A/N: Heya guys and gals! This is the fourth and final document that my computer corrupted and deleted unceremoniously from my laptop. Hopefully, this will be the last time this happens.

After reading this chapter, please review. I hope I don't have to remind people not to flame me. Thanks very much :)

I don't own The Vampire Diaries. All characters (except for Grace) belong to author L.J. Smith.

Please enjoy xx


PICKING UP THE PIECES

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever they like." ~Lao Tzu.


~:HALLUCINATION:~

"Grace… Grace…" Something warm was touching my face, and I frowned and raised my hand to bat it away. But instead, whatever or whoever was touching me; caught it instead. "You need to wake up, sweetheart. Please, for me?" I opened my eyes and registered the fuzzy image of a shadowed person who was squatting over me.

"What's going on? Where am I?" I mumbled groggily and tried to sit up, unsuccessfully. The person immediately helped me into a more comfortable position against the wall.

"You are right where you were before you hit your head. You haven't moved. But you need to wake up before it's too late." The fuzziness faded away from my view and I realised that my 'good Samaritan' was in fact my mysterious stranger; still with his (frustratingly) blurred out face, but with much shorter hair that from the feel of the strands through my fingers, was soft and curly.

Hope filled me.

"Are you really here?" I asked, cupping his face. He chuckled sadly, shaking his head and pulling my hand away from his face (which was rough from a little bit of stubble). He kissed the palm tenderly.

"No, love. I'm not really here. I'm only a hallucination you created in your head when you hit the brick wall." I sagged in disappointment. "But don't despair. Our reunion isn't faraway now." He promised. I tried to get to my feet, but a wave of dizziness overwhelmed me and I collapsed, alarming my beloved stranger. I heard an audible crunching noise, and realised that he had just bit into his wrist like a crisp apple. I recoiled in horror. "Drink this, darling. It will make you feel better, I promise." I hesitated. "Please, Grace." He urged.

I took his wrist and hesitantly wrapped my lips around the gaping wound, drinking deeply. It was thick and rich, but tasted sweet as well. It also felt strangely realistic going down my throat, for a hallucination. A hand started stroking my hair, and pulling me closer to a warm chest; hugging me closer and coaxing me to continue drinking. "That's it, Grace. Good girl. I love you, so much." I wanted to reply with the same words, but my mouth was full. "I will see you again. I love you, always and forever…"


~:REALITY:~

I woke up back in the alley with Damon crouched over me in the exact same position as my mysterious stranger did in my hallucination. His ice blue eyes were wide and full of alarm and concern as they peered into my own dark brown ones.

"Grace? Are you alright?" He demanded, sounding very urgent. I nodded slowly, my head pounding like a jackhammer. There was something hot and sticky around my mouth and dripping down my chin uncomfortably. "Jesus! Don't ever scare me like that again!" Damon growled at me, cupping my face and making me look him in the eye. "Promise me!" He demanded.

"Okay, I promise." I croaked. Damon sighed with relief and surprised me by leaning forward and kissing my forehead.

I blinked in astonishment.

"Good. Now give me a moment while I deal with this. I need to take you home, and make sure you don't kill yourself within 24 hours." He told me, before standing up and turning his back to me. I was about to ask why so specific a timeframe when I realized he facing towards where I had last seen Caroline. I instantly bolted upright and got to my feet, ignoring the pain growing roots on the back of my head, and immediately started looking around Damon to Caroline. She was crying next to the body of the guy Tyler had beaten up. There was blood all over her face.

"He's dead. I killed him. What's wrong with me?" Caroline sounded hysterical. I moved to go comfort her, but Damon stopped me; giving me a warning look. Instead, he went over to her and squatted in front of her.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. I can help you." Damon comforted her. Caroline looked at him with hope in her eyes.

"You can?" She asked, looking and sounding vulnerable. Damon nodded seriously.

"Yeah, I have to." He tells her.

"No, you don't Damon." I corrected him, still annoyed that he still intended to kill her after all. Damon turned to me. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

"Did I do that?" Caroline asked fearfully. Damon shook his head.

"The blood around the mouth is my doing. You caused the bump and bloody gash on the back of her head." He told her, and I frowned. I scratched at the corner of my mouth at some of the stickiness and pulled away seeing dried blood underneath my fingernail. My eyes widened.

"You fed me your blood?!" I accused Damon, who looked back at me exasperatedly.

"Would you rather bleed out?" He retorted hotly. I was silenced. Vampires have blood that heals? I reached to touch the back of my head, feeling a decent sized goose egg there. It also felt slightly sticky back there too.

I paled.

"I'm so sorry!" Caroline shouted to me. I smiled at her reassuringly.

"It was my fault, Caroline. You were just acting on your instinct." I told her. She whimpered and curled in on herself. Damon continued to 'comfort' her.

"Like I said. I can help you." He told her. Caroline looked wary.

"What are you gonna do?" She asked. Damon gave her a pitying smile. I scowled at the back of his head; resentful that he was taking advantage of the fact that I was still slightly weakened from being thrown around like a rag doll by Caroline, and waking up after suffering a concussion.

"The only thing I can do. I'm gonna kill you." Damon told her. Tears immediately filled Caroline's eyes, and I pushed myself off the wall and stepped in front of Damon.

"Please don't! I don't want to die!" Caroline pleaded.

"Leave her alone, Damon! I mean it." I warned him. Damon ignored me.

"But you are already dead." He told Caroline, who was cowering behind me.

"No! I'm not. Don't say that, okay? Just help me!" She begged.

"Don't worry, Caroline. I'll help you." I promised her, and found myself somehow staring at the brick wall. I cursed when I realised that Damon had moved me out of the way. "Damon, don't you dare!" I yelled, turning back and wishing that I'd heal faster.

"Okay." Damon replied. But I wasn't sure if that was directed to me or Caroline. Because if it was directed at me, he caved a little too quickly. But judging by the confused and frightened expression on Caroline's face, Damon was responding to her.

"Okay? Just help me please! Please, please!" Caroline insisted, looking at both Damon and me desperately. Damon sighed and wrapped her up in his arms. Caroline immediately relaxed.

"Okay, okay. It's the only way." Damon reassured her, and my eyes widened in horror, as he raises a stake behind her back; ready to kill her. I rushed forward as best as I could to try and stop him.

"No, Damon! Don't!" I yelled, stumbling a little due to the blood loss. Suddenly, Stefan appeared from out of nowhere and grabs Damon's hand, pulling it away. The stake clatters to the ground. I immediately pulled Caroline into my arms and held her close. She was shivering like a scared dog caught in a thunderstorm.

"Stefan!" Damon growls at his brother, as Elena runs into the alley. She immediately claps eyes on Caroline in my arms.

"Grace! Are you alright?" I found myself face-to-face with Elena, whose eyes widened at the sight of Damon's blood smeared around my mouth and chin. "Why have you got blood on your face?" She demanded. But before I could reply to Elena's question, Caroline attempts to hide behind me; believing that Elena was Katherine.

"Get away from me! You killed me!" She screamed, and I gasped out in pain when Caroline clutched onto my arm a little too tightly. Elena moved to reassure her.

"No, no, no, no Caroline! That wasn't me. You know that!" She told her friend. "That was Katherine." Caroline didn't look convinced.

"No!? Then why did she look like you?!" She demanded. "And why, why did she do this to me?" I grabbed at her wrist, trying to break her grip.

"Caroline… you're hurting me…" I gasped, and Caroline's anger disappeared, letting go of my arm.

"Oh, God. Grace, I'm so sorry. I hurt you again!" Caroline looked like she was about to start hyperventilating. I turned and pulled into my arms. Elena frowned at me, with confusion.

"What did she mean 'I hurt you again'?" She asked, worriedly. I made shushing noises to soothe Caroline, who was now sobbing against my shoulder, as I looked at Elena; trying to think of an appropriate response.

"Before you arrived, I came upon Caroline crying in here. I managed to calm her down for a nanosecond, but then he showed up." I pointed with my free hand towards the corpse of the young man. Elena's eyes widened. "Talk about bad timing." I scoffed, glaring a little at the guy. "But when I tried to get him to leave, Caroline pounced on him and started feeding. I tried to save him, but Caroline intercepted and shoved me at the brick wall." I revealed, causing Caroline to flinch and cling to me tighter.

"Oh my God." Elena looked between Caroline and me, with shock. I nodded in agreement.

"I woke up with Damon standing in front of me. He told me that I had a nasty cut on the back of my head, and I was bleeding out. But apparently he fed me his blood, which is why I have blood all around my mouth." I concluded. I decided not to reveal to her the hallucination I had in between Caroline attacking me and Damon healing me with his blood. Something told me not to trust her. Elena looked towards Stefan.

"Stefan, we've got to get her inside." She decided, indicating to Caroline, who was just starting to calm down. He nodded and came over to her. Caroline looked up at him, when he placed a calm hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay Caroline, come with me." He coaxed her. She nodded and let go of me slowly. I winced and Elena touched my shoulder, looking at me with the same amount of concern as she had for Caroline.

"She will die, it's only a matter of time." Damon warned them, and I glanced over to see him standing not too far away from us, looking extremely resentful. Stefan glared at him.

"Yeah, maybe so, but it's not gonna happen tonight." He promised his brother. Stefan then turned away, and started escorting Caroline inside.

"Oh yeah it is." Damon disagreed, and stooped down to pick up the discarded stake. Elena and I both reacted when Damon rushes over to Stefan and Caroline, and Elena immediately puts herself in front of them. Damon stops before her.

"Damon, she's my friend." Elena pleads with him to see reason, causing him to hesitate and stare at her. She refuses to move out of the way. Finally, he drops his arm; and both Elena and I sag with relief.

"Whatever happens, it's on you." Damon tells Elena. Suddenly, I started to feel dizzy and I swayed on my feet.

"Grace!" Elena cries out in shock, and Damon manages to catch me before I fell flat on my face. "What's wrong?!" Elena sounded panicked and I groaned in annoyance. I hated people fussing over me.

"Are you okay?" Stefan piped up from where he was standing with a guilty Caroline.

"My head still hurts." I complained, and Damon shifts me slightly in his arms so he had a better grip on me, while he parts my hair at where I had hit my head to examine it. Elena hissed with sympathy as Damon led me over to sit down on something.

"I'm not surprised. Your wound hasn't completely healed over yet." He told me, as Elena sat beside me and wrapped a supporting arm around my shoulders. "You need to drink some more of my blood." He told me. I grimaced but nodded. Damon exposed his arm and used his fangs to reopen the marks on his wrist. Both Elena and I shuddered at the crunch his fangs made ripping through muscle and bone. "Drink until the wound closes." He instructed firmly. I didn't reply and just grabbed his arm and drank greedily.

Then things went from bad to worse. Bonnie chose that moment to make her appearance.

"Caroline?" Bonnie looked at her friend in surprise. Stefan immediately saw the danger.

"It's okay, come on." He told Caroline quietly, and goes to move her away. But Caroline resists. Bonnie glanced between Elena, Damon and me, and then at Stefan and Caroline; looking confused, until she realised what I was doing and saw the blood on Caroline's face.

"No, you're not; you can't be." Bonnie stated with horror and rushed over to Caroline, touches her and recoils in horror at what she sees. Caroline is concerned by her friend's reaction.

"Bonnie?" She whimpers, as Bonnie glances around and spots the corpse. I pulled away from Damon's wrist when it closed up and took a cautious step towards her.

"Bonnie, calm down." I told her. But she ignored me, still staring down at the dead body.

"Oh god!" Bonnie cried out, with what looked like shock. Caroline fought in Stefan's grip to go to her friend, but he locked his arms firmly around her waist to keep her with him.

"Bonnie…" Caroline called out to her beseechingly.

But Stefan takes her away from the area, leaving Elena behind to defuse the situation and calm her friend down, since it was obvious that I was failing at it spectacularly. Damon glowered at Bonnie from where I had left him after he finished healing me. He suddenly got to his feet and blurred away, leaving me to stand awkwardly with Elena and Bonnie. He had been right; I had not had enough blood the first time he had given it to me. My headache had immediately disappeared and I felt stronger.

"I can't believe this is happening." Bonnie exclaimed, as Elena and I looked at each other, trying to figure out between us how we were going to get out of this situation. Damon returned carrying a chip on his shoulder and a shovel.

"Come on, don't pout about it." Damon told Bonnie, who glared at him almost immediately. "I got a body to bury." He announced. But before he could do anything, he suddenly collapses to the ground; clutching at his head and screaming as he curled in on himself. I looked at Bonnie narrowing her eyes at him, unblinkingly.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded, glowering at Bonnie as I went to Damon's side. She ignored me.

"I told you what would happen if anyone else got hurt." She told Damon, who looked up at her; grimacing from the pain.

"I didn't do this." Damon protested. I glared at her, and even Elena stepped in to intervene.

"Bonnie, it wasn't his fault." Bonnie narrowed her eyes further, and Damon screamed louder; turning himself into a tighter ball and shuddering from the pain.

"Everything that happens is his fault, Elena." Bonnie insisted, looking vengeful. I was seething from rage. How dare she?

"Who made you judge, jury and executioner?!" I yelled at her, getting to my feet and advancing towards her to make her stop when she ignored me completely.

"Bonnie, what are you doing?" Elena sounded nervous and afraid of her friend. I glanced over at her and noticed that she was looking at something over in Damon's direction, and I turned to see what she was looking at. A fire springs up from out of nowhere. My eyes widen in horror when it starts going towards Damon. "Bonnie stop it!" Elena shouts in alarm. But she ignores her and suddenly Damon is engulfed in flames, and he starts screaming bloody murder.

"Damon! Oh my God!" I ran back to him, but the flames were getting too intense. "Stop this, right now!" I roared, spinning and glaring at Bonnie.

"Bonnie! Bonnie, stop it! You're going to kill him!" Elena pleaded with her. But still Bonnie ignores us, still intent on making Damon pay for something that wasn't even his fault in the first place. I take off my blazer and started beating at the fire slowly creeping up Damon's legs. This little power-hungry bitch needed to be taken down a peg, and I got to my feet; ready to run at her and slap her back to reality. But Elena beat me to her first, by jumping over the fire line Bonnie had created and grabs her friend by the shoulders, shaking her out of her murderous trance.

The fire suddenly goes out as her concentration is broken.

"Why did you stop me?!" Bonnie yelled at Elena. I pulled Damon to his feet and helped him lean against the brick wall while he caught his breath.

"Because if she didn't, I would have. And it wouldn't have been with kindness!" I snarled at her. "How dare you abuse your powers like that?" I yelled at her. Bonnie moved to attack me, and I straightened up and turned towards her fully. But Elena stopped her before Bonnie could make a move and made her focus on her face.

"This isn't us." Elena reminded Bonnie, who stopped and looked at her sternly. "Bonnie, this can't be us." Elena turned to look at Damon and I, nodding at us in a truce, and she puts her arm around Bonnie's shoulders.

Both of them leave without a word.


I turned back to Damon, concerned. He was frowning after Elena and Bonnie.

"Are you okay? How fast do vampires heal anyway?" I asked him.

"Fast enough." He muttered, straightening up and rolling his neck to work out the kinks. I was surprised; he looked back to normal, like he had never been set on fire in the first place. Then he focused on me, looking both curious and concerned. "Besides, I should be asking how you feel after having a second dose of my blood." He stated. I sighed, leaning against the wall next to him.

"So much better. You were right about not consuming enough blood. That stuff works miracles." I praised him. He grinned.

"And don't you forget it." He told me, giving me a cocky grin. Damon pushed off from the wall, and offered me his hand. "Now, on a serious note. We need to get you home." He told me. "Because between you and me, I think you've had enough 'excitement' for one night. Don't you?" He said, wiggling his fingers at me when I hadn't made a move to take his hand. I blinked at it with confusion.

"You really don't have to escort me home. I'm fine, really." I reassured him. Damon just gave me a flat look, and wouldn't stop staring at me until I gave up and took his hand with an irritated sigh.

"Thank you, Damon. It's really nice of you to offer." Damon spoke in a high falsetto voice, that I assumed was meant to be a bad imitation of me. I rolled my eyes.

"First of all, I don't sound like that. Please don't insult my intelligence." He smirked. "And second of all…" I stopped and pulled him in for a tight hug, which he immediately stiffened up in, at first. But then he eventually, wrapped his arms around my waist and held me closer. I guess he either really needed this hug, or I had really scared him when he found me. "Thank you for saving my life, Damon." I pulled back and pecked him on the cheek.

He coughed in embarrassment.

"Thank you for attempting to save mine." He returned, as we walked by the corpse. I grimaced.

"Uh, do you want to take care of that first? I can wait." I hinted, but Damon shook his head.

"Nice try. You first, then I'll come back and deal with that." He said, tugging me down the alleyway and around the corner towards his convertible. I frowned in confusion. Why was he so insistent about taking me home personally? Did he feel guilty about Caroline being changed into a vampire, and didn't want to risk it with me? I shrugged and decided to stop trying to make sense of everything that had happened tonight and just get into the car and shut up about it.

The car ride back to my apartment didn't take too long, and by the time Damon cruised to a stop; I was practically yawning my head off. "Well. Good night, Grace. Hope you don't have too many nightmares this evening." Damon said, in a jovial voice. I yawned again, and waved my hand half-heartedly at him.

"With my luck, I probably will. Or if not nightmares, just some really weird dreams. Night." I stepped out of the car and shut the door behind, watching Damon peel out of there and back the way he came to dispose of the corpse of that poor guy.


There was just one thing that was nagging at me, and I had the strangest feeling that I was forgetting something. But I couldn't quite put my finger on what that was. I got my answer the minute Henrik clapped eyes on my face, and said:

"Grace! What happened? Why are you covered in blood?" I froze instantly and my hands flew up to my mouth and chin. I had almost forgotten Damon's dried blood was still on my face. Cursing, I closed the door behind me and secured the security chain in place.

"Uh, well…" I stammered, unsure about how to answer that question. Henrik moved faster than any vampire I knew and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Grace… You better tell me right now. I'm not kidding." Henrik demanded sternly, making me forget that I was talking to a thousand year old ghost trapped in the non-corporeal body of a fifteen-year-old, who has probably seen and learned a lot. I sighed, and motioned for him to follow me to the bathroom while I washed my face.

"I was slammed hard against a brick wall trying to prevent somebody from getting killed." I explained. Henrik's eyes widened.

"And did you prevent them from being killed?" He asked. I shook my head, grabbing a fresh face washer from the drawer underneath the sink and wetting it with warm soapy water.

"No, I did not. Damon is currently burying the body as we speak. What I got for my troubles was a concussion, and I've got a goose egg and a healed over gash on the back of my head to prove it." I told him. Henrik's mouth dropped open.

"Grace!" He exclaimed, angrily. I spun on him.

"Oh, don't start. I already got the lecture from Damon when he was dropping me home." I ranted, wringing out the bloody face washer out and turning the water collected in the basin a bright red.

"You're just lucky Niklaus isn't here. He'd probably kill whoever gave you that concussion." Henrik scowled at me from the doorway.

I froze at the unfamiliar name.

"Who's Niklaus?" I asked, turning to look at him; as I pulled my hair out of their buns. Henrik froze and his eyes widened again, and he swore underneath his breath.

"You weren't supposed to know that yet." He told me, sheepishly. I blinked at him, in confusion before putting two and two together.

"Hang on. Is Niklaus… the name of my fiancé? My mysterious stranger? Your favourite brother?" I demanded. Henrik nodded reluctantly, obviously realizing that the cat's out of the bag and there was no point in hiding it from me anymore.

"I'll give you some privacy." Henrik said sulking, and walked away.

I grabbed my hairbrush and started combing out my hair. Niklaus, huh? It was a very odd name, and a very old-fashioned one too. But I suppose both he and Henrik came from the 11th century, and they probably had traditions that were passed on through the generations. I shouldn't judge. After putting my hair up and out of the way so I could have a shower, I walked back out to my bedroom and grabbed some fresh pajamas to change into afterwards. My phone unexpectedly buzzed, and I frowned as I wondered over and picked it up to see who was texting me this late at night.

Body's taken care of. Come round to the Boarding House tomorrow. – D.

I blinked down at my phone in bewilderment. Why does he want me to come to the Boarding House tomorrow? Matter of fact, how the hell did he get my number? I immediately texted him back.

How did you get my number? And why do I need to come down to the Boarding House for? – G.

I hadn't put down my phone for very long before Damon responded back promptly.

We may have a lead on more information about the Lockwoods. – D.

I noticed that he ignored my question about how he got my number. But what was more interesting (and incredibly annoying) was the fact that they were still stuck on what was strange about the Lockwood Family. I sighed in irritation.

God! You're like a dog with a chew toy about this. Why do you need to know so badly what they are? – G.

I brought the phone into the bathroom. I had just stepped into the shower when I got the expected text message.

That's not important. Can you come down to the Boarding House tomorrow or not? – D.

I sighed. Why not? It's not like I've got anything else to do tomorrow apart from doing my homework and goofing off. I snatched up my phone from the sink and typed in a quick message.

With sweet talk like that, how can a girl resist? What time do I have to be there by? – G.

I didn't look at my phone until after I had finished showering, otherwise I'd never finish my night routine and get some rest. I spent a good ten minutes in the shower, standing under the spray and letting the hot water soothe my aching bones before thoroughly cleaning to remove any traces of my blood or Damon's blood, or maybe even that poor bastard's blood when Caroline bit into him back in the alley. I stepped out and toweled myself off before pulling on my black T-shirt and my white and grey checkered sleep pants and some socks. I brushed my teeth and hair before pulling it back into a ponytail, and picking up my phone, padding towards my bed and flopping down on it.

"I am so ready for sleep." I mumbled into my pillow. I heard Henrik chuckling somewhere in the room. I picked up my phone and glanced at the new message:

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, Grace. But great, you can come. How's 9am for you? – D.

I smiled.

Not a problem. I'll see you tomorrow. Night, Damon. Thanks again. – G :)

I sat up properly on the bed and wiggled my way underneath the duvet, as my phone buzzed for what I hoped would be the final time for the night.

You're welcome. – D ;)

I switched off my phone and put it on to charge on my bedside table. Henrik flopped down on the bed beside me and we both stared at the ceiling, just not talking. Eventually, Henrik broke the silence.

"Sounds like you had an interesting night. What with the almost getting killed and everything." He mused, casually. I yawned deeply.

"It probably won't rank in my top 5 favourite nights." I agreed. Then I decided to let Henrik know about the hallucination. "I saw Niklaus when I was bleeding out tonight." I told him. Henrik sat up and looked at me with surprise. "He came to me, and told me that our reunion is very close. But I think it was just my injured brain conjuring up what I believed I needed at that point." I confessed.

Henrik frowned.

"Why do you think that?" He wondered. I rolled over to face him, supporting my head on my hand.

"Because he looked different from the last time I saw him in a daydream or memory." I told him. "His face was still blurred out as usual. But his hair was shorter, and he was wearing clothes more suited to the 21st century."

"That's odd. What else did he do?" Henrik asked. It was my turn to frown.

"Why? Do you have a reason why I hallucinated about him?" I was curious. Henrik shrugged.

"Depends on what you tell me. I've heard along the supernatural grapevine that if someone is truly in need of someone or something in their time of need, that it will come to them." He told me, and my eyes widened. He noticed. "What did my brother do, Grace?"

"He fed me his blood." I eventually whispered. "I thought that it was strange until Damon did it too, and then I worked it out: he was trying to heal me. At least subconsciously." I realized. Henrik smiled, pleased.

"Lucky you. He's still protecting you, even though he hasn't seen you in a thousand years." I almost smiled as I rolled over and faced my bedside lamp.

"Good night, Henrik. Sleep well." I murmured, and reached over to click off the light.


Due to the fact that I almost died last night, Henrik decided to tag along; despite the fact that he would be of little help to me if I did get put in immediate danger again. But he was stubborn. So Henrik and I drove back to the Salvatore Boarding House for the second time, via directions Damon had sent me on my phone. I'm proud to announce that I only got lost a couple of times, before eventually finding the two-story mansion by my own merits. As I coasted up the driveway and pulled up to their garage, I was immediately greeted by Stefan who smiled warmly at me.

"Hello, Grace." He greeted me, when I stepped out of the car. "How are you feeling this morning?" He asked, politely.

I frowned in confusion.

"Great, actually. I woke up this morning feeling like I was on an adrenaline rush. And stronger, too." Stefan nodded, understanding. "Why is that?" I asked him as he gestured for me to go inside. Henrik appeared by my side, glancing around the house with interest.

"Vampire blood is like being on endorphins. It'll wear off eventually; depending on how much you consumed." Stefan reassured me. I blinked at this information.

"Oh. So basically, I was drugged?" I asked. Damon walked into the room just then, looking a little offended.

"Hardly." I turned and smiled at him. "Nice to see you again, Grace." He strolled into the room, and made his way over to the alcohol. "Please make yourself at home." I walked over to a couch and sank down on it. Henrik sat beside me.

"Thanks, Damon." I replied. He held out a glass to me.

"Drink?"

"Driving. And it's only 9:30 in the morning." I raised an eyebrow at him. Stefan stepped forward; I had noticed him glancing upwards. Presumably to where Elena probably was.

"Would you like a coffee instead?" He asked me, politely. I smiled, gratefully. I hadn't had my caffeine fix yet.

"If you have tea that would be great. Thanks." Stefan nodded and headed for the kitchen, as footsteps thudded down the staircase and Elena came round the corner. She stopped when she saw me.

"Grace? What are you doing here?" Elena exclaimed. I raised an eyebrow.

"Hey Elena, it's lovely to see you too. And how are you?" I replied, sarcastically, ignoring the smirk that formed on Damon's face. Elena scowled at him, before offering me an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Grace. It's been a rough night." Elena explained, walking further into the room. I waved away the apology.

"I emphasize." I reminded her, looking at her pointedly until Elena flushed in embarrassment.

"Oh, god. I forgot, how are you feeling?" Elena asked, hurriedly. Stefan walked back into the room, carrying two cups; one of which he handed to Elena, who accepted it with a smile, and the other to me.

"Thank you very much." I told him. Stefan smiled and moved behind Elena, wrapping his arms around her waist. I took a big sip of the tea and swallowed before setting it aside to answer Elena's question. "I'm feeling epic. Like I could face off with a Mac Truck and not get hurt." I told her.

"That I wouldn't recommend." Damon told me, pointedly ignoring Stefan and Elena, and their intimate embrace. There was a knock at the door, and Damon scooped up my drink and handed it to me. "Drink up, you still look a little tired." He said, winking at me as he moved to answer the door. I nodded and took a sip, instantly tasting something strange mixed in with the tea. Stefan noticed my frown.

"Bitter?" He asked. I glanced at him, and smiled.

"No, it's fine, thanks." I responded; because it tasted suspiciously sweet. Damon Salvatore had some major explaining to do. In the next moment, in walked a man who looked like he was in his early thirties looking around at us, a little curiously. He was dressed in a loose T-shirt, blue jeans, black boots and a khaki green jacket. His light brown hair was short and well-groomed, but in a messy 'just rolled out of bed' kind of way. He had light stubble on his face and dark blue eyes.

"Hey Alaric." Elena greeted him. 'Alaric' smiled politely, and nodded at both Elena and Stefan in greeting before looking at me curiously.

"I'm sorry. I don't think we've met." Alaric spoke to me, with a deep Bostonian accent. "Are you a new student at the school?" I shook my head.

"I'm Grace. It's nice to meet you." I introduced myself, standing up and proffering my hand to him. He took it and shook it.

"Likewise." He replied. Damon re-entered the room, looking all business.

"Thanks for coming, Ric. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, bourbon? Bourbon in your coffee?" He offered, sounding bored. Alaric just stared at him, blankly.

"Elena mentioned you needed my help." He got straight to the point. Stefan nodded.

"Yeah, we were hoping you could help shed some light on the Lockwood family." He requested, politely. Alaric's forehead furrowed and he looked at us all, feeling confused.

"Now, why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?" He asked. Damon walked around him, and came to rest beside the couch I was sitting on and lounged on the armrest.

"Well, you wouldn't. But your dead, not-dead vampire wife might." Damon pointed out, and I nearly choked on my tea and started coughing. Alaric was married to a vampire? Damon casually pat my back to help me clear my airway as Elena scowled at him, while Stefan simply appeared to ignore him.

"Isobel's research from when you guys were at Duke together." Elena explained, trying to jog Alaric's memory.

"You said that she spent years researching this town." Stefan added. Alaric immediately looked uncomfortable the moment his wife was mentioned, and seemed reluctant to answer them. He sighed.

"Isobel's research here in Mystic Falls is rooted in folklores and legends, but at the time I thought much of which was fiction." He confessed.

"Like that amazing vampire story." Damon drawled. I reached over to pinch his side, whilst attempting to look like I was innocently sipping from my tea. He yelped in surprise, and scowled at me.

"What?" I asked. Both Elena and Stefan smirked a little, while Alaric looked a bit confused and Henrik laughed.

"Aside from vampires, what else?" Elena asked Alaric. He shrugged.

"The lycanthrope." Damon nearly dropped his glass, while both Elena and Stefan looked equally as stunned. Henrik made an odd little noise, and I glanced over to see that he had gone paler than usual. I looked at him with worry.

"Wait, like werewolves?" Elena blurted out. Alaric nodded, while Damon looked disbelievingly at me – because I was the one who guessed it back at the carnival – and at Alaric.

"No way, impossible, way too Lon Chaney." He protested, before turning on me. "How'd the hell did you know this, Grace?" I resisted the urge to look over at Henrik, and just hoped that I looked just as surprised as they did. How was I supposed to know that I'd be right? All I knew was that werewolves were indeed real; and I had non-corporal proof sitting next to me having been the victim of a werewolf attack. Plus, I had been (and I guess, still am) engaged to one, before he became a hybrid a thousand years ago.

"Lucky guess?" I answered, shrugging.

"Is it impossible, Damon?" Stefan wanted to know, trying to grab the attention away from me. Damon looked annoyed.

"I've been on this planet one hundred and sixty some odd years, and never came across one." Damon insisted. "If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?" He demanded. It was a very good question; one that both Henrik and I were eager to learn the answer to. Alaric stepped forward looking confused.

"Why do you suspect the Lockwoods?"

"Because vervain didn't affect the mayor at Founder's Day, but the Gilbert device did and it affected his son Tyler." Damon fielded that answer.

"And at the school carnival his uncle Mason exhibited inhuman behavior when he fought with one of the carnival's workers." Stefan added. So that's the name of the mysterious Lockwood uncle? I stood up from the couch and moved around to stretch my legs.

"It suggests some sort of supernatural entity." I theorized.

"We were hoping that Isobel's research could help us figure out what it is." Elena told Alaric, who nodded and thought a little. I could practically hear the cogs clicking away in his head.

"Well, all her things are still at Duke." He said. "I mean her office is still there. She's technically still missing." Damon also stood up.

"So can we get access to it?" He asked Alaric, who hesitated. "Ric, we need to know what we are dealing with." Damon explained. "If this wolfman thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good." He stated. Alaric still looked unsure. "It means Mason Lockwood is a real-life Lon Chaney and that little Tyler punk may just very well be Lon Chaney junior." Damon told him.

"Which means Bela Lugosi, which is you; is royally screwed." I finished his sentence. I was focused on poor Henrik's face, and he seemed as afraid as ever because of the topic of werewolves. Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, thanks for that." He retorted, sounding mildly incredulous.

"Don't mention it." I replied, distractedly.


A/N: Thus ends the enormous headache that is re-writing my corrupted and deleted chapters. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please review :D