Disclaimer: I don't own TVD, even though I'd love to!

I yawned ridiculously loudly as I walked down the school hallway. I had absolutely no idea how I'd get through the day, but staying home wasn't an option. I needed to be around people, I wanted to get back to my normal life, to my everyday routine. Anything to get my thoughts away from immortal mothers, lost fathers, lying boyfriends, and doppelgangers.

"Well, you don't look good," Caroline said falling in step with me. I hugged the books tighter in my arms, and shrugged.

"I didn't get much sleep last night," that wasn't a lie, right? What with the restlessness, and then the talking… it was way after 5 that I had managed to fall asleep.

"Were you doing something… interesting?" she asked wiggling her eyebrows, and I chuckled, shaking my head from side to side.

"No!" I exclaimed, as my cheeks started burning. Damn it. I hadn't done anything. Sure, Damon had spent the night with me, but that wasn't the first time we were sharing a bed. And we had both kept our hands to ourselves, so… it hadn't meant anything, had it? "Who would I be doing something interesting with, anyway?"

"I don't know…let me think…." she trailed, taping her index finger against her cheek. I eyed her warily. Caroline was smarter than anyone gave her credit for. Could she have figured it out? God, no. She had every reason to hate Damon. She would be pissed at me. "You do seem to be spending a dangerous amount of time with Damon these days." Damn.

"Caroline," I breathed softly, standing in front of her. I was expecting to have this talk with her sooner, or later. It would be hard. But I had to get it over with.

"Hey, the guy was awful to me," she said facing me, and flicking her hair behind her shoulders "He was a complete d-bag, and I don't even know why I let him treat me like a skank, anyway."

"Caroline…"

"But," she interrupted me again "he's not like that with you," I raised both of my eyebrows in surprise "Not anymore. Not ever, maybe. I don't know. Damon has been there for you ever since Stefan… well, you know… and from what you've told me, he's been... nice, and aside from the occasional flirting, which let's face it, is just in his DNA, he hasn't tried anything. Do I find it hard to believe? Yes, but... that's just how it seems. What I am trying to say is," she inhaled deeply, and looked me square in the eye "if you're okay with it, I'm okay, too. I got your back. But you have to be careful, Elena, because I don't really trust him, okay?"

"Okay," I nodded, still too dumbfounded by her supporting speech. I was honestly expecting her to give me the cold shoulder.

"We should double date," Caroline suggested as she linked our arms and resumed walking towards the classroom. "You know, me, and Matt, you, and Damon. We're all exes, so we could… you know," she shrugged her shoulders "give useful tips to each other."

"Caroline, we aren't even dating," I pointed out, and she laughed.

"Yeah, right." Did she think I was joking?

"Seriously, we're just friends," I stressed. Officially, we were.

"So, you're telling me that all of his bad brother glory just doesn't do it for you? The piercing blue eyes, the perfect muscles, the sexy smirks? Nothing? Come on!"

"Yes," I replied in a small voice, without meeting her gaze.

"It's you, and me, Elena, you can tell me the truth." I sighed as we came at a halt outside the Geometry class. Was I attracted at Damon? Well, who wouldn't gawk at his gorgeous body, given the chance? But there was more… it wasn't just his looks that I admired. Not really. It was his personality. His ability to make a joke out of everything, but also be serious when he needed to. And even that mask. That mask he liked putting on, that mask that I would love to take off his face, and just stare deep into his so~…. Oh God. Maybe Caroline was right, after all.

"Okay, maybe I am," I admitted in a defeated voice, leaning against the wall, and a wide smile formed on Caroline's lips. She shouldn't be excited about this. It wasn't good. It was an announced disaster. "But only a little," I amended "and regardless, neither one of us is looking for a new relationship right now."

"Elena," she grabbed my forearms "this is the 21st century. Ever heard of friends with benefits?" she smirked evilly and I frowned in confusion.

"Friends with bene- Oh my God, Caroline!" I cried out in surprise, covering my face with my free hand. The images that had started forming in my head… How would I ever take them out? "That's enough, end of discussion," I stated firmly, moving out of her grasp.

"Suit yourself," she replied grinning evilly "but if it comes to you two being together, like… together- together, and you need to spice things up… I'm your person! All right?"

"Yeah, whatever," I whispered, entering the classroom with the picture of Damon's ruffled sheets burning in my brain.

By the end of 8th period, I could feel my head throbbing, and my eye-lids closing, despite my feeble attempts to pay attention to whatever the teacher was saying. I found myself regretting my decision to come to school. If I had faked feeling sick, I'm sure Jenna would have tucked me into bed herself. I hastily pushed my chair backwards and stood up, gathering notebooks and pens from the desk, and all but shoving them into my bag. I was halfway across the classroom, when Alaric called my name, making my shoulders slump in disappointment.

"Elena, can we talk for a second?" I turned around, sighing, and managing to put a weak smile on my face.

"Sure," I replied, sitting down on one of the desks of the front row, while he closed the door.

"How are you doing?" Alaric asked in a soft voice, reapproaching me, and crossing his arms in front of his chest. I shrugged.

"Trying to process everything, but I'll probably need some time before I can fully accept that my birth mother is in fact a vampire." He winced at my words, and as the silence stretched between us, I took a closer look at his face. He looked pretty beaten up, dark circles under his eyes, and features pulled in a tight grimace. I guess going to sleep, after you've just come back from the dead, isn't easy, either.

"I know, it's been hard for me, too," he whispered staring out of the window thoughtfully "but there's something that I can't understand, Elena," his gaze fixed on me "You know what Damon is, you know what he has done," I licked my lips, preparing to have this conversation for what felt like the hundredth time. It didn't matter that it was with a different person. Everyone always assumed the same things for Damon. The same bad things. "He's not a good guy, Elena. It's not safe to be around him."

"Listen, Alaric, I don't expect you to understand my relationship with Damon. And that's okay, because in your mind he's the crazy vampire that killed your wife, but... You don't know him like I do. He's been there for me, and I trust him. He can be reckless, and stubborn. And he is dangerous. I know that. He killed you yesterday, just because he felt threatened. He acted on pure impulse, but…we got lucky, because you have your ring, and you lived to tell the tale. But, Damon... he's changing. Baby steps, but he really is." The look on his face was one of confusion, mixed with revulsion. "He's not the man he was just a few months ago, and I want to give him a second chance. Everyone deserves a second chance."

"He turned Isobel into a monster, Elena," he said through clenched teeth, and I nodded.

"That's what I was thinking yesterday, too. But, Alaric… Isobel asked him to turn her. She wanted to be a vampire," I clarified, and sadness filled his eyes. He ran his hands through his hair.

"I just can't understand why she would want a life like that," he whispered. I chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm afraid I can't really help you with that one. I might be hanging out with a vampire, but I can't exactly see the appeal in being one. And I haven't even met Isobel. I could hardly know how her brain works." A small smile crept on his lips, and he shook his head.

"However, I didn't want to talk to you about that. I made a copy of a paper Jeremy wrote for me," he reached back and grabbed something from his bag "I think you should take a look at it." I curiously glanced at the papers he handed me. Why would Alaric want to talk to me about Jer's proj-… My eyes widened when I read the title Fact or fiction: The truth about vampires in Mystic Falls.

"Jeremy wrote this?" I breathed handing it back to him. How had this happened? Hadn't the compulsion worked?

"It's very clear that he didn't think it was real," he tried to comfort me. I took a deep breath, but it didn't calm me down. Could Jeremy know? Was this why he was so distant? Or was I just imagining things?

"I really hope you're right, because I've done so much to protect him from all of this."

"So, how do you deal with it?" I frowned.

"What do you mean?" I asked, and he shrugged.

"With all the lies, and the secrets. You have to lie to everyone, who's important to you."

"It's not safe for them to know the truth," he cocked his head to the side as if he didn't fully agree with me "So, yes, I keep it from them, but it's only because I love them," I said, and he nodded.

"Stupid, stupid phone. Stop," I mumbled in my sleep, grabbing the pillow and placing it over my head. The drilling sound of my ring-tone went on, and on, and I pushed my head harder against the mattress. Who is so damn persistent, I wondered to myself as it went off again. With my eyes still closed, I threw one arm out of the covers, and started blindly searching for the device that as far as I remembered was somewhere on the nightstand. I heard a loud thud, as the clock slipped off the table, and hit the floor. Cursing under my breath, I finally wrapped my fingers around the phone, and pressed the accept button.

"Elena!" Caroline's high pitched voice shrieked, making my ear drum hurt, and grimacing, I held the phone a good distance away from my ear.

"Ugh, this better be good," I grumbled in response, rolling on my back, and throwing one arm over my forehead.

"You were sleeping?"

"Key word: were."

"Oh, so you're up!" Caroline exclaimed happily and I groaned. "I need you to get out of that house, and come at the Grill.'

"Why?" I complained, ducking once again under the covers. It was warm there. Warm, and comfortable and relaxing. I would do anything to get a few more hours of alone time with my bed. But of course, Caroline was… Caroline.

"Be here in twenty minutes, Elena!" she ordered, and hang up.

I chuckled as I entered the Grill and spotted Caroline. She was sitting on a booth, her hands clasped beneath her chin, a dreamy look in her eyes as she followed with her gaze Matt around the room. It was nice seeing them together. They were two of my closest friends, and I wanted them to be happy.

"Enjoying the view?" I greeted her happily, taking a seat next to her. Caroline jumped in surprise, and blushed.

"I was staring, wasn't I?" she asked horrified, taking a long sip of water.

"Totally," I nodded "But, hey, it's normal! You're in love, you're supposed to act like that," I squeezed her arm comfortingly, and she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Talking from personal experience, Elena?" she asked suggestively, and I rolled my eyes. Not that again.

"I'm not in love with Damon, Care."

"I'm not saying you're in love with him. I'm saying you got the hots for him." she stated.

"We are just friends! Who are you, match-dot-com? Why do you even care so much?"

"Ugh, because you like him, and you're too thick to realise it by yourself. Damon might not be my favourite person, but he's obviously yours, so get on with it! Get laid!" she cried out in exasperation "I promise you, he's the best sex you'll ever have!"

"My sexual life is just fine, thank you," I murmured, choosing not to mention the PG-17 dreams I'd been having lately.

"Fine as in nonexistent!" she whined "He likes you. You like him. And that equals…"

"Sex, I know! But not in our case. No way."

"Ugh, Elena, you are just… UGH," she said seriously, and I chuckled.

Before I had the chance to say anything else, however, a figure that was approaching us caught my attention. I sat up straighter, when I realised that it was Bonnie. We hadn't talked in many days. Whenever I'd try to get near her, she'd walk the other way. She never even bothered looking at me. Caroline smiled at me uneasily and waved at Bonnie.

"Hey," Bonnie said in a small voice sitting across the table.

"Hi," I breathed, instinctively crossing my arms. She bit down on her lip nervously. This wasn't her idea. This was all Caroline's doing. Caroline's, who was currently failing in holding back her proud smile. I couldn't blame her for trying to help us, but somehow I doubted it would work.

"So, are we going to get something to eat?" Caroline proposed, glancing from me to Bonnie.

"Yeah, I'll just have a burger, and some fries," I mumbled staring down at the wooden table.

"I'll take a Caesar's salad," Bonnie added.

"Okay, then I'll just go give our order, and I'll be back in a while." With that, Caroline stood up, and left us alone. Subtle, I mentally commented, as I glanced around the room, making sure that my gaze wouldn't fall on Bonnie. I was being stubborn, I knew that. But I just didn't want to be the one to start the conversation.

"So, how have you been?" she eventually asked, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen between us.

"You know, I'm dealing. You?"

"Same old, same old," she replied, playing with her napkin. I nodded silently, uncrossing my arms, and removing my jacket. It was getting too hot in there. Or maybe I was getting too worked up by the memories of our fight.

When Caroline sat back next to me, she had an expression of pure disbelief on her face. "Come on, girls! You've been friends since kindergarten, and you've never had a single fight. What the hell brought this up? I mean... one day you were inseparable, and the next one you can't even look at each other." I sighed, resting my elbows against the table and glancing at Bonnie from the corner of my eye. We both knew that we couldn't exactly explain her what had happened.

"Seriously?" Caroline shrieked, and if the waiter hadn't come at that moment, I'm pretty sure she'd had given us a speech about how we can't ruin our friendship for a silly reason, after everything we'd been through together. Maybe Caroline had a point. Perhaps we could mend things between us. Yes, we could. If we were still the same people as a few years ago. The same Bonnie and Elena who had gone together through primary, and almost all the way through high school. The same Bonnie and Elena who had stayed up all night talking about their crushes, and who had ditched Physics to go shopping. But we weren't. Bonnie wasn't being the Bonnie I'd known my entire life, anymore. She was acting like a very narrow-minded, judgy person. I didn't like that. Not one bit.

"So, the Founder's Court is in a few days, and they announced it today," Caroline spoke up as she picked on her food.

"The Founder's Court?" I asked confusion colouring my voice. Yes, it was another town event, but why was it so important?

"Yeah, you know Miss Mystic Falls," she trailed, giving me time to understand. Oh. Right. The beauty pageant of the town. The one my mom had been talking about since I was five. "They announced it today, and you, and I are both on it."

"Oh my God, we signed for this so long ago. I completely forgot," I mumbled, putting down my fork. It felt surreal. When I had applied for that thing, my parents were still alive, I was still dating Matt, and I wholeheartedly believed that humans were the only mentally developed creatures on earth. I was basically a completely different person.

"So, are you dropping out, then?" she asked not even bothering with trying to hide her joy. I smiled sadly. Typical Caroline.

"I can't," I breathed resting back on the chair, and meeting Bonnie's sympathetic gaze.

"Her mom is the one who wanted her into this," Bonnie explained softly, and Caroline winced.

"Oh, I didn't know that. But, on the bright side," she looked at me pointedly "since you'll definitely need an escort, I think that this might be the perfect chance for you to finally deal with your feelings about someone."

"Caroline," I shook my head warningly.

"What feelings?" Bonnie asked quickly, the gentleness leaving her face "feelings about who?"

"Well, you know how our dear friend, Elena, has been spending a lot of time with…"

"Caroline," I whispered again, touching her shoulder, trying to make her stop. There was no way this was going to end well. Damon was the reason me and Bonnie had argued in the first place. If she found out I was still seeing him, and more importantly, liked him more than just as a friend, she'd be furious. We'd be just adding more fuel to the fire. No, no. This was going to be a disaster.

"Hey, Bonnie is your friend, she'll understand," Caroline replied, patting my knee. "So, Elena and Damon have come very close, and I know we thought that he was an A class jerk, but I think Elena has got him pretty smitten. So, I told her, that she may think they're just friends, but I'm, like, more than a hundred percent sure that they're going to end up together. And I know we don't trust Damon, but Elena is trustworthy and cautious enough for the both of them. Right?"

"Caroline, what are you talking about?" Bonnie spat out angrily "have you completely forgotten what he did to you? How he called you a shallow stupid waste of space?" tears gathered in Caroline's eyes at those words. I leaned forward and glared across the table at Bonnie.

"Bonnie, stop it, you're hurting her," I whispered.

"I'm not the one who hurt her, Elena, he is, Damon is. He is always the reason things go wrong. If you keep acting so childishly, you are just going to end up like Caroline, too. Picked on and insecure!" she snapped at me. Caroline huffed in disbelief and stood up abruptly, storming away without another glance at either one of us.

"Are you even listening to yourself? And I'm sorry, how am I being childish?" I asked involuntarily raising my voice. First Caroline and now I was being immature, too? Seriously?

"Listen, Elena, I know that you thought that you loved Stefan, and that it hurt that he left you. But spending time with his screwed up brother, will not bring Stefan back. And you shouldn't even want him back. We've been through this, before. Stefan and Damon are not good for you. They are not good for anyone. Why don't you get it?" This was stupid, and so far away from the truth.

"Do you really believe what you're saying?"

"Yes, Elena, I believe that you can't handle Stefan's absence from your life, and that's why you're clinging onto Damon." I felt like laughing. This was ridiculous.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but words just escaped me at that moment.

"See, I'm right," she added, mistaking my lack of response for admittance. The legs of my chair screeched against the floor as I sat up, and rushed towards the bathroom. I gasped audibly when I found another person already in there, but when I realized it was Caroline, I sighed tiredly and imitated her position. We stood there, leaning against the sink, taking deep breaths, not one word leaving our lips. After all these years, how could Bonnie know me so little? Did she honestly think I was going to be one of those girls that desperately hold onto their exes as if life itself depended on it? I didn't hang out with Damon because he was Stefan's brother. I couldn't care less about Stefan. I wanted nothing to do with him. He had lied to me. Bonnie knew how much I hate lies. She should be able to tell that if anything, I wanted to forget everything about Stefan.

"I don't believe she actually said that," I finally said aloud.

"I know," Caroline replied in a trembling voice.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked wrapping my arm around her shoulders. They were shaking ever so slightly, and her chin was trembling. Damn, Bonnie. Why did she have to make Care feel bad? She had only been trying to be a good friend, to both of us.

"Yeah, I guess," she sniffed "I just didn't expect her to throw those words on my face like that. I am with Matt now, and I am happy. I do my best not to think about Damon, because honestly it still hurts. He wasn't nice. But… I like being in this bubble where I don't have to think about him, you know?"

"I know, Caroline, I'm sorry."

She nodded, and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"I look horrible," she groaned, turning around to stare at her reflection on the mirror.

"You look fine," I reassured her, and practically dragged her out of the bathroom.

"Just tell me if you spot Matt. I don't want him to see me like this. I'm ugly." She pouted.

"You're not ugly, Caroline." I rolled my eyes.

I gasped when someone's hand grabbed my forearm, making me come to an abrupt halt. "Katherine," my breath hitched on my throat at the familiar name. I struggled to stay calm, telling myself that surely, it was just a coincidence. I took in the man that had spoken. He was tall, dark haired and with a beard. Nothing that stood out. Nothing that gave out whether he was a vampire or not. Not that they usually wore an "I'm a vampire" badge, or anything.

"I'm sorry, you have the wrong person," I whispered, trying not to panic. Who was I kidding? I had panicked the moment he had touched me. Now I was simply struggling not to show it. He had to be a vampire. There was no other way he could know of Katherine. He was a vampire. And an old one at that. Why was he in Mystic Falls?

"Elena, come on," Caroline urged me, a hint of worry in her voice.

"My mistake," the man apologised, slowly letting go of me.

I pulled off a weak smile, and then quickly walked back towards our table, Caroline right behind me. I needed some water. I needed some air. There was a good chance I was freaking out for no reason. But if I had learned anything during my few months in the vampire world, it was that there were no coincidences. That vampire hadn't just happened to walk in Mystic Falls. Was he looking for Katherine? Could he be looking for me? No, why would he do that? But even the mere thought of another vampire, apart from Damon, in our city made me very, very uncomfortable.

"Elena," Bonnie said softly, and I started looking towards her, when another voice called my name. This one wasn't coming from our table, though. No, this one was Damon's. I frowned as I turned to my side to look at him. He looked weird. Well, physically he was just fine, but his expression was wrong.

"We've got a problem," he announced quietly, his eyes full of anger and… fear? "and by problem, I mean global crisis." I shot up from my chair as he started gathering my stuff, and stared at him with my mouth open. What was he talking about? Had he seen me with that man? Or was this about something else entirely?

"I'm out of here," Bonnie growled through clenched teeth, and when I glanced over my shoulder, she was already walking away.

"Bonnie," Caroline yelled, and then looking at me apologetically added "I'll go with her. We'll talk later, okay?" I wanted to scream at everyone to stop. But everything kept going at the same insane speed.

I nodded wordlessly, running after Damon who was already halfway across the room.

"Damon, wait up!" I shouted, grabbing his arm, and forcing him to look at me. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Not here," he muttered, tossing me my jacket, and taking my wrist into his hand.

The drive to my house was shorter than I ever thought possible, and I'm sure that if it wasn't for Damon's vampire reflexes, we would have died in a horrible car accident. I had never before seen him so reeled up. His hands were clenching so hard on the wheel that his knuckles had turned white.

"Just spit it out, Damon. Purge," I muttered under my breath as he turned on the lights in my room, and I sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You are starting to sound an awful lot like me. And I don't mean that in a good way," he pointed out, taking his usual spot on the window seat.

"I know, it worries me, too," I rolled my eyes "but I'm pretty sure it wasn't the topic you had in mind for discussion when you barged into the Grill."

"I haven't barged in anywhere. I... made an entrance. I don't do barging. Not my style."

"And I don't do patience, lately, so you either tell me what happened, or I am going to start talking. And you're not going to like what I have to say."

Damon nodded, and ran a hand through his already messy hair.

"The tomb was opened, and all the tomb vampires are now free." Yes, that was the sound of my jaw dropping on the floor.

"What?" I blurted out.

"Here comes the history lesson," he said resting his head against the wall. "Back in 1864, Katherine had a friend, Pearl. She was trapped with the rest of the vampires inside the tomb, when the council raided the city, but her daughter, Annabelle, was never caught. Anna, as she goes by now, came back to Mystic Falls, knowing about the tomb, and the Bennet crystal. She watched me screw up every chance to open that tomb and then, she found out that there was another way to get in there. She got a witch to do the spell for her, and she got her mommy back. And that leaves us with a tough nut to crack."

"Wait, so, you're saying Katherine is out there now?" I asked, shivering at the thought.

"I'm saying twenty seven starving vampires are now on the loose. And as it turns out, Katherine was never into that tomb."

"How? I mean… she was taken away, wasn't she?"

"Katherine has her ways, I guess," he shrugged his shoulders indifferently. But his eyes told a different story. He was nowhere near okay with everything. He was just covering it up. "She pulled some strings, raised her petticoat and got someone saving her pretty ass." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"There was a man at the Grill earlier," I whispered, knowing that he would be able to hear me "he called me Katherine." His eyes shot up at me.

"And?"

"He just apologised, and let go of me. I'd almost swear he was a vampire, Damon."

He stayed silent for the next minutes, standing up to slowly pace towards me.

"Damon," I breathed, wrapping my fingers around his wrist. His eyes opened, and instantly met mine.

"What do you think they were doing at the Grill, Elena? Why haven't they just fed and taken off?" he said with a frown etched on his forehead. I gulped down. I knew what he was trying to say, of course I did. But hearing it from him made it more real. "If they're still here, it means they want revenge. Revenge on those who stole their lives, their homes."

"The founding families," I whispered, and he nodded. "But we are not the same people. No one even knows about them, and even if we knew, we aren't responsible for what happened in 1864. It's a different century, now!"

"Vampires don't care about that, Elena. Time means nothing to us. We want revenge, we take revenge. This is how we are. "Damon sighed. "Things in Mystic Falls are about to get bloody."

"I'm the first person they'll come after," I mumbled quietly. His jaw clenched. "Even if it's just out of curiosity, just to see why I look like her."

"Well, look at that," he chuckled "is this my turn to save you, now?"

"It's not just me, Damon," I replied, shaking my head from side to side. I appreciated his humour, but we had to be serious about this. Lives were in danger. "They'll be after all of the founding families. Jeremy, Caroline, and her mother, Mayor Lockwood, and his family, they're all in danger," I whispered, the dangerousness of the situation finally sinking in.

"Hey," he said firmly grabbing my shoulder, and bending his waist to stare down at me. "They've spent the last century underground, with no blood, and no contact whatsoever with the real world. This gives us an advantage. They will need time to regroup, and fit in. We can use that time to come up with a kick ass plan. It's global crisis, but we can deal with it." I nodded, even though I couldn't exactly share his optimism. He was strong, no doubt. But he was on his own. I didn't know much about vampire strength, but I was pretty sure that the saying "strength in numbers" applied even to their race.

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows in confusion when Damon reached into his pocket.

The fingers of his right hand were clasped tightly together, hiding whatever he didn't want me to see. The hesitation was clear in his stance. He bit down on his lip thoughtfully, eyebrows furrowed.

"Remember how your ancestors grabbed their pitchforks and went after the vampires?" I nodded. "Well, they used this to find them."

"But this is Jeremy's pocket watch, how did you get it?" I asked in surprise, when he placed the old device on my nightstand.

"That sad excuse of a reporter had it on him the night Vicky killed him," he shrugged "I took it."

"Logan?" I picked it up carefully, and gently pulled off the lid. "Oh, what happened to it?" I asked sadly, as I traced with the tips of my fingers the once valuable antique. Jeremy would be furious if he found out it had been ruined. Come to think about it, how had Jeremy let it out of his sight, anyway? Except if maybe Logan had sneaked into Jer's room, and stolen it.

"It's not a watch, Elena. It's a compass… and... what do you think it points at?" He blurred across the room, and my eyes widened as the needle started spinning wildly. Until it was pointing straight at Damon. Oh God. That was how the founding families had rounded up the vampires. That's what the compass pointed at. Vampires.

On the wrong hands this could be murderous.

Well, then we have to make sure it will never fall on wrong hands, I thought to myself, as Damon slipped the compass back into his pocket, staring at me pointedly.

He was older, and craftier. He'd be able to hide it better than me. No objection there.

Well, hello, you amazing readers!

I hope you're all safe and feeling good!

I'd like to thank you all for your support, either if it's just by following/favoriting this story, or by leaving a review. It means a lot to me reading your thoughts, so keep that in mind! ;)

Over the last few days my muse has come out of hibernation. Well, actually both my Learning To Love Again and You Can Never Be Sure muses have awakened. I am planning to grab this opportunity, and work on some new chapters, hopefully for both stories. I've actually already almost finished a chapter for YCNBS, but it needs to be edited, and then beta-ed, etc.

The point is, I want to focus on the actual writing part for the moment, so, the next LTLA update will come during the first weekend of December.

I hope you'll all still be with me till then.

P.S. A big 'thank you' goes to my awesome beta Grace4Delena . She has been super patient with me! Do me a favor, and go read her one-shots! They will give you the best insight into the wonderful character that is Damon Salvatore. Go!

You can follow me on twitter: ts_eirini

Take care of yourselves,

Eirini.