I've heard so many good things about this story! Thank you for your continued support! I know you guys aren't happy about how the last chapter ended, but I promise that this will all be resolved soon. Damon is protecting Alex, because he cares about her! This is a significant change to what he was doing to her before!

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Season 1 Episode 18 Under Control

Stefan was doing pull ups on the beam above him in his bedroom. It was nothing, he barely broke a sweat. This whole drinking human blood thing wasn't as bad as he thought. But he did know that now that he had it, he couldn't stop. He had to wean himself off of it, like he did before. It was easier said than done.

"Could you turn it up a little bit?" Damon asked sarcastically, pointing to Stefan's stereo. "It's not annoying yet."

"Sorry." Stefan replied. Damon walked over and turned the music completely off. Stefan dropped to the floor and started doing pushups. He had to admit he was much stronger on this diet compared to his all animal diet.

"When are you going back to school?" Damon asked.

"Soon." Stefan replied, still doing pushups. "When are you going to talk to Alex?"

Damon made a face to which Stefan chuckled.

"Touché little brother." Damon said. He hadn't talked to her in days. After their… well whatever it was, he didn't deem is necessary to call it a break up because technically they were never together, he had stopped going to her work. He had stopped stopping by her house. He had stopped calling. He needed to distance himself, giving her enough space that he could still watch her but not be too close. He would not let her be used as leverage for him again. That wasn't good for either one of them. To her, she could die, and Damon couldn't bare that. But to him… all of this meant he was going soft. This one girl was chipping away at the protective wall he had put up and when she had been taken, she had taken a big old sledge hammer to his resolve. He had to put it back up, and to do that he needed to stay away from her.

"Oh come on. Just drink already." Damon said, placing a glass of blood on Stefan's end table. "Come on, this self-detox is not natural."

"And standing outside of Alex's window is?" Stefan said, standing up. Damon set his jaw. So he had watched her a few times so what? It wasn't unhealthy it was just… he was observing.

"Don't make this about me Stefan." Damon said. "You're the one with the problem."

"I don't have a problem." Stefan said, eyeing the glass of human blood. "I can stop drinking human blood, but you can't stay away from her."

"And what makes you think I can't?" Damon asked. Stefan was pushing his buttons, and he knew how to do it. Bringing up Alex was one way to really piss Damon off.

"Because I tried to stay away from Elena for the same reason that you are trying to stay away from Alex." Stefan said. "It doesn't work."

"I have a much stronger will then you Stefan." Damon said. "Besides, you and Elena are soul mates. Me and Alex… we're just… I don't even know."

Stefan smirked at his brother. Damon glared and turned to go. But he left his glass. Stefan eyed it. He could drink a little bit, he didn't have to stop cold turkey. But just as Stefan was about to break, Damon walked in and took the glass, giving his brother a wink.

"It's been day's Alex!" Elena said. "I knew he was having trouble with this whole human blood thing, but it has been so long."

"I know how you feel." I mumbled. She hadn't heard it. I hadn't taken this whole… whatever… too well. I had cried, I had gotten angry, I had even tried to be happy. The worst part was, I tried to draw and I couldn't. I had no inspiration to sketch anything, and that was killing me. I hadn't seen him, or heard from him in days. But I knew he was still in town. He was just avoiding me. Here was what I knew, he didn't want me around, which hurt really bad. He also was dangerous and I shouldn't have wanted to be around him. And third, we couldn't be together. I didn't know where these ideas came from, just that I knew them and they were conclusive. I hated this, I hated the way I felt. I wanted to hate him, but I couldn't.

"Come on." Elena said. "We're going to be late."

I nodded and followed her out the door and down the stairs. She called for Jeremy, telling him we were leaving just then. Jenna handed Elena a notebook just as she opened the front door. But someone was standing there, fist up about to knock on the door. His mouth was wide open.

"Uncle John." Elena said eyes wide. I felt my stomach sink as I looked at him with wide eyes. I had his eyes… I thought I was going to be sick.

"Elena!" John said excitedly. "Jenna."

"John, you made it." Jenna said less than excitedly. "Early."

John smiled but then his gaze fell on me. I was hidden slightly behind Elena and Jenna, but he had seen me. I couldn't believe it. When Elena said he was coming into town, she never said he would be here today. He must not have been expecting me either, for his face showed utter shock. It wasn't the face of a father who had been waiting so long to see his daughter. No, John looked very uncomfortable. Elena was looking between us, and I felt her hand squeeze mine encouragingly. I didn't feel anything. I just felt numb.

"Hello Alexandra."

"This is complete and utter bullshit."

I was pacing the hallway, causing a scene but I didn't care. Matt and Elena were leaning against the lockers watching me intently. Like I didn't have enough to deal with and then John Gilbert, the man who fathered me and left me and my mother, just shows up and is now staying at my friend's house.

"So wait." Matt said, getting my attention. "He just popped in? Why?"

"He said his trip is open ended." Elena explained. I kicked the wall, hurting my foot in the process.

"It's bullshit." I said again, still pacing.

"Uncle John, I never really liked that guy." Matt said. I scoffed.

"Does anybody?" Elena asked.

"Bullshit." I muttered again. Elena reached for me, stopping me in my place.

"You are going to wear a hole in the floor." She said. "It will all be ok."

"No it's not." I said. "This man who terrorized my whole life is back in town and he is going to mess everything up. That's what he always does. It's-"

"Bullshit we get it." Matt chuckled. "Listen, I'm here for moral support if you need it."

"Thanks." I muttered. He gave me a smile and then started walking to class. I huffed starting to pace again. This was not fair. Just when things were getting good, John just had to show up and mess with everything. Granted, things weren't really good for me right now. Things were actually pretty bad. Regardless, he was in town and I was pissed about it.

"Alex." Elena said. "Alex, seriously you need to calm down."

"Don't be offended if I don't come to your house while he's here." I said. "What is my mom going to say? Oh God… what if he tries to talk to her? What if-"

"We won't let that happen." Elena said. "He's a jack ass, who knows he may not even seek you guys out."

"Yeah…" I said. "And what was with that, Hello Alexandra shit?"

"He must have been surprised." Elena said as we began walking to class. "He never imagined you would be there."

"This is all his fault." I said. "God…. Such bullshit!"

Elena laughed at me, shaking her head. I didn't tell her that I was worried about what kind of hold he had over the family. They had ignored me for years because of John, and they didn't even like him. What made this any different now?

I just hoped that our bond was strong enough to handle a John Gilbert visit.

At lunch, Elena insisted that I go to this Founders Day kickoff party. I wasn't really in a party mood, since all this drama with Damon and the surprise visit from John. But she had insisted and she was forcing me to look for a party dress with her.

She took me to all these little shops, most I hadn't heard of or knew existed. She found something she liked, but I was struggling to find something I liked. I tried on a lot, but I just wasn't interested in any of them.

"There has to be something here that you like." Elena said. She then picked up a light colored yellow dress. I made a face so she put it back. She picked up a pink one as well and I silently gagged. She huffed and then pulled out a black one. It was simple, to the knee with a straight across neckline. It had small straps and a small slit up the side. I cocked my head to the side at that one. She took that as a sign and sent me back to a dressing room.

The dress fit well, and to my luck it was on sale. I didn't want to be at this party, but at least I would look good. Elena prattled on about how Jeremy had written a paper for Alaric's class on vampires. She was concerned, but I told her that she shouldn't worry about it.

"Have you…" I began but got scared. She urged me to continue. "Have you talked to Damon?"

She didn't answer right away. She looked at me and then back to the ground. I waited, trying not to make myself look so anxious.

"A little." She said. "It's mostly been talking about Stefan though."

"Oh ok." I said. I didn't want to push it, otherwise she would get suspicious. I wasn't used to not seeing him. I wasn't used to him not bothering me at work or making me blush when he showed up in my bedroom. I missed those things, and it had only been a few days.

"What happened?" Elena asked. I looked up at her.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, playing dumb. Elena saw right through it.

"With Damon." She continued. "What happened between you two?"

I bit my bottom lip. I assumed that Stefan had told Elena about our first kiss. At the time I thought that kiss meant nothing. But the last one… it meant something. At least to me. I didn't want Elena to judge me, or tell me that I was stupid. I knew I was. I knew this whole thing was stupid. I was better off without him. But I didn't want to be without him.

"We kissed." I admitted. "We kissed, I got kidnapped, he saved me, and then he told me to go away."

"Ouch." Elena said. "Well maybe it's for the best."

"Yeah." I said glumly. Elena sighed patting my arm.

"If it's meant to be it will be." She said. I hadn't expected those kind words, not from the biggest Damon hater of them all. But Elena was my friend, and she was supportive. Even if she didn't agree with me.

"That dress is really great on you." Elena said. I smiled and looked back in the mirror, doing a little turn.

When mom got home I broke the news to her that John was back. She sat there silently for a while, and I just yammered on. Eventually she got up, leaving the room and going to her bedroom. I debated on going in there with her, but I voted against it.

I sat in my room my sketch pad on my lap. I drew John standing in front of me, a word bubble that said "Hello Alexandra," was above his head. I drew his eyes, my eyes, and I made his mouth go up in a small smirk. I had seen him before, this wasn't our first encounter. But it was still weird. It was like I was seeing a stranger, not my father.

"Hey honey." I heard a knock at my door. I closed the sketchbook quickly as mom came in. I smiled weakly at her.

"Hey." I said. "You doing ok?"

"I'm fine." She said and sat down on my bed. "Sorry I rushed out earlier."

"No worries." I shrugged. She nodded, but she looked like she had something on her mind. "Tell me."

"Tell you what?" She asked. I rolled my eyes.

"I can tell when you are thinking. Really thinking." I said. "So, spill it."

She visibly swallowed before she tucked a blond strand of hair behind her ear. I waited patiently for her, watching her every move. She was tense and nervous, much like I got when I was overthinking things. I was like her in a lot of ways.

"I just… I haven't seen John in so long." She said. "What would I say to him if I saw him? Or would I just ignore him? Should I tell him off or pretend that everything is ok? I mean… he left me."

I nodded and she looked back to me.

"He left us." She said and put her hand on my knee. "And… I don't know what I would do if I saw him."

I bit my bottom lip. She didn't owe him anything. In fact, he owed her years of apologies and a whole lot more.

"You don't owe him anything mom." I said. "Like you said, he left us."

"Alex…" She said carefully. "He's your dad."

My mouth shut then and I ground my teeth. Angry tears filled my eyes and I had to bite back all the curse words I wanted to say. I looked back to her, and she looked very sad.

"He is not my dad." I said. "A dad is someone who raises their child. Not someone who abandons them."

"I know sweetie." She said. "But… he is part of you."

I stood up, angrily pacing. How could she say this? After everything he had done? He could have stayed, he could have helped her. I could have had a father. But no, he was too busy with his own life to even bother with mine. He was not my dad, he was simply John and he meant nothing to me.

"Let's just drop it." Mom said, seeing that I was getting angry. "Is that your dress for the kickoff?"

I nodded as she stood up to look at it. She smiled, feeling the smooth fabric. My lips twitched up into a smile. How could someone leave someone so beautiful? My mother was the sweetest and most gorgeous woman I knew. How could John not see that?

"I wish I could go." She mumbled. I frowned. My mom missed out on so many things. She didn't deserve that.

"Then go." I said. "There's no rule that says you can't."

"We can't afford for me to miss another shift." She said with a sigh.

"Well, I'll pick up some of the slack." I replied. "Come on mom. It might be fun."

She looked back to me and licked her lips. I smiled, that smile I knew she loved and that she could never say no to. She rolled her eyes but grinned back at me.

"Fine." She said. "And I promise I won't get drunk this time."

"Or flirt with men half your age." I reminder her.

"He is not half my age!" She laughed. I laughed along with her. "How is that anyway?"

I stopped laughing and sat back down on my bed. I shrugged, not feeling like talking about it. Mom sat down next to me and started running her fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes, finding it soothing.

"I poured out my guts." She said. "Your turn."

"It's really not a big deal." I said. She gave me a look. "It's nothing."

"You have been sleeping in my room, crying for three nights." She pointed out. "That is not nothing."

I swallowed and grabbed my sole stuffed animal. It was a monkey, with big button eyes and a heart sewed to its chest. I had had it since I could remember. It was my favorite toy.

"You know…" Mom said looking at my monkey. "Mr. Bananas was the only thing your grandmother ever gave me for you."

"Really?" I asked. She nodded. I settled into her neck, making myself comfortable.

"She said to me, Lauren this child is going to need some toys." Mom said, imitating the grandmother I never knew. "And then she threw it into the boxes of my stuff."

"How could they just kick you out like that?" I asked. She shrugged. I never understood how they could leave her to fend for herself and a new life. They never even tried to see me.

"My parents were strict." She explained. "They never even wanted me dating John."

"Good call." I said and she nudged me playfully.

"And when I told them I was having his child… well." She said. "They got angry."

I nodded. I could understand the anger, the disappointment. But she was still their child and she was having her own. They were family. But I guess that didn't really matter in this town, considering my own father didn't want me.

"My dad came to the hospital you know." She said. I looked up. She had never told me that. "He came in and took a good look at you. He then said, she's a James."

I furrowed my brows.

"Why did you name me after him?" I asked her. "He didn't even want me."

"Let me finish." Mom scolded. "Dad said, she's a James. And I said no, she's a Gilbert."

"But why mom?" I asked. "You were the one who raised me."

"Because… I took one look at you and I knew." She said. "The Gilbert's are good people. Excluding John, they never wanted to hurt me."

"And ignoring us was their way of doing it?" I asked. I didn't understand her thinking. I should have had her last name. It only made sense. John was gone before I was born. He didn't deserve to pass his name to me.

"I guess in their own way they were protecting us." She said. "Could you imagine if they took us in? How awkward would those family reunions be?"

I made a noise. I guess I could understand. By sticking to John, they made sure that I never had to see him. They made sure my mom never had to see him. But that didn't make it right. They still could have helped.

"You deserve that last name Alex." She said. "You are just as much of a Gilbert as Elena."

I nodded, but left out the part where Elena was adopted. It would mess up mom's whole speech. I sighed and let her cradle me to her chest.

"Damon is trying to protect me." I murmured. Mom looked down at me. "He blames himself for my kidnapping."

"Did he have anything to do with it?" Mom asked, getting defensive and maternal. I shook my head.

"No… not directly." I said. "He told me he wanted to protect me."

"And by staying away… that is his way of doing it." She concluded. I nodded. "Well that's very… gentlemen like of him."

"He is from the south." I said with a small laugh. "Doesn't make it hurt any less."

"I know baby." She said and kissed my temple. "Boys do things that we girls can't understand."

"Why does all of this have to be so confusing?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"That's love." She said. I made a gagging noise.

"I am not in love with Damon." I said. She chuckled, the vibration running through her chest.

"No, but he sure does care about you."

Elena had called Damon. She didn't want to, but after Stefan's little incident the night before she didn't know who else to turn to. Stefan and Elena had been kissing, it got heated, and then Stefan's face had changed. It sent a shock through her, as she thought he had things under control. Apparently he did not.

She heard the doorbell ring and she headed down the stairs. Calling to her brother that she got it. She opened the door and there he stood. He was clad in all black, making his pale skin and eyes pop.

"Oh good you're here." Elena said and stepped aside to let him in.

"You ask I come." Damon said. "I'm easy like that."

Elena then gestured up the stairs.

"No Elena, I will not go to your bedroom with you." Damon said loudly. Jeremy looked up and made a face. Elena rolled her eyes and caught his arm, pulling him up the stairs and into her bedroom.

"Ah, just like I remember" Damon mused.

"Stop messing around." Elena ordered. Damon smirked and hopped onto her bed. He grabbed her teddy bear and set it on his lap.

"Did you know that your uncle has been kicking it with the Founder's Council?" Damon asked. John had shown up to a meeting with the council, and he already didn't like him. He must have been a little biased though. Alex had already formed his opinion of him.

"What?" Elena asked.

"Yep." Damon said.

"Perfect, we'll just add it to the growing list of how everything is falling apart." Elena said. She looked stressed. Damon looked over and saw a broken lamp. He pointed to it.

"What happened right there?" He asked.

"Um… nothing." She lied. He made a face, but she ignored it. "Listen I'm worried about Stefan."

"Don't be." He said. "Stefan will be fine give or take a few days."

"It's been a few days." Elena retorted.

"Then give." He said. "What's the big deal?"

"He's not himself." Elena replied. Damon had to admit, Stefan was more on edge while on human blood. But he was stronger and that was what he needed to fight those tomb vampires. So Damon wasn't opposed to this new Stefan.

"Well, maybe his problem is that he has spent too long not being himself." Damon suggested.

"He's not you, not even close." Elena said. Damon rolled his eyes.

"Well, he doesn't want to be me." Damon said. "That doesn't mean that deep down that he's not."

He turned to go but Elena caught him.

"I didn't just want to talk about Stefan." She said. "I'm worried about Alex too."

Damon gritted his teeth. He didn't want to talk about this, especially not with Elena. He had thought about it enough with himself. He didn't need a therapist.

"She's… sad." Elena said. "She's been in a slump ever since she was kidnapped."

"And why is that my problem?" Damon asked. Elena narrowed her eyes.

"You're the one who made the problem." Elena said. "If you were just leading her on-"

"I wasn't." Damon snapped. Elena flinched. "I'm not."

"Then why would you kiss her?" Elena said. Damon furrowed his brows. "She told me everything."

"Everything?" Damon asked. "Did she tell you that she kissed me first?"

"Not the point." Elena replied. "If you knew this would never go anywhere then why did you let it continue?"

"What does it look like I did?" He asked. "I stopped it. I've stayed away. I thought you would be happy."

"Oh, trust me." Elena said. "I'm glad that you two aren't together. But she's hurting."

"She will be fine." Damon replied. He didn't like the idea that he caused Alex pain. But she was a tough girl. She could handle this.

"All I'm saying is you need to pick one or the other." Elena said. "You can't keep flip flopping."

"I won't." Damon said. "I made my choice."

"Good." Elena said. "Because if you hurt her I have a wooden stake with your name on it."

Damon smirked, but Elena was completely serious. She then rolled his eyes and pushed past her. He got to the door and stopped. He then turned around seriously.

"Does she know that John is back in town?" Damon asked. Elena nodded. "How's she taking it?"

"Not good." Elena said. "She's pretty upset."

"Damn." Damon said before he walked out of the room. He went down the stairs and outside. If John Gilbert came within spitting distance of her, Damon would snap his neck.

I got ready for the party with my mom. I had missed this time we spent together. I left my hair down, although I didn't even know if he was coming. I shouldn't have wanted to please him. Why should I look good for him?

"We're going to show that Damon what he's missing." Mom said as she put some mascara on my eyelashes. I smiled, wondering if it would work. Damon didn't seem to be a guy who regretted things, he did everything for a reason. But he said he liked me that just didn't go away. I would know. I got in my dress and zipped mom into hers. We looked good I had to admit.

"How do I look?" Mom asked, primping her hair. I came up behind her, winding my arms around her waist.

"We're going to show John what he missed out on." I said. She smiled at me and patted my arm. I assumed he would be there, whether or not he talked to us was another story. I hoped he didn't, it would make everything easier.

We piled into the car, heading for the Founders Hall where the party was being held. People were already arriving, girls in their party dresses and guys in suits. Everyone looked good. Mom parked and we got out. I ran a hand through my hair once, just for good measure. Then me and mom entered the building. The hall was nice, large enough to hold the people invited. There was some very classical sounding music playing, and there was an open bar. I steered mom away from that one.

"I'm already bored." Mom whispered to me. I nudged her. She huffed. Sometimes I felt like I was the parent and she was the teenager.

"Lauren?" We heard. Both of us turned and there was Kelly Donovan. She had a drink in her hand and she was headed toward us.

"Hey Kelly!" Mom said as the woman pulled her into a hug. "I didn't know you were in town."

"I think I'll be here a while." Kelly said and looked to me. "Nice to see you again… uh…."

"Alex." I said. She smiled.

'Right." She said. "I knew that."

We then fell into silence. News had broke days ago that Vicki Donovan's body was found. I never thought that anyone would know. I couldn't imagine what Kelly and Matt were going through.

"I heard about Vicki." Mom said. "I'm so sorry."

"Me too." Kelly said. "But I heard John's in town so I guess we both are having a shitty time."

I stood there for a while, listening to the two women talk. They talked about things that happened in high school, and took a trip down memory lane. I looked around. I recognized almost everyone. Most were students from my school or their parents. I saw Tyler and I eventually saw Matt. I hadn't found Elena or Stefan yet, and there was no sign of John.

But I did see Damon.

He was standing across the room, drinking some scotch. He hadn't seen me yet, and just laying eyes on him made my stomach twist. I wanted so desperately to go over and talk to him. Maybe we could go back to our playful banter. He could say something sexual and I could blush and brush him off. I would tell a lame joke and he would laugh even if he didn't think it was funny. I wanted to go back to that. That was what I liked best.

Like clockwork he looked up, catching my eye but I looked away. He wanted me to stay away, so I would do so. I didn't want to do it, but I would. It wasn't fair. Danger was going to follow him yes, but that didn't mean that being around him would constantly put me in danger. Danger followed Stefan and Elena was ok. We had some close calls, but that was life when you were a vampire.

"I'm going to go find Elena." I said. Mom nodded to me and I walked away. I didn't walk toward Damon, in fact I walked the opposite direction. He wanted space, I would give it to him. I wandered around the rooms, looking for anyone that I could hang out with. I was coming up empty. Caroline was at her dads, and Bonnie had been MIA since the death of Sheila. So, I was alone. I grabbed a glass of champagne as a server passed by and took a sip. Maybe I would have more fun if I was drunk. I continued to sip until I bumped into something. It wasn't something, it was someone.

That someone was John.

"I'm sorry." He said and looked up. I froze in my spot and he seemed to be shocked as well. He recovered before I did though. "Hello Alexandra."

I swallowed back the bile that rose to my throat.

"Hi." I muttered. I started to walk around him but he stopped me by stepping out in front of me. I felt my eyes narrow.

"Are you enjoying the party?" He asked, seeming very curious. What was he doing? He wasn't supposed to be talking to me. He was supposed to be staying as far away as possible.

"I was." I spat and tried to move around him again. He blocked my path again, to which I huffed.

"I don't think you should be drinking that." He said and pointed to my glass. I scoffed.

"I don't care what you think." I replied and took a big gulp. He smirked at me.

"Listen, I was thinking maybe we could talk." He said. He looked sincere, but I could see right through it. He was still the same man who had abandoned me years ago. I swallowed my big gulp of champagne.

"No thanks." I replied. He set his jaw.

"Alexandra, please hear me out-" He began. My temper flared then, and it took everything in me not to throw the glass across the room.

"Why should I?" I asked, my voice becoming louder. "You have had 17 years to talk. Sorry but that ship has sailed."

"I want to explain myself." John pleaded. I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"Explain how you left my mother and me to fend for ourselves?" I asked. "Pretty sure that's just you being a dick."

"I was young." He said. "And I was scared."

"So was my mom." I retorted. "But she dealt with it."

"I made mistakes Alexandra-" He said.

"It's Alex." I said. "It's Alex. Which you would know if you were ever around."

I tried to push past him, but he grabbed my arm and tried to hold me there. He had a fierce look in his eyes, very determined. He wanted me to listen, but I wasn't going to hear it. He didn't scare me. I pulled my arm from his grip.

"Do we have a problem here?"

I turned and there stood Damon, glowering at John. Begrudgingly, John released my arm. I turned back to glared at him.

"Nope." I said and turned to go. Damon reached out for me but when I looked up to him, he retracted them. I looked down sadly and then walked away.

Damon watched her go with a sad expression on his face. He wanted to comfort her, to protect her from John. But that would mean he would be going against everything he was doing to protect her. She was much better off without him around.

"Damon, right?"

Damon looked back to John, turning his glare back on. He didn't like seeing his hands on Alex, even if he was just her father. Damon didn't like seeing anyone's hands on her. He had proved that when he killed that scumbag for slapping her ass.

"John." Damon nodded politely.

"We didn't get the chance to meet at the council meeting." John said and held out his hand. Damon shook it warily.

"Yeah. It's a pleasure." Damon said. "Are you enjoying the kick-off?"

"Oh yeah." John replied. "I forgot how much fun these small town celebrations can be."

"Looked like fun." Damon said. John chuckled lightly.

"It's my daughter." John said. "Teenage girls. You just can't tell when they are going to go crazy."

"Right…" Damon said with a nod. "When was the last time you were here?"

"Hasn't been that long, my brother's funeral." John explained.

"And how long has it been since you've seen her?" Damon asked. John tensed, gritting his teeth. Damon smirked. "I'm a friend of Alex's."

"So you know how much of a deadbeat father I am huh?" John asked. Damon made a face. He knew exactly how much of a dead beat he was. It made him sick.

"What makes a man father a child and then just…" Damon said. "Disappear."

"I've made my mistakes." John admitted. "But I'm going to make them right."

Damon nodded. He didn't know how Alex or Lauren would like that. He didn't think he liked it. Alex was better off without him around. But what did he care? He was supposed to be keeping his distance. He couldn't stop her if she wanted to have a relationship with her father.

"How long have you been in town?" John asked.

"Oh, not long at all." Damon answered. There was a beat of silence before John spoke again.

"So what do you think Damon?" John asked. "You know this vampire problem is real, right? It's a potential blood bath."

"I wouldn't overreact John." Damon said.

"Oh, I think it's like 1864 all over again, vampires running amok." John explained. "I guess we're just gonna have to hunt them down, throw them in a church and burn them to ash."

"That's the story, huh?" Damon asked. He wasn't liking how history oriented this guy was.

"Part of the story, yes." John said.

"Oh there's more?" Damon asked.

"Oh, there's a lot more. See, it seems there was a tomb under the church, where vampires were hidden, waiting for someone to come along and set them free." John said. "But then you already knew that didn't you?"

Damon narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. He knew he didn't like this guy the moment he laid eyes on him. He didn't trust him with his secret, and he definitely didn't trust him around Alex.

"You know that I could rip your throat out before anyone would notice?" Damon asked.

"Yeah." John replied, very cocky.

"Yeah, okay. But you probably ingest vervain so…" Damon trailed off.

"Why don't you take a bite to find out?" John suggested. Damon chuckled.

"It's not worth my time." Damon said. John sent him a glare and Damon started walking away. He took one last look and seeing the look on John's face set something off in him. He sped over and snapped his neck, pushing him off the balcony and onto the ground.

Damon did say if he came anywhere near Alex he would snap his neck.

I eventually found myself in a corner all by myself. Mom had reconnected with some old friends, and I hadn't seen Elena once. I did find Stefan, at the bar, drinking a lot. I didn't go over, figuring he wasn't in the talking mood. I sighed, looking down at my watch.

10:30

I huffed. I wanted to go. After my conversation with John, I just wanted to get out of this place. But seeing how much fun my mom was having, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Why should I stop her fun? I had been doing that my entire life.

"Well isn't this cheesy 80's dance movie."

I looked up and there stood Damon. I felt part of my heart soar at the sight of him, while another part of me was not so excited.

"I'm not in the mood Damon." I muttered. He sighed and slipped down next to me. He didn't touch me.

"I just wanted to make sure you were ok." He said honestly. I looked him in the eye. He seemed sincere. I didn't doubt he was, but after what had happened between us, I didn't know if he would ever talk to me again.

"I've been better." I replied. He nodded. We fell into silence. What was I supposed to say? I hadn't seen him in days and the pain of his rejection was still there, clawing at my chest and making fresh wounds. Seeing him now… was like pouring salt into the cut.

"I haven't seen you in a while." I commented, looking down at my hands. My mom had painted my nails, but they were chipped all to hell now. I could feel Damon's eyes burning holes into the side of my head. I didn't dare look up.

"I've been… keeping my distance." He admitted. I nodded. I should have known that. He wanted to stay away from me. I understood. I didn't like it, but I understood.

"Well then… I guess I should-"

"Do you want to dance?" He asked me suddenly, cutting me off. I sat there mouth agape as I stared at him.

"But I thought-"

"One dance won't kill you." He said and stood up. He held out his hand. I stared at it. Should I accept? If I did I knew that my heart would break once the dance was over. If I didn't then I would regret not doing it in the first place. I took his hand and he pulled me up.

He led me to the middle of the floor, placing a hand on my waist and taking my other in his hand. I placed my shaky hand on his shoulder and he started to lead me around the floor. We didn't speak, and I barely looked at him. I was nervous, my heart pounding. This was wrong, it was so wrong. I shouldn't have done it.

"Relax." He breathed. I looked up, eyes wide.

"I just…" I said. "I don't understand."

He cocked his head to the side, knitting his eyebrows in confusion.

"You said you didn't want me around." I said to him, not able to mask the sadness in my voice. "You've been avoiding me for days."

"In my defense, I've been busy with helping Stefan." He said. "Besides you look so beautiful tonight, I just had to ask you to dance."

"You compelled me Damon." I said. Damon's jaw tightened. "All I know is that you aren't good for me and I need to stay away. And I know that's not what I want."

Damon held my gaze before he looked away. I boldly turned his face back to look at me.

"You have to tell me what you want." I said looking him in the eye. "Tell me what you want and I'll do it."

Damon searched my face, giving me a sad look. I could see the rejection coming. I was prepared, but I didn't know if my heart could take another one of these heartbreaks. I started to pull away, but his grip on me tightened.

"It's better if you stay away from me." He said. I didn't believe him. I didn't even think he believed himself.

"Better for me?" I asked. "Or better for you?"

This time when I pushed away, he let me. I didn't spare him a glance as I left. I couldn't be around him. It hurt too much. He was right. It was better if I stayed away.

But I didn't want to.

Lauren laughed along with some of her high school friends. She missed the days when she actually had people to talk to. She loved Alex, she loved her so much, but talking to your daughter and talking to people your age is always different. She was glad that Alex had talked her into coming.

"Hello Lauren."

Lauren stilled, because she knew that voice. She knew it better than anyone, and the sound of it sent a shiver down her spine. She turned around and there he stood, with a smirk on his face.

"John." Lauren said. "I thought I might find you here."

"Were you looking?" He asked with a smile. Lauren narrowed her eyes. He chuckled. "You haven't changed a bit."

"You either." Lauren said. "Still a huge jack ass I see."

"That biting wit never ceases to amaze me." John said, taking a swig from his glass. Lauren stood uncomfortably. She had thought about this all the time, what she would say if she ever talked to John again. But everything was coming up blank.

"What are you doing here John?" Lauren asked, getting to the point. He swallowed with his eyebrows raised.

"I have some… business to take care of." John replied. Lauren rolled her eyes.

"You always have business." Lauren said. "What's the real reason?"

"I can't come back to my hometown without an ulterior motive?" He asked. Lauren cocked an eyebrow. "Ok you caught me."

John stood in front of her, his hands held up. Lauren set her jaw, she knew he wasn't her simply for a visit. No one in town seemed to care if he was back or not. No, John was here for something else.

"I have a plan." He said, taking another sip from his glass. "A plan to have a relationship with my daughter."

Lauren scoffed, and then she began to laugh. However, John wasn't laughing. He looked completely serious, and that made Lauren laugh even harder.

"Your daughter?" Lauren said between fits of laughter. "I'm pretty sure you gave up that right the day you left."

"Yet, she still has my name." John said. Lauren ceased her laughter and then she glared.

"She deserves that name." Lauren spat. "Not because of you or your brother. She deserves it because she is a Gilbert."

"I never said she wasn't." John said.

"You did when you ignored her for the past 17 years." Lauren replied. "What makes you think she wants a relationship with you anyway?"

"Because I am her father." John said. "There are things about herself that she won't understand unless I tell her."

Lauren shook her head.

"Well you should have thought of that before you decided she wasn't good enough." Lauren said stalking away. When she thought about seeing John again, she never dreamed that he would be trying to start a relationship with Alex. The fear of Alex actually wanting to see him made Lauren's stomach sink. She couldn't imagine John taking her baby away.

"She will come to me Lauren." John said. "And you aren't going to stop her."

Then Lauren turned. There was so much anger toward John, and she couldn't help herself as her temper flared. She marched right up to him, a smirk ever present on his face. She had a smirk of her own, but hers was much angrier. She brought her hand back and smacked him, the sound echoing through the room. He jerked back, holding his cheek at the sting.

"Stay the hell away from my daughter." Lauren said through her teeth before she walked away. John stood there, smiling to himself. Everyone had looked away, but then he caught sight of Damon. Damon seemed surprised that John was alive. He twisted the ring around his finger and turned on his heel, walking back into the party.