The Highly Anticipated Chapter 3... ;) ;) Sorry for the excruciatingly long wait. I was caught up with The Babysitter and I had the flu, blah-blah...I'm better now, and I am going to be updating this story much more frequently now:)

I have to thank each of my amazing reviewers: StarfishOnTheBeach, a kay4444, BecomingScarlett, MelissaSomerhalder, Dark-Supernatural-Angel, TheEnd955, DamonToMyElena, Skating-on-glass, KellyJo93, missemerald90, Nikkii23, missstvd, GingerGeorgia, palmbeach, 123Cancerian, kaybaby1127, luly2115, dolphin62598, Guest, TheAbigailIvashkov, CharlSmith, Catherine, nightmares and dreamers, D's Blue eyes, XxsophieCxX, Delena4eva, sunrise4ever, & Nunee! THANKS:) *hugs* You guys are awesome!

DISCLAIM: I own nothing, not TVD, not any references to TV channels, nada! Well, except the fake TV show 'Victoria Says'; I made that up.

The Lucky One

By Diana AKA DeeReadinQueen

Chapter 3 - On-Screen Chemistry

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Today is the day that I'm being introduced to three possible Mary Porters, and I'm so excited. Whoever is chosen will be working with me almost as closely as the leading male, Lukas Moreau. I feel much more at ease with the auditions after the dinner with Ric, Klaus, and the other Mikaelsons. Klaus assured me that my opinion matters to them; he wants me to be happy with the cast as much as he is. Maybe my presence at the interviews will be for more than just 'chemistry' after all...

"Elena?" One of the production assistants, Kimberley, taps my shoulder and holds out a few sheets of paper clipped to a clipboard. "These are for you. It's the script for today's scenes with Mary Porter. You don't have to memorize it; you can bring in your script to read from. You have about thirty minutes until the first girl is set to arrive, okay? I'll come back for you when they're ready."

"Thanks, Kimberley," I reply with a smile, making sure to say her name so that I commit it to memory. I was a waitress for years at the Mystic Grille, so I know how it feels to be waiting on someone, and I don't want to be known as the bitchy lead actress. I want to have a good reputation, and remembering the names of the PA's is a nice start.

I can tell Kimberley is glad I remembered her name, because before she walks away, she asks, "Do you need anything? There's coffee and hot chocolate, if you're interested."

I reply gratefully, "Hot chocolate sounds really good, thanks."

While she is gone, I scan over the scene I'll be reading from with the potential Mary Porters. I haven't gotten this far into the full script yet, but I recognize the part from the book. It is when Katherine and Mary get into a small argument over Katherine trusting Lukas, and then Mary relents that her best friend is smart and knows what she's doing. The scene is cut short, to keep the audition at a more reasonable length of time, and now that I've looked it over a few times I'm much more comfortable with the idea of acting it out loud. Kimberley returns with my drink, and I thank her once more before sipping it quietly as I practice my lines in my head.

"They're ready for you now, Elena," Kimberley calls from the doorway of the small office they stuck me in while they prepped the conference room for the audition. I asked Klaus at dinner why the auditions weren't held in the studio, and he said it's because they just built a new studio, and it's not quite finished yet. It should be ready in less than a month, according to Klaus and Elijah.

I follow Kimberley through the long, maze-like hallways of the temporary 'Vampire Huntress' studio location until we reach the audition room. The cameras are set up, the panel of Casting Directors is in place, and everyone is ready to roll, except for me and the girl auditioning for the part. I say hello to Klaus, Rose, and Trevor, who all seem very happy to see me, but are probably more excited to finally be filling another leading lady role in the film. After exchanging pleasantries, I am quickly put into place and given directions, and then the first girl is brought in.

Before the third and final 'Mary' was brought in for her audition, I was a little disappointed. I didn't think either of the previous two girls fit the part of Mary Porter very well. One of them didn't have the look at all, and the other was too mean. Mary is supposed to be a good witch, not a psychotic witch. She's not one of those haggard witches with warts on her nose, brewing nasty smelling potions in the cellar from a black cauldron. She is young and scared and trying to do the right thing for her friends and her town. I was starting to wonder if maybe I gave Trevor and Rose too much credit after my auditions with them. Maybe it wasn't just me who got lucky, but them too, because Ric spotted me in NYC and he took the chance to snatch me up. If they were as good at their jobs as I thought they were, then an amazingly perfect Mary Porter match should be standing in front of me right now...

"Hi, I'm Bonnie Bennett."

My eyes take in the sight of the caramel-skinned brunette standing before me. She smiles confidently as she extends a hand for me to shake. Her teeth are pearly white, so white I feel the need to go buy some whitening strips after I leave here because mine must surely be yellow in comparison. Her dark-brown, nearly black hair is a few inches past her shoulders and styled into loose curls, and even though her eyes are a deep shade of green, and not brown, the over-all appearance does match Mary Porter's description.

"Hi," I respond enthusiastically, taking the hand she offered and giving her a smile, "Elena Gilbert." Wow, I think to myself, nearly gushing out loud in excitement, It's Mel from Victoria Says! I release Bonnie's hand and can't resist the urge to tell her, "It's so nice to meet you. I used to watch your show, Victoria Says, when it was still on. I'm disappointed they don't play it much anymore." The show first aired on Disney Channel when I was in eighth grade, and lasted right up until my senior year in high school, when they filmed the last season. It was sad to see it end, because I felt like a grew up with Victoria and Mel, and I did, really. Victoria was played by Caroline Forbes, and she is the same age as me, and because I used to be a celebrity gossip snoop like all other teenage girls, I know Bonnie is also the same age.

"Thanks," Bonnie smiles, "But everyone knows it was Caroline's show, not mine." She winks to show she's only joking, but her statement is true. Caroline was Victoria, whose name is in the title, and she was the main character. Mel was Victoria's level-headed and book-wormy best friend, who some may have found boring, but I could relate to. "I'm kind of glad they stopped playing it, but I might feel differently in another...oh, ten years or so. Maybe by then people will stop calling me 'Mel'." She laughs and I smile.

I am a little confused, but...I guess I never thought of it from her perspective. I'll probably be thinking that way pretty soon, though. Before I know it, everyone will be calling me 'Katherine' instead of Elena. I'll be filming and promoting and working on things for Katherine Pierce: Vampire Huntress for the next year, almost, and I very well could be sick of it by the end. I don't know yet. I'll know what Bonnie is feeling after making this movie though, I'm sure. But until then, I'm still feeling the slight giddiness of meeting a star I grew up watching on TV. Bonnie may not have appeared in too much since Victoria Says, but I'm delighted to meet her, and definitely glad now that I didn't call her 'Mel' when first laying eyes on her.

"Maybe they'll be calling you 'Mary' soon, love," Klaus calls from his chair, re-focusing me to the task at hand: the audition. "I want you two to do start with a different scene," Klaus informs us, gesturing for Kimberley to retrieve the papers on the table and pass them over to Bonnie and I. "Try and get into character. Be Katherine Pierce and Mary Porter, okay girls?" Bonnie and I nod. "Good."

Bonnie takes a moment to read over her lines, and then lowers the page, her face calm and focused. I wish I'd had her nerves when I auditioned. It took much coaxing from Rose and Trevor to be comfortable enough to break through my emotions during my third and final audition. Thankfully, I did manage to show them enough potential, and I am happy for that. I copy Bonnie's movements, taking my place on the little X-marker on the floor, which was specifically placed so I'd know where to stand during the audition. Once in place, the cameras start to roll, and Klaus cues the knocking (done by Kimberley on a block of wood) which indicates the start of the scene.

Katherine has just arrived to her hometown for the first time in two years, since her family was murdered by vampires. She's been gone, training to be a vampire hunter, and hasn't seen Mary in a long time, but now she has a plan to get revenge. The scene starts with Katherine knocking on Mary Porter's front door.

Upon hearing the knocking, Bonnie's face lights up, and she gasps, "Kat!" Stepping forward, Bonnie grabs one of my hands and tugs me forward a few inches, as if pulling me inside. "Come in, come in!" She abruptly drops my hand and wraps her arms around me, breathing out a sigh of relief as she says, "Oh my God, I missed you so much."

Bonnie being so in-character has definitely put me into the mind-set of Katherine Pierce, so when she pulls away, I attempt to act as Katherine would. I already read past this scene in the script, so I know that right before this part, Katherine ran into a vampire on the road and killed him with one of the many stakes she has hidden in her car. She is a bit shaken up, but mostly she's vengeful. She came back to town for one reason and one reason only, and she wants to focus strictly on business.

Ignoring 'Mary's' questions, I ask her seriously, staring her straight in the face, "Did you make the call?"

Bonnie rolls her eyes, turning away from me slightly as she replies, "Of course I did. Is that all you have to say to me?" She flicks her eyes back to me, frowning slightly to show that she is a little hurt by my words. "It's been a year, Kat. Can't you be my best friend for a few minutes, and then go off on your vampire slaying revenge quest? Please?" Bonnie shifts her body back towards mine, touching my shoulder lightly with the tips of her fingers as she suggests, "Come on...I'll make you breakfast. Tell me how you've been."

Bonnie and I glance at the script sheets, as the scene changes from the front door of Mary Porter's house to the kitchen, and then we resume. Two chairs have been placed strategically for Bonnie and I to sit at, pretending to be eating at the kitchen table. Klaus wants us to continue on for another page, and stop mid-way through the breakfast chat between Katherine and Mary. Then, we're going to take a five minute break, and read from the argument scene I practiced with the other two auditioners.

Remembering that this is where Katherine finally starts to soften, I speak genuinely as I read the next lines, "Thank you, Mar...For breakfast, for the favor, the many favors...I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I've been telling you this for years," Bonnie replies, her tone light and teasing. "You're welcome." After a moment's pause, Bonnie queries, "How have you been, really?"

I blink a few times, avoiding her steady gaze, sucking on my bottom lip as I try and appear conflicted. I take a slow, deep breath, and then meet 'Mary's' insightful stare, "I'm stuck, Mar. I can't move on. I don't know how to un-pause my life. All I can think about is that night..." I shake my head, knowing that Katherine doesn't talk about the Founder's Ball and her family's murder quite yet. I guess I'm improvising a little bit. I hope Klaus doesn't mind. "It's time to end all this, once and for all. I can't stand thinking about those disgusting abominations roaming the streets, feeding off innocents, and blindly killing those in their way. They have to be stopped. I can stop them now, Mar, I can do it." At this point, I'm rambling, slightly frantic and worked up over the topic at hand.

Bonnie smiles sympathetically. "I know, Katherine, I know." Her voice remains steady and smooth, as if she is Mary talking Katherine down from making any hasty decisions. "And it will be over soon. It will all be over. I want to stop them as much as you; you know that I do. We'll rid the world of vampires, I promise, but...we need help."

I nod, business-mode back in place after my brief semi-emotional moment. "I know what we need to do..."

I trail off, and Bonnie and I hold our poses for a few seconds, until Klaus gives us the 'end scene' call, and the cameras are shut off for the brief break. I smile at Bonnie before glancing over at Klaus, who has a pleasantly pleased expression on his face. I haven't seen him this happy all day, and I'm hoping that is a good sign. He must like Bonnie for Mary as much as I do. When she's speaking, I really feel like Mary Porter is standing in front of me, and I feel like Katherine Pierce. Is this the type of 'chemistry' Ric was talking about? Is this what Klaus was looking for? I thought he was talking about romantic chemistry, but it's something else entirely. It's not romantic at all, but on-screen chemistry between cast-mates is like a rhythm, a familiarity that usually takes years to develop, but I seem to have it with Bonnie right away. I feel completely at ease working with her, and I'd be ecstatic if she got the role.

During our five-minute break, Bonnie leaves the room to get a glass of water, and I take a moment to tell Klaus that Bonnie is my favorite of the three. I didn't wait for his response, but instead excused myself for some water as well. When Bonnie and I return and pick up with the second practice scene, I was even more comfortable with reading lines with her and ignoring the cameras that are in our faces. It is still awkward, if I think about it too hard, but I'm trying to get used to it since this will be my life for a while now. Klaus gives more direction this time, telling Bonnie and I exactly what he wants from the scene, and he even has us act it out a second time.

At the end of Bonnie's audition, Klaus asks Kimberley to take Bonnie in the hallway for a few minutes, and he discusses her performance with Trevor and Rose. I awkwardly eavesdrop, not sure I can consider it eavesdropping since I was never asked to leave the room. When Bonnie is called back in the room, I am 99.9% sure she is about to be offered the role on the spot. I am oozing with excitement for her.

"Well, Miss Bonnie Bennett," Klaus announces happily, "I'd like to offer you the part."

Without hesitating, Bonnie declares, "I accept. Thank you so much, Mr. Mikaelson."

"It was so surreal, Matt. First, I meet Caroline Forbes at dinner, and then today I meet Bonnie Bennett. Two actresses from my favorite show from high school, and one of them is going to be working with me. I can't even believe it still. Can you come pinch me just so I know I'm not dreaming?" I finally give Matt's ear a break from my constant jabbering. I have been sitting in the bathtub for the past half hour, catching up with Matt since we haven't had a chance until now.

"Why don't you pinch yourself, babe?" Matt asks, chuckling at my silly question.

"Because..." I mumble, eyes closed so that I can picture his face, "I want you to do it. I miss you."

"Aw, I miss you too, Lena," Matt returns sincerely. He reminds me, "I'll be there in two weeks to visit you, don't forget. It sounds like a long time, but it will pass quickly. You're going to be really busy, I'm sure."

"It is a long time," I correct, ignoring Matt's other comments. "It will be the longest two weeks of my life, because I haven't been away from you that long in years. Years and years...forever!"

"Now you're being over-dramatic," Matt tells me, "But I guess that's why you're going to be in a Hollywood movie, huh? It's going to be a hard two weeks for me, too. I don't want to be away from you, but it won't be forever."

"I know," I sigh, "I love you so much, Matt."

"I love you."

Yesterday, I actually got to spend the day at my apartment, setting up the rest of my things the way I want it and reading over the script. It was nice to have a relaxing day to myself after the first couple hectic days in L.A. Today, though, I am back in the make-shift 'studio' for the Lukas Moreau auditions.

I didn't tell Matt when I talked to him, but I'm kind of freaking out a little. I know the auditions aren't going to have any physical interactions or kissing or anything like that, but the fact that whoever this man is will at some point be kissing me...it's a scary thought! I think I'm even more nervous knowing that Damon Salvatore, Caroline Forbes' boyfriend, is one of the men auditioning for the part of Lukas. I don't want my favorite actress to hate me. I want her to like me. And I suppose it makes me nervous that he's so good-looking. He's more than good-looking; he's sinfully sexy. I have never kissed a man as sexy as him. Actually...I don't have a very long list of men that I've kissed, and the only man I've ever slept with is Matt, so that is yet another insecurity of mine. Will everyone know I'm not as experienced as most of the rest of Hollywood? Will it be obvious on-screen that I'm not comfortable? Will I be uncomfortable? It's so very, very nerve-wracking!

Almost like with Bonnie's audition, I was disappointed by the first two potential Lukas', but because I knew that Damon was the last one, I caused myself to become even more anxious about his arrival. Right before he is called in, though, I remember my conversation with Ric in the car ride back to my apartment after dinner. Damon is one of Ric's closest friends, and he really wants this part. He deserves a fair chance, and I promised Ric I'd try and use our so-called chemistry to his advantage. Damon just better be good...

"Hey...Elena, right?" Damon greets as he strides into the audition space, his intense blue eyes sinking into mine.

I nod, refusing to be caught up on his cuteness and distracted from my purpose here. "Yes...Damon," I answer him in the same tone he used to greet me, and then flash him a quick smile.

"Oh, you've met?" Klaus prompts from his spot next to Trevor and Rose.

I decide to answer Klaus' un-asked question, "Briefly. At BOA the other night, when I was leaving with Ric."

Klaus seems happy to hear this, and he allows Damon to chat me up for a few more minutes while he prepares the crew for the audition. I am pretty sure he was all set, but he wanted to give Damon and I the extra moment to become acquainted, so that we wouldn't feel nervous, and for that I am grateful. Damon surprises me by actually seeming like a normal, nice guy. He can't possibly be a normal, nice guy...he's dating Caroline Forbes. He's an ex-model turned actor. But he does mention his love for the Vampire Huntress novels, and that convinces me how much he really wants this role.

The scene we're practicing is the first scene that Katherine and Lukas appear together in. Lukas is looking for a vampire hunter with his witch, and they find Katherine, who has just slain two vampires outside of a bar. (I made sure the read this scene last night, as I had a hunch it would be chosen for the audition.) Lukas approaches Katherine, against his witch's better judgement, and that is where the scene begins. I follow Klaus' directions and start out at one end of the room, walking towards my goal of mid-way through the room, which is where my taped X marks the floor. Right as I reach the spot, I feel Damon's arms wrap around my middle, his body pressing up against my back as he places his free hand over my mouth.

"Hello, Little Huntress," Damon purrs in my ear, his lips so close I can almost feel them, but I remain in-character, struggling against him as Katherine should. "As sexy as it is to see a pretty girl like you stake a guy twice her size, I'm gonna have to ask you to come with me." His voice holds the perfect amount of sarcasm, making appropriate words humorous, and huskiness, making him ooze sex appeal.

He removes his hand from my mouth so that I can speak, and I spit out Katherine's defiant line, "Go to Hell!" Then, I fake a stomp to his foot, and he loosens his hold, as instructed by Klaus, enough for me to pull away just a little.

Before I step out of his hold, Damon snaps me back to him, this time twisting me around so I collide against his chest. He stares purposefully into my eyes, as Lukas is supposed to when he compels (which is like a vampire's ability to make a human do anything they say by placing them under their hypnotic stare and ordering it to be so) Katherine. Damon commands calmly, "You will come with me."

I glare, informing him, "That shit doesn't work on me." Katherine wears a necklace with an herb called vervain, which weakens vampires when injested and blocks their compulsion. At this point, Katherine is supposed to step back and get a good look at Lukas from the dim lighting in the alley outside of the bar. "You?" I squint, my question quiet, but sure.

Damon's eyes search my face for signs of recognition. As Lukas, he is unable to understand why his compulsion didn't work on the girl, and he doesn't like that she seems to recognize him when he doesn't. Lukas is distracted as Katherine pulls a stake out of her back pocket, and I discreetly pretend to hold a stake behind my back. Klaus told us beforehand that this part is really important, facially, because there has to be a range of emotions readable on both Lukas and Katherine's faces. I think Damon is doing a pretty damn good job. He is better than I thought he'd be. He has me really caught up in the moment.

Katherine gets really mad at this point, because she recognizes Lukas as one of the vampires who attacked the people at the Founder's Ball the night of her parents' and siblings' deaths. I twist my face in anger as I repeat my question, "You?" I breathe heavily in and out, working up my anger, before growling, "You just made a big mistake!" I twist my arm with the 'stake' in it free from Damon's grip, and pretend to plunge the stake into his heart.

He falls to the ground 'dead'.

It's actually almost funny to watch, but I resist the urge, because I know Klaus would be not so happy about that. Besides, Lukas doesn't really die. He is an Original Vampire, which means he was one of the first made and therefore an ordinary stake can't kill him. A regular stake can kill him for a short amount of time, but after it is pulled out, by his witch who witnessed the whole scene, he will heal quickly and be perfectly fine. Katherine didn't know at the time that Lukas was an Original, but obviously she finds out later, otherwise this would be Lukas and Katherine's only scene together.

I step out of the scene, and allow the stand-in for Lukas' witch to replace me, so they can finish the remainder of the scene for Damon's audition. The stand-in is another one of the Production Assistants, one I haven't met yet. She seems a little awkward and out-of-place, but it's Damon's audition not hers, so it doesn't really matter what she looks like. She pretends to pull the stake from Damon's chest, and he gasps for air a few moments later, trying to 'recover' from Lukas' temporary death.

Damon looks at the PA in confusion, and the girl reads her line from the sheet in her hand, "Yes, before you ask, that girl killed you. I told you that you should've waited for me to do a spell. Now she's gone, and I don't know if she's the huntress."

Despite the PA's dry reading, Damon remains completely in-character as he gazes past the PA's shoulder, almost like he's envisioning Katherine's face. I can see that's what he's doing, and Klaus can obviously see it to because he looks damn proud of this performance so far, and it's not even on a real set! "She's a huntress," Damon breathes, "That's for sure. She's also a Council Member. She..." He blinks in confusion, like a newborn baby seeing the world for the first time, "She knew me. It was personal. I think she...she must have been..." He stutters, trailing off again as he clearly tries to think of how he knows the girl. Finally, he concludes, "Who was she?" His face holds not only confusion, but longing, and anger, and curiosity all at the same time.

Damon Salvatore is definitely not just a pretty face, I think to myself, a devilish smirk appearing on my face for a moment. Until I realize it is totally his signature smirk that I'm doing, and I wipe that shit off real quick. I don't want to get caught doing that. What is wrong with me? He wasn't that good, was he?

Yes.

Okay, he was. He totally was. I am a sucker for those pretty blue eyes, though. But thankfully, and this is my only saving grace here, Matt has blue eyes, too. So, I can at least be reminded of my loving and supportive boyfriend back home, Matt. I am okay with admitting that Damon has more acting talent than I originally suspected, despite seeing his movies in the past, but I am not okay with the woozy-in-the-knees feeling that accompanies Damon. I don't want Matt to have any reason to regret letting me choose to take this opportunity when it was presented to me. I don't want to get caught up with some guy who has clearly been in L.A. longer than me, and dates hot, young A-listers on the regular. Currently: Caroline Forbes. I don't understand why this is such a big deal, but I feel completely torn between wanting Damon to get the part of Lukas, and not wanting him to. I feel guilty for wishing him ill luck, though.

Thank God Klaus didn't ask my opinion when making his final decision for this one. He already had his mind made up. He didn't even ask Kimberley to show Damon to the hallway.

He just states, "Brilliant, mate. Well, it's no competition. You definitely have the part."

Damon's smile is slow, but it spreads from his lips to his cheeks and all the way up into his sparkling blue eyes. He looks really, really happy. Happier than even I looked when I got the call-back from Ric. I decide I'll give Damon the benefit of the doubt. Not everything the gossip magazines and E! News say can possibly be true. He might not be anything like the cocky womanizer he's made out to be. Even if he is, I just have to remind myself that he's Caroline's problem, not mine, and I have Matt waiting at home for me. We'll work together, make the best movie ever, and hopefully make Katherine Pierce: Vampire Huntress so popular it completely obliterates Twilight. Well, okay, that is probably near impossible, but as long as the film does well, I'll be happy.

I just don't want to be a failure. I don't want to let anybody down. Least of all, myself.

Please Review!

Sorry if the end seems a little abrupt, but I have an idea for where to pick back up, and I didn't want to make this chapter any longer than it already is, so I hope you enjoyed! Next update will be up much sooner than the last:)

-Dee