"I'm just not sure I'm up to this." Elena was telling Jenna. "He has an ex, and besides, we can only be friends."

"At least he's one of the decent ones." Jenna said. "You should consider yourself lucky. Jeremy?"

"Huh? Sorry, wasn't paying attention."

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing really. Just thinking about Vicki." He told her. "I should go." He left the room.

That night, Elena and Bonnie were handing out flyers for the Night of the Comet event. "So, he never tried calling?"

"We never exchanged numbers, Bonnie." Elena pointed out. "Anyway, I'm not looking for a relationship."

"We never are, yet that's when it always seems to find us." Bonnie told her.

"He broke up because his last girlfriend was pretending to be something she wasn't." Elena explained. "I'm hiding something, too, but nobody can ever find out about it. Not even you, Bonnie."

"We all have our own embarrassing secrets, Elena." Bonnie pointed out.

"Yeah, but some are darker than others." Elena looked away, feeling guilty.

"All I'm saying is that maybe you should take a chance." Bonnie said. She reached out to touch her, but Elena pulled away. She didn't want her to know and she didn't know if her powers had started developing yet.

At the Grill, Jeremy noticed Vicki. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to figure out my new schedule here. They've got me back on beginner's work." Vicki explained.

"How are you feeling?"

"My neck hurts a little, but otherwise fine."

"I'm really sorry you got hurt." Jeremy said.

"You apologize too much."

"I still care about what happens to you."

"Thanks."

"So, you coming to watch the comet with everyone else?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, I was thinking about heading home, but suppose I could stay and watch for a while."

"Hey, Vicki." Tyler came over to them. "You feeling better?"

"A little, thanks."

"Are you alright, Jer? You look like you've seen a ghost." Tyler told him.

"Maybe it's been the stress over the past couple days." Jeremy said. "I'll meet you two outside."

"Hey, I got some candles." Caroline said, she passed out a few of them.

"Hey. How is she?" Elena asked as Matt touched his candle to hers.

"She's been better, but I think she should still take it easy." Matt said.

"Let me know how she is later." Elena said. She felt partly responsible since Jeremy caused the incident.

"You okay?" She turned around. It was Stefan.

"Just thinking of the other night." Elena told him.

"Wow, it's really an amazing sight, isn't it?" He asked. They were both looking up at the comet.

"It really is beautiful. Although Bonnie thinks it's a harbinger of evil." Elena said. She laughed.

"Well, everyone has different opinions. Personally, I think it's just as beautiful as a certain young girl." Stefan told her. He felt like he wanted to slap himself. He couldn't believe he just said that. "Sorry about Damon. He can be intimidating."

"You didn't tell me that you had a brother."

"Well, he's the only family I have left." Stefan told her. "Though he can be a little…"

"He told me that you broke up with someone?" Elena explained. "Because she was a total fake."

"What else did he say?"

"That's about it." Elena said.

"That was three years ago." Stefan told her.

"But it's easy to get hurt when you really care about someone." Elena told him. "Sometimes they pretend because they want to protect you."

"That doesn't make it any more right."

"That's why I can't do this." Elena explained. "You're always believing in doing the right thing and can't stand people who lie or turn out to be what they're not. Besides, it's too complicated. I'm glad I met you, Stefan. You're easy to talk to, but I can never be your girlfriend." She walked away from him.

Elsewhere, Vicki was outside when she ran across Damon. "Are you new around here?"

"How'd you know?" He asked.

"I've never seen you around town before." Vicki told him. "I'll see you around."

"Wait, I need to ask you something." Damon said.

"Why, are you a cop?" She asked. "Anyway, I have to get back to my shift."

"It won't take long, I promise."

Everyone was hanging out at the Grill when Jeremy came in. "Has anyone seen Vicki?" He asked.

"I thought she was with you." Tyler said.

"I thought she was with you." Jeremy told him.

"Wait, if she's not with either of us, then where is she?" Tyler asked. Everyone could hear the concern in his voice.

"Wasn't she outside a few minutes ago?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, but she left to get back to her shift." Jeremy explained.

"Didn't her shift end, like, ten minutes ago?" Caroline pointed out.

"She's right." Matt said.

"Guys, we need to do something about this." Tyler said.

"We better go out and try to find her."

"We'll check out back." Bonnie said. She, Caroline, and Tyler headed outside.

"I'll check the park." Matt said.

"We'll go with you." Elena told him. "Come on, Jer."

"You don't think she could've remembered, do you?"

"Impossible, she's not on vervain." Elena pointed out. "Think you can control it?"

"Of course. I feel responsible for this and so do you."

"What I wouldn't give to be human right now."

"We can deal with our misery later." Jeremy said. "Let's go."

As soon as the group got outside, they noticed Stefan. "Hey, new guy!" Matt called.

"Oh, hey."

"You haven't seen Vicki around, have you?"

"No, I haven't."

"She's missing. We can't find her anywhere." Jeremy explained.

"I'll try to help as much as I can."

"Thanks, man." Matt said. "Look, I know this thing with Elena is hard, but I'm still looking out for her. No matter how distant she is."

"Trust me, he would know." Jeremy told him. That's when he heard it.

"You just got out of the hospital recently?" He heard an unknown voice ask.

"Yes, and I really should be getting home." The second one he recognized. It was Vicki.

"You okay?" Stefan asked.

"Did anyone come to town with you?" Jeremy asked. Elena was watching the scene from outside the grill. She texted Jeremy to help with the cover. "It's Vicki. She's on the roof."

"I'll get her." Stefan said. It wasn't long before he made it up the stairs and opened the door to find them talking.

"Look, what happened the other night isn't your business."

"Well, it's important enough." Damon looked over and noticed Stefan. "Hey, brother."

"What is going on up here?"

"I'm just trying to find out about the other night." Damon said.

"Look, I really have to leave, and I've told you what happened like five times." Vicki pointed out. "Let me go."

"Look, miss, I'm not going to hurt you." Damon told her. "What happened?"

"I tripped and fell in the woods. That's all I know." Vicki said.

"Are you sure that's exactly what happened?"

"Yes, I'm kind of unstable sometimes." She said.

"Look." He said to Stefan.

"Why?"

"Look harder." He told him. Stefan looked directly at Vicki. Then he noticed something off.

"What?"

"You see it, too, don't you?"

"Okay, you guys are seriously weird." Vicki said.

"She doesn't know what happened because she can't remember." Damon concluded.

"What are you saying, Damon?"

"She either got amnesia when she fell or all those stupid stories are true." Damon said. "Everything that was written down in our ancestors' journals." Vicki wasn't even paying attention to them. She headed back over to the door.

"It's true she could've gotten amnesia when she fell and hit her head. Or she could've been compelled."

"You really start thinking about that now?" Stefan asked. "Let her go, Damon. You don't have to intimidate everyone you want to question about this supernatural crap."

"Fine, I'll try it your way next time."

Stefan walked over where to Vicki was standing. "Hey, you okay?"

"A little shaken, but fine. Was he really your brother?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Stefan said. "Hopefully he won't bother you again." They headed back into the Grill, where the others except for Elena were waiting.

"Vicki, are you okay?" Matt asked. She nodded. A few minutes later, he turned to Stefan. "She told me you helped her up there."

"Yeah, a cop was asking questions and making her uncomfortable, so I stepped in."

"Thank you for helping her." Matt told him.

"Ugh, it's just so much drama. Ever notice how the druggies are the biggest attention whores?" Caroline was saying.

"Whatever." Bonnie said.

"Hey, has anyone seen Elena?" Stefan asked.

"I think she went home." Bonnie told her. "Here, this is her cell number. We all call to check in on her occasionally."

"Thanks." She handed him Elena's number. "I hope she's alright."

"These kind of strange things shake her up." Bonnie explained. "It's been this way ever since she lost her parents."

"It'd shake up any normal person if they'd lost their parents." Caroline said.

At home, Elena heard a sound come from Jeremy's room. "Jeremy, you back already?"

"No, it's me." Jenna said.

"What are you doing in here?" Elena asked.

"Just checking to make sure your brother hasn't been doing drugs again." Jenna explained. "It would explain his sudden mood swings." After a few minutes, she sighed. "Guess I was wrong this time."

"You okay?" Elena asked. Her aunt seemed kind of nervous and upset about something.

"Am I a good parent?"

"Aunt Jenna, of course you are." Elena said. "Without you, we wouldn't know what we'd do."

"I know, I just feel like I've been messing up lately." Jenna told her. "I know that I can't replace your mother and I feel like I'll never be able to do it the way she did. I don't know what I'm going to do about him."

"It's okay. I know my brother better than anyone." Elena told her. "Besides, you're just scared about all this. It's completely normal for all of us." Then she realized that it was true. She was pushing Stefan away because she was afraid of getting into a relationship. "There's something I need to do." She got up. "Will you be okay?"

At the Grill, Jeremy noticed Vicki. Tyler came over to them. "Hey, my brother told me that you guys helped look for me."

"It was all Matt's idea." Tyler told her.

"Thanks, both of you." Vicki told them. Jeremy walked away from them, knowing she'd be safer with Tyler.

"Want me to take you home?" He heard her ask. He didn't stay to hear her response.

"Yeah, I've had enough weirdness for one night."

Outside the Boardinghouse, Stefan met Elena. "Hey."

"Hey." Elena said.

"You coming in?"

"The comet's out here, remember?" She pointed out. "I wanted to apologize for earlier. Especially after…"

"It's okay. I'm glad you're here. I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot." Stefan told her.

"Thing is, I was going to write in my diary. I've been writing in it a lot lately, especially since my parents died." Elena explained. "But, then I realized that I'd better come talk to you instead."

"What would you have written if you hadn't come here?" Stefan asked.

"I would've written: Dear diary, today I've decided not to take risks. It isn't the right time, especially with all these new changes happening around me." Elena told him. "But, I've realized that they're just excuses and that I'm scared of my friends rejecting me, of losing everyone, and mostly, I'm scared of falling again. I'm not entirely the same Elena they know anymore and I'm afraid they'll never accept the new me."

"Look, I know that you don't like getting too close with others, but I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable around me." Stefan said. "I really like you, Elena and if you need someone to talk to, I'll always be your friend." She looked at him, surprised that he would be willing to be there for her.

"Thanks." She said. He leaned over and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. She blushed, not knowing why she felt the way she did about him.

"You okay?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Elena said, actually meaning it this time. "I'll call you tomorrow." As she walked away, she realized that she felt more human around him than everyone else. And she knew it meant she was falling for him.

A/N: Sorry if the ending's a little corny. I had a lot of trouble writing that last part. Hopefully I'll be able to update faster next time. Please remember to review.