Stefan was a little shocked at her sudden confession, she didn't sound sad or angry, just scared. In the long time Stefan had known Valerie he'd never seen her be afraid of anything. "Who's coming for you?" He asked and Valencia laughed, this time it was a proper laugh, like she found something funny. "Oh don't sound so concerned Stefan." She said as she wandered around the kitchen, a spring in her step, like she was dancing to the music in her head, "I'm sure you and Damon will be quite happy to be rid of the constant fear of my return." She leant on the island counter in the centre of the kitchen, looking up at him from under dark eyelashes.

"Valerie," Stefan replied his voice sounded tired and it was a moment before he continued, "You know that's not true, If Damon wanted you dead and buried he'd have done it himself a long time ago. And I care about you too, of course." He waited for her to reply but she was silent, looking down at the marble counter. She looked sad again, "Hey," He started again, "Why don't we get out of here?" He suggested and her green eyes lit up like emeralds dazzling in sunlight. "Um, yeah!" She said, her voice full of excitement, "Is that okay? I mean I'm a psycho-killer and I'm covered in my own blood?"

Stefan looked from her eyes to the blood stains on her dress and thought for a minute, "I'm sure we'll have something floating around in this place that'll fit you."

The attic of The Boarding House was full of old trunks of clothes and Valencia rifled through them happily whilst Stefan waited for her to pick something. In the distance he could hear Damon and Elena arguing and he listened in for a while; they were arguing about Valerie - which wasn't a surprise - Elena was angry and Damon was trying to convince her that he could handle things. Stefan shrugged it off and tuned back into Valencia who had pulled out a new trunk and was throwing things out of it until she came across a pair of denim dungarees - must have been left here from the nineties Stefan assumed. "You got a white t-shirt I can borrow?" Valerie asked and Stefan shrugged, "It'll be way too big for you." He replied and it was her turn to shrug, "So I'll tuck it in."

Not long later and the two were heading down the stairs and towards the front door, Valerie was laughing at something Stefan had said as she held his hand and bounced her way past the living room to the front door, her mass of blonde curls bobbing around her face. "Where do you think your going?" Elena asked from the living room, stopping the two in their tracks.

"I'm going to show Valerie around Mystic Falls and then we're heading to the Grill to get something to eat." Stefan replied as Elena approached them and looked at the two of them with annoyance, "You can't take her out." She said firmly and the smile that had been on Valerie's face turned into a glare.

"And are you going to try and stop us?" Valerie asked raising her eyebrow at the taller girl, daring her to try it. Stefan squeezed her hand to warn her off.

Elena looked at the other girl, she'd changed clothes and looked even more like a child than she did before, wearing an oversized t-shirt and some dungarees - god knows where she got those from Elena thought to herself. "Damon tell them." Elena said looking over her shoulder to where her boyfriend sat on the sofa watching the scene take place. "You can't go out, I'm sorry." Damon confirmed and Valencia frowned, "Why not?" She asked, "Stefan thinks it's a good idea, Right Stefan?" She looked up at the boy who'd been so nice to her, he got her hopes up, made her think today could be a good last day. Stefan said nothing, Valerie pulled not too gently at his arm, "Tell them Stefan!" She snapped, he winced slightly but Valerie didn't even notice that she'd hurt him. "Tell him!" She snapped again and pulled at his arm again, he pulled his hand away from her grasp and looked down at her, "I think you should tell them." He told her but she shook her head.

"No." She replied firmly, her voice low though she knew it wouldn't matter since everyone in the room had vampire hearing. "I don't want them to know, I just want one good day." The two argued about it for a few moments, "I'm not telling them, I only told you 'cause you've always been the closest thing I've had to a friend."

Elena had had enough of these half whispers. "What's going on?" She said, "What isn't she telling us?" She demanded. In the time that had passed Damon had risen from the sofa and come to stand beside his girlfriend, lacing his fingers through her own. He looked worried and Valencia looked away from him, she didn't want him to know, didn't want the possibility of him acting differently because of what she knew was going to happen when they found her. She wanted him to be himself even if it meant him being in love with someone else.

"It's nothing," Stefan said, "Just let her go out."

"You could always come with us?" Valerie suggested.

There was a silence once more then Damon and Elena began their own whispered argument, moments later and the two turned back to the other two, "Elena's going to see Bonnie, I'm going to come with you." Damon said revealing the two's conclusion.

Moments later and everyone was leaving the house and getting into Stefan's car - since Damon's needed a new windscreen. Stefan dropped Elena off at Bonnie's and then drove into town. "Why's Elena going to Bonnie's?" He asked Damon whilst they watched Valencia go excitedly from one shop window to the next. "She's going to see in BonBon knows any spells or whatever that can work like a compulsion." Damon replied.

The next couple of hours were spent wandering through town in the summer sun. Valerie hadn't felt this good since the summer of nineteen seventy-two.

Summer 1972 - New York City - Valerie's POV

"Don't you just love this city?" I said looking at the two guys across from me at the little table outside a café. "I prefer small towns," Damon replied and Stefan agreed. I took a sip from my glass - Lemonade, not blood. I hadn't drunk human blood in two years and I hadn't killed anyone in half that time. For the first time in my life the three of us were all on good terms with one another, "What are we doing today?" Stefan asked and I thought for a moment,

"I want to lay in the grass in the park and just watch the sky." I decided and Damon smiled at me, I could probably guess that he was remembering the days we'd spent together laying in the field and falling in love. He hadn't told me he loved me - not like he had all those years ago but I was becoming more like my human self everyday and soon enough he would see that I was still the girl he was in love with.

Sure enough the rest of the day was spent watching clouds and reading in the sunlight in the park until the sun went down and then we went dancing, summer was coming to an end and soon enough the weather would be cold but tonight would be a perfect end to a perfect summer. On the dance floor Stefan spun me round as the music played and I was laughing like I'd never laughed before then the music slowed and Stefan excused himself to buy us drinks.

Damon had been sat watching us from a table at the side lines, he hadn't been much of a dancer back than, unless her had too but occasionally I could get him to sway to a slow song with me so as the music began to slow down I gestured for him to come over, he shook his head no, and I raised my eyebrows at him and gestured once more for him to come over, this time he smiled and stood up, knowing I wouldn't give up he walked over and I wrapped my arms around him. We swayed to the music and talked and laughed.

Then I looked up at him and all there was in the world was him and I and the music, the perfect end to the perfect summer. I looked up at him, and raised myself onto my toes before gently placing my lips on his. The perfect end...

Valencia never relived beyond that moment of her memory of that day.

It's been a while since I posted a chapter - sorry about that. Hope this longer chapter makes up for it a little and that you enjoyed it, though it is mostly filler, sorry about that too. ~RainbowVeins