Damon sat in Elena's window seat, the morning rays bursting through. The house was silent as all the Gilberts slept. He had expected Addie to cry or be restless after breaking up with him but he had be able to pick up on her breathing patterns and the sound of her heartbeat; she had gone straight to sleep. He doubted she even realized she was emotionally shutting down and shutting him out. Jeremy's room had been further away from Elena's nd he had been harder to hear but Damon had still heard him tossing and turning in the night. There was a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that awakening his inner Hunter was going to bite them in the ass, as Addie suspected. She was usually right about those things. It had been easy to sit in Elena's room, watching her sleep peacefully for hours. It didn't feel right like being with Addie; it was more of a compulsion.

Out of the corner of his eye Damon saw movement from Elena's bed. She was looking at her daylight ring as it sparkled in the sun.

"Fished it out of the river for you," he commented dryly, moving to sit on the edge of her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"My head's clear. I can remember everything, but not like I lived it, like it was a really bad dream," Elena said, slow and groggy. She paused as she recalled, "You saved me. Thank you."

Damon's eyebrows knitted together as he looked down to where she had clasped his hand. She was a vampire; her skin temperature was too similar to his own. The burn of Addie's touch was what he wanted.

"I just can't believe that I almost-"

"You weren't yourself," interrupted Damon.

"Yeah, but if it wasn't for you," emphasized Elena, brown eyes catching light blue ones.

Damon looked down at their hands again and Elena's gaze followed. Gently Damon began rubbing circles over the back of her hand. Addie's hands were small and fit with his better.

Damon exhaled sharply as he pushed aside his pride, "I'm about to take a very high, annoying road and tell you something that I should have seen coming a long time ago. Addie's depressed."

The corners of Elena's mouth dipped. It was too early in the morning for this kind of conversation. Plus, she was the one who had almost burned herself alive less than 12 hours ago. She shook her head in denial and muttered, "She has a great boyfriend. She's socializing rather than isolating. I mean, I think she's fine but if you say she's not…."

Damon snorted derisively. "Hanging out with me doesn't count as socializing; actually she's been shutting me out. She's been doing the same shady shit as Stefan and working with Klaus. She doesn't hang out with Jeremy and Bonnie or even Caroline anymore. I rarely notice her truly smile. There are a lot more tears." A small wistful smile crossed his lips as he recalled fonder times and asked, "Elena, what would you consider a defining personality trait of Addie?"

The answer was instantaneous. "She's a stubborn pain in the ass who gives people shit about things that she doesn't really care about just to amuse herself."

"Exactly. It's one of the main reasons we clicked and I fell in love with her." His smile faltered as he pointed out, "You haven't realized she doesn't really do that anymore?"

Elena licked her lips nervously, "What you say sounds right but I don't want to believe it."

"Elena, she's shutting herself out," Damon said firmly, determined to make her understand. "She's been withdrawing for awhile and i think last night, when we had to do some things she didn't agree with to save you, that was the straw that broke the camel's back."

"Wha-"

"We had to awaken a Hunter to break the curse. Jeremy was the only option. Addie didn't agree with it. She stormed off and refused to help," Damon explained quickly, foreseeing her question. "When everything was settled and I got back here and talked to Addie she expressed how much she doesn't want anything to do with the supernatural anymore and just wants a normal life. She ended up breaking up with me," he finished defeatedly.

"Oh, Damon," Elena sighed sympathetically, resting her hand on his face. She didn't notice his jaw tense under her touch. "Why would she do that?"

Damon popped his neck, giving himself a reason to remove Elena's touch. "Well, per Addie, we're a doomed relationship and she would be happier if we broke up now."

"That sounds like her depressed reasoning," Elena affirmed reluctantly.

"She also doesn't like how my relationship with you has changed since you became a vampire despite the fact that I've assured her it's nothing to worry about," Damon continued to list matter-of-factly. It was easier to deal with the breakup if he stayed emotionally detached.

Looking at him through her eyelashes, Elena asked demurly, "Has our relationship changed?"

"I'm not discussing that! I love Addie," insisted Damon. Calmly he continued, "I think the real reason is because she feels like she is relying on me to feel safe and happy." And she doesn't want to place that trust in anyone or anything, he thought to himself.

Elena giggled. Horrified, she quickly covered her mouth. "Sorry. That's just so Addie. Do you know how many years it was a battle for my parents and then Jenna to convince Addie to take her medications and to continue to take them? She sees them as a weakness. Do you know if she's taking them?"

Damon knew about Addie's mental health concerns from the moment he met her but he had never tried to center their relationship around it. She had a pill pack and would take her medications each morning, keeping one at the boarding house and one at her home so she'd never be without them. She also had medication for insomnia. He didn't like to hound her about her medication. He did look at the packs to see if the days lined up.

"As far as I know."

Elena picked at invisible lint on her bed as she wrestled with her thoughts. Despite her own feelings towards Damon, it was a bad sign for Addie to have broken up with him. Damon was correct that she was depressed. However, whenever Addie was really depressed before, there had always been someone else there to manage it, whether it was her parents or Jenna. Whenever Elena tried to intervene, Addie would just get angrier.

"I'm not fit to raise someone like Addie," Elena mumbled, her tear filled eyes meeting Damon's. "What do I do?"

He'd been thinking about that while everyone else slept. "I don't think singling Addie out is going to work. She already feels different. What about suggesting that you, Jeremy and Addie are all going to start therapy to discuss the change in the family dynamics?"

"So we can discuss me being a vampire and whatever it means for Jeremy to be a Hunter? I think we'll all be put in the psychiatric hospital," Elena quipped bitterly.

"We can compel the therapist. Or we let Addie figure it out on her own. We be there for her without smothering her."

"Addie was sent to therapy for years and never talked," Elena muttered. "If we let her figure it out on her own, how do we know she's not getting worse?"

A bitter taste filled Damon's mouth as he grumbled, "I think I know someone willing to lookout for Addie that she would be willing to talk to. It's not ideal but it will have to work."


"You look like shit," Jeremy grumbled sleepy as he dropped a large bowl of cereal onto the kitchen table, causing milk to slosh out the sides.

"Didn't sleep well," Addie mumbled, stifling a yawn as she gazed into her steaming mug of coffee.

Around a large bite of corn flakes Jeremy agreed, "Me either. Kept dreaming I was playing Call of Duty."

"That sounds more like a night of eternal bliss for you," she mused, taking a small sip. "You love kicking my ass on Call of Duty."

"Yeah, except you know how you can make it so you only attack zombies? Well, I was only attacking vampires."

Addie's head tilted quizzically as he studied him, the color slightly draining from her face.

Jeremy shrugged as he shoveled another enormous spoonful into his mouth. "It wasn't bad but it was exhausting. It feels like I didn't even sleep."

"Perhaps it's natural that you dream about murdering vampires right after killing one," Addie muttered, unable to hide the slight sneer in her voice.

His spoon clattered loudly against the metal bowl as he looked at his little sister. "Addie, I'm sorry I ignored you last night. You know me killing that hybrid was the only way to break the Hunter's Curse."

"No, we don't know that. We also don't know if you're going to become a crazed vampire killer like Connor," Addie spat. Huffing, she grabbed her coffee and left the room.


Damon sat in a corner booth of the Mystic Grill, stewing of the information Matt Donovan had just given him. Creepy Professor Shane had been making phone calls to the Pastor Young everyday for a month leading up to the explosion. There had been an exchange of ten calls on the day of the explosion. That was fishy. And he knew all about the Hunter's Curse. And he was supposed to be helping Bonnie access her witchy powers. Damon didn't trust him.

The hair on the back of his neck raised as someone he trust even less slid into the booth across from him.

"You have some nerve asking me to meet with you after that stunt you and your brother pulled last night," Klaus said, his English accent crisp and cool.

"I blame most of that on Stefan. He was the one who let Elena escape while you safely held her. He was the one who suggested Caroline distract you. He was the one who suggested you offer up one of your unsired hybrids. All I did was save Elena so you still have a chance of turning her human again," Damon retorted just as calmly. He didn't want to fight with Klaus. He needed to reason with the Original Bastard. He needed to work with him.

Klaus's long fingers steepled on the table as he studied the younger man. "Who finally told you about the cure?"

"Stefan did. He spoke of it in front of Addie and me, assuming I had told Addie about it. She only spoke to me about it when she knew I already knew. Addie didn't break your trust," Damon reassured him quickly.

A satisfied smirk played at Klaus's lips. "I never truly thought she would."

"I don't get it," Damon growled in annoyance. "Why does she have such faith in you?"

Klaus gave Damon a knowing grin as he taunted, "Problems in paradise?"

"I know Connor Jordan had full-blood sisters. You found them, didn't you?" accused Damon, knowing the answer. "You're using them as test subjects before moving on to Addie."

Klaus made a noncommittal noise. "It is convenient for her that I happened to stumble upon them."

"And if Elena were to take the cure and become human again, would that stall you from turning to Addie?" Damon inquired.

Klaus ran a finger slowly along his chin as he said deliberately, "I'm curious as to what it is you think I want with Addison."

"Witches are all about balance in nature. They created The Brotherhood of the Five to destroy vampires. I'm guessing there's a Sisterhood of the Five to preserve vampires or some bullshit," Damon scowled in disgust.

"Did Addison come up with that?" It wasn't quite right but it wasn't exactly wrong.

Through gritted teeth Damon snarled, "Addie is sick and tired of being put through the ringer to try and figure out your bullshit. She's not playing guessing games anymore. She's given up. You've destroyed her will to fight."

Klaus leaned back in the booth with a sort of smug satisfaction. He knew what had caused Addie to lose her spunk and it wasn't Klaus's fault. "I'll admit that Addison is not playing up to her usual standards but I wouldn't count her out."

"If we get the cure for Elena, will you leave Addie alone?" Damon offered. He didn't like the way Klaus's eyes twinkled.

Klaus bared his teeth at Damon in a sneer, "That would have been acceptable had my hybrids not been working to become unsired. Besides, how fast are you going to get me my cure?"

"How long will you give us?"

Klaus considered this for a moment and shrugged. "I'm waiting to see how my experiments on Connor's sisters go. Addie is the master plan. She is what legends have spoke of. If I have more sired hybrids at my disposal, I could possibly be persuaded to wait on using Addie."

"You know you would have to kill me before I ever let you use or hurt her," Damon hissed dangerously.

"You know and I know that I will eventually use Addison for what I want. She has far too many potentials. We both know that Addison would be far less willing to cooperate if I had to kill you. Also, as much as it pains me, we both know that Addison is safer with you looking out for her. I believe that it is safe to surmise that I am not going to kill you as long as you living is useful to my endgame," Klaus laid out as a compelled waitress poured him a glass of wine.

"Addie doesn't want my protection," Damon replied curtly, slamming back his fifth tumbler of whiskey.

A single eyebrow arched in interest as Klaus processed this. He wasn't surprised. After Elena had turned it had only been a matter of time until Addie couldn't take the tension of the sire bond. He wondered if she had realized that was what it was.

"She broke up with you."

"She's tired of dealing with supernatural nonsense, which you play a large part in. I asked you to meet to see if you would back off."

"Give you some time to focus on Elena and the cure?" Klaus checked, fighting a smile.

Damon gave a half shrug. "It would be easier to focus on that if I'm not constantly worried you're going to try something with Addie."

"Will you be backing off?" challenged Klaus.

"I don't see how that's any of your business," Damon bit back tersely.

"I can only imagine having a vampire boyfriend adds to some of the supernatural nonsense. Besides, in a town like this, someone needs to be watching her back."

"I never said I wouldn't be watching out for her; I'll just be doing it from a distance. She has a strong support network. Bonnie, Jeremy, Elena, Stefan, Caroline - we'll all be there."

"And you're all supernatural," Klaus pointed out. The contents of his wine glass swirled slowly as he savored knowingly, "Admit it, Damon. You're here because Addie doesn't trust you anymore. She isn't open with you. You need someone she can turn to who isn't going to let her die while you focus your attentions on Elena."

Damon quickly released the tumbler in his hand as he heard it start to crack. It pissed him off to no end that Klaus was right. He needed Addie protected from herself and she wasn't willing to let him in.

"What's your price," Damon seethed softly.

"As long as I see you're actively working to cure Elena, my services are free," Klaus decided, opening his hands in a gesture of good faith. To further antagonize Damon he added, "You know I find Addison fascinating."


Sunken, dark blue eyes stared back at Addie as she gazed into the mirror. Her face was still flush from the hot shower though the steam had clear from the room long ago. Mentally she had to slap herself back to reality. Lately she had been catching herself spiraling into disturbing thoughts or trailing off into nothing. This was one of the times when she thought of nothing. She reached for her cinnamon toothpaste and began her obsessive routine. Wet the toothbrush, cover end to end with paste, wet brush again, brush tongue, divide mouth into six sections, divide each section into three areas, brush each area in a circular motion on a slight angle from left to right eleven times. Elena came into the shared bathroom as Addie was working on the first area of her third section and caused her to lose count. She had to start the entire processes over again.

"Sorry," Elena muttered, realising her sister was about to repeat brushing her teeth. It was one of Addie's many quirky behaviors.

"It's fine," Addie mumbled before putting the brush back into her mouth.

In silence the brushed their teeth together, almost like normal sisters, Elena realized. Elena finished first, not having to go through the meticulous counting process. She pulled her hair into a braid as she continued to watch her sister in the mirror, unable to stop obsessing about the fact that Addie was depressed. How had she missed it?

"You've been staring at me," Addie accused as she put her toothbrush back in the holder.

"I-um- I -"

"Stop," interrupted Addie, holding her hand up. "If you're going to do some big sister heart-to-heart apology about almost killing yourself, I don't need it. I know you were compelled by the Hunter's Curse. You should be apologizing to Jeremy, someone else's life you've ruined. He's now a Hunter because he had to save you because you decided to listen to Damon and kill Connor Jordan."

Flabbergasted, Elena stared at her little sister. Appalled she whispered, "You still hate me so much for Mom and Dad."

Addie nodded slowly. "And Jenna. Uncle John. Grams. Jeremy being a hunter. I know it's not all your fault. You can't help you're a doppelganger or that we were born into this psycho town. But you could never have gone to that party. Mom and Dad never had to be on that bridge. You never had to listened to Damon and end up activating a curse that has now potentially ruined Jeremy."

"It's just as much your fault Jeremy's a Hunter. It's your fault I'm a vampire," Elena snarled back venomously, knowing the moments the words flew past her lips she didn't mean them.

Addie knew that. Elena had refused to keep driving to Damon so Addie could say goodbye to him as he was dying. Elena had been selfish and insisted on driving back to Stefan. They fought over the steering wheel and wrecked. They had only wrecked because Elena had insisted on fighting Addie in her own car but Addie was still smart enough to not grab the wheel, even in the midst of an anxiety attack.

"It may be my fault that you're a vampire but I'm not dumb enough to listen to Damon when he tells me to kill someone," Addie snapped as sh exited the bathroom, making sure to lock the door.

She double-checked that her bedroom door and window were locked. Damon could break in if he wanted but she doubt he would. She wanted to make it obvious he wasn't welcomed. Though, she also doubted he would even come by.

Addie reached into the top of her closet and pulled out an old shoebox. Flipping open the lid she stared at the myriad of pill bottles. She didn't need to sleep with Damon for a restful night's sleep or to keep away the nightmares; it just made it alot easier. Something about lying next to him calmed to racing thoughts that kept her up. Addie hated to admit that she had become reliant on Damon as much as she had previously become reliant on sleeping pill. At least the sleeping pills would never leave her. She would build up a tolerance to one after a few weeks and have to rotate them out but there was always an option. Besides, she didn't always need the pill; there were weeks, even months she could go with barely any sleep. She selected a low dose of her anxiety medication to slow the spiraling thoughts of guilt and anger and hate that was building towards herself for lashing out at Elena and a moderate level of her sleeping pill.

As Addie drifted off to sleep she couldn't help but reflect on how numb she felt about her breakup with Damon as opposed to devastated. It was nice.


"Keep up, kid," Jeremy taunted, briefly looking over his shoulder to see Addie about twenty feet behind him. "Aren't you some track star?"

Addie's teeth ground together as she pumped her legs harder and faster, slightly closing the gap. While Addie had told herself and Jeremy that she had enjoyed him joining her on her morning runs for the past several days, it wasn't natural. And it was most certainly miserable.

She missed a breath, and her knees wobbled, but Addie managed to keep upright. "Stop," she croaked, her voice barely audible. She ran a few more feet, slowing her pace to cool down and called out louder, "Jeremy!"

Fifty feet ahead, Jeremy's feet stilled as he turned and faced her. He was barely winded but drenched in sweat. He scoffed, "You giving up on me?"

Addie fought back a scowl as she pointed to her wrist to indicate the time. She stretched her arms above her head to breathe in deeper. Through a yawn she managed, "You. Miss Mystic Falls Pageant."

Jeremy groaned loudly and whined, "Why do I have to help set up?"

"Because the Grill is supplying the booze and you work for the Grill," Addie said slowly. It wasn't like Jeremy wasn't being paid for his time.

"How come you don't have to go?" he scowled.

"Because I paid my debt to mother when I participated last year and am no longer obligated to pageantry duties. You wouldn't have had to go if you hadn't agreed to be April's date."

"Alright," Jeremy conceded as he checked the time on his phone. "I do need to get in the shower. Race you back to the house?"

Addie shook her head, "I'm going to stay out here a little longer."

The woods fell silent as Jeremy's footfalls faded. Addie paced in a small clearing as she reflected on the change in her brother since he had been awaken. Despite his height advantage, Addie had always been able to out run Jeremy. In fact, Jeremy hated cardio and preferred weight training. The past few days he'd been so amped up on energy that he had decided to invite himself on Addie's run. And he'd been getting faster and faster each day. He was also running farther. It made no sense that his speed and stamina was suddenly so much greater than hers.

Growling in frustration, Addie snapped a off a low hanging branch and cracked it over her knee. It wasn't fair that Jeremy was better in something she had trained and worked on for years.

"What did that poor stick do to you?" came a low, gentle chuckle from behind.

Addie spun around on her heel, brandishing the stump of a branch like a sword. Seeing it was only Stefan who had snuck up on her she tossed the makeshift weapon aside.

"What are you doing?" she hesitated, taking in his wife-beater and jeans. His hair was slightly disarrayed and he was covered in a thin gleam of sweat despite the crisp air.

"I immagine much the same as you - working out my….," he waved his hand dismissively, unable to find the right word. When Addie raised a quizzical eyebrow at him he explained, "Elena told me you and Damon broke up."

"That son of a bitch," Addie cursed under her breath. She wonder just how long Damon had waited to run to Elena with his good news.

"While she was in the process of breaking up with me," Stefan added as a mock afterthought, his voice dripping with irony.

Addie's head snapped up at that. "What?" she snarled.

"Elena broke up with me after Damon saved her life," he spat bitterly, lying on the forest floor.

"She's lost her fucking mind," Addie mumbled to herself, instinctively holding Stefan's feet down with her knees as he began a frantic wave of sit-ups.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Stefan asked, his face inches from Addie's as he sat up.

"Anchored-feet sit-ups require more activation from your hip flexors than-" Addie cut herself off, realizing Stefan probably wasn't looking for the scientific answer. She shrugged innocently and answered meekly, "It's how I always trained with Damon."

Stefan snorted and Addie felt the small shift in the air. He meaningfully glanced to her lips as he said, "I'm sure Damon had motives besides activating your hip flexors."

Flushed with embarrassment, Addie quickly moved to lay on her back, she tapped Stefan's foot, indicating for him to rest his feet on hers. In tandem they began to do sit-ups.

"Elena hasn't lost her mind," Stefan huffed out eventually. "It was a mutual break up."

Addie didn't respond. She knew Stefan would speak when he wanted.

Stefan's elbows rested on his knees as his hands buried in his thick hair. His words were muffled as he looked down into his lap. "I knew she had feelings for him from the start. I pushed her to Damon when I was the Ripper. Changing into a vampire magnified everything she ever felt for him. Elena all but admitted that this vampire version of her is darker and it's changed who and what she wants. She agreed with me when I told her I couldn't do this anymore."

Addie did a final sit-up and then slammed back into the ground, causing a dull ache in her head. She laughed humorlessly as she clasped her hands over her eyes. "That doesn't make sense. If all feelings a magnified tenfold when someone becomes a vampire, her love for you have been amplified like, thus blocking out her feelings for Damon just as much as before."

Stefan's lips twitched toward the first hint of a smile in days. "Addie, a new vampire isn't a math formula and emotions definitely aren't; I don't think everything is necessarily equally heightened."

"I know they aren't; I could figure out math formula," she grumbled bitterly. Her lips pursed as she thought hard. "Say this new, dark Elena wants a darker guy. Fine. That doesn't explain why Damon's feelings have changed; he's not a new vampire."

"Is that why you guys broke up?" Stefan asked gently. "I've seen Damon revert to his day drinking but he hasn't told me anything."

Addie's brows furrowed. She didn't want to tell him the truth but she didn't want to lie. "Damon did admit that his feelings have changed for Elena since she has become a vampire. He said he didn't think he felt anything romantic for her, though."

Stefan inhaled sharply through his teeth.

"Yep," Addie sighed, not bothering to emphasize the 'p' like she usually would. "He's always been able to firmly deny that before. I was able to figure out that Elena's feelings for him had changed. With both of them having changed feelings…"

"It's too much," Stefan finished for her, nodding in understanding.

He hadn't noticed a change in Damon's feelings but he hadn't spent as much time with him as Addie had. Stefan believed that much of what Damon had done for Elena he had really done for Addie. Damon's devotionion to Addie had seemed so pure and true. A change in Damon's feelings made no sense.

Stefan moved to lay next to Addie, listening to the constant pounding of her heart. He had gone into the woods because he had wanted to rip into someone's throat and needed to be away from people. Addie's intoxicatingly sweet blood had called out to him. He knew he risked dying if he fed on her, making it safe to be around her. He hadn't expected to be so calmed by her presence; perhaps it was the shared sense of despair.

"Can I be honest?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Always."

"I don't think you and Damon are over."


Jeremy had woken up that morning with a knife and wooden stake in his hand. Into the stake he had carved the same symbol that had been on the wooden bullets Conner Jordan had used. Matt Donovan had come over to escort Elena to the pageant and Jeremy had discussed waking up with the knife with him. Her brother was concerned that he was turning into a psychotic killer like Alaric had because of the Gilbert ring. Matt thought it more likely it was a result of him being turned into a Hunter.

Professor Creepy had supplied a bunch of information on Hunters. Addie overheard Matt reading a line that said, "Newly awakened Hunters may not be fully conscious of their actions. Their sub-conscious pushes through until the urge becomes a basic instinct." Coupled with the vampire killing dreams, Addie was certain it all had to do with Jeremy being a new Hunter. When Matt had given Jeremy the option to either tell Elena about what was going on or he would, Jeremy said he would when he saw her.

All of this Addie was able to overhear from her room. Addie was grateful when everyone had left and the house was utterly silent. She had opened up a spiral to write down the chords of a melody floating in her head but there was no desire to do anything else. Sprawled on her bedroom floor, Addie stared blankly at the pale green glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling. She wasn't sure how long she had been there but judging by how the shadows had shifted from the sun, it had been hours. It was blissful for her mind to be completely blank for once. She thought of nothing - not of Damon nor Elena nor did she worry about what Klaus wanted from her, if Jeremy was in danger, the test she had in a few days on a book she had yet to read didn't even concern her. Her minds was numbingly empty.

Addie rolled onto her stomach as the sun began to hit her eyes as she groaned. Damon spoke of what it was like for vampires to turn off their humanity and she had seen Stefan without his. This wasn't like that but Addie knew what she was, or rather, wasn't feeling.

Addie was able to recognize that she had unconsciously turned down the intensity of her emotions and feelings off when she had broken up with Damon. When she found out Stefan and Elena had also broken up, she had almost completely turned them off. Feeling numb and detached from reality, Addie knew what she was supposed to feel but she couldn't. Or perhaps she wouldn't let herself. She'd never been sure which it was. The first time she emotionally went "offline", as she referred to it, it had been right after her parents had died. It took a few days for her emotions to come back on but when they did, it had been brutal. It was the first time Addie hadn't been able to control her temper enough to keep from getting into a physical brawl with Elena. She also destroyed family photos and smashed a computer because the feels were just too much to handle.

Scowling, Addie forced herself to turn on her laptop to try and work on her music. Making music was a way for her to let the surplur of her emotions out safely. Perhaps it could be a way for her to safely try to tap into them.

As she transposed the melody she had scribbled to her computer using an electronic key, her phone went off with a text from Jeremy.

Jeremy: Turns out a perk of being a hunter is I can't be compelled. Stefan tried to force me to tell him how far the mark grew.

Addie counted the plastic stars on her ceiling as she reviewed the implications in one simple text. Jeremy had killed a vampire. Likely on Stefan's instruction. There were a million directions she could take that, including who was involved, who was killed, why they weren't at the pageant and such, but she had absolutely no inclination to. She knew her mind should go down the rabbit hole of questions and she should start freaking out with concern for her brother but she couldn't. It hadn't been a lie when she had told Damon that she was tired of the supernatural. It was one hysteric after another.

Addie didn't realize the small smile on her lips as she suddenly came up with a line for the song she had been working on the night she broke up with Damon. In the Word Document for the song she typed it up: It's the same routine just a different scene. It's the same old stunt just a different month.


Damon: Stefan's probably roped Jeremy into a world of crazy and is making him kill vampires. Neither are at the pageant. Even if we complete the Hunter's mark, we still need a Bennett witch to break some spell. I can't do anything about Professor Creepy because he has to teach Bonnie how to get her groove back.

For the umpteenth time Damon wrote and deleted a message intended for Addie. It was killing him not to talk to her. There was no possible way breaking up was making her happy. He was fucking miserable. His chest physically ached every time he thought of her. Alcohol dumbed the physical pain but it brought back memories of fonder times he didn't want to remember. In his eternity, though, those memories would only seem like a handful. He wanted a lifetime of memories.

Each time the heartache and pain of losing Addie seemed to become to unbearable, Elena would appear just in time to stop him from screwing up Addie's life. Addie didn't want him. Addie didn't want the supernatural.

But Elena wanted him. And that made Damon's head swoon. But not his heart. Stefan had told him the previous morning that he and Elena had broken up. Elena had confirmed that it was because of her feelings for Damon.


It was catlike the way Damon clung to the window ledge by the tips of his fingers and toes of his dress shoes. He felt a bit guilt as he spied on Addie for a few seconds. She wore her own tank top and short running shorts as she lay stretched across her bedroom floor; his t-shirt and boxers looked better on her. Her laptop was open but pushed several feet away from her. There was a glassy expression as she looked up. His form had made a shadow in the room; she should have noticed him. It wasn't like Addie to not be super observant and vigilant. It saddened him when he found the window to be locked. He rapped on it lightly.

Addie's eyes slowly rolled backwards, just enough to make out the hulking figure. If she ignored him, perhaps he would go away. Damon continued to knocked on the window. After five minutes of continuous knocking, he dropped from the window. Addie couldn't help her smug smirk of victory. It wasn't that she was mad at Damon; she just didn't want to be bothered with anything. If he was showing up, there was an issue. She was content to live in an emotionless, stress-free state. Making music hadn't been as successful at tapping into her emotions as she had hope.

She groaned audibly when the phone buzzed with a text message a moment later. It was annoying to move her arm and check it. At least annoying was a feeling she could connect with.

Damon: Addison May Gilbert. Open your window. I will break it open.

A crease formed between Addie's eyebrow as she texted back.

Addie: I don't know why people presume using my full name is going to make me do what they want.

Damon: Open your window or I will break it open.

Addie: And then I will report to Elena and Klaus that you are putting my safety in jeopardy.

Damon: Trust me, Ads, I'm not afraid of them. I'm just as stubborn as you are.

Addie: That's debatable. I think I'll continue to lay here. It's so comfortable.

Damon: Fine. I was hoping not to come in and cause a scene with your siblings but if that is what you desire….

"Dumb, bastard vampire," Addie scowled under her breath as she stormed to her window, undid the lock, and threw it open with a bang.

Damon jumped in through the window, easily landing on the balls of his feet. He gave her a grin as he taunted, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Addie crossed her arms and looked at him stonily. She had not meant to be friends with him. They were not going to do the friendly bantering. "What do you want?"

"You were right," Damon said quietly, adjusting the knot in his tie. He told himself the fact that he had worn one had nothing to do with the fact that Addie preferred them over bowties. He looked up in mild surprise when she didn't say anything and asked, "Don't you want to know what about?"

"No, I'm generally right," Addie stated certainly, continuing to look at him blankly.

"And you say I'm the one with an inflated ego?" Damon snorted. When he didn't get a reaction, Damon mirrored her stance, down to the cross arms and cold stare, and deadpanned, "You're not happy."

"Is that what you came to discuss?" she asked flatly.

"No but I'm generally right," Damon parrotted.

"My happiness is none of your concern anymore. S-"

"That's not true!" he quickly shot out.

Addie's brows knitted together as she explained, "You're not my friend. You're not my anything. I want nothing to do with you. I bet that you are here out of some misguided sense of obligation. You owe me nothing Damon because we are nothing."

Damon bit the inside of his cheek to keep from speaking. His hands gripped at his sports' coat instead of running through his hair; he didn't want to let Addie see her habit was now his natural response. To hear that they were nothing hurt so much worse than her breaking up with him.

Gathering his resolved, Damon inhaled deeply. He would do what he came for and leave. Sharply he said, "Jeremy staked Elena in the neck. Stefan and Matt had to come between them. Elena can't stay in a house where Jeremy wants to kill her. I wanted to make sure it's ok with you before Elena moves into the Boarding Home but I guess that doesn't really matter since we are nothing."

"It doesn't matter to me," replied Addie. It wasn't a lie. She wanted it to matter. She wanted to be furious and outraged and jealous but she couldn't. To feel meant to hurt too much. As she thought, Addie pointed out mildly, "It might matter to Elena's ex-boyfriend, considering he lives there."

"You talk to Stefan?" Damon spat, unable to hold back his jealousy. "Are you two still being shady together? Were you in on getting Jeremy to kill that vampire?"

Not rising to his bait, Addie's answer was flat and monotone, "Stefan and I ran into each other in the woods. We talked as friends. Either my brother becomes Connor 2.0 or my sister stays a vampire; it's a lose-lose situation for me. I'm not working with anybody on anything."

"Elena's moving in," Damon declared, if only in attempt to hurt Addie. "Stefan will deal with it."

"Ok. Did you need anything else?"

Shaking his head in defeat, Damon sighed, "I guess not."

Silently, Addie motioned towards the window.

As Damon made to leave he looked over his shoulder and asked, "Ads, are you depressed?"

She made the briefest eye contact with him before turning away and mumbling, "No, I don't feel anything."

Damon dropped from the window, unable to shake the haunted, terrified look he had momentarily caught in the deep blue eyes he knew so well. A chill ran down his spine as he knew exactly what Addie meant. Between 1953 and 1957 Damon had been held prisoner and had been experimented on and tortured by the Augustines. To survive much of that time he had to feel nothing. He couldn't let feelings seep in because he was so focused on survival. Feeling nothing was excruciating to being depressed. The body's natural response is to go into a conservative state when everything it too overwhelming. Addie's emotions, whether good or bad, had been in overdrive for too long and all she could do to survive was not feel. It was worse than he thought.


Damon was glad Elena chose to sit in the parlor; Addie never sat in the parlor. He poured himself a strong shot of whiskey and passed one to Elena as he sat next to her.

Elena downed most of it in one gulp and murmured, "Thanks."

"Just being polite. I thought you hated whiskey," he frowned.

"My brother wants to kill me. My sister probably wants to kill me because I'm staying here. I wouldn't know because I didn't have the guts to face her. Oh, and, I also haven't had the guts to confront my sister about the fact that she's obviously spiralling into a depression. I needed a drink. Whiskey will do," Elena sighed, resting her head in her hand.

Softly she confessed, "Damon, I'm terrified. I'm sure there is some magic way to fix Jeremy; he'll be alright. But Addie? There's no cure for her. She gets manic and she gets depressed. She does amazing and she crash and burns. I don't know how to keep her from burning up."

Damon nursed his drink slowly as he thought of an answer. He felt like it was his duty to reassure Elena that Addie was okay. He wasn't convinced that he was but the same force that made him walk into Elena's room was making him convince her everything was alright.

"Addie will burn up over and over and over again. We want to protect her from that because we love her. But, burning up isn't always a bad thing. Ads is a phoenix, Elena. Each time she reinvents herself as brighter, stronger, and purer than before. Addie is forging her own way in this world, becoming the creator of herself. Like a phoenix, she rises from the ashes."

"That's beautiful, Damon," sniffled Elena. "Have you ever told her that?"

"No," he said, fighting the urge to snort. Addie would've probably punched his arm and then given him the cold shoulder for a month if he ever said anything like that. She wasn't good at taking compliments, especially ones she couldn't see.

"What would you say about me?" Elena asked hesitantly. "Jeremy can't live with me. Stefan wants to fix me. Addie's jealous of me yet feels guilty. Caroline flat-out admitted that she doesn't like me this way. I think it's safe to say that I'm not so great at this vampire thing."

Again, the words that came out of Damon's mouth were very different from the ones that were in his heart. With a flirtatious grin he said, "I don't think I've ever seen you more alive."

Elena smiled, blushing slightly. After a moment she said, "That dance that they did today kind of reminded me of when…

"When you were in the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant?"

"And you danced with Addie," Elena nodded. "I was anxious when Jeremy stepped in to replace Stefan for me. Then I was jealous when I realized you would be replacing Jeremy. I wanted to dance with you instead. I want to dance with you today, too."

Elena looked up at Damon through shy lashes pleadingly. Damon placed his and Elena's tumblers on the coffee table. Standing up, he offered his hand to her. Elena smiled, took it, and stood up. Damon led her over to the front of the fireplace. His free hand found her waist while hers settled on his shoulder. Slowly, they started to dance, their heads placed softly together.


Addie wrapped her arms tight around her as she banged the brass knocker harder on the ivory dory. Her other hand began jabbing at the doorbell, her fingers trembling in the cold. She had barely thrown on shoes when she left the house. She had completely forgotten that shorts and a tank were not appropriate for the middle of the night in late November.

"What the bloody hell?" snapped Klaus, throwing open the door, clad only in a pair of long pajama bottoms.

"I need to know about sire bonds," Addie demanded. Her emotions were not fully back but her logic and reasoning had snapped back on.


A/N: Shorter chapter but much quicker update. I think I like summarizing the show better and having more original scenes in there. It might cut down on the length. We shall see. I'm REALLY excited for Damon and Elena's dance to continue and for Addie and Klaus to have a talk about sire bonds. Any ideas on why their talk will be important?