Hey guys! Sorry for the bit of a wait, I've been busy with the holidays and stuff and having company over. But I did give you two chapters last week! Anyway, I'm glad you all like that Alex is standing up for herself. Damon is in such a fragile state, and she wants him to be with her fully or not at all.

Jace is in this chapter! And honestly, it's one of my favorite chapters I have written. Hope you enjoy!

Season 2 Episode 4 Memory Lane

I should have been used to this whole back and forth thing with Damon. We would be good for a while, happy, and then everything would go all to hell. Then we wouldn't see each other for days. I had tried to busy myself with school and work, but it all just kind of numbed the pain. I was beginning to think that I should have just let it go, made it all better and just forget everything that he had ever done.

But that wasn't who I was. I didn't like this new person who overlooked the bad stuff just to have the good stuff. Damon had some issues, especially in the killing people department. I couldn't just pretend that he didn't do it just so I could be happy. Especially when he tried to kill my friends.

"You're coming to the barbeque right?" Elena asked me, looking through the book that Damon had given her. The title was Petrova, and when I asked about it, Elena had said that that was Katherine's real name.

"I'm going to try." I replied. "I have to get out of here first."

With this separation from Damon, came extra shifts at the Grill. He hadn't come in here, and I felt a bit sad, but also happy. He knew I wanted space, and he was respecting that.

"Well I hope you can come." Elena said. "We need to have some fun for once."

I nodded. I had pretty much forgotten what fun was like. I had been so focused on saving the town, and Damon, I hadn't been able to have much of it.

"There's Jace." Elena said. My eyes trailed up to the blonde haired boy who walked in to the Grill. Like clockwork, he looked over at us and waved, smiling his million dollar smile. I forced one back to him and waved.

"He seems like a good guy." Elena said turning back to me. "And cute."

"I guess so." I shrugged. I knew Jace was attractive, and since he had started school all the girls had been drooling over him. He was integrating well, becoming friends with pretty much anybody. It seemed that he could get along with anyone.

"And he's really sociable." Elena commented. "Really, easy to talk to."

I met her gaze, ever innocent, but I wasn't buying it.

"What are you getting at?" I asked. Her eyes widened a bit.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." She said innocently. I gave her a look. "Alright, alright. You caught me."

I waited for her to finish. Jace was a good guy from what I could tell. Elena wasn't wrong in her assessment. But I couldn't think of anyone but Damon and the longer we were apart, the harder it was for me to deny that I was thinking about him at all.

"Jace is a good guy." Elena said. "And you are a good girl."

"Ok?" I asked her. She sighed.

"Damon is not a good guy." She said, pausing for a second. "You should be with a good guy."

"Here we go again." I said. I had heard the Damon lecture way too many times to count. I stood by my choices, and caring for him was not something I regretted.

"All I'm saying is that maybe you should give him a shot." Elena said looking over her shoulder at Jace. "He likes you."

"He does not." I replied. I looked up and there he stood, playing pool with some guys from school. He met my gaze and smirked to me. I blushed looking away.

"He does too. I can see how he looks at you in class." Elena said. Jace had started school recently, him being in a few of my classes.

"Ok students…" Alaric had said. "This is Jace, he's new so take it easy on him."

Jace smiled at the class, catching my gaze. He lightly waved to me, and I waved back catching some unwanted attention. He slipped into the seat next to Matt, and I couldn't help but notice that he had been staring at me. I bit my lip and tried not to notice, but it was harder than I expected.

After class he joined us for lunch, successfully meeting the group of people I now associated with. He was sociable, very funny and downright polite. For some reason though, he watched Stefan closely, as if he was sizing him up. Stefan must have noticed too because he started watching Jace pretty closely too.

"Invite him to the barbecue." Elena suggested, bringing me out of my flashback. I blinked a few times, letting her words process.

"I don't know if that's a good idea…" I trailed off. I mean he had made friends with my friends, but what did I really know about this guy? Barely anything. And wouldn't it be weird inviting him? I mean we weren't that close yet.

"If you don't invite him I will." Elena threatened. I opened my mouth to protest, but she gave me a serious look. She would invite him, I knew she would. Maybe he wouldn't even go. I wasn't ready to jump back in after all if this drama with Damon.

"Fine." I said. "I'll do it."

There was a long pause, and as I looked her over I thought seriously about something. We still hadn't had the talk. The talk, is what I referred to as the 'our fathers are the same guy and we are half-sisters,' talk. We still hadn't fully discussed it, and honestly, I didn't think it could be avoided any longer.

"So… anything interesting in that book?" I asked, trying to start back up the conversation. She shrugged.

"Not much." She said. "Just talks about Katherine's family tree. Nothing about vampires."

I nodded. She must have noticed my hesitation because she closed the book shut.

"You ok?" She asked. I met her gaze, and she was ever curious. How do you bring something like that up? It was weird, I knew that, and it was a hard subject to digest.

"I just…" I trailed off. "Well… we haven't talked about… the whole John thing."

Elena's eyes trailed down to stare at the bar. I mentally kicked myself for making her uncomfortable. Maybe this wasn't the time for this…

"Miranda and Grayson will always be my parents." Elena said, still staring at the surface. "John won't be my dad."

"I understand." I nodded, knowing completely where she was coming from. She looked up and met my gaze. They were sparkling a bit, and I guessed that thinking about her parents made her a little upset.

"Nothing has to change between us." Elena said. "Regardless of the relationship… we are still friends."

I nodded again. That was what I wanted. Whether or not we were cousins or half-sisters, we were still friends. That was all that mattered. She stood up, shouldering her bag before she shot me a smile.

"I have to go help set up." Elena said. "I'll see you later."

I waved goodbye to her and watched as she left. I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. But then a new weight fell upon me. My gaze went over to Jace again. He must have been watching, because when I met his gaze he started walking over. I felt my heart rate speed up and I had to fight back the blush that was going to rush to my cheeks.

"Hey you." Jace said, slipping into a bar stool in front of me. He wore a red t shirt, clinging to his broad muscles. His jeans were grass stained and he wore his usual boots. His hair was a bit tousled, but the look suited him. He smiled at me, those pearly whites almost blinding.

"Hi." I replied, my voice shaking the slightest bit. He must have noticed, because he made a face at me.

"What's up?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Nothing." I replied. "I just… have a question for you."

"Oh yeah?" He asked, eyebrow cocked. "What can I do for you Miss Gilbert?"

I bit my bottom lip. How could I make this sound not like a date? It wasn't a date, and I didn't want Jace to think that it was. It was just a bunch of people hanging out. No vampires, no werewolves, no witches, nothing supernatural. It was just people having dinner and playing games. Nothing date like about it.

Then why did it feel like I was asking him out?

"Elena is having a barbecue." I said suddenly. "And I was wondering… if you would… like to come."

Jace seemed surprised by this and he stared at me for a long time. I started to blush knowing that this had been a bad idea from the start. I barely knew anything about this guy, why would he want to go to some stranger's house with a girl he barely knew?

"Are you asking me out?" He asked playfully. I felt my eyes widen.

"No!" I practically yelled. "I mean… not that I wouldn't want to… but it's just… I mean…. Damn."

Jace started to laugh and through the lump in my throat and the twisting of my gut, I found that it was infectious. I chuckled along with him, calming down my heart significantly. Once he stopped laughing he met my gaze with his.

"I'd love to come. I need to meet more people anyway." He said. I took a big breath and nodded. It was a relief and also very scary to think that he had said yes. This wasn't a date, but it was more than just two friends hanging out. I couldn't shake the feeling that this was wrong though, Damon's face popping up into my mind.

But Damon and I weren't together, and I didn't know if we would ever be.

"I'm going to get out of here in like 30 minutes and then I got to change." I said looking up at the clock. "We can go together."

"Sounds good." He said with a smile. I smiled back to him and got to work. Maybe this would be good. Who knows, I might even have fun.

I told Jace directions to my house, and he followed them with ease. He had a nice blue pickup truck, one he said he restored himself.

"You work on cars?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"It's more of a hobby." He replied. "I just love to hear that engine pur."

I smiled, seeing how his face lit up when he said it. He pulled up in front of my house and I hopped out. To my surprise he followed suit and walked with me to the front door. I stumbled with the keys, him standing very close to me. He wasn't in my personal space, but he was close enough for me to notice. I put the key in the lock and turned it.

"Excuse the mess." I said while opening the door. "We weren't expecting company."

"Oh this is nothing." He said stepping into the house. "You should see my apartment."

"I guess that's what you get when you put two guys in a place together." I joked. He smiled, looking over framed pictures on the mantle. He picked up one of me and my mom. I was about seven in the picture, it was my birthday. It just then occurred to me that that was the year John had tried to come back into my life. I shook at the idea.

"I see where you get your good looks from." Jace said gazing at the picture. I fought the urge to blush.

"I actually look more like my father." I said. "Although… I don't know. I always figured I was adopted."

"How come?" He asked, putting the picture down. I shrugged.

"I don't know." I replied. "It's like I don't really look like either one. I look like my father more than her, but still I just look… different I guess."

He nodded, but I wasn't sure he quite understood. I told him I would change and then we could leave, and he could make himself at home. I went to my room, grabbed a change of clothes and then went into the bathroom. I quickly pulled off my current jeans and t shirt ensemble and changed into a different set. It felt good to get out of the greasy clothes I had wore to work that day. Once I was presentable, I brushed my hair and teeth for good measure, I ventured back to my room. To my surprise, Jace was in there.

"Cool room." Jace said, eyes scanning the place. I shifted awkwardly. The only guy who had been in my room was Damon, and even him being in there was weird for me still.

"Thanks." I replied, throwing my dirty clothes into the hamper. I didn't want to be rude, but I wanted to get out of here before he found some incriminating evidence of my weirdness. Not that his opinion should matter to me, but it did to my dismay.

"These are great." He said, pointing at the sketches I had hung up on my wall. I walked over to stand beside him. Most of them were of mom, one of a landscape and another one of a lake. Then there was the one of Damon, not the scary one of his vampire face, but the one of just him. To my credit, it was actually pretty good. The likeness was uncanny and I was proud of the doodle.

"You draw him a lot?" Jace asked. I shook my head, but the look on his face told me he wasn't convinced.

"I mean… sometimes I try to draw something and it ends up being him." I admitted. "I guess I just think about him a lot."

"It's a good drawing." Jace said with a nod. "So what is up with you two anyway?"

"Huh?" I asked, innocently.

"I haven't seen him around in a little while." Jace said. "You two break up?"

"Well you can't break up when you were never together." I said bitterly. "We are just… taking some time apart."

"Lucky me." Jace said with a wink. I blushed, looking away. I hadn't noticed that he had turned to my bedside table until I watched his hand shoot out to pick something up. When I finally noticed what was in his hand I felt my stomach lurch.

"What's this for?" He asked, rolling my stake around in his hand. I instinctively reached out for it, grabbing it and yanking it away from him. I looked at him wide eyed.

"Sorry…" I said, referring to my jumpiness. "It's just… nothing. Something my father carved, no big deal."

"What's it supposed to be?" He asked. I knew that he was only curious, but I was getting irritated with the questions. I didn't like to lie, on top of that I wasn't good at it.

"I don't know." I lied, and by the look on his face Jace didn't believe me. "Ready to go?"

He watched as I stuffed the stake into my drawer and then nodded. I walked past him, hoping that he wouldn't ask anything else. He followed me out the door, to which I locked it, and then we went to his truck. I gave him directions to Elena's house and we were on our way.

"Damon is coming?" I asked Elena outraged. She looked at me, her face full of guilt. Not only was Damon coming and she didn't tell me, but Mason Lockwood was here. And on top of that Jace was sitting on the damn sofa!

"I'm sorry!" Elena whispered to me. "I thought that you wouldn't come if you knew he was coming."

"Well you got that right." I said arms crossed over my chest. "I'm leaving."

"You can't!" She said catching my arm. "If you leave then Jace will think you don't like him."

"I don't like him." I hissed. "No more than a friend."

"But Damon doesn't have to know that." Elena said. I opened my mouth but no words came out. It was then that he plan was revealed. She wanted Jace here so Damon would think I liked him. She wanted Damon to back off and she was using Jace to do it.

"You're despicable." I said to her as Jenna walked in. She came up behind me and Elena, grabbing a grape from the bowl and popping it into her mouth.

"Alex, your friend is totally cute." She said. I groaned and walked out of the kitchen, heading back into the living room. Jace was sitting there looking through his phone. He seemed to be concentrating and when I leaned down I tried to peek at it.

"You having fun yet?" I asked him. Once he was aware of my presence he shut the phone off, as if he was trying to hide something. I furrowed my brows. He recovered well, although I had seen the way he had quickly hid his messages. I tried to pretend like it was nothing.

"Jenna and Alaric are great." He mused. "Even that Mason guy is pretty cool."

If only Jace knew what we believed Mason to be. I hadn't really spoken to him, but he didn't seem dangerous to me. However, I hadn't seen him angry which is what werewolves were prone to; fits of anger. I just hoped that no one angered him tonight.

"I'm really glad you invited me." Jace said, standing up to meet my eyelevel. I smiled, feeling my heart bounce a bit. It was good to hear, even if this wasn't a date. I just wanted to have fun.

"Me too." I replied honestly. "I have to warn you though… Damon's coming."

"Your boyfriend doesn't scare me." Jace said honestly. If you only knew.

"Things might get dramatic." I warned. Jace scoffed.

"It won't be that bad." He assured. Just then, the front door opened and both of our heads spun around.

Damon stepped through the threshold, his icy eyes set on me. He had a wicked smile on his face, but I knew that he wasn't happy. When he saw Jace his smile twitched and he had that look as if he wanted to punch something. I had to force myself to breathe, knowing this was not going to be fun. Damon stepped closer, eyes burning into me.

Let the party begin.

He hadn't spoken to me. He hadn't even looked at me since he walked past me and into the kitchen. I hadn't expected that, I didn't think Jace was either. We were both prepared for him to start yelling and throwing stuff, but no. He walked calmly past us, barely nodding to us before he disappeared. I tried not to let it bother me, but it did. He had no right to be upset with me, besides this wasn't a date and Jace was only a friend. But then that feeling that told me it was wrong crept back up and bit me.

He was making conversation with Mason, and the two seemed to be getting along quite well. I tried to listen to Jace as he spoke to me, Elena, and Caroline but all I could focus on was Damon. It was getting so bad that I was blanking out of conversations and people were starting to notice. I eventually excused myself when I saw Damon creep into the kitchen by himself.

I followed him, watching as he poured himself another shot and knocked it back. I knew he was getting buzzy by this point. I didn't know whether that was to fight cravings or because he was just as nervous as I was. Or he might have been angry. Yeah, he was probably angry.

"Don't you know it's dangerous to follow a vampire alone?" Damon asked, not turning around to look at me. I glared at his back, willing him to look at me. He didn't.

"When did that ever stop me?" I joked. He didn't laugh, but he did eventually turn around. He leaned against the counter, giving me a narrow eyed glare.

"Your boyfriend is going to wonder where you went." Damon said, referring to Jace. I felt my heart sink a little.

"I don't have a boyfriend." I said. Damon scoffed. "Jace is a friend."

"Does he know that?" Damon asked. I could see that Jace's presence was annoying Damon. I knew that if he had brought Vanessa, or any other girl for that matter, I would have been stomping around in a jealous rage. I shouldn't have brought Jace. This was a bad idea.

"Why do you care?" I asked him quietly. His angry faced softened and he took a deep breath. I waited, staring at the floor for him to say something, anything.

"Why are we doing this?" He asked me, ignoring my question all together. He was walking toward me. I felt my heart pound with each sound of his footsteps getting closer to me. He stood in front of me, not reaching toward me or anything. He just stood there, waiting until I looked up.

"Doing what?" I asked him innocently, slowly raising my gaze to his.

"You said you needed time." Damon said. "I gave you time. And now you bring this kid to a family barbecue?"

"It's innocent Damon." I insisted. "It's nothing."

"You wouldn't have brought him if it was nothing." He said to me, captivating my eyes. "He does nothing for you."

"What do you mean?" I asked, suddenly defensive. Damon scoffed.

"You're not even attracted to him." Damon said. "Next time you try to make me jealous, make it more believable."

I opened my mouth and then shut it glaring at him. Jace was an attractive guy, with his beautiful green eyes and that pearly white smile. Why wouldn't I be attracted to him?

Because you're only attracted to a certain vampire.

"Hey guys."

I turned and there stood Jace. He was looking between me and Damon, tensing a little when he set his eyes on Damon. I hoped that he hadn't heard what Damon had said about him. I would be so embarrassed, although I was pretty sure Damon would feel no remorse. He would probably be happy with tearing down Jace, just because he knew it would upset me.

"We're about to play charades." Jace said jutting his thumb back to the living room. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No!" I said louder than necessary and walked over to Jace. I then looked back to Damon and did a little smirk. "Nothing important going on here."

Damon made a face, but smiled when he looked at us. I could see the angry fire beneath his gaze when he saw us that close. I took a sick sort of pride in it. If Damon wanted to get jealous, I would make him jealous.

"Are you sure?" Jace asked, although he was sizing Damon up and Damon was doing the same.

"Yup. We're good." I insisted. I then curled my arm around Jace's, pushing myself an inch closer. "Right Damon?"

If Damon wasn't trying to keep a low profile in front of Mason, he probably would have leapt over the island and tore out Jace's throat, or mine really. His face showed his true emotion, but he had masked it a second later.

"Right." Damon replied. I then smirked and led Jace out of the kitchen and back to the living room. I made sure to give my hips an extra sway just for good measure.

Damon gripped the edge of the island so hard that it could almost snap. Who did she think she was? Making Damon jealous like that? Why was he even jealous? He made sure that they weren't together and they weren't. She had pushed him away.

But he kind of deserved it. He did tell her that commitment was not his thing, and on top of that he did try to kill her friend. Maybe he should just suck up his pride and apologize. But he wouldn't mean it. He honestly believed that Caroline couldn't handle this, and by the way she was sucking down food she was having the cravings.

However, he remembered those cravings. Caroline hadn't killed a single person since that first time, something he hadn't expected. She was strong, she had flipped him over in a second at the school. Damon wondered if that strength went to her strong will as well.

Maybe he was wrong.

"What's that face for?" Jenna asked, coming into the kitchen. She had been drinking so her dislike for Damon had subsided just a bit.

"Nothing." Damon replied. "Need help with anything?"

"Don't change the subject." Jenna slurred. "You're upset because Alex brought a guy."

"I am not." Damon said, although he knew how much it sounded like a lie when it came out of his mouth.

"You are too." Jenna said. "He's cute you know."

Damon grumbled something to himself. Jace wasn't an ugly creature, nothing compared to Damon, but he wasn't terrible looking. And the way he was watching Alex made Damon want to tear his throat out. It wasn't just romantic, it was also determined, like he was on a mission. And on top of that, the kid had a cocky air to him, like he thought he could beat Damon in a fight. Poor kid was dead wrong.

"You know." Jenna said, taking another shot. "I don't like you."

"Aw Jenna." Damon said putting his hand over his heart. "You're breaking my heart."

"But Alex likes you." Jenna said. Damon stared at her. "And if you want her back… you have to fight for her."

Jenna then went back into the living room where the game of charades was still happening. It wasn't until then that he realized what he wanted. Seeing Alex on that kid's arm made his skin crawl and his anger warm in his stomach. That wasn't just a jealous reaction. That was a reaction that told him that he did in fact want her back. He just had to prove it to her.

"And I'd work fast." Jenna said. "Or that kid is going to move in."

Damon made a noise, but didn't respond. He was about to leave the room when his eye caught sight of something shiny. He looked to his right and found a set of silver silverware. He then thought of Mason Lockwood. If he was a werewolf and if the myth was true, then Damon could use the silver to his advantage. Damon walked over to it, grabbing a large silver knife and smirking at it.

"You weren't that bad." Jace insisted as the two of us wandered around the house. I rolled my eyes. He was just being nice to me.

"I was awful." I replied with a laugh. "No one could tell that my frog was a frog."

"Well you did pick one of the worst stories to pick from." He said. My jaw dropped and I reacted forward and slugged him in the arm.

"The Princess and the Frog is a classic." I replied. He chuckled, licking his lips before he spoke.

"It's about a naïve girl who is so desperate that she is going to kiss a frog." He replied. "Awful."

I shook my head but continued to laugh with him. We were in the living room, the "adults" having gone into the kitchen for drinks and desert. I was having too much fun talking to Jace to join them. Besides, I knew that the more I talked to him the angrier Damon was getting.

I didn't know what I was trying to accomplish by making Damon jealous. I guess I just wanted to show him what he was missing, or that he was wrong in saying I could never be attracted to Jace. I could learn to like him. He was handsome no doubt, so the physical attraction was there. And then he was just so nice, and so funny. And then there was his adorable accent. How could I not be attracted to him?

Because you love Damon.

I cursed the little voice in my head for uttering that phrase. Damon and I had a connection, one that I didn't think would ever go away. I cared about him, so much so that I had risked my own life for his. But I didn't know if we would work. I didn't know if we could ever work. We were from two opposite sides of the world and when we met in the middle we clashed.

But Jace, now he was closer to my side. He was a good guy. He didn't kill people just because he could. He didn't say things that made me uncomfortable just because he thought it was funny. He also wasn't a vampire. He understood normal, and he wouldn't live forever. Jace was the one that I should have liked.

But I didn't.

"We're going to go find Stefan." Elena said pointing to Caroline. "We'll be back."

Both Jace and I waved to them as they left the house. I was vaguely aware now that we were all alone. Even though there was a vampire and possible werewolf in the other room, we were still sitting in the living room alone. I felt my heart begin to pound.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked. I nodded, not trusting my own voice to speak. "Why did you ask me to come?"

"We're friends." I shrugged, trying not to make it so weird. "I thought you might want to hang out, meet some new people."

"Right." Jace said with a nod. "And what about Damon? He's your boyfriend right?"

"No." I replied shaking my head. "He's not. We were never… It's-"

"Complicated." He finished, quoting our first ever conversation. I made a face and he nodded. Damon and I were complicated, we were the epitome of complicated. If it wasn't one thing tearing us apart it was another. Usually it was one of us doing the damage.

This time… it was me.

"He's jealous." Jace said, bringing my attention back to him. "He can't take his eyes off of you."

"He's very possessive." I replied. You're mine, pretty girl. I remembered him saying that after everything with the Gilbert device had happened. We had kissed then, and we hadn't stopped. I missed that, when I thought that everything was going to be good. When I felt happy.

"Well he is your boyfriend." Jace said.

"He's not-"

"I know." Jace replied with a small smile. "But you want him to be."

I opened my mouth but then shut it. Jace seemed saddened by this, but he still smiled. I swallowed hard. Just then, Jenna and Alaric came back in the room.

"Up for another game of charades?" Alaric asked. Damon walked in with Mason not too far behind him. I knew he had heard the whole conversation, and when he walked in he was smirking at me.

I was done with charades.

The night came and after a call from Jace's brother he announced that he had to leave. Considering I came here with him, I decided to leave as well. Besides, I didn't want to ask Damon. Although I was tired of playing games with him, I still didn't have the guts to talk to him. My pride wouldn't let me.

"Thank you Jenna." I said when she hugged me. "It was fun."

"Yeah, thanks for letting me crash the party." Jace said.

"Anytime." Jenna replied, winking at me when Jace looked away. Damon came up then shaking Jace's hand.

"It was nice to meet you." Damon said, but there was an underlying tone in his voice that told me he wasn't actually happy to see him. Jace seemed to notice too.

"The pleasure was all mine." Jace said, the same threatening tone laced in his voice. I broke it up then, giving Damon a small glare and led Jace out the door. He opened the car door for me and I slipped in thanking him.

We rode for a bit in silence, my mind on too many other thing to focus on conversation. I was staring out the window, breathing deeply, trying to calm myself down. This day had been no good for my heart or my mind. I was confused and tired, just so tired.

"You going to sleep over there?" Jace asked, making my eyes snap open.

"Sorry." I replied. He chuckled. He pulled up to my house, and I was too tired to realize that I never gave him directions. I put my hand on the door handle but didn't pull. "Today was fun."

"Yeah it was." He admitted. "Except for the murder glares from Damon."

"Sorry about that." I replied. Jace waved me off, as if it was nothing. "I'm really sorry."

"Sorry for Damon?" He asked. "Or sorry for using me?"

I felt my stomach drop and I met his gaze. He was still smiling although less amused than before. I opened and closed my mouth a few times, gaping like a fish.

"What?" I finally croaked out. Jace made a face before he sighed.

"You used me today." He said. "To get to Damon."

"Jace… I swear that's not why I asked you." I admitted. I hadn't even known Damon was going to be there when I asked him. But I had to admit that afterward, I hadn't been the kindest friend. I had used him to make Damon jealous, and that wasn't right. I shouldn't have done that.

"You're lucky." Jace said, shooting me a grin. "Because I like being used."

I gave him a confused look, one he seemed to find amusing because he laughed out loud. I continued to stare as if he had two heads.

"If you ever need to make him jealous again…" He said grabbing my phone and plugging his number in. "Give me a call."

I gaped at the number now saved into my phone. I looked from the screen to him. I probably looked like an idiot. I eventually came to terms and opened the car door.

"I did have fun today." I told him honestly. Jace smiled that 100 watt smile that left me blinded.

"I did too." Jace said. "Good night Alex."

"Good night Jace."

The silver didn't work. It hadn't affected Mason the way that Damon wanted it to. He would never admit it, but he may have messed up. Mason hadn't wanted to make enemies but Damon went and stabbed him. He just made an enemy with a werewolf who's bite was fatal to him. Probably not the best idea.

He was walking toward the Grill, in serious need of a drink when he saw her. Those brown curls and tiny body, he would know those anywhere. He was suddenly not interested in getting drunk anymore. He turned to walk away but when he turned there she was.

"No hello?" Katherine asked as she stood in his path. Damon glared down at the evil little wench. It was amazing how much his feelings for her had changed. He had loved her so much, but now all he wanted to do was drive a stake through her heart.

"Not in the mood." Damon said trying to walk past her. She got in his way.

"Bad day?" She asked coyly, looking him up and down.

"Bad century." Damon replied. Katherine chuckled lightly at that. "What do you want?"

"I can't stop by and say hi once and a while?" She asked innocently. But nothing about Katherine was innocent. She was manipulative and mean. Not at all innocent.

"So that's where you were today." Damon said. "You were with Stefan."

"Jealous?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Damon scoffed.

"No. I don't do jealous." Damon said and then thought about Alex. "Not with you."

"But you do with your little human right?" Katherine asked, as if she was reading his mind. "That Jace kid is really cute."

"How did you-"

"I know everything Damon." Katherine replied. "And I know that this guy is going to move in on your territory."

"Alex isn't property." Damon said through his teeth. She was so much more than that. At least to him she was.

"I would tell him that before he takes the prize." Katherine said stepping dangerously closer to Damon. "Stop messing things up."

"What no threat on her life to keep me away from her?" Damon asked, secretly hoping that she would.

"I love Stefan." Katherine said. "You do what you please."

"I will." Damon said and walked past her. It still stung, that feeling of knowing she never really loved him. She had just used him for her own personal gain. It sounded a lot like him in the beginning of this thing with Alex. But she meant so much more to him now. He couldn't lose her.

Jace walked the dark streets, barely anybody out and about. He had to admit that tonight was fun. It was easy to do this mission when Alex was so cool to talk to. It also helped that she wasn't bad looking. She was nowhere near the beauty of his girl, but Alex wasn't bad.

It concerned him, however, that she had a wooden stake. John must have given it to her for protection, but Jace didn't believe she had the slightest clue in using it. Alex wasn't a threat here.

"Don't you know walking the streets alone could get you killed?"

Jace smirked at the familiar voice but didn't turn around. He kept his back to her, waiting for her to strike.

"Well, if death comes from your beautiful hand…" Jace said and turned around. "Then that would be the greatest death of all."

In a second she was on him, pushing him roughly against the brick wall of a nearby building. Her mouth was pressed hard to his, sucking all of his passion out. She bit his bottom lip, not hard enough to draw blood, but it wouldn't have been the first time she did that. She pulled back, looking him over with hunger in her eyes.

"How is it going?" She asked him, watching his chest heave. She was always about business, even though he wanted her to be romantic.

"She doesn't suspect a thing." Jace replied with a grin. "She will be eating out of the palm of my hand."

"Good." She replied and started kissing his neck. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her sucking and scraping at his skin.

"Did you succeed?" He asked, referring to her being at the Salvatore's house today. "Does he believe you?"

Katherine pulled back and gave him a look. He swallowed feeling extra nervous the longer she stared at him. She then made a face.

"Don't worry about the brothers." She said. "I'll take care of it."

"You have to understand where I am coming from." Jace said. "I mean… you dated both of them."

"And now I'm dating you." She replied with a sinister smirk. "Don't worry about it."

"But they still love you." Jace whined. "How can I not worry about that?"

Katherine turned from playful to murderous in a second. She gripped his throat, not enough to kill him but enough to get his attention. Jace grabbed her wrist, but she was much too strong for him. He gasped as she slammed him up against the wall, causing a sharp pain to go through his skull.

"I told you not to worry about it." Katherine said. Jace nodded, not able to breathe enough to speak. After a minute or two she dropped him to the ground, gasping for breath.

"I'm sorry." He choked. He always forgot what it was like when she got mad. She was scary and he wondered if one day she would get really angry and kill him. But he loved her, so it was probably worth it.

"You know I only love you." Katherine said, picking him back up. "Those brothers mean nothing to me."

"Then why are you hanging around them all the time?" He asked. Her grip on him tightened and she was breathing slowly, so as to calm down her temper.

"I have to get them to trust me." She said. "Otherwise none of this will work and I will die. Do you want me to die?"

"Of course not!" Jace replied frantically. Katherine smirked and leaned forward and kissed him lightly. He relished in the feel of their lips colliding. He could never get enough of this.

"No more questions." Katherine said. "We've got work to do."