THE NIGHT OF THE COMET

This morning, I felt different. It was good, I could sense a change coming. For once, I wanted to get up and go to school. Because now, I knew he would be waiting for me. I chose to put on a dark purple long sleeved shirt, black jeans, black boots, and a cream colored scarf. A silver necklace, ring, and hair clip, complemented my look.

I walked out of my room and saw Jenna admiring herself in the floor-length mirror.

"Do I look adult? As in respectfully parental?" she asked me. She was very a round neck line, cocktail dress.

"Hmm," I said thoughtfully, "Where are you going?"

"To Jeremy's parent-teacher conference." she said, "Hair up, or down?"

She collected her orange hair in one hand as she held it up high.

"Sexy Stewardess," I replied. Then she let go, and her hair flew down to about her shoulders. "Boozy housewife,"

"Up it is," Jenna said, looking at me surprised, "You're feisty today."

"Oh, Jenna. You know you'd look good either way," I smiled, "And I feel really good. By the way, where's Jeremy?"

She turned towards me, "He left early. Something about getting to wood shop early to finish a birdhouse." I looked at her with my eyebrows raised. "There is no wood shop, is there?" she asked.

"I wish," I shook my head. What's Jeremy doing now?

"Yeah..." Jenna sighed.

When I took my seat in history class, I could barely concentrate, because Stefan kept looking at me. Eventually, I just gave up on trying to actually focus on Mr. Tanner's lectures, and started gazing back at Stefan.

Mr. Tanner's voice woke me up from my little world: "Are we bothering you, Mr. Salvatore? Ms. Gilbert?"

Stefan and I broke our gazes to look up into a very pissed off teacher. But before either of us could respond, the bell rang. The alarm jerked me out of my seat, and I stood up.

Kids walked past us, trying to get to their next class, or just meeting up with other friends. Over the loud voices, Stefan said, "I brought it. Told you."

In his hands was Wuthering Heights, one of the books Stefan and I had talked about yesterday night. "'Wuthering Heights' by Ellis Bell. Too bad, she didn't use her real name, it's pretty."

"Not as pretty as yours," Stefan immediately responded. To hide his embarrassment, he said: "All the Bronte sisters used pseudonyms. It was the time. Female writers weren't very accepted then."

"Thank you," I responded to his compliment, then I asked curiously, "Where did you get it?"

"Uh, it was passed down. Through the family,"

"Cool," I smiled.

"I have a lot of books," Stefan said, "Go ahead. Keep it."

"Oh, no. It's your book. I couldn't possibly keep something like this," I told him, "But I would like to read it again. Then I'll promise to return it,"

"Seriously," Stefan insisted, "Keep it. It's yours,"

"You know," I smiled slyly, "You're too nice for your own good," I tucked the book away into my backpack. I'd give it back to him next week.

At lunch, I met up with Matt to talk about Vicki. "Is she okay?" I asked, worried. I hoped that Vicki would be able to recover. After all, she was Matt's sister, and I couldn't have another person in my life die. Even if I wasn't close to that person.

Matt and I were walking across the grassy area behind the school. "Yeah," he replied, "They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection, but she should be able to come home by tomorrow,"

"That's really good news," I told him, smiling, "I hope she gets better soon,"

"Thanks,"

"Did you get in touch with your mom?" I asked him. Matt's mom was currently away, leaving Matt and Vicki to take care of themselves. I didn't think she was a bad person, but she should've been a better mother. It's hard to grow up without a mom.

"Called and left a message," he replied grimly, "She's in Virginia Beach with her boyfriend, so...we'll see how long it takes her to come rushing home." He sighed.

"Hey," I said as I placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at me, then my hand, and back to my face. "It's going to be okay. You and Vicki will be fine," He started smiling, "By the way, did she say what animal it as that attacked her?"

"She said it was a vampire," Matt looked unconvinced.

"A vampire? You mean, like fiction?" The only vampires I'd ever heard of were in stories and bad movies. Vampires didn't exist.

"Yeah, she wakes up last night and mutters "Vampire" and passes out. I think she was drunk," he said. Vicki was drunk. "So anyway, what's up with you and the new guy?" He asked me. I could see that he was trying to be nonchalant about it, but I saw through to the pain that filled his eyes.

"Look, Matt," I said, "The last thing I'd want to do is hurt you,"

"You know," Matt said trying to change the subject, "I'm - I'm actually going to go back to the hospital. I want to be there when Vicki waked up, get the real story about last night..." Then he walked away.

I felt my heart sink into my stomach. Oh, Matt...I'm so sorry...

After school, Bonnie, Caroline, Elena, and I went to the Mystic Grill to talk about the comet tonight. We decided to sit outside on the metal chairs. Bonnie and Elena sat across from each other, while I faced Caroline.

Bonnie said, "Well, I was talking to Grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom. The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. So much blood and carnage, it created a bed of paranormal activity," Bonnie was freaking me out. Blood? Paranormal Activities? Vampires? Yep, that settles it, I was going crazy.

"Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens," Caroline said.

"Caroline," I smacked her arm playfully.

"What," she played innocent, "No damage done. Anyways," she wiggled her eyebrows, "'bout you and Stefan Tell. Me. Everything,"

"There's nothing to tell," I shrugged.

"You and Stefan talked all night?" Caroline asked still unconvinced, "There was no sloppy first kiss or touchy feely of any kind?"

"No Care," I replied, "He's a gentleman,"

"Well, he didn't act like it yesterday..." Elena muttered.

"Not even a handshake?" Caroline ignored Elena.

"Well, we already shook hands the day we met. There's no point in doing it again," I explained. I left out the part where his touch practically sent an electric current through me. "We just talked for hours. It was like 6 o'clock in the morning when he finally left,"

"Ok," Caroline asked, "What's the blockage?"

"Just jump his bones already!" Elena shouted, annoyed.

"Elena..." Bonnie rolled her eyes. I sighed. My friends were still obviously hurt.

"Ok," Caroline started up again, "It's easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy; sex!"

I sighed and stood up. If I didn't leave now, who knows what they would start talking about. "Fine, you know what, I'm going to the boarding house. See you guys later!" I waved to all three of their shocked faces, then I walked to my car...

Once I got to the boarding house, I finally came to my senses. What the hell was I doing here? I should've known never to trust any of Caroline or Elena's decisions. Well, I sighed, maybe I'll just ask Stefan about his family, and talk about homework...god, I was getting lame...

Oh, my god. The boarding house was huge! It was a victorian styled dark brown house with black and white trimmings. It was absolutely amazing. I couldn't believe that Stefan lived here with only his uncle. I wish I lived here...

I started to feel nervous as I approached a - huge, of course - wooden door. I took a deep breath and knocked. The door simply opened a bit, just about two inches. I thought about what I should do. I didn't want to be rude and go inside, but I also didn't want to leave, because then, what was the whole point to coming?

I finally decided to just go. I mean, no one should go into other people's homes without them knowing first, right? So I turned around, and was about to walk down the wooden porch steps, when I realized that someone was standing right in front of me. At first, I thought it was Stefan. But me hello, died in my throat as I saw that it wasn't him. It was a stranger.

He was tall, in his mid-twenties, and gorgeous. That much was obvious. But there was also an air around him which seemed mysterious, yet dangerous. Sexy. Oh, my gosh, could he have been more handsome than even Stefan? He looked like a movie star. His hair was black, the color of ravens, and his ice blue eyes pierced me, as he smirked.

"You must be Ariana," he said. Even his voice was sexy. Hey, I can't control my thoughts. "I'm Damon, Stefan's brother," Stefan had a brother? They didn't look much alike, except they had the same strange air around them. They were also both ridiculously good looking. I then realized that I was standing there, in front of the house, with no good explanation.

"Oh," I said, "Sorry, I didn't realize Stefan had a brother. But it's nice to meet you,"

"It's nice to meet you too," he said smiling, "And, well, Stefan's not one to brag,"

I giggled at his cockiness. He was so different from Stefan. Kinda like me and Elena...

"Please, come," he said. He stepped around me, and opened the front door wider. He gestured for me to enter.

I bit my lip. "You sure?" I didn't want to make a bad impression or anything. I mean, he barely knew me, yet he was inviting me into his home.

"Yeah," he replied, "I'm sure Stefan will be along any second." Once he said his brother's name, I agreed to go in.

Once I stepped through the threshold, I heard the door shut behind me.

I gasped once we arrived at what I thought must have been a living room. The inside was even more spectacular than the outside. Architectural details lined every corner and wall. Persian rugs and carpet covered the hard wood floor. Paintings of people - probably distant relatives - were scattered across the wood paneling. Couches, chairs, and a bar were distributed among the massive room. It was like I had stepped right in, to the nineteenth century.

"Wow," I said in awe, "Is this your living room? It's amazing! So beautiful..."

"I'm glad you like it," Damon actually smiled. "Living room, parlor...though it's a little kitschy for my taste."

"I think it's perfect," I voiced my opinion. Then, I blushed a bit. That may have sounded a bit too audacious.

He looked at me in what I thought was part confusion, part awe, then said, "I can see why my brother's so smitten." That made me feel good, "It's about time. For a while there, I never thought he'd get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him."

"Oh, what happened," I asked, concerned. No wonder Stefan seemed to always be kind of sad, he must of lost someone too...just like I did.

Damon gave me the same half awed look, "Yeah. Katherine, his girlfriend. I guess you guys haven't gotten to the awkward exes conversation yet,"

"Well," I started, "He can tell me whenever he is ready,"

I wasn't exactly ready to talk about my exes either.

"Hmm," Damon said, deep in thought, "I'm sure it will come up eventually. Maybe he didn't want to tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound." He then smirked, "We all know how those relationships end,"

Then I said, "I just hope, whatever it is, that he'll be okay. And for him to know that if he ever needs me, I'll be there for him." I smiled. Damon's face went completely blank.

Then his smirk was instantly back as he said, "Hello Stefan," He was looking past my head, so I turned around.

Stefan was there, looking angry and tense, glaring at Damon. He could've been carved out of stone. He was barely moving.

Finally, his lips moved, "Ariana," his voice was barely controlled, "I didn't know you were coming over."

"I know, I'm sorry," I glanced back at Damon, "I just...wanted to talk to you..about a few things..." It was really awkward. Stefan was busy glaring at Damon, while Damon smirked easily back, but I saw the look of challenge in both of their eyes. "I should've called first,"

"Oh, don't be silly," Damon piped up," You're welcome any time. Isn't she, Stefan?" Okay, they had some major family issues. I just hoped that they'd be able to sort it out. I knew I had to with my siblings. "You know, I should break out the family photo albums or some home movies. But...I have to warn you. He wasn't always such a looker." He winked at me. I shook my head in amusement.

"Thank you for stopping by, Ariana. Nice to see you." That's what he said, but his tight voice said otherwise. I was a bit saddened by that fact. Did Stefan not want me over? Or did he just not want me to meet his brother? And if so, Why? Questions were swarming around my head.

"I guess I should go. See you later, Damon. Nice meeting you," I smiled at him.

He smiled back, "It was wonderful meeting you, too, Ariana,"

I turned to Stefan, whose gaze hadn't left Damon since the start of the conversation. "Bye, Stefan," I said softly. He finally turned to look at me, with eyes filled with regret.

But before I could make a complete fool out of myself, I walked out of the house.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh, cry, or die in a freaking ditch. I just hoped that I'd see Stefan again tonight.

3rd person POV:

After Ariana left, Damon said, "Great gal. Whoo. She got spunk. What a sweetheart. You, on the other hand," he pointed to Stefan who was still glaring at him, "look pooped. Did you over-exert yourself today? Let me guess...hospital." Stefan had to go to the hospital that day to clear away the memories of Vicki's experience. For, he had no idea what would've happened if she started screaming "vampire" around town.

"Someone had to clean up your mess," Stefan retorted.

"Well, were you successful?" Damon asked, faking curiosity, "Did the powers of persuasion work? Remember, if you don't feed properly, none of those little tricks work right," he smirked.

"How long was Ariana here?" Stefan asked, ignoring Damon.

"Were you worried, Stefan? Scared we may be doomed to repeat the past?" Damon said as Stefan clenched his jaw. "Isn't that why you play your little game, "I'm a high school human"?" Damon mocked Stefan.

"I'm not playing any game," Stefan denied. He was still fuming. He didn't want Damon anywhere near Ariana for multiple reasons.

"Of course you are." Damon stated. "We both know the closest you'll ever get to humanity is when you rip it open, and feed on it."

"What kind of game are you playing, Damon?" Stefan narrowed his eyes at his older brother.

Damon simply smirked and said, "Guess you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"

Ariana POV:

When I got home, I picked up a fruit bar from the kitchen and chewed on it. Jenna came in a few moments later, and before we knew it, we started talking about boys.

"Apparently, he's on the rebound and has raging family issues." I muttered, talking about Stefan, "But, I'm not worried. Because no matter what, we'll still be friends." Even if I did wish that it was more than that.

"Well," Jenna said, "At least it's an ex-girlfriend. Wait till you date a guy with mommy issues or cheating issues. Or amphetamine issues."

"Amphetamine?" I asked, laughing.

"I..." Jenna paused, "Was in a depressing time of my life."

I laughed again.

When Jeremy got home, Jenna went to ask where he was. After the argument between my aunt and brother, I threw away the wrapper from my chewy bar, and went up to my room.

Bonnie, Elena, and I were handing out pamphlets in the Mystic Falls Square. As if I couldn't get a break, we somehow started talking about Stefan again.

Bonnie was trying, and failing, to pass out pamphlets, "Tonight, night of the comet! Would you like a program," she asked a woman. She ignored Bonnie. "Would you like a program," she asked another person, who just like the one before, ignored her. Then she turned to me, and asked, "He didn't call, huh?"

I didn't have to ask to know who she was referring to. "It's weird. I just noticed that we've never actually exchanged e-mails,"

"That's an important milestone in any relationship," Elena pointed out.

"Whatever," I said indifferently, "We met like three days ago. I'm sure if we give it enough time, we'll get to the "important" stuff," I made bunny ears with my free hand, that wasn't carrying a bunch of flyers.

Bonnie and Elena laughed. Elena said, "You better get to it, or I just might steal him from you,"

"I'd like to see you try," I joked as we both laughed. I was glad to see Elena smiling. Perhaps she was starting to get over Stefan, and forgive me.

Finally, the sky was starting to turn dark. The town square was full of people, ranging from children to the elderly. The comet was clearly in the sky, moving slowly, looking like a string of white light. To think that this comet only came around every 145 years was astonishing.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Caroline approach me. "Hey," she said, holding up a bunch of mini-sized candles, "I got some candles," She handed one to me.

"Thanks," I said to her. We smiled, and she walked off to go distribute the candles elsewhere. Then Matt came up to me. His hand covered the candle, but I could tell by the illumination of light reflecting off his chest, that his candle was lit. "Hi,"

"Hey," he said back. He uncovered his candles as he stretched out his arm towards mine. The flame flickered and finally separated, causing the string is the candle to catch on fire.

"Thank you," I said to him.

"You're welcome," he said back. I turned my back to him as I went to light someone else's candle. When I looked up, I saw Stefan.

"Thank you. Hi," he said. I nodded back. Well, he certainly looked a lot better. At least, he was smiling, and seemingly enjoying himself. "You know, that comet..." he pointed to the sky, and I followed his gaze to the slow-moving string of light, "it's been traveling across space for thousands of years. All alone."

"Aww," I said, "Poor comet." I fake pouted and he smiled. "Bonnie says it's a harbinger of evil,"

"I think it's just a ball of...snow and ice, trapped on a path that it can't escape," Stefan said, "And once every 145 years, it gets to come home," he faced me and said, "I'm sorry about earlier. I wasn't myself."

"Well," I smirked, "Nobody's perfect,"

"I beg to differ," Stefan said. He was staring at me so intensely that I looked down to my feet, just so I didn't have to look into his green eyes.

"He told me about Katherine," I said suddenly. I wasn't looking at Stefan, but I could guess his reaction: shock.

"That was a long time ago. You don't have to worry about it." he said stiffly.

"No, I know," I assured him, "It's just that I want you to know that you can talk to me, whenever. Whether it's personal or not,"

Stefan smiled, "Thank you, Ariana," He placed an arm lightly upon my shoulders as we gazed up to the comet. We weren't alone like the comet anymore. We had each other...

After the comet gathering, Stefan gone away, saying that he wanted to find something. Elena, Jeremy, Tyler, Matt, Caroline, Bonnie, and I were at the Grill. They were arguing. Apparently, Vicki was missing. It was getting out of control when I finally said:

"Guys! We have more important things to worry about. We need to find Vicki!" They nodded while Bonnie said;

"We'll check the back," she gestured to Elena, Caroline, and herself.

"I'll walk to the school. See if she's hanging around there," Tyler said, then left.

Matt said, "I'll check the square,"

"I'll come with you," Jeremy piped up.

"Be careful, Jeremy. It's dark, so don't get hurt." I warned him.

"I'm not a little kid," he said, irritated.

"Hey, don't talk to your sister that way," Matt scolded Jeremy.

"Whatever," Jeremy huffed, "I'll search the east side," then he walked of the Mystic Grill. I sighed. What was I supposed to do? It was his choice to do what he wanted, but, was it for better? Or for worse? Vicki was Matt's sister, but I was starting to think she was a bad influence. But Jeremy liked her. Maybe even loved. Who was I to tell him what to do, or what not to do?

"Don't worry about him," Matt said to me, referring to Jeremy, "I'll take care of him,"

"Thanks, Matt," I said, gratefully. He nodded once, then left.

3rd person POV:

"You know," Matt started to say to Stefan. They were in the west side of the town square, looking for Vicki. "Ariana and I, we've known each other for a very long time. We might not be together right now, but I look out for her. And I'll always look out for her,"

Stefan was then distracted by the distant screams of Vicki.

"What are you up to, Damon?" Stefan asked his brother, once Vicki had left the rooftop.

"That's for me to know and for you to...dot dot dot." Damon smirked, "Give Ariana my best."

Then he disappeared.

Caroline, Elena and Bonnie re-entered the Mystic Grill, once the knew for sure that Vicki was alright. Matt was taking care of her. They each took a seat by a table.

"Ugh," Caroline complained, "It's just so much drama. Ever notice hoe the druggies are the biggest attention whores,"

"I know," Elena agreed completely, "Tell me about it. Vicki's always looking for attention."

"Well-" Bonnie was about to dive her opinion when Stefan suddenly walked up.

He asked, "Excuse me. Have you guys seen Ariana?"

Caroline and Elena gawked at Stefan. Bonnie was the only one who remained calm enough to say, "After seeing that Vicki was okay, she said goodbye, and went home," Then, a thought crossed her mind, and she smiled slyly, "I'm gonna give you Ariana's cell number and her email. She loves to text, and you can tell her..." all the while saying this, Bonnie had taken out a piece of paper and a pen, and had started writing down Ariana's information. "'I said so'."

"Thank you," Stefan said while he reached for the small slip of paper. Then, while he was taking the white slip from her, their fingers brushed against each other. Bonnie's smile immediately disappeared from her face.

"What happened to you," Bonnie asked, staring at Stefan intensely. He looked at her in confusion, because he had an inkling that he knew what she was. "That's so rude," Bonnie said referring to herself. "Excuse me," she stood up and walked away, out through the backdoor.

What was wrong with me? Bonnie thought to herself. "Why did I see death just then when I touched Stefan. Bonnie walked through the cool night air, not waiting to see where she was going.

Back in the Grill, Stefan looked confused as he held the paper with Ariana's number.

"Yeah, she kind of wigs out," Caroline explained.

"It's like her thing," Elena finally snapped out of her "Stefan's so cool, and I'm just going to stare at him" phase.

Ariana POV:

Once Elena finally got home, she decided to go to bed. At least she had said goodnight to me. That was a step towards forgiveness, wasn't it?

I was about to walk into my own room, when I heard a rustling come from Jeremy's room. Wasn't he still back at the Mystic Grill?

"Jer?" I said uncertainly. I slowly approached his room.

"No, it's me, the hypocrite patrol," I smiled as I heard Jenna's voice. I even started laughing once I saw what she was doing in his room. The sheets on his bed were practically messed up along with his pillows. Shoes and socks were scattered all over the floor, and Jenna was currently looking in one of Jeremy's drawers.

"What are you looking for?" I asked, trying to stifle my laughter.

Jenna explained, "I've become my worst nightmare. The authority figure who has to violate a 15-year-old's privacy." Then, she found a bag of what looked to be white powder. Oh. Now I knew what was going on. She was searching for drugs. "Jackpot. I see the hiding places haven't gotten any more creative." She found another packet in one of Jeremy's socks.

The smile was completely gone from my face. "I know..." I started uncertainly, "That Jeremy has...some issues. But I think that he should be able to figure them out himself. Maybe, in time, he'll learn to grow." I was totally against Jeremy's drug problem, but it wasn't mine, or Jenna's, right to tell him what to do.

"I've given him time," Jenna said sternly, "And he's not getting any more. You wanna know why? Because I'm screwing up,"

"You're not screwing up, Aunt Jenna," I said truthfully.

"Yes, I am," Her eyes were starting to water. "I'm not her," I knew exactly who she was talking about, and it made my throat feel swollen. "She made everything look so easy. You know, high school, marriage, having you...I can't do it. I'm go- gonna say the wrong thing, and he's going to get worse, and it's gonna be my fault. It's impossible..." her voice broke on the last work.

"Oh, Jenna," I said softly. I went over to her, and hugged her. I felt something wet on my shoulder, and I knew she was crying. She wrapped her arms around me. "It's gonna be okay," I assured her, "We're gonna be okay. You're the best aunt, anyone could ever ask for. As long as you're here, we'll all survive, and be happy."

I pulled back to look into her tear stricken face, and smiled. "You know," she cleared her throat, "I'm always questioning which one of us is the adult here,"

"You're still young, very young. If anyone can lead this family, it's you,"

"Thank you," she smiled past her tears. We hugged again, then I said;

"Jeremy will get over this..." I twirled my index finger and pointed to his room, that looked like a bear had mauled it. "I know it. And you'll be okay?"

"As long as you're here too," she said. "And you're right. Jeremy will turn out fine,"

"That's the spirit," I said, and remembered something. "I need to go visit someone. I'll see you in a bit, 'kay?"

"Okay," she said, "And oh, it's late out, before I forget; be careful." She emphasized the last two words.

I chuckled, "Of course, Aunt Jenna,"

I left the house smiling. Everything will turn out okay. But why couldn't I shake the feeling...that this was just beginning...

When I reached the boarding house, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to see him again.

I realized that I wanted to be with Stefan. Perhaps... he could be the one.

I walked up the steps of the look-alike mansion, and rang the bell. Not even a few seconds later, did the door open to reveal Stefan. He grinned, once he saw that it was me. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," I beamed back, "Um, would you like to join me out here?" I asked him.

"Sure," He said. He closed the door behind him as we walked over to the stone mini-balcony beside the boarding house. We took a seat on the stone, as he turned to face me. He was sitting so close, that if I had leaned forward a few inches, I would have been able to kiss him.

"I was thinking about moving on," I started, "To, at least, try to get over the mourning of my parents. And I thought about...how much I would like it...if I could spend the time...with you," I wasn't looking at him. So I gasped, as I suddenly felt his cool, but electric fingers tilt my chin up, so that I would meet his eyes.

"I was thinking the exact same thing," he said. Then his lips descended upon my own.

Never, in my life, had I felt such passion. The kisses of Matt, and all the other boys, was nothing compared to what I felt now. It was extraordinary.

Stefan's other hand moved to wrap around my hips, pulling me closer. I gasped, as he deepened the kiss. My hands moved up to his hair, and I weaved my fingers through his soft hair. He groaned suddenly, and pulled away. Heat and passion covered his features, and I could see, that I had messed up his hair.

We were both panting hard, when I asked, "What's wrong,"

"If we don't stop now," he took a breath, "I'm afraid I might not be able to stop,"

I giggled. Stefan looked so sexy right then and there, that I almost said I wouldn't have minded if he did.

"Well, then," I said, untangling out of his arms, and standing up, "See you tomorrow," Bending down to give him one last kiss, I turned away. I could feel his eyes on me the whole time, before I finally got into my car, and drove back home.

When my parents had died, I thought that I would never be able to love again. Well tonight, proved me wrong...

Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who is reading and reviewing my story. Just to let you all know, I will try to update a new chapter every other day. Please review! And thank you!

-Spiralcloud