So sorry for my clumsiness... I was just going to edit this chapter, then replace it, but somehow ended up deleting it... So I'm posting this chapter once again. Please don't be mad at me for this false alert... I've started writing the next chapter. Hopefully I'll be posting that within the next weekend...

Author's Note: All right guys… this is the third part of 'There's Always Two Facades of A Mirror'. It's rather shorter than the rests because it was originally a part of the previous chapter. I had to split it, so you don't get confused and bored by my millennium length long chapter.

As said, this is also from Damon's POV. In the first part of 'There's Always Two Façade of A Mirror', you had a piece of Damon's monster side. Where as in the second part, you saw Damon fighting against his monster nature… now in this one you're gonna see a new side of Damon, the portion that is still human. We all know, Damon in the beginning of season one didn't care much about his humanity… but he tried to hold on to that whenever it came to Elena. So in this chapter Damon's gonna show you a portrait of 'what could have' if she didn't went through all Buffy, The Vampire Hunter after Damon captived her in the Boarding House. Oh, one more thing… it's a plain chapter, no smut in here :(

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or any of the characters. Seriously? if I did, then wouldn't I have been making HBO show starring with Ian & Nina, instead of writing here?

Previously: Stefan stole Damon's daylight ring. Damon kidnapped Elena to threaten Stefan to give back his ring. Out of fury, Elena vervained Damon's, then tortured him viciously and sabotaged his belongings. Damon got free and he raped her. Elena tried to murder Damon by staking him, but she missed his heart. Damon violently punished her. Then Elena tried to kill herself off, but in the exact moment, Damon saved her. But he had to tie her up, lock her in the basement, so she couldn't kill herself. Later a very ashamed Damon tried to make it upto her… He freed her and tried to be nice. But Elena couldn't trust him, so they went on a argument. During the argument, Damon blurt out that she wasn't the only one that was been violated… he was hurt too…


Chapter 9: There's Always Two Facades of A Mirror Part III – Under The Reflection

Hurray! Mission impossible accomplished.


Damon's POV


I needed to prove her and also myself that I was perfectly in control, that no matter how tempting Elena was to me, I could restrain myself from raping her again and I succeeded. Well, our little argument seems to help a lot. I don't know if I could bear with the fucking tension anymore, if she didn't start with the quarrel. That for me was even major turn off than plunging myself into a iced lake.

Part of me was happy, relieved that finally I let out what I downheartedly tried to bury inside of me. Part of me was happy, because it was inevitable. I needed to remind her that if it wasn't for my fast healing power, I would have been in a lot worse than deathly situation for her assaults. I needed to clarify that what she did to me was equally horrifying with what I did to her… if not more.

But there's another part of me. I assume, it's the humane piece of my mind– it's stabbing my heart nonstop with her painful features, her broken features of when I declared what all of her strikes felt like to me. I may not have to tell her so. Because, may be whatever I did was out of vengeance, and may be her assaults caused me equivalent pain, but I couldn't help think that I was healed, she wasn't and never going to…

I could make her forget every fucking horrible thing that I've done to her and make her have false faith on herself. But the sore fact is that I indeed took her innocence, one thing that she treasured the most and there's absolutely nothing I can to fix this. Of-course, I could compel her to go through something that could physically fix the situation. But would it really fix it?

I try and blow off the pang of pain in my heart.

"Here's your clothes on the bed…" I say as I glance back to her one last time – and there she is, standing in my shower stall like a cute doll, before I walk out of the bedroom. "I'll be back in a minute", I yell loudly as I rush downstairs.

I storm into the kitchen and pull out a large tray from the cupboard, then place the bowls containing food onto it. A small chuckle escapes my lips as I open the refrigerator and pull out the chocolate tart, I've made earlier and left here to get chilled. I don't know if she likes chocolate… but it's the best dessert, that came across my mind. Come on, which girl doesn't like chocolate… I've been with gazillions of girls for over a century and half. There's merely a hundred of them that truly doesn't like chocolate. Something tells me that Elena might be many things but she's not one of those. I cut a considerable size of triangle slice of it and put it in a small glass bowl. I place it aside on the tray, at a distance from other two hot bowls of Macaroni and Chicken Marsala, so it doesn't start to melt right away. Then put the rest of the dessert back in the fridge. I place napkins, forks, spoons on top of the tray and this time, I don't forget to bring water with me unlike this noon. Don't wanna recap any of the shit that happened this noon. I'm not gonna give her an opportunity to blow off my mild intentions straight across my face again. I pull out a bottle of chilled water from the refrigerator, lift the tray from the counter and rush upstairs.

"I'm coming in. Hope you're decent", I announce loudly as I lightly kick open the door… with my both hands preoccupied, I kinda didn't have a choice. I walk in and don't see her in the bedroom. Then my ears detect a faint murmur of cursing lowly, a loud thumping of heart and a few small whimpers. I set the tray and the water bottle on the bedside nightstand before I start to follow the beats and end up at the doorway to the bathroom…

Elena is standing before the sink with a hairbrush in her hand… her hairbrush that I brought here earlier from her place. Actually she's more than just standing with a hairbrush in her hand… she's more like battling the World War 3 with her hair. I knew that the bird's nest, which I've made with her hair while trying to towel dry it, would cause her a major pain in the ass…or pain in the head. But the way she's brushing her hair so brutally, it doesn't deserve this… she's totally abusing it.

She suddenly notices my presence at the doorway and pauses her actions… She whirls her head to see me. What am I doing here? I need to run, disappear. I made myself clear that I would come anywhere near her while she brushes that mess of her hair, or else making this mess with her hair should be the reason alone for her to come to put a stake in my heart. Yet I'm standing here… but the expressions on her face doesn't seem murderous at all, it seems rather helpless…

Elena's worn the clothes I've left for her on the bed… a dark blue camisole with a lacy neckline and a cute, short violet, blue stripped pj. I'm glad that she's worn it, even though she must have found the bag, in which I've brought her stuffs and raided through it, the tube of her moisturizer that was in there and currently laying on the counter, proves it… and the change of her aroma too… The floral sent of her shower gel is now replacing with something new, indicating that she's moisturized. Aside from the crow's nest on her head, she's a really pretty picture. And why wouldn't she be, with the body she has… she could wear a sack and yet look gorgeous. And again why wouldn't she be, she looks exactly like Katherine… and even a blind can't deny that Katherine –

"Damon", she calls out bringing me back to reality. "Help me?" she asks but her eyes seem to plead me in silent.

"Sure" I say softly as I come forth in the bathroom. I stand next to her and she uncertainly hands me the hairbrush, eyeing me once in the mirror. I start brushing her messed up hair with super tender strokes. There are massive knots and tangles in her hair. I have to do it really patiently, because if I hurry and try to apply force, I could really damage her hair severely. I feel pity as I try to unknot 'em. If I messed her hair as I mashed it with the towel earlier, she totally screwed it over. I saw the way she was brutally pulling and raking the brush through it, while cursing under her breath as if it was garbage, not her hair. Woman never tend to take care of their hair while they have it, only to regret later when they start loosing it… Anyway, who am I to judge, with my barely three inches long hair, which happened to be never introduced with a comb or brush? Carefully not to tear her hair from the root or scatter them from the middle, I run the brush through her hair and untangle it slowly. I take my time but, make sure to be tender… She's obviously in this state because of me. I'm responsible of all these shits… I keep thinking, only to be snapped back to reality as the bristles of the brush get caught in a major tangle and she lets out a small wail. I double the effort of making it more tender and ever so slowly stroke her hair with the brush. With time, the nasty knots vanishes one by one and the natural beauty of her chestnut silk starts returning to it's formal glory…

Katherine's was a shade or two darker and shorter by a few inch than Elena's… or may be it was because she always used to curl up her hair. Honestly, it looked kinda unnatural to me… That woman, I've never seen her perfect curls distorted... Never… even after we made love, her hair remained miracly intact. No woman in that era could have had their hair that perfectly rolled up and I remember each one of them being envious of her for her hair alone. Hair curling is easy now like snap of two fingers. Technology has ensured to that these days, but I don't know how she managed to do that in that period, but she did. It was another one of her secretes, I think snickering. Puff! Katherine and her secretes… Damn, she'd be so happy to know all these newest ways of hairstyling when I rescue her from the damned tomb underneath the Fell's Church. Suddenly, I know exactly what to give her as her 'Welcome to The 21st Century' present.

Elena's on the other hand looked pretty good as she'd always had her hair ruler straight. But the usual straightness of her hair is now long gone. Her moist hair is falling in cascades of natural waves on her back. She looks better like this. If she were mine, I'd have never let her use that damn iron to straighten her hair… it looks a lot better like this. I run my fingers down the length of her hair to make sure there's no tangle anymore… inwardly, I know that I couldn't resist the urge to touch her hair, to feel the softness… "Done", I murmur looking up the mirror, into her eyes.

"Thanks" she smiles. But I can't seem to take my fingers off from her hair.

"I like your hair… it's so soft and silky", I say mumbling more to myself rather complimenting her, while my fingers start playing with her hair. I really, really do like her hair. Each of her dark brown strands is alive under my fingertips. She doesn't seem to mind at all. I think she's rather liking it. As I stroke the delicate strands of her hair at the nape of her neck, behind her ear, she meowls and leans her head to my hand. My eyes unconsciously glance up and catch her reflection... it's surprisingly comforting that she's closed her eyes and relishing in the sensation and And my fingers seem to have a mind of their own as they start to entangle themselves in her silk locks… But as soon as I realize I'm totally ruining what I've worked so hard on, I'm messing her hair again, I pull away my probing fingers. I run the heavy hairbrush through her hair one final time, making sure to stroke off the tiny knots I've made. "You know, I could make a fine braid with you hair too", I mutter, stroking her hair, lightly crushing the tips, it feels like liquid silk under my fingers. Her long hair ends near her waist. My mother used to have long hair like her… may be longer and an old maid, named Judith used to braid my mother's hair every evening. I used to watch amused… that was a long time ago, even before Stefan was born. As a child I used to wonder that my mother's hair is a magical shield that'd protect me from any danger… I often used to play with her hair, I could hide my tiny body entirely under her hair and felt protected. I would laugh at those memories now… but I still do remember a great variety of styles to make different kinds of braids that most of the girls in this era can't even imagine.

"Really?" she asks raising her doe eyes to my ones in the reflection, locking them with mine.

"Really", I assure nodding confidently.

"Thanks. But, you don't have to Damon", Elena declines politely. "It's still wet," she says raking her fingers through her hair.

"Oh, right", I mumble… How incredibly stupid of me to forget that. "By the way, I'm responsible for this mess. I should have brought your hair dryer too", I say as I place her hairbrush down on the bathroom counter and turn to exit the bathroom.

I'm half way to my dear bed, when she calls out, "Damon." I pause briefly and turn back to face her. "I'm happy that you brought my stuffs here. It'd feel good to have my own stuffs around, while I'm staying here", she says softly before adding mumbling, "Considering that I didn't really get time to pack." She lowers her gaze down to her interlocked fingers. May be she didn't intend me to hear the last part… but I heard it perfectly. But if she didn't wanted me to hear it, then what goes in playing pretend…

"You're happy. I'm happy", I reply smiling smugly.

Elena stares up, catches my gaze and says, "But I'm not happy that you broke into my house."

"What? It was the only way around", I reply shrugging carelessly.

"There's always another way around, Damon", and here's the Righteous Elena is back on tracks… Who'd have ever thought they'd have to listen to someone's lectures who's at the age of their great, great, great, great, great, great… grandchild? I didn't. I'm clearly annoyed and I've made sure my expressions don't hesitate to imply that. But Little Miss goes on anyway,"You're just too impatient to find it."

"What now? Was I gonna compel your Aunt Hottie to pack your tampons?" is my irritated reply.

"Oh my God", Elena gasps in horror, before clasping her hands to her mouth. "You've hurt Aunt Jenna?" she states more than asking… I knew it'd head to exactly that accusation the second she'd heard me out.

"Hell, no, Elena", I reply really annoyed, "I don't always wander about hurting people for no reason." This seem to convince her that I didn't do anything else… She releases a long, heavy sigh in relief, closes her eyes and clutches her heart over the dark blue camisole she's wearing. Well, this is unnatural, didn't quite expect that she'd be convinced so soon. I expected her to pick up another fight, not trust what I said. Either way, it's more than fine by me. She sloppily walks past me, towards my bed. She stands by the edge of the mattress and gazes up at me as if asking permission to sit on it. I give her a nod, followed by a welcome smile and she makes herself home on my bed. Elena comfily sits on the bed with her legs crossed before her and leaning slightly against the giant headboard of my bed. I watch that she's trying to close her eyes, shifting to lean more comfortably against the wooden headboard. Exhaustion is written on her small features… She really needs rest. She's one very strong woman… in fact, the strongest one, I've crossed path in my entire existence. But after the way I tormented her for the last couple of days, even any supernatural would have been in a comatose situati – "Damon", she calls me and I'm snapped out of my thoughts… I gaze at her, she looks as if she's remembered something very important. "How are they?" she asks fervently…

Suddenness of her query makes me kind of lost in track. I stupidly ask, "Who?"

Elena gives me a death glare and shouts, "You didn't really do anything bad with them, did you?" to clearify more she adds, "My brother and Aunt Jenna?"

Wow! How incredibly stupid of me to think that she could possibly trust me! I'm not capable of that dreaded T-word. I walk down to the bed and drop my weight on top of the cozy mattress… awkwardly settle myself, so we're sitting face to face to each other. I don't know why the hell am I depressing about. For's sake, I should have never expected that she could trust someone like me. Yet for some reason, it stabs me in the heart like jabs of thousand needles… so I snap, "No, Elena you're brother's fine. I haven't touched a hair."

"And Jenna?" she asks focusing her suspicious gaze on me.

"Aunt Hottie?" I say rolling my eyes, "She's… perfect." I don't why do I need to defend myself to her, because none of this would matter anyway. I'll probably say it for the thousandth time that I hadn't hurt her brother or aunt, and she'll never believe a single word I say… so what the point of telling.

"You didn't compel her to do something else?" she ask damn confidently, while stimulating her mind imaginary mind reading power on it's fullest as she studies my each and every expression with a piercing skin and flesh stare. Damn! She doesn't even blink… She's trying to read me as if, she'd suddenly discover a bead of sweat on my forehead and yell, 'Gotcha…'

I fight back the urge to roll my eyes at her, or yell back… I reply calmly, "No."

"Didn't bite her?" Okay. Now, she's royally pissing me off…

"No, Elena", I glare raising my voice, "I didn't hurt her, I didn't bite her or didn't compel her to suck off my dick… Happy?" But the murderous look on her face doesn't need a word to say that she isn't one single bit happy at my truthful confession, neither does she believe a single word I said. "Believe it or not. Why do I care?" I say shrugging and making myself useful with folding the sleeves of my shirt up. Here's still a few wet patch from the shower here and there on my shirt… But I don't feel like taking it off and sleeping shirtless. I've tamed the dark serpent, that's horrifyingly hungry for her all the times, with a lot of efforts, I don't need to go through that anymore, unless really want to do something, which I know for sure, am going to regret later. Her lustful darkening orbs will be all I need to loose the control over my instincts and my silk boxer will come off in no time along with her attires with or without her will… And ruining a fresh shirt just to sleep through the night isn't exactly my style. So no, I'm not going through that path again and it's not like my shirt is totally drenched. Don't think just a slight moisture would harm my Egyptian sheets. I consider on pulling on a pajama on top of this boxer I'm wearing before we go to sleep too… That depends though. After rolling both the sleeves up to my forearms, I glance back up at her… and I'm really annoyed to see her venomous judgy look prevailing. Suddenly I feel this intense urge to pay back. "Btw that means by the way, she screams pretty loud, while the news guy was slamming into her", I say cocking an eyebrow, putting that infamous wicked smirk back on and her mouth gapes a big 'O' in horror… "Doggie style," I whisper my secret leaning my face to her ear.

"You freaky asshole", she screeches shoving her fists hard on the plane of my chest. I barely felt a thing… I'm entirely concentrated at her. God! the expression on her face as she realizes that I was snooping in on her aunt, while she was… umm… busy, is so priceless. Mission accomplished! I startle as all the sudden she grasps my collar and pulls down my face to her level, so our noses are touching, lips only centimeters apart… and her fiery eyes are blurring my rest of the world. "You invade into people's privacy again and I swear to God, I'll stake you in your sleep", Elena hisses.

"Stake me", I dare her, haughtily releasing my collar from her grips, "But don't insult me by ordering to stop stalking on people. Peeping Crow is my proudly nick name and snooping in on people is like my basic nature now. I can't change that," I explain as I put my best innocent expressions on.

"Then find me a stake", she utters through gritted teeth. Hell, this is so hot. She's fucking ordering me to find a stake so she can drive it straight through my heart.

"Now, wouldn't I be kind of stupid to fulfill your demands, Princess?" I ask innocently while doing the 'eye thing' that she calls it.

"Oh, yeah?" she arches one perfectly curved eyebrow, daring me… challenging me. "Coward", she whispers in a seductive voice. She knew that calling a proud, arrogant vampire like myself, Coward would do the work. I'd accept the challenge and bring her a stake. She somehow knew how to push my buttons… she did push the right button… but I decide to choose a detour route to play along.

"Buffy", I whisper back.

"Scaredy Cat", she shoots out.

"Scary Witch", I flare back, "Hell, you bicker girlishly, you know that?"

"Last I checked I was still a girl," she retorts immediately, "But I didn't take you to be that senseless, Silly Boy."

"I'm not a boy, Elena", I snap in an instant, "I'm a full grown man and kind of an old man I might say."

"Oh, yeah?" she says challenging, raising a eyebrow… a mischievous grin plastering across her lips, "But your actions proves other wise. If you're man enough, you'd go fetch me a stake."

"No, if I'm five years old, I wouldn't have done that still", I say back… because I still have quite the brain in my dumb head.

"Little Boy", she sing-songs smiling naughtily.

"Quarreling Queen", I sing back.

Hearing that Elena opens her mouth immediately after to retort something, but words escape her… she closes her mouth as she finds no word to repeat to me. She exhales sharply. Her shoulders drops in frustration, her brows knits in a beautiful frown, her lips pucker in a delicious pout, as if me calling her 'Quarreling Queen' have actually offended her. Well, may be it did. Yay! I'd beat her… she's wordless now, a part of my mind squeals in a childish joy. But I'm too amused to care right now. I look at her and all I wanna do is lean down and put that plump bottom lip in my mouth, in between my teeth and nibble on it, suck on it… Suddenly her upset expression changes into something mischievous again... "Gay", she calls out, her eyes glinting, her lips quirking up in a wicked smile.

My eyes widen at her accusation. Gotta admit, little girl's got the courage…But that's the one reason you're so attracted to her, aren't you? my dark mind questions. But I'm too angry to right now… She called me 'Gay'… Fucking Gay, Seriously? In all my existence, I've never been attracted to any male but the guy that shows up in the mirror, when I'm standing before it. Call me Narcissus or whatever… but the truth is I like myself. I know I'm no Gandhi… but I'm the way I am. And right now, I'm seething mad at her for calling me Gay. The smile on her lips tells me that she knew it already… she knew that it'd make me mad. My face must look bursting red and my nostrils flattened. I thought my angry look fears the hell out of her, but probably it doesn't. Because she's fucking giggling again. Elena's clamped her hands on her stomach and giggling ever so sweetly, vibrating my enormous bed in the process.

My anger doesn't linger any longer… I roll my eyes, huff and jump off the bed. "Alright, if that makes you feel any better…" I say giving up as I make my way to my drawers near the bathroom. I go through my neatly folded shorts. I glance back at her once, before I fish out the perfectly whittled dear old stake from underneath my underwears. Elena looks at me full of confusion. I don't still get it why am I keeping a perfectly carved weapon in my underwear drawer so that anyone can kill me in my sleep, I'm an in-the-moment kind of a guy. Hell, I don't even know why am I showing it to her. Yet, I find myself unable to stop. She's hurt me countless times… so have I. But I'm trusting her. I make my way back to the bed, where she's sitting. Her eyes widen in astonishment, with every step I take towards her. "Here…" I hand it to her, before settling myself in front of her cozily on the bed.

"Wait… what? Really?" she asks startling in surprise, glancing down at the stake in her hand as if she didn't believe that I just gave it to her…

"Sure. If you think killing me would solve your problems… then go for it…" I say shrugging my shoulders in nonchalance.

"Are you serious?" she asks horrified.

"Nope. I'm a clown with red nose" I say back in a made up serious tone. She lowers her gaze, bites her bottom lip. After a moment or two, she straightens up, huffs, then looks me directly in the eye and points the stake at my chest. I bite back my smile as she attempts her best to persuade her mind to her task, but she can't seem to do that. "What?" I dare her, as my eyebrows dance in a silent laughter, "Lacking courage? Or guilty conscious?"

Elena captures her bottom lip in between her perfect white teeth for a moment. She raises her eyes to meet mine and asks timidly, "Where's your heart?"

"Oh!" an incoherent mumble escapes my lips. I stroke my palm lightly over my shirt-clad chest, pointing the place underneath the layer of fabric, my skin, flesh and ribs, where my heart is suppose to be. "It's right here. You know what, I'll give you a better look", I say, while unfastening the top three buttons of my shirt as fast I could without ripping them off. I hear her faint gasp as if she was going to protest… but it fades away too soon. Even when I'm not looking, I could still see her lustful gaze on me. I could still smell the tension building up in the air… I could hear her heartbeat leaping at the sight of my torso as inch by inch of my skin bares to her. Once done, I hurriedly seize her free hand in mine. Sliding the thin material of my shirt aside, baring the left side of my chest, I press her palm over my heart… "Here", I whisper. I release my grip from over her hand but she doesn't take it off immediately. Her small palm's warm against my cold dead skin and her lively pulse beats against my heart. After what I assume seconds, minutes, her eyes dilate as she feels my non-beating heart under her palm.

I don't know much about anatomy, But this particular organ for a human, is life… it's the one organ that circulates life force within them.

But heart to a vampire is nothing more than just a keyhole to drive a stake through, to get rid of them when they become insufferable and a burden for a lover who might as well wait an eternity with the thin ray of hope for the one day when he'd be together with the one he considers to be his true love.

She holds my heart and I observe her expressions intimately as she realizes how dead I am already… before finally coming to realization that she's been resting her hand on my bare chest for way too long, that the simple touch of her warmth against my coldness is arousing us both in a primal way and she hurriedly pulls away… and I immediately miss the heat, the pulse of life.

Elena nervously runs her fingers through her slightly moist hair and steadies her breath. She grips the stake tighter. She looks me in the eye and then, "Guhhh…" she screeches before plunging the stake to my heart. Only it doesn't pierce my skin… she hadn't even tried to nor intended to. She'd made sure that her thrust tender enough so it just playfully poked the skin on my heart. She wants to play game. This is nice.

I go on playing along with her. "Aghhh… Goodbye Cruel World!" I cry holding my heart, dramatically drawing my last breath before rolling my eyes close, sticking my tongue out and collapsing on the bed with a huge thud. The mattress dips under my weight. Although the day I'd say Goodbye to the Cruel World, it'll be a lot less cruel, I think fussing inwardly. I think she thinks the same as I hear her bursting into a fit of laughter… the sweet sound of her giggle, echoing through each and every corner of my bedroom, is like music to my ears. She actually finds it hilarious, wow! Or, is it my childish act?

I snap open one eye and peep through it innocently, while my other eye is still close. I watch her smiling gorgeously. I prop up my head on my elbow. I smile back at her, before getting up on a sitting position before her. Wow! She seems a lot little sad… if that's what I need to do to make her smile… crack the silly side of me, then done… I sure can handle being silly around her rather than her evil punishing(fucking) captor. So I stay clam until her smile passes on, I stroke my fingers on her chestnut silk like hair. "Better?" I ask her, while sliding a rebellious strand of hair from her forehead and tucking it behind her ear.

"Hmm…" she nods. My gaze drops down on her lap… on the stake. An untamed panic starts to arise in my poor dead heart. She notices and grabs it from her lap and doubling my panic, she winds it around to observe it closely. I mentally prepare myself for what's coming next. "That doesn't mean I can't kill you", she says typically boring her eyes into mine before handing the stake to me… Wow! That's not what I expected.

I take it from her, can't help feeling like dancing in the delight that she's trusting me… she didn't do anything else, but she could have. Don't fly too high, Salvatore…my inner mind warns and I give him a good hard slap on the ass to shut him up.

"I know", I say before smirking that trademark 'one corner of the lips up' smirk of mine and she laughs rolling her eyes.

I fucking love it, when she does that. I don't know why on earth some guys have problems with their babes rolling their eyes at them. Man, I mean it brings out the cutest, sweetest things of her perfect features… Still digging cute sweet things? you're royally screwed, Salvatore, a little part in the back of my head scorns.

True! I, Damon Salvatore, am the first-rate womanizer across the country. Wherever I go, ladies from fifteen to fifty, give it or take, falls all around me instantly. Then when I'm done fucking the entire town, when I leave, I just compel them that I ever existed… they sometimes remember the times they had spent with an extremely handsome man, that taunts them for the rest of their lives and ruins any and all chances of happiness with another man. I don't do cute and sweet… sexy, fuckable are the words for me, not cute and sweet…

Well! Until now, the voice in the back of my head says huffing. Until now…

"What have you got?" seeing me lost in thoughts she calls out catching my attention, before tending to reach for the tray I placed on the bedside table. Oh! how did that totally slipped off my mind? The Macaroni and that Chicken preparation are probably cold as garbage and that Chocolate Tart has probably molten to a perfect specimen of disaster rather than dessert.

"Ah, ah, ah", I prevent her from doing so, jumping out of bed my self, "Allow me," I insist as I grab the tray before she could. I gently place the tray on her lap, before settling besides her on the bed.

She takes a glance at the bowls containing Cheese Macaroni and Chicken Marsala and her eyes brighten, her mouth gaps… She looks at me in unbelief, before picking a fork and starting her course. "Umm… it's good", she moans as soon as she tastes the food. I observe her as she eats… how totally uncivil of me. But I don't care, I just wanna watch as her features delight while she eats. We engage in short pointless conversations… But I notice that her gaze is often sliding to the glass bowl containing the Chocolate Tart. After a lot of biting lips and biting back the urge to ask, she finally gives up. "umm… Damon, would you mind if I skip the rest of these", she asks shyly, blushing crimson, "I don't wanna waste food. But I'd be really full if I eat it whole and I really wanna eat that chocolate tart."

"No, no it's fine", I assure her, "Would you mind if I consume the left overs?" Elena viciously nods her head 'no'. I take the dish from her and she immediately jumps for the Chocolate Tart. She grabs the bowl, jams the fork in it and picks a giant forkful of it. I chuckle at her eagerness. Elena raises her eyes to me, before she could bring the food to her mouth.

"You aren't mad, are you? The Macaroni was so good. The chicken too… But I really like chocolate", Elena says blinking her eyes couple of times as she shares her sinful fondness with me. I smile assuring that her secret is safe with me as I chew a forkful of her left overs.

Elena smiles back, then excitedly brings the fork to her mouth and neatly bites off the Tart. I pause eating just to enjoy the show as I watch her eyes rolling in the back of her head and low grumble erupts from her deepest corner, "Oh my God. This is so good, where did you bring it from?" she asks after only having one bite… I just lower my head and smile. Her eyes widens as I blush timidly… she realizes I'm the one that made it. And why wouldn't she the color of my face should be flushing like neon. "You made it?" she asks wide eyed in sheer surprise.

"Damon, you're a serious good cook. It's the best food I've ever eaten in Mystic Falls…" she compliments after a few more bites. I don't remember when have ever blushed so bright before… it's embarrassing. Because every time someone compliments my cooking, they get something cocky from me in reply, not this crazy-ass blush. Everything is different when I'm around her. "…after my Mommy", she says in a bare whisper. Then I remember, poor Elena has lost both her parents on a car accident a few months ago.

"Your Mommy, huh?" I say calmly… trying not to depress her, "So she was a great cook too?" I know it might be a sensitive subject for her. But she started it. I can't just be all monstrous and pretend not to care…

"Yes!" she squeals, "A lot better than you. She used to make all kinds of foods from different countries, different continents… and sometimes she created fusion foods… We absolutely loved everything she made for us." Weird, she's telling me about her dead parents and I'm not getting bored! Well, whado you know…

"Sounds like a pretty cool lady", I encourage her to go on.

"Yes. Yes. She was," says a very excited Elena, "I miss her… and her food. We guys haven't been eating anything like that after she passed away. Ever since Mommy died, we're imposed to eat Mystic Grill's grossly food", she says huffing and pouting her lips, "Aunt Jenna can't cook and I can't either…"

"I'll teach you", it leaves my mouth before I could even think…

Elena pauses eating and stares at me wide eyed for a few long moment… to see I'm insane or something. Seeing that I'm not taking back what I just said, she exclaims amused, "Unbelievable! Damon Salvatore, did you just tell me that you wanna teach me how to cook?"

"Yes. I believe in 'Sharing talents'… and since I don't have too many genuine talents to share to people, if you're up for it, I can teach you to cook", I admit honestly.

"Like you?" she asks, her eyes sparkling in a indescribable joy.

"That depends on how good student you are", I reply cockily. My guesses, she'll be as stubborn as always. She grins and pays her devotion back to the nearly finished bowl of Chocolate Tart.

"You know, my Mommy was starting to teach me cooking… I can make Apple Pies and Pancakes, although they're nowhere near good as Mommy's", says Elena. I love the way she's opening up to me… God! would it kill to be it this way always, instead of the way it had been?

"I'd like to eat," I state.

"Jeremy says they're nauseating," she says grumbling.

"I'd still like to eat", I say chuckling under my breath.

"Daddy never disheartened me though, neither did Mommy. She always said I'd improve with time and practice", she says dreamily. A strange light shines on her chocolate eyes as she reminisces those moments.

"True", I supporting her completely. By the time, she's finished her dear Chocolate Tart, I've finished the food that she left over too. She picks up the napkin and neatly wipes her face with it, and hands too… then discards it into the bowls. I match her process with another napkin. She grabs the bottle and swallows a great amount of water in a few quick gulps… I almost dread that she's gonna choke on that and feel relived as she quits drinking… I set the tray of empty bowls and water bottle aside on the nightstand and return to the bed, to my sitting position. Now I dread the silence that's prevailing in here… I should have never let the topics get this serious… From all my experience with Elena, I can tell that everytime it gets this silent, something really bad happens at the next moment.

"God! I miss them so, so much…" Elena breaks the silence, morning about her dead parents… her eyes are moisten. I could calm her down. I'm not an expert on dealing with a crying woman, but I know I could. But I'm having this feelings like, if I let this to go that way, something really bad is about to happen. So I'm not letting it go that way.

"That reminds me…" I hop off the bed once again and dash out in my vampire speed to my walk in closet around the corner. I return in no time with a small velvet blue jewelry box in my palm. "I got you something", I announce profoundly.

Elena stares at me amused as stand in front of her and bit by bit open the lid. I focus all my attentions on her as her eyes widen at the sight of what's inside of the box. It's a necklace with a small silver pendent. Well, the pendent is actually noting but the small charm sized metal house that was cemented at the bottom of the snow globe that my mother gave me a century an a half ago… it was the only last good memory I had of her and Elena, my Princess happen to had it broken in order to torture my ass. It was the last connection I had to my mother… aka my humanity. Oh, I'm not sorry. Rather grateful actually, because it tore the last string that was attaching me to my humanity. Believe me, that's the best thing that happens to us, vampires that we can switch off our humanity… and the closer we get to no humanity, no attachments, the better we are.

"It's the house that was in the snow globe that I broke?" asks Elena, raising her eyes to meet mine while she brings her fingertips to touch the pendent lightly. Elena had recognized the house as the pendent within a split of a second, even though I thought the original house isn't really recognizable anymore with all the makeovers I've had done on it…

"Yeap."

"You coated it with silver?" she asks again.

"Yeap!" I confirm once again. I had the house electroplated with silver so it doesn't disintegrate… and besides it looks like a beautiful pendent now with the sliver layers on it.

Yes! That was the diabolical masterplan I was talking about earlier…

As soon as the sun went down this evening, I went to an infamous jewelry shop of Mystic Falls near the Town Square, then compelled the jeweler to electroplate silver over the tiny house. I told him to embed little square Ruby stones in the place of the small windows, and bigger rectangular pieces of Lapis Lazuli stones in the places of the doors with a single tiny diamond carved on each doors to look like doorknobs… I also instructed him to embed sprinkle diamonds sparsely on the rooftop. It's not like I compelled the jeweler to make it for free, I paid him well-enough, I just compelled him to do all this within two hour. The house is small and the four sides are identical and with the two small red windows and one blue door in between and the roof tiles loosely beaded in sprinkle diamonds, it looks a very adorable pendent and if I know anything about fashion, this little piece of jewelry will go with everything. And also, it kinda looks like a charm, it can be attached to a bracelet and worn as a charm bracelet…Only if she accepts it. So, I wait for her reply…

"It's beautiful", she murmurs smiling, her fingers are still grazing over the cool surface of the metal.

"Glad you like it…" I say licking wet my desert dry lips, "I want you have it."

"Why?" she questions, locking her eyes with mine.

"Because… it's a vervain necklace," I say unblinking while scanning her every reactions carefully as I tuck the small box in her palm. Because I know it's the most awkward incident happening right now, 'cause not a day ago I was the malicious piece of shit that bled her dry only to kick every ounce of vervain out of her, just because I was feeling out of control and I don't like losing control. Control Freaky Monster, she says… cent percent correct! But now, I need her to have this vervain. Don't worry much, 'cause it's another part of my control issue too. So, I lick my lips tensely and say locking my gaze with hers, "I want you to take it, so it assures you from … you know, my mind compulsion."

Elena asks raising her Bambi eyes, "You're giving me a vervain necklace?" And here we go, Honey… She lowers her gaze down to her hands holding velvet blue box containing the silver necklace, then raises her eyes back to me. She asks, her voice barely louder than a whisper, "I don't understand, Damon. You bled me out less than 24 hours ago just because you needed vervain out of my system… and you're giving me a vervain necklace now, why?"

I twist my mouth, before emitting deep trails of sighs. "Trust me, Elena… that's what I've been asking myself for the last 24 hours", I admit. "I can't… I can't find the answer. I guess, I really and desperately need your trust right now. It's no trick, Elena. Trust me…" I say murmuring. Inwardly I know she's gonna slap me for my freakiness, then throw my house pendant away. It's okay, I well deserve it. But I need to keep my temper in control. Because if I don't, I'd be doing the things again that I'd forget my limits and I'll hurt her "So… will you take it?" I mutter uncertainly.

"Damon, I can't…" she refuses politely… actually a lot politer than I expected… Yet my heart cringes. But then she speaks, "It was the last aide memoir of your mother and", she adds sheepishly, lowering her voice to almost inaudible, "…I was the one who destroyed it."

"Yes! That's exactly why I need you to take it, because you're the one responsible for destroying it. Now every time I look at it and I don't know… something happens… something bad", I try to explain desperately, "I just want it gone", I say huffing.

"So that's why you want me to have it, so you can make me feel guilty every moment, every second… a guilt that'd swallow me whole and will be the constant reminder of the bad things I've done to you… so it keeps me in check?" yells Elena, as all the sudden she jumps off the bed and shoves her fist in my chest. The impact was sudden enough to make me take a good couple of steps backwards.

I immediately sprint forwards. Grasping her both of her upper arms, jerking her to her feet, I spit out, "Oh! God forbid, Elena. I want you to take it so it keeps me in check."

"I can't…" she states looking directly in my eyes.

"Christ, Elena", I shout releasing my grips on her arms and throwing mine ones in the air in annoyance, "Can you not see that I'm willing to permit you to have vervain around you, so you don't live every second with the fear of me compelling you do something you don't wanna do… I'm willing to let go of that power to get inside of your head, just because I need you to trust me. Stop seeing trick in everything I do… I'm not that diabolical type. I was responsible for your safety when I brought you here and I still am. It might shock you, but I try to be nice just for you, but we both know being nice isn't my strongest suit", I admit straightforwardly, "So it's your choice, you can accept this necklace for your own good… or you can live with the fear for the rest of your stay and let me revel in that fear."

We both stand in silence, until she shifts. She goes back to the bed and comes up with the box in her hand. I wait for her to toss it onto my nose. But as always she surprises me as she holds out the box to me and asks, "Can you?"

"Ah… Absolutely", I answer as soon as I snap out of my startled state. I pick the necklace from it's box and she turns her back to me. It's an utter coincidence, that my full-length mirror is right in front of her when she turns back from me. Elena glances at my reflection for a moment and our eyes lock and I immediately feel the connection, the heat radiating around us… I know she feels this thick tension between the two of us too. I can tell it by the way her heart is pacing up and she's swallowing in anxiety. But soon, she's the one that breaks the eye contract as she slides her hair, revealing her swan neck. I encircle it around her neck, then secure the clasp at the back of her neck. I peer through her shoulder and look into the mirror… she raises her eyes and our eyes lock again. "Looks beautiful on you", I murmur to her ear, never breaking the eye contract of our reflections.

"Thank you", she says smiling slightly. 'You're welcome' I mouth and her smile brighten. She peeps down and her eyes glints at the sight of the silver pendent hanging below her torso, the perfect sight of silver in contrast with the dark blue fabric of her camisole. "The chain's long", she says while entwining her slender fingers around the slick silver chain… My chain…

"It's mine", I say briefly, "I… I don't have any girly chain in my closet unlike some other guys and… It's the shortest one I have. You can wear it with your ones after you go home." Only if she wants to, my inner mind pokes in the back of my head… so I add, "Only if you decide to keep it."

In answer, Elena lets out a giant yawn… my Pretty Kitten! But seeing that she didn't reply afterwards only sleepily gazes at me, I take it that she's considering and she needs sometime in order to do that. "You should get some rest", I state.

Elena turns to me… with a very confused look imprinted on her face. "You're gonna let me sleep in here?" she asks pointing her thumb back over her shoulder at my bed, "…with a vervain necklace that won't let you compel me?" she continues arching her brow higher, "…not tie me up?"

"Hmmm…" I murmur as I think. "Yes, yes and no," I answer all at once. The idea of is tempting though…she tied up in my bed… all sprawled, while I do wicked things beyond my imaginations – Ufff… get a grip, Dick, my subconscious calls off and I shake off those thoughts… Like, haven't I done enough sinister things to her already!

"Can I trust you not to do anything bad with me?" she asks firmly.

"Yes", I reply at once as if I was waiting for this question to be asked, "And I trust you not to do anything bad with me", I state looking directly in her eyes before adding, "Or yourself…" I watch as she swallows hearing me. So I lean in closer, boring my eyes straight into hers, consuming her gaze, I ask, "You're not gonna make me regret it, are you?"

She thinks for a few long uncomfortable moments before lowering her head to her lap. "I'm tired, Damon", she says sighing. Didn't answer my question, I think in the back of my hand. I watch as she avoids my question excusing herself for the sake of her human exhaustion. She sleepily climbs the bed. I follow behind her and sit besides her as she lays down on her back, "Is it too bad for me to not brush my teeth before I go to sleep? I'm tired," she mumbles, playing with her new necklace, twisting her fingers along the long silver chain.

"This, Elena, is a very poor manner", I scowl her, pretending to scold a three years old. "But I think, we can grant one night. We'll surely do it tomorrow night. Okay", I assure her, while sliding away her still slightly damp hair from her forehead and she smiles weakly… Man, she really looks tired.

"Good night, Damon," she says to me before rolling over and turning her back to me, lying on her side.

"Good night, Elena", I say back in a bare whisper, before pulling my golden-brown-black patterned duvet up to her shoulders. She shifts before cozily tucking herself deeper into that duvet so that only her head is out, with her long silk hair sprawled all over the pillow… my pillow. I didn't notice before she's laying on my side of the bed, on the pillow, I sleep on every night… But I'd surely notice that every following night when I sleep on that one. Honestly I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep a blink with that intoxicating, yet innocent fragrance of her lingering all over my pillow. That's how much she has her effects on me. I watch as she snuggles her face in the comfy textile of that Italian duvet of mine, like a little kitten purring… or a little butterfly in it's silk cocoon… and I can't suppress a low laugh. Then slowly I lay down on my back besides her over the duvet, so it's separating our bodies from touching. Vampires don't feel temperature anyway. Bending my right hand, I fold it beneath my head, I rotate my head towards her and keep thinking and thinking… her breathing calms gradually and her heart rate peaces. Guhhh… I don't think I can do this anymore… I need to say it to her… I move over on my emperor-sized bed, until I reach her back. I draw out my hand and hesitantly touch her duvet-clad shoulder. "Elena," I call her murmuring, unsure if she's still awake or not.

I don't know where I'm at.
I'm standing at the back
And I'm tired of waiting…
Waiting here in line, hoping that I'll find what I've been chasing…

"Hmm?" she responds humbling, but she doesn't turn back.

Okay this will do. I snuggle in closer and say, "Elena, I don't know if you can ever forgive me… and it's okay, because I know, I don't deserve your forgiveness…" my voice chokes in my dessert-dry throat as I continue, "But I just wanted you know, I'm sorry. I truly am… I regret every step of the way I had to take to punish my brother for taking away my ring." Elena stirs before of me, but still doesn't turn to face me. "I had no right to ruin your life and I'm so, so sorry for doing all those terrible things to you", I go on as I stroke her back slightly through the fluffy duvet.

I shot for the sky
I'm stuck on the ground
So why do I try, I know I'm gonna to fall down
I thought I could fly, so why did I drown?
Never know why it's coming down, down, down.
Oh I am going down, down, down
Can't find another way around
And I don't want to hear the sound, of losing what I never found
.

Elena doesn't turn back, my heightened vampire senses detect a faint hint of salted moisture. I smell her tears. I hear her holding back her sniff, before she says, "Happy to know that you haven't lost everything… you still have the ability to feel remorse." My heart sinks. This doesn't satisfy any of the query I was so desperately seeking for. And what exactly am I seeking for? her to forgive me… her to yell at me that she can never forgive me... her to cry… her to whirl around and curse me, hit me, kick me in the balls… I don't know. There's a sharp contrast of expectations going on in my mind right now. Part of me wants her to forgive me give me a chance to start afresh, where as another part of me wants her to despise me for rest of her life for what I did to her. Part of me wants scream at her to state clearly if I'm forgiven or I never will be… another part of me wishes that she might not state it aloud that she can never forgive me, because I don't think I can handle that… or may be I can. I hold my breath and I assume she's doing the same too… so the only disturbing sound is crickets outside in the woods. After a long awaited silence, she finally speaks, making her voice firmer, "But this wouldn't undo anything, would it?"

An elongated sigh emits from my lungs as if her cold voice jams a wooden spear in my heart. "I guess no…" I say in her ear in a bare whisper, before shifting away, lying on my back… another distressed sigh emits from deep within my chest. I keep my eyes glued at the ceiling, while my heart burns in an excruciating pain. My visions blur as I feel the so unfamiliar presence of moisture building in my eyes and an unexpected droplet of tear slips through my lashes…

I shot for the sky.
I'm stuck on the ground
So why do I try, I know I'm gonna to fall down…
I thought I could fly, so why did I drown?
Oh it's coming down, down, down…

I'm a monster who knowingly ruined everything that she treasured the most…


Music for the Chapter: Jason Walker- Down.

Author's Note: Sweet wasn't it! I hope you guys enjoyed. Now big question is, do you guys want things to be this sweet? Please, please, please guys review and let me know if you guy want Damon's this sweet side to linger longer or should Elena do something stupid again and screw this up.

Now, It's so exciting, isn't it that Damon and Elena are finally happily together. Even though it sucks that our Ian and Nina broke up in real (Although I find it hard to believe… and I'm still not letting this go and moving on). They said right that Damon and Elena are in their honeymoon phase, did you guys see how often Elena keeps calling Damon, sweet isn't it?

Now, how many of you are pissed because they selected someone named Charlie Hunnam, not Ian as Christian Grey? Don't wanna offend anyone if you're his fan or anything… but seriously this guy is nothing like the Christian Grey we pictured from E.L. James's definition of Christian Grey. Not dark haired, no heavy eyelashes, no angelic face, no happy trails… etc. etc. I mean this man has a masculine body for sure, but come on guys which good actor doesn't have a fine body? I just wanna say, I never pictured Ana as someone, but the only one in this planet I pictured to be Christian is Ian, and I still do and I'll always do. I hear there's a petition going on against this cast. If somehow Ian gets casted as Christian, then and only then I'm going to watch the movie. Unless I'm not even gonna look at a poster, or trailer or anything… I boycott because I cannot ruin my fantasy. I'd like to know you guys opinion about this too…

By the way, It's time for Durga Puja n Diwali in my country. It's like even bigger occasion in our religion than Mary Christmas is to you guys… We wait for these days breathless for over a year and when the time comes, my city- Kolkata just turns into a little piece of heaven, even brighter than Rio in The Carnivals… And millions of people descend upon the streets of Kolkata to share their love and joy. So we've done shopping for our dear ones and sent the gifts to 'em, I myself have bought loads of lovely dresses and accessories n ready to celebrate. So I wish all of you, Subha Saradiya! May Devi(Goddess) Durga slay the Mahisasura(Monsters) of your lives and bring an end to all of your sufferings and sorrow and bless you with happiness… [P.S- If you guys are interested and willing to know more about Indian culture and mythology, please feel free to PM me. I'm not an expert of something, but I'll try my best to fulfill your queries.]