As promised, the next chapter. Enjoy and don´t forget to leave me a review:)

"Caroline?" Elena asked in disbelief while she stared at her friend. "Wha…What are you doing here?"

The blonde girl looked at her and there was confusion in her eyes that mirrored the confusion Elena was feeling. She had expected a lot of things but Caroline walking right into the Salvatore´s basement surely was not one of them. Something really was wrong.

"Caroline, you need to get away from here," she said urgently while sudden waves of adrenaline were shooting through her body. All traces of tiredness were gone in an instant. "You can´t be here."

Again, Caroline shook her head as if she was confused. "No, I need to be here," she whispered while her eyes fixed on the cell in front of her and widened. Fear was clouding her features. "No," she whimpered, "not again."

Elena didn´t understand what she was talking about. Again? She asked herself before walking in her direction.

Elena had barely moved when Caroline stumbled backwards. "No Elena, stay away. I need to be here," she whined. She sounded completely freaked out. Very slowly Elena raised her hands in a soothing manner. "It´s ok, Caroline, I promise. Nothing bad is going to happen."

Caroline´s eyes focused on her and all Elena could see was disbelief. "Nothing bad is going to happen?" she whispered lowly, before her eyes fell to the cell again. "He´s in there, isn´t he?"

If Elena had been surprised a second ago, the feeling was multiplied now. "How…how do you know?" she asked her friend, having no clue what was going on.

"Well-," she heard Damon´s voice from the cell and saw Caroline shriek in fear. "I thought since it worked out so well the first time, why not try it again?" he smirked, before his eyes focused on the blonde girl. "Poor Caroline, still hasn´t learnt to wear her vervain necklace after all. Why did you take it off, hmm? Because it was Elena who gave it to you? Are you so jealous of her that you couldn´t even wear the gift she was giving you?"

"No," Caroline whimpered, she looked as if she wanted to clasp her hands over her ears in order to hear no more but wasn´t quite able to do it. Elena really needed to get her out of here and fast. She made another slow step in Caroline´s direction, but before she had reached her, she could hear Damon voice again. "Caroline, look at me."

"No!", Elena screamed and tried to get in the way but was too late. Caroline had already looked up and her eyes were locked with Damon´s. "Come here," she heard him order. Just in the moment the word had left his mouth Elena reached Caroline and took hold of her arm, trying to drag her out of there. This time she wasn´t careful. Caroline started to struggle but she ignored it, intent on getting her friend away from Damon. Unfortunately, she had underestimated the force of Damon´s compulsion. Before Elena really realized what was happening Caroline had already wrenched her arm out of her grip. "Let me go, I need to go to him!" she screamed at her, turning around and heading in the direction of the cell. Panic surged through Elena, and she ran after her, trying to somehow stop this. Anyway, the moment her hand touched her, Caroline whirled around and shoved her…hard. Elena felt herself stumbling backwards and before she could help it, she lost her balance. She almost watched herself fall in time-lapse before she landed hard on her back. Her head was knocked back and collided with the floor. A sharp pain was shooting through her head and she gasped while the world was spinning.

Through a fog she could hear Damon growl. "You were supposed to come here, not almost kill Elena," he spat. Caroline whimpered. "I…she…"

Damon sighed. "Just be quiet." He barked. For a second silence filled the room and it was as if Damon was giving his best to calm down. His eyes scanned her body. "Are you ok, Elena?" She tried to sit up and groaned when a stinging pain shot through her head. She tried to ignore the pain and glared at Damon instead. "Since when do you care?"

Damon rolled his eyes at her. "Looks like you´re fine."

Very slowly the fog in Elena´s head cleared, and the pain subsided a bit. She looked at Caroline who was still staring right at Damon, her eyes kind of empty. It was as if Damon could sense her gaze. A slow scary smile started to appear on his face. "Caroline," he said evilly. "I believe you already know how this works. I mean we´ve done it before." He smirked. "So be a good girl now and open the door."

"Caroline, no!" Elena screamed but it was hopeless. Caroline couldn´t resist his compulsion just as Elena hadn´t been able to. Elena watched helplessly while Caroline´s hands glided to the lock, slowly pushing it aside, opening the door. It swung open and Elena could watch Damon slowly walking out of his prison. A scary smile was displayed on his face and Caroline whimpered. She tried to back away but Damon´s eyes caught her again. "Don´t move, don´t say a word," he compelled her and Elena could watch her friend stiffening while the compulsion set in. Damon didn´t even give her a second glance. The moment he had compelled her, his eyes were focused on Elena and Elena alone. She gasped when she saw the anger shining there. Elena didn´t need to be a genius to understand that she was in deep shit.

Very slowly he walked over to her. "Damon," Elena pleaded, not sure what it was she wanted to say. Some part of her mind told her to plead with him, anything, to try and get his mercy. But the overall part of her was still too proud. She couldn´t, wouldn´t give in, she thought with sudden determination and her mouth clapped shut.

Damon chuckled while he watched the resolve wash over her face. Very slowly he crouched down right in front of her. His head tilted to the side while he mustered her. Elena glared right back at him.

For a moment it was silent between them before he shook his head. "You know, if I wouldn´t be so fucking angry, I could even feel something like admiration for how you pulled this off. I have to admit you really got me there."

Elena pressed her lips together while she fully sat up. "It´s not my fault that you´re fooled so easily."

Damon smirked. "Well, Elena, let me give you a tip for the next time though… when you try to do something like this make sure you are able to get through with it. Right. To. The. End."

Elena glared at him. "Don´t worry, the next time I will just stake you right away."

Damon laughed but this wasn´t the laugh she knew from him. It was evil, a dark promise. For a moment Damon continued looking at her before standing up again. "You know, you can be happy that you have vervain in your system. I´m not sure if I´d have enough self-control to not kill you right now. Anyway, I am hungry." His eyes fell on Caroline. "Good, that I have a little snack right here, isn´t it?"

Elena gasped. "No, no let her out of this. This isn´t her fault. It was me who drugged you and put you in the cell."

Damon´s eyes fell on her again. "Oh, never worry Elena. I haven´t forgotten you at all. But first I need a little blood."

"Damon, no!" Elena pushed herself up, intent on begging Damon this time if it is what needs to be done to safe Caroline. Anyway, the dark look he shot her let her freeze in her movement. "No, Elena," he growled and she could see his face change, his eyes becoming redder. "If you want her to live you do what you´re told for once and stay right where you are. No standing up, not even a word or I swear she is dead." He fixed her with the most dominating stare she had ever seen. "Is that understood?" Elena nodded meekly, not knowing what else to do.

The anger faded a bit from his eyes while he watched her obey. He chuckled. "Well, this is a first."

Damon turned around and walked over to Caroline. Elena could see her body stiffen and even though Caroline was unable to say something the fear in her face was clearly visible. She looked at Elena pleadingly, but all Elena could do was to return her gaze, trying to give her strength. She knew that wasn´t enough. Again, her head was spinning, trying to find a way out of this, trying to come up with a plan, but this time she came up empty. She was too afraid to disobey him this time. She just couldn´t risk it. Not when Caroline´s life was at stake.

Damon had reached Caroline now and his hand was slowly patting a strain of hair out of her face. He smirked. "Hmm… how long has it been Caroline, some months? I bet you´ve missed me." Caroline looked at Damon and there was something like acceptance in her eyes, as if she knew that she couldn´t get out of this. It almost broke Elena´s heart. In this moment she really thought he was the devil.

"Ah, giving in already Caroline? I always liked that about you. You were so…needy for even the slightest attention that you would do everything. Such a low self-esteem, such desperation." He shot a look at Elena. "And friends that didn´t even care."

Elena desperately wanted to tell her that this was not true. She did care. She tried to rescue her from Damon, gave her the necklace… but she knew she couldn´t risk it. She needed to obey Damon, at least this time.

Damon chuckled. "Well at least it seems as if Elena cares enough for your life to do what she is told for once."

His eyes fixed on Caroline. "You can move and talk again."

Elena almost expected Caroline to run the moment the compulsion was lifted but all she did was stand there and look at Damon with something like resignation in her eyes. There wasn´t even fear just sadness. Elena could watch her hand clench and loosen in an almost hypnotizing manner but despite this Caroline wasn´t moving. "Are you going to kill me this time?" she asked very slowly while looking up at him.

Damon smirked. "No," he said to Elena´s huge relief. "You know Caroline, I´ve come to quite like your mother and killing you… I guess it would be a bit counterproductive."

Caroline looked at him without understanding but Elena knew what he meant. He had made a huge effort to get into the counsel. He had worked hard to get their trust and to convince them that there weren´t any vampires in town. If Caroline would end up dead all of this would have been for nothing. The realization that Caroline would get out of here alive made waves of relief wash through Elena.

"Plus," she heard Damon add. "I´m a fair person and I´m actually aware that this whole situation isn´t your fault. I have to admit that despite you normally being a huge waste of space, you did manage to get me out of this damn cell twice now. I think this should be rewarded."

Caroline looked at him with big eyes while he leaned closer to her. His hand was cupping her chin and he tilted her head to the side, exposing the white flesh of her neck to him. Elena watched with growing horror. She wasn´t even fighting it, Elena thought with disbelieve. Why wasn´t she fighting?

Damon smiled. "Good girl," he told her, his eyes fixed on her exposed neck. "You know how pleasurable it can be, don´t you?"

Caroline whimpered but this didn´t seem to be enough for Damon. "Don´t you?" he asked in a more stern voice and to Elena´s horror she saw Caroline nod. "Yes." Her voice was only a faint whisper.

Damon smirked. His fingers were running up and down her neck. "And you want this, am I not right Caroline? Say it."

Caroline´s eyes opened for a moment and she looked at him." Yes," she whispered. "Bite me." Elena´s mouth clapped open. She couldn´t believe this, she just couldn´t. He must have compelled her to like this or something. There simply was no other way.

Damon chuckled. "Your wish is my command," he replied before leaning forwards. Elena could see his fangs sparkling shortly in the light before he buried them in her neck. In a way Elena had expected Caroline to scream or something similar, but all that happened was that Caroline´s eyes rolled in the back of her head and she moaned. She was even leaning closer to Damon, urging him on while he took gulp after gulp, slowly taking her life force. Just when Elena started to worry that he had lied about not killing her, he finally stopped. Caroline whimpered slowly. Her eyes were still closed. Damon slowly licked his lips. "Delicious. Even though not quite as good as Elena´s. But I guess you are familiar with being second best."

If his words had hurt her Caroline didn´t show it. She slowly opened her eyes. She looked just empty. But Damon didn´t seem to care. With a short look of him he had her under control again. "You can go now. You will forget what has happened here and you will take care of the bitemark and make sure no one sees it."

Caroline repeated his words in a monotone voice. Damon smirked. "Good. Now, go." He gave her a small push in the direction of the stairs and Caroline headed out hastily, not once looking back. The door of the basement fell shot, leaving them behind in silence.

Elena looked at Damon and saw the anger still fresh in his eyes. She gulped. She was in deep shit.