Author's Note: I realized that a few chapters back I forgot to put a trigger warning for when Luis slapped Elowen. I know I said in the beginning of the story that I'd put up warnings for when stuff like that would happen and I just wanted to apologize in case anyone was triggered or not.

xxxx

"Stay still! You're gonna make me mess up the eyeliner. If that happens, we'll have to restart. I don't think we have time for that."

Elowen opened one eye to peer at Caroline. She gave her a pointed look back and waited for her eyes to close again. She obeyed. After a few more minutes, Caroline stood back and looked over her work.

"Okay, take a look and tell me what you think. Not like your opinion matters much. I still have to do my makeup and I am not going out there bare-faced."

Elowen rolled her eyes for the nth time that day. As Caroline went to her own chair to start her makeup, Elowen leaned forward to give her makeup a once over. Caroline had put a brown eyeshadow on the outer corners of her eyes, blended into a nude pink shadow in her crease. On the lid was a shimmery rose gold color. There was a thin, delicate line of eyeliner and her eyelashes had been curled. It was a perfect balance between a nude, everyday look and a more upscale look. She'd also done a way better job at covering up the bruise on her cheek (not that Elowen had done a bad job or anything. It just looked far more flawless than before).

"You should really think about going into cosmetics, Care. Seriously."

"Eh, I don't think I can see myself doing this for a living. I have a lip gloss in my bag that would go perfectly with your dress. It's in the front pocket."

Elowen found it and applied it to finish off her makeup. She twisted the lid back on and put it in its original spot.

"I'm gonna go change. Be right back."

She left the vanity room and walked across the hall to the dressing rooms. Amber Bradley was already there, on the verge of hyperventilating. Elowen felt as if she were intruding.

"Are you alright?"

"I hate being the center of attention. It gives me a lot of anxiety. I know what you must be thinking. 'Why did you sign up for this if you have stage fright?'" Her words were super rushed and nervous.

"Do you want privacy while you change? I can leave."

"No. Actually, I think- I think I'm just gonna go get some air." Amber rushed past her and scurried downstairs. Elowen vaguely hoped that she would be okay as she grabbed her dress. She'd just unzipped the protector when she looked up and saw Damon standing behind her in the mirrors reflection. She was starting to get used to that.

"What do you want, Damon? I need to change."

"We need to talk."

Elowen lifted the dress. "Now?"

"Normally, I would have a completely different outlook on this. But, since this could potentially inconvenience all of us, I'll squeal."

"This is about Stefan and the blood, isn't it?"

Damon sighed in relief. He was hoping she had already known. It would've been extremely awkward if she didn't.

"Usually, I would be ecstatic that he finally decided to give the human stuff another shot, but the council is on high alert again. Neither him or me can afford to be found out because he decided that now was the time to be reckless."

"How bad is he?"

"He has a fridge full of stolen blood bank contraband in the house."

Elowen plopped herself on the couch in the room. She wanted so badly to rub her face or run her fingers through her hair, but she knew Caroline would strangle her if she did.

"What makes him think he'd just magically be fine after being off it for 3 or 4 decades?" She asked, mainly voicing her thoughts out loud. She wasn't really expecting an answer. "If he wants to control it, diving headfirst is not the way to do it."

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree." Damon sat next to her. "I mean, normal to a vampire is drinking human blood, but he spent all this time fighting it when he should have been learning to control it and now it's controlling him instead."

"And now he's not gonna want to stop."

The door creaked open and Stefan waltzed into the room.

"What's going on in here?"

"What the hell do you think, Stefan?" Elowen got up from the couch. "How long did you think you could hide your human blood stint from me?"

"You told her," Stefan guessed. He was looking at Damon, who shook his head.

"Didn't have to, baby brother. I told you that you should've just ripped the bandaid off."

Elowen crossed her arms as she stared Stefan down. "Damon, would you be a dear and leave us alone for a moment?"

"Gladly."

Once Damon left the room, Stefan launched into his defense speech.

"I was going to tell you-"

"No you weren't," she snapped. "Be honest here, Stefan. Oh, wait a minute, you haven't been being honest. The blood is one thing, but lying to me? Do you not remember the last time you lied? I forgave you only because I almost lost you in that damn tomb and decided life was too short for me to be mad at that. Not that time matters to vampires."

"How's this any different from when Damon was killing people when he first came to town, huh?"

"Damon was careful about it! He covered his tracks. Befriended the council and threw them off his trail. You? You robbed half the blood bank and did a half-assed compelling job. The council caught on like that." She snapped her fingers. "Damon was smart."

"And I'm not smart?"

"Not right now, you're not."

"So, what?" Stefan raised his eyebrows. "You and Damon suddenly have everything figured out then?"

"This isn't about Damon!" Elowen exclaimed. She lowered her voice back down as to not draw attention to them. "For once, leave your stupid sibling rivalry out of this."

"Look, none of that matters because I'm fine! I'm fine. The blood has changed nothing."

"It's changed everything."

There was a long silence as Stefan tried to collect his thoughts. He took a step closer and reached for her hands.

"Elowen, please, c'mon. I thought… I thought you believed in me."

Immediately, Elowen snatched her hands from Stefan's grip. "That emotionally manipulative bullshit won't work on me anymore, Stefan. I made sure of that a long time ago. The fact that you would even dare try when you know what I've been through makes me sick."

There was a soft knock on the door and Carol Lockwood peeked her head in.

"Elowen, let's go. The lineup is starting."

"Be right there, Mrs. Lockwood," she said while still looking at Stefan. "Stefan was just leaving."

"You're supposed to be waiting downstairs, Stefan. Let's go."

xxxx

Elowen, Caroline and Elena were on the balcony upstairs, waiting for their names to be announced. Caroline had a nice, strapless green dress on. She gave Elowen one last once over.

"I really outdid myself this time."

"Just a tad, Care. I feel overdressed."

Elowen was wearing a strapless baby pink dress. It had a skirt similar to that of a ball gown and a sweetheart neckline. The skirt was made of layered tulle and Esmeralda had appliquéd a swirl design from beads on the corset. It seemed almost too black tie for a semi-formal event like this.

"Oh, please." Caroline rolled her eyes. "If I'm going to lose to anyone and be okay with it, it's you."

"Has anyone seen Amber?" Carol came around the corner, looking behind the girls as Amber would appear behind them any second. "I can't find her."

"Last I saw her, she stepped out to get some air," Elowen informed her. "She had the jitters pretty badly. Maybe she got cold feet?"

"Well, a heads up would've been nice. I'm gonna check outside, but if she's not there, she'll be eliminated." Carol disappeared down the other hall to the other set of stairs and left the girls alone.

"Miss Elena Gilbert, escorted by Mister Matthew Donovan."

As Elena headed down the stairs, Elowen peered over the balcony. "Do you see Stefan anywhere down there?"

Caroline walked over and peeked over as well. "No. Just Josiah taking his place. Why, what happened to Stefan?"

Elowen sighed. "We got into an argument earlier and I haven't seen him since. I should go look for him." She started to head to same way Carol left when Caroline grabbed her.

"Oh no you don't. Not when we're this close to the competition. It's bad enough Amber Bradley is already M.I.A. Besides, I spent all that work on hair and makeup and your mom put her blood, sweat and tears into modifying your dress. It would be a waste to back out now."

"Miss Caroline Forbes, escorted by Mister Josiah Ramirez."

"If I don't see you out there, I will personally find you and kill you myself. Wish me luck!" She cheerily switched gears. Caroline took hold of the rail and descended down the stairs.

Elowen took her spot in front of the stairs. She grabbed the end of her dress with one hand and grabbed the railing with the other. She took a deep breath and hoped Stefan would be waiting for her at the bottom of the steps.

"Miss Elowen Ramirez, escorted by Mister Stefan Salvatore."

Elowen started making her way down the spiral staircase. When she reached halfway, she saw that they had put a last minute replacement in Stefan's place. She stopped for a second. Seeing her hesitation, Damon squeezed through the crowd and stood in front of the replacement. Elowen visibly relaxed as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Where's Stefan?" She asked in a whisper. She wrapped her hand around Damon's arm and together, they joined the other couples outside.

"I don't know."

They passed Esmeralda and Alaric, who both looked puzzled as to why Damon was escorting her instead of Stefan. 'Later,' Elowen had mouthed before they got too far away.

Once they were in their respective places, everyone bowed and curtseyed to their partners in perfect unison. The music started and Elowen lifted her hand to hover near Damon's. As they switched hands, Elowen felt the air change between her and Damon. It felt thicker and…. Almost seductive. Damon could sense it, too. When their hands finally touched, a spark shot through both of them. It made Elowen suddenly feel nervous. There was something there that wasn't quite there before.

The ceremony came to an end and the girls were ushered to a stage inside. Damon stood in the very front of the audience. Truth was, he was actually a bit proud of Elowen in deciding to go through with this. He was sure that with Luis in town, she'd want to stay home as much as possible in order to avoid him. Hell, he thought the entire family was gonna hide. Now he knew that was stupid of him to think. They were fighters. All three of them.

He met Elowen's eye and gave her an encouraging smile. She gave him an anxious one back. Now that she was onstage, her heart began to pound. What if she won this thing?

"Before I crown the winner, I'd like to offer a personal thank you to all of these young ladies for their efforts to better our community." Mayor Lockwood had joined the girls on the stage. He was a few feet in front of him, making his speech. There was a light round of applause from the audience. "So, without further ado, it is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls, Miss Caroline Forbes!"

Caroline gasped in surprised. She had been so sure that Elena was a shoe in for the crown. Elowen was smiling from ear to ear, ecstatic for her friend.

"Congratulations!" She cheered, giving Caroline the biggest bear hug she could muster.

"I actually won!" Caroline exclaimed as they pulled back. She still couldn't believe it. She took her place at the front of the stage so Mayor Lockwood could put the sash and tiara on her head. Josiah was probably the loudest of the entire crowd.

"That's my girlfriend!" He declared proudly, his hands cupped around his mouth. He was at the front beside Damon. Caroline blushed lightly. As the claps died down, Mayor Lockwood once again took to the stand.

"And, for the first time ever, we'll be announcing an honorable mention. Think of it as being our runner up, if you will. Elowen Ramirez!"

Elowen's eyes widened. She was frozen in place for a moment before Elena pushed her forward. Mayor Lockwood put a sash and a much smaller, not as showy tiara on her. Caroline gave her a bone crushing side hug. If it were possible, Josiah got louder.

"Ms. Ramirez displayed admirable behavior back in her hometown that we just couldn't ignore. And, c'mon, you can't deny that she looks like royalty. How can we not acknowledge someone who went above and beyond with their attire?"

Damon was proudly clapping alongside Josiah. She didn't win, but she got second place. That was good enough for him. Except, the moment was ruined when a police officer pulled him to the side and said Sheriff Forbes was asking for him. Elowen watched him leave, a faint look of worry on her face. What was going on?

xxxx

She met up with Damon later on to see what had happened.

"There were signs of a struggle in the upstairs bathroom," he started to fill her in. "There was blood and that Amber girl has been missing this whole afternoon."

"Wait, you don't think…." Elowen's face went slack.

"I don't know what to think. Let's just find him, okay? Get your coat. Oh, and leave the princess stuff somewhere safe. It's bad enough you're probably going to ruin your dress."

"Aww, look at you, caring about me and my dress," she cooed. "I never thought this day would come."

"Oh, shut up and come on."

It didn't take them long to find Stefan. They'd just left the Founder's hall when a scream rang out in the quiet. Elowen and Damon rushed over, unaware that Bonnie was behind them. When they found Stefan, he had his fangs in Amber Bradley's neck.

"Stefan!" Elowen cried. She got his attention and he released Amber. She tried to see if she was okay, but Damon held her back.

"Come on, Stef. You can control it." He slowly approached Stefan. "Just breathe."

Before he could get any closer, Stefan took hold of Damon and threw him against a nearby tree. Damon sped back to his feet. His eyes caught sight of Bonnie just behind Elowen. It caused her to turn around to see what he was looking at. Acting quickly, she grabbed Bonnie's hand and began to cast the affliction spell. Bonnie sensed her magic and joined in, making the spell stronger than normal.

Stefan grabbed his head in pain. He yelled out as he was brought down to one knee. It felt like his head was slipping open, over and over again. Elowen released her hold when it seemed like the pain was intense enough to snap him out of it. Bonnie followed suit.

Stefan was breathing heavily. He looked at his surroundings, seeing things clear enough to see the damage he'd done. He started to back away and before anyone could do anything, he ran off. Damon quickly compelled Amber before calling Sheriff Forbes. Within the blink of an eye, there was an ambulance, multiple police cars and lots and lots of yellow caution tape. Elowen had to squint to see through all the flashing lights.

After she was done talking to Damon, Sheriff Forbes came over to Elowen and Bonnie.

"You two didn't see anything?" She asked. Elowen shook her head as she stared at Bonnie.

"No….." She trailed off, waiting to see if Bonnie was going to say anything. She didn't. "We were walking to Bonnie's car when we came across her. I called Damon and now we're here."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Bonnie finally spoke up. She had her arms crossed and she was standing a little ways away from Elowen.

"It looks like it, yeah," Sheriff Forbes told them. "Why don't you girls get back to the party? Damon and I can take it from here."

Both Elowen and Bonnie turned back towards the hall, except Bonnie headed for her car, which wasn't parked that far away.

"Drive safe."

Bonnie sent her a small, slightly strained grin back. She got in her car and left. So, this is how things were going to be between them now. It still felt awkward, going from practically best friends to strangers. Funny how that could happen so quickly.

Just as she'd reached the front door, Alaric came out.

"Good, there you are. Esmeralda wanted me to get the car, but I insisted on finding you first." In the dim lighting, he saw that she looked upset. "What happened? Is everything okay?"

"It looks like I'm going to need your help after all."

xxxx

Elowen had changed back into her regular clothes by the time Alaric returned. He took Esmeralda and Josiah home after filling them in on what was about to happen. It would be safer if there were less people in the car. Damon had volunteered to go ahead to make sure Stefan had gone home. He would text them a confirmation message before they headed over.

"Thanks for helping me with this," Elowen expressed her gratitude. "I always seem to drag you into stuff like this."

"Don't worry about it, kid. I'd take advantage of a vampire hunter with cool gadgets if I were you, too."

Elowen lightly grinned as they pulled into the driveway of the boarding house.

"Good luck." Alaric handed her the vervain dart that had been nestled in the cup holder the entire ride. "I have a feeling you're gonna need it."

"He's in his room," Damon told her when she entered. "Be careful, alright?"

"I'm always careful."

Elowen hid the vervain dart in her back pocket and covered it by pulling her shirt down. She ventured down the hall and up the stairs to Stefan's room. She stopped in the doorway.

"You shouldn't be here," he growled.

"Probably not," she agreed.

He turned around, eyes wide and wild. Elowen mentally took a deep breath and took a step towards him.

"Well, now you've seen the real me," Stefan laughed bitterly.

"I wouldn't say animal blood Stefan wasn't the real you, too. This is just another part of you and he's just as real. Not everything is so black and white."

"No, you don't get it, do you? Animal blood Stefan was just a front. I'm a monster, a predator. That's who I am."

Elowen shrugged. She continued to slowly approach him. "Okay, and? Not every predator is inherently dangerous. Anything can be trained." She stopped for a second. "Actually, trained isn't the right word. But I think my point makes sense. I hope," she mumbled to herself. "Anyway, it's kinda like learning how to ride a bike, right?"

"No!" He yelled. She jumped at the force in his voice. Her breathing picked up its pace. She felt herself being transported back to her home in Atlanta. And Stefan was Luis. "It's nothing like riding a bike. It's like a switch that I can't control. The blood brings out what's inside of me, and if you think any differently, you're an idiot."

It must've had something to do with her power, because like what happened when Stefan took her and Elena to the location of his old manor, her surroundings began to change. Stefan's bedroom morphed into her bedroom from Atlanta and Stefan now looked like Luis. Elowen felt as if the room was getting smaller and smaller. She was having a hard time breathing and was losing her momentum for the situation at hand. Stefan must've been so blinded by his blood lust that he didn't notice her beginning to panic.

"Uh- um… I never… I never said I didn't think that," Elowen panted. She didn't feel too great.

"I wanted to drain every ounce of blood from that girl's body," Stefan snarled. He closed his fists as if mimicking choking Amber Bradley. He closed the gap between them. Elowen backed away.

"B-But you didn't," she managed to get out. "That's… something, isn't it?"

"No. I didn't kill her because you stopped me in time." Stefan grabbed his hair and paced away from her. Elowen let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Why would you risk it? Why would you come here?" He asked with his back facing her. She tried to swallow. Her throat was dry and felt as if it were closing up.

"Because I," she broke off as she tried to take a breath. "I said that I would help you with this. I can't abandon you now." She staggered towards him again but faltered. He still held the image of Luis. Elowen blinked hard, trying to shake this weird vision. It didn't work.

"Don't get any closer to me."

"I'm- I'm not gonna let you go through this alone. Let me try to help you."

"You can't!" He screamed. "I'm beyond helping!"

"No, you're not!" She mustered up all the strength she could. She kept telling herself that this was Stefan. Stefan. Stefan. For a brief second, the mirage warped and she saw Stefan standing in Luis's place. It disappeared as fast as it came. "Nobody is beyond saving. I'm not gonna give up on you. Stefan, I believe in you!"

"You can't save me!" He bellowed, slamming her against his wardrobe roughly. He slammed his fist in the space next to her face. She sobbed loudly. For the first time, she was scared of Stefan. Genuinely terrified. Elowen pushed him away and stumbled towards the door.

"Get away from me," she said with a shaky breath. Stefan finally broke out of his fog and looked at her. Really looked at her. Her skin was sickeningly pale and there were beads of sweat dripping down her forehead.

"Elle, I'm- I'm so sorry." He tried to take a step towards her to help, but she held a hand up and he stopped in his tracks. She was weakly grabbing onto the dresser to pull herself towards the exit. She tripped when she let go, but finally made it out of the room. The hallucination, dream, premonition, whatever the hell that was, finally broke and she once again saw the boarding house. Damon was waiting for her at the top of the stairs. When he saw the state she was in, he rushed towards her and took her in his arms. He helped guide her back to the first floor.

"I can't do it. I can't be near him. Keep him away from me." Elowen reached into her back pocket and pressed the vervain dart against Damon's chest. They were halfway down when she felt her stomach lurch. Quickly, she covered her mouth and blundered the rest of the way down towards the bathroom. Her legs were incredibly weak, but she managed to make it just in time. Damon could hear her retching in the distance.

"Elowen? Elowen!" Stefan's voice rang out. After she was gone, he made the choice to go after her. "Please, I'm sorry!" He hurried down the stairs in her direction, but Damon stopped him by placing a hand on his chest and pushing him back. He had hidden the dart in his jacket pocket.

"Whoa there, big boy. I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Just let me through!" He tried moving past Damon with force, but Damon shoved him backwards.

"Stay away from her, Stefan. She doesn't want to see you."

"You can't keep me from her."

"Oh, yes, I can."

Stefan's lip curled and he dashed towards Damon. They fought for a moment as Damon fumbled to get the dart out of his pocket. At last, he was able to get his hands on it and stabbed it in Stefan's side. Stefan groaned as the vervain immediately hit his system. He fell, unconscious, in Damon's arms. He hoisted him up and headed for the basement.

xxxx

Damon found Elowen sitting in front of the fire when he came back up. He took a seat next to her. She looked much better than she did 15 minutes ago.

"There's no guarantee this is going to work." Damon sighed. "I should've listened when you said this wasn't going to end well."

Elowen leaned over and rested her head on Damon's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer.

"I'm getting sick and tired of always being right."

"Me, too. It's annoying as hell."

After a beat of silence, Elowen started to push herself up. "D'you think you can help me back to Alaric's car?"

"Sure."

She fell asleep on the ride home.