Chappie 6!

Elena took a deep breath as she entered the Mystic Grill, gulping as she peered around. Once she spotted Alaric, she made his way over to the secluded booth in which he was seated. She found him fiddling with his fingers and he looked up when she seated herself across from him, surprise etching the features of his face before the teacher allowed a small smile to grace his lips.

"Hey," he started.

Her brow creased a bit as she stared at the envelope laying in the table between them as he moved to settle it in his hands, but she gave him a half-smile nonetheless. "That was gonna be my opener," she responded, hoping to alleviate the tension that had arisen because of what he was currently holding.

"Ready?"

"Not at all. Open it."

He chuckled, eyes crinkling at the corners and pursing his lips before hesitantly laying his hand over hers gently, waiting until her eyes met his so he could continue. "Elena, before I open the results, I just want you to know that I care about you. I'll always try to look out for you - bloodline or not."

She gave his hand a slight squeeze and sent a genuine smile of gratitude his way. "Thanks, Alaric."

He nodded, and her eyes fixed themselves on the envelope as he tore the flap open.

She made her way through the empty parking lot rapidly, wanting to get home more than anything else. Elena got in her car, laying her purse in the passenger seat before moving to close the door.

"Hello again," Damon said nonchalantly, holding her door open and serving as a blockade.

His snarky voice made her incline her head to the side in wonder before she looked up at him beneath her eyelashes and raised an eyebrow, posture straightening warily once she caught sight of the smug expression on his face.

"Yes, Damon?"

He smiled at her, his eyes twinkling with mirth as he leaned against her car, leather-clad arms going across his chest as he started. "Well, I couldn't help overhearing - "

"Don't you mean eavesdropping?"

"Refer to it as you wish," he countered, easily sidestepping her rhetorical question. "Point is, the teacher isn't your father."

Her shoulders slumped a bit, and her lower lip jutted out just slightly. "No, he's not." She looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "You still can't kill him."

"Which means Isobel wasn't your mother," he continued, expertly ignoring that last sentence, although he knew he would abide by her wishes - albeit grudgingly going against his original intentions to tear the vampire-hunter's throat out.

She willed her tear ducts to stay at bay at the reminder that she still remained without the knowledge of who her biological parents were. "Right," she choked out.

Something like remorse tugged at his heart and he leaned down so his face was level with hers and ran the back of his index finger across her cheek, his own personal view of a comforting gesture. Elena gave him a small smile, her heart skipping a beat when she saw the undeniable and unusual warmth in his eyes being directed at her. He ran his hand through her hair, grasping her neck gently and leaning his forehead against hers, the tips of their noses touching. The corner of his mouth twitched when he heard her pulse accelerate.

"Thus meaning that you'll give me the time of day again?" he whispered.

She repressed the urge to shiver as his breath hit her skin. The electricity between them at that moment was palpable and Elena wanted nothing more than to lean the necessary inch so their lips could make contact.

When someone I trust neglects to tell me something of extreme importance, it tends to create a bit of tension.

As the words she had told Stefan earlier that day ran through her mind, Elena sighed and backed away, gently prying Damon's long fingers from her neck as she stood up.

"I can't," she told him, finally answering his question.

He groaned, trying to hide how much her denial hurt him, although he saw it coming. After all, she did already tell Stefan she chose him, but he would be damned - no pun intended - if he was going to let Elena go that easily.

"You are truly the most frustrating person I've ever met."

She turned, hand going to her hip as she breathed out a laugh of pure disbelief, eyes spitting fire at him when they raised to meet his gaze. "Look at the pot, calling the kettle black."

He rolled his eyes, making his way towards her slowly, satisfied when she didn't make an attempt to back away or get him to stop his actions. "Elena, I know you miss me."

She raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?" She raised her foot, taking a step back when Damon was too close for her to be sure she wouldn't succumb to her desires, only to be met with the metal of her car pressing against her back.

He smirked, placing his hands against her car on either side of her head. "I heard how much your pulse sped up when you saw me," he whispered, leaning closer with each word he spoke, eyes dancing. "I saw the way your eyes held longing when you looked my way," he continued, hands traveling to rest at her hips. "I can practically feel the way your heartbeat goes into a frenzy if I give you even the slightest of touches." To prove his point, one of his hands moved to caress her cheek once more. She cursed her humanity when the blood rushed to her cheeks at his touch and her heart pounded against the confines of her chest.

"T-t-th-that last one h-had nothing to do w-wi-with me missing you," she stuttered.

He smiled, leaning in to kiss each of her still-flushed cheeks, letting his lips linger on her skin for longer than necessary, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. "Then what's the problem?"

This brought her back to reality, and she cursed him for it. Elena pressed a hand to Damon's chest and applied pressure, and while she didn't succeed in moving him, he got the hint and gave her some breathing room, trying not to show how much it disappointed him. She ignored how much she missed the close proximity of their bodies, taking a deep breath and looking up at him with guarded eyes.

"You didn't kill my birth mother, it's true, - "

"But?"

"I trusted you - "

His stomach coiled at her words. "Past tense noted."

She gave him a pointed look as she ran her hand through her hair, opting to continue. "And the fact that you chose not to tell me something so vital, something that you knew meant the world to me...I can't even begin to tell you how much that hurt," she said, eyes getting watery as she replayed the entire situation in her head. "And I still - "

"I thought you knew," he cut in, eyes determined as they bore into hers.

Elena couldn't resist the urge to grimace. "Are you serious?" Tears spilled down her cheeks as she shouted her incredulity at Damon. "How on earth could I have known that!"

He sighed, grabbing her by the shoulders, and his expression grew solemn when she squirmed out from underneath his touch. "I thought Stefan told you. I didn't even know I killed the woman who might've been your birth mother until he informed me," he answered truthfully.

Elena gripped the side of her car, hand flying to her stomach, trying to calm her breathing as more sobs wracked her body. She let herself slip down until she felt concrete beneath her palms, ignoring Damon's worried voice in the background.

I thought Stefan told you.

Damon's eyes were clear as day and sincere when he uttered those five words, and that was the current cause of Elena's dismay. Aforementioned Salvatore sat himself down next to her, grabbing one of her hands and giving it a firm squeeze, somehow managing to convey his concern in that simple action.

"Elena?"

I thought Stefan told you.

That meant...

"Stefan knew all along."

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening

"She's not your type at all, my saintly brother.
She has a spirit and a fire in her that you wouldn't know what to do with."
"And you would, I suppose."
Damon uncrossed his arms and slowly smiled again.
"Oh, yes."

Chappie name comes from the song by Greg Laswell.

Okay, so last chappie? Didn't get much love. Now, I'm gonna set up a review target for each chapter from now on, because I'm such a review whore. Seriously, every time I get one, it just brightens up my day, so I was disappointed when the last chapter didn't a lot of appreciation. I will not update Look After You until the review target has been reached.

Review target: 65

Please and thank you :]