Chapter 7

Stefan jumped up from his place on the couch and made his way over to his brother who was still standing by the window watching the road outside that Elena had long driven away from. "Why did you let her leave?" he asked looking over his brother's shoulder trying to spot any hint of emotion on his features. "I don't know... I just wanted her to have some time with her family to grieve I guess…" he replied, not bothering to turn to face his brother.

Stefan nodded in understanding, he'd never seen his brother like this or at least hadn't seen him like this in a very long time. With a smirk cemented on his face Stefan poked his brother's arm playfully. "Ohh, I see what going on here, you like her don't you Damon?" Damon looked over his shoulder and rolled his eyes at his now beaming brother. "Oh, shut up Stefan and get in the damn car would ya?"

"In the car? Why?" Stefan asked dumbfounded

"Well I'm not going to just let Elena stroll around mystic falls by herself now am I? She's got a freakin' original after her! Now grab what you need and get in the car." He said clapping his hands in his brother's face as a sign to get moving. "Gah, whatever lover boy" Stefan teased. Damon rolled his eyes, picked up the closest thing he could find –this time being a book on the window seals- and threw it at his brother's head. "I said shut up!" Stefan just laughed at the blushing Damon Salvatore and collected his things.


"finally." Elena sighed having just pulled into her family home's driveway, she had just finished dropping the rest of her 'rescuers' off at their own homes and now all she wanted a nice long sleep in her bed. Not one of Damon's cottage beds, which were extremely uncountable. She quickly unbuckled her seat belt and turned to her brother, grabbed hold of his shoulders gave him a soft shake to wake him up from his nap. "Come on Jer, where home. Help me carry Jenna inside?"

"Mmhmm, sure" he mumbled still half asleep, but still managed to open his car door and jump out anyway.

After Jeremy had safely put Jenna and himself to bed Elena walked into her bathroom, shed her clothes and jumped into the shower happy to finally have a peaceful moment under the soothing running water

Having been in the shower for the longest time she had actually ever been in the shower Elena reluctantly switched off the water, instantaneously missing the warmth it brought her and reached out to get her towel that she always stored on the towel rack by the shower. Only it wasn't there.

Curious to find the missing towel Elena poked her head out of the shower door only to gasp in shock at the sight of Damon sitting on the bathroom counter with the towel sitting in his lap, a mischievous smirk played on his lips, his eyes fixated on her naked form. "Damon!" she screeched "what the hell are you doing here? How did you get in my house!" she was fumed, doing what little she could to cover her exposed body from his intense gaze.

"your brother, he went down to get a snack, heard me knocking and let me in" he answered distractedly "the kid doesn't even know me and he just let me in" he chuckled, his eye practically burning holes through her body "you should really teach him about stranger danger…" he coughed awkwardly suddenly torn from his trance "towel?" he offered her the towel which she of course snatched from his hands and hastily wrapped it around herself.

Elena had grown awfully quiet. Damon could tell she was about to break from the silence any moment to start screaming at him, ranting and raving about privacy and what not. Surprising him completely all she did was step out of the shower and walk straight to her room in complete silence to choose some clothes to sleep in.

"Elena?" Damon whispered to scared if he spoke too loud she would snap and scream at him "Elena, come on I know your mad at me just get out with it already would you?"

"In not going to yell at you." She stated, turning to her closet and picking out her pyjamas before going to the draws by her bed to pick out what panties she wanted to wear. "I'm just so tired Damon, I'm really not in the mood to yell at anyone." She turned to him and nodded quickly and stepped into the bathroom to change.

She re-emerged five minutes later dressed in purple striped pyjama short shorts and a dark purple pyjama tank top, her teeth freshly cleaned, hair brushed and hanging loosely around her small shoulders.

"Your still here?" she sighed spotting him perched on her large chest of draws in the far corner of the room.

"I'm still her." He breathed raising his arms as if to present himself. "Do you want me to go" he whispered, letting his arms flop down to his sides awaiting her reply.

Elena knew what she was about to say was beyond stupid but she really couldn't bring herself to care about the repercussions of her answer. "you don't have to go Damon, you look really tired… it seems cruel to make you drive all the way home at this time," she took a quick intake of breath as she peeled back to covers of her bed and slipped in "you can stay." She patted the space on the bed to her left offering it to him.

Damon stared at Elena sceptically, was she really offering him a spot in her bed? After everything he has put her through these past few days? "Are you sure?" he asked inching slowly towards the bed. "Mmhmm" she mumbled sleepily in reply, finally giving in Damon tugged off his shirt, pulled off his shoes and slid into bed beside Elena making himself comfortable.

After a few minutes of staring at the roof Damon turned his attention to Elena who was now sleeping peacefully beside him, he listened to her soft breathing, watched the rise and fall of her chest as she took each breath, he couldn't help but feel pure affection for the beautiful creature he was sharing a bed with. Damon's heart practically melted when Elena rolled from her spot so that her head was now rested on Damon's upper chest, her arm wrapped tightly around his waist pulling him closer to her. Damon carefully wrapped one of his arms around Elena's upper body and with the other ran his fingers through her hair occasionally running his thumb across her cheek until she nuzzled into his chest affectionately, to that he kissed the top of her head and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.


The next morning Elena woke to a Damon less bed and Jeremy knocking on her bedroom door telling her to get ready for school.

"Ok, Jeremy! I'm up, I'm up!" she moaned at her door slamming her head against her pillow before dragging herself out of bed to get ready for school

"Jenna, could you give me a ride to school? I don't really feel like driving today." Elena called out making her way down stairs for breakfast "sure Hun, breakfast is on the table. My attempt of bacon eggs and toast." Jenna laughed.

No one in the house would bring up the one subject they were all avoiding, they'd rather just burry their pain, ignore the fact they Elena and Jeremy's parents wouldn't be joining them for breakfast or lunch or even dinner for the rest of their lives. They were just gone. And the pain was just too much to handle so, ignoring was the only way to make it through the day.

Elena had just sat down to eat her toast when there was a knock at the front door. "I'll get it." Jeremy said popping up from his seat and making his way towards the door. Elena nodded and continued eating her toast in silence.

"Hey, you're the guy from last night, right?" came Jeremy's loudly spoken words from around the corner. Elena eased up out of her seat and turned the kitchen corner to find Jeremy talking to Damon at the front door. "Yea, I am," Damon's eye's immediately locked with Elena's as soon as she rounded the corner. "I'm actually here to give Elena a ride to school… if that's alright with you Jenna?" Elena turned to see her aunt standing right next to her, she'd been too distracted with staring at Damon to notice her creeping her way into the room.

Jenna winked at Elena before turning back to Damon who was awaiting her approval "I'm okay with that saves me the drive" she nodded and made her way back into the kitchen. "Are you coming Jer?" Elena asked hopefully.

"no can do Lena, getting a ride with Vicki," Jeremy just laughed at his disappointed sister. "You two have fun." He said waving as he walked out the door to Vicki's waiting car.

Sighing heavily Elena grabbed her bag from the table by the door. "Miss Gilbert," Damon joked bowing down in front of her, offering his hand for her to take. Rolling her eyes Elena barged straight passed him and started walking down the footpath making a beeline for Damon's car.

"You better not smash me into the window again," Elena warned as they drove away from the Gilbert house.

"You sure? I think you secretly like it when I'm rough" Damon joked raising a brow when she shot him a disapproving look. "Oh, calm down grouchy I was just joking. You've got nothing to worry about I'm just here to make sure Klaus keeps his grubby hand off you." He said giving her body a quick scan of the eyes. She was dressed in her usual tight jeans, converse shoes and a tank top with a light purple sweater over the top. "Purple your favourite colour?" he observed

"Hmm?"

"Well I notice you wear purple a lot, like last night with your cute purple Pj's and now you're wearing a purple sweater. I just assume it's your favourite colour. Is it not?" he said, to concentrated on the road to look her in the eyes. "Well yea it is but… Damon about last night," she breathed, as if it pained her to bring up the subject. "Look I was just really tired and had no idea what I was doing, can we just forget it ever happened?"

She wants me to forget? Damon's mind screamed at him. How could he forget the most beautifully wonderful night of his existence, even though all he did was lay in the same be as her he had to admit that it was in fact the best night of his life. "Damon?" Elena's voice brought him out of his inner battle. Trying his best not to give away how much it physically pained him to say his next words he nodded in Elena's direction "sure, it never happened."


Once he had safely dropped Elena off at school Damon drove himself over to mystic grill for well-earned drink.

"Whisky" Damon demanded the bartender who quickly scurried off to grab a fresh bottle as he perched himself on the closest bar stool.

"You're a morning drinker to huh?" came an unfamiliar voice to his left. Not even bothering to look up from the bar Damon picked up the small glass of whisky set in front of him and downed it in one gulp. "Clams the nerves I guess"

"Mm, I hear ya. First day at my new job, thought a quick drink would calm me down before I'm being judge by a bunch of history students" he laughed taking the seat beside Damon. "So what's got you in here so early?"

Damon shrugged turning to his new drinking buddy for the morning "it's a really long story…" he said downing his second glass.

Damon's new friend nodded extending his hand to which Damon shook "names Alaric, Alaric Saltzman."

"Damon Salvatore" he said picking up yet another glass of whisky, clinked it with Alaric's raised glass and downed it on a single sip.

"So you're a history teacher huh?" Damon probed

"Yea, mystic falls high. Their last history teacher died or something and they needed a new teacher so," he gestured to himself "here I am."

"have you met any of your students yet?" even though Damon didn't really know the guy it would nice to know at least one of Elena's teachers just to make sure she was in good hands while at school.

"Nah, not yet but apparently I have the honour of teaching the children of the founding families," he stated. "Fancy" Damon joked sipping from a fresh glass of whisky –which was by far his favourite liquor- placed in front of him.

"Yea. Well I better get going, don't want to be late for my first day." Alaric said, quickly draining the reminders of his glass. "Do me a favour?" Damon asked.

"Yea sure man." Alaric beam at back. "Elena Gilbert's in your class, would you take good care of her for me?" Damon pleaded

"Uh, yea sure" Alaric looked around awkwardly at the strange request. "Great. Oh, and tell her Damon says hi" Damon smirk turning back to the bar. Alaric nodded uncomfortably before getting up and exiting the grill.

As for Damon, well the waitress was looking mighty fine for a morning snack.


Elena huffed out a breath when she sat down in her second period history class, the whole class was buzzing about their being a new history teacher. Elena not being a gossip just sat back in her seat awaiting the start of the lesson.

"Good morning class," a tall blonde man said as he walked into the classroom "my name in Alaric Saltzman and I'm your new history teacher." The man shuffled around a few piles of paper on his new desk before looking back at the class. "Apparently the school believes I don't need a class roll," he chuckled awkwardly, grabbed a blank piece of paper from the desk and dropped it on Elena's desk. "Just write down your names on the paper for me guys, none of those fake names that students think are funny just to confuse me please?" Elena nodded, a tight smile finding its way to her lips as she wrote her name on the paper.

"Elena Gilbert is it?" Alaric asked reading the words on the paper. "Uh, yea." She replied uncomfortably. "Ah, I've heard about you, pleased to meet you" Alaric smiled genuinely, extending his hand to her. Elena hesitated before shaking his hand, clearly uncomfortable being the centre of attention. "Sorry if I'm embarrassing you," he whispered retreating his hand. "I'll just... Yea" he smiled tightly pointing at the person in the next seat over and handed them the piece of paper.

After the really awkward encounter with her new history teacher Elena was on her way to meet bonnie and Caroline for lunch in the cafeteria. "So, how's school going?" a drunken Damon asked suddenly appearing beside her as she walked to the cafeteria. "God, would you stop stalking me?" she hissed.

"Nope, not possible" he winked

"Gah, you reek of alcohol" she rolled her eyes "so I assume you drunk?"

"Yup, guess who my new drinking buddy is?" he slurred out. "I don't know," Elena sighed shifting her books to the other hand "who?"

"My new friend Alaric" he beamed "you know, Saltzman."

"Saltzman? As in my history teacher Alaric Saltzman?" she questioned "the one and only."

"Hm. Good for you. Look I have to go, Caroline and bonnie a waiting for me." She quickly said brushing him off.

Damon stood watching Elena speed down the hall towards the cafeteria. "Well that was rude" he huffed.


"Elena. Oh my god are you okay? I'm so sorry about your par-"Caroline stoped mid-sentence when Elena help up her hand signalling her to stop talking. "Please don't," she begged "I would really rather just not talk about it. Or even think about it. I don't want to think the fact that… the fact I'll never see them again okay?"

"Of course Elena, I understand. But are you sure that's healthy? I mean just keeping it bottled up inside? I really think you should talk about it to someone sooner or later…" Caroline said sympathetically. "I know it's not health Caroline. But I just can't handle it right now, ok?" Caroline nodded in understanding and pulled Elena in for a comforting hug

"Now could we please change the subject?" Elena asked holding back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Sure," Caroline smiled "I was thinking, I think we should hang out tonight. You know a few drinks at the grill, maybe meet a hot guy?" Caroline winked and clapped enthusiastically "sure sounds great" Elena said, letting out a long breath of air.

"Where's bonnie?"

"Probably saving us a table, come on." Caroline smiled grabbing hold of Elena's sweater and dragged her off to their lunch table.


A/N

hey guys, sorry it took so long to update, I've had so many assignments its not even funny -.-

there is actually a lot of character development in this chapter (about time i know XD )

anyway, please review i love reading all your input. it keeps me going ;)