"So, you killed an Original, huh?" Damon asked, after a couple of hours had passed in silence. As much as he enjoyed watching her toss her beautiful hair in annoyance, and scowl constantly at him, he missed the sound of her smooth voice.

"So now you believe me?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

He shrugged. "Well if I choose not to believe you, we don't really have anything to talk about for the rest of this journey."

"And how is that a bad thing?"

Damon noted that the scowl had returned again. "What is your problem? Averse to making another friend?"

"I don't have friends."

"I wonder why." Damon muttered sarcastically under his breath, earning himself another scowl from the girl sitting next to him.

"Fine, we don't have to be friends. But can I at least know your name?" He asked, after she had shown no intention of replying to him.

"If we're not friends, there's no need for names." She spat back.

"Well I know Klaus's name. And I'm pretty sure we're not friends. Unless I've gravely misunderstood his attempts to kill me."

As he glanced back at her, he caught a glimpse of a smile. It was absolutely stunning. He found himself wanting to make her smile again.

After a few minutes passed in silence, she eventually spoke softly. "Elena. Elena Gilbert."

Damon held back a smile. Finally. A beautiful name to match the beautiful woman.

"Damon Salvatore." He returned, as Elena rolled her eyes.

"I literally couldn't care less." She said, turning back to look out the window.

(*)

"So where did you get the white oak stake from?" Damon asked, as they entered the diner together. He had asked her if she wanted breakfast, she had said no. So he had ignored her, and decided to get pancakes anyway.

"You want to have this conversation here?" She asked, raising an eyebrow again, and looking around at the multiple tables filled with various families.

He shrugged. "You overhear the oddest conversations here in America. I guarantee that someone in this diner is having a stranger conversation than we are right now."

Elena held back another smile, as they slid into a booth and placed their orders.

"I got it from a witch friend of mine. She had it in her family for years." Elena replied, sipping from her milkshake.

"Wait, I forgot to ask the most important question. Which brother? It was Kol, wasn't it? Good. He was the most annoying. And that's saying something, considering Klaus is trying to kill me."

Elena studied him for a few seconds. Though her eyes were expressive, he had no idea what she was thinking at that moment.

"He was the most annoying." She eventually replied, and Damon grinned. Good. One less Original to deal with.

"Your turn. Why exactly did he need a blood bank for hybrids?" Elena asked, curiously.

"Long story. Basically some witches did some witchy stuff so that he needed doppelganger blood to make hybrids. I prevented him from doing so."

"By killing the doppelganger?"

"Yes, well another long story. Turns out my brother is a doppelgänger. He's a vampire, so obviously that wouldn't work. Klaus found another human doppelganger though, and I disposed of him."

"Klaus must have been furious."

"Eh, who needs hybrids anyway? They're all buzzkills."

Elena laughed, and Damon reveled in the warm, magical sound. How was it even possible for someone to be so perfect?

She reached out and nabbed a strawberry from the top of his pancakes. He grabbed her wrist immediately.

"I don't remember you asking for one." He pointed out, arching an eyebrow at her.

She barely seemed to move when a sudden pain shot through his wrist. He looked down to see a fork had been stuck in him. Blood was overflowing onto the table. He looked around stunned, but nobody seemed to notice anything was amiss. He looked back at Elena, who was nibbling delicately on her strawberry as if nothing had even happened.

Damon gritted his teeth and pulled the fork out, ignoring the sharp burst of agony. As his wound healed, Elena shot him a victorious grin.

"You are violent." He exclaimed, still shocked from what had just happened.

"A hundred years on the run will do that to you." She replied, shrugging.

"Well remind me to not get on your bad side." Damon said, rubbing his wrist ruefully.

(*)

"Family?" Damon asked, as Elena leaned her head against the window. They had been driving for almost twelve hours now, but on the bright side, Elena seemed to have relaxed slightly. She was now not totally opposed to conversing with him. It was the only thing that was making the road trip bearable.

"All gone. I had a brother, Jeremy, but he died over a hundred years ago." She replied, and Damon sensed the pain behind her words. She still felt the loss.

Before he could say anything, she opened her mouth. "And you?"

"One brother, Stefan. We were turned together. Our father shot us."

Elena turned to face him, an expression of shock etched across her beautiful features.

"Your father?"

Damon nodded. "It wasn't your average family dinner."

Elena tried and failed to hold back a yawn, and Damon grinned. "Am I boring you? My father shot and killed his own two sons, and you're still not impressed? Your life must really be interesting."

Elena laughed. "No no, I'm sorry. I just didn't get much sleep last night. As you know." She added, grinning sheepishly.

He chuckled. He hadn't had much sleep either. "Fair point." He replied, pulling into the parking lot of a motel he had just spotted.

"One room." Damon said, to the man sitting at the check in desk, after they had entered the motel.

"Two rooms." Elena immediately corrected him.

"It was worth a try." Damon muttered, as they parted ways and entered their respective rooms for the night.

(**)

Damon awoke to the sound of a soft bump against a wall. It was such an inconspicuous sound; it would never have even registered with anyone else. But after years on the run from an Original vampire, Damon's senses were fine-tuned to alert him to any sound, however discrete.

The sound had come from Elena's room, and as he jumped lightly to his feet, he could hear the low murmur of voices. He quietly opened his window, jumping barefoot into the grass and creeping over to the room next door. Through a gap in the curtains, he could see two men had Elena cornered in her room.

He prepared to jump through, when the sound of his name caused him to pause and listen.

"How much have you told Damon?" One of the men asked, snarling viciously.

"I don't see how that's of any relevance to you." Elena snapped back, crouching on her toes.

"Klaus will need to know what's to be done with him." The other man replied, but Elena was already shaking her head.

"I agree it's of relevance to Klaus. I only meant that you weren't going to be able to tell him anything, considering you're not going to make it through the night anyway."

She had barely finished speaking when she made her attack. She was fascinating to watch, spinning around them, as gracefully as a dancer. Within minutes, it was over, as she stood over them, two still hearts in her hands.

His curiosity piqued, he watched as she dragged the two bodies into the bathroom, shutting the door gently behind them. Then she climbed back into bed, as if nothing had even happened.

With every minute, this girl continued to intrigue and impress him.

(*)

The next morning, just before the sun rose, Damon pulled the car away from the motel.

"Had a good night?" Damon asked, grinning at Elena.

"Caught up on my sleep." Elena replied, causing Damon to pause.

He had been about to commend her on her fighting skills, but she hadn't even mentioned what had happened. Did she just not consider it important? Or was she hiding something from him?

He remembered Klaus's man asking her how much she had told him. He glanced over to her, as she gazed out of the window, her face completely expressionless. One thing was certain, there was definitely more to Elena Gilbert than met the eye.

(*)

Damon parked the car in Bonnie's driveway, and swung himself out of his sports car. Elena was out of the car in a flash, already waiting for him on Bonnie's porch. She was definitely eager for this ring, Damon thought to himself, as he knocked on the door. He saw her glance at him out of the corner of her eye, and he wondered what she was thinking about.

The door swung open, and he was greeted by the sight of his favorite witch.

"Bon-bon." Damon said, grinning at her, and opening his arms for a hug. Instead, he was shoved roughly back.

"How come you only have time for Mystic Falls when you need something from me?" Bonnie asked, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"That's not true!" Damon protested, but Bonnie's gaze had already shifted to Elena.

"Who's this?"

"Oh, well this might be slightly awkward….but yeah, I need something from you."

Bonnie groaned audibly, but invited them both anyway. As much as she liked to irritate Damon, and moan at him, in the end, she trusted him. And she would do anything for him.

"What do you need?" Bonnie asked, entering the living room.

"A daylight ring. For my friend, Elena Gilbert, over here." Damon replied, collapsing into the sofa.

"We're not friends." Elena promptly cut in. Damon noticed she had remained standing.

"Well, we're not strangers." Damon said, shrugging. "We may have spent the night together." He added, winking at Bonnie.

Elena shot him a killer glare, causing him to grin again.

"Worst mistake of my life." She muttered under her breath.

Bonnie watched their exchange with a look of amusement. It was almost as if she could sense there was something there, between him and Elena.

"Don't worry. I've met plenty of girls who have made the very same mistake." She said, grinning at Elena.

"But you haven't?"

Bonnie burst out laughing, struggling to remain calm. "I can't imagine anything worse." She eventually managed to say, still chuckling.

"Alright, alright, calm down. I think you'll find, Elena enjoyed herself very much." Damon said.

Bonnie looked at Elena, who gestured pretending to throw up, which started Bonnie laughing again. Damon rolled his eyes at them, and settled back into the sofa.

"A daylight ring." Bonnie said, after a few moments of awkward silence. "That, I can do for you."

She stood up, and walked over to a drawer. Opening it, Elena could see it was full to the brim with rings.

"I assume Damon brings a lot of his one-night-stands to get these?" She asked, dryly.

"Actually, you're the first person he's ever brought here. Interesting, isn't it?" Bonnie asking, shooting a knowing glance at Damon.

"Can you get a move on? I'm sure Elena has places to be." Damon said, choosing to ignore her.

Bonnie held up the ring, closed her eyes, and muttered something under her breath, waving a hand over the ring.

"Done." She said, handing the ring over to Elena.

"That's it?" Elena asked, looking down at the ring with shock.

"That's it." Damon confirmed.

"Perfect."

"Are you going then?" Bonnie asked her, as Elena slipped on the ring.

"Yes, I probably should. Before Klaus shows up here."

"One second, I might have something that could help you hide from him." Bonnie said, looking thoughtful. She left the room, leaving Elena alone with Damon.

"Funny, she's never offered me any help." Damon said, jokingly.

"Well, you're not very likeable." Elena replied, but she was smiling.

"Thank you." She said, walking over to him. "Thanks for the ring." She added, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

He paused, stunned at the sudden show of affection. Since yesterday morning, she had mostly only showed hostility towards him. So where had this come from?

Her intoxicating scent surrounded him again, and he felt himself breathing it in, as he hesitantly returned the hug. Eventually she pulled away, looking up at him with gratitude.

"You're welcome." He replied, enjoying their close proximity.

She reached up, cupping his face with one hand, running her thumb over his cheek.

"It wasn't totally awful knowing you." She said, softly.

He hated the sudden feelings that she awoke within him. He found himself wanting to pull her close to him, to hold her and not let go.

She leaned into him, until their lips were mere milimetres apart. He put his hands on her waist, drawing her even closer.

"I find a lot of people say that." He replied.

"I meant it before." She murmured. They were so close, he could feel her breath on his face.

"Meant what?"

"We're not friends." She said, repeating her words from before.

He barely saw her move, when she snapped his neck, and his limp body slumped to the ground.

"Thanks, Salvatore." She muttered, looking down at his unconscious body.

Behind her, she heard Bonnie enter the room.

"I couldn't find what I was looking for, but - " Bonnie started to say, before she noticed Damon lying on the ground.

Before she had a chance to react, Elena flew across the room, slamming Bonnie into the wall behind her. As her head was flung against the hard wood, Bonnie was immediately knocked out.

Elena threw her limp body across her shoulder, and made her way to the door. As she glanced back at Damon, she was surprised to feel the tiniest stirrings of guilt when she looked at his unconscious body.

She hadn't felt anything in so long, the sudden feelings stunned her. Pushing them away, she fled into the night.

(*)

"He's coming around." Damon distantly heard Caroline announce, as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Damon?"

He heard his brother's concerned voice, as he rubbed his head. Getting to his feet, he saw Caroline and Stefan watching him, an expression of confusion on their faces.

"Where's Bennett?" Damon asked, seeing no sign of the witch.

"We don't know! That's what we wanted to ask you, where is she?" Caroline asked, looking worried.

"Dammit." Damon muttered, realizing Elena must have taken her.

"Damon, what happened?" Stefan repeated, his voice urgent.

Damon quickly narrated the events of the past few days, starting with his first conversation with Elena Gilbert.

"Damon, you idiot. She tricked you!" Caroline said, accusingly.

The truth of the words stung him. He had never been tricked like that before. He thought back to the hotel room, her reluctance to go with him. Incredible acting. She had actually managed to get him to invite her along, to bring her here, to Mystic Falls, to Bonnie. She had used him. Despite his anger at having been deceived, he was still impressed. This girl had serious skills, and serious determination.

"Don't panic. I'll get Bon back." Damon said.

"How?!" Stefan asked. "You've been out for a few hours. She could be anywhere by now! You know nothing about her! What does she want with Bonnie? Where is she going?"

Damon shook his head, irritated that his brother was right. He knew nothing about this girl. What could she possibly want with Bonnie Bennett?

"We need to do a locater spell." Damon said, but Caroline cut in immediately.

"How? Bonnie's gone, remember!"

"Damn, we really need to invest in another witch." Damon said, trying hard to think.

"Think back, Damon. She must have said something, mentioned something about her plans? You spent almost three full days with this girl!" Stefan said, urgently.

Damon thought back, but she had been good. She hadn't let anything slip. He had completely no idea what she was planning. All he knew was that she had been on the run from Klaus, that he had been hunting her…

"Well, if we don't know how to find her, it's time we got a little help." Damon said, a plan starting to formulate.

"From who?" Stefan asked, warily.

"We're not the only ones looking for her, remember."

(**)

"They got away."

Klaus howled in frustration, throwing a lamp against the wall.

"How?" He snarled, barely containing his fury.

"We had tracked them to a motel, but the two guys, who went to get them, never returned." One of men replied, looking down at the floor, ashamed.

Klaus took a deep breath, trying to remain calm.

"How much has she told him?"

"We don't know." His mean said, quietly.

"I think we proceed on the assumption that she told him everything." Marcel, Klaus's right hand man, cut in. "Assume they're working together now."

"Then we now have two problems, not one." Klaus said, angrily.

Marcel simply nodded, not wanting to anger the Original any further.

"It can't be a coincidence that Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert met." Klaus said, thinking aloud.

"She's going for the Bennett witch…" Marcel said softly, understanding dawning.

Klaus nodded, somberly. "And now she has Salvatore's help. It won't be long before she get what she wants."

"So should we look for them?" Klaus's other man asked, and Klaus groaned at his stupidity. He really needed to find smarter men.

"We know where they are, idiot. Mystic Falls, with the witch. Go. Kill them all." He ordered, turning back to look out of the window.

"The Gilbert girl as well?"

"No. Bring her here. I want to deal with her myself."