A/N: I got five new follows on this story today, so as promise here is the next chapter. Chapter 6 will be up Tuesday. Thanks for the support and love on this story so far!

Song: The Mess I Made

Artist: Parachute

Should've kissed you there
I should've held your face
I should've watched those eyes
Instead of run in place
I should've called you out
I should've said your name
I should've turned around
I should've looked again

But ohh, I'm staring at the mess I made
I'm staring at the mess I made
I'm staring at the mess I made
As you turn, you take your heart and walk away

I knocked on Elena's front door and prayed for an answer. She hadn't responded to my text, but I knew she had to be home by now, unless was staying over at Stefan's. Which wouldn't make any sense, since she clearly didn't want to be around Damon.

Jenna opened the front door and looked confused to see me standing there. "Hi Lucy, is everything okay?"

"I need to talk to Elena," I said. "Is she here?"

"Yeah she's right upstairs," Jenna eyed me. "Are you sure everything's okay? Is this because of the car accident outside the grill tonight? That was pretty crazy."

I shook my head. "No it's not about that. I just remembered something about a school project we need to do."

"Okay, I'll be downstairs if you two need help with anything." Jenna said, still looking unconvinced.

I nodded and ran upstairs to Elena's room. She was just hanging up the phone as I entered the door. She jumped when she saw me enter the room.

"Lucy, what are you doing here?" Elena asked, her voice raspier then normal. "Did something happen?"

"No nothing happened." I said. "I just needed to talk to you and you didn't pick up the phone. Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I mean, no, I'm not fine obviously. Tonight was horrible. But I'm better. Isobel's not dead." Elena said.

"What? That's great news." I looked at her face, which didn't match my excitement. "That is great news, isn't it?"

Elena shrugged. "She didn't want to talk to me. So I'm not exactly up a parent over here."

I sighed, and sat down on her bed. "That's why I wanted to talk to you. I was adopted to."

"What?" Elena looked up.

"Yeah." I nodded. "I don't really talk about it. But you told me, and you're clearly struggling with it, and I just wanted you to know that I know how it feels to find out."

"How did you find out?" Elena asked.

"My parents told me when I turned sixteen." I explained. "Happy birthday. Here's a car, and oh yeah you were adopted."

"Wow." Elena replied. "How'd you take it?"

"I was mad. And then confused. And then upset that my birth parents didn't want me. And then happy that my parents did want me. And now . . . I don't know . . ." I trailed off.

"I wonder if my parents were ever planning on telling me." Elena thought out loud.

I reached out to put a hand on her arm. "I'm sure they were going to they just . . ."

"Died instead." Elena interjected.

I sighed. "That's not what I meant."

"No I know, I'm sorry." Elena exhaled. "Did you ever try to find out who your birth parents were?"

I nodded. "The father organized the adoption, so we don't have any record of who my birth mother is. But I tried to find him, and turns out no one's really heard from him in a while."

"That sucks. Have you kept looking?" Elena asked.

"Sort of," I admitted. "Sort of not. Sometimes I think I'm better off not knowing."

"Yeah," Elena exhaled. "Right now, I wish I didn't know."

I pulled Elena into a hug. "Elena I'm so sorry that you're going through this. I mean, you just lost your parents, and then you found out that you were adopted, and now you can't get in touch with your birth mother, and it must just feel like a big loss all over again."

Elena wiped a tear away. "That's exactly how it feels. She was only fifteen when she had me, so I can't exactly blame her for not being mother of the year then. But now . . ."

We sat in silence for a while. There was now a mutual understanding between us. We both knew the feeling of being abandoned. Sure, we both knew what it was like to grow up with parents that wanted us, but there was nothing like the blow of finding out the people that brought you into this world didn't want you, didn't love you.

"Lucy?" Elena broke the silence. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." I agreed.

"Why do you keep those purple flowers inside your necklace?" Elena asked.

I sighed, and pulled away. My hand instinctively closed around my silver locket, and I did my best to avoid eye contact with her.

"I'm sorry," Elena said. "You don't have to answer."

"No it's okay. I just don't know how to . . ." I took a deep breath. "They're from my brother's funeral. I wanted to take something from the bouquet they put on his casket, and they were the smallest ones. So I took them."

"Oh my god." Elena whispered. "You have a brother?"

"Had." I corrected. "Yeah."

"Oh. He's the picture in your locket. Oh my god." Elena stared at me with the same dumbfounded look everyone at my old school gave me before I left. "What happened?"

I shook my head, tears forming in my eyes. "I really can't talk about that. I'm so sorry."

Elena put her hand over mine. "No, you don't have to talk about it. Of course not. Oh my god, I'm so sorry Lucy I had no idea- I. . ."

"It's been almost six months. And I feel like I should be figuring out how to move on with my life. Especially now that we're here. But I just . . . can't." I pressed my hands into my temples.

"Of course you can't." Elena wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "I can't imagine anything ever happening to Jeremy. He's my baby brother."

"And Brandon was mine." I sobbed.

"I know for the longest time, after my parents died, I felt like the whole world had gone dark." Elena said. "And then one day, I realized things didn't feel quite so horrible anymore."

"What happened?" I asked. "I mean, you lost them around the same time. But you seem so well adjusted."

"So do you." Elena shrugged. "But I don't know. A bunch of things. Meeting Stefan was the biggest one. Jeremy started drawing again. I started talking to my friends again. I think I just realized that the last thing they'd want is for me to just sit around being that sad girl all the time. So I found ways to be happy."

"Maybe I'll find ways too." I hoped.

"You will," Elena squeezed my shoulder. "I promise. Just don't run from happinesss."

I wiped another tear away and forced a smile. "Anyways, why'd you ask?"

"Ask what?" Elena replied.

"About the flowers." I said. "In my locket."

"Oh . . . that." Elena looked to the side, clearly caught off guard by my question. "Do you know why your family put them in the bouquet?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. Some family tradition. My grandma explained everything to me, but I was kind of in a daze. There's some family significance behind everything though. Why does it matter?"

"Well, it's not really a flower." Elena explained. "It's an herb. Called vervain. It just looks like little flowers. But that doesn't matter. Just promise me . . . promise me you'll keep that necklace on at all times."

"I always do." I said. "It means the world to me. But . . . why? What aren't you telling me."

"It's stupid." Elena shook her head and let out a laugh. "But there's all this mythological stuff surrounding vervain. It's supposed to protect you from . . . all sorts of things that go bump in the night."

I laughed. "What are you talking about?"

"See, it sounds stupid." Elena forced a smile, and opened her locket. "But Stefan has me wear it too. When he gave me this necklace, he told me the stories behind it. I thought it was sweet, and I don't know . . . I just like the idea of you wearing it too."

I nodded. "Like a friendship necklace."

"Yeah, sort of." Elena agreed.

"Well in that case," I held out my pinky. "Elena Gilbert, I hereby swear to never, ever, take off my necklace."

Elena latched pinkies with mine. "Lucy Adams, I swear to never, ever take off my necklace either."

I crinkled my nose, and we both burst into a fit of laughter. It was silly, wearing some flower to protect myself from things that didn't exist. But it wasn't like I was going to take off my locket anyways; it was a way of keeping my brother with me at all times. So if it meant a stronger bond with Elena, I'd make some stupid pinky promise with her.

Jenna knocked on the doorframe. "Did you girls get your school project sorted out?"

"What?" Elena asked, and caught my eye. "Oh – oh yeah we're all good."

Jenna smirked. "Mhmm. Well it's getting late, you should probably get home Lucy."

"Yeah you're right," I got up. "Thanks for the talk, Elena."

Elena nodded. "I'll text you later."

"Sounds good." I waved as I walked out of the room. "Bye Elena, bye Jenna."

Should've held my ground
I could've been redeemed
For every second chance
That changed its mind on me,
I should've spoken up
I should've proudly claimed
That oh my head's to blame
For all my hearts mistakes

But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made
I'm staring at the mess I made
I'm staring at the mess I made
As you turn, you take your heart and walk away

It felt as if a weight had been lifted from my heart. I knew I had someone here I could confide in; someone who knew what it was like. That night, I drifted into sleep truly feeling at peace. Despite this, my dreams still brought me back to the worst day of my life.

I came home from school and threw my backpack onto the couch. I found my mom in the kitchen, mixing a batch of cookies. She only bakes when she's stressed. As if that wasn't enough of a cue, her brow was furrowed, accentuating every line on your forehead.

"Mom? What is it?" I asked.

"We heard back from the Private Investigator." Mom admitted. "We have an address for him."

"For . . . for my birth father?" I was stunned. "Can I have it?"

Mom nodded, and reached into her pocket to hand me a scrap piece of paper, my fathers chicken scratch sprawled across it in blue ink. I made out the address, and my heart jolted.

"He still lives in Mystic Falls!" I exclaimed. "That's not too far from here. I can meet him. I can meet him, right?"

"Are you sure you want to?" Mom sighed. "I mean what if it doesn't go the way you hoped?"

I shrugged. "At least then I'll know. Please mom? It's something I need to do."

"Would you let us take you, at least?" Mom asked. "You don't know what's going to happen."

"I don't know if that's a good idea." I said. "He might be intimidated if we all just show up at his doorstep."

Mom nodded. "At least take your brother with you. He can wait in the car. Please? It will make me feel a lot better knowing he's with you."

"Okay, mom."

And it's, you
And it's falling down
As you walk away
And it's on me now
As you go

But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made
I'm staring at the mess I made
I'm staring at the mess I made
As you turn, you take your heart and walk away

I shut my locker and walked over to Elena's. We hadn't really talked since we had our heart to heart on Saturday, and I kind of just wanted things to be normal between us.

"Hey," I greeted her. "Since we don't have practice, do you want to come over? My mom's been asking to meet you."

Elena's face fell, "I'm so sorry, I can't. I promised Caroline that Stefan and I would go on a double date with her and Matt."

"It's totally fine," I said. "I could use a day to myself to just think, and relax."

"Are you sure it's okay?" Elena asked.

"Of course it's okay." I said.

Elena sighed. I tried to hide my smile as I saw Stefan approaching us holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Elena noticed my expression and gasped when she turned around.

"You got me flowers!" She exclaimed.

Stefan shrugged. "Well I figured it's a date, why not do it right." '

"You know it's not too late to cancel." Elena said, with a hint of hopefulness to her voice.

"And why would we do that?" Stefan asked.

"I don't know it just seems surreal." Elena sighed. "Like maybe we weren't meant to get to the normal part."

"That's exactly why were going to do it." Stefan smiled, and I realized it was the first time I had seen him do so. "We're going to go out, have some fun, and try to remember that we don't have to be so serious."

I cleared my throat. "I should get going."

"I'll call you when I get home, promise." Elena pulled me into a hug.

"Don't worry about it." I said. "Remember what you told me, don't run from happiness. Go have fun."

Elena smiled. "That goes for you too."

I gave a small wave to Stefan, who nodded back at me, and walked out of the school to my car. Elena's words replayed in my mind as I drove home, and I knew she was right. As much as I love sitting on the couch with my parents just watching movies, I needed to go out and live my life. It had been so long since I let myself just be myself. Sure, I had joined the cheerleading squad. But the season was almost over. I could be doing more. Should be doing more.

When I got home, my mom was reading on the sofa. Dad probably wouldn't be home for another three hours or so. I walked up behind mom and gave her a hug, and peeked at the book she was reading. It was something about wellness in the home or whatever, typical.

"Hello honey," Mom said, looking up from her page. "How was school?"

"It was good, no practice so I'm free for the evening." I smiled.

"Well that's lovely," Mom said. "Do you have any plans? I know you certainly won't be using the extra time to do homework."

"Actually I was wondering . . ." I began. "Did we pack my cameras when we moved?"

Mom stared at me for a second. "What? I mean, of course we did. We wouldn't just get rid of those."

"Where are they?" I asked.

"Try the boxes in your father's office," Mom pondered. "Why, what are you wanting them for?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, it's a pretty town, I have some free time, I just thought . . ."

"Well don't let me stop you." Mom smiled. "Let me know if you can't find them. I'll help you look."

I gave her another hug and a kiss on the cheek. I could tell she was trying to suppress her smile, and not make a big deal out of it. It had been months since I had touched any of my cameras; I was surprised that she and dad didn't just decide to sell them when we moved. But I was thankful that they didn't.

"Let's see . . . 2008 case files . . . 2008 finances . . . 2009 case files . . ." I read the labels on the boxes out loud. "Lucy old picture stuff. Perfect."

I pulled out the box. Leave it to my dad to be organized enough to have everything perfectly labeled, but not so organized that he would actually be unpacked almost a week and a half after moving in. I lifted the lid from the box, and was thrilled to find that my cameras were inside.

"Let's see . . . what are we going to shoot with today." I thought aloud.

I pulled out my 35-millimeter film camera, and paused as the contents underneath were revealed. It was a black and white print of Brandon. I remembered that day perfectly. It was his sixteenth birthday, and we all pretended like it wasn't that big of a deal. Mom picked him up after school and drove him home, where we had planned a huge surprise party right in our front yard.

I took the picture right as they pulled into the driveway. It was a total creep shot, and the reflection from the car window occluded his face just a little bit, but I loved it nonetheless. I wasn't the only one; it had won a regional Scholastic Golden Key award. Everyone was so proud at the time.

I ran my hand over the photo. "I'm so sorry."

I blinked away a tear, and shook my head to push the sadness out of my mind. I rummaged through the box and opened the small pouch labeled unused film. I definitely wasn't in a digital mood today.

"Well that settles it then." I said, looking inside the bag. "We're going medium format today."

I pulled out the third of my cameras, a Hasselblad 500 c/m. It felt so sturdy in my hand. I examined the body, admiring the way the chrome accents stood out against the black. The camera itself was a work of art, and the detail it could give in a photo was insurmountable. It was one of the most meaningful gifts I had ever been given.

I loaded one roll of film into the camera, smiling as the knobs clicked underneath my hand. I slung the camera strap over my shoulder, and shoved the last two rolls of film into my sweatshirt pocket.

"Did you find everything okay?" Mom asked, as I emerged from the office.

I nodded and held up the camera. "Yup."

"Good." Mom smiled. "Do you know where you'll be?"

"Honestly not sure yet." I admitted. "I'm just gonna head into town and see where I end up. I heard the falls are really pretty; maybe I'll check them out. Especially since it's almost golden hour."

Mom nodded. "Just text me to keep me updated, especially if you'll be out past dark."

"I will mom." I said. "Bye, love you!"

"I love you too honey." Mom said.

I skipped out to my car, and began to drive, ready to wander around town until something caught my eye.

And it's falling down
As you walk away
And it's on me now
As you go

But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made
I'm staring at the mess I made
I'm staring at the mess I made
As you turn, you take your heart and walk away

I pulled into the parking area for the trails that led to the falls. It was completely empty, which was surprising, as I fully expected the cars of at least a few teenagers who were just seeking a quiet make out spot. I shivered as I stepped out of my car, and realized the temperature had dropped a lot since earlier that afternoon.

"Ah screw it." I mumbled, glancing at my passenger seat. "He clearly doesn't want it back anyways."

I grabbed Damon's black leather jacket and slid it on over my hoodie. It swallowed me, and I instantly felt shielded by the chill. As I started to march down one of the trails, I found myself reflecting on the Damon-Isobel-Elena situation. Or, I found myself reflecting on my confusion about the situation.

It just didn't make sense. Why was Elena so distraught over the fact that Damon knew her birth mother? She had already been avoiding me since we talked, so I was scared to ask any more questions. But something didn't quite add up about the situation. It was also such a weird coincidence that our history teacher just happened to be Elena's birth mother's ex husband. What are the odds that they both ended up in the same town?

I tried to push the thoughts of drama out of my mind. This is exactly what I was not supposed to be doing. I had told myself I would relax, and be happy. I took a deep breath, basking in the smell of the leaves. The foliage around me was absolutely stunning. It was peak fall, and the leaves were all beautiful shades of scarlet, gold, and orange.

The sun was coming through the trees illuminating each and every leaf. Even the dust in the air was illuminated by rays of sun peeking through the branches. Nature truly was magical. I stopped walking to take a photo of a light ray that was crossing the trail perfectly. I hoped that the film hadn't gone bad in the time I had neglected it. It was always so exciting to see how colors appear different on film.

I continued walking along the trail. It began to follow along the edge of a cliff, giving me a stunning view of the mountains. The haze of the golden hour made them look almost like a painting. The clouds were just beginning to fade into various shades of pink and orange.

The falls were just barely visible in the distance. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it there before I needed to turn around and head back, so I stepped up onto some rocks just off of the path to admire the view for a moment. Even from far away, the waterfall was stunning. I closed my eyes to focus on the barely audible sound of crashing water, overlapping with the rustling of leaves in the wind. I heard a twig break.

"Nice jacket." A voice came from behind me.

I snapped my head around and gasped. "Damon."

A/N: So you found out a lot about Lucy in this chapter, thoughts? This is the longest chapter yet, though only by a couple dozen words. What do you think Damon is going to do to her in the next chapter? Are you excited for another Damon/Lucy scene? Are you scared? Please review I really do appreciate it :)

I hope I'm balancing between original scenes and scenes from the show well enough. I want to preserve integral plot points because there's a reason we all fell in love with the show, but I also want to develop my own storyline and make Lucy her own unique character. If anyone who reads this is a writer I'd love to have someone to chat with and bounce ideas off of, feel free to leave me a comment and I'll send you a message! - XO, Eden.