Note: Thank you to those that reviewed and put this story on their alert watch. Please note that Chapter One has been edited, but the story continues the same.

Only In Dreams

Chapter Two: Damon Broken

Stefan

Stefan had felt panicked when Elena had been standing with Damon alone. Not because he thought she was in danger. It was perfectly clear now that Damon would never consciously hurt Elena, not if Isobel's words had been true. But this did not ease him, on the contrary. He was worried because Elena did not look at his brother with fear, or disgust, or even indifference, she looked up at him annoyed. There was something between them, tangible, comfortable together. Even though Elena struggled against Damon's hold, her face was flushed with embarrassment, not anger.

As Damon held her eyes, his expression unreadable to Stefan, this was when he had stopped being a bystander and had sought to end this impromptu meeting under the bright sun. Stefan did not know what Damon had been asking Elena, but as he reached them, he could hear the skips in the beats of Elena's heart. They had unnerved each other, but continued to look to one another for answers.

Stefan had felt a chill run up his back at Damon's claim, and held onto Elena instinctively. If Katherine were nearby, wouldn't they have had some sort of sign? Then again, hadn't two sinister events befallen Elena, the murder of her uncle and the mysterious disappearance of her brother?

"Are you sure?" Stefan demanded, but Damon wasn't paying any attention to him. He continued to look at Elena as if wishing to say something, but not daring to speak.

"Damon!" Stefan called. He was starting to get annoyed by the dramatics now and how Elena's heart kept fluttering with every look Damon gave her. If Katherine was back, then Elena and her family were not safe. "Damon," Stefan tried again, this time pulling Damon a step backwards and away from Elena.

He felt like hitting Damon hard across the face, and didn't understand where the sudden violent urge had come from. He forced himself to stay calm, as it would not have been advisable to draw any more attention to themselves, since everyone who walked by felt it their right to stare at them all. Maybe the student-body could sense a fight brewing, or maybe they were looking for gossip, but there suddenly seemed to be a huge amount of students on this campus, which Stefan had never really been aware of before.

It took Damon a few more seconds to snap out of his revere and back into time. Perhaps being manhandled away from Elena was all that was needed to stop him looking so surprised and confused, and become annoyed.

"If this is some kind of joke Damon," Stefan hissed quietly, so that no one would overhear.

"I would not joke about this," Damon replied, his voice sounding momentarily hurt.

This time it was Stefan that was taken aback, and he let go of his brother at last.

"It had better not be, just look at what you are doing," Stefan warned, his eyes returning to Elena.

Damon

Elena stared at him, her eyes wide and fearful. Once again he became aware of her heart thundering in her chest. Damon wondered how someone so small could even make such a noise. He forced himself to tune the sound out, fearing either his head or Elena were going explode.

"Jeremy," Elena said, her small voice full of worry held all of his attention. He didn't care that Stefan was still looking at him with a threatening eye. "Has she hurt Jeremy?"

Damon didn't have an answer for her. He didn't know how this could have happened. He didn't know how he could have possibly mistaken Katherine for Elena. Was he so blinded by the need to possess Elena that he was willing to ignore the doubts he had had when he had kissed her? The questioning, the confusion of how Elena had allowed him so close to her, allowed him the one thing he had been dreaming of for so long. Why had he not listened to that voice inside of him that had said: something isn't right.

He felt as if the world had been playing a trick on him. Letting him hope that Elena cared for him also, and then snatching that hope away cruelly. He felt a lump in his throat, and swallowed it away, ignoring the sickening feeling in his stomach.

But Elena made him act strangely, forget himself, often he did things and no longer even knew why. Suddenly he was willing to risk everything for one kiss? Ignore his own instincts; the ones that had made him hesitate? One thing came to him clearly now, Elena made him weak.

"Katherine has been invited into Elena's home," Damon said ignoring Elena's question and speaking to Stefan now. "She can't go back there."

Stefan did not question how Damon knew this, and Damon supposed he was starting to put the pieces together. The shadow of understanding over Stefan's face spoke more to Damon than any words could, and the even more possessive hold over Elena warned him to back off.

Stefan

"It was Katherine that killed John Gilbert," Stefan said, finally understanding that Damon must have met whom he thought was Elena after the fire, and had seen her be invited into Elena's house.

Whatever else might of happened, Stefan didn't want to think about, nor did he have any desire to find out. He knew enough of Katherine's nature to know that she would encourage Damon into anything, as she was expert at using those around her. Stefan had to remind himself that whatever Damon thought had happened between him and Elena, it had not be true, it had not been real. He, Stefan, had nothing to worry about.

Nothing to worry about … except that Elena had been living in a house that Katherine had access to. Why had nothing happened since Founder's Day? Was Katherine waiting for them to make the first move? Maybe she was playing a game with them, like she always used to do?

Elena

Elena felt sick. Once again the sight of her uncle's body, his missing fingers still on the kitchen counter, the blood all over the floor, came back to her. She felt faint and was glad that Stefan was holding her so closely. She looked from Stefan to Damon, they were talking, but the sudden roar of blood in her ears would not allow her to hear what they were saying. Forcing herself to stay upright, she found herself speaking.

"No Stefan should go," she said, although she felt barely aware of herself. "Aunt Jenna would never get in a car with Damon."

Stefan had obviously been reluctant to leave Elena with his brother, but he couldn't argue with what Elena had said. They needed to get Jenna somewhere safe and quickly, and unless Damon compelled her or physically forced her into the car, she would never go anywhere with him.

"We could convince our dear friend the history teacher to take her away for a few days," Damon said. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind," he added with a quirk of his lips.

"We might need Mr Saltzman," Stefan replied. "We don't know what Katherine is planning."

Damon rolled his eyes. Why was he the one who had to come up with the plan? If Elena didn't look as if she was going to keel over dead from fear for her family, Damon would have given up already.

"Well, unless I compel her and convince her that she desperately needs a holiday and what a fantastic time she will have, aunt Jenna won't be going anywhere," Damon said sarcastically.

Elena tried desperately to think of a plan to get her aunt out of town. She would never just leave, especially not with Jeremy missing. There was nothing, short of telling her truth that would work.

"Damon you will have to compel her, it's the only way," Elena said at last, feeling defeated. "Tell her that she needs to go away for the week, make sure she's not worried about Jeremy, and that I'll be ok. I… to keep her safe … "

Damon

She did not ask him, she just knew that he would do it for her. Down to every detail. He could almost see the weight lifted from her shoulders as the worry drifted from her. Her aunt would be OK, because he, Damon would save her. He wondered when Elena had stopped looking at him with that ever-present glint of fear and had swapped it for trust? And of course Damon would do what she asked, did he even have a choice?

Turning from her, he replaced his sunglasses and smiled, blowing away the worry and seriousness of the conversation. It did not suit him to be serious and brooding like his brother, and began walking back towards his car. He would leave Stefan to do caring boyfriend thing and make sure Elena was safe.

He felt eyes still on him and gave a jaunty wave to Caroline, seeing her turn her head determinedly away from him. Bonnie however kept her eyes upon him, her gaze cold.