a/n: So! I found alot of fans were upset with this scene. Everyone has their own reasons for liking or not liking the new revelation that Damon and Elena met first, and while I think I've become fairly at peace with it- somedays- I do feel a little cheated. Part of me wanted Elena to choose Damon over Stefan even though she had met him first. Either side you choose, I hope you enjoy this.

p.s. some of you might find this a little OOC for Elena, but remember- before her parents died she was much more 'bad ass'. Sneaking out and drinking and whatnot; plus who could resist Damon Salvatore in a leather jacket? Obviously I've taken some liberties with the ending. Mostly I just wanted to write something down and dirty. Happy Reading.

MYSTERIOUS STRANGER

Damon lay flat on the pavement staring up at the stars. He'd been in Mystic Falls for a few weeks now, under the radar. His own brother didn't even know that he was here yet. The road beneath him was still, a disappointing sign that meant no one was going to be driving along anytime soon, and Damon would be without a midnight snack. Just as he was about to give up and sneak back to the Salvatore tomb where he'd been hiding ever since getting back into town, footsteps caught his attention. He stayed still, not daring to move or look just yet. Perhaps he wouldn't be going to bed hungry again. Perhaps he could even charm the light stepping girl into sharing her bed with him again. Oh, what he wouldn't give for a good night's sleep on a mattress with a warm body next to him. A familiar voice rang in his ears and it took him a second to realize that it wasn't yet another memory of the woman he was so desperately searching for. His head shot to the side as he took in the sight of Katherine...no, that couldn't be her...could it?.

"I know Bonnie, you're right. You and my mom both are, I just can't bring myself to tell him. At least not tonight." She was certainly upset about something, or at least pretending to be. You could never quite tell with Katherine after all. "I'll call you later."

As she looked down to end the call, he stood and rushed over to her not quite sure what to expect if she was in fact the woman he'd been searching over a century for. "Katherine." Could it really have been this easy, after all this time. He'd worked so hard to get her, to find her...and here she was. Right under his nose.

"Um, no." The startled shock in her eyes amused him, even flicked on the curiosity inside him. He wondered about her, and because of that he allowed himself to think clearly. She glanced back behind her, looking for someone to come rescue her from the seemingly dangerous man that had just appeared out of nowhere. "I'm Elena."

Damon's heart fell, just as he picked up on the healthy beating of hers. She smelled like French vanilla. Katherine always smelled like lavender. "Oh," he wanted to hide the disappointment in his voice, but it was nearly impossible. No, this girl was definitely not Katherine. "you just look...I'm sorry." He couldn't quite explain why they shared the same face just yet, but he swore to himself that he would find out. Freaking her out with ghostly admissions about a Southern belle wannabe with fangs would not be the way to grab her attention. He quickly turned on the suave charm he'd learned could pull any women towards him and slowly moved toward her. "You just really remind me of someone. I'm Damon."

She looked him up and down, twice. He had to hold back his smirk, well aware that his charm was already working on her, though her eyes still showed a little wary guard in them. "Not to be rude or anything Damon, but it's kind of creepy that you're out here in the middle of nowhere."

"You're one to talk." He dejected, arms out a bit to show her that she was right her with him. Just how close could he get to her before she ran? He really wanted to see if he could catch the scent of her blood beneath the perfume. "You're out here all by yourself."

"It's Mystic Falls." She nearly scoffed, as if he was being foolish. "Nothing bad ever happens here." He smirked, just slightly. There was no need to scare her, just yet. If she had any other face, she would no doubt be drained and left for dead in the trees...but those eyes, those lips, that smile pulled him and kept her alive. Kept his attention on her. No, she certainly wasn't Katherine, but she had the threat of being just as intoxicating. "Got into a fight with my boyfriend." She finally admitted.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of her, but one thing he did know was that he was no where ready to let her go yet. "About what?" his hands went up in apologetic surrender. "May I ask."

She shook her head, half smiling, half grimacing. "Life, future...he's got it all mapped out."

Damon smiled, his senses telling him there was definitely something more to this girl then she led on just by simply being who she was. There was something underneath that pretty face and those dangerous, yet innocent eyes that had him desperate to show her the world, even his world. "And you don't want it?"

She shrugged. "I don't know what I want."

"Well that's not true." He found a little guts and glory, slowly moving his way toward her, so carefully she didn't even notice. "You want what everybody wants."

"What?" she smiled sweetly. "Mysterious stranger that has all the answers."

He had to look away, a full smirk finally coming out. How had she figured him so quickly? "Let's just say I've been around a long time, I've learned a few things."

There was something in her eyes when she looked at him, and even behind the charm he saw it. She trusted him, immediately, naturally. She felt completely comfortable and at ease with him even though he was a stranger. Perhaps that was it; she needed new and different. She needed something, someone to excite her. Make her feel alive. Obviously her boyfriend was making her feel quite the opposite. "So Damon," she moved forward an inch now, the distance between them slowly closing. "tell me, what is it that I want?"

"You want a love that consumes you." Tired of the careful back and forth he strode forward, not hiding his movements or his obvious desire to be close to her. "You want passion, and adventure..." There was just something about her that pulled them together, and he could see in her face that she felt it too. "and even a little danger." His smirk seemed to tease her, excite her and he found himself just as interested by her as she was by him. There was an undeniable need to dissect the other and he found himself shockingly interested in someone else, intently caring about their thoughts and feeling. It was an odd feeling for him and he wondered if it would last much longer. "And right now, you want to kiss me."

He held her gaze in his, but couldn't find the words just yet. Slowly, he held out his hand, watching her eyes flicker between it and his face. He could feel the effects of his compulsion wrap around her mind, holding her conscious in his hands and before he really understood that she'd fallen under his 'spell' she was wrapping her arms around his neck, her soft lips pressed to his. Moments later, their tongues were battling and he found himself being pushed back into the tree line. This girl may not be Katherine, but she certainly took what she wanted when she wanted it. He'd only compelled a kiss from her, anything that would follow was all her. A 'oof' sound escaped his lips when his back met the thick trunk of a tree, his hands tight on her waist, holding her close but leaning back so he could look down at her.

She looked positively sinful, her lips already swollen from the mutual attack they'd settled on each other. "I don't know what's gotten into me." She whispered, her hands flat on his chest. "I just...I feel something. Like a magnet, right here." She put pressure with one hand on his chest, using her other to hold his palm at a similar spot over her heart.

"It must be the mysterious stranger thing." He teased and let one long finger trail down the length of her abdomen until it hooked in the top of her jeans.

"Must be." She admitted, looking up at him almost dazed. He'd long ago lifted his compulsion hold, and yet the pull between them was still undeniable. "I'm sorry."

He lifted his finger to her chin, moving her face so that she was looking straight at him. "Never apologize for doing something that feels right."

"What feels right to you now?" she asked, and he found himself not caring anymore about her innocence or his chivalry.

"This." His voice was a deep whisper as he bent down to press his lips to hers. In all honestly, it did feel right kissing her.

The girl before him was something else entirely. She wasn't exactly Katherine, but she definitely held a few drops of the Petrova fire he'd found himself attracted to for so long. He let his fingers tangle in straight hair, craving Katherine's curls but fighting back the urge of wishing she was there. He had to take a damn break of thinking about her, for once. Not that making out with a girl that looked exactly like her could be constituted as a break. She held different qualities however. Her body seemed softer, more placent under his hands. The little sounds that slipped from her mouth were more gentle female than rough animalistic. Katherine was beautiful, but she could be very harsh when she wanted to be.

This girl was anything but that, or so he though. She clung to his jacket, then she was tugging it down his arms, letting it fall to the ground. He thought of objecting, of complaining about the fact that his beloved leather was getting stomped on, but her lips were suddenly on his neck and he lost all thoughts. This girl was something else, something different than he would have ever been able to expect from simply looking at her. She was young, but she was fearless. His compulsion may have gotten the first kiss, but now that she had him she didn't seem all that interested in stopping. Her innocence was merely a protective shield to keep guys just like him at a distance, her parents asleep at night and her teenage boyfriend comfortable letting her out of his sight.

What a mistake that had been. Couldn't that idiot see a girl like this couldn't be saddled down by a simple small town life? As she kissed up to his mouth, nibbling along the ridge of his jaw and sliding her hands underneath his shirt, he couldn't help feeling like he was in trouble. Damon was used to being in control, in being the instigator...but this girl was running her own show. And from the wild smile on her lips as she looked up at him, she was loving it. "Who are you?" he murmured, tugging her lips to his and rushing her against an opposite tree.

Elena gripped the rough bark of the tree behind her, her body shocked at the lack of air from the force of his movement. "I could ask you the same thing. How did you do that?"

He smirked, showing her all his teeth; but no fangs. "Things are not always as they seem Elena."

They both knew she wasn't going to get any more information out of him than that, so she hooked her fingers in the neck of his shirt and pulled. "Good, I'm tired of being bored."

"Oh, this won't be boring. I promise." He bent down, returning the favour of her kisses as he licked up the line of her throat, finding her pulse point and staying there.

Elena quaked under his hands when they slid up her back, beneath her shirt. Damon hesitated from a moment, listening to the erratic beatings of her heart. They weren't fearful...they were excited. She was excited, and he craved to know just how much. "I don't know why...but I...trust you." She whispered, framing her face with his hands.

"You shouldn't." He whispered and kissed her forehead. The moment of tenderness ended after a shared look of agreement. This was tonight, and tonight only...at least for her. She had no idea what the meaning behind his eyes meant, but she went along with it. She wanted more of his touch, more of his kisses. In one swift move, he'd yanked her shirt and her bra over her head.

The cool night air attacked her bare skin, a violent shiver racking her body when his rough palms grazed against her hard nipples. He glanced up, doing his best to read her eyes before dipping his head to wrap his lips around one. She moaned, her fingers fisting in his hair as he covered one protectively, kissing the other with lavish talent. She grasped the tree behind her, willing some of its strength into her limbs as her knees threatened to buckle. Damon sensed it, and quickly unbuttoned her jeans; tugging them down her legs to find that she was bare beneath him. That shocked the hell right out of him and he had to look up at her to make sure this was still the same 'innocent' girl he'd been kissing a few moments ago. She laughed a little at the amused look in his eyes and merely shrugged. "I'm a cheerleader, sue me."

"I've known many cheerleaders that wear underwear."

She returned one of his devastating smirks, her impatience and desire getting the best of her as she forced his shirt over his head. "Well now you know one that doesn't."

Damon could help the fire exploding inside of him and she bent to his neck again, feeling braver this time. Her teeth scraped across his throat, his shoulder and down his chest. A hiss escaped his lips as she sunk to her bare knees on the ground. He was about to pull her back up when she ran the length of her tongue along the line of his hips, her fingers making quick work of the button on his jeans. Alright, so she wasn't so innocent after all. As she kissed back up between the ridge of his abs, he slid a finger under her chin, pulling her lips to his. "Who are you?" he whispered, brushing her hair back so he could study her face more clearly.

"Just a girl, that has no idea what you're doing to her."

"Oh, Elena. I hardly think you are just a girl. There is something about you that is drawing me to you. Something about you that makes me want...need to know you. I haven't felt that in a long time. I haven't felt this much connection to someone for over a hundred years."

She giggled and shook her head slightly. "That's being a bit over dramatic, don't you think?"

His eyebrow cocked at her as she slid her hands down the sides of his hips, guiding his jeans to fall in a heap around his ankles. He considered telling her, showing her just what she was...but he doubted even someone as wild and open minded as her would be able to accept the knowledge that he was a monster. Instead he let them tumble to the ground, their scattered clothes making somewhat of a covering from the earth and leaves beneath them. She didn't really seem to mind and he wondered just how far she'd gone before in these woods with that idiot boyfriend of hers. "You don't even know me." He reminded as she wrapped her legs around him. He could feel the slick heat between her thighs, felt an entirely different draw of magnetism drawing them together. "You can still stop this."

She thought carefully for a moment, tried to fight through the lust and desperation coursing through her veins. There was a haze of desire she pushed through, and then she was realizing how real this was, her eyes connecting to intensely dark blue ones that allowed a warm blanket of calm t settle over her. "I don't want to stop this. I'm sick of doing what everyone expects me to do. Everyone knows me as the loving daughter, wonderful big sister, superstar cheerleader, perfect girlfriend. They are all labels, and they are a part of me...but there is another part of me...something that not many people know. You bring it out in me Damon, and I kind of like that. It scares me, but I like it."

He had a feeling, from the look in her eyes, that she hadn't been this honest with someone in an long time. "Has anyone ever told you how incredible you are?"

Elena didn't get to answer for only moans could slip between her lips a second later as Damon filled her core and gripped her hips beneath his hands. She held onto his shoulders, doing her best to meet him beat for beat, but surprised when his thrusts almost became too fast for her to match. For a few minutes all she could do was hold on as wave after wave of firey passion exploded within her. Damon kept his eyes on her face, watched the emotions that played across them. He had seen those faces on Katherine before, knew them and recognized them. Just to test, out of sick realism he bent to kiss a spot behind her ear that always made Katherine squirm. When Elena did little more than tilt her head to the side, Damon moved down; finding her pulse point and calling her blood up to the surface with his kiss. He could feel the rush of blood beneath her skin and felt his fangs slip out of hiding.

He pulled back to look at her, her eyes finally opening as the beginning tingling of her orgasm split through her. She held onto him tighter, her nails digging into his back and her head falling back to reveal more of her neck. He'd never bit Katherine, only fed from wounds she'd made herself...but this wasn't Katherine. This wasn't just any other girl either, and yet her blood called to him so desperately that he just couldn't resist one taste of it. He let their eyes connect and waited until he felt the pull of compulsion wrap around her mind. "This won't hurt. Don't scream."

"Don't scream." She repeated, closing her eyes as he released his hold of control. When he sunk his fangs into her neck, she didn't scream, but she did cling to him. "Oh my God."

He felt her tighten possessively around him and dug his fingers into the dirt above her head as he drank in her essence. A few seconds later he followed her over the edge, forcing himself to pull back from the bite and kiss her into silence. Her cries were of pleasure, but they were still loud and he didn't want them to be discovered by any wanders from the party she'd left. When she collapsed back against the ground and his now sated body lost its strength, he quickly pierced his finger and let three drops of blood fall onto her wound. It wouldn't go into her system, but it would hear the bite marks away without a trace. He rolled off her, staring up at the stars through the trees. It was almost the same position she'd found him in, not even twenty minutes ago. "Incredible." He said again, turning his head to look at her.

She was smiling at him, her head propped up with one hand as if she were simply lying in a big soft bed, waiting for him to recover so they could go again. The girl was insatiable and if he wasn't so spent, he would have found her lack of exhaustion charming. Now, it simply tired him out more. "You weren't so bad yourself."

He looked at her with wide eyes. "Because you've had so many men I'm sure."

She shrugged and sat up, searching for her bra and latching it around her breasts. "I've kissed enough to know what sparks are. Just because Matt is the only man I've been with doesn't mean I don't understand connection."

He figured she had some point and watched her hips wiggle back into her jeans. "I suppose we should get dressed. Your parents will no doubt be here soon."

She nodded, slipping her head through her top. "I'm surprised it's taking them this long."

"Perhaps the Gods are being kind to us."

She smiled and reached over, buckling his belt for him as he tugged his shirt down. "Perhaps."

He heard the low rumbled of an engine just a few miles back and was oddly surprised by the twinge of pain in his heart. He didn't want her to go, no matter how crazy and unexpected the last few minutes had been. "Come with me."

She followed, pausing with him when he bent down to pick up his jacket. She let him lead her back out onto the road, back to the original spot where she'd been standing when she'd first seen him. "Are you alright Damon?" she could sense the dread in him, read it in his eyes. There was just something about this mysterious stranger that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Damon brushed her hair back from her face and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "I want you to get everything you are looking for. But right now I want you to forget that this happened, can't have people knowing I'm in town yet." Her smile was sweet, but faded as he quickly took her memories away, storing them back in his mind to return to her later, if the opportunity to see her ever arose again. "Goodnight Elena."

The horn of a car honked behind Elena and she turned, slightly blinded by the headlights of her parent's car. Within the next fifteen minutes, her entire world would change. She would watch her father die before her and she would very nearly drown herself. She would not remember anything about that mysterious stranger, only the antique ring on his finger as her short, momentary death released some of the power of his compulsion. She wouldn't fully remember Damon at all, but she would dream of a mysterious man for the next few months as she dealt with the pain and loss of her parents death. Soon, it would become nothing more than a foolish fantasy and the little bit she remembered would be stored back in her subconscious for a time when she was ready to accept that not everything in Mystic Falls was really what it seemed.

a/n: so...a little unbelievable in some parts...but this is kind of the way I imagined Elena had been. She was fearless, for she didn't really experience loss before her parents died. She was brave and adventurous because she truly believed there was no danger in the world, at least not to the mythical degree she would learn later. I don't think she was someone that would walk into a burning fire (unless someone she loved was dying inside), but I do think she was wild enough to get close and feel the burn.

I do hope you enjoyed, and forgive me for this wild little pre-show Elena.