She stirred as the sound of a smashing plate and a string of curses rang through the house. She blinked her eyes several times to adjust to the bright light streaming in through the slanted lights. She rolled over, finding Damon's arms still wrapped loosely around her. She smiled gently at the thought before wandering through to the kitchen running a hand through her hair roughly.
"Hey. You must be Damon's new girl." a young man with a warm face said casually to her as he chucked the remnants of a once whole cup in the bin.
She rose her eyebrows and said nothing before reaching past him to attempt to work the coffee machine.
"Although, you were cuddling." he mused to himself out loud. "And Damon doesn't cuddle. Not fully clothed any way."
She snorted and smiled at the young man, noticing a striking pair of green eyes. "I'm Elena."
The man nodded slowly, his face blank. "Stefan." he replied before slotting toast into the toaster. "So. Are you Damon's new girl?" he asked grinning widely. She liked this guy. He was like her old friend, Ben from L.A.
"What's it to you?" she asked laughing, smiling at Stefan. He really was a nice guy, albeit a little forward and she had no idea who he was.
He held out his hand for her to shake. "Stefan Salvatore. The younger, better looking brother."
She took his hand grinning. "How come I've never heard about you? I knew Giuseppe had two sons but I never heard your name."
Stefan shrugged and fidgeted with his fingernails. "I'm not into all that." he said evasively.
"Stefan!" a male voice yelled through the house. "You in here?"
"Yep. Kitchen." he called back, eyes drifting back to her face shyly.
"You ready to-" A man slightly older than both of them walked into the room and stopped short at the sight of her sitting at the breakfast bar. He waggled his eyebrows at her then turned on Stefan who was looking completely uncomfortable. "Who's this? Damon's new chick or did you finally score?"
Elena looked in disgust at the new arrival. "I don't have to be some whore to be here." she snapped.
He held up his hands in surrender, his honey like British voice way too slick. "Sorry princess. Its the norm around here. Michael." he also said by introduction.
She nodded curtly, no smile appearing on her face. "Elena."
Michael nodded, looking slightly apologetic. "You're too good for Damon anyway."
Stefan shot Michael a sharp look but she noticed it in a heartbeat. Michael had a problem with Damon. Damon probably didn't like Michael and Stefan was somewhat stuck in the middle.
She shrugged slightly, relieved when the toaster popped and broke the awkward silence that had stretched between them all.
Stefan smiled charmingly at her and handed her a plate of buttered toast. "Tah-dah."
She laughed easily and took the plate smiling. Michael shifted awkwardly and muttered something about being in the car before slipping out the door. Stefan smiled awkwardly.
"Sorry. Michael's..." he trailed off, apparently unable to find words to describe his friend.
"Blunt?" she offered grinning.
Stefan laughed loudly. "Very." he glanced at the door and smiled at her sadly. "I gotta go. It was good to meet you, Elena." he added softly.
She nodded. "Don't worry. I'll be around. Damon's new girl and all." she said jokingly.
He laughed again as he left the room. "See you around Elena!"
He woke to the sound of laughing voices from the next room. He frowned slightly and sat up, blinking his eyes against the early morning light.
The next thing he noticed was that he was alone. He felt an unexpected twinge of something at the fact Elena wasn't near him.
He zoned back in on the voices, mentally assessing who could be in his house this early. Grayson? His Dad? Stefan, maybe?
He stretched painfully, feeling his second night in as many days that he had spent of a sofa. He sauntered casually into the kitchen and leant against the breakfast island where Elena was currently sitting.
"We made it a whole twenty four hours" she said grinning widely, "And you've only been an ass a handful of times."
He shook his head and flitted past her and attacking the coffee machine until made some promising sounds. "It's more than twenty-four hours." he pointed out, unsure of what to say.
She scoffed and bit into a piece of toast in front of her. "Whatever." she mumbled through a full mouth.
"Did you just walk into my kitchen and help yourself to toast?" he asked sceptically.
"You were sleeping like the dead so I came through here and your brother made me toast." she emphasised the last word with a wave of her half demolished slice.
"So you met Stefan, huh?" he asked dryly, curious as to what she would think of his younger brother.
The coffee machine beeped twice. It was either broken or had made him coffee. He hoped for the latter as he grabbed two cups and filled them up. "Coffee?" he asked, holding one of the cups out.
She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, he was talking to Michael and-"
Damon almost choked on his coffee. "Did you say Michael?" he said in a deadly quiet voice.
She nodded looking confused, "Yeah. Michael. Tall, oldish. Dark hair. British. They just left." she said slowly, munching on toast.
"And you say Stefan was with him?" he continued in the same even tone, all lightness and kidding long gone.
She nodded curtly, "You going to explain, or what?" she said shortly. So she wasn't one for being kept in the dark either. What. A. Shock.
"Michael is part of the Vengeful Souls." he stated quietly, hoping she might understand the implications of a friendship between his brother and a Vengeful Soul.
She nodded slowly, her face giving away no emotion or hints to what she was thinking. Even her eyes were clouded, leaving an impenetrable mask.
"I thought they weren't a problem." she said lightly.
He scowled. They hadn't been a problem. They had been nothing more than a small club with only a few chapters scattered over the west coast until a few years ago when they started spreading like wildfire, setting up clubhouses and buying up property and snatching business deal from the Vagrants and many other clubs in various areas.
Long story short, they had expanded rapidly from west to east over America. For a motorcycle club to coexist beside another you have to ask permission – or gain some sort of agreement – from the dominant club of that area. The Vengeful Souls had done nothing. They originated in Phoenix, so as protocol they had met with Giuseppe and some sort of vague, non-binding alliance was formed to stop clashes or conflict of any sort. It should have stopped there, no complications.
He cursed silently under his breath.
"They weren't." he said bitterly. "but they expanded. They have made enemies in nearly every state with every major club holding some sort of grudge against them."
She looked at him, her eyes once again showing no hints to her thoughts. They were deep and dark and unyielding of any secrets they might hold.
"So it's bad." he added, not quite sure if she'd understood or not.
She rolled her eyes and stood up. "I gathered that."
He held his hands up in defence, leaning his back against the breakfast counter to face her again. "Hey, you looked like you didn't understand."
She smirked and walked away from him back through to the sofa and making herself comfortable as if she'd lived there her whole life.
"You quite comfortable?" he asked sarcastically..
She winked at him and stretched herself out with her hands over her head. "Very." she said slyly.
"So what did you think of Stefan?" he asked casually, sitting beside her and resting her feet in his lap.
"He's okay." she said non-committally.
"You're descriptive skills astound me." he dryly.
"I have much more interesting ones about you." she shot back.
"I'd rather you didn't tell me." he said grinning, knowing exactly what words she would come out with.
"They aren't all bad." she said smiling.
"So some are?"
"Yes." she said, her eyes glinting with humour.
He leant his head back against the sofa and closed his eyes. "I wonder is my dad slept here last night."
"I didn't hear anything." she said shrugging before cracking a smile. "I can't believe you still live with your dad."
He glared at her, his mouth a grim line. "I don't." he said simply.
Elena made a noise of agreement. The kind of noise you hear from parents when their children tell them they're going to be President some day.
He tickled her feet lightly, making her squeal and squirm away from him. "I have an apartment silly. Grayson just wanted you to stay here so he knows where you are."
"Why didn't you leave?" she asked. God, that girl had a way with questions. She managed to ask questions like that without seeming weird or nosey – simply curious.
"Would you haven't wanted to be alone when we heard those shots?" he said darkly.
She frowned. "No."
"Exactly." he said smugly.
"You could have left afterwards." she pointed out quietly.
"Nah." he said shrugging, picking at a cushion next to him awkwardly hoping she would drop it. She did, but he could tell she wasn't done with the subject and she was right to. Why was some guy she barely knew refusing to leave her alone? She would have no idea. Hell, he had know idea why he wouldn't leave her.
She yawned widely suddenly, making him notice how tired she still looked.
"Hey." he said softly. "Go back to sleep." She looked at him and opened her mouth to argue. "Come on 'Lena. You're shattered. Go back to sleep." he cut her off swiftly. She yawned again and rested her chin in her hands and glancing out the window at the early morning sun.
"Mm. Fine." she mumbled her eyes already closed. He swore she was asleep in seconds. Her even breathing made him realise how tired he also felt. He wasn't a morning person and waking up so early two days in a row was not working for him. He closed his eyes and attempted to let himself drift off to sleep but he just couldn't fall back asleep once he was awake.
He scowled as he swallowed a mouthful of coffee and actually tasted how disgusting it was. He sighed and stood up and went to attack the coffee machine again, hoping it might actually make something drinkable this time.
He sat down on a stool and laid his head in his hands. Only waiting a minute before giving up on coffee and slouching back into the living room and crashing on to the sofa, smiling softly at Elena curled up with her head inches from his chest. He yawned and pulled a blanket over her and dropping off to sleep, a complete contradiction to his normal behaviour.
A million thoughts were still running through his head; each of a particular brown eyed girl.
"Elena?" came a shocked voice from above her. She cracked an eye open and sat up, pulling out of Damon's arms and immediately missing the warmth they held.
"Hi Dad." she smiled awkwardly. "Hey Giuseppe." she smiled at the other man after waking up in his son's arms.
"Damon." Giuseppe said lightly. She could practically hear the laughter in his voice.
"Dad? What's up?" he mumbled incoherently as he sat up slowly. "Grayson." he cleared his throat awkwardly. "How you doing?" he said, attempting to come across nonchalant.
Grayson glared at him stony eyed, eyeing the arm that was resting casually behind Elena's back, not quite touching her but not quite formal distance away.
Giuseppe chuckled. "Damon, no matter what you say he's still gonna remember how we find you."
Damon cringed and looked away, seeing Elena bury her face in her hands next to him. He bit back a smile. He liked the fact that his whole family had seen him sleeping with Elena in his arms. It was like he had proof or something.
"Come on Dad, he's the only person I know!" Elena laughed brightly. "Apart from all the people I had a five minute conversation with yesterday and Stefan."
Grayson brightened slightly. "You met Stefan?"
Damon tensed and shot a glance at his father, unsure whether to bring up Michael now or later. He sighed. Now was probably best.
Elena glanced at Damon who nodded, urging her to continue. "Yeah. I met him this morning." she paused and looked at her fingernails suddenly, as if they had become extremely interesting.
"He was with Michael." Damon said quietly.
Both men's heads snapped to Damon's face at the four words he uttered. "He wasn't." Giuseppe breathed out in disbelief. "Stefan wouldn't bring a Vengeful in here. Especially not while Elena's here."
Elena forgot all about her nails. "What do the Vengeful's have to do with me?" she asked shortly, staring between her father and Giuseppe before looking at Damon pleadingly.
"Everything and nothing." he sighed evasively. "We have no proof." he added in explanation after a exasperated nice escaped from Elena's lips.
Giuseppe cleared his throat and looked between the two young adults on the sofa. "The driver was connected to the Vengeful Souls."
"But that doesn't mean Elena in particular." Damon said, a strange sensation of worry building in his stomach.
The older met sat on the other sofa facing them, automatically making it easier to talk. Grayson rubbed his face with his hands and held it there. He looked older. More weary.
"No, but it's likely." Giuseppe said softly.
"They could have been targeting me." he insisted adamantly. "Or Klaus or even Caroline."
"Or Elena." Grayson said softly, staring at his daughter.
Elena watched the scene without a word. She pulled her knees into her chest and curled into a ball trying to keep it together. She wouldn't break. Not now.
"Wait." Giuseppe frowned to himself. "Are we sure it was Michael?"
They all looked at Elena expectantly. She sighed and briefly looked at Grayson before locking gazes with Damon. There was something about his presence that calmed her down. He had been there every moment. Every time something bad had happened she had looked straight to him for reassurance simply because he was the only one she could even think of trusting.
"Tall. Older than me but younger than both of you. British accent." she shrugged and hugged her knees tighter.
Grayson's eyes darkened and he stood up abruptly. "We'll figure it out." he said confidently but his eyes were worried and agonized. He didn't want to leave her alone.
She stood up slowly and hesitantly wrapped her arms around her father. He let out a sigh of relief and pulled her close. "Stay safe." he whispered quietly for only her to hear. She pulled back slightly so she could talk to him. "Where am I supposed to stay?"
Grayson frowned. "I would rather you didn't stay at mine." he said musingly. A wave of hurt ripped through her. Her own father didn't want her around. She pulled back completely. A flash of understanding appeared in his eyes. "because it's a well known place." he added quickly, diminished her hurt rapidly.
"So where am I supposed to go?" she said quietly. It didn't matter how long she stayed here and how many clothes she kept in bags. She didn't have a place to call home.
"You can stay here." Damon offered casually, while Giuseppe shook his head.
"Michael was in here today, Damon." he pointed out.
"I'll find you an apartment today." Grayson promised, dropping a kiss on her forehead and heading for the door. "You can go essential furniture shopping tomorrow and move in tomorrow night."
Giuseppe coughed to capture everyone's attention. "And what about tonight?"
Grayson frowned at Giuseppe, as if blaming him for causing a problem.
Elena sighed. "I'll find a hotel. Or I'll stay with Caroline or something."
Grayson opened his mouth to protest but Giuseppe was ushering him out the door without so much as a 'goodbye'
Damon struggled not to smile as Elena flopped down on the the sofa. He said down next t her and rested his hand along the back of the seat, just inches away from her shoulder.
"What we doing today?" he asked grinning.
Elena turned to look at him sceptically. "You don't have to spend all your time with me."
He stood up and smiling imploringly at her. "I know. We're going back to the clubhouse."
She shook her head in exasperation. Sure she was glad she actually had someone she could rely on but she did not know this guy at all and had spent every single moment with him. She almost smiled slightly to herself. It made coming to Phoenix slightly less heartbreaking under the circumstances.
"Hey." Matt said warmly to her as she stepped into the garage.
"Hi." She smiled at the blonde. He was a less intimidating biker than the other guys dotted around the crowded workroom.
"So what's up?" he asked casually, still mostly focused on his bike.
"Ah not much." she said lightly, leaning against the workbench. "You're one of the only people I sort of know." His eyes lit up as he looked at her. "So you know, I thought I should get to know some people and you're the only one I know who's around." she added hurriedly, not wanting him to get the wrong impression.
He went back to his work with a mildly put out expression. "Where's Damon?"
"Still half asleep. He went to get coffee." she smiled.
"Think he'll get me any?" Matt asked hopefully.
"Doubt it." she said chuckling. "His coffee sucks anyway."
"My coffee does not suck!" Damon said indignantly from behind her. "Hey Matt." he said absently as he handed Elena a coffee.
She chuckled as she took a drink. It wasn't actually that bad. Surprisingly. The one he'd made her at the house at been somewhere between bearable and disgusting.
"This is actually drinkable-" she started saying mockingly before the shrill ringing of her cell phone cut her off.
"Hello?" she asked curiously. She frowned as her Dad began rambling on incoherently – mainly because she wasn't listening. "Mmhm." she said, idly staring at her nails. She could hear Damon's laughter and feel his eyes on her but right now, she couldn't even focus on her dad's words. "Yeah." she said, as if she was actually listening.
"ELENA!" her Dad yelled through the phone, shocking her out of her daydream so suddenly she almost dropped the phone. Damon burst out laughing and grabbed her mobile off of her.
"Hey Grace. Elena was too busy staring at her nails to listen to you-" he started, grinning widely at her. "What?" he snapped, the smile gone in moments. "We covered this this morning, Grayson." he said tersely. "We know he was-" he broke off and glanced at Matt, sighing slightly. He motioned with one hand at her to follow him as he walked out the garage.
"Bye Matt." she said apologetically as she followed Damon into the actually clubhouse. She scowled at his back and jogged to catch up with him, grabbing the phone out of his hand and hanging up in one swift movement.
Damon span round and faced her with a stubborn expression. "Seriously, I can't explain right now."
She faced him down with her hands placed adamantly on her hips. "You can and you will."
He stepped closer to her so her lips were only centimetres away from his when she looked up to meet his gaze. "Do you want to know who is after you? Do you want to know who had been looking for you since you were a kid unnoticed? Do you want to know who tried to kill you yesterday? Do you really want a stranger to tell you that?" he hissed at her.
"Do you want me to go around Phoenix completely ignorant?" she countered.
"I'm not the right person to tell you this stuff!" he almost yelled at her.
"You know what?" she spat out vehemently. "I've spent more time with you at one time that I've ever spent with my own father. You're the only person who's not a complete stranger to me. If anyone should tell me, it should be you."
That stopped him. The hard mask covering his eyes melted. "Come on." he said softly, holding his hand out to her. She eyed his hand suspiciously, not sure where this would end up with him explaining anything. He smiled sadly. "I don't know enough. Grayson only called to get us to go over to his office, they didn't tell me a thing." She sighed and took his hand firmly.
"Let's go then."
He shook his head and began leading then through endless hallways and up long slights of stairs. "Have you really spent more time with me than Grayson?" he asked hesitantly.
She sighed. "I've spent practically every minute since I arrived with you which is over twenty-four hours – I've met Grayson a handful of times and each was only a few hours at a time. He might be my Dad but I don't know him at all."
He didn't know what to say to her. The involuntary sadness that crept into her voice made her seem far older that twenty-two. He just squeezed her hand lightly and pushed open a door and led her into Grayson's office.
She walked in and saw her father sitting on a sofa, running his hands restlessly through his hair. He looked up and nodded at them both as they walked in.
"Start talking, Grayson." Damon ordered.
"Damon!" Giuseppe scolded him like a child. "Don't be an ass."
"Dad, come on. You can't start rambling a thousand words a minute on a phone about some connection with the Vengeful's and Elena and except me to be all chill about this."
She couldn't help but smile slightly, only smiling even wider when she caught Giuseppe smiling along with her.
"This isn't as serious as you're both making it out to be. Even Elena knows that." Giuseppe pointed out with a smile still on his face.
Damon smirked and pointed in her direction. "She has no idea what's going on. When Gray called her she was staring at her nails and not even listening. Just don't let it fool you, she can be e-e-e-e-evil." he trailed out the last word to make his point. She elbowed him playfully to shut him up. "See!" he exclaimed loudly. "Evil, I tell you."
"That's me, heart of darkness and all." she said to Damon while smiling at her Dad, trying to get him to see some humour.
"You're such a bad influence." Grayson grumbled under his breath.
Giuseppe grinned at her Grayson. "Who is the bad influence here exactly?"
"Him!" she squealed, pointing at him the same time he pointed at her. Giuseppe laughed, with loud full-bellied laughs that rocked the room.
Giuseppe leaned in and muttered in Grayson's ear. "Don't tell me you don't see it. They are exactly like Amanda and I were. They're exactly like you and Miranda were." he added in a undertone, so they wouldn't overhear.
Elena heard Miranda's name like they had screamed it in her ear and her head snapped away from Damon to her Dad. "What?" she asked.
Giuseppe waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing, just pointing something out."
Elena rose an eyebrow and opened her mouth to argue but Damon beat her to it. "Trust me when I say she doesn't like being kept in the dark, Dad." She burst out laughing and caught her Dad's sad gaze. She sat next to him slowly and placed her hand over his.
"I'll be okay." she whispered in his ear. He sighed and patted her hand with his free one.
"You need to know."