Chapter 1

Wanted

Damon was on edge before he even came into view of the house. He observed its details as he pulled into the driveway. It was a two story, large house with a black roof and an antique looking style to it. It was placed on a very steep hill, vegetated with a lot of trees. The shades in the windows were closed, but as Damon pulled into the garage that had been left open for his black SUV, one of the shades was pulled back an inch. He parked the car and reached into the backseat to grab a few of the bags he'd been requested to bring.

The night before, Damon's phone had rung while he was at a bar out in Kentucky. As soon as he saw Elena's name on the caller I.D., he ran outside at vampire speed to get some quiet. He hadn't seen Elena or heard from her in over a year. Stefan had disappeared after Katherine's visit, and no one had seen him since. Damon felt as though it brought Elena too much pain to have Stefan's brother around, so he'd left Mystic Falls, traveling as a nomad ever since. He'd checked up on her, alright, but it seemed as though any danger posed to her had left with the Salvatores.

However, the phone call was quite bizarre. "Hello?" Damon had answered. "Damon?" her familiar voice had rung in his ears pleasantly. "Yeah…long time no see…Calling to catch up or…" he had begun. "Well," she had suddenly seemed unsure about calling. "I need your help. I just didn't know who I could call… who I could trust anymore." He was confused. "Elena, what do you mean? Where are Bonnie and Caroline and everyone?" "Damon, I don't know where they are anymore. I moved out of Mystic Falls this past summer after I graduated, because Jenna and Alaric wanted to move out of town, and I didn't feel like following them. You know, they wanted to start a new family, and they didn't need me hanging around for that. So I moved into my great aunt's old house in a town a few miles away called Lunas Flats." Damon had been a few moments behind in the conversation. "Oh wow, you graduated… I can't believe it. I don't remember getting an invitation…" She had interrupted him. "Damon, please listen to me," her voice had cracked in a way that made him focus on what she was saying. "I was supposed to go to college back in September, but I've had some problems…Well I haven't felt safe even leaving the house except when completely necessary since I moved to Lunas Flats. As soon as I got here, people started acting really strange. There's an enormous vampire population in this town and it's growing. And I'm just-" She had stopped. "Elena? Elena, what is it. Tell me what you need," Damon had said, that same old protectiveness of her spreading over him instantly, as soon as his ears heard her voice. "I'm just kind of nervous. I found something really bad, and I might be in the house for a while. I don't feel like I can leave. I was wondering if you could come over here and bring me some supplies." "Yeah, give me a list, and I'll be there as soon as I can."

Damon knocked on the door from the garage to the house. The garage door to the outside closed electronically before the door in front of Damon opened. And there she was. Elena Gilbert looked around past him a bit nervously and stepped aside for him. "Come on in, Damon." He let himself in and made fifteen more trips to the car to take in all the food, toiletries, clothes etc. that would last for up to two years of survival. She hadn't said a word to him yet besides to invite him inside.

He made himself comfortable on the wicker coach that had a floral design. "So, Elena, what's going on?" he asked. He hadn't exactly pictured their reunion going the way it had. He had imagine more along the lines of a long, warm hug. But Elena looked frazzled. She looked skinnier, her hair was mussed, and he could tell she was exhausted.

"Okay, well just look at this." Elena said nothing as she handed him a white piece of paper with something printed on one side. Damon's eyes widened. There was a picture of Elena- a school photo from her senior year it looked like- with the words under it- "$5,000,000 ALIVE: CONTACT JASON BLACK" "I found it on the internet this morning. I have no idea why it was put out there or who this Jason Black is." "Whoever he is, he'll be dead in two hours," snarled Damon, getting to his feet. "Damon, you don't understand. I've never seen so many vampires in one place before, and they all want this money. They think I'm an easy target- which I don't blame them, but you're the only person I've ever invited into this house, because I don't know who would be willing to turn me over for money, and I don't have any real friends in this town." Damon gave her a long look. "I'm staying here with you, and I'm tracking this guy down." She shook he head quickly. "This is why I didn't want to call you…I don't want you involved in all this. Thank you for the things you bought me and I'll pay you back right now for them, but you can't stay here. I don't want you getting hurt too." "Then make me leave," Damon teased her. She reached for her purse on the counter. She took out a large wad of money. "I'm sure this doesn't even cover all of it," she said, pressing it into his hand, "But please just take it and go."

Half of her was desperate for him to leave and be safe and the other half would give anything to not be left alone again. He shoved the money back into her hands. Something had caught his eye- a shadow. He opened a curtain on the other side of the room, and there on the other side of the glass was a black-haired man. Well it wasn't just a man. It was a vampire. Damon was out the door in a second. He lunged at the male vampire. "Damon, don't!" Elena said rushing out the door that had been left open, after him. A few feet out the door, she noticed the two vampires were now continuing their fight at the bottom of the hill, down in the dirt road at the bottom.

All of a sudden, something had her hair. It was a female vampire this time. She yanked Elena's hair and Elena screamed, drawing Damon's attention. Damon couldn't help her, as he was in his own fight, but the vampire at the top of the hill threw Elena like a rag doll own the hill, so that she rolled violently through the leaves and hit her head and limbs on many trunks and branches. She was unconscious by the time she got to the bottom of the hill. The woman attacked Damon from behind as the man threw Elena's limp body over his shoulder. Damon had the woman stake din seconds and threw himself at the retreating figure of the man. He dropped Elena, and Damon used the same stake he'd used on the woman on him. As soon as they were both dead, he rushed to Elena. He pulled her to a sitting position, and brushed her hair out of her face. She had bruises on every few inches of her skin, her cheek had a cut on it, and there was a large crater-like wound on her upper forehead. The only thing he could be thankful for was that he could hear a heartbeat coming from her. He picked her up gently and carried her into the house where he went upstairs and laid her on a queen-sized bed. The bed looked like it had been used by her during her stay here.

Damon got a wet washcloth and bandages from the supplies he'd bought and washed her wounds and got some ice for her largest bruises. Once she looked peacefully comfortable, he lay down next to her and watched her sleep. Something told him it was the first time she'd slept soundly in a long time.