A/N: Hello all! Just a quick update in the world of my computer: all should be well. Taking her to the doctors today…but I may not get her back right away….so I am rewarding you (don't ask me why I'm rewarding you for my broken computer lol) I'm am updating uber early. I try to update around the same time every week, but I'm feeling nice lol. Plus your kind reviews will keep me smiling until I can get the computer back haha.

If you haven't already read my other update for my other story from today, I should tell you that I have a surprise for you all…. But you have to finish the chapter to get it! No skipping the story to find out what it is!

I will shut up now….Enjoy:

The next morning did not start off as the best day of my life. My night had been filled with dreams of Stefan: Stefan being killed by Klaus, Stefan killing Elena, Stefan in pain, just to name a few. Then I had slept past my alarm, getting off to a late start with no time to down a little blood to hold me over until after the flight. So I shouldn't have been surprised when I opened the passenger door to the Camaro to throw in one of my bags and Elena came tumbling out. Her shriek pierced the early morning air, and I caught her before she hit the ground.

"What the hell, Elena?" I almost shouted.

I pulled her to her feet and spun her around to face me. She had sleep in her eyes and was clearly dozing off when I had opened the door.

" I got your text, and I'm coming with you," she yawned nonchalantly.

"Like hell you are," I replied. "You're staying here. I promised Stefan you would be safe, and I'm going to keep my promise."

"And how are you going to keep me safe if you're off trying to find him?"

"I—" Elena smiled, knowing that she had stumped me. She sat back in the car and closed the door. She was foolish to think that I would give in so easily. I threw the door back open.

"Out!" Elena flinched as I yelled. "This is not your fight Elena."

Before I knew it, Elena was yelling back, tears in her eyes.

"How dare you," she seethed. "How dare you say this is not my fight? I have every right to come with you. I love him."

"How dare you?" I repeated. "How dare you come here after what you said to me last night, Elena."

That stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Damon—"

Before she could continue, I cut in.

"Since you feel so damn entitled to get your way all the time you can come. But I'm telling you right now, Elena, you will obey my every order while we are gone. If I say run, you run. If I say stay, you stay. If I say hide, you—"

"Hide," Elena interjected with a nod. "I understand the basics."

I gave her a dirty look, slammed the passenger side door closed, and circled around to the other side. Once inside, I turned the key over and the engine started. There was one slight problem, however. The gas gauge was almost on empty.

"You've got to be kidding me," I hissed.

"Bad morning?" Elena asked.

…..

Finally after filling up at the nearest gas station and grabbing Elena something to eat, we were on our way. We had lost about twenty minutes, but I was determined to break enough speeding laws to get us there at least a little bit early.

"Damon, slow down a little bit, please," Elena complained once we were on the highway to Richmond.

I sped up.

I was determined to talk to her as little as possible. It may have been childish, but I was still pissed about what she had said yesterday.

"Are you seriously not going to talk to me? Listen Damon, I'm sorry. I never—"

"Can you reach into the back seat and get me some blood from the cooler?" I interrupted. I didn't want apologies. Apologies meant that she wanted to talk about it, and I really wasn't in the mood.

She turned in her seat reaching for a bag and tossed it to me. I immediately tore the plug out with my teeth and started to drink.

"So, do you mind telling me where we're going?" Elena asked, thankfully taking the conversation in a different direction.

"Richmond International Airport," I replied between swallows. "Our flight leaves at 5:20 and we currently don't have tickets. Can you see why I'm trying to rush?"

Elena's jaw dropped.

"Tickets? Tickets to where?"

Instead of answering, I turned the radio on as loud as it could go and sped up.

…..

Once we arrived at the airport, I compelled our way through customs, pulling Elena behind me all the way. When we were finally in the main atrium of the airport, I breathed a sigh of relief. All we had to do now was acquire tickets. The flight was full, so I was going to have to get them my own way.

"I'm going to go buy a book for the flight," I heard Elena say as I searched the crowd of people for someone who looked easy enough to compel out of tickets. "I'll be back."

I handed her a twenty and waved her off as she headed towards the airport Borders and I made my way to the seats by gate 12. That's when I heard them talking.

"Edna, we don't have to go if your not comfortable with it."

"Oh, Arthur, what about the grandkids, and at the price of these tickets, I can't imagine letting them go to waste."

"The kids will understand, dear. They're coming back this winter for Thanksgiving, and you know I don't care about the money as long as you're happy."

I smiled—perfect timing. I approached the old couple whom I had overheard talking. They were at least in their early eighties, and Edna, as her husband had called her, was visibly shaking in fear: obviously a first time flier.

"Excuse me," I said as I approached them. I put on the best-distressed look I could muster. "I couldn't help but overhear that you're contemplating missing the flight, and I was wondering if I could buy your tickets from you if that was the case. You see my sister is sick and this is the only flight for the next week that would give me and my girlfriend the chance to go and help her."

"Oh my!" the old woman said. "What's wrong with her?"

"Complications with her pregnancy," I responded quickly. "The doctor says she should be fine, but the support of family is always so important."

I felt a twinge of guilt telling my lie, but this couple had fallen so perfectly into the equation. Lying was at least a little better than playing with their minds.

The couple looked at one another thoughtfully and then nodded in agreement. I was their excuse to skip the long flight. At least they had something to tell their children when they didn't show for the visit.

"I think you need these tickets much more than us, young man," Arthur said to me.

"Thank you so much."

I handed them a wad of cash that they didn't count as they walked away. When they did, however, they would find much more than they had originally paid for their tickets.

"Did those people just give you their tickets?" Elena asked with surprise and a little bit of doubt in her voice as she approached. She had a sappy romance book in one hand and a pretzel from the food court in the other.

I smiled as I watched the old couple disappear from view.

"Actually they did." She gave me a skeptical look. I raised my hands in playful surrender, forgetting my vow to ignore her for the duration of the trip. "No compulsion involved that time, I promise. I probably saved that poor lady from having a heart attack during the flight, actually. You should be thanking me."

Elena walked over to the seats by the terminal and took a seat, still looking suspicious. I took a seat beside her and grabbed the pretzel out of her hand, taking a huge bite out of it.

"Hey," she squealed as she reached across me trying to get her food back. She laughed as I played keep-away for a few seconds and then reluctantly gave it back.

"You seem to be less mad at me," she observed as she munched on her returned pretzel. She said it jokingly, but I could hear the question in her voice.

"Ya, well I figured it was going to be a long trip, so I might as well have someone to talk to. I couldn't do that if I was still mad. Plus, I'm in a much better mood now that we have tickets."

"I am sorry, Damon," she said slowly. I quickly looked down at my feet. I really didn't want to talk about this. "You deserve Stefan's love, and I shouldn't have—"

"It's fine," I said quickly.

"No it's not. I had no right to say those things. I was scared and upset. I—" she said quickly trying to get it all in before I interrupted her again, but she wasn't fast enough.

"I know you didn't," I muttered. "It's just terrifying for me to think about how absolutely true the things you said might actually be—the way I've treated him so many times…"

"Damon—" Elena started, obviously not knowing how to continue

Wanting to change the subject, I cut in with the first thing I could think of.

"So what did you buy at the bookstore?"

"A book." She said slowly not really answering my question; still trying to gauge what was going on in head most likely.

"Hopefully it's a long one," I said cryptically.

"Why? Where are we going?"

As if answering Elena's exact question, a flight attendant walked over to the check-in desk and turned on the PA.

"Flight one five six is now boarding for Istanbul. All passengers please form a single file line by the desk to present your id before boarding."

Elena's mouth fell, and I smiled at her surprise.

"Damon," she hissed. "Istanbul?"

I stood and grabbed my carry on, beckoning for her to do the same and walking towards the counter.

"Yes, Elena, Istanbul."

"B-But that's in Turkey! Why in the world are we going to Turkey?"

I approached the flight attendant and handed her our tickets. She was about to ask for our ids when I stopped her.

"You have already seen our ids," I said to her, looking deep into her eyes. "They matched the names on our tickets and you're letting us onto the plane."

The young blonde looked blankly into my eyes and then smiled.

"I've already seen your ids Mr and Mrs…" She looked down to our tickets. "Richards. You may board the plane."

I smiled and nodded at her and started down the air bridge with Elena trailing behind me.

"Damon!" she yelled from behind me. "Why are we going to—"

I turned towards her walking backwards and smiling at her confusion.

"Istanbul has the closest airport to Bulgaria."

"Bulgaria?"

I let the word sink into her head before turning around to board the plane. As I did, I answered her burning question.

"Yes, Elena, Bulgaria because that is the first place that Katherine would run to."

A/N: So I have a question for you guys, for next chapter in passing I mention what Damon listens to on his iPod on the flight and I don't know what to put. I think that he would be a classic rock kind of guy, but I'm unsure. What do you guys think that he would listen to? Let me know what you think, and I could use your suggestion on the next chapter.

And now for the exciting news…

A new story!

I know, I know. Your thinking: "How can she possibly keep up on three stories… let alone keep them straight?" I am actually thinking the same thing. But I was rewatching the last episode and a line that Damon says really got me thinking. What line you may ask? "You should have met me in 1864. You would have liked me." : ) Can anyone guess what it is about?

Anyways thinking more about it, I realized that it would let me explore some things that I didn't see any other way to address so it should be interesting…. Totally crazy but interesting. So please check it out. I'm posting it today!