"Stephan." Elena pleaded "You need to do something about Damon!" Stephan sighed

"I know, Elena, I know." Damon had been on a rampage for the past week and already he'd killed at least eight people. "I'm working on it, I really am." Stephan assured her. Elena didn't seem too assured but she had to get home and make sure Jeremy was okay so she hugged Stephan tightly and then left the boarding house.

Stephan sighed again and reached for his phone. Quickly he typed out a text and sent it.

Marley Blue was in the middle of seducing one of the boys from her school's football team when her phone buzzed. She pouted "Don't move, I've gotta check this." She told the boy, whose name she hadn't bothered to learn, it wasn't like he could've left or anything, he was under her compulsion but she told him anyway and taking her phone from her pocket she left the room.

Marley had two different phones, one that she used for friends and changed the number regularly and one that only two people had the number for. She looked down at the text on the phone that only two people could contact and read:

He needs you.

She only just remembered to send the boy on her sofa home before she sped off at vamp speed to Mystic Falls.

Marley had spent about three days travelling to Virginia. It wasn't the first time she'd been to Mystic Falls but it had been a while. It didn't look much different to how she remembered it. As silent as the hunter she was, Marley walked up the driveway of the Salvatore Boarding house. Listening carefully she could hear an argument going on inside, she recognised two of the voices easily but the third was new to her. A smile spread slowly across her face as she used her senses to aim correctly. Like a flash of lightning she was in the house and had Damon Salvatore on his back slightly dazed.

Stephan saw the shock register on Elena's face. He took her hand to reassure it was okay. He looked at the petite girl who was holding a struggling Damon to the ground, her pearl white hair was a lot longer than when he'd last seen her but then it had been a long time. The girl turned her dark green eyes to him and smiled "I got your text." Elena looked up at Stephan in confusion. This must make no sense at all to her, he thought. "It's nice to see you again Marley." It seemed the mention of her name caught Damon's attention. He hadn't even realised it was her, Damon stopped struggling and let all his muscles relax instead. "That's better." Marley said in her voice that to his ears always sounded like music. She kissed his cheek in greeting and proceeded to stand up.

"I've heard you've been a bad boy again." Marley said taking a seat on the sofa, Damon stood up and set a scowl on his face. "What are you doing here?" Marley laughed and looked at him as if he were stupid. "You know the drill Damey." Damon actually winced "Don't call me Damey, Marlina." Marley shot him a look that could kill. There greeting fights and arguments usually lasted a while but this one was interrupted by the voice Marley hadn't recognised.

"What's going on?" Elena asked, her voice full of confusion. Marley looked at her for the first time and rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me Damey, you too Stephan?" she looked up at the younger brother. "She's not Katherine." Stephan explained "her names Elena, she is nothing like Katherine." Marley gave him a dubious look but simply shrugged. "Can someone now explain things to me?" Elena asked impatiently.

"Let's sit down." Stephan suggested. Same old Stephan. Marley thought as he and Elena sat on the sofa opposite the one she and now Damon occupied.

"Elena, this is Marley Blue." Stephan began "She's an old friend of Damon's." Damon laughed "If you're going to tell the story, brother, at least tell it right." Marley nodded in agreement. Stephan began again "Marley was a human back In the 20s she was a sixteen year old girl who sung in bars to make a little more money for her family…"

1st October 1921

Damon sat at a bar drinking his usual whiskey. He was in a bad mood as he hadn't fed in a while. He was about to leave the bar when he heard her voice. It was like heaven had sent an angel just for him. He stopped on his way to the door and turned to the small stage. Her hair was a pearly white colour and fell in tangled curls around her face. Damon felt himself drawn to her, her green eyes found his grey ones and she smiled.

Marlina left the stage after three songs, she went to the small dressing room she had been allocated and began to pack her things when there was a knock at the door "come in?" Marlina said and when the door opened her heart back flipped, she had seen the man in the audience. His face was in most ways perfection but the perfection was broken by the look of despair in his eyes. They hadn't even made introductions when she asked "What troubles you so much?" The young man smiled and his face seemed to light up with it. "A woman." He sighed. Marlina's heart sank a little but she wiped it from her face as quick as it came, the way he smiled again made her sure he had seen her disappointment. "Why does she trouble you?" Marlina asked.

"You're so full of questions." The man pointed out and Marlina blushed, putting some colour in her pale skin. She looked away from the man, which was a mistake for it was then that he pounced on her with the grace of an animal hunting prey. Marlina let out a whimper as his fangs sank into her skin but she did not attempt fight and this confused the man. He fed on her blood for a matter of minutes before pulling back. Her eyes looked dazed and he knew she would most probably die. It surprised him when she spoke "Did you hurt her too?" She asked.

Everything about this girl confused him. She was different, it was as if she weren't human but he could tell that she was. "No. It was her that hurt me actually." And with that he bit his own wrist a pressed it against her mouth. It didn't save her though, not really. He hadn't given it to her quick enough.

Marlina awoke in the back seat of a stranger's car. She felt strange, like she wasn't in control of her body. Her gums ached and when she reached to feel them she found long delicate fangs, like that of a cat's. She sat up so suddenly that she almost toppled the other way. "Good morning." Said the man who was driving. It all came back to her then, she should be dead but she wasn't. "I'm sorry." The man said. Marlina smiled "Don't apologise it doesn't change things, it's a waste of words." The man nodded. "where are we going?" Marlina asked the man frowned he hadn't really thought about where they were going. "Away from here. I'm Damon by the way." He replied changing the subject. "Marlina." She replied "Have you got anything to eat, I'm so hungry." Damon smiled sadly "I know. We'll stop at the next village, just hold on okay?"

"I fed and became a vampire." Marley finished the story. Elena still looked confused "That doesn't explain why you're here though." She said haughtily. Marley scowled at her, she didn't like this Elena girl. "We're getting to that bit little Miss Demanding." Marley snapped. Damon looked down at her bewildered "Be nice to Elena, Marlina." The way he said her name made Marlina dislike Elena all the more. "I'm here because Stephan texted me for help." Marlina smiled "I'm here to sort out Damon. I'm the only one that can. How many people has he killed already?" she asked. Damon smiled looking pleased with himself as he answered "Eight, probably nine by the time today ends." Elena shot him a look to which he smirked at her. Marlina watched this simple display and felt her heart drop just slightly. "Well come on Damey. You can show me around the house." She said taking his hand and dragging him away, she didn't really need showing around, she'd been here before and knew every room. "So why are you off the rails and murdering people this time?" Marlina asked as they walked down random hallways in the house. "I found out Katherine never loved me." Marlina nearly blew up, which never happened. "It's always Katherine!" She shouted "Why can't you just get over her already?!" Damon hated when she shouted, she shouted more and more each time he saw her, it was like she was becoming a different person. "Have I offended you already Marlina?" He asked. "Yes." She replied simply. Damon hadn't expected that answer. "What could I have possibly done?" he asked. Marley shook her head and walked quickly away from him, back down the hallway and up the stairs to the bedroom third on the left that was always hers when she came here.

"Why?" Marley asked herself "Why is it always another that manages to steal his heart but always him that steals mine?" She had never been able to answer that question, for so many years he had longed for Katherine and now she could feel that same longing coming from him but this time for Elena. He knew that she loved him didn't he? Of course he did, he had known since that first week she had been a vampire. Her love for him was the reason he only saw her when he most needed her. Every other time she had been happy to help, this time though the resentment she felt towards him was a lot stronger than it had been before. Her emotions were haywire. Marley had never been a shouter, she had always been so calm as a human, only showing anger in subtle ways but now she showed it by literally ripping a person's head off. Maybe this time it's me who needs the help? She thought.

"I don't see how she's helping." Elena said as she lay with her head resting on Stephan's lap. "She has her own way that's all." Stephan assured her. Elena shook her head at her boyfriend "She is locked inside a room while Damon is out most likely murdering people. Face it, she isn't helping." Stephan hesitated before he spoke, "She's different this time. Like how she snapped at you earlier, she would never have done that before." Stephan looked thoughtful, Elena sat up and kissed his cheek "We'll just have to deal with Damon ourselves and hope she doesn't cause us more problems."

Damon wandered the town, it was getting quite dark now and Damon felt angry at himself. He didn't know what he'd done to her but he had upset Marley and that made him hate himself. She had been his only friend for so many years, he loved her with every fibre of his being but there was always someone else that made that love shadowy. First it was Katherine, when Marley had told him she loved him he had told her not to be stupid. He remembered the time she said she loved him…

4th October 1921

"Do you believe in love at first sight Damon?" Marlina asked as they drove down and empty road to the next village. Damon shook his head "I'm not sure, I loved-" Marlina interrupted him before he could finished, he had been about to say how when he first saw Katherine he felt something he'd never felt before but he couldn't be certain it was love. "I do." Marlina said "Like when I first saw you on the audience back in that bar, I knew then that I loved you." Damon was shocked he stopped the car at the side of the road and turned to look at her. "Don't be so stupid." He snapped. "You couldn't possibly even know what love is, you're much too young." He started to drive again. "I'm not that much younger than you when you realised you loved Katherine." He heard her whisper.

He hadn't known he loved her then, only that he felt a need to be near her. Now it was Elena he loved Marley he truly did but what he felt for Elena just seemed like so much more. Marley probably didn't love him anyway, not in the way he loved her anyway. It wasn't long before Damon left another body down an alley way. The worst part was it didn't even make him feel better.