Disclaimer: I only own my OCs

A/N: I know that the website has been glitchy this past week. But I hope you all managed to read the last chapter. This one took an interesting turn when I was rewriting it but I'm quite happy with the changes I've made. For anyone who is curious, I've been using the timeline on the Vampire Diaries wikia. It's helped me keep track of events and it's made writing a bit easier.

XXX

It had been a long month.

Vicki was officially missing, although Elena and I knew that she was actually holed up at the Salvatore Boarding House, being taught Vampire 101 by the Salvatore brothers. Jeremy had spent a lot of time with Matt, organising search parties and just generally fretting over the missing girl's whereabouts. The Salvatore brothers had yet to darken our doorstep since the night Vicki turned. And I was dealing with a couple of clingy Nolans.

Like I said, it had been a long month.

But there was good news. It was Halloween. One of my favourite days. I loved to spend the day eating candy and watching horror films. It was also a day that I always bunked off school. Don't think I had ever been to school on Halloween. Of course, that doesn't count the Halloween party that is thrown every year.

I was actually excited to get up for once. After all, got to get ready for my horror movie marathons. My normal Halloween looked something like this: get up and get ready, wait for my family to leave while telling Ellie that Jazz was taking me into school, start my move marathon in my room after locking the door and then eat my body weight in candy.

God, I loved Halloween.

As the weather was turning cooler, I indulged myself by putting on one of my woolly jumpers. It was a mustard yellow one that Caroline had helped me pick out. I paired it with some black jeans before going in search of coffee.

As usual, someone had already turned the coffee pot on, so that sweet nectar was ready for me when I reached the kitchen. I suspected that it was Jenna, who was spending a lot of time on campus working on her thesis. Her ability to juggle us and her thesis and her job as a realtor.

I poured myself a mug and enjoyed the peace and quiet. It was never normally peaceful or quiet in the Gilbert household. Someone was usually causing chaos somewhere. Normally me or Jeremy, but that's beside the point.

Out of the corner of my eye, I was my sister walk down the stairs. She hadn't been her usual, perky self since she ended it with Stefan. It was so obvious that she still liked him. But she couldn't reconcile that with the danger that he brought. Even if you discount the danger that was Damon, Stefan's very nature was dangerous. While he did seem to be on it when it came to control, no one's self-control was perfect.

Elena disappeared into the living room and I sighed. I needed to do something. It was painful watching her be like this. But what could I do?

Shaking my head, I poured a second mug of coffee and carried it into the living where my sister was sat on the couch.

"Heads up," I smiled, passing my twin her coffee when she glanced up.

"Thanks Alexa," a faint smiled briefly brightened her face. Well, that's a start.

I sat down next to her and carefully studied her. It looked like she hadn't slept well last night. But I guess neither of us had since we discovered that vampires were real.

"Honey, you look like crap," I eventually sighed out loud, deciding not to mince my words. Sometimes, direct love was needed.

"Thanks," Elena rolled her eyes before poking me in the tummy.

"What? You do!" I defended, protecting my tummy from a second poke. "Anything I can do to help?"

Elena sighed and rested her head against my shoulder, "Do you have a magic wand to wave and make vampires not exist?"

"Eh, I might do," I examined my nails, going for the mysterious look. But I must have failed miserably judging by Ellie's muted giggles.

"Not even you are that lucky, Alexa," Ellie smiled a proper smile and I felt success well up in my chest. Damn, I am good.

"Someday I will be," I vowed, enjoying the smile on my sister's face. But, unfortunately, I knew that I had to raise a subject that would immediately wipe the smile from her beautiful face. "You heard anything on Vicki?"

Elena sighed and frowned, "Just a couple of vague texts from Stefan. But it hasn't been anything particularly helpful."

Damn. Stefan picks now to go quiet on us? He really does have his moments. Communication is not that boy's strength.

"Well," I begun hesitantly, regretting my idea before even saying it. "Why don't we go to the Boarding House and find out for ourselves?"

Ellie's wide eyes connected with mine, "Isn't that dangerous? What with Damon there? And with Vicki still being so new?"

I shrugged, "I laugh in the face of danger." Elena's unimpressed look had me turning serious. "Look, Stefan will be there and he will protect us. And let's face it, you miss him."

Ellie looked stubborn so I kept going, "It's okay to miss him. I know you liked him and you still do. And besides, if we get an update on the missing Vicki, then both our minds will be put at ease."

Not even my sister could argue with my logic there. We were in a unique position where we could find out how the source of our guilt felt. After all, it was my fault that Vicki was a vampire. I should have protected her from Damon. Should have stopped him from snapping her neck. From her drinking his blood. Hell, she never should have been attacked at the cemetery. She only got up to turn the music back on because I was too stubborn to get up myself.

Elena reluctantly agreed and even agreed ditch school and go now. Which was even more of a surprise. I mean, yeah, I was never gonna go to school today, but for Elena to bunk? Shit was getting serious.

XXX

Elena parked up in front of the Boarding House and sat there, staring at the giant building in front of us. It was a beautiful house, full of character and with a huge garden that I would, one day, explore.

"Are you sure that you want to do this?"

I turned to face my sister at her question. I knew why she was asking. The last time that I was here, I was being held captive by a vampire with the threat of death hanging over me for the entire day. So, it would understandable if I didn't want to step foot in that building for the rest of my life. But the past month had helped me. I had spent a lot of time thinking about that day and what I went through. Despite his threats, Damon never actually hurt me. And, aside from Vicki's death, I went through the day relatively untraumatized. What's that saying, time heals all wounds? It was something like that.

"I'll be fine," I smiled, resisting the urge to make a silly or sarcastic comment. I knew that Elena would drive away if she had even the tiniest inkling that this trip would negatively affect me. So I needed to show her that I was genuinely okay with it all.

Honestly, over-protective sisters, amiright?

Elena didn't look convinced but I opened the door and hopped out the car before she could act on any of her sisterly instincts. The brisk air was piercing and I was glad that I was wearing one of my thicker jumpers. It didn't usually get cold in Mystic Falls, but I had always been one of those people who got cold easy. And didn't that suck?

I was kind enough to let my sister ring the doorbell. I knew that she needed to feel in control right now, so I indulged her annoying habit for once. Normally I would be like nope and force her to deal with it by being a little bitch and doing everything myself. But these were exceptional circumstances.

It didn't take long for someone to answer. And oh look who it was. Elena was obviously disappointed as Damon Salvatore opened the door. She tried to nudge me behind her but I decided to be stubborn and refused to move. I refused to be afraid of Damon Salvatore.

Damon glanced between us, a smirk forming on his face. I refused to back down when he made eye contact with me. I squared my jaw and looked him dead in the eye. Even though my heartbeat had picked up, there was no visible sign that I was anxious in his presence. Even when his eyes darted down to my neck, I refused to let my mask break. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my sister glaring at the vampire.

"Is Stefan here?" Elena asked, drawing Damon's attention away from me.

The vampire hummed in the affirmative, not giving any more information. Which clearly got under my sister's skin.

"Where is he?" she demanded, giving up all pretence of manners. It was clear that she wanted to get as far away from Damon as was physically and humanly possible. Not that I blamed her. Damon had a particular habit of getting under people's skin and pushing buttons.

"And good morning to you too, little miss 'I'm on a mission'," Damon rolled his eyes at my sister's rudeness. Not that he could say anything. Damon was one of the rudest people that I knew. The little shit.

My sister narrowed her eyes at the vampire, "How can you be so arrogant and glib after everything that you've done?"

Yikes and they call me the reckless one!

"And how can you be so brave and stupid to call a vampire arrogant and glib?" Damon retorted, a threatening hint in his tone. Right, time for me to intervene.

"Ellie," I interrupted my sister before she could say something else reckless and stupid. "Why don't you go track down Stefan while I deal with Mr Arrogant and Glib over here?"

My sister didn't look happy with the thought of leaving me and Damon alone. But the look I gave allowed for no arguments. So she huffed and stormed into the house, knocking into Damon on her way. Geez, I really needed to talk to this girl about her newfound recklessness. It was not good. And besides, being reckless was my thing for a reason. It would not be good for both of us to be reckless. We wouldn't last a week.

I watched my sister disappear into the house before my gaze flickered to the vampire in front of me. Now we were alone, I had no idea what to say. I was only in this position because I didn't want my idiot sister to get herself hurt.

Damon took a step forward and I took a step back.

"Still scared of me?" he smirked, taking another step forward.

And, because I am an idiotic, stubborn little shit, I clenched my jaw and allowed him to move closer, "Scared? No. Cautious and untrusting? Hell yeah. And with good reason."

"Aww, don't be like that," Damon cooed mockingly, clearly enjoying himself.

I rolled my eyes, "I'll be like that if I want to."

Probably not my smartest retort, but it seemed to fit the mood.

Fed up with playing nice, I walked past Damon and into the Boarding House, closing the door behind me. The petty part of me enjoyed the sound of the door lock clicking shut. I mean, he could obviously get back in if he wanted to. But there was a certain satisfaction at shutting him out of his own home.

I saw Elena talking to Stefan by the stairs and decided to give them some privacy. So I retreated into the parlour. I know it sounds stupid but it hadn't changed. I expected some kind of change but it looked exactly like the first time I saw. Full alcohol tabled included…

One of the annoying things with Ellie keeping such a close eye on me meant I couldn't indulge in a little drink if I wanted to. And I was buzzing for a drink. There was an itch under my skin that I couldn't scratch without it.

So I took advantage of my sister's distraction by scratching it now.

I picked a different drink to last time, one of the bottles, and poured a small amount into one of the tumblers. I took a small sip and melted. Hot damn, Damon really did have the good stuff. Now, with my sister close by, I knew not to be stupid with the amount that I drank. So I slowly drained my glass, enjoying every last drop.

I placed the tumbler to the side, away from the others, and hoped that Damon would realise that it had been used. Not that it mattered too much to me if he didn't. After all, he would be getting my cooties, not the other way round.

I heard footsteps approaching and quickly backed away from the table and over to one of the cabinets. I put on the pretence of being interested in the cabinet while I was just using the reflection to judge where my sister and her beau were.

They entered the room, an unimpressed Vicki slouching in behind them. She did not look happy, the poor dear. I'm guessing that her transition was not going well.

"Heya Vicki," I greeted the newbie vampire. "How are you holding up?"

She gave me a look, clearly thinking that it was a stupid question, but replied with a "Guess so. I'm just so hungry."

I winced sympathetically. Cravings could be such a bitch. Hers must be much more worse considering it was her new food supply now.

Stefan directed us to the dining table at the end of the room. I had seen it during my last trip here, but never bothered to get closer. It was, like everything else in this house, quite old looking and the chairs looked like they belonged in the previous century with their design.

Vicki took the seat at the head of the table with Stefan on one side and me on the other. Elena settled in next to Stefan, probably quite keen to stay next to her boy.

"I'll be right back," Stefan said before disappearing from the room. He left an awkward silence in his wake as none of us were sure as to what to say. I mean, do we bring up the elephants in the room? Like vampires. Like Vicki now being a vampire. Like Jeremy.

Nope. I sure as hell weren't going to.

Stefan reappeared a couple of minutes later, two mugs of coffee in his hand. He placed one down in front of Vicki before taking the other for himself.

Elena must have asked to sit in on a lesson as Stefan continued to teach Vicki Vampire 101 while we were there. He explained how important coffee was to a vampire as it warmed their bodies, making them feel more human. It was even more important to those following Stefan's diet as they didn't get the benefits from human blood, which also helped warm the body.

"Well, what if I wanna drink human blood?" Vicki asked rebelliously.

Stefan sighed but didn't look surprised at the question. Clearly this wasn't the first time that they had had this discussion. I'm guessing that Damon usually encouraged Vicki too, since he is on an all-human diet.

"You're gonna have to learn to live with that urge and fight it on a daily basis, one day at a time," Stefan lectured, repeating words that he had clearly said before. He was so moral. Ooooh, Mr Morality. Stefan's got a new nickname now.

"Oh god," Vicki rolled her eyes, slumping forward on the table and crossing her arms. "Don't start with that whole 12 steps thing. School counsellor has been down that road and it doesn't work for me."

I could only sympathise. That whole thing was bunch of kooky nonsense. Like for real. The AA pamphlet that Mr Tanner gave me included stuff on that. And it just sounded like a load of bull. It was one of those things that it helped a few people so the so-called experts assumed that it would work for everyone. Which just wasn't possible.

"But it can work," Stefan insisted earnestly, placing his hands on the table. "You've just got to chose for it to work."

I guess that was my problem too. I had to acknowledge that I had a problem for it to work. And I didn't have a problem. Not with my drinking or my attitude to drinking.

Vicki had a stubborn look on her face that I recognised well. She was going to try her hardest to derail Stefan's little therapy session and be as difficult as possible.

"So you've never tasted human blood?"

I glanced at Elena after Vicki asked that dangerous question. She was staring at Stefan, eager for an answer. I knew that she still had feelings for him, but the answer to this question would either help or hinder her acknowledging them. And even I was curious as to what the answer was.

"Not in a long time," Stefan eventually answered, clearly not eager to go into any details. But even if I could tell that the evasive answer was basically a yes.

"How long?" I asked just before Vicki could. Oh sue me, I'm curious. Elena gave me a dirty look for me question and I rolled my eyes. I knew that she wanted to know too, she was just too chicken to ask the question herself.

"Years and years," Stef sighed, still adamant in not giving people any details. "I'm not proud of my past behaviour."

Oh Stefan, no one is proud of their past behaviour. That's why there are so many sayings and shit about moving on from your past and leaving it in the past.

Vicki's groan interrupted what could have been a moment.

"Does this sketchy feeling ever go away?" she complained as she stood up, throwing her hands in the air. "It's like a massive hangover."

I could completely sympathise with that. Hangovers were nasty and cruel and vindictive. And it was so not fair to get them. It's like being punished for having fun. They sucked.

"I need more blood. Where's your bathroom? I have to pee."

Stefan gestured in the direction of the downstairs toilet while I resisted the urge to snicker at Vicki's little rant. As much as I wanted to laugh, I knew that I would only get in trouble with my sister. The stick in the mud that she was.

"Why do I have to pee? I thought I was dead," Vicki's complaining lasted as she left the room. I mean, she had a point. Dead people shouldn't have to pee. Or get hangovers. Not that I knew much about dead people. My only experience was alive people and, very recently, vampires. Although I guess they do count as dead people since they are, technically, dead. Ugh, this is all so confusing.

"I'm going to, uh," Stefan gestured in the direction of the kitchen, not taking his eyes off my sister. "I'm gonna get her some more. I'll be quick."

And with that said, he disappeared from the room.

"Well, this has been an interesting experience," I mused as I crossed my feet on the table and leaned back in the chair. "How you doing? With here with your ex-but-definitely-still-want beau?"

Elena hissed at me to shut up as she looked around, probably making sure that Stefan wasn't around to hear what I just said.

"False alarm," Vicki groaned as she walked back over. "My body's feeling really funky. It's a good funk but weird."

Not that did sound interesting. I wanted to press Vicki for more detail but she started dialling a number on her phone. Which was odd, as I had assumed that Stefan and Damon had cut her off from the outside world for the time being.

"Who are you calling?" Elena was quick to ask, standing up and cautiously taking a step forward.

"Jeremy," Vicki replied casually, not looking up from the phone.

"Vicki, you can't see Jeremy anymore," my sister said firmly, bringing out her old sister voice.

"Oh come on, don't you start," the vampire scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm gonna see whoever I wanna see."

Elena's older sister face morphed into a frowny face, "Even though you could hurt him?"

"I would never hurt Jeremy," Vicki swore, a glare forming on her face. While I did believe that she wouldn't hurt Jer intentionally, I knew all too well that accidents happened around vampires. And Vicki could be volatile enough without her vampire urges controlling her. All it took was one scraped knee or overly enthusiastic kiss and she could hurt my baby bro. So I was completely on my sister's side here. Jeremy needed to be protected at all costs.

I decided to let Elena handle this. Vicki knew that as much as I loved Jeremy, I was never the responsible one. So she wouldn't listen if I tried now.

"I know you think that but we can't take that risk," Ellie pressed, stepping forward. "You're gonna have to let Jeremy go now."

The look on Vicki's face indicated that she was not going to take that well. Like I said, she was already pretty volatile. And she hated being told no. So I slowly climbed to my feet, ready to intervene as needed. Especially since I knew that Vicki had never been very fond of my sister and I dread to think what she could do as a vampire.

"Oh really?" the baby vampire snapped, glaring hard at my sister. "And how long have you been preparing the whole 'you're not good enough' speech? I'm assuming that it predates the whole vampire thing."

Props to Elena, she didn't raise to the bait and kept calm.

"All I'm saying is that Jeremy is not getting involved in any of this. I mean it, Vicki."

I slowly moved around the table, closer to my sister. #

"Or what?"

Vicki blurred forward and grabbed my sister by the neck, pushing her against a nearby wall. I was frozen in shock for a second before dashing forward. Holy fuck Vicki. I grabbed the vampire's arm and pulled with all my strength. But it wasn't enough. She kept a strong grip on my sister's throat and shoved me to the ground.

"Let's get one thing straight, you perky little bitch," Vicki hissed in my sister's face as I climbed to my feet and resumed my efforts to save my sister. "You had my brother whipped for 15 years. 15 years. And then you dumped him. When I look at you that is all I see, just so you know."

My panic grew at the sound of my twin's choked gasps. But nothing was working. I even tried kicking the vampire but she ignored everything I did.

"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 finally released my sister, who dropped to the ground. I chose to look after my twin instead of attacking the vampire. Elena needed me more than she needed me to avenge her.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. Burying my face in her hair, I pulled her even closer.

"Breathe, Ellie, breathe," I soothed as I rubbed her back. "You're safe now."

I hated being so helpless. There was nothing I could do to help her and I hated it. I needed to protect her but I was powerless. And that sucked so bad. That was my one job; protect my sister. But I failed.

Stefan chose that moment to reappear. Why he hadn't intervened earlier, I don't know. Surely with his super hearing he had heard what was happening?

I reluctantly released my sister and let Stefan take my place. That burned but I knew that Elena would want comfort from her guy. The one who could actually protect her.

Stefan took my sister outside and into the sunlight. She would be safe from Vicki there as she was currently trapped in the house.

Now that my sister was safe, it was time to unleash the beast.

"Vicki."

I didn't need to raise my voice; I knew the baby vampire would be able to hear me. And she did. Vicki appeared in front of me a moment later. She opened her mouth to talk but I held up my hand.

"Look, I'm not gonna tell you not to see Jeremy anymore. Because that will hurt my brother. But if you hurt him, if you even give him a look that I don't like, I will stake you myself. And if you dare lay a finger on my twin sister again, you won't live to see another day. Because how fucking dare you hurt her when she has only ever tried to help you."

I had to bite my lip to stop myself from saying more. Sometimes less is more and I think Vicki got the message.

XXX

I let Elena have her private moment with Stefan and waited in the car. As much as I wanted to wrap myself around her and not let her out of my sight, I knew that my sister needed to speak to Stefan. That was the point of this whole trip.

So I ignored every instinct in my body and walked past my sister. Probably a good thing though, since I was ready to rip Stefan a new one. He should have heard what Vicki was doing and stopped. What good was vampire hearing if it couldn't be used in situations like that?

I watched the two talk and felt my unhappiness with Stefan increase. Elena did not look happy with what Stefan was telling her. Of course, the logical part of me was saying that it probably wasn't Stefan's fault. But I was in full-on protecting twin mode. And that definitely wasn't logical. So anything that upset my twin was on my rage list until I calmed down.

After quite a short conversation, Elena walked away from Stefan and over to the car. I was silent as she climbed in and started the car. I knew my sister well enough that she was considering heading to school to continue her today's lessons. But it wasn't what she needed. She needed to relax and take her mind off of what happened.

So I did what any good sister would do.

"Take us home," I ordered softly, raising an eyebrow when she glanced in my direction.

"But Alexa, what about school?"

"Ellie, we've already missed the morning, there's no point going there now. And you need to chill after that little encounter."

Elena kept protesting but I stood firm. This is what she needed, whether she would admit it or not. But I guess my sister wasn't a complete stubborn idiot as she did take us home in the end.

I bundled her out of the car and into the house. Ellie was promptly deposited on the sofa while I disappeared into the kitchen. I knew exactly what we needed to do.

The house was empty so I was able to go full out with my plan. I grabbed one of the raunchier romcoms in our collection as well as a tub of ice cream from the freezer. They were deposited on the table with orders for my sister to get it all set up. I then dragged the rarely used footstall out from its place under the stairs and grabbed my sister's spare hairbrush.

It didn't take long to get everything set up. The movie was in, ice creams were opened and ready to eat, my sister was wrapped up in a blanket on the footrest with me sat behind her.

I let Ellie take charge of the remote while I got started with relaxing her. Step one was brushing her hair. I know that sounds weird, but Ellie loved it when her hair was brushed. It was soothing for her and it helped her relax knowing that someone was looking after her.

I gently teased the knots from Ellie's hair while she was engrossed with the film. It was one of her favourites and always managed to consume her attention. Taking advantage of her distraction, I slipped a few braids into her hair. She didn't normally let me braid her hair, so I always took advantage of any distraction to put some in.

Once I had put in as many braids as I could get away with, I glued myself to my twin's back like a barnacle. Elena managed to tear herself away from the film enough to grab my hand in hers and hold on tight.

Ellie's checks were flushed with heat from the fluffy blanket I had wrapped her in. Her sweet giggle at any funny moment warmed my heart. I loved my sister so much. Even growing up together, I found new ways to love her. While we could be completely opposite at times, we completed each other. I couldn't imagine a life without my twin and I didn't want to. She looked after me and challenged me. I could spill my heart out to her and trust her to not tell anyone. She was stubborn and headstrong and completely infuriating at times. But she was my sister.

It was hard explaining our bond to people who hadn't grown up with us. It was so much more than we were sisters. Even so much more than we were twins. We were close when we didn't need to be. It was instinct to protect the other. It was natural to be around each other. If any of our friends or lovers didn't approve, then they were dropped. It was more than wanting to be there for each other, we needed to be. It felt wrong when I wasn't around my sister for too long. It was like I was missing a limb. I needed to hear her voice regularly. To feel her arms around me.

Some had called our relationship unhealthy. But they didn't understand. We came into this world together. We have always been each other's constant.

It got worse after our parents died. And Elena nearly died. It felt like a part of me was dying. Every day I sat in that hospital, waiting for my sister to wake up, a part of me faded. Elena waking up was the biggest relief of my life. As bad as it sounds, I could survive my parents' deaths. But I could never survive my sisters.

Elena laughed at the TV and I couldn't stop the fond smile form on my face as I glanced at her. She was here and she was happy.

And that was all I needed.

XXX

As the Halloween party approached, I reluctantly left my sister and went upstairs to get ready. I was the only person in the family going to the party. Jeremy was being all emo over Vicki and Elena had elected to remain at home to look after him. I would have done the same but I knew that baby bro just needed some time to himself. I had tried to let Elena know but not only was a she a stubborn little misses, she just wanted to look after the kid. So I decided to let them duke it out while I went out and partied.

I started off with a shower and a hot one at that. I loved that feeling of being clean. That post shower feeling was the best. If I had the time, I would just sit on my bed in my fluffy towel and enjoy it. Unfortunately, I did not have the time tonight as I was running late. To absolutely no one's surprise.

I pulled on a matching set of bra and panties, red, if anyone wanted to know, and quickly shrugged on one of my light robes. I dashed across the hallway into my bedroom, probably making an absolute racket as I did so.

Next came the fun part, I shimmied on my dress and shrugged on a light robe. I wanted the wow factor when my family saw my dress and as I knew I eventually would ask for help, I wanted to keep it hidden.

Luckily, my amazing aunt was some kind of mind reader as she knocked on my door and poked her head around my door.

"Need any help?" she laughed, coming in when I nodded frantically. My aunt was a legend when it came to getting ready. And she could make anyone look drop-dead gorgeous. Which was obviously the effect I was looking for.

My makeup was scattered across my bed as I tried to decide which colours would go best with my dress. My hair was easy. I had already styled it so that it had enough volume to be noticed but wouldn't hide my headband. That was the easy thing with short hair, sometimes you didn't need to be creative. And laziness was always appreciated.

Jenna placed her hands on her hips and ordered me to sit down on the swivel stool that sat in front of my dressing table. While I spun myself around and tried to keep chilled, my amazing aunt organised the makeup pallets.

She glanced up and eyes my robe, "Care to let me know the colour you are wearing?"

I held out my hands, proud of myself for thinking ahead, and smiled, "This is practically the same colour as my dress."

My nails were painted a fire engine red, the brightest colour I could find. Sometimes I plan my outfits around my nail colour but for this particular event, I decided to treat myself to a new nail polish colour when buying the dress.

"I should have guessed," Jenna rolled her eyes and laughed. Damn, she knew me far too well.

I sat patiently while Jenna carefully applied my makeup. She applied a gorgeous smoky look to my eyes and a picked out a bright red lipstick. The blusher she used was one of my favourites, a delicate peach with glitter. It sparkled when the light hit it. And please no comments on Twilight vampires, thank you. Jenna even cheekily scattered some glitter into my hair. When she found it, I had no idea. But it wouldn't surprise me if there was the odd glitter packet in with my makeup.

The best aunt ever even helped me with my jewellery. It was some cheap costume jewellery but it had the effect that I wanted. The earrings were fake ruby studs but they caught the light well. Same for the necklace, it hung just under my throat. The large stone draw attention to my cleavage.

"Well?" Jenna hinted as she leaned back, satisfied with her amazing work. "Do I get to see the final piece?"

I grinned and stood up, making a show of untying my robe. I flung it to the side and revealed my costume. It was a short red dress that came down to around mid-thigh. The silky fabric clung to my skin and was lower cut than I normally preferred. The skirt and part of the bodice were covered in sequins that sparkled in the light. There was even a little tail. I slipped the band onto my head that had a pair of horns attached. The horns had fluff around the base which mixed well with my spiked up hair.

I held my arms out to the side and waited for my aunt's verdict. I really did hope that she liked it. My aunt's approval meant everything to me.

Jenna made me wait for her thoughts as she looked me up and down a few times. I had to resist the urge to bit my lip, not wanting to ruin my lipstick.

"It suits you," Jenna smirked, clearly hinting at something. I stuck my nose up in the air and ignored the fact that my aunt called me the devil. "Aren't you going to get cold?"

"Probably, but I figured I could always duck indoors if I get too cold. I was gonna do catwoman, which would definitely keep me warm but Jazz found this and wanted me to wear it. Of course, she neglected to tell me that there was an angel costume with it until after I bought it."

I rolled my eyes at my friend's manipulation and tucked my phone in my bra. I would have to leave my keys at home with my purse but at least I could call for a pickup if I needed to.

"Jazz definitely made the right choice for you," Jenna laughed as she ushered me out the door, my heels in hand. I rolled my eyes and allowed her to direct me down the stairs.

"That is gonna get old real soon," I grumbled as I slipped on my heels and checked myself in the hallway mirror.

Jenna laughed at me and asked, "Do you need a lift to the school?"

"Nah, Dana will be here in a minute," I smiled at my reflection. Damn, I looked hot. If I didn't get a hookup out of this then I'll be pissed.

Almost as though she knew we were talking about her, Dana pulled up outside and honked the door.

I kissed Jenna on the cheek, delighting in the bright red lipstick mark that I had left.

"Bye family," I shouted down the hallway, knowing that my brother and sister were lurking around somewhere. I waved at my aunt and darted out the door.

Holy shit, it was cold!

I darted down the path and yanked open the car door. Dana must have known that I would be demanding heat as she had the heater going full blast.

"It's fucking freezing," I grumbled as I shoved my hands in front of the heater.

Dana laughed, "You're always cold this time of year. And look what you're wearing!"

I shot her a dirty look, "That's because it's horribly cold at this time of year and the rest of y'all are robots who feel nothing. And as for the dress… well, blame Jazz."

Dana had started out as Jazz's friend but we had bonded over our idiot blonde. It helped that I lurked around at cheerleading practice so often. When Dana had to pull out sophomore year due to a fractured ankle, I kept her company in the stands as she made sure to keep up with the squad and their routines. Sometimes I got the feeling that Dana laughed at me more than with me, but she was always nice to me and told any potential bullies to piss off.

XXX

The party was in full swing when we arrived. And damn they had done a good job. Actually, Caroline had done a good job. I knew that she was instrumental in organising this. There were stands scattered around the school grounds selling a variety of food and drink. Care had even secured a photobooth.

I hadn't seen the inside yet but I know that it was styled like a haunted house. The school usually hired local actors to jump out at kids and scare the shit out of them. I usually liked to do that once I had a bit of booze in me.

I spied Bonnie and Caroline hanging around in front of one of the cauldron decorations. The pair were dressed as sexy witches. Especially Caroline with her corset top, damn girl. I grinned and approached the pair after thanking Dana for the ride in. She mumbled a distracted thanks for chasing after Chad.

"Wassup witches?" I smirked as I approached. Caroline rolled her eyes at me while Bonnie gave me an unimpressed look. "Seriously though, nice costumes. Very hot."

"Same for you, Alexa," Bonnie couldn't hide a smirk of her own as she eyed my costume. "The devil, very… appropriate."

I rolled my eyes, "I swear, Jazz is gonna pay for it when I see her. Where is she anyway?"

The witchy pair shrugged with Caroline adding that they hadn't seen either of the Nolan's yet. I swear, if they had ditched, I would kill them both….

My internal Nolan cursing was interrupted by the timely appearance of Tyler Lockwood. He held out three cups filled with a mysterious alcohol. Hmmm, wonder what they could be.

"Lockwood Special?" he offered, smirking lazily.

Damn son, you knew how to treat a girl. I gave him a grateful smile as I accepted the cup, my hand brushing his. I so bad wanted to clear the air between us. But now was not the time. It was a party. But at least this way, I could show that I wanted to. It was important that he knew that I wanted to clear the air between us.

The Lockwood Special was a special kind of cider. I had no idea what they put in it, but holy crap, it was pure magic. And so easy to drunk with. So while Bonnie complained about the hangover that accompanied it, I gave Tyler strict orders to make sure that my cup was never empty.

He gave me a smile and nod before clinking his cup with Caroline's. I laughed at Bonnie's look of disgust before dancing round to her side.

"C'mon Bon, the hangover is worth it with this stuff," I tried to entice her to have a slip of mine.

Bonnie just laughed and gently pushed me away, "Maybe for you, Alexa, but some of us actually want to remember the evening."

"Pfft, Caroline's right, you are a lightweight," I smirked wickedly before dancing away from Bonnie's attempt at tickling me.

Bon grumbled while I complimented Caroline for her efforts. She blushed prettily, which she tried to hide behind a large gulp of drink.

"The only thing we need now is for everyone to start getting wasted," I eyed a couple of teens running from the building, giggling and screaming. "Makes the haunted house part hilarious."

"Alexa, that's because you normally cause the entertainment," Care giggled at my disgruntled look.

"You are both so wicked, why am I hanging around with you?"

"Because you love us."

Caroline knew that she had won that one as I grumbled, "Why is that again?"

"Because are more of an angel than a devil," Bon teased.

Ugh my friends are so mean.

After their meanness, I quickly abandoned my friends to their cauldron and looked for some new entertainment. Which I found in the form of an angel.

"Well, well, well, look who actually showed up."

Jazz turned around and rolled her eyes, "Of course I was going to show up, I did buy a costume after all."

"Pffft," I waved off that rubbish excuse. "That hasn't stopped you before, and you know it."

"Well, still, I had to show up this time. After all, what's a devil without her angel?"

I pointed my finger at my bestie, "Stop being cute."

Jazz laughed and wrapped me up in a hug. I relaxed into my friends embrace and soaked in her body warmth. Even with the Lockwood Special warming me, I still felt the cool sting of the fall breeze. Even when I tried to compensate with more booze, the warmth didn't stay for long.

"You do look good in it though," Jazz pulled away slightly and admired her choice. "Such a shame Luke isn't here to appreciate it."

"Oh piss off," I rolled my eyes and jabbed my friend in the tummy. "Don't start that again. Hang on, is that why you picked this?"

"Well, my brother has always been hypnotised by cleavage, so I figured it might help you two finally get together."

I muttered under my breath, "You're the worst," before letting Jazz tug me inside. I think she had noticed just how cold I was, maybe it was the cold nose that I buried into her neck.

It was nice just talking to Jazz without having to worry about being ambushed with questions. Ever since that day when I found out vampires were real and went MIA, the Nolan's had been pestering me with questions. They wanted to know why I went out of contact and where I had been. Elena had told me why the Salvatore's secret needed to remain a secret. So as much as it killed me, I couldn't tell Luke or Jazz the truth. Instead I just brushed off the questions and tried to distract them. It didn't always work but I think they have finally got the hint that I won't tell them. And besides, they don't tell me where they go when they go MIA, so it's only fair. In a petty kind of way.

XXX

Jazz kept me company until she was summoned away by her parents. I wasn't surprised. It had happened so much recently that I was surprised to get a couple of hours uninterrupted. But it had been nice though.

We had giggled our way through a couple of Lockwood Special's while taking part in scaring the kids. And scaring the actors. Jazz always brought out my silly side and I missed having her around.

After Jazz left, I wandered around on my own for a while, soaking in the party atmosphere. Teens drank in the hallways as the lights flickered around them. Mechanical noises from the decorations filled the air as did the stench of spilt beer. Kids ran screaming through the halls as they had fun and the teens groaned while downing cheap beer.

I was just teasing the poor dude who was stuck in a cage all night when my sister barrelled into me.

"Alexa?" she gasped before grabbing my arm and pulling me along with her. "Thank god you're here."

"Whoa!" I dug my heels in and pulled my sister to a stop. I grabbed her shoulders and squeezed them, hoping to calm her down. "Where's the fire?"

"Vicki's here and I can't find Jeremy."

Well shit, that's where the fire is.

"Right, let's split up, we'll have a better chance of finding the little idiot," I went to run my hands through my hair but stopped when I felt the styling gel. "What's Jer wearing?"

"Black hoodie," Elena confirmed, buzzing in place.

"Hey," I frowned, forcing her to look me in the eye. "We'll find him and he'll be fine or I'll kick the punk's ass myself."

Ellie took a deep breath and nodded, "You're right."

Of course I was. But I didn't say that out-loud. I just released my sister's shoulders and watched as she darted through the crowd.

I was having such a good night. And now look what's happened. I turned and made my way through the crowd in the opposite direction to my sister. The school was huge at the best of time but with all these decorations and lack of lighting? It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

The amount of guys wearing black hoodies was unreal considering this was a Halloween party. I pulled down every black hood I saw, uncaring that I was pissing people off. Finding my idiot brother was important than the delicate ego of a few teenaged boys. The distorted lighting made everything tens time more difficult.

My heart pounded with worry as I searched the school. I couldn't let Jeremy get hurt, especially by a vampire. I needed to keep the kid safe. He was my baby brother and my responsibility. The thought of anything happening made me want to throw up all of the booze I had consumed. I found never forgive myself if he got hurt because of me.

Realising that running through the halls in a panic wouldn't help anyone, I stopped and took a deep breath. Right, Alexa, think. You were a horny teenage boy who was at a party. The girl you used to fuck was also here and you were still totally hung up on her. You meet the girl and decide that you still want to make out with her. So where would you go…?

I pushed my way through the crowd, completely uncaring of the people that I pissed off on my way. Fortunately I wasn't far away from the side door leading to the bus lot. Ahead of me, I saw my twin pushing her way through, heading towards the door too. Looks like we both had the same thought.

The door had been propped open, which only meant that someone had snuck outside. Hopefully it was the someone that we were after.

The sound of our brother yelling sent spikes of fear straight through my heart. He sounded so confused and scared. And I knew exactly why that was. We ran through the bus lot until we found our baby brother between two buses, Vicki in front of him. In the lamplight I could see his lip glistening a ruby red. Blood. His lip was bleeding. And my heart froze. My baby brother was bleeding in front of an impulsive baby vampire.

Elena dodged backwards while I ran forward. My only thought was only getting the vampire away from my brother. My sweet, darling kid brother. Vicki was in full on vampire mode, her fangs shone in the moonlight and her veins pulsed under her eyes. She was beyond reason and my brothers begging wasn't getting through to her. I grabbed the vampire's arm and tried to pull her away from my scared brother. But it was hopeless. Vicki glanced my way and shoved me away with one hand. I collided hard with the bus behind me and fell to my knees. Oh hell no. Anger battled with fear as Vicki turned her attention back to Jeremy.

Luckily, Elena had thought ahead. She had grabbed one of the planks of wood from the buckets littered around the bus lot and snapped it in half. My sister went to hit the vampire with the wood and I used the distraction to clamber to my feet and run over to my brother.

I cupped his face, "Are you alright?"

Jer shook his head, unable to look away from the vampire. His skin was pale and clammy, his heartbeat fast. The poor dear couldn't take his eyes off of his vampire girlfriend and my heart broke. It was bad enough when I found out but it was nothing like this. I didn't find out when the girl I loved attacked me.

A scream behind me had me whirling around, hiding my brother behind me. My sister was nowhere to be seen. I grabbed Jer's hand and dragged him forward, frantically looking for Elena. I found her lying in a pile of wood and glass, clutching her side.

Oh god.

I went to run forward when Vicki reappeared. I was torn between saving my sister and getting my brother the hell out of there. I just didn't know what to do. It felt like my heart was torn in two as I had to decide which of the two most important people in my life to save.

Fortunately I spared the decision as our knight in vampire armour appeared, pushing Vicki away from my sister. Stefan shoved Vicki against the bus and I used the distraction to drag my brother over to my sister. As soon as I got near her, I pulled Elena in close, tucking her into my side. I did the same with Jeremy, whose shock was slowing fading away.

Just as I thought we were saved, the gods above decided to fuck me over once more. Vicki's bloodlust was stronger than Stefan and she shoved him away, blurring out of our sight. We frantically looked around for the vampire and I clutched my family even closer.

My heart thudded in my chest as I worried. I could feel a wetness on Elena's side and knew without looking that it was blood. That coupled with Jeremy's still bleeding lip had every instinct in my body screaming at me to run, to get them out of here. To get them to safety.

Luckily, Stefan agreed/

"Go," he ordered, still looking around the bus lot. "Get inside!"

I didn't need telling twice.

I grabbed my siblings by the hand and dragged them forward. Elena tried hang back, looking back at Stefan but I yanked her forward. Stefan was more than capable of looking after himself. And my idiot sister was bleeding and needed to get the hell out of here. Luckily Jer didn't resist, the shock still had enough of a hold on him that he was pliant and easy to move.

We got to the door and I released Jeremy's hand, looking for the handle. My panic was making me blind and I needed to calm the fuck down. Like seriously Alexa, breathe. You needed to have a clear head if you were gonna help your family.

There was a clatter behind me and I felt a tug on my hand, the one that still held my sister's hand. I don't know what happened next. I was barely aware of swinging my sister forward and stepping behind her, protecting her back with my body. And then… pain.

It was unbearable. I was vaguely aware that I was screaming. It hurt so bad. Teeth sank into my neck and I screamed. Tears fell from my eyes as I silently begged for the pain to end. I pushed feebly at the body in front of me but they wouldn't budge.

The teeth ripped at my flesh as Vicki reared back. Her fangs glistened in the moonlight, covered in blood. My blood. I looked Vicki in the eye and saw only madness. The bloodlust had consumed her. The girl I knew was gone and the vampire remained, wanting only my blood.

I closed my eyes as Vicki went back to my neck. But instead of more pain, I felt her fangs brush my bleeding neck before a weird grunting sound. I opened my eyes in shock and saw a look of surprise on Vicki's face. I glanced down and saw wood sticking out of her chest.

Vicki's skin started to turn grey and she let out another grunt as Stefan pulled the wood out of her chest. Stefan had just killed her, like permanently killed her. There was no coming back from this. I was faintly aware of Jeremy screaming Vicki's name in the background. But my gaze was transfixed on Vicki's body. She collapsed to her knees before finally falling to the ground.

Stefan had just killed her.

To save me.

Vicki was dead because of me.

Jeremy's screams turned hysterical and I forced my gaze away from the dead vampire. Stefan was holding Jer, both comforting him and keeping him away from Vicki's body. I glanced to the side and saw Elena frozen in shock, staring at Vicki. I knew that she had been the vampire's true target. If I hadn't forced myself between them, then Elena would be the one bleeding. She would be the one in pain.

I looked at Stefan, "Get them out of here."

Jeremy didn't need to be here and he sure as hell didn't need to be looking at his dead girlfriend. And I was worried about my sister. She hadn't said a word and while I wanted to be the one to comfort her, I wasn't strong enough. I was barely stopping myself from breaking down.

I saw Stefan glance at my neck and forced a smile, "I'll be fine. Just look after them. Please."

I think Stefan understood what I meant. I needed to break and I couldn't do that with them around. And my siblings were my main priority.

Stefan ushered them away and, once they were out of my eyeline, I allowed myself to fall. I was barely aware of the dull pain of the gravel biting into my knees. The pain in my neck throbbed too sharply for me to feel anything else. I was aware of the tears that kept falling but I ignored them. Vicki's body was all I could focus on. She was dead because of me. I couldn't stop her from being turned into a vampire and now she was dead because of me.

And the worse thing was, this would break Jeremy. He had lost too much and this was the last straw. How would I explain to him what happened?

XXX

I heard footsteps behind me, but I didn't have the energy to turn around. I felt numb and cold and tired.

"You should go, I got this."

At the sound of Damon's voice, I dug deep to find the energy to look up.

"It's my fault," I said hollowly, glancing down at Vicki's body.

I heard Damon sigh as he crouched down beside me. He reached out and titled my head to the side, revealing the bite on my neck. I hissed quietly as he gently prodded it while examining it.

"You need to get this looked at," he said, deflecting away from my previous comment.

I grabbed his wrist and squeezed, forcing him to look me in the eye, "I did this."

"Did you kill her?"

I shook my head, "Stefan did, but to save me."

I sobbed, looking back down at Vicki, her eyes stared up at mine and the fear on her face struck me deep. She died scared. And alone. With no one to comfort her. And it was all because of me.

"Okay," hands grabbed my elbows and Damon hefted me to my feet. "Listen to me, this is on me. I turned the girl and let her lose. She is dead because of me, because I didn't care. And I still don't care."

I looked up at Damon as he spoke. He looked so cold and uncaring, but he was reassuring me. He was trying to tell me that it wasn't my fault, even though it was. I didn't know what to think. I couldn't even believe his words. I should have stopped him from turning her. I should have stopped her from dying tonight.

My face crumpled at Damon's kindness and I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. I rested my head my head against his chest, uncaring that I was getting makeup all over his white shirt. I didn't know what to feel or what to think. I just wanted it all to stop.

I sobbed all over Damon as he hesitantly patted me on the back. I could tell that I was making the vampire feel awkward but I just couldn't stop. The kindness broke me.

I didn't even care that this was the vampire who had held me hostage for a day and threatened to kill me. And killed my friends. He was being nice to me. And I so desperately needed that right now.

XXX

I don't remember how I got home. It was a blur. I just remember walking and walking and hurting and thinking. I couldn't get the image of Vicki's body out of my mind. The look on her face would haunt my dreams.

It was Stefan calling my name that jolted me from my thoughts. I looked up to see Stefan and my sister sat on the porch. Elena had a blanket wrapped around her and she had changed out of her costume. There were numerous scratches on her arms and while I couldn't see her side, I knew it was also hurt.

"Hey," I said softly, my voice scratchy from the crying. The movement of my jaw hurt my wound and caused it to start slowly bleeding again. "Where's Jeremy?"

"In his room," Ellie answered, her voice quiet. "He wouldn't respond to me, but he might to you."

I nodded, wincing as the movement hurt my neck, "How are you?"

My twin took a deep breath, "I'll be fine."

I wanted to stay with her so bad. I needed to look after her, especially since she was hurt. But my brother needed me more. Elena had Stefan to look after her. And the way he was looking at right now? She had everything she needed right there.

The front door was unlocked and I carefully let myself into the house. The lights were on but it was quiet. I'm guessing Jenna had gone out somewhere, probably celebrating Halloween with her college buddies.

My body felt heavy and it was hard to drag myself up the stairs. Jeremy's door was wide open and as I got the top of the stairs, I could see him curled up on his bed, tears streaming down his face. And my heart broke all over again. My sweet baby brother should never cry like that. I hadn't seen him like that since we found out mom and dad had died. And I hated seeing him like that again.

I sat down beside him and pulled my brother down against my chest, making sure to hide my injury from him. Jer's arms wrapped around my waist as he buried his head in my stomach.

"Do you understand what happened tonight?" I asked softly, running my fingers through his hair.

My baby brother shook his head, "I don't understand. I mean, I know what I saw, but I don't understand."

I nodded, that made sense. Even a month later, I struggled to understand what happened that night. Knowing that vampires existed? It was hard to wrap my mind around. No wonder my sweet brother was struggling.

"Vicki would have killed us, baby," I sighed, pulling him closer as I remembered how close my brother came to death. "Elena, myself and maybe even you."

"Now she's dead," my brother sobbed into my tummy. "Vicki's dead."

"I know," tears of my own began to fall again. "I'm so sorry baby."

"Make it stop," my baby brother begged, pulling away and looking up at me with those big brown eyes. "It hurts, please, Lexa, just make it stop hurting."

There was nothing that I could say to him. As much as I wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, it was an empty promise. Life would never be the same for him again.

"Why does everyone have to die on me?"

Those words shattered my heart into pieces.

XXX

I sat with my brother until he began to doze. I couldn't leave him, not after what just happened. Even though my neck stung and I really should clean it, I couldn't bare the thought of leaving my brother alone right now.

I gently ran my fingers through Jer's hair and wiped away his tears. He looked so young like this, with a death grip on my waist and his long lashes fluttering against his skin. I missed those days, when he was carefree and happy. The kid had been through so much and it was so unfair.

I heard footsteps and automatically tightened my grip on my brother. Damon quietly paced into the room, making an effort to be quiet after seeing my brother asleep in my lap.

"Damon," I acknowledged, loosening my grip slightly. "Why are you here?"

Damon sat down at the end of the bed, carefully moving Jeremy's legs out of the way. He had a pensive look on his face as he glanced at me.

"Your sister wants him to forget what happened tonight," he quietly explained.

"She wants you to compel his memories away?" I glanced down at my brother.

I could see why she wanted that. It hurt to see our baby brother in so much pain. And he had lost so much already. But it wasn't fair on him. Jeremy should have a choice on whether he remembered what happened. He loved Vicki and if he wanted to remember how she left him, then that is his choice. It wasn't right for Elena to make that choice for him, no matter how much pain he was in.

"No," I said softly, looking back at Damon. "She doesn't get to decide that."

"You don't want him to forget?" Damon confirmed, looking mildly surprised.

I shook my head and glanced down at my brother, "I want it to be his choice."

And I think Damon understood that. He stood up and glanced at my neck, which was sticky with drying blood.

"Can you send Elena and Stefan up?" I asked before Damon could disappear.

He nodded and left the room. I glanced down at my brother and sighed, I really didn't want to wake him up. He needed to sleep after the day he had had. But now was the time to explain it to him and allow him to make that choice. While Damon was still lurking around.

I gently shook his shoulder and winced as Jeremy groaned. He blinked up at me and I adored that innocent expression on his face before he remembered what had happened.

"Elena and Stefan are going to explain everything to you," I said softly, helping Jeremy sit up as Elena and Stefan made their way up the stairs. "And then you can decide how much you remember."

"Where will you be?" he asked, switching his grip from my waist to my wrist.

I smiled carefully, "Just changing out of this and into something more comfortable."

I gently eased my brother back against the pillows and stood up, allowing Elena to take my place. She didn't look happy with me but I knew she wouldn't say anything in front of Jeremy. I would deal with the fallout of going against Elena's wishes later. But for now? I just needed a hot shower to wash away what happened.

While Stefan explained everything about vampires, I gathered some comfortable clothes from my room and retreated to the main bathroom. As much as I wanted to put it off, I knew that I needed to clean the bite on my neck.

I carefully cleaned it with some cool water and gently scrubbed away the dried blood before jumping in the shower. I hissed as the water hit it but adjusted my stance so that the water wasn't spraying directly on my neck. The hot water soothed my muscles and for the first time in what felt like hours, I relaxed.

After my shower, I carefully applied some antiseptic cream and stuck some gauze on the bite. The last thing I needed was to get blood all over my pillow during the night. I was just thankful that it was cold out now and I could get away with wearing a turtleneck or a fashionable scarf. Anything to hide the bite mark on my neck.

On my way to my room, I stopped my Jeremy's. He was asleep again with Elena watching over him. I caught Stefan's eye as he lingered in the doorway.

"He wants to remember," he said softly, looking pensive. "I explained everything that I could but I don't know if it sank in."

I smiled gently and squeezed Stefan's hand, "Thank you for that. I appreciate it. And I'll make sure to answer any questions that he has in the morning." I glanced back at my brother. "But for now? I need to sleep."

"How's your neck?"

I grimaced at Stefan's question, my hand carefully touching the gauze, "I'll let you know in the morning. But I think it's stopped bleeding for now."

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop her," Stefan frowned deeply, guilt all over his face.

"Don't, there's no need to apologise, you stopped her. And you made sure she couldn't hurt Ellie or Jeremy," I sighed and looked over at my siblings. "So much for Halloween."

Stefan nodded and gently guided me to my doorway, promising to keep an eye on my siblings which I slept.

Even when I was tucked up in bed, it was hard to turn my mind off. The night's events just kept running through my brain on repeat. It was like a never-ending movie, showing me all of my mistakes. Every chance I had to change things and make them right.

In the end, I had to drink myself to sleep, just to escape my thoughts.

So much for Halloween.

XXX

A/N: Disappointing lack of reviews still :( I'm hoping to get to 400 reviews before I reach Chapter 10. Think we can get there? But as always, hope you all enjoy and please review :) xoxo