Hello, everyone! Sorry about the short hiatus, but here we are again! Don't know if you all will like this chapter but...I mean, everyone has their own opinions. If they're anything based on what I've gathered so far about you guys, I think it's going to be a decent reaction.

Anyways, just wanted to let you know that the 200 review treat is up! It's called Hurricane, if you haven't seen the e-mail yet. Sorry about the late-night update, by the way, I just wanted to get this out. By the way, THANK YOU all so much for reaching 200 reviews for me! You did it :) I can't express my gratitude, it really means a lot. I hope you take this chapter as another token of my appreciation.

All right, well, there you have it! Enjoy the chapter! Review at the end if you can.

Disclaimer: Chapter 1 Please :)

While You Were Sleeping

"Madeline!"

I turned around sharply, stopping my conversation with Vanessa, squinting through the blinding afternoon sun to see Damon pushing his way through the crowd of people making their way to the parking lot. Vanessa said her goodbyes to me, which I returned before I was greeted with the presence of the seemingly ecstatic Damon. "Hey, Damon. What's—"

"You are amazing," he breathed, smiling widely before taking me completely by storm, reaching forward and guiding my neck up to his to meet his lips in a hasty, out-of-breath kiss. I instantly froze, and I think Damon did, too—like he wasn't expecting it, either…which was odd, obviously. But his lips began to move against mine, and despite my inner morality telling me to knock it off; I ignored it instead and kissed him back, finding comfort in the way he moved against me. People stopped, people stared, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

Which was so unlike me.

With a blissful sigh, Damon released me from his hold and held me at arm's length. I was still slightly frozen, and I was sure that there was a hint of red creeping onto my cheeks as I cleared my throat and tried to pretend like he wasn't staring at me as if I were a million dollars. "Uh…w-why am I so amazing…exactly?"

Damon breathed out a smile before he held up a piece of paper in his hand—the midterm. On the top was a number out of one hundred, circled in a bright red pen.

"A ninety-nine?" I shrieked, grabbing the paper right from his hand. "A ninety-nine? You're kidding me! How the hell did you do better than I did?"

Damon smirked down at me. "I guess the student's become the teacher."

I shoved him as hard as I could, but it wasn't all that hard…or angry, for that matter. "Shut up," I barked, but a laugh couldn't help but break out from my mouth seeing the smile that resided on his own lips. A brief moment passed between us, and I knew that this was the time I was supposed to say something—to warn him that what he did couldn't happen again. To warn him that getting involved with…me was something he didn't want to do. Or, rather, something I didn't want to do.

But before I could speak my warning—or say anything, for that matter—he propelled forward and kissed me again, straight on the mouth like before. And, just like before, I froze instantly at his touch…only, this time, it didn't take long before I began to relax. I lost my head for a moment, a brief moment, and everything was being taken from me. I could no longer think straight…I could not see straight…I-I could not feel straight, if that was even a thing. I was completely and utterly consumed.

And then I realized.

I pushed him away from me, holding him at arm's length as I tried to regain my breath. I repeated the dreaded word over and over in my mind—no. No, no, no, no…it was on repeat.

I couldn't.

I wouldn't.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked me, his blue eyes sparkling in the daylight. What I found disheartening was that he had to do this now—right before I was about to leave the school's campus and begin the break. There would be no changing me mind or seeing him for the next week. If I walked away today, there was no telling what would happen when I returned.

"What are you doing, Damon?" I snapped, shaking my head at him. God, he was an idiot! An idiot! "You can't just go around kissing people!"

A trademark smirk filed onto his lips. "I'm not kissing 'people', Madeline, I'm kissing you." He tried to do it again, but I stepped back and stopped him this time against my better judgment.

"No," I scolded, wagging my finger at him. "No, no—no. I told you, I don't want this."

"Madeline—"

"I'll…see you after break," I told him, shaking my head before I turned on my heel and walked away. Quickly, I climbed into my car and got out of the parking lot as fast as I could, seeing him and his confused expression in my memory over and over again.

Damon finally realized that he'd been staring at the wall behind the little Gilbert for the last ten minutes as he drifted out of his experience, shaking off this weird feeling that harbored in his chest. He could pick out every detail in this Other World—what color the flowers were…what cars were in the parking lot…it was a lot to take in. That hard part of it all was recognizing the separation of these two worlds. He was not a high school student. He was not in AP Chemistry with his ex-girlfriend. He had not just kissed her. She had not just walked away from him.

Though, in a way, their life was all the same.

Damon's eyes coasted up to meet Jeremy's, who had been studying him. "Let me see her," Damon growled.

Jeremy shook his head. "You could kill her while she's sleeping."

Damon yanked at his chains angrily. "I wouldn't dare."

"You already did," Jeremy retorted pointedly, earning just a glare from the chained vampire in the cell. A small, vindictive smile slid onto the Gilbert's face as he bent down and spoke, "But I'm pretty sure you already see her anyway…" he trailed off as he set the glass of vampire blood Stefan had left for him to feed Damon on the ground, right before Damon's chains. Damon struggled against the restraints to get the glass, but it was just out of his reach.

Damon peered up at Jeremy. "Hilarious," he mocked with a bitter tone. Jeremy only smile and pushed his foot forward so that the glass slid with it, and Damon cursed under his breath before finally grabbing the cup of blood and draining it within a few seconds. Breathing a sigh of bliss and relief, Damon returned back to reality to find Jeremy staring at him victoriously. Intent on ruining Jeremy's smug happiness, Damon threw the cup at him so it brushed past and clattered onto the floor. "Wipe that smile off your face."

"Hey," Jeremy snapped, "You're lucky I'm even helping you! Considering the last thing you did for me was tell Enzo to strangle me to death!"

"Quit crying," Damon whined. "You're still around."

"Yeah, more than we can say for Aaron Whitmore," Matt said, stepping forward into the cell beside Jeremy. "Hey, didn't Madeline actually like him?"

"Yep," Jeremy agreed with that same smug smile. "And considering the rarity of people my sister actually does like…"

"I'd say she'll be pretty pissed," Matt voiced, shrugging lightly. "Hey, what do you think she'll do when she wakes up and the compulsion's gone? Realized Damon killed him for kicks?"

"Let's not forget that guy at the bar…" Jeremy added, looking towards Matt for confirmation.

"If you two clowns don't shut up by yourselves, I will gladly do the honors for you," Damon snarled at them, but a phone inside of Jeremy's pocket interrupted their fight.

"It's Elena," Jeremy announced before answering promptly, "Damon's phone."

"Jer?" Elena said on the other side of the line.

"Elena, hey. How you feelin'?"

"Confused, but…good." She took in a deep breath. "I miss you."

"Same here."

Damon sighed exasperatedly and just relaxed on the floor, closing his eyes to give himself peace of mind. A strange feeling raced through him…like he wanted to get pulled into that world again. The good one.

"Hey, Jer? Can you put Damon on the phone? I need to talk to him."

Jeremy turned around at Damon, whose ears perked up at the statement. With a sigh, Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, okay. Hold on." After a slight hesitation to mess with Damon, who really could care less, Jeremy handed the phone to the vampire and Damon took it with grace.

"Hey," Damon said slowly, holding the phone up to his ear. He watched as Jeremy and Matt left the cell so that he could talk to Elena alone. With everything happening with Madeline, he'd completely forgotten about what needed to be done with Elena.

"Hey."

An awkward silence passed. "So…" he trailed off. "Eat anyone yet?"

Katherine's goodbye gift to Madeline was obviously sending her into a deep sleep, but that wasn't half the torture as it was for Elena. Katherine had injected the doppelgänger body with a virus similar to Damon's, which meant that Elena was now a vampire ripper, just like him.

"Nope," Elena told him. "So far, I am symptom-free. Although Stefan still has me on the Damon Diet just in case."

Damon groaned. "Oh, yeah. It sucks," he said, dragging out the words. "You'll be craving carbs constantly. But, hey! There's a plus side. You get to keep your girlish figure," he said lightly.

Elena laughed through the speaker. "Only you could find the will to crack a joke at a time like this, Damon." Damon fell silent. "I heard."

"About what?"

"Madeline." Damon swallowed. "Damon…I…I don't really know what's been going on for the last three weeks, so…I kind of need your help."

Damon cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. "Well, what do you want to know? I'll tell you."

Elena was silent for a very, very long time. "When did it start?"

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"You…Madeline." Damon took in a deep, knowing breath. "I'm not blind, Damon. You broke up with me for a reason and we both know it wasn't because you needed time alone. It's okay, Damon. Just…tell me the truth."

Again, Damon let out an exhale. "The truth…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "The truth is…much more complicated than you'd think, Elena."

"Try me."

Damon thought about lying to her—he really did. He thought about telling Elena that he and Madeline just…happened after the night they broke up. But, instead, he couldn't find the will to lie. The lie would get them nowhere. "It never…ended, Elena," Damon said softly, but he knew she could hear. Elena took in a deep breath on the other side of the phone and Damon continued, "Bonnie had a…vision before your graduation. If Madeline had stayed in Mystic Falls with me, Silas would've killed her. The only way to get her out was to—"

"Tell her that you slept with me and wanted to be with me," Elena finished knowingly. Damon didn't say anything when Elena sighed. "Wow. That's…" she trailed off, sighing. Eventually, she spoke again, "I…guess I understand. It sucks, but I understand. You should've told me." She paused, and Damon didn't say anything. "God. The entire time, it was always…her, wasn't it?"

Damon shook his head. "Not the entire time, Elena. There were times when you and I made sense. Madeline and I…never made sense. It was different. I do love you, but—"

"But you love her more," Elena said, coming to an understanding. "I'm not what you want."

"No," he agreed after a moment of thought. "You're not what I want," he agreed.

Elena sighed heavily now, realizing that they'd reached this conclusion and that his feelings were finally confessed. He thought the next question would be when he officially returned to her sister, but instead, she didn't even ask a question. "Stefan told me that Katherine compelled Madeline to be her…uh…"

"Minion?" Damon completed for her, scoffing. "Yeah, she did. Probably since the beginning. We all know that she favored Madeline more than anyone else. Makes sense."

Elena paused for a while after his agreement. "How did she do it?"

"Do what?"

"Break your heart?" Elena answered slowly, her voice smooth on the other side of the phone. "I mean…the last thing I remember was running with her to try and get to safety but Katherine was already taking over so I told her to run…get away as far as possible." Damon swallowed. "Did she get to you—or to anyone else?"

Damon nodded. "She got to me," he said slowly. "She…she uh…" Damon scoffed. "You know, Elena, I don't…I don't really think we should be talking about this—"

"Stefan also told me that Katherine put Madeline back in an alternate reality," Elena interrupted him abruptly. "And that she took you with her. So, when she wakes up, Damon…you're going to have to talk to her about this. I'm just trying to help."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "No offense, but…why?"

Again, Elena exhaled, "You know, I never…wanted you like that, Damon. Not until the sire bond came around, and by the time that it was gone, I'd already…began to feel something for you. But, despite what everyone believes, I never…hated you two together. And if this is going to work, we need to be…friends."

"Friends?" Damon repeated.

"Friends."

Damon stared at the wall before him, and with the trigger of that word, he could feel himself slipping away.

"Friends," Damon groaned to his Uncle Zach as they set the table together. "That's all she wants to be! I've tried time and time again, but she just doesn't…want me like that."

Zach looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Ever get the idea that she's just…scared?"

"What would she have to be scared about?" Damon scoffed. "I like her, Zach. I really like her. More than I've liked anyone else. Ever. She's just so…different." He sighed.

"Maybe you don't actually like her," tried Zach, taking a different approach. "Maybe it's an infatuation, Damon. A lot of men want what they can't have…and she already turned you down once."

"It's not like that," Damon retorted, almost in a snapping tone as he looked up at Zach promptly. "She's…she's smart. She's kind. She's…beautiful. She's different from all the others—in a good way. I-I just don't know how to explain it. How can a girl like her be afraid of me?"

"Does she know about Melissa?"

Damon scoffed. "Are you suggesting that my ex-girlfriend is the reason Madeline doesn't want to be with me?" Zach shrugged, suggesting that he did. "That's ridiculous! There's absolutely no competition!"

"Are you sure…?"

"Yes, Zach, I'm sure," Damon said abruptly, almost letting a laugh escape his lips. "Melissa was…cold. Heartless. Sure, she was hot, but she was just so uninterested in everything. She never helped me, she never listened to me. All she cared about was banging the football team," he said bitterly.

Zach sighed. "Okay, Damon, I'm going to spell it out for you right now—girls hate any sign of competition. Especially the way this Madeline girl sounds…I mean, if she's really everything you say she is, she's probably just saving herself the heartbreak."

"What heartbreak?"

Zach let out a frustrated groan. "You're so clueless! God, you're like the stereotype for male teenagers everywhere! Let me spell it out for you: Damon. Loves. Melissa."

Damon frowned. "Damon. Does. Not."

"Maybe not, but that's probably what's going through this girl's mind right now," Zach protested, shaking his head in disbelief. "I swear, Damon, sometimes you're just a downright idiot."

"She has nothing to be worried about," Damon said again, shaking his head. "I will never in a million years go back to Melissa."

Zach shrugged again. "Then tell her that."

"Damon?" Elena questioned through the phone line. Damon rocked back and forth on his knees, swaying inadvertently as he was pulled out of his own alternate reality. He shook his head, desperately trying to get rid of the feeling that overwhelmed him again. "Damon?"

"Uh…sorry," Damon said, finding his words again. "I…uh…was on hold for a moment."

Elena was silent. "You didn't…" He kept his mouth shut, and she soon realized. "What's it like?"

Damon sighed and shifted so that he was lying on his side, holding the phone up to his ear. "You really want to know?"

"Uh-huh."

"It's..." he began after a moment. His eyes were focused on a spot on the floor of his prison, and he knotted his eyebrows. "…real. Probably contradicting myself here, but…even though it's fake, it's…it's not." A long moment passed before Damon realized that he was losing himself again, and he cleared his throat and sat up straight. "Sorry, you really shouldn't have to hear this. So…do you want to know more about what happened while you were gone?"

He knew that Elena was ready to fight him on this, but instead, she conceded. "Yeah. Sure." She paused. "Hey, wait! Have you talked to Aaron ever since…well, you know?"

Damon wrinkled his nose. "Aaron? What the hell has he got to do with anything?"

"Well, I haven't seen or talked to him since he found out I was a vampire and thought I wanted to kill him. I owe him an explanation. Maybe once Mads wakes up we can go talk to him together."

Damon pursed his lips. "Yeah…there might be a slight problem with that…"

After learning of the werewolf venom that was injected into Elena along with the ripper virus that Doctor Maxfield was creating, Stefan left the dorms at Whitmore College to meet Audrey and Caroline at the address that Caroline had texted him. When he was disappointed to find that it was only Caroline who had greeted him when he arrived. "Where's Audrey?" he asked when approaching the blonde Forbes.

Caroline bit her lip. "She's…uh…"

"Angry," Stefan filled in, sighing. "Right?"

Caroline was hesitant to nod, but she had to. "But she's here…at least! She's just with Enzo. Come on," she said, jerking her head towards the side so that Stefan would follow her.

"Did she say anything about it?" Stefan asked as he walked with his friend. Caroline shook her head.

"No, actually, she won't say…anything about it. Every time I try and bring it up, she just…shuts down and changes the subject." Caroline gave a frustrated sigh. "I even flat-out confronted her about it last night and she just turned away from me."

Stefan hung his head. "That's not good."

"No, it's not," Caroline breathed, exhaling largely. "Did Jeremy and Matt say anything about Madeline's condition?"

Stefan shook his head now as they moved on from the topic at hand. "No. She's still sleeping. Damon keeps drifting off. Whenever he gets pulled into it, he's completely dead to the world."

"This isn't good," Caroline shook her head, running a hand through her pale hair. "How are we even supposed to wake her up? What happens when she does wake up?" Suddenly, Caroline gripped Stefan's arm and pulled him to a stop while they were walking. "Stefan, what if she forget again?"

"She won't." Caroline and Stefan turned to see Audrey walking forward with Enzo on her tail. Her eyes stayed locked on Caroline. "The spell Katherine did won't have the same effects. We might even get lucky and she'll remember again." She sighed. "Sadly, I don't remember what wakes Madeline up and…I gave the spell book to Madeline, who's asleep."

"Yes, it's quite tragic isn't, it?" Enzo mused from behind her, coming up near Audrey's side. Stefan stiffened, and Enzo smiled. "Actually, I'm quite torn. Is it tragic or romantic? One never knows. He still hasn't told her about all the terrible things he's done. I, for one, would be more than willing to tell her myself. "

Stefan retorted boldly, "So what's in this for you?" he asked, diverting from the conversation. "Aside from getting Damon to undo every positive decision he's ever made?"

"Is it such an anomaly for Damon to have a friend?" Stefan shrugged. "Well, if so, consider me honored."

Caroline stepped forward, annoyed. "Okay, we're here. Where's the antidote?"

All of a sudden, there was a creak, and eons of people floated out of the rusted train cars that were spread all over the yard. A woman, essentially leading the group of Travelers, walked forward and caught Stefan's attention. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sloan," the woman said briskly. "And you met some of the Travelers when they were taking a bucket of your blood."

"Oh, yeah…" Stefan trailed off. "How could I forget?" He glanced around the yard before speaking again, "So…you have the antidote to this ripper virus, correct?"

"We do. Thanks to Enzo."

Enzo groaned. "I was trapped in that bloody farmhouse with Damon set to have my head torn of when, out of nowhere, Wes, with the help of the Travelers, saved my life. On the condition I owed him one."

"What does that have to do with us?" Caroline asked.

"He was running low on vampires," explained Enzo, "and he needed one to continue his work, so…I let him experiment on me. Among other things, it allowed him to make an antidote."

"When he died, the Travelers took it," added Sloan. "And, seeing as Elena is valuable to us, we're in the process of using Wes's resources to find a cure for her virus as well."

"Okay, when will it be done?"

"First, we have to find something."

"What do you need?"

Sloan paused before speaking again, this time with a deep breath. "Another one of you."

"What do you mean there's another one of me out there?" Stefan with a certain edge of incredulity.

"Like…a human Stefan?" Audrey asked her, confused.

"Exactly like a human Stefan," Enzo said, smiling at Audrey. "Did any of you ever stop to think that there was another doppelgänger roaming around?" No one answered. "Clearly, you don't know your Traveler lore."

"I'm sorry, and you do?" Caroline said sweetly, but it was deadly on the inside. Enzo shrugged.

"Well, being stuck with them for the past few weeks, I've picked up a few things. Like how the last remaining pair of doppelgängers are special."

"Oh, how wonderful," Audrey muttered, but sighed. "How special?"

"None of your business," Sloan snapped from behind Enzo, who just sighed at the way she reacted.

"You'll have to excuse Sloan," he defended her. "She's under a bit of stress. Uh, the leader of the Travelers—Marcus, was it?" he asked the Traveler behind him.

"Markos." Another irritated snap from Sloan.

"Markos," Enzo corrected, and added "See," as a side comment. "Wants the blood from the last remaining pair of doppelgängers and the Pure Blood—i.e., you, Elena, and your innocent little Madeline," he said pointedly to Stefan.

"Wait, Madeline?" Stefan asked, blinking once. "The Travelers didn't take her blood before, why do they need it now?"

Enzo made a buzzer noise to indicate Stefan's failure. "That's where you're wrong. They drained her, too, I guess…sometime before or after you and Elena were taken. Acts as some special type of…"

"Witch's brew?" Audrey sighed, but stiffened.

Enzo shrugged. "Well, in this case, it'd be Traveler brew, but yes, the idea works all the same."

"Why?" Caroline pushed.

Again, he shrugged. "Apparently, it's special."

"Special how?" Stefan insisted.

"Don't think I didn't ask," sighed Enzo. "As we've witnessed, the Travelers are very secretive. But what we do know is that, until the last doppelgänger is out of the picture, your blood, when mixed with Elena and Madeline's….doesn't do squat."

"So, what? You do a locator spell to find this guy and then you kill him?"

"It's more of a linking spell," Sloan jumped in pointedly.

Stefan frowned. "Last time a witch linked me to my doppelgänger, she fried my brain and I lost my memory," he said, displeased.

Sloan didn't seem to be scathed by the comment at all. "Then we better be careful," she said, giving him the slightest hint of a smile.

It was a little after Sloan had told Stefan that they had to do the linking spell again when Stefan had caught Audrey on a sole walk along the yard, circling around so that she could have some time alone. He saw her from a ways away, but when he realized that Sloan was still setting up for him to be linked, he knew what he had to do.

Audrey gasped when Stefan flashed beside her, but she was relieved to find that it was only Stefan and not some random vampire. But when the thought settled in that it was Stefan, she kept her emotions hidden. "You…scared me."

"Sorry," Stefan apologized. "I just…saw you and figured we could talk."

Audrey shrugged. "But there's nothing to talk about," she laughed, moving forward briskly. Stefan kept up the pace, though, refusing to let her evade this.

"I should've told you," he admitted, sighing. "I'm sorry that I didn't, I just…so soon after everything that happened, I thought you would overreact."

"Uh huh," Audrey said, nodding as she twirled a piece of hair on the end of her finger. "Yeah, so hearing it from Katherine was the better option? Because that makes sense, right? Oh, let's not forget the fact that you let her kiss you."

"I was doing it so that I could kill her," Stefan defended.

Audrey opened her mouth to say what she wanted to say, and Stefan could see the hesitation that formed. Instead of speaking her mind, Audrey smiled at him. "So, you know, you and Caroline could easily overpower these stupid Travelers. It's not worth the risk. You could lose your memory again."

Stefan sighed and realized that she had been shut off. But he wasn't taking it. "Funny. I'd think that losing my memory would be a benefit to you."

That sent her over the edge. She stopped in her tracks and spun around, pointing at him. "Don't you dare. I never crossed the line when you didn't have your memories! I never tried anything. Unlike Elena."

"Look, Audrey," Stefan said, reaching forward for her hands. He grabbed them, but she was displeased at the touch. "Elena was a part of my life. But the key term here is was. You are a part of my life now. Why can't you see that?" He reached forward and brushed the back of his hand on her cheek, and she shuddered.

"You kissed her."

"She kissed me."

"Did you kiss back?"

Stefan shook his head. "No. No, of course not. God, you know…" Stefan chuckled. "You'd think, as much as I love you, that you'd be smart enough to know that I wouldn't kiss someone else while we were dating…unlike my brother."

Audrey frowned. "He was drunk at the time."

"Vampires don't get drunk, they get buzzed. They're aware of a lot of things." Audrey shrugged and turned her head, but Stefan smiled. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

She sighed and turned back at him, biting down a smile. "Of course I heard what you just said, you ass." Stefan smiled. "And, I love you, too."

"Good." He leaned forward and kissed her, but kept it short and sweet before pulling away just enough to talk. "And if I lose my memory again, you have full permission from me to try anything you want."

He took her hand in his and they walked up to Sloan and the clan of Travelers, who stood around a chair. "That's for you," she announced. "Sit."

"Where are the antidotes?" Stefan pushed.

"You'll get it when it's done."

"No," Stefan said slowly. "You'll hand them over right now. I'm here. I'm doing everything you want me to."

Enzo volunteered, "I'll take them," he promised. "I'll make sure the appropriate parties get them." He held out his hand, Sloan gave an indication towards a Traveler nearby, who put them in Enzo's palm and the vampire took them with grace. "If you don't trust me, you're welcome to join, goldilocks," Enzo quipped towards Caroline, who stood beside him.

Caroline almost gagged. "No, I'll stay with Stefan and Audrey."

Enzo shrugged carelessly. "Very well, then. Best of luck."

And he left.

The first day back from Thanksgiving break, I had every intention of staying away from Damon Salvatore. I did a good job with it, too, for the first half of the day. I was able to get Mrs. Baker to change my seat in AP Chemistry to the back, no less. I avoided any of Damon's gazes, his confused gazes, from all across the room.

Why was I doing this? One might say it was a little extreme to do after someone kisses you. Normally, in high school, it was all about that. No learning, just boyfriends and girlfriends. But I didn't think that way. You know what I thought about? College. You know what college I thought about? The University of Cambridge. You know what the University of Cambridge wouldn't accept? An unfocused applicant who let her grades slip during senior year because of her runway-model boyfriend.

And Cambridge was all the way across the Atlantic. Even if I didn't let my grades slip because I let myself fall for Damon Salvatore, there was still that issue of what we were going to do after my senior year. Besides, he's already a senior! Who knows where he's going to go after this year!

So I was doing this for the both of us. The sooner Damon received the hint, the sooner we both would be able to forget about everything that happened and move on.

Unfortunately, he didn't think the same way I did.

As I walked down the hallway with no one by my side because Vanessa had been taken out early for a doctor's appointment, I felt myself get pulled from the hallway and spun into another room, where the door shut as promptly as my body hit it. My heart raced ten times its normal amount, but then the light clicked on and I saw Damon, who had been holding my mouth so I couldn't scream.

I shoved him off of me, but he didn't need much of a push. "Damon! You know this is a form of kidnapping, right?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "It's not kidnapping, Madeline. I just need to talk to you."

I shook my head. "I don't have anything to say, Damon, there's nothing to—" I tried to get out of the closet, but he leaned his hand against it so the crack I had achieved disappeared. With a frustrated sigh, I looked over at him.

"You asked Mrs. Baker for a new lab partner."

"No," I retorted, my voice childish. It wasn't my fault—he was the one acting childish! "I asked Mrs. Baker to move seats. There's a difference."

"Bullshit."

"Hey!" I snapped. "Look, I did it because you can't seem to get it through that thick skull of yours, Damon—nothing is going to happen between us. And, honestly, I don't feel comfortable around you anymore." I tried to pull open the door again, but his hand was too strong.

Damon scoffed. "What do you think I'm going to do?"

"I don't know…shove me in maintenance closet, maybe?"

"That was under dire circumstances," Damon pointed out. "You've been avoiding me all day, not just in class. In the hallways…at lunch—"

"Again, for the very same reason," I said, trying to soften my voice. Truth be told, I was getting quite claustrophobic. "Look, Damon, I'm sorry, but it just…it won't work."

"Why?" he demanded, shaking his head. "Because of Melissa?"

I shook my head in confusion. "Melissa?"

"My ex," Damon clarified. "We were going out this summer before school started, but I found out she was cheating on me." He scoffed. "I don't know why I'm reiterating this to you, you already know it."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "No, no, I don't. Wow." I laughed bitterly. "Wow, okay, so you thought that I was being difficult because you were on the rebound?" Damon fell silent. "God, have I really given off that vibe? That dumb…preppy…desperate teenage girl kind of vibe?"

"No, Madeline—"

"I don't care who your ex-girlfriend was, Damon," I snapped. "Because I don't care about you." At this, he fell completely silent, and I kept my hand on the doorknob. "Now will you let me go?"

Damon's silence turned into a very locked jaw, which spoke, "You know, Madeline, one day you're going to have to let someone in. Maybe it won't be me, but if you don't stop pushing people away, you're going to end up alone," he barked. Now I was the one who had nothing to say, and Damon straightened, releasing his hold from the door. He gestured to it, "You can go now."

I was hesitant for a moment, his harsh words on a loop inside my head, but they only made me angrier. So, after my hesitancy, I swung open the door, slipped outside, and slammed it shut so that Damon would know how pissed I really was.

Damon was going insane, sitting in the cell all alone, watching through eyes foreign to his as he fake-fought with his ex-girlfriend in his head. Elena had ended the call with him after he told her that he had killed Aaron, obviously displeased, and he hadn't heard from her since. But the alternate realities were coming quicker now…and they were starting to touch the very core of his emotions. Everything he felt—the lust, the anger, the rage, the jealousy—inside of this place, he felt in what he believed to be the real world.

And it was getting to the point where he wanted to do so many things that this human version of himself had thought of.

Weeks passed, and I luckily didn't have any problem with keeping Damon away. After our fight in the maintenance closet, he had left me alone and accepted his new lab partner. But his words had stung me ever since that day—he basically told me that I was going to end up an old lady with five billion cats if I didn't let someone in. But what did he know? He was just some stupid senior!

I had been completely brainwashed into going to this high school "Winter Wonderland" dance near Christmastime. It was the biggest cliché anyone could ever think up—"snow" falling from the ceiling, dazzling snowflake décor around the gymnasium, cheerful Christmas songs playing over the loudspeakers. But, Vanessa insisted that I go. She even bought a dress for me to wear and had played me like a Barbie doll.

The things I do for my best friend.

We walked into the gymnasium with a few of our other friends—not as close as we were, but close enough to go to a dance with. The lights were dimmed and the crowd of upperclassmen and lowerclassmen huddled towards the center of the floor. There was no one dancing besides a few couples here and there—mostly everyone either sat at a table with their friends and talked while eating or they stood up and talked while drinking. The dances were always the same.

Vanessa and our friends went to grab a table while I went over to the punch bowl to grab some cups for us all. I didn't have enough hands, obviously, so I only grabbed as much as my hands allowed me before going to the table I found them at. Vanessa came with me for our second trip, and that's when I saw him.

Only, Damon was not alone.

I felt a surge of jealous—something completely foreign to me—rush up my spine and consume every thought of mine. I didn't recognize the girl on his arm, but the girl was on his arm, after all. After I gathered my emotions from the floor, I looked over at Vanessa, who was waiting for me to answer a question. "Huh?"

"What's wrong?" she asked, disregarding her unanswered question, seeing my dismay. I thought about lying, but instead, I turned to the door and tried to make my pointing discreet.

"Who's she?"

Vanessa squinted in the dim light, but as soon as a blue light rushed over Damon and the girl on his arm, she gasped. "Oh, that's Melissa Kinsey! Whoa, wait. Is she back with Damon Salvatore? I thought they broke up at the end of the summer!"

When she said her last sentence, that's when it came back to me. Melissa Kinsey—the high school cheerleader. Damon was new, of course, and over the summer, I had heard about some guy dating her and breaking up at the end of July when he found out that she had been cheating on him with the entire football team. Somehow, she thought it wouldn't be an issue, but he definitely found it to be one. I had no idea that the boy she was dating was…Damon. The thought dawned on me that he was here with her again, and that could only mean one thing.

"So they're back together?" I asked, trying not to convey any of my inside emotions.

Vanessa looked at me, but didn't pay attention to my concerned features—which I could only be relieved for. "Yeah, I guess. Well, damn! I thought I had a shot," she whined before turning around to the punch bowl to fill up a cup. "You coming?" she asked as she straightened with two cups in her hand. When I saw Damon come towards the punch bowl with his new girlfriend, I knew I should've walked away. Instead, I shook my head.

"Nah. You go back without me, I'll be there in a minute."

Vanessa shrugged and walked away, taking a sip out of one of the cups as she left. I kept my head ducked and filled up a cup with the punch, and it wasn't long before I could feel Damon's presence beside me. I think it took all the courage I had to actually speak to him—actually, it took more courage than I was even aware that I had to talk to him. I cleared my throat, "H-Hi," I said. Idiot, my mind cursed, shaking its figurative head.

Damon looked up at me, his eyes sparkling with something I'd never seen before. Hope. "Hi," he returned.

Beside him, Melissa watched us, but I wasn't paying attention to her. Unfortunately, it was hard when she leaned over Damon. "Hi," she said in a bitchy tone. I unlocked my eyes from Damon's to see her with a bitchy expression that matched her bitchy voice. "Who are you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Melissa, we've been in the same language class ever since freshman year. Madeline," I said, trying to match her bitchy tone. I failed.

She gasped. "Oh, yeah! Madeline Reichs! The smart one. Hey, do we have any homework over the break? I totally zoned out the last twenty minutes of class."

I stared at her, but nothing surprised me when it came to this ditz. "No," I said, giving her a cold smile. "We don't."

Melissa breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. Good." She tugged on Damon's arm. "Come on, Damon, let's go get a table," she said, pulling him in the direction behind me. Damon's eyes drifted up to meet mine, and a silent understanding passed between the two of us, but I was too jealous to care. Well, part of me was jealous. The other part was miserable.

I didn't want it to happen like this. I didn't want to feel something for him. It's not like I woke up this morning and said "Hey, let me suddenly develop feelings for Damon at the dance tonight!" because that would be crazy. But, there was just something about him that kept pulling me back. And, seeing him with Melissa made me realize what a terrible mistake I'd made.

I messed up. I wanted to whine it aloud, but Madeline Reichs did not whine. She dealt with what came to her.

So that's what I'd do.

I walked back to my table and tried, and failed, to put Damon out of my mind. Sometimes, I would catch him out of the corner of my eye, dancing with Melissa, and it made me jealous to the very core. I was debating upon leaving—regardless of the cliché theme, this dance had to be the worst high school dance I'd ever been to. For more reasons than one.

But, then, something strange happened.

Every single one of my friends had gotten up from the table to dance, but I was left behind because I wasn't in the mood. As much as I wanted to leave, Vanessa was my ride home. I would have to stick it out with her until she wanted to go. So, I drained all the liquid out of my cup and braced to go get another, but when I turned to get out of the chair I sat in, Damon was crouching beside me, his arm resting on the table. "I didn't expect to see you tonight," he said abruptly, taking me off guard.

I thought for a moment, but nodded. "I didn't expect to be here tonight," I agreed. "And I'm not so sure it's been the best decision in the world."

"You told me you didn't want to…" Damon trailed off, but the sighed, exasperated. "She just asked me to come with her, and I said yes. I didn't think you would be here."

I was slightly curious as to why he gave so much thought to my feelings, but then I realized. Just because he stopped talking to me didn't mean he didn't hope I'd talk to him again. "It's okay."

"Really?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "No, actually, it's not." I breathed heavily now, exasperated. "I'm not mad that you took her here…I have no right to be, I just…"

Now I was at a loss for words. What I wanted to say shouldn't be said now. It shouldn't be here, it shouldn't be now, and it shouldn't be to him. What was I doing?

Before I could get a chance to continue, Damon's hand crept up into mine and he interlocked our fingers. "Dance with me," he said in a slightly desperate tone. I expected my inner instincts to rip my hand out of his and walk out, but instead, I found myself nodding weakly.

"Okay," I agreed, and he smiled before standing up and pulling me with him. He led me to the dance floor, where it changed to a slow song in the mere blink of an eye. I felt myself become overwhelmed with emotions I couldn't control…which was so different that I was starting to get worried. In all of my three years here, I had never once thought about a boy like this. Not once. And, yet, here I am, with a senior—a gorgeous senior—with our hands intertwined, his hand on my waist, and my hand around his bicep. It made me so…confused.

We didn't talk, for the first few moments, anyway. It was me who initiated the conversation, because I couldn't bear to stare into his eyes and get lost anymore. "I'm sorry," I said, desperately. "I just…you and I, Damon, we can't…work."

"Why?" Damon whispered, shaking his head. "I've made it clear how I feel about you, and tonight you've done the same to me. Why can't it work?"

"Haven't you thought about what happens after this school year?" I asked, trying not to get angry at him. "I mean, first of all, you're going to be out of here and I'll still be in here."

"I'm going to a college in the state. It won't be a problem."

"Yeah, but I'm not."

It came out faster than I wanted it to, and at this, Damon fell silent and I realized I needed to clarify. "Actually, Damon, I…I'm not going to a college…in the country."

Damon kept moving us to the slow tempo, but his expression changed. "What?" he asked, surprised.

"All of the colleges I'm applying to are in Europe," I said, shaking my head. "I…I have the grades, I have the means…It might not be permanent, but…" I shrugged. "I don't know yet."

Damon's expression changed, but this didn't mean that I stopped talking. "It's just, I've had this dream since I was a little kid and I've been recommended to go to all these foreign schools. They have great programs and I—"

"We'll make it work," Damon promised me, cutting me off. I stared up at him, now surprised, myself, as he looked down at me with sincerity. "I…I don't know how, but we'll make it work. Just say yes."

"Damon—"

"Just say yes," he repeated, and I recognized the hope that shone in his eyes again. How could I deny this? How could I stand here and tell him again that I didn't want to be with him, when really, every fiber of my being was telling me that I was meant to be with him. It was silly, it was illogical, but it was true.

I didn't say anything. Despite the smart part of me that wanted me to walk away and never give a second glance, I couldn't do that. I couldn't deny what I was feeling any longer.

Because there was something I wanted to try…again.

I moved forward and kissed him, this time surprising him with my kiss. He stiffened at first, but then his lips relaxed into mine, and he kissed me with tight, sweet lips that slid against mine in a passion I never believed I was able to achieve. All thoughts slipped from my mind about college and life…and here I was, kissing one of the hottest guys in school in front of everyone.

And then, we were caught.

"What the hell?"

Damon didn't even attempt to break the kiss, but I did upon hearing the shrill voice of Melissa Kinsey. She looked like she'd seen a ghost or something, but really, she was looking at me. Damon's head sort of hid me, and after realizing that I wouldn't ignore the situation at hand, he sighed and turned to the girl he'd brought to the dance.

She looked at him with wild eyes. "Her? Her! Who the hell is she?" Damon opened his mouth, but Melissa stopped him. A few people stopped and stared now, and I felt myself grow embarrassed…and, actually, quite angry. "No! No, you know what? Doesn't matter?" Melissa grew calm now, though her face blazed red. "We. Are. Over!"

She stormed out of there faster than the cyclone in the Wizard of Oz, and Damon merely watched as Melissa left with a bunch of horny football players on her tail. We both watched when she was gone, and then he turned to me. I sighed. "Maybe you should try and—"

"Nope," Damon said, shaking his head and giving me a hint of a smile.

And then he leaned forward and, witnessed to some of the students' eyes around us, he kissed me.

At first, his kiss was hot and deep, but then, it turned cold. I was confused beyond doubt, but then, we both pulled away. Damon and I looked at each other, confused, as we heard the music cease and we both looked around to find all of our fellow classmates completely frozen.

"What the hell…" Damon trailed off, looking around the gymnasium with curiosity. A look of sheer confusion crossed my face, and then, someone emerged from the stilled crowd.

Me.

My breathing quickened, and I thought the same thing that Damon said aloud. I was staring at myself, the same blonde hair, the same brown eyes…just in different clothing. "This isn't real," she mused to me, shaking her head. She looked over at Damon. "This isn't real."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, breathing heavily. "Who are you?"

"You have to wake up, Madeline!" the girl shouted at me, and I could not get rid of the worry that crossed my expression. "You have to wake up!"

But something inside me didn't want this—what the girl was saying. "N-No," I stuttered aloud. "No! I don't want to wake up." What I didn't want to wake up from was beyond me, but it spluttered aloud before I had control of it.

She looked at me with disappointment, but then she turned to Damon. "Then you have to wake me up."

"What?" Damon breathed out of confusion. "What the hell are you—?"

"Do it, Damon!" she snapped angrily at him, not giving him a chance to finish. "Wake. Me. Up!"

And then she surged forward and kissed him, straight on the mouth, and everything went black.

Damon snapped his eyes up to the cellar door, where he was going over the end part of his dream. She—Madeline, the real one—had told him to wake her up. She wanted to be woken…at least, the one shouting for him to do it did.

And he suddenly had an idea of how to fix all of this.

"Donovan!" Damon shouted desperately. "Donovan, get your ass in here!"

But it wasn't Matt who walked in—though he did open the door. Instead, it was Enzo, who bore a little present in his hand.

"Solved your little problem, mate."

As soon as Damon downed the antidote, Matt and Jeremy, who took their time undoing Damon's chains, released him. Damon was angry, at first, but once he was out of them, he flashed upstairs as quickly as he could before he was delayed by another vivid dream. Madeline was in his room, sleeping peacefully on his bed, one of her hands on her stomach, the other by her head, which was tilted to the side. In the dim light, her long, blonde hair was visible to him. He didn't know how he felt about the hair yet, but he was sure he'd develop an opinion for it soon.

He walked over to the bed and moved her legs to the side so that he could sit on the bed with her. She didn't notice him, of course, but her breathing was still even and peaceful. God, she just looked so peaceful to him. He reached out and brushed her cheek with his fingertips and wondered how she'd react to all the terrible things he'd done.

Before he was able to test his theory on how to wake her up, he was sucked into another dream.

The year had gone by fast, actually. Damon and I were together for the rest of my junior year—the end of his senior year. I went with him to his graduation, which was probably the most fun I'd had in a long time. Everything was so…simple.

But the end of the summer was approaching fast now. It was the middle of July, on a hot summer's day, when Damon and I had stumbled across a fat, stalky tree that was perfect for climbing. I, of course, was never one to climb into trees, but he somehow found it entertaining. So, he pulled me with him, and as I sat on a limb above him, he sat on the one diagonally below me. He wasn't too far, but he wasn't so close.

I leaned against the tree trunk and sighed as I watched Damon trace the skin on my exposed leg. My feet were hanging in his lap, but he did not complain. "I applied for early admissions today. The school counselor says I can graduate early and hopefully be in the UK by the New Year." But my mood was not excited, it was somber. This was what I was afraid of—the goodbye.

Damon didn't look up at me, he just kept tracing patterns into my skin. "That's great," he said, but he didn't sound so excited about it. Neither was I.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, breathing out heavily. "You're going off to college at the end of next month and I'm still going to be here…until I leave this time."

Damon looked up at me, his eyes hopeful. "We'll be okay," he promised, but I didn't want to take his word for it. "We'll be okay," he repeated.

A silence passed before I felt like getting something off my chest. "Damon, I…."

"Shh," he said, removing my feet from his lap so they swung off the branch I was sitting on instead. I watched as he shifted so that he was standing on the limb he was on. Like mine, it was fat and sturdy, so it would hold him. He leaned over me so I stared up at his brightly lit eyes. "I know, baby, I know."

I swallowed, and though I was afraid he didn't know what I wanted to say, there was a part of me that knew that he actually did know. But he didn't say anything, and I didn't say anything. Instead, he kissed me again, his lips soft and sweet like honey. A part of me wanted to explore the world, be my own person. But, then, another part of me wanted to stay with him here and never regret it.

As quickly as he was into the dream, he was out of it, and he stared down at Madeline, who lay sleeping as he had seen her before. Nothing moved—not even a twitch of her finger. Was it wrong of him to want to go back into it and say what he—vampire Damon Salvatore—wanted to say? This human version of himself was so afraid that he wouldn't even let her say it.

But it was time to test his theory.

His mind drifted back to the Madeline that kissed him after the alternate reality had gone south at the Winter Wonderland dance, and he thought of it as he leaned forward and positioned his lips right above hers. Please work, he thought to himself. The hunger regarding her blood was gone, and he was completely focused on one thing—getting her back.

He leaned down and kissed her.

A moment passed, and when Damon pulled away, he saw no sign of life but her even breathing. He thought, for a split second, that all hope was lost.

And then, the slightest movement was enough to make him rethink everything.

After one twitch, more came, as if lifting a paralysis off of her body. Her fingers twitched, her leg twitched, her nose twitched, her eyes twitched. And, then, he saw the sanity of her beautiful brown eyes.

She shot forward.

I remembered.

Everything.

No, not the metaphorical everything. Not "Everything that happened in the last few months", but everything, everything. It was like a wall had been chopped down, and all the memories rushed at me at once. They flooded my body, they flooded my mind. Elena…Stefan…Audrey…Caroline…Matt…Jeremy…Tyler…Bonnie…Klaus…Rebekah…Elijah…

Damon.

Damon.

Damon.

"Hey," Damon said softly, and I pulled my eyes to meet his. I didn't know what I was feeling—anger, confusion, hurt, happiness, worrisome, rage—they all blended together now, with all of the memories I was given back. Everything from the night we met while I was jogging to the confinements of our own reality together where we were both afraid that going off to college would ruin everything. "How do you feel?"

I couldn't speak, at least not now. But, I tried to form words. Two words, exactly. I desperately clawed for my voice, and I finally was able to get something out.

"I remember."

Damon brought me downstairs, where we both stood in the parlor after Jeremy, Matt, and Enzo all had left us. I tried to act happy…I tried to act like I wasn't being crushed by a mental boulder, but I just couldn't. The good news was that I was getting words out and I was able to control the movements regarding my body. But I hadn't spoken to Damon, at least, not since I told him I remembered everything and Jeremy had let it slip that Damon killed Aaron Whitmore.

Damon held out a bourbon glass to me, and I suddenly caught onto his gesture. "No, thanks," I said, clearing my throat.

Damon sighed and put the bourbon glass down. "She speaks," he mused. "Care to share anything else turning around in that beautiful little head of yours?" he asked without looking at me, bringing the bourbon glass to his lips. I wanted to say something, so, so bad…but I just couldn't. I remembered everything—literally everything. Every little pain that Damon had caused me and every little joy he had caused me, too. Not to mention the fact that our alternate reality had ripped my very core.

It gave me everything I could ever hope for…and, yet, here we are. Human vs. vampire again.

"Why did you believe her?" I asked, finding the will to speak.

"What?" He didn't even turn his head.

"You know I don't think of you like that. I don't believe you're a monster, I never have. You should've seen through me, Damon. You know me…better than anyone," I breathed out, desperate.

He turned his head to me now, his eyes cold. "You don't think I know that? I spent days thinking about what you said to me under her compulsion. The way you said it was just so…" He strained himself for the right word. "…you," he finished.

"But it wasn't me," I said, shaking my head. "It wasn't me. I thought I had proven to you, time and time again that I can accept who you are! You slept with my sister for God's sake, Damon, and I forgave you! I forgave you!"

"No," Damon said, turning his whole body towards me now. "No, you didn't. This…messed-up version of you did. This…hardrive-wiped Madeline Regis—or whatever the hell her name was—forgave me. You haven't been you ever since you came back."

"Haven't been what?" I shouted. "Damon-oriented? Sorry that I had a life, Damon, I didn't exactly plan on it!"

"Don't you see?" Damon shouted back, his voice equally as powerful. "I thought you broke my heart and so I ripped open as many necks as I could! That is the control you hold over me, Madeline!"

"And you managed to make me fall in love with you not once, not twice, but three times, Damon! Three. Times!" I yelled. "Human or vampire, I just keep falling back in!"

"Listen to this! Listen to you!" Damon snapped. "You are standing here, telling a vampire that you fell in love with him not once but three—three!—times! Even after he slept with your goddamn younger sister! And you don't even think to blame me for the things I've done." His eyes widened, shaking his head at me. "And you have made yourself perfectly clear that you won't become like me. What does that say about us? What is that supposed to say about me or…or you?"

I was getting frustrated now, pacing back and forth before I finally spun around to face him. "You want to know what it says about us? It says that we have completely lost our minds. That we have screwed up so many times that it has just become routine! That you have screwed up so many times and I have just gotten into the habit of forgiving you! That we have learned to accept each other for doing terrible things." Damon stared at me, silent but angry. "So you want me to blame you for the things you've done, Damon? I'll blame you for all of it! I blame you for making me feel like someone different…for finally showing me who I am rather than who I should be. I blame you for giving me something that no one else had ever given me before—someone to love in more than just an obligated way." I swallowed as things went silent. "I blame you for making me love you even when I don't want to. Because I do, Damon, I love you."

But this came out angrily. All of it came out angrily, really, and he knew this, too. That was what made him scream, "Then stop loving me, for God's sake!"

"I can't!" I groaned, putting my face in my hands. Damon fell silent, and I flipped my hair up to meet his sorrowful eyes. "Despite all of my efforts to forget about you or to stay away from you, I always find myself back in the same position—in love with you."

"For crying out loud," Damon mumbled before turning to me with fired eyes. "You are a human! I am a vampire! This cannot work! No matter how hard we try or how much we try, we will not be able to make this work out unless you turn, Madeline!"

His voice was softer, though, despite his angry expression. But I don't think he was angry at me, but rather angry at himself. "I know," I said slowly, softening my own voice as I came to this realization that he was right. We were doomed. "I know," I whispered.

He lowered his eyes, as did I, because I couldn't bare to look at him. If I did, I would fall apart. "Then we have to stop this," he said, his volume the same level as mine. "If we want to be together, you'll have to become a vampire. And—"

"And I won't do it," I finished for him, shifting to comply with my nod. "I won't turn into a vampire. You're right. This has to stop. I-It just did. We're over." I crossed my arms and avoided his gaze, but I had the odd feeling that he was stared at me.

Maybe if I just looked up…

Bad decision.

Our eyes locked, and when this happened, I could see the want in Damon's gorgeous eyes that I had lost myself in so many times I had stopped counting. It was a blur, but all of a sudden, he was kissing me—like, really kissing me. His hands took my face and he roughly slid his lips against mine in a craving for me. I hadn't realized it until it was too late, but I was kissing him back, and I found the kiss making me lose myself. My head disconnected from everything, and my judgment was shut in a box and locked up tight. His mouth almost violently crashed against mine, his tongue exploring the inside of my mouth, making my head spin with desire that I couldn't control.

It's just all…too much. Too…too much.

I think I lost it. I completely lost it. Every ounce of passion that I had kept bottled within me for twenty years had completely burst, and I had exerted it out on the vampire before me—the one who I had gone back and forth with time and time again but always ended up beside at the end of the day. I pushed him away from me, and I could see the realization in his eyes that I was going to stop, but that was actually the complete opposite of what I wanted to do. My hands went to his shirt, where I hastily began to undo the buttons until they got on my nerves. I used the adrenaline pumping through me to slice the fabric on top of Damon's skin, and he looked down at the torn shirt, astounded at my strength. I was actually pretty amazed at it, myself, until he crashed against me again and wasted no more time getting me upstairs.

He didn't ask me once if he thought I was ready, and that's because we both knew that I was. Years of sexual torture, and here I was, giving it up to Damon Salvatore. Not a single thought crossed my mind about what this would do in the long run.

And I couldn't give a shit less.

He pushed me down on his mattress—the one I had spent the whole day lying on. This time, I wasn't just lying on it. Damon pressed my body into it with his as he kissed me, but then he stopped to strip the torn fabric of his shirt. He threw it on the floor carelessly and I reveled in the sight of his bare chest. A sight that I had seen before but, up until now, had not thought of all the things I could do with it. Hastily, his fingers moved to my own shirt, where he didn't have to waste any unnecessary amount of effort to tear it off. But I couldn't think about where my clothes were going to end up or how they were going to end up. All I knew was that I wanted him and that I was slipping away.

My hand found his way to his bare chest through our feverish kissing, and it slid down his torso and felt the muscles that resided. I could feel him moan in my mouth, and at this, I did the same. There were so many reasons to stop this and yet, I couldn't come up with a single one.

Damon took my hand that had reached his belt buckle and grabbed it in his own. He gently pushed me up towards the headboard, and I complied as he thrust my hand down on the bed, my fingers locked in his as he hovered above me. Through our heavy breathing, I heard him say, "You're sure?"

I appreciated the question, but I was never so sure of anything in my life. "Kiss me," I demanded, almost in the same tone I had used the night that he first kissed me in real life. There were incidents before when he liked to slow-play me—to make me believe that he had, but he hadn't. His generosity was unkind when it came to those dreams; it never lived up to the real thing.

Damon complied with my demands, and he crushed down to kiss me again, his chest brushing against mine. He then flipped us so that his hand moved around my waist, securing me to his body, and he dragged the strap of my bra down my arm, and that was the moment I knew there was no turning back.

And I didn't want to.

He flipped us over again, and I found myself consumed to the very hilt when his hand slid against mine, interlocking us together. Two different species, yet both the same.

Damon Salvatore was a vampire.

I was a human.

We would never work.

It needs no words, I think. I solemnly swear to update whenever I get the chance. Hope you enjoyed it! Review if you...want to, I guess.

Love,

BellaSalvatore1918

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