Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Author's Note: This is for all the kind people who took the time to read and review and request a continuation of the story. AU/AH.

A STRANGER IN MY HOME

-3-

Elena emerged from her bedroom wearing a pair of washed out jeans and a plain white T-shirt with a denim jacket. She had pulled her long hair up in a ponytail. Damon, who was wearing dark jeans, a white T-shirt and a black leather jacket, was looking at her like she was wearing a prom dress. Elena suddenly felt nervous and looked down at the carpet. She noticed a stain and gasped.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"There's a stain on the carpet. I can't believe I missed it. I have to… excuse me…" she said and hurried towards the cleaning closet.

"Hey, it can wait," Damon called after her. He would have grabbed her arm, but he didn't want to hurt or scare her. Elena came back with a bottle of stain remover and a cloth and got on her knees to scrub the stain. "Elena…" he said softly, squatting down next to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, "you don't have to do that."

"No, I can't leave it like this… Stefan…"

"Hey," he said softly, "I'll take care of this when we get home, ok? Stefan will never know." He took her hands and pulled her up with him. "Let's go," he said and let go of her hands, heading towards the door. Elena glanced hesitantly at the carpet before she sighed and followed him.

"Where are we going?" she asked as they got onto the street outside.

"You'll see," he winked as he walked up to a blue Camaro parked on the street and held the passenger door open for her.

"This is yours?"

"No, I stole it when I got out of jail," he rolled his eyes.

Elena got in and he closed the door behind her. "When was the last time you went shopping?"

"No… no, I can't go shopping," Elena objected.

"Why not?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but we don't have a lot of money. I don't work, so we're living on Stefan's wages."

Damon frowned. "Is that what he told you?"

"I don't understand…"

"Our family has a lot of money. You could be living in a mansion."

"No… no, that can't be right…"

"What do you know about our family?"

"I… I met Stefan when we were 17. He had just moved in with his uncle Zach and started going to my high school. He said his mother died of cancer a few years back and his father in a car crash just before he moved to Mystic Falls. I had just lost my parents in a car crash, too, and I was staying with my aunt, so we really connected."

"Our father didn't die in a car crash," Damon said blankly.

"He didn't?" Elena asked, wide-eyed. "What happened, then?"

"I killed him."

He said it so matter-of-factly that it took awhile for the words to register. When they did, Elena felt her body freeze in terror. "Wh- why?" she breathed.

"Did Stefan tell you about our sister?"

"Sister? I didn't even know he had a brother."

"Figures. Her name was Katherine."

"Was?"

"For as long as I can remember, our mother was sickly. The cancer was aggressive and she was confined to her bed most of the time. She could never stop him from disciplining me, but when she died, he lost all restraint. If we so much as looked at him the wrong way, we would get a beating. I never thought he would treat Katherine the way he treated Stefan and me. But one night he caught her smoking and he was livid. I heard them arguing at the top of the stairs and he slapped her across the face. She fell before I could get to her. She broke her neck in the fall."

Elena gasped, covering her mouth.

Damon continued the story, looking straight ahead. "I went into his study and got his gun. And I shot the bastard."

Elena's eyes widened in shock.

"I made a deal with the prosecutor for a reduced sentence. Then I came to see my brother and found him to be just like our father. That's why I have to help you, Elena. Or this will end in a bloodbath. One day he will snap and you'll be dead. I can't let that happen."

Elena was dumbstruck. She didn't know what to say. They rode in silence until they reached the mall. "Seriously, Damon, I can't go shopping…"

"I'm shopping. You're getting gifts."

"No. No, I can't accept that. Stefan will be furious."

"Then we won't tell him. I'll keep the stuff in my trunk and when you decide to leave, you'll have a whole new wardrobe to start your new life with."

"Damon…"

"Please let me do this for you…"

Elena bit her lip. "Ok."

"Good. Come on, we have a lot of shopping to do," he smiled and opened the car door for her.

"How's it going in there?" Damon asked after several minutes had passed since Elena entered the dressing room with a handful of dresses. He thought he heard a sob and put his hand on the door. "Are you decent? I'm coming in." He stepped inside to find her crying, standing in front of the mirror in a lavender sundress. "Hey," he said softly, "what's wrong?"

"I'm hideous," she sobbed.

"What kind of talk is that?"

"Look at me!" she exclaimed in frustration.

"I am. And you're beautiful."

"How can you say that?"

"Because it's true. These…" his fingers travelled lightly over her bruises, "…will fade. He will never mark your body like that again."

"He wasn't always like this, you know…"

"I'm sure he wasn't."

"It's just when he drinks… he becomes this whole other person. But I know the real Stefan is still in there somewhere. I can't give up on him."

"You can't spend your life waiting around for him to man up."

"But I love him."

"I'm sure you do. But you're not actually helping him by sticking by him. He will never change if you accept him the way he is now."

"So I should leave him for his own good?"

"And for yourself. You deserve better, Elena."

"You don't know that."

"Yes… I do. Now, come on, wipe away your tears and start trying on clothes. I'll wait for you outside."

Damon stuffed several shopping bags in the trunk of his car. Elena shot a suspicious glance at a bag she didn't remember seeing before, but Damon closed the trunk before she could poke around.

"Where are we going now?" she asked, intrigued."

"You'll see," he smiled.

Elena glanced at the bag seat. "What's in the basked?" It looked like a picnic basket, but she couldn't be sure.

"Nosy, aren't we?" Damon winked.

They pulled up to a house by a lake. Elena looked around, wide-eyed. "Where are we?"

"At my lake house," Damon said simply and held the door open for her.

"Your house?"

"Told you I was loaded," he smirked. "Come on, let's go inside and change," he said, grabbing the bags and the basket.

"Change? Into what?"

"We're going swimming," he said and handed her the mystery bag. "The sales lady told me your size," he explained when she pulled out a black bikini from the bag.

"I'm not wearing this," she shook her head.

"Sure you are. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

After having laid out the picnic on a blanket on the sand, Damon waited for Elena to come out. When she did, she was wrapped in an oversized beach towel. She sat down beside him, making sure the towel covered as much of her body as possible. There was no point in hiding her arms and her back, as he had already seen the bruises there.

"It's a beautiful day and the water's warm. Don't tell me you're gonna stay up here all day."

Elena looked out over the water longingly. "I would like to go swimming, but…"

"But what?"

"I don't want you to see me in a bikini," she mumbled and looked down at her feet, her toes digging holes in the sand.

"You have other bruises, don't you," he said in a low voice. Elena nodded. "Hey, like I said, you have nothing to be ashamed of. He's the one who should be ashamed." Tears were starting to stream down her face and Damon gently wiped them away. "Show me," he said calmly.

Elena took a deep breath, stood up, closed her eyes and let the towel drop. Damon fumed at the sight. The bruises on her hop and thighs looked recent. "When did this happen?" he asked quietly. When she didn't answer, he stood up and cradled her face. "Elena, open those beautiful eyes and look at me," he pleaded. When she did, he saw the shame in her eyes. "When did he do this?"

"Last night," she choked out.

He let go of her, averting his eyes. "I was in the next room," he said silently, blaming himself he didn't stop what was being done to her. He had heard sounds, but he didn't think… "Why?" he asked suddenly, turning to look at her again.

It was Elena's turn to avert her eyes.

"Why did he do this last night?" Damon asked again, anxious to get his suspicions confirmed.

"He was jealous."

Damon felt as if he had just been punched in the gut. It was his fault, he riled Stefan up. "I'm so sorry," he said, his voice a broken whisper.

"It doesn't matter, Damon," she choked out.

"Of course it matters," he said, "if I had known what he was going to do to you – what he has been doing to you – I would have knocked him out cold."

"You're just like him," Elena breathed, her eyes wide in fear.

"What? No."

"You think violence is the solution to any problem."

"I would never hurt a woman," he said between clenched teeth.

"Don't be so sure. Stefan didn't think so, either, before he met me. I'm… difficult."

"Elena, no. That's a lie, those are his excuses."

"Give it time," she mumbled.

"Ok."

"What?"

"I said ok. Give me time, I'll prove you wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"You say you're difficult to live with. So come live with me – here," he gestured to the house behind them.

"Damon… no. I can't just leave Stefan."

"Do you really want to go back there?" Elena shuddered at the thought. "I think you just answered the question," he noted.

"He'll be furious."

"I won't let him near you. I promise – you're safe with me."

"But…"

"Let me show you the kind of life you could have – the kind of life you deserve. And if you still feel the same way about Stefan, then I won't stop you from going back to him. Maybe this will be a wake-up call for him. Maybe he'll realize that he can't treat you like dirt and expect you to love him. Or maybe he won't. But at least then it will be up to you. Will you trust me?"

"I do trust you. I don't know why, but I do. I'll stay."