Damon looked around the room. The typical mortal party; he was just wondering when the clown was going to show up with the balloons. Well, at least it had been until Gena had been caught snogging with some British guy. Damon knew who he was as soon as he saw him. It was that English guy who had seduced his sister back in the old country.

'Well, now we know were his body went too.'

That had been a mystery for five centuries; now he knew that there were no grave robbers, like previously thought. The two just up and left in the night as the living dead.

Gavin had been furious when he walked in on the two. Well, Zoe wasn't too happy either. The four walked into the house together to talk or yell.

Then there's Matt. Everyone had lost contact with him after graduation, not that Damon ever wanted to have contact with him in the first place. They were all in complete shock when he waltzed into the room. Apparently, Matt knew Gavin because he had moved to Gav's hometown after graduation and the two became really good friends.

'Well this is turning out to be one piss hole of a reunion.'

He was happy when they finally put on some real music so people could start dancing. What he couldn't believe was Meredith. Damon couldn't believe how much she'd grown up since Fell's Church. She was no longer an introverted, strong teenager; she was now an enduring, beautiful woman. She was dancing with some guy that lived down the street, and she was dancing rather provocatively. He didn't seem to be the only one to notice; Stefan, Elena, Bonnie, and Matt were looking in complete shock.

'Well, at least I can play with her a bit,' Damon thought to himself.

He approached her and sent the boy she was dancing with away. Damon pulled Meredith closer to him and started to dance with her.

"Hey!" she said, "I was dancing with him and I don't want to dance with you."

"But, do you really have a choice?"

"Oh please, DA-mon! Yes, I have a choice; I don't dance with losers. Let me go before I get really pissed off!" She pushed him away and headed back over to her table.

Damon followed her and looked at the table. Six empty martini glasses were on the counter and one full martini was in her hand. She was sitting down, resting her head on her free hand. He cautiously sat down across from her.

"What are you doing here," she asked in slurred speech.

"I'm wondering when you turned into such a lush."

She glared at him, her eyes hazy.

"I'm sorry if I'm not like every other girl fawning over you. Sure you're probably one of the best looking guys I've EVER seen, but you can be such an ass!" She paused to take another sip. "Dark, short, handsome, chauvinist pigs just aren't my type."

He had never seen Meredith that way before. If any other person called him that, he would definitely hurt them. But this, it was almost sad. It wasn't even fun to mess with her in this condition. She had been the only one not afraid of him, ever. She always stood her ground and was strong. The woman who sat across from him now was not the same. She was defeated, sad. There wasn't a word for the depth of sadness she emitted.

Damon looked at her and the empty vessels again, and his gentlemen side took over.

"Meredith, I think you've had enough. It's time to go home," he said and offered her his hand. She pushed it away from her; the sudden movement almost caused her to fall off her chair. With her hands, she found the edge of the table and made herself upright again.

"I'm fine Damon. A few drinks won't kill me. Just leave me alone and go find some other girl to bother." She laid her head on the table and called for the bartender to give her another one.

He was starting to get really impatient with her.

'Yeah, a few drinks won't kill her, but the eight that she drank would. But, then again, what do I care if this little human dies?'

"Meredith, that was not a request. You are not going to embarrass my family by acting this way at a party. I'm going to escort you home right now!"

"You're ordering me to go home," Meredith said, looking directly into Damon's dark eyes. She started laughing hysterically. "You know, you do have a rotten sense of humor, Damon." She stood up on wobbly legs to face him. "I'm a grown woman, and I can do what I want, and I choose to stay here by myself."

"That's not in the plan, Mere," Damon said.

Meredith was furious. She was mad at Damon for being himself, mad at God, mad at Alaric for leaving her, mad at the world! She wanted to kick and scream and tell everyone that she was unhappy. But not her, she never showed her true feelings; until now.

She looked up at Damon and moved forward. Meredith used all of her strength and pushed her body weight into him, in an ill attempt to knock him over. She felt him moving back and then she felt arms on her shoulders. Her foot found a wet patch of grass and she felt her inebriated body falling backwards in slow motion. On the way to the ground, her head hit the corner of the decorated table.

Meredith laid on the ground feeling sick to her stomach. Her head was throbbing with pain. She wasn't aware of what was going on, only making out occasional words out of full sentences.

"….a little to drink tonight…"

"….she seemed alright earlier…"

"….is she ok…."

"….take her home…."

Before she knew it, she was in strong arms being held and carried away.