Loved the response for the first chapter! You guys are awesome, really :)

Thank you!

I think ya'll will like this chapter as well.

The story will be mostly in Damon's POV, but there will be some Elena, and the next chapter might be her POV, just prewarning you lol.

Also there will be some present day scenes...not sure if I'm going to put them in every single chapter, but they will be there. The switch should be obvious though.

Anyway, I'll shut up now and let ya'll read ;)

Damon's POV

Past

The light of the sun flittering across my closed eyelids brought me to consciousness the following Sunday morning.

I was in human form and was only vaguely aware of the other male bodies that surrounded me.

The rest of the Pack was still asleep.

I groaned, and sat up, running a hand down my face.

There was nothing around us but trees.

Miles and miles of forest, but the damn sun had still managed to sneak in through the canopy and interrupt an otherwise pleasant rest.

Maybe I was just annoyed because the dream had actually been a good one this time.

That mouthy little human from the falls learning her place, and thanking me for it, as I showed her how much of an animal I really could be.

Unfortunately, the happy ending was never reached, and now I had an aching hard on to deal with.

I wasn't sure if I was more annoyed at the sun in this moment, or the chocolate eyed girl who'd served as my subconscious' outlet.

Whatever.

Not like it was too difficult of an issue to take care of.

Pulling myself up from the ground, I left the others to their sleep, knowing they'd find their way back to the house eventually, and went to deal with my problem.

I leaned against a tree, once I'd put enough distance between myself and the others, then let my imagination pick up where the dream had ended.

Red streaks flashing as all that dark hair was tossed over the girl's shoulder, my hand gripping the back of her neck.

She was crying out in pleasure, but it wasn't my name on her lips.

It was a word.

"Alpha."

I lasted less than a minute.

It didn't take much time for me to find my way back to the Salvatore Manor.

The enormous Pack home was all that my father had left behind for me and my brother.

Though perhaps "father" was the wrong terminology.

After all, Giuseppe Salvatore's DNA didn't run through my veins.

Only the venom of his bite, and the memory of his lessons.

"Watch me, boy," Giuseppe growled, "Keep your eyes on my fist, or you won't be prepared for the strike."

He danced around my twelve-year-old body, moving so fast it was almost impossible to follow.

"Hands up, Damon!"

I did as he said, just in time, as his arm shot forward, and barely missed my face, thanks to the barricade I'd made with my wrists.

"Good," he praised, and I felt proud that I'd pleased my Alpha.

But then he lunged again, and I wasn't quite fast enough this time.

His fist caught my side, just under my rib, and I was knocked breathless.

I doubled over in pain, but was gripped on the arm, "You remain upright, boy."

Giuseppe's order was impossible to ignore, and he nodded at me, "You let yourself fall, and you're exposed to your opponent. Vulnerable to attack. Next time, I won't hold back, understood?"

"Yes sir."

I never faltered again.

No matter how much pain was inflicted on me, both in practice, then later, running down Mutts, it didn't matter.

I stood strong and unaffected.

It was one of the best lessons Giuseppe ever taught me, but it was far from the hardest one.

For years, he trained me, worked with me, helping me develop to my full potential to serve his needs as Alpha.

I attacked on his command, and I had no problem doing so.

It served its purpose.

Mutts feared me, the Pack's rules were being followed, and life continued on.

Giuseppe's death a few years ago had been the only hiccup in our otherwise daily routine.

I'd never mourned the man, despite the fact that we'd spent many years together and I bore his name.

I felt no loss in his death.

Hell, Alaric was more of a father to me than Giuseppe had ever tried to be, and I was okay with that.

Speaking of Alaric…

I caught his scent as I entered the back door of the Manor, which led me past the large wooden dining table, through the kitchen, and around to his study.

He was there, hunched over his desk, looking at something with George Lockwood.

They both glanced up as I entered, and I gave them a nod.

"Woods are clear."

Alaric smiled kindly at me, "Glad to hear it. Did you have any plans for this evening?"

"Not particularly…"

"Good," he reached over and grabbed whatever he'd been eyeing on his desk.

A map, and a Mutt profile.

"I need you to make a run. You can take one or two of the others."

My head crooked curiously, "What kind of run?"

"The Mikaelsons. They've been holed up in New Orleans for a few weeks now, and I think it's time for an eviction notice."

My smirk didn't go unnoticed by the Alpha, "Use force only when necessary, Damon."

"It's always necessary with them," I bit, "So who are we dealing with? The whole crew or just my favorites?"

"Kol and Finn," Alaric said, "Elijah and Klaus are currently in Europe. I'll let the packs there worry about discretion."

"Fine," I sighed, "When do you want me to leave?"

"As soon as you get dressed," his eyes scoped my body, "The others still outside?"

"They were asleep when I left them," I said, "But I doubt they'll be long. If they aren't back by the time I've gotten dressed, I'll go find them."

He nodded, and I made my way up the stairs.

Present

"Damon?" Elena's voice pulled me back to the present and I shook my head.

"Yeah?"

She smiled, clearly understanding that I'd zoned out.

"I said the presents are wrapped," she pointed to the small pile in front of her, "So if you want to put them under the tree, I'll go get the rest of them out of our closet."

I nodded, kissing the side of her head, "Alright."

She handed me the boxes, as I stood, and ran her hand down my arm before leaving.

I sighed and made my way to the Christmas Tree.

The room was empty now, so I figured Klaus and Caroline had headed upstairs with little Michael.

Thinking of them brought back my memory.

I hadn't gone easy on any Mutt, but especially the Mikaelsons.

Their family had had a knack for pissing me off and breaking Alaric's rules, and at the time, served as a perfect outlet for me.

I would have hunted them all over the Earth, just for the hope of getting to finally rip one of their heads from their necks.

I wished I could say that the urge to kill had disappeared after I met Elena, but in truth, it hadn't.

In a way, I felt as if it would always be somewhere in me, taking Giuseppe as example.

My reasons were just a little more noble now.

I placed my children's gifts under the tree and sat back to admire the job they'd done with the decorations.

Hand crafted ornaments adorned most of the middle area, while the glass balls were strategically placed all around.

I smiled, remembering how Caroline's OCD had wanted to rearrange the ornaments after the kids had gone to bed because they were all clustered, but Elena had refused to let her, oddly proud of the children's messy decorating.

There had been minimal protesting, but my mate got her way in the end.

A short chuckle left my lips as I recalled the next time I saw her, after that night by the falls.

Past

Usually, I hated Mondays.

Why do I hate Mondays? Because for the rest of the fucking semester ahead, I have three classes that start bright and early on Monday morning, and thinking of the necessity of this mundane practice almost never failed to make me want to slam my head in my car door.

Not that I'd ever do that to my Camaro, which was probably the only thing I owned worth caring about.

Once again I silently thanked Alaric for getting me the damn thing, despite the attention it earned in Mystic Falls.

But point aside, this Monday wasn't actually all that horrible.

Because the entire drive back from Louisiana yesterday, after a show of force that sent the Mutts on their way, I'd ignored Enzo and Stefan by replaying the dream I'd had of that little human, Elena.

And strange as it was, I found that I was actually looking forward to seeing her again.

She lived in the dorms, so she probably had a full schedule, guaranteeing that she would be on campus today and her scent was permanently burned into my mind.

It wouldn't be hard to "accidently" run into her.

Or I could forgo that completely and just go straight to the dorm and find her, though that might come off a little stalkerish which was counter productive to what I had in mind.

I was excited by the idea of an actual challenge.

A shake up to the norm that had began to bore me.

Not that it was too difficult to find wasted sorority girls who were looking for a buzz and a good time and do with them whatever I wanted, but even that tended to get dull.

Elena would make me work for her, and hunting was what I lived for.

I parked the Camaro, grabbed my single strap backpack, throwing it over my chest, and looked around at the other vehicles.

Mason's jeep wasn't too far away, and I walked by it, inhaling subtly.

Tyler and Stefan's scents were fresh against the upholstery, but not Enzo's.

I couldn't remember if he had class this early or not, so his absence wasn't really something to worry about.

I followed the remaining smells across the lot, where they tethered off, as each male had gone wherever he'd needed to.

Where I would do the same.

I wasn't naive enough to believe that finding Elena's scent would be easy.

I mean, the campus isn't huge, but there were a good number of humans that covered these grounds on a daily basis, and to pick one out of the swarm was going to prove difficult.

So I decided to start by the girls dorms.

I was familiar with Lexi's scent as well, and being able to seek either of them out would double my chances at tracking down the object of my fixation.

It was a short walk to the aged building, and since it was daylight, no one was monitoring who came and went, so I was able to slip through the doors without question.

Not even the females that I passed bothered me, probably just assuming I was here to escort a girlfriend, like I'd seen many other males do.

I appreciated their lack of attention, as it made it easier to breathe in the smells, and work through the ones that radiated from each door.

I was lucky not to have to travel further than the staircase leading to the second floor before catching the one scent I was hoping for.

It was exactly as I remembered it; fresh and sweet, like vanilla wrapped in a lemon scented cloth.

But there was something else to it.

A sharper ingredient that screamed of wildness and freedom.

A tangy spice that my wolf responded to with desperation.

Elena had come this way.

I turned quickly, locking in on her smell, and stormed past a group of females coming through the hall.

The scent took me through the door again, and out into the day.

I prayed the wind hadn't already swept the trail away, but luck seemed to be on my side, because it only got stronger as I followed it, now that I had separated it from the rest of the smells.

I couldn't explain this odd layer of excitement that cloaked me at the prospect of seeing this girl again.

After all, she was a human.

An interesting one, sure, but nothing special or out of the ordinary.

Yet, I wanted her; so much that it didn't even feel like an option not to track her down.

Like it was instinct; something I needed to do.

And far be it for me to ignore a primal demand, no matter how little sense it made.

So I tracked her, following the fresh trail across campus, until I ended up outside the school library.

Who goes to the library this early in the day?

I decided against complaining, in hopes that the timing would mean less people.

With a sigh, I opened one of the double glass doors and prayed Elena was still inside.

She was, and god, she stopped me dead.

Her back was to me as she browsed through the shelves, but there was no doubt in my mind who that tight little body belonged to.

The night at the falls, she'd been wearing a long sleeved crop top and jeans; her hair slightly curled.

Today though, she wore nothing more than a baggy maroon T-shirt that fell off of one of her shoulders, tied off to expose the small of her back, and black skinny jeans tucked into boots.

My eyes ate up the sight of all those curves and the way her hair was now twisted on top of her head, held in place by two chopsticks.

The skin playing peekaboo at her waist was still tan from the fading summer months, and it was just too easy to imagine those long legs wrapped around my waist.

Especially as she kept lifting onto her toes to check the title of one shelved book after another, flashing even more of her back.

I smirked as her fingers barely grazed the cover of a physics textbook, and I took my opening, rushing over to grab it for her.

"Here you go."

"Oh my god, thank you," she said, turning as I gave her the book.

But when she looked up at me, her expression changed, "Oh...it's you."

I smirked, taking note of those teasing crimson strands on the side of her head, "You say that like it's a bad thing I'm here."

She shrugged, holding the book against her stomach now, "I didn't say it was. I'm just surprised that they allow psychopaths in the library."

I chuckled at her tone, suddenly recalling exactly why I'd wanted to find this girl.

"I was under the impression that you had yet to decide if I was a psychopath or just an arrogant bastard."

"Oh, I know you're arrogant," she shot, using a hand push a loose lock of hair behind her ear, "Or are you one of those guys who like to show off in front of his friends then swear afterwards that he isn't really a jerk."

"No, I can guarantee you that I am a jerk," I promised, "The presence of my friends or lack thereof doesn't change that fact…but perhaps I was a little rude the other night."

"A little?"

"Maybe."

She eyed me for a moment, then smiled, "Is that your idea of an apology?"

There was a teasing lilt to her voice now, and I had hope that maybe I hadn't pissed her off too badly the other night.

"Well, that depends," I stepped closer to her, "I would ask you out for an apology drink, but as you so graciously mentioned, you weren't interested."

She crooked her head, "I have a boyfriend."

"No you don't."

She blushed a little, because I was right.

If there was any male in her life, I'd smell him on her, and nothing was hitting my nose except her intoxicating scent.

"Fine, I don't. But I was trying to let you down easy."

I rose a brow, "And why's that?"

"Because, I don't date guys like you," she said.

I was surprised by her answer, and a little amused, but my response was cut off by a sharp toned librarian.

It was a testament to how distracting Elena was that I didn't hear the woman come up until she was right next to us.

"If you two are going to argue, take it outside," she warned, "There are students trying to study in here."

"Sorry," Elena muttered, slightly embarrassed, but her heartbeat was still elevated, so I had the feeling our little talk wasn't over.

"Did you need to check anything out?" The librarian asked.

Elena nodded, and held up the book I'd gotten down for her, "Just this."

It was a quick process to check out, and when we walked outside into the sunshine, I fished to restart our conversation.

"What did you mean by guys like me?"

She hesitated, seeming to debate on answering or just walking to her next class.

Finally she sighed, "You know what I meant."

"Clearly I don't, because there aren't a lot of guys like me."

If only she knew the truth of that.

"There are plenty of guys like you," she argued and the first hint of annoyance bled into her scent.

The bite of it is what I was craving.

Two guys on skateboards rode by on the sidewalk, and I used the excuse to take hold of her arm and pull her closer to me, "Careful there. Wouldn't want you getting hurt."

We stood at the side of the building now, a few steps away from any of the main traffic walk areas.

Elena rolled her eyes, yanking her arm from my grip, "That's what I mean. You're a flirt," she accused, "A heartbreaker. And no offense, but I'm not interested in a slam-bam-thank you mam from some guy that'll just lie about calling me afterwards, okay?"

I smirked, and stared into those chocolate eyes of hers, "I'm only asking for a drink."

She blushed again, and the color was beautiful against her skin, but her words were as sharp as ever, "I don't expect you to see the distinction. But one drink typically leads to another, and while I'm a fan of the occasional intoxication, I'm too smart to be seduced by a stranger, no matter how good looking they are, or how blue their eyes might be."

I laughed in earnest now, not being able to stop myself from taunting her, "So you think I'm good looking?"

Not that I needed the reassurance or an ego stroke, but damn, I wanted to hear her say that she was just as attracted to me as I was to her.

Her scent hinted that she just might be, but my wolf wanted her admittance.

"You know you are," she said instead, "Otherwise you wouldn't be so damn sure of yourself."

"And because I'm attractive, we can't go out?" I verified.

She rolled her eyes, "No. We can't go out because you know that you're attractive and you're trying to bait me. And I don't appreciate that."

I blinked, a little affronted at her bluntness.

"Duly noted," I raised a hand in mock defeat, "So if I promise not to be so good looking, would you get that drink with me?"

I knew I was walking a thin line with the persistence, but thankfully she laughed, "You don't give up, do you? Let me guess, you can't handle the rejection?"

"Sort of how you can't seem to take a risk," I shot back.

"I don't take unnecessary ones," she corrected, "And going out with a stranger is an unnecessary risk. I wouldn't think I'd have to spell that out for you."

"Is it possible to spell out "I'm afraid I might have a good time""?

She narrowed her eyes, "I'm pretty sure it starts with F U."

I grinned slowly, "Oh look, she has jokes."

"Well this has been interesting, but I'm gonna go," she lifted the text she was carrying, "Thanks for the book, though."

She moved to leave and taking the chance of freaking her out, I stepped in her path, touching her arms to halt her, "Elena, wait."

She exhaled, annoyed again, but goosebumps had erupted where our skin met, "What?"

"Just one evening of your time, that's all I'm asking for."

"Why?" she demanded, and it was a good question.

One I had no answer for, because I hadn't entirely stopped to process this myself.

"Because….at the very least, you'll get a free meal. And not so worse case scenario, you may realize that I'm not the worst company in the world."

She bit her lip, sending a shiver through my body as I waited for her answer.

Finally, she sighed.

"Fine. One evening. You can take me to dinner on Friday. I don't care where, as long as it's somewhere public. And if I'm miserable, I will order the most expensive thing and leave you with the tab."

I chuckled, "Great. Then I'll see you Friday."

She smirked, and pushed past me without a another glance.

Present

"You ready to head up?" Elena asked, her arms wrapping around my waist from behind, and suddenly, I was back in the Manor, staring at the Christmas tree.

"What?"

She chuckled as she placed a kiss between my shoulder blades.

"Upstairs," she repeated, her hands drifting down my stomach, "Bedroom," I sighed as her fingers teased the waistline of my pants.

"Bed," she finished, with a little nip to my shoulder.

I turned in her arms, looking down into the face I loved more than life itself.

"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?" I asked her, the memory of us still heavy in my mind.

Elena smiled at me, "Not in the past twenty four hours."

I laughed and pulled her close, "Come on, Kitten. Let's go to bed, and I'll show you just how incredible I think you are."

She pulled herself into my arms, wrapping her legs around me as I kissed her and carried her to the stairs.

"Merry Christmas, Damon," she said happily between chaste pecks.

I smiled, "Merry Christmas, baby."

Soooo next chapter will be their first date :)

Hope ya'll enjoyed!