Elena noticed that after that night the dinner Caroline started acting strangely. She wasn't always a very honest friend and more often than not she appreciated her boyfriends and boy toys more than Elena. But she had been very supportive after her parents died. So Elena couldn't help but be worried when she noticed her weird behavior. Caroline began to forget things, she started wearing scarfs that covered her neck even though she despised scarfs and said they were a fashion disaster. She also acted unusually bubbly and not boy-crazy for the first time.

"You do know she's dating Damon Salvatore, right?" Bonnie asked when Elena voiced her concerns.

"She—what?" Elena exclaimed.

"Yeah, last week I saw them both kissing when he dropped her off at school. When I asked her about she seemed all smug and satisfied to be with the hottest mysterious older guy."

Elena's stomach dropped. "But… I thought that Damon…"

"That Damon what?"

"Nothing."

There was a pause.

"I thought you knew," Bonnie added. "If you ask me, I think it's creepy. He's like what? In his late twenties? And she's a teenager who's still in high school. I suppose when she couldn't get her hands on Stefan she decided to go with the older brother. But that's just… not right. It's like she's hypnotized and won't see how horrible it is."

Elena knew that the age difference was not the worst thing about Caroline and Damon's relationship.

Oh, how she wished to be in Caroline's place right now.

She found Stefan after class and asked him about it. He looked fairly uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I know," he said. "I'm still trying to fix it. But Damon is… Damon. I told him to stay away from people in my school but he just… I'll deal with it, I promise. By the way, he'll soon get bored of her anyway and then find someone else—"

"Get bored of her?"

Stefan visibly flinched from her tone.

"Yeah, you know, he gets bored easily. After a month or so he'll figure that he's been doing the same things for too long and then he'll move on to something."

Elena had followed Caroline into the bathroom that same morning when Bonnie told her about her and Damon. At first, Elena tried to politely ask what was up with the scarf and when Caroline avoided the answer, she just had to check. She saw a glimpse of red angry bite marks on Caroline's neck before she batted her hand away and angrily ran out of the bathroom. She didn't talk to Elena for the rest of the day.

"He's been biting her. And doing who knows what. After a month or so her health might be irreparable."

Elena sounded angry and Stefan thought it was because of her friend who got trapped in a vampire's den but the real reason for that anger was a bit different. Elena was jealous that it was Caroline who got to be Damon's. And not her.

She had wanted to go to Damon and ask him the same thing she asked Stefan, but she couldn't. She was scared of him which was funny because the worst thing he could do to her was kill her and she already wanted to be dead. She feared what she felt when she saw him; she feared the way he looked at her. She feared how handsome, how dangerous he was. And there was nothing rational about that fear.

But now—now she had to do something. Because every day she spent being afraid to speak with Damon eye to eye, was another day being alive (and each day Caroline was getting hurt more and more, but that was a side note).

"Look, I know what this seems like," Stefan said. "I'm trying to talk some sense into him, I really am. It's just hard and he's not a good listener. But I'll keep trying, I promise."

Elena spent the rest of the week trying to get into the Salvatore house without being seen, to get to Damon without him getting to her first, but Stefan was always somewhere there, so she couldn't roam around freely, looking for his older brother. She wondered if her scent could evoke something in Damon so she tried to sit on as much furniture as she could, and touch as many expensive artifacts as possible, thinking that maybe her lingering smell would make Damon think about her. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to work. Elena knew that Stefan made Damon swear he'd stay away from her. But she didn't believe he would actually listen. Even so, Damon didn't talk to her or look at her or even address her existence and she had no way to talk to him without Stefan knowing.

Saturday night gave her a chance. There was supposed to be a small birthday celebration in honor of mayor Richard Lockwood at the Lockwood residence but when Elena and Jenna came in with their homemade strawberry cake, they realized the celebration wasn't small by any means.

"Oh. That is a lot of people," was all Jenna said when they saw that half of the town was lounging in and out of the Lockwood house. Then she turned to Elena, "Are you sure you're ready to deal with all of this? We can say our greetings and get back home, maybe watch a cozy movie or something?"

"No, no, it's fine, I'll manage," Elena assured her aunt.

Her heart was beating because she knew that Damon was somewhere here. Unfortunately, the Salvatore brother who noticed them was Stefan. He greeted Jenna politely and smiled at Elena.

"Hi, I'm so glad you came," he said.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you two and go find some company my own age," Jenna said and smiled as she left them both be.

Stefan was drinking non-alcohol beer and he offered Elena a pint. She took it but the beer tasted like lemonade, and it made her sick, so she didn't drink it, only held it to busy her hands with something. She looked around anxiously so Stefan, taking it as worrying for her friend, decided to tell her how he was failing at making Damon understand that it wasn't proper for him to have sex with and feed on underage high school girls, but Elena was barely listening. She saw a strand of blonde her, a perfect posture, and a floral dress. Caroline was practically sown to someone's arm, and that someone was speaking to mayor Lockwood.

That someone was Damon.

Stefan noticed where she was looking. "I told him not to come here with her," Stefan said, "but he didn't listen."

Elena had nothing to say to that because Caroline looked happy. She was chatting and smiling and tilting her head to the side. And, most importantly, no one cared that there was a big age gap between her and Damon because that wasn't unusual in Mystic Falls. Everybody looked at them as if they were happily in love. Only three people knew they weren't: Elena, Stefan, and Damon.

"Damon is a good actor when he wants to be," Stefan added. Elena had to agree. He looked normal, human even. He knew how to talk to people, how to be witty and charming and spontaneous. But Elena knew his true face; his murderous passionate predatory face that she saw once; that one time was enough. She craved to see that face of his again. She knew how easily he could kill her if he was free enough, hungry enough, passionate enough. He would kill her, and it would be the best death.

Elena went closer and Stefan followed her. She knew she wouldn't get to Damon if Stefan was here all evening, but she couldn't be away. Damon and Caroline turned around and Elena almost melted when his ocean-blue gaze stopped upon her. He smirked when he saw her but didn't come closer. Elena watched him online and Stefan watched her, trying to distract her from Damon and Caroline, perhaps thinking that seeing them made Elena feel uneasy; it did, but not for the reasons he thought. They even acted like lovers: Damon had only to whisper in her ear and Caroline would run to fetch him a drink; if he sat on the armchair, she would snuggle into his lap; if they were standing and talking to someone, he had his hand around her middle. It made Elena sick.

But she stood there and watched their every move.

After a few hours even Jenna was ready to go home, but Elena told her she would stay with Stefan for a little longer. In truth, Stefan left an hour later, and Elena still stayed because Damon was there. She felt like he was a disease to her, a poison. Hopefully, deadly.

She was lounging around, trying one tasteless soda drink after another. Nothing interested her, nothing grabbed her attention. She wanted to go home and sleep. She needed to hurt herself. Her fingers began shaking. She tried to hide it. Luckily, no one was paying much attention to the little poor orphan, not when there was such a charming young man in the room.

And then—then he said something to Caroline and went out – alone. Elena didn't waste any time and practically ran after him, spilling half of her cola on her way out. It was October, so it got dark outside quite soon, the muted shadows were dancing in the flickering lights in the house windows. Elena could see little, but she followed the dark figure that went down the lane. She had no idea where Damon was going because his car was on the other side. Soon they left the Lockwood property. The night chill crept into Elena's bones; she shivered. She was wearing a plain navy tee and a corduroy jacket that did nothing to protect her from the cold.

They went out into a poorly lit alley that divulged into five paths. Damon turned around a corner that was darker than the others. Elena followed.

And hit his chest.

He caught her by her shoulders and put her stable on her feet. Then moved away.

She raised her head to look at him; his blue eyes were practically shining in the dark. He didn't seem angry. But there was no smile on his face. His expression was unreadable.

"Damon…" Elena murmured.

"You were following me," he stated. His voice was low and deep as velvet. There was a threat hidden somewhere in there, but Elena didn't care.

"What? No, I wasn't—"

He leaned in, cutting off Elena's sentence. She stopped breathing.

"And how can I stay away from you when you're the one who cannot be away from me," he hissed. It was the first sign of anger she got from him. "You think I hadn't noticed you watching me all the time, following me around?"

Elena stared at him with wide eyes. Damon put his both hands on the wall behind her, towering over her, trapping her in place with her body.

She had nothing to say. She couldn't lie but couldn't tell the truth either. She was following him. But not for the reason he thought. Suddenly, Elena had forgotten every single word in the vocabulary and just stood there.

"If you care for your safety, you will stay as far away from me as you can," Damon said in a low voice, so close to her ear she could feel his breathing. Goosebumps erupted on her skin.

"I—I followed you because… I wanted to ask you something," Elena said.

Damon tilted his head to the side. "I can hear your heart beat like a little bird. Ask what you want before it explodes."

Elena swallowed. "I just—I thought you'd be the best for it. You wouldn't feel morally tainted by that. And I—I need someone to do it."

"Well? What is it?" Damon urged her.

"I want you to kill me."

Damon leaned even closer, if that was possible. He grabbed her throat but didn't squeeze.

"Right now?" he asked quietly.

She knew if she said yes, he'd do it without hesitation. Her breathing hitched, her heart beat like crazy, and her throat was dry.

"No—I mean… I'd need to get ready first…"

Damon chuckled darkly and released her. He stood up big and tall and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, took out one, and lit it with a lighter. She stared at his hands, then at the cigarette between his lips, feeling hypnotized by his movements.

"And what's in it for me? To kill you?"

Elena blinked. "You're a vampire, you wouldn't get caught."

Damon's eyebrows rose. "So, just because I can kill means I will? Do you know how many people I could kill but choose not to? I repeat: what's in it for me?"

Elena looked at him. She thought this would be easy. She thought he would agree without hesitation because he wasn't good or kind like Stefan and he definitely didn't care about her. So she said the first thing that came to mind, "You could feed on me and wouldn't have to stop yourself. You could drink my blood until you're satisfied."

A shadow of a smirk appeared on his face. "So you'd let me suck you dry?"

Elena blushed, but it was dark, so he didn't see it. Hopefully. "Yes," was all she said.

He took five long drags of his cigarette, seemingly contemplating her offer, all the while looking at her with those eyes she drowned in.

"Fine. Come to my house tomorrow at five am sharp."

Elena released a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Okay. Thank you… Wait, what about Stefan?" She didn't want him to be there when Damon killed her.

Damon took another drag, "At this time he goes to the cemetery to write his little diary entries and contemplate his immortal existence. We should have the house all to ourselves for at least a few hours."

Elena didn't know why he would need a few hours to kill her, but she didn't dare to ask. It seemed as if a heavy stone was lifted off her chest. She felt light-headed.

"Okay. Thank you so much, Damon. I should get back… before they notice I'm gone."

Damon nodded. He seemed serious. He kept on smoking even when she turned to leave, but as she took the first steps, she heard his voice, "Elena, wait."

She shivered from the way her name sounded coming from his lips. She turned around, "Yes?"

There again was that wicked expression on his face, "Are you a virgin?"

Elena didn't know why he wanted to know. Maybe it had some ritualic significance for vampires – don't kill virgins or only kill virgins. She decided to tell him the truth. She swallowed, "Yes, I am."

He looked at her for a second, two seconds. She couldn't tell anything from his expression. "Good." He waved his hand. "Now go. They'll be looking for you."

Elena left, and Damon didn't follow. She found Caroline who was worriedly looking for Damon. Elena told her he already went home. Caroline was visibly upset, so Elena offered for them to walk home together. Caroline agreed.

Elena felt as if the greatest problem of her life was finally solved.