DISCLAIMER: Yes, I'm evil and/or heartless. So, what else is new?

Do you know why it's important to leave a review for a story? It's so that I can have an actual conversation with you personally & get to know you. Otherwise, you'd just be a nameless statistic, a number in the number of views to a chapter. I would prefer to get to know you on a human level, if that's alright with you.

Having said that, I hope you enjoy the chapter, everybody!

A Woman's Worth: Chapter Seven

Elena's POV

Things were supposed to get better. He promised.

To prove how much I loved Mason, I cut off my entire social life for him, choosing him instead of my oldest friend, hoping that it would make me worthy of his love and respect.

But it wasn't enough. I had to have done something wrong to deserve his beatings, his insults and his anger. Perhaps I wasn't attentive enough, or that he wasn't satisfied in bed, or that he couldn't bring himself to trust me after I lied to him about seeing Caroline.

By the time he came home after our horrible fight, the same day that I severed all ties to my friendships with both Caroline and Damon, I had our bedroom spotless and arranged just as it was before. I treated the entire exercise as a cleansing ritual, a way to wipe the slate clean between us and to start over. As I swept up the mess on the floor, I imagined the fragments of glass as pieces of my old life, the one where I had my parents and friends. Well, my parents died and my world got turned upside down, and since then, nothing has ever been right again.

Well, this was my chance for a do-over. I had to say goodbye to that version of Elena and reinvent myself, so that I could have a chance to be happy again with the man I love. All I need is Mason. He is my one constant, my only chance to have a semblance of a life, a future. I really thought that by bidding farewell to the old me, I could be whoever Mason wanted me to be, his partner in every way possible, his equal and his cherished one.

I couldn't believe how wrong I was. Despite his commitment to change, our relationship just escalated from bad to worse. There had been some moments where I could still see glimpses of the old Mason, the one who held me while I cried over my parents' death, the one who helped me pack up all my belongings before I moved in with him, the one who touched me tenderly as he whispered how much he loved me. That Mason was still in there somewhere; I just needed to find him again.

What hurt the most was that he seemed to think less of me for choosing him above all else, as if he looked down on me somehow. He began to constantly criticize me, telling me that I wasn't a good person because I turned my back on my own best friend in favor of having a roof over my head, calling me all sorts of names, like I was a free-loader and not good for anything. I knew he was being a hypocrite, since he was the one who made me choose in the first place, and now he was punishing me for being so desperate to please him.

And oh, the ways he wanted me to please him. Gone were the days where we made any eye-contact when we made love; now, he seemed to prefer taking me from behind as if he couldn't bear to even look at my face. His hands that were once gentle were now bruising, relentless as he held me down while I pleased him orally, ignoring my protests when his grip tightened painfully on my neck and arms as he sought his pleasure. The bruises got so obvious that I had to cut classes to avoid being questioned by my classmates, or worse, Caroline. I knew that she was hurt over my lack of communication with her and worried about me, but I really didn't want her to be caught between Mason and me. It wasn't fair to her.

Now friendless and missing most of my classes for the semester, I woke up one morning and took stock of my life, reflecting on the way it had turned out; me being so dependent on one guy, the one who didn't seem to like the person I had become, no matter what I did to constantly change myself to be the person that he could accept. I felt as if I was in a play, taking on one role after another to test the reception of each, until one day I had to stare hard into the mirror and realize that I was nowhere to be found.

I searched for the real Elena, the one who was a jovial, active girl, full of life and ambition but she was gone. All I could see as I stared at my reflection was an empty shell, no personality, no sign of life, and no soul. I was simply Mason's living doll, manipulated and molded to be whatever he wanted me to be on a whim, and yet I wasn't good enough. I would never be good enough.

My thoughts turned to Damon Salvatore for a brief moment. He was like a beacon of light that shined brightly at a time when I was in my darkest hour, bearing symbols of hope and joy. His sudden presence in my life was both welcomed and unwelcomed; the former because he reminded me of the girl I used to be, and the latter because he made me yearn for things to be different. He made me question and doubt my choices, wish for change and hope for a better life. He caused me to regret the way my life had turned out, by being with a man who was causing me pain.

I suppressed those feelings the instant they raised to the surface. I shouldn't feel those things, not when I was trying to fight so hard for my relationship with Mason. People like Caroline and Damon may not be able to understand why I chose to stay with him instead of taking the easy way out and running as far as I could from him, but then what would that say about me? My friends were so hell-bent on rescuing me from this life, but who was going to save Mason, then? This man that he had become, it wasn't him. He was being controlled by his anger and frustration, and sometimes even alcohol, but it wasn't him. I have seen him at his worst, whenever he turned into the Monster Mason with the unfeeling eyes, and I have also seen him at his best.

Mason had been there with me during the worst possible time of my life, when I fractured emotionally after I learnt of my parents' accident. He was there to pick up the pieces and glue them back together again to make me whole. I owed him my life. How could I leave him when he needed me the most? He was unwell, and I wanted to be the one to fix him. Then, we'd get our happily ever after.

I clung onto that notion with everything I had left in me, the parts that weren't damaged by Mason's regular put-downs. That was until I saw him again. I had noticed for quite some time, the presence of a familiar looking car down the road, always parked at the same spot underneath a huge tree, but the occupants were always hidden beneath the shade. Something told me that it was him, that nagging feeling at the back of my head, but it was only a suspicion until I saw my former best friend walk right up to it and enter the vehicle, carrying a large picnic basket.

They were there, a few houses down from me, and all I could think about was running right out to hug them and thank them for caring about me so much, but I was too scared. Afraid that Mason would find out, and also wary of the danger of letting myself get too close to anyone, since I would have to give them up all over again. Mostly, I was worried about having hope. Hope is a dangerous thing to have, especially for a person who was on the verge of breaking down with all the weight of emotions I was carrying around.

So, I ignored them, as best that I could, although I found myself constantly peeping through the drapes to see if they were still there until it quickly became a daily routine. I would sit for hours by the windows, watching for any activity surrounding the car, safely hidden behind the heavy curtains, just knowing that they were watching out for me. Which was why I was extremely reluctant one morning when Mason asked me to collect the mail. He was expecting an important document of some sort, but I knew that the moment I stepped out of the house alone, I would be cornered by Caroline or Damon, maybe even both.

So, despite my reservations to leave the safety of my house, it was with extreme caution that I made my way down the porch and onto the narrow pathway that led to our mailbox, restraining myself from turning my head towards the vehicle a few meters from me. I kept my back rigid, my posture tensed as I hastily removed the pile of envelopes and retraced my steps to the front door, only to be deterred by Caroline, who appeared without a sound.

"Elena!" she called out, putting a hand on my shoulder as she pulled me back to face her. Then, her eyes widened when she caught sight of the forgotten bruise on my neck, and I cursed that I didn't think to pull on a sweater or wrap a scarf over my neck before I stepped out of the house earlier. "Oh my God, what did he do to you this time?" she exclaimed with a horrified look.

She reached out to grab hold of my face when I tried to hide my injured neck, but I managed to fling her hands off me before she could get a good grip, now practically running towards the porch until she yelled out the one name that could possibly make me hesitate to take another step further.

"Damon's here and he can help you!" she said urgently, making her way to me. Well, of course she knew that his name would be my Archilles' heel; she was my best friend after all. But I shouldn't let it weaken my resolve to forget about the man who somehow managed to reach into my inner psyche and bring out the Elena I thought I had lost forever, the one who knew how to laugh.

"He can't help me, no one can," I shook my head sadly, my back to her. "Tell Da – tell him to stop trying to save me because it's no use. I'm a lost cause. I'm sorry, Care, but please don't come here again."

My feet barely moved an inch before she grabbed me again, this time on my arm where the flesh was still tender from Mason's ministrations last night. I couldn't help myself; I flinched and jerked my hand away, resisting the urge to rub the sting away to avoid being too obvious about it.

"Elena," the soft voice carried itself to my ears from a distance, and my head involuntarily lifted towards the direction it came from, despite my willpower to not let his voice affect me. I hadn't seen him or heard from him in weeks, but that was because I blocked all his calls to me. But that didn't mean that I didn't have a list of missed calls from both him and Caroline in my phone. I knew they were just trying to help me, but I couldn't let them….wouldn't. I would lose Mason if I did.

I knew that I was in trouble the moment our eyes met across the distance. He had gotten out of his car and was running towards me, but the instant our gaze connected, he stopped dead in his tracks, as if whatever he saw made him afraid to come any closer. I couldn't help it; hope flared inside my chest knowing that he was still here even after all this time and the distance that I forced between us, and it made me wished that things would change for the better.

It made me want…more.

I panicked a little when a voice at the back of my head added "With Damon…" at the end of my epiphany, and I hastily pushed those evil thoughts aside. I didn't want anything to do with the raven-haired man who was staring at me like he wanted to sprint over and tuck me under his wings and never let go. I shouldn't but seeing him again almost made me want him to.

No.

"Please, don't," I whispered brokenly, feeling my heart aching as my self-control hung on by a thread, warning him to keep his distance for fear that I would crumble at his feet, begging him to make everything alright again. Knowing that that was a very real possibility scared the hell out of me, so I broke our eye contact and fled. Back to my cocoon, back behind the walls that kept me safe and hidden from everyone.

Everyone but Mason.

Dinner was ready and on the table. The laundry was done and put away. The living room and our bedroom were spotless. Everything was in place except for the man of the house.

Mason was late.

I sat at my usual seat at the dining table and sighed as the clock chimed eleven times, officially making him tardy for four hours. That was two hundred and forty minutes of free time spent restlessly trying not to think of a certain blue-eyed man, but failing miserably anyway. I had kept myself busy after my unexpected encounter with him and my best friend earlier, but now, just having to sit and wait for my boyfriend to come home made my mind wander. It was an unwelcomed reprieve, one that I would rather have spent getting my legs waxed, one hair follicle at a time just to keep my mind occupied instead of persistently straying to Damon.

I had done so well, too, keeping thoughts of the subject matter locked up tight in a small corner of my mind, until today. It was as if he had a way of working his way out of whatever deep crevices my mind stored him in; he always found his way back to the forefront.

Perhaps that was why I was getting increasingly angry at my absent boyfriend as each minute passed, cursing him for forcing me to consider an alternative life, one that had me wondering if I would have dated Damon had I met him under different circumstances. Would we have bonded so quickly and so deeply if we hadn't spent so much time alone in a hospital? Would he have cared for me if he wasn't obligated to help me due to the nature of his job? Were the sparks that seemed to fly between us whenever he was near real? Or were they just a by-product of my own imagination, testing my feelings and loyalty for Mason?

The sound of squealing tires and loud roar of a car engine snapped me out of my forbidden thoughts, before a set of headlights illuminated the living room through the windows. Moments later, a clearly wasted Mason staggered through the door, his steps heavy as he swayed drunkenly to the couch, knocking various items off the walls in his wake. I hurried over, wrapping an arm under his armpit to support him, almost crumbling under his weight until he crashed onto the cool leather, pulling me down along with him.

His body crushed mine under him, and I gagged when his alcohol-induced breath swept across my face, so I pushed him off with all my strength until I could wriggle my way out. "You went drinking again?" I asked as I frowned upon his flushed face, anger rising in my chest. I shook my head in disbelief, wondering if things were ever going to change between us. Was this what the future held for me, not knowing when he'd go back on his word?

"Oh, quit with the judgey eyes!" he groaned. "I had a couple of drinks with my nephew and now I'm home. I'm hungry, where's my dinner?" With a low grunt, he pulled himself up, half-sitting and half-reclining against the backrest as if it required a great effort. A couple of drinks, my ass.

"Dinner was four hours ago! You didn't call, you didn't text, and you didn't even pick up your phone when I called three hours ago. What happened to not drinking again? You gave me your word, Mason." Accusation was dripping with every word, and it was the first time that I stood up to him in weeks, maybe even months, but I didn't care. It was the most alive I ever felt, and it was great to feel my blood pumping from the indignation that this time, I wasn't at fault. He broke his promise and I wanted to let him know that it wasn't okay.

Instead of feeling chastised, he released a loud snort, mocking me. "So? We were celebrating his break-up with that annoying blonde bitch and I say good riddance! I don't know what he ever saw in her in the first place. Maybe she gives good head or something," he laughed to himself, his heavy-lidded eyes now almost closing. I suddenly envisioned myself giving him a power-packed punch to his solar plexus, just like Damon taught me, but then I might end up with five dislocated knuckles instead so I reined in my temper and concentrated on the shocking revelation.

"Ty and Care broke up? When was this?" I asked with a frown, wondering if Caroline had approached me earlier that afternoon to tell me the news. Instantly, shame washed through me as I thought about how I turned her away, assuming that she was here to convince me to leave Mason again. She probably needed a friend to talk to and I ignored her, too wrapped up in my own drama to even notice if she was hurting, too. I was a lousy friend.

"I don't know…after he caught her cheating on him, I guess, and then he dumped her ass and then we went for a little celebratory drink. He has moved on by now, with that hot little piece of ass we met at the bar. He's probably forgotten all about your bimbo friend the second he took off with her," he muttered, a smug smile tugging on his lips.

Caroline cheating on Tyler? No freaking way! "You don't know what you're talking about. Care would never cheat on Tyler, not in a million years! And stop calling her all those names, she doesn't deserve them. You have no idea the kind of person she is, and that's because you never made the effort to get to know her."

Mason scoffed, his eyes opening a little as they regarded me as if I was a naïve little child. "Oh please, spare me the lecture. What do you care, anyway? She's not your friend anymore, is she? How do you know she hasn't been running around meeting some guy behind Ty's back, huh? Apparently, he found proof of their secret rendezvous in her phone, too. Not so smart to leave such incriminating evidence lying around, huh?" he sneered, his loud cackle making my hands clench into fists at my sides as I experienced a real temptation to knock the daylights out of my own boyfriend. Oh God, what if I had violent tendencies, too?

"Think what you want, but I'll go see her tomorrow and get the truth out of her somehow. I don't believe that she'd do that to Tyler, not even for a second."

My defiance roused him from his half-awake mind, his rapidly changing mood swings rearing its ugly head again, now further fueled by alcohol as he dragged himself up to tower over me. "You will do no such thing! You chose me over her, remember? And she's only now showing her true colors, that she can't be trusted. I don't want you to see her or talk to her again, and I mean it!" The intensity of his eyes made me cower backwards but his hands wrapped securely around my wrists to keep me in place. "Elena," he breathed, his voice dripping with danger, "if you defy me, I'll make sure that you won't be able to sit for a week, and you have my word on that."

I shivered against my will at his threat, swallowing nervously as I waited for his next course of action, praying that he wouldn't punish me for something I hadn't even done yet. We stood there, just staring at each other, his gaze challenging me as if to dare me to disagree, and mine was merely wary, waiting for what comes next. Then, he flung my hands aside as if repulsed by the touch of my skin and stormed upstairs, his heavy steps still unsteady as he made his way to our bedroom, ordering me to clear up the mess in the hall and the dining hall as he went.

Absentmindedly, I massaged my sore wrists as I stood frozen in the middle of the living room, my entire body shuddering with relief that I had managed to escape unhurt this time. But what about the next time? At the rate we were going, there was bound to be a next time. It happens even when I was being meek and agreeable. So, what did it matter if I defied him this one time? My best friend needed me and it was my turn to be there for her, after all she'd done for me in the past. Despite what I said to her that day in my room, it hurt like hell to destroy our friendship that we had spent years building. And now she was hurting, and possibly crying over her break-up with Tyler. Yes, I would go to Caroline and be the friend that I was to her, before this whole mess with Mason screwed up our relationship.

My mind made up, I glanced over at the fallen items on the floor from when Mason knocked them over earlier, and my rebellious nature made an appearance. They were his mess, so he should clean them up himself. Moving over to the dining area, I looked around at the uneaten food left on the plates, now cold and no doubt, soggy. I robotically started stacking them up, but then stopped myself, another thought occurring to me. It was Mason's fault that we missed dinner, so why should I clear up after all my hard work went into preparing it for him like a good housewife? Defiantly, I left them as they were before. It would serve Mason right if he woke up to a tableful of rotting food.

Now that I was on a rebellious streak, another idea came to mind. As drunk as he was, Mason would wake up to a massive hangover, so naturally, he would go looking for that bottle of aspirin in the medicine cabinet. I couldn't help but hug myself as I made my way to the bathroom, quickly locating the labelled bottle and without further hesitation, proceeded to dump the contents into the toilet bowl and flushed them down, watching the swirling water drag the white tablets down along with them. I smiled triumphantly as I imagined the pounding headache that would plague him the whole day and congratulated myself for my childish prank.

I crept into the bedroom to find Mason sprawled faced-down on the bed diagonally, still fully-clothed and drooling on the comforter. The meek and submissive Elena would have taken off his shoes and maybe changed him into more comfortable sleep wear, but this new and improved version couldn't be bothered.

Making my way over to the wardrobe, I pulled out a small overnight bag and packed some clothes and toiletries, just in case Mason found my insubordination unforgiveable and decided to kick me out of the house. It was time to be more pro-active and let him know that I wasn't a pushover, always there to just wait for his instructions and carry them out as if I was a damn robot. I sure as hell wasn't a Buffybot – or an Elenabot, programmed to cater to his every command! If he really loved me, he would not hold it against me if I decided to be a friend to Caroline while she went through this horrible time. Essentially, I had chosen Mason over her, but right now, she needed a friend. For this particular time, I would choose a friendship that spanned over ten years over my boyfriend of two years. He just had to understand that, or otherwise, I'd be homeless.

I clung onto the hope that Caroline would take me in after how I treated her. After all, I had nowhere else to go, no money to even rent a room at a motel somewhere for however long it would take for Mason to come to his senses. Until then, he would just have to accept the fact that I wasn't going to take his treatment of me lying down.

Yes, Mason was in for a very rude awakening.

* * * Abuse is a form of bullying* * *

After a restless night of tossing and turning on the couch, I snuck out of the quiet house before Mason awoke, still too early for his alarm to go off. I grabbed my bag and made my way to the waiting cab I had called earlier, after slyly switching off the water mains outside the house, hoping to piss off Mason even further by denying him his morning shower. I had hoped that he would come to a realization quickly that his life fell apart the moment I stepped out of the house, and he would come crawling on his knees, begging me to forgive the error of his ways. It would also help if he had flowers in one hand and a diamond ring on another, proclaiming how empty his life was without me in it.

Okay, maybe I had an overactive imagination, but it was a romantic notion to be needed so badly by a man, to be loved unconditionally, to be cherished. On the completely opposite end of the spectrum, I also considered what if Mason decided that he didn't love me enough, thinking that he was better off without me instead. Then I would have lost the person I loved, along with a home and any hope for an education. I would have to give up college and find a job to support myself. I knew that I had to do it sooner or later, but the thought was still daunting.

It was with trepidation that I exited from the cab, with my bag in hand and I made my way up the path that led to Care's house, my mind occupied with worry. I had no idea what kind of reception I would get from my former best friend, but I hoped that she would at least accept my apology and let me be there for her while she recovered from this breakup.

I drew up short when I noticed her front door left wide open, alarm taking over my body at the thought of Caroline coming to some harm, or if I was about to walk into a robbery in progress. Without careful consideration, I ran right through the doorway, expecting to find the blonde tied up in a chair or maybe a grovelling Tyler begging her to forgive him. Instead, I saw the last thing I expected to see; an embracing couple.

I really thought I might die from the range of emotions that ran through me at that moment, when I saw my best friend standing in the arms of him; Damon. I just stood frozen near the entrance, my eyes refusing to look away from the intimate scene before me. Obviously, Caroline just woke up, her hair a dishevelled mess and still wearing her silky robe, while Damon was decked out in his usual attire, dark clothes and leather jacket to match. They looked cosy together, as if they had spent an entire night in each other's arms, and I was merely witnessing the morning after, when he was about to leave for work to save more damsels.

Mason was right. The person that Care cheated on Tyler with was Damon; my Damon, my mind screamed possessively in my head. I was incredulous, I was disgusted, I was angry that Mason was right about her, but there was also one more emotion that registered in me as I stared unblinkingly at the couple. Deep, deep down in the pits of my stomach, something inside me flipped a switch and I realize that the aching pain I felt was jealousy. The instant I recognized that emotion, guilt swept through me, as I knew that I wasn't supposed to feel jealous.

I had a boyfriend. He was at home, probably realizing by now that I was missing. He might have been worried about me, maybe not even realizing what happened the previous night that made me want to teach him a lesson. But now I was the one who was being taught a lesson. I shouldn't trust anyone, not Damon, not my best friend and not myself. I was the one who came up with this stupid idea in the first place. I was the reason why I'm standing in a house, wanting to push the blonde away from Damon's embrace and maybe swing a fist at her, too.

The sudden ringing of my phone penetrated through my dazed mind, effectively alerting the couple to another presence in the room with them. Two heads snapped over to meet my eyes, but I was only focused on one person; him. Shock and panic registered in his expression the moment he saw me there, and he stepped back from Caroline guiltily, but I had already seen enough to know that I made a huge mistake to come here in the first place. Ignoring the familiar sound of Mason's customized ringtone, I whirled right around, intending to see if the cab had left yet only to be disappointed to find that it had.

Regardless, I still didn't stop, I just knew that I had to get out of there pronto, even if I had to jog all the way back home to face Mason's wrath. I'd take his temper tantrums and alpha male dominance anytime over this wrenching ache I felt in my chest. I didn't even understand why I felt so betrayed. He meant nothing to me, nothing more than a casual acquaintance whom I befriended for a brief time of my life. Fine, he meant more to me than that, but he wasn't mine to agonize over losing in the first place. Everything was just so wrong.

"Elena!" his voice carried over to me as I reached the fencing that surrounded the Forbes' residence. Belatedly, I noticed his Camaro parked at the front of the yard, and I wondered how I missed seeing it when I arrived earlier. Oh right, I was too distracted worrying about whether or not my so-called best friend would forgive me. Funny how that turned out.

I increased my pace as my feet encountered the sidewalk, intending to break out into a full-speed run away from him, away from her, and away from the house that before served as a safe haven. With my heart thundering in my ears, I took off like the Devil was right on my tail, feeling the wind in my face as I left that part of my life behind. I didn't get far before the Devil himself caught me, when my vision blurred, the world tilted and then darkness consumed me. The last thing I heard was a frantic yell, "Elena, no!" and then pain exploded in my head.

First, I have to apologize for stopping the story there. I had some urgent stuff to take care of and wanted to update before the weekend was over. I hope that you guys will understand.

So what did you think happened? Did Elena get hit by a car? A bus? Mason?

Did I pull my favourite trick and killed her off?

You're right, I wouldn't kill her, but maybe Mason would.

Would you like to wait a week to find out? *pause* I didn't think so.

Remember that urgent thing I mentioned earlier? Yeah, I had to write the rest of the story.

Here it is! You're welcome. :D

(I know, you want to kill me! I'm nothing if not mean!)

Coffee.

That was the first thing that registered in my mind when I came to. That, and then feeling like I had been run over by a truck…twice!

I heard low murmurs beside me, so I concentrated on what was being said while figuring out how to get my eyes open, and that was when it hit me; somebody was holding my hand. Immediately, two things came to my attention, the first being that it meant that I wasn't paralyzed, and the second being that it felt familiar and comforting.

"Oh thank God! She's coming to," the low urgent voice closest to me said and the grip on my hand tightened simultaneously. How did he know that, I wondered. My eyes weren't even open yet, and I was certain that I hadn't uttered a single word since I regained consciousness. "Elena?" the same voice said, concern evident in his tone. "Hey, can you open your eyes for me, please?"

I was going to open them anyway, so he better not think that I was doing him any special favors! "Elena?" he whispered, sounding even closer to me now. I could even smell his aftershave and everything!

I pried my eyes open with great effort; they seemed heavy and uncooperative. There were two identical faces that appeared before me and I frowned when they both spoke at once. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?" I didn't like the echo effect and I wished that they would speak one at a time, and stop moving around so much. I was getting nauseous just looking at them!

My eyes closed again, but still it seemed as if the room was spinning. Okay, that was not better at all. I opened them again, and this time, I watched in a confused daze when the twin visions combined into one frazzled looking Damon Salvatore. Seeing him in full HD mode brought everything back at once; the memory of an embracing couple, the hurt and betrayal that I felt as I watched them, and then the gut-wrenching pain as I ran away. My eyes teared up at the onslaught of memories, and I snatched my hand back from his grasp, noticing his surprise at my abruptness.

"What happened?" I asked, struggling to sit up and then wincing in pain before his hands gently held me down by my arms, prohibiting my movement.

"You fainted, Elena. I'm sorry, but I didn't get to you in time and you hit the pavement rather hard," he explained in a low voice, his expression wary of my reaction to his touch. "You shouldn't move so much because we have no idea what kind of injuries you might have, in addition to the ones you were already sporting."

His words made me feel guilty for some reason, and I didn't know why that was. Either he or Caroline must have made an inventory list of my battle wounds while I was out, and I somehow felt guilty to Mason for letting them see my still healing bruises. I glanced down on my attire and was surprised that someone had changed me into my pajamas; an old tee-shirt and shorts. I must have blushed because Damon hurriedly stood up and said, "Caroline cleaned you up and changed your clothes because they were soiled from your fall."

"Elena, we were so worried about you! I'm glad that you're here now. Did you leave Mason?" my former best friend said from behind him, making her way over to sit on the edge of the bed I was in, the spot that Damon recently vacated. Luckily, she was no longer in her robe, but was now attired in her usual cute little outfits. So, they were 'we-people' now, huh? That was what a couple would say a lot – 'we', followed with a lot of 'us' and 'our'. I've had enough of this shit; I needed to go home and go back to my life with Mason.

I sat up quickly despite the protest of all my muscles, and I waited for the throbbing at the side of my head to cease before I stood up, intending to grab my bag, wherever it was, and go on home.

"Do you need something?" she asked, not taking the hint that I wasn't in the mood to speak to her. She was a cheater and a Damon-stealer. Okay, that wasn't fair; she was just a cheater then, and also a liar. Why did she feel the need to hide the fact that she was seeing Damon? If she told me outright, I wouldn't have been so pissed off. Tyler was my friend, too. He didn't deserve to find out through a phone!

"Yeah, I need to not be here!" I snapped, and I noted with satisfaction when she gaped at me in shock.

"What's wrong? Aren't you here to get away from Mason?" Caroline wondered, exchanging a puzzled look with her other half, the silent man standing beside her.

If I wasn't nauseous before when the room was spinning, I was sure that I was about to hurl right there, in her face. That did it! I could feel it coming up and I couldn't stop it. But instead of upchucking my guts out, I purged a whole statement instead. "I'm here because I've been a crappy friend and I wanted to make it up to you by being here for you after Tyler broke up with you, but instead, I found you in his arms instead!" I accused, pointing a finger at the frowning Damon, all the while refusing to even look at him. "I can't believe that Mason was right about you; you cheated on Ty with Da – him, and he had to find out through your phone? I really can't believe you, Care. And I wouldn't have thought it possible if I hadn't seen you two snuggling with my own eyes."

Nobody said a word after my accusation. I knew I had them; it was no use for them to deny it now.

Caroline burst out laughing, to my complete and utter shock, while Damon just continued to gaze at me with an indescribable expression. It seemed as if he was sad or something. "Oh my God, I can't believe that coward! Ughh, now I'm sure that I made the right choice by dumping that ass wipe yesterday!" she declared, shaking her head at me. "I broke up with Tyler, Elena. He thought that I was running around with Damon behind his back when all we did was to keep an eye on you. Remember yesterday, in your front yard, when I showed up? Yeah, Damon and I, we were kind of stalking you, just a little. We were very worried about you, especially since you haven't been to one class this week."

What did I say earlier? There's that 'we' word again…three times in that statement alone. "Okay, so if you weren't cheating on him, then why didn't you just explain it to him and make up? And what about what I saw earlier, the two of you, being all cuddly?" The image of the both of them wrapped up in each other's arms appeared again in my head, and so did the unbearable ache along with it.

"Well, he didn't exactly give me a chance to. He got…..violent and he smashed my phone into pieces," she said in a small voice, and I saw her face fell at her admission. I knew first-hand how hard it was to disclose that your boyfriend had such violent tendencies, and I had to admit that I was surprised at the news. I didn't peg Tyler for someone who would be angry enough to smash anything, but then Mason didn't appear that way either. Maybe the Lockwoods had a genetic defect that turned them into part-time monsters after two years of relationships.

"That punk hit her was what she meant to say," Damon spoke up then, his arms folded defensively in front of his chest. He seemed angry and yet worried. I suspected that the anger part was for Care, and the worried part was for me. Hearing that my best friend was hit made me forget about the animosity I felt towards her before. Someone laid a hand on Caroline and I immediately went into protective best friend mode.

"Oh my goodness, are you okay? What did he do? Did he hurt you?" I asked, pulling her in for a comforting hug before letting my eyes peruse over her fair skin, finding relief when I didn't find anything out of the ordinary.

She nodded and sighed, "I'm fine now, but it was an eye-opening experience, that's for sure. I could barely drag myself out of bed this morning, and I only did it because Damon here seems to think that my front door is not dented enough, what with all the relentless knockings! I now know how you feel, Elena, but I still can't understand why you waited so long before you dumped Mason's sorry ass."

Hearing her assumption, I averted my gaze, only to meet Damon's instead. The fact that he only arrived sometime before I did, did wonders for my peace of mind. So, he didn't stay the night with her, I noted with relief. I think that he remains as the one person who could read me like a book because he then said, "You didn't dump Mason, did you? You're still going back to him, aren't you?"

I was pretty sure my face gave away my answers, because then, Caroline gasped and begged me to reconsider. "You can't go back to him, Elena! You just barely got out! I saw the bruises on your neck yesterday and your arms were sore, too, right? Don't you see that he won't stop hurting you unless you do something about it? To force him to change? Maybe if you stayed here for a while, send a message that you're not going to stay in an abusive relationship unless he makes a real effort to curb his need to make you into his personal punching bag, then you'd reconsider taking him back," she suggested eagerly, sensing my doubt whether to go home or to stay.

"Care's right, you know?" Damon said quietly from the spot he'd been standing on ever since he left my side. "You've given Lockwood more than enough time to get his act together already, and if the situation hasn't improved by now, chances are, it never will. You can be the most perfect girlfriend in the world, and yet he'll still manage to find faults with you, to penalize you if only to justify taking his anger out on you. It's not about you or what you think you did wrong, Elena. It's about him and his addiction to having power over you, of bending you to his will because he knows that you'll let him get away with it."

A previous memory of a concerned Damon appeared unbidden in my mind; we were all in my bedroom – Caroline, that detective, and Damon - he was looking at me anxiously, his last words echoing in a loop. "Once you stop being so stubborn, you'll understand that the man you used to love is no longer there, so stop trying to find him again," he had said.

His words didn't make sense at the time, but now I realized that there might be some truth in them. I had been stubborn. I refused to see the truth before my eyes, preferring to hang onto the faith that things would change simply because they must. I kept expecting Mason to magically transform into the old Mason that I lost sight of the fact that maybe I should change, not to please him but to make him see what he'd be missing if I left him, for real. Not just to teach him a lesson but to prove a point. I tried everything else before this, from cutting off access to my friends, to changing my personality to suit him, but nothing worked so far. Maybe I should just walk out for the time being and let him know that he shouldn't have taken me for granted. It was a risky move but it might finally wake him up.

My decision made, I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I knew in my heart that my leaving wouldn't last forever, not if he was truly sorry for his actions and willing to make the effort to return to the man he was once. It would take a grand gesture for me to even consider going back to him, but it would be a start. This time, Mason had to change for me, instead.

I lifted my eyes to Caroline's anxious ones, eager to know if their double-teamed efforts worked or if they should press the issue further. "How long can I stay here?" I inquired finally, and two huge sighs of relief released simultaneously from my rescuers with stalking tendencies.

"As long as you want! Forever, if need be!" Caroline squealed triumphantly, wrapping me into a tight hug, only to release me when I let out a loud "Owww". "Do you know why you fainted just now?" she asked as she examined my face worriedly, noting the dark circles under my eyes.

I considered her question and could only think of two possible reasons. "I didn't have dinner last night and couldn't sleep much, worrying about you, and I guess with the running and the adrenaline surge, maybe my body just shut down from the stress. I hope that's it."

"I hope you don't mind, but I called Mer - Dr. Fell, and told her that you passed out and scraped yourself pretty badly, so she'll be dropping by within the hour to check you out, just for my peace of mind. I'm sure you're fine, maybe just dehydrated and stressed out, like you said," Damon shrugged casually, but I knew that he was beyond worried about my health, especially after seeing the number of faded bruises on my body, all courtesy of Mason. "Oh, and she's doing this as a favor, so you don't have to worry about medical fees or such," he added as an afterthought. How did he know that it was one of my main concerns? Was he some kind of a mind-reader? Was he Edward Cullen, except, the non-sparkly version?!

"Okay, I'm gonna call and let my mom know about our unlimited slumber parties while you take it easy until the doctor arrives, deal? Then when you're all better, we're going to do a cleansing ritual of all things Lockwood-related in nothing but our sleepwear! Unfortunately, Damon, you're not invited. I'm afraid it's a best friends-only event. Sorry," Caroline flashed a cheeky smile at him and then left the room, leaving me in my cute pjs and a reluctantly amused Damon.

"You know, I don't think she's really all that sorry at all. But the joke's on her; if I showed up in my sleepwear, you girls are going to see me in my birthday suit and it's really cold out," he teased, a small smile tugging at his lips. Then, his serious expression returned as he studied me thoughtfully. "Umm, I know this is completely random, but I just have to tell you this," he swallowed nervously, and my eyes followed his adam's apple in fascination as he appeared to be having difficulty getting the words out. "You have to know that what you saw before, when we were hugging…she was just upset over Tyler and she needed a friend, so I…I just…it didn't mean…. it's not -"

"It's not any of my business," I finished for him, amazed that I managed to keep my voice steady at all since my emotions were all over the place whenever I let myself remember the scene I had walked in on. "I'm sorry if I judged you too harshly earlier, but your relationship with Caroline is really not my concern." The truth was, it was my biggest concern, but it was wrong for it to even be a concern, so I played it cool, even though I was dying inside.

He nodded jerkily, accepting my apology and for a long time, we just stood there, just looking at each other, waiting for the other to say anything further. I shifted my weight awkwardly and then, since he didn't make any move to indicate that he had much else to say, I climbed back into the bed I had vacated earlier, and arranged the blanket around me. He must have taken that as his cue to leave, so he slowly walked to the room door, turning back just before his fingers wrapped around the door knob. "Elena, for what it's worth, I think that you're doing the right thing by putting some distance between you and Lockwood. Things can only get better from this point onwards, right?"

"I hope so," I replied back.

"Me too. And Elena, if you feel up to it, I would like you to meet someone very special to me tomorrow, if that's okay with you."

My heart thudded with fear at his words, a sinking feeling returning to the pits of my stomach. Oh God, he had a wife somewhere, hadn't he?!

Don't scroll down anymore; this is really the END of the chapter. So, who do you guys think he'll introduce her to? Someone important? Another victim?

Talk to me, people. And oh, happy 4x07 week to you all! I hereby declare it a National Holiday on Thursday, no matter which country you're in. All those in favor, say AYE!

My twitter: cgsa_cher in case you want to fangirl with me on all things TVD.

Kristi (tukct81), you know I love ya for all that you've done for me as my beta, but can you stop being so perfect and awesome? You're making me look bad!