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: Thanks for the sweet reviews. Enjoy!

REBEL WITH A CAUSE

~ IV ~

Elena packed her things – all of which fit in a small backpack. She always was a light packer. She had a couple of tank tops, T-shirts and an extra pair of cargo pants. The jungle was no place for running around in shorts or skirts. Other than a few other basic necessities, Elena only brought her notebook and tape recorder on this trip. Granted, she hadn't planned to stay this long. If she had, she probably would have packed a few more outfits.

A woman in the camp washed her clothes in the river, but it hardly made them cleaner, just… smellier. If Damon noticed, he didn't say anything about it. Of course, he was probably used to the smell.

"So where exactly are we going?" Elena asked as his machete cleared the path through the lush tropical plant life.

"To collect our reward, of course. I'm a man of my word, Miss Gilbert. If the money has been transferred into the dedicated account, I'll splurge for your one-way ticket back to the States."

"And if it hasn't?"

"Let's hope it has."

"But what if it hasn't?" Elena persisted.

"Don't ask questions you don't really want an answer to," he said coldly.

Elena felt a chill go through her despite the oppressing heat.

"How much further?" she asked instead, her voice slightly shaky.

"At the rate we're going… I'd say another day's worth of trekking."

"Day?"

"Why? You got someplace else to be? Some pressing social engagement?" Damon mocked.

"I have a life to get back to."

"Oh, right, I forgot… becoming Mrs. Lockwood. I'm curious… why do rich people marry other rich people? Wouldn't it be better to spread it around? The wealth, I mean."

"I'm not marrying Mark because he's rich or because he's a Lockwood."

"Why then?"

"He's a good man. He's funny, smart, caring…"

"Sounds riveting," Damon scoffed.

"What's wrong with being funny, smart and caring?"

"Oh, nothing… if you don't mind your life being predictable."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just… where's the passion? The way you talk about him is like you've been married for fifty years."

"So? What's wrong with that?"

"Oh, come on! It's boring! You need adventure in your life. You travelled halfway across the world for a story. If this 'Mark' person really satisfied you, you wouldn't need to travel the world for kicks."

"Who are you to pass judgment on my life? You don't know the first thing about me or my relationship with Mark."

"I know he let you take off on some crazy kamikaze mission into a revolutionary leader's camp. If you were mine, I wouldn't let you leave the bedroom, let alone the country."

"Do they teach 'Chauvinism 101' in the jungle? Or were you raised by wolves?"

"I think they were panthers," Damon said pensively.

That explains a lot, Elena thought to herself.

"Still no word?" Caroline asked as she and Mark sat down to lunch at the Grill.

"The deadline's today. We should be hearing something back soon."

"Oh my god, Mark, what if they send you one of her fingers?" Caroline clasped a hand over her mouth.

"Again, Care, stop watching those movies," he rolled his eyes.

"How are you not more upset about this?"

"I'm upset. I'm furious with myself for letting her go in the first place, I'm furious with Saltzman for not checking up on this guy before sending her off, and I'm furious with Elena for putting herself in danger."

"Elena's always been headstrong, Mark, you know that."

"Yes, but… I guess I just thought she would change once we got serious, that she would want to settle down and raise a family."

"You wanted a trophy wife and a stay-at-home mom and you chose Elena Gilbert?" Caroline raised her eyebrows.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I just… I hoped she would stick to writing local pieces. Like reviews of the latest movies or covering the town events."

"Well, maybe when she comes back she'll reconsider her career choices," Caroline said, shrugging.

"Maybe," Mark said and chugged his beer.

"So how did you end up Young-Zhu's errand boy?" Elena asked after they had been walking for hours in silence. She wanted to provoke him, but he didn't take the bait.

"So you're ignoring me now?" she huffed. "You know…" he cut her off, covering her mouth with his hand and shoving her against a tree.

Elena looked at him wide-eyed, but he wasn't looking at her – he was looking at something in the distance, straining his hearing to pick up the sound of rebel soldiers crossing their path. He looked at Elena and gave her a warning look, putting a finger to his lips to indicate she needed to be quiet. She nodded in understanding and he slowly removed his hand.

"Who are they?" she whispered.

Damon clearly thought her whisper was too loud, because he put a finger to her lips and stepped closer again, their chests brushing against each other. Elena's breath hitched when he leaned in close, his soft lips brushing against her earlobe as he whispered, "The Tzu-Tien, another rebel group. They torture their prisoners until they beg for mercy. Then they kill them."

Elena shivered. Being so close, Damon noticed. "It's ok. You're safe with me."

If she hadn't been so scared, she would have laughed out loud. Safe with him? The man who was going to kill her if Mark didn't come up with the money.

After a few more minutes of tense silence, Damon stepped away from her and started moving again. Elena followed.

"It will be dark soon. We need to keep up the pace if we want to make it before nightfall."

"Make it where?"

"There's a deserted village a few miles up ahead. Hopefully, no-one else has taken up residence there for the night."

"What about those rebels?"

"They were heading in a different direction. They won't be a bother."

"Wait here," Damon ordered as the jungle gave way for what looked like it might have been a village at one point. Old structures were overgrown with vines.

It didn't look like the crumbled buildings would provide much shelter, at least not from where Elena was standing. She waited while Damon surveyed the village. It was already dusk and for her to try to escape into the jungle now… no, it would have to wait. If Mark hadn't wired the money, she would run. They had to be heading somewhere where modern ways of communication were available. Surely, someone would help her get back to the States.

"It's clear. Come on," he said and waved her over.

"What is this place?" Elena said, looking around.

"I told you – an abandoned village."

"Why was it abandoned? Did something happen here?"

"You could say that," Damon said between clenched teeth.

"Tell me," Elena insisted, grabbing his arm.

A spark of fury ignited the fire in his eyes and he pushed her up against a stone wall, partly disintegrated. "You," he hissed, "don't give me orders!"

"Why not?" Elena retorted defiantly. "What are you going to do about it? If you kill me, you won't get your money."

"There are other ways to show you who's on top," he said menacingly.

Elena gasped as she saw pure lust in his burning eyes and felt his hard body pressing into her.

"So stop trying to order me around," he said and released her completely, striding off to find a place to bunk for the night.

Elena was left short of breath, holding on to the stone structure behind her to keep herself steady. Why was she pushing him? She knew nothing about this man, except that he had plotted to abduct her and ransom her for money. What on earth possessed her to pick a fight with him? There was just something so infuriating about him. He pushed her buttons and she wanted to throttle him. Elena was shocked to realize this complete stranger had made her experience more emotions in a few weeks than Mark had in years.

She and Mark never fought. Never. It was almost like they didn't care enough to bother. She had escaped into her work as a coping mechanism when she lost her parents and her brother. She and Mark had been friends since kindergarten, and he was there for her when Grayson, Miranda and Jeremy drove off Wickery Bridge. Elena had just finished high school when it happened, and with her trust fund and inheritance, she was able to go to college and keep the house. Money was never an issue. She would trade it all, though, for one more day with her family.

Unfortunately, she couldn't trade it for her freedom. Everything she owned was safely tucked away where no-one but her could access it. Which meant that Mark couldn't use her personal fortune to pay the ransom. Of course, she would pay him back. She didn't like being indebted – even to her future husband.

Money was important, sure, but Elena hated how an excess of it somehow licensed people to act whichever way they chose. Mark's parents, like hers, came from old money. While the Gilberts were never much for flaunting their wealth, the Lockwoods were quite the opposite.

Elena had always thought Mark was different, but these past years spent together, she had come to see more and more of his parents' attitudes in him. They never talked about it, never acknowledged it as a problem. He didn't want her to work. He wanted her to play the role of perfect wife and mother, but that just wasn't her.

Still, she accepted his proposal, because, really, why shouldn't she? She didn't have anyone else and Mark had always been good to her. He never pushed her to do anything – at most he nudged her in the direction he thought she should go. Yes, she could have a comfortable life with Mark. They would be happy together. If he paid the ransom.

Damon was furious with himself. Why was he letting her get to him like this? He had never in his 30-something life forced himself on a woman, yet he had basically threatened to rape her just now. He wasn't going to, obviously, but the way her body was responding to him wasn't exactly helping his self-control.

Why was she pushing him? He had threatened to kill her if her fiancé didn't pay the ransom, and still she didn't seem to fear him. Well, she should. He didn't have a choice, people would die if he didn't come up with the money. Slow, painful, agonizing deaths.

But would he be able to go through with it? He pushed away the thought. Her fiancé would pay, he had to. Who wouldn't? For a woman like Elena – though he'd never use her first name out loud he couldn't help but think of her like 'Elena' – he would kill and steal to free her. The irony wasn't lost on him.

The only structure with a roof Elena found was what looked like a temple, stripped of any adornments that might have been there once. Now, it was just another building – with a roof.

Elena didn't know if it rained here, but she wasn't about to sleep under the stars. Not that she was likely to get much sleep. Her body felt the strain of their long trek, her back ached from the added weight of the backpack, her legs and feet hurt from the uneven terrain, and her stomach screamed for sustenance. She ignored it as best as she could and laid down on the cold stone floor, strewing her clothes out to support her head and make herself slightly more comfortable. It failed miserably.

Elena was struggling to find a relatively comfortable position when she heard footsteps and froze. She quickly got on her feet, pressing herself into the wall and held her breath.

"I thought you might be hungry," a velvety voice said casually. Damon didn't even spare her a glance as he sat down on the floor and laid out a spread of plants and fruits she didn't recognize.

"I'm fine," Elena said between gritted teeth, only to be betrayed by her rumbling stomach.

Damon chuckled. "Yeah, so I hear. Now come on, eat. How else will you get the strength to argue with me?" he said, a hint of amusement in his voice and a glint in his eyes.

"I thought you made it perfectly clear I'm not allowed to fight with you."

"Technically, I said you're not allowed to order me around. You can fight me as much as you like."

Huffing, Elena walked over and sat down opposite him, picking up one of the fruits.

"Go ahead," he urged her on as she sat looking at it, "it's not poisonous."

After some hesitation, Elena bit down and the juices from the fruit started trickling down her chin.

"It's sweet," Elena said and licked her lips, wiping the sticky liquid off her chin with her finger and licking it off. She wasn't doing it intentionally and her eyes widened as she saw the expression on Damon's face and quickly got up and turned away.

"Do you have some water?" she asked, facing away from him, trying to clean herself up.

Suddenly, he was standing right behind her and Elena felt her skin prickling, goose bumps erupting all over her body.

"I could help you with that," he breathed in her ear.

Elena slowly turned around, not knowing what to expect. When he wiped her chin with a damp cloth, she felt oddly disappointed.

"You have a little…" he said and wiped along the trail one of the drops had travelled.

When he reached the place where the trail disappeared down her cleavage, Elena's hand shot out and took the cloth from him.

"Thanks, I've got it from here."

He gave a slight nod and returned to his sitting position on the floor. Elena turned her back to him to finish cleaning up.

"So… I'm going to go to bed, so if you don't mind…" Elena said once she was finished.

"Well, it just so happens that you chose the only building in the village with a roof, so I guess we'll be bunking together," Damon shrugged.

"Fine. You stay on that side of the room and I'll stay on this side," Elena dictated, gesturing to where she thought he should go.

"Actually, I'm fine right here," Damon drawled and laid down on the floor, his arms under his head.

Elena huffed and laid down where she had spread her clothes, a few feet away. She squirmed trying to find a comfortable position but was failing miserably. She sighed loudly every time she did so, and finally Damon gave up.

"I can't sleep with all the noise you're making. I'd give my right arm to make you stop."

"Hand me an axe and I'll be happy to help you chop it off," Elena said sourly.

"Not what I meant," he groaned and got up from his spot, laying down beside her and extending his right arm, while supporting his own head with his left.

Elena looked at him, puzzled, and as he raised his eyebrows in a 'well?' expression, she scooted over, draping one of her shirts over his arm and using it as a pillow.

"There. Comfy?"

Elena simply huffed.

"Great. Good night, Princess."