800 reviews!

I can't believe it! You guys are just amazing, really!
I know the updates have been slow, and I'm sorry for that, but I'm doing some plot planning with this, and it's warping with each idea I have, and I'm trying to decide the best route to take.

Thank you so much for being patient and understanding.

Love you all!

Miranda was so relieved that everything seemed to be working out.
Children and parents ran around, playing games and having fun.

The whole scene put a smile on her face.

She loved these community events, even though they were stressful up to the actual date. Yet somehow, everything always fell into place, and now she could just enjoy the evening, sitting in her chair, watching the band that was playing on stage.

That was, if her husband would stop sending glares toward their only child.

"Grayson," she tried again, "We talked about this."
He sighed, turning his attention to her, "I know, and I'm sorry, but I can't help it. Not when she's acting that way with him. Seriously, look at her."

Miranda glanced in the direction he motioned.

Elena was engaged in a conversation with Caroline, over at one of the booths, while Damon, who was talking to Stefan, had his arms wrapped around her waist, leaning his head on hers, between the wings of her angel costume.

Her daughter's smile was bright, as she occasionally glanced up at Damon, who would look at her with equal mesmerization.

Miranda couldn't help but smile, "I am looking at her Gray. But I'm not sure that you are."
"What do you mean?" he demanded, "Of course I'm looking at her. She's hanging all over Salvatore like a flea on a dog!"

She shook her head, "Sweetheart, you aren't seeing her. I know you have your problems with Damon, but how can you look at our daughter, and not see how happy she is?"

Grayson shook his head, "And how can you look at her and not see that Damon is using her?"

"Grayson, he's not Elena's eighteen year old boyfriend anymore...he's Christian's father," She reasoned.

"And Chris will be a hell of a lot better off without Damon in his life!"
Miranda shook her head, "How could you even think that?"

"Because I know how Damon is, Miranda. I've kept tabs on the man ever since Christian started asking about him. He's left a trail of women all over Hollywood, and has been berated for questionable morals, bar fights, and even a defiance claim against his own label company.

"All of which you read from the internet," Miranda pointed out, "It's media and gossip, Gray. There's no way to tell how much of that is true or made up."

"Well, photo's don't lie," Grayson spat, "And you can't argue that Damon has had his fair share of groupies splashed across the page."

"Maybe he has," she allowed, "But that doesn't mean that he doesn't care about Elena. Have you even paid attention to the way he treats her? Elena is in love with him, Grayson. And he loves her too. So whatever might have happened in his past, it doesn't matter if Elena's happy. That's what should matter to us...she's our daughter Gray. But she's grown up, with a family of her own. You have to let her make her own choices, no matter what you think about them, because if you don't, she'll start to resent you."

He grunted, "Then how am I supposed to protect her?"

With a little smile, Miranda reached over and grabbed his hand, "You can't. She has to live her life and decided who she wants in it. And trust me, she could do a lot worse than Damon Salvatore. At least she's trying to work it out, at least for Chris's sake, and the two of them seem to really care about each other. We need to be supportive Gray. And holding on to whatever grudge it is you have against Damon is only going to make you bitter about the whole situation. Just try to give them a chance."

Grayson sighed, then looked back over to where Elena and Damon stood.
Damon was kissing the top of her head, swaying her gently to the music.

"And what if he hurts her?" Grayson swallowed.

"Then we'll help pick up the pieces," Miranda told him, squeezing his hand, "But most importantly, is what if he doesn't? What if this actually works for them, and Elena and Chris are both happy? Elena seems to think that it's worth the risk, and we should trust her to know what she's doing."

Grayson smirked a little at her, "My wife, the eternal optimist."
She smiled, "No, I'm just hopeful. Now let it go, and play nice with Damon. He may surprise you."

He groaned but answered, "Alright, fine. But if he hurts my daughter, I'm going to-"
"Yes, yes, you can grudge away after that," Miranda waved it off, "But until then, let Elena make the decisions about her own life, okay?"

"Okay, okay," Grayson sighed, sinking further into his chair, "I'll play nice."
"Good," she leaned over, kissing his cheek, "Now smile and enjoy the rest of tonight. It only took two months to plan after all."

He chuckled, "Whatever you say, dear."

April waited with Amber and Briana, hoping the guys would join them soon.
If she had to listen to one more conversation about the hottest new trend as told by America's Next Top Model, she'd explode.

Luckily, it was mere seconds after that Chris, Tyler, Kol, and Jeremy came waltzing over.

"There you guys are!" Briana exclaimed, seeing them, "We've been waiting forever."
"Five minutes isn't forever," Tyler shot."
"More like twenty," She retaliated, rolling her eyes.

April tried to ignore them as Chris came over, wrapping his arms around her.
"What took so long?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Vickie came, brought a few people, and couldn't find parking, so we had to go down the street, ditch the car and head back up."

"Ah," she gave a nod of her head, "So whose all going."

Chris turned, just as Vickie and her group walked up.
"Us four, you three, and them," he told her, pointing toward the three others who came up with Vickie.

April recognized them from school, "Lauren, Madison, Kyle, and Vickie, Briana, Amber, and me, then you four. Who's cars are we taking?"

Chris motioned to Vickie, "She brought her Mom's SUV. So between it and Tyler's car, we should be good."

"Oh, okay," April nodded, and Chris smiled, "So what are you supposed to be, anyway?"
April smirked, "What are you supposed to be?"

"Awesome," Chris explained, "I think I pull it off pretty well, don't you?"
"Wow," she shook her head, "So I take it you didn't dress up this year?"

"Nope, that's more of a girl thing," he pursed his lips, "And I take it from the pointy hat, the black dress, and the spiderweb arm sleeves that you are supposed to be a witch?"

She smiled, "Look who's putting the clues together Sherlock."
"Don't be mean," he chided, and she smiled.

"I'm a witch, therefore, I can do what I want, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
"Because of all those secret mystical powers you possess?" he teased.

She nodded, "That's right. I could do dangerous things to a boy like you."
He grinned now, "Then how come I'm not afraid of you?"

She smirked, grabbing his shirt, pulling him against her, "'Cause you're under my spell."
He took the cue, and leaned down, kissing her.

It only lasted a moment, before Tyler interrupted, "Are we gonna go, or are you two a little busy? Because we can wait, no problem."

"So you're sarcastic as well as grouchy tonight?" Jeremy asked, throwing an arm on Tyler's shoulder.
Tyler shrugged it off, "More like bored. Let's get going."

They all agreed, and headed toward the cars.

"April's coming with us," Chris told them, "So Briana, Amber, you two ride with Vickie."
They nodded, and April shot him a look, "Kyle's with them...wouldn't it make more sense for girls to ride with Vickie and you boys go with Tyler?"

Chris shrugged, "Please, I just made Kyle's night. Besides you don't even like Vickie."

"I get annoyed with her, there's a difference."
"Sure, babe, if you say so."

She let it drop as they got to the car.

"I call shotgun," Jeremy jumped, grabbing the passenger door handle before Kol could.
"Fine," Kol grumbled, "But April's sitting in the middle," he told Chris, "No way I'm sitting that close to you for twenty minutes, pretty boy."

Chris smirked, "But...Kol...I thought what we had was special."
Kol shook his head, with a chuckle, "Get in the damn car, Salvatore."
Chris laughed, and followed April in.

It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, being sandwiched between the two, but her legs were hating her for the room she'd had to forfeit to the boys and their giant feet.

"Cozy?" Kol teased.
April settled further into Chris's side, "About as well as I can be."

"Move over here some, and you'll have more room," he told her winking.
"Kol, are you hitting on my girlfriend again?" Chris grated.

"Hey, I'm just throwing the suggestions out there," Kol defended with a wink, "They're open to her interpretation."
"Wow," April laughed, shaking her head, "You don't give up, do you?"

"Not when I have my liquid courage," Kol smirked, pulling a bottle out of his jacket.

"Really, Kol?" Tyler shot, "The last thing I need is a ticket for open container! Not to mention underage intoxication."

"Oh relax, Grandma," Kol scolded, "It's almost empty anyway. I finished half of it on the way."

"You're an idiot," Chris shook his head, "We're going to a Haunted House. Which part of that sounded like "show up drunk" to you?"

"I'm not drunk," Kol reasoned, "Just holding a nice buzz."
"Right," Chris rolled his eyes, "Great. So now we're gonna have to babysit you, while you puke your guts up later."

"Oh, bite me," Kol huffed, "I can take care of myself."
"Whatever man."

Thankfully, the conversation was changed then, by Jeremy, to what they thought the haunted house would be like.
April jumped to answer, hoping to diffuse some of the tension that was getting to be uncomfortable in her middle seat between the two guys.
Tyler chimed in, and before long, all was forgotten and the excitement grew.

Fifteen minutes later, they were pulling up into the parking lot.

April looked out the window the best she could, and could see the entrance gate, which read Fright Night in rusty letters.
This was definitely going to be fun.

Chris got out, allowing her to slide from the seat, and stand, straightening her outfit.
At a last minute thought, she took off her hat and tossed it into the back seat.
She'd probably just loose it if she took it with her.

"Where's Vicki and the others?" Jeremy asked, as Tyler locked the car doors.
They looked around, and April spotted the SUV, "Over there."

They took the short walk to join the rest of their group, and once double checking to make sure everyone had everything, they walked toward the front gate.

There was a bit of a line at the ticket area, just outside, so they stepped up and waited.

Once it was there turn, Chris dropped her hand and dug into his back pocket for his wallet.

"Twelve dollars, please," the woman behind the counter, dressed as a zombie, told him.
He pulled out two twenties and gave them to her, "For me and her."

The woman nodded, and April shot him a look, "I was going to get my own, Chris."
He smirked, taking his change, then pulling her out of the way so Briana and Lauren could step up to get theirs.

"It's no big deal," he promised her, "Damon gave me a little extra money for tonight...now don't knock at my ego, and just say thank you."

April smiled, sliding her arms around his neck, "Okay, thank you."
He pecked her lips, "Much better...So, you ready?"

She nodded, letting him go in exchange of grabbing his hand, and walking through the gates, where a guard took their tickets.

April looked around.
It seemed like someone had cleared out an enormous field and turned it into a Halloween playground.

There were giant glowing signs in front of each attraction, which were all scattered about.

Jeremy came jogging over to where the group had paused.
"Okay, guys, I got a map."

April rose a brow, "They have maps."
He nodded, "Yeah, listing what each thing is, and how age appropriate it might be."

"Read it," Kol commanded

"Well," he began, "There's four haunted houses. Murder House, the House of Horror, Mansion of Illusion, and Fright Night Manor. Then there's two trails, Wolves Run, and the Devil's Field. There's also food stations, a fortune teller, and a gift shop."

He looked up at the others then, waiting for the majority vote.

"Let's go on the trail first," Kol offered, "The Devil's field one."
"No," Madison protested, "I've heard Murder House is incredible."

Briana nodded her agreement, "But the Illusion Mansion thing is supposed to be really fun too."
"I'm with Kol," Kyle shot, "The Devil's Field thing sounds the most promising."

Tyler spoke then, "Okay, clearly everyone wants to do something different...so why don't we split up, and meet back here by eleven?"

April felt Chris nod beside her, "Yeah, that's good. Most of us have to be back my midnight anyway, and that'll give us plenty of time."

"Sounds good to me," Jeremy nodded, and the rest agreed.

"Okay, eleven then," Tyler confirmed, "See everybody then."
They nodded.

"Oh," Chris threw out there, "Don't go anywhere alone, either. Our parents will kill us if we don't all make it back."
"So true," Lauren agreed.

And a discussion rose of who was going where first, and soon the group split.

Chris looked down at April, "Where to, Miss?"
She thought it over, looking around, "House of Horror."

He nodded, "Let's go."

"Saltzman, phone," The production VP called out, and Alaric groaned.

They'd had a busy day on top of a mandatory meeting that morning, and things didn't seem to be getting any lighter.
He loved his job, he did, but on certain days, he wished he'd chosen a less public profession. Or at least one that was slower paced.

"Got it," he called, picking up his end, "Alaric Saltzman speaking."

"Mr. Saltzman," a perky voice answered, "This is Edward Garrison, from City-beat Entertainment Magazine, and I'd really like to discuss setting up an interview with a star of your company, Damon Salvatore, and I was told that you were the man to talk to."

Great.

"Well, Mr. Garrison, I'd love to help you, but Damon Salvatore isn't reachable at the moment."

"Yes, I've heard. I also noticed that his concert in San Francisco was canceled for next month. Any particular reason?"

Alaric groaned inwardly. He should have seen this coming.
"Mr. Garrison, is this interview for Damon, or for me?"

A slight pause on the other end, then, "Damon has been out of the public eye for a while now. Rumors have started of you keeping him sheltered after his latest exploit, and now it seems he's disappeared completely, seeing as no one can get in touch with him. Now, I've jumped through a lot of hoops to get this call with you, and I was only wondering if you could tell us what's going on with Salvatore lately, and if you believe this might be the beginning of a decline in his career."

Alaric rolled his eyes, "I appreciate your concern, Mr. Garrison, I'll pass it on to Damon if I hear from him. In the mean time though, I'm going to have to answer with "No comment". Now, have a nice day."

He hung the phone back on it's receiver, shaking his head.

The damn paparazzi was the reason for most career fall outs, and unfortunately for Damon, he'd gotten his fair share of the spotlight.
At least he was on the down low now, and out of the media's radar.

Alaric just hoped it lasted long enough for Damon to figure out what he wanted to do.

Because he'd hate to see the media scandal that would be thrown up if these bull dog reporters caught wind of the name Christian Salvatore.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

Now, to address some things.

Grayson is a "bad guy" right now, and I don't plan on rushing his acceptance of Damon, so please, don't get the wrong idea, because it will still be a character building process.

Also, I understand how bad teen drinking can be, and i appreciate the frailty in including such things in my story, but I believe, from experience, that this is a realistic representation of some teenagers, and I'm sorry if anyone is offended.

And last, I've noticed a few reviews addressing the issue of Damon being famous.
Yes, this is true.
But understand that he's secretive about his past and has been away from his home town for nearly his entire career.
He's "safe" in Mystic Falls, at home, and out of the public eye...for now ;)

I promise I have a plot line following his fame, and what will come of it and how the media will be incorporated, so please, please, trust me on this.

Now again, thank you guys for all the support, and I can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter! :)