A/N: This is probably my favorite chapter - lots of stuff going on! Enjoy! :) -TeamComrade11

The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore

Chapter 20: Miss Mystic Falls

February 7, 2010

Amelia Whitmore had been having vivid dreams, more so than ever since Sheila had died. She dreamt of a beautiful woman with blonde hair who called herself her mother. She dreamt of howling wolves during the full moon. She frequently dreamt of the same scenario: She was a little girl, screaming and crying as a strange woman took her from her mother. Her mother had seemed devastated, but she had never done anything to stop it. There had been a little boy there, too. He was crying, and begging his mother to help her.

She dreamt of Sheila Bennett quite frequently as well. Sheila never spoke to her, she always observed quietly with a hidden smile.

Every once in a while, she had the same recurring nightmare that she had had since she was eight years old. It was always Christmas Eve, and there was always a shadow of a man that she feared. The dream always ended with her screaming her head off as she recognized the body parts of her father spread out across the living room floor.

Liz had been extremely worried when she woke up to the sound of her screaming. It had been years since she had done that. Liz reminded her what the therapists had told her after the tragic event: Your father was attacked by an animal. When Amelia had told them about the man, none of them believed her. They explained to her that she was traumatized, and she was confusing the details.

One night, she had slept fitfully, mumbling under her breath until she awoke with a jerk. She sat in the dark room in silence for a moment before she realized why she had woken up - she sensed a presence in the room.

"I was about to wake you up." A familiar voice slurred. Amelia blinked in surprise as she turned her light on to see Damon Salvatore sitting at the foot of her bed with half a bottle of booze in his hand.

"Damon!" Amelia hissed quietly, looking at the time. "What're you doing here? It's two in the morning and I have school tomorrow!"

Damon ignored her question, glancing around her room. "You don't have very much stuff do you?" He asked.

Amelia felt embarrassed as she glanced around her room. She still had about half a closet worth of space. Her bedroom mostly consisted of her bed, her desk, her narrow bookshelf, and her nightstand.

"I guess I'm not one for holding onto useless things…" She lied, running her fingers through her wild hair. When she had been in foster care, moving from home to home every other month, she had learned not to grow attached to things. And she refused to ask Liz for anything unless it was essential. Now that she had a job, she hadn't had to ask Liz for anything in quite some time. "Damon, you're drunk… you should probably go home."

"Aren't you gonna take my car keys?" Damon smirked.

Amelia shook her head, "I know you didn't drive here."

The black pile of fur that was sleeping on her pillow suddenly seemed to realize that someone was disturbing his beauty rest and he hissed at the vampire invading his territory.

"Merlin, stop!" Amelia tried to scratch her cat's head, but he leapt down and hid under her bed.

Damon sighed, "That seems like everyones reaction to me lately."

She frowned at him. "Damon, you're moping. What's wrong?" She asked, moving to sit cross legged. She was a bit embarrassed by her pale legs that were clearly visible because of the short pink shorts she had on.

"Almost a century and a half I waited for her… loved her… and she didn't even care…" He gulped and took a swig of his drink. "Opening the tomb has been my purpose for so long… I don't even know why I'm still in Mystic Falls anymore." He admitted staring at his feet.

Amelia felt stupid for being jealous, but she was. But she also hated the look of sadness on his face, the way his voice quivered.

She sighed and crawled over until she was sitting right next to him. She wrapped an arm around him, trying to comfort him. With her other arm, she took his bottle and set it on her nightstand. She wasn't very skilled with projecting emotions, but she tried to radiate calming waves of positivity to him the best she could.

Damon looked down at her. "Hmm." He sighed, closing his eyes contently. "That's so strange." He wrapped an arm around her, looking at her tentatively.

Amelia glanced away from him, afraid her eyes would betray her, her breathing faster than she would have liked.

She glanced back at him and watched hesitantly as his face came closer… and closer… and closer…

She felt so panicked and she blurted out the only thing she could think of. "Why're you looking at me like that?" She stood up and pretended to straighten up her desk. She liked Damon so much, even though she knew she shouldn't. She wouldn't allow herself to be with him when he was still so obsessed with Katherine. She had that much pride, at least.

She sighed, turning back towards him. She was surprised to see that he had disappeared, along with his bottle of booze. The only trace of him was her open window and the curtains that waved in the breeze.

That next day, February 7th, Amelia got out of school early for her dentist appointment. She had been pushing it off and pushing it off, but Liz finally scheduled it for her. She stared at her x-ray in surprise. She had four extra teeth under her gums that looked strange. One of them even looked like it would try to come in under her molar.

They dentist explained to her that she needed to have her wisdom teeth out. A surgery that would require being put under anesthesia, even.

When she got home that afternoon, she explained to Liz what the dentist had said, and Liz had made her call and schedule the surgery right then and there. When Liz had offered to drive her home and watch over her after the surgery, she panicked and quickly lied. "Oh, uh, that's okay. I actually already promised Elena."

Amelia regretted having to lie to Liz, but she couldn't be around her when she wasn't in control of herself; that is, in control of her chatterbox, and her powers.

Amelia groaned in frustration as she realized who she'd have to ask. It would have to be someone supernatural - someone who could control her if her powers went wonky. Amelia recalled how Bonnie wouldn't speak to her, and how Stefan wasn't even in control of himself. She almost wanted to cancel the surgery and leave her teeth to fate when she realized she'd have to ask Damon - and have to be in such a vulnerable state in front of him.

She went up to her room, shut the door, and pulled out her phone. She sighed as she found Damon's name in her contact list (and she still didn't know how his number got in her phone, but she assumed that he must have put it in there).

"Yeeeees?" Damon drawled cockily as he opened his phone.

"Um, hi, Damon, it's Amelia…" She started, wanting to groan at how awkward she sounded.

"Of that I am aware, little witch. You see, not that long ago they invented this wonderful thing called caller ID…" He said sarcastically.

"I need to ask you a favor." She blurted out.

Damon seemed to ponder her request, almost like he loved to make her feel uncomfortable. "Hold on one second."

Amelia frowned as she heard a click and the dial tone. Had Damon just hung up on her? She thought about calling him back, but she didn't want to be weird.

"Okay. But only if you accompany me to the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant." Damon's voice was suddenly right behind her. He was sitting on her window with a smug smirk on his face. Amelia noticed that he was wearing his usual dark jeans and leather jacket. His hair looked damp, as if he had just gotten out of the shower.

Amelia frowned, wondering why he couldn't have just said that on the phone. "If you're really that desperate, why don't you just compel someone?"

Damon frowned, and then he disappeared from the window in a blur. She was surprised to see him standing right in front of her, a look of concern on his face. Amelia flinched as he raised his hand to her face, only causing his frown to deepen. "Why would I want to compel someone when I can have someone as beautiful as you on my arm?"

Amelia hated that she could feel the blood rushing to her face - how embarrassing. She didn't believe Damon, anyhow, and she turned away from him, feeling uncomfortable. She considered that it really wouldn't be bad to go with Damon. After all, she had a fun time at the Founder's Party with him. Plus, there was no way she was getting out of going to the pageant because Caroline would never forgive her.

"Besides," He said, cockily, "I don't need to compel someone to get a date. My wit and charm do all the work for me." He said, winking at her.

"I don't know, Damon." She muttered, crossing her arms and observing her wall in fine detail. "Liz didn't seem too thrilled to see us together at the Founder's Party, and I don't want to push her." Amelia explained to him how Liz had called a meeting with her social worker, and how they had considered rehoming her because of how she had been acting.

"What? They can do that?" Damon hissed angrily.

Amelia nodded, not liking that he was getting angry.

"You don't have to be worried about that, okay, Amelia? If it ever came to that, I wouldn't let it happen." Damon promised.

Amelia nodded, feeling relieved to have him on her side, but she was also afraid to trust in him. Afraid to hope. "Thank you." She said quietly. She cleared her throat. "But, listen, Damon, I have to have surgery to have my wisdom teeth removed and I need someone to drive me home after the procedure and watch me for the rest of the day. I hate to ask you, but I need someone who can protect me and protect themselves if I'm so out of it I can't control my powers. Normally, I would ask Bonnie, but seeing how she's not speaking to me, that's not really an option. And well, I don't exactly trust Stefan to keep me safe right now…" She trailed off, rambling.

Damon groaned, "Wow, you are such an inconvenience, Amelia." He joked.

Amelia laughed and hit him playfully. "Shut up."

Damon became slightly more serious. "So, what're you wearing to the pageant? And, please, nothing yellow." He groaned.

Amelia grimaced, looking through her closet. Damon walked over and was standing very close to her, helping her look. "So… John stopped by the house this morning." Damon drawled.

Amelia frowned. "Why?"

"I don't know. Some sort of scheme, I guess. He convinced Liz that we'd be better off working as a team." He said in a falsely optimistic voice. "But, I found out that he really doesn't know much about Katherine."

"How'd you find that out?" Amelia muttered.

"He tried to threaten me - he wants some sort of invention."

Damon proceeded to explain how Anna had come to apologize, and apparently, the tomb vampires had left town. He told her how Stefan had robbed the local blood blank, and how he had lied about it to him.

Amelia pulled out a pretty green dress, and told him how all Caroline could talk about was the upcoming Miss Mystic Falls pageant, and how worried she was the she wasn't going to win. She told him about Bonnie coming back to Mystic Falls, but how Bonnie had been ignoring her.

"It's like… she blames me for Sheila's death… and the worst part, is that I understand. I understand, because it kind of is. If I had helped open the tomb, she wouldn't have overexerted herself, and she wouldn't have died." Amelia said shakily, feeling embarrassed at how he was looking at her.

"Amelia, Sheila dying was not your fault - do you understand me? If anything, it was my fault." He admitted, and then he disappeared. Amelia heard her bedroom door open and then close. She looked around, confused for a moment, before he zoomed back in her room, shutting the door again.

He handed her Caroline's sophisticated gray dress. It was elegant, but not boring.

Amelia smiled at him in thanks. He said nothing, but Amelia thought he had been looking at her strangely. Before she could respond, he had suddenly disappeared.

Amelia was listening to Caroline rant about the pageant as she gathered everything she needed to take with her to get ready. Amelia was already dressed, and ready to go.

"I mean, she totally has the sympathy vote!" She groaned collapsing on the bed next to her.

Amelia frowned, not wanting to get in the middle of Caroline and Elena. She held Caroline's hand. "Look, Care, the only person that you can control is yourself. You're beyond qualified for the title, and beyond beautiful. I know you want this so bad, and I want it for you too. But if you don't win, is it really worth ruining your friendship with Elena over it?"

Caroline sighed and Amelia hugged her as she went to go wait on the porch for Damon to pick her up. "I'll meet you there to help you get ready."

As Amelia was walking out the door, she heard Caroline call, "Thanks, Lia."

Amelia smiled to herself, but said nothing. She found herself sitting on the porch, fiddling with the end of Caroline's dress as she waited for Damon. It was a little chilly, but nothing she couldn't handle. The snow was long gone by now.

Damon pulled up in his blue muscle car, looking sharp as always. Amelia stood up and nervously smoothed out her dress. She walked toward him hesitantly as he stepped out of the car, careful not to trip in her heels.

Amelia loved the way Damon's face lit up as he smiled coyly at her. He took her hand and kissed it. "Looking lovely as always, Ms. Whitmore." He said chivalrously.

Amelia giggled. "And you certainly look just dashing yourself, Mr. Salvatore." She said in her best southern accent. He was wearing a handsome tuxedo with a black tie - not a wrinkle in sight. Damon didn't look a tad bit uncomfortable in such formal wear - he looked like he was used to it, like he belonged in it even.

Amelia watched as he fished in his pocket before pulling out a small jewelry box. She glanced up at him surprised. He opened the box and Amelia saw a pair of beautiful antique looking diamond earrings that matched the embroidery on her dress perfectly.

"They were my mother's." Damon explained, hesitantly. "They've just been sitting around in the house for over a century - I figured they'd be much more useful to you." Amelia froze as he carefully placed them in her ears before she could protest.

"I-I- thank you, Damon, but it's too much, really. I can't accept these."

"Please? I want you to have them. Besides they match your dress perfectly." He explained practically, before pausing. "And… and you remind me of my mother, sometimes. She would approve of you wearing them."

"Thank you." She said quietly, accepting his help into his car. Amelia knew she could do it herself, but she wasn't very coordinated in heels and she didn't want to make a fool out of herself.

Amelia was quiet for most of the ride to the Founder's Hall. She occasionally commented on one of Damon's lame jokes, and she could tell that he was frustrated at her quietness.

Amelia was almost shocked at how decorated the hall was. Damon immediately sought out the champagne, and she declined his offer of a drink. She knew just about everyone here, and she also knew that they would trip over themselves to let Sheriff Forbes know the fastest. As it was, she saw people staring at her and Damon in surprise.

"In the running for Miss Mystic Falls?" Damon asked. Amelia noticed Anna walking towards them.

"Sometimes you have to wear uncomfortable heels to blend in." Anna explained.

"Ain't that the truth." Amelia muttered wearily, not wanting to be around the vampire that had her kidnapped.

"Hmm." Damon muttered.

"I remember this event from 1864. I was suppose to enter, before everything happened." Anna said, sounding a little sad in Amelia's opinion.

"Ahh, nostalgia's a bitch." Damon said, no sympathy in his voice.

"If you're just going to mock me, can you and your witch move along, please?" Anna said, looking pointedly at Amelia.

"You know I can set fires with my mind, right?" Amelia asked, irritated. "Fire kills vampires, doesn't it?" She asked innocently.

Damon chimed in before she could say anything further. "John Gilbert thinks your mom stole an artifact from Jonathan Sr. Sr. back in 1864." It seemed that Damon had an agenda after all.

"What are you, his errand boy?" Anna asked snidely.

"I don't know what it is, but I don't want him to have it."

"I could ask her, but, you know, you've made it pretty clear that you don't trust us, so why should I even bother?" Anna asked.

"Uh, I think you've given us good reason not to trust you." Amelia glared at her, recalling the feel of that vampires fangs in her neck.

"Because you want to stay in Mystic Falls, and John Gilbert's in town, making that impossible. Find out where it is. He leaves, you can buy a welcome mat." Damon said before they walked off together.

When they were a distance away, Amelia paused. "I'm going to go help Caroline get ready. Don't kill anyone." She said sarcastically, walking in the direction of the hall.

"No promises!" He said, in what Amelia hoped was a sarcastic-manner.

Amelia was helping Caroline curl her hair as she overheard Elena and Jenna's conversation.

"Thanks for helping me." Elena said.

"Don't thank me until you're sure your hair isn't going to burn off." Jenna joked.

Amelia was pretty sure that would make Caroline very happy. "You know, I remember when my mom and I were first applying for this. She was excited." Elena said, nostalgically.

"So were you, if I recall." Jenna stated.

"I was. She just made it sound like so much fun. Lots has changed since then."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's a little late for cold feet." Jenna said.

"I don't have cold feet. I just… I think I'd be enjoying it a lot more if she was here." Elena admitted.

"I'll tell you one thing, your hair would have a better chance if she was."

Elena laughed before leaving, saying, "Okay, I should go put my dress on. Be careful with that thing, don't hurt anybody." She said, pointing to the curling iron.

Amelia noticed Caroline staring sadly in the mirror. "You know, I feel like I know this dance as well as you do with how much you've been making me practice with you." Amelia joked, trying to cheer her up.

Caroline gave her a small smile. Amelia noticed as Amber Bradley, one of the contestants, stormed down the stairs, almost in tears. She frowned, and hoped that she'd be back soon.

Amelia was trying to give Caroline a pep talk as Carol Lockwood fretted over the contestants and got them in lineup.

"Ms. Tina Fell! Escorted by Bartholomew Whitmore." The mayor announced as the pretty blonde descended the stairs in her peach gown.

"Has anyone seen Amber?" Carol Lockwood hissed, pacing around the room.

"Do you see Stefan down there?" Elena whispered worriedly to Caroline and Amelia. Before Amelia had the chance to look, Carol Lockwood interrupted. "This is an outrage! We need another female dancer to complete the dance!"

Caroline piped up. "Oh! Amelia knows the dance, Mrs. Lockwood. I've been making her practice with me."

Amelia froze as Caroline smiled at her coyly, as if she were doing her a favor.

"No, no, really-" Amelia began.

Carol turned to her and gave her a once over. "Yes, yes, you'll do, I suppose. Hurry girls, get in lineup."

Amelia could feel her heart pounding as she was corralled into the group. How had this happened?! She didn't want to dance in front of the whole town.

Caroline glanced down the stairs and spoke to Elena. "Nope, just my boring fill-in escort."

Elena frowned. "What happened to Matt?"

Caroline sighed, "They wouldn't let him out of work. Hey, what happened to Stefan?"

"I don't know. He just disappeared somewhere. I don't know. What am I doing? I never should have gone through with this."

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked.

"I need to find Stefan. This isn't me. I'm not this person anymore." Elena shook her head and Amelia watched worriedly as Elena started to walk away.

"Uh, no, no, no, no, no way, no. You had your chance to drop out. And believe me, I was all for it. Because there is no way that I can beat you. Elena, you're doing this because it was important to your mom."

Amelia smiled at Caroline in surprise. That was nice of her to say.

"Ms. Caroline Forbes! And her escort, Jeffrey Lockwood Hamilton." The mayor announced.

Caroline smiled at them before she descended down the staircase, followed by a round of applause.

Amelia whispered, hoping that Damon would hear her. "Damon, can you hear me? Is Stefan down there?"

"Elena, you're next, come on." Carol Lockwood waved Elena over.

"Ms. Elena Gilbert! Escorted by Mr. Stefan Salvatore."

Amelia peeked out in curiosity, hoping to see Stefan waiting for Elena at the endow the staircase. She noticed Damon whispering to Amber Bradley's escort, before the man nodded and strode up to take Elena's arm. Elena looked confused, but grateful that she had someone to dance with.

Amelia frowned, realizing that Damon must have compelled the man. She realized that now, she would have no escort. She almost tucked tail and ran, but Carol Lockwood gave her a severe look. "Ms. Amber Bradley! Escorted by… Er, my apologies, folks. It seems there's been a bit of a change! Ms. Amelia Whitmore! Escorted by Mr. Damon Salvatore."

Amelia hesitantly made her way down the stair case, feeling more than self-conscious. She watched as the whole town whispered and looked at her in surprise, before scattered applause finally began. Amelia felt her heart pounding as Damon took her arm and escorted her out to the dance floor. "What happened to Stefan?!" She breathed.

"I don't know." Damon smiled at her, gritting his teeth.

Amelia noticed that Elena looked extremely uncomfortable next to her, but they shared smiles anyway.

Amelia lined up with the other contestants, very nervous that she would mess up the dance. After all, she had always danced as the escort with Caroline. The intro to the song started and she looked at Damon, anxiety riddling through her as he breathed. "Relax, I've got you."

Amelia took a deep breath and stepped forward with the other contestants as they bowed to her. "What're we gonna do?" She whispered.

"Right now we just have to get through this." Damon said, before straightening back out and stepping away from her. They both raised their right hand and circled each other, just barely not touching, before finding themselves back to where they had been standing. They did the same thing with their left hand, and then with both hands. Amelia thought that this was the easiest part of the dance.

Damon smiled at her, and Amelia felt herself relax. "All of my agony fades away, when you hold me in your embrace." They stepped together at embrace and Amelia felt relieved that she hadn't stepped on him.

"Don't tear me down, for all I need. Make my heart a better place. Give me something I can believe. Don't tear me down. You've opened the door now, don't let it close." Amelia listened to the lyrics as she spun around with Damon.

Amelia felt so close to Damon both physically and mentally in that moment. She was so grateful that he hadn't left her stranded.

And the way that he was looking into her eyes… It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She never wanted the song to end.

Finally, they stepped away from each other and the song ended. Amelia felt her chest rising and falling rapidly. She still felt adrenaline pumping through her, but she also felt relief.

A few minutes later, Amelia found herself on stage with the other girls.

"Where's Amber?" Caroline whispered.

"I don't know." Elena replied.

"Before I crown the winner, I'd like to offer a personal thank you to all of these young ladies for their efforts to better our community. But especially, I'd like to thank Amelia Whitmore for stepping in when her town needed it!" The hall erupted in applause as Mayor Lockwood pulled her forward and handed her a bouquet of roses. Amelia smiled and stepped back in place, accepting the bouquet.

"So, without further adieu, it is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls… Ms. Caroline Forbes!" He pointed to Caroline and the hall erupted into much louder applause. Amelia was so happy for Caroline. She pulled her into a hug and then watched as Elena did the same. "Congratulations!" The mayor said.

"Congratulations!" Elena echoed.

"I actually won." Caroline said in disbelief before stepping to center stage as the mayor placed the "Miss Mystic Falls" sash on her.

Amelia's world suddenly went dark and she saw an image of Stefan Salvatore feeding on Amber Bradley. Then, he compelled her and she took off running through the woods.

"Amelia!" Amelia opened her eyes to see Damon Salvatore standing in front of her, a worried look on his face. "We've got to go." He pulled her along with him towards the exit when Elena found them.

"What is it, did you find him?" Elena asked worriedly about Stefan.

"There were signs of struggle in the upstairs bathroom. There was blood. And that Amber girl is missing."

"Oh my God, he wouldn't hurt her. He won't." Elena tried to convince herself.

Amelia noticed Bonnie listening in on their conversation. "Let's just find him, ok?" Damon said.

"I had a vision of them… He attacked her. Come on, we have to go!" Amelia chimed in, kicking off her heels so she could move more easily.

They searched for them outside, and Amelia led them towards the woods. Damon must've heard something they couldn't, because he was suddenly ahead of them, running. A moment or two later, Amelia heard a woman screaming.

They came across Stefan Salvatore who was feeding on Amber Bradley as she screamed.

"Stefan!" Elena screamed.

"Come on. Get control of it. Come on. It's okay, come on." Damon coaxed. "Breathe through it man."

Stefan was staring at them like a wild dog, about to attack, when he threw Damon away from him and into a tree.

Amelia heard Elena gasp and Damon groan as Stefan advanced on Damon. "Stefan, stop it!" Elena cried, tears streaming down her face.

Amelia held her hands out and focused on stopping Stefan. Stefan fell to the ground, clutching his head, groaning, as Amelia burst every blood vessel in his brain, over and over again…

She stopped when someone grabbed her wrist, and she turned to see Bonnie Bennett standing there.

"It's ok." Damon coaxed Stefan, as Stefan looked around, hurt. "Stefan."

Stefan had blood streaming down his face as he looked around, shocked and ashamed of what he had done. Amelia thought he might be crying, but she wasn't sure.

She blinked, and then he was gone.

Amelia rushed over to Amber who was laying on the ground unconscious. She found a steady pulse, and breathed a sigh in relief. She held her hands over her wound, and muttered a healing spell that she had only ever read about, but had never been able to practice.

She muttered the spell over and over again, concentrating hard. When she finally stopped, she wiped blood away from her face that had begun dripping from her nose, and she observed that Amber's neck had stopped bleeding, and it looked like it had healed slightly. Amelia frowned, wishing that she could have done more.

Amelia noticed Bonnie comforting Elena and saw the Damon was actually sitting right next to her, observing her.

Damon said nothing to her, but glanced back down to Amber, shaking her awake. Amber awoke, dazed and confused, and Amelia watched sadly as Damon compelled the poor girl.

About ten minutes later, Liz and a few deputies were on the scene, along with an ambulance.

"It's a good thing the girls got here when they did. She lost a lot of blood." Damon lied to Liz.

"You didn't see anything?" Liz asked them, concerned.

It was quiet for a moment as Elena looked to Bonnie, hoping that she wouldn't contradict them.

"No, we just found her and then called Damon." Amelia interjected.

"She gonna be okay?" Bonnie asked sullenly.

"Looks like it, yeah. Why don't you girls get back to the party. Damon and I can take it from here." Liz instructed.

Amelia nodded and the trio started to walk back towards the hall when Liz called, "Amelia!"

Amelia turned and saw the Liz had walked over to her. Liz threw her arms around her, and hugged her tight. Amelia returned the hug, as she looked at Damon observing them. "I'm glad you're okay." Liz whispered. "That was really nice of you - stepping up and dancing for Carol Lockwood."

"Thanks." Amelia muttered. "She didn't really give me a choice." She joked, trying to lighten the mood.

They pulled away from each other and Liz gave her a small smile. "I'll be home late tonight. We'll talk later, okay?"

Amelia nodded. "I'll probably be with Elena, she's pretty upset about everything that happened."

Liz nodded and Amelia made eye contact with Damon before heading back to the hall.

Amelia caught back up with the girls. "Bonnie, can we talk about this?" Elena pleaded.

"There's nothing to talk about." Bonnie refuted, not looking at her.

"Bonnie, please." Elena called.

"I told you I wasn't going to make you choose, but I need to make the choice for myself." Bonnie said harshly before turning to Amelia. "What're you doing, Lia? Damon Salvatore is the reason Grams died, and here you are, running around, going on dates with him! Protecting him!" Bonnie shook her head as Amelia felt tears form in her eyes. "I can't believe you." Bonnie turned her attention back to the both of them. "Please just leave me alone."

Elena stared after Bonnie sadly before glancing at Amelia. "She didn't mean it, hun, she's just upset." Elena put a comforting hand on Amelia's arm.

Amelia pulled away from her, "I-I've gotta go." She choked out, feeling like she was about to fall apart. She took deep breaths, trying to get control of her emotions as she pulled her jacket on from the coat rack. She paced at Damon's car, waiting for him so he could drive her home. She still felt like she couldn't breathe properly, but she felt like if she sat still she would burst into tears, so she kept moving.

About five minutes later, Damon and Elena walked over to the vehicle. Damon opened the door for Elena and helped her into the back seat.

Amelia jumped as Damon was suddenly standing right in front of her. He put his hands on her shoulders and made sure she was looking at him before he said quietly. "I'm sorry about what Bonnie said to you. That was unfair of her."

Amelia felt her breathing speed up again and she looked away, trying to get away from him. She didn't want to cry in front of him - didn't want to seem vulnerable. She was surprised when he pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her. She stood rigidly for a few moments before tentatively putting her arms around him. They stood like that for a few moments and Amelia was finally able to pull herself back together before she turned away from him and got into the passenger seat. She felt awkward, and didn't say anything on the car ride home, but she listened as Damon and Elena concocted a plan to incapacitate Stefan and place him in the cell in the basement in order to wean him off human blood. Amelia almost piped in, saying that she could get him in there herself, but she didn't because she felt so drained.

Amelia and Damon waited downstairs silently for Elena to do her part, and sedate him with the vervain dart. Damon was listening attentively, ready to zoom up the stairs in case Stefan tried to hurt Elena.

Amelia heard Stefan yelling and a crash. She flinched and looked to Damon worriedly, but he only shook his head.

Elena must have finished, because a moment later, Damon was gone before reappearing with Stefan in his arms and Elena trailing behind him. Amelia got the door for them as he set Stefan down in the cell. She watched solemnly as he came out, locking the door behind him

"There's no guarantee this is going to work." Damon told them.

"It has to." Elena shook her head.

Damon began to walk up the stairs before looking behind him. "You coming?" He asked them.

Elena shook her head. "I'm gonna stay here." She explained before sliding down against the wall and sitting.

Amelia quietly sat across from her and held her hand in reassurance. She was surprised when Damon sat down next to her, their knees touching.

The trio sat like that for most of the night in silent support of each other.