You can't see me, no
Like I see you
I can't have you, no
Like you have me

Aria sighed as she laid back on Damon's bed. It had been a very, very long day and all she wanted to do was sleep, but it never seemed to come for her when she needed it most. Damon had asked if she would accompany him to some party for a man that was writing a book on Mystic Falls, but Aria had declined respectfully, so he took Andie Star instead. She had been avoiding him as much as possible since the morning after he had gotten drunk. It wasn't exactly easy, considering they were in the same house, but she thought she was doing pretty well.

She let out another sigh as she rolled onto her stomach and buried her face into the pillow. Aria breathed in Damon's scent and closed her eyes. She quickly opened them once she heard a loud crash downstairs. Her body stiffened and she listened for a few moments before there was another loud noise. She quickly leapt up from her spot on the bed and made her way to Damon's door as quietly as she could. Once she opened it, she pressed herself against the wall and crept down the hall.

Aria clasped both hands over her mouth once she saw Alaric lying on the floor, a dagger protruding from his abdomen. She watched as Damon walked into the hallway only to be jumped by a man. He pulled out a syringe and dug it into Damon's neck as he was throwing himself into walls, trying to get the man off of him. Within a few moments, Damon was lying on the floor, not far from Alaric, surrounded by a few men and a woman. Before Aria realized it, she was half way down the stairs.

"Damon!"

The remnants of the wolf pack froze at the sound of a scream, one of which pointing a gun at Damon's back. With his last few ounces of strength, he looked up towards the staircase. Though his vision was blurry, he could distinctly make out Aria's small frame, and the terrified look on her face. Her wide earthy eyes were horror-struck, but her stance was as if she was ready for a fight. Jules was the first to move. She grabbed a wooden stake, and quickly made her way towards the small girl on the staircase.

"A-Aria," he choked out, "Run.'"

And then everything went black. Aria watched as Damon's eyes closed and his head fell back to the floor with a hard thud. Before Jules could reach her, Aria jumped over the banister and landed on all fours, then took off running out the front door. She didn't want to leave Damon and Alaric alone, but she needed to find someone, anyone. Stefan and Elena were out of town, and she knew there wouldn't be enough time to make it to the grill where Bonnie, Caroline and Elena's kid brother were.

As she ran, tears started to fall down her face. She ignored them and their meaning and kept running, the sound of her feet slapping against cold concrete. After what seemed like hours of running, Aria spotted someone. It was a man; he was pale, and had dirty blond hair. His attire seemed rather inappropriate for an evening stroll, but she wasn't going to be picky about this. Without looking to see if any cars were coming, she darted across the street and ran up to him.

"Please, help." She begged and pleaded, gasping for breath. "I need your help. Please, please, help me."

Once she was closer, she recognized the man to be the guest of honor at the party Damon wanted to drag her to; Elijah Smith. He stared at Aria, the stone expression on his face not changing once throughout her entire story. Only when she mentioned the name Damon Salvatore did the man seem to show interest. "Show me where."

It was hours before Damon had regained consciousness. When he did, he saw Alaric lying on the ground, his special ring on his finger. Damon was glad to see him alive; whether he wanted to admit it or not, they had became some sort of friends over time. He was glad for Alaric. Glad for everything he had done to help him. Damon had been realizing that he was glad for a lot of people in his life, especially Aria. Aria.. Damon quickly struggled to move, only to groan in pain.

"Morning, Sunshine." A man stepped out from behind him. "Enjoying my little torture device?"

"Tell us where the moon stone is, Damon." Jules growled.

Damon laughed, explaining the irony of the situation. The wolf pack continued to torture him, demanding that he tell them where the moon stone was, but Damon wouldn't say a word. Every time the wood dug into his skin, sending a terrible burning sensation throughout his body, he had thought of Elena, but soon he began thinking of Aria. He found himself praying to a god that he didn't believe in, begging to return her to him. He hadn't felt this lost in decades, and he promised himself that he'd never forget it. If something were to happen to her; he would personally make sure his life was more of a living hell than it already was.

He hadn't wanted to let himself care, but he just couldn't help it with her. Aria reminded him of so many things that he wanted to be, and she was slowly helping him become those things. He wouldn't allow himself to give up, not this time, not when he was just starting to feel human again. He needed this girl in his life. He fucking needed her. As he was being tortured, he had decided something extremely crucial to everyone's lives. He was going to tell her everything. He needed to tell her everything; needed to know if she'd still be there through all of this. It was selfish of him, he knew, but somewhere he felt that she needed him just as much as he did her.

"Why hello. Is this what you're looking for?" Elijah sauntered into the room, moonstone in hand. The wolves froze once again, all eyes on the shiny, smooth rock in the man's pale hand. He watched them as he slowly put it down. "Go ahead, take it."

The wolf pack exchanged glances, and with a nod from Jules, two of the members went for the stone. They got only a few inches away before Elijah ripped their hearts out and let their bodies drop to the floor. A few more launched themselves at the stone, only to fail miserably.

"Any other takers?" He smirked at the two that were left. Jules quickly disappeared, leaving a lone wolf standing next to Damon. "How about you, mm?"

The man shook his head, only for Elijah to snap his neck a few moments later. He moved his way over to Damon and broke the chains that had him confined to the chair he was sitting in. He stared at him smugly for a few moments, pointed out the fact that this had been the third time he had saved Damon's life, grabbed the moonstone, and left.

Aria came running in a few moments later. She came to a halt in the arch of the door. Damon watched as she stared at each dead body on the floor; he grasped at his bloody throat as he slowly stood. He expected her to turn and run, but she didn't move. Her glossy eyes slowly rose from the floor and met his. Before Damon knew it, Aria had darted across the room, leapt over two of the bodies, and tackled him. He stumbled back a few steps before regaining his composure.

"I'm so glad you're okay. I was so scared. I didn't know what to do. I just ran as fast as I could to get help and I found that Elijah guy and he told me to wait outside and.. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." She sobbed into his chest, stumbling over her words from talking too quickly. She pulled away slowly after a few moments and looked up at him. "Oh god, Damon. Are you alright?"

Damon stared at the girl in disbelief, not knowing what to say. What kind of person would have ignored at least six dead bodies lying on the floor, especially when two of them had their hearts lying right next to their heads? What kind of girl wouldn't be disturbed by the large amount of blood seeping into the Persian rug, or by the fact that he was covered in it?

"Damon?" Aria frowned and placed a hand on his face, "Damon, are you alright? Is there anything I can do?"

As he opened his mouth to speak, to tell everything to the tiny girl in front of him, Alaric started groaning from upon the floor. Aria stared into Damon's eyes for a few moments before quickly removing her hand from his face. A firm frown appeared on his lips as the girl in front of him moved her gaze towards the man on the floor. She moved over to his side and helped him up slowly, then walked him over to the couch.

"What happened?" Alaric groaned, a hand placed on the spot where Jules had stabbed him with a dagger. He quickly realized that Damon couldn't quite explain, considering Aria's presence, and pulled out his phone. "Shit. I really need to call Jenna.."

Aria sat quietly on the couch next to Alaric as he called his girlfriend. She watched as Damon rolled up the Persian rug and tossed next to the front door, mumbling to himself about how he'd take it out later that night. She watched as the wounds on his neck slowly healed, a sight she quite familiar of. She had known Damon was hiding something from the first moment she had met him, but she also had been hiding a few things from her saviour. She looked down at the large, onyx and silver ring on her left hand, a sickening feeling growing in her stomach.

"I have to get home." Alaric announced as he stood up. He nodded a goodbye to Aria, and then moved towards Damon. He stopped in the hall a few feet away from him as he reached for the door handle. The two men shared a knowing look, and then Alaric was gone into the cool summer night.

It was quiet in the house for a very long time, an unsettling feeling hung in the air. Not a word was said, for neither knew exactly how to start. Damon made his way back into the den, and poured himself a whiskey. He stared at the amber liquid for a few moments before downing the whole thing and pouring him another; if he was going to tell her everything, he was going to need a few drinks first.

"Damon, I.." Aria began, but was quickly cut off by the sound of Damon's phone ringing. He put down his crystal glass and grabbed the phone from his pocket. He stared at the screen for a few moments, glanced up at Aria, and then answered it.

"What?" He asked. On the other line, Aria could hear a female's voice. She was guessing that it was either Bonnie or Caroline from the look that played across Damon's face as he listened. She watched as his expression turned into a frown, "I hear you loud and clear. I'll fill in Stefan later. Yeah. Bye."

"Is everything alright?" Aria questioned after watching Damon down another glass of whiskey.

"Yes and no." He told her bluntly. He poured himself one more drink before he sat at the other end of the couch and faced Aria. As he opened his mouth to talk, he decided against it and downed another drink; he had already begun to start feeling the warm effects of the alcohol. "Aria, we need to talk."

"I know, Damon." She blurted out. "I know everything."