**Chapter twenty nine**

The date

*Hailey*

What the hell was I doing out here in the middle of the night? I sure sleep walked a long way. I ran a hand through my messy bed hair, and looked nervously around the pitch black area around me. Of course my unconsciousness had to choose the time to sleep walk across town when angry vamps want to drain every drop of blood from my body. How was I going to get home? I didn't have my cell on me, so I'd just have to walk.

I nervously started walking away from the creepy old house, and practically ran down the road leading away from it. I didn't know much about the manor, only that it'd been abandoned a long time ago, and that it was in the middle of nowhere.

The wind was cruel and whipped against me. It was even worse, since I was just wearing a tank top and a pair of boxer shorts. I wasn't wearing shoes, which sucked for my feet. I took a deep breath as I walked. I couldn't be that far from town, and it could be only a little past midnight, so I'd call someone from a pay phone once I reached one.

"Hailey? What are you doing out here?"

I screamed so loud that people in Peru would have no problem hearing. I whipped around and raised my hands, ready to kick some tomb vamp ass, when Damon raised his hands up. I gave a sigh of relief, and put a hand over my heart as if to calm it down.

"What the hell, Damon? Don't go around lurking at night like that! You're gonna give me a heart attack!" I exclaimed, taking a deep breath.

Damon ignored my words, and looked at me with his eyebrows furrowed. "What are you doing out here in your pajamas?" he asked, taking in my outfit. I pretended not to notice that his gaze lingered on my bare legs.

"It's a hell of a long story that I barely understand. What are you doing out here?" I asked, looking at him suspiciously.

"Tomb vampire hunting." Damon said, revealing a wooden stake. "I couldn't sleep."

I nodded, and then shivered again, as the wind beat against my bare skin. "Any luck?"

"Sadly, no." he said, before taking off his leather jacket and passing it to me.

I slipped it on gratefully, and the leathery smell of the jacket mixed with the smell of Damon hit me. I inhaled deeply, though I hid it from Damon.

"Thanks." I said, smiling at him.

"Do you need a ride?" Damon asked, as I basked in the warmness of his jacket.

"Yes." I answered, and followed him as he walked down the road. Somehow, the night didn't seem so threatening when Damon was at my side. Maybe it was because I'd watch him take down vampires, but I knew it wasn't that.

The jacket was a couple sizes too big for me, and the sleeves went past my hands, but I liked it. When we reached Damon's car, I slid into the passenger side, and pulled the jacket more tightly around me. I heard Damon come in on the driver's side, and then we were off to my house.

"So, why were you out in the middle of nowhere in your pajamas?" Damon asked again.

I told him all about my flashback dream thing, though I left out the part when he was making out with Katherine. Even if we were friends now, that was just too awkward.

"I remember that…" Damon said, obviously remembering his make out session with Katherine, though he didn't say anything about it, which was very unlike Damon.

"You know what this means, right?" I said, finally speaking what had been playing in my head.

"What's that?" he asked.

"I'm connected to Victoria, more than we thought."

Damon scoffed. "We already knew that. You guys have the same looks and the same powers. You've always been connected."

"Well, more than we thought if I'm starting to get her memories!" I argued.

"That's true." he admitted.

"What I want to know is what that knife was for. Did you ever see it?" I asked.

Damon shook his head slowly. "I don't think so, but I think it's pretty obvious what it was used for."

"What's that?" I asked absentmindedly, replaying the flashback in my head.

"It was what Victoria used to kill her mom and cousin, if she and Katherine wanted to hide it." I loved how we both pretended it wasn't awkward when he mentioned Katherine.

I nodded. "It was weird though, I felt sort of drawn to it. And Victoria did too. I saw it in her eyes." I remembered.

Damon sighed, and ran a hand over his face. "Things just got stranger, and that's saying something." he said.

"Maybe it's nothing." I said hopefully.

"Hailey, since when have your visions meant nothing?' he asked skeptically.

"All I'm saying is that they're a pain in the ass." I complained.

"Like vision, like physic." Damon muttered.

"Hey!" I said, hitting him on the arm.

And just like that, things were just like how they used to be, pre-Katherine. I could almost pretend that Damon and I were driving to my house to have sex, almost. Then we reached my house, and the illusion was all too soon over.

~LMF~

"Do you think it has anything to do with the tomb vampires?" Elena asked the next morning as we drove to school. It was just me and Elena this morning, Stefan was going to meet us there. I think he was still freaked out from Elena's close call with death. I know I was.

"I don't know, Elena. I hope not." I said, shaking out my wavy hair.

I was still wearing Damon's jacket, because he forgot to ask for it back. I liked it because it smelled like him. I was obsessed. I had just told Elena about last night's events, only rearranging things so that it didn't look like I still had feelings for Damon. I knew Elena still had that idea in her head.

"It freaks you out, doesn't it? That you're getting Victoria's memories?" Elena asked, and I nodded.

"I don't want to end up like her." I admitted, and Elena's gaze softened.

"You won't Hails, I won't let you." she said, squeezing my arm. "Besides, if you murder your mom, it won't be because you're saving her from anything." Elena added, and I laughed.

We pulled into the school parking lot, and Elena and I walked side by side to history class, then suddenly, Elena hit my arm again. "Ow! Lena, I love you, but hit me one more time, and I'll be forced to kick your ass." I said, as I rubbed the spot where she hit me.

"Hot new guy's looking at you." she said, and I turned to look at the spot she was pointing at. She was right. Nathan was looking at me with his pretty hazel eyes, and he smiled at me when he saw me looking back.

"Go get your man." Elena teased. I hip bumped her and then walked over to Nathan. I'd told her about my earlier conversation with him.

He smiled welcomingly at me. "Must be my lucky day if I'm seeing you again." he teased. I smirked at him, before sitting on a picnic table he was sitting at.

"Must be." I agreed, brushing a piece of hair out of my face.

"I know this might be too soon, but I was wondering if you'd like to go on a date tonight?" he asked, looking nervous.

I paused. I suddenly felt guilty like I was cheating on Damon. I mentally shook myself; Damon and I were just friends. We weren't a possibility; And Nathan was a hot guy who was interested in me.

"It really must be your lucky day." I teased, smiling back at him. His face brightened, and he touched my hand. Suddenly something strange happened. I felt a strong feeling of dread in the center of my stomach that was all too familiar, but I didn't want it to be true. Suddenly the bell rang.

"Gotta get to history class. It'd be such a shame to miss any opportunities to learn." I said sarcastically. He laughed, before I walked quickly to where Elena was waiting for me.

"Well?" she prompted, waiting for the details.

"We're going out tonight." I said, ignoring the feeling I got when he touched my hand. I just imagined it, hadn't I?

"Wow, you work fast." Elena laughed.

"Don't I?" the conversation changed to what I was going to wear and we could do. Soon, I forgot all about the strange feeling I got.

~LMF~

"What we need to do is take out the three boss people."

"Candace, Marcus, and Nikolai?" Stefan asked, and I nodded.

"Marcus is the main boss though." I said.

Elena, Stefan, and I were sitting in Stefan's living room, brainstorming ways to kill all the tomb vamps.

"That's easier said than done, though." Elena pointed out.

"It's always easier said than done, Lena." I said, pulling my hair up into a messy bun.

"What is?"

I looked up to see Damon looking at our little meeting with an interested expression.

"Killing the three bosses of the tomb vamps." I said, stretching out on the couch.

"You make it sound like a video game." Damon pointed out, amused.

"It kind of is. Though sadly, we don't get extra lives." I said, sighing.

"Marcus is gonna be the hardest to kill." Damon pointed out; take a seat next to my feet.

"Which is why we start with the easiest, and then work up." I said.

"It doesn't work like that, Hailey. All three of them are going to be hard to kill." Stefan said from his spot on the other couch with Elena in his lap. Ugh, their sugary sweet love made me sick.

"Yeah, but Nikolai has a weakness, so we can start with him." Damon pointed out, looking pleased with the idea of killing Nikolai.

"What's that?" I asked warily, already knowing what it was.

"You."

I groaned. "For the last time Damon, Nikolai's not in love with me!" I exclaimed.

"Actually, Damon has a point. You're his weakness, because Victoria was." Stefan said, and I glared at him.

"Looking like Victoria becomes a bigger pain in the ass every day." I said, running my hands through my hair.

"Hailey, it's six. You should probably start to get ready for your date." Elena abruptly, and I looked at my cellphone to verify the time.

"Date?" Damon asked. He looked at me, confused.

"Yeah, with the new guy at school." I explained, not meeting his gaze. Then I stood up and flung my backpack over my shoulder.

"Why are you going out on a date?" Damon asked again.

"Because he asked me, and I said yes." I still wouldn't meet his gaze. Stefan gave Damon a strange look. Damon glared at him, before his face went back to a confused/angry/broody mix.

"Call me during the middle of it and give me the details, so that I can bail you out if it's no good." Elena said, ignoring Damon's babble as she and Stefan walked up to his room.

"Sure thing, Lena, and thanks for letting me borrow your car." I said as she disappeared. I turned to Damon, who had a broody look on his face.

"I actually need to talk to you, Damon." I said, and he looked up at me, confused.

~LMF~

I was wearing a sexy red tank top, and the jeans that made my ass look good. My hair was down in curls, and I could easily say that my A-game had been brought. I looked really good, though I was still wearing Damon's jacket.

The date went well. Nathan was funny and charming. He pulled out my chair for me, and told me to order whatever I wanted at the Grill. It was easy to forget my feeling about him from earlier. Though it wasn't nearly as easy to forget about Damon.

During the middle of the date, I excused myself to the bathroom, to call Elena. I went outside to get better reception, when I was attacked.

I screamed out loud, before a hand was clamped tight over my mouth. I was slammed against the brick wall of the Grill, causing white dots to appear in my vision. I closed my eyes, the back of my head feeling white-hot with pain.

When I opened my eyes again, I was facing Nathan. he didn't look hot anymore. He had an evil smirk on his face, and looked slightly insane.

"Candace is going to be so happy that we finally got you. You've been a huge pain in the ass, you, and your visions." he said, his hands on my throat.

"So you're working with the tomb vamps." I said hoarsely as he crushed my windpipe.

"Yeah, and you were too stupid to notice." he said proudly.

"Not quite." Damon said from behind him, before ripping Nathan off me, and injecting him with vervain.

I gasped for air, and rubbed the back of my head. "Are you okay?" Damon asked me, his blue eyes full of concern. I nodded, glad that I trusted my gut at least a little bit.

Flashback

"What?" he asked, confused.

"I know this sounds weird, but I need you to follow us on our date." I said, and Damon raised an eyebrow.

"And why would I want to do that?" he asked, like I was crazy.

"Because my date might be one of the evil vamps trying to kill us." I explained, and both of Damon's eyebrows shot up.

"Then why are you going on a date with him?" he asked.

"Because I could be wrong. But if I'm not, it's a chance to kill off one of the tomb vamps." I explained

Damon closed his eyes for a few seconds while he was thinking. Then he nodded slowly, and opened his eyes, looking as if he already regretted saying yes.

I beamed at him. "Thanks, Damon." I said, before kissing him quickly on the cheek and walking out of the house.

Damon's eyes followed me out of the house. It didn't occur to me then, the amount of control I held over him, even after we became "Just friends." It was enough control to get him to agree to follow me on my first date after he broke my heart. That, along with chance that he might be able to kill my date, though Damon didn't tell anyone that.

It was sad really, how obvious it was that we weren't over each other. Obvious to everybody but each other.

~LMF~

A/N: thank you to: missxsunshine, AubreySalvatore, SomebodyWhoCares, jacquline, vdemily, Angelfang, and colleenrawr for reviewing!

Reviews make me feel loved :D

~Abby!