A/N: And so the plot really begins to pick up! This chapter is a lot longer than the other ones. I'm in university, so the semester starts next week and I'm so sad because I'm having lots of fun writing this story. As always, I hope you enjoy it! If you do, leave a review so that I know:)

Disclaimer: Only Lacey is mine.

Haunted/162 Candles

I've been in a great mood lately. Not only do I have my best friend back, but Halloween is right around the corner. The school is organizing a huge Halloween party, and today everyone is basically ignoring academia and decorating. I don't like parties, but I love Halloween, so I tolerate this one. Besides, tricks? Good. Treats? Good. Tricking people and stealing their treats? Gooood.

Yesterday, I dragged Jeremy costume shopping with me. Vicki is apparently still missing, and despite telling me that she's not important to him anymore, I can tell he's still worried. Elena tells me that he wanted to join the search party for her this morning. I internally roll my eyes. If someone had tried to kill him, I wouldn't worry about their wellbeing, but Jeremy's always been a better person than I.

I snicker to myself as I remember how thrilled he was with the matching costumes I picked out for us.

"Lace, there's just no way I'm wearing this," Jeremy complained.

"You have to… you… promised," I grunt as I yank up the bright red shorts. Finally dressed, I turn to admire myself in the mirror. "You're going to have to help me with my bowtie, though. I've no idea how to tie these things," I state, matter-of-factly.

Unlocking the dressing room, I step out and bang on the door to Jeremy's. "Get out here, Tweedledum. I can't be Tweedledee without you," I croon. I hear the door unlock and Jeremy steps out with an exasperated look on his face.

"Next year, I'm picking our costumes," he says, taking a step toward me to tie my bowtie.

I look up and study his scowling face while he works. "Sure thing, 'Dum," I say. "That's what we agreed on and I never break a promise." Well, none that matter, anyway, but he doesn't need to know that.

A slow smirk spreads its way across his face, making me frown. "I'm thinking slave Leia and Luke Skywalker."

My jaw drops. "Jeremy!" I smack his shoulder. "That would just be uncomfortable. That's so mean."

He raises a brow. "And you think I'm not uncomfortable in bright red shorts, a bright yellow shirt, suspenders, a bowtie, and knee socks?"

"Well, that's… ugh fine. Whatever." Jeremy can think he's won all he wants but come next year I'll find a way to make it be my choice again.

I spy Matt leaning against his locker as I come back to the present. He's talking on his phone and looks upset. I almost go over to offer condolences but hear him say "Vicki," so I decide to stay out of it. I don't want any more problems with her. I head off to look for Jeremy, finding him hanging up cobwebs in the cafeteria. I start plotting to scare him, but he turns around and spots me before I can sneak up on him.

"Ugh, you ruin all my fun, Jer," I pout.

He shakes his head, fondly. "Sure. Hey, I'll give you a boost if you could reach the corner, there."

We work together to finish hanging up all the cobwebs in the box. Standing back to admire our work, we do our old super-duper secret handshake.

Slap. Slap. Twirl. Thump. Bump. Jump. "Wheee!" We screech in unison, drawing judgy looks from the teachers and other students. Losers, the lot of them.

XX

When school is over for the day, Jeremy and I head to my house to hang out before the Halloween party begins. Besides, the costumes are being stored in my room and I know my mom will want to take a bunch of pictures before we head out.

"Hey Dad," I greet, walking in the door.

"Hey Tony," Jeremy calls.

"Lacey," he calls. I stop in my tracks and look over expectantly. "I've got to get to work soon for a meeting, but I wanted to remind you about party rules." He motions me over. Jeremy resumes walking to the kitchen.

I sigh loudly. "Dad, it's a school party. With teacher chaperones and everything! What trouble could a nice, proper gal like me possibly get into?"

He gives me a look.

"Okay, okay, point taken. I'm listening."

"If anybody offers you food or drinks, don't take them. Get all your refreshments from the supervised table. Don't put your drink down. Don't go off to dark corners by yourself. Stick with Jeremy."

"Yes, Dad," I reply. "I'm not a child."

"Good one, honey. Your jokes are getting better every day." He pats my head and walks away. "Your curfew is 10 pm," he calls over his shoulder on the way out the door.

I enter the kitchen to find Jeremy sitting on the counter eating leftover fried rice. I brew my favorite verbena tea for myself and offer some to him, grabbing leftover lasagna as I hop up next to him.

"Nah, you know I don't like tea," he says.

I shrug and take a sip. "You're missing out."

"I miss that, you know," he says.

"Hmm?"

"Parental authority," he explains. "Jenna's great, but she's only a few years older than Elena. I almost forgot what it's like to have that parental protectiveness."

I give him a rueful smile. "You heard my parents, Jer. You're like a son to them, too. I'm sure if you ask them to ground you, they will," I joke quietly.

He gives a short laugh, trying to cover it with a cough. I jump off the counter and hold out my arms to give him a hug.

He wraps his arms around me tightly, resting his head on mine. "I think you got taller, Lace. You're, what, 5 foot 5, now?"

"And a half," I add glumly. "It's that half inch that gets me. That's why I'm always falling over now."

"Oh, that's why? What about when we were kids then? What was the excuse then?"

"…" I pull back and frown up at him. "I don't know what you're talking about. I was super graceful as a child."

"Is that why I had to catch you when you tripped and almost fell into the lion enclosure on the zoo field trip?"

"I told you, I didn't trip. I was jumping in on purpose. I had a dream that I had a pet lion cub, and I was riding it all around town. I was just going to make that dream a reality. Wait- that makes you a dream crusher. You totally crushed my childhood dream!"

"It never would have worked out!" Jeremy defends, holding up his hands. "You would have been eaten alive. You should be thanking me."

I narrow my eyes and scrunch up my nose, placing my hands on my hips and staring at him.

He places his hands on his hip and narrows his eyes, staring back.

I raise my chin and widen my eyes. He copies me again. "Pffft. Yeah, whatever," I mutter. Gotta pick your battles, Lacey. Pick your battles.

"Mark your calendars, everyone! Jeremy has finally beat Lacey in a battle of willpower!" He cheers.

"Yeah, it only took you 10 years, champ," I mutter under my breath, trudging up the stairs to my room with Jeremy trailing after me, considerably peppier than me. "Let's start getting ready for the party."

Two hours later, Mom has finally finished taking pictures and we head out the door. "Remember, bring her back here by 10 pm, Jer," she tells him.

"I will," Jeremy promises. He jogs a few steps to catch up with me and we wave goodbye to my mom as we head down the street. "Have you heard anything from Elena today?" He asks.

"No, why?"

"She got all mad at me this morning for caring about what happened to Vicki," he says.

I internally groan. Really? Again with her?

"I don't want to talk to her, but it would settle my conscious if I knew she was at least okay," he continues, looking forward.

"I'm sure she's fine. I heard Matt talking on the phone with her earlier."

He looks over at me. "Oh. Well, I guess that's good, then." He frowns.

Jumping in front of him, I grab his arms and walk backward. "No frowning. We have the BEST costumes. We look great. We have hours to dance and steal people's candy. Cheer up!"

We arrive at the school to find the party in full swing. We raid the snack tables in the cafeteria for a while and dance to a few songs before deciding to wander about and scope out the other costumes. In the hallway, we find Elena, Stefan, Matt, and Vicki gathered by the lockers. All of a sudden, Matt gets all up in Stefan's face.

"You need to back off, man," Matt says as we walk up.

Elena tries to mediate the situation. "Matt, it's...it's okay."

"No, it's not okay. What the hell is your problem?"

I step in between Matt and Stefan, defending my friend. "Whoa. I don't know what's going on here, but the Stefman would never do anything, Matt. Calm yourself. Deep breaths. In and out."

"You don't know anything, Lacey. He's been bothering Vicki," Matt says.

"I'm sure she deserves it," I huff. "She tried to kill me. Are you forgetting that?"

"I'm trying to help her," Stefan tells Matt, who looks unconvinced.

"Stefan," Elena says. "She's gone. Where did Jeremy go?"

I whirl around to look for Jeremy, but he isn't there. "He was right behind me. He probably followed Vicki when she left."

We all set off to search for the two. A few minutes later, I find myself out in the bus parking lot. I faintly hear Jeremy shouting and follow the sound.

"No! Stop! Vicki! No! Ah!" Jeremy screams.

I find them between some buses. "Hey! Get off him," I shout. Taking off a shoe, I pelt it at Vicki, hitting her square in the head. "Oh, MAN! Did you see that, Jeremy? I have horrible aim! I can't believe I actually hit-"

Vicki shoves Jeremy away, turning towards me.

"No! Lacey, run! Vicki, stop!" Jeremy yells, struggling to get to his feet.

In a second, Vicki is in front of me. Black veins appear around her bloodshot eyes as she grabs me and throws me against a bus, knocking my glasses off my face.

"You're the reason he left me," she shouts. "Stop getting in the way."

I scream as fangs drop from her mouth and she plunges them into my neck. I try to hit her away, but none of my efforts make any impact.

"Lacey!" I hear Elena yell.

Vicki is shoved off me, tearing my skin in the process. I look up to see Stefan holding her back once again. Wow. Déjà vu, much? He looks over at me. "Are you okay, Lacey?" He asks.

I nod, wincing as the motion hurts my shoulder. While he is distracted, Vicki takes off again.

"Elena, take Jeremy and Lacey and get out of here," Stefan demands. "I'll take care of Vicki."

Jeremy helps me up and over to Elena. We start towards the building, but Jeremy and Elena are abruptly shoved away.

Oh, God. She's back. I'm going to die.

Vicki bites into my neck again. I can feel the blood being sucked from my body. Jeremy is screaming Vicki's name, but the sound starts fading and the world turns blurry. Vicki suddenly gasps, letting me go.

I sway on my feet, feeling lightheaded. Someone grabs my arm and steadies me. I lean on the arm until I recover, looking up to see that it belongs to Stefan. Truly, what a guy. I may have to bump Jeremy from the best friend position at this point.

Jeremy starts freaking out, hyperventilating and calling Vicki's name. I frown at him. Seriously? He's worried about Vicki now?

"Stefan," Elena says. "I'm going to bring Jeremy home. Can you get Lacey home safely?"

He nods in response. We both watch as they walk away. He starts to lead me home, but I stop him.

"I need to find my glasses. They fell off when Vicki… yeah. And also my shoe, that I threw at her. Uhm. I'm good here. I think I need to think."

"Are you sure? I can help you," Stefan offers.

"Yeah, I'm good. I just need to, er, process." I look down, messing with my fingers.

The night is quiet once Stefan leaves. I wander between the buses and find my shoe and glasses. I put on my shoe and sigh when I realize one of the lenses in my glasses is cracked. I don't know what possesses me to go back towards Vicki, call it morbid curiosity. I did want the girl dead, after all.

I walk up to her body, seeing her pale grey skin. There are black veins covering all of her skin now, and tracks of tears running down her face. She looks peaceful in death. I kneel down, feeling the urge to poke her and see what her face feels like.

"What's this now?"

I jerk my finger back at the sound of a familiar voice. I look up to see Damon looking at me expectantly.

"What are you doing here still, little girl?"

I glare up at him. "I was getting my glasses," I say. I take them off and attempt to rub the crack away. "As you can see," I explain, holding them up. "They aren't much good anymore." I squint in his direction, unable to make out his face. "And then I got curious and wanted to know what a dead body felt like." I shrug.

"Huh," he says and takes my glasses right out of my hands, studying them. "Don't stop on my account then." He gestures to the body, urging me forward.

I roll my eyes but make my way over and poke Vicki's cheek. It's cold and hard. I stand up and walk back over to Damon, lifting my finger to poke his cheek.

He smacks it away, glaring. "What are you doing?"

"I'm comparing what dead dead vs undead feels like, duh," I say. "I should think it's rather obvious."

He looks at me, surprised. "You know," he states.

I give him a look.

"How?"

"I'm not stupid, you know. You're Stefan's brother. Stefan could easily hold back Vicki. Vicki literally drank my blood and died from a wooden stake."

"Right," he says. He looks down at Vicki and back at me. "You aren't freaked out?"

"Why would I be?"

He seems surprised by my flippant attitude. "I was the one that turned her," he blithely states, crossing his arms and standing up straighter. It's like he's expecting me to be mad or something.

"Damon, how could you?" I shout.

"And there it is," he groans.

"Why would you try to subject the world to multiple lifetimes of her? You were really going to make her live forever. Ugh. That is monstrous behavior, you're right. You should have just snapped her neck at first sight," I grouse.

Damon stares at me for a while, mouth gaping.

"Ah, well. All's well that ends well, I suppose. I've wanted her dead for a while now. Today is a good day," I beam.

If it's possible, his jaw drops even more. After a few seconds, he closes it, forming a smirk. "Your boyfriend is not quite so blasé as you, from what I gather."

"Who?" I ask, befuddled. "I have a boyfriend? Why wasn't I aware of this?"

"Jeremy," Damon says slowly. "It's been made very clear I'm supposed to leave Elena's brother and you alone."

I can't help it. I burst out laughing. "Jeremy is not my boyfriend." I make a face. "He's my best friend, but that's it."

"Does he know that?" Damon smirks again.

"Please," I scoff. "Jeremy is all about Vicki. Well, he was." I can't help myself from smiling. "He can find someone better now. That makes me happy."

"You know what? I like you, Lacey."

"Of course you do," I say. "Everyone does."

"Little full of yourself, there."

"No, I just speak the truth. People who say they don't like me only pretend not to."

"Mmm. You're delusional too," Damon continues.

"Whatever you say," I brush him off. "Can I get my glasses back now?" He hands them to me. I put them on, sighing at the crack in my vision. "So, what are you going to do with the body?"

"I'm going to get rid of it."

"How?"

"I don't know, throw it in the woods or something. Why do you care?"

"Ugh, Damon! That's no fun. And also, someone could find it there. Can we burn it?"

"We?"

I do one of my signature concussion-inducing nods. "WAIT. What time is it?" I ask.

"Almost 9:45," Damon responds. "Why? You gonna turn into a pumpkin at midnight?"

"No, actually. That's going to happen at 10. I'm never getting home in time. AGH! That's it. I'm dead. You should just kill me now. At least my death will have brought some joy to someone that way."

"Death isn't exactly supposed to bring joy," Damon says, disbelievingly.

"And that's one of the many things that makes me special," I proclaim. "Now, I'll be trying to get home now. Don't think you're off my hit list, though, Damion."

"How about if you quit calling me Damion, I'll get you home in time," he offers.

I only have to think about it for 0.2 seconds before I'm agreeing. This is the most exciting thing to ever happen to me in my entire life. "A piggyback ride from a vampire! I can't pass that up. Your wish has been granted. From now on and thenceforth you shall be called Damon."

Damon shakes his head, but I can tell he's holding back a smile. "Let me just get this body out of here first. Be back in a second," he says, hauling Vicki's body onto his shoulders.

"Don't forget to set it on fire!" I call after him.

"Yeah, yeah," I hear him mutter before whisking off in the direction of the woods.

While I wait, I sing quietly to myself and shuffle my feet along to the music I hear in my head. "Put your head on my SHOOUUULLDEERRR. Hold me in your arms, baby."

I'm surprised by a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around me and turn around to confront the culprit, only to find Damon smirking down at me. "Your wish is my command, lovely."

I roll my eyes, blushing slightly. "Nope. You wish, buddy," I retort. "Piggyback ride time?"

Damon releases me and turns around, holding his arms out. I jump onto his back, and he wraps his arms around the bottom of my thighs. "Hold on tight," he says.

The world blurs around us as he takes off. In seconds, we are standing on the walkway to my house. I jump down and stumble on my feet, tipping over. I hear laughing and glare up at Damon only to find nobody there. I look around, but he's already left. Sighing, I brace my hands on the ground and heave myself up with a loud groan. I make my way inside, glancing at the clock. 9:57. Just in time.

I head straight for the shower to clean up my wound before my mom can see me. The water stings and I hold back a cry of pain. One of the benefits of having doctors as parents is the well-stocked first aid kit. After drying off, I apply ointment and a gauze pad, securing it with a large bandage.

I pull on a loose t-shirt, pajama shorts, and fuzzy socks. I know Mom would have heard the bathroom door close to know I'm home, but I poke my head in her room to say good night.

"Did you have a good time tonight, sweetie?" She asks, looking up from her book.

"Yeah," I say. "Got to eat lots of food. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to steal anyone's treats, though."

"You'll get 'em next time," she laughs.

"Don't I know it," I say while making finger guns and clicking my tongue. "Well, I just wanted to say good night. Sleep tight!"

"You too, sweetie."

I close the door and walk down the hall to my bedroom. What a night. I feel like I should be freaking out about the existence of vampires and, you know, seeing someone get staked, but I can't bring myself to care that much. It's not like I liked Vicki, and I read Twilight so many times when it came out that I thought it was actually the real world at one point. Now, it basically is. Except without the sparkling-type vampires. Or the werewolves. Wait, what if there are werewolves?

Tap. Tap.

Something hits my window, startling me. I cross over to it and peer out to see Damon standing there, throwing pebbles. He motions to come down, so I hold up a finger to tell him one minute and quietly make my way downstairs.

I open the front door and see him standing there, a regretful smile on his face. I send him a questioning look and step back, motioning him to come inside. "I'll need an invitation to come in," he says.

I blink, then chuckle quietly. "That's quite a polite custom that just doesn't suit you, Damon. But come on in."

He steps inside. "In the future, might wanna be careful who you invite in."

I nod and put my finger to my lips, motioning that he needs to be quiet. I lead him to my room and close the door. "Was there something you needed? Is Stefan okay?" I ask, sitting down on my bed.

Damon looks annoyed for a moment before wiping his face blank. "St. Stefan is fine, as always," he says tightly. "Listen," he sighs. "I've already been to see Jeremy, which, I just have to say, was a nuisance," he comments. "He was losing it, insisting that he just had to go see if you were okay."

"Aw," I coo. "He's a good best friend."

"Mhm," Damon hums. "Anyway, Elena asked me to do something, and then sent me here to do the same to you."

"Uhm… okay? What are you supposed to do?"

He steps up to me, looking down with an expression that I can't quite decipher. "I don't know why I'm doing this," he mutters under his breath. Meeting my gaze intensely, he takes a deep breath. "You will forget what happened tonight. Vicki left town and she's not coming back. You're happy but feel bad for Jeremy. You and little Gilbert had fun together until you got hit with someone's costume sword and decided to call it a night. He walked you home."

He takes a step back, looking at me. Wow, look at those eyes. I've never seen ones prettier. And black hair too. What a combo. And I thought my amber eyes were nice. 'Course I got the boring brown-on-brown combo. I was so lost in his eyes and in my train of thought that it almost didn't register what he was saying.

"Damon," I stand up and take a step closer. "I can't just forget what happened, but I promise I won't tell anyone." I smile softly and reach out to give his arm a reassuring pat.

He jerks back, a look of astonishment coming over him. With narrowed eyes, he glances at my neck and wrists, searching for something. He comes closer, pushing my hair behind my ears. "Are you wearing vervain?" He asks.

I laugh nervously, confused at his sudden intensity. "Ahaha no. Is my shirt stained or something?" I grab my shirt and inspect it closely. It looks fine to me. Well, my glasses are broken. Maybe I just can't see the stain.

"What?" Damon asks. He looks bewildered.

"Well. I mean, how else would I be wearing vervain if it's not a tea stain?"

"You drink vervain tea?"

"Mhm. Well, it's called verbena tea. That's what the box says. But it's the same thing," I wave my hand. "Why? Need some tea recs? I've got tons, I drink it by the gallon. Seriously. Look at my mug," I say pointing to the 24 oz mug on my nightstand. "Oh look. There's still some verbena tea in it, actually." I go over and take a sip, scrunching up my face at the cold drink.

Damon bursts out laughing.

My eyes widen in alarm, and I lunge at him, covering his mouth with my hand. "Sshhhh!" I glance at my door, listening for my mom. When I don't hear anything, I let out a breath of relief. "My mom is right next door," I whisper.

He motions that he's not going to laugh anymore, so I cautiously take my hand away from his mouth but keep it raised in case I need to smack some sense into him. "You are so clueless, that's what makes this so great," he says quietly. I put my hand down and look at him curiously. "Vervain is dangerous to vampires. It burns us. And if a human wears it, or in your case drinks it, they become immune to our compulsion," he explains.

"Compulsion?"

"Mind control. We can make you do whatever we want," he smirks and takes a step closer, trailing a hand down my arm.

I take a moment to absorb that information. I guess I don't need to worry as long as I keep drinking verbena tea. Apparently, I need to brush up on my vampire knowledge. "So, you have super speed, strength, mind control… can you eat human food?" I ask.

"Yep."

"I guess you don't burn in the sun, huh?"

"Well, Stefan and I don't. We have special rings." He holds up his hand and wiggles his fingers, showing off the gaudiest ring I have ever seen. I get closer and take his hand in mine, inspecting it closely. The Salvatore crest is on it.

"That's very Twilight-esque, Damon," I comment, knowing it will annoy him. "All the Cullens wear the family crest on jewelry. I'm surprised you don't sparkle."

He scoffs. "Please don't bring that up again. Twilight gave vamps everywhere a bad rep." He pulls his hand from mine and tilts his head, studying me.

I stare back, rocking back and forth on my heels with my hands behind my back. After a few seconds of this, I start glancing around, feeling slightly uncomfortable. I bring my hands back in front of me to play with and look down at them.

Damon reaches out and places a hand under my chin, lifting it up. I look up to see him gazing at my bandage. He lightly runs his hand over it and looks back at my eyes. "I can heal this for you," he murmurs. "If you want."

I look quizzically at him.

"Vampire blood heals humans," he explains.

"Oh." I ponder briefly about how sanitary that is but shrug it off. The magical healing blood would probably just cancel out whatever germs there may be. Besides, vampires are dead. Not viable hosts and all that science-y stuff I learned about but already forgot. "Okay, sure," I agree "Gimme some of the good stuff." Better than dealing with covering up the bandage for a week or more.

Damon brings his wrist to his mouth and bites into it, offering it to me. Slowly, I reach up and take it, glancing up at him hesitantly before bringing it to my mouth. While I drink, he slowly removes the bandage from my neck.

When his wrist closes back up, I draw back, feeling my shoulder with my hand to feel smooth skin. I grin in wonder, looking up at Damon to find him staring at my mouth. "Damon?"

He reaches out and brushes the corner of my mouth with his thumb, pulling it back to reveal a drop of blood. With a smirk, he pops it in his mouth.

My jaw drops. "Oh you," I sputter out. "You… You can't do that!" I hide my face, hearing him laugh lowly.

"But I enjoy getting this reaction from you," he teases. "I should go, though." He turns to leave, opening the window. "Just," he hesitates. "Pretend you don't remember anything, will you? Jeremy doesn't and Elena was very adamant about doing the same to you."

I bite my lip. It will be hard to keep that kind of thing from Jeremy. I can't do that. I look to Damon. "I can pretend for Elena, but I won't be able to hide this from Jeremy. I don't have a brain-to-mouth filter. Hiding things just doesn't work out."

He nods, understandingly. "He may not believe you. But just make sure he doesn't tell Elena anything either." With one last undiscernible look at me, he disappears out my window.

I amble my way over to the glass, staring out into the woods behind my house. I smile thinking of how different Damon is from what I first thought. My heart feels warm at the thought. Maybe it's the psychosis, but I swear I see him standing inside the tree line looking back.

XX

I wake up feeling refreshed. It must be the vampire blood. Which reminds me, Damon. I giggle and lace my fingers together, bringing my hands up to my chest. I let myself roll around my bed for a while before climbing out. It's Saturday, so I don't have to worry about school. I simply change into another pair of pajamas for the day, choosing a granny nightgown. They're really comfortable and I couldn't care less about what people may say. They clearly lack a sense of fashion.

Clambering down to the kitchen, I see a note from my parents. They've gone to a medical conference and have left money for pizza tonight. I put the kettle on and prepare a mug with earl grey tea.

While I sip, I munch on some grapes and check my phone. Jeremy asks if I feel okay after being whacked with that costume sword last night. My stomach drops.

I don't know how he'll react when I tell him about what really happened and what Elena had Damon do to him. I don't even know how to begin explaining it to him, especially since he remembers a completely different story. I know I have to try, though. Otherwise, it'll just be torture trying to hold my tongue. I'd probably literally have to resort to doing that.

As I'm pouring my tea, I hear a light knock at the front door. "Coming!" I call out.

I power walk my way to the front door. Whew. Work it. Gotta get in that exercise somewhere, am I right? I peer through the peephole to see Damon standing there looking towards the street. He turns around when I open the door.

I stare at his face. How does someone this beautiful exist? I'm melting. I don't know what the Wicked Witch of the West was screaming about, melting is a positively jubilant experience. I snap out of my daze when he starts talking.

"Good morning, grandma," he snickers.

I glance down at my nightgown and smirk. Putting on my best granny voice, I decide to humor him. "Well, hello there, sonny boy. Did ya bring my cup of sugar?"

Damon guffaws. After a minute, he gathers himself, seeming surprised at his outburst. "I just came to tell you that the Sheriff is bringing in everyone close with Vicki for questioning on her disappearance. I don't know if that will include you, but I thought you should know just in case."

"Ah, good idea. But there was no need, really. I'm the world's best liar," I brag. "I can come up with lies on the spot. Go on, test me."

"Yeah, I don't think that's necessary," Damon drawls. "I don't think anybody actually listens to anything you say. I don't know why I even came here." He leans a hand against the doorframe, looking so handsome it makes me swoon.

"Would you like to come in for some tea?" I blurt out.

"I can't stay. Got a brother's life to ruin, you know the deal." He stands up straight and takes a step back. "I just came to let you know about Sheriff Forbes, but this was a complete waste of my time, so…"

I try to hide the pang of hurt I feel at his words, but it must show on my face because his own softens in response. "I'll see you later, Lace," he offers with a smile before walking away.

XX

I spend the whole morning watching Friends reruns while waiting around for a phone call from Sheriff Forbes that never comes. Jeremy texts me that he had to go give a statement, though. I ask if he wants to hang out, but he wants to spend the day catching up on all the homework he's been slacking on. I don't have anything to do since I've been keeping on top of everything from day one. Even worse, we're all out of Cheetos.

I agree to meet up with Jeremy at the Grill later that evening. Apparently, Caroline is throwing a party that is doubling as Stefan's birthday bash. Seeing as it's a pleasantly sunny day outside, I decide to kill two birds with one stone and walk to the grocery store for some fresh air.

Putting on my headphones and grabbing a tote bag, I stroll down the sidewalk. It's a bit of a long walk, but I like it. Listening to music when I'm walking makes me feel like I'm in a movie. I put on my epic playlist and get in a super dramatic mood, staring into the distance like there's a camera filming me in slow motion. I take huge, overexaggerated steps, closing my eyes for a moment to imagine the setting more clearly.

I start to rehearse my conversation with Jeremy for the hundredth time. I plan on just laying it all on him at once. Ah, yes. The famous rip-the-bandage-off method.

That's not the method Damon used last night when taking off the bandage on my neck.

"Ahh," I sigh aloud. I have to face the reality that I am crushing hard. I've always been the fall-in-love-at-first-sight kind of gal. It causes me much agony and suffering. Elena doesn't like Damon very much, though. I wonder if our friendship would be ruined if I expressed an interest in him, or if she would get Jeremy to tell me off.

Oh, who am I kidding? There's no way Damon would ever go for me. I'm probably just an annoying kid to him, anyway. I smack my face. "Snap out of it!" I scold myself. I've always been confident in myself before. I don't know why I'm being so self-conscious now. Gathering myself, I change to a happy playlist and continue on my way.

XX

I walk into the Grill that evening, scanning the crowd. It looks like any other evening at the Grill, maybe a few more people. Stefan is playing pool with a blonde girl that I've never seen before, Elena staring wistfully across the room. The two look awfully close and happy together, so I take pity on Elena. I'm about to walk towards her when Jeremy walks up.

"Hey, Lace. I already ordered your usual." He leads me to a booth and sits down.

Deciding that now is as good a time as any, I sit down hurriedly and place both my palms on the table, leaning forward to make sure nobody overhears. "There's something you need to know, Jer," I surreptitiously glance around. "Vicki didn't leave town."

He stares at me blankly.

"She got turned into a vampire, Jer. And then she tried to kill me, but Stefan staked her. You were all freaked out like 'GAHHH,' so Damon mind-controlled you to forget. Because he and Stefan are also vamp brothers. And you just think she left town on a drug trip, but now you know the real story." I sit back, pleased with my work, while Jeremy just looks back at me.

"You know," he starts, then pauses. "Sure, Lace." He grins and gives me a thumbs up. "You okay after getting the blood sucked out of you?"

Well, that was easier than I thought. I smile back. See, this is why Jeremy is my best friend. He's just so considerate. "Yeah. I'm all good now," I reply. "Damon gave me some of his blood and it healed me right up."

"Good, good." He squints at me. "You need new glasses. How can you see anything?"

"I can't," I whine. "But I don't have another pair and I couldn't get an appointment until next week."

"You're in luck," he says, digging through his bag. "I found these at my house. I guess you left them there a while ago." He presents one of my old pairs of glasses.

"These are my favorite!" I exclaim happily. I got them from my mom, who got them some time in the '80s. They're purple-framed and have huge, thick lenses. Taking off my cracked pair, I put on the old pair. These babies never break. I could stomp on them in stilettos and they still wouldn't crack.

Jeremy laughs. "Well, there's one problem solved." He pulls out a notebook from his backpack. "But here's another one. I didn't get to finish all my work earlier, so I brought it with me. I hope you don't mind," he says. "I also wanted your help with my math. You're freaky good with numbers for someone so…" He trails off.

I raise my left brow, accusingly.

"Smart," he finishes.

"Good answer," I approve. "Hand the math here."

While he works on an English essay, I start working out his equations in my best handwriting so that it almost matches his. I write out explanations in my own messy scrawl on a separate piece of paper so he can review them later. I finish in just a few minutes and look around the Grill. Stefan's mystery friend is now at the bar with Damon, and he and Elena are talking with their heads together over by the entrance.

I dunk a fry in a pool of ketchup and pop it in my mouth. "Mmmmffffff," I moan. "So good," I mumble with my mouth full. I take a spoon and pour some ketchup into it, licking it clean just as the doors open.

Sheriff Forbes walks in with a girl, flanked by two of her deputies. They scan the crowd, gaze narrowing in Damon's direction. They push their way towards him, and I stand up, panicked, grabbing the ketchup bottle to use as a weapon if need be. Did they find out he's a vampire? This is not good.

Jeremy touches my arm to get my attention. "What's wrong?" He asks, but I'm too distracted to give a response.

One of the officers injects the blonde girl with a syringe, and she immediately droops. Much to my relief, they don't seem to pay any attention to Damon. They hold the girl between them and lead her out of the restaurant. I look over to see Stefan and Elena hurriedly pushing through the crowd, worried expressions on their faces.

I turn back to Jeremy, who is trying to follow my gaze. "I don't know what's going on," I explain. "I'll be right back."

"Wait," he calls, but I'm already darting past people to the doors.

I spin around, looking for anything out of the ordinary outside, but there's nothing out of place and no one to be seen. I hear a gun being fired around the corner and dash around to see the blonde girl advancing towards Sheriff Forbes. My eyes widen when Damon shows up and shoves a stake through her.

I hide around the corner when I see them moving toward the police car. A hand lands on my left shoulder, and I hold in a shriek. I close my eyes and blindly squeeze the ketchup bottle aiming over my left shoulder.

"Oh, gross!" I hear Jeremy shout in disgust. "What the hell is going on?" He demands.

Whoops. I turn to him. "Count Chocula is upset that Frankenberry is the favorite, so he's declared war on Mystic Falls."

"She's right." Damon appears beside me, resting his arm on my shoulder. He stares Jeremy down, smirking at his thoroughly ketchupped shirt. "Let's not forget about poor Boo Berry, though. Nice aim, by the way, tiger."

Jeremy glowers at Damon, trying to knock his arm off me. "Don't touch her." He grabs my wrist and pulls me towards him. "You murdered that girl from the bar. And the Sheriff is in on it? I don't know what's going on here, but you're going to leave Lacey alone."

"Ouch. Hey, not so hard, Jer," I complain.

Damon crosses his arms, taking a step forward so he's right behind me. I am very distracted by the feeling of our arms touching, but he doesn't take his eyes off Jeremy. "You're right," he sneers. "You don't know what's going on here. So you shouldn't pretend to be Mr. Tough Guy."

Jeremy lets go of me, mirroring Damon's stance. "Then explain it to me. Why did you kill that girl? Why did the Sheriff let you?"

"Jeremy!" I interrupt. "I told you about the vampires. That girl was a vampire. She shriveled up and turned all grey and veiny, didn't you see? I'm sure she was evil or something and that's why he did it," I explain.

Damon winces, finally breaking the staring contest that he and Jeremy have going on to look down at me. "Yeah, about that. She… mm. She didn't do anything, per se, but the Sheriff was getting a little too close to discovering my little secret. She was my cover-up plan. Worked like a charm too."

I blink up at him. Slowly, I break out into laughter. Soon it turns into a full-out maniacal giggle.

Jeremy and Damon both look at me like I've lost my mind and share a wary glance.

"Bwahahaha, oh man," I manage to get out. "Stefan's gonna kill you!" I break out in laughter again. "You better run and hide, Damon. Run fast and run far."

He scoffs, looking affronted. "As if he could take me, princess. He only drinks animal blood."

"Wait, wait, wait," Jeremy begins. "Let me get this straight." He glances between me and Damon. "This guy and Stefan are vampires. Vicki didn't leave on a drug trip, she's dead. Sheriff Forbes knows about vampires. And now he," he motions to Damon, "is hunting other vampires to hide his identity. Did I miss anything?"

I look up at Damon, who turns to meet my gaze. He shakes his head slightly. "Nope," I say, popping the 'p.' "You got it all."

He puts a hand to his forehead. "I can't believe any of this is real. This is insane." Straightening up, he furrows his brows. "Why did you take my memory of the Halloween party away?" He asks Damon.

"That would be your sister's fault," he replies. "She begged me to, said you wouldn't be able to handle the supernatural."

Jeremy gives a short laugh. "Unbelievable."

"She also asked me to erase Lacey's memory, but someone just so happens to drink vervain tea for fun." Damon elbows me and I almost fall over. Catching my balance, I glare at him, about to give a witty retort. He puts a finger to my lips, stopping me. "That'll have to wait. Sheriff Forbes requires my attention," he says.

He looks at me for a moment and winks. I watch his back as he strides to meet the Sheriff by her car. What an attractive walk he has.

I look back to Jeremy to find him studying me closely. "You like him," he accuses.

"What," I sputter. "Ha. That's funny, Jer. Good one. Not even close to my comic mastery, though. Keep trying, buddy."

He rolls his eyes as I flounder for an excuse. "Come on," he says, leading me away. "You've gotta get home now. And bright and early tomorrow I'll be expecting more of an explanation on all this vampire business."

"Aye, aye, captain!" I mock salute.