UNPLEASANTVILLE

Stefan and I lied on my bed together, talking about the few previous days. I explained to him about my recent car accident, and how it had happened. I told him about going to Georgia, and the bar outside of Atlanta. But, I stopped talking about it once I realized how uncomfortable Stefan was with talking about Damon. "There was..." I began, "...a guy on the road. I think he was a vampire."

"Do you remember anything else about him?" Stefan asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

I shook my head, "I couldn't see his face, it was covered by his hoodie." I shivered as I thought about the fear, and how he was walking towards me. "He would have gotten to me, if not for Damon saving me."

Stefan nodded tensely, as if he didn't want to admit that Damon had done something good. His head snapped up, as if he just remembered something. "I bought some vervain for, um - for you and Jenna." He grabbed a box from the end of my bed. I sat up straight, as he opened up the vintage box. "Here's your necklace." He handed me the familiar beautiful silver locket.

"Thanks." I said.

"May I?" He asked, unclasping the strand of silver.

"Of course, thank you." I said, turning around, so that he could place the necklace back around my neck. I automatically felt safer once it was back on. Turning around to face a smiling Stefan, he continued to search through the box.

Inside the box ranged from loose vervain to old pieces of jewelry. He picked up a black wristband, and said, "I made this vervain bracelet for Jeremy," After handing me the wristband, he picked up another bracelet. This one was black too, but it was thinner, and on the end was a small silver bead. "This can be for Elena." He gave that one to me too. Picking up a piece of vervain, he said, "You can put it in jewelry, or you can even put it in food or drink, but as long as it's in you or on you, a vampire cannot control you." He gently grabbed a vial full of transparent yellow liquid, and placed it in my palm. I was guessing this was vervain too. I observed the inside of the box, to see more pieces of jewelry and vervain. I needed to remember to give the rest to Jenna, Caroline, Bonnie, and others so that they're protected. They couldn't know about vampires though. I had to keep that a secret.

Placing the bracelets back down onto my bed, I leaned into Stefan to hug him. He hugged me back, and I said gratefully, "Thank you, Stefan."

"Your welcome. You're gonna need it, at least until we find out who the vampire is and what he wants." He pulled back, to look me in the eye. "You have to be careful."

I nodded, "I will."

After Stefan left, I took my time carefully rationing the vervain, and putting it into the jewelry. I found a heart shaped necklace. Caroline would love to wear it if I gave it to her. Elena had ordered pizza about twenty minutes ago, so I wasn't surprised when he yelled up at me from downstairs. "Ariana, I need the money! Hurry up!"

I placed the box full of vervain under my bed, and grabbed my purse from my window seat. I walked down the stairs, taking out twenty five dollars. The pizza guy smiled, and I wondered where the pizza was. From the corner of my eye, I saw Elena and Jeremy eating the pizza from a cardboard box. Rolling my eyes, I handed the guy the cash.

"Hi," I greeted, "Sorry about my brother and sister. Keep the change."

He took it, and said, "Thanks. And it's okay. You have yourself a good night." He smiled, and walked out back through the front door. I smiled back, and closed the door. A shiver ran down my spine, yet I wasn't sure what had caused it.

3rd person POV:

Stefan walked into the Salvatore boarding house library, where books were strewn haphazardly across the room. As he entered the library, he saw Damon there, looking through the books on the shelves and throwing them across the floor, as if they weren't hundreds of years old, and easily breakable. Stefan stopped walking, and asked his older brother, "What are you looking for, Damon?"

"Not your concern," Came his stiff reply. His hands continued to throw aside books.

"No, but putting Ariana in harm's way, that is my concern." Stefan stated.

Damon flipped through a book, almost as if he was ignoring Stefan, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Atlanta." Stefan responded, tense.

"Oh yeah," Damon looked up at Stefan from his book, and smirked, enjoying Stefan's uneasiness. "Ariana and I had a blast. We got drunk, and partied all night."

Stefan glared at him, his teeth clenching. Damon's eyes challenged him. Stefan smiled without humor, "I get it. You're just bitter because one of us gets to be with Ariana, while poor Katherine is just out of reach. Unless, there's another way for you to get into that tomb. Is that what Bree said?"

Damon narrowed his eyes at Stefan, "Trying to taunt me because of jealousy. You're pathetic when you're fishing."

"And you're transparent when you're deflecting." Stefan retorted.

Damon smiled humorlessly, and asked, changing the subject, "Don't you have school?" He grabbed another book off the shelf, as Stefan walked out of the room. Damon looked up at Stefan's retreating figure, and smirked, "Say 'hi' to Ariana for me." Stefan's steps faltered a bit, and he pushed down his anger as he drove to school.

Ariana POV:

Caroline and I walked out onto the front courtyard at lunch. She kept glancing and fiddling with the new vervain necklace I had given her, thanks to Stefan. This way, she'll be protected. "It's so pretty!" Caroline repeated, "Thank you. God, it'll go with, like, everything! What's the occasion!" She narrowed her eyes playfully.

I shrugged, "No occasion. It's a gift for my best friend." Caroline couldn't stop beaming as we chose a table to sit on for lunch. She sat across from me and smirked, as she asked, "Lesbian friend necklace? Cause we're freaky like that?" She winked at me sarcastically.

Rolling my eyes, I said truthfully, "Your friendship is very important to me. And look," I held up my own silver necklace, "We're matching, sort of."

Caroline smiled, "Why are you being so mushy?"

"Caroline," I said, looking her straight in the eye, "I want you to know that whatever you and Matt have going on is okay with me. You don't need my permission." I had heard that they had been spending time together, and I was truly happy for them.

"I wanted to talk to you about that," Caroline shrugged, "But there's nothing to say. Matt and I... we're not a couple, I mean, we're friends, but... there seems to be no romance." She gave me a look, "This is weird, isn't it? Talking to you about this. It's really weird."

I shook my head, "It's not weird Caroline. If this is what you and Matt want, then it's not about me. You guys deserve to be happy."

"But it's all about you," Caroline retorted with a huff, "Matt's not over you, and we all know it. It's obvious."

I sighed, "I'm with Stefan now. Matt understands this. You can help him move on." My heart tightened when I spoke. I wanted Matt and Caroline to be happy. They were my friends, and I couldn't bear to see them hurt. I took out my yogurt as a distraction. Caroline kept glancing at me, unconvinced. I sighed mentally. Matt will learn to move on, he had to.

I met up with Bonnie for dinner at the Grill. I decided to tell her about me being adopted. I knew that it was strange for me to tell Bonnie, and not Elena. But, for me to have told someone, the'd have to already know about vampires, and Bonnie was also someone who was close to me. I could trust her.

"I can't believe you and Elena are adopted." She said for the millionth time, "I never saw that coming."

"Me neither," I admitted, "I then looked at my birth certificate, and it lists Miranda and Grayson Gilbert as my birthparents. But, it doesn't make any sense." I wondered how no one had suspected that my mom, whom had never given birth to me or Elena, could have gotten away with being our birth parents. It helped, I guess, that my "dad" was a doctor.

"So, you should ask Jenna," Bonnie suggested.

I mentally groaned. I knew that Jenna was just listening to my parents, but, it did hurt that she didn't tell me the truth. I felt like it made us grow further apart. Also, did I really want to ask questions? It seemed safer just to, I don't know, go along with it. I looked away from Bonnie, and bit my lip.

"Come on." Bonnie gave me a look, "First of all, the Ariana I know would always want the truth, good or bad." I sighed. In this case, I didn't know if I really wanted the truth, "Second of all, you just found out that your boyfriend is a," she dropped her voice, leaned in, and whispered, "vampire. So, unless your birthparents are aliens; How bad could it be?" I laughed. Bonnie could always make me feel better. "Hey, are you planning on telling Elena?"

I sighed. "I don't think I can, Bonnie." I whispered, "She still doesn't know about... everything. If I was to tell her now about her being adopted, she'd want answers. And right now, I wouldn't be able to give them to her." I felt guilty, keeping secrets from my family and friends. Besides Bonnie, of course.

Bonnie nodded understandably, and asked, "Are you planning on telling Elena and Jeremy?"

I shook my head, "Not yet. When the time is right, they'll know. For now... I think it's safer if they're kept in the dark." Bonnie nodded, agreeing with me. I smiled, and decided to make the conversation lighter by changing the subject. "Caroline will kill me for not going to the dance. So I need to do buy some accessories for my outfit. I'm sorry to leave you." This year was the "50's decade dance".

"Oh, it's fine," She said, flicking her wrist. "I'll pay the bill."

I beamed, "Thanks, Bonnie, I'll pay next time." I grabbed my purse and got up. "Bye."

"Bye." Bonnie gave me a little wave as she stood up as well, walking in the opposite direction to pay. I smiled, as I walked out of the bar. Hopefully, this dance could help take my mind off things for now.

Walking out of the Mystic Grill, I took out my car keys, and pressed a button on it, unlocking the car that Jenna was letting me borrow. The night parking lot was deserted expect for the few cars lined up. My phone rang, and I retrieved it from my purse, pressing the "answer" button. I continued to walk towards the car, as I said into my phone, "Hello."

"Hello, Ariana." Came a strange voice from the other end. He was male, but, that's about all I could tell.

"Hey," I said, confused, "Who's this?"

"You hit me with your car." The voice answered. I froze. No, it couldn't be. Was this the... vampire? How did he know me? What did he want? "Is that a new one?" Was he here? Oh, my, god. Against my better judgement, I looked behind me, and saw a guy approaching me, holding his phone up to his ear...and he had a black hoodie on. I gasped in fear as I sprinted to my car, having some trouble opening it because I was shaking. It wasn't from the cold. "You got away from me. You won't next time."

I freaked out, and ripped the car door open. Falling onto the driver's seat, I closed the door, and stuck my key into the ignition. I put the car in reverse, and sped down the parking lot, right past the taunting vampire. My breathing hitched, and my heart thumped loudly against my chest the entire way to the boarding house.

I sat on the couch in the boarding house library, while Stefan paced back and forth behind me, listening intently as I told the story. After a while, I asked, "Is there a reason he's following me? Did I do something? And if he is after me... then why would he call?" I didn't want to know how he found out my phone number either, it gave me shivers.

Stefan walked around the couch so he could face me. He looked uncomfortable, as he said, "You didn't do anything wrong, but...We're predators, Ariana. We hunt. We stalk. It's often as exciting as the kill." I took a deep breath. Was this unknown vampire going to torture me? Why me? One problem after another... Stefan took something off of a nearby table, and handed it to me. "I want you to take this."

He sat down in front of me, as I hesitantly took the round object from his hands. It was cool to the touch, and I recognized it. "This is Jeremy's pocket watch." I was confused. How did he get it?

"I took it from Damon, who took it from Logan, who must have taken it from you," Stefan answered my thoughts. Logan took it? Was he using Jenna? Well, he's dead now...

I opened up the watch, and looked at the insides confused. Instead of the familiar clock and hands that would usually be there, it was replaced by just one spinning arrow. As if it were a compass. But, it kept moving, like it couldn't decided which way was north. "It's a compass." I said, confused.

"Yeah, sort of," Stefan replied. "Logan must have changed it. It's not just a watch, it - it points to vampires."

Before I could question him, he took my hands in his own, and tilted the "compass" at an angle, so that it was kinda flat. The one thick needle whirled around in a jerking way, before it finally clicked. It stopped, pointing at Stefan. I gasped in shock. Wow. It really did point to vampires. Then, I realized how stupid I sounded. There were vampires and witched, why not magic compasses that help to find vampires?

Something else confused me though, "Why did my father have it?" Or my adoptive father, either way.

"Gilberts were one of the founding families, and back in 1864, they were among those who sought to eradicate the vampires." He said. "The compass was used to find us."

So, my family was known for killing vampires. I wasn't sure if that was despicable, or admirable. "Did you know them?" I asked him.

"Yes." He responded, but, it seemed as if he felt guilty for something. "I want you to keep this. That way, you'll know if you're ever in danger."

"Thank you," I smiled. He was looking out for my safety, as always.

"Your welcome," He caressed my cheek, and leaned in. The electricity sparked again as he kissed me. We just sat there in the library, looking into each others eyes. They said things that could never be expressed with words.

The next night was the 50's decade dance. I walked downstairs into my kitchen to see Jenna cleaning up in the living room. She wore a cute orange-and-pink plaid dress, bright red lipstick, neon jewelry, and her hair was up in a high ponytail. "Spoke to the insurance company." She spoke first, not meeting my eyes, "Car's totaled. You can keep using mine for now."

I was grateful that Jenna was letting me borrow her car. I looked at her outfit, and asked, "You coming to the dance?"

Jenna smiled, "Alaric asked me to help chaperone." It was obvious that her and my History teacher had a "thing" for each other. Though it was kinda weird, I was happy for them. Jenna walked around the couch to face me.

Changing the subject suddenly, I asked, "Why didn't you tell me, Jenna?"

I knew she'd know what I was talking about. Truthfully, I still felt frustrated that she had never told me that Elena and I were adopted. She seemed surprised by my sudden change, but she replied, "Your mom was gonna do it eventually. I never thought I'd have to."

That only made me feel more frustrated. I kinda wanted to yell at her, and tell her that my mom was dead. But, I wouldn't. That would only create more problems, not solve them. "Please, Jenna, tell me the truth."

She looked at me for a few minutes, then sighed. She looked down, then glanced back up to me, and began her story, "Your dad was about to leave the office one night when... this girl showed up. She was sixteen, a runaway, and about to give birth. He delivered her babies, they were twins, and he gave her a place to stay. But a few days later, she disappeared. And there you two were. Your parents were trying so hard to have a baby. I - it just wasn't happening. All Miranda ever wanted was to be a mom."

I took in the story in silence. So our mother was sixteen, and that's all I knew. No father, nothing else.

Jenna continued, "They didn't want to lose you two, so they it quiet, told as few people as possible. But, if they ever wanted proof, they had documentation, your birth certificates'."

I got it now. That's what Stefan had told me as well. That's why no one else knew Elena nor I were adopted. "Do you know anything else about the girl?" I asked Jenna, referring to my mother. I wanted to know her, yet, I also didn't. Would I like what I'd find? She gave us away, but I get why she did it. She was sixteen, and being with not one, but two babies she gave birth to, would not make her life easier.

"Just her name." Jenna replied, "Isobel."

That was a nice name. "Jenna?" I asked her, not sure how to say it, "Should - should I tell Elena?"

Jenna gave me a smile, "It's your choice, honey. But...when she finds out, I don't think she'll be as civil as you have been."

That was true. Who knows how Elena would react. She's already been through so much, I didn't need to cover her with another blanket of lies. She didn't need to find out. When the time was right, I'd tell my remaining family everything. From vampires, to witches, to being adopted, and anything else that may be added along the way. They'd find out, soon enough.

I twirled in front of my mirror, and smiled. I really did look like I was from the 50's. I had on a black silk halter top dress that reached my knees, with a heart shaped neck-line, and matching black high-heeled shoes. A thick red belt wrapped tight around my waist, making the bottom of my dress flare out a bit. I tied up my hair in a bun, with curls hanging out from the ends and the ones which framed my face. I added some silver earrings, a ring, my vervain necklace (which I always wear), a charm bracelet, and a red hair clip.

I walked into my bathroom, wanting to add another clip in place, when I heard a noise. I went out into the hallway, but no one was there. "Jenna? Jeremy?" I asked into the deserted hallway. There came no reply. Confused, I turned around, and heard the noise again. This time, it was more distinct. The sound of clicking. My eyes moved to the vampire compass on my bed, as I walked slowly over to it. Yep, it was spinning. Shoot. I picked it up quickly, and stared at the moving arrow. Please tell me there wasn't a vampire here. I grabbed my phone from my desk, and dialed Stefan's number.

Clipping the red clip into my hair, I carefully, yet quickly, strode down the stairs, my eyes darting anxiously from side to side as I entered the ground level hallway. The compass kept spinning, as if deciding my fate.

Someone answered, but it wasn't Stefan, "Stefan's phone. How may I help you?" At least it was Damon.

"Where is he?" I asked nervously, "Is he okay?"

"I don't know, Ariana." I could almost hear his smirk, "He's on his way to you. Forgot his phone."

I halted, and sighed in relief. I was worrying too much. Everything's okay, Stefan's okay. "Thank God. This compass was spinning. I guess Stefan's here. Thank you, Damon."

"Your welcome, Ariana." He said. I smiled, and hung up. Then, something from behind me thudded onto the ground. I whirled around and gasped in fear as I saw fangs extend from a vampire's mouth. I recognized him, it was the pizza delivery guy. I screamed, preparing myself for the sharp pain I knew I would feel.

"Ariana!" A terrified yell came from the kitchen, as something blurred in front of me. Stefan. He threw the vampire across the room and over the couch. I fell down from the impact, dropping the compass and my phone. Before Stefan could attack again, the vampire sped out of my house. Stefan immediately dashed over to me, and helped me up. My breathing was heavy as Stefan embraced me, trying to comfort me. I was shaking from fear and shock. I held onto him as if he was my life force, and in a way, he was. "Are you okay?" Stefan asked, frightened for me, "Are you okay?" I could barely nod.

I looked straight ahead as I sat on the living room couch. Stefan sat beside me, his hands wrapped around me, trying to sooth me. After retrieving my phone and the compass, he called Damon. Damon arrived only a few minutes later, and now, he paced around the living room. "How the hell did he get in?" He asked Stefan, though he looked at both of us.

"He was invited in." I said, knowing I'd have to explain the story again to the other Salvatore brother. The vampire's invitation was not only a threat to me, but Jenna, Elena, and Jeremy as well.

"He posed as a pizza delivery guy last night." Stefan responded, before I could.

"Well, he gets points for that." Damon said, "Did he say what he wanted?"

I shook my head, "No,"

Stefan glared at Damon accusingly, "And you have no idea who this is?"

"No." Damon answered, while Stefan kept glaring at him, unconvinced, "Don't look at me like that. I told you we had company."

"Are there other vampires?" I asked. If there were, they could be a harm to the entire town. How was I supposed to keep everyone safe? There was an answer: I couldn't. What was I gonna do?

"We don't know." Damon replied. Damon finally stopped pacing, and sat on the arm of the couch, closest to me.

"Damon, he was invited in." Stefan said to Damon, who nodded understandingly. I felt like I was being left out of an inside joke. Whatever they were agreeing to, I had no idea what is was.

"Then we go get him tonight." Damon said, and I finally got what they were saying. Were they going to kill the anonymous vampire? I hoped not. I wasn't heartless. Damon turned to me, and said, "You up for it."

It was either the vampire, or my friends and family whom I loved and cared for. "Sure. What do I have to do?"

"Let your boyfriend take you to the dance. We'll see who shows up."

"That's a bad idea." Stefan spoke up.

"Till we get him, this house isn't safe." Damon looked at me again. "For anyone who lives in it." He shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

"I'll do it." I agreed. I needed to protect my family. Hopefully, Stefan and Damon would be safe, I believed in them. Stefan still looked anxious and unwilling to compromise. "I'll be okay." I rubbed his arm, wanting him to be comfortable with this. Or, at least, semi-comfortable.

"We'll protect you." Damon said to me, and then looked to Stefan. They shared a look, before Stefan finally succumbed, and nodded.

At the dance, I stood by the punch bowl table, nervously fiddling with my earring as I looked out for any unrecognizable faces. So far: no progress. But the dance was awesome. Caroline did an amazing job. Lights shone from the ceiling and walls, casting colorful shadows against the dancing students, whom were dressed in the 50's wear. Caroline and Bonnie approached me, and I gave them a warm smile, as I asked, "Having fun?"

"No, but this took about two hours," Caroline replied, pointing to her yellow cardigan, with flowers sewn into it, "So I'm at least staying half of it."

I laughed, and rolled my eyes. She laughed with me. How could she not like the dance, she helped decorate it. Bonnie looked behind me, distracted. "What's Damon doing here?" She asked, not so nicely.

Caroline looked straight ahead, and I turned around, seeing Damon and Stefan standing side by side, their eyes searching for someone. I knew who that someone was, the vampire. I turned back around, and replied, "He wanted to come. Don't worry, he'll behave, he promised."

"So, what is this, like a threesome now?" Caroline raised her eyebrows, "You and the Salvatore brothers?"

I gave Caroline a look, "No, I'm with Stefan, and Damon just happens to be his brother. I'm not gonna hate him or kill him."

Bonnie didn't take her eyes off Damon, as she hummed, "There's a thought."

"Mmm." Caroline agreed, narrowing her eyes at Damon, "I'll help." They clinked their plastic cups full of punch, as I looked down at the ground, smiling. They weren't serious, obviously, but that's what made their comments funny.

Stefan and I approached Damon who was watching Bonnie and Caroline walk away from him. I looked to Damon, he must have said something to them that made my friends uncomfortable. Damon turned around, as Stefan asked him, "What did you say to them?"

"I was perfectly polite." Damon defended. His eyes turned to me, and he smirked as he asked, "Ariana... Would you like to dance?"

He was asking me to dance? Um... I did want to dance, but I had come with Stefan. Shrugging, I opened my mouth to say "yes" when Stefan took my hand. "Actually, she can't, because she's dancing with me." Stefan said, leading me away from Damon. My mouth popped open, and I stared at Damon blankly as Stefan and I got to the middle of the dance floor. Damon glared at Stefan sourly, but he ignored the look. Stefan twirled me around, breaking my gaze from Damon. He pulled me towards him and smiled as we swayed to the music.

"Wow," I remarked to Stefan teasingly, "Way to ditch your brother."

He just shrugged and said, "He'll get over it. Anyways, we have more important things on our minds right now."

My hands rested on his broad shoulders, while his secured my hips close to him. Stefan's eyes kept darting around the room as we danced. He was searching for the vampire. I did the same, looking past his shoulder to the back walls and entrance ways. Nothing. No sign of anybody who wasn't a student, chaperone, or teacher.

"So," I said, trying to lighten the mood, and smirked, "I wonder how you looked back in the 50's. I bet you looked great."

Stefan moved his gaze from behind me, so he could look into my eyes. He smiled, and said, "Considering I don't age, I probably looked the same."

I playfully smacked his arm as he grinned wider, "That's not what I meant." I giggled, and changed the subject. I already knew Stefan must have looked awesome, no matter what he wore. "What was it like back then?"

He shrugged, "McCarthyism. Segregation. Nuclear arms race."

"You make it sound like the entire decade was horrible or something." I said it with a smile. "There were poodle skirts, right?"

"Yes. There were poodle skirts." He leaned his forehead closer to mine, and said softly, "I didn't get a chance to say it before, but... you look beautiful."

I smiled, and looked down, a bit embarrassed. I complimented, "You look amazing, too." I rested my head on his shoulder, as he continued to search the room. This night would have been perfect, if not for the real reason of why we were here.

3rd person POV:

Damon watched his little brother and Ariana from off the dance floor. She looked spectacular in her black fifties dress, but, then again, she always looked like a goddess. He was protecting her, making sure to look out for anybody who looked suspicious. He tried to not let jealousy seep into him, but that was hard to do. Instead, he focused on the important matter, which was, finding and killing this vampire who was stalking Ariana.

Ariana POV:

Still swaying on the dance floor, Stefan and I were still looking out for the vampire. "Maybe he's not gonna show." I mused hopefully. Though, when have any of my hopeful thoughts turned into reality. Mmm... yeah, never.

"You mean we all did this dancing for nothing?" Stefan asked, humoring me. I enjoyed dancing with him today, and I knew he felt the same towards me. It was fun, and exciting. Bring on the next dance! Just spending time with Stefan, any time at all, was amazing.

"Ahh." I replied sarcastically, "The horror." I giggled against his chest.

He smiled at me, but then his tone changed, "I'm really sorry for all this."

He was referring to the vampire stuff. But, I didn't care about all this. I didn't care if I got hurt in this process. I loved Stefan, and I wanted to be with him. I just hoped that my friends weren't threatened by the same things that I was threatened with. I smile at Stefan, and said, "Don't be. I chose to be here, and I don't regret my decision. I want to be with you. So, don't apologize for anything."

Stefan still looked guilty. The song changed into a faster one. The beat accelerated, and I flashed Stefan a bright smile as I grabbed his hands, and started to twist my hips to the music. Stefan continued to remain still though, as he looked at me in amusement.

"Show me how it's done in the fifties." I told Stefan, wanting to take his mind off of the whole "vampire danger thing". Stefan shook his head, as I continued to nod persistently. He still shook his head. "Fine," I said, "Then I'll go find Damon. Perhaps he'll show me some of his moves." I wasn't actually going to ask Damon, but, I knew Stefan would dance with me after that comment. I turned around, as if I was actually going to walk off the dance floor, when I felt him grab my hands.

He twirled me back to him, and I smiled as he picked me up, and dipped me. The sensation of the wind against me made me feel alive. He then threw me into the air again, and dipped me on the other side. Holding me there for a moment, I was thoroughly surprised. He had moves. He pulled me back onto my feet, grabbed my face, and kissed me with intense passion.

See, he was having fun now. His eyes sparkled as he pulled me back a bit, and his smile was huge. "Now you remember that, because it's never gonna happen again." He said to me.

I giggled as he kissed me again. I was happy that he was having fun with me. I could almost forget about the problems in my life. Almost...

Stefan and I stood against a table, taking a break from all the dancing. I shook my head and tried to contain my laughter as I saw Damon dance with a girl, while groping her bottom. They glided across the dance floor, Damon acting all dramatic.

"He's having fun." I said to Stefan, still giggling.

"Yeah..." Stefan said, then smirked, "And you wanted to dance with him."

"Hey," I defended, "I wanted you to have fun. Aren't you having fun?"

He smiled, and placed his hand over mine, which was resting on the wooden table. He looked into my eyes, and said, "Of course I am."

I smiled, and left his eyes only for a second, but it was enough. My eyes were not deceiving me, there was a guy in a black hoodie. He stood in the back corner, and I recognized him as the vampire who had tried to attack me. Seriously? I couldn't be left alone for one day? Gosh..."Stefan, back corner," I said fearfully, my eyes glued to the ground.

Stefan turned around, but, the vampire no longer stood where he was a few seconds ago. He was nowhere in sight. Stefan ordered sternly, no longer smiling, "Get Damon."

I nodded, as Stefan left me, walking out of the huge room full of laughing students. But, they didn't know the dangers that lurked in every shadow. Please, don't hurt the students, I wanted to plea to the vampire.

I wandered around the dance floor, my eyes looking around, trying to search for a certain vampire. Where was Damon? He was right in front of me a second ago, dancing with the student. I sighed. My phone rang suddenly, and I almost didn't hear it above the speakers blasting music. I took it out of the garter strap I was wearing on my upper thigh, where people couldn't see above the hem of my dress, and pressed the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Ariana." Came the voice I heard outside the Grill the other day. It still sent shivers down my spine, making the warm and lively room feel cold and dead. It stopped me completely, as I felt my face drain of color. "Here's what you're going to do." I looked around the room frantically, searching for the source of this voice. "There's an exit door behind you. You have five seconds, or, your brother and sister die."

No. Jeremy. Elena. Where did I last see them? Oh! By the punch bowl. My brother was serving punch to others while Elena was handing out snacks. The reason being was for extra credit, or something. Jeremy didn't dress up, but Elena, on the other hand wore a blue shirt, black jeggings, white sneakers, and her hair was held up by a headband. They wore smiles on their faces, oblivious to the dangers that hung around them. I spotted the vampire a few feet behind them, his phone to his ear.

He smirked devilishly at me, and said, "You know, you look a lot like your sister. But, you're obviously hotter, and more fun to play with."

Ignoring that last comment, my eyes wide, I begged, "Please, don't hurt them."

"Then keep walking," He said, his eyes glancing over to the exit door. Reluctantly, I started moving my foot in front of the other, "Through the door."

I walked backwards until I was right below the exit sign, and became more anxious as the vampire walked towards me, his movements swift and lethal. He passed my siblings, without so much as looking at them, and I gave a silent sigh of relief. His eyes were trained on me, getting closer with each step. I've never been a particularly a violent person, but I wasn't going down without a fight. If he thought that he could just waltz right up and into my life to kill me, well, he was dead wrong.

Hanging up my phone, and strapping it back into my garter, I ran into the hallway, trying to erase the way he looked at me; as if I was some sort of new toy. The music left my ears, as my hard breathing replaced the sound, sprinting farther away. I ran into a different corridor, and turned my head to see the vampire there, walking but somehow keeping in pace with me. What? Fear coursed through my veins. I tried opening the huge doors, but they wouldn't budge. Running up to a set of double doors, when I pushed, it gave way.

I ran into the cafeteria, and tried opening the doors on the other side. No such luck. Before I could move again, I felt someone grab me. I screamed as the vampire threw me across the room, like a rag doll. I slammed right into the wall, landing on my hands and knees. Well, now my dress and shoes were ruined. I almost laughed at how petty that sounded. Dizzily getting up, the vampire was there again, right in front of me. I tried stumbling away pathetically, but he only grabbed me by the waist, and pulled me back. He vamp sped us until my back was pressed up against the cold cafeteria table. He hovered above me, a dark glint in his eyes. Okay, this position was way to intimate for my liking.

His weight crushed me, making me immobile, as his hands pinned mine above my head on the table. He leaned in, and I shivered as his cold tongue traced my lips. I wished it was disgusting, but there was something about vampires that drew me towards them, even ones trying to end my life. But, I wasn't totally hypnotized. I struggled uselessly against him as his breath tickled me next to my ear. He whispered, "I hope I don't kill you," I screamed again as I saw his face transform, and his fangs extend.

Before he could bite me, Stefan appeared. He ripped the unknown vampire away from me, and he tumbled to the floor. Stefan stood in front of me, his eyes glinting in anger as his arms rose at his sides, protecting me. He faced the vampire with a growl. How much of the scene did he see? I promptly got back up on my, but I didn't dare move any closer to the vampire.

Damon suddenly stood behind the vampire, his face contorted in anger too. "Hey, dickhead," he announced to the vampire, as he blurred in front of him, and stabbed him in the abdomen with a stake. I cringed at the sight of blood. The vampire slid to the floor in pain, now on his knees. Damon joined Stefan next to me, as they took a protective stance in front of me. I stood a few feet behind them, watching the scene play out with horror.

Stefan walked up to the kneeling vampire, and dug the stake deeper, causing him to groan in pain. I turned my head away, not wanting to watch. But also, I didn't want to look away. I couldn't afford to stop concentrating. "Why are you doing this?" Stefan asked, menacingly. Even his voice scared me.

The vampire winked at me, and answered, "Because it's fun."

I bit my lip as Stefan twisted the stake a bit more. "What do you want with Ariana?"

The vampire paused, then said, "She looks like Katherine."

Stefan, Damon, and I all looked at each other in shock. How did he know Katherine? Why did I have to look like her? Well, okay, the second question was what was going on in my head at the time.

"You knew Katherine?" Damon asked him.

"Oh. You thought you were the only ones." The vampire laughed darkly, and then gasped. "You don't even remember me."

Wow. How many people were in love with Katherine? Geez. Damon leaned towards the vampire, demanding, "Tell me how to get into the tomb. Hmm?" The tomb? What? What tomb?

"No," The vampire said. Stefan twisted the stake deeper, and I tried to get my mind off of the blood that was already pooling beneath him. "The grimoire." He choked out.

"Where is it?" Damon asked sternly.

Stefan drove the stake deeper, and I cringed again. Pain was still pain. Whether or not you were a good person, or a bad person, or even a vampire. The vampire gasped, "Check the journal. The journal. Jonathan's journal. Jonathan Gilbert's."

Wait... my ancestor? Jonathan Gilbert? He knew about vampires, but, how would he know about a grimoire?

"Who else is working with you?" Stefan asked him. Could there be another vampire as well. Great.

"Who else is there?" Damon questioned.

"No," Noah shook his head, "You're gonna have to kill me."

Damon looked at Stefan. Stefan removed the stake from the vampire's stomach. Before I could object, Stefan staked him in the heart. I gasped in shock as the vampire sunk to the floor completely, gray and withered: Dead.

"What - No!" I cried. Tears which were in my eyes before resurfaced. There's already been way too much death. I moved over to go kneel beside the corpse, but someone pulled me back. I looked up, and met Damon's ice blue eyes, as he kept me in a firm hold, not allowing any less space between me and the dead vampire on the ground. "Did you have to kill him?" I asked Stefan, who stood a few feet away, but started to walk closer to us.

"He had to die." Damon said, right beside my ear.

"But..."

"Ariana," Stefan willed me to understand, "He's been invited in."

Then I remembered Jenna, Elena, and Jeremy. I couldn't put them in danger. Never. I sighed, and closed my eyes. Always trying to protect me. At least this time, doing this for me didn't have to be selfish. I was also protecting my family. I nodded to Damon, who still had his arms wrapped around me, and said, "I'm fine."

He looked at me for a few seconds, then finally let go.

"Go. I got this." Stefan said to Damon. Damon walked out of the cafeteria, as Stefan came over to me. He pulled me into a comforting hug, as he soothed me. I clung to him, and buried my head into his chest, wanting to forget about the dead body lying two feet away from me.

Back at my house, I pulled my hair out of its messy bun, trying to run my hand through the tangles. The vampire tonight had severely messed it up. Stefan came back, and sat down next to me on the couch, placing a mug filled with tea, which I gratefully took. "Thank you," I said to him, and smiled.

"You're welcome." He replied. Tonight, when I asked Stefan about the tomb, he explained it all to me. About how Katherine and the twenty-six other vampires were stuck in it underneath the church. She was still alive. Well, at least, we think she is. That's why Damon had come back to Mystic Falls, it was to get her back. But now, that Emily had destroyed the crystal, Damon was looking for the grimoire that would supposedly help him open the tomb. And the only way to have gotten the grimoire, was to have found out where it was from my ancestor's journal. Which, I thought, Jeremy had. But, I wasn't really sure.

If Damon wanted Katherine back, then sure, he could open the tomb again. The only problem, was that I didn't want any of the other vampires resurfacing. I knew it was unfair, but I had to think about Mystic Falls. Did it really need like thirty vampires running around? Probably not. Gosh, this was a lot to take in.

"You okay?" Stefan asked me, placing his hand on my leg.

"I'm fine. Just feel a bit exhilarated from earlier, that's all." I answered.

He smiled, but then his gaze turned serious. I took a small sip from my tea mug, as he said, "I need to tell you something, and I don't know how you're gonna feel about it."

Oh no. More dead-but-now-alive girlfriends? I wasn't sure I could handle any more. I looked at Stefan concerned and said, "Tell me."

"I told Damon that I'd help him get into that tomb to get Katherine back." He said. So, they were trying to set her free. But, his next words stopped my train of thoughts, "But it was a lie. I let him believe that he could trust me."

"Why?" I asked. If Damon wanted Katherine back, he could have her. So long as they didn't hurt anyone, I was cool with it. And, I admit, a bit frightened.

"Trust me." Stefan said, "Getting Katherine out of the tomb is not a good thing. Not for anyone. She's manipulative, and she could hurt many people. Which is why, you can't tell Damon this, or else bad things will happen."

I nodded, understandingly. I guess that made sense. If Katherine was gonna hurt people, then I'd rather have her locked up. It was cruel, but harming others was just as evil. "Okay. I understand. I won't tell him." I said.

Stefan added, "I know you two have bonded lately, and I don't want to be his enemy, Ariana, but I can't let him do it. He can't open that tomb."

I nodded again. "I know. I can't allow people to get hurt either. I haven't forgotten the things Damon has done. So I'll help you, Okay?"

Stefan hugged me, and said, "You don't need to help. You don't have to get involved in all this."

I wrapped my arms around him too, an rested my head on his shoulder, as he ran his fingers through the knots in my current hair. "But I do want to help. To keep people safe. I promise I'll be careful." I said. We stayed in that position for a long time.