Author's Note: I keep becoming unsatisfied with the stories I write, but I have faith in this one. It's an AU world, so I've changed it a tad. I decided to make everyone human except the Salvatore brothers. I've also decided to change the characters up a bit, so there will be immense amounts of swearing, drinking, and mature themes in this story. Since this is a story revolving around Damon and Elena's love, nothing in the television show has happened. Think of this as a brand new start for Damon, Elena and all the other characters. The only thing that is parallel to the T.V. show is Katherine… So read and tell me what you think.

Small Crimes

Chapter One

It's the wrong time

She's pulling me through

It's a small crime

And I got no excuse

She saw him and immediately, her breath was taken away. It was unbelievable and impossible. No one could be so beautiful and be real. She watched as he stood there in the afternoon sun, his black shoes standing out prominently in the green grass of the school yard. The summer wind blew his black hair gently away from his face and Elena reveled in his perfection. With her eyes, she traced every curve and contour of his flawless face, memorizing the arc of his lips as they twisted into a smirk, the sharpness of his high cheekbones and the squareness of his jaw line.

The way he stood there in the middle of the yard with such confidence and sureness knocked the air right our of Elena's lungs. She could watch him stand there for days, mesmerized by the paleness of his skin and the redness of his lips. Everyone's eyes were on him, not just Elena's. In a way, that made Elena feel certain possessiveness over this man. She felt that she had seen him first, and therefore, he was hers.

And when the beautiful stranger's eyes turned and met hers, Elena bit back a small gasp. His eyes were the iciest blue she had ever seen. Framed by dark, long lashes, the blue discs stood out like light in a sea of black. It was as if they were calling out to her, beckoning for her to come and take a closer look. She had completely forgotten every thought that ever crossed her mind. The only thing she was and could focus on were the icy pools of heaven staring down on her.

Elena began to take step closer, her grip tightening on her backpack and a slow blush creeping up her cheeks. The stranger's lips pulled into a crooked smile as he watched her every move. The smile revealed his perfect white teeth. They glinted in the sun like diamonds and flashed in Elena's eyes, temporarily blinding her. But she liked it.

Yet looking closer into his endless eyes, Elena hesitated. She saw the welcome written plainly on his face, his emotions were an easy book to read, but in his eyes, there was cloudiness, a mask, something covering the true and raw emotion held within. And something within Elena knew not to walk any nearer. Something told Elena to stay away, no matter how much she hated to.

She steeled herself, let out a long, disappointed sigh and turned away from the beauty her eyes longed to hold.

-x-

Later that night, Elena had invited Bonnie and Caroline over for a spa and sleepover. It was Friday night after all. They had set everything up in the living room and had ordered takeout from the local Chinese restaurant. Elena had kicked Jenna and Jeremy out, forcing them to go to the Grill because she sought some alone time to catch up with her two best friends.

They were currently sitting on the couch, painting their toes and eating Chinese takeout at the same time.

"So Elena, how was your first day back to school?" Bonnie asked while she painted her toes a bright fuchsia color.

Elena's parents had died last year in a terrible car accident. She and Jeremy needed to take a long break from Mystic Falls and moved away for the rest of the school year and the summer vacation that followed. They decided to come back, to continue with their lives, and moved in with their aunt Jenna. Today was Elena's first day going back to school since the accident.

"It was okay," Elena said as she swallowed her orange chicken. "I saw someone on the front lawn after school and I didn't really know who he was. Have new people moved into town when I was gone?"

Caroline perked up. "What did he look like?"

"Black hair and blue eyes? I didn't really get a good look," Elena lied. She didn't want her friends to know that she had been staring at the stranger rudely, and how she noticed there was something hidden in his eyes.

"That's Damon Salvatore! He moved here with his brother Stefan about two months after you left. I think they're living with their uncle…? Anyway, I think Damon is the hottest piece of man candy alive! And his brother isn't so bad to look at either." Caroline was so excited that she began waving her plastic fork around, flinging pieces of chow mein into Bonnie's hair.

"Calm down, Car," Bonnie warned as she plucked pieces of noodle from her long brown hair. Elena just rolled her eyes and sighed. "But really, Elena how was your day today? Is everything okay?"

Bonnie was the caretaker in their group of friends and sometimes Elena appreciated her concern, but right now, her mind was elsewhere.

"It was fine. I ran into Matt and it was a little awkward considering our unexplained break-up last year. I should talk to him about it sometime soon…"

Caroline set down her plate of food with a clatter. "He seemed pretty upset after your break-up. He told me that he tried calling you but you wouldn't answer any of his calls."

Elena glared at Caroline from her seat on the couch. She hated it when Caroline acted like a know it all. "Maybe it was because I discontinued my phone. I wanted no memories of Mystic Falls with me when I moved. He should've waited to call me. He knew I wasn't ready."

Caroline shrugged.

"But I'm back now and I'm ready to have my old life back," Elena said with absolutely no enthusiasm. In truth, she didn't want her old life back. She was tired of being the vulnerable and shy girl that everyone knew as the girl with the pretty face whose parents died. She wanted to be remembered for something else…

"Elena, I have to warn you, now that you're back in town, a few things have changed," Bonnie whispered from her seat next to Elena. Caroline was probably holding a grudge against them and went back to painting her toes.

"Like what?" Elena snapped. She quickly regretted bursting out at her friend like that.

Bonnie blinked. "The Salvatore brothers are trouble. I've heard many bad things about them and I just wanted to tell you to stay away, especially from Damon. He has a history of playing with a girl's heart and leaving it on the ground without a word."

Elena scoffed at Bonnie's words and stood up. "Bonnie, I love you, but you need to stop playing mom with me. I'm eighteen and I surely can take care of myself."

Then Elena picked up the empty cartons of Chinese food and went to toss them in the trash. But while she was in the kitchen, she felt a pair of eyes on her, and she didn't know where they were coming from. There was a familiarity in the sense of being watched and Elena swallowed the bile that arose in her throat. Though she couldn't remember ever being watched before, the feeling of it sent shivers down her spine. The walls of the kitchen began closing down on her, trapping in the small space like an animal in a cage, revealed for everyone to see. Elena glanced around desperately, looking for an offender, but no one was anywhere to be seen.

Calm down, Elena scolded herself. She was being paranoid once again.

Hastily, Elena shut the shutters of the window above the sink and rushed back to the living room, pulling her jacket off the hanger and hurriedly threw it on over her shoulders.

Bonnie and Caroline looked up. "Where are you going?" They both said simultaneously. Elena hastily picked up her car keys. "I kind of want some air. You want to come?"

Bonnie and Caroline shrugged before they too slung on their jackets and followed Elena out the door.

While driving, Elena decided to visit the Grill. She hasn't been there in a while and she missed the old bar and the smell of the worn wood within.

When they arrived, it was crowded as expected for a Friday night. Elena looked around for Jeremy and Jenna but they were no where in sight. Probably out to explore the town and refresh old memories.

"Why are we here?" Caroline whispered in Elena's ear as they stood awkwardly by the entrance. Elena's grip tightened on her car keys and she watched as her knuckles turned white. She had no idea why she wanted to come here and why she dragged her friends here either. Maybe she wanted to say hi to everyone that she missed at school today, or maybe she was hoping a certain pair of blue eyes would be here…

And sure enough, there he was, sitting at the bar with another very attractive person. It was as if he was a magnet; Elena's eyes were immediately drawn to the back of his head. And then Elena looked at the person sitting next to him. He had light brown hair and was wearing a grey jacket. They were sitting closely and conversing in a much stressed manner.

"I'm going to the bar," Elena said absent-mindedly to her friends as her eyes were still trained on Damon Salvatore.

Bonnie gripped her wrist, pulling her backwards. "You can't go. You're eighteen, Elena. I don't know about where you've moved but here in Mystic Falls, it's illegal to drink at your age."

Elena yanked her wrist out of Bonnie's grasp. "I'm not going to drink," she replied curtly and walked away, leaving her stunned friend behind her. She would apologize for that later.

Elena walked slowly to the bar, a whir of words jumbled in her head. She didn't what to say to Damon, or the man sitting next to Damon. She didn't even have a clue if Damon knew who she was. Of course he wouldn't, she just moved back.

Gathering up all the courage she could muster, Elena plopped down in the seat two away from Damon. She propped her elbows up on the counter and rested her tired head onto her hands. Inhaling deeply, she smelled the rich scent of scotch and beer in the air. Somehow, that was soothing to her nerves.

Suddenly, Elena felt two pairs of eyes on her. She looked up and smiled; sure enough, Damon was looking right at her with his intense blue eyes and the man sitting next to him was looking at her with deep green eyes. Elena smiled at the two before calling up the bartender.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" A smooth voice asked her from her left side. The air from Elena's lungs escaped her like a balloon. Was he really talking to her?

Elena looked bashfully to her side to notice that Damon was indeed talking to her and that Damon's companion was now talking silently on the phone, paying no attention to her.

She held up a finger for the bartender, telling him to wait, and the bartender left with a suspicious look in his eyes.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking as well?" Elena asked coolly. She was really good at putting up walls and wearing masks to hide her emotions. On the inside, each one of her nerves felt like a live wire. She was literally sitting on the edge of her seat.

"Touché," Damon replied and sipped his scotch. Elena watched with big eyes as he brought the crystal cup to his mouth and parted his lips sensually. Then she watched as the caramel liquid slid into his mouth and escaped a little, dribbling out the corner. "But I'm used to getting what I want," Damon finished.

Damon politely brought a napkin to his mouth and dabbed away the scotch. Out of nowhere, he patted the barstool next to him. "Have a seat," he ordered to Elena.

She glanced at Damon's friend, who was still on the phone. Damon followed her gaze. "Don't mind my brother, Stefan; he's always on the phone."

Not reassured by much, Elena stayed glued to her seat. She felt her palms prickle with anticipation as she watched Damon turn to his brother and whisper something in his ear. Then Stefan looked at Elena and nodded, before leaving out the door.

"I won't bite," Damon guaranteed in a low voice as he gestured for Elena to come closer. Elena swallowed her fears and scooted over to Damon's side, her heart pounding and her breath quickening.

Damon twisted in his seat so that their legs were centimeters apart from touching. "I haven't seen you around before."

"I," Elena started, but she lost her voice. Embarrassed, Elena quietly cleared her throat before continuing. "I just moved back recently. I was out of town for a while."

Damon nodded and picked up his glass, swirling his scotch before setting it down on the counter with a satisfying clatter. "Why did you leave town?"

Elena's throat clenched. She didn't really like talking about her parents' death because she just assumed everybody knew already. She never really prepared herself for when she had to actually explain why she left school so suddenly and why she didn't come back until now. Elena wiped her palms against her jeans.

"Family troubles," she replied quickly. Then she looked down, unable to meet Damon's eyes, which she knew were watching her intently, studying every emotion that flitted across her face. Upon thinking that, a blush began creeping up her neck. The air in the room suddenly felt very hot and very tight.

"I have a lot of those," Damon finally said with resignation.

They sat in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Both of them were playing back memories in their heads, winding and rewinding each and every moment they had with the ones they loved. Sitting next to Damon, it made Elena realize that she wasn't alone, that she wasn't the only one drowning in her sorrows. There was something about Damon Salvatore that made him one with her. There was something about him that made him lonely and hurting, and Elena liked it. The thought comforted her because it allowed her to think that she wasn't alone in this. And even though their moment was sad, it was real and Elena couldn't help the single tear that slid down her cheek.

"You okay?" Damon's soft voice asked her. Elena quickly blinked back the upcoming onslaught of tears and wiped the corner of her eye with her wrist roughly. She felt him shift a little closer to her and she could smell the sharp alcohol and soft mint in his breath as he exhaled into the air they were sharing.

"I'm fine. Sorry, we just met and I'm already acting like a fool. I'm Elena Gilbert." She stuck out her hand and Damon grasped it firmly. The feeling of the palms pressed together sent a shock of electricity up Elena's arm. Damon's palm was rough but gentle at the same time and Elena loved the feeling of the curves and calluses on it.

"Damon Salvatore. I've heard many things about you," he replied vaguely. Elena wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion but tried relatively hard to ignore him.

Suddenly, Damon coughed slightly, grabbing Elena's attention almost immediately. She was then overcome with humility when she noticed that she still had a firm grasp on Damon's hand. Elena released it quickly before shrinking her hand back on top of her thigh. She felt herself flush a little and prayed that in the dim lighting of the bar, Damon wouldn't notice.

"Would you like a drink?" Damon asked in way that he was almost unsure of himself. A small smile spread across Elena's face.

"That would be nice, but I'm not 21 yet," she responded politely. Honestly, she was kind of scared to drink. The thought of drinking never interested her but she had never planned on getting a drink from Damon Salvatore before. Now that he was offering something to her, it made drinking seem almost pleasant.

Damon smiled the slightest bit, revealing the perfect teeth Elena had begun to grow attached to. "I'm not exactly 21 either, but like I told you, I'm used to getting what I want."

Elena nodded and watched as Damon called the bartender over. There was annoyed look on the server's face, but as Damon spoke slowly to him while making strong eye contact, the bartender's expression began to soften and he began to prepare a glass of caramel liquid. Elena was too mesmerized by the smooth way Damon handled things to notice the weirdness of the situation that just occurred in front of her.

Soon, Damon placed a glass in front of her on the counter. Slowly, Elena wrapped her fingers around the glass and sniffed the drink tentatively. There was the strong scent of Scotch and a mild warmness that followed. Cautiously, Elena pressed the cool glass to her lips and allowed a small drop of the liquid to slip inside her mouth.

Her tongue burned a little, but it was a good burn. It was a much needed wake up call, to sharpen her senses and bring her back to reality. Elena appreciated it very much. She needed a grip on herself.

"Thanks," Elena said once she had a bigger sip of her Scotch. She placed her glass on her small napkin and smiled appreciatively at Damon.

"No problem. Scotch always helps soothes my nerves," Damon replied, sipping his own drink. He looked so naturally doing it, like he was born to be a drinker. Elena wasn't really in to the bad boy type but there was something about Damon that screamed at her in a way she had never experienced before. Maybe it was the way his dark hair was tousled so carelessly but looked so perfect nonetheless. Or maybe it was the way his sharp blue eyes held so many emotions at a time it was almost impossible for Elena to read them.

Elena tilted her head to her side as she watched Damon with an inquiring eye. She couldn't help herself; she couldn't tear her gaze away from him. He was beauty within the eyes of the beholder. The way his movements seemed so smooth they were almost fluid and the way his skin glowed in the dim lighting of the bar just sucked the air right out of Elena. And when they made eye contact, Elena felt like she could pass out from the nerves and the anxiety. Never in her life had she felt this way about someone on the first day they met and never in her life had Elena been unable to learn anything about a person the first time they met. No matter how much she studied him, Damon was a closed off corner, hiding from the rest of the world. Elena could pry and she could beg and coax but she knew that Damon wouldn't budge. There was a heavy weight upon his shoulders and sometimes Elena would see him slouch under the weight. But always, Damon would right himself back up and carry on, pretending that no one saw.

"I should go," Damon announced as he slammed his fifth empty glass down onto the counter. Elena looked up, dazed. She blinked a few times as she watched Damon throw a couple of bills on the counter and turn to her with a smile. "It was nice meeting you, Elena Gilbert."

It took Elena a few moments to process his dazzling smile. She mentally punched herself for her stupidity before smiling back. "Likewise. See you around?" Elena didn't mean for that to come out as a question, but the uncertainty building within her just had to sneak out once.

Damon nodded in her direction before walking towards the door. Elena's gaze followed his every step and continued to linger on the swinging door as Damon walked out.

Unable to contain her regret now, Elena sighed and turned back to the counter. She picked up her half full glass of Scotch uneasily before downing it in one gulp, swallowing everything she just felt with it. It was nice; Elena had to admit to herself. For once, she could just swallow everything down and take what's coming at her with confidence. With a satisfying sigh, Elena stood up and left the Grill, pulling out her cell phone with Bonnie's number already dialed in.

"Spill," Bonnie commanded after the third ring. Elena smiled to herself. Bonnie always knew what was up.

"Just left the Grill. Where are you and Caroline?" Elena asked, dodging Bonnie's request on purpose.

"At your house," Bonnie answered with a clipped tone. She had figured out what Elena was trying to do. "Jenna was home and let us in. We're all waiting on you now."

Elena held her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she opened her car door and got in. Quickly, she jammed her keys into the ignition and started her car. "Sorry. I was caught up at the bar…"

"Talking to Damon, I presume?" Bonnie cut in.

Elena rolled her eyes and pulled onto the main road. "Yes, Bonnie, I was talking to Damon. We were just introducing ourselves, nothing dangerous. I know you warned me about him and I will keep that in mind every time I see him, okay? Don't worry."

Elena heard Bonnie relax over the phone. "Alright, just hurry up. Caroline and I rented a scary movie and we want to watch it. I miss having movie nights with my girls," Bonnie replied.

"Me too," Elena said with a chuckle.

She and Bonnie said their goodbyes and Elena hung up the phone. It was really nice to finally be home and Elena knew that even when she was seventy she was going to remember this night in bits and pieces. She was going to remember this night with fragments of black hair, blue eyes and the smell of burning Scotch. And that made Elena smile.