AN: Hello everyone! Some of you may remember this little flash from the past. I decided to reupload this and Everything I want, edit and finish them up. Inspiration hit and I figured I better go with it. I hope my old readers will enjoy this again and that I'll gain some new readers along the way.

The Return to Innocence

Summary: AU/AH No CC intended just for fun. Elena Gilbert is a woman on the run who ends up in Damon Salvatore's boarding house. She captivates him from the start, but what dark secrets is she hiding?

Prelude

"Stefan." Damon Salvatore sat on a bar stool taking down a shot of dark amber liquid before he spat out his brother's name like a curse. He slammed the empty glass down on the bar as if putting an explanation point on it.

"Bastard," He muttered holding his shot glass up at the bartender for a refill.

The bartender, a pretty tall brunette woman in her late twenties with a stylish pixie cut and sparkling green eyes named Rose came back and gave him a curious look, but Damon just shoved the shot glass at her shooting an expectant look at her in return. She looked hesitant but clearly didn't want to do anything to upset the eldest son of Giuseppe Salvatore, so she handed Damon another shot and sighed. As big as New York was the Salvatores were well known. Giuseppe Salvatore owned what was probably the biggest real estate company in the country and he was a man that demanded respect. He was a man that held himself high and deservingly so.

His sons who had both ended up working for him were just as well-known as Giuseppe; the youngest Stefan was known for his uncanny resemblance to his father with their forest green eyes, chiseled muscular face with a set jaw line. Stefan had even recently cut his light brown curly and spiky trademark hairstyle for a short conservative cut like his father's. Stefan, like his father, was polite and respectful but held himself high and demanded the respect he received, but he was still very young and had a lot to learn. He started working for his father's company more recently and Rose was getting more disgruntled employees in her bar raging about it than ever since then.

"No good, life stealing, piece of shit." Damon muttered this time before gulping down the amber liquid in one gulp and slamming the glass back down.

"Make it a double this time." He said pushing the glass back at her.

"This won't fix whatever your problem is." Rose said warningly backing away slightly when Damon lifted his head up glaring at her with a, don't you dare deny me, look on his face. Damon didn't look much like Stefan or his father.

All the Salvatore men were pretty good looking but Damon was gorgeous. He looked like something that had stepped out right out of a perfume ad. He was toned and muscular, with a raven black hair that framed piercing blue eyes. They stood out even brighter on his porcelain skin. His lips were usually twisted into a smirk, but they looked soft and kissable all he really needed to do was flash his winning white smile and the girls just came running.

Unlike his father and his brother, Damon was loose cannon. He had a tendency to take it too far. The oldest brother was known for causing trouble and he used his family's name to get what he wanted. But over the last year he had become increasingly angry and bitter spending most of his time at the bar wallowing in pity or cursing his brother out.

"Oh, I know." Damon snapped taking down another shot.

"So, do you want to rant about it?" Rose asked she was used to Damon by now and honestly, she felt bad for him. The guy had had a rough year. Rose had known Damon for a long time the Salvatore real estate main office being so close to the bar her family owned and she worked at. There weren't many people he could safely vent to without it getting twisted and back to his father only causing more issues.

"Apparently I can't do my job by myself anymore." Damon said bitterly taking the shot down.

"What?" Rose asked that was surprising news, as unorthodox a CEO as Damon could be the results spoke for themselves. The man could sell anything to anyone, and he demanded the same from everyone that worked for him. Despite his tendency to party and the trouble he caused his father from time to time. He did his job exceptionally well, most everyone assumed Damon would one day take over.

"I was officially bitch slapped today." Damon spat out.

"What happened?" Rose asked handing him a shot of the bourbon.

"Good old dad decided I needed a co- CEO so guess who my new partner is." Damon snarled his blue eyes flashing with anger.

"Stefan?" She gave him a sympathetic look sometimes it seemed like Giuseppe was trying to fuel the rivalry between his sons not that it needed much fuel.

"Who else?" Damon scoffed pushing the glass out again.

"No more Damon." Rose said.

"Don't cut me off tonight Rose. I don't want to tear up your bar." He said his eyes wild and crazed glazed over from the alcohol.

"Damon." She sighed heavily. "You'll end up in the hospital for liquor poisoning at this rate. I can't serve you anymore."

"I only had four shots." He muttered.

"Here." She said giving him a stern look he was already three sheets to the wind when he arrived at the bar tonight.

"Just go home sleep it off, talk to your dad in the morning." She suggested.

"Why? Nothing will change he wants to turn Stefan into his little clone and Stefan's happily on board. Phase out Damon, step one, done."

"No one is trying to phase you out Damon, they are your family." Rose said softly.

"You don't know them like I do." he muttered.

"Five years, five damn years I worked my ass off to get to the top. I got just as much slack as Stefan does maybe more. The difference is I didn't go whining to daddy about it I took it and earned my fucking respect." He ranted.

"No, you know what? This is bull." Damon stood up. "I'm sick of him taking things from me."

"Damon." Rose said warningly.

"I'm done." He said heading out of the bar quickly. "It ends tonight."

"No, he can't take this he doesn't get this." Damon was talking to himself as he marched down the street. He loved and hated being CEO of Giuseppe's reality. He enjoyed the power and money that came with the position but hated the hours and hard work. Despite that when he first got out of college and joined the company he worked hard, sometimes putting in sixty to seventy hours of work in a week. At the time he was determined to prove himself worthy for once in his father's eyes and of course there was her he wanted to give her the life she wanted.

What a joke, he thought bitterly.

He found himself standing outside Stefan's house, their house, a voice in his head rang out and that bitter taste filled his mouth again, not enough bourbon in the world could wash it away not for lack of trying.

He banged on the door his blue eyes darkening with the anger that being anywhere near this house brought out in him.

"Damon?" Stefan answered the door angrily only wearing a pair of sweatpants. His green annoyed eyes still dazed with sleep. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Do you?" Damon hissed getting close to him.

"You're drunk Damon." Stefan said frowning and wrinkling his nose he crossed his arms and backed away a few steps.

"Thank you, captain obvious" Damon smirked.

"Just go Damon… please." Stefan said looking up the stairs nervously.

"You afraid I'm going to wake up your little girlfriend?" Damon taunted. "God knows she's a bitch when she doesn't get enough sleep."

"Just go Damon." Stefan begged.

"No." Damon said. "You're not taking my job Stefan. It's the only damn thing I have left."

I'm not taking your job Damon; we're going to be working together." Stefan stressed.

"I'm not working with you either." Damon snapped.

"Why should you be the only CEO?" Stefan asked his voice sounded whiney and immature Damon didn't understand why his father would even trust such a position to Stefan, sure he was a hard worker and a great kiss ass, but at the end of the day he was still a twenty four year old kid he couldn't handle it.

Damon had started working for the company during college at Stefan's age he was still climbing the ranks, but he had climbed them quickly securing the CEO position when he only twenty five, now after 2 years of doing a doing a great job and making the company a lot of money Giuseppe was just taking it away to hand a part of it to Stefan? Stefan who was pretty much fresh out of college? It was no wonder the staff was so bitter about Stefan he did it without even having to climb the ranks. He would never have their respect now.

Damon knew the last year had been patchy and he had screwed up a few times but considering what he had been dragged though because of said brother, he felt these mishaps should have been forgiven. But Giuseppe didn't forgive easily at least not when it came to his older son.

"Because it's my job Stefan, a job I worked for." Damon said. "It's mine and I'm not sharing it with you."

"Damon…this isn't...don't make this about..."

"About what Stefan?" Damon sneered, "Huh? Go ahead say it."

"Don't make this about Katherine." Stefan said tersely.

"And there it is." Damon drawled dramatically his eyes flashing with anger.

"There is it." Stefan agreed, "And you know what? At some point you are going to have to just get over it Damon." Stefan snapped.

"No at some point you need to get that if you keep taking from me, I'm going to fight back." Damon said he leaned closer and his were flashing with a challenge.

"Just back off Damon," Stefan said his face tense.

"You took my fiancé and now you're trying to take my job, what's next you want my apartment, how about my car? My clothes...god knows your style sucks." Damon continued circling around Stefan his face menacing even as his tone was light.

"Dad gave me the job because your failing at it, Damon." Stefan spat out. "You keep messing up and your missing work all the time, you snap at everybody in the office, your secretary called dad in tears yesterday after you yelled at her."

"I didn't yell at her." Damon muttered.

"Maybe what you need is a break?" Stefan suggested. "It would be good for you to get away for a while. So, you can deal with this anger."

Damon laughed leaning so close to Stefan his hot liquor smelling breath almost knocked Stefan over.

"Oh, wow what a great idea, get out of your way right?" He laughed harder pacing the room.

"So, you can step in and take the job all for yourself?" Damon stopped in front of Stefan and stared him down his eyes full of accusation.

"I'm trying to help..." Stefan offered feebly.

"Help?" Damon laughed out loud. "You want to help me?"

"I feel terrible about how everything happened..." Stefan trailed off.

"Oh, you do not." Damon snapped. "You got what you wanted, you always do, you get everything you want just handed to you on a silver platter."

"That's not true Damon." Stefan sighed.

"Yes, it is but you don't get this." Damon said stepping close and glaring at Stefan. "You're going to tell dad thanks but no thanks, you don't want it."

"The hell he is." A female voice that cut through him like a jagged knife interrupted the fight. She was wearing a red silk robe unbuttoned with nothing but a black silky night gown under it. Her slender body showcased under the sheer fabric. Her normally bright blue eyes looked hazy. Her artificially highlighted blond hair was messy from sleep. He noticed her roots seemed to have gotten dark and was surprised at that. She was pretty vein and normally didn't let things like that go. The girl he thought he loved, the girl he planned to marry. Katherine, she had turned out to be nothing but a phony and even looking at her now just made him sick.

"Stay out of this." Damon snapped.

"I won't, if it involves Stefan it involves me." Katherine crossed her arms over her small chest, Damon's eyes trailed over her body and he smirked suddenly an evil look spreading over his face.

"Have you gained weight?" He asked.

She glared daggers at him and tightened her robe around her slender body, which was looking curvier than normal, she had always been very thin, she like most of her fashion and money obsessed friends rarely ever ate. It annoyed Damon after a while when they were together, but now even though her profile was still small he could see her body was filling out. Had he not hated her so much he might even admit she looked good, really good; with a little extra weight on her, but he doubted she saw it that way and would take whatever chance he could to piss her off.

"Damon don't." Stefan said wearily.

"Don't what?" Damon said his eyes darting from one of them to the other. Katherine brushed her hair back from her face the new diamond ring on her finger evident and blatantly mocking Damon.

"I'm pregnant Damon." Katherine said bluntly. "Stefan and I are getting married and he's taking the CEO job he has a family to think of."

"You...you're such a..." Damon found himself losing control his head was spinning. It was all he wanted when he met her. He was tired of the single life, tired of being the most sought-after bachelor in the city. He was ready to settle down and have a family. Katherine knew deep down it was the only thing he really wanted so; she gave it to his little brother? The rage he came here with had suddenly doubled in size and unable to direct it at her he turned to glare at his little brother.

"I didn't want to tell you like this." Stefan stammered Damon took one look at him before he punched him right in the mouth. Katherine screamed but Damon ignored her jumping on top of Stefan and holding him down. He started hitting him in the face and Stefan kicked from underneath.

"I swear Damon I'll call the cops!" Katherine screamed. "Get off him!"

A hard book nailed Damon in the back. "Stupid bitch." He grunted he got off Stefan and Stefan stammered to his feet. They both stood facing off with each other. Stefan was pretty roughed up but looked determined and Damon was drunk but still enraged enough for a fight.

"You come into my home and take a cheap shot at me?" Stefan practically growled his green eyes dark with danger.

Damon glared back at him his own usually ocean like blue eyes almost midnight blue they were so dark with rage his face was flushed and red and his toned body was in a fighting stance.

Stefan rushed towards Damon pushing him backwards Damon landed against a shelf breaking several breakables and hurting his back even more. He leaned over and grunted for a second. Katherine shrieked when she saw her stupid crystal vase had been broken and suddenly raced into the kitchen, she came out holding the phone.

"I hate you." Damon screamed hitting Stefan in nose this time Stefan stumbled backwards and put his hand over his nose which was bleeding.

"I'm calling the police!" Katherine yelled out but Damon ignored her he rushed Stefan again, but Stefan dodged him this time.

"Please help my fiancé's brother broke into our house and he's gone crazy." Katherine was shrieking into the phone. "Hurry!"

Damon narrowed his eyes looking over at her angrily. "Oh, come on."

"I have a child to think about I can't have this instability in my home." She said putting her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone.

He glared at her stupidly how had he ever loved this woman anyway?

Stefan took he distraction as a chance to elbow Damon in the shoulder he stumbled backwards both the booze and the night taking a toll and Stefan managed to land a punch on Damon's jaw he fell backwards hitting the back of his head against the door hard everything went black.

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