Kenzie came down the stairs looking hot and beautiful in her knee high tight red dress. Her long black hair was styled in a beehive. She wore her white diamond necklace with a blue ruby stone around her neck. Her make up was minimal only dark black eye liner bringing out her blue orbs perfectly and gorgeously and a touch of red lipstick on her lips. Her cheeks had their natural rosy colour.

Damon, Bonnie and Zoe waited with Antwone in the living room. Bonnie gasped as her eyes took in her daughter's beauty.

"Oh Kenzie, you look amazing. Beautiful." She said and walked to her daughter.

"Thanks mom." Kenzie said and hugged her.

Zoe walked up to her and said. "You look really and I mean really beautiful Kenz."

Kenzie smiled softly. "Thanks." She kissed Zoe on her cheek.

Antwone stood there feeling all nervous and at a lost of Kenzie's beauty. Not that she isn't beautiful but damn she took his breath away. He thought.

"I think the cat got your date's tongue Kiddo." Damon said with a smirk. He patted Antwone on the shoulder and whispered behind him. "Go give the flowers to her. This is starting to get awkward."

Antwone remembered he had legs and started to walk towards Kenzie.

He smiled shyly. He looked oh so handsome in his black tux.

"For you, man you look beautiful." He said and quickly apologized. "What I meant is McKenzie you keep on taking my breath away." He kissed her on her cheek.

Thanks for the flowers its beautiful." Kenzie said in a soft voice.

Antwone took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

Together the two said goodbye and left hand in hand.

"Don't they look cute together." Bonnie said and watched the two from the window getting into Antwone's car.

"I'm going up to my room." Zoe said and picked up the book she was reading.

"Wait Princess, do you want me to help you pick out a dress for the dance. I can do your hair?" Bonnie said with a cheery smile.

Zoe mustered up a smile. "I'm going to take a bath first."

"Okay cool. You will leave Stewart speechless when I'm done with you." Bonnie said with excitement.

Zoe picked up her book and walked out quickly.

Bonnie turned to Damon who was sitting there quietly on the couch.

"I don't think Princess is okay Damon." She said and took a seat next to him.

He wrapped his arm around her. "I know."

Bonnie gave him a kiss on his lips and said. "We should probably get ready for tonight."

"You go ahead I have to check some mails first it won't take long."

...

Alex came out of his shower and find Zoe in his room looking through his books.

"Shouldn't you get ready for the dance?" He asked her with a smile.

"I'm not going." Zoe said and shrugged her shoulders.

"Me too. The boys and I are going down to the lake. I would take you with me but mom will probably end my college career before it even started. So what's your pick for tonight?" he said.

Zoe looked at all the books on her brother's bookshelf. She and Alex and their mom were the only book lovers in the house and they usually exchange books with each other or recommend books to one another.

"Well I'm in the mood for a mystery something that will keep me guessing up till the end."

"Interesting. I might have something for you. I know you need no introduction to Edgar Allan Poe the father of this genre but this time I have something different I don't think you had this one under eyes. The Eye of the Beholder by Marc Behm, now this plot resolves around a female serial killer who has an intense dislike in men, however it's somehow validated. There is this male private detective who follows her around and they begin a intriguing relationship." Alex said and handed her the book.

"I'm already intrigued. What else you got?"

"Cant you be a normal teenage sister who worries more about make up and fashion and drooling over cute Hollywood hunks?" Alex asked with a smirk.

Zoe laughed and shook her head no. "You wouldn't want me any other way."

Alex took another book from the book shelve and said. "And Then There Was None. They made a movie about it but believe me it does not even come close to the book. Ten people stranded on an island they die off one by one so you can imagine how the accusations are flying between them. Big question is?"

"Who is the suspect." Zoe said.

"Smart mouth and that's all the time I have the guys are waiting for me." Alex said and walked to his closet.

Zoe walked up to him and hugged him from behind. "Thanks."

Alex smiled and said. "Anything for my favourite little sis."

...

Aunt May's Flower Shop

Caroline was busy cashing up. The doorbell ring and she cursed softly. Why people always enter a store when its already closing time.

She looked up and saw Stephen standing there.

She smiled and said. "Can I help you sir?"

Stephen smiled and looked around the shop. "As a matter of fact you can. You see I'm looking for a particular special flower. This is not just any flower. This flower has the smiling face of a beautiful woman. The light of my life. Her fragrance soft, light, purifying and forever satisfying."

There eyes locked. Caroline's eyes welled up with tears.

He took her hands in his and kissed them softly. "Caroline Salvatore you are that flower."

"Oh Stephen." Caroline said and kissed her husband.

He gently stopped the kiss and took out a long black box with silver speckles on it. He opened it and when Caroline saw what was in it her knees went weak.

A diamond necklace with a big Grandidierite gemstone with a yellow – bluish colour.

Delicately he hanged it around her neck. The colours reminds me of your hair and eyes. This was one of my aunt Gretha's most beloved and favourite piece of jewellery." Stephen said and stepped back to admire her.

Caroline was at a lost for words.

"Let me help you close up so I can go spoil my wife." Stephen said and picked her up.

Caroline laughed happy. "I'm already thinking what I'm going to wear. Where are you taking me?"

"My sweet Care bear you dont need anything but your sexy self. I've got it all sorted out." Stephen said and kissed her.

...

The Salvatore Home

"Come in." Zoe said when she heard someone knocking softly on her bedroom door. She was sitting comfortably in her hanging chair.

"Hey you busy?" Damon said.

"Nope I'm not. Dad if this is about the dance I'm not going. I have a lot of home work to do anyway."

Damon closed the door and walked to her bed. He leaned back comfortably against her pillows and patted the side next to him.

Zoe joined her dad. She rested her head on his chest. Damon put his arm protectively around her.

Silent tears rolled down Zoe's cheeks wetting her father's shirt.

"When your mom gave birth to Alex I was not even there. I stayed away from her for a month I think." Damon said in a sad voice.

Zoe looked at her dad with wide teary eyes. "Why?" She whispered in shock and confused.

"I was not a good man back then. I was so scared that what I am that demon I was will be passed on to Alex. I didn't want to taint that pure little being. I was ashamed of what I have become of what I was. I remember waking up the morning exactly one month after Alex was born. In a rush I put my clothes on. I had no idea why I felt like I have to go or be somewhere and when I stepped out of my door I just walked and walked. Your uncle Stephen came rushing after me. He thought I was high on drugs. I shoved him away from me and I ran. I was in sweat and tears but I kept on running.

I stopped running when your mother opened your grandmother's front door with little Alex in her arms and when she said Damon something is wrong with him. I just took him in my arms and I ran Princess. Your uncle Stephen and your mom caught up with me near the hospital and for the life of me I could not let go of him. For the first time in my life I saw the errors of my ways and it brought me to my knees.

Zoe hugged her dad. "But everything turned out okay after that right?" She said teary.

"I had to prove my worth as a man to your mom and father to my new born. I was learning new meanings in life just as Alex was learning new things as a baby. So your mom had to take care of two babies." He said and Zoe giggled.

"Than Kenzie came and I felt like my life was complete. We were still living in your grandmother's house."

"Really?" Zoe asked surprised.

"Yup. We moved here on Kenzie's first birthday. The day I finished building this house. Bonnie's dream home."

"Did you build it yourself?" Zoe asked surprised.

Damon smirked and said. "Well I can't take all the credit. Your uncle Stephen helped. Uncle Rick and Enzo and a few builders but it felt good laying brick by brick feeling tired at night knowing you worked hard on building your dream."

"I love our home. I think now I love it even more knowing my dad build it." Zoe said and smiled.

Damon chuckled and said. "It went hard most days. There were days when we wanted to throw each other with hammers or drown each other in cement."

Zoe laughed and laughed even harder when Damon tickled her.

"Don't laugh princess it was really tough." Damon said and kissed her on the head.

There settled a comfortable silence between father and daughter.

Zoe sigh and said. "Dad can I ask you something?"

"Always Princess."

"Do... do you think I'm pretty and don't just say yes cause your my dad and you want to make me feel good."

Damon was a bit shocked at her question but didn't show it. "Zoe Orabelle Salvatore don't you ever, ever doubt yourself. You have a rare beauty that not many women possess. A beauty not just from the outside but also from in here inside of you. For your age you have mastered the grace of showing these two gifts to everyone around you, even strangers you greet along the way you touch their lives just with a simple smile and being yourself, sweet and beautiful. That's why you are so being loved and adored. You treat everyone as your equal." Damon said and hugged her tight.

"Dad promise me you will let me deal with the situation my way and as parent you will step back."

Damon quickly sit up straight and looked seriously at her. "You are asking a lot Zoe. My job as your father never stops. What situation are you talking of?"

Zoe sit up too. She looked away as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "I know but please promise me."

Damon took her hand and with a heavy heart he promised her.

Zoe took in a deep breath and slowly released it. She started telling her dad about Stewart and Larcy.

Damon was red in his face from anger when she was done. "That little fucker if I get my hands on him." Damon seethed.

"You promised me dad. I know it hurts and you probably want to do something horrible to him but you will only make it worse and I do not want things to turn ugly. I don't think I can handle that."

Damon rubbed his hands over his eyes and sigh. "I'm here. Always. I will respect your decision Princess as hard as it is I will respect it."

Zoe hugged her dad and said. "Thank you and please do not tell mom. I will tell her myself."

"Okay Princess." Damon said softly.

Zoe sigh and leaned back against her pillows.

Damon walked to her window and stare out deep in thought. He turned back and held out his hand to her with a smile.

Zoe smiled back and walked to her dad. She took his hand.

Father and daughter sit next to each other watching the glorious scene in silence. Mystique Lake's beautiful sunset.

The colours in the sky changing subtly from blue to various shades of red, orange and yellow. The last golden rays gave ML heavenly beauty.

"It never cease to amaze me." Zoe said with a soft smile unaware of how the golden rays of the sun reflected beautifully in her emerald eyes.

"This Princess is one of the most amazing things in our world that we can appreciate everyday."

A soft knock on her bedroom door made the two look back.

"Hey there you are Bonnie said to them. You have a visitor down stairs. Its Stewart and does he look handsomely cute." She said and smiled cheery. "So? We have to pick out a dress. I'm going to get my make up kit and hair pins okay?"

"Mom I want to talk with him first." Zoe said.

"Uh okay. I'm going to tell Stewart your coming." Bonnie said and left the room.

Damon looked at Zoe and smiled. "Leave your mom to me. You go handle your business with that boy."

Zoe mouthed the words thank you before leaving her room.

...