I changed the part about the memories in the last chapter. I wanted this story to go one direction at first but then I decided to go this way instead because it's better. Hope you like it this chapter. There's some suggestive sexual content here but nothing explicit (don't think I have to change the rating for now but let me know if I'm wrong). Anyway, enjoy and tell me what you think!

Chapter 2

She woke up feeling like she had run a mile, her heart furiously beating in her chest and her breath fast and shallow.

Immediately her brother's head appeared in her line of vision, trying to calm her down. "Hey, hey Tori. Calm down, okay? Everything's okay."

Tori really tried to calm down but she couldn't slow her breathing or her heartbeat, no matter how much she tried.

"Hey, I'm gonna call a nurse, okay?" Matt asked her then, "I'll be right back."

Tori nodded, trying to inhale and exhale deeply. She closed her eyes to focus and when she opened them, Stefan Salvatore was there, right in front of her.

"It was an animal that attacked you." He said to her with a hypnotic voice but all that it did to Tori was confuse her. Still, the distraction served to slow her heart rate. "It came out of the night and jumped you. You blacked out. It's all you remember."

Tori looked into his green eyes and focused on that, feeling her breathing returning to normal as well.

"An animal attacked you. You blacked out. It's all you remember." Stefan kept repeating but Tori knew what she saw and it definitely wasn't an animal. Still, she had the impression that Stefan would have continued repeating the same phrase over and over until she would agree with him so she gave him what he wanted.

"It was an animal that attacked me. I blacked out. It's all I remember." Stefan seemed relived at that. Then he seemed to hear something from outside the room because in a moment he was gone.

Tori was more than a little confused. Why was Stefan there? And why did he try to convince her that an animal had attacked her and how did he move so fast?

Was he the same as the one who had attacked her yesterday night? Was he a vampire?

Matt returned a few minutes later with a nurse in tow. The nurse checked her vitals and her eyes and assured Matt that she was lucid and that her vitals were normal. She would be released tomorrow already if everything stayed that way.

She went to sleep after that, feeling very tired still and achy all over.

A few hours later she woke up once again to find Matt sleeping on a chair. She found a gelatin container on her nightstand and started to eat it, suddenly feeling starved. When Matt still hadn't woken up, she decided to wake him by throwing the container at him.

"What the..." Matt stirred, looking confused. Then he looked at her and became more alert. "How are you feeling? You look better."

"I feel…fine…considering."

"Good, good." Matt said, looking relived. "Tori, what attacked you in the woods?"

Tori hesitated, not sure if she wanted to tell him the truth yet because she still wasn't sure what it was that attacked her. "An animal." She replied instead. "What else could have been?"

Matt was about to reply when Jeremy knocked on the door.

"Hey Jeremy!" Tori said, really glad to see him. Then she turned towards Matt. "Could you give us a minute?" Matt looked confused and a little suspicious but left the room anyway.

"Hey. How do you feel?" Jeremy asked her immediately, going to sit on her bed.

Tori smiled at him. "I'm OK. I know I have you to thank for that."

Jeremy blushed a little and suddenly she could feel the sexual attraction that Jeremy felt for her. She shook her head, not understanding. Maybe she was imagining it?

"Oh, I didn't do anything."

"Well, you did carry me out of the woods Jeremy, that's not nothing." She took his hand in hers, suddenly feeling something…something that she couldn't explain.

Jeremy looked at her with a dazed look on his face. He looked almost…intoxicated. His sexual arousal had spiked as well. And how could she feel that? Was she really feeling that?

Tori licked her lips, feeling hungry in a way she had never felt before. Jeremy followed the path of her tongue on her lips intently, his breathing shallow. Tori came closer to him and Jeremy did the same. Suddenly, out of nowhere, they were kissing. A surge of power and strength came over her and Jeremy moaned into her mouth, becoming more impassioned. Their tongues clashed against each other and Tori felt the pain in her body – even that on her neck – completely disappear. Suddenly, Jeremy slowed the kiss and they separated.

When Tori looked at him, she noticed he looked tired. "Are you okay?"

Jeremy shook his head. "Hum? Yeah. I'm fine. I just feel suddenly…tired. I don't know. Anyway…" He smiled at her with all the force of his crush and Tori returned the smile, feeling a little uncomfortable. What had come over her? Jeremy was her friend, she didn't have any feelings for him, did she?

"Maybe you should go." Tori said tentatively. Jeremy looked disappointed. "Visiting hours are almost over."

"Yeah, okay. I'll come back tomorrow, okay?" Jeremy got up from the bed, looking one last time at her before leaving the room.

Tori took a deep breath and beat the back of her head against the pillow in frustration. What the hell was going on?

She got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom, feeling better than she had ever felt in…maybe ever? How was it possible?

She turned on the tap and washed her face with cold water. An image of the man-monster from yesterday came to the forefront of her mind and she almost screamed before remembering that that man…vampire…whatever he was…wasn't there right now. Though the idea that he was somewhere, lurking in the shadows, scared her to death.

The next day she was once again working at the Grill. The doctors discharged her that morning and after resting at home for a few hours she left home for work.

"Tori?" Jeremy asked her, stopping her from bringing the order to table 2. "What are you doing here?

Tori rolled her eyes. "Fighting with Robert about my schedule. You'd think getting ripped up by a rabid animal would merit an extra sick day."

Jeremy asked, his face worried, "Are you feeling ok?"

"Yeah, actually. I'm good."

"Because if you need something for the pain…"

"No." Tori shook her head firmly. "I'm done with that stuff. No more drugs for me."

Jeremy frowned at that. "Where's that coming from?"

"I just…I almost died and when I woke up I realized that I was wasting my life. My days consisted of getting high between work and school – which I'm barely passing by the way. I just decided that I can do better than that."

Jeremy widened his eyes at that. "Wow, that's a big change." Then, looking unsure, he asked, "What about us? I mean, we kissed yesterday."

Tori passed a hand through her hair in her confusion and said, "Honestly, I don't know. I mean, I was dating Tyler and though that's definitely over, I liked him and I only thought of you as a friend but now…I just don't know Jer. I only know that I care about you, a lot."

Jeremy smiled and came closer to her. "I get it. I can wait. How about we take things slow? Just watch the comet together later?"

Tori grinned at him. "I hadn't really thought about it. But I could be talked into it. I'll meet you out there in a few."

"Great." Jeremy grinned as well but their moment was interrupted by Tyler.

"Hey, Tori. How you feeling?"

Tori looked at him with disdain and simply said, "I'm not talking to you." She said 'see you later' to Jeremy and went to serve the table that was still waiting their order.

About two hours later she was just passing near the bar when a new face caught her attention. He was handsome with dark hair, pale skin and blue eyes. Tori took a little while to figure out why he looked so familiar but when she did, she almost screamed.

The man turned to look at her and Tori couldn't hide her reaction from him. She was terrified.

She turned around, almost running, before she got into the bathroom. She tried to calm herself down by splashing water on her face but when she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she found him behind her, his face monstrous once again. She was about to scream when everything went black.

Damon looked at the blonde girl still passed out on the rooftop floor. He should have known Stefan's compulsion wouldn't have worked as it should. Still, it didn't matter. He could simply use it as another way to mess with his little brother.

"Wakey, wakey!" He said to the girl, shaking her shoulder.

The girl moaned a little before opening her big green eyes. He knew the moment her vision cleared because the confused expression on her face disappeared to make room for fear.

She got up in a movement that was much faster that he was expecting and then she was running. He had to admit, she had taken him a little by surprise but in a flash, he was in front of her.

"What do you want from me?" She asked him, her voice strong despite the fear. Hum, a brave one, this should be fun.

"Well, you see, my brother should have wiped your memory yesterday but his bunny diet make him so weak that you obviously fought the compulsion because here you are, remembering who I am. Am I right, you do remember?"

"If you mean, if I remember that you attacked me, yes, I do." She glared at him but Damon just smirked.

"See? There lays the problem. You weren't supposed to remember. But don't worry, I'm going to call my brother here and once he would have drunk from you he would be strong enough to make you forget. That is, of course, if he doesn't kill you, but that should solve the problem anyway."

Her heart rate picked up speed at that but she didn't show her fear on her face. She crossed her arms to her chest and said, "Don't come any closer or I'll scream. Then let's see how you deal with half the town knowing you and your brother are vampires."

Damon smirked at her and came closer. She was very beautiful, it was a shame she was probably going to die tonight. "Don't scream." He compelled her once he had eye-contact with her.

"Sorry, doesn't look like it worked." She said to him with a smirk before screaming at the top of her lungs. "Help! Somebody help!"

Damon covered her mouth with a hand and turned her around until her back was against her chest, left forearm under her neck. He could smell her blood flowing under her pale skin and it was mouth-watering. He had already drunk from her but somehow, it seemed different now, more potent. "Keep screaming, or try to escape and I'll break your neck. Do you understand?"

He felt her nodding against him and smirked. She was smart and feisty, really a shame she was going to die now. He tried to find out if she had any vervain on her but he couldn't see anything.

"Where is it?"

"Where's what?" She said in an irritated voice.

"The vervain, where is it? Did you drink it?"

"I didn't drink any vervain, whatever that is." She said with a huff, "Listen, if you're going to kill me, just do it already. You know, I'm starting to think you're all talk. What is it, performance anxiety?"

Damon smirked at her sass. "What's your name?"

"Victoria. Yours? Do you even have a name or do you go by Dracula?"

Damon grinned at her and brought her closer until her ass was touching his pelvis. She squirmed, trying to get away from him but he held her still by tightening the grip he had on her neck. "My name's Damon. Damon Salvatore. And I know what you're doing."

"Yeah? And what am I doing?"

"Making me talk, thinking it could buy you some time. Sorry, but the only way you're leaving here is if I let you. At the moment I'm not really in the mood."

Victoria stayed silent at that and Damon took a look at her bandage. It looked clean. He tore it from her neck and like he was expecting, there was no blood. Not only that – and that really surprised him – there was no wound either.

"How did you heal so fast?"

"What?"

"How did you heal so fast? The bite mark I left you with? It's gone."

"I don't…I don't know."

Damon lowered his face to her neck but his nose couldn't detect any vervain in her system. Maybe she had hidden it somewhere else. That meant that he could bite her. "This is going to hurt." He said and without any finesse, he bit into her neck.

The warm blood flooded his mouth and he moaned loudly at the taste. This wasn't the blood he had tasted two nights ago. This was completely different. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted in his very long life. It warmed his veins and it made him hard in an instant. He couldn't even fully describe the effect he was having on him, the pleasure he was feeling in waves all over his body. He only knew that he couldn't stop. He ignored her pleas for him to stop and rubbed his hard member against her. He felt her going rigid against him and tightened the grip he had on her until even her legs were entangled with his. His left forearm – that before was underneath her neck – was now under her full breasts, the other on her hip. He was rather sure he was going to come in his dark jeans when a scene – a memory – hit his brain in full Technicolor and complete with emotions.

"No, Ty. I'm not having sex against a tree."

"Oh, come on, it would be hot."

"For who? No, it's not going to happen."

"It's not going to happen, not here, not like this. No. I said no. I said no!" She tried to push him away but he brought her against the tree with force "Ow, that hurts!"

The fear and humiliation, the complete vulnerability of that moment, hit him all at once and he let her go, pushing her away from him and breathing hard to calm himself. He looked at her in complete astonishment. "What are you?"

Victoria put a hand on her wound to stop the blood and didn't answer. The sight and smell of that blood almost made him lose control again but he controlled himself. He wasn't his brother. Though he had never lost control like that, ever. Who was she? What was she?

Before either of them could speak another word, his brother arrived. Damon imagined he had come here to play the hero but one look and smell at Victoria's blood and he lost control as well. Damon – that couldn't let his brother kill her before he had his answers – pushed him with vampire strength away from her.

"Don't brother. Control yourself or I'll break your neck." Stefan's vampire face was in full view. It took long seconds for him to regain control. He turned around and moved as far away from Victoria as it was possible on that small roof.

Damon knelt in front of her and bit his wrist, offering her his blood. "Here. Drink it."

She made a disgusted face at this and he laughed. "It'll heal you. Unless you want to keep bleeding with two vampires around."

Victoria glared at him but drank. The moment her lips closed against his wound, he moaned again, pleasure sparks exploding behind his eyes and remembered that he was still half-hard. Who the hell was this girl?

The wound closed and Victoria stopped drinking. Damon retreated his arm and looked at her, trying to regain control of the situation. "So, what the hell are you?"

Victoria looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean? I'm just a waitress."

"No, you're obviously not. Are you sure you don't have any vervain on you?"

"Is it a plant? Why would I have vervain? And why are you so obsessed with it?"

Stefan rejoined the conversation at that. "What's going on?"

"Well, dear brother, turns out that Victoria here remembered the fact that I attacked her. At first I thought it was because of your bunny diet so I brought her to…let's say…make you try again. Instead, after I tried to compel her to stay quiet, she completely ignored my order."

Stefan frowned in confusion. "You mean she's immune to compulsion."

"Seems like it."

"And I'm right here, thank you for ignoring me." Victoria intervened. "What are you going to do with me?"

Damon looked at her, somehow at a loss, but he decided that he was not going to kill her until he would find out what she was. Given, of course, that she'd keep quiet about them. "Will you promise not to say anything, about me and Stefan, about what we are and about what happened two nights ago and now?"

Victoria looked uncertain. "Will you let me go?"

"For now. But I'm warning you, if you talk, I'm going to kill your brother, your friend Jeremy Gilbert and your mother. And then I'll come for you. Are we clear?"

"Damon…" Stefan said in warning while Victoria nodded in understanding.

"What? I'm letting her live, isn't that what you want? Or do you want me to kill her now?"

Stefan glared at him. Damon smirked and said, "That's what I thought."

He helped her get up from the floor and said, "Come on, go before I change my mind."

He watched her go, still a little unsettled by everything but not showing it on the outside. He turned to his brother with a smirk. "It's good to be home. Think I might stay a while. This town could use a bit of a wake-up call, don't you think?

Stefan glared at him. "What are you up to, Damon? Why are you really here?"

"That's for me to know and for you to...dot dot dot. Give Elena my best." And with that, he disappeared.

Hours later he approached a blonde cheerleader that was friends with Elena and it didn't take long to convince her to bring him home with her. He really needed release that night.

They were in the middle of preliminaries when Caroline's face was replaced by Victoria's. A wave of both lust and bloodlust hit him so strongly that his face changed without his permission. He bit viciously into Caroline's neck, angry at his own lack of control. He ignored her screams and feasted on her blood but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get Victoria – or her delicious blood – out of his mind.