I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays! I'm giving you three chapters this time, just because I feel like it. Remember to review!

Elena quickly sat up in bed, gasping.

"You okay?" Damon asked sleepily.

"Yeah. I'm fine." The truth was, every time she fell asleep she had the same dream of Zack raping her. She wished she could stop having it because it wasn't telling her anything new. They had been back in Mystic Falls for a week. All of their friends had met Gia and Charlotte. Stefan was still occupying Elena's old room and (if Elena's suspicions were correct) had fallen under Katherine's spell once again- not that she minded, since she was with Damon now. But with Damon, she felt like there was a three year-old elephant in the room. Not knowing for sure who Charlotte's father was, was something Elena couldn't move past. The more her dream confirmed that Zack was indeed her attacker, the more she knew something was wrong about it, she just couldn't figure it out.

Elena got up and walked downstairs and found Gia sitting in the kitchen.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asked Elena.

"No. You?"

"Negatory. What's wrong with you?"

"I'm still having that same dream. Seeing Zack attack me. But the more I have it, the more it doesn't make sense. What about you?"

"I'm still having trouble with Eli...or Elijah or whatever it is that he's called. I mean, I feel like he lied to me, but at the same time, I never asked him if he was a vampire either. And he hasn't done anything to betray my trust really. I just... I never imagined myself falling in love with a vampire."

"Same here, much less two. Of course I never imagined myself becoming one either."

There was silence from both girls before Elena finally said. "I want to tell everyone the truth. About Charlotte."

"What? Why?" Gia asked alarmed.

"I feel like keeping the secret is pointless now, and maybe there is somebody else who can figure something out that we can't."

"What happened to it being just the four of us?"

"That was over the minute Elijah showed up." Gia looked down, embarrassed. "Hey, it's not your fault, it's just that he knew and Katherine knows and I just feel more and more guilty about lying to everyone, when they don't know and two people we don't have great track records with do."

"How do you want to tell them?"

"Well, the people I really want to tell are Jeremy, Bonnie, and Caroline."

"What about Stefan?"

"I don't think he deserves to hear it from me. If he finds out from someone else, I don't care, but he lost the right to know the minute he walked out the door the first time."

Gia nodded. "Are you going to talk with Damon about it?"

"Probably, but I doubt he'll agree with me. I think he feels like he has more of a right to protect Charlotte than I do. I mean, sure he knew her these past almost four years when I didn't, but that's not my fault. It's not like I abandoned her like Isobel did to me. If I had it my way, she never would have left my side." She could feel herself getting emotional. This was the first time she'd really voiced her opinions and now that she started, she couldn't stop. "I still remember how my heart shattered into a thousand pieces the minute I handed her over to Damon that day in Italy. Knowing I would never see her again. If Damon hadn't compelled me, I think it would have been years before I stopped crying. Even after I was compelled, I always felt this loss or void that I couldn't explain. At the time I chocked it up to missing being in Italy, but now I know it was her." Tears fell freely and she began to sob. "I would never do anything to hurt her and I love her so much. She's such an amazing little girl and I have you and Damon to thank for that, and I just can't keep her a secret anymore."

Gia wrapped her arms around Elena as she let her friend sob into her shoulder. "It's okay." She told her soothingly. Gia looked up and saw Damon walking toward them, a sad expression on his face. He knew Elena was in pain. Even though she had gotten Charlotte back, she was still mourning the time that she missed out on and it was his fault. He was the one who caused her pain. And he hated himself for that.

"Elena." He spoke softly. She looked up and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm so sorry." he told her, he voice breaking slightly. Tears filled her eyes again as she ran to his embrace.

"Damon, I-" She started.

"I know." He cut her off. "I heard you. We'll tell them tomorrow."