1X06 Lost girls

Dawn Ellis played by Dianna Agron

Dragging the dead stoners into a pile, Damon emptied the cheap alcohol onto the mutilated bodies as he carelessly opened his mobile and dialled Stefan's number. As the phone rang, the older brother used his free hand to grab the matches.

"Hello?" As Stefan's voice travelled through the phone, Damon dropped a lit match on the large mountain of bodies. The flames welcomely enveloped the bloodied bodies, charring them black as Damon watched.

Smirking, the blue eyed vampire watched the charred bodies. "I want my ring." Damon demanded bluntly.

Damon could practically hear his brother's anxiety through the phone. After a moment of silence, Stefan spoke up. "Where are you?"

Chuckling, he glanced at the bodies. "I'm at the sizzler. I had the buffet. Where's my ring?"

The younger brother hesitated for a moment. "I don't have it. Where are you? What have you done?"

Gritting his teeth, Damon began to pace. He needed his daylight ring and if he didn't get in soon, he'd paint the town red. And innocent blood would be on Stefan's hands, not his. "No, what have you done? You're the one that locked me in the basement and starved me, so whatever I've done, whoever I've sucked dry is on you, buddy."

"You're being careless. How many more animal attacks, is this town gonna believe, huh?" Stefan replied tensely.

Damon, once again scoffed. Did his baby brother think he was stupid? He knew how to cover his tracks. He had been living for one-hundred and forty-six years! "I know how to cover my tracks, Stefan. Where's my ring?"

"I gave it to Zach to hide. Probably shouldn't have killed him." Stefan bluffed.

His older brother was silent for a moment, before chuckling disbelievingly. What did his baby brother take him for, an idiot? "... Ah, you almost got me. Where is it?"

"I'll get it back, but I need time."

Clenching his jaw, Damon's little patience began to simmer. His brother was really infuriating him now, Damon truly had enough of Stefan's games. "What, did you FedEx it to Rome?! Where is it? I want my ring, Stefan, or my next stop's Dawnie's, then precious Elena's."

Threatening Elena and Dawn was not the way to get on Stefan's good side, but it was a good way to get his daylight ring back. Stefan's blood boiled at the thought. The two girls were innocent and had nothing to do with his own sins. Although he knew Damon was hungry, Stefan was pretty sure his older brother wouldn't hurt Dawn. But then again, even when he was human, Damon had always been impulsive.

"I already want you dead. Don't give me another reason to make it happen." Stefan replied, his voice dangerously low. He couldn't let Damon hurt Dawn or Elena. He wouldn't.

Damon just laughed at his brother's pathetic attempt to threaten him. "Don't give me another reason to rip you apart."

"Yeah? Is that gonna be before or after you get your ring back?" Stefan asked as Damon gritted his teeth.

The older brother really didn't have enough patience for this. Stefan was playing a dangerous game. "Just get it." Damon snapped.

Before Stefan could reply, Damon hung the phone up and shoved it back into the pocket of his leather jacket. As he turned the check the bodies were all burnt, he rolled his eyes when he noticed his first victim laid by the car. Scoffing, Damon smirked when he noticed it was the girl who he had bitten in the woods. Without saying another word, Damon emptied the bottle of alcohol on the girl in preparation for burning her. However, the sound of her grunting and shifting stopped him from pulling the matches out his pocket. Seemed the brunette just wouldn't die.

"You just don't wanna die, do you?" Damon chuckled.

To say Stefan's evening had been stressful, would have been a complete and utter understatement. After running after Elena, being kicked out of her house and then finally convincing her to talk to him, Stefan was fatigued, but not only physically, mentally. Not only this, Stefan had to watch out for his brother, his vengeful, hungry brother…

And as much as he hated it, Stefan couldn't be in two places at once. He couldn't protect both Dawn and Elena… But a betting man would put his money on Elena for Damon's victim, so Stefan would protect Elena. After all, Damon felt something towards the blonde. Perhaps it was all a game to him, but he felt something for Dawn, wherever it is amusement or lust, he felt for her. Hopefully that would stop Damon from taking a bite out the blonde.

Despite the fact his brother claimed he had his humanity switch flipped, Stefan wasn't so easily fooled. The younger brother knew Damon had his emotions on. After all, Damon still hated Stefan for his relationship with Katherine, and that was his humanity.

Also, Stefan wasn't sure if Damon would stoop to the level of killing an innocent pregnant girl, right? But then again, that hadn't stopped Damon from killing Gail… Stefan's stomach twisted at the thought. His relationship with Elena was falling apart while Damon pretty much wanted to kill him and the whole town. Perhaps he'd be able to fix his relationship and save the town, but knowing his luck, he'd have to choose between the two; thousands of lifes or a shot a true love. An honorable or a selfish decision. Hopefully it wouldn't have to be made.

The younger brother was cut out of his daydream when Elena shuffled on the spot, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared at Stefan.

Stefan hated how she stared at him with fear in her beautiful doe orbs. "You said you would explain everything. That's why I asked you to meet me here. When you Google 'vampire' you get a world of fiction. What's the reality?" Elena's voice was strong as she tried not to break down. She had to be strong.

Reaching out to gently pry a hand away from her chest, Stefan ran his fingers across the smooth flesh, not missing the way she flinched. "I can tell you whatever you wanna know." Stefan promised as he allowed Elena to ask him questions. He'd tell Elena everything he knew if it would fix their relationship.

Rubbing her eyes lazily, Dawn stumbled into the kitchen, her posture hunched as she sleepily turned on the lights, immediately wincing as her pupils dilated. As she got used to the lighting, Dawn failed to notice the open window, which seemed to be letting in a draft. The cold wind caused goosebumps to sprout across Dawn's bare limbs.

Much to Dawn's clothing's dismay, her baby had decided to grow even more, causing her belly to grow, meaning her pyjamas no longer fitted her. So in till the morning, when she'd order a couple of pairs of pyjamas pants and vest-tops, Dawn was stuck wearing the only thing that fitted her; a baby-doll nightgown.

The nightgown had been bought as a gift from Caroline, who had ordered it a couple sizes too big due to the incident with her ordering a size too small. Although the gesture was sweet, Dawn hadn't worn the gown before. It was a little… Revealing. But at that moment, Dawn didn't really have a choice.

So there she was, stood in the kitchen at 1:00AM, wearing a mid-length nightgown. Dawn couldn't deny the prettiness of the gown, but it just wasn't her… The rose nightgown was to be worn by someone with a high level of confidence and a toned, slender body. Yes, Dawn's hips were way to big for the gown and her figure was hardly toned. The only six-pack Dawn's body had ever seen in her life was a six-pack of chocolate bars.

Dawn absent-mindedly ran her fingers across the light material as her bare feet padded against the wooden floor. The baby-doll nighty was made of light, airy cotton, and had an updated fit and extravagant details. Hints of ribbon and a ruffled hem added a playful and delicate touch to the nightgown, along with its open neckline which exposed way too much cleavage for Dawn's liking. With a contrasted eyelet lace trim, satin ribbon details, adjustable straps with front bows and a ruffled lace hem, the dress was beautiful. It just wasn't Dawn.

The blonde could imagine someone as beautiful as Caroline would look at home in the gown, but Dawn thought she looked awkward. Her legs looked short, her hips looked way too big, her waist looked freakishly small, her bump was straining the material and while Dawn's breasts were straining over the material.

Caroline would have looked lovely in the nightgown. It would have suited her banana shaped figure, the one she hated. Dawn's best friend had always hated her figure, but Dawn had always loved Caroline's slim physique. A banana shaped figure was very slim and a classic supermodel-like look. It was a look that was praised by the fashion industry and targeted as 'boyish' by others.

The cheerleader had slim shoulders and hips, a flat belly and small breasts. Caroline had always complained about her figure, but Dawn had always been quick to remind her that Taylor Hill and Miranda Kerr both had this figure.

But Dawn's insecure best friend still hadn't been convinced, Caroline had claimed she wanted Dawn's stupid hourglass figure and Dawn would never know why. Dawn's hips were way too big, her breasts were medium sized and her waist was freakishly tiny.

Even though the gown made her hips look larger and her baby bump ginormous, it did bring out the warmer tones in Dawn's skin and complimented her honey locks.

A small smile found its way onto Dawn's lips as the soft sound of Caroline's snoring broke through the paper thin walls. While Caroline was sleeping, Liz had left to go to work, apparently she got some urgent call about the graveyard, Dawn wasn't entirely sure, but she was sure that it was supposed to be Liz's night off.

As she padded to the fridge, Dawn froze when a floorboard creaked behind her and was followed by a small noise. Turning around, Dawn rolled her eyes when she realized an apple had fallen out the fruit bowl. Making her way over to the newly bruised apple, Dawn missed the figure blurring past her as she struggled to bend over and grab the apple.

"Ugh." Dawn groaned, giving up as she stood up straight. Fine, the apple could stay there.

Turning back to the fridge, Dawn's breath hitched when she noticed someone had moved one of the dining tables chairs behind her. Glancing around the kitchen, Dawn's heartbeat quickened as she shoved the chair aside and looked for a weapon of some sort.

"W-Who's there?"

Dawn cursed herself as she tried to stay focused. Why had she asked the thing that most people in horror movies asked before getting killed?! Okay, maybe Dawn had watched too many horror movies…

Pushing herself against the wall, Dawn jumped when she heard someone walking around. Frowning, Dawn's mind briefly wandered to Caroline. Perhaps it was just her blonde best friend playing a stupid prank. Yes, that was it, right? "Caroline?... Is that you? This isn't funny." Dawn mumbled, taking a step forward.

When she didn't receive a reply, Dawn sighed. However, her concentration was shut down as something blurred in the corner of her eye while one of her plant pot's fell to the floor.

Gasping, Dawn dove to the floor, catching the plant pot before it could smash. Dawn began to cradle to pot as tears ran down her cheeks. "It's okay…" Dawn whispered to the plant as she turned the pot back up and placed it back on the counter.

Just as Dawn put the plant pot back on the counter, an arm wrapped around her waist as another hand covered her mouth, shielding her screams and sobs.

"Ssh, Dawnie."

And with that, the stranger pressed a finger against her neck as she slumped against the counter, unconscious.

Frowning, Liz expected the charred bodies on the ground. Faded, white smoke was coming from them, indicating the fire was out. Covering his mouth, Logan tried not to gag at the sight of the teenagers, burnt bodies.

Shaking his head, Logan tried to not let the cornflakes he ate for breakfast, make an appearance. "Never smelled one this bad before."

"It tried to cover its tracks." Liz frowned, inspecting the burnt bodies.

Furrowing his brows together, Logan knelt by the sheriff. "Are you sure?"

The short-haired, blonde nodded. "I'm positive. You only burn a corpse to try to hide cause of death, and there are no shell casings." She replied.

"We know who they are?"

Liz shook her head. "Doc'll have to check their dental records." She admitted. They would have no chance of identifying the burnt corpses, but the teeth would provide the only evidence that could lead them to identifying the victims.

Taking in her words, Logan sighed, not sure on how to adapt and cover up the deaths of the young teens. "What story should it run?"

Rolling her eyes as if it was obvious, Liz frowned. "Drug deal gone bad. It's not too big a stretch."

Nodding, Logan decided to bring up that he had snatched the golden Gilbert watch from Jenna's house. "I got the Gilbert watch."

Liz sighed in relief. "Good."

Before Logan could speak anymore, Liz's deputies arrived, one of them holding a small laminated card which Logan assumed was an ID.

Handing the card to Liz, the deputy frowned. "Found this in the brush about 10 yards away."

All the color drained from Liz's features as she looked at the card that contained a picture of a familiar brunette. "Vicki Donovan." Liz mumbled.

Logan's brows furrowed together. "You know her?"

"I went to high school with her mother."

Glancing back at the burnt bodies, Logan frowned. "Think she's one of these?"

"I hope not."

Running his fingers along the hollows of Dawn's cheekbones, Damon gazed down at Dawn with an unfamiliar softness, a softness in which he had once gazed at Katherine with, back in 1864. As Damon peered down at the beauty, he couldn't help but wonder who had hurt her. Physically or mentally, someone had hurt her. She was damaged and part of him, although he'd never admit it, wanted to fix her. Someone as sweet as herself didn't deserve to be broken. Monsters like him were supposed to be broken, not sweet, innocent girls like Dawn.

As she laid in his bed, Damon's gaze travelled down her slender neck as he eyed her pretty body. The blonde had been clad in a saucy nightgown that hugged her curvaceous yet short figure while exposing a decent amount of flesh. Those who claimed a pregnant body was unattractive were clearly stupid. Although Dawn's bump wasn't too prominent in the cotton gown, Damon had always thought there was nothing more beautiful than a pregnant body; a vessel of life. Just like the vampire was the vessel of death. Dawn and her baby were the opposite of him.

Pulling the silk covers over Dawn's fragile, cold body, Damon slowly lifted his hand and hesitantly placed it on her swollen bump. His movements were slow and almost cautious, as if he was afraid of hurting the fragile being in Dawn's stomach.

With a tenderness he hadn't used for a long time, Damon stroked his thumb over the bump. The corners of his lips uplifted slightly as he felt the little baby in Dawn's belly wiggle around. The baby's heartbeat quickened as it shuffled closer to Damon's touch. The 'cold-hearted, humanity-less' vampire's lips curled into a small smile as he felt the baby press it's tiny, developed feet against the palm of his hand.

Although the baby was shuffling around, rather actively if Damon said so himself, Dawn wouldn't be able to feel the baby shifting in her belly in till she was around 16-25 weeks. But Damon couldn't just feel the baby shuffling, he could also hear the loud, rhythmic beat of the baby's heart that synchronized with its mothers.

As Damon continued to absent-mindedly rub his thumb against the baby's shifting body, his guard was soon put back up as another sound came to his ears. A noise that sounded much like Vicki falling off the sofa caused Damon to quickly pull his hand off Dawn's pregnant bump as his guarded expression returned. With hardened eyes, Damon got up and made his way to the door. Just as he was about to walk out, Damon turned to glance at Dawn again.

She was still unconscious. Soft breaths left Dawn's pretty, unconscious lips as her heartbeat continued to harmonize with the small baby's.

Grimacing, Damon turned back to the door and walked out the room without another glance at the sleeping blonde. Closing the door, Damon frowned. He had to focus. He was in Mystic Falls for Katherine, hell, he had only just met Dawn!

As Damon made his way down the stairs, he rolled his eyes when he noticed Vicki had fallen off the couch. The sister of the blonde quarterback had her face pressed against the rug, her arms spread out, while her butt was stuck in the air. Making his way over to the brunette, Damon picked her body up and carelessly threw her back on the couch.

Pulling his phone out from his pocket, Damon dialled his brothers number, only for it to go straight to answer phone. Gritting his teeth, Damon scowled. He was getting impatient. He needed his ring, and he wouldn't think twice about killing Vicki. But Dawn… Would he be able to kill her if need be? Yes, he had to do this, for Katherine… But honestly, Damon didn't know if he would be able to kill Dawn…

"Where are you, Stefan? I'm trapped at the house, and I'm getting really bored and really impatient, and I don't do bored and impatient. Bring me my ring. Damn it." Damon spat before hanging up. Shoving his mobile in his pocket, Damon groaned when the sweet metallic scent of blood hit his nose.

Walking over to the brunette, Damon scowled. "Aw, don't get blood on the couch!" He whined. Damon quite liked the couch; it was very chic. A little old fashioned, but chic nevertheless. It appeared Zach had okay-ish taste. Oops. Zach used to have okay-ish taste.

"Please?" When Vicki didn't answer, Damon rolled his eyes and forcefully grabbed her neck, craning her head back so he could see the dripping, deep wound. "I got you good, didn't I?" Damon mumbled to himself.

Seeing as he was going to be trapped in the boarding house for a day, Damon glanced at his wrist. There was no way he'd allow the girl to ruin his couch. It could have been worth some money! Who knew how old it was? It was probably an antique. "Well, you're not gonna be any fun today. I'm so gonna regret this."

Allowing his fangs to emerge from his gums, Damon savagely bit into his wrist and forced it into Vicki's mouth. The girl's eyes fluttered open as she tried to pry his wrist from her mouth but eventually gave in. Wrapping her hands around his wrist, Vicki's eyes closed as she suckled from Damon's wrist.

Rolling his eyes as Vicki hungrily sucked from his wrist, Damon condescendingly stroked her hair. "Drink up. Drink it up. Don't drip. There you go. Good girl. That's it."

Clutching the steering wheel lightly, Elena glanced at Stefan in the corner of her eye as she drove along the rocky roads of the woods. Stefan had wanted to show her something, and despite her confusion, Elena had obliged and agreed to drive them. Although, part of her was slightly suspicious and hoping Stefan wasn't going to murder her and bury her body in the woods! Okay, maybe that was a little too soon, after all, he had just told her he was a vampire.

As Stefan lightly swayed his head to the beat of Taylor Swift, Elena arched a brow as her lips curled into a smile. Stefan was humming the words to Taylor Swift. Biting her lip to prevent the giggle that wanted to emerge, Elena looked back to the road.

"Do you remember; we were sitting there by the water?" Stefan hummed quietly, as Elena grinned.

Stefan hadn't noticed Elena as he began bopping his head to the beat, his voice picking up. "You put your arm around me for the first time."

Tapping his feet, Stefan's voice became clearer. "You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter. You are the best thing that's ever been mine." He continued, his eyes closed.

As the car journey went on, it seemed that Stefan was so indulged in Taylor Swift, he forgot that Elena was in the car…

"Now go stand in the corner and think about what you did!" Stefan sung loudly, his hands playing invisible drums as the beat picked up. Swinging his head around, Stefan seemed completely oblivious to Elena watching him. His eyes were still closed… "She came along, got him alone and let's hear the applause. She took him faster than you could say 'sabotage'."

"She underestimated just who she was stealing from!" Stefan exclaimed, synchronized with Taylor Swift.

"She's not a saint, and she's not what you think: she's an actress, whoa. She's better known, for the things that she does, on the mattress."

Stefan began to play the air guitar as Elena covered her sniggers. She thought it was cute. At least it added a little light to the whole 'vampire' situation. Only someone without a soul wouldn't like Taylor Swift, so Elena was safe! "She looks at me like I'm a trend and she's so over it, I think her ever-present frown is a little troubling. And she thinks I'm psycho 'cause I like to rhyme her name with things."

"But sophistication isn't what you wear or who you know, or pushing people down to get you where you wanna go. They wouldn't teach you that in prep school so it's up to me, but no amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity." Stefan dramatically swung his head to the right.

"She's not a saint, and she's not what you think: she's an actress, whoa. She's better known, for the things that she does, on the mattress." Elena cocked a brow as Stefan began to smash his imaginary guitar.

"I'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at, honey. You might have him, but I always get the last word"

"She's not a saint, and she's not what you think: she's an actress, whoa. She's better known, for the things that she does, on the mattress.

Leaning forward, Stefan opened his eyes and turned the air-con on so it was blowing his hair as he sung. "She took him faster than you could say 'sabotage'."

As the track came to an end, Elena decided to speak up. "So you're a vampire who is a huge fan of Taylor Swift."

Stefan's head snapped in Elena's direction as his lips parted in his shock, his eyes were wide and his cheeks began to flush. "I, uh, forgot you were here…" Stefan mumbled sheepishly, reaching forward and turning the air-con off.

Shaking her head, Elena giggled. "Don't worry, only people without a soul don't like Taylor Swift." Elena winked as Stefan chuckled.

Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, Stefan met Elena's gaze. "I'd, uh, appreciate if you kept that between us." Stefan mumbled, his cheeks still tinted red as Elena grinned mischievously.

"Your secrets safe with me, Mr Salvatore." Elena replied as Stefan grinned.

"Wouldn't want to ruin my 'big-bad-vampire reputation'." Stefan joked as Elena let out a snort.

As soon as she did, the brunette covered her mouth and nose in embarrassment as she kept one hand on the wheel. "I'd appreciate if you forgot hearing my horrible snort." Elena admitted.

Stefan smiled. "I thought it was cute."

It was now Elena's turn to blush.

Glancing out the window, Stefan placed a hand on Elena's elbow when he realized they had reached their destination. "Stop here."

Furrowing her brows together, Elena noticed they weren't out the woods yet. "What are we doing here?"

It was kind of creepy, Stefan making her drive them out to a remote location in the woods. But then again, Stefan was a Taylor Swift fan, so he couldn't murder her, right? Most of the blonde singer's fan-base was made up of twelve-year-old girls who were just hitting puberty, so Stefan couldn't murder her, right?

Instead of saying anything, Stefan simply unclipped his seatbelt and stepped out the car. Elena followed him automatically. "As much as I enjoyed my Taylor Swift sing-along session, I want to show you something." Stefan said as they approached to pillar like rocks.

As Elena observed the area, she couldn't help but notice it looked like the remains of the building. "In the middle of nowhere?"

A faint smile flooded across Stefan's features as he shook his head. "This... Didn't used to be nowhere. Used to be my home."

Elena's brows furrowed together as she ran a hand over the rough boulders of rocks that had used to be connected to the main gates. "It looks so..."

"Old? It's because they are."

Looking up, Elena's arched a brow. "Wait. How long have you..."

"I've been 17 years old since 1864."

Elena's jaw dropped as she took a minute to process the information. "Oh, my god. So you're a hundred and forty-something-year-old vampire who is a huge fan of Taylor Swift?"

Nodding, Stefan shrugged. "Why can't a seventeen-year-old vampire who is actually supposed to be one-hundred-and-forty-six-year-old man, like Taylor Swift?" Stefan joked as Elena snorted. This time she didn't cover the adorable sound up. "Anyways, you said you wanted to know. I'm not gonna hold anything back. Half a century before the boarding house was even built, this was my family's home. Damon and I... We were both born here. The Salvatore brothers, best friends." Stefan smiled at the memory as they walked where the gates had once stood proud.

Frowning, Elena couldn't control her confusion. Stefan and Damon had known Katherine since 1864, Elena has briefly conversed with Damon after he tried to tell her to dump Stefan. After accepting his apology, she had asked about Katherine and Damon had made it sound as if it was a year ago. Elena found it strange that some were able to move on from losing someone in a relationship after a couple of years, but Damon had been mourning Katherine for one-hundred-and-forty-six-years, that couldn't be healthy.

"You knew Katherine in 1864? Damon made it seem like..." Elena voiced her thoughts.

Stefan frowned as he eyed the rubble that had once been his home. "Damon was trying to make you think that... I was still heartbroken. He saw that I was happy with you, and he wanted to ruin it."

"All because you loved the same women 145 years ago?" Elena asked, disbelief in her voice.

Shaking his head, a faint smile rose on Stefan's features. "She wasn't just any girl"

"She chose me. I escorted her to the ball at the original Lockwood mansion." Stefan continued.

Cogwheels turned in Elena's mind as she thought back to the first registry. "The first founder's party... Where you signed the registry."

Stefan nodded, grimacing. "I didn't care that I had gotten something that my brother wanted. I didn't even care if it hurt him. I only knew that I wanted her."

"So he was upset."

This time Stefan shook his head. "That's the thing about Damon. He doesn't get mad. He just gets even."

Upon waking, Dawn was overwhelmed by an agonizing pounding in her head. Lightheaded, dizzy and too slow for the world around her, Dawn slowly reached up to touch her aching head. As her fingers trembled against her soft skin, Dawn tried to remember what had happened. A kaleidoscope of memories came back as Dawn gasped, someone had kidnapped her.

Automatically sitting up with the speed a pregnant woman wouldn't usually muster, Dawn's eyes widened as she looked around the room, her heart beating in a rapid rhythm. A great oak bed that was arrayed in fine, black silk sheets, a large rectangular dresser that was littered with expensive aftershaves and a tall bookshelf which must have easily contained over a hundred books, although Dawn noticed they looked untouched, most covered in a thick layer of dust.

This wasn't Caroline's room. These walls were not the sunshine yellow Caroline's were, there wasn't a tall CD compartment that had millions of boy band albums in and there wasn't the scent of vanilla in the air that Caroline's room always had. This certainly wasn't Caroline's room.

Placing a trembling, nimble hand on her rounded bump, Dawn couldn't prevent the tears that tears sprang to her eyes as realization hit her: she had been kidnapped. Dawn couldn't stop the ugly sobs that were emerging from her lips, all she could do was smother her sobs into a silence with her free hand. Perhaps it was her hormones, perhaps it was just the realization of being kidnapped, but Dawn was emotional, rightfully so.

Shakily wiping the tears away, Dawn peered down at her bump. She had to be strong, not just for herself, but for her baby, for Caroline, for Liz, for Bonnie and Elena. She had to get out.

Pushing the covers of her nighty-clad form, Dawn winced as her feet touched the floor, creaking as she stepped on a floorboard. Glancing around the rather extravagant room, Dawn scanned the room for something that could be used as a makeshift weapon.

Tiptoeing towards the dresser, Dawn's breath hitched in her throat when she noticed something familiar on the dresser. A picture of her… It had been the picture of her and Caroline outside church, and yet someone had torn Caroline off the picture, leaving her alone and vulnerable. Whimpering, Dawn failed to steady her quivering as she quietly searched through the dresser for a weapon of some sort.

Things were getting weirder and weirder, and Dawn was struggling to hold it together. She had been kidnapped, was god knows where and was apparently being stalked…

When she failed to find anything on top of the dresser, Dawn quickly opened the top draw of the dresser. A bottle of… Bourbon? Perfect!

Clutching the bottle in her right hand, Dawn slowly crept towards the door of the bedroom. Placing her ear against the door, Dawn attempted to listen out for any sounds, however, she was met by a startling silence. Glancing down at her bump, Dawn took a deep breath as her body visibly quivered, she could do this…

Placing her hands on the doorknob, Dawn shakily turned it. The blonde sighed in relief when she noticed there was no one in the hall or standing at the door. As the sound of light footsteps echoed around the house, Dawn sighed in relief when she noticed the front door was just by the stairs. Although she should have probably ran for the door, Dawn didn't. After all, she was pregnant.

"Sleeping beauty's awake!"

Dawn let out a piercing scream as Damon appeared in front of her. Chuckling, Damon brushed a strand of blonde out of her face as she took a step back.

"G-Get away from me!"

Hurt crossed Damon's features, but as soon as it was there, it had vanished. "Dawnie-"

"D-Don't call me that! Just let me go and… And I'll not tell! Please!" Dawn begged as Damon frowned.

What reaction did he expect to get; he had kidnapped her!

Taking a step-forward, Damon sighed. "Dawnie-"

Damon was cut off by Dawn smashing the bottle of bourbon in his stomach. As glass shards dug into his stomach, Damon rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Really? That was a good, vintage bottle!" Damon whined as Dawn gasped. He wasn't injured. It was almost like he was wasn't fazed. Wait, he wasn't fazed.

Taking another step back, Dawn trembled, her hands cupping her stomach as Damon frowned. Seeing her tremble at the sight of him wasn't nice. "Dawnie-"

Once again, Damon was cut off by Dawn trying to turn and run away. However, the blonde was met with shock as when she ran and turned, Damon was in front of her.

Screaming again, Dawn couldn't help but let sobs leave her mouth as tears selfishly streamed down her cheeks.

"W-What?"

Damon didn't answer, instead he allowed his true features to emerge.

Her father had been right about demons. They didn't have fierce pointy horns, thick long tails or vibrant red skin, they looked like normal people. They had prominent, dark veins underneath their eyes, sharp, pointy teeth and red, terrifying eyes.

"W-What are you?!" Dawn exclaimed, backing away from Damon as he grinned, showing off his fangs.

"I'm a vampire, Dawnie."

Gazing into the fire, Dawn sniffled as she cradled her legs, trembling as she rubbed her bump. Her father had been right; she should have been more careful with trusting. And yet being the fool she was, she had actually liked Damon… The thought that vampires, fictional creatures from novels, were real made shivers run down Dawn's spine. If vampires were real, did that mean that werewolves, witches, the devil were real?

Dawn jumped as Damon draped a blanket around her shoulders. Noticing her fright, Damon put his hands up in mock surrender. "Don't worry, I don't bite." He teased.

The blonde didn't answer, instead she averted her gaze back to the fire as Damon sighed.

Sitting beside Dawn on the carpet, Damon pretended not to notice how she flinched and shifted away from him. "Look, Dawnie. I'm sure you have some questions." Damon motioned for Dawn to speak.

Hesitating, Dawn nervously bit her lower lip. "H-How can you walk around in daylight?" Dawn mumbled, Damon's lips perked up into a smile.

"My ring." Damon replied bluntly as Dawn's gaze went on Damon's hand.

"Does that mean Stefan is a…"

"A vampire, yup." Damon replied simply. "But we're the only ones in Mystic Falls." He reassured her as her tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

When Dawn didn't ask anything else, Damon rolled his eyes playfully. "You're not very good at the whole question thing, are you?"

Dawn hated how her stomach still twisted in excitement when Damon talked. "I-I-I honestly don't know what to ask…" She admitted. It was all a lot to take in.

Nodding, Damon's lips upturned slightly. "Anything, I'm not gonna' hurt you. I would never hurt you." Damon admitted. Although he had been unsure if he would have been able to kill Dawn, Damon knew he wouldn't, not now. The fear in her eyes was enough to make Damon's insides turn.

"C-Can you, uh, eat garlic?" Dawn asked, wrapping the blanket further around her shoulders as Damon smirked.

"Yup. That one is fake." Damon replied as Dawn continued.

"Crucifixes? Do they work. My father always said they drove the demons away." Dawn mumbled.

Damon chuckled. "Even if you stabbed me in the heart with it, it wouldn't keep me away from you, Dawnie." Damon sent Dawn a charming smile as she flushed and frowned.

"Holy water?"

"Drinkable, but it tastes like shit." Damon shrugged as Dawn bit her lower lip.

"What about, uh, mirrors? Can you see yourself in a mirror?" Dawn asked shyly.

"A myth."

"Super speed?"

"True."

"Super strength?"

"True."

Dawn hesitated for a moment. "A-A-And blood?" Dawn asked nervously.

Licking his lips, Damon grinned. "That one's true, Dawnie. My preference is perky little blondes." Dawn shuffled away as Damon snorted.

Grabbing her hand, Damon pulled Dawn back beside him with inhuman strength. Pressing a kiss to the tips of her fingers, Damon chuckled. "Only joking, Dawnie. But I do drink blood, all vampires do except Stefan, who adopted the bunny diet."

Dawn's eye's widened in horror. "He kills bunnies?!"

Once again, Damon snorted. "I kill people, Dawnie. Bunnies are nothing."

Dawn's mouth opened and closed as she was unsure of what to say… Damon was a human killer while Stefan was a bunny killer…

"B-But bunnies…" Dawn mumbled as Damon chuckled.

"So do you… Y'know, feed to survive?" Dawn asked nervously as Damon nodded, still holding Dawn's hand in his as he began to trace patterns along the palm of her hand.

Noticing the way Dawn shivered in fear, Damon frowned. "You don't have to be afraid of me Dawnie. I told you I wouldn't hurt you." Damon replied.

"W-Why should I-I believe you… You're a k-killer." Dawn stuttered as Damon scoffed.

"Ouch, Dawnie."

"It's true though… How many innocents have you killed?"

Damon ground his teeth together. "I already have Saint Stefan on my back, so stop staring at me with those judgy' little eyes if you want to keep on my good side."

Caroline… Dawn narrowed her eyes as she bravely met his eyes. "A-And Caroline? If you're hurting her, I swear… I-I will…. I'll…" Dawn trailed off as Damon chuckled.

"I only nibbled on her a tad." Damon lied, rolling his eyes as Dawn's eyes hardened.

Shaking her head, Dawn frowned. "Stop! Don't you dare touch her! I swear!" Dawn snapped, her eyes flashing. Clearly she was fiercely protective over her blonde bestie.

Damon didn't hide his surprise. "Fine, Dawnie. If it makes you happy, I'll leave blondie alone." Damon promised as Dawn nodded, unaware that Damon had used Caroline for sex and as a blood-bag.

The raven-haired vampire immediately regretted his words as Dawn's hand stiffened. "A-And what about Katherine… Was that real, or were you just trying to trick me?" Dawn asked as Damon frowned.

"That was true. In 1864 I fell in love with Katherine Pierce and in that year, she was locked in a tomb, underneath the church." Damon replied lowly as Dawn's eyes hardened.

Moving her hand out of Damon's, Dawn held his hand and stroked her thumb over the smooth skin. "I'm sorry… Was she a…" Dawn trailed off.

"A vampire, yes." Damon mumbled, concentrating on how Dawn stroked his hand.

Dawn could practically feel her mind protesting. Damon was murder, a kidnapper, and yet there she was, comforting him. She couldn't bring herself to hate Damon, but that didn't mean she wasn't scared of him.

"Does that mean she could be alive, under the church?" Dawn asked softly.

Damon nodded and looked up, his eyes dilating. "Yes. But I need you to keep that between you and me." Damon replied as Dawn nodded and smiled.

"I-I will."

That was when Damon noticed the scent radiating from Dawn. Vervain. She wasn't wearing vervain and yet she promised to keep his secret. Saint Stefan must have slipped some in a bracelet or something, maybe he had spiked her drink at the founder's ball.

"So… What else is there to know about vampires?"

Damon could feel Dawn easing around him. However, she still radiated fear.

"A lot, Dawnie. A lot."

As Damon informed Dawn of compulsion, how a vampire is turned, the healing properties of vampire blood and other functions a vampire possessed, Damon finally decided to brighten the atmosphere up and put some music on. As Damon tried and failed to get Dawn to dance, the two were interrupted as Vicki bounced down the stairs, only wearing a vest-top and pants.

"Vicki?!"

"Hey, Dawn." Vicki then turned to Damon.

Towel drying her wet hair, Vicki grinned at Damon. "Oh, man. That shower was so great. What did you give me?"

Still trying to get Dawn to dance, Damon made eye contact with the brunette, his pupils dilating as he compelled her. "Some blood. You loved it."

Dawn's mouth dropped as Damon tried to spin her around.

Blinking for a moment, Vicki relaxed as she threw the towel on the floor. "I did? Wait. I'm confused. How did we get here?"

Damon's eyes dilated again as Dawn frowned. "We met in the woods. You were drunk. I attacked you. Then I killed all of your friends and brought you here, gave you same blood. You loved it. And now we're gonna party till the sun goes down."

Glancing down at Dawn, the vampire smirked. "Now, where were we?"

Shaking her head, Dawn pushed herself away from Damon. "W-What… What am I doing, talking to you as if you're my friend. You're a murderer…" Dawn mumbled as Damon scowled.

"Dawnie…"

"No! Y-You, you murdered her friends and you act like it's nothing!" Tears brewed in Dawn's eyes as Damon sighed.

Vicki rolled her eyes at Dawn and turned to Damon. "Ok. Um, but first, can I have another hit? That blood was so good."

Deadpanning, Damon pushed her away. "No." There was no way he'd waste any more blood on a puny human like Vicki. Turning to Dawn, Damon placed a hand on her cheek.

"It's okay, Dawnie. It's okay." Damon murmured. He wasn't even trying to compel her, just comfort her.

"N-No, it's not! I'm so stupid, I should have known this was all a game and…" Dawn panted as she sobbed, overwhelmed by feelings as Damon sighed.

"Go back to my bed, okay? Once you've had a bit more rest, we can talk. Hmm?" As much as Dawn wished to tell Damon to go to hell, the idea of sleeping lulled her into a false sense of security.

Damon's bed was the comfiest mattress she'd ever been on. It was like a marshmallow! Nodding exhaustedly, Dawn sighed. "O-Okay."

Before she could turn around, Damon pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead, causing her to flinch. However, this time, Damon knew it wasn't because of him being a vampire, she had flinched because of the contact.

"Sweet dreams, Dawnie."

Without replying, Dawn reluctantly padded up the stairs and went back to the room she had woken up in. As Dawn settled under the covers, Damon turned the music down slightly and poured himself a drink. The brunette would give him some entertainment and then he'd kill her just to make a point to Stefan. He had given her his blood so he could easily turn her into a vampire.

Damon's smirk widened. It was a plan. The girl dancing around in her underwear was completely oblivious.

Running her fingers over the cold stone that had once been Stefan's home, Elena frowned as she turned to peer up at the Taylor Swift loving vampire.

Shaking his head, Stefan frowned. "What Damon wants, Damon usually gets. I didn't know it at the time, but... Turns out that night... Katherine was with him, too."

Elena raised a brow as her fingers neglected the cool surface. "So he stole her from you, not the other way around?"

"Turns out she wasn't ours to steal." Stefan replied as his frown deepened at the memory. "She could control my mind; and Damon's. She compelled each of us to keep the secret from the other. She wanted all of us to be together. Forever. Didn't work out that way, but... Damon and I, looks like we're stuck with each other... Like it or not."

Frowning, Elena shook her head, Katherine must have had messed up thinking too want Stefan and Damon together. Before she could reply, Stefan pulled Damon's ring out his pocket.

"Is that Damon's ring?" Elena asked.

Stefan nodded. "I took it from him, but I have to give it back."

With her doe orbs wide and alarmed, Elena frantically shook her head. "No, don't, Stefan. Keep it hidden."

"Elena, if I don't give it to him, he'll retaliate in the only way that he knows he can hurt me." Stefan admitted as Elena frowned.

"And how is that?"

"By hurting you. By killing Dawn. He has Dawn at the boarding house, and although I don't think he'd kill her, I can't risk that."

Elena nodded in agreement, her eyes now wild and frantic. "We have to stop him! Dawn is innocent. How could he hurt someone as sweet as her? And she's pregnant?! Is Damon that bad?"

Grimacing, Stefan nodded. "Yes. He is."

Running her fingers along the smooth silk of Damon's black sheets, Dawn frowned as she stared up at the ceiling. How could she feel for Damon still when she knew the truth? He was a murderer, a vampire, a monster. And yet the same fuzzy feeling was in her belly when she was around him.

The thought made her nauseous. He had killed people, drained them of blood and yet she liked him as a friend and as a crush. But this didn't mean she felt safe around him. It didn't mean she'd risk the life of her baby to talk to with him. Truth be told, she was terrified of him, despite the fact he hadn't visually shown her that she should have been afraid.

But the natural predator and prey instinct set in. He was faster, stronger and superior. She was slow, human and pregnant. It was pretty clear who was the predator and who was the prey.

Damon was worse than him, in a way. Damon murderer, but he was a true monster. While Damon hurt others for survival, he hadn't.

Shivering, Dawn pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes, ignoring the massive migraine that was growing. As Dawn began to drift off into safe unconsciousness, Dawn found herself inhaling Damon's scent, and weirdly enough, the scent caused butterflies to flutter in her belly. Did she have Stockholm syndrome?! He was a murdering, vampire, monster!

Frowning, Dawn emptied her mind from all thoughts and fell asleep. Just as Dawn fell asleep, she missed Damon opening the door and looking in the room. Once he was sure Dawn was passed out, Damon walked out and closed the door. Pulling a small key from his pocket, Damon locked the door so Dawn couldn't get out.

She couldn't ruin his plans and Damon most certainly didn't want Dawn to see Vicki having her neck broken.

Running a hand through her short, choppy locks, Liz frowned as Mayor Lockwood glowered down at her.

"We're working on it, Mayor Lockwood." Liz sighed as the Mayor scowled.

"Doc ID the bodies?" The Mayor asked as Liz nodded.

Leaning forward, Liz frowned. "A few townies. Notorious druggies."

The Mayor sighed in relief. "I suppose that'll make it easy for people to buy the story. And Vicki Donovan?"

"She's not one of the deceased." Liz informed him.

Furrowing his brows together, the Mayor was beyond confused. "Where the hell is she?"

Liz sighed. "I wish I knew."

Before the Mayor could reply, Logan sauntered up to them, late, as he avoided stepping in mud that would ruin his expensive shoes. Liz shook her head in annoyance as she glanced at the leather shoes. Was he an idiot?

"Sorry I'm late." Logan greeted.

The two didn't reply, instead they rolled their eyes. "You have the watch? It's ready."

As the Mayor held out the compass and set it up, Logan narrowed his eyes at thr .

"That's it?"

"Yes. That's it."

Tugging the brush through her platinum locks, Caroline frowned as she wrestled the brush out of her tangled locks. Giving up, Caroline let out an exaggerated huff and placed the brush back on her dressing table.

Glancing at her alarm clock, Caroline frowned. It was morning and the blonde had no idea where Dawn was. Knowing Dawn, she'd probably be at the bookshop. Maybe she was at her one of her new best friend's houses, Bonnie or Elena's. Frowning, Caroline sighed as she pulled a hair band out her draw.

Yes, Dawn probably was with her new best friends. Shrugging the thought off, Caroline began to pull her hair up into a messy bun, without another thought on Dawn.

Leaning against Damon, Vicki closed her eyes as their bodies swayed to the slow music. It wasn't like dancing with Dawn. When Damon had danced with Dawn, their bodies had perfectly molded together as Dawn clumsily continued to step on his toes.

As Damon danced with the rather annoying, hyperactive drug addict, Dawn was fast asleep upstairs. Rolling his eyes, Damon blocked out her babbling as she continued to moan about someone named Tyler. The brunette was the most frustrating person Damon had ever met, which was saying a lot as Damon had been alive for one-hundred-and-forty-six years and had met Caroline Forbes. Damon couldn't wait to break the brunette's neck and later on, stake her.

"I am so over Tyler, so over him. I knew from the beginning that I was only a piece of ass to him, but I thought maybe if he got to know me better, he might see something more. But no. Now, Jeremy, on the other hand, that's all he's ever seen in me is something more, and I like that." Vicki continued.

Perking up at the familiar name, Damon glanced down at the brunette. "Jeremy, huh? Elena's brother?"

Vicki nodded, unaware that Damon wasn't even listening to her properly. "Yeah, yeah. So, Elena used to date my brother, and they were always together, so Jeremy would always be hanging around and crushing on me and... Hey, why don't you have a girlfriend? You're, like, totally cool and so hot."

Damon smirked as his ego grew larger, which was barely possible. "I know."

Glancing up at him, Vicki fluttered her lashes absent-mindedly. "Don't you wanna be in love?"

Although he'd never admit it, Damon's thoughts immediately flashed to Dawn and to Katherine. He understood why he thought of Katherine, but why Dawn? Sure, the little blonde was sugary sweet and nice to look at, but Damon didn't hold any feelings towards her, right? Of course he didn't. He was Damon Salvatore. A murdering, savage vampire and the only feelings he had were for his beloved Katherine.

"I've been in love. It's painful and pointless and overrated." Damon lied. The feeling of being wanted and loved was the most precious feeling in the world. And even as a human, Damon had wanted to be loved. His mother had always been distant, his father had seen him as a disappointment and had favored Stefan. All he had craved was love.

Vicki frowned. "Except when it isn't."

Not liking the conversation, Damon gritted his teeth. "No more talking. Let's dance."

It seemed that Vicki's words went in Damon's ear and came the other side as Vicki brought up her mother. "My mom spends most of her time in Virginia Beach with Pete. He drives trucks. I don't remember my dad, but from what I gather, he's not worth remembering."

Damon's lips smirked as his voice turned patronizing. "Your life is so pathetic."

Sniffing, Vicki nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I mean, I'm the screwed-up one. Matt's got it so easy. He's the golden boy. I mean, he's gonna get a football scholarship and marry Elena and have a lawn mower and some babies, and when I think of my future, I just come up blank."

"You are so damaged." Damon replied. It was time.

Nodding in agreement, Vicki looked down. "Yep."

"I mean; you don't have one hint of self-esteem."

It seemed that the girl took no notice in the condescending tone in Damon's voice as she nodded in agreement. "Nope, none."

"I think I know what can help you." Damon mentioned, a dark glint in his eyes as Vicki looked up.

Meeting his eyes, Vicki fluttered her lashes innocently as she furrowed her brows together. "So what's that?"

Damon smirked sinisterly. "Death."

Breaking the girl's neck with brutal force, Vicki had no time to react as Damon carelessly dropped her body to the floor. Stepping over the girl's body, Damon poured himself a drink as he waited for Vicki to wake as a transitioning vampire.

Unaware of the situation that was currently happening in the Salvatore boarding house living room, Dawn rolled over on her back as she unconsciously rubbed her bump.

As Damon drained the rest of his beloved bourbon, he watched as Vicki's body began twitching. It had been over five minutes and Vicki still hadn't woken up, she was just being dramatic. Rolling his eyes, Damon watched as she sat up, heaving heavily as he scoffed. How melodramatic.

"What happened? We were dancing, and then..." Vicki trailed off, her eyes wide and panicked as Damon rolled his eyes.

Rather bluntly, Damon shrugged before replying. "Then I killed you."

"What?"

"You're dead." Damon clarified casually.

Vicki's eyes widened as she repeated his words. "I'm dead?"

Why was she so dramatic? Rolling his eyes, Damon scoffed. "Yeah, well, let's not make a big deal out of it. You drank my blood, I killed you, and now you have to feed in order to complete the process."

Shaking her head, the brunette frowned as she made her way towards the door. "You're wasted."

Noticing she was making her way towards the door, Damon smirked. "You don't wanna be out there all alone. You're about to get really freaky." He replied half-heartedly.

"Ok, I had a really good time. I just wanna go home." Vicki replied as she tried to push past Damon, who was now standing in her way.

Damon smirked. "You're gonna start craving blood, and until you get it, you're gonna feel very out of it. You have to be careful."

Rolling her eyes, Vicki put her hands on his chest and pushed him with little strength. Damon moved out the way as she frowned. "Come on, move."

"See? You're already starting to fall apart." He teased.

Vicki rolled her eyes. "And I'm going home now."

"Ok, fine. I'm just warning you. Actually, you know what? You should go. In fact, if I were you, I would stop by your boyfriend Jeremy's house." Damon's smirk widened as Vicki bit her lower lip. Perhaps she should go and see Jeremy, they hadn't left it on a good note the following night.

"Yeah, whatever."

"Bye. Tell Elena I said hi and if you see Stefan, tell him to call me."

Giving Logan a pointed glance, the blonde sheriff's eyes were determined. "I got Stanley on the Moore street entrance. The rest of us will cover other access points. Call him or call me if that thing goes off. Don't use the radio. Cellphones only." She ordered.

Nodding, Logan confirmed. "Got it."

"You've got 8 rounds. Remember, wood bullets won't kill him, but it'll wound him enough for you to get close and stake him. You sure you can handle this?" Liz continued as Logan scoffed.

"Of course I can." The man insisted as Liz rolled her eyes.

Curiously, Liz arched a brow. "You ever staked a vampire before?"

"Have you?" Logan retorted.

Opening his front door, Jeremy sighed in relief when he saw his brunette 'girlfriend' at the door. Opening the door wider, Jeremy noticed how she stepped inside with her sunglasses on.

"Hey. The sun is killing me. My eyes are on fire." Vicki grumbled, not taking her sunglasses off.

Jeremey nodded and closed the door behind her. "Where have you been?"

Smiling at her boyfriend's concern, Vicki let his arms wrap around her waist. "It's good. Everything's good."

Nodding, the two began to kiss as Jeremy captured Vicki's bottom lip between his lips as their noses bumped. Giggling, Vicki nudged his nose with her own as they pulled away.

Sensing something was wrong, Jeremy frowned. "Did something happen?"

Not answering, Vicki was cut off as her stomach rumbled. Frowning, Vicki barged into the Gilbert kitchen as Jeremy followed. "I'm hungry. What do you got to eat?"

As Vicki began to pull out food from the cupboard, Jeremy frowned in realization. "You're high? Vicki, it's the middle of the day."

Covering her ears, Vicki winced. She could hear everything. Cars, planes, footsteps, heartbeats. It hurt. "Could you just not talk so loud? My head, it hurts. I need quiet."

Still at the old Salvatore mansion landscape, Elena looked up to meet Stefan's eyes as she frowned. "The mind control... You said Katherine used. Do you ever do that to me?"

Stefan shook his head frantically, his olive eyes boring into her own doe ones as they gazed at each other. "No. That necklace, it contains an herb called vervain. It protects you from being compelled. I wanted to protect you from Damon's influence. But I also wanted to... Protect you from me. Elena, you should never take that necklace off... Because no matter what happens after today, no matter how you feel about me... You'll know that you were free to make your own choice."

"Where is she?" Matt demanded, pushing through the Gilbert door as Jeremy lead the older brother to Vicki. Jeremy was beyond worried for Vicki. Although she was usually high, she had never acted like she was now. The brunette was having the munchies, jaw and gum ache, a migraine and her emotions were all over the place. Jeremy had no idea what she had smoked.

"Come this way." Jeremy lead the worried older brother to Vicki as he frowned.

With his blue orbs boring into Jeremy's, Matt frowned in confusion. "What's she on?"

Jeremy shrugged as he frowned. "I... I don't know." Jeremy admitted as Matt nodded and went to stand by his sister who was sitting on the Gilbert couch.

"Hey, Vic. How you doin'?" Matt asked softly, bending down to his sister's gaze.

Shaking her head, Vicki frowned. "Not good, Mattie. I hurt."

"Ok, where's it hurt?" Matt asked, his voice tender as he remembered his sister had a migraine of some sort.

Moving her hands to her jaw, Vicki rubbed her jaw as she moaned. "My gums. My jaw hurts. My gum... There's something in my gums, and it hurts." She whimpered.

Nodding, Matt frowned. "Ok, well..." He trailed off, but was cut off by his sister's frantic voice.

"No. Just leave me alone."

Rubbing her arm, Matt frowned sympathetically. "Come on, Vic. Don't be like that. Let's get you home." He urged.

Vicki wrenched her arm out his grip, shaking her head as she covered her ears. "Just turn it off!"

"Turn what off?" Jeremy asked as Vicki scowled.

"The talking, the chatter, just turn it off."

Glancing around the room, Matt's eyes landed on the TV. It was set on a low volume and barely audible. Matt hadn't even noticed it was on, that was how quiet the TV was.

"... Horribly. Three bodies were found dead in what is believed to be a drug deal gone awry. The bodies have yet to be identified. They were discovered earlier today over at the old Mystic Falls cemetery." The man on television said as Jeremy's eyes widened.

Turning to Vicki, Jeremy frowned. "That's where we were last night."

Matt turned to his sister. "What happened, Vic?" He asked softly.

"... Homicide, and are fast under way looking for suspects. They're asking anyone with information..." The man continued as Matt frowned.

"I'm calling the cops." Matt decided. Liz needed to know that Vick and Jer were at the cemetery. Maybe it would help the police get to the bottom of the situation.

"No. Don't." Vicki ordered as Matt frowned, but said nothing. The blonde teen simply moved his fingers of the large number dials and turned to his sister.

Sitting beside Vicki, Jeremy frowned. "What happened after I left last night, Vick?"

Overwhelmed by feelings, Vicki pushed Jeremy away with a brutal force, causing him to fall on the floor and bang his head. Darting away from the phone, Matt rushed over to Elena's brother.

"Jer, are you ok?"

Nodding, Jeremy accepted Matt's hand as the blonde pulled him back onto his feet. "I'm fine. I'm fine." Jeremy insisted as Matt turned back to his sister with wide eyes.

"Damn, Vick."

Before either Matt or Jeremy could say anything else, Elena and Stefan entered the house and went into the kitchen. Upon seeing all the commotion, Elena arched a confused brow. "What's going on?"

Matt cleared his throat awkwardly. "She's really messed up."

Realization flooded into Stefan as he took a step towards Vicki. She was transitioning into a vampire. It was visibly obvious. "Elena, back up. Vicki, look at me. Focus. You're gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine. Guys, take her up to bed. Shut the blinds. She's gonna be ok. Come on. Come on."

Following Stefan's orders silently, Matt and Jeremy lead Vicki up the stairs and took her into Jeremy's room.

As soon as the three were out of sight, Elena turned to Stefan in confusion. "You know what's wrong with her?"

Stefan sighed. "Yeah."

"What is it?"

"She's transitioning." Stefan replied as a dread feeling seeped into Elena's gut.

"Transitioning to what?" Elena asked, although she was pretty sure she knew the answer. But she wanted Stefan to deny it. Vicki Donovan couldn't be a vampire…

"A vampire."

All the air from Elena's lungs vanished as she sharply inhaled. "What?"

Stefan frowned. "Damon must have gotten to her. She's new. She hasn't completed her transformation yet."

"H-how does she do that?" Elena asked curiously.

"She has to feed on human blood." Stefan admitted.

Taking a worried step towards Stefan, Elena frowned. "And what if she doesn't?"

"She'll die. She may only have a few hours." He admitted.

Elena tensed as she looked up to the ceiling. Vicki was upstairs with Matt and Jeremy. With widened eyes, Elena frowned. "She's upstairs with him right now."

"It's ok. She doesn't know what's happening to her yet."

Sighing in relief, Elena nodded. "So when is she gonna know?"

"Right now, she doesn't remember anything. A part of her is still human, but slowly, the deeper she gets into the transition, the memories will start to come back, and then she'll know she has to make the choice."

"The same choice you made?"

Tucking Vicki in the bed, Jeremy made sure she was comfy as Vicki frowned. Almost sadly, Vicki shook her head. "I'm sorry I'm so much trouble."

Shaking his head, Jeremy smiled. "Aw, you just... You need to sleep it off, ok?"

Leaning forward, Jeremy wrapped his arms around her waist as she buried her head in the crook of his neck. The addict found herself leaning close to Jeremy's neck as she noticed the way it pulsed. Just as she was about to bite him, she pushed past Jeremy and rushed out the door.

"No." She whimpered as she disappeared.

Matt gasped as he glanced down the hall to find her gone. "Vick. Vicki!" He called out before turning to Jeremy in confusion.

"She was fine, and then she just... She just freaked out." Jeremy explained as Matt nodded and sighed. "I'm gonna go look for her. Call me if you hear anything." Matt told Jeremy before heading down the stairs.

As Matt left, Stefan looked at Elena. "I can track her."

"Go."

Answering her cellphone, Liz held to her ear as Logan's name flashed across the screen. "Yeah" She answered as Logan held the compass in his hands, the phone pressed between his shoulder and ear.

"I think I got something. It's pointing towards the old cemetery." He admitted.

"Headed your way." Liz replied before hanging up the phone as she began calling the other members of the council and the deputies who were helping.

Drumming his leg against the wooden floor, Jeremy ran a stressed hand through his hair as he frowned. "Maybe we should check in with Matt."

Frowning sadly, Elena placed a hand on her brother's arm. "He'll call when he finds her."

Pushing her hand off his arm, Jeremy's brows furrowed. "Well, what are we supposed to do?" Jeremy snapped.

"We wait. We're supposed to wait." Elena replied softly as Jeremy nodded and sighed.

"I don't know what's wrong with her."

Sending her brother a soft smile, Elena patted his arm. "She'll be fine. It'll all be fine."

Before Jeremy could reply, the doorbell rang. Sighing in relief, Elena swung the door open expecting to see Stefan but instead, Elena saw Damon holding a sleeping Dawn. Dawn had a blanket draped over her as Damon clutched. Glancing at Jeremy behind her, Elena frowned.

"Jeremy, go upstairs." Elena ordered. The teen protested for a moment before going upstairs.

Chuckling, Damon smirked. "You're afraid of me. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess. Stefan finally 'fessed up."

Elena frowned and glanced worriedly at an unconscious Dawn. "Stay away from me."

Mockingly, Damon gasped. "Hey, there's no need to be rude. I'm just dropping Dawnie off and looking for Stefan. May I come in? Oh, wait. Of course I can. I've been invited." Damon pushed past Elena as he went into the Gilbert living room and laid Dawn on the couch. Damon made sure there was a pillow for her head and that she was still covered by a blanket.

"What have you done to her?!" Elena snapped. Although nothing looked physically wrong with her friend, Elena didn't know what Damon had done emotionally to Dawn…

Rolling his eyes, Damon scoffed. "Dawnie's fine. Other than the fact she knows about vampires, she's perfectly fine." Damon replied casually as Elena's eyes widened.

As Damon took an intimidating step forward, Elena stepped back. "We can cut to the chase now if you want. I'm not gonna kill you right now. That wouldn't serve my greater agenda. So... Where's Stefan?" Damon asked as Elena frowned.

"He's out looking for Vicki." She replied tensely with narrowed eyes.

"Don't look at me with those judgy little eyes. Dawnie has already give me them. Plus, girl's gonna thank me for what I did to her." Damon replied.

"Did you thank Katherine?" Elena retorted.

"Mmm. Got the whole life story, huh?"

Elena shrugged. "I got enough."

"Oh, I doubt that. Tell my brother, I'm looking for him. Oh, tip for later, be careful who you invite in the house." Damon teased before walking out the house and slamming the door behind him. Once she was certain Damon was gone, Elena rushed to Dawn's side.

As his eyes landed on the brunette, Stefan sighed in relief as he stood in front of the transitioning vampire. "Vicki."

The brunette didn't reply properly, she just sniffed and shook her head. "I'm starting to remember things, what he is, what he said. I remember you. The hospital, the... The rooftop, it's all coming back."

As Vicki wiped her eyes, Stefan frowned. "I'm so sorry. Damon had no right to do this to you."

"He said that I need to feed. What will happen if I don't?" Vicki asked quietly.

Visibly wincing, Stefan sighed. "You'll fade quickly... And then it'll all just be over."

Shaking her head, Vicki let out a loud sob. "I'll be dead." She realized.

Stefan grimaced, but placed a hand tenderly on his shoulder. "Hey."

"I don't want this." Vicki cried.

"I know. It'll be ok. You're gonna be ok. I can help you." Stefan promised.

Taking a small step forward, Vicki wiped her eyes. "Is it better? Is it better? Will I be better? I wanna go home. Will you take me home?"

Stefan smiled, but it came out a grimace. "Ok."

Before Stefan could take Vicki home, a loud gun went off. Vicki screamed as Stefan fell to the floor, revealing Logan Fell.

Wooden bullets. They knew about vampires.

"No!" Vicki protested as Logan went to shoot Stefan again.

Before the news anchor could let another bullet pierce Stefan's skin, Damon appeared from behind the founding family member. Damon savagely bit Logan before letting him fall to the floor in a pile.

Stefan let out a low moan as Damon kneeled beside him and yanked the bullet out his chest. It seemed his brother wasn't trying to be gentle.

"It's wood. They know. If anyone's gonna kill you, it's gonna be me. My ring." Damon demanded, flicking the bullet away as the two brothers failed to notice Vicki licking the blood from Logan's wound.

As Stefan was about to reply to his brother, he stopped when he noticed Vicki licking the blood from Logan's neck. "No! No! Vicki!"

The brunette looked up, her face smeared with blood as tears welled in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Vicki then zoomed away as Damon smirked.

"Oops." Damon smirked, but turned when he saw something shimmer from the corner of his eye. Damon raised his brow when he noticed the Gilbert compass, picking up the compass, Damon slipped it in his pocket.

Leaning over Logan's bloody corpse, Liz blinked the tears away as she covered her mouth. Turning to the deputies, Liz gasped when she noticed the compass was missing. "Oh god... The watch. Find the watch."

Drumming her fingernails against her legs, Elena frowned as she waited for Stefan. She couldn't do it. Elena couldn't be with Stefan; it was too much! But that didn't mean she wouldn't keep his secret.

Elena jumped when she noticed Stefan limping towards the house. Frowning, Elena eyed him in concern as he left a red trail behind him. "You're bleeding."

Shaking his head, Stefan made his way up the porch, wincing with every move. "No, it's ok. It's ok. I'm ok." Stefan lied. He was hurting more than a vampire should have been, but at least he'd heal, slowly, but he'd still heal.

"I couldn't stop her. I tried." Stefan admitted, frowning.

Furrowing her brows in confusion, Elena took a step forward towards Stefan. "What does that mean?"

Stefan hung his head in shame as he frowned. "She fled, and then I lost her."

"Oh, my god." Elena gasped as Stefan ran a stressed, bloodied hand through his locks, not caring that he was staining his dark blonde hair.

Sighing, Stefan frowned. "I'll take care of it. I'll find her, and I will show her that she can live like I do. I will make sure that she does not hurt anybody, Elena. I promise you."

"What do I tell my brother and... And Matt?" Elena mumbled.

Stefan sighed. "We'll come up with a story."

Furrowing her brows together, Elena stepped towards her front door. "You mean we'll come up with a lie."

"I'm so sorry." Stefan grimaced.

Elena sighed and met Stefan's eyes, her own eyes watering. "I gave you today just like you asked. And I understand that you would never do anything to hurt me, and I promise I will keep your secret, but... I can't be with you, Stefan. I'm sorry. I... I just can't..."

Before Stefan could reply, she walked in the house and closed the door behind her. As the front door closed, Elena collapsed to the floor in sobs.


Hi guys! My supernatural fanfiction should be up in a week or so, I'm just getting a cover made and need to pre-write a couple more chapters. Also, the sex of the baby will be revealed in chapter eleven. Sorry about any mistakes, sometimes I'm so lazy when editing. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please remember to review!:)

In response to:

PirateWizardThief: Thanks! Believe me, Dawn is going to have a lot to worry about! Especially after this chapter, lol. It means a lot when you review, so thank you so much!

BrittStar1199: Aw, that's too sweet! Not a witch, but it what Dawn is will intertwine with witches. I ship Bamon a little, but my main TVD ships are Stefan and Caroline, Stefan and Katherine (I love Katherine! When Elijah didn't come when she was dying really pissed me off), Alaric and Jenna (I hate Alaric and Caroline together), Damon and Elena and that's all I can think of lol. Daddy Damon is going to be so protective! I'm glad you're enjoying my story, thank you for the lovely review:) xx

Gracfully: Dawn stood up for herself. Thanks for the review!

Guest (Jul 11): I completely agree! It will take a long, long while for Dawn to forgive Damon, but his treatment of Caroline will not come out till season 2. Damon was pretty horrible in season 1, but by the end of the season, he got much better. Thanks for the review!

123456789: Aw, that's so sweet! I'm glad you're enjoying your journey with Dawn so far! I won't abandon the story, I promise. Thanks for the lovely review!

Kim: I completely agree! I cannot stand when people update and it consists of 300 hundred words. I also find I don't really like when authors update daily with short chapters. I have found that updating once a week with a large amount of text is the best way to keep the readers hooked but not bored. Sometimes I can't keep up with stories who update daily, yet I hate when stories update once a month with the same amount I write. I always make sure I write over 6,000 words as a minimum, but I usually end up with around 9,000- 10,000 words excluding the authors note. Finding out about witches, vampires and everything else will be one hell of a whirlwind for Dawn! That's a good and clever guess, but Dawnie is not an angel ;). It's sort of similar to an angel, in a way. Thank you for the lovely, long and detailed review!

Flowerchild23: I'm glad you're living the story so far! Thank you for all your reviews!

Adela: That's a really good idea! Thanks for that and reviewing!

Choco-latte64:

Natalie: That's really sweet! Don't worry about Klaus and Dawn, it is central Damon OC, but there may be a little Klaus/OC in the future, but only minor flirting. And daddy Damon is going to be a force not to be reckoned with! It didn't show up, I noticed was playing up for a couple of weeks with reviews, but its fine now. Gabriel (Dawn's father) is a dick and is actually like how Giuseppe was with Damon now that I think about it. One of your reviews was correct on what Dawn is, but I'm not going to point it out;). It will be confirmed what Dawn is in chapter 12. Thanks for reviewing!

SomebodyWhoCares: Haha! And it is Damon ;D. Thanks for reviewing!

Can'tbeinjust1Fandom: Hi:), I'm sorry about that. I try and use pronouns as much as possible, but sometimes if I start the sentence with 'Brushing her hair, she couldn't help but ponder about him' it may confuse people a little. I have found that writing in first person, you use 'I' too much, while third person, you use names too much. Thanks for the advice, I'll try and add more pronouns in where I can:). Thanks for reviewing!