Author's Note:

So I am going to be finishing the fic I've already started, but I took a short break to start this one. It starts out picking up where "The Turning Point" left off, but after this chapter it'll be strictly AU. I'll be posting chapter 21 of Angel of Mercy soon!

I knew I was probably driving far too fast, but my mind still couldn't wrap around what I had just seen.

I was a dead ringer for Katherine Peirce. And worse, I was her replacement. I was the girl that looked like her and Stefan had thought I could be Katherine. Tears ran down my face as I tried to process it all.

I had loved Stefan. I had accepted him for what he is. We'd slept together!

My mind was so consumed with these thoughts that I didn't see the man in the road until the last second. My eyes went wide and I gasped as I swerved to avoid him, but I felt the car hit him.

My car turned over and over and I was tossed every which way. When the car finally landed upside down, I was dizzy, disoriented, and sore.

I gasped and coughed and found myself looking at the man I had hit. Oh my god. He was moving. Fear shot through me and I began fumbling uselessly with my seatbelt.

My heart raced as he came closer. I made low noises of fear, and I screamed when his boots stopped outside my window.

Suddenly the boots disappeared and the hooded figure ran off into the night. I was squinting out into the darkness, trying to figure what had made the man run away, when a face appeared not six inches from mine. I let out another small, startled scream. Damon was knelt down outside the car, peering in at me.

"How are you doin' in there?" He asked, assessing my situation.

"Damon?" I said, and for once in my life, I think I was actually happy to see him.

"You look stuck," he said and stood up.

"It's my seatbelt," I said as he shifted the car slightly

"Shh, shh…" He whispered to me, and then knelt beside me again.

"I'm going to get you out of here," he told me. "I want you to put your hands on the roof," he instructed, and I placed my hands on the roof.

"Just like that," he encouraged.

"You ready?" He asked, and I nodded weakly.

"One… two… three." He reached in and undid my seatbelt, and I fell limply from the seat. My legs felt weak and everything was spinning.

"I've got you," he said quietly as he pulled me out of the car.

I hung limply in his arms, feeling weak and on the verge of passing out.

"You okay? Can you stand? Is anything broken?" He asked, his voice heightening with worry with each question.

I shook my head and, not releasing me, he gently lowered me to where I was partially upright. My legs immediately gave out and he caught me before I even fell.

"Whoa," he said gently as he righted me.

"You are fading fast, Elena," he said, pushing my hair from my face.

"Elena, look at me. Focus," he said, touching my lower lip with his thumb.

"Look at me," he repeated. I managed to focus on his face, but everything seemed very distant and blurry. He studied me, gently stroking my hair again.

"I look like her." I choked out.

"What?" He asked, looking into my eyes.

That was when I fainted.

I woke up briefly at one point, but it was a very short few moments of consciousness.

I felt movement, but it wasn't dizziness. I opened my eyes to see the woods passing by at vampire speed, and found my arms locked around Damon's neck.

In my daze, I felt oddly safe with my arms locked around him. My head was on his shoulder, and I felt the smooth, cool feel of leather against my face. As the woods flew by, I tightened my arms around his neck, clinging the best I could in my weakened state. In response, I felt him give me a reassuring squeeze. He had one arm under my knees and the other under my back, and I knew that even at this speed I wouldn't fall.

"You okay down there?" He asked, looking down at me.

"I'm…fine," I said before I passed out again.

When my eyes opened, I was staring out the window of a car. I felt my eyes widen and I tried to make sense of my most recent handful of memories. It was blurry, but I knew that I'd had an accident.

When I turned to see who was driving, I found myself looking at none other than Damon Salvatore.

"Sleep well?" He asked with that cocky smile that grated on my nerves.

"Where are we?" I asked, straightening up and looking around.

"On our way to the airport." He replied with a smile.

"Airport? No. I am not going to an airport with you, Damon. Please just pull over," I said, shaking my head. Damon ignored me and kept driving.

"Damon, I mean it. Pull over," I said, getting antsy.

"You were way easier to put up with when you were unconscious," he said and pulled off to the side of the road. The road was deserted, and we were surrounded by fields and fences on either side.

I got out of the car and, with my hands still braced against the car for support, doubled over. I made a mall sound of discomfort as nausea swept over me and my back throbbed.

Suddenly there was a hand on my arm and an arms around my waist, supporting me. I jumped and met Damon's worried blue eyes.

"I'm fine," I said, stepping away from his arm. I took a few deep breaths and turned to him.

"Please just take me home," I said, going to the extent of pleading. Even though I was pleading, there was a rough edge in my voice showing my anger.

"We're already almost there. C'mon, Elena, do you really want to go home right now?" He asked, stepping forward.

"Yes, I do. Nobody knows where I am and they are going to be worried sick," I explained.

"May I ask what happened to your magical necklace?" He asked with a smirk, lifting my hair and touching my bare neck.

I flinched away and reached up and touched my neck. Great. My vervain necklace was laying on a table in Stefan's bedroom on top of the picture that had gotten me into this situation to begin with.

"I could always…convince you," he said, and I could hear the threat to compel me clear in his voice.

"What is it that you're trying to prove?" I asked, a desperate plea creeping into my voice. I was hurt, I was sick, and I wanted to go home.

Before he could answer, I heard my phone ring in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that the caller ID said it was Stefan. I gave a soft groan of exasperation. I did not want to talk to him right now.

"Here, let me get it," Damon said, and took the phone from my hand.

"Elena's phone. How may I help you?" He answered.

I couldn't hear the other end of the conversation, so I just listened to Damon's.

"She's being a little feisty, but we're doing quite well, actually. Getting along great," he said, his voice sounding completely honest.

I bristled at this lie and glared at him, but he just smirked at me.

"Of course I'll bring her home…eventually," he said to Stefan.

"Have a good day, Stefan," he said and hung up.

"Getting along great? Eventually?" I said, folding my arms.

He just shrugged and handed my phone and then leaned against the car.

"Look, Damon, you have to take me home," I said, agitation running through me.

"Why do you want to go back now?" He asked, walking forward to stand in front of me.

I silently listened, and I thought about Stefan trying to lie to cover himself, telling me all about how I'm not his Katherine. The mere thought made me even sicker to my stomach.

"What's the rush? Time out. Trust me, your problems are still going to be there when you get home," he said, and I found myself actually starting to consider the idea. It was stupid to even consider going anywhere with someone as dangerous and ruthless as Damon, but I couldn't help considering it.

"Look, step away from your life for five minutes," he said, and I felt my resolve weaken a tiny bit. But still, what about my problems at home? I couldn't just run away every time things got rough.

"Five minutes," he repeated, and before rejecting the idea again, I decided to think it through.

"I am going to be safe with you?" I finally asked.

"Yes."

"Do you promise not to do that mind control thing with me?"

"Yes."

"Can I trust you?" I asked, and he actually paused to debate this.

"Probably not," he finally said, smirking at me.

Five minutes… his offer rang in my head.

"Come on. Let's go. You and I. Five minutes," he said, separating them all out into separate sentences and stepping closer with each one.

We were now a hairsbreadth away from each other, and I finally sighed and looked up at him.

"Fine," I said, giving way to the temptation to walk away for five minutes.

"So, where are we going?" I asked as we pulled up at the airport.

"California. I thought I beach would do you some good," he said, opening my car door for me.

"Wow. I haven't been to the coast in years," I said.

"Well, that's about to change," he said.

"Don't we need luggage?" I asked, realizing I was hardly packed for this.

"Not necessary. We'll buy stuff when we get to California."

"Damon, we need everything. That's a lot to just run out and buy," I reminded him as we walked.

He scoffed. "Not for me, it's not. Elena, I am over a century and a half years old. I did build up a good bit of money during that period of time," he said.

"Okay," I shrugged.

Within minutes, we were boarding the plane. Unsurprisingly, he had arranged for us to fly first class. We took our seats, which were in the back. I slid in beside the window and lifted an eyebrow as Damon slid in beside me.

"There's a seat across from me, you know," I said as he stretched his long legs out in front of him.

"Well, this is much for comfy," he replied and beckoned to the flight attendant.

"You must be hungry by now," he said. And he was right, I was starving.

I ate a very good lunch, and found myself tired by the time I'd finished. Damon and I had been on the road awhile, and the sunlight coming through the window made me want to curl up under it and take a nap.

But I also couldn't shake the uneasy feeling I got when I thought of sleeping right next to Damon. Yes, I'd trusted him enough to come with him, but the thought still made me uncomfortable.

"You look tired," he noted, as if reading my mind.

"Um, a little…" My voice trailed off and I shifted in my seat.

"Sleep then," he said with a shrug.

I was silent, because I didn't want his temper flaring up because I didn't want to sleep when he was around.

"What's wrong, can't get comfortable?" He asked, and held out his arm. I was confused briefly, but then I realized what he was offering.

"Actually, I think I'll just sleep in this little patch of sunlight over here," I said, even more uncomfortable at the thought of sleeping with my head on his shoulder than at the thought of sleeping near him.

"Alright, then. Sleep well," he said and withdrew his arm. Thankfully, he didn't seem offended or angry, so I happily curled up under the window. We had already taken flight, so all there was to do was sleep until we got to whatever airport we were switching off at.

I fell asleep within a minute.

I woke up feeling warm and comfortable, and I snuggled closer to the wall, which seemed oddly inviting.

And I was just fine until the wall snuggled back.

I gave a little yelp when I found my head on Damon's shoulder. I was still in my patch of light, which confused me until I realized I was on his lap. I pushed myself out of his arms and glared at him.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" He asked, feigning innocence.

"I was just fine where I was," I said, smoothing out my hair.

"Oh, don't look at me with those judgey little eyes," he said.

"Where have I heard that before?" I said, remembering the day he'd shown up at the house looking for Stefan.*

"Wouldn't know," he said, though he knew very well what I what I was talking about.

"Yes you would," I argued, folding my arms.

"You want me. You find yourself drawn to me. You think about me even when-"

"Oh shut up!" I said, and actually laughed at the fact he remembered his little speech that he had given me before he'd tried to compel me that night in the school parking lot.**

"Make me," he said, leaning close.

I simply glared at him and shoved him back. Unfazed, he laughed and leaned back into his seat.

"Do not play games with me, Damon," I said, looking over at him.

"Me? Play games? Never," he said, batting his eyelashes. I reached over and smacked his arm, actually fighting laughter. When he wasn't trying to eat the town, Damon wasn't all that bad.

For the next several hours, we talked, bickered, and actually didn't get along all that badly. But after awhile, I started growing tired again.

"Go ahead and go to sleep. I promise I won't sit you in my lap again," he said.

"I am just fine to stay awake," I said, and folded my arms.

"Elena, you are falling on your face. Go to bed," he said, looking at me with a mixture of worry and amusement. And odd combination for him.

"Fine. But if you so much as touch me in my sleep, I swear you're going to be walking funny for a week," I said, and leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said before I fell asleep.

I woke up comfortable, well rested, and seemingly not on anyone's lap. My eyelashes fluttered and I suddenly recognized the feel of leather against my face. Well, I wasn't on his lap, but my head was yet again resting on his shoulder.

I opened my mouth to tell him that when I said "so much as touch me" that it also meant not putting my head on his shoulder. But then I stopped, because I also noticed he was silent, which was uncharacteristic of him.

I looked up to see that he was asleep, with his head leaned sideways against the wall.

I couldn't help but notice how innocent he looked in his sleep. His mouth was not curved into that cocky smile, there was no mocking edge in his eyes, and his arms weren't crossed. It was hard to stay mad at him when he was asleep.

I sighed and put my head on his shoulder, not falling asleep but just sitting there.

Damon woke up when the plane landed and it was time to switch to another plane, the one that would take us the rest of the way. He seemed surprised to find my head on his shoulder and me wide awake. We slid out of our seats and left the plane with everyone else, and I actually felt a tingle of anticipation at the thought of California.

We finally arrived in California, and I was eager and excited. Damon said that he'd arranged to have a rental car waiting on us, and he guided me over to a red Ferrari California.

"Ha, ha. Very funny," I said, referring to the car name and the fact it matched out location.

"Well, we have to travel in style," he said, and opened the passenger side door for me. I got in and after he got in, we pulled out of the airport and he drove us to one of the most expensive hotels I'd ever seen. The top was down, so I was free to observe and admire my surroundings.

"It's amazing here," I said as I looked around.

Damon seemed happy with my reaction and opened my door when we got to the hotel. We walked in and I was yet again shocked at how stunning the interior was. I looked around while Damon checked us in, and started studying to artwork on the walls.

"C'mon, let's go upstairs, change clothes, and then we'll hit the streets." I turned to see Damon behind me and I was thrilled that we would be exploring a little before taking to our rooms for the night. For once, I wanted to have some fun, and this was the brother I needed for that.

"Sounds perfect," I said, and followed him upstairs. He unlocked a door on the tenth floor and motioned for me to go in after he switched on the light. I looked walked in and lifted my eyebrows when Damon followed me in. The room was incredible, with a sitting room, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen. This wasn't a hotel room, it was a suite.

I walked into the bedroom and immediately spotted the two large beds on either side of the room.

"No. No way are we sharing a room," I protested instantly.

"Sorry, this placed was booked solid and accept for this room," he said and started pulling clothes out of the dresser on what I assumed to be his side of the room.

"Lovely. Just lovely."

"If I told you you were right, would you take my hand tonight? If I told you reasons why, would you leave your life, and ride?"

~The Cary Brothers

* - Episode 6, Lost Girls

** - Episode 3, Friday Night Bites