Yeah, that's right. I'm back, bitches. And I am your new proxy. Review, ladies and gentlemen (;

It's been such a long time because I had school. And a life. Both those things COMBINED can prove to be very time-consuming. But I'm here again because I was inspired once more.

So, like the Season Two premiere, let us pick up where we last left off, shall we?

My love has concrete feet . . . My love's an iron ball . . . Wrapped around your ankles . . . Over the waterfall . . .

It was 8:04 when the thud of a car trunk being slammed shut woke me up. Not that I hadn't been going in and out of sleep since the bright, fiery Arizona sun rose just behind the beautiful red rocks, shading the sweet little town of Sedona.

I inhaled sharply, the lovely scent of the desert filling my nose, awakening my senses completely. My eyes squinted against the harsh sunlight of the morning, and I looked for the source of the sound that had awoken me. I traveled up the short, narrow pathway and found Damon at the trunk of this car, surveying the area.

I was nervous to say anything or mention the previous night. I only waited for Damon to notice me, which took less than a second. He smiled at me, his acknowledgement, and then said in that velvety voice that was lathered with the utmost confidence, "Good morning, Elena."

I beamed, grinning ear to ear. "Good morning," I replied. "What's on the agenda for today?"

His smirk was irresistible. "Well we have get on the road right now, hop on I-10 and make it to Los Angeles before your boyfriend has an aneurism." Damon said the word "boyfriend" in such a disdainful, derivative way that made me cringe. And then frown.

"Stefan called?"

"Yes, he did, with a clear warning to stay away from you."

I ignored the second part of his statement. "Any news about Katherine?"

"Apparently she's made dozens of advances. She's quite angry and now she knows all about you. Stefan said he hadn't seen her the past few days." However, he stared deeply into my eyes, searching, instead of hustling me anywhere. He narrowed his eyes and then asked me sternly, "Elena, didn't you hear me say that Stefan warned me in a very intimidating manner to stay away from you?"

I sighed. "Yes, I did. But I didn't want to."

Damon cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

I could only roll my eyes in response. I turned away from him and hopped into the passenger's seat.

Damon sped away from Airport Mesa, going at a blinding speed. I had to clutch the sides of my seat as we zoomed onto I-10 in a matter of minutes. Once we had merged onto the gigantic freeway, he slowed down. I threw him a dirty look and Damon only shrugged.

I wanted to talk to Damon about what had happened last night.

Nothing horrible or adulterous had happened, but I was still tied to Stefan, and Stefan would be angry if he knew. Waves of guilt sailed over me, lapping up on my shores. I loved Stefan so much, and I knew that he loved me more than anything. Stefan and I were near perfect for each other. We fit together so well, two cogs meshing together impeccably. It was right, there wasn't a kink in our relationship. We never disagreed, we never fought over things, and if we did, it was quickly resolved by one of us submitting because we just loved the other too much to argue. It was always so orderly and neat, everything fitting together nicely, everything moving and flowing together without a hitch. It was pleasant for a while, not having to worry about vampire boyfriend drama. But I was just realizing how actually, the entire thing was very boring. There wasn't any true passion. Of course there was a fair amount of passion, but it was like the basic, instinctual sort of passion where you fight and then have to have each other's bodies the next second. That was a beautiful sort of passion. The passion Stefan and I had was only okay, only so-so.

However, with Damon . . . there was the deepest sort of passion. There had always been a very instant connection. And I constantly wanted to through him down and he connected to him in more ways that one, only hoping that he could feel the same. But because of this profound passion, I did know he felt the same, and it was such a magnificent feeling. This sort of beautiful infatuation was a basic of all humans, yet it was one of the hardest to come by in the entire universe. What point was there in wasting it? I had to utilize this fervor, the ardor that people rarely ever found in their lives. I wouldn't be doing justice to all the people in the world who only settled instead of finding this amazing passion. I had to take advantage of a Damon for the people who settled for a Stefan.

I glanced over at Damon, who was concentrated on navigating our way through the masses of traffic. One look, and I knew the passion was there. It was there, smoldering beneath the surface, slow burning embers and a blaze brighter than the sun. It was a spectacular conflagration. But then it dawned on me: this was a conflagration that only the lucky people experienced, but it was also the sort cursed people experienced. This sort of passion and slow burning fire could be a wild and beautiful thing. But it could also be the sort of thing that could leave me covered entirely in third degree burns. It was dangerous to play with a love so heated and passionate. But it could be worth it in the end.

Damon swiveled toward me, and I realized I had been staring at him intensely for several minutes. His eyes flashed as he asked, "Have you zoned out completely, Elena?"

It seemed like a rude thing to say, but I could see the concern in his blue eyes. I smiled sweetly and answered, "Yes."

"You never daze off like that."

"Only with you around."

The possibility of third degree burns was so worth the possibility of having ignited passion. It would set my entire life on fire, and that was worth it to me anyway.

But there was always the manner of Stefan. Poor Stefan. He would be overcome with grief. It's not like I wanted to hurt him or like I was getting some sick sort of pleasure from hurting the one who loved me so. I knew it was all for the best though. I didn't want to settle, and it shouldn't be that way for Stefan either. He deserved as much passion as I did. I just wasn't the right girl to give it to him; he needed to find a better source. A source that seemed almost handpicked. As with Damon for me.

Seven hours seemed to fly by with Damon. Before we knew it, it was already three in the afternoon and we were already driving through Los Angeles, searching for a cheap hotel to stay in for the night. I had never been to L.A., much less California, and seeing the sights I had so often seen in movies and TV shows was exciting. And I had the rest of the afternoon to explore it with Damon, who promised that he knew his way around this city. It wasn't even that I was going with an experienced tour guide and getting everything out of the city that I could, but instead that my experienced tour guide was Damon!

Who I was falling for.

The words poured down on me like rays of sunshine, warming me up inside and out. I was falling for Damon. I was falling so hard, harder than I'd ever fallen for anyone before. It was exhilarating, igniting my life with brilliance and zeal. It was such a lovely thing. It was like falling in love for the very first time, maybe better.

My excitement soon slowed when I thought this. It felt as though I was falling in love for the first time . . . was I?

It seemed like a stupid question, but I allowed my imagination to run away with it anyway. Had I ever truly been in love with Stefan?

No, that was completely absurd. Of course I'd been in love with Stefan. I might even still be. What the hell was I talking about?

The love was just different. One was stagnant and traditional. The other, totally on fire!

I smiled to myself and retreated from the car as soon as Damon pulled up to a Hilton Hotel. He grabbed my bags from the trunk and he walked together from the parking lot to the lobby of the hotel. Damon and checked us into one room and hopefully one bed, and we went up to the third floor to unload my things.

We made it to the room. I passed by a mirror and caught my reflection from the corner of my head. I turned back and surveyed myself completely, gasping. I looked terrible! I needed a shower and to reapply my makeup as soon as possible. I ran to my bags and shuffled through my things in order to find my makeup bag. I think sprinted to the bathroom. I saw Damon's confused eyes watching me as I hurried. I couldn't ignore him. I turned to him before entering the bathroom and asked, "Why didn't you tell me I looked so disgusting today?"

His eyebrows pulled together and his eyes narrowed, limiting my view of his undying blue irises. "Because you didn't," he answered me. "You always look beautiful, Elena."

I was blindsided. Beautiful?

I stepped toward him. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"Of course I think you're beautiful. But it's not just your looks, even though your looks are very gorgeous. You're kind and caring. And your smile could light up a room. Everything about you is absolutely stunning. Why wouldn't I acknowledge your beauty?"

I was overcome, and I wanted to tell Damon that I believed I was falling for him. But somehow, the words escaped me, and I couldn't find them in my jumbled mouth. The only two words that tumbled out, thankfully in the correct order, were: "Thank you."

He smiled. But he seemed wounded.

I slipped into the bathroom, not breaking his stare and hopped into an hour-long shower.


I heard the water squeak on and Elena lurch into the shower. She seemed as if assailed when I spoke to her directly from my very inner and quite personal thoughts.

Everything I had spoken had been true, and it always had been. From the moment I saw her I thought she was beautiful. From the moment I saw Katherine, I thought Katherine was beautiful as well. It only made sense to think Elena was beautiful too. But after being with Elena as closely as I had been, I realized she was so much more beautiful than Katherine. Elena cared for everyone, she was so warm and happy. She was the sort of person someone is suppose to surround oneself with. And all I wanted to do was surround myself with Elena.

But she seemed so ambushed when I told her how beautiful I knew she was. Was she unhappy with my statement, not returning my feelings? Or was she merely not expecting it? I hoped for the second one, but braced myself for the first one as I heard the water shut off. It had been an entire hour that I'd been pondering this and Elena had been showering.

Elena retreated from the bathroom, the steam from the shower escaping from behind like ghosts. Her hair was dark and wet, and she didn't have any makeup on. She was breathtaking, absolutely stunning. She was at her prettiest in her most natural state.

Her eyes met mine and they danced playfully. "What are you staring at?" she asked in a lighthearted fashion.

I smirked. She grabbed some clothes and returned to the ghost-filled bathroom. She later left the bathroom in a pair of jean shorts and a blue T-shirt, her hair dried and her face full of makeup. A dab of disappointment welled inside me, but I didn't think too much about it because Elena always looked beautiful, I didn't have to worry.


After an afternoon of exploring the strange and amazing sights of Los Angeles. Damon and I decided to meet up with an old friend of his, who was a vampire. He assured me he'd do anything to protect me if anything happened. I believed him.

We met at a small but overly crowded bar and restaurant. Damon and I wove our way through the throng of the people. Their voices and the voices of the football game spectators on the different TVs were deafening. We finally squeezed our way through to a table where a single man sat alone with a beer in hand. When he turned to us, his face lit up and he greeted Damon. I was introduced, but I wasn't in the mood to be cordial. There was a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach, churning.

Damon and the man talked idly for a while, drinking and laughing, but I didn't want to drink or join in the conversation. I kept a weary eye on the large crowd. I wasn't sure why I was so keen on looking out for myself, but I was. This growing feeling of anxiety and sense of danger that lingered deep in my stomach, boiling and churning, was somehow a warning. It had to be. It was so strong, ominous and foreboding. How could I ignore such a powerful message as this one?

Maybe I was overreacting though. Damon asked if I was okay when his friend ordered a round of beers, and I nodded. I told him about the strange sense of danger I felt and his forehead crinkled. He said he would look out. This calmed me. I had a beer.

As I nonchalantly sipped my drink, the chatter around me only white noise, I saw someone out of the corner of my eye at the bar. She seemed extremely familiar, so I turned to get a better look. Her back was turned to me, but it seemed like a back I'd seen dozens of times before. Her face shifted a fraction and I squinted to get a better look. But I first blinked, and when I opened my eyes again, she was gone.

I thought of the glimpse of the face I had seen.

It seemed like a face I'd seen so often, from the glance of it I saw: tan skin, sloped nose, dark eyes and hair. So familiar . . .

I gasped in recognition, my face transfixed with the horror of the realization.

Damon pulled himself away from his conversation. His eyes flashed. "Elena, what is it?" he asked in a low voice though I knew the other vampire beside us could hear all too well.

"Someone . . . she . . . Katherine!" I hissed with fear.

"What?" Damon jumped up, and grabbed my arm roughly, herding me out of the bar, leaving his friend behind. I didn't hear his friend say or ask anything as we left abruptly.

It was very dark outside when we reached the parking lot, but Damon had a very firm grip on me. He sounded as though he was mumbling to himself: "Katherine? Why?"

Damon fished the car keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. He yanked the door open but as soon as he did, there was a flash and the door had slammed shut again. Damon pulled me to him, protecting me as the flash passed by us again. "Katherine?" he cried.

The flash stopped in front of us, revealing to us Katherine, sleek and dangerous, identical to me. I was astounded. Her laughter was an innocent tinkle, but I heard such malicious intent behind it. She smirked evilly and said, "Hello, Damon. It's been an awfully long time."

Damon didn't move, his eyes fixed on her, watching her every move, ready to pounce if need be. "Katherine," he greeted her evenly.

"You're not giving me the cold shoulder, are you, Damon?" Her voice was so mocking and so cruel. She turned her attention to me, all traces of mocking and unkind playfulness vanishing leaving only her malignant intent. "You," she addressed me. "You're Elena, aren't you?" Her smile was sickeningly sweet. "I won't hurt you. I'm merely fascinated by you. You truly are identical to me, Isobel wasn't kidding. And you're in love with my Stefan, is this correct?"

My mouth went dry, fear rising in me, heightening and conquering all of my senses. "You can have Stefan," Damon spoke for me.

Katherine pouted. "Well he told me I couldn't." Her eyes flashed to me. "He was already taken."

And in that miniscule fraction of a second that proceeded, Katherine lunged at me, grappling at my neck, her face the face of a demon ready to kill. She bit down and before I knew what she'd done, a pain stronger than I could imagine coursed through me. I screamed, the agony amplified by every passing second that Katherine's teeth ripped through my flesh and veins to find the treasure they hid: blood.

Then she ripped from me by Damon, who threw her clear across the lot. I fell to the ground, my hand to my neck. The blood was pouring out, pumping relentlessly, spilling across the asphalt. The pain had subsided, but just barely. I was still in excrutiating agony.

It consumed me, and my hearing began to fade in and out. The corners of my vision became black, and I couldn't tell when or if I was conscious anymore. Far away, I saw Damon and Katherine fighting. They were mostly only blurs that paused long enough to see their defined shapes. The man inside joined, but seemed to be fighting against Damon. I wanted to help him so badly. I would've done whatever I could. But there was nothing I could do but fade away on the cool concrete.

What seemed like hours of darkness finally, a light came to me. It was white and blinding. The light of a hospital room.

Steady beeping filled my ears as well as the scribble of a pen somewhere nearby. The room came into focus. I saw a doctor standing in the corner of my vision. I turned slightly. But that slight turn caused bolts of pain to shoot through my neck and I cried out. The doctor turned away from whatever he was scribbling. He crouched to my eyelevel and the pain in my neck subsided. My hand found the gauze and explored the tender area.

The doctor smiled. "Hello, Elena. Good to see you awake."

I moaned and then mumbled, "How long was I out?"

"Well someone found you lying beside a car, gushing blood, around 12:45 last night. And it's around," he checked his wristwatch, "3:30. So you've been out for about fifteen hours. You were out for a while. The blood loss was unimaginable though. You're lucky you were found when you were, or you would have died from the blood loss."

I nodded; short zaps of pain resonated throughout my spine and skull as I did so. "That is lucky."

He smiled. And then a voice from farther away cried with such worry, such anxiety and caring: "Elena?"

I half expected it to be Stefan. But I was overcome with bliss when I saw Damon's perfect face.

"Damon!" I cried, my voice cracking as tears streamed down my face. I didn't know why I was silently crying, the tears falling seamlessly. I must have been in such prime bliss at seeing his face.

"Elena!" he cried again. He looked over me. I then realized I had all manner of tubes and needles come in and protruding out of me. I must have looked horrible.

Despite knowing I must look awful, I mumbled, my voice scratchy and low, "I'm fine."

Damon snorted. "This is not fine. Elena, I'm so sorry –"

I cut him off, "Damon. You couldn't have stopped her. Yes, you're very strong, but she's older than you. You couldn't have stopped her."

He nodded, but his eyes filled with sadness. He came forward, and cradled my head in his hands gingerly. He kissed my forehead. "I'm so, so sorry, Elena." He pulled away and then gazed into my eyes deeply, gauging my thoughts. However, I was hypnotized by his eyes, and could only allow him to traverse my mind, not that I minded anyway. "Elena," he finally started, "He doesn't love you like I love you."

His words were the most powerful thing I had ever overcome. My breathing became jagged. "What?"

"Stefan doesn't love you like I love you."

I was inundated with happiness. "You love me?"

"I love you."

Embattled by ecstasy, besieged with harmony. Absolutely snowed under. "I love you too."

We shared a smile meant for only us two.

Yay(:

REVIEW IT. I need your reviews. It has been a while, and I need them. So yeah. REVIEW!

Ahh, it's good to be back :D