Another quick update, yay!

Hope you like this one, forgive me for any typos you may find, please let me know what you think and enjoy!

"If we live a life in fear, I'll wait a thousand years just to see you smile again
Kill your prayers for love and peace. You'll wake the thought police.
We can't hide the truth inside"

-Muse-

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An insolent smirk adorned his face as he stared at the blonde detective, her clear eyes blazed with fury as her gaze moved from him to his companion and the fact he knew how much she loathed to be in their presence gave him some sort of sick satisfaction.

If someone had told Damon Salvatore two years ago that the detective who was always one centimeter behind his step-father's ass was going to be in front of him forecasting the old man's downfall he would have laughed, but here he was now, making his grandfather proud once and for all.

"Are you sure he'll take the bait?" The woman asked, apprehension was present in both her gaze and one of the officers standing by the door, hand pressed against the gun secured at his waist.

Damon leaned back in the cream-colored couch, nonchalance dripping from his every move, one of the first lessons his grandfather had given him was how to bluff, so he was not about to let the detective know how much he feared their plan was going to backfire.

"John Gilbert has managed to get the upper hand almost every single time but that stops now, trust me, detective, if we put the cheese he won't stop himself from getting it," He said trying to showcase confidence he wasn't feeling, yet he believed this was the only way to finally catch the man who had tormented him for most of his life.

The plan he and the Mikaelson had spent the last year developing was already on the move but they didn't want to give John the time to sniff it out and hide somewhere like he knew the old man would do if he caught a whiff of what was about to happen. They had been lucky enough that despite he fully trusted Alaric Saltzman and his devotion to the organization Damon hadn't told him the full extent of their plan or everything would be over now, given that the blonde man was the one who screw them over.

Just thinking about the man who Damon once believed to be his only friend made his blood sizzle, despite the fact Stefan was dealing with him at this very moment and knew he would no longer be an issue to them Damon still couldn't remove the sting his betrayal had left behind.

Unbeknownst to his inner turmoil Liz Forbes pinned him to the spot with a hard glare, a hidden question lurking beneath her blue eyes "And every single of the members are on board with this?"

Damon's body tightened at the implication that accompanied her words, he knew that the risks were too high but it had been her idea after all and he was trying to show her the respect she so much asked for "Every single one"

The detective nodded in response before hunching forward, elbows leaning on her knees while she gave them a sharp glance "I loathe you, the whole lot of you" She said through gritted teeth, disgust evident in her every word "You are nothing but a cancer to this nation, to the world. You may think that dismantling this organization is altruist, that the scrapes you give to the people in need to keep them on your side is an act of goodwill but I can see beneath you. You want power, you want money and you don't care about anything else but getting what you want" Her face contracted in a repulsed scowl and Damon felt a shot of admiration for this woman and the braveness she showcased, she was in front of two members of the most dangerous criminal organizations of the world and she was not afraid to speak her mind.

Not sharing his appreciation for the woman, Nikklaus Mikaelson who had been a silent bystander up to this moment released a bored snort, twinkling mischievous eyes staring at the detective "I am sorry to interrupt such a heartfelt monologue Mrs. Forbes, but why don't you tell us something we don't know?"

Her nostrils flared in response to his cheeky attitude "We might be working together today because there's an even bigger evil lurking in the shadows, because—"

"Because you've been commanded to" The words that slipped out of Damon's mouth were accompanied by a lazy smile, up until their little alliance the sheriff had been oblivious to how deep into politics they were and how many of the people she believed to be clean weren't so much after all.

Liz Forbes went rigid at this, a storm spilling out of her clear blue eyes as she moved them back and forth between Damon and Klaus "Once this is over I will hunt you down, I do not fear any of you so you can be sure I will not let this go"

Klaus nodded, his face losing the playful expression of earlier and sobering up "We wouldn't dream of it. That was the deal"

"And I want my daughter back"

Damon shook his head as he made a tsking sound with his tongue "I am afraid that won't be possible" Liz Forbes mouth opened to speak but the eldest Salvatore stopped her with a raised hand in her direction "Before you start, just think about Caroline's safety. I can assure you my brother is protecting her, we have more resources, more men, she is virtually safer with us than she'll be on your hands"

"Or have you forgotten how easy it was for Markos, snatching her from underneath you?" Klaus added and Damon was almost sorry for the way Liz's face fell.

He was sure that the woman wouldn't forgive herself for being too naïve to realize Markos had been bought by John, the looming idea of the imminent danger her daughter had befallen whether the Salvatore's hadn't interfered still kept her awake at night, Damon understood that all too well because he cursed himself many times over for underestimating John Gilbert.

Bringing Damon out of his dark thoughts Klaus, slapped his hands against his knees and stood up, signaling their meeting was over. He gave Liz one last lingering look "Don't be proud detective, accept we are on the right this time" It surprised Damon that the other man's words lacked the bite or sarcasm that characterized them, but he guessed that Klaus also understood perfectly the guilt and frustration of seeing someone you loved in pain because you failed to protect them.

Damon followed suit and the men abandoned the meeting spot leaving a very rattled Liz Forbes behind, the dark-haired man felt an overwhelming need to wrap Elena in his arms and remain locked away with her the rest of the afternoon, the detective struck face had left him in distress and he wanted to make sure Elena was safe and sound where no one could hurt her.

The looming threat of what approach them filled him with dread and the idea of parting with her was simply unbearable.

"Do you think Stefan will manage the keep the girl on our side?" Klaus Mikaelson voice snapped him out of his dark thoughts, a questioning eyebrow raised in his direction as they walked the length back to their vehicle.

Damon allowed a confident smirk to play across his lips "That is a given my friend, and having her we also have Liz Forbes in our pocket"

If what he had seen the days before between his brother and the blonde girl was any indication, they wouldn't have any issue keeping Caroline playing for their side, Stefan had refused to participate in his agreement which concerned him but he also understood to some extent, he only wished their paths didn't have to fork after everything they had gone through together.

The softness of her hair tickled his bare chest as she lay on top of it, the locks that used to fall a little over her chin now reached her shoulders and gave her a more innocent air, it amazed him, how the mere style of her hair was a time capsule to simpler times, lying in the sun next to her as they spent the summer in Colombia.

"I didn't like you being up and about so soon after your injury" She commented as her fingers traced the bandage still covering the side of his shoulder "You should be here resting"

"I'll rest when I die"

"Not funny"

He chuckled lightly as he tightened his arms around her frame "It was just a scratch, I told you. I'm feeling brand new"

"Just a scratch" She muttered and he didn't even need to look at her face to know she was rolling her eyes at him. "Are you sure we can trust them?" The hesitation in the question and the weary look on her eyes as she abandoned his chest to stare at him brought him back to the present, away from sunny careless days "They are supposed to be our enemies"

Damon smiled sheepishly as he reached for her and placed a lock of her hair behind her ear, she was lying on her stomach now, her chin resting on top of her arms which were now placed above his chest "Says who? The territory is vast and I don't see why we can't split it, the hunger for more power is always the reason why great empires fall. Greed is not a good emotion"

Her eye darkened as she mulled over his words "It all gets blurry. Who should we trust, who shouldn't. World gets harder each day" Elena's head went to rest in his neck, her lips kissing the skin there softly as she snuggled into him, their legs tangled beneath the silk peach colored sheets. "I just want it all to be over"

Damon's hand traced patterns on her bare back, his eyes half-closing at the pleasure her breathing against the skin of his neck brought "It'll never be over" He murmured absently.

"It will be if we succeed" She answered, "Or are you changing your mind?" Her head moved away from his neck so she could stare up at him once again, a question hiding beneath the chocolate orbs of her eyes.

Damon sighed tiredly while he threw his head back, eyes focusing on the wine red pattern painted on the ceiling "I know what I want, I've worked hard to get here…"

"But…?"

"Stefan worries me"

Elena sighed as she rolled away from his body, her back meeting the mattress on the spot next to him "He knows about it and yet wishes to have no part in it"

Damon swallowed deeply, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he tried to find the exact words to say. He had been doing a lot of thinking in the last couple of days and revaluating a lot of the life choices he had made so far, the result had left him with a bitter taste in his throat and achiness in his heart that was often too hard to bear.

"I am not proud of the man I am Elena, of what I've done" He confessed, the staccato sound of his voice seemed to echo among the four walls "What I've done to survive, for power, for money, for love" At this, he threw a glance in her direction and then felt her lacing her fingers through his "This is who I was supposed to be; what my grandfather wanted me to be and for a while, I thought this was what I wanted too"

He had promised, as his grandfather lay in bed dying Damon had promised to overthrown John Gilbert and become the most feared mafia man, leading New York and the Colombian cartel but his grandfather always expected too much from him. Damon was no Mafia Don, he was a hitman, and yet he had promised.

But he no longer wanted to fulfill promises he made for someone else's sake, promises made to people who never thought about him and what he needed, this time around he wanted to fulfill his promise to the one person who had given him her whole and feared that was the one promise he wouldn't be able to keep.

Damon moved so he was lying on his side, propped on his elbow so he could stare into her soft features "For a while I got lost among the glamour and the adrenaline it brought with it but once you realize the truth you see… this is nothing but smoke and mirrors, and it eats at you, it eats away piece by piece of your soul until there's nothing left"

"Damon…" She reached to him, her hand cupping his jaw and her eyes watered with unshed tears. It never ceased to amaze him, how Elena could feel his pain as if it was her own.

"I never wanted this for my brother, truly," He told her "I tried to protect him, to keep him away from him but—but once I truly took notice I realized it was too late, the claws were in too deep"

Stefan had been fifteen the first time Damon saw the manic darkness shining in his eyes and he had fooled himself believing he could still bring back his brother from the darkness; that he would swallow that darkness for himself and his brother would remain untouched, but he had been wrong because his brother craved the darkness as much as the darkness did him.

It was a family curse, one they could never break.

"Stefan longs for this world, he thrives on the power and delight on the blood" He voiced his thoughts to Elena, the fear that gripped him when he thought about his brother "I do too, to some extent I believe but not with the same intensity. This world will never leave him and he would never leave it either"

Elena's deep brown eyes stared up at him, her hand still caressing his jaw "I love him, you know that" She said "He's my brother and he was there for me when— we've shared so many things Damon but I—I want a chance, a chance to do it right this time" The hope that shone in her eyes a couple of hours earlier dimmed down as she acknowledged a truth both of them were too afraid to speak out loud "But I cannot ask you to give up on your brother"

Damon closed his eyes as he moved so their foreheads touched "You are too precious for this world, you know that?"

She released a small chuckle before moving closer so her legs were once again tangled among his "I often think you place me too high on your pedestal"

Damon's eyes shot open, endless blue storing away every piece of her "You are everything good in my life Elena and that is the absolute truth. Without you—" He sighed "…I would have been lost a long time ago"

A sad smile splayed across her lips, her thumb rubbing his bottom lip in a tender gesture "You are lost Damon, you are my black sheep" She told him "But I will always find the way to bring you back to me"

"I always feared that one day you couldn't bring me back" He confessed, his voice filled with child-like vulnerability "That you wouldn't wish to do it"

"Damon…"

"What I did when I brought you here…" He grabbed her by the back of her neck, bringing her even closer to him as if he wanted her to merge into him "It will haunt me to the day I die, Elena, I just wanted to keep you safe, that's all I ever wanted"

"I know" Her voice was muffled against the skin of his neck

"I wish I could be someone else, someone you deserve," He said "But I am monster, I had to become one if I wanted to survive, I am the monster stories always told you to stay away"

Elena kissed the tender skin of his neck with a gutlessness that almost made him want to weep "You are mine and I am yours" Her lips created a path from his neck to his mouth, butterfly kisses that made his toes curl "And I love you all the same, monster or not"

He sighed into her mouth as their lips connected and everything ugly inside him got lost inside that darkness that always receded when she was close to him. Damon had been born into darkness but by some sick twist of fate, the light had arrived into his life, warm and bright in the shape of a little girl with flowers in her hair.

He had dragged her into the darkness with him, had tortured her soul, and tainted her heart, and yet the light didn't die down, it was still so bright that looking at her sometimes became painful. Now she was willing to give up that light to remain with him, to drown into the darkness he was to stay at his side and he couldn't allow it, no matter what he felt he would not let her give up on the light that was part of her and he sure as hell wasn't willing to let go of her either.