Beauty and the Beast was one of my favorite childhood movies, so I loved it when people would compare Elena and Damon to Belle and the Beast. They were similar in a lot of ways so I decided to craft a story about it. I hope you see some of the parallels between them!

Angst, love, drama, and conflicting personalities will be awaiting you in this story. Enjoy!

Chapter 1 - "A Tale as Old as Time"

The elevator zoomed up the forty-eight floors in under a minute. The W.R Grace Building overlooked Bryant Park, a gorgeous space with lush greens. Elena Gilbert took a deep breath as she stood alone in the moving machine. Every time she ascended the forty-eight floors she reminded herself that she made it. Even after her awful senior year of college, she conquered her goals.

It came to a slow and swift stop as the doors opened. She stepped out, adjusting her chestnut colored hair that spilled in loose waves across her shoulders. Today, she opted to wear a classic heather gray pencil skirt matched with a white blouse. On her feet were black pumps her best friend, Caroline, splurged on her once she got the job. Elena returned the favor two months later with a Coach bracelet when Caroline scored her dream job - a fashion designer.

This wasn't exactly Elena's dream job. Since she was just a toddler, she had been making up stories and telling them to complete strangers. Her mother beamed when she wrote her first short story. Elena was following in her mother's footsteps as a writer.

Elena knew she owed her current job to her mother. After all, Parker's Publishers, one of the world's top publishing companies, became famous by Miranda Sommers-Gilbert's thrilling book series. Her mother became a billionaire from the novels. Of course they would hire her daughter, even if she was fresh out of college.

Still, Elena shouldn't put herself down as much as she did. She graduated at top of her class in both college and high school. Her wits got her into Ivy League school and she graduated as an English Major from Columbia University.

Now, she was spending her days working as an editor for Parker's Publishers as she worked her way into becoming a celebrity author. Creating worlds and characters was one of her favorite pastimes, alongside writing out her day in her journal and reading. She was always the Literature geek. Guess she had her mother to thank for that.

"Hello, Miss Gilbert." April, the bubbly secretary greeted her. Though April was two years older than Elena, she acted like a giddy high school cheerleader. "Oh! I saw the new boss. He's pretty hot. I wonder if he's single." She winked.

Elena had completely forgotten that their old boss, Jules, was offered another job in Los Angeles. It paid more than this one, so it was impossible to pass up. Elena had wanted Jules to be happy, but she felt crestfallen. Jules was the optimum boss. She had insisted her employees call her by her first name, was always up for a friendly chat, and would assist you in whatever you needed aid in. She even gave Elena relationship advice on several occasions.

After giving April a kind hello, she traveled the few feet to her office. Bonnie, one of her coworkers, was already there, typing rapidly on her computer. Her straight and thick black hair was yanked up into a round bun on the top of her head. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration at her screen.

Only when Elena interrupted her with, "Hey, Bonnie." did she look up. Bonnie and her never talked outside of their office, but she still classified them as friends. Sometimes, when they weren't swamped with work, they would gossip about scandals that Elena honestly didn't care about and they would eat lunch together everyday.

Bonnie gave her a polite smile. "Hey." She tilted her head to the side, squinting her eyes at Elena. "You look happy today."

She shrugged and took a seat at her desk. She pushed the button the Mac that was courtesy of the company. The machine complied and it lit up. "I am. It is Friday." Although her Friday nights weren't usually different from other weeknights. She'd still go home and read or write. That was her life.

"Or..." Bonnie grinned. "You had a mind-blowing orgasm last night that lasted for hours. It was the best sex of your life with the hottest man in New York and you plan on doing it all again tonight." She winked.

Elena felt her cheeks grow hot and red with embarrassment. Bonnie knew that anything relating to sex or genitals made her feel...dirty. It mortified her. Sure, she was innocent. But in this day in age, it was strange for a twenty-three year old to be a virgin.

When she didn't answer, Bonnie said, guiltily, "Sorry. Just forget that I said that, okay? Anyway, I'm relieved to see you happy. I didn't see you this way since before..." her voice trailed off.

Pursing her lips, Elena shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Bonnie, of course, was referring to her breakup with Matt Donovan that occurred two months ago. She wasn't exactly heartbroken over it. A couple of tears and Nicholas Spark book made her feel somewhat better. But, she was still a little sore over the reason why he had dumped her. She had to constantly remind herself that he was an asshole for breaking up with her because she wouldn't sleep with him.

The breakup came out of the blue. They were on the couch in her apartment. She was sitting on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck. Kissing. Now that she was okay with. By then, they had been dating for barely five months.

Matt started to toy with the bottom hem of her cotton t-shirt. Elena did nothing in response. So, he settled on the next best thing. He ran his hands up her stomach until he was cupping her breasts. Then she pulled away.

He frowned. "Elena." She could see it in his eyes how annoyed he was with her. This hadn't been the first time he suggested taking things a step further into their relationship.

"Sorry." she mumbled, looking down as she settled back against the arm of the couch. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them.

Matt ran a hand through his hair. "I mean...we're not teenagers anymore, Elena. We're grown adults. I just don't understand why." He paused, waiting for her to say something but she didn't. He continued on, "Is it me? Or is it some kind of religious thing?"

"No." she assured him. "It's just..." Did she even know what her reasoning behind refusing to give up her virginity was? "I don't know. Just the whole being so close to someone physically freaks me out. I don't know how to explain it."

But he shook his head. "Whatever." He stood up.

"Matt..." She got up next to him, reaching for his hand but it pulled it away. He was irritated and she knew it.

"No, Elena. Like I said, we're not some kids that could get chastised for having sex. I don't buy your excuse. It's just sex. Everyone does it." he argued.

She knew that going a couple of months without sex was like a slow and painful torture for a man. But, shouldn't he at least have a little respect for her and her choices? It's not like she was going to remain a virgin forever. She was truthful in her reasoning. Those were private parts. Why would she want anyone to see her's? Why would she want to see anyone else's?

"I'm sorry." Is all she said. Matt had had it with her. He wasn't that great of a guy, she'd survive. It just felt like a slap in her face. A fear of intimacy is a real thing; she wasn't the only human in the world that suffered from it. It was like someone breaking up with someone because they had arachnophobia.

She had always been like this. It took her a while to even get comfortable with someone kissing her. Her took her first boyfriend two weeks to coax her into a small lip smash. It took another month for them to French kiss. And this was when she was a sophomore in high school. They broke up three months after their first French kiss.

Let's be honest here, though, swapping spit was disgusting. Elena had to fight the urge to gag several times.

Matt sighed and said, "You're a good person, Elena. I wish things would work out between us. But..." His voice trailed off. Elena just nodded and he left her apartment without another word.

The memory was interrupted by the ringing of her phone. She pulled it out of her purse and checked the caller ID. Caroline Forbes. A small smile crept onto her face. Caroline could be annoying, but she was her best friend.

"Hey. What's up?" she answered. She clicked open her e-mail on her computer and started to read through her most recent message from the author.

"You, me, and Stefan dinner tonight? He has family in town and it's perfect. You won't be the odd man out again." Caroline said. Elena couldn't help but roll her eyes at her friend's emphasis on the word "again". She's been bugging her about her relationship status ever since her and Matt broke up.

"Gee, Caroline. Way to make me feel better about myself." she mumbled as she scanned through the author's e-mail. In it, they were discussing the relationship between two secondary characters. Elena felt like there was more to it than just friendship. The author disagreed.

"Sorry." Caroline replied. "Anyway, will you please come? I have a feeling you'll get along with Stefan's family. Maybe you'll even already know him." But Elena wasn't paying attention. She was too immersed in the author's e-mail. She thought that the young adult novel would do good in the market. It took place in medieval times and had the romance mixed with danger that every teen craved. "Elena!"

Elena sighed and swirled her chair around to look out the window at the city that overlooked New York City. "Sorry. Yes, I'll come. When and where?"

"Patsy's at seven. We already made reservations." the energetic blonde said. "Wear something pretty."

"Alway do." Elena muttered. "I really have to go. I'm working."

"Right, right. See you tonight!" Caroline hung up.

Elena put her phone back in her purse and began typing up a response to the author. Great. Her friend was trying to set her up again. If she was being honest, she did love being in relationships. She loved having someone to talk to, someone who can express her joy with her and can comfort her in her sorrow. She'd be an expert at relationships if they didn't require anything physical.

For the thousandth time, she wondered if there was something wrong with her.

There had to be. She was gorgeous, capable of rounding up a gorgeous partner. Yes, the whole physical thing creeped her out. But maybe it also scared her to lose her innocence. She had been known for that throughout middle school and high school. And, she liked that quality about her. It seemed to gain her more respect from adults and peers.

Bonnie looked over at her. "Caroline?" she said with a grin. Bonnie and Caroline had only met once but she knew just what kind of friend Caroline was.

"Yeah," Elena said. She pushed her long hair behind her shoulders and continued on working on the response. After this, she'd have to edit the next however many chapters of the book. It was a long process that made her exhausted by the end of the day. She kept her eye on the lookout for plot holes, spelling errors, grammar errors, when characters were acting out of character.

Just as she was starting to work on chapter eight of the story, April popped her head into the room. "Hey. New boss just called a meeting to the lounge." she said then disappeared. They heard her voice at the office next door telling them the same thing.

Together, Elena and Bonnie made their way to the lounge. Jules had set it up. It was like a break room for the employees. There were soda and snack machines here if people opted to enjoy their lunch here. It had a perfect view of Bryant Park. Elena had only ever sat on the black leather couches in the lounge a few times. She normally didn't take breaks and ate her lunch in her office.

The two girls sat on one of the couches. While Bonnie was small talking to another worker, one that Elena recognized from the marketing department, Elena was thinking. She'd have to overcome her fear of sex. She'll do it and maybe then she'll feel like a normal twenty-three year old.

Damon Salvatore turned heads as he approached the lounge. He couldn't help but smirk, enjoying the impact he had made on the women. He could tell who the single women are and who the married women are. The single women stared at him without guilt while the married ones blushed and looked away quickly. Either way, he had them under his spell. Not so bad for the first day.

He cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. "Good morning. My name is Damon Salvatore, but you will refer to me as Mr. Salvatore. I will not take anything less." He kept his chin held high. "Let's get one thing straight; I will not take any crap from anyone."

He glanced around the group of workers, all of them looking suddenly nervous. Good. Better to be feared than loved, he thought. The work of Machiavelli. He greatly admired "The Prince".

"If anyone tries to do anything they're not supposed to be doing, I'll kick you out on the streets like that-" He snapped his fingers for emphasis. One young girl flinched. Once again, he smirked. "This is one the best publishing companies in the world so I expect you to be the best employees in the world, do I make myself clear?"

Every head in the room nodded.

He continued, "Now, a little about me." He began pacing back and forth. "Like I said, you will call me Mr. Salvatore. I was born near Richmond, Virginia. I have a business degree from Brown University. One of the things they taught me there was not to be afraid to fire anyone. This is now my publishing house and you will listen to my orders.

"While I understand that many of you have other responsibilities, I expect you to be completely devoted to your job. You will be on time everyday. No exceptions. If, for some reason, you cannot make it to work on a particular day, then you will call and inform me ahead of time and you will stay after the next day to make up with your work. Understood?"

Once again, people nodded their heads, too frightened to speak. He had that kind of effect on people. Maybe it was his words or the gleam in his eyes, but everyone knew not to do anything to piss him off. Now that would be a recipe for disaster.

Damon's gaze skittered around the room until they landed on one particular girl. Her long, tanned, and silky legs were crossed. Her pencil skirt only came down to just above her knee in that position. There was some fear in her doe-brown eyes, but there was also a look of determination. Her hair fell in soft waves below her breasts. And, peeking out of the clean white blouse, was a touch of cleavage.

Definitely a woman Damon Salvatore would have into his bed.

He set his gaze on her a moment longer than the rest. Enough to make her know that he was staring at her. She swallowed hard and he looked away. Then he said, "Get back to work." and retreated back into his office.

He considered himself heartbroken even if the breakup was four months ago. He loved her. The great Katherine Pierce. He thought things were going good between them, especially in bed. He finally had gathered up the the courage to tell her that he loved her.

That was when she bolted, making up an excuse that she was needed in Miami. She wouldn't tell him the reason why. She packed up her things in their shared apartment in Richmond, ignoring his protests to stay, and left within the hour.

Since then, one night stands were his thing. Finding a woman who was eager to get into bed with him was easy. He lost track of how many lovers he had. They were all good, though, none were exceptionally spectacular. They sufficed and that was all he needed. No one was as good as Katherine Pierce.

Then he received the call that offered him a well-paying job as head of a publishing company. It would be too stupid to refuse. So, he packed up his things in Richmond and moved to The Big Apple. New opportunities awaited him. New single and thirsty girls awaited him as well.

He swore off love but he'll never swear off making love.

As he slumped back in his chair, he thought about his new employees. They all seemed like they didn't care about their jobs, like it was just something to put food on the table. He hated people like that. If you're going to have a job, you should at least be passionate about it. Do the best you can possibly do at it.

He'd have a lot of firing to do. He wanted to make a name for himself and this was the perfect opportunity. The publishing house already had an outstanding reputation. Now, he was going to have the same reputation. Every company in the world will want him.

Startling him was a knock at the door. He sat up, adjusting his tie and hollered, "Come in!" He rolled his eyes. He wasn't exactly in the mood for company and just wanted to get his first day over with.

The secretary entered the room, giving him a smile that seemed too big for her face. She had greeted him the second he stepped off the elevator. He had forgotten her name. All he remembered was she was effervescent and irritating; qualities that did not mix well with him.

"Good morning, Mr. Salvatore." she said.

He just gave her a nod.

She continued on, brushing off his manners, "Is there anything I could get you, Mr. Salvatore? We have water - sparkling and flavored, of course - and tea, and oh-"

Damon cut her off harshly. "Coffee."

April, who seemed more than eager for the job, scampered off and down the hall to retrieve the coffee. During her absence, Damon truthfully considered locking the door and shutting the world out. He was just about to cross the room to the door when the bubbly secretary came back. This time she carried a silver tray with a cup of the bitter mahogany-colored drink, a few pastel-colored packets of sugar, a dazzling silver spoon, and a cup of creamer.

"Thank you." he muttered, not sounding sincere but at least he words were there. Without bothering to mix in the sugar and cream, he sipped the coffee just how he enjoyed it - black. Black and bitter. Only this time did he spit out the scalding hot coffee and in effect it sprayed all over his desk, staining specks of his papers a dark brown. "What kind of coffee is this?!" he demanded, in utter disgust. The coffee was repugnant and an insult to his tongue.

Poor April's eyes widen in consternation. "Oh...um...I'm not sure, sir, but I can go check..." she had begun but Damon's evil glare and grimace shut her up rather quickly.

"This coffee is revolting!" Damon exclaimed brusquely. It brought him a brief second of shame when he considered tossing the coffee in her face. But he continued on anyway, "You would think a company like this would be able to afford something other than this nauseating coffee."

But April, who was doomed to please everyone, said, "I could run down the street to the market and get you some new coffee."

Damon shook his head, harshly slamming the coffee back on the tray, it's contents spilling out and burning his hands. "Just go," he said through gritted teeth.

So, she did. She left his office quickly and without another word, shutting the door behind her as she left. The man sunk down in his seat, rubbing the side of his temples. All those years of counseling that his father forced him to attend didn't pay off. He was still the angry little boy that he always was. No one knew for sure what caused him to become that way. The possibilities were endless those. A rotten gene? The sadness of losing his mother, his only true friend in the world? His father that always seemed to take more to his brother than him?

The ringing of his cellphone pulled him out of his misery. He held the iPhone up to his ear. "What?" he grumbled, having already read and groaned at the Caller I.D. Some people just never learn to leave someone else alone.

"So, how's your first day, brother? Are the kids being nice?" Stefan said. Damon couldn't decide who was more annoying - the secretary or his younger brother. In the end he went with his sibling. He could always fire the girl, whereas he was stuck in the same family with Stefan for life.

"Just dandy." He twirled his chair around to face the spectacular view of lower Manhattan. "And how are you on this wonderful Friday morning, brother dearest?"

Stefan barked with laughter. The two brothers only ever tolerated each other. Damon had only ever used the word "love" for two people. His mother and Katherine. Both of which broke his heart and he vowed never to use the word again. The younger Salvatore said, "Pretty good, pretty good. Hey, now that we're basically neighbors-"

"We are not neighbors." Damon corrected him. "Just because we are unfortunate enough to live in the same city does not mean we're suddenly neighbors that give their sugar to one another. New York City is a big city."

"We live a few streets away. Trust me, that's like being neighbors here in the city." Stefan babbled.

Damon heaved a sigh. "Don't beat around the brush. Why'd you call?"

"Because we are going out to celebrate tonight for two reasons."

"What are those reasons?" He arched an eyebrow at an empty room. The only thing he hated more than love was celebrating. Parties and balloons and cake and beer pong were for the weak. He preferred doing everything alone.

"The first one is that my lovely big brother moved here and we'll get to see a whole lot more of each other's faces. And the second reason is that Caroline and I have something to tell you."

Having enough of sitting, Damon stood up and paced back and forth in front of the window that expanded across a whole wall. He kept one hand in the pants pocket of his suit and the other securing the phone to his ear. "So Caroline will be joining us too?"

"Yes. And don't be a douche to her. I think she's wrangling up a friend to bring along too."

He groaned loudly. He could hardly bare Caroline and would end up committing homicide if her friend was just as irritating as her. Just as he was about to refuse his brother's offer, Stefan said, "Seriously, Damon. I really want you to join us tonight. It's just a dinner. And the news we have is important and I want to share the moment with you."

"Fine. Text me the address." Then he hung up and looked over the papers on his desk that were demanding his attention.

Elena had a particularly horrible day. First, she was introduced to her boss who seemed like the greatest asshole she'd ever come across in her life. Then, being the compassionate person she was, she spent twenty minutes attempting to calm April down after she seemed to have some sort of ordeal with Mr. Salvatore. After that, her entire computer somehow broke and she lost thirty pages of editing she did previously.

As she walked to the elevator she questioned why bad things happened to good people.

Within a minute, the elevator reached her floor and she stepped inside. Just as the doors were about to shut, in popped Damon. He looked frazzled after his first work day. He gave her a polite but quick smile as the doors shut, leaving them to be the only ones in the elevator.

The two stood side by side, facing the door as the lift took them toward the ground. Elena shifted awkwardly from her left foot to her right foot. Damon watched her out of the corner of his eye with a smirk on his face. She's fuckable, he thought. He recognized her from the meeting held earlier today and he was positive she knew who he was as well.

He cleared his throat to crack the silence. "I'm Damon Salvatore. You're one of the editors, right?" He turned to her.

She looked at him with her big and innocent doe-brown eyes. "Yes." her voice squeaked. He stifled a laugh. She was cute, definitely. "I'm Elena Gilbert." She held out her hand and Damon shook it, taking in the softness of her skin.

The lift came to a stop at the first floor and the doors opened and in came the noise of the crowded lobby. Damon smiled, his eyes alive with something, "I look forward to seeing you Monday morning, Miss Gilbert." And he stepped out before Elena can respond.

As Elena exited the building, she casted one look over her shoulder and met the icy eyes of Mr. Salvatore.