Five

In My Dreams

Bonnie and Sheila entered the kitchen a moment later looking confused, "Elena what happened? We heard Damon leave? Are you ok?" Bonnie asked quickly looking at me concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine." I said, "I don't know what happened, but I think something may be wrong. I told Damon that I saw his brother and he got all quiet then left."

"His brother…you mean Stefan." Sheila said looking at me with alarm on her face and I nodded my head. "Stefan is here in Mystic Falls, but Damon said…oh I knew this would happen."

"Wait Grams, what are you talking about?" Bonnie asked curiously, "And who is Stefan?"

I wondered as well. Sheila seemed to know something and the look on her face told me that her mind was on overdrive because of the information I had just given her.

"Gram."

"Stefan Salvatore is Damon's younger brother – also a vampire and he's…he's dangerous." She said after a moment."

"What? I don't know about that. I've been alone with him, twice, once in a cemetery with no one else around and he didn't make one move to hurt me." I said, "He seemed…"

"First thing to remember about vampires Elena is that they are not to be trusted." Sheila warned cutting me off. "There are very few exceptions. They're beautiful and alluring, everything about them will draw you in and give you a false sense of security, but don't ever forget that they can kill you in less than a second."

"Is Damon one of the few exceptions?" I ask staring at her. "I'm guessing you trust him, you came here with him, what's so different about his brother?"

She sighed and I could see the hesitation in her face, "It's true I do trust Damon. There was a time when I had trusted Stefan as well, maybe even more so than Damon. Between the two he appeared like the kinder gentler and more humane brother, but I learned my lesson the hard way." She said sadly.

"What do you mean?"

She didn't say anything, a far off look appeared on her face and it seemed as though it wasn't a pleasant memory.

"Gram's what happened?" Bonnie asked and her grandmother looked at her thoughtfully.

"It doesn't matter; it was a long time ago. You just have to know to be careful with vampires, both of you." She said looking at us both. "This means Bonnie you need to know how to use your powers properly and Elena you must be sure you always have vervain on you."

"I do." I said touching my locket that my father had given me for my 13th birthday.

Bonnie's grandmother seemed to know quite a bit about the Salvatore brothers. If only I could get her to tell me more. I wonder…

"Mrs. Bennett do you know who Katherine is?"

"Katherine?" she said looking at me curiously. "Do you mean the vampire that turned Damon and Stefan and who Emily worked for?"

"Katherine is the vampire that turned the Salvatores!" I said and it suddenly all made perfect sense now. "Do you know…do I look like her?"

She looked at me closely and from the expression on her face I could tell that I did. "I never met her, she died before I was born, long before from what I understand, but I've seen a photo a long time ago, but yes I believe you look very much like her. You could be her twin in fact."

"What…what happened to her?"

"From what I can make from Emily's journals, she was captured then killed after Damon and Stefan's father Giuesseupe discovered what she was. apparently she burned in the church with all of the other vampires. I don't know anything else."

Bonnie said something to her grandmother but I was longer paying attention. Damon and Stefan were brothers, both vampires, they were both turned by Katherine who looked just like me, Damon seemed to be concerned that Stefan was in Mystic Falls. I didn't know why but for some reason I felt like I was more than a simple bystander in all of this, I felt like I was apart of it all, but the only question was how?

For the next few days Damon was MIA and Alaric and Zach were barely around for that matter either. I knew Damon was around because there had been spotting of him all around town, but never for too long. They were up to something and I was pretty sure that it involved Stefan somehow.

Even though I hadn't physically laid eyes on Damon, I saw him every night in my dreams. Every night it was the same thing, Damon would come quietly into my room through the window and just stand there looking at me. After awhile, he would come closer and bend and move a few stray hair's out of my face. His finger would trace my jaw and he would look me so tenderly. Then he would sit on the window seat of my room doing nothing until dawn.

Every morning when I awoke I would look towards the window hoping to catch Damon, but he was never there. I didn't know if was just a dream or if it was real. I knew I should feel upset about the thought of Damon coming into my room, but for some unknown reason I always felt the exact opposite. It was odd but somehow I always woke up feeling safe.

Was it possible that Damon had been in my room during the night? Who was I kidding; I knew it was more than possible. He had been invited into my house, snuck into by bedroom on more than one occasion. Definitely more than possible. The only question was why?

It seemed that when it came to Damon all I had were unanswered questions.

I started to get out of bed when I noticed something at the foot of the bed – a cell phone. The same one that… I quickly got dressed and ran out of the house before Jenna could ask me where I was going so early in the morning. I made my way to the Salvatore Boarding House and before I could even knock or the pull the bell, as per usual, Damon opened the door.

"Why hello Elena." He said before moving aside for me to enter. "So what do I owe the pleasure of your company this early in the morning?"

"You actually." I said pointedly and he raised his brown in return. "You've been coming to my room every night haven't you?"

He opened his mouth to say something but shut it again and tilted his head to the side and wordlessly walked to one of the rooms. I followed him and as I was walking into the parlor he picked up a mug from the side table and drank the contents in one gulp. "And what prey tell makes you think that I've been in your room?"

"I've been seeing you in my dreams, nothing dirty so you can hold your tongue." I said and he smirked, "I haven't seen you with my own eyes, when I wake up you're not there but every night in my dreams you would come and just, I don't know watch over me and then leave before I woke up." I said taking a step into the room. "At first I thought it was the same dream over and over again, but then last night you wore something different. Usually it's hard to tell because you generally wear black, but last night you wore a great shirt, the same one that you're wearing right now."

He looked down at his shirt and seemed to be thinking of an excuse but then I lifted up his phone and waved it in front of him, "Plus you forgot this. It was on the floor next to my bed. The last time that I knew you to be in my room was before you left to find Sheila and you called me with this phone when you got back so it couldn't have been in my room the entire time – if that was the excuse you were going to give me."

He looked at me and with the expression on his face it almost looked like he was proud of me, "I should probably be more careful next time." He said, "That was very Scooby Doo of you Elena. Should we color your hair and change your name to Daphne. I always did have a thing for red heads."

"Damon."

"Relax, I like brunettes too." He said winking and I just glare at him. "Fine I suppose you're going to yell at me now. Please go right on ahead."

"Actually no I'm not going to yell at you. I mean I'm furious that you've been coming into my room without my knowledge, but…" I started and he eyed me looking surprised, "but never once did I feel like you were there to hurt me. In fact I felt very much like you were trying to protect me."

There was a distinct look of surprise and curiosity that appeared on Damon's face. "Protect you? Well that's different."

"Yes protect me. The only question I have is why or rather from whom?" I asked but he didn't say anything so I continued on. "Is it from Stefan?"

"Stefan?"

"Since I told you that I saw him, you and Ric have been looking for him haven't you?" I asked but he still didn't ay anything. "I haven't seen you at all this week. Usually you have yourself wrapped around some girl. The girls in town are not happy." I said and he laughed.

"The women in this town really are craving male attention aren't they? Do you need some attention Elena?"

"I've only seen you in what I thought were my dreams." I continued ignoring his comment. "You were worried when I told you that I saw him and after asking if he had hurt me you rushed out of here so fast. Why?"

I looked at him but his expression remained unchanged, unmoved. There was one thing left that I could try though.

"If you won't tell me about Stefan, then tell me about Katherine." I said and he looked at me suddenly, his jaw clenched tightly. "I know I look like her. Sheila told me."

"Sheila talks too much and she doesn't know anything."

"She just confirmed what I was already thinking." I said and he looked at me curiously. "When we met, you started to call me Katherine, but stopped and when I met Stefan at the cemetery, he called me Katherine at first."

"Well you may look like her, but you're definitely nothing like her." He said walking over to the bar and he poured himself a drink before bringing it up to his lips and downing in one long gulp.

"I can't tell if that's a good or bad thing with you." I say but he doesn't say anything in return. "So are you going to tell me about her? She is the vampire that changed you and Stefan isn't she?"

"Weren't we at a one question a day rule limit? I think I've already answered your question for the day."

"Maybe but you were away for a week and then you've been MIA for the last few days so the way I see it, I'm entitled to a few days worth of questions."

"You're not entitled to anything." He growls but I ignore him and I take a few steps until I'm standing in front of him.

"The hell I'm not. I'm keeping your secret and now your brother, another vampire is possibly roaming around town, and I apparently look exactly like the vampire that changed you." I say and he looks at me for a moment and turns to look out the window but I can still see his reflection in the glass, "Why won't you tell me if I'm right about Katherine or about Stefan or even why you've been in my room every night?" I yell. "I am more than entitled to know what is going on!"

Suddenly my back is against the wall on the other side of the room and Damon is standing in front of me, his body pressed against mine, his faces inches from mine. The look on his face was full of rage. "I don't care if you're keeping my secret. It does not entitle you to know everything about me and that bitch Katherine you want to know about is dead. She was a self centered bitch that played and used every single thing/person she came across and she's dead. That's all you need to know." He said venomously, "Stefan is…I was in your room because you were the last one to see Stefan so I thought maybe he would come to you especially since you look like Katherine."

"Why would that matter?" I asked confused about Katherine and his reaction to her.

"It…it doesn't matter." He said backing away from me a bit, putting a little more space between us. "You shouldn't concern yourself with all of this."

"Yes it does. I can feel it. I'm apart of this whether you like it or not Damon. I feel like you're trying to protect me, but I don't understand why and from what. Is it from Stefan?" I said trying desperately to understand everything.

He looked at me then he was suddenly across the room again looking out the window, "We're vampires Elena, killers, no other reason matters other than that."

"But you're not trying to protect me from you. It's something else." I say walking slowly until I'm behind him again. "It's because of Stefan I can feel it and I think it has something to do with the fact that I look like Katherine."

"You need to let this go Elena." He growled keeping his back to me but I could see the pained look on his face through the reflection in the window.

"No" I said stubbornly. I knew I was walking a fine line here, but I knew I was right. I could feel it. "I'm apart of this. You made sure of that when you came back to Mystic Falls but I feel like I have another connection to all of this. All of this Damon, whatever is going on, whatever you're trying to protect me from, it all concerns me and I won't let it drop."

He growled louder in frustration before turning around fully and quickly grabbing my arms tightly and pulling me close to him. "Why the hell are you being so stubborn? Why can't you just let this drop? You're so damn infuriating."

"I just want to the truth."

"The truth." He spat out. "Not to sound all Jack Nicholson here but you can't handle my truth. The things I've seen, done, what I'm capable of, trust me you can't handle any of it. I'm telling you to drop it Elena. Why can't you understand that it's for your own good? Stop being so reckless, don't go looking for Stefan or for me for that matter. We're vampires, monsters. That's the only truth you need to know."

"You won't hurt me." I said softly and suddenly his face changed. His eyes were dark, veins protruded out all around his eyes and fangs we elongated. He looked menacing, dangerous but I knew he wasn't, not for me. "Damon you won't hurt me." I whispered softly, knowing he could hear me.

He just growled in frustration and we looked at eachother and I found myself staring into his crystal blue eyes again. "You're infuriating." He said and I could feel the breath from his words on my face.

"So are you." I whisper. I feel the hold he has on my arms loosen until they fall and one of his hands lands lightly on my hip. Suddenly I'm acutely aware of just how close we are. I was mesmerized by him. His clear blue eyes bore into mine. His fragrance overloaded my senses; he smelled musky and sweet all at the same time. I knew he wasn't compelling me but I couldn't move; I couldn't think clearly. His eyes traveled down my face and when he looked at my mouth he tongue darted out and licked his lips.

He looked into my eyes for permission, I don't know what my eyes were saying but if the way my body was reacting was any indication then I clearly gave him permission. He leaned down slightly, his fingers gripped my hip and I felt myself moving closer to him until I was pressed against him. My eyes suddenly fell shut and I waited with baited breath for what I knew was coming.

A/N: Please review