Truth? I feel a little guilty for working on this and not Dark Angel; I'm also planning on working on Blood's Thicker Than Water next, so don't expect another chapter soon. But I'm swamped with exams (I should be revising now, but I have a tutor coming in an hour and ten minutes, so I'm taking a break...) and besides, wouldn't you rather wait to get a good chapter than have a chapter now but for it to be shit?

Anyway, I like this chapter; it just seemed easy to write really.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters

XxX

Chapter Three

Her alarm clock when off, but it didn't wake Elena. She stepped out of the steaming shower and switched it off. She started drying her hair, her head aching from how hard she was pulling. She was so not in the mood for school today. The girl was knackered; she hadn't slept at all the previous night.

Her mind kept going back to him – Damon Salvatore. Her mortal enemy, and yet she felt a tremor in her stomach for thinking that. Damon Salvatore, Giuseppe Salvatore's eldest son and next in line for owning the business was her mortal enemy; the boy who danced so beautifully and wanted to be in charge of his own life, on the other hand...

Elena dressed in her school uniform and tied her hair back before Rachel even entered the room. Her brown eyes widened at the girl – the one that sometimes slept till noon on weekends. "Good morning Rachel," Elena greeted her, ignoring her shocked stare.

"Miss Elena," the young girl stumbled. Elena gave her a quick smile before walking downstairs to dinner.

Ms. Plumber raised her eyebrows but said nothing; she simply passed Elena as the girl sat down for breakfast, Alaric on one side and Jenna on the other.

Aunt Jenna smiled at her after pouring herself some coffee. "Morning honey. You're up early."

"Did you have a good night?" asked Alaric, his eyes never leaving the newspaper.

"Yes," Elena said, ducking her head. Thankfully Jeremy entered, distracting her.

She glowered at her brother over the table. Jeremy ignored her, drinking his juice and spreading butter on his toast. He could also feel Alaric's eyes on him, but ignored that too. Jenna was also trying not to notice, intent on keeping the peace in the family. "What time are you kids going to be back this evening?"

"Should be around four," answered Elena, keeping her eyes down.

"Five," answered Jeremy quietly, keeping his eyes on the table.

"You're grounded," Alaric snapped.

"Four then," answered Jeremy.

A hush fell round the table. When the time came, both Elena and Jeremy stood up to be driven in the car. Alaric and Jenna insisted that the Elena didn't drive her own car when going to school; if they had their own way she wouldn't be driving at all.

The two Gilberts sat at opposite ends of the car, not talking. Jeremy could feel Elena's irritation; Elena could tell her brother was sulking. "I hate not talking," she muttered quietly.

Jeremy shrugged. "You didn't have to yell at me."

"You didn't have to get yourself arrested."

Jeremy held his hands in the air. "I give up!" he yelled. Their driving gazed at the in the rear view mirror. "You obviously don't care about our rivalry between the Salvatores."

Elena's mind went to Damon. "Perhaps it's gone on for too long," she suggested.

Jeremy stared at her, his expression shocked – no, it was too far gone for shock. "Who are you?" he asked finally. Before she could talk to him, he jumped out the limo and headed for the main building.

XxX

Through blurry vision Damon stared at his reflection. He, like a certain Gilbert, hadn't gotten much sleep last night. When he had, he'd had a nightmare of running through a maze. Katherine was chasing him, but all he could do was head straight for Elena.

Why couldn't he get that girl out of his head? He had tried to convince himself that it was nothing; that Katherine would never find out before neither he nor Elena would be brave enough to admit what happened. So why was it so hard to forget about her?

"Hey Damon." Stefan entered the room, adjusting his tie. "No chance of being allowed to skip another day of school, right?"

Damon snorted. "Yeah right little brother." He pulled a shirt over his head.

"C'mon D, you've got a day off from work! We could go wherever we want..." Stefan grinned. "Within reason."

Damon laughed. "No chance. You already missed on day; you can't miss another one."

Stefan rolled his eyes. "I'm in the top five of all my classes Damon."

He raised his eyebrow. "Not top yet?" He pretended to tut at his brother.

The youngest Salvatore rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine," he muttered, turning away.

Damon ran a hand through his messy hair. He knew he wouldn't be able to get Elena out of his head, so what was the point of even trying. Before he knew it, he was calling to his brother. "I'll give you a lift in."

Looking back at his reflection, he saw a smirk crawl across his face. After all, if you can't run away from the devil, you might as well go willing.

XxX

"Who was that hot guy you were with last night?" Bonnie asked Elena. She leant against the lockers while Elena was pulling books out.

"Which guy?" Elena questioned, as if there had been more than one.

Bonnie shot her a look. "C'mon Elena, that hot guy you were dancing with!"

"Oh, him." Elena shrugged as if it was nothing. "It was nothing. So, what did you do?" she asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I was just making the rounds, chatting to some guys, you know. Matt and Caroline were being disgusting, they were taking absolutely every opportunity to explore each others' mouths-"

Before the description got too graphic, the bell rang. With relief Elena said goodbye to Bonnie and went to her chemistry case. This was a boring class, which left her mind free to think of Damon.

The class was thirty five minutes gone when a messenger came in from the office. The teacher read out the orange slip. "Elena Gilbert," she said, causing the teenage girl to jump out her skin, "please report to the office. Take your things with you."

Involuntarily Elena's heart sped up. This had been what happened with her parents; she had been called to the office, met Jeremy there, and Alaric and Jenna met them in the limo to explain that their parents had died in a plane crash.

Gathering her things, she hastily went down the hall to the office. The woman there informed her that her aunt and uncle were waiting for her at the back off the school. This was even worse for Elena – her aunt and uncle didn't pick her up and, if they did, they picked her up at the front.

Hurriedly she went to the back of the school. She knew she must look like an idiot, but until you've had that terrible bad news, then you won't understand.

As soon as she saw the car, she stopped. Instant relief flooded her, and quickly following it, curiosity and slight dread.

Damon Salvatore was sitting on top of the blue mustang, wearing sunglasses. Elena couldn't deny that he looked yummy in her leather jacket and black shirt. Taking a deep breath, she began walking towards him.

As she approached him, he slid down so he was leaning against the car. "Elena Gilbert," he addressed her. He lifted his sunglasses, and Elena was greeted by those gorgeous blue eyes again.

Fighting for control, she answered, "Damon Salvatore."

He smirked at her – oh, that cheeky smirk that made her want to stroke round his face. "So I guess this is our first official greeting."

"I guess." Elena didn't really know what to say. When she suddenly remembered why she was out here, however, she snapped at him. "Was it you who pretended to be my aunt – or rather, my uncle?"

He shrugged. "How else could I get you out here?"

"You jerk!" She slapped him on the arm. "Did you have any idea how scared I was?"

"Well, now you're not scared." Secretly he was very impressed. He hadn't expected her to be angry; it just proved that she wasn't the timid little girl that she had made out to be. He stood up straighter, now standing. "So let's go."

Elena blinked at him. "Huh?"

"Get in the car," he commanded.

She laughed at him. "Yeah right. Like I'm going to go anywhere with you!"

Damon went closer to her, until she was almost looking up to her. "Give me one good reason why you shouldn't."

She could literally feel her heart beating against her chest. "Well, you're a Salvatore!"

He grinned. "Is that a good reason?"

The conversation that she'd had with Jeremy flooded back to her. Is it a good reason? Ignoring this, she said, "You're a complete stranger."

"No I'm not." He began to list what she knew about him. "You know my favourite book is Atonement; you know that my favourite food is strawberries and cream; you know what music I like; and you also know that I think you are stunningly beautiful."

She felt herself blush again, but quickly turned away. She wasn't going with him; she had school to go to. "See you later Damon. Enjoy your day."

But before she could take more than five steps away, she felt his hand on her upper arm. She felt him begin to drag her back towards his car. "What are you doing?" she cried.

He didn't answer, but instead lifted her up and very neatly placed her inside his car. Elena instantaneously tried to open the door, but it was locked. Damon leapt over the top of the car, landing in the driver's seat.

"This isn't funny Damon!" she cried, another wave of panic hitting her as they began to drive away from the school. "This is basically kidnapping!"

He rolled his eyes. "Are all you Gilberts this uptight?"

"I am not uptight," she shot back, feeling hurt that he would think of her as that way. Okay, so she had some issues, but didn't everybody? Besides, what was last night if not fun? "Please Damon, take me back."

"No."

Elena sat back in the seat, crossing her arms. Taking his hand off the wheel, Damon took her schoolbag and flung it in the back seat. Elena glowered at him.

"Where are we going?" she asked him, not daring to look at him.

Damon shrugged. "Outside the town, that's for sure. It would get out soon enough. Any requests?"

"So the kidnapped gets to chose?"

"The kidnapped gets to comment; the kidnapper has the final say."

Elena lifted one shoulder up and then down. "Then no, not really." Her stomach unexpectedly seemed empty, and she remembered the little amount of food she had at breakfast. "Maybe we could get some food?"

She was weakening, and Damon was pleased; she was warming to the idea. "Late breakfast/early lunch it is then."

It hit Elena when they came to the sign that told them they were leaving Mystic Falls. Yet there was also that exhilaration, the one that came whenever she was with Damon. Impulsively she asked the Salvatore, "Am I too uptight?"

He actually seemed to take this into consideration. "You don't want to be," he observed.

"That's a yes." Elena groaned. "I never use to be this way. Once I was crazier than the average teenage girl."

"So what happened?"

This wasn't the time for it. "More on that later," she replied. "I'm too hungry to get into a deep conversation."

Thankfully Damon didn't question it. "What are you in the mood for?" he asked. He smiled. "A burger?"

Elena turned to him, smiling softly. "A burger sounds good." Damon met her gaze, and the two grinned even more.

They didn't stop in the next town, or the town after. Elena didn't question Damon; she realised with shock that she trusted him. She may not trust him fully, but she trusted him enough to take her back to school – or at least home – by the end of the day.

Finally they stopped in a town, which seemed to be extremely busy. "Its market day," Damon explained, getting out the car.

"You come here a lot?" Elena asked. She undid her tie and flung it in the back of the car along with her jacket. Now she didn't look so much like a school girl.

She and Damon began walking down the street. She felt as if she was in a little Italian town: the hustle and bustle seemed so foreign to her. "Sometimes I like to get away from Mystic Falls," he told her.

Elena understood. She didn't know whether it was because she had ditched her jacket, tie and schoolbag, or whether it was because she had ditched Mystic Falls, but she had this unexplained feeling of freedom. "So, do you know any good places?"

He smirked again, that cheeky smirk. "I don't know your definition of 'good', but I like this diner down the road."

"Food?"

"Breakfast consists of pancakes and waffles, while for lunch you can have burgers. Your choice."

Elena sent him her own cheeky smile. "Then let's go."

They were seated in a booth and given the menus. Elena had her meal picked out in two minutes, so she chose to spend the rest of the time to try and stare at Damon. Peeking behind her menu, she could see his gorgeous face studying the menu.

She couldn't help but grin as she hid back behind the menu. After a few minutes of trying to relax herself, she tried to steal another glance. She almost leapt out of her skin when she saw Damon grinning at her after setting down his own menu. They both burst out laughing as the waitress came walking up.

"What will you have?" she asked Damon, who turned to look back at Elena.

"Can I have a large burger and fries please, with a coke please?" She closed the menu and handed it back to the waitress.

"I'll have the steak sandwich please."

When the waitress left, Damon turned back to the Gilbert. "So, you were saying before... About being uptight. What made you change?"

Elena quickly glanced down at the table. "Are you sure you want to know this? It's pretty deep."

Damon analysed her for a moment. "I'm prepared," he reassured her quietly.

She took a gasping breath. "Okay. Um, well, I guess I haven't been myself ever since I my parents died." She chanced a glance at him. His face was serious, his eyes sympathetic.

"I heard about that," he said. "They died in a plane crash?"

Elena nodded. The waitress appeared with her drink and she shoved it down her throat, grateful for something to distract herself. "They had been on holiday in Paris. Aunt Jenna and Uncle Alaric were staying with us and, when they were informed of the plane crash, came to get us from school.

"I couldn't cry," she admitted. "For some reason, while Jeremy was blubbering, I couldn't cry. I didn't feel anything."

"You were numb," he told her. Very carefully he reached out, taking her hand. She looked up at him, and he was struck by the way her face was so clear: so filled with emotion, no deceit or pretence; honesty.

"Ever since then," she continued, "I've had to look after Jeremy. He's my baby brother; I have to watch out for him." Damon nodded; he understood that. "I guess that's why I've become very uptight – aren't parents uptight?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I've been watching out for Stefan ever since he was born."

"When did your mother die?" she asked, desperate to get off the subject of her own parents' death. If they could find some common ground, it would be okay.

A shadow passed over Damon's face. "When I was seven. There were complications during the pregnancy."

Elena sensed Damon didn't want to get into this, so she slowly tried to change the subject. "It's amazing that you and your brother are so close."

Damon grinned. "He's my little brother. It's just like you are with Jeremy – you're their sibling and parent at the same time."

No, Elena thought, watching his face carefully. Though she wished her relationship with Jeremy was strong – and it probably was – Damon and Stefan's brotherhood seemed deeper. She wasn't sure of this, of course – but seeing the way his blue eyes lit up about his brother reassured her of her theory.

She leant back suddenly, unaware that she had even gotten so close. "What are we doing?" she whispered.

Damon knew what she meant, but nonetheless he raised an eyebrow. "We're having a late breakfast/early lunch."

"No, I mean... You're a Salvatore; I'm a Gilbert. In name alone we're enemies."

Damon placed his elbows on the table. "We're enemies because of our parents. But parents make mistakes."

She narrowed her eyes. "What about Katherine?" she asked. She felt a stab of victory as she saw him wince, mixed with disappointment. "You thought you were kissing her that night. Are you going to deny it?"

His eyes turned hard, like frozen ice. "You're not exactly innocent either. You're going out with Matt Donovan?"

Elena shook her head. "I'm just his beard-"

"Wait." Damon's voice was filled with glee. "Are you telling me he's gay?"

"No! I'm his beard because he's going out with Caroline."

Damon frowned. "Your cousin?"

"Yes. Her mother doesn't want her to date, so Matt and I pretend that we're dating so no one would get suspicious." She shot him a glance that, if looks could kill, would have him in a coffin. "You can't tell anyone."

"Fine," he agreed.

"Now," she said, leaning forward. "Who is Katherine?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Katherine Pierce."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Damon wanted to lie, but he couldn't. "Sort of."

The young girl glowered at him. "She either is or she isn't, Damon. Pick."

He couldn't help but like this girl; straight to the point. "Katherine and I had an argument before the party. She hasn't called me. As far as I'm concerned, we are."

Elena sighed. She would have said something but the food came. Elena's eyes widened when she saw it, and greedily she dug in. Damon was amused at the way she ate; like she was a little kid.

"Okay," she said after swallowing an enormous amount of food. "Does Katherine know that you two are broken up? 'Cause if she doesn't, then this looks pretty bad."

"She hasn't called me back," Damon informed her. "If she doesn't call me back, how can I tell her that it's over?"

Elena deliberated while chewing on a chip. "Look," Damon continued. "Let's just pretend this is a first date. You're not a Gilbert, I'm not a Salvatore; we're just two people out on a date."

She paused for a moment, and nodded. Then a smile started, slow at first but widened so it looked as if it would snap. "So this is a date?"

Every particle in Damon wanted to deny it, but he felt a grin of his own coming across his face. "Yeah," he agreed. "I guess it is."