Would like to thank my beta throughmysoul44 for her awesome beta skills :)

Thank you for your support!

Enjoy!

"You can't do this," Mr. Fell looked at Damon and then at Giuseppe sternly.

Giuseppe's teeth clenched together and he turned to Damon. Even though he was trying to remain calm, Damon knew that his father wanted to tear him apart for humiliating him like that in front of the Board. "Damon, behave yourself," He managed to spit out. "The slave shouldn't sit with us."

"This is how it's going to work," Damon stated. "If you want me to sign the contract, Elena will have to stay by my side. A lot of governors had human slaves to help them with their work."

"But no vampire was emotionally involved!" Mr. Fell yelled. "You can't back down from this position, Damon. It's the law."

"No," Damon spat, "The law states that you cannot say no to becoming a governor after you've signed the contract to officially start your training, because otherwise we would've wasted our resources to train someone who did not even care. So yes, Mr. Fell, I wasn't even supposed to start training yet. It was supposed to start after I signed, and I did so at my own expense. I did it because I value this role. However you are mistaken if you think that I can't back down. I can and I will," He threatened. "And you know that it's much more worth it if you hire someone who already knows the basics. After all, time is only passing."

"No vampire should be attached to a human," Another member said. "The girl will have access to sensitive information. What if you were to develop a strategy to take down a human village?"

At that, Damon stopped for a moment. He was doing this to protect Elena, but he hadn't really thought of the emotional effects this might have on her. He wasn't worried about Elena spying on them, because the town was safely secured and no human could cross the town border without their master's permission. But he was suddenly worried about the girl's wellbeing. Sure, he cared about Elena, but his duties were still towards the vampire race. If he had to attack a human village which was placing their town in jeopardy, he wouldn't think twice, despite the fact that Elena would be there listening to their every word. It was cruel and he knew that, but there was only so much he could do.

He didn't dare to look at Elena, who was fiddling with her fingers next to him. He could sense that this was difficult for her.

"I will take care of it myself," Damon said, hoping he wasn't sounding too lame. He cleared his throat to sound more confident. "As a governor, I'll have the right to run this town as I see fit. I'll see to it that we are not put in any danger. However, Elena is my slave. I should have the right to treat her in the way I want."

"Slaves are here to work hard," Fell said again, angrily.

"Exactly. They are here to work, and not to be beaten or killed," Damon continued. "I have work for Elena. She can do it and still give her contribution to her master. There's no need for unnecessary violence."

"There's also a fine line between not using violence and making her seem like she's one of us," Giuseppe snarled. "I can maybe, just maybe, understand the no violence part. But I can never understand why you'd treat her as if she were one of us. You dressed her in beautiful clothing. She's sitting around the same table. These are all things which disgust me."

Elena's heart started to beat fast against her chest. She was being looked at as if she were a threat, and she knew well that vampires were known for removing threats.

"She's not one of us," Giuseppe repeated again. "She should keep her place. And you're forgetting one very important detail, Damon. Legally, the girl is mine. I should have the say."

"Then I'm very sorry," Damon stood up firmly. "I will not accept the position. Thank you for your time, but please, find someone else."

He attempted to rise but Giuseppe grabbed his arm, hard.

"Sit down!" He yelled.

"I'm not signing the contract," Damon kept the same assertive tone. "Not until you sign Elena over to me and not until you all tell me that you will stay the hell out of my business and let me treat Elena the way I want."

"You'd rather let us waste more resources and time to find an appropriate replacement than obey our laws?" Fell told Damon.

"I didn't say that. Do not twist my words. However, those are my conditions."

"Giuseppe, you do realise that if Damon doesn't accept, the Salvatore tradition will be broken?" Fell turned to the older Salvatore. "The Salvatores have been running the town for years. Surely you don't want this to happen. Maybe you can shake some sense into your son."

Giuseppe was humiliated, and Damon could see it. He started to stammer, and then he turned to Damon. In a quiet voice Damon hadn't heard in years, Giuseppe told him, "Damon, think about it."

"I already have," The boy said firmly. "It's up to the Board."

The members all looked at each other. Mr. Vonswartzchild, Stefan's father, stood up straighter. "Maybe this wasn't even a good idea after all. My son Stefan wouldn't have disrespected the vampire race like Mr. Salvatore here has. There are more people who are interested."

"The Salvatores have run this town efficiently for years," Giuseppe barked. "I'm going to retire even if there's no replacement found."

"It'll take months to interview different people," Fell said after a while. "We always gave the position to Salvatores. I know that Giuseppe here can offer great tips to his son. Besides, Damon is already partially trained. He can start giving his contribution immediately whereas with new people, we have to provide more intensive training and we won't have any guarantee that they'll work efficiently. I've worked with Damon already, and I see that he has potential." He sighed. "I'm not particularly happy with this, but I'm willing to give Damon the freedom to do whatever he wants with the slave as long as he accepts the position. What do you think?"

Suddenly, there were whispers, shouts, and discussion. Damon remained immobile, growing agitated in the middle of all that chaos. After a while, another member-whose name Damon had forgotten-spoke.

"Very well. We've decided to accept your conditions as long as Elena will be kept away from the file room and any strategies. She'll be able to help you in the office and be your assistant elsewhere."

Whilst it was less than he had hoped for, Damon decided not to push his luck. After all, it was perhaps better for both of them if Elena was kept away from sensitive information. He nodded his head and then turned to Giuseppe.

"I'm willing to accept if you pass all of the papers to me," Damon told his father. "I want everything. The papers, receipts, certificates, everything. You won't have any claim on her. Sign everything over to me so that I can become her legal owner."

Giuseppe's back was against the wall, and Damon knew it. The board had all agreed, and right now the older Salvatore was the only one keeping Damon from becoming the governor. Damon knew that the board would be ready to jump on Giuseppe if he so much as said the wrong thing after all the hassle they had been through. Also, Giuseppe did not want the role of governor to go to a stranger.

"Very well," Giuseppe said at last, the anger not perfectly concealed in his voice. "Whatever you want. I'll do it."

"Good," Damon smiled, almost as if he was going to do a victory dance. "Then we can proceed. I want everything written down on paper with attorneys and witnesses."

The procedure took hours but when Damon received the papers in his hands, confirming the legal 'ownership'. Knowing that his life was going to change because he had a lot of responsibilities, it was amazing news to be considered as Elena's legal owner. No one would dare harm the governor's slave now, and he knew that. However he was still not willing to trust Elena with anyone.

After he had signed all the necessary papers, and his father signed his, Giuseppe had vanished. He was still angry, and Damon understood that he had won the sick game his father had been playing. Giuseppe had no choice but to abide by his rules, and it felt great to be in the position of power after all the torture the man had put him and Elena through. He could never forgive Giuseppe for the secret he had kept from him and the worst part was that he couldn't confront him just yet. He couldn't tell him that he knew everything, because he was worried of what would happen. Instead, he was going to take pleasure in destroying his father's life slowly, and putting him in an inferior position just like he had done earlier.

The first thing he did when he and Elena returned back home was give the girl thicker linen. He told her that she wasn't going to have to suffer cold nights anymore. He stocked the wardrobe with appropriate bedding, watching her remain frozen next to the doorway.

"If there's anything that I can do to make your life easier, tell me," He said after a while. "You shouldn't suffer any longer. I'll see to it that you'll be given decent and frequent meals and that there's a reduction in the chores you have to do everyday. I won't be assigning a time limit. You can take your time, and I'll hire a maid to do the more intense stuff."

Elena didn't know what to say.

"Things will be changing, Elena." He walked towards her slowly and she stiffened, still unsure of what his intentions were. It seemed stupid considering what he had just done to get her to be his, but still, she couldn't trust too easily. He had all the power now, after all, and she knew that power was dangerous.

"You should take a shower and change. I have a few things which I'd like to clarify," He told her gently. "You don't have to wear the slave's dress. I'll be stocking your wardrobe and there are already some comfortable t-shirts. They are mine and they'll be quite big, but…" He paused when he saw her expression. She was too quiet, only blinking as he talked.

"Right…" Damon said awkwardly, "Take your time, Elena."

She nodded slightly and walked to the bathroom without a word, trying to figure out if things were really changing or if it was a beautiful dream.

Opting to choose only the most comfortable clothes, Damon sighed and put one of the shirts back in the wardrobe. Usually, clothing was regulated by Giuseppe, and Elena often had to wear tight, itchy clothes or clothes which were simply not made for certain tasks. Knowing that girls loved sweatpants and comfortable t-shirts for indoor wear, he made a note to buy Elena the necessary outfits. He didn't want her to keep wearing the slave's clothing. He didn't want to label her anymore. She was much more than a slave. She had an identity.

Taking all the necessary items in his arms, Damon walked back to Elena's room. Even though it wasn't terrible for a slave's room, there were still things to fix. The room was small, and even though it was enough for her, it lacked natural daylight and it was quite chilly. There were also things that he could add, such as paintings to make it livelier. Otherwise, it was fine, because the Salvatore mansion was very well decorated. There was even an ensuite bathroom for Elena, since Giuseppe didn't want her to use the same restroom as them, isolating her from the rest of the family. Elena didn't really mind because at least she had the privacy she always dreamed of, but the fact that Giuseppe would specifically demand that bothered Damon.

The raven-haired man set the clothes on Elena's twin bed and was about to leave. As soon as he turned, however, he saw Elena looking at him quite panicked, clutching a light pink coloured towel. Her hair was messy on her head in a high ponytail, and despite the innocent look on her face, Damon knew that Elena was not a little girl anymore. Her body showed him that she had blossomed into a young woman. He couldn't help but stare at her, and even though the towel was blocking everything from view, he could still see the slight cleavage and the very top of her small, developing breasts.

Elena was still standing a safe distance away from him, holding onto the towel for dear life. He walked towards her but she backed away quickly, until her back hit the wall.

"It's okay Elena," He assured her, stopping a few inches away. He slowly raised his hand to touch her cheek, and she flinched. However, she relaxed as soon as she felt his gentle touch. There was no pain, no torture. He was simply running his finger down her skin, his touch feather-light, it made her skin tickle. She didn't break eye-contact with him and neither did he. They were lost in each other's gazes, so much that Damon kept stroking her cheek semiconsciously. He moved closer to her, feeling her relax next to him, and she too made a step closer, allowing him to caress her better. Soon his hand was sliding down the column of her throat, down her collarbone, and finally to her right breast. He cupped it through the towel firmly, but it was then that Elena started to panic. She started to twist and turn in an attempt to get him away from her.

"No!" She protested, crossing her arms over her chest to shield her upper body away from him.

"Elena…you don't have to be afraid," He told her, stroking her breast again, even gentler.

"No, please…Get your hands off me," She begged. "Don't touch me, please."

At that, Damon took his hands off her immediately. He had thought she wanted him to touch her. She was enjoying his affection before he took it a step further, but the way she was distancing herself from him made it clear that she didn't want to. Suddenly, he felt horrible.

"Elena, I'm sorry…" He told her. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I…I know," She said, a tear escaping her cheek. "I wanted you to touch me. But not like that. Please don't ever touch me like that," She cried.

Not knowing what to say, Damon choked out another apology. He felt ashamed of himself, even though he didn't have to be. It was simply a misunderstanding, he tried to convince himself. He had thought wrong.

The girl was innocent. Too innocent.

Yet she also wanted affection. Just not what he had in mind.

Oh shit, he told himself. This was worse than he thought. Everything about him and Elena was becoming complicated. To make matters worse, he had his own demons. His own desires. He was nineteen years old and he had never slept with anyone. Even though it had been his choice, it was getting harder everyday. What was worse was that he felt an intense desire and care for Elena. But he'd be damned if he ever touched her again. At least not until she wanted him to.

If she ever wanted him to. Because in all honesty, he had done too much to her. He was surprised that she still cared- in her own twisted way, because the fear was still there- but she cared.

"I'll let you change," He said, walking out of the room quickly.

His face flustered, he went to the bathroom and settled for a cold shower, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

Hooray-Elena finally belongs to Damon. Damon is now the governor, and Elena's going to be treated better. However, there are still issues they have to face. Elena is still scared but Damon, as you can see, wants Elena. She has a childlike innocence in her, so much so that she was okay with him touching her face but not when he took things a step further.

Please Review, thank you for your feedback