hey, guys :) I hope you liked the last chapter! I got some SUPER encouraging reviews, and I'm so thankful to all of you! The last chapter was a bit more intense than this one's going to be, but it'll be funny :) anyways, I hope you all enjoy it, so here it is! CHAPTER 15!

The boys were arguing again. Elena hated it when they argued, since whenever they did something normally ended up broken. Just like always, they were bickering about how to keep her safe, this time from Peter. Stefan thought that she should stay with Caroline, since Peter hadn't been invited in and couldn't be, and Caroline could protect Elena from him. Damon said that she should stay at the boarding house, because they could protect her better than Barbie.

She hated it when they talked about her like she wasn't in the room listening to every word they said. She tried to cut in a few times and voice her side of the argument, but every time she tried, they would cut her off and continue on the conversation without her.

Elena threw her hands up in frustration and let out a loud sigh that managed to distract the brothers from yelling at each other. She was so stressed about everything she couldn't think straight. The sacrifice, doppelgangers, originals, stalkers, the list just went on and on.

She flopped down on the couch and sighed again, closing her eyes. Stefan and Damon had begun talking strategy for their upcoming plan again, when Elena was suddenly fed up with everything. "I can't do this. I just….I can't take all of this stress."

The brothers looked at her during her little outbreak, concerned about one—her safety—and two—her sanity. But even with their concerned stares, she kept going on. "I need….I need…." She stumbled, trying to figure out what it was exactly that she needed, when it hit her.

She grinned incredulously, and looked straight at Damon. He looked back, confused, when she finished her thought, knowing that only Damon would be able to understand and catch on to her plan: "I need a time-out."

Turning on her heel, she began to walk out of the room when she looked over her shoulder. Stefan still looked confused, but Damon looked as though he was going to burst out laughing at any minute. With a smirk on his face and a gleam in his eye, he let out a light chuckle when he looked at Stefan's confusion—which was written all over his face.

"I'm leaving for a time-out. Anybody that decides that they're coming, my car leaves in five." And with that, she walked out of the boarding house and to her car. The brothers turned to look at each other, still slightly in shock from Elena's little outburst.

Stefan, still confused, asked, "What does she mean she needs a 'time-out'?"

Damon laughed, and answered, "You'll see", as he followed Elena's lead and exited the house.

Stefan looked in the direction of the door and followed closely behind, unknowing of what he had just officially signed up for. After locking the door to the house, he walked to the car and hopped in the front seat next to Elena, thankful that for once Damon had decided to take the back. Stefan looked over at Elena, who was still grinning from ear to ear, and decided that she needed a break, no matter what it entailed, and that he would be there to enjoy it with her.

Damon leaned forward between the two-lovebirds in the front seat and asked Elena the question that had been on everybody's mind since she decided to take another time-out trip: "So, where to, Miss Gilbert?"

Elena glanced over her shoulder and smiled, then replied simply, "Wherever the road takes us, Damon. Wherever the road takes us."

"So what exactly is a timeout?" Stefan inquired as the passed by the Mystic Falls sign, heading out of town.

Elena giggled, being sure to keep her eyes on the road, and began to explain, "Well, I'm sure you remember when Damon kidnapped me and brought me to Atlanta", she started, "When I woke up, I practically had a panic attack. But Damon stopped me and told me to take a step back from life. He made me take a 'time-out', as he called it, and to have one night with no regrets. So that's what we're doing. I mean, sure Damon had alterior motives for our trip—namely Katherine—, but our motive is just to take a step back."

Stefan looked questioningly back at his brother, then to Elena. "Okay, I see what you're saying, but Elena we need to talk about what is going to happen with Peter", Stefan pleaded, trying to convince Elena that this wasn't the best time and that they needed to turn around.

"Ah, ah, ah Stefan. This may be just a fun break from life, but there are rules that have to be followed", Elena interjected, "Damon? Care to tell him the rules?"

"First of all, everything from Mystic Falls stays in Mystic Falls. Elena managed to forget about our bitchy doppelganger, vampire ex-girlfriend for a day, so you can chill with all the brooding crap. Number two, alcohol is a requirement—the drunker the better." At this rule, Stefan looked surprised at Elena, who turned to glare at Damon—who wasn't done yet. "Oh, and number three—probably the most important rule—try not to get killed."

Stefan's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "What the hell do you mean 'try not to get killed'?"

"It ends up Damon pissed off more people than just you when he murdered Lexi. I had to save him from getting killed by her boyfriend", Elena explained, "And since I've got a vampire stalker and have pretty much been handed a death sentence, I think it's a pretty good rule."

As the car passed by trees and towns, the trio began to relax. By the end of the drive, they were singing along to the radio, listening to all of the oldies from the 80's and 90's. At four in the afternoon, after driving for over 6 hours in no particular direction, they ended up in a bar 20 minutes outside of Nashville.

Elena was excited, Damon was ready for some alcohol, and Stefan was nervous. Elena looked over at her boyfriend and slipped her hand into his. He glanced over at her, and she gave him a reassuring look as they walked into the bar, unknowing of the horrible change in plans that destiny had for the group that night.

so...how was is? I really liked the "time-out" from first season, so I decided it was time for another one :) next chapter is gonna be pretty cool, you won't actually see most of the timeout, you'll just know that they had it and what they did...maybe I'll do a "deleted scenes" section or something :} anyways, I hope you guys liked it, and as always :) feedback is love, people! So read and review :)

-kiki :)

btw: only 23 more days until "Know thy Enemy"-according to my new iPod app, "Days Until" :) it's pretty helpful, and you can count down to any day you want! Like, the end of the vampire diaries hiatus :D