Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

Author's Note: Hope you love the updated version! :D

After dinner was over, they all gathered in the living room. Caroline was settled next to Damon, perching herself on the arm of the chair. Just talking away, like usual.

"I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team." Caroline gushed before taking a sip of her drink. "Tyler must be seething. But good for you. Go for it."

"That's what I always tell him." Damon agreed, placing a hand on Caroline's knee. Megan noticed Char tried not to look bothered by seeing this. "You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it."

Caroline bobbed her head in agreement. "Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today." She said. "It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines."

Bonnie stared at her. "I'll work with her. She'll get it."

"I guess we can put her in the back." Caroline mumbled to herself.

Charlene rolled her eyes internally. She loved Caroline, but the blonde could be a real bitch if she wanted to.

Damon turned his attention to Elena. "You know, you don't seem like the cheerleader type, Elena."

Elena smiled into her cup.

"Oh, it's just because her parents died." Caroline stated bluntly. "Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. She used to be a lot more fun. Charlene used to be a lot more fun too and used to be on the cheerleading team too, but decided to quit because she decided it wasn't worth the time anymore. Which I guess was a good thing for me since I got to be cheer captain."

"Caroline!" Megan scolded, seeing the hurt looks on both Charlene and Elena's faces. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

She ignored the question as she went on, glancing at Charlene and Elena. "And I say that with complete sensitivity."

"I'm sorry Elena, Charlene." Damon apologized sincerely. "I know what it's like to lose both of your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die."

Stefan stared at Damon hard. "We don't need to get into that right now, Damon."

His brother smirked at him. "Oh, you know what, you're right Stef. I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up."

Megan knew exactly who Damon was talking about and she stiffened. Though she hated hearing about Stefan's old love interest, but she couldn't help but wonder who this Demetria was…and what happened between Stefan and her…

Charlene was busy putting up the dishes, cleaning them in the sink before slipping them in the dishwasher. While she cleaned up, Elena and the rest of the group stayed in the living room, talking.

"One more."

Charlene turned around and saw Damon, holding onto a glass with a smirk on his face. Thinking about it, when did she not see him with a smirk on his face?

"Oh, thanks." Charlene smiled gratefully. "I could have of sworn I got everything."

"I guess sometimes you need extra eyes." Damon said.

She laughed softly. "Yeah, good point." Damon smirked as he handed Charlene the glass. She grasped it, but it managed to slip from her grip. Luckily, Damon caught it easily. Charlene giggled, unable to help it. "Nice catch." She put it in the dishwashers as Damon spoke.

"I like you." He said, smiling. "You know how to laugh. And Megan…she's good for my brother. She makes him smile, which is something I haven't seen in a long time."

Charlene's smile fell and she cleared her throat a little. "So, um, when you mentioned her…were you talking about Demetria?"

"Mm-hmm." Damon nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did she die?"

"In a fire. Tragic fire."

Charlene bit her lip for a moment. "Was it recent?"

"It seems like it was yesterday."

The blonde nodded as she quietly continued to put up dishes. "Did you guys both date her?"

Damon snorted a little. "No. She wasn't my type…" he answered. "But…I did date her best friend's sister…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Demetria's best friend was named Katherine, who actually reminds me a lot of Elena…and Abigail…Katherine's sister…"

Charlene said nothing for a moment. "Did they die too?"

"Yeah…in the same fire…"

"What was Abigail like?" Charlene questioned. Then she saw the look on Damon's face and winced. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Damon."

"No…no…it's okay. She was beautiful. A lot like you in that department." He smirked in her direction and Charlene blushed. "She was also very complicated and selfish and at times not very kind, but very sexy and seductive. And she was also very loyal to her sister, Katherine."

"Well, the sexy and seductive part is definitely not me." Charlene giggled, brushing her hair out of her face.

Damon's smirk widened. "Mm, I don't know about that." He moved closer to her, a little too close.

Charlene's heart skipped a beat as he brushed away a piece of hair that she missed. Her eyes met his and she licked her lips. She couldn't help but notice the way Damon's blue eyes darkened when she did this. Before she did something she regretted, Megan, Bonnie, and Elena strolled into the kitchen, causing her to jump away, a blush on her cheeks.

"Hey." Bonnie said as Megan and Elena narrowed their eyes at Charlene. "Need some help?"

Damon stared at the girls for a moment before shrugging. "Sure, why not?"

The dinner party was over and Charlene was in her room, glancing up only when Megan entered the room. She already knew what her best friend was going to ask.

"What were you and Damon talking about before we came in?" Megan questioned, sitting down next to the blonde.

Charlene shrugged. "Nothing really…I asked him about Demetria…wondering if he dated her too. I was trying to see if that was maybe the reason why he and Stefan didn't get along."

Megan looked at her surprise. "And did they?"

"No…he dated someone named Abigail…but she was Demetria's best friend's sister, her name was Katherine."

Her best friend's eyes went wide slightly. "Wow…complicated much?"

"Tell me about it."

"Well, if that's not the reason, then I wonder why they hate each other so much." Megan mused out loud.

Charlene shrugged. "Who knows?"

Megan was silent for a moment. "So… did we interrupt something?"

Knowing what she was talking about, Charlene blushed. "Maybe a little…" she mumbled. "But I'm glad you did…it would have been a bad idea."

"Yeah it would have…he's dating Caroline…and it just isn't a good idea."

Charlene nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we can just be friends." She said.

"Good." There was silence between the two friends until Megan broke the silence. "Okay, well I'll see you tomorrow. Love you." She gave her friend a one armed hug.

"I love you too."

After giving her another hug and a bright smile, Megan left the room, leaving Charlene alone.

She thought about their conversation. Charlene knew her best friend was right. Damon wouldn't be a good idea. She already dated a Damon, she didn't need another…but still, she wasn't blind to the fact how attractive he was. However, just because he was attractive didn't mean he was good for her, so it was better to just try and stay away from him.

That didn't stop the dreams though.

It was time for the football game, and Megan couldn't help but feel extra excited for this football game, especially since it was Stefan's first game ever! Her excitement was obvious to everyone.

"If you keep smiling like that, your face is going to fall off." Charlene teased, snapping a picture of her with her camera. This was the first time bringing her camera out since her parents died.

"Hey! You got it out!" Megan beamed.

Her best friend laughed. "Yeah, decided it was time before it gathered even more dust."

"Aw, good!" She smiled again. She was so happy everything was getting back to normal for her best friend.

"Hey Stefan!" Charlene greeted, noticing him behind Megan, who whirled around to face him.

She beamed at him and skipped over to meet him, grinning as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Don't you look hot in your jersey? I knew you'd look good in anything."

Stefan laughed and Megan grinned.

Seeing how cute they looked, Charlene couldn't help but snap a picture of them. They didn't seem to notice. The blonde looked at it and smiled. She was definitely going to be framing this.

Megan kissed Stefan before pulling back with a smile. Suddenly, Stefan looked shy and Charlene knew this was a private moment, so she left them alone, not that they noticed.

"I hope you don't think this is too soon or too weird, but…I, uh, I wanted you to have this." He pulled out a box before opening it up, revealing the most beautiful necklace Megan had ever seen. Her eyes widened.

"It's gorgeous, Stefan! But I can't take it…" Oh, but she wanted to.

"Yeah, I knew it would be too weird…" he mumbled.

"Stefan, it's not that…it's just too much. It must have cost a fortune."

Stefan shook his head. "It didn't…I've had it forever…" he told her softly. "And, uh, I've never wanted to give it to anyone until now." Megan's face softened. "I'd very much like it if you'd wear it for me, for…good luck."

How could she say no to that? "Okay…" Megan said softly, causing him to smile. "Thank you." She gently took the necklace out of the box. A certain smell caught her nose and she brought it there. "Is that rose I smell?"

"No, it's, uh…it's an herb. It's nice, huh?"

"Yeah." Megan chuckled. She held it out to Stefan and she didn't even have to ask him to help her put it on. Once it was on her neck, she turned around, smiling up at him. "How does it look?"

"Beautiful." Stefan smiled back, brushing her hair out of her face before cupping her face and bringing her in for a soft kiss.

Megan was the first to pull away and she sighed happily.

"Hey, do you mind giving this to Charlene?" Stefan asked, bringing out a small bracelet.

"Sure, what's it for?"

"Just a friendship bracelet."

This made her smile, happy her best friend and her boyfriend were getting along. "Yeah, I'll give it to her." Megan kissed him again, then pulled away.

Stefan smiled at her again, sliding his hands down her arms to grab her own hands. "And, uh, I wanted to thank you for pushing me to try out for the team. It feels good."

"I'm so glad." Megan told him. "I knew you'd be great out there. Good luck." He smiled at her one more time and kissed her forehead, then went odd to join the rest of the team.

Caroline popped up out of nowhere, startling her. She scolded her for not having her uniform on yet before tugging her to rest of the cheerleading team.

Before they knew it, it was nighttime now. People were tailgating and cheering for the team. Mr. Tanner was current giving a speech to heat up the crowd.

"Let's be honest here. In the past, we used to let other teams come into our town and roll right over us!" There was boos from the crowds. But that is about to change." And the cheering started again, the cheerleaders and football players being the loudest. We've got some great new talent tonight starting on the offense, and I'm gonna tell you right now, it has been a long time since I have seen a kid like this with hands like these. Let's give it up for Stefan Salvatore!"

Everyone burst into cheers again. Not everyone was happy about this.

Tyler Lockwood frowned, narrowing his eyes at Stefan. He couldn't help but scoff, as he glanced at Matt.

"This blows…" he grumbled angrily to him, but the blonde ignored him. "He can't start the guy. He just got here."

"That have been waiting for us to put a check in the win column, I have only one thing to say to you…your Timberwolves are hungry!" Cheers erupted again as Tyler pushed through the crowd to go over to Vicki.

She smirked. "Hey babe…" she said brightly, grasping both of his arms. Then she saw the annoyed expression on his face and her smile fell as it was replaced with a frown. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He answered stiffly, not wanting to tell her what was wrong. Just then, he noticed Jeremy sitting with his group of druggies. Anger striked through him. If he couldn't take his anger out on Stefan, then Jeremy was the next best thing. "Is that Jeremy?"

Vicki sensed that something was going to happen and she tried to push him back as he walked over to Jeremy. It didn't work. One of Jeremy's friends stood up and went behind Jeremy as the young Gilbert stood up and Tyler stood in front of him.

"Ty! Leave him alone." Vicki tried again.

"Oh, what do you care?" Tyler sneered before turning back to face Jeremy, who looked upset as he glanced at Vicki. Then he mocked Jeremy, sneering, "Don't look so down. You can have when I'm done."

Jeremy threw the first punch, thus beginning a fight that had everyone in a frenzy.

Vicki tried to stop it but the screaming wasn't helping. Once Jeremy was on the ground, Tyler went to punch him again but found his wrists being gripped by Stefan Salvatore, the person who had him pissed off in the first place.

"Hey, he's down!" Stefan snapped, pulling him up to his feet. "Enough!"

Blinded by anger, Tyler punched Stefan in the face, but nothing happened. He had the decency to look scared.

Jeremy grabbed a broken glass bottle and tried to strike Tyler with it, but Tyler moved out of the way. He ended up cutting Stefan's hand instead.

Elena and Charlene emerged on the scene, along with Megan and Matt.

"Stefan!" Megan exclaimed, spotting his bleeding hand as Charlene and Elena shouted,

"Jeremy, no!"

Matt tried to grab Tyler. "Tyler, knock it off! Stop!"

"What the hell Jeremy?!" Elena shouted, pushing him away from Tyler so she could check on him properly. "Put your head up, you're bleeding."

Jeremy pushed Elena away. "I'm fine!"

"Yeah, you smell fine." She snapped.

"Elena…Jeremy…stop." Charlene pushed by Elena to check on her brother. "Are you sure you're, okay?" Her voice was concerned as she tried to touch him, but he smacked her hand away.

"Just stop, okay?!" With that, Jeremy stormed away.

"Come on, man. Come on." Matt managed to drag Tyler away.

Megan rushed over to Stefan. "Your hand, it's bleeding!" He shoved his hand behind his back. "Let me look at it!"

"No, no, no, it's fine."

"No, it's not! Let me see it! Stefan, please!" Megan managed to grab his hand to look it over, but saw it was just fine. It left her completely confused. "Wait but…I saw…I saw it…"

"He missed." Stefan tried to assure her. "It's not my blood. See?" He showed her the palm of his hand. "I'm fine." He pulled her into a hug. Her body was shaking a little. "I'm okay." He smoothed his hand through her hair.

Megan let out a shaky chuckle. "Now, I'm the one freaking out over blood." She felt his chest rumble in a laugh as he hugged her tighter.

"It's almost kickoff time, alright? So, I'll see you after the game." He broke the hug and went off.

Megan stared after him. Though she believed he was okay, she knew what she saw. He had been bleeding…

Megan hurried off to find Bonnie, wanting to find out more about the feeling she had.

"Bonnie!" she shouted. Her sister turned and she stopped in front of her, breathing heavily a little. "Okay, I want you to be serious with me. No jokes."

Bonnie looked at her confused, but nodded. "Of course. What is it?"

"The thing you told me about a couple days ago…about the bad feeling you got from Stefan…"

Her sister cut her off. "You know what, forget I said that." She informed her. "Charlene's dinner party plot totally won be over."

"Bon, I'm being serious!" Megan looked at her sister pleadingly. "Please…just tell me…what did get from him? Did you see something, Bonnie?"

Bonnie sighed, looking down for a moment before glancing back up at Megan. "It wasn't clear like a picture. Like today, I keep seeing those same numbers I told you and Elena about…8, 14, 22."

Megan nodded, listening. "Yeah?"

"When I touched Stefan, it was a feeling. And it vibrated through, and it was cold, and it was…" Bonnie trailed off, shuddering.

"And it was what, Bon?" Megan pressed gently as she placed her hands on her sister's shoulders.

Bonnie let out a breath. "It was death…it's what I imagine death to be like."

Needing a jacket because it was getting cold outside, Charlene went to Megan's car to go grab it, but to also put her camera. She had taken so many pictures tonight. She felt normal for the first time in six months, going back to how things were before her parents died. It didn't mean she still didn't miss them, but she knew her parents would want her to be happy, and same went for Elena and Jeremy.

Charlene put her camera up first before she went to grab her jacket. Suddenly, she saw someone's reflection in the window and she whirled around, scared for a moment but then she relaxed when she saw that it was Damon. He smirked.

Charlene chuckled, placing a hand on her heart. "Geez Damon, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry."

"What are you doing here?" Charlene asked. "I didn't peg you as the football game type."

Damon smirked again. "Well, I'm a man of many things."

"I believe it." Charlene laughed. "But, seriously, what are you doing here?"

"I'm hiding from Caroline." Damon whispered as if he was telling her a secret.

"Why?"

"I needed a break. She walks more than I can listen."

"Yeah, she can be a bit much." Charlene could agree with him on that, but Caroline was a good person. She just had a hard showing it. "But it might be a sign that you shouldn't be together, I guess."

"Well, she's awfully young." Damon commented.

"She's just as young as you are." Charlene said, crossing her arms over chest. Her bracelet, the one that Stefan gave her, dangled around her wrist.

He shrugged at this. "I don't see it going anywhere in the bigger picture. I think she'd drive me crazy."

"I know she has have some really annoying traits, but we've been friends since the first grade. My friends are important to me and I would never do anything to ruin my and Caroline's friendship." Charlene told him seriously, reminding herself she couldn't let herself fall for him.

"Duly noted but…you were the one who tried to kiss me." Damon reminded her with a smirk, leaning forward.

Charlene blushed at the reminder. "I know I did, but that would have been a mistake. You're with Caroline…and like I said, I wouldn't do anything to hurt her."

"Still doesn't ignore the fact that you want me." Damon smirked at her. He got closely to her and she did move away, her back hit the back of Megan's car, so she couldn't move that far. Charlene gulped at his intense stare. "I get to you. You find yourself drawn to me. You think about me when you don't want to think about me. I bet you've even dreamed about me." He whispered this part as he reached up to stroke her face and Charlene couldn't help but shiver. "And right now…you want to kiss me."

Charlene knew in her mind that she couldn't. She couldn't kiss him, but for some reason, she just didn't to her mind. So, she kissed him.

Smirking as he deepened the kiss with her, Damon pulled her to his body and Charlene groaned at the feeling. Their tongues eventually tangled together, causing the kiss to become heated. Damon shoved her further against the car, one of his hands burying in her hair as his fingers tangled into her locks. Whoa, he was an amazing kisser.

"Mm…" Damon moaned, his hands smoothing down her hips as he brought them to his. Charlene gasped at the feeling. "Abigail…"

This effectively ruined the moment. Charlene shoved him away and slapped him across the face, stunning him.

"I am not Abigail!" she yelled at him, completely pissed off now. "I might remind you of her, but I'm not her and I never will be her! Stay away from me!" She shoved by him, her eyes welling with tears.

Why did she have to be so stupid?!

The night got even worse from there. Mr. Tanner got killed.

Megan was still in shock. She never liked the man, but she would never ever want him dead. She leaned back against her car as she saw Stefan come up to her and lean back next to her. Megan shook her head slowly.

"I just don't get it…" she mumbled. "I don't get why these animal are happening…why would an animal just come out of the woods and attack someone in the middle of town? It makes no sense…this shouldn't be happening, not here in Mystic Falls…"

"I know…" Stefan whispered and turned towards her.

"And your hand, I know what I saw. It was bleeding." Megan looked into his eyes.

"I'm fine." Stefan said, trying to assure her again as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm fine, okay? We're fine. That's what matters."

Megan nodded as they both embraced. She rested her head on his shoulder, staring into nothing, as she continued to think about what Bonnie said. She could not feel what her sister had been feeling. The bad feeling she had previous was completely gone and now all she could feel was the good in Stefan. Despite her insecurities about Demetria, Megan couldn't deny that he felt the same way as she did…and she just knew…this was real.

That night, Charlene woke up suddenly, feeling as if someone had been touching her cheek. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at the clock. It was four in the morning.

Charlene groaned as she turned off her bedside table, which she had on to read her book, and she laid back down in bed, closing her eyes. She fell back to sleep easily. This time, Damon Salvatore wasn't on her mind.

TBC...

In...

Family Ties, Part 1