My Black Knight

Damon was sat with Stefan and Matt in the Gilbert house lounge. He was bored out of his mind, staring at his lapis lazuli ring. Stefan and 'Mutt's conversation held no interest to him. Nothing seemed to interest Damon these days

Not since he had faced the truth and let go of Elena. Elena. His Elena. Just the thought of her sent shivers down his spine. The feel of her silky hair in his fingers, her soft delicate skin – no! He had promised himself that he would stop doing this! If not for Elena, then for himself. To preserve his dignity.

Damon had given her up. Damon – who never gave up or lost anything – had just given away the love of his love to his little brother.

But that's what love does to you – it makes you a man.

He had stepped back, to make her happy. And to not force her to choose between them, which would almost certainly tear her apart. Although he would hurt for the rest of his long life, Elena wouldn't.

"Whose party is this again?" said Damon.

"It's the Lockwood's. You remember Tyler, his parents. I think it's also meant to be someone's birthday party, but I don't know whose," said Stefan.

"And why am I going?"

"Because you promised Elena last week."

"So I did."
Suddenly Damon gasped and his ring – which had been balancing on his knuckles – tumbled down and rolled across the floor to rest at Stefan's feet. Stefan picked it up and frowned. Damon was never startled and he never dropped things, especially not his ring.

Stefan looked across the room at his brother. Damon wore a stunned expression, his eyes transfixed to something at the top of the stairs. Stefan followed his gaze and his breath caught.

All three men watched in awe as Caroline and Elena glided down the steps.
Caroline looked amazing in her green Miss Mystic dress and green high heels. She had her hair straightened out and make up naturally plain. In one hand she held her purse and the other her mask. Caroline's mask only covered her eyes' it was a simple green with silver feathers.

Elena wore a cream dress with spaghetti straps, intricate brown designs covering the delicate material. I looked up at her makeup, hoping she hadn't done the unthinkable – but of course she had. Elena had gone and worn her hair and makeup just as Katherine did. She had chosen to wear slightly lower heels than Caroline, with brown toe end and heel. Elena's mask covered her stopped up to her nose; it was brown with cream floral swirls.

She looked stunning. Even Matt was looking a bit guilty for paying her more attention than Caroline.

Damon fought hard to restrain himself as Stefan got up and strode towards her. He was hardly aware of the 'you look amazing' and 'not as beautiful as you' coming from Matt and Caroline. His eyes were still fixed on the scene before him.

Stefan stood in a gentlemanly way at the foot of the stairs, his arm outstretched for Elena as she made the last step. Elena's eyes scanned the room and she shot a dazzling smile at Damon before she turned to Stefan. The pair stood there for what seemed hours, completely lost in each other, as if the rest of the world no longer existed.

That should be me, Damon thought, I should be the one waiting for her; the one Elena was practically gawping at.

Who was he kidding? Just the sight of Elena in Stefan's arms was like an arrow through his heart.
Instinctively, his hands jumped to his chest, as if to pull out the imaginary cupid's arrow. Damon let out a sudden bitter laugh.

The others turned to look at him. Mutt and Caroline curious; Stefan incredulous; Elena … Elena yearning? What? But Elena had looked away too quickly for him to make any sense of anything.

If anything Damon wasn't, it was a man. He'd never taken rejection easily – he'd never been rejected! Who would reject him? No, he wasn't a man. Just a broken hearted vampire.

He was consciously aware that his hands were still on his chest and quickly made it out that he was flattening out his shirt as not to look so vulnerable in front of everyone. Now that would be a major embarrassment for Damon Salvatore's reputation. After all, how many vampires have you come across, that are in love with their little brother's girlfriend?

Damon caught Caroline's eye and winked at her; only half because he felt like annoying Matt and half to ignore Stefan who was looking at him suspiciously.

It worked. Matt was doing his best to get Caroline's attention back but she giggled at Damon. Stefan shook his head in disapproval and Damon just rolled his eyes at him.

"Mr. Salvatore," came a voice from the stairs. Huh? Damon had only been aware of two gorgeous maidens up there. But it was Jeremy.

"Gilbert," replied Damon in acknowledgment. "I thought we were passed all of evasiveness now and on first name basis, Jeremy."

"Huh, guess we are," grinned Jeremy. Damon looked Jeremy over. Jeremy wore a grey suit with black pinstripes. His mask was very boring. Just covering his forehead, eyes and nose; it was grey with black stripes. At least it matched his suit.

"So let's see," said Damon conversationally turning towards the others. "Caroline and Mutt-"
There was a chorus of "Matt!" from Mutt, Elena and Stefan.

"Yeah Mutt, whatever. Anyway, as I was saying. Caroline and Mutt. Stefan and Elena. I guess that just leaves you and me," said Damon, ending his sentence in a suggestive tone. Jeremy suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

"No chance, Salvatore!" sneered a voice from the doorway? God, where were all these people appearing from? The voice had come from the door. But the newcomer had a mask covering his face, similar to Jeremy's. He also wore the same suit as Jeremy, Damon noticed.

It was Tyler, a set of keys in his hands. As he spoke, he walked over to Jeremy and put his arm around Jeremy's waist. They had both decided to wear exactly the same outfit! How juvenile is that?

Then he realized that the other two couple had matched their color-codes too. Stefan wore a brown suit with cream pinstripes. Matt wore a grey suite with dark green pinstripes. Both of their masks were similar to Jeremy and Tyler's; Stefan's cream with brown stripes, Matt's grey with dark green stripes.

"No way! Your gay?" gasped Damon. He looked over at the others who looked amused. Great, he was the only one in the dark. As a reply, Tyler reached up and pecked Jeremy on the lips.

Damon made a gagging motion.

"Hey, that's hardly fair! A minute ago you wanted to go to the ball with me and now you're retching because I'm gay," moaned Jeremy.

"Pfft. You and me? I was being sarcastic. Get real Gilbert," said Damon with a wave of his hand. "Hmm, I wonder how these posh folk think of two men dancing together in a masquerade ball. Not highly, I'm guessing."

"Well at least we have someone to dance with. What about you Salvatore?" taunted Tyler.

"Shut it, Lockwood," was Damon's reply.

"Stefan, we're getting late! Could you hurry up already?" droned Elena. Damon stiffened. Something was wrong with Elena; she never spoke to Stefan in that tedious tone. Even Stefan looked a bit taken back but he spoke as if he hadn't noticed anything.

"Of course, Elena. Tyler?" said Stefan. Tyler jingled his car keys and led the way out.

"I am so not getting in to that dogs car," muttered Damon to himself. Stefan, with his super hearing obviously heard. He lingered back with Damon and ushered the others on.

But Damon just ignored his younger sibling and slid past him outside. Immediately he jumped back into the house. It might be only half seven but it was the summer which meant the sun wouldn't set for another hour and a half. Damon had only felt the lightest of the feeling of sunburn. Where was his ring?

"Looking for something, big brother?" asked Stefan.

"Where's my ring Stefan?" Damon growled at him. And when Stefan just shrugged his shoulders.

Damon turned on him. "Listen here little brother, I am not in the mood. Now why don't you just handover my ring, like a good boy, and then run after your human pet?"

"Elena is not a pet!" snarled Stefan. "You of all people-"

"Me of all people what, Stefan?" asked Damon when Stefan made no sound as if to continue.

"Nothing. Don't worry," said Stefan in a exasperated tone. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, just lie low on the nasty remarks and leave Matt and Tyler alone. Oh and Caroline, for god sake Damon, she's Matt's date! Promise me that much and I'll give you back your ring."

"I don't have to promise you anything," said Damon but Stefan had already pulled out the ring from his pocket and Damon snatched it from him.

Outside the Caroline and Elena had already gotten inside Tyler's new seven-seater Range Rover.

The boys were speculating over it. Damon rolled his eyes.

"Stefan, what was taking you so long?" purred Elena. She shot Damon a flirtatious look and he blinked in astonishment. He looked between her and Stefan and Stefan had his eye brows raised.

Elena had chosen Stefan over Damon, and so she shouldn't be allowed to look so desirably at Damon.

"Just checking the doors were locked properly," Stefan lied smoothly. Well at least he could do that much.

"Shotgun!" yelled Jeremy jumping for the front seat.

"You're all going to the royal ball together?" ridiculed Damon. He stared as Matt and Jeremy both buckled in.

"Well it's hardly royal and this way we do save a lot of petrol …" started Matt but Damon just glared him into silence.

"And who wouldn't want to get a ride in this baby?" added Jeremy.

"Well me, for one!" said Damon. "Stefan, really?"

But Stefan just shrugged his shoulders as if to say why not?

"Look I want you inside my car as much as you do which is at zilch zero at the moment. But can you see any other cars around?" snapped Tyler.

This was true. Well other than Mutt's banged up ford. Stefan and Damon had both left there sports cars aback at the boarding house and used the vampire speed skills to run to the Gilbert house.

"Who needs a car…" started Damon.

"Damon?" said Stefan, suddenly afraid of what his brother was imagining.

"Who needs a car when you've got this?" finished off Damon. Then he whistled as if calling his pet dog. Nothing happened.

"Stefan!" called Elena as if Damon's mischievous manners were all Stefan's fault. And for the first time ever Damon actually felt sorry for his brother for being with Elena. Something was up with that girl; it was as if she had been possessed while getting ready for the ball.

"Oh my god!" cried Caroline. She was pointing to something behind Damon. "What in the name of Jesus is that?"

Damon turned to look proudly at his beautiful black stallion. It was about fourteen hands tall, with an English black, leather, saddle, and silver tack. The horse tottered over to his master obediently.

"That, my darling is Storm," said Damon. He stroked the horse's back affectionately. "Or in other words, my ride to the ball."

"Storm? He's still alive?" said Stefan reaching over to stroke the horse himself.

"Well duh!" said Damon as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "A horse will never leave his master until his master leaves him. Even if he/she has to live a couple of hundreds of years for that."

"You just made that up," accused Stefan.

"Yep," said Damon. Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Then do you … do you think Lightening is still … would I be able to find her?" Stefan spoke of his
pet horse as if of a lost lover. Lightening was Storm's younger twin. Where Storm was a black beauty, Lightening was a white wonder. Lightening was slightly smaller than storm, about twelve or thirteen hands tall. They had both been a present from Damon and Stefan's father.

"Probably-" but Elena cut him off.

"Stefan, you can ride a horse? Why didn't you ever tell me?" she demanded.

"Ah-urm well … I guess it just never came up," Stefan struggled for words under Elena's piercing look. Damon could not believe his eyes! Whatever, this was Stefan. Damon had never felt sympathetic towards his little brother and he wasn't about to start now!

"Eh-hem. It's nice that you guys are having this little pet reunion but we've got a ball to attend to so-?" said Mutt hesitantly. For once Damon agreed with him.

"Yeah, later amigos!" grinned Damon menacingly as he jumped onto Storm.

"See you soon, Damon," called Elena. Damon looked at her and she fluttered her eye lashes at him playfully. Damon gritted his teeth as he pulled back as he got into position. He would not let her do this to him; tease him every single chance she got.

Storm gave a joyous cry and leaped into the air once before charging off and leaving the others behind. Damon laughed out loud in happiness as the wind rushed at his face. He and Stefan had both loved riding from a young age. The feeling of freedom was a hunger familiar to both of them.
And when they were atop the horses, everything was forgotten. They rode so fast that there was no worry of any human eyes spotting them either.

When Damon arrived at the venue he was still ten minutes early. He patted Storm and then let the horse wander off in the field. The venue was set in a desolate meadow and the hall was huge. He could see the guests driving in and parking on the field then making their way inside the hall in pairs.

The others were going to look like right freaks coming as a group, thought Damon. But not as much as I will, I haven't seen anyone go in by themselves yet. Maybe this whole group thing is a good idea after all, he thought, cheered by the thought of Jeremy and Tyler coming together too.

Just then Tyler's range rover roared into view. Damon stood leaning against a statue of lion at the entrance, waiting for them to reach him.

They walked in the order; Caroline and Matt, Jeremy and Tyler, Stefan and Elena. Stefan had his arms linked with Elena but as soon as Elena saw Damon she let go of Stefan's arms. Stefan gave her a confused look but she was too busy winking at Damon.

The Damon Salvatore would've given in to all this mockery by now. But this was Elena, the Elena that had broken his heart and chosen Stefan. Seriously why was it so hard to get over her? Oh yeah, because she was openly flirting with him practically every second.

Caroline and Matt had already gone ahead but the other four stopped for Damon.

"Whoa, that was fast," grumbled Jeremy at seeing Damon. He handed over a twenty dollar bill to Stefan who chuckled. Damon shot him a questioning look.

"We had a bet. I told them you'd get here before us," explained Stefan.

"Glad at your lack of faith, brother," said Damon.

"Always," said Stefan. Well that was an awkward brotherly moment.

Out of the corner of his periphery, Damon noticed Elena checking him out from head to toe. A red fitted suit with black pinstripes and a mask with silver feathers that drew all the eyes to me.

"I didn't notice before, Damon. You look stunning in black and red," said Elena in a prissy, girly voice. Damon had the urge to mimic her but instead he just let out a bitter laugh.

"Well I think we should go in, before us vampires start burning in the sun," said Damon joky.

"On that note, let's stay out until the vampires burn," muttered Tyler inaudibly but Damon and Stefan still heard. Stefan warned Damon with his eyes as not to attack him.

"Yeah we could do that. But did you know the full moon's coming out tonight, Tyler," said Damon matter of fact-ly.

"Full moon? Tonight, but-" Tyler started, his face turned a horrified white.

"The full moon? Oh Tyler, can we please come back out to watch it? It would be so romantic," said Jeremy. Damon snorted.

"Sorry Jeremy, Damon's only kidding. But what's wrong with the full moon anyway, Tyler?" asked Stefan.

"Nothing, hey I'm getting cold out here. Anyone else cold? I think we should go in," said Tyler, effectively changing the subject. He and Jeremy started for the entrance.

"I'm cold," piped Elena. Stefan impulsively started taking off his jacket but Elena stopped him. "No, no, it's okay. I wouldn't want to get it all creased."

"Are you sure?" Stefan asked her hesitantly.

"Yes, I'm sure," Elena said sharply. Damon bit back a laugh. "Although … if someone else had a jacket …"

She looked at Damon suggestively. Stefan's and Damon's jaw dropped open. But Damon was the first to recover. Jeremy was still walking so Damon shouted after him.

"Jeremy, your sister wants to borrow your jacket," he said, hiding a smirk.

"Huh? Elena?" said Jeremy stupidly looking between them. Elena scowled at Damon.

"Nothing, don't worry Jeremy," she said and then, nose pointing at the sky, strode off with Stefan at he heels. Damon laughed and quickly followed.

As vampires couldn't enter a place without an invitation they waited for Elena to say so.

"Oh sorry," said Elena. She turned to Damon and simply said "come in". He walked in and waited her to follow suit to Stefan but she didn't.

"Elena?" asked Stefan uncertainly.

"What?" she said distracted. She seemed to be marveling at the hall. People were gliding across the floor in there gowns, their face's hidden behind intricately designed masks. Finally she turned back to Stefan. "Oh right. Come in."

"Thank you," said Stefan. It was a first for Damon hearing Stefan in such a stiffen voice. A first for everyone.

"I think it was time we started to mingle. Have fun, brother," said Damon, looking pointedly at Elena.
Damon made his way through the crowd, lithely walking between the elegantly dressed people.

What to do? Dance maybe? Damon looked around the hall and took it all in. There was at least a hundred guests and more pouring in through the entrance. Mayor Lockwood was standing at the centre with his wife. At the far back corner of the hall was a massive cake. It was absolutely huge, covered with chocolate paste and chocolate roses. Not that Damon had any sort of hunger than blood, but this cake actually looked tasty.

"No what do we have here?" said a voice from behind. Damon turned around, surprised that someone had crept up on him. There stood a girl who looked about seventeen, maybe eighteen.

She had blonde hair to her her mid-back and the bottom section was completely jet black. The top layer was short and teased up. She wore a dress with a tight corset that accentuated all her best parts. It was black with red and silver floral patterns. She wore a mask that was red with the floral pattern again but this time with just silver. She had silver feathers coming off, kind of similar to mine. It dawned on me just how similar we were dressed and noticed we were using the same colour scheme.

"We have a guest who is wondering what the hell he is doing here," said Damon. He was still awed by her beauty. The girl gave a musical laugh, one which made Damon smile.

"Lily Ozera, at your service as tour guide," she said, giving a little courtesy bow.

"Wow, find myself at a random party, and suddenly I've found got a sexy chick who wants to show me around," mused Damon.

"Actually this is the point where you say your name," she said laughing again.

"I'm, sorry, excuse my manners. I'm Damon, Damon Salvatore," said Damon in a charming voice.

"Salvatore," she said thoughtfully, rolling the word over in her mouth. "It means Savior."

"Indeed it does, you speak Italian?" asked Damon.

"Not really, I have a friend who knew someone called Salvatore," she explained.

"That's … new. I didn't know there was anyone called Salvatore other than my family," said Damon, frowning.

"Why, is it such a special name that it is so uncommon?" she joked. But before Damon could reply she carried on. "Well, my friend is special I suppose."

"As special as you?" said Damon, head on with the flirting. "Then it would be an honor to meet her."

"Of course. But only after a dance, come on, the first song is about to start," she said, dragging Damon onto the centre of the dance floor. Other couples also started to appear.

"I usually prefer brunettes to blonds," started Damon but just then Matt and Caroline appeared.

"Hey!" said Caroline.

"Sorry Caroline!" smirked Damon. "Oh, Lily meet Mutt and Caroline. Mutt, Caroline meet Lily."

"Mutt. That's an unusual name," pondered Lily. Before Matt or Caroline could add anything though, the music started.

It was basically the Miss Mystic dance but so much better here with Lily than Elena. Suddenly

Damon noticed someone glaring at him from the edge of the dance floor. He looked over Lily's shoulder and saw that it was Elena. Where was Stefan? Damon scanned the room and finally found Stefan on the dance floor dancing with Elena. Wait a minute- if Elena was there then how could she be-?

Damon turned back to the first place where he had seen Elena. And there she was, still stood glowering at him. Damon's head shot between the angry Elena and the Elena Stefan was dancing with.

"Damon," hissed Lily. Ha had almost forgotten her. "What's going on? People are staring at us."

"Lily," said Damon finally turning to look at her. "I've had a really nice time and by the way you are very beautiful but I really need to be somewhere else right. Oh for god sake!"

Damon suddenly cupped Lily's face and brought his mouth to hers. The whole world stopped and it was just the two of them. As soon as their lips had made contact, Damon had felt some sort of click.

And Lily had felt it too; he knew that because she had jumped slightly. Or maybe that was just because she was surprised that he had kissed her. But the kiss was so familiar, so intense. And Damon was hungry for more, but he knew he had to be somewhere else right now.

When he finally let her go she gasped. Damon gave her one last smirk before running towards a purple-face Elena. He yearned to run back to Lily though. Something strange was going on – other than the two Elena's. When he had kissed Lily, touched her soft delicate skin, a feeling of home had flooded him. There was some sort of connection, like a cord pulling them together. But now wasn't the time to think about the strange beauty that had seemed to fill his world only a moment ago.

"Stefan, get Elena and come to the back of the hall. Where the cake is on display, something is going on, hurry!" Damon said to nobody in particular but he knew Stefan's super hearing skills would pick up his voice.

When Damon got to Elena, he half picked her up and zoomed to the cake display. Normally his heart would start pounding at the slightest contact with Elena but now all Damon could think about was dumping her and finding Lily.

"What the hell, Damon?" Elena panted. "If you really wanted to get close to me, you should have just said, you know I'd be only too willing."

"Elena," said Damon slowly, getting impatient as to what was taking Stefan so long.

"Yes, Damon, darling?" said Elena in a sing song voice. "And who on earth was that slut you just kissed over there?"

"And who might you be talking about?" said a voice. Lily? Damon turned around for the second time today to find her standing right behind him.

"Lily! How did you get here so fast?" exclaimed Damon.

"The same way you did," she said simply. Damon looked confused. "And isn't Cinderella meant to be the one who runs away before midnight, not Prince Charming."

"If you put it that way," said Damon cocking his head to the side, ignoring the fuming Elena beside him. "But how did you find me so fast? I seem to notice that I still have both my shoes on."

But before she could answer, Stefan and 'the other' Elena appeared at the scene.

"What's wrong Damon? Elena? Oh my god Elena. What the hell?" said Stefan his eyes shooting from Elena to Elena.

"That's what I would like to ask you, little brother," said Damon.

The other Elena spoke up then.

"Hello Damon," she said.

"No way! Katherine!" exclaimed Damon and Stefan together. She was wearing exactly the same outfit as Elena, mask and all. Coincidence? Damon didn't think so.

"Err, that's Katherine! They way you two always go on about her, I'm really disappointed," slurred Elena. Was she drunk?

"Shut up Elena, your comments aren't welcome at the moment," snapped Stefan. Whoa, that was harsh.

Suddenly a key turned inside Damon's head and everything made sense to him.

"Let me guess, Katherine's your special friend," Damon said to Lily.

"Yerp," said Lily, glad he had finally caught on.

"Then … then who are you?" said Damon.

"I'm Lily," she said.

"Yes, I know that. But- you're a vampire?" said Damon.

"Yerp," said Lily.

"What are you doing here? What are both of you doing here?" said Damon turning towards Katherine now too. Stefan stood beside her, frozen like a statue.

"We heard the Salvatore brothers were in town and Lily wanted to celebrate her birthday. Nice venue, huh? But the halls back in Italy were much better. You remember Stefan?" said Katherine
turning to Stefan.

But Stefan was still stood dumbfounded. He started right through Katherine as if she weren't there and Damon noticed the hurt expression on Katherine's face.

Just then the song started for the next dance, Elena grabbed Damon's arm.

"Oo, Damon, I love this song, come on, dance with me!" she said to him. Before he could refuse or tell her to let go, Lily stepped in.

"Oh I don't think so," she sneered. "Damon is my dance partner."

"And you are? Listen here, why don't you and your 'special' friend just walk away and leave me and my boys," said Elena, folding her arms over her chest like a right idiot.

"But, the thing is sweet heart, I think it's you the one that's not wanted around here," said Lily in a calm voice. Elena gave a high pitched giggle.

"Let's Damon decide that, shall we?" she said. "Damon, come dance with me."

Damon cocked his eyebrows up at her unbelievably. He turned to Lily.

"So it's your birthday huh? Well how about I take the birthday girl for a spin on the dance floor?" he said to her. Lily smiled triumphantly and Elena looked as if she were about to punch someone. It was a common fact that women broke men's heart more easily than the other way round … or was it the other way round?

"Fine! Have him, I don't care. Stefan was always the hotter brother; Stefan's always been the one," said Elena turning to Stefan and Katherine. Somehow Damon wasn't at all affected by her harsh words. "Stefan, come dance with me."

"In your dreams bitch," snarled Katherine, coming in between Elena and Stefan. "Elena Gilbert, it's been nice knowing you. But you've had you're fun with the Salvatore brothers and I think you should go now."

"Hypocrite!" screeched Elena, pointing an accusing finger at Katherine.

"Am not! All I did was try and save them from each other, because I had done exactly what you are doing. Turning them against each other; making them rivals. Imagine two brothers fighting over one girl! I couldn't stand seeing either of them hurt so I pretended my death, yes, pretended. And thanks to you, the finally found the deep brotherly love again. But now I'm back and it's time for you to get out of the picture!"

Elena stuttered. She looked once longingly at Damon and Stefan and then started backing away from them as if disgusted by something.

Damon realized that every word Katherine had spoken was true. Elena might have destroyed both
Damon and Stefan but at least she taught them one thing; how to be brothers again - again because Katherine had taken that quality away from them so many years ago. But everything was as it should be now. Stefan and Katherine. Damon and Lily. And Elena and … Where was Elena?

"Katherine," said Stefan at last coming back to his senses.

"Stefan, at last, I didn't know a vampire could stall for so long," said Katherine.

"Katherine, is it really you?" said Stefan ignoring her remark. ?He stretched out a hand towards her then let it fall limply by his side.

"Yes, Stefan, it is really me," said Katherine softly. She reached out and took hold of Stefan's hand and placed it against her check. "See, I'm real. You can feel my flesh, my blood beneath my skin,
I'm here Stefan."

"But you died," he said.

"No I didn't. I just explained that to you," said Katherine.

"You thought killing yourself would save us," said Stefan incredulously, glancing at Damon. Stefan picked up his other hand so he was cupping Katherine's face. "Katherine, Katherine, Katherine. Don't you know anything about us at all?"

"I didn't but I do now. And that's why I came back for you, I love you Stefan," said Katherine but she was cut short with Stefan's lips on hers.

Damon and Lily smiled at each other and stepped onto the dance floor again. As they danced, they knew they wouldn't ever be alone again.