Chapter 2: "I'll fool myself, she'll walk right in"

Title Credit: Beauty and the Beast


A/N:
The first three chapters are going to be slow and introducing the characters so bear with me.

There are going to be two timelines

First timeline starts from the time Damon and Elena met to their wedding. It will be written in Italic starts from April 2014.

Second timeline is after the Scandal. It will be written in regular font. It starts from November 2016.


April, 2014

He was speeding home. Without caring for traffic, he tore into the middle lane and slammed the gas pedal. Caroline, his sister, had just called him and informed him that their mother was having a panic attack again and she couldn't breathe. He sped along faster thinking about reaching home in record time. His mind was elsewhere as the speed of his car increased. He was worried about his mother. By the time he saw the other car pulling out of an intersection, it was too late. He spun the steering wheel to take a turn and avoid the collision but the red car came roaring down without slowing down at all. At the last second, the driver of the car expertly managed to turn the vehicle and crashed into the pavement instead.

"Fuck!" He cursed as he jumped out of his car to check whether the driver of the ugly red car was okay.

Before he could reach it, a girl stumbled out of the car. "Are you okay?" She asked in a concerned tone as she rushed to him.

His gaze raked her from head to toe and back again. She was wearing a spaghetti strap shirt paired with denim shorts that were too short to be called shorts. Typical trashy college student, he thought. He didn't like those sorts of women. It reminded him of the woman who broke his parent's marriage. It reminded him of his father's mistress.

"Yeah." he answered. "Are you?"

"Well, you tried your best to kill me but I survived." she replied, bitterly. He heard her mumble something about 'drinking in the middle of day'.

"Excuse me?" he hissed.

"And look what you did to my car? How much did you bribe the Licensing Department to allow you a license?" she said in a rage.

"Ma'am, I'm in a hurry so if you could just give me the details and I'll…"

"Aren't you even a little ashamed of yourself?" she fired, "Don't you have any respect for traffic rules?" she added, oblivious to the small crowd around them.

He looked around; some of the bystanders looked disgusted with him while the others looked amused. "I told you I'll pay you." He hissed through his teeth.

"It's not about the money." She spat back. "I can pay for myself, thank you very much. It's about breaking the law. You were speeding way above the speed limit. You were in the wrong lane. Safety of others shouldn't be endangered because of your desire for personal convenience even if you are idiot enough for speeding."

"And look at the damage you did to my car!" she added, looking back at her car.

"You call that piece of trash a car…" he hissed. He had enough of her lecture from little Miss Righteous. He put his hand in his pocket and took out his card. He thrust the card into her hand. "Here is my card. Come to my office any day of the week. I'll buy you a new one. Now, please can I go?" he said rudely.

"Unbelievable!" The brunette beauty shook her head in disdain. She realized that he was an arrogant bastard that needed to be taught a lesson. He should know that he can't buy everything with his money.

"I told you I don't want your money." She shouted.

"Then what do you want?"

"An apology" she replied.

"A what?" he made a face as if she was joking.

"I want an apology." She repeated. Clearly he wasn't the type who would apologize easily. He was conceited domineering and egotistic to a fault and the doe eyed beauty wanted to break that.

"I don't have time for this." He rolled his eyes and turned to leave.

"If you don't apologize I'll call the police." She warned. "You tried to run me over with your car, Mister. That's a federal crime." She added.

"Do you even know who am I?" he growled, turning around.

"I don't care who you are. You could be the queen of England and I still would have demanded for apology." She replied, furiously.

He was getting late. He didn't have much time. He was worried sick about his mother and the trashy brunette girl was driving him insane.

"I'm sorry." he gritted through his teeth.

"Apology accepted." She smirked, clearly amused to win the argument.


November, 2016

He breathed in her scent from the sheets. He still felt she was here with him. He must be a masochist because he just loved giving himself pain, he thought.

Going through his wedding and honeymoon pictures and thinking about memories of the first time he met her was mental torture. But if someone told him that there was a way to remove those memories he wouldn't do it. And no matter how much he missed her or how much pain he was in, he would never forget everything they ever had. Even if that meant he had to live with the fact that she had never been loyal to him and had only used him.

He told himself he hated her for her betrayal and part of him did. He had given her all that he was capable of giving. Love, devotion, protection and commitment. But apparently, it wasn't enough. She had to go to 'him' for more. The thought sickened him and he felt like suffocating. He was wallowing in self-loathing and misery when the door of his room creaked open and Caroline, his sister entered.

"Haven't I told everyone that when I'm in here you are not to disturb me?" he said without looking up from his iPad, looking at her pictures.

"I just wanted to see if you're okay." She replied as she sat down next to him on the edge of the bed. "You've been drinking a lot, it's not healthy."

"You know what else is not healthy, Caroline? Poking your nose into somebody else's business." He said bitterly.

Despite his sour mood, she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his shoulder, trying to provide him comfort in just about any possible way. "I still can't believe she did this." She said.

"I don't want to talk about it." He replied abruptly, almost harshly. He was still scrolling through the pictures. There was a look of anguish on his face. Caroline had never seen him so devastated and hurt.

"You have to talk about it to someone." She replied. "Bottling up feelings is dangerous. It can lead to mental breakdown."

He rolled his eyes. That's exactly why he didn't stay at home much. They would all start smothering him and force him to talk about 'it'. Why can't they understand that he doesn't want to relive the worst day of his life? It was bad enough that he couldn't get those images out of his mind, now he had to talk about it too?

"You're not the only one who lost someone, Damon." She said in a low tone. "I lost my friend too." She added.

Elena's betrayal didn't only destroy him, it hurt everyone in his family. His mother was very fond of her. She still couldn't believe a girl like Elena could do such a thing. She insisted there must have been a misunderstanding. But he had seen everything with his own eyes. There was no point in denying the truth. "When Kat told me about it I didn't believe her. You know how much she hated Elena before. I thought she was scheming against her again." Caroline continued. "Elena and Mason, it's just…"

He hissed as the images flashed before his eyes again. He felt his heart punctured and ripped all over again.

"Caroline! What part of 'I don't want to talk about it' do you not understand?" he shouted and got up. "You know what? Screw that. I'm leaving." He said as he picked up his jacket and rushed out of his room, slamming the door behind him.


"Is she sleeping?" Alaric asked as he entered the room. Jenna shushed him and pointed to the sleeping girl. Nodding his head, he walked over to the bed and sat on the edge next to his wife quietly.

"She cried herself to sleep again." Jenna said in a heartbroken tone. "Did you talk to John?" she asked.

"Yes, I requested him to stop broadcasting that news." Alaric said with a sigh. "He says he will try." He added.

"The damage is already done though. They have been running the news about Elena on loop for a week now. They have tarnished her reputation as much as possible." Alaric said, bitterly. "John says it was sponsored news. Someone from the Salvatores informed the paparazzi themselves."

"My poor girl.." Jenna's face dropped as she began to cry. It reminded her of the day before, when Jenna had forced Elena to go out on a walk with her to distract herself. It had not been a wise idea because as soon as Elena stepped out, the paparazzi surged towards her, their cameras, microphone and harsh personal questions angering and confusing her. Jenna and Jeremy had to threaten them to chase them away from Elena.

"The bitch Katherine came a few hours ago." She informed Alaric. "She said Salvatores are going to take legal action against Elena for tempering with company's files and forwarding it to Mason. And that Elena would be receiving the divorce notice soon." She added in a devastated tone. "What are we going to do?"

"We will find a way, Jenna" he said quickly, but the pained expression in his wife's eyes didn't diminish. "We will talk to Damon. We will figure a way out. And if that doesn't work then we will get a lawyer and fight for Elena. We know she didn't do anything wrong. She is innocent. They can't prove anything." He added to comfort her.

Jenna nodded. She burrowed her head into his shoulder seeking comfort and courage more than the warmth he was offering.

Personally, Alaric believed Elena was innocent. This might be his biased opinion but he believed Elena could never do wrong. Before he was her guardian and her aunt's husband, he was her middle school teacher. He had just been through a traumatic car accident in which he lost his pregnant wife Jo. Not two months had passed when he found out that he had Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, stage 2. He could only be treated with chemotherapy.

At that time his financial condition was very weak and he had lost all hope. He didn't know how his students, particularly Elena found out about that. She had arranged a fundraising event for him when he had been away on a weekend to meet his parents one last time.

It had been the most heart touching experience for him when he came back and the principal of the school gave him the donation money to help in funding his medical treatment.

He was reduced to tears by the gesture and the care. That day he went to her house to thank her and met the love of his life, Jenna.

To him, Jenna, Jeremy and Elena were his family. So what if Elena even made a mistake? Not that he believed she did. He would still protect her no matter how much of a horrible friend that made him to Damon.

"Let's go to our room, Jen." he said to his wife. "I think we should leave her to get some sleep. God knows the girl needs it." he said as he helped Jenna up.

Looking at her one last time, Jenna and Alaric left quietly. As soon as Elena heard the door of the room close behind them her eyes shot open. How could she possibly sleep when her life was falling apart?

She picked up her phone from the side table and called her husband again, even though she knew he wouldn't answer. Jenna had told her not to call him but she just wanted to talk to him one last time. She wanted to tell him that she wasn't what he was thinking she was. She had been and will always remain faithful to him. They were both being played by his best friend Kat, Mason and… 'him'.

As expected, he didn't answer her call. She was directed straight to the voice mail. "You know the drill, leave a message after the beep."

"Damon? Can we talk please?" She tried not to cry, but a strained sob left her throat. "Please let me explain. I will never ask for anything more, I swear. Just please, call me."


Damon knew that he had had too much to drink when he stumbled back from the bar. He shook his head to clear his senses. He needed another drink. The pain was coming back again. He had to numb his senses.

"Thank god, you're back!" He heard Katherine's relieved voice. "Where were you?" she demanded.

"You're not my wife." He replied harshly. "You can't ask me that."

"Yes, I'm not your wife. I will never betray you like she did. I care about you more than she ever did." She replied as she helped him up. She knew her words affected him. "I told you back when you were dating her that she isn't worth you. I warned you, didn't I?"

"Can we not talk about this again?" he hissed. "I'm really tired of everyone telling me that I messed up. Can you all just shut the fuck up and leave me alone?"

"We keep telling you because you don't realize the seriousness of the situation, Damon." Katherine said. "The board of directors are furious that your wife tempered with our company's data. They had half a mind to sue you for your carelessness. You're lucky that the press revealed her true face to them. Now they'll only go after her."

"Do I look like I'm in a state to talk about this shit?" he spat. He didn't care about anyone, not family, not work. The company could go to hell for all he cared. He felt resentment towards Katherine. She thought of him as a money making machine. Ever since the incident, all she talked about was how they should take legal action against Elena. She didn't care that he was hurting right now. What kind of best friend was she?

"I'm sorry." She apologized sincerely. "I shouldn't talk about that right now." She added as she sat next to him. "I know you're hurting. I'm only saying this because I'm your well-wisher, Damon. Maybe work will help keep your mind off her." She said with a hint of sadness and empathy in her tone.

"I can help you too, you know." She said softly. "I can make you forget her." She said as she cupped his face. For a brief moment, he just stared at her as if considering the option. He was drunk and vulnerable. He had been thinking about his unfaithful wife all day and had tortured himself with her memories.

He wanted comfort but not like that. Not from her. Not from any woman but his wife.

When she leaned in, he stopped her with firm hands on her shoulder. "No" he said firmly. "I'm a still a married man, Kat." He said as he dropped his hands to his side. "You should go." He added as he walked back to his room.

Katherine stared at him in anguish as he left. She couldn't believe he rejected her yet again. What did Elena have that she didn't? Frustration, embarrassment, and anger all exploded in her. She was about to leave when she caught sight of Damon's phone on the table. A beep announced that he had received a new voicemail.

She picked it up to see who would call him at this time ungodly hour. To her shock, it was Elena. She heard the voicemail Elena sent him. She was crying and begging him to call her back. She read all the unread messages Elena had sent him. It angered her that the girl wasn't giving up. She deleted all the voice recordings and blocked her number, she just couldn't risk it.

Putting his phone back on the table, she picked up her own phone and called her partner in crime. She sprinted out of the living room to the garden of the mansion. "She is still calling him. I'm afraid he will crack. What if she tells him about the baby? You know how he is whipped for her. What if he forgives…oh okay? I will." She smirked when the person on the other line suggested something that she knew would be the last nail in the coffin that was her best friend's marriage.


April, 2014

He opened the windows of the room and let the cool air in. Surprisingly, the weather was good today. "Damon?" his mother said in a sleepy voice.

"I'm right here, Mama." He said as he sat on a chair next to her bed. His mother had a very rare social anxiety. She just couldn't stand to be around people. She rarely went out of her room. She was a very difficult woman to handle so the nurses would hardly last even though he paid them very generously. Their last nurse left just two days ago when his mother attacked her during one of her panic attacks.

They were desperately looking for help. He couldn't stay with his mother all the time, Caroline had her twins to handle and Stefan was just a spoiled brat who didn't care about anyone.

Last night, a miracle happened and Caroline's 'latest' best friend applied for the job as a full time nurse for his mother. Her resume was perfect. Miss Elena Gilbert was overqualified for the job. Along with the nursing degree, she had done a lot of volunteer work for countless shelters and retirement homes. She excelled in her field and had much experience with both children and old people. His first expression of her was that she was a very kind soul.

Katherine conducted her interview and she was really impressed by the girl, deeming her perfect for the job. He trusted her choice. It was hard to impress Katherine so she must be really good, he had wondered at that time.

"Your new nurse will be here in a few minutes, Mama." He informed his mother.

"I don't want a nurse, Damon." His mother made a face. "I want my children with me."

"Mama, we are with you," he said with a sigh. "but while we aren't here with you at home we want you to be safe. Please don't be difficult with Miss Gilbert." He pleaded.

She was about to open her mouth and protest but a knock on the door interrupted them. "Miss Caroline and the new nurse are here. Should I let them in?" the maid Rosella asked.

He nodded, putting up the stoic mask he wore whenever he met strangers. When she entered the room he recognized her immediately. How could he forget her? She was the girl who had insulted him in front of everyone in the middle of the road for speeding. Now he remembered why the picture of the girl on the resume seemed familiar.

The girl, Elena, didn't seem to recognize him. "This is my best friend Elena Gilbert and Elena; this is my Mama and my brother Damon Salvatore." Caroline introduced them. His eyes raked her from head to toe like the last time. Her attire was very informal, a casual red shirt paired with jeans and—tennis shoes. For a second, he doubted if her resume was fake.

"Can I please talk to the patient alone?" She demanded, not asked.

"Of course, we will leave you two ladies to bond. Damon and I have business to attend to." Caroline answered dragging Damon out before he could deny. Something told her he didn't like Elena.

"Seriously, Care?" He said, irritated. "That girl looks like a complete nuisance. I don't think she is fit for taking care of our mother. I actually think she needs a mental checkup herself."

"Damon—"

"I think her resume is fake. A woman like her can never even pass high school let alone get a degree. This girl is a fraud. I'm not employing a social reject. I'm very busy but I can take a couple of days off from work and stay at home with Mama until we get a suitable nurse- "

"Damon, I know Elena from the past five years. Just give her a chance. She is very hardworking and wonderful at what she does."

"And what's that?" he asked, furiously.

"Making people happy." And just then he heard the sound of his mother laughing. He and Caroline entered the room together and found the girl sitting on the bed, talking to their mother.

"Oh Damon, you have to hear this. This sweet girl just told me a story about how an idiot almost ran her over with his car and how she made that arrogant jerk apologize publicly for breaking the rules."


November, 2016

"Mason has been released from the hospital, Elena." Jenna informed her as she sat next to her niece. Wiping the tears from her puffy eyes, the girl raised her head from her knees. "Maybe he can talk to Damon that it was Katherine who sent you there and that there had never been anything between the two of you beyond friendship."

"Do you think he will believe Mason?" She asked hopefully.

"We can always try, sweetheart." Jenna replied, cupping her face.

"But what he saw…"

"You'll both explain it to him." Jenna said. "It was a unfortunate coincidence that had been planned by that slut Katherine."

Just then Jeremy rushed in to the room, his eyes were bloodshot and his face was red from anger.

"What happened?" Jenna demanded.

"That son of a whore Mason happened." Jeremy said as he switched on the TV. Elena and Jenna gasped almost in unison. It struck her mind like lightning, her face stiffened and felt like thick paper. Mason Lockwood was giving a press conference. He accepted all allegations and admitted that he and Elena had been in a relationship for the past six months. And Damon didn't know anything about their 'affair'.

"How could he do this to her?" She thought he was her friend. Why was he lying?

"All lies." she choked. "He is lying!"

"Elena?"

"Fucking liar!" she shouted, enraged. Suddenly she couldn't feel her legs anymore, she was getting tired and she felt weak. She squeezed her burning, tear filled eyes shut and welcomed the numbness.


April, 2014

"I know our first meeting wasn't too pleasant but let's try this again." She said with a mesmerizing smile. "I'm Elena Gilbert, your sister's best friend and your mother's new nurse" she added while extending her hand.

He glared at her. How could Caroline choose her? How could she pick an immature 21 year old girl who still acted as if she was in her early teens, to take care of their mother?

"I don't mix with staff." he replied curtly. So what if she was very beautiful? She still worked for him and he sure wasn't going to make it a pleasant experience for her.


November, 2016

His mind was torturing him. He just had a dream about the day he had met her the first time in his house.

Back in those times, after a long and tiring day, Damon wanted nothing but to relax in silence and read a book. While having dinner, he had asked if their live-in nurse had dinner too. He was amazed to find out that she had dinner with his mother.

Lily was once a very graceful lady but not even her own children could eat with her now. No one could eat with a person who kept spitting back half the food because they couldn't swallow. He had to admit it. The girl was kind ,empathetic and very serious about her work.

He had fallen in love with her kindness over time. Little did he knew that the girl he thought couldn't hurt a fly would wreck his mind and soul completely.

He was lost in thoughts about her, thinking what she would be doing right now. He wanted to see her so bad, smell her hair, touch her and kiss every inch of her body. But he couldn't. Because she was not the girl he had fallen in love with. She was a cheater, a liar and a greedy bitch.

The horrible sound of his ring tone felt like a sledge hammer to his head. He rose and stumbled to his living room. It was Stefan, his brother. Reluctantly, he answered the call. "What?"

"Damon, turn on the TV now!" his brother ordered.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it" Stefan insisted.

He picked up the remote from the corner of the couch and flicked on the TV to a news channel. Mason Lockwood's press conference was on. He turned the volume up, glaring at the man that had stolen his wife, his happiness from him.

"Elena Gilbert and I had been friends since preschool. We had a history. She was one of my closest friends. We wanted to get married but Damon Salvatore forced her into marriage and snatched her from me. She wasn't happy with him. It's true that we had been seeing each other for the past six months. We are in love and we want to be together. I request all of you to please leave us alone and respect our privacy—" He didn't hear anything afterwards.

She has been seeing him for the past six months, he thought. She made a fool out of him half the time of their marriage. Kat was right, my Elena never loved me. She never loved me.

He bit on his nails, something he always did whenever he was confused and hurt. A rage built inside him and created a fire so hot it couldn't be contained. He thought he was going to burst. Then came the jealousy. He felt the fire of jealousy burn his flesh away to the nerves. He imagined them together. He imagined Elena going to Mason for comfort whenever she had a nightmare. He imagined them huddled up on the couch watching a movie, laughing, teasing, touching, and kissing.

It was unbearable.

He threw the remote at the TV with full force, breaking it into pieces. But that did not lessen his rage. He punched through the glass table, committing his full strength, and broke it in half. Sharp glass pierced his skin and cut deep into his flesh. The pain didn't distract him as he broke down everything that came into his sight. He wanted to destroy everything just like he had been destroyed. Throwing his head back he screamed out his rage in pain. He didn't want to remember anything now, he didn't want to remember how she'd felt beneath him, how she'd told him she'd always love him. Because it hurt that she wasn't his anymore. She had never been his.

At that moment, he expected her to come out of any of the room in the house and embrace him. Assure him that she only loved him. He wanted comfort that only she could give him.

He broke everything in his way in the hope that his pain would go away. But it never did. It was still there, burning his insides. His red rimmed eyes wandered to their wedding picture hanging on the wall in front of him. He realized that only the person who caused the pain could soothe it. He smirked at his helplessness. This means he'll just have to learn to live with the pain forever.


Obviously things have to be fabricated for the sake of the story line. I hope you enjoyed. The only way I know you're reading and liking the story is if you review! It's the only thing that persuades me to write more. I need to know if you're liking it! Please Review!

Most asked Question:

Why was Elena wearing Mason's shirt if she didn't cheat on Damon?

Ans) That's exactly why Damon is convinced that she cheated on him but Elena insist that she remained faithful. The truth will eventually come out!

Thank you Carol and Manali (AllthingsDelena) for the shout out and Bonnie for the support!

Again Shout out to my lovely beta 'AllthingsDelena'! Your amazing Delena comic strips and your description about each and every scene of TVD is so beautiful!

Shout out to delenasmut for the story 'Until death do they part' (It made me cry so much)! Brilliant story.

Waiting for your response eagerly! Review!