Where to start? In all honesty, she couldn't even begin to explain the relief she felt at having Damon back.

"Klaus, is a third rate jackass."

His eyes had always spoken for him, it was the same now. The flashed with anger.

"Your boyfriend."

"No. The man I'm with because he saved Jeremy's life."

That silenced him. He knew her so well. He knew she wouldn't want to talk about that night.

"This is one messed up situation."

"Tell me about it."

She was glad she had Damon. He took the situations as they were and didn't ask questions where questions weren't welcome.

"Why can't you leave?" The one question she couldn't tell him. He would tear Klaus apart if he knew what he did.

"Why do you think?" As predicted, his eyes hardened. He had matured into a man. A soldier. When he'd left at twenty he had been handsome – exceptionally handsome but now... Now there was an air around him. It was confidence and determination. It was strength. He wouldn't let Klaus touch her ever again.

His hand reached out to stroke her cheek, a faint shadow of a bruise remained there. She was glad he hadn't arrived last week when her cheek was a mess of purple and blue.

"That bastard." he murmured under his breath. "Go to the police Elena. Go to the police or I will drag you there."

"I can't. He had friends in all the right places."

"Fuck, Elena. This isn't right. You aren't scared, you're not letting him walk all over you, you're strong but you're trapped. If he touches you again, and I mean even one finger, I will tear him apart."

She stayed silent. Damon didn't understand the extent of her situation. He didn't abuse her, per say but he wasn't a violent person. He lashed out and she always got the brunt of it. He deserved whatever punishment he'd get but she knew better than to go to the police.

The first time he had hit her she had gone straight to them. She had filled a statement but he'd hired a lawyer and gotten off with the help of alibis and anger management doctors.

After that it had only gotten worse.

"Elena, you know me. You know I don't push but I swear to god, if you don't start explaining everything I may self combust."

Even in this situation he still managed his humour.

"You left. I met a guy. He introduced me to his brother. His brother was sweet. He became more than a friend. I ended it after a while. He sucked Jeremy into his crowd. Drug dealing, gun smuggling. I don't know about it all and I don't want to know. In the end, Jeremy got caught up in something and Klaus saved him. I said I owed it to him to give it another chance so I did. It didn't work, he was clearly still hung up on some other girl and I was hung up on-"

She broke off, panicked in case she'd accidentally revealed her severely confused feelings. She saw a glimmer of hope and surprise flash through his eyes. She knew he was about to say something so she powered on.

"I tried to leave and he lashed out. I went to the police, filed charges but he got off. It only got worse from there."

She saw Damon's teeth grinding against his gum. She reached out and touched his hand hesitantly. His eyes looked up at hers, pain and anger most clearly shown there.

"Who else knows?"

"At first only Caroline, but she ended up telling Stefan-"

"My brother knows and did nothing about it? That boy better fucking hide before I catch up with him."

She smirked slightly at the thought of Damon turning up on his brother's doorstep. He had assumed the worst and assumed dead. That would make quite a show, Stefan's dead brother turning up on his doorstep absolutely livid.

"He thinks your dead."

"He's gonna be dead."

"Calm down. Stefan knows but he did nothing because he had been harassing me for the better part of a year now that you weren't there to tell him where to shove his ideas of dates."

"Bastard."

She smiled. "I missed you, Damon. Hell, I even missed your sarcasm."

"I missed you, Damon. Hell, I even missed your sarcasm."

He smirked at her genuine smile. He visibly softened, his anger ebbing away. Ric would never believe it. He'd always insisted that he had no feelings and kept them in a box somewhere so they wouldn't get involved in anything.

This one girl changed his entire personality. She'd never noticed because she'd known him for her entire childhood but the years in the army had revealed another side to him. Emotionless, strong, determined. He kept those traits, he'd let nothing hurt her.

Man, he was whipped and she wasn't even his girlfriend. He looked at her. She was looking at him with those gorgeous eyes.

"I want to show you something."

She smiled and nodded. He fished around in this jacket for his wallet. It didn't hold money, but he'd been given the idea off of a soldier he'd met once.

It was full of pictures. A soldier in open battle and war zones' only comfort is letters from home and pictures of family.

He tossed it across the table. She picked it up curiously.

"We all had one. It's pictures. That's your only comfort, unless it's letters from home."

She flicked it open and a bundle of pictures fell out.

He watched her closely as she looked through them. He noticed she left the one that was folded up until the end.

She was in every single one except one. One she was holding now. It was a picture of himself, Ric and Kol.

His heart clenched. He didn't know if Kol was okay. They had both been airlifted to hospital after an explosion in their camp, but only word of Ric's recovery had reached him before he'd been sent back.

She must have noticed because she grabbed his hand.

"They'll be okay."

She had always been able to read him. His eyes showed his true feelings and she had figured that out by the time she was eight.

He said nothing, only silently begged her to look at the other photos.

As if understanding she resumed her searching. Her eyes danced as she saw all their most important memories printed in ink. Many were faded and creased as he had opened and unfolded them many times.

He smiled as he watched her unfold the last photo. It was the most faded, the most creased. It was his favourite.

It was of the time he and Elena had danced at the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant after her date bailed on her. Someone, her aunt he thought, had taken a picture of them together and given him a copy.

She looked stunning in a royal blue gown with her dark hair curled. Her mouth was curved into a bright smile and her chocolate eyes looked deep into his cerulean ones. He was in a black suit, his eyes bright and dancing. It had been in that dance he had realised what she meant to him.

It had been this photo that had cemented his friendship with Ric. He had unfolded it one night after he had been given his placing and had stared at it for a long time. The man in the bunk next to him had caught a glimpse of the picture.

"Man, she's stu-u-u-nning. You're lucky." He looked up to the man talking. Not much older than him. Couple years at the most, twenty-four maybe. "She'll keep you going. Having someone to go back to. Girlfriend?"

"Best friend." He had been analysing the picture for years. He couldn't believe he had only kissed her once.

"No way."

"Tell me about it."

The young man had said nothing, only stuck out his hand. "Alaric Saltzman."

"Damon Salvatore."

"Here." he'd passed him him wallet full of pictures. He flipped it open at the topmost picture. A beautiful girl with coppery hair and bright eyes.

"Girlfriend?" he repeated Alaric's earlier question.

"Yeah, ex-best friend, current girlfriend. That's why I'm telling you man, you're more to that girl than you know."

Alaric had held out his hand. He took it as an invitation to see his own pictures.

He watched as Alaric flicked through them.

"They're all of her."

"I know."

"How did she react when you told her you were coming here?"

Now he was into dangerous territory. "She doesn't know."

"Well, I'll tell you know. When you go back, find her first then tell her."

He didn't need to ask what. He knew what he meant.

"Nice to talk, Alaric."

"Ric."

"Nice to talk, Ric. Don't get sent down."

He was wary of close relationship with the others. They were moving into open combat in Afghanistan, any one of them could be killed.

"You too, Damon."

He smiled at the memory from all those years ago. Ric would be home soon and he knew he'd come to Mystic Falls just to make sure he did what he said he would and told her how he felt.

He would tell her. He'd tell her once he got her out this fucking mess she was in.

"Okay. First. My brother."

She laughed, her voice musical. "This will be fun to watch."

He held out her hand, delighted that she took it without a moments hesitation. Her hand was warm in his. He didn't know how to take the way she had intertwined her fingers through hers.

He pulled her in and wrapped his arm around her. She placed her arm around his waist like the way she had done on the way in.

They ignored the car. They walked to the Boarding House talking and laughing. He would tell her. Eventually.