to Ms. MikelsonSalvatore1234: first review! Thanks! And don't worry, Damon will be making an appearance soon :)

reebz1994: first follower! You are awesome!

all other readers: thanks for sticking with me through the boring part: the introduction of Danica Williams. Now, enjoy this next one :)

Why are you so far from me?
In my arms is where you ought to be

How long will you make me wait?
I don't know how much more I can take

I missed you but I haven't met you
Oh, but I want to
How I do

Slowly counting down the days
Till I finally know your name

The way your hand feels 'round my waist
The way you laugh, the way your kisses taste

*To Whom It May Concern – The Civil Wars*

"Hey. Thanks for doing this, Dani. It really means a lot to me." Jeremy said, climbing into the passenger seat of my Tahoe.

"Don't mention it. It's what friends are for, right?" I smiled at him, shifting into 'drive' and pulling away from the curb.

I drove the few minutes to the hospital, thinking back to last night. After he'd fallen asleep, I had wiped the remaining tears from his face and left after saying goodbye to Jenna and Elena.

It didn't take me long to fall asleep once I'd gotten back to the motel, but my dreams were plagued by the events that unfolded at the party. I'd woken up a few times during the night and had to remind myself that it was over, and that the little things my dreams added to it weren't real. But every time I closed my eyes again, something new would happen.

I dreamt that instead of Vicki laying on the ground, unconscious, she was being held by a man whose face was completely covered by the darkness of the night, draining her of her blood. In the next one, it wasn't Vicki at all, but Elena, and the man was Stefan.

The one I couldn't shake, no matter what I did, was of Jeremy being the victim, and the faceless man biting him and drinking his blood, while Jeremy called out for help. The worst part was that I was there, watching it happen, but couldn't move. It was like I was being held back by invisible arms, forced to watch the death of someone who was quickly becoming my best friend here.

After that, I'd given up on sleeping, choosing instead to just fill my system with cheap motel coffee and get a head start on the next chapter in some of my classes. I even dragged the time out by showering slowly, and taking longer than necessary in picking out an outfit. I took extra care in drying my hair after dressing in a dark blue v-neck t-shirt and jeans. Finally, I couldn't put it off any longer, so I arrived at the Gilbert's a half hour earlier than I was supposed to.

Finding the room that Vicki was in, I told Jeremy that I'd wait for him in the waiting room.

"You sure?" He asked, pausing with a hand on the door.

"Yeah. This is a private thing. I don't really know her. Go ahead. I'll be fine."

I wasn't sitting there for very long before he came back, mumbling something about a nurse not letting him see her. Not saying a word, I followed him back out to the parking lot. Once inside the Tahoe, I couldn't stand the sad look on his face anymore.

"We'll come back after school if you want, Jer. She'll be okay."

"How do you know? The nurse said she's lost a lot of blood."

"Some things, I just know. And I know she'll be okay. Trust me on this one." I smiled at him.

It was hard to part with him once we got to the school. I wanted so badly to just take his pain away, but that was obviously impossible. Dealing with the death of my parents was one thing. He had to go through the same thing on top of everything that was going on with Vicki.

I waved at Elena and Stefan as I walked into History. Mr. Tanner was going on about some comet that was going to be passing over Mystic Falls tomorrow night. At some point, I had to stifle a laugh when he brought to everyone's attention that Elena and Stefan couldn't stop staring at each other. Once the bell rang, I rushed out into the hallway hoping to see Jeremy, but he was nowhere to be found.

Instead, I found Bonnie and Caroline. Bonnie perked up a little when she spotted me.

"Danica! Walk with us!"

"Hey guys. What's up?"

"We were just trying to decide whether or not to go to the Grill after school." Bonnie explained. "If we go, do you wanna join us?"

"I'm in. Beats being alone in a motel room any night." I said with a smile.

"Back to our original topic, Bonnie. I'm confused. Are you psychic or clairvoyant?" Caroline asked as we were going through an entryway to a hallway.

"Technically, Grams says I'm a witch. My ancestors were these really cool Salem witch chicks or something. Grams tried to explain it all, but she was looped on the liquor so I kinda tuned out. Crazy family, yes. Witches? I don't think so." Bonnie explained.

"Yeah, well, feel free to conjure up the name and number of that guy from last night." Caroline said. I glanced at her in curiosity.

"I didn't see him, you did. Why didn't you just talk to him?"

"I don't know. I was drunk." Caroline explain, causing us to laugh.

"I missed something important last night, didn't I?" I asked. Caroline and Bonnie looked at each other and then laughed. "Seriously, what'd I miss?"

"Don't look at me. I was paying for the coffee. It was all Caroline."

"There was a totally hot guy at the Grill last night. And I didn't get his name or anything!" Caroline whined.

"Well, maybe you'll see him again tonight or something." I offered to her with a smile.

"No way, not with my luck." She sighed.

"Try not to be so negative, Caroline. Anyway, I'll see you tonight." I said, spotting Matt through a window. I figured I'd surprise Jeremy by giving him an update about Vicki. When I got outside, I saw Matt walking away from Elena, and had to jog to catch up to him before he left.

"Matt, hey. You leaving?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go back to the hospital."

"How's Vicki? Has she woken up yet?"

"Yeah, she woke up last night for a minute or two before passing out again."

"But she's okay, right? She'll be okay?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Yeah, she's fine. She might be home tomorrow."

"Well, that's great! Is there something else?" I asked, seeing the pained look on his face. He glanced back to where Elena was starting to walk inside the school.

"I just really need to get back to Vicki. See ya around, Danica." He walked around me and made his way to the parking lot without looking back. With a furrowed brow, I turned and headed back to the high school.

While taking Jeremy home, I told him about my quick conversation with Matt. He looked slightly relieved, but that was all. I sighed as I watched him go inside his house.

My plans for the rest of the day were just meeting the girls at the Grill and taking Jeremy to see Vicki after. I still had some time to kill so I decided to check on Matt. He'd looked extremely sleep deprived earlier.

When I got to the hospital, however, Matt was down the hallway, walking to Vicki's room with a look of confusion.

"Matt?"

He stopped and looked up at me.

"Hey. You didn't happen to see Stefan on your way in, did you?"

"Stefan? No. Was he here?" I glanced behind me before turning my attention back on Matt.

"I – I thought I saw him." He explained, lost in thought as he led the way into Vicki's room. She was laying on her side, sound asleep.

"Matt... how long have you been here?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and focused on me.

"How much sleep have you gotten?" I asked him, starting to worry.

"A couple of hours, maybe? I'm not sure. I was here all night."

"Will you do me a favor?" I asked, continuing when he nodded. "Come to the Grill later, just for a few minutes. You need something to eat, some caffeine."

I grabbed the pen and pad of paper next to the room's phone.

"Here's my number. Just call me when you're ready, and I'll come get you. Okay?"

"Okay." He nodded. "Thanks."

I smiled at him and left, patting his shoulder as I walked by. I texted Bonnie on my way to the parking lot to let her know that I was coming. A few minutes later, I was sitting at a table outside the Grill with Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena.

"I ordered you a lemonade." Elena said with a smile, sliding a glass towards me.

"Thanks. What are we discussing?" I asked, pulling my cell phone out and setting it down in front of me.

"Tomorrow's comet." Bonnie answered. "Grams thinks it's a bad omen."

"Like apocalypse bad? Maybe Night of the Comet zombie bad?"

"Night of the Comet? Really?" Elena asked with an amused glance in my direction.

"What? It's a good movie."

"Maybe it was twenty years ago."

"It's a classic!"

"It's old."

"Still a good movie." I rebutted, noticing the slight annoyance coming from Bonnie. "Sorry, continue."

"Well, I was talking to Grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom. The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. So much blood and carnage, it created a bed of paranormal activity."

"Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens." Caroline responded, turning her attention to Elena and changing the subject. "So then what?"

I didn't miss the look that Bonnie and Elena shared from Caroline's comment as Bonnie handed me some of the flyers that they were folding. Elena shrugged.

"So then nothing."

"You and Stefan talked all night? There was no sloppy first kiss or touchy-feely of any kind?" Caroline asked her, doubtful.

"Nope. We didn't go there."

"Not even a handshake? I mean, Elena, we are your friends. Okay? You are supposed to share the smut." Caroline explained, causing me to laugh.

"We just talked for hours." Elena said. Caroline continued as if she didn't catch the hint of annoyance in Elena's tone.

"Okay, what is with the blockage? Just jump his bones already!" I looked at Caroline in disbelief. Did the girl really have no filter? "Okay, it's easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex!"

"Profound." Elena responded, sarcastically. Then she looked at the table in thought, and stood up, gathering her stuff.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked.

"Caroline's right. It is easy. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying what I was gonna do."

I stared after her in shock. From what I'd gathered about Elena so far, it wasn't like her to take advice from Caroline. At least, not this kind of advice. After a minute, I went back to folding programs.

"So, anyway, I stopped by the hospital to check on Matt and Vicki before I came here."

"And...?" Bonnie asked.

"And Vicki is doing better. She should be released in the morning." I answered, taking a sip of lemonade.

"That's awesome!" Caroline exclaimed. She didn't look that much invested in the topic. We finished the flyers in silence. I got a text from Jeremy, asking me to meet him at his place, so I said my goodbyes and left.

I parked outside the Gilbert's house waiting patiently for him. He came out in a hurry.

"Drive."

"Where to?"

"I was kinda hoping we could swing by the hospital?" He looked at me with a hopeful expression. I nodded and bit my lip as he pulled out his vibrating phone and hit ignore. The ID read 'Jenna'.

"Everything okay, Jer?" I asked him, hoping that I didn't just involve myself in family drama.

"Yeah. It's fine. Jenna's just on my case about school." He shrugged. I decided to let it go, knowing I wasn't going to get any more info out of him.

I let him lead the way up to Vicki's hospital room. He visibly relaxed when we heard her voice, along with Matt's, and saw her sitting up on the bed, picking from a tray of food, as we walked through the entryway.

"Hey. How do you feel?" Jeremy asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. I smiled at Vicki, standing just inside the doorway with my hands in my back pockets. Matt glanced at us.

"I'm okay." Vicki responded.

"I... I'm gonna – I'm gonna go grab a coffee. Hey, Jer, Danica." Matt said, standing up and leaving the room.

"Matt, wait up!" I followed after him.

"You know, I think I'll take you up on that offer now. Vicki's awake, and I'm sure she and Jeremy have a lot to discuss. And I am pretty hungry." He grinned, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Sure, Matt."

A couple of burgers and Cokes later, Matt was definitely happier.

"You look better now." I laughed.

"Got some sleep. Vicki's awake. I guess I did need a break. Thanks for this, Danica."

"Dani, and you're welcome."

The next day, I joined Bonnie and Elena in the town square to pass out the flyers for the comet gathering. Elena was definitely distracted by something.

"He didn't call, huh?" Bonnie guessed. It didn't take long for me to catch on that she meant Stefan.

"Or text. Then I realized we never even exchanged that stuff. We never got to the texting part."

"You'll get there, just give it time." I smiled at her.

"That's an important milestone in any relationship." Bonnie stated.

"Isn't it? The timing is wrong, anyway."

"When is it ever right?" Bonnie asked. I nodded in agreement.

"I'm not ready, Bonnie."

"Who is?"

"At least I put myself out there." Elena explained.

"Did you?" I asked at the same time that Bonnie asked, "Is that what you're calling it?"

"What do you mean?" Elena acted confused.

"All I'm hearing is reasons why you can't."

"Elena, no offense, but Bonnie has a point. I mean, I get where you're coming from. It's only been a few months. But still, Stefan seems like a great guy, and he likes you. And you obviously like him. I wouldn't suggest what Caroline did, but why not go for it, you know? It's okay to date. If it turns out to be something you don't want, you can always end it." I suggested, smiling at some guy that stopped for a program.

Once the sun had set, Elena and I had found candles, and then Caroline joined us with a candle for Bonnie. I stood off to the side with Bonnie, Caroline, and Tyler, getting our candles lit, as Matt lit Elena's, joining us when she walked away. I looked over and saw Stefan and Elena talking, Matt glancing back at her every so often. I moved to stand by his side, catching his attention by bringing up something that had happened in Econ the other day.

When the gathering ended, we all walked to the Grill. As I was coming back from placing our drink order, I heard Elena ask Jeremy if he was dealing.

'How did I miss the drugs?' I thought, going over every conversation in my head. Whenever we'd hung out, he was always sober.

"She's never gonna go for you." Tyler explained.

"She already did. Over and over and over again." Suddenly, I realized that they were talking about Vicki. I sighed in exasperation.

"You slept with Vicki Donovan? I mean, Vicki Donovan slept with you?" Caroline asked, baffled by the revelation. I felt my mouth drop open in shock at Jeremy's next words.

"And I didn't even have to force her into it."

My eyes kept moving from his face, to Tyler's, to Matt's, and back again.

"What the hell is he talking about, Ty?" I heard from Matt.

"Nothing, man, just ignore him. He's a punk." Before I could say anything to Tyler, Matt cut in.

"You now what, how about all of you shut up and help me find my sister?"

"We'll check the back." Bonnie offered, gesturing to me and Caroline. I followed them through the Grill, taking once last glance back as Matt walked out and Elena pulled Jeremy aside. I made a mental note to call him to check on him later.

Vicki wasn't anywhere in the Grill. Bonnie went off to order us food while Caroline and I got us a table. I was about to text Matt to see if he'd found Vicki when she came walking in, so instead I texted him that she was here.

'That wound looks fresh...' I couldn't helping thinking as we watched Matt re-bandaged Vicki's neck a few minutes later.

"Ugh, it's just so much drama. Ever notice how the druggies are the biggest attention whores?" Caroline asked, pulling my attention away from my thoughts. I looked up as Stefan stepped up to the table.

"Excuse me. Hi."

"Hi." Bonnie responded to him.

"Um, have you guys seen Elena?" He asked.

"I think she went home." Bonnie answered. Stefan started to walk away, but she spoke up again. "I'm gonna give you Elena's cell number and her email. She is big on texting, and you can tell her... I said so." Bonnie finished, writing on a piece of paper and handing it to him.

"Thank you."

As he reached out to take the paper, Bonnie jerked her hand back and stared at him.

"You okay?" He asked, confused by her reaction.

"What happened to you?" Bonnie breathed out, then did a double take and looked at Caroline and me before grabbing her stuff. "That's so rude. I'm sorry. Excuse me."

Stefan and I watched as she walked away, and then looked back at Caroline when she spoke.

"Yeah, she kind of wigs out. It's like her 'thing'."

"I'll see you later, Caroline." I stated, grabbing my purse and walking after Bonnie.

I was about to open the door, but as I got to it, Jeremy was making his way inside.

"Dani, hey. Have you seen Vicki?"

"Yeah, she's here. Stefan found her wandering around town. She tore her stitches open, but she's fine." I explained.

He looked over at Vicki, smiled, and then got a sad look on his face. I followed his gaze and saw her kissing Tyler. He turned and walked back out.

"Wait, Jer... Let me take you home."

"No, it's fine. I'll walk."

"Jeremy Gilbert, you better get your ass in that Tahoe, or else!" I shouted, thankful that no one else was around. He chuckled.

"Yeah? What are you gonna do if I don't?" He managed to crack a smile as he responded.

"I could take you."

"No way. You're too short. And small."

"Is that a challenge?" I asked, readying myself to pounce on him. Before he could say anything, I had him pinned to the ground.

"Okay, okay. You win this time."

I laughed as I stood up, taking his hand and pulling him up next to me.

"And don't you forget it." I winked, getting in my truck. He climbed in next to me and I drove him home.

When I got back to my motel room, I pulled out my school stuff for some much-needed homework time. I heard a cawing noise and looked over at my window, seeing a crow perched right outside it. A shiver ran down my spine as it stared at me. I crumpled a piece of paper and threw it at the window, hoping to scare it off, but it didn't move from its spot. Taking a deep breath, I stood up and pulled the curtain shut, and laughed as I realized just how ridiculous I was being, being scared of a crow.

But I couldn't help but wonder if it was still there, waiting just outside my window, as I was drifting off to sleep.