Chapter 6

Damon gently stroked Elena's soft chocolaty brown hair as she cried into his shoulder.

"Damon what did you do to her? Why is she crying?" Stefan repeated, worry clearly showing in his voice. "I didn't do anything!" Damon snapped back.

"Then why is she crying?"

"m-my parents d-died" Elena sobbed, lifting her head from Damon's shoulder to look Stefan in the eyes. Stefan's face instantly softened for the poor puffy eyed girl in front of him. "Oh, do you know what happened? Are you ok?" he asked sympathetically, kneeling down by her side.

Elena turned her attention back to Damon "how did they die?" she asked wiping her face dry with the back of her hand. "Their car went off Wickery Bridge late last night… this Jeremy guy said they were out looking for you" Damon replied trying to remember what was said in the vague text.

"They were out looking for me?" Elena asked her eyes growing glassy with tears threatening to spill once again. Then the realisation hit her. They never would have died if Damon had never taken her, she would have walked home and been in bed before they even thought of going looking for her. This was his fault. Her face grew hard as she stood up abruptly pointing an accusing finger at a startled Damon. "This is your fault." She stated, her voice cracking mid-sentence. "It's your fault they died." The high frequency of her voice making it hard to hear what she was trying to say.

"Elena," Damon whispered standing up and grabbing her wrists in the process. Elena just shook her head and tugged at her hands to get free "Elena listens to me," he pleaded

"No, no, no this is your fault" she mumbled closing her eyes, stopping her feeble attempts to get free. Damon wrapped his arms around her, it was then that she started sobbing into his chest. "Listen," he whispered into her ear "do you have any family you want to call? If it will make you feel any better?" Elena nodded against his chest "who do you want to call, I have your phone right her" he whispered pulling her phone from his pocket. "My aunt Jenna and my brother Jeremy" she said as her eyes landed on the phone in his hand. "Just one thing Elena. You can't tell them anything about your where a bouts, got it?" he said sternly. "got it" she said almost smiling as she took the phone from his hands and dialled Jeremy's number.

Jeremy picked up almost instantly. "Elena?" a small broken voice asked "jer, oh my god are you okay?" Elena asked trying to stay strong for her little brother. "Yea I'm okay, where are you Elena? Everyone is looking for you." Elena took a quick glance at Stefan and Damon, who looked like they would defiantly not be happy if she answered that question. "I'm sorry jer, I can't tell you…"

"What do you mean you can't tell me?"

Elena sighed "I miss you jer" she whispered avoiding his question.

"Elena, has someone taken you? I'm going to find you I promise!"

Damn that boy is too smart for his own good, Elena thought. Damon signalled it was time to hang up, inhaling deeply Elena turned her attention back to her panicking brother "I gotta go jer, tell Jenna I love her and miss her. I love you." with that she hung up the phone giving him no chance to reply.


Jeremy pulled the phone away from his ear with a shaking hand, turning to Liz he asked the simple question "did it work?"

Just before the phone call

Jeremy sat between a sobbing Caroline and bonnie, his eyes fixed on the phone in his hands hoping by some miracle if he just stared at it long enough his missing sister would call to explain she was fine and needed a ride home or something, until she was standing right next to him he wouldn't let himself grieve over the loss of his parents, he must stay strong. For her.

She's fine he chanted over and over in his head she'll call any second, she will.

Jeremy look up from his phone to look at Liz, suddenly remembering something he must seen on one of those cop shows, he stood up and made his way over to her "Liz, I was wondering if… maybe if Elena called… I mean, do you have anything that would help us find her? Like maybe track her through the call or something? I was just thinking because I was watching some show on TV the other night, I can't really remember what it was but these police were looking for some guy and managed to track him through

phone calls he made to his wife, maybe you have something that might do the same thing?" he questioned, he always knew sitting in front of the TV would help him out some day.

For a moment Jeremy thought she didn't hear him, maybe caught up in her own little world. But then she turned to the computer and started tying and after a few minutes she turned back to Jeremy "ok I have it all set up, I just need you to plug your phone into the computer" she said as she handed him a cord plugged into the monitor. "Ok, now if she calls we should be able to track her exact location. Just make sure you stay on the phone to her for at least 3 minutes, please remember that Jeremy. We need enough time you track her." Jeremy nodded his understanding then made his way back to bonnie and Caroline to wait.

Present time

Liz nodded excitedly staring at the computer screen "she's a few hours out of town, if she is there against her will we will need to hurry to get to her." She stated, grabbing her car keys from her desk. Jeremy practically ran to the door dragging Jenna behind him, bonnie, Caroline and Liz trailing behind him. Jeremy knew he had to hurry. From what she told him, with her vague answers she isn't out of town by her own free will she would have told him right? Right!


Elena spent most of the day staring at the TV with a dazed expression, Damon assumed she wasn't even watch the TV because it seemed as though she was staring straight through it. For some reason he had the sudden urge to comfort her, take her in his arms and hide her away from the rest of the world, away from all the pain and suffering. Keep her safe. Damon shook away the foolish thoughts, walked to the fridge and took out a fresh blood bag, blood would restore rational though. Take away these foolish thoughts of the girl in his living room. He picked up a cup from the cup holder and filled it to the brim with the thick saucy liquid. He took a quick glance at Elena before bringing the cup to his lips and taking a deep gulp, savouring the felling of the delicious liquid flowing down his throat.

Damon jumped back in shock when a woman with short blonde haired stormed through the front door, finding him stuck in the kitchen at gun point, what remained of his drink of blood scattered with little pieces of glass all over the kitchen floor. That was then Stefan came running from the bedroom where he was taking a nap. "What's going on here?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Elena turned to the blonde, a bright smile written across her face.

"Jeremy! She's here, come and help her out!" The blonde yelled to a crowd of people who had now formed behind her. Immediately a young brunette -probably in his mid-teens- made his way to Elena.

Damon ready to leap in defence of Elena, let out a low growl as warning. "Don't you dare touch her!" he bit out. He didn't care how long he'd known her; no one was going to lay a single finger on her unless it was him. There it was again! His over protectiveness of the girl making its self-known. The young boy Damon now knew as 'Jeremy' shot him an angry, disgusted look.

To Damon's surprise Elena jumped up from her spot by the sofa to welcome the one named Jeremy with open arms. Then it clicked. Before when Elena was so upset she spoke to her brother on the phone, the brother he now remembered to go by the name of Jeremy. Damon's tense muscles instantly relaxed as she wasn't in any immediate danger. As for him and Stefan? Well with a gun now shifting every few seconds between him and his brother he could only guess they were in the wrong, but at the same time she needs to be hidden. She can't just go prancing around mystic falls with an angry… wait rephrase that really pissed off original stalking her, wanting to use her for whatever evil master plan that dick came up with. No she needs to be safe and she can only be safe when she is in his arms. Images of Elena safely in his arms flashed in the back of his mind. Damn! There he goes again!

Mentally cursing himself for his own stupidity Damon then in one big blur –or that's what it looked like to the human eye- managed to knock the gun from the short blondes hands then pulled her hands behind her back to hold her in place, earning a shriek from a bouncy hair blonde by the doorway.

"I said don't touch her!" he hissed at Jeremy who stopped and brought his arms down to his sides just as he was about to pull Elena into his arms for a comforting hug. Even though Jeremy was her brother he still for some overly obsessive reason refused to let anyone touch her but him. Even if she hated him.

"What's wrong with you?!" Elena screamed at him "I have a right to hug my own brother you ass!" with that Elena pulled Jeremy closer to her and wrapped her arms around his muscled chest. Exhaling deeply Damon loosened his grip on the blonde and let her stumble back a few steps towards the door. "Damon? What are you doing?" Stefan said making his forgotten presence known. Letting out a sigh Damon turned to his brother, ignoring the crowd of people now preparing themselves for his advance. "I'm letting them go." He simply stated

"What? Why?" Stefan objected "they will tell everyone!"

Damon let out a deep chuckle "there won't be anything for them to tell." He said, his signature smirk creeping its way to the corner of his lips. "What are you talking about?" her voice questioned.

"Stefan, herd the sheep to the couch would you?" Damon instructed, ignoring the now glaring Elena. The nerve of the girl, he had the power to end her life in the blink of an eye and here she is glaring at him for saving the life of her 'saviours' from his own clenching hands. But of course how would she know he could end their lives'? He chuckled at his own private joke.

Once Stefan had lead the crowd of people to the living room half on the sofa and half standing. Damon then made his way to the bouncy hair blonde, he looked deeply into her eyes choosing his words carefully he then spoke. "You will not remember coming out here, Elena was never kidnapped. She had a late night out that resulted in her parent's death. It's not her fault. You will go back to mystic falls and help her through her grief. You will not remember meeting me and my brother either. Do you understand?" he paused and waited for her reply. "I understand" she stated after a moment of silence. "Good" he chuckled then made his way from person to person telling them all the same story. Except for Elena, she sat on the arm of the sofa her eyes glistening with tears. "How did you do that?" she asked with a shaky voice. "I told you once. But you freaked out, I had to stop you. But I won't make the mistake of doing it again. If I let you go now without making you forget… would you tell?" he asked sincerely.

"Do I have a choice?" she replied, a sad grin tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Not really" he whispered caressing her cheek with the tips of his fingers. She nodded in agreement, taking in a shaky breath she stood from her spot on the sofa arm effectively removing Damon's gently hand in the process. "Then may I take my family and friend home?" she asked shifting her gaze between Stefan and Damon who nodded their consent.

With a quick nod she grabbed hold of her daze faced brother's hand and started tugging him towards the door, the rest of her little group trailing behind.

Damon watched from the window as the six piled into both cars they had brought, then slowly drive out of view. And just like that, she was gone. The girl her had mentally sworn to protect with his life was now driving out into the dangerous world without him to defend her.

Like hell he was going to just sit here, he had to go after her! He had to protect her.


A/N

heyo! soooo i have had this chapter ready for posting for a week now but just haven't had the time to post it...

oh and at request i have made this chapter longer than others. planing on making them much longer than this one from now on though ;)

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