NINE:

Elena stood outside in the winds of the coming winter. It had been nearly five minutes since she'd called Damon about the arson at Maymont. She was beginning to think that he wasn't going to come until she saw a bright set of headlights emerge in the distance.

Elena let out a sigh of relief.

He wasn't mad enough to leave you alone in the cold.

Of course not, Damon was too protective and worried about her to just leave her alone.

Damon's car quickly pulled into the lot that Elena was standing beside.

"Damon, thank god," Elena swallowed as she went to stand by his window.

"Get in the car, now." Damon snapped as she bent to look at him. Absent-mindedly, she backed away.

Damn, he was scary when he was angry. And when he was angry, he was unpredictable.

Damon's eyes were now blazes of fire as they regarded Elena more angrily.

"So help me, Elena, if you don't get in the god damn car-"

"I'm going to get in, just please don't be angry at me," she whimpered nervously as she slowly opened the passenger door and slid in.

"Angry?" he laughed coldly. "Elena, I'm infuriated with you."

Not good.

"Okay, then, infuriated," Elena muttered as she slid her safety belt on.

"Wait, where are we going?" Elena asked nervously when she saw Damon pass her turn to her house. It was already bad enough that he was angry with her, no, infuriated with her. Now he was whisking her away to safety in some tower.

Too theatrical.

"My apartment,"

"What? Why?" The panic in Elena's voice was obvious as she looked around frantically.

"Because there's no way in hell you are going back to your house after some psychopath, who I assume is the same sleezeball who wrote that blackmail note, burnt down the park that we just so happened to be at."

"Damon, that's not... Oh, god," Elena's hand darted to her mouth, fear in her wide eyes.

No, no, no.

"What is it?" Damon snapped.

"Jeremy! We have to go back to get Jeremy!" Elena exclaimed as she looked back towards the turn that Damon had missed.

"Elena, I need to get you somewhere safe!"

"Damn it, Damon, I will jump out of this car right this second if you don't turn around now," Elena threatened as tears were clouding her vision.

Please let Jeremy be safe.

"God damn it, Elena," Damon snarled as he took a sharp U-turn.

"Thank you," she breathed.

"You should call or text him to tell him that we're coming to get him and to be ready." Damon's voice was the softest it had been since he'd picked her up.

"Right," Elena nodded, whipping out her phone and dialing Jeremy's phone.

"Hello?"

Oh, thank god he was okay!

"Jeremy! Where are you?" Elena shouted, afraid of his answer.

"At home. Why?"

"Jer, stay inside until I get there. Don't leave the house!" she ordered, her voice shaking.

If anything bad were to happen to Jeremy...

"Why, what the hell's going on?" Jeremy asked suspiciously.

Elena paused. What could she tell him? He didn't know anything about the note, of the fire.

"I'll explain later," she sighed. "Just please, Jer, don't leave the house until we get there," Elena pleaded.

"Wait, 'we'? Who are you with?"

Not having time to debate telling him, she gave in.

"Damon. He and I are headed home to get you. I'll call when we're out front."

"Yeah, sure. Bye," Jeremy's confused voice replied.

Elena pressed the end button on her phone, storing it in her purse.

"You didn't tell him," Damon said quietly as he remained to look straight ahead.

Elena looked at him. "He's nineteen, Damon. He can't deal with this yet," she told him as she felt her stomach grow with anxiety.

He's fine.

"Elena, he's an adult. He can decide what he wants to deal with and how he wants to deal with it," Damon reminded her, and Elena frowned, knowing he was one-hundred percent right.

"I'm not getting into this right now, Damon," Elena snapped tiredly. Damon was one of the very few people who hadn't always agreed with her decisions. He'd always question them, the justification, and her true feelings behind them. He could read her as if she were a transparent book.

And that pissed her the hell off.

"Fine with me." he shrugged as he turned down her street.

"I'll be right back," Elena announced as she jumped out from the car and ran toward the front door before Damon could protest or disagree.

Her fist met the door harshly as she waited for Jeremy to answer.

"Damn it, Jer! Answer the door!" Elena demanded. In the next second or two, Elena's fist was now knocking on thin air.

"Jeremy, thank god!" Elena threw her arms around his neck the second that she saw his shocked face.

"Elena, what the hell is going on?" he snapped as she squeezed him tightly.

"I'll explain in the car. Come on, Jer, we have to go now!" Elena tugged at his hand, and he was dragged across the front lawn and into the backseat of Damon's car. Elena hopped into the passenger's side once again.

"Damon," Jeremy nodded

"Jer," Damon acknowledged as he pulled on his safety belt.

"What the hell has got my sister in doomsday mode?" Jeremy asked.

"I'll let her explain that to you sometime. Right now, we need to head to my place."

"Wait, why the hell-?" Jeremy hissed.

"It's not safe at your sister's house anymore," Damon spoke calmly, but Elena knew that he was anything but.

"How far away is your house?" Elena asked, searching Damon's face.

"About ten minutes." He said as he signaled to get onto the highway.

"I thought you lived in Richmond," Jeremy spoke up in confusion.

"I do. It's not usually a long drive, but considering the time of day, it's a bit longer."

"Oh," Jeremy said.

Elena sighed as she looked out the window as silence filled the car. Damon turned the radio up a bit, which she assumed was to fill the void.

It was nearing ten minutes as Elena turned to see Damon pulling into a parking lot that was connected to the most expensive looking building that she'd ever seen.

"This is where you live?" Elena's eyes widened as she took in the building. It was the tallest building that she'd seen. It was tan, with many floor-length glass windows hanging on the walls of it's exterior. It was absolutely gorgeous.

"Yes. Let's go," Damon urged Elena and Jeremy to continue walking toward the main doors, but they were too mesmerized by the beauty of the building.

"Elena. Jeremy," Damon's stern voice snapped angrily.

"Dude, chill," Jeremy put his hand in front of Damon. "It's not like there's someone following us,"

Elena felt her teeth biting into her lower lip as she stifled a laugh.

Jer, you don't know the half of it.

"Wanna bet?" Damon said darkly through clenched teeth as Elena shook out of her silent laughter and headed toward the front with Damon beside her and Jeremy reluctantly her.

If Elena thought that the exterior of the building was spectacular, then there were no words for the interior of the place.

Marble floors and golden desks came into view as she walked further into the lobby. There was a beautiful velvet, ruby-stained carpet that lay down in a path to the front elevators, and Elena had vaguely remembered her prom.

"What floor do you live on?" Jeremy asked as he approached them.

"Penthouse," Damon said dismissively as the Elevator pinged, signaling its arrival.

Elena heard the faint sound of piano music soothing in the background as she stepped in, followed by Damon and Jeremy.

"Damn, that's a price tag that I couldn't dream of," Jeremy said incredulously as he stared at Damon.

"The company helped pay for it," Damon shrugged.

"Oh, right."

Elena wanted to say something, but she knew that Damon was still upset with her, even if he was choosing to ignore it for the time being.

As the elevator doors slowly slid open, Elena gasped.

It was absolutely foreign. The room was one giant room, and everywhere she looked, Elena saw wood floors and floor-length glass walls. The skyline hid behind them, bright and beautiful. There was a balcony at the very front of the room, and Elena instantly wanted to go out there and look at the world that Damon had at his feet.

"This place is amazing," Elena breathed as she looked around in every direction.

"Thank you," Damon's velvet voice said."I'll be right back. Make yourselves comfortable." he said as he wandered into a room and closed the door.

"Jer, look at this place!" Elena squealed as she giggled. She was drunk on the beauty of Damon's apartment, and Jeremy stood in the entrance hall, looking struck with lightning.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked, wandering back over to him.

"I still don't know why we're here," he said menacingly, and Elena's mood dropped below zero.

She was entering the danger zone.

"It's...complicated, Jer, but we can't stay at home now," she said hesitantly.

"So we're just supposed to stay here cooped up in Damon's penthouse for how long?" Jeremy scoffed.

"I don't know, Jer. I will tell you why we're here, but if I do, you have to promise me that you will stay out of it. And you can leave if you want to stay out of harm's way."

Taking a deep breath, Elena rehashed the story to Jeremy, who's face broadcast several emotions as she did. When she was done, anger was boiling in his dark eyes.

"What? There's no way I'm leaving you alone to deal with this psycho stalker, Elena," he said sharply.

Jeremy was like Damon. Overload protectiveness.

"She wont be alone, she'll be safe with me," Damon wandered into the main room as he came to stand by Elena.

So much for 'I'll be right back', Elena thought as she rolled her eyes.

It was both a shock and a comforting feeling knowing that Damon was now holding her hand.

When Elena looked closer at Jeremy's face, he looked about to question the gesture. Before he could object or question, Elena spoke quickly.

"Jer, I want you to go stay with some friends for the time being. I don't want you to get caught up in this."

"No, hell no. You can't tell me what to do anymore, Elena. I'm nineteen. I am an adult who can make my own decisions." Jeremy defended and Elena shook her head sadly. Her brother was so stubborn.

"I know, Jer, but this is so dangerous, even for me! Don't you get it? Otherwise Damon wouldn't have taken us away from home," Elena reminded him. She knew that he was hellbent on staying to protect her, but Elena would never forgive herself if Jeremy was injured, or worse, in the end.

"Say what you want, Elena, but I'm not leaving." Jeremy said menacingly, and Elena Frowned.

"Jeremy-" Elena began, but stopped when Jeremy shook his head angrily as he walked past her and Damon.

"Third door on the right, Jer," Damon told him, and Jeremy entered that door.

"Jer!" Elena called, moving to follow him, but felt Damon grab her arm.

"Elena, let him cool off," he advised carefully.

Elena scoffed as she shook her head.

"Damon, I can't just let him stay here with us!" Elena whimpered as she whipped around to face him.

"I know, Elena, I know!" Damon cupped her face, and Elena felt her cheeks flame with his close proximity. When she looked into his eyes. she was silenced.

They were so blue.

"Just let him cool down for a while, maybe talk to him later," he said softly as his eyes ran across her face.

"I don't want you to worry, Elena. It's all going to be okay, I promise," Damon breathed as his gaze drifted down to her lips. Elena swallowed and closed her eyes, leaning into his touch.

"Damon," she breathed, and whether it was a plea for him to stop or continue, she couldn't tell. His touch was some sort of magical secret distraction weapon of his that unraveled her emotions, and she didn't like it one bit. She wasn't used to showing her emotions. She'd spent so long burying them.

Damn him.

His lips silenced her, sweet and soft. Elena felt them molding against her lips as he planted kiss after kiss on them. Suddenly, a shock of electrical heat was flaming her blood, and was now settling in the abyss of her stomach. Elena's hands instantly wrapped around Damon's neck, and she felt her body being pressed against Damon's as his arms curled around her tiny waist, pulling her to him.

"Oh, god," Elena hissed as his hand slid under her shirt and caressed her back, sending shivers of pleasure up her bare spine.

"So beautiful," Damon whispered softly against her lips, and Elena's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. Her legs were now rapidly turning to melted chocolate as if Damon's kisses were kisses from the sun.

A cough forced the magical spell that was cast upon them to shatter. Elena whipped around, seeing Jeremy standing, looking as if he'd stepped in something nasty.

"Ugh, guys, cut it with the PDA," he said as he walked into the room.

Elena didn't know what to say as a response. Elena couldn't tell if he was 'cooled off' yet, but if he wasn't, she wasn't about to bring that still sore subject to the table.

"I'm going to call some pizza in tonight. What kind do you want?" Damon asked as he walked away from Elena and over to the living room area and pulled out his phone. Unexpectedly, Elena missed the warmth that Damon had provided her. She wrapped her arm around herself, but it just wasn't the same as his.

What the hell was wrong with her?

"Doesn't matter, but thanks," Jeremy told Damon as he came to sit down with him in the living room area.

"Elena?"

Elena broke free from her mind and glanced up at Damon.

"Oh, er, cheese, I guess. Thank you," she smiled as she was still fuzzed with confusion.

Damon was getting under her skin.

And it was going to destroy her.

It had been a bit since the pizza arrived, and Elena stood outside on Damon's balcony, looking out onto the skyline. The sky was a navy blue, sprinkled with specks of white stars. The buildings were glittering with light, and there was a slight breeze in the air. Elena wrapped her robe tighter around her.

"I think I'm going to bed. Goodnight, guys." Jeremy yawned, and Elena turned around.

"Goodnight, Jer." She waved, watching Damon pat him on the back and murmur something to him. Once she saw that Damon was heading towards her, she turned around.

This wasn't going to go well.

The sound of the sliding glass door squeaking alerted Elena to Damon's presence.

"Alright, Jer's in bed and we're alone. Spill."

Elena looked over at Damon, and his expression was hard and expectant. She saw a flash of impatience in his blue eyes, and it made her shudder.

"That night, after I told you about the night of Prom, I saw a report that Maymont Park had gone up in flames," Elena was walking on thin ice, and she didn't know when it would crack. "I thought that it was no coincidence that we had just been there,"

"So you think that someone intentionally set it on fire," Damon concluded coldly.

Any second, now.

"Yeah, I guess. I didn't let myself get worried, or even let myself tell you, until there was solid evidence that it was arson. And tonight, I saw that it was, and I panicked."

Damon was silent, and Elena was one hundred percent that she had begun to sink into the ice.

"Damn it, Elena!" Damon nearly shouted, making Elena jump. "God, you should have told me sooner! Especially since you're being targeted by some mass psycho killer!"

Elena swallowed fearfully as her eyes blurred with tears.

She was so sick of arguing with him. It almost always reduced her to tears.

"I know, Damon, and I'm sorry. I-I just didn't want to worry you," she whimpered as she slowly got up out of her seat.

"Worry me?" Damon scoffed darkly, and Elena's skin was crawling. "Jesus, Elena, do you ever tell me anything?"

"I've told you everything now!" she exclaimed, her heart pounding. "I'm safe here, so it's alright."

"Is this the same psycho who's blackmailing you?" Damon's eyes widened in what Elena assumed was fear.

"I don't know," she said softly. "How could we even know who they are?"

Damon sighed. "I honestly don't know how."

Elena swallowed, thinking further.

How were they going to find this person? They had no leads, no suspects, nothing.

"Hey," Damon's blue eyes pierced hers in determination. "We will find them. We will find this asshole and stop them." he told her.

"Damon," Elena whispered cautiously. She cupped his face in her hands, urging him to listen closely. "I'm safe now, and I don't know who this person is, but I'm safe. Can't you just be happy with that for now?"

Elena could feel Damon's tense jaw, but she was hoping that he would let it go.

"I can't help it that I worry about you, Elena," he whispered brokenly and Elena felt her heart being squeezed.

"I understand that, Damon. Just please, for me, don't overanalyze things right now," she said softly as she felt herself being pulled to his eyes. She wanted to kiss him, but his mood was so shaky right now. So instead of kissing him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him in a hug.

"I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed now. What time is this function tomorrow?" Elena wondered, smiling. She was actually looking forward to the event.

"Shit," Damon hissed as he ran a hand through his hair. "I forgot about that. It's at 5:30."

"I have work tomorrow, Damon," Elena gasped. After all of this hysteria that was Damon's arrival back into her life, Elena had completely lost track of the time.

"You can take a day off," He told her. "I'm sure Kol won't mind,"

Elena felt her blood run cold as Kol came into her mind. He was pissed at her when she'd last seen him. She didn't want to deal with him asking her why she had to leave.

"Fine," she shrugged. "What kind of event is this again?"

"It's a charity function. Suit and tie," he said softly and Elena gasped.

"Oh, god, I have nothing to wear!" She had left all of her dresses at her house, no doubt. And Damon wasn't nearly close to letting her go back there until...until when?

"Call Caroline. I'm sure she'll be more than willing to take you out to get one," he suggested.

Elena flinched. Caroline and Shopping were like Yin and Yang. But shopping with Caroline was like taking a screwdriver into your eyeballs. But she was all out of options.

"Yeah, I guess that will have to do," she sighed dejectedly.

Wait till Care knows about us.

"Goodnight, Damon," Elena said tiredly as she headed into the apartment.

"Goodnight, Elena,"

Sliding the glass door shut behind her, Elena wandered into the room that Damon had arranged for her. It was pure white inside, with a beautiful bed in the center of the room. Nothing else really occupied the room, but it was roomy enough for her. She would've been satisfied with just slumbering on the couch, but Damon was against that.

As she dug out her phone from her pocket of her fluffy white robe, she shut the door behind her and plopped down on the bed.

"Hello, stranger," Caroline's mock sultry voice replayed.

"Hey, Care, sorry it's been a few days since I've called." She had been so busy with Damon and his confessions to realize that there were other people in her life.

"That's fine. Why are you calling so late?"

"I need a small favor," Elena said uncertainly as she played with the strings on the comforter. Caroline was still unaware of her and Damon's ...revised relationship. And Elena wasn't willing to talk for two and a half hours. But she needed an appropriate dress to wear for tomorrow night. Just do it!

"And what would that be?" Caroline wondered.

Damn it, just spit it out!

"Damon invited me to some charity event at his parents' tomorrow night, and I have no dress-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Did I hear you right? Did you just say Damon invited you to some charity event? As in a date? What the hell has happened in the last two days between you two?" Caroline's gasps were like piercing drums to Elena's ears.

God, Caroline.

"I'll tell you tomorrow, but can you help me?" she asked hopefully.

God, she hated asking for things. She'd been on her own for so long.

"Duh!" Caroline squealed. "But don't think that you're getting off that easily, Gilbert!" Caroline snapped.

"Thank you, Care." Elena sighed in relief. "I'll call you in the morning and we'll figure something out," she told Caroline.

"Okay. Bye," Caroline sang as Elena rolled her eyes.

Caroline was in for a real story.

Elena was lying in bed, trying with everything in her to go to sleep, and when she finally managed to half-asleep, the doorbell rang.

Elena looked up toward the door.

What time was it?

Elena glanced at the alarm next to her pillow.

Ten forty-eight. Elena frowned.

Who was visiting Damon at this hour?

"Elena?"

Jeremy's hesitant voice was what lured her out of bed to see what was going on.

As she opened the door, Elena felt her body flooding with anxiety.

Walking down the hallway, half of the front room was in view along with Jeremy, and his face only furthered her worry.

"Jer?" she asked softly as she continued walking toward him. "What's wrong? Why are you just standing there?"

Jeremy's mouth opened and closed so many times that Elena was certain that she was experiencing whiplash.

What the hell was going on? Had something bad happened? Why was Jeremy so hesitant?

When Elena turned the corner to see the entire front entrance, however, she was now face to face with her answer.

A young, short-haired brunette woman dressed in a red turtleneck and black slacks stood in front of Elena, smiling. However the smile didn't reach the woman's brown eyes. It wasn't thatthat shocked Elena. It was what the brunette was holding close to her body.

"Elena?" Damon's voice came from the balcony, and Elena froze.

In a moment, Damon was wandering into the front room.

"What the hell's going-?"

But Damon was silenced with the exact view that Elena was just moments ago.

She was still in shock. She honestly couldn't wager who was more shocked between the two them.

"Who are you guys?" Damon asked the brunette cautiously, who was holding a young child, a boy, in her arms.

Holy mother of-

"Damon," Elena swallowed. "This is Meredith Fell. And that's Ryan..." Breathe! "M-my son,"

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~Songs that were either mentioned in or inspired this chapter (full list on Spotify)~

THEME: Arms by Christina Perri