A/N: That's it. You guys are so amazing, it's beyond measure! Thank you all for reading this story, and thanks to all who took time to leave reviews. You have no idea how much this story means to me, and how much your reviews and support mean to me. Let me know though, if you guys are starting to get annoyed by how much I say this

Shout outs are needed!

midnightwings96: Lol for last Halloween I was Lady Gaga in the meat costume, but this Halloween, I want to be Catwoman. I'm really looking forward to it : ) I know I'm planning ahead, but it's something that a group of my friends and I have been planning for a while now: )

DelenaVD: I'm so glad to hear you say that! That means a lot to me. I hope the story continues to keep your interest as we continue.

02melanienie: Je suis content que vous avez aimé le dernier chapitre. Je suis très anxieux, inquiet, et excité à propos de ce chapitre. Faites-moi savoir ce que vous pensez!

Sailor Peach: Don't worry! One thing I will say about the ending is that it will be a happy ending. Do not worry I'm glad you like the story so far. It means the world to me.

Skeezixx: Damon wasn't wearing the cuffs because (this is something I should have included in the chapter) since the room was monitored by another room through the mirror, patients do not have to be handcuffed nor restrained. After doing some research, even some asylums in America have this rule.

xxxMrsSalvatorexxx: I can't even begin to emphasize how much your review means to me. One criticism that I have received many times from my writing is that I am, at times, too graphic. This story was meant to be gory and unpredictable and bloody, and crazy. I am glad that you are open-minded enough to not only accept that, but to also notice it. Thank you so much.

cdaye8184: My lucky number 125! Thanks so much! I hope that this chapter is worth your wait!

Some stuff to remember for the next few chapters: Damon cannot compel Elena. Is it because of vervain? Maybe…maybe not : ) Also, Jeremy finds Damon to be very familiar…why? We won't find out for a while, but we will get to it eventually : ) Katherine and Elena do not look the same. In my story, picture Elena looking the same as we all know she looks like, and Katherine with lighter hair, lighter eyes, and slightly taller. However, it's safe to say that they look similar.

Updating this story look longer than I expected. A lot of drama hit me hard unexpectedly, and made my life a bit more unstable then it already is. But I'm updating now : ) We reached 153 awesome reviews! Let's see if we can reach 165. Do you think we can do that? : )

One more thing: I've forgotten for some of the previous chapters to put disclaimers, so, just for the record, so that I don't risk this story being deleted….

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I do not own anything related to TVD, its characters, cast, crew, productions, the books, LJ Smith, the whole shinbang. In other words, only this story is mine.

Chapter 7: Goose bumps

"I'm not afraid of the dark…I'm afraid of what's in it."

"What the hell was that?" Elena's heart beated erratically as she slammed her office door behind her and turned on her computer. She was anxious, she couldn't help it. "But how dare he?"

"But you did let yourself unlock the door and let yourself in," her thoughts reasoned with her. This was true. It was a win-win situation. She proved to him that she's worth trusting, but in the process, she allowed herself to cross a very essential line.

But even so, Elena was madder at herself for how her body had reacted. She still had goose bumps all over her, and it was not because of the temperature in the room. She hated the fact that there was a part of her that had hoped that her cell phone wouldn't have interrupted them.

She fished out her cell phone out of her pocket and stared at the screen. It was Jeremy; he wanted to know if she was spending the night again in her office. She smiled as she texted him back, informing him that she had too much work to go home. She'd have to spend the night here again after all.

She groaned as she settled into her seat. She had to be…professional. She had to admit, Damon was…very attractive. But he is dangerous, and her patient, and Lord knows they both went through hell in order to end up together again.

Her cheeks blushed as she thought of that word. Together.

She forced herself to focus and stared at the files on her desk. A small paper was taped to the top folder.

I brought your files on hot Damon S. Don't worry; Jameson was too busy bleeding to notice. I know you're probably going to stay here for the night, so get started! I'll bring you some clothes tomorrow. Have fun! Love you!

XOXOXO Caroline

P.S: DON'T SCREW IT UP AGAIN! I MEAN IT!

Elena giggled as she read the note. "What would I do without her?"

Sighing as she glanced at the clock, she decided that she should have some sleep before preparing for her next session. Just a few minutes…

Elena walked over to her door and closed the shades. She took off her shirt and slacks, leaving her tank top on and her boy shorts. It was cold in her office, but the nights tend to get warm after a while. Tossing them to the side, she walked over to her couch and lied down, allowing herself to fall asleep.

Even in her sleep she was still thinking about her encounter with Damon. And even in her sleep, she couldn't bring herself to ignore the goose bumps that had yet to leave her body.

DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE

Annoyed. That's how he felt right now. Annoyed. Angry. Tired. Sore. Which was understandable, considering the events that occurred today. He wanted to go home for the day, but the nurse had insisted that he not drive for the remainder of the night due to his concussion. Saltzman luckily had given him the next day off. But their heated conversation replayed in his head over and over, adding to his pain.

Alaric busted through the doors into the infirmary. He had just missed Caroline and Elena, who'd walked out for some air. His face clearly portrayed his anger. "What the hell happened?"

Jameson opened one eye to stare at him. "The monster's what happened! He beat the crap out of me!"

Alaric shook his head. "I know that already! What I mean is, what the hell happened with you?"

Jameson tried to sit up more. He winced as he felt the comfort of the gurney bed leave his upper back. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I spoke with Forbes and Gilbert. They told me that you aggravated Salvatore."

"I was doing my job!" He roared back. "What? He deserves special treatment just because he was your precious Elena's patient?"

The nurses stood there surrounding the bed, witnessing their conversation. They glanced at each other frequently, silently taking noted for their gossip.

Alaric let out a dry laugh. "Well, this never happened when she was treating him. Which is why I'm taking the case back." He held up his hand. "No excuses! I don't think you are in the position to argue at all."

Jameson lied back onto his bed and inhaled a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself.

"Jameson," Alaric sighed, trying to maintain his tone. "You are a good doctor. You just need to be very careful when you're with patients." He shook his head. "Just get some sleep. The nurses said you're stable now. Just rest for now, and you can have the day off tomorrow. In fact, come back when you're well." He walked over to Jameson and softly patted his shoulder. "Take care of yourself first."

With that, he walked out the room, rubbing his temples.

Jameson did feel tired. That he couldn't ignore. He sighed, glancing at the clock. It was well after midnight. Maybe I should get some sleep…

"Wakey-wakey, sleeping beauty." A sinister voice beside him whispered.

Jameson called out in alarm and looked beside him, sitting in the chair, was the devil himself. "Damon?"

His face was relaxed and calm. He was slouching forward, resting his elbows on his knees. A small surgery knife was in his hand. His eyes gleamed down on it mysteriously as his fingers traced the blade. "I see you've stopped calling me Mr. Salvatore. I guess some people learn the hard way."

Jameson opened his mouth to scream for help, but was stopped. Damon looked up at him and said "Don't scream."

Oddly enough, he couldn't. He couldn't cry for help, no matter how much he wanted to. "What the hell's happening? How did you-"

"Escape?" Damon smiled. "Well, for one thing, this place has horrible security for an asylum. Besides, I thought you'd like some company." He stood up and stood against the gurney, looking down at Jameson. "I know you can't move much because of the meds they gave you," he grinned. "But don't worry; I didn't come to kill you."

Jameson let out a sigh of relief. "I suppose you haven't come to apologize, either."

Damon chuckled. "I came for two reasons. The first is because there's something I want to make clear to you. You are not the first to hate me, and chances are, you will not be the last."

He chuckled nervously. "No kidding."

Damon nodded softly. "But I will never apologize for what I've done, nor for what I am. You see, many people see me as a killer, psychotic, murderer, Satan…now, all of these names may be true." He paused. "Maybe not. But one thing I am, and I will gladly admit it, is insane."

Jameson tried his best to not let Damon see how terrified he was. His heart was beating fanatically.

"But, you see, you fail to understand me. My insanity is what I am most grateful for. It makes me what I am."

"You're proud of murdering people?" Jameson hissed.

Damon shrugged. "Well, not everyone's perfect." He placed his hands on the gurney and leans over, staring at Jameson in the eyes. "What I'm saying is don't judge what you don't know."

"Your insanity is destructive," he hissed.

"My insanity is beautiful," Damon hissed back.

Jameson turned his head away and groaned softly. The pain in his head was almost unbearable.

"Hey, it's not my fault you couldn't take a couple of hits," he heard Damon chuckle.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to sleep now." he snarled. "So what's the second thing?"

"You see, I'm an honest man." He brought the knife to Jameson's arm and glared at him with a devilish smile on his face. "So when I say that this is going to hurt, I'm not lying."

Jameson groaned as Damon made an incision into his forearm, drawing blood. "What are you doing?" he asked frantically. His voice was barely over a whisper as the terror in his body gripped his voice box. His eyes widened in horror as Damon's eyes became dark and his canine teeth in his mouth extended.

"I said I wouldn't kill you, but all I want is a taste."

Damon brought his mouth to Jameson's large incision and began to drink his blood. Jameson's eyes showed the upmost horror, but alas, he could not scream, for some mysterious reason.

Damon refrained from letting his fangs pierce Jameson's skin, so that he could compel his later on, without any evidence on his skin. That, however, didn't keep him from enjoying his snack.

A few minutes later

Damon sighed, settling back into his seat. He had finished his meal. He didn't drink as much as he wanted to, but he didn't want to preoccupy himself with another death. At least, not tonight.

He had compelled Jameson to forget their nightly encounter and to fall asleep. Damon stood over Jameson and whispered into his ear. "I wasn't kidding when told you I had plans, you know. Believe it or not, there are more important things besides you and me. Sweet dreams."

With that he stood up and walked the path to his objective.

DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE

It took a while to find it, but he couldn't ignore the fact that it was worth it. Closing the door softly, in order to not wake her, Damon walked into the small office. He grinned as he looked at her sleeping body on the couch. I guess she wasn't kidding when she had said she was a workaholic…

Dr. Gilbert was on her side, sleeping on the couch. He had to admit. She was breathtaking. Her face was relaxed and perfect. Her long tan legs were tucked under a pillow, as if she was cold. Her long hair was sprawled on top of a pillow. She was wearing a light blue tank top and black boy shorts that made her look absolutely delicious. The rest of her clothes were in the corner on the floor. He walked over and picked them up. He, truth be told, was a neat freak. He was very orderly when it came to his things. Now was no different. As he folded them, he placed them on the couch, near her feet, in a neat pile.

He looked around. Her office was small, but something about it that made him feel comfortable. It was cozy. She had a good view from her windows. The moon shone proudly into the room, but its lights mixed with the dim rays from the lamp across the room.

He walked over to her desk and sat on her chair. Yes, she was definitely different. Unlike him, her papers were all over the desk, in a way that would only make sense to her. His settled on her name plate next to her computer. Dr. Elena Marie Gilbert.

She looked like an Elena. He grinned. He loved the way her name rolled off his tongue. Elena…

He glanced at the photos on her desk. One was with her and that blonde chick and her boss at a bar. A younger man was looking over his shoulder at an Asian looking-girl with black hair behind him. Elena and he looked alike…possibly siblings. Another picture was Elena as a little girl dressed in a fairy costume, probably for Halloween. Even then she looked adorable. A woman, her mother he guessed, was hugging her.

His gaze shifted to the folder on top of her desk. He grinned like Cheshire cat as he read the note signed by someone named Caroline. Caroline…Something told him it was that blonde chick Elena hung around a lot. "Looks like she's good people," he told himself. He made a mental note to not kill her…for Elena's sake.

He grabbed the files and leaned back into the chair, setting them on his lap as he placed his feet on the desk, making himself comfortable. He started to look through the papers, studying them. Damon contently threw out all of the papers that he recognized that were from Jameson.

Routinely glancing at Elena, he continued to look through her notes. Many of them he found to be quite interesting…

"Damon S. seems to be very protective. The subject does his best to avoid answering personal questions regarding his past. He particularly seems to strongly dislike his father. Childhood theory could be proven; bad childhood could have led to his current state..."

"…He appears to be physically attractive-" His eyebrow raised at that one- "This could have helped him lure female victims..."

"…Damon…shows high intelligence and wisdom, articulate vocabulary…"

"…very demanding…shows no regret…however, repeatedly emphasizes it…could mean that he has a need to prove himself to others…or possibly to himself…possible sign of regret?…"

"He…is absorbent of others…studies people and their habits…knowledge in psychology? Sociology?"

The list went on and on, each making very arguable and impressive points. "She has beauty and brains," he chuckled. But there was one letter that quite amazed him. It was at the end of the file, folded into several pieces. He felt as if he was a teenage boy reading a cute girl's diary, but all amusement left his face as he read her letter.

Meeting him…was nothing like I expected. He was aggressive in both his posture and his speech. He was, in layman's terms, a complete jerk. He was ready attack everything I said, even before I said it. It was as if I had to face a large barrier he had put around him. A battlefield, it appeared to be, and, at times, it seemed as if he was more ready to fight than me. But there were those times where he seemed…different. He would, for example, ask me for my opinions on him. His tone would change suddenly. That night when I told him I couldn't be his doctor…I'll never forget his face. The guilt brought upon me was overbearing. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I've had him for the longest, out of all the doctors he's ever had, and it's only been a little over a week.

He's different. Very, very different. I admire the challenge I see in him. But one question that faces me every time I see him is "Do I see him as the monster or as a man?" I know what he's capable of. I know what he can do. So why don't I have fear of him? Why don't I run for the hills every time I see him? I know, as a doctor, I have to put aside my opinions of him in order to do my job. But that in itself is a task.

It's funny…now, as I write, I recall the author Truman Capote, and the time he spent writing In Cold Blood. He went as far as to interview the two killers of the Clutter family in Kansas in 1959. He is my favorite author, truth be told. But what always struck me was the fact that he saw a different side of one of the killers, Perry. He saw him as a man, and even a lover, but not as a killer. Not exactly.

Will my fate be the same? I know it may seem to soon to ask, or even unrealistic, but that question has always haunted me, ever since day one.

I have high hopes in Damon. By intellect, I see him as my equal, and that alone excites me. Truth be told, he's chaotic, destructive, dangerous, manipulative, unpredictable, and yet…he's the most …entertaining patient I've ever had.

Only time will tell if I see him as the monster or the man. Who knows? Maybe I see him as both. Why not? Maybe, just maybe, I'm just as insane as he is, only difference, I apply it to my lifestyle. Like I said, only time will tell.

I have to leave, come to think of it. I need to go downstairs and tell Damon the news: Alaric has decided to reassign him back to me. I'll have to thank him for beating up Jameson. My only regret is I didn't do it myself.

Damon stared in silence at the letter, reading it over and over again. His thoughts ran full speed in his mind. How can she understand me so well? Why can't I compel her? Is she drinking vervain? He glanced at her sleeping form. He bit his lip as she unconsciously shifted around until her back was turned to him and her face was facing the ceiling.

He stood up and walked over to her, sitting on the floor beside her. He leaned forward, staring at her face. He could hear the blood running through her veins, and he was tempted. He'd never felt this desire before…not even with Katherine…and that terrified him.

"What is it about you that's driving me crazy?" he whispered to her, only a small portion of him expecting an answer.

He would have never begged anyone to be there for him, let alone be his doctor. And yet he did…for her. He would have never thought about a human in this way before…and yet he is, even now. If this were any other doctor, he would have teared apart her blood already and devoured her blood and organs, just out of pure enjoyment. When she had walked into his room, prey walking into a predator's domain, he could have killed her right there. And yet, he hasn't. Truth is…he doesn't plan to.

This confusion infuriated him, and yet…he loved how complex it made her to him. She was making him tick, and he had only known her for a week.

He sighed heavily, letting his finger softly stroke her hair that was hanging down the side of the pillow. He stopped when he noticed her shiver in her sleep. Was it really that cold in here? He got up and walked over to the other side of the room, grabbing a large thin blanket. He gently placed it over her body, allowing it to reach up to her shoulders.

She smiled contently in her sleep. She's adorable.

It was late. As much as it pained him to, he knew he had to leave. It was well past one in the morning, and he felt as if he had to rest for an eternity. He hadn't slept the last few nights, the first being the night when Elena had come by and told him she couldn't be his doctor anymore. Now, he felt as if he could sleep like the dead…pun intended.

A part of him wanted to lie down next to her and hold her body against his, but of course, he couldn't.

As he was about to leave, a sound made him stop. He whipped around, looking back at Elena on the couch. My lord… did she call out my name? No…she's still sleeping. He listened intently. A few seconds later, it happened again.

"Damon…" she moaned softly in her sleep.

Holy crap. Was she dreaming about him? The thought alone made his crotch twitch. He wanted to stay…God, he wanted to stay…but he couldn't. However, his room was directly under her office. The walls weren't too thick… He could hear her from his room. He would touch himself to her delicious moans, imagining the things he would do to make her soft moans into deafening screams.

Yes…that's just what I'll do. He quickly kissed her forehead, allowing his fingertips to sinfully run over her cheek, neck, breasts, stomach, and core through the sheet. As he walked towards the door, he let his fingertips run down her legs under the sheet.

"Sweet Dreams, Elena," he whispered as he walked out. He bit his lips out of excitement.

A/N: OMG GUYS! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! I hope you all enjoy it too! Don't forget to tell me your thoughts! Let me know if this update was long enough.

I have two important questions to ask you lovely people. All of my reviewers, please answer.

One: Would you guys prefer longer chapters, but less frequent updates, or medium sized chapters, NOT SMALL CHAPTERS, OBVIOUSLY, and more frequent updates? I was just thinking about this question out of the blue, and I want to hear what you all have to say.

TWO: For the next chapter, I have two ideas. And just for the fun of it, I will ask you guys and let you all decide.

OPTION ONE: Now, I really want you guys to look into Elena's dream and see what on earth got her so worked up! So, if you all want, you decide on the next chapter: option one is a smutty, exciting DELENA dream, AND we get to hear and see Damon's reactions when he hears her moans, and possibly looks into her dreams. We even get to see what he does in his room…if you know what I mean…lol. Now, OPTION TWO will happen no matter what. So if you guys decide on option one, the chapter uploaded after that (the next chapter) will be option two's chapter. Let me know if you don't understand. However, I won't tell you guys what is option two. I'd like to keep some suspense in here.

Thank you all for your reviews. I'm sorry that the update took a while. Drama came and beat me up, but don't worry! I'm a survivor and a fighter. This fanfic is at the top of my agenda : ) Remember: I'm a review whore, and proud of it, lol, so go ahead and tell it to the review button! I'm all ears : )

Til next time, my wonderful friends…. XOXOXOXO