A/N: Just a short notice to save the honor of my wonderful beta: Here and there, I decided to change a paragraph or two after she went over it and corrected my mistakes. So all the mistakes you still find are exclusively mine ;)

ELENA

After the incident at the Lockwoods', I fully intended to stay away from Damon. But unfortunately, he didn't play along. While I had successfully managed to avoid running into him on campus for an entire day after coming back from Mystic Falls, he cornered me on Tuesday morning on my way to the gym. I was just stepping out of the shadowy dorm building, and the morning sun was blinding me. I almost passed him by without noticing him in the shadows.

"Elena – wait!" he called, suddenly appearing right next to me and catching my arm.

"Damon!" I gasped, startled. "You scared me again! Is that a new hobby of yours? What do you want from me?" I wriggled free of his grip and nervously folded my arms in front of my chest. Despite Alys's assurances, I couldn't get over the fear that he was hiding a violent streak behind his beautiful facade. Doubtlessly, he could be cold-blooded and utterly ruthless, especially when set on a goal.

Damon seemed to have noticed my discomfort. He frowned and looked at me with those inquisitive eyes of his, that always seemed to see more that they were supposed to see. To my surprise he backed off a little, retreating out of my personal space.

"Actually, I wanted to apologize for being such a world-class jerk on Saturday evening. What I said to you was unasked for and incredibly rude." He looked like he was being honest, or at least, he tried to look like he was.

I skeptically raised my brow. "And I'm supposed to believe you actually mean that?"

"Look, I'm truly sorry if I made you uncomfortable. That was never my intention."

"Yes, it was", I contradicted him. "It's just what you do, Damon – riling people up, provoking them, alienating them. Otherwise you wouldn't be putting an alternate meaning behind everything you say." I could tell from his expression that I had hit home. He seemed a little surprised, but also impressed.

"You're right", he admitted, and I believed I caught a glimpse of respect in his eyes. "And you were right with what you said about Caroline. The truth is, I have no intentions whatsoever with her, and I told her so, repeatedly. It's not my fault if she keeps hoping for a relationship. I don't handle those well."

"Yeah, I pretty much figured that out. So what you're telling me straight to my face is that you're actually using my friend as a fuck-buddy?"

Damon arched his brow. "I wouldn't have put it like that, but – with your mind in the gutter..."

"I don't get it! How can you do that to her? That's not how you treat people! Don't you realize that Caroline cares? Doesn't it matter to you at all that you're hurting her feelings?"

"Oh, come on, Elena, let's be honest for a minute! It's Caroline we're talking about, and we both know that deep feeling is not exactly her thing. She doesn't have the capacity for it. She uses me as much as I'm using her. Showing me off like some piece of jewelry. I should be offended!"

"Well, this is clearly getting us nowhere. You can apologize all you want, Damon, but in the end, it's nothing but empty words if you're unwilling to act on them." And with that, I turned my back on him and walked away.

*'*'*'*'*'*

"Really, Caroline, I'm not sure about this place," I murmured as we were heading towards the entrance of Greenville's most notorious night club. Caroline had been pestering me about going there for three days in a row now. According to her, it was totally cool, totally 'in' and something you couldn't miss, at least not if you still wanted to have a say within the campus community.

But this place didn't look like what I had imagined from her colorful praise at all. It was situated in a warehouse district, in what formerly seemed to have been a factory of some kind. Paint and plaster were peeling off the wall, poorly concealed by the flashing neon lights of the signs advertising the name. "It looks... wrecked. As do the people around here."

The people milling about outside the entrance were indeed a suspicious-looking lot. They were dressed in funky outfits that almost resembled gothic costumes. Probably in tribute to the name of the place: 'The Dark Side'. It all made me feel uncomfortable, but Caroline seemed immune to the sinister atmosphere. "Are you sure this is the right address?"

"Positive!" she said determinately and grabbed my arm – almost as if to prevent my bolting at the last moment. "Now, come on, this is not Mystic Falls. People are just a little bit more freaky. I know Damon usually hangs out here..."

"Damon?" I stopped dead in my tracks and stared disbelievingly at Caroline. "Is that why you wanted us to come here? So you can spy on him or have another go at him?" She didn't answer, but her slightly guilty expression was answer enough. I felt my hackles rise. "You can't be serious! Tell me we did not come here just because you are following a guy like a lovesick puppy, when he clearly is not interested in you as a person!"

She pouted. "How can you say something so mean? Of course he is interested in me – we've been dating for a couple of weeks now!"

"You can't seriously call that dating!" I exclaimed, exasperated. "He hit on you when he had barely arrived and didn't know anybody. Since then, he's only been using you as an easy lay."

Her eyes went wide as saucers at that and I felt a pang of remorse. "I can't believe you actually said that!" she wailed. Neither could I. But my point was still right, and at the moment, I was angry and not willing to put up with any more of her nonsense. "Then tell me – when did the two of you last do anything together outside of a bedroom, huh? Because that's what people do if they're really interested in each other. What have you been doing together at all, apart from the obvious?"

"That's rich, coming from you," Caroline snapped angrily, "the girl who does nothing but idle talking with her boyfriend! I don't think you're qualified to give relationship advice; you have never even been laid!"

Wow, that was a low hit, too. I felt my blood boil. "At least Stefan cares for me and treats me well, which can't be said for Damon! You should kick his ass instead desperately trying to crawl back into his favors." It was pointless, as so many discussions with Caroline were these days. She just wouldn't see the truth. Instead, she put the blame on me.

"Easy for you to say!" she snorted. "You still have your shiny new boyfriend! You are just jealous that Damon didn't pick you!"

That actually had me speechless for a second. Not sure if I even knew the person I was facing, I could only stare at her open-mouthed, a new surge of anger rising in me. "Are you quite insane?" I finally managed to ask, before making another try to reason with her. "Caroline, this is not a competition, and neither Damon nor Stefan are a prize you can win. And I am definitely not – and never was – jealous about Damon! There's something seriously amiss with that guy, and apparently you are the only one who hadn't noticed!"

Caroline raised her chin. "Do you really think I don't see behind your scheme?" she ranted. "I know you want him for yourself – I saw the looks you gave him!"

Totally at a loss for words now, I turned my back on her. "Okay, I've had it! I'm out of here!"

"Wait! Where are you going?" Caroline came after me, intending to hold me back. "Elena! Don't! You can't go back alone!"

"Watch me!" I said and, without looking back, strove past her and headed off.

I only realized how foolish this was about ten minutes later. While my mind was still reeling with anger at Caroline's preposterous allegations, I hadn't noticed much of anything around me. Intending to head for the main street where I had spied a bus stop on coming here, I must have taken a wrong turn, because all of a sudden, nothing looked even remotely familiar. Just plain scary.

I became fearfully aware of the shady characters that prowled the streets, and the run-down bars that lined it, and hastily ventured off into another direction, hoping to get out of this district. Nervously, I pulled my mobile out, trying to locate my position by GPS. Bad move. It didn't last for two minutes, then I was forcefully shoved by some kid passing me by, and just like that, my phone was gone. My loud and frustrated wail of protest earned me nothing but a certain finger stuck up in the air, already far ahead of me. Seriously, could this evening get any worse?

Hoping to find my way back to the club, I took up walking again. At least from there, I could grab a cab, as I should have done in the first place, or finally convince Caroline to take me home. Provided she hadn't left already.

Too bad that orientation skills were not exactly high on the list of things I excelled at. It didn't take me long to realize that I had gotten out of the frying pan straight into the fire. The streets now were desolate and empty, dominated by barricaded stores and abandoned warehouses. There wasn't much traffic, either. When I finally did spot people on the next street corner, I didn't feel relief. The three guys who were hanging out in the shadowy, shuttered entrance of a run-down building were quite obviously up to no good. Whether they were dealing, consuming or preparing a break-in, I couldn't say, for I didn't take dare investigate or even risk a closer look. Cursing my own stupidity, I just switched to the other side of the street, hastened my steps and made myself as inconspicuous as possible. Hoping that, if I didn't take notice of them, they might not take notice of me. Fat chance.

I thought I had gotten out of a possibly risky situation when I looked back and saw no one following me. Up ahead, I could even make out an intersection with traffic lights and walked faster. Until a shadowy figure stepped out of a small side lane, purposely blocking my way.

I gasped and stopped dead in my tracks. How had he made it there? Probably by simply walking through the building instead of all way around it. I felt my heartbeat accelerate and instinctively took a step back.

Looking behind me now, I saw that the other two had followed me at a leisurely pace and were now rounding the corner. There was only one possible escape route to my left, and I took it, immediately turning right again to where I knew the bigger street must be crossing this one.

I never made it there. Guessing my intention and probably knowing that whatever they had in mind for me would be much more difficult to carry out near a more trafficked street, the three quickened their pace and swiftly closed in on me, giving up any pretense of just messing around. My own heartbeat loud in my ear, I broke into a run.

ALYS

Determined not to miss my opportunity for second chances and to try to put some sense into Damon regarding my best friend's friend, I had thrown my suitcase onto the back seat of Damon's open-top Camaro shortly before he headed home. To give him credit, Damon had refrained from making any sarcastic, snarky or witty comment on my relatively spontaneous decision to move in with him immediately. He had just raised his brows briefly, beckoned me to jump in and had started the car.

The last two days had passed surprisingly peacefully. We saw each other briefly in the morning before Damon drove us both to campus. In the evenings, he was mostly out. I learned that he hung out with Alaric a lot, whereas Caroline had not even once appeared at the door of the boarding house.

I loved having the house to myself. Yes, I was definitely a loner girl. This evening, I had happily curled up on the sofa in front of the fireplace with a book when my phone started beeping. The number on the display told me it was Caroline. Wondering what she could be calling about, I picked up the phone.

Caroline was frantic. She urgently needed to speak to Damon, but he was ignoring her calls. "You've got to call him for me, Alys, it's an emergency. Please! He must be around here somewhere, but I can't find him..."

"Here? Where are you, Caroline?"

"At 'The Dark Side'. You know, the club in the warehouse district?"

I felt my heart sink. "Caroline, you really shouldn't be there, just..."

"No, no! You need to listen! I need Damon – immediately... I lost Elena – we were both here, and then we had a fight and she left, all by herself. I can't find her, and I have a really bad feeling about her being out there alone without a car, and she doesn't answer her phone..."

"Oh my God! When did she leave?"

"About five minutes ago."

"Okay. Listen, Caroline: I want you to drive back to campus immediately, all right? I'll call Damon and have him look for her."

"How? I mean – he wouldn't even know where to start... this is not Mystic Falls."

"Don't worry, he'll find her. Now, I'm gonna hang up on you so that I can call Damon, okay? Get into your car and head home. Elena will be back safe and sound."

I ended the call and speed-dialed Damon's number. He was furious when he heard that Caroline had been following him around, and fuming mad when he learned that Elena had left the club all by herself. "What was she thinking, even to come here? Is she quite insane?"

"She couldn't have known it was a hunting ground, Damon."

"It's insane even if it wasn't, there's enough human scum hanging about here."

"Stop fussing and see if you can find her. She can't have gotten very far."

"I'm already on my way. I'll probably kill her when I find her." With that, the line went dead.

ELENA

I had already known that I wouldn't be able to outrun my pursuers even before I tried. Way before the intersection that promised salvation, the three caught up with me. Circling in on me, they effectively blocked my escape routes. Their intent was obviously to drive me backward into an even darker alley. Panicky, my eyes scanned the fronts of the houses for a door or a window that hinted at occupancy, but there was nothing.

I decided to try a break-through, to at least not to go down without a fight, and made a dash for the space between two of them. When one of them grabbed me, I wildly started kicking and hurled my purse, hitting hard. I didn't stand a chance. One of them finally managed to get a secure hold on me from behind, painfully twisting my arms backwards. When the other two leered and reached for me, I started to scream.

I was pretty sure I had met my destiny when the dirty hand of my attacker closed my mouth shut from behind, stifling my scream and making it almost impossible to breathe. I tried to bite him, but didn't really manage to clamp my teeth on anything. He just laughed and lowered his hand, sliding it downwards to the buttons of my blouse and giving a hard jerk. Kicking and trashing wildly once again in the futile attempt to save myself from being raped, I felt a spur of hope when I suddenly saw the headlights of a car approaching rapidly. With my attacker's attention diverted for a second, I forcefully sank my teeth into the wrist that was still close to my mouth, and simultaneously kicked down hard on the inner side of his foot. Fortunately, I was wearing pretty high heels.

With a howl of pain, he tore his hand a away and cringed, and suddenly I was free. I jumped onto the street without thinking, intending to stop the car at all costs. It almost stopped me for good.

With screeching breaks it came to a halt just in front of me, the front bumper almost touching my shins. Too shocked to move, I just stood there for a second or two – until a hand closed around my arm with an iron grip and pulled me away.

Fearing that one of the men had managed to get a hold of me again I started struggling in panic and wildly looked around, but the eyes I met were familiar. Immense relief washed over me when I gazed up into Damon's face. He scanned me briefly with an expression that under any other circumstances would have been scary. He looked like a man ready to kill – menacing, brutal and ruthless. Yet I could only marvel at the sudden feeling of security that invaded me the very moment he laid his hands on me.

"Get in the car!" he said tersely, his eyes burning into mine. His order enabled me to move again, and I did as asked without thinking. From inside, I was watching the scene in front of me like a spectator of a horror movie. Instead of getting back into the car himself as I had expected him to, Damon walked straight at the three men, who spread out, momentarily surprised at his foolish bravery.

Damon kept going at the one of them who was furthest away from him, closer to the dark lane on the left, turning his back on the others. I fought the urge to shout a warning, aware on a subconscious level that Damon surely must be knowing what he was doing. The men didn't seem to think so. The other two closed in on him from behind, driving him into the alley. It all seemed to take place in slow motion.

Anxious for him but utterly unable to move, I stayed where Damon had told me to be. The only thing racing was my mind, tossing around possible action plans and evaluating my chances for an quick escape in case things turned nasty. As I was slowly coming out of basic-level functioning mode, I was able to take in what was happening more clearly. Damon disappeared in the shadows and the men followed. That's when it struck me. He wasn't being chased. They were being herded. I heard a piercing scream and a lout thud, more howling and the noise of running feet. Then, suddenly, silence.

Oddly enough, that's when I started to feel really scared and my limbs began to tremble in aftershock. It was impossible to tell how much time had gone by when Damon finally stepped out of the shadows again. There was an air about him that I wasn't able to put in words. His eyes seemed to glow, and there was a strange expression on his face. He looked oddly elated, probably flooded with adrenalin from the fight. Yet there was a notable tension in his movements, even in his features that seemed strained and carefully controlled. Warned by some deep, primal instinct, I hardly dared to breathe for fear of triggering something that was beyond my capabilities to cope with. Not that the thought made any sense.

Damon didn't say anything, either. He just gave me a quick once-over and tossed me his jacket, before starting the car with spinning wheels. Soon we were on a highway taking us out of town at a frightening speed.

"Where are we going?" I eventually dared to ask timidly, pulling Damon's jacket closed around me to cover my torn blouse. I was beginning to wonder if I had just gotten myself in a situation that held even more potential for danger than the one I just escaped from. It felt like sitting on a bomb that could go off any second.

"Nowhere specific!" Damon growled. "I'm just trying to let off steam!"

"I see. After that street gang failed to get us killed you are trying to finish us off on the road." My remark was intended to be mildly ironic, but I actually managed to sound very matter-of-fact saying it. Obviously, Damon didn't appreciate my attempt at humor. Abruptly, he steered the car onto the banks and forcefully hit the brake. Shutting the engine off he turned to face me, visibly upset.

"Are you out of your mind?" he started at me. "How can you even think about criticizing my driving after the thrill that you got yourself tonight? Have you no sense for danger?"

"Obviously, I have." I countered with dignity. "Or else I wouldn't be desperately clinging to my seat just now!"

Damon was livid. "What the hell were you thinking – taking off all by yourself just like that?"

I got a little defensive, maybe because I knew pretty well that I had done something stupid. "Clearly, I wasn't thinking," I said stiffly. "I was just too mad at Caroline."

"Do you realize at all what would have happened if I hadn't found you in time?"

That sobered me. "I have a fair idea..." I mumbled faintly. "I'm sure glad you found me, though I don't understand how. How did you know where to look for me?"

"Caroline called for help. She was worried to death about you."

I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. "I know – I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry! And truly grateful that she sent you after me." I shuddered, thinking how close I had come to meeting my destiny tonight. If it hadn't been for Damon, I'd most likely have found myself gang-raped and in the emergency room of a hospital just now – or in the morgue. It made me pale and tremble just thinking about it, now. Damon's grim expression softened. "Apology accepted," he said, his voice sounding less forced than it had up to now. "Please accept mine, too."

I returned his gaze in utter amazement. That didn't sound like Damon at all. "Your apology for what?"

"For shouting at you and frightening you even more when you are clearly shaken badly enough as it is."

"I'm fine," I said, which was one hell of an exaggeration. "You're not scaring me." For some unfathomable reason, he didn't seem to like the answer, either. "That's a reason for concern," he said, frowning again. "You could use a healthy dose of fear."

"Believe me, those jerks just gave me plenty."

Damon gave me a scrutinizing glance. "Considering what just happened to you, you seem awfully composed."

"I'm not, really. I'm just very good at blocking things." And for the moment I simply refused to let my thoughts go back there. I would deal with it later.

"It's the adrenalin. You'll break down soon enough. Let's just get you home before that happens." He restarted the car and pulled back on the road, this time driving a little bit more safely.

"How did you manage to fend them off?" I wondered aloud. "You were all alone against three..."

He pretended indifference. "They were drunk, or high – probably both. I had the better reflexes. And I can be quite intimidating, if I choose to be."

I knew that to be true from firsthand experience. At least, he managed to intimidate me even when I wasn't sure if he was meaning to do so. "You scared them off? All three of them?"

"After I was done with the first one, the others didn't offer much resistance." He looked at me with an unreadable expression. "I saved you, back there, Elena." He definitely had. And as awed as I was by the fact that he seemed to care about my safety, I was vastly grateful for that, too. Before I could say something, though, he did, emphasizing his words with another meaningful glance and a lift of his brow. "Now don't you forget it!" With that weird admonition, Damon ended our conversation and headed back to campus, with only minor infractions of speed limits.

Damon dropped me off right in front of my dorm, where Caroline and Bonnie were both already anxiously waiting for me. "Keep the jacket", Damon said in a no-nonsense tone that could have been read as totally insensitive. "It looks good on you." And without even sparing a look for Caroline, he drove off again.

I was grateful for the jacket, as well as for him not making a fuss about what had happened. My torn blouse successfully hidden underneath the black leather spared me a myriad of questions that I didn't want to answer. Not right then. My legs were till shaky, and I thought that Damon had been right. I was probably going to break down soon, and I'd rather make it to my room to do so in private.

All I told Bonnie and Caroline was that I had got lost and that my phone had been stolen before Damon found me. There was no use in getting them all distressed with the gruesome details – Caroline looked totally guilt-stricken already. If I didn't manage to hold it together, she was going to go all mother-hen on me, and I couldn't stand that now. All I wanted was a hot shower and my bed to safely freak out in.

ALYS

I jumped from my chair when I heard the door open and Damon stepping in. "Have you found Elena?" I asked, already less scared when I saw him. He seemed worked-up and a bit grim, but not alarmed or worried.

"Sure. I found her. She's fine. I delivered her safely back to her dorm. I take it that Caroline made it back, too?"

"Yes. She's sorry for causing you inconvenience. Don't be mad at her."

"It was Elena who had the inconvenience," Damon said flatly. He walked to the coffee cart and poured himself a whisky, which he downed in like two seconds. And poured himself another one.

"What happened?" I asked, feeling my throat constrict. If he downed his treasured bourbon like this, it must have been bad. And was that blood on his shirt?

"Elena ran into some crack junkies who obviously thought she was fair game. I arrived in time, but barely so. She was clearly shaken, but she fought like a cat. That girl really has nerve!"

"Oh my God!" I couldn't help the pictures flooding my mind. Ugly pictures that made me want to hurl.

"Now don't get yourself all worked up," Damon chided. "Elena is fine."

"How could she be? Do you have any idea how her brother died?" His expression told me that he didn't. "He was murdered, here in Greenville. The newspapers labeled it a street crime. He was robbed and had his throat slit."

Damon's brows rose in surprise. "What a cruel and ironic quirk of fate. Still. She's tough. She'll get over it." Damon's took another sip from his drink, and when he spoke again, his voice had turned from curt and serious to snippy and snarky. "You know – I'm just getting a liiittle bit annoyed with Caroline for following me around like a love-sick puppy." He frowned, sightly shaking his head in irritation. "I'm starting to feel – chased. It's supposed to be the other way round."

I sighed. "Damon, you've got to stop what you're doing to her. She's been having gaps in her memory lately. And she's starting to get concerned about those blank spots in her mind."

"And she well should be!" he quipped. "Those spots are huge. I wonder how she ever made it to college."

I figuratively stomped my foot in exasperation. "Stop being an asshole! How can you do this to her? You're dating her – she's your girlfriend."

"Did she say that? Well, I'm not. I'm just... needing her."

"You mean you're just using her!"

"Well, I didn't want to put it quite as bluntly. But don't you worry about that too much: You can't use anyone who isn't willing to be used. What would you have me do? Grab someone off the street, instead?"

"Try something non-human for a change!"

"Gosh – I've been doing that, for a while. But honestly, I can't stand venison anymore. I even tried cattle, once, but it sure feels silly. Cows are just so darn stupid – they don't even run. What's the fun in that? I wish I had Marisol with me." I had no idea who he was referring to. Probably one of his countless affairs, a woman who'd let him get away with everything. Or who was just too weak or too scared to fight him.

"Maybe you should just go back" I said, bitterly.

"I can't. I'm not finished here yet."

Again one of these mysterious hints. "With what?" I asked sarcastically. "You haven't managed to kill anybody yet?"

"Ouch! Just why are you always so mean to me?"

"Because you are essentially not a nice person. Wherever you go, people die!"

He rolled his eyes. "That's a given – I'm a vampire."

"But you're only the bad parts!"

"Hardly so – I'm immortal, forever young and awesomely attractive. Those are definitely good parts!" He flashed me his most devilish smile.

"Please, Damon! Leave Caroline alone, before she suffers some permanent brain damage from you manipulations."

"You know, I might actually do that", Damon said, pensive. "Time to find me some other prey... Barbie was getting kind of boring, anyway."

I didn't know if I should cheer at this. He just agreed to do as Elena and I had begged him to. So why did it feel as if I had just struck a deal with the devil?