"Elena?" her mum called up to her. "Come here a minute."

Elena rolled her eyes and paused her music, not happy about the interruption. She had an essay due for one of her pointless courses and was already behind on finishing. As usual.

"What's up, Mum?" she said irritated as she walked downstairs, stopping short at the glance of an unfamiliar van in the driveway. "Mum?" she called as she walking into the lounge.

The stopped dead in her tracks at the man sitting opposite her mother on the sofa.

He was tall, not crazy tall. Normal tall. He had dark hair and slight laughter lines and creases around his eyes. He was kitted out in leather, his jacket thrown over the arm of the chair revealing his sleeve of tattoos. His chocolate brown eyes laughed in delight as he spotted her, dancing with happiness.

"Elena." he breathed quietly as he stood up, making her way towards her to embrace her tightly.

"Dad." she said in greeting, inhaling the scent of leather and oil, closing her eyes as she imagined what her life could be like. She hugged him tighter. When he wasn't here she didn't miss him so much but the second he walked through the door, her heart broke for them all. Circumstance was a bitch.

"You look beautiful." he said sadly. Grayson always seemed so sad when he came to visit, sad he had missed out on so much of her life just to keep her safe.

"Thanks." she said awkwardly, not sure how to continue the conversation. She'd always hated compliments, even from family.

It was strange to call him that. Through blood that was what he was but to her, family was more than just blood. You can't just share blood with someone and automatically have the right to call them your family. It's more than that.

Suddenly, a wide smile split her dad's face lighting his eyes up so he looked so much like her she almost burst out laughing.

"I brought you something." he said mischievously, bouncing on the balls of his feet excitedly. He was acting like he was five years old.

Anticipation rose up inside her as she flashed a smile at Grayson and followed him outside.

He winked at her and at Miranda who was watching with a smirk from the doorway. Her dark hair falling softly around her shoulder and her regular clothes almost hiding her previous life, but it was there. The spark in her eyes and the fire in her laugh. The tattoos marking her out as one of them.

He flung open the doors of the van, revealing a gleaming bike, standing on the tilt, perfectly steady.

"No way." she breathed as she took in the vehicle before her. She flung her arms around her dad's neck and hugged him tightly. "Thank you!" she squealed as she jumped into the van and walked around the bike in a slow circle.

"It's the new Harley Sportster." her dad grinned excitedly. "I got it a custom paint job." He was practically bubbling over with excitement.

It had everything a new bike should have; shiny chrome trimmings, soft leather on the seat but it was the paint job that really stood out.

It was a deep, midnight black, so dark it seemed to have a blue tint as the light from the house caught on it. She had always told her dad when he came to visit she wanted a bike like this when she was older.

She smiled widely at her father and flung herself into his arms again. "You remembered!" she laughed softly into the leather of his shoulder.

"Remembered? I've been planning this since you told me!" he grinned and ruffled her long, brown hair. "I love ya squirt." he flashed a triumphant smile at Miranda who was shaking her head, laughing by the doorway.

"Love you too, Dad!" she yelled and bolted inside the house to grab her riding leathers and helmet. "This totally trumps the Kawasaki you got me for my eighteenth." she said smirking.

"Well I can't have my baby without a Harley, can I?" he asked laughing as he retreated to stand by Miranda. "It's ready to go." he said invitingly.

Elena cracked a smile and slipped on her jacket and gloves and walked the bike out of the van. She blew a kiss to her mother and waved playfully at her father before sliding on her helmet, flinging her leg over her new baby and powering off into the night.

"You couldn't have waited until morning?" Miranda asked laughing.

Grayson shrugged and squeezed her shoulder. "Nah. I've never been one for waiting, especially not for this."

Miranda nodded. "You coming in to wait until she gets back?" she asked hopefully. He rarely stayed longer than a few hours. It never mattered that she'd had to leave. All that mattered that he was here now, and still living another day.

Grayson nodded, smiling. "I need to run some errands first. She won't be back for a couple hours at least."

Miranda smiled and kissed his cheek gently. "See you later." she said gently.

Grayson stroked her hair back from her face and kissed her forehead, backing into the truck and driving off in the opposite direction from his daughter.

Elena laughed gleefully as she sped along the highway. She was miles away by now, relishing in the roar of her bike. Just as she pulled into a rest stop just east of central San Clemente, her phone erupted into life, blasting an irritating ringtone.

"Hey!" she answered brightly.

"Elena." her mum's voice came through the phone. "Where the hell are you?" she laughed lightly.

Elena looked around, glancing at the sea around her. "Uh- San Clemente." she coughed awkwardly, preparing for her motherly instincts to kick in over the biker chick she often displayed.

"ELENA." her mother yelled exasperated.

"Love you." she replied weakly, knowing her mother couldn't stay made at her. "I'll leave right now okay?" she said hurriedly.

"You better." she said in a final tone. "I love you, don't drive into a tree." she chuckled at her own humour.

"Bye Mom." she said innocently as she rolled her eyes. "I love you, too." she smiled into the phone before hanging up and sighing.

She reluctantly look one last look at the ocean that was sparkling under the moon. She wasn't exactly looking forward to the next hour in a saddle. She'd gone the back route to get there, cutting through Malibu and doing a complete circuit around the places of L.A she loved to visit. At least the return journey would be less than that.

The lights flashed by her, becoming a blur of nothingness, broken only by pauses with the traffic Elena focused on nothing and let her mind wander wherever it wanted. Whether that was north towards her mother and the life she knew or somewhere further away, roaring on the back on a motorbike along a Vegas highway.

She heard the sirens before she saw the blaze. She felt her heart pounding in her chest before it dropped to her stomach. She saw everything is the clearest detail before it became a blur.

"NO!" she screamed as she skidded to a halt, letting the bike fall to the ground. "NO!" she yelled as terror overtook her. "My mom! Someone get my mom!" she screamed at the people around her, tears streaming down her face.

No one responded, no one moved. They just looked at her with the deepest look of pity. It was that she couldn't happen. She couldn't handle this. She could handle the life her father lead, she could handle than she was in danger because of that life. She could handle growing up without her father. But this? She couldn't handle the look in people's eyes. Pity. Sympathy. This was her life and whether she liked it or not it was a part of her.

She looked around, her face distraught as the flames took a new hold over her home. She vaguely heard a man's voice yelling somewhere behind her as she raced towards the inferno.

"Elena!" her Dad yelled as he caught her around the waist and pulled her back, locking her in place with strong arms.

"No!" she yelled, her voice shaking with fear. "I don't know! I don't know what happened!" she yelled anguished as she tried to fight.

Grayson spun her around, gripping the tops of her arms tightly and looked her dead in the eye. "Elena." he said as calmly as he could manage.

She gazed at him, her eyes wide and scared and her face ashen as she continued to fight against him. She yelled, tears continuing to spill over as she finally broke free and charged towards the flames once more.

Once again she was held back, with more arms, more people this time. Too many to fight.

She dropped to her knees as her whole world, her whole life came crashing down around her. "No." she whispered shaking her head back and forth, salty tears steadily dripping down her face.

Grayson took his daughter in his arms and held her tight. He held the one link to the women he loved, and had left behind as she cried and screamed and yelled, fighting all possibilities than ended in tragedy.

He circled her body and dragged her up, forced her face to lock eyes with his. Their identical chocolate orbs mirroring each other in their pain.

"You aren't safe here, Elena. You aren't safe." he whispered under his breath, conscious of the nearby paramedics.

"I've never been safe." she murmured brokenly, her eyes hardening as she struggled against her emotions.

Grayson looked at her with a broken hearted expression. "I know." he whispered, more to himself than to her.

Elena looked at the ambulance. "She's gone, isn't she?" she asked, the words slicing cold needles into her heart.

Grayson's eyes darkened and for the first time in her life she saw her father crumble, even if it was just for a second. When he next looked up, his eyes were dark still, full of fiery anger and vengeance.

"Go." he whispered in her ear.

She looked at her dad in shock. There was only one place she could go, only one place she would be safe. She wanted that life. Or she had wanted that. Right now, all she wanted was to be at home, arguing with her mother over coming home so late and curling up with ice cream and a movie.

Grayson looked at her pleadingly and all the fight left her body. "Go. Don't stop until you get there. Please."

Elena glanced between her father and her charred frame of what had once been her home. She had nothing here, everything had been destroyed. Every memory, every picture was gone. She looked up, her eyes determined. She nodded, her iron-strong emotional grip in place.

"I won't." she said as a goodbye as she walked resolutely over to her bike, it barely registering in her mind her Kawasaki would be nothing but a charred frame by now.

She ignored the shouts from the emergency services. Their comments and suggestions and firm orders washed over her, going in one ear and out the other and she took one glance at her father standing a few feet away, his eyes broken.

She nodded, her eyes flickering with some sort of goodbye as she kicked off and disappeared from this town, from this city, from this life. From everything she had ever known and everything that was a comfort to her. She was leaving. I won't be back said a quiet voice in the back of her mind. And it was right. She wouldn't be back here.

Dawn was just breaking as she slowed outside the clubhouse. It hadn't been hard to find. The Vagrants of Phoenix were well known and ruthless and not exactly big on secrecy when it came to concealment. There was nothing the police could pin on them, they were simply a motorcycle club, sitting isolated in a disused area of the surrounding areas of Phoenix.

She looked up in awe at the building, stunned by it's design. There was no style to describe it by, it was unique in all ways, beautiful even but it still held the unspoken message of what went on behind the walls, the fences and the security camera.

She would not answer questions until Grayson showed. He could deal with a mysterious daughter showing up and walking straight into the Vagrants clubhouse. He could deal with all that bullshit.

She kicked off again, heading towards the gate and taking the lack of a lock as an invitation drove in, skidding her bike to a halt in the dusty courtyard.

After everything she had been through in the past hours, this is should not feel like this. She shouldn't be arriving in a place she hadn't been to and feeling like this. She should not be feeling like she belonged here but regardless of what was right and what she should feel she did feel like that.

Among the various tools and machinery and surrounded by dust and warmed by the already boiling sun she finally felt like she was home.

"Damon, some biker just drove into the courtyard. Go tell them to fuck off." Tyler grumbled at the sleeping body. Damon moaned and rolled off the couch.

"Dude. It's your fucking watch." he growled as he glanced at the screen. "What bike is it?"

Tyler shrugged and leant back on the chair, stretching his cramped muscles out behind him. "Dude-" he mocked, earning a glare, "-You're the one who's gonna be the damn president here eventually. It's your duty. And I can't be fucked." he pointed out casually. "And I don't know. Too dusty down there today. It's black I reckon."

Damon groaned as he stood, feeling the effects of sleeping on the sofa and glanced at the screen once more. The guy didn't seem to be doing anything except looking around. His father probably had some associate from Vegas or L.A riding in. Or maybe Gray had sent someone back ahead of him. He cringed at the name he was supposed to use. 'Boots'. Who the hell would use that? He groaned. The guy was most likely some amateur from the show room in Vegas wanting to try his luck here. Bet the guy had a Honda. Or something equally shit compared to the bikes lined up in the garage.

He stepped out of the room and into the hall, wincing as the sunlight streamed in and attacked his eyes. He groaned and kicked the door open, storming out into the courtyard.

"Dude!" he yelled. "What the fuck?"

The guy looked at him and swung his legs off of his bike. Holy shit. Was that a-? No... No way. Not from this guy.

Damon was too busy gaping at the bike to notice the biker making his way towards him, stripping off their helmet as they walked.

He tore his eyes away from the bike – still unsure in the bright morning light what it was – and locked his gaze onto the most gorgeous girl he'd ever seen.

Holy. Fuck.

He had no idea how long she'd been riding for but hell, did she look good. How did he not notice those legs before? He thought as his eyes travelled down her long legs and up again, feasting on the hot body that definitely lurked under all her leather before resting on her face. Her tanned skin was glistening with from being under the helmet, as was her chocolate hair that was currently cascading down her back in loose waves. Her eyes were a deep brown, full of fire and her mouth was currently set in a thin line, with her eyebrows raised amusedly at him.

The young woman scoffed and turned away to loop her helmet over the handle bars and lean against her bike casually.

"You done?" she snapped, although her eyes were glinting with amusement as she casually slipped off her gloves.

He rose an eyebrow and smirked. "Not quite."

The girl crossed her arms and waited for him to say more. With that he was brought back to reality with a crash. No matter how fucking gorgeous this girl was she couldn't just walk in here like she was known.

"Look. You need to leave." he said wearily. He wasn't up for argument.

"No chance." she scoffed and took her weight off of the bike, her eyes hard.

"You don't just get to walk in like you own the fucking place, doll." he stated, winking.

"Look, Damon," she said through gritted teeth, stopping him in his track. Yes, he was known but not by face, more by name.

"How the fuck do you know me?" he snapped out, pissed off and enthralled by this girl at the same time.

"Not very confident in your reputation are we, Salvatore?" she mocked, smiling innocently.

Damon glared at her. He'd never, never met someone who could match him. "Doesn't change a thing. This is the Phoenix V.M.C Clubhouse, you idiot."

She rolled her eyes exasperated. "I know, you idiot." she mocked him again. "If you would let me talk to Giuseppe I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Or be interested at the very least."

He rose an eyebrow, impressed by her rebounds. Clearly she knew about bikes, the club and everything but still. She couldn't just walk in and demand to see Giuseppe. They were one of the most rivalled clubs overall in all of America. Strangers weren't just invited in for tea with the President.

Damon shook his head, irritated. "As nice as you seem" he said sarcastically "it doesn't work like than sunshine."

The girl chuckled softly. He liked her laugh. It was nice.

What? He stopped himself quickly. Damon Salvatore did not think things were nice. Especially not hot, sarcastic women's laughs. It wasn't even a laugh – it was a fucking giggle.

She relaxed back against her bike, causing it to tilt slightly, moving it out of the glare of the sun.

"Is that the new Harley Sportster?" he said surprised. He even said it nicely. Ish.

She looked up, shocked. "Damon Salvatore does small talk?' she asked mock confused.

Damon shrugged and winked at her. "Only when there's pretty girls and Sportsters involved." he chuckled. "so is it?" he asked again.

The girl smiled genuinely for the first time since arriving. It made her look amazing, her eyes were sparkling in the morning sun. "Yeah." she said softly, as he subconsciously circled the bike.

He whistled lowly. "It's amazing." he said as he stroked his hands along the smooth paint. "nice job on the paint. Who got it to glint blue like that? Mine just stays solid." he commented.

She rose one perfect eyebrow and smiled again, almost causing him to smile back.. "You know. You're not as much of an ass as I was told."

Damon shrugged, taken off his feet by the sudden niceties they were exchanging. "Maybe you're different."

"Oh honey, I'm very different." she said lightly, immediately moving away from even slightly substantial conversation.

"And people say I'm cocky." he smirked at her.

"Oh you are." she smiled. "Look, I get this isn't normal, but I need to speak to Giuseppe. You don't have to take me inside, or leave me here alone just get him to come out or whatever."

Damon rose an eyebrow silently.

The girl groaned at his silence. "Tell him it's about Miranda and Grayson." she said quietly, sadness creeping through the lightness in her eyes.

Damon froze. He had never heard those two names, connected together and used in a sentence of relevance from anyone's mouth other than his father's.

"How do you know that name?" he breathed silently.

No one knew about Miranda in the Vagrants anymore, or any other club for that matter. Grayson had told Giuseppe who had of course in turn told him. No lower ranking members knew. No opposing clubs could have found her. She was a secret, kept that way for her safety and for Grayson's peace of mind. Those who knew of her here were threatened into secrecy or went willingly or living far away, unable to cause harm. No one knew she was connected to Grayson.

"As I said. Let me talk to Giuseppe and I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

He nodded curtly. This girl had arrived as dawn was breaking, on a raven black Sportster. She was gorgeous and witty and fiery. She had spark and managed to tease a civil conversation out of him. She knew things many who had been a member for over a decade didn't know.

One of the longest chapters I've ever written... for anything.