Chapter 4

Light streamed through the large window and coaxed Elena's eyes open. She rolled onto her back, enjoying the way the sun felt on her face until the previous night's events washed over her. Doing her best to ignore the pit in her stomach she flung herself from the bed and went to the bathroom to wash her face. Her parents were people in photographs that she barely remembered but knowing they had murdered one another was eating at her. Part of her was so angry at her uncle for lying to her all these years but another part of her wished she still believed her parents had died in a car crash. It would have been easier to live with than the imaging her mother tearing out her father's heart as he stabbed her in the chest. Then there's Damon she thought. His face had haunted her dreams and in spite of everything that had happened, he was all she could think about. He was terrifying and yet absolutely gorgeous. Every time he came near her, the air seemed to pulse with his energy. He threatened to kill you, drain your blood, and you're thinking about his energy? Her inner voice was reprimanding her but she couldn't help it. Exasperated with herself, she paced the room for twenty minutes before Caroline knocked on the door. As promised, she showed her the entire house. It took the better part of the day but mostly because Caroline stopped every couple of feet and chattered about the history behind some tapestry or who was in one of the dozens of portraits. Elena found it endearing and by the end of the day she'd almost forgotten she was being held hostage and could possibly be dead by the end of the week. When she did remember to look around for an escape she realized the house was in the middle of a vast forest. She couldn't even see a road past the driveway. Caroline caught her and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"The nearest town is eighty miles away" she said "and it's like 100 people that Damon compelled to bring you back here if they see you"

"You're joking right?" Elena asked, bewildered.

Caroline shook her head no.

"He's pretty thorough. Trust me, you wouldn't get very far"

Elena ran through the scenarios in her head and in every single one of them, a very pissed off Damon either killed her or brought her back here and locked her up somewhere much less pleasant than the bedroom she'd woken up in. She opted to focus on staying alive. Besides, since her uncle had pulled her from school, friends had been few and far between. Talking to Caroline felt like a piece of her she didn't know she was missing had fallen back into place.

The next two days were much the same. Caroline knocked on her door in the morning and they spent the day meandering around the expansive property, talking, laughing, and becoming fast friends. Elena tried to ignore the fact that Damon was nowhere to be found. She told herself she was glad she hadn't seen him. After all, he'd all but frightened the life out of her the other night. Clearly he was insane. Why would she want to be anywhere near a crazy vampire?

They were sitting on the front porch watching the sunset on the second day when Elena's curiosity got the better of her.

She turned to Caroline "Would it be rude to ask you how you became a vampire?"

"No" Caroline said with a smile "but it's not even that great of a story. I just had a really, really bad night."

Elena laughed "I want to hear it anyway."

Her new friend nodded.

"I was at a party in the woods and I was drinking…a lot. I'd just broken up with my boyfriend and I was fighting with my mom so I decided to get completely wasted. Somehow I wandered away from the party and got lost. The rest is kind of hazy for me but I guess I fell and hit my head. Stefan found me bleeding in the woods and he could tell I was hurt really badly. Like either her could give me his blood or I was going to die. So, being Stefan the Hero Vampire, he gave me his blood and carried me back to the party. He compelled my ex Tyler to take me home but on the way we were hit by a drunk driver. I know - ironic, right? Tyler died but I had Stefan's blood in my system so when I woke up and Tyler was there with all that blood…I couldn't stop myself" her voice was full of regret.

"Stefan smelled the blood and found me crying in the road. He blamed himself and he decided to take me in, to teach me to control it and not hurt people. He helped me compel my mom and dad into believing they sent me away to school and then I moved in here. At first I was so angry. I had a lot of plans for my life and in the blink of an eye, they were all ruined. But Stefan was nicer to me than anyone has ever been in my life. When I was alive I was a shallow, neurotic, control freak. I'm still kind of neurotic but Stefan showed me that I can be strong and smart, too. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher. Of course I thought he was so hot but he just wasn't into me like that and we ended up best friends instead. If I'm being completely honest, I'm a lot happier now than I was before and I was probably going to die that night anyway so at least this way I get to live even if I'm technically dead. There are worse ages than 17 to be stuck at, right?

Elena nodded and Caroline continued. Elena wondered if she'd been able to talk that fast when she'd actually had to breathe or if it was a vampire thing.

"After a while, even Damon grew on me. Especially after his old friend Klaus came to visit and never left" she smiled when she said Klaus' name but the smile disappeared as swiftly as it had appeared.

"Everything was pretty great before your mom came. Damon and Klaus weren't even killing people anymore. We weren't perfect but we were a family. It was the only real family I've ever had but without Stefan…" she trailed off, her voice suddenly sad.

She knew it wasn't her fault but Elena felt like she had to apologize for her mother.

"Caroline, I'm so sorry. I…I didn't even know her" she said lamely.

"I know. None of this has anything to do with you. Well, other than the fact that you look eerily like Katherine. But who knows what that even means!" she paused, clearly irritated "I won't let him kill you. If I have to break you out of here myself, I'll do it."

"Thanks, Caroline" it was hard to imagine anyone having a chance against Damon but it was nice to know she had an ally here and at least if she died, she wouldn't die friendless.

Elena reached over and put her hand on Caroline's shoulder. She saw a single tear slide down her cheek. Screw it she thought. She pulled her into a hug and after a moment the vampire was weeping into her shirt. Elena got the impression Caroline had been keeping this bottled up for quite a while so she held her while she cried and told her everything would be ok. She wasn't really sure if it was true but she said it anyway.

"Shit" Caroline pulled away and wiped her eyes "Damon is home."

Sure enough, a few seconds later a vintage blue Camaro pulled into the long driveway. Elena hadn't seen him since their confrontation at the bedroom door. Her stomach knotted at the thought of seeing him but it was too late to run away.

He saw her sitting on his porch with Caroline and cursed under his breath. He'd managed to keep himself busy and leave her alone after he'd practically attacked her the other night. Now here she was and he couldn't avoid her anymore. Well fuck he thought as he parked his car in front of the house. He supposed now was as good a time as any to tell her what he'd learned today. He climbed out of the car and came around to greet them.

"Ladies" he said with his signature smirk.

"Hello, Damon" Caroline said "what have you been up to today?"

Her tone was snarky and he could feel an inquisition coming on.

"Oh you know this and that" he told her and before she could pester him anymore, he held out his hand to Elena.

"Would you let me cook for you again?" he tried to apologize with his eyes.

She pulled her hand out of her coat pocket but made no move to reach for him.

"Can I trust you?" she asked.

"In general? Probably not" he told her honestly "but I promise to be on my best behavior tonight."

She glanced at Caroline who gave her an encouraging smile.

He was relieved when she finally grasped his hand and allowed him to pull her up. He quickly turned his head and mouthed a 'thank you' to Caroline before following Elena into the house. The unease was coming off her in waves as she took her seat at the kitchen island.

"How about steak?" he asked her

"Sure" he grimaced at her cautious tone but said nothing as he started to move around the kitchen.

If she was afraid of him, it was his own damn fault and he knew it. It calmed him to gather the ingredients and prepare them. She didn't speak as he cooked and he took the opportunity to enjoy the steady beat of her heart. When she'd taken her seat it had been doing its regular hummingbird act but he listened to it slow to a normal rate as she watched him. Usually it would have tormented the monster inside him but tonight, the sound was soothing. He'd had his fill of blood today and he vowed to keep the bourbon in check tonight. He almost regretted breaking the silence when he set the plates in front of them.

"Would you like some wine?" he asked "it pairs with the steak."

"Yes, please" he was glad to hear her sound a little more relaxed.

He poured them each a glass and sat down next to her.

"I talked to Bonnie, my witch, today" he said.

"Oh" she'd stopped with a bite of steak halfway to her mouth.

"I… we…. No one is going to kill you. At least no one in this house" he told her.

Actually he'd felt like a complete moron when he'd finally reached his favorite little spell caster.

"Damon" she'd chastised "do you really think I would have told you about a spell that required us to kill an innocent girl?"

Foolishness was quickly replaced by relief. He could bring his brother back without hurting her. The feeling was strange. Why should he care if the girl lived or died? He did though and the inexplicable need to protect Elena Gilbert grew stronger every time he saw her. He dragged his fingers through his dark locks and tried to focus on the matter at hand. Bonnie had also supplied the name of the final ingredient they needed and he knew exactly who had it.

He watched her let out a long breath and nodded.

"So you just need a little blood?"

"Mmm-hmm" he replied.

"And you're going to let me go after we bring your brother back?"

"Yep" he said with a pop and fell silent for a moment.

"Elena I need you to be completely honest with me, ok?" he tried to keep his voice soft.

She nodded.

"No I need you to say it. Promise you'll tell me the truth."

"I promise" she said earnestly.

Satisfied, he stared into her eyes and resisted the urge to compel her.

"Did your uncle really not tell you anything about this world?"

"No, nothing" she said.

Her brows furrowed and he thought he detected a hint of anger in her words.

"Ok" he said.

Strangely, he believed her. There were only a handful people in the world he trusted but there was something about her, he knew she wouldn't lie to him.

He decided to change the subject.

"How's your steak?"

She grinned at him mid bite "Mmm. Mmm-hmmm."

He chuckled.

"Good."

"Can I ask you something?" she asked when she finished chewing.

"You? Ask a question? No. That would just be weird." he teased.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Go on, ask away."

"Why do you call her 'your' witch?" she asked.

"Ahh that's another long story" he said "but the jist of it is that I've had a deal with her family since the night I was turned. It was her great, great, great, great grandmother who made the daylight rings for us. After everything that happened to Jonathon she knew it was just a matter of time before the townspeople turned on the witches. She came to me and asked me to keep her family safe for as long as I lived and in return her family would help me with any... witchy problems I may have. She connected us through our blood with a spell so I know if something happens to them and they know if something happens to me."

"Does it work the same way with Stefan?"

"Nope, it's just me. Emily, the witch from 1864, knew which brother would be willing to snap a neck if she needed it. Not that it did her much good. I was too far away when they took her and by the time I got back to Mystic Falls, they were already burning her and her entire coven. I saved her kids and I guess that was enough to hold the blood connection. But in the end, she was just another person I couldn't save."

The memory made him long for the bottle of bourbon he'd purposely left in the other room. He and Emily had never been friends per se, but he'd made her a promise and the image of her smoldering corpse was burned into his mind.

Her voice rescued him from the dark recollections.

"Damon…I…I'm going to help you get your brother back. I'm promising you right now. Whatever it takes, we'll get him back. Ok?"

He looked over her face, finding nothing but honesty and a kindness he was sure he didn't deserve. He gave her a thin smile. At least today her kindheartedness didn't make him want to kill her. Baby steps he told himself.

"Thank you, Elena"

She really liked him like this, relaxed and calm. Also his cooking was the best thing she'd ever eaten. In between bites she peppered him with more questions.

"How old are you?"

"I've been on this earth for a hundred and seventy years."

She could feel the astonishment on her face but she continued.

"How old were you when you were turned?"

"Twenty-two."

"What's your favorite era?"

"This one. Technology is amazing."

"What's with the mind control thing?"

This gave him pause but he answered "It's called compulsion."

"And you could make me do anything?" she knew she was treading into dangerous territory.

"Yes" he replied slowly.

She looked up and caught his gaze. His lips were ticked up in a crooked smile and he was doing that thing with his eyes again. She felt her cheeks burn and looked away.

"Why haven't you?"

"What fun would that be?" he asked "Besides you aren't the worst company in the world, Elena."

She smiled a little and took another bite.

"Will you let me show you something after dinner?" he asked her

She wavered for a moment before answering but he said he would be on his best behavior tonight.

"Yes"

After the last delicious bite, he took her plate and his to put them in the sink. He came back around to her and held out his hand once more. She took it and stood up. She let him lead her to a back door and he pulled out a key to open it. They walked out into a sprawling lawn that ended at the edge of a forest. She tried to keep calm as they headed for the trees. He seemed to sense her hesitation and squeezed her hand.

"It's ok" he said.

She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment but his smile reassured her and she let him tug her along.

She nearly ran into him as he came to an abrupt halt at the edge of the trees. He caught her elbow to keep her steady and then let go of her entirely.

"Look up" he commanded.

She tilted her head back and gasped. There were trillions of stars above her. It was like she could see every single star in the universe from here.

"Damon, this is incredible." She whispered

"I thought you might like it."

She looked over at him. His head was facing skyward and she took the opportunity to admire his profile. It was strong, sharp, and she had to resist the urge to trace his jawline with her finger. She wished she understood the affect he had on her. Her life had been pretty sheltered up until recently but this didn't feel like a normal teenage crush. Elena had a sneaking suspicion she would have a hard time staying mad at him, no matter what he did, and it scared her. Damon had made it clear he was capable of terrible things; he'd confessed to killing members of her family, he'd turned her mother into a vampire and he'd kidnapped her in the middle of the night with the intention of possibly sacrificing her life. Still, somehow she knew there was good in him. Surely a man who would do literally anything to bring his brother back from the dead couldn't be all bad. It was obvious that he was not someone who trusted or made friends easily, but when he cared for someone it was passionate and fierce. It was hard for her not to wonder what it would be like to be loved by someone like that. She shook her head and turned back to the spectacular view above her. A slight breeze brushed over her arms and the moment she shivered, he was at her back with his jacket. She slipped her arms into it and was engulfed in his scent. It was spicy and very male, and when she breathed it in she felt oddly safe.

"Are you cold? We can go back inside"

"I'm ok. Can we stay a little longer?" she said, trying not to sound distressed.

It was so wonderful to be outside and away from the house.

"I wish I knew some of them constellations" she said.

"I know a few of them" he told her and moved in closer to her side.

She followed his finger up, doing her best to ignore his nearness.

"Those three bright stars in a row right there" he drew a little line in the sky

"Do you see them?" he asked.

She shook her head yes.

"That's Orion's Belt" he told her.

"Where's the rest of his outfit?" she asked with a grin.

He smiled and shook his head at her. After he pointed out the other stars that made up Orion, she pestered him into sitting in the grass and showing her as many as he could remember. He hadn't been lying, there weren't many and the conversation drifted quickly to other things.

"Did you know that no one has ever died from a comet falling out of the sky?" she asked him, still staring up.

"I did not know that." He said.

"Really? I thought you might know everything."

He laughed "What would make you think that?"

"A century is a long time" she replied simply.

"Stefan is the learned one in our family."

"And what are you?" she asked.

"A very cocky vampire" he said with his sly little grin.

It was her turn to shake her head and smile at him.

"I think there's more to you than that."

He didn't say anything for a minute.

"So how did you know that no one has ever died from a comet?" he asked.

She shrugged "My uncle must've told me."

Thinking about her uncle was painful. He must be frantic by now. She wondered if he was looking for her or if he thought she was dead.

"Grayson never struck me as a guy who would be into comets and stars." He commented.

"He's not. I think it was in one of my lesson videos"

"Lesson videos?" he looked at her puzzled.

"He's been homeschooling me since I was ten" she told him.

"Oh" he had a strange look on his face "you must be two peas in a pod"

Elena could tell he was fishing for information but she couldn't imagine why he'd want to know about her uncle.

"I guess so."

"I just can't understand why he wouldn't tell you about all the things that go bump in the night. He never told you any scary bedtime stories?"

"Nope. Maybe he thought I couldn't handle it."

"Like you're some fragile little flower? It's pretty clear you're capable of taking care of yourself."

He thinks I'm strong? She thought, pleased. The compliment had the color rising to her cheeks and she hoped he couldn't see it through the darkness.

"I don't know. I wish I did" she said sadly.

It hurt to think that her uncle either didn't trust her or thought she wasn't tough enough to deal with sat quietly for a while, listening to the crickets and the breeze moving through the forest. She was disappointed when he caught her yawning and insisted they go inside. She hadn't realized how tired she was until they started walking. Her legs were barely carrying her when they were swept out from under her. He had picked her up like a baby and she was so sleepy she couldn't even bring herself to demand he put her down. Instead, she curled her head into his shoulder and closed her eyes.

As gently as possible, he laid her down on the bed. He pulled off her shoes and, despite the temptation, he left everything else on. She'd whimpered when he tried to take off the jacket so he left that on her too. He brushed the back of his hand gently over her cheek and peered down at her. Her face had preoccupied his brain since the moment he'd seen her. It was the face of a woman he'd loved over a century ago and yet anyone who spent five minutes with Elena would know she wasn't Katherine. Elena was kind and strong and intelligent. Katherine had certainly been brilliant in her own right, but her intelligence had been dark and vindictive.

Damon wished he could deny it but he knew he was starting to fall for Elena and he didn't seem to be able to stop it. How could you not fall for a person who managed to make a friend while she was being held hostage? She was spunky and bright and he found it had a powerful effect on him. The humanity he'd been keeping at bay for years was slowly making its way into his heart and mind. Remorse, heartbreak, and grief threatened to make their way to the surface and it seemed like the harder he fought them, the stronger the feelings got. There was something else there too, though. He'd done his damndest to ignore it, to pretend he was perfectly happy being the big bad vampire but the effort was turning out to be hopeless. Whether he wanted to admit or not, he was happy when he was with her and the last two days without her had been torture. Watching Elena for a few more moments, he marveled at how attached he'd become in such a short time. Of course, he'd watched her before he'd grabbed her. The first time he'd seen her through her kitchen window, he'd nearly choked on his disbelief. Bonnie had explained that the doppelganger would look like Katherine but he hadn't expected her to be an exact copy. The shock wore off after a couple of hours and he spent four days making sure the routine was the same every day. Grayson, the idiot, had built what he clearly thought was a fortress around his precious niece. But the predatory instincts that vampirism afforded him never failed and when he knew her habits, it took Damon exactly five minutes to determine how and when he would take her.

Some predator he was now, standing over his prey and realizing the absolute last thing in the world he wanted was her death.