THE SACRIFICE

"Alright, Sleeping Beauty, it's time to wake up."

I groaned as my eyes slowly opened. They felt puffy and tired, as if I'd been crying... oh, wait. I had. Spreading my fingers across the sheets of my bed—

Woah, woah, woah... I froze. This did not feel like my bed.

Raising my head, I examined the morning sun shining through the dusty windows. The light lit up the small living room, and I finally looked down to see who had spoken. Blue eyes stared back at me.

"Matt?" I questioned, uncertainly. I must've been dreaming. What the hell was I doing on the couch in Matt's living room?

He smirked. Why did it seem like he hadn't slept? Dark circles were under his eyes, and he looked about ready to fall back to sleep. "Hey, Princess."

I slapped his arm, smiling, "Don't call me that."

"What?" He queried, innocently, "I recall you used to love that nickname."

"I guess we live in different worlds, because I recall hating that nickname."

He leaned in closer, whispering, "You loved it."

I retorted just as softly, "Hated." He smiled, and I giggled. When my laugh finally died down, I remembered the question I was going to ask him, "Hey, not that I'm not happy to see you but... what am I doing in your living room?"

Confusion showed on his featured, "You don't remember?"

I tried hard to concentrate as I looked back at the events that occurred yesterday. I remembered... Elena and I, we went to visit Katherine. She told us about Klaus, and when Stefan came to find me, I freaked out, stating how everything was my fault. A wave of guilt crushed me as I realized what Stefan must've been going through. God, I was terrible.

And then... after those events... I sought comfort. Matt, my best friend since childhood, gave me that familiar comfort. I didn't know why at the time I went to him besides anyone else... well, actually, I kinda did. Elena and Jeremy would be all weird about it if I came to them crying... Jenna would naturally be suspicious, yet I still couldn't tell her about the supernatural world. Bonnie and Caroline would ask millions of questions, and at the same time, freak out. Obviously, I wasn't about to go back to Stefan or Damon. They'd just tell me everything would be fine, and then find some stupid way to get themselves killed.

Matt was my only option. He'd understand me and acknowledge my secrets. He would be on my side, even if he had no idea what side that was. He was loyal, and I loved him like a brother. I guessed during the midst of all the emotions, I became worn out, and fell asleep.

"Oh," I finally said.

"Yeah, oh," He mocked, "You seem fine now. Wanna tell me what the hell went down last night? Why were you so stressed out?"

As much as I wanted to answer him, as much as the words fought to escape my lips, I clamped my mouth shut, shaking my head, "I can't, I'm sorry."

He sighed, and touched my arm, "Ariana—"

"I know. You're worried about me, and I can come to you whenever I need to."

Matt nodded, "As long as the message is across." His demeanor changed as he smirked, looking up at me. "And as much as I love this position, I don't really think you approve of it."

I stared at him blankly before his words completely registered in my mind. Looking down at our bodies, I saw that he lay on his back on the couch, while I lay on top of him, our torsos and legs entangled. Before I had waken, my head had rested on his chest.

Blushing, I tried pulling myself away from him, but immediately stopped when I felt pain pervade from my head.

"Ah, hair." I stated, looking to where my long dark hair was trapped underneath Matt. How it got there, I had no idea.

"Here, one sec." Matt stated. He wrapped his arms around me, and lifted me off the couch with him. Placing me on the ground I took a step away from him, and smiled.

"Thank you." Running a hand through my hair, I tried getting the tangles out. God, my hair was a mess. The ends of my hair reached all the way to my lower back in waves. Strangely enough, I had no split ends. At least, not from what I could see. "I really need to cut it."

"No," Matt argued, "I like it." He placed two fingers on my head, and ran them down the full length of my hair, "It's beautiful. Some girls can't pull off long hair, but you definitely can."

I smiled again, whispering, "Thank you."

"Your welcome." His sea-blue eyes stared at me intensely, and I found myself getting lost in them. I shook my head to clear the haziness, then fumbled around for something to say.

"Um, I—we need to get to school." I stated, "And I have to change my clothes." My tear-stained shirt wasn't going to cut it.

Matt nodded, "Want me to come with you? I'll walk to school with you."

"No, it's fine." I waved off his sincere suggestion.

"You sure?"

"Positive." I was already making my way to the front door, "See you at school. Bye."

"Bye." His careful look was unnerving. Did I seem crazy to him? Insane? I mean, I did show up at his doorstep in the middle of the night, cry my heart out, fall asleep at his place, and then leave right in the morning.

I didn't know what the qualifications were to be placed in a mental hospital, but I'm sure I passed.

3rd person POV:

Elena was going out of her mind. After Ariana's abrupt disappearance yesterday night, she couldn't decide whether she was extremely pissed, or worried. She fiddled absently with her phone and fingers as she waited for her sister to come home. She had to come home... right? Ariana was just blowing off steam, probably staying at a friends house or something. Nothing major... right?

She raised her hand, about to take a bite of the scone Jenna had baked, when she heard the doorbell ring. Her heart pounded faster, and she hopped out of her seat, happy that her sister was home.

However, when she opened the door, she was thoroughly disappointed.

"Ugh," She groaned, "What the hell do you guys want?"

Damon and Stefan, who both stood on the other side of the doorway, shared confused and amused smirks. "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed." The older brother joked.

"Yeah, sure, look." Elena started, "Do you have anything actually important to say? Or are you just here to make my life more miserable."

"Oh, well, we're sorry to have come and disrupted your crappy life, but we're not here to see you." Damon continued mockingly.

"Can we come in?" Stefan asked, trying to be more polite than his brother.

Elena narrowed her eyes, "Depends on what you want to discuss with my sister." She already knew why the Salvatore brothers were here. Seriously, who wouldn't?

The brothers shared another knowing look, "We went to see Katherine." Damon finally said.

Elena stood there, shocked for a moment. Rolling her eyes, she pushed the front door farther open, and waved her arms towards the house dramatically, "Come on in." She muttered dryly. Stefan nodded to her as they entered, and immediately, he felt something was wrong. Once Elena had shut the door, things were silenced. Almost deafening.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

"Where's Ariana?" Stefan asked, concerned. Damon became equally confused when he couldn't detect another heartbeat. He looked around, lost for a moment.

"Yeah... about that." Elena looked at them guiltily, then back to the ground. "She's not here."

Stefan and Damon stared at each other again. What the hell was that supposed to mean? In a different tone, the statement Elena said may have seemed like everything was okay. Maybe Ariana had gone to school with Alaric and Jeremy. Maybe she was just walking around town, hanging out with friends at the Grill. But no. The way Elena had said it implied otherwise. Something was definitely wrong.

Damon chose his words carefully as he stared Elena down, "What do you mean she's not here?"

She swallowed uncomfortably, eyes darting between him and Stefan. She cleared her throat, and began her story.

Ariana POV:

Damn it. I should've made Matt come with me. This was an extremely boring trip home that consisted of: 1) walking, 2) walking, and 3)... guess what it is! Oh, yeah. Walking.

So, I was about a block from my house, walking on the sidewalk,when a car I recognized started coming directly towards me. As it neared, it slowed down, stopping right next me. Thank God. It gave me an excuse to stop walking.

The passenger window rolled down as I positioned myself perpendicular to the vehicle. I spotted my brother first, staring at me in question. Alaric was a little harder to make out behind Jeremy's head, but I saw him smile at me as he tapped the steering wheel twice. The honk sounded. A bit late if you asked me.

"Hey, where were you this morning?" Jeremy queried first.

I shrugged nonchalantly, deciding not to lie, "At Matt's house."

Both guys gave me weird looks that I couldn't decipher. My bother asked, "What were you doing there?"

"Just catching up." Not exactly a lie. Matt did tell me about his relationship with Caroline. Or lack of one, I guess.

"Right." He dragged out the word, and I returned a pointed look.

Alaric—the sensible one—asked politely, "Do you need a ride? School starts in a few."

"No, but thank you." I said, "I need to get cleaned up first."

"You look fine." Jeremy stated, rolling his eyes, "Just hop in the back."

Alaric turned to Jeremy, "Don't question girls on their fashion or looks; you'll get nowhere."

"Yeah," I smirked, "Listen to Ric. He's smart."

Jeremy rolled his eyes again, and smiled, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. If I tell you, you look pretty, will you get in the car?"

"You sure you don't want a ride?" Alaric asked once more as I scoffed at Jeremy's comment, "As much as I don't want to contradict myself, you look like you do any other day." I wasn't sure whether that was to be taken as a compliment or not. I guess it would be a little inappropriate if my teacher called me pretty or beautiful. At least he tried to imply it.

"I'm fine." I stated, "Anyways, besides needing to change clothes, I have to take Elena to school."

Realization dawned on both their faces as they glanced at each other, then back to me. "Oh, yeah." My brother said, surprised.

"Don't tell me you guys seriously just abandoned her?!" I said, shocked. I tried to sound scolding, but I failed to disguise my smile and laugh as I became very amused by the situation.

"We forgot that she usually rides with you." Alaric stated.

"God, you guys are terrible." My smile kept creeping back, even though I tried to push it down.

Jeremy shrugged like it was no big deal. Something he'd probably heard many times before. Alaric just pursed his lips awkwardly, "Well, I won't keep you waiting." He said, "Get back to your sister."

"Yes, sir," I waved goodbye to them, and watched for a second as Alaric accelerated forward, the window rolling back up as he turned the corner, to the direction of school. Something caught my eye as I was heading back towards the house. It was a few dozen leaves arranged in some sort... pattern? There were swirling lines on the grass beside me from the brown, dead, leaves. They formed a few circles on the ends of the swirling lines, striking a part of my memory. I recognized this pattern. I'd seen it a million times... yet, I couldn't place what it was or what is represented. This arrangement seemed too perfect to have been naturally formed like that.

Then in the next second, the leaves were back to being all muddled. The wind.

As I passed it, I thought, Did I just imagine that?

Looking backwards tentatively, I saw that the leaves were still in an irregular pile. Nothing special. Nothing out of the ordinary.

But I swore, that on the tree next to the leaves, the exact same symbol had been carved out of the bark...

As I finally stepped around the last corner, I could hear loud voices shouting. And, of course... they were coming from my house.

I barely heard the first line yelled: "...you have any what I went through last time she was missing?!" I'd recognize that voice anywhere. Stefan. Why was he shouting? Better yet, why was he in my house?

"Look, I know I screwed up!" Elena's voice rang out, "But she seemed really upset yesterday after visiting Katherine. I figured I give her time to cool down." Alright, great. They were talking about me.

"By doing what?!" Damon shouted, his voice cutting through the air like arrows. "Great going, genius. Let her go out in the middle of the night, unprotected, and 'forget' to ask where she's going."

"Hey, in my defense, I did ask where she was going." Elena stated, as I recalled the situation from yesterday. "But out of the kindness of her heart, she decided not to tell me where she was planning to go."

When I reached the porch, I heard a crash come from inside. It jolted me back, delaying me a few seconds of opening the door. Damon growled, and shouted, "Somebody go get that damn witch, we're gonna need a locater spell."

Okay, that's where I intervened. The door was unlocked, thankfully, and I stepped in as three pairs of eyes snapped up to meet mine. Stefan stood closest to me, looking angry and extremely worried as he thought something through in his head. Elena seemed frustrated as she stood next to the kitchen, trying to calm and irrepressible Damon down. The older Salvatore paced in the living room, looking like an deranged animal. His eyes were wild while his shoes crunched on broken glass. They must've come from the Christmas globe Jeremy had gotten for the holiday when he was four—which I assumed Damon had thrown across the room. Bits of white, silvery glitter, and water layered the hardwood floor.

In my opinion, that was a bit far. Did he have to destroy the snow globe? What did the snowman ever do to him?

When they finally registered that it was me standing in front of them—and not some big fluffy elephant, which is what their reactions seemed to convey—all of their expressions turned to relief.

"That will not be necessary." I replied to Damon's previous order. Apparently, now, it was completely forgotten about.

"Where were you?" Damon's voice seemed so calm compared to a second ago, his relief practically contagious.

"God, I was so worried," Stefan said breathlessly as he came towards me, wrapping his arms around me. I embraced him around his neck and shoulders, for some reason finding myself comforting him. I swallowed, feeling guilty that I'd made them worry. I wasn't thinking about how I'd hurt them, I wasn't thinking about what they would be reminded of when the saw that I was gone.

Once again, I felt selfish.

"Where the hell have you been?" Elena questioned, her relief gone now just as the rage pushed to the surface.

I sighed, pulling reluctantly away from Stefan, staring into my sister's eyes. "I went to visit Matt."

Immediately, all of them looked at me strangely. I even detected hurt and jealousy coming from the brothers. Seriously? They were jealous of Matt?

"Well... then why didn't you come home?" Elena was reaching for something to say.

"I guess I was really tired yesterday. I fell asleep at his house."

More stares.

Elena cleared her throat, "You could've called. I sent you a bunch of texts."

Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I clicked on the blank screen, shaking my head when nothing popped up. "Ran out of battery." I said, and Elena sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Ariana." Stefan came closer to me, his gaze intense as he gently grabbed my hands, forcing me to look at him, "Promise me; that the next time you go somewhere, you have to tell me where it is. Or else, I have no idea where you are, and that thought scares me."

I wanted to be angry at him for what he was saying. It was as if he was controlling me... but I couldn't be mad. He was just looking out for me. As always.

"For once, I agree with Stefan." Damon piped up, no longer looking like he wanted to rip something apart. He seemed more determined now. "You have to tell us whenever you decide to run off into the unknown. Danger lurks in every corner. It's extremely worrying, and you know that I don't do worry."

I cracked a smile at that.

"Yeah, you guys are right." I admitted, "I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but I wanted to be alone for a few hours."

"With Matt?" Elena raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, with Matt." I agreed, "I don't know... I just, it felt right to be with him in a situation like this. He doesn't know anything about the supernatural world, yet, it's as if he's my lifeline to the human one. He makes me feel normal. I thought that... with him around... nothing out-of-the-ordinary could ever happen. I needed a few hours to feel like that."

My eyes glued to the floor during this confession. Matt was my best friend, and I needed him as my rock. He was my tie to humanity and sanity. He made everything feel less complicated.

Stefan's voice was barely a whisper of hurt when he inquired, "Do you not feel safe around us?"

"What? No! No. That's not what I meant." My eyes flickered between his and Damon's pain-filled eyes. My stomach dropped, "I've known Matt since we were babies. Our mothers were best friends before Matt and I were even born. I've always gone to him whenever I was having a hard time, whether it was a bad grade on a test, or when my parents were fighting... Obviously, the events that happened then were nothing compared to now, but... It was just instinct. He's always been there for me, and it felt nice to know that our connection hasn't faded over the past few months."

No one said anything for a few seconds. Stefan licked his lips slightly, glanced down to the ground, and looked back up to me. "You know that I'm always here for you, right?"

I smiled, "I know."

Over his shoulder, I saw Damon give me a nod, explaining what he couldn't with words: that he'd do the same thing. He didn't dare say anything with Stefan still in the room. My gaze shifted over to Elena, who had a look like pity stuck to her expressions.

Her gaze hardened, "Well, not that all this 'revealing emotions of the heart' hasn't been spectacular or anything, but... why don't you two explain to her why you're here."

The Salvatore brothers shared a look of uncertainty, and glanced back at me.

"Why don't you start from the part where you guys said you visited Katherine." Elena suggested, smirking knowingly at the brothers.

This captured my attention.

Raising my eyebrows, I gave them a pointed look, instructing them to begin.

"You don't really believe her, do you?" Elena asked after Stefan and Damon had finished their explanation. The brothers stood in the kitchen by the sink, while Elena and I sat behind the island.

Damon and Stefan wanted to get the moonstone from Katherine in order to deactivate the spell. But if that happened... then Klaus—if he even existed, in which I was totally convinced that he did—would murder everyone I ever loved. That couldn't happen. I wouldn't allow it.

"No, of course not." Damon answered her, almost sounding offended. "We just want the moonstone.

"According to Rose's friend, Slater, there's a way to destroy the spell that Klaus wants to break." Stefan elucidated.

"No spell, no doppelganger sacrifice." Damon made the plan sound so quick and easy, as he looked at me, "Ergo, you live."

"How do you destroy it?" I questioned curiously. Though, a feeling of despair and anxiousness rooted in my stomach.

"By releasing it from the moonstone." Stefan stated.

I was still lost. My sister queried, "How do you guys even know this is going to work?"

"Cause we have a crafty witch on our side." Damon smirked.

"You discussed it with Bonnie." I stated, feeling slightly betrayed.

"She agreed to do anything she could to help us." Stefan stated.

"Look, Katherine's a bitch." Elena said, "She isn't going to just... hand over the moonstone."

"We're gonna get it from her." Stefan stated, at ease. How were they not freaking out right now? My mind was a roller coaster full of too many people.

"Well," Damon shrugged, smirking, "What he means to say is, we will pry it from her cold, dead hand if we have to."

"Bonnie just needs to find a way to release the seal long enough for us to get in, get the moonstone, and get out in time for her to return it." Stefan added. Elena seemed to shut up for a moment, actually considering the idea. What? Was she crazy? This could ultimately lead to her death if Stefan and Damon succeeded. I knew they were trying to keep me safe, but I wasn't going to risk it when it came down to them and my family.

"Wow, it sounds like you guys already have it all planned out." I stated dryly.

"Yep," Damon self-praised himself jokingly, "We're awesome."

"Except for one thing." All eyes turned on me, while I said with a straight face, "I don't want you to do it."

Stefan and Damon exchanged looks while Elena turned her fiery gaze on me.

"What are you talking about?" Stefan's eyes were wide with surprise and confusion, "Ariana, we don't have a choice."

"Don't be an idiot." Elena insulted.

"What about Klaus?" I threw the question at them.

"We'll find him right after we get the moonstone." Stefan stated.

"Is that before or after he kills everyone that I care about, including the three of you." First, I locked eyes with Elena. She seemed angry but seemed to think about my statement for a portion of a second. She shook her head, and held her ground. I sighed.

Shifting my gaze to Stefan, he showed how frustrated he was through his eyes. He'd do anything for me to live and stay alive. But I couldn't do that. I wasn't going to live even if one innocent person had to die. And I sure as hell wouldn't be able to live if everyone that I cared about was gone. I was barely able to think that thought. It was impossible to imagine a world without Stefan, Damon, Elena, and everyone else. My whole life would tumble out of existence. They made me who I was, they changed me. Without them, I was an empty shell.

I stared at Damon last, trying to come up with an excuse in my eyes. He just seemed throughly shocked and startled, as if my words were unexpected. I didn't know how many times I had to show how much I cared about him before he understood. Couldn't he see that without him, I was almost nothing? That he balanced me out in a way that I still wasn't sure was good or bad?

I was getting frustrated that he couldn't apprehend my motives.

"Ariana, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save your life." Stefan continued, staring at me as if I was insane. Yep, I knew it. I was in deep need of an asylum.

But Stefan didn't get it. He didn't know how much I loved him. He only saw our relationship as one-way, and that saddened me. I loved him as much as he did me, but it seemed that he could never read between the lines. Every word I said to him was always because I cared about him. Not because I felt obligated... because I cared.

Yet, he still didn't see it.

"I know." I said, "Thank you for your concern, but I can't let you do this."

"Ariana, frankly, you don't have a choice." Damon said, not sugar-coating it. "We're not risking your life. We're going to get the moonstone to deactivate it." He shrugged, "It's the only way."

I looked to Stefan for help, but he kept his head down, exchanging looks with his brother frequently. My heart sunk. They were going to do this. They were going to risk the wrath of Klaus just for a chance at de-spelling the moonstone. Awesome. Great. Exactly what I needed to not go crazy.

"I need some air." I stated, getting up as I headed towards the door. Screw changing clothes. I no longer cared anymore.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked.

Gritting my teeth, I remembered my unsaid promise to Stefan. "Caroline's." I knew right from when my best friend's name left my mouth, that I was lying. The brothers weren't going to risk their lives or my family's. I wasn't going to give them the chance. I'd hand myself over to Klaus before they could.

I checked my fully-charged phone as I walked to the Salvatore's house... and sighed. 5 missed calls from Elena, 7 from Damon, and 10 from Stefan. 9 texts from Elena, 15 from Damon, and 23 from Stefan.

Okay, that was way overdoing it. I couldn't even be bothered to read all of them. The message was still clear: Never go anywhere without telling literally everyone where you're going.

Plus, there were even a few calls and texts from Alaric, Jeremy, Jenna, but at least they kept their level of worry just below extreme.

The boarding house radiated creepiness as I walked down the foyer, trying to hear a sound; the creek of the floorboards, the rattle of a glass. Nope. Nothing.

"It's not nice to leave a girl naked in the morning." The woman's voice came from the hall on my left, and I looked up, seeing Rose walking towards me, focusing on trying to tie the magenta robe around herself.

When she looked up, her gray eyes met mine, and a blush filled her cheeks.

"Whoa." She stated, "Sorry, I thought you were..."

Yeah. I know. She thought I was Damon. A feeling of pain, anger, hurt, and betrayal, flashed through me for a second. Just for a moment, then it was gone. Wait, what? Was I jealous. Oh my gosh... I was, wasn't I?

I looked away from Rose, embarrassed.

"I, uh, sorry..." I started. Smooth.

She smiled, "There's no one else here."

"I came to see you." I stated, my eyes flickering between her and the wall. It was hard to focus.

She smiled, looking down, and gestured behind her, "Then I should probably get dressed." Her smile widened as she walked back up the stairs behind her.

"It's a bad idea." Rose stated with certainty after I explained to her my plan.

"No, it's not." I retorted, "From what Stefan told me, your friend Slater has more information about Klaus. You and Damon just gave up before you got it."

"Because somebody blew up a coffee shop with us in it!" She shook her head, "No, I can't. Damon would kill me for putting you in danger."

"Please, Rose." I pleaded, "We need to learn more about Klaus and the sacrifice."

"Why are you coming to me with this?"

I gave her a pointed look, "Because, as you've implied, Stefan and Damon would never allow me to do this. But since they seem so engrossed in getting the moonstone, it's my chance to learn more about what they're going up against."

In all truthfulness, I didn't just want to learn more about Klaus. But I couldn't tell Rose what my plan was. She'd never consent to it.

"Or, maybe it's your chance to listen to them." Rose stated.

"They're willing to risk everyone that I love and I'm not." I said, feeling more frustrated by the second.

"They're just trying to protect you." Rose said, a little softer.

"I don't care whether I'm protected or not. My family and friends come before me, always." Screw what Elena said. Screw Katherine's words. Would I look after myself? Of course. But I wasn't going to put everyone else in danger for my own needs.

Rose sighed. After a moment of silence and deliberation, she came to sit next to me on the couch. "What if something happened to you?" She asked quietly, "What then? All this—all that Stefan and Damon have done for you—it would be for nothing."

I swallowed. In actuality, that's what I was planning to do. I was going to give myself up. Hand myself over, and hope that Klaus would have mercy on my friends and family. He didn't even have to know anything about them. It would be fine. I'd be the only one dead.

"What if I promised you something you couldn't refuse?" I questioned Rose.

She rolled her eyes, "Like what?"

"How would you like to be able to walk during the daylight?"

Her eyes widened, "I've been a slave to shadows for five hundred years, what do you think?" She couldn't believe the offer I was presenting her.

"I know a witch who'd be willing to do whatever it takes to help, if you're willing to help." I stated. At this point, I was pretty sure I was lying. I wouldn't even be with Rose long enough to have Bonnie make her a daylight ring. If Bonnie would ever do it, since I'd be dead.

Rose's concern for me vanished. Her eyes were filled with the lust to walk in the sun. It overpowered any fear for me. She'd gladly help out, if it meant that she'd receive what she's always wanted.

Rose pulled into an underground parking lot, parking her car close to an old, rusted staircase. As I hopped out of the car, Rose was already climbing the stairs. I sighed. Vampire speed.

I didn't dare touch the hand rail as we ascended the staircase. Each step I took creaked, as if at any moment, I could fall right through.

We finally reached white painted double doors, and Rose banged her fist repeatedly against the wood, seemingly impatient. "Slater? Slater, it's Rose. Open up!" After a brief moment of silence, she looked over at me, "He's not home, Sorry."

She started making her way back down. What? I thought she wanted the daylight ring? Maybe she's already guessed that I wouldn't be able to get one for her.

"Rose, we didn't come all the way out here for nothing." I said. The drive took at least a few hours.

Sighing, Rose pushed the door open. A sound like ripping metal sliced through the air, and the two doors swiveled on their hinges, clashing against the walls on the inside of the house. Now, this apartment was much nicer and clean then the hallway Rose and I were standing in.

She gestured into the apartment, "After you. Slater?"

After a moment of suspicion, I walked in, Rose right on my heels. I took a left turn, to look at a room with dark colored walls and a cherry wood table, when I realized that she was no longer behind me.

"I don't think he's gonna be much help." Her shocked voice called out from the back of the apartment.

Running, I rushed towards the sound of her voice, gasping when I caught sight of what Rose was staring at. Gray veins and hardened skin covered the length of a man's body. Slater was dead. No.

Rose remained silent for a while. I could tell she was trying to wear a brave mask, but her composure broke a few times, and I saw the sadness and despair in her eyes. Even though I never knew the guy, I felt this ache in my chest. At first, I believed that it was only because he was my only chance to Klaus. But I was wrong. It was something more than that.

Walking over to a desk filled with multiple computers, I watched from the corner of my eyes as Rose dragged the dead vampire to... God knows where. I picked up a bundle of papers from Slater's desk and read the words. Most of it, I couldn't identify. Just a bunch of names, dates, and places.

"Looks like whoever blew up the coffee shop found him and killed him for his information." I stated, switching the paper out for another one.

Rose walked up behind me, "Yeah, probably to stop him from helping people like us. The guy was a vampire almanac. Knowing too much information just bit him in the ass."

I shuffled through a few more papers before picking up a framed photo. The guy in the picture—I was guessing it was Slater—was smiling as a pretty girl had her arms wrapped around him. They seemed happy. They could've had a beautiful life together... but, it was hopeless now. Slater was dead.

I sniffled a bit, pushing back my emotions. I couldn't afford to feel bad right now. I never knew him, and it felt strange to wish that he was still alive. Not for info about Klaus, but so that he can live his life again.

The curtains suddenly opened, letting in sunshine through the windows.

"Rose!" I panicked, "What are you...?"

"Tempered glass." She answered briskly, completely fine. I sighed in relief. I wouldn't have to watch her burn to death. "U.V. rays can't penetrate." A wave of sadness seemed to rush through her as she stared out the window, looking at each individual building, car, and tree. "I used to just come here and watch the day." That statement made me feel even worse about the whole daylight ring situation.

She really was effected by the death of another friend. It was starting to take its toll on her. Looking down at the framed photo in my hand again, I said genuinely, "I'm really sorry about Slater. I know what it's like to loose someone, even if that someone wasn't that great of a friend."

I thought about Vicki and Anna... even though they weren't exactly my friends, their deaths still sent me to the depths. I still cried my heart out after learning they had died. Death is a sad thing. It doesn't matter whether or not a person if your greatest enemy... their death will still sadden you, in one way or another.

Rose sent me a small smile, "Any luck?"

I blinked back into reality, setting the photo back on the desk. I attempted to log into one of the computers, but failed. Ugh, technology these days. "It's password protected. It won't let me in."

"No, this is fine." Rose said, "Let's just go."

I wanted to argue, but, what else could we do? It could take ages for someone to hack into the computer. There really wasn't anything else that would help. I'd already wasted enough of Rose's time.

All of a sudden, the doorknob from across the room rattled. It was like some freaky haunted house—or apartment—movie.

"Stay here." Rose instructed, moving towards the door.

I swear, if something popped up, I would scream.

She opened the set of doors, and all I could hear was whimpering as a blur of black and white shook violently back and forth. "Alice?" Rose questioned.

So that shadowy thing was a girl.

"Rose!" The girl shouted in recognition. Her voice was tight, and her face blotchy with tears. She cried heavily, launching herself into Rose's arms, the latter holding onto the girl uncomfortably.

Alice was the girl in the picture. In this moment, her face was pale with tons of smeared makeup on. She was dressed from head to toe in black. Obviously, she was obsessed with vampires—in a sort of stereotypical way, which lead me to believe she was human. But she was also heartbroken.

"He's dead!" Alice cried again. She'd never get to have a life with Slater.

Rose rubbed Alice's hand soothingly as they sat on the comfortable armchairs. I watched them silently, and Rose caught my gaze. She muttered something to Alice, then walked towards me, sitting down next to me on the couch.

"She found him a few minutes before we did." Rose stated softly.

"How is she?" I asked, concerned, while pouring hot water into teacups.

"Overreacting." Rose smirked, "Big time."

I almost dropped the ceramic cup. "Her boyfriend just died. There's no such thing as overreacting."

"Those tears are for her. She didn't care about Slater." Rose stated, and I looked at her, shocked. "She was only dating him long enough to see if he'd turn her."

Oh, well, wow... that, that would change things. My gaze traveled over to Alice, to see that she was still crying profusely. After placing some tea leaves into the hot water, I grabbed a cup, and walked cautiously over to her. She looked up at me with her tear-filled eyes, staring at me strangely when I sat down next to her and handed her a cup of tea.

"Thank you." She said graciously, "You look really familiar. Did you know Slater?"

I shook my head, "Not personally, no. All I knew was that he kept detailed records of all of his vampire contacts. I was hoping that he could lead me to Klaus."

"Doubtful." She scoffed, "Klaus doesn't want to be found."

"Would you happen to know Slater's computer password?" I questioned as sincerely as I could.

She obviously didn't buy it, "Are you seriously asking me that right now? I just saw my boyfriend with a stake through his heart. Who do you think you are?" She looked away, and took a sip of her tea.

I mentally sighed, but decided to be authentic. Even though Alice may have not cared for Slater, it didn't give me the right to be rude. "I'm sorry, I know that you're very upset, I shouldn't have bothered you. I lost both my parents about a year ago, and I know the pain that comes with losing loved ones. Sorry for asking."

Standing up, I made a move to walk back towards Rose. A hand came down on my arm, and I surprisingly looked down to see Alice's guilt-ridden face. "I'm sorry, I'll help you."

I smiled.

Rose and I stood behind a sitting Alice, who had managed to log into Slater's computer. "Someone's been here." She stated, "The hard drive's completely wiped out." Dejection ran through me.

"Yeah, probably whoever killed him." Rose stated. I sighed and ran a hand through my dark hair, the strands calming me down a bit. Just a bit.

Alice added, "Lucky for you, Slater was paranoid. Everything's backed up on a remote server."

My heart started beating faster in anticipation. Please tell me the information was backed up. She started scrolling through files, typing in letters and numbers, and decoding descriptions. Rose leaned into me, and stated, "I never knew you were one to guilt people into doing things for you."

"I wasn't guilting her into doing anything."

Rose snorted, "Yeah, sure."

Alice spoke up, "Kristen Stewart. God, was he obvious."

Files popped up after she typed in the actress' name. I leaned in, interested, "These are all leads to vampires?"

She kept scrolling down the thousands of files, replying, "Slater was obsessed. Almost as much as me." Yeah, I could tell.

Rose jerked up all of a sudden, pointing to the screen, "What about that one? Cody Webber. They exchanged dozens of emails about Elijah." Oh, Elijah. The hot super old vampire Damon killed.

"I could call him." Alice suggested.

Picking up a phone, I handed it to Alice. This was it. I was actually going to die. Of course I felt nervous and paraniod. But... it's what I was choosing to do. I'd gladly sacrifice myself for others. My life has been doomed from the start. I should've died on that bridge. I should've died with my parents. I'd like to think that me not dying was a good thing... but was it really? I mean, Stefan came back for me, and with that, came other vampires who have killed innocents in Mystic Falls.

I never should've gotten a second chance at living. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair.

This was my chance to make it all right.

"Tell him that we're trying to send a message to Klaus." I said, "'The doppelganger is alive and she's ready to surrender.'"

"What?!" Rose immediately argued, looking at me wildly.

Alice simply smiled, as if she won something, "Oh, my God. I knew I recognized you. You're too pretty to be a human."

"Get him the message, please." I told her, before quickly walking out of the room. I couldn't handle Rose's disapproval and Alice's excitement. It made me sick.

But, wonder of wonders... she followed me out. Rose, that is.

"What are you doing?" She asked me carefully.

"I'm getting Klaus' attention."

"If Klaus knows that you're alive, he'll find you and he'll kill you." She stated, as if it wasn't obvious already. I looked at her, unresponsive. Her eyes widened in realization, "Which is exactly what you wanted all along."

"It's either me or my family."

"So this whole charade is some suicide mission so that you could sacrifice yourself and save everyone else?"

I still didn't answer.

Alice came back to the room, a huge smile plastered on her face. She spotted me, and said, "Cody is on his way and he really wants to meet you."

Rose closed her eyes in frustration, and sighed. I guess it didn't really matter what she thought. Anyways, this was a good thing. Once Klaus sacrificed me, Rose wouldn't have to keep running anymore. At least, I hope she wouldn't. Klaus would be happy, and vampires would be able to walk in the sunlight. Oh! Now she wouldn't need a daylight ring anymore. She wouldn't be a slave to the shadows anymore.

The only fear I felt was for the humans. It felt like I was somehow betraying my own kind. What would they have to be up against? It would be twice as likely for one to get attacked by a vampire once the spell was broken.

Rose and Alice left the room a few minutes ago. Doing what, I didn't know.

I gazed out of the window, watching as the sun set below the horizon. It gave off sparks of orange, yellow, red, pink, and purple. All the colors were different and distinct, but at the same time blended together to form one streak that covered the whole sky, all bits of blue disappearing.

A sunset was just like my emotions. Colorful, distinct, different, but blended.

Suddenly, from the reflection in the window, a face appeared. Elijah. He stood right behind me. And I swore, that his hand brushed against mine. Shivers racked my body, heat pervading from his touch.

What the hell?! Elijah was dead. I saw his body get staked to a door and gray veins appear on his face. He was dead. So how could he be here right now? And why did that touch feel so... different. Yeah. That's the adjective I was going to use.

Whipping around, I expected to see his chiseled face before mine. But he wasn't. Nope. Just an open stretch of anteroom. No one else. No Elijah.

I was hallucinating.

I was such an idiot, that I felt like laughing. Of course Elijah was dead! Obviously! Like I actually thought he'd be right in front of me in this instant. God, I wanted to slap myself...

...but I also had a weird feeling to shrivel up in a ditch and get buried alive. I was... disappointed somehow. Did that make sense? I... I wished that Elijah was here right now, still alive. I wished that the imaginary touch on my hand was real.

Whatever this feeling was, all I could say was that I was glad that I was about to be used as a sacrifice. That way I wouldn't have to de-code the conflicting emotions burning in me.

Suddenly, a pain like a really strong headache during a hangover erupted in my mind. All I did was grip my head. I refused to scream. No need to alert Rose just because of a headache. I mean, I got them from time to time. It was strange, really. And even weirder was that they only started after Stefan and Damon arrived to Mystic Falls.

Maybe... somehow these headaches were because of vampires.

I didn't know.

This one was different though. Like all the others, it made me want to pass out... but this headache seemed to keep a strange rhythm; like the beating of a heart; the striking of a drum; like—

You shall be annihilated!

What the hell?! Who was that woman's voice?! And why was she communicating with me from my head? Through this pain?

You cannot be allowed to break the spell. Or Klaus will rule. He will tip the balance.

Huh? I couldn't focus with the headache. It continued to grow, making standing unbearable. I collapsed to the floor, pressing my thumbs to my temples.

I was unaware of another doppelganger till just recently. Katerina should've been the last of the Petrovas. You cannot exist. I have to kill you.

Okay, now I was freaked out. The pressure kept rising. My head felt heavier and heavier...

Then, all of it just stopped.

One second, a ton of weight is crushing my mind. The next, it blows away, as if the wind picked it up and threw it to the curb.

Dizziness was still conquering my head, but it didn't bother me. I was just grateful that the pain had stopped. Whatever that was—whoever that was... I wished that I'd never have to hear her speak again. She spoke with authority, as if she ruled the universe. I'd have no doubt if she did.

Walking into the living room, I sipped a glass of water, making sure that the liquid didn't spill out because of my shaking hands. Alice still searched the computer, marveling over all the different vampires. She'd learn soon enough. Being involved with supernatural creatures would get her killed.

Turning around, I dropped my glass of water. I gasped right before I heard the glass shatter against the hardwood floor. Damon didn't even flinch as he stared me down.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a deadly voice.

I swallowed, looking into his piercing ice blue eyes. I could almost feel those eyes pinning me to the wall behind me. "How did you find me?" I retorted.

Footsteps sounded behind me, and I turned around to see a guilty looking Rose.

"You called him?" I queried, feeling betrayed.

"I'm sorry, Ariana." At least she had the decency to look genuinely apologetic.

"You said that you understood."

"She lied." Damon stated, and I turned around to stare at him angrily.

More footsteps sounded, and I didn't have to guess who they belonged to. "Damon Salvatore." Alice said in awe.

"Get rid of her." Damon ordered Rose irritably.

"No. Way." Alice continued as her voice faded. I presumed she was dragged out by Rose, but I couldn't turn around and see because Damon's eyes kept his hold on mine.

"Come on." He jerked his head to the side, "We're leaving."

"No."

"I said we're leaving." He already seemed pissed off. I was just poking the bear.

"Sorry, but I'm not going with you." I stated.

"You do not get to make decisions anymore." He said possessively.

I scoffed, "Right, because I'm totally making any decisions for myself. You and Stefan do that for me. I decided to be here, and I'm deciding to go through with it." I assumed that Rose had already filled Damon in on my "plan", so I wasn't elaborating.

"Who's gonna save your life while you're out making decisions?" He queried.

"You're not listening to me, Damon." As if men can ever listen. "I don't want to be saved." My voice dropped to almost an whisper as I tried talking through my constricted throat, "Not if it means Klaus is gonna kill every single person that I love. Not if it means that... that he's gonna kill you."

Sincerity, sadness, and surprise showed on his features before his expression turned stony, and he threatened. "Get your ass out the door before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out myself." He grasped my arm tightly and I struggled futilely to get free. Ugh, bad move. When I tried throwing my body back, hoping that my weight and momentum would make Damon let go, I failed, and instead sprung forward... right into his arms.

He took the opportunity to wrap both his arms around me. His strength was literally unbelievable. His grip was like steel. Using only one hand, he was able to pin both of mine behind my back. I was suddenly very aware of my body pressed up against his; my face inches from his. A shiver went through me, and the skin on the back on my neck tingled when his free hand softly caressed my face.

I tried pulling myself away from him, but he matched every one of my movements. It was impossible for me to even move a centimeter away.

"You ready to listen to me?" He whispered, his breath cool against my skin.

"No." I was starting to doubt my own voice. I had no idea what he was planning to do with me. I'd been currently always trusting of Damon, yet in this moment, I felt all that trust wither away. I suddenly felt afraid.

He leaned closer, our lips almost touching. All I could see was him, nothing else. "How 'bout now?"

I swallowed, "No."

That's when he kissed me.

I was shocked at first by the feeling of his lips against mine. I mean, he'd kissed me before, but not like this. I couldn't believe he had kissed me, especially in this position! I couldn't fight back, at all. I couldn't protect myself. I felt completely exposed as his lips ravished mine.

His free hand weaved its way into my hair, pulling me even closer to him. I struggled, trying to free my wrists from his grasp, hoping that his conscience would spark through. But he didn't let me go.

He continued to passionately kiss me as our breaths came quicker... and I was kissing him back. I couldn't help it as the heat from his body traveled to mine, making shivers travel down my spine. What was even more embarrassing was... I liked it. It made me feel dangerous, especially in this kind of situation. He felt so much more powerful than me. It didn't seem fair that he could control me like this.

When Damon felt that I wasn't fighting back anymore, he vampire sped us to the wall opposite the front door, and pressed against me, closer than before. His hand let go of my wrists as he placed it on my hip. His other hand still continued to stroke my face and hair.

This felt... so good. It was so different to Stefan's kisses. Damon was a bit rougher, but still gentle. He liked to be a tease.

And as much as my brain said no, my body betrayed me.

Yet, as much as my body said no... my sense of right broke through the love haze.

With as much force as I could gather in this position—squished between Damon and the wall—I raised my right hand and slapped him across the face. The sound echoed throughout the room.

To his credit, he seemed to have finally gotten the message—let go of me—and stepped back. Though the slap barely hurt him, he did look shocked by it. Actually, I was pretty sure I did a lot more damage to my hand than to his face. Right now, it stung, but I refused to show the pain.

We stared at each other for a few seconds, both of us daring the other to speak first.

He broke the silence, his expression a little smug, "Don't expect me to be sorry for kissing you, 'cause I'm not."

I had this urge to hit his hauntingly beautiful face again. I chose my words, pronouncing them each slowly and carefully, "Don't. Ever. Do that again."

"Kiss you?"

"No!" Realizing what I had just shouted, I looked to the ground in embarrassment and added; "I mean yes—I mean... whatever." Great save Ariana. Awesome. "Don't ever put me in that position again. Where I can't fight back." My face turned red, remembering how my hands were shackled behind my back by only one of his. Hot tears burned behind my eyes by the humiliation.

His face showed an equal amount of confusion and and knowledge. His eyes turned hard. "I need to show you how easy it is for me to overpower you. If anyone else who was stronger than you had the chance to be alone with you..." He shook his head, as if ridding his thoughts of fearful images. He changed the train of his thoughts, "Stefan's too busy being—well, Stefan—to realize that you need someone to protect and look after you 24/7. Your decisions would've gotten you killed if I hadn't showed up."

What. The. Hell. Was that supposed to mean? What kind of... psychotic message was that? So... basically... he kissed me—putting me in a position where I actually thought for a moment he was going to rape me—and said that it was him showing how anyone else could do that to me? That was... God, I could feel another headache coming along.

I closed my eyes, and breathed out a breath of frustration. "What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you can trust me to protect you. You can trust me. And right now, we need to go back to Mystic Falls, where it's safe."

"Trust you?" My eyes snapped open. I would've laughed out loud if I weren't so pissed. "Whatever trust we were building up in these last few months has just been destroyed by what happened right here a minute ago. A friend wouldn't have placed me in a situation like that. A friend wouldn't have done that to me."

"What if I don't want to be your friend." Damon said, completely serious. "What if I want more?"

"Well, then you're delusional."

"Am I?" He questioned, entering my personal space again. "Am I really? Do you expect me to believe that when we kissed just now... you didn't feel anything? Am I supposed to think that I imagined it when you kissed me back?"

I started to breathe faster. "Step back before I slap you again."

He did as I asked, and my heart continued to pump faster as I tried to evade him. His hand grasped my wrist though, and I flinched, jerking away. Unlike last time, he didn't hold on tight. He let me go. Hurt pervaded across his features at my reaction to him, but I didn't let it bother me as I headed in the direction of another room, just wishing to be away from him for awhile.

"Ariana!"

I didn't turn around.

When I first arrived to the new room and closed the door behind me, Rose stood up, her mouth open and ready to explain. I silenced her though. She was just another reason why Damon and I weren't compatible. He'd slept with her only last night.

About twenty minutes passed in uncomfortable silence before Damon reappeared by the opening doorway. He could barely meet my gaze as he stated, "Time to go. Alice is soundly sleeping and won't remember a moment of this horribly stupid day."

Ouch. Okay, fine. He wanted to call that kiss "horrible" and "stupid", then I agreed. It was.

Suddenly, before either three of us were able to react, the front doors bursted open. Three men in dark clothes stood in a triangle formation. Their intimidating stares aroused fear in me. Damon inched closer to me, partially blocking me from the unknown men's vision. The leader spoke, "We're here to meet the doppelganger."

"Thank you for coming." With all the drama going on, I'd almost forgotten about Alice's call. Screw Damon. Screw Rose. Screw Stefan. I was making a deal with whomever I wanted.

Their gazes moved to where I attempted to walk towards them, and their eyes widened in amazement. A hand pushed me back. Looking up, I met Damon's furious expression. "I will break your arm." He threatened, tightening his hold protectively, and looked back to the trio of men—well, possibly vampires. "There's nothing here for you."

A second was all it took. The man at the back of the triangle dropped to the floor, dead. Above him... stood a vampire I thought I'd never have to see again... Elijah. I gasped in surprise. He wasn't dead after all.

He looked impeccable, clad in an expensive thousand dollar suit. Definitely not how we left him. He vampire sped towards the other two vampires left in the trio, and looked at them each for a few seconds. Rose, suddenly blurred out of the apartment. Well, so much for loyalty.

The Original looked towards Damon and I, his gaze settling upon me for a few more moments than necessary. "Ariana." He whispered, in a sort of surprised greeting. He then caught sight of where Damon was grasping my arm, and an expression that seemed so foreign to Elijah crossed his features. I couldn't place what it was.

"Elijah." I gasped, still shocked by his presence. Yep, mental patient number one right here. This was probably all a vivid dream derived from imagination and too much cheese before bed time... or, at least, that was how the saying went.

Damon glared at Elijah, "I killed you. You were dead."

"For centuries now." Elijah stated. Old humor, funny. He looked back to the two vampires, "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" One vampire retorted.

"I'm Elijah."

Fear and recognition dawned on both the vampires, "We were gonna bring her to you." The same unknown man pointed to me. "For Klaus. She's the doppelganger. I don't know how she exists, but she does. Klaus will want to see her."

"Indeed he would." Elijah said, briefly meeting my gaze, "Does anyone else know that you're here?"

"No."

The Original smirked, "Well, then, you have been incredibly helpful." Just as I thought he was going to let the two vampires go, he plunged both his hands into each of their chests and pulled out two round-like objects covered in thick, red blood. Only after the vampires and the bloody things dropped to the ground, unmoving, did I realize that those objects were their hearts.

I felt empathetic towards the three dead vampires. I didn't know why Elijah decided to kill them. I thought they were on the same side, migrating towards the same goal.

I gasped as Elijah faced me and Damon. The vampire protecting me got into a predator stance, preparing to fight against Elijah. No. He couldn't do this. I couldn't let Damon get hurt. Why was he so stubborn? Why couldn't he let me go with Elijah and everybody else, including him, would be able to live out their whole lives?

The Original's demeanor suddenly changed. He looked at me, to Damon, then back to me. He hesitated. After brief deliberation, Elijah vampire sped out of the apartment, leaving me way more confused then I was when he'd arrived.

Damon and I shared shocked looks. I wasn't the only one questioning the other vampire's motives.

3rd person POV:

"Your shadow spell was successful." Elijah announced, looking out the window of the house he was hiding in, "I was able to track the girl. However, I did have a little run in with one of the brothers that killed me."

Jonas, the warlock who was the father of Luka, stated, "I assume he didn't live to tell about it."

"Actually, I spared him. He'd die before he'd let anything happen to her. They both would. She'll be kept safe." Elijah thought back to when he found Damon holding Ariana back. How this strange feeling of anger coursed through him. This was an emotion he hadn't felt for centuries. Why, after all this time, did this one girl make him decide to feel all these complicated emotions again? Why had this instinct to protect her suddenly make itself known?

He couldn't risk to care for her. He couldn't handle being hurt again.

Elijah thought himself absurd. He hadn't even had a normal conversation with the girl, yet he was already feeling this energy inside of him, buzzing whenever he merely thought of her name. Ariana.

"For now." Jonas commented to Elijah's earlier remark.

"Well, that's precisely what we need her to be." Elijah turned from the window to look back at the warlock, "Safe."

Ariana POV:

Night came quickly as Damon drove me home. My mind still swirled with thoughts of Elijah. How was he alive? How as it possible?... What was he? What was I supposed to do about the sacrifice?

When the two of us walked up the familiar porch back home, I relived my failure of trying to turn myself over to Klaus. If anything, I probably further complicated things. In addition, I put Damon in danger.

"Thanks for bringing me home." I muttered to Damon.

"Well, your ride left you." He stated, "I didn't want to leave you stranded."

"She was just scared. She didn't mean to run."

"Yes, she did." Damon said, exasperated, "She's been running for five hundred years."

A few seconds passed by, then I changed the subject, "Elijah's alive. Never thought I'd see him again. Why do you think he killed those vampires and just let us go?"

"If I had a dollar for every time some evil vampire surprised me." He looked away for a moment, "By the way, what was that... thing you two had going on?"

"What thing?"

He turned back to me, "That whole name whispering thing... it was as if you two knew each other."

"I was just surprised, that's all." I stated, "I didn't expect to see him still alive. It was a reflex reaction." He didn't say anything after that, so I headed towards the front door of my house.

Before I had time to open it, Damon caught my arm, staring into my eyes with his beautiful blue ones. "What you did today—trying to contact Klaus—was incredibly stupid."

"The only thing that was stupid about it was that I got caught." I wiggled out of his grasp. "I don't question why you and Stefan and everyone else tries so hard to save me. You shouldn't question why I would try to save all of you."

"It's because none of us are worth saving." Damon said, "The only person I really care about is you." I remained silent, knowing that arguing with him would be futile. He looked down to the ground, then back up at me, guilty. "Look, I'm sorry about kissing you today."

I smirked a little, "I thought you weren't sorry."

"I'm an idiot," Damon shrugged, "The truth is that it's really hard to control myself around you. I was mad when you wouldn't leave with me, and I guess I just forgot about all common sense. I didn't think about how much you would hate me after it. Ariana... I'm really sorry."

He looked so sincere. It was impossible not to forgive him. "Damon, you always manage to screw something up. But as much as you can piss me off... I could never hate you. I've told you many times before... I can never hate you."

Hope shined in his eyes as he stared at me in shock. "...So... where does that leave us?"

I sighed. "I don't know. I'm not sure where we stand." I avoided his gaze. "I know how you feel about me... but... I'm confused by what I feel for you. I don't know... And then, there's Stefan..."

Damon rolled his eyes in anger when he heard me speak his brother's name. "Ah, my baby bro. The hero always gets the girl."

I shook my head, smiling a little. "You're ridiculous."

"No, you're just too stubborn to admit anything." He retorted.

"Goodnight, Damon." I said, just as the front door opened. Jeremy and Elena stood inside the house, both had conflicted expressions and were covered in dirt. Jeremy held a hand towel to his neck, where blood was staining the cloth red. "Oh my God, Jeremy, what happened?"

"Jeremy was being stupid, and went inside the tomb without us." Elena explained. "Katherine bit him, but luckily, he got out."

"I told you guys not to go into the tomb." I stated, feeling frustrated. Jeremy got hurt because of this. He could've been killed. I could see the hesitation in their eyes, and realized that that wasn't the end of the story. More bad news was to come.

"What?" Damon questioned, catching on.

Jeremy finally responded, "It's Stefan."

Bolting down the stairs of the tomb, I could see the fire on the sticks giving off light. Damon had been right behind me the entire run into the woods, and I had no doubt he wasn't far away from me. But I payed him no mind. Only one person was on my mind.

The dark cave expanded in front of me. I couldn't see a single thing in their besides a few feet of dirt and dead leaves. "Stefan! Stefan!" I called into the tomb, hoping to hear something, anything. But no one answered. Not Stefan. Not even Katherine.

He was hiding from me, not wanting to make his presence shown.

I didn't care if Katherine would kill me, I just needed to see Stefan. I was about to enter the darkness, when someone came up from behind and grabbed me. My back hit the wall beside the opening of the tomb as blue eyes stared down at me.

Damon placed his hands on my hips, keeping me against the cold stone. "Don't you dare." He threatened, his piercing eyes flashing dangerously.

"Stefan's in there, Damon!" I stated the obvious, my words laced with anger. There was a chance that he'd never get out. Not unless a witch could help. "How could you let this happen?"

"What are you talking about?" He looked at me as if I was insane, "I was too busy saving you from your crazy kamikaze mission."

"You didn't even have to go after the moonstone in the first place!"

"It was the right call, Ariana." He willed me to understand.

"The right call?" I questioned, "How is any of this the right call?!" He said nothing, only stared at me intensely. His hands kept me against the rock, and I suddenly felt very uncomfortable with him so close to me. I needed space. I needed to get out. I needed to see Stefan.

"Damon, let go of me!" Hot tears glistened in my eyes. I pushed against his chest, trying to loosen his grip. But just like earlier today, he refused to budge. I utilized all of my weight to get him off me, yet he continued to keep me in place. "Damon, let go of me!"

His face kept a calm coolness. He held me back with ease, seeming as if he thought this whole situation was pointless.

My strength was finally used up, and I gave him a desperate look as I pleaded, "Please."

A few beats passed, and he whispered, "Are you done?"

Right, as if I was acting like a child.

I didn't care.

Breathing heavily, I didn't answer him. He seemed to sense how uncomfortable I was in this familiar position, and released me from his grip as he backed up. Able to think clearly again, I made my way into the cave. I barely moved forward an inch before Damon was there again, holding up a hand to block my path.

"Don't." His fiery warning look scared even me.

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration and swiftly left the tomb. I had to find another way to get Stefan out. I'd do anything. This moonstone mission was bound to fail, and to make up for it, I had to find some way to turn myself in successfully. No matter how much everyone else was against it, I needed to do what I was created to do.

The doppelganger was born to be sacrificed. There wasn't any other way around that. Katherine decided to safe herself, but that arrived with consequences. Her entire family was slaughtered.

I wasn't willing to face the consequences.

3rd person POV:

"Of all the idiot plans, Stefan." Damon complained as he looked into the tomb. Stefan came out into the light, after double-checking that Ariana was out of sight. He couldn't face her in that moment. He didn't need to feel more guilty for not being able to protect her while in the tomb. He hoped, that his brother could fill in that role.

"Yeah." Stefan answered, patting the wall.

"I'll find a way to get you out."

"Ah, it's all right." Stefan stated, "I'll handle myself. Bonnie had the moonstone. Work with her. Try to figure out how to de-spell it."

"You martyr yourself in a tomb and I get partnered with a semi-competent witch. Wonderful." Damon said sarcastically.

Stefan nodded, smiling a bit. "Keep Ariana away from here." Stefan became serious. "It's not safe."

"Yeah." The older Salvatore scoffed, "Cause that'll be easy."

"Promise me." Stefan continued, "No matter what happens. You'll protect her."

Damon nodded, his face void of all humor. "Promise." They both understood the other would die to protect her. It was something they both had in common; their love for the same girl.

As Damon left the tomb, Katherine emerged from the shadows, smirking at Stefan, "That right there was the biggest mistake you've ever made."

He turned back to the Ariana look-alike, feeling a coldness creep in on him. A feeling of desertion and loneliness. He was already missing Ariana.

He tried not to let Katherine's words get to him... but something told him that there was more going on between his brother and his girl than just a one-sided love. It was more than that. Stefan believed that Ariana was... she was starting to feel something for his brother too. Something more than friendship.

Here's that chapter you've all been waiting for! I know that some of you are frustrated that I haven't updated recently, and there really isn't an excuse for that. All I can say is that I'm sorry. I've been stressed and haven't been receiving enough sleep. It's really screwing with my schedule.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter! It's the longest one I've ever written, so it took some time and thinking.

Love all of your reviews! They're amazing! Thank you!

-Spiralcloud