A/N- what's that now? Two updates in as many days! I must be avoiding my dissertation haha! Thank you for all your reviews once again, can't believe I'm on 200+ plus now, it honestly means the world to me to have your support. I know I don't always manage to get back to you all but I did want to thank those of you that point out grammatical errors, its something I personally hate and can only apologise for, but please don't hesitate to acknowledge them because it helps improve my writing. Also, just a quick explanation for this chapter. Elena and the others did all grow up around mystic falls but went to different schools so never really knew each other before moving back to work there, with the exception of Bonnie whom she has known since childhood. (Oooh and Elena's dress is the same one she wore to the Miss Mystic pageant)

Ok folks, so I'm gunna let you in on a secret...this chapter's a biggy and prettyyyy dramatic. Enjoy ;) xxxx


Damon tapped his foot anxiously on the ground, beating a nervous tattoo on the tarmac as he stood in the long winding drive of the Lockwood mansion, queuing to get into the benefit. Beside him Andie clasped onto his arm, almost as if if she were to let him go he might evaporate into thin air. He wrinkled his nose as another scent of her intense perfume and the can of hairspray that she had clearly emptied into her hair crept into his nostrils. He flicked the sleeve of his black suit back over his wrist and glanced at his watch, noting that a minute had passed since he had last checked the time.

"Calm down baby, what's got you so riled up?" cooed Andie beside him and he suppressed a shudder at the use of the pet name. They had been stood in the queue for approximately five minutes and the woman was already driving him insane. She had rung him four times that day to suggest that he colour co-ordinate with her dress, twice to confirm what time he would be picking her up and the fourth time to ask if Ric and Jenna could have a ride as well. He glared at the back of his friend's head as Jenna whispered something into his ear and he burst out laughing, the pair easily showcasing that they were a perfectly happy, in sync couple.

"Nothing" he ground out, straightening his collar, "I just wish this wasn't taking so long, the sooner I get in there, the sooner I can leave." he said and Ric turned around in front of him, laughing.

"Good luck with that man, you're in for the long haul tonight." he said and slipped a hip flask out of his pocket and waved it in Damon's face before taking a swig and then passing it to his friend. "Always be prepared." he joked, raising his fingers into the cub scout salute as Damon took a lengthy swig of the liquid and winced as it burned down his throat satisfyingly.

Damon raised himself onto the tips of his toes and craned his neck to look over the crowd at what was taking so long. On the steps of the mansion he could spot the Lockwoods taking their sweet time in speaking to every single guest and shaking their hands. "This is ridiculous." he spat out, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking around him. "Isn't there some kind of founding families express line or something?" he asked. His attention was suddenly captured by the sight of Katherine ascending the steps and shaking the hands of the Lockwoods, on the arm of some tall buffoon who looked like he might burst out of his suit any second. The man had an absent grin plastered across his face and Damon laughed slightly, typical Katherine to choose some vapid moron as her escort. She was dressed in all black, wearing a form fitting black cocktail dress that finished mid thigh, emphasising her voluptuous figure. She stuck out like a sore thumb in comparison to most of the women who had worn full length gowns, but that was Katherine, always the centre of attention at whatever cost.

From behind him he heard a group of party goers chatting excitedly, one of them shrieked with laughter and he frowned as he turned around and saw Tyler Lockwood with Caroline Forbes on his arm, giggling drunkenly as she tottered on her heels. Behind them was the other intern, Bonnie and her date who he recognised as Elena's brother. Tyler turned around and yelled behind him, "Matt! Come on, I'll sneak us in round the back." The blonde haired intern came towards the group and Damon felt his stomach seize up and his heart jump as he turned to offer his arm to his date. Elena smiled politely and accepted his arm as they caught up with the rest of the group. She looked simply stunning, her royal blue, floor length dress fit her perfectly and he found his eyes drawn to her chest which had been pushed up by the dress. Her long brown hair fell around her shoulders in curls and he smiled as he noted that she was wearing the necklace he had gifted back to her earlier in the week.

She seemed to be looking in their direction and he heard Andie gasp softly behind him, "Ahh," she exclaimed, "Jenna look at Elena, doesn't she look beautiful?" he had to bite his tongue from agreeing and smiled slightly as she waved over to her aunt and gestured that she would meet her inside. They finally reached the end of the line and he shook the hand of Mr Lockwood who regarded him closely as he introduced himself.

"Ah, so this is the famous Damon Salvatore." he enquired and Damon nodded, already annoyed by the man's pompous tone. He was a member of the hospital board and a huge benefactor to them; he couldn't afford to be an ass to this man.

"It's finally good to put a face to the name. I trust my son is behaving himself under your tutelage?" the man continued, not waiting for Damon's response. "I must say," he said, turning to his wife who had stood by in submissive silence, "I'd heard you were young but...I didn't think you were this young, you hardly look older than Tyler."

"Just my youthful good looks, I'm afraid." quipped Damon, flashing a winning smile at Mrs Lockwood before excusing himself and practically dragging Andie into the party.

"You didn't introduce me" she whined as he tugged on her arm and headed in the direction of the bar.

"I'm sure they know who you are." he mumbled and raised a hand to grab the attention of the bartender.


An hour later he was still yet to spot Elena again, Ric and Jenna had disappeared to dance and he was stood being talked at by some ancient board member who was going on and on about things Damon couldn't care less about. He allowed his gaze to wander and his eyes finally landed on Elena who was stood on the edge of the dance floor with Matt. She was chewing her lip nervously and visibly winced as her date placed his hand around her waist and gestured towards the dance floor, pulling her into the centre and wrapping his arms around her. Damon narrowed his eyes as he watched her place her small hands around his neck, feeling the phantom sensation around his own neck as he let his mind drift back to her birthday party.

Matt was jabbering nervously as they swayed awkwardly to the music, he had disappeared for around half an hour with Tyler and reappeared smelling of whisky and suddenly wanting her to dance with him. She could feel his hands tightly grasping her lower back and she cried out slightly as he stood on her foot for what was the fifth time in that dance. So far she had had a miserable time, Tyler and Caroline had disappeared into some room inside the mansion to do God knows what and she threw a glance over Matt's shoulder to where her brother and Bonnie were laughing at something he had whispered in her ear. She jumped as Matt cleared his throat, swinging her attention back to her partner. "Erm..." he choked out and she looked up at him to see his face was flushed and droplets of sweat had formed on his forehead. "I uh...I wanted to talk to you about something." he muttered nervously and she felt her heart quicken and her palms go sweaty against his shoulders.

"Right now?" she asked him, glancing around her at the crowds of people on the dance floor.

"Yeah, right now." he confirmed and she nodded silently and bit down on her lower lip. "I'm in love with you, Elena." he professed quickly and she looked up at him, her face pain stricken. Damon was still watching her from across the room, the man's voice buzzing in his ear.

"I mean the most important thing about finding a good golf club is definitely..."

He frowned as he watched Elena shake her head and step back from her date, he said something to her and she raised her hands in an attempt to calm him down, he had raised his voice and snatches of the conversation drifted over to where he was stood.

"...five years...only you..." Elena was stood, looking horrified as people's attention became diverted by the exchange and she called out after him as he suddenly stormed away from her, shoving his way through the crowds angrily.


Damon worked his way through the crowds of people and forced a smile at someone who clapped an appreciative hand on his back. He finally burst into the cool night air, grateful for the chilly breeze that whipped through his hair. He had been trying to escape Andie and her over eager hands and cloying perfume for the better part of half an hour. He glanced to his left and right, deciding which way would be less populated and began to work his way around the right hand side of the large property. Typical small town folk, he thought as he glanced up at the huge facade of the white building he was walking around, flashing their wealth even at a charity event. He reached the corner of the building and glanced towards the sprawling woods that had just revealed themselves, lightly illuminated by the light from the large window overlooking the back of the property and the glow of the moon. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned back against the wall; he breathed out and smiled at the stream of vapour that flew out in front of his face. A light cough drew his attention to his right and he squinted in the darkness to identify where it had come from. Through the darkness he could make out the slim shape of a woman, her back against the wall, leant forwards with her hands on her knees. She let out a great choking sob and he inhaled sharply as he immediately realised who it was, he'd heard that cry before.

"Elena?" he asked quietly and walked forwards as she came into focus.

She immediately bolted upright and wiped at her eyes furiously, she flung her arms around herself, still simply clad in her thin silk gown, looking absolutely freezing. "What are you doing out here?" he asked gently when she failed to acknowledge his presence and she finally turned to look at him. Her eyes were bloodshot and some of her mascara had run, causing her eyes to look darker than usual. Her skin was alive with goose bumps and she shivered violently.

"I just needed a minute." she answered quietly and he nodded, signalling that he was there for the same reason.

"Everything alright?" he asked, leaning onto the wall next to her.

"Oh yeah," she scoffed sarcastically, "everything is great. My best friend hates me, I'm a terrible person, oh and I'm standing out here in the freezing cold crying like some sixteen year old at prom!" she shivered again and he immediately shrugged out of his jacket, feeling his body scream in protest as the cold hit him.

"Here." he said, placing the jacket around her shoulders and watching her shrug herself into it, wrapping it around her. He would take the cold, he thought. "Might I presume this has something to do with Donovan?" he asked quietly, coming round to stand in front of her and looking down at her sympathetically. She nodded and sniffed, tightening his jacket around her small frame.

"He hates me." she said, sounding utterly lost.

His heart jumped pathetically and he wished that she would throw herself into his arms once more. "I'm sure that's not true." he stated simply and she shook her head, refusing to be comforted by his words.

"God!" she suddenly exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation, "How did everything get so screwed up?" she asked and he stayed silent, thinking it was probably rhetorical. "I shouldn't even be talking about this, least of all to you." she said bitterly, throwing a hand in his direction. He snorted and nodded, she was right; he and Donovan were hardly best friends. "But here I am, on my own while I'm pretty sure my brother is hooking up with my best friend and Tyler and Caroline are off doing God knows what and I'm...I'm...alone."

"Look," he said gently, "I know I give Donovan a hard time but he seems like..." he hesitated as she watched him carefully, "he seems like a nice guy." he finished and this time it was her turn to snort and shake her head.

"Exactly, he is so..." she paused and sighed heavily "...nice." she finished dismissively.

"You don't like nice?" he asked quickly and she laughed and raised her hands hopelessly.

"I don't know what I like." she had turned to face him now, her arms still wrapped tightly around her, emphasising her small frame even through his jacket. "I mean..." she continued uncertainly, "why would anyone want to be with me anyway? I'm a mess..." she paused and buried her head in her hands for a moment before raising her face to look at him, her eyes full of tears again, "no one should be in love with me." she said quietly, her voice breaking slightly as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

That was it, he couldn't take it anymore and he grabbed her forearms before dragging her roughly into his arms, securing her tightly against his chest. He regretted his actions in the seconds that followed as he felt her freeze and tense under his touch but he allowed himself to relax as she seemed to unwind into his embrace. He bunched his hand into her hair and rested his chin on the top of her head as he listened to her quiet sobs die down. "Don't ever think that." he said quietly and pulled back slightly to look down at her. She smiled sadly and nodded, wiping away the last few tears before pulling away from him, he took solace that she hadn't stepped back as far as she had previously been stood, keeping the distance between them small.

"Sorry," she chuckled lightly and shook her head, "whisky makes me a bit melodramatic." he laughed and raised his eyebrows.

"Never pegged you for a whisky drinker." he said and she laughed again and reached down to the floor, next to where she had been stood and retrieved a small hip flask.

"It's all Alaric had." she explained and shook the flask lightly, frowning at its empty contents before tucking it into his jacket pocket. He nodded slightly and offered her a crooked smile. "We're kind of pathetic, you and me, did you know that?" she asked him and he raised his eyebrows, his face looking sarcastically affronted.

"Me?" he asked, placing a hand to his chest, "pathetic?"

She laughed, this time more openly and he couldn't stop himself from smiling, "Yeah," she chuckled, "the only time we're actually nice to each other is when we're weeping about something." He laughed loudly, throwing his head back, sending a stream of vapour into the night air.

"Weeping? I don't weep, Elena," he said, pulling on the collar of his shirt and tensing his chest, "men don't weep." She slapped him lightly on his chest, causing him to buckle slightly, imitating being winded.

"I bet you weep." she countered.

"Oh yeah, and what would I weep about?" he asked, trying his best not to grin at her mischievous face.

"Oh I don't know...how it's so hard being so achingly handsome? How you just can't get women to leave you alone?" she grinned drunkenly, rolling her eyes. He gulped pathetically, his heart immediately quickened. She had not just said that, she thought he was handsome? Achingly handsome? Breathe Salvatore, calm down! His thoughts raced dangerously and his mouth went dry.

He laughed, attempting to mask his sudden difficulties with speech, "I uh...I didn't know you thought so highly of me." Her face dropped slightly and she blushed, her words ringing in her ears and she realised what she had said. "Relax, Elena." he said, noting her sudden discomfort, how was he suddenly the confident one? "I get it, it's hard not to notice these chiselled features." he joked and she laughed again, the awkwardness diffusing quickly.


"Damon!" he broke his eye contact with her and looked around him, someone from round the front of the house was shouting his name, someone female who sounded a lot like Andie. He groaned and looked around him frantically. "Has anyone seen Damon?" he heard her shout, not able to hear whoever she'd asked respond. Elena laughed quietly, clearly enjoying seeing him so distressed.

"Come on Gilbert," he suddenly turned to her, pleading with her, "you grew up here you've gotta know some kind of secret escape route?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I thought I told you not to call me Gilbert." she folded her arms and fixed him with a serious look. "Why shouldn't I just shout your date over and give you up? What's wrong with Andie anyway?" He groaned again, he could hear voices getting closer.

"Nothing is wrong with Andie," he said frantically, "She's just...she's nice." he said and stared at her pointedly and she moaned slightly, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"Fine." she ground out, "Come on." she beckoned for him to follow her as she headed towards the woods.

"Seriously," he asked nervously, "the woods? You're not gunna murder me are you?" She laughed and threw a glance at him over her shoulder.

"Only if you never call me Gilbert again," she took in his nervous expression and rolled her eyes, "I know these woods like the back of my hand, come on." She reached a hand out to him and he took it, walking alongside her.

You are not sixteen years old, he screamed at himself as his palm instantly became sweaty and his heart thudded against his chest, for Godsake man up!

She pulled him into the woods, immediately finding a trodden down path and following it deeper into the woods until they could barely see the lights from the Lockwood mansion behind them. Back at the house Andie reached the back of the house and stared around her breathlessly. There was no sign of Damon, she frowned as she squinted towards the woods before swivelling on her heel and heading back to the party with a huff.


In the darkness and under the cover of the corner of the house Katherine Pierce smirked as the blonde woman stormed past her. She had stood and watched Damon walking into the woods with his young intern, the pair laughing and she had smirked with delight as she had seen him take her hand. Typical Damon, always a sucker for a pretty face and some brown hair; although this could prove very entertaining for her. She heard a giggle come from the protection of the forest and shook her head wistfully before downing the rest of her champagne and strolling back around to the front of the house.

Damon narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the house through the trees, he watched Andie walk away, a small feeling of guilt settling in before he turned back to face Elena who was leaning against a tree watching him closely. She giggled lightly and he frowned, "What's so funny?" he asked lightly, taking a step towards her.

"Oh nothing," she answered in a sing-song tone. "It's just amusing to see you scared that's all." She laughed again and his heart jumped.

"I wasn't scared." he said, trying once again to look as macho as possible.

She looked down to the foot of the tree that she was leaning against and smiled as she nudged a broken bottle of what looked like vodka with her foot. She laughed under her breath and raised her eyes to see he was staring at her intently. She gulped slightly, what was she doing, in the woods with her attending? She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, "I used to come down here with my friends all the time," she said, trying to alleviate some of the tension that had suddenly appeared between them. "I was uh...quite the wild child before...well before everything happened."

He nodded and placed his hands in his pockets, tensing his body as a cool breeze whipped through the trees and reminded him that he was just clad in a thin shirt. "Sorry," she said suddenly, noticing him shiver, "do you want this back?" she opened his jacket from where she had folded it around her, exposing her low cut dress and he inwardly groaned as his eyes fluttered down to her chest for a second.

"No, its fine you keep it." he said, his voice sounding strained. He stepped towards her and grasped the sides of his jacket and wrapped it back around her, when she didn't pull away he let his hands settle lightly on her hips. He cleared his throat awkwardly as she gazed up at him silently. "What you said earlier..." he began and she frowned lightly. "You're not a mess, Elena." he said seriously, he reached forward and moved a piece of her hair that had fallen across her face. "We're all a bit screwed up inside." he explained simply.

"We?" she asked quietly.

"Everybody." he answered with a shrug, "That doesn't mean we don't deserve to be loved." He offered her a small smile and she smiled back, their faces now inches apart.

"Have you..." she began to say but stopped and shook her head; he looked at her and raised his eyebrows in question.

"Have I what?" he asked, already knowing what it was she was going to ask him.

"Nothing," she said, attempting to wave the question off, "it was stupid." She glanced down awkwardly, her cheeks flushing brilliantly pink. He placed the tip of his index finger under her chin and softly raised her face so she was staring him in the face again.

"Have I ever been in love? Was that what you were going to ask?" She nodded silently and gulped. He exhaled slowly, slowing his heart and trying to keep his voice as steady as possible. "I thought I was once," he admitted slowly and she frowned, he sensed the question on her lips, "some people are very good at making you feel what they want you to feel." he explained and she cocked her head to the side curiously.

"Katherine?" she asked quietly and it was his turn to nod silently in confirmation. "What happened?" the question slipped from her lips before she could stop it, the whisky she had drank releasing her of the propriety to stop her from prying.

He laughed slightly and his face took on a sad expression, she stepped back slightly and leaned her back on the tree again, however she was happy that he didn't loosen his grip on her, his hands remaining placed on her hips. "She screwed me over, to put it simply." he began to explain, running a single hand through his hair before placing it back on her side, "I met her in college, as I'm sure you know. She was..." he sighed heavily and shook his head as he thought back to his first impressions of her, "she was unlike anyone I'd ever met before. Strong and powerful, she could control every single person around her and I was drawn to that, I didn't even think for a second that she was controlling me as well." He paused as he calmed himself once more before continuing, "She even managed to get me to bring her home one holiday, I was never much of a homebody, didn't really like to talk about it all that much. My mum had passed away a year before so I'd had to move in with my Dad, here."

"Damon, stop you don't have to-" Elena interrupted him, placing a hand on his arm.

"Its fine," he explained, "it's all in the past anyway." he shrugged his shoulders and took a deep breath, "Anyway, we get back here and she's like, amazed at my house and by my Dad and everything. You have to realise that Kat was so unenthusiastic about everything, like it was uncool to actually like things so when she starts asking me questions about my family and how did they afford the house I thought it was a bit...odd." Elena nodded, starting to realise where the story might be headed, "Anyway, my Dad loved her, she spent the whole week asking him questions about his company and falling over his every word. We headed back to college and about a month later she tells me she's pregnant." He stopped abruptly and clenched his jaw as Elena gasped softly, raising a hand to her mouth in shock. She had never heard Dr Pierce mention a child, did that mean...?


"I was in my fourth year," Damon's voice snapped her attention back to the story, "one year away from being a doctor and being able to do things for myself for once, you know? But I wanted to do right by her, I said I'd marry her," his voice broke slightly and Elena placed her hand back on his arm, moving her thumb back and forth comfortingly. "She told me she wasn't going to ruin her life by shacking up with me and said that if I gave her the money she'd take care of it." Elena gasped again, her eyes filling with tears as sympathy coursed through her.

"I had to go to my Dad, he gave me an allowance but I didn't have that kind of money but I knew he did," he paused, "he hasn't looked me in the eye since." He explained, swallowing thickly.

"Did she-?" Elena couldn't help herself from asking. Damon shook his head and shrugged.

"I didn't see her again after that, she just took off. I don't even know if she was really pregnant, the next time I saw her was when she transferred to MFG the year I started working as an attending there. I'd worked my ass off and paid my Dad back every cent but...he's still completely disgusted by me and likes to frequently remind me of that. When I moved back here he upped sticks and moved to New York, the old man couldn't even stand to be in the same state as me."

"Damon..." Elena choked out, not able to find the words to express what she felt in that moment.

"Don't." he said simply, "Please don't pity me," he pleaded and she nodded, "like I said, we're all a bit screwed up inside." He offered her a sad smile and she returned it. "Anyway," he continued, "I guess you were right, I am kinda pathetic." And just like that, with the flip of a switch he was back to himself. He gave her a cocky smile before releasing his grip on her and stepping backwards. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the party, "Best get back...I wouldn't want to disappoint the women of Mystic Falls for much longer."


She rolled her eyes, trying to disguise her disappointment and the way her heart dropped slightly when he had removed his hands from her sides and put more space between them. She stood, frozen to the spot as he turned around, peering into the darkness to try and decipher the way in which they had come from.

"You wanna tell me how to get out of here-" he turned around just as she grabbed his wrist and roughly pulled her towards him, her back slamming against the tree trunk once more. In one practiced movement she swung her arms around his neck and crashed her lips onto his, running her hands through his hair hurriedly. It took him a second to react to what was going on, and another second to wonder whether he had passed out somewhere and if this was some kind of glorious dream, it wouldn't be the first time he'd dreamt about something of this nature happening with her. Regardless of the semantics he responded quickly, dragging his lips across hers hungrily, relishing in the sweet taste of whiskey that lingered there and the way in which she gripped at the folds of skin on the back of his neck.

He pushed her back slightly, pressing their bodies together and groaned as she slipped her tongue between his lips and touched his tongue with it quickly. She was not pussy footing around that was for sure and he couldn't help but wonder if she had kissed his brother like this. But he found that he already knew the answer, this wasn't Stefan's kind of woman, this was his kind of woman and he matched her pace with equal fervour. He had placed his hands either side of her face, trapping her between his grasp but he let his hand wander now, roaming the silky material of her dress before it rested where he had been dying to touch all evening. He grasped her chest lightly and smirked as she let out a moan whilst he trailed kisses down her neck, allowing himself to swell with confidence at the sight of her chest heaving while she struggled to breathe. "Elena..." he moaned softly and pressed a heavy kiss to her cheek before working his way back to her delicious lips. However, this time she placed her palms on his chest, lightly pushing him back and putting space between them. He looked at her, her lips and swollen and her eyes dark with desire but slowly her expression dropped and her breathing calmed.

"We can't." she said simply, lightly moving him back more and standing up fully, removing her weight from the tree trunk.

"What?" he asked incredulously, still gasping for breath. She had kissed him, had she not?

"I don't wanna lose my job." she answered quietly, too afraid to meet his eyes so she stared at her feet guiltily.

"Then why did you just kiss me?" he asked, raising his voice in confusion.

"I..." she stuttered and shook her head, running her hands through her hair, "I don't know, I am so sorry." she uttered, finally raising her eyes to meet his, silently pleading for him to forgive her.

"But you..." he raised his fingers to touch his lips, the taste of her still there, "...you flirt with me and you...you kissed me!" he shook his head frantically, feeling like he had just had his heart ripped out.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, "I think it's best if we forget this ever happened." she said quickly and brushed past him, lifting her dress up as she worked her way out of the forest.

"Elena!" he shouted after her and jogged to try and catch her up, aggressively batting away the branches that got in his way. He reached her just as they cleared the forest; the house clear in front of them and a small group of people were stood where they had been stood before. He latched onto her arm and whirled her around to face him, not wanting to shout after her again and draw attention to them. "What the hell just happened?" he asked frantically, catching his breath.

"Damon..." she began, pulling her arm out of his grasp, "please don't." his forehead bunched together in confusion as she shrugged herself out of her jacket, her eyes full of tears, and handed it back to him before calmly walking across the grass and back around the side of the house, back into the party.


Don't hate me! Ha I couldn't just let it all go to plan could I? That'd be boring!

Let me know what you think, I'm sure some of you will be just a tad frustrated!

xxxx