A/N: You guys wanted more, you got it. I got a lot in store for this story, if you all want it. As my usual readers know, I love to give out shout-outs to publically extend my gratitude to some of you awesome reviewers.

princessrae91285: Ugh you're lucky. Here in the Bronx, we got a lot of rain and wind. One of neighbor's fences was ripped right out of her front yard! Anyway thanks so much for your review! It means everything to me :)

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ConsumedByDamon: Thanks so much for your review! Your support and reviews mean the world to me :)

Fatally Falling: Don't worry hon. Since a lot of people asked for more, I'm giving it to you. Thanks so much ;)

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bellax0xchristina: I hope you're happy! I'm updating and I am anxiously waiting your replies and reviews! Thanks so much for your time and review!

DElenaLover4Ever: When am I updating? Probably now. LOL. Thanks so much for your review! I hope you like this next chapter.

DelenaVD: Don't worry; Insanity is Beautiful is my main priority; this story, I will only continue if it gains a lot of reception. I really hope you like this next chapter :)

Sarah: Don't worry, I have a lot in store for this story. I only hope that you like it :) Thanks so much for your review! It meant the world to me.

OceanEye1235: Damon is not a hybrid in this story…at least, not yet. There will be much surprise in this fanfic. I love your enthusiasm!

Thanks to all who sent me prayers and love; my family and I are doing much better after Sandy. You guys are so freaking awesome :)

Guys, before I continue, I want to ask all of you if you could all please read the story "Mad World" by Darth Inferna. It's intriguing and interesting, and I love it!

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I do not gain any compensation for this.

Chapter 2: May I be Damned

Despite his best efforts, the poor doctor could not find his gloves. In his hour of need, as he walked through the streets of London in the cold, early morning, he simply endured the bitter cold to his best. He had endured a long, sleepless night, mostly because of the intimate actions committed between him and his dear wife in their bed.

Of course, there was another contributor to his sleeplessness: it went by the name Damon Salvatore. After all, today was the day, the day after yesterday. The day that, like many others before, he'd find out if Damon's experimentations finally paid off. Hopefully, however, today wouldn't turn out to be a failure like all the others before.

Dr. Alaric Saltzman walked in a powerful pace over to the abandoned orphanage, cautious over who he passed by and who he stepped near to. Even in its early hours, London had a very troublesome essence that confronted a tragic fate to those who do not acknowledge it.

However, he was much more anxious over who he was going to, instead of who he was passing by.

Protected by the shadows of the alleyways, which was his most important ally during his visits to Damon Salvatore and the abandoned orphanage, Alaric slipped though the courtyard and entered the building through one of the back doors that was swinging back and forth against the winds.

"Thank God," he muttered under his breath when he noticed the warmth that bathed the building's interiors. He had urged Damon to fix the underground furnaces, and it seemed quite nice knowing, for once, he'd listen to him. Not to mention, the fireplaces were all burning fiercely.

"Damon!" Alaric shouted as he climbed up the stairs up to the top floor. Upon entering Damon's laboratory, he noticed many things; for one, the body he'd brought was gone. All the utensils were cleaned up and put back into their normal, organized places. The sharp smell of rum cascaded the air more harshly then the oxygen in it, causing Alaric's head to swoon for a moment. Most importantly, he saw Damon lying on the floor, asleep, with a large bottle of rum in his left hand.

He had seen this scenario many times before over the course of the two years after the fire, which would explain why his heart dropped in despair. It did not work. The girl was a failure. Once again, Damon performed an unsuccessful experiment.

Knowing what the cleaned utensils, the lacking presence of the body, and the smell of rum meant, Alaric walked over to Damon and knelt on one knee beside him, examining him carefully. Damon's chest rose and fell in a constant rhythm. His face betrayed the emotions he probably still had swirling around in his head. He looked as if he were in a state of peace, instead of a state of anger and despair. Alaric almost didn't want to wake him up, but he knew that he needed to. Reaching out slowly, he took the bottle from Damon's hand, causing Damon's eyes to burst open, blood-shot.

"Good morning, my dear friend," Alaric muttered. "Didn't turn out so well last night, did it?"

Damon glared at him for a moment, and then frowned. "Are you here to take pleasure in my recent failures, or are you going to give me back my rum?"

"Neither, actually," Alaric stood up and placed the bottle of rum on a table a few feet away, away from Damon's reach. "You see, today's a new day, and glorious one at that! A day for new chances, self-renewal, and discovery!" He held out his hand to Damon to help him onto his feet, but Damon refused. Damon simply slapped is hand away, and slowly stood up on his own, wincing as the sun's rays attacked his face from the nearby window. "Come, Damon!" Alaric smiled. "It's a new day, a new chance! Look at that glorious sunrise and tell me what you see!" He threw his hand over to the open window that overlooked the harbors where the sun's rays peeked over the horizon.

Damon rolled his eyes, stumbling over in an attempt to sit on a stool. "I must admit, Ric, and please don't take this the wrong way, but your optimism can really be quite unbearable, especially in times like these."

Ric sighed. "Damon…please, just for once, go out and enjoy yourself!"

"I can't remember?" Damon retaliated. "Everyone thinks I'm dead. It would come to your doctor colleagues as a surprise seeing the dead walk."

"I sincerely doubt that your former colleagues will be out and about at this time of day," Alaric shook his head. "Now please stop this constant routine of sadistic self-punishment."

Damon's glare flared at him. "Sadistic self-punishment?" He sneered. "I'm sorry; do you honestly think that I continue this 'routine' as you say out of pure enjoyment?" He screamed in fury now, his voice inflamed and slurred.

"Damon," Alaric muttered. "Please don't be upset; I meant nothing so base. You're drunk, my friend, and you're angry, and you very well know that fire and rum don't mix."

"Don't try to humor your way out of this!" Damon screamed. "I know inside, you're ecstatic it didn't work!"

"Now what the hell are you insinuating?" Alaric shot out in fury.

"Come now, man." Damon smiled wickedly as he confronted Alaric personally. "Your soul is probably jumping in pure delight to the heavens, happy that you'll make be able to make peace with your inner devils as you finally put the corpse to rest, as you were originally intended to. Admit it," he growled. "Now your conscience will be put to rest, as will the corpse."

"Are you honestly alluding that I enjoy this? I enjoy seeing you like this?" Alaric shouted. "Damon! You are my brother, my friend, my comrade! If anything, I have put my own soul and reputation at risk for the last two years for you! Everything you have asked of me, I have never, not once, refused you! Everything I say and do, I do with the best intentions for you!" Alaric slammed his hand on one of the dusty tables, causing the dusty air to rise and have Ric in a coughing fit. "Damn-" cough "it, Damon!" cough "How many" cough "time have I" cough "told you to clean" cough "these dam tables?!" cough.

Damon merely stared at him, with a distant look on his face. After hearing Alaric cough uncontrollably for a few more seconds, Damon turned away and walked over to the window, where a pitcher of water awaited. After pouring a glass, he went over to Alaric, drank some, and then handed it to Ric, who drank the rest greedily. "Well then," Damon muttered. "Perhaps you deserve an accolade for being the best man in the room."

"Damon," Alaric protested.

Damon turned around, ignoring his pleads. "Congratulations. Your prize shall be waiting for you downstairs in the cellar for burial tonight." With that, he walked out the room with a simple stride, never looking back.

Alaric slumped against the wall, catching his breath. He winced as he heard the front door slam shut. "Damn it," he sighed. Glancing out the window, he spotted Damon walking swiftly out of the courtyard, dressed in old, ripped garments, with dirt all over his face, a worn down hat on his head, and a pipe in his mouth, no doubt loaded with opium. Damon's disguises were getting more interesting with each passing day.

As soon as Damon was out of sight, Alaric walked down the halls and stairwells, and into the cellar. Truth be told, he didn't like being in the cellar by himself. There were too many troublesome memories of his and Damon's childhood here. This was the room where the nuns would beat all of the children who they believed were up to no good. Needless to say, a good majority of the time that they were there, Damon and Alaric were screaming in pain as boys, as they were beaten by the nuns. The nuns were creative in delivering their punishments, but most of the time, they forced to kneel in front of a large crucifix while they were whipped with leather belts repeatedly.

Only one nun ever showed them any form of kindness, and that was Sister Pearl. Sister Pearl had become a nun at the age of thirty, after finding out that she was barren. Her husband left her, and she had no family. She became a nun in order to work with children, since she couldn't have any. She was horrified when she found out that the orphanage's other nuns beated children, but she stayed in order to help them in any way she could. She was middle-aged now. She now resided in a small house a couple of streets away, and occasionally came to visit Damon and Alaric here in the remains of the orphanage. She was one of the few people who knew that Damon was still alive; that he hadn't died in that fire.

Taking in a deep breath, Alaric walked in, hissing from the freezing air. No matter how warm the building was, the cellar never was warm. Damon joked that it was the spirits of all the pain endured here that kept the room freezing, even in the heat of the summer. Rubbing his hands together, once again missing his lost gloves, he walked over to the only table in the room. There was the corpse.

She was still beautiful. Her flesh had not commenced any form of deterioration. Her gown, however, was a different story; in fact, it was completely gone. "No respect for the dead…" Alaric hissed in annoyance as he draped a blanket over her bare body. He did it with much care, evening out the edges. "I'm so sorry it didn't work," he muttered to the body. "And I'm sorry Damon ripped your pretty dress. That selfish bastard." He ran his fingers through her curls. "But don't worry; I'll ask Jenna if she has any old dresses she can give you. I'll be back tonight."

No reply, as usual. The girl's face remained relaxed and perfect, as if she were sleeping.

He sighed. He felt a heavy amount of guilt on his shoulders as he thought over Damon's words. With a final glance at the corpse, he turned around and left. He kept a straight face as he walked out of the building and onto the busying street toward his office.

He naïvely took comfort in knowing…rather, believing…that the corpse would stay where he'd last saw it. He also believed that he'd shut the door when he'd left.

Ignorance is bliss, one would suppose.

DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE

One more hour…

Today was not a good day at all. It was well passed dusk, only an hour left until he may take his leave from his office. And he couldn't have been more excited.

"Are you tired, Dr. Saltzman?" Ms. Hammond asked. "You look awfully tired."

"No, mum," he muttered, slouching in his seat.

"What?" she yelled from across the room.

He smiled softly. The poor old bat's lost her hearing again. "I said I'm not tired!" he yelled across the room.

The old woman smiled. "Now, Dr. Saltzman, I know very well you're lying. What's troubling you?"

Dr. Saltzman smiled. "Nothing, mum," he enunciated. "All is fine!"

Mrs. Hammond nodded she glanced out the window. "There's a man here for you, Dr. Saltzman."

Alaric's head shot up. "What? Who is it?" He strained his voice loud enough for her to hear.

"I believe it's Dr. Mikaelson!" Mrs. Hammond left the room and walked into the parlor to open the door to the unwanted guest.

Alaric groaned; this day was just getting worse by the second. "What the hell does he want?" he muttered under his breath. He didn't even bother to fake a smile as the unwanted guest walked into the room with Mrs. Hammond.

"I shall leave you two gentlemen to your business," Mrs. Hammond chimed.

"Thank you, my dear," Klaus mused with a sly smile. "And may I say you are looking younger and younger with each passing day."

"What was that, my boy?" Mrs. Hammond asked.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hammond!" Alaric yelled. "That will be all!" He smiled as she left the room, shutting the door behind her. "Now, Mikaelson, what can I do for you?"

"Oh, nothing, mate," he paced. "I just thought I'd come and visit your new office. Now," he glanced around. "I don't mean to be rude, but I highly suggest returning to your old office."

"You very well know I can't do that, Klaus," Alaric sighed in annoyance.

"Oh, that's right," Klaus chuckled. "How could I forget about that inconvenient fire. Besides, an office is restorable, but…a friend…a brother by bond…" He stopped and looked at Alaric. "Is not."

"Klaus, I'm trying to convince myself that there's a reason behind your unwanted visit."

"Oh, Saltzman, where are your manners?" Klaus mused. "I'm simply here, making sure you are well. After all, losing a friend like Salvatore in a fire can severely hinder one emotionally."

Alaric rolled his eyes. "I am doing quite fine. I'm just currently trying to come up with a reasoning behind your…sincerity," he growled lowly.

"What are friends for?" Klaus chuckled. "Well, I suppose this lovely abode is not at all that bad. You do have a charming secretary."

"Mrs. Hammond is the landlady of this building. She has welcomed me and my patients with open arms." Alaric glared at Klaus. "Now, if you don't mind, I have much work to do."

"Oh, yes," Klaus glanced around the empty office. "I can see that you have much to tend to." Before Alaric could quarrel any further with Klaus, a sharp knock struck the door. Before Alaric could stand to open the door, Klaus turned the knob and held it open, earning an annoyed glare from Alaric. "Hello, Mrs. Saltzman," Klaus mused as he took the woman's hand and kissed it.

Jenna walked in slowly, eyeing Klaus as she drew her hand back. "Hello, Klaus," she said warily. "Fancy meeting you here, of all people." She glanced at her husband. Sensing Alaric's anger, Jenna smiled meekly. "I just came to pay my dear husband a visit before going home. Am I interrupting?"

"Oh, no," Alaric answered quickly. "Klaus was just leaving. Weren't you, Klaus?"

"I suppose I was," Klaus chuckled. "Jenna, my dear, it seems your husband lacks the ability to welcome old friends into his new office."

"Oh, trust me, Dr. Mikaelson," Jenna smiled. "My husband does have the ability. He simply only shows it to true friends, and, quite frankly, you don't have those qualifications."

Klaus laughed. "I see." He glanced at Alaric. "A lovely wife you have here, Ric, but it appears that she lacks silence, a wonderful quality in most wives."

"Klaus!" Alaric stood up. "I highly suggest you take your leave now!"

"It's a shame you don't have Damon here by your side, Ric," Alaric sighed, walking toward the door. "After all, a man without backbone is hardly a man at all."

Alaric lunged forward, attempting to strike Klaus. Jenna, thankfully, intervened, by slamming the door on Klaus's tail pressing herself against the door, and giving Alaric a stern glare. "Ric!" she hissed. "Calm down!"

Alaric paced back and forth in an angry huff, cussing under his breath. "That bastard! How dare he come here and bloody talk to me as if I'm the insolent arse he is! He's lucky I didn't beat him up, for your sake!"

"And what would that have solved, Ric?" Jenna insisted.

""It would have made me feel better," he sighed, slumping back into his chair. He took several deep breaths, attempting to calm himself. "Damn, it would have felt bloody good."

Jenna walked over to the window, pulling them shut. She glanced around, making sure nothing, not a door or window, was open. "I take it," she said lowly, "this has something to do with Damon's experiment last night."

Alaric hung his head low, nodding. "Yes."

"I also take it that it didn't go well," Jenna muttered even lower.

"Another bloody failure," Alaric sighed. "He didn't take it well."

Jenna walked over him to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "My love…what's really wrong? Something else is troubling you quite deeply. I insist upon knowing."

"He said that I was happy that it didn't work, that at least, for the sake of my conscience , I'd be able to bury the body and be happy that it didn't work," Alaric sighed.

"Damon's just upset, Ric. You know him better than I do; his bark is worse than his bite. He took out his anger on you, and believe it or not, he'll be sorry for talking to you like that."

"No he won't," Alaric shook his head.

"Yes, he will," Jenna smiled. "Because he loves you too much. With everything he's been through, he's always had you by his side. You keep him driven; a good amount of his faith resides on you. During times like these, one's faith is testy, but durable."

"The girl was barely a woman. Seventeen, at most," he rubbed his eyes. "I'll admit, I did feel guilt, but I would do it again, for him."

Jenna smiled. "You have a good heart, Ric. Anyone with eyes can see that."

Ric looked up at her. "Sure. A man who kills his own patients willingly under his best friend's request in hopes to create some form of super human for revenge has a good heart. I'd be damned if it were my judgment day, more damned then Pope Boniface VIII, and even more damned then the Devil himself."

"Well, then," Jenna purred in his ear. "I'd be damned for loving a man so evil, so wicked."

"No," he chuckled lowly. "You'd be damned for the sinful actions you committed on me in our bed last night."

She laughed softly. "We aim to please, dear husband. Besides, you're one to talk. It seemed to me last night that you have far more knowledge of the human body than I'd previously believed."

"Just yours," he chuckled.

Here is when Mrs. Hammond's impaired hearing came to use. As quiet as they tried to be, their efforts were not completely successful. However, when they were done and Jenna took her leave, Mrs. Hammond merely smiled, believing that the noise she'd actually heard was that of moving furniture.

DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE

Finally!

It was now the time to leave and he couldn't have been more grateful. He went around the small room, gathering his things. He had sent Mrs. Hammond upstairs to her own apartment, relieving her for the night. All was going well, and he felt better, especially after his wife's visit. After much thought, he'd visit Damon before coming to work tomorrow; he'd figured that he'd give Damon the night to calm down and rest.

A hurried knock attacked his door in a hurry, alarming the doctor. "Dr. Saltzman! Doctor! Please help!"

"Mrs. Hammond?" Alaric lunged at the door, pulling it wide open. "What's wrong?"

Mrs. Hammond shuffled in, gasping for air. "There-there I was, doctor…walking over to the market, to-to see if…if I could catch the butcher before he'd close up shop."

"You were walking by yourself at night? Mrs. Hammond, why didn't you have me go with you? You know these streets aren't safe at night!"

"Hush, my boy," she hissed. "Don't interrupt! Let me finish. Anyway, there I was, about to make the turn onto the main street, and I see this young woman on the ground, crawling!"

"My goodness!" Alaric whispered. "What was she doing on the street?"

"My goodness, doctor, do shut up and listen!" Mrs. Hammond threw her hands in the air. "As I was trying to say, at first, I simply thought she was a bum, looking for loose shillings, but when she turned to look at me, the poor girl was naked!"

"What?!" He exclaimed!

"Yes! Naked as a newborn babe! I went over to her, the poor thing, and asked if she had been attacked, or mugged. I briefly considered that she might have been a prostitute, but she seemed well too innocent for that!" She rubbed her forehead. "The poor thing! I'm surprised she wasn't freezing; all she had on her was a brown blanket!"

"Where is she?" Alaric stepped closer. "We must alert the authorities!"

"Why, doctor, she's right out there in the parlor!" Mrs. Hammond skipped back into the parlor and pointed to the couch near the fireplace. "There she is!"

Alaric ran into the room, almost tumbling over his feet. However, it was when he'd laid eyes on the young woman that his feet nearly lost stability, almost knocking him over.

There was the young woman, sitting in a fetal position on the couch. She was clinging to the blanket around her shoulders as if her life depended on it. Her eyes were frenzied, as if terrified. Her hair was untamed, but curled, as it had been this morning. "Elena," he breathed. My god…

Mrs. Hammond turned to him. "What was that, sonny?"

Ric pulled his eyes off the young woman on the couch and looked at Mrs. Hammond, forcing upon his face a smile. He had to lie to her. Too bad Damon wasn't here; lying was his forte. "Dear mum, don't you worry. You don't have to alert the authorities." He laid a hand on her shoulder, ushering her towards her room. "This girl is one of my patients! I had taken her to the asylum a few days ago. It seems they do not know how to take good care of her just yet!"

"Good heavens! The poor girl!" She looked over Ric's shoulder at the girl. "Love, are you hungry?" She looked back at Ric. "She must be starving!"

"Mum, that is not a good idea," he whispered to her. "This girl is not sound."

"What?" Mrs. Hammond yelled.

"I said I will take care of her!" Alaric yelled. "Don't worry! Now go up to your room and rest! Tomorrow is a new day!"

Mrs. Hammond nodded slowly. "Yes, of course," she muttered. "You're the doctor. Make sure you take her back safe and sound."

He nodded. "I will." After giving the old woman a firm, yet gentle push past her door, he shut the door behind her and ran downstairs.

The girl was now standing, facing the fireplace. Her blanket was now on the floor in a heap. She stood bare, staring at the fire, her face showing no emotion.

Alaric stood at the foot of the stairs, staring at the girl. It worked…it actually worked. She's here! She's alive…in a sense. It worked. Damon did it…

The girl slowly raised her gaze and turned her head, looking back at him. "Who are you?"

"I…I'm Doctor Saltzman," he said slowly. As awkward it was, it tried his best not to look at her bare body. But he did notice the stitching Damon did on her abdomen, her chest, and other places.

She looked at him for a moment, and then spoke. "I…remember you. You were there," she said slowly. "I saw your face. Before I could move."

"Move?" Her memory was better than he thought. Hopefully she wouldn't remember too much…

"Yes…I couldn't move for a while. Then I could. I followed your scent here," she turned to face him better. "From that old building."

He didn't know what to say. He felt frozen. His mind was still trying to understand what stood before him.

"Can you tell me something, sir?" She asked.

"Yes?" his voice squeaked. "Um, what is it?"

"What is my name?" She whispered. "Do you know my name?"

Alaric sighed softly. "It's Elena. Your name is Elena."

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. A few reminders: Damon is not a hybrid. Only a few people know he's alive. In this story, a hybrid is an alteration of a human. It's not a mix of vampire and human. A hybrid, in this story, is also known as a super human. Any other questions, I'll be glad to answer :)

Before I go, I want to address to one of the reviews I received for this story. In fact, it was the first review I received. The person who wrote it left the review as anonymous. Regardless, I want to say something in response. I understand that I may not always update my other story, Insanity is Beautiful, frequently. However, and I will use YOUR words, let's be real: My entire life does not revolve around my online stories. Though it is a HUGE part of my life, I have many other things I need to tend to before sitting down and typing up a new chapter, such as writing college essays, asking teachers for college recommendations, applying to colleges, working until 7pm EVERY night, taking care of my five-year old brother, volunteering in a program that takes care of mentally- challenged people, paying bills, applying to scholarships, doing homework, etc, etc, etc. There are many fanfiction authors who take forever to upload, but I, like many other readers, appreciate every single chapter/story they upload, and I do not blame them if they take long. Besides, if you didn't figure it out, my family was recently struck by a hurricane that deeply affected our electricity. Also, you claim that I "tend to ramble off in different plot directions with no end in sight". Well, I apologize that my stories are too difficult for you to understand. After all, I do tell everyone who reads my stories that if they have any questions, they may ask me, and I always answer the questions as best as I can. For this story, it's just begun. For Insanity is Beautiful, it is about a vampire who is in an asylum for a reason everyone close to him is trying to figure out, including his doctor Elena Gilbert. Is this simplistic enough? If not, please let me know. I, like many authors, like to instill a sense of mystery that intrigues the readers to read more. I am sorry if this widely used method of writing style is unfamiliar to you. By the way, I meant what I said. I will only continue this story if it continues to get enough reception. I have another story to worry about, and may other things in my life. Consider this your shout-out.

I want to thank everyone for reading my story. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews you've sent me, and thanks to all who read my stories. You all mean everything to me.

Until a hopeful next time, please hit that review button below and leave me your thoughts XD

-Emely