A/N: Yet again I apologize for taking my time updating. But I'm giving you an extra long chapter as a way to get you guys to forgive me ;)

Thanks my Beta for helping me out. And to BadBoysAreBest for her awesome "Seventeen" playlist.

Things are about to heat up in Mystic Falls, my friends...

Zach Salvatore couldn't breathe. There was a pounding in his head and it took him a while to realize that it was his own pulse he could feel beating inside his head, beating hard and fast. He tried to swallow but there was something preventing him to. Something strong and unrelenting.

He pried his eyes open by sheer force, they felt as if they were glued shut, and as he did he met Damon's piercing blue eyes, lazily giving him a once over. Zach was laying on the floor, with Damon hovering above him, his hand in a tight grip around Zach's neck.

'Rise and shine, sleepy head', Damon smirked.

Zach opened his mouth to say something, but nothing more than a gurgle came out, since Damon's hand was almost crushing his larynx.

'I know', Damon soothed and eased up on his grip, just enough to let Zach draw a painful breath. 'But you need to wake up so you can give me the information that I need.'

Damon leaned in closer to Zach, making his hand tighten yet again around Zach's neck.

'Why would the Lockwoods assume you could give them vervain, since I know you know that I specifically forbid this family from growing it? Still, what do I hear while I'm having a quiet drink in town? Hmm?' He looked poignantly at Zach who could feel the blood freeze in his veins.

'Do you know how many bones there are to break in a full grown human body?' Damon whispered into Zach's ear, sending shivers of fear down his spine. 'Two hundred and six to be precise, and trust me when I say; I have the patience to break all of them and the anatomy lessons to boot, so you'd better spill.'

'What's this council I keep hearing about and how come you're a part of it?' Damon's voice was quiet but demanding. Zach shook his head almost unperceptively. Damon narrowed his eyes. So the old douche was trying to act tough?

'I'm not playing games, Zach,' he hissed. 'Tell me or I'll start breaking bones.'

Zach lifted his chin defiantly, but his whole body was shaking and he could barely meet Damon's gaze. Damon contemplated this for a second. Either he'd start off with something big, like his arm, that was sure to hurt and more to the point, get him talking, but that would also most likely render Zach unconscious, which in turn wouldn't serve its purpose. Or he'd start off small but sending the message through.

From experience, Damon knew that to a human not used to violence, a little bit of blood usually would be enough incentive to get them to talk. With Zach it would be more than enough. But he wanted to really get his point across.

Still with a firm grip around Zach's neck, and his other around Zach's arm, he crashed Zach into the wall behind them, eliciting another groan from Zach as the back of his head hit the wooden panels.

Damon took a step back, still holding on to Zach's neck and hit Zach on the bridge of his noise with one quick measured movement. He could hear the satisfying crunch as the bone splintered and Zach's cry of pain. The nose was a sure thing when it came to causing less damage to the person, but a lot of damage to the psyche. Nose bleeds were very rarely fatal (unless you managed to send the broken bone into the brain by hitting in the wrong spot) but the amount of blood was frightening even to the bravest of men if it had never happened to them before.

'That's one', Damon grinned viciously. 'Like I said, I've got all the time in the world. Who's part of the council, Zach?'

'Please', Zach pleaded, tears of pain streaming from his eyes, mixing with the blood that was flowing freely from his nostrils. The panic in his eyes all the more palpable as he tried getting his hands to cover his broken nose and Damon batting his hands away with a menacing smirk on his face.

'No, no, no Zach. No begging, it doesn't become you, 'Damon scolded. 'It's bordering on pathetic. Just tell me how the Lockwoods and the Gilberts all seem to know about vampires. 'He studied Zach's face, the blood streaming down his chin and over Damon's hand. Damon stretched his neck in annoyance at the probability of Zach ruining his new leather jacket.

Zach whimpered, but still showed no inclination that he would talk.

Damon's eyes snapped back up to Zach's contorted face. 'This has got to do with the founding families', he said, more to himself than Zach. 'Who else knows – the Fells and the Forbes? How do they know about us?' He squeezed Zach's neck harder, pressing him closer to the wall. If Gilbert had ratted him out he was going after him next.

Zach blinked a few times, trying to focus through the pain, but he couldn't. The panic was rolling over him in waves – pressing against his lungs, obliterating any coherent thoughts.

'Tell me about the Founder's Council. Who are the members; you, the Lockwoods and the Gilberts – who else?'

Zach drew a shaky breath before he started talking. 'The Fells and the sheriff. We're all on the council. But we hadn't met before all these unexplained deaths started to crop up. All of them, except me, really didn't want to believe what they were hearing. The sheriff has officially ruled the deaths as animal attacks so the public won't get suspicious.'

Damon couldn't help smiling. 'And you think it's all me?'

'Who else could it be?' Zach exclaimed, an accusing look in his eyes. 'Uncle Stefan wouldn't…' Damon's hand around his throat strangled the rest of what he was about to say and all coming out from his lips was a wheezing sound.

'I'm asking the questions, dear Zach', Damon said dangerously once again easing his grip on the older man's neck just enough for him to breathe.

'W-what do you want to know?' Zach stammered, trying to ignore the stabbing pain traveling out from his broken nose, through his cheekbones and behind his ears. There was a loud ringing noise echoing inside his head, one that he knew came from the impact of the blow to his nose, where the back of his skull had hit the wall.

Damon pretended to contemplate this for a moment. 'How did Gilbert know that I'm a vampire?'

Zach's heartbeats accelerated, which alerted Damon. He cocked his head to the side. 'You told him, didn't you?' he said quietly, his nostrils flaring, sensing Zach's pending terror. 'You told him so I wouldn't get near Elena.'

Zach started shaking his head vehemently. 'No, I didn't.'

'Don't lie to me.' Damon clenched his jaw and let his eyes wander around the room with a contemplating look on his face. 'Never mind, that's of no importance now. What's done is done. Let's talk vervain.' His voice turned velvety. 'Where is it?'

Zach hesitated. If he told Damon where he was hiding it, there would be no vervain for the rest of the founders' members ever again, and then Damon would be able to do whatever he liked to anyone. But if he didn't tell Damon…

Damon had had enough pussyfooting around this fucker. He flipped Zach over and pushed him back down on the floor, pulling his arm up behind him towards the ceiling, holding him down by putting his knee in the middle of Zach's back.

'Which would you prefer? Arm or finger?' Damon hissed between his teeth.

'No.' Zach's voice came out a whisper. He started to realize this wasn't going to end any time soon; there wasn't anything he could do or say. He'd have to give Damon the information, but if he did, the Founder's Council would be no more. His breathing came out in short bursts; his heart was beating irregularly, making him feel faint.

'Not asking again, uncle.' Damon's voice was dripping with sarcasm. He grabbed hold of Zach's left middle finger and flicked his wrist. Zach let out a howl of pain as the finger snapped backwards.

'Now. You will tell me about the Founder's Council and this compass they're talking about or I swear to god your neck will be next.'

Zach could barely concentrate on Damon's voice through the searing pain in his hand. 'You mean the watch?' he whispered.

'Is that what it is, a watch? Is it a compass or a watch?' Damon bent Zach's arm a little bit more backwards, earning him another muffled moan from Zach.

'It's a compass, but looks like an old pocket watch.'

Damon thought this over for a moment. 'What's it for? And I heard Gilbert's got it? Why does the Lockwoods need it?'

Zach's eyelids were fluttering shut, so Damon poked his broken finger with a venomous smile. Zach howled once again and tried to wrench himself lose.

'Tell me.' Damon demanded. 'I'm out of patience soon.'

'It's a device to find vampires', Zach cried out. 'The Lockwoods need it to find the vampires in Mystic Falls. Together with the Gilberts, they plan to kill you.'

'Huh.' Damon said. 'I can't help but feel a little upset by this information. And you were in on this, Zach? My own flesh and blood?' Damon's upper lip twitched in anger. 'I'm guessing Brother Dearest was in on this little stunt as well.' He shook his head as Zach started talking. 'No, spare me your apologies. I'm very disappointed in the both of you. And since Stefan isn't here to take his part of the blame in trying to get rid of me, so… vindictively, you will have to take the brunt of it.'

Damon let go of Zach's arm and put his hands on either side of Zach's head and twisted his hands in one swift move. 'Goodbye Zach.'

Elena woke up with a smile on her lips. It was Saturday morning and tonight would be the night she would give herself to Damon completely. Tonight would be the night she'd show him that she trusted him entirely. He didn't know it yet; he only knew that she wanted him around for the party Tyler was throwing. Her father telling her she couldn't go wasn't going to stop her.

She stretched out like a cat on the bed before flinging back her covers. She walked over to the bathroom to get ready, before heading out for her usual weekend breakfast get-together over almond lattes with Bonnie and Caroline at the café.

Damon's game of hide and seek wasn't really bothering her any longer. She had come to the conclusion that she got to him and he didn't like it, and the reason she got to him was that he liked her. A lot.

It was in the little things he did, things she was sure he wasn't really paying any attention to himself. Like showing up unannounced in her room with her favorite magazine and a bar of chocolates. Or the way he seemed to sense she was feeling sad, bringing her her favorite movie to watch with a bowl of popcorn. Or just the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't watching. Under that black leather jacket bad boy exterior, he was nothing more than a soft teddy. He just wasn't aware of it yet. But he would be. Elena smirked to herself. Damon Salvatore wouldn't know what hit him when she was through with him. Now that she was sure of his feelings for her, nothing was going to stop her from getting what she wanted. Not even Damon himself.

Damon was casually walking up to the bar at The Grill when he recognized Carol Lockwood's slightly raised tone, making it even more nasal than usual. It was obvious she was having a bit of a tiff with her husband, Mayor Richard Lockwood. Damon turned to the bar to order a bourbon, while listening in, a little amused to what he was hearing.

Carol Lockwood was upset that her husband hadn't heard from Zach Salvatore in a few days spite his promise to produce vervain for them, and Mayor Lockwood was feeling sorry for himself for having to listen to his wife's whining another minute.

Through the mirror behind the bar, Damon could see Mayor Lockwood walk swiftly towards the entrance, leaving his wife sipping her drink, taking care not to show what had just transpired.

Damon nodded to the bartender to bring him another drink and pointed in the direction of Carol Lockwood, before he sauntered over to the table where she was sitting.

'Carol', he smiled widely and casually leaned on the empty chair opposite her. She looked startled for a moment until she seemed to recognize him.

'Damon Salvatore, if memory serves. You were Elena Gilbert's date to the auction.' She gave him a knowing smile.

'Oh, well. I wouldn't call it a date exactly. My uncle and her father are friends. Zach asked me to go with her, since her date cancelled. And as my younger brother is dating her friend they thought it was a good idea.' Damon's smile widened and he winked. 'Family favors, I'm sure you understand.'

'Of course.' Carol Lockwood eyed him up and down before offering him a seat.

Just as he sat down, one of the waitresses came over with Damon's drink. 'How rude of me', he said to Carol. 'Can I offer you another', he glanced at her drink. '… Gin and tonic?'

She started protesting mildly, saying it was too early for another drink, but he could tell she wasn't going to turn him down. 'I insist', he smirked and the waitress scurried off with the new drinks order.

'You know the Salvatore's were one of this town's original settlers.' Carol Lockwood said as she took a sip from the drink Damon bought her.

'Yes, they were', Damon replied, smiling. 'And Zach told me he's a member of the Founder's Council that all the founding families are part of. I just recently moved back home and I really haven't had a chance to meet any of his friends, except Grayson and Miranda.'

'Well, when you see him, will you tell him to return my calls', Carol smiled. 'I've left him several messages.'

Damon looked down at his hands, lying perfectly still on the table. They were long and slender, not a single mark on them. Perfect and white and lethal.

He looked up at Carol Lockwood and tilted his head a little, letting a smile graze his lips.

'Zach went out of town for a bit. But if it's about the vervain…' He let the words sink in for a bit.

Carol looked at him, surprise etched on her features. 'You know about the vervain?' Her voice was a mere whisper as she looked around the restaurant.

'I'm a Salvatore', Damon replied in a conspiratorial voice, almost smirking. 'Of course I do.'

'Of course', Carol said, blushing, which Damon had to admit, quite suited her.

Damon raised his glass to her and winked again, this time the smile on his face was suggestive to the point of flirtatious. 'Cheers', he said. Carol Lockwood had the decency to avert her eyes, before she raised her glass to his.

'Cheers.'

It was on the third attempt calling him that Elena got hold of Damon, and he was being unusually evasive of his whereabouts the last few days.

'Look, Damon, I know you don't like my friends much, but I really don't see the problem. At the end of the day, it's me you're spending time with, not them.' Elena didn't like the feeling of acting like a whiny brat, but he really had the knack of bringing the ugly out of her.

Damon sighed. 'Look, something's come up and I'm not sure I can make it tonight. Make it up to you another day?'

Elena frowned at the phone. 'I bet you're just making that up so you won't have to show. Well, tough. You're coming – that's final. I even had to lie to my parents to get out of the house tonight, so you're just gonna have to deal.'

'Elena.' There was a warning tone to Damon's voice, which she heartily ignored.

'Damon. You said you'd come.'

'Actually, Elena, I didn't. You made that decision for me, and I don't appreciate it. I'm not some whipped little school boy who will bend to your every whim. Just cause you're the Queen Bee in that little world you call High School – in real life you're nothing more than a teen with an attitude. So drop it. I'll come if I can make it, if not, you deal.'

Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes felt as if she was meant to be swamped by paperwork. Wherever she turned there was a report to fill out or some document that needed her signature. She sighed and reached for another file from the ever growing 'not finished' pile just as one of her deputies carefully knocked on her door.

'Enter', she barked, annoyed at being disturbed.

'Sorry, Sheriff Forbes. There's a Damon Salvatore here to see you.'

Sheriff Forbes looked up in curiosity at the sound of the surname of her visitor. 'Send him in', she told the deputy, who quickly ushered a stunningly attractive young man, with the most amazing blue eyes she'd ever laid eyes on, into her office before closing the door behind him.

She composed herself quickly but Damon was well aware of the impression he'd made on her.

'Please, sit down, Mr. Salvatore. I'm glad to finally get to put a face to the name', she said, indicating towards a visitor's chair in front of her desk. She started clearing some of the papers to one side, trying her best to cover up the files of the mysterious animal attacks that she now knew for sure were the work of a vampire. 'I heard from Mrs. Lockwood that your uncle is out of town?'

'Yes, he is. But I spoke with Zach and he filled me in and asked if I could bring you this.' Damon handed over a small cardboard box he was holding before sitting down. 'It's all we have at the moment. I hope it's enough.'

Sheriff Forbes opened the box, stunned that this young man seemed so well aware of this town's secret. She'd known Zach Salvatore's young nephews had arrived a few weeks previously, especially since her daughter, Caroline, couldn't stop talking about the younger of them, Stefan. But she'd not for a million years thought they were in on the vampire problem the town seemed to be having.

'Vervain.' She smiled tentatively at Damon, before she nodded. 'This should be enough.'

'Well, let me know if I should try to get a hold of more. I'm assuming your deputies are using vervain as well.'

Sheriff Forbes nodded again. 'It's for the Founder's Council members and our families. My deputies. And our friends, of course.'

'Of course.' Damon gave her a concerned smile. 'Are we any closer?'

Sheriff Forbes only hesitated for a mere second. 'I think we have our facts wrong. We've always believed that our vampires can only come out in the dark. What if that's changed?'

Damon narrowed his eyes. So that had been their angle; that vampires could only walk around during the night? He gave her a lopsided smile. He kept forgetting about the boring lives of normal vampires, since he'd had his daylight ring from the very beginning. 'Is that even possible?' he asked.

'We've exhausted every other option. During the auction we held a few weeks back, we were looking only at those who wouldn't show up in the daytime.'

Damon pretended to give this some thought. 'So what's the next step?'

Sheriff Forbes smiled at the young man in front of her. She admired courage of the sort Damon Salvatore was displaying right now. So young and willing to dive into the midst of things. 'We're looking at anyone new to town since the deaths began. That should turn up a suspect or two.'

So now they were looking for vampires who could walk around during the day as well? –That was a slightly bigger problem. He would have to find a way around that. Damon started getting out of the chair. 'And I, of course, will do anything I can to help.'

Sheriff Forbes gave him a grateful smile. 'Thank you, Damon. I really appreciate it.'

Elena was slowly giving up on Damon. She stared at her cellphone screen. If he didn't call her back within the next ten minutes she'd go without him. She sat still for a second before nearly laughing out loud. Who was she kidding? He wasn't going to call her. He'd told her already that he didn't want to go, and she knew him well enough. If he didn't want to do something, he wouldn't.

But he was supposed to do what she wanted because he liked her. Because he wanted her to be happy. Ugly emotions started creeping up inside her head. Insecurity and anger. Words he'd said that she'd been pushing away for weeks now.

This is what you get with me. I don't play house. I'm not some whipped little school boy who will bend to your every whim. Don't ruin it.

She looked at herself in the mirror. No one, not even Damon Salvatore was going to ruin her night out. She inhaled deeply. He'd soon find out what he was missing out on. She smiled at herself before scrolling down to Bonnie's name in her phone list.

'Hey, Bonnie. Slight change of plans, I might actually stay at yours tonight after all. Damon's a no show, but I'm not gonna let his crappy attitude ruin my night. You got vodka, right?'

Stefan couldn't stop looking at Elena. For every time he saw her she seemed to become more and more out of control. She was smiling, but behind that smile was a sadness that he knew could only mean one thing; Damon.

Right now she was downing shots together with Tyler and Matt from the football team, and they were cheering her on, while they really should be stopping her. She laughed out loud as she tripped over someone's leg in an attempt to grab hold of Matt when he pinched her side playfully. Luckily Matt managed to steady her just before she toppled over.

Caroline was trying to get Stefan's attention back to her by putting her slender arms around his neck and kissing a pattern along his jaw. He smiled absently at her before resuming watching Elena.

'Hey', Caroline pouted. 'You're not paying any attention to me at all? What are you looking at?' She started turning around to follow his gaze, but he snapped out of it quickly and smiled down at her.

'I'm sorry, Care. I'm a bit…' He drifted off. 'I just have to go make a call. I'll be right back.' He managed to disentangle himself from Caroline, whose pout he wanted to kiss away, but there was someone else more in need of his attention than his girlfriend.

Stefan grabbed his cell from his back pocket as he turned the corner, out on the patio, and called his brother. 'Damon, where are you?'

'On a beach in Malibu sipping a Mai Tai.' Damon drawled. 'What's it to you anyway?'

Stefan ignored his brother's sarcastic comment. 'Aren't you supposed to join Elena at Tyler's?'

'Nope.' Damon swirled the whiskey around the tumbler he was holding, watching the amber liquid intently, trying not to think of Elena's soft lips and satin eyes. 'I've told you already, you can have her. I'm done with her.'

'Damon…' Stefan sighed. His brother could be such a dick. 'She's getting past wasted. You need to get here. Soon.'

'Don't tell me what to do, brother.' With that he hung up. He wasn't going to go; he had better things to do. Like drinking. Or staring at the wall.

Or drinking.

Shaking his head slowly, he finished his drink and stood up.

He was so whipped.

He heard the car before he saw it. The taillights making swirling red marks against the darkness as the car skidded across the road, heading towards Wickery Bridge. Damon narrowed his eyes. It was the Gilbert family car.

He knew from the direction they were going that they were heading towards their home, and a thousand thoughts managed to cross his mind within the split second it took the car to swerve onto the bridge and crash straight through the safety barrier and into the dark water. Should he help them? Was Elena in the car with them? Did he care?

Damon's muscles twitched, unsure whether he should go after them or if he should just leave them to it. After all, it wasn't his problem and Gilbert dying would make things so much easier. One problem less to worry about. Still, he hesitated before he turned back to where he was going and he looked towards the bridge. From where he was standing he couldn't see the car at all. He took a few steps closer, then turned around resolutely, away from the crash, but stopped. Fuck, he thought, then turned back around and ran towards the bridge and the crash site.

As he neared the bridge, something startled him. He thought he could see the outline of a person standing close to where the car had started skidding.

'Hey?' he called out, but in the blink of an eye, the shadow was gone, and he wasn't sure there had been anything there in the first place. He shook himself out of it and walked over on to the bridge.

The car wasn't fully submerged when he reached the edge of the bridge, but it was filling fast with murky water. If he concentrated, he could just about discern two heartbeats; one slow and steady and another uneven and beating fast. He swore again as he kicked his shoes off, while shrugging off his leather jacket and jumping in. Even to his cooler skin, the water was freezing and another stream of obscenities came out of his mouth.

He could see Grayson Gilbert fighting with his seatbelt, panic rippling through his entire being, the water coming almost to his chest. The car was slanting heavily to the right, which meant that in just a moment or two it would be completely submerged. Damon reached the door handle and shouted at Grayson, who startled gave a noise like a wounded animal as soon as he saw Damon's face.

'I'll get you out, but when I open the door the car will go down fast, so just get past me and I'll get your wife.' Damon could see Miranda Gilbert's lifeless body leaning against the passenger seat door, blood sticking to her face. Damon knew a serious head injury when he saw one and her heartbeat was surprisingly strong for someone that wounded, but he pushed the thought away and concentrated on the matter at hand – getting Grayson out first.

Grayson shook his head violently, his hands still fighting the seatbelt. 'I'm stuck, my legs…' Damon glanced at the wheel, which had, because of the impact to the water, near enough crushed his legs.

'Don't worry, I'll help you out', Damon said and started tugging at the door handle, but Grayson stopped him.

'Please, help Elena first, she's in the back.' Damon stared at the older man incredulously.

'W-what?' He couldn't have heard him right. He started looking towards the back but even with his improved eyesight, he couldn't see through the muddy water that had submerged most of the back and was now reaching Grayson's shoulders.

'You promised me.' Grayson's breath caught as the car tilted even more and the body of the car was starting to disappear into the darkness. 'To keep Elena safe…' Damon watched in horror as Grayson drew one last breath before the car sunk towards the bottom of the lake.

'No!' At first Damon didn't understand where the strange noise came from, since there was no one else there, until he realized it was his own voice almost unrecognizable from dread. He dived in after the car, the taillights showing dimly through the darkness, leading the way. He didn't care for Grayson still fighting the belt that was sure to be the death of him, not a safety measure any longer. All his senses were zoned in on Elena.

As he reached the door to the back, all he could think of was the two heartbeats he'd heard – thinking they'd been Grayson's and Miranda's, when in reality, one of them could be Elena's. Fear washed over him as he realized; the two heartbeats might still be Grayson's and his wife's. He started pulling the door handle, but it wouldn't budge. Not even his vampire strength could win against the heavy weight of the water. In his mind he was still shouting, not even words, just a loud throbbing scream. Why had he hesitated coming over? Why hadn't he thought of the fact that Elena being in the car was more than a probability – but a certainty? They'd been coming from the direction of the Lockwoods after all.

This was not the time to panic he tried to reason, but in the corner of his eye he'd seen that Grayson had stopped struggling and he knew that he might be too late. It felt like a knife twisted his insides, as if a large fist was squeezing his heart and with all the powers he knew, his clenched fist went flying towards the window. The glass didn't shatter because of the water, but fine cracks like a spider web adorned the window and with a few quick kicks he managed to get the window clean out of the back door.

He reached inside the car, pushing his way in until he reached her. He felt her soft arm before he could see her, the muddy water making it hard to see. He searched along after her body after the seatbelt, and when he did, he ripped it off her in one swift move.

Elena was light as a feather, even unconscious. It didn't take him long to reach the soft grass by the side of the stream. Damon gingerly felt for her pulse, swearing out loud when he could barely feel the fluttering beat, as weak as the heartbeat of a tiny bird. She wasn't breathing so he laid her flat on her back and gave her CPR, thanking the gods (or whoever might still be inclined to show him mercy) that he remembered the course he'd taken once in the late 80's out of pure boredom.

He'd never really thought he'd get to use these skills. Saving a human life, not taking it… He quickly forgot about those thoughts as Elena started coughing up some nasty water. Damon sat back in relief, before he put her into the recovery position and called for an ambulance. He tried going down to see if there was anything he could do for Grayson and Miranda, but there was nothing to be done. They were both gone.

He sat down next to Elena again. Pushing some of her hair behind her ear, he stroked her cheek gently. Her breathing was shallow and her pulse very slow. Too slow.

Very carefully, he began checking her for broken bones. Her ribs seemed intact, but one of her shoulders seemed dislocated. He was afraid of internal injuries, the kind he couldn't see. She wasn't conscious and he needed to get her shoulder corrected. He needed to know she was going to be ok.

He braced himself against the ground and pulled Elena against him in a reverse embrace. He then grabbed her arm and pushed his other hand against her shoulder and with a quick pull, he set her shoulder right. She barely moved when he did, which alerted him that she was probably in a worse state than he had first thought.

Inhaling deeply he made a decision. He felt his face change and his fangs come down. He bit his wrist and held it to Elena's mouth. 'Please, drink', he whispered. 'Please, just do it.'

He didn't have time to check if it worked as he could hear the sirens from the ambulance in the distance. He laid Elena back down on the ground, careful not to hurt her, before wiping her mouth clean from his blood.

The last thing he did before he positioned himself behind some shrubbery to make sure the ambulance reached Elena, was getting rid of the window he'd kicked in. Most of it was still intact and he let it fall to the bottom of the lake. He also pulled Grayson free of the seatbelt so it might look as if Elena's father had helped Elena out of the car.

As the paramedics drove off, Damon slowly rose from his hiding spot. He took a shaky breath he didn't' even need to take. But somehow he found himself having held it all this time.

He looked down at his long and slender hands. They looked almost silver in the moonlight. Perfect and white and shaking.

A/N: We're now getting closer to where the show actually starts. Remember, Damon's actions have changed the course of VD history as we know it... *said with a smile*

Don't you think in this alternate universe Elena would've thought Damon was such a douche she wouldn't have been with him at all? Or do you think that she'd have seen past his bad boy bravado and fought to find the caring person he's been so hellbent on trying to hide from all of us?