LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

Ariana POV:

Thunder crackled from outside, reverberating through the the house. I gasped, sitting straight up in my bed. My breathing was heavy, and I put a hand to my chest, trying to slow my racing heart. The loud rain pounded onto the roof, and outside my open window into the hard concrete pavement. I quickly stood up, and tried to close my window. Wind blew my hair around my face, and I shivered as I locked the glass in place. The curtains fell limp.

I slowly opened the door to Jeremy's room, and was surprised when I saw he was still awake, the lights on. "Sorry," I said, "I didn't know you were still awake,"

Jeremy sat on the edge of the bed, facing me, "Oh no, it's cool," he said, "What's up,"

"There's a storm outside, can you help make sure all the windows are closed?" I asked, glancing at his window that stood open. The flimsy curtains moving like tendrils against the strong winds.

He looked back, and smiled once he caught sight of a sudden flash of lightning. He turned back to me, and said, "Yeah. Yeah. Sure."

I smiled, and closed his door. He seemed a little off, but I didn't let it worry me. We all had secrets. Speaking of which, I was going to have to tell Jeremy and Elena about vampires and Isobel soon, or else I may go crazy with the weight of the stress.

Elena's room was on the other side of the upper lever floor, next to Jenna's room. I quietly opened her door, and saw that she sat on her bed, searching up something with her laptop.

"Ever heard of knocking?" She asked me, annoyed.

"Sorry," I muttered, and looked over to the window in her room. It was sealed shut. "I didn't want to wake you in case you were sleeping. I was making sure you closed your window, since their's a storm outside."

"No duh," she said, "Anyone with eyes could see that." She barely looked up from her computer screen.

Okay then. "Well, goodnight."

She gave me an unenthusiastic wave, and I closed the door, heading back to my room. It'd be a miracle if I could fall asleep again with this storm.

The next day, Stefan, as promised, called me up to come over to the boarding house. I quickly slipped into some see-through black tights, a light pink sweater dress with white lining, and black boots. I combed through my dark, wavy hair, and place a silver butterfly hair clip though it. After putting on a long silver owl necklace along with the vervain necklace, dangling earrings, and a diamond ring, I snatched my black purse from the closet, and drove carefully to Stefan's place through the storm.

I could barely believe the news he told me. Damn it.

Remember the vampires who were stuck in the tomb? The ones with red eyes and looked halfway between a mummy and a skeleton? Yeah, apparently, they were now all out of the tomb, living somewhere in Mystic Falls, or close by. Goody. How many more vampires did this town need? At least there hadn't been any deaths on the news recently, not that I'd been paying much attention.

Also, Damon made a deal with Pearl, Anna's mother, allowing her to stay in Mystic Falls, along with the other twenty-something vampires! Who knew what could happen if they were to stay here. More deaths? "Animal Attacks"?

I watched as Damon boarded up a broken window with wood in the boarding house living room. Last night, after Caroline, Matt, and I left, two of the tomb vampires broke into the house, and attacked Damon and Stefan. Stefan managed to stake one, but the other ran away. I was tense, as I listened to Stefan tell me the whole story. What if the vampire came back for revenge? It was sad knowing that a vampire had died, but I was grateful that Stefan and Damon were able to defend themselves.

Damon hammered in nails on the wood, making it stick to the walls, covering up the broken window. Was there really a point to doing that? Couldn't he just get it fixed? He said, "I say we go to Pearl's, bust down the door, and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night."

"Yeah." Stefan retorted from beside me, partially annoyed, "And then what? We turn to the rest of the house of vampires and say, 'Oops. Sorry?'"

I would've smiled, if not for this serious situation. "Are you sure it's smart to allow the vampires to stay in this town? Along with giving her the information of everyone who's on vervain?" I asked Damon. I almost forgot, not only was Damon accepting their presence, but he was also giving her the list of everybody with vervain; one of the only protections against vampires.

He turned around, "She promised not to cause trouble. We're just exchanging information. And it's not like I had a choice." He shuddered, "She's... scary. Besides, she's gonna help me get Katherine back."

Oh, awesome. Not only did I find someone who seemed to be scarier than Damon, but it turned out that he was just waiting for Katherine. He must've been really loyal to her. "Great," I said with heavy sarcasm as I fake smiled at him.

He smirked at me and said, "What's gotten you all sarcastic?"

"Oh, I don't know?" I asked, rolling my eyes, "Just that there are tomb vampires running around Mystic Falls, near people I've known and loved my entire life." I shrugged, "Not exactly in the best mood right now."

He looked at me for a moment before asking, "Are you still blaming me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?"

I sighed, "I'm not blaming you. I just wish you would think about the consequences of your actions before you initiate your plans."

Damon gave me a look, "I'm not the good-guy, Ariana. Some people go as far as to say that I'm a 'self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities'." He said, as if reciting it from a line in some sort of book or movie.

I sighed again, and said sincerely, "That's not true, and you know it."

Suddenly, it was completely silent. My eyes were on Damon who was in front of me, but I could clearly see that Stefan was becoming a bit too uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation. Damon just continued to stare at me, in a way someone would stare at a puzzle they were trying to figure out.

After a while, Stefan gave a forced cough, and I broke my gaze from Damon's to look at him. Stefan said, "Yeah, well, um... we're gonna figure out a way to deal with, uh, Pearl and the vampires, yeah?"

I nodded at him, then looked to Damon for confirmation. His gaze was still steadily on me, when he nodded as well. His gaze flickered to Stefan once, back to me, to the wall behind us, then he left the room.

I swear, he was less predictable now, then even when I first met him.

I turned to Stefan who was staring at the wooden floors that suddenly interested him. I took a step towards him, and placed a hand on his arm. "You okay?" I asked gently. Had I upset him in any way?

His leaf green eyes found mine, and his jaw finally relaxed. Without a word, he pulled me into his arms, and took a deep breath. "I'm fine," he said, "It's just frightening how understanding and caring you can be at times. Even when my brother doesn't deserve it."

Did I seem that way? I thought I was acting sort of cynically towards Damon. I wasn't sure what to say exactly, so I just lifted my head up to see his kind eyes, and the soft smile on his face. God, he was handsome. "So, I think we need to decide on what we're going to do about the tomb vampires." I spoke up, changing the subject.

"Damon and I are gonna handle everything, I promise," He said, as if reassuring me.

I was definitely not reassured. I gave him a confused look, "I'm not doubting you guys or anything, I just don't want you guys to get hurt. Isn't there something I can do to help?"

He held my face between his palms, as his eyes turned solid. "Ariana, we won't get hurt." He said, "The best thing for you to do is to stay at home, where it's safe."

I sighed. I felt completely useless. His words pained me because they were true; I couldn't help out, I mean, I couldn't even defend myself. I'd just be a burden rather than an asset. "I know, I just wish there was some way to know that you'd be completely safe," I said, "I'll be worried."

He smiled, "Then I guess you'll know what it's like to worry about someone 24/7." He said, and I rolled my eyes. "But seriously, you have nothing to worry about. I'll be fine. As long as I know you're safe, my head will be completely clear."

I smiled, and buried my head into his chest. His arms wound tighter around me. I closed my eyes and said, "Good."

Stefan's head had better be clear, or else there would be no one to keep Damon in line either. I couldn't bear the thought of never seeing one of them again.

The storm was still going on hours after I returned home. A knock suddenly sounded at the door, and I opened it. Damon strolled into the house, and I gave him a look. He seemed concerned about something. "You've been ignoring me." He stated, after I closed the front door.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, confused.

He gave me a disbelieving look, "I called you like twenty times."

I reached into my purse on the table, and took out my phone. After pressing a few buttons, I sighed when the screen remained black. "Sorry," I said to him, "My phone's dead."

That's the problem with the phone I had; I needed to constantly charge it. "Is Stefan here?" He asked me, alert.

"No," I said warily, "What's happened? Is something wrong?"

"He went out in the woods and didn't come back." Damon stated, and my stomach churned. "I can't get him on his phone. I figured he was here with you."

I shook my head, "I haven't seen him since I left the boarding house." I told him, "Where could he be?"

"You're not going to like what I'm thinking." He said. The seriousness in his voice scared me. He wasn't usually this serious... or... worried. I knew he must've cared about Stefan, but he rarely showed it. Seeing it now, I knew something was definitely wrong.

My heart pounded in rhythm with the pattering of rain, as I waited for Damon in his car. For once the roof was up, not allowing the rain to drench me. Sight outside the window was impossible for more than a few feet, since the grey and misty fog covered the entire woods.

I was so worried that I was practically freaking out. My hands couldn't stop touching everything: the steering wheel, the dashboard, the radio, my leather seat, the other leather seat. If I didn't start moving around now I was going to explode from all the jittering and worry. Stress got to me, and I could literally feel myself turning into a crazy maniac.

They had Stefan; the tomb vampires captured Stefan. Oh God, please help me. Tears wanted to escape my eyes, but I wouldn't let them. Maybe there was a chance. Maybe Stefan wasn't really with the vampires, but had somehow gotten lost while feeding off the animals. Yeah.

Not likely. Only an idiot would think a vampire had gotten lost in their own woods.

A human easily could though, considering how dense the fog and rain was.

Suddenly, I saw a shadow of a figure up ahead. At first, I was scared, but once he was closer I saw who it was; Damon. Grabbing the black umbrella from the back seat I opened the car door, I slid out and closed it as Damon approached me. The freezing cold air went right through my sweater dress and tights, easily making me shiver. I raised the umbrella higher so that he could also be under it. Not that it helped much. He was already soaked from head to toe. Of course, he wasn't cold. He was a vampire, after all.

"They have him." He immediately said, referring to Stefan. I could see the worry etched across his face, no matter how much he tried to hide it. "I can't get in."

Shit. Stefan really was a prisoner. I tried to keep it together as all the worries I had hoped weren't true, just became reality. All of it crashed down on top a me. The vampires were currently living somewhere in the woods, a few miles down the road from Mystic Falls. "Why not?" I asked Damon, trying to peer into the silver mist. No use.

"Because the woman who owns the house is compelled to not let me in." He answered. His hair was wet, and dripping water onto the muddy ground.

Then, a realization hit me. "I can get in." I blurted out, looking up into Damon's ice blue eyes. They were the perfect color for the weather.

"You're not going in there." He stated immediately after. I noticed how he said it as I statement, not a suggestion.

"Stefan's in there," I told him, trying a different approach. "I have to get him out." I tried taking a step away from him, but his hands grabbed my upper arms, keeping me in place.

He was completely unmoved, "You're not going in there," He repeated, this time with more emphasis.

Though his eyes looked like frost and crystal snowflakes, they burned with an intensity that made me look away from them for a second. I changed the subject and asked, "Why would they do such a thing? What do they want?"

I had a feeling I already knew what it was. "Revenge." Damon answered, confirming my thoughts, "They want revenge."

I breathed quickly in and out, worry clouding my judgement. Words started spilling out. "We gotta do something."

"I know." He said, but I barely payed any attention.

"We can't let him get hurt." I continued, "We gotta help him. We-"

Damon cut me off. "I know," He said. His icy fingers reached across the small space between us as he placed the palms of his hands on either side of my face. Though they were wet and cold, through all of that I could feel the warmth from within. He forced me to look up and into his eyes. "Ariana. I know. But it's not safe for you, and I don't know how to get him out." I had to resist the urge to lean into him, and to become enveloped in fire. It was tempting, but I ignored the feeling.

I was finally able to calm down a bit as he said that. We needed to find a solution, and quick. Who knows what those vampires have been doing to Stefan. If we didn't act fast, my boyfriend wouldn't make it through the day.

"I wish you wouldn't involve Alaric into this mess." I told Damon as we walked down the corridors of the high school, in the direction of Alaric's classroom. Damon thought it best to involve my birth mother's ex-husband (though not technically), to rescue Stefan from a bunch of vampires because of some protection ring. Long story short: Alaric tried to stake Damon because he found out Damon had turned Isobel into a vampire. Damon killed Alaric, and now somehow he was back to life. Alaric told Stefan, who told Damon and I, that it was because of his ring.

Was I pissed off about Damon killing Alaric? Totally. But... Alaric was still alive, I mean, I saw him the other day at school.

Damon looked at me, "Do you want Stefan back or not?" I stayed silent. He proceeded, "Exactly. And besides, it's not like Alaric's gonna actually die or anything. He has that ring of his." I sighed. Damon came to an abrupt halt, and said, "I can here him; stay here."

Damon then walked a few meters and turned the corner, now out of sight.

"Well, don't you look...alive?" I heard Damon say from the echos of the other corridor.

"You can't hurt me." It was Alaric's voice. I gasped.

"Oh, I can hurt you, all right." Damon stated.

Rolling my eyes I turned the corner and stood in the hallway where Damon and Alaric were having a three meters apart face-off. Damon's back was to me, meaning that Alaric was facing me too. His eyes flashed to me from my movements, and his angry face softened into a look of confusion and surprise.

"Mr. Saltzman..." I started off, hesitantly, "We need your help."

Since Alaric already knew about vampires and the basic things about the supernatural, I skipped the introductions. It was strange, talking to him and asking for help, but it was my only chance.

In Alaric's classroom, he sat at his desk while Damon took a seat on the crook of where the wall met the window. I stood in front of Alaric, and explained, "Stefan's in the house. Damon's a vampire, so he can't get in." I took a pause, and waited until his confusion disappeared, "We need you. I would go, but..."

"But your life is valuable." Damon piped up, his eyes drifting over to Alaric, "Yours, on the other hand is..."

I rolled my eyes. He made it sound as if Alaric's life was completely expendable, with or without the ring. Speaking of the ring, I automatically spotted it on Alaric's ring finger, where his hands were clasped together on his wooden table.

He caught my line of gaze, and replied to my unspoken question, "What about it?"

"Let me recap..." Damon said. "You tried to kill me. I defended myself. You died. Then according to Stefan, your ring brought you back to life." He raised his eyebrows and smirked, "Am I leaving anything out?"

"Yeah," Alaric retorted with a glare, "The part where I try and kill you again. Only this time, I don't miss."

I sighed, we didn't have time for this. "Mr. Saltzman." I pleaded, "It's Stefan. Please help us."

Alaric's eye twitched, "I'm sorry, Ariana. But it's not my problem."

My chest tightened at the truth of his words. It was unfair of me to ask him of this, but how else were we supposed to get Stefan out? I could feel the seconds go by, like a clock ticking, the battery about to die out, coming to an end. I was going crazy.

"That's a shame." Damon commented on Alaric's last claim, "Because the woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife."

Both Alaric and I turned to look at Damon in alarm. What? Pearl knew how to find Isobel?

"You're lying." Alaric stated. That's what I was thinking. There's know way that could be true, right?

"Am I?" Damon challenged, "Why don't you ask her for yourself?" Damon stood up and walked behind me saying, "Coward. Come on, Ariana."

I ignored him, and kept my eyes on Alaric. I couldn't stop the longing I had for Isobel, even though I knew that Damon was only saying what he said to get Alaric to join us. Still, I allowed the desperation to fill my voice as I looked Alaric in the eye. His grey eyes looked conflicted as I pleaded, "Please, Alaric." Surprise covered his features at me using his first name. I didn't care for the formalities, and by the looks of it, nor did he. "Stefan's in there; we can't just let him die. He's good."

Alaric looked at me for a few seconds, before sighing and running his hand through his sandy colored hair. "All right." He blew out, "I'll come with you."

My mouth popped open as Alaric rolled out a black bag. Inside contained an arsenal of vampire weapons, ranging from wooden stakes, to bullets, to glass containers and shots filled with a transparent liquid.

"Teacher by day, vampire hunter by night." Damon said, as he stood next to me, eyeing the dangerous weapons that could kill him.

"I've you to thank for that." Alaric retorted.

Ignoring the comment, I picked up one of the big glass and plastic dart filled with the strange liquid. It looked like water, put it felt denser. Something clicked in my mind, "Is this...?"

"Those are tranquilizer darts filled with vervain." Alaric responded.

Cool. This way we'd be able to weaken vampires without actually killing them.

"Just get me in." Damon ordered Alaric, "I'll get Stefan out."

Wow, what a plan, against at least twenty-six other vampires, excluding Anna and Pearl. I turned to Damon, and asked, "How are you gonna take on all of them by yourself?"

"With my awesome skills of course." Damon smirked. "Don't worry, I'll be a little stealthier than that, hopefully."

I rolled my eyes, not thinking about the fact that Damon would be up against at least twenty times himself. At least he's had a century and a half more experience than the others. Reaching out, I took out another one of the vervain darts, while Alaric gave me a look of question. "What?" I asked.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going with you guys." I answered. Did they think I was just going to stand back while they risked their lives for the person I loved? Yeah, no. I wasn't gonna wait around to find out whether or not they were going to survive. It was lame, and I already felt useless. Maybe I could be the bait. Not the best job in the world, but it was better than doing nothing.

"No." Damon immediately protested, shaking his head. He took the darts out of my hands. "No. No. No. No way."

"I could help you get Stefan out." I suggested, without really knowing how in the hell I was gonna do that.

"You'll get yourself killed." Damon said sternly, "You're not going in there."

"Damon-" I tried, but he cut me off.

"Ariana," He explained, "I know how to sneak around where they can't hear me. You don't."

"But Damon, you can't go in there by yourself. You'll get hurt." I said.

"What about you?" He questioned, "Look, you can drive the getaway car, but you're not going in the house."

"It's Stefan we're talking about here," I said, trying to convince him, "Your brother. If I can help out in any way, please, let me."

"Oh, I understand." He said, suddenly turning less serious. He was teasing me. "I understand. He's the reason you live. His love lifts you up where you belong." He rolled his eyes, "I get it, and I rather not talk about it."

I gave him a look. "Damon. Be serious."

"I am being serious." He said, sternly. His body was turned, facing me, as his eyes had completely frozen over, as he willed me to understand. I knew I was being difficult, but I loved Stefan and I wanted him out. Damon continued, his voice hard, standing only inches away from me. "I can't protect you, Ariana. I don't know how many vampires there are in there." He lifted his hand, and snapped his fingers, "That's how long it takes for you to get your head ripped off. I have to be able to get in and get out. I can't be distracted with your safety. Or this will end in a bloodbath that none of us walk away from...including Stefan."

When he said Stefan, I gave up the fight. He was right, I'd just get in the way. I sighed, and looked away from him.

Damon reached out, and touched my arm. I looked back into his eyes, which were now soft. He said gently, "I know. I get it. I understand."

His expression confused me. Did this mean that he cared about Stefan a lot too? Well, of course he did. But the way he was looking at me... made it feel like he was thinking about... something else.

I had forgotten about Alaric, and his voice startled me when he said awkwardly, "If we're gonna go...let's go."

I nodded once, and pulled away from Damon. The emotions running inside of me, were confusing. I had to focus on getting Stefan back. Wait, scratch that. I needed to focus on driving the freaking "getaway" car.

I felt like I was going to throw up. All this worry and fear was eating away at me. I sat in Damon's car again, as him and Alaric went to go get Stefan. Alaric promised he would be back soon, after he got Damon into the house. And Damon, promised that he wouldn't return without Stefan. Trust me, that was not in the least bit comforting to hear.

I took out one of the vervain darts that Damon had left with me, in case something were to happen, but he was sure that I'd be completely safe, and that I had nothing to worry about. This would all be over, soon enough.

Then, a sudden darkness passed over the window, barely noticeable, through the storm that was still going on. I gasped and froze. Grasping the vervain dart tighter, I waited several heartbeats for something to happen. And it did.

The car door swung open, and a pair of hands grabbed me around the waist, pulling me out into the cold rain, before closing the door again. I shrieked, and the person holding me spun me around, so I could see fangs and red eyes. Finding it my only weapon, I tried stabbing the vampire with the vervain dart, not allowing fear to get to me. But he easily dodged it, and hit my hand, sending the dart flying out of my line of sight.

He grabbed my arms, his grip so tight it almost hurt. Then, his fangs retracted, and his deep brown eyes were confused as the red faded away. His grip loosened a bit, but nowhere near enough for me to try and get away. Struggling was pointless.

"Katherine?" He questioned. I didn't know who this vampire was, but he seemed to know who my ancestor was. "No, you're human." He gave me a creepy wide smile, his eyes looked crazed. Damn it, what was he gonna do to me? I was already drenched in water, and his dirty blonde hair splattered water everywhere - that blended in with the rain - as he gave out a disconcerting laugh. He would've been considered handsome, if not for the fact that he was a vampire. "Oh, we're gonna have a lot of fun." He grabbed my face, and forced me to look up into his eyes, trying to compel me. He sighed, "I hate vervain. I guess I'm just gonna have to do this the hard way."

A sudden pain stabbed at my arm. I caught a picture of a small syringe, and recognized it as one that my dad would give to someone when performing an operation, to help the patient fall asleep. "No, don't..." I trailed off as my eyelids became heavy, and light escaped me. The sensation of falling was replaced by... nothing.

3rd person POV:

Alaric returned to Damon's car, after letting him into the house. Opening the door, he found no one inside. "Damn it, Ariana!" He cursed, grabbing his bag of weapons and returning back to the house full of vampires. He couldn't let anything happen to Ariana, or else he'd never forgive himself. He should've made her stay at her house, where she was safe.

Ariana POV:

The drug started to wear off, and I realized that I was staring up at the ceiling of some sort of cellar. The same guy who had captured me was carrying somewhere. He grinned down once he realized I was awake, "I didn't expect you to be awake so soon." He said. I struggled in his arms, and he only tightened his grip.

"Let me go," I tried to order him, but it came out in a whisper. So lame. I was still weak, and my eyes were barely open, as the drug threatened to drag me back under.

He only chuckled and that's when I heard someone else's voice. "Woah, what do you have over there?" A male obnoxious voice called from down the hall.

"A human, she looks like Katherine." The guy carrying me answered.

"Mmm." A vampire, I assumed, with dark brown hair came into view, and smiled down at me. I felt so helpless. "She could be her identical twin." He commented, referring to Katherine and I. "Beautiful." I shivered. "What are you going to do with her?"

I realized that they weren't talking so much like twenty-first century guys, they still weren't used to it. I felt the blonde guy shrug, "I don't know." He said, "Turn her maybe."

"No..." I protested, my voice weak.

The guy holding me chuckled, "You'll thank me for it later."

The wind rushed passed me, as we went through a door, entering a dimply lit small room. My eyes were wide at the sight, and more fear entered my mind. I became suddenly turned alert. There was another vampire, with dark skin, who was tied to a chair, two stakes stabbed through his upper thighs and to the wood beneath him.

But, the thing I was completely focussed on Stefan, who was tied at his hands, which were connected to a metal hook on the ceiling, while the rest of his body was just hanging, a centimeter off the ground. He was topless, but this was not the time to admire his well built abs and body. Blood ran down his torso, and I let out, "Stefan!"

Stefan's head snapped up, and his tired looking eyes met mine. His dead expression instantly turned to fear, as he tried to struggle uselessly against the ropes and chains that were tied around him. "No, Ariana!" He shouted, trying to reach me.

The vampire carrying me put me down on the cold and dirty cement ground, but before I could go and help Stefan, he tied a rope around my hands, and continued to tie that to a bar above my head. "Don't resist." The creepy vampire said, "It only makes it hurt worse."

I glared at him, because he was right. Every time I moved my hands or arms, the rope scratched and burned my skin.

"Let her go!" Came Stefan's angry voice as he shouted at the two vampires who weren't strapped down. The vampires faced him. "I'll do anything, please, just release her."

"Oh," The brown haired vampire said to him sarcastically, "Is this your girlfriend? Mmm. Too bad you'll never see her again, after we kill you."

"I don't care about that." Stefan retorted, "Just don't hurt her."

The blonde vampire smirked, "Of course not." He smiled wickedly, and shivers ran up and down my body. "Have fun."

The vampires then left, leaving Stefan, the guy still strapped and staked to the chair, and I in the moldy, wet cellar. The dark-skinned vampire gave me a look of sorrow, and said, "I'm Harper, nice to meet you."

I almost smiled at his attempt to make conversation under these...abnormal situations. "Ariana, nice to meet you." I said back, breathing heavily. "Isn't this just great?" I asked sarcastically.

"Fantastic." He replied, a smile playing on his lips, "I just might come back next time."

I gave out a puff of laughter. Stefan was the only one who remained serious, as he said, "Ariana, I'm so sorry."

"What for?" I asked confused. "I'm the one who should've been more careful."

With what was left of his remaining strength, he shook his head, "None of this is ever your fault. Remember that, Ariana."

Before I could question him on that, the door busted open. "Damon!" I called, and the older Salvatore brother whipped his head around to face me. "The vampires-"

"Staked." He answered, rushing over to me.

"No," I protested, "Help Stefan."

He ignored my wishes, and bent down, trying to untie the tight knot of rope around my hands above me. His features were covered in fear as he stated, "I thought I told you to stay in the car."

"I did." I replied, "One of the vampires found me and took me to this... cellar."

"I should've tortured him before killing him." Damon muttered angrily, trying to be gentle while untying the ropes.

"Damon." I said.

"I'm sorry, Ariana." He said, "I'm such an idiot, I shouldn't have left you alone in the car." Finally, the ropes became loose, and Damon helped me up. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, "And don't worry about it. We need to help Stefan."

Damon nodded, and took a stake out of his sleeve. He turned forty-five degrees, and got ready to stake Harper.

"No." Stefan and I said at the same time, "Not him."

Damon rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He moved over to Stefan. "Let's get you down." He reached for the ropes at Stefan's hands, when Stefan's voice stopped him:

"There's vervain on the ropes."

"I'll do it." I said, moving closer to them.

Damon pointed to a metal handle that was keeping the ropes around Stefan's hands. "Pull that." He said.

A rush of air left me as I pushed the lever, and the ropes came undone as Stefan practically collapsed, his feet barely holding him up. I came over to him, and placed his arm around my shoulder, trying to help.

Damon tossed a shirt and jacket at me, "Let's go. Clothes on." He instructed Stefan.

"Wait." I said, leaning over to take the stakes out of Harper's legs. He smiled at me in a silent "thank you".

"Come on." Damon said, "We have to get out of here."

Damon followed me and Stefan out of the cellar and back into the equally dim hallway. We reached a staircase to the ground level, I thought, when Damon asked me, referring to Stefan, "Can you get him back to the car?"

I was already feeling stronger, the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I nodded, "Yeah."

"All right, go." He jerked his head to the upstairs. "Be careful."

"What about you?" I asked him, puzzled.

"You rescue, I'll distract." He said, "Go."

Finally! Finally, some way I could help out. With Stefan half-leaning against me, I walked up the stairs and into the cold, dark night. How long has it been? Surprisingly, the storm had stopped, and it was now just freezing. Icicles were starting to form in my half-wet hair.

After a few minutes, I lost my footing, and combined with Stefan's weight, we fell. My hand shot out and I sharp pain came from my hand as it took the fall on a rock. Blood ran down the cut in my palm.

"Shoot." I muttered.

"You okay?" Stefan asked weakly, concerned.

"Yeah." I responded, "You're condition is a lot more worse than mine, but come on, keep going. You can make it."

I pulled Stefan back up - with all my strength - and we continued to stumble into the direction of Damon's car. At least, I think it was the same direction. Stefan was weak. Each step he took looked like it took a great deal of strength from him. He tried to help by shifting his weight off of me, but I didn't let him. He needed to lean on me, that way we could move faster, even if it was difficult to keep him up.

The trees parted, and Damon's car came into sight. It was completely dark, but some light from the moon allowed me to see enough. "Come on," I encouraged Stefan, "It's right over here."

I opened the passenger door, and lowered Stefan carefully into the car. Where the hell was Alaric? He must've gone back into the house upon realizing I was gone. Shit. Damon better get himself and Alaric out alive or... I don't know. But right now, I had to get Stefan out of here.

Taking out the keys, I placed it into the ignition... what? There wasn't one. It had been completely removed with wires hanging out of it. "No." I whispered.

Suddenly, the window next to Stefan smashed open, and glass was flung into the car. Something grabbed Stefan, and dragged him out of the now-broken window.

"Stefan!" I shouted, getting out of the car. I didn't know what to do as I watched the vampire repeatedly punch a broken-looking Stefan. He took a wooden tree branch, and stabbed Stefan. I gasped. Luckily he didn't do it in the heart.

But the next strike would be. Looking around the ground quickly, my eyes darted from any weapon I could use; some weeds, rocks, branches... Then I found it.

I grabbed the vervain syringe that I had dropped earlier into the ground, surprised that by now it hadn't been washed away by the rain yet. Scrambling back up, I pushed myself into the direction of the vampire and stabbed him from the back, in the neck.

With a grunt, the vampire fell to the ground, temporarily unconscious. Stefan lost his footing and dropped onto his back. "Stefan..." I choked out, kneeling beside him.

He was in a lot of pain, as he grimaced. Cuts lined the sides of his face, and even though I knew he'd heal, it was still painful for me to see him like this. The branch was still stuck in his stomach, and I winced after puling it out, seeing more blood pool around that area, soaking into the shirt he had slipped into about ten minutes ago.

His face turned slack, and he closed his eyes. "No." I said, shaking him, "Stefan, stay with me. Stefan. Stefan!"

I looked back, and saw the vampire that had attacked him twitch. No. We needed to get out of here.

"Stefan." I said, tears blurring my vision. "Stefan, please. Stefan."

If he didn't get up, we were both dead. But he was too weak. Whatever the vampires tortured him with, he needed... he needed blood. Even if I were to somehow get an animal, its blood alone wouldn't be enough. He needed human blood.

My eyes drifted to the cut on my palm, and I pressed the blood onto Stefan's lips. "Here." I told him, "Drink."

His eyes were still closed, and he involuntarily licked his lips. His eyes snapped open, and he immediately became rabid, "Ariana, please run."

"No," I said, pressing more blood onto his lips.

"Please, you need to go." He pleaded.

"Stefan." I said, looking into his frightened eyes... frightened for me. I pulled back my cold, wet, sleeve, and exposed my wrist to him, "Here. Take my wrist, you need more blood."

"Go, Ariana." Stefan said, trying to break his gaze with me. He was scared that if he took my blood, he wouldn't be able to stop. But I trusted him. I loved him, and I knew that he would be under control. He wouldn't allow his bloodlust to take over, he could do it. "You don't know what your blood does to me. You need to run. Run..." His voice trailed off.

"No." I said, and I softened my gaze, whispering, "I trust you." I nodded, and smiled.

Stefan finally succumbed and gave over to his instinct. He gently took my wrist, and bit into it. At first, there was a sharp pain, in which I gasped. But then my forearm and hand turned numb, and the sensation was surprisingly pleasant. Good. This way Stefan would become strong and heal.

I hid behind the car while Stefan played dumb on the ground. The plan was for Stefan to attack the vampire, and, well, kill him. Yeah. Not much of a plan. But I didn't have much sympathy for this vampire; he tried to kill Stefan.

When the vampire regained his strength, he got up, and walked up to Stefan's body, holding another branch. Stefan lashed out suddenly, and pinned him to a tree. Raising his arm, he stabbed the vampire, killing him instantly. Something was wrong. Stefan kept stabbing the vampire, even after he was already dead.

I stood up and ran over to Stefan, touching his arm, "Stefan. Stefan!"

He turned around, and growled at me. I was freaked out. His eyes were red, and fangs protruded from his mouth as he hissed. I took a deep breath out of fear. Stefan never acted this way before, but, at the end of the day, he was a vampire. My blood must've hit something deep within him, allowing him to let go of who he really was for a second.

That's when I realized something. I was scared. I was completely frightened, and would've screamed if not for Stefan stopping his attack on the vampire, his demon face fading away. He looked horrified with himself. He stood there, staring at me as if expecting me to run away from him in fear. But, I knew that he would never hurt me. I was just surprised, that's all.

I stood in Stefan's room, staring out of the window, deep in thought. After Stefan had killed the vampire, he was reluctant to come near me, afraid that I might react badly. I convinced him that it was okay, and that's when Damon and Alaric joined us. Damon was glad we were both all right, but started complaining about the car's shattered window in order to hide his relief.

Alaric - like Damon - was about to give me a lecture on "staying in the car", when I explained to him that a vampire had grabbed me. Of course, he then felt bad, and was about to apologize when I told him that it was okay. He wanted to continue, but the conversation was already awkward enough, and so he let it go.

Damon was wondering how Stefan was suddenly strong again, and I reluctantly told him about feeding Stefan some blood. He didn't talk the rest of the drive. Damon dropped Stefan and I off at the boarding house, while he took himself and Alaric to the Grill, probably about to get drunk on alcohol.

So now I stood here, waiting for Stefan to finish showering. From the reflected light off the window, it acted sort of as a mirror, and I saw Stefan approach me from behind. I turned around, and smiled at him, "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," He said, "The wounds have mostly healed."

"Good." I said, stepping up to him.

"Ariana..." He trailed off.

"Yeah?" I questioned, afraid of what he was gonna say.

"You were so brave today. I'm sorry that...I'm sorry that you had to see me...like that." He said, "You shouldn't have to witness...something like that."

I smiled a bit, touched his arm, and immediately relaxed. "Stefan," I said, "You're a vampire. Bloodlust is part of the deal, and I'll help you get through it. I made you drink my..."

He cut me off. "What?" He questioned, "No. No. No. No. You didn't make me do anything. You were saving my life. You shouldn't have to deal with all of this, and I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." I told him. "It's okay. I want to help you."

Stefan smiled, and cupped my face. "Thank you," he whispered, "You're so understanding. I always wonder why you don't ever run away from me, even when I'm a monster."

"You could never be a monster," I told him, truthfully, "I love you, and everything's gonna be okay."

"I love you too, so much." He said, leaning down to kiss me. When our lips were about an inch apart from each other, a shrill ring startled me. My phone. Stefan groaned, and I giggled.

Taking my phone out, I looked at the caller ID, and answered it, "Hey, Jer..."

That's all I was able to get out, when suddenly a hysterical sobbing interrupted me.

"What-what's going on?" I asked him, "Are you okay?"

"It's Vicki..." He got out in between sobs, "She - she's d-dead..."

"Oh, no." I said, looking at Stefan's alarmed face. They must've found her body.

I rang the doorbell of Matt's house, tears welling up in my eyes. It was as if I was replaying Vicki's death over and over again in my mind, like a broken recorder. It was horrible, haunting me.

Kelly opened the door, and let me in. After giving her my condolences, I walked into the hallway, remembering where Matt's room was. I didn't have to go that far. Matt was already in the hallway, and when he saw me, his face scrunched up, and he rushed over to me.

"Matt..." I sad sadly, as he wrapped his arms tight around me, sobs racking through his body. I knew the pain he was in. I lost both my parents, and I was a disaster for weeks. Matt just found out that his sister's been dead for a couple months now, and I felt bad for not telling him. But how could I? It wasn't my secret to tell. I couldn't explain to him about vampires, or else he'd either freak out, or think I was crazy.

So we stood there in his hallway, while we just held on to each other. Matt and I had a connection that would never be broken. We may have loved each other differently, but it was still love, and I loved Matt, a lot. I cared about his feelings, and right now, he needed me. So, I knew, that I wouldn't be the first one to let go...

Jeremy and I got back home, and I worried over whether or not he was gonna be okay. He wasn't crying, but his face was in an expressionless mask; like a zombie. Great, another supernatural.

I walked over to Jeremy and hugged him. At first, he didn't respond. But he eventually raised his arms, and hugged me back.

"Hey," A voice came from the staircase. I looked up and saw Elena there, looking sad. She held up her phone, "I just got your text..." She looked at our brother, "I'm sorry, Jeremy."

"Yeah, well," Jeremy shrugged, "It's not like you ever liked her anyways."

Elena have him a pleading look. Sliding out of my arms, Jeremy said, "I'm gonna... gonna go get some sleep. Goodnight."

He walked up the stairs, and Elena and I just stared at each other. She was starting to finally show some emotion that made sense.

"I'm sorry," She said. I blinked a couple times, trying to make sure that I wasn't dreaming or something. "I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you these past few months. I guess I was just jealous. I hope that you can... forgive me."

"Elena," I said, walking over to her, and giving her a hug. She was stiff for a few seconds, before awkwardly putting her arms around me too. I pulled away, "Of course I'll forgive you. You're my sister, and I love you."

It's true that these past few months, Elena's been having bipolar reactions. One minute she'd be a bitch, then the next, she'd be the caring sister. It confused me, but as long as she was willing to accept me, then I would accept her for who she was.

"Thank you..." She whispered. She said it as if afraid that I wouldn't forgive her, as if it ate away at her.

"You're welcome." I said, "And we'll be here for each other and for Jeremy; whenever he needs us."

"Okay," she got out. She wasn't used to this, for we haven't hugged each other for probably half a year. But it felt right, and I was happy that she wasn't mad at me anymore.

That's one problem solved... but there's still a million more to go.

Ooh, I just LOVED this episode. Watching it on TV was awesome, but rewriting it somewhat was exhilarating! It was fun, fantastic, and took hours to do :P So please, review! Thank you!

-Spiralcloud