MEMORY LANE

3rd person POV:

Mystic Falls, 1864. The Lockwood Mansion was embellished with many details for the ball. People danced on the smooth wooden floor, in a flurry of beautiful dresses and tailored suits. But one couple particularly stood out.

Stefan—wearing a black suit, slacks, and shoes—and Katherine—clad in a blue-violet dress that hugged her torso down to her waist, then flared out down to her ankles—danced in the middle of all the people, their gorgeous beings attracting the most attention. Katherine wore her hair up, held by several clips, and white gloves traveled up to her elbow, matching her high-heeled shoes.

They were executing the famous dance, made for The Civil War. They each held up their right hands, and encircled one another, though, they couldn't touch yet.

"Look who found his dancing shoes." Katherine teased Stefan, smirking at him. Stefan smiled back, leaning in to kiss her. Katherine jerked back, giggling, "No touching, Mr. Salvatore. Those are the rules."

"I thought you didn't believe in rules." Stefan stated jokingly. His eyes caught sight of someone who stood off to the side, looking at Stefan with obvious anger and jealousy. Damon. He was dressed in something similar to his brother, but his hair was black and curly. He kept trying to maintain his composure, but he was a step away from failing.

"My brother is still upset that you chose me to escort you." Stefan looked back at Katherine.

"Well, Damon needs to concede that his younger brother is a better dancer." Katherine simply stated, casting a side-long glance to Damon, "Looks like he found someone else to occupy his time."

Stefan turned his confused expression back to Damon, and was shocked by the sight. Ariana? Was that her? She stood there, beautiful as always, looking happy as she linked arms with Damon, and smirked back at Stefan. She wore a white lace sleeveless dress paired with a brown belt and high heels; twenty-first century clothes. Damon's face instantly brightened, gazing at her with heart-wrenching adoration.

"Ariana." Stefan stated, completely forgetting about Katherine as he made his way over to his girlfriend.

Katherine grasped Stefan's wrist, "Stefan, don't."

Ariana left with Damon, walking through the double bay glass doors. Stefan ignored Katherine, and followed them. "Ariana!" He repeated, louder this time.

The time period and scenery changed. Stefan now stood in the twenty-first century Mystic Grill, people laughing, drinking, and playing pool all around him. He was so confused. Glancing down at his clothes, he saw they had been replaced. He wore a grey dress shirt casually, dark jeans, and converse.

His eyes immediately sought out Ariana, seeing her standing by a pool table, holding a cue stick out to him. She smiled cutely, stating, "It's your turn."

Stefan, brightened, and went to walk towards her, as if she were a siren attracting men. Ariana's attention was diverted as Damon entered the picture, holding two cups filled with iced coffee. Stefan's smile faded. She wasn't talking to him. She was talking to his brother, whose hair and clothes were back to his present day style.

"Be prepared to lose." Damon mused as he smiled and handed Ariana one of the cups. They clinked their cups together, and took a sip. She giggled and Damon leaned in, kissing her, their coffee flavors mingling together as their lips parted.

Stefan's heart was broken. It was as if his worst nightmare had come true. Nothing could be worse than this. Tears were starting to fill his eyes. Sadness engulfed him.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" It was Katherine's voice.

Stefan didn't turn around to look at her, as he continued gazing at his brother and Ariana. Damon's arm was wrapped around her, as he guided her, helping her to control the results of where each pool ball would end up. He kissed her head tenderly, feeling her soft, wavy, hair. They looked beyond happy; exultant; ecstatic.

"Now you know how I feel." Katherine continued, sadly. She reached forward and grabbed Stefan's hand. "Don't fight it, Stefan. You loved me once. You can love me again."

Stefan barely spared her a glance as she took his face between her hands. His eyes seemed glued to the couple by the pool table. He felt a deep betrayal at both of them, a pain that worsened over time.

The period and scene changed again. Katherine and Stefan were back in the Lockwood Mansion, 1864. Katherine stared at Stefan, willing him to look at her. "I love you, Stefan. We'll be together again, I promise." Then, she kissed him. Stefan was too tired to fight back. This couldn't be real. It couldn't, it couldn't, no, no, no—

Stefan woke up in a fright. His eyes landed on the familiar ceiling in his bedroom. It was all a dream. Of course Ariana wasn't with Damon, she was with him. She wouldn't betray him like that. He loved her. So much, that if she were to ever feel differently, he wasn't sure he'd be able to survive.

Stefan felt something soft lying half on top, and half against him. Ariana.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked.

"Yes." Stefan assured her, "Yes, bad dream. Get back to sleep."

He ran his hands through her hair, feeling more calm by the second. But wait. Something wasn't right. The texture was slightly different. Ariana's hair was silky and wavy, like the waves of an ocean. This hair was more rough and tightly curled, like a bouncy slinky. When Stefan was with Ariana, nothing felt more right to him. Right now, whatever it was, it definitely didn't feel right.

Stefan vampire sped out of bed, glaring at the smirking figure propped up on one elbow, on his bed. That face... it looked so much like Ariana. But it wasn't her. It was Katherine. She had planted that dream in his head. "Katherine." He spat out.

"You have to admit; I am getting better at this." She stated proudly. She stood up, stalking him like he was prey. "It was easy to get inside of your head. Have you completely forsaken your nature?"

He charged her like a raging bull, but she pushed him back with ease, looking almost bored. "Are we really gonna do this again?" She questioned, "You and I both know I could rip you to shreds and do my nails at the same time."

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to see you." She replied, "I missed you, Stefan. Indulge me for a little while, please?"

He ignored her questions, "Why are you back in town?"

"Three reasons: you, you, and you." Katherine held up three fingers, ticking them off as she responded.

"You see, I can't quite get that down. Just kind of..." Stefan cleared his throat, "...gets stuck in my throat."

"Well, you know, it's the truth." She stated, then neared him, running a hand seductively down his chest, "Deep down inside that gorgeous body of yours there's the Stefan that fell in love with me too."

Ariana POV:

Okay, I'll admit, I was just killing time. I sat in the Mystic Grill, enjoying the free drinks Matt was supplying me with as I waited for Jenna's barbecue to begin. A feeling of wind rushed past me, and I automatically looked around, wondering where the hell wind could be coming from, seeing as though I was indoors.

I gave a startled gasp. Damon was suddenly beside me, examining me strangely. "What?" I asked, when he kept staring.

He tilted his head to the side, "Just wondering what a girl like you is doing all by herself."

I rolled my eyes at his attempt to flirt. I shook my head and got up, moving around his chair.

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere in particular." I answered. Truth to be told, I just felt kinda uncomfortable around him right now. I didn't know where we stood. Allies? Friends? Annoyance filled me at my lack of knowledge. What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I just make a decision and stick to it?

"Okay. See you at Jenna's barbecue."

I froze, and spun back around to face him, as he smirked at me. "How did you know about Jenna's barbecue?"

"It was my idea." He stated proudly. "Jenna went to high school with Mason Lockwood, so I figured a social gathering would be a good way to get to know the guy. So I told Rick to tell Jenna and..."

That explained it. Alaric and Damon had this sort of "bond", and they'd be there to help each other out. Damon was trying to out Mason as being a werewolf, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. On one hand, I wanted to know what kind of creature we were dealing with if it was true. On the other... Tyler was my friend, and I didn't want him or his family hurt, no matter what they were.

A woman working at the Grill handed Damon a big white paper box, probably filled with pastries. "Perfect." Damon smiled, "Thank you." The woman was gazing at him with wide eyes, but he totally ignored her, and turned to me, "I'm hoping this peach cobbler will pave the way."

"What are you planning?" I asked curiously, even a bit fearfully.

He walked closer to me. His breath tickled the side of my neck as he whispered, "I'm gonna put some silver into Mason Lockwood and prove he is a werewolf." I gaped at him, and he smirked, "See you at the barbecue."

3rd person POV:

Back at the boarding house, Katherine was explaining to Stefan what happened the night of the ball in 1864. How Katherine knew from instinct that George Lockwood was a werewolf.

"From the moment I met George, I knew he'd be a problem." She told Stefan.

"So, you're saying that all the Lockwoods are werewolves." He said.

"The werewolf gene runs in the Lockwood family." Katherine corrected, "Not that they're all wolves." She took a sip of alcohol from the glass in her hands casually.

"How many werewolves are out there?" Stefan questioned. "I mean... is it just limited to the Lockwood's?"

Katherine tilted her head to the side. "No, there are others." She concluded, shrugging, "Not many. They're practically extinct. They mainly exist now in books and really bad movies." She gulped down the last remains of alcohol left in her glass, and placed it on the wooden table. "My turn to ask a question."

Picking up Stefan's journal from the couch she left it on, she took the old picture of herself from way back, and held it up, showing it to Stefan.

"Why did you keep this picture?" She wondered, "Why not burn it? Tear it up? You wanna know why I came back. Well, I have a better question: Why did you? For Ariana? Perhaps... but I know the truth. You came back here to fall in love with me all over again, didn't you?"

Stefan was starting to get annoyed at Katherine's claims, but made sure that the emotion didn't show on his face. He was carefully hatching a plan in his head, finding a way to get answers out of her.

Bingo.

He suddenly rushed towards Katherine, and touched her face gently. She felt different from Ariana, colder, full of darkness. But Stefan played on, feigning a surprised look; "What is it about you that makes me still care?"

Katherine, mildly shocked, leaned into him, and kissed him. Not sparing a second, Stefan whipped out a vervain dart from his back pocket, and stabbed her in the back. She fell onto the couch, weakened, trying to catch her breath, as Stefan loomed over her with hatred.

He was done playing games.

Ariana POV:

Jenna and I were in our kitchen, setting up for the barbecue she was throwing. "Thanks for letting me invite Caroline." I told my aunt. "She could use a day of distraction." Or an eternity of one. She was a vampire now, forever. Nothing would ever change that fact... unless she were to... die. Which, I wouldn't let happen, as long as I was alive.

"Well, she's not the plus one I'm worried about." Jenna turned her full attention to me, lifting one shoulder, "Why is Damon coming?"

"Come on Jenna, be nice." I said, "He's going through a tough time as well."

"I don't care what he's been through." Jenna stated, "I'll be nice when Damon learns to keep his paws off you."

I stiffened at that, but pretending to be indifferent. If I remembered correctly, she was there to catch Katherine and Damon kissing, him and Jenna both thinking it was me at the time.

"Good news!" A voice boomed from behind me. "I found the shot glasses!" Mason came to stand beside us, as I pushed down the sense of fear I got from his presence. In his hands were the glass shots and a bottle of alcohol—which he set on the table. He looked pretty much the same, even though I haven't seen him in years. As if he's never aged... oh...

His eyes landed on me, and he smiled big, asking, "Well, I haven't seen you in... what? Seven years?"

I shrugged, "About."

"It's Ariana, right?" He questioned, and I looked at him, surprised. He actually remembered my name. That, and he didn't mix me up with my twin.

"Yes." I smiled slowly.

"I remember you specifically." He continued. "You always used to hang around Tyler and Matt as kids. The one who stood out among the others. No one could ever forget a face like yours."

My cheeks heated up slightly, "I must've changed a lot since then, though."

"You have." He stated, looking me up and down. "But you're still stunningly beautiful. Even more than before, if that's possible."

"Woah, woah." Jenna said with a smile, intervening. She planted herself almost in front of me, looking at Mason. "She's taken, if that's not obvious. You're gonna have to get in line behind the millions of other guys."

"I figured." Mason stated, winking at me.

I smiled, giggling a bit. After making some excuse about checking up on Caroline, I quickly left. I think Alaric and Damon arrived a few moments later, but I was already exiting the house.

"Hey," I said into the receiver of my phone, leaving a message for Stefan. "Just checking in. Did you get my message about Jenna's barbecue? Call me when you can. Love you, bye."

Gosh, I hated leaving messages. They were awkward and strange, like talking to yourself. It seemed almost unnatural.

I sat on one of the chairs on the porch. Caroline came out of my house suddenly, cradling a huge bowl full of chips. "Is that Stefan?" She asked curiously as she took a seat next to me.

"Yeah, he hasn't called me back." I stated softly. "I'm deciding sure whether or not I should be worried."

"I'm sure he's fine." She discarded the topic. She kept stuffing the chips into her mouth, chewing on them while she was talk. She did this without stopping, to the point where it was almost comical. "God! I cannot stop eating!" She exclaimed, "Stefan says it's a great way to sublimate the cravings. It's horrible just fighting the urge for blood every minute of the day."

I looked at her sadly. I never wanted this for her. "Stefan hates that part too." I said.

"Yeah, and he hates that you're a constant temptation."

I looked at her, confused. "He said that?"

"The desire to rip out your jugular every time he's with you?" Caroline questioned, giving me a "duh" look. "Trust me, it's there. It's one of the reasons why I broke up with Matt."

One of the reasons? I thought Matt and Caroline were pretty happy together, and that the only reason she broke up with him was because she had accidentally bit him. "What do you mean?" I asked, "Why else did you guys break up?" I knew it was none of my business, but I wanted to be there for her. To help her through this tough time.

She gave me a sad look, as if I'd already know. But I didn't. I really didn't. Caroline sighed, gave me a pained look, then muttered; "Don't worry about it."

"Caroline—"

I was cut off when Alaric bursted through the doors. I whipped my head around to see him, and he smiled at us, announcing, "Hey! Food's ready, come get it."

Caroline plastered a smile on her face, got up with her now half-empty bowl of chips, and stated. "Finally, I'm starving."

I smiled a bit, following her and Alaric back into the house. Something was up with her... but I wasn't gonna pester her with it questions. She'd tell me whenever she wanted to.

3rd person POV:

Stefan had tied Katherine to a chair in the basement with chains, and had even tortured her a bit, trying to get answers out of her. He sat across from her, and said, "You know, we can sit here as long as you want. And when you start to desiccate, there's a tomb with your name on it."

"I've been doing all the talking, it's your turn." Katherine stated. "Do you pretend to be human when you're with Ariana? Is that the appeal?"

Stefan replied truthfully, "Actually, I don't pretend to be anything when I'm with her. That's the whole point. I get to just be myself."

"Does she know that you love me?" Katherine questioned, haughty.

"I don't." Stefan stated, repressing the urge to roll his eyes.

"That's where you're wrong, Stefan." Katherine claimed. "Don't you remember bringing me home that night? Your family had taken me in."

Memories flashed in front of their eyes. Stefan remembered how he had told Katherine he loved her, how he had seen her as an angel. But all of that was changed now. That love was nothing compared to what he felt for Ariana. One spec of dust next to the entire planet. He held no feelings towards Katherine anymore, especially after all she'd done. He despised her.

"Go ahead Stefan." Katherine continued weakly, "Torture me, keep me captive, drain me of my blood until my body turns to dust. It'll never change the truth. I never compelled your love. It was real and so was mine."

Stefan couldn't bear to look at her right then, and settled for leaning against the cellar walls, trying to keep a cap on his anger.

Ariana POV:

I stood in the kitchen, taking out a pie from the box. I smiled, hearing the sounds of laughter coming from the living room. They were playing Pictionary, and Mason was winning.

"Aunt Jenna is getting tipsy." Damon stated, appearing out of nowhere beside me—as usual.

"Says the guy plying her with alcohol." I said back, shaking my head with a smile.

"I want her to like me." He smirked.

"How's it going with Mason Lockwood?" I questioned.

"He's my new BFF." He stated sarcastically, going through the kitchen drawers, looking for something.

Jenna arrived a moment later, cheeks and eyes red, obviously drunk, or getting there. "There you are." She said, smiling at me, "Isn't this fun?"

I couldn't answer, because Damon did. "Yes, thank you so much for inviting me."

Jenna frowned at him, "Did I have a choice?"

"I know what you must think about me."

"No, you don't." Jenna stated, serious, as she stepped up to him. "You've never dated you; I have dates many you's."

Damon shrugged, glancing at me, "I'm a work in progress."

I walked over to my grandma's knife set, and picked out one for cutting cakes—or for this instance, pie. I handed it over to Jenna, who took it gingerly.

Damon saw it, and stated, "Those are fancy."

"Thanks." Jenna muttered, "My mother's silver set."

Damon's eyes flickered in my direction and mine snapped up to meet his. Silver. The element that supposedly harmed vampires. It's also one the definitions of my name. Silver. When Jenna wasn't looking, Damon held a knife in his hands, meticulously examining it.

Caroline and I were in the living room, talking, while the adults hung out in the dining room, eating the pie.

I was getting antsy. Stefan still hadn't contacted me, and it scared me. I turned to Caroline, and queried, "Would I be the worst friend in the world if I abandoned you and went to Stefan's?"

"You want to leave?" Caroline asked, surprised.

"I mean, I'm having a great time with everyone here... but... I'm starting to get this bad feeling."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Ariana." Caroline persisted. "Take it from me, there's nothing worse than a clingy girlfriend."

Ouch. "I'm not being clingy, I'm just concerned," I stated, softly, "You understand, right?"

"How about I drive you?" She offered.

"Oh, I mean, you don't have—"

"Ariana, it's not a problem." She said. "I came over here to spend time with you anyway."

I smiled, "Thanks, Caroline." I gratefully said. "That'll be great."

Caroline drove down the road, as we headed to the Salvatore boarding house. I sat in the passenger seat, counting down the minutes it would take to reach our destination. "Thanks for this." I repeated, "I appreciate it."

"Here we come, to the rescue." Caroline stated, distracted.

"You okay?" I wondered, concerned.

"Just my own drama." She answered, "But I'm sure that you two will beat the odds." I guessed she meant Stefan and I. "Not that there is any study to pull the odds from. What is the ratio of successful vampire-human coupling? I'm guessing nil."

I snapped my head in her direction. What was up with her today? "Okay, Caroline." I said, signaling that I didn't want this conversation continuing.

"Sorry." She muttered, and I took a deep breath.

A song came up on the radio, and I started singing softly to the lyrics, tapping my foot to the beat. Caroline looked at me with a smile, and I said, "I love this song."

Caroline pushed a button on her steering wheel, then asked, "What's playing?"

The radio voiceover answered: "Playing 'Counting Stars' by OneRepublic."

Caroline smirked at me, "Ta-da." Suddenly, a popping sound came from the back of the car, and we started to slow down. "Oh crap." She muttered. A tire must've popped. Great.

The sky had already been void of the sun for at least half an hour. I was getting impatient. "Are you sure the tow's coming?" I asked Caroline, "We've been waiting, like, forever."

"I know, it's weird." She answered, "They said they'd be here by now."

"Here, why don't I just call Jenna." I stated, reaching for my phone.

"No!" Caroline stopped me, holding up her own phone. "Let me try the tow people again. And I'll use my mad girl voice."

She was acting as if all of this was a game. It wasn't, this was serious. "Why don't we just walk from here." I suggested.

"I can't just leave my car," Caroline said, in an "obvious" tone.

"We'll come back for it."

"Just give me a minute, Ariana." Caroline stated, annoyed.

She was annoyed? Seriously? "Caroline, please. I'm worried about Stefan."

"What's the rush?" She suddenly asked, lashing out at me. Her eyes looked angry as they burned through me like a whip. "Why are you hurrying to get to a relationship that will never work?"

"Okay, look. I know you're upset over Matt, but will you please stop projecting it onto me and Stefan?" I tried to question, as politely as possible. She wasn't making that part very easy.

"I'm not projecting anything!" Caroline denied, "You're human, he's a vampire. You're gonna be seventy and in diapers and he's still gonna be smoking hot and you will never have his children, Ariana! And you are too maternal to not have children."

Her voice kept rising in pitch and volume, while I stood there, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to surface. It felt as if she's just laid all my problems out on a table, and read them off of a list. It hurt me to be hearing this from her.

"Where is this coming from?" I inquired softly, my voice almost cracking.

"I'm just trying to be your friend."

I didn't say anything, because I probably would've said something I didn't mean if I did. I saw lights coming from around the corner, and said, "There's the tow, I'm gonna walk."

"No, Ariana, don't!" Caroline reached out and dug her fingers into the bone at my elbow, pressing down, hard.

"Caroline, you're hurting me." I stated, feeling like my bone was about to crack under the pressure.

"Don't leave me alone." She over exaggerated each word, looking at me with wide eyes.

"Caroline?" I asked uncertainly. What was wrong with her right now? She was acting like a completely different person. She was planning something, and I was too scared to find out what. I just wanted to get out of there.

She finally let go, and the tow truck arrived. The guy behind the wheel leaned over the open window, and asked, "Hey there, someone called about a flat tire?"

I looked at Caroline, who was giving me a pleading look. I swallowed once, feeling something boiling inside of me. "I'll see you later." I told her stiffly, then walked around her, heading towards the boarding house.

3rd person POV:

Stefan continued to stare at Katherine, waiting for her to speak. "Are you gonna tell me why you came back here or you're just playing another game?"

"Have you not heard a word that I've said?" Katherine asked, exhausted. "I've answered that question five times over now."

"Oh good, make it six." Stefan pressed.

"I want what I want, Stefan, and I don't care what I have to do to get it." Katherine said strongly, "My list of victims is a long one, and I have no problem adding one more name to that list."

Stefan rolled his eyes, but he instantly tensed. "Come on, Katherine. If you wanted Ariana dead, you would have done it by now."

"Still can." Katherine threatened, "If I have to, I will snap her neck like a twig and you know it."

Stefan's anger flared up, and he rushed over to her, a stake raised high, about to plunge down into her chest. But wait. If he were to kill her now, he'd never get any answers out of her. He forced himself to throw the stake across the cellar, and turned away from her.

"I guess you don't hate me as much as you thought you did." Katherine smirked, but then turned stony. "I don't want you seeing Ariana anymore. If you don't remove her from your life, I will kill everyone that she loves while she watches and then I will kill her while you watch."

This time, Stefan couldn't control his impulse. He vampire sped over to her again, showing her his vampire face and fangs while he strangled her. He was a second away from ripping off her head. He raised another stake, and threatened, "Don't you ever think for onemoment that I will not kill you."

Katherine narrowed her eyes, and in a swift move, disentangled herself from the chains. They snapped like cheap strings as she threw Stefan against the wall. "I have been sipping vervain every single day for the last one hundred and forty-five years." She shook her head, "You caught me by surprise once, I wasn't gonna let it happen again. It doesn't hurt me, Stefan."

"What?" Stefan questioned, trying to get his bearings, "Why?"

"I told you, I missed you Stefan." Her gaze softened, "I just wanted to spend some time with you."

"Hello? Stefan?"

Color drained from Stefan's face. He knew that voice all too well. Ariana had arrived; she was upstairs right now. He tensed in anticipation, ready to protect her, but he was a second too late. Katherine grabbed the discarded stake and thrusted it into Stefan's lower thigh, striking his bone and sending tremors of pain up Stefan's body.

She left, leaving a struggling Stefan.

Ariana POV:

"Stefan?" I called out again, entering the living room of the boarding house. I turned around, and my body completely froze, as if encased by ice. Someone stood across from me, smirking at me like I was interesting. It was me. No. It was her. Katherine.

She looked exactly like me. Everything from our eyes, lips, nose, skin tone, height, pose, style of clothes... The only thing that differed slightly was our hair, though I'm sure that was only because she curled it to the point where it bounced about every time she moved. It was creepy; our uncanny resemblance. I was freaked out.

"You must be Ariana." She said smoothly, her voice deep but feminine.

"How is this possible?" I wondered without thinking, "How do we look exactly alike?"

She was Stefan and Damon's first love, and I was an impeccable copy of her.

She didn't answer, but proceeded to near me. Running an ice cold finger right below my collar bone, she circled me, going out of sight. "You're asking the wrong questions." She stated.

"Ariana?!" Stefan's voice reached me just before he appeared.

I whipped my head behind me, seeing no sign of the person that was just there.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked, slowly walking towards me.

My eyes were wide as I answered, "Yeah, I guess... not really. Are you okay?"

"Not really." He responded, then hugged me. I embraced him back, feeling safe and secure in his arms. Who knew what he'd been doing all day. I was just glad he was all right.

Oh my gosh, I'd just met my doppelganger today. My heart beat wasn't slowing down, but instead rang loudly in my ears, deafening everything else.

Stefan and I had a plan in formation. After telling him about how strange Caroline was acting today, he put two and two together, then deduced that Katherine may be manipulating Caroline. I hoped that it wasn't true... but something inside me told me it was.

We entered the Grill, and I started getting jittery, not wanting to fight with Stefan, even if it was going to be fake.

Caroline called out to me when I passed her by the table. "Ariana."

"Hey." I said, uncomfortable. Stefan gave me a look, and walked over to a different table, letting me talk alone with Caroline.

"Oh my god." She started, "I am so sorry about earlier today. I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay, Caroline." I told her. "Everything that you were saying made sense. It's just hard for me to hear, you know?"

"So... you're not mad at me?"

"No." I said, "You were just being a good friend."

"Yeah, in my own head case, horrible way." She added, then said genuinely, "Ariana, I really am sorry."

I smiled, and said. "I know, I am too." I walked back over to Stefan, and sat down at the wooden table. Okay... here goes our "fight". I looked over to the bar, and saw the back of some guy. Perfect, now Damon was hear to listen.

"I'm starving." Stefan started.

"Well, spending the day with your jealous ex will to that to you." The words felt like acid on my tongue, and I tried to keep from wincing.

"Listen, I know you're upset but we need to take her seriously. Today, was all about the lengths she would go to."

"If she was going to hurt me, she would have." I said, trying to make my tone sound arrogant. "I was standing right in front of her."

"Ariana, you caught her off guard." Stefan pointed out. "It doesn't mean that you're safe."

"I'm not afraid of her."

"Well, you should be."

"If Katherine had her way, we'd be breaking up right now." I stated, kinda foreshadowing.

"If today taught me anything, it's that Katherine is used to getting her way."

"You're not actually saying that we should so what she says?" I wondered, sounding annoyed.

"Listen, she's sadistic, okay?" Stefan said. "She threatened you, she threatened everyone."

"Yeah, no, I get it. She's dangerous. But everyday that we are together, it's dangerous. Why are you giving her so much power over our relationship?" This is what I was going for, right? I was trying to sound like a bitch. But I hated it. This conversation was agonizingly painful.

"This is the reality of our situation." He replied, totally seeming calm.

"Well, reality sucks." I stated, being whiny. I sighed, "This is what she wants. She wants us to fight. She wants to get between us."

"She already has, Ariana." He stated, and it really hit me to my core. It felt so real; what he was saying. I looked at him, and when I abruptly left, the sadness that came seemed genuine. Damn, Stefan was a really good actor.

3rd person POV:

Damon walked outside, going over everything that had just happened. Had his eyes deceived him? Or were Ariana and Stefan actually fighting? Something seemed off about that.

"Bad day?" Katherine leant up against the wall, making her presence known from the dark shadows.

"Bad century." Damon answered. "I heard you were on the loose."

"What's the matter." Katherine fake pouted. "Jealous I spent the day with Stefan?"

"I don't do jealous. Not with you, not anymore."

"Then who?" Katherine wondered. "Ariana?" She paused, waiting for Damon to answer. But he didn't. She continued, "Why so pouty?"

"I tried to kill a werewolf, I failed." Damon responded. "Now I feel like I'm not living up to my best self."

"Well, werewolves aren't easy prey." Katherine stated.

"What do you know about werewolves?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Why don't you ask your brother?" Katherine said, "Don't try to be the hero, Damon. You'll end up dead."

"Been there, done that." He grimaced. "At least this time it'll be worth it."

He turned around, preparing to leave, when Katherine spoke up again. "And about Ariana... she's even more deadly than any werewolf. Being around her will kill you eventually... it's not gonna be quick either."

He spun around, giving her a fake smile. "As I said. This time, it'll be worth it."

Ariana POV:

I arrived at home, still having lingering thoughts from the conversation with Stefan. He was there when I entered by bedroom, and enveloped me in a hug. "Are you okay?" He asked me, and I smiled.

"I hated that fight." I stated.

"I know, me too." He agreed. "It felt too real." We kissed softly once, and I marveled at the feeling.

"Did you see Caroline?" I asked him, tentatively.

"Yeah." Stefan nodded his head, almost guiltily.

"You were right." I said. "Katherine got to her. She was hanging on to every single word."

"It won't be long before Katherine gets a play by play."

I sighed a bit, feeling terrible that my best friend was spying on us for Katherine. Poor Caroline... "I wish I was wrong, but I know Caroline like a sister. I knew that something was up today."

"It's pure Katherine." Stefan spat out the name like acid. "She's always finding somebody to do her dirty work."

I felt uncomfortable approaching the next subject, but I had to tell him. "I think Damon was listening to us fight too. Are you gonna tell him the truth?"

Stefan shook his head. "The only way Katherine is gonna believe it is if everybody believes it. That's the best way to make her think she's getting what she wants."

I smiled sadly. "All this... to get you back."

Stefan almost rolled his eyes, but smiled. He rubbed his hands gently up and down my arms. "It's not why she's here, okay? No matter what she says, I know her. Katherine doesn't care about anybody but herself, she never has. She's incapable of love. She's here for another reason."

"Stefan, promise me, we'll be careful." I told him, clinging onto his hands.

He nodded. "Of course, I promise. And I'll be there to protect you, always."

I buried my face into his chest, and he wrapped his arms tighter around me. It was sweet that he'd say things like that to me... but it also deeply worried me. I'd rather die than see him get hurt... and here he was, putting his life on the line to save me. I didn't deserve him, I never had. But I loved him so much, and I was too selfish to bear the thought of letting him go...

Lots of Katherine in this episode, and I hoped you liked it! Please review! Thanks.

-Spiralcloud