Halloween was just around the corner and that meant jack-o'-lanterns popping up everywhere. I had decided to get myself a little pumpkin for my little balcony.

However, I wasn't in the mood to head out to the pumpkin patch and instead went to the countless stalls downtown that had suddenly popped up a week ago.

It was busy, as you'd expect, but with just about everyone looking for the biggest pumpkin possible, I had an extraordinarily large selection of small pumpkins. But even with the agony of choice, I couldn't really find the right one for me.

I was about to leave when someone walked into me.

Startled, I turned around and saw a young woman with two gigantic pumpkins in her arms. I grabbed her arm as she seemed to be having trouble balancing. A quick glance down at her shoes told me why. These heels were not made for transporting pumpkins.

"I'm so incredibly sorry. I hope you're okay!" she inquired while struggling not to drop the pumpkins.

"No, I'm fine." I took one of the pumpkins from her and her stature had immediately become more stable. "It's not really the best shoe choice for something like that."

She looked down at her feet and back up at me. She smiled with a mixture of embarrassment and nervousness.

"Well, in my defense, my niece originally wanted to help me carry it, but she just disappeared."

"Better I help you before someone else gets hurt," I offered her.

"Thanks very much!"

Jenna turned out to be very nice company and possibly the first friend I made in Mystic Fall. Anyway, I assumed that we were friends now because she invited me several times for coffee and cake. I was even there once when she and her nephew carved the jack-o'-lanterns. Jeremy was a nice kid who could do a lot if he stays on the right track.

Elena, on the other hand, I hardly ever saw. I had met her briefly earlier when we were preparing the pumpkins, but she was gone quickly.

It was one of those days when I met Jenna for coffee before I had to go to work. We originally planned to watch Grey's Anatomy together, but instead, it just played in the background while Jenna broke me the latest gossip. It was something I remembered from high school and didn't really pay much attention to, but with Jenna, it was something completely different. I literally hung on her every word as she recounted how one of her neighbors allegedly cheated on his wife with one of Jeremy's teachers. Perhaps I craved human contact too much. Maybe I just liked the sound of Jenna's voice.

"The thing is, you see them together all the time!" Jenna noted. "They try to keep it a secret, but they're terrible at it!"

I took a sip from my cup. In fact, I had absolutely no idea who she was talking about, but I didn't care. As long as she kept talking everything was fine.

Unfortunately, she was interrupted by the front door opening.

In came Elena and a boy who seemed surprisingly familiar. The memory came very slowly, due to the fact that I was most likely drunk when we met, but an image formed. A graveyard. A bottle of whiskey. Cold lips on my wrist. And an angry scream.

Vampire.

That was all that went through my head. The boy behind Elena was a vampire and had some connection to Damon.

"Look who finally came home!"

Jenna's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I noticed the vampire staring at me. Did he remember me?

"Sorry, Jenna. Caroline had taken me and Bonny Halloween costume shopping," explained Elena as she set down her shopping bags. Apparently, she had found something good. Should I maybe get a costume too?

"And how does Stefan play in this situation?"

So his name was Stefan. One step closer to solving the mystery.

"I met the girls as they left the store and offered to drive them home," Stefan explained with a soft smile. It was one of those smiles I knew all too well from Edward. The so-called 'I'm not a threat, so you should trust me' smile.

Jenna let out a frustrated sigh. Was she disappointed that the two of them had a perfect excuse or that Stefan was a gentleman? I didn't understand.

"And what did you choose?"

"That's a secret for now," Elena replied with a mischievous smile.

"She doesn't even want to give me a hint, that's how secret her costume is," added Stefan.

I use this moment to leave. On the one hand, because I really had to go to work, and on the other hand because the whole situation became too uncomfortable for me. It made me feel like I was back in high school and silently listening to Jessica and Angela getting ready for prom. This in turn brought back memories of HIM and that was the last thing I needed right now.

I put my cup down and looked over at Jenna.

"I really have to go now if I want to get to work on time," I explained, trying to sound casual.

"Oh, is it really that late? I didn't mean to keep you that long!"

"If you want I can drive you to work."

I looked up to see Stefan looking at me with a soft smile, but his eyes bored into me like two black daggers.

"I've been playing chauffeur all day, I don't mind."

Now, this could be my chance to find out more about Damon, or maybe lying dead in a ditch somewhere. Fate sometimes had a very nice sense of humor.

"That would be very nice of you. Thanks."

A/N:I had this chapter in my drafts since Christmas. I just wanted to get this thing out as soon as possible since it's mostly just filler.

See you in a few months. Maybe.