Hey there!

I bet you didn't expect me to be back so soon, I really hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did. Please, if you do like it let me know what you think of it in a review, well and if you don't let me know what you think too. Thank you so much for reading, it really means the world to me.

Catch me if you can, working on my tan, Salvatore.
Dying by the hand of a foreign man, happily
Calling out my name in the summer rain, ciao amore

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There were two things that would surely let Elena feeling relaxed and at peace; one of them involved soaking in her tub with a good book between her hands and the other was a busy morning jogging through Central Park.

Since Damon's return a couple of weeks ago Elena had found herself immersed in a wild wave of anxiety and recklessness she couldn't run from. Having her step-brother near had always been a source of unease and exhilaration, but Elena could feel it now more than ever. Her skin tingled with excitement whenever he was around, she could do nothing but think about him and on more than one occasion her mind had taken her back to that fateful night when she watched him fuck that girl against the wall.

Elena desired him and feared him at the same time.

There was a look in his eyes that showed up every once in a while, a coldness so raw and striking that was enough to send shivers down her spine, she knew from first hand that he could be the sweetest of men and the most ruthless as well. And that easiness with which he could be both terrified her more than anything, just like her easiness to love both sides of him did.

She had been unable to sleep the night before. She tossed and turned into her bed, remembering the feel of his arms around her and how sweet it had been to wake up in them. Her apartment felt cold and empty after spending the night in his and Stefan's, her fingers had itched with the need of texting him and asking if she could go over, but he hadn't contacted her all morning and she didn't want to be the first one to give in, not this time.

So here she was now, brow marred with sweat and chest heaving with exaltation, her tennis-clad feet hitting against the pavement with force as she tried to chase the thoughts of her step-brother away.

Elena was so absorbed in her thoughts that she almost missed the young couple walking towards her, but the small dog on the leash the blonde woman had decided to step in front of her and forced her to stop.

As if part of some bad Hollywood movie, Elena halted and was face to face with her other step-brother and the woman he was deceiving.

The shocked look on Stefan's face would have made her laugh under different circumstances, his eyes widened in horror and his mouth opened to speak, but he was only able to articulate two words "Len… Hi"

Elena stood in front of them awkwardly "Hi"

The blonde woman, who Elena guessed was Caroline, kneeled to pick up the dog and extended her hand towards Elena once he was secure in her arms "Hi, I am Caroline"

Elena gave her an awkward smile and returned her greeting "Nice to meet you, I am Elena—"

"Oh, I know, Stefan has told me all about you" Caroline's blue eyes sparkled as her whole face seemed to light with excitement, Elena could tell she was a girl easy to love and the thought made something twist painfully in her gut at the knowledge of what her step-brothers were doing to her.

She glared at Stefan "He did, huh?"

"You go to NYU don't you?"

"Yes, a wonderful school," Elena said absently while she tried to find a nice way to step out of the conversation. The last thing she wanted was to make acquaintance with Caroline; she would never be able to live with that guilt. But the blonde girl looked so innocent and eager to please that Elena couldn't just brush her off "You're a dancer right?" She asked

Caroline beamed, clearly loving being the center of attention in the conversation "A performer, but yes, I dance" She looked at Stefan and then at Elena "We should hang out sometime"

The young man paled visibly "Sorry?"

"Yes, the three of us," The blonde said excitedly "I haven't met any of your friends and family, and you already know all of my friends, so I was thinking—"

Feeling uncomfortable with the conversation, Elena knew it was time for her to go "It would be lovely Caroline" She said placing a gentle hand on the other girl's arm and cutting her off of whatever she was about to say "But I gotta go now, you two settle it and let me know" She gave a small pet to the dog in the girl's arms and placed her headphones back in her ears "Bye" She said hastily as she resumed her jog.

Elena was not stupid and she wasn't as naïve as Damon sometimes liked to believe. She was well aware of her father's illicit dealings, she knew where the money they had grown up with came from, she knew how much damage Damon's hands could cause and she knew it was also futile to try to get away from it. She had tried to do it, had put as much distance between her and the family business as she could, but still, the shadow of that burden followed her wherever she went.

That didn't mean she didn't like to dream and wish for things to be different.

As her feet started hitting the pavement with more force than before, she tried to image a different reality for them, one where Damon reciprocated her feelings and Stefan was in love with a good girl. No targets on their backs or secrets, no blood on their hands and having to look over their shoulder every day.

The cold wind hit her in the face and Elena dreamed of another life.

Once home, she shrugged off her sweaty clothes while leaving Bonnie a message asking for some much-needed girl time. She wanted to go to some club and dance until her worries went away until Damon's face disappeared from her mind and she could no longer hear Caroline's chirpy voice.

She stood under the hot spray of the shower and hoped the water could wash away all the sins she carried around, sins she had been innocent to. As the water fell down the drain the image of a man's eyeless face appeared on her head, he was bound and gagged and blood poured out of the sockets where his eyes had once been.

Elena hadn't known which had been his crime but knew Damon had to execute the punishment. He had been seventeen, and her only thirteen, but he had dragged her into that warehouse anyway "This is what real life looks like Elena" He had whispered in her ear "Learn to fight back and you won't end up like him" She had thrown up after that and had spent the entire night crying in his arms, wrapped up in the safeness only he could provide.

The sound of her doorbell ringing snapped Elena out of the darkness of her memories. She finished her shower in a hurry and dressed as quickly as she could; all the while the doorbell kept its ringing.

She was surprised to find one of his step-brothers standing at the door, shame and worry overshadowing his entire expression. "I need to talk to someone," Stefan said as she widened the door for him to step inside.

"Okay"

Stefan's hands twisted in front of him nervously as he took a seat in Elena's living room "I know what we're doing is awful" He said after releasing a sigh and finally looking her straight in the eyes "In the great scheme of things—it might be the less awful thing we've done"

Elena's jaw clenched "That doesn't make it right"

He ran a hand over his face, weariness clouding his expression "No it doesn't" He said "But there's nothing that can be done"

Elena stared at him for a couple of seconds, never before she had seen such a distressed expression on his face. There was a fragility in his eyes that was new and the realization of the situation was enough to leave her breathless "You love her" She murmured.

Stefan moved uncomfortably in his seat "I wouldn't know—I don't think I've ever felt this way about someone" He closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them again the fragility was no longer there, only a deep sense of exhaustion "I don't want to hurt her but I know that's impossible now"

"You could let her go"

"I can't" He winced grimly "She's in the game now, Liz Forbes will never stop haunting us—I need to protect my family"

Elena's expression hardened, anger rising in her body without her knowing why "You mean Damon"

Stefan released a humorless laugh "It was my idea, you know" He said "Lure the daughter in" His words dripped with contempt "I know you think Damon is the worst monster there is out there, but I am a monster of my own" His eyes darkened for a moment and Elena could see the same intensity that shone in Damon's, the sight managed to send a chill down her spine "And there are worse monsters than us out there. You should remember that"

"You sound like your brother"

His lips curled in an empty smile, "We're cut from the same cloth"

Elena sighed as she leaned back on the couch; her hair was damp and had clung to the skin at her nape, making her feel colder than ever. She wrapped her arms around herself as she stared at Stefan "Why tell me all of this?"

He shrugged "I just need it to let it out" He told her "Damon could never understand, I don't think he has ever cared about someone other than us" Elena felt her gut twisting at Stefan's words and the implication behind them, there were many things about Damon she could put in question but never her love for her or Stefan, it was his one saving grace.

He stood abruptly "I made a mistake, I am aware of it" His conflicted eyes looked down at her and for some reason made her feel smaller than she was "My feelings should have never been involved, and now we're both going to pay for it"

Elena stood up as well, wariness filling her as she stood eye to eye with her brother "What are you going to do to her?" She asked.

"Me? I am not going to harm her in any way" He answered as he started walking towards the door "But I will protect her with my life and that—that will make hell break loose" Elena didn't like the tone of his voice or what was hidden between his words "And I am not talking about Damon this time"

A long-time after Stefan was gone, Elena still wasn't able to shake the feeling of unease his brother's parting words had left in her. She had the feeling she was standing at the edge of a cliff and the wind was going to knock her down any time.

The upbeat sound of the music danced through her whole body, colorful lights clouded her vision and the smell of sweat and alcohol, intoxicated her. Her hand was clasped tightly on her best friend's as they moved their bodies to the rhythm of one of their favorite songs.

After her somehow disappointing talk with Stefan, Elena had reaffirmed her belief in the need of a girl's night out, so she had dragged Bonnie and Rebekah to one of the hippest clubs of the moment and proceeded to dance and drink her worries away.

"I needed this" Elena said as Bonnie threw one of her arms around her.

The other girl nodded enthusiastically "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever" She shouted over the sound of the music, Elena was about to answer when she felt her phone vibrating in her hand, she watched the screen and cringed when Matt's name showed up, she let it go to voice mail and then proceeded to put her phone inside her small clutch and leaving it in the table.

Bonnie was looking at her with a raised brow "Dodging lover boy calls?"

Elena shrugged "Today is girl's night, right?"

The other girl glared at her friend "Why don't you break up with him Len?"

Elena huffed; she didn't feel in the mood to analyze all the reasons why she couldn't let Matt go even if the idea of pizza night with her girlfriends was more appealing to her than spending the night with him "It's complicated"

"Really?"

It seemed as if her friend wasn't willing to let it go, but luckily for Elena, Rebekah returned from the bar with a tray full of tequila shots "I brought more shots!" The girl announced as she placed the tray on the table, saving Elena from the excruciating pain of scrutinizing her relationship.

Shots were split and laughs were shared as they dawned each one "This is the best night ever!" Rebekah declared as the three girls got lost in the lights and music that surrounded them.

Sweat trickled down their backs as the minutes went by and the shots kept coming, Elena felt happy and full of energy, like none of the things that worried her earlier were important, she was weightless and invincible.

But then she saw him, if she was being honest with herself she felt him before seeing him.

He was dazzling. Power and mystery exuded from his every pore as he observed her from across the floor, she could feel the heat of his stare, the force of it awakening something primal inside her.

A song she loved came on and she closed her eyes as she threw her head back and laughed, when she opened them again he was no longer where she had seen him. She frowned for a second, thinking perhaps her mind had so much need of him it had managed to conjure him, but as she got carried away to the sensual beat of the music, she felt a pair of arms holding her from behind and dragging her towards a hard masculine body. The scent of cigar and mint filled her nostrils; Elena felt a tingle dancing all over her body as she threw her head back at the same time she ground her hips against the hardening member of the man behind her.

"I wasn't expecting you" She nearly shouted over the sound of the music, the deep chuckle he released in response made a blazing fire to spread between her legs.

His lips found her cheek and he placed a kiss before breathing her in, the overpowering smell of booze reached her, mixing itself with the sweat and sweet smell of his body "Someone's been drinking" She told him.

His mouth went to her ear, his lips grazing her skin as he spoke "Not as much as you"

She smirked as she felt his hands wandering upwards towards her chest "That might be true"

The music seemed to draw out everything around them, the other people disappeared and nothing else existed but their bodies as they moved to the low sensual tune. She could feel the pressure of his excitement digging into her back, proof that she wasn't the only one with baser needs threating to overwhelm her.

Elena felt in some kind of trance as if she watched everything from above and the woman whose blood was boiling with desire wasn't her. The need inside her was unlike anything she had ever felt, she wanted to be possessed by him, to possess him, to touch him and having him touch her in ways no one else had done before.

Every fiber in her body was burning as she turned around and finally locked eyes with her step-brother, his presence overwhelming her in ways she couldn't even explain "Come with me" She whispered when she moved her mouth until it rested over his ear.

His eyes closed in pure want as her hands made contact with his erection "Fuck Elena" He muttered under his breath at the same time his hands fisted her hair into his hands "Why you keep doing this to me?" The tortured look in his eyes wasn't something she had ever seen before, and she felt the strong need of wiping it off his face, so she leaned towards him and joined their lips in a kiss unlike any other they had shared before.

Elena was in the middle of a dream, it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn't. She had longed to feel his need for her during so long that a part of her refused to believe the moment was real. The minutes went by in a blur, one second they were kissing each other in the dance floor and the next they were locked together in a bathroom stall, her hands inside his jeans as his mouth feasted on the bare skin of her chest.

The straps of her dress had been lowered down so he could have access to her "Damon…" She moaned as she felt him flicking her nipple with his tongue. Though she was born the daughter of a criminal, Elena had been nothing but prim and proper her entire life, and yet where she was, not caring if someone outside the stall was hearing them, not caring about the indecency of the act she was performing or the fact it was the last thing she was supposed to be doing.

Nothing else existed at that moment but him and the way he was making her feel, the way his eyes clouded with desire and his body shivered from his want of her. For the first time in her entire life, Elena felt as if she had some kind of power over Damon, and the thought was exhilarating.

She pulled away from him and felt her insides churning at the sight of his disheveled hair and swollen mouth, he looked divine, the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, the sight of him made her want more, always more.

Her fingers went to the waistband of his jeans once again, his eyes following her movements as she tugged down the material and released his erect member. "Elena, don't…" He murmured as he watched her kneeling in front of him, but the words were only muttered half-heartedly and Elena was too gone to care, she was in a haze, succumbing to the most basic of desires.

He threw his head back until it banged against the metallic structure of the stall when her lips circled the tip of his cock "God yes" He groaned, Elena felt a rush of desire between her legs at the want in his voice. Her tongue darted out and licked him from top to bottom, his legs quivered and his stomach contracted, Elena felt empowered. "God, Len…" His hands found her hair, his fingers wrapping around it as her head bobbed up and down.

Elena was lost in the taste of him, in the feel of empowerment it gave her to have him in her mouth, in having him at her mercy to do with him as she pleased. She no longer had to picture herself as the girl who he was fucking against the wall, because she was now the girl on her knees in front of him, satisfying a desire that had grown in her since she was old enough to notice boys.

She worked her tongue and mouth around him, felt him shake and watched his eyeballs roll back in their sockets; she felt the tug of his hand in her hair and heard his elaborated breathing. At that moment, he was hers and hers alone, he wasn't his mother's or her father's, he wasn't Rose's or his grandfather's, he was only hers, the way she wanted it to be forever.

And when he finally let go and released himself inside her mouth, Elena felt the whole world turning on in its axis, she had reduced the mighty Damon Salvatore to a quivering mess of limbs and swear words and the knowledge was enough to satisfy the desire that burned inside her.

But when his eyes found hers again and the want and need had been stripped off, she felt as if life had slapped her in the face, because the regret and shame that clouded his eyes was enough to tear her apart.

The flame inside her died away as their eyes connected as if cold water had been poured over her and left her feeling cold and shivering. A dark cloud of shame covered her as she looked down at her disheveled clothes and the redness in her knees.

"I need to leave," She said as she stood up and rearranged her clothes. She was no longer the powerful Elena who had managed to seduce Damon, she was once again the little girl with the silly crush on her step-brother "I'll see you tomorrow"

His hands gripped her by the elbow "Len, wait—" He started, but she managed to shrug him off and leave the stall before he could say more, he didn't need to utter the words, she had seen it all in his eyes, she had finally fucked everything up.