Author's Note: LONGEST CHAPTER TO DATE! Ahem... Anyways... I hope that this chapter alleviates some of your worries that Damon wasn't necessarily angry enough. Trust me, he's still plenty angry.

The lyrics are from the song Tear You Apart by She Wants Revenge.

The story title is from the song by Linkin Park.

Rated M for language, sexual content, sensitive matter, and dark themes.

After Elena left, Francis excused himself with an amused expression. Damon was still standing in the middle of the room, Caroline and Jeremy were watching him nervously, and Stefan was trying to keep as still as possible, as though if he didn't move, no one could see him.

It was all quiet until Damon nodded to himself, "Right, okay." And without any further delay, he spun around and ploughed Stefan in the face. Before the younger's head snapped back, Damon had him up against the wall by his collar, and was punching him repeatedly in the stomach. He dropped him on the floor, and kicked him so hard that he flew into the opposite wall.

Stefan leapt up and fell back into a defensive crouch. "Alright, I deserved that." Then he was knocked back again by an end table that came flying in his direction. "And that, but Damon," he was tackled to the floor by his brother, who wrapped his hand around his throat, "Would you rather she chose some stranger? It's not like this was planned! She was hours, hours, away from dying!" He was quietened by an elbow to his teeth.

At this point, Caroline and Jeremy fell in, prying the brothers apart. Stefan's face was bloody, and Damon's shirt and hair were messy.

"Come on guys," Caroline wheedled, "Can't we sort this out like adults?"

Damon reached down and grabbed a piece of the now-broken end table. "How about we sort his out like vampires?"

"C'mon man," Jeremy said, hauling Damon backwards, "You're mad now, but you'd regret it later."

They all stood there, breathing heavily, for a few minutes, Caroline and Jeremy watching both Salvatore's warily. Finally, Stefan got up from the floor and tried to smooth out his shirt.

"I'm going out."

Before anyone could argue, he was gone.

"Do you think it was easy for them!" Caroline exclaimed. Now she was angry, which didn't really happen so often. "She almost died rather than betray you. I'm pretty sure the only reason she did it was because Francis refused to help us find you unless she was better!"

"I know that!" Damon shouted.

"No! I don't think you do!" She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. "I'm going to show you something."

"Oh God, don't call the witch. I feel shitty enough as it is."

He half-expected to feel the magical migraine from around the world. What he hadn't expected was for Caroline to shove the phone under his nose, with a picture of… Elena?

"Jeremy snuck in while she was sleeping and took these the day she and Stefan finally sucked it up and did it. I would have, but we'd had an accident a few days before…"

Everything went quiet.

"I'm going upstairs," Damon announced after inspecting the image for a few moments.

Caroline made a grab for him, and blurted out, "Damon, maybe you should wait until the morning to go argue with her, she'll probably –" But he was already on his way up.

Got a big plan, his mind's set, maybe it's right, at the right place and right time, maybe tonight?

He stood outside the door to Elena's room for a while. He could hear her shuffling about inside, heard the clink of glass that indicated that she was probably drinking. He was still angry. Angrier than he'd ever been. And the worse part of it was that he really didn't have any right. Everything that she did was justifiable, but he was still fucking angry! He really really wanted to castrate Stefan, and lock Elena up so that no one could ever get to her…

He took a deep breath, pushed open the door to her room and stepped inside, closing it gently behind him. She was standing at the open window, a glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

"You smoke now?" he asked with barely restrained hostility.

"The drinking helps with the blood, and the smoking helps with the sex." She turned to look at him. "I feel like I'll probably be smoking a lot over the next little while."

"Funny," he mumbled, taking a few more steps into the room. He was staring hard at Elena, trying desperately to find something recognizable in the vampire before him, but it was like she was wearing a mask.

Oh fuck, she's turned into me…

He took a few more steps toward her, and she shrank back, the mask melting away to reveal the fear and vulnerability beneath.

In a whisper or handshake sending a sign. Wanna make out and kiss hard… Wait never mind.

In that moment, everything disappeared, and he wanted desperately to reach out and pull her to him and kiss her. He wanted to run his lips down her neck, and tear off the remnants of the sweater and leather pants, and drive into her until she forgot what Stefan even looked like.

Then he blinked, and saw her looking at him. He couldn't do it. Not with Stefan's blood on his hands, not knowing what they had done.

And so the anger returned. He huffed and turned around, pacing to the other end of the room and back, stopping in front of her again.

Late night, in passing, mention it flip to her best friend, it's no thing, maybe it slipped?

"What are you doing here Damon? I'm tired and sick, so if you want to fight, maybe we should do it tomorrow?"

"Emotional blackmail."

Elena frowned at him. "I didn't emotionally blackmail you. My new weapon of choice is succubus-manipulation, but given the circumstances…."

"Caroline blackmailed me. I fought with Stefan for a bit, which you probably heard, and then she and Jeremy got involved so Stefan took off, and then Caroline pulled out her cell phone. I thought she was calling the witch to whammy me from around the world, but she pulled up some pictures." He stopped, and Elena shrugged.

"She took some pictures of you from when you'd turned, but you wouldn't have sex with anyone. She said Jeremy snuck in and took them while you were sleeping the day that you and Stefan finally broke down and did the deed. She said she couldn't take the pictures because of some kind of accident that I didn't… Oh!"

Damon chuckled, and Elena scowled. "It wasn't funny!"

But the slip turns to terror, and a crush to like. When she walked in he froze up, leave it to fright.

"You looked like a corpse Elena," he said gravely, "You were grey, and so small and fragile looking. Stefan said that when you finally made up your mind, you were probably hours away from…" He scowled and was quiet for a full minute, his expression getting darker and darker with every second.

Then he stepped back and clenched his fists. "I'm really angry Elena. This… I've never ever felt this level of rage before. Part of me is screaming to tear Stefan to pieces, and then you."

To his surprise, Elena's face hardened, as though she were accepting a challenge. "Fine. I knew going into this that there was a possibility that you wouldn't want me anymore. It sucks, but whatever. I'm not expecting anything from you." She said it with such a chill in her voice that he almost believed her.

He growled. "I'm angry, not stupid. I could never leave you. Which is a real drag in this situation because you pretty much spent the last two months cheating on me with my little brother, while I fought for my life on a daily basis."

It's cute in a way, till you cannot speak. And you leave to have a cigarette, knees get weak.

"So what," she spat, lighting another cigarette, "You're gonna punish me?" Her eyes flashed, and something in Damon's stomach tightened.

He laughed. "This whole badass thing is really hot…," he drawled.

Before he could blink he was shoved into a wall and held there by Elena's (still gloved) right hand, the cigarette still held in her left.

"I'm not in the mood Damon. Be angry, or be nice, or get the fuck out, but I've had it with the teasing. I killed people tonight for underestimating what I'm capable of, and I'm not taking it from you!"

She dropped him, and fell back a few steps, flicking the cigarette out the window. "You're angry, fine, take it out on me."

"What?"

"Come on. I'm not some weak little girl anymore. I'm stronger than you think. Hell, I'm stronger than you, even though I can hardly walk. Let's go."

He was shocked, and stood there, staring at her, while she waited.

Escape was just a nod and a casual wave. Obsess about it heavy for the next two days.

Downstairs, Caroline was sprawled on the couch on her laptop, while Jeremy played with his handheld video game. Stefan came back in just as they heard a bang from upstairs.

"That was fast," Caroline mumbled.

Jeremy snorted, and Stefan just stared at them both before speaking.

"Who wants to bet that she's kicking the crap out of him for questioning her judgment?"

Jeremy laughed out loud. "I'll take that bet."

"That's smart," Caroline piped in, "Stefan probably knows better than anyone here what she likes to do before bed, right?"

"Fuck off," Stefan spat.

They all looked up when they heard another thump.

It's only just a crush, it'll go away! It's just like all the others, it'll go away!

Damon changed the subject. "What's with the gloves? And the clothes?"

"Succubus-manipulation. Skin to skin contact leads to accidents, so I have to avoid it as much as possible. That's why I wouldn't let you touch me at the arena, because," she stopped, her demeanour changed and she looked around awkwardly, "I wouldn't have been able to control myself, and I needed to get you out of there."

"Oh," he reached out to touch her face, "So if I touch you here?" She slapped his hand away, so he tried for her shoulder, "Or here?" She slapped that hand away too, growling this time. He was getting frustrated now. "Fuck, Elena, why won't you let me touch you?"

"Because this isn't a joke! Because if you touch me, you'll get sucked in, you'll want me so bad it'll take over. And I don't want to manipulate you. If I did, you'd be naked on your back screaming my name right now. With you… It has to be real with you."

She was breathing hard now, and the hairs on the back of Damon's neck stood up. Her pupils were dilating, and he could feel the darkness in her rising, threatening to take over. This was all new to him. She was reacting like a vampire. He was challenging her, and she was responding. He could feel that she was more powerful than him now, which was strange, but her reaction to him was one of indignance almost. Like she was insulted that he dared to tease her.

Interesting…

"So right here, tonight, I have to make up my mind about whether or not I still want you? You've dropped one hell of a bombshell here…"

"I saved your life."

"And you fucked my brother daily for eight weeks. Was it worth the time at least? Did he satisfy your needs? Was he as good as you remembered?"

Or maybe this is danger and you just don't know? You pray it all away but it continues to grow.

There was practically an audible snap as he crossed the line.

"Fuck it!" she growled at him.

She tore off her right glove and pushed Damon with both hands. He flew backwards and landed in a heap against the wall. There was a crack in the plaster where he hit. Then he was up, but not for long.

She ran across the room and knocked him down again, and then straddled him. She reached across and backhanded him across the face, and then he reversed them, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing until she was on her back.

He wrapped his hands around her throat, and fire burned into his veins. He gasped, feeling himself harden, and she smirked at him.

"I told you to be careful," she grunted before pushing him up. He flew backwards again, but landed on his feet this time.

"Holy shit!" He was trying to get his bearings, but she was already there. She punched him in the gut, and then swept his legs out from under him before reassuming her earlier position on top of him.

"Are you done teasing me yet?" She picked him up and pushed him onto the bed, but he rolled off before she could get to him again.

He blurred behind her, wrapped his arm around her waist, picked her up and then slammed her back down on the floor. He was hovering over her in an instant.

"You should be fighting me for real, you know?" She was taunting him, and he knew it, but he couldn't help himself. He held her by her shoulders and slammed her head back into the floor. "You'll have to do better than that," she hissed before rolling them over, "I'm stronger than you now. I told you, take it out on me."

I want to hold you close; skin pressed against me tight; lie still, and close your eyes girl; so lovely, it feels so right.

He growled and leapt up, shoving her back onto the bed and pinning her there. Her eyes were bright, her pupils dilated, and her breathing laboured. He was burning from head to toe with a mixture of fury and desire.

She leaned into his ear, and whispered, "Don't you remember what you said before I died? How you couldn't wait to fuck me until the house comes down around us?" She skimmed her hand down to his hip, and trailed it up under his shirt, sending jolts of arousal through his body. "And then I had to settle for Stefan…"

Damon growled, and tore off Elena's shirt as she did the same to his. Faster than she could even see, he had her bra off and she was pressed tightly against him, skin to skin, kissing him hard. She rolled them over and he reached around and groped her ass, lifting her up and blurring them to the wall. When they hit, her head cracked the plaster, and the wall shook, knocking pictures down and shattering frames.

Neither of them noticed. She undid his pants, and reached in, grabbing him and stroking him. He let out a cry of pleasure, and yanked her pants down her legs. She moved her lips down to his shoulder, and screamed when he roughly pushed her panties to the side and drove three fingers inside of her. She threw her head back and hit the wall again. Damon bit her hard with blunt teeth, and she moved her hands, pressing hard against the wall, and they both fell with a loud crash. Lamps fell over, and something glass shattered when it hit the floor.

I want to hold you close; soft breath, beating heart; as I whisper in your ear,"I want to fucking tear you apart!"

Elena was on top of Damon, and she dragged her nails down his chest, drawing blood. She lapped it all up and settled herself between his knees, taking him into her mouth without a seconds notice.

"HOLY FUCK ELENA!" he screamed, reaching down to fist her hair, pulling on it. He was stuck between being so angry with her, and wanting to hurt her as much as possible, and being extremely turned on and not wanting her stop.

He started jerking his hips, thrusting in and out of her mouth until she grabbed hold of him painfully and held him down. His head was thrown back and his eyes were rolling and he belatedly realized that one of her hands had moved from his thigh. He opened his eyes and looked down, only to see her with her hand between her own legs while she sucked him off.

"Oh fuck no!" Damon reached down and grabbed her shoulders so hard that, three months before, he would have shattered her bones. He dragged her up his body and slammed her down around his cock, thrusting up at the same time. She screamed.

As she rode him hard, she sped up, bouncing faster and faster, whimpering with every thrust he made. She balled her hand into a fist and slammed it through the floor next to Damon's head.

"Elena," he gasped, reaching around her neck and pulling her head down painfully, "Bite me!"

Without hesitation she reared back and struck, sinking her fangs into his throat with an accuracy that belied her age. He did the same a moment later, only stopping when her walls clenched around him and he exploded inside of her. They both roared as one and then Damon passed out.

He woke up not long after. Elena was strutting around completely naked, taking stock of the destruction. There was glass all over the floor, and plaster from the walls. The hole in the floor would need to be fixed, and pretty much everything else had either fallen over, or was woefully out of place. At some point, she must have grabbed the sheets of the bed, because they were shredded as well.

Damon sat up, and in an instant, had her pinned against a wall. "I'm still pissed off," he growled.

"I know," Elena answered, grinning, "And thanks… I feel a lot better."

Damon tried to scowl at her. Her mood was contagious, especially considering their current position. He released her and stepped back. "Good. So what now?"

"Now, I'm going to bed. You can sleep with me if you want." She said that part casually, as though it didn't matter to her, but seeing his hesitation, she continued in a softer voice, "I never actually shared a bed with Stefan, just so you know. Francis told me I should but… I just couldn't. At least, if I was alone, I could try and imagine you were there."

They shared the bed that night.