Hello readers,

The fifth chapter is finally here. Are you all excited?

But before that, I wanted to make it clear that this story completely belongs to me, it is not copied or inspired from anywhere, I am writing this from my own perspective. So, even if there are similarities, the differences are what will make a story unique. Someone pointed this out for me, so I am very thankful to her for not judging harshly and will expect the same from others too. :)

So, go ahead and enjoy reading it. Don't forget to like, follow and review.

I do not own TVD or the characters but this story is mine.

It was remarkable, how I had started the day on a positive note and how it had turned out to be. Not even half the day had passed that I was sad, angry, feeling dejected once again. I didn't understand why I felt so bad about this little encounter with 'Mr. Badman', I didn't even know him, so, why were his words affecting me that much? Yes, I had a crush on him, but, crushes don't mean anything, right? They are stupid, irrational and mostly end in regret, like it happened in my case. God... I was so pissed. I would not shed my tears for that arrogant man anymore. So I wiped my face with the back of my hands and moved towards where I had parked the car, but as I was heading forward, I heard someone call my name, "Elena,... Elena, stop!"

Wow, look who was calling me... Mr. Smart-ass! I didn't even want to look back, so I hurried towards the backdoor of the car, but he called once again, "Elena, please wait, listen to me once." He was running towards me on the graveled path, the stones were making noise, which kept growing as he came nearer. I didn't want to confront him, neither did I want to hear anything that he wanted to tell me, he never wanted to hear my side of the story so now I wouldn't give him any chance, too. I rushed forward to enter the car, but the graveled path was making it harder for my wheelchair to move faster, so I went on increasing the speed and just as I would reach the car, the wheels went over a hole in the ground, my balance quivered and I was falling.

It was so sudden, I couldn't do anything, so I shrieked and pinched my eyes closed. I felt myself falling freely, face down, but then two strong hands gripped my arms from the front, but even he was too late as I fell over him, our heads banged and I hissed in pain, placing a hand on my forehead I opened my eyes to see what had happened. It was Damon, he had caught me and tried to stop the fall, but instead I had fallen on top of him. Now, his back was on the graveled path, his eyes closed, face crinkled, and he was groaning in pain. I felt bad that he had got hurt because of me, so I tried to move, but, Damon almost had his arms around me. It was embarrassing, I was trying to run away from him just a while ago, but now I was literally in his arms.

Did I say how gorgeous he looked from close? His hair was sticking out at all angles due to the fall and his skin like velvet, and his scent that was enveloping me now was so enthralling. This man was beautiful. I wanted to run my hands through his hair and touch his skin, kiss his face, and the blue of his eyes were so deep and hypnotizing,... that were closed until now, but now I could see them clearly, then his slightly puckered, perfect lips parted to say something, I was staring at them intently, "Are you hurt?" he asked and it sent a vibration through my body. I was still lying over him...Oh Shit! Way to go Elena. Not only had I forgot to move but also 'Mr. Anger Issues' saw me gawking at him. I felt my face getting flushed and averted my eyes, I didn't want to reply, as I was still very angry and he didn't deserve any sweet words. Yeah! All that you thought earlier made it very smooth!... Ugh...how could I? I had forgotten all my hurt and anger just by looking at his face, this was not right, we were not friends but enemies, and he had threatened me.

So, I tried to roll over to the side but, that was too difficult to do, I would have to drag myself to the side and for that I would have to put a lot of pressure on him, but I didn't want to do that. I just wanted, not to feel embarrassed and that alone was proving to be quite impossible at this moment. Maybe he could sense that I was not being able to move aside, so without making it more awkward he held my arms once more and tried to sit up himself, which he was successful at, with some difficulties. I was now leaning on him, my face on his chest, he was smelling like wood and spice, a hint of cinnamon maybe, I closed my eyes and breathed him in, his cologne calmed my senses and gave me a feeling of warmth. I could hear his rapid heartbeat, his arms around me and his face almost resting on my head, it gave me goosebumps. What kind of a game was the universe playing on me?

Then I felt one of his arms going under my legs and I was slowly being raised up from the ground, opening my eyes, I saw that Damon was standing with me in his arms, "What are you doing?" I asked him. He was looking in front, and his face was stern, then he started walking towards his house. "What... What are you doing? Just put me down, put me on my wheelchair." He kept walking, without responding to me, it was so irritating to be helpless or I would have jumped down from his arms, I squirmed again, "Hey, just put me down okay! Where do you think you are taking me? Just put me on my wheelchair, I want to go home." Then he suddenly stopped walking and looked at me, "I think I am taking you inside my house" he said, I protested again, "But I don't want to go back there, I just want to go home, Okay? So, just let me go". This was so exhausting, I didn't want anything to do with this man, and here he was taking me back to his house for God knows what, wasn't it enough that even after being so rude to me earlier I was still feeling all mushy about his proximity to me? I just wanted to end this right here, I couldn't handle anymore today.

Feeling quite engulfed with emotions, I looked away from him, my eyes were filled with tears, I felt him holding me closer. I furrowed my brows and tightened my jaw and looked back at him with angry eyes. But he looked somber, almost a pleading expression on his face, he gazed straight into my eyes and said, "Hey, it's okay, don't be afraid," he looked so genuinely concerned that I couldn't say anything, "Your wheelchair is bent okay, I need to fix it, and I can't do that with you out here, it looks like a storm is going to hit, so it's better we go inside." I widened my eyes and looked towards my wheelchair, one of its wheels was bent and it was lying on the side of the spot where we had fallen. In my desperate attempt at fleeing from him, I had broken my wheelchair, without which I was completely immobile. "Oh my God, how will I go home now? Jenna will be so worried, I didn't even tell her anything."

"Don't worry okay? We will go inside and you can call anyone you want. I'll try to fix your wheelchair and then you can go home." I didn't know what to say, he was confusing me so much. What was with the good behavior again? Why would he fix my wheelchair? Why was he carrying me or looking concerned or even saying these things? Wasn't he threatening me just a while ago, didn't he hate my guts that I had found him? We were both quiet, just his footsteps on the stones could be heard, I was looking away because if I would look at him, he would think I forgave him, which wasn't gonna happen anytime soon. But I could feel his eyes on my face now and then, it felt unnerving, my heart beat was increasing rapidly and I had to work hard to maintain calm, because I was still in his arms, any slight ineptness and he would understand. I kept blinking and gulping to avoid my throat getting dry again, I just couldn't think straight, which was becoming an usual occurrence in his presence. Why did he have to be so attractive?

We reached the door, his eyes were still on me, my breathing had slowed a little, when he said, "Do you mind?" I looked at him again, he raised his brows and titled his head towards the door, he was telling me to open it. So I reached lower and twisted the knob, the door opened and we went inside, the lavishly decorated house didn't affect me that much now, all I could think about was this man. What was he thinking? Did he even care about what he said to me earlier? Why was he coming after me? What did he want to say to me? I was almost in a haze, when I felt him lowering me to the couch, he hissed a little and I furrowed my brows together, "You are hurt" I was on the couch now, he was standing beside it. He hadn't replied yet, so I said again, "You are hurt, you tried to save me but I... I fell over you and you got hurt," looking up towards him I asked softly, "Where does it hurt?"

He didn't look back, just casually shook his head in denial, and went towards the fireplace and started placing the small pieces of wood in it. Then he lit a furnace and I could see how his face was glowing in the light, his arms looked strong and thick, I was in them a while ago, that thought sent a shiver down my spine, he hissed again softly, but clasped his mouth shut so that I would not hear him. I was certain that he was hurt, I had seen his face when we were lying on the ground, he was groaning in pain. "I know you got hurt, then why can't you just accept it?" I asked him, in an irked tone.

He turned half his face towards me, and said, "Don't worry about that, if you want to call someone then make a call from my phone." He got up and picked up his phone from the other side of the room, then he walked towards me and dropped it on my hand. I kept quiet and dialed Jenna's number, she was surprised to hear me calling from a different number, but I let her know that I was okay and would be late, then I cut the call and looked around the room, Damon was nowhere. I felt a bit uneasy, I glanced towards the door, it was still locked. It had become quite dark outside since we had come in, it seemed that the storm was getting nearer, I could see lightning outside the glass windows and became worried about my wheelchair.

Just then, a loud crackle of thunder could be heard and it startled me so much that I almost yelped. "Damon, where are you?" I shouted, looking around once again, then I heard footsteps and he came inside the hall, through a back door maybe? "I am here, don't be afraid." I defended myself instantly, because even if i was afraid he would not get to know about it. "I am not afraid okay? I just didn't see you, so, I was calling to check if you went outside to fix my wheelchair. Cause I think it will start raining soon." That was true though, I hated to drive in rain, no, I never drove in rain after the accident. "You will go after the rain stops, because it is not safe to drive in rain and storms," he said avoiding my eyes, "Am I clear?" He was sitting on the couch opposite my one, but was pinning me with a stare as if I were a child. I wanted to agree, but he didn't get to decide everything, so instead I said, " I'll leave whenever I want to, you cannot stop me from going home."

He got up and came closer, "Don't force me to be strict or rude again, Elena, you will listen to what I am saying, and after the storm is over I will drop you off myself." Wow acting like my guardian now...are we? Was he blaming me for overreacting in the morning? No, no, no, it was all him and he should know that, so i said loudly, "Don't behave as if I forced you to judge me in the morning, you didn't even let me speak, and saying all those mean things? That was all you. And threatening me? Do you think I forced you to do that too? I don't think you..." "I'm sorry" I didn't get to finish whatever I was going to say, he cut me by saying, "I am sorry Elena" He apologized, twice. What...? Was I dreaming? No that couldn't be, because i would remember this forever. Damon Salvatore was saying 'sorry', I sat there staring at his apologetic face and didn't find words to say, so he got the hint and continued, "I should have let you speak, given you time to explain your side of the story, but I just kept barking harsh things at you, I judged you and threatened you, for which I am genuinely sorry. I shouldn't have behaved like that. I just didn't understand why you would be here otherwise, so I guess everything was based on assumptions related to yesterday."

He was facing downwards, towards the carpet, his face looked grim and I couldn't see his eyes, I was sure that he was afraid to show me his vulnerability, just the way his eyes had turned before he burst out on me. I was unsure of how to react, he had apologized but I still felt hurt, should I forgive him? Rather I asked, "Why did you come after me?" This was the only thing I could think of. To be honest, I didn't want Alaric's name to be the only reason that he went after me. "I went after you because I didn't want you to leave this way, if you have come here to seek my help, then I will help you." It was not anything special but it sounded professional at least, the first time I could use this word today. I nodded, but didn't know whether I should meet him again, even professionally, because this was already awkward. That made me wonder, if he could think professionally now, which he clearly didn't earlier, then why didn't he even consider me to be a client? I was in a wheelchair, so the thought should have at least crossed his mind once.

"Why didn't you even think that I could be a potential client or case, whatever you call it... I mean you didn't even see me properly yesterday, so why?" I asked crossing my arms and furrowing my eyebrows. He had started the talking, so now he better talk, cause I wanted some answers. He rose from the couch and went to the far end of the room, there was a bottle of some drink, he poured some into a glass and looked at me, I lowered my eyes instantly and looked away. "Would you like something to drink?" I raised my eyebrows and snorted, he was offering me a drink? What was this man made of? Once he sounded like a criminal, then a caring person,then a professional, and now again he was being so unprofessional. "No I am fine."

I was waiting for him to answer me, with the drink in hand, he poured something into another glass and came towards me, he offered the other glass to me, I looked at him without a clue, he rolled his eyes and said, "It's water Miss. Gilbert." I huffed and took it from him, he snorted and shook his head, I could hear him chuckle as he sat right beside me on the sofa and placed his brown liquid on the table beside it. Then he placed his hands on my foot and lifted them onto his lap. "What are you doing?" I asked, this move was so personal and warm, and none of those words matched his description. He opened my boots and kept them down, I gulped at his forwardness, now he was rubbing the underside of my feet, I couldn't feel anything but the mere sight of him, comforting me, was so sexy. I kept gazing at him, it seemed as if he was pressing the pressure points under my feet. I didn't even know how it felt, but he was moving his hands gently, and my breathing had deepened, I was getting lost in him. Why did this man have such an effect on me? Would I ever get over it?

"Do you feel anything?" he asked, I shook my head gently, he was trying to arise some sense in my legs. He kept massaging under my feet, looking intently towards me he said, "You will start feeling again, just be patient and cooperate with me, I will try my best to make you walk like before." He just thought I would come by again, didn't even ask me if I would, he was so arrogant, but I wanted to be better again, so I didn't say no. It had started raining outside, the storm was gaining force by the minute, the trees were going to and fro, bearing the brunt of it, winds howling outside the glass windows. But inside it was quiet and cozy, the fire had made the room warm, and just the sound of embers crackling could be heard. Looking at Damon, I couldn't help but think that, it was just last night, that I went to bed wondering when I would get to meet my mystery man again and today I was here, in a house with him sitting beside me, my legs on his lap. This would have been a perfect romantic story had it been an alternate universe, but it was not.

"You didn't answer my question." I told him, the silence was making it harder for me to be in the present. He kept his ministrations on, and replied, "What do you want to know?" He was giving me an opportunity to ask about so many things, but I didn't want to dive deeper before even knowing the surface. "Why did you not even consider the possibility that I could be a patient? You are a physiotherapist by profession, and talking to your brother, it seemed that you have quiet a lot of clients." He was quiet for sometime, taking a deep breath he kept my legs back on the couch and got up, taking the drink back in his hands he went and stood in front of the fire place. "Because I don't see patients anymore. I am a physiotherapist, but no longer a professional one."

That confused the hell out of me, I wanted to ask why but there were other things I wanted to ask too, I couldn't decide which one to go with first. So I just continued, "But if you are no longer a professional, why did Alaric tell me to come here?" He looked back at me and said, "Maybe because he believed that I could help you." I didn't say anything, just stared at the man in front of me. Then he started telling me more about it, " See, Alaric knows me from a very long time, and he also knows that I don't practice anymore. So, if he still recommended you to come here then I am sure he has thought this through. And if you know Alaric well, then you will know that he doesn't do anything just for the sake of it."

I nodded, that meant he would help me for Alaric, because Alaric wanted him to do so, how do they even know each other? Feeling curious, I went ahead and asked something else, "What is it between Kai Parker and you? I mean you threatened me for it so it has to be something big." I know it was personal, but I had already been dragged into it, so why couldn't I inquire about it? He huffed and came forward, " I already apologized for it, and I am telling again that, I shouldn't have threatened you, I am sorry. And if this makes it any better, you should know that, I just wanted to frighten you, I wouldn't have done anything in reality." He said looking down at me with a slight smirk.

That pissed me off so much that I almost shouted out, "Just because I am talking with you politely, don't think that you can lie to me and make it okay. You judged me, threatened me, and basically drove me out of your house. So, no, it doesn't make it any better." I wanted to rub the smirk off his face, then he would know that I am not a little girl who could be scared or manipulated. But he just came closer and sat down on the center table, that was giving him the same height as me, on the couch. Then his lips parted and he said, "If I wanted to do anything I would have done it yesterday, but I did not because I didn't want to. I would never hurt you, Elena."

His was so close to me, more than when he was sitting beside me or when I was in his arms. He was gazing straight into my eyes and his skin was looking like porcelain, perfection at its finest. I was afraid to breath any louder, because it would hit his face, I gulped with my lips parted, his eyes were looking like white furnace that made the goosebumps on my skin, rise. The way he had said my name, it felt right and I just wanted to hear it again and again. His woody and spicy scent engulfed me as I took a deep breath, I felt my throat getting dry and eyes getting heavy with need. Need for something I didn't want him to recognize, I didn't want him to understand the effect he had on me. So instead I asked him, "Am I gonna be safe with you?" and he said yes unblinkingly. I searched his eyes for any lies and pretense, but they looked transparent.

"Can I trust you, Damon?" but this time he didn't answer, he tore his eyes from mine and moved away, walking towards the door he said in a serious tone, "The rain has stopped, let's get you home." I kept on looking towards the direction he walked, but he never turned back. Then he opened the door and went outside, the fresh smell of wet grass and mud hit my nose, filling me with a sense of longing, I didn't know what it was or how it would fulfill. I just knew one thing that, however much I get to know him, this man would always remain a mystery to me. Now it was completely my decision to trust him or not, but if he was arrogant, then I was adamant, and surprisingly I was very intrigued to find out more about the 'real' Damon Salvatore. It was going to be one hell of a ride.

What do you think? Please, leave a review.