[1x07; Haunted]

It had been a month since Vicki transitioned into a vampire.

For Lucy, it had been a month of lessons with Grams. She was learning to control her siphoning abilities; she now knew that her control tied in with her emotions. So she had to learn to control herself even when she was angry or sad or even happy. They would go through scenarios where Grams would ignite an emotion and Lucy would have to keep herself from siphoning Grams' magic. It was hard at first but it was slowly getting easier. Grams even taught Lucy how to store the magic she siphoned; usually when Lucy siphoned magic it would be stored in her body, eventually fading away. With Grams' help, Lucy was able to learn how to transfer her stolen magic into her moonstone locket where it would be until she needed it.

When they weren't practicing control, Lucy did lessons for using magic. Bonnie joined her then, since they were both starting out, and Grams would teach them the basics of casting spells and spell theory. Bonnie was much better than Lucy was, but it was to be expected since she had her own magic.

A month for Elena meant moping around after her and Stefan's break-up. Elena wouldn't speak to Stefan when he tried to contact her and she didn't like others talking about him, either. Lucy just hoped they'd make up soon; they were both miserable to be around.

A month for Jeremy meant turning fifteen and signing up for search parties to find Vicki. The town was under the impression that she was off on a bender, taking enough drugs that she couldn't return home. Matt had joined Jeremy in making search parties; they were both so worried and it made Lucy feel guilty that she knew exactly where Vicki was.

For Stefan and Joel—sometimes Damon—a month meant supervising Vicki. According to the snippets of information Lucy got from Joel and Stefan, Vicki was having a very rough time adjusting to the life of a vampire. First it was because Damon was giving her blood bags and she was becoming out of control. Then it was because she was having withdrawals from human blood. Now, it was because she didn't want to drink the animal blood Stefan had been catching for her. The whole thing was tiring for the older vampires—especially Joel, who gained control pretty quickly for being newly turned—but Stefan made sure that Vicki knew she had help.

And as Lucy sat at the dining table filled with research, a month for Jenna meant writing a mid-term paper. One look at one of the sources, filled with blue highlighter, made Lucy cringe. She hated writing anything—essays, diary entries, letters—she didn't know how Elena and Stefan wrote in their journals so much.

A few feet away from Lucy, Jeremy and Elena collided in the kitchen—Jeremy had been shutting the fridge door and didn't see Elena walking by.

"Sorry," they apologized at the same time.

Things had been tense between them; Elena was constantly worried about him, making sure he was going to school and not allowing him to sign up for too many search parties. Jeremy was annoyed that she didn't want him to find Vicki. Hopefully they'd get over their disagreement soon; Jeremy and Elena always butted heads and they usually got over it pretty quickly.

"You're up early," Elena observed, stepping away from him. "Where are you going?"

"Police station," Jeremy answered shortly, knowing that she'd object to him going. "They're organizing another search party for Vicki, so…"

Jeremy went to leave but was stopped by Elena. "Wait," she grabbed his arm. "Shouldn't you be going to school?"

"What?" Jeremy narrowed his eyes. "You're doing this again?"

Elena glared at him, folding her arms over her chest; Lucy sighed, resting her head on her hand. "You shouldn't skip school again," Elena scolded their brother. "If they find her, we'll know. That's what cellphones are for."

Jeremy scoffed. "Yeah, your lips keep moving. I don't know why."

He walked away right after his quip, not seeing the offended look on Elena's face. The front door slammed shut as Lucy stood from the table and carried her empty cereal bowl to the sink.

"Don't worry about it, Elena," Lucy gave her sister a small smile. "Jeremy will be fine. What's the harm in letting him look for Vicki?"

Elena didn't answer as the front door opened and slammed shut again. Joel walked into the kitchen, looking completely annoyed. He had been at the Salvatore Boarding House, taking a shift with Vicki—it didn't look like it went so well.

"They should not let drug addicts be vampires," he groaned, walking to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water.

"How is the whole let-Vicki-adjust thing going?" Lucy asked curiously.

Joel scoffed. "Well, when I left, Damon and Stefan were arguing about animal versus people blood. Vicki was on Damon's side…it doesn't look like Stefan's getting through to her."

"So she's not adjusting at all?" Elena asked, brows raised.

"Little by little," Joel shrugged and gulped down half of his water before capping it and setting it on the counter. "Anyway, I'm on a break. There's a Halloween party at Pike tonight and I'm not going to miss it being Vicki's babysitter."

Lucy perked up at the mention of Halloween; it seemed like Elena and Jeremy had completely forgotten about it. "Costume?"

Joel smirked. "Clark Kent."

Lucy nodded in approval.

Elena spoke up then, stopping their conversation. "I think I'm gonna go to Stefan's," she declared. "Luce, you wanna go with me?"

"Sure," Lucy shrugged; nothing was really happening at school besides scary school-appropriate movies and the setting up of the open house for later that night. Her costume was settled already, much to the disapproval of Caroline, who wanted her, Lucy, and Bonnie to match.

"Have fun," Joel wished, waving mockingly as Lucy and Elena left the house.

They arrived at the Salvatore Boarding House twenty minutes later. Elena marched up to the door and rang the bell, folding her arms over her chest as they waited. They didn't have to wait for long; Damon opened the door within seconds.

"Is Stefan here?" Elena demanded without greeting him.

Elena's opinion of Damon hadn't changed within the month; Lucy's hadn't either. Especially since he was seriously sabotaging Vicki's adjustment to the vampire lifestyle.

"Yep."

"Where is he?"

"And good morning to you, Miss I'm-on-a-mission," Damon smirked.

Elena stiffened, annoyed. "How can you be so arrogant and glib after everything you've done?"

"Lena…" Lucy hissed warningly; Damon was dangerous and could snap Elena like a twig before they could blink.

"And how you can you be so brave and stupid to call a vampire glib and arrogant?" Damon retorted.

"If you wanted me dead, I'd be dead," Elena spat, eyes hard.

Lucy slapped her hand to her forehead; she couldn't believe how stupid Elena was being. Talking back to a vampire was not a good idea.

"But I'm not," Elena smirked.

"Yet," Damon corrected her, looking unamused. Thankfully that shut Elena up.

"Okay," Lucy sighed, catching Damon's attention. "Damon, where is Stefan?"

"He's upstairs," Damon informed her. "Singing 'The Rain in Spain'. Knock yourselves out."

Damon brushed past Elena, sending her a menacing smirk. Lucy huffed and walked into the house, ignoring both of them. She wasn't in the mood to constantly be a buffer between people. First it was Elena and Jeremy and now it was Elena and Damon. Soon it would be Stefan and Elena. Could people give her a break?

"Stefan?" Elena called as she closed the door and joined Lucy in the hallway just before the stairs. "Stefan?"

Stefan blurred in front of them, basically appearing before their eyes. Elena jumped slightly, not as used to vampire speed as Lucy.

"Yes?" he asked patiently.

"Where is Vicki?" Elena asked.

Stefan pressed a finger to his lips, silently telling her to lower her voice. "She's upstairs."

"Well, is she getting better?" she wondered harshly. "Because our brother is out there searching for her with the rest of the town. What do I tell him?"

"We don't tell him anything yet," Lucy interjected.

"Joel and I have been working with her," Stefan said, telling them something they already knew. "But it's gonna take time. She has a very volatile and impulsive personality. She's a drug user. I mean, all that's gonna play a part in her assimilation."

"So she's a vampire with issues?" Elena said rudely, making Lucy roll her eyes. "What am I supposed to do? Because I'm lying to everyone I care about."

Lucy sighed, annoyed that Elena managed to make Vicki's transition about her. "Elena, Vicki was turned into a vampire and she's trying to get used to it. I'm sure it's not easy and if we're lying to Matt and Jeremy, it's only to protect them until she's better."

Elena gave Lucy a glare but Lucy narrowed her eyes back. Elena wasn't the victim here; Vicki was killed by Damon, turned into a vampire, and was having trouble adjusting. It was supposed to be about how they could help her.

Elena turned to Stefan, still looking aggravated. "What's going to happen to her?"

"I'm gonna keep her here with me until I know that she's safe," Stefan said patiently.

"How long is that?" Vicki interrupted, walking down the stairs.

Stefan sighed when Vicki gave him an impatient look. "We can talk about that later," he said.

"Hi, Vicki," Lucy waved awkwardly. Vicki had most likely heard Elena's harsh words and was probably not very happy with them. And she couldn't blame her; if she heard Elena speaking about her like that, she would not be a happy camper.

"How are you?" Elena added politely.

"How am I?" Vicki narrowed her eyes at Elena. "You're kidding right?"

Stefan cleared his throat pointedly. "Why don't you come in the dining room, Vicki?" he suggested, smiling slightly. "I'll make some coffee."

"I'll help you," Lucy volunteered as Vicki practically stomped down the stairs. Stefan nodded and ushered the three girls into the dining room. Once Elena and Vicki sat down at the table, as far away from each other as possible, Lucy followed Stefan into his impressive kitchen.

"Uh, the creamer's in the fridge," Stefan said, walking over to a cupboard and retrieving four mugs.

Lucy hummed and grabbed the vanilla coffee creamer from the otherwise bare fridge. She handed it to Stefan and gave him a concerned look; the furrowing in between his eyebrows was more pronounced than usual.

"Are you okay?" she asked as he poured hot coffee into the mugs.

"Do you want some?" Stefan asked, gesturing to the coffee. "And, yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You're brooding more than usual. I'll pass," Lucy wrinkled her nose. "I'm not a coffee drinker."

Stefan pursed his lips and looked at her, confused. "I've seen you drink cappuccino before, Luce."

"Yeah, that's cappuccino."

"There's coffee in cappuccino," Stefan informed her, amused. "It's the main ingredient."

"What? No," Lucy shook her head in denial; there was no way she missed that cappuccino was made from coffee. She was supposed to be smart and knowledgeable. "That's impossible, Stefan. I don't even like coffee."

Stefan snickered. "Well, it looks you do, actually."

Lucy scowled and picked up a nearby sugar packet, throwing it at Stefan's face. Using his quick reflexes, Stefan deftly grabbed it and tore it open, pouring it into one of the cups; he was still chuckling.

Lucy's scowl deepened. "It's not funny."

"No, see, it is funny," Stefan smirked at her and picked up two of the mugs. Lucy picked up the other and they started walking back to the dining room. "And you did say I was brooding more than usual. Maybe I just needed entertainment."

Lucy rolled her eyes, her lips quirking. "I'm so glad I could help."

Stefan winked at her as they entered the dining room and Lucy could feel her cheeks warming up. She ignored Elena's inquisitive look and set down the mug in front of her, taking a seat next to Vicki. Stefan sat across from her, next to Elena, and pushed a mug to Vicki, keeping the other for himself.

"Coffee is our friend," he told the new vampire, his earlier amusement gone. "It's the caffeine. It circulates through our veins and it warms our body so we're not so cold to the touch."

Vicki gave him an unimpressed look. "Well, what if I wanna drink human blood?"

By the look on Stefan's face, Lucy knew that this was something Vicki had asked many times before. "You're gonna have to learn to live with that urge and fight it on a daily basis one day at a time."

"Oh, God," Vicki groaned, disgusted. "Don't start with that whole twelve steps thing. The school counselor has been down that road and it doesn't work for me."

"It can work," Stefan argued softly. "It's your choice, Vicki."

Vicki raised her eyebrows. "So you've never tasted human blood?"

It was quiet as Elena shifted in her seat and Vicki smirked at Stefan, waiting for an answer. Lucy felt bad for Stefan; by the way he was hesitating, human blood was a touchy subject for him.

"Not in a long time," he finally answered.

"How long?" Vicki asked mockingly.

"Years and years," Stefan looked uncomfortable. "I'm not proud of my past behavior."

Vicki groaned. "Ugh," she grimaced and changed the subject, pressing her fingers against her temples. "Does this sketchy feeling ever go away? It's like I have a massive hangover. And this daylight thing is a bitch," she sighed and stood up. "I need more blood. Where's your bathroom? I have to pee. Why do I have to pee? I thought I was dead."

Stefan pointed to the bathroom and Vicki marched off in its direction. Lucy stared after her with wide eyes, wondering if all new vampires went through such crazy emotional back-and-forth.

Elena sighed as the bathroom door shut and Stefan reacted.

"I'm going to, uh," he stammered, standing up. "I'm gonna get her some more, all right? I'll be quick."

"We'll be here," Lucy assured her friend; Stefan gave her a half-hearted smile and sped off.

Lucy stood from the table and walked to the living room, looking around. The Salvatores had a grand selection of antiques and she was particularly interested in a painting encased in an old frame, wild oranges and reds swirling together. She couldn't name who the artist was, but she really enjoyed the work.

"False alarm," Vicki declared, walking into the room and picking up her cellphone. "My body's feeling really funky. It's a good funk but it's weird."

Lucy nodded understandably while Elena hummed. Vicki didn't pay attention to them as she dialed a number on her phone.

"Who are you calling?" Elena wondered.

Vicki looked up, a small, genuine smile on her face. "Jeremy."

"Vicki," Elena said slowly. "You can't see Jeremy anymore."

"Oh, come on," Vicki scoffed. "Don't you start. I'm gonna see whoever I wanna see."

Lucy walked away from the painting, back over to Elena and Vicki. She hovered between them, just in case they started arguing and it escalated.

Elena's voice hardened. "Even though you could hurt him?"

"I would never hurt Jeremy."

"I know you think that but I can't take that risk," Elena declared, stepping closer to the older girl. "You're gonna have to let Jeremy go now."

Vicki glared at her, an angry snarl on her lips. "Oh really?" she slammed her phone down on the table and slowly approached Elena and Lucy, almost menacingly. "And how long have you been preparing a you're-not-good-enough speech? I'm presuming it predates the whole vampire thing."

"It's not really that you're not good enough, it's that you're too old for him," Lucy interjected, which wasn't really a smart thing to do. "I mean, you're a legal adult…Jeremy's a minor."

Vicki turned her glare to Lucy and advanced more. Elena grabbed Lucy's arm and pulled her as she stepped back.

"Look, all we're saying is Jeremy is not getting involved in any of this," Elena stated firmly. "I mean it, Vicki."

Vicki scoffed. "Or what?" Elena stiffened at Vicki's defiance and went to say something, but Vicki apparently had enough of the older Gilbert. She rushed at Elena, hand closing around her throat, pressing her up against the wall.

"Vicki!" Lucy shouted, running to help her sister.

Vicki didn't even look at Lucy as she pushed her away; Lucy went flying back, hitting the wall behind her.

"Let's get one thing straight, you perky little bitch," Vicki sneered at Elena, squeezing her throat threateningly. "You had my brother whipped for fifteen years. Fifteen years and then you dumped him. When I look at you that is all I see, just so you know. And I'm gonna see Jeremy whenever I wanna see Jeremy because I have some fun new toys to play with and I won't think twice about ripping your little head off. You got it—"

Vicki cut herself off, screaming loudly at the pain coursing through her body. As Vicki's grip from her throat loosened, Elena looked to see what was happening. Lucy stood behind Vicki, her hands pressed against the vampire's back, red energy entering her hands.

Lucy abruptly let go of Vicki and the vampire stopped screaming for a brief second before starting back up again. Lucy glared at Vicki, using the spell that Grams had taught her and Bonnie, and gave her an aneurysm over and over as Vicki's brain healed.

"Lucy!" Elena shouted over the sound of Vicki's cries. "Lucy, stop!"

Lucy didn't hear her; she was so angry at Vicki for hurting her sister, all she saw was red. She could feel the magic she siphoned from Vicki depleting, but she didn't care.

"Lucy!"

"Lucy!" hands grabbed her upper arms, trying to stop her from hurting Vicki further. Stefan hissed as Lucy siphoned magic from him and the sound brought her out of her angry haze. Lucy's wide hazel eyes watered as she stared up at Stefan. "Hey, hey, it's okay…"

"Oh, my God," Lucy shook her head, pushing Stefan's hands away from her as tears started falling down her cheeks. "I-I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I-I didn't mean to…I just…I'm s-sorry…"

Stefan frowned, not knowing how to comfort her without touching her. "It's okay, Lucy," he whispered and stepped closer, hands in the air to show her he meant no harm. "I'm okay and Vicki's healing, look…"

Lucy set her blurry gaze on Vicki, who looked confused as she stood from the floor. She gave Lucy a frightened look before zooming upstairs and out of sight.

"Come on," Stefan wrapped his arms around Lucy's shoulders, relieved when she was able to control her siphoning. He kept his voice soothing and comforting as he turned her, ready to lead her outside to calm down. "Let's go outside for a second, okay? You're okay, Lucy. I promise…everything's fine…"

Elena rubbed her aching throat and watched, bewildered, as Stefan calmed down her distraught sister. He was shockingly good at getting Lucy to relax—her siblings had a hard time getting her to do the same after her panic attacks regarding the accident. But there Stefan was, rubbing Lucy's back, cooing at her, wiping her tears.

It was strange for Elena because she didn't want to see her boyfriend—ex-boyfriend or whatever—all over her sister like that, even if she knew they were just friends and it was in Stefan's nature to comfort someone in distress. On the other hand, she was envious of Stefan's ability to calm her sister down when she couldn't.

Elena followed Stefan and Lucy until they were out of the house, standing just outside the front door in case Vicki needed assistance. Lucy pulled away from Stefan's side and leaned against a brick column, drying her tears.

Stefan gave her a concerned look but turned to Elena. "What happened?"

Elena told him about Vicki's almost-call to Jeremy and how she forbid the new vampire to call him or be around him. She mentioned Vicki's aggravated response and how she almost choked her out.

"She threatened me," Elena said, massaging her throat. She was angry even thinking about Vicki.

"She's on edge," Stefan defended Vicki. Though he was angry with her, he knew that she had little control over her emotions. "Imagine every sense in your body operating at super speed. I mean, she's uncomfortable in her own skin. And then when you throw in her other issues…"

"How long before it settles?" Elena demanded impatiently. "It's already been a month. How much longer could she need? Hours, days, weeks?"

"There's no rule book."

"How long did it take you to learn to control it?" Lucy spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest.

"A while," Stefan admitted. "But I didn't have anybody helping me. I had to do it on my own. The thing is, it's hard to resist certain people especially when you're new. It's difficult to separate your feelings; love, lust, anger, desire…it can all blur into one urge. Hunger."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean?"

"It means that Jeremy can't see her," Stefan's eyebrows rose slightly with the seriousness in his tone. "Not now. She might not be able to resist him and she could hurt him."

"Or worse."

Stefan looked at Elena earnestly, hearing the waver in her voice. "I'm not gonna let anybody get hurt," he promised.

Elena gulped, overwhelmed by everything that had happened and the way Stefan was staring at her. "We need to get going."

"Elena…"

Elena shook her head. "Please, Stefan. There's only so much I can take."

As Elena walked toward the car, Lucy squeezed Stefan's hand gratefully before following after her. She couldn't believe she had lost control like that; she could have seriously hurt Vicki and she didn't want that. She didn't want to hurt anyone.

And the way Elena had looked at her…her older sister looked terrified at what was happening when she gave Vicki an aneurysm. She couldn't help herself, though. She was angry and for a brief moment, when the magic was rushing through her veins and Vicki's screams were in the background, she felt powerful.

Now that it was over, she only felt regret and sadness. She was lucky Stefan had arrived, otherwise she didn't know what could have happened.

"What are you supposed to be?"

Lucy looked from her reflection in the mirror to Jeremy, who stood by her open door.

"I'm a Rockford Peach," Lucy stated matter-of-factly. She smoothed down the skirt of her light pink dress and added, "You know, from 'A League of Their Own?'" at Jeremy's blank expression, she huffed. "Tom Hanks! Geena Davis! Even Madonna's in it!"

"Oh, yeah, I know her," Jeremy nodded.

"Oh, my Lord, you've seen 'Toy Story!'" Lucy hissed, frustrated. She exhaled slowly, soothing her temper. "Anyway, I'm going to the open house at school. Are you gonna come?"

"I don't know, maybe," Jeremy shrugged. "Dressing up is not really my thing."

"So don't dress up," Lucy shrugged and pulled on the red cap that matched her costume. "It's not that serious."

Lucy's phone dinged from her bed and she went to look at it. It was a message from Caroline, stating that she and Bonnie were waiting outside. She said her goodbyes to Jeremy, Jenna, and Elena, before walking out of the house.

"Look at you guys!" she smiled at Caroline and Bonnie, both of whom were dressed up as sexy witches. The irony for Bonnie was not lost on her. "I like the wig," she pointed at Bonnie's long blonde locks and then at Caroline's corset. "And the corset."

"Thank you. And I wish you would have matched with us, but you still look great," Caroline admitted with a wink. "'A League of Their Own' is always a classic."

"I know, right?" Lucy laughed, climbing into Caroline's car. "Let's go. I'm hoping Tyler brought the cider."

Bonnie groaned in disgust. "God, I hope not."

The open house had a nice turnout that included younger kids all the way up to high school seniors. The school was heavily decorated with three haunted hallways, one for each age group. Most the teenagers were gathered out in the courtyard, listening to creepy music, talking to friends, and drinking whatever alcohol they could sneak past their parents.

Lucy, Bonnie, and Caroline were part of the crowd in the courtyard. They were observing their classmates and quietly judging their costumes with each other.

Tyler Lockwood approached them after a while, holding red plastic cups filled to the brim. "Cider for the ladies? It's a Lockwood special."

"No way," Bonnie denied a cup as Lucy eagerly grabbed one. "Last year I was hungover until Thanksgiving."

"Lightweight," Caroline muttered, amused, and grabbed another cup from Tyler. "I am going to drink until someone is hot enough to make out with."

Tyler made an impressed face. "Sounds like a plan."

"Hear, hear," Lucy agreed, holding up her cup. The three of them clinked each other's cups while Bonnie shook her head in disapproval.

"There you are!" Lucy cheered as she jogged toward Elena and Jeremy, a large smile covering her face. "Oh, my God, I can't believe you came!"

Elena frowned as Lucy sloppily wrapped her arms around Jeremy's shoulders. "Are you drunk?"

"Nah, tipsy!" Lucy said loudly so she could be heard over the music and people. "Tyler brought his cider."

"Ugh," Elena groaned, exasperated. "Just…come on."

Jeremy and Lucy obediently followed their sister further into the school, stopping when Elena paused to talk to Matt, who was dressed in the same costume as last year—the couples costume that he and Elena picked out together.

"You went with last year's costume too, huh?" he greeted Elena, gesturing to the scary nurse costume she had on.

"Yeah, I didn't know that I was coming until an hour ago," Elena lamented, holding up her fake limb.

"Me neither," Matt agreed, holding up his matching one. They smiled at each other and held the limbs into a high-five. Matt turned to Jeremy and looked at the black sweatshirt he was wearing. "And you're going as…you?"

Jeremy just rolled his eyes, detached himself from Lucy, and walked away.

"Ooh," Lucy cooed, amused. "Harsh."

Elena sent her a quick glare before turning back to Matt. "He's not talking to me right now. We got into a fight."

"Yeah, I got into it with Vick, too, when she got home," Matt sympathized. "I'm trying not to smother her tonight but part of me didn't wanna let her out of my sight."

This caught the attention of Lucy and Elena. Vicki was supposed to be at the Boarding House, safe with Stefan and Damon looking after her.

Elena raised her eyebrows. "She's here?"

"Yeah," Matt nodded. "You can't miss her. She's a vampire."

Lucy would have appreciated the irony just like she had with Bonnie's costume, but she was too worried about Jeremy. He had walked off and Vicki was probably looking for him at this very moment. It was too much of a risk for him, especially when there were so many people around to tempt Vicki's bloodlust.

"Where did Jeremy go?" Lucy asked Elena, her breath hitching.

"What's the matter?" Matt asked, looking between the sister, concerned.

"Uh, we gotta go find him," Elena stated, grabbing Lucy's hand. As they started walking away, she called back to Matt, "Sorry!"

Lucy and Elena spent twenty minutes searching for Jeremy or Vicki but so far, they had found nothing. Elena refused to split up because Lucy was having trouble sobering up, so they stuck together, looking through each haunted hallway and the snack table.

Finally, when they agreed to head to the courtyard, they ran into Vicki and Stefan.

"Thank God," Elena sighed in relief, dragging Lucy over to the two vampires.

"What's the matter?" Stefan wondered, his voice hurried.

"We lost track of Jeremy," Elena explained. "I was worried."

"Hey, what's going on?" Matt appeared behind Lucy, glaring at Stefan.

"Hey, uh, everything's fine," Stefan assured him, knowing that Matt was already testy from earlier when Stefan went to his house.

Vick took the opportunity to cause a distraction, allowing her to get away. She ripped her arm from Stefan's grasp and said, "I told you to quit bothering me."

"No, Vicki, don't do this," Lucy warned seriously.

Vicki ignored her, turning to her brother. "Matt, he won't leave me alone."

Matt glowered at Stefan. "You need to back off, man."

"Matt, it's okay," Elena tried to assure her ex-boyfriend.

"No, it's not okay," Matt disagreed, looking back at Stefan. "What the fuck is your problem?"

Lucy went to glare at Vicki, as if to say "look what you've done", but the newly-turned vampire wasn't there. She had disappeared and there was no trace of her.

"Stefan, Elena, she's gone!" she frantically told them.

Elena started running, grabbing Lucy's hand once again to drag her with her. The stakes were higher now; Jeremy was still missing and Vicki knew that his sisters were trying to find him. She'd be able to find him first and Lucy and Elena didn't want to take the risk of Vicki losing control and draining their brother dry.

They retraced their steps, hoping that Jeremy was just wandering around. Unfortunately, they didn't find him. All they saw were many people dressed gruesomely. Seriously, how many people dressed like vampires?

Finally, Lucy stopped in her tracks. Elena reared back, looking at her in concern.

"What?"

"If I was Vicki and I wanted to be alone with my boyfriend during a party, where would I go?" Lucy said thoughtfully, trying to put herself in Vicki's shoes.

Vicki didn't go to class much when she was in school. Instead, she skipped and hung out with her stoner friends in the area behind the school where the buses parked. It was appropriately deemed the 'stoner pit' and was a popular place if you wanted seclusion.

Elena and Lucy turned to each other, eyes wide in realization. "The stoner pit!"

They raced out of the hallway they were in and entered another, lit up with neon lights and decorated with orange and black streamers. They dodged costumed classmates, passed the cafeteria, and slammed open the door that led to the stoner pit.

They paused when they heard shouting in between the buses…it sounded exactly like Jeremy.

"No, Vicki, stop!" Jeremy—Lucy was sure it was him—yelled.

Lucy and Elena rushed toward the screaming, Elena grabbing a long, wood plank. They came to the space between the buses, spotting Jeremy being held against a bus, Vicki baring her fangs at him.

"Vicki, no!" Elena screamed.

Vicki pushed Jeremy away from her and angrily stomped toward Lucy and Elena. While Elena swung the plank at Vicki, Lucy rushed toward Jeremy, helping him off the concrete.

There was a crash and when Lucy and Jeremy looked to see what had happened, they gasped. Vicki had thrown Elena into a pile of spare wood, making the human groan in pain.

Vicki went to speed over to Elena but was stopped by Stefan. He wrapped his hand around her throat and slammed her into the front of the bus, hissing menacingly. From beside Lucy, Jeremy panicked.

"Vicki!" he shouted worriedly.

Vicki pushed Stefan away from her and sped out of sight. Stefan looked around for a second, trying to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen.

He looked from Elena to Lucy and Jeremy. "Go, get inside," he urged them. "Go!"

Lucy ran over and helped Elena up, wrapping an arm around her waist as she dragged her over to Jeremy. She grabbed Jeremy's hand and started to lead them into the school, opening the door and ushering them inside.

Before she could follow them into the school, she felt hands on her shoulders. There was a hissing sound and Lucy could feel the sharp edge of teeth in the flesh of her neck. It was painful, so painful, and she couldn't help but scream.

And then the fangs inside her neck were ripped away from her and there was a strangled gasp.

Lucy looked for the source, gasping in shock when she saw a broken piece of wood sticking out of Vicki's chest. Stefan pulled the plank out of Vicki and she panted wetly, blood soaking the bodice of her costume.

Lucy looked at Stefan in shock, seeing that he was staring at Vicki with wide eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he had just done.

"VICKI!"

Her brother's scream, full of so much pain, made Lucy jump. Ignoring the aching in her neck and the blood dripping down her body, she ran for him. She wrapped her arms around Jeremy, hugging him tightly as he cried in agony.

She watched sadly as Vicki's eyes leaked blood and her skin turned a sickly gray. Dark black veins started popping up throughout her uncovered skin and she fell to the ground, completely still.

"Vicki!" Jeremy sobbed and Lucy had to choke back her own.

Vicki didn't deserve this; she didn't deserve to be a vampire and she didn't deserve being killed. She deserved better.

Hot, sticky tears rolled down Lucy's face as she laid her head on Jeremy's, holding him as tightly as she could. She never wanted Jeremy to feel the grief that he had when their parents died, but here he was.

"Get them out of here," Elena ordered, looking at Stefan.

Stefan nodded and walked over to Lucy and Jeremy, helping them off the ground. Lucy clung to her inconsolable brother, whispering soothing words and rubbing his back through her own tears. She was so focused on Jeremy that she didn't notice Stefan taking out his phone and calling Damon to ask for help.

Lucy held Jeremy's hand tightly as he rocked back and forth on his bed, sobbing. She didn't know what to say to make him feel better. And there was nothing. The girl he loved was killed right in front of him, he had a right to be sad…to grieve.

"I'm so sorry, Jere," she whispered, brushing his hair back from his forehead. "I'm so sorry."

Jeremy whimpered, calming down slightly. He had cried so much he was becoming numb.

The door opened and Elena walked into the room, settling herself across from Jeremy and Lucy. She smiled sadly at Jeremy and took his hands.

"Do you understand what happened tonight?" she asked softly.

"No," Jeremy whispered thickly. "I don't understand. I mean, I know what I saw, but…I don't understand."

Elena inhaled sharply. "She hurt you and me and she was going to kill Lucy."

"And now she's dead. Vicki's dead," more tears slipped down Jeremy's damp face.

"I'm so sorry, Jere," Elena apologized and went to hug him. Jeremy pushed her away, another round of sobs racking his chest.

"Make it stop," he sobbed, leaning his head on Lucy's shoulder. "It hurts."

Lucy's eyes prickled with tears as she squeezed him. "Shh," she tried to soothe him. "It's okay."

"Why does everybody have to die on me?"

Jeremy's broken voice practically killed Lucy. She buried her face in his hair and cried while Elena wrapped both of them into a strong hug.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'm so sorry."

Ten minutes later, Lucy excused herself, allowing Elena and Jeremy to take some time alone. She wandered downstairs to the porch where Stefan told her he'd be. He was sitting in the porch swing, looking as destroyed as she felt.

"Are you okay?" she asked, wiping her tearful face.

Stefan stood at the sound of her voice. In the light, she could see that his eyes were red and glassy. "I, uh, I wanted to help her," he confessed, shaking his head guiltily. "But instead…" he paused, swallowing thickly. "How's Jeremy doing?"

"He's a mess," Lucy informed him, voice wavering with emotion. "We already went through this and he's just a kid…" more tears dripped from her eyes and she angrily wiped them away. "I don't know what to say to him. I-I—"

"Hey…" Stefan grabbed Lucy's hands and rubbing the back of them with his thumbs. "Lucy, what can I do? What can I do to help? I'll do anything."

There was a creak behind them as Elena stepped out onto the porch. "Can you make him forget?" she asked Stefan seriously.

Stefan dropped Lucy's hands and shook his head, looking regretful. "Elena…"

"Stefan, please," Elena pleaded, eyes glazed over with tears. "I don't know how he'll ever get past this. I just want him to forget everything that happened."

Lucy shook her head. "No, we aren't doing that," she protested. "We're not compelling away his memories, Elena."

There was no way she would let Elena take Jeremy's memories. He needed to grieve and move on in a healthy way; loosing those memories wouldn't help him do that. Even if Jeremy wanted that, it was his choice. Elena was taking that away from him.

Elena ignored her, staring up at Stefan. "Stefan…"

"If I did it, there's no guarantee that it would work," Stefan said reluctantly. "Because of who I am, because of how I live. I don't have the ability to do it right."

"I can do it."

All three of them turned to look at Damon as he ambled onto the porch.

"If this is what you want," he continued. "I'll do it."

"We're not doing this to Jeremy!" Lucy spoke up angrily. Elena, Stefan, and Damon turned to her, surprised. "He needs to grieve, he needs to understand."

"Mom and Dad almost destroyed him, Lucy," Elena argued. "This will make things worse."

"Doing this won't make it right. You can't play with Jeremy's head like that, you can't take away his right to grieve for the girl he loved," Lucy tried to make her sister understand. "If you do this, you're taking away his right to choose."

"This is my choice—"

"No, it's not!" Lucy interrupted her sister. She turned her pleading eyes to Stefan, hoping that he would back her up. "Stefan, you didn't like when Katherine compelled you, did you?"

Stefan bit his lip, looking as if he was going to agree with her. One look at Elena seemed to change his mind. "Elena…"

"It's what I want," Elena said firmly, knowing that Stefan would give in if it's what she wanted.

Lucy sagged, defeated and disappointed. She gave Stefan a sad look and stomped past him, her sister, and Damon, back into the house. She didn't want to watch this happen to Jeremy, she wanted absolutely no part in it.

She needed to call Joel; she wanted to know where he was at with getting vervain.