A/N: Hey! Apologies for the late update, things have just been so bleugh lately. :/ Thank you so much for your reviews and everyone that's subscribed! They really do mean so much. :) But here it is, here we get a little taster of Damon's feelings as well as a little bit of Stelena. (Never fear my faithful Delena fans – don't the best romances blossom from danger?) ;) any who, onto the FanFic. Hope you all enjoy this character building chappie!

Chapter 1: The Rise.

DPOV

I saw her again today. Elena. The way I see her every day; even when she does see me, she never really does. Every time I look at her, I'm not sure whether it's her or Katherine that I see. The luxurious locks of delicious brown hair, the plump scarlet of her lips that beg to flatter her big bambi eyes perfectly, and that laugh you can't help but grin at. Despite the obvious looks, Elena and Katherine were nothing alike at all. There was a fire about Elena, something strong and unwavering that Katherine had never had, it's what draws me to her the most. Being around Elena makes me feel weak, as if my guard's never really up. And that is a very, very bad thing. I wanted to take her, claim her as mine, just how Katherine was and should have been. This time around though, I'm not going to allow the weak brother of mine to claim what I should own. I know Elena thinks of me, I've seen it in her eyes.

When I'm too close to her I hear her heart gallop and the nervous gulp of her throat. She tries to hide it and I know she'll never admit it; some say the chase is always better than the catch, I tend to disagree.

What's the point in chasing when there's no prize to claim when it's been caught? I chuckled at that passing thought, lolling my arm over the back of the couch. Right now Stefan was happy and sitting all pretty with his darling girlfriend, Elena. Elena thinks she's happy with Stefan; I don't think so. Many think since she'd met the excuse of a brother of mine Elena had stopped taking trips alone to visit her parent's graves, stopped all the grieving, all of the crying – but no. I saw it all. I didn't see why she continued this ridiculous façade of hers in pretending she was fine with everything. It puzzled me. But, who am I to know; to judge someone? The heartless, selfish (and impeccably handsome) Damon Salvatore? My brother was a fool thinking there was anyway a vampire could be human. There was only one way, and that was my way.

A dull thrumming began to beat inside my stomach and ache in the back of my throat, as the sides of my lips curled up into the devilish smile I wore on nearly every occasion. Shooting up from my relaxed position, I started for the window; on arriving there I gripped the sides of the open window pane and launched myself agilely out and onto the stony gravel. My weight could've been feather-light for all the sound it made. Just one of the many obvious perks to being a vampire. Now, what time was it? Straightening myself and clothes out, my orbs scanned the scene around me. The trees swayed ever so gently against one another and the rough fringe of hills and meadows contrasted against the deep fuchsia and violent mix of the early evening sky. What a great time to feel peckish; they'd be countless drunk, (or preferable stoned) teenagers out there just waiting for the life to be sucked out of them. I felt the muscles of the sides of my lips pull up quickly into the smirk I'd known for over a century now – it was my trademark.

The uncaring eternal stud; Damon Salvatore.

At that precise second, my ears detected what sounded like a pair of stumbling, careless footsteps in the distance.

'Oh, that's nice. I'll barely have to move for dinner,' my inner voice approved.

Still smiling as ever, I made haste towards the wood and disappeared into the eerie darkness.

EPOV

"Stefan… Stefan! Seriously, stop itttt!" I giggled, batting away his hands playfully but not succeeding.

Stefan growled at me in response, winking once before running his fingers at a faster rate across my waist band and the sides of my torso. I was laughing so hard my sides actually started to hurt; it was always like this with Stefan, as easy and natural as breathing. Well, most of the time it was. Even now I knew his secret, some things he said to me still didn't add up. Maybe I was just being overly curious, but he never had much fun and there was always this annoying nagging feeling inside of me that was never quite completely trusting in Stefan.

Which. Was. Really. Stupid. Right?

I knew Stefan loved me, I knew Stefan cared about me and that he'd never… Lie to me? Was I questioning that? I sincerely hope not, because I wasn't sure if I actually knew the answer. Turning my attention back to Stefan, I grinned, my hands landing heavily on both of his shoulders as I tried to push him away.

"Aw, Elena. You don't really want me to stop, do you?" Stefan teased, his lips now brushing my neck and cheekbones.

Honestly? HELL no! I laughed, but it was a nervous sort of sound.

"Mhm. I guess, not," I replied, trying to keep my words from becoming a pant.

He was laughing. Why did he always find my self-control so funny?

"Mmmmmmmmmm… You smell, divine Elena," Stefan's lavender soaked tone made me shudder.

"Uhm. Humm.." was all I could manage in reply.

His hands had stopped tickling me now. One was supporting my lower back and the other gently soothed my left arm. I felt his lips slowly rotate from my cheekbones to the hollow of my neck, grazing the edges of my skin as he went. I couldn't help but adjust the position of my neck, granting him easier access. Stefan was always so good at this, but was hardly ever in the mood for it. My hands gripped even tighter onto his shoulders, but instead of pushing him away I pulled him closer. As soon as he felt my willingness, he responded by trailing his lips up to mine and kissed me with unusual eagerness. It always amazed me at how good Stefan actually was at kissing. A century of practise is what I put it down to a lot of the time. My lips parted first as I deepened the kiss, gliding my tongue elegantly across his top and bottom lips. I felt the groan in his chest ripple onto my own as his tongue battled with mine in an intense dance of emotion.

The hand that was supporting my back slid down slightly lower, I grinned under our kiss as I felt him grasp forcing my hips closer to his. My legs separated ever so slightly allowing him to come closer to me. My right leg began to curl around his left hip as my hands unclamped from his shoulders and began travelling over his back. His lips were fast and hot as they crushed down onto mine. A strange mixture of lust and love began to filter through my entire body; I could feel myself tingling with sheer desire.

"Mhmm, Stefan, I… I want you right now," I crooned, my words running away with me.

He moaned again.

"Elena…" he breathed, his breath as ragged as mine as we continued.

My hands found their way to the bottom of his t-shirt. I smiled as I gripped the bottom, sliding my hands around to the front slowly beginning to tug it over his head. Stefan's hands abruptly let go of my body as they replaced mine, yanking it over his head and flinging it to one side of my room at an inhuman speed. What was with him tonight? He was, so… So hormone ruled. I wasn't, however complaining, actually I really enjoyed it. Well, okay. That was an understatement. My hands didn't remain at the bottom of his torso for very long before they began roaming around the perfect planes of his chest; god, he was beautiful. His abs were rock hard and so, so smooth – it made me even more aroused. (If that was actually possible)

I just wanted him right here, right now. There wasn't anything else I wanted, anything else I could think about. How could any one person be rational when in a situation like this? I felt his chest pressurize my hands as I slithered them around his hips, hooking my fingers onto the back of his jeans I pressed him even closer to me. His lips showed no sign of hesitation; in fact, he seemed to be even more into it by the second. He ran his hands ever so delicately all over my body, causing me to lean even further back into the bed.

And just at that very second, I felt some sort of vibration on my left thigh. My hands held him close to me, not letting him go.

"Stefan… just leave it, please?" I whined, pouting slightly.

Stefan sighed and unwillingly pried my fingers from his body. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his mobile and groaned. I rolled my eyes. No prize for guessing who it was, I thought to myself impatient. Stefan looked to me, his eyes apologetic but I saw the hint of frustration in his eyes.

"Go," I dismissed, frowning but kissing him for a few long moments.

Stefan stroked my cheek for a moment but within seconds was gone. I frowned, running a single hand through my hair before speaking.

"Damn it Damon.."

Author's Note: Now isn't that just like Damon to interrupt something like that. It's why we love him. :D Only one thing left to do. Review? Oh, and before I forget, it'd be interesting to ask; favourite Vampire Diaries episode so far everyone?

Jackie xxx