You guys are just too awesome. Thank you so much for all the positive feedback. You rock! So someone asked if Damon and Elena didn't know each other's last names, and the answer is: you all will find out exactly how they did not know each other next chapter.

PS: Italics are a flashback.

The one who really messed me up…

"Wow," Elena said, still not fully believing she was actually here. It felt like a dream. A very, very nice, very, very crowded dream.

Aunt Jenna laughed, twirling her strawberry blonde hair into a tight bun and holding it in place with a pencil. Jenna was a psychology major at the local college back in North Carolina, and in a last minute decision, decided to come to California for the summer before starting classes again in August. Being the ridiculously cool aunt she was, she invited Elena to come along. She and Jenna had always been very close. More like sisters than aunt and niece.

After days and days, weeks and weeks of begging, pleading, angry door slamming, and tears, Miranda and Grayson Gilbert finally agreed Elena could go. That was how she and Jenna ended up in this bright, crowded airport, waiting for their luggage so they could finally get the summer started.

"Wait until you see the beach," Jenna said, smiling widely. "You'll die."

"I'll bet," Elena said, looking all around at the unfamiliar faces. She'd spent her entire life in her small hometown in North Carolina, and frankly, she was thrilled to get out. Don't get the wrong idea, she loved her parents and friends back home, but she needed a break from her straight A, cheerleading, boring life. Not to mention, if she had to look at her ex-boyfriend Matt's sad puppy dog eyes, she would surely rip her own eyes out. What other people might have seen as an airport, with a hundred different faces, she saw as a million different possibilities. A million different escapes. A million ways to become someone else, even if it was just for a few months.

"Oh, there's our luggage!" Jenna said excitedly, grabbing Elena's hand and tugging her through the crowd to the conveyer belt with bag after bag on it. Jenna reached for a red suitcase and a few other smaller bags. Elena searched for her blue suitcase, but couldn't spot it. Craning her neck, she looked further down the belt and saw it.

"Be right back," she said to Jenna, who was trying to stand her suitcase up straight, all to no prevail.

"Kay," Jenna said, swearing at her difficult luggage.

Elena laughed- she loved her aunt to death- and walked through people, who were much like her aunt and herself, trying to gather all their luggage so they could begin their vacation. Elena narrowly missed a toddler pushing around his stroller, and after assuring his parents it was fine, and that he was just too cute, she finally reached her suitcase.

To this day, she had no idea why she looked a few feet to her right. She hadn't heard anything, or saw anything that caught her attention. It was just one of those moments, where she felt compelled to look. Call it chance, fate, destiny, whatever. As she grabbed her luggage, she glanced to her right. A boy no more than eighteen or nineteen with startling black hair was grabbing a simple black duffle bag off the conveyer belt. Even though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was gorgeous. Maybe it was the strong jaw line or the curve of his nose that told her this, but whatever it was, she felt her breath catch in her throat.

He must have felt someone watching him, because he lifted his head and glanced at her. She was right: he was gorgeous. No, not gorgeous. Beautiful. She'd never once called a guy beautiful before, but she'd never seen one who looked like him. His pale, creamy skin contrasted nicely with his raven hair and dark clothes. The only color she could spot on him was his icy blue eyes. Instead of looking strange, or out of place, they made him look exotic. She held that blue eyed gaze for what felt like a long time, before she blushed and looked down. Her will only lasted a few seconds before she found herself looking again, hoping to catch one more glance. Sure enough, he was watching her curiously. After a second of locked gazes, he smiled at her.

In that moment, she had no idea that this was the moment that would change her life forever. She had no idea that he was more than just a boy with the face of an angel and a smile that could melt your heart in a second. No, he was just a boy who was too beautiful to be real, and too intriguing to forget. Maybe if she had known, she wouldn't have smiled back, officially forging a bond that was as hard as steel, and just as hard to break. Maybe if she had known, she would have looked away, gathered her things and found Jenna, so they could officially begin their vacation. Or maybe she still would have smiled, because even in that one second, she was hooked.

Five years later, Elena stood surrounded by Stefan's family in Virginia, staring at that same blue eyed boy who'd captured her attention so many years ago when she was young and naive, and much too trusting. He looked the same, just older. His hair was still raven black, his eyes were still impossibly blue, and his body was still clad in dark clothing. But this time, instead of feeling curiosity as she took him in, she felt horror. Horror because she'd prayed never to see him again. Horror because even after all these years, her breath still caught in her throat and her heart still skipped at beat at his beauty. Most of all, horror because this was Damon Salvatore, Stefan's older brother.

All of this happened in a mere second, too short for anyone else to notice her absolute terror and shock. Damon too, was wearing a face of pure disbelief and shock at the sight of his summer fling standing before him.

A second later, her muscles began to thaw out and she found her voice. "Excuse me," she all but gasped, darting up from the table and moving past a still shocked Damon into the house. Once the door was shut and she knew no one would see her, she began running down the hallway. She clamped her hand over her mouth as the contents of her stomach threatened to spill out on the expensive carpet, and picked up her speed. After opening at least five doors, she found a bathroom. She locked the door behind her and sank down in front of the toilet, throwing up.

After a minute of heaving, she flushed the toilet, wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, and slumped back against the wall. There was absolutely no way this was happening to her. Damon-he-who-shall-not-be-named- was not standing outside with his family, with his brother- her boyfriend! She was hallucinating, or dreaming. It was too impossible, too much of a coincidence. Things like this did not happen in real life, and it certainly didn't happen to her.

But there was no denying it. Damon was outside and this was his childhood home. This is where he grew up. She felt her stomach roll, but there was nothing left to come up.

Maybe a minute later, she heard footsteps outside the door. She prayed it wasn't Stefan. There was no way she would be able to hide her state of shock- he knew her too well- and distress. She needed a few more minutes to compose herself before she faced anyone, let alone Stefan.

A knock sounded on the door and thankfully it wasn't Stefan's voice that spoke. "Elena?" Rose asked. "Is that you in there?"

Elena took a shallow breath before answering in hopes of steadying her voice. "Yeah, it's me."

"Are you okay?" She sounded worried.

Elena pulled herself off the floor and glanced in the mirror. Her makeup was smeared slightly and her cheeks were flushed, but other than that she looked okay. Besides the shell shocked expression of course. "Yeah," she said. She moved to unlock the door. Rose was standing about a foot away, her face just as worried as her voice. "I just started feeling a little sick."

Rose looked her over for a second. Elena felt uncomfortable underneath the gaze. Happy, go lucky Rose was gone and was replaced by an intelligent, observing woman. "You aren't pregnant are you?" she asked.

Elena's eyes widened. "No!" she said. In a more calm voice she added, "No. Definitely not. I think the flying just messed me up."

Rose's scrutinizing gaze was making her want to close the door again, but of course she didn't. She held her ground in silence. After a few more awkward, tense seconds, Rose shrugged, transforming back into the girl Elena first met. "I believe you. I get sick too after flying. Anyway, dinner's about to be served. Will you be okay to eat?"

Elena nodded, smoothing her shirt. "Of course," she said, forcing a thin lipped smile. "I'll be right out."

Rose nodded and disappeared down the hallway.

Elena took a deep breath and looked at her reflection. She grabbed some toilet paper and wiped the smeared makeup from underneath her eyes, splashed cold water on her cheeks and into her mouth, and smoothed down her hair. She was presentable enough to face everyone, but Stefan would know something was wrong. She took another deep breath and reconstructed her face into an easy, light expression with a shy smile. Taking another deep breath, she existed the bathroom and made her way back outside.

Everyone had taken a seat in her absence, leaving only two chairs open: one beside Stefan and in front of Damon, and the other beside Damon. Avoiding his gaze, she sat down in the chair beside Stefan and took a sip of water from the glass in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked, eyebrows creased.

She nodded. "The plane ride left me feeling a little sick, I guess."

Stefan nodded and then glanced at Damon. "Elena, this is my brother Damon," he said.

She forced an oblivious, polite smile onto her face and turned to him. His expression was unreadable. "I'm Elena Gilbert," she said. "It's nice to meet you."

Something flashed through his eyes, but it was gone so quickly she couldn't place it. His lips tugged up in a half smile. "Nice to meet you too, Elena."

She nodded and quickly looked away.

"So Damon, will your other half be joining us?" Giuseppe asked, his hands folded in front of him. "I'm sure he's running around Mystic Falls somewhere."

Damon smirked and took a sip of water before answering. "He should be here any minute," Damon said. "He just stopped in to say hello to his parents."

"Ah," Giuseppe said. The way they interacted with each other made Elena think back to the airport when Stefan was telling her about Damon and Giuseppe's strained relationship. It was obvious watching them, the tension in the air and the way they spoke to each other, that they didn't get along.

Rose, having must sensed the same thing she was, quickly intervened. "How was your drive, Damon?"

He shrugged. "Long… boring," he said. His eyes trailed to Elena. "Uneventful."

Rose frowned while Elena and Stefan tried not to look as uncomfortable as they felt. Luckily, they were saved from the awkward silence by a new voice. "Sorry I'm late," a man with golden brown hair and green eyes said. "I was just-" he trailed off as he saw Elena and his eyes went wide. He looked at Damon, whose lips were pressed thinly together, and then back to her. "Holy shit," he said.

Before anyone could move, Damon jumped up out of his seat and walked over to Alaric, whose eyes were still trained on Elena. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave him a meaningful look, though Alaric didn't notice. "Alaric," Damon said, voice thin with stress. "Good, you're here. Dinner's just about to be served."

Alaric glanced at Damon in confusion. Damon gave him another look before Alaric made his way to the seat beside Damon. After they both set down, everyone said hello, but Alaric was hardly paying attention.

"Alaric," Damon said. "This is Elena Gilbert. Stefan's girlfriend."

Another confused and pointed look later, Alaric was composing himself and reaching out a hand to Elena. She shook it. "Nice to meet you," she said.

"You too," he said. "I'm Alaric Saltzman." As if she didn't already know. She wondered exactly who else would be popping up from back then. Alaric had more or less been Damon's wingman back then. They'd all spent plenty of days together that summer, eating out, hanging out on the beach, at parties. Apparently, Alaric was still Damon's wingman.

Oblivious to the trio's tension, light conversation was passed between everyone until food was served. Elena was happy for the excuse of eating as to why she wasn't speaking. She barely tasted the chicken as she bit into it. She was too busy freaking out on the inside, and pretending to look normal on the outside. Just get through this dinner, she kept telling herself. Get through this dinner and you can figure out what to do.

"So Stefan," Rose said, stealing a piece of chicken off of Trevor's plate. He smiled and rolled his eyes at his fiancée. "When are you going to tell us the story of how you two met?"

Oh dear god, she thought. She no longer had any food to use as an excuse either.

"We knew each other from NYU," he said, lazily wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "We didn't have any classes together because of our differing majors, but I'd seen her around campus once or twice." He looked at her warmly and she tried to return the smile, but was finding it difficult with Damon's gaze on her face. "She was always carrying a notebook around with her," he added.

"What are you majoring in, Elena?" Giuseppe asked.

"Journalism" she replied.

There was a sudden shift in the air, as if she had said something inappropriate at the table. There was a sudden tension emanating from everyone but Giuseppe, who looked almost amused. She remained silent, wondering exactly what was going on. After another tense few seconds, Giuseppe spoke. "Journalism. Really now. You don't find that field of work a bit- how should I say this- insignificant?"

There was a moment of stunned silence. "Father," Rose snapped, looking appalled. Elena heard Stefan sigh from behind her. Trevor and Alaric were studying something off in the distance and Damon was watching her reaction carefully.

She took a small breath before saying, "No, I don't actually. Without journalism how would anyone know what was going on?" She glanced at Stefan. "How would we know when there was a break through in medicine?" She then glanced at Giuseppe with even, steady eyes. "How would we know when a lawyer put a criminal behind bars?"

Everyone was watching her now, impressed. It made her think not too many people stood up to Giuseppe Salvatore. She wasn't done though. "Journalism is more than just articles about the latest trend in fashion, or gossip about the hottest new celebrity. It's news. It's what makes people decide what hospital to go to when they find out their child has cancer, or what law firm has the best chance of winning a custody battle. It matters."

As she finished her little speech, there was silence. She wondered if she had overdone it. But damn it, Giuseppe's comment had fueled what her aunt Jenna called the "Gilbert fire" and she couldn't help but put the man in his place. Oh great, she thought. Stefan's father hates me now.

Much to her surprise, Giuseppe smiled and just like that, the tension in the air evaporated. "You're passionate," he said. "That will get you far in life." She couldn't be positive, but she had a feeling she had just one his respect.

"Thank you," she said. "I got it from my mother."

"She must be a very proud woman."

Stefan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but Elena just smiled sadly. "She would be. She and my father died in a car accident a few years ago."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Damon's head snap up. He obviously hadn't known her parents were now dead. How would he? They had died a year after he made an appearance in her life. Before the tension made a reappearance, Elena said, "And actually, Stefan and I really didn't meet at school. Not officially at least."

"Really?" Rose asked. "Do tell."

"Well, a mutual friend of ours named Caroline drug me to a party to meet a guy," Elena explained.

"Which so happened to be me," Stefan said. "But Elena wouldn't have anything to do with me."

"I had a huge paper to write and I wasn't in the partying mood, but Caroline wouldn't take no for an answer." Elena shook her head slightly thinking of her best friend. "After twenty minutes of serious moping, she finally let me leave. But on the way home, I got a flat tire."

"Let me guess," Rose said smiling. "Stefan found you, changed your tire and it was love from then on out."

Stefan snorted. "Hardly. You're right- I did pull over, but she was insulted that I thought she didn't know how to change a tire."

Elena laughed despite the horrible situation she was in. "What can I say? I'm independent. But Stefan stayed to make sure I fixed it anyway despite my horrible attitude toward him, and after that… I don't know. We saw each other around school. We eventually started talking. Everything just kind of fell into place."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Rose said.

"Ah, my little brother, the hero as always," Damon said. Even though he was smiling, and his tone was light, Elena didn't believe it was genuine. Everyone else seemed to think so though, so she overlooked it.

"You know what?" Rose asked. "Stefan, after dinner, you should take Elena to see the horses."

Stefan looked down at Elena. "Would you like to?"

"Sure," she said. "That sounds nice."

Thirty minutes later, Elena was standing by the door, waiting for Stefan to come downstairs so they could go to the barn. She took her moment alone to have a mini panic attack. Somewhere in this house, Damon was wandering around with Alaric. Damon, whom had emotionally messed her up so badly, she honestly never thought she would trust another man. But no, she wound up trusting his little brother.

Footsteps drew her back into reality, and she saw Stefan and Damon walking down the stairs together. "I'm sorry, Elena," Stefan said. "Father wants to speak with me for a few minutes. Do you mind if Damon takes you down to the barn? I'll be there as soon as I can."

She had to bite her tongue to keep from saying no. Stefan obviously had not the slightest clue that she knew Damon long before just today, and she wasn't ready to let him know quite yet- or ever. So instead of yelling no like she would like, she said, "Of course not. That's fine."

Uh oh. Elena and Damon alone together? Who knows what will happen.

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