter to me, and if something is upsetting you…" Liz trailed off.

When she received no reply, Liz sighed. "Look, Dawn. Whatever you're bottling up, it isn't good for you or the baby." Liz added. Before Dawn could reply, the two were interrupted by Carol Lockwood signalling for Liz to come over to her.

Giving Dawn a small smile, Liz stood. "I'll be right back. Carol Lockwood's signalling for backup." A small smile cracked out of Dawn as Liz rubbed Dawn's back before heading to Carol.

Draining the rest of her water, Dawn pulled herself up from the chair and headed towards the bar. Just as Dawn put her glass down on the bar counter, a flash of dirty-blond hair made her freeze.

"Dawn!"

Before Dawn could react, she was pulled into a tight embrace by her step-brother. Tensing, Dawn was too afraid to push him away as he finally pulled away.

Abraham's eyes were kind as he sent a friendly smile to Dawn. "You need to come home, I'm sure I you talk to your dad then he'd take you back in." Abraham's lips curled into a frown as he continued. "It hasn't been the same without my little sister. I miss you, and so does your dad and so does my mom. They're trying to act like they don't, but they do, deep down."

As Abraham took a step forward, Dawn shook her head and took a step back.

"Dawn? Are you okay?"

The only reply the blonde teen was met with was a low, terrified mutter. "No… No… I said no.". Abraham took another step forward. "Dawn? Are you okay?"

Abraham's soft brown eyes squinted as his brows furrowed in concern. Had he done something wrong? "Dawn?" Abraham called.

A sense of panic overtook Dawn's body as she began to rapidly tremble. A stinging sensation began to pulse through Dawn's body as she sadly shook her head.

"I said no." Dawn's voice was merely a whisper.

Before Abraham could reply, the ground began to violently shake. Dawn's voice grew louder. "I said no!" People turned towards Dawn

As people began to turn and face the commotion, the earth began to violently shake. The classical instruments stopped as screams echoed around the manor. The guest began to dive under chairs and tables for cover as bottles of expensive wines and champagnes fell to the ground and turned into a dangerous pile of glass shards. It seemed that the public were too busy on finding cover, that they failed to notice the golden glow that outlined Dawn's figure.

"EARTHQUAKE!"

Tears freely streamed down Dawn's cheeks as she shook her head. Dawn's mind was spinning as the ground continued to violently tremble. Unlike the rest of the guests, who were cowering under the furniture, Dawn stood tall on her feet. She wasn't knocked to the ground by the earth's trembling or hit with the rolling furniture or shards of glass. She wasn't scared nor was she concerned for her life or the baby's as furniture, glass bottles and silver platters all glided around the room.

Bottles of alcohol continued to roll off the shelf as the earth continued to quail.

Looking around, Dawn's breath hitched in her throat. Was she doing this? What was happening? It wasn't uncommon for Virginia to have earthquakes, after all, Virginia and the eastern side of the North American continent were in the middle of a tectonic plate. The last earthquake hadn't been long ago, but yet it hadn't been anything like the earthquake that was happening. The earthquake of 2010 had been minor, causing little damage and was barely felt. This earthquake wasn't just happening in Virginia. It was happening worldwide.

As Dawn got back in control of her emotions, the earthquake ceased.

Climbing out from under the table, Carol stood up and assessed the little damage. "It's okay everyone, just a little earthquake. We can't let that ruin our night!"

Everyone reluctantly and rather shakily followed Carol's orders, climbing out from under the tables as the staff began to sweep up the broken glass. It was surprising how little the damage was.

As Dawn bolted out the room, she didn't know what to do. Her emotions were on overdrive and something told her it wasn't too do with her pregnancy. She was having an emotional collapse, or as it's more commonly known: a breakdown.

Bonnie. Yes: she'd find Bonnie. The brunette had confronted Dawn about experiencing strange things, as she herself had been experiencing strange things. Apparently Bonnie had predicted Tanner's death.

The numbers Bonnie had doodled in class. '8, 14 and 22' had been involved in Tanner's death. A license plate on a car near Tanner's death was 'BLDG 8', the car registration had been 'FHT 14' while on the parking space had been number 22. It couldn't have been a coincidence, surely.

Yes, perhaps Bonnie could help her. Bonnie could take her to Shelia Bennett, maybe she'd help her… With that in mind, Dawn rushed to the bathroom, wiped her face with some tissues before bolting to find Bonnie.

Frantically, Dawn searched through the shocked crowds as everyone tried to register what had happened. The crowd began dusting off their fancy clothing as the staff turned the furniture back over, while the remaining employees swept up the broken glass and mopped up the alcohol. The orchestra were picking up their instruments and shakily began to play.

As Dawn looked for the brunette, she crashed into Damon. Pulling away from him, Dawn tried to hurry past him. However, Damon was quick to reach out and lightly grab Dawn's arm.

"Hey, you okay?" Dawn wasn't sure if he was asking about her freaking out on him or the earthquake.

Shaking her head, Dawn continued to scan the area for a certain Bennett witch.

"I… I… Need to find… Bonnie." Dawn mumbled.

Frowning, Damon took in her appearance. At the beginning of the night Dawn had looked beautiful. However, now her eyes were puffy and her skin was sickly pale. She didn't look well. Something was clearly eating her alive.

Slowly placing his hands on her shoulders, Damon didn't miss the way Dawn flinched. Tenderly rubbing her bare shoulders with his thumbs, Damon frowned. "Hey… It's okay. It's okay, Dawnie." Damon whispered, his eyes dilating as a sense of security washed over Dawn.

Everything was going to be okay. Everything was okay.

Brushing her fingers along the vintage book of the original guest registry, Elena raised a curious brow as she flicked the book open. Elegant, large script was sprawled across the pages while the old founding family members' names were listed below.

"The founding families in Mystic Falls welcomes you to the inaugural founder's council celebration. Wow, look, it's the original guest registry. Look at all these familiar names—Sheriff William Forbes, Mayor Benjamin Lockwood. Is that Damon Salvatore? And, Stefan Salvatore?" Elena's brows furrowed as she scanned over the names. What? Damon and Stefan Salvatore?

Before Elena could ponder anymore, Damon and Dawn appeared behind her.

"The original Salvatore brothers. Our ancestors. Tragic story, actually." Damon spoke as Elena jumped and turned to face Damon. Dawn zoned out the conversation and let out a sigh of relief when she noticed Abraham leaving. The sigh was so quiet it was inaudible to human ears, but Damon wasn't human. Casting her a glance, Damon frowned.

Seeing Dawn, Elena gave the blonde a toothy smile.

"We don't need to bore them with stories of the past." Stefan's voice came from behind her as Elena jumped. They were like ghosts! That or Elena was simply a scaredy' cat that jumped at anything. Probably the second option.

"It's not boring, Stefan. I'd love to hear more about your family." Elena smiled as Caroline flounced up from behind Stefan.

Standing beside Stefan, Caroline's bored eyes wandered till they landed on Dawn. "Dawnie! Me and my mom have been searching everywhere for you! I was so worried, I mean there was that earthquake and such…" Caroline babbled as Dawn smiled at her best friend.

Everything was okay…

"Everything's okay, Care. I promise." Dawn replied, fluttering her lashes as Caroline nodded.

The blonde's lips curled into a pout as Caroline glanced at Damon. She was supposed to distract Stefan. She had to distract Stefan. "Well, I'm bored. I want to dance. And Damon won't dance with me."

Dawn frowned as Damon just hummed in reply.

Sighing, Caroline dramatically tuned to Elena. Giving the brunette the cutest puppy eyes she could muster, Caroline pouted. "Could I just borrow your date?"

Elena hesitated. "Oh, uh..."

"I don't really dance." Stefan cut in uncomfortably as Caroline's lips curled into a frown.

Dawn's eyes softened in sympathy just as Dawn was about to claim she'd dance with Caroline, Damon cut in. "Oh, sure he does. You should see him. Waltz, the jitterbug, the moonwalk. He does it all."

A grin found its way onto Caroline's lips as she turned to Elena. "You wouldn't mind, would you, Elena?"

Elena couldn't reject Caroline. The blonde's eyes were full of hopefulness as Elena glanced at Stefan. "It's up to Stefan."

Now that she had permission from Elena and had followed 'girl code', Caroline grabbed Stefan's hand.

"Well sorry, but I'm not going to take no for an answer." With that, Caroline dragged Stefan to the dance floor, leaving Dawn, Elena and Damon alone.

Clearing her throat, Dawn turned to Elena. "I should probably find Liz…" Dawn murmured absent-mindedly before wandering off.

As Stefan and Caroline swayed to the music, Stefan couldn't deny how nice Caroline felt in his arms, but that didn't decrease his feelings for Elena.

Stefan had stronger feelings for Elena than he had ever had for Katherine. Elena was the perfect girl: sweet, kind, compassionate and beautiful. Stefan couldn't deny that it was Elena's resemblance to Katherine that drove him to her, but Elena's compassionate, selflessness was what inflicted his feelings for her.

"Damon told you to ask me to dance. Didn't he?" Stefan finally broke the ice.

Looking up, Caroline frowned. Fluttering her lashes innocently, Caroline gazed up at him. "Now why would he do that?"

Stefan said nothing, instead he pulled away from their slow dancing stance and glanced at the tray of champagne.

Motioning to the tray, Stefan cocked a bold brow. "Would you like one?"

Without waiting for a reply, Stefan grabbed two glasses off the tray, making sure he knew which had the vervain in. It would have been a nasty surprise to drink that one. Nodding to the waiter who was holding the tray, Stefan thanked him before offering the champagne with vervain in to Caroline.

Shyly smiling, Caroline looked around before reaching for the glass. Holding the flute of champagne, Caroline gave Stefan a smile. "Okay, just tell me if you see my mom."

Returned from her hunt for Liz, Dawn was now standing beside Elena and Damon. Dawn had found Liz and spoke to the short haired blonde woman. Now Dawn was with Elena and Damon, who was telling them about the original Salvatore brothers: Damon and Stefan Salvatore. Apparently sibling rivalry ran in their family, which explained the tenseness between the two.

"The Salvatore name was practically royalty in this town. Until the war. There was a battle here—" Damon began, but was cut off by Dawn.

"The Battle of Willow Creek." Dawn piped up, recalling the answer from history class.

The corner of Damon's lips curved into a smirk as he nodded. "Right."

Flushing pink, Dawn anxiously explained. "W-We talked about it in, uh, class." Dawn murmured shyly, meeting Damon's piercing blue eyes.

Elena's eyes flashed with recognition as she piped up. "Oh yeah, the Confederate soldiers fired on a church with civilians inside." Elena replied.

"What the history books left out was 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 confederacy side back then wanted them rounded up and burned alive. 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." Damon replied, glancing between the girls.

Dawn's eyes clouded over with sadness as she frowned. Her voice was soft as she spoke up. "Who was in the church that they wanted to save?" Dawn asked, mesmerized by the story as Damon frowned.

"A woman, I guess. Doesn't it always come down to the love of a woman?" Damon replied as Dawn nodded in agreement.

Sighing, Elena decided to clear the air. "Look, I'm sorry that you and Stefan have this thing between you, but I can't get in the middle of it, Damon. I just... I hope you two can work it out."

"I hope so, too." Damon lied, fighting the smirk off his lips.

Dawn's mind was distracted as herself, Damon and Elena all headed over to Stefan and Caroline, who were both sipping their champagne and had now finished dancing.

Giving her best friend a smile, Caroline sipped her champagne. The champagne tasted strange, but not in a bad way. It almost had a… Herbal taste to it, as strange as that sounded.

"What'd we miss?" Damon asked as Stefan glanced at Caroline.

The blonde seemed to be too busy finishing the glass of champagne. This meant Damon wouldn't be able to smell the vervain Caroline had ingested. Maybe if he was an older vampire, he'd be able to, for example, Lexi was able to do this. Stefan smiled at the thought of best friend.

"We were just chatting. Drink, Damon?" Stefan nodded to the tray of champagne. All of them contained vervain now. Either Damon could smell the vervain or was recalling earlier events.

With a smirk on his lips, Damon's eyes bored into his brothers. "No, thanks, I'll pass."

Clearing her throat, Elena turned to Stefan. "Stefan, do you have another dance in you?"

Stefan smiled. "Absolutely."

Without another word, Stefan led to Elena to the dance floor as Dawn, Damon and Caroline remained.

As the two began to slow dance, Caroline smiled. "They look so cute together."

Dawn nodded in agreement, but apparently Damon didn't agree. "Don't talk, please." Damon replied, clenching his jaw as he tried to keep his annoyance in check around Dawn.

"Dawn." Turning to face Damon, Dawn raised a brow. "Dance with me." Damon added, holding his hand out to the blonde.

Dawn blinked in surprise. "W-What?"

"May I have this dance." Damon corrected chivalrously, winking as he gave Dawn a charming smile, all while completely ignoring Caroline.

Dawn hesitated. "I, uh, I don't know…" Dawn mumbled, guiltily glancing at Caroline who gave her a small smile.

"Go ahead."

"O-Okay." Before Dawn could say anything else to Caroline, Damon had dragged Dawn off to the dance floor.

Caroline stood motionless before grabbing another glass of champagne. She had never been so conflicted. Part of Caroline was extremely jealous. Why had Damon wanted to dance with Dawn and not her? But then the other part of her reminded her that Dawn was her best friend. Dawn deserved someone to dance with. After all, she had been through a lot losing her father and whatnot.

After all, why not allow her best friend some happiness?

As Damon began to sway with Dawn to the music, he didn't fail to notice the way her body tensed as he placed one hand on her waist. Realizing Dawn had no idea whatsoever what she was actually doing, Damon guided her arms around his neck and began to sway their bodies together.

Damon's spare hand found its way to cup Dawn's cheek as he tilted her head up so she was finally looking at him. "Hey, it's okay." Damon reminded her as she nodded.

Her body relaxed as she sighed in relief. It was okay. Everything was okay. "I-I'm sorry, I'm not really, uh, use to doing… This." Dawn murmured as Damon arched a brow.

"You're not used to dancing with a handsome fellow like myself?" Damon questioned innocently.

A giggle left Dawn's throat as she shook her head. "No, I'm not." Dawn replied shyly as Damon chuckled and spun them around.

"I thought boys would be lining up left, right and centre to dance with you." Damon smirked.

Dawn snorted. "H-Hardly."

"Well then they are pretty stupid." Damon retorted before dipping Dawn. Dawn flushed at the movement.

As Damon scooped Dawn back up and twirled her, Dawn couldn't deny the butterflies in her stomach. Well, it was butterflies or her breakfast coming back up, it could have been either.

A confused Caroline stumbled outside as she scanned the edge of the perimeter for Damon. The last thing Caroline noticed was Damon and Dawn dancing, the next thing Caroline knew, Dawn and Damon had parted ways.

While Dawn was searching for Bonnie, Damon had gone to find the crystal. Dancing with Dawn had brought human feelings to Damon, which truly scared him. He was a vampire. He was the predator. He was a murderer, a bloodsucking vampire and yet he had been dancing with a chaste, pastor's daughter who was pregnant. Ironic.

"Damon?"

Caroline frowned when she realized Damon wasn't outside. Sighing in defeat, Caroline jumped when a figure brushed passed her.

"Caroline?"

The blonde's lips curved into a smile as she turned to face Abraham. Abraham was Dawn's step-brother and an over-all nice guy. Abraham ran the local choir group, attended college and was known around Mystic Falls as the 'golden boy'.

Caroline had always had a crush on Abraham, but the blonde had never acted on it because of Dawn. Caroline knew her best friend wasn't too keen on Abraham or Shelia.

Abraham was very attractive with shaggy-dirty blond hair and dark brown eyes. He was below average height with a lean and athletic build which he attained by running track. Abraham usually wore smart jeans with a colored sweater. On cooler days, he'd wear short sleeved shirts that showed off his lean arms. Currently, Abraham was wearing a black shirt, matching trousers and a jacket.

"Abraham." Caroline fluttered her lashes flirtatiously as Damon left her mind.

Caroline had always had a crush on Abraham, but the blond was nothing in looks in comparison to Damon. Abraham's features formed into ones of worry as he frowned.

"I'm worried about Dawn… I mean, dad was ridiculous kicking her out… She made a mistake, but don't we all. It's not the same at home without her." Abraham frowned.

The young adult missed his half-sister dearly.

"She's coping. But I don't know how long she'll be able to cope without breaking down." Caroline frowned as Abraham nodded.

Glancing down at his suit jacket, Caroline raised a brow. "So, you been here long?" Caroline asked.

Following Caroline's gaze, Abraham nodded. "Oh! I've been here for a bit, but I forgot my jacket and then I had to walk back…" Abraham trailed off sheepishly, his cheeks flushing slightly as Caroline giggled.

Clearing his throat, Abraham frowned. "Do you know if Dawn would ever think about moving home. I know my parents are being stupid and unfair, but I'm sure they'll get over it." Abraham mentioned as Caroline sighed.

"I honestly don't know…" Caroline admitted.

Abraham nodded understandingly. "Oh… Okay, well, I guess I'll see you around." Abraham murmured shyly, rubbing the back of his neck before heading off.

Caroline then headed inside without a second thought and continued her search for Damon.

Heading up the stairs, Damon rolled his eyes as he heard light footsteps tottering after him. Caroline. As he got to the top of the stairs, Caroline grabbed his arm.

"Where have you been?" Caroline questioned, frowning as Damon rolled his eyes.

Deciding it would be easier to just lie, Damon sighed. "Ah. Looking for you." He retorted.

Pleased by his answer, Caroline smiled. However, the smile soon dropped when she thought back to Stefan. "Your brother barely danced with me for five minutes—" Caroline began, but was cut off by Damon.

Gently pushing Caroline so she was standing in the doorway, Damon's pupils dilated. "Okay, just a minute. Stand right... There." Damon demanded before heading into the Lockwood master bedroom.

Trying to recall where he had hidden the necklace, Damon began to mindlessly search through the collections.

"Um, you're not supposed to touch. What is that?" Caroline asked from the doorway. The blonde's body was now half-turned, meaning she could keep a look out and see what Damon was doing.

Damon took no notice of Caroline as he opened a wooden box. A grin formed on Damon's lips as he pulled the necklace out by the chain.

Golden chains were attached to a large, amber crystal which now had a glow to it, indicating its power. The amber necklace had been originally created by Emily Bennett, Bonnie's great-great-great-great-grandmother. The talented witch had used the energy of a comet passing overhead in 1864 to empower the crystal with enough magic to seal the vampires inside a tomb located under the Fell's church and protect them from the fire that was set by the founder's. The crystal had been created especially for Damon, who promised to protect Emily's descendants, if in exchange she would save Katherine's life

In order for the crystal to be activated again and used to break the seal, the comet had to pass over Mystical Falls, however, it had taken over hundred and forty-six years for the comet to overpass. But it finally had.

Now he had the crystal, Damon would be able to free Katherine from the tomb and could finally live happily ever after.

"A very important crystal." Damon murmured, dangling the necklace as he took a moment to admire it. Here it was, the key to finally getting Katherine back.

Caroline furrowed her thin brows together in confusion. "Well, how did you know that it was there?"

"Because I put it there." Damon replied, placing the necklace in his jacket pocket as Caroline frowned.

"When?"

Damon clenched his jaw. He was this close to snapping the blonde's neck. But part of him thought of Dawn. He knew the pretty pregnant girl for some unknown reason, actually liked the annoying blonde.

"A long time ago. Tonight, I'm taking it back, thanks to you."

Caroline smiled but then raised a brow in confusion. "Well, what's it for?"

Sending the girl, a condescending smile, Damon turned to face the blonde. "Never you mind."

"Well, you can't just steal it." Caroline pointed out.

Damon rolled his eyes. "It's not stealing if it's mine. Come on." Damon lead the blonde out the room as she nodded in agreement. Technically, it wasn't stealing if he owned it.

"Well..."

As Caroline washed her hands in the 'powder room', Elena entered. Noticing the blonde immediately, Elena smiled and gave the girl a small wave.

"Hey." Elena greeted as Caroline began fixing her already perfect hair.

Glancing at Elena briefly, Caroline smiled while recalling what Damon had told her to do. What she had to do. She had to cause trouble between Elena and Stefan. Caroline didn't want to cause any trouble between the two, but something in her brain told her she had to. She didn't have a choice. It was really weird…

"Hey. So how are things with Stefan?" Caroline asked.

Elena gave her friend a strained smile. Things were not okay with Stefan. Elena had pushed her luck too much and asked about Katherine. She didn't mean any harm; she had simply wanted to know a little more about Stefan. Was it so wrong to ask about the ex that came between him and his brother? Maybe, but then again, Elena had told Stefan all about Matt…

"Great. Just great."

Turning to Elena, Caroline furrowed her brows together as she pulled out a tube of lip-gloss from her bag. "Really? Well, my radar must be off, 'cause I was getting all sorts of other vibes..." Caroline trailed off as she applied a thin layer before placing the lip-gloss tube back in her bag.

As Caroline placed the lip-gloss in her bag, Elena noticed her scarf move aside and reveal some sort of… Bite mark?

"What is that?"

"Hmm?—" Caroline began, but protested as Elena lifted her scarf. "Don't!"

Elena's jaw dropped when she noticed the mark on Caroline's neck. A large, bloody bite mark marred the pale skin of Caroline's upper body.

"Oh god, Caroline, what happened?"

Panic flowed through Caroline as she tried to cover the mark back up. Shaking her head, Caroline pushed Elena slightly back. "Nothing, okay?!"

"That is not nothing! Did somebody hurt you?"

"No, okay, nothing. It just... My mom would kill me." Caroline replied.

Unconvinced, Elena pulled down Caroline's shawl only to find another bite mark marring the smooth flesh of her pale back. "Did Damon hurt you?"

"No! Of course not! Just leave me alone. Okay, Elena?!"

Elena had been friends with Caroline for a long time and the thought of one of her best friends being hurt made her head spin in anger. Obviously Damon had done this to her. Anger pulsed through Elena as she stormed outside to find Damon. Upon coming face-to-face with Damon, Elena pushed him as hard as she could.

"There is something seriously wrong with you. You stay away from Caroline or I will go straight to her mother, the sheriff. You got it? Stay away from her." With that Elena headed back to find Caroline.

Elena was also worried about Dawn… Dawn had liked the sadistic freak who was biting Caroline, and not love biting either. The wounds were lined with dried blood, almost like he had been drinking it. Elena shivered at the thought.

However, Elena knew she couldn't tell Dawn about Damon's… Habits. Dawn was already experiencing enough stress with school and her father, Elena didn't want to add to that. And anyways, Elena would make sure Damon would stay away from Dawn from now on. She wouldn't let Damon hurt Dawn or her baby.

Dragging Caroline across the wet grass, Caroline whimpered as Damon's tight grip turned her arm white, stopping the blood flow from reaching her elbow, wrists and hands. With all her strength, Caroline turned so she was facing Damon. The blonde was quivering, terrified of what Damon would do to her. She hadn't told or shown Elena the bites, Elena had spotted them and pulled down her shawl.

"Don't! She took it off and I got flustered, okay?! I didn't know what to say. But I swear, okay? I did not tell her. I just told her that you didn't mean to hurt me." Caroline begged, her eyes watering briefly as she quickly blinked away her tears. She had to be strong: for Dawnie and her baby.

Without another word, Damon went behind Caroline and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. Caroline shivered when his mouth pressed against her neck.

Just as Caroline thought Damon was going to bite her, he whispered in her ear. "You make me crazy, you know that? It's okay. I forgive you."

Caroline sighed in relief. "I swear I didn't say— "

"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay. Unfortunately... I am so over you now." Damon cut her off before savagely biting into her neck, purposely making sure it was as painful as possible.

As Caroline's blood began to stream down his chin, Damon collapsed to the ground, his throat burning. Damon fought to keep his eyes open as his whole body was taken over with a burning sensation. Trying to spit out Caroline's blood, Damon only ended up spitting out his own blood as his gums began to sizzle and bleed. As Damon experienced immense pain, Caroline laid on the ground, unconscious from the pain and shock.

"What the hell?"

Damon tried to revert his vision as he squinted. A shadow stood over him. With much concentration, Damon finally realized it was Stefan.

"You know; I couldn't spike your drink... So I spiked hers."

Stefan's words were the last Damon heard as his vision turned black.

Waking up, Caroline timidly touched her neck, only to find the bite completely healed. Breathing heavily, Caroline shakily stood up, using her hand to push herself up. Besides her hand was the amber necklace. Damon's necklace. Caroline wasn't sure why, but she felt an urge to pick it up. Slowly, Caroline pulled the amber jewel from the ground and admired it.

The jewel unnaturally glowed in Caroline's palm. "Caroline?!"

Caroline popped the necklace in her pocket as she turned to face her best friend. Dawn's pretty features turned into ones of relief when she noticed it was Caroline. "There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you. Are you okay?"

Tensing, Caroline nodded. Had Elena told her what had happened? Caroline prayed Elena hadn't as Dawn didn't need more stress.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Have you spoke to Elena?" Caroline asked monotonously as Dawn's arched brows furrowed in confusion. What was wrong with Caroline?

Shaking her head, Dawn frowned. "Well, she said you were upset, but that's it." Dawn explained.

Caroline sighed in relief, causing Dawn's brows to furrow in confusion. Dawn had a sneaking suspicion her friends weren't telling her anything. Wow… That was a word Dawn never thought she'd be able to use; 'Her friends'.

"Care, what happened?" Dawn asked concerned.

The blonde shook her head. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"Caroline, I've known you for eleven years. I know when you're upset. You're shaking. Caroline—What—" Dawn frowned as her best friend began to frantically tremble.

"I'm fine!" Caroline snapped, but Dawn didn't take it to heart. Caroline was upset, she didn't mean to snap.

"Care, come here, come here." Dawn pulled Caroline in a hug as she began rubbing Caroline's back. Caroline sobbed into Dawn's shoulder as Dawn frowned. Dawn didn't like physical contact, but her best friend comes first, not her discomfort or her memories; her best friend.

"Hey, it's okay." Dawn whispered. "Everything's going to be okay."

Everything was okay.

As Stefan slammed the cellar door closed, he felt no remorse as he stared at the vervained form of his older brother. Damon was hurting Caroline, threatening Elena and endangering Dawn and her baby. Despite the same blood that flowed through his and Damon's veins, Stefan wouldn't allow Damon to hurt innocent people. Stefan had made this mistake with Gail, and now she was dead. He would never make that mistake again.

Elizabeth Forbes, Logan Fell, Gabriel Ellis, Carol and Richard Lockwood all gathered around a small table, discussing deadly matters that were hidden from the public. Carol and Richard had called Gabriel over, and after hearing Liz's assumption of vampires returning, Gabriel had cancelled his plans to dine with Shelia.

"Thank you for staying so late and thanks for coming Gabriel, I know you're a busy man" Richard mentioned as Gabriel nodded his head.

Clearing her throat, Liz tried to act civil around the man who had kicked his own pregnant daughter out. Turning to Carol, Liz raised a brow. "Did you get the Gilbert watch?"

Shaking her head, Carol frowned. "She claims it's packed away in her parents' things."

"I can get it." Logan piped up suddenly as Liz sighed in relief.

"Good. We're going to need it."

Carol anxiously bit her lower lip. Surely they couldn't be back, the original founding families had ridded the vampires from Mystic Falls in the 1864 Fell church fire. "Are you sure?"

Liz nodded. "Five bodies all drained of blood? I'm certain."

"They've come back." Gabriel replied, he had a bad feeling in his stomach. "Death, at last, shall spread its wings over all. Be careful everyone, for the demons have returned."


Hi guys! 200 follows, wooo! I love all of you guys so much! Anyways, hope this chapter is okay. I really don't like this chapter... There wasn't much Dawn and Damon in the last chapter, so I did a couple of scenes with them two. If anyone is curious, Abraham is played by Evan Peters (like he was in season 1 of AHS).

Plus, does anyone know any online safe sights were I could watch Supernatural? I really want to watch it and cannot get the first seasons on Sky. I have Netflix, who don't do it and I'm not paying for amazon prime and Netflix! I might just end up buying the season 1 boxset…

Anyways, I need to ask you guys something. In a couple of chapters, Dawn will be having her half-term scan, the scan which finds out the sex of the baby. Would you guys prefer Dawn to find out the sex of the baby or keep it a secret? And if you guys want to find out the sex, a boy or a girl? I can't decide, so maybe I'll open a poll, I don't know yet. If you want to find out the sex, review and add what sex you'd prefer Dawn to have.

In response to:

Belladu57: Thanks for the reviewJ

Vicki: I'm glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing!

Nati1729: Your too sweet, thanks for the review!

Flowerchild23: Thanks for the review!

Anna.b: Thank you! It will relate to Dawn's story a lot! And there will be a lot of tragedy for poor DawnL. And that's why I write in 3rd person, as in 1st person you can only look from on perspective, but 3rd you can focus on not only the OC's thoughts and feelings, but the other main characters. Plus, the baby dream was quite creepy which was why I didn't go into much detail, I also didn't want to move the story rating to M. I think Damon has a little bit of an interest in Elena, but only because at this point, he is obsessed with Katherine. I also think he would act interested so Stefan would think he was in Mystic Falls for the purpose of destroying his happiness. Plus, thank you and your actually quite close. It's sort of like a god or an angel but it is more well-known and there is only one person who controls the role, almost like a god. I'm trying not to give it away too much but at the same time give you a clue, lol. And I like the readers to be able to experience everything around them, not just Dawn's POV. By doing this, I think it adds to the plot and gives us different feelings, I love writing Elena, Damon and Caroline the most. Plus, Stefan loves a bit of Taylor Swift, which is brought up again in chapter nine. Here's a little spoiler: Stefan gets a bit too indulged in some Taylor Swift songs and forgets Elena is in the car ;D! I'm glad my writing isn't too cliché and predictable, lol. Dawn's dress was similar to Caroline's dress in plain, baby blue. I also want to give the character's time to bond, I don't want them to jump into an immediate 'BFF' relationship. Caroline's jealousy will get to boiling point, as one of Caroline's main flaws was her jealousy. And I have to make Klaus show an interest, he's one of my favourites with Damon, Caroline, Bonnie, Katherine and Elena (That's my favourites narrowed down, I can't pick, lol). And about the video, I would love to but I don't have any editing software or any experience in making videos, sorryL. I'd say Carol invited Dawn as a political move, after all, Dawn is Gabriel's daughter, although he practically disowned her, it would make it seem like they council don't judge and draw an illusion of a 'town-family'. I think Dawn will be very conflicted and maybe I'd do something like in Glee where Quinn's baby is adopted by Rachel's mother and Quinn is able to see the baby. But then I don't think Damon would forgive her. Perhaps she may have a dark phase, like Elena with no humanity, but I haven't really planned anything like that, as I feel it would betray the character and go against everything Dawn stands for. Thanks for the amazing review, I literally love your reviews!xxx

Unknown (chapter six, June 27th): I haven't completely decided about the baby, I have multiple ideas on what could happen, but I haven't decided. But I don't think I'll be giving Dawn's baby away. Thanks for the review.

Guest (chapter six, June 27th): Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed the references ;D, I couldn't resist! Thanks for the review.

Guest (chapter six, June 27th): I'm glad your liking the story! Thanks for the review!

Sarah: Don't worry, there won't be any ElenaXDamonXDawn love triangle. Damon will solely be interested in Dawn. Later on, there may be a little KlausXDawn, but Dawn will always go back to Damon.

Guestguest: I'm glad your liking the story! Thanks for the review!

Audrey: Merci pour l'examen!