***A/N: Please let me know what you think. I hope the discussion Damon and Elara have at the end isn't confusing and too hard to believe. It just popped into my head and I went with it. Let me know if you have any questions. Just so you know, we will be getting to Elijah and Klaus - just not yet. I know, I know - we all love the originals, but we have to get through a few more plot points before then. So until then, as always, please review. This chapter has been edited by my Beta Casey.***

My screeching alarm clock woke me from a dreamless sleep — one I was extremely grateful for.

A tickling sensation on my cheek alerted me that Elena was still sleeping next to me. I brushed her hair off my face and wiggled my nose to rid it of the annoying itch. I gently pulled my arm from underneath her and slid from the bed silently. I couldn't help but smile as I looked down at her sleeping, hair a tangled mess and mouth ajar. She drooled onto the pillow, and I contemplated taking a picture to use as blackmail at a later time.

There was no denying that she was a Petrova. With that came acts of selfishness and an incredible ability to pit brothers against one another. On the other hand, she was still my sister and had the potential to be an astounding person. She just needed a little help, that's all.

I removed the hair that had started to cover her face as she tossed and turned. There was something more than last night's dream bothering her, and I was going to find out exactly what that was. I sighed as her face scrunched with sadness and shook my head at the misfortune of what life had brought us. Sleeping in front of me was a beautiful young woman whose life was about to change drastically. She would be thrust into the supernatural, no matter how much I wished to prevent it. Even if I cruelly asked Stefan to leave, she would still be entangled in the supernatural world.

As I watched her, a feeling of resolve settled within me — I would try to protect her from what was coming. There was only so much I would be able to do, but I would still try. I almost laughed out loud when I realized she had gotten to me, the little Petrova brat! Admittedly, she had always had me wrapped around her finger, but now, I was simply no longer fighting it. She was my sister in this life, after all.

I grabbed some clothes from my closet and headed into the bathroom for a shower. When I was finishing up, I heard someone close the door to my room, and I peeked my head out of the bathroom. The steam followed me as I exited, and I tightened my hold on the towel that was wrapped around my body. My wet hair stuck to the side of my face as I peered around my empty room. Elena must have woken up, I'm sure that was all I heard.

I locked my bedroom door and pulled the towel from my body. I was just putting on my black underwear when I noticed someone on my bed. I screamed and grabbed the towel, covering myself in panic. I growled loudly when I saw it was just Rebekah, smiling at me mischievously.

"Damn you, Rebekah Mikaelson," I panted, "Damn you to the pits of hell!"

I controlled my breathing and reached for my bra, which I had dropped in my rushed attempt to cover myself. Rebekah was perched on the end of my bed, her legs crossed and curly blonde hair bouncing slightly as she threw her head back in laughter.

"I can't say I'm sorry El, that was hilarious. Besides, it's not like you have something I've never seen before," she giggled.

I hid in my closet and quickly threw on some jeans and one of my favorite band tees, the fantastic, amazing Linkin Park. I sat down at my vanity a moment later, looking at myself in the mirror. I brushed my fingers across the dark circles that had formed under my dull green eyes. The night before had taken the brightness from not only my eyes but my skin as well. I looked paler than typical, dry, and dehydrated.

I ran my hairbrush quickly through my knotted hair, wincing when I met a particularly rough patch. I grabbed a black hair tie and threw my hair up into a messy bun, too exhausted to care what I looked like.

"You look as bad as I do," Rebekah said.

I sent her an artfully evil glare, one her Hybrid brother would be proud of, and stood, grabbing my jacket.

"I feel like death Beka. You should pity anyone who stands in my way today. I think I could even take on an Original if I had too," I said, my voice dry.

As she stood, I couldn't help but notice how her gray skin matched by carpet almost exact. My stomach rolled, and I knew I'd never been able to get that image from my head.

"Well, someone is in a mood today," she said, looking into my eyes with worry.

I brushed past her and grabbed my dirty clothes from the floor, "I had a strange dream last night and then woke up to Elena in bed with me. Something similar happened to her, she had a nightmare of my death...on my birthday…"

I was unable to finish my sentence. Rebekah froze, her face a picture of pure shock,

"She saw your death? But how is that possible? You haven't told her, and if someone else had she would have freaked and blown up!"

I nodded in agreement. If Elena had found out, I would have had an outraged sister on my hands. There was no way she could hide knowing about my curse from me.

"I agree, and that proves that something else is going on. I don't think she had a premonition but the idea that she saw my death happening on my birthday—" I paused for a moment as I tossed my clothes into the hamper. "that is too close for comfort. Something is going on, and I need to find out what before she starts asking questions."

I crossed arms and looked down at the floor.

"I don't want anyone else knowing what is going to happen. I don't want them being forced to live with that knowledge,"

Rebekah tapped her foot on the floor her face scrunched up in thought, "Oh my God! The Salvatores, they know about your curse!" she exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "What if they put the thought in her mind? You know that's something vampires can do."

I found it odd she could still snap her fingers, even though she was all but transparent. I thought over her idea, and the more I did, the more it made sense. It would be the perfect way for them to tell her without breaking the promise they had made to me. My lousy mood worsened at their potential betrayal.

"You're right, that is something they would do, especially Damon. The dream I had was more of a memory — one starring him of course," I hit my forehead with my hand repeatedly, "Stupid, stupid. How did I not even consider that?" I said in exasperation.

Rebekah picked at her white flapper dress, lost in thought.

"Well, I say you go to their house and find out. If they did this, you can't let them get away with it," she said.

I looked at my adopted sister, smiling at the determination in her expression. She surprised me, even after all these years she was still so strong.

"That's exactly what I plan to do. I'm gonna get some answers. I don't have time for all this extra drama," I growled, "I swear if it was one of the Salvatores, I will not be very kind."

I grabbed my car keys and headed towards Elena's room. Her room was dark and empty,

Great, where had she disappeared too?

I walked downstairs and found the rest of the house empty as well. I took my bag from the table beside the door and left the empty house behind.

I drove to the Grill after receiving no answer when I called Elena and Jeremy. The Salvatores and any of their little tricks were just going to have to wait until I knew what had Elena so on edge.

I pulled into the Grill and hopped out of the car. Heading inside, I was greeted with the familiar smell I had come to associate with Mystic grill — food, alcohol, and tobacco. They were fairly busy, even though it was still early in the day, but this was a small town. For the younger crowds, it was pretty much the only place to hang out on a Saturday.

I looked around and noticed Damon wasn't at the bar. He must still be missing his ring, something I knew would have him in a violent rage. At least I had a pretty good idea where I could find him. My eyebrow rose when I noticed Elena and Stefan speaking earnestly in a booth towards the back. Elena looked about as bad as I did, her face stressed and pale. I gave Stefan a once over and could see the fear he was trying very hard to hide. After growing up with him, it was easy to catch all the telltale signs that he was barely hanging on — whatever it was that he was discussing with Elena was a big deal. There was only one thing that could be causing this much stress on both sides — she had found out.

I had to admit I was a bit relieved. I had begun to fear it had something to do with Katherine secretly lurking here in Mystic Falls. I casually put my hands in my jacket pockets and strolled towards their table. When I was close enough to hear a bit of their conversation, I lowered myself to the floor and started messing with the shoestrings of my pink converse.

"You said you would explain everything — that's why I asked you to meet me here," Elena asked harshly, "When you google vampire you get a world of fiction. What's the reality?"

So, they hadn't gotten very far into everything... yet. I stood up and looked around; neither of them were being very careful, and I was afraid the wrong person would hear something they shouldn't. When I was satisfied that no one was listening, I quickly sat down next to Stefan with a fake smile plastered on my face. Time to get this over with — it would do no one any good if she tried to hide the world I already knew about from me.

"Hey, Lena, everything ok? You both seem stressed," I said, throwing my arm over Stefan's shoulder.

He gave me an 'Are you serious' expression, which I, of course, ignored. Elena looked at Stefan in fear and tried to smile at me, but her nervousness shone through her doe eyes.

"Elara, this is actually a private conversation... could you wait at another table for me?"

I pulled my arm away from Stefan and kept my eyes on hers. I tilted my head to the side and gave her a sarcastic half-smile.

"Oh, Lena. No, this isn't a private conversation, because I could hear everything you were saying as I walked up," I said, turning towards Stefan. "You should use those enhanced senses to make sure no one is listening if you plan on having such an important conversation in a public place."

Elena's eyes widened in fear as her cheeks inflamed. She pulled her brown hair from her eyes and tried to act casual, "Ellie, that was a joke between us. You can't honestly believe any of it," she laughed sarcastically.

I leaned back in my seat and smiled at her. She had a sheen of sweat covering her forehead — she was anxious. Stefan kept his face down, but I could see him fighting a growing smirk.

I leaned my head against his shoulder and whispered low enough for only him to hear, "I'm going to tell her the basics later today, say anything else, and I'll make sure I show you how good I am at giving a witchy migraine."

A thick promise of pain was layered in my voice; I would deal with his possible betrayal later. He stiffened beside me and gave me a questioning look. I squinted my eyes at him and shook my head. I turned back to Elena, who was watching us with annoyance and concern.

"Elena, I know about Stefan and Damon. I've known since day one," I said.

Her brown eyes filled with anger, and I watched several expressions fight for dominance on her face. Her jaw was tight, and she was opening her mouth to speak when I held up my hands and stopped her,

"Listen, I told Stefan to tell you. I never planned on keeping you in the dark, and you should know on my end that there is more to this than just their secret," my voice was firm as I spoke. "but I can't discuss it here, and I'd rather do it with Jer present as well,"

Stefan turned towards me in surprise. I frowned at him until I realized he thought I meant to tell her about the curse. I bit my lip and ignored him for now.

"So, I'll let you finish your conversation," I said motioning for the nearby waitress. "But when you're done, I want you to call me, and we will go home for our own."

A bleach blonde waitress sauntered up, staring at Stefan in admiration. "What can I get you?" she asked sweetly, still keeping her eyes on him.

I gave her an annoyed expression and turned towards Stefan smiling sweetly. "Could you get me a shot of Vodka, please?" I said, sticking my bottom lip out. I used my best sisterly puppy dog eyes. "I'm gonna need it today," I said.

He sighed loudly and avoided Elena, who was staring at us with her mouth hanging open.

He looked at the waitress with a smile and spoke slowly and softly. "You're going to get my friend here two shots of Vodka, no questions asked," he said.

The woman blinked once and repeated what he had told her in a monotone voice. She walked away, and I watched as she poured my shots. I bounced lightly in my seat and smiled at him brightly. Compulsion was one skill I'd love to have.

"What the hell was that?" Elena scoffed.

I looked at her and shrugged. "It's called compulsion, Lena. It's a very handy little skill that all vampires possess. Stefan will explain more."

The waitress brought over my shots, handing them to me with a blank expression. I looked down at them lovingly and downed the first with only a slight grimace. Before I could pick up the second, it was gone. I looked at Stefan and scrunched up my nose at him.

"That was evil!" I gasped.

He sat down the empty shot glass and smirked, "One is plenty for you. Its early, Elandra."

It took a second for my brain to realize what he had just said. I had started to get used to them using my old name, but my eyes widened when I realized he had used it in front of Elena. I ground my teeth together, and his face paled when he realized his mistake.

"Elandra? Who's that?" Elena asked.

I looked down at the table and inspected the worn wood like it was the most exquisite table in the world.

"Elara...?"

Elena's voice rose an octave as she spoke. Stefan kicked my shin, jerking my head upward and forcing me to look at her.

"Nothing," I said dismissively, "something we can talk about later."

I hoped this would deter her from thinking about it right now. I looked at Stefan with a blank face.

"You're paying," I said with a matter of fact tone. I rose from the booth and looked at my sister "Call me when you're done, Lena,"

I walked towards the exit as fast as I could. Damn those loud-mouthed Salvatores! I got in my car and sat back for a minute, contemplating what had just happened. With a small sigh, I started the engine and drove towards the Boarding House — I might as well get this conversation over with too.

When I arrived at the Boarding House, I immediately knew something wasn't right. I could sense it. I had always had a second sense about these things — one the perks of being a witch for so long.

I got out of the car and looked around. The atmosphere was eerie and stiff, like something out of a horror movie. What had Damon gotten himself into now? I rubbed my forehead and closed my eyes tightly. I should just force him to listen to me about Katherine — at least then he would consider leaving. My eyes opened slowly as the thought crossed my mind. Was that what I wanted, really?

I pulled off my jacket and tossed it through my open window and into the back seat of the car. While I walked up to the front porch, I pulled my shirt down and tightened my hair. Fidgeting had always been one of my tells, but it was something I couldn't seem to stop doing when I was nervous. Even though I knew I could protect myself, I still felt utterly terrified of what I might find inside. I didn't want to see Damon as the monster he claimed to be. I had already seen him attempt to hurt Caroline; I wasn't sure how much more I could see without hating him, and I was more afraid of hating him then of what he had become. I sometimes feared that accepting what he was and that he sometimes killed people made me a horrible person, but truth be told, I'm a firm believer hat vampires shouldn't fight their true nature. They were natural born killers, and as long as they killed for food and not fun, I was perfectly fine with it.

When I reached the door, my hand hovered over the knob as I debated whether I should knock or just go in. Damon probably already knew I was here anyway, and without his ring, he couldn't answer. I shook my head and mentally slapped myself, then grabbed the knob and pushed the door open. I walked through the entryway and looked around, but didn't find Damon until I walked into the living room. He stood in the adjacent dining room with his back to me. His cell was against his ear, and he was jabbering, his voice firm and angry.

"Where are you, Stefan? I'm trapped at the house — I'm getting really bored and really impatient, and I don't do bored and impatient," he growled. "Bring me my ring," he walked back into the living room, his phone held tightly in his hand.

"Damn it!" he spat.

He walked over to the bar and filled a glass with bourbon, downing the amber liquid in one swift motion. I toed the rug with my shoe and was just about to speak when I noticed someone on the couch. I could smell something coppery in the air and my stomach twisted. I rushed over and bent down beside the couch — it was Vicki Donovan.

She was lying still, barely breathing, and smelling of blood and gasoline. I scrunched up my nose and removed the hand towel that was being used to cover her neck. The blood was starting to dry in places, so her skin pulled when I moved it away. I winced on her behalf, but she didn't make a sound. Honestly, she looked too weak to care.

"What is this, Damon? Why are you playing with her?" I said, placing the towel back on her neck and applying pressure. "She looks like death! What were you thinking?!"

I yelled loudly, fury in my voice. He placed his glass on the bar and calmly walked over to us.

"Aw, don't get blood on the couch!" he said exasperatedly.

I looked at him in horror. He took the towel and moved it away; this time, Vicki tried to protest.

"Please?" Damon asked with false politeness. "I got you good, didn't I?" he said, eying the deep wound on the side of her neck.

My mouth was still agape as he sighed deeply and stared down at her in boredom. Would he seriously go this far just to have something to occupy his time? This was exactly what I was afraid of. I've been around many vampires in my time, but never long enough to deal with acts like this. I had witnessed them feed and taunt, but never had I seen one play with their food — not like this.

"What the hell, Damon?" I asked, throwing my hand in the air, still in shock. "Why did you do this to her?" I questioned.

He looked at me, his face empty of emotion. Even his crystal eyes were vacant, almost like he had flipped the switch. If I hadn't known him for as long as I had, that would be precisely what I thought. Luckily, I knew that he was pushing everything down, but it was still there — he just wanted people to believe he was an unfeeling monster. No, I could fight for his humanity, not only for his sake but for Stefan's as well. I wasn't able to save them the first time, but I could now— I had to at least try.

"What? I had to feed, and for some reason, this girl just didn't seem to want to die. So, I brought her here," he shrugged. "I'm bored, Ellie," he finished, his voice lacking any emotion.

I sat back on the table behind me and lifted my head to the sky as if asking for divine intervention. Honestly, at this point, I sort of was asking for divine intervention.

"Well, you're not gonna be any fun today," he whispered to Vicki.

I lowered my head and watched him closely as he stood up and walked to the side of the couch where her head rested. I tilted my head to the side, shaking it in disappointment. I knew trying to intervene wouldn't make a bit of difference. If he wanted a plaything, he would have one.

"I'm so gonna regret this," he sighed and bit into his wrist.

There was a ripping sound when his teeth met his flesh, and I shivered. He bent down and placed his now bleeding wrist to Vicki's mouth. I looked away in slight disgust as she struggled.

"Drink up. Drink up. Don't drip," Damon said gently, running his other hand over the side of her face in an almost loving manner.

After a few seconds, she finally gave in and drank from him deeply.

"There you go, good girl, that's it," he praised softly.

I felt sickened, and I was sure that's exactly what he wanted. Instead of running from the room, I decided to play along. At least then I could keep an eye on them.

I remained on the table with my arms crossed and watched as her wound healed almost instantly. When her eyelids fluttered, I stood and walked over to the bar. I grabbed a glass and filled it to the brim with Damon's Bourbon. I heard him compel Vicki to go upstairs and take a shower, but I kept my gaze on the glass in my hand. I listened to her footsteps recede as she headed upstairs. I took a drink and enjoyed the burn as it slid down my throat. Sometimes I still couldn't believe that this was what my life had become.

I sensed Damon behind me but ignored him.

"You gonna stick around for the party, love?" He whispered in my ear, his breath was warm and smelt of blood. The coppery scent made my stomach swirl.

I turned around and meet his heated gaze. He was testing me, and I knew it.

"Yeah, I think I will. I have nothing else to do today. It'll give me the chance to make sure you don't fuck this up even more than you already have," I said, sitting my glass down without breaking eye contact. "Oh, and don't call me love," I leaned into him and ran my nose across his jaw. "You have no right."

I pushed past him with a rough shove and sat down in an armchair by the couch. I crossed my legs and watched him make himself another drink, then pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Stefan.

"You need to bring Damon his ring NOW! Things are getting out of hand. You should have never tried to interfere with his plans, it only made things worse."

Damon sat on the arm of my chair and leaned over me. "Who are you texting El, Boyfriend?" he asked, putting his hand behind my head. "Lover? Or...ohhhh girlfriend?" he abashedly said.

I slapped him on the chest as hard as I could. He fake pouted, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Your brother, actually. I told him he needs to return what belongs to you. I also told him how stupid he was to try and get in the way of whatever your planning. What is that, by the way?" I asked, raising my brow.

He patted my head as if I were a small child, and pulled me out of the seat before taking my place. I scoffed loudly and started to walk away before he pulled me onto his lap.

"What makes you think I'm planning something, Elandra?" he asked.

I laughed sarcastically and tried to pull myself away from him.

"Because, I know you, Damon — probably even better than Stefan does,"

I finally got out of his tight grasp, then walked behind his chair and put my hands on his shoulders. I rubbed his muscles with a firm touch, smiling at the low groan that escaped his lips.

"I was only asking out of courtesy Damon, or did you forget that I was very close with Emily Bennett?"

Before I could even blink, he was out of the chair and beside me. "What do you know about any of this, El? You weren't around when it happened."

Damon looked at me in confusion. I had gotten exactly what I wanted by bringing up Emily — Damon did have a shred of emotion left.

"Just because you and I were no longer speaking when you made your deal with Em, doesn't mean I never knew about it," I rolled my eyes and stepped away from him. "Emily and I burned together, after all. We were pretty close,"

I cleared my throat and decided to just do it — to tell him. He needed to know.

"I never wanted to tell you this Damon, but I knew when you returned,"

I closed my eyes at the sound of his gasp. I didn't want to open this old wound, but it was necessary.

"I knew that you were back in town and I knew that you fell for Katherine. I knew that she had you under her spell. I just didn't know that you had fallen so hard for her. It wasn't until someone told me that you loved her, that I finally realized the truth. You had chosen her,"

I sat down, wringing my hands, and looked up at him. His eyes were squeezed shut, his face pained. I looked away and frowned. After he returned on leave, I'd expected him to come to find me. When Katherine visited and told me he was back and had been spending his time with her, I knew he had fallen for her. She had captured his attention, and I had been forgotten. It's a hard pill to swallow, knowing you weren't good enough for someone you loved.

"How...did..." the anger in his eyes was hard as steel. "...was it Stefan?"

I shook my head and let out an irritated tisk. Not everything was Stefan's fault.

"No, it wasn't Stef — it was Katherine, actually. She told me you were home on leave. She and Emily visited me a lot. I trained with Em, and Katherine was never far behind," I said, looking down at my hands.

He had started pacing while I spoke, and I could see the guilt in his eyes. I wasn't bringing it up to hurt him, but he needed to know everything. I had mentioned to him several times now that I had spoken to Katherine in another life, and if I had, then it should be evident to him that Katherine wasn't in the tomb. He had either heard me and refused to believe it, or had selective hearing.

"Katherine told you about us, and you never showed up and confronted me?" he asked in disbelief.

His face was a mixture of anger and something else, something I wasn't able to place. It was almost as if he felt betrayed that I never tried to regain his attention.

"No, but she loved mentioning that you and Stefan fought over her. She never told me that you were sleeping with her, but it wasn't hard to guess at, Damon. Besides, I figured if you didn't want me to know you were home and hid away from me when I was around, then why bother with you at all?"

I sighed and stood from the seat. I walked over to him with my hands on the back of my neck — this whole conversation was tiring. I could feel the stress covering me like a lead blanket. Standing in front of him, I could see how hard this conversation was on him too. Yes, he was the one who cheated on me and had thought it was something that had been lost to time, but it wasn't hard to see it was one of his biggest regrets. I guessed he hoped I'd imagined their relationship had started after I died, that he had returned to find me dead and gone, only moving on after grieving the appropriate amount of time. When I didn't speak for a moment, he looked at me, running his hand through his hair. Not knowing what more to say at that moment, I let out an audible breath and let a half-hearted smile ease his worries.

"Listen, Damon, it was a long time ago. I got over it. I was told everything I hadn't already known from an old friend in my next life. I also heard it from Katherine just a century after that," I said, hoping he would bring up the fact that I was trying to ease him into the idea that she was living her life, and not stuck in a tomb.

When he didn't mention it and just walked away towards the curtain covered window, I let out a loud growl of annoyance. He didn't turn around or even acknowledge my outburst, possibly thinking it had to do with our past. In anger, I lifted my arm and opened my palm, and with one swift motion, I focused on Damon and pulled him towards me. A loud shocked gasp filled the silence as his whole body lifted into the air and came flying in my direction. I twirled my index finger, and his body twisted around and faced me. Without caring how much it would hurt, I closed my hand into a fist and dropped him. He landed directly in front of me, I smiled down at his crumpled form.

"Now that I have your attention, you are going to listen to me," I sternly said.

He pushed himself onto his hands and knees and lifted his angry oceanic eyes to mine. "Damon Salvatore, I know how much she means to you, but you have to know she isn't where you think she is. She never was. I - Have - Seen - Her!" I said enunciating the last part of the sentence.

He was breathing heavily, his eyes clouded. I bent down to his level and gently laid my palm on his cheek. I ran my fingers across his tense brow and bit my lip. I was past everything that happened between us, it was long since forgotten. I chose to only remember the good and to be honest, I didn't blame him. He was a weak human man. How could I expect him to win against a beautiful vampire Goddess? She used all of his insecurities to make him believe she loved him and wanted him for eternity.

"Damon, you have two choices. One, you can remember that I would never lie to you. Or two, you can continue to try and find a way to open the tomb and see for yourself. Either way, I will be there to help you. No matter what, you are still my friend," I whispered with a small sigh.

I stood, pulling him to his feet and leading him over to the couch he had placed Vicki on. We sat in silence, the only sound between us my slow breathing. He had long since sat still enough to remind me of a statue, not a single breath or movement to make him appear even slightly human. I watched him with concern for his mental wellbeing. I wasn't sure what I could do or say to make any of it better. His body was slouched forward his head in his hands, elbows pressing into his knees. Tension filled his whole body, I wanted to touch him, to give him at least a small reminder that he wasn't alone. I was buried so deep in my own thoughts that his sudden intake of breath caused me to jump so high the couch rattled beneath me.

"I'm so sorry for the way our relationship ended. If I had been around and not pushed your safety onto Stefan, then I would have been there to protect you. Instead, I was in Katherine's bed as you burned to death," he said, his breath hitching.

I licked my dry lips, unsure of what I was supposed to say to that. "No matter what, I would have died Damon, I'm cursed,"

He lifted his head and glared at me. "I blamed Stefan for so long, even though I should have been the one there. He knew everything, yet he kept it from you, even after I tried to get between him and Elena. He truly is the better man," he whispered, so low I could not be sure that's exactly what he said.

He gripped his hair tightly in frustration as he stood from the couch and paced in front of me.

"I have to know for sure. I have to see it for myself. After everything, loving her cost me, I can't believe she would do that," he mumbled, in an almost crazed fashion.

He walked over to the bar and grabbed the glass container of bourbon, lifting it to his lips. He started chugging it like a dying man finding an oasis in the desert. I shook my head in sympathy.

"Ok, Damon, ok. We will open the tomb," I said slowly.

As much as I hated the idea of how broken he would be once we opened the tomb, I would help him. Until then, we both needed a distraction. Making a quick decision, I walked over to the stereo and turned it on. Loud music filled the room, and I made my way to the bar. He looked at me in confusion his brows raised in question.

I pried the bourbon from his tight grasp and filled a glass, raising it in the air with a sly grin. "We're stuck here, for now. So we might as well have some fun!" I said, lifting the glass to my lips.

He softly chuckled with a small smile on his lips, but it wasn't enough to reach his eyes.

"All is forgiven, Damon. But if you want to, you can make it up to me by showing me a good time. I've heard your good at that, Mr. Salvatore," I playfully said.

He grabbed the small silver stereo remote and switched the song to something with an excellent beat. "That I am Ms. Miller," he said with a tired smirk.

I sat my empty glass down and started dancing a circle around him and was quickly joined by Vicki. I hadn't even noticed her return. I looked down to find that she was only wearing a bra and panties. I turned towards Damon, who was eyeing me expectantly. I almost laughed at the challenge and shook my head with a shrug. I connected hands with her, and we both lifted ourselves onto the table in front of the couch. I grabbed the bottle of Vodka she was holding and took a swig. When in Rome, I guess.