Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the pillow under my head, the paint on my shirt, and this computer.

Damon and I spent more and more time together as the weeks passed. I had found out his past and about Katherine but I wanted to learn what made him him. I wanted to learn what his life was like when he was alive. I wanted to learn his favorite movies, what his favorite food was, and if he knew how to swing dance the proper way. We went to the movies and he took me to dinner. He taught me how to cook Italiano and I taught him how to sit still during a foreign film. He couldn't stand reading the tiny white subtitles.

But there was one thing we didn't do; we didn't have sex. I wasn't ready and he didn't push me. I saw that as a sign. Damon wasn't Phillip. He truly felt for me. He wasn't evil, even if that's what he wanted everyone to think. He cared about me and I cared about him. Oh, don't get me wrong, he wanted it, boy did he want it. I wanted it. He tried everything: flowers, nice gifts, fancy dinners. He even tried at a drive-in movie. But he never forced it.

"So when do you get off?" I turned to look at my boyfriend or…whatever he was to me. We hadn't given this a name.

"I thought you'd know when I was getting off." I leered back at him flirtatiously. I could play his game too.

He groaned loudly. "Bri, you'd definitely know if I had gotten you off." His eyes turned dangerous.

I knew this conversation was getting a bit too heavy when his eyes became dark. Fooling around without doing the deed was taking a toll on him. The flirty talk made it worse.

"I get off at 7. You got plans?"

"Yeah, Anna's party is tonight." I'd forgotten about the party. It was Anna's 18th birthday and we were throwing her a party at the boarding house. She had been doing great, living there and working at the bookstore.

"That's right." I looked down at my watch. I had about twenty minutes to go. "I still have some time on the clock. Are you going to wait?"

"I have to go pick up some drinks then I'll come back." I nodded and he kissed me on the cheek before leaving.

I was taking an order when I felt someone watching me. I looked up quickly and scanned the room but saw no one. I was being paranoid. It had been good for too long. Something bad had to happen. I just hope I wasn't going to be surprised.

As Damon and I arrived at the boarding house, I could tell that it was going to a wild night. Cars were crowding the driveway and the music could be heard from the garage. We walked in to find the place packed and the lights low. The music was some techno dance song and the windows were shaking from the spastic bass. We wedged our way through the sweaty crowd into the kitchen.

"Good! You're here! This place is crazy!" Elena looked frazzled. She was the hostess. Stefan, the host, looked calm and collected as he piled the drinks Damon bought into the cooler of ice.

"It looks crazy. Have you seen Anna? I want to say hi."

"She should be in the living room with Jeremy." Stefan said coolly.

I nodded and grabbed a drink before I left. Damon stayed in the kitchen to help. Damon, helping? Who would've thought? I scanned the crowd for Anna and found her near the windows by the fire place. I wrestled my way through the mingling, dancing waves of people to get closer to her.

"Anna!" I hug her close. "Jeremy!" I pull him into a hug too.

"Happy birthday! How's the party?"

"Loud and crowded." We laughed. "There are a lot of people here." She was not lying. Anna had made friends at Mystic Falls High but most of the people here just wanted to see inside the mysterious Salvatore boarding house.

"I'm sure if you disappear, no one will know." I winked at her. We both weren't fans of large social gatherings. "I'll see you guys later." I yelled one last time over the music and then walked away.

God, it was musty in here. Throw in a large room with hot bodies, constant dancing and almost no air flow; the room becomes hot and humid fast. I squeezed my way to the French doors which no one had bothered to open. I slid outside and left the door cracked. I breathed in fresh air and listened to the song change. There it was again. I felt something watching me. I looked into the nearby bushes and at the trees but in the moonlight, I couldn't see anything. It was black and what silver light there was made everything look sinister. I spun to go back inside before I felt a hand cover my mouth and pull me backwards. I screamed but it was no use. I clawed at the hand until everything went black.

-Damon POV-

Damn, where was she? Brighton had left the kitchen and I had stayed to help Stefan. Yeah, I know. I helped Stefan instead of making him miserable. But I didn't feel like I needed revenge anymore. I didn't feel angry at him or anyone. Brighton had done that. She completely changed my world. She had changed me and I didn't feel the need to fight it. She made me happy. Of course she would make me happier if she'd finally sleep with me, but I knew she wasn't ready. Phillip had made her uncertain and scared. I didn't want her to ever be scared. I want to make her happy. I loved her.

I scanned the crowd but didn't see her anywhere. I saw Anna though.

"Anna, have you seen Brighton?"

"Last I saw her she was over by the French doors."

"Thanks." I wriggled my way through and saw the doors open. I stepped outside but she wasn't here. I was worried. Maybe she went upstairs or she might have gone to the bathroom.

I was about to go back inside to check when, "She isn't here."

I turned fast. "She isn't here, but you knew that."

"Who are you? What are you talking about?" Shit, I didn't like this.

"You don't need to know anything yet. But I am talking about your girl. What's her name? Brighton." The guy said smiling.

"What did you do with Brighton?" I was angry now. Who was this guy?

"Oh nothing, she's safe…for now." His smile grew maniacal.

I growled. "I'll twist your head off before you even get the chance to touch her." I spat.

"Oh, you're going to have to find her first." The guy has the gall to start pacing leisurely. "It'll be hard to rescue your Brighton before she gets what is coming to her."

"What do you mean?" I was pissed. He had taken Brighton for some kind of revenge.

"You see, my boss isn't very happy with Ms. Saltzman. She hurt my boss. She killed Phillip, my boss' mate." I gaped. Shit. This just became more complicated as I discovered that this man was a vampire.

"That rapist had a mate? Well, maybe your boss should learn how to satisfy, if you get my drift." He flitted toward me, holding me in the air by my neck. I clawed at his hands but he was big.

"You shouldn't speak like that. You don't know the trouble it could get you in." Suddenly Stefan came out of the house and tackled him to the ground. I jumped up and helped him.

Stefan came to a stand-still as four more vampires appeared in the moonlight. He pulled me back before I could deliver one more blow.

"Damon, look." I looked up to stare at the group of imposing vampires.

The big vamp drew himself to his feet. "Well, let the games begin then." He backed himself into the yard.

"Where is she?" I stood menacingly.

"That, you'll have to found out for yourself." He started to walk into the shadows with the rest of his crew. "Oh and you might want to do that fast. The boss likes to play with her food first." They disappeared and I punched my hand through the outer siding of the house.

Stefan jumped. "What just happened?" I dragged my hand over my face. "Damon?"

"They took her." I lifted my eyes to his. "They took Brighton."

His eyes widened comically. In any other situation, I would've laughed.

"Stefan, I can't…I can't lose her." I lowered my eyes.

"You won't. We'll find her." With that, he shuffled me through the doors and back into the sea of bodies.

I couldn't lose her. And I wouldn't.

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