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Thank you to Throughmysoul44 for being the first to read and to help with my writer's block. You rock!

Damon had never been the kind of vampire who could be shocked easily. In fact, over the years and after a long and stressful job experience, he learnt that he could pretty much expect anything from those people surrounding him. From a young age, he had had to deal with his friend's death, then stand idly by as his mother was verbally and physically abused and then watch Elena suffer the same fate. Whether it was cowardice or lack of assertiveness Damon had let bad things happen around him and nothing surprised him. He had learnt to expect the worst from everyone. Maybe except Elena, because Elena was…well, different.

It wasn't that he didn't feel. Of course, he felt for his mother. He had wanted to take care of her, to rid her of Giuseppe. He knew that what his father did to her was wrong. And it was the same with Elena. He felt for her, but he never had the courage to help her. He wasn't as strong as the papers made him out to be. Or at least, he hadn't been strong.

As all of these memories rushed through Damon's head, the black haired vampire couldn't understand how at that moment, he was shocked. For the first time in his life, something that he wasn't expecting had happened. Elijah was staring at him, the car trunk was open, and Elena was still inside. Nothing was being said, but the look on Damon's face said it all.

"You're confused," Elijah offered.

At that, Damon snapped back to reality. "Confused?" He asked, "Of course I'm confused, Elijah. There's a dead body in your car."

"Tyler's dead body," Elijah clarified, a smug smile in place. It was weird, Elijah didn't do smug smiles.

"What the fuck is going on?"

"I thought you'd be happier, Damon. You should really just loosen up a little." Elijah took out a handkerchief, folded it neatly and then put it in his back pocket. His actions were so smooth, smart, typical of a noble family. It was well known that Elijah's family was noble, pure Mikaelson blood, and their family was quite popular. Rich, smart, well educated…Name it, and you'll find that every vampire in the Mikaelson family had at least one of those traits. People often asked why Elijah had never contested for governance. His answer had always been quite simple: He didn't want to. For him, power was not important. All that mattered was family.

Damon stared at him, his patience wearing thin. He had a thousand questions, he wanted to laugh and cheer, but at the same time he was scared. He had no idea what Elijah's intentions were.

"Are you going to invite me in, or are we going to talk here next to a dead body?" Elijah asked simply.

"D-Damon, what's g-going on?"

Damon heard Elena's voice. She was standing on the doorway, hugging her arms. From where she was, Damon could tell that she could see Tyler's dead body. Like him, confusion was written all over her face.

"The lovely Elena," Elijah greeted her. "Damon Salvatore's reason to exist."

"Come in," Damon interrupted. "Tell me what all of this is about."

Elijah nodded his head and followed Damon inside. Elena didn't fail to notice how Elijah was calm and collected. He even stopped for a few minutes to appreciate Salvador Dali's Persistence of memory which hung on the wall, the first thing that you could see when you found yourself in the large hallway.

"Great painting. The meaning and the thought after it is amaz-"

"Cut the crap, Elijah," Damon snapped. "I need answers."

Elijah's face darkened. "You shouldn't speak to me like this, after I ridded you of a huge problem."

He walked towards the sofa and instructed them to sit. He wiped his hands and his back straightened. "I killed Tyler. I know about what he tried to do to Elena."

"What are you saying?"

"You know fully well what I'm saying, Damon. I was at the party. Let's just say that I saw the entire incident. I was going to intervene myself before you took the matter into your hands." He sighed. "But then I realized that after all, you were capable of doing it. Your position didn't stop you from killing for the woman you love. I think that it's heroic, yet stupid at the same time."

He took out a cigarette and lit it up. "Unfortunately you left the body there. That was where I had to intervene."

"Why would you do that?" Elena asked hesitantly.

"Let's just say that I condemn abuse of power," Elijah said shortly, and then added, "Let's also say that I would like Damon to continue to govern. And he couldn't do that if he was in jail now, could he?"

"Why does it make a difference?"

"Because I hate seeing people who don't know shit about politics trying to rule this race," He blurted out. The way he said it was so different than the typical Elijah's rules of formal spoken English. "The Board is just a bunch of babies trying to act all tough because they found a golden pacifier. It doesn't make sense. The Mikaelson family might not be involved in politics anymore, but we lead this race for a long time. I don't want to see it going to waste."

"And you think that I'm the best person to lead?"

"Let's just say that I agree with a lot of your ideas," Elijah said without giving a lot of details. "And that I need us to work together."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I already told you, I don't want babies running our city, our kind," Elijah said firmly. "And I'm going to do what it takes to improve our situation. Whatever it takes," He said. "And I expect you to be on board."

He looked at Elena. "Both of you."

"I don't want her to be involved," Damon interrupted. "She stays out of this."

"You know what, governor Damon. By killing Tyler, I risked my position, my nobility. But I didn't do this for nothing. I want something in return. I don't want to have to resort to blackmail. But from now on, you will work for me."

"This is not the way you speak to your governor!"

"Stop it, little boy. You and I both know that I'm three times older than you, that my family is important. We have power. The Board exists because we started it. And just like we started it, we can be the ones to end it."

"Your ancestors did," Damon reminded him. "You weren't even speaking to your family at that time."

"You know your history," Elijah commented. "That doesn't matter. We need each other's help. You owe me more than that, if you ask me."

Damon looked at the young girl next to him, who was clearly scared. He knew that Elijah could keep them both safe. He had cleared out the evidence. He had saved them. What scared Damon was the fact that he owed him. He had no idea what that meant, and he didn't know when and how Elijah would come back to collect.

"Fine," He finally said. "But I need your word that nothing is going to happen, that Tyler's body is destroyed as well as any other evidence."

"I already took care of all of that," Elijah reassured him. "Soon enough, you can both forget that this ever happened."

"Good," Damon nodded his head. "And you have my word that I will support your cause, whatever it might be. You will have me by your side."

Elijah smiled. "That's what I wanted to hear." He then turned to Elena, who hadn't spoken a word the entire time. "I can do one more thing for you," He told her.

"What?" She asked timidly.

"I can get information about your family," He said. "I can find out how they are doing. Maybe even deliver a letter or take you to see them."

"You can't do that. I'm not allowed to cross the town border."

"I know that," Elijah replied, "But they can. I have contacts, Elena. If I say 'blink', people will blink. I'm still respectable. Just because I now work in the office doesn't mean that people forgot about my family's lineage. You'd be surprised how fast people bend over when you mention the Mikaelson's name."

He sighed. "All I want in return is your word that you'll be on board with whatever Damon and I decide. That's all I ask."

Elena looked at Damon, who was listening to every word Elijah was saying.

"Think about it," Elijah told her, and then he turned to Damon. "I need to speak to you, Damon. Man to man."

Half heartedly Damon looked at Elena and she understood him immediately. It was no use complaining, it was obvious that Elijah was going to tell Damon something that they didn't want her to know. A part of her felt relieved. Ignorance is, after all, bliss.

Elijah waited for Elena to disappear before taking out another cigarette. He offered one to Damon who refused, and then he sat down.

"Is there anything else I should know about the lovely Elena Gilbert?"

Damon's face fell. He got up and poured himself a drink, drank it in a second, and then gave Elijah another glass. If Elijah was going to help them, he wanted him to know that Tyler hadn't been their only enemy. "My father," He finally blurted out. "It turns out that Elena has been sexually abused by him. It happened in front of my eyes and yet I was blind."

"And you are here in this house to protect her from your father?" He asked.

"Yes. It's better than living under the same roof," Damon reasoned. "But I also know that if Giuseppe wants to find us, he will. People know him. He'll figure out where we are staying in a second."

"What if I offered you another alternative?" Elijah set the glass down. "To help protect Elena?"

"I'm listening," Damon said urgently.

"Then I should probably start from the beginning," Elijah looked at Damon, his face serious. Damon suddenly felt very uncomfortable, it was like something inside of him was screaming at him to be prepared for what Elijah was about to say.

"Over the past few months, I have been involved in a project with other towns. As I said, my family knows other people and we are quite pissed that our leaders are nothing but cowards. With all of this death and slave markets, vampires have seemed to forget that even though we are indeed the stronger species, we need humans to survive."

Damon looked at him, his face blank.

"Which means that if we keep killing, soon enough there will be no more slaves in this town. The humans are taking precautions, Damon. They know about our existence, they know that we steal their children during the night. They know that we break our so called truce often and they are going to fight. Which means," Elijah added, "That if we need this town to survive, we need to get more humans."

He lit up a cigarette again. "You know that I am against violence against humans. I think it's unnecessary, and it's only putting our race in danger. I also disagree with kidnapping more humans. But we can't change what happened. Instead, I proposed a different idea."

"And what is this idea?"

"We have come up with a drug that enables males to impregnate human females," He spoke slowly but casually. "It's being given for free and most owners love this idea. They are getting more slaves without paying a dollar. In the meantime, we are increasing our supply without risking our lives and obviously, without having to resort to kidnapping."

For a moment, Damon's mouth hung open. He half expected Elijah to start laughing and tell him that he wasn't being serious, that he was drunk, but nothing happened. He failed to understand how someone 'honourable' found this to be okay.

"And you're okay with this?" Damon asked, his voice tinged with disgust and shocked. "You are funding this?"

"Females are being used anyway, at least we are getting something out of it," Elijah said casually. "Admit it, Damon. There's nothing you can do for the slaves. It's going to be the same. The new stock of humans comes every week, the rich bet, and the females are taken and raped. At least, this way we are preventing kidnappings. We can limit the amount of humans brought here and you can help me introduce this drug."

"What we are doing is letting vampires become more violent!" Damon's teeth were clenched together, his hands closed in fists. "It's bad enough that these slaves are abused, now they have to carry a child they don't want?"

"It is what it is," The other said casually. "And if you want me to help you, then you have to do as I say."

Damon didn't know what to say. He was too shocked to think straight. But Elijah didn't let him process.

"Tyler had the pill in his system when he attempted to rape Elena," He blurted out without warning. "He wanted to get her pregnant. Why, I have no idea. Probably sadism, because Tyler didn't really need another slave. I saved Elena from that. You owe me."

Elijah poured a drink. "I can keep Elena safe. Anything you want, I can do. I can get you house help, someone to take care of Elena whilst you're at work. I can take her to a safe house. I will do these things, but only if I have your cooperation. Your support, your funds."

Elijah's face showed that he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. "This will be mandatory. You're going to go out there and you're going to make sure that every human slave is impregnated by her master. I don't care it's by artificial insemination or sexual intercourse, but it must happen."

"How is any of this acceptable?" Damon asked. He genuinely wasn't able to understand. "How can you try to turn this into a good thing? We both know that you're doing this for yourself."

"Would you rather let people kidnap mercilessly? Five hundred humans were brought in last week. Two hundred are already dead. We can set higher prices for slaves and change the laws regarding the importation. Vampires will soon realise that the pill is more beneficial. They will learn to love it."

"And the women end up pregnant one year in, one year out!"

"It's a small price we need to pay for the greater good."

"There's no greater good. We should be talking about freeing everyone."

"You'd risk war. Do you think that anyone would trust you after that? Imagine an owner who has invested millions in slaves. You can't just do that." His face turned serious. "I'm offering you my help, Damon, but I'm quite demanding yours."

His voice became dangerously low. "We have been working on this project for a long time. I won't let anyone stop this."

"And let's say I agree," Damon replied, "How are you going to assure me that Elena will be safe?"

"Elena can't get out of the town, the borders don't allow her to do that. But it is because she is technically still listed as a slave. Correct me if I'm wrong, but she is legally Giuseppe's slave, right?"

"No. He handed her over to me."

"That is perfect!" Elijah responded. "You are her legal owner. And as her owner, you can set her free. She will be able to pass through the town's border without any problems whatsoever. And this is where I come in." He exhaled the smoke. "As I already said, I have a lot of contacts. I also happen to own a house far away from here, but nearby enough for you to visit once a while. I usually use this house for holidays, but I do have some slaves there. I am willing to offer Elena a place to stay to keep her away from Giuseppe, at least until you and I figure out how to get rid of the Board."

"It won't work," Damon said without even fully considering Elijah's words, "My father has a lot of people working for him. The second Elena crosses that town border, the entire street will know."

"You are forgetting one thing, Damon," Elijah sighed. "I don't blame you, since you don't really know anything about my family. Yes, we have been out of the picture for a long time. Politically, that is. But we still have supporters, people who would gladly risk their own lives for us. Not to mention that most people owe us. I can keep her safe. Everything will be carefully planned out and she will be well taken care of. My people keep their word. They live by a code of honour, and if I tell them that the girl isn't to be touched then no one will put a finger on her."

For a moment, Damon paused. Elijah was right, Damon didn't really know the Mikaelson family. They had been out of the picture for centuries. He only knew Elijah as the assistant who worked at his office. Sure, he remembered his father mentioning the Mikaelson family and stating that vampires owe their modern lives to them. Apparently, it was Elijah's family who lead the town and made it what it was centuries before. It was also the Mikaelson family who offered the necessary funds to get all the vervain out of the town's system.

"Why were you out of the picture?" He suddenly asked.

Elijah's face hardened. "That's another story. One that you don't need to know." He stood up. "You've got your history books and your internet. If you want more information about my family's nobility and contribution, you can simply do some research. I am a man of my word, Damon. If we make a deal, I will keep it."

Damon sighed. "I will think about it. But one thing I know for sure is that I will be forever grateful for protecting us."

"I will take care of the body right now," Elijah promised. "Nothing, no one will ever link Tyler with you." He sipped the last drop of his scotch. "When you decide, you know where to find me. But deep down you know that I am your best chance. Your father will come for her again, and when he does, you will blame yourself."

For long, painful minutes Damon sat down on the sofa, contemplating everything Elijah had said. Elijah was right—he knew that it was the best thing to do. He needed to get his father away from Elena, but he also needed time to think and plan. And he couldn't really do that whilst fearing for Elena's safety. She was holding him back. He needed to be away from her, he needed to be able to think straight. He also needed to know that no one would ever touch her again.

With the Board, his father and Stefan Von Swartzchild watching him like a hawk, as well as thousands of human's deaths on his hands, Damon was feeling overwhelmed. A part of him wanted to kill everyone in the Board, take Elena and run. Another part wanted to stay and fight, fight for justice. But how could he do that when he had no support from his people? Who would support a cause that would somehow 'lessen' the vampires' way of life?

Elijah's deal had scared him. He knew that if he agreed, he'd be responsible for more abuse on the poor girls unfortunate enough to be sold at that town. On the other hand, if he didn't do it, he had nothing. He was just a boy with a title. That's all.

Another side of him, however asked a very important question. Was he even ready to send Elena away, to leave her in Elijah's hands? Was he, after all, ready to trust Elijah to help them?

His thoughts ran back to her. If he were to send her away, what would become of him? He couldn't really live without her. He needed to stay with her as much as he needed to be away from her. Without her, he'd go insane, yet with her, his mind wouldn't be able to think straight.

You are being selfish, Damon, he thought.

But no, I really can protect her, the other voice said. You don't need Elijah to do that.

It's your pride talking, Damon. It's going to get Elena killed, another voice joined in.

And then another thought popped in his mind. If he accepted Elijah's deal, he'd be able to ask Elijah about setting him free. He could run away with Elena. She didn't have to do this on her own. He wouldn't need to leave her in Elijah's hands. He could get him to get them both the hell out of that god forsaken town. It was so easy, but only if he accepted.

Every human slave must be impregnated by her master. Those words echoed in his head. He imagined an angelic face like Elena's, carrying a child. He imagined a fifty year-old monster forcing himself on her. He couldn't be a part of that.

"Damon?"

He saw Elena in the hallway. She was looking at him with an unreadable expression on her face. When he looked at her, he felt his heart ache. He had never really thought about what all of this looked like from her point of view. He had never really imagined the pain she must've felt when his father stole her innocence, or when she heard those around her referring to her as an object. He never really thought about how it must've felt when she was kidnapped at the age of nine and brought in a cart into a town where everyone hated her, or when she was publicly auctioned, or when he took her home with him for the first time.

She walked towards him and for a while, they didn't say anything. They just looked at each other. Two broken souls.

"I heard you and Elijah talking about sending me away," She finally admitted, looking away from his gaze.

Damon shifted in discomfort. His voice was sad as he said, "You heard that?"

Elena nodded and sat down on the couch next to him. "I don't want to go."

"Why is that?" He turned to face her. He noticed a tear running down her cheek.

"You promised me, Damon. You said that I can count on you, that you will be here for me. You owe me this much. And now you are considering leaving me in the hands of another vampire?"

"He can keep you safe, Elena. Better than I can. I can't leave this town. Everyone will look for us, all around the world. But you…you can leave."

"You can come with me, Damon. We can go looking for my family. I have relatives who might be still alive. There are other human towns which are safe. I just want you to be a part of it, I want you to come with me. This is why I came back many years ago, Damon!"

She wiped away her tears. "I was free, Damon. My uncle had managed to save me from this town. I had met my family after longing to do so. But I came back, I came back for you. And it's because I came back that all of this happened. My family will accept you. I know that they will."

"Elena, you don't even know what you are saying," Damon said, heartbroken. "A vampire in a human town? Those humans lucky enough who stayed locked in towns must be packed with bombs and weapons against my kind. They will kill me the second they'll see me with you."

"I have been a human in a vampire town for more than six years, Damon," She reminded him. "We can work this out. You can leave everything behind and we'll run away together. I have to find out what happened to my uncle and my other relatives. I need this, Damon…but I need all of this to happen with you by my side."

"It's dangerous. Who I am, my position…People will never stop looking for us. I can be executed for failing to do my duty. The safest thing to do would be for you to accept Elijah's offer. I trust him, Elena. I know that it's difficult, but I think that he has the power to take you far away from here. It will only be temporary, I promise. But I need time to get rid of my father, and to get rid of the Board. Elijah is willing to help me. For the first time, I have someone who is on my side. Maybe we can finally end this violence and we'll call a truce before it's too late. I can't do all of this while dealing with your safety."

"There is another way, and you know it," Elena sobbed.

Damon reached out to hesitantly touch her cheek. His thumb stroked the tears away from her eyes. "I have always put my needs in front of your own. Now it's time that I stop being a coward and give you the safety you deserve."

He leaned towards her, and ever so gently, he put a kiss on her forehead. His gaze lingered on her face, on her lips. God, he wanted to kiss her so badly. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms, he wanted to love her…But he couldn't. Not when she had been violated so many times.

Not when she could be his sister.

Yes, there was still that. He had tried not to put a lot of thought to it, but somehow it was there. The fact that Elena could be his half sister was still there. Yet he had no idea what to say, how to bring the subject up. He had been in denial. He had almost convinced himself that Giuseppe was lying, that he just wanted to hurt him. But what if it was true?

But somehow, as he was lost in this thoughts, Elena had moved closer to him. Her hands was holding on to his for dear life and then she threw her body at his chest, and she just laid there, sobbing. He couldn't not hug her to him, he couldn't not kiss her beautiful face. His body was exploding with the love he felt for this young girl.

And when his face leaned closer to hers, he realized that there was nothing he could do.

He gently leaned in and placed a kiss on the corner of her mouth. When she didn't hesitate, he gave her a small peck on her lips. Sure, they had kissed before; but he didn't want to rush her.

"I want to kiss you…" Elena cried. She really did, but she needed to make sure that he wouldn't touch her. That she couldn't take.

"I'm all yours, Elena," He told her gently, and at that, she grabbed his hands and held them in hers, as she granted him permission. He kissed her gently, lovingly, treating her as if she was made of glass. He didn't dare to use his tongue. He just let her lead him.

And when she pulled away, she was smiling.

Recap:

-Elijah has been taking part of a new system in which a pill was created. This pill allows vampires to impregnate human females.

-Elijah knows that war could be coming. It is getting more difficult to kidnap humans and he knows that someday, these humans are going to fight. He also thinks that since human females are being abused anyway, they 'might as well' make the most of it and obtain something in return from the masters.

-Elijah offered Damon his help, and in return he wanted Damon to fund his research (regarding the pill)as well as his help in making the pill mandatory. This pill will be beneficial to lots of owners, because in this way, the owners are getting 'free' slaves through pregnancy. This minimizes the risks associated with kidnapping humans whilst giving the owners what they need.

-Damon knows that this system is wrong, and that he'd be responsible for all unwanted pregnancies and sexual abuse. Yet, he also knows that he needs Elijah's help to keep Elena safe, so he is faced with a tough decision.

Thank you for reading and reviewing, especially to a guest reviewer who reviewed the entire story early on this week.