OMG, I UPDATED. Jokes. Lol, hi. Enjoy.

She leant her head back against the headrest anxiously and closed her eyes tightly. She had forgotten how much she hated flying until this very moment. All through the ride to the airport, throughout the check-in, the security and all the endless waiting in the departures lounge she had forgotten all about how it made her shake in fear and remember. It had been years since she'd been in a plane and yet she still remembered the gut wrenching fear that overtook her and remained in her stomach for the whole flight. She had been fifteen years old when the plane she had been travelling in plummeted to the ground; she had been old enough to know what was happening, to know she might not survive. How long did it take people to get over something like that? The plane made a sudden jolt forwards and her eyes shot open at the same time her hands flew to the arm rests, gripping them tightly and digging her nails in.

"Ouch." Damon said from the seat beside her, grinning at her; his eyes sparkled playfully.

"Sorry sorry." she muttered haphazardly, releasing her hands and clasping them tightly together in her lap. He breathed out slowly as if just realizing something and turned in his seat to face her.

"Elena." He said in the usual way he said her name; as if he knew something she didn't.

"What?" she snapped, anxiously tapping her nails irregularly against her thighs.

"Elena." He repeated as sighed under his breath and lifted the armrest that separated them both, up and placed his hands reassuringly on her shoulders. "You scared of flying?" he said softly, his voice for once devoid of any jokiness.

She turned to meet his gentle gaze and nodded her head once, "Yes." She breathed out shakily, gripping her thighs firmly.

"There's nothing to be scared of, Elena." He said reassuringly, tilting her chin up to look at him with the tip of his finger. "The physics behind planes is pretty set, these things don't just drop out of the sky."

"They can." She muttered quietly

"They don't, Elena." He argued stubbornly. "Planes don't just fall out of the sky. It's incredibly rare, especially nowadays."

"I was in a plane crash when I was fifteen." She whispered, staring at him sadly. Shock clouded his eyes and he pulled her closer to him, burying her face into his chest as his arms wrapped around her back.

"Shhh." He said, more to himself than to her. "You'll be okay. I promise you." He murmured into her hair, rubbing her lower back softly.

"I know, it's just…" she trailed off and pressed her face closer to Damon, his presence comforting and soothing her more than anything else ever had. He cupped her face and forced her to look at him. "I was old enough to know I might die." She gasped out at last; shocked as she felt tears building up in her throat.

"Don't think about it." He winked at her, slipping back into his comfortable routine. "Think about me instead, fulfill your fantasies."

She snorted and shook her head, disbelievingly. "Yeah, about how much of a cocky ass you are."

He waggled his eyebrows at her and leant back against the seat, in a relaxed position. "There you go. Think about my ass."

She burst out laughing and leant back slowly, trying to feel more at ease. She tensed up as the plane began taxiing along the runway – when they were in the air that was it, there would be no going back. She breathed deeply in and out, once again trying to calm herself. She gasped in shock, as quietly as possible, as the plane picked up speed. She could practically feel her heart beating out of her chest as she mentally counted down the seconds until they were in the air.

She squeezed her eyes shut and felt her stomach drop as the plan lifted off of the runway. She could feel the familiar gnawing sensation building in her chest, along with the knot of tension in her stomach.

Damon lifted the armrest again – they had been told to put it back in position before take off – and moved closer to her so he was angled towards her, his legs resting against hers. He wrapped an arm around her back, gently massaging her neck with one hand.

"Sir, if you could place the armrest back to the original position." A snobby airhostess ordered, staring him up and down appreciatively.

"Can't you see how terrified she is?" he snapped back, not moving to take his arm from around her.

"The seatbelt sign will be off soon, ma'am. I assure you nothing will go wrong." She said pleasantly; obviously she had experience dealing with nervous fliers. "Sir, put the armrest down."

Elena took a deep breath and started to move the armrest down. "No." Damon said stubbornly.

The airhostess glared at Damon and opened her mouth to retort angrily, only before she could speak, the loud dinging of the seatbelt sign going off interrupted her. Damon grinned smugly and settled back in his seat, his arm still loosely draped around her, rubbing gently circles on the side of her neck. He was very pointedly ignoring the airhostess. She sighed in exasperation before storming off to tend to the other passengers aboard. Elena turned slightly to face him looking entirely thankful.

"You're welcome." He said smugly, winking at her.

She sighed and leant back against the seat. Now all she had to do was get through the next hour or so. Damon's arms wound around her and pulled her against his chest. She sighed in contentment, once again, all tension seeping out of her. She couldn't forget she was once again in a flying chunk of metal which she knew from experience could plummet straight to the ground. She closed her eyes tightly and breathed in the scent of Damon. The fact that he could relax her was strangely comforting, and unnerving – she barely knew the guy.

They sat there for a long time. He managed to keep her calm unless the plane started to descend suddenly. She immediately tensed in his arms and pushed her face deeper into his chest. He tightened his grip on her and held her until they hit the ground.

She felt awkward after the plane ride. Damon was still practically a stranger, yet he knew so much about her than many of her closest friends didn't know. Barely anyone knew how terrified she was of planes. None of her friends, bar one, knew of her Vagrant legacy. Many of her friends owned bikes, but it's like owning a kitten and saying you're part of a zoo. None of them knew anything about her parents – they had rarely met Miranda, Elena had preferred spending her time around L.A or in one of her friend's huge houses than in her home off the beaten track. They didn't know any of the things that essentially made her who she was, yet she was letting Damon bit by bit and now, it was awkward.

They walked in a silence, both comfortable and uncomfortable depending on who you asked about it. To her it was uncomfortable; to him and the others observing them it was as comfortable and natural as anything. He wasn't pushing her to talk about anything, he was there, just a few steps behind her letting her wind her way through the familiar airport.

"So where to, ms. Los Angeles?" Damon said playfully as they emerged from the crowed outside LAX and made their way to the cab line. Surprisingly, it was quiet, with only a few people ahead of them. She grinned at him; glad he had broken the silence.

"Pasadena" she said, bouncing excitedly as he grabbed her bag and threw it in the trunk of the next available cab. She switched her mobile back on to even more missed calls and texts. She made a mental note to call her friends, even if there was a voice at the back of her head telling her how bad an idea this was.

Damon nodded and the both slotted into the back seat. "Where to?" the cabbie said routinely, with about as much enthusiasm as a 9-5 worker on a Monday morning.

"Pasadena." Elena said quietly. "4186 Ramston Boulevard." She noticed Damon look at her, his eyes hesitantly worried. She knew what he was thinking; her home at been burnt to the ground – why would she want to go back?

"Ramston?" the cabbie asked incredulously. "Isn't that where that fire was a couple days ago?"

She tensed immediately. She hadn't expected any major news to be following the story. Fires happened all the time, didn't they? Elena nodded quickly. "I've been out of town, I wouldn't know." Her voice cracked awkwardly on the last word. "Was it bad?"

The cab driver nodded gravely. "The house it started in is gone, only the garage is still standing. The houses around it, just have fire damage. They can't even sue for compensation, apparently after the mother died the daughter disappeared. There's a missing person's report filed but no picture's been released yet so we can't be much help."

Elena sat in stunned silence, her mouth hanging slightly open. There was a missing person's report? She couldn't think of anything else to say. She knew she must look ridiculous; sitting there, her mouth hanging open, not saying a word.

"Do they have any idea what started it?" Damon jumped in quickly. She shot a gratefully look at him.

The cabbie was silent for a moment. When he did speak his voice was much more subdued than before.

"They say it was the Vengefuls."

The second the cab drove away, leaving them at the end of the street Elena had mentioned, she exploded violently, pacing up and down in front of him.

"-Some random cab driver, Damon!" she fretted insistently. "If word on the street says it was the Vengefuls then they clearly don't care about being subtle!"

"Elena." He said firmly, slightly vexed when she ignored him completely and continued her freaking out. "Hey!" he said louder, moving towards her so she might actually listen. "What exactly are you worried about here?"

That stopped her. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked at him slowly. "They burned down my home and now apparently every damn cabbie in LA knows it was the Vengefuls."

He raised an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest. "And? We knew it was the Vengefuls, why does one cabbie knowing make a difference?"

She glared at him and placed her hands on her hips. He couldn't help but noticed how sexy she looked in her clothes. Seriously, who wore knee high leather boots and a leather jacket in LA? And those jeans, they were just perfectly tight. He dragged his eyes away from her form and looking at her face again.

"The Vengefuls clearly don't care about leaving a trace Damon." She said stubbornly, her eyes flashing with irritation.

"Again I repeat, why do you care?" he snapped. He had never been patient and now, with her worrying, she was putting him on edge. He didn't like snapping at her but honestly he didn't get why she was so freaked out about it.

"Because if they can burn down my home and kill my mum without leaving any evidence, they could do so much more!" she finally yelled out. "I don't even know why I came here! I don't want to see my house!"

"C'mere." He said softly. Elena stared at him sadly. He stared straight back at her, amazed by her strength, she hadn't once cried. She hadn't let herself feel all the pain he knew was building up inside of her. He moved towards her and grasped her shoulder firmly. "Nothing is gonna happen to you. Nothing will happen to your friends."

He felt her relax under his arms. She made to pull away, and as he reluctantly released her, she fished in her giant bag for her mobile.

Before she could even press a button, it erupted into life, dancing in the palm of her hand to the annoying pre-programmed ringtone all mobiles came with now.

She took a deep breath and answered the call with shaking hands.

"Don't be mad at me." She said, in a warning tone.

"ELENA!" a voice bellowed from the speaker. The person on the other end was talking so loudly even he could hear them. "Oh, I'm mad at you alright."

"Sam…" she started soothingly, giving up after a few seconds when an incoherent stream of words tumbled out of the speaker. She sat down heavily on a wall behind her and listened, looking forlorn, to her friend yelling at her. He smirked slightly and sat down behind her. She glared at him, unable to stop a small smile slipping through as she smacked his chest gently.

"Are you done?" she sighed into the phone when her friend took a break for air. "No?" she said, clearly irritated. "Sam, get a grip. I'll explain, eventually." He chuckled at her conversation. This guy, Sam, had no hope in hell of getting a straight answer out of her.

"I'm on Ramston." She said emotionlessly, her face a complete blank mask. Even her eyes were hiding most of the emotion; there was only a glimmer of pain hidden within their depths. "Because."

Damon smiled at her absent-mindedly. He had never met anyone who could deflect as well as he could.

"Fine." She snapped. "See you in ten minutes." She snapped her phone back down and stared at it angrily, before she threw it forcefully into her bag.

"What did that phone ever do to you?" he said grinning at her little show.

"That phone allows communication to people who piss me off." She said matter of factually, a small smile slipping through her mask.

"There's a thing called a decline button." He said knowingly, just because it would annoy her.

"I know." She retorted, rolling her eyes extravagantly. "They thought I was dead though."

"Perfectly logically thing to think." He said dryly as he leant his elbows on his thighs and clasped his hands under his chin.

"Oh shut up." She said smiling widely. He mentally cheered; the emotionless mask her face and eyes had become while she was talking to Sam didn't do it for him; the heart warming smile and the dancing eyes did.

"So, what now?" he said, after a while of silence.

"Sam is picking us up." She said simply. "Prepare for awkward questions." She said casually standing up as a faded red truck rounded the corner.

"That's all I get?" he said skeptically. "No better warnings?"

She shook her head, a playful smirk gracing her lips. "He knows nothing about the Vagrants, I doubt he knows about the Vengefuls, even if he has heard the rumor."

He nodded seriously, understanding her meaning. For as long as Sam was around he wasn't a motorcycle club member, he was just Damon and he was Elena's friend. That was all.

Elena held out her hand demandingly for him to take. He slid his hand into hers willingly and let her haul him off the wall. He threaded his fingers more securely through hers as the truck screeched to a halt in front of them. A tall, dark haired man jumped out and charged towards Elena, wrapping her in a bone-crushing hug. He felt an unexplained twinge of jealously at the way she threw her arms around his neck and let his spin her around.

When he finally put Elena down, she stepped back to stand beside him, her eyes wide with happiness. She struggled not to let out a shocked gasp as her hand found it's way back into his. Sam raised an eyebrow and stared him up and down, sizing him up.

"Damon Salvatore." He said, holding out his free hand for Sam to shake. Sam accepted his hand and grasped it firmly.

"Sam Risk." Sam glanced at Elena, then back at him, and then at their hands joined together. He backed away and sat in the driver's seat, motioning for them to get in.

Elena leant softly against the wall she had previously been sitting on. It only came up to her knees and the rest of her body was supported against a dark wood fence. He stepped forward unconsciously and pressed a hand either side of her head, with one of her hands still clasped in his, caging her to the wood.

"What are you doing?" she asked breathlessly, glancing between his eyes and his lips.

he could feel it. The electricity building between them. The way her eyes darkened and her breath hitched. He could practically feel her heart beating out out chest. Judging by the way her eyes couldn't stay trained on his; they trailed over his face as if she was trying to memorise every part of it. The truck horn beeped, and just like that the electric atmosphere, the tangent want in the air was gone in the time it took to press a button on a steering wheel.

He looked away sharply before gazing intently into her eyes. "I don't even know."

She dropped his hand suddenly and stepped away, hurrying to sit in the front seat. He sighed and slipped into the awkward tension of the truck.

"Where are we going?" Elena asked casually after ten minutes or so. She was curled up in the passenger seat with her chin tucked into her knees.

"Jake's." Sam grunted, his eyes on the road. Damon noted how tense he seemed. His knuckles were white around the steering wheel and the posture of his back seemed way too tense for driving along a road he'd probably driven along hundreds of times.

Sam met his eyes in the rear view mirror. He started at how his hazel eyes glared at him. There was hardness in them and that shocked even him.

They pulled up outside an apartment complex.

"Elena, Jake's dying to talk to you. He doesn't know you're here. How about you head up first and we'll meet you up there?" Sam said pleasantly, his fingers still white around the steering wheel.

Elena frowned and slid out of the car, glancing at Damon worriedly before disappearing out of sight. Damon stepped out of the back seat and leant casually against the truck. He barely noticed Sam circling the vehicle until his strong arm slammed him against the hard metal.

'"The fuck, dude?" he growled menacingly, shoving Sam off of him. He smirked in triumph as shock covered Sam's experience.

"Who the fuck are you?" Sam yelled, his eyes narrowed slits. He advanced closer, pinning Damon back up against the door with his elbow pressed against his throat.

Damon shoved Sam backwards before trapping him with his strong grip against a wall. "Damon Salvatore. A handshake would have sufficed." He growled lowly. He had learnt a long time ago shouting solved no problems. It just gathered more attention.

"How do you know, Elena?" he croaked out weakly. Damon narrowed his eyes and released the pressure on Sam's throat.

"I'll let her explain that." He paused, a guilt conscience creeping up on him. The guy was just looking out for his friend. He released his grip completely and backed away a safe distance.

Sam scoffed loudly and advanced on him again. Clearly the guy just couldn't take a hint. He threw a hard punch for Damon's jaw, but he caught it swiftly in his hand and blocked it effortlessly. However, he didn't count on Sam's other hand flying upwards and cracking him in the face.

"Oh, fucking hell." Damon moaned, holding his temple. His own efforts to save himself form damage had given Sam a boost and a bunch of extra strength that had, unfortunately, been redirected towards his temple.

"Sam, Jake's so pissed- what the hell happened?" Elena gasped as she hurried to Damon's side and gingerly touched the bruise already forming around his temple.

"That bastard punched me." Damon managed to get out through gritted teeth.

Sam shrugged indifferently and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Don't look at me."

"What the hell, Sam?" Elena snapped before unexpectedly grabbing Damon's hand and pulling him into the apartment complex. She shook her head in disgust as she led Damon to Jake's apartment. He followed behind her silently, his fingers still intertwined with hers.

"Elena?" Jake said as he pulled the door open. "What's up- uh, hi." H said awkwardly, glancing at his best friend and the guy whose hand she was holding. "You want some ice, man? That looks nasty." He said easily, shutting the door behind them and making his way to the kitchen to grab an ice pack form his freezer.

"That'd be great." He said gratefully as he settled himself on the couch. "I think his watch caught me." He winced as his fingers ran over a sensitive spot. He pulled his hand away, sighing at the sticky, red substance covering his head, and now his hand.

"Here" Jake said pleasantly. "I'm Jake, by the way."

"Damon." He grunted out. At least one of Elena's friends wasn't out to slice his head open. Elena appeared by his side a moment later holding a damp towel. "Ouch." He hissed as she pressed the cloth against his cut temple.

"Sorry." She murmured. He fought to control the goose bumps that threatened to erupt over his neck at how close she was to him. He could feel her breath on his neck. "Hold the ice on it now." She said softly after a while.

"Sam punched you, right?" Jake said sadly, gazing knowingly at Damon.

He nodded irritated. "Yep. No warning. Shoved me up against his truck and clearly didn't get the message when I pushed him away. He threw a punch, I deflected but his other hand had more power than it should have."

Jake nodded in agreement. "He has no idea what's going on. He refuses to believe it was the Vengefuls – you know he doesn't believe that stuff exists, Elena."

Damon raised his eyebrows and glanced at Elena. He had no idea what to say to who or how much to say to anyone. She giggled and went to wrap his arms around Jake's neck. "Jake's cool." She said, laughing. She looked so effortlessly happy here; so much more relaxed and at ease than he'd ever seen. "He knows about it all."

"How'd you know about it all?" Damon asked curiously, taking the icepack away from his head. The stinging had reduced considerably.

"Dad was in the Rebels when he was a kid. He goes on about it all the time." Elena rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "It drives me insane."

"Why'd he give it up?" he asked unabashedly. He had always known bikers who had never given up; never abandoned their chapter. When he heard of someone completely stopping riding, there was always an ulterior motive behind it.

"Leg injuries in a crash." said Jake, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Elena shuddered. She couldn't imagine being trapped inside 24/7; not being able to ride her bike or drive a car.

Damon nodded, looking at the floor. "What are they saying about the fire?"

Jake cracked his knuckles and gazed at Elena sadly. "Accident. I think they put it down to an electrical fault after they discovered the biker's involvement. There are no leads, no nothing. With them, the second a M.C is involved in any crime, they pull the plug."

"It's like they've given up before they even try." Elena murmured.

"You know I'll do everything I can to figure out who's after you." Damon told her quietly. "And when I do, they're gonna die. Whether it's Giuseppe or Grayson."

He looked her straight in the eye and opened his mouth slightly, before closing it again, looking at the floor. He sighed and met her gaze. There was seriousness reflected in hers that he knew mirrored his own.

"Or whether I have to pull the trigger myself."

Oh my god. How long has it been since I've uploaded? Waaaay too long.

Okay, there are no excuses, but I've been going through stuff and it sucks. I just cam't find much motivation to write. Even now, I'm barley getting back into it, this chapter has been an unsaved document since my last update. It was an utter nightmare to write. I hope it's okay, and normally, this is where I'd say update soon but realistically I'm not sure what's gonna happen. I'll get another update up as soon as I can - I'm not uploading a chapter I hate if I know i can do better.

Reviews would mean the world. Hint hint...

ALSO, has anyone read a TVD fanfic with Damon and Elena in the style of the Notebook? Like, same sorta plot line and everything? It's one of my favourite fics and I FORGOT TO ADD IT TO MY FAVOURITES. Anyone who can help me out can literally be my best friend. Forever.

-E