He watched her walk over to Caroline's car, her arms full of bags and her face full of laughter. There was something about her. She was different from any other girl he'd ever met – rider or not.
"Mate. What the hell's going on?" Klaus asked, his eyes wide and his tone playful.
Damon sighed and sat back against the bench. "Nothing's going on. I barely know her."
Klaus scoffed, "You went shopping with her. You're being nice to her."
"You make me sound like an asshole." he complained roughly.
Klaus gave him a look. "Fine. I am a slight asshole, what's your point?" Why did everyone think he was incapable of being nice to someone who just happened to be a girl?
"Come on, Damon. You like her! Admit it!" Klaus pushed.
"You act like a teenage girl Klaus."
Klaus glared at him and flipped him off. "So do you. You're staring at her Damon." he pointed out gleefully.
"You sound like Caroline" he pointed out dryly "all happy and excited and incredibly irritating."
He glared at him, unable to stop the smirk sliding onto his face as he looked away from her and Caroline talking. No doubt Caroline was having a similar conversation with her.
"Nothing's going on." he insisted again, watching Caroline bounce up and down excitedly as Elena leant back the car parked beside Caroline's. She was shaking her head and seemed to be thinking hard about something.
A screech of tyres snapped them both out of their trances. Klaus jumped to his feet and stared wide eyes at the car heading towards the car beside Caroline's. The one Elena was leaning against.
Neither of them had heard the tyres screeching, he doubted either of them would notice the car.
"Move!" he yelled in panic."Move you idiots!" he yelled across the street.
Klaus was in a similar state. "CAROLINE!" he bellowed. "ELENA, MOVE!"
They both knew Elena was in more danger. Time seemed to go slowly as he made to move across the street and somehow get her out of the way. He had only got one foot off the pavement before the car flew into the car and Elena was thrown against Caroline's trunk and landed on the ground.
He heard Caroline scream as time sped up again. She backed away her shaking hands over her mouth. Klaus leaped over the bench and charged towards the blonde. He froze for just a second before doing the same. He was by the collision in seconds and was seriously considering shooting the driver. He'd left his gun at home though. Obviously.
He climbed over the wreckage. The moving car had collided with the one Elena had been leaning on and the force of the impact had rammed it into the back of Caroline's Range Rover.
He dropped beside her, breathing out a sigh of relief when he saw no cuts or blood on her face. He gingerly picked her up and cradled her gently against him, stroking her hair back from her face.
"What the fuck?" she mumbled as her eyelids flickered open. "Damon?" she asked confused as she tried to sit up.
"Ouch." she moaned in pain. "My head's killing me. Why are you smiling?" she snapped.
Damon restrained himself and wiped the smile off of his face. "Just glad you're not brain damaged or dead or badly hurt or something."
She smirked slightly before touching a hand to her temple. "My head is pounding." she said quietly as her eyes drooped.
It seemed everything he'd every learnt about first aid had disappeared. He crouched, gently scooping her up into his arms.
"You okay?" he asked. "Anything broken?"
She rolled her eyes before closing them and lolling her head against his shoulder. "No." she said, her eyelids flickering.
He saw vaguely out of the corner of his eye Klaus yelling abuse at the driver. Assumingly threatening him for information. Everything in him wanted to believe it was an accident but knew knew there were people with the initiative to try and hurt her. He groaned.
"What you groaning at now?" she murmured against his jacket.
"You've only been here hours and someone already tried to mow you down with a car." he said bitterly. "Go figure. Gotta love Phoenix."
"S'cool" she mumbled, barely coherent "I'm not dead yet."
"Not funny you know." he replied with a smile. If she could hold a conversation she probably wasn't concussed.
"Damon?" Caroline asked from behind him. "She okay? She's not like, brain damaged or something?" she asked, her voice shaking. She must have been shaken up by what had happened.
"I don't think so. You can never know with this one though." he said smirking, knowing she could hear him.
She chuckled weakly in his arms and lolled her head further against his chest.
Caroline sighed and pointed to her car. "I can't even drive you anywhere." she said regretfully. "I called a cab though."
Damon nodded his thanks briefly, still conscious of the girl in his arms right now. It was the second time he'd had her in his arms since they had met only hours ago. What was it about her? He sighed in relief as a cab pulled up in front of him.
Caroline was already loading the bags into the trunk, her face blank.
"Shouldn't you take her to hospital?" she said gently.
Damon looked down at Elena, wondering the same thing. Sure, she seemed okay but he wasn't trained as a doctor. He wasn't even trained in first aid. "I should take her home." he said to himself.
Caroline nodded and walked over to Klaus, wrapping a shaking arm around his waist.
He slipped into the cab, still holding Elena and ignored the looks he was getting from the driver.
"Hospital?" he asked concerned, his eyes locked on Elena's still form.
He shook his head sharply and ignored the look he received. "The Vagrants clubhouse" he said firmly, denying any further questions.
Eventually, after an awkward ride the pulled up just outside the gates. Clearly, the cab driver wasn't one for the club because his face was stony.
Damon glared at the driver and threw him some notes. "The extra's for you to bring in her bags." he snapped, smirking in triumph as the driver got out and resolutely doing as he was told.
"Elena. Wake up." he muttered as he slipped out of the cab. "Can you stand?"
Elena groaned and stood, unsteady on her feet stumbling slightly. "No, then." he smirked despite the situation and picked her up bridal-style for the third time that day.
"Can you not be an ass?" she said irritated.
"I doubt it." he said brightly, as he began walking towards the clubhouse. "You're dad is going to kill me." he pointed out sheepishly.
"I won't let him." she said as a ghost of a smile flickered across her face.
"DAMON. WHAT HAPPENED?" Grayson yelled at him from across the courtyard, his eyes wide with Giuseppe on his tail.
"Is she okay?" he panicked, looking unsure of what to do.
Giuseppe rested a hand on Grayson's shoulder attempting and failing to calm him down.
"She can hold a conversation at least. She still thinks I'm an ass." he said smirking slightly.
"You are an ass." Elena said lightly, her head still resting against Damon's chest.
"Damon, take her back to the house." Giuseppe ordered sharply. "We'll meet you there in an hour or so."
Damon nodded and headed towards the car park. "Can you at least get our bikes? They're at our depot in the city."
Giuseppe nodded while Grayson stared after the man who was holding his daughter in their arms.
She woke up with a pounding headache. "Ow." she moaned.
Damon chuckled beside her. "How's your head?"
"Just brilliant" she muttered darkly as she sat up and took in her surroundings. "where am I?"
He shrugged and leant back against the sofa "My house. Your Dad'll be up in a bit."
She sighed and dropped her head into her hands "He's probably losing his mind."
Damon smirked "Oh, he is."
"Can you be remotely serious for like, five minutes?" she snapped irritably. She couldn't deal with his attitude.
"Come on 'Lena, in the whole" he glanced at his watch "thirteen hours that you have known me, I've been serious haven't I?"
Only thirteen hours. That was abnormal. As cheesy as it sounded it felt like they'd known each other for years, or at least weeks.
"I got hit by a car. Practically. Can't you at least be serious in this situation?"
His face hardened. "I don't do seriousness. It makes everything too real."
She glanced at him, surprised by his honesty. "So you joke to cut through the tension to pretend it never happened?" she said, already knowing the answer.
He stared at her, his icy blue eyes wide. "Uh, yeah. Not a good strategy or something?"
She stared him down silently for a while. "It's not. You can't pretend something didn't happen."
"You seem like the type to face your problems, not run away from them."
"Yeah, well I learnt that the hard way." she said, her voice low.
He was staring at her in a completely different way, like her was seeing something new about her. Not bad different, not the 'oh-my-god-you're-really-a-freak' look, just a look in his eyes that seemed like he was viewing her differently.
She stared back at him, the companionable silence stretching between them.
It was broken by a door being swung open.
"Elena?" her Dad called through the house. "You okay?" he said and he crouched beside her, worry etched across his face.
She looked at him laughing, "I'm fine. Honestly."
Grayson scoffed. "What happened?"
She thought back, the precise memories not really clear. "I'm not sure. I think a car hit me or something."
Grayson's eyes bugged out their sockets. "Damon." he growled lowly. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, sure she loved her dad – especially now – but the whole protective thing wasn't cool with her.
"It didn't hit her exactly. She was leaning against a car and this other car appeared out of nowhere and rammed into the side of it."
"Did you get the driver?" Giuseppe asked lowly in a tone that suggested any answer apart from 'yes' wasn't good enough.
He nodded in agreement. "Klaus was on it." Giuseppe nodded and pulled out his phone as he headed outside to make a call.
"I'm going to kill the bastard." Grayson exploded suddenly, kicking the side of the sofa.
"It was an accident Dad." she said soothingly, trying to calm him down.
She was met with silence as the three men shared looks. "Right?" she asked weakly. She refused to believe someone was still after her and had found her that quickly.
Grayson simply squeezed her shoulders gently and muttered a rushed goodbye before walking out the door after Giuseppe.
She looked at Damon desperate for answers. He sighed and sat down beside her and cupped her face in her hands.
"I can't tell you everything, but I know that probably wasn't an accident. Just like that fire wasn't an accident."
She swallowed roughly and pulled away from his hands, putting distance between them. She couldn't think straight with him so close to her.
"Why do you do that?" he said softly.
She snapped her gaze to him. "Do what?"
"You sort of distance yourself. From everyone." he spoke gently, staring at his knees.
"If you get close to someone they always leave" she said quietly, her voice steady, "one way or another. Distance, situations, arguments."
He looked at her, his eyes so open it made her breath catch in her throat. He was looking at her with vague understanding and her heart ached for him.
"I haven't left you." he said, smiling a little.
"Yeah, why is that? You can't want to spend all your time stuck with me."
He looked at her in disbelief. "You're not the worst company in the world, Elena."
She leant back against the sofa, lolling her head against the cushions. Her eyes closed so she couldn't see the way Damon was staring at her.
"Just wait a couple days. Then you'll be sick of me."
"Is that an invitation?"
"More like a challenge." she smirked devilishly.
He leant his body more towards her, his face an open look of shock. "Are you challenging me, Gilbert?"
She cracked an eye open, still unaware of the way this man was looking at her. "Yep. I'm always right."
"And you really think I'll leave you?" he frowned, confusion clouding his eyes.
"Well that's your choice isn't it?" she smiled lightly.
He sighed exasperate. "Can you stop doing that?"
She rolled her eyes and glared at him. "Why?"
"Because one day, someone might actually want to have a serious conversation with you." he snapped.
She was taken aback by his bluntness, and the harshness of his tone. She narrowed her eyes. "And when I'm comfortable around that person, then I'll talk to them."
Her phone chimed then, alerting her that she had a text message.
"It's my dad" she frowned at the screen, "he wants me to stay here tonight."
Damon shrugged, though she didn't miss the spark in his eyes. "That's cool. I can make you up a bed now." he said, half standing up.
"Don't be an idiot." she said playfully. "I'll sleep here."
"You can't sleep on a sofa." he insisted.
"Have you felt these sofas? They're very comfy. And you forget I've not slept for longer than an hour or so since..." she trailed off, working out the time, "Two nights ago."
His eyes bulged. "Exactly! Come on, make me feel better and sleep in a bed." he said persuasively.
She pulled her knees up to her chest. "I don't want to sleep in a bed that's not my own."
"Then sleep in mine." he suggested waggling his eyebrows, half serious half playful.
She paused, actually considering it. It wasn't that she didn't want to sleep in a bed but she felt safer on the sofa for some reason. She didn't want to be alone in a strange room. It just didn't feel safe.
"I'll just sleep here." she said finally, refusing to complicate anything. Come on, the guy was gorgeous but she barely knew him.
Damon collapsed back onto the sofa. "You are so stubborn." he whined.
She smiled at him, acting as if butter wouldn't melt. "Oh, I know."
"You're right. I am sick of you." he deadpanned.
She made an indignant noise and threw a cushion at his head. Surprisingly, it actually hit it's target, bouncing off his face.
"You are so dead." he growled as he stood us. "So. Dead." before charging over to her, and jumping on top of her.
She squealed and rolled out form underneath him and charged around to the other side of the sofa. "Am I? I seem to be alive. You're losing your touch, Salvatore!" she screamed just before he came racing after her.
She bolted away, laughing freely. "This isn't fair!" she complained as she hid behind the breakfast island, Damon on the opposite side trapping her in the kitchen.
"Life isn't fair, babe. Get over it." he winked cheekily, darting to his left to try and grab her.
It turned into one of those, I go one way you got the other games, thoroughly irritating her. They had been stuck on opposite side of this bloody counter for at least five minutes.
"Okay. Truce?" she scowled grumpily.
"Truce." Damon laughed, his blue eyes alight with humour.
She sauntered past him and crashed onto the sofa, burying her face in a cushion.
"That's much better." he commented casually as he sat down next to her.
"Ass." she mumbled incoherently, hiding her smile in the cushion.
"Not a bad thing-" he started off saying before a loud bang shattered the atmosphere, leaving a deafening silence.
A tense silence stretched between them, both straining their ears to hear more. Another bang ripped through the air, this one much louder than the previous.
She froze, her mind refusing to work. She shrunk back into the sofa, knowing her face would have drained off all colour.
Damon stood up and pressed his finger to his lips and motioned for her to stay where she way before slipping off into the darkness, leaving her alone with nothing but silence fo company.
She strutted past him cheekily before crashing onto the sofa, hiding her face in one of the cushions. Man, she was really something. He wasn't especially thinking of his 'fuck 'em ,chuck 'em' routine but she was sensational. It wasn't just her looks thought, it was her fucking personality. She was so fiery and fierce with an actual sense of humour with a phobia of talking about anything that was remotely serious or could put you in a situation where you were actually close to someone emotionally.
She was every guys dream, he thought bitterly.
"That's much better." he remarked as he sat next to her, referencing to the fact her head was still stuck in a cushion.
"Ass." she muttered into the pillow.
He smirked to himself, glad she couldn't see the way he could barely keep his eyes off of her. "Not a bad thing-"
A loud bang echoed through the house, leaving a ominous silence lingering in the air.
They both froze, listening intently to the silent night. Another bang exploded, seemingly right outside the house.
It wasn't a bang like firework or something. It was a gunshot.
He glanced at Elena, who's face was pale and scared. He stood up, pressing his finger to his lips and attempting to motion silently to stay where she was. She seemed to understand because she stayed put and stayed silent as he slipped out the door.
A flash of movement caught his eyes. He charged after what he guessed was a hooded male. He silently thanked the gods for making him work out so often, as the attacker began to slow he closed the gap between them, grabbing him around the neck and bundling him into he wall.
"What the fuck was that?" he growled harshly.
He took a glance at the young man's face, realising it was a kid, no older than sixteen.
He sighed and realised him. He wouldn't beat up a kid, even if he did have a gun – or more likely a BB gun or something else.
"Were those shots you, kid?" he asked firmly.
He nodded, his eyes wide. "I was with my mates, they were shooting the tires across the block but they had heard the Vagrants president lived along here so they wanted to come try be cool and shoot the tyres." he spoke, tripping over his words.
His eyes narrowed. "Why the Vagrants president's tyres?"
The kid swallowed roughly. His hands shaking violently. "Just because." he said defiantly. "None of us have anything against him or the actual club but it's always been some stupid dare. Mostly for the jocks and people like that but it was basically to see who could shoot the most expensive cars tyres. Everyone knowns the president and his sons have awesome cars so we came along here."
"You're right" he said lowly. "I do have awesome cars."
The kid's pale paled further. "I-I-" he stuttered.
Damon sighed. "It's alright kid. You can go, but tell your little friends if I hear shots around here I will drag you to the cops myself."
"You're not calling the cops?" the kid cried, almost fainting with relief.
"Nope." he said. "What's your name kid?"
"Jeremy Donovan." he whispered quitetly.
"Matt's brother?" he questioned.
"Yeah, you know him?" he asked surprised.
So Matt's little brother didn't know he was a Vagrant. He stored that little bit of information away for blackmail later. "Sort of." he said non-committally.
Jeremy nodded and fidgeted awkwardly. "I'm sorry I shot your tyres."
Damon smirked and began walking away, ruffling his hair as he went past. "It was my dad's car. Not mine." he winked.
He practically sprinted back to the house and crashed into the living room to find Elena staring wide eyed at him.
"You scared the shit out of me." she said.
He smiled and sat down next to her causing his arm to brush against hers. Man, she was freezing. He grabbed a blanket from the back of the other sofa and wrapped it around her. "Warm up." he ordered.
Elena gratefully pulled the blanket closer, involuntarily leaning closer to him. Expecting her to move away, he was shocked to find her leaning closer.
"It was just some kid for a dare. Matt's little brother actually." he explained quickly, feeling she would want to know.
Some of the tension seeped out of her body, relaxing her slightly more against him. He laid back gently and hesitantly wrapped his arms around her.
"Shouldn't you go to bed?" she asked, her tone cold, but not icy. She was doing that distancing thing again, pulling away from him incase he left her.
"Nope. I'm staying here tonight. You're a danger magnet." he said leaving now room for argument.
She didn't even comment, she just rolled over and pressed her cheek against his chest causing his chin to rest lightly on the top of her head.
Within moments she seemed to be asleep.
"I won't leave you, Elena." he whispered quietly to her sleeping form before drifting off to join her in the land of sleep while unbeknownst to him, she lay wide awake in his arms, only finally falling asleep as his soft breathing led her there.