Hey guys! I am so sorry about the wait - I have been super busy of late, but I'm back now. I hope to start posting again more regular. I am also working on another story, keep your eye out for it if you like this one. Sorry again guys, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

TVD 3

The Aftermath

Stefan has just left to check on Elena, leaving me here with Damon, Bonnie and Caroline. I can tell that they now know what happened upstairs as they keep throwing sympathetic glances my way.

"I'm going to go and get a blood bag from the basement. I'll be back in a little bit." I announce as I walk out the living-room.

"Did you really hit her with a strap, Damon?" I hear Caroline ask. "How could you do such a thing?" She says without waiting for Damon to confirm nor deny.

"Shut up, Blondie! What are you still doing here anyway? Shouldn't you have left with Stefan?"

"If you think I'm going to leave you alone with Sophia after what you just did, you're even dumber than you look." Caroline replied.

I finish the blood bag and I almost feel myself again. The burning, throbbing sensation in my butt is just a slight tingle now. I decide to have another bag before I return to the living-room, just for good measure.

Nobody has moved so much as an inch when I get back.

"How are you feeling?" Caroline asks me.

"I'm good now, thanks!" I tell her.

"Can I ask you a question?" Bonnie says.

"Sure. Fire away."

"How did you know that was Katherine?"

"I'm ashamed to admit this but I idolised her back in 1864. She was everything I wanted to be, or at least the person she portrayed was. She was smart, funny and very pretty. She had the men, including both of my brothers, falling at her feet. Even our father adored her until he found out what she was. Sometimes I would just stare at her, memorising her facial expressions, her movements, the way she stood, even the way she battered her eyelids. I wanted to be just like her. When I came home, I knew it was her straight away."

"It's a good thing you did, because we would never have guessed it wasn't Elena. They look exactly alike for Christ's sake!" Caroline admits.

"Well can you imagine my shock when I first met Elena? I was ready to go all Jackie Chan on her ass, right there and then."

"Speaking of Elena, maybe I should call and make sure everything is ok. Stefan should be there now, right? I think he will be. It doesn't take that long to get to hers from here, does it?" Caroline can talk a mile a minute.

"Caroline... Breathe!" Bonnie instructs her.

"Why? Am I talking too much? Yeah, I'm am aren't I?" She continues.

"Caroline!" Bonnie gives her the 'are you actually kidding me right now' look.

"Sorry. I'll stop now."

"Huh-hmm" I clear my throat so both Bonnie and Caroline will look at me. "Why don't you guys go and check on Elena. She is your friend, you should be there." I suggest to them. Normally I would just tell them to go home, but they think they're doing me a good deed by staying, which is kinda sweet.

"No, it's ok, Stefan is there. We will go and see her when he gets back." Caroline says.

"You don't have to stick around for my benefit." I tell them. "I am perfectly fine here. I'm just going to go to bed anyway. It's been a long day!"

They both take the hint and stand up to leave.

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asks me.

"Positive." I reply. Caroline scribbles something on a piece of paper that was on the table.

"Here is my cell number, home number and email address. Call or text me if you need anything." Caroline instructs me.

"I will, and thanks!" I give them a genuine smile.

"We'll see you tomorrow." Bonnie says from by the front door. "Come on Caroline."

"Ok, I'm coming." She gives me a brief hug and follows Bonnie out the door, closing it behind her.

I go to the kitchen to get a glass of water to take to bed. As I pass back through the living-room to get to the stairs, I notice Damon watching my every move.

"Can I speak with you for a minute, before you go to bed?" He asks me.

"Not now, Damon."

"Please, Sophia? It won't take long."

"I said - not now, Damon. Goodnight!" I keep walking, neither of us saying another word.

Once in my room, the past couple of hours replay over again in my head. I keep trying to figure out the same three questions that keep popping up in my mind. Why the hell is she even back here after all this time? What does she really want? And most importantly, how could Damon hurt me the way he did?

My phone rings, so I check the caller ID hoping it's not Caroline. It's Stefan.

"Hello?"

"Hey Soph, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. How's Elena?" I ask.

"She's sleeping, like Katherine said, but she's ok."

"That's good."

"I was just phoning up to let you know I'll be home in about an hour or so, but if you need me, I'll come now?" He can be so sweet when he wants to be.

"No, stay there. Everything is fine here. Don't rush back on my account."

"Ok. Call me if you need anything!"

"I will do. Bye Stef."

"Bye Soph."

I put my phone back on the nightstand and lay down, bringing my covers all the way up to my chin, even though I'm not cold.

I have been laying here for over an hour and no matter how hard I try, I cannot get to sleep. Feeling a bit annoyed with myself, I kick the covers to the bottom of the bed. Where is that man from the museum when you need him?

There is still no sign of Stefan. I really hope he comes home soon as I could do with him taking my mind off of everything. All this silence is deafening. Maybe a movie will take my mind off things?

I slot the DVD into the player before getting comfy on the sofa, or at least trying too.

"What are you watching?" A small voice somewhere to my left asks.

"The Lost Boys" I tell him. I just love Kiefer Sutherland's character 'David'.

"Do you mind if I watch it with you?"

"You don't need my permission to watch the TV, Damon."

"I know, but..." He doesn't finish his sentence, opting to quietly take a seat on the opposite sofa instead.

We got to the scene in the movie when all the vampires and Michael are dangling from the bars, poking out from under the train track sleepers, and the train crosses the bridge and they all drop in to the fog. It's my favourite scene, the only problem is - I can't enjoy it. The atmosphere is tense and really awkward. I don't like it.

Damon hasn't said a word since he sat down, although I can tell he wants to. Normally when we watch a movie, Damon does his own running commentary. Every scene has some kind of sarcastic comment or funny quip. But not this time.

"Okay, spit it out." I tell him.

"What do you mean?" Damon replies.

"Don't play dumb - it doesn't suit you. I can see your sideways glances. Just tell me whatever it is that you want to say?"

He gets up off the sofa and comes over to the one I am laying on. Lifting up my feet, he sits down and then places them on his lap before patting my leg twice. I immediately move them so I am hugging them to my chest. He sighs and looks at his ring, twiddling it with him thumb and forefinger.

"I just want to say I'm sorry. I have never been so sorry in my entire life!" He tells me.

"You know, that's the second time in as many weeks you have apologised for hurting me. Why should I accept your apology this time? How do I know it's not going to happen again?" My questions hung heavy in the air, whilst he ponders about what I said.

"All I can do is promise that I will never do that again! You have to trust me on that." Is he joking me right now? I mean, I love him to death but he's not exactly the most trustworthy guy on the planet. He's far too selfish.

"Trust is earned, Damon, not demanded!"

"I know. What can I do to prove it to you? I'll do whatever it takes." He turns himself round, raising his left leg on to the couch so he is directly facing me.

"That's just it, I don't know anymore." I stand up to leave,

"Please Sophia..." I don't even acknowledge that he has spoken as I make my way back to my bedroom, quietly grabbing his car keys as I pass.

Once in my room, I head straight for my closet. I gather a few days worth of clothes into a bag before heading over to my desk. I write a quick note for Stefan, and leave it on my nightstand, before I stealthily jump out of my window. I just need to get away for a few days, and what better way to go than to take Damon's beloved Camaro? I know I'm asking for trouble, but right now, I just don't care!

I know I won't have long to flee in the car. As soon as Damon hears the engine starting he will fly out of the boarding house, ready to attack whoever has dared to touch it. I throw my bag on the passenger seat. As soon as I am ready, I start the engine and put my foot down. I am half way down the drive in under 30 second. Man I love this car. No wonder it Damon's pride and joy.

I haven't thought far enough ahead as to where I am going, but anywhere is better then here right now. After driving for over an hour, I pass a service station and decide to pull in. The massive, lit up M, is way too inviting.

Collecting my order of a Big Mac, fries and large coke, I slip on to a seat before pulling my phone out of my pocket and turning it on. It immediately starts buzzing away. 13 missed calls, 5 voicemails and 4 text messages. I decide to listen to the voicemails first.

1. "Sophia, where the fuck are you? You had better get back here now with my car!"

2. "Sophia, you are in so much trouble little girl. Get home!"

3. "You had better answer this phone, Sophia. You are royally pissing me off right now. You know better than to ignore my calls!"

4. "I get it. You're mad and this is your way of getting me back. You've made your point, come home. Now."

5. "Sophia, I'm sorry, ok? Just come home. I'm not even bothered that you took my car, just come back."

Do I look like I was born yesterday? He's "not bothered that I took his car," yeah right! I'm not even going to bother reading the texts. I can imagine that they say the same kind of things. I turn my phone back off and return it to my pocket. I finish my food before going back to the car, filling it up with gas before I leave.

After a few hours of driving, my eyelids are starting to become heavy. I pull over to the side of the road and once again, retrieve my phone so I can Google the nearest hotel. Luckily for me, there is one 7 miles down the road.

Arriving at the hotel, I am far from impressed. It looks seedy, but as long as it doesn't smell and the sheets are clean, it will do for the night.

I am pleasantly surprised upon entering the room, it's actually quite cute. It's spacious with a king sized bed, lemon decor, floral canvases randomly placed around the room and a flat screen TV on the wall. Changing into my pyjamas, I lay on the bed and do a bit of channel hopping. The stations are limited and I can't find a thing of interest to watch. Typical!

I turn my phone back on, immediately putting it on flight mode, and open my iBooks app to continue reading Twilight. A little bit of Edward Cullen sounds pretty good right now. Before I know it, it's 2:40am. My eyelids are heavy and my eyes are stinging. Plugging my iPhone in, so it's fully charged when I wake up, I place it on the nightstand before drifting off for a much needed sleep.

I wake up at 5:32am to someone knocking. Groggily, I climb out of bed and make my way over to the door.

"Hello," I yawn as I open the door. "Oh, shit!" I exclaim as my eyes focus on Damon. I immediately try to shut the door.

"Ooh, no you don't," he's says whilst pushing from the other side, forcing it open.

"Damon, I..." I start to say before he cuts me off.

"Get your stuff, we're going home." He barges right past me. I do as I'm told, not wanting to make matters worse for myself. Grabbing all of my things and not bothering to change out of my PJ's, I head for the door.

Strangely, Damon hasn't said anything else to me. I don't know whether I should be afraid or not? He doesn't look pissed at me. I wonder how he got here, with me having his car and all? I doubt he has ran. I don't have to wonder too long as I see Stefan standing next to Ricks white Tahoe. He looks extremely pissed!

"Sophia, what the hell were you thinking?" He asks, giving me a look that had me instantly squirming.

"I'm sorry, I just..." I tried to explain.

"Save it and get in the car. We will talk about it when we get home." He turns his back to me and opens the drivers door.

Considering how pissed off he is, I don't feel like sitting in a car with him for a few hours - I'd rather pull my fangs out!

"Um, I think I'll ride with Damon." I say. Even though I'm still angry at him, I'd much rather be in his car than with Stefan right now. I turn to go and get into Damon's car, when I suddenly feel Stefan grab my arm and give me an almighty swat on my rear.

"OOOW! What the..." I cry out, both of my hand flying back to protect my butt from any further assault.

"Don't push me, Sophia! Get in the car now!" He warns me, pulling me back to Ricks Tahoe and shoving me on to the passenger seat.

Talk about awkward! I've tried to start a conversation a couple of times, but Stefan has silenced me with - "don't" or "save it," and a simple but effective hand held up in a 'shut your mouth right now' gesture. I'm not even going to waste my time trying again, so I opt for laying my chair back to try and catch some Z's.

I fell asleep - eventually - but I was woken up as soon as we got back to the Boarding House. It feels like I've been asleep for about 10 minutes. Obviously, Damon is already home, the speed demon! I slowly make my way inside, dreading what is to come.

Damon is sitting on the sofa facing the front door, unsurprisingly, with a glass of bourbon in his hand.

"What kept you, brother? Did you get lost?" He jokes to Stefan. Again, Stefan grabs my arm and pulls me toward the other sofa.

"Don't Damon, I'm so not in the mood right now." He tells him. He points at me with a 'don't even start' expression. "You, sit." He orders me.

"Would you care to explain to me what was running through your head last night, when you decided to just take off?" He asks me, with his arms folded across his chest and his eye almost bulging out of their sockets.

"I'm sorry, Stefan! I just had to get away for a couple of days. Everything was just too much for me to handle." I answer honestly.

"If you felt that bad, why didn't you tell me when I phoned you? I would've came home sooner and sat with you." His whole demeanour changed as he said it.

I immediately feel guilty, knowing he is right. I should've just told him my head was all messed up but I didn't want him rushing back from Elena's because of me.

"I don't know. In hindsight, I should have but I wasn't thinking straight." I continue to be honest. There is no point lying, because they always know. "I'm so sorry, Stefan!"

"So, what happens now?" I ask. I want to know what my punishment will be so I can get it over with and forget the last 24 hours.

"Two things. First off, you're grounded for a week." He informs me. "That means you are confined to your room except for school and eating. Secondly, I want you to hand over your phone until further notice."

"You can't be serious?" I interrupt him. I am a teenager, my phone is like my pacemaker. "You can't take my phone off me!"

"I can and I am! Hand it over." He stands over me, his hand out waiting for me to put my phone on to it. I reluctantly hand it over.

"Can't I just have a spanking instead, get it over and done with?" I ask him. "It's not fair!"

"No! But feel free to carry on and I'll add a spanking to your punishments, as well?" He says whilst putting my phone into his pocket.

"Is that it? Can I go to my room now?" I ask, trying to keep my attitude at bay.

"Yes, that's it, you can go. Do you want something to eat first?" Jekyll and Hyde pops into my head.

"I'm not hungry." I huff as I get up to leave. "Wait..." I look back at the both of them, "How did you find me so fast?"

The question hadn't occurred to me before now. I could've been anywhere, gone in any direction, yet they found me in a couple of hours. It was Damon who answered me.

"I spoke to Liz and told her you had ran away. I asked her to check and see if your credit card had been used. Luckily for us, you used it in McDonald's and that dump you booked yourself in to." He gives me his signature smirk, and a wink to go with it.

"Seriously? That's how you found me so quick? Damn! My morality really is a curse!" Damon laughed at my statement. I could've easily compelled my burger and room, but stealing is so not my thing.

"No baby girl, your morality is what makes you special!" I look Damon straight into his eyes, slowly walking over to him.

"Stef... Has Damon got a doppelgänger? Because I think he has been swapped too!" I joke. Damon doesn't do sweet. We all laugh.

"Make the most of it, cos it's neeever gonna happen again!" He jokes back.

It's been a couple of hours since Stefan grounded me to my room, and I'm already losing my mind. I have sorted my closet, rearranged my drawers and alphabetised my books. I have even changed all of my sheets, again. There is nothing left to do in here. Normally I would just mess around on my phone and chat to friends, but that's not an option seeing as though Stefan confiscated it.

I can't even partake in my favourite pastime - reading - because I am being forced to be in here, so I can't concentrate enough to enjoy it. I just keep trying to come up with a way to escape this dumb bedroom arrest.

Walking down the stairs, I can here Damon and Stefan talking in the kitchen. I can't make out what they are saying as they are speaking in hushed tones. This is a major red alert to me! What don't they want me to know? I press my ear against the kitchen door, and strain to try and make out what they're saying, but even with my vampire hearing the only thing I hear is Stefan - and that only because he didn't whisper - say "it's Katherine we're talking about. You know her as well as I do, she won't stop till she gets what she wants!"

Katherine, I might have guessed. What has she done now?

"What's for dinner? I'm starving!" I ask as I walk in the kitchen. They both cease talking immediately.

"Um, I don't know. What would you like?" Stefan asks, walking over to the fridge.

"Anything. I'm not really bothered." I tell him.

"How about spaghetti bolognese?" He offers.

"Sounds good to me!"

Stefan cracks on with making dinner, whilst Damon and I just sit in silence watching him.

"So... What's Katherine up to?" Both of my brothers stare at me like I've got two heads. "What?" I ask. Not understanding what the looks are about.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?" Stefan says.

"Because I've just heard you both talking about her. I'm not deaf you know."

"It's nothing that concerns you!" Damon says, trying to put an end to the subject.

"Whatever!" I roll my eyes at him.

Why are they always like this? When it comes to Katherine, everyone is concerned!

"How is Elena? Is she awake yet?" I ask, changing the subject.

"No, not yet. Bonnie thinks she has found a spell to break the compulsion. She is going to try it out later."

"So the witch is good for something then?" Damon laughs. "Does that mean you will be going out later?" I ask him, hoping it will be sooner rather than later. His hawk eyes are making me nervous.

"Yes, I will. But Damon will be here so don't be getting any ideas. I don't want you going out alone." He warns me.

"I can't go out anyway. Grounded, remember?"

"I know. But I also know you!"

What can I say? He's right - he does know me. Too well!

Stefan has been gone only 20 minutes when I receive a text on my 'secret mobile'. I know there is a possibility that my phone will be confiscated, and like any other teenager these days - I cannot go a day without a phone! My friends know that if my phone is off, to try this one. The text is off Sarah.

*text messages*

"Hey gurl! fancy cumin 2 a party at the Lockwood's w/ me?"

"Awwww I can't! I stole D's car y/day, so now I'm on lock down. Bummer!"

"No way! Really? Haha ur crazy! Can't u sneak out? I won't b ne fun w/out u... & Jeremy's goin!"

"Wait... Jeremy's goin? Ooooh ur killin me here! I'm cumin... B there ASAP! C u soon gurl! ?"

What am I thinking? Stefan is going to kill me! But how can I not go? Jeremy is cute! Is he cute enough to risk a hiding if I get caught? Scrap that... WHEN I get caught? Hell yeah! Anyway, it will only be for an hour or so. I should be back way before Stefan gets home.

For the second day on the run, I am once again jumping out of my window, only this time I know exactly where I'm going.

I'm in the woods, half way to the Lockwood's estate when I here twigs snapping behind me. I stop as fast as I can, skidding a little. Spinning around a really hope it isn't Damon or Stefan. After a few 360 turns, I don't see anything. It's probably my imagination. I start running again when I hear the noise again.

"Hello...? Is anybody there?" I shout out. Katherine comes sauntering towards me.

"Katherine," I spit. Her name really does leave a nasty taste in my mouth. "What the fuck do you want?"

"Now, now, Sophia... Is that anyway to speak to your elder?" She smirks at me.

"Go to hell!" I tell her as I walk past her.

In a split second, she is blocking my way, standing way too close.

"Where are you going in such a rush?" She asks me, tilting her head to the side.

"What the fucks it got to do with you? Move!" I shove her back, away from me, and sent her crashing in to a tree. She is on her feet in a heartbeat and she looks pissed.

"You little..." She grabs me by the arm and pulls me close to her. "I could rip you heart out and paint my nails at the same time. You wanna watch yourself!" She threatens me.

"Then do it, or fuck off." I tell her, trying to keep any fear out of my voice.

"You think you're so tough, don't you? You know, you should give me more respect considering I gave you this life." She is circling me know, like a predator to his prey.

"Hahahaha!" I laugh out loud. "You're nothing but an evil vampire slut who destroys everyone's lives. You don't deserve any respect!"

I have obviously hit a nerve because she's practically foaming at the mouth. It's my turn to smirk now, knowing I have got to her for the first time ever. She grabs me again, an evil look taking over her face.

"You think you're so smart, don't you? You're nothing but a little brat who needs to be put in her place."

She roughly drags me along side her. I don't know where she is taking me, but I'm starting to feel a bit scared.

"What are you doing? Get off me, now!" I say, trying to pry her hand off of my arm. She doesn't answer me.

We come to a halt next to a tree stump where she swiftly raises her left leg and places it on the stump, before unceremoniously dumping me over her lap. I immediately start kicking and screaming at her, knowing now what her intensions are.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING? GET THE FUCK OFF ME! YOU CANT DO THIS!" I yell at her, the panic clearly evident in my tone.

"Can't I? Because it seems like I am." She says as she lands the first swat.

"AAAAARGH! STOP!" I scream. She doesn't. My legs scissor kicking and my arms are flaying everywhere, trying to grab hold of something... Anything I can use to help me get off of her lap as she continues to pepper my behind. Each spank is like nothing I have ever felt before. They are at least twice as hard as Damon's hardest.

"Sh-shit... St-st-stop... PLEASE...!" I beg. The smacks are coming thick and fast. There is no break in between each one. The burn is so intense, I can barely breathe. She has only been spanking me for about 30 seconds, but it feels so much longer. She must have swatted me over one hundred times already. There is not a single spot of my bum, sit spots or thighs that are free of the sting.

"Oooooow. Pl-plea-se... Aargh... No-no mo-more... I'm so-sorry!" As soon as I finish saying sorry, she stops spanking me and pushed me off of her lap, and I hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. I curl up and sob uncontrollably.

It's taken me two full minutes of none-stop sobbing before I can get a hold of myself. The embarrassment and shame I am feeling right now, makes me wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole.

With my breathing not quite right, and my face stained with tears, I look up to Katherine who is hovering above me. She is once again smirking at me. Bitch!

"Always remember this little girl... I am much older and stronger than you, and next time I won't stop so easily." She warns me. I look down towards the ground, trying to hide my tears, not wanting to give her even more satisfaction than she is already feeling.

It's another 2 maybe 3 minutes before my tears have completely stopped and my breathing is back to normal, besides the occasional sniffle.

"Hmmmm what should I do with you now?" The cocky cow says as she folds her arms across her chest, continuing to stare through me. I don't answer her. Self preservation has finally kicked in.

I watch as she pulls her phone out of her pocket, and scrolls through it before putting it up to her ear.

"Hello?" I hear a familiar voice say.

"Hi Stefan..." She responds. My mouth pops open as my eyes go wide.

"Katherine. What the hell do you want?" He snarls at her.

"It's good to speak to you too, Stefan."

"Quit playing around, Katherine. Tell me what you want, or I'm hanging up." He tells her.

"Mmmm you're so hot when you're angry!" She purrs. I roll my eyes at her. "I just thought you would like to know that I have Sophia here with me. I found her wondering around in the woods on her own." She tells him, completely grassing me up.

"SHE WHAT?" Stefan yells down the phone, "where are you? I'm on my way!" He informs her.

That's it... I'm official dead. Stefan is going to kill me!