Hey!

So truth? I almost gave up on this story. I love it, don't get me wrong. But I was going through a phrase where I was wondering what I should be writing, whether I should be working on one thing or another. But then I got a review of this story – THREE reviews to be exact. And they made me continue. Stupid I know, but true. Don't worry, I love this story – and I have BIG plans for it. So I want to thank everyone who has reviewed – just shows that they really do mean something.

Another long chapter! I love writing super long ones, I always feel pleased with myself. This chapter is filled with drama, so I think you'll like it. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own either One Tree Hill or Vampire Diaries or any of the characters; exceptions are Tari, Liam, Allen, Caleb and Rebecca

xXx

Chapter Twelve

Best laid plans of mice and men

Tari and Liam could not take their eyes off the body. There was no doubt that she was dead. Though her body was almost perfect, her eyes were without the usual brightness that a person held when they were alive. She didn't look peaceful though, like a lot of people did when they were dead; her eyes still looked fearful. Tari couldn't help but wonder what she had seen that had been so horrifying that the terror didn't disappear when she'd died.

"Oh my God," Liam whispered. He had not taken his eyes off her body. "She's-"

"I know," she breathed back.

"Oh God," he repeated, and in front of her he sank down to his knees. "Oh God."

Stop saying that, Tari thought randomly. There is no god.

For long minutes neither of them could speak nor move. Despite all the horror films they had seen, nothing compared to the sight of a real dead body. Staring at it Tari couldn't help but wonder what her mother's body had looked like after the accident. For the first time she felt her chest seize with the fear that her mother had been injured by the accident, scarred so badly that she didn't even look like Rebecca Snow anymore.

"Lee," Tari said, but her throat seemed to have closed and she could only hiss it. She coughed, trying it again. "Liam."

He didn't turn round, and when Tari went closer she could see his face was a sickly pale colour. She hated to think what she looked like. "Lee," she repeated, grasping him by the shoulders. "C'mon. You need to leave."

He looked up at her, his blue eyes empty. "I do?"

"Yeah. You need to get back home. Go let Sawyer and Allen know what's happening too, and make sure they leave. Tell your parents you're sick – there's no way they won't believe it." He looked as if he'd thrown up.

He stood up shakily, looking as if he was going to faint. He had to use Tari as a prop to stand up, and he still looked unsure on his feet as he wandered away.

Once he was a safe distance away, Tari turned her head and vomited in the bushes.

Once she was done she wiped her lips, trembling, exhaustion overwhelming her suddenly, like a tsunami. Her stomach still felt weak, and she tried not to look at the body again. She didn't trust herself.

Instead she flipped her phone open and texted the one person she knew who could deal with this.

xXx

"Can we go yet?" Stefan knew he was like a child, but he was sick of pretences. He wanted to go home and have a long bubble bath with Elena. His stomach was filled with food that wasn't particularly done well. They had stayed at the party long enough – Stefan thought it would be okay for them to leave now.

Damon smirked. "What, and miss the chance to eat truly crap food and make small talk with other people that you truly don't care about?"

"So that's a yes."

He grinned at his brother. "You get Elena and Tari, I'll say goodbye to Cara for us."

As Damon moved away, Stefan called out – though a little lowly: "See, nothing bad happened did it? We all lived."

If they were alone Damon would have said that implying that they were alive was a bit of a stretch, but he didn't dare – not right now. Once they were home and didn't have to worry about people hearing their conversations.

Stefan looked away from Damon, eyes scanning the crowd. He knew where Elena was – he could hear her talking to an old high school friend (one that was asking about her plastic surgeon – they found it easier just to admit they had plastic surgery, and Liz helped spread the rumour. It wouldn't work forever of course, but at least for the time being). But he hadn't seen Tari in a while. He supposed she was hanging out with her friends somewhere – maybe outside? He started towards the doors, intending to go to the gardens to find her, but before he could even take a step his brother was beside him.

He looked to Damon and could instantly tell something was wrong. Damon was his brother, and he had known him for longer than most people knew their brothers. His eyes were cold, serious, his lips in a firm line.

He lifted his phone up. "Spoke too soon."

xXx

She didn't know what to do. She tried not to look at the dead girl. Tari didn't even know who she was, though she had seen the girl around school. But they had never spoken, or even exchanged smiles. Why would they? They were separate people living separate lives. Why would they talk to each other?

But high school was like that. You never really made much of an effort with other people, people you didn't know. If they weren't in your circle of friends, why bother with them? Now Tari knew how much of a mistake it was. Now this girl was dead. She would never be able to talk to her, get to know her. This girl would never graduate, get married, have any children. Swim with dolphins, learn Chinese, see the northern lights. She'd never do any of those things now.

Such a waste of life. Tari felt angry suddenly, so annoyed that she balled her hands into fists, wishing she had something to punch. And the vampire didn't even drain all the blood out of her.

For a moment she hated all vampires, even Damon, Stefan and Elena, simply because they must have done what this vampire had done, at least once or twice. She even hated herself, because she was part vampire. She knew that she could never hate them for longer than a moment, because they would always be her family; and she couldn't hate what she was, not forever. But looking at this girl, all Tari could feel was the agony of knowing she would never see the sunset.

Who? The thought stopped her suddenly, so quick that she could feel her heart against her chest. It seemed to be moving too fast, even though she was standing still.

Another vampire was here.

Tari didn't believe for a single second that it could have been Damon, Stefan or Elena. Even if you ignored how good they were, it was too sloppy. None of them would be as reckless and stupid as to leave the body lying round for someone to find.

Her eyes darted round the forest anxiously. It was pointless – a vampire could sink his teeth in her and drain her of blood before she would be able to scream. It wasn't as if she carried a stake round with her. She would be dead in seconds.

Who's the vampire? Who would do this? What's changed since –

It hit her then, who it could have been. Who it was. How had she not seen it before? But then, she knew that people ignored the obvious, sometimes even blatant actions of a guilty person, simply because they didn't want to see it. And of course she hadn't.

Did she even want to now?

There was a noise behind her, and she whirled round, almost falling on her feet. High heels definitely weren't good shoes to wear. Her chest dropped in relief when she realised it was them. Damon, Stefan and Elena. Thank God.

Damon instantly flew to her, like a bird checking on its baby. "Are you okay?" His eyes moved over her, checking her body for signs of cuts and bruises, despite the fact that he knew she wasn't hurt. But then, she supposed that she hadn't given him much information: only that there had been a vampire attack.

"I'm fine," she answered. Her voice sounded fragile, like glass waiting to be broken. She didn't want to sound like a scared little girl; she wanted to be strong, to be fearless. Like Damon.

He rubbed her arm cautiously, staring hard at her. He then turned to Elena and Stefan. Neither of them in particular seemed shocked to see the body, but Stefan looked to be struggling. His eyes were on the body. Anyone who didn't know him would think that he was in shock, but Damon knew better: he was staring at the blood, dripping from her body. He had been drinking a little human blood years back, but there had been a slip a few years back and Stefan had steered clear from it ever since.

"Stefan," Damon said, his voice loud and clear like a bell. His little brother looked up, as if woken from a dream. "Take Tari home. Elena, can you go with him?" He trusted his brother, he did, but he knew that it didn't take much for an addict to fall off the wagon. He wanted Elena with him, to remind him what he stood to lose.

Stefan nodded, jerky movements of the head, before moving towards Tari, as if he was going to take her from Damon. For an instant Damon clutched her, terrified for some reason. He may trust Stefan, but when push came to shove he knew that he wouldn't trust anyone with her – not really. Not even Rebecca. He loved Rebecca more than anything, but when it came to Tari she wasn't safe with anyone but him.

He turned to her. "Did anyone else see the body?"

For a split second she wondered about telling him that Liam too, had seen the girl. But a second later she dismissed the thought. What would Damon do if he knew Liam had seen it? She doubted that he would like the fact that Liam, not to mention Sawyer, knew that they were vampires. Would he compel them? Or tell her to stay away from them? Either way, she wasn't going to risk it.

"No."

He nodded, satisfied with her answer. "You go with Stefan and Elena, okay? I'll be back soon."

She nodded, and moved towards them. Was it his imagination, or did she seem just as reluctant as he did?

xXx

"Not again."

Liz stared at the girl, her eyes searching the girl critically. She was studying her in the way only a sheriff would. Alaric, on the other hand, looked numb. He hadn't seen many bodies before, but he had believed that he had gotten used to all things vampire-related. But he was frozen. This girl had been one of his students. It always hurt a little bit more, knowing the victim.

The sheriff rotated her body to face the two of them. "I think we have to assume that this isn't a one-off attack. A vampire's clearly lurking round here." She bit her lip, looking round the area. The sun was setting, lighting the garden in a certain orange glow. It would have been the perfect evening to sit on the porch with a glass of wine, mulling over the past and your life in general. Liz reflected that, while that sounded pleasant, that person with the wine could never be her, because the first thing she thought of was: "The vampire can walk in the sun. This girl has only been dead – by the looks of it – half an hour or so. The body's still fresh. Whoever this vampire is, we may have to work with the possibility that they have a ring like yours."

Damon hadn't thought of that. He cursed, turning away from the body. "Anyone could be attacked at any time."

"It could be in there right now." All three of them turned to face the Lockwood mansion. Damon was suddenly extremely glad he had made sure Tari was safe at home.

"How are we supposed to defend ourselves?" Liz said. She wished she was in her sheriff uniform rather than this glittering dress. It would make her feel safer somehow, more in control. She found it hard to move in this. It wasn't what she was used to.

"The way we did the last time," Damon answered. "We need to arm ourselves with stakes and vervain and hope that we will be able to catch it. I want a guest list of who attended this party."

"Jesus Damon," Alaric said. "Almost everyone comes to this thing! Someone could have slipped in without anyone noticing."

"Not a vampire though," he shot back. "They would have had to been invited in. We'll question Cara, see if she remembers anyone suspicious."

"What will we tell her parents?" Alaric asked. Surely that had to be the worst thing, telling a child's parents that they would never see a smile light on her face again?

"Animal attack," Liz answered. "People believed it once, they'll believe it again. This one though, we won't be able to hide it from the press."

Damon bit his lip, staring across at the house, lost in his thoughts. "I know," he murmured after a moment. "But right now we have more important things to do." He turned his head to the girl again, forcing himself to not see a child; not to see Tari.

xXx

She took a shower.

Tari was becoming to hate these events. They all led to problems, from attacked girls to the risk of being set on fire. They exhausted her, left her breathless and shaking. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the girl: golden blonde hair flowing from behind, a few of the ends tinted with a dark sticky substance; that substance almost pouring from her neck. She knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Changing into her pyjamas, she stepped out of the bathroom. Checking her phone, she saw she had two messages.

One was from Sawyer:

God T, r u ok? Liam told us what happened. Is still in shock. Thanksgiving 2moz so can't come ova, but call if you want 2 talk. Hope u r ok. C u soon. Xoxoxo

The other one was from Allen:

R u okay?

Even after everything, Tari had to smile. Typical Allen: always thinking about others before himself. She hoped he was okay. He'd scared her a little.

But then, was he right? She thought back to her moments with Caleb. He had been so nice, charming... However, Tari knew that appearances didn't mean anything; never judge a book by its cover. He had moved into Mystic Falls when the attacks had begun. Of course, it was all so simple.

But what if she was wrong? She didn't know anything, not really. After all, maybe her constant imagination was simply getting the better of her again. She knew she couldn't just accuse him – she had to get proof.

Damon wouldn't be happy about that. She flipped through a book, not seeing the words but enjoying the way the letters flittered past, changing in a moment. Tari knew that her father would keep a tight rein on her for the next few days, and probably until they'd caught the vampire. It's going to hard to see the others.

The door knocked, and Stefan entered. "Hey."

Tari didn't smile. "Hey."

Her uncle sat on the end of the bed. "Want to talk?"

She shook her head.

"Are you sure?" Surprisingly he smiled. "Damon's going to make you talk whether you like it or not. Might as well practice on me."

She knew he was right and, sighing, she pushed herself up on her hands. "Do you think you'll find the vampire who killed her?"

"Probably. I know Damon; he won't give up. Once he gets something in his teeth he'll shake it until its dead. It shouldn't be long before he finds out who did this."

"Good," Tari said. She wanted whoever had killed that girl to be dead. But what if it is Caleb? What if he had got carried away? What if he hadn't meant to kill her?

A part of her was telling her that it was no excuse; that no one should be allowed to kill. Yet how could she say that? Her father, uncle and aunt were all vampires, and had surely done this at least once or twice. They had killed people. So what if Caleb had killed somebody?

But she couldn't make herself believe that. She couldn't persuade herself that it was the right thing. That girl had lost her life. How was that right?

"Hey." Tari glanced up and remembered that Stefan was still in her room. "Are you okay?"

That's the million dollar question right now, isn't it? "Just dealing with it all, I guess."

He nodded. "You should talk to Elena," he offered. "She went through all of this when she was little older than you were. Finding out about vampires and having people turn up dead. That was in the early years, when everything was insane. But things calmed down. I think this will too."

"You think?" Tari couldn't help it; once again her mind was going into overdrive, thinking what she shouldn't. "But what if you're wrong?" She paused a moment before asking, "What do you mean, in the early years? What happened then?"

She saw Stefan pause for the briefest of moments. But he was good at masking his emotions, and instantly smoothed his face out. Tari wasn't even certain that she hadn't seen things. "Nothing really. It's all in the past. We'll explain later."

She felt her stomach twist. Was Stefan lying? Why did it seem like he was lying?

Why did she always feel like someone was lying to her?

Stefan stood, reaching over and ruffling her hair. "See you in the morning kid."

"Night Uncle Stefan," Tari said. She did her best to smile, but it felt forced, and both of them knew it.

Once he'd gone she wrapped the covers round her body. She knew it; something was going on. Damon, Stefan and Elena were all keeping something from her. She could feel it in her bones, and it scared her. Terrified her. She felt completely alone.

You're not alone.

She didn't know where the voice had come from. It sounded...

The voice was right. She wasn't alone. Maybe the three of them had their secret, but she had Sawyer, Liam and Allen. Their friendship was her secret: the way Sawyer would stop off and get coffee before they started the day (well, coffee for Tari and herself, hot chocolate for Liam and a herbal tea for Allen) and wouldn't take any money for it; how Tari would always help Sawyer with her history homework and Liam would help her with maths and Allen would help everybody with chemistry; how Sawyer was the one who would always laugh and Liam was the protective one and Allen was the mediator and she... What was she?

She couldn't help but smile when the thought came to her. She was one of them.

xXx

It was late when Damon came home. As soon he went through the door he heard people in the kitchen. He walked towards the voices and found Stefan and Elena sitting there. Elena was standing on one side of the counter, Stefan sitting on the other side.

Both of them turned to him. "Hey," Stefan said. He too, sounded exhausted.

"What's going on?" Elena asked immediately. "I don't suppose you know who killed that girl?"

"No," Damon sighed, collapsing on the stool. "Is there coffee?"

Without having to ask, Elena poured him a cup. "Decaf," she said before he took a sip. At that Damon pulled a face and placed it back on the counter. "You're exhausted Damon. Coffee will just make it harder for you to sleep."

"Stefan may put up with your crap, but I won't."

"Stop it," Stefan said. His voice was drained. "We have more important things to deal with."

Instantly Elena and Damon subsided, knowing he was right. "I've got a list of who might have killed her," he said. "All the members who came to the party." Both Stefan and Elena winced. "Yeah, I know. The only thing we'll be able to do is keep an eye on people. Look for someone who seems suspicious."

"That's all?" The tone of Elena's voice showed her frustration.

"If you have any more plans, I'd be happy to hear them." Damon didn't sound angry though, merely tired. He half hoped Elena did have an idea; he could really use one right now.

"It doesn't seem right," she said, before she too leant against the counter. "This vampire could be wandering the streets and no one would be able to tell."

"He can walk in the sun," Damon said. Elena jerked her head upwards while Stefan groaned.

"That makes it even harder," Elena muttered.

"Tell me about it." He glanced at the clock and realised it was past midnight. "Some Thanksgiving."

"Well," Stefan began after a moment's silence, "it's definitely our kind of Thanksgiving."

Elena and Damon couldn't help but smile. "Yeah," Elena agreed. "We are vampires, after all. I don't think we'll ever have a normal holiday. Just as well, I guess. I hated family meals – we always ended up in a fight."

"Since when do we not have fights?" Damon said, smirking.

"Another family tradition," the younger Salvatore said. He pulled himself up, stretching. "I think we should all go to bed. God knows this has been a long enough day." He paused for a second – he didn't want to ruin this moment, even though it wasn't exactly a happy one – no, it was a peaceful one. But despite this, Damon had to know.

"I may have messed up," he said after a moment. "I mentioned to Tari about when Elena found out about vampires, and how everything was crazy back then. And she asked about them."

Both Damon and Elena froze. "Did you tell her-"

"Nothing specific," answered Stefan quickly. "But she wants to know more."

Damon had been about to get back up, but instead fell back on the stool again. "She's smart," he said. "She knows something's up."

"I keep telling you to tell her," hissed Elena.

"You're being unhelpful, as usual," Damon said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm right," she insisted. "If Tari knew, she would be on the look-out."

"If she knew, she would be terrified," Damon answered back. "I don't want that for her. Besides, we can protect her-"

"By suffocating her," Elena snapped.

"She has a vampire family, Elena. Her mother's died, and she's been thrown into a world that someone that young shouldn't know exists. She's just a kid for Christ's sake! I want her to at least have a little bit of a normal childhood."

The room was quiet for longer than a moment. Time seemed to stretch at that point. Finally Elena broke the silence: "I get it Damon, I do. But you need to be realistic. Her childhood isn't normal anymore."

Damon stood up. "I'm her father. I get to make the decisions about her."

As they heard his footsteps go upstairs, Stefan and Elena exchanged a look. "You shouldn't have pushed him Elena."

Furious at her husband for not taking her side, she gathered the empty cups and placed them in the dishwasher. "I wasn't pushing him," she snapped. "We both know Tari will do that by herself."

xXx

I'm happy – happier than I have been in a long time. But then it ends abruptly when she leaves a voicemail cancelling her earlier promise to come to the party.

Instantly it depresses me. My mood darkens. I contemplate going to the bar and destroying the place – or rather, any other place, because I really need that bar. It doesn't help that the engagement party is merely hours away and everything is being set up. The theme is white which I don't get – if this is white, than what is the wedding?

Inside I know I am acting insane, but I don't care. For some reason it crawls under my skin, and I want to rip it out – so instead of ripping someone else's head off, I do the next best thing.

I know the name of where the house that she lives in, and after about an hour I finally pull up on the drive way. It's a big house, big enough to put even the Salvatore boarding house to shame. Beautiful too: ivy, though it's a parasite, looks stunning against the whiteness of the house; the garden is huge and beautiful, with multicoloured flowers. It reminds me out of the house of a fairytale.

I get out the car and go to the door. Unsure – I mean, who actually lives here again? Her parents and sister? What if they answer the door? Has Rebecca told them about me?

What are we, exactly?

I knock on the door anyway. To my immense relief the door opens and dark brown hair appears. Her brown eyes are wide when she sees me. "Damon." She jerks her head back to the door and quickly closes it. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"Doesn't matter," I say. "You don't look ill, so tell me: why exactly are you not coming?"

She looks uncomfortable, shifting onto one foot to another. My stomach feels queasy, a feeling that I haven't had in a while. She glances up at me, those big cow brown eyes. "I don't think this is working, Damon."

"What? What isn't working? We haven't done anything!"

"That's not true! We kissed."

"One kiss," I say. "That's nothing."

She glowers at me. "Shows how much you know."

I sigh, glancing up. It's nearly noon, and the party will be starting soon. "Look, I get it."

"Get what?"

"I understand why you're scared. You've been hurt before. So hurt that you don't want to get involved with anyone. But you can't live your life like that. That's not living, that's hiding. And it's not right. I get being scared, because I've been scared. Terrified even. But taking that chance, even if it doesn't work, gives you the best feeling in the world. I know, because that's what it felt like with you."

"Damon please-" She begging me to stop, but I can't.

"I know you felt it too. That's why you're pushing me away, because that feeling makes it even worse. Like I said before, I understand. It's okay, if you're not ready for me – for this. Believe me, I have plenty of problems. Being hung over on my brother's girl is the least of them. I understand if you're not ready to be with me."

This hurts, more than I thought it would. But...there's something about this girl that makes me want to be different. I don't want to hurt her, because I can already tell that she's been in pain before. Who am I to give her that pain again?

"That's okay. But just...let yourself be with someone. Don't close your heart completely. Please."

She stares at me. Those eyes of hers make me want to scream and cry and beg for her to stay with me. But it would be pointless. I can't force her to be with me. If she's not ready...

"Goodbye Rebecca." Before I can do any of those things I turn away and head back to my car. I don't take another look at her; I can't. I don't, not even in the rear view mirror.

As I drive down the road I feel a certain wetness in my eyes. I have to pull over and wipe my eyes. "Stop it," I tell myself fiercely, but that somehow makes the tears come out faster. "She's nothing. Nothing compared to Elena."

I tell myself that. But I don't think my heart is listening.

xXx

Tari knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. The darkness was admittedly comforting, making her feel safe. Yet she couldn't help but remember what easily came out of the darkness. Maybe being afraid of the dark wasn't a stupid fear. After all, you couldn't see what was coming until it was too late.

She heard the door open, the hinges creaking as they did. She froze, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Hey," she heard Damon's quiet voice. "Are you awake?"

She sighed. "No."

The door closed and she heard his footsteps, and eventually she felt his weight shift on the bed. She moved her head so it was leaning against his stomach. "Do you know who did it?" she whispered.

She heard him sigh. "No. Don't worry, we will."

Tari paused, weighing her words carefully. "Is this what all vampires do?"

Damon didn't answer for a few moments, and Tari could tell he was debating about saying to her. "Most of them. Some vampires just take blood and compel people to forget. Some do drink blood bags like we do."

"Do any of them drink animal blood, like Uncle Stefan?"

"Not many. Drinking animal blood, it's problematic for vampires, because compulsion doesn't work as well. You're not as strong or as fast as other vampires are if you drink animal blood."

"Then why does Stefan drink it?"

"It's a long story-"

"Damon." She wasn't going to have her question avoided again.

"God you're impatient," he said, though there was a slight grin on his face. "Alright, Stefan can't drink human blood because he becomes addicted to it. He's too dangerous. Stefan won't hurt you, don't worry. He's got it under control. Still, we find it best not to have him hang around human blood if it's not necessary."

The thought of Stefan hurting her was so pathetically stupid that Tari didn't even feel worried about it. Perhaps she was too tired. She knew that soon she would obsess about it, just like she obsessed about a lot of things these days. But she couldn't help it. To be honest, it made sense; why couldn't vampires become addicted to blood?

Part of her wanted to ask if he had done that – if he had killed people like that. But she was too sleepy to really ask the question; after all, she didn't want to word a question like this wrong. Besides, another part of her was certain that she didn't want to know the answer to it.

After all, didn't she know the answer already?

That was another thing: if she could forgive Damon for it, why couldn't she forgive Caleb?

Her mind was too tired for these questions. She could feel herself slowly slipping to sleep, her previous insomnia evaporating.

Gently Damon disentangled himself from her. "See you in the morning," he whispered, kissing her forehead. Tari stirred sleepily, wanting to say more, but when she opened her eyes she couldn't see him.

She closed her eyes, and before she knew it she was asleep.

xXx

Tari had been right about Damon being protective. She found she couldn't take a foot outside without Damon stopping her. On the one hand, she didn't have her turn in taking out the trash, and she probably wouldn't have had chance to see any of the others anyway. But it was still annoying, just knowing that she couldn't step outside. She could understand why Damon got irritated at her sometimes: tell her not to do something, and instantly she wanted to do it. Admittedly she did act like a child sometimes. Hell, she was Damon's daughter.

She flopped onto the sofa in-between Damon and Stefan, who were both watching the game. "It's so boring," she complained.

"Don't you have homework?" Damon asked, keeping his eyes on the television. "Alaric gave you an essay to write."

"How do you know all this?" Tari asked, staring at him. I know that they talked on my phone, but I didn't expect Mr Saltzman to tell my father about my homework.

"They hang out," Stefan said.

"What?" said Tari, sitting up straight. "Please don't tell me you hang out with my teacher."

Damon (for the first time) turned his head, smirking at his daughter. "We're old drinking buddies."

She groaned, sinking back on the sofa. "You couldn't be any more embarrassing."

"It's not my fault. We've been hanging out long before you came along. Before you were born, even. That's how I happen to know that it's in for the end of the holidays. So, aren't you going to get cracking?"

"It's Thanksgiving. I shouldn't be doing homework on Thanksgiving."

"Fine – watch football then."

"Actually," Tari said, sitting up a little further. "I think I'm going to go outside. Maybe for a walk-"

She made a move to stand up, but before she could take a step both Stefan and Damon grabbed her by the elbows and pushed her back down.

"You're being ridiculous," snapped Tari. "No one in their right mind would come after me, not when I'm living with three vampires."

"Not if they don't know we're vampires," Damon answered.

"Doesn't that give us an advantage?"

"You've obviously been playing chess with her if she's talking strategy," Stefan said, smirking. He stood up, heading towards the kitchen. "D'you want a beer?"

"Sure." Damon leant back on the sofa, his eyes still on the television, watching the cheerleaders prance about on the pitch.* Tari wacked his arm to get his attention.

"What was that for?" he asked, though admittedly it barely hurt.

"I just wanted to know how long you're planning to keep me on house arrest," she said, ignoring the question.

His clear blue eyes looked at her as if she was asking if there were flying pigs. "Until we catch the vampire."

"And how long will that take? Only I do have a life that I'd like to live."

Damon leaned in closer, smirking. "Then I suggest you stay inside the house if you want to continue it."

Tari turned away, her mind whizzing past in thought. She was beginning to feel a little guilty about not telling him about her suspicions. But could she really tell him about Caleb, when she herself wasn't sure that he was really a vampire. If Damon interrogated him (and she shuddered to think how he would do it) and he wasn't a vampire, she couldn't be like, "Sorry about that, now can I see your place?" Besides which, she wanted to keep Caleb as far away from Damon as possible, especially if she was going to date him. She could only imagine what he would do if he found out she was dating someone. If he was protective now, she dreaded to think what he would do if she was actually going out with someone.

Yep, it's official: my life is ruined.

"So this is what you do for Thanksgiving?" she asked. "Watch the game?"

"Yep."

"You don't have a family meal? Sit around the table saying what you're thankful for?"

"What, after yesterday's meal? Do you really want more food?"

"Not really," admitted Tari. "But I do want something to eat."

"I'll make us some food later," he said, yawning. He stretched his arm, wrapped it round her shoulders. "Anything but turkey – I can't eat it again. But if you want to do something for today, than we can."

Tari's usual Thanksgiving would be spent at her Aunt Isabel's. Her grandmother and grandfather took turns coming, because if they were ever in the same room together for longer than five minutes there would be a shouting match. The last Thanksgiving neither of them were there – her grandfather had passed away a few years back, and her grandmother had dementia.

To be honest, Thanksgiving had been nothing special: her mother would cook, because she was a chef, and Isabel's boyfriend of the month would watch the game, possibly with her mother's boyfriend of the month, and then they'd have a huge family meal before conking out on the sofa. Admittedly Thanksgiving wasn't a big celebration, not like Christmas had been. But Tari missed it, just a little. Now that she knew she would never have it again, she got nostalgic.

Damon watched her face. "Or we could watch a movie," he suggested. "With some buttered popcorn and tons of chocolate."

Tari perked a little at that. It would be nice to be able to lose herself in a film, get wrapped up in the laughter or the drama, whichever they chose. "You wouldn't mind missing the game?"

Well, yes he would, though not as nearly as much as Stefan. Then again, they were vampires – did it really matter that they were missing on Thanksgiving football game when they could see countless more? "No," he said, getting up. "You get the film, I'll make the food."

As Tari scampered off the pick of film, Damon walked into the kitchen, finding Stefan talking to Elena. "Change of plan," he said as Stefan looked up. "We're watching a film instead. Tari's picking it."

"Thank God," Elena said, slapping the book shut. "I've been so bored with you two drinking beer over the football. I'll go help her pick."

Elena had disappeared in the blink of an eye. He raised his eyes, looking at Stefan head-on. The youngest Salvatore brother was staring at Damon. "You do realise," he said slowly, "that instead of watching the football, we're going to watch some chick flick? Do you remember what you said to me when I was marrying Elena? 'That I was losing my man-hood'. Who's losing their man-hood now?"

Damon grimaced. "Whatever Stefan," he said, realising that he was right. What was worse was that he hadn't even noticed.

What was worse was that he didn't even care.

xXx

Of course, peace in the Salvatore household was like peace across the world: fleeting, and never going to last. A few days later war broke out once again.

"You can't keep me in here like I'm a prisoner!"

"Watch me."

"People are walking outside all the time and none of them have been attacked."

"Statistics don't matter to the individual."

Tari flung herself down on the stool. "But I'm bored Damon! I've been in the house for the past four days! I just want to go out and be in touch with the real world for a little while."

"There is a vampire out there which could kill you in three seconds."

"So could a car."

"You can stay away from roads and look where you're going to avoid being hit by a car. A vampire could get at you anytime, anyplace that isn't your home."

"What the hell is going on?" Elena asked as she entered. In the other room Stefan rolled his eyes. One thing about Elena was that he could never understand was that she could never help joining a fight. He only prayed that there were never three sides to an argument, because he was certain that each of them would take one side and never back down. Why the hell couldn't they just let things go?

Tari turned her attention to Elena. "Oh nothing, just Damon being an ass as usual."

Damon glowered at her. He crossed his arms, leaning against the counter. "Are you trying to get me to agree with you? 'Cause you're going the wrong way about it."

"I don't know what else I can do to convince you to let me out of the house."

Elena settled on the stool next to Tari. "Ah, I get it. You want to leave."

"Just for a few hours," said Tari, pleading once again. "And I'll be at The Grill the entire time. You can drop me off if you want, as long as you let me walk back."

"Oh yeah," scoffed Damon, "because I'm going to let you walk home as it's getting dark."

"Obviously the vampire attacked when it was light," said Tari, though she wished that she hadn't mentioned it. Thinking about the dead girl made her stomach go queasy. It didn't help that she hadn't been sleeping well recently. It wasn't just the high school girl; she was having the dream again, the one where she was falling. It always felt real: the cool air against her skin, her hair whipping in front of her (every time she had the dream she always fell backwards so she could never see when she was going to hit the ground), her ears echoing with the sound that reminded her of the engines of an airplane. She always woke up breathless as if she'd just gotten off the treadmill. It wasn't as bad as the others, the ones that her mother was in. But at the same time she felt fearful, and she couldn't get it out of head. It didn't terrify her like it did the first time, but even so...

Elena nudged her. "You're not helping yourself," she hissed from the corner of her mouth, knowing full well that Damon could hear her. "But she's right. You can keep her in the house as much as you want, but what happens when school starts?"

"My point exactly," Tari said, earning another glare from her father.

"She'll miss too much if you keep her home," Elena said, and Tari could tell Damon was beginning to weaken.

"The longer you keep me in here, the more I'll fight you on it. If you don't let me out I'll just find a way to get out myself."

"And that's supposed to convince me to let you go?" Damon asked. He hated Tari when she was like this; she reminded him too much of himself. He never followed the rules, not when he really wanted something. And he could tell Tari really wanted to go. Why couldn't she be a loner?

"If you let me go, I promise I will let you drop me off and pick me up. I'll carry a stake round in my pocket if you want me to. I'm already wearing and drinking vervain." Tari hated drinking tea, but Damon practically forced it down her throat because of the vervain mix they had. Admittedly he had a point; after all, if a vampire was trying to drain her blood they would be stopped right in their tracks.

Damon raised his head, staring at the ceiling. After a moment he scrunched his eyes shut. "I'll drop you off at one and pick you up at four."

"Five."

"Three."

"Fine, four."

"Done."

Tari exploded in thanks and Elena beamed at him, but when they had both left Damon lifted his phone and texted Alaric. U need 2 b d grill between 1-4.

N y would I do that?

Cuz I can't babysit my daughter so I have 2 get some1else 2.

After a moment Alaric texted back. Let's discuss payment.

xXx

Tari spotted her friends instantly. They were sitting in a booth as far from people as they could be. As she got closer she noticed how sombre the mood was; even Sawyer looked depressed.

"Hey," she said, sliding in a seat next to her.

"Hey," Sawyer said, turning round. Her entire face brightened when she realised Tari had arrived, and she couldn't help but be overjoyed by this. The blonde reached over and squeezed her hand. "How are you?"

She nodded. "Okay, considering." She looked over to Liam. The boy was clearly shattered: his short blonde/brown hair was a mess and he had huge dark circles under his eyes. He was leaning on his elbow, his usual straight, athletic posture forgotten in tiredness.

"How are you?" she asked, her blue eyes round with sympathy.

"Never better," he answered with a weak smile – one that didn't quite reach his eyes. He sat up, leaning against the back of the booth. "I've just been having trouble sleeping, that's all."

"Tell me about me," Tari grumbled.

"The worst thing about it is my parents keep asking me what's wrong. I mean, they know I'm having problems, and they want to help. They have the best of intentions, but they're driving me crazy. It's not as if I can even tell them about." Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. "I'm only keeping it from them because I love them. Knowing this...it screws you up in a way."

Tari knew exactly what he meant. After all, she'd all but broken down when she found out about vampires and witches.

"I know what you mean," Allen replied. Tari looked at him for the first time. He didn't look too good himself, though at least he was sitting up straight. "I think my mom knows something's up. She isn't fooled by the reports of the animal attack. She keeps on wanting to know where I'm going. I think...I think she's getting suspicious."

Sawyer groaned. "Parents. Honestly, even the money they give us isn't worth the hassle they put us through."

There was quiet for a moment. The noise from the other side of the bar seems far away, a different world to theirs.

"I think I know who did it," she whispered.

Liam, Allen and Sawyer's heads shot upwards. "What?" said Sawyer, her green eyes focussed on Tari.

"I think I know who killed her," Tari said again. Allen glanced over to the other people by the bar, but was thankful that none of them were paying them any attention. Nonetheless he leant forward, motioning the others to do the same.

"It's Caleb, isn't it?" he asked.

"Wait – the new guy? The guy that hit on you? The guy that you freaked out about?" Sawyer said it all so fast it was only because the other three knew her well enough to decipher it.

Allen's expression was serious. "Makes sense," he said. "I don't like the feeling I got around him. Even if he isn't a vampire, there's something suspicious about him."

Sawyer turned her green eyes on Tari. "Are you going to tell your father?"

"Tell him what? That I think some cute guy might be a vampire? I have no proof, and if I'm wrong then he's scared the crap out a guy for nothing."

"He'd probably compel him to forget," Allen pointed out.

Now that stopped Tari in her tracks. She hadn't thought of that.

"She's right," interjected Liam.

Once again Tari was surprised. "I am?"

"You are." Liam stared her right in the eye, those blue eyes clear like water. "Look, we don't know anything about this guy for certain. All we know, he could be innocent. So I suggest we just watch him for a while, see if we notice anything suspicious. If we're wrong, then we've wasted no one's time and hurt no one. But if we're right..." His eyes suddenly flashed, like lightening in a thunderstorm. "Then I want to look him right in the eye and ask him how he could have done that to a girl."

This time the silence was brought on with surprise, not tension. Tari had never seen Liam so angry. Yet it wasn't out of character; Liam was extremely protective of Sawyer. It was in his personality.

"You do realise this is dangerous," Allen said. His brown eyes were guarded, anxious. "This is a vampire we're talking about. If he thinks we're on to him, then we might as well be walking around with a bullseye on our chests."

"Not you," Sawyer said. She said it slowly, like the sun rising. Tari could practically see the wheels turning in her head. "If you were around, you would be able to stop him, right?"

He bit his lip. "I guess," he admitted. "I've learnt witchcraft at a young level, so it's difficult for me to keep up the use of some spells. But I could probably do it long enough to stop him in his tracks."

"Then we have an advantage," Sawyer said. When she leant back, she was grinning the grin of a Cheshire cat.

"So you're all willing to do this?" Allen looked at each of them in turn. "We're risking our lives for this."

"Yeah," Liam said instantly. "If it stops other people from getting hurt, then I say it's well worth the risk."

Sawyer bit her lip, looking uncertain. After a few seconds she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and nodded, as if she was giving permission to have someone stick a needle in her. "Lee's right. If there's anything we can do to help, then let's do it."

Allen turned his attention to Tari. He looked at her as if she was the only one here.

Tari knew the risk she was taking. If her father knew what was going on, he would pack her bags and send her to a French convent, like they did to women in the 1400 and 1500s.

But then, she was Damon Salvatore's daughter.

She looked directly at Liam, and allowed the smirk of Damon Salvatore to cross her face. "Bring it on."

xXx

The night before school started again, Tari ran her eyes down the outfit Sawyer had picked out for her to wear. The blonde had leant Tari her purple jacket that Brooke Davis had bought her from New York and a golden glittery scarf. She would also be wearing the shortest denim skirt she owned and her stylish brown boots. And she couldn't forget her grey top that showed off her breasts.

Yes, they had a plan. It wasn't perhaps the best plan in the world, but they were fourteen (well, Sawyer was fifteen) and she didn't think it was too bad. It wasn't as if they were stupid; Sawyer aced every class she was in, and they knew everything there was to know about vampires. They could handle it.

She hoped.

There was a knock on the door, and Damon entered. Tari smiled at him, though she knew that it wasn't quite as bright as it usually was. The truth was that she was beginning to feel bad about keeping the secret from him. If she told Damon it would be handled in two seconds.

But then Liam had spoken, and she had seen the look in his eyes. She didn't feel as if she would be able to refuse him.

And then there was the other reason, the one that she barely admitted to herself...

She liked him. She had liked Caleb. She didn't know what it was about him, but something about him had sent shivers down her back. She didn't know whether he was a vampire or not, and even if he was, if he had hurt that girl. Even if he was a vampire... Damon, Stefan and Elena were vampires. They were good. Maybe he was too.

Damon wouldn't see that though. If he discovered Caleb was a vampire, it wouldn't matter whether he had injured that girl or not. He wouldn't allow her to see him, even if he was just a friend. She wouldn't put it past him to send him packing, if not worse... And if she was completely honest, she didn't blame him. He was right to try and protect her; God knows he had good reason where vampires were concerned.

But it was her life. She had to be the one to live it.

"Hey," he said, placing the glass of water on the bed. "You ready for bed?"

"Yeah," Tari said, going towards the bed. Trying to get Damon to extend curfew was like trying to convince the Italians to stop eating pasta.

He sat down on the bed next to her as she got comfortable, and that was when Tari instantly knew something was wrong. Without thinking she tensed. "Look, I was thinking..."

"Yes?" Tari asked, waiting for it.

"Maybe you should stay off school for a few days," he suggested. He avoided her eyes as he said it. "Y'know, have an extra long holiday."

"Damon," Tari groaned. Damon Salvatore was the only snag in their plan. For it to work, Tari had to be there – without her, as Sawyer pointed out, there would be no opportunity. He had flirted with her. Sawyer had debated that maybe she could ask him, but there was no guarantee it would work. Once again (according to Sawyer) Tari was a certainty.

"Stop being such a protective parent. I'll be fine. There are hundreds of people in that school, the chances of him being able to hurt me are zero."

"I've done it," Damon snarled. His eyes had gone dark, his expression mutinous. "I've managed it, as has Stefan and plenty of other vampires. The citizens of this town have a blind spot where vampires are concerned, and I'm not willing to put you in danger."

"I get it," Tari said. Damon turned away, his lips in a thin line, but Tari grabbed his chin and pulled it back towards her. "I understand that you're worried. Of course you are. But I'll be fine. I'm not going to do anything stupid."

Liar!

Damon still didn't look happy. He face was indifferent as he stared at Tari. She tried to remain composed, but her heart was racing and she was sure she'd be able to tell. After a few moments he said, "I don't like this Tari."

"I know."

"And I want to pick you up and drop you off."

"Of course," Tari said. Don't grin. Whatever you do, don't act triumphant.

"Okay," he finally agreed. "As long as you act responsible." He hugged her, wrapping his arm round her lower back. She rested her chin on his shoulder, feeling sick. She hated herself in that moment. He was trusting her, and she was lying to him. Straight to his face. Was there anyone on earth who was worse than she was?

xXx

By the lockers, Sawyer gave Tari a quick nudge. She jerked her head to the side, and sure enough there was Caleb. They weren't the only girls staring, but they were the ones who had a plan. And he had to be in hearing distance.

"He's totally hot," hissed Sawyer. They kept their voices low, knowing that it didn't matter.

"I think he's gotten hotter over the holiday," Tari answered. And she wasn't even pretending.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are you going to ask him out or what?"

Tari bit her lip. "I don't know Sawyer..."

"Oh c'mon T! He was totally flirting with you at that Thanksgiving dinner! He's hot, practically has his own place, and he's a mature seventeen year old. You couldn't find a better guy if you tried. And don't try to tell me that you don't like him, because I know you too well."

"Sawyer-"

"Go and talk to him."

"You're insane-"

"I'll admit that, but you're my best friend and I insist."

"Look S, the only time I would be able to ask him out would be Friday – you know my father won't let me out on a school night."

"So ask him for Friday. Do it now before another girl does it – that whore Missy has her eye on him, and she doesn't deserve him at all. Now go!" She gave Tari a helpful shove over towards Caleb, who was at his locker. Tari shot Sawyer a look before she turned and walked over.

Casually she leant against the locker beside him, knowing that she was showing off her breasts. For a brief moment she felt like a zoo animal on show, but she pushed her thoughts to the side. "So," she began, attempting to sound cool, "do you know what the latest pool is?"

He turned his attention to her. She couldn't help but stare at those blue eyes – they were so beautiful. "Pool?"

"Asking about a hundred girls in every year, they have all agreed that you're the hottest guy in the school."

He smiled, and it almost looked like an unwilling one, like he didn't want to. "I'm honoured. Does this mean I get a reward?"

She pretended to think for a moment. "I guess we could give you a stuffed animal. Would you prefer a teddy or a dog?"

He leant against the locker, mirroring her position. "Wow. It's a really tough choice. May I offer a third option?"

"You may," answered Tari, unable to keep the smile off her face.

"Since I won the pool, maybe I could give you a chance to win? The Grill, Friday night?"

She cocked her head to side, pretending to think about it. "I don't know. I mean, my friends and I normally hang out at The Grill on Friday. I can't promise that they won't want to tag along – y'know, to keep an eye on me."

You have no idea how true that is.

"What's to say that I agree?"

"Well, it's my reward. And I'll let you break."

"Well," she said with a mock sigh. "I guess I could tear myself away from them for an hour or two."

"I'm honoured," he said. His grin was wide, and for an instance Tari felt guilty. She wondered whether she was doing the right thing.

But who was she to turn down a date with him?

xXx

Friday night came all too quickly. As she got dressed for her date, Tari felt nervous. She felt unprepared, though Allen, Liam and Sawyer had planned it all to the letter. Still, Tari had pointed out – and Allen had agreed – that they couldn't talk about it at school. Vampires that fed on human blood had super hearing, and neither of them felt comfortable talking about it when Caleb could be in the next classroom or just down the hall. And even though they'd planned almost every detail, she knew that you could scheme all you wanted and it didn't mean things would go right. After all, humans were unpredictable creatures – vampires included.

She didn't attempt to dress too sexy: she put on her best jeans and a cute top along with a nice jacket. No, to get past Damon she would have to look as if she wasn't going on a date. She had to look casual. She had a final check of her make up before she got ready to go, and on spur of the moment slipped on a bracelet that had once belonged to her mother. It was silver with little detailed hearts, and it shimmered in the light. It had been one of her mother's favourites; she'd worn it to both casual and classy events. Just seeing it on her wrist made Tari think smile, remembering her mother.

It was getting easier to smile instead of cry.

She grabbed her backpack from the floor and made her way down the stairs, trying to appear calm. Relax. You can do this.

Stefan was on the sofa, watching a game and Damon and Elena were in the kitchen. It looked so normal for a moment that it made Tari stop and lean against the threshold of the door. Don't go, a voice in her head said. Stay with them.

She wanted to, suddenly, so much. She wanted it to be a normal evening, listen to Damon make a crack about Elena's awful cooking and watch Elena and Stefan snuggle together and act gross and for Stefan and Damon to get into a debate. It struck her then how this had become normal for her; how much she actually enjoyed it.

Elena glanced up, spotting her. "Where're you going?"

But she – they – were on a mission. She couldn't let them down. Lives were on the line.

She stepped forward. "To Sawyer's," she answered without hesitation.

Damon's head jerked upwards; Tari could see the challenge in his eyes. "Oh yeah?" he asked. "I seem to have forgotten you clearing this with me."

"I only just decided," she replied. "I was doing my homework-" Damon raised his eyebrow, but Tari was wise enough to ignore it. "-and I always get really stuck with this maths homework. I was texting Sawyer and she said she could help me if I went over." She looked over at Damon. He was the one who had the final say when it came to her, though Elena and Stefan offered advice. "So, can I go?"

He didn't like this, she could tell. But she also knew that he didn't want her to be unhappy. She could tell that he was conflicted, trying to decide whether to be protective or if he was too paranoid. It made Tari feel even worse, knowing she was putting him in an uncomfortable position. "You're staying at Sawyer's?"

"Yeah."

"Just Sawyer's? Nowhere else?"

In her cream flats she crossed one of her toe over the other. But she looked Damon straight in the eye when she spoke. "Yeah, just at Sawyer's. C'mon Damon, a vampire isn't going to wander into their house. Mr and Mrs Scott are as normal as you get."

"She's right Damon," Elena added. Damon glowered at her, but Elena could never help but adding her two cents in. "You have to let her have some fun once and while."

Damon turned his attention back to Tari, who was beginning to feel as if she was in court – and lying on the stand. "It's just going to be you and Sawyer?"

Tari raised her eyebrows. "As far as I know. We're not inviting a whole group of people."

He sighed, and in that instant she knew she had him. "Pick you up at nine?"

It was nearly seven now; there wasn't enough time. "How about eleven?"

Damon grinned, albeit a little humourlessly. "No way."

"Ten thirty then?"

"Ten."

"Twenty past ten?"

"Ten," Damon said again, remaining firm.

Tari knew not to say no to a good deal when she was offered one. "Thanks," she said, forcing a grin. She was surprised, however, to find she wasn't overjoyed at the thought. Getting one over her father didn't feel as good as she thought it would; on the contrary, she felt rotten.

"Let's go," he said, putting the blood bag he'd been drinking in the fridge.

As Damon moved past her, Tari took one look back. Elena had moved over to sit next to Stefan on the sofa; they looked so cute together. The girl felt emotional all of a sudden, like it was the last time she was going to see this. "Bye," she called.

Elena and Stefan glanced over, both of them smiling. "Have fun," Stefan called. He then quickly snatched the book out of Elena's hands; the vampire cried out and tried to snatch it back. They were laughing and squealing. It was one of those moments that you see every day, that are filled with such ordinary beauty, people just need to look a little harder to see it.

Before she could blurt out something she would regret, Tari turned away and followed Damon to the car.

She slipped into the passenger seat as he started the engine. "You okay?" she asked, glancing at her before he started the car.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said quickly. Do I look worried? I thought I was better at acting than this! "Just a little stressed, that's all."

"School?" he asked.

"A little," she replied. She could see him watching her out the corner of her eye.

"Is it...boys?" He practically ground out the last word. He didn't even like to think about Tari dating anyone, especially not when she wasn't even fifteen. Why couldn't it be like the old days, where boys and girls were educated separately? Less contact, the better.

Tari grinned at him, despite everything. "Why Damon Salvatore, are you fishing?"

"Are you evading?"

She sighed, leaning her head against the glass. "No boys," she said, crossing her fingers this time. "Liam and Allen are just friends."

"Mmm," Damon answered, non-committable. Tari glanced at him, not liking the way he said that. Still she ignored – she didn't want to get in a fight with him. He might stop her from going to Sawyer's.

Besides, it felt wrong. She knew why, but she didn't want to think about it.

Feeling uncomfortable, she ran a hand through her hair. She was caught off guard when she moved her arm back down Damon caught it. She turned her head to him, and saw him take his eyes off the road (he's such a bad driver) and stare at her wrist. She realised that he was looking at her bracelet.

He didn't say anything for a moment. Tari didn't like the expression on his face – for some reason it made her feel... not scared, but slightly fearful. As if she was worried that she had upset him somehow. "It was mom's," she said to fill the silence.

Her words seem to have woken him. He blinked for a moment before releasing her arm. "It's pretty," he said. His voice though, it sounded wrong.

Suddenly Tari felt the urge to bring her up. She wanted to talk about her mom to Damon. It was the first time in a while she remembered wanting to talk about her mom, wanting to tell stories about the silly things she did – like when she almost set the chandelier on fire, or accidently (and to this day, Tari still didn't know how she did it) put chilli powder in her birthday cake. It didn't make her feel sad, not like it had before. Before, just the thought of her mother made her want to go in the shower and sob her heart out. But she always found it hard to talk about her with Damon. He never brought her up himself, never told a funny story about her, never shared a memory. It was almost as if it was painful for him too.

Damon stopped the car, and with a jolt Tari realised they had arrived. He turned to her, smiling. "Try not to have too much fun," he said.

She felt a rush of sympathy and love for him. They fought almost all the time, but still... He was her father. She moved over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, surprising him. "Thanks," she said, jumping out the car. "See you tonight?"

"Ten thirty," he called out.

On the path towards the house, she turned to face him. The surprise was clear on her face, and in an instant she had smiled. It was as bright as a star, fully covering her face. "Thank you."

He gave her a quick smile back and waited until she got inside. He stared at the closed door for a moment before driving away. He didn't understand the fear in the pit of his stomach. It's just the usual fear you have when you leave Tari, he told himself. Yet something didn't feel right, and Damon didn't like it.

xXx

Sawyer got Tari up in her bedroom as fast as she could. Once she closed the door she turned quickly to her friend. "How are you?" she asked in concern. "Ready for tonight-"

Tari shook her head quickly. She nodded to the window looking out to the drive, where Damon had just left. Sawyer seemed to get the message, and went to her stereo. She put a song on – Tari was surprised that it was a Simple Plan one – turning the volume up before beginning to speak. "Are you okay?"

Tari collapsed on Sawyer's bed. "Yeah, I guess."

Her friend sat on the bed beside her. "You guess?" she asked, raising one of her perfectly plucked blonde eyebrows. "You need to be sure."

Tari sent her friend a small smile. "I'm just nervous. Y'know, it's all happening tonight."

Sawyer reached forward and gripped her hand. "It's okay," she said. "I'm nervous too, and I don't have to do everything you have to." She paused. "We can back out," she reminded her. "It's not too late."

Tari couldn't help but feel a rush of love for her friend just for saying that. She squeezed her hand back. "It's okay," she said. "I can do this."

"We won't leave the room. One of us will always watch you. We won't let you anything happen to you. You remember the emergency word?"

Tari laughed a little. "TARDIS,"** she said without hesitation.

Sawyer smirked. "Well let's face it, unless he's a major Doctor Who fan I doubt he's going to bring it up and force you to say it. But I mean it T – say the word and we're gone."

"Let's hope I don't have too. But just in case..." Tari pulled her bag towards her and lifted out the supplies. She handed Sawyer a miniature stake and a vervain dart. Sawyer lifted the vervain dart, examining it. Damon had given them to her, insisting she take them everywhere she went, just in case. "Use these. I'll give some to Lee and Allen too."

"And these should stop the vampire?"

"A stake to the heart will kill him," Tari said, feeling sick again just because she was saying the words. "And the vervain will weaken him completely, giving us time to stab him."

"Wow," said Sawyer, laughing a little. "If someone had told me that my life would become an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer I wouldn't have believed them."

Tari met Sawyer's eyes. "It doesn't feel as good as you think," she murmured.

They were both quiet for a few moments.

Sawyer pulled her up, obviously wanting an end to the sombre mood. "Help me pick something to wear. I love this dress," she said, showing it off. "But I have no accessories to go with it."

Tari studied it for a moment before rooting in her bag, pulling it out. "Here," she said, handing her friend a multicoloured bracelet. It was one of those childish, make-it-yourself bracelets, but Tari had always kept it. "I know it's a bit naff-"

"No way," Sawyer interjected. "It'll go perfectly." She smiled as Tari fastened it to her wrist. "I love you T, you know that?"

For the third time that evening Tari felt choked up. "I love you too S," she said, and pulled the girl in a hug. They stood in Sawyer's room, holding each other, and in that moment Tari was glad that she had ended up in Mystic Falls.

xXx

The ball landed perfectly in the pocket. "And that's another one for me," Caleb said. He turned to Tari, grinning as she sipped her drink. "So I've got, what, five in and you've got two?"

Tari sent him a mock glare, though she was a little peeved. She was usually very good at pool – her mother had claimed that her daughter had a natural talent for it, along with singing badly and remembering events that didn't matter anymore – but this was their third game and the last two times Caleb had beaten her.

"So I guess you're not the gentleman type that lets a girl win?" she asked, giving him a pout.

He shook his head. "Sorry, not my thing. I like to teach people to play well, so when they actually win they know it's because they're good."

"Yeah well, you've already won two games – you could let me win this one." She stuck her tongue out at him as she aimed. She sent the yellow ball straight into the pocket and grinned in triumph, but missed the next one. "I'm going to get another drink," she said, noticing that both their drinks were empty. Finally. "Same again?"

"Sure," he said. He smiled at her, his eyes lingering on her a little too long to be just a glance. I'm so going to hell for this, she thought as she walked to the bar, ordering two cokes.

Liam came up smoothly beside her. They had all agreed it should be him – they didn't want to use Sawyer again, and Liam was good at things like this. He could always act. "How's it going?" he asked her. His blue eyes were defiant, and Tari didn't like it – he was brewing for a fight.

He hadn't been like that before. Both Allen and Liam had come to pick them up. Liam had chatted to Sawyer's parents easily – but then, they were his aunt and uncle. As soon as they were outside, both boys turned to her. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Allen asked.

"We don't mind if you want to back out," Liam added. "We'll understand-"

Tari held up her hands. "It's okay," she said. "I'm okay. I just want to get this over with. I want to know whether he is actually a – well, I just want to know if I'm crazy."

Liam sent her a smile and Allen gripped her hand tightly. She turned to him and smiled, wishing he wouldn't be so concerned. He always seemed worried. He did his best to smile back at her, but she could see he was tense.

Now though, Liam seemed almost angry. She could see it in his eyes, simmering. She had never thought he would be one to get so angry at the death of someone he didn't know, even if it was unjust. Still, Liam had a way of surprising her – he had more layers than she thought. She placed a hand on him, widening her eyes. "I'm fine," she said, though what she really meant to say was relax; don't give the game away.

He seemed to get that; he took a deep breath that could be mistaken for a sigh. "So he's being okay to you?" He turned his body, placing his hand on the bar. It hovered over the drink, and discreetly he dropped a bit of vervain in the drink.

Tari waited for it to fade in the coke, turning to her friend. "You're wrong about him Lee," she informed him. "He's a good guy, except for the annoying habit that he's better than me at pool. Admit it, you're just jealous that girls think he's prettier than you are."

"Like I said, it's just because he's new." He sent her a look, and she gave a slight nod. I'm okay. "Anyway, let me know if you want to get out of here."

"I will," she said, and sending him one last smile she moved away. She knew he was going back to the table that Allen and Sawyer were sitting at. They had a perfect view of the pool tables, and she knew that they made sure at least one of them was watching.

She approached the table as he took another shot. "What, you got another in?" she said in mock horror. Pretending it was a casual gesture, she moved the vervain coke forward for him to take.

"Yeah. But if it makes you feel any better, I missed the last one for you." His eyes on the pool table, he reached over and – ignoring the drink she was handing him – took the other drink from her. Tari stared at him as he drank it, her mind going blank for a moment. He took the wrong drink. What does that -? Was that an accident?

When he looked at her she realised he had said something to her, and she forced herself to act. "Sorry?" she asked.

"Your go." He smiled at her again, and she felt something tighten in her stomach. This time though, she was certain this was fear.

As she bent down, her mind was whirling. Did he know? But how could he? Liam and I were blocking the drinks, I was sure he couldn't have seen! Maybe it was an accident. We knew this could happen.

When he bent down, she looked back at the others, who were all looking at them. She gave a quick shake of the head, letting them know something had gone wrong. They all tensed, she could see it. Turning back and smiling, she tried to calm herself. They had prepared for this, in case of spillage (Tari had warned them that, knowing her, it was almost certain). They had more.

This time, she would put it in both drinks.

xXx

He excused himself to the bathroom, even though he didn't really need to go. He snuck back to the bar, making sure that he wouldn't be seen. He saw Tari and her friend Sawyer by the table, heads bent and whispering. He didn't bother to listen – he knew exactly what got them in a panic.

He ordered two cokes, still watching them. He had to admit, their attempt was good. But he wasn't stupid. He had seen them put it in his drink. It was almost funny, thinking of how to avoid drinking the vervain. He had debated about spilling it over her, but that seemed a little too...obvious. Taking the wrong drink was the perfect way of not arousing suspicion, making them consider whether it was a mistake.

He could have left, yeah... But he wanted revenge. No one tried to trick him and get away with it. Besides, he wanted to have a little fun.

Carefully he slipped it in her drink. It fizzed for a few moments, but thankfully coke fizzed so it wouldn't show.

Oh yeah, he was going to have some fun with her.

xXx

Memories are usually our worst enemy. Okay, you can have some truly great memories: like your fifth birthday party, or when you first held your child in your arms, or the first kiss you ever got. They take you back to another time, another moment, and so vividly that sometimes you heart races again, fills with so much joy that's it's like it's happening all over again. But then, some memories are cruel. A place, a time, even a saying can bring back a memory that you try to push to the background, that you try to forget. They tangle themselves in your mind, refusing to leave. Some memories even affect you long in the future. But then, your past always comes back to haunt you, whether you're ready to deal with it or not.

This was what was happening with a certain vampire by the name of Damon Salvatore. He even had to stop the car, because he couldn't stop thinking about it. He loved this car, he didn't want to get in an accident and ruin it.

That bracelet... Oh God. How did Tari not know how much that bracelet meant to him? To them? He remembered when he gave it to her: it was for her birthday, while they were dating. He had searched everywhere to get her something meaningful. Money wasn't an issue; he had enough to buy her a house. But there was also the question of whether she would accept something that was expensive – knowing Rebecca she would refuse it.

He had seen it by chance. He had been looking through jewellery shops, and had almost decided on a necklace when he saw someone return this bracelet. As soon as the woman had left he demanded to see it.

He hadn't been able to take his eyes off it. Little detailed hearts joined it together, and it was a grey colour of silver – it didn't look cheap at all. He instantly knew that Rebecca would love it, and she had. She had put it on the second he gave it to her, crowing over it and kissing him in delight. Even after they weren't together, she wore it often. When he saw it on her wrist...it gave him hope.

I have no hope. I have no heart. I have nothing.

Right now I feel empty. It's amazing I managed to dress in white for Elena and Stefan's stupid engagement party. I bet they picked white just because I always wear black. Typical.

I can't believe how much this has affected me. Rebecca's just a girl – there are plenty of fish in the sea.

Yet I can't get her sad face out of my mind. Those brown eyes of hers... So beautiful.

STOP IT. I turn to the bar and get a drink. As I do I feel someone slip beside me. "Hey."

Oh great. I didn't want to see Elena, anyone but her. I just got rejected by a girl, I don't want to be reminded how she rejected me. I don't answer her greeting, I don't look at her, I just keep drinking. The alcohol slips down my throat, but it doesn't make me feel any better. Damn it.

"The guests are starting to arrive," she mutters. "God this is going to be dull."

"You decided to have an engagement party," I remind her.

"That was Stefan's idea, not mine."

"Typical brother." I turn to face to garden, where the guests are entering. Stefan is already down there, saying hello and being the perfect host. I suppose I would be too, if I were in the mood. People should avoid me today.

"Are you okay?" When I finally look at Elena, she staring at me.

"I'm super," I say sarcastically. "Oh I can barely contain my joy."

She doesn't smile though; she simply stares at me. "Where've you been this week? I feel like I've barely seen you."

I don't want to talk about this week. It was too much fun, and it brings back too many memories of her. I realise how I'm acting – I knew her for five minutes – but I can't help it. Huh. Maybe I do have a heart after all.

"Listen, Damon," Elena says. I don't want to listen, and turn my head away from her to look at the guests. "I wanted to talk to you about something-"

There she is.

Her dress is like that of a Roman Goddess, light and flowing. It's white, so white it almost hurts my eyes but I'll be damned if I look away. Her hair too, is curled and flowing behind her, with a white band on top of her head. It's so dark, so stunning...

Her head turns slowly, eyes searching, and then she finds me. For a moment the two of us just stare at each other, unable to look away. In that moment I think we're both filled with yearning – that and fear, because I think this is the scariest and bravest thing Rebecca has done.

She smiles at me.

Oh yes, I definitely have a heart.

xXx

*I don't know anything about American football, so just assume that this is what happens during halftime

**The TARDIS is the time-travel/space ship that The Doctor travels in from Doctor Who (one of the best programs EVER!)

Also, I had to put that at the end. I mean, has anyone else noticed that in TVD there can never be a happy ending? There is always something new that comes at the end e.g. Katherine in the shower. So I thought that I would give this chapter a little happiness at the end.

Hint: the bracelet that Tari let Sawyer borrow? It's significance will reveal itself in the next chapter!

So, please REVIEW! Pretty please!