GILBERT HOUSEHOLD

It was Saturday morning, and Damon had been locked away for 4 days, there was also a town alert that Vicki Donovan had gone missing; unfortunately, Aella and Stefan had no clue that the two problems were together partying like it was 1992.

Matt had shrugged off Vicki going missing as if it was a regular occurrence because unfortunately, it was. He had been brought up with his mom doing it and had eventually got used to his sister doing it too. He honestly believed she had finished with the drugs after she was attacked in the forest, but once again, he was proven wrong.

It was Tyler, who had finally noticed Vicki missing on Friday, 4 days after she had last been seen by Jeremy when he alerted the police and Sheriff Forbes quickly made the town aware. What no one knew, other than the Town Council, was that Vicki's purse and ID had been found at the site where 3 other teens had been killed and burned; only the Council had this information, and they were hoping Vicki was on a drugs bend rather than lying in a ditch with puncture marks on her neck.

Aella and Stefan were woken by her alarm at 9am, both of them groaning at being woken awoken by her alarm on a Saturday. But it was not a typical Saturday... It was Halloween.

Aella's eyes flew open as she realized the day, jumping to her feet and out of Stefan's arms, as he groaned again - this time at being jostled as she stood, "It's Halloween!!!!" Aella giggled.

"All Hallows' Eve," Stefan nodded a sleepy smirk on his face at his girlfriend's glee. "Where all the Spirits on Earth become ever stronger, blurring the line between life and death."

"Also known as the most awesomest holiday ever" Aella fist pumped the air before kneeling back on the bed next to Stefan. "The girls and I are picking ours, and yours costume today."

Stefan covered his face with the pillow, "Do I have to?"

"Yes!" Aella practically scolded him, pulling the pillow off his face. "I promise, it's an awesome costume."

"Fine," Stefan playfully grumbled as Aella got up to choose her outfit for the day.

"What are you up to today," She asked from inside her closet.

Stefan wiped the sleep from his eyes and sat up, "Matt and Tyler invited Jeremy to play pool at The Grill, Jeremy asked if I could come, I think he's hesitant."

Aella stuck her head out of the closet, surprise on her face, "Matt and Tyler invited J? Matt I can understand but Tyler."

Stefan only shrugged, "He's not been so bad since Vicki's not been around. He and Jeremy get along now, and he's not trying to break my fingers in football training anymore."

"Are you sure you're okay to go with J?" Aella asked, back in her closet.

"He's a cool kid," Stefan smiled, even brighter when Aella stuck her head out of her closet again, her tone way to serious, "I know."

Stefan picked up his diary, opening it to the last page he wrote in, he loved these ordinary moments he shared with Aella, "So what are the costumes you've chosen."

Aella came out, dressed to shop, as she tutted almost insulted, "No spoilers!" She kissed his lips goodbye and ran out to brush her teeth before she picked up Elena and Bonnie from Bonnie's (they had a sleepover), then picking up Caroline and going to get their costumes.

Stefan laughed as she stumbled out, yelling 'I'm okay' to him before he started writing in his diary. He words more joyful and uplifting than ever before.

SALVATORE BOARDING HOUSE

Damon compelled Vicki to think she had never tasted blood before so they could party like they had done her first night, it was a fun night, and he had repeated this every day so far, only now he was starting to get bored.

He had tried the barrier two more times before he could no longer force himself to endure the pain, Pixie was smart, he had to give her that.

"I am so over Tyler, so over him. I knew from the beginning..."

Here she went again. The same old bull every day, did this chick think of nothing else other than her depressing life? Cutting to his favorite part, he asked her, "Do you think I'm hot?"

Vicki stopped her boring spiel about Tyler and Jeremy and looked over to him with a wide grin, "You're, like, totally cool and so hot."

"I know," Damon smirked, that was entirely his favorite part.

Vicki then did something different and ran past him heading upstairs, Damon frowned, they usually stayed downstairs dancing. He walked at a human pace following her, only to find her in Stefan's room jumping on Stefan's bed making a mess. Damon joined her and threw Stefan's records like frisbees as Vicki tossed his pillows around, not caring if she knocked something over. As he walked past Stefan's desk he knocked off the Glass Candle Holder, smirking as it smashing, he laughed as he broke the lamp into the wall until he saw the old picture on Stefan's desk.

Damon froze in his place as he saw her face, so alike Elena's but yet so not; Katherine, his Katherine.

"Don't you wanna be in love?" Vicki asked at that moment, the wrong moment, a new subject this time but Damon wasn't bothered. His eyes still on Katherine.

"I've been in love. It's painful and pointless and overrated."

"Except when it isn't," Vicki sadly spoke, moving closer to Damon.

Damon put the photograph down and turned to Vicki, pulling her into his arms, close, "No more talking. Let's dance."

"My mom spends most of her time in Virginia beach with Pete. He drives trucks," she spoke like he was her therapist. "I don't remember my dad, but from what I gather, he's not worth remembering."

Damon sighed, he was getting sick of this 'woe me' attitude, "Your life is so pathetic."

Vicki tearfully nodded, "Yeah. I mean, I'm the screwed-up one. Matt's got it so easy! He's the golden boy; I mean, he's gonna get a football scholarship, and marry Elena, and have a lawn mower, and some babies. And when I think of my future, I just come up blank." She snuggled closer to his neck.

"You are so damaged."

"Yep."

Damon wanted a reaction, and he wasn't getting one, he turned the heat up, "I mean, you don't have one hint of self-esteem."

"Nope, none."

As he pulled her closer he saw her neck and an idea came into his head, "I think I know what can help you."

After 4 days with Damon, Vicki trusted him too much, "So what's that?"

He said it with no emotion, as though he personified that very word he said out loud as he snapped her neck, "Death."

MYSTIC GRILL

Stefan, Matt, Tyler, and Jeremy had been playing pool for a few hours, and things had been going well, Stefan wasn't used to not only having a girlfriend but having a group of friends; even if one of them was Tyler.

He had bonded with Tyler and Matt at football practice since Tanner had been killed, and had gotten to know Jeremy when he was at Aella's house, but it was the CarWash that had really started to solidify their new friendship. As sad as it was to think about, Matt, Tyler, and Jeremy realized the same thing as they played pool; it was more comfortable without Vicki.

"So, what's up with you and Forbes?" Tyler asked as he lined up the ball, it was him against Matt after Stefan had just beaten Jeremy. The winner played Stefan.

Matt shrugged watching Tyler miss, "Nothing's up."

Jeremy snorted causing Matt to look up and jokingly ask, "What are you giggling like a girl about Gilbert?"

Jeremy shrugged as Stefan took a drink of his Coke, Jeremy was finally getting comfortable with everyone, "I just think 'nothing' isn't the right word is all, especially after what I heard Aella shout in the hallway yesterday."

Matt groaned out loud as he missed his shot looking up to Jeremy and Tyler, "And I can't even be annoyed with A, because that's who she is, loud and oversharing-" he looked to Stefan "-not offense Stefan."

Stefan only chuckled, "None taken, I personally think she would love that description."

Matt smiled and nodded; yes she would.

"But like Jer said," Tyler smirked over at Matt bringing the attention back to him, "A lot of people heard what Aella shouted, and a lot of others heard what happened in the parking lot. Don't even try to deny it, bro. You were tapping that."

"No, it's not like that," Matt desperately shook his head.

"Never is. Until you become 'we' people, right guys," Tyler scoffed looking to the others.

Stefan smirked but didn't answer, he actually liked being a 'we' with Aella, while Jeremy just frowned in confusion, "What?"

Matt too, "'We' people?"

"Yeah," Tyler potted a ball and moved onto his next shot. "'We' can't make it to the party, 'We'll' never miss a game, 'We' don't like the color red."

Stefan had to snort at that one, along with Jeremy, "Red?"

Tyler just grinned cheekily at the vampire before potting the next ball.

"We hung out, once."

All three boys snorted at that answer as Stefan's phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Like I said," Tyler potted the black ball and looked to Matt in victory. "'We.' and already whipped. So sad."

"Talking about whipped," Jeremy smirked as Stefan checked his phone. "Is that Aella texting you clues for your costume again?"

'Damon' his phone read but no one knew of his brother still in Mystic Falls, and so he faked embarrassment and nodded as he answered the phone, the boys making whipping noises as he found a quiet spot to talk.

"What Damon?"

SALVATORE BOARDING HOUSE

Damon looked down at Vicki as she started to wake in transition and smirked down at her as he answered his brother, "I think you and Pixie need to come back to the house and remove this spell."

"And why would we do that?"

Damon simply held the phone between him and Vicki as she woke, "What happened? We were dancing, and then..."

"Then I killed you."

MYSTIC GRILL

Stefan felt himself freeze as he heard Vicki's voice and then Damon's words, Damon came back to the phone and Stefan didn't even give him time to speak, "How the hell did she get there?"

Did Aella's spell fail?

"That's the thing when you're doing a spell to keep people locked in Stefan," Damon smirked as he watched Vicki stumble around. "You better check the number of people first. Now get your tiny girlfriend to remove the spell, or I call a pizza boy and turn her into a vampire!"

Stefan glared at the wall in front of him and snarled down the phone, "Aella's not here, I'll call her, and we'll come over now."

"Good boy Stefan." Damon chuckled and then hung up.

Stefan took a deep breath to calm himself until he heard a familiar laugh as Caroline and Aella entered through the door beside him. Aella smiled when she saw him, hands full of bags, "What is this, meet your girlfriend at the door day?"

Stefan didn't smile, and so Aella's and Caroline's smiles dropped, "We have a problem."

AELLA'S CAR

Aella was fuming, she knew Damon was crazy, but to kill Vicki - that was it. Stefan was driving, as Caroline and he had refused to let her drive this angry, Caroline had decided to stay behind to hopefully make up with Matt before he learned the shocking news of his sisters re-appearance, while Stefan drove himself and Aella to the Boarding House.

"Do you know if the spell is for the supernatural only or would it affect everyone?" Stefan asked her as he turned into his driveway.

"I'm not sure," Aella sighed, batting her hair away from her face as she reread the spell from the grimoire. Aella re-read the spell, even though she remembered the spell didn't specify at all, "No, it doesn't say. But if Vicki's been killed with Damon's blood in his system wouldn't she be considered supernatural?"

Stefan shook his head as he put the car in park and turned the engine off, "Technically she's in transition, so she wouldn't be considered supernatural."

They got out the car when Stefan's head turned towards the house, "Vicki just screamed."

"Crap," Aella winced as she Stefan ran towards the house stopping just before the barrier to see Vicki run out of the house, Damon just behind her answering Stefan and Aella's question when she ran straight through the barrier into Aella's arms while Damon bounced off the invisible wall again screaming in agony as he was flown backward.

Vicki held onto Aella, sobbing and spluttering so much Aella was unable to understand her, "Shhh Vicki, I got you."

"He killed me," Vicki, now making sense, sobbed. She pulled back from Aella and screamed into the house, more pissed off than upset, "That asshole called me damaged and broke my neck!"

"I see we've gone from upset to angry pretty quickly," Aella muttered as Vicki shouted some pretty creative profanities at Damon as the older Salvatore struggled to get up again. "Kübler-Ross would be delighted."

Stefan stepped forward and leaned down to Vicki, "Vicki have you drank any blood since you woke up?"

"No," Vicki whined from Aella's neck but quickly looked to Stefan, "Can you get me some, please it was so nice. Please, I'll do anything!"

'Bargaining,' Aella mouthed to Stefan who nodded slightly at her that he had noticed.

"Let's take you home Vicki," Aella suggested leading Vicki to her car. "Matt's been worried about you."

Vicki looked up at Aella, hope in her eyes as she slipped into the backseat, "Matty? My Matty?"

"Of course your Matty," Aella smiled and slid into the back, ignoring Stefan's frown that it was her going in the back with the transitioning vampire and not him. Stefan rolled his eyes, he should have been used to Aella doing things like this and entered the car turning on the engine. He just put the car into drive when Vicki thumped his chair, "Wait, wait, wait, Matty can't see me like this!"

"Don't worry," Aella assured her, eyes meeting Stefan's in the rear view mirror telling him 'not to stop." She looked back to Vicki as she took her phone out her pocket and opened up her recent chat with Jeremy, "I am texting Jeremy now to keep Matt from going home, and because I am me, he will not question it."

"Good," Vicki viciously nodded, wiping her tears, sniffing the built-up snot from her nose.

"But you know we have to have a chat when we get to your house, right Vick?" Aella made her aware before they got to the Donovan household. Stefan had made her aware of how long Vicki had before she died.

Vicki just nodded, and Aella sighed sitting back in her seat, at least she hadn't freaked out, she was now just staring out the window, watching the trees and houses go by.

Aella watched Vicki for a few moments and when she saw a tear fall down Vicki's face and wondered if Vicki was now going through the stage of depression. She had been joking with Stefan earlier about Vicki going through the five stages of grief, but now as she watched one of her best friends sister cry, yell, bargain and now sadly stare out of a window; she now wondered if that was true. Stefan had told her that alongside Vicki only having 24 hours, before choosing to be a vampire or die, her emotions would be all over the place. She just didn't think it would be like the emotional capacity of a SIM character.

DONOVAN HOUSEHOLD

As soon as they reached her house, Vicki dived out of the car and ran into the house, heading to the kitchen and eating anything she could get into her hands, and then into her mouth. Aella ran in after Stefan and bent over, when they reached the kitchen, breathing heavily, "I am all for having a snack Vick, but to run to get a snack is not my thing."

Stefan stepped forward, ignoring his girlfriend, and walked over to Vicki motioning to the dining table, "Maybe we could sit and talk Vicki?"

Vicki just nodded with a mouth full of food, box of pop tarts, and cookies in her arms when she sat down with Aella and Stefan, and once her mouth was empty she looked to Stefan, "You know I remember what you did to me-" she glanced to Aella "-you too, at the hospital." She looked back to Stefan, "On the rooftop with Damon." She looked down at the food, now on the table, "Will I turn as mean as Damon now I'm a vampire?"

Stefan looked to Aella, his eyes slightly wide, Damon had told Vicki nothing. Aella rubbed her eyes, she could feel the migraine forming, she was pretty sure she was going to kill Damon next time.

Stefan took a deep breath and then looked back to Vicki, "Vicki, I need to tell you something..."