FOUNDER'S DAY

Ariana POV:

Looking into the long mirror in front of me, it showed the reflection of Jenna and I. She stood behind me, tying the corset around my chest and stomach. Today was Founder's Day, and it was practically mandatory to dress up. Since I was Miss Mystic Falls, I definitely had to come in the late 1850's style of clothing. Which meant corsets.

"Ouch," I complained softly when Jenna tightened the strings of the corset. Was it really necessary to have my waist be like sixteen inches? Seems kind of ridiculous to me. "Corsets hurt."

"Suck it in, baby." Jenna said, giving me a smile in the mirror.

My dress was deep violet in color, made to resemble a very expensive dress from the nineteenth century. The neckline was low, and the only sleeves were pieces of ribbon that hooked around the top of my shoulders. Sewn in gold rimmed these edges with intricate patterns, as well as along with the empire waist, and flared down the middle of my dress, reaching my toes. I wore a hoop skirt underneath, with black high heels. My jewelry consisted of; my vervain necklace, gold flower earrings, bangles, and an amethyst ring.

Jenna helped me with my hair by curling it to the point where it hung in tiny ringlets down to my waist, and a gold butterfly clip was placed in my hair for the finishing touches.

"There," Jenna said, taking a look at me in the mirror. "You look beautiful, Miss Ariana Gilbert." She said, smirking. I looked pretty authentic, I had to say. I wondered if I looked like Katherine... "Be careful walking, you wouldn't want to trip in that dress."

I smiled and nodded.

3rd person POV:

Stefan stood alone at the high school, dressed in an 1800's shirt, black suit, slacks, and shoes. He was waiting for Ariana, wanting to see how she'd look in the nineteenth century dress. There was no doubt that she'd obviously be breathtakingly beautiful, but would she bring up long diverted memories from the past?

"Look at you, all retro." Damon commented, smirking as he came to stand beside Stefan, dressed in his regular dark clothes.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked, not looking at him.

"Why wouldn't I be here?" Damon retorted, "Bonnie deactivated the Gilbert invention, Isobel is gone, and it's Founder's Day!" He stood in front of Stefan and playfully punched him on the arm. He wiggled his eyebrows, "I'm here to eat cotton candy and steal your girl."

Stefan rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Don't start with me, Damon."

"Oh, you started this, Stefan, with that whole 'I'm insecure, leave Ariana alone" speech." Damon mocked him. "I'm enjoying that."

"As long as you heard it." Stefan retorted.

"What?" Damon pretended to ask, "Huh?" Stefan just pressed his lips together and looked away, "You have no sense of humor, Stefan."

"Actually, I've no sense of 'Damon humor'." Stefan said.

"'Damon humor'..." Damon repeated, acting surprised. "Hey look, I get it, I get it." He pointed to himself, "I'm the better, hotter, superior choice and you're scared, now that Katherine is out of the picture, that I'm gonna turn all my attention to Ariana. But don't worry, it's not my call to make."

"You're right, it's not." Stefan said sourly, glaring at his brother. But Damon wasn't looking at him. He was looking far off into the distance in adoration, somewhere behind Stefan. Stefan furrowed his eyebrows then turned around as well, and his eyes went wide.

She was stunningly beautiful, angelic, magnificent, spectacular, otherworldly... No finite amount of adjectives could describe how Ariana looked right now. The Salvatore brothers were amazed and speechless at the sight. She was clad in a deep violet nineteenth century dress, lined with gold thread and jewelry. But it wasn't the dress that made Ariana beautiful, it was the other way around. Ariana herself was gorgeous, and nothing could ever beat the beauty that she held, and carried around with her, wherever she went.

When Ariana spotted them, she smiled sunnily, and curtsied like a true princess: elegant and noble.

The brothers thought of how she resembled Katherine... but really, she didn't. Katherine could never be like Ariana, and vice versa. They may have been exact replicas of each other, but Ariana had an air of light, kindness, and happiness... while Katherine was darkness, mischief, and destruction.

Damon and Stefan both loved Ariana more than anything, but they each also knew that the other loved her the same way. The thing that once turned two brothers against each other was about to happen again... this time... it was stronger, much stronger.

Ariana POV:

"John?!" I exclaimed to Stefan, surprised. After finding him and Damon shortly after arriving to school, Damon suddenly left, while Stefan told me some... interesting information. Looking all handsome in his 1800's suit, he looked uncomfortable telling me the truth. John was my father. "Is that even possible?"

"There is no proof, but he dated Isobel when she was a teenager and he was the one who brought her to your dad's office for the deliveries." He explained softly.

I shook my head, trying to make sense of the situation. "It's so... unusual." I finally said, "Elena would freak."

Elena had never liked John, she always treated him with disrespect. I was anxious to see what her reaction would be once I told her about John. Stefan said, "Sorry, I'm sorry. I just wanted to tell you before Damon dropped it on you on some typically inappropriate way."

"No, I'm happy that you told me," I said, "Don't be sorry... I just... I don't know how I'm gonna confront him about it."

"I guess, when you're ready, you can ask." he said.

I almost scoffed at that. As if I'd ever be ready. "Gosh, my relationships with my family members are getting really confusing."

Stefan smiled weakly, "Talk to me about it, maybe it'll make you feel better."

I sighed and shrugged, "My adoptive parents are dead, my birth mother's a vampire, my uncle is really my biological father, which technically makes Jeremy my cousin..." Yep, it was definitely confusing. "I don't know whether Jeremy hates me or not at this point."

Stefan took my hand and squeezed it, "He doesn't hate you." He said, trying to convince me, "He may be a little hurt, but he's your brother, he'll forgive you."

"I hope so." I said, thinking about Stefan's relationship with Damon. No matter how hard they try to deny it, they were good brothers, and deep down, they had already forgiven each other. At least, that's what I thought. "Thanks, Stefan. For listening to my annoying problems." I joked.

He shook his head and smiled, "If it's you, I'd never mind." He stated, "I'll always be here for you."

Caroline came over to us right after, and ordered me to take the "Miss Mystic Falls" picture with my escort. Stefan and I succumbed, and posed in front of the Mystic Float, with Caroline and Matt watching.

"Say 'cheese'!" Bonnie smiled eagerly at us, as she snapped the picture. Stefan's arms were around my waist while I clasped mine elegantly in front of me, resting on my lower stomach.

After Bonnie took a few more pictures, Matt spoke up, "Am I allowed to take a picture with the Mystic Queen?"

I looked up at Stefan, and he nodded, "Of course," he said. Matt swapped places with Stefan, and placed his hands were placed on my waist. Seeing everyone in their Civil War costumes was amazing... it felt nice to just dress up once in a while, even though this corset really did hurt.

"Oh, wait!" Caroline exclaimed before Bonnie took the next photo. She turned to Matt, "Hide your cast, it's not era-appropriate!"

"Seriously?" Matt questioned right behind me, and I giggled. Matt had a cast from his injury he got from Frank, but he was alright, and for that, I was grateful.

"Yes!" Caroline insisted.

"Okay, fine." Matt rolled his eyes, and hid the arm with the cast behind his back, and placed his one arm around me. We smiled, and Bonnie finally snapped the picture.

"Okay, my turn!" Caroline insisted, running up to me.

"Me too!" Bonnie agreed, then looked around for someone else to hand the camera to.

Tyler arrived suddenly, and said, "Here, I can take it."

Bonnie gave him the camera, and went up to stand on my left, with Caroline on my right. Matt glanced at Tyler, glaring slightly, then back to us. "I'll be on the float." Matt said gruffly before leaving. He must've still been mad at Tyler for kissing his mother, and then fighting with him. I didn't blame him.

Tyler looked at us, "I said I was sorry!"

"You made out with his mother and then you beat him to a pulp." Caroline retorted, glaring at Tyler, "You're gonna have to do a little better than 'sorry'."

With a dramatic flip of her hair, Caroline left in a flurry of yellow - the color of her dress.

Tyler looked at us, asking, "Whatever. You want a picture?"

Bonnie looked down to what she was wearing, which consisted of a simple cardigan and jeans. "Wow, sorry, Ariana." She said, "I just remembered that I'm not dressed."

"Oh, it's okay." I said with a smile, "We can still take a photo. We're besties, aren't we?"

Bonnie smiled when I used Caroline's word: besties. We wrapped an arm around each other, and Tyler snapped a picture.

"I'm gonna go catch up with Caroline, see you later," Bonnie said.

"Bye." I waved as she walked away. My eyes wandered over to Tyler, who had a look of sadness and bitterness on his features. I smiled weakly and walked over to him, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. His head snapped up a bit as he looked at me in alarm. "You alright?"

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"Don't worry." I said, "You and Matt are best friends. He'll forgive you."

Tyler pressed his lips together, and nodded, "Thanks, Ariana."

I nodded, slowly stepped away from him, and went towards Stefan, who stood off to the side, watching me. I gave him a silent 'thank you', since it was his words I had used to condole Tyler.

I left Stefan a little while later, in search for Jeremy. The entire school grounds was completely changed as everything had a Civil War feel to it. Some of the students were dressed in the war attire, while others hadn't worn costumes at all. They were just here to watch and support the Founder's Day tradition, which began with the parade.

"Jeremy!" I called out, when I spotted him, dressed in a grey Confederate soldier uniform, splattered with fake blood. "Hey, you look great. I love the float, you guys did a great job."

"Yeah..." Jeremy muttered, not looking at me.

"Jer..." I started.

"I'm sorry," he said, making an excuse, "I need to - uh - help the others set up." He left me, and I stood there for a seconds, trying to stop the feeling of sadness that entered me.

Finally, the floats were parading. Stefan and I stood in the center-top of our float, while Caroline, and the other girls plus their escorts, stood below us. The band led the parade, and loud music blasted from the instruments as the Float started to move. Yep, great, just don't fall, I told myself.

Carol Lockwood announced the Floats from a stage with enthusiasm. "Let's give a big hand to the Mystic Falls high school Marching Band!" The people gathered around the parade started to clap, shout, and scream, congratulating them. "And for a little local history, Mr. Saltzman's students have recreated Virginia's Battle of Willow Creek."

That was Jeremy's float, right in front of us. I couldn't see them very well from where I stood, but from the cheers, I knew they were a hit.

"Ladies and gentleman, please welcome our stunning Miss Mystic Falls Court and their handsome escorts." Carol said as our float finally arrived. We laughed, smiled and waved into the crowd, as they looked back up at us adoringly. "This is Ariana Gilbert, Miss Mystic Falls." She pointed to me, and I heard a chain of whistles and shouts arise, "Aren't they beautiful?"

Surprising myself, I was actually able to spot Bonnie in the crowd, who had a big smile on her face. I smiled too, and waved at her, while she waved vigorously back. Somebody stepped in front of her, blocking her from my view. I rolled my eyes when I realized it was Damon, as he waved flirtatiously at me. I sighed and looked up to Stefan, who was looking at his brother in distaste.

I rolled my eyes again, and turned away from them, waving to the other people in the crowd. Elena was there, dressed in her regular clothes as well. I started to feel bad for her, realizing that she'd be up here if she hadn't have dropped out. At my look of sadness, Elena gave me an almost smile, silently communicating that it was okay, and she was happy for me.

Oh, right. That reminded me. I gotta tell her about John. Great...

When the parade ended sometime in the afternoon, I went to my locker and changed back into modern day clothes. I wore a black tank top, and over it a white 3/4 sleeve leather jacket. Black jeans covered my legs, with boots, and silver jewelry. After combing through my hair, it changed back to its original state, slightly wavy.

Entering the Grill, I smiled at all the people having fun.

"I like you better like this," The voice belonged to a smirking Damon, as he planted himself in front of me. "This twenty-first century look suits you better."

I was a bit taken aback, and asked with a smile, "Is that supposed to be an insult?"

He blinked a few times, and said, "Actually, Ariana, it is a compliment of the highest order." Was this his way of saying I was hotter than Katherine? How would that make sense? Of course... this was Damon.

I shook my head with a smile, and leaned in closer, so I could tell him what I really thought, "Damon... I know Stefan is worried about our..." I searched for the right word, "Friendship."

"Did he mention something to you too?" He questioned smiling, with a glint in his eyes.

I looked at him confused, "No, did he mention something to you?"

"No," he immediately said, obviously lying. Then he smirked, "Nothing worth repeating."

I took a deep breath. It wasn't just me who knew about Stefan's discomfort. Damon clearly realized that Stefan would become agitated when Damon and I were together. "I think that you should stop with the flirty little comments and that eye-thing that you do."

"What eye thing?" Damon smiled, feigning ignorance as he wiggled his brows suggestively at me.

I gave him a look, "I'm your friend, Damon." I said, smiling. He dropped the smirk as he looked at me with softened eyes, swallowing. I nodded, then glanced to the side.

Jeremy was here. At the Grill.

Looking at Damon one last time, I caught him looking longingly down at me. In my mind, I questioned the hurt I saw on his face. Trying to push aside the emotions bubbling within me, I walked towards my brother.

"Hey, Jer." I started, with a smile.

He glanced up at me, and went back to staring at the wooden table. Okay, then.

"Jeremy," I tried again, "Please, you're my brother. I know that I lied, and it was wrong. I'm sorry. But I love you, so please, tell me what I can do."

He finally looked up to me. I couldn't decide whether his eyes were shining or dull. What was he thinking? Would he ever forgive me. He blinked a few times, faltering, "Please... Ariana. Just leave me alone."

Those words were like a slap to the face. Color drained from my face as he got up, and walked past me, not giving me a second glance. I stared after him as he walked stiffly out of the Mystic Grill, tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

3rd person POV:

The Mystic Falls' square was filled with many people, walking in the afternoon sun. They talked and chatted about things ranging from clothes, to cars, to what they'd have for dinner or desert.

Jeremy walked right past them, his emotions conflicted. He wanted to apologize for his behavior to Ariana... to take back all of what he just said. But he didn't. He couldn't help but feel like it was her fault, like she was the one to blame for everything. But it wasn't. Jeremy loved his sister, so why couldn't he forgive her?

Unknown to Jeremy before he spoke, Damon followed the Gilbert, mocking him, "I have so many emotions, but I don't have any way to express them. Being a teenager is so hard!"

Jeremy rolled his eyes in annoyance and kept walking away. "You're a dick!" He stated.

"You do not talk to me like that!" Damon ordered, his eyes hard, "I'm not your sister. And from now on," he grabbed Jeremy's arm, halting both of them, as the Gilbert turned around to glare at Damon, slightly frightened. "Don't talk to your sister that way either."

"So, you're going to kill me just 'cause I hurt Ariana's feelings?" Jeremy questioned sourly.

"Cut her some slack." Damon said. "She's been through a lot, and you're making her life harder than it needs to be."

Jeremy's eyes visibly softened, and his voice was tight, "I know."

"Then go back there, and tell her you're sorry." Damon said obviously, as if he was talking to a child.

"When I choose to forgive her, it will be my call to make, not yours." Jeremy stated stiffly, before turning around and trying to leave.

Damon's arm prevented him from doing so, as he pulled Jeremy back to him, his grip enough to cause bruises later. Jeremy's eyes shined in fear. "Let go of me before I cause a scene." He threatened.

"You'll be unconscious before you even got a word out." Damon retorted.

"Oh, yeah?" Jeremy challenged, "What would Ariana say when she found out?"

Damon narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip, causing Jeremy to wince.

"Let him go." Stefan commanded, arriving from nowhere and managing to get in between them.

Damon reluctantly released him. Stefan turned to look at Jeremy, asking, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Jeremy got out, glancing uneasily between the two Salvatore brothers.

Stefan gave Damon a look, "What my brother is trying to say is; don't blame Ariana for this. Damon turned Vicki, I killed her." Jeremy look at Stefan, alarmed, "She was a threat to you, and she was a threat to your sisters. I'm sorry that it happened, I wish it hadn't. All Ariana was did was try to protect you."

Jeremy remained silent for a few seconds, while Damon gave Stefan a look. He finally spoke up, "You shouldn't have made me forget... " he looked down for a second, then back to the brothers, "She's my sister, and I love her. I'm starting to believe that the reason she's changing is because of you two." The Salvatore brothers shared a look, "In some ways, it helped her... but in others... it's also put us and the people we're close to in danger."

On that finale note, he left.

After Damon cleared his throat uncomfortably, he looked to his brother and smirked, "Good cop, bad cop, I like it."

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.

"He's being a punk." Damon stated, referring to Jeremy.

"Ariana's relationship with her brother is none of your business." Stefan said, glaring, "So stay out of it!"

"Oh, there's only one 'do gooder' role available." Damon scoffed sarcastically, throwing his arms up and smirking, "My bad. I'm sorry."

"Get over yourself." Stefan said, "We both know you're not doing this for the right reasons."

"You see, there you go with that little jealousy act again." Damon questioned, "What are the right reasons, Stefan? Enlighten me, please!"

Damon was enjoying this a bit too much, though he was still on edge because of the topic. Stefan explained, "Well, see Damon; it's only real when it comes from your desire to do the right thing for nothing in return. And I know that it is an entirely foreign concept to you." Damon rolled his eyes, "I completely understand that you wouldn't get it."

He started to walk away, but Damon's voice stopped him: "Then what is it I want in return, Stefan?"

Stefan glanced back, his gaze tight, "Don't pretend you don't know." He carried on his way, leaving Damon to his own thoughts.

The older Salvatore figured that if he were to mend Jeremy's relationship with Ariana, she would be happier. That's all he had ever wanted for her; for her to be happy. But... would it be enough for him? Could he bear to witness Stefan and Ariana's feelings for each other, as long as she was happy with him? Or did he want what he has desired from the start?

Ariana POV:

Night had finally fallen. Stefan met up with me a couple hours ago, and we wondered around Mystic Fall's square, having fun and laughing. Stefan smiled, telling me a funny story from the past. In the middle of my giggling, I suddenly felt a caress of someone's hand on mine, and it wasn't Stefan's.

Stefan looked at the person, irritated, and I raised my head to see the familiar person. "Damon?"

"Before you ask, I'm saving your life." He explained, though I remained confused. "Fifteen words or less... Tomb vamps are here, Founding Families are their target." He looked to Stefan, "Get her out of here, now!"

Damon gave me a reassuring look, and started to leave. "Wait, where are you going?" Stefan inquired.

"That's more than fifteen words, Stefan." Damon ignored the question, and finally left.

I looked to Stefan, panicked. The tomb vampires were here? But I thought that Anna said they were scattered; gone! They wanted revenge, I guessed. Against the Founding Families. Great.

"Wait, Jeremy and Elena are out here somewhere." I told Stefan.

He nodded, "Let's go find them, come on." He tightened his grip on my hand, and I followed him.

The fireworks started in celebration for today, and everyone was gathered in a crowd where the mayor was giving his speech. Stefan led me away from all the people and all the chaos to the other side of the town's square. All of a sudden, Stefan fell down onto the pavement, grabbing his temples in pain.

"Stefan!" I said, panicked, kneeling down and putting my arms around him, "What's wrong? What's happening?"

"My head." He choked out in an excruciating exclaim.

"What?" I questioned, confused. What was wrong?

"My head!" He grunted again, and I kneeled there, useless. How could I help him, when I had no idea what was happening? I looked around, barely seeing any signs of people. My breathing came heavily, as my heart broke, seeing Stefan in all this pain. I felt like crying because of my ignorance.

"Hey!" I heard a familiar voice called. Elena jogged over to us, furrowing her brows in confusion at Stefan's state. "What the hell's going on?"

"I don't know what happened, he just dropped," I stated helplessly.

"Yeah, he's not the only one." Alaric's voice said as he came over to us, and helped Stefan up. He took one arm, while I took the other. It was hard for me to hold up Stefan, and was glad when Alaric took most of the weight. Elena followed us to where there were stairs going down, as we hid from the people. "The cops have gotten everyone who's gone down, injected them with vervain."

"What?" Elena questioned, confused, glancing at Stefan.

I thought about it for a moment, trying to keep the fear from clouding my senses. A light bulb went off in my head, as I said: "They're rounding up the vampires."

Alaric left a few minutes ago, checking to see where all the vampires were. Stefan stopped clutching his head, and looked at me tensely. He didn't look like he was in pain anymore; he looked relieved. "Are you okay?" I asked him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah." He replied, not moving much though. He was obviously trying to get over the shock and heal, "It was like needles were piercing my skull and it just stopped."

I involuntarily shivered. I remembered when I was young, and despised needles, especially whenever my dad would take me to his office to inject some sort of vaccine into me. I tolerated them now, but still hated them. Hearing Stefan describe what his pain felt like just now made the shots I had seem like heaven.

"I saw at least five vampires go down." Alaric explained, as he arrived to stand beside me. "They're taking them to your family's old building." He looked at Elena and I.

What? Where my dad used to work? What were they going to do?

"It's the Gilbert device." Stefan spoke up, "It has to be."

"But Bonnie took away its power." I said, a bit agitated. Didn't she?

"Maybe she didn't." Alaric said, softly.

Elena scoffed, "Well, that wouldn't be a first." she looked at me, "Bonnie's stubborn."

"So are you." I retorted with a smirk. That was bad. I shouldn't have been seeking humor in a time like this.

She shrugged, "I guess it runs in the family."

I rolled my eyes, then got back to the point. "Why wouldn't Bonnie remove the spell?"

"Think about it." Stefan said from where he was sitting on the concrete stairs, looking thoughtful, "We asked Bonnie to deactivate a device that could protect people against vampires."

"We were protecting you." I said, not trying to feel guilty.

"And Damon." Stefan stated, and my throat got tight. Damon. Of course. Bonnie hated him, enough to put Stefan in danger of the device. Enough that she pretended to have deactivated it. Enough to have lied to her best friend. But this wasn't about me, this was about all the people and vampires that could have been harmed. "Vampires." Stefan continued, "Where's Damon."

"I don't know." Alaric said, "I haven't seen him since this started."

I couldn't believe that I had forgotten. In the midst of seeing Stefan have... some sort of vampire stroke, I didn't pay attention to what was really happening. Damon would've felt the same thing. Did this mean they took him?

I looked to Alaric quickly, "Can you find my brother, take him home?"

"Of course."

"Thank you." I said sincerely, then looked to Elena. "You should - "

"Don't even think about it." She said before I'd finished, "I'm coming with you."

I nodded, to occupied with my thoughts to think clearly. Stefan stood up, and I said, "Let's go."

We walked in the general direction to where the old building was. About half way there, Stefan came to an abrupt halt, saying, "Wait, wait, wait, I can hear them." I looked at him in confusion, as he furrowed his brows. His eyes snapped up to meet mine, and he stated fearfully, "The building is on fire."

I gasped and Elena inquired, "What?"

"The building's on fire!" Stefan repeated, more loudly this time. We quickly started to walk again, twice as fast as before.

Shoot. If the building was on fire... that meant that they were killing the vampires. All those people... They may not be human, but they were still worth saving. Damon...

I was impatient as we finally caught sight of the building. Uncle John was there, and he turned around, looking at the three of us questioning. "Where is Damon?" I asked him. He must've known where they were, based on the knowing look he had plastered on his face.

"With the rest of them, where he should be." He stated, looking at Stefan pointedly, "It's over for Damon."

"You're such an asshole!" Elena spat at him.

"Why?" He questioned, "Because I'm doing what should have been done a hundred and forty five years ago? This is the right thing, Elena." He shifted his gaze to me, as I slightly glared at him. "Ariana."

I looked to my side, seeing that Stefan was looking anxiously at the building, wanting to bolt towards it. John said to him, "Go ahead, you won't make it out. It'll save me the trouble of killing you myself."

I swallowed nervously. Stefan looked over to me, inquiring, "You know the building well, is there another way in?"

I rummaged through my mind, seeking the long forgotten memories stored there. Remembering the entrances to the old building, I pointed, showing Stefan. "Utility door, there's one around the side."

Stefan started off, and I was about to follow him, but an arm held me in place, bringing me back so that I was now facing John.

John. My father.

"You take one more step and I'll alert those deputies that they missed a vampire." He threatened, holding my arm tightly.

"Please." I breathed out. "I'm asking you not to."

"That doesn't mean anything to me." Those were his words, but his eyes said otherwise. He cared what I thought. About him. About everything.

"I would've thought that it did, since you are my father." I finally said, just putting it out there. God, Star Wars reference much? Well, sort of. The wording wasn't far off.

John's eyes widened, and I took that as confirmation.

"What?!" Elena screeched beside me, glancing back and forth between John and I.

John didn't respond for a long time. When he did, he simply stated. "You know."

I nodded. He stepped back, and let go of my arm, languished.

"Please, tell me it's not true." Elena shook my arm, not caring that she was practically yelling. "He's my - our - birth father?"

I gave her a look, and she took my silence as an answer. I knew that she really disliked John. Finding out all of this was bound to make her on edge.

She turned her head - her face a mask of disgust - to glare at John who stared at her squarely back. She suddenly sprinted forward, and rammed her palms into John's chest. He staggered back a bit, surprised by her actions.

"Elena." I tried, glancing at the building again. "We need to go, please."

She looked back at me, and asked accusingly, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I only found out a few hours ago." I explained, "I was trying to find you when all this." My arms waved around me, "Happened."

"Uh, God, I just - " She cut herself off and took a deep breath. "Fine, I'll deal with it later."

I nodded to her, and we took off in the direction of where Stefan had went, leaving a dumbstruck John behind.

I saw Stefan enter through the emergency door, where smoke was coming out. "Stefan!" I called out, before following him into the room. But before I could go in, someone stopped me.

"Ariana, you can't go in there!" Bonnie exclaimed to me, and I finally noticed her, standing there.

"Oh, shut up!" Elena said to her, "It's your fault all of this is happening in the first place."

"Elena!" I said, shocked. I knew that what Bonnie did wasn't exactly desired, but she believed that she was helping to protect the people. It was honorable, even if we disagreed on what she should've done.

"No, she's right, it is." Bonnie said, looking to Elena, then to me, "I'm sorry I lied to you, but I'm here to fix it." She caught my arm, closed her eyes, and began to recite something in an unknown dialect. A spell.

"We don't have all night!" Elena complained, not getting that Bonnie was trying to help us.

"Elena, she's doing a spell." I told her, but she still glared at Bonnie suspiciously. I may have been hurt that my best friend had lied to me, but if she was willing to help out again, then I'd let her. Let's just hope that this time she'd be saving the same people I was trying to save.

Bonnie's chanting grew louder, and wind whipped around me, sending my hair into a flurry around me, floating as if I was under water. Everything stopped suddenly, and Bonnie looked at me with a half-smug smile on her face.

"Bonnie...are they going to be okay?" I queried. She continued to give me the same look, this time releasing my arm. Elena and I shared a concerned look, when I heard a gasp.

Whipping my head back to the open utility door, I saw two figures stumble out of it. It was Stefan, and he helped Damon by placing his body under his brother's arm. I rushed towards them, checking to make sure they were unharmed.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed. Stefan looked fine, just worried. Damon looked to be tired, probably from the vervain, but other than that, he was unharmed. I breathed a sigh of relief, and placed a hand on Stefan's shoulder, the one not occupied by Damon. "You guys okay."

"Yeah." Stefan breathed, smiling a bit at me.

Damon tilted his head towards me. It may have been my imagination, but it seemed as if it took all of his strength just to do that one simple movement. He smiled at me, relaxing. "Fine." He puffed out.

But all those other vampires... That couldn't be helped. Stefan and Damon were here, and that was all I could ask for.

I took a deep breath, and let it out. They were okay. My eyes filled with tears of joy. Elena looked at me, and smirked. She was happy that the Salvatore brothers were okay too.

I waited at the Grill about an hour later, after Elena had gone back home. I had overheard what the "story" was, and intended to repeat it to the others.

Stefan came through the door of the Mystic Grill, and I explained to him: "The fire is out. The 'story' is the building's old wiring is what caused it."

He nodded, and asked, "Did you see where Damon went?" He asked me.

I looked at him in confusion, "No, I thought he was with you."

He gave a puff of laughter and shook his head, "No, he just disappeared. Figures."

I smiled, and hugged him. His arms wrapped around me as he embraced me tightly back. "I'm so glad you're okay." I said as I pulled back slightly, "I was so worried."

He looked at me apologetically, and I gave him a reassuring smile. After a few moments, he said, "I try so hard... to hate him. I guess it's just pointless."

I gave him a smile. "You care about him, so do I." I said, and he looked at me, nodding sadly. He must've misinterpreted my meaning. "But I love you, Stefan, and I know that you are worried about that."

He tried to shrug nonchalantly, but I saw through it, seeing how tense and worried he really was. "I just... you know... I know my brother."

I almost rolled my eyes at his comment. He made it sound as if Damon could suddenly seduce me into being with him. "But I love you, Stefan." I said.

"I know the trouble he can cause."

I was already shaking my head before he had finished, "I love you, Stefan, you." I held his face in between my palms. He looked at me for a few more seconds, though I couldn't tell whether or not he had believed my answer or not. So I kissed him. "You have nothing to worry about, okay?" He nodded, and I kissed him again.

"Elena called; Jenna and Jeremy are both home." I told Stefan, "I'm just gonna run over to the school to pick up my dress, my clothes, and my school stuff and then I'll check on them."

Stefan nodded, "Okay, be careful."

After picking up my clothes from school, I headed back home. Just before I reached the porch, my front door opened. Damon stepped out, and closed the door behind him, looking at me. So, this is where he's been the whole time.

"Hey," I said, "What's up?"

"Failed and feeble attempt at doing the right thing." He explained.

"Damon Salvatore... is doing the right thing?" I joked, raising my eyebrows.

He smirked back, "I said I failed."

"Failed in what?" I asked, still smiling. What was he doing at my house?

"It's not important." He answered, "Let me take this for you."

Once I had reached the porch, he took my dress and bag out of my hands, setting it down on the bench. "Thank you." I said.

"You know, I came to this town wanting to destroy it." He said, turning back to look at me. "Tonight, I found myself wanting to protect it. How does that happen?" It was a rhetorical question, so I didn't answer, "I'm not a hero, Ariana. I don't do good. It's not in me."

"Damon, everyone has good in them." I defended.

"Nah, not me." He retorted, "It's reserved for my brother, and you... and Bonnie... who, even though she has every reason to hate me, still helped Stefan save me."

"Why do you sound so surprised?" I questioned. Damon, no matter how much he tried to deny it, had good in him. Even Bonnie could see it, which is why she had decided to help him.

"Because she did it for you." He replied immediately. "Which means that somewhere along the way, you decided that I was worth saving." With each word, he had walked closer to me, until he was only a few inches away. "And I wanted to thank you, for that."

I swallowed a bit at how close he was, and said, "You're welcome. I've always thought you were worth saving, Damon."

Damon looked at me in awe, and leaned in. He was hesitant at first, but finally placed a kiss on my cheek. The fire pervaded from my cheek to my entire body as his lips lingered there. It was a whisper of a feather... bringing along ice from the inside, but then melted into a burning liquid.

My eyes almost fluttered shut at his touch, and I caught myself wanting more. He was about to give it to me, his lips only a centimeter away from mine, when I stopped him. It took all of my willpower, "Goodnight, Damon." I whispered, almost against his lips.

His eyes followed mine as I pulled away from him. Hurt, longing, rejection, and adoration were all on his face, as I walked passed him, going to collect my things. After picking up my dress and bad, I didn't look back as I entered my house, shutting the door behind me.

I breathed heavily as I walked up the stairs to my room. That was close, way too close. What the hell was wrong with me?

Okay, okay, okay. He kissed me on the cheek. That was it. I kissed all my friends on the cheek; Caroline, Bonnie, Matt... No big deal, right? Then why did I have this gut-wretching feeling in the pit of my stomach that made me feel guilty? In fact, I could feel so much guilt that it almost made me want to throw up.

Not being able to take it anymore, I went into my bathroom, locked the doors, and stripped down to nothing. I turned on the shower, and stepped into the freezing cold water. I shivered, but liked how the water took my mind off of everything else. I turned the temperature up, and winced when the water turned scalding hot. It hurt... but I liked it.

Aw, hell. I was definitely going crazy.

3rd person POV:

Katherine waited until Ariana had gone upstairs, before coming out of her hiding place in the front hallway closet. Elena had invited her in accidentally, thinking that she was her sister. Katherine had been studying her doppelganger, learning her reactions and movements. The truth was that Katherine was jealous of Ariana. Her descendant had everything she ever wanted. Boys pining for her, friends who'd die for her, siblings, Stefan...

Time to practice her acting. She opened the front door of the Gilbert house and saw Damon standing there, staring off into the distance. Katherine smirked. How cute, Damon was hurt.

When Damon saw Katherine, his eyes widened in confusion. Damon did not know that this was Katherine, he thought it was Ariana. He wasn't focusing on what Ariana was wearing before, and so he thought that the girl standing in front of him was her; the girl he truly loved.

Before Damon could question what he thought Ariana was doing back on the porch, Katherine kissed him. At first, Damon was shocked. What? Why would Ariana kiss him? But all thoughts evaded his mind as he started to kiss her back, loving the feel of her lips against his.

Something was wrong, and he knew it. It didn't feel... the same. Not like Ariana. Not like the light that she would've been carrying. But Damon was too elated to think clearly, and kissed her back with passion.

The front door opened suddenly, and the two broke apart. Damon turned his head away, breathing heavily.

Jenna stood there, thinking that Katherine was actually Ariana. She scolded her with her eyes, "It's late, you should probably come inside."

Katherine nodded, still acting, and went inside, as the door closed behind her.

Damon looked at the door where she had disappeared behind, still trying to wrap his mind around him kissing Ariana. Yes, he thought. He knew that Ariana had felt something for him too, even if it wasn't as strong as his feelings were for her. His desire for her was impossible to describe, and all he knew was that he loved her.

But what he didn't know, was that he hadn't kissed Ariana: It was Katherine.

Ariana POV:

After my shower, I felt a bit more refreshed, but still dirty. That weird feeling crept up on me, and I shook it off as I got dressed. I put on a deep purple tank top and jean short-shorts. My wet hair cascaded down my back, down to my hips. Gosh, it would take forever to dry. Good thing my house was heated, or I'd be freezing right now.

I went out into the upstairs hallway, about to check up on Jeremy and Elena, when I heard a crash come from downstairs. Confused, I walked down the stairs, slowly entering the kitchen.

Oh my gosh. I am so sorry I haven't updated in like two weeks, but school was really giving me a hard time. Teachers these days are out to make you fail, I am not kidding.

Anyways, I've also been reading a lot, so that's good. Anyone have any suggestions on a good book or series?

So finally, I'm done with the first season. It's been great to write and have everyone read this story, so thank you all for supporting me and reviewing, it helps a bunch. I enjoy writing this fanfic, and it's about to get really complicated for the next few seasons. Gah, it's hurting my head! ;)

Thank you again, and please review.