Suzanne had no idea how everyone in Mystic Falls could afford the formalwear that their constant parties and apparently parades required. Seriously, the household income average had to be insane. Plus, with all the deaths she figured life insurance policies were plentiful.

Okay, that wasn't exactly a generous thought, but whatever.

She'd had to go online and rush ordered a realistic looking period dress, blowing a few hundred dollars on Damon's credit card. But come on - it wasn't like the bastard couldn't afford it.

Getting dressed up in the outfit was a whole other fiasco. After ten minutes of attempting to contort her back in a manner that even frequent yoga hadn't prepared her for, she'd finally had to admit defeat and asked Damon to help with the stays of the corset. And Jesus, if this is what Katherine had to deal with daily in the 1800's, Suzanne could almost forgive her for the uber bitchiness she'd thrown at her best friend.

Regardless, she actually felt somewhat good about her look by the time she and Damon pulled up to the parking lot in Mystic Falls. Of course he hadn't put in nearly as much effort, but her mom had always drilled into her head that it was better to be overdressed than underdressed. And damn - her spectacular outfit was 'average' as far as the rest of the Mystic Falls crowd.

Damon had been whispering the names and basic information on the people she could see that he knew of, but it quickly devolved into Suzanne guessing more and more outlandish identities before Damon could correct her.

"You know her?"

Damon gave a small nod, keeping his charming smile in place as a middle aged woman from across the room began approaching them.

"Widow. She's had five husbands, and each time she descends a spiral staircase wearing a sheer black robe with draped sleeves while holding a candelabra, utterly shocked with his untimely death."

At this, Damon had to cough to cover his laugh, quickly muttering back, "She's single, no children. A member of the council and the most naive person I've met in my existence."

"Damon, I'm so glad to see you here! I wasn't sure if you'd arrive. And who is this lovely woman? I'm Jen Walters."

Damon nodded towards Suzanne but remained friendly as he immediately said, "This is Suzanne, she's a close friend from out of town."

The woman immediately adopted a somewhat-shocked expression before closing her lips and making an exaggerated motion of locking her mouth and throwing away a key, obviously indicating that she wouldn't say anything about the council. Please.

"Well regardless, it is so nice to meet you."

Jen seemed earnest, so Suzanne was genuine as she smiled and shook the woman's hand, exchanging vague pleasantries before the other woman left to presumably mingle.

As soon as Jen left, Suzanne tugged Damon down so he was at her height, muttering quickly in his ear, "Please, please save me from any more PTA moms. I beg of you, mercy."

Damon was honestly fairly entertained as he and Suze navigated the Mystic Falls social scene. The best part, however, was that this time - unlike the glorified beauty pageant - he and Suze were enjoying the night together. Eventually the two of them had separated slightly from the crowd.

The moment his head exploded in agony, he realized what was happening. With an involuntary gasp, he immediately threw out his arm, indicating that she had to back away.

"Damon - Damon, whats happening?"

He could barely let out a sound, but Damon forced his locked jaw to briefly relax in order to say in a low voice, "Get away - there's - fuck, the Gilbert device. God damnit. They'll know I'm a vampire. Don't be near me."

Suze looked genuinely terrified but quickly did as he said, sprinting until she was about fifty feet away, trying to assume a relaxed persona while keeping an eye on him. As members of the council approached, Damon sent her a pleading glare to stay back as he was taken away.

Suzanne liked to think of herself as a levelheaded person. But as Damon crumpled as was escorted away by no-doubt-vampire-haters, she had to hold back a scream. Putting on the same somewhat concerned expression as the other townspeople she could see in her peripheral vision, people who probably assumed he was sick or injured, she had to watch as her best friend was hauled away.

Thankfully, after briskly walking around the parade as quickly as she could without raising suspicion, she was able to finally locate a member of the teenage crowd always fucking things up in Mystic Falls. Following Elena, she soon found herself faced with the Bennett witch. Suzanne knew that Damon had thought the fucking device was deactivated by the girl. Reminding herself at the last moment that she could be arrested for punching a teenager in the fucking face, she strode forwards and did the next best thing - shoving the girl harshly by her shoulders to the point that Elena had to catch her.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? What the fuck is wrong with you? It was supposed to not work!"

Her words were nearly shrieked by the end of her statement, and for a second Bonnie looked bewildered. However - probably based on a description a la Elena or Stefan - she realized who she was talking to.

"I'm keeping this town safe."

Suzanne let out a wordless sound of fury and frustration before balling her hands by her side and responding in a seething, low voice.

"You're playing god, you fucking child. Damon is a person. Even Stefan is a person. You are condemning them to die. Do you get that. I just saw - I just saw my best friend taken somewhere where people want to kill him. You're a murderer."

Elena took over the conversation quickly, ranting about Stefan also being taken - something that seemed to devastate the witch far more than Damon's kidnapping. All three of them took off in the direction Elena indicated the vampires were being held, Suzanne striding behind the two of them as quickly as the girls allowed.

Damon was saved. By his shithead brother, no less. Suzanne was thankful, yes. But in her opinion this was cosmic turnabout. Damon had saved him multiple times, and it was only fair that at some point it was given back.

Of course as soon as Stefan stumbled out of the basement of the burning building, Suzanne ran forward. Stefan looked taken aback, clearly not prepared to let go of his barely-conscious brother, but Suzanne quickly supported him.

Okay, her knees buckled immediately and they both fell to their knees, Suzanne scraping them several but not giving a fuck.

With a barely-canceled sob that she was sure Damon could detect, she wrapped her arms around his middle tightly and buried her face in his neck.

"Oh god. Oh my god, I'm so happy you're okay. I love you so much. You aren't allowed to die on me, okay? Please don't ever make me leave again. Please."

Damon let out an exhausted exhale before replying in a quite but confident voice, "You're okay. You're okay and I'll do it again if it means you're safe."

Suzanne gave up on looking dignified and began crying in earnest, gasping to the point that she could barely breathe. Between labored breaths she panted half hearted curses at him, but Christ, she was so relieved. Damon was okay. He was okay, and alive, and going to stay that way if she had any say in it.