Amelia Gilbert

I was kicking myself as I walked out.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, and I'm not talking about Matt!

Jenna kept trying to reassure me as we watched them dance and I knew she was right, the two hated each other, but I couldn't stomach watching it.

I excused myself, saying that I was going to look for Stefan. Even if they were fighting, it was unlike Stefan to leave Elena hanging like that.

I needed to find Stefan, drag him back to the party, throw him at Elena and take back Damon. Plan.

"Amelia, hi."

I whipped my head round and found Amber approaching me, looking overly happy for someone who had walked out on the chance to be Miss Mystic Falls.

"Hi, err..." I clasped my hands together in front of me. "Look, I hate to be the one who breaks this to you, but the thing started twenty minutes ago." I jerked my thumb behind me.

She didn't look too bothered.

"I know," she revealed. "I hate being the center of attention."

"Yeah, me too."

She smirked, like this was unbelievable. "Really?"

I stuck my tongue into my cheek. "What's that supposed to mean?" She shook her head and I squinted my eyes at her, only then realizing something really odd. "I like your scarf," I said, cocking my head to the side. "Don't think it goes with the dress though..."

"Oh!" She started pulling the scarf away and my eyes nearly bulged out of my head when I saw the two deep holes in her neck. "It's my friend's!"

I swallowed. "And who is your friend exactly..."

Amber began looking around, she then smiled. "Here he is! Have you met Stefan?"

I dragged my hand down my face. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

I slowly turned around and found Stefan sitting on the curb of the road. His head hung between his knees as he took in deep gulps of breath. I checked back at Amber who was still smiling like a weirdo.

I put my hand on Stefan's back and knelt down next to him. "You're missing a hell of a party...ok, that's a lie, its pretty shit, but we can just get drunk again, reclaim our gangster personas and heckle Matt, it'll be great!"

I could feel the tenseness in his shoulders.

He shook his head and stared upwards. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I had never seem him like this. "I'm not very good to be around right now, I'm a little bit on the edge." He tried to smile, but then shook.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Amber still beaming. I tried to shoo her, but she didn't move. Stefan must have compelled her. "Amber," I hooked my thumb over my right shoulder, "beat it, will you?" I tried to loop my arm under Stefan to drag him up, but he was heavy and I was only a little woman! "C'mon Stef, we will get a beer in you and that'll make everything better." I tapped his chest.

"Amelia," He leaned his weight onto me as I pulled him up, causing me to wobble. "I've been drinking the human stuff-" no shit, "and it's really screwing with my head." He turned face on to me, grasping my shoulders. "She knows now." He started shaking me. "God! She wasn't supposed to find out; I didn't want her to find out, now everything's ruined!"

"You seem sad." Amber rushed to our side, her hand going to Stefan's shoulder.

"Amber! What did I say?" I spread my arms out at her.

Stefan's arms dropped from my shoulders and he took a determined step towards Amber. "I'm not sad. I'm freaking hungry!"

Phew, good thing I wasn't on the P anymore!

My fingers thread through my hair. I didn't have a good feeling about this. I was taking on way more than I could handle, but I was the only one here to defuse the situation. The only person who could potentially talk some sense into Stefan.

"I don't hurt people. I don't do that." Stefan explained as he took another step towards Amber. She just stood there, staring at him like he was some lost puppy. "I'm the good brother." He pressed his hands against his chest. "I'm the good brother." He repeated, turning to me this time.

"No arguments with you there." I put my hands up. "Let's just get you home, put your feet up and-"

He hissed and doubled over. He dragged his hands through the mud and I stared at him with wide eyes. He glared up at me like I was the one causing his pain.

"I want to kill you," he hissed.

"Stefan!" I gasped, affronted.

"I want to rip into your skin and I want to feed on your blood."

Amber stepped forward, voluntarily. I put my arm out and pushed her back. "This isn't a twilight romance; get the hell out of here. Go, go get Elena." I instructed her, but she didn't budge. "Go!" I pushed her. "Do you have a death wish?"

"Under your skin, pulsating, floating-"

"Yeah we get it, Stefan!" I let out, frustrated. "Amber!" She finally seemed to snap out of whatever weird trance she was in and started to run... in the bloody wrong direction. I slapped my forehead.

"Your carotid artery right here." Stefan was suddenly in front of me, his finger dragging down my neck.

"I don't need a science lesson, Stefan!" I swatted his hand away. "You need to get a grip. Think of Elena, even more important, think of me! I'm your best friend!"

"If you puncture this just right you can control the blood flow."

"Irrelevant information!"

"It takes practice but it doesn't have to make a mess, you don't have to waste any." His eyes met mine as if searching for some kind of permission.

"Hell no."

"I just want one taste." He took a step forwards.

"I said no! Do you even know who you're talking to? It's me, Amelia! Your best buddy, amigo, your pal?" His fangs extracted and I jumped backwards. "For God sake, Stefan! We were gangsters together Stefan!" His mouth continued to twitch. "Stefan, just focus, remember where you are and who you're about to scar for life." I continued to take steps back, but Stefan continued to close them.

"One taste, that's all I need, I just want one taste." I profusely kept shaking my head. "One taste... just one..."

I started chucking nervously before whipping around and then running for my life.

Literally.

"AMBER! GO!" I yelled, seeing her just standing there with a blank look on her face. "AMBER!" I grasped her arm, trying to pull her along with me. "GO! GO! GO!"

As I tried to pull Amber one way, her arm was ripped from me and then I heard her scream. It pierced my ears. I stumbled onto the ground and thought I was going to throw up when I saw Stefan's teeth tear into her neck.

Within seconds, Stefan threw Amber's body to the floor, but apparently it wasn't enough. His eyes flashed at me.

"Oh crap..."

I tried to scuffle to my feet, but I kept falling back onto my knees.

"Get some control, Stefan, get some contro-"

Stefan flipped me over so my back was forced back down on the ground, he was then on top of me and I saw the veins draw down on his face. I screamed, I screamed as he has face shot down, I screamed as I felt his teeth going in, I screamed as I felt the liquid drip down my neck and I screamed for Damon. I rammed my fists into Stefan's chest over and over, until I felt him tear from my neck. He rolled away from me, hissed and tried to jump back when he was thrown off me. Damon had his hand tight around his throat.

"Amelia!" Elena cried, coming to my side. Her hand went to my throat and when she pulled it away, I saw it was completely covered in blood. "Damon..."

"Do not touch her," Damon growled, Stefan's eyes were wild as he stared down at Damon. "If anyone is going to taste her blood-" He pulled Stefan forward by his throat only to slam him back against the tree, "it's going to be me."

My fingers shakily came to my throat and I could feel the two holes. I felt sick as I imagined poking my fingers into them. I fell backwards in Elena's arms.

"DAMON!"

...

I woke up in Damon's bed.

My hand shot up to my throat, but there was nothing there.

"You didn't dream it."

I turned my head. Damon was in a chair next to the bed with a small shot of whiskey that didn't last long.

When I didn't respond, Damon looked up at me. His eyes surveyed me quizzically and then he left his chair to settle in front of me. "Do you remember what happened?" His eyes flickered back and forth between mine. I nodded slowly, trying to grasp that Stefan, my best bud Stefan just chewed on my neck.

"Is Stefan ok?" Damon's eyes darkened at my question. I lifted my legs over the side of the bed and went to stand up, but Damon shot out in front of me.

"Get back into bed." He demanded.

"I'm fine, look, no harm done, apart from my dignity."

"Sit down," he almost growled.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why are you being a dick to me for?" He didn't answer, his lips just curled and he looked down at his empty glass. "Don't tell me you're jealous?"

There was a knock at the door. Damon's eyes didn't leave me and I didn't get an answer to my question.

"Matthew..." I quickly looked at Damon only to see his eyes roll. "What are you doing here?"

Elena was behind him and she looked visibly relieved to see I was up.

"I heard what happened..."

"...You did?" I stared questioningly at Elena. What exactly is the story we're telling?

"I thought the animal attacks had stopped," Matt continued and my mouth formed an 'O' shape. "You look a lot better than I thought you would."

"Yeah, well, you should see the other guy." Damon turned and stalked out of the room, pushing past Matt in the process.

"What's his problem?" Matt said.

"Man period." I looked passed him for a moment where Damon had left. "Did you bring me chocolate, Matt?"

"Uh, no."

I sighed lightly. "You're so useless."

"I brought you a basket of fruit instead."

"You really suck."

He smiled lightly, but it fell pretty quickly.

"When I heard you were attacked by an animal, I-" He took a seat where Damon had previously been sitting and I sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I just want to clear something up. You heard wrong, I attacked the animal."

Matt smirked. "And lost, apparently. Pretty bad and embarrassing."

I squinted my eyes. "Just a rumour. I can assure you, I won."

"I heard you cried, a lot." Matt crossed his arms. "Lameeee." He sung.

"I didn't cry, I just had something in my eye!" I insisted. "Did you hear I jumped in front of Amber and saved her life?"

"No..."

"You should spread that around. Maybe I'll get a key to the city or something."

I sensed that me almost died had affected Matt more than he was letting on as he continued to hang around and avoided leaving. After losing Vicky, I understood how scary it must have been that he almost lost someone else too. After many hints and promises to call him in the morning, Matt left and I finally learnt what happened after I dropped out.

My attack was covered by the sheriff. Matt only found out through Liz telling him to take Caroline straight home. Amber was alive thankfully so I didn't completely fail and Stefan... Stefan had been locked away downstairs. I don't think Elena or Damon knew what the plan was, but either way, he couldn't hurt anyone else.

Elena brought over some spare clothes for us and I was happy to get changed into some pyjamas and wash today off of me.

I gave Damon space, but later found him just where I knew he would be; digging through his alcohol stash.

"You shouldn't be upset because Stefan had me first." I called out to him. His back remained to me. "You should be upset because I was hurt." When Damon ignored me, I charged over and stole the glass from his hand and downed it myself. I cringed as it burned my throat and then I shoved it back into Damon's hands. "Say something."

"You don't want to know what I want to say, Amelia."

"You think it was my fault, don't you?"

Damon's jaw clenched.

My hand went to his arm and he heaved in heavily. I snatched my hand away when I saw veins start to appear under his eyes.

"Damon?"

"There was so much blood, Amelia..." His nostrils flared and he couldn't look at me. He picked up his bottle and refilled his glass, a little higher than the level he usually has it. "You were lying there; I almost didn't want to stop it. I just let seep out until it covered you, covered me, your twin was screaming in my ear."

I swallowed and tried to dismiss the unsettling image building in my head.

"I thought... I thought you had better control than that."

"So did I." He frowned. "Now all I can hear-" he pointed at me, glass still in hand, "is your blood pumping round that little body of yours."

I stepped back.

"You're fine, Amelia." He said, bored. He put his glass down and rubbed his jaw. "You're fine because I would never hurt you, no matter how much I crave you."

"I could have died."

He shook his head. "I wouldn't have let that happened."

"Do you think he would have killed me?"

He shut his eyes, unable to process the idea.

"I was scared," I admitted. "Really, really, scared, Damon." My breathing became heavier and all I needed was Damon to put his arms around me, but he seemed afraid to. I hated how desperate I was for some kind of affection from him.

"I know," he said quietly, peering down at me. "Me too."

Hey guys, sorry for the late chapter, I've been ill this week and then had to catch up on my University work!

Thanks for all the comments! Almost finished season one, whoop!