A.N- Were you all as frustrated as me about the Fanfiction outages the past few days! I've been dying to upload my new chapters! -Littledove

Chapter Fourteen- Georgia on my mind: Part one

Elena had been completely silent on the car ride back from the airfield where Jeremy had boarded my private jet. She had tried not to shed a tear as she was saying goodbye to him, but I could tell by the quiver of her lip that she was a second away from breaking point. I had tried to comfort her as we had watched his plane depart, but she had shrugged out of my embrace. I didn't know whether it was because she didn't want to be comforted, or whether she didn't want to be comforted by me, either way I didn't push it. We pulled up out the front of mine and my brother's childhood home and walked inside silently. I had offered to take her bags up to the guest room but she had politely declined, telling me she could handle it and just wanted to be alone for a little while. I had obliged her before showing her to the guest room at the very end of the second floor, conveniently located right next door to mine. I hadn't been sleeping much as it was, and I had a feeling having Elena Gilbert sleeping in the room next to mine night after night wasn't going to do much to curb my insomnia. I left Elena to be alone and made my way downstairs to find Stefan and come up with some kind of plan now that we knew Katherine had her sights set on Elena. Stefan was sitting by the fire in the parlour, twirling a whiskey in his hands and he looked extremely deep in thought, no doubt the entire saga weighing deep on his conscience. Being turned into a vampire had amplified the darker parts of me, my rage and dominance, whilst Stefan had been encompassed by his heightened empathy.

"How is she?" He asked as I walked into the room. I made my way over to the drinks trolly and poured myself a generous serving of my favourite irish whiskey

"I'm not sure. She's difficult to read, and she's not giving me anything" I told honestly. Elena Gilbert, the enigma, had been puzzling me since the moment I had laid eyes on her, and the more I got to know her, the harder it was for me to be apart from her, even for a moment.

"She's most likely in shock. It's, well, a lot to take in a 24 hour period" Stefan acknowledged

"How's barbie?" I asked joining him in front of the fire

"Resting. We went hard on her today but she's doing much better than I thought" He offered. We sat in silence for a moment, both exhausted. "She can't stay here Damon, not with Caroline being new"

"I know brother" I replied "But she's can't stay at home, the deed was void when her aunt died, she's not safe there"

"God. Katherine Fucking Pierce" He muttered before finishing his drink "Of all the women in the world we had to fall in love with it had to be her"

"Tell me about it" I chuckled. If there was one thing that I had to be thankful for, it was the strengthened relationship Stefan and I had developed since becoming vampires. We had never been close, not in a real sense, but in the past two years, our bond had become almost unbreakable, and I was glad for it.

"We need to figure out who she has on the inside Damon, the longer it goes on the more vulnerable it makes us, and the more danger it poses to those around us"

"I know. But first things first, you need to continue vamp training with barbie and I need to get her a day light ring"

"Any luck on that front?" He asked.

"As a matter of fact I got a call back from an old friend today, she might be able to help us, but I'll need to go to Georgia as soon as possible to find out"

"Damon, I can't teach Caroline control and be babysitting Elena at the same time.." Stefan began

"I know you can't baby bro, which is why I'm taking her on a little road trip first thing in the morning"

"Do you think that's wise? I mean, with everything that's going on do you really think she will want to leave Mystic Falls?" I smirked at him

"Well I won't give her a choice will I"

"God please don't compel the girl Damon, we have enough problems as it is"

"Do you really think compulsion is the only charm I have brother?"

X

It had taken me most of the morning to convince Elena to accompany me to Georgia but I eventually wore her down until she finally said yes. She was hell bent on staying to help in 'vampire Caroline's rehab program', but I had convinced her that the ring we needed to obtain was going to be one of the biggest tools in allowing her to have a normal life. The first few hours of our car trip had been in complete silence, with Elena either staring out the window mindlessly or snoring lightly. It had been torture the past few days, being so close to her yet not being able to touch her. I knew that with everything going on she needed time, time to figure everything out, but inside, I was screaming with impatience. My mind kept wandering back to the incredible evening we had spent together in New York, the candle lit dinner, the flirtatious looks across the dinner table, and more importantly, the way the black lace dress I had bought her had showed off every inch of her gorgeous frame. I felt insanely selfish for being angry at Caroline for 'ruining' our evening, I knew it wasn't her fault, but the things in my head I had planned, the way I had wanted to spread her body over the black piano in the jewel room and fuck her senseless, had rage radiating from me. And since that night, she hadn't looked at me the same. She finally knew about the monster within, and a part of me knew someone with a soul as pure as hers could never accept me for what I was.

"How much further do we have to go?" She asked me as we were about half an hour out of Greensboro. Ordinarily it would be an 8 hour drive from Mystic Falls, but thankfully with me driving we were there in half the time.

"About thirty miles" I told gruffly. She began yawning slightly and stretched her slender body, giving me a perfect view of her silky smooth stomach. I couldn't stop my eyes from gawking at her, but if I was honest that's all I had been doing the last few hours. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on, and I couldn't get enough of her tight little body and her smart mouth.

"It's still light out, I thought it would have been dark by now"

"I drive a little faster than most people" I smiled at her boldly. She returned it with a small smile of her own before taking a sip of water.

"So do you care to share what this little trip is all about? Other than helping Caroline?" She asked. It wasn't in my nature to be forthcoming. I usually only told people what was in their interest to hear and nothing more, but something about Elena Gilbert seemed to coax it out of me. The way her eyes turned dark when she was arguing with me had me wrapped around her little finger, and as much as I tried to fight it, time after time, she always got her way with me. And that was something I was not used to.

"What are some of the age old tales about vampires? About their characteristics?" I asked her, interested to see how much her etymology matched fact.

"Well I mean if I'm going off the likes of Dracula and Anne Rice I'd say they're pale, have no complexion, drink blood, can only come out at night and are hurt by garlic, crosses and a wooden stake to the heart. If I'm to go from the likes of MTV Teen dramas and Twilight they're decades old perverts who hang around high schools looking for girls to date. Oh and they sparkle" I laughed loudly at her comment, her sarcasm and indifference to teen love movies making me like her even more

"Well we definitely don't sparkle" I chuckled

"What a shame" She giggled in return

"You're correct on a few accounts. We drink blood, we're hurt by stakes and we can only come out at night. Vampires are cursed to be creatures of the night, only being able to walk under cover of the moon. If we are exposed to sunlight we will burst into flames and be killed" I said. I knew I shouldn't be giving a human the secrets as to my demise, but when it came to Elena, I was powerless.

"But hang on, I've seen you in the daylight plenty of times. For gods sakes we've been driving in it all day" She pointed out, confused. I lifted my left hand and flashed her the giant Salvatore heirloom ring that both Stefan and I wore religiously on our fingers

"One of the only perks of Katherine Pierce turning us is her having her little witch minion make Stefan and I daylight rings. It allows us to go out in the sun without getting hurt" Elena looked amazed by my revelation as she examined the giant antique on my finger

"You mean, there's witches as well?" She asked adorably with her mouth half open.

"There's all kinds of things that go bump in the night Elena. You'd be surprised" I smirked at her. My words obviously threw her through a loop because she retreated back into her seat, deep in thought and resumed our silence car ride.

We finally pulled up out the front of the only bar in the sleepy hicks ville town of Greensboro Georgia and I breathed a sigh of relief. Being confined in such a small space with Elena was starting to suffocate me, and I'd need to excuse myself to suck on a blood bag in the restroom before we got back on the road. She got out of the car and stretched, yet again giving me a glimpse of her perfect stomach and this time she noticed my wandering eyes. Her hands flew back down to her side and she gave me a wanton look before darting her eyes towards our final location.

"Please tell me we didn't just drive all that way to come to a bar" There was an irritation in her voice that send blood rushing down to my groin, and I didn't quite understand why an annoyed Elena turned me on so much. Although, if I was truly honest with myself, any kind of Elena gave me a raging erection.

"Oh shut it Gilbert, it's for good reason" I teased as I led her inside.

It had been two years since I had been in this haunt, it hadn't changed a bit, but I was a completely different man. I had ended up drinking here during my 'lost months' where I aimlessly roamed the country in search of Katherine and fucking/feeding from anyone I saw fit. It was a woman I had met here by the name of Bree who had helped me on my way back to my humanity, and eventually, open up to Stefan enough to listen to his rationality. I was very thankful to her, and made sure to gift her financially for her help. Being the stubborn woman she was though however, she had refused it, and had simply told me the fact that I was back to being myself was gift enough. Now it seemed, I needed her assistance again. I led Elena to the mahogany bar at the back of the room and was greeted by a fresh faced blonde thing.

"Welcome to Bree's Bar, what can I get you?" She asked with a hungry smile. I heard Elena scoff over my shoulder at how overly friendly the blonde was being, but it was something I was very much used to. I was just about to order myself a drink when a huskily familiar voice came bellowing from the end of the bar

"Out of all the gin joints in all the counties Salvatore, you have to walk into mine" I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face as soon as Bree came into view. She was an older woman, in her early forties, but it didn't do anything to dull her allure. Her chocolate skin was as smooth as the day she was born and her curly dark hair sat on her shoulders. She wore a tight blue singlet, boot leg jeans and every single man in the bar would stare at the swing of her hips and the curve of her luscious lips whenever she was serving. She walked from around the bar and threw her arms around me, bringing me into a tight maternal hug, and I couldn't help but notice how at ease I felt in her presence. She let me out of her grip and began surveying me with an almost proud smile on her face "God look at you kid, you look fantastic"

"As do you B" I smirked winking at her

"Hey now, you know that famous charm doesn't work on me, no matter how many times you try it" I laughed wholly at her comment as she snaked her arm around my shoulder and started addressing the blonde behind the bar "Shelly, this here is a good friend of mine, anything he wants is on the house, you hear?"

"Yes ma'am" The blonde acknowledged. Bree made her way back behind the bar as I ordered a scotch from the blonde

"So what brings you to town Damon, it's been a long time since I've seen that devilish face" She asked eagerly

"Uh I have some business I need to attend to, and it requires someone I trust, so naturally…"

"What did I tell you about that charm Damon?" She joked. In the midst of my reunion with Bree I had completely forgot that Elena was standing behind me, I spun around and was met by a curious look on her face

"Sorry Elena, did you want a drink?" I asked her. Elena joined me at the bar and the look on Bree's face was almost predictable.

"Ahh, and you must be the flavour of the month" She smirked. This should be interesting. If anyone was going to out sass Bree it was going to be Elena Gilbert.

"Oh come on now do I really look that vapid?" Elena smirked back at her "I'm Elena, Damon's personal assistant" Bree burst into a fit of laughter that almost shook the wooden bar as she looked between me and Elena

"Bam! Finally a woman who doesn't put up with your bullshit Damon" She continued laughing. Oh dear, this could be trouble "Such a pleasure to meet you Elena, I'm Bree" Elena leant over the bar and shook her hand

"Pleasure is all mine Bree. It's wonderful to meet an old friend of my bosses. I was starting to wonder if he had any" The angelic smile she gave me was the only thing stopping me from grabbing her by waist and taking her out to the alley to teach her some manners. The two women continued their laughter and I cursed myself for not predicting just how much these two would enjoy ganging up on me together.

"Ha Ha. Very funny. Would you care for a drink El…" I began to say but I was interrupted by a tap on my shoulder. I spun around to see a large breasted Daisy Duke wanna be, kitted out with a plaid top unbuttoned to show off her DDs, tiny dark denim shorts and matching cowboy boots

"I thought that was you Damon!" She greeted, throwing her arms around me. I had absolutely no idea in hell who this woman was, but I had a feeling I was about to find out. She must have noticed the confused look on my face "Oh come on, don't act like you don't remember me?" I continue to smile awkwardly as I felt Bree's amusement growing behind me.

"Oh of course, uhh.." I hate no fucking clue

"Darla!" She said in an almost shout. It didn't matter what her name was, I could barely remember my own name when I was hanging around this place, let alone some blonde cowgirl wannabe. "Don't tell me I have to take you out the back for round two to remind you" The purr in her voice made me feel physically sick

"My apologies I can't place you Darla. I hope you've been well though. Enjoy your evening" I told as politely as I could. She winked at me sultrily before placing a chastise kiss on my cheek

"You know where to find me if you change your mind big boy" She hummed before clicking in her heels and returning back to the table with her friends. I dreaded to think what Elena was thinking of this little exchange, and the look all over her face when I turned back around said it all. "Sorry Gilbert, did you want a drink?" Elena had a strange smile on her face as she hopped off her bar stool

"I can manage it myself big boy. If you need me I'll be by the dart board" She smirked sarcastically "Lovely to meet you Bree" The laughter erupting from Bree's belly at this point was almost unbearable and if I didn't adore the woman so much I would have wiped the smile right off her face

"Shut it you" I sneered at her, taking a swig of the drink in my hand

"Well, well, I never thought I'd see the day. Damon Salvatore brought to his knees by a human" She continued to laugh "You're head over heels boy"

"Excuse me?" I snarled

"Oh come on! I've never seen you allow a woman to speak to you like that unless it's me, and that's only because you know you have zero chance of getting in my pants"

"Not for a lack of trying darling" I sniggered at her, trying in vain to change the subject

"Can I just say I approve 100%, the girl has spunk! Plus she's a compete knockout"

"Yeah" I agreed silently

"You certainly do have a type though. She's a dead ringer for Katherine" I felt the blood in my veins start to boil at this comment. The thought of comparing my kind and pure Elena to Katherine Pierce, the cold blooded killer who had ruined my life and murdered my father was beyond an insult

"Don't ever compare her to Katherine" I warned. Bree took note of the aggression in my voice and decided not to push the topic any further

"Alright, alright" She surrendered, lifting her hands up as a peace offering "Are you at least going to tell me why you came? Or are you going to keep pretending you are just passing through?"

"Booth? This isn't a conversation for wandering ears" I advised. She led me from the bar stood to 'her' booth towards the back, I say hers because anybody who ever dared sit there would soon be kicked out of the joint. Bree liked to do her witch business in her bar, and to protect curious eavesdroppers, she had bewitched it so nobody outside the booth could hear the conversation. We sat down in the velvet seats and she placed a bottle of whiskey and two large shot glasses on the table

"So what kind of trouble have you got yourself into now Damon?" She questioned, pouring us two full glasses of the ochre molten scotch.

"Since our last conversation, Stefan and I have continued our efforts to track down Katherine, and we've been getting, well, very very close. Unfortunately for us, the theory that she has infiltrated the company have been proven correct, and word has leaked out to her that we were hot on her trail"

"I don't like where this is heading" Bree breathed, knocking back a shot and immediately pouring herself another.

"She decided to teach us a lesson, as if killing our father wasn't enough" I told, repeating her shot and pouring myself again just as she had "Stefan had been dating one of Elena's friends, Caroline and a few days ago, Katherine turned her as a warning to stop our search"

"The poor girl. Did she know about you two? What you are?"

"No, well of course she does now, so does Elena, but beforehand neither of them knew" I took a deep breath before I could get the next sentence out "And yesterday, following Caroline's transition, she left a note inside Elena's house, threatening Elena and her younger brother"

"I curse the day that woman was born" Bree alleged.

"You and me both. The sooner we can bring her down the better I'll sleep at night" I told having another shot

"I don't know what I can help you with Damon. I told you, my locator spells don't work on her, she's got too many witches protecting her and my magic isn't what it used to be.."

"That's not why I'm here Bree, and besides, I don't want to get you involved in any of this. The further away you can stay from Katherine Pierce the better" She rested her hand on mine at my statement and I could tell she was thankful that I cared so deeply for her safety

"Then what do you need?" I pulled a simple silver ring out of my pocket and sat it down between us

"A daylight ring" I told. I was expecting the reaction that followed, but I was ready to beg her if need be

"Damon you know I'm not strong enough. Love potions, minor curses and parlour tricks I can handle, but a daylight ring is heavy magic"

"I know how much I am asking from you Bree, but we're counting on you. You're the only witch I can trust, and one of the very few people"

"Flattery isn't going to strengthen my magic Damon. You know the spirits don't respond to me anymore after what happened" I took Bree's hands in mine and looked deep into her face. She was a kind woman who had been through so much heartache in her life, and I knew using her compassionate nature against her was wrong, but it would work

"All I am asking you to do is to try. If it doesn't work then it doesn't work, but I have this girl's blood on my hands. Her life has been forever altered because my brother and I fell in love with the wrong girl. I just want to give her even a slice of her old life back, even if it is just the ability to have lunch in the park on a sunny day. I need that Bree, and so does she. She's a good girl and she doesn't deserve this"

"One of these days you're going to have to stop hiding that big heart of yours"

"It just gets me into trouble" I scoffed. Bree turned her head over her shoulder and started looking at Elena throwing darts aimlessly at the dart board with a drink in her hand

"Or it could get you everything you've ever wanted" The Cheshire grin that was planted on her face sent my blood boiling again. I don't know what possessive part of me got furiously anger whenever anybody else spoke about Elena, but it was a part of me I needed to control if I was ever going to woo her. She had already made it clear she didn't want to be with the guy who punched out anyone who so much as looked at her.

"Drop it okay Bree. I didn't come here to talk about her" I growled

"So there is something going on between the two of you" She grinned in satisfaction

"Come on like you can't tell with you witchy ju ju"

"It's not witchy ju ju Damon it's women's intuition, and it took me all of about five seconds to notice the way you look at that girl" I couldn't help but growl at her as I poured myself another drink

"What part of I don't want to talk about it do you not understand?" She took the hint and returned her gaze to me, the slight smile still creeping above her lip

"Fine. Just, let her in Damon. I don't know what she's doing, but its working. She's good for you" I was about to launch into a tirade of rage before Bree stood up from her seat, obviously predicting what was coming "For you and only you will I attempt this spell. Now if you need me, I'll be in the back"

X

I had spent the better half of two hours being patient and now I had reached breaking point. Bree had locked herself up in her office and was now refusing to answer me with anything but curse words and Elena had made friends with two sleazy looking cowboys who had been playing darts with her and ogling her assets. I felt like she was purposely trying to test my self-control, she had to have known that hanging out with those two grease balls was going to drive me insane. But that's exactly what she had wanted to do I had decided, and I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of getting a reaction out of me.

I had been subtly monitoring her alcohol intake since we had got her, and from my count she was now onto her seventh drink, making her dart game exceedingly sloppy. The two dipshits she was with must have thought it was Christmas when they walked in and saw her all on her lonesome, little did they know should they try anything they would have me to deal with, and when I was angry, I was not a very nice guy at all. They'd be lucky if they got out of here with their necks unbroken. Thankfully, I was broken out of my trance by Bree who had inaudibly slipped into the booth like a cat, or maybe my focus was just solely on Elena…

"All done" She told placing the ring on the table. Her words ripped me out of my trance and my eyes flew to her

"Done!" I shrieked. I hadn't meant my voice to sound so surprised but the squeak gave me away

"Well I can see how confident you were in my abilities" She grumbled crossing her arms

"I didn't mean it like that Bree, I have more faith in you than you realise" I told soothingly. Ever since she began pushing her magic to its natural limits, Bree didn't have much luck contacting the other side for assistance from the spirits. But I knew if she had enough motivation to help Caroline she would be able to dig deep inside of herself and get a result. "I know magic like this doesn't come without its costs to you and I want you to know I don't expect a free favour. So please this time, name your price" Her eyes once again darted between me and Elena and a devilish smirk took over her features. Oh god I didn't like where this was going.

"I do want something Damon Salvatore, but it's not something you can buy" I shook my head while she continued her little rant. I knew what was coming. "All I want is for you to give it a real shot with this girl. No tricks or games or compulsion, a real honest shot"

"Bree I'm her boss" I snarled at her. How dare she bring it up again after I had warned her about it so many times. I didn't want to discuss my tubulous relationship with my subordinate, mostly because I had no idea what was going on with us after the last couple of days. One thing was for certain, Elena hadn't looked at me the same way since she had in New York.

"And you're also in love with her" I felt the jolt of anger rush from my veins into my hands and the large shot glass I was holding shattered into a hundred pieces. Bree kept eye contact with me throughout the entire exchange, letting me know she was serious in her words and wasn't scared by my outburst. She had seen much worse outcomes from my anger and a smashed glass was the tip of the ice burg.

"I'm a vampire. I do not love"

"Yeah yeah. Go and get your girl before those idiots give you an excuse to kill them" Bree smiled. She stood up and gave me a kiss on the forehead and threw her warm arms around me "It's always good to see you kid. Try and call a lady more will ya? It gets lonely down here"

"I will. Thanks again, for everything" I returned her warm embrace before letting her go and finally getting my ass up off the booth. I made my way across the now crowded bar and set my sights on the only thing that seemed to matter to me lately. The two post adolescent idiots were completely enthralled with her, and why shouldn't they be, but I needed them to fuck off soon or their blood was going to be spilled on the floor. As against my nature as it was, I decided to take the passive route for a change, and reached into my back pocket, pulling out two crisp Benjamin franklins.

"Fella's, I hope you're evening is going well" I greeted. They both put their beers down after looking at each other, obviously preparing for a fight they didn't realise would be no contest and began rolling up their sleeves

"Can I help you?" They asked. Before I could comment Elena twirled over towards us, red faced and giggly, and I realised just how much she had had to drink. I grabbed her by the hand and pulled her behind me in a protective stance "Elena is this guy bothering you?"

"This guy is her boss, and you should be thankful that this evening I'm more interested in getting her home safe than caving your skulls in. Now I suggest you take these two benjamin's I have in my hand and drink whatever pathetic excuse for a beverage you call beer on me for the rest of the evening. What do you say?" The sandy haired Abercrombie looking cowboy looked like he was about to fight me on it for a second, before his friend whispered in defeat to him and they snatched the two bills out of my hand. Well that was one problem out of the way, now I had a drunk Elena to deal with, and if she was anywhere as firey as regular Elena I was in for a hell of an evening.

"Well here's the fun police! I was having a good time with them" She said as she fell lightly against me

"I bet you were" I grumbled

"Well you'll just have to have fun with me now!" She giggled, swaying her hips against mine and knocking me over a step "Fancy a game?"

"Elena you're drunk" I grumbled again as I put my face in my hands. It had been a long day and I didn't feel like dealing with this right now

"And you're being boring! Come on grouchy, just one game. Unless you're scared I'm going to bet you?"

"Not likely" I replied with a smirk. There was something childlike about her when she was like this, and even though she was an irritating trouble magnet, I couldn't help but be charmed by her. "Fine one game! And then we are getting the hell out of this hoe dunk town!"