Chapter 29

Stefan was thankful for the interruption of the doorbell because he could feel Damon's anger was nearly unleashed. He knew by the way he left instantly to get the door that it was Elena, he heard her as she made the worst decision of her life, agreeing to runaway with his brother. He knew it would lead to her becoming what he hated in himself, a bloodthirsty vampire.

There was no avoiding it now, he knew that Damon wouldn't want to change her but he would do what she wanted, and she wanted Damon, forever.

When Damon came back up the stairs, Elena came behind him; she looked upset, Stefan thought, seeing the red rims around her bright eyes.

"I'm just going to grab some things" Damon said to her and walked into Stefan's room that he had claimed as his since he had arrived.

Elena sat on the sofa opposite Stefan.

"You look better than the last time I saw you" Elena smiled gently, last time Stefan was weak from giving his blood to Damon and being controlled.

"It took a lot of animal blood, but I'm fine now" he wanted to tell her she shouldn't leave but he doubted she would listen, "So, why are you going to Italy?"

Elena shifted on the sofa, uncomfortable with his questioning, "Oh, yeah I forgot you would have heard me, I never been to Italy before"

"Does your family know you're going?" he stared intently at her, making her fidget with her hair nervously.

"No, I wasn't going to leave for a while but I had a fight with my Aunt"

"What about your friends, and school?"

"They probably won't even realise I'm gone," Elena hadn't been as close to Bonnie and Meredith as she use to be since her parent's death and there was no way she would be able to tell them she was leaving town, "and I doubt my school would accept me back next year because of my grades this year" Elena use to have straight

'A's but after her mum and dad died she didn't see the point in school.

Damon came out of the room, carrying a backpack and mobile, "I phoned the airport, our flights leaving in twenty minutes"

"I have to get my clothes from my aunt's house" Elena forgot about them when she left Aunt Judith's house feeling rejected.

"I'll get you new ones" Damon shrugged nonchalantly, he turned to Stefan and smirked, "I would ask you to come but then you might actually want to"

"Goodbye to you too, but I should say see you later because you never seem to be able to stay away long enough" Stefan joked even though he didn't feel happy to see Elena give up everything to join Damon in the shadows.

"I know you love my company" Damon flashed his smile, sending chills down Stefan's spine, after all these years it still seemed creepy to him, like he was turning his emotion on then switching it back off at the first opportunity he had.

Damon took Elena's hand and they left, Stefan watched them go, thinking, this could be the last time I'll see Elena human.

Elena was glad she started carrying around her passport around with her ever since Damon had asked her to leave with him. Once they were in the plane, they reclined on the spacious, comfortable seats.

"How did you get first class tickets?" Elena asked looking around at all the people that filled the seats.

"I can be very persuasive" Damon's eyes captured her attention, holding hers with his intense gaze; she didn't doubt that he was persuasive.

"I didn't know you could be persuasive on a phone"

"I'm multi-talented" his lips rising up at one side, with a crooked smile, causing Elena to stare at his lips, mesmerized by the blood red shade of them and the dimples that looked like they were engraved into his cheeks. She could feel herself being drawn toward those perfect lips, knowing it wasn't Damon that was making her but a force deep inside her that craved for the feeling of his lips against hers, his skin brushing off hers, his breath tingling against her lips…

"Hi, can I get you anything?" Elena was dragged out of her fantasy, as a tall air-hostess with far too much make-up on, asked Damon a question, completely ignoring Elena. She was pushing a cart with food and beverages on it.

"Two waters" he told her still looking at Elena, knowing from her mind what she wanted. The women passed the water to Damon first, touching his hand longer than was necessary as she took his money, then she give Elena hers, nearly dropping it because she was staring at Damon even as she walked to the next row of people.

Elena sipped the water, letting it splash around in her mouth, only realising then how thirsty she was, her mouth yearning for more, she tipped the bottle further back.

"Save some for the fishes" Damon laughed his eyes now looking at her lips, like she had done to his.

"Global warming will melt some ice-caps for fish, they'll be fine" her blue eyes danced taking in his features, his hair sat messily but looked perfect, his eyebrows drawn downwards as he concentrated on her lips, his eyes were dark as always, showing the depth in his eyes as if she could look into his soul.

"I know what it's like to be thirsty" his eyes finally looked up to hers as the sounds all the people around her faded and she could only hear Damon's voice and she only Damon's eyes, "So thirsty that all you can think about is fulfilling your needs, and never realising until afterwards the price that others had to pay just so you don't have to suffer"

She knew he wasn't referring to the water now, he was feeling guilty, he was letting her hear some of his inner most thoughts. The thoughts that nobody ever heard before, the ones he didn't even dare to talk to Stefan about, the thoughts that kept him up in the night, the pain of regrets.

Elena didn't want him to suffer, she wanted him to forget about the past, so she leaned her body closer, her head tilting towards him, he filled the remaining space between them and her fantasies were fulfilled, her fantasies weren't as good as the real thing though.

He had his arms wrapped gently around her, his hand placed on the small of her back, protectively. His lips were sweet and made her tremble slightly as they curved to fit hers perfectly, like they were made to fit together. She felt his warm breath, and let her body relax in his arms.

Damon had never understood why people would kiss just for pleasure; he never did understand, until now. Elena wasn't just another girl to him; she was the light in his darkness, the light at the end of the dark tunnel known as his life.

Kissing her made his heart thaw, his emotions show, and his mind free. She was the one he wanted, and now that she was in his arms, he never wanted to let go, she was his angel…

"We have to go find her" Robert paced up and down the kitchen, worried.

"She'll come back when she's calmed down" Judith's voice was calm but her forehead was creased with worry.

"You shouldn't have told her to leave" Robert exclaimed frustrated at her actions.

"She's my niece, not yours."

"It's nice to know you think so highly of me, and care so much about my opinion" Robert said sarcastically.

"I'm getting fed up with your opinions" Judith muttered punching Elena's cell phone number into the phone, she waited impatiently as the ringing dragged out, until she got Elena's answer phone.

"Elena, its Judith, come home now, or else I'll come to Bonnie or Meredith's house and find you" she slammed her phone shut.

"She might not be with Bonnie or Meredith"

"Yes she would be, I told her not to go to Damon's house"

"That doesn't mean she'll listen, what if she moves in with him?"

"She didn't take any of her things, so if she did she'll have to come back"

"What if she doesn't?" Robert persisted.

"I'll find her and if I don't, I'll get the police to find her for me"…