***

ELENA AND I WERE down in the cellar. Elena was looking inside through the bars at Stefan, bringing me back to when we had locked up Damon down here. Those weren't memories I was fond of. Damon was upstairs, drinking. He knew Stefan was going to fly off the handle, jump off the edge, but he didn't want to believe that it happened.

"It's so hard to see him locked up like this," Elena said, still watching him.

"Elena, if I remember correctly, you locked Stefan up in the first place," I replied, watching her. It was rough seeing her watching her bloodthirsty boyfriend lay there.

"You came up with the plan, Char," Elena defended, turning to look at me. She wasn't wrong. But she was getting off topic!

"Well, the council is looking for vampires, and I can't have Stefan getting caught now can I?" I rhetorically asked, "Besides, Damon was the true mastermind of this whole operation."

"Think it had anything to do with him actually caring about Stefan?" Elena asked me, leaning against the dark wall. She really cared for Stefan, and I loved that about her. Everywhere we went I saw girl after girl practically drool over Stefan and him turn them down. Elena.. she was different. For all
sorts of reasons.

"That's our thing, not his. He's hated Stefan for as long as I can remember. I'd like to think that Damon would make up with him someday, and forgive him for everything, but I don't think today is that day," I said sadly to Elena, and she only nodded at me. I could remember the great times with Stefan, very precious memories nowadays.

***

FLASHBACK
Stefan and I were staying in a hotel, completely drained from the night we had in Vegas. Stefan and I had been to Vegas together countless times throughout the fifties to the late eighties. He and I partied together till we dropped. I didn't drink much, I wasn't a fan of alcohol. But when you handed me a fruity drink, I'd start with one and end with me asleep on the ground. And it was Vegas. You always drink in Vegas.

We had just had the biggest night before, and we were both exhausted. Stefan met a couple girls, I met a couple guys. We danced, we badly karaoked, and we laughed. We laughed more than anything. I remember looking over at Stefan on the opposite bed, him patting the bed to come lay down with him. He needed to know I was alright after that night, he needed physical love, and most of all: he needed a friend.

We were both exhausted, so I walked over and laid down in the bed with him, turning to face him. "I think that was the best Vegas night we have ever had, Stef," I said softly. His eyes were a little red, his voice was scratchy and groggy. My hair was a mess, makeup all over my face. We were perfectly imperfect. It was the perfect evening.

The sunlight shone through the semi-opened curtains in the room, and my hair was all over my face. Stefan always hated that, because he said you could never truly get a look at me because of it. I always thought that was best. But he didn't. He reached up and brushed the hair away from my face, smiling at me. I smiled right back. It was perfect. We were the perfect duo, but we'd never admit it. That's why he and I got along so well.

I inhaled and took in the sweet scent of Stefan's cologne, him wrapping his arms around me as he held me closer. He always said he slept better when he was with someone. I just closed my eyes and embraced it, knowing that it would never get awkward between us. I laid there, my face practically in his chest as I started to doze off. He did too, and we fell asleep in each other's arms.

***

Elena and I entered the living room as Damon was looking at the unknown object that Pearl had given him. "Did you ever figure out what that is?" Elena asked, as Damon sat there with his bourbon, messing with it.

"Nope. Whatever it is, it doesn't work," Damon replied, looking at it still.

"And Pearl didn't tell you anything else about it?" I questioned him, as he turned to look at me.

"She thought she was stealing his vampire compass, but that was a pocket watch. That Johnathan Gilbert was a crazy scientist," Damon said, turning to Elena, "Have you spoken to your uncle lately?"

"I've been avoiding him, actually. That, and I've been here most nights," Elena replied.

"So, you'll be here again tonight?" Damon questioned. I knew he had some plans, or he wouldn't be so inquisitive.

"Is that a problem?" Elena asked, looking at the both of us. I mouthed 'No' and turned to Damon to see his answer. I can bet it'll be sarcastic.

"Yes. You're a complete nuisance," Damon sarcastically replied. Ding ding ding! 1-0 to Charlotte.

Elena chuckled and replied, "Ha. See you guys later." With that, she grabbed her bag and walked off to what I assume is school. I didn't go, because of the whole Stefan and Damon thing. I couldn't trust those two alone, not at all. I couldn't trust Damon or Stefan at all, right now.

***

Damon entered the living room after offering Stefan some animal blood. He said the vampire blood should've been out of his system by then, so he had went down to offer him some blood so he didn't desiccate down there. I looked up at Damon when he walked inside, "How'd it go?"

"It could've gone better. He won't eat," Damon replied, about to continue, but his cellphone rang. "Hello?" Damon answered.

"Hey, it's Alaric Saltzman," Alaric replied, as I listened in on the conversation with my hearing.

"Before I hang up, how did you get this number?" Damon rudely asked Alaric.

"Ah, it's a mystery," Alaric replied, before continuing, "Listen, I've, uh, been doing some digging on Elena's uncle. You interested?"

My eyes widened, and I nodded vigorously as Damon watched, and he asked as he looked at me, "What kind of digging?"

"I've got an old friend from Duke. Who studied criminology when we were there together. Let's just say he's become a very proficient digger," Alaric explained.

I gave Damon a gesture to go on with the conversation, "Well, did he find anything?" He mouthed to me 'Snoopy'. I only sent him a smile.

"Well, I had him run a track on John's cell records. He was getting a call from a number...The same number that Elena dialed to get Isobel. And then the number was disconnected," Alaric explained.

"Isobel knows John. Whatever. We knew that," Damon stated, making me sigh. I wanted to give Alaric a chance but Damon is going to ruin everything by being a snarky ass.

"Right. Well, after that, he started getting calls from a new number. And I had my friend run a geotrack. Got the address. It's...It's an apartment in Grove Hill," Alaric said.

"Isobel's in Grove Hill?" Damon asked simply.

"I don't know. I thought we could take a look and see what we find," Alaric said, and I loved that he used the term "we". Teamwork is the best work.

"Perfect. Give me the address," Damon demanded innocently.

"Oh, so you can go without me? No. I don't think so," Alaric explained.

"I'm not going with you. You tried to kill me," Damon replied to Alaric.

"Yeah, well, you did kill me," Alaric fired back.

"Roasted.." I muttered softly, causing Damon to give me a look.

"Where's Charlotte, by the way? She wasn't at school," Alaric said to Damon.

"She's at home with me, watching Stefan. In fact, she'll be staying back to watch him while we go to Grove Hill," Damon replied, sending a smirk to me. I gasped as he mouthed, 'Karma's a bitch'. That little..

I got a sudden call from Elena and answered it as I walked out of the room, "Yes?"

"I'm just grabbing some clothes, and then I'll be right over and we can watch movies and eat ice cream. How's Stefan holding up?" Elena asked me.

"He's being a little broody. He's not eating, from what Damon tells me," I replied as I walked to my bedroom upstairs, "And it's animal blood."

"He has to eat what's his favorite kind of.. animal?" Elena asked cautiously. "What is his preference?"

"Gross," I said softly, obviously joking. Although, it was true that I didn't want to think about that, even as an animal blood drinker too.. "Hurry up though, Elena. I can't babysit alone all night. It's not really.. safe.." I said softly. I knew I couldn't beat most in a fight. Especially not men.

"I would say, "drop dead," but..." Elena joked, then stopped herself, "Wait, alone? Where's Damon?"

"He's leaving in.." I listened in to his conversation from my bedroom, "About an hour. A guy's night out." I didn't want to tell her it was about Isobel since I knew Damon would be pissed if I did. "And Stefan likes... Deer. Deer is his absolute favorite. He could drink that all day everyday," I explained honestly.