Cannonball

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from The Vampire Diaries.

Big big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, means a lot and I appreciate your feedback lots and lots! I know a lot of you were surprised to read that Damon and Elena have already started hooking up in present time, but I wanted to go somewhere different in this story. Their relationship right now, or lack of, is pretty much based on lust, so you're going to find out to how they have gone from just basically having a mindless but dangerous fling, to actually developing feelings for each other as the story progresses :)

I hope you like chapter 3...

September 4th 2012.

Tuesday 8:55am.

Mystic Falls.

Damon was right.

I was at that bar last night in the hope of seeing him there. Of course I was. He knows it, and I know it, but that doesn't mean that I was ready to admit that to him, he's arrogant enough as it is, he doesn't need to be proven right as well.

His head is big enough.

I'm so angry at myself for going back there again. For going back to him. I promised myself that when I told him three weeks ago that we could no longer see each other, I meant it.

I meant it when I said that my family came first, I meant it when I said that I couldn't do this anymore to Matt, and I meant it when I said that I couldn't risk my future, my reputation, people's respect, for a string of flings with the towns bad boy who my own family completely despise.

No matter how alive he makes me feel.

I remember the first night it happened like it was yesterday. I was in the middle of a fight with Matt, and we hadn't spoken for a few days, and my Mom was pressuring me to help organize a founders party with her, something which I really didn't want to do.

But I went, and I made sure that she knew I wasn't happy about it. Unfortunately for me, my moodiness spread onto other people too and I ended up in an argument with one of my best friends Caroline.

I bailed on the party and got in the car and drove, no destination in mind but knowing that I wanted to get as far away from Caroline and my Mom and even Matt, as possible.

Away from Mystic Falls.

I ended up at a bar in the next town over, which is unusual for me because normally I would never have the courage to go to somewhere like that, especially alone, but I did and I guess I was too angry to properly think about it.

I ordered a drink and sat alone running through the past couple of days in my head, wondering why everything seemed to be going wrong lately, when I felt a presence sit beside me, and to my dismay, to see it was Damon Salvatore.

I think the whole of Mystic Falls is aware of the hatred that is shared between the Gilbert's and the Salvatore's. It's not a secret, it's just the way it is.

My Dad hates Giuseppe and Zach Salvatore, and as they got older, and therefore meaner, that hatred spread down to their offspring's Damon and Stefan.

Especially Damon.

Of course, his hatred of the family was passed down to me and my brother too, and it was just the normal thing to do, to hate the Salvatore's.

So when Damon sat next to me that humid June Friday night, I wasn't best pleased.

"Well well, are my eyes deceiving me or is Elena Gilbert really associating herself in an establishment like this? Alone no less." I could hear the smirk in his voice before I could see it.

"Go away."

"I see your father's manners have been passed down to the next generation." he laughs and I scowl, being reminded yet again about how much trouble the Salvatore's are and how they have been arrested on a few occasions by my Dad.

So I sit and ignore him, as Damon chats away to me like I'm even interested in what he has to say. I tune him out, and didn't pay attention to a single word. Instead, I patiently finished my drink, stood up and walked away, hoping that would be the end of it.

It wasn't.

I barely made it to my car before I felt someone roughly grab my arm and I turned around to see a middle aged man leering at me, asking me what a pretty girl like me was doing here all alone.

I tried to get away, I did, I even tried to use some of the self defense moves that my Dad taught me once, but it was no use, the guy was twice my size and would not let me go.

I was in a major panic, because no one else was around and the sound of the music coming from the bar could be heard from where we were, meaning that even if I tried to scream, no one inside would hear me anyway.

I thought I was goner, but then I was ripped away from the mans grip and before I could even blink I saw a familiar dark haired frame pounding into the guy in front of me, his fist plummeting into his face.

I watch horrified as the older man lay in a crumbled mess on the floor, and I could barely register the threat that was made to him about never ever going near me, or coming back to this bar again.

Damon turned to face me, his eyes a little wide as he took in my shaky terrified frame, and before I knew it, I was back in the bar with a glass of whiskey in my hands, sipping on it slowly as I thought back to what could have just happened hadn't Damon shown up and saved me.

"It'll help with the shock, make you feel better, I promise."

"Thank you." I tell him sincerely and watch as he sends me a small genuine smile, not his usual cocky smirk or smug grin.

"You're welcome." he replied simply.

We stayed like that for a few more hours, drinking and talking and I was surprised to learn that Damon is actually a funny guy, and smart, hell, he's too smart for his own good.

The drinks kept on flowing, and I was shocked when the barman called last orders and I looked down at my watch to see that it was 2am.

My parents were going to kill me, but somehow, it didn't worry me, not like it normally would have whenever I was a late for curfew.

Damon walked me outside and called me a cab, but before I got inside, he kissed me on the cheek. I gasped at the sensation that it gave me, the way that my body lit up as his hands briefly landed on my hips as he leaned down to press his lips gently against my skin. He pulled away slowly, and before I knew it we were kissing and not on the cheek, and then we were both inside of the taxi that was originally meant for just me.

Next thing I know we are in his apartment, and then we were in his bedroom, and then in his bed.

It makes me feel like crap to say it, but that was the first night that I'd ever felt so exhilarated, so free, so alive.

Sex with Matt was standard. It was sex.

Sex with Damon was...

There are no words to justify it, no word would ever be enough to explain the magnitude of sex with Damon Salvatore.

The next morning was awful though, I woke up with a pounding headache and the memory of what I had done the night before as I lay naked in Damon's bed while he slept soundly beside me.

I quickly got dressed and left without even giving him a second glance, the shame and the guilt eating me up.

Not only had I betrayed Matt, but I had betrayed my family too and that tore me up.

I avoided Damon for weeks afterwards, pleased that when we did run into each other, not even a second glance was made and I realize that I was just another cheap one night stand to him.

I felt disgusted.

However, on another warm humid early-July night, I was walking home alone from The Grill and a car pulled up slowly beside me.

It was Damon.

He offered me a ride home, and my legs were hurting because of summer cheer practice earlier that day, which was the only reason why I agreed.

Honest.

We talked a little, and he agreed to drop me off around the corner so no one would see. But before I got out of the car, Damon grabbed my arm and pulled me against him and before I knew it we were kissing and then naked again in the backseat of his car.

It would happen a every so often from then, sometimes on purpose, sometimes not, but each time I felt alive, I felt free and each time left me wanting more.

Until 6 weeks later when my Dad's case against Zach Salvatore was sabotaged and therefore dropped, meaning that he was released without charges.

That spurred on my Dad's hatred of that family even more, and his determination to bring them down was stronger than ever and that made me feel awful for what I was doing with behind his back.

How could I betray my own father like this?

So I ended things with Damon, for good, not that we were ever really together anyway, I mean, I was under no illusion that it was anything else other than good sex.

Really really good mind-blowing sex.

Damon wasn't too pleased, but what could he do about it? We weren't having an affair, we weren't in a relationship, we just hooked up every now and then, he knew that.

Which was why last night was a mistake.

I stand by my locker and watch as he stands further down the hallway laughing about something with Klaus and Kol Mikealson, not even a glance in my direction, not that I expect him to look over anyway, we never ever acknowledge each other in public, we don't even look at each other.

Sometimes I forget that he had almost as much to risk in what we were doing as I did.

His family hate mine just as much as mine hate his.

I sigh and close my locker just as the bell rings and make my way to my first class of the day, hoping that I can avoid Matt for as long as possible to delay the guilt that I know will start to eat me up inside the second I see him smile at me.

I sit in the cafeteria not even bothering to hide the scowl on my face as I watch Elena kiss her boyfriend sweetly, a smile on both of their faces and I wonder what would happen to those smiles if I told that idiot jock what I was doing to his precious innocent girlfriend last night.

Or what she was doing to me.

I scoff and shake my head, looking away and trying to force my mind away from Elena Gilbert.

She's a Gilbert, she's not worth my time, no matter how great the sex is.

How sensational...how she makes me feel like my entire body is on fire.

How-No.

"You going to Mason Lockwood's back to school party on Friday night?" Klaus thankfully brings me out of my drifting annoying thoughts and I snap back to reality just in time to see him reach over and steal a handful of fries from my plate.

"Hey!" I slap his hand away but it's too late and I watch disgusted as he shoves them all in his mouth like a pig. "You're disgusting."

He just rolls his eyes and ignores me. "Friday? Coming? As much as I hate the Lockwood's I'm not going to say no to free booze and drunken girls with low inhibitions. Plus, I could do with the money." he wiggles his brows at me.

"You want to deal in a Lockwood house at a high school party?" I ask amused. "Risky, Klaus."

"But fun." he smirks. "And it'll piss Mason off."

I move my eyes around the busy cafeteria and let them fall to a table across the hall, landing on Mason himself, and of course, Katherine Pierce.

"Then sure," I agree with a smirk. "Let's make an appearance. I want to show Mason something anyway."

"What are you up to?" Klaus asks with glistening eyes and my grin widens.

"You'll find out on Friday." I look back over at Mason and Katherine, watching as she runs a hand down his chest and Mason is enjoying every single moment of attention that she is giving him.

Oh I can't wait.

I watch as Elena gets up from her table that she is sharing with Matt and her popular gang of friends and walks away alone and I don't waste a moment before standing up myself, pushing my tray of food across the table as I do so.

"Here." I move the tray in front of Klaus. "Don't say I never give you anything." I turn on my heel and quickly walk away in the direction Elena just walked off too.

I make sure I keep my distance as I follow her through the hallway, not many students are about since it's lunch time but there are still people with eyes stopping me from approaching her straight away. She turns a corner and I watch as she heads towards the school library.

Perfect.

I follow her inside the connecting building, still making sure to keep plenty of distance as I discreetly follow her around the aisles.

However, as I turn a corner I stop confused to see that she is nowhere in sight.

Great! I've lost her, how the hell did that happen? I was right behind her!

"Following me?" I jump slightly and swing around to see Elena stood behind me with her arms folded across her chest and her eyebrow raised.

"Please." I scoff in disbelief. "Don't flatter yourself princess."

"Right." she smirks slightly at me before turning around and walking away again but before I can even stop myself I reach my arm out and grab her own. "What are you doing?" she looks at me annoyed, her eyes briefly scaling the area but thankfully there is no one else around.

"Well now that we've ran into each other..."

"Accidentally, of course." she mocks me but I just ignore her.

"Of course." I roll my eyes slightly before gripping both of her arms and pinning her against the tall bookshelves behind her.

"Damon." she hisses at me, trying to pull away from my grasp but she forgets that I'm stronger than her. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"What?" I ask her innocently, an evil smirk on my lips as I press my body against hers, our chests flushed together. "I'm not doing anything."

"Are you crazy? Someone could come around here any minute." however I notice that as my body is flushed against hers, her efforts in getting away from me is decreasing incessantly.

"That's the thrill of it." I dip my head down and whisper into her ear. "Round two?"

"No." her voice tries to sound firm but I don't miss the way her shoulders slacken.

"Why not?"I murmur into her ear quietly, my breath tickling her skin.

"Last night was a mistake. It should never have happened."

"But it did happen, Elena." I nibble on her lobe and smirk as I feel her shiver against me, her hand slowly coming to rest on my side, gripping my hip as her breasts press against my firm chest. "It did, and I have no doubt that it will happen again." I press a hot opened mouth kiss to her neck, sucking on her skin before kissing it again softly before peppering slow kisses up her neck and then to her cheek before pressing a slow sensual kiss to the side of her mouth, I look into her dark pools for a moment before pressing my mouth against hers. Elena moans into my mouth as I slide my tongue inside against hers, deepening the kiss as I push myself up against her. Elena's hand grips my side tightly, her other one sliding up my chest and landing in my hair, clutching the back of my head as her fingers grip onto my thick short hair. I slip one of my hands between her legs to stroke the inside of her thigh, her body shuddering against my own as she gasps at the sensation.

I pull away just an inch breathlessly, my lips lingering by hers and I go to kiss her again but not before I speak.

"Let's face it, you can't resist me."

That did it.

She shoves me back with all the force she could get and unfortunately it works this time because I stumble back, almost tripping over my own feet.

"Stay away from me!" she scowls at me before storming away and I let out a laugh and shake my head.

Doesn't she know that it's inevitable?

Stupid arrogant asshole!

Careless annoying snarky smug dick.

How could he be so stupid to do something like that in a public place?! In school no less!

God, I hate him!

Who the hell does he think he is?

I run a shaky hand through my hair as I stare at myself in the mirror in the girls bathroom, barely even recognizing the girl looking back at me. The girl who cheats on her boyfriend, the girl who betrays her family by hooking up with someone they hate.

Where did my self respect go?

Where did my morals go?

My self control?

Damon Salvatore.

That's where they went. He stole them and I let him, I let him like the stupid naive careless girl that I am.

God I hate him!

I run the tap and splash some water against my face, needing to cool down, trying to ignore the twinge below and think about anything else other than his stupid annoying piercing blue eyes.

"Forget him." I mumble to myself sternly. "He's not worth all this."

"Elena! There you are!" Caroline swings open the bathroom door and I jump slightly with fright and turn around to see her strolling in, Bonnie trailing behind her.

"We've been looking for you." Bonnie looks at me a little concerned. "We thought you were going to the library but we couldn't find you anywhere?"

God, they went to the library to look for me? They could have easily walked in on Damon and I.

I need to make sure something like that never happens again.

"Yeah sorry, I forgot I had to pick something up from my locker and then I needed the bathroom." I lie, just like I've been lying to everyone lately.

"Are you ok?" Bonnie frowns with worry. "You look a little...flushed."

"I'm fine." I quickly reply. "Just a little stressed with school starting again."

"Which is why tonight calls for a girls night!" Caroline interrupts and I try to hide my unwillingness because a girls night is the last thing I want to do tonight.

I just want to hide in my bedroom and ignore the world.

However, the old Elena Gilbert would be up for this idea, in fact, she probably would have been the one to suggest it.

"Girls night?" I plaster on a fake smile. "Sounds great, Care."

"Perfect! My Mom is doing the night-shift so we'll have the place to ourselves! Ben and Jerry are prepping in the freezer and you know how awesome my DVD collection is." she grins. "My girls and boy talk, that's all I need."

Boy talk.

Great.

"I gotta go, got a meeting with the coach and regional's, see you in Geography!" Caroline leaves like the whirlwind that she is and I watch as Bonnie hesitates before following her.

"Are you sure you're ok? You've been acting weird all day."

Damn it. I need to do better to hide my shame and guilt.

"I'm fine Bonnie, really." I give her the biggest fake smile that I can muster up, praying that it's genuine. "Like I said, it's just back to school blues."

Bonnie smiles and lets out a breath. "Oh I know that feeling!"

She believes me thank God.

"Ok, well I gotta go too, I said I would help April Young with her Math homework. I'll see you later?"

"You sure will." I smile and watch her leave before letting out a sigh of relief and turning back to the mirror to face my reflection.

Yup.

Unrecognizable.

"You're late." Giuseppe scolds me the second I walk into the dining room in the Salvatore Boarding House.

"I know, I'm sorry." I take off my leather jacket and find my regular seat at the large dining table.

"You only have to be here one day a week, Damon, that's all I ask."

"I know and-"

"Leave him alone brother." Zach interrupts us with a calming tone to his voice. "It's my fault he was late."

I gulp slightly as I watch as my Dad tenses. "Explain." he orders firmly.

"I don't think it takes much explaining, honey." Marie cuts in with a coldness to her tone that is always there whenever I'm the topic of discussion. "It's obvious that he's been working for Zach again."

I watch as Stefan shuffles uncomfortably across the table from me and I sigh and look back at my Dad who does not look happy.

"I thought we agreed that now that school was starting again that would stop." I don't quite know who that question is directed too, me or Zach, because Giuseppe's eyes are glued to the short tumbler of whiskey that he is swishing about in front of him.

"It's no big deal." Zach breezily replies much to my relief. "Just a little bit here and there, don't worry brother, it's nothing that will come between him and his precious school work, because we all know how important that is." he says with sarcasm.

"Education is important." Giuseppe replies a little too calmly for my liking. "Not that you would know."

Zach chuckles and I feel like it's time to jump in. "Look Dad it's fine, I'm not doing anything that will distract me from my school work. We made a deal that I would stay in school if you let me live on my own, and I fully intend to stick by that agreement."

I hear Marie scoff from across the table but I ignore her.

"And what about my other one?" My Dad draws his attention to my little brother who immediately stops eating and places his fork down. "Stefan? Are you also doing a little bit here and there during school time?"

"No sir, I know the rules." The lie rolls off Stefan's tongue like a pro and I try to hide my smirk.

Stefan is the best liar that I know.

"You shouldn't even have to ask that, Giuseppe." Marie scolds her husband.

"It was just a question." Giuseppe sighs, probably already fed up with the conversation.

"It sounded more like an accusation to me."

"Mom." Stefan cuts in diplomatically, a soothing tone to his voice. "It's fine, really. I get why he asked." he turns his attention back to our father. "Don't worry Dad, Uncle Zach isn't leading me astray and-"

"I'm sitting right here!" Zach interrupts in annoyance but he's ignored.

"And don't worry about Damon," Stefan continues. "He knows what he's doing."

"I do." I agree.

"So now that this is all cleared up...did you watch the game last night?" Stefan steers the conversation away to talk about football, a conversation that he knows will distract our father from anymore questions.

I glance over at my Uncle Zach who sends me a look that I know means he wants to talk to me.

Dinner flies by without anymore problems and my Dad excuses himself to his office, Marie disappearing into the kitchen and I glance at Zach who is checking his phone.

"You wanted to talk?"

"Not here." he replies without even looking at me. "Let's go for a drive." he walks outside and I sigh before following him, sending a questioning glance at Stefan who just shrugs as if to say he doesn't know what's going on.

I get in his car and we drive around for a little while in silence, the only sound in the car coming from the quiet noise of the radio, a random pop song playing on low.

"What's this about Zach?" I sigh, getting impatient, watching as he tenses slightly before pulling too a stop on the side of a road. Luckily there is no houses or any kind of civilization on this road, just lots of woodland and trees. "Well?"

"I'm in a little bit of trouble." he finally speaks up, his eyes glued ahead of him.

I frown confused. "Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

"Grayson Gilbert has some dirt on me." Zach mutters coldly and I let out a small laugh and watch as he turns to face me in annoyance. "What fucking part of this is funny?!"

"Oh come on, it's Grayson Gilbert, he's never been able to take you down before. I can't believe you're even thinking about this!"

"God, sometimes I forget you're just a naive kid." he grumbles and I glare at him pissed off.

"Oh, so now I'm a kid? I'm not a kid when I'm dealing your drugs, selling your guns, doing jobs for you that no other kid would be able to do!"

"Just shut up!" Zach slams his fist against the steering wheel, the frustration rolling off him in waves and I freeze, knowing better than to argue with him when he's in this kind of mood.

I've had a black eye in the past for not backing down in an argument with good old Uncle Zach.

I hold my hands up in the air as a mean to show that I'm listening and watch as he lets out a shaky breath.

"I've been tipped off to know that Gilbert has some evidence on me to send me down for drug trafficking, concrete evidence, and when I say send me down I don't just mean for a year or two, this is long term."

"Ok." I frown. "But you can get out of it right? I mean, my Dad knows people on the inside...he can make this disappear, can't he? He's done it before."

Zach shakes his head. "He's already tried, but Grayson is on the ball this time, he's making the investigation private which means that no one else can have access to this case, to my files. He's working with Sheriff Forbes and Mayor Lockwood and they've somehow found a way, a legal loophole somehow, to make it so nobody else can touch it but the three of them until it goes to court."

"Shit." I look out the window and run my hand through my hair. "So what the hell are you going to do?"

"No Damon." he shakes his head and I turn back to face him to find that he is already looking at me with a serious look on his face. "I'm not going to do anything. You are."

"What?" I look at him bewildered.

"They aren't keeping their files in the office, if it were that simple I'd have them destroyed by now through my contacts on the inside. They are keeping them in their own homes." he finishes. "I don't know whose, it could be one of the three, but I need you to find out, and I need you to get it for me."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that? Break in? Can't you just do that yourself?" I ask confused and also a little annoyed that he wants me to do his dirty work for him.

"That's too risky. You need to go from the inside."

"The inside...?"

"Think about it, you go to school with their kids." he tells me pointedly and I let out a dry laugh.

Bingo.

"You want me to get this evidence through their kids? You're forgetting one thing here, they all hate me!"

"Then make them unhate you." he rolls his eyes at me. "You're charming, I'm sure you could work your way into Caroline Forbes pants, or that Gilbert girl, what's her name-"

"Elena." I tense.

"Elena, that's it." he continues. "Use your charm, you're a good looking guy."

I clench my jaw and bite my tongue, because there is no way in hell he can find out about Elena and I already hooking up.

Numerous of times.

"What about if it's with a Lockwood?" I throw in, already full of doubt with this idea. "I can't exactly just flirt my way into their house with Tyler can I." I scoff.

"Look, the most likely person it's with will be Grayson." Zach tells me and I sigh.

Of course.

"He's paranoid, he's overprotective, so I doubt he'd trust anyone else with it." Zach tells me. "So find a way in and get it for me."

"And what if I can't?"

"That's not an option, Damon." Zach tells me firmly. "I won't spend half my life in prison! You're doing this, end of conversation. We're family, we have each others back and this is you having mine."

Zach drives me back to the boarding house so I can pick up my own car before I drive back to my empty apartment and lie in bed in the darkness, wondering how the hell I'm supposed to this.

Yes, Elena and I hook up sometimes, but she hates me and as far as she's concerned, I hate her too.

So how the hell am I supposed to get her to trust me enough to let me into her home?

This is going to be one hell of a challenge.

Just a quick comment: I'm not big on the whole 'Damon using Elena and planning to get her to fall for him for a hidden agenda' storylines, so just in case some other people aren't either don't worry about that ;)

Thanks for reading, drop a review, let me know your thoughts :)

Until next time!