A/N: I can't tell you how much fun I'm having writing this story. And I also can't tell you enough just how much each and every one of your reviews mean to me. You guys have become the biggest reason that I've kept this going because it is exceptionally hard work. Having said that here be Kill or Be Killed. Enjoy. I own nothing.

Kill Or Be Killed & Plan B

"So tell me now if this aint love
Then how do we get out
She said 'I don't hate you boy'
I just want to save you while there's
Still something left to save"

We-ell, I'm feeling decidedly useless after my failed attempt to kill Mason Lockwood. Stefan's filled me in on all the gory details he learnt from Katherine although truth be told not a great deal of it was entirely surprising, but we still don't know the real reason that she's here. However, right now I'm more interested in finding a way to actually kill a werewolf. I'm guessing a standard neck snap or heart-snatch will do the trick.

Today is the Mystic Falls Historical Society Volunteer Day Picnic and god what a mouthful that is; but as 'council leader' it's apparently one of my duties to be involved. I overhear Stefan trying to make peace with Mason on my behalf.

"Tell your brother to watch his back" at least Stefan has some common sense, even if he doesn't employ it altogether regularly. "Well I'm guessing that he only has to worry about that during a full moon otherwise you're not as strong, am I right? There's one of you. There's two of us. I think you're the one that needs to watch his back" man I'm really digging the brotherly love today.

"What are you doing?" – "Negotiating peace on your behalf" – yeah I got that part – "I don't wan't peace" – "Well. Consider it opposite day" but he does know it's not actually going to work, right?

"No actually, I think that the first chance Mason Lockwood gets he's gonna drive a stake through your heart. And then through mine" yeah well...chance'd be a fine thing. "So thank you...cause we don't have enough problems" mmm, yeah...shoulda just gone with the heart-snatch in the first place.

I find Liz who I saw talking with Mason while taking a leisurely stroll with my brother. "What was that about?" – "I asked him to help with the cleanup in the woods" she seems a little...off. "Are you okay Liz? You seem really upset" – "It's Caroline" oh well that makes sense I suppose. "Is there anything I can do?" cos' I haven't done enough already. "No Damon. Thank you. It's just horrible parenting skills paying off in spades" she says as she walks away, maybe I should try and talk to Caroline.

Elena's marching off to see Stefan when I get there – "What's her problem?" – "Don't worry about it" – "Why are you being such a bitch to your mom?" – "Don't worry about it" – well o-kay then, that went brilliantly. Never mind, at least I tried.

Stefan and Elena are staging another little fight, I'm assuming this is for Vampire Barbie's benefit because it's definitely not for mine and it's so obviously staged, anyone can see that. But why? I think Stefan must have missed out some parts of his story about his visit with Little Miss Katherine and that's exactly what I mean about his lack of common sense. Surely, the most logical option is for us all to be singing from the same hymn sheet, so to speak.

Although Elena does ask intriguing questions: "I saw her Stefan. It's like we're the same person. How could you hate her and be in love with me?" – "You're reaching. I'm not Damon" wait...what? That makes...no sense. I don't hate Katherine. Don't particularly like the girl but I don't hate her, there's much too thin a line between love and hate if you ask me...easy to confuse one for the other. Personally I think indifference is the opposite of love, not hate. That's beside the point; I think Stefan is confusing us brothers – he's the one who claims to hate Katherine. I have never said such a thing.

"How about we don't bring Damon into this right now?" yeah thanks Elena, how 'bout that? God I want to know what's going on.

Right it's time to speak to Stefan and get some answers "So what's up with this faux-drama in your relationship?" – "What are you talking about?" wow my brother could not lie to save his undead life. He's so transparent. "Oh come on Stefan, you and Elena don't fight. Especially not over me" – "Drop it Damon" God fine I will, for now. Ooh lemonade don't mind if I – AH! Vervain. Shit.

Fuck that stuff is nasty. Fucking Mason Lockwood, it is way past time to kill that damn wolf. "I'm gonna kill him" god dammit Stefan let me go he has to die. "I'm not listening to any more of your 'give peace a chance' crap" – "Okay. Okay. I don't like it but he's making threats, he could expose us. We need to put him down" huh? What? He's actually agreeing with me? Alert the fucking media. What the hell are we doing sitting here then? Let's go..."Let's do it. Woods. Trash duty."

Time to die wolfie "Go ahead. Run. We'll give you a head start."

Or. Not.

Fuck. My. Life.

Bullets. Wooden ones at that. A whole lotta them. Shit. And to top it off? Vervain.

I come to in some creepy ass cellar with Liz hovering over me. Goddamn wooden bullets. Stef's still out of commission and he does not look good. At. All.

"This is how it's gonna work. Answer me and you don't get shot. Understand?" no I don't understand! Why is she doing this? "How many of you are there" please don't do this. She shoots me again. "How did you fool us? How do you walk in the sun?" oh Christ no, don't shoot Stefan again please. I'll fucking tell you anything you want to know but if she keeps shooting my brother I think he will actually die.

"I will drag this out painfully" – "But you're my friend" – "Our friendship was a lie. Answer me and I'll kill you fast."

"You can't kill them. I'm not gonna let you" 'Lena. God that girl is literally like, my saviour. Every fucking time. Although what exactly she thinks she's going to be able to do this time I'm not entirely sure – that is until Blondie comes rushing in and darts around the place, I'm not entirely focusing on what's happening I just know there are dead people with blood that I can drink and that's good enough for me.

I feed and tell Stefan that he needs to "drink some deputy blood" but he just keeps refusing, even Caroline backs me up but Stef's not having any of it so...fine. We'll go catch him a fucking deer when we've cleaned up this mess of an unfortunate situation.

"2 deputies dead and you" Liz Forbes "What am I gonna do with you?" Caroline tries to reason with her mom but yeah...that's not really working out too well.

"He will kill you" – "Then kill me. I can't take this. Kill me. Now" oh so dramatic! "But you were gonna drag it out so painfully" I grab hold of Liz and Caroline starts shrieking her head off which only causes Elena and Stefan to start shouting at me too. God I'm only going to take her home.

Seriously people, find a little faith in me would ya? "Relax guys; no one's going to kill anybody. You're my friend" a little compulsion when the vervain wears off and it'll all be as if it never happened.

But first "we gotta clean this up" I sincerely hope no-one is ever of a mind to go diving in the quarry because that place is quickly becoming the dumping ground for vampire kills.

Back at home I set Liz up in the cellar which seems nasty but is really the best place for her right now. "Keep Caroline away from me please, I don't wanna see her" – "She's your daughter Liz" – "Not anymore. My daughter's gone." Wow. "You have no idea how wrong you are about that."

I was wrong about Vampire Barbie, I said she wouldn't make it as one of us and I was wrong. Turns out she's actually kind of kick-ass and useful to have around. See? I can admit to being wrong...occasionally.

Stefan and Elena get into a fight, only this time it's actually real. Stef wants to drink the people blood and Elena doesn't want him to, and while that's certainly...understandable after what happened the last time, it's not for the best. And I know she knows that. "He can hear us wherever we are" yep. That I can, and let me tell you...sometimes...that really fucking sucks.

"Caroline's sleeping on the couch" Elena tells me when I go to see her. "I heard. And you?" – "I'm going home" oh...shame. She turns round at the door though, "What you did, for Caroline's mom. That's the Damon who was my friend" huh...well. I'm not really sure what to make of that right now.

"Hey...Stefan didn't drink the people blood, if you were curious. But he needs to and deep down you know that" and my work here is done. Damon Salvatore – fixer of my brother's relationship problems. God I'm an idiot, but it is the truth. We can't protect her properly if we're not strong enough. So we need to be strong enough, it's as simple and as complicated as that.

Dear Diary,
Stefan and I had to pretend to break up to fool Katherine which just seems, stupid...I don't want to play her silly games but Stefan seems to think it's the best thing to do to stop her from following through on her threats.

Today was the volunteer day picnic and I was talking with Caroline when she sensed that something was wrong. With Damon and Stefan. So she tracked them and there was blood in the woods and then Mason Lockwood appeared, he grabbed me but Caroline attacked him and we went to find them. Caroline said her mom was killing them and then she tried to stop me from going in!

Seriously when are my friends going to stop trying to prevent me from saving Damon and Stefan? Don't they understand? I have to...it's not a choice. So anyway I ran inside and hit a man over the head with a wooden board because clearly when it comes to saving them my morals go right out the window. I told Liz that she couldn't kill them, that I wouldn't let her, though I don't really know what I planned to do so thank god Caroline turned up.

Damon took Liz back to the Salvatore house, he's keeping her there until he can compel her to forget everything that happened. I told him tonight that what he did for Caroline's mom, 'that's the Damon who was my friend' I want him to know that I'm beginning to feel ready to start over. Slowly. I guess after having to save him again, today...I'm beginning to feel ready to have him back in my life again.

Caroline told me what we already knew, that Katherine has been making her spy on Stefan and me and report back and she threatened Matt. Stefan thinks he can learn to control the bloodlust so I agreed to help him – he's going to drink a little of my blood every day, to try and build up his strength. He thinks it's the best way to protect me and Damon told me that deep down I know it's true, and he was right.

It's one of the things I lo...like the most about Damon. He always just cuts straight to the point, a lot of people have an annoying habit of treating me like I'm made of glass, but not Damon; he's just upfront and blunt and gets down to it – and most of the time he's right anyway.
Elena

Plan B

Stefan and Elena continue fake fighting for Katherine's benefit. Katherine and Mason are together and she is using Mason to get the moonstone back for her. Jeremy goes to Damon with his newfound information about Tyler and Mason Lockwood and Damon enlists Jeremy's help with retrieving the moonstone.

Bonnie touches Mason and links him with Katherine then agrees to help Damon and Stefan take him out after finding out that Tyler has given the moonstone to Mason and that they are a threat to Elena.

Damon chains Mason up with Bonnie's help and she discovers that he is hiding the moonstone in a well. Damon tortures and kills Mason Lockwood. "Katherine will only rip your heart out. Let me do it for her."

Stefan gives Damon the moonstone and Damon phones Katherine to brag about killing Mason, she retaliates by having Jenna stab herself which forces Elena to break up with Stefan for real.

"But when life gives you lemons..."