Previously on Chloe Gilbert:
I wish I didn't have to return home. But I had no choice. I had to save her and I had to find out more about her.
"What's your name?" I asked him.
"Damon." He introduced. "And yours?"
"Chloe."
"I'm Elena."
"I'm Stefan." He introduced.
"I know."
"Last spring. . . my parents' car drove off of a bridge into the lake."
Elena walked to the cemetery to write in her journal close to her parents grave like she had been since they were buried.
"You won't be sad forever, Elena." He told her and she smiled up at him.
My sister and I didn't really get along. We had never really been close and while I shared death experience gave us something in common, it only drove us apart.
"Chloe, pretty much hates me. Especially after our parents died." Elena told him.
"I don't believe she hates you." He told her.
"You'd be the only one." She said.
"I live with my uncle."
"Any siblings?" I asked him.
"None that I talk to."
"Hello, brother." Damon greeted, smirking.
"Damon." Stefan said, turning to the balcony.
"Chloe. She's a dead ringer for Anna"
"Wherever you go, people die." Stefan told him.
"Oh, god, it's Vicki!" Jeremy told us.
"Something bit her." I said.
"She's losing a lot of blood." Elena added.
She suddenly gasped, getting in as much air as she could.
"Somebody help!" Elena called out, getting everyone's attention.
"Vampire."
"Don't you crave a little?" Damon asked him, hitting him forcing Stefan to be pushed back.
"Stop it." Stefan told him.
"Let's do it. let's just go straight for Chloe and Elena." Damon said.
"Stop it!" Stefan roared.
"Imagine what their blood tastes like!" Damon told him and Stefan looked away from him as his face fully transformed. Eyes red, black veins under his eyes and fangs protruding from his mouth.
"Stop!" Stefan yelled turning to Damon and rushing him, throwing them both out of the window.
"Stay away from Chloe." Stefan told him.
"I'll take that as an invitation." Damon told him.
A man and a woman were camping in the forest just outside of Mystic Falls and unknown to them, fog was descending around their tent.
"Hey. Did you hear that?" the woman asked her boyfriend, stopping the heavy make out session.
"Hear what?" he asked her.
"I heard thunder." She told him.
"There's no thunder." He said.
"Are you sure? Because if it rains, then we won't be able to see the comet." She reminded him.
"It's not gonna rain. Listen, I. . .got you a little something. It's back in the car. Don't you move." He told her before getting up.
"Stay dry." She told him.
"It's not gonna rain." He told her before leaving the tent. After a moment a dripping noise pounded on the tent and the woman smiled in triumph.
"I knew it! I told you it was gonna rain!" she said getting up and leaving the tent. When she got out she looked around, not feeling the rain she'd heard. She turned to look at the tent, the beam from the flashlight slowly turning with her. She saw a dark red liquid and followed the drips up to see her boyfriend in the tree, dead. She screamed and immediately ran for her car, hoping to stay safe there. "Open! No! Please!" she begged but the car was locked. Suddenly, the car beeped as the doors unlocked making her stop and look around nervously. Someone dropped from the trees and killed her.
Elena and Stefan each sat in their own rooms at their respective houses writing in their journals to start their days.
Dear diary, this morning is. . .different. There is change. I can sense it, feel it.
I'm awake. For the first time in a long time, I feel completely and undeniably wide awake.
For once, I don't regret the day before it begins.
I welcome the day. . .
Because I know. . .
I will see her again.
I will see him again. For the first time in a long time, I feel good.
I looked at myself in the mirror, making sure I was ready for school. I had on a white sleeveless top with red designs on it to look like I was wearing a necklace. I wore a red blazer over it. White pants and cream heels completed the outfit and a red purse made me ready for the day.
"Do I look adult? As in respectfully parental?" I heard Jenna ask from the bathroom. I walked outside my room to see her and Elena standing in the bathroom.
"Depends on where you're going." Elena told her as I joined them.
"Jeremy's parent-teacher conference. Hair up or down?" She asked. She bundled her hair up on her head with her hands and I took a good look.
"Sexy stewardess." I assessed and she let it down. " Boozy housewife."
"Up it is." She said, getting what she needed for her hair. "You two are feisty today."
"I feel good, which is rare. So I've decided to go with it. Fly free, walk on the sunshine, and all that stuff." Elena told us walking back to her room with a smile.
"It's a new guy thing." I said glancing into Jeremy's room. "Where is Jeremy?"
"He left early. Something about getting to wood shop early to finish a birdhouse." She told me before pausing at the look I was giving her. "There is no wood shop, is there?"
"No." I told her.
"Yeah."
At Mystic Falls Hospital, Jeremy stood outside Vicki's room watching her.
"You can't be in here, hon. Visiting hours don't start till 9:00." The nurse told him.
"I just. . .how is she?" Jeremy asked her.
"She's lost a lot of blood." The nurse reminded him.
"Yeah, but she's gonna be OK, right?" Jeremy asked her.
"She needs her rest. So you come back later. Come on." The nurse walked him out and he went to school.
In light of the comet coming into our line of sight, Mr. Tanner was telling us everything he was supposed to about it. As he spoke, Elena and Stefan were gazing at each other, which annoyed me and made Bonnie happy.
"Originally discovered nearly 5 centuries ago, it hasn't been over Mystic Falls in over 145 years. Now, the comet will be its brightest right after dusk during tomorrow's celebration. Are we bothering you, Mr. Salvatore? Ms. Gilbert?" I smirked at them getting caught and having to drop their gazes from each other as Mr. Tanner continued with the lesson before the bell rang.
"I brought it." Stefan told Elena as they walked down the school hallway, him handing her a book. "Told you."
""Wuthering Heights" by Ellis Bell. You know, I can't believe she didn't use her real name." Elena told him.
"All the Bronte sisters used pseudonyms. It was the time. Female writers weren't very accepted then." Stefan told her.
"Where did you get it?" she asked him.
"Uh, it was passed down. Through the family." He lied to her. He hated it but he feared the day when she would know who he really was, what he really was.
"Ah." She said, nodding.
"I have lots of books. Go ahead. Keep it." He told her.
"Oh, no. I. . .but I would like to read it again. I promise I'll give it back." She told him smiling.
"Ok." He said, returning her smile.
"I'm confused. Are you psychic or clairvoyant?" Caroline asked Bonnie as the three of us walked down the hallway together.
"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." She told us laughing.
"Yeah, well, feel free to conjure up the name and number of that guy from last night." Caroline told her.
"Or the last name and number of the guy I met in the woods." I said with a smile.
"I didn't see them, you two did. Why didn't you just talk to him?" she asked us.
"I don't know. I was drunk." Caroline told her laughing.
"I did talk to him. Last names and numbers just weren't exchanged." I said and they both laughed at me.
Outside the school Jeremy walked straight for Tyler, who was chatting up some blonde.
"Hey, Tyler. Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt. I was just wondering how Vicki's doing, since you guys are so close. Is she ok?" Jeremy asked, knowing he'd hadn't gone to see her.
"She's fine. Now get out of here." Tyler told him.
"How bad is she? Do they know what attacked her? Is she going to make a full recovery? Was she happy to see you? What room number was she in?" Jeremy asked him.
"I'm gonna kick your ass." Tyler told him.
"Yeah, you keep saying that, but when are you actually going to do it? Huh? 'Cause I vote for right here and right now." Jeremy said before shoving Tyler.
"Walk away, Gilbert. It's your final warning." Tyler warned him.
"No, this is your final warning, dick. I'm sick of watching you play Vicki. If you hurt her one more time, I swear to God, I will kill you." Jeremy warned him before leaving.
"Damn, that was like a death threat." Tyler said turning to the girls beside him. "Did you hear that?"
"They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection, but she should be able to come home tomorrow." Matt told Elena and I as we walked.
"That's good news." Elena told him.
"Yeah." He agreed.
"Did you get in touch with your mom?" I asked him.
"Called and left a message. She's in Virginia Beach with her boyfriend, so. . .we'll see how long it takes her to come rushing home." Matt said sarcastically.
"Vicki's lucky that she's ok." Elena told him and I rolled my eyes. She didn't like Vicki cause she always thought she was better than her friends sister.
"I know, and now there's talk of some missing campers." Matt said.
"Did she say what kind of animal it was that attacked her?" I asked him.
"She said it was a vampire." He told us with a smile, signaling he didn't believe it.
"What?" Elena and I asked with a laugh.
"Yeah, she wakes up last night and mutters "vampire" and then passes out." Matt told us.
"OK, that is weird." Elena said.
"I think she was drunk. So what's up with you and the new guy?" Matt asked her.
"Matt, the last thing that I want to do is hurt you." She told him.
"You know, I'm. . .I'm actually gonna go back to the hospital. I want to be there when Vicki wakes up, get the real story about last night." He told us before leaving.
In the History classroom Jenna sat in one of the desks with Mr. Tenner in front of her.
"As Jeremy's teacher, I'm concerned. All right? It's the third day of school and he's skipped six of his classes." Mr. Tanner told her.
"Mr. Tanner, are you aware that Jeremy, Elena and Chloe's parents died?" Jenna asked him, leaning forward.
"Four months ago, a great loss. Car accident. Wickery bridge, if I remember correctly. And you're related to the family how? The, uh, mother's kid sister?" Mr. Tanner asked, looking at a file on his desk.
"Younger sister." She corrected.
"Right." He said.
"Yes. Six classes? Are you sure? I mean, that's kind of hard to do." She told him.
"Not when you're on drugs. It's his attempt at coping, Ms. Summers. And the signs are there. He's moody, withdrawn, argumentative, hungover. Are there any other relatives in the picture?" he asked her.
"I'm their sole guardian." She said, sitting up straighter.
"Uh-huh. Could there be?" he asked her and she grew angry and hurt at his words.
"What are you suggesting, exactly?" she asked him.
"It's an impossible job, isn't it, raising three teens?" he asked her.
"It's been tough, but, no, it's not." She told him honestly.
"Wrong answer. It is an extremely impossible job, and anything less and you're not doing it properly." He told her.
At the hospital , Matt was once again waiting for Vicki to wake up, but when she did she woke screaming.
"Whoa! Vick. Vicki, hey. Vick, it's Matt. Hey, what's wrong?" he asked her, trying to control her.
"No! No! Get off! No! No! No!" She screamed, terrified.
"Nurse!" Matt ran for a nurse and Stefan, who'd been waiting for him to leave her alone. He was able to quiet her struggles and looked deep into her eyes.
"It was an animal that attacked you. It came out of the night and jumped you. You blacked out. It's all you remember." Stefan told her.
"It's all I remember." Vicki said.
"An animal attacked you. You blacked out. It's all you remember." Stefan repeated.
"It's all I remember." She repeated.
"Nurse! I need help! It's my sister." Matt told her at the Nurse's Station and they rushed back to her room to see Vicki asleep.
"She seems fine." The nurse told him. Matt turned and watched Stefan walking out of the hallway and followed him. leaving. Stefan entered a room with blood donors and blood bags. His face started to change, but he left as quickly as possible. Matt entered the same room and looked for Stefan but couldn't find him.
"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." Bonnie told us at the Grill as we prepared fliers for the comet.
"Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens." Caroline said sarcastically before turning to Elena. "So then what?"
"So then nothing." Elena told her and she gave her a look.
"You and Stefan talked all night? There was no sloppy first kiss or touchy feely of any kind?" Caroline asked her.
"Nope. We didn't go there." Elena told her.
"Not even a handshake? I mean, Elena, we are your friends. Ok? You are supposed to share the smut." Caroline reminded her.
"She isn't lying, Care." I told her. "I would have heard her if anything happened since the walls were a touch thin.
"We just talked for hours." Elena said.
"OK, what is with the blockage? Just jump his bones already! Ok, it's easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex!" Caroline said with a smile.
"Profound." Elena said, folding a paper before getting a look on her face and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked her.
"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 going to do." Elena said grabbing her belongings and leaving.
"Bye then." I said waving with a smile.
"Why don't you go with her?" Bonnie asked me.
"And listen to the ramblings of two love sick teens? I don't think so." I said.
Jenna was in the kitchen of the Gilbert home when Jeremy walked in.
"I picked up dinner. Tacos. I had an urge for guacamole." She told him.
"No, I'm good, thanks." Jeremy told her.
"Eat anyway. It's a ruse. I want to talk." She told him. He didn't listen and started to leave again. "Hey, you! Come. Sit." Jeremy rolled his eyes but sat down at the island. "Back in school, freshman year, I could eat my weight in nachos, with extra cheese. It was my munchie food whenever I got stoned."
"You get high?" Jeremy asked, smiling at her.
"Did. Past tense. But, yeah. Loved it. Anything to get a little distraction from life. . .reality. And it worked. For a while. Never lasts, though." She said, going to the fridge. Jeremy saw his chance to leave and took it. "Hey, I'm not saying I wouldn't love to rail back and kick it, but with a thesis looming and a waistline expanding. . ." Jenna looked up and sighed once she learned he was gone.
At the Hospital Matt was sleeping in a chair next to his sister's bed. Vicki was sitting up in bed, her lunch in front of her, and grabbed the jello on her tray and threw it at Matt. Matt jumped and looked around before looking at the jello cup.
"What the. . ." Matt asked.
"Finally you're awake." Vicki said with a smile.
"Hey. How are you feeling? You look better. I was worried before. You really had me freaked out with all that screaming." He told her.
"Wait, what are you talking about?" she asked him, confused by his words.
"You don't remember?" he asked her and she shook her head.
"I feel fine." She insisted.
"Good, good. Doctor said you could come home tomorrow. Vick, what attacked you in the woods?" he asked her and she hesitated before answering.
"An animal. What else could it have been?" she asked him. They both looked to the door as Jeremy walked in.
"Hey. How do you feel?" Jeremy asked her with a smile at seeing her awake.
"I'm OK." She told him.
"I. . .I'm gonna. . .I'm gonna go grab a coffee. Hey, Jer." Matt said before leaving the room.
"Why are you here?" she asked him.
"I just wanted to see how you were doing." He told her.
"Did you see that look on Matt's face? That was suspicion. I don't want people to find out about us, Jeremy." Vicki told him.
"Well, you gotta get over that." Jeremy told her.
"Tyler is finally showing some interest." Vicki reminded him.
"You have to get over that, too. Do you see Mr. Concerned? Tyler? Are you under there? No." Jeremy said looking under the bed, making her laugh.
"It's not cool for people to know. Ok? I'm older than you, and Matt and Elena would freak." Vicki told him.
"No one's going to suspect anything. Why wouldn't I check on you? I mean, I'm the one who found you." Jeremy told her and she looked at him with a small smile, shocked.
"You are?" she asked.
"Yeah, I carried you out of the woods." Jeremy told her.
"Thank you." Vicki said, her smile growing.
"Yeah, you're welcome." He said, returning his smile.
I was walking the town square, headed to the woods when I saw Stefan walking to me. I smiled and waved at him which he returned.
"Stefan. My sister just went to see you at your house." I told him and his smile faltered.
"When?" he asked me.
"Not to long ago, why?" I asked him.
"My brother came back into town." He said.
"One of the siblings you don't talk to?" I asked him with a smirk.
"The only sibling." He told me and I nodded.
"Would he hurt her?" I asked him.
"You don't have to worry about that. I won't let him hurt her." He assured me and I smirked at him.
"I don't care about her." I told him. "But there are always people who always stand in front of the bullet for her."
"Do you really not care?" he asked me.
"Why should I?" I asked him. "She the good twin: the one who can do no wrong. I'm the darker half: the one who does everything wrong. So why should I care about her?"
"She's your sister." He said.
"She's my other half. Two parts of the same soul, some would say. We are destined to either hate each other or die for each other." I told him.
"And you choose to hate her?" he asked me confused.
"I choose not to die for her. If I die, I will die for me and me alone." I told him. "Want me to join you in finding my sister?" I asked him.
"If you like." He told me.
At the Salvatore Boarding House Elena went to the front door and knocked making it open on its own and walked in.
"Stefan?" she called as she moved into the large house. "Stefan?" A crow flew into the house and she turned to try and look at it to see Damon standing behind her. "I. . .I'm sorry for barging in. The door was. . .open." she turned to the door to find it closed.
"You must be Elena. I'm Damon, Stefan's brother." He introduced himself.
"He didn't tell me he had a brother." She told him.
"Well, Stefan's not one to brag. Please, come. I'm sure Stefan will be along any second." Damon told her. They walked into the living room and her mouth opened in shock.
"Wow. This is your living room?" she asked looking around.
"Living room, parlor, Sotheby's auction. It's a little kitschy for my taste. I see why my brother's so smitten. It's about time. For a while there, I never thought he'd get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him." Damon told her.
"The last one?" Elena asked him, not liking the direction of this conversation.
"Yeah. Katherine, his girlfriend?" Damon said before looking at her. "Oh, you two haven't had the awkward exes conversation yet."
"Nope." Elena told him.
"Oops. Well, I'm sure it'll come up now. Or maybe he didn't want to tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound. We all know how those relationships end." Damon said with a smirk that reminded Elena of her sister.
"You say it like every relationship is doomed to end." Elena said to him.
"I'm a fatalist." Damon told her. "Hello, Stefan." They both turned to see me and Stefan. I stared at the man I ran into in the woods.
"Elena. I didn't know you were coming over." Stefan told her.
"I know. I should have called, I just. . . Chloe, what are doing with Stefan?" she asked me.
"I asked to join Stefan in coming to get you. Let's go home." I told her.
"Oh, don't be silly. You're both welcome to stay or come over any time. Aren't they, Stefan? You know, I should break out the family photo albums or some home movies. But. . .I have to warn you. He wasn't always such a looker." Damon told us.
"Thank you for stopping by, Elena. Nice to see you." Stefan said with a smile on his face.
"We need to go, Elena." I insisted.
"Yeah, I should probably go. It was nice to meet you, Damon." Elena told him.
"Great meeting you, too, Elena." Damon said. Elena started walking to me but Stefan blocked her way staring at his brother.
"Stefan. . . .Stefan?" Elena asked him. Stefan moved and Elena left.
"Nice to see you again, Damon." I said following her out of the house.
"Great gals. Whoo. She's got spunk. You, on the other hand, look pooped. Did you over-exert yourself today? Let me guess… hospital." Damon asked him.
"Someone had to clean up your mess." Stefan told him.
"Well, were you successful? Did the powers of persuasion work? Remember, if you don't feed properly, none of those little tricks work right." Damon said, pouring himself a drink.
"How long was Elena here?" Stefan asked his brother.
"Were you worried, Stefan? Scared we may be doomed to repeat the past? Isn't that why you play your little game, "I'm a high school human"?" Damon asked him.
"I'm not playing any game." Stefan told him.
"Of course you are. We both know the closest you'll ever get to humanity is when you rip it open and feed on it." Damon reminded him.
"What kind of game are you playing, Damon?" Stefan asked him finally.
"Guess you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" Damon asked him.
Elena and I made it home in silence; thinking about what we'd learned today. Damon, the man I'd met in the woods, was my sisters romantic interest's brother. At least I knew his last name now.
"He's on the rebound and has raging family issues." Elena said as we got ready for dinner in the kitchen.
"Well, at least it's an ex-girlfriend. Wait till you date a guy with mommy issues or cheating issues. Or amphetamine issues." Jenna told her, making them both laugh.
"Or lying issues." I added to them and they both gave me a curious look. We heard someone walk into the house and we looked to see Jeremy.
"Jeremy? Jeremy, where were you?" Jenna asked him, walking up to him as he walked up the stairs.
"More stoner stories? Look, Jenna, I get it, you were cool. And so that's. . .that's cool." Jeremy said before walking up the stairs again.
"Oh, no, no, no!" Jenna threw an apple at him and he stopped and turned to her.
"Ow! Why? Why. . .why did you do that?" he asked her.
"Listen up! Quit ditching class or you're grounded. No discussion." Jenna told him.
"Parental authority, I like it. Sleep tight." He laughed at her.
"Don't worry Jenna. He'll get over this soon enough." I told her as she rejoined us in the kitchen again.
Vicki woke up in the hospital. She looked at Matt and saw him sleeping in the same chair as before. She went into the bathroom to wash her hands, when she looked into the mirror and saw a glimpse of Damon. She gasped and turned around quickly, but he wasn't there. She walked back into her room and went to her brother.
"Matt. Mattie?" Matt turned into Damon with his vampire face. He moved into attack her and she woke from the nightmare.
The next day I was walking with Caroline as we handed out pamphlets.
"Tonight, night of the comet! Would you like a program?" Caroline asked someone walking by us before turning to me. "So what did your guy look like?"
"It doesn't matter. I'm going to back off him." I told her smiling and handing out a pamphlet.
"Then help me find my guy." She told me and I raised my eyebrow at her.
"You do remember I'm a firm believer in get him, use him, dump him. Right?" I asked her.
"Like you did with Tyler?" she asked me with a look.
"I got him, I used him, I dumped him. I just might not be done with him." I told her honestly.
"What else could you possibly use him for?" she asked me.
"I need a car." I told her and she started laughing. We soon separated and I handed out pamphlets on my own.
Elena and Bonnie were on the other side of the town square handing out their pamphlets.
"Tonight, night of the comet! Would you like a program? Would you like a program?" Bonnie asked people as they walked by her. "He didn't call, huh?" she asked her best friend.
"Or text. But I realized we never even exchanged that stuff. We've never gotten to the texting part." Elena told her.
"That's an important milestone in any relationship." Bonnie told her.
"Isn't it? The timing is wrong, anyway." Elena told her.
"When is it ever right?" Bonnie asked her honestly.
"I'm not ready, Bonnie." Elena insisted.
"Who is?" Bonnie asked her.
"At least I put myself out there." Elena told her and Bonnie gave her a look.
"Is that what you're calling it?" Bonnie asked her.
"What do you mean?" Elena asked her.
"All I'm hearing is reasons why you can't." Bonnie said.
Caroline saw Damon again across the street from her and made the decision to approach him. But as she got closer, he disappeared,
"What is Damon doing here? Why did he come home?" Zach asked Stefan at the boarding house.
"'Cause I came home. He wants to make my life miserable. That's how he enjoys his." Stefan explained to him.
"Well, he's putting us all at risk. This girl in the hospital could talk." Zach reminded him.
"She won't. I took care of her." Stefan told him.
"You're sure?" Zach asked him.
"I'm not sure, Zach. I don't know how well it worked. I'm not as strong as Damon." Stefan said.
"So what happens if it doesn't work?" Zach asked.
"I don't know. I'll deal with it." Stefan told him.
"Is she worth it? Uncle Stefan, this girl you came back for?" Stefan gave him a meaningful look before getting ready to go find Elena.
At the Mystic Grill, Jeremy was walking out when he ran into Vicki.
"Vicki, what are you doing here?" Jeremy asked her. Tyler, who was playing pool by himself saw them talking and watched them.
"Fighting with Robert about my schedule. You'd think getting ripped up by a rabid animal would merit an extra sick day." She said to him.
"Are you feeling ok?" he asked.
"I hurt." She said.
"Well, the doctor gave you something, right?" he asked her.
"The kid stuff. Nothing with an "o" in it. I think they were on to me." She told him and they laughed as he gave her a pill bottle.
"Here. Knock yourself out, literally." He told her.
"Thanks, Jer." She said before downing some pills.
"So you gonna, uh, watch the comet later?" Jeremy asked her.
"I hadn't really thought about it. But I could be talked into it. I'll meet you out there in a few." She told him as Tyler walked up to them.
"Hey, Vick. How you feeling?" Tyler asked her, drawing their attention.
"Like you care." She said before walking away from both of them. Jeremy held in his laughter behind a mocking smile, which Tyler caught.
"What are you lookin' at, Gilbert?" Tyler asked him, but Jeremy just smiled and walked away from him.
I stood with Caroline and Matt in the Town Square with some candles so we could watch the comet with Bonnie and Elena.
"Hey, I got some candles." I turned and saw Elena leading Caroline and Bonnie to me and Matt. Just where Elena always wanted to be, the head of the rest of us.
"Hey." Elena greeted me and Matt.
"Hey." Matt tipped his candle to hers and it lit up.
"Thank you." She said, smiling at him.
"You're welcome." He said, staring at her. Elena turned away from him and lit someone else's candle before looking up and seeing Stefan. I chose that moment to listen intently to what the others were talking about. I didn't want to overhear sister romance.
"Thank you. Hi." Stefan said.
"Hi." Elena said. Elena glanced back at the others us walking away slightly.
"You know, that comet. . .it's been traveling across space for thousands of years. All alone." Stefan said from behind her.
"Yeah, Bonnie says it's a harbinger of evil." Elena told him.
"I think it's just a ball of. . .snow and ice, trapped on a path that it can't escape. And once every 145 years, it gets to come home. I'm sorry about yesterday. I wasn't myself." He apologized.
"You seem to spend a lot of time apologizing." She told him.
"Well, I have a lot to apologize for. Yesterday, that wasn't about you, ok?" he asked her.
"You didn't tell me that you had a brother." She told him after going over everything they had spoken to each other about.
"We're not close. It's, uh. . .it's complicated." He told her.
"Always. He told me about your ex. Katherine." She told him and he gave her a long look.
"What did he say?" he asked her.
"That she broke your heart." Elena told him.
"That was a long time ago." Stefan told her.
"When you lose someone, it stays with you, always reminding you of how easy it is to get hurt." Elena told him, thinking of her parents.
"Elena. . ." he tried explaining but she wouldn't let him.
"It's OK, Stefan. I get it. You have no idea how much I get it. Complicated brother? Check. Complicated ex? Check. Too complicated to even contemplate dating, double check. It's OK. We met, and we talked, and it was epic, but. . .then the sun came up and reality set in. So. . ." Elena blew out her candle and walked away from him, leaving him to watch her.
"That's my sister for you. Always glass half empty." He turned to me and I walked up to him. I'd walked away from the others a while ago and eaves dropped on their conversation. I have this voice in my head telling me to know everything, who am I to deny it?
"Has she always been like that?" he asked me.
"To those who really know her, yes she is." I told him. "My sister isn't one for optimism. "
"Why not?" he asked me and I shrugged my shoulders.
"She anticipates getting hurt by everyone. She plans things out in her head and if they don't work out in her favor then she decides then and there that's how it's going to turn out." I told him.
Damon was sitting at the bar in the Grill, thinking when Vicki walked by. She looked at him before pausing at staring at him. She walked over to him slowly.
"I know you." She told him.
"Well, that's unfortunate." Damon told her, getting a good look at her.
"Um. . .I don't. . .I don't know how, but. . .your face. Excuse me. Sorry." Vicki said before going to the bathroom and taking some pills. When she looked up into the mirror, Damon was behind her and attacked her making her scream.
"Hey, has anyone seen Vicki?" Jeremy asked us as we all sat around a table together.
"You're her stalker. You tell us." Tyler told him and I nudged him.
"I can't find her." Jeremy told us.
"She probably found somebody else to party with. Sorry, pill pusher, I guess you've been replaced." Tyler said and I looked between the two boys.
"What's with the pill pusher?" Elena asked next to Matt.
"Ask him." Tyler said looking at me.
"You wanna do this right now?" Jeremy asked him.
"Are you dealing?" I asked him angrily.
"She's never gonna go for you." Tyler said not letting him answer me.
"She already did. Over and over and over again." Jeremy told us and we all looked at him shocked.
"Yeah, right." Tyler said, obviously not believing it.
"You slept with Vicki Donovan? I mean, Vicki Donovan slept with you?" Caroline asked with a laugh in her voice.
"There's no way." Tyler denied but the denial was leaving his voice.
"And I didn't even have to force her into it." Jeremy told him.
"What the hell is he talking about, Ty?" Matt asked his friend.
"Nothing, man, just ignore him, he's a punk." Tyler told Matt.
"You know what, how about all of you shut up and help me find my sister?" Matt asked us.
"We'll check the back." Bonnie told him.
"I'll check the square." Matt said.
"I'll come with you." Jeremy told him.
"No you won't. Elena will go with them." I said. Elena opened her mouth to say something but I gave her a look and she left with Bonnie and Caroline to look for Vicki. "You are coming with me." I grabbed his arm roughly and pulled him aside. "So that's your game now, dealing?"
"I'm not dealing." He told me and I gave him a look.
"I'm sick of you lying to me Jer." I told him.
"You and Jenna, between the two of you. Enough already!" he told me.
"We can stop if you want. Send you to a therapist where you'll be forced to deal with it or to rehab where you'll sit in a small group and tell some strangers how you let your life fall apart around you." I told him.
"I vote for none of the above." He told me walking away from me.
Matt was walking away from the Grill when he came across Stefan, who was going to walk in.
"Hey." He greeted.
"Hey." Stefan said.
"Have you seen my sister?" Matt asked him.
"No, sorry." Stefan answered.
"I can't find her. She's missing." Matt told him.
"I'll keep an eye out for her." Stefan told him before he started to go inside the Grill.
"Hey. I saw you at the hospital yesterday." Matt told him.
"Did you?" Stefan asked him.
"What were you doing there?" Matt asked him.
"Visiting." Stefan lied.
"Visiting? You know, Elena and I, we've known each other for a long time. We might not be together right now, but I look out for her. And I'll always look out for her." Matt warned him. Stefan, with his enhanced hearing, heard a scream nearby, followed by Damon and Vicki's voices.
"You really have to stop screaming." Damon told the teen.
"No, please, stop. Don't. . ." Vicki begged him.
"Shh. I got you. . ." Damon told her.
"Excuse me." Stefan said to Matt before leaving and looking for where Damon and Vicki were. He found them on the roof and looked around before jumping up to them.
"No! No!" Vicki yelled in fear at Damon.
"Shh, I'm not gonna drop you." Damon told her. Damon watched Stefan jump and smirked at him. "Not bad. Have you been eating bunnies?"
"Let her go." Stefan ordered him.
"Really? Ok." Damon said, pulling her to the edge of the roof.
"No!" she screamed.
"No, no, no!" Stefan begged his brother.
"Ugh! Relax." Damon said, throwing Vicki to Stefan.
"What's happening?" Vicki asked Stefan.
"I don't need her to be dead, but. . .you might." Damon told Stefan. He pulled Vicki back to him. "What attacked you the other night?"
"I don't know. An animal." She told him.
"Are you sure about that? Think. Think about it. Think really hard. What attacked you?" he asked her again.
"A vampire." She said.
"Who did this to you?" Damon asked her.
"You did!" she screamed at him.
"Wrong!" he yelled at her.
"Don't." Stefan begged him.
"It was Stefan." Damon said, smirking at his brother.
"Don't." Stefan begged once more.
"Come here." Damon grabbed both sides of her head and looked deep into her eyes. "Stefan Salvatore did this to you."
"Stefan Salvatore did this to me." Vicki repeated.
"He's a vampire. A vicious, murderous monster." Damon told her.
"Please, Damon. Please don't do this." Stefan begged him.
"If you couldn't fix it before, I don't know what you can do now." Damon told him before pulling off Vicki's bandage and throwing her to Stefan. "Ugh! Your choice of lifestyle has made you weak. A couple of vampire parlor tricks is nothing compared to the power that you could have, that you now need. But you can change that. Human blood gives you that." Damon reminded him.
"No!" Vicki screamed.
"You have two choices. You can feed and make her forget. Or you can let her run, screaming "vampire" through the town square." Damon told him.
"That's what this is about? You want to expose me?" Stefan asked him.
"No! I want you to remember who you are!" Damon told him.
"Why? So what, so I'll feed? So I'll kill? So I'll remember what it's like to be brothers again? You know what, let her go. Let her tell everyone that vampires have returned to Mystic Falls. Let them chain me up, and let them drive a stake through my heart, because at least I'll be free of you." Stefan told his brother.
"Huh. Huh. Wow." Damon said, not having expected that reply. "Come here, sweetheart."
"No!" Vicki screamed again
"It's OK." He told her. He whispered something in her ear and she stopped panicing.
"What happened? Where am I? Oh, I ripped my stitches open. Ugh. . ." she said putting her hand on her neck.
"You Okay?" Stefan asked her.
"I took some pills, man." She told him. "I'm good." She then left the roof, leaving the two brothers alone.
"It's good to be home. Think I might stay a while. This town could use a bit of a wake-up call, don't you think?" Damon asked him.
"What are you up to, Damon?" Stefan asked him.
"That's for me to know and for you to. . .dot dot dot. Give Chloe my best." Damon told him with a smirk before leaving.
In the Grill, Stefan got Vicki to Matt who immediately helped her get a new bandage on.
"She said you found her wandering around." Matt said to Stefan once he was done.
"Yeah." Stefan agreed.
"So, um, thanks." Matt said before going back to his sister.
At another table Caroline and Bonnie were watching Vicki and Matt.
"Ugh, it's just so much drama. Ever notice how the druggies are the biggest attention whores?" Caroline asked her.
"Yeah." Bonnie agreed.
"Excuse me. Hi." Stefan said walking up to them.
"Hi." Bonnie greeted with a smile.
"Um, have you guys seen Elena?" Stefan asked them.
"I think she went home." Bonnie told him. He started to walk away when she called him back. "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"."
"Thank you." He said, reaching out and taking the paper with Elena's number on it. They touched and she spaced out for a moment. "You ok?"
"What happened to you?" she asked him and he looked at her confused for a moment until she came back to earth. "That's so rude. I'm sorry. Excuse me." She quickly left, leaving Stefan and Caroline alone in an awkward silence.
"Yeah, she kind of wigs out. It's like her thing." Caroline told him.
Instead of hunting down Vicki I decided to go home. I knew they'd find her eventually, they always did. As I made my way upstairs I saw someone in Jeremy's room and walked to them.
"Jer?" I asked.
"No, it's me, the hypocrite patrol." Jenna said, getting her head out of his desk and moving to another part of the room.
"What are you doing?" I asked her.
"I've become my worst nightmare. The authority figure who has to violate a 15-year-old's privacy." She told me before lifting up a green beer bottle from one of Jeremy's shoes. "Jackpot. I see the hiding places haven't gotten any more creative."
"What brought this on all the sudden?" I asked her.
"Your ass-hat of a history teacher shamed me good yesterday." She told me and I nodded.
"You got Tannered. Been there. Done that." I told her.
""Discover the impossible, Ms. Sommers." Got it. Thanks. Like I didn't know I was screwing up." She said and I sat on the bed, giving her a look.
"You're not screwing up, Jenna." I told her.
"Yes, I am. You know why? Because I'm not her. She made everything look so easy. You know, high school, marriage, having you. I can't do it. I'm gonna say or do the wrong thing, and he's gonna get worse, and it's gonna be my fault. It's impossible." Jenna said sitting on the bed next to me.
"That is just fear talking. You're scared because of what Tanner said, that's all. You are the only who has gotten us this far, you can help us get the rest of the way." I told her with a smile. "And we'll help you. We weren't the only ones affected by our parents death and I think sometimes we forget that."
"You are helping, just by being here." She told me, giving me a hug, smiling. I got up and walked out of Jer's room and walked by Elena's to see her looking out the window, her journal in her lap.
"If you're going to pine away on a guy, at least go and kiss him first." I told her and she turned to me in confusion and shock. "Go so I don't have to deal with it in the morning." She got up and quickly left and I made my way to my room.
Jeremy walked into the Grill after receiving a text from Matt saying they found Vicki. He saw Vicki by the pool table and smiled. He watched her as she talked to someone and Tyler walked up to her. She smiled at him and they kissed each other. Jeremy's smile fell and he left with a sad look on his face.
Caroline was walking to her car when she heard something and looked around for what it could have been. When she didn't see anything she continued her walk to her car when she clumsily dropped her key. She bent down to pick them up and when she stood again she saw Damon in front of her.
"Oh... whoa." She said.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." He said to her.
"No, it's fine. Um. . .I was hoping I'd see you again." She told him.
"I know." He told her with a smirk.
"Cocky much?" she asked him with a smile.
"Very much." He said.
Elena stood outside of the Salvatore Boarding House and rang the bell, hoping for Stefan. When he opened the door he stared at her in shock, not expecting to see her.
"Hi." Stefan said.
"Hey." She replied.
"Would you like to come in?" he offered her.
"The comet's actually this way." She said backing away from the doorway. He followed her and they stood where they could watch the comet. "Sorry for barging in. Especially after earlier."
"No, no. I'm glad you're here. The way we left things... I didn't like it." Stefan told her.
"See, the thing is, I got home tonight planning on doing what I always do, write in my diary, like I have been since my mom gave me one when I was 10. It's where I get everything out, everything I'm feeling. It all goes in this little book that I hide on the second shelf behind this really hideous ceramic mermaid. But then I realized that I'd just be writing things that I should probably be telling you." Elena explained to him.
"What would you write?" he asked her.
"I would write. . ."Dear diary, today I convinced myself it was ok to give up. Don't take risks. Stick with the status quo. No drama, now is just not the time. But my reasons aren't reasons, they're excuses. All I'm doing is hiding from the truth, and the truth is that. . ." I'm scared, Stefan. I'm scared that if I let myself be happy for even one moment that. . .the world's just going to come crashing down, and I. . . don't know if I can survive that." Elena told him.
"Do you want to know what I would write? "I met a girl. We talked. It was epic. But then the sun came up and reality set in. Well, this is reality. Right here."" He told her and they kissed.
At the Forbes House, Damon and Caroline were getting hot and heavy in her room. Her mother was working, as usual, so there was no need to be quiet. Damon was kissing down her stomach when all of a sudden, his face transformed and he bit her neck making her scream.
I sat at my vanity and looked in the mirror before coming up with my next plan. Vicki and Tyler would get back together, Caroline would obsess over her mystery guy before giving up and finding someone more her level, Elena and Stefan would occupy each other's time, Matt would pine after Elena, Jeremy would pine after Vicki, Bonnie was a possible wild card but not impossible to control, and Damon… I didn't really know him well enough to say what he would do. I smirked at my reflection. I needed more information on him, and I wanted it from the source.