Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries, or any of its characters.

AN: I do apologize for the long wait — I just haven't had any time to write in these last few crazy weeks. But thanks so much for your reviews — I'm glad y'all are still enjoying the story, despite my sporadic updates! And now, without further ado…

Chapter 7

Bonnie checked her watch before wrinkling her nose in supposed disappointed.

"I'm sorry guys, but I've really got to run. This was fun though; we should definitely do it again sometime."

After Stefan insisted on paying the bill for the third time, Bonnie slid from the booth, waving one last goodbye from the doorway. She smiled when she caught Elena mouthing a "thank you" to her when Stefan was looking the other way. She nodded her head with a silent "Of course," before disappearing out the door.

"Well," Stefan said, leaning back in the booth to observe Elena. "What would you like to do now Ms. Gilbert?"

"Hmm. Well that bookstore I've been telling you about is not too far from here. If you're still interested in seeing it, that is."

"Sounds perfect."

"So since you wanted to check out a bookstore, I assume you enjoy reading?" Elena asked as she strolled down an aisle of assorted classics, her fingers trailing along the spines of worn novels.

"Very much so. I'm a huge Fitzgerald fan. Hemingway, too. Faulkner, J.D. Salinger, Joseph Conrad. But don't get me wrong, I do love a good Grisham novel."

Elena turned the corner and started back up the next aisle, as Stefan stayed behind to take a closer look at a section of books in that row.

"I love Hemingway, too."

She paused when she was about even with Stefan in the aisle, with only the shelf of books standing between them. She smiled, watching him through a space between a row of books as he pulled a worn volume from the shelf. He slowly leafed through its pages, pausing briefly to read a passage here and there.

"The only genre that's really hit-or-miss with me is history," he remarked distractedly, as he continued to glance through the book. "And that's because I feel like so many authors get it all wrong."

Stefan's eyes suddenly appeared in the opening she had been silently observing him through, startling her slightly.

She could tell he was smiling by the twinkle in his eyes.

"What else do you enjoy reading, Elena?"

He disappeared from her view and she heard the book slide back into its place on the shelf, before he appeared behind her, joining her on the aisle.

"Whatever I can get my hands on, really," she shrugged, knowing how true this statement was. If the library didn't have a copy of it, she wouldn't be able to read it. She didn't have any money of her own, and there was no way Uncle John would ever let her waste his money on something wasteful like literature.

"For me, it doesn't really have to do with how I like a particular author, or a writing style even. It's how the books make me…feel. How they can take me to a different place. Let me experience things beyond my reach. How the stories transport me to another world."

A pretty blush dusted her cheeks as Elena's eyes shot to the ground in embarrassment.

"That probably sounds really stupid," she mumbled as she stared at her shoes. Hearing the words aloud made her realize how foolish she sounded.

A hand gently cupped her chin, nudging her face upward until her gaze was level with Stefan's.

"Far from it, Elena. I know exactly what you mean," he spoke in such a way that she couldn't doubt his words. "And don't ever be ashamed by how you feel. You can always be honest with me. Don't hide from me."

Elena felt her eyes began to prickle and she knew they were trying to fill with tears. But she blinked them away furiously. She wouldn't ruin this moment by crying.

"Thanks, Stefan," she managed to whisper instead.

He gave her a gentle smile, before lowering his hand back to his side.

She missed his touch instantly.

After a prolonged moment of silence, Stefan glanced around the bookstore, taking it all in.

"Well thank you so much for showing me this place, Elena. It might just be my new favorite spot in town."

Elena smiled at this.

"It's my favorite place, so I'm glad you like it."

"Where to now?"

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Elena's smiled drifted into a frown.

"I should actually probably get going. It's getting kind of late."

Stefan was surprised by this comment, as it was still just the afternoon. But he didn't say anything on the subject.

"Do you have any plans this weekend?" He asked instead.

"Um, I've got a lot of stuff to get done around the house. And then some homework. So…pretty busy weekend, really."

"Would you have some time to grab a coffee or something tomorrow afternoon?"

Elena shook her head briefly, taking a few steps in the direction of the door.

"Sorry, Stefan. This weekend's probably not good. But maybe another time?"

"Sure, Elena. Rain check on that."

"Great. Well thanks for everything. I had a really good time, but should be going," Elena said, walking briskly toward the door again.

"Yeah, it was fun. Let me give you a ride home though at least," he said, heading toward her.

"Oh thanks, but that's okay. I want to walk; it's such a pretty day."

And with that she slipped out the door before he could get out another word.

Stefan crossed to the window of the shop, watching as her slim figure hurried down the sidewalk, before disappearing around the corner.

This girl was such a mystery to him.

And he was determined to find out all of her secrets.

Bonnie wondered how Elena and Stefan's little "date" was progressing as she walked up and down the aisles in the corner store, picking up things her mom needed around the house.

She hoped Elena would at least try to see if things would work with Stefan.

But Bonnie was still a little torn. On the one hand, she wanted Elena to risk it all to take a chance on finding love and happiness with Stefan. Her friend didn't have much going for her these days, and hadn't been even remotely close to this happy in years. But she seemed to light up when Stefan was by her side. It gave her a chance to forget about the horrors at home.

But that was the part that had Bonnie torn. Of course she wanted Elena — and Stefan, who was clearly crazy about Elena — to be happy, but Bonnie was also afraid of how this could all blow up in Elena's face. Uncle John was cruel enough. He didn't need any further….encouragement…to hurt Elena more than he already does.

Bonnie sighed. She didn't know what the right answer was. All she knew was that she wanted Elena to be happy. And at least she could give them little moments alone, like today.

Checking out at the register, she ducked out of the corner store….and ran straight into Damon Salvatore.

"Are you following me now?" She teased, yet still wondered what the odds were of running into him twice within a couple of hours.

"What would you say if I were?" He shot back with one of his gorgeous grins.

"I might just have to sic your brother on you."

"Stefan? Please. Besides, he's too wound up with his new little girlfriend."

"Uh, jealous much?"

"Now why would I be jealous of him when that means that I get to talk to you."

Bonnie tried to keep the blush at bay, but failed miserably. He might be pouring on the charm a bit too thick, but damn if she wasn't responding to it. This guy could be lethal. She'd certainly have to watch herself around this one.

Trying not to smirk at her reaction, Damon instead leaned over to try to peer into the grocery bag.

"So whatcha got there?"

"Just some things for my mom. I told her I'd run a few errands while I was in town."

"May I accompany you on these errands?"

Bonnie's expression displayed her reaction. That was about the last thing she was expecting. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Well, you see, there's this girl. And she's rather intriguing, but I don't really know anything about her. And I'd really like to get to know her, but that would involve me being around her…"

Bonnie couldn't help the grin that stretched across her face.

"Okay, okay. You can come."

Damon's face scrunched up in mock-confusion. "Oh, did you think I meant you?"

Bonnie couldn't help but laugh as she shoved Damon's arm playfully. "Shut up."

Damon's face lit up as he took the bag from Bonnie to carry.

"With pleasure."

Elena froze when she turned onto her street and saw the car parked in the driveway.

Uncle John was already home.

This could not be good.

For several minutes she stood in the middle of the sidewalk. She couldn't force herself to move forward. In fact, her instincts screamed for her to run far, far away in the other direction. But her mind knew that that would only make things worse. Much, much worse.

It took forever, but she finally managed to make that first step toward the house, followed by the second. Her eyes remained glued to the car and everything it represented as she slowly trudged down the sidewalk and toward her own version of hell.

She paused for a long moment outside the front door, before taking a deep breath and pushing it open, stepping into darkness. She hadn't noticed that the curtains were closed.

Her eyes took several seconds to adjust from the bright sunny day to the living room shrouded in darkness. Save for the single lamp in the corner, illuminating Uncle John's shadowy face.

He continued to stare at her for several long moments from hooded eyes, until he told her to shut the door in a low, quiet voice.

"Where have you been?" He asked in the same voice, once she had complied with his request.

"At school." She wished her voice hadn't cracked like it did.

"Liar."

"Well, well I was at school, but then we had early release so I went to have lunch with Bonnie," Elena fumbled, trying to carefully explain where she had been. Somehow he knew that school had let out early. She knew it was pointless to lie about that.

"You're still lying to me, Elena."

John slowly stood from the chair and Elena couldn't stop herself from taking a step back. She now had a clear view of what Uncle John had been holding.

His wide, leather belt, folded in half.

Elena's heart began to pound in her chest.

"Do you know how I know your lying?"

Elena didn't respond. She didn't think he actually wanted a response in this case.

"Do you?" His voiced rose for the first time.

Elena knew that it no longer mattered what she said from here on out. She did wrong, so she would be punished. Nothing could save her now. It was over.

"No, sir," she replied softly.

"Officer Baker took his lunch break at Mystic Grill. And do you know what he told me when he got back? That he saw you there. And that he would have come over to say hello to you, but that you were having such a good time with the Bennett girl and another boy that he didn't want to disturb you."

Elena's eyes slid shut for a moment. She never even noticed Officer Baker had been there. How could she have missed something like that?

"Who was this boy, Elena?"

There was no way she'd willingly reveal Stefan's name to Uncle John. Who knows what kind of crap he'd pull to get Stefan, or his brother, into trouble. No, she wouldn't let him go down because of her mistake.

"Just a boy from school. No one important. He saw Bonnie and I at the Grill and joined us. That's all."

He took several steps in her direction, until he was right in front of her.

"That had better be all. Wouldn't want you to turn into a whore like your mother."

Elena was suddenly filled with a white-hot rage.

"She wasn't a whore! Don't talk about her like that!" She shouted in his face before she could stop herself.

But this was what he had been waiting for. For her to provoke him in some way.

The first slap sent her head reeling to the side.

The second made her slightly dizzy and through the fog of her mind, she thought about how lucky she was that he had hit her with his hand instead of the belt.

Uncle John gripped her upper arm and dragged her toward the kitchen. Stopping in front of the dining room table, he grabbed her hand, slamming it on the table.

"Get in the position."

Elena wanted to cry. She had only been beaten with the belt a handful of times, and all were painful memories. Not only did it hurt like hell when it happened, but her back would be on fire for the rest of the night, and would sting and burn for several days after. She wouldn't be able to sleep or sit comfortably for weeks. It was a punishment that lingered long after it happened.

"Get. In. The. Position." He snarled through gritted teeth.

Elena forced herself to brace both palms on the table, feet should width apart, and leaned over slightly, leaving her back to face Uncle John.

"Fifteen lashes. Five for going out without permission. Five for lying to me. And five for being a whore like your mother."

He raised his arm and let the first lash hit her squarely in the back.

Elena's knees buckled instantly, and if she hadn't been gripping the table so hard, she would have fallen to the floor. The pain was instantaneous, spreading from the point of contact to the rest of her back like wildfire.

She bit her lip to keep from crying out. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't scream. He wouldn't break her.

Again his arm raised and she felt the belt hit her higher than the first one.

She held onto her tears for the first three lashes, but by the fourth, the tears rolled unchecked down her cheeks

Ducking his head into the Damon's room, Stefan was satisfied to find that his brother was not here. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he sighed before dialing the familiar number. It was time. He had stalled long enough.

It rang just once before the person on the other end picked up.

"You found her?" The low voice asked as way of a greeting, clearly impatient to discover what Stefan had discovered.

"I found her. She's fine."

An exclamation of relief on the other end of the line.

"Why'd you take so long to contact me? You left for Mystic Falls weeks ago."

Stefan hesitated momentarily, before ushering his first lie to his friend.

"I wanted to make sure it was her."

In reality, he had wanted to keep her for himself. He had wanted some time to get to know the dark haired beauty, before bringing anyone else in. He had acted selfishly, but it had been worth it.

"But you're sure now?"

"Yes. Positive."

"Good. And you'll keep her safe? Until I'm ready."

"Yes."

Sorry for the slight cliffy, but it had to be done! And poor Elena, I know! But things will get better for her, eventually, I promise. Thanks so much for reading — hope you enjoyed it!

Until next time,

Lizzieloo