I rewrote the prologue, simply because I wasn't feeling the other one and felt this one flowed better. At least now I'm satisfied (for the time being that is...ghehe)

Discl: I don't own the characters. Juuust borrow and play ;)

The place was booming, the ground under her shoes vibrating with the contemporary music making the speakers shake violently. Sweat slicked bodies grinded against each other with no space between them, and alcohol was flowing freely, people indulging in it like it was water.

Expensive and fast cars and bikes were strewn over the open industrial field, people making out of the hood of cars, or making deals and bets regarding the regular street races going on during the crazy night.

Elena smiled, despite the smell of smoke and booze surrounding her senses, scantily clad women and tough looking men in leather jackets and army boots. She didn't mind, because this was her scene, this was something she was used to, had grown to love and appreciate. She dressed the part, too, in her polka dotted corset top, blood red leather jacket, ripped jeans and her black suede wedge boots. Her silky brown hair was a tousled yet controlled collection of waves framing her heart-shaped face.

A lips stretched in a smile when she stepped out of her silver Aston Martin one-77, and people automatically turned their heads in curiosity. The whispers started right on cue.

She's back. Well, no wonder the Alpha was so grumpy lately...

Where was she all this time?

Wauw! Nice car!

It was funny to consider how easily she had been accepted, how easily they had considered her as one of them, and it had nothing to do with the fast friends she had made, or the fact that she was the she-Alpha, for lack of a better term. They hadn't resented her for getting together with the pack's Alpha. They all understood the mating system and how inevitable it was. You were chosen to be with someone and it would be fairly useless to resent her for something she didn't have any control over.

However, instead of malicious stares and jealous glares, she received their acknowledgements of her existence with a smile as they grinned and smiled back at her. People clapped her on the back, nodded at her and winked at her. She had been part of this from the start, and she was finally starting to feel it, too.

She weaved her way through the throngs of people until she left the open industrial field behind to find herself inside of somewhere that must have been a garage, where a pair of all too familiar blue eyes snapped towards her in shock for a moment before a flirty smirk took over. That smirk never ceased to warm her all over, those tingles in her belly and clammy palms reminiscent of a teenage school girl crushing on her hot new teacher.

She kept walking straight towards him, ignoring the other occupant as both men were leaning against their respective cars. Her steps were resolute, anybody who was watching knowing she had a target in mind.

Said target didn't have a single problem with that as his strong arms wrapped around her almost immediately, without saying a word. She reveled in the feel of his hard muscles under her palms and the softness of his lips, knowing how to take her breath away with every peck and passionate swipe of his tongue. Kissing him, being in his arms, looking at him, never got old. As their lips parted, they were still entwined intimately in a lover's embrace as they looked in each other's eyes. His warmth enveloped her in a security blanket that had her sighing in contentment. Even though it was far from the truth, but being in his arms, feeling so protected with his lips pressing against the crown on her head and his calloused hands slowly exploring her upper body, made her feel as if everything was right in the world, as if everything was back on its axis now her mate was back with her.

''Hi,'' she said softly as she looked up at him through her lashes.

''Hi, beautiful,'' he greeted her as he looked down at her with a tenderness he reserved for only her. Everyone got to see the tough alpha male side of him, the dominator and the ruler, but with her, he always was different. With her he wasn't afraid to show the sweet and affectionate side he hid beneath the surface. For her he had made a lot of exceptions, but if you trusted someone as inexplicably as Damon trusted his Elena, he would do it every time. He'd put his life in her hands without thinking twice about it.

He pecked her lips once, twice, three times more before they had to turn at the coughing presence in the room.

''He, Klaus,'' Elena said with an apologetic grin as she found the will to extract herself from her lover. They didn't stop touching, however. Damon refused to move his arm from around her shoulder, and Elena automatically snuggled into his side and put her fingers in the back pocket of his jeans just to have something to cling to.

Klaus winked at her, accepting her unspoken apology without any words.

''Where's Blondie?'' Damon asked as he looked down at his girl—which wasn't very smart, considering he couldn't look away anymore. As he studied the beauty that was completely and utterly his, he felt a pleasant stirring in his pants sensing its owner was back and hell yes, he couldn't even think of why he even bothered toask about the Barbie doll that was his best friend's old ball and chain.

Elena frowned, as if it hadn't dawned on her before. ''She came out of Carmen with me…''

Okay that sentence sounds all kinds of wrong, Elena thought wryly, fighting not to roll her eyes and get strange looks from the guys, whom surprisingly hadn't heard the innuendo behind it. Well, that was certainly a first.

Klaus was about to open his mouth and ask something else, but was rudely interrupted by a fast succession of clicking of heels rushing their way.

Full of amusement, Elena and Damon looked on as the blonde flung herself in her boyfriend's arms and they shared a passionate kiss, his hands resting on her ass while her arms held his neck in a death grip.

Secretly glad for the interruption, the other couple let the blondes be, and turned to each other. They shared an intimate moment, just basking in each other's presence.

''I missed you, baby,'' Damon whispered in his girl's ears, resting his cheek against hers. He could not describe with words about how he felt having her back with him. Puzzle pieces fell back into place automatically, destroyed villages repaired itself on their own accord and all of their problems just magically disappeared. The softness of her skin under his, the deliciousness of her lips pressed against his and most of all, seeing all the beauty and love she directed at him swimming in her chocolate pools, he for once was thanking his DNA and the mating system. He didn't think he would ever find someone that could match up to Elena, not that he would ever want to, anyway.

''I missed you, too. I can only spend so much time with Caroline in the same house before I short-circuit. I swear to God, the nail-polish fumes have done some permanent damage on me,'' she pouted adorably, sticking out her lower lip while her already big eyes widened some more, making her look more innocent than Damon knew she was. He Oh yeah, he definitely did miss her.

''How did it go?'' he asked softly.

''Abso-fucking-lutely fan-fucking-tastic!'' Caroline yelled out enthusiastically.

Elena and Damon whipped their heads to the side to look at her, bewildered expressions on their faces. Klaus snickered at that, full well knowing how caught up in each other the Alpha and his mate could get when they got all lovey-dovey and started eye-fucking.

''Thanks for the elaborate description, Barbie,'' he snapped good-naturedly. He could argue with her all he wanted, but he cared about her. It may never be something that was going to be voiced, but they all knew it.

Elena grinned. ''We stayed at the hotel for a while, just spending days in the town and exploring, making sure we were seen and stuff. After we got the okay we got the hell out of their and picked out a bed and breakfast in a quaint little town in Washington State..''

''You were in Washington State?'' Damon nearly whimpered. He did not want to know she was that far away from him.

Elena giggled and tenderly kissed his jaw, to which he relaxed almost instantly and let out a content sigh. This is the life.

Caroline nodded enthusiastically. ''He followed us everywhere, as expected. The trackers Alaric made for us definitely came in handy…''

''…so know he definitely got the message,'' Elena finished for him.

Damon nodded, tightening his arms around his girl, coming in contact with the bare skin of her waist. Hmm, he couldn't wait to get her naked. ''Seems like we can start planning. How long do you think we have?''

''Couple of days, tops? We were followed to the airport by an SUV but because we went by jet he had no idea of where we could be going. But knowing him, he should have an idea and it wouldn't be long before he and his minions will get here,'' Elena described with a frown.

Damon kissed it away, hating seeing her so stressed over this. This whole situation had taken a toll on her, simultaneously affecting him, too.

''What do you think will happen once he gets here?'' Caroline asked.

Damon sighed as he thought about it. ''Probably trying to set up shop in Mystic Falls. We need to make sure that doesn't happen before we launch ourselves in a full-on war,'' Damon said darkly.

''And how do we do that?'' Elena wondered.

''Easy. We take them out one. By. One,'' Klaus supplied, equally as dark.

Elena didn't like the dark expression on the men's faces, but she understood why. John Gilbert had been set on ruining their lives from the get-go, trying to tare the pack apart piece by piece. Elena hadn't thought her uncle could be capable of such retribution, but the determination set in her boyfriend's jaw was copied onto her expression.

''We need to beat him at his own game,'' Damon stated resolutely.

Elena nodded. As much as she had been feeling guilty about everything that had been going on, and how bad she felt when she realized the sneaky freak-accidents that had been happening more and more all led to one thing, she knew one thing for sure: John Gilbert was going down.

Hoped you liked it!

xoxo, Layla