Chapter Info

Title: Family Ties

Number: 4/?

Warnings: Language

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Comments are love!

It was in the early hours of the morning that Abi decided she definitely did not want to get out of bed that day. And not only because she felt like she was, for the first time in a hundred and forty-five years, on the outs with Damon, but because a loud thump and cry of pain from another room in the house is what woke her. She gritted her teeth and slowly pried her dry eyes open, squinting at the sunlight coming through the window. It made her think of the one time her daylight ring came off during the night; she was woken to being lit on fire by the dawn sun and that was a slightly better feeling than waking up to the sounds of pain and the knowledge that Damon just might actually be okay if she wasn't there.

Softly, she sighed and pushed back at the heavy duvet that covered her body. Her hair had come out of its tie during the night so as she stumbled for the door, shoving her feet into her slippers along the way, she haphazardly tugged it into a messy bun. She knew she would regret not taking off her makeup, but that wasn't exactly her first thought when she fell asleep crying. And she couldn't bring it in herself to care as she dragged herself down the hall, pausing ever so slightly outside of Damon's room, and going to Stefan's room where she heard the noise coming from.

The younger Salvatore was alone there, but clearly he hadn't been for long. Because immediately she couldn't smell blood and she was definitely awake then, eyes growing wide with alarm and she was by his side in an instant, causing him to look up at her in shock before he realized that it was Abi. The look on his face fell to one of melancholy and he sighed, sitting back so she could see the damage.

"What the bloody hell happened?!" she demanded, voice worried and alarmed at the same time as she leaned down to inspect his wound. While he was still a vampire and healed quickly, he didn't heal as quickly as she or Damon would've if the situation were reversed because Stefan didn't drink human blood. It made her bite back the retort that he should get his head out of his ass and just do it, at least to survive, but she figured he was getting enough of that from Damon—and probably even from himself a little bit—that he didn't need it from her as well. That knew she meant she would have to look out for him more, and she was perfectly fine with that. This is Stefan, she was talking about. What damage could he do? She's had Damon for over a century, Stefan would be a piece of cake.

"Damon," he muttered and Abi froze, sighing softly as she frowned. She watched carefully as his skin stitched itself back together and took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I wish I knew what to do about him," she mumbled, hoping that he had left so he wasn't hearing their conversation. He always seemed to no matter how quiet she was, but then again he always did say her voice carried.

"I've been wishing that for decades," Stefan sighed and ran a hand down his face. "But how do we stop a monster without becoming one ourselves?"

Abi frowned and slowly slid into the chair across from him, staring at her slippered feet and tried not to cry again. Her heart was aching, burning in her chest. She supposed it was her fault for believing that being in Mystic Falls would be different. While he hadn't exactly promised her that, he had said he wanted to change. Of course that was before Stefan and Elena came along. The fact that Elena looked so much like Katherine made Abi uneasy, and not because she thought Elena was to become a raging psycho like Katherine, but because she could easily make Damon fall for her without even trying. Perhaps it would be for the best, though. Abi didn't want him falling in love with her; that's not who he was. He wasn't the type of man to fall for a girl like her. Elena is exactly what he needed. And if he did fall for her, Stefan or no, then maybe that's what was needed for Abi to finally be able to let him go as she should've done a long time ago.

Still, she couldn't bring herself to call him a "monster" no matter what he's done. He was still her Damon, her best friend. He could hate her and want her gone all he wanted, but that didn't change what she felt for him.

"Stop, Abi." The blonde looked up in confusion, eyebrows furrowing as she looked at Stefan. He leaned forward, clearly recovered from the injury, and looked her dead in the eye. He shook his head. "I know what you're thinking. I know he's your best friend. But he's not the Damon you knew, not anymore."

"But—"

"No." Stefan shook his head and leaned back, running a hand through his hair. "Can't you see how he's changed?" She didn't say anything, just looked back to her feet. "Did he act like this where you were before?"

"No," she said grudgingly.

Stefan sighed. "And I can pretty much guess he's never said that he wants to kill you." She was silent. A tear fell down her face. Stefan reached over to squeeze her hand. "He's not the Damon you knew. Not here in Mystic Falls. Either you need to leave...or he needs to die."

Abi winced at that, a couple more tears falling down her cheeks and she stood up, chair scraping on the wooden floor.

"I can't do this, Stef," she said with a whimper. "He's Damon. He's my best friend. I've spent so much of my life with him. The centuries with Katherine were hell compared to being with Damon." He looked a bit doubtful, but he didn't interrupt. "I've been there for him through everything and he's been there for me. I can't just give up on him. Something's happening to him, you're right. I won't deny that. But I can't give up on him. What kind of friend would I be if I just killed him because he's going through some trouble?"

"He's killing people. He could kill you."

"At least I tried! I would rather exhaust all options and be dead for it, then just give up and spend the rest of eternity with the regret and guilt of killing Damon." She sniffled. "He's not the man I know. And I'm going to get him back, even if it does kill me." Head held high, ignoring the sad look Stefan gave her, Abi turned and marched out of the room.

Along the way back to her own room, her steps became less sure and she found herself being dragged back into her own room. Only she paused ever so slightly at Damon's door. It was open and he was inside standing over next to his window, his icy blue gaze snapping over to hers. He had been staring out at the new day and she knew from the look on his face that he heard everything that was said. For a moment they simply stared at each other before she looked away and headed back for her own room.

"You should listen to him." She wasn't expecting his voice and she paused outside her own door, deciding whether or not to look over at him, and deciding against it. It hurt too much to look at him; he broke her heart. This time it wasn't his lack of returned feelings for her, but rather the fact that he was willing to give up on such a long friendship for whatever it was that he had planned. If his comment on killing her wasn't meant to be taken literally, then she would at least take it figuratively: she was dead to him.

"He doesn't know you like I do," she whispered. Damon grunted and she was glad for the first time that he didn't come closer to her.

"Neither of you know me. This is who I am, Abs. A monster."

"You're wrong," she insisted and didn't let him speak again. She quickly sped into her room and slammed the door shut, locking it quickly. And she knew damn well they could hear her, but she couldn't stop the sobs that left her throat as she leaned against the door, slowly sliding down it to sit on the floor, hugging her legs as she cried into her knees. All those years of heartache were nothing compared to the pain she felt right then.

.x.x.x.x.

Abi decided she wasn't going to give Damon the satisfaction of arguing with him again so she just stayed in her room feeling sorry for herself until Stefan got home. At least she was able to think clearly and come up with a plan. Obviously Damon had a plan and he didn't write down everything like Stefan did, so there was no way of knowing what he had planned until he actually did it. While that didn't sit well with her, at least that gave her time to think about different scenarios to come up with a solution. And, of course, a way to bring Damon back from that ledge he's teetering on between humanity and monster.

She would take all night to think, even going so far as to bring out her journal that she hadn't written in since 1989 and write some ideas down...while also ignoring all the memories that the pages threw back in her face of good times with Damon. At least that was the plan until the younger Salvatore knocked on her door. She had heard him come home a few minutes ago, and her brows furrowed wondering what he needed. She hated the fact that her first thought was, What did Damon do this time?

"Come in," she called, sitting up and capping the pen she was using. Stefan walked in, took one look at her—sitting there in the same position in the same clothes that she had on when he left that morning—and frowned.

"Seriously?"

"Bite me, Stefan," she grumbled, moving to shove the journal and pen back in one of her bags and then crawled under the covers, hiding herself beneath pillows and blankets. "I'm not in the mood for a lecture." A sigh met her ears and then the blankets were tugged away making her whine. "Stefan!" she exclaimed, trying to pull them back and they both knew that if she really wanted to, she could've done it. But she let him take them and so she huffed, sat up, and pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she frowned at him. "Okay, what?"

"You're coming with me."

"No more dinner parties."

He shook his head. "Not a dinner party. The Founder's Party."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Seriously? They still have those things?"

He shrugged. "What can I say, this town is all about tradition."

Abi huffed and rolled her eyes. "Do I have to?" she grumbled.

"Yes." His tone left no room for argument and she pouted.

"Shouldn't you be going with Elena?"

"I am." Her eyes narrowed. "But you're coming, too. I hate that you're in here wallowing and feeling sorry for yourself because of Damon. He doesn't deserve it." She sighed, opening her mouth to argue, but he held up his hand to stop her. "I get it, though. You've been with him for a long time. He hurt you and you don't want to let him down." Slowly she nodded, though she wasn't sure if he was trying to trick her or not. Kind of sounded like he was, but he just gave her a sad smile."And you love him. There's a time when I would've done anything for him, too. But you still have to take care of yourself and stop allowing him to see how much he can hurt you."

"He already knows, going to this party won't matter," she argued.

"Tough. You're going to shower and come with me, and you're not going to argue." Of course she tried, but his serious look had her rethinking that, so finally she just sighed.

"Alright, alright. I'll go with you." He smiled in victory. Abi stood and looked at her bags. "You're lucky I have a dress. I'm assuming it's formal?" He nodded. "I don't know where it is. I suppose I should unpack later."

Stefan chuckled. "That would be good since you're not going anywhere." Abi smiled softly. "You can't live out of bags forever." Together they laughed and he gave her a nod before leaving her alone.

Once she had a goal in mind—and not just that of trying to save Damon from himself—she was able to pull herself up and into the shower rather quickly. In the bottom of her biggest bag was a garment bag that she supposed she should've taken out to begin with, but she had more important things to worry about. Like Damon going crazy, she thought wryly. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she pulled the dress from the bag and was glad to see that it didn't have any wrinkles in it. It was sleeveless with a long V down to the waist, other than a thin strap right under her breasts. It was mostly white and had a smattering of gold and silver stars on it, including on the thing strap. It reached mid-thigh and was sort of poofy, but Abi took a quick glance in the mirror and decided she loved it. Her hair and makeup was done as usual, and she completed the look with a gold heart necklace, some gold and bronze bangle bracelets, and some simple gold ball stud earrings. And of course, her daylight ring, which she hadn't taken off a day since Emily had given it to her. She tossed everything she needed in a glittery handbag and pulled on some strappy glittery silver heeled sandals.

You look hot, she told herself as she stepped in front of the bathroom mirror and gave a little twirl. Smiling, she made sure all of the pieces of her hair was in the right place before she went to find Stefan. It was nice getting dressed up like this; she always felt so confident, and that was usually hard to come by for her. She hated the fact that that was because usually Damon would bring through a parade of slutty women just begging for him to fuck them, and she was the lucky party that got to listen as he gave in. What's wrong with me? had always popped in her mind, no matter what, because never once had Damon even playfully flirted with her, and this is Damon she was talking about, he flirted with everyone. But never Abi. And that hurt her more than she could say. It never occurred to her to think that it's because he truly truly wasn't interested, because all along she had told herself he didn't want to ruin their friendship, that nothing was worth that. But clearly it was, as whatever his plan was, he was about to lose her. And he probably knew it, too.

Abi's feet took her towards Stefan's room as she begged herself not to feel depressed this whole evening. She would get the chance to dance the night away, get to know Elena and Bonnie a little bit more—Caroline, she would give or take—and possibly flirt with some other poor sap to be a notch on her bedpost. Truthfully, that made her no better than Damon, but she never compelled them to be with her—only to forget if she fed from them—and she never made promises that she couldn't keep just to get laid. And I truly care about him, she thought bitterly. That's what made her different than Damon.

"—You were such a gentleman, gave her a kiss on the cheek. And what she really wanted was... Oh, well. Here's to history repeating itself, huh?" She paused a few feet from Stefan's door, realizing she had been so caught up in her thoughts she hadn't heard that Stefan wasn't alone. Damon was in there, and apparently they were reminiscing because what Damon just described, she remembered vividly from Katherine's recounting of the tale to her. Honestly Abi wasn't surprised because they were all at the first Founder's Party; memories were bound to come up. But she had expected it to be between Stefan and herself, not Damon. Is he going, too? she thought in a panic. She didn't want to face him there. Bet he's going with Caroline. Her shoulders slumped.

Taking a deep breath, she finished her trek to Stefan's room and silently entered, just in time to see Damon dump a glass of bourbon on the floor and say, "I admire your effort, Stefan. Pouring yourself a drink then spiking the bottle with vervain. I'm not some drunk sorority chick. You can't roofie me. But I can't help but feel a little used. I thought we were having a moment. I have to go to the party angry. Who knows what I'll do?" With that he spun around, but he froze when he saw Abi standing in the door. Taking Stefan's advice, she didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he hurt her. Head held high, she kept her chocolate gaze on him for a couple moments before flickering over to Stefan and stepping around the older Salvatore.

"I'm ready when you are," she said, ignoring Damon as if he weren't even there. Stefan smiled, letting his emerald gaze flicker over her.

"You look beautiful, Abs," he said sincerely and she grinned, spinning on her heels so the skirt of the dress twirled around her.

"Thank you, Stef," she said with a soft giggle.

A glance over him had her frowning, putting her hands on her hips, not seeing the way Damon's eyes caressed her figure from the back or the way his eyes had darkened when Stefan called her "Abs." Usually that name was reserved for him only, but things change when he's being a dick. "You're not even ready." She clicked her tongue. "You had me hurry, and you still haven't dressed." She walked over to his closet, heels clicking on the wooden floor, and tugged out the suit he had already pulled to the front, the one she figured he was wearing. She turned, the skirt of her dress twirling around her again, and she caught the gaze of both Salvatore brothers on her. "You," She pointed to Stefan, "get dressed. You," She pointed to Damon and then to the door, "out. Go pour drinks on your own bedroom floor."

The raven-haired vampire looked between them before sneering and leaving the room. Abi's face fell and she blinked back the tears that wanted to fall, and a second later Stefan had her wrapped up in a hug. A grateful sigh left her lips and she clung to him for a few moments. Neither of them said anything, but words weren't needed. He was right; they were family, whether Damon was included or not. Stefan was there for her and Damon wasn't, which was a huge twist in her life and made her head spin a bit. Usually it's the other way around. But that didn't mean she didn't welcome it with open arms.

"I'm okay," she said finally and pulled back, patting Stefan's shoulder. He smiled sadly and reached up to tuck some hair behind her ear.

"I meant it. You look lovely."

"Thank you." She grinned.

They were interrupted just a moment later by Zach, who she had yet to meet. She didn't blame him for wanting to be gone while they were there. As a human, living with three vampires must be awfully frightening. But that didn't stop her from giving him a kind smile and a hug, surprising the man, but she didn't have it in her act like Damon.

"It's nice to meet you, Zach. Finally." She chuckled. "I'm Abi."

"Right," he said, his voice a bit uneasy as he glanced to Stefan, who nodded over Abi's shoulder. "You, too." The human glanced down to the slowly drying puddle of alcohol on the floor and sighed. "That was his favorite scotch. I'm sorry, I thought it would work."

Stefan shrugged, locking his hands behind his back. "I wasn't counting on it."

Zach frowned. "You knew it would fail?"

"Did what I wanted. It lowered his guard. He won't expect me to try again so soon." Abi nodded. Stefan was right. Damon would figure Stefan to be too stupid to try anything so soon after the first attempt.

Zach held up a bottle of bourbon. "I doubled what I put in the scotch." Stefan grinned as Abi chuckled. The human glanced at her then and frowned, eyes flickering back to Stefan and he looked uneasy again. "Should she be here? He's her friend. She could run back to him."

"I won't," Abi vowed.

"He hurt her, too, Zach. She's on our side."

"As long as your side doesn't involve killing me," she corrected, raising an eyebrow at the younger Salvatore. "You know where I stand on that. Vervain him, dry him out, and then we'll try and talk to him." She paused. "Or we'll just keep him down there for a couple centuries and let him desiccate and see how eager he is to be a dick then." Stefan laughed and Zach gave her an amused smile. She shrugged. "What? Like you said, he's my friend, I'm not naive. I know what he's like." She paused. "And...just let me know what I can do to help. He might not take a drink from Stefan anymore, but he might still take one from me. I don't think he knows yet that I'm on Team Stefan."

The uncle and nephew nodded, glancing at each other, before Zach said his goodbyes and left. Stefan and Abi smiled at each other before Abi nodded and left to let Stefan change into his suit.

.x.x.x.x.

It's not as if Abigail had time to get a date, so she was stuck as a third wheel to Stefan and Elena. Well, sort of, Bonnie didn't have a date either so Abi figured she could just stick by her. Ever since the dinner party, Bonnie seemed more open to Abi and Stefan, and she was grateful for that. While it would be easier to be friends with these girls, Abi decided she truly liked them. They were smart and kind, stubborn and strong and that's what mattered to Abi. She could see herself protecting them, and not just for Stefan's benefit, but for hers and their own as well. And so she made a decision to do just that, because she had a sick feeling that whatever Damon was planning would somehow backfire on these humans, and that's the last thing she wanted to happen.

"Hi, Mayor Lockwood." Elena's voice brought Abi out of her thoughts and she glanced up at the house before them. For a moment she tensed, sharing a brief look with Stefan over Elena's shoulder. Clearly they couldn't get in unless invited, and she didn't feel like making excuses about why she had to stand outside until one of the Lockwoods allowed her in.

"Hey. Hey, guys, come on in," the mayor said, smiling at them, eyes lingering on Abi who just ignored it and tried not to sneer as she thought, Well, that's lucky.

"Thank you," Stefan said gratefully and Abi gave him a charming smile as she slipped inside the house. She ignored the weight of his eyes on her as she waved Stefan off and headed for the bar, ready to get good and buzzed. Part of her wanted to just stick to being a wallflower, but she knew that she couldn't let this thing with Damon bother her. Stefan would eventually drag her away, and if not Stefan than Bonnie or Elena.

"I know everyone in this town," a familiar voice said, "and I don't believe we've met."

Abi frowned and spun, freezing as she spotted the woman that spoke. Carol Lockwood, she thought, her little snack from the Grill the other day. Clearly her compulsion worked because there was no recognition in the woman's eyes. Mentally she cursed herself because she hadn't put two and two together in that following Stefan to the Lockwoods would inevitably lead her to coming face to face with this woman again. Abi was always confident in her compulsions, they were even better than Damon's, but that didn't make her feel any less uneasy.

Still, Abi gave her a pleasant smile and held out her hand. "Abigail Madison. I'm a friend of the Salvatores."

Carol raised a surprised eyebrow, but smiled nonetheless. "Well, it's a pleasure to have you in Mystic Falls, Miss Madison. I'm Carol Lockwood."

Abi barely held back from blurting out, "I know," and instead nodded as she shook the woman's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Lockwood." She glanced around for a second. "You have a lovely home."

"Oh, well thank you, dear." Apparently that was the exactly right thing to say because Carol's smile widened and she launched into a speech about its history and the different objects that the Lockwoods had given to the festivities of the night. "You simply must see the jewels showcased in the dining room! They were my husband's great great grandmother's."

"I would be delighted." Abi grinned and glanced over her shoulder as a waiter was trying to get Carol's attention. "Mrs. Lockwood?" She gestured and the woman turned, sighing.

"Right. I'm sorry, dear. Will you excuse me?" Carol asked. Abi smiled and nodded, face falling as she watched the woman walk away, and then turned to ask the bartender for another large glass of bourbon.

She sighed as she leaned against the bar, wondering if she could sneak out without Stefan noticing. She knew she promised she would stay, but she didn't want to be there. There was too much tension on her; she knew Damon was near, and yet there was no way for her to escape him. At the boarding house she could just lock herself up in her room, but there was no way to do that there. Not unless she found her way upstairs and just lingered there until the party was over and she could leave, just give Stefan the excuse that she couldn't find him. But he would know better, and plus she did want to get to know Elena and Bonnie so she sighed, finished off her drink and asked for another, before trailing away to find the younger Salvatore brother and his friend.

While Bonnie wasn't with them, Abi found Stefan and Elena trailing through the different rooms looking at all of the memorabilia on the walls. She hadn't spent nearly as much time as Stefan or Elena had in Mystic Falls, but some of it was still interesting to her. The different outfits, pieces of furniture and dishes, and not to mention the jewels that Carol Lockwood had spoke of. But Elena and Stefan were standing in front of a large paper framed and hung on the wall. Abi walked up silently, Stefan giving her a smile as she paused to listen to Elena read.

"'The founding families in Mystic Falls welcomes you to the inaugural founder's council celebration.' Wow, look, it's the original guest registry. Look at all these familiar names—Sheriff William Forbes, Mayor Benjamin Lockwood. Is that Damon Salvatore? And Stefan Salvatore?" Abi froze. If she read further, she would see Katherine Pierce and Abigail Madison as well as Emily Bennett. Two names was enough of a coincidence to write off, but four of them? Abi had no ties to Mystic Falls like Stefan and Damon did, there would be no way to explain it away.

"The original Salvatore brothers." Damon's voice interrupted before Abi or Stefan could say anything—or Elena could read further—and Abi actually let out a short sigh with relief. "Our ancestors. Tragic story, actually." Abi turned to look at her friend and refused to acknowledge that Caroline was behind him. She had known that he was going to show up, but she didn't know that would be with Caroline. Figures, she thought bitterly and she tried not to blame everything on the blonde girl, but it was difficult. She didn't particularly care for her, but it's not as if she had any idea what the three of them were or what Damon was capable of.

Stefan stiffened. "We don't need to bore them with stories of the past."

"It's not boring, Stefan. I'd love to hear more about your family," Elena said with a soft smile and a squeeze to his hand. Abi didn't miss the jealous look that passed over Damon's face before it disappeared. Don't even think about it, Damon, she thought with a quick glare in his direction, which he either didn't see or ignored.

"Well, I'm bored. I want to dance. And Damon won't dance with me," Caroline complained. Abi barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes and Damon just hummed. "Could I just borrow your date?"

Elena looked surprised. "Oh, uh..."

"I don't really dance," Stefan said.

"Oh, sure he does. You should see him. Waltz, the jitterbug, the moonwalk. He does it all." Damon smirked.

"You wouldn't mind, would you, Elena?" Caroline insisted.

"It's up to Stefan." Elena looked uncomfortable and Abi frowned between Caroline and Damon.

"Well sorry, but I'm not going to take no for an answer." Caroline gave him a brilliant smile, took his hand, and tugged him over to the room where the dancing was being help. Abi's body tensed as she was suddenly stuck with Damon and Elena. The other girl also looked a bit uncomfortable and they glanced at each other, but refused to look at Damon who was unusually quiet for a few moments. Abi tried her hardest not to think back on 1864 and the fact that she was again watching Stefan and Damon fight over the same girl. Because she wasn't stupid, if Damon didn't already have feelings for Elena, he would soon enough.

"I want to apologize to you for being such a world-class jerk the other night when I tried to kiss you. There's no excuse. My therapist says I'm...acting out, trying to punish Stefan." Damon's voice broke through her thoughts and her head jerked up when she heard his words. "When I tried to kiss you." She couldn't help focusing on those specific words or the feeling in the pit of her stomach as she looked between them. Because she knew she was right; Damon would fall for Elena and there was nothing she could do about it.

"For what?" Elena wondered.

"It's all in the past. I don't even want to bring it up—"

"Then don't," Abi spat, eyes blazing. Elena looked over at her in shock while Damon looked...sad? Annoyed? A little of both. Abi felt bad because Elena had absolutely no clue what was going on or why there was such hostility in Abi's gaze or words, and she would explain more later. But she couldn't be there, not around Damon and this girl that was likely to be the next one he fell for, and so she spun on her heel and stomped away. Part of her expected Stefan to come after her, and part of her wanted Damon to, but she was left alone by the bar once again.

As a vampire, it was very hard to get her drunk, but that didn't mean she didn't try. She stayed there for over an hour, ignoring the look of pity on the bartender's face and the pull to either go and yell at Damon, or to just leave and go bury herself back in her blankets. But she didn't want to disappoint Stefan and that's the only reason why she stayed. The fact that he cared enough meant a great deal to her, and she wished that she could cheer up if only for his sake. And the fact that she wanted to go find Elena and Bonnie. And so she decided to do just that. She could avoid the older Salvatore and get to know the girls at the same time. So she finished up her bourbon and twirled around on her stool, surprising the bartender, as she left and made her way through the house to search them out.

Elena was nowhere to be found, but eventually she found Bonnie in the dining room. There were candles all over the room and the table had food spread out all over it. Abi's stomach gave a clench because she hadn't eaten yet that day, but she avoided it for now in favor of stepping up beside Bonnie. The younger girl glanced over at her and game a smile, which Abi mimicked. It was nice to have others around her that had nothing to do with the Salvatore drama. It felt like her whole life was just dealing with Damon and all he brought with him, even though there was a good three hundred years before she met him. But she knew deep down that those three hundred years were nothing to her, because he wasn't in them. Even though he was being an ass and keeping secrets, he was still her best friend and he still made her cursed life worth living. Nothing could ever change that.

"Hey, Abi," Bonnie said, turning from where she was studying the candles and the other antiques along the mantle above the fireplace. This house truly is magnificent, she couldn't help but think. She spent most of her vampire life in small motels or abandoned run-down buildings. It was only while in Mystic Falls, both in 1864 and currently, that she stayed in anything so wonderful. Even as a human she lived in a small farmhouse with her four older siblings and parents, so being able to experience this type of luxury was new and incredible to her.

"Hello, Bonnie," Abi said kindly, standing next to her to look along the mantle. "I haven't seen you around this evening."

Bonnie shrugged lightly, something in her eye that Abi didn't quite understand, but she let it go. "I've been avoiding the crowds," she admitted. "I was going to come with Elena, but she decided to come with Stefan."

"Ah," Abi said. "Third wheel syndrome. I understand. Stefan dragged me along as well so I'm here solo."

Bonnie paused. "Can I ask you a question?"

Abi raised an eyebrow. "Of course. Anything."

She still looked apprehensive and Abi gave her an encouraging smile, which luckily seemed to calm the younger girl down. "Stefan—" She hesitated again and Abi waited patiently. "He's a good guy, right? I mean...he won't hurt Elena, will he?"

Abi fought to keep the surprise off her face. She supposed this was coming. Bonnie was Elena's best friend, and she knew that Bonnie could tell something was different about Stefan and Abigail. Of course the girl had no way of know what was really going on and Abi wasn't about to say anything, but she was confident when she gave her an easy nod and a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I promise you that he won't hurt her. I'm fairly certain he would rather cut out his own heart than hurt her." She paused. "And he's a wonderful man. Very loyal and kind. You truly couldn't find a better friend than him."

Bonnie's whole body seemed to melt and she smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Abi."

Abi nodded and together they stood in silence for a few more moments while Abi thought over the conversation. While she knew there would be hardships considering Stefan was a vampire and Elena a human, she was glad they found each other. They both deserved to be happy, and Abi was happy for them.

"Look around. What's missing? The flames, the candles. Why aren't they lit? There's matches in the kitchen." Carol Lockwood's voice made Abi look up and she frowned as the woman walked through the room she and Bonnie were standing in. She was waving her hands to the candles around them before she turned and took off in the other direction. Do we look like servants to you? Abi wanted to say, but she bit it back.

"Bitch," she heard Bonnie mutter and she smirked.

"You read my mind," she said and Bonnie chuckled. Abi decided then that the face Carol Lockwood showed her before was just a mask. The woman walking around barking orders to people that had no control over the set-up was the real Mrs. Lockwood, and the one that Abi would avoid. Luckily the scar from Abi's bite was faint and she doubted anybody else would notice. She made a mental note to tell Stefan that it was her and not Damon on the off chance he noticed, and then decided she would go a town over next time she was hungry so nobody in Mystic Falls noticed that people were suddenly appearing with odd markings on their bodies.

She heard Bonnie sigh and she looked over, seeing the girl shake her head, and then turn around. Only then did Abi notice that the candles were all lit and she knew that nobody had come into the room without her noticing, and Bonnie didn't go get the matches, she would've heard her leave. True, sometimes she got too lost in her head, but she was still a vampire.

"Bonnie," she muttered, glancing around, eyes wide as she took in the flickering flames. Emily Bennett could've done that in a second and it was clear that Bonnie didn't know of her true powers. She remembered the dinner party and her telling Abi and Stefan about what her grandmother had told her, but she sort of thought it was an act for Elena. But clearly it wasn't because the look of shock on Bonnie's face told her that she had no clue this could happen. "Bonnie—"

The girl shook her head, stopping Abi's words, and quickly turned to flee the room. While everything in her told Abi to go after her, she knew she needed some time. She remembered becoming a vampire and how much it took her to understand the gravity of that. The vampire sighed and leaned against the fireplace, taking a deep breath as she wondered what else could possibly happen here in Mystic Falls.

.x.x.x.x.

"He's where?!"

When she couldn't find Stefan, she decided just to go back to the boarding house and call it a night. She gave Bonnie her space, and when she went looking for her again, she couldn't find her. And she couldn't find Elena or Stefan, or even Caroline or Damon. So she just trudged herself back, keeping to the woods this time because it was more soothing than the road. Half-way home she had taken off her shoes and just walked through barefoot, careful of the broken twigs and branches along the way so she didn't cut herself. But when she got back, Stefan and Zach were in the living room, Zach nursing a glass of scotch, and both of them looked at her guiltily.

While she had agreed to help them, Damon needed this, that didn't mean she truly enjoyed the idea of her best friend being locked in some cell. Stefan sighed at her demanded question and put his hands on her shoulders.

"He's where he needs to be, Abs. You know that."

Her chest was heaving as she tried not to cry, but slowly she nodded. Yes, he did need that. He needed more. He was going to get himself hurt, or he was going to hurt somebody else. His secrets were killing him, and she knew that this wasn't who he was. Zach and Stefan thought him a monster, Damon thought himself a monster, but they didn't see the man inside him. They didn't see the sweet southern boy still dwelling inside the shell of who he was. Damon Salvatore was still in there, and they just had to help him out.

"I know," she whispered, her bottom lip trembling, and Stefan quickly pulled her in for a hug while she began to softly cry against his shoulder.

Author's Note: As always, don't forget to go to Polyvore and search alysalvatore to find the outfit for this chapter!