Title: 'Marry me instead'


Summary:

Yesterday, he was just an underrated reporter of the most underrated news channel. Today, he's the most wanted man of country. His crime? He helps the bride-to-be of dangerous politician to escape from her wedding. He was only suppose to help her reach her brother. Falling madly in love with her wasn't planned. Especially when he knew a girl like her could never fall in love with him. As time progresses, it's hard for him to stay honest to his original agenda of helping her reach her brother. A lot of twist and turns awaits them,as the two souls realizes how they can't live without each other. But life isn't a fairy tale, the heiress of The Falls, fiance of the infamous politician can't end up with a washed up news reporter. Her fiance and her family are out for their blood. He's not gaining anything for helping her, not even her love. But he's ready to risk everything for her.


Disclaimer: All the characters belong to their respective owners. (One Disclaimer should be enough for entire story)

This is slightly longer than what prologue is supposed to be. But it's important. Have a nice read!


Prologue.

He grasped her hand and pushed her against the wall, cupping her mouth with one hand. She looked shocked, her breath fast, his closeness unnerving her.

Before she could utter a word, he shushed her. His eyes narrowed as if warning her. "They're outside." He mouthed.

She gasped, her eyes widening with fear, "No."

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here." He whispered, comforting her.

How did he get to this point? How did he even get dragged into this mess? One day he had a normal boring life, being an underrated news reporter and suddenly today, he was the most wanted man of the country. After all, he 'eloped' with the country's most dangerous Don, Kol Mikelson, to-be-bride Elena Gilbert, on the day of their wedding. It wasn't planned. It had been so spontaneous; he still couldn't believe everything that happened in the past ten days.

"They're in here somewhere, I know." He could hear Kol bark at his guards. "Scatter around. Don't come back without finding them." He ordered.

He could feel Elena shake in fright. If they found them, they'll both end up getting killed. Kol was a dangerous man. A sane person would not mess with him. But Damon had never been a coward. He couldn't just leave the frightened girl alone to deal with her problems. Even after she played with his feelings just a few moments ago,he had vowed to himself that he'll protect her no matter what and will help her safely reach her brother… and him.

"Damon, I'm scared." She clung onto him like a lifeline, afraid that he might leave her alone like so many people did before.

"He won't touch a hair on your head, I promise you that." Damon whispered, his hand slowly cupping her cheeks. "You have to trust me."

"I do." She whispered.

"Good," He said, pulling away from her. He rushed to the closet and took out their luggage, stuffing all their things inside it. "Let's go." He said, holding her wrist, moving toward the window.

"We're going to jump?" She asked, her innocent doe eyes wide.

"Of course not." He replied, frowning. "We're going to climb down the pipe."

"But…"

"Check this room." They could hear Kol and his guard's footsteps approaching their room.

"Come on!" He ushered her toward the window. "I'll go first, so if you slip you will land on me." He held onto the railing as he placed his foot on the ledge, clinging to the rhone pipe. She imitated him, pressing her lips tightly so she wouldn't scream or hiss, giving their hide out away. Slowly, they moved down. She slipped once or twice but he would hold her foot firmly, helping her latch on.

"There is no one in the room, but everything is scattered here." One of the guards said.

"Did you check out of the window?" The other one said.

"Hurry up." Damon said as he jumped down, landing on his feet. "Jump, Elena."

"I-It's too far." She stuttered looking at the distance from where she was clinging to the pipe. She had always been afraid of heights and even though he didn't know her more than ten days, he knew that about her. He knew everything about her. That's what happens when you fall in love with someone. You know them more than they know themselves.

So instead of getting angry, he stepped forward, signaling her to place her feet on his hands so he could help her get down. She nodded, placing her sandal cladded feet on his hands before jumping on the ground. A part of her was feeling guilty for dragging him into her problems when he had nothing to do with it.

She was the one who escaped. She couldn't go through a marriage like that. She was being forced into the relationship, and as soon as she found a way to escape, she did.

She bumped into Damon by chance and wittingly 'convinced' him to help her. He agreed on a price. But lately, their relationship had changed. He had been more affectionate, taking care of her more than he did before, looking at her whenever he thought she wouldn't notice. There was something else in his gestures now. Love?

That's when she told him her story, the reason she escaped from her marriage. It hurt him more than she expected. The torn look in his eyes told her she had broken something inside him. She really thought he would leave her now after all, they were just strangers, maybe friends now because situation forced them but nothing more than that. But he didn't. As soon as he saw her fiancé he ran to her and promised to keep her safe from him, no matter what.

He grabbed her hand and laced his fingers with hers, dashing toward their car.

"There they are." Elena's heart got stuck in her throat when she heard her uncle John's voice. He was also a part of the conspiracy against her. In fact, he was the one who hatched the plan in the first place.

The sound of gun shots rang through air. She screamed, afraid, unable to move.

"Elena!" Damon said as he pushed her behind a car, shielding her. He ducked, holding her close to him. His breath was fast and his heart pounding, his mind on overdrive. He had to think fast to get away from here. There was no way he could let them take Elena from him, even if it meant risking his own life to save her.

"What are you doing?" John shouted at one of the gunman, "The girl could get hurt, we need her now."

"Did you find her?" Kol appeared on the balcony.

"They're right there." One of the gunman pointed to the parking where they were hiding.

"Good work. Bring them both here and don't kill the guy yet. I want to kill him myself. As for my bride… she'll know who she's dealing with once I'm through with her. Hurry up, bring them here."

"Come on! come on! let's go!" Damon held her up, ushering her toward their rent car.

He held the door of the car open for her, ordering her to sit inside hurriedly. She duly complied. He closed the door and dashed to the other side. He placed the key into the ignition and pressed the small button that turned on the engine. He pressed the accelerator, racing the car out of the parking. One of the guards tried to stop them by standing in front of the car but he turned the car to a side, racing past him.

"Stop the car! Stop him!" They could hear John scream.

"Aim at the wheels!" Kol ordered.

Damon's eyes were on road and his hands on the steering wheel. His mind was whirling with thoughts and he had no idea about the roads; he was just turning left and right so they would lose Kol's men tailing after them but it was hopeless.

"Damon, they're coming closer!" Elena warned him, her long brown hair fell around her face like a curtain. She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it out of her eyes. Her eyes filled with fear. It did something to him. He had to protect her at all cost.

His eyes drifted back to the road and hissed when he noticed that the bumpy road was ending at the edge of a cliff. Unfortunately, he had taken a wrong turn somewhere.

"Elena, we have to jump."

"What?"

"We don't have another choice." He put the car on the third gear, unbuckling his seatbelt.

She looked uncertain but she nodded.

"On the count of 3." He said, as he started countdown.

"Three,"

She unbuckled her belt while he picked up their bag from the backseat.

"Two,"

They unlocked the door.

"One,"

They opened their doors and jumped off the car, rolling down the hilly road.

Brushing off dirt, he looked up and found her moaning in pain from the bleeding scratches on her bare arms. He hurried to her, his face filled with concern.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He murmured, looking back to see if Kol and his men were catching up to them.

She shook her head, wincing at the sting of the scratches.

"We've to run if we don't want them to catch us." He hated being so insensitive when she was so hurt but he didn't have any choice. They were getting chased by the country's well known mobsters. They had a terrible fate awaiting them if they got caught.

Slowly, she tried standing on her feet, holding his arm for support.

When she couldn't stand up, he picked her up bridal style and hurried toward the bushes to hide. She buried her face in his chest, shaking and sobbing lightly.

"Shush…" He whispered.

"Why are we even running? There is no point. We should give up." She was giving up. She couldn't fight anymore.

"Are you kidding me? Do you really want to go back to that hell hole? I am sorry but I won't allow that. You ran away for a reason." He reminded her.

"This is too risky. You could die. You have helped me enough… I…"

"No. Elena, I promised you that I'll protect you, didn't I? You just have to trust me."

"Why don't you understand? He's going to kill me, and he'll kill you too for helping me."

"Good, then we'll die together." The confidence in his voice told her how firm he was on saving her. She knew he would protect her no matter what, even if he died trying. She didn't understand, why? She didn't even know him ten days ago.

She had tricked him into helping her escape Kol and her family. She had argued with him throughout their journey, never listening to him, bantering all the time. Sure they had their light intimate moments, but she had even used those moments to help her agenda. A part of her felt something very strong for him, she couldn't name it yet, but something had changed.

He was looking around, desperately finding a way to escape her fiancé and her family. It was because of her that his reputation was in jeopardy. Her family has painted him as her kidnapper when in reality he was her savior. A pang of guilt arose in her chest as she remembered what happened earlier. She just couldn't get his broken expression out of her mind when she told her the truth about herself.

Her thought bubble popped when she heard Kol's voice nearby. He was asking his men to search around the forest. He had seen the car drive down the cliff but he had noticed their foot tracks and knew they were somewhere near.

"Can you walk now?" He asked in a low tone.

She nodded.

Slowly, he helped her stand on her feet. "Let's go deeper in the forest. They can't possibly tail us that far."

She agreed, holding his arm as he led her through the forest. They stopped once or twice to catch their breath, but kept randomly moving around, not even thinking how'll they come out of the forest once they're sure they were out of danger.

"Can we stop?" Her feet hurt from jumping down the car and walking for hours.

"Okay, but only for a few minutes." He said. He had a sinking feeling, Kol and her uncle were close by.

He handed her a water bottle as she sat down, her chest heaving from running so fast. Her shirt was torn, revealing her cleavage and showing inappropriate amount of her sun kissed skin. Her brown hair fell in loose, soft curls all around her head. Her face was dirty with some of the mud sticking to her skin, yet to him, she looked like a goddess. She had no idea what she did to him. Or maybe, she did, but she ignored it.

Of course, what would a girl like her do with a guy like him. She was the 'Elena Gilbert', successor of Grayson Gilbert, one of the most famous industrialist, descent of the royal family of The Falls. In a way, she was a princess, and what was he? He was just a news reporter of the most underrated news group, helping her reach her brother across the country. Why did he have to fall in love with her? He knew he could never have her but he wanted her so much. He loved her so much and every second, he fell harder and harder for her.

It seemed like a tragic fairytale. He met the princess and fell in love with her. He was even protecting her from the villains but in the end, he'll never get the princess because he wasn't the prince, he was her knight in a rusty armor.

"You're both fated to be together. She is destined to be yours. It had been sealed in both of your fates from hundreds of years ago." He remembered the words of the psychic they met just a few days ago.

He had laughed at the fake psychic that time but now he couldn't help but feel bitter at that thoughts. He lowered his gaze from her body to the ground, taking off his button down.

"What are you doing?" She asked, startled.

"Your clothes… they…" He didn't have to say it, she could see their condition. She suddenly felt too exposed. He handed his shirt to her, now only in his sleeveless undershirt.

"Thank you." The gratitude in her voice melted him a bit, even though he was still furious at her for using his feelings for her advantage.

She winced when she slipped her arms through the sleeves. He kneeled down on his knees and scooted closer to her, his face showering with concern. Somehow he could feel her pain and wanted to remove it. He didn't know why but he couldn't bear the tears in her eyes.

He held her arm, examining the scratches.

"Oh god!" She gasped.

"What?"

"Look at your arm!"

That's when he noticed his terribly bruised arm, blood gushing out of it. Lost in her pain, he never noticed his.

"I never noticed."

"How could you not notice? It looks terrible." She felt terrible now. She'd been crying over her wounds, she never thought that he might be hurt too.

"We have to stop the blood flow." She said, worried as she picked up their small luggage bag and looked for some bandage or some cloth to cover his wound. "I'll have to stitch it up later, before it gets infected." She seemed worried. Somehow, he liked that. No, he loved it. He loved that she cared about him.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not okay." She chided.

She took out her scarf and tore it, fashioning a bandage around his gash carefully, softly.

His eyes were fixed on her face, gazing at her as she concentrated on tying the bandage without hurting him. He couldn't take his own eyes off her, studying every aspect of her face just like he did when he saw her for the first time.

He had never seen such a beautiful girl. She seemed like an evening red rose, so beautiful and dazzling. Just then she looked up, giving him a chance to look into her doe eyes.

She seemed stunned too. Damon Salvatore was like a dream to her. When she met him first she thought of him as a very self-absorbed, self-loving, disrespecting and very selfish man but she was so wrong. Like his handsome face he also had a beautiful heart. The heart that she took advantage of. Her eyes roamed downward from his face to his sculptured body and then to the ground, feeling ashamed and shy.

It seemed like time had stopped.

They were so close.

But before anything could happen, they heard footsteps approaching closer. Damon latched onto her arm, making a run for it but a man emerged out of the bushes, holding a gun in front of him.

Damon retreated, still holding her arm, and took a different route but another man appeared, smirking and pointing a revolver at them.

"You're surrounded, Salvatore." Kol's voice boomed.

Within seconds, Kol's men encircled them and before they could even think, Kol and John appeared, coming out of the trees and with smug looks on their faces.

"Well. Well. Well." John's voice was low but it screamed danger. "Look who we have here?"

"My darling bride and her lover. Tell me, Elena, did you really thought you could escape me?" Kol's tone ran a shiver down her spine.

Damon pushed her behind him and stood in front of her, ready to defend her no matter what the consequences.

"I'll give you one last chance to escape, Salvatore, I want to show this bitch the worth of her love. I want to show her how her lover left her alone when I offered him escape. You have a chance… hand her over and leave?"

Damon shook his head, "You'll never get her, Kol, you won't even get to touch a single hair on her head, not until I'm dead and rotting in mud."

"That could be arranged." Kol said, sliding the safety of the gun off, ready to shoot.

"No, no, Kol." Elena begged. "Kol, please don't hurt him. It's not what you think it is,"

"Elena, come here this instant. You have already damaged our plans enough."

"Uncle John, I don't want to marry Kol. He's a criminal, a murderer." She protested.

"Like hell you will." Kol stepped toward her, but Damon blocked his way, standing firmly in front of him.

"Get out of my way."

"She said she doesn't want to marry you, get it through your head." Damon spat.

"Don't test my patience, reporter. Leave her here and save your life."

"She is my life, I'm not leaving her." He heard her gasp at the confession.

Kol rolled his eyes, ignoring him as he reached for Elena who was hiding behind her 'lover'. Before he could even touch her, Damon held his hand and pushed him away, throwing him on the ground. Suddenly all guns pointed toward him, ready to shoot at one signal from Kol.

Was this the end?


Special thanks to my beta tobireus ! You did an amazing job on such short notice. Thank you!

If you like the prologue, please review! I only want to continue the story if it has good response. My plan for this story to make it light heart romantic comedy with lots of drama and a pinch of angst. Again, if you like it, do comment!

Thank you for your time.

Have a nice week ahead!

*I've made some changes in the summary and prologue, when I used the word 'elope' I had specific meaning on my mind that will be revealed in the coming chapters. I can't tell that now, (It will ruin the surprise element). But to remove confusion I changed it.