Author's Note: Surprise update! Hehe, in the beginning I said I'd try to update every two weeks. I haven't been doing a BAD job of keeping the update rate, but my updates are so irregular, that I sometimes feel like I have to apologize. I really am grateful to all of you for reviewing, and I hope I'll see you guys again after my exams.

He took in her dark, wavy locks and her petite frame as she leaned against the door to his room. She would bear a striking resemblance to Elena, actually, if they weren't so different in other ways, he noted.

Elena's face was heart-shaped, like an angel, with beautiful straight hair and flicks that perfectly framed her face. She was the picture of innocence with her shy smile and a powerful woman with a strong aura. Her laugh tinkled like wind-chimes and filled him with joy, her hands were soft- he had touched them for just a moment when he had visited her at her home. Her beautiful brown eyes were always curious, always warm with just a hint of mischief in them. He could get lost in them for…hours, no, days! Forever...

Katherine's face was thinner, with high cheekbones, like a model. A model spawned by the devil himself. With Katherine, there was always an ulterior motive. Her quiet chuckle was always a sign of some misfortune ahead. The way she dressed, even the way she walked with an air of superiority and the stealth of a vixen, everything she did screamed self-preservation and hunger for power. She was always ready to manipulate, to pretend, and if worst came to worst, to run.

So why was she here now? What more could she take from him? How had he ever fallen for her in the first place? These were all questions that could only be answered by Katherine, but he'd rather live without answers than start a conversation with her. She seemed to notice that he was snubbing her, and decided to start the exchange herself. He seethed, but maintained his stance, with his back to her.

"Damon…" Katherine whined. "Seriously, can't you at least give your dear sweet girlfriend a chance?"

That was when Damon lost it. "Have you lost your freaking mind? Or did you never have one in the first place?" He spun around and tried to contain the venomous words that were sure to spew from his mouth at any minute. "What the hell do you think you're doing here? How could you even think you have the right to be here after what you did?" he screamed.

"Oh, but what did I do, Damon?" Katherine smirked. Was it always this annoying when he smirked? "I mean," she walked slowly towards him and let her fingers slide upwards across his arm. "I mean, in a court of law…I didn't do anything wrong. At all." They reached his jaw line and gripped his chin firmly.

"I'd keep that in mind if I were you, Damon. I may be immoral, but I'm not a moron."

Unfortunately, the cold, calculating bitch was right. She did her research well, he had to admit. There was nothing he could have her charged for or anything he could do now. Unless he extracted information out of her! Damon became grateful for the security cameras his brother had warned him to install around the house. So he started pacing, determined to trap Katherine the way she had trapped him.

"Okay. So let me get this straight. A year ago, you and my father schemed to gain control over my life. Giuseppe knew Stefan wasn't cut out for business like I was, so he gave me the companies when I turned 18. You pretended to love me for six months and you made me love you back. I trusted you, you know? I told you everything you would need to bring me down and you fed it to Stefan so he could take over from me on his 18th birthday next month. And then he'd gain control of all the assets I've amassed this year."

"Congratulations honey, you finally figured it out! How long did it take you? And how long did it take you to write that little monologue I just saw? Just get one thing straight. I know you. And I never forced you to love me. That was all you."

"What I don't get is, what did you get out of it? Because you may believe you know me, Katherine, but I know you too. And you never do anything unless there's something in it for you. So what was it? Money? Something else? Or did you do it for kicks?"

"Clever. But no, Damon. I've got secrets I'll never tell, and this is one of them." So she was hiding from something. Or someone.

"So why are you here now, Katherine? You've taken everything from me. My family, my companies, my ability to love...What more do I have to give you?"

"True. That was all me, I admit. But don't forget your best friend," Katherine smile emanated evil.

"Elena? What did you say to her?" he growled, grabbing Katherine by the shoulders and pushing her into the wall. He heard a resounding thud, but it wasn't what he had just done. Elena had thrown something out of her window by the sound of it. She had every right to be angry with him. They hadn't ended things properly. He dismissed it.

Her expression didn't waver, in fact getting brighter.

"Sure, let's all make sure poor Elena's okay. You have nothing to worry about. Oh, but what's up with you and Doe Eyes anyway? Did you forget you were dating someone back home in New York?"

He should never have left Katherine alone with Elena. Still, it was too late for damage control, so he feigned indifference. "Why, are you jealous?"

"No, but Doe Eyes certainly is. She's seriously crushing on you. She even told me she thinks you're hot. I'm guessing nobody told her that you had a girlfriend? Damn, things would have been so much spicier if I had told her about our engagement." She waggled her fingers and the shiny gold band on her ring finger caught the light.

They had gotten engaged on a whim 4 months after they had started dating. But that was all part of the plan as well. Guess Stefan and Giuseppe thought he'd trust a fiancée more than a girlfriend. And she played her role impeccably. He probably wouldn't have found out if Stefan had been more discreet about the scheme. Instead, he was eager to flaunt it in front of Damon. Because that was all that mattered to Stefan. Being better than his brother.

He could no longer hide the liquid hatred from his eyes as he remembered. "It means nothing. Believe me when I say that I could care less what happens to you now. I should have saved that ring for someone special. And it's time you give that ring back. It belonged to my mother."

"And now, it belongs to some lucky stray on the road," Katherine slid the ring off her finger and tossed it out of the window. She slithered out from under his arms like the venomous snake she was and glided towards the door.

"Consider this fair warning, Katherine. I swear I will take you down if you come near Elena again. I may not have power in court, but I'll make sure the world loses all respect for you. And nobody will come within miles of you again. I'll make sure to take every ounce of power, everything you took from me. I have a full confession from you on camera and there's no way you can deny it."

She turned back for a second. "What camera? You mean the security cameras I disabled last night when you were out with your bestie? Honey, it's going to take a lot more than that if you want to bring me down. I'm not in town for you anyway, so you can breathe easy for now." And then she disappeared as quickly as she had shown up.

She was right, he thought a few hours after Katherine had left. It would take a lot more than that if he wanted to bring her down. He realized that Katherine had never answered him when he had asked why she was in town. And she wasn't the type to drop in for casual visits either. So if she had come to his house, it had been for Elena. Elena! She was going to get hurt!

He sped down the stairs and scanned the house. It was empty. Please be safe, Elena, he prayed. He yanked the door open and ran to Elena's driveway. All the blood drained from his face and he felt genuine fear when he saw a pool of dried blood that had dripped from the jagged edge of a garden rock to the grass on the lawn.

Katherine hadn't…killed her, had she? No, no, he couldn't think like that. She was a bitch, not a murderer. Fortunately, he didn't have to think much at all. Alaric's number showed up on his phone display as it began to play his favourite song. He had to remember to change it or it would always remind him of the fear he had felt for Elena in the future.

He picked up. "Damon, where the hell are you? I noticed you and Elena have spent more time with each other lately and I hardly believe that your absences corresponding was a coincidence. She's a good girl Damon. I've told you before. Don't mess with her."

"Elena! Ric, is she okay?" Damon's anxiety was renewed when he heard her name again. "Ric, is she okay? Do you know where she is?"

"Sadly! Damon, she's in Meredith's clinic now. She fell out of her window and has a broken arm and leg. And I have a feeling it has something to do with you, because Elena doesn't fall out of windows regularly."

"Oh thank GOD!" Damon almost laughed with relief, but he was glad he didn't once he realized what it must have sounded like. "Sorry, I was just so worried. Katherine's back in town. For Elena this time. And I know that while I'm in school, you're our teacher, not my friend, Ric, but I kind of need you to be there for Elena now."

"Katherine? I know what I just said and this will sound like a total contradiction, but you should visit her, Damon."

Damon shook his head, though Alaric couldn't see it. "Uh uh. Bad idea, Ric. I don't think she wants to see me right now."

Alaric was adamant, though. "That makes the two of us, then. I don't think she wants to see me either. But Jenna's snowed in at the airport and nobody knows where Jeremy is. She's all alone, and she won't say no to company."

Damon groaned irritably. "Alright, I'll go. Thanks Ric." He hung up before Alaric had a chance to respond and grabbed his car keys. Meredith's clinic wasn't too far away, but it was already close to 10 PM and he didn't want to miss visiting hours.

When he reached he practically drove his car into the wall of the parking lot, not bothering about scratches even though it was his precious baby. Some things were just more important at the moment. He swiftly manoeuvred through the sea of people in the lobby and found Elena's room- Ric was smart enough to text him the room details.

He had known she was safe since Ric's call, but when he saw her fast asleep in her white cotton bed, all remnants of worry were washed away by an overwhelming wave of relief. Now he had to protect her from anything that threatened her well-being. It was his duty as her best friend.

She murmured in discomfort and Damon immediately rushed to her side. He shook the bed and her eyes opened, first wide with fear, then narrow with annoyance.

"Damon, what are you doing here?" she asked. It was amazing, just hearing her voice again.

"Elena," he sighed, her name flowing out of him effortlessly, as if he had been born just for this purpose. The previous day, he had thought Elena was out of it when she had said that she liked saying his name. Now he got it.

"Damon?" she looked at him quizzically and he realized how stupid he must look. And to make matters worse, he was staring at her.

"I know we have a lot to talk about," Damon started, uneasily shifting his balance. "It's just…can it wait till tomorrow? It's a lot to ask, I know, but I'm just so glad you're okay," he said, leaning forward to hug her, gently to avoid hurting her broken arm. He swelled with gratitude for Elena's forgiving nature when she nodded and hugged him back.

Her embrace, even with one hand was more than enough to comfort him and he hoped it would have the same effect on her.

"I was so worried about you, Elena," he whispered in her neck, taking in the sweet, strawberry scent of her hair. They would have things to discuss in the morning, but for the moment, things felt pretty alright.

Author's Note: So now you know, I'm *definitely* a Delena shipper XD I mean, there's going to be angst, but it's nice to know we're heading in the right direction with these two. I am definitely not looking forward to the conversation they're going to have in the next chapter, but at least Damon's heading in the right direction. Hopefully this chapter has answered a few questions and we'll probably see more answers in the next one.

I love you guys for reading, reviewing, adding faves and alerts. And I just discovered that I've been added to a community as well. Thank you!

Once again, I probably won't update for another month, because I have exams, but I hope to return with a double update. See you soon?