A/N: Hey guys I had the worst day. ( I've had worse tho) I was writing "her man" when mid-way I decided Nope, I am going to write this, cause I wanted to, I have big big plans for this one. So please give this story some love.

Now to the story.

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Elena ran her finger on the frame of the sunglasses, "I don't know what portion of this is the truth, but Michaelson family has a bunch of other investors they plan to scam, soon."

"We've established that."

"You are Stefan's step brother, aren't you?." She pursed her lips but before he could glare at her she sighed, "And you remember signing something saying you want him to share your percentage in the company."

"That was before you hypnotized him." He gave her a fake toothy smile. She nodded, "Uh huh, I told Stefan, he wont believe me but I told him."

"told him what?" he rose a brow, "he has known for a while that he owns part of the-"

"You wrote the project in his name." she interrupted him, "So when the investors come for their money, Stefan is the one who goes to jail."

His jaw dropped, he looked at her confused, he cocked his head and shook his head, "Stefan isn't involved."

"He is, as his 'legal guardian' you have signed a paper saying that Stefan is the main-"

"Wait- wait what? I never signed anything that said that." He spat, the conversation wasn't over when a nurse called Elena from a far, "Miss Gilbert."

She stood up and walked to the nurse while Damon stayed on the bench thinking about what she said, she was screwing with his head again, wasn't she? She just annoyed the hell out of him.

When Elena finished her conversation with the nurse who had shown her Matt's blood reports, she turned around to see the bench was empty, maybe he was gone, but the very next second she felt a hand grab her by her elbow , when she looked over her shoulder, he was standing behind her, looking pissed, before she could question him he dragged her out to the nearest balcony and shoved her to stand in front of him, "Stop screwing with me."

"Wh-what."

He took off the sun-glasses she was wearing and pulled her closer, "Tell me what you know."

"I told you what I know, you signed this big non existent company in Stefan's name and the investors are going to ask him, he's going to get in trouble-"

"Well I didn't do it." He snapped.

"They have your signatures." She bit out, he was looking right into her brown eyes and she had never seen his eyes up so close to her, he looked angry but more than that she had seen him worried for the first time, the kind of worry she understood, not after money, not after a company- but for his brother, she knew this worry, she had seen it in her own eyes, she had seen it in Stefan's eyes, in her parent's eyes.

He grip of his hands on her arms loosened and he let her go, taking a step back and just staring at something behind her, but she knew he wasn't looking at anything here, he was looking at the future, the future where Stefan was in trouble. That's when it hit her, he probably couldn't be making this up, why would he need to act all worried in front of her?

"Damon." She said his name softly this time, because she actually felt bad for him, she finally saw something in him, he was human, he cared about something, he had some purpose. He didn't even hear her voice, so she said it a little louder, "Giuseppe did it, maybe he just got it out of you."

"For my birthday." He gave a humorless chuckle, still lost looking elsewhere, he ran a hand through his dark hair, roughing them up further, "He bought me something, he made me sign it."

"Oh."

Damon nodded. He didn't know why he was even discussing this with her right now, he must be going home, doing something to fix this.

She didn't know what reason Giuseppe had for this, but he clearly put his children in the balance, she didn't know what it was like to be so hated by your own parents, that's probably the reason he was the way he was. Suddenly she felt so bad for both of them.

"I thought that-"

"You thought I didn't care about him, you thought I'd do anything for money." He bit his lip, she let out a sigh, "You proved me wrong didn't you?"

"Who cares at this point, Stefan is going to hate me." he turned around to go, she scratched her forehead , mustering effort to say this, "No wait, don't- don't go."

"What?" He turned around slightly, a brow raised.

"If you could stay here for a while, I might need your help." She stepped forward and held his wrist slowly, almost fearing he'd give her a hard time about it, "Do you have to be somewhere?"

"No." he shook his head and just let her lead him back to the corridor. They both sat down on the bench and shared silence for a long time, he was lost , maybe thinking of ways to turn the situation around. While she was waiting for the doctors to tell her Matt was going to be fine, so she could get rid of this guilt. She looked at their laced fingers, it felt weird to hold his hand like that, but it gave her an unknown comfort she didn't know she needed, "What?" his low voice made her look up from their hands to his face.

Before she could say something he let her hand go and put it on his thigh.

"Stefan can never hate you, you know that right?"

He stayed quiet, but she knew he heard her, she swallowed thick as she said above a whisper this time, "You know I told him when I found out, I did."

Still quiet, painfully quiet. Why was she even trying to lighten up his mood? He hurt her!

"And he told me that you would never do that to him, he said he knows you better." She wanted to hold his hand but refrained herself, he looked at her this time, she nodded as if reassuring him of the fact, he sighed, "He's gone, once he finds out about this."

"I know he wouldn't." she gave a light smile to him, he nodded and sat back, looking at the clock, she too made herself comfortable there, she wanted to stay there till Matt was okay, till she could apologize. He could tell she was thinking about Matt by the way she was looking at the window with the blinders on it.

"If you didn't want to go with him due to the whole Liam incident, why did you?" he asked after there had been some quiet moments , it was getting irritating, the scent from her hair stirred weird feelings in him, she looked over her shoulder, "I don't know, I promised him before that, end year is near I need a date for prom." She chuckled.

"Prom." He huffed.

"Yeah, my friends think I'll show up with-" then she stopped, what the hell was she doing! he is not your friend Elena.

"With?"

"There's this guy." She shrugged it off. He nodded, she definitely didn't want to talk about it so it was a closed topic, but he wanted to know, who was this other guy? "So you want this one to take you to prom, but you like this other- I don't get it."

"Hmm you're not in high school maybe that's why." She said with a smirk, he rolled his eyes, "What? I- it's just confusing; you can't start a conversation to break it mid-way."

"I am not telling you." She sat up straight and ran a hand through her hair in nervousness, "Come on , just between us girls." He said in a mocking tone.

She let out a breathe as if exhausted, "Why are you so interested in knowing my high school life?"

"Because I am stuck here till that bastard wakes up, I might as well be occupied, you never know I am very good with advice." He wiggled his brows as her, she bit her lip and sighed, "Okay."

"Okay."

"There is this guy, I don't know him."

"You're a little stalker." He commented playfully.

"That's it, I am not telling you-"

"Come on, I was just, continue will you?" he tried to look cool, he tried to keep his composure, but he didn't know why it was itching him so much, why did he care? He didn't know, she hated him and as much as he remembered, he wasn't a fan much too.

"It's been a few months, but it's hopeless." She put her hands in her lap and sighed, "But I keep thinking about him."

He listened to her speak about this mystery man, watching as her eyes filled with warmth for whoever she was talking about, and she suddenly glowed as she talked about this person, whoever this was, made him nauseous, why would she keep it to herself, she could easily get this guy, that was his opinion, sure he had his problems with her, but she was somewhat strong, she was pretty, she was attractive-very attractive.

"And I thought I'd just block this whole thing from my head and go out with Matt, everyone thinks that the idea of this person is crazy."

"Who the fuck is he? I mean no offense but boys in high school are sleazy, so if he's that hard to get type-"

"He's not hard to get." She giggled and shook her head, "He's not real."

"What?"

"He's not real." She repeated, this time trying to tell herself, he frowned, "You mean to tell me this whole going out with this guy is over an imaginative person, you clearly need medical attention."

She rolled her eyes, "Umm see this is exactly the reason I don't tell people."

He couldn't believe her, this whole time she had him fuming over some imagination, had him so jealous over some hallucination. Then he stopped himself right there, he wasn't jealous in the first place, he just wanted to pass time. He didn't want to be involved in this whole triangle with the non-existent figure.

"But it's not worth it anymore, when Matt wakes up , I'll shut it off, this feeling, we can do this over." She huffed, "I never want to hurt him that way, like I did, not physically, not emotionally."

"The whole imagination thing is stupid, for someone as clever as you." He pressured the word clever, she ignored all the fight, she didn't want to pass a snarky comment and fuel it.

"Yeah I guess it is stupid to think about a fireman." She laughed and sat back, "I am pretty sure that's what he does."

"the imagination guy has a job?" he laughed this time, she nodded blushing a little, "It's starts like that, I am at the grill, the fire a few months ago, Stefan is there, the girls are there and then suddenly I am alone." She swallowed thick, "It gets so hot, I can smell my blood at one point and I just accept it, I accept that I am dying, it's the worst feeling ever, because its' never ending, and the fire and smoke gets so thick and dense that I wish it takes me, just ends me so I would be out of it forever, and then suddenly I am saved."

He realizes what she means, he hears every word from her mouth separately, just hearing how she was ready for death melt him further, he has known this feeling once, long ago, he knows what if feels like to look death in the face, he can't think of someone so small like her enduring so much, he feels protective of her, even though he knows that's not him, he doesn't want her, he hates her to some extent, she sabotages his ideas, she takes his brother away from him, the only thing that has ever mattered to him, she just acts this epitome of righteousness and it pisses him off, he can't call it fake because deep down he knows it isn't. He knows what he does is wrong, whatever his family does is wrong. He won't call it wrong, ever. Yet there is a part of him that understands her, that likes her, too much, and whenever he is around her, that part of him takes over his entire existence, she makes it difficult for him to despise her, God has made her to beautiful to be hated in the first place and then if it wasn't enough she is so soft, he knows she is, like earlier he detected when she wanted to cheer him up, he knows how much she is doing for her family, how much she is taking from Giuseppe. His father has made people kill themselves and he knows that that's what he has in store for Elena, he wants her to end herself, but he won't let it happen, that part of him won't let it happen even though the rest of his body enjoys her misery, that part of him won't ever be gullible to his explanations.

Elena thinks about that part of him, she doesn't know he saved her, he didn't tell her, he doesn't want to now, because he doesn't want her to despise that too.

"It must be some PTSD." He said after a long break.

"Maybe" she mumbled, "But maybe I don't want to get rid of it."

"you don't?"

She shook her head, "I don't want to lose this sense of elation I guess."

"If it comes at the price of a nightmare?"

She looked sleepy as she stretched her arms and yawned a little, "Everything is a nightmare right?"

He didn't say anything this time, she pouted, "Well not for you."

(-NND-NND—NND-NND—NND-)

She heard her name being called for the fourth time and this time she scowled in her sleep, "Okay!" she yawned and opened her eyes, the nurse was standing by them, "We've shifted Mr. Donovan to his room, Miss Gilbert."

She nodded weakly, "Thanks." And rose up her head from the surface, her eyes widened when she realized she had been resting her head on someone's shoulder, she looked up and cringed, "Ugh- what are you doing?"

He was looking down at her, some what annoyed, "I could be asking you that Miss Drools A lot."

She looked down at his shirt and wiped her mouth with her hand, "Ughh. You! Don't ever do that again!"

"Like just sitting and minding my own business when you snuggle over and take over my shoulder with your watery mouth?"

She stood up and clutched her hands, gritting her teeth, "I am going to go and see Matt."

"And should I make the bed and get you breakfast by the time you are back Miss Gilbert." He stood up and pulled out a tissue from a pull up box on the nearby table and fixed his shirt, "He's up and now you call his parents so they can take over."

"Oh."

"Yes, do you want a ride home?" his voice detached but had some tinge of care, she pulled the jacket closer to her in nervousness, "If you can."

"Might as well do it."

"I'll go check on him." She said in a low voice and went towards the elevator.

(-NND-NND-NND-NND-NND-)

She was silent, she knew she had made a mistake but she couldn't find herself to be blamed fully for Matt's situation, his parents were informed, they were not happy, but his father couldn't talk shit about her to her face, she always had a feeling they didn't like her that much, ever since the Jeremy incident they were more on the ignoring side than usual, but she reckoned that they wanted to avoid trouble.

"Elena." She heard the low whisper and looked up from her lap towards the bed, Matt was heavily bandaged, on his head, the IV drip was just changed by the nurse, injected by a painkiller of some sort, she forced a smile and touched the top of his hand, "I am sorry, I am so sorry."

He raised two of his fingers and wrapped them around her hand, shaking his head, "I am sorry, I-."

"No, No Matt you're so sweet." She felt her eyes welling up in tears, he couldn't even move, and she felt responsible, "I am going to take care of you till you are up on your own feet."

"I scared you didn't i?"he asked after some moments.

She shook her head, "I had an incident at work, it's not your fault Matt, I like you, I really do." She held his hand in both hers and squeezed slightly, "If I could make it any different we'd be up there in that restaurant, we'd come back and I'd let you kiss me."

"You would?"

She nodded her head and sniffled, "I am so glad that you're okay." She smiled through the tears.

"I am glad too, I gotta take you back up there." He gave a smug smirk. She rolled her eyes at him still smiling, he rose up his hand a little and wiped the tears away from her cheeks, "I don't ever want to see you cry Lena." She nodded and held his wrist and placed a kiss on the top of his hand, "I am going home to change, I'll come back after school okay? Your Mum and Dad will be here shortly."

"Yeah okay." He lied back on the pillow and she set the blanket on him, heading out, her breath hitched as she bumped into Damon, who was standing so close to the door, she frowned, "I thought you were downstairs."

"You were taking too long so I thought I'd check." He said in a snarky tone, she pouted as he turned around to go fast out of there , she hadn't anything to deserve such displeasure that too at this wee hour of the morning, she shrugged following him out, the drive was quiet but it was like the tension between them was transparent, she didn't know what it was, it did bother her. "Sorry for the drool okay." She said out of nowhere when she felt they were near her house.

He didn't say anything. Again, she hated this behavior. Why did she care if he was upset over anything, whether it was Stefan or the drool on his shirt? He was not her problem, they talked, they aren't friends. Maybe for the first time, she got to look at him, not in the I hate you so much way, just look at him, how tall he was, how his shoulders looked strong- she hadn't seen him naked, he would look good if he was naked. She couldn't even articulate how sharp his facial features were, the jaw bone of his face was sharp, the skin looked smooth and flawless, his lips had color and looked full, they looked like a good set, dark –very dark hair that contrasted his pale skin perfectly, they brought out the blue in his ocean eyes. She didn't know how long she looked- too long for comfort, he was without doubt very handsome. It was strange how he looked nothing like his father. She would never tell him he looks good or that she finds him appealing, especially after last night, when his scent and musk was wrapped around her in the form of his jacket. When she finally felt like he wasn't the worst- admit that he was a little likeable when he didn't had the asshole guard up.

"What? Stop staring." He said in a monotone voice, there it is- the guy she didn't like, she looked straight ahead, "I was just wondering if- "

"It's okay it's not the shirt." He clarified, "I haven't slept."

"Oh."

Also I heard and saw everything back in that room, he thought, but he had no reason to be angry, "I just thought it's something I did."

He nearly snarled this time, "You don't affect me." it was defensive and childish, yet he couldn't stop, if he can't dislike her, she has to dislike him, either way.

"Okay. Whatever."

"Don't whatever me." he added under his breath as he pulled up to her house, "No, no stop at the back, if someone saw you-"

"Hmm" he interrupted, he didn't want to hear more, she hated him he got it, when he stopped the car, he kept looking straight ahead, she made no move to get out-as if waiting to say something, she bit down on her lip and turned to him, when she was removing the jacket, he frowned, "you keep it, I don't want it back."

"It's yours." She said in a low voice, suddenly feeling way too insulted, he didn't want his jacket back because she wore it? Was she so repelling for him? Was the idea of her body so disgusting?

"It's cold and you have to walk across." He looked at her dress, "You'll catch a cold in those things." Maybe it's the first time he looked at her dress, he did once when he got where she was stranded, this dress was so perfect for her, red was definitely her color, the smeared make up on her face should have helped but he found her all the more alluring, he had to question his choices now. She shouldn't be wearing these scanty garments when she's with sleazy high school boys.

"Umm Okay." She sounded hurt but concealed with a cut-throat attitude of her own, "Thanks."

The attitude conveyed a message, it was not like they were ever close but he didnt like the way she talked back. That's it, he decided and leaned forward, her heart stopped for a moment before it started racing, what was he doing?

'If he made a move, I'll slap him.' She thought, when his body was so close to her, she could feel his breath on her face, she clutched the seat and swallowed thick just looking in his eyes, blue, such shining ocean eyes, hypnotizing blue eyes, he was hypnotic- fucking hypnotic. She will probably hate herself, regret this for the rest of her life- but she wanted him, it's was like she had been waiting on this moment for months, like all this was a vivid dream. There is no other explanation for feeling this way about him. She let her eyes close, feeling so bizarre that she wanted this, he was so close, so close, "Damon." She sighed in pure desperate urgency A click sound made her open her eyes and she looked over her shoulder to see he had opened the door, "There you go." He said above a whisper. Her cheeks flushed and she found herself at a loss of words, 'he didn't notice it, God please just make him never think what I thought was going to happen.' When he got back in his seat, she swallowed thick, "Uh bye."

He nodded, she got out of the car and slammed the door purposely and walked across to walk up the street to her house, he smirked sitting back as he watched her enter her house completely furious and ashamed.

(-NND-NND-NND-NND-NND-)

"What?" Caroline cupped her mouth, Elena squeezed her eyes shut as she heard Caroline squeal. She spread the cheese on her bread, they were both hanging out together after school, Caroline had been telling her about her weekend vacation with Tyler, then she made the mistake of sharing what happened with her.

"Nothing was intentional."

"Like hell it was, he's fucking with your head." Caroline bit out each word, "God he's such an asshole."

Elena nodded in agreement, biting down on the simple sandwich, now hoping that they would skip the conversation, "But you know he's one hot motherfucker."

"Caroline." She snapped, "Mom is upstairs."

She rolled her eyes, "Hmm so you had like three dates in one night, you're such a whore Elena."

"What? I had three dates?" she asked frowning and confused, Caroline nodded, "Look you went out with Matt, that didn't end well, enter Damon, takes you to the hospital, you fall asleep on that loser, dream about the fireman, wake up, go to Matt, made him think you like him, then took the ride home with Sexy Salvatore and was going to jump his bones, but he turned you down, you're such a whore."

Elena pouted keeping the sandwich back on the counter, "Well if it helps, I didn't dream about the fireman guy."

"Oh that just makes it two."

"So like I am still a whore by your standards?"

"Pretty much." she took the sandwich and munched on it, "You wanted to kill him right? Well I have an idea , sleep with him, kill him, no one will find out." She chuckled.

I rolled my eyes, "I'd burn my ovaries before I ever sleep with him."

"Umm There you go Elena, your Sandwich, not kissing you or anything." she leaned forward and kept the sandwich on the plate at the back mocking Elena. Elena rolled her eyes as Caroline pinched her ass. "Stop it already."

"Come on." Caroline started messing with her and Elena just pushed her away walking out of the kitchen, there is no way he even has an idea she wanted to kiss him, or just accept a kiss, or whatever.

Her phone beeped in her jeans and she picked it out, "Is it Mister Wont kiss you." Caroline mocked. Elena huffed, "No it's Elijah, we're going out of town. Work trip"

"Is Mister Not Interested in you coming?"

"Caroline stop it." She gritted her teeth this time, "I don't know maybe."

"Ah-oh."

(-NND-NND-NND-NND-NND)

A/N:

Hey guys do you like it? Please leave a review? I started last night and I finished today so this chapter is a product of a lot of procrastination.

Thanks for the reviews, it means so much to have such nice and supportive readers.