Chapter Three: Stronger

Thoughts raced and worries ran rampant as Elena tried to comprehend her current situation. Staring into the misleadingly attractive eyes of someone so dangerous only made her anxiety soar all the higher. Her mouth quivered slightly as she lowered herself to begging.

"Please..." Elena pleaded. "Tell me where my aunt is."

Damon released her hair and pulled her steadily up onto her feet. She shook rapidly under his clutches and he smiled darkly, enjoying her fear.

"Why don't I do one better?" He watched her, sickly happy as her eyes widened in obvious terror. When he gripped her arm hard and pulled her forward, leading her away from the door, Elena's shaking unsteadily increased.

He dragged her behind him relentlessly, not even stopping when he heard her whimper softly in pain at his rough grip on her forearm. Elena watched as the living room disappeared from view and she was guided down a hallway on the other side of the penthouse. Damon halted her in front of a double, oak-doored closet, and she wondered why she hadn't seen it before, when she was running down the stairs. The closet was large in size and created a dark shadow across the floor, bathing the surrounding area, the kitchen in complete darkness. Elena imagined that, in a different setting, the intricately detailed closet could have been almost beautiful.

Her captor increased the pressure on her arm as he slowly reached out to swing open the doors of the closet. Once he had done so, Elena looked onwards in mild confusion, but it was soon replaced with anger as she took in the site of her aunt, blindfolded, gagged, tied up, and laying still on the floor behind the doors.

She gasped, emotions running rampant. "Jenna!" She squawked, and attempted to leap to her aunt's rescue, but Damon held her back.

"Jenna, no! Jenna!" Elena kicked and shook her head furiously against Damon's sturdy arms, but his strength never wavered. "Let me go! What did you do to her?" Questions spewed from her lips like an atomic bomb, deadly and serious.

Damon ignored her questions and Elena turned her head around and looked up at him through her lashes as her eyes began to water profusely. "How could someone be so.. so ..mean?" She whispered painfully. Damon's tough persona dropped momentarily, and he stared at her in awe of the affect that the emotional girl had on him. Elena took advantage of that moment to rip her arm out of his grasp roughly.

"Look." She spat out, suddenly all business. "I don't know who the hell you are, or what you want, but you let. her. go."

"I have a better idea. You'll do whatever I want, or I'll make sure she doesn't wake up from this little sleep of hers."

"No! What.. what did you do to her? Jenna!"

Elena's hysterics continued and Damon, exasperated, decided to end the tantrum swiftly and effectively. He gripped her hair tightly and with one fluid motion slammed the back of her delicate little head on the door. That's all it took for the blackness that overtook her to settle in immediately.

Damon ran his hand slowly down the glossy magazine photo of Elena sunbathing in Costa Rico. She looked absolutely delectable in her creme colored two piece Shoshanna Gruss original. She really was the most gorgeous creature he had ever laid his eyes upon, besides her, of course, in all 180 years of his life. He made himself a silent promise that he would always protect her. He would never let her go. And someday soon...

Pulsing.

Itching.

Irritation.

Fuzziness.

Headache.

Nausea.

Pain.

All of this and more circled around Elena's swollen head as she struggled to steady her ragged breathing. She rolled over and pulled herself up with moderate difficultly and reached a hand up to stroke her sore scalp. Tired and reaping the benefits of frayed nerves, Elena staggered out of bed and began her descent downstairs to her custom detailed, gourmet French-style kitchen to make Orange Creme coffee and nibble on a chocolate chip scone. It was only until she tripped over her own feet and was sent sprawling down the spiral staircase that she discovered that her formerly forgotten habit of sleep walking was apparently no longer forgotten.

For the first time in three years, Elena Gilbert had slept-walk. For the first time since her parents death, she had tripped back into the traumatic cycle that would only bring worry and confusion.

The last time she had been sleepwalking, she had almost turned on her personally Martha Stewart-approved blender with her hand stuck into it.

Yeah. Smart, right?

She had no control while sleep walking. Anything could happen, and it was a dangerous game to play with her life. Another time, she had almost flipped herself over the banister and fallen to her death in her Palms hotel suite. Neither of which woke her up. Both of those times, Jenna had been there to save her, and now it was time for Elena to save Jenna.

Now wide awake, Elena knew what she had to do.

She had to do anything to ensure that her aunt lived. If she could just get her aunt home and safe, then maybe, just maybe Elena could be too.

A/N: It's been so long since I updated, I hope no one forgot about this story! Thank you too everyone who alerted/favorited this story. I appreciate everyone who takes time out of their day to R&R Taken&Obsessions:)

I don't know.. I've been thinking about it and I think I'm actually going to go down a different road then I originally had planned. I hope no one hates me for what's about to unfold, but I want this story to be different from my other D/E fic. They sort of have similar plots and after struggling with writers block on both stories, I just got the best idea on how to change this one up and make it really... interesting!

I don't want to reveal too much, but it's going to have a pretty surprising turn of events, so bear with me while I lay down the foundation!

FYI: I have decided to base this fanfic around a Matlock episode in which a bride is kidnapped on her wedding night by another man who is obsessed with taking her for himself. Most of the layout from here on out actually happened in the hour-long special, so if anyone finds this strangely familiar.. there you go!

~KaterinaPetrova