A/N: Yes, I finally got a chapter done. I was worried that it would take me longer than it did. The next chapter is almost done, I'm just making last minute changes, so that should be up (hopefully, *crosses fingers*) in the next couple of days.

I also want to thank the few people who sent me PMs and really great thoughts through reviews. I really did appreciate it.

"C'mon, Damon," Stefan said, following his brother through the boarding house, "we've gotta do this. Besides, the party is going to be here. You can't avoid it."

Damon sighed, turning around so he was looking at his brother, "You want to throw some stuffy party here, and you want me here because Dad left that company to both of us, and you want me to bring a date? I hate these things."

"I know, Damon, but you know how these things are. They want to meet us, talk about the company, talk about their investments, things like that. It's something that goes along with the territory –"

"I really don't want to do this, brother," said Damon, getting very annoyed. "Why's it gotta be here?"

"We've got the room, Damon. These people are going to want to meet us. I mean, what better place to do it, huh? C'mon, it'll be easy; you just drink champagne, meet these people, and talk to them."

"You said I had to bring a date."

"Why not? What do you have against a date?"

"I don't have anyone to ask."

Stefan nodded slowly, "What happened to the Damon Salvatore who would bring a random girl to these things to just get laid? C'mon, we both know that when these things get boring, you used to sneak girls upstairs for –"

Damon clamped a hand over his brother's mouth, "I'm not that guy anymore."

Stefan smiled knowingly, "You went to dinner with a friend the other night, right? Why not ask her?"

"Elena told you."

"We think it's a good thing, Damon. You're dating again, by choice this time. Ask your friend to come to this dinner. You never know what might happen."

-x-

Damon walked into Caroline's shop, looking around nervously. He really didn't want to run into Klaus again.

Caroline looked up from her work and smiled at him, realizing Damon's nervousness, "You don't have to worry. Nik is in New York for the week. He doesn't get back until next Monday."

"What made you think I was looking for your brother?"

"You have all the telltale signs, Damon. Nik has gotten to you. He makes you nervous."

Damon smiled, "Yeah, a little bit."

Damon came closer, "I came to see if you'll go to dinner with me tonight. Well, it's not really a dinner; it's more like a really stuffy, boring party full of rich snobs." Caroline just watched him, eyes wide.

Caroline made a face.

"I know that it's short notice and everything, but I would love nothing more than for you to accompany me."

"I don't know, Damon. I'm not really dating right now."

Damon shook his head, "Then we won't call it a date. More like two friends going to some stuffy party together, because, believe it or not, Caroline, I don't want to be there. But I have to be."

"Why?"

"My dad owned this company. I mean, he was a doctor, but started the Salvatore foundation to donate money to different things, different people who needed money for their investments. When he died, he left his foundation to both me and Stefan, and put a clause in his will that I can't sell my shares. I guess he thought that I needed some kind of responsibility or some shit like that. Anyways, I have to go to these parties every once in a while, meet these people who need money, talk about their projects, and, of course, talk to the current people who we're giving money to. It's not something that I like doing; hell, if I could avoid it, I would."

Caroline nodded.

"So, what do you think? I really would like you to accompany me, Caroline."

Caroline rubbed a hand over her face, "Gee, I don't know, Damon…"

"I'm not too proud to beg, Caroline," Damon said, earning a smile from Caroline.

"Fine," she finally agreed. "Just as friends, though."

Damon nodded, feeling somewhat accomplished, "The party is going to be at the boarding house. Get there around eight. Until then, Caroline," he said, turning around and exiting the shop.

-x-

"Damon asked me to accompany him to some stuffy party tonight," Caroline said into the phone. She was talking to Elena, and Elena was thrilled. Actually, she was ecstatic. She wanted nothing more than for Caroline to be happy, but she felt that Damon could give her so much.

"So, are you going to go?"

"I told him I would, but I was starting to change my mind –"

"Do yourself a favor, Care," Elena said, interrupting Caroline. "For once in your life, take a chance. You're so protected and guarded. I understand that, with what you've been through, you have to be. But sometimes, great things happen to those of us who take a chance."

"I can't, Elena," Caroline was practically whispering now. "I've been through hell. I've seen the world as it really is. It's a dark, cruel place and people just use you up and spit you out. I've seen that personally."

"Caroline, your view is biased. The world is not like that. There are good people out there. I mean, what about me? What about your brothers?"

"You guys are the exception."

"I know how much you hate stereotypes, Caroline. I know how much you hate it when people judge you before getting to know you. I know you hate it when people don't give you the chance you feel you deserve. Why are you doing it to other people?"

"I, uh…I have to." Caroline's voice was soft, almost a whisper. "I can't take the chance."

"Why not?"

"Look at what happened the last time I took a chance," Caroline practically whispered. Elena sighed.

"Caroline, Tyler Lockwood was a mistake. What happened between the two of you was not your fault. You cannot take what he did to mean that you deserved the way he treated you. Tyler took advantage of you. He saw a girl who was broken, someone who was vulnerable and wanted to be loved, and he took advantage of that. This is not your fault. You know that, right?"

Caroline was silent, so Elena continued, "Caroline, life is hard. You know that better than anybody else. But your brothers, they are good, right?" Caroline uttered something that Elena took as recognition, so she continued, "So why don't you give Damon a shot? He could be good, just like your brothers. I refuse to believe that the four Mikaelson brothers are the only good guys in the entire world."

Caroline was silent still, so Elena said, "Look, Caroline, I love you and I want to see you happy. You haven't been out with a single person since you ended things with Tyler, and that's been three years, almost four. You can't live your entire life like this."

"And how's that?"

"Caroline, don't get mad. I'm just stating a fact. You're very guarded. I think that going out with Damon tonight will do you some good. Do yourself a favor, okay? Just go out to this thing with him, spend some time with him, and see what happens. I don't know, Care, you might find out that you like him. That could always be a good thing."

There was a moment of silence before Elena said, "Caroline, you are not a bad person. You were just dealt a bad hand. You know, sometimes bad things just happen to good people."

-x-

"You lied to him," Elena told Stefan when she got off the phone with Caroline. "I can't believe you actually went through with it. Did he believe you?"

Stefan nodded and chuckled, "Yeah he did. It'll be good for him and Caroline. They obviously like each other."

"You don't know that."

"Well, I know that Damon likes her. You didn't see it, but when he defended her against Carol Lockwood, I could really tell."

"C'mon, Stefan, both you and I know that Damon stood up for Caroline because he and Carol Lockwood hate each other. He was just using that to put digs in at Carol; he'd use any reason to do it."

"Stop being like that, Elena. Our plan is working perfectly. There's something there. He thinks that Caroline is something special."

Elena made a face at Stefan, "Caroline is special. She's a rare breed, you know. Caroline is a thousand times stronger than anybody I know. She's got a good game face, too, but deep down, Caroline is an insecure mess."

"You only know that because she tells you everything."

Elena shrugged, "I know absolutely everything Caroline's ever gone through, that's true. She's told me every aspect of her life and that's because I was there for her when nobody else was. You know, I was worried that she'd stop confiding in me when the Mikaelsons started to bond with her, but nothing changed."

"What has Caroline said about Damon?"

Elena shook her head, "Not much. She's too afraid to dive into anything right now. It's all because of what Tyler did to her. He really fucked with her mind."

"Not in a million years would I have pegged Caroline as someone who would hook up with Tyler. They're just not compatible."

"I feel bad for Caroline, Stefan. I really do. She's put her heart on the line twice now and every time she does, it's an utter disaster. Guys use her up and spit her out."

-x-

Caroline stood outside the Salvatore boarding house that night, pacing back and forth. She was ready to knock on the door, but every time she got up there, she lost her nerve. She had been pacing back and forth in front of that door for almost fifteen minutes when it opened, and Damon stepped outside.

"I've been watching you out the window," Damon said, watching her closely. "You've been pacing in front of this door for fifteen minutes. You go up to it, then your eyes get wide and you go back to where you started. What the hell are you doing?"

Caroline shrugged, "I can't go through with this, Damon. I'm not a party person. I'm going to be here, and I'll probably just end up in the corner by myself –"

"No, you won't. Since this is a Salvatore foundation party, Stefan will be here, and that means that Elena will be here. She won't let you curl up in a corner, if I know Elena."

Caroline shook her head, "I don't belong here, Damon. I'm not worth it."

Damon raised an eyebrow.

"You wanted to show up with me. Well, I don't know why, because I'm not worth it." Caroline sighed. "I don't belong here. I don't belong anywhere."

"Caroline, please, just come in with me. We'll talk, and maybe even dance?" Damon looked at her with a questioning glance. "This will be good for you."

Caroline rolled her eyes, but she grabbed Damon's arm as he escorted her into the boarding house. She looked around; the boarding house was full of people who just looked like they were snobs. Caroline sighed as she walked with Damon until they reached Stefan and Elena.

"You don't think that I could possibly skip this one, do you brother?" Damon asked Stefan, hoping that his brother wouldn't mind. But when Stefan gave Damon that brooding look, Damon sighed, "Never mind."

"Damon, we've got to do this together. We own the foundation, you know."

"I'll make a deal with you," Damon said. He realized he was bargaining, but damn it, he was desperate. "I'll stay down here for an hour, maybe two. Then I get to take Caroline elsewhere, somewhere where we can talk. You know, anywhere is better than here."

Stefan made a face, "Why does it matter?"

"I think you should take that deal, Stefan," Caroline said suddenly. "I know this isn't my foundation, and I know that I don't make the rules or anything, but if Damon has to stay at this boring party, he's going to make a lousy impression. People will think that you guys don't take your work seriously, and you don't want that with something as big as this foundation."

Stefan made a face before saying, "Wow, that actually makes sense."

Damon watched Caroline, eyes wide.

Caroline leaned up to Damon's ear and whispered, "You can thank me later."

Elena just stood beside Stefan and watched Damon and Caroline. Oh yes, they were definitely getting somewhere.