Cannonball

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

Yikes! It's been a while hasn't it? So sorry about that, I went on a last minute trip over the New Year and in turn got behind on my uni work which didn't leave me much time to write. Sorry it took so long, but here it is eventually!

Thanks again to AnglcDmn1986 for being my awesome beta and checking over this chapter so I could post it tonight! Thank you! :)

April 19th 2013.

Friday 10:35am

Mystic Falls

"Well?" I question Klaus eagerly as he hangs up his phone and walks back towards me through the school parking lot. "What did he say?"

"Nothing." Klaus replies with a frown as he comes in front of me. "He said he didn't know anything. Vaughn has apparently been off the radar all week."

"Shit." I curse and run my hand through my hair. For the past few days I have had Klaus using up all of his contacts to try and get information on what Vaughn might be planning, because I know that he will be planning some sort of act of revenge. So far though we have found nothing, everyone is saying that they don't know anything, or at least they are claiming not to know anything.

"You know," Klaus lights up a cigarette and briefly offers me one but I quickly shake my head no. "This all could be a load of bullshit. We don't know that Vaughn got arrested, Zach could have just been trying to scare you."

"Trust me the thought has crossed my mind." I agree because I really wouldn't put it past Zach, "But that doesn't explain the asshole that sent me that photo of Elena. That has Vaughn written all over it." I rub my face anxiously. "I know what's going on here, Klaus. Vaughn's planning something."

"You don't know that for sure." Klaus tries to reassure me but it's no use.

"No? Then what was the photo about? It was a threat, man, towards Elena. I swear to God if he even so much as touches her I will kill him."

"Kill who?" I cringe and look over my shoulder to see Stefan approaching us with a curious look on his face. "Well?" he asks impatiently.

"Nobody is going to be killing anyone," Klaus interrupts before I can give him an answer. "Your brother is just being dramatic." He rolls his eyes slightly and I tense.

Why is he not taking this seriously?

"Vaughn threatened Elena." I state bluntly to Stefan.

Klaus groans. "Damon, we don't know that for sure!"

"What?" Stefan actually looks shocked. "Why would he do that? I thought it was over?"

"Apparently not," I snarl in annoyance.

"What did he say to Elena?"

"He didn't say anything. He sent me a photo of her outside of her house. I think that speaks for itself." I mutter angrily. "She doesn't know either," I quickly throw in. "So keep your mouth shut."

Stefan doesn't say anything; instead he is just stood still with his mouth slightly agape. I let out an agitated sigh because this is getting so damn frustrating. It's only been three days since the photo of Elena was sent to me and so far I haven't heard a single thing. No matter how much digging Klaus does for me, he comes up with nothing.

"I think you should speak to Zach again." Klaus advises me cautiously. "If he was telling the truth about the cops arresting Vaughn then surely you would have heard something about it? They'd have to speak to you."

"What does Uncle Zach have to do with this?" Stefan asks confused and I'm reminded that just like with Elena, I've been trying to keep him out of this as much as possible.

"I'll explain later." I look down at my watch. "I'll go now. If I'm not back by lunch will you watch out for Elena for me?" I look at Klaus and he nods his head agreeing.

"If she asks where you are?"

"Just think of something," I pull out my car keys and head towards my Camaro without looking back.

I need answers and I need them now.

"So, are you going to the decade dance next week?" Bonnie asks curiously as we walk out of our English class together. I am glad that our friendship is starting to get back to normal, despite Damon's jackass moment the other day, Bonnie's attitude has stayed the same on wanting us to get back to normal and repair our relationship.

I shrug as I shove one of my books into my backpack. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it."

"I think you should go. It will be the perfect opportunity to make things right again with Caroline, you know how she loves these things." Bonnie suggests pointedly and I pause for thought.

She's right. Caroline is at her happiest at these kinds of events, especially since she is part of the dance committee and will be behind organizing it.

"It's '80's themed," she continues. "In fact, maybe you should volunteer to be part of the committee? Caroline wanted me to go along with her at lunch anyway so this could be your chance to get in her good books."

"Do you really think she'll want me there though? I want to repair our friendship not make it worse." I frown warily. The last thing I want to do is come across too strong.

"Trust me, she may be pissed at first but you know how stressed she gets. She'll need all the help she can get."

I smile. "Okay yeah." I agree. "I'll come along."

"Great!" Bonnie beams happily as she links her arm through mine. "Things haven't been the same lately. It'll be nice for the three of us to hang out again."

"I know. I miss it, I miss us."

"Don't take this the wrong way, Elena," she begins with a cautious tone and I instantly feel on age. "But maybe you should go to the dance solo? We can do a friend dates. I don't think Caroline would appreciate you bringing Damon."

I let out a laugh, mostly out of relief but also picturing Damon in '80's style clothes. "Trust me Bonnie, the last place Damon is going to want to go to is a decade dance. It's not exactly his thing."

Bonnie laughs lightly alongside me and agrees as we walk into our next class. I notice Caroline already sitting down and I watch as she looks up at us, her eyes landing on our linked arms before she frowns and turns away. I sigh and pull away from Bonnie who sends me a guilty smile before going to take her usual seat beside Caroline.

Caroline greets her briefly but completely ignores me. I take my seat behind them and pull out my needed books, waiting for Alaric to arrive before the lesson starts.

"Hey," I look up surprised to see Stefan approaching me. It's not like he's been giving me death stares anymore, they stopped after the night Damon was in hospital, but it's not like he has gone out of his way to talk to me either. "Damon wanted me to tell you that he won't be around at lunch."

"Oh?" I question with a frown. "How come?" My hand immediately lands on my cell phone that is sticking out of my jeans, wondering if I have missed a text.

"He's got a migraine. He's gone home to sleep it off." He replies simply and cuts me off before I speak. "Don't worry, he's fine. He just wanted to let you know not to look for him."

"Ok." I frown in confusion. Why would Stefan be so willing to pass on a message to me? Maybe things are starting to improve after all?

I glance briefly at Caroline before Alaric comes in and starts the class. If Stefan can possibly start to accept me being a part of Damon's life, maybe there is hope for my friendship with Caroline after all.

I take a deep breath before letting myself into Zach's apartment. I close the door behind me before calling out of his name. I want this to go as smoothly as possible, especially since our relationship isn't exactly civil these days. I don't need to make things worse with my family and would like to keep this as simple as possible.

"Zach?" I call out again when he doesn't reply.

"One second!" he shouts back from the direction of his bedroom and I walk into his living room with a nervous pit in my stomach. I notice that he still doesn't have any personal belongings or photos around the place since he moved in here from the Salvatore Boarding House a year ago; it's so impersonal and basic that you could never be able to work out who actually lives here unless you knew.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here." I turn around as Zach walks in, a towel drying his damp hair before he flings it messily onto one of his sofas. "Let me guess, this could be one of two things. One, that pretty little girlfriend of yours predictably dumped your ass and now you want to come back to the Salvatore fold," he smirks slightly as I glare at him. "No? Okay, so two, Vaughn has made some sort of threat towards you and now you need my help." His smirk widens as I tense. "Bingo."

"I don't need your help." I scowl at him. "I just need answers."

He chuckles, "and you think you can get them from me?"

"Were you lying when you told me about Vaughn being questioned to the cops about me?" I question bluntly, wanting to get straight to the point.

His smile widens and I tense my jaw to keep my anger in check. "Okay, so maybe I exaggerated a little." He sits down on the arm of his sofa and folds his hands on his lap casually. "Vaughn wasn't arrested." He informs me and I feel my shoulders deflate in relief. "However, he does think that you ratted him out."

The relief is gone immediately.

"What?" My mouth gapes open and my heart starts to pound fast again. "Why the hell would he think that?"

Zach chuckles again, his laugh hard and cold, "Well, because I told him so." I freeze, my heart dropping to my stomach and I open my mouth in shock. Zach smile's at what I'm sure is an interesting look on my face.

I swallow the lump in my throat. "Why would you do that?" I ask trying to ignore the shakiness to my tone as Zach slowly rises to his feet.

"Call it a test? Or a welcome back to the family project of sorts," he shrugs. "You see, now you and I have the same objective." His hand lands onto my shoulder. "We both need to get Vaughn out of our lives."

I feel sick as I gawp at him with wide eyes and a heavy heart. "You played me."

He shrugs and pats my shoulder firmly before taking a step back and lighting up a cigarette calmly. "You deserved it." He replies casually. "Don't worry though kid. After tonight things will be right again."

I swallow. "What's happening tonight?"

"It's what's happening after tonight that you should be more concerned about. You see, now that we are back on the same team we both have a common goal, an agenda. Once you do this for me, I'll welcome you back into the Salvatore fold and we can all be one big happy family again, that Gilbert girl of yours included."

I scoff at him in disbelief. "Hang on? You lied to Vaughn and made him think that I ratted him out to the cops, manipulated me and him so he would threaten me and my girlfriend and you think that I will help you? That we can just go back to being a family?" I gawp at him in astonishment. "You are out of your fucking mind, Zach!" I can feel the anger starting to build up, the shock of what he has done is starting to wear off and I now realize what lengths he has went to get what he wants.

He's put me in danger for his own agenda. He's put Elena in danger.

"Okay so maybe I went to slightly extreme lengths to get what I want." He holds up his hands. "I admit, I probably took it too far, however our end goal is still the same. You need to get rid of Vaughn, I need to get rid of Vaughn, so let's work together," he shrugs with a smile. "You and me, just like old times."

I gulp and shake my head. "No." I immediately say. "You're insane if you think that I'm going to help you after what you did! This is your damn fault!"

"Is it though?" he squints at me, "Because you were the one who slept with Andie, you were the one who lied to your family, and you were the one who betrayed us by choosing a Gilbert over us. I did what I did because I was pissed, because I felt betrayed! You were my right hand man, Damon. I saw you more of a son than Giuseppe has probably ever done! You let me down. You let all of us down." He walks back towards me and places his hand behind my neck, clutching me to look him straight in the eye. "Now is the time to make things right. You and me."

I shake my head but he holds me firm. "You can't just play me like this!"

"So my tactics were a little harsh, I'm sorry!" he lets go of me and throws his arms up in the air. "I let you down; we both let each other down. Now let me make things better."

"You can't!" I snap at him angrily. "He threatened, Elena! He knows where she lives! We can't go back from that!"

"So we get rid of Vaughn!" he barks back, his voice laced with anger, contrasting the calm exterior that he has held since I arrived. "I wouldn't have done any of this unless I was desperate!" he argues. "I needed your help, Damon. I need your help. You owe me that much, for everything I have done for you in your life. You owe me!"

"Why do you need to get rid of Vaughn?" I question him on edge, my voice rising as I try to figure out what the hell is going on. "I thought you two had an understanding."

"I owed him money." He explains calmly, his voice leveling back to a more natural level. "I still do. That guy I was working for? You know the one I took you on all those jobs for? That was Vaughn. Do you think I enjoyed that? Do you think I enjoyed setting Will's house on fire when he could have been inside? I didn't! But I didn't have a choice! Vaughn owns me, and now I want him out of my life for good and you are going to help me."

I shake my head furiously. "No. No, I'm not helping you after what you've done, Zach. You can't just manipulate me like this and expect me to be okay about it!"

"I'm your uncle!"

"Yeah and I'm your nephew and you still put me in danger!"

"It was the only way!" his body literally shakes in anger, his voice back to its high level of rage and I take a step back. "Don't you see, Damon? This could be it! Tomorrow, we can wake up and everything will be okay again. I can get my business back on track, you can move back into that apartment of yours. I'll speak to Giuseppe for you; I'll make him understand that you being with Elena isn't so terrible. I'll do that for you because we're family, because I love you."

I clench my jaw and shake my head. "No, if you truly mean that you love me then you would have done that for me anyway. You wouldn't have kicked me out of the apartment in the first place and you would have defended me, but you didn't! You didn't because you're a selfish asshole who only thinks about himself."

"You damn well know that's not true." He goes on the defensive. "Fine," he pulls out his cell phone. "I'll call Giuseppe right now if you want me to? Here," I watch as he crosses his room and pulls open a draw to a cabinet before holding up a set of keys. "Take your apartment back." He tosses the keys at me. "What else do you need? Tell me and I'll do it. Let me prove to you that I'm sorry."

I stay silent and look away, my breathing heavy as I try to stay controlled. How do I know that he won't just take this all back from me the second he gets what he wants?

"If you don't help me, Damon, then Vaughn will work his ass off to make sure he gets his revenge on you. He'll use Elena to do it," he approaches me again. "I love you, you're my family. I don't want to see you hurt. How do you think I'm going to feel if he hurts you again because of me? How do you think you are going to feel if he hurts Elena and you'll know that there was something you could have done to stop it all?" he looks me dead in the eye and I gulp as I let his words sink in. Images of Elena being hurt by Vaughn or Connor flash through my mind and it kills me. I don't think I would ever be able to handle her being hurt because of me. I can barely handle knowing that she's in danger because of me. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess, Damon, truly." He actually has the decency to look remorseful. "But it's too late now. You're in this with me, so let's work together to put a stop to it."

I swallow and let out a shaky breath, seeing Zach's familiar blue eyes glazing into my own.

"If I do this," I breathe out with a shaky voice. "It won't be because of you. It will be because of Elena."

He nods slowly, a breath escaping his lips. "I respect that." His voice is firm.

I clench my jaw and take a deep breath. "Fine." I watch as his entire body sinks with relief. "Tell me what you need me to do."

I stand by my Camaro in the school parking lot feeling tense as I watch the mass students pile out of the building, smiles on the majority of their faces as they are probably discussing their plans for the weekend. That Friday feeling is buzzing around the place.

I throw away my cigarette that I was hurriedly puffing on when I spot Elena and I'm surprised to see that she's not alone. Caroline is to her right and Bonnie to her left and I bite on my lip to hide the brief smile that wants to fight its way to my face when I see her eyes shining bright, her face beaming and I'm so happy for her that her friends have finally seemed to get their heads out of their asses to eventually forgive and support her.

I watch as her eyes meet mine and her smile widens, I offer her a small wave and she says something to Bonnie and Caroline who both look over my way, Blondie's face turns into a scowl when she spots me but at least it's not directed towards Elena so that's progress.

She soon skips towards me, her arms immediately finding their usual place around my neck and I smile as she stands up on her tip toes to kiss me.

"Hey you," she pulls away with a happy grin and despite my inner demons which are warring inside of me right now, her smile is contagious. "I've missed you today. Stefan told me about your migraine." She tilts her head to the side with a look of concern. "Are you feeling better?" her voice is soft and she plays with my hair gently and it just increases my guilt for lying to her.

I clear my throat. "Yeah, it's gone." I run my hand up her sides and look briefly over her shoulder and frown when I see Caroline and Bonnie still watching us. "Uh…we have an audience."

Elena looks confused for a brief second and looks over her shoulder, her smile widening when she sees who I mean before turning to face me. Her lips shift slightly and she kisses me again softly before pulling away. "I hate to do this to you, especially since you've come to pick me up, but do you mind if I spend the evening with Bonnie and Caroline?"

I hide my relief at having to think of an excuse to leave her side later. "Of course I don't mind." I tug on her hair playfully and her smile widens even more if that's possible. "I'm glad that things seem to be heading back to normal with them."

"Yeah…" she trails off with a breath. "Not going to lie, it wasn't easy trying to convince Caroline to speak to me again but I made sure I spent the whole of lunch and our afternoon classes together being completely relentless. She gave in last period. I don't think she supports us yet and I won't dare talk to her about you and us anytime soon but at least she's now acknowledging I exist."

"Well, I think it's great." I kiss her slowly on the mouth and pull away, pressing my forehead against her own. "I love you." I breathe out with my eyes closed and kiss her again. "Stay safe, okay?"

Her hands land on my cheek and I open them to see her looking at me with a puzzled smile. "We'll probably only be going to The Grill, I don't know how much trouble you think can happen there but I doubt there'll be much." She laughs lightly.

It's the same restaurant where Vaughn and Connor know we hang out at, I tell myself in my head.

"I know," I smile softly at her. "You know what I mean." I roll my eyes light heartedly and she buys it.

"I love you too." She wraps her hand in my hair and pulls me back for another kiss. "See you later, Damon!" she's out of my arms in a flash and I stand still and watch her go. I take a deep breath and climb back into my car, waiting until I see Elena climb into Bonnie's car and the three of them ride out of the lot together.

I take a deep breath and lean over to the dashboard, pulling out the piece of paper that Zach handed me that holds the address of where I need to be tonight.

I park up outside of the address that Zach gave me and clutch onto the steering wheel tightly. My hands are shaking and I need them to stop. I'm Damon Salvatore, the Damon Salvatore who isn't scared of anything or anyone. I push all thoughts of Elena being in danger out of my head and take a deep breath before climbing out of the car.

I look around the empty street, noticing that the sun is only just starting to go down and I stuff my hand into my jacket pocket and clutch onto the secure package tightly. The house is in complete darkness and there is absolutely no sign of life, just as Zach predicted.

The heavy tightly wrapped package that is currently forced into my smaller pocket consists of one kilo of heroin. All I need to do is find a way into Vaughn's house without it looking like forced entry, plant the drugs, get the hell out of here and make an anonymous tip to the cops.

"A kilo of heroin found on anyone never mind someone who isn't on their first offence is a minimum of ten years in prison." Zach explains to me, his eyes lit up. "This doesn't have to be hard, Damon. I'll distract Vaughn; make sure he's out of the house. You get yourself in there, plant the drugs, get the hell out and call the cops. He'll be locked up and we'll never have to see or deal with him again."

"What about Connor?" I ask nervously, because even if this does work and we go get Vaughn out of our lives, Connor would still be out there. He'd still be a threat.

"Don't you worry about Connor, I know him. He works for the highest bidder. You just do exactly what I tell you. Now listen up…"

I climb over the fence into the back yard and count the second window along and just like Zach promised, it's not locked. I slide it along and pick up the kilo of heroin out of my pocket and throw it inside so it doesn't fall out during the climb. I glance around briefly to make sure no one is watching before jumping and clutching onto the ledge. I lift myself up with all of my strength before shifting inside. I swing myself around and let go, landing on my feet and looking around the dull dark kitchen. I bend down and pick up the package, looking around briefly to see if there is somewhere in here where I can hide it but remembering Zach's orders to stash it in Vaughn's bedroom.

I take a deep breath to steady my fast beating heart before slowly pushing open the kitchen door that leads out into the grim hallway. I clench my spare hand to stop it from shaking, silently reminding myself that there is no one else in here and that the quicker I do this the quicker I get out and Vaughn will be gone and Elena will be safe.

I walk slowly through the narrow hallway, my feet moving one in front of the other on the rough carpet as I head towards the stairs. However before I get there I pause when I see something in the corner of my eye and I slowly, nervously, turn my head when I see it's a leg.

My heart starts to pound loudly and hard against my chest and I feel my breathing quicken as I slowly push open the door that covers the rest and I gasp when eventually everything is in full sight.

There lies Vaughn, covered in blood and motionless on the ground. "No. Fuck!" I hiss under my breath and look around in panic but there is nobody else here. I hurriedly bend down towards Vaughn and check for a pulse but I don't feel anything. "Fuck!" I clench my eyes shut because this cannot be happening right now. I quickly jump back to my feet, noting the discarded gun on the floor and I freeze when I hear a clattering noise from the kitchen.

My heart pounds painfully against my chest as I feel the heavy sound of footsteps and I realize that I am no longer alone. I look back down at Vaughn's blooded body and gulp. Whoever killed him is still in the house.

I hear the footsteps get closer and I panic, moving quickly and picking up the fallen gun, holding it out in front of me with a shaking hand. I clench my eyes shut for a brief moment and hold my breath still, my eyes fluttering open and my hand steadying.

I'm Damon Salvatore and I'm not scared of anything.

I see the tip of someone's shoe first and the words that come blaring out of my mouth sounds foreign to me. "Don't move one more step or I swear to God I will shoot!"

The footsteps stop and it's the longest few seconds of my life before he speaks.

"Damon?"

I frown at the familiar voice and my entire shoulders deflate in relief when Zach steps out with his hands held out in front of him. I watch as he glances at me, to the gun and then at Vaughn, his eyes immediately widening.

"Damon," he takes a cautious step towards me. "What happened?"

I glance back at Vaughn and then Zach and it hits me. "No, no!" I drop the gun immediately and step back like it's poison. "This wasn't me!" I defend myself immediately and I can hear the panic and shakiness in my own voice. "I found him like this…I…I…I don't know what happened!"

Zach watches me carefully before glancing at Vaughn. "He didn't show up. So I came to find out what was going on, I thought if he came back here and found you that you'd be in trouble."

I shake my head furiously. "I got here and the house seemed empty like you said. I was about to head upstairs to plant the parcel but then I saw him…" I glance back down at his motionless body and swallow the bile in my throat.

"Okay." Zach takes a steady calm breath and approaches me, his gloved hands landing on my shoulders. "We need to get out of here."

I nod furiously in agreement and he clutches my arm and pulls me towards the door when blue lights flashing start to shine into the room.

"No, no, no!" I start to panic. "Fuck! This cannot be happening!"

"Out the back!" Zach hisses at me quickly. "Go!"

I do as he says and run back towards the kitchen. I stop at the window and place both hands on the ledge, ready to push myself back up when Zach pulls me back to stop me.

"The drugs!" he barks at me and my eyes widen.

"I dropped it when I saw Vaughn." I explain frantically, the sirens getting louder and ringing in my ears.

"Fuck! Okay, go!" he orders me and turns on his heel and runs back out of the room.

"Zach!" I call out for him.

"GO!" He shouts back from the hallway and I quickly follow his orders and jump out into the yard, I immediately crash land onto my feet and stumble forwards and I turn around just in time to see Zach climb over the ledge and land steadily behind me.

"What are we going to do?" I hiss at him quietly as I hear the sounds of engines and I realize that the cops are out front. Zach's eyes quickly dart around before pointing to a neighboring fence.

"We run!" he starts on his feet and I frantically follow him.

I walk inside my house tiredly, feeling mentally drained from spending the whole evening in The Grill talking decorations and dresses and buffet food with Caroline and Bonnie. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely thrilled and relieved that things are starting to get back to normal but Caroline is a Nazi when it comes to high school dances, especially ones with themes.

I pull my phone out of my bag and briefly wonder why Damon hasn't texted me yet before reminding myself that he is probably hanging out with Klaus and lost track of time.

"Elena?" At the sound of my name I quickly hide my phone back into my bag, knowing that my parents will kill me if they catch me with the one that Damon bought me when they confiscated my own. I look up to see Jeremy stood at the top of the stairs, a worried expression on his face and before I know it he is running down towards me and his arms are wrapped around me tightly.

"Jer?" my hands automatically land on his back but that doesn't stop the sickening feeling that is erupting on my stomach.

"Thank God you're okay!" he pulls back. "I…I didn't know where you are or what to think," he rambles with a shaky voice. "I was going to call you but then remembered that you don't have your phone and-"

"Jeremy stop!" I cut him off anxiously. "What are you talking about? What's going on?"

Jeremy freezes and looks at me with wide eyes. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" I ask with my heart in my stomach as I wait for him to speak.

He looks down at the ground almost like he feels guilty before he looks back up at me and I see the fear in his eyes. I see that whatever it is he's about to say, he doesn't want to have to say it.

"It's about Damon…"

I pant breathlessly as Zach speeds along a back road heading towards Mystic Falls in a car that we stole a few blocks away from Vaughn's house. He's currently on the phone to Giuseppe, barking out orders and asking questions but I can barely make myself listen to what he is actually saying. My ears are ringing and my heart is pounding painfully.

I have fucked up. I have fucked up so bad.

"Okay, okay!" Zach snaps angrily down the phone before hanging up and flinging it angrily onto the back seat.

"What?" I ask impatiently. "What did he say?" He doesn't answer. "Zach! What did my Dad say?!"

Zach shakes his head and turns to face me. "The cops want to talk to you. Detective Gilbert has already been over to the boarding house to speak to you. They know you were there at the scene and apparently you are the number one suspect."

"W-what?" I gasp in disbelief, my speech a stuttering mess. "Already? How?"

"You left your car parked outside the damn house, Damon! How else do you think?!" he snaps at me in frustration. "Damn it!" he punches the wheel as he pulls up to the side of the road beside some trees.

"I didn't kill Vaughn!" I defend myself, my voice rising into the confined space of the car.

"Someone did, Damon!" he hisses back at me. "Someone did, and they think it was you! Not only did you leave your car outside but you touched the gun, Damon!" he snaps. "You touched the damn gun! The murder weapon! All fingers are going to point to you!"

"No," I shake my head furiously and I can feel my eyes watering. "No, no, no, no. This isn't happening. I didn't do it!"

"Man up!" he turns around to face me and grips my chin roughly. "Listen to me! You are going to take this car, and you are going to drive as far away from this town as possible."

I shake my head immediately, "No, no, I can't, Ele-"

"Forget Elena!" he cuts me off harshly. "Forget her! This is your life we are talking about here, Damon! Do you really think you can go back to Mystic Falls and get away with this?"

"But I didn't do it!"

"It doesn't matter!" he bites back immediately. "All evidence points to you! You can explain yourself all you want, but do you really think that Grayson Gilbert is going to listen? Do you think he's going to believe you? The man hates you! You need to get the hell away before you spend the rest of your life locked up in a prison cell!"

"No, I can't just leave!" I argue and run my hand through my hair frantically. "Damn it Zach! This is you! You made me do this!"

"I'm sorry," he unbuckles his seatbelt and reaches back to grab his discarded phone. "I am, okay? I'm sorry but it's too late now. You need to leave. Let me fix this mess." He climbs out of the car and I follow him.

"Don't you get what you're asking me to do?!" I shout at him desperately. "You're asking me to give up my entire life! I didn't want this! I didn't do anything!"

Everything is happening too fast. This is too much. One minute everything was fine and the next it wasn't. One minute I'm getting Vaughn out of my life for good and the next the cops want to arrest me because they think I murdered him.

How did this happen? This is too sudden and I can't think straight.

"We're running out of time so just listen to me!" he orders me. "This isn't forever, okay? This is temporary until I find out what the hell happened tonight. Something is going on, Damon. I'll find out who killed Vaughn and then you can come back to Mystic Falls, back to Elena and back to your life."

I freeze as I let his words sink in but it doesn't matter. There is no way in hell that I'm going to do this to Elena without at least saying goodbye.

"Fine." I clear my throat and look away. "I'll leave."

"Here," he pulls out some cash from his pocket. "It's not a lot but it's enough to fill up that heap of junk with enough gas to get you out of this state." I nod faintly and take the money. "I'll go hitch a ride. You get in there and go," he practically pushes me towards the driver's seat. "Good luck, Damon. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay." I swallow the lump in my throat and start the engine. I drive down the road and look through the mirror as Zach starts to disappear into the darkness before hitting my foot against the accelerator, heading back towards Mystic Falls.

I sit anxiously in the driver's seat, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as the rain pounds furiously against the windows and the hood of the car, nothing more than a few centimeters can be seen ahead of me in this dark night in Mystic Falls and I let out a bitter laugh at the irony before raising my hand and slamming it down against the wheel in frustration, trying to fight the sting in my eyes as I think about what I'm about to do.

The door opens and a strong gust of wind overtakes me for a moment before the passenger door is slammed shut again and I turn to the side to see a breathless looking Elena staring at me, her eyes red like she's been crying, her hair dripping wet from the rain outside, but her face is anything but weak.

"Who's car is this?" her voice is raspy and puzzled and I can tell already just from the tone of her voice that she had in fact been crying.

"It doesn't matter." I shake my head dismissing the question immediately. A stolen car is the last of our problems right now.

"What's going on Damon?" she asks with a hint of fear in her voice. "Jeremy, he said...he said that..." she trails off shakily and I know what she was going to say.

"It's not true, Elena. I swear." I shake my head furiously, desperately, needing her to believe me. That no matter what I've done in the past, I haven't done this.

She nods her head and places her hands on my face. "I know." she says firmly. "I know you're innocent. I believe you."

"If only your father had the same belief." I grunt sadly. "A warrant has been sent out for my arrest, Elena, I'm a wanted man."

"No." she gasps, shaking her head. "No, this isn't right, you've been set up! You're innocent!"

"No one will believe me, Elena. My finger prints were on the damn gun!"

"That doesn't mean that you shot someone with it!" Her eyes start to water. "God!" she raises her voice in frustration and turns away, her eyes filling up with angry tears. "What are we going to do, Damon?"

"WE are not going to do anything, Elena." I tell her sternly. "This is my mess, not yours."

"Now isn't the time for your stubborn strong willed annoying tendencies to come out to play." she glares at me. "So I'm going to ask you again, what are we going to do?"

I sigh and look down guiltily, this isn't fair, Elena doesn't deserve to be involved in something like this, she deserves so much better. "Elena-"

"Don't." she cuts me off with a warning tone to her voice. "We don't have time to argue. If my Dad is going to arrest you, he'll be no doubt looking for you right now as we speak and I'm sure it won't take him long to figure out that you could be here with me."

"This is why you need to get out of this car and go home, Elena! I'm not getting you involved in this!"

"It's too late for that!" she argues back, not backing down. "You're an idiot if you think I'm just going to walk away from this, walk away from you." she shuffles back around in her seat and places her hands back on my cheeks. "I love you, Damon." Her eyes water again and I can feel mine doing the same. "I love you so much, and I'm not going to lose you, okay?"

"I don't think you have a choice." I tell her quietly, a lump in my throat. "Your Dad is powerful with the law in this town, Lena, do you really think that he's going to allow you to visit me? To see me? To even speak to me?" she stays silent for a moment, her hands still on either side of my face, her dark brown eyes looking deep in thought.

"Then we run." she whispers out the plan that Zach had already set in motion for me.

"Elena no-" I shake my head furiously but she cuts me off.

"Don't fight me on this! We don't have time, Damon! We need to run! We need to leave!"

"You don't need to ruin your life for me!" I snap at her in frustration. "If you come with me, Elena, that's it, your life is over"

"No it won't be. It'll just be starting because I'd be with you!" she tells me almost desperately.

"And what about your family? Your friends?"

"My family are the last people I want to be around right now." She mutters bitterly. "Besides, it won't be forever. The truth will come out eventually, Damon, it always does, and you of all people should know that. You have people here who are on your side who are going to clear your name. Klaus, Stefan, your Uncle Zach, even your Dad! They will fight for you. Until then, we need to go because there is no way in hell that I am letting you rot in a jail cell alone. This isn't up for argument; we need to leave this town, this state tonight!"

I stay silent as I think about her words, because she's right, my family may be dysfunctional but we are loyal to each other, through thick and thin, besides, I know that Klaus won't give up on my either.

"Okay." I agree after anxiously thinking it through, still not sure if this is the right way to go but it's not like I have a lot of time to decide. My heart skips a beat as I watch her eyes light up and a smile cross her lips, despite the situation. "But we need to move fast." I place my own hands on her face and gently stroke her soft skin. "Go back home and pack a bag, make sure you pack light. Take as much money as you can get, but no cards." She listens to my instructions and nods her head firmly. "Leave your phone." I tell her seriously as an afterthought.

"Okay." she leans forward and kisses me softly on the lips, her forehead leaning against mine.

"Meet me at Klaus' house in 30 minutes exactly; try not to be even five minutes late baby." I state clearly. "Don't stop to talk to anyone and don't let anyone know that you're leaving, okay? Not even Bonnie and Caroline."

"Okay." she repeats before kissing me again and moving out of my grasp to open the door.

"Elena." I call out, stopping her just as she was about to shut the door. "I love you. Be safe." she smiles and shuts the door and I wait for a few moments, watching through the side mirror as she runs down the street before I quickly look around and pull away, making my way over to Klaus' house, my hands involuntarily shaking as I pray that this nightmare will end soon.

I run all the way back to my house from where Damon was parked a couple of blocks away, doing exactly what he said about not stopping to talk to anyone as the rain soaks through me.

I make it to my house luckily without any problems and I let out a sigh of relief to see that both my parents cars aren't there, meaning that they aren't home, I just hope that Jeremy isn't around anymore either.

I decide against calling out for him when I step inside, not wanting to draw attention to myself if he is home, instead quietly creeping up the stairs towards my bedroom, stopping briefly by my brothers bedroom door to listen in for any kind of movement or sounds.

Nothing.

But that could just mean he has his headphones in, so I still need to be cautious. I quickly walk into my bedroom before going into the bathroom and locking the door on his side, quickly grabbing a handful of essential toiletries before dumping them on my bed. I rummage around hurriedly for my gym bag before dumping them inside and then moving to open my wardrobe and pulling out clothes, hurriedly placing them inside, making sure I only bring stuff I need.

Travel light, Damon said.

I lean down under my bed and pull out my old wooden box that I keep private stuff inside, I unlock it with the key that I keep hidden and open it up and rummage inside, stopping when I see a picture of me and Damon. It was taken just after the New Year, and it was a self-photo taken on my phone that I got printed out, one of Damon's arms is stretched out holding the phone to take the photo, while the other is wrapped around me tightly, pulling me as close to him as possible as he holds a big grin on his face. I sit beside him, my lips pressed against his cheek, one of my hands cupping the side of his jaw. I smile and tuck the photo into my purse, not willing to leave it behind.

I quickly pull out the envelope that I was originally looking for and look inside to see the money that I had been saving from my allowance ever since I was a little girl. My Dad always taught me to never spend all of my pocket money at once, to put a little away each time because maybe one day I might need it.

That one day is today.

I lock the box back up and slip it back under the bed, putting the key inside the envelope with the money and placing everything inside my bag. I zip up my bag and look around my room; hoping that this won't be the last time that I will be here, that Damon will be cleared sooner rather than later and the only trouble that I will be in will be from my parents for running away and not from the law for harboring a fugitive.

I glance at the time as I swing my bag over my shoulder to see that I have just 15 minutes left to make it to Klaus' house, which without my car, is only just enough time but I know that if I walk fast, or even run, that I will make it on time.

I quietly close my bedroom door behind me, just in case Jeremy is actually home, before I creep back down the stairs. I'm about to leave but I freeze before I touch the handle of the front door of my childhood home, the home that I have lived in all my life.

A sudden wave of panic and fear overtakes me as I realize what I'm about to do, what I'm about to give up.

My family, my friends, my education.

My future.

The second I walk out of that door my life will never be the same again and there is a pit of fear and anxiousness resting in my stomach that is screaming at me to ask if this is all worth it?

"I've only got a few hundred dollars in cash." Klaus walks out into his hallway with a wad of notes in his hands. "If you want we could make a quick trip to the ATM? Or you could wait here and I'll quickly go now?"

"No, no." I shake my head as I take the money from him, extremely grateful for what he is doing for me already. "I don't have time for that, but thank you. This is more than I could have asked for." I shove the money into my bag, briefly looking out of the window to check that there is nobody suspicious hanging around and no sign of the police.

There's no sign of Elena either.

"Stefan will pay you back for me, just give him this." I hand him a folded up piece of paper that I used to write my little brother a brief letter, basically saying goodbye as well as instructing him who to speak to and who to avoid if he wants to help me clear my name.

"Don't worry about paying me back mate." Klaus shakes his head at me and I watch as he turns his head to glance at the time on the clock on the wall. "Shouldn't Elena be here by now?"

I gulp slightly and nod my head, hoping that she hasn't ran into her father or anyone else that could stop her or delay her.

Or that she hasn't changed her mind.

"She'll be here." Klaus tells me firmly, almost like he can read my mind. "But in the meantime, here." He pulls out his car keys and holds them out in front of me and I look at him confused. "Take it."

"What? No. Klaus, I can't take your car." I look at him like he's crazy.

"Yes you can and you will. That car you have out there has probably already been reported stolen, therefore you're more at risk driving that around than even your own. So take the damn keys, drive it out of state and if you want you can sell it for scrap metal or something if you need the cash, or keep it, whatever you wanna do, but take it, Damon."

"Klaus you've done enough." I shake my head in protest.

"Stop being an idiot and take the damn thing!"

I laugh despite myself and take the keys from him. "Thank you." I tell him sincerely.

"You'd do the same for me, I'd hope." he smirks and I laugh and slap him on the shoulder.

"You know I would." I smile but it falls when I notice the clock on the wall.

Elena should be here by now.

"Damon," Klaus looks at me sadly. "You need to go."

"Just five more minutes." I protest weakly.

"Damon, you should have left ages ago, she's already twenty minutes late. You can't stay here any longer, the cops are looking for you and they've been here once already looking for you, who's to say they won't come back? Detective Gilbert is gunning for you, he'll search this town high and low a dozen times alone if he has to! You're a sitting duck right now!"

I run my hand shakily through my messy hair, trying not to think of the possibility of Elena not coming.

But then again, that's more likely to happen than her actually running away with me isn't it? I was shocked when she suggested we leave town, but I knew how much she loved me so I believed it, I believed she could do it. I should have taken into consideration how much she loves her family too.

Of course she's not going to want to leave them and her friends behind for a messed up waste of space like me.

To ruin her life for me.

She deserves so much better. So much more.

"Okay." I take a deep breath, willing myself to stay strong.

I can do this alone.

I can do it.

Klaus nods his head and I turn around and open the door, looking around to make sure that no one is around before I quickly dart towards Klaus' black Range Rover that is parked on his driveway. I open the back seat and throw my duffel bag inside before turning to face my best friend who has had my back through everything.

Good and bad.

"I'll call you from a payphone in a couple of weeks, once I'm long gone from Virginia." I tell him with a small smile.

"You sure you want to waste your dimes on lil old me?" he smirks at me and I roll my eyes before wrapping my arms around him in a hug.

A manly hug, of course.

"Be careful." Klaus pulls away, a serious look on his face.

I nod my head and open the driver's door but stop before I get inside, turning back to face Klaus. "Look after Elena for me please." I ask him sincerely. "Don't let her get any more involved in this than she already is, keep her safe, Klaus, I love her more than anything else in this world, please keep her safe for me."

"I'll protect her." he tells me firmly, his voice full of honesty and I instantly believe him.

"And Stefan too." I add as an afterthought. "Baby bro can barely tie his own shoe laces." I smirk teasingly and Klaus laughs and nods his head and I sigh before climbing inside and shutting the door behind me, quickly sticking the key into the ignition, the engine roaring to life.

I reverse out of the driveway, my eyes looking into my mirror behind me but just as I'm about to speed away, I look up back at Klaus to see him waving at my frantically to stop and I can barely hear my name being shouted from his lips. I frown confused and brake, rolling down the window anxiously.

"Klaus? What?" I ask with a hint of panic. "What's wrong?"

However he just smiles and points to my right and I turn my head and my heart stops.

It's Elena.

Before I even know it I'm out of the car and she's in my arms, clinging to me tightly, her head buried into the crook of my neck. Her duffel bag discarded on the floor behind her.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" she gasps breathlessly. "I'm so sorry, but I'm here, I'm here now. I love you, I'm here!" she pulls away and kisses me hard on the mouth and I immediately return it, our kisses hot and sensual and for a moment I forget about where we are, what we are about to do.

"Damon!" Klaus brings us back to reality with a thud and I immediately pull away from Elena and turn to face him and my heart drops to my stomach when I see that he no longer has a smile on his face, instead there's a look of panic and fear.

That's when I hear the sirens.

So sorry to leave it here again! The next chapter will be the LAST one of Cannonball before I move onto the sequel! I'll give you all the details about it at the end because I don't want to spoil anything :)

Thank you so so so much to all of you who have ever reviewed this story, you guys are the biggest inspiration to keep writing honestly. I can't believe this story is almost finished but it's all thanks to you guys for helping me keep going so thank you :)

Thank you again for reading,

Until next time!