Jasmine and Lexi sat on Stefan's bed, both applying their makeup.

     "You have some serious emotional damage."

     "No, it's not what you think. She's not Katherine."

     Jasmine remained quiet during their conversation. Her mind was flooded
with memories of Stefan and Katherine. How she manipulated him, but also how he loved her. She might've made him forget the fact that she was a vampire, but his feelings for her were true. And it pained her.

     "Okay yes, yes the resemblance is what drew me in, but that's it. Katherine and Elena may look the same on the outside, but on the inside they are completely different."

     Jasmine shakes herself out of her mind wandering while Lexi applies her eye makeup, "so, Elena isn't a raging bitch then, huh?"

     "No. Elena is... Elena's warm and she's-she's kind, and she's caring, and she's selfless, and it's real. And honestly, when I'm around her, I... I completely forget what I am." Stefan's expression was one full of love and content. It made her smile, even if it wasn't her that caused it.

     "Oh, my god! You're in love with her." Lexi smiled and nudged him.

     "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

     Jasmine dropped her makeup back into her bag before looking at Stefan, concerned, "please, be careful, Stefan."

     Stefan smiled at his best friend's need to protect him. Be it from being killed or just simply from getting his heart broken. Jasmine meant the world to him and always wondered how lucky he was to be able to know her. He would do anything for her and he was certain that the feeling was mutual.

▪▪▪▪

     "Okay, well, I have to go see Elena, so I'll meet you two there?" Without a response, Stefan left, causing Lexi to giggle at his eagerness.

     "Come on, my love. We have a party to attend." Jasmine smiled and dragged Lexi to the Mystic Grill.

     There were several people inside the small restaurant. Mainly teenagers, but adults, as well. Jasmine noticed Damon talking to a blonde girl at the bar and waved at him. He sauntered over to them with his infamous smirk on his face.

     "Jasmine, wow, you look stunning, as always." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. He looked at Lexi with a bored look, "where's my brother?"

     "He said he'd meet us here."

     Damon holds his hand out to her, "buy you a-"

     Jasmine laughed as Lexi walked away from him. Lexi had told her what Damon had done to her back in the 70s, but she also told Jasmine to stay out of it, so she did. That didn't mean Damon didn't receive a powerful aneurysm the next time they saw each other.

     She took his hand in hers and led him back to the barely packed bar, "I could use that drink."

     He laughed and twirled her around to the music, "one of the many things I missed about you. You were always my drinking partner." He smirked and ordered them some drinks.

     Looking back to his friend, once lover, he smiled at her, "What is it about you that always puts me in a good mood? Hmm?"

     Jasmine laughed and smirked at the eldest Salvatore, "you ask me that every time we see each other, Damon. And as I recall, I always give you the same answer."

     "'It's because of my amazing hair.'" They smiled at each other, remembering their last encounters.

     Damon could never forget the day he met Jasmine. There was something about her that just lured him in. Her laugh was one of his favorite things, as it is for Lexi and Stefan, and knowing he's the one that caused it made him feel as if he accomplished the impossible, which wasn't true.

▪▪▪▪

     Damon and Jasmine were laughing and drinking until suddenly a blonde
caught his gaze.

     "Excuse me for a second, Jas." She rolled her eyes and turned her head to see Stefan talking to teenage guy who looked awfully familiar.

     She quickly went to go find Lexi and immediately dragged her towards their best friend. Stefan smiled once he caught sight of them.

     "Stefan! Let's dance! I'm buzzed and I was promised some fun." The youngest vampire groaned as his two friends gave him no choice in the matter, dragging him to the edge of the sea of teenagers.

     "Okay I'm gonna need a lot of more foot movement from you, Stefan." Jasmine laughed and twirled the blonde around.

     "Yeah, I'm not really-not really interested in making a fool out of myself." Stefan says as he awkwardly moved side to side between the girls.

     "Oh, come on, Stefan, you're not that bad." Both girls danced even closer to Stefan, trying to get him to move. After a bit of laughter and shimmying against him, he finally caved.

     "Do me a favor. Tell me if you see Damon with his camera phone."

     "No promises!" Stefan playfully glared at Jasmine before grabbing her hand and dragging her into the center of dancing teenagers. Lexi quickly followed behind, enjoying Stefan finally letting loose, even for a while.

     After a while of dancing, laughing, and drinking, the three decided to play some pool. Deciding it didn't matter who went first since they all pretty much sucked at playing pool, Stefan grabbed a pool stick and playfully ordered Lexi to arrange the balls in the center.

     Stefan hit the billiard balls, much to all of their surprise.

     "Nice!" He high fived Lexi and grabbed his drink from Jasmine.

     Laughter was the only thing that was commonly shared between the three
whenever they were all together. That and a lot of eye rolling, mainly from Lexi. They always waited and were glad for the day that they would all reunite. It was a sense of humanity that they desperately clung to.

     They all struggled with vampirism in their own ways. Stefan loved humanity more than most and was always torn apart when he let loose on his blood binges. Lexi had always feared the sun, with good reason, but even with a daylight ring she felt herself confined indoors during the day. Jasmine always felt alone and felt like the days would drag on forever, especially when she doesn't find something or someone to keep her grounded for the next couple years.

     They all feared becoming the worst of vampires that there is. Together, though, they knew they could fight it. That being a vampire doesn't mean anything when they're out having fun and laughing. They felt human.

     "I'm gonna go get us some drinks."

     Jasmine looked towards Stefan, a smile grazing her lips, "bet you ten bucks that she'll end up drinking our drinks before she makes it over here."

     "I'd lose that bet, so I don't think so." They laughed.

     Jasmine sat down on the edge of the pool table, nudging Stefan, "so, how's it going?"

     "Well, I already told you the most-"

     "I meant with your urges." Stefan sighed and placed the pool stick on the table. Turning towards her, he shrugged.

     "Most days I can control it, but others... I don't want to hurt anybody, especially now that I'm trying to be with Elena."

     "That's understandable, Stef, but if you just learned how to control it... you wouldn't hurt anybody." Jasmine placed her hand on Stefan's shoulder as he hunched over slightly.

     "I just can't."

     Rolling her eyes, Jasmine dropped the matter. It was his life, he could live it as he pleased.

     "I got you a little something."

     Stefan quickly stood in front of her, grabbing the small box in her hands, "Jasmine, you didn't have to."

     "Well, if you don't wan-"

     She smiled when Stefan decided to open the box, inhaling when he saw what was inside.

     "I remember when you told me about your mother's necklace and how you thought it was lost forever." She slowly grabbed the beautiful necklace from the inside, "I did some digging and ended up finding it in a small village in eastern London." She placed the jewelry in his hands and clasped his fingers around it. "I know how much she meant to you and how torn up you were when you lost the last piece of your mother you had."

     Tears welled up in Stefan's eyes as he looked at her. She reached up and wiped away a tear that managed to escape, "Jasmine, I don't know what to say. How-how did you find it?"

     Shrugging, she grinned at him, "just made a few phone calls, met a few people, it's no big deal."

     "Yes, it is. Thank you." They embraced tightly, letting go when they heard Lexi talking to Elena.

     "But, you're here... 'cause you're crazy about him, I get it okay? I mean what's not to love? Listen, take it from someone who's been around a long time. When it's real, you can't walk away."

     Jasmine could see Stefan's smile from the corner of her eye as she resumed her position. Lexi came back, empty handed, and was smiling.

     "Yep, I drank both of yours. Sorry."

     "Are you though?" Lexi shook her head and slightly pushed Jasmine, who was setting up her next shot.

     "Thank you." Stefan smile at Lexi, gratefully.

     "You weren't supposed to be listening." Lexi scolded him, but a tiny glimmer of humor was underlined in her tone.

     "Yeah, he's a little nosy piece of shit like that, right?" They all laughed while Lexi looked away bashfully.

     "I was feeling epic. Whatever."

     Stefan continued to smile at her until he glanced over at Elena, his expression neutralizing as he looked down. Lexi noticed the necklace in his hands and tilted her head, looking at Jasmine.

     "Hey, isn't that the necklace you told me you were practically searching each and every store in the world for?" Jasmine stared at her with wide eyes, shaking her head. Looking at Stefan's expression, Lexi quickly retracted her question, "or not. It's probably a different necklace. I'm drunk."

     "Nice save, Lex." Lexi looked away guiltily while Stefan looked at Jasmine with admiration.

     "You are something else, Jasmine Lillian."

▪▪▪▪

     "Lexi, you've been eyeing Damon this entire time. Just go talk to him." Lexi rolled her eyes, but did what the raven-haired vampire instructed her to do.

     "Okay your turn to rack them, Stefan." Stefan grabbed the triangle and racked the billiard balls. Elena came up to them and grabbed the pool stick that laid by Stefan. She smiled at him as he looked up, surprised.

     "Hi."

     "Hey."

     They both looked at one another until Stefan looked over at Jasmine, who rolled her eyes.

     "I guess I'll go mingle with the townies. Or not, I'm not much of a people person." Jasmine set her pool stick down and walked towards the entrance.

     She knew she shouldn't feel as if her friendship is being threatened by the doppelganger because Elena makes Stefan happy and that's all she ever wanted for him. Stefan deserved all the happiness he could get.

     Jasmine always loved taking walks by herself. She found it to be a way to clear her head and to cool her down whenever she was mad. She felt at peace. Something she rarely felt ever since she was turned.

     Something always broke that peace and the sound of bullets being shot is what did it this time. She quickly turned around when she heard Lexi groan.

     She ran towards Lexi's sounds of struggle when she noticed Damon raise a stake towards her best friend's heart. Without a second of hesitation, she raised her hand quickly, muttering a small "motus," causing Damon and everyone around Lexi to be thrown backwards.

     Lexi looked towards her and nodded, both already knowing what to do next. They grabbed hold of the nearest deputies along with the sheriff and sped them off towards the Salvatore Boarding house.

     Damon stood up quickly as Stefan and Elena came from around the corner. With his hands in his hair, Damon spun towards Stefan hoping his brother would know what to do. Instead, Stefan punched him repeatedly, anger evident in his eyes.