"Wait, so there's something I don't understand," Elena mused as she snuggled herself further under the blanket, still clad in her Halloween costume.

"Mm, what's that?"

"If Kol was your friend then why would he use something like that against you?"

Damon sighed, "You can't always trust your friends Elena. Why do you think I distance myself from everyone?"

"Not everyone is going to screw you over. You have to let someone in," Elena said yawning as she rested her head back on Damon's shoulder.

"Maybe one day," He whispered quietly.

"Hey Care," Elena greeted as she made her way back downstairs, she was now beginning to sober up.

"Where have you been? Bon and I have been worried about you!" Caroline exclaimed as she hugged Elena, the music had quietened down slightly but there was still a large number of people at the Salvatores' house. I must have missed most of the party.

"Sorry, I drank a little too much and Damon was looking after me. We were hanging out in his room," Elena answered truthfully, not wanting to lie to her friend.

Caroline softened a little, "Sorry I wasn't around to look after you, I just wanted to plan the perfect party."

"Hey I was fine, it's not your fault and anyway I had fun," Elena smiled, "Do you mind if I go upstairs for a while? I'm feeling kinda tired and I know I'm gonna have a killer headache tomorrow."

Caroline laughed and pulled the room key out of the small pocket on her dress before handing it to Elena, "You can leave it unlocked now, I doubt anyone will come in."

Elena nodded before turning away and walking back upstairs, once in her room she quickly changed into a pair of pyjama shorts and the shirt she had borrowed from Damon a few weeks ago which she had forgotten to return. She removed all of her make up and brushed her hair free of hairspray before sitting down on the edge of her bed and sighing. Suddenly her phone started buzzing beside her and she quickly jumped to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey El! Are you busy?" Jessica asked, grateful that her friend answered.

"No not at all. I've been meaning to call you actually."

"Really?" Something's wrong, she sounds off..

"Yeah, sorry I haven't spoken to you much I've just been so busy here.." Elena trailed off, I've been such a bad friend. "Enough about me, how've you been?"

"Me? Oh I'm fine.." I should say something.

"Is something wrong?" Elena asked, detecting the slight breaking of her friend's voice, Jess soon burst into tears.

"I- It's my dad, he's being released from prison tomorrow and my mom took Jakie up to our grandparents' place and I said I would stay here in case anything happened. I'm scared El, what if he comes back?" Shit, how come I didn't remember that! I should've remembered.

Elena gasped, "Oh my god! How long will she be gone for?"

"She said she'd be back tomorrow night at the latest. She kept begging me and begging me to go with her but- but I told her to take our things and come back for me," Jess explained as she sobbed, Elena found her heart breaking slightly. I can't believe I forgot that her dad would be released soon. He's such an ass, the way he treated Jess and her mom he should've been locked up forever.

"Is there anyone you could call to come and stay with you?"

"No, I haven't told anyone. I couldn't. You're the only one I can talk to about this, the only one that knows the truth."

"Are you at home?"

"Yeah.." Jess breathed out as she wiped away her tears.

"Stay right there. I'm driving up to see you, you can't be on your own right now."

"El.." Jess said before Elena stopped her.

"No, I've been a really crappy friend lately and you can't be alone. I'll get there somehow, just stay in and I'll call you when I get there," Elena instructed as she threw a jumper on over her t-shirt and slipped her converse on, she quickly packed up her bag and flung it over her shoulder. She ripped a blank page from her diary and pulled out a pen before scribbling a quick note out to Caroline and Bonnie.

Had an emergency in Philly- will be back tomorrow. I'll call you when I can, don't worry about me and please don't tell Jenna or Jeremy.

Elena

She left the note on the double bed before slipping out of the room, bumping into Damon. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed her packed bag.

"Going somewhere?"

Elena sighed, I should probably tell someone what's going on.. "My friend- she has a family emergency in Philly and I need to be there like right now."

"How? If I remember correctly, you don't have a car," Damon stated, quirking an eyebrow. Thank you captain obvious..

"Look, I don't know okay? All I know is that I need to get there and I will get there no matter what it takes."

"Give me five minutes to throw an overnight bag together and I'll take you," Damon said pulling Elena into his room, knowing that if he gave her a chance to speak she'd try to decline his offer. Once Damon was finished the two quickly slipped out of the house trying not to be noticed and got into Damon's car. Elena looked down at herself and laughed.

"Care to share the joke?"

Elena smiled and murmured, "My pyjamas.." Great, I am sat in Damon Salvatore's car wearing freaking cupcake print pyjama pants!

Damon smirked, "Cute."

He put the key into the ignition and started it before pulling out of the driveway and heading out of their neighbourhood. Elena leant forward and rummaged through her bag pulled out her phone. Dialling Jess' number she quickly put her phone to her ear.

"Elena?" Jess asked, her voice croaky.

"Hey," Elena cooed softly, "I'm on my way down now. If the traffic is okay then I'll be there in a few hours, my friend Damon is with me too. I hope that's okay?"

"Thank you. Drive safely, please."

Once Elena had hung up she saw Damon taking glances at her, "What?" She asked self consciously as she checked herself up and down.

"Your friend Damon?"

Elena blushed, "Yes. You are my friend.."

"Take a left here, I need to stop off and pick up some supplies," Elena said, they soon pulled up at a gas station on the outskirts of Philadelphia. Elena walked into the service shop whilst Damon refuelled the car. She picked up a couple of ready made sandwiches and a few bottles of water before heading up to the counter to pay. She soon returned back to the Damon and the two headed out to find her friend. I'm walking around in cupcake pyjamas and no one gave me a weird look, good ole Philadelphia!

"Hey Jess, we're outside," Elena said softly through the phone. She looked around at the sleepy neighbourhood, feeling a pang of sadness rush through her as she remembered her other friends from Philadelphia. I miss this place, I love Mystic Falls but I still miss it here.

"Ok. I'll be there in a minute."

Elena and Damon quietly walked up to the door and waited patiently for Jess to open it, once it was open the two headed in and Elena flung her arms around her friend's neck. "It's so good to see you," Elena whispered, her eyes tearing up. I never realised how much I missed her.

Jess smiled as she sobbed desperately, "Thank you for coming."

Damon smiled to himself as he watched the two friends interact, they pulled apart and Jess turned to Damon and gave him a shy smile. "You must be Damon."

"Yep, that's me."

"Elena told me you were cute," Jess teased weakly before letting out an exhausted yawn. Elena grinned and directed her friend into her lounge.

"Hey, why don't you get some sleep? I'll keep a look out for your mom."

Jess nodded and laid down on the sofa as Elena draped the comforter over her, Elena turned to join Damon in the kitchen but was stopped by Jess' hand, "El? I'm sorry."

"For what? I'm the one who should be sorry, I completely ignored you for the past months and forgot about everything with your dad. I feel like such a terrible friend.."

"The important thing is you're here now. But I am sorry, for everything I did in junior year I was just hurting. You and Damon, are you a thing?"

"Me and Damon?" Elena asked shaking her head, "No. Just friends."

"Hang on to that." I will.

Elena let out a smile and kissed the top of her friend's head before heading back out of the room to join Damon. She glanced around the almost empty kitchen before letting out a long sigh and turning to Damon. "Thank you for bringing me here, if you want to stay at a hotel I can give you directions to a place.."

"Elena, it's three in the morning I doubt there'll be anywhere to go. Besides I'm fine staying here and taking care of you." I'm glad I get to see this side of Damon, he doesn't realise what a good person can be.

Elena smiled and sighed, "It's weird," She began, "I've known Jess for years and yet it feels like the first time I've ever seen her, the real her."

"What exactly happened Elena?" Damon asked, his eyebrows raising in concern.

Damon listened intently as Elena told the story of Jess' abusive dad, what her friend had to endure when he went on trial and eventually went to prison. "I've been such a terrible person, I was too blinded by my own problems to notice hers. She was hurting and I did nothing," Elena concluded, on the verge of tears. Damon noticed and reached out to give her hand a squeeze. I'm such a bad friend. How could I not have realised!

"You are not a bad person, trust me."

"Really?"

"Really," Damon promised as he nodded reassuringly.

Elena let out a yawn and Damon gave her a small smirk, "Look, why don't you go and get some sleep? I'm more than happy to stay up," He offered as he took a sip of his water.

"Are you sure? You don't have to do that for me.."

"Go. It just means you owe me more now," Damon teased. Elena rolled her eyes but leant over to give Damon a hug before pulling away and joining her friend back in the lounge, Damon smiled to himself before letting out a long sigh. It was going to be a long night.

A few hours later Damon opened his eyes gingerly and lifted his head off of the table, wincing as he moved from the awkward position he had fallen asleep in. He looked up and caught Elena's friend Jess looking at him.

"Sorry, didn't think you'd wake up," She replied sheepishly.

"It's fine. Is Elena still sleeping?"

Jess nodded and moved forward to take a seat opposite Damon, "Yep. I don't think she's gonna wake up anytime soon, she's snoring."

"She snores?" Damon asked, half laughing to himself.

"Always has done when she's really tired," Jess shrugged grinning.

"So you and Elena have always been friends?"

"Ever since kindergarten. We've always stuck by each other, it sucked that she had to move but I'm glad she's happy there with you."

"Oh, Elena and I are just friends.." Damon trailed off when Jess gave him an amused look.

"So I've heard. But I don't get it, I mean the way you look at her, are you sure you only see her as a friend?"

Damon frowned, "I don't do relationships."

"Well maybe you should," Jess muttered underneath her breath.

Damon sighed and Jess looked up an shot him an apologetic look, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry. I just want to see El happy and I think she'd be more than happy with you.."

"No she wouldn't. I'd be the worst person in the world for her, I'm selfish, arrogant. I'd damage her."

"And she's a strong, caring individual that would fix you. She's exactly what you need."

"I've never been in a stable relationship, I couldn't be. It always got mixed up in the lies, the cheating.." Damon stopped when Jess interjected.

"So what, now you're more of a 'wham bam thank you ma'am' type of guy?" Jess asked causing Damon to nod. "We're more alike than you know. I mean I have slept my whole way through the football team and I still felt nothing, I liked the attention at the time but after a while I just felt empty again and I know Elena didn't really approve, but she always supported me and was always there, don't push her away.

Damon listened intently and nodded before letting out a yawn that he couldn't prevent, Jess noticed and smiled, "Why don't you go and get some sleep? I'll be fine on my own for a while."

"Thanks for coming Elena, it meant a lot," Jess said through tears as she hugged her friend goodbye, her mom sat waiting in the packed car for her daughter.

"Hey, I'll always be here. I know I haven't been the bestest friend recently, but I do care about you and if you ever need me you call me ok? Straight away," Elena replied as she squeezed her friend tighter. Once they pulled away Elena dried her eyes gently. Please be safe.

Jess turned to Damon, "It was nice meeting you, thank you for giving me the chance to see my best friend one last time." Surprisingly, Damon leant forward and gave Jess a soft hug, Elena let out a teary smile.

They watched Jess get into the car with her mom and waved at her before she drove off into the distance, Elena turned to Damon with her eyes full of tears. He immediately wrapped his arms around her protectively. "Hey, she's safe now."

Elena nodded, "Can, can you take me somewhere before we go home?"

"Sure, where?"

Elena typed in the address on his gps system, allowing him to get the directions. "Do you mind if I make a quick phone call?"

"Go ahead."

Elena quickly dialled her aunts number and was relieved when she picked up, "Hey Jenna, do you mind if I stay over at Care's tonight? I know its a school night but I promise I'll be home tomorrow to pick up my books. I've got all my homework done."

Jenna sighed and smiled, "As much as I want to go all parenty on your ass, I'll let you stay there. But make sure you're home next Sunday, Ric is gonna take us out somewhere." Ah Jenna, it's good to hear your voice.

"Where?" Elena asked, now intrigued.

"I don't know, he won't tell me!" Jenna said sighing dramatically.

Elena grinned, "I've gotta go now, I'll see you tomorrow." She turned to Damon who was now fully focused on driving, "It looks like Ric is gonna propose next weekend," She stated, smiling somewhat happily.

"Finally." Tell me about it.

After a few minutes of silence, except from the gps giving directions, they had finally arrived at Elena's destination. Home.

AN: Sorry for the delay in updating, I was going to do it yesterday but then the site decided to go down :(. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review to let me know what you think!