A/N: Holy cow! Thank you all SO much for your response to my last chapter. I got the most reviews I've ever gotten for a single chapter.

And now, here's chapter 21. This chapter still has angst going full swing, but never fear, the next chapter will have the beginning of our rainbow in the clouds.

Chapter 21: The Difference a Month Can Make

Damon's POV

It's been one month, and there is still no sign of her. One month ago today, I went to Elena's room to apologize for being so shitty to her. I went to explain the kiss with Rebekah. I went to tell her how crazy she makes me, to the point where I don't know if I love her or if I hate her. But she was gone.

She didn't leave a note, she didn't say goodbye. She just took a few of her possessions, the money I told her I had in my study, and herself.

I searched frantically all over the house, wondering if she was playing some stupid trick on me. I hoped she was just hiding somewhere, thinking things through. I hoped she hadn't done anything drastic. But two hours later, and after searching the entire grounds of the boarding house, I knew. She was gone, and she had no intention of coming back.

After I took out my frustration by completely wrecking my bedroom, I called Ric and Jenna. I called Mom and Dad. I even called John and Grayson Gilbert. No one had heard from or seen her. Ric and Jenna offered to help look for her, as did Mom and Dad and Grayson. I wouldn't have accepted John Gilbert's help, even if he had offered it.

I called every hotel and motel and roadside inn within a twenty mile radius. A man at a motel a few miles away said that she'd stayed there one night, but she'd left already. He said she'd called a cab, but he didn't know where she went. And now, she could be anywhere.

I haven't given up searching. I have to find her. I have to make things right somehow. This whole thing has gotten so god damn fucked up, and it's my fault. I did this to her. I pushed her away, because I wouldn't take the time to fucking listen.

Sleep has been hard to come by. Every time my phone rings, I pray that it's a lead. But it never is. Stefan and Caroline have been helping look for her, too. But they also have other things on their mind. They just got engaged. Somehow, amidst all the drama around them, they still managed to come out happy. Good for them. Really.

Rebekah's stay here was cut short. Very short. The morning that I discovered Elena was gone, I called Rebekah's father and told him that he needed to make other arrangements for his daughter. I told him about the kiss, and of course, he blamed me. He was pissed, and I didn't really give a damn. I just gave him back his daughter and his money, told him to go fuck himself, and I haven't accepted any other offers for girls that have come my way. And I don't think I ever will again.

If I at least knew that she was safe, I could rest easy. But, for all I know, she's on the streets or dead. Five thousand dollars doesn't last long, and Elena has never been on her own. And I'm fucking worried sick about her. I keep hoping, praying, that she'll show up at the door one day. I still have her clothes in my dresser and my closet, her soap in my bathtub, her favorite dark chocolate on the kitchen counter. All waiting for her to come back and use them. For now, however, they just serve as a daily reminder of how badly I screwed up.

Elena's POV

It's 7:00 in the morning, and it's time for me to get up and head off to work. I've been working at a little diner down the street from the hotel that I've been living in for the past month. I've started a new life in Richmond, and it's free of drama and abuse and Damon Salvatore.

I still think about him. I think about him everyday. I wonder if he's out looking for me. I wonder if he'll ever fnd me. Here's the thing: right now, I don't want to be found.

Some blonde dye, a little bit of bleach, and a new last name have transformed me into a new person. I went through the $5,000 pretty quickly once I got to Richmond. I'm staying at a nice hotel, I bought new clothes, and I'm trying to save a little here and there for a rainy day.

The diner where I work is always busy. It's open 24/7, and I work long hours there, since there's nothing else for me to do. Plus, it keeps my mind off of him. My boss, Rose, is awesome. I get all my meals free there, so that works out nicely. And I always get good tips. As long as I make enough to pay for my hotel room for the night, I'm good.

I put on my uniform for work, a white shirt with a logo that says "Rose's" on it and red mid-length shorts. I throw my hair up in a ponytail, put on some lip gloss and mascara and head out the door.

"Hey, 'Lena! I'll be in around noon. Have my usual ready for me!" The manager of the hotel is one of our regular customers. His usual is a hamburger with everything and an order of Rose's famous onion rings. I always have one ready for him by noon. And he gives me a small discount on my room. I couldn't ask for better people in my life right now.

"Will do, Mr. Martin!" I smile at him as I walk out into the warm, summer morning air. This morning walk is my time to reflect on the life that I've left behind and the life that I'm living now. It's during this short walk that I remember the good times I had with Damon, and it's during these walks that I miss him the most.

I get to the diner ten minutes later, and the place is already bustling. I get straight to work, grabbing a notepad and a pen to take orders and planting a permanent smile on my face.

Damon's POV

"Damon! Damon! Where the fuck are you?! DAMON!"

I hear the familiar sound of Ric's voice yelling at me from downstairs. I actually slept some last night, and I'm still gathering my wits about me. It only takes a few seconds for me to realize that he's probably got something important to tell me, and that something important probably has to do with Elena.

That's all the motivation I need. I jump out of bed, throw on some clothes, and run downstairs as Alaric yells for me again.

"Damon. God damn it. It took you long enough! You need to come with me. Now."

"What? Where? Why?"

"We're going to Richmond. I expanded our search area, and I called around Richmond, and there's an Elena Flemming registered at a hotel there."

"Uh, maybe you didn't get the fucking memo, but her name is Elena Gilbert."

"Asshole. I know that. I called Grayson Gilbert and asked if Elena might be using some kind of alias. And he said, he didn't know. But I had a hunch, so I asked him what her mom's maiden name was. Flemming. And voila! We have our girl."

My heart is pounding against my chest. We've found her. I'm completely speechless, but Ric gets my message when I walk out the door and get in my Camaro.

The drive to Richmond feels infinitely long today. I have Ric call the rest of the crew, including my parents and Elena's dad. Everyone agrees to meet in Richmond. Everyone, that is, except Grayson Gilbert. He'll be off saving lives while we try and save his daughter.

Our first stop is the hotel she's been living in. I'm relieved to see that it's not some kind of dump. It's not the Ritz, but it's nice. She must have some sort of steady income. There's no way she could still have any of that $5,000 left now.

The lobby of the hotel is spacious and clean. There are a few chairs and tables and the receptionist at the front desk has a welcoming smile.

"May I help you?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm looking for Elena Flemming, and I'm pretty sure she's staying at your hotel."

"Let me check, sir." The receptionist fiddles around on her computer for a few minutes. "Yes, it looks like she is staying here. May I ask your name?"

"Damon Salvatore. She knows me."

The receptionist gives me a look like she's heard of me. Something tells me she probably has.

"Mr. Salvatore, I'm afraid Miss Flemming gave us instructions to not allow you to go to her room. Besides, she's not there anyways."

I give the receptionist an indignant look. "Well, then, where is she?" I ask impatiently.

"I can't tell you that, Sir." I'm getting really tired of this lady's inability to tell me anything.

"Well, what can you tell me then, sweetheart?"

"I can tell you that Miss Flemming does not want to be seen by you and that if you don't leave this hotel in the next five minutes, I will call security and have you escorted out."

"Fine, I'll go. Fuck you very much." The receptionist's jaw nearly drops to the ground, right before she narrows her eyes into a sinister glare. She looks around, I assume to make sure her manager can't see her, and she discreetly flips me off. I roll my eyes and leave.

I don't even know where to begin looking now. I'm guessing that she doesn't have a car, so I tell Ric our best bet is to start going business to business around town. She's probably at work, and I am determined to find her.

We start in the area surrounding the hotel...with no luck. We hit ten businesses, from a clothing store to Wal-Mart, and she's nowhere to be found. As Ric and I are getting ready to expand our search area, Stefan, Jenna, and Caroline call us to tell that they've made it to Richmond. I tell them where we are, and a few minutes later, we're all together.

"OK. Our best option now is for us to split up. Jenna and Caroline-you ladies go to the mall. Look in every store, look at every person that passes by you, look in every fucking stall of the bathroom if you have to. And if she's not there, then keep looking somewhere else." The girls nod and head off in Jenna's car.

"Ric, Stef-we're going to keep looking around here. She's here somewhere, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to be found. If you see a gorgeous brunette running away from you, you run like hell and catch her. I don't care if you have to fucking tackle her to the ground, do not let her get away." OK, maybe that's a little drastic. I'm sure smashing her body into the ground isn't going to score me any good boy points, but I'm desperate.

We start at a strip club next door to the shop we just left. It's upscale and the women inside are beautiful, but none of them are Elena. And I've never been so happy to not see her. The last place I wanted to find her was in some strip club getting naked for a bunch of perverted old men. The only perverted old man I want her getting naked for is me.

We leave the place just as Candy, the redheaded vixen, offers us five minutes of paradise in the VIP Suite. Mom and Dad call when we're en route to our next destination. They'll be here tonight. They've been worried sick about Elena. Dad's been my eyes and ears at the hospital. And, luckily, she hasn't been there.

Our next several stops produce nothing. I describe her everywhere we go: brunette, gorgeous, about 5'8" with chocolatey brown eyes. Nothing. Either she's not in Richmond anymore and that hotel clerk was a fucking liar or she's doing a really good job of staying hidden. All I know is that this whole search effort has the guilt in me breaking to the surface in thundering waves.

"Damon, we've been looking for Elena for five hours. We've been in every store within eyesight. Jenna and Caroline haven't found her either. It would seem this whole thing is pretty fruitless." Leave it to my little brother to give up so easily.

"We're going to find her, Stefan. We have to." Even if I'm feeling hopeless at the moment.

"Look, why don't we go grab a bite to eat with the girls while we wait on your parents to get here." Now that Ric mentions it, I realize I haven't eaten all day. I guess we could take a food break.

"Fine. Let's eat somewhere close to the hotel. Maybe we'll see her. Ric, call the girls and tell them to meet us in front of the hotel."

A few minutes later, we're all gathered outside the hotel wondering where to eat. We ask a few people leaving the hotel for a suggestion, and they all recommend the same place. They tell us that Rose's is a great little diner a few blocks away. It's a little hole in the wall, blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of place. And I know for a fact, that it's not somewhere we checked today. We must have blinked.

It's within walking distance, so we take the short walk to the diner. When we walk in, the place is packed with the dinner crowd. A redhead seats us at a large table near the back. She says that our waitress will be with us shortly and gives us our menus to peruse as we wait. Home cooked comfort food tops the menu, and I'm already salivating at the thought of eating a mammoth-sized portion of chicken fried steak.

Elena's POV

Rose's is packed out tonight. We haven't had a crowd this big in the month that I've been here. My legs are definitely getting a workout tonight. Claire, one of the hostesses, tells me that I have a large party seated at one of my tables. This makes me happy, as large parties typically equal large tips.

I grab my notepad and pen, put on my smile, and walk over to the table. But before I make it, I freeze in my tracks. Damon. Damon's here. Damon's here at Rose's. Right now.

I turn around, praying no one at the table saw me, and I head back into the kitchen.

"I-I can't go out there. I can't take that table." I tell Bonnie, a fellow waitress.

"Why not?" She asks, confused.

"You remember that guy I told you about?"

"The one that broke your heart and ruined any chances for you to ever fall in love again? That one?"

"Yeah. Well, he's here. And so is his brother and his best friend and their significant others. I can't go out there, Bonnie." She looks at me sympathetically.

"Elena! Your table is waiting on you, and they're getting really impatient!" Claire is yelling at me, and I know that I have to face my fears. I have to do this. It's time to put on my big girl pants.

"You can do this, girl. And if he causes any trouble, we've all got your back." I work with the best people.

I take a deep breath, stand tall, plant that smile back on my face, and walk back out to their table. They're all so busy talking and looking at their menus, that they don't even look at me.

"It's about time! We're starving here, and you're just taking your sweet little time." Damon says, without taking his eyes off of his menu.

Caroline is the first to see me, and the look on her face goes from aggravation to confusion to surprised excitement in a matter of mere seconds.

"Oh my God! Oh my GOD! Elena!" And with that, all eyes at the table are on me. But I only care about one pair of baby blue eyes, and they're staring straight at me.

Damon's POV

Holy fucking shit! It's her. Leave it to coincidence to lead me to her. She looks so unlike Elena with her bleached blonde hair. And yet, she looks so much like Elena with her cherry lip gloss and those eyes.

"Are you all ready for me to take your order?" Hmm. I at least expected a "hi, how ya been?" But she's straight to business.

I stand up and gently pull her arm. "Come on, we need to talk."

She pulls away from me easily. I guess she's been making use of the hotel fitness room.

"Not now, Damon. I'm working." Her tone is cold and hard, and it's so not Elena.

"Elena. Look. I'm sorry, okay? Do you know how fucking hard it is for me to say that? I don't apologize to people, but I need to apologize to you. I messed up. And I'm sorry."

"Damon. Are you going to eat something or just spend your time trying to fix something that's unfixable?" She looks and sounds exasperated. I'm fucking trying here, and she's not having any of it. God damn it, I've really screwed this up.

I take a deep breath, sit back down, and look over my menu once again. "I'll have the chicken fried steak, gravy on the side, and I don't suppose you have any bourbon hidden away do ya?"

She almost smiles. "No, Damon, we don't have alcohol here, not even hidden away."

"Well, in that case, bring me a large Coke." I could use the caffeine.

The rest of the crew orders their food. As Elena goes to the kitchen to put in our order, I can't help but look at how amazing her ass looks in her shorts. I miss that ass. I miss all of her.

"So, brother, still think it was worth it to find her?"

"Stefan, don't fuck with me right now." I'm not in any kind of mood for him to rub this in my face.

"I'm just saying, she doesn't seem like she's too happy to see us here."

Like clockwork, Elena comes back to the table to deliver our drinks. She puts our drinks in front of us and is gone before I have a chance to say anything to her.

"I just wanted to know she was safe, Stefan. And she is." That's all that matters really. She's safe. She's alive and okay.

We sit in relative silence until our food comes...at least I do. The others have been talking amongst themselves about wedding plans and married life and other things that I know absolutely nothing about. But I want that. I want that with Elena, and I was a damn fool to treat her the way that I treated her at home. But I'm here now, and I hope that she appreciates that. Because, this time I didn't run from my problems. This time I'm ready to face my problems head on. I'm doing things for Elena that I've never done for any other woman in my life.

Elena returns to our table with our food. The tray that she is carrying looks as if it weighs a ton, but she's not buckling. She's definitely been working out. And I try my hardest to not stare at her hard body. I fail miserably. It's like she's turned from a teenager to a full-blown woman in the month that she's been gone. Everything about her looks exceptional, although the bleached blonde hair does nothing for her.

She puts our plates in front of us and asks us if we need anything else. Yes, I need her. God, do I need her. When Ric and Stefan all say no, she walks on to her next table. I watch how enraptured all of her patrons are with her. I can tell who the regulars are, because she gives each of them a hug or a kiss on the cheek. And everyone gets one of her incredible smiles.

The food is delicious. I can see why the place is so busy. I haven't had food this good since...since Elena was at the house. It's a far cry from TV dinners and pizza delivery. Sure, I can cook, but I was too busy looking for Elena to worry about food. But now, I can finally take the time to enjoy my dinner, because I've found her. And I'm going to do whatever I can to get her back.

Elena's POV

I still can't believe that Damon is here. I can't believe that he came all this way just to find me. I've tried hating him. I've tried telling myself that there is no love there anymore. But I can't. I love him. I'll always love him, because he was my first love. My first everything.

But I'm also still hurt by the things he said and the things he did before I left. That wasn't the Damon that I fell in love with. That was the dark side of Damon that I thought was long gone. However, I've come to realize that Damon's darkness is just as much a part of him as the loving, caring, romantic Damon. It had just been tucked away. And who knows when that side is going to come out again.

I was so convinced after everything that happened last month, that he hated me. And it's not easy moving on from that. Even when he apologized, I still felt so unsure. I wasn't certain about his love for me, like I had been for so long.

I go back to the table to see if anyone needs anything. Everyone is laughing and talking, and I miss being a part of that. I don't really have any friends here, besides Bonnie. I tried getting in contact with Matt after I left the boarding house, but he said he needed some space from me, too. It was just another punch in the gut. But I understand.

"Does anyone need anything?"

"I need the check." Damon says, his voice not as warm as before. I'm guessing he's mad that I'm not pouncing on him and groveling at his feet. He's figured out that my guard is up, and it's going to take some time for me to be willing to hear him out.

I pull their check out of the pocket on my apron and hand it to Damon. He looks it over, hands me some cash, and tells me to keep the change. I look down and realize that he just handed me $500.

"Damon! I can't take this. This is too much." I whisper, so as not to attract too much attention.

"Elena, take the damn money. I'm sure you could use it."

"I don't need your money anymore, Damon. I have a job now. I'm not your responsibility." I don't want to feel any kind of obligation to him, like I owe him something.

"Elena. Listen to me. This money is yours. It's from the money that your uncle gave me. It's yours. Take it. And stop arguing, before I tell your manager that you spit in my food." He looks at me with a smirk. And I miss that. I miss that smirk. I want to kiss it off his face.

"Fine. And...um...thank you."

Damon is about to say something else, when his phone rings. Giuseppe's calling, and Damon tells me that his parents are on their way here. He really went all out on this search and rescue mission. Wow.

"Hey, Dad. Where are you guys?"

Damon gets a panicked look on his face. "Dad! Dad! Whoa whoa whoa. Slow down. Dad! Tell me what's going on."

As Damon listens to Papa Joe talk, I see all the color slowly drain from his face. He drops the phone on the table, and his eyes are full of distress. I see that Giuseppe is still on the line, so I pick the phone up.

"Giuseppe, what's going on?"

"Elena?" Giuseppe's voice cracks as he says my name.

"Yeah, it's me. What's wrong?"

"We were on our way to Richmond, and someone ran a red light at an intersection we were in. They hit the passenger side of the car." Oh God, I know what's wrong. Oh God. I can barely breathe right now.

"Don't say it, Papa Joe. Please. Don't." Tears are already falling down my cheeks, because I know the words he's going to say next. And I don't think my heart will be able to take it.

"Elizabeth didn't make it." Giuseppe starts crying right along with me, and I wish I could hug him right now. This is my fault. If I hadn't come to Richmond, they wouldn't be coming to Richmond. They wouldn't have gotten in the car wreck.

I put Damon's phone back down on the table in front of him. Damon doesn't look at me. He's staring down at the phone, tears glistening in his eyes. And I want nothing more right now than to hug him and comfort him and tell him that I love him. But this is my fault. Mama Liz is dead because of me. Someone else has died because of me. And Damon must hate me for it.

So, I walk back to the kitchen, tell everyone I'm taking the rest of the night off and sneak out the back exit. I run like hell back to my hotel room and fall on my bed, letting all my anguish out in deep, heaving sobs.