Author's Note: I have the loveliest reviewers, really, I do. The only thing is you make me feel guilty for not updating for so long! I'm really sorry there hasn't been a new chapter in a while, but I wanted this one especially not to suck, and it kept on sucking, so I had to rewrite and rewrite and rewrite again, and then came Christmas, and then New Year…. I just put it away for a while, I guess. But I didn't forget about it, and I've got this chapter up finally, so I hope you all enjoy! Oh, and I changed the summary to make it actually summarise the story this time. That's the problem with writing things as you go along; you don't know how to summarise it cos you don't know what the story's about. But now I think I know where I'm going with this, so here goes….

Chapter 10

Damon released Meredith immediately and was inside the house and at the living room door within two seconds. He paused before entering, listening hard to determine whether anyone other than Elena was in the room. But he heard nothing, and was about to turn the door handle when Meredith came up behind him.

"Damon—"

"Not now," he snapped. She nodded and looked down at her feet silently.

Slowly, Damon turned the door handle and entered the room.

It was exactly as he had left it, except for a large hole in the window where something had obviously either been thrown into the room or thrown out of it. Glass was scattered at the foot of the window, and a cold breeze was blowing the curtains. Damon thought the room was empty for a second, until he sensed somebody behind the sofa in the middle of the room. He edged forward cautiously, and Elena stared up at him from where she was crouched on the floor, her arms around her knees.

When she realised it was him, she leapt to her feet and fell against him, sobbing.

"Oh god, Damon, it was them! They were here, they were… they said such horrible things…"

He held her away from him. "They were here?"

"The ones that killed Stefan! They told me, they told me they killed him…"

Damon shot a glance at Meredith, who had just entered the room, and she bowed her head in shame. He turned his attention back to Elena.

"They said they were going to kill me too, and everyone else here… oh god, what do we do? They're going to find us again, even if we leave, and they're going to kill us…"

"Elena!" Damon frowned. "They're not going to kill us. They said it to frighten you."

Elena shook her head. "They meant it, they put a knife against my throat, Damon; they said they could do it any time they wanted and I'd never be able to stop them…"

Damon wasn't listening to her. "Did they say anything else? How did they get into the room?" He grabbed her arms tightly. "How did they get out?"

Elena shook her head from side to side, crying incessantly, and Meredith shifted slightly.

"Damon, lay off a bit. You can see she's upset," Meredith ventured quietly.

He threw an angry look at her, but remained silent and released Elena's arms, pacing irritably up and down the room.

Elena sank onto the sofa, her trembling hands covering her face. Meredith hesitated for a moment, and then kneeled in front of her, slowly reaching out a hand to her.

"Elena?" she asked gently. "Elena, it's me, Meredith. You can tell me what happened, its ok; they're gone now."

Damon was about to speak, but then the door opened and Bonnie entered haltingly. She looked anxious, as usual, but even more so as she glanced at the three of them.

"Now, don't get angry with me—"

Damon glared at her with such ferocity that she had to hold back a squeal. "Don't get angry? I told you not to leave her on her own!" he snarled. Meredith drew in her breath, and Elena watched silently.

"I know, I know," she whimpered. "I was going to go in there, I was, and stay with her, but then something happened and I had to go outside…" She stepped away from the door, and Matt entered slowly.

Damon rose silently, his venomous eyes fixed on the boy.

Matt swallowed. "I haven't come to cause any more trouble. You were right to hit me, I was being an idiot. I won't stop you from helping us again, I mean it." He put a hand against his cheek, where a nasty purple bruise was spreading. "I learnt that lesson."

"Then why have you come?" Damon asked icily.

"I want to help you. Properly, this time. Whatever I can do, I'll do it. If I stay away, I'll go crazy wondering what's happening to you all, and wondering if I could have done anything to help. So I just wanted to say that I'm here, and I won't get in your way again." He breathed in deeply, obviously nervous of Damon.

The vampire regarded him for a moment, and then his eyes slid away from him back to the bit of space he had been staring into before Matt entered the room. "Good. I'm glad to hear it."

Matt waited a moment longer, but Damon was sitting in a stony silence and would not say anything more. Matt nodded, and left the room quietly. Bonnie fidgeted for a moment, and then followed him.

Meredith glanced up at Damon. "I don't want to make you angrier—"

"I'm not angry."

Meredith raised an eyebrow, but didn't argue. "Well, I just think maybe I should talk to Elena for a bit. It might be a bit easier for her to talk to me, that's all." She glanced at Elena. "If that's what you want, of course. I mean, I don't want to make you feel worse…"

Damon's eyes stayed rooted to the where they had been fixed before. "Don't you think you've done enough already?" he asked coldly.

Meredith looked away, but Elena spoke quietly.

"Please, Damon… it's alright. I need to talk to them at some point."

Damon's eyes met hers, and he looked at her for a moment before nodding and silently leaving the room.

Author's note: Well, I believe it's still sucky, but hey. It'll have to do; even I'm getting fed up of me not updating! Please, PLEASE review, every single one helps, even if you just put "Dude… that's just, like, STOOPID." But please don't put that. Heck, put what you like.

I'll stop rambling now. See you next chapter!