Hello there! Told you this was coming sooner than you expected, in this chapter we touch a very sensitive subject and one of the most disgusting sides of the criminal world, like I mentioned before I do not condone violence at all and daily I am baffled at the atrocious acts that are committed around the world, so please take this as nothing but fiction and not for a second think that I support this behavior at all.

Now please forgive me for the typos and please enjoy!

"We have no past we won't reach back
Keep with me forward all through the night
And once we start the meter clicks
And it goes running all through the night
Until it ends there is no end"

-All through the night-

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Darkness and light were always main characters in her story, she learned about them since she was a little girl. They became her companion in the long nights following her mother sickness when her father had drowned in alcohol and her nanny had stayed with her until midnight eating chocolate cake, and they were her enemies when Damon Salvatore showed up in her life and made everything better only by having it torn apart after her father took him under his wing.

Elena Gilbert was no stranger to darkness or light, she had learned to embrace them both equally to the point she did not know which one she preferred. She had learned to love them in the way she had learned to love Damon, accepting the good and the bad.

So as the world came into focus and her senses were overwhelmed by the strong smell of disinfectant, Elena found herself clinging to them both, the darkness that Damon betrayal had left in her and the light that the foolish hope managed to sneak into her heart.

"Elena?" A scared trembling voice reached her ears as she forced her eyes to remain open, the prickling sensation in her neck turning stronger as the seconds passed "Are you awake?"

"Where am I?" She managed to croak out although her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton, a throbbing pain burned in her temple as the cold floor beneath her managed to freeze her entire limbs.

"I don't know," The voice said before releasing a small sob "I woke up here just like you but I don't— I want to go home" The person next to her started sobbing, the sound so pitiful it made Elena groan in protest.

It took her a minute to realize the crying came from Caroline, the blonde girl who had been foolish enough to fall under Stefan Salvatore's spell, as foolish as herself she thought bitterly.

With what felt like an inhuman strength Elena managed to move her body into a seating position; her short hair fell tangled and greasy around her face, her clothes were sticky with sweat and her shoes were long gone, leaving her only in her star printed baby blue socks. A hysterical laugh left her lips as she stared at the innocence of her socks in such contrast to the colorless floor she was resting in.

Elena did her best to block out Caroline's cries and instead tried to absorb everything around her. She knew they were in one of the Salvatore's warehouses for the likes of it but couldn't figure out which one, she knew almost all of them with Damon liking to take her to witness his atrocious acts but she was certain she had never been in this one before.

"How long you've been awake?" Elena asked Caroline as she spared a glance in her direction. Frightened blue eyes stared back at her, the sobs stopped and her lower lip trembled in a way that reminded Elena so much of a child.

"I don't know" The other girl answered "An hour maybe, it's hard to tell"

Elena could see the blonde was about to go on another episode of hysterical crying so she tried to lift her arms towards her only to realize her hands were chained to the floor. How didn't she realize it until now? She thought briefly before murmuring a curse.

Emotion like she never experienced before crawled up her throat when the thought hit her that it had been Damon who had chained her to the floor like she was nothing but an animal. The same Damon who had snuck into her bedroom to read her Hansel & Gretel one more time before bed despite the fact their parents had forbidden him from doing it so.

A weight pressed down her chest as she looked around the seedy warehouse her lover had brought her to, anger and sorrow swirled inside her as she tried to keep her tears at bay. She was a Gilbert; she didn't have the luxury of breaking down so easily.

As if the mere act of thinking about him was enough to conjure him, the heavy iron door at the other end of the room parted and Damon strode in. Dark jeans and a t-shirt graced his body as he moved elegantly towards them, his stance was so nonchalant that realization hit Elena that what they said about him was the truth.

He was a man with no heart.

The left corner of his lips twisted in a very familiar crooked grin, blue steely eyes boring down on her as he approached "Look who decided to wake up" His tone was the one of mockery, a hunter taunting on its prey. Elena pursed her lips tightly and refused to stare at him.

He made an amused sound before crunching down in front of her "Is the silent treatment now, huh?" Elena could feel Caroline started to shake next to her, affected by Damon's proximity "Where did all the fight go?" He taunted her again, his hand going to her chin and forcing her to stare at him "Did the needle end it all?" At that Elena felt the vile rising into her throat and couldn't stop herself from spitting at him, she heard Caroline's cry next to her but wasn't able to move her eyes away from Damon, who was now smiling smugly as he wiped the spit out of his face "Oh there she is, my warrior princess"

"You make me sick"

His amused expression suddenly turned somber "I can imagine" Something in the tone of his voice made her stomach drop so when he leaned towards her once again she could do nothing but cower back "If you only knew the things that make me sick Elena" Not being able to hold his eyes and to witness all the darkness that swirled in them Elena closed her own, wanting to shut him and everything else out but he would have none of that.

Damon's hands went to unbind the chains around her hands and before she knew it she was being dragged to her feet, her calves almost giving up after being in the same position for so long.

He secured his arm around her waist, her body curving around his "Where are you taking me?" She asked in panic as he started moving with her towards the door he had come from earlier. The cold steel of his gun was pressed against the thin material of her blouse and made her body shiver in fright.

"To the truth"

His words were hollow and cold, fear took hold of her body and in an uncommon bout of adrenaline, Elena managed to release herself from his grasp and grab the gun secured at his waist.

He had trained her to do so, after all.

Caroline screamed behind her but Elena did not take notice, her attention was focused only on the man in front of her, the man whose eyes shone with something akin to triumph, confusing her more than she already was.

"Will you look at that?" He said simply "This is an interesting turn of events"

The metal in her hands weighted more than she expected it to, her limbs trembling as she pointed the gun at the same man who had thought her how to use it. "Release her," She said motioning to Caroline who was now silently crying as she watched the exchange between them.

Damon breathed deeply before crossing his arms over his chest "Not happening"

"Set her free or I swear to God I will shoot you"

"Go ahead, do it"

"Damon, I swear—"

His barking laugh interrupted her words "You swear what? You don't have it in you" His words filled her ears as he moved closer, unworried in the face of danger.

She refused to back down and instead raised the gun higher "You don't know me"

"Maybe I don't," He said with a shrug, his body mere centimeters from hers now "Shoot now Len, I thought you how" His body went to stand right in front of the gun, the cold material of the barrel making contact with his forehead "Do it!"

The gun was raised against his temple. Her brown eyes stared down at him and somewhere in her mind, she tried to reconcile the man before her with the boy who had held her hand in that church so many years ago.

How had their story come to such an abrupt ending?

"Tell me it was a lie" Her whisper resounded in the solitude of the warehouse. An echoing voice asking for something more than words, pleading for hope where it didn't seem to be any "Tell me he was only lying to me"

"What I say is not of importance"

Elena pressed the gun more firmly into his temple "Tell me you love me!" She demanded, the sob that had been obstructing her throat since she first woke up in the van managed to break free "You promised me, you said you were going to protect me!" She shrieked hysterically "Tell me it was the truth, tell me you did love me"

Something in his eyes softened but it disappeared as suddenly as it had come "Regardless of what I tell you, I still deserve that bullet" Elena felt something break inside her as a sad smile drew itself into his face "But even if you kill me, you'll never be rid of me"

She released a cry and dropped the gun into the floor as the sound of another weapon being fired up overwhelmed her ears.

"That is enough!" The voice and the gunfire came from the other Salvatore brother who now strode into the room with a feral look in his face, his eyes zeroing into the blonde girl at the far end of the room.

Elena's body slumped forward, Damon's arms catching her immediately "Shh baby girl, I got you" He whispered into her hair as she buried her face into his neck, seeking solace in the one person who knew how to give it to her.

She felt Stefan moving past them and heard Caroline's cries increase but did not dare to pull away from Damon, she needed him and something inside told her the blonde was in no true danger.

In a sudden movement, Damon's arms hooked below her knees as he swept her off her feet "I always got you" He whispered before kissing her forehead and moving towards the heavy door once again.

She buried her face in his neck, overwhelming herself with his smell and the tranquility that only he could bring her "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" She thought she heard him say but couldn't have been sure because exhaustion took hold her.

The first thing she was aware of was the softness of the surface below her, a stark contrast with the cold floor she had woken in early on, then she scented the oranges in the air, product of the oil diffuser plugged in across the room and by last she sensed the stare of someone fixed on her.

In an attempt to show some restrain after her early episode, Elena buried her face in the clean-smelling pillow and refused to acknowledge the presence of the man in the room.

"I know you're awake," His voice said, followed by a carefree chuckle that made something quiver in her belly.

Stubborn as always, Elena scrunched her eyes tightly and moved the blanket she was wrapped in until it rested below her chin "I would like to tell you a story" He continued, ignoring her futile attempt at indifference "I understand your reluctance"

The bed dipped next to her and her eyes flew open immediately, startled that she hadn't heard him move, but then again Damon had always been a sneaky bastard.

His blue eyes stared down at her from where he sat next to her body, one of his hands moved to cup her cheek gently, his thumb tracing circles around her cheek "I didn't bring you here by force because I enjoyed it Elena" He said and his words were enough to make Elena pull away from him.

She sat upright in a matter of seconds, her back against the headboard and her knees resting against her chest in an attempt to put some distance between them "It seemed to me you did" She said bitterly.

Damon sighed impatiently, the storm behind his eyes wanting to break loose "The blonde needed to be truly frightened if we wanted her to do as we asked" He replied "And I had to do it because you were in danger"

Not wanting to dwell much on everything wrong in his statement, Elena chose to focus on the last part "Danger from what?"

The knowing look he gave her made something in her stomach drop "I think you know" A half-smile appeared on his lips as his eyes seemed to get lost somewhere else "I was twelve when I met her. John had been taking me everywhere by that time, letting me soak myself further into the business, grooming me to one day take over the business he was so proud of" A mirthless laugh was released from his mouth "She was this scrawny little girl, nine years at the time, almost your age. And the place I met her is one I've tried so hard to forget"

Something crossed his features then, darkness so hollow it eclipsed every trace of light from his face. He looked older than he was; weary and rotten in ways Elena couldn't have explained. The look in his face then scared her more than anything she had seen before because it was utterly and filled with despair.

"She asked for my help, cried and begged me to take her away," He said and his voice seemed to quiver in a way it hadn't done ever before "I didn't know what to do, I never had seen such a side of the business, I didn't think that—"Damon's hand went at the top of his jeans, his palms rubbing against them as he somehow wanted to remove some kind of stain. Elena had to suppress to urge to reach out and claps his hands in hers.

"I could hear people coming and she urged me to hide—I locked myself inside a nasty old closet" He closed his eyes then, his body heaved with the force of the emotion behind his words "I couldn't see anything but I could hear every single thing they did to her…their laughs, they haunt me even to this day"

Realization dawned on Elena and she had to supreme the urge to throw up, vile and fear crawled up her throat, almost blocking the air that flooded her lungs "Stop, please…" She pleaded with him, wanting him to protect her from the darkness that surrounded his world.

Not listening to her words Damon continued with his story, his eyes opened and found hers and it was as if he was once again that twelve-year-old boy hiding in a closet "I froze, I stayed frozen. Rooted in my spot instead of stepping out and helping her"

"You were a child" Elena murmured, horrified at the notion of Damon witnessing such a cruel act at such a young age.

"He was there, your father. That was his side business at the time; he made the tapes and sold them at the highest bidder" His words were drenched in hatred and disgust, a muscle in his jaw trembling as he recounted the events of that day "It would surprise you how truly depraved people is. I learn of it that day"

Tears had started falling down Elena's cheek by then, she had always been aware of the darkness but even darkness has shades and it seemed she never get to know the blackest one.

"What happened afterward?"

"I helped her escape," He said and then released a humorless laugh "Perhaps they let me escape," He said "Once they were done with her, I— I don't know how but I got her out of there and took her to the only place I could think of, Zack. He and his wife happened to be visiting" He made a pause, enough to reach out for her hand which she let him grab without an ounce of restrain "We are criminals Len, the Salvatore men but we never—never to such extent" He stared straight at her as he spoke, wanting her to understand not everything was dead inside him "Zach's wife, her heart broke when she saw her and—they hadn't been able to have children so they took her. Her name was Katerina"

"Katherine"

"That is who she is now"

"Did my—father knew?"

"Of course he did, though he pretended not to for so long," He said bitterly "Until the summer I turned eighteen and he forced me to go to Italy"

Her brows furrowed "Forced you?"

"He had something in his power that was very valuable to me" His words were accompanied by a sad smile "He threatened to break it"

Irrational anger took hold of her body as she yanked her hand free of his "But you left me!" Her accusatory stared drilled at him "You knew he was a monster and you left me alone with him!"

Damon shook his head vehemently before reaching to her once again, his hands cupping her face and bringing her forehead down to his "No Bonita, you were never alone" He said "Stefan was also in the clear about what happened; Luke, the friend you met at summer camp; Jo, your high school social worker who always looked after you and Ric, your favorite college teacher. They have all been taking care of you all this time"

It was as if her life flashed before her eyes; all of those connections came rushing back to her. Random situations that weren't at all, moments of her life that seemed guided only fate had been directed by him, her entire life had been a puppeteer show and Damon had been the master "Oh my God…" A sickening feeling started growing in her belly because instead of feeling repulsed by his involvement in her life she felt relieved, relieved because he had always been there for her one way or another.

What did that say about her?

Ignorant to her inner turmoil Damon allowed his hands to wander towards her back, his fingers tracing patterns on the fabric of her shirt as she allowed her head to fall into the crook of his neck "I never left you alone Len, I was always looking after you"

"How can I—"

"I'm so sorry"

Her arms went around him then, prisoning him into her body as if her life depended on it "This can't be real Damon, it can't be" Her tears damped the fabric of his shirt as she released everything into him.

His fingers went through her hair with tender care "I know you would prefer this weren't true but you know, deep down you know I am the one telling the truth"

Elena scrunched her eyes tightly as tears continued to fall freely. She felt repulsed to her very core, scared and so very sad that the man who should have been protecting her was nothing but an animal. Because she believed Damon, despite everything she believed him completely.

"The pictures…"

He moved her head away from his neck so he could stare at her "I didn't take those pictures Elena and only now I realize what a fool I was, not realizing he was closer than I thought. I got so distracted that I let him get too close!" His forehead dropped to hers "I won't make that mistake again. I will protect you" His breath mingled with hers as he spoke.

"Even if it means to hurt me…" She whispered, not a question but a statement.

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe Elena" He vowed "I'll even let you hate for me it"

Elena closed her eyes and impulsively joined her lips with his in a brief passionate kiss before dropping her head into his neck once again and allowing him to lay her down.

She wanted to erase the last twenty-four hours, wanted to fall asleep and wake up once again in his bed, thinking that everything was all right in the world, but she couldn't, it was too late. Darkness had managed to overpower light and she was now wrapped in it, embracing it completely as she curled around Damon's body and sought solace in the one place who could give it to her.

Predator

Savior

Executioner

Protector

All blended into the man who held her in his arms and told her everything was going to be all right.