Author's Note: Okay, so one of my prereader made a comment that Damon starts feeling a little out of character here and in later chapters, but here is my thought on it. If you compare Damon now to Damon in the first season, he would seem out of character too…he is changing and evolving, and Bekah is going to be a catalyst for some major adjustments in his life throughout this fic. He's still going to be Damon with the smart mouth and synicism, but for once, he's going to care for someone who cares back just as much. Even the biggest bully can be a teddy bear with the one person he loves…same is true for Damon. I just wanted to say that for the record. Also please note that this story will start earning its Mature audiences rating in a couple of chapters from now…so just beware that things are about to get a lot spicier.

Big thanks to Elohcin and MissSherrie for prereading this for me, and to my WC girls, particulary MizzDee, who gets me excited for your reactions on things to come. This fic seems to have a really small following, but I'm loving every single one of our reviews. They are all so appreciated. Thank you so much!

Now enough chit chat…let's get to back to the story in progress…

Chapter 7

I wasn't sure what to expect when the day ended to reveal Damon standing in the hallway outside of my class. The girls eyed him as they exited the room, but he didn't seem to care either way, his devious smile trained on me. I was pretty sure this meant I was about to be in for a shock.

"So, hot stuff, you ready to go?"

"I don't know about this, Damon. I had my own place for a reason…otherwise I would have taken the spare room at the Gilbert homestead. This just doesn't seem like a good idea."

He just smirked at me as he propped an arm on my shoulder and yanked my bag out of my grip carrying it in his free hand. "Well, it's too late now. I already compelled your landlord into breaking your lease without penalty and all of your things are settled in the guest room down the hall from my room, minus some of your more…vintage…items."

I glared up at him. "What did you do with my futon, Damon?"

"Nothing that shouldn't have been done ten years ago…that hunk of junk was begging to be put out of its misery."

My chin dropped to my chest. "Damon, that was my only bed."

His smirk widened. "Not anymore. We have sixteen spare bedrooms besides mine and Stefan's. We have rooms and furniture to spare. IF you ever decide to move out, you can take it with you. We wouldn't even notice."

The way he stiffened when he mentioned me moving out wasn't lost on me and made some small corner of the resistance inside me melt. It was a tiny piece of the large iceberg I had firmly wedged into my defenses, but if he continued, he might chip it away much more quickly than I expected. I swallowed and released a long sigh.

As we reached the door, we ran into Rick who looked up at us with surprised eyes before his vision narrowed at Damon. Damon shot a look back before shaking his head at him.

"Back off, guard dog, I have nothing but respect for the lady. I'm just making sure she doesn't catch the plague from the hole in the wall she had been living in, so just calm yourself down."

Rick looked at me imploringly, obviously hoping I would choose to step away from Damon and return to something akin to sanity, but I couldn't, and to be honest, I really didn't want to no matter how much I worried that it was a disaster in the making. With sad eyes he took in a deep breath and nodded, but before we were out of sight, he called out to me, telling me that if I ever needed anything, not to hesitate to call. I thanked him before turning back to Damon.

"He knows about you, doesn't he?"

Damon laughed, squeezing me into his side slightly. "You could say that. He used to be married to Isobel, Elena's mother. He came here hunting me because he thought I'd killed her, when in reality I granted her wish and turned her. We've learned to get along now. He's helped Stefan, Elena, and I on more than one occasion."

I shook my head, "Wait, YOU changed Isobel? Why?"

He shrugged. "Why not? She asked me to and so I did. No harm, no foul."

I scoffed, looking at my feet as we walked, hoping that he'd learned since then that all actions had consequences, yet with the casual attitude he seemed to have about it, it didn't seem that he had. As we reached the door, an umbrella materialized above me before Damon led me into the falling rain.

It was a short car ride to the Salvatore mansion. I gasped as I took it all in. I'd seen it from the outside several times when I was young. I'd seen pictures of the inside, but I'd never been this close. Damon pulled under a covered portico and rushed around to help me out of the car before leading me to the front door. He opened it with flair, gesturing for me to walk inside.

I gasped as I looked around the large open area that the front door opened to, lined with rick dark wood and intricately carved trims. A shining wooden staircase rose to the right and then crossed above me to another part of the house as the room before me led to a hallway that stretched back into the rest of the first floor. I swallowed hard as I looked around before looking back at a beaming Damon.

"This…this is too much. I…I can't live here. I…"

"Belong with your own kind. You were worried about bringing danger to the Gilbert house, so you hid away in your shoebox, but whatever trouble you bring with you is a drop in the bucket in comparison to what happens around here. Even with that being said, you're much safer here than there."

Just then a dark skinned girl with curly hair who could easily be Elena, but I knew without any doubt was not, came sauntering into the room in jeans and a tank top. "Oh, Damon, Aunt Bekah, I'm glad you could make it."

I turned and glared at Damon. "You didn't mention anything about Katherine being here. Is she living here too?"

Damon shrugged apologetically at which point I took a step back. "No, Damon. Damn it, no. You take all my shit, pack it up, and return it right where you found it. I'm NOT living under the same roof as Katherine Pierce!"

Damon rolled his eyes before stepping toward me. "Listen, I know it sucks, but Stefan seems to think she still has some knowledge that can help us when Klaus shows up. Until then, she doesn't have anywhere else to stay."

A slow grin spread across my face. "I have an idea…ship HER off to my shoebox apartment! Win, win!"

Damon beamed down at me, his eyes dancing before he turned to Katherine, his face suddenly serious. "Hey! That's a good idea. Go pack your crap, Katherine. I think I can even get her trashed out futon back for you to sleep on. I could have you there before dawn!"

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's not going to happen." With that, she turned and sauntered off into the bowels of the house as Damon turned back to me.

"This is going to be even better than I thought! Come on, let me show you the place. It's your home now so go wherever you want."

I tugged his arm, letting him know I didn't want to follow. I looked up at him with a frown. "I was serious, Damon. I'm not safe living here with HER. She'll slit my throat while I sleep before you can say betrayal."

Damon shook his head, turning to hold both my upper arms in his grasp and pulling me a little closer than before. His breath tickled my lips as he whispered to me. "I won't let that happen. She knows without a word from any of us, that if she harms a hair on your head, she's as good as ash. Listen, I really want you here, as does Stefan and Elena. We all feel better knowing you're safe with us."

I opened my mouth to contradict him, but he put his hand over it to stop me. "No…you're safe with us. I swear it. Now please, just give us all one less thing to worry about and just stay?"

I swallowed and huffed out a frustrated breath before looking back at his pleading eyes. "Fine," I breathed, "but I will not hesitate to stake that bitch if she as much as breathes in my direction. Is that okay with you?"

He smiled brightly, reaching to push some of my hair over my shoulder. "Actually, I'd pay good money to see that."

"Well, stick around, you might owe me some dough soon if she doesn't keep herself in check." I said that last bit a little louder just to make sure she heard it from wherever she perched to snoop. Damon laughed again, smoothing his hands down my arms to take my hands in his, and lifting them to his lips. He kissed the backs before walking backwards and pulling me into the house.

"Come on, Xena. I need to show you around this place."

I was so turned around by the time that he finally brought me to our hall that I wasn't sure I was ever going to find my way out of the place again. With a proud smile, he opened the door to the room he had set aside for me. I blinked in shock when the view behind the door was laid before me. The room was beautiful, fit for a princess even. The huge four poster bed was draped with white satin that hang down in waves from the top of the mahogany bed frame the created a latticework above the mattress, just a little lower than the tall ceiling. The rest of the room was filled with rich woods, the seats covered in cushions of satin. Amongst the items in the room sat my belongings, which surprisingly didn't clash with the décor as I had expected it to. I walked to the closet and opened it to find it was full of my clothes, hung neatly, and even sorted by type.

I turned slowly in the middle of the room one last time before looking back at Damon with wide eyes. "This is amazing…and beautiful. It's too much."

He shook his head and cut his eyes at me. "Not at all. I think it suits you. If you need anything at all, my bedroom is just two doors down. Anytime, day or night, come find me…okay?"

I nodded, glancing back at the room before turning to see Damon turning to leave. "Wait!" I blurted. "Can…Can I see your room? I'm…I'm just curious."

He smiled a devilishly mischievous smile before nodding and taking my hand to lead me down the hall two doors to the entrance to his room. He opened the door and stepped aside for me to enter. I gasped as I took in the massive room with the biggest bed I'd ever seen in real life sitting upon a Persian rug. It dominated one corner of the room, angling out into the open center in front of a wall of windows and some beautiful French doors that opened onto a balcony with thick black out drapes covering them. His room was sparse and masculine and yet still completely breathtaking in an understated way.

The only decoration in the room was two famous paintings hung on the wall and illuminated by display lights and a massive mirror leaning against the wall by his bed. To contrast with the beauty of the old and reverent, a plasma TV hung across from the bed as well, the only sign beside the electric lights illuminating the room of the modern times in which we were living.

There were was a small night stand with a lamp on the right side of the bed as you faced it with piles of books nearly as tall as the night stand itself on the floor in front of it. I took a wild guess that he tended to sleep on the right, which worked out well because I slept on the left. I shook my head at the errant thought before walking closer to the beautiful wood bed with the four thick posts and the elaborately etched headboard embedded with panels of a yellow stained glass. The bed itself was an absolute work of art, which made me glad to see Damon had chosen not to overpower the beauty of the bed itself with tawdry bedding, but instead soft white, Egyptian cotton sheets and a thick white duvet rested across it instead.

Across from the bed was an amazing bathroom lined with stone. It boasted a seamless glass shower and the most delicious looking smooth oval stand alone bath tub. I hoped my heartbeat wasn't showing the odd little fantasies that flitted through my mind at the sight of that tub.

I turned slowly back to Damon with a smile. "This place is awesome." I moved to look at the paintings. "These look familiar. Are they famous?"

It didn't surprise me when Damon shrugged. "I don't know. They were here when I moved in. I didn't feel like taking them down, so there they are."

I chuckled before moving to look at his book collection. In all honesty, they were the only things besides the paintings that looked old and used. I pointed to them and raised my eyebrows. "May I?"

He nodded toward them with a smirk. "Knock yourself out. Being a Lit teacher and all, I'm sure you'll appreciate the irony."

I folded myself on the floor by the pile and picked up the top book, surprised to find Gone With The Wind, although considering the time he was from, I guess it wasn't that surprising. What WAS surprising however was what I found when I opened the fragile old book was the information on the inside. My eyes flew to Damon's.

"Oh my God, Damon! This is a first edition."

He smiled down at me from his perch on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, there are a lot of those here…many of them right there in that pile."

I gaped at him a few moments before carefully sitting the book aside and picking up each book in the pile, my heart pounding with each priceless volume I held in my hands. In addition to the first novel, he had first editions of A Tale of Two Cities, War and Peace, Les Miserables, Crime and Punishment, Great Expectations, and Anna Karenina. They were beautiful and amazing and I was impressed that he had read them, but they didn't surprise me nearly as much as the second pile. I had to suppress a girly giggle as I saw such works as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, Alice and Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, and David Copperfield. A part of me wanted to ask if they were some of his favorite novels from his youth, but something stopped me. I smiled as I carefully restored his piles in the order in which I found them before looking back up at him with a smile.

"I am quite surprised, Mr. Salvatore. I never would have expected such a sophisticated and varied collection of literary works to be in your repertoire."

Damon put his hand to his chest as if wounded before extending the hand to me to help me stand. "Yes, well I have to have SOMEthing to do to pass the time while everyone else runs off to school and work. Things get pretty boring sometimes."

He stood there holding my hand, and I couldn't help the reaction in my chest as he looked down at me. It surprised me how often his eyes seemed to have a softness when he looked at me…a softness he didn't seem to have when he looked at anybody else.

I smiled softly up at him and ran my thumb over his fingers where he held my hand in his. "Well, you could always get a job too…you know…contribute to society? Let them benefit from your century and a half of knowledge and wisdom?"

He gave me his best 'are you insane' look but it quickly morphed into a huge smile as I teased him a bit. I waited a beat before breathing out, "On second thought."

His eyes twinkled as he stared down at me. "I'm not sure what's worse…when you're serious or when you aren't! I do know one thing though. You're going to pay for that one!"

In an instant, he grabbed me by my waist, throwing me on the bed and attacking my ribs with his fingers. Tears streamed from my face as I gasped for breath between ongoing laughter. "STOP! Oh Please STOP!" I managed to call out between giggles at which point he plopped down next to me in the bed that was seriously the size of two King size beds spliced together. He propped his head on his hand and looked down at me with a big smile.

"I don't remember the last time I did that. I'm pretty sure it was long before I changed. It felt…good."

I smiled back at him as I continued to try to recapture my breath. "I'm glad." I gasped.

We stayed there for a while until my breaths finally evened out into a smooth flow, Damon watching me the whole time with those soft eyes. When I was calm again, he reached out to trace his finger down my arm closes to him.

"I'm really glad you're here."

I smiled up at him as he reached my hand and wrapped his fingers with mine. "I am too."

His eyes darkened slightly and it looked like he was going to say something for a split second before he sat up and took a deep breath.

"Well, I better let you settle in. I thought maybe we could have supper together in an hour or so, and we can have that discussion I suggested at school then. That sound okay to you?"

I nodded, letting him pull me up to stand next to him. "Yeah, that sounds great."

He walked me back to my room, kissing the back of my hand again before watching me enter my room and close the door. His footsteps faded in the direction of his bedroom as I rested my head against the door, still reeling from the major shift in my life in just a few short days.

I familiarized myself with my room a few minutes before taking a shower and changing into something more casual for dinner, having grown sick and tired of wearing skirts and trousers all day every day after only a few days of work. I wasted the whole hour drying my hair and choosing an outfit that looked nice with looking like I was TRYING to look nice.

Once I was ready, I opened the door to my room and looked down the hallway, trying to decide which way I was supposed to go to get to the dining room. With a sigh, I decided to go left, wandering quietly down the hallway and pausing in front of Damon's room before thinking better of knocking and continuing on. I was only a couple of steps past the door when it flew open and Damon's head peeked out.

"Wrong way, gorgeous. The dining room is the other way." He stepped out, closing the door behind him and offering me his arm with a smile. I took it, as I returned the smile and let him lead me back to the staircase and down to the dining room, paying attention to exactly how we had gone so I wouldn't get turned around the next time.

We walked through a large living area with a massive fireplace where Stefan and Elena were curled up on the couch, reading together. I smiled and waved as we walked by. Stefan's smile was ten miles wide as he looked our way.

I chuckled as Damon tugged on my arm, rushing me through the room. "You two stay out. This clambake is for us, not you."

Stefan's smile grew wider, his eyes twinkling over at us. "Okay, big brother. We'll steer clear. Glad to have you here, Bekah."

I could barely get out a thank you before the heavy mahogany door closed behind me. I turned to see the table set with a simple place setting, a silver dome covering a dish in the middle of the table. Damon played the gentleman, holding my chair and pouring my drink before unveiling our meal, making my eyes pop.

"Is that Salmon Casserole?"

Damon shrugged, dishing some onto my plate before adding some to his. "I asked Elena for suggestions and she said this was your favorite. Seemed easy enough to make, even for someone who never cooks."

I took a bite and hummed. "It's perfect, Damon. Thank you. You didn't have to go through the trouble. I could have just thrown together a sandwich."

He rolled his eyes before taking a bite and grimacing slightly making me chuckle. "It's not a dish that is universally loved. Father and I were the only ones who liked it when I was young. Grayson and John always foraged for an alternative when the housekeeper would make it, but I always loved it. I'm not sure why."

Damon took another bite before dropping his fork with a shrug. "Not like I have to eat anyway."

I frowned at his plate before looking at mine and back again. "I feel bad being the only one eating. Do you want to go get a glass of blood or something?"

He cut his eyes at me, a smirk gracing his lips. "Nice offer, but I'm fine. Go ahead."

I took another reluctant bite, chewing slowly under his intense blue gaze. I took a long sip of the wine he'd put before me, humming at the taste before smiling his way. He smiled back before leaning in on his elbows.

"So…any ideas where that burst of strength came from this morning?"

I shook my head with a frown. "None. I've never done anything like that before."

He squinted at me momentarily before leaning back and crossing his arms. "You were upset; do you think it was an adrenaline thing?"

"Maybe," I said with a shrug.

He pursed his lips in thought for a moment before sitting up to lean in close again. "I still think you should try some blood, just to see."

I blinked down at the food before me, suddenly losing my appetite. "I'm not sure I want to do that, Damon. I've never had the blood lust, but what if trying it sparks one in me? I don't want to have to be dependent on it if I don't have to be. I don't want to have to resist the urge to kill everyone important to me. Honestly, I don't know how you and Stefan stand it. Considering how hard of a time I have saying no to chocolate, I can't imagine resisting something that you are drawn to on instinct by your very nature."

He watched me closely, his eyes scanning my face before drifting back to my eyes. "Most people don't really think about that part. It's very true, well in my case at least. I don't think Stefan struggles with it as much as I do because he doesn't enjoy it like I do. I spent so many years with my emotions shut off, that I grew to love the hunt. It made me feel vital and alive. This will probably send you away screaming, but even after everything, after feeling again, after CARING again, I still miss it. It's like I'm torn in two between my nature and my desire to be good enough for Stefan, and Elena…and YOU. Sometimes it's like hell on Earth."

I blinked back tears as I listened to him. I knew that the things he just admitted to me should have me running for the hills with repulsion, but instead all I felt was compassion. I stood up from my seat and he ducked his head with a forlorn sigh that died on his lips when instead of me running away from him, I walked to stand next to his seat, running my hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry that it's so hard for you. I can't imagine how difficult it must be. I don't think I could ever give myself over to that nature, so I would never love it, but I can see how after so many years alone, without anyone to provide a moral compass, it would be easy to just let go. I don't hold that against you, but if you want to be a part of my life, I need you to keep trying…okay?"

As soon as my hand touched his head, he looked up in surprise, leaning into my touch. I watched tears form in his eyes as he listened to me. His eyes laced with pain during my wrap up, but I was relieved to see him close his eyes and nod. "I'll try…for you."

I smiled and moved my hand to caress his cheek. "Thank you, Damon. That's all I can ask."

My heart shifted in my chest as the iceberg walling it in for safety shattered into a million pieces in the face of his confession. I cupped his face between my hands before slowly lowering my face to his, letting my lips brush his softly. My chest ached with the deliciousness of the contact as Damon sighed against my lips. His hands softly moved to capture my face as I had his, his fingers tangling in my hair as our kiss grew stronger. When his tongue teased along my top lip, I opened to him without hesitation. The world felt like it stopped as we shared breath, his sweet tongue invading my mouth, exploring softly, almost reverently. When he pulled away, we were both breathing heavily as we stared into one another's eyes. Damon blinked three times before finally whispering out, "Well that's different."

I cocked my head and gave a questioning look that made him smile, his blue eyes dancing behind heavy lids. "Hard to explain…but you make me want to be better."

I smiled before licking my lips and kissing him again, this time with me taking the role of aggressor in the kiss, letting the passion I could feel him bringing forward in me loose in the kiss. He hummed into my mouth, his arm sliding around my waist to pull me closer moments before I pulled away with a smile. "I guess we're both changing."

He smiled up at me before nodding toward my plate. "You better eat the rest of that sewage before it gets cold."

I smirked down at him, running my hand through his hair. "Maybe now I'm hungry for something better than Casserole."

His eyes twinkled as he squeezed my waist before releasing me. "Plenty of time for that later, now eat. We need to keep you healthy."

I snickered before leaning down to kiss his forehead as his hand splayed against my lower back to hug me to him before he released me. I moved back to my seat, settling in and digging into my food, suddenly feeling ravenous, as if I hadn't eaten in years. Damon watched me with raised brows as I finished off my first portion and then had him pass me his plate so I could keep his serving from going to waste. By the time I was finished I was miserably full and quite happy.

Damon looked surprised as he moved to clear the plates. "Definitely not a, 'I'll just take a salad' girl, are you?" I giggled at his high pitched squeak as he imitated girls of dates past.

I stood up to pick up the serving dish with a wink. "I think we've already established that I'm like no girl you've ever known before, Damon, so it really shouldn't surprise you."

He snorted before leading the way into the kitchen where we quickly washed up the dishes and put them away before heading back upstairs.

"Do you want to hang out for a while?" Damon asked, a heretofore unseen hopefulness in his request.

I glanced into my room where my bag full of work waited for me. "I really need to do some grading." When his face fell, I took his hand. "If you wanted to read or something, maybe we could hang out while I'm working?"

I wanted to laugh when his face lit up like a kid at Christmas. "Sounds good…where do you want to work?"

I shrugged. "I was just going to spread out in my room, unless you have a better suggestion."

I saw his eyes flash and knew what thought had just occurred to him. I smirked and shook my head. "No monkey business, Mr. Salvatore. I really need to get work done."

He smirked back at me before nodding. "I'll be right back." He leaned down to kiss my lips sweetly before disappearing in a black blur down the hallway.

I giggled before turning to go into my room only to find Katherine standing there, glaring at me.

"Well isn't that sweet. You're ruining him. He was just getting interesting and now you're turning him back into the puppy dog that followed me around over a hundred and forty years ago. It's sad really."

I glared right back. "Oh why don't you lose your ring and go take a long walk at dawn, Katherine? Why are you even still here? I know as well as you do that you're not here to help anybody, and nobody wants you here. So why, Katherine? Why hang around?"

She moved in closer, her eyes darkening with power. "I could ask the same of you, Rebekah." She cocked her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "Seems to me that nobody escapes Klaus, well, besides me that is. So how is it that you made it here without being captured? Did you come here or were you sent?"

I matched her posture except I had a smirk on my face. "Oh wouldn't you love to know, Katherine…now get the hell out of my room and don't come back."

"Or you'll what? You have nothing special about you at all, so what are you going to do to me?"

With a speed I didn't even know I possessed, I yanked the hidden stake from the waistband of my pants that I kept on hand just in case she decided to show out and had it poised at her heart. "Oh, I don't know, but I can think of a few things."

Her eyes widened before they narrowed again. "Sneaky, sneaky, but two can play at that game."

She disappeared in a blur of brown hair leaving me staring at an open door to my room. With a groan, I started to walk in only to halt when a pair of arms latched around my waist, pulling me tight to a solid chest. I smiled as his mouth moved near my ear.

"That was so hot. That was pretty damn fast. Another new ability?"

I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of his warm body against mine. Finally, I sucked in a slow breath and nodded. My voice sounded breathy and foreign. "Yeah, I've never…yeah."

He chuckled before maneuvering us into my room and closing the door behind him. He turned me to face him and kissed me deeply, stealing my breath and making my heart pound. After far too short of a time he pulled away resting his forehead against mine.

"I guess you better get to work if you want to get all of that done."

I whimpered before nodding. "Guess so."

Slowly, he released me from his grip and led me to the bed where my bag waited for me before moving to sit on the white loveseat in front of the fireplace and cracking open one of the books from his bedroom. He looked up to find me staring and smirked before nodding to my papers.

"Don't let me distract you. I'll be here waiting when you're done."

I smiled and nodded before moving to sit cross-legged in the middle of the bed before pulling out the piles of papers and stacking them around me along with my army of colored pens. With a sigh, I picked up the first stack, a quiz from my afternoon English Lit course, and began to scan the answers. I forced myself to stay focused on the paper in front of me, but still unable to resist stealing glances at the beautiful man reading in front of the fireplace just a few feet away.