Later that day I drove back to the apartment and found Stefan had left. "Come with Bonnie and I to the Grill." Caroline said. I nodded and followed her out to the car. I wonder what she and Stefan talked about since I left this morning. She parked her car in front of the Grill and we entered the building to join Bonnie who was waiting for us at the table. We ordered our meals and as we waited for our food to arrive, Stefan entered through the door. What was he doing here? "Hey Stefan." Caroline greeted him with a smile as he sat in the empty seat beside her. I glanced over at Bonnie and over at Caroline, who failed to tell me that Stefan would be joining us. "Glad you could join us Stefan." Bonnie smiled. I wasn't happy about this. Why would Caroline invite Stefan without my knowledge? Why didn't she ask me first? Did she think that I would be more accepting if she just, I don't know, brought Stefan along for the ride?

"Glad to be here." Stefan smiled. "Elena." He nodded towards my direction. I could do nothing else, but smile. It was then I began to question silently why he was here, but then I realized the reason he was here was for Caroline. "I wanted to talk to you guys about something really important." Caroline smiled. She seemed a little too excited. Bonnie and I exchanged glances, but I had a feeling Bonnie was expecting the news more than I was. "Stefan and I are deciding on moving in together." she said. I practically choked on my drink. What? Wait- "What?" I asked aloud.

"Yeah, we found this great apartment in Richmond." she answered. That's hours away. I nodded and excused myself from the table. I head outside to get some fresh air. What she serious? My phone rang and I looked down. Damon was calling. "This is not a good time Damon." I said.

"What's wrong?"

"I…" I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Just not now."

"Where are you?"

"What? It's not important."

"I'm coming to get you."

"Damon-" The other end had cut out and I looked at my phone. I groaned and walked back inside the Grill. I passed the table and went straight to the bar. I sat down on the barstool as Matt came up to me. "You okay?" he asked. I just shook my head as he grabbed a glass and poured a drink for me. I thanked him and drank the entire glass. After a few more drinks, I was beyond the capability of standing. I stood anyway and almost tripped when an arm caught me. "Elena, you are in no shape to walk." Damon said.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" I asked in my drunken state. Damon rolled his eyes and threw me over his shoulder. I squealed as he carried me out of the Grill and out to his car. "Put me down!" I pounded his back as he slid me into the passenger seat. He rolled his eyes and went around to the driver's seat and got in. I was able to put my seatbelt on as he started the car and began the drive down the street. The next morning I awoke with a pounding headache. "Take these." He entered the room with a glass of water in one hand and two pills in the other. I sat up and took them, quietly thanking him. I was in his room at the Salvatore boarding house. "You okay?" he asked.

"What happened last night?"

"Caroline invited Bonnie and I to the Grill. Turns out, she invited Stefan too." I answered. Damon nodded as he sat down on the bed, placing his hand on my leg. "I have something to tell you. It probably isn't the right time to tell you." I just nodded as he spoke the words. "I'm a vampire." I stared at him, thinking that he was beyond crazy. What? Vampires exist. My mom always told me that they were just myths, that they weren't believed to be true. I didn't know exactly what to say. If Damon was a vampire, does that mean Stefan was too? Of course it meant that. What am I thinking? Does Caroline know? So many questions I wanted to know answers to, but I didn't know where to begin. Is vampirism the reason why Damon has been young for so long? He's never aged, or that's what he makes it seem like.

"I know what's going through your mind right now. You're probably confused and I understand the position that you're in. If you want to talk, I'm right here." he said. I shook my head as I retracted myself from him. He moved his hand and sighed as he looked away. He looked down at his hands. I watched his movements carefully to see what he might do, but he did nothing. He stood and placed his hands in his pockets. "If you want to leave, then leave." he said. He didn't look at me and I continued to stare at him.

"Damon-"

"I'm not good for you Elena, is that it? Maybe Matt-"

"Matt? Don't bring Matt into this." I said, getting out of his bed. I walked out the bedroom door, leaving him there. As soon as I reached the door, he appeared in front of me. He had a look that I had never seen before on his face. "Elena, don't-"

"Move Damon." I interrupted. He licked his lips and nodded as he stepped out of the way. He reached out to open the door, but I told him that I could get it myself. I opened the door and exited the Salvatore boarding house. I closed the door behind me and began the long walk home. I took me a while to figure out where I was going until I finally reached the town. The walk back home was tiring, but I made it just before noon. I headed up to the apartment and entered. Caroline walked up to me and gave me a hug. "There you are. I was so worried." she said, rubbing my back. Within seconds, I started crying.

"What happened?" she asked as she held me at arms length. I shook my head, not wanting to tell her but she was persistent. She led me over to the couch and we sat down, talking. I told her everything, except for the fact that Damon was a vampire. If I had to keep a secret, it would have to be that one. "Asshole." she muttered under her breath. She covered her mouth because she knew I had heard her, but I agreed with her. Asshole was right. She smiled and said, "I have something to cheer you up." She stood from the couch and walked into the kitchen. I waited a few minutes until she came back with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. "Care." I said.

"Nuh uh. Don't start." she said. "We are celebrating." She opened the bottle of champagne and poured the contents into the glasses. She handed me a glass and I thanked her. I took a sip and asked her what we were celebrating as she joined me on the couch. "We are celebrating the fact that the Salvatore brothers both have no hold on us." she smiled and took a sip. In times like these, Caroline was the best person to go to for anything.