A/N Courtney, thank you so much for beta-ing this. I know that you were busy so your work was appreciated more than usual haha ;) Thanks girl! Xxx

Off with the next chapter-Please Review!

Elena instinctively started to scream. The scene of the headless man in front of her was traumatizing. Never in her life had she seen something that terrifying. She pushed at Damon's chest, trying to get free, in fear that he'd kill her too. Damon's face was horrifying-It looked cold and screamed danger. His lips were pursed in a tight line and his eyes were cold and menacing. The Damon Elena seen every now and again was officially gone. His grip on her was not gentle, either and it scared her.

"Let me go!" She screamed, trying to fight him off again. It was a losing battle, obviously. She nearly choked on a scream when Damon put his hands on her mouth roughly, and spat on it only to infuriate Damon even more, "Don't even think about screaming…" He hissed.

His little threat shocked her, and tears immediately started to stream. She couldn't form any more words. She was traumatized.

He grabbed her face and transformed right in front of her, merely two inches away in front of her. At that, she started to scream harder, she had never been that close to him as a vampire. And now, he was just a hairsbreadth away, his red eyes piercing right through hers, and his fangs dangerously close to her neck.

There was rapid movement and Elena closed her eyes instinctively. She was still in his arms, and he was using his vampire speed. He threw her off and she braced herself for the fall, only when she opened her eyes, she found herself on a soft mattress. Her face filled with horror when she realized she was in a basement.

She prepared herself for the worst. What was he going to do to her? She remembered her last punishment. He had made her inferior to him, back then; he had seduced her and tied her up to his bed. What was he going to do to her now? He had warned her after all.

Thoughts of rape invaded her mind... Damon wouldn't dare do that, would he?

Her legs started to shake like jelly when she realized that he was still frozen as a statue, his eyes cold and menacing. They practically screamed danger and Elena shrunk in fear under his stare.

He blurred over to her, and Elena jerked back, trying to get away from him. Damon caught her wrists in an iron grip, and when she tried to stand up and run, he pulled her body to his, causing her to stumble backwards and fall. She tried to escape again, but Damon quickly had her pinned underneath him.

"Stop!" Elena pleaded as she pushed at his chest. "Let go of me!"

Instead, Damon grabbed her wrists and pinned them down next to her head. He was still on top of her, his knees holding hers securely in place. She was trapped-There was no way she could outrun him. Not that she ever had a chance to begin with.

"Do you know who that man was?" Damon yelled in her face, his veins still visible. "Do you know what he was?" He barked again, but Elena turned her head away, not wanting to listen to him.

At that, he let out a horrifying guttural sound and grabbed her face roughly to make her look at him. "What? Are you to scare to face me? Ashamed of what you did?" He continued to bark.

Elena was too scared to answer properly. Instead, she avoided his eyes and tried to stop crying and trembling.

"He was a fucking werewolf," Damon suddenly exploded. He officially went mad. He was laughing beyond evilly. "What? Did you think that someone just comes in the middle of nowhere and rescues you? Here, about 100 miles away from Mystic Falls? Did you think he was going to be your white knight? Elena, there are people out there who just love to take you with them and make you do things you won't even imagine."

He paused, letting her process the words. "Wordless, now, aren't we? You should be thanking me right now. If I let him take you, you…"

"What? I would have ended up as a prisoner again? I thought I already was!" Elena screamed back. "What am I to you? I'm just a toy; you'll never see me as anything else. You'll always look at me as a possession, no matter how gentle you try to be!" She looked at him with her doe eyes filled with hate and anger. "And I was stupid to think otherwise."

At that, Damon stopped. "What do you mean by that?" His voice was calmer now, but still demanding.

"Nothing, Damon, just forget it," Elena snapped, still looking at him with anger in her eyes.

"No," Damon growled, blurring in front of her.

"It's nothing, Damon!" Elena yelled again, "Except that you confuse me! At times you're so sweet and almost kind and then at other times you seem like this different person who looks at me like a possession! I don't want this, do you understand? And what are we waiting for exactly? When are you going to finish off what you started? It's been weeks, Damon, weeks of pure torture…Every morning I wake up in fear that this is the day you'll just blow up and I die."

Damon could not stomach to answer her, because in reality, he had no suitable answer for her. What could he tell her? That he was keeping her there because he just wanted a companion? Because he was sick and tired of feeling alone? Or maybe she was the key for him to figure out what he wanted, and choose kindness against pride? But no. He didn't know how to show his said affection. He lashed out at her whenever he realized he was becoming too 'friendly'. He knew his mood swings were causing her whiplash but it was all he knew... as unfortunate as that trait was. His vampire ego couldn't tell her those things. He couldn't tell her that he needed her. She wouldn't return the feelings ... that he was almost certain of.

Clearly he's wrong...

Instead, he stood up without a word, and locked the door behind him. He needed to be alone. He needed to rethink his motives, and what the hell his next move was. He couldn't continue to hurt and scare Elena. He just couldn't. He didn't dare ask himself why.

He had just downed his third glass of Scotch and he still could hear her sobs. He tried to shut her out, but he couldn't because even though he was not willing to admit it, Elena had gotten under his skin. He was considering setting her free but he just couldn't. She was a challenge; she was something he couldn't have at a snap of the fingers. And he usually took what he wanted. No, this Elena girl was a challenge; he had to slip down his façade to reach her. Plus, as selfish as it was, he couldn't let her go, for his tiny shred of humanity's sake.

He wanted to hurt her for trying to escape. He really did-but he just couldn't stomach to inflict any kind of physical pain on her. He didn't know why.

He was unaware of the weeks that were slipping by at a fast pace. But she wasn't, obviously. She was locked, she was kidnapped. A prisoner. And every time the man in him decided to be sweet and gentle, the demon in him scared the hell out of her, ruining every progress the man had made, and eventually making Elena hate him again. It was a tiring continuous cycle, a one they were both well sick of. How could she not? He was a murderer, a monster. He had hurt and scared her. She had every right to hate him but yet, she's forgave him countless times without thinking because she dreamed -wished- hoped he had changed. And for a while he would, but then he would snap thus ruining their petite amount of progress.

But the rage he felt was unexplainable. The thought of Elena jumping out of that balcony and being in another man's arms made him cringe. He knew Brady; he knew what he was and what he was looking for. Brady was one of Klaus's most trusted circles; he knew that Klaus needed the doppelganger. What he didn't know was how Brady had figured out that Elena was with him. The things Brady would've done to Elena were extremely unpleasant. He knew Brady's ways; he knew how he treated human girls. He hated humans after what they had done to his ancestors. It was because of them that the entire village of werewolf packs was destroyed. The thought of Elena becoming Brady's pet slave made his stomach churn. She would've probably been delivered to Klaus, then, after he had tortured and played with her mind and emotions. No, no one could touch his little human.

Elena sobbed in the darkness. Why was she feeling this way? She had been feeling this…desire in her heart whenever Damon was near, whenever he was so nice and gentle towards her. What was wrong with her? She was now even beginning to be drawn to him when he was harsh toward her, oddly enough.

Even a few minutes earlier, when he had pinned her to the ground…She wanted to pull his face to hers and kiss him. It was ironic and twisted, but she had wanted him. She had wanted him for so long, but she was afraid. This was not normal. This was not her. The real Elena Gilbert would've hated him for doing this to her. Simple.

She was confused about what she was crying for. Was she crying because she had been caught trying to escape, or because Damon was upset with her? Because now she had watched the sweet and caring Damon go? He would be mad with her now, there was no way he would treat her the same way. This was not the Damon she liked.

"Brady has not yet returned," Klaus announced to Luna, a female werewolf who was more or less, Klaus's servant. "Did he contact you?"

"No, sir," Luna said, shaking her head. "I told you that we should travel in a pack, master."

"Well, I didn't think it was appropriate!" He snapped, "Now, go away."

Luna's eyes widened as she scurried off immediately, and Klaus sat on his chair and buried his face in his hands. A hundred years passed and he still couldn't get hands on the doppelganger. His mother's curse on him was big. He was not willing to let history repeat itself. It had already happened with Katherine and it didn't end up well. He would not let a silly teenage human get in the way.

One week had passed since Elena tried to escape. But that week felt like two years in the cold basement Elena was locked in. She was not seeing Damon much; he usually came to wake her up in the morning and to leave a tray of food in the evening. But Elena was not eating anything. She missed the Damon that talked to her about his past, the Damon that let her go outside. When she had asked him to free her from the basement, he had refused, saying that if she didn't learn to respect him, he wouldn't respect her. Ever since then, Elena had fallen into a depression, and she refused to eat or do anything. She had dropped ten pounds easily. Damon would have noticed, had he let her out of the basement and pay any attention to her...

Every time Damon came to pick up the tray, he would stare at her for a few minutes, but she always sat with her back turned to him. One day, she had felt him stroke the side of her face with his finger when he had brought her a bottle of water, but she didn't acknowledge his presence. She couldn't.

"That's it," He snapped one day. "If you're not going to eat, I'm going to start forcing food down your throat."

"Why does it bother you that I'm not eating?" Elena asked indifferently. "I can be replaced. I'm just a human."

"Because if you don't, you'll get sick and die. You're already pining away to nothing. Don't think for a second I haven't noticed. "

"And why do you care?" Elena whispered viscously through clenched teeth. "Maybe that's what I want-to die. It would be better than being a prisoner in this hellish life I now live."

"Don't you fucking say that. You are in NO way, any use to me dead." Damon growled, roughly placing the dish on the mattress. "If it weren't for your foul behavior, I wouldn't have to do this. Now, shut up and kindly eat your food."

"I'm not hungry."

"Elena, if you don't obey me, I can very easily make you…agreeable," Damon threatened. "I already did it to you and I won't hesitate to do it again. So, let's try again, Elena. Please, eat your food."

He handed her the plate and waited patiently for her to take it. Resigned, Elena took it and had a forkful of spaghetti. Damon smiled, feeling victorious and simply content that for once, she was doing what he asked. He watched as she twisted the spaghetti around her fork, and ate the food slowly without looking at him.

"Good?" He asked in the nicest voice he had spoken all day.

She nodded. It was useless staying mad at him. He would just force her to talk. "Did you make this?"

"No," He admitted, "Andy did."

"Andy?" Elena asked curiously.

"She's my housekeeper. I call her every now and then." Damon simply said not thinking much of it.

She scoffed. He knew what this meant-He called her every time he wanted a woman to sleep with and suck on. That was obvious.

"It's my nature, Elena," Damon rolled his eyes. "I like it. It's part of who I am. Let's take you, for instance, are you feeling sorry for that cow that died to provide you with the minced meat?" His tone was so mocking and taunting that Elena wanted to throw the dish at him. But, for her own sake, she simply ignored him and continued to eat in silence.

Damon smiled, knowing that he had won.

"Does…Andy know about me?" She gulped, asking each word slowly. "And about you?"

"She's compelled to keep my secret," Damon answered her shortly.

She just stared at him blankly, before she handed in her plate.

"Do you need something else?" He asked her, before standing up and studying her face.

"No, I'm fine." She forced a small smile.

He sighed and grabbed her arm, pulling her off the floor. "You can go back to your bedroom now, if you like."

He exited the room and left the door open, waiting for her to follow.

She slowly and hesitantly followed him, waiting for something-anything-to happen.

"I'm sorry for trying to escape," She said, the words escaping her mouth before she could control them. She was apologizing for trying to escape? What the hell was wrong with her?

Damon too seemed surprised by this. He turned back to her, studying her.

"Look, I'm not saying that I don't want to return to my family," Elena explained, "But every time I look at you…I see something in you. Like protectiveness that is trying to surge up inside you but you never give it the chance. But I can feel it in you, I don't know how, I just do. I can't read your mind, but I can read your thoughts by just looking at your face. I can see that there is the man and there is the monster in you, and each one of them wants dominance. But it's you who have to decide. Your actions, your choices…those are what make you suffer the consequences or gain a prize."

She hesitantly took a few steps towards him. "Just be free, Damon…Let the man take over."

"Elena, I cease to believe in happiness," He sighed, and she saw the obvious pain and anger he felt. This man had been through something, she was sure of that. Something had hurt him in the past, and it had left an impact on him, making him cold-hearted. "Happiness is just a sick, twisted fantasy. Do you believe in happiness, Elena? What are the things that can truly make you happy? Nothing does, because the things that, according to people, make you happy are just an illusion that lasts for no more than several minutes."

"It's not true. Love makes you happy, and family too…I think it's already enough."

He scoffed. "Love? Family?" He let out a bitter laugh. "If you knew what I had to go through, Elena, you wouldn't blame me. There is no love, and there is no such thing as family. Only obsession and insanity-And possession. There is no love; love is just a different word for claim-the desire to have someone and to make them yours forever."

She wanted to correct him, but she couldn't. Because that was the way he saw the world, and she couldn't really blame him. Walking on earth for over a hundred years maybe had given him a reason to think that way.

"But I do know what makes me frustrated," He said, taking a few steps towards her. "You don't know what it's like to love someone and get your heart shattered, and to trust someone and it just…blows up in your face. But most of all, Elena-" He paused to swallow and run his fingers through her silky hair. "You don't know what it's like, to have something beautiful and shining, just out of reach."

It took her a full second to realize that he was talking about her, and then the butterflies starred fluttering in her belly.

"I say that I can't be truly happy again, that I can't…like a human, but then you come into my life and you give me a book full of unanswered questions, about me, about what I want and what I believe…And then everything I just said about happiness doesn't even make sense anymore. How do you do that, Elena?"

She opened her mouth to answer him, but no words came out. She was completely breathless and confused. Did he just admit that he liked her? That he saw her more than just an object?

"Damon, I…" She stammered, looking down.

"Tell me," He said, holding her chin up gently to look him in the eye. "Just be honest with me."

"I don't know what I should tell you," Elena said, tears brimming in her eyes. "What do you want from me?"

"I just want you to admit it. I need to hear you say it. If you can't tell me that you want me, just tell me what's scaring you." He whispered, he was extremely vulnerable right now and her next words frightened him.

"Damon, I can't…You scare me in ways that aren't even explainable. You are confused yourself; you have feelings you have yet to discover…I can't be the one to make the choice for you." She knew perfectly well that if she told him what she was feeling, it would only make him more confused, and therefore he would say yes for the pleasure of simply achieving what he wanted. No, this was not what she wanted. She didn't want him to see her as a plaything. She was human, and she deserved better than being treated like a meal or a toy.

His hands reached to cup her face, and his finger softly stroked her cheek. His heart couldn't take this. "When I look at you…" He paused to grab the back of her neck, "I feel things-Things that cannot be explained."

He continued to trail his fingers down her face. "I feel warmth inside me. I shouldn't feel that Elena... it isn't in me to feel."

His finger reached out to pull her lower lip before trailing down her neck, softly touching her sweet, irresistible skin. "My body throbs with desire."

He closed the distance between them, and looked deeply in her eyes. "I see innocence..."

Damon realized that he was close to her now, and there was no way of going back. The next word that came out of his mouth was desperate. "Elena…"

She ran the little distance they had between them and went straight into his arms. No matter how much he tried to control, his arms just naturally wrapped against her waist, pulling her tighter to him, as her lips were on his, moving softly and rhythmically. It felt good. He had kissed and screwed lots of women in his life, but nothing had ever been like this. Her hands found their way into his hair, gripping it tightly and messing it in the process.

He let out a noise-between a growl and a sigh-and pressed her up against the wall. He kissed her lips softly before he reached her neck, and opened his mouth to give her a love-bite, nothing more, it was too soon. His human teeth nibbled on her neck before he kissed the marks to soothe them. Everywhere he touched, her skin turned red and he immediately realized that he was being too rough with her, and he eased his grip on her a tiny bit as he continued to shower her in kisses. She didn't seem to mind his roughness, in fact; it turned her on even more. That he was sure of.

But as she panted against his neck and his hands were all around him, Damon instantly realized another thing Elena made him feel.

Pain.

With "His Vampire Heart" and "Safe in Your Arms" coming to an end soon, I'm gonna have more time to update this! So pls be good and review!