A/N: Okay so clearly I've been bit by the muse bug, because here is now a 3rd chapter posted in short of 5 days. Here is chapter 7, keep lookout for chapter 8. Typical warnings apply and a little smut towards that end of the chapter. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 7: Strength in Numbers

Sara stood in front of the large mirror in Damon's bathroom, wiping away the steam from the glass caused by her shower just moments ago. Her dark hair hung in wet ringlets and a dark blood red, fluffy towel was wrapped around her body.

"Feel better?" came Damon's silky voice as he entered the bathroom and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, gazing at her through the mirror. He was still amazed that there wasn't a scratch on her from the fight while Elena was a bit of a mess.

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A few hours before…

The living room was full of shouts and screams as Damon, Stefan and the others tried to pull Elena off of Sara. Elena had come into the room with Stefan and attacked Sara. She slapped her in the face and then pounced on her. The Oldest and Youngest Petrova Doppelgängers were fighting and no one understood what exactly had set Elena off.

"How dare you?!" Elena shouted as she tried to get at Sara. Damon was doing his best to push himself in between the two females while Stefan and Jeremy were trying to pull Elena away from her ancestor.

"How dare I what?" shouted Sara the best she could over everyone as she tried to pull her wrist out of the vampires grip but Elena just buried her free hand into Sara's loose waves.

"How dare you compel him! Let him go, you Bitch!" Elena shouted as she struggled out of Stefan and Jeremy's grips and pushed her way past Damon and knocked Sara to the ground. Katherine was the only one who watched in amusement with a glass of bourbon in her hand.

"Elena! Get off her!" Caroline gasped as she watched her friend tackle the Striga to the floor.

"What the hell Elena!" Damon shouted.

"What are you talking about Elena, who did she compel?" Jeremy asked.

"Damon!" Elena shouted as she and Sara struggled on the floor.

"What?!" Everyone shouted all looking at Damon who just shrugged. Sara was growing bored of her descendant's childish behavior and decided she needed to put in her place much like she did with Katherine. Sara was able to gain the upper hand and turn them over with Elena pinned underneath her. A few small cracking sounds could be herd when Sara shoved Elena into the hard floor, indicated she had broken a few of Elena's ribs in the process.

"What are you talking about? Why would I compel Damon?" Sara shouted.

"Because it's part your plan to get to Stefan! You're using Damon to get close to him!" Elena spat as she struggled, but the Striga was far stronger than her.

"Elena that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Damon snickered.

"Elena, we talked about this." Stefan sighed.

"Why would Sara want Stefan when Pelicarpo is back to begin with?" Caroline asked. The others didn't know what had happened to Sara, Jeremy knew something had happened but didn't know what, only Damon knew the whole story.

"Because he's evil and Stefan isn't. She wants him and you're all blind to see what she's doing!" Elena snapped as she got a hand free and grabbed Sara by the throat.

"I don't want Stefan!" Sara shouted as her eyes turned white and she compelled Elena to let go and not move. Elena stopped squirming beneath her and released her grip on Sara's neck. "Listen and listen good Elena because I will not repeat myself." Sara hissed before she looked up at everyone else. "And this goes for the rest of you as well." She said before she turned her gaze back to Elena. "I don't want Stefan, I don't want anything to do with him or anyone that looks like him do I make myself clear." She said while Elena gave her a blank stare. "Nod that you understand Elena." Sara commanded and Elena nodded. "Good and Elena?" She paused as her eyes returned to brown. "You hit like a human." She sneered before she punched Elena in the face causing her to black out.

"Someone please tell me you're not going to let her get away with hitting poor, sweet, deranged Elena?" Katherine scoffed not that she cared for Elena, but if she had been the one to hit her everyone would've been yelling her like she was a dog that had just pissed in the house.

Sara stood and glared at her. "Shut up Katherine." Her eyes flashed dangerously before she walked out of the living room without a scratch on her, despite Elena's efforts to teach her a lesson, leaving everyone in shock and Katherine found she couldn't open her mouth to speak.

Jeremy looked from the unconscious form of Elena to Stefan and Damon. "Well that was…"

"Fucked up?" Damon cut him off.

"I was going to say interesting." Jeremy finished as Stefan moved and gathered Elena in his arms.

"I'm taking her upstairs." Stefan announced before vamp-speeding the two of them up to his room.

"I'll get a blood bag." Caroline said before rushing down to the basement. Damon moved to go after Sara who disappeared upstairs as well when Bonnie stopped him.

"Was any of what Elena said true?" she asked him. He had spent the most time with Sara, knew her better than any of them. Damon shook his head.

"She didn't compel me if that's what you're asking Bon. As for everything else, she should be the one to tell you guys. Not my place to tell her life story." Damon said before heading upstairs to find the Striga.

Bonnie turned her attention to Jeremy. "Did you know anything about this?" she asked him.

Jeremy shrugged. "All I know is that she was hurt a long time ago and I think Pelicarpo had something to do with it." He said before he walked out of the living room with Bonnie following after him, leaving Katherine alone who was trying to pry open her mouth with anything she could fit between her lips.

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Back in Damon's room…

"I'm fine." Sara said as she moved out his embrace and into the bedroom where she found a set of her clothes waiting on the bed. In fact all her clothes and items were now located in Damon's room she noticed. She turned around and raised an eyebrow at him. "What is this?" she questioned.

Damon couldn't tell if she was happy or not so he just shrugged it off and moved to exit the room. He, in fact, didn't really know what had come over him to take all of her things out of the room she'd been using and bring them into his. He had just intended on getting her a clean outfit when he had found her in his shower but for some reason he hadn't stopped with just the outfit. He had even made room by clearing out a few drawers and space in his closet for her things, Sara noticed. If anything she was flattered, it told her that last night had meant as much to him as it had to her. Just as Damon was about to open the door a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"I'm flattered, Damon. Thank you." She said softly and he turned around to see her smiling at him. Damon smiled and planted a kiss to her lips.

"Anything for you." He said before bringing his lips to her ear. "Mrs. Salvatore." He whispered before exiting the room, leaving her to get dressed alone. Sara was a bit shocked to say the least. They were no longer at the hotel; she didn't think they'd continue their little ruse with one another anymore. Soon a smile broke out on her face as she turned around to get dressed, grabbing a pair of black skinny jeans, a black bra and panty set, a blood red tank top and her usual black leather jacket and black heeled boots before disappearing back into the bathroom to do her make-up and hair.

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Elena groaned as she started to come to.

"Hey, take it easy." came Stefan's soothing words as he gently brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. Elena blinked a few times before her brown eyes sought out Stefan's face.

"Stefan?" she rasped as she reached out for him.

"You're alright Elena." He said as he brought a glass of water to her lips. Elena drank the liquid gratefully.

"Wha…what happened?" she asked, it was all still a little foggy. Stefan set the glass back on the bedside table and grabbed the blood bag.

"Drink this and then we'll talk." He said as he offered her the bag. Elena snatched it from his hands and placed the tubing into her mouth and sucked greedily. Once the bag was drained Stefan took it from her and tossed it in the trash. Already she looked a hundred times better, the bruise from when Sara hit her was starting to fade, the split in her lip was gone from when the two of them had struggled on the floor, and he was certain that if he checked on her ribs they'd be nearly fully healed. A sudden look a realization spread across Elena's face.

"She hit me! She compelled me! She…"

"You attacked her and accused her of compelling Damon… to get to me." Stefan said as he joined her on the bed. "We talked about this. You said you were going to listen to her and before she even gets a chance to tell us anything you jump her." Stefan's tone was soft but his words were scolding her like she was a child.

"But he…."

"Like it or not Elena, Damon and Sara are friends. She, Caroline and Bonnie are friends. And Jeremy is also her friend. I'm sure even you two could be friends if you hear her out. We don't know her, Damon and Jeremy do and they have come to see her as one of us."

"But she…"

"She told you she doesn't want to take me away from you. While I know she meant nothing against me, something very bad was clearly done to her by Pelicarpo that it could cause her to not even want to be around me. When we first met her she wouldn't even look at me, Elena. Now does that sound like someone who wants me all for themselves?"

"You really should listen to him, Elena." The couple turned their heads to find Damon standing in the doorway.

"Damon?" Elena questioned.

"Now that your silly little idea of Sara wanting Stefan all to herself has been disbanded perhaps you would like to know that Sara is actually happy that you and Stefan have found love and happiness with one another. I believe her words were something along the lines of that at least one of you deserved a little happiness." Damon as he scowled at Elena.

"I'm sorry, Damon." Elena apologized.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. Sara's in the living room with everyone else. I think it's time you heard her side." Damon said before walking out of the room.

"He's right you know." Stefan agreed.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." Elena grumbled causing Stefan to laugh as he placed a kiss to her temple. "C'mon, let's go hear what she has to say." Stefan said as he held out his hand for her to take.

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Downstairs in the living room everyone sat around waiting for what Sara had to tell them. She stood in front of the mantle with a nearly empty glass of bourbon in her hand. It had been full to the brim when Damon had handed it to her. She didn't like talking about her past, but lately that seemed to be all she was doing. Damn that Pelicarpo, damn him to hell.

Damon continued to stand next to her for moral support. "It'll be ok." He whispered to her.

Sara gave him a weak smile in response before she cleared her throat and turned to face the others. "Alright, I'm sure you all have questions and I'll be happy to answer them after I tell you what it is that needs to be said." She said before she began to tell them what she had told Damon.

She told them about her arranged marriage, her love affair with Pelicarpo, and how she'd been raped by her fiancé and then disowned by her family. How Pelicarpo had broken her heart by revealing their plan to her and how she was run out of the only place she had known as home. She told them about how she had killed her fiancé and Pelicarpo before the witch she had angered cursed her to be the monster that she was now and she told them about her child and how she had been forced to watch her daughter grow up from afar due to the murderous monster that she found herself to be. When she was done there wasn't a dry eye in the living room and Sara could even see Katherine trying to hold back a few unshed tears.

"So you see, that is why I can't stand the fact that Pelicarpo is back. He's the reason I lost everything and am what I am." She said before she turned her gaze to Stefan. "Please understand I have nothing against you personally, Stefan. It's just…"

"I understand Sara. I'm sure, given time, we will become friends and until then I will give you the space you need." Stefan assured her with an understanding smile.

"Thank you." Sara smiled. "Though that might take a while, despite your identical looks you're also what I call an Overdose Feed." Seeing the question in everyone's eyes she explained that an overdose feed was someone who had far too many souls attached to them and that the souls of those who had been killed by the carrier were the strongest and most dangerous of all to be around.

"But surely Damon…" Caroline started

"Damon hasn't killed as much as I have Caroline. I wasn't called 'The Ripper' for nothing."

"Plus I never actually killed for sport, unlike our St. Stefan here." Damon smirked before taking a sip of his own bourbon.

"Anyway…" Sara said, turning the attention back onto her. "Just give me time, that's all I ask." She said with a small smile before turning to Elena. "I'm sorry that you feel threatened by my presence Elena, but believe me when I say that I am happy that you are happy with Stefan. Also, I'm sorry if you feel like I'm trying to steal your friends. Despite my many years, there aren't a lot of people I could call my friends over the years." She said before looking over to Damon who looked at her with a proud and loving gaze.

"Sara, I'm the one who owes you an apology." Elena said with a sniffle. Hearing Sara's story had nearly broken her heart. "You never showed any interest in Stefan, but I just assumed you would because that's what Katherine did. I should never have assumed that you would be like her." Elena apologized and Sara smiled.

"Thank you Elena and if anything you and Katherine are very much like myself." She said causing Katherine to roll her eyes. "Something you wish to say, Katarina?" Sara spoke in Bulgarian and Katherine found she could finally speak.

"So what, Elena's the good doppelgänger and I'm the bad one?" she sneered and Sara shocked her by shaking her head no.

"No. If anything Katherine, you and I have far more in common than Elena and I. We both had a child to which both our families disowned us because of and we were both used in some sort of plan that in the end destroyed our human lives. We are very much the same you and I and like it or not we need each other. So we need to put aside our petty differences and work together. Pelicarpo and the Shadow People are nothing but pawns in this plan that concerns us. However, currently they are what threaten us and the innocent people of this town." Sara explained before she and Damon went into detail about what had happened during their attack at the hotel.

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In the abandoned home on the edge of town the Shadow People hid deep within the dark corners of their hideout, those that had been in the hotel attack were hiding out in the basement, weak and determined to avoid light altogether. Pelicarpo let out a string of curses as he spoke with the leader.

"Did they realize what exactly caused you all to flee like rats?" he spat.

"I do not believe so." Rasped the leader. "The sun had just come out. I don't think they noticed the crystals."

"You don't think they noticed? Don't forget we chased them in broad daylight, Betsalel!" he roared.

"Please." Betsalel scoffed. "Those two were too busy making eyes at one another to notice any of the important details. Stupid creatures."

"Selephia is anything but stupid. She's eluded capture for over a thousand year." Pelicarpo said before the meaning of Betsalel's words sunk in. "What do mean 'making eyes'?" he questioned.

"As in that sick, gooey, love shit stare you people give another. It was obvious really. She was only wearing his shirt when the old woman dragged her into the office. And when Salvatore came bursting in he was shirtless. Doesn't take a genius to figure out what they were doing. Hell, you could hear them going at it when Itzal took over the woman's body." Betsalel's voice dripped with disgust.

"No! Selephia, you will not betray me!" Pelicarpo shouted.

"Please, you betrayed her first with that friend of yours. The Striga wants nothing to do with you, Pelicarpo. Another reason she can't stand you might I add. She killed you once, what makes you think she won't do it again? After all, she's fucking the brother of your doppelgänger." Betsalel laughed.

Pelicarpo roared in anger before leaving the basement.

"We know, Pelicarpo. We're as old as you are after all." Betsalel's voice echoed up the stairs.

"I'll show you. She will be mine once more." He promised before he left the house and drove off.

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Back at the Boarding house …

Damon and Sara had a moment where they were truly alone while the others were out gathering all the prisms they could find in Mystic Falls searching antique stores and the like. Even Katherine had decided to cooperate for once but that was probably to just get away from Sara. Damon had told the others that they would stay at the house so Sara could recover from her 'emotional stress' while the others were out on the search.

"Damon?" Sara called as she opened the door to his bedroom, though she guessed it was now their bedroom. She found him standing by an open window staring out into the yard. He turned to see her enter the room and smiled.

"We need to talk, don't we?" he asked. Sara nodded as she shut the door behind her before walking towards him. Damon met her half way. They had much to discuss.

"Sara."

"Damon." They laughed when they realized they started at the same time. Sara looked down suddenly nervous but Damon lifted her chin so that her eyes met his.

"Sara I'm sure this must scare you but…"

"It does. It's terrifying really. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life." Sara whispered. "But I've never backed down from a challenge." She smiled.

"Especially as one as dangerous and sexy as I am?"

"Especially." She laughed. She found his arrogance to be rather charming.

"This is all new to me too, baby. I've never been one for a serious relationship but you; from the moment I laid eyes on you I knew you were different. And you before you say it, it was different than when I had first met Katherine and then Elena. Yes I had a relationship with Katherine and had feelings for Elena at one point, but I believe it was you that I was met for." Damon said softly as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Damon, that…that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard." She sniffed before she stood up on her toes and kissed him. It was a sweet and simple kiss yet it still bared all her feelings. "So tell me, Mr. Salvatore, what are we exactly?" she asked. They had gotten so serious so quickly, but it was like he said, they were meant for one another. She could feel it in her soul.

Damon's first response was to say that at the very least they were boyfriend/girlfriend, but that didn't seem to do them justice not after the blood sharing and everything else between them. However, her voice held the seductive tone from their ruse at the hotel. "Tell me, what would you like us to be, Mrs. Salvatore?" he asked causing Sara to give a sly grin.

"I quite like the sound of that." She said, her voice becoming thick with need.

"As do I my dear. As do I." he said before he claimed her lips. Sara kissed back in earnest as she wrapped her arms around his neck while Damon pulled her body flush against his.

"Damon." She breathed. "I need you." She said as she trailed kisses along his jaw causing Damon to groan. Damon's hands trailed down her back and over her ass where he lifted her into his arms causing Sara to wrap her legs around his waist. He walked them over to the bed and together they fell onto it. Hands and lips were everywhere they could reach while clothing was being shed and thrown all over the room. The last article to be removed were Sara's black panties as Damon readied himself on top of her. Before Damon could thrust his cock into her waiting pussy Sara had flipped them over.

"I'm on top this time." She said taking control. As much as Damon preferred being the dominate one, watching Sara dominate was hot as fuck. Once the shock disappeared from his face Damon gripped Sara's hips as she slammed herself down onto his cock. Sara rode him hard and fast as Damon met her thrust for thrust.

At one point he leaned up and took a nipple into his mouth causing Sara to throw her head back in unbridled passion. When he felt he'd paid enough attention to the one in his mouth he switched to the breast that was begging for his attention while his free hand slid between their bodies and sought out her precious little pearl. "Fuck Damon!" she moaned, Damon could tell she was getting close.

"Come for me baby." He said as he released her nipple and kissed her deep and passionately. As close as she had been, his voice was what did it for her and Sara came hard around him, his name lost in her throat as he kissed her. Her orgasm triggered his and Damon groaned low in his throat as he deposited his seed deep within her womb. The two collapsed back onto the pillows as their breathing returned to normal while they came down from their orgasmic highs, both of them falling into a light slumber.

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A few hours later…

"Damon? Sara? Guys were back!" shouted Caroline as she and the others filtered into the house with boxes filled of prism decorated objects such as antique lamps and chandeliers and various other trinkets. Damon quickly got out of bed and put his clothes on before heading down stairs leaving a slumbering Sara alone in his bed.

"Hey guys. Well, would you lookie here. You guys didn't rob the home of a little old lady did you?" He joked

"Very funny, Damon. Hey why don't you go make yourself useful and help with some of these boxes." snickered Katherine as she passed on the box she'd been carrying into Damon's arms before heading towards the liquor cabinet. She'd had just about all she could take of these people for one day.

"Where's Sara?" asked Jeremy as he unloaded his two boxes.

"She's taking a nap upstairs." Damon informed as he went out to one of the cars and grabbed a few boxes.

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Upstairs Sara opened her eyes having heard the commotion going on down stairs and stretched out on the empty bed. She smiled as she thought about her life. It was crazy but even with all that had happened to her to found herself thinking that she might finally be able to love again and it was all thanks to Damon. She got out of bed and pulled on one of his black button down shirts. They had decided to not tell the others of their relationship but they weren't going to hide it either. If they were to ask they would tell them that they were together but of nothing else. While they weren't technically engaged or anything the idea of Sara officially becoming Mrs. Salvatore appealed to the both of them.

While Sara was lost in her thoughts she had failed to notice that she was no longer alone in the room. "What a beautiful display the two of you put on." Sara whipped around to see Pelicarpo standing by the open window which happened to be a glass door leading out to the balcony.

"How did you get up here?" she gasped causing Pelicarpo to shake his head at her.

"That's not what you should really be worrying about my dear Selephia." He sneered the look on his face was very dark.

"Like I'm scared of the likes of you." she snapped. He was after all human, always had been and always will be, but then again how did he get in here? Damon's room was on the second floor.

"You're not the only one with a few new tricks." he said before he lunged for her. Sara's scream alerted the others downstairs.

"Sara!" Damon shouted as he ran back up to the bedroom with the others right behind him. Damon opened the door just in time to see Pelicarpo holding Sara against him.

"Damon!" she called reaching out to him. Damon had never seen fear registered on Sara's face before.

"She's mine!" shouted Pelicarpo before they disappeared into thin air leaving the others with a look of bewilderment on their faces while Damon roared in anger. He was going to kill that bastard when he found him.

A/N 2: So that's chapter 7. Coming up: While Damon and the others search for Sara, Pelicarpo tries to get Sara to realize that if she had loved him once she could again. A fight occurs and what are the Shadow People up to? Please review.