Double The Company, Double The Fun

by velja

Fandom: Vampire Diaries Crossover with the Joss Whedon Verse (Buffy/Angel)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or the TV Series this story deals with. I just stole them for my own fun and I promise to give them back right away.

Characters: Damon, Elena (Damon/Elena), Spike (from BtVS/Angel), mentions of Dawn (from BtVS)

Spoilers: Goes completely AU after Ep. 1x14 "Fool Me Once". Regarding Spike, let's assume he survived the end of Angel's Season Five "Not Fade Away". Oh, and… I had to get Stefan out of the way so… he and Elena broke up and he left town, okay?

Summary: A stranger shows up in Mystic Falls and something about the guy just doesn't seem right to Damon. He decides to take a closer look, for Elena's sake. Although he doesn't know why he even bothers… it's not as if he cares about her, is it?

Author's note: I have no idea what's gotten into me. I wrote this weeks ago! It's completely pointless and silly. It's the result of a strange idea that suddenly popped into my head. "What would happen if the two hottest TV-vampires, Spike and Damon, would ever meet? Would they get along? What would they talk about?"

Damon might seem a little OOC but… it was fun writing him like this.

Part One: Meeting Spike

The Grill wasn't too badly packed, it was only late afternoon, when Damon Salvatore sat down at the bar to order a bottle of whatever Whiskey they'd serve. He didn't care for the brand, he just needed something to wash away the feeling of misery.

Not that it would work, mind you. Ever since he'd opened that damn tomb four weeks ago, only to find out the truth about Katherine, he'd been in a bad mood that no alcohol whatsoever had managed to lift yet.

So when the boy behind the bar – what was his name again? Mike? Matt? Caroline's new boytoy – kept ignoring him for two minutes straight in favor of polishing glasses Damon's mood quickly went from bad to 'really pissed off'. Eventually he grabbed the boy's arm.

"What do you want?" Matt pressed out between clenched teeth.

"A bottle of Jack," Damon fixed him with a compelling stare, "and you'll be happy to tell me it's on the house!"

Matt jumped away in haste only to return seconds later with a bottle of Jack Daniel's Whiskey and a shot-glass. "Here you go, dude. And I'm happy to tell you it's on the house."

"Thanks, dude," Damon replied with a false smile. He grabbed the bottle around the neck, whisked the shot-glass off the bar with his other hand and looked around for a nice quiet booth to settle into. His clear blue eyes scanned the few occupants in passing only but suddenly his gaze came to rest on a stranger that was sitting at the very end of the bar.

The man was staring right back at him, obviously unconcerned with being caught watching, and his lips were twisted into a knowing smirk.

As if he knew exactly what Damon was and what he'd just done, namely cheating the bartender with his vampire-compulsion. But that was impossible, wasn't it? As far as Damon knew no human, apart from Elena and her little friend the witch, knew about vampires' mind-control abilities. And even if this man somehow knew about them, too… he was seated all the way across the bar!

He couldn't have heard Damon's words unless… he had super-hearing as well. And that would mean… they suddenly had another vampire in Mystic Falls. Again.

Damon frowned briefly and, lowering his lean body into a booth from where he had the stranger in plain sight, vowed to keep an eye on the guy, just in case.

Not that he cared that apparently another vampire had come to town, mind you. Damon wouldn't give a damn if dozens of vamps were in fact threatening the humans of Mystic Falls. He didn't care about a single one of them, they were merely prey to him.

But still, he would keep an eye on this guy for now… he had nothing better to do anyway, had he?

Damon had just finished his second Whiskey from the bottle when he caught the stranger lean over the bar towards Matt, obviously asking something. Damon quickly honed his vampire-senses and focussed his ears on singling out the conversation.

"… a girl about your age, name's Elena Gilbert," the stranger said. "You know where I'd happen to find her?"

Damon's ears picked up on the slight British accent immediately and his brow furrowed. He'd never liked the Brits and this particular guy wouldn't be any exception, he knew that already.

"How do you know Elena?" Damon heard Matt ask back.

"I don't," the stranger smirked. Damon just knew that it had to be a dirty smirk. "But I've heard much about her. We have a mutual… friend."

"Oh, okay." Matt nodded and cleaned the bar in front of the still smirking guy with a greasy towel. "You know," he added then, "Elena and Caroline, that's my girlfriend by the way, went shopping. They'll probably show up later," Matt supplied and Damon felt the sudden urge to throttle him there and then. Or rip his throat out, he hadn't quite decided yet.

That stupid boy obviously deserved being with Caroline, who Damon had quickly figured out to be equally stupid. Only a lamebrain would give away information on a girl he'd once cared about to just anyone who asked nicely. And this guy was a total stranger!

Damon eyed the man more closely out of the corner of his eyes. Not too tall, in fact he seemed to be rather short and slim. But Damon could tell that underneath the lean body, hidden by a ridiculous long black leather coat, a certain kind of strength was lurking. Very cat-like and decidedly predatory.

And btw, who'd wear such a leather duster nowadays anyway? Not to mention the completely stupid-looking bleach-blond mop of spiked bed-hair. Was that supposed to look cool? Or had he simply gotten stuck in the 80th?

Damon let out a huff that turned into a frustrated sigh when he caught the strangers next words.

"Well, then I guess I'll be staying just a tad longer. And you'll do me the favor of pointing her out to me once she gets here, will you?"

"Sure," Matt replied with a shrug and turned away to another customer at the bar. Damon's eyes followed his every move and if looks could kill Matt would've dropped dead instantly. But since they couldn't Damon simply glared at his back some more before he let out a heavy sigh and reached for his cell-phone. It took him only seconds to find the right number and while the phone tried to connect he sent another close look at the stranger. He was nursing a beer and was throwing bored looks around.

"Hello?"

Damon quickly focussed his interest on the phone. "Hello Elena!" What should have come out as a smirk sounded more like a growl to his own ears.

"Damon?" Elena's voice was slightly hesitant.

"Yep, the one and only."

"How do you…" he could hear Elena take a quick breath before she continued: "Where did you get my number?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "I stole it from Stefan's phone along with a bunch of others. Thought it might come in handy if I ever felt the strange need to talk to you."

"Oh," Elena frowned. "So… you're feeling that need now? I mean, ugh, does it have to be right now? Or can I call you back in a few?"

"Why," Damon's own face twisted into an evil smirk. "Are you busy with something? Making up with my dear brother again? I thought you'd finally come to your senses and…"

"Damon," Elena cut him off with an exasperated sigh. "You know that Stefan left town after we broke up. So why are you doing this? Does it somehow make your day to poke fun at my expense? I thought we'd gotten past that."

"I'm not making fun of you, Elena. I'm making fun of Stefan and, yes, that does indead please me immensly," Damon's smirk changed into a more genuine smile. "As you well know."

"Yeah, I do," Elena's voice held a hint of a smile now, too. But then she got serious again. "So, seriously, Damon. Can I call you back later?"

"What are you doing that's more important than I? Or shoulkd I ask who are you…?"

"Damon!" Elena cut him off once again. She let out a frustrated grunt and Damon could hear clothes rustle in the background. "If you have to know, I'm currently half-naked in a changing room and I'm freezing my ass off!"

"Elena, are you trying to turn me on?" The smirk grew wider when he imagined what she must look like right now.

"No, Damon. I'm trying to get you to hang up!" Elena replied dryly.

"Well, it's not working too well, is it? But if you're that… preoccupied then why did you answer your phone at all?"

"Because I thought it might be someone… something important."

"Ouch, now that really hurt, Elena-dear." Damon mocked but then his voice turned suddenly gentle and serious. "So I'm not important enough to you?"

"Important enough to freeze to death? Let me think about that." Elena tried to joke her way around the sudden knot in her stomach. "Depends on your reason for calling me."

"And if it were just to talk? To hear a friendly voice?" Damon wanted to know.

Elena remained silent for a few seconds, not sure how to answer that. It was true, Damon had become quite important to her lately. Ever since she'd gotten glimpses at what she liked to think of as the real Damon, his vulnerable human side, she'd come to regard him as a friend.

And she knew, or she'd thought, that he'd come to see her as something similar by now. Not as his brother's girlfriend, or ex-girlfriend technically, or simply as someone who bore a striking resemblance to the woman he'd loved only to have his heart ripped out by her when he'd finally understood that Katherine had never truly cared for him… and least of all she wanted to be seen as a mere meal, a food supply.

No, Elena really hoped that Damon saw her as a friend these days. A friend he could talk to if he felt the need.

So eventually Elena let out a quick cough and then stated gently: "If you need a friend then I'm there for you, Damon. You know that."

"That's truly nice of you but not what I called for," Damon quickly back-pedalled. He didn't want the conversation to turn too serious… he didn't know how to deal with this new, caring Elena. She'd come too close to breaking through his armor already and he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to hold up the fort before the pieces of his dead heart would start to crumble under her onslaught of gentle concern.

"It's not?" Elena's voice sounded… disappointed?

"No," Damon quickly went on. "I just thought you should know that there's this guy asking for you at the Grill."

"What guy?"

"Don't know him," Damon replied and threw another quick glance over to the bar. The man was currently studying the menu. "But he seems, huh… fishy."

"Because he's asking for me?" Elena's voice sounded irritated.

"No," Damon rolled his eyes. "Because…" he couldn't think of a proper word to describe the bad feeling he got about the guy, so Damon shrugged and went on: "Just because. There's something about him… something dubious. And possibly dangerous. Might be a vampire, I'm not sure yet."

Elena sighed and her next words sounded as if chosen for a small child: "Damon, not every guy that's interested in me is automatically a vampire, you know? There are people on this planet, nice normal human people, who might want to talk to me!"

"No, really?" Damon's voice dripped with sarcasm. Then it turned challenging. "Name one."

"What?"

"Name just one guy that showed an interest in you for your perky little human self," he smirked back. "Because, correct me if I'm wrong but… your track-record doesn't look too good to me. First and foremost, there's my dear brother. Admittedly, not the poster-boy for a vampire, but still. And the list goes on, you had Lexi's boyfriend in Atlanta kidnapping you…"

"Hey, that one doesn't count," Elena groused. "He only wanted to get to you!"

"He still kidnapped you, didn't he?" Damon pointed out. "And let's not forget Hootie-Boy at the school dance or that stupid bartender who helped Annabelle… do I need to go on, Elena?"

Elena let an irritated huff pass her clenched teeth. If you looked at it like that… maybe Damon had a point after all? Her track-record hadn't been the best lately.

"Alright, Damon. I got your point. And you even missed one very irritating and smug vampire on your list." Even though she couldn't see Damon right now Elena was sure that his face was drawn into that typical 'Who, me?' expression of his.

"You dragging me off to Atlanta didn't happen that long ago. And you threatened to turn me when we got the Grimoire without you!"

"Oh, come on, Elena!" Damon rolled his eyes. "Nobody wants to warm up these old stories! I thought we'd gotten past that and we're friends now!"

"We are," Elena confirmed. She didn't want to remind Damon of the past too much so she quickly changed the subject. "So, anyway. This guy at the Grill, what does he look like?"

"He looks stupid!" Damon replied at once.

"Damon, seriously!"

"I am serious! He looks stupid," Damon threw a brief glance over to the bar where the stranger was still studying the menu as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. "Try to imagine Billy Idol and Sid Viscious miraculously creating a love-child."

"Ew, Damon! That sounds gross. And by the way, I've heard of Billy Idol but who's Sid Viscious? Am I supposed to know that one?"

Damon very nearly let out a gasp. "Damn it, I forgot you're just a kid."

"I am not a kid, Damon! Just because you were around even before they invented the printing of books that doesn't mean…"

"Printing was invented in the 15th century, Elena!" Damon lectured her immediately. "You should really pay attention in history class from time to time, you'll never know when it might come in handy."

"Don't tell me you ever even went to school, Damon, let alone pay attention in any class." Damon could hear the mocking in Elena's voice and he had to smile, too.

"Oh, Elena," he teased, "you really don't know the first thing about me, do you?"

"See, that's where you're wrong, Damon. I know you, I know you a lot." Elena wasn't teasing now. It was true, she knew it and Damon knew it, too.

Nevertheless he went on: "Oh, I bet you think so. I bet you lie awake at night, thinking of me and how you got me all figured out. And I'm sure your precious diary is full of what you think is the real me, my hidden humanity, all those good traits I'm desperately trying to pretend don't exist."

"Mock me all you want, Damon, but we both know the truth. And one day I will hear you admit it," Elena knew she'd hit a nerve when Damon immediately changed the subject.

"Don't come to the Grill tonight, okay? I'm gonna find out who this guy is and what he wants and until then you're gonna be a good little girl and stay at home." Damon's voice was low and serious.

Elena simply rolled her eyes. "You can't compel me over the phone, Damon. Even if I wasn't wearing vervain…"

"I'm not compelling you, Elena. I'm just…"

"You're trying to tell me what to do!" Elena spoke with a certain finality. "And you should know by now that it never works. So I'll see you at the Grill in a few."

"Fine," Damon sighed, "be that way. But don't expect me to come to your rescue when the guy's trying to rip your throat out. I'm done being your savior. The only thing I will be doing if I find you bleeding to death in an alley is saying 'I told you so!' with a smile."

"Really, Damon? You disappoint me." Elena was back to teasing again. "I'd have thought you'd at least snug a taste of my blood before you'd let it go to waste. I know you want to."

"You shouldn't joke about things like that, Elena!" Damon growled.

Elena went on as if he hadn't spoken: "Or, you know… do a little victory dance at my honor. 'Ding, dong, the witch is dead!' and all that."

"No," Damon replied very seriously. "That one I'm saving for your little friend Bonnie."

"Okay, enough with the joking. Bye, Damon. I'll see you in a few."

The line went dead and Damon clapped his cell closed. "Who's joking?" he whispered to himself and once again let his eyes travel to the guy in the corner of the bar.

His seat was empty.

"Huh, shit," Damon turned around in his seat. He was met with a pair of steel-blue eyes from the booth directly behind.

A devlish smirk complete with a raised eyebrow accompanied the stare and before Damon could so much as blink the stranger got up from behind the table and sauntered over to stand right before him.

"Mind if I join you for a bit?"

Damon cocked his head to the side and watched the guy sit down, not caring for an answer.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," the guy went on with a smirk and Damon immediately knew that this was another vampire.

"Is that so?" Damon finally drawled.

"Well, yeah. And I thought that I could just as well wait here for the girl. Since you seem to know her quite a lot." The smirk grew more dirty, if that was even possible. Damon didn't know why but… it kind of rubbed him the wrong way. So he lowered his voice to barely above a whisper.

"Whereas you don't seem to know her at all. So I'm asking myself: what the hell do you want from Elena?"

"Relax mate, I'm one of the good guys! Not here to do her any harm," he grinned and leaned back in his seat. "Name's Spike by the way."

"Seriously?" Damon chocked back a laugh. That was beyond pathetic!

"Seriously, Damon." Spike suddenly grabbed the bottle of Whiskey that Damon hadn't touched since before he'd called Elena. He poured some of the liquid into Damon's empty glass and raised it to his lips. Damon was just about to voice his protest when Matt suddenly appeared beside the table, carrying a plate full of spicy Buffalo wings and placing it in front of Spike.

"Here you go, sir."

Now Damon couldn't stop the words from coming out. "What the hell? You call him 'Sir' and for me it's simply a 'Dude'? Where are your manners, Matt?"

"My manners are reserved for guys that don't treat the girl I care about like utter shit, dude!" Matt replied smugly and turned around. Damon's glare followed him to the bar. Then he turned his gleaming eyes back to Spike.

"Cheers," the blonde grinned and drowned the Whiskey in one go.

Damon simply shook his head and, after a stunned second, motioned for another bartender to bring a second glass as well as another bottle.

He had the certain feeling that, once Elena would be here, they'd need a lot more alcohol to get through the night.

When Elena entered the Mystic Grill fifteen minutes later she noticed Damon and the mysterious stranger sharing a table right away. They were hard to miss, being by far the most gorgeous customers the Grill had seen in a long time. Two devilishly handsome men like that simply stood out, no matter where. Especially the man opposite the dark-haired elder Salvatore. Elena had to admit that Damon's description had been very accurate.

Short white-blond hair, obviously bleached and styled in tousled spikes, and a black leather outfit… the guy had taken the Billy Idol wannabe-contest literally and had perfected the look down to a T.

Elena was sure that she'd never met him before. So… who was that? What did he want from her? Had Damon been right earlier? Was he a vampire? Was she in danger?

Elena quickly decided that she'd for once listen to caution (and to Damon) and would not run head-first into a situation unknown. She would hang back, sit down at a table close by, and would try to eavesdrop on the conversation Damon was currently having with the guy.

Although Elena was sure that Damon had noticed her arrival she realized that he hadn't acknowledged her presence in any way. His eyes had never left the man seated opposite him. So without another look at the two Elena made her way over to the left and slipped into the booth next to theirs.

If she'd turn her body a bit to the right she would be able to watch both Damon and the stranger without being too suspicious, or at least she hoped. Damon would of course know that she'd listen in on what they were talking about.

Although, Elena realized once Matt had brought her ordered diet coke and had left again, the conversation at the next table seemed to have come to an end for now. Both men were silently studying the other, Damon with his head cocked to the side and the other guy mirroring his position. The only difference between them was the smile on their faces.

Damon's lips were twisted into his trademark smirk while his eyes remained cold and calculating. The smile on the stranger's face on the other hand also reached his eyes. They were a darker shade of blue than Damon's but equally electrifying and mesmerizing and were sparkling with obvious mirth. As if the guy could barely keep his amusement at bay.

It was obvious for Elena that the stranger had somehow gotten the upper hand over Damon, and that was something she hadn't seen very often. So Elena had enormous trouble not staring at them but eventually she tore her eyes away and pulled a book out of her bag. As much fun as seeing Damon be put down a notch was… Elena needed to act inconspicious and so she pretended to be engrossed in her book while she waited for the conversation to start flowing again. She didn't have to wait too long.

"So, Damon," the blond guy drawled eventually. "You from around here?"

Damon nodded silently.

"Really? You're local? I don't think I remember you or any of our kind being here."

"Ah, so," Damon immediately picked up on that. "You've been to Mystic Falls before?"

"Yeah, but it was long ago. Probably before your time."

"I doubt that," Damon smirked and sat up straight. "I'm older than my boyishly good looks make you think."

Elena threw a quick look at the guy and watched his smirk grow. "Is that right? Well, me too."

"I don't suppose you're gonna tell me?" Damon's smirk was equally big.

"Why not? Nothing to be ashamed of. I know that I look way too good for my 152 years."

152? Elena stiffled a gasp. It was true then, he was a vampire. She quickly tried to do the maths in her head but then she stopped. It didn't matter, did it? She knew that Damon had to be way older. She could still remember Stefan's onehundred and sixty-something birthday a few weeks ago and Damon was the older one of them, so… if the guy had included the years as a human in his age, like she knew Damon and Stefan usually did, Damon was the older one. Elena just hoped that it meant he was the stronger one as well.

"So, 1857, huh?" Damon had obviously done the maths himself and now let a dreamy expression cross his face. "I remember, the summer here in Virginia was very dry that year."

The other guy remained silent but his eyebrow rose expectantly. Eventually Damon sighed and whispered conspiringly: "August 1834, but don't let that intimidate you too much."

"No worries," the other guy smirked and leaned back in his seat. "So far I've had no problems staking vamps way older than that."

A look of surprise flashed over Damon's face but it was masked quickly again. "You… you kill other vampires?" Maybe this guy wasn't so bad? If he had no qualms killing his own kind…

"Sure, vampires, demons… you name it, I've killed it."

"Humans?"

"I did, sure. But not recently. That was before I got me my soul back."

"You… what?" Damon frowned, completely taken aback for once. "Your soul?"

Elena's ears perked up as well. She'd never heard of a vampire with a soul. True, before she'd come to know the Salvatore brothers she'd never heard much about vampires at all, at least not about the real ones, but… Stefan had never said anything about having a soul or not. The whole issue had never come up and she'd never even considered the implications of what being dead meant in a religious-soul-or-no-soul kind of way. And, glancing at Damon from the side, apparently neither had he.

Damon's thoughts meanwhile had run in a different direction. He eyed the vampire across the table very closely before he suddenly asked: "Do you sparkle in the sun?"

"What?" Spike snorted into his Whiskey. "Like that ponce Edward from the books? Oh bugger, mate! Don't tell me you actually believe that bollocks! What kind of vampire are you?"

"The kind you don't want to piss off," Damon shot back menacing. "So stop laughing and tell me more about this soul crap!"

"What do you wanna know?"

"You're saying vampires don't have souls?" Damon contemplated this bit of new information very closely.

"Well, usually not, no. Not unless you get cursed by Gipsies like Peaches," Spike broke off when he noticed Damon's confused look. "Long story, forget about it."

His blue eyes closed for a second but when he opened them again the brief look of sadness was gone as quickly as it had come.

"Anyway," he continued quickly, "I knew I didn't have a soul, so when I fell in love and realized the girl could never love me back because all she saw was the demon… well, I fought to get my soul back and here I am, about seven years later, as far as I know the only vampire with a soul."

Damon remained silent for a long time. He'd never heard about something like that and, he had to admit, he was quite intrigued by the whole concept. Not that he'd ever consider getting his soul back, mind you. That would imply suddenly dealing with a conscience and with guilt and he'd have to stop feeding on humans then. And that was something he just couldn't imagine any time soon. Nope, not Damon Salvatore.

He wasn't his brother.

Damon could definitely see Stefan all interested in hearing more about this from Spike, the two of them would surely knock themselves out discussing it back and forth. Damon was already trying to figure out the best way to tease his little brother about it.

But then he remembered. Stefan wasn't around right now. He'd left Mystic Falls a week ago and he hadn't hinted at returning any time soon. As long as Elena was around…

Elena!

Damon had completely forgotten about the girl and his original plan to find out what Spike wanted from her! And the girl in question was sitting only a few meters away. He turned his head to her and noticed her staring right back. Their eyes met and Damon saw the silent question in there clearly. 'Do you think it's safe to come over? Do you think he's dangerous? Will you protect me if he is?"

Okay, Damon was sure the last part had been his own imagination more than anything. Elena would never so obviously rely on him to protect her. Still, he had done and, more importantly, would do so again without thinking twice. He was man enough to admit it (if only to himself).

"Oi, mate!" Spike suddenly snipped his fingers in front of Damon's face. When the vampire returned his gaze he continued: "I realize that the girl over there is really nice to look at and from the way she's undressing you with her eyes she might be more tempting than listening to me but, until Elena gets here could you at least pretend to keep me company? It's only civil, if you ask me."

"I'm Elena," said girl suddenly blurted out and stood up. She made her way over and came to stand right in front of the blond vampire.

Spike's electrifying gaze traveled all the way down to her boots and back up again, lingering on her slim jeans-clad hips and her chaste yet promising hint of cleavage a second longer than necessary, before it met her brown eyes.

"I know you are," he smirked and his tongue curled behind his teeth. "I've seen your picture. I'm Spike!"

"Spike?" Elena repeated surprised. "Dawn's Spike? Dawn Summers? You're her… you're Dawn's Spike?"

"That's right," Spike cocked his head to the side, "though I wouldn't have phrased it like that. Might give off the wrong impression, you know? Especially if her sister ever heard it. She'd stake me without blinking if she ever thought me and Dawn… you know, love of my life or not… Buffy's not someone you want to have mad at you."

"Oh my God," Elena's stunned smile turned into a confused frown. "But, I didn't know you were a vampire! Dawn never said anything…"

"Well, it's not something you'd want to just put out there, is it?" Spike's eyebrow rose.

"Right," Elena had to admit. And besides, it had never even crossed her mind that there might be others out there who happened to have vampire-friends. Elena threw a closer look at Spike, now that she knew what he was. Dawn had told her about him, of course she had, and she'd also mentioned that he was good-looking. But this?

'Damn, what is it with vampires being this gorgeous?' Elena thought distractedly while aloud she asked: "So, Spike, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm just passing through," Spike shrugged. "I was on my way to New York and remembered you live here. So I thought I'd stop by and tell you the news about the Niblet."

"Ugh, excuse me," Damon suddenly came out of his stupor, "but could one of you perhaps fill me in on what's going on here? You know him?" His grey-blue eyes had narrowed suspiciously when they met with Elena's genuine smile.

"No, I don't. Not in person." Elena sat down beside Damon and shot him a brilliant smile. "But you see, Damon, I know this girl, Dawn, from chatting online. We met last year in a chatroom for, well, for people who lost someone. I started chatting after my parents died and Dawn's a councellor there. She lost her mom as well, didn't she, Spike?"

"Yeah," Spike replied with a sad smile, "Joyce passed away eight years ago, when Dawn was barely fifteen. She had a hard time after that, especially when Buffy died shortly after…" Spike suddenly blinked and shook his head. "Anyway, yeah. Dawn spends a lot of time councelling kids who lost family and..."

"And that's how I got to know her," Elena finished for him. "We hit it off pretty well from day one and have been friends ever since. We've always wanted to meet in person but with everything going on here lately I haven't had the time... plus, she's living in Europe."

"Yeah, about that," Spike grinned at Elena. "That's the news. Dawn's in New York for a couple of weeks. I'm meeting her there and she thought since you two wanted to meet anyway you could do it now. So, I came to give you a ride!"

"Seriously?" Elena nearly jumped from her seat in joy. "Go to New York? With you?"

Spike nodded and was about to open his mouth but Elena didn't let him get that far. She was totally hyper and on a roll. "That'd be great! I'd love to! But what's Dawn doing in New York? Don't tell me she broke up with Luke?"

"No, sadly she didn't," Spike sighed and his eyes darkened possessively. "Though I really don't get what she sees in that wanker. He's clearly not good enough for her but does she ever listen to me? No, not my Niblet, she's as stubborn as they come. Just like her big sis, never realizing who's good for her!"

Elena looked at Spike with true empathy. "Oh, I take it you and Buffy still haven't figured things out, huh?"

"Well, at least not to my liking," Spike shrugged. "She thinks it's all clear. We live together, the three of us, and Buffy lowered herself to call me a friend, even family but not…"

"Not what you want you two to be," Elena finished knowingly. She moved her hand across the table and placed it on Spike's leather-clad arm in a comforting gesture. "Perhaps she just needs more time. Eventually she'll come around and from what Dawn told me Buffy's already come a great deal closer to realizing it. Moving in together was a big step for her and…"

"Stop! Time out!" Damon's sharp voice cut through Elena's attempt to comfort Spike. She turned her head and shot the vampire an irritated glare. Damon glared right back at her before his eyes turned towards Spike.

"Let me get this straight: You, a vampire, moved in with this Dawn-girl and her sister Buffy, which is a ridiculous and truly pathetic name by the way, and yet you said earlier that this Buffy died a few years ago, right?"

"Well, yeah, but…" Spike had no chance to clear things up because Damon had already turned back to Elena and was staring down at her with an upset gleam in his eyes.

"So, Elena. You're friends with someone you've never met before and who's obviously living with two vampires, cause… what else could that girl be now if she died and is still around, huh? And now this vampire shows up out of the blue and as good as promises to kidnap you under the pretense of taking you to New York and you're seriously thinking about taking him up on the offer? Are you completely out of your mind?"

Elena tried to protest but Damon shushed her with a quickly lifted finger. "Ah, ah, ah… don't answer that, I know you are. You must be! I can see the little gears in your head turning like mad already, so don't deny it. You were planning on going!"

Elena crossed her arms over her body. "So what if I was? What do you care?"

Damon leaned closer and invaded her personal space like he always did to get a point across. "If you think that I'm gonna sit back and watch you run off with him, head-first into that kind of certain trouble…" Damon mirrored Elena's position of stubbornly crossed arms over his chest and shook his head.

"Is he always that possessive?"

Spike raised an eyebrow at Elena who simply sighed as an answer. Then she stared back at Damon and her lips twisted up mockingly. "So what happened to that earlier 'I'm done being your savior' crap? You said the only thing you'll do if I get into trouble is stand over my dead body saying 'I told you so!' What's it gonna be, Damon? The smug vampire who doesn't care about anyone that you pretend so hard to be or… whatever the other one implies?"

"I'm not implying anything, Elena," Damon put his most devilish smirk to the front. "And I'm most definitely a smug vampire that doesn't care about anyone. Maybe it's your wishful thinking that got me confused with Stefan again but…"

"I hate to break it to you, mate," Spike cut in from across the table, "but if you want the girl to believe you don't give a rat's ass about her well-being, then, well, this is clearly not the way."

"I don't…" Damon groused and then he fixed Spike with a strong glare. "Did anybody ask for your opinion, bleach-boy?"

"You don't have to get all hostile and defensive now, do you? You know that it's just a pathetic attempt at hiding your true feelings," Spike smirked knowingly.

"What is this, vampire psych 101? I don't need a lecture and if I did you wouldn't be the shrink of my choice. So do me a favor and shut up, okay?" Damon mocked but Spike merely shrugged.

"See," he adressed Elena, "he's getting all defensive, afraid that we might see right through his armor and get a peek at his true feelings for you."

Damon tried to stare Spike down but it obviously wasn't working because the next second Spike went on: "I knew it before I had even talked to you, Damon, simply by watching you when you spoke to her on the phone. Believe me, mate, for I should know. Been down that road as well. You're in love with her!"

Elena's eyes grew wide and she turned to see Damon's reaction. His jaw was clenched and his eyes gleamed dangerously. He was the very picture of what she'd not too long ago associated with the viscious monster Stefan had tried so hard to make her see Damon as. So hard had the younger Salvatore fought for it that it had ultimately led to the end of their relationship.

Because the more Stefan had tried to convince her the more he'd pushed her away from him and towards Damon. Of course towards Damon because he'd been the only one around constantly. After that fateful night they'd opened the tomb… Damon had always been around somehow.

And as irritated as Elena had been when she'd first noticed he'd gone quickly, too quickly, back to being his usual cocky self… she'd somehow gotten used to having him around. And, Elena realized while she took in Damon's aggressive stance, she couldn't find any fear inside her now seeing him like this.

She wasn't afraid of Damon anymore. Because she suddenly knew with perfect clarity that he'd never hurt her deliberately. Elena suddenly saw that Spike had been right: Damon had feelings for her.

He might not like it, he might fight against it, in fact he might try to move heaven and hell in order to hide it but… it was plain for her to see.

Damon had feelings for her.

Elena uncrossed her arms and placed a tentative hand onto Damon's shoulder. "Damon," she started but suddenly Spike pulled her attention towards him when he stood up in one swift move.

"Well, look at that! Sun's finally down. I think that's my cue to leave."

"What?" Elena stared up at the smiling face. "But, Spike, I…"

"Relax, pet. I'm not leaving town until Sunday. I'm staying at the Mystic Motel, so… feel free to come by any time you like. We can discuss our possible road-trip then. That is," he shot an amused glance at Damon. "As soon as you've convinced your fierce protector here that it's safe!"

Spike's eyes lingered on Damon for second before they traveled back to the girl. "See you, Elena!" he nodded and then he was gone with his leather duster swishing around his form.

Elena watched the door close behind him before she turned back to Damon, anxious to discuss this new revelation of his feelings for her. But when her eyes met his Damon measured her with a deadly stare.

"You're not going anywhere with him!"

"What?" Elena exclaimed, furious now that he'd dare to make decisions for her. Just like Stefan had always done!

"Who do you think you are, Damon? You can't tell me what to do! If Aunt Jenna says it's okay…"

"She won't," Damon stated coldly. "I'll make sure of that."

"You can't compel her, Damon. I gave her a vervain-necklace just like mine, so…"

Damon's cold stare turned into a devilish smirk and he leaned close to Elena's ear. "Thanks for telling me, Elena. I'll make sure she takes it off before I…" he sent her a predatory leer, "go and… talk to her."

Elena's eyes blazed with fury. How dare he? How dare he threaten to do anything to Jenna? Just when she'd thought they'd become friends, or that there was a chance for them to become even more…

"Damn it, Damon! What's your problem?" Elena could barely hold back the tears of disappointment. "Why can't you just admit that you care about me?"

Damon remained silent. He stared at Elena with eyes that revealed no feelings whatsoever, although inwardly he cringed at his own behavior.

Would it really be that bad to admit…

"Why do you always have to ruin everything?" Elena went on, suddenly eager to get it all out. "Do you have any idea what meeting Dawn would mean to me? Meeting the one person that helped me cope with my parents' death like no one else?"

Damon saw her gulp repeatedly. And although she'd lowered her head he'd noticed her brown eyes swam with tears and her cheeks were all flushed and her mouth trembled slightly…

And in that instant Damon made a decision. He couldn't explain what it was that made him care about her but, well, he did and he surely wouldn't drop dead admitting it, would he? Or, well… more dead.

His entire body relaxed and his features eased up on the coldness. He let out a deep breath and then placed a hand onto Elena's arm.

"Okay," he stated softly, "I get it. If you wanna go meet the girl then you're gonna go meet her. So, here's what we'll do."

Elena's head shot up hearing the changed tone. Suddenly Damon no longer looked like the deadly predator or even like the cruel ass he'd been. He looked at her like, he looked like… suddenly he was nothing but a guy trying to apologize to the girl he liked without actually having to say the words. That's it.

Elena had to smile besides not really wanting to. Bad-ass vampire or not… Damon cared for her. It was as simple as that.

"So?" Elena prompted with a small smile when Damon hadn't continued.

"Huh?" Damon seemed to have to shake himself out of his thoughts. God, if she'd keep sending him those smiles…

"You said here's what we'll do and then nothing. So, what are we gonna do? And what do you mean, we? You don't mean…"

"I'll come with you," Damon stated. "I don't trust that Spike guy as far as I can throw him. And I'm not gonna let you go to New York with him alone. He's a vampire!"

"So are you!"

Damon cocked an eyebrow at her. "And your point being?"

"My point being," Elena shook her head in disbelief but couldn't stifle the grin that threatened to split her face. "That you're saying it's far too dangerous for poor little me to go to New York with a vampire. And therefore you're sending me off with two vampires instead?"

"Exactly," Damon smirked back at her.

"Okay then," Elena nodded satisfied.

Damon did a double-take. He'd expected more of a protest or at the very least some mild irritation from her. He hadn't expected her to succumb so easily.

"Elena? Are you feeling alright?"

"Sure," she answered, "why wouldn't I be?"

"You do realize that you've just agreed to…" Damon had been about to say 'to take me with you to New York' but he'd stopped just in time. That particular phrasing would have sounded just a little bit too weird and girlish for his taste, even if it was exactly what he'd meant.

"To take another road-trip with you?" Elena finished when Damon made no move to go on. "I know. It should be at least as much fun as the last one, or…"

"Ooooor?" Damon drew the one word out to an impossible length, inwardly pleased as hell that she'd thought their trip to Georgia had been fun.

"You know, it should be even more fun," Elena smiled and slightly leaned into Damon's side. Her arm snaked under his that had been resting on the table and she linked herself to it. Damon stared at the girl in sheer wonder. What was happening here? Why was she suddenly clinging to him, all nice and friendly…

"And why should it be even more fun?" Damon asked.

"Oh, you know," she replied with a sly smile. "Double the company, double the fun, that's all. Strength in numbers or whatever."

Oh shit, Damon had completely forgotten about the fact that the other vampire would accompany them as well. The prospect of another road-trip with Elena like the last one had completely fried his brain, or so it seemed.

"Double the fun, sure!" Damon muttered under his breath, careful to not let Elena hear him, and picked up his nearly forgotten shot glass.

It was empty, just like the bottle next to it.

Damon stared at both items for a confused second, then his gaze traveled to Elena's flushed face and her limp form hanging off his arm and suddenly it all made sense.

"Elena," Damon's voice took on an exasperated tone and yet he couldn't help it when his lips twisted up in a smug smile, "you didn't drink all of that, did you?"

A slight snoring noise was the only response he got.

'Great,' he thought and with a grace and suppleness no human could possess Damon pulled Elena closer to his chest and stood up from the booth at the same time, clutching her sleeping form securely under his arm.

'Now I might have to compel Jenna after all. Wouldn't want her to catch you like this, would we?'

Under countless stares that didn't bother him at all Damon carried Elena out of the Grill and towards his car, put her into the passenger seat and fastened the seatbelt around her.

Elena's head lolled to the side and just when Damon was bent over her, half inside the car, half outside, Elena opened her eyes the tiniest bit and she slurred: "Are we having fun on the road already?"

"No," Damon chuckled and pulled his body back out until his face was even with Elena's. "Not yet. But we will. Soon we'll have fun on the road. Just wait and see, Elena."

Elena closed her eyes again and nodded back off. A dreamy smile danced around her mouth and Damon thought she'd never looked more beautiful. Without another thought he leaned in and brushed his lips across that smile in a feather-light kiss.

"Just wait and see," he repeated softly and closed the door. Then he got behind the steering wheel and started the car.

TBC

This was supposed to be a silly one-shot but now I guess I have to write a road-trip sequel, don't you think? Do you want one? Let me know.