Dear Diary,

It has been six days. Six days since we opened the tomb. Now it seems all the plotting and scheming, the lying and hurting was pointless. Except for Anna of course. Nobody has seen or heard from her, or her mother she managed to save. At least not since Damon showed up at their hotel and threatened what's left of their lives. In the tomb, when Anna made me to be her mother's meal, I really thought that was going to be the end of it. Now I just hope they are long gone by now.

Yesterday was Bonnie's grandmother's funeral. I still cannot believe this is how everything is turning out. It's awful. I don't know how to help Bonnie. She's a mess and I don't know what to say. I've been there before, nothing anyone says helps. And. . .I feel guilty.

Worst of all, I find myself worried for Damon. The hundred-something year old, let-me-bite-the-whole-town, I'll-suck-you-dry, you-think-I'm-irresistable vampire. He's the last thing on earth that needs help right? Yeah, that's what I thought too, that is until I saw the defeat across his face when we left the tomb. He has spent the last century and a half searching for a way to save the one person he's let himself love and it turns out she was never in the tomb to begin with. Katherine. She left. She left him. And now he's so-

The sound of footsteps told her someone was coming, so she shut her book of secret thoughts and placed it safely into her purse. It probably wasn't the safest thing carrying her diary everywhere she went, but lately Elena never knew when she would have a sudden impulse to spill her thoughts onto paper. Possibly something she wouldn't want to forget.

A moment later the keeper of those footsteps made himself known. Stefan. He passed her a smile before sliding his jacket off and throwing it on the couch opposite from where she sat. Seeing Elena everyday really was the highlight of his life now. For being a soulless damned vampire, he felt truly blessed to have her. Stefan couldn't shake the smile from his face as she patted the seat cushion next to hers.

The words "most precious" flew through his mind as he kissed her forehead and granted her wish by sitting beside her.

"You look like you have something to share," he guessed in response to her turning in her seat to face him and the fact that she seemed a little uptight despite her smile.

Once Stefan guessed her motives, Elena thought about how well he understood her sometimes and made a mental note to write so in her diary later. "I do have something to share with you. . ." she paused attempting to stir his curiosity.

Stefan brought her hand to his lips for a quick kiss, curiosity obviously stirred, and said, "And what might that be?"

"Well, I talked to Jenna this morning. I asked her if she had found anything else about my mother, Isobel," Elena said her mother's name simply because she enjoyed doing so now that she knew what it was; she knew it wasn't likely that Stefan had forgotten. "She told me that she did some research online and to make a long story short we now have the address to her high school friend's house. Trudie Peterson. And! Jenna showed me a picture of Isobel from high school," Elena finished quickly, failing to contain her excitement she had. ". . .She was a cheerleader," she commented in a bragging tone.

Before Stefan sound say anything he noticed Elena's face change from joyful to worried all too quickly for it to be nothing, "Elena, what's bothering you?" He grasped her hand.

"Jenna said. . . Jenna told me something about Alaric's wife. He name was-"

Stefan cut her off before she could finish her thoughts, "Isobel, I know. He's already tole me the story about how she died. Don't worry please, it's too much of a coincidence to be true." He decided to change the subject so that she would assume he was absolutely sure. "This is definitely a start to finding her. . .whenever you want to pay this Trudie a visit, I'll go with you."

Elena tucked a strand of hair behind her ear followed by an, "Um. . ." She smeared a guilty look across her face.

Stefan made an unnecessary sigh, "You went already didn't you?" When she didn't reply, he stressed, "Elena!" It wasn't quite a yell, but he was nowhere near the surface of calm. Stefan was worried and agitated.

His reaction fueled Elena to simply spill the rest of the story out. Quick and painless, "Don't be mad. I was hesitant at first, but I just had to go. I didn't get much information out of her. She hasn't had contact with her in a long time. But she knew about vampires, Stefan." That got his attention, "She put vervain in my tea and she didn't invite me in. When I called her out on it she told me to 'Leave now!' So I did."

Anger began to build inside her towards Stefan, but she didn't act upon it. Elena didn't like having to plead her case or defend her actions, but the last thing she needed was a fight with Stefan.

"You should have told me, so that I could have went with you to protect you." His tone was constructed more of concern than being built from anger.

"I'm tired of needing a babysitting vampire every time I take a breath. Nothing is ever normal anymore," Elena truly felt defeated. She turned herself back to the right position, so longer facing Stefan, just staring at the loose hem at the bottom of her shirt.

"I know. . .I'm sorry. I just need you safe, okay?" He stressed the word 'need' slightly and Elena nodded when he stroked her long dark hair.

"I have to go for a little bit. Will you be alright here for a while? I'll be back soon and then we can go to the Founder's Fundraiser." Stefan got up from his seat and slid his jacket back on, waiting for Elena to respond.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. No babysitters, remember?"

"Alright, no babysitters," he kissed the top of her head once more before running out of the house at super-human speed.

Once he was out of sight, Elena realized she didn't ask him where he was going nor did he mention it. A sigh made its escape through her mouth. Vampire babysitters, she thought. Vampire babysitters and danger. . . that's what your life becomes about once you date a vampire. Elena tilted her head back against the couch and closed her eyes. "Stop complaining, Elena," she attempted to convince herself through a whisper, "it's not all that bad." Moving herself to a more comfortable horizontal position on the cound, a nap seemed like the best idea. Maybe then she'd wake up in a better mood.

...

Damon arrived home with a half-empty bottle in each of his hands and each arm wrapped around the two girls he had brought with him. "Hunnyyyy I'm hoooome," he called as he walked through the front door, expecting Stefan to give him an unwelcome greeting. "Looks like I have the house to myself then," he murmured to no one in particular. He had met these girls outside a college that wasn't far. Usually he had much better taste, even in his 'snacks,' but he felt a real need to forget today. A need to give both middle fingers to the world and everything he once thought of as important. Both girls were slim, blonde, wearing next to nothing, and as dumb as a box of rocks, Damon thought. Oh well. It doesn't matter. Their blood will suffice.

He took a couple steps away from the girls, by their stumbling feet the alcohol was obviously taking it's affect on them. Damon reluctantly sat one of the bottles down and guzzled a quick drink from the other while the 'party snacks' could get over how "like gigantic!" his house was.

Damon made his way to the living room, and then there she was. . .Elena Gilbert. Sleeping peacefully on his couch while Damon and his little party barged in. "Nooo, buzz kill Bob. . ." he moaned, but not loud enough to disturb her. It took him all of two seconds to decide what he wanted to do and then he saw the 'snacks' making their way towards the living room. He ran with super-human speed back to them and directed them back to the door, before they had a chance to see Elena. "It's time for you to go now."

They weren't offended in the least bit, because Damon played with their heads long before they even saw this house. "But we just got here," the shorter one whined, pouted, and even stomped her foot a little to Damon's surprise.

Do they honestly think whining is attractive, Damon wondered. He then moved towards the whiner while still holding the door open. Ever so slowly he got closer and closer to her, never taking his eyes away from hers. "One last bite. . ." he whispered in her ear and adjusted a sexy sly grin on his face, knowing he was getting the whiner's hopes up, then too fast for them to see he moved to the other girl, ". . .to the one whose just slightly less annoying." Whiner began to pout again. He bit quickly and only took a few gulps; she wasn't even the slightest bit tasty. This isn't real, he reminded himself, they're compelled. Memories of his trip to Atlanta with Elena and the real fun they had swam through his mind. A quick image of Katherine compelling him back in 1864 caused him to rush.

Assuming he wouldn't have had much fun with them anyways, he erased their minds once again and sent them off. "They won't even remember my 'like gigantic!' house," he joked to himself as he shut the front door.

Damon's shirt was noticeably bloody, he realized before going to check on Elena. "Mm, she'll enjoy this when she awakens," he stated as he slid off his shirt, threw it anywhere and walked into the living room. All signs of his usual cocky sarcastic self erased from his face once he saw sleeping Elena again. He wondered why she was here and Stefan wasn't. Of all places why would she want to nap here? Damon took another quick drink from the bottle he had yet to put down, ending in the burning of his throat he actually enjoyed. There was little light coming from the windows. Damon just stood there unaware of his next move. Wake her or no? She stirred in her sleep just slightly and muttered the words, "Vampire babysitter." Damon let a small laugh escape that, had Elena been awake, he would have hidden. She's probably dreaming of my overprotective weak brother. This thought only produced more questions in his mind and caused him to begin questioning what she saw in Stefan. In Damon's opinion, Stefan was boring, no fun, and always serious. And for hell's sake he eats animals, he's a vampire gone wrong, Stefan is weak and one day Elena is going to take notice to that. He lifted his pointer finger from the bottle, directed it towards her and nodded repeatedly, "You're going to notice one day." She still didn't awaken. Stefan doesn't deserve her. Why does he get to be happy, and have everything in his "life" that he wants?. . .well except for me leaving town. I'm not going anywhere. There's nowhere to go. . .Katherine. Doesn't. Want. Me. He turned his back to Elena and threw the bottle at the wall and watched it shatter. Damon then remembered once again that he wasn't the only one in there, quickly he spun around to see Elena still hadn't awakened. A confused look invaded Damon's face. That had to of woken her up. Did she die between "vampire babysitters" and now? Nope, I hear a heartbeat. What do I care if she's alive or not? Damon began thinking about how he had just run a couple of easy girls off just so he could watch Elena and be there when she woke up. "What am I doing?" He groaned and ran his hands through his hair, feeling like he was going crazy. He walked towards the couch and knelt down to her sleeping height, his face was inches from hers but he didn't touch her.

Finally Elena woke up only to yell at him, "Damon! Ever heard of personal space?" She sat up on the couch and straightened her hair with her hands.

Damon stood up, with his arrogant demeanor in place. He put on his sexy eyes and make an expression of fake confusion, " Why yes, it's one of the many things I invade best."

Elena hid her tiny grin well, which was quite difficult considering he was also shirtless. She'd be a damned fool to say what she saw before her wasn't attractive. Then she noticed the broken bottle across the room, his slightly slurred words, and his clumsy stance. . .and there was no grin for her to hide. She sat there in silence while he stood there and looked at her. His confused expression ran away and was replaced with his smoldering blue eyes and a cocky grin. "How are you?" she asked. It seemed to her like he actually took notice to what she said and thought it over for himself. Elena waited for an answer she thought she would receive, but was disappointed when his expression went blank as he grabbed a nearby open bottle, took another very long drink and then turned around and walked quickly upstairs.

It took Elena a few seconds to comprehend what was going on and what she wanted to do, finally deciding to follow him. He can interrupt my nap, but I can't get an answer out of him? She was too stubborn to accept that. So when she walked into his room and spotted him she said, "You look. . ." but she lost her train of thought. Elena wasn't sure how he looked. One minute it was as if he was his normal self, then he looks heartbroken, and then we're back to cocky bastard.

As Damon walked lazily towards her, Elena realized she was witnessing the cocky bastard persona at the moment. "Dashing?" He divided the original space between them in half, still smothering her with his biting eyes. "Gorgeous?" Damon now stood before her, any closer and he would step on her toes. "Irresistable?" he said so smooth-like that the words practically spilled from his mouth. He stood over he slightly, given the height difference, but he took advantage of it by leaning in. Of course she leaned back, striving for as much "personal space" as possible. Damon wasn't lying when he said it was one of the things he invaded best.

"Wrecked," Elena put her hand on his bare chest to push him away; he took a half a step back. "You look wrecked."

Since when have I become so damn transparent? He thought. With his facade still severe, Damon shrugged and said as if his abandonment was insignificant, "No reason why." He then walked away from her and grabbed his button-down shirt.

Elena's concern was in no way ceased. He was hurting, but he would never allow anyone to witness just how much. Something is going to happen, she could feel it. Somehow he's going to get into trouble or go crazy because he won't let anyone in, even if it's a couple more centuries away. . .this will break him. "How are you?" She watched his shoulder blades adjust across his bare skin as he slid his long-sleeved on.

"Never better. Yep... What can I do you for?" his fingers jerked his collar straight. "I'm a barrel of favors today. . .my new-found purpose. How can I help people?" he mumbled the last part.

"I'm just waiting for Stefan. We're going to the Fundraiser." He faltered with his buttoning at hearing Stefan's name. He rolled his eyes.

"You deserve better," Damon whispered so low he knew she didn't hear him, before turning around to face her again. "Help a guy out will ya?" He fumbled with his button again leading her to believe he indeed was in need of her assistance. "I can't," he tried again, "get. This."

Elena sighed like it would take so much time out of her day to button a shirt and walked straight over to him. She focused on buttoning his shirt, while he concentrated on her and the slight grin her lips formed. "So. . .I found out who my birth mother is."

"Ugh! Who cares?" Damon didn't witness the shift to frustration in Elena's face because he was too busy rolling his own eyes, but he did notice when she stopped buttoning his shirt. Time for the truth, he realized. "She left you. . ." he leaned in noticeably closer, "she sucks." Elena looked at him intently, almost reaching the level of amazement. This is his way of being nice, she rejoiced... But why only to me though?