First, I would like to say thank you for all the reviews/favorites/alerts. They make me happy :')

I named this chapter "Young Blood" after a song by this indie rock band called The Naked And Famous (I'm a very eclectic listener). The reason I chose this song is because the lyrics define what I want this fic to be about. They also remind me of what I think The Vampire Diaries (books and show) itself is about. To me, if you take away every supernatural aspect, TVD is about being young, in love, and a little crazy sometimes. Isn't that great? I think so.

The song has a real 80s feel to it lol, and the link to it is on my profile. But enough with my rambling... It's time to read.

DISCLAIMER: Ditto all the other disclaimers I've made.

Chapter 4: Young Blood

The nearest stop was a rinky-dink motel that Bethany drove them too. Because her car was so small, the short drive was an uncomfortable one. Matt, at Bethany's insistence, sat in the front seat while Bonnie, Elena, Meredith, and Stefan squeezed into the back. And since Bonnie was the smallest, she sat on Stefan's lap.

"Elena, why don't you sit on his lap instead?" Bonnie suggested to Elena who was already in the car, waiting.

"Guys, get in! Please! If we don't get going, I'm gonna go on myself!" Elena was wriggling in her seat as she pleaded.

"I'm keeping you away from caffeine," Stefan told her once they had all piled in.

Bethany dropped them off at the motel, shortly after, but not before she could get a kiss out of Matt. It was really a shy peck on the cheek, but it satisfied her nevertheless.

"You're so sweet!" she cooed. "As sweet as honey!"

"Sure. Bye," Matt mumbled as he scrambled out of the car.

When they were all checked in, Elena couldn't get to her and Stefan's room fast enough. The relief of not having to hold it anymore was both instantaneous and satisfying.

Dear Diary,

Today has been insane. Damon decided to take us on a road trip and now, eight or so hours later, we are somewhere in Canada. And did I mention that he was supposed to be taking us to California? Well we're still going, but who knows how long it'll take and the places that Damon will drag us to along the way? This came as a total surprise. It's our fault, though, for forgetting to expect the unexpected when it comes to Damon.

That's not all that happened today. I nearly had an accident – twice. I drank so much coffee this morning and it ran right through me. Stefan says I should stay away from caffeine for a while, and I think he's right. I don't ever want to go through that again.

Matt also met this girl named Bethany. I thought she was nice at first, but now I'm not so sure. She showed up out of nowhere when the tire on our car blew out (I told you this day was crazy), and then she slapped the spit out of Damon. She'd better be glad that Stefan was there to protect her. Without him, Bethany would have been a goner. She seems to honestly like Matt, but something is just…off…about her. I wonder if Matt sees it too?

I don't know what else will come from this road trip, but it can't be nearly as bad as the things that we've been through before. Right? I think it'll actually be fun. It's nice for us to all be together without it being a life-or-death situation. I hope Damon gets back with a new car soon. This motel is really run-down. Well, I'm going to see what the others are doing so I have to go.

Sincerely yours,

Elena

Elena tucked her diary in her bag before walking past Stefan.

"Stefan!" Elena giggled as he picked her up and danced her around the room. "Why such a good mood all of a sudden?"

"Because," Stefan replied, "you're safe and we're together. For once, there's nothing trying to destroy us and those we care about. What's not to be happy about?"

Elena, still in Stefan's embrace, wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. "You're absolutely right," she smiled. "I love you so much."

Stefan put Elena down and held her face in his hands.

"I love you, Elena."

Across the hall was Meredith and Bonnie's room. After spending some more time with Stefan, Elena went and knocked on their door while Stefan himself had gone to find Matt.

"Hey, what are you up to?" she asked as Bonnie let her in.

"Nothing much," Meredith sighed."Just got done checking this mattress for bedbugs, since it looks like we're staying overnight. Now we have to do the other one."

Meredith gestured to the second of the two twin sized beds in the small room. Elena got closer to help.

"The hotel that Damon is taking us to had better be nice. Really nice," Bonnie said as they lifted up the second mattress to check for vermin.

She had good reason to be upset. It was late and the motel was in desperate need of renovation. The paint in the rooms was pealing, the 19 inch TVs failed to get decent reception, and the beds were hard and squeaky.

"We'll find a way to turn this into a great trip. How about that?" Meredith replied as they put the mattress back down. They hadn't found any evidence of bedbugs.

"I hope so."

There was a moment of silence. The girls weren't sure what else to do at that point.

"This room is a little stuffy. Why don't we go out for some fresh air?" Elena suggested. They all agreed and headed out.

Meanwhile, Damon had found a rental place some countless miles away. The only problem was that the place was closed.

Good thing I'm not human, Damon thought to himself.

Damon surveyed the vehicles that they had for rent and came across a SUV that was identical to the one that had been wrecked. A couple of luxury RVs caught his eye, but he decided against it. Although the absurdity that came with the thought of him driving the large vehicle around (not to mention stealing it) appealed to Damon, he decided that an RV wasn't his style. An RV would provide comfort, convenience, and full-time bathroom access for Elena, but it was just too big.

Besides, Damon didn't think of this as stealing. He was just borrowing, and he would return whatever he took – eventually. Now all he needed to do was find a way to get the SUV out.

Damon approached the front entrance of the building and tried the doors.

Alright, then.

It was insanely easy to yank the doors open, despite them being locked. Damon moved quickly as the security alarm went off and found the keys he needed. Even if the authorities did arrive, it was nothing that he couldn't handle because, quite frankly, they didn't stand a chance. However, Damon wasn't in the mood for a fight and was well on his way before one could be instigated.

In his new SUV, Damon had to smile to himself as he floored the gas pedal. The night was making a turn around.

Back at the motel, the girls sat on the flat roof of that mundane building. Even without supernatural agility, climbing up was easy. All they had to do was stand on the top of some guy's pickup truck and then reach up from there. The night sky was alluring, and they laid on their backs and admired it as they waited for the guys. Bonnie was the first to break the silence.

"You wanna know what's weird?" she asked. "It seems like it was years ago when we met Stefan for the first time, but in reality it's only been two? I swear it's like we were living in the 90s or something when we first met Damon and Stefan."

"That is weird," Meredith replied. "But seeing as though we're in the 2000s, that's also impossible."

"Bonnie has a point, though," Elena commented. "After everything that's happened, it almost seems unreal. It's as if someone was writing our lives and creating all this drama and danger for us. Think about it – no one has been through anything like what we have."

"You're saying that it's like we're characters in a book?" Meredith asked her.

"Or a TV drama," Bonnie offered.

"I always knew that I was meant for the camera," said a smooth voice.

"Damon you're back! Did you find a new car?"

It seemed as though Damon had materialized out of the darkness when he laid beside Bonnie, interlacing his fingers behind his head. Matt, with something in his hand, and Stefan were the next to climb up.

"It's just like the other one."

"You found a rental place that was open this late?" Stefan asked.

"Something along those lines," Damon replied as he shifted his gaze. Meredith shot up straight.

"You stole a car?" she nearly exclaimed, struggling to maintain her usual cool demeanor. "How are we supposed to drive around in a stolen vehicle without getting tossed in a jail cell?"

The others sat up as well, staring at Damon in anticipation for an answer, but Damon, still lounging comfortably, simply smiled at them.

"Oh, calm down. I'm going to give it back," he replied. "Besides, we're having fun – making memories."

"In speaking of fun," Matt began, "look what I found." Matt held up what appeared to be some kind of box and waved it around a little.

"Is that Twister?" Bonnie asked, scrunching up her face.

"Yeah. Whoever was in my room before me must've left it. Who wants to play?"

"I don't know…" The rest of them exchanged glances.

"C'mon, there's nothing better to do!"

Thirty minutes later, Stefan had the spinner in his hand while Elena, Meredith, Bonnie, and Damon were entangled on the Twister mat. It looked incredibly ridiculous but, strangely enough, they were having fun. Naturally the most flexible, Damon found the game easy.

"Quit now to save yourself embarrassment," he taunted.

"Left hand, green."

Elena reached over and fell, putting her out of the game. She went and sat next to Matt who had lost earlier on.

"Right foot, yellow," Stefan said. Bonnie groaned loudly in response.

"What's wrong, Redbird?"

"Damon, your butt is in my face!"

"Relax and enjoy the view."

Bonnie's limbs trembled before they finally gave out. For obvious reasons, Bonnie was somewhat relieved that she fell.

"Right hand, blue."

It was down to Meredith and Damon, and this was a far reach for both of them. When Meredith touched the specified color with ease, Damon gave her a slight nudge and made her lose her balance.

"I win," Damon declared, standing.

"You cheated." Meredith glared at him from where she fell.

"Now, it's time to get back on the road. We're not far from Toronto." The vampire purposely ignored Meredith's accusation and headed for the edge of the roof.

"Damon, we're all exhausted. Let's just stay in this crappy motel tonight, okay? We can leave first thing in the morning." Just as Bonnie said this, the first streaks of dawn peaked over the horizon.

"Well, what do you know? It's morning," Damon replied. "Get your things. Anyone who's not in the SUV in five minutes gets left behind." Damon looked at Bonnie and Elena in turn. "No exclusions."

"Since when were you in charge?"

"Since I'm the one who's driving. This whole trip was my idea, so please don't make me regret it."

"Maybe I should drive for a while?" Meredith faced Damon and took a step towards him.

"Maybe not," he replied. "Now, all of you get your things. Chop-chop." And with that, Damon jumped down from the roof and went to wait in his SUV.

Once in the vehicle, assuming the same seats that they had the last time, Meredith leaned forward.

"You should know that as soon as we're out of Canada, I'm driving for a little bit."

When Damon turned towards her, he saw that the look in her eyes meant that there was no arguing. She was driving when they got back to the States.

Damon turned forward without a word and started the ignition.

The sunrise was magnificent as they drove towards the city, and two sleepy hours later they were in a hotel suite in Toronto. To be more accurate, they had an entire floor to themselves, thanks to Damon.

"We don't need the entire floor," Stefan had protested. "Just a few rooms."

"Having fun. Making memories," Damon repeated. He then proceeded to Influence the desk clerk so that the necessary arrangements could be made. These arrangements included getting the people who were already on that particular floor out, so that the group could be there instead. Damon knew that it was extreme, but what did he care?

Once settled, Bonnie took a look around the suite that she was in and had to admit that it was a giant step up from the motel room of before. Not only was the suite classy, spacious, and clean, but it came with an excellent view of the city.

It was a new day, and Bonnie decided that she would take a hot shower before joining the others for breakfast. The steaming water felt luxurious on her skin as she shampooed and rinsed her strawberry-red hair. When she reached for the conditioner, however, it was only to find it gone.

"You, of all people, should know to use sulfate-free hair products. This is going to dry those pretty little curls out." The shower curtain was pulled to the side to reveal a pair of ebony eyes boring into Bonnie's brown ones.

Bonnie stood gaping – and then she screamed.

"Damon, what are you doing?" Bonnie shrieked as she yanked the curtain from Damon's grasp and wrapped it around herself.

"Don't be so full of yourself, my dear. I've been around over half a millennium and there's nothing that I haven't seen."

"Damon!" Bonnie still had the shower curtain clutched tightly to her body.

"I just came to borrow some conditioner, but I don't want it now. Sulfates… " Damon ran fingers through the black silk that was his hair. "I'd throw this stuff away, if I were you," he said, holding up the bottle.

"Get out!"

Damon chuckled darkly as he exited, taking the conditioner with him.

Chapter 4 Overview/What's Expected To Come

First off, let me say that I couldn't resist touching on a plot inconsistency of Nightfall in this chapter. Although Meredith, Bonnie, and Matt graduated high school in 1991/92 (when the original series was published), they were using video phones right after Elena came back to life! I know L.J. probably did that for her new and younger readers, but that threw me off when I read it for the first time, lol. Can you believe that The Vampire Diaries is 20 years old?

We also saw some Stelena fluff, Bethany forever being a weirdo, and a much more playful (and bossy) side of Damon - not to mention him stealing *ahem* I mean borrowing a new SUV, since the one he bought for the trip got ruined. And about that seriously awkward game of Twister, I thought about erasing it but it was the only part that made me laugh. So, yeah...

Although Bamon is my strong suit, there will be some better Stelena scenes to come and we will also learn a bit more about Bethany. I haven't forgotten about Meredith! She's going to have a lot on her hands, at a certain point.

The next chapter will consist of whatever trouble they get into in Toronto. *evil chuckle*

Thanks so much for reading, and I appreciate your honest opinions!

I'm trying my best to keep the characters IN character, but this supposed to be humorous after all (I hope).

Thanks again :P