CHAPTER 3

General POV

When they'd told her Damon had left town, three years ago; she had been crushed, utterly depressed. Right after she chose to complete her transition –for the sake of Jeremy's-, she had enclosed herself in her room, and away from everyone. She refused to get out, not even to feed, even though her hunger was driving her insane. If anyone came up to her room, she'd yell them that she wouldn't.

In her mind she had that crazy idea that Damon would materialize out of nothing, and tell her she was being a brat; then, he would throw her on his shoulder and force her out. Even then, she knew that that was most likely impossible. But, the girl couldn't help but hope. Sadly, her dream never came true; because the man that was supposed to never leave her, did in fact leave and had no intentions of ever coming back.

It was the time where she had been depressed the most; but it was nothing compared to this despair. She didn't expect their first reunion, after three years of being apart, to go like this.

He was supposed to enter the door, screaming her name desperately, due to the time he had been apart from her. He would rummage through the house until he'd find her, sitting on his favorite arm chair in the study; the fireplace would be casting an inviting and romantic light on the darkened room; she would be reading the same book she had been reading over and over again for three years -his favorite book: 'The Call of the wild'; in an attempt to remind herself of what she couldn't appreciate, and in consequence had lost- and holding, in her other hand, a glass full of his favorite bourbon of all times.

He would storm through the door, screaming his undying love for her at the top of his lungs. Then, he would drop to his knees in front of her desperately asking for her forgiveness, for breaking that sacred promise he had mad in that very same room. After a lot of begging, she would tell him that he was forgiven, he always had been. After that, they would share such a passionate kiss, that would prove the ever-lasting love they felt for each other; then, he would produce an old looking diamond and sapphire ring. He would say a touching and loving speech, then he would say he couldn't imagine eternity if she wasn't by his side; right before he would ask her the most amazing, yet scaring question: 'Will you marry me?'

But now, her dreams had been reduced to nothing, turned to ashes. All because of that fucking whore that was currently holding hands with the man she didn't know was what she had been looking for all along. She had the feral urge to grab Damon and drag him the hell out of here and away from the slut. She wanted to mark her territory and send the whore back to Whoreville.

All this chain of thoughts didn't last longer than a few seconds, when she was shook out of her malicious reverie, once again by Damon's voice.

"Aren't you gonna invite us in?" Damon asked teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"You know an invitation isn't necessary"Elena snapped at him. Now that the despair was gone, a new emotion replaced it: anger. Untaming, utter, irrational, and complete anger.

Seeing the intimate hold Damon had the slut's hand in made her see red with irrational rage. She had this insane urge to make 'what-was-her-name?' suffer for even daring to set eyes on her man. She wanted to make her suffer so much that she wished she was never born. In her head she was already planning all the torture methods she would inflict upon her. First, she would chain her down in the basement cellar, with vervain soaked chains. Then, she would spray vervain all over her entire body, until her skin was as red as a cherry. After that, she would take four stakes, and she would lunge them all together in her chest, not close enough to her heart to kill her, but close enough so the pain would be unbearable. Then, she would happily tear her apart; limb from limb. She would peal skin off muscle; muscle off bone. She would keep on torturing her, until she begged for mercy and asked her to kill her; only so the intolerable pain would stop. But the begging would fall in deaf ears. Elena would not kill her. She would just unchain one of her wrists and hand her a makeshift stake, which the slut would use to drive through her undead heart; only to relieve the torture. That way Damon wouldn't blame her for killing his new girlfriend.

"Then, can you please move out of the way and let us enter?" Damon said in a cold tone of voice. Three years later, and the girl still could annoy him with the littlest of things.

Damon was trying to keep his composure, but deep down he was a mess. He didn't plan on crossing paths with the latest Doppelganger during his return, in fact he didn't even want her to know he was coming back. But just as he had predicted, things never go as they are supposed to when Elena is involved. He had been pretty specific to Stefan as to who could, and who could not know about him coming back. And Elena was in the 'could not' pile. 'And for a good reason' his conscience reminded him. Proven by how Elena had already managed to get under his skin again, and she had just said what, one single sentence? This fact scared him, not that he would ever accept it, but if she had gotten under his skin so fast, after just four words that she had spoken to him, what would happen if he stayed longer? 'Run, Salvatore! Run while you still have time; and before she sucks you in all over again' his mind was screaming at him. But he ignored it. He refused to let a girl make him, a 175-year-old vampire, run scared from his own house. He was here for a motive, and he'd be damned if he didn't get it over with because of Elena fucking Gilbert. So, he made a promise to himself; he would finish, as soon as he could, whatever it is that he came back for, and then he would get the hell out of here, to never be seen again. He wouldn't let Elena Gilbert walk back into his life and destroy everything all over again; like he let her do, three years ago. He wouldn't let her in again, not even if his life depended on it. He would rely on Irina and fight any attempt Elena might make to suck him back in. Irina would be his fort.

He saw how Elena's face fell at his coldness, and a few tears forming in her eyes; and he had the stupid urge to pull her into his arms to comfort her. But he sent that urge straight to hell. He groaned when he realized that he had to be even more careful around her than he initially thought. If he was already having that kind of thoughts, it meant that she had gotten under his skin much deeper than he cared to admit, even to himself. From now on, and until his upcoming departure, he would walk on eggshells around her. That was if he was around her at all. Which he just decided, he wouldn't. He'd avoid being around the Boarding House when she was over, and only come home when he was sure she wasn't there. Little did he know…

When Elena made no move to get out of their way, he tightened hi hold on Irina's hand and, together, they walked around Elena's still form. He dragged Irina upstairs and in direction of his room, little did he know of the surprise he would get when he walked in.

Elena's eyes widened when she saw where they were heading. They could not go to his room right now, they just couldn't. she was hoping that they would go to the parlor first, and have a drink; at least that was what the Damon she knew and loved would do. But as they say, nothing ever goes as planned. The cracking of the steps beneath their feet, shook her out of her thoughts. She rushed upstairs, in a failed try to stop them, but it was too late; Damon had already opened his bedroom's door and was looking at the stuff in it dumbfounded. She see the confusion in his eyes turned into anger when he turned to look at her. She looked down guiltily, and swallowed the lump in her throat. She was expecting his roaring voice to explode through the silence in the room; but it never came. She looked up at him and saw that he was trying his hardest not to lash out at her, but was clearly failing.

"Why is my room filled with your stuff" he hissed through impossibly tight clenched teeth. She knew that he loved his room, and he hated when someone entered without permission. She gave him her puppy dog eyes, trying to get him to calm down; but apparently, it didn't work. If possible, his anger grew even more at the sight of that look that had made him do everything she wanted, before when he was foolishly in love with her. Now it just angered him.

"I-I-I don't know if you know this, but now I'm living here, in the boarding house" Elena stuttered and gave him a sheepishly smile. She knew she had to calm him down, before he got even more worked up.

"And you couldn't find another room to sleep in? There are other six bedrooms!" his voiced roared through the room and Elena flinched. Seeing the look in his eyes made her want to crawl in a corner and sob. Damon had never look at her with so much hatred in his eyes, that she doubted that all his rage was because of her staying in his room, but also because of her poorly-thought actions three years ago.

"I-I like this room" she defended herself. She wanted to tell him the real reason she had chosen his room to sleep in, and not one of the guest rooms. She did, because she wanted to, somehow, stay close to Damon when he was away and not coming back.

When Stefan told her that Damon was coming back, she didn't bother taking her stuff out; because in her mind, after Damon asking her to marry him, he would take her up to his room –which now would be their room- and they would make passionate and wild sex; all night, and all the next day, trying to make up for their time apart.

But now, that dream was also crushed, along with the others. And she wanted to cry. Because, not only would she not be in their –his- room with him; but, because he would be sharing the same bed, which she had dreamt of him making tender and sweet love to her on- with another woman –vampire-, that was a slut at it, by the way.

The rational voice in her head was telling her that she was being unfair to the Russian vampire -calling her names in her mind, and wishing to kill her-; but the other part was also telling it to shut the fuck up. Elena heard the jealous part of her head, which was telling her to take the first opportunity she got, and use it to get rid of the blond bitch.

"You won't be staying here anymore. I am" Damon hissed at her and showed her his fangs. "So get your shit, along with your ass, out ofmy room"

Damon knew he was being irrational with her. He knew he was overreacting, over the simple fact that Elena had been sleeping in his room, on his bed. The same bed he had dreamt of making sweet love to her on, uncountable times before she broke his heart. Unconsciously, he was imagining that she had slept here because she wanted to, somehow, keep close to him, when he wasn't there. Even though, the thought warmed his heart; he knew it was impossible. He groaned inwardly when he realized the he made another mistake, by letting those thoughts enter his mind. He was already breaking his promise; and he had made it just what, three minutes ago? 'Get a hold, Salvatore' his conscious snapped at him.

"And what if I don't want to, huh?" Elena took a defying step towards him. He knew what she was doing, trying to get under his skin. Little did she know that she was deeper in it than she thought. "I like this room, and I am staying here. You were gone for three years; you don't get to walk back in and expect that everyone does what you want" Elena snapped.

"Listen to me, you little brat. This room was mine even before you were even born. If I have to, I throw you on my shoulder and carry you out myself" he threatened. Which he shouldn't have; because it only triggered her stubborn side. She would never let a threat challenge go.

"Do as you will. But I'm not leaving this room to you. Especially not if that is sleeping here with you" Elena snapped in his head, pushing his shoulder and walking to the bed, sitting on it.

"This has a name. Now if you know what's good for you, I'd recommend you leave the room to us" Irina hissed. Elena couldn't ignore the threat in that sentence, but that just ignited her Petrova fire.

"No. If you know what's good for you, I'd recommend you get the hell out of my face, bitch"Elena snapped at the Russian. She couldn't believe that sentence just left her mouth; she wasn't usually a violent person, but that whore brought the worst out of her.

"Oh, yeah? And what are you going to do?" Irina mocked her and Elena saw red. She couldn't believe the nerve of that Russian girl. Walking in and acting like she owned the house? She would be sorely disappointed. She owned the house at least that was what the deed said.

"I don't know if you're aware but you're in my house, Irisha" Elena smirked at the blond vampire.

"This is Damon's house" the blonde spat at Elena.

"That's where you're wrong, Sweetie. Hasn't Damon told you that four years ago he signed the deed over to me? Yeah, he gave me his house, because he couldn't stand that I was unprotected in my own house. Can you imagine how much he must have loved me? He stood in front of me when I was shot with an arrow, and got a werewolf bite so that my best friend wouldn't. Tell me Irisha, does he love you as much as me, even half of how much he loved me?" Elena smirked when she saw that she had probably hit a nerve with her speech. The Russian, whose name she still couldn't get right, was clenching her teeth incredibly tight. She knew that Damon probably still hasn't told her he loved her. 'There's still hope, Elena' her mind cheered her.

"First, my name is Irina. And second, keyword is loved, as in past tense" Irina smirked back at her. "You're past news, Sweetie. I'm hisgirlfriend. So tell me, Elena, were you ever in a relationship with him? No? Thought so" the Russian grinned mischievously at Elena's hurt expression.

Elena wouldn't let the whore walk all over her. So; as fast as she could, she sped to the bitch and broke her neck before she could do anything. The body fell to the ground with a big thump.

"Take your slut out of here, Damon. I'm not leaving this room"