AN: This story is my version of the 'Great Delena Story'. It's AU and set in New York. It's about two people who come from different worlds and are at the same time different yet similar to each other. They both have dark pasts but they choose to handle their burdens differently. Where Elena finds peace in helping others by doing charity or giving yoga lessons, Damon drinks and sleeps around to reach oblivion.

When they first meet, things do not go as smoothly as one might wish but as the days go by, we start to question if they just might be each other's salvation.

Disclaimer: I don't own the vampire diaries or it's characters but I consider the storylines mine. This story is rated M for strong language and sexual content.

Chapter One: A Peaceful Moment

Damon

The first rays of sunshine found their way through the thick curtains of a bedroom. A man and a woman in what appeared to be a passionate embrace shouted their pleasure into the room. However, the passion was a lie and the pleasure only in the flesh. Their moment was shared with every other person in the room and in the rest of the mansion. The sound of music surrounded the place and the smells of sex, sweat and liquor lingered in the air. The night was winding down and not many were left standing as their night of sinful self-indulgence was starting to take its toll. All of them were in a temporary state of calm satisfaction and most of them did not remember their own names including one person who was the one responsible for the debauchery of the night.

He was lying on a bed surrounded by women, naked women, which was mostly his doing. Their eyes were closed in sleep or glazed and unfocused but he did not notice any of it. In fact, he was not able to notice anything in his state of mind.

This was one of the good nights where he was able to reach this state of complete relaxation. He was able to exhaust his mind so much that his ever-present thoughts could for a moment be drowned by the excessive alcohol and sexual satisfaction. For just this one moment he could breathe freely and feel alive. Soon though, the moment would be over and he would have to start chasing the next one. That was always his goal. He lived for this moment.

A sound invaded his peaceful moment and he felt himself getting pulled back to the surface.

"Get out people! The party is over."

It was a voice. His temper started to rise. Who would dare to ruin his moment?

"Thanks Aksel, you can go get rid of the rest now."

"Sure Mr. S."

There was a sound of a door closing and someone sighing.

"When are you going to stop trying to kill yourself, brother?"

He felt someone cover him with the bedspread and heard the door opening and closing.

Soft brown curls…

A sensual touch…

A kiss on the lips…

Someone laughing, a woman with brown curls and brown eyes that promised endless love and laughter. She was holding something in her arms. Looking closer, it was a child; a beautiful boy with brown eyes and hair just like his mother's.

His heart welled with love at the sight of them and he held out his hands wanting to hold the little boy, his son. When he touched his baby boy everything shifted. He looked into his eyes but where they were brown and warm now they were white and empty… like death. His heart burned inside his chest and he crumbled and fell to the ground. Small bones fell out of his hands. He wanted to scream but he could not make a sound and he realized that he could not even breathe.

"Damon!"

"Damon! Wake up… it's just a nightmare…please wake up."

The sound of his brother's voice came through the fog in his head along with the incessant shaking. He felt himself getting nauseous and then he realized that he was not breathing. As soon as the realization hit him, he opened his mouth gasping for breath.

When his breathing evened out and his heartbeat became closer to normal, he could focus on his brother who was sitting on the edge of his bed with a concerned look on his face. He could not take concern. He did not deserve it.

"What are you doing?" His voice was hoarse like he had been screaming for months.

"I'm saving your life brother."

Stefan reached for the nightstand and grabbed a glass of water and two aspirin tablets and held them out to his brother.

When he saw the hangover remedies, Damon immediately felt the pain in his head like it was breaking down the middle. He took them thankfully knowing full well that they would not be enough.

"Giuseppe wants to see you," Stefan told him with a guarded expression.

Damon gave him his most incredulous look without bothering to answer.

"Damon, you have to go see him."

"I don't have to do anything Stefan. I don't owe him anything."

"He's our dad and he lost the…"

"No!" Damon interrupted. "Get out NOW… Get the hell out."

His voice was laced with venom and his eyes shooting daggers as he got out of his bed and walked unsteadily towards the door, holding it open and forcing his brother to leave. He did not need him. He did not want to be saved.

"Damon, I'm sorry. I did not mean to mention it but please stop punishing yourself." Stefan said with a pleading look before he left, closing the door behind him.

Silence filled the room and Damon felt himself starting to suffocate in it. He could not handle silence any more than he could handle his brother's concern. Stefan did not understand though. He was not trying to punish himself, he was too selfish for that. He was trying to find Nirvana. That thought reminded him that he had to start his search for today so he went to the bedside table and pulled out a brand new bottle of bourbon that was to be his sidekick for today's mission.

Elena

"Let your breath be calm and easy while you sink your hips into a warrior two and just breathe for a moment."

The first rays of sunlight fell through the windows onto the smooth surface in the yoga studio where 29 women stood on colored yoga mats stretching their arms and legs while breathing deeply. All of them were facing one woman who was guiding them through the different poses with ease. Her calm voice along with the breathing and slow movement relieved them of all the stress they acquired throughout the week.

She was feeling their eyes on her and the thought of her being the one to relieve them of their stress alleviated her own. This was her escape from and solution to all of her problems. Being in this studio and instructing those people gave her that peace of mind that she could not achieve in her own life.

"Now roll up to stand, one vertebra at a time. Once you arrive take a big inhale to fill you right up…" She took a deep breath while lifting her arms above her head with all of the women following right along.

"… and then as you exhale soften up and just stand with your eyes closed for a moment." She swayed a little on her heels holding her hands together with her thumps touching her chest.

"When you're ready open your eyes… and great job." She watched them open up their eyes, letting go of their concentration and looking at her with open and relaxed faces.

Soon they were all rolling their mats and heading for the exit to go back to the pressures of real life until next week where they would come back to the same yoga studio. Here their faithful yoga instructor would help lessen the pressure or at least help make them strong enough to carry their burdens.

On their way out each and every one of them gave her a pat on the shoulder or a "thank you," for the relaxing morning.

"Today's routine was great, Elena. It felt so good." One of the women pulled her into a tight hug while holding her rolled yoga mat in one hand. She was one of the closest people in this world to her, one of her best friends.

"Thanks Care, I'm happy to hear that," Elena told her returning her hug and gladly accepting the love her friend showered on her. Caroline was the happiest person she knew and she extended her happiness and positive energy to everyone around her. Though with Elena, she seemed to make an exceptional effort to always be her most cheerful self.

"Have you heard from Bonnie?" Elena asked wondering why her other best friend did not make it this morning.

"She got called to the hospital on our way out and she wanted you to make time for some stretching later tonight."

Bonnie was a doctor, working in the ER of the local hospital which was why she was really busy all the time and sometimes Elena and Caroline did not see her for days even though they all shared a tiny apartment in Brooklyn. Even with the insane working hours and not so lucrative salary, Bonnie loved her job and was really good at it as well. Nevertheless they missed her and they all missed their time as NYU-students where they had more time to spend with each other.

They had met when Caroline and Elena were in their freshmen year and Bonnie was a junior and a volunteer in the charity organization attached to NYU, they were interested in. Bonnie immediately encouraged them to volunteer and took them under her wing teaching them the arts of fundraising and recruiting new people in her mission to change the world. From then on, they had formed a bond of friendship that only got stronger with time.

"Okay, maybe we can make a night out of it," Elena suggested while they both headed for the showers.

"Sounds great, I'll bring ice-cream," Caroline said excitedly and Elena felt herself getting excited as well at the prospect of a nice girls night with ice-cream and her best friends – in that order.

AN: Thank you so much for reading. Please be kind and leave a review.