Barely on the edge between wake and sleep, Damon raises his head from his pillow when he hears his phone vibrate against the wooden top of his bedside table. Not wanting to answer it, he drops his face into the pillow, laying still for a few seconds. When it doesn't stop, he sighs and answers it. "Hello?" he croaks, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable.

"Salvatore is that you?" Enzo asks, unable to hide the smile on his face.

"Yeah," he mumbles. Covering his eyes with his forearm, Damon lays on his back and since he knows the accent, he waits for the guy to speak.

"You sound a little worse for wear. I'll make this quick. I have your girl."

"Is she okay?" Damon rasps, raising up on his forearm.

"She's okay. Maybe I'm getting soft but why don't you let her stay with me till you're feeling better at least?" Enzo asks, smiling when Lucy gives him an agreeable nod.

"You'll keep her safe?" Although he doesn't like the idea even a little bit, he knows that he's pretty much caught between a rock and a hard place. He's not naïve, he knows she'll take off again as soon as she sees an opening. Between being sick and work, as much as it pains him to admit, he doesn't have time to babysit her.

"You have my word," Enzo tells him sincerely.

"She probably pawned it for drugs by now but if you find an antique gold watch, it was my grandfather's. If on the million to one chance that she still has it on her, I'd appreciate getting it back."

"If she still has it, I'll snag it for you. But you need to call off your buddy. He got a little over aggressive at the bar shall we say?"

"Thanks Enzo, I owe you big."

"Nah, don't worry about that. Even though none dare cross me, I don't want to have a cop killed on my turf."

"I'll get Brady to back off. You have to realize that we all care about her deeply. Please just keep an eye on her?

"I'm a man of my word, Officer Salvatore. Now why don't you rest that pretty little head of yours," Enzo adds then clicks off the phone before Damon can reply.

He gives Lucy's hand a squeeze and leans in for a heady kiss. "Love, I know you like having your own place but with her here, it would help a lot if you'd stay too. Someone needs to watch her while I'm out."

"Of course, Enzo. My man is such a sweetie underneath the bluster and bravado," she teases. Throwing her arms around his neck, she joins their lips in a heated kiss. Glancing over at Elena, he sees that she's down for the count so he takes Lucy's hand and walks her backwards into his bedroom, closing the door behind them.

Despite his protestations, Bonnie insists on taking Damon to the doctor. Turns out he had a bacterial infection. He prescribed some antibiotics and gave him a slip to be off of work for several days. Although he still isn't at full strength, he knows that he needs to get back to work or he'll lose his mind sitting around worrying about Elena. Enzo did call one other time to tell him that he shouldn't worry but it's impossible not to, not when the woman he loves is nowhere in sight. Sometimes in his darkest hours, he doesn't believe that he'll ever get her back.

Even though he has a bad feeling about leaving Elena with Enzo and that he should be the one to take care of her, it just isn't possible. Not when he has a 104 temperature at its highest and was delirious himself if Bonnie is to be believed, he physically was not up to the task. Although he has yet to understand why, he finds that he trusts Enzo when he says that he'd keep an eye on her.

As much as he wants to go after her right this minute, Enzo also had a point when he said that Damon had a job to do. At least he knows that she has someone watching out for her. The captain was great about giving him sick time off but Damon knows that he won't tolerate him burning the candle on both ends again. Damon really didn't need the doctor to lecture him about taking care of himself. He knows that he got sick because he allowed himself to get so run down that he couldn't fight off an infection.

Turning into the school's parking lot, Damon finds a spot and then parks his car. Back into his high school kid persona, he reaches into the backseat to pull out his backpack. He jogs up the steps where he's immediately greeted by several of the guys including Brady who almost imperceptibly nods his head towards the bank of lockers. When he scans the premises, he sees Kai with an arm thrown over Bonnie's shoulders, pulling her in for a kiss. Damon knows that Bonnie is great at her job but he hates that she has to kiss that lowlife. Sucking it up, he walks farther down the hall, stopping at his locker where Andie is waiting for him. Forcing a smile, he cradles her cheeks and kisses her soundly, hard enough that he hopes she'll back off for a bit. After he takes a couple of books out, he shoves his backpack inside then locks it up. With an arm around Andie's neck, he walks her to the gym and then hurries down the hall to attend English class.

Bored to tears as Mrs. Fell lectures goes into a detailed analysis of Macbeth, Damon lays his cheek in his hand. Glancing to his left, he notices Kai doodling on a scrap of paper before handing it off to one of the football jocks, Randy Forbes, that's sitting across from him. Immediately his interest is piqued and as soon as class lets out, Damon follows Randy, keeping a good distance away so he doesn't give himself away. His curiosity is even further piqued when he disappears into a stairwell that Damon never noticed before. He counts to five and then darts into the stairwell too. It's the basement and it's damp and musty smelling. When he hears voices, he tiptoes farther till he reaches the boiler room. Hiding behind some boxes, he watches as Randy gives something to Markos who is the maintenance man. Once cash is exchanged, Randy leaves while Markos opens up the envelope and pours the pills into his hand. He plays with them for several seconds, a sinister smile on his face, before putting them back in the envelope and pocketing them. Damon pulls in tighter to his hiding place when he starts walking towards him. As luck would have it, he follows Randy out of the room. As soon as Damon hears retreating footsteps, he hurries out of the basement to look for Brady.

Unable to find him, he texts both him and Bonnie to tell them to meet at his place after school. Although he'd like nothing more than a good stiff drink, school kids aren't old enough to go into bars. Should they be seen in this neighborhood, it'll likely blow their carefully crafted covers. By the time he heads back to his locker after his last class, Damon sighs when he sees Andie waiting for him again. He hasn't missed the way she's been watching him like a hawk. While in character, he hasn't given her any reason to be jealous other than the Bonnie incident a couple of weeks ago.

"I've missed you," she says, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes.

"I was sick with 104 fever, I really couldn't be here."

"I know that but you could have texted me," she pouts.

"I was delirious, Andie. I was in no shape to text anyone."

"You owe me an orgasm," she whispers, licking her lips salaciously.

"I have some things to do today but after school tomorrow we'll go out okay?" Damon finally agrees to get her off of his back. He needs to get home so he can meet with his friends.

"You promise?"

"I promise," he assures her. After giving her a fierce kiss, he smiles then disappears out of the school's front door. Damon hurries home, grateful that he didn't hit many red lights on the way. He steps into his house just before Brady and Bonnie come walking down the hall. Letting them in, he hands them each a beer then he drops onto the couch. "I saw Randy Forbes giving Markos what looked like pills today."

"Really? That means Markos is in the loop but he's not the big bad," Bonnie mentions. "Where did Randy get them?"

"I saw Kai hand them off in English class. Sure we have enough to arrest Kai right now but I want his supplier," Damon adds, taking a long pull from his beer bottle.

Looking around, Bonnie eyes Brady then turns to Damon. "Have you heard anything about Elena?"

"No, I haven't heard anything from her since she took off. That said..., there are eyes on her but I don't want to get into it."

"Okay then. There is something you should know about that guy who was offed near the school," Brady starts to say. When Damon sits at the edge of his seat, Brady continues, "He used to work as a bouncer at one of Richard Lockwood's nightclubs. It's that the strip joint in Chandler that Mason Lockwood manages."

"Didn't that place get raided a few months ago?" Damon asks, finishing off his drink.

"Yeah, I looked into that. They didn't find anything out of line so the place is still open."

"When did you find all of this out?"

"Right after the body turned up," Bonnie admits, her eyes darting over to Brady for a second before turning back to Damon.

"You knew all this time and you didn't tell me? I thought we were all friends, partners whatever here," he snaps, flying out of his seat to get himself another bottle of beer.

"Damon, calm down. You know as well as we do that you wouldn't have let it go. And as sick as you were, you didn't need to be chasing around with those lowlifes," Bonnie says, her voice firm and unyielding.

Staring at her for a minute, he sets the bottle down then grabs his jacket. "Where are you going?" Brady asks, taking the last swallow from his own bottle.

"I'm going to talk to Shane. I want to have a few words with Tyler and this time, I won't take no for an answer," Damon retorts. Sucking in a breath, Bonnie sets her bottle down and with Brady in tow, they follow Damon out of the apartment and pile into his car to drive down to police headquarters to have a word with their boss.

Staring out of her bedroom window, Elena feels good for once. She hasn't had to sell her soul to the devil himself to get drugs. Enzo although he's brusque at times, he so far hasn't demanded anything from her as a price for the drugs or for staying here. Although she feels like she needs more, at least he doesn't let her go into full fledged meltdown before he gives her another shot. Neither he nor Lucy seem to be judgmental when he sticks the needle in her arm. That said, Enzo went absolutely ballistic on her when Lucy told him that she was trying to score a hit from some guy when they were downtown yesterday. He strictly forbade her to make deals on her own, saying most of those dealers are not to be trusted. They often add fillers or poisons to the raw heroin that they sell. Even though she wasn't mad at Lucy for ratting her out, she still didn't like being on the receiving end of one of Enzo's verbal beat downs.

When she sees a crow land on one of the tree branches, it's caw loud, she watches it intently. For whatever reason, it reminds her of Damon. It's strong and self reliant and caring. She knows that crows and ravens are very intelligent. Although she doesn't regret running out on him... she was miserable with him and he with her... still she remembers seeing the pictures of the two of them in his bedroom. It hurts to think about what he may have meant to her so she pushes it away. With the smaller yet regular doses, she finds herself being able to pull together fragments of memories, some of him and others that are too terrifying to dwell on. Mostly she doesn't want to remember but as the bits and pieces continue to bombard her mind, she doesn't know how long she'll be able to push them away. Since Enzo injected her just a short time ago, fatigue starts to weigh on her. Yawning, she crawls into bed and lets her dreams take her where they may.

"We're going to try something different tonight," he says, tapping her puckered rear opening with his finger. "You know what you have to do first, sweetheart," he taunts, his sinister smile making her stomach turn.

Awakening in a cold sweat when Lucy drops her lips to hers. Elena snaps her eyes open. "You were having another nightmare," Lucy explains. "The last time I tried to wake you, you struck out, hitting me in the face. That's why I kissed you this time."

"I don't mind," Elena says, her eyes firmly focused on Lucy's. Lucy gives her a wink then gets up just as Enzo comes through the door. By now it's been several hours since she had anything. Taking the hand Lucy offers, they go out into the living room to watch some TV, joining Enzo who inexplicably happens to be home at this hour. Too distracted with need, she stares at a painting on the wall without flinching for a couple of hours. When Lucy's eyes meet Enzo's, he gives her a nod to get a syringe ready for Elena. Having seen enough, Enzo waves his hand in front of her face and then sits down beside her. Once he has her attention, he says, "I think you should try to remember your captivity."

Storming into Shane's office, Damon pulls a chair out of the way. Presses his palms flat on the desktop, he leans over and demands to have a word with Tyler Lockwood. Leaning back in his chair, Atticus, palms his chin with his hand. "Have a seat Damon," he finally says, not in the least intimidated by the man in front of him.

"I want to talk to Tyler."

"In due time. Now first things first, I'm glad that you're back to work. I also wanted to have a word with you about Elena. What's going on with her?"

"I don't know what she's up to. I had her back but she ran away when I was sick. I haven't seen her since," Damon admits, softening his stance and finally plopping down into the chair.

"You do know that we'll need her testimony about who took her. Right now, with her habit.. any defense attorney worth his salt would tear her apart. You know that, Damon."

"But we know that they took her. They had means, motive and opportunity. Not to mention that Trevor was one of Lockwood's lackies."

"That's all circumstantial, Damon. We need cold, hard facts," Atticus points out, reaching into his drawer, he pulls out a piece of gum and pops it into his mouth. "I'll tell you what, I'll let you talk to Tyler but I will be behind the two way glass. If you cross the line, you'll be out of there before you can blink."

"Okay?" Damon agrees, sensing that Shane isn't quite finished yet. "And?"

"You're going to have to question Elena first. We need to know what she knows and what if anything she says will be able to be used in court."

Running out to his car, Damon drives downtown, finds a safe place to park his Camaro and then starts walking into different bars to try to find her. With Enzo not answering his phone, Damon really doesn't know where to focus his search. By the time he gives up for the night, it's almost midnight. As soon as he gets home, he showers and then goes straight to bed, letting his dreams take him to a time not so long ago before everything fell to pieces.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Damon. The Grand Canyon.. it's simply breathtaking," Elena gushes, her gaze fixed on the stunning scenery in front of her." Deciding to do some hiking, they fall back behind the rest of the group and veer off the well worn trail. Although Damon is aware that there could be rattlesnakes out and about, he still drags her along. When she pulls free, Damon watches as she stoops over to pick a dandelion.

"If I had known you love weeds, it would've saved me some money on the rose bouquet I bought for your birthday," Damon laughs. Stooping over, he picks one up and puts it in her hair, tucking it behind her ear and securing it in the weave of her hair.

"Thank you, kind sir," she teases, pretending to curtsy.

"Of course, milady," he retorts. Taking her hand again, they walk back to the trail and continue their downward trek. Looking over the edge, Elena gasps when she sees the Colorado river roaring over the rapids. With her mouth agape, she points out some rafts that are riding them.

"We need to do that sometime," she gasps, watching as they skillfully maneuver their way across the most dangerous parts till they reach calmer waters. Staring at her with wonderment, something stirs inside of Damon. Closing the distance between them, he cradles her cheeks with his palms, pulling her mouth to his. When her lips part, Damon thrusts inside, his tongue dancing around hers. Needing air, he finally lets go. The heaving of her bosom has him completely oblivious to anything but him and her. Taking her hand, he once more leads them off the beaten path. Finding a clearing hidden by some rocks, Damon watches awestruck when she rips her tee shirt over her head. With a lascivious wink, she yanks at his, pulling it off as well. Winding his arms around, he unsnaps her bra, releasing her gorgeous breasts from their fabric prison. Although he's seen them many times, he'll never get over how perfectly they fit in his hands.

"I'm crazy about you, Elena. You have to know that."

"I'm a bit fond of you too." Unable to hold back, Damon captures her lips in a mind altering kiss. Laying her down, Damon spreads her legs, situating his face in the apex of her thighs. Using his teeth and tongue and fingers, he licks voraciously, smiling against her flesh when he has her writhing and moaning in short order. He plunges two fingers inside of her hot and tight channel strumming her like the maestro with his Stradivarius. Dropping his mouth to her clit, he sucks and laves it with his tongue. When he bites down gently, he watches her erupt, her insides clenching onto his fingers like a vise grip. Damon is enraptured, completely hypnotized by how beautiful she when she surrenders herself to the throes of passion.

"I want you inside of me, Damon."

Bobbing his head up and down, he wraps his hand around satiny steel of his length and uses it to rub up and down her folds, lubricating himself. "Now Damon," she pants, her eyes meeting his. Wanting her desperately, Damon pushes himself inside.

Emboldened by the effect he's having on her, Damon pulls out and drives back in, the sensation of being connected to her like this is paradise. Picking up the pace, pressing deeper, harder and faster, Damon gasps when she raises her hips to meet his forward strokes. Feeling her hands running up and down his chest, he growls for her to hang on tight as he drives in even harder. He grunts loudly when he feels her digging her nails into the curve of his ass, pulling him in even deeper.

"You feel so damn good," Damon pants, working hard not only for her pleasure but for his own too. Using a little of the Salvatore swagger, he flips them, letting her ride to her heart's desire. He places his hands on her hip and helps her to slide up and down along the long hard length of him. When she throws her head back her breasts lurch forward. Taking full advantage, Damon wraps his lips around one nipple, suckling and nipping, elongating her nipple first on one side and then the other. Taking his hand, he starts to vigorously massage her clit. In the next second, she screams and her body begins to convulse, a beautiful flush washing over her skin at the height of her orgasm. Damon is mesmerized by it. With her body still shuddering, Damon slams into her one more time, his own climax making his heart pound so hard, he almost thinks it's going to stop. "That has to be bad for the heart," he mumbles, his own body still quivering hard.

"Why do you think they call it "little death?" Elena laughs, resting her head on his chest. Wrapping his arms around her, he holds her impossibly closer because he never wants this to end.

The buzz of his alarm clock awakens him. Throwing his legs over the bed, he stretches his arms above his head and then stumbles into the bathroom still half asleep. Once he's dressed, he grabs a cup of coffee. Although he desperately wants to look for her, the captain won't tolerate him bugging out on the job again so soon. As soon as he steps in the building, Andie is once more waiting for him. How is he ever going to keep putting her off, he thinks to himself. When a water main breaks at the school, he decides to take Andie for lunch. Maybe that will pacify her for awhile. Opening the car door for her, he pushes it closed once she's inside. He tells her to choose. With a nod of his head, he pulls into the parking lot at the Panda Express. Holding the door open, they get in line. She orders a panda bowl with Teriyaki chicken while he orders a meal with Mushroom chicken and angus beef. While she finds a seat, Damon pays for it. Hungry himself, he actually lost about ten pounds while he was sick, he digs in, savoring the flavors as they stimulate his taste buds.

"This is nice Damon. We should do more couple things," she adds, licking the teriyaki sauce off of her lips slowly and seductively.

"I know Andie, but I was sick. Believe me, you wouldn't have wanted it. I was miserable."

"I know but you've never really asked me out until now."

"How about if we do something on Saturday? I don't know, maybe a movie?" Damon suggests, sticking a piece of beef in his mouth with the chopsticks.

"That would be great. Maybe we could do something more fun afterwards?"

"Perhaps," Damon smiles, waggling his brows at her. When he sees her beaming smile, he knows that she won't bug him about it anymore. Of course, now he's stuck taking her on a date. But she's a persistent one and would likely start to ask questions if he didn't act like a hormone charged high school kid. As soon as they finish, he takes her back to the school where her car is parked and then makes a beeline for downtown to try to find Enzo. After parking his car, he tries to call him again, a little surprised when he answers this time.

"What do you want Salvatore? I'm not at your beckon call," he snaps, irritated.

"Where is she? I need to see her."

"Trust me Damon, you can talk to her but don't try to capture her. I'll get my girl to take her someplace where you can "accidentally" run into her. After telling Damon the address, he hangs up and calls Lucy.

Although his warning rings in Damon's head, he pushes it aside. With the address in hand, he drives over there and parks across the street, jumping out of his car as soon as he sees Elena and another woman walking towards the front entrance of the apartment building. Approaching the girls, he notices that the two women share a look. Latching onto Elena's upper arm, he tells her to get into his car. Knowing it's futile to try to fight with him, she plays along. Caught off guard, Lucy starts to pound on Damon to let her go. Once Elena is safely buckled up in his car, he turns on Lucy, telling her to stay out of it. He gives her a scathing look then jumps into his car and drives away, leaving her standing there with her mouth hanging open. Pulling out her phone she calls Enzo to tell him what just went down.

"Don't worry, love. She'll be back in short order," Enzo says, shaking his head cause the cop took off with her anyway despite his warnings to the contrary. Picking up his glass of bourbon, he throws the shot back. He assures Lucy he'll meet her back at his apartment and then hangs up to finish up his business for the day.

Driving home, Damon tries to talk to her but it's pointless. She won't look at him or speak to him. After parking his car, he takes her by the arm again and leads her into his place. It doesn't take rocket science to see that she furious with him. Even though he hates that she's spending time with Enzo, he has to admit that Elena seems more lucid today. "About the guy in the morgue, Elena, the one with the tattoo, Trevor.. have you remembered anything?" He moves to stand beside her so he can see her face.

"I told you once that I don't know who that man is. I've never seen him before," she snaps, lashing out as anger and resentment begin to burn hot inside of her.

"Elena, please, I just want to help you. Can't you see that?"

"No!?"

"Don't you remember anything? That necklace I gave you, the infinity one, I never saw you take it off after I draped it around your neck."

"An infinity necklace? How quaint! Why don't you let me see it, maybe it'll spark a memory?" she retorts, quirking her brows angrily.

"So you can sell it for drug money just like you stole my grandfather's watch?" he lashes out, his nerves raw and frayed.

Caught off guard, a scowl forms on Elena's face. She hadn't given that watch even a cursory thought since she pawned it. Not willing to let him get the upper hand, she fires back, aiming below the belt. "Yeah, I'm more than willing to work it off it right now. Maybe then you'll stop following me?" she sneers, the timbre of her voice lethal in its intensity.

Before he can respond, she starts to undress herself. As soon as she's bare before him, Damon steps back in shock. It strikes him then that this is likely how she's been paying for her drugs all along. It would certainly explain Enzo's willingness to keep an eye on her and her seeming companionship with Lucy. When she tries to close the distance between them, she grabs at his crotch, squeezing him firmly. Too stunned to speak and shaken to his core, Damon recoils. Without looking at her naked form, he picks up her clothes and shoves them into her arms.

"So this is what you are now, nothing more than a God damn prostitute?" he spits, completely disgusted with her in this moment. For a briefest of seconds, he thinks he sees a hint of pain flash in her eyes but it's gone just as quickly as it appeared. Seething himself, Damon turns away. It's only when he hears the door slam shut and the deafening silence that follows does Damon finally allow himself to fall. Blown away, he stumbles backwards till the backs of his knees hit the couch. Collapsing in a heap, he finally lets the tears he's been holding inside for so long fall. With his vision blurred, he picks up her picture that sits on the end table. It's from the day he took her to the Grand Canyon. The dandelion is still in her hair. Brushing his fingertips over her face, he sobs loudly as if someone is ripping his heart out through his chest. As much as he wants it all to go away, he knows that it won't, not now not ever because he finally has to face that the woman he loves is truly gone.

Thank you so much Eva. Love you dearly.

You are all the very best. I cannot begin to thank you enough. The Delena family is the best there is.

Chapter title: 'Dancing in the Dark' by Bruce Springsteen.

I hope to update more frequently since I only have 2 stories in progress now. I posted the final chapter of "San Francisco" the other day. I am really anxious to share the new stuff with you. We're not quite half way through this one yet.

Be safe and have a terrific day. Thank you all again.