A/N: Hi everyone! Before we begin, I want to credit one of my inspirations for this story, user AmericanHoney12's fic "Pretty Girl." It's an abandoned fic where I truly loved a lot of elements of her story and wanted to incorporate some of them into my story. I'm disclosing this in case you've read that story and things start to sound familiar. I'm NOT copying her entire plot, story, characters, etc.

I also won't be following the episodes in exact detail, however I will be using them as a guideline for big events and plot points. If you'd like to pin point where this story begins, it's roughly in between Season 1 Episode 14 and 15. Happy reading!

Song: Begin Again

Artist: Measure

Wake up
To sun
'Cause morning
Does come

If all you can rely on is
The feel of your feet on the wet floor.
If all you can depend on is all movement gives you some direction then

Begin again
You're no calendar
You're no concrete plan
Begin again
Don't waste your time waiting for someone to tell you that

I sat on the edge of the bare mattress and gazed around the room. Without any of the posters on the wall or socks on the floor it almost felt like just a room. There was no sign that someone sat up late at the desk in the corner struggling over their math homework, or that they watched endless shows on Netflix while sitting on this very bed, and the pencil marks in the doorway marking height that indicated that someone quite literally grew up in this room had been painted over.

How does one even say goodbye to their childhood home? This house saw me grow from the days where I was teetering around in a diaper, just barely learning how to walk, to the days where I would tip toe along the hallway, trying not to wake my parents as I snuck in past curfew. The good days, the bad days, and every other day in between had all happened here, and now I was supposed to just leave?

"Lucy? Lucy where are you?" My mom's footsteps echoed through the hall. "LU- Oh honey what are you doing in here."

I looked at the floor. "I just. . . wanted to be in here one last time."

"Honey," Mom reached out and placed her hand on my shoulder. "I know it hurts to say goodbye. But I really think this move will be good for you. For all of us."

"You guys keep saying that, but it really feels like we're just running away." I confessed.

"We aren't running away Lucy. It's just. . . this house." Mom sighed. "Don't think of it as running away. Think of it as moving forward."

"You're right. You and dad must be excited about returning to the town where you grew up." I forced a smile. "And it will be nice to go to a school where people don't stare at me like I have eleven heads. I mean I don't expect to be miss popular in Mystic Falls. But it'll at least be a fresh start."

"Lucy honey, look at yourself." Mom turned towards the mirror above the dresser. "Of course you'll be popular. You're beautiful. More importantly, you're kind, and smart, and-"

Classic mom, turning everything into a pep talk. I cut her off by putting my hand over her shoulder, and silently examined myself in the mirror. Parents always think their kids are the most beautiful, they don't see you the way other kids see you, or the way you see yourself. The way she talked made it sound like I was America's Next Top Model, and while I knew I wasn't exactly a beast to look at, I also knew that I wasn't anything special. On most days, my dark brown curls were untamable and formed a cascade of frizz around my face. My eyes, while at least a nice round shape, were brown- the most basic color. To top it all off, I was just tall enough for it to be a little bit awkward. But sure mom, I'll automatically be popular right when I get to Mystic Falls. Because that's how high school works.

I shifted by eyes up to meet my mother's in the reflection. Now she was truly stunning. Even with the lines and bags that started to emerge around her steely eyes, and the grey that peppered her dirty blonde hair, she was an elegant woman that exuded grace. I always wished that I could've taken after her, but that just wasn't possible. I squeezed her hand, our eyes communicating what was left unsaid between us.

"Come on, Lucy." She patted my shoulder. "We should get going, the movers are waiting on us so they can load up the last of our things."

Giving one last glance around the shell of the bedroom that had been empty for months, I got up and walked down the hall to my bedroom, grabbing my last suitcase and backpack. I threw them in the back of my mom's SUV, and dug my headphones out of my pocket, ready to sit back and try to enjoy the two hour drive to Mystic Falls.

Wake up
To sun
'Cause morning still comes

So move around your furniture
Or put it all out on the curb
And drive away to something new
Yeah, watch the skylight sink behind you and

Begin again
You're no calendar
You're no concrete plan
Begin again

I must've dozed off, as I woke up to my mom nudging me. I took one of my headphones out and blinked groggily at her.

"We're here honey."

Even if I hadn't just woken up, I'm not sure I would've been able to find words. We were driving up a tree-lined driveway towards a gigantic white home. It was two stories, with six massive columns running along the front porches that took up both stories. The windows were uniform and tall, encompassed by deep forest green shutters. It was a true southern manor- beyond exceeding my expectations.

As someone with a passion for most things visual, my parents had refused to let me house hunt with them, as they were concerned I would hinder the process. Actually, I believe the words were something like: Lucy, you'll nitpick every little detail and it will be an absolute nightmare. But I digress. As such, this was my first time seeing my new home.

A genuine smile spread across my face. "Mom it's- wow. I knew you guys wouldn't pick something modest but . . . wow."

I don't think I closed my mouth in the entire time that it took my mom to park the car and for us to walk up the front porch. We opened the front door to find the movers being directed as to where to place the first boxes.

"DAD!" I yelled, running towards the man standing in the entryway, putting his phone in his pocket. He had to get here a week before us due to a case he was assigned at his new firm, but it felt like it had been longer since I had seen him.

"Cupcake!" He wrapped me in a hug, and I buried my face in his suit jacket. "How was your nap on the way here?"

"How'd you know I took a nap?" I asked, pulling back.

"You've fallen asleep in every car ride longer than an hour since you were five." He grinned. "How do you like the new house?"

"Who wouldn't like this house?" I exclaimed. "Where's my room?"

"Come on upstairs, I'll show you." He replied.

He guided me up the stairs and towards the first room on the right of the hallway. I immediately ran and jumped on to the bed, the only piece of furniture so far.

"Do you like it?" Dad asked.

I buried my face in the comforter. "It's even better in person."

There were a few pieces of furniture, mainly antiques, from our old house that Mom and Dad wanted to keep, but in spirit of starting fresh they decided that we could buy mostly new furniture for the house. It was a win for me, as I now had the opportunity to nudge them towards some pieces of furniture that fit my personal interior design preferences. For my bedroom, I had chosen an upholstered grey bed frame with a simple white comforter. It really was even better in person; it contrasted the ebony floors beautifully.

"I'm glad you like it. I promise we'll take you furniture shopping tomorrow, and have you feeling settled in by Monday." Dad reached out to ruffle my hair. "Now why don't you go grab some of you boxes and bring them up here, if you leave the movers to it alone they'll be spending eight hours just dragging your clothes up here."

I laughed, and bounded back downstairs to bring some of my things to my bedroom.

Don't waste your time waiting for someone to tell you when
Begin again
Cause walking outdoors only works if you show them
Begin again
And quit looking backwards and know where you have been

Begin again
You're no calendar
You're no concrete plan
Begin again
Don't waste your time
Cause no one's gonna tell you when

I wiped a drop of sweat from my brow and stood back to admire my work. The closet in my bedroom was huge, practically big enough for me to lie down in every direction, and despite my dad's exaggerations as to how many clothes I owned, I would actually have to go shopping to fill it completely. I was relieved to have all my clothes unpacked at least, as it would make it easier to pick out my first day of school outfit.

I traipsed back down the stairs for the millionth time today to find my parents leaning over the kitchen counter, looking at couches on one of their laptops.

"I know you guys aren't looking at couches without me." I teased. "You'd better consult me before buying one. I refuse to sit on a patchwork sofa ever again in my life."

Dad looked up at me and nodded. "Don't worry, we know we'd never hear the end of it if we didn't consult you."

"Good. Can we eat? I'm starving." My stomach growled in agreement.

"Oh honey," Mom brought a hand to her forehead. "I completely forgot about dinner. I meant to stop by the grocery store earlier, you know what why don't we just go now?"

"I think it closed at eight." My dad reached into one of the kitchen drawers. "Tell you what cupcake, I grabbed a menu from a restaurant in town the other night, why don't you look it over and we can order carry out from there?"

"Sounds great." I smiled, taking the piece of paper to look over.

I decided on a flatbread, and in true fashion my mom ordered a salad and my dad a burger. The woman on the phone told us our order would be ready in about half an hour.

"Where are my keys?" I asked. "I can go pick it up."

Dad had taken my car with him a week ago, and I was itching to drive it again. From the drive in, I could tell that the town was rather small and quaint, however I was still looking forward to checking it out. Truthfully, I always enjoyed solo night drives as well. Something about them had always felt so relaxing to me. For most of my life, that is.

Mom frowned. "Honey, why don't I drive? You're more than welcome to come with me, but it's dark and you don't know the town and. . ."

"Mom." I interjected. "This town is practically the size of our old backyard, and even if I do get lost I have my phone with me. Please? I miss driving my car."

My mom exchanged glances with my dad, who subtly nodded and reached in his pocket to hand me my keys. I practically jumped up and down.

"Text us when you get there and when you're on your way home." Dad instructed. "Please drive safely."

"I will. I promise." I hugged both of them, and gave my dad a kiss on the cheek.

I took in a long breath as I got behind the wheel of my car. It still had that new leather smell. The engine let out something between a purr and a roar as I turned it on, and I closed my eyes and sighed. I was thankful for a lot of things that my parents were able to give me, but I was especially thankful for my Mustang. Not a lot of people get their dream car ever, let alone at seventeen.

The streets of the town were abhorrently quiet for 8:30 on a Friday night. I peered at the houses as I drove past, trying to catch a glimpse of the people that were now neighbors, and potentially my future friends. One house in particular caught my eye and caused me to slow to a stop. I examined the red brick and the black door, letting out a sigh at the sight of the house. I allowed myself to linger for a moment before turning the volume of my radio up and continuing on.

I finally arrived at the restaurant, guided by an illuminated orange sign in the window. The exterior of the restaurant was a painted green brick that contrasted the orange glow of the sign quite nicely. So far, Mystic Falls appeared to be a charming little town, albeit a quiet one. I pulled into a spot right by the door, and double tapped the lock button on my keys as I walked inside.

"Welcome to The Mystic Grill, how can I help you?" A perky girl at the hostess stand asked me.

"Hi, I placed an order for carry out, it should be under Peter Adams?" I said.

"Oh hi hun, your food should be ready in just a few minutes. Why don't you have a seat at the bar there and Matt will help you out when your food's ready." She smiled.

I walked over to the bar where a tall boy was drying a few glasses. God damn. I did a quick scan of him; he had well kept reddish blonde hair and toned muscles that were accentuated by the dark t-shirt with the restaurant's logo on the chest. He had an overall air of boyish charm about him, and was quite a catch, especially considering that he was the first boy I had seen here in town.

"Hey how can I help you?" He asked, with a smile that was just as warm as I would have expected from his appearance.

"I'm here to pick up an order for Peter Adams and the hostess told me to wait here." I replied.

"Gotcha, why don't you have a seat and I'll go check on that for you, could I get you a water or anything while you wait?" He offered.

"I'm all good thank you." I couldn't help but smile as I watched him walk into the kitchen.

The bar was mostly empty, save for a man drinking alone. I chose a stool a couple seats down, and turned to observe the man that I assumed was the town drunk. His dark hair obscured his face, so I couldn't make out much, but the leather jacket and long haircut gave off the stereotypical bad boy vibe. He turned to look at me, and seemed a bit taken aback as he examined me. I quickly averted my eyes, embarrassed that I was so obviously staring at this stranger.

"Well hello there." He attempted to sit up straight. "New in town?"

I rolled my eyes. "Is this town so small that you can spot a new person as soon as they walk into a restaurant?"

"Lets just say I've lived here a while." He grinned and leaned towards me. "What's your name?"

I looked back at him, and found myself at a loss for words as I made eye contact with him. His eyes were the most piercing blue I had ever seen on another human. Their iciness was only accentuated by the darkness of his hair and brows. The bartender was cute, but this man was strikingly handsome. Everything about him was almost unnervingly perfect. Holy hell. What was in the water here?

"So they don't have names where you're from, got it." He took a sip of the amber liquid in his glass.

"Oh. Name. It's Lucy." I stammered as I snapped out of my thoughts. "I'm sorry I just- I . . ."

"Have never seen someone so devilishly handsome in your entire life? It's okay, happens all the time." He smirked as he took another sip. "So what brings you to Mystic Falls, Lucy?"

The way he said my name sent chills down my spine. God I needed to get it together. "I just moved here. Dad got offered a job at the law firm and my parents grew up here, so it made sense for us to come back."

"Bo-ring." He sang out. "I was hoping you were someone from animal control here to do something about all the attacks lately."

"Attacks?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, attacks. Animal attacks. This town is absolutely riddled with them." He explained. "Come on, do your research. You move somewhere and you don't even do one Google search?"

"Wow I had no idea." I shifted my gaze to the bottles behind the bar. The bartender emerged from the kitchen carrying a plastic bag, interrupting our conversation.

"Here you are Miss Adams, that should be everything for you." I handed him my dad's credit card. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No thank you I think I'm all set." I stood up as he handed me the card with a receipt, which I promptly shoved in my pocket.

"Well in that case, you have yourself a lovely rest of the evening, and don't be a stranger here, okay?" He shot me one last smile before walking back into the kitchen.

The stranger downed his glass and threw a bill on the counter.

"Anyways Lucy, since you clearly are unaware of the dangers of Mystic Falls, why don't you let me take you home?" He suggested.

"I have my car, but thanks." I shifted uncomfortably at the blatant offer from a stranger, but tried to brush it off as small town friendliness. As I turned to go towards the door, he stopped me with a hand on my arm.

"Let me take you home." I stared into his eyes and could have sworn I saw his pupils dilate as he spoke to me.

"Like I said, I have my car." I refused. "And I'm pretty sure you've had too much to drink to be driving yourself around, let alone another person."

His brow furrowed as he looked me up and down, confused. I could tell he wasn't used to rejection, which made sense given his striking appearance. "I have a high tolerance. Let me at least walk you to your car then."

I sighed in resignation, and let him trail me to the door. I wasn't an idiot; I knew he was hitting on me. He wasn't exactly being subtle about it, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't make my heart flutter just a bit. On any other night, his brash persistence likely would have earned a snarky comment from me, or perhaps even a shove if he didn't take the hint, but something about him intrigued me. He was clearly way too old, and way too irresponsible for me, but I could indulge myself in the attention from a handsome stranger while it lasted.

"So do you always spend your Friday nights drinking alone at the bar?" I teased. "Or is that just your method of picking up girls?"

"No, it's my method of coping with finding out the girl I love has been lying to me for a long time and doesn't actually care about me at all." He retorted.

I paused, shocked at his blatant reply, and examined the pained expression on his face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

I trailed off, knowing I was just going to say something even more stupid if I kept talking. I unlocked my car, letting the beeping sound fill the awkward silence. His eyes shifted from my car back to the hostess inside, who was eyeing him with a jealous expression on her face. Not that I could blame her.

"Right next to the door?" He commented.

"Ten minute parking." I pointed to the sign and held up my bag. "Carry out only."

He nodded. "So who'd you steal this car from? No way it's yours."

I opened the door and set the bag in the passenger seat. "Yes way, it is mine."

"Huh, your car gives mine a run for it's money." He gestured towards a classic blue Camaro parked further down and wiggled his eyebrows. "Last chance to go for a ride."

I felt my face flush at his persistence. "I'm not getting in a car with you. But I will give you my number."

I reached into the glove compartment for a pen, and scrawled my number on the crinkled up receipt from my pocket. I handed it to him, and his hand touched mine. I looked up, feeling jolted by the contact, to find him staring intently at me. His eyes were so intense his gaze was almost scary. I felt like . . . like prey. Another chill ran up my spine.

"Cold?" He asked. "Why don't you take my jacket."

"No that's okay I'm just-" He had already slid off his jacket and began to place it around my shoulders. "How will I get it back to you?"

"I'll find you." He stated, and turned to walk away from me, leaving me dumbfounded. He held up the paper I had handed him between two fingers and turned over his shoulder. "I have your number, remember?"

"Wait!" I called after him. "What's your name? I never got it."

He stopped for a second. "I'm Damon."

I leaned against my car, staring as he walked back to his car, and stayed transfixed as he drove away. Only after his car had disappeared on the road did I turn and get into mine. I placed both hands on the steering wheel, and looked straight ahead.

"Damon." I whispered.

Exhausted from a day of unpacking, I was thrilled to spend my first night in my new bed. As I rested my head on my pillow, my mind was filled with thoughts of the mysterious man with the piercing blue eyes and the black leather jacket. Sleep quickly overtook me, however, and my dreams carried me far away from my thoughts of the handsome stranger I had met only a few hours prior.

I walked away from the house with tears in my eyes, shoving the piece of paper in my pocket. I slammed the car door as I got in, and hit the steering wheel with frustration.

"You're kidding me," Brandon said, "He didn't want to talk to you?"

I shook my head, "No, he wasn't even there."

"Oh, well he's got to come back then, right?" Brandon asked.

"No," I sniffed, "He's gone for good. He left town."

Brandon put a hand on my shoulder, "You can still find him, Luc. Just keep looking, ask someone if-"

"NO." I said, "I can't keep looking. He didn't want me anyways. I have to let it go."

I choked out a sob, and Brandon pulled me in for a hug. We just sat like that, me sobbing as I stared back at the house, and Brandon trying to comfort me. It was no use. There's nothing that can make up for the feeling of being unwanted.