A/N: Hi guys! First I want to say thank you for all the story follows and reviews! I was surprised to even get one review. You guys are awesome. I hope I didn't take too long to upload the new chapter. I'm going to try really hard to keep them updated at least once a week. Tomorrow is the season premier! I'm so excited. I've been counting down the days and now its finally here! Okay now, back to my story!
Sitting in a small deserted bar down the street from the strip club, Damon sat thinking about his night. Back in New York, he had a very set routine. Wake up in the morning, go straight to the office, stay till exhaustion, and then go home to sleep. He hadn't made a change in his routine for almost a year now. Life wasn't exciting anymore; there were never any new twists or surprises. He hadn't even been in Portland for twelve hours and his head was hurting from all the drama.
The evening had started out odd enough with Rebekah's blatant attempts to get in his pants. Ending up at a strip club had been completely random and totally unlike him. He should have enjoyed himself and had a good time. Hell, he had a beautiful woman trying to give him a good time. No, he just screwed it up instead, insulted the gorgeous creature that was just doing her job. She hadn't opened up to him at all, in fact she had her walls way up and completely unbreakable. Damon knew though, just by looking in her eyes that she was scared and insecure. She may have been hiding a secret, but who was he to question her? He felt disgusted with his actions, and wanted nothing more than to find her and apologize. He couldn't go back to the club though, that much he was sure of. She would have thrown him out the moment she laid eyes on him. He knew he had to do something he just didn't know what. Damon wouldn't be able to leave Portland without apologizing to her. There was no reason for her to feel worse about herself than she clearly already did. He needed to find her.
He got up from his stool and left a five dollar bill on the counter. He hadn't ordered anything but the place was dead and he figured the bartender could use the tip. He was a smaller man with short brown hair that fell in his face. He looked much too young to be a bartender, but Damon didn't think too much of it. As Damon swung the door open to leave, he came face to face with the very woman he had set out to find. She wore a baggy navy zip-up sweatshirt with a tight white tee underneath. Her long legs were covered by jeans that hugged her thighs tight and flared out at her feet. She had her hair up in a messy ponytail and a dirty orange boho bag slung over her shoulders. How was it possible for her to look sexier in what she was wearing now than the lingerie and 'fuck me' heels she had been wearing earlier?
He looked into her beautiful brown eyes and saw nothing but anger and hatred. Remorse instantly flooded through him. Just as Damon was about to apologize to her, she spun on her heels and stormed off in the opposite direction. "No, please wait!" He yelled after her but she didn't turn back towards him, so he ran off to catch up with her. It was dark, but there were a few street lights that lit the sidewalk. "Please, I'm sorry!" When he caught up to her, Damon grabbed her wrist, spinning her around to face him.
He was met with another slap to the face, and if it was possible this one stung worse. "Don't fucking touch me." She nearly growled at him with fire burning in her eyes. Okay, he definitely had some apologizing to do.
Rubbing his face lightly he laughed dryly and said, "Yeah, I definitely deserved that."
Her eyes changed when she realized that he honestly believed he deserved that. Maybe I could hear him out... "Fine, what?" She met his eyes and had to look away. They were such a striking shade of blue and he was staring at her with such intensity.
Damon reached out slowly and touched her chin, turning her head to face him. He needed her to look at him while he apologized; she had to know that he meant it. He locked eyes with her and spoke as sincerely as he could. "I'm really sorry about how I acted tonight. Sometimes, I say shit before I take enough time to think it through. I'm a dick most of the time, but what I said to you was over the line. I'm sorry. Please know that I mean that."
She was speechless. The very last thing she had expected was for him to apologize. No one ever apologized for being rude to her or treating her wrong. The look on his face and the tone of his voice told her without a doubt that he was truly being sincere and he honestly hadn't meant to hurt her. She looked down at the sidewalk and whispered, "Thank you," in a soft voice.
After letting out a huge sigh of relief, Damon smiled at her. "You were headed into that bar earlier. Do you want me to buy you a drink?" He hoped that she might want to spend a little more time with him. Damon was completely enchanted by her and wanted to get to know her.
"No." He looked hurt at her quick rejection, so she sighed and glanced back at the bar. "The guy who owns the bar is also my landlord. I was gonna just go leave my rent with the bartender so he could give it to him." She always did everything in her power to make sure she never had to see her landlord. The guy was a creep. "I was just gonna go home."
"Well, its late. I'll walk you home." He hoped she wouldn't turn down his offer. It had gotten really dark and he didn't feel comfortable letting her walk home alone, even though she probably did it every night. He wasn't going to take no for an answer this time.
She shuffled her feet nervously and looked around, anywhere but at him. "Really, its fine I can-"
He cut her off before she could fully reject him. "I insist. It's not a big deal." She looked up at him shyly and just nodded her head. He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.
"I still need to drop my rent off though, so..." She turned around and started walking back towards the bar. Damon followed next to her and opened the door for her. She turned and said to him, "Um, actually, wait out here? This will only take a second." She walked into the bar before he could reply and walked straight to the bartender.
"Hey Jeremy, give this to Klaus for me, okay?" She handed him her envelope with her rent in it.
"He keeps asking me questions Elena. He doesn't understand why you refuse to actually hand him the rent yourself. And he's getting suspicious. You're never home when he comes to see you. I can't keep tipping you off to help you otherwise he'll realize what I'm doing. He's smart. I don't want to lose you but you know why we have to keep doing this. I'm sorry."
"Hey, Jer its okay, I get it." Dammit. She looked back at the man waiting at the door. Crap, what was his name again? It didn't matter; she knew he was waiting for her. She suddenly got an idea and picked the envelope back up from the table. "You know what? When you see him tonight tell him to come by. I'll give it to him then and maybe that will help."
Jeremy shook his head vehemently. "No way Elena. There is no way in Hell that I am letting that sick bastard come to your place tonight with you there alone. I don't trust him and I will not be able to forgive myself if he hurts you."
Elena smiled; she loved the fact that her brother was so concerned for her. They were family and they would always look after each other. "Jeremy its okay." She tilted her head towards the door trying to bring her brother's attention to the man outside. "I won't be alone when he gets there."
Jeremy looked skeptical, and then worried. "You're bringing one of them home with you? I thought you promised me you weren't gonna go that far." He knew why they were here, and Elena had to keep up appearances, but she didn't have to go this far with it. Turning tricks was not something he would ever allow his sister to do.
"Relax Jer. He's not that kind of guy. He's not going to do anything to hurt me, and he's not gonna use me." As soon as she said it, she knew without a doubt that it was true. From the way he acted in the club tonight, he didn't want her, not like that. He didn't want to give her money to use her body; he wasn't that kind of guy. She knew that if he was there when Klaus stopped by that he would make sure nothing happened to her.
"Okay Elena, I trust your judgment. Just be careful, okay? I can't lose you." She saw the unrestrained fear in his eyes; the fear that had been there for about two years, ever since the accident. She wouldn't ever put him through that kind of pain again, not if she could help it.
"Hey, you ready to go yet?" The man from outside had walked in, and now that she saw him in proper light, she could truly appreciate his beauty. His dark jeans hugged his muscular legs and his black tee showed off his toned stomach perfectly. His arms were long, his shoulders broad and strong. When she reached his face she had to hold back a gasp. His eyes were breathtaking; they stood out in any lighting. He had thick gorgeous eyebrows shadowing his eyes, and a defined jaw. His hair was jet black and was messy, as if he had been running his fingers through it all night. What I wouldn't give to run my fingers through that hair. Where did that come from? Pull yourself together Elena!
"Oh, yeah sorry." She turned to Jeremy and gave him a pointed look before walking towards the door and saying, "Thanks, John."
He nodded in understanding and replied, "See you around, Isobel." He took a towel off the bar and started to busy himself cleaning, trying not to pay attention to his sister.
Damon stared at the pair in wonder. Something about their exchange felt forced, but he couldn't place it. Shrugging it off, he walked out of the bar with her. "So, where to?" Without saying anything, she simply pointed to the south end of the city and started walking in that direction. Damon followed after her, trying to come up with a way to start conversation.
She beat him to it. "I forget your name, sorry."
It hurt that she didn't remember his name, but then again she probably met lots of guys. How was she supposed to remember all of their names? "It's Damon." She smiled and nodded her head. "And your name is Isobel?"
Her smile fell and she looked away from him. "Yup," she said popping the p. He could tell that she was still holding something back, but he reminded himself that it was none of his business. She went silent afterwards and Damon was worried that she was finished speaking to him.
"So, what brings you to Portland, Damon?" He loved the way his name sounded coming from her and was glad that she wasn't going to ignore him the whole walk.
"I'm here for work. A client has a book signing event planned for tomorrow. Flew up here for it." Shit. He had completely forgotten about the event tomorrow. Good thing she unintentionally reminded him.
"Flew?" She was intrigued. "Where did you come from?"
"You ask a lot of questions for someone who doesn't like to answer them herself." Her pace faltered for a moment before she shrugged and gave him a sarcastic smirk. He sighed, figuring if he wanted to know about her he could share a little about himself as well. "New York City."
She laughed. "New York, huh? Nice city." Damon watched her as she started to walk in a weird way. It looked like she was trying to step on every crack in her path, and she swung her arms out lightly around her. She reminded him of a little girl.
"You've been to New York?"
She smiled at him. "I've been a lot of places. New York, New Orleans, Chicago, Nashville, the list goes on." As she finished, Damon detected sadness in her voice. He assumed she didn't visit these places for pleasure, and never really got to enjoy them.
"So where did you originally come from?" He hoped she didn't find it too personal of a question. At this point he didn't want to offend her anymore than he already may have.
She was quiet for a long time, deciding whether or not to answer him. She didn't see any harm in it and simply said, "Virginia."
Damon hoped she would elaborate, but when she didn't he asked about where she lived currently. They had been walking a few blocks and each block it seemed to get darker and more deserted. She nodded her head forward. "Just another block up."
Their surroundings didn't improve, if anything they just got worse. The houses in this area were dirty and falling apart. Most of them had broken windows; a few didn't even have doors. He felt a little relief when she pointed out her house. It used to be white, but now was covered in all types of different graffiti and markings. The roof looked like it was in decent condition though, and she had good windows, and a sturdy door. Her house was probably the nicest one on the street.
When they got to her porch, Elena looked up at Damon shyly. "Um, would you mind coming in with me? The power is off and its creepy as fuck in there at night." She needed him to stay, at least for an hour; just until Klaus came by.
Damon didn't hesitate in saying yes, and she smiled up at him. She walked to her front door and reached into a hole in the wall and pulled out a key. "This place is a piece of shit but the holes make great hiding places." He heard her laugh humorlessly as she pulled open the door. It was pitch black inside and he couldn't see a thing. Pulling out his phone for a light, he walked in before her.
"I see what you mean about the place being creepy at night…" The dim light from his phone was no use against the complete darkness in the house. He couldn't see more than a few inches in front of him.
"Hey, bring your light over here so I can light this candle." He felt her grab his arm and pull him towards her. She lit the candle as well as several others. It wasn't much, but it was enough to see a little better. From what he could see of the place, it was pretty gross. The walls were rotting and had holes in them. She had a makeshift bed in the center of the room; it was really just a mattress with a sheet and a few pillows on it. He watched her as she let her hair fall out of the ponytail and fall backwards onto the mattress.
"Why is there no power? Haven't you paid your electric bill?" It was weird that she would chose to come home to such darkness.
She snorted, and Damon found it adorable. "I've paid it. My landlord likes to keep my box out back locked so that I can't fucking turn anything on. He thinks if he keeps this up that I'll suck him off or make him a porn video or some shit. He's fucking creepy, but the rent is low and its close to the club. He owns a few other houses on this block and only rents them out to strippers. Sick bastard."
Not knowing what to say, Damon just walked over and silently asked for permission to sit. She nodded up at him he tried to get as comfortable as possible, but it was almost impossible on the lumpy mattress. He glanced down at her and she was laid out on her back with her arms crossed over her face, breathing lightly. She looked so young, but mostly peaceful and beautiful. Damon was sure he had never seen anyone as beautiful as her. There was a knock at the door and suddenly she shot up and went to her bag. He couldn't understand why she had reacted so quickly. He looked at her and she had gone completely pale, and when she met his eyes he saw undiluted fear.
There was another knock at the door, and Elena slowly walked towards it. She heard Damon get up and felt him close behind her. Opening the door, Elena let herself relax. Damon is here. He won't let him hurt you. She saw him, and even though her body tensed, her mind was still at ease. Klaus stood on her porch, staring at her with greedy blue eyes. His blonde curly hair was wet, sticking to his forehead, and she realized it had started to lightly rain. "Hello, Isobel darling." His English accent and seductive smirk was probably sexy to most of the women he met, but she felt nothing but disgust. "Its raining, aren't you going to invite me in?" He was so cocky, assuming she would let him in. Fat chance in Hell. It seemed that he hadn't noticed Damon's presence yet, but Damon made quick work to make himself known.
"Who are you?" Damon could sense that this man was putting Isobel on edge. Whoever he was, she didn't want him there. A strong sense of protectiveness came over him. When he met eyes with the stranger, he saw anger and curiosity. Clearly the man wasn't pleased to see Damon here either.
"I believe the more appropriate question would be who are you?" This was the first time in a few weeks that Isobel had answered the door for him. He had finally hoped for some action.
"Just take my rent and leave, Klaus. It's none of your business who I have over my house." She shoved the envelope in his hands and he looked pleased at her response.
So this is the landlord. Damon's will to protect her became much more fierce, having just heard her talk about him a few moments ago in a way that showed he clearly made her uncomfortable. He couldn't help feeling like she had intended for him to be here when Klaus showed up. Maybe she actually wanted him to protect her. Damon knew there was no way in Hell that he would even let this guy touch her. Just as he thought it, he brought his arm out to gently push Isobel to the side and slightly behind him.
Klaus noticed the gesture and chuckled darkly. "Protective, are we?" His eyes darkened and he looked directly at her saying, "The dirty whore doesn't deserve protection." As soon as the words left his mouth, Elena slapped him, hard, across the face. He reacted quickly and took hold of her arm tightly, slapping her face back harder.
Damon's fist flew at Klaus' jaw, making a loud crunch on impact. Klaus stumbled backward on the porch into the rain and cursed loudly. He looked at Damon and growled, "You'll regret that. Sticking up for her will get you nowhere. The slut's only good for a nice fuck."
She cringed at his words, and Damon felt anger boiling inside him. It took everything in him not to run up and strangle Klaus right there. "Leave. Now." Klaus laughed at him, and while turning back in the opposite direction, sang, "You'll see."
Damon spun around to face the scared, broken woman. She had tears in her eyes and she was holding her face lightly. "Isobel?" She didn't react in the slightest to his voice. She looked like she was about to fall into pieces and Damon felt a stabbing pain in his chest. Her expression was heart-wrenching and without thinking twice about it, Damon brought her into his arms gently.
He could hear her holding back sobs that were desperately fighting to break through. He could feel her resisting any sign of emotion. Damon slowly brought her back into the house, locking the door behind him, and gently sat down on the mattress with her. She was shaking her head back and forth and he could still hear her holding back her cries. He didn't want her to hold back.
She felt weak. Elena felt weak and pitiful. The woman who had been so strong through so much and seen so much darkness was now falling apart in a stranger's arms. How was it possible? After the accident, she hadn't shed a single tear. For the past two years of running and hiding out with her brother, she hadn't ever let her walls down. They stayed up, strong and tight. How was it that now, even through all of that, she was breaking to pieces? She could feel the strong sobs struggling to break free, but she tried to hold them back. Not in front of Damon. You can't let him see you break. She shook her head a few times again, trying to disentangle herself from his arm, but he wouldn't let her.
"You don't have to be strong right now. I can see that you've been strong for far too long. Whatever you're holding in had been in there too long. Take a five minute break, and let it all out. Just let go." He continued to whisper soothing words in her ear, and gently stroked his fingers through her hair and down her back. At his touch, he felt her finally break, and the sobs she had been holding back were free. Her body shook as she cried out in sadness and pain. He didn't care that she was staining his shirt with tears, and he didn't care that she was just a stranger he had met a few hours ago. He was not going to leave her to break by herself; no one should ever have to go through that alone.
She hadn't meant to cry, she didn't want to give in. Elena was not weak, and she did not show weakness. Despite her attempts, she let herself shatter in his embrace. There was something to be said about being held and comforted by a stranger. And even though that's what he was, she didn't feel exposed; she felt understood. As if he knew her pain, and knew how to cure her. Of course, he didn't. There was no way for him to truly know her pain, right? But instead of dwelling on it, Elena just let herself fall apart in his arms. She let out all of her torment from the accident, the guilt from bringing her brother through this misery, and the shame for what she had been doing for money. She let it all crash down on her like a huge wave trying to pull her under. But she wasn't going to drown. Damon was there to make sure she would not drown. She knew that he would be there to pull her up, and she knew he would not leave her alone.
It felt like hours that she had cried, but it was most likely less. The whole time, Damon held her and whispered soothing words to her, rubbing her back and comforting her. Her sobs ceased, and her breathing quieted, but she remained against his chest.
Damon felt her breathing even out and he looked down to see her eyes closed. He gently moved her off his chest and repositioned her so that she was lying comfortably on the mattress. He pulled her sneakers off and wondered whether or not she would want to sleep in her jeans. He decided she probably wouldn't want him to remove them for her, so he let her be. He stood up to blow out the candles and leave, but just before blowing out the last one he turned to look at her. She was perfect; there was no one else as perfect as her. She reminded him of an angel, glowing in the soft candlelight. Damon felt so sad to see her living the life that she was. Someone like her was worth much more than that. She deserved much more than that.
He blew out the last candle, and turned to leave when he heard her murmur something. Damon slowly shuffled back towards the mattress and knelt in front of her so he could hear her. When she didn't say anything, he softly brushed his fingers against her cheek. Then, so quietly he wasn't sure he heard correctly, she said, "Stay." After the night she had, he didn't want to leave her. She was probably going to regret letting him stay in the morning, but he would deal with that when tomorrow came. Damon kicked off his shoes and lay on his back next to her. He put his arms behind his head and let himself drift. Just as sleep was about to take him, he felt her turn and rest her head on his chest, her arm lying limp across his body.
A/N: As always, let me know what you think! Review this with questions and comments, I will try my best to answer all of them! Remember, don't be afraid to be BRUTALLY HONEST. Seriously, I want this story to be the best for you guys and its only gonna work if you guys let me know when I do something wrong! THANKS!