THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD

"Damon hasn't said a word to me." Stefan said, once we reached our lockers at school. He had explained to me about Isobel, and how Damon thought that Katherine was the one to send her, since she was my ancestor. Damon; the one who turned Isobel. I was thoroughly freaked out after calling Isobel, and now that jittery feeling just wouldn't go away, always keeping me on guard.

But Damon... I sighed. He still thought that Katherine was waiting for him, somewhere. If Katherine had really loved Damon, she wouldn't have waited a century and a half to come back to see him. It was sick and sadistic to fake your own death, go into hiding, and then come out 145 years later to try to reunite with a former flame. It gave me the creeps.

If it was true, and Katherine really did send Isobel... then I wasn't sure whether that's good or bad. I couldn't imagine something like that. Which is why it was more likely that Isobel came on her own. Whatever she had planned, we'd better be ready for her.

Stefan continued, concerned, "Every time I try to talk to him, he shuts me down. I mean, he waited a hundred and forty five years only to find out that Katherine could not care less. It's gotta hurt, right?"

I nodded, and said, "What's worse is that he's still hoping that she'll show up, even after everything she's put him through."

Stefan looked at me, and wondered, "You should still be upset with him, yet... you don't seem to be."

I sighed, "I'm not sure how to feel," I admitted, "He turned Isobel, but... that shouldn't surprise me. He's probably killed hundreds of people, turned many others. And... it's hard to stay mad at someone... if you feel sorry for them."

Stefan nodded, understandingly. He changed the subject, "Have you thought any more about what you're going to do?"

I shrugged, "I've thought a lot about it, but I have no idea what step I should take. All of these relations to me and vampires are confusing."

Stefan raised his arm, and brushed my shoulder, trying to comfort me while his eyes were soft. "I'm sorry," he said, sincerely.

I didn't really know what to say to that. I could've said: "No, it's fine, I'm fine, don't feel sorry," But... I would've been lying. Instead I took a deep breath, and gave my most convincing smile. I said, "Why don't we just get through today without having to deal with any of it. No vampires."

"No vampires at all?" He questioned with a smirk.

I giggled, "No vampires but you. Let's just focus on school and homework and having fun."

"Ohh," Stefan teased, "You said the 'f-u-n' word. Is that allowed?"

I playfully smacked him, "It better be in my vocabulary, or else the entire world is doomed. So what do you say?"

"To having fun?" He smiled, "Sounds good to me, when do we start?"

We both laughed.

Being with Stefan really was easy. We were in a deep relationship. He made me feel like there was more to the world then just getting through high school smiling. It was as if we have barely scratched the surface, yet I was already drowning. And I loved the feeling. Too bad there was always something supernatural ruining our time together...

Caroline came up to us a minute later, smiling and acting all giddy. What did she have planned this time...?

She wanted her, Stefan, Matt, and I, to meet her at the Grill and "hang out".

"I'm thinking nothing huge, just a dinner at the Grill, maybe a late movie." She suggested, her eyes lit up.

"You mean like a double date?" Stefan asked from right behind me, his fingers rested on my hip.

"Two pair out on a Friday night coupled." Caroline barely had to think about it, answering, "Yeah, a double date."

"Is there a special occasion to this get together?" I asked her. I didn't want to think about how awkward it would be between the four of us. Caroline and I were best friends; Stefan and I were a couple; Caroline and Matt were a couple; Matt and I were exes; and Stefan and Matt were... well, I'm not sure what they were exactly. All I knew was that they weren't the best of friends.

"No occasion necessary," Caroline replied, "And why not? We all haven't gone out together before and I don't want it to be uncomfortable for us. Look the couple dynamics have changed and there's been a little awkwardness between you, Matt, and.. . me and I just think it's important that we get over it." Her voice wavered a few times, and I felt sort of uncomfortable under her gaze. She was worried about something, but of course too embarrassed to talk about it. It was probably about her, Matt, and I. I guess she was still jealous that her current boyfriend used to be my boyfriend. She shouldn't be worrying, because Matt and I were completely over, and I knew that he cared for her.

"I think that sounds like a great idea." Stefan commented from behind me. I turned my head to the side slightly, to see his smile. I gave him a questioning look. "It's a nice evening out with friends. Sounds fun, as in the 'f-u-n' word."

I laughed and tilted my head back to Caroline. Alright then. Fun. And if it will make Caroline happy, then so be it. We all knew how she'd react if she didn't get her way. "Alright then. A double date it is." I told her.

"Okay, great." If possible, Caroline's smile broadened, showing all of her teeth. "So, we will see you tonight."

"We'll be there." I said.

Caroline kinda awkwardly walked away, and I turned to face Stefan. His face was calm but smiling. Stefan plus a double date? Wow. Didn't see that coming. I guess it doesn't matter, as long as I got to have fun with Stefan and my friends. He took my hand, and led me to class.

Once I got back home, I started getting ready for our "double date". Since it was more of a casual outing, I decided not to pick out such fancy dress. But, before I could dwell about it for any longer, I heard someone knock on the front door.

Opening it, I gasped. Stefan stood there, in a nice black jacket, looking as handsome as ever. But, what my eyes were really glued to, was the bouquet of flowers he held. They ranged from pink, to yellow, to white, with light and dark green leaves. "They're beautiful," I said, awestruck.

"They're for you, of course," Stefan smiled, handing me the bouquet.

I took the flowers gingerly, smiling like an idiot. He got me flowers! "Thank you, so much."

"Your welcome," he said, and I made room for him so that he could come into the house. I walked into the kitchen, and opened the cupboards, pulling out one vase out of the collection we had. "I figured it's a date, why not do it right?" He smiled, "If I knew you'd act so happy upon getting flowers, I'd get you them more often."

I smirked, and turned the sink faucet on, watching as the vase filled up halfway with water. After placing the stems of the flowers in the water and putting the vase on the dining room table, I said to Stefan, "Getting flowers for someone is a nice gesture for a special occasion. If you were to get them too frequently, then it would lose its meaning."

He smiled and stepped closer, wrapping his arms around my waist as I did the same around his neck. "You sound so wise, yet you're only seventeen." He commented.

"So do you," I smirked, "Then again, you are one hundred and sixty-two years old." He laughed. I asked him, "What made you so eager for this double date?"

"What do you mean?" He questioned, still smiling, "I love you, and when I decided to stay here and to get to know you, it's so that I could so things like this." He gestured to the vase of flowers on the dining table, "Bring my girlfriend flowers, take her out on a date, and try to have fun. We have to remember not to be so serious all the time, and live a little."

I smiled at him. He just washed all the extra uncertainty that I had with this date. He was right. We needed to live and have fun. To be as normal as we could, even if there were vampires and witches. "Have you ever been on a double date before?" I asked Stefan.

"Oh, absolutely," He said, immediately, "'72, Hef and the twins."

"What?" I started laughing.

"Yeah... playmates. I got Miss June." He said.

Oh, my God. Stefan had a date with one of the girls at the playboy mansion. I didn't know much about them, but I knew enough. I started giggling.

"Well, I'm gonna go get ready, I won't take long," I told Stefan.

His eyes furrowed, and then he smiled, "Oh, I thought you were already ready. You look amazing, as always."

I looked down to my black boots, dark blue jeans, and purple top. "Thank you," I said to Stefan. My outfit wasn't exactly "fancy", but I guess it was acceptable.

We left my house, my arm through Stefan's as we walked to my car parked on the curb.

Stefan and I met Caroline and Matt at the Grill. After exchanging "hellos", hugs or handshakes, we sat down at a booth, talking about school and other activities. Stefan and I on one side, Caroline and Matt on the other.

"How do you like working here, Matt?" I asked him. When Kelly had left Matt and Vicki, the teenagers were on their own. Matt got a job as a bartender. Even though he was under the drinking age, they still allowed him to clean and take orders. But now, Kelly was back, and I knew that it was hard for Matt to decide how he'd deal with his mother.

"It's not that bad." Matt answered, smiling. "Wait staff is pretty good and they can't keep a bartender to save their lives. I actually put my mom up for a job."

"That's good," I said, surprised. "How's it been? With your mom back?"

"You know, same old Kelly," Matt shrugged, "She's trying, sort of."

"Kelly and my mom were best friends growing up." I turned to Stefan next to me, telling him the story. "That's how Matt and I first met, we shared a crib together."

"Literally," Matt added.

"You're kidding?" Stefan questioned with a smile, impressed.

"No, we have known each other our whole lives." Matt said, as he smiled at me, and I reflected that smile. Matt and I probably would've gotten married, if it weren't for Stefan arriving, and changing the way I looked at the world. Now Stefan and I were together, Matt and Caroline were together, and Matt and I were good friends. Speaking of Caroline... I heard her give off a sigh. I was about to question her on what was wrong, when the four of us heard loud bursts of laughter coming from the bar.

We turned our heads, and our jaws dropped as we caught sight of the three people drinking shots while sitting on the bar stools. It was Jenna, Kelly, and Damon; drunk. Wow... it's definitely a strange picture. Matt's mom, my Aunt, and Stefan's brother, hanging together, laughing their heads off.

Damon saw us looking at them, and raised his glass to Stefan and I, before downing the shot of tequila.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Matt said with a sigh, his gaze fixated on his mother, who was currently having a conversation with Jenna, clearly the most intoxicated out of the three. Kelly knew how to have fun, but sometimes she wasn't the best role model for her children. Good thing Matt was kind, independent, and a good person. He could take care of himself. Vicki... on the other hand...

After eating, the four of us moved over to a pool table. Stefan and I made a team, while we were up against Caroline and Matt. We were winning by one, but about half-way into the game, Jenna, Kelly, and Damon were still laughing uncontrollably, probably twice as drunk as they were before.

"At least they're having fun." Caroline said, narrowing her eyes at the threesome.

"They're drunk." I stated with a smile. It was actually nice to see other people have fun, even if it was annoying me to death. But, Caroline didn't seem to be having fun, which was strange, since this was her kinda thing.

"Remember when Ariana's parents busted us here after the homecoming?" Matt asked Caroline with a smile. I turned back to them, as Caroline responded:

"Oh my God, yes!"

I was confused for a second, before I finally remembered. Things before the accident were a little confusing for me to remember. But I do recall the homecoming, it was the time when Matt got me to drink alcohol. Wow, I actually got drunk before. The memory was so fuzzy, almost as if it had happened in another life. No wonder I didn't remember getting drunk, but the more I thought about it, the more I could remember that night. Kinda like cleaning dirt off of a window; the harder you try, the more you see.

I started to smile, "Gosh, I almost forgot! It was the first time I ever got drunk; we were totally wasted." I looked at Matt.

He explained, "Her parents got seated at the next booth."

"And Matt had me pretend that I was choking so we could get away." I remembered more clearly now. Flashing lights, beautiful dresses, tons of laughter.

Matt smirked, "Except that her dad was a doctor so he jumped up to save her."

I laughed, "Then, I tried running, slipped on the wet floor and bit it in front of everyone."

"God," Matt said, "I was so worried about you. I was a wreck for days."

"I remember," I said, "You kept apologizing to me, even weeks after it happened. I kept trying to tell you that I was o-kay." I laughed, "And then, I had to get three stitches, a hangover for days while Elena kept yelling at me, and I was grounded from seeing this one for a week." I gave Matt and pointed look as we both laughed.

"I'm gonna go to the restroom." Caroline suddenly announced. She was the only one out of us who wasn't having fun and smiling. Was she okay? Did she feel sick? As she passed by me, I felt her tap my shoulder, "Ariana?"

She kept walking to the Bathroom's, and so after giving Matt and Stefan a quiet, "Excuse me," I walked over to where I thought Caroline had disappeared to.

I opened the door to the women's bathroom, and temporarily forgot what I was doing there. Then, I spotted Caroline, sitting in the corner of the room, looking hurt and upset.

"So um, what are you doing?" She asked me, annoyed.

"What do you mean?" I questioned, confused, "Are you okay?"

"As if you care," She spat at me. "The whole point of this was to show him how much you care about Stefan." She stood up, towering over me by a few inches. It didn't take a genius to figure out that when she said him, she was referring to Matt. "You now, not hopscotch down memory lane."

"Caroline, I'm sorry," I told her, "But, we're all friends. Relationships don't all have to be between couples. We were making conversation."

"Well you know what?" She stepped towards me, "Try less."

She left the bathroom then, and I immediately felt bad. Sighing, I followed her back out into the orange and yellow lights of the Grill. "Caroline." I called.

Before I could catch up with her, an arm shot out and caught my arm, keeping me from walking back over to my friends. My heart sped up as I looked up into the eyes of a stranger. I've never met him before. Nor did I ever meet the girl who stood behind him. The two gave me the creeps. He still didn't let go of my arm, and fear clouded my senses when the guy said, "Katherine?"

"I'm sorry," I said quickly, "I think you have the wrong person."

"Ariana, come on!" Caroline ushered from in front of me, eyeing the people next to me with concern.

"My mistake," The guy said, as he finally let me go. They were either vampires or compelled humans, how else would they recognize Katherine?

I hurried back over to Stefan, putting on a fake smile as if nothing had happened. "How's everything going?" I tried asking, casually.

"Matt's cheating." Stefan stated, as he put an arm around me.

"No need," Matt gave me a haughty smirk, "I'm awesome."

I would've laughed, but I couldn't stop worrying over what just happened. Taking out my phone, I got ready to show Stefan a text message of what was really concerning me. I didn't want to risk exposure.

"Everything okay?" He asked me, catching on. He could read through my fake smile and lies easily.

"Everything's great." I tried saying without wavering. I typed into my phone: That man over there just called me Katherine. I showed him the screen of my phone

Stefan's alarmed eyes met mine, before he whipped his head behind me. His arm tightened around me, and I turned to look over my shoulder as well. They were gone. The two people - including the creepy guy - who stood there a second ago, had completely disappeared. I took a shaky breath.

I drove Stefan to the boarding house, and parked my car on the gravel. The four of us had agreed to meet back at the Salvatore boarding house, though Stefan was still wary because of what I told him.

"So you didn't recognize him, you haven't seen him before?" Stefan asked me, once I turned off the car.

I shook my head, "No, I had no idea who he was."

"Right, let's call it a night, okay?" Stefan said, "Send Matt and Caroline home?"

My eyes widened, "Stefan, the whole point of tonight was to have fun, and not have to deal with all of this. How 'bout we just get through tonight, and worry about it tomorrow?"

"You're sure?" He asked me, "If something were to happen to you-"

"I'll be fine," I said, cutting him off by placing my hands on either side of his face. "Let's have fun with our friends, and deal with all this vampire stuff later."

He looked at me for a few seconds, before succumbing, "Okay,"

I smiled. Lights flashed at the corner of my vision, and I saw Matt's car pull up into the driveway. My hands slid from Stefan's face, but he held them there with his own hands.

"It's them," Stefan said, smiling, "Come back here."

I let myself giggle as he kissed me. It was sweet yet filled with electricity. We'll get through today, we have to. Just one day, of just us... and Matt and Caroline, of course.

We entered the familiar boarding house living room, and I smiled when I saw Matt and Caroline's expressions turn awestruck.

"This is much better than watching Damon visit cougar town." Caroline commented, as she took in the Victorian styled room. The whole house was beautiful, and even now I appreciated the architectural details and charm. Caroline turned to Matt, "No offense."

"Don't remind me." Matt said, then he turned to Stefan, "Man, I've always wanted to see what it looks like in this place." He was still looking around the room.

"Yeah, I guess it's a bit much." Stefan said. I loved the boarding house. I spent as much time in here as possible. I'd live here forever if I could, but Jenna probably wouldn't approve.

"Yeah, my entire house could fit in here," Matt said, gesturing to the living room, "Like twice."

I giggled at that. Caroline said, "I feel like I've been here before. It's weird."

Stefan and I shared a look. Caroline had been here, when Damon was compelling her. Or maybe it was hypnotizing, I couldn't be sure, it gets confusing. But now, Damon was somewhat better, less Katherine-crazed then he used to be, and Caroline had no memory of those horrible times. She was her usual happy-golucky-self, well... until this double date, that is. Now she was kinda mad at me.

"Whoa; these are great!" Matt suddenly said, startling me. He quickly walked over to a glass cabinet, where miniature cars were lined up.

"This is uh... a little hobby of mine." Stefan explained to Matt, as he stood behind him while Matt continued to eye the small cars with interest and curiosity. I smiled at them. Stefan had lots of time on his hands since he never aged, so collecting cars was one of the ways he could pass the time.

Also, I knew from experience that Matt loved cars. When we were kids, he'd always have toy cars around him whenever we were together. When we were a bit older, he would admire other cars, and talk about his favorite brands and originals. Surprisingly, I liked listening to him ramble off about his interests, because it made him happy, and I loved seeing him smile.

"I did the entire Mustang series when I was nine." Matt told Stefan.

"You like cars?" Stefan asked Matt. He had no idea.

"That's an understatement." Matt told him, then he turned around to look at me, and said, "Just ask Ariana. She only had to listen to me talk about them for hours at a time."

I giggled and walked up to them. "I didn't mind."

"Liar."

"No, seriously," I insisted, "It was interesting." Matt shook his head at me; unconvinced, but still smiling.

"Come with me." Stefan told us, as he led us back outside.

We took a different direction from where we first entered. Stefan led us around the boarding house and and stopped in front of a garage. After opening the door, my eyes settled on what looked to be the shape of a car, covered in a yellowy-white blanket.

"Prepare yourselves," Stefan said, as he removed the tarp.

The first thing that hit me was the shiny bright blood-red color. Then the entire car revealed myself, and I couldn't stop smiling at how amazing this car looked. Matt was going to love Stefan after this, well, love his car, at least.

"Wait," Matt asked, at a loss for words, "How do you have this?"

"Got passed down through the family." Stefan answered. I smirked at him, knowing the truth. Stefan must've been the one to buy this car back in the days, but since Caroline and Matt were here, he couldn't exactly explain all of that to them.

Stefan opened the car door, the shiny paint and dirt-free windows reflecting and scattering the light from the ceiling. Matt asked him, "Why don't you... I mean... Why don't you drive it?"

That's what I was wondering. But, I guess when you're a vampire, you don't need a car to get around. It would still be cool though, to drive a classic car like this.

"Well, it doesn't run." Stefan said, "I mean, it's not that I could figure out."

"Why would you keep a car that doesn't run?" Caroline questioned from behind me. I turned to look at her.

"Be more of a girl right now?" Matt smirked at her. She narrowed her eyes, and laughed.

"Hey, want to come take a look at this for me?" Stefan called to Matt from the front of the car, deeper into the garage. Good, hopefully the two of them can "bond" or whatever over fixing cars.

"Ariana, remember the old Camaro you're dad used to have?" Matt asked me, smiling from beside Stefan.

Like before with the homecoming memory, I had to rack my mind for a bit before I could remember. I nodded slowly, "Yeah,"

The car just kept breaking down, and after a while, my father finally just sold the thing. "I built and rebuilt that engine twenty times." Matt told Stefan.

"Wow," Stefan commented.

"I don't like sports cars; they're too hard to make out in." Caroline said, as if she actually knew what she was talking about. I smiled at her.

Matt looked at me, and said, "It wasn't that bad." He gave me a lopsided grin, and gazed at me as if he was daydreaming about something. That's when I remembered those nights, where Matt and I would just stay in the Camaro, kissing as if we were the only people in the world. And back then, that's what we were. We were the king and queen of school, the ones who everybody wanted to be friends with. Technically, we still were, but we were no longer together; all because of the accident.

Times were simpler back then. I had my parents, the ideal boyfriend, and no vampires. But, in a way, my parents' accident could be seen as a good thing. I met Stefan, and learned to finally be myself, and not someone who everybody wanted me to be. I learnt to make my own decisions, even if at times, they weren't always right.

But now, with Matt, Stefan, and Caroline's eyes on me, I felt a bit uncomfortable, not sure how to answer Matt's comment. I heard scuffling behind me, and whipped my head around to see Caroline's retreating figure. Sighing, I turned my back to Matt and Stefan, and followed Caroline onto the gravel.

3rd person POV:

"I'm sorry man." Matt said sincerely to Stefan, after Ariana had left.

"No, no, no," Stefan said, raising his head to meet Matt, "Don't worry about it. You and Ariana, you guys have history and ignoring it doesn't do anybody any good."

After a few moments, Matt said, "She's good with you. You know, I wasn't sure, but she's happy and I'm glad. That's all I ever really wanted for her."

They looked at each other for a few moments.

Matt broke the silence, by saying, "Alright, let's take a look at this." He bent his head down to check out the engine of Stefan's car.

Matt would always be in love with Ariana, there was no denying that. But she was happy with Stefan, and Matt knew that he himself had no right to take that happiness away from her. Because, she deserved to have everything and anything she wanted, even if that something didn't involve Matt.

Ariana POV:

Caroline had her back turned towards me as she stood quite a few meters away from the garage. She was mad at me, and my past relationship to Matt; her boyfriend. At least, they were supposed to be together. Matt wasn't acting much like one, and it offended Caroline. I've known them for my entire life, so I knew when Caroline was hurting, like right now.

"Caroline..." I tried.

"I don't want to talk about it." Caroline claimed, but then she turned to face me, her eyes glinting with anger, "I know what you're thinking; that I'm being ridiculous, and insecure, and stupid." I tried to deny that, but she continued, "But that doesn't change the fact that Matt's always gonna be in love with you and I'm always gonna be the back up."

"Caroline, you're not the backup," I insisted, "Matt likes you and-"

She cut me off, "Yeah, right," she said, sarcastically, "He loves you. And I'm just the backup. I'm Matt's Ariana back up; I'm your Bonnie back up-"

"No, you're not-"

"Can you just shut up for a second!" Caroline screamed at me, tears about to spill from her eyes. I breathed in deeply for a second, confused and hurt. How could Caroline think that? I loved her; she's my best friend, no one could ever replace her. "You don't get it," she continued, "Why would you. You know, at first, I thought that Elena was just being a bitch. But now I see her point of view. She was always overshadowed by her perfect sister, you who is always everyone's first goddamn choice." She shook her head, "It's not fair. Now I'm the one being overshadowed... I always was."

I was at a loss for words. How does one retort to a claim like that. I wanted to say that she was outta her mind, that she was only acting out of anger, hurt, and jealousy. But something told me that that wouldn't go well with her.

Good thing something was able to distract us for a second, as Stefan's red Porsche pulled up next to us on the gravel. Stefan and Matt got out of the car, Matt not noticing the tense air as he said, "Piece of cake."

That's when I realized that Matt had actually fixed up the car, and I forced myself to smile, "Great job with fixing the car," I complimented them.

"Thanks," Matt said.

Stefan came to stand by my side, as he said to Matt and Caroline, "You know what? Why don't you guys go ahead and take it for a spin?"

"Really?" Matt asked, as if he had just won some huge lottery.

"Yeah." Stefan smiled.

Caroline was still sulking as she got into the passenger seat. Stefan threw Matt the car keys, and he smiled broadly as he started the car, then drove down the road. The light illuminated the dark and ominous woods.

Once they were out of sight, Stefan gave me a big hug, asking, "You alright?"

Of course, he had heard the entire conversation between me and Caroline. Well, actually, more like a monologue, on her part.

"I'll be okay," I answered.

"She'll get over it," Stefan said to me, "She's just hurt by her best friend right now, even though you didn't do anything wrong."

"I'm starting to wonder what's more frightening; Vampire or girlfriends?" I sarcastically wondered to Stefan. He chuckled and kissed my forehead, still not letting me go. I could always rely on Stefan to keep me up and on my feet.

My jaw dropped as Stefan and I entered the hallway of the boarding house. The scene before me was... so weird. Matt and Caroline were already there, disgusted by what they were seeing. Damon and Kelly were just caught... kissing in the hallway. I wasn't sure whether that was really creepy, irresponsible, or both.

The two grownups were both drunk, and Kelly looked embarrassed that her son had just caught her in the "act" as she lowered her head in shame, and walked out of the boarding house. I couldn't imagine how this would feel like to Matt. "I go to..." He started.

"I'll take her home." I said, referring to Caroline. My best friend didn't seem to be as mad at me as she was before. She even gave me a small smile when I said this.

Matt nodded at me, then turned to Stefan, "Thanks, man." He gave the keys to the Porsche to Stefan, and followed his mother out, the whole way shaking his head and frowning. I sighed. I loved Kelly, but she really needed to become a better parent, not just for Matt's sake, but for her own as well.

Caroline, Stefan, and I both turned to look at Damon. He stood there, smirking as he picked up a glass full of bourbon, and downed it. I took a deep breath, in and out. I shouldn't have been surprised. With everything going on between Katherine, Isobel, and other vampires, I guess it would just continue to send him over the edge.

"I wish you'd let me drive you home." Stefan said to me. We stood right outside of the boarding house, in the cool air.

"It's fine, Stefan." I told him, "And anyways, I need to drive Caroline home."

"I know, I just get so worried about you," He said, cupping my face with his warm palms.

I smiled, "Thank you, but I have enough people worrying about me. I just want to be here with you, and not live as if someone might come after me at any time. We need to be happy."

Stefan smiled, "We are happy." He glanced down for a second, and then looked back into my eyes, "Alright, call me when you get home safe." He closed the space between us, and kissed me. Once we broke apart, he opened the car door for me, and I got in.

"Bye Stefan." Caroline said to Stefan. I simply smiled and waved.

"Goodbye," He said to us.

I don't know why I had this feeling, but, it seemed as if another pair of eyes were on us - besides Stefan's - as we drove away from the boarding house.

I called Stefan once I was ready for bed, as he instructed me to. He picked up, and I said, "I'm home, and ready for bed, completely safe."

"Good, good." He said, his voice strained, "I'm glad."

My eyebrows furrowed, "Are you okay? Is everything alright?" I asked him, his voice sounded off.

"No, no, no, no." Stefan said, "Not tonight, you still have a few minutes of 'fun' left. I'll tell you about it tomorrow, okay?"

If it was serious, I wanted to know about it. But, it seemed to make Stefan content, knowing that I was happy. So, I'd wait 'till tomorrow, for him to tell me about whatever it was that had happened.

"Okay. I just hope you're alright." I said to him.

"I'm fine." He said.

"Damon?"

"Somewhat okay," He answered.

I took a deep breath, and smiled, "I had a really nice time on our date tonight. It was fun, as you said it would be."

"Well, I'm glad." He said, "I had a really nice time too."

"See you tomorrow?" I asked him, already anticipating the answer.

"See you then." He said, "Bye,"

"Bye." I hung up. If only everyday could be like today. I was happy, and I had fun, almost forgetting all the crap that was actually in my life. Too bad it never lasts.

Hey guys! I hope you had a great Christmas, and hopefully you'll all have a wonderful New Year. Please review my story! This chapter wasn't as action packed obviously, but it was still a fun episode to write. Thanks for reading!

-Spiralcloud