MISS MYSTIC FALLS

Checking my surroundings, I made sure that I was going in the right direction to class. Sometimes, I got so lost in my own thoughts that I forgot where I was going. It had been a long weekend. Loud chatters of sudden excitement came from all the students around me, and I turned around to see what all the commotion was about.

A familiar red Porsche came around the corner, turning into a parking spot right by me. Gasps came from the teenagers, and the stopped to stare at the old, but shiny and new-looking vehicle. I already new the driver before having to look to the driver's window. Stefan.

He got out of his car and walked towards me, as I did the same to him, "Nice car." I commented.

"Thought it was a waste to leave it in the garage." He replied, and I smiled before we kissed. He seemed so much better than he was a few days ago, and it was a nice change. I was really beginning to worry about him, but like I'd always thought, he would pull through.

"How are you doing?" I asked him when we broke apart, "You seem happy,"

"Yeah, you know, I woke up this morning and I was feeling great, so I figured it was time for me to get back to things," He looked at me, "Back to you."

I smiled, "That's awesome to hear," I said, "So, are you okay now?"

"Yeah, I mean the worst part's over so... now all I want to do is to spend as much time with you as possible." While saying this, one of his hands was placed around my hips, as the other one caressed my face.

I giggled, and he leaned in, kissing me with passion. It felt so good, to see him back, happy, and for him to be kissing me again, even though it's only been like a couple days.

We pulled back and he looked into my eyes, saying, "Hey, thank you for helping me get through the rough patch."

"Of course," I replied, "I'll always help you, whenever you need me." He gazed at me for a long time, and though I hated to ruin the moment, I didn't want to be late for class. "We should probably go, or we're gonna be late."

He sighed, "You know, I wouldn't care," he said with a smile, and I rolled my eyes, "But the reason of why I came back to high school, was to be with you. And so," he shrugged, "I do care." He squeezed my hands and pointed with his thumb to the trunk of his car. "Tell you what; I'll catch up with you, I'm gonna grab my stuff. I'll be right behind you."

"Okay." I said. With one last squeeze, he let go, and I turned around, quickly walking to my first class, hoping that I wouldn't be late. I hid a smile the whole way there, perfectly content now that Stefan seemed back to normal. Actually, it was more than that. He was more upbeat than usual, and that made me feel like I helped him in a way, even though this whole thing was my fault from the start, since I was the one who fed him my blood.

"Okay, this week we're gonna set aside our regular curriculum for a lesson in local history as we approach Founder's day." Alaric explained to the History students, as he stood next to his desk. "Apparently the community leaders feels it's more important than World War II - but hey, what do I know?"

I smiled at that. Founder's day. It was the day where students and teachers were allowed to dress up as people from the 1800's, mainly 1859 - since that's the year this town was founded.

The door creaked open, and a head popped in. Bonnie came into the classroom, and scurried to her seat. Bonnie! She was back, but she still looked shaken up... because of her Grams death. We were both close to her, but, of course Bonnie's bond with Grams was times a thousand of what my bond was, with her. "Sorry I'm late," she muttered before sitting down in the only empty seat, which was two people down from me.

"Well, it looks like we will be at full occupancy today." Alaric mused, "Welcome home, Bonnie."

Bonnie nodded, but still held a tense composure. She turned her head, and smiled at me. But then, her gaze shifted to something behind me, and her expression faded as she turned her head back to the front. I looked behind me and saw Stefan giving me a confused look. Why was Bonnie reacting this way? I get that someone real close to her died, but she didn't need to ignore me. Unless... unless she blamed me for something. Was that it? Did she blame me for the death of her grandma? I felt sick inside.

Jeremy turned his back on me... so did Elena... and now Bonnie? I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the rest of Alaric's lesson. I didn't remember a singe thing past the "Founder's Day" part...

I finally caught up to Bonnie at lunch, though she still remained indifferent to me. "How are you?" I asked her when she finally looked at me, "How's your family?"

"We're dealing," came her short reply. "It's been hard."

I nodded, understandingly, "We've all missed you," I said gently. I slowed to a walk beside her, and realized that we were strolling across the grass near the back of the school, where students would hand out in between classed. Bonnie carried her notes a little too tightly, as I saw her fingers start to make dents in the paper.

She stopped abruptly, and I turned around to face her. She said, "Yeah, I just had so much to deal with after Grams' funeral and...honestly, after you told me the tomb spell failed... I just didn't really want to come back."

I hadn't meant for her to feel worse, I just wanted to tell her the truth. Nothing good comes with keeping secrets, I've learnt my lesson. The spell of the tomb didn't keep the vampires in, and so basically Bonnie was feeling kind of like her Grams' death was for nothing. And really, it was. Katherine wasn't in there, vampires were let out, Grams died, and Stefan almost got tortured to death.

"I'm sorry that I made you feel that way," I told Bonnie sincerely, "I wanted you to know before you came home, I didn't want to keep any secrets from you."

She nodded, and we just stood there in silence for a few moments.

"I know it's been hard - " That's all I could get out, since my other best friend interrupted me.

"Bonnie!" Caroline called loudly and jogged over to us, "Bonnie! Thank god you're home!" She embraced Bonnie, and smiled. When they pulled apart, she said, "I know we talked everyday but I missed you. How are you doing?"

"Better." Bonnie answered, "Better. You know, glad to be back and trying to keep myself busy."

I knew the feeling. After my parents' death, I just wandered around my house and the town, looking for something to distract me. It was easier once I started taking responsibility for myself, Elena, and Jeremy.

"Well, I can help with that." Caroline said excitedly in response to Bonnie's statement. "Major wardrobe problem. You need to help me pick up the perfect dress for the Founder's court."

Wait, what? "The Founder's court?" I questioned.

"The Founder's court!" Caroline stated, as if talking to a mentally ill person. "You know, Miss Mystic Falls." Oh... that. "They announced it today and you, Elena, and I, are both on it."

I really need to start paying attention is Alaric's class. I never felt the need to listen to morning announcements, because they're usually just about congratulating the sports teams in their losses. Kinda depressing and repetitive.

"Gosh." I said, "We signed up for that so long ago... I completely forgot." Like everything else.

"So, are you dropping out then?" She asked me, hopeful. Even though Caroline was my best friend and we loved each other, but I knew how badly she wanted to win Miss Mystic. And I would drop out... if not for the fact that my mom was the one who wanted Elena and I to enter.

"...I can't.." I finally got out.

She glanced at Bonnie, then back to me, "No?" She questioned, confused.

"Her mom is the one who wanted her to enter." Bonnie explained, and she gave me a look of understanding.

My cellphone buzzed from my jean pocket, and I took it out. It was a text by Elena:

droppin outta the court thing

I texted back:

U sure? Mom wanted us to enter.

Her answer was almost immediate:

im sure. mom wanted u to enter. not me. shes gone now and i dont care.

I sighed and put my phone away. Elena barely ever talked to me anymore, not even in texting. I was delighted at first when she texted, but not so delighted that she was dropping out of the Founder's court. There was no use arguing, if she didn't want to participate, the choice was hers. I just remembered that a year ago she was really looking forward to it... things changed.

What perfect timing too, since Caroline seemed so eager to be rid of us. "What is it?" She asked impatiently.

"Elena's dropping out." I shared, almost uncertain.

Bonnie turned to me, "Why?" She asked.

I shrugged, "I don't know." Maybe it has something to do with the new supernatural information. I pushed the thought away, even though that answer was most likely the truth.

After I came home from school, I called Stefan, filling him in on the Founder's Court. I wanted him to be the one to escort me, and I hoped that he'd say "yes".

"I'm sorry for the short notice; I forgot about the contest and that I'd be in it." I told Stefan.

"I will be happy to escort you anyway," he replied.

"Thank you." I said, "My mom really loved this Founder's Day stuff. She was even Miss Mystic in her day, and so I'm doing this for her."

"That's good of you." He said, "It'll be great, we'll have fun."

"Yes we will." I agreed. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, I love you."

"I love you too." He said, and the call ended. All right, that problem's solved.

After my interview with Carol, and two other woman, about Miss Mystic Falls, I thought over what I had said. I didn't say anything that was untrue. I talked to them about how I've let myself slide a bit, and have been distracted, but that I was now ready to take full responsibility of becoming the queen.

My mother believed in community, family, honor, loyalty, and love, and she left all of that for me. Those characteristics were passed on to me, and I was gonna do my best for her and Mystic Falls. Queens could not posses anything, though, because they had to give everything they had to their people. I intended to do the same.

For the girls who were in the Mystic Falls pageant, we had to meet up with our partners in the empty cafeteria for dance rehearsals. Carol was teaching us the moves, and instructed: "Honor your partner." The guys were lined up in a straight line and across from them were us girls, facing them. I faced Stefan, naturally. We bowed at each other. "Stay focus, right hand around." Stefan and I both over-exaggerated our movements, making it hard for me not to laugh. "Flirt with your eyes." I tried it, and just ended up laughing along with Stefan. "Left hand around."

"This is so ridiculous." I commented, "Especially considering we're dressed in casual clothes." I wore jeans and a green sweater along with pieces of jewelry. Pretty casual to me. Definitely not an attire for a dance that's centuries old.

"Both hands." Carol continued.

"You're only saying that because you don't know how to do it." Stefan teased me, joking.

"That hurts." I said sarcastically, "Sorry if only one of us was around when the dance was invented."

"Ouch!" Stefan said, smiling. He took my hands suddenly, and spun me around. The movement was so suddenly, and I laughed when he caught me in his embrace. I was supposed to be taking this seriously, but I was having too much fun.

"No! No!" Carol came charging through the dance partners over to us. "There's no touching during this part. It's about the simple intimacy of the near touch."

I straightened up after her scolding, and Stefan and I went back to dancing once she returned to where she was originally standing.

"If you ask me, the 'near touch' is overrated." Stefan said once we got back to dancing with our right hands around.

"You seem to be in a good mood," I observed.

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked, smiling, "Would you rather me to be brooding and tortured?"

He took my hands again and leaned closer. "Of course not." I replied, "It's great that you're happy."

"It's hard not to be when I'm with you." Stefan said, and I smiled. "Oh, but no touching."

I laughed and we pulled apart once again, continuing to dance.

3rd person POV:

Caroline and Bonnie walked down the hallway, carrying books to their classes. Caroline explained to her about the Founder's court. "The Fell cousins don't have a shot, and Amber Bradley is only on the court so the pageant doesn't look like its founding families only - which, of course it is. I don't have to worry about Elena since she dropped out, not that she really had that big of a chance to begin with." She let out a big sigh, "So that leaves Ariana - who is not only the most popular person among everybody - but also totally has the sympathy vote since her parents died." Caroline pouted, "How can I compete with that?"

Bonnie nodded sarcastically, "Very nice, very sensitive."

"Oh I'm sorry," Caroline said genuinely as they stopped walking. "This must sound really unimportant - in the light of everything."

"It's okay," Bonnie responded, "I get it," she nodded, "You want to win."

"Well..." They started walking again, and Caroline said, "My grandmother was Miss Mystic and both of my aunts. My mom is the only one who didn't get the gene... and I want this. I actually deserve this."

They smiled at each other, and entered the cafeteria where the other couples were practicing the dance. Bonnie saw Ariana and Stefan leaving, and her smile faded.

Ariana POV:

Caroline and Bonnie entered the room while Stefan and I were about to leave. I smiled and said, "Caroline, Bonnie. Hey."

"Hey, how are you?" Stefan asked Bonnie, but she didn't answer. She looked rather awkward as she avoiding looking at us. Stefan and I shared a concerned glance, while Caroline remained oblivious.

"I begged Bonnie to fill in for Matt, he had to work today," she explained.

I looked at Bonnie, but her gaze was glued to the floor. "Bonnie," I asked politely, "Can we please talk?"

"We only have thirty minutes for rehearsal." She replied as an excuse.

She really was trying to avoid me, "Please," I tried again, my voice even softer than before, "Just for a minute."

She finally succumbed, and we walked out into the school hallway.

Once we were out of earshot of Caroline, I said, "Bonnie, please tell me what's wrong."

"It's not worth talking about." She responded glumly.

"What do mean it's not worth it?" I asked her, exasperated, "You barely talk to me, and you won't even look at Stefan..." I hesitated, "Do you blame me, Bonnie? For what happened?"

"No!" She answered, shocked, "Of course not..." She took a deep breath, "Listen, Ariana, I can't just pretend that everything's okay. Everything my Grams did was to protect us from those vampires in the tomb. And now they're out... which means she died for nothing."

I teared up hearing her speak. Every word was the truth. Grams basically died for nothing... and in order for Bonnie to heal... she had to put the blame on someone else. "I'm so sorry Bonnie." I told her, "But know that I'm always here for you okay? I'll do whatever it is to make you feel better."

"That's just it," Bonnie choked out. I gulped, she seemed so sad... "There's nothing you can do. I blame him, Ariana, him and Damon," I knew who she was talking about. "And I'm not gonna put you in a situation where you have to choose sides. I'm just having a hard time with it, okay? I need some time."

I nodded, trying to keep the tears into my eyes. She was a better friend than I could ever deserve. It's a wonder she doesn't hate me right now. Or maybe she did... who knew? I brought her and Grams into this mess, so Grams' death was partially my fault. A feeling of pressure invaded my chest and stomach, almost making it hard to breath. The people who used to have trust in me... didn't anymore. Jeremy, Elena, Bonnie... I wasn't on the best terms with either of them.

I couldn't be selfish though. If Bonnie needed some time, then the least I could do was give it to her. I nodded again, my voice tight, "Of course Bonnie, whatever you need, just ask me."

With my dress - for Miss Mystic Falls - covered up in a black tarp in my arms, I walked down the staircase of my house. I heard a knock coming from the front door, and opened it, revealing Alaric. He was dressed in a suit - tie and everything.

"Hey," I greeted, "You look great."

"Thanks," he replied, "So do you, even though your dress isn't on yet."

I laughed, looking down at my regular jeans and top, "Thank you. I heard you're driving."

"Yeah, I am." he confirmed, reaching his arms out, "Let me get that for you," he gestured to the dress.

I gave it to him graciously, "Thanks, again." After he walked into the house, I closed the door behind him.

"How... how is Stefan?" He asked, hesitantly.

I was a bit taken back by the sudden question, that I immediately questioned, "Why, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, "It's just... you know, he seems on edge."

Ahh, that. I nodded, "He went through a lot, he wasn't doing so well for a while, but he's better now. He seems much happier lately."

Alaric nodded, but he still looked unconvinced. I wondered what he saw...

"Alaric." A voice came from up stairs. Goody. Uncle John. He asked, "Hey buddy, what are you doing here."

He walked down to the ground floor, looking between the two of us questionably. He too was dressed in a suit.

"I'm the chauffeur." Alaric replied, not bothering to hide some of his distaste for my uncle.

"I thought I was driving." John stated, looking at me. Hey, I wasn't calling the shots, my aunt was.

As if on cue, in a sparkly dark silver-grey one shoulder dress and high heels, Jenna descended the staircase. Her orange hair was tied in a low half-bun. "No need," she told John in reply, "We're going with Rick."

John glared slightly at her.

"Jeremy can ride with you." She stated.

"Is Elena not coming?" I asked her, confused.

Jenna shrugged, "She didn't want to come, said it was something to do with not being 'eaten alive' or whatever." She snorted, "Ridiculous right?"

Maybe to her, but I knew what that meant. So did John and Alaric. The three of us shared an awkward and worried look of comprehension.

I shook the feeling off while Jenna asked Alaric and I, "Are we ready?"

The girls running for "Miss Mystic Falls" each got their own table, chair, and mirror to apply their makeup and hair products. I sat in one chair while Jenna stood behind me, using an iron to curl my hair. Though it was already wavy, Jenna wanted to make it curl a little more, and so when she insisted on doing so, I let her.

"Thank you for helping me." I told Jenna, looking at her from the reflection of my mirror.

"Don't thank me until you're sure your hair isn't gonna burn off." She retorted.

I giggled, then said thoughtfully. "You know... I remember when my mom, Elena, and I were first applying for this, they were so excited."

"So were you if I recall." Jenna smirked.

"I was." I agreed. "Mom just made it sound like so much fun. A lot has changed since then... and I guess Elena didn't want to participate anymore."

Jenna nodded. "I hate to break it to you, but it's a little late for cold feet."

"I'm not regretting this." I told her, "Actually, I'm happy that I'm doing this, because it feels like this is for her. But... I'd definitely be enjoying it more if she was here..."

To distract myself from those feelings, I took the lip balm off the table and applied some to my lips, making the natural red color shine a bit more.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing," Jenna said, trying to lighten the mood, "Your hair would have a better chance if she was."

I smiled, and I felt her let go of the last piece of my curled hair. My dark brown hair was partially up, but mostly down. One curled strand hung near my eye and down past my cheek, sort of framing that side of my face. "Okay, thanks again." I said, "I should go put my dress on. I'll see you."

"Good luck," Jenna said to me, "You'll win for sure."

"No guarantees," I joked to her, and walked over to the dressing rooms. I passed Caroline on the way, and gave her a smile. She smiled back, but it didn't look very genuine. Truthfully, she looked to be a bit sad...

My dress was a dark blue heart-shaped neckline halter-top dress with the straps connecting in a criss-cross in the back. The hem reached all the way to my toes and would probably brush against the floor if not for my four-inch heels. The deep V in the heart-shape neckline showed off my cleavage, but not to the point where it looked slutty. Purple was my favorite color, but since Amber - one of the contestants - chose that color already, I settled with my next favorite.

As I walked into the changing room to put my dress on, I saw Amber in there, pacing back in forth nervously as she shook her hands.

"Are you okay, Amber?" I asked. She looked really stressed out.

"I hate being the center of attention." She laughed nervously, "I get panic attacks."

"I'll give you some privacy so you can change." I told her, and got ready to leave the room.

"Actually I'm just - I'm gonna go get some air." She whizzed past me, and closed the door behind before I could do anything.

Okay, then. I hoped she'd be alright for the ceremony. I took my dress off of the hanger on the wardrobe, but before getting a chance to actually put it on, I spotted someone in the mirror.

"Hey," I said, recognizing who it was. He had scared me. "You're not allowed back here." I turned around to face him.

"We need to talk." He simply stated.

"...Right now?" I questioned, raising up the dress in my arms.

He continued anyways, "Normally I'd have a completely different outlook of what I'm about to tell you, but since it could really inconvenience me... I'll squeal."

"What are you talking about?" I only got like half of what he said.

He got straight to the point. "Stefan's still drinking human blood."

That shut me up. All that came out of my mouth was a strangled gasp, "What?!"

"Yeah," Damon said, uncomfortable, "A month ago I would have rejoiced. But with the council back on the alert, it is not a good time for Stefan to fly off the handle."

"He's been a little edgy, but I assumed that it was normal." I said.

Damon looked at me without blinking, willing me to understand. "He has a fridge full of stolen blood bank contraband in the house."

My heart skipped a beat...what...? Stefan's been stealing human blood? But... that wasn't like him. Also, he would usually tell me if something was wrong with him, but he didn't. He kept it a secret.

I started getting a little dizzy, and probably would've fallen down, if Damon didn't catch me around my waist and arm. "Hey," he said softly. Through blurred vision I looked up into his eyes and I started to focus better. He led me over to the couch in the room, and I sat down with him next to me.

"Oh my gosh..." I breathed out finally after moment of silence.

"Do you...?" Damon started to ask.

"Yes." I confirmed. "Tell me everything, I can handle it. I need to know."

He nodded, and continued, "He has no idea what normal is, his entire existence isn't normal. Normal to a vampire is drinking human blood... but he spent all this time fighting it when he should have been learning to control it... and now it's controlling him."

I took a deep breath, trying to sort out my thoughts. Stefan was so happy these past few days, and I believed that he was better now, and ready to have "fun" with me. But it turned out that it was because he was on blood, and it was giving him some sort of high. The only thing that was hard for me to comprehend, was that he didn't tell me. I respect his privacy, but when it's something this big, I would've thought he'd share it. I mean, he did promise to talk to me whenever he had a problem or needed help. This blood... it was changing him.

"What do I do, Damon?" I asked him, looking up at him on the couch. "How do I help Stefan?"

"You can't." He said bluntly, but softly. "This may be Stefan, but it's Stefan on human blood, Ariana. I've seen what he's done; he'll do anything, he'll say anything, because he's not gonna want to stop. Trust me."

I swallowed, and looked down at the ground. Don't tell me that Stefan was now gonna leave me too... I wasn't sure if I'd be able to handle it...

Eventually I just got up and moved away from the couch where Damon was sitting on. I needed some space. If I thought I was nervous about this stupid dance before, now I was terrified. Stefan's well being was way more important than some "Founder's court" thing.

"I'm the one who fed him my blood in the first place." I explained to Damon, remembering the cold, stormy night. That was what set Stefan off in the beginning...

"Look, Ariana, it's not your fault - " Damon started to say, also standing up from the couch, and coming towards me.

But then, the door opened, interrupting what he was about to say. Stefan stood there, and now the I knew about him drinking human blood, I could see the slight changes in his expression. How there was a little something in his features that was darker than before.

"What's going on here?" He asked us, smiling, confused, and suspicious.

Damon turned around to see him, and said, "I was just filling Ariana on your "extra-curricular" activities."

Stefan played dumb, and laughed nervously, "What are you talking about?" He asked, shrugging.

"I know, Stefan." I said, and he looked slightly alarmed, but tried to hide it, "About the blood."

"I'm uh -I'll be downstairs, drinking." Damon said awkwardly. He gave me a "be careful" look, before disappearing around the corner, the door closing once again.

Stefan smiled a smile that concerned me, and his mouth opened a few times, about to day anything, but he never did. Then, he finally explained, "I was going to tell you."

"Stefan - " I started to say.

"I'm fine." he cut me off. "I'm fine, the blood, it doesn't change anything." Those words themselves weren't what creeped me out, it was the way he said them. Like everything was perfectly okay, when it so obviously wasn't.

"It's changing you." I barely whispered, but he could hear me, of course.

"Why?" He asked. "Because I kept it a secret from you." He smiled and scoffed. "Come on, Ariana, look, giving the way you're reacting right now, can you really blame me for doing that?"

Ouch. Forget Elena slapping my face, this felt like someone took a knife and stabbed me.

"Stefan, you knew that if you were having problems, you could've told me." I said to him.

"But I'm fine!" He defended. "I have it under control."

"You've been stealing blood, and lying." I said. It was unbelievable. "That's not like you."

"So what - so you and Damon all of a sudden have everything figured out then?" He asked with a hint of jealously.

Wow, he was pulling that card. "This isn't about Damon." I stated, "This is about you, and how you're acting."

"I know, and I'm telling you that I'm fine." Stefan said, smiling, "I'm fine. Please, come on. Ariana... I thought you... I thought you believed in me."

I wanted to believe, to pretend that everything was alright. But I couldn't lie to myself, and I remained unconvinced by his claims.

We didn't get a chance to continue because Carol chose that moment to interrupt us. She knocked on the door and opened it up, surprised to see me and Stefan still there.

"Ariana, let's go." She said, "The line up's starting."

"Yeah, I just... I need a moment." I told her, smiling, trying to pretend that everything was okay. She obviously wasn't convinced, because she kept glancing between Stefan and I in concern.

"You're not even dressed yet," She stated, exasperated. Her gaze shifted to Stefan, "Escorts wait downstairs, Stefan."

Stefan looked at me for a second, then left the room. I let out a deep breath, and after Carol left, I proceeded to put on my dress.

3rd person POV:

Stefan felt the familiar burn of hunger again after his conversation with Ariana. He didn't want her to find out, it wasn't supposed to happen. He didn't want her to see him this way... out of control, on the brink of breaking. The bloodlust was starting to take over him, and he went into one of the bathrooms in the Lockwood Mansion, locking the door behind him.

Collecting up all his anger, his fist automatically swung out and struck the mirror. Glass shattered and came down into the sink, the sharp edges enough to scrape parts of the ceramic. His knuckled were bloody, but he didn't feel any pain. Only rage, betrayal, and regret. Anger and betrayal at his brother for telling his girlfriend about the blood.

Stefan knew from the beginning that Damon felt something for Ariana, more than just a friendship. But now he realized that their relationship was more than that, even though Ariana seemed almost oblivious. Damon loved Ariana, he trusted her, but Stefan didn't want to believe that. Ariana was not Katherine, yet both the Salvatore brothers fell much harder for Ariana than the other girl.

Stefan felt his fangs protrude, his vampire instincts taking over. The door chose the perfect time to open, and Amber stood there. "Oh God, sorry!" She said immediately, and went to close the door. But then, she saw Stefan's face, and fear froze over her bones. Stefan looked at her, not like a person, but as a meal. He was starving because of his emotions, and he wanted to kill her.

Ariana POV:

I lined up behind Caroline, as we waited to be called by Mayor Lockwood, Tyler's dad. The marble staircase went down to the main level, and from there we were trained to then walk out - with our escorts - to the outside, where I knew that a bunch of people would be waiting to watch us dance.

After the mayor called the first girl, who wore a burgundy dress, then the second, who wore an orange-pink dress, Caroline and I were left at the top of the stairs, nervously waiting.

"Has anyone seen Amber?" Carol asked us. Where was Amber? The last time I saw her was in the changing room, where she was stressing out to put her dress on. Caroline and I both shook our heads.

"No, I haven't." I told Carol, who looked worried. I'd probably be more worried too, if not for the fact that I had my own things to worry about. I looked over the edge of the inside balcony, and tried to spot of Stefan was there. He wasn't.

"Do you see Stefan down there?" I asked Caroline.

"Nope," Caroline sighed, "Just my boring fill-in escort."

I looked at her puzzled, "What happened to Matt?"

"They wouldn't let him out of work." Then she realized something, "Wait, what happened to Stefan?"

"I don't know," My heart sunk, "What am I doing?" I wondered aloud, "I shouldn't have gone through with this."

"What do you mean?" She asked me.

"I need to find Stefan." I told Caroline, already starting to move past her. If Stefan lost control and I wasn't there, it would be my fault.

"No, no, no way, no." Caroline said, moving in front of me. "You had your chance to drop out, and..." she scoffed, "... believe me, I was all for it because there is no way I could beat you." I frowned at that. "Ariana, you're doing this because it was important to your mom. And you may not feel like it now, but you'll regret not participating."

"Miss Caroline Forbes and her escort Jeffery Lockwood Hamilton." Came the Mayor's loud and steady voice. Caroline smiled at me, before turning around and walking down the marble steps, out of my line of sight. She looked fabulous in her green strapless dress, with her golden hair curled around her face. I'd be surprised if she didn't win.

She was right, too. I had to so this, for my mother whom unfortunately, couldn't be here today.

"Ariana, you're next." Carol said to me with a smile. I returned it, and got ready to descend the stairs. Wait a minute. Stefan wasn't here. How was I supposed to dance? Oh well.

"Miss Ariana Gilbert, escorted by Mister Stefan Salvatore." Mayor Lockwood introduced. No turning back now. With my right hand on the smooth wooden railing, I descended the stairs, my other hand picked up part of my dress so that I wouldn't trip over it.

As I made my grand entrance to the main floor, I saw many people gasp at the sight of me, but not one of those people were Stefan. Amber's escort looked surprised when he saw me, and shifted a bit awkwardly from one foot to the other.

Great, I thought, Now I'm gonna make a fool out of myself. My gaze shifted over to Damon who was looking at the place where Stefan was supposed to be in confusion. He moved over, took that place, and stood there smiling at me. I smiled back. Thank God for Damon. He was already dressed in a suit, so he blended in perfectly.

"Where's Stefan?" I whispered to him when I got close enough.

"I don't know," he muttered back, and took my hand. "You look beautiful, by the way, as always."

"Thank you," I said, surprised. That was close to the same line Stefan had said to me once.

I smiled back at other people who complimented me on the way to the outside, where the other girls were already lined up. Music flooded my ears from the giant speakers, playing a song that I really liked; All I Need by Within Temptation.

Damon and I lined up accordingly, and as we bowed to each other, I whispered, "What are we gonna do?"

"Right now, we just have to get through this." He muttered back. As we straightened up, I got this funny feeling in my stomach of anticipation. It seemed almost foreign to me, but I kinda liked it. It made me feel... alive.

Here we go: right hand around. Damon and I got really close as we danced, his eyes soft but intense. Our hands hovered right next to each other, and we communicated through our eyes, much more than we could with words. I was definitely grateful that he filled in, if he hadn't, I wouldn't even be dancing. We smiled at each other, dancing in rhythm to the music:

I've lost all my trust

Though I've surely tried to turn it around

Left hand around:

Can you still see the heart of me?

All my agony fades away

When you hold me in your embrace

We stepped to each other, and Damon grabbed my hand, and placed his other hand on my waist, while mine was on his shoulder. He danced really well. All his moves were spot on and he knew the routine. I smiled wider, and so did he. We were both really enjoying this dance, and even though there were so many people around us, I felt like we were the only ones here, in our own universe. I felt giddy, but also calm, shocking, but comfortable. Burning ice. Freezing fire. It all mixed together.

Don't tear me down for all I need

Make my heart a better place

Give me something I can believe

Don't tear it down, what's left of me

Make my heart a better place

Make my heart a better place

The song ended, and I snapped out of my faze. But... just wow. That was... that was definitely something. Definitely not what it was like dancing with Stefan. It was a whole other galaxy of mysteries, tempting me to seek it. Damon's eyes held a million secrets, and it intrigued me. The dance was like entering a whole new side of Damon, the side that I always believed their was, and he was happy. Now, so was I.

The girls, including me, were lined up on stage; the Fell cousins, Caroline, then me. Mayor Lockwood talked into the microphone at the front, and to the side, of the stage.

"Where is Amber?" Caroline asked me.

"I don't know." I said back. I was getting worried now. Where could she have gone? She was so happy to have been chosen, and I felt bad that she didn't get the chance to dance. Something must've come up. But I didn't dare sigh or frown, I kept up my smile in front of all the people.

"Before I crown the winner," Mayor Lockwood announced, "I'd like to offer a personal thank you to all of these young ladies for their efforts to better our community."

Everyone applauded, but stopped quickly so that the Mayor could continue.

"So, without further a due, it is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls, Miss Ariana Gilbert!"

He gestured to me, and my smile widened in shock. No way, I was not expecting that.

Everyone clapped really loudly, and multiple whistles and shouts of my name filled the room. I laughed in happiness, and Caroline came over to me, hugging me. "Congratulations!" She said, smiling broadly, "I'd knew you'd win."

"Thank you, Caroline," I said back, gratefully, "For making sure I danced. You deserve this much more than I do."

"Your welcome," She said, "But no. You deserved this too. Whenever I needed you, whether it was personal or for the people of Mystic Falls, you've always been there to help me through it. So thank you."

We couldn't say anything more, because a smiling Mayor Lockwood came over to me, and I muttered a "thank you" as he placed the "Miss Mystic" banner around my shoulder. When he pulled away, I smiled, laughed, and waved at the people around the room, who were all doing the same to me.

Damon called me over an hour later, from where he was standing by an open doorway. I said goodbye to the people chatting to me, and joined him. He looked concerned, and I guessed who he was about to talk about.

He placed his hand on my bear arm, leading me closer to the other room, so that others wouldn't overhear. "What is it, did you find him?" I asked.

"There were signs of struggle in the upstairs bathroom." He explained. "There was blood and that Amber girl is missing."

No. "Do you think their disappearances are connected?" I questioned, my heart beating rapidly.

"Let's just find him, okay?" He said, avoiding the question. "Let's get your coat on, come on."

With my long coat wrapped around me, I followed Damon as we ran outside, into the woods. It wasn't that cold, but considering what I was dressed in, it wouldn't hurt for it to be warmer. A scream pierced through the air, and although it was dark, I could see the two figures. Stefan was there... feeding off of Amber.

"Stefan!" I gasped, and came to a stop. Stefan's head snapped up at the sound of my voice, and he looked at me. His fangs and mouth were covered in dark blood. He looked at me shocked, and let go of Amber.

Oh my God. I never thought I'd see this scene. It almost scared me to see him this way. He hurt her, he hurt Amber. He bit her, and I was pretty sure that if we hadn't shown up in time, she would've been dead.

"Stefan, come on, get in control." Damon said cautiously, slowly approaching his brother. "It's okay, come on. Breath through it man."

Instead of listening, Stefan grabbed Damon and threw him against a tree. I let out a little shriek at the collision, but Damon got back up easily.

"Stefan, please, stop!" I pleaded to him. Tears ran down my face. I could never really stop crying these days.

All of a sudden, Stefan stopped, and held his head, as if he was in pain. An unnatural wind blew around us, and I looked behind me to see what had caused it. Bonnie stood there, in deep concentration. I recognized it, she was casting a spell on Stefan.

She stopped, and Stefan's bloodlust faze left him, bringing him back to his senses.

"It's okay." Damon tried again.

"Stefan." I breathed out.

He looked terrible, as if he couldn't believe what he had done. He staggered backwards, and half-jerkingly, ran away.

When the police arrived, I was still pretty shaken up. I held onto my coat as if it was the only thing keeping me sane, my fingers started to lose blood circulation. I didn't care. They wrapped Amber in a large blanket, trying to help her into the ambulance. I was so relieved that she'd be okay.

"She doesn't remember what happened." Liz Forbes, Caroline's mother, said as she came up to us.

"It's a good thing the girls got here when they did, she lost a lot of blood." Damon explained.

The sheriff turned to Bonnie and I, asking, "You didn't see anything."

Damon and I turned our heads to look at Bonnie, and she shook her head. "No," I answered, "We found her, and then called Damon." Liz didn't know that Damon or Stefan were vampires, nor did she know that Bonnie and I already knew about the supernatural world. For safety purposes, we couldn't tell anybody, especially not Liz, who would most likely try to hunt down the vampires.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Bonnie questioned Liz.

"It looks like it, yeah." Liz replied, and I let out a breath. "Why don't you girls get back to the party? Damon and I can handle it from here."

"Okay," I agreed, wanting to get out of this "crime scene". I nodded to Liz and Damon, then followed Bonnie to the parking lot.

"Bonnie," I called out to her as we reached her car.

"Leave me alone." She said, her back still to me.

"Bonnie, please."

"What do you want me to say!" She said, turning around finally, with a look of frustration plastered on her face.

"Look, I'm sorry!" I said. "I'm sorry. I never wanted to involve you in this world, but I couldn't keep it a secret from you." Her face softened, "I wish that life was less complicated, that high school was about boys, grades, and clothes. But it's not that simple. The truth is that the secrets, lies, and mysteries never end. The world is a cruel place, but why do you think we still live?"

Tears were starting to form in her eyes, and she let out a strangled, "Why?"

"Because of love." I replied, "Because love defines us as who we are as people, and how we live. Why bother with it, if we're never happy. If we wander the world, wondering why we were ever alive in the first place. I've already lost Jeremy and Elena to these secrets, please don't let me loose you too."

"They know?" She questioned.

I nodded, "I told them. And I know it's selfish of me to ask you of this, but the truth is that I can't go on without you. We've been best friends since we were kids, and you've always been there for me. Please, Bonnie," I pleaded, "Please don't leave me."

By this time, I was crying my eyes out, and so was she. She let out a sob, and rushed over to me, embracing me in a hug. "I'm so sorry," she cried out, "I haven't been a good friend lately, because I've let my prejudices get in the way of our friendship. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course," I said, "Bonnie, it's not your fault."

"I wanna protect you," she said, "I have powers, Ariana, I can feel them getting stronger. I can protect us now." She smiled through her tears. "And I'll be there for you, promise. I'll help you through all this supernatural stuff."

"I may not have awesome powers like you, but I'll do the same for you." I said, "I'll protect you as much as I can."

We hugged again, and my heart felt like it was partially whole again. Bonnie chose to no longer turn her back on me. But I now had Stefan to worry about. I needed to know what had happened to him, and I wanted to help. No matter how much I tried, it seemed that most of the time, me helping was never enough.

I stood at the bottom of the staircase, outside the Lockwood Mansion, waiting for Jenna and Alaric.

When Alaric finally came out, he said, "Good, there you are. Jenna wanted me to get the car." He looked at me for a second, pondering. "Are you okay? What happened?"

I sighed. Stefan happened.

After changing back into my casual clothes, telling Damon what I planned to do, I entered Stefan's bedroom, where he paced back and forth, trying to calm down.

"You shouldn't be here." He stated. I didn't try accepting or denying that statement, just waited for him to continue. "Now you know."

"What you did today, that wasn't like you." I told him.

"Oh, it was absolutely me." He said. "A monster, a predator, that's who I am, Ariana."

"It wasn't you," I continued to argue, "You may be a vampire, but it doesn't necessarily change who you are. You're good, Stefan. You've always been good, and you always will be. Even today when you acted like that, it was because you lost control, not because of who you are deep down."

"I lost control because of the blood." He said, "The blood brings out what's really inside of me, and if you think any different than you're an idiot."

"Okay, then." I said, "Then I'm an idiot. But so are you if you believe that you're really like this."

"I wanted to drain every ounce of blood from the girl's body." Stefan explained. "It's who I am, Ariana."

"You can't scare me." I said, pointing out what he was so obviously trying to do.

"Why would you risk it?" He questioned, "Why would you come here?"

"Because I want to help you," I replied, "Because you helped me in a time where my life seemed dark, and almost unlivable. Because you showed me a whole new side to living, and I will be eternally grateful to you for that."

"Is that why you're doing this?" He questioned, even more angry than before, "Because you feel like owe me?"

"I'm doing this because I love you!" I said. "I love you, and I know that you're good."

"Please..." he said brokenly, "Don't say that."

"Don't say what?"

"Don't say that you love me." He said, "Because I don't deserve to be loved by you."

"That's not true." I stated. "You're good, and you deserve - "

He cut me off, by shouting, "Stop saying that!" He lashed out at a box full of CD's on the desk, and they went clattering to the floor, some of them probably breaking. I refused to be frightened by his outburst, and held my ground. I walked towards him, and he held out his hands, backing up, "Don't get any closer to me."

I continued to walk closer to him, "I'm not gonna give up on you." I said.

"Stop." He commanded.

I didn't listen. "Stefan, I believe in you."

"Stop!" He yelled, and pushed me up against the wall roughly, slamming his fist against it near my head. "Stop!" To say that I wasn't frightened by now, would be a lie. I wasn't hurt or anything, just really shocked. Even Damon poked his head out from the doorframe, giving me a look of concern. I tried to give him a look that said "I'm fine."

I breathed heavily, and Stefan's angry expression faded, as it was replaced by a look that suggested he was horrified and disgusted by himself. "I'm so sorry." He whispered, placing his head next to mine. "I love you so much, I would never want to hurt you. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," I said, closing my eyes, trying to soothe him, "It's okay."

He began to cry, saying, "I don't know what's happening to me."

"It's okay, Stefan," I said, feeling very sympathetic, "It's okay. You're gonna be okay."

Then, Stefan fell down, and I realized what happened. Stefan lay unconscious on the ground, and Damon stood above him, holding the vervain dart that he had injected him with, as planned. "Sure you want to do this?"

I nodded.

Damon carried Stefan, and placed him in the cell in the basement. He closed the door, locking it.

"There's no guarantee it's going to work." Damon told me.

I looked through the cell bars, where Stefan's eyes were still closed, lying on the dirty ground. I hated to see him this way, locked up. But it was the only way to help him, to make him someone he wanted to be.

"We have to at least try." I said to Damon, "I owe him that..." I also love him, more than myself.

Damon nodded, and gestured back up the stairs to the main floor, "Coming?"

I shook my head. "I'm gonna stay here." I slid down to the floor, and sat up against the wall, pulling my knees up to my chest.

Damon stood standing for a few moments, then sat down too, opposite of me against the other wall. His long leg stretched out, leaning against my foot, as his other leg was bent, supporting his elbow. He looked at me, and I stared back. No matter how much he tried to deny it, I knew that he cared about Stefan, more than he'd ever admit.

I loved Stefan, and right now, all I wanted was for him to be someone he wanted to be. The only reason I was going through with this was because he told me that he didn't want to be this person. Hopefully, once the blood faze went away, he could choose his own path, the path to the person that he wanted to be.

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I'm so glad there are many of you who enjoy my story, and I want you to know that I realize that, and I'm grateful. If you want to leave a comment, or a suggestion, please review.

-Spiralcloud