Sorry, I've been extremelly busy latelly, but I surely didn't gave up on this story, there is a lot more to come...

Anyway, Damon and Elena finally have an entire conversation *cheers* Hope you enjoy it ;)

"Maybe redemption has stories to tell

Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell

Where can you run to escape from yourself?

Where you gonna go?

Salvation is here"

Elena kept staring at him like he was some kind of apparition and the whole thing was just some really elaborated nightmare. He let her be for a while, before finally roll his eyes in exasperation.

"What? Am I wearing a pink wig or something?" he snapped, putting his hands up incredulously. "You should at least be yelling, running around… You know… like she is about to…"

He stared at Caroline, and Elena followed his eyes to her friend. The girl was crushed against the wall, eyes wide open, a ghost of a scream plastered on her face.

"Carol…" she ran to the blond, knelling beside her not sure of what to do next.

She felt him getting closer to her from behind, and turned instantly.

"You!" she said, with more bravery than she actually felt. "Stay away from us!"

He put his hands up in surrender and gave her a smirk.

"Whatever you say…" he stepped back a little and smiled at her in mockery. "Is this enough space to be away?"

She stood up, facing him angrily.

"What the hell is going on here?" she spat. "Who were those people, who are you? Or should I say what?"

"You should say what. I have absolutely no idea who they were. And me…" He offered his hand for her to shake. "I'm Damon. Damon Salvatore."

She kept staring at him dumbfounded. Looking at her easily like that, he almost seemed human. She looked at him, from his hand up to his eyes, and stopped on those. They were the most penetrating blue eyes she had ever seen, and there was something behind them, something that she recognized, and it made her calm down instantly. He smiled a little when she didn't shake his hand.

"Well… No hard feelings I guess…" He shrugged. "Now, let's just make some things clear. I'm not here to hurt you… kill you… mistreat you… or any of that stuff that must be going on through your mind right now… Okay?"

"It didn't seem like that last night." she answered.

"Yeah… about that… I wasn't really going to kill anyone, you know?" he said nonchalantly. "Just a little blood here… a bit of fun there… no big deal…"

"No big deal?" she yelled. "So you were just going to use me and my friend as some kind of toy, and its no big deal. Really?"

"You forgot the part where I wasn't going to kill you… That was kind of an important part." He answered.

"Well, then what's with the sudden change of heart? Don't feel like playing today?" she kept yelling. "What the hell are you? Some kind of psychopath? Just get the hell out of my house or swear I'll…"

"What? What are you going to do?" he said playfully, swaging with every word.

She lunched her fist to his face, but he hold it before it hits its target. He got closer to her face, still holding her fist, his eyes moved from her eyes to her lips and back again, as he swallowed hard.

"Don't you ever do that again." He whispered and let go of her hand.

She felt her heart beat fast and let out a breath she didn't realized she was holding. He kept staring at her, waiting for her to react, but she had nothing left, the whole situation was just too messed up. He took her silence easily.

"I guess now is my turn to make questions, check?"

She didn't answer; he didn't seem to expect her to do so.

"Great!" the playful smile came back to his face. "So, first things first, have you ever heard about a plant named vervain?"

She stared at him confused, and slowly shook her head indicating "no". He nodded and kept going.

"I'll assume from your lovely display just now, that you have never heard of vampires either… Am I right?" he asked in a sing-song voice.

"Yes." she answered with a shiver.

"Right. And those dudes probably weren't familiar faces as well…"

"No."

He clapped his hands cheerfully.

"Very well! Questions answered, now you see…? Wasn't even that hard, was it?" He asked in an ironic happy voice.

She rolled her eyes.

"Now… About your friend." He started. "We, vampires, have these nasty little tricks that can come quite handy, you see; I little trust on your part and I can make your friend forget about this whole mess, sounds good?"

Elena looked to him, and then to Caroline, the girl seemed stuck in one facial expression, her eyes wide open, as tears were starting to drop from them. She contemplated what to do. Apparently he had done it before, erased her friend's memory, or else she would have remembered the night before. So, it wasn't a matter of if he could do it, or even if she trusted him to do so, because - for the life of her she could not understand it - but she kind of did trusted him. The whole matter was to decide if that was the right thing to be done.

Damon seemed to understand her doubt, 'cause a second later he got closer to her and said in a low voice.

"It's dangerous for her… to know things. I would make you forget if I could, but for some reason you seem impossible to be compelled."

She furrowed her eyebrows as the new piece of information sank in and then realized he was probably right. Caroline was brave, and Elena was sure she would be extremely pissed of if she ever find out what she was considering of doing, but that same bravery made Elena doubt if she would ever be safe by knowing some creatures were trying to get a hold of her best friend. Without thinking any longer, she just nodded and somehow, she knew he would understand it.

One second he was in front of her, the other he was taking Caroline by the shoulders as the girl let out a whimper.

"Easy, easy…" he whispered, as he locked eyes with her. "Listen to me; you won't remember what happened tonight. You came home late, you drank too much, Elena put you to bed, that's all you remember, everything is just fine. Now sleep."

Elena watched as her friend's expression changed from horror to calm as her eyes closed, and a soft smile graced her features. Damon easily laid the girl down to her bed and looked at Elena.

"She will be fine." He assured, she nodded.

"And now what?" she asked suddenly.

He raised his eyes at her and gave a small shrug.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she spat.

He closed his eyes for a second and made a face before answering.

"There comes the yelling again…"

"Well, I'm sorry I can't be just okay with everything that's happening!" she did yell. "What do you think I mean? What am I suppose to do right now? There's a bunch of creatures that a day ago I didn't even know existed after me, and you're judging me? Really?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Well, yeah. And to answer you're question, I have no idea what you're supposed to do. You're not in a great place, I'll give that. So, you know… Good luck…" He said with an ironic smile and headed for the window.

Elena stared at him in shock.

"You can't be serious. After everything you'll just leave me to die, just like that."

"Yep, don't need anymore problems. Got plenty of my on, thank you very much."

He gave her one last look before jumping out of the window and disappearing into the night. Elena stayed there, confusion plastered all over her face. She heard Caroline stir in her bed and that's when she snapped. So she was alone in this… It wasn't the first time really, she just needed to figure this out and everything would be fine.

In full action mode Elena left Caroline's room and headed to her on. Without even thinking about it, she opened her computer, facing Google's front page and typing one word.

Vampires

Damon stirred in his stoll at the bar calling the attention of a few drunk guys that were close by. He pointed at them with his scotch.

"Problem?" he asked with a fake smile.

The one closer – an aged man that smelled like alcohol and cheap cigarettes - let out a happy, exaggerated laugh.

"I guess your lady have been giving you a hard time, my boy…" the guy said stumbling through his words. "Girls nowadays have mind of their on, you should be careful with that. A woman with a good head…" he pointed at his own for emphasis, spilling most of his drink on the bar stool. "…sounds dangerous!"

Damon nodded.

"You have no idea." He said in a lazy voice.

The guy just nodded.

"Be happy though, young man. Those strong minded woman tends to be the most outstanding ones, and you know why?" he asked, not really waiting for an answer. "Because they know they can be hard, they know they're worthy it…"

Young man. Damon smile at that. That man had no idea of how wrong he really was, but he did made a point about woman, a drunken point, but still. He downed the drink he had on his hand and gestured the barman for another one. After the night he had it was only to fair to fall into drunkenness and just forget for little while.

He hadn't left Elena unguarded. The main reason being the fact he wanted to find out who that Katherine person was, and why her name kept messing with his memories. The second reason – not that he would admit it to anyone - was that he wouldn't leave her alone, he couldn't.

The night passed by as he watched her typing in her computer furiously. From time to time she would stop at some page and read it, it would cause her eyebrows to furrow, or gave her a worried face, but all and all, that was basically the only thing she had done the whole night, excluding everything, even sleeping. Witch put Damon in the same position, making it the third night in a roll he had spent awake, and tiredness was starting to catch up with him.

The barman gave him a new glass of scotch before moving his eyes to the sound that had just come from the bar's door. A look crossed the barman's face as he took his notepad as to take an order.

"No need for that."

Damon almost dropped his glass as he recognized the voice and turned to place it had come from. Elena was standing there, a defying look plastered all over her face. He collected himself before shooting her a smirk.

"Missed me?" he let out with a sly voice.

She rolled her eyes, heading for the place his was at and sitting beside him.

"I need you." She said bluntly.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Well, that will do… should we go to a more private place?" he said in a whisper.

"I fine where I am." She answered without hesitating.

"Oh… In public? Nasty Elena…"

"Damon."

He stared at her, hearing the sound of his name on her voice. The condescending tone she applied to it, it made him smile a little.

"Yeah?"

"I need some answers. And unfortunately you're the only vampire I know who doesn't want to kill me, I think."

He nodded.

"Good guess."

"So, first of all. Are all the stories true? Crucifixes, holy water, wood stake, sun…"

"You got two of four." He answered.

"Wood stake… and sun?" she guessed.

He just nodded.

"You do drink blood, and apparently you can compel humans in doing what you want… except me." She continued. "Any hypotheses on why is that? You said something about a plant…"

"Vervain… it will keep you from being compelled, it's also poison to us." He said.

"I know… I got this." She went trough her bag and pulled out a small box with what it seems to be jewelry, she also took a small bottle with some known violet plant in it. "The guy on the store said it was vervain. Is it legit?"

He looked at her in awe, taking the bottle from her hand; the smell hit his nose painfully.

"Yes, definitely legit. Where did you find that?"

"Some weird guy named Zach with an antiquary, according to internet we have plenty of those around…" She stated simply. "He also said this jewelry was supposed to keep the vervain so you can wear it all the time, you know, I thought about giving it to my friends. Will it work?"

He nodded, still impressed.

"Friends you say…"

"My friend Bonnie came home this morning, she was at a convention and now she's back." She explained it. "I told then that there was a serial killer around that only attacked at night so that they'll come home early… I not a very good liar, but I think they bought it"

She stared at him, like she was waiting for a confirmation that all of that would do, that it would keep her friends safe. He kept staring at her completely amazed, some interesting little creature she was, and a fast one as well, apparently the two hours he had left her alone were time enough for her to set up this whole scenario.

"You seem to be taking this entire situation quite well…" he stated.

Elena shrugged.

"It's all I can do really." She answered simply. "Despair will make nothing for me right now."

"True that." He agreed.

They sat there quietly for a while. Damon could feel her eyes on him and kept staring at his untouched drink. A few minutes went by until the silence was broke by the drunk man beside them.

"So that's your lady?" the guy practically yelled, sizing Elena with his eyes. "What did I told you, hun my boy? What did I told you? Outstanding!"

Elena had a confused look on her face.

"What is he talking about?" she asked.

"The question is why are you even listening?" Damon replied, purposefully ignoring the man. "The guy is obviously drunk…"

"It seems to running around…" she stated looking at the drink in his hand.

"Please… It takes a lot more than that to make me even slightly close to drunk."

"Uhum…" she answered incredulously.

Damon turned in his stool and fully faced her.

"Can I help you in anything else?" he asked nicely. "Because if not, better leave me alone with my drunken friends and humorless drinks."

"I don't know… Can you?"

"What?"

"Help me in anything else?" she asked pointedly.

He looked at her and considered it for a while. It was pretty obvious that if he wanted any information on Katherine, Elena was the right person to be around. It also wouldn't hurt that his presence made it harder for her to die, I mean, it was kind of a waste such a flighty little creature to go down that easily. And after all she was the one making the hard choice; she was choosing to trust him.

Elena watched surprised as he got up from the stool, threw some money at the bar and pointed at the door with his head.

"Maybe I can't, but I do know someone who might know a little bit more about our friends from last night" He said while walking to the door.

She followed him, as the drunken man shot her a sly smile and let out some confused almost cheering words.

"Who would that be?" she asked as he held the door open for her and she went outside.

"You might know since he's the one teaching you history" Damon said.

Elena stopped at her tracks.

"What? Mr. Saltzman?" she said surprised.

"That would be the one… history teacher at day, vampire hunter at night…" he stated.

"And you're friends with him?" she asked.

"Who said anything about friendship?"

"This have been one hell of a crazy day…" Elena said as they walk to Damon's car. "And something tells me it's only the beginning."

"You got that right."

"I dare you to move

Like today never happened"

Dare You To Move - Switchfoot