Chapter 6: Lost Girls

October 3, 2009

"What are you?" Elena demanded, a look of equal amounts of anger and fright on her face.

Silence fell for a second and Evie could see the tension in Stefan's back.

"You know." He told her simply.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do, or you wouldn't be here." He countered.

Elena's doe eyes filled with tears. "It's not possible." She said, shaking her head in denial. "It can't be."

Evelyn started to speak, but thought better of it. Best to let Stefan explain.

As the vampire took a step toward Elena, he set the stake in his hand down on the low wall near the door and Evelyn's eyes flickered to it briefly.

"Everything you know and every belief that you have is about to change. Are you ready for that?" He asked her, giving her a chance to not ask any questions. To leave not opening that door to the supernatural world. To remain unware of what really lurked in the dark. Evelyn slightly envied her choice.

Elena gave him a determined look, tired of all the secrets and lies. "What are you?" She demanded once again, decision made.

Stefan nodded at her grimly. The façade of being human over with. "I'm a vampire." He said with a high amount of disgust at himself. He hated being a vampire, but it was who he was. He couldn't change that.

For a moment, no one spoke. Elena stared at him for a long time before taking a shuddering breath.

"I shouldn't have come."

"No, please." Stefan shook his head, hating that he was scaring her. He had never wanted to do that.

"No." She backed away from him and he tried to get her to stay.

"Please."

"No!" She ran from him, running for her car, but Stefan zoomed over to stop her. Trying desperately to reassure her that she had nothing to fear from him.

"How did you do that?" The brunette demanded.

"Please don't be afraid of me."

"Let me go."

Evie came out of the house, watching the exchange with a mixture of emotions. She felt bad that Stefan had to reveal the truth to her at last and she seemed afraid of him now, but at the same time she understood Elena's fear. Vampires were not supposed to be real and now that she knew they were…What else was out there? Werewolves? Frankenstein? The Loch Ness monster?

"No, Elena…There's things you have to know and understand." He made the mistake of touching her arm and Elena freaked out.

"Let me go!" She cried and then saw Evie. "Evelyn? Oh my god. What do you do to her!?"

Evie looked down at her blood-stained jacket and sighed. "It's' not what you think. It wasn't Stefan."

"Damon did that?" Elena took the girl's arm, dragging her toward her car. Evie blinked, having no idea that Elena could be so forceful. "We're leaving." After practically shoving the blonde into the car, the brunette ran around to the driver's side of the car.

"Are you going to let her run?" Evie asked, but Stefan just watched as they pulled out of the driveway, tires squealing.

Evie glanced at Elena, who was gripping the steering wheel for dear life.

"Elena, I know it's a lot to take in." She began, and the brunette's eyes flickered to her. "Trust me when I found out-"

"When did you find out? How long have you known what he is?!" The questions were flung at her with a mixture of betrayal, anger, and sadness.

Evelyn sighed. "After the Founder's party." She told her. "I saw Damon and I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to expose Stefan."

Elena pressed harder on the gas. "I can't believe he lied to me."

"Can you blame him though? Your reaction is not reassuring."

"It's not funny, Evelyn! He's a monster."

"He would never hurt anyone on purpose." The girl frowned back. "That's Damon. Stefan doesn't drink from humans."

Not sure what to say to that she asked instead: "How'd you get hurt?"

"Damon tried to bite me…but he couldn't drink from me for some reason."

Elena looked at her curiously. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea." She shifted. "Well, since this is a night of truth telling…I'm some kind of witch. My Gran told me. Dad hates it though."

"You're a witch?!" Elena yelped, and Evie sighed. Here we go again.

By the time they had pulled up to the house, Elena wasn't as frantic about Evie's confession. She was, however, still scared of Stefan's confession and practically pulled the blonde into the house and up the stairs.

"I'm fine. He's not the one we should be worried about!" Evie yelled as Elena shut her bedroom door.

Evelyn sighed as Elena checked on Jeremy before coming and flinging off her jacket.

"Elena."

They both jumped in alarm as Stefan appeared and Evie scowled.

"Don't scare me! I've had enough of that today!"

The vampire gave her an apologetic look before focusing back on Elena.

"He's not going to hurt you." Evie told the other girl. "Trust me. He's the good one." She went to the door. "I'll let you two talk." She left before Elena could stop her.

Evie looked up from her knees when Stefan stepped out of the dark around the edge of the house.

"She kick you out?"

"Yeah."

"She'll come around eventually. You're a good guy, Stefan, vampire or not."

Stefan smiled. "Thank you, Evelyn. And I'm sorry about what happened to you."

She scoffed. "Like I told you the other day, don't apologize for Damon. He's an ass."

Stefan's phone began ringing and he glanced at it before answering.

"Hello."

"I want my ring."

Evie tilted her head as Stefan suddenly froze.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the Sizzler. I had the buffet. Where's my ring?"

"I don't have it. What have you done?"

"Nooo." Damon taunted. "What have you done? You're the one that locked me in the basement and starved me, so whatever I've done, whoever I've sucked dry, is on you, buddy."

Evelyn stood up with a frown.

"Is that ass on the phone? Tell him to give me my truck keys!"

"Is that my Eves?" Damon grinned.

Stefan ignored them both. "You're being careless. How many more animal attacks is this town gonna believe, huh?"

"I know how to cover my tracks, Stefan." His brother scoffed in his ear. "Where's my ring?"

"I gave it to Zach to hide. Probably shouldn't have killed him."

There was a pause and for a brief moment he thought he had won. "Ah, you almost got me. Where is it?"

"I'll get it back, I just need time."

"What, did you FedEx it to Rome? Where is it? I want my ring Stefan or my next stop is Elena's."

"I already want you dead. Don't give me another reason to make it happen."

"Don't give me another reason to rip you apart."

"Yeah? Is that going to be before or after you get your ring back?"

"Give me the phone." Evie took it from him and held it to her ear. "You locked me in the library, you jerk!"

Damon chuckled, his mood lightening a bit at her voice. "Better than in the basement."

"You're sick."

"At least Stefan let you out."

"I want my keys, you egotistical ass!"

"Miss you too, my Eves." He teased. "Talk to you later. Kiss kiss." Damon made kissy sounds and she ground her teeth.

"I hate you!"

"I know." The knowing smirk in his voice, made her want to hurl something at his face. "Now give the phone back to Stefan."

She slapped the phone back into his hand with a huff and Stefan put it back to his ear.

"Not to add to your guilt list here, but I sort of gave Eves my blood so…if she dies within the next few hours that's on you too. Bye." Damon said rapidly before hanging up and Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'll help you kill him."

He looked back up at her.

"Really. You'll need help."

"You could get hurt, Evelyn. I don't think we need to push him any further."

"I'm not scared of him."

Stefan sighed. "Let me take you home."

Evelyn frowned when she noticed a police car in her driveway. Stefan frowned too.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know." The girl murmured and she got out of the car. "Sheriff Forbes?"

The woman turned to her. "Evelyn."

"What's going on?"

"We can't find your father."

Evie froze. "W-What?"

"We got a call from the Grill, he was raving about something but when we arrived, he was no longer there. I wanted to see if you knew where he was."

The girl shook her head. "No…I haven't seen him since last night before I went to bed." Her father was missing? Did Damon kill him?

Liz watched apprehension and distress cross the teen's face and she engulfed her in a hug when the girl looked misty eyed. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm sure he's fine. Do you want me to call your grandmother?"

"No, I'll do it." Evie murmured. "She's on a plane right now. She went to a Bridge tournament with her friends." Liz nodded and rubbed her arm.

"Call me any time, okay? We'll keep looking. He'll show up."

Evelyn nodded and watched the woman walk off her porch.

Stefan frowned. "Has this happened before?"

She shook her head. "He's always come back." She turned to the vampire. "Did Damon…?"

"No, of course not." He said reassuringly, but he didn't believe his own words. Evelyn chewed her nails for a moment.

October 4, 2009

"Where is he?" She snapped.

"Where's who?"

"My dad, you jerkwad! I know you did something."

Damon sighed. "And here I thought we were getting along…" He saw the look on her face and he straightened up. "Seriously, Eves. I don't know."

The teen ran a hand through her hair and then started chewing her nails.

"Help you look, but I'm kinda stuck." He patted the wooden door and stepped further back in the house. "Want to come in?"

"I don't think so."

"I've got your keys and your bracelet. You want? Come get." He smirked and went even further in the house. He jiggled the keys at her and she scowled. "Here Eves. just come in and grab them."

Evelyn folded her arms across her chest. "If I come in there you'll trap me. Again."

"Is my company that horrendous?"

"Yes."

He snorted at her response. "Tell me where they last saw your dad. When I get out of here I'll go looking for him, all right? Now either come get your keys and have a seat for a while, or be forced to walk all the way back home, which judging by your appearance was quite a hike. Your choice." He held his hands up. "I'll behave if you will." She hesitated a moment.

Don't be stupid. This is the exact moment in movies where the girl gets killed because of her naivety.

She eyed Damon warily and he watched her think things through.

"Fine." She said at last. "But the first time you try something, I'm leaving."

"Deal."

He stopped her from coming all the way in. "Empty out your pockets."

She frowned. "What?"

"If we're going to be civil, I don't want a stake finding it's way into my ribs."

Evelyn emptied her pockets with a roll of her eyes, showering the floor with quarters, mints, and empty gum wrappers.

"Thanks." He said dryly at the mess in the floor. She smirked.

"You told me to do it. Now it's your mess."

She went past him and into the parlor, only to freeze. A bloody towel was lying on the couch.

"Um…on second thought, I'll just be-" She whirled around quickly, but he was right behind her. "-going now."

"Calm down, feisty pants. I was just cleaning."

Evie scowled. "Feisty pants? Whoa, hey back that up, buster. I'm not falling for that."

"Falling for what?"

"You're trying to seduce me or something."

Damon was very amused. "Well that depends…Do you want to be seduced?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "I'm very good at it."

"Is there an option? I'd rather not."

"You're a pretty girl." He said leaning against the wall casually. She snorted. "You get skeptical when someone compliments you. Why?"

"No, I don't."

"It's because of this," He blurred over to her, stroking the mark tenderly with a thumb, before she realized what was going on. She slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me." She scowled and he raised his hands.

"Sorry, but it's true, isn't it?

"Just back off." She put distance between them, scowling at him. She folded her arms across her chest. "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing, presently." He said casually. "But that could change." She took a step back warily and he rolled his eyes. "Calm down, Eves. I was joking."

"Don't call me that." She scowled.

"Fine. Evelyn." He amended. Evie felt a jolt at the sound of her name coming from him and mentally cursed at herself.

He started for the kitchen. "Come on. I'm sure you're hungry. You must be without your Gran cooking you food."

"How'd you know my Gran isn't here?"

He just tapped the side of his nose.

"Because you're a creep. Right." She rolled her eyes.

"It's not poisoned." He rolled his eyes when she made no move to eat.

The girl frowned at him. "Why are you feeding me?" She poked at the blueberry muffin on her plate.

"Would you rather me feed you blood?"

"No." She said quickly, before scowling at her plate, and his mouth twitched.

"Eat then."

Reluctantly, she did and in seconds it was gone. Damon shoved the plate of them over to her in amusement and she dug into those too.

"Hungry?"

"Shut up."

Silence fell and like yesterday she couldn't stand it. "Because it's a lie." She said suddenly, and Damon's gaze landed on her.

"What is?"

"You asked me why I don't take compliments about my looks. It's a lie."

He tilted his head. "Why do you think that?"

"It's a fact." The girl shrugged. "Nine times out of ten, guys tell girls that they look good just to get in their pants or to avoid confrontation. It's a lie."

"I don't think that applies to all males. Just the scumbags."

"And you're not one of those? Didn't you just tell me "You're a pretty girl."?" She mocked him. "You were trying to keep me from pounding your face in."

"True, but I still meant it."

Evie rolled her eyes. "Liar, liar, pants on fire." She faked a gasp. "Oh, wait. You don't like fire, right? Oops."

"Funny." Damon narrowed his eyes. "You're very cynical. It's no wonder why you hardly have friends. Do your facts apply to them too?"

"Not to Bonnie and Caroline. Elena is…sort of my friend. I'm starting to tolerate her. For the most part."

"Have you ever dated then?" He asked, tilting his head as he watched her reaction.

"Once." She said stiffly, but he wasn't done yet.

"What about that Lockwood guy? You ever date him?"

"Tyler?" She snorted and drained the rest of her coffee. "We exchange banter, but that's about it. Nothing romantic in the least. Same with Matt."

Damon drummed his fingers against the table and she frowned a bit in annoyance, that made him smirk. "So you've only dated one guy and you are basing all future experiences just by that? Must have been a doozy. What'd he do? Cheat?" He already knew. He just wanted to hear her say it. A strange expression crossed her face.

"That's none of your business." She tried to sound neutral, that it didn't bother her, but he could tell it did. Not that he asked her, but whatever unpleasant memory it brought back.

"Did he hurt you? Physically, I mean? Obviously, he did emotionally."

She frowned. "I still fail to see how that is any of your business."

"So he did."

"I got him back." She countered, glaring at the coffee cup. "And that's the end."

"I don't hit girls." He said and her eyes flickered to him briefly.

"You want a cookie?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying that your facts don't apply to me."

"No one's ever hit me."

He leaned across the table. "I think he did. You may have fought back, but not at first. Stop me if I'm wrong." She scowled at the tabletop. "First time it was a real shock, he caught you off guard. Next time, you saw it coming but was too slow to stop it. Eventually you got wise and hit him back." She shifted in her seat. "That's why you don't trust a lot of people. You think they'll all hurt you in some way. Even Bonnie and Caroline."

"Shut up, Dr. Phil." She snapped at him. "Well, let's talk about you then. You are two-faced." She waved at him with the muffin in her hand and his mouth twitched in amusement. "You pretended to be human and you pretended to like Caroline and date her. In reality, you are a vampire over a hundred years old and you didn't like Caroline. You used her for some secret agenda. So yes, my facts apply to you."

"Which of those piss you off the most? The fact that I used Caroline or that I pretended to be human?"

"That you used Caroline."

Damon shrugged. "She's human and I'm a vampire."

"Not an excuse." She held her hand out. "Keys."

"Not yet."

"Knew there was a catch." Evie grumbled and slumped in her seat with her arms folded across her chest like a child. Damon almost snickered. "Now what do you want?"

He reclined lazily in his chair. "Tell me about this witchiness I saw yesterday. Obviously, it scared you so what's that about?"

"I wasn't scared."

"You need to loosen up. Have a little fun."

"I want my keys."

"And I want my ring which Stefan has. So…no ring, no keys."

Evelyn frowned. "I knew it! You are trapping me here!"

"Relax, Eves." He rolled his eyes. "We're just going to hang around until Stefan comes to his senses."

"I don't want to hang around with you! Give me my keys, I'll go get your ring. What's so important about it?"

"It's how I can walk in the sun. It's magic protects me from the sunlight." He wiggled his fingers at her.

"You deserve to be housebound. I can see why he still has it." She scowled and Damon pouted.

"Don't be mean, Eves. I've been very nice to you."

"Which is suspicious…Why did you help me yesterday? You could have just left me there."

He shrugged, pouring himself some bourbon. "To bleed out and panic? No, even someone as depraved as me couldn't watch that."

Evelyn frowned at her feet.

"Why does that happen anyway? Hm? Why don't you like the sight of you own blood?"

"I don't know." She said truthfully. "It just bothers me."

Damon found that no matter what, his eyes were drawn to her. So he gave into temptation and observed her over the edge of his bourbon glass. She was looking over the décor, nose wrinkling as she found something she disliked. His eyes roamed down to her ass and her legs and he briefly imagined wrapping her legs around his waist. She was spunky and mysterious two things he enjoyed in women. Well, women he didn't automatically want to drain that is. His mind wandered to that night at the Lockwoods when he had contemplated kissing her and how would she react. She must be somewhat attracted to him and her comment earlier about him seducing her thoroughly amused him. He liked being challenged.

"Would you stop staring at me?" She glared at him over her shoulder. "Are you always such a creep?"

He smirked at her. He would definitely enjoy riling her up with innuendos and his usual charms. Watching her face flush with anger and embarrassment. She'd come to him eventually, he was sure of it.

"Not always." He smirked. "Most women find me charming and attractive."

"Mmhm." She scowled, wishing she could punch him for looking at her so smugly. He may be good at getting other girls to do what he wanted, but she wasn't falling for that. No way.

Damon tapped his fingers against the armchair he now occupied.

"So are you a little witch?"

Huffing, the girl faced him. "What's it to you?"

"Might be handy to have a little witch around." And it really would. Katherine was stuck in the tomb. Now that he located the crystal, he could get Evelyn's help to open the tomb. No way would the Bennett girl help, not now that she and Caroline were so close again. He just had to convince Evie of the good cause.

She scowled. "Even if I was, I wouldn't help you."

"What can you do?" He was genuinely interested. If she was powerful, which he had little doubt of, he knew she might be just what he needed.

"I don't know."

"You never tested it?" He asked skeptically. "Seen what you can do? Come on, you have to be curious."

She shook her head. "My dad said it was dangerous. Magic killed my mother. She died giving birth to me. Magic didn't help her."

"If you control it, it won't be dangerous. Try it."

"Why?"

He leaned forward. "Don't you want to know what you can do?"

Her lips parted, about to speak, but Damon's other houseguest decided to finally come downstairs.

Vicki came prancing down the steps, fluffing her hair with a towel. Evie's eyes widened.

"Oh, man. That shower was so great." She touched her touch her neck, checking for teeth marks. Damon had fed her blood so she was healed, but still sore.

"What did you give me?" Vicki asked in confusion and Damon tipped his head back, looking at her upside down.

"Some blood. You loved it."

"After you probably tried to kill her." Evie muttered under her breath and Damon sent her a look.

"I did?" Vicki asked, coming further into the room. "Wait. I'm confused. How did we get here?"

"We met in the woods."

"Creep." He heard Evie mutter and rolled his eyes.

"You were drunk. I attacked you. Then I killed all of you friends and brought you here, gave you some blood. You loved it. And now we're gonna party until the sun goes down."

"Okay!" Vicki said after a beat and Evie scowled. "But, um first can I have another hit? That blood was so good." The other girl's jaw dropped open.

"Only if I can." Damon smirked and his eyes flickered across the room. "Eves?" The girl shook her head wildly and he shrugged. He bit into his wrist as Vicki thrusted hers out for him and he sank his fangs into her skin. She gasped and then gave a small moan before reaching for his bitten wrist, taking in his blood.

Swallowing back the urge to vomit at the display before her, she thrust her hand out. "I want my keys."

Damon retracted his fangs from Vicki's wrist, his blood already doing its work to heal the wound on her wrist. "Oh, come on, Eves. Don't rush off."

"I want to look for my dad." She said firmly and he glanced at her. She was pale-faced and very determined to leave.

Knowing that if he didn't let her go, he'd never win her favor, he slipped her keys from his pocket. "Here." He tossed them to her. "Go on."

"Thanks." She said awkwardly and he nodded once. "Bye, Vicki."

The older teen waved. "Bye!"

She wasted no time in fleeing out the front door.

"Evelyn."

She turned her head and scowled. "I don't want to talk to you, Troy." She went back to shuffling her flyers for music/photo gigs. She needed to make some money and hopefully someone wanted to hire her for a party or something.

He shifted. "Please. Just give me a chance. I can be so good to you."

"Bull." She hissed and turned her back to him. She felt a shove and almost faceplanted the wall as pressure was applied to her back. "Get off!" He pressed himself against her back, pinning her to the wall, she had been putting a posters on. She stiffened as his lips touched her ear.

"I know you're not dating the football player. You don't belong to him."

Evie tried to elbow him, but he grabbed her wrists painfully and held them down against the wall. She tried to summon the magic she had used on Damon, but she it wouldn't come. And no one was paying them a bit of attention so she couldn't call for help.

"Your powers are starting to grow aren't they?" He murmured and her breath hitched.

"How-how do you know about that?" She asked, wishing she didn't sound so scared.

"I know a lot about you. I've been waiting. You weren't ready before."

"Let me go." She snapped and fought him, but he was stronger than she had thought. "Let go." Her skin crawled as he pressed a kiss to her skin, just below her ear. Tears stung her eyes and she clenched her fists. "Let me go, Troy!" Why won't her magic work!?

"You are mine, Evelyn. You'll see. I'll see you later, babe."

When she whirled around, he was gone.

Trembling, she slid down the wall and drew her knees up to her chest. Who was he really? And how did he know what she was?

"Evelyn?"

She looked up from her knees to see Sheriff Forbes. Behind her were some of her deputies.

"Are you all right, honey?"

"Have you seen my dad?" The girl asked automatically and Liz sighed.

"No, but we did find something." She held up her dad's wallet. "We found this near the cemetery. Would have any reason to believe that he'd be after drugs? Or that he'd have any reason to harm anyone?'

"What are you asking?" She frowned. "You think my dad hurt someone?"

"There a group of teenagers in the woods. Dead. And that's where we found his wallet."

Evelyn's blood ran cold and she shook her head. "No…No, he wouldn't do that."

Liz put a hand on her shoulder. The girl was trembling and she looked frightened. "Are you sure? You can tell me anything, Evie, you know that."

"He's not a murderer, Sheriff Forbes. He's not."

She nodded. "All right." She frowned in concern. "Evelyn, what's wrong? You look so pale." In a motherly way, she touched the girl's forehead, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"I'm just worried about my dad." She lied, somewhat calmed by Liz's care.

Liz nodded, though she wasn't sure she believed the girl. "We'll find him."

"Do you think he did that?"

"No." She shook her head. "But we won't know until we find him." Evelyn chewed her lip.

Evie saw Elena's SUV pull alongside her and she turned her head.

"Hi, Elena."

The brunette nodded. She looked angry and upset about something. Next to her was Stefan with a solemn expression. He nodded at her.

"Evelyn."

"Where are you guys going?" Evie asked when no one spoke for a second.

Elena frowned. "Stefan is going to explain a few things. I thought you might want to hear it too."

The girl shrugged. "Sure. I like a good story and I've got nothing better to do."

Stefan opened the door for her and stopped her before she got inside.

"Are you okay? Is your dad still-?"

"Missing? Yeah." She murmured. "I don't know where he is."

"What are we doing here?" Elena asked as she and Evelyn followed Stefan out of the car. They were a bit of a way into the woods that surrounded Mystic Falls. Near the old property lines.

"I want to show you something." He answered and she scoffed.

"In the middle of nowhere?"

"This didn't used to be nowhere." Stefan murmured and Evie tilted her head.

"Your home?"

He nodded at her and Elena's eyes widened.

They walked over to the ruins of the house and the brunette turned to him.

"It looks so…"

"Old?" He smirked. "That's because they are."

"Wait. How long have you-?" Elena trailed off.

"I've been seventeen years old since 1864."

Evie felt a tingle in her wrist when Stefan said the year and she glanced down at it. The skin looked normal and she saw no burned numbers on her wrist, but it still tingled all the same.

"Oh, my god."

"You said you wanted to know. I'm not going to hold anything back." He promised her and turned to lead them further into the ruins. "Half-century before the boarding house was even built this was my family's home. Damon and I were both born here. The Salvatore brothers, best friends."

"Until Katherine?" Evelyn asked, stepping over a log and Stefan nodded.

Elena's brow furrowed. "You knew Katherine in 1864? Damon made it seem like-"

"Damon was trying to make you think I was still heartbroken." He corrected her, a dark look on his face. "He saw he was happy with you and wanted to ruin it."

Evie snorted. "Was he always so obnoxious?"

"No." Stefan shook his head. "Not always."

"All because you both loved the same woman 145 years ago?" Elena inquired.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Just who exactly was this girl? I keep hearing her name."

"She wasn't just any girl." He went on to explain how he and Damon often competed for her affection, toying with them almost in Evie's opinion. He told of the day she had announced her need for an escort to the Founder's ball.

"She chose me. I escorted her to the ball at the original Lockwood mansion."

'Where you and Damon signed the registry for the first Founder's party." Evie supplied and Elena's eyes widened.

Stefan nodded at them both. "I didn't care that I had gotten something that my brother wanted. I didn't even care if I hurt him. I only knew that I wanted her."

"So he got upset." Elena guessed.

"That's the thing about Damon. He doesn't get mad. He just gets even. What Damon wants, Damon usually gets."

Evie grimaced as the memory of Damon staring at her in his house earlier flooded her head. His eyes had been on her and something in his gaze had made her heart race like mad. She shook her head to clear it. Don't be stupid. He's a creep is all. She told herself.

"Now, I didn't know it at the time but it turns out that night Katherine was with him too."

Elena frowned. "So he stole her from you not the other way around?"

Evie looked around at the surrounding trees before looking back at Stefan. "How…How are you past Katherine then? No offense, but if love is so powerful or whatnot and you clearly loved her enough to forego your own brother, then how are you even functioning?"

Elena glanced at her, seeing the genuine confusion on her face and then at Stefan.

The vampire looked at his feet for a moment. "Because I found something better to live for. And Katherine wasn't who she pretended to be."

"How so?"

"Turns out she wasn't ours to steal." He explained how she had exposed herself a vampire to him one night. "She could control our minds, me and Damon and compelled us to keep the secret from the other." Stefan went to a part of the old brick fence and picked up something wrapped in a cloth. "She wanted us all to be together, forever. Didn't work out that way, but Damon and I, looks like we're stuck together. Like it or not." He uncovered the item in his hand.

"That's Damon's ring." Evelyn said and he nodded.

"I took it from him."

"And it pissed him off."

He sighed. "I have to give it back."

"No!" Elena scowled and they looked at her. "Don't Stefan. Keep it hidden."

"Elena, if I don't give it to him he'll retaliate in the only way he knows that can hurt me."

"And what's that?"

"Haven't you been listening? You, Elena. He means you." Evelyn told her with a roll of her eyes. Elena glanced at Stefan before looking away. "Stefan…Damon wouldn't turn my dad, would he?"

Stefan shook his head. "No. I can't think of why he would do that. Why do you ask?"

"Because Sheriff Forbes talked to me earlier. She found my dad's wallet in the woods where a group of dead townies are."

Elena gasped. "Oh, my god."

"She said she's not sure if it was him or not, there's no evidence other than his wallet to show he might have been there. You two are the only vampires right?"

Stefan nodded. "Damon probably killed those people, but I'm not sure how your dad's wallet got there."

She just sighed.

Evelyn frowned and grabbed her supplies. She had to go find her dad and make sure he wasn't lost in the woods somewhere. She had to find him and Vicki. Elena had hastily explained what had happened a few hours ago and now she had another reason to hate Damon.

She walked through the trees, shining her flashlight around.

"Evelyn."

She felt her body freeze. How had he found her? She turned slowly to see Troy.

"Back off!" She warned him and he sighed.

"I'm sorry I scared you earlier. I come on too strong sometimes, but I promise I'll behave."

Evie walked backward as he extended his hand. "Come with me, Evelyn. I'll explain all I know. I can help you."

She shook her head. "Screw you!" She dug in her pocket, looking for rocks she had put there, mostly as an extra precaution. Not that it would really help much.

"I'm almost done being patient with you!" He snarled and stepped forward menacingly. "Come here!" She threw a rock at him and it smacked him in the forehead. He pulled his fingers from the wound and saw blood. When he looked up from his fingers, she was darting across the little creek and running through the trees on the other side.

Evie found a place to rest and she paused, breathing as she tried to think of what to do next.

"Coincidently, you seen or heard from Eves?" Damon stuck his head back in the doorway again, aggravating Elena. Wasn't he through terrorizing her yet?

"Evelyn? Yeah, I saw what you did to her."

Damon rolled his eyes. "She's fine, Elena. Now where is she?"

"Home."

He shook his head. "I already checked."

Elena frowned at that. "Then she's probably out looking for her dad…What if she runs into Vicki? Or Sheriff Forbes?"

"What about the Sheriff?" He asked in amusement. "She in trouble with the law?"

"It was you wasn't it?" She snapped. "You killed those people by the cemetery. Did you see Evelyn's dad there? They found his wallet."

Damon frowned at the accusation. "No, I didn't hurt her dad. I haven't seen him since that football game. Do they think he did it?"

"They have suspicions."

"Damn it." He cursed and strode for the door. "Tell my brother I'm looking for him and tell Eves to call me."

Damon tilted his head. He could hear someone shouting and when he heard who answered back, he became intrigued. It was Evie. Curious as to what she was doing in the woods at this time of night, he wandered through the trees to find her.

Evelyn cursed when her foot caught a tree root and she hit the ground hard. Winded, she tried to breathe, lying flat on the ground to try and at least remain hidden in case they caught up to her.

"Evelyn, come back babe!" Troy called and she scowled. "I'm sorry!"

"Oh, shut the hell up." She muttered under her breath.

She froze when something stepped in front of her.

"Hello, my Eves. Fancy seeing you here."

Looking up, her eyes narrowed.

"Damon."

He arched an eyebrow at her expression before looking around.

"Someone after you? I heard shouting."

She didn't answer him, instead looking over her shoulder before standing back up.

"Just go away." She told him.

"Don't go that way." He warned her and waved a hand in the other direction. "That way. Takes you back to the road."

"Why are you helping me?"

Damon stepped closer, eyeing her. "Why are you so scared?"

"I-I'm not."

Her heart was beating rapidly and she glanced around at each sound.

"Is your ex after you?"

"How do you know…? Never mind. Just get away from me." She snapped.

He knew he had to keep her quiet so he pressed his hand over her mouth, backing her against a tree. She fought him, so he wrapped his arms around her to keep her from moving.

"Let go of me! What the hell are you doing?!" She was panicking, and he couldn't have that. "You son of-" He cut her off with a kiss, making her freeze in shock as he molded their lips together. He felt jolts of electricity go through his veins as he kissed her, his lips softly caressing hers. It was something he had only felt once in his life, back when he had been human and he suddenly felt warm. He knew she had the ability to sling him off her if she wanted, but she was too shocked to really register anything.

Evelyn was frozen in horror for a half a second, her brain trying to process what was happening. He let her breathe for a second and she stared dumbly at him before he pressed his mouth back on hers. She quickly tried to shake her head free, momentarily out of her shock, but then froze again when he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips. Her hands twitched at her sides, ready to shove him off her if she could get her head to cooperate. Her head was spinning with the sensation of his lips on hers, how his body molded to hers and how good it all felt. Strange, but good. She involuntarily gave a small moan and he let go of her arms, one hand sliding up to cup the back of her head and press her closer.

She tasted of strawberry lip gloss and something he couldn't place; a sugary dessert maybe. One of his legs slotted between hers as he heard the teen moving closer and he covered her more with his body to make sure she wasn't seen. Her hands gripped his jacket and he rotated his hips against her slowly, making her gasp sharply.

Slowly, he pulled his head back, just enough that their lips still brushed.

"Shh." He said softly and surprisingly she let out a slight whimper at his loss. His eyes darkened, but he didn't speak again. She looked dazed for a second before recovering and glaring at him with all her might, but thankfully didn't speak.

"Evelyn, where are you babe?" Troy asked and they heard him walk closer. For a moment, she looked worried and Damon frowned. His tough little Eves looked upset, something he had never seen before. She had a fist in his jacket which made him aware that she was more frightened that she was letting on.

"Did you go back to your truck? I just want to talk."

The teen headed away from them and when the phone light was out of sight, Damon released her. Instantly, she put space between them.

She wiped at her lips, glaring at him and spitting like she had eaten something bad. It was slightly comical, especially when she had been so close to kissing him back and teetering on the verge of melting against him, of letting him have her. He had felt it. She had liked it.

"What the hell was that for?" She growled at him.

"I was keeping you quiet." He said innocently, shrugging his shoulders as she continued to glower. "Unless you wanted him to find you. I can call him back, you know."

Evelyn tried to think of something smart to say, but she had nothing. She just looked away.

"Come on, I'll walk you back."

"No, thanks. You've done enough."

Damon rolled his eyes before smirking. "You act like you don't like kissing."

"I don't mind being kissed!" She snapped at him, cheeks red as tomatoes. "Just not by you!"

"Bet that was the best kiss you've ever had." He said smugly, purposely baiting her.

She made a face. "Do you get a kick out of trying to make me vomit?" Evie snorted. "That was revolting."

He followed her as she stalked through the trees.

"Do you even know where you are going?"

"Yes. I'm going towards the road."

"Wrong. Road's the other way."

She huffed and turned around, only to find him right there.

"Why was he following you?"

"Because he's nuts." She snapped. "Now get out of my way."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't be so defensive. What's going on?"

"None of your business."

"Eves."

"Why do you want to know? Why do you care?"

"You were hiding from him and you were scared."

"I'm not scared of him and I'm not scared of you." She hissed and he stared at her.

"Evelyn."

She looked away from him. "Can we just get out of the woods?"

"Did he hurt you again?"

She scowled. "Again? There's never been a first time."

He took her arms. "I helped you. I deserve an explanation."

She glared at the ground. "Fine. Yes, he's hurt me. No, he didn't this time."

"Then why were you so scared?"

"Have you seen my dad?" She asked in lieu of an answer and he frowned.

He shook his head. "No, I-" He stopped suddenly, hearing a commotion ahead of them. He turned around he grabbed at her.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Shh."

"Wha-"

In a blur, they sped through the trees and came to a clearing. Stefan was lying on the ground, blood coming out of his chest and Vicki was nearby covering her mouth. Damon had his fangs in Logan Fell, leaving Evie to look over the whole thing in shock and with slight vertigo. A strange whispering filled the air and Evie felt an odd sensation in her body.

She tilted her head and came over toward Stefan almost unknowingly. She knelt next to him and held her hands over him. She closed her eyes.

The body dropped to the ground and Damon glanced up, wiping his chin. "Eves, what are you doing?" A white glow was coming from her hands and it went into Stefan's chest.

Stefan grunted and groaned as something came out of his chest and then the small white light started to fade. The girl thumped back on her bottom, something small in her hands.

Damon knelt next to them both and took the item from her hands.

"It's wood." He mused, looking at the bullet closely. "They know." Stefan only blinked at him. "If anyone's gonna kill you, its gonna be me. My ring."

Stefan dug in his pocket and withdrew it. Damon snatched it from him and slipped it back into place. He hummed in satisfaction and then glanced up at Evelyn. She looked exhausted and very confused.

"How'd you do that, Eves? How'd you know how?"

"I don't know. I just did." She murmured.

"Thank you." Stefan told her and she smiled tiredly. He turned his head and his eyes widened. "No, Vicki! No!" He cried and they looked over. The girl was feeding from Logan. Slowly she looked up, chin and mouth covered in blood.

"I'm sorry." She whimpered and she got up to run.

"Oops." Damon said as she disappeared and Evelyn hit him. "I haven't forgotten you, Eves." He ignored her huff turned to Stefan. The brothers could hear approaching footsteps. "Let's go before we're all caught." He stood and Evelyn attempted to, but her knees buckled. He tsked and caught her elbows. "That's what we get for trying big magic with no practice. Come on." He scooped her up in his arms before she could speak and he zoomed them off.

"Put me down you ass!" She demanded as they came out of woods. She had recovered enough to fight with him at least verbally.

"Calm down, Eves." He opened her truck door and she grabbed the edge. "Get in."

"No! I'm not done looking for my dad!"

He rolled his eyes. "You can't even stand on your feet. How are you going to look for him? What if you run into your ex again, hm?"

She scowled. "I'll handle myself."

"If you could handle yourself why were you running from him?"

"It didn't work…I tried but I couldn't do anything."

Damon frowned. "Was he hurting you? Are you hurt?"

"No. He was just bothering me." She muttered. "Like you."

He snorted. "Liar. What was he doing so scary then?"

Evelyn scowled at him before looking nervous. "He knows I have powers." The vampire narrowed his eyes. "And I don't know how. It just…Damon!"

He shoved her into the truck and shut the door, hopping into the driver's side in seconds and blocking her in. "My dad is out there somewhere and they think he murdered people! Which was actually you! I have to clear his name. I have to go find him!"

"Not with that guy out there, Evelyn." He said firmly. "He knows about you what else does he know?"

"I don't know, but that's not the point."

"He scared you so bad you couldn't throw him off you, Eves!" Damon argued. "I'm not going to let you go out there and not be able to protect yourself. He might hurt you again."

"Then what are you suggesting?"

"Practice. Find out your limits and your strengths. You can practice with me."

Evie scowled. "Why? Why should I trust you? Why would you want to help?"

"You shouldn't, but if you don't you'll never know if you can get out of certain situations. Like what happened tonight. You could have thrown me off you. Why didn't you?"

"I…I don't know." She looked away, a curtain of hair falling to block him from view. "I tried to or wanted to…Sometimes it doesn't work when I want it."

"All the more reason to practice." He held his hand out to her. "You let me help you practice and I'll help you find your dad, deal?"

"You didn't hurt him or kill him?'

"I swear, Eves. Never touched him. I'm angry with Stefan, but I wouldn't hurt your dad, all right? Deal?"

She took his hand and shook it before withdrawing her hand quickly. "Why do I get the feeling I just sold my soul to the devil?"

Damon smirked at her. "Maybe you did."

He opened the truck door for her and she stumbled out, swaying unsteadily.

"Why can't I walk!?"

He snorted. "You attempted a spell and it was too big for you. Almost drained you."

"Worked didn't it?" She retorted and then Damon had to catch her.

"All right, little sorceress. It's time to recover."

She barely had the strength to push out of his arms and she allowed him to carry her into the house and up the stairs.

"I don't know how I did it or how I knew what to do. I heard strange whispering and then something was telling me what to do…"

Damon's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Hm…Well, I wouldn't be listening to those voices just yet. You almost lost consciousness."

He sat her on the bed and turned to leave.

"Hey."

He turned back around.

"Thanks…"

He smirked. "Can't have you falling and breaking something." She rolled her eyes. "And don't worry, I won't tell anyone about our time in the woods."

She gaped at him for a second and then her cheeks turned a dark pink. She narrowed her eyes. "We didn't do anything! It was you!"

"I know you liked it. You can admit it." He winked at her. "I enjoyed it,"

"I did not! It was disgusting and of course you liked it! You're a perv!"

Damon chuckled. "Keep telling yourself that my Eves. Whatever helps you sleep at night with thoughts of me."

"Get out!" She threw a stuffed animal at him and he ducked it.

"Night, my Eves." He made kissy faces at her and she huffed, rolling away from him. He snickered and flicked her light off.

"Damon?"

"Hm?"

"Will you make sure all the doors are locked?"

He started to retort, but bit his tongue at the sound of her voice. She sounded nervous.

"Yeah." He told her and shut her bedroom door.

As he walked home, he couldn't help but remember the way she had felt against him, how her lips had felt… He smirked. Now that she'd had a sample of what he could give her, she'd come to him. Just another girl to go through to get to Katherine.

Evelyn stared at the ceiling. What had she done? Why had she allowed him to do that?

"Never again." She vowed aloud. "Never again." But as she drifted off, her dreams were haunted by the feel of Damon's lips and Troy's aggressive behavior.

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