A/N: Still with me? I hope so! The episode "Pilot" will be in this one! Hence, the reason this is a longer chapter!

Also, I mentioned this in the Intro, but there is no specific pairing in my mind for Danica. If anything happens between her and a character, it'll be because it developed as I'm writing. The relationship between her and Jeremy is strictly friendship. I mean, every girl needs a guy best friend, right? ;) Now, I'm not saying that something absolutely won't happen over time, I'm just saying it's not now. Enjoy :)

Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I...

Tears stream down your face
I promise you, I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I...

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

*Fix You – Coldplay*

I groaned as I awoke to the sound of the motel room's alarm clock going off. Smacking the snooze button, I decided it felt like a procrastination day. Ryan, however, had other plans for me. He'd gone back to Monterey yesterday, and since he couldn't physically wake me up, he'd gotten up early to call me.

"What?" I asked, groggy from still being half-asleep. I heard him chuckle and momentarily wished that I could reach through the phone and smack him.

"Just making sure you wake up. Big day ahead!"

I groaned again before sitting up and rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Fine. You win. I'm awake." I said, causing him to laugh again.

"Take a shower. Drink some coffee. Just don't be late. I'll talk to you later."

After hanging up, I turned on the news and quickly showered, leaving my hair wrapped in a towel. I dressed in the outfit that I had left out for today: a white mid-thigh length, long-sleeved, cowl neck sweater dress and brown faux suede over-the-knee boots. I dried my hair and brushed out the knots before grabbing a matching brown purse and tossing it into my backpack. I turned the news off, vaguely registering a report about the deaths of a couple that was on, before walking out the door.

I glanced at my cell phone and realized that I still had an hour to waste, so I went to the Grill. A few cups of coffee later, I was making my way to the last place that I wanted to be: school.

I checked in with the school secretary, got my schedule, and found an empty seat in the far back left corner in the room belonging to the first subject of the day: History. During roll call, there were two separate times when I glanced to my right in curiosity, which were when the names Elena Gilbert and Stefan Salvatore were called. Class began after, so I didn't really have the time to ask if either were related to Jeremy or Damon.

As I was walking into the lunch room for a free period later in the day, I was pleasantly surprised to find Jeremy sitting across the cafeteria, reading a book, with his feet propped up on a table and the chair leaning back, the front legs slightly off the floor.

"You know, you could fall. And people eat off these tables." I teased, smiling while tossing my backpack on the table. He glanced up at me and let the chair fall back on all four legs as he moved his feet.

"I was starting to wonder if you'd made it to school today."

"I'm here, unfortunately. I think I have a couple of classes with your sister. Elena, right?"

"Yeah, that's her."

"K. Then I have History and English with her." I explained, handing him my schedule.

"We have Art together next." He said, eyes lit up and a grin on his face. I had a feeling that he didn't smile much these days.

I sighed, reluctantly pulling out my books and supplies.

"How many notebooks do you have?" He asked, looking at my growing pile.

"I have one for each subject. Some people like to be organized." I joked, winking at him. "I also have a bunch of those big binders for each subject that I'm going to eventually put everything in."

He watched as I took out a stack of notebooks and labeled them according to the class subjects on my course list. Setting aside my Trigonometry stuff, I put the rest back in my bag and pulled out my pencil holder.

"You gonna talk to me, or just stare at me all hour?" I laughed, my chocolate-brown eyes meeting his honey-brown ones.

"Sorry, just didn't want to distract you."

"It's just homework, Jeremy. I think I can manage." I rolled my eyes, still smiling, before starting on the first chapter of Trig.

Before the hour was over, I had learned why Jeremy always seemed to be saddened by something.

"You're probably going to hear about it sooner or later, so..." He trailed off, eyes glued on the table.

He told me about the accident from a few months ago that resulted in his parents' deaths, and that his sister had miraculously survived it.

"I get it. Most people say they understand, when they really don't." I said, putting a hand over his and using my free hand to lift his chin up so he'd look me in the eye. "But I do."

He gave me a doubtful look, so I let go of his chin and continued.

"My parents died in May, too. There was a fire, because of some faulty wiring. Ryan was our neighbor. He got me out of the house, but it was too late for my mom and dad. After I got out of the hospital, he adopted me. I think that's why he understood that I couldn't stay in Monterey anymore. Too many memories." I finished.

He mumbled an apology and looked back down at the table.

"Why don't we talk about something else, huh? You said you used to draw. Do you have any sketches with you? I'd love to see them." I smiled at him when his eyes met mine again. He pulled a sketch pad from his backpack and handed it to me. I flipped through them.

"Wow. These are amazing!"

"They're okay, I guess. Bell's about to ring. We should put our stuff away."

I handed him the sketch pad and stuffed my things into my bag.

"I'm going to the Grill after school. Wanna come with?" He asked on our way to Art.

"Hmm. I don't know if I could handle more time with you." I joked, linking my arm with his. He laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like fun."

"Great. I have to stop home first, but I can meet you there."

"That works, or I can give you a ride." I offered, dropping my arm as we got to the door of the classroom. He nodded as we walked in.

After Art was over, we got in my Tahoe and I started driving to his place. A couple of minutes later, I heard him groan.

"What's up?" I asked, glancing over at him.

"My sister. She's in the cemetery. Again. She goes and just sits there, writing in her diary."

"Everyone moves on in their own way." I explained, reaching my hand out to hold his, giving it a squeeze.

I pulled up in front of his house a few minutes later.

"Wanna come in? You can meet my aunt."

"Sure. I'd love to."

As we made our way to his door, he looked over at the house that was for sale.

"The sign's gone. Someone must have already bought it." He glanced back at me. "That sucks. Would've been cool if you lived there." He unlocked and opened the door and we walked inside.

A young woman with green eyes and honey blonde hair came down the stairs. She looked at Jeremy before locking her gaze onto me and extending a hand.

"Hi. I'm Jenna, Jeremy's aunt."

"Danica Williams. Nice to meet you." I said politely, smiling at her.

"We're going to the Grill. See ya later." Jeremy said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me outside.

"Not too late, Jer!" Jenna yelled from the doorway.

"What was that all about?" I asked, laughing as I got in my truck.

"Nothing. I just didn't want to have to deal with her playing '20 Questions'."

When we got to the Grill, it seemed that almost everyone from school was already inside. A few people waved at Jeremy.

"Hey, why don't you grab us a booth? I'll be right there."

"Okay. Sure." I said to myself since he'd already walked away. I sat down at an empty table and pulled out my Trig, along with a pencil, to finish the assigned chapter. I looked around the place after a few minutes, and saw Jeremy talking to Vicki. His eyes met mine as she walked away from him and he came over to sit down across from me. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he shook his head as he ordered drinks for us.

"So, did you hear about the party?"

"What party?" I asked, replacing my Trig with Chemistry.

"There's a back to school party at the falls. Happens every year."

I didn't say anything, just took a sip of my soda and went back to working on my homework.

"Everybody'll be there." He continued. "Think you might go?"

Finally, I looked up and studied his face. He looked like it didn't matter, but the look in his eyes said different. I saw hope in them.

"Will you be there?" I asked.

"Yeah." He smiled at me.

"Then I'll go." I smiled back. I finished my Chem a few minutes later. As I was putting it away, the door to the Grill opened.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"What?" I asked, following Jeremy's gaze. His sister had walked in, and Stefan Salvatore was right next to her. I watched as a guy with blonde hair walked up to them.

"That's Matt –"

"Donovan, yeah. I have a few classes with him. So?"

"So, he and my sister were best friends. They started dating, and after my parents... Elena broke up with him not too long after. They haven't really talked since then."

"That's gotta be awkward." I responded, tearing my gaze from them to look back at Jeremy. He nodded at me, but continued to watch them.

"Who's she with?"

I glanced back at them. "Stefan Salvatore. He's in the classes I have with Elena." I explained, shrugging and looking away from them again.

We ate some food and then I drove him home before retiring to my motel room for the night. I went online and ordered some things for when I moved into my new house during the upcoming weekend: appliances from some place called Bray & Scarff and furniture from Pottery Barn that I would need to pick up in Fairfax, costumes from Halloween Express, and Corelle dishes.

After school the next day, I hung out with Jeremy at his house for a few hours, doing homework and playing video games, before I left to get ready for the party. I went to the motel and changed into a pair of dark jeans and a green tank top. I had decided to wear my hair straight today, so I pulled it back into a messy bun, grabbed a jacket and my purse, and left to go back to Jeremy's. I knocked and his sister answered the door.

"Oh, hi. I'm Elena. You must be Danica. Jeremy talks about you. A lot." She said, holding the door open more and stepping to the side to let me in.

"You can call me Dani. Most people do." I smiled at her.

"Jer! Your girlfriend's here!" She yelled up the stairs.

"Oh! No! I'm not his girl –" I was cut off by Jeremy as he came bounding down the stairs.

"Hey, Danica. Let me just grab my jacket and we can go."

"Uh... okay." I looked back at Elena as I waited for him. "Are you coming with us?"

"Hmm? No, I'm waiting for my friend Bonnie. But, I'll see you there?"

"Yeah, for sure." I responded as Jeremy rejoined us.

"Ready?"

"Um, yeah. Let's go."

He pulled the door shut behind us. I stopped on my way to the Tahoe as he started walking down the sidewalk.

"I thought maybe we could walk. Might be better than driving home afterward."

"Good point." I stated, pushing the lock button on my key ring and falling into step beside him, linking our arms together.

"So... Elena called me your girlfriend?" I asked, laughing when he rolled his eyes.

"Sorry 'bout that. She can be so annoying sometimes..." He responded. I laughed again.

A short while later, music and voices could be heard from somewhere up ahead. As we neared the bridge, I could see that it was decorated with lights. Jeremy dropped his arm, his hand sliding down to mine. Our fingers intertwined and we walked across.

"Wickery Bridge. This is where it happened." He said, voice so low that I barely heard him. It was the first time either of us had said anything since leaving his house. I realized after a moment that he was talking about the accident.

"I'm sorry." I said, giving his hand a slight squeeze.

After we'd crossed it, he pulled me along with him down a hidden trail through the woods. At the end of it was a clearing, also decorated with lights and a gazebo. Teenagers were everywhere, some dancing, some either standing or sitting in pairs or in groups, some leaning against trees and making out. I spotted his sister talking to a girl. Jeremy dropped my hand.

"I'll be right back. Go mingle. Meet people. I'll find you." He smiled before turning and walking away before I could say anything. I decided now would be a good time to get to know Elena.

"Dani! Hey. I was hoping I'd see you. Where's Jeremy?" She asked, looking around.

"Um, I'm not sure. He walked off when we got here, said he'd find me later." I explained, before turning my attention to the girl standing in front of us and holding out my hand. "Hi. I'm Danica."

"Bonnie."

"Right! We have History together."

"And Trig." She smiled.

"That's right. I'm still trying to get used to everything. New school, new faces."

"Same boring subjects." Bonnie added on. The three of us laughed. Elena started looking around.

"Just admit it, Elena." Bonnie said suddenly.

"Oh, okay. So he's a little pretty."

"He has that romance novel stare." Bonnie continued. "Stefan looked deep into her eyes, piercing her very soul." She finished in a deep voice. Elena and I laughed.

"So, you have it bad for the new guy?" I asked her, keeping a smile in place.

"Says the new girl who's constantly with my brother." Elena joked back.

"Okay, okay. I admit, I like hanging out with him. But Jeremy and I are just friends. That's it. Besides, he's totally into that Vicki chick." I explained. "Now, back to you and Stefan..." I said, giving her a sly grin.

"So where is he?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know. You tell me. You're the psychic one."

I gave Elena and Bonnie a confused look.

"Right, I forgot. Okay, so give me a sec. Grams says I have to concentrate."

"Wait, you need a crystal ball. Ahh..." Elena turned around, looked down, and picked up a beer bottle. "Ta da."

Bonnie chuckled, and then shut her eyes and reached her hand out to grab the bottle. As soon as her hand touched Elena's, her eyes flew open. A few seconds later, she pulled her hand back, her eyes still wide.

"What?" Elena asked, confused.

"That was weird. When I touched you, I saw a crow."

"What?" Elena looked a little freaked out.

"A crow. There was fog, a man." Seeing the look on Elena's face, she quickly rambled, "I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Okay. I'm gonna get a refill."

Bonnie started walking away. Elena watched her in confusion.

"Okay. Bonnie!" She called out, but Bonnie didn't turn around.

"I'll go check on her." I offered, walking away after Elena nodded at me.

"What was that all about?" I asked as I caught up to Bonnie.

She glanced at me for a second before looking back in front of her. She took a few more steps and stopped in front of a table that was set up next to a keg and a cooler. I grabbed a bottle of beer while she filled her cup.

"My Grams keeps telling me that I have powers, that I'm psychic, or something. My ancestors were from Salem."

"As in, the witches of Salem?" I asked, slightly bewildered at the topic we were discussing.

"Yeah, but I don't really believe in that stuff. I mean, there are some weird things that have happened, stuff I predicted that actually came true, but aside from that, it's all just a bunch of crazy talk." She explained. "Come on, you still have to meet Matt and Caroline."

I allowed her to pull me along, looking over my shoulder and noticing that Elena was gone. I scanned the crowd and realized that I couldn't find Jeremy either. 'Those Gilberts sure do know how to disappear.' I thought as I followed after Bonnie, doing my best not to trip or step on any empty bottles. We got to a small bridge a short distance from the Wickery Bridge, where two blonde teenagers were. I recognized Matt, both from school and from the Grill yesterday.

"Hey guys, this is Danica. Danica, this is Matt and Caroline."

"Dani." I corrected, grinning at all three of them. "Hey." I said to Caroline, earning a smile from her in return, as I shook Matt's hand.

I noticed that Matt kept looking across at the Wickery Bridge, and when I looked over, I saw Elena and Stefan talking. I waved when they glanced over at us, and Elena waved back. She and Stefan exchanged a few more words before he suddenly grabbed her cup and walked off. She stared after him with a look of confusion and shock. A short time later, she started walking back to the party.

"I'll catch you later, guys. I'm gonna go look for Jeremy." I walked away, not waiting for any responses from them. I found Elena quickly, and after searching the crowd for Jeremy again, and again not finding him, I decided to ask her if she knew where he went.

"Oh, hey Danica. Have you seen Stefan? He was getting us drinks and then he just disappeared."

"No, sorry. Have you seen Jeremy?" I asked her. She turned her attention to me, her brow slightly furrowed.

"No. What is going on with everybody tonight? Bonnie's acting weird, Stefan keeps disappearing, and now Jeremy's missing?" She asked.

I watched her as she looked at the faces of everyone, her face dropping in disappointment when she didn't find who she was looking for. Out of nowhere, Matt walked up to us. I realized that he must have followed me, knowing that I was going after Elena.

"Looking for someone?" He asked, as if it wasn't obvious.

"Hey." Elena greeted, after a moment. Suddenly, I felt extremely awkward and out-of-place.

"When you broke up with me, you said it was because you needed some time alone. You don't look so alone to me." He said, still looking at Elena, seemingly unaware of my presence.

"Matt, you don't understand. It's –"

"That's okay, Elena." He interrupted her. "You do what you have to do. I just want to let you know that... I still believe in us. And I'm not giving up on that." When he finished, he turned to walk away.

"Matt..." Elena called after him, but he didn't turn around. She looked at me. "I'm sorry about that."

"No, no. I get it. New girl and all. There's bound to be stuff that happened before I showed up. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just wish he would understand." She said, lifting herself up to sit on the railing of the gazebo.

"Don't worry about it. He'll figure it out, eventually." I gave her a small smile, leaning against the gazebo's structure, noticing Stefan as he approached us.

"I was wondering who abducted you, but now I know." She said, looking at him after glancing towards Caroline.

"Is she like that with, uh, all the guys?" Stefan asked.

"No. You're fresh meat. She'll back off eventually."

We heard the clinking of a bottle rolling on the ground. Elena and I both looked to where the sound came from, seeing Jeremy walk into the woods after looking at us.

"God, you gotta be kidding me!"

"What is it?" Stefan asked.

"My brother." Elena responded.

"The drunk one?" He followed our gazes.

"That would be the one. Excuse me."

"Need some help?" Stefan asked as Elena slid off the railing and started following after Jeremy. She glanced back as she responded.

"Trust me, you're not gonna want to witness this." She turned her attention back to the woods. "Jeremy!"

"Don't worry, Stefan. I'll help her." I offered, jogging into the woods to catch up to her. "Elena, wait up!" I said, falling into step beside her.

"Jeremy!" She called out, and then he came into view. "Jeremy, where the hell are you going?"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Jeremy said, turning around to look at Elena while walking backwards.

"Yeah, well, too bad!" She yelled when he turned and continued walking.

I heard him grunt, and then Jeremy fell. Rushing to get to him, I realized that it wasn't the ground he fell on.

"Vicki? No! Oh, my God, it's Vicki!"

"Oh, my God!" Elena and I whispered simultaneously.

"No!" Jeremy exclaimed, using his fingers to check for a pulse. Suddenly, Vicki gasped and her eyes flew open.

Jeremy didn't hesitate before picking her up and carrying her back to the party, Elena in front of him. I followed closely behind, ready to try holding Vicki if he fell.

"Somebody help!" Elena yelled out when we reached the break in the trees. I heard Matt yelling before I was able to see around Jeremy.

"Vicki? Vicki, what the hell?!"

"What happened to her?" I heard from someone, remembering his name was Tyler from Chemistry.

"Somebody, call an ambulance!" Matt yelled.

"Everybody back up, give her some space!" I watched as Tyler pushed the gathering people back.

"It's her neck. Something bit her. She's losing a lot of blood."

I handed Matt my jacket to hold against Vicki's neck wound.

"What the hell?" I heard Matt whisper.

I looked up and followed his gaze, watching Stefan as he backed out of the crowd. I didn't have a chance to give it much thought, between trying to help Matt stop the bleeding, help Tyler keep everyone back, and use my cell to call for help. An animal control vehicle pulled in behind the ambulance when the rescue squad arrived.

I stood by Jeremy, watching Matt get into the ambulance after Vicki. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Bonnie talking to Elena before she left with a very drunk Caroline. Elena came over to us, looking slightly lost in her thoughts. Finally, she focused on her brother as he took a drink from the bottle of beer in his hands.

"You okay?" She asked, rubbing his shoulder. He didn't respond, just shrugged her hand off. "I called Jenna, she's on her way."

He looked at her and rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything. He lifted the bottle up to take a swig, but stopped when Elena started to talk again.

"Those people in uniforms, last time I checked, they're the police."

Jeremy guzzled down the rest of the beer and threw the bottle behind him.

"People are going to stop giving you breaks, Jer. They just don't care anymore. They don't remember that our parents are dead, because they've got their own lives to deal with. The rest of the world has moved on. You should try, too."

"I've seen you in the cemetery writing in your diary. Is that – is that supposed to be you moving on?" He asked. I flinched at his words and put a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at me, not pulling away like he did with Elena, before looking back at her.

"Mom and dad wouldn't have wanted this." She said after shaking her head and looking down.

"Look, Elena, I can take Jeremy home. If that's okay with you, Jer?" I offered, cautiously, trying not to overstep any boundaries with them. He looked at me again and nodded, putting his arm around my shoulders.

"Okay, just... just don't stay out too late."

"Don't worry. I'll get him sobered up a bit and then drop him off." I smiled at her. She nodded and mouthed the words 'thank you' as she started to walk towards where Jenna had just pulled up.

In silence, I walked with Jeremy back to his place, and then drove him to the Grill and ordered us coffee.

"My parents never let me drink coffee." He said, staring down into his cup. I reached across the table and took one of his hands, holding it between mine.

"She'll be okay, Jer."

"I need to go see her." He said, his eyes meeting mine. I sucked in a breath at the look of despair in his eyes.

"No one except family will be allowed in to see her this late. We'll go tomorrow. I promise. Now, drink up so I can get you home before Jenna freaks and forbids us from hanging out." I let go of his hand and drank my own coffee.

By the time we got to his place, he was sober enough that Jenna wouldn't be able to suspect anything.

"Come in for a bit?" He asked. I nodded and unbuckled my seat belt, getting out to follow him to the door.

We walked inside, and he grabbed us some drinks before sitting down on the couch. He pulled me down next to him, grabbing my legs and laying them over his while they were bent, his left hand resting on my knee. He reached over and picked up a picture that was behind me, brought it to him, and just stared at it. I glanced at it in curiosity. It was a picture of a man and a woman.

His parents, it dawned on me.

I moved so that I was kneeling over him, one leg on each side of his, and wrapped my arms around his neck, my head against his.

"It'll be okay." I whispered in his ear, feeling his hot tears drip down on to my shoulder.

I closed my eyes, and let a few of my own tears fall and hit the back of the couch. I moved one hand up, running my fingers through his hair, just repeating, "It'll be okay. It'll be okay." over and over, trying to soothe him. At some point, I had opened my eyes and saw Jenna standing in the entryway, watching us. She gave me a small sad smile and I nodded at her before shutting my eyes again. I'm not entirely sure about how long we stayed like that, but after a while, his tears ceased and his breathing evened out. Pulling back, I realized that he had fallen asleep.