Hey everyone!

Okay, so this is the second chapter of Dark Angel. I am falling in love with this story; it's consuming me. I've even got a little document with notes about where I want this story to go. I want everyone to remember that this story is going to be at least ten chapters long (then again I am a woman, therefore have the prerogative to change my mind) so many things may not come to light until a few chapters later. I am not going to rush into the Elena/Damon relationship; I want to take it slow; it's the same with the relationship with Damon and Stefan.

Anyway, I hope everyone likes the chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters

Chapter Two

You don't know

The door flung open with a clang. Both Damon and Elena whirled round, Elena leaning away from Damon. She wondered why she felt relieved that it was only Jenna that had entered.

Clearly Jenna did not feel the same way. "Hi," she said, her cheeks tinged red.

Elena grinned, desperate for Jenna not to turn on her. "How was your date?" Did she notice that she had leaves in her hair?

Jenna avoided eye contact. "It was good," she murmured vaguely. Her eyes widened when she realised Damon was inside the house in the middle of the morning. "What's Damon doing here?" she demanded, completely ignoring the eldest Salvatore.

Elena's mind went blank. Normally she was good at working something up on the spot, but with every-thing that happened tonight, she was finding it difficult to think up a convincing story.

Of course, Damon knew what to do. "She thought she heard burglars outside. She didn't want to disturb Stefan because he was seeing a friend, so she called me." Elena saw the faintest of winks from Damon as he turned to Jenna. "I was checking it out when muggings here tripped and injured her wrist."

Perfect, Elena realised. He was diverting Jenna's attention from himself being here to her injured wrist. At once Jenna was all over the girl, checking her over.

"Was there anyone there?" she questioned her niece.

Elena shook her head. "I was just being stupid."

"You should have seen her," Damon put in. "She was terrified, practically shaking when I arrived."

"Oh baby," Jenna murmured, holding Elena to her chest. She glowered at Damon, who was smirking, enjoying himself. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have left you alone-"

"No!" Elena loved being on her own. Yes, she was little Miss Popular at school and dating one of the cutest guys in the school, the envy of most girls. And yet... She enjoyed being alone. She enjoyed walking down the halls of an empty house. She adored being able to sit alone in her room writing in her diary, solitary with her thoughts.

But what could she say? "No Bonnie, I don't want to meet up at the Grill, I want to be alone?" Or "No Stefan, I don't feel like going out for a romantic dinner, I just want to change into my pyjamas and write in my journal by the light of the moon?" People wouldn't understand; they would think it was personal, and eventually she wouldn't have anyone. If she wanted friends, then she would have to sacrifice her alone time.

Elena suddenly felt Jenna's and, to her discomfort, Damon's eyes on her. "I mean, honestly Aunt Jenna, I was just spooked. I've been left on my own plenty of times before."

Jenna looked unconvinced, but nodded. "Okay." She glanced warily at Damon. She looked as if she wanted to say something else entirely, but said, "Thank you Damon."

He shrugged, standing. "Forget it," he said. He took his leather jacket from the seat and started to the door. "I'll come over tomorrow, Elena." Elena couldn't decide whether it was a threat or a promise.

Elena nodded, trying to show some gratitude. "'Bye Damon."

Once Damon was out the door, Jenna let out a sigh. "God, that guy is hot."

Elena was sure Damon was still close enough to hear. "He's an ass." She knew he would be rolling her eyes right now. Though not all the time, she admitted to herself.

But she would never tell Damon that.

It took Damon less than three seconds to get home. He entered the drab Salvatore mansion, a feeling of depression slowly overcoming him. He hated this place, he really did. How had Zach put up with it? With the old faded carpets and painted pictures on the walls, the house was trapped in time, never moving on. And with that, so were the memories.

If Damon looked at the archway, he saw the sun gleaming on the hot day that Katherine arrived; he saw her lips transform into a smile, one that he should have seen, had been put into practice many times before; he saw Katherine standing in-between himself and Stefan, as it always had been.

When he looked at Elena, he saw Katherine. How could he not? They could be mistaken for twins! Yet Damon was still amazed by the differences between the two girls: Katherine, though subtle, had a malicious mind that sought out to gain power and destroy anyone who stood in her way. Who would guess that from her sweet buttercup smile and kind pretence?

Elena, on the other hand... How could he describe it? She had a fiery disposition, needing only a single spark to light the fire inside her. She was bold, fearless, a true warrior – and would make a good vampire. But what Damon didn't understand was how she remained on the "good" side. If Elena did become a vampire, she would never drink blood from a human; she would die before that happened, he was sure. She was caring, would fight for the ones she loved without thinking of herself. Katherine, she had always thought of herself. She would never risk herself for anyone...not even him, which was painful to admit.

Damon gritted his teeth, trying not to allow the scream inside of him to come out. Did he love Katherine? Normally he would not even have to consider it, but... Tonight, when he had held Elena's hand... Tonight, when he pressed his lips to her skin, tasting her as harmlessly as he possibly could...

What did that mean? Did he love Elena?

"Damon?"

Instantly Damon schooled his features into his arrogant self and turned to his younger brother. "Well, what are you doing up this late?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Go hunting again, brother?"

Damon smirked. "Not exactly." He left it at that, sitting in the leather armchair. He was now drinking brandy. It was strong; Damon found that other alcoholic drinks didn't give him the same feeling as brandy, scotch and port did.

Stefan leant against the door frame, obviously wanting something. Damon ignored his little brother, the way that all big brothers can.

Usually Damon would take the opportunity to torture his younger brother, but not tonight. He knew he would have to tell Stefan before Elena did, or Stefan would be furious with Damon for lying; he wasn't in the mood to argue. "Okay, do you want to hear what Elena and I did tonight?"

"You and Elena?" Stefan snapped up straight, his eyes widened. Damon could see the cogs turning in his head: why had he been with Elena? What had they been doing?

Damon let his little brother stew for a few moments, then replied, "I thought I heard some vampires near Elena's house. I went to check it out."

Stefan sat down opposite Damon. "And?"

He tried to appear relaxed, even though he was tensing by the thought of it. "Do you remember Pearl...back then?" Neither of the brothers liked discussing that period of time, but Damon saw the recollection in Stefan's eyes.

"Yeah," Stefan said, nodding.

"Do you remember her daughter Annabel?"

Stefan frowned. "Vaguely," he said, looking away as if in a distance thought and then staring back at Damon.

"She was hanging around outside Elena's house with this other guy. He knew Katherine too. I fought them off, though I'm sure we haven't heard the last of them."

"But why, Damon? Why were they at Elena's house?"

For a moment, Damon was transported back in time. He remembered when they were both kids Stefan, being four years younger than he was, came to Damon with all his questions. He would look at Damon with those green eyes, filled with innocence, and believe that Damon knew everything about the world.

"They were looking for some Jonathan Gilbert's journal. I don't know why, but it has something to do with opening the tomb."

He could see Stefan's eyes now, cool and calculating. The eldest Salvatore could see that his younger brother was wondering if this was all some trick, some way for Damon to open the tomb. "How have they avoided us for all this time?"

Damon shrugged. "I have no idea."

Stefan smirked, seeing his brother clutching the glass tightly. "Irritated, Damon?"

"Annoying, Stefan?" growled the eldest Salvatore.

Okay, enough fun with Damon. Stefan stood up. "I'm going over to Elena's."

"I wouldn't," Damon called. "Jenna's back home now. Besides, I told Elena that we would be back tomorrow." Seeing Stefan's gaze, he said, "There's a lot of boxes up in the attic that we're going to look through."

"Why?"

And I thought he was the smart one. "To look for Jonathan Gilbert's journal."

Stefan stared at his brother. "Damon, we shouldn't do this. If we let those vampires out of the tomb-"

"I'm not letting those vampires out; I'm letting Katherine out." Damon stood up. He could drink in his room.

"Damon," Stefan began as he walked past his brother. "Please, don't do this. Katherine, she doesn't deserve it."

"You don't know anything, Stefan."

He should have heard the warning in Damon's voice; he had heard it enough times. But the youngest Salvatore continued: "Damon, please. I know this isn't want you to hear, but she didn't love you-"

The next thing Stefan knew, he was pinned against the wall. Immediately he tried to use his arms, but felt hands forcing them back against the wall. Damon pushed his body against Stefan's. Again, he tried throwing his brother off, but Damon lived on a diet of human blood, therefore stronger than Stefan.

Deep down, Stefan knew that Damon would not kill him. Damon was many things, but he would not murder his brother. Yet seeing those furious blue eyes, he felt his stomach drop. Damon was formidable in a good mood; now he was downright terrifying.

Slowly, Damon moved Stefan's arms up above his head. Stefan struggled again, but Damon was strong enough to keep him still. Now, using only one hand to hold Stefan's arms in place, he cupped his little brother's chin and lifted it, forcing Stefan to look him in the eye. It was hard, harder than he thought it was, not to hurt his brother.

"You don't know anything," hissed Damon. "You think you get it. One relationship and you think you know what love is. But whatever you and Elena have, I'm telling you, it isn't love."

Stefan hissed, bearing his teeth. "How would you know, Damon? When have you ever been in love?"

"Katherine!" Damon snarled. "I was in love with Katherine!"

"Katherine possessed you. You never loved her, you just think you did."

"Katherine did not possess me. I fell in love with her for real, unlike you and Elena-"

"I am in love with Elena!" At this, Stefan tried to attack Damon again, his teeth going for his brother's neck.

Smirking, Damon pushed his struggling brother back against the wall. "Maybe you believe that," he whispered. "Maybe you believe that you're in love with Elena, but soon, you'll meet another girl. You'll see something in her that you just won't be able to get out of your head; you won't be able to sleep at night. Then, little brother, you will understand what love is."

Stefan stared his brother, disbelieving. What did Damon, the great killer, know about love? What could he know about love?

Damon grinned. Stefan thought he knew everything about the world, but in truth he knew very little. He believed that everybody had some good in them – excluding Damon, of course. But Damon himself had seen too much of the world; he'd practically been to hell and back. He knew the truth, even if Stefan didn't want to believe it: no one was good. If you looked at people, right down to the very core, there was evil.

He felt a twinge of sympathy for his brother, something that he didn't particularly feel very often. With Stefan still pinned to the wall, he gently pressed a kiss to his forehead. Before Katherine, they had always hugged and kissed each other goodnight – after all, Stefan had never known their mother, so Damon took it upon himself to take care of him.

Not anymore.

"Goodnight, little brother." He then left, leaving Stefan confused.

Well???

I am quite pleased with this chapter, particularly Damon's thoughts on Katherine and his comparison between her and Elena. There's not much going on, and I'm sorry if anyone thinks there's not enough action or drama. In honesty I don't think they'll be much more going on in the next chapter, but if you love this whole Damon/Elena/Stefan triangle, then you'll love it!

Reviews are always welcome! Don't worry, I promise to update soon!