You've always loved the strange birds

Now I want to fly into your world

I want to be heard

My wounded wing's still beating,

You've always loved the stranger inside

Me, ugly pretty

.

.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was up in the sky but the air still held a bit of chilling cold, the sky was clear of any clouds and it shone with a beautiful blue color that made her think of the beautiful water of Colombian beaches. A couple of weeks had gone by since she made that trip, but the memory was still fresh in her mind.

They were sitting in a hip restaurant downtown that had tables scattered along the sidewalk so they could enjoy the fresh air, it was one of her favorite places in the city because of her delicious food, warm staff, and beautiful accommodations.

At the moment her mouth was watering as the waitress placed the Greek salad she had ordered in front of her. The bright colors of the tomatoes and peppers stared back at her as she grabbed her fork, the feta cheese seemed to melt in her mouth as she took her first bite, the slightly sweet taste of the Dijon mustard in the vinaigrette waking up each one of her senses.

She was about to open her full of food mouth and comment on how heavenly her salad was when she realized her companion wasn't paying attention to her at all. His bright eyes were lost in the phone in his hand and the small mischievous smile on his lips, let her know she had lost his attention a long while ago.

She swallowed and sipped from her lemonade quietly before speaking "Yes, of course, my salad is delicious, thank you for asking"

Stefan's confused eyes snapped to her immediately "Sorry?"

Elena rolled her eyes at her step-brother "You've been ignoring me for the last ten minutes" She threw a curious look in direction of the device Stefan had on his hand "What's on your phone that is so important?"

"Nothing" He said as he turned it off and placed it looking down on top of the table. Elena observed him as he grabbed the first bite of his burger while he kept glancing towards the device as if somehow it was going to come alive on its own.

Elena dug into her food once more before leaning back in her chair "Oh, don't lie to me Salvatore, I know that look" She said when she saw him glance into his phone again "Is it Valerie again?"

"No"

"But it is a girl?" She asked and the silence she got in response was more than enough. She nearly squealed in her chair, eyes bright and wide as she looked at him "Oh my God it totally is! Who is she? Because I'm totally sure it isn't Lexie"

He seemed to debate whether to answer her or no but in the end, he wasn't able to resist the eager look in her face. He released a defeated sigh and leaned back in his chair as well "If you must know, her name is Caroline"

Elena's eyes widened as if she were the Cheshire cat "Oh, I like her already!"

"You're crazy you know that?" Stefan said as he laughed under his breath before grabbing another bite of his food, this time without glancing at his phone.

Elena followed him and took a couple of bites of her food before putting her elbows over the table and leaning towards him "Tell me about her"

Once again Stefan seemed to debate telling her, but her curiosity or perhaps his need to vent to someone about his new girl won out in the end. "Well, she's in her final year in NYADA, loves to sing and dance" His eyes lit up in a way Elena hadn't seen before as he spoke about his girl "Broadway is her obsession, she's a ballet dancer, so she spends the majority of her time in leotards" He raised his eyebrows suggestively in a way that made him resemble Damon completely "Which is perfect"

"Pig" Elena laughed and he laughed alongside her.

Stefan had always been the brooding type where Damon was the passionate one, each of them seemed to complement the other perfectly and Elena loved both dearly. So much that she and Stefan had the tradition of having lunch in this same place once a week which was why they were together at the moment, but despite knowing him as much as she did and for so long, not once she had seen the kind of light in his eyes she was seeing now and somehow that made her feel full with hope.

"She's quite awesome"

"I can't tell" Elena smiled widely, "The way your face lit up just now"

Something seemed to change at her words, his expression became somber and he moved uncomfortably in his chair. She frowned and was about to ask what was the matter, but before she could open her mouth, he cleared his throat and decided to change the subject.

"So, what time should we pick you up tonight?" He asked, referring to the concert she and Damon were going to accompany him that night.

Elena smiled briskly, sensing he didn't want to go back to Caroline's topic "Nice way to deflect" She murmured under her breath before digging into her food once again.

In the end, she chose to meet them at Stefan's apartment instead, since it was where Damon was staying while he searched for one of his own. She knocked twice since it didn't have a ring bell and waited patiently but no one came to open the door.

Rolling her eyes at her own stupidity she opened her small purse and started fishing for the spare key Damon had gotten her a couple of days ago, she unlocked the door and was about to announce her presence when she heard arguing voices coming from Stefan's bedroom.

"What the fuck Stefan? You should have brought her here" Damon's voice hissed. Elena frowned as she stepped further into the apartment, careful as to not make her presence known.

"It was a quick trip"

"John could have seen her" The anger in Damon's voice made a shiver dance down her back, "Or she could have recognized the house"

Stefan released a humorless laugh "She lives in the clouds Damon, she doesn't know anything about her mother's work" A pause and then a deep sigh "And John wasn't in the house"

Elena got closer to the door and saw it was slightly open, she peered inside and saw Damon dressed in a pair of jeans and a tight black t-shirt standing by Stefan's window, the other man was leaning against his dresser, a defeated expression on his face.

A burst of hysterical laughter climbed through Elena's throat at the thought of these two criminal men unaware that someone was spying on them.

Damon shook his head and banged his hands against the window "You made a foolish risk" Stefan limited himself to stay silent and look down, Elena saw Damon turning around and displaying an arraying of different emotions before laughing sardonically "Oh fuck me, you actually like this girl"

Stefan swallowed deeply as a guilty expression crossed his face "She is good Damon, she doesn't deserve what I'm doing with her"

"Do I need to remind you it was your idea?" The older Salvatore asked as he went to stand in front of his brother "Or maybe that her mother will have us by the balls if she finds evidence against us"

"Using her daughter against her doesn't seem fair"

"Oh Stefan, what world do you think we live in?" The ice in Damon's tone made Elena felt sick to her stomach. Her brain had already processed what they were talking about and she felt herself about to throw up at any minute, "I'm sure you've done worse"

"But she is—"

She pushed open the door, interrupting whatever Stefan had been about to say. Both brothers turned to look at her, disbelief written across their faces.

"You two are trash" She bit out as she walked into the room.

"Elena…"

"What is your plan?" She asked Stefan "Kidnap her? Bind her to you to use her against her mother? Kill her?"

The younger Salvatore had the decency of looking ashamed, he walked towards her with regretful eyes "You don't understand—

"She's innocent!" Elena shrieked "She could be me for all we know"

Damon's face darkened "Shut up Elena"

"Don't you see what you're doing?" She said to Damon now, her eyes brimming with tears at the disappointment she was feeling "How fucked up this is!"

He shook his head as his face contorted in rage, in the dim light and with the non-scarred side of his face hiding in the shadows, he looked like a monster, someone to be feared "Wake up princess, this isn't a fairytale" He hissed as he moved towards her "Where do you think that pretty little money you use to buy your Burberry bag comes from?" He gestured to the article in her hands, the bite in his voice hurt her more than anything "Your hands have as much blood in them as ours"

She felt her lower lip wobbling but refused to cry in front of him so she stuck up her chin in his direction "Fuck you, Damon!" She snarled before turning around and heading for the door.

The minute she stepped onto the sidewalk, she released a deep breath, the night air chilling the sweat that had broken out in her back. She felt so impotent, wanted to shout to the heavens for the injustice of it all, wanted to cry her eyes out, to hit Damon until his skin was bleeding but more than anything she didn't want to be alone.

So she grabbed a cab and headed in direction of the one person who would make her forget the ugly world she lived in.

Matt opened the door after the third ring. His hair was messy and he was wearing only pajama pants, his eyes held traces of sleep and he rubbed them as he squinted down at her "Elena? Baby, what are you doing here?"

She smiled tightly before forcing herself into his home "I wanted to see you" She replied and the words felt like ash in her mouth.

He smiled sheepishly and grabbed her by the waist "Not that I'm not glad but I thought you had a familiar affair"

She nodded as she allowed his hands to roam over her body "I couldn't wait" She said before lunging herself at him and attaching their lips. His arms pressed her into his body immediately as she attacked his mouth like a starving woman.

She pushed him further into the room as her hands took mind of its own and moved across his naked torso, wanting him to make her feel warm, to destroy that ice that seemed to have settled in her stomach after her encounter with the Salvatores. She needed to feel safe, cherished and above all good.

He moaned as she bit into his bottom lip and pushed him into the couch "I really need you" She whispered wantonly before straddling him, the feel of his erection lighting up something inside her. Her mouth searched his once again; she grabbed him by the neck and murmured into his mouth "Pull on my hair" He seemed oblivious to her request, his hands caressing her skin softly "Matt, pull on my hair"

"I don't want to hurt you"

Elena huffed in annoyance before taking his lips again, only this time when her eyes closed it wasn't Matt she was seeing, it was Damon. His hands were the ones roaming over her body and her blue eyes peering down her as he touched her.

It was him who she wanted, not the boy in front of her.

However twisted that made her.

"Fuck, Matt I'm sorry" She pulled away from him and buried her face between her hands with a groan.

He pried her hands away from her face and smiled gently at her "It's okay, want to tell me what's wrong?"

Guilt, like she never felt before, rose up to her throat. She shook her head before standing up "Nothing's wrong, I just need to leave" She murmured before rushing to the door, her body colder than it was before.

She wandered the bustling streets for a while before deciding where she wanted to go, she guessed she could back to her own apartment, but the idea of being alone didn't appeal to her, going to her father's home wasn't what she wanted either and Bonnie already had enough on her plate as if to add her own issues.

No, she knew exactly where she wanted to go.

She stood in front of the white door for a couple of seconds, debating whether she should knock or just use the key, she chose the last one in the end.

The place was quiet and pitch dark as she walked inside, the sound of her light footsteps echoing through the room. She felt observed and it didn't take long for her to outline the shape of someone sitting on the couch by the window.

"You won't manage to pull that trick twice today" The low rumbling voice murmured.

"I wasn't expecting it" She answered before the lights went on and she saw Damon's snake-like glance staring at her "Where is Stefan?" She asked.

"John needed him back home"

"I hate you" She shouted at him as she threw her small purse across the room at him "And I hate him and I hate my father" All the pent up rage and despair, Matt had been unable to quench was bursting out of her, like seams breaking free finally.

"Good" He answered and the corners of his mouth twisted in a smirk as he looked down at the purse that had flown a little too close to his face but not too close as to reach him.

Elena felt her veins burning with rage at his cavalier attitude "Fuck you Damon"

He chuckled as he started walking towards her "You already said that"

She released a frustrated sigh "Don't you feel anything?" She shrieked as she lunged herself at him, her fist, finding his chest and hitting him repeatedly "Is everything dead in here?"

He grabbed her by the elbows and brought her face closer to his "I don't know Elena, is it?"

Her face contorted in rage before she burst out crying, the reaction startling Damon briefly "Why you do this to me?" She cried.

His expression softened but he made no move to release her "I am not doing anything to you"

She fought against his hold, her body thrashing in his arms as the sobs erupted from her mouth "Don't you see, all you do—you do it to me!" She released a despaired sound before burying her face in his chest "I hate you so much"

He pressed her closer to his chest, his hands stroking her back and hair gently "Hush"

He was her villain and her hero all at once. He had always been.

"I hate you, but I love you" She cried as she fisted his shirt at the back "I love you so much I can't breathe. Why? You're a monster"

"I know"

"But I love you" She cried before her face moved away from his chest and she was face to face with him. His deep blue eyes looked down at her with a mixture of hunger and protectiveness and somehow she found herself forgetting everything else but the need to be closer to him "God I love you" She murmured before her lips latched to his.

This was no platonic kiss. This was hunger and need, it was tongues dancing with each other and teeth clashing. It was bruising lips and a pulse between her legs, every stroke of his tongue awoke something primal inside her until she wanted nothing more than to merge with him than to join herself to the ugliness of his soul and get lost in that darkness.

She would have given him everything in that moment, every piece of her he wanted to possess, but he pulled away and pressed her against his chest once more, his lips finding her forehead and kissing her gently as she broke down in tears against his chest once again, "Come now my love" He said as he pulled her towards his room, never releasing her from his embrace "I'll take care of you"

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as he removed the shoes and jeans from her body, her blouse followed and was soon replaced by one of his longer shirts so it reached her mid-thigh "Don't you worry about anything tonight Bonita"

He placed her underneath his covers and climbed behind her, his face burrowing itself in her neck and his arms securing her to his chest by the waist.

"You've always taken care of me, always" She murmured in the darkened room.

"Of course" He answered "It's what I live for"

She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep, she was tired, tired of it all. Damon was a consuming force and she had never realized how much she loved and loathed to have him near. It was torture existing with him, but existing without him was even worse.

He was her captor and her savior.

Her light and darkness.

He was hers and she was his.

However twisted that might be.