I really wanted to post this sooner, but I'm just SO horrible at not getting distracted! Ugh...
Anyways, I'm finally getting around to updating! If you're looking for something else to read, I have two suggestions: Empty With You by Blehlove and Bourbon In Your Eyes by jazzywriter22. EWY is a Damon/OC story (so good!) and BIYE is an AU Delena story. I'm not much a fan of AU stories, but BIYE is amazing!

Next on my list of things-to-do-in-an-A/N: SHOUTOUTS!

Blehlove - I love that you review! Each one makes me elated! Once I read you have a Damon/OC story, I went straight to your page to check out Empty With You, and I am SO glad that I did! Looking forward to your next review/PM :)

bbymojo - I'm glad you like Dani! I'm doing my best, and will continue to do my best, to keep from having a perfect OC. It's so much more realistic to have a flawed character! I agree with you 110% that Jeremy deserves some love and happiness. I've already sent you a PM in response to your request on a Jeremy/Dani pairing ;)

Thank you also to heboosh for adding Live, Learn, Life, Love, Die, Dust, Gone to your list of favorites! I really appreciate it!

We are on our way, and it might be a hard way
As long as I'm with you...
Yes, we are on our way, and it might be in harm's way
But as long as I'm with you...

At the end of a long, long day
There is not much more to say
Than, "Love, I'm so glad I met you"

*I'm So Glad – Royal Wood*

Damon covered my mouth with his hand to muffle my scream. He pulled away after a few seconds. His eyes were back to normal, fangs once again hidden, but a small line of crimson liquid ran from the right corner of his lips. A couple of drops fell off of his chin.

Instinctively, I touched my neck, running my fingers lightly over the indentations from his teeth. They were covered in wet, sticky blood. My blood.

I kept opening my mouth, only to close it again. I had no idea what to say, what to think. All I could do was gape at him.

Once the shock of what just happened wore off, I raised my hand and slapped him as hard as I could manage, not even thinking about possibly making the situation worse. Dark red lines were left on his face from the blood on my hand.

"What the hell, Damon?"

Light blue eyes met mine, and for one split second, they flashed with what looked like guilt. Then his face fell blank, devoid of emotion, and he took a step back.

"Be grateful that you're still alive." With a glare, he added, "Consider that a warning."

"A warning for what?"

But he was already gone.

I must have stood there, leaning against the wall, for another ten minutes before forcing myself to move.

I stopped at the sink on my way to the shower to look in the mirror. Two opposing half-moon marks, with the puncture wounds from Damon's fangs, could be seen just a few inches above my collar bone.

My neck was still stinging when I woke up the next morning. The skin was starting to bruise, but it didn't look infected. I'd have to keep an eye on it.

I was awake earlier than I usually was for a Saturday. The stuff that I'd ordered from Bray & Scarff would be delivered and installed today.

After throwing my hair up into a messy bun, I dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt, a pair of dark grey jeans, and black pull-on boots. Black hoop earrings hung from my ears. My nails were painted light grey with a dark grey shatter top coat. I added a light grey scarf to cover the bite mark. A medium sized grey tote bag with black and white stripes would complete my look.

A couple of hours later, I was laying on the floor of my unfurnished living room, legs crossed and propped up against the wall, staring at the ceiling, and completely bored out of my mind. Two men from the appliance store were busy in the kitchen. My cooking range, refrigerator, dishwasher, washer and dryer, microwave, and a few other appliances were all getting installed today.

My phone buzzed with a one-worded text from Jeremy.

'Grill?'

Determined to not let last night's events prevent me from going about my day as I normally would, I glanced at the time before responding that I was on my way. The workers were due for a break anyway.

By the time I got to the restaurant, Jeremy was sitting in a booth, with two glasses of soda and plates of food already on the table. He was staring at something across the room. I walked over to the booth and slid in across from him.

"Hey, Jer."

He didn't say anything.

"Thanks for ordering." I said, setting my bag down on the empty space next to me. His attention didn't stray. I followed his gaze and saw Vicki giving refills to a family sitting at a table on the other side of the restaurant.

"Oh, for the love of... JEREMY!"

I didn't exactly yell his name, but I was loud enough to get his attention. He frowned at me.

"Sorry. I was distracted."

"I noticed." My tone was laced with annoyance.

"How long have you been sitting there?"

"Just for a minute." I waved my hand in dismissal as I said this.

"Okay... What are you doing today?"

"Some of my things arrived. It's all getting installed as we speak."

"Oh, cool. Wanna hang out after? Watch a movie or something?"

"Sure, sounds like fun."

Jeremy told me a lot about his family while we ate. I could tell it was hard for him to do, so I just listened without interrupting him.

His father, Grayson, was a doctor, and had owned a clinic in town with Jeremy's mother, Miranda. They had a lake house that they would use for family trips constantly.

He and Elena were pretty close with each other and with their parents, up until their deaths. That's when he started falling into depression. He didn't mention it, but I could tell that the accident was the cause of his drug use.

He was telling me about one of their disastrous, yet hilarious, game nights when one of the Bray & Scarff guys called. They were almost finished with hooking up the appliances, and needed me to sign the delivery form.

Ten minutes later, I was parked outside of the Gilbert's house. Jeremy started to climb out of the SUV when I grabbed his arm.

"Wanna see where I'll be living?" I could barely contain my excitement. "It won't take long."

"Uh, sure."

I shifted the gear to 'drive' and pulled forward a few feet before shutting the car off.

"What are you doing?"

"SURPRISE!"

He looked confused for a second, and then his jaw dropped.

"No way. You live here?"

I nodded. His face broke out into a huge grin.

"That's awesome! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Trust me, I have been dying to tell you all week, but I wanted to wait and surprise you. There's not much here, but let me show you around."

The house was huge, at least for just one person. The two-story bungalow-style house was painted white, and had blue shutters, lots of windows, and a wrap-around porch. I knew when I first saw it that it'd be mine. It was perfect. My dream house. The best part? It was right next door to Jeremy's.

After a quick tour and a trip to the motel to pick up some of the things I'd bought on my pre-move shopping spree, I let the installers know that if they needed me, they could find me next door.

And then it was my turn to tell Jeremy about my family.

My father, James, was a member of the Navy. He and my mother, Jessica, met when my dad decided to check out the local diner in a small town much like Mystic Falls. My mom was the only waitress working at the late/early hour he'd gone in. He'd used his charms to convince her to join him for breakfast. He became a frequent visitor after that night.

Eventually, they'd fallen for each other and spent every free moment possible with one another. She packed up and moved to wherever he was stationed, just to be with him.

After he retired from the military, they'd settled down in Monterey and decided to start a family. They were perfectly content with just having one child, and they spoiled me like crazy.

We were extremely close. My mother and I worked at the Monterey Marriott hotel together as housekeepers. My father worked as a mechanic. He didn't need to, thanks to all the money he'd saved up since he began his military career, but he couldn't stand the thought of staying at home all the time, doing nothing.

I shared memories of trips that we'd take during summer vacations. I had to change the subject after a while. It was too painful.

So I brought up my best friend: Riley Forbes.

"Forbes, huh? Any chance she's related to Caroline?"

"You know, I hadn't thought to ask, but I probably will next time I talk to either of them. It wouldn't surprise me. They do look like they could be related. Blonde, blue-ish gray eyes, undeniably gorgeous. I'm just glad their personalities are different."

Jeremy raised an eyebrow at that.

"Riley's not a cheerleader, and she's extremely confident. She's as outgoing and girly as Caroline, though."

He chuckled, and then grew thoughtful. It was clear that there was something else he wanted to ask.

"Spit it out, Gilbert."

"Did you have a boyfriend?"

"Yes. Adam Johnson."

"Are you two still... together?"

I laughed at his slight hesitation.

"No. I ended things with him when I figured out where I was moving to. He didn't exactly take it well, but he'll be fine."

"What was he like?"

"Adam was... perfect. Good looking, smart, loyal, trustworthy. He practically worshiped me."

"So why'd you end it?"

"He was a bit too perfect. We hardly ever fought, but out of nowhere, he started becoming angry over little things that never used to bother him. I didn't want to deal with it, so I broke up with him. Then the fire happened... I had to get out of that town."

"Why Mystic Falls? Not that I'm not glad you're here, just curious."

"To be honest, I'd never heard of this place until a couple of months ago." I laughed. "But I was told of a small town very far away from Monterey, California, and I just felt like maybe the universe was trying to tell me that I needed to be here, and so here I am." I smiled at him, earning a smile back. "Enough about me for tonight. What movies do you have?"

The credits were rolling on The Fast And The Furious when a knock sounded on the door. The Bray & Scarff men were finished installing everything. I left the Gilbert house to check on the work they'd done.

The kitchen was perfect: light granite counter tops, dark wood cabinets, kitchen island with a built-in mini-fridge, a breakfast nook, and plenty of space and light.

I tipped the workers and went back to Jeremy's. I knocked, and when the door opened, it was Jenna.

"Danica! Hi. Jeremy just stepped out. He said to tell you that he wouldn't be long."

"Oh, okay. Um... is Elena home?"

"Nope. She's out, too." She let out an exaggerated sigh. "It's just me, all alone in this big empty house, with no one to talk to, and in need of assistance with dinner..."

'Not very subtle, is she?' I thought, chuckling at her false loneliness.

"I wouldn't mind helping you while I wait for Jeremy." I stated, laughing as her face lit up.

"Good. 'Cause I was prepared to drag you inside if I had to."

Ten minutes later, we were in the kitchen, attempting to make the dough for a homemade pizza, and deep in a conversation about what Jeremy and Elena were like growing up.

"So, I gotta know."

"Know what?" I didn't trust the playful grin she was giving me.

"You and Jeremy. Are you two dating?" She asked while we worked on stretching the dough out.

"Why does everyone seem to think that we're dating? Can't a girl be friends with a guy, without anything else going on these days?" I laughed.

"I don't think that's possible anymore. Besides, since you two met, Jeremy seems... I don't know, happier? It's easy to miss, but if you know the guy well enough and you look hard enough, you can see it."

"I think he just really needs a friend right now. Someone who won't judge him for the choices and mistakes he makes while he's figuring things out."

"Do you like him?"

"I like spending time with him. He's funny. And extremely talented. He's just... lost... right now. Which I totally understand. I was the same way when I lost my parents. There just came a day where I thought, 'I can't keep going through this downward spiral.' I think the fact that we have that in common is why Jeremy's able to open up and talk to me about things that he can't with anyone else."

"Do you like like him?"

"I don't think that's something I should be talking to his aunt about." I laughed again while I started slathering marinara sauce on the pizza dough.

"Oh, come on! Think of me as more of a big sister. Who likes to gossip. So spill!"

A throat cleared from the kitchen's entryway, saving me from responding. I looked up to see the guy in question leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, staring at us. I smiled at him while wondering how long he'd been standing there.

"This is where he steals you from me." Jenna explained, nudging me with her elbow.

Jeremy didn't say anything as he walked over to the fridge to grab drinks while I washed the dough and sauce from my hands.

"Thanks for keeping me company, Danica!" Jenna called out as I followed Jeremy up the stairs. He sat down on his desk chair. Hesitantly, I sat on the edge of his bed. The silence was making me uncomfortable.

"Sorry about that. You weren't here when I came back, and your aunt said I could wait with her."

The pop tab on my soda can suddenly became very interesting when he just kept looking at me with a serious expression. Eventually, he set his own drink down on his desk and got up, joining me on the bed. He plopped down on his back and covered his eyes with his arm, letting out a sigh of frustration as his head hit the pillows. I moved so that I was sitting cross-legged and facing him.

"What happened?"

He uncovered his face and tucked his arm behind his head. "Can we just, I don't know... lie here for now? Just for a few minutes?"

He looked so hopeless, I couldn't say no, even if I wanted to. Instead of responding, I stood up to place my soda by his and lay down next to him. After a couple of minutes, he broke the silence.

"It's Vicki."

"I figured." I said, doing my best to not sound irritated. "Wanna talk about it?"

He hesitated before he began.

"She came here. Said she wanted to hang out, but all she wanted was more pills."

He became quiet again, but it was obvious that he had more to say. I waited for him to continue.

"After the accident, being with Vicki was the only thing that kept me going, the only thing that made sense. Now... I just don't get how she can be so into me all summer, but then break it off to go back to King Douche. And she keeps giving me these mixed signals. Like, one minute she's flirting with me, and the next, she wants nothing to do with me."

"This may not be what you want to hear, Jer, but you can do so much better. You deserve to be happy, and to be with someone who likes you for you, not the pharmaceuticals."

He sighed again. I rolled onto my side, propping my head up on my hand.

"What if I don't find someone like that?"

"Trust me, you will. Just give it time. You need to heal still. Once you do, you'll find someone."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Are you kidding? The Jeremy Gilbert that I've gotten to know is a major catch! Any girl would be lucky to just be in your life, let alone be your girlfriend." I winked at him, giving him my biggest smile.

It worked. Jeremy turned his head to look at me. A small smile pulled up the corners of his lips.

"Now, why don't we go blow stuff up?"

A/N: Afterthoughts: Danica's Tahoe is white. The guy I have in mind as Ryan is Steve Talley (Love Bites/Pretty Little Liars). The guy I have in mind for Adam is Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl). The girl I have in mind for Riley is Ashley Benson (PLL).