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I don't own The Vampire Diaries. All characters (except for Grace) are owned by author L.J. Smith.

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A WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING

"Be very careful with who you allow to get close to you." ~Unknown.

I watched with trepidation as Damon breezily strides up towards the Gilbert's front door and raised his fist to knock solidly on the white wood. I came up beside him holding the paper shopping bag with the slightly melted vanilla ice-cream, feeling nervous, and questioning why he had talked me into doing this in the first place.

"Let the games begin." Damon declared, smiling at me with a crafty grin. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't get too cocky, Damon. That always seems to be your downfall when it comes to plans like these." I reminded him. Damon grunted dismissively just as the front door opened, but nobody seemed to be behind it to give admittance. I pushed open the door and stepped inside. "That was weird." I muttered, but Damon merely breezed on in like he owned the place.

"You'll get used to it eventually." Damon reassured me, as he walked passed holding high the peach cobbler. I frowned at his back.

"So why don't I find that comforting?" I muttered following him down the hallway towards where I assumed the kitchen was. Damon looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Because you're paranoid?" He suggested.

"What? And you're so perfect?" I retorted, making a face at him.

"Have you seen me? I exude confidence." Damon bragged, smirking at me. I snorted.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you managed to get that big head of yours through the front door." I rubbernecked the hallway, taking in the décor, the brown stained staircase that led upstairs to the bedrooms, and the various collection of family photographs that lined the walls. Damon chuckled.

"Meow! This kitten has claws." He noted. I turned and threw a very Damon-like smirk back at him.

"And she's not afraid to use them." I confirmed. Damon continued laughing as we came closer to the kitchen. I immediately heard Alaric's voice.

"Oh, the expensive stuff! I like you already." He crowed loudly, obviously pleased by some sort of brand of alcohol, I assumed.

"Just happy to be invited." A familiar voice replied. Oh? Mason was already here? Great, time for a battle of wits between vampire and suspected werewolf. I could hardly wait. Damon and I exchanged glances as Jenna darted into view. She was smiling appreciatively at an unseen Alaric from across the room.

"Thank Rick, it was his idea." She told Mason.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you know, I thought it would be nice to meet some of Jenna's high school friends. Dig up a little dirt."

And then some.

"I've got dirt. I've got dirt." Mason reported, confidently. I had to place a hand on Damon's arm to prevent him from bursting in at the wrong moment. It was tacky to be too eager.

"I have no secrets. Only dirty shame." Jenna revealed.

"To dirty shame." Alaric made a toast and I elbowed Damon when I noticed him taking an unwelcomed interest in what Elena's aunt had just said.

"What?" Damon whispered to me, looking innocent. Innocent my arse.

"You know what. Behave yourself, and keep your head in the game." I scolded him. Damon grinned playfully.

"Whatever you say, ma'am." He replied mockingly, as he wraps an arm around my shoulders and casually leads us into the kitchen. "Hey." He greets everyone, and Jenna's cheerful, carefree smile immediately drops and goes stony.

"Damon." She greets him, and I smile apologetically.

"Hey, guys. We knocked but nobody answered. Plus, the front door was open." I reported back, and Jenna looked surprised and a little alarmed.

"It shouldn't have been." She stated. Alaric changed the subject.

"We were just doing shots. Let me give you a shot glass, buddy." He said, heading for the glass cabinet.

"Here. Use mine." Jenna said, placing her shot glass in front of Damon and walking hastily from the room. Alaric grimaced and looked at me.

"Grace? Shots?" He asked, raising his shot glass at me. I grimaced, feeling my stomach rebelling a little.

"No, thanks. Upset stomach." I replied, and headed for the coke pouring myself some when Alaric followed after his girlfriend.

I wasn't entirely over my slight hangover from last night's tequila slammer binge. I had a high tolerance for alcohol, but at the time yesterday when we had been knocking back the drinks like camels, I hadn't eaten anything just yet; which meant the alcohol had a better opportunity to dull my senses. An admittedly stupid move; considering I had been sitting vulnerable in my apartment with a dangerous vampire, who was angry and upset, and often lashed out irrationally when he was angry.

"She doesn't like me very much." Damon stated the obvious to both Mason and me. I snorted.

"Can you understand why?" I muttered, loud enough for – presumably – only Damon to hear. He ignored me, focusing on Mason who stretched out his hand to Damon.

"We haven't met. Mason Lockwood." He introduced himself to us.

"Oh sure. Damon Salvatore." Damon accepted Mason's handshake and pumped the hand up and down before releasing.

"I know. I heard great things about you." Mason told him, making both Damon and I look at him with suspicion.

"Really? That's weird. I'm a dick!" Damon replied.

"You heard it here first, folks." I joked as Damon wrapped an arm around my waist and pinched my side. I trod on his foot, on purpose. "Grace Williams." I said, taking Mason's hand when he offered it. I had expected him to shake my hand, like he had with Damon, but I stiffened and felt my eyes widen he kissed it unexpectedly.

"Charmed, I'm sure." He flirted and I smiled painfully back and retrieved my hand, and yelped when Damon possessively tightened his grip around my waist. I heard the front door opening and closing. An escape from this increasingly uncomfortable situation was what I was seeking, and investigating who had just left the house seemed like the perfect opportunity.

"Excuse me." I said to both Damon and Mason, before pulling out of Damon's grip and disappearing down the hallway to the front door.

"Your girl?" Mason asked Damon, indicating me. I groaned, and waited for Damon to immediately say no because of his feelings for Elena.

"Is it that obvious?" I stopped in my tracks and turned to give a 'what-the-fuck?' expression to him, which was returned with a wink and a smirk. I let out an exasperated sigh and continued walking to the front door. I cautiously opened it and peered out; noticing Elena sitting on the porch, alone. I frowned with concern, until I noticed she had her phone in her hand and was calling someone.

"Hey, just checking in." Elena sounded worried, so the person she was intending on calling was probably Stefan. "Did you get my message about Jenna's barbecue? Call me when you can." She flipped the phone shut and sighed, leaning against the column she had been sitting next to.

"Elena?" I called out to her. She turned and looked at me with surprise. "You okay?" I asked her.

Elena frowned.

"Not really." She admitted, as I shut the front door and came over to sit with her on the steps. "Why did you come out here? To check up on me?" She asked, slightly accusatory. I shook my head.

"No, of course not. I just needed some air. I had some tequila last night that didn't agree with me." I explained, then hooked a thumb over my shoulder. "That, and Damon was kinda showing off a little in front of Mason." I added, raking a hand through my hair. Elena hummed in sympathy.

"Don't pay any attention to him." She advised. I bristled a little, but let it go just as Caroline suddenly materializes in front of us; carrying a bag of chips that she was in the middle of snaking on.

"Was that Stefan?" She asked, sitting down with us. "Hey Grace!" Caroline greeted me, brightly. I smiled back. Elena glared down at her phone.

"Yeah, he hasn't call me back. I'm trying to decide if I should be worried." She admitted. I hummed in understanding.

"I wouldn't."

"Yeah, I agree. I'm sure he's fine." Caroline reassured her, popping a chip into her mouth. I eyed the bag with curiosity, grabbing Caroline's attention. "You want one?" She asked, offering me the bag. I waved a hand politely.

"No, thank you." I replied. Caroline shrugged as she continued stuffing chips into her mouth, frowning a little in disgust.

"God! I cannot stop eating." She bitched, earning a raised eyebrow from both Elena and I for the random outburst. "Stefan says it's a great way to sublimate the cravings. It's horrible just fighting the urge for blood every minute of the day." She ate another chip.

"I know that Stefan really hates that part of himself." Elena relayed to us both. Caroline immediately looked uncomfortable.

"Yeah and he hates that you're a constant temptation." She told Elena. I winced at the blunt way Caroline explained this to Elena who looked a little taken aback by this news.

"He said that?" She said with a small voice. I groaned, hoping that Damon wasn't eavesdropping on this conversation. I needed more conflict between them like a hole in the head. Caroline nodded.

"The desire to rip out your jugular every time he's with you? Trust me, it's there. It's why I had to break up with Matt." Caroline explained, all chatty-like.

I frowned, recognizing the name.

"Matt? As in Elena's ex?" I asked, and cursed when I saw Caroline stiffen and look a little resentful. Elena nodded.

"That's him." The relaxed atmosphere suddenly got a little awkward, and I could've kissed Alaric when he suddenly stuck his head out the door to talk to us.

"Hey! Food's ready, come get it." He announced. Caroline was the first one of us to get to her feet.

"Finally, I'm starving." She said, and goes inside. I looked at Elena, feeling a little lost.

"I stuck my foot in it, didn't I?" I stated. Elena smiled sympathetically.

"Yeah, but it's not your fault. You weren't to know." She reassured me. Elena got to her feet, and offered me a hand up. I smiled and accepted it. "Hope you're hungry." Elena said, smiling a little.

I shrugged.

"Mostly worried about what Damon's got up his sleeve to prove Mason Lockwood is the werewolf we've been suspecting he is." I confessed.

"You and me both." Elena agreed, scowling a little as we both walked inside.

The barbecue dinner lead to a 'rousing' game of Pictionary aka Damon Salvatore being less than tactful. The second they brought out the game, I made a beeline for the door; desperately attempting to avoid playing. But Damon, flashed in front of me.

"Woah, Grace. Where's the fire?" He asked as he half-carried, half-dragged me over to the couch we were playing the game in front of, and dumped me right in the middle of the couch. "Right then. Who wants to go first?" Damon asked. I scowled Black Death at him.

"I hate you so much right now." I muttered through grit teeth as Mason took a seat next to me on the couch (much to my discomfort) and Caroline sat beside him.

"Thank you for volunteering, Grace!" Damon grabbed my hand and nearly pulled my arm out of its socket yanking me to my feet. He pushed me over to the easel and I reluctantly picked up a card and scanned what it said. I groaned, and glared once again at Damon before picking up the black marker and started drawing.

"Sheep! Baa Baa Black Sheep!" Caroline shouted, kicking off the guessing part of the game, and I hadn't even finished drawing yet.

It took several goes before eventually:

"A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing." Mason guessed it right, and I pointed towards him.

"Nice one, Mason." Damon congratulated him, before getting to his feet. "I'll take over Grace. Thanks for kicking off the game for us." I gave him a sarcastic smile before taking his seat and watching him pick up a card.

"Have you considered drawing professionally?" Jenna asked, slightly drunk. I shook my head.

"Nah, I prefer to sketch for a hobby. I'm trying to become a professional writer actually. Doing research for a novel right now." I told her.

"And how's that going?" Caroline wanted to know.

"Bit of writer's block." I said shrugging. Damon finished drawing and I groaned, realizing what it was.

This was going to be a long game.

The game continued on until we decided to wrap it up after the current drawing. It was getting a bit uncomfortable, especially when Mason caught on quickly that we were on to him about his werewolf heritage. Damon wasn't really helping matters either. He had just finished drawing a picture of a wolf dressed up in a tutu.

"Dress! Ballerina!" Jenna guessed, now well and truly on her way to becoming soused. Caroline bounced excitedly in her seat, nearly causing me to inhale my drink up my nose while I was in the middle of taking a sip.

"Puppy! Puppy with a tutu!" She shrieked, while I was coughing up the drink. Damon shook his head, looking amused by the answers we were all shouting at him. I wisely chose not to participate, and decided to subtly observe Mason.

"No. No." Damon stated, causing Caroline to pout that she had gotten it wrong. Jenna decided to try again.

"A dog!" What gave it away? "Hound-dog!" Jenna insisted, looking at Damon urgently; believing that she had the right answer.

"Dances with Wolves." Mason piped up, using a deadpan tone and eying Damon with exasperation. My best friend grinned like the cat who caught the canary. He was enjoying the fact that he was getting on Mason's nerves, and apparently on the receiving end of my ire. Was he trying to get us both killed?

"Mason wins… again." Damon declared, causing Jenna and Caroline to whine with disappointment. But then Jenna squinted at the picture Damon had hastily drawn on the large sketch pad.

"How is that a wolf?" She demanded, frowning a little. I got to my feet and headed for the kitchen.

"Getting a refill." I called back to the gamers. I found Elena, who had somehow managed to avoid playing that torturous game, taking the peach cobbler from the box and placing it on a cake display. "Hey Elena." She smiled slightly at me in acknowledgement. "FYI your Aunt Jenna is getting a bit tipsy. Just giving you a heads up." I told her. Elena scowled at this information.

"Well then, tell your friend Damon to stop plying her with alcohol then." She instructed, just as Damon sauntered into the room and leant up against the table between the two of us.

"But I want her to like me." He protested playfully, obviously not in the slightest bit concerned if Jenna cared that he existed. Elena rolled her eyes.

"How is operation Lockwood?" She asked, aiming for casual and ending up in the vicinity of patronizing instead. I rolled my eyes, getting really sick of their sniping and backbiting towards each other. Damon smiled pleasantly, thankfully.

"He's my new BFF." He reported proudly. Jenna walks into the kitchen, nearly walking into me in the process.

"There you are." She says to Damon, a little too cheerfully. "Isn't this fun?" I head for the kitchen sink, filling up a tall glass full of water; with the intention of giving it to Jenna. Damon smiled at her, laying on the charm.

"Yes, thank you so much for inviting me." He said, as I come over to her side and handed a confused Jenna the glass. I eyed Elena who mouths 'thank you' at me, just as Jenna shrugs when she realised that I had handed her a glass of water and drinks it down in a couple of big gulps. I shrugged as I continued refilling the glass, encouraging her to continue drinking. She made a face at Damon's words.

"Did I have a choice?" She asked pointedly. Damon shrugged, and made a sad face.

"I know what you must think about me." He said. Jenna snorted and started laughing humourlessly.

"No, you don't. You've never dated you; I have dated many you's." Jenna shared with us all. Damon leaned closer to the strawberry blonde and gave her his best flirty smile.

"I'm a work in progress." He told her, winking. I smirked, and wondered over to him after pouring Jenna her final glass of water.

"I should hope so." I agreed, earning a smile from Damon. Elena comes over and hip-checks him out of the way as she reaches into the drawer and pulls out a cake knife from a set, handing it to Jenna. Both Damon and I notice, and my eyes widen before I shake my head no at him.

He ignores me.

"These are fancy." Damon observes, casually. Jenna smiles back at him, oblivious to Damon's plans.

"Thanks. My mother's silver set." She tells him, before quickly leaving the room with the knife. Elena and I look at him, and both of us had differing reactions when he reaches in and takes a knife from the set. He picks up the cobbler and with a wink, sets off for the dining room where everybody was sitting down waiting for dessert.

"Wait, Damon…" I started and followed him in, while Elena walked off in a different direction.

It was obvious that she was still lost in thought about Stefan, and wasn't about to let up about it. At least, not until somebody attempts to make her see reason, or distract her long enough for the solution or situation to sort itself out. I was having second thoughts about this entire plan. It was doomed to fail big time. Damon strode determinedly towards the table and placed down the cobbler in the middle of the table, and offered the knife to Mason.

God… way to be subtle, Damon! I thought as I went and sat down in the nearest chair, both curious and nervous to see what result Damon's little 'experiment' came up with in the end.

"Mason, why don't you start us off?" Damon asked him, pleasantly. Mason gives an equally pleasant smile back that made me tense up.

"Sure." He replied before completely ignoring the knife altogether (making both Damon and I inwardly curse) and reached for the cobbler, taking a large slice with his hands. "I apologise, I'm an animal." Mason told us all. But what this action really told us, was that he was onto us BIG TIME. Damon frowned and took his seat next to me. I had flushed out of embarrassment.

"So Mason, you and Jenna never dated?" Alaric asked out of interest, or maybe to distract us all from the suddenly awkward atmosphere. Mason smirked at the memories.

"She was always lost in Logan Fell land." He replied, as Jenna made a disgusted face.

"My first mistake." Jenna added. "Mason was a catch; he had girls lining up."

"Really? I always pegged you for a lone wolf." I groaned and allowed my head to thud solidly on the table top. Damon smirked, apparently recovered from failing plan A, and seeking retribution. I raised my head enough to be able to see Mason's smile had dropped slightly, and his blue eyes flashed at Damon in warning.

"I'm sure I wasn't half the lady killer you were." He responded evenly. I rolled my eyes. They both were their own worst enemies as far as this entire situation was concerned. I needed to retreat from the table before this situation got out of hand. It was then that I realised that neither Elena nor Caroline had come over to the table to get their portion of the peach cobbler.

"Excuse me. I gotta powder my nose." I told the entire table and pushed back my chair to get to my feet. I ignored the questioning look from Damon as I quickly retreated from the room in search of my friends.

The 'powder-my-nose' excuse wasn't a complete lie, by the way. I really did need the bathroom. But my primary reason for leaving the table as far as I was concerned was to look for Elena and Caroline. I found them in the living room and it looked like Elena was still sulking over Stefan.

"Would I be the worst friend in the world if I abandoned you and went to Stefan's?" Elena was asking Caroline. I frowned and nodded.

Absolutely, she would be.

Stefan wasn't the 'be all, bloody end all', and thankfully, Caroline seemed to agree with me.

"You want to leave?" She sounded doubtful. I smiled approvingly at the back of Caroline's head. Elena sighed heavily.

"It's just that he hasn't gotten back to me, and I'm starting to get this bad feeling." Elena explained, sounding a little bit pathetic. Caroline frowned.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Elena." She insisted. Elena got to her feet, looking determined.

"Grace and Damon have got it under control here." She attempted to reason with Caroline, but she didn't want a bar of Elena's persistence. She grabbed her hands in hers, making Elena focus upon her baby blues.

"Take it from me, there's nothing worse than a clingy girlfriend." Caroline told her. Elena shook her head.

"I'm not being clingy, I'm just concerned." I made a face.

That's exactly what overly possessive, and territorial girlfriends say when they want to justify their actions… I thought, sadly.

"You understand right?" Elena made a hopeful face at Caroline who seemed to hesitate. Eventually, she looked like she had come to a decision; and I prayed that it was the right one.

"How about I drive you?" Caroline suggested and I nearly face-faulted.

No! Caroline, what are you doing?! I thought frantically, as Elena seemed to sag with relief and nodded, smiling gratefully.

"Yeah, okay. That'll be great, thanks." She responded, as she quickly gathered up her things and immediately headed for where I was standing, eavesdropping on their conversation. My eyes widened in alarm, and I practically ran for the loo; getting there in time, just as Elena stepped into the hallway. I discreetly opened the door, enough so I could see the girls and so that I could hear the rest of their conversation. Elena was too distracted by her own thoughts as she quickly opened the front door and disappeared down the porch steps.

Caroline took a little longer to leave, and she paused just before going out of the door and turned looking right at me. I flinched, looking guilty. However, Caroline merely smiled and nodded in my direction; understanding what I was doing, and also indicating that she knew that I had been there all along. I mentally cursed myself for forgetting Caroline's new status of vampire. She probably heard my heartbeat. The blonde vampire immediately walked out of the front door and closed it behind her. I quickly darted back out of the loo and practically skidded on my boots heading for the door. I opened the front door enough to see what was going on and saw an oblivious Elena getting into Caroline's car, while Caroline deliberately deflated one of her tires before getting into her car and 'driving' off.

Sighing, I closed the door and actually went to use the loo, before returning to the dining room to see what damage Damon had managed to create in my absence. But the party had relocated back to the living room. Somebody had packed away the Pictionary game (thank god) and I thought that we would be on for a chat instead. I regret to inform you all, that this was not to be the case. Jenna, by now, was steadily getting drunker despite my attempts to prevent this with glasses of water; so our next piece of entertainment, was apparently Guitar Hero. While actually a really fun game to play, I was so not in the mood anymore. I turned round and headed for the kitchen. Which was where I had found a slightly discouraged Damon leaning against the island bench. 4

He was sipping at some bourbon, looking lost in thought.

"Where'd you go?" He asked me, a little suspiciously. I yawned and allowed my head to rest on his shoulder, as I hooked an arm around his.

"The bathroom." I replied, like it should be obvious. "And eavesdropping on Elena and Caroline's conversation in the living room." I replied, smirking slightly. Damon raised an interested eyebrow.

"Really? Do tell." He requested.

"Well, apparently Elena is getting worried about Stefan; and attempted to convince Caroline that she wasn't being a clingy girlfriend because she wanted to go and see him." I explained.

"A pointless exercise." Damon stated, taking another mouthful of his drink. I nodded in agreement.

"Completely. Caroline thought so too." I reported. "But Caroline ended up caving and offered to take her to the Boarding House." I told him. Damon snorted.

"Figures. She really is useless." He muttered, and I elbowed him in the side.

"Be fair. I think Caroline was attempting to stall Elena, because I witnessed her deflating one of the tires on her car." I sighed. "Elena is becoming a bit of a martyr." I said, worriedly.

Damon smiled at me.

"I could've told you that." He said, matter-of-factly. I rolled my eyes. Mason walks into the kitchen, grabbing both of our attention.

"Jenna just brought out Guitar Hero. Might be time to mutiny." He announced. Damon smirked, and I gathered every bit of patience I possessed as I watched Damon sizing him up.

"Well, I just happen to like Guitar Hero. So you, my friend, are barking up the wrong tree." He responded.

"Damon…" I moaned in annoyance. Mason immediately frowned at Damon as I groaned and pulled away from him, making my way over to the sink and filling a plastic cup with water.

"Okay. Enough with the innuendos. You win, you're hilarious." Mason waved the 'white flag'. Damon looked positively dangerous at that moment.

"Thank you." He replied graciously. Mason sighed, obviously realizing that Damon wasn't going to back down from this.

"Come on, man. You think I don't know what you and your girl were up to? What this barbecue is about?" Mason stated, sounding tired. Damon's blue eyes narrowed.

"How do you know about me? Your brother was completely clueless." Damon interrogated him. Mason shook his head, chuckling humourlessly.

"It doesn't matter; I'm not your enemy, Damon." Mason attempted to extend the olive branch.

"You tried to kill my brother." Damon insisted, ignoring the olive branch. I felt like I was stuck in the world's most intense tennis game, and I was the only spectator. Mason grimaced apologetically.

"That was a mistake." He admitted, regretfully. Damon looked skeptical.

"Really?"

"There was confusion; I couldn't chain myself up in time. I have no control once I shift." Mason explained. I was confused.

"Hang on a minute." I stepped between them, drawing their attention. "What happened between you and Stefan?" I asked, worriedly. Mason flushed in embarrassment, as Damon answered me.

"Stefan stumbled upon Mason here when he was getting in touch with his inner mongrel." Damon explained, his eyes not leaving Mason's for one second.

I paled.

"Holy shit." It was Henrik's fatal accident all over again. "It sounds like Stefan's bloody lucky to be alive." I exclaimed. Damon frowned in annoyance.

"Not really the point, Grace." He insisted. Mason frowned defensively.

"Like I said before: I have no control once I shift."

"What no obedience school?" Damon sneered, scathingly. I turned on him.

"Damon!"

"I'm serious. Let's not spark some age-old feud that doesn't apply to us." Mason suggested. Damon snorted, pulling me closer to him and shoving me behind him for protection. I huffed in annoyance.

"You expect me to believe that you are in Mystic Falls planting peach trees?" Damon demanded, disbelievingly. Mason looked like he had enough of being interrogated for one night and straightened up from his lean against the island bench.

"I lost my brother, my nephew lost his father." He told Damon, firmly. "I'm here for my family. Let's be above this." He suggested, extending his hand for Damon to shake and then me. I offered him an apologetic smile. Mason returns it before turning and leaving the kitchen. I turn on Damon, disapprovingly.

"Really, Damon? You couldn't just let it go?" I told him. Damon glared at me, before heading for the silverware drawer and taking a knife from the cutlery box and hiding it up his sleeve. He quickly left the kitchen. "No, of course not. What a foolish question." I mumbled before following him.

Everybody met up at the front door to bid each other goodbye. Mason was shrugging on his jacket, while Damon was eying him angrily from a distance.

"So, no more takers for drinks at the Grill?" Mason asked, teasing a little. "It's like I'm with a bunch of adults here!" He exclaimed.

"I prefer the term 'role model'." Jenna shrugged, nonchalantly. Mason grinned.

"Okay. Well, thanks for having me. It was awesome." He hugged Jenna goodbye and eyed Alaric. "Alaric, catch that game next week?" He asked, hopeful. Alaric nodded, smiling tiredly.

"Yeah, I look forward to it." He replied. I was shrugging on my jacket when Damon stepped forward.

"You know, I should probably head out too." Damon decided, once again grabbing my hand and tugging me to his side. "I need to take Grace home." He explained, and I tugged my hand out of his grip; resentful that I was being used in his excuse to leave the party. I folded my arms across my chest, watching Mason open the front door and stride down the porch steps, headed for his car. Damon didn't seem to notice.

"Thanks for having me." I told Jenna, giving her a polite smile. Jenna nodded, smiling at me sympathetically. She must've noticed that I was particularly frosty towards Damon, and assumed (wrongfully) that we were currently having a 'lover's spat'. Damon strides over to Jenna and gallantly takes her hand, brushing a kiss over her knuckles.

"Jenna, you are a wonderful hostess." He complemented her, laying on the charm. Jenna blushed a little, but then smirked; knowing what Damon was up to.

"And you are a terrible artist." She told him. Damon shrugged, not really caring.

"Is that the only thing that makes me terrible?" He asked, keeping up the appearance of a man seeking approval. Jenna pretended to seriously consider his question before putting him out of his misery.

"I'm still deciding." She replied, her smirk broadening. Damon gave her a charming smile.

"Good enough for me." He replied, turning towards a bemused looking Alaric. "Alaric, let's not catch that game next week." He told him, striding out of the front door; not bothering to see if I was following. Which meant that I had to trot after him to catch up.

"Good night!" I called back.

After this disaster of a night, all I wanted to do was go home and shower before curling up in bed with a cup of tea and watching TV until I had to fight to keep my eyes open. Unfortunately, Damon had other ideas. But I had no idea that during our trip back from the Gilbert's, his scheming little brain was putting together his plan B. So when he finally pulled up in front of my apartment block; I naturally assumed it was to drop me off, and he'd be on his way to sulk or go off to 'lick his wounds'.

No such luck.

"Well, goodnight Damon. Sorry that tonight didn't work out the way you wanted it to." I told him, yawning slightly and unbuckling my seatbelt. I opened the door and got out of the car. I had just closed it behind me when Damon suddenly flashed in front of me, blocking off my escape route.

"And where do you think you're going?" He demanded, a little harshly. I scowled at him, both for the tone and because he was interfering with my intentions of going home and getting into bed.

"To bed. I'm tired." I replied, moving to walk around him. But he flashed in front of me again. "Damon, would you knock it off." I requested in annoyance.

"But you'll miss plan B." He insisted, and the sound of a car pulling up grabbed my attention. I turned and saw Mason's car about three cars down from Damon's. I groaned.

"Damon, just let it go." I moaned. But Damon ignored me once again and approaches Mason, who jumps when he sees him, but then looks annoyed.

"Damon?" My best friend just looks at him with a serious, unblinking look on his face. I bite my bottom lip, feeling worried. "What? More dog jokes?" Mason taunted him. Damon offers him a sarcastic smile.

"Nah, those got old." He told him breezily, before stabbing him with the stolen silver knife he had taken from Elena's cutlery drawer. I yelled in horror, before watching Damon walk over to the tail of Mason's car and dropping it open. Mason hunches over from the pain and struggled to remove the knife from his chest. He looked up, glaring at Damon.

"You know, I think it was werewolves who started the whole silver myth." Mason finally removes the knife from his chest. "Probably for moments like this." He gasps, and walks over to his car to close the tail. Damon watches him with calculating eyes.

"Duly noted." He muttered, with disappointment. Mason's eyes narrowed further as he glanced down at his slowly healing chest.

"I was really looking forward to last call." Mason told him. "Now you made an enemy." He promised, before looking over at me. I felt the blood drain from my face. "It was nice meeting you, Grace." He told me before getting into his car and driving off. I let out a shaky breath before turning to face Damon. He didn't look at all remorseful for his actions. I raked a hand through my hair.

"Damon, why?" I demanded. He shrugged, shoving his hands into his coat jacket pockets.

"We needed to know if silver would hurt him. I solved that problem." Damon explained. I nodded.

"Yeah, and made an enemy out of him. Now we've got a pissed off werewolf on our hands." I retorted. Damon waved a dismissive hand.

"It's a minor setback. But at least we've got solid evidence." He said. I swear, I could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. I suddenly wished that I was already in bed, passed out and in fact dreaming all of this.

"So now what happens?" I asked. Damon smiles.

"Now, you go home. Get some rest, and I'll pick you up so we can go to the Volunteer Day tomorrow." He tells me.

I raise an eyebrow.

"Volunteer Day?" I parroted him. He nods.

"Yeah. I'm not thrilled about it either, but there we are. So, have a good night, and I'll see you about 10am tomorrow." He tells me, before coming over and kissing me chastely on the cheek. I blink at him as he speeds over to his car, gets in and drives off; leaving me standing in the middle of the street, and feeling utterly bewildered.

"So what are we doing here again?" Henrik asks me for the umpteenth time in the past few minutes I've been standing here waiting for Damon to show up. I took a sip from my take away Hot Chocolate I had just purchased from the Grill.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Henrik. This is Damon's idea, I'm just along for the ride. But I'm assuming it has something to do with Mason Lockwood." I told him. Henrik raised an eyebrow.

"The alleged werewolf you guys are talking about?" He sounded dubious. I nodded, sipping from my drink again. When I finally got home last night, I had to explain to Henrik what the hell went on last night. Needless to say, Henrik was eager to come along with. He was very interested in seeing what we were getting up to. Suddenly, Damon pulled up in his convertible. The top was down and he was wearing a pair of black aviator sunglasses with his usual ensemble of black on black. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"That's what you're wearing today?" He asked, sounding amused. I glanced down at my clothes.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked, worriedly. I was wearing black dungarees, with a loose white T-shirt, socks and my converse. I had put my hair into a high ponytail and was wearing my aviator sunglasses. Damon snorted.

"Nothing. Except you look a little like a farmer." He explained. I sighed and stomped over to his car, getting in. I ignored Henrik, who was sniggering in the backseat.

"You said we were going to a 'Volunteer Day'." I retorted, as Damon put the car in drive and took off towards our destination. "Odds are, we might be called upon to help at some point." I told him.

"Might being the key word here." He said, shortly. I sighed.

"You're in a mood this morning." I observed, finishing the last dregs of my Hot Chocolate.

"Don't remind me. I had words with Katherine last night." He reported back, and I winced.

"Ouch." I replied, sympathetically. "Anything I can do to help you?" I offered. Damon took his eyes off the road momentarily to look at me. Then his serious expression softened and he reached over to take my hand in his.

"No, but thanks for the offer." He raised the back of my hand to his mouth and kissed it, before returning it to my lap. I smiled at the gesture. Damon navigated his car towards a nearby park, which was conveniently not too far away from the Lockwood Estate. In both parts of land, volunteers were busily setting up for what looked to be one hell of a shindig hosted by the Lockwood's.

He parked the car and immediately got out, looking like a man on a mission; which essentially, considering how yesterday turned out, wasn't far from the truth. Both Henrik and I followed him through the park. We eventually came upon a temporary stage that had been set up in the middle of the event. A well-coiffed and neat casual dressed up brunette woman - who really stuck out like a sore thumb at an event like this where almost everybody was dressed in shabbier casual clothes – stood centre stage with a politician's smile on her face as she greeted the gathering crowd.

I frowned at her.

"Who or what is she?" I asked Damon, who rolled his eyes looking thoroughly bored.

"That is Carol Lockwood. The late Mayor's bitchy wife, and Mason's sister-in-law." Damon replied gruffly. My eyes widened in surprise.

"Really? So how come I didn't see her at the wake?" I asked, frowning a little suspiciously. Damon snorted.

"Probably because the 'grieving widow' was keeping up appearances and acting like the dutiful hostess. Apparently saving face, and not making a spectacle of herself was more important." Damon replied.

I made a face.

"Charming woman. Reminds me of some of the airheads I went to school with." I muttered, as Carol attempted to quiet down the crowd to make a speech.

"Oh, look. 'Madam President' is gonna say something." Damon quipped, earning a barely muffled chuckle from me and a slightly scandalized look from Henrik.

"This is all part of the historical society, continuing efforts to give back to the community." Carol stated. "Thanks to the generous donation of the Fell family. We are now standing on the site of our newest public park." The crowd clapped enthusiastically. "Thank you to everyone who has shown up today to lend a helping hand. Thanks." Carol waves to the crowd before turning and stepping down from the stage.

Damon rolled his eyes.

"Very inspiring. I feel so moved." Damon was dismissive, and I rolled my eyes; sensing that he was getting angsty and restless.

"Isn't that Stefan over there?" I heard Henrik ask, and I glanced down and noticed Henrik staring at something off in the distance. I turned and noticed Mason removing boxes from his trunk, and a calm but determined looking Stefan approaching him. I nudged Damon, who turned to cuss me out before he also noticed the two men. "Wonder what they're talking about?" Henrik wanted to know, and started walking towards them. I let him go, knowing that nobody could see him anyway, and telling him otherwise would only encourage him to do what he wanted. Both Damon and I waited for Mason to walk off, leaving both Stefan and Henrik watching him go. Henrik looked pensive after hearing whatever the two of them were discussing.

Damon and I approach Stefan, who grimaced at his brother.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked Stefan.

"Negotiating peace on your behalf." Stefan responded, still looking over at where Mason had disappeared off to. I glanced at Henrik who nodded, confirming what Stefan had said. Damon frowned.

"I don't want peace." He protested, and Stefan clapped a condescending hand on his older brother's shoulder.

"Consider it opposite day." Stefan suggested. "Hey Grace." He greeted me, with a small smile. I nodded back, as Damon huffed underneath his breath.

"Stefan, please tell me you don't seriously think a hand shake just solved our problem." Stefan frowned, looking frustrated.

"No, actually. I think that the first chance Mason Lockwood gets, he's gonna drive a stake through your heart and then through mine, all because you took it upon yourself to try to kill him." Stefan retorted, before turning to look him right in the eye. "So thank you, because we don't have enough problems." Stefan gave him a withering glare before he walks away. Henrik turned towards me.

"I'm gonna follow him." He decided. I nodded, smiling at him before Henrik jogged after Stefan. I walked off to where I saw Mason last. Damon grabbed my arm.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked, sounding annoyed. I took his hand off my shoulder and turned to face him, smiling patiently.

"I'm gonna follow Mason, and attempt to gather information about him and what he's planning." I explained to him. Damon hesitated for a moment before he eventually nodded and let go of my hand as I headed off in the direction of where I last saw Mason go.

A/N: We'll stop here. Hope you've enjoyed the chapter today!

Until next time, guys ;)