Hey! Thanks for the few reviews(: They're always the best things! So thanks so much! And to all of you who put this story/me/my stories into their favourites, it's an honour. :D Please review, guys! Just take two seconds to tell me what you think? If you like it, hate it, love it, think it's okay.. Everything is welcome! Enjoy! (: x


Damon's Point of View.

Thank Christ that worked.

Elena's face twisted. She fought to conceal the cascading emotion behind her flawless skin.

"Would you agree?" I pried smoothly.

I felt her hand tighten around mine, "I.." Her tongue flicked out to wet her lips, "I think I need to think it through, Damon," Her eyes met mine, "I think I should sleep on it." Listening carefully, I covered up my amusement.

"Why?"

She brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, "It's a big decision." I laughed lightly without humour, untangling her fingers from my hand, "You think I don't know that?" She bit her lip and watched me silently, her eyes betraying her face of it's calm exterior. "I didn't mean that," She assured me, her words heavy, "I just meant that.. I'm not sure what I want."

"So you just asked to..annoy me?" I questioned her, sliding off the bed and opting to stand by one of it's posts. She shook her head, her alluring eyes growing wide at my words, "You know the answer to that, Damon," She whispered. I shrugged my shoulders, "Do I, Elena?" She flattened her hands on the bed and sat up straighter, "I'm not a child," She eyed me cautiously, "I can make my own decisions."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Whatever you want to think." Her eyes narrowed, "What's wrong with you?"

"Why would there be something wrong with me?"

"You're acting like a dick, for one," She pointed out, her face gradually becoming more pinched. "And two?" I challenged. She sighed heavily and waved her hand in the air, "Never mind," She scowled darkly, averting her gaze from mine, "Just leave." I stayed where I was, watching her thoughtfully. "It's what you always do," She mumbled, turning over and pulling the covers around herself.

It hurt to hear the words from her lips. But if being mad at me was the only way to keep vampire thoughts out of her head, I was going to stick with it.

I waited a few moments, my arms crossed. She was tense, facing away from me, her breathing low and shallow.

"I thought vampires were supposed to have good hearing?" She whispered after a long awkward pause, tension leaving her hunched shoulders, "Did you not hear me? I said you can leave." My jaw was tight. She squirmed on the bed and turned to catch me off guard with her captivating eyes, "You can leave," She murmured, "You don't have to." I narrowed my eyes, attempting to relight her previous anger at me.

"Don't be mad," She mumbled around a yawn. I cocked my head to the side. She nodded mutely, taking my silence as a positive sign and closed her eyes, sleep gaining control over her tired body. I stroked a finger over her cheek, "Goodnight Elena." She rested her face on my palm, "'Night."

I left the room with a sinking feeling.


Elena's Point of View.

When I opened my eyes, he was gone. I rubbed my face with my fists, flinching against the bright light coming from the lamp on the table by my bed. I huffed and sat up, resting against the cool headboard. He'd wanted to change me. But the thought turned my blood cold with icy fear.

I shivered, my forehead crinkling. I wanted to go find him.

The floor was cold on my feet. I ignored it and tiptoed across to my wardrobe silently. Slipping into my black coat, I heard the distinct sound of my bedroom door open. Repressing the automatic, stifling urge to groan, I felt my fingers clench together.

"Elena?"

I peeked my head around the narrow wardrobe door, "Yeah?" Jeremy leaned on the doorframe, his arms crossed, "What are you doing?" I pulled the jacket around my middle and zipped it, "Going out." I tossed him a small smile and shut the wardrobe. "You realise it's three in the morning, right?" He snorted. "Exactly," I said smoothly, walking around him into the hallway, "So you," I stabbed a finger at him, "shouldn't be up."

He caught onto my arm, "Where are you going?" I whined and shook his arm off, "I'm older than you, remember, Jer?" I started my way down the stairs, "I'm the one who get to ask the questions." He shadowed my footsteps, his face dark, "Don't treat me like a child, Elena."

I stopped in my tracks, my previous conversation with Damon fizzling to mind.

I'm not a child, I can make my own decisions.

My hand stilled on the banister, "I need to go find.. Stefan." I took a deep breath, instinctively knowing that if Jeremy realised I was going to see Damon, he'd freak.

"In the middle of the night?" He asked with scepticism. I nodded slowly, avoiding his penetrating stare. "Why do I find it hard to believe you?" He mumbled, running a hand through his thick hair. I lifted a shoulder, an apologetic smile on my face.

"Just.. Promise me you'll call if something happens, okay?" He stared hard into my eyes. "I promise, Jer," I squeezed his arm and descended the stairs quickly before he could protest further.

The car groaned easily to life under my hands. I eased it out onto the road, biting my lip at the sight of the clear, black ice. What was I doing? Going out in search of the famous Damon Salvatore at three in the morning, because I felt like it. I didn't even know what bribed me to go see him. All I knew was that I had a gut feeling I needed him at the moment.

I pulled into the Boarding House, cold air grazing my skin all over. Beginnings of flaky, wet snow ground together under my feet as I trudged towards the large building.

"Hello?" I called out tentatively, after opening the large, dark door and closing it behind me again. I reached out with my ears after a long few moments of deafening silence but heard nothing. Huffing in frustration, I ambled back to my car, scrambled awkwardly into it and headed towards the Grill.

The street was deserted, fog bouncing off the cold surfaces. I braced myself against the icicle laden air and shuffled towards the Grill. The windows left yellow light spill from their latches, assuring me that there was at least someone inside there.

I pushed down the handle and stepped inside. My eyes widened in surprise as I drank in the contents of the room. Instead of the tired drunks lounging by the bar, surrounded by earth colours on every surface, there was an uncountable number of skinny blondes and slinky redheads twirling with each other under a splaying of bright, multicoloured lights from the ceiling. The room was struggling to deal with the explosions of colour, every crack and crevice groaning in it's effort to contain everyone and everything.

I swallowed dryly, hastily scanning the room for Damon. A flash of dark hair sliding towards the back entrance locked my eyes. I took a few steps forward, my mouth open to call him back when he wrapped his tanned, slender arm around a tiny brunette and kissed her hair. Oops. Not Damon. I blushed and rocked back on my heels, ready to bolt for the door again.

"Would you like to come join my party somewhere..else?" A man stood before me, his eyes reflecting the candyfloss coloured lights. His breath held a strong stench of alcohol. I shook my head instantaneously, getting a stay clear of him vibe off him, "No, thank you." He shot me a mocking look, curling his lips into a twisted smile. "Um, excuse me," I mumbled, moving to step around him. He extended his chubby arm, his face falling in fake disappointment . "Please," I added on to the end, eyeing him carefully. He failed to remove his barrier. His persistence frayed at my already crispy edges.

"Please, just get out of my way," I said more firmly, attempting to step around him again. I grimaced in disgust at the shimmering beads of sweat running down his temples. He quickly moved to stay in my way, much to my building irritation, shadowed by two older friends who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Altogether, I'll admit they intimidated me like hell. But we were in the middle of a completely jointed room, what was there to worry about more than being peeked at under the bathroom stall doors?

"Aw, babe," He slurred, budging closer to me, "Don't be like that." I sighed and put my hands on my hips, raking my eyes over him."Really?" I argued, "I don't think you have any say in how I be." He stumbled back and put a hand to his heart, laughing at my expression, "Oooh, that was below the belt, girl," He bellowed in laughter.

I exhaled loudly and walked the opposite way from him, towards the back entrance. "Pig," I spat through my teeth, exiting the colour soaked, electric atmosphere.

Outside, nightfall had started bringing with it icy air, mingled with unnerving superstitions. I shivered, watching my breath curl up in a snake of water vapour in the air, buttoning my jacket up to the chin. I walked slowly, listening to my footsteps echo off the plain concrete all around me. I avoided my car, wanting to just walk for once. I wanted to rid my head of any persuasive demons.

After a few minutes quiet traipsing, I turned a corner, barely noticing that I had switched onto a series of unfamiliar dark, empty alleyways. Lost in thought, I continued walking, tucking my nose and mouth into the collar of my jacket.

Crack.

The back of my skull collided with the brick wall with a shattering sound. My blood froze. "As I was saying, Doll," The same pissed drunk voice breathed in my ear, "Don't be like that." I bit my lip against the sudden searing in the base of my skull. I could almost smell the iron in the blood that I instinctively knew was dripping from it.

"This'll be all over quick," The man secured my two wrists in one of his beefy hands, leaning into my ear, "If you do what we say." I turned my head from him, my cheek pressed against the cold wall. Kicking at his precious parts, I hoped to immobilise him just enough so I could run until my calves gave up, and then start screaming until my lungs bled. But, of course, the two men who had stuck to him in the Grill, now flagged his both sides.

One smiled at me, I could almost read the horrible things he was passing through his mind out of the smugness radiating from him. The other just stared hard at me, unseeing, his face tight and unemotional. The fat guy at my front passed one of my struggling arms to each of them and they held them stably, not leaving me any chance for escape.

"What do you want?" I puffed and huffed, using all my strength to pull my arms from their strong grasps. The man touched my temple lightly, his skin gliding over my face to cover my mouth. His eyes sparkled as he watched me struggle.

"Just stay quiet," He murmured, withdrawing a sharp object from his pocket. It glinted. My stomach fell. I felt tears squeeze out through my eyes as I tried with everything I had to break free of the lock on my wrists. The man taunted the knife in front of my face, smiling in satisfaction at every one of my pained squeaks when he touched it to my skin, applying pressure but not drawing blood. Instead, he used it to tear up the front of my coat and shirt, until nothing was covering my upper body but a now shredded tank top and bra.

I whimpered, biting his hand and aiming my foot at his knee. "Ah, ah, ah.." He scolded, drawing a tear up the length of my jeans. I fell slack, unable to derive any ways of escape from my strangled mind. The salt water still trickled from my eyes and over his hands.

"See," He murmured, handing the glittery knife over to one of his accomplices, "We can do this the easy way if you're quiet." His fingers slipped under the strap of my bra. I tried to move away from him, my insides churning, but was held still by his helpers. I cried out, earning a perverse smile from each of them, even the one who was possibly made of stone.

The man traced my body; starting at my collar bone and moving down to my hips, making the skin burn like his touch was corrosive acid. He paused at my waist, eyes flickering to my twisted face as I tried to untangle myself from the metal lock of the other men. He unhooked my jean's button, and let them fall.

I screamed against his hand, thrashing about as much as I could, aiming my kicks anywhere they'd go. "No one can hear you," The man hissed, pressing his hand tighter to my mouth, "And I told you already; the easy way, or the hard way." He emphasized his threat by glancing back at his friend who willingly displayed the blade. I shut my mouth against the onslaught of tearing sobs I felt coming on. He smiled again and patted my cheek, "Good."


So.. Opinions? What do you think will happen? (; Review! Thanks! Bye!