Damon

Just when I thought the world had been working against me, Rae proved me wrong. She laid peacefully asleep in the passenger seat as I drove home, the streetlights sporadically illuminating the soft features of her face, highlighting the contours of her lips and the shadows casted by her long lashes. Despite the stress of the night, she had finally been able to calm down enough to get some rest. The relaxed features of her face were a stark contrast to the furrowed brows and tense expressions she hid behind while she was awake. It was impossible to fight back the urge to let my eyes linger on her, drinking in the delicate features as I watched her chest rising and falling. Her knees were tucked against her while she laid on her side, my leather jacket only emphasizing how fragile she looked as the oversized fit swallowed her whole. Damn. I can't pinpoint when she went from being Elena's sister to… whatever this was, but now I was hooked like an addict looking for their next fix. Maybe it was the night she hit me for trying to kiss her in the parking lot or the sound of her heartbeat rising as I twirled her across the dancefloor the night of the Founder's party, but she had me hooked. There was such a fire in her… drawing me in like a moth to a flame. All I knew was in this life of eternal damnation, Rhea Gilbert had become my salvation.

A quiet groan escaped her parted lips as she pulled her legs tighter against her, disheveled deep crimson hair spilling down her shoulders. Subtle vibrations rumbled against the console, my phone casting a faint blue light across the dark interior. Elena's name appeared on the screen. Quickly, I reached for the phone and answered it, my voice low, "For someone dating my brother, you seem to call quite often."

Elena's high pitch voice was shrill over the phone, "Where is she, Damon? I need to talk to her?" There was a brief pause before she continued, her tone denouncing, "How long were you and Stefan going to keep this from me?"

Letting out a sigh, I drawled, "Keep what, Elena…"

Elena had always been the complete opposite of Rae… Vocal, controlling, and the furthest thing from fun. There was silence on the other line until Elena finally spoke, her voice breaking, "Her."

I swallowed harshly at the realization… she knew. Flicking my gaze to the side, I checked to see if Rae was still fast asleep, exhaling a sigh of relief as she laid undisturbed. Of course Stefan had to go and botch things the moment we had finally connected. Admittedly, I wasn't ready to give that up… not yet. The silence seemed to further irritate Elena as she screamed, "Give her the phone, Damon! Now!"

Without hesitation I ended the call and silenced my phone before sliding it into my pocket, a lump forming in my throat. Not yet. Just a moment longer. Rae shuffled in her seat, shifting closer towards the console. Her eyes fluttered open before she looked at me through half lidded eyes, her deep caramel irises like pools of honey underneath the moonlight. Beautiful. She mumbled gibberish before she reached out and pulled my arm over to her side of the car, nuzzling her head against my bicep as she drifted back to sleep. Taking a chance I carefully grabbed one of her hands, eager to feel more of her skin against mine. She inhaled deeply, her fingers accepting my offer as they intertwined with mine. Her palm was warm and soft against my calloused hands, the rhythmic beat of her heart thrumming beneath her skin. The tenuous smell of honey and lavender filled the air, a scent that quickly became my favorite. I knew it wasn't right to keep yet another thing from her, but I could only pray that she'd find it in herself to forgive me one last time. She'd forgiven me for worse things before… Don't let this be the thing that breaks us.

Rae

Rough skin gently brushed against the back of my thumb, coaxing me out of my deep slumber. My legs stretched out in front of me as I yawned, the muscles in my body tensing at the sound of Damon's voice, "We're here."

He was careful as he brushed a strand of hair out of my face. The tips of his fingers grazed methodically down and around my ear, tracking my jawline before he hooked his fingers beneath my chin and pulled my head up to meet his icy gaze. His usually playful smirk was replaced by an inviting grin, his blue eyes drinking in my features. The way he looked at me was just as delicate as his touch, faint lines framing the corner of his eyes as he chuckled, "Sleep well?"

My heart began thudding against my chest as I nodded, my mind still hazy from sleep. Time began to drag on, seconds feeling like hours as I failed to ignore how close his face was to mine, the warmth of his breath washing over me, carrying notes of cinnamon with it. His eyes dropped to my lips for a brief moment before his grin widened. Silky raven-like locks fell down his forehead, tousled from the long night we had.

Behind those depths of blue was an emotion I couldn't quite pinpoint, words I couldn't understand. He leaned forward until his forehead met mine, setting my nerves ablaze.

His voice was low and rough, laced with a need that sent goosebumps rippling across my skin, "Rae..."

I held my breath until the sound of a door slamming broke me out of my trance and thrust me back into reality. Over Damon's shoulder I saw Elena stomping down the patio steps as she made her way across the street. I glanced back at Damon only to find his eyes had hardened, an unreadable expression across his face. "Damon, wh-"

Elena whipped around the car and ripped the door open, startling me as she grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the car. Standing me upright, her narrowed eyes scanned my frame, stopping on Damon's jacket. Her brows furrowed, a scowl stretching across her face as she gripped my elbow and yanked me towards the door. I gasped, "Elena, what the hell is your problem? I told you we'd be back in the morning!"

Looking over my shoulder, Damon watched as my sister dragged me away, his face still indecipherable. What didn't he tell me?

We sat in my room, my head spinning from the overwhelming news. "Katherine looks just like me, Rhea, I mean exactly like me. I found a picture of her in Stefan's room last night." Her words were laced with pain and disappointment, doubt that the man she'd sacrificed so much for could hide something from her again. The world phased out around me as I was sucked into my own thoughts, Elena's voice fading into the background. Was that why Stefan and Damon became so interested in us? In her? Selfishly my thoughts struggled with the idea that Damon might have been in it for Elena, that I was just yet another filler until he reached his end goal, just like Caroline. I questioned how she could let him use her, but was I turning around and doing the same exact thing? Stop. Focus on Elena.

"Have you talked to him?" I asked, trying to brush off my self-centered thoughts.

Elena shook her head as she brushed her fingers through her fine brown slightly tangled hair, her anxiety apparent, "Not since last night… We got into a huge argument and I left. Rhea, I don't know what to do." She sighed, her eyes falling to the ground as her palms rubbed at her temples, "Was any of it real? Was I just a replacement for Katherine?"

The strings around my heart tightened as I saw heartbreak riddled throughout her delicate features, lines of frustration encroaching across her smooth forehead. I reached out my hand, gently clasping her wrist, "You're incredible, Elena. Katherine can not take that away from you and any guy would be lucky to have you."

There weren't any words I could spin up that could take away her pain, but it was an affliction I thoroughly understood. Katherine was an enigma that continued to have a suffocating grip on our lives, poisoning every good memory with doubt.

"I know but-," she paused for a moment, seemingly trying to rid her train of thought from her mind, "Where were you last night? I needed you."

Her words formed an anchor in my stomach, "What do you mean? We talked and everything seemed fine?"

"No, the second time I called."

My brow raised, "What do you mean?"

She spoke quietly, obviously hurt, "When you were driving home… I called but Damon hung up on me. I expected you to try to call back…"

A red hot fire stoked within me, "He did?!" I stood from the couch, my tone shifting, "He didn't tell me anything! I slept the whole way home, I'm sorry Elena."

Elena's eyes flickered with different emotions before they eventually seemed to settle on relief, "Oh… It's okay. I thought you just didn't care, but yeah I asked him to give you the phone and he hung up on me and refused to answer again."

An exasperated sigh escaped me as my shoulders slumped forward, "I'd never ignore you, Elena, you know that. Damon's just… an asshole, which we already knew."

Looking down at my hands, regret billowed inside of me, knowing that an hour ago I was inches from kissing him and beyond that… I still wanted to. Damn it.

Once the whirlwind of emotions subsided, I decided to go for a run to clear my head. The sky was heavy with clouds that blocked the sun from remedying the chill carried by the wind. Some of the trees around me had shed all their leaves as they prepared for the winter season, the ground littered with shades of brown and orange. As I stopped at a tree to rest I could hear bushes rustling in the distance until a twig cracked and caught my attention. A feeling of dread seeped into my bones, the same gut feeling I had the night of the accident when the unknown figure.. vampire… killed Logan Fell.

The eerie presence felt close and my instincts kicked in, my feet driving into the ground, taking me out of the forest and towards the road. A dark figure flashed by my peripherals, adrenaline fueling my flight as the open street came into view. The bottom of my shoes touched the asphalt and I whirled around to see a hooded man standing maybe twenty feet away still hidden in the trees.

"Rae?"

I gasped and nearly screamed before I saw familiar waves of sea blues and greens looking back at me. "Bonnie? What are you doing here?"

Bonnie looked into the tree line, following where my eyes once were. The dark figure was gone, her eyes only finding foliage and shrubbery, "I was dropping off Elena, we just got back from shopping for the 50s dance, but I saw you running from something so I pulled over, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I thought I saw a coyote or something so I ran," I lied, my jaw tense with guilt, "So you and Elena are still going?"

Bonnie's suspicious gaze searched my eyes, and knowing her, she saw right through everything, "Yeah, we got you an outfit too in case you changed your mind."

"Well we both know that means I'm going because Elena will whine until I agree so I guess I'll see you later tonight," I forced a laugh, trying to shake off the trepidation that remained in my mind.

Bonnie spoke hesitantly before giving me a half smile, "Okay cool… I guess I'll see you later!"

As she walked away a sinking feeling gnawed at my insides. It never felt good to hide things, but keeping something from Bonnie was the last thing I ever wanted to do. She had always been my best friend but it felt like every secret wedged a gap between us that continued to grow, leaving behind a chasm of dishonesty and mistrust.

Once she drove away I looked down at my phone, my finger hovering over Damon's name. The last thing I wanted to do was rely on him right now, but he was the only one who knew about what happened that night, the only one that could help. I tapped his name and listened to the dial tone. It didn't take long before he answered, "Well this is a surprise."

"I saw him again," I said firmly, trying to swallow my anger, "The vampire from two nights ago."

"I'll be right there," he replied before hanging up.

Fate seemed to be playing a twisted game with me as I stood at the edge of the street. Here I was, once again, depending on Damon Salvatore to save me.

Back at the house I sat with Elena in my room, both of us perched on the sofa by the window. She groaned impatiently, "What's going on, Rhea? I have to get ready for the dance… We have to get ready."

As if he heard her, Damon walked through the bedroom door. Seeing him struck a cord inside of me I refused to acknowledge. The look of smug arrogance stretched across his features as he noticed Elena scowling in response to his presence. He drawled sarcastically, "Well try not to look too happy to see me."

Elena's mouth opened, but I spoke before she could get a word out, "We need to talk, and Elena I need you to listen without criticizing or doing the thing you always do."

Closing her mouth she frowned, her brown eyes flicking between Damon and me before she nodded silently. Taking a deep breath I continued, "Two nights ago, Logan Fell attacked me and forced me into his car after career night."

Wide-eyed, Elena gasped, "He what? He's a-"

"I know," I breathed, "He wanted to get back at Stefan and Damon and since you were with Stefan, he decided to take me."

Biting her lip, Elena continued to listen to me, doing her best to be silent and understanding as I explained the car accident and the unknown vampire, conveniently leaving out the fact that I almost died. Once she seemed to have digested the information I looked at Damon, "I went running through the nearby trails and saw him again. I think it's safe to say he's following me, but I doubt it stops there."

"What do we do?" Elena questioned, "How are we supposed to find someone when we don't even know what they look like?"

"We lure him out," Damon said calmly as he sat on the edge of my bed. "Stefan said there's some dance you're going to tonight, right? We'll go with you."

A flustered look covered Elena's face as she blurted, "You will not!"

Taking a deep breath I placed my hand on Elena's shoulder, "I know the last thing you want is to see him right now, El, but we're not safe. If he's after me, he's most likely after you and the safest place to be is by Stefan until we know more."

Chocolate-colored irises pleaded with me, her lips forming into a pout, "But-"

"Elena…" I sighed, "Please."

She took a moment to swallow her pride, lines forming between her brows, "Okay… What do we need to do?"

"We'll attend the dance and wait until he shows up, Stefan and I will take care of the rest," Damon answered, his eyes locked on mine. "Can we talk? Privately?"

"No," I said flatly.

A flash of hurt flickered in his eyes before he masked it with his usual banter, "Well then, I guess I should get ready for our date."

Before I could argue, he was gone. The tension in Elena's body remained as she looked at me, "What will I even say to him?"

"I'm not sure," I squeezed her shoulder in reassurance, "But we'll get through this."

As the words left my mouth, I didn't even know if I believed them. Danger seemed to follow us wherever we went and I'm not sure how much of that I can blame on the Salvatores. Our father was a vampire hunter and Elena has a vampire doppelganger locked away in a tomb. No matter how much we yearned for a normal life, with or without the Salvatores, we were destined to stumble down a dangerous path that was far from ordinary.