Promise Me This~Damon Salvatore~Ch. 4

~Finding Beauty In The Dissonance~

"What's wrong with him?" Stefan asked in a bored tone, after he opened the door to find what looked to be a very drunk Damon hanging on a very tiny Abby.

"Drunk." Abby confirmed, her arms tightly wrapped around Damon's waist.

Stefan nodded. "You're such a good influence." he informed his brother sarcastically.

Damon flipped him off, making Abby chuckle as Stefan started to reach for his brother. "Don't touch me." He grumbled, pushing Stefan away.

"I'll take him in, just tell me where you want him." Abby said.

Stefan nodded, motioning for Abby to enter.

"Come on, big boy." Abby said, pulling him inside.

Damon laughed at her 'big boy' comment.

"His room is upstairs." Stefan informed her, pointing to the staircase to there left.

Abby looked over at them with apprehension, before turning her gaze to Damon. "Can you make it?" She asked, curiously.

Damon gave her a look that obviously said she was insane and she couldn't help but chuckle. "Couch!" Damon declared, pointing towards the living room.

Abby nodded in agreement, leading him to his new destination.

After laying him on his side on the couch, she kneeled down in front of him. A look of compassion overtook her features as she used her fingertips to brush the hair from his eyes.

And just as quickly as it appeared, the look was gone, replaced with her usual unreadable expression.

Looking behind the couch to Stefan she gave him a forced smile before turning back to Damon. "I'll be back to get you at noon tomorrow to pick up your car." she told him. "Are you going to remember that?" She asked skeptically.

Damon yawned, but nodded his head all the same.

Abby chuckled, getting to her feet and shaking her head. "Will you be here?" She asked Stefan, hoping he could remind him.

"I'll tell him." Stefan agreed.

Abby thanked him as she began making her way towards the door. "If you need anything…" She started, turning to face Stefan just before walking out the front door. "Well, you know where I'm staying." She told him with a smile.

Stefan nodded, watching as she took the first few steps out of the house before he called to her.

Abby paused, turning to face him as he stood just outside the doorway.

"Why did you help him tonight?" He asked, his arms crossing over his chest as he looked at her curiously. "I mean, Damon's a dick. Ask anyone. And I know he said something to upset you last night…So, why would you help him tonight? He doesn't deserve it."

A soft sigh left Abby's lips as Stefan spoke of his brother. She wasn't really sure how to answer his question. Honestly, she wasn't all that sure why she'd helped him either. She'd never really felt a need to help her fellow man, especially when her fellow man was a dick.

But there was something about Damon…

She felt drawn to him somehow…like they were meant to meet.

Unsure of what to say, Abby simply shrugged her shoulders, pressing the button to unlock her car. "I know he can be a dick…" she started, opening her car door. "But. There is something good in him. I can feel it." her hand absently slid up to the silver pendant hanging round her neck as she spoke.

"He's hurt people." Stefan told her, wanting her to understand what she was getting herself into if she continued going down the path she was on. He couldn't bare it if something happened to her…it could kill Elena. "He hurts people. Whether he means to or not…its all he's ever done."

Abby bit her lip as she began moving the pendant back and forth on its chain. "I know. He told me that."

"He did?" Stefan asked, surprised.

"Well, sort of. He said he was bad guy. That he was worse than how everyone made him out to be."

Stefan watched as Abby's face became distant, lost in her thoughts…maybe a memory. Wherever she was, it wasn't here with him anymore. He waited patently for her to come back.

And after a moment, she did. Her eyes came back into focus as she locked her gaze with his. "And I'll tell you the same as I told him. I'm not afraid of him."

"You should be." He told her. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but it was too late to take it back, and really he didn't want to. He knew it was true.

Abby shook her head, "Make sure he's ready for me at noon, okay?" she said, getting in her car before he even had the chance to reply. She was tired and this conversation was draining her. She knew she could trust Damon, even if no one else did. She could see it in the way he looked at her, in the way he'd promised to keep her secret for her. There was good in him, even if none of them wanted to admit it, including Damon.

x-X-x

"You faked being drunk to get a ride home?" Stefan questioned as he re-entered the house, slamming the door behind him.

"Who's faking?" Damon mumbled, pouring himself a glass of his usual and downing it even faster.

"What are you playing at, Damon?" Stefan asked, leaning against the railing as he watched his brother.

"Who says I'm playing?" He asked, pouring another glass. "You're the one telling her to stay away from me. That I'm going to hurt her." Damon glared at his brother as he downed this glass as well.

"Wont you?" Stefan asked, the look on his face feigning boredom.

Damon scoffed, setting his glass down. "I'm going to bed." He mumbled, moving to walk past Stefan as he went.

"If you hurt her, you'll hurt Elena." Stefan informed him, grabbing his arm to get his attention.

"News flash, brother…I don't want to hurt her." Damon informed him, jerking his arm back and going upstairs to his room.

x-X-x

"You're back kind of late." Elena remarked as Abby walked into there room a little while later, dropping her small black messenger bag onto her bed and grabbing her pjs from the night before off the end. "Where were you?"

"Sorry mom, I hadn't realized I was missing curfew." Abby snapped before she could stop herself. Wincing she turned to Elena with a pained expression. "Sorry…Reflex."

Elena smiled, "Its cool. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to play 'mommy'." She apologized as well.

Abby smiled, turning on her heels and going into the bathroom to change. Normally she would have just changed in the room, but with her stomach and back still a mess, it was just easier this way.

After checking her stitches and giving them a gentle cleaning, she got back in her 'Lick a Witch' shirt and black sweats. She walked out and set her dirty clothes by her bed.

"So…what time did Damon head home?" Elena asked as Abby sat on the cot AKA her bed.

Abby looked up at her with a knowing look as she pulled off her socks. "Subtle Elena. Real subtle."

Elena smiled, giving her a shrug. "I try."

"He stuck around until last call." Abby told her, folding her legs in front of herself. "Then I gave him a ride home."

"You what?" Elena nearly shouted. She was obviously horrified.

"He was really drunk, E. He could barely walk. I wasn't gonna let him drive." She defended herself. This was ridiculous! Why was everyone being this way about Damon? she wondered as she took her purse off the end of the bed and pushed it underneath.

"Please Abby, if you never listen to another piece of advise from me after this…please just…Stay away from Damon. He's not good for you."

Abby sighed, shaking her head. "What is so bad about him?" She asked, looking down at her lap. "I know he must of done some bad stuff, but seriously…how bad could it be?"

"Bad." Elena told her seriously.

Abby stared at her, waiting her for to continue…she didn't. "That's all I get? Bad? That doesn't really tell me anything!"

Elena opened her mouth to speak but then closed it. After a moment she went with, "Its not my secret to tell. I can't."

Abby sighed, fighting back the urge to roll her eyes as she slipped under her covers. "Fine. But I've got a busy day tomorrow so can we just go to sleep?" she asked, turning her back to Elena.

"Sure." Elena agreed quietly, flipping off her light and getting into bed herself. A part of her wanted to tell Abby the truth, about what Damon was, the horrible things he'd done…but she wouldn't. And not just because it wasn't her secret, but because she didn't want this life for Abby. She wanted her to still have a chance at normal, even though it was obvious the girl was running away from something…it couldn't have been anything as bad as vampires…could it?