Damon was obsessed with the secret of Mason Lockwood to the point he'd managed to talk Ric into having Jenna host a BBQ and invite said man. The werewolf and the vampire had then spent the day poking at each other with verbal jabs and poorly veiled hints. The only reason Lucy hadn't just left and gone home was Stefan asked her and Caroline to stay away from the house today. Well, he'd asked Lucy to keep Caroline away from the house. The baby vamp currently sat beside Lucy on the couch looking just as bored as she was.

Lucy glanced at the time and sent Stefan a text that she was coming home, blonde bestie in tow. As the rousing game of Pictionary ended, Lucy grabbed Caroline's hand and dragged her over to Damon. "We're going home."

He frowned. "But you haven't had desert yet." His attention shifted from her to Mason and back again.

"You can stay but Caroline and I are taking the car." She held her hand out for his keys. "Have fun with whatever this is," she added as she gestured between the two men.

He dropped his keys into her palm before kissing her lips. "Alright, kitten. I'll see you at home."

"Be careful and behave," she told him only receiving a smirk in return. She shook her head and said a general goodbye before heading out the door. Neither of the women said anything until they were in the car.

Caroline turned in her seat to face Lucy. "This was super boring, right?"

"The worst."

They paused for a second before they both laughed. "Let's go home," Lucy said and started the car.

She took her time driving to the boarding house as her and Caroline chatted about the men in their lives. It was difficult to do it any other time since they were both men were vampires and the four of them lived together.

When they arrived home, Caroline decided to take her own car to go visit her mother. Lucy waved her off before stepping into a too quiet house. Stefan must be gone. She hated being alone in the boarding house. It was so big and felt horribly empty when there was no noise to fill it.

Lucy put the gun she'd taken with her to the Gilberts' house in the drawer of the table in the front hall. She headed toward the other room to turn the stereo on when she was suddenly slammed against the wall. Katherine stood in font of her with one hand wrapped tightly around her neck. Lucy's feet dangled in the air and the vampire snarled at her. Shit. Where was a stake when she needed one?

She grasped the vampy doppelganger's wrist with both hands trying to relieve some of the pressure on her throat. Fuck this bitch. Seriously.

"This is the third time I'm warning you to put some distance between you and the Salvatores." Katherine leaned forward and sniffed. "You're just lucky you still smell like Damon or I would have killed you already."

Lucy thought about asking how that worked out for her last time but she didn't want to tell the vampire Caroline was alive if she didn't already know.

"Now. I want you to leave this house and never come back." Her hand released its grip and she eyed Lucy expectantly, obviously waiting for her to do as ordered.

Lucy wrapped a hand around her neck and scowled. "We're at an impasse here, Katherine. You see, I'm on vervain and if you kill me, my family—which includes the Salvatores—will be most displeased, as my uncle would put it. So why don't you fuck off?"

The answering backhand sent Lucy to the floor with the force of the blow and pain exploded through her cheek. "Your family will get over it."

Lucy laughed as she smirked at the elder doppelganger. "Oh, Katerina. Uncle Elijah is going to be so pissed at you."

Katherine stilled as her eyes widened. "What did you say?" Her voice was quiet, tight.

The human pushed herself to her feet. "Which part? The part where I used your given name, Katerina Petrova?"

She licked her lips. "There are lots of places you could have gotten that information."

"I'm sure there are. Elijah mentioned it yesterday."

"Elijah who?" She stretched out the question as if afraid of the answer.

Before Lucy could respond, Damon was suddenly standing between the two women. "You okay?" he asked with the barest of glances to his girlfriend.

"Yeah." She winced at the rough edge to her voice.

"What are you doing here, Katherine?" If his anger hadn't been clear in his voice, it certainly was in the set of his shoulders and the way his fists clenched at his sides.

Faced with one of the Salvatores, the female vampire's mask of fearlessness and indifference was back in a blink. "We were just having a conversation, Damon. Calm down."

A hand settled on Lucy's back and she jumped in surprise. She turned to find Stefan standing beside her. The shirt over his abdomen was soaked in blood and she could only assume Katherine had staked him. "Are you alright?" she asked in a low tone.

He nodded before placing his fingers under Lucy's chin to tilt her head back. She winced at the pain the movement brought with it. He scowled, his brow furrowing as he traced his fingers lightly over the skin that would soon be bruised. "I should be asking you that."

She hadn't even been listening to the conversation between Damon and Katherine, but looked over when the vampire turned to sashay out the door. "Remember, boys. Lose the dead weight or you'll regret it."

The silence stretched for a beat once she was gone. "Was she calling me fat?" Lucy asked to break the tension.

Both brothers huffed a laugh before Damon turned to pull her against his side. He ran his gaze over his brother. "You better hunt."

Stefan nodded once and shifted his attention to Lucy. "Where's Caroline?"

"Went to see her mom."

He nodded again and let out a breath. "Katherine's been watching. She knows Caroline isn't dead. She made it very clear she's not happy about it, either."

"Yeah, well, Katherine is a heifer."

A startled laugh came from Damon as he swept her up in his arms to carry her into the other room while Stefan left to go hunting. He sat on the couch, settling her sideways in his lap. "Are you okay?"

No, she wasn't, but she shrugged instead of saying that. She leaned her head against his chest and picked up one of his hands to play with his fingers. "I don't like that she can just come and go as she pleases, Damon."

He sighed and kissed her head. "Believe it or not, we have a plan for that. It'll be taken care of tomorrow."

She sat up to look at him in confusion.

"Our attorney is coming. We're signing the house over to you. Once you own it, no vampire can get in without being invited," Damon explained.

Her brows shot up. "Seriously? Why would you do that though? You could always just make me move into my own place."

"As if. Beside the fact that you are my girl and I love you, you're important to both of us. You accepted us unconditionally from the beginning. That's a rarity whether you realize it or not, baby." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

She grinned. "So, if Caroline and I are going to stay here, where are you and Stefan going to live?"

***

The next morning, Lucy signed the paperwork necessary for her to have control of the boarding house. It was much easier than she thought it would be. When she was finished, she escorted the attorneys out. She waited for them to leave before turning to the four people lingering by the front door.

"Please come in, my vampy friends," she said with a grin and a little bow.

Elena pushed by everyone else to come in first and Lucy scowled at her. The girl had come over to see Caroline and hadn't taken several subtle hints to leave. Lucy had finally given up when the baby vamp gave her a pleading look to just let it go.

The others followed, Damon coming in last. He kissed her cheek and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Feel better?"

She nodded. Before she could say anything else, Elena's voice drifted in from the other room. "I still can't believe you guys just gave her your house."

There was a pause before Lucy said, "How mad do you think Elijah would be if we turned her into a vampire just so I can keep her out of the house?"

He chuckled as he steered her into the other room.

"Jesus, Elena," Caroline snapped. "Enough. It's their house. They can do whatever the fuck they want with it."

The doppelganger frowned, her lip sticking out in a little pout. "I just want an explanation is all."

Caroline stood and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared down at her friend. "I'm going to tell you something you probably should have heard a long time ago. It's not always about you, Elena."