Friday Night Bites - Part 1

Victoria's head was pounding. It felt as if someone had tried to aggressive slam her head into a countertop before she passed out from the pain. Whoa, someone's descriptive this morning, she thought weakly to herself. Her arms stung. Her eyes felt as though someone had poured acid on them. Every joint in her body didn't want to move; if they moved, they were in pain.

But wherever she was, she was extremely comfortable. Feeling in her fingertips returned to her and what she felt felt like a cloud. It was soft and fluffy and it made Victoria feel completely at ease. She mumbled a sound of pleasure. Ok, so she was really comfy. That had to mean wherever she was, she was safe, right?

It should have been her!

Victoria was assaulted with the rush of memories. She had been at the Night of the Comet. She found Vicki inside of the Grill and had left to go find her friends in the square. Elena and Stefan. Elena blaming Victoria for her parents' deaths. Running. Crying. Screaming. Pain. Heartbreak. Betrayal. The condescending voice of her biological mother.

The memories were too much.

Victoria's eyes shot open and she bolted upright, a terrified gasp of air coming from her throat. She scrambled out of the bed, throwing the covers off of her body. She landed on the hard floors with a loud thump. Something moved on the bed.

Victoria leapt to her feet and looked around, her breaths coming out fast and hard. She was in Damon's room. Kitchen Damon, Damon Salvatore's bedroom. Her shoulders heaved as her hands moved up to thread themselves through her hair. Why the hell was she in Damon's room?

Her eyes were drawn to the bed, where there was a body lying on the opposite side of where she had just been. There were too many blankets and pillows for her to clearly see who it was, but that didn't matter. What did matter was that she was in Damon Salvatore's bedroom, dressed in (and she gagged when she realized) a flimsy nightdress that she didn't remember owning, and she couldn't remember how she had gotten into the room.

Victoria flipped around and rushed towards the door, grabbing the handle and throwing it open. She let out a terrified yelp when she saw a shirtless Damon on the other side of the door, his black hair messy and wearing only a pair of low-rise sweatpants. He smirked and opened his mouth to say something, but Victoria wasn't taking any chances.

Before Damon could say anything, Victoria brought her arm back, curled her hand up into a fist, and slammed it right across Damon's jaw. This startled the vampire, causing him to stumble back into the hallway. Victoria didn't waste any time. She shoved her way past him and sprinted down the hall, praying that she was heading in the direction of the stairs. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest as she ran, her mind praying desperately that she was able to escape the house.

It was the day after the Night of the Comet episode, which meant that it was Friday Night Bites. But that episode opened with Damon feeding on Caroline. But with Victoria in the world, Caroline didn't know Damon. She hadn't met him.

Unless she had met him while Victoria was running from Elena and Stefan. But why was he at the boarding house then?

Victoria's blood ran cold at the thought that she had been the one to replace Caroline.

Her foot reached the top of the stairs when a large arm appeared out of nowhere, wrapping itself around her waist. She let out a scream of protest as she was swept off of her feet, suspended in the air with only an arm holding her. She thrashed about, kicking Damon (whom she assumed was the one holding her) and clawing down at his arm.

"Well, good morning to you too," Damon grunted as he struggled to keep her from moving. Another arm wrapped itself around Victoria's upper body and she screamed, moving her arms to start scratching his upper arm. "Stop. Struggling."

"Get away from me!" Victoria screamed, jerking from side to side. Damon's grip on her was too tight, though, and it didn't seem to do anything more than piss him off.

"I did not save your life only to have you kick me!" Damon snapped, squeezing her tighter.

Victoria gasped as he was able to expel all of the air in her lungs in one swift press. She wheezed in a breath, her struggle with him dropping until she was simply hanging in Damon's grip. He lightened up his grip and Victoria greedily sucked in a breath. She couldn't help but cough, her throat irritated by the odd transfer of air. Damon let her go and she fell onto her feet awkwardly, stumbling until she fell up against the wall.

Damon stood in the hallway, his arms spread out widely. It wasn't like it wasn't an impressive sight. Just because Victoria found Stefan to be more of her type between the two Salvatore brothers, she would have to be blind to not say that Damon was hot. He had muscles for days and it was all on display when he wasn't wearing a shirt. "You, Mama Bear, are making me regret all my life decisions."

"Leave me alone!" Victoria shouted, pushing off against the wall. A random burst of energy hit her and she tried to make a break for the stairs again. Damon was too smart, it seemed. He grabbed her swiftly around the waist, pulling her so her chest was pressed up against his. He also grabbed her wrists together with one hand, holding them away from their faces. "Damon!"

"This could have gone a completely different way, Victoria," Damon argued.

"What on Earth is going on here?"

That...wasn't a voice that belonged to the boarding house. That was a voice that Victoria distinctively knew.

Victoria looked over her shoulder and her mouth dropped in shock as she took in the person, the woman, standing in the doorway to the room that Victoria had just ran from.

"Mom?" Victoria screeched, her eyes wide in disbelief. She looked frantically between Damon and Kelly. Both of them didn't seem shocked to see each other, though Kelly didn't seem too thrilled about the position that Victoria and Damon were currently in. "What are you doing here?"

"Watching over you until you decide to wake up and try to escape!" Kelly stated, folding her arms across her chest. She pointed a finger and gestured to Victoria. "The real question, baby girl, is why on Earth you are trying to run away?"

"Because I don't know why I'm here!" Victoria shrieked, tugging angrily to try and get her arms loose. It didn't do much. It seemed to make Damon amused though, which made Victoria even more pissed off. "And will you let go of me?"

"Do you promise not to punch me in the face or run away?" Damon smirked, leaning his head closer to Victoria's. They were basically sharing the same air now, their foreheads on the brink of touching one another.

The closeness made the tension in Victoria's body even higher. She whispered, low enough that Kelly wouldn't be able to hear her, "Wooden stake through the heart."

"Such a sweet talker, you are," Damon mused as he leaned farther away from Victoria. He let go of Victoria and the girl scrambled backwards, rushing down the hall. This time, it was away from the stairs and Damon and she didn't stop until she was safely within Kelly's outstretched arms.

Her mother held to her tightly, gently shushing and cooing at her nonsense words as Victoria began to shake. It didn't make sense. Why was Kelly at the boarding house? Why was Victoria at the boarding house? What time was it? Was Caroline okay? Was Vicki okay? Oh no, Vicki. Did Damon do something unsavory...?

"Baby girl, I'm going to need you to take a deep breath for me, alright?"

Oh, she was hyperventilating. Again. Joy.

Victoria followed Kelly's overexaggerated breaths until she felt like the world had stopped spinning and she wasn't about to collapse to the ground. Once she was breathing normally, Kelly pulled her into the room, saying something to Damon along the lines of "I'm going to get her ready, so stay out".

The door was shut when Victoria started her rapid fire questioning. "Mom, why is going on here?"

Kelly took a deep, calming breath and placed her hands on both of Victoria's shoulders. "Baby girl, deep breath, okay?" Victoria did as her mother said, taking a deep breath. It did seem to help calm down her ever-growing anxiety. "Ok. Last night, you didn't come home. Everyone was really worried and panicking, because apparently none of them saw you at the Night of the Comet . No one could seem to contact you. All of a sudden, out of the blue, I get a call from your phone. Except, it isn't you, it's Stefan Salvatore. He said that Damon found you passed out in the woods behind their house. He brought you in and Stefan called me. You weren't badly injured except for the scratches on your arm. I came, changed you into a nightdress that they offered, and slept by your side the entire night."

That thought eased Victoria's mind slightly. It hadn't been some random stranger or worse, Damon, in her bed; it had only been Kelly. In her panic-induced state, she had missed her own mother. "O-Okay."

"Honey, what happened last night?" Kelly asked tentatively as she let go of Victoria's shoulders. She walked around to the far side of the bed and produced a duffle bag of clothes, pulling out a nice dark blue sundress with flat white and brown sandals. She tossed them to the other side of the bed and Victoria wandered over to finger the material. "Stefan thought that you had a panic attack, but we couldn't be sure..."

"I don't want to talk about it," Victoria immediately stated, her hands clutching tightly onto the dress. All she wanted to do was sleep. Or to put the memories out of mind. She was never one to consider compulsion, but it might be worth it to remain in ignorance. Victoria didn't want to live with the reminder that Elena hated her entire existence.

Kelly didn't seem psyched by Victoria's answer. "Baby girl..."

"I said no, okay?" Victoria huffed, picking up the sundress and sandals. "Now, what time is it? Am I late for school?"

"You missed the whole day, Victoria," Kelly said, folding her arms across her chest. Victoria's eyes widened in disbelief. "Yeah, can you understand why I'm so panicked?"

"I-I can't have missed the entire time!" Victoria insisted, but Kelly nodded her head.

"I explained the situation to Caroline. She texted and said that she and the girls were going to be at the field practicing their routines if you needed to come and grab some notes and catch up on what you missed."

Victoria grumbled angrily to herself, but she nodded her in agreement. "If Elena is going to show up to rehearsals today, then that means Stefan will be there as well. He'll probably have Biology notes for me. I can swap them for the ones he missed yesterday."

"Well get changed and then we can head out."

Amendment to her diary entry of yesterday morning: today was the day that Damon Salvatore would be murdered by Victoria LeBlanc.

The reason?

He had somehow managed to convince Kelly that he could drop Kelly off at her house with all of her sleepover things and that he could take Victoria to the football field where the cheerleaders and the football players were. And he had somehow managed to convince Kelly that this was all a good idea. Without compulsion. Victoria knew because she had watched him schmooze his way into Kelly's good graces when she had left the bathroom, changed and feeling a teeny bit more refreshed.

Victoria sat in stone cold silence as Damon waved goodbye to Kelly, who walked into the LeBlanc residence with no problem. As soon as the door was shut, he moved his stare towards Victoria, who was staring out the front of his baby blue convertible. She was going to treat him like the plague, because that was how she would stay safe.

And she was angry at him. And she didn't trust herself to not do anything that she would regret. I already punched him this morning in the face and he hasn't tried killing me yet in response. He's biding his time. He's waiting for Kelly to be out of sight and then he's going to choke me again...

"Need an aspirin?"

Not the response that Victoria had been anticipating, but you know, this was Damon and Victoria never knew what to anticipate with him.

"I'll just live with the pain," Victoria rasped, looking away from Damon. She hadn't gotten the opportunity to fix her makeup on her neck so most of it had rubbed off on Damon's pillows and sheets last night (what a fun surprise he was in for; that's passive-aggressive Victoria for you). She was reusing her scarf from the night before, ignoring the fact that it clashed horribly with her dress.

Damon didn't respond to her, only pulled out away from her house and drove the two of them to the field. The silence between them was awkward and clunky. It felt unnatural, and Victoria knew that it was because of her. She was constantly one edge around Damon. She knew that he eventually grew into an amazing guy who cared deeply for his brother and his friends, but he wasn't that man just yet. No, he was an animal, and he was an animal that wouldn't be afraid to straight up murder her. The only reason she was alive was because she was useful. But so far, she hadn't revealed any information that was needed to help him find Katherine. To be fair, he hadn't asked for any information.

When Damon pulled into the parking lot to the football field only a few minutes later, Victoria leapt out quickly. She only paused when she felt Damon's hand grab onto her wrist. She flipped around, fire in her eyes. "Don't touch me."

"You need to tell someone about what happened," Damon said. There was not a single trace of foolishness or an underlying joke on his face. He was being completely serious, and for some reason, that scared the crap out of Victoria. "Bottling it up will only make it worse."

"Yeah, because you're the expert when it comes to dealing with trauma," Victoria snapped, ripping her wrist out of Damon's grasp. "Thanks for the ride and please: feel free to stay out of my life."

With that, she dramatically flipped around and stomped off. One hand wrapped around her waist and the other moved to massage her throat over the top of her scarf. She heard the loud roar of an engine and knew that Damon had peeled out of the parking lot. She rolled her eyes. He had more drama happening in him than an episode of "Say Yes To The Dress".

Victoria slipped through the mesh gate and headed straight towards the open stands, where she spotted a singular Stefan sitting in the middle. He didn't seem to notice her coming. His focus was down at his hands, and more specifically, his daylight ring. Victoria smiled softly. Those rings were always something else. Rather large and gaudy, but somehow fitting each character.

She cleared her throat, slightly regretting it as it irritated her throat. But it was worth it to see Stefan's smile when he looked up and spotted her. He rose up quickly and surprised Victoria by wrapping her up in a hug. She returned it happily, unable to stop the large smile on her face. "Victoria! What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd come see you try out for the football team," Victoria teased lightly, her voice still low and scratchy. She wondered if it would ever return to normal. She hoped so.

"Well, if I didn't believe your whole 'I'm from another universe' spiel, you mentioning things that you shouldn't know makes me change my mind," Stefan admitted. He gestured for Victoria to take a seat and he sat down beside her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit by a stack of bricks," Victoria admitted lightly, swallowing heavily. "E-Everything hurts and I-I don't remember how I got to your house. Thank you for calling Kelly, by the way."

"Of course. We think that you passed out last night behind our house but we don't know how you got there. Elena said that you were coming to the celebration last night, but neither of us saw you," Stefan said.

Victoria couldn't help it, but she flinched when she heard Stefan say Elena's name. She tried her best to cover it, playing it off as though she had been chilled by the wind, but Stefan's quick eye caught the movement and he commented, "Victoria. What was that?"

"What was what?" It was better to play dumb. If Stefan could be convinced that it was the wind...oh who was she kidding? She was just stalling for time at that point.

"You flinched when I said Elena's name." Her body was a traitor, because it flinched again when Stefan said her name. Stefan's eyes narrowed. "You just did it again!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Denial, denial, denial...

"Victoria..."

"I heard you two last night!" Victoria blurted out, her arms wrapping themselves around her waist. She looked down at her feet, unable to stop the small rush of tears that came to her eyes. Damn it all, she was done crying. Crying and panicking. That was all that she seemed to be able to do in that universe and she was so sick of it! "I heard what she said about the accident."

"Victoria..."

Something about Stefan's voice, from the obvious sympathy to the strong hints of empathy, made Victoria word-vomit, "I know she blames me, and you know what? I think I blame myself too. Maybe if I hadn't been on that bridge, then Miranda and Grayson Gilbert would be alive. Elena wouldn't be an orphan, she'd have her old life back and she would be thriving. But I can't remember what the hell happened, because all that I remember is being hit by a car in my universe and waking up in a hospital in this one. If I-I had been at the bridge that night, I can't tell you why and it kills me inside. How long has she blamed me? Has it been for months or days or weeks? S-She hates me and I-I don't know what I-I'm supposed to d-do..."

She was panicking. Again. Her breathing was unsteady and she was clinging to herself tightly. Her arms were burning from where her hands touched her scratch marks.

The next thing that Victoria knew, she was being pulled tight against Stefan's side, an arm wrapped around her torso and her head resting right above where his heart was. Stefan reached forward and grabbed her right hand, holding it tightly in his own. Stefan's touch was so different from Damon's. Damon touched to take away; Stefan touched to gift. Victoria's heart fluttered dangerously in her chest and she sucked in a sharp breath before asking quietly, "W-What are you doing?"

"Calming you down," Stefan replied in the same soft voice. "Follow my breathing."

Easier said than done, Victoria chuckled to herself, but she followed the rise and fall of his chest. It was easy to feel calm around Stefan, even when her heart felt like it was ready to burst out of her chest. She couldn't help it! He was really pretty. And he was nice. And those were both attractive qualities in a guy.

But Elena...

Just the thought of Elena made Victoria pull herself out of Stefan's comforting grip. She ended up missing the frown that came to his face as she scooted over, putting some distance between the two of them.

"Victoria, are you ok -"

"- Just fine, Stefan," Victoria reassured him quickly. She looked across the field and towards where the cheerleaders were all gathered stretching. She could spot Caroline and Bonnie practicing, leaning forward and extending their muscles. She couldn't spot Elena anywhere. Victoria's body called out to the cheerleaders; what she wouldn't give to be able to dance. Dancing any piece that she had previously choreographed would be more than able to help calm her anxiety (however, the songs would have been an issue; Little Mix wasn't exactly around during this time). "I just need to borrow some notes from classes today since I missed them."

"O-Of course," he stammered, obviously thrown off by the sudden change in topic. He reached over to the backpack hidden on the other side of him. A moment later, he turned back, a couple of standard notebooks in his hands. "They've been marked with today's dates."

"Thanks, Stefan," Victoria told him honestly. She grabbed the books and flipped them open. Without looking at him and without really reading the notes, she mumbled, "Tanner's by the stands. Might as well talk to him now if you want to be a football player by the end of practice."

The creaking of the stands was Victoria's only indication that he had actually gotten up and left. Victoria let out a sigh of defeat and resigned herself to actually reading through Stefan's notes. He was very detailed, which was good in this case. She rotated the many reading positions she held throughout the entire practice, occasionally looking up to see how Stefan was doing. As was expected, he was crushing it and doing a great job.

Victoria's eyes drifted from the football players (the only ones she knew consisting of Matt, Tyler, and Stefan) and towards the cheerleaders (again, the only ones she knew being Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena). Elena was there, but she was now standing off to the side, away from the rest of the cheerleaders. Victoria must have missed the part where Caroline exiled her from cheerleading practice. The teen now stood off to the side, watching Stefan play with a soft smile.

Elena's eyes moved from Stefan's to Victoria. Victoria couldn't help but freeze when the two girls' eyes caught and Elena started to move. Move towards her.

"Oh hell no," Victoria couldn't help but murmur under her breath. She was not up to talking with Elena Gilbert. It would only end up in more tears and panic attacks and Victoria just wanted to have one. day. without either of those things. And yet, she had only had multiple. If it meant deliberately avoiding Elena, then so be it.

She set Stefan's notebooks down by his backpack and picked her way down the metal stands quickly and carefully. The moment her feet touched the concrete, she was power-walking towards the exit. Victoria was about halfway through the parking lot when she heard Elena yell out, "Tori, wait!" and for some stupid reason, Victoria listened to her. Victoria didn't turn around, just kept herself planted and looking forward.

Do not explode. Keep it inside. Conceal it, don't feel it. Gee thanks, Elsa. Oh my word, these people don't even know who Elsa is...!

"Tori!" Elena panted, coming up from behind Victoria. Keep calm. It's ok, it's ok. "It's so good to see you. Are you okay? Caroline wouldn't go into details but just said that you needed to have the day off. I wanted to see if you were okay. Are you okay? And gosh, I've probably asked you that a million times by now, but I -"

"- I'm okay, Elena," Victoria interrupted. She moved her hands so they were positioned behind her body. She didn't want Elena to see how her fists were clenched up so tightly that her knuckles were white. "Had a rough night and morning. Just want to go home."

She went to step around Elena, but the teen didn't seem to take the obvious hint and stepped to the side so she was in the way. Victoria had to suck in a deep breath through her nose slowly to calm herself down. Don't panic, everything is fine. Live in denial; denial will keep you safe. "Is there something else that you need, Elena?"

"I wanted to know if you would like to come over for dinner tonight," Elena said and Victoria bit her tongue. Of course that was happening tonight. "I'm trying to get Bonnie more used to Stefan's presence, and she only agreed to come to dinner tonight if you came along too. I figured it wouldn't hurt, seeing as you and Stefan are pretty close too. It might help her start to like him if there's more than one person insisting he's a decent guy. And hey, I even managed to convince Caroline to tag along, which means you have to come now."

"Elena, I'm not sure if I'm up for dinner tonight," Victoria replied. Elena seemed a little startled by the answer, but nodded her head in acceptance. "I missed an entire day of school and should get a head start on some homework. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Victoria did a little hop-skip to get to the other side of Elena and started marching off.

"Was that Damon you drove up with today?" Elena questioned. Victoria didn't bother hiding her growl. Why was it any of her business?

"Why should you care?"

Elena seemed offended by the question. "Because I'm your friend, Tori. I care about you and I want you to be safe. You've had a hard week and a half..."

"You definitely haven't made it any easier." The sharp retort came from her lips before Victoria even registered saying it.

"Excuse me, I've what?"

Victoria didn't even bother waiting for a response from Elena before she turned around and walked off. "Never mind, Elena, I'm just not feeling good. I'll see you tomorrow."

Victoria stomped off away from the football field, her fists aching. She honestly had to stop holding her hands in fists. She was going to end up damaging the nerves in her knuckles or something. She pulled her hands together and massaged her fingers, frowning.

A melodic chime echoed throughout the air and Victoria huffed. She reached into the bodice of her sundress and pulled out her Blackberry, which had been expertly hidden in there since she wasn't wearing anything with pockets. She didn't recognize the number and it wasn't a number that was programmed in already. Victoria typically didn't like to answer numbers she didn't know, but this wasn't a typical day and she really wasn't feel all herself.

She clicked the answer call button and held the phone up to her ear. "Victoria LeBlanc speaking. Who is this?"

"Just the voice of a lonely man looking for a date."

Victoria rolled her eyes and verbally growled (though it didn't sound threatening considering her voice was shot), "Damon. How the hell did you get my number?"

"Stole it from your phone last night when you were passed out in la la land," Damon replied, his voice smooth and silky. Victoria sniffed haughtily as Damon continued, "You were pretty harsh to Elena. She seems like an innocent victim."

"Damon, I am going to give you ten seconds to tell me just what you want before I hunt you down and kill you," Victoria snapped, glancing around. It wouldn't do well to have the people of Mystic Falls overhear her conversation with Damon. They usually ended up in death threats, or actually attempts at deaths.

"I said it: I'm a lonely man looking for a date," Damon answered. Victoria scrunched up her forehead. She sincerely hoped he wasn't meaning for what she thought he meant. "I'm going with you to the dinner tonight."

"Well, you know, that would make sense somewhat if I was going to the dinner tonight," Victoria snapped. She huffed. "And how do you know about the dinner?" She froze and narrowed her eyes menacingly. "Were you watching us?"

"Had to see how my baby brother did as tryouts. You were the one who asked me to try and be nicer to him."

"Yeah, I didn't expect you to actually listen to me," Victoria grumbled. "And no, Damon, I am not going to the dinner with you because I am not going at all."

"I will start murdering more and more campers until you say yes. Dinner's not for another couple of hours and I am already feeling pretty...starving."

There was a malicious tone in Damon's voice, one that made shivers run up Victoria's spine. This. This was the Season One Damon Salvatore that she remembered. The one who claimed to have no humanity left within him (well, except towards Elena, that is).

"Has anyone told you that you are a world class asshole?" Victoria growled. She clutched the phone to her ear tightly, so hard that her arms were beginning to shake. "Couldn't you compel anybody else?"

"Nobody in the friend group that isn't already going that isn't you," Damon answered amusedly. "I'll pick you up at six."

Stefan walked into his room, slipping on his fresh shirt as his mind strayed through the events of that afternoon. Being invited to dinner with Bonnie Bennett, in an attempt to gain her trust. Caroline would be there in addition to Elena, and Elena said that she had tried to convince Victoria, but the teen had passed on the opportunity (Elena went further, mentioning that Victoria seemed not her normal self). Stefan ran a hand over his face, letting out a deep sigh.

He hated to see Victoria so worked up. True, it was only the fourth day since the two of them had officially met, but there was something about her. It was a different feeling from his connection with Elena. With Elena, it was...epic. He caught feelings for her so quickly; maybe it was because she looked like Katherine. Maybe it was because she had this tragedy she was working on dealing with and Stefan like to help people fix their lives. It was sort of like a hobby.

With Victoria, his connection felt identical to that of Lexi. She just had a light to her, one that shone brighter than everyone else's in all of Mystic Falls, Elena included. She cared deeply for others, despite the fact that she didn't know them. She helped him at the hospital when he tried to compel Vicki and she was obviously trying to help put Elena in his good favor. Well, helped would be a more accurate word.

Elena's verbal explosion last night at the town square had been ridiculous. She even admitted it later that night when she came to the boarding house to talk with Stefan. She hadn't meant what she said; maybe she did once, but she understood that Victoria was the victim as well and it wasn't far to her to blame her for something that she didn't have control over. But then Victoria hadn't showed up at school, missing all of their classes. When she randomly showed up at the football field, Stefan had been thrilled. He loved hanging out with her, and he was glad that she was up and awake after what had happened the night before.

But then she revealed that she had heard Elena. Victoria had been there in the park, hidden away in the crowd, listening in on every nasty word that Elena said to her. It was the trigger that sent her into a panic attack so bad that she hyperventilated herself into unconsciousness. And Stefan didn't know how to react. Especially when Victoria started panicking again just thinking about Elena. He had held her in his arms and tried his best to calm her down, like he had done on their first day of school. That worked until it didn't, when she pulled herself away like he was diseased. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. He couldn't think about that; he had to focus on making a good impression with Bonnie Bennett.

"How were tryouts? Did you make the team?"

Stefan looked towards his desk and frowned. Damon sat in his chair, his feet propped up on the desk and one of Stefan's many journals in his hand. The journal itself was opened up and Damon was fingering through the pages. His older brother continued on, gesturing towards the journal, "Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul with so many -"

Stefan darted forward and snatched the book out of his hands, carefully wrapping the twine around the journal so it was secured and out of Damon's hands. Damon glanced up at Stefan amusedly and finished, "- adjectives."

"What are you doing here?" Stefan demanded, moving to the bookcase to store his journal. He found its place right next to his other ones and looked back to his brother for an answer.

Damon pushed himself off of the desk and rose to his feet. "I've come to apologize. I've been doing some thinking, some soul searching, and...I want us to start over." Stefan scoffed and rolled his eyes, but Damon pushed forward. "We need to put the past behind us. You're my little brother and if you want to live a normal, happy human life, then I want that for you." Yeah right. "Maybe I can do it, too. That I can learn to be a non-living living person. Maybe there's hope for the both of us."

Damon had been doing such a good job at keeping a straight face but it broke after a moment of silence and fell back into his normal smirk. Stefan couldn't help the pang of hurt he felt in his heart.

"You know, it doesn't have to be this way, Damon," Stefan murmured, looking deep into his brother's eyes.

"Of course it doesn't," Damon snapped, moving away from Stefan. He marched towards the door, then stopped, turning around. "I saw Elena today, BTW. That means 'by the way'. She was at cheerleading practice. She looked so perky in her little short shorts." Stefan verbally growled. "Simmer down, I didn't even go near her. Our resident little Seer, however..."

Damon couldn't finish before Stefan had him pinned to his bedroom wall, his forearm pressed his brother's throat like a knife. He was having a hard time keeping his rage under control. He wasn't sure he even wanted to keep his rage under control. "Don't touch Victoria."

"Too late," Damon snickered. He shoved Stefan off of him and Stefan stumbled backwards, not expecting Damon's push to be so strong. It was evident from Damon's first night in Mystic Falls that the human-fed vampire was much stronger than Stefan and his diet of bunnies. It just startled him every once and a while by how much. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta run. I have a date." He glanced down at his palms sarcastically. "Sweaty palms." He breathed on both of them as a joke and pretended to swipe them down his jeans. "Wish me luck!"

Damon disappeared in the next moment and Stefan didn't even wait to rush to his phone, clicking the buttons on the device until he got to Victoria's number. With quick fingers, he typed out a message to his friend.

STEFAN:

Stay away from Damon.

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry that this chapter is coming a day later than usual. I had musical theater auditions last night and I was stressing the entire day so I decided to just postpone the chapter until today. I hoped you all enjoyed today's chapter, with cute Stetoria and kind of hot Datoria moments. Ooooo.

I've also learned that to get reviews on a story, all you have to do is bash Elena. Like...wow. It's only, like, the 8th chapter and everyone already prefers Victoria (an OC) over Elena (the canon MC). Some of you may be disappointed with Stefan's nonchalant reaction to Elena's rude words, but trust me, it all works inside of a plan. (and y'all, 4k views exactly!)

New Followers!: ereynolds91, xrysatsan, ayanenataly902, ladyby16, alejandra-valenzuelac, MelLoveArt, JustShaunti, EmeraudeGabi, aathirak21, SoraLover987142, baau, NadiixD, thalialinks1000, composersoprano

New Favoriters!: ereynolds91, ayanenataly902, alejandra-valenzuelac, MelLoveArt, EmeraudeGabi, baau, MamaHooterz, thalialinks1000

Welcome to the club everyone!

Onto reviews!:

kafo521: Hi! Thanks for your review. Elena has always felt very emotional to me (as is evident with how many times she cries in the show. Like seriously) so I feel like it wouldn't be too far of a jump to see her go on blaming Victoria. It definitely could be a trait that she picked up from Katherine; the two are more similar than each other thinks. Hmmm, I don't know, is there the makings of Vicamon (or Datoria, whichever ship name you'd prefer) or am I just teasing you? I guess you'll have to find out ;)

Guest: Thanks for sticking up for Victoria. I agree with your statement, but information may arise that may sway your way of thinking...

AnosDT95: She honestly can't catch one XD. Hmm...I see your reasoning now. I'm glad I have you intrigued! I am actually watching the show as I write the chapters (probably not the best way of going about it, but oh well) so I actually haven't seen Legacies, but I googled your theory of her being a phoenix. I will tell you that you're wrong and right. You're really close to the truth, but the truth won't be revealed for a while so...sit tight :)

alexinarus: Yep, Stefan really did just kiss Elena after what happened. That's where the true mystery lies: did she have something to do with the accident (in the sense of was it her fault) or is she truly a victim?

Jalissa12213: I can see that, but I feel as though she would want to protect Caroline and Kelly from having to encounter the supernatural world for as long as possible. With Stefan (and Damon who just also happened to be there), they're already in the supernatural world so it wouldn't be as big of a shock. Got it, thanks for that feedback! I'm so excited for her to meet the Originals too! Two big moments she'll have with them are Elijah's first appearance and the sacrifice. That's all I can say.

DBZFAN45: Hey you! Hahaha. I love your reviews. It's interesting to hear your argument against Tori not being a witch. So cool to see reviews on either side of the coin. I know, right? The TVD characters showcase so much mental trauma for all these characters and they really don't take into account certain things. The biggest one I can think of is after Caroline is tortured by her father in later seasons. Like, if I was her, I would be flinching anytime anyone tried to open the blinds. Thank you! That's very kind of you. And thank you for the recommendations! I, in return, will recommend that you read "Game of Chance" by Madame Magic here on Fanfiction. It's an Elijah/OC story in the works and it is so good. It's what inspired me to write my own TVD fanfic.

SakurianaHime (your full username wouldn't fit for some odd reason): Preach it! Again, I love how all you reviewers are loving Tori versus Elena. It really warms my heart. Guess you'll have to keep reading to see if Elena will admit her fault or deny everything.

Jalissa12213: General consensus is that Elena is a "bumblebee with an itch". To play devil's advocate for Elena, it could be a subconscious decision towards Victoria. She's already stressed because Tori and Stefan have this beautiful relationship and she feels threatened by it. Add to the stress of everything that has happened in the last few days with her relationship with Stefan, Elena could just be word vomiting things she subconsciously feels or doesn't feel at all. Elena could just need someone to blame, and Victoria happened to be there. You are not an A-hole for asking Elena to take the blame. It was partially her fault. Maybe you are wrong. Maybe you aren't.

ferallahey: Mrs. Landstrom as a vampire. Haven't heard that theory yet! I will tell you it is more of a plot point that the two will need to get over. I won't tell you who saved Victoria because that's a surprise. Maybe it's Stefan. Maybe it's someone else I have in mind for her. Who knows? (cue evil cackle). Hehe, homie-hopping. Guys and girls can have close relationships and just be friends, but is being friends with Victoria all that Stefan wants? Who knows?

MelLoveArt: Stefan does defend Victoria a little, but he's confused about the situation just as much as Elena and Victoria are too. Elena will get what's coming to her. It might take a while, but I promise: it's coming. I'm glad you really ship Tori and Stefan!

sammyleann: He says thanks! Don't worry; Mrs. Landstrom annoys me too. Don't cast your vote on Elena just yet. I haven't decided if I am going to make her more antagonistic in this fanfic or just a girl who is overly emotional.

Hearteyesmf: Stetoria vs. Stelena. Fight! Haha. Stefan's reasoning is probably not as good as you want it to be, but he's in love. What can you do?

sam: Oooh! You're the first person to think that Kelly is a witch. Most assume that it's Victoria. I like the way you're thinking! Keep in mind that Victoria did ask for a favor... ;)

Wow, this was a lot of reviews to get through. I'm glad everyone has been enjoying this story so much! Anyways, I have callbacks for my auditions last night today and by Monday, I'll be able to tell you guys how it went. Wish me luck and I hope you guys all have a fantastic weekend. Stay safe and healthy!

BecomingFearless1F