AUTHOR'S NOTE: Care for an angst-less chapter? Yeah, me neither. But this is one of my tamer chapters, if you can call it that. Also, sorry for the late update, but I blame TVD. That ending scene in 4x07 screwed with my head so much that I was rendered useless other than watching it and listening to THAT song on a constant loop. But I'm now here, albeit still somewhat dazed and loopy.

Anyway, all hail Ed Sheeran and the most DE-appropriate song ever!

I trust everyone has somewhat recovered from seeing DE's horizontal (and sometimes vertical) mambo. I tweeted this already but I thought it bore repeating: Even if Elena was turned by Stefan's blood, DE is still ENDGAME. They just have a tough time getting there. (I wrote this before the 4x08 episode)

A Woman's Worth: Chapter EIGHT

Damon's POV

"I hereby call the first meeting for the Rescue Mission of Miss Elena Gilbert to order," I announced to the four people who were all gathered around the living room of the Forbes' residence, all staring at me in various degrees of amusement; Blondie, Mer, and the two Tweedle twins. "First task of the day, retrieve Elena – henceforth referred to as the 'Target'," I paused for dramatic effect and then took a deep breath before triumphantly announcing, "I am pleased to declare that the retrieval mission of said target has been monumentally successful. Bravo, everyone."

My beaming smile was copied by my blonde partner-in-crime, who clapped enthusiastically with only the tips of her fingers while the rest exchanged puzzled looks. "Errr, Damon, is it considered as a retrieval mission when Ele - I mean the target practically walked right into the house on her own?" Ever the pragmatic doctor, it was Meredith who posed the question, earning her an eye roll from me.

"Technicalities!" I replied defensively, refusing to be deterred from my optimistic point of view now that Elena was safely out of harm's way, where I could keep an eye on her. Both eyes, if I had my way, and twenty-four seven, if at all possible. "Moving on, at the risk of crossing the line into your doctor-patient thingamajig, what are the medical findings on the target's overall health status, Doc?"

"Well, I've washed and treated the cuts and scrapes from her fall, and it looks like her older bruises were already healing anyway, but I'm more worried about the fact that she's lost almost ten pounds since she was at the hospital," said the petite brunette with furrowed brows. "Elena's clearly dehydrated, exhausted and suffering from malnutrition as well, but on top of that, I think that she's also emotionally drained from everything that's happened to her."

I balked at the thought of her upstairs in the guest room, alone and unwell, so I slid off the couch, intending to go and check on her but Mer waved me back down again. "Don't bother, Damon. I gave her some pills so that she could rest, but just make sure that she eats small but regular meals and has plenty of water, and she should be fine in a few days. I would advise for complete bed rest before she goes back to college, though," Meredith informed Blondie, who in turn nodded in agreement, looking relieved that Elena's fainting spell wasn't due to anything too serious.

"Will she be alright on her own? I mean, I have classes that I can't miss and I also have errands to run for my mom," Caroline asked worriedly, meeting my eyes briefly, but it was enough for me to catch her unspoken concern. What if Mason showed up at the house and convinced Elena to go back with him?

Nope, that wasn't gonna happen under my watch! "I'll be here to keep an eye on…things, just in case, you know?" I gave a small nonchalant shrug, attempting to look casual about it, as if I was merely offering to run to the store to pick up some milk. No big deal. However, I forgot to mention that the two people who knew me best were sitting right across from me, smirking at one another.

"Aww, look at our little Dee Dee, all grown-up and wearing his big boy hero pants now, Elijah," Ric grinned teasingly, nudging the man beside him in his enthusiasm to mock me. I rolled my eyes at the return of an old nickname that Ric gave me during high school, reminding me of the time that I used to chase after girls with huge knockers. Yes, I used to be a teenage pervert, but which boy wasn't at one point or another in their lives?

To my surprise, the usually serious Elijah returned Ric's smile, turning to gaze at me with what appeared like an affectionate look, as if he was a proud parent, watching his little boy grow up to be a decent man, or at least one who caught a prized marlin or something. "I know," he sighed, flashing me a lopsided grin as one of his hand flew up to cover over his heart, "our Dee Dee is so completely and utterly in love with Ele-, sorry, the target, isn't he? Do you need our blessing? Because I approve whole-heartedly, son."

And with that, the two Tweedles burst out in loud guffaws while the two ladies giggled at my expense. Great, so apparently everybody knew of my stupid, inappropriate crush on my charge and I was certain that I wouldn't be hearing the end of it anytime soon.

"Gee, thanks, Ma and Pa," I replied sarcastically, convinced that my face was now red. "Knock it off, you two, before Elena hears you and thinks that I'm helping her for the wrong reasons. You were right, Ric. I should not let anything distract me from treating her like any other woman who needs my help, so I'll be here for her on a strictly professional level. I'm just her friend from now on," I announced with firm resolve, intending to disregard my real feelings and just focus on nursing Elena back to health while making sure that she doesn't get within ten feet from Lockwood.

And maybe get to hug her a little bit.

"Ahh, if that's not true love, then I don't know what is. I can't even remember the last time I'm willing to be 'just friends' with a girl I was crazy about, do you, Ric?" Elijah pursed his lips in contemplation.

"Dude, my girlfriend's sitting right there," Ric muttered while flashing him a warning look, shifting his eyes to and from the doctor.

"Yes, well, she already knows what a dick you are, so I think you're good," I interjected smoothly, not wanting to be the only one being made fun of, but then I also didn't expect for the four of them to band together against me either. I blamed Caroline, naturally. She was supposed to be on my side, the traitor! We were Starsky and Hutch no more!

Scoffing softly, the sandy-haired man merely sat back and regarded me openly. "Better to be a dick than to have one and not being able to use it, what with this newfound restraint of yours. How long has it been since your last relationship, if you can even call it that?"

"If by relationship, you meant having sex, then last Sunday, with Erina and Erica, the twins," I said with a playful wriggle of my brows, taking pride in the fact that I was able to shock my group of friends. They're such a gullible bunch; it was almost too easy.

"You had sex with twins when you're supposedly in love with my best friend?" Blondie screeched in shock, and in a moment of alarm, I glanced at the staircase in case Elena heard her and decided to come downstairs to see what the racket was about. "Damon, that's so-so-so….slutty of you!" she exclaimed after a lengthy pause to find a suitable word to describe my actions. "I'm not going to ship you and Elena now if you're going to just cheat on her with twins! That's just wrong…hot, but still wrong."

"Yeah, I'm with Caroline on this one, Damon. I'm not sure I can risk my patient getting heartbroken if you insist to be a man-whore around her, which is a shame, too. You're both totes adorbs together," Meredith piped in, channeling her inner Valley-girl while batting her eyelashes at me. Normally, it would be far beneath me to admit that I understood the teenage slang used to describe Elena and I, but I agreed with the Doc wholeheartedly on this point. We were totes adorbs!

Unable to stop myself from beaming with pleasure, I attempted a half-assed comeback even though I felt like giggling like a little girl while jumping up and down with excitement at the prospect of an 'Elena-and-I' someday. Oh hell, I did it in my head anyway, where no one could bear witness to my less than manly act. "Sorry, but I don't speak 'teen'. You ladies have it all wrong anyway. Let me introduce you to the twins…"

I sauntered my way over to where the ladies were seated and squeezed into the small space between them, drawing an exchange of puzzled glances from them. "Mer, meet Erina, formerly known as my right hand, the slutty nurse from North Carolina ," I quipped as I wriggled the fingers of said hand in front of her before slinging the same arm around her shoulders and then repeating the same for the other hand, only around Blondie this time. "And this, Care Bear, is the extremely talented, five-fingered Erica, the hot cheerleader from Long Island. Go team!" I sneered, propping my ankles on the edge of the coffee table as I leaned back on the couch and squeezed both their shoulders with my self-named 'twins'.

"Ewww!" exclaimed both ladies simultaneously when they realized what I meant. "And you probably did it in your 'Masturbate Room', too," Blondie groaned as I playfully wrapped my arms tighter around their necks as they struggled to free themselves, chuckling as I caught Ric's jealous glare.

Suddenly, Ric's eyes drifted to a spot behind me and he stammered, "Oh, umm, h-hi Elena. Did we wake you?"

My reaction was instant. I jumped to my feet guiltily, pushing both ladies roughly away so that they were sprawled on opposite ends of the couch as I wracked my head for an excuse. I turned around, expecting to see an exhausted-looking Elena, but she was nowhere in sight.

Shit. With friends like these…..

That was when the chorus of laughter hit my ears. The four buffoons were practically rolling around in their seats as they took pleasure in Ric's ploy to scare the living daylights out of me. Nice.

"Real mature, guys," I said, rolling my eyes in disgust as I then lowered myself into an armchair, a fair distance away from the idiots.

"Hey, you were the one who named your hands," Elijah gasped out, wiping tears of hilarity from his eyes. Truthfully, I was a little freaked out by that sight. It almost made him seem human as oppose to the straight-faced, unfeeling man I met over a decade ago.

"…and gave them personalities while you go to town on yourself," Ric piped in. Seriously, why was I best friends with these two idiots again?

"If it's any consolation to you, and I say this as the highest order of compliment to your great taste in women, I was fantasizing about your girlfriend the whole time," I smirked, finding satisfaction when his playful grin disappeared soon after, followed by a giggle from the woman in question, probably feeling flattered as hell.

Then the chime of a bell grabbed our attention, resulting in Blondie's hasty approach towards the main door.

"Saved by the bell," Ric muttered, shooting daggers at me through his eyes. I was not intimidated in the least. Okay, maybe just a tiny smidgeon, but only because he was sitting very close to Elijah who owned a gun.

I was just about to retort that I didn't need a freaking bell to save me, when Blondie's raised voice reached my ears, sounding increasingly upset, followed by a familiar male voice. The four of us remaining in the living room exchanged worried looks and then as a unit, we stood up and joined a frazzled-looking Caroline at the door.

Well, well, if it wasn't the Devil himself.

Lockwood's jaw clenched the moment he spied me through the opened door, his intense dislike for me rolling off of him in waves. The feeling was mutual, only magnified a thousand fold in my case. "Salvatore," he acknowledged, his brows crinkled into a frown. "Why am I not surprised to find you here at my nephew's recently dumped ex-girlfriend's house?"

"Wow, you say it like you've been there and done that. Oh wait," I snapped my fingers and smirked as I strode right up to him, "didn't your girlfriend recently walk out on you? Yes, I believe she did. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm a lousy liar. You should hook up with your nephew if you want to bond over being dumped by the two smartest and amazing women in Mystic Falls."

I could hear two opposing responses coming from somewhere behind me; Caroline's "Aww" and Mer's "Hey!"

Women!

"Elena didn't walk out on me! She's just acting childish, that's all, leaving the house a mess just because I wouldn't allow her to come over. Where is she? I want to see her," he said, trying to push his way into the house by bumping my shoulders, sending me staggering a couple of steps back as I lost my balance. What, I didn't lock my ankles!

"Like hell you are!" Caroline snapped, her blue-green eyes flashing in anger. She was like a protective mama bear looking out for her young cub, while I was the papa bear – wait, that analogy was all wrong for the kind of relationship I wanted to have with the cub. And now I just made it ten times worse by connecting the dots. "This is my house and Elena's under my protection now. I also don't recall inviting you in, so why don't you get out of here before Damon kicks your ass, huh?"

That was my cue to act all macho and intimidating, so I straightened my back and puffed out my chest, scowling menacingly at Lockwood as best as I could, but the bastard merely scoffed and ignored us as he entered the foyer. Luckily, the rest of Team Badass stepped in to intervene.

"Mr. Lockwood," Meredith greeted, and he seemed surprise to see the doctor there at the house. As for me, I didn't quite get why Mer had to be so polite to the monster. For me, he would always be referred to as 'Coward', 'Bastard', 'Monster', 'Bully', etc.

"Dr. Fell, what are you doing here?" 'Coward' asked, looking alarmed to see her flanked by two other men in suits. That's right, tough guy. There were five of us for Team Elena, if he could even count that high.

"Elena fainted out on the sidewalk this morning and had to get some cuts cleaned up. We also noticed some old bruises on her neck and arms that weren't there when she was in the hospital. Care to explain how she got them?" Oooh, busted!

The bastard had the nerve to pretend to look concerned when he heard about Elena's fainting spell but I knew that he was probably back-flipping with joy on the inside. I was on to him. People like him took joy out of other people's pain.

"I don't know. She probably fell down or something," he shrugged as he shifted his weight to another leg, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else but right here in the foyer, being interrogated by five very protective people who were there mainly to look out for the interest of one girl.

"Elena sure falls down a lot whenever she's around you," I said sarcastically. Really, who did he think he was fooling here?

"Look, dude, I'm here to talk to Elena. What happens between us is none of your business so why don't you move aside?" Really? Dude? Seriously, what did Elena ever see in him?

I sensed rather than saw movement from behind me and then I heard Elijah's voice. "What if I make it my business? I'm sorry, how rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself," he said as he discreetly pushed his jacket away to reveal a gun in his hip holster. "I'm Detective Mikaelson, Damon's friend."

I almost laughed out loud at the coward's reaction; his face turned ashen and he turned to look at the door longingly.

"Mason?" a soft voice called out from the top of the stairs.

Of course. Elena.

Another five seconds, and I was certain that he was on the verge of turning around with his tail tucked between his legs, maybe even disappearing from our lives forever, but she had to appear right at that moment. We all turned towards her voice and I was filled with such despair to see how tired she looked, with dark circles under her eyes and her hair all messed up from sleep. Even while looking like she could fall flat on her face at any given moment, she was still the most beautiful woman in the room.

"Elena, I came to talk to you but these guys won't let me in," Lockwood explained hastily. Hmmpf, big tough guy like him, ratting us out to the tiny brunette as if she was capable of changing our minds.

"What are you doing up, Elena? You're supposed to be resting. Didn't the pills make you drowsy?" This time, it was the good doctor that spoke up, her priority being her patient's health first and foremost. She was a really dedicated doctor. I have to remember to tell her that more often.

Elena lifted a hand to rub her temple, as if she had a headache that wouldn't go away. Yes, my dear, that headache is now known as Douchebag Lockwood. Ha ha. Douchebag Lockwood. I crack myself up sometimes.

"They did but I heard voices so I woke up," she said. "It's okay, I need to talk to Mason anyway."

What?! Over all five of our dead bodies! She left him. What else was there to talk about? Maybe I should have gone over the rules of a break-up with her. Obviously, she hadn't broken up with anyone before this. While that was totally adorable, it was time for another one of our talks again, the main topic being 'How To Lose A Guy and Make Sure He Stays Lost!'

I was about to object when Blondie beat me to the punch.

"There will be no talking in my house unless I approve it! Elena, you just collapsed right on my front lawn because this asshole here doesn't care if you eat proper meals or sleep at night, not to mention violently venting his insecurities that I assume, if Tyler's any indication, stem from a small, insignificant penis!"

I watched in helpless amusement as Blondie actually stamped her foot in frustration during her outburst, reminding me of her immense loyalty to her friend and my heart swelled with fondness for the blonde. With her championing Elena, I wasn't worried that my woman would ever return to Lockwood.

"Care, stop," Elena said with a sigh as she made her way down the stairs carefully before she turned her attention to the douchebag. "Can we talk outside?"

All five of us stood by as they moved through the main door, unable to stop Elena from making a potentially huge mistake if she allowed him to sweet-talk his way back with her, but none of us were as obvious as Elijah who was still flashing his weapon not-too discreetly at the nervous man.

As soon as they were out of earshot, we glanced at each other for a moment, wondering what our next course of action should be. As if by mutual agreement, we all moved towards the windows at the same time, each taking our own spot behind the curtains to better spy on our target.

"Damon," Elijah called out after a few minutes without taking his eyes off the couple in the distance. "I don't care how you do it, but build me a solid case against Lockwood so that I can arrest him soon, won't you?"

Before I could respond, I witnessed Lockwood shaking his head angrily at Elena and then stalking off towards his car, with her staring at his back while tears cascaded down her cheeks. I wanted to go to her, to comfort her so badly but I couldn't do it in front of the others. Not after my whole speech about being nothing but her friend. As long as she didn't remain by that monster's side, my job was done unless she sought out my help. Being her case handler didn't require me to offer her a shoulder to cry on, no matter how much I might want to.

"Elena needs you, Care. Go to her," I whispered, feeling my throat constricting with emotions. Wordlessly, Blondie did what I couldn't; she went outside and wrapped her arms around her friend's shoulders and allowed her to weep her heart out against her neck. Then, Caroline led her gently back into the house and upstairs to her room, stroking her back in a comforting gesture as they went.

Belatedly, I realized that I never answered Elijah's question. "Don't worry, Elijah. I'll get you your case. By hook or by crook, I'll get Elena to testify against him in court. Hell, I'll even go so far as to make sure that you'll have a reason to use that gun you're so fond of. That bastard deserves a hole in his gut for hurting her again. Or at the very least, a slap to the face….with a sledgehammer. "

For the first time in years, all three of my friends nodded their heads in agreement. Yes, even the one with the gun.

I decided to give Elena some time to herself after that heartbreaking scene we all witnessed, so I postponed the outing I had planned for her originally. She was still on the road to recovery – both emotionally and physically.

I spent the next few days setting up camp at the Forbes' residence for the majority of the day, leaving only for the occasional errand for Ric or to go home for a change of clothes and however much sleep I could squeeze in. The truth was that I was worried about Elena, plain and simple. I also missed a decent home cooked meal, one that Blondie's mom, Liz, was kind enough to offer me one evening. Liz was in her forties, also blond, quite attractive for a woman her age and a very successful real estate agent, though she was hardly at home most of the time. When she was, she'd cook up a storm in the kitchen, making my mouth water from the aromas. After my first taste of her talented skills, I was about ready to move in for good.

It didn't take much cajoling on my part to get the story of what transpired between Elena and her ex from Caroline. On the one hand, I was beyond curious to know what they spoke about out on the porch the other day, but on the other, I wondered if Elena would care if I knew seeing as how it was none of my business. Luckily, Caroline didn't think anything of it when I asked her about it one night after Elena had gone to bed right after our daily game of Monopoly, leaving us alone in the den after bidding us goodnight.

"From what I could make out throughout her inconsolable sobbing, Mason was upset that she took off without a word, leaving the house in a mess when he woke up and after he specifically asked her not to come over here. Elena told him that all she wanted to do was to be here for me because of what happened with Ty, and she didn't understand why he had such a problem with that. She also mentioned that he came home drunk despite his promise that he would never drink anymore because of what happened the last time he drank; she ended up in the hospital and almost died," Blondie explained with a weary sigh before she went on.

"She told him that despite his previous pledge that things would be different, despite her sacrifices and the changes she made for him, he still can't seem to accept her as she is and she didn't know what he wanted from her anymore. So, apparently, Mason didn't like what he heard at all, because then he told her that since she made her choice, now he was going to make his. Then I couldn't get her to 'fess up anymore since she was already bawling her eyes out."

So, Mason kicked her out of the house. He broke up with her, not the other way around. I didn't know why, but that disturbed me. I guess that I would have felt more secure if it was her choice to leave, not his. She was vulnerable right now, but it was the perfect time to show her that she was better off without him. She may not have left the relationship willingly, but I wanted to damn well make sure that she didn't go back, no matter what.

"Hey, do you think that she'll be up for an outing tomorrow? I kind of want to take her somewhere but I didn't think that it was the right timing because of what happened the other day. Think she'll want to get out of the house tomorrow?" I asked after some deliberation.

"Yeah, I don't see why not. Maybe you'll be able to pull her out of this funk. You've always been able to cheer her up when no one else could. I think it's a brilliant idea, Damon," Care said enthusiastically, a little too enthusiastic, if you ask me. I wondered what she had cooking up her sleeves.

"You do know you're coming along, don't you? You're not seriously going to leave me alone with her, right? I mean, what if we ran out of things to talk about? What if she's uncomfortable with me? What if-"

Her eyes twinkled with amusement as she laughed at my apprehension at being out on a 'date' with her best friend, alone and unsupervised. "What are you, a nervous teenager out on his first date with the opposite sex? Chill out, Damon! It's not as if you haven't been out with her before. You'll be fine," she nodded, patting me on the back encouragingly.

"But you're still coming, right? We're Starsky and Hutch…we're partners. You, me and Elena, we're all buddies, aren't we?"

"Yes, but I have classes tomorrow," she replied with an eye roll. "I'm not going to skip classes just to watch you try not to drool over my best friend with a longing look every time you come within ten feet of her. I'll join you guys after my last class at one," she suggested as a compromise instead.

Okay, I could do that. I could survive being alone with Elena until then. All I needed to do was to pick her up in the morning, try not to blurt out my feelings for her before Caroline got there and I would be fine. No problem.

I went home that night and prayed for strength, for willpower, and for the ability to sleep.

Well, I am officially mad at God for ignoring my last request seeing as how I was up most of the night, tossing and turning while obsessing over what I will say to Elena to convince her to spend the day with me. I considered just dropping by the Forbes' residence and pretended that I didn't realize that Blondie had to attend college, and then asking if she wanted to get out of the house for a bit. Or I could just call her up and ask her. Or I could pretend that I had to work and forgot all about Elena.

Apparently, Blondie knew me a little too well by now and sent me a text message at eight in the morning, saying that Elena was awake and she had agreed to my suggestion for an outing. I was supposed to pick her up in two hours' time.

I jumped out of bed at the thought that I had three whole hours of uninterrupted Elena-time before Blondie joined us and I couldn't stop myself from practically floating to the bathroom for my morning ritual of tooth-brushing and showering. As I half-contemplated whether I should be shaving my legs towards the end of my shower, I wondered if this was what women felt like before a big date with someone they really liked; a little anxiousness, a little excitement, a little scared at the same time. I had all those emotions and more, but of course, I left my legs untouched, manly curls and all.

After spending a long time deliberating on what to wear, I finally decided on my usual black attire and grabbed my trusty leather jacket on the way out. Once I was safely strapped in inside my car, I hooked up my hands-free kit to my iPhone, intending to call Elena to tell her that I was on the way to her just in case she suddenly changed her mind. At least, a part of me wanted her to but the other part, the much bigger part wanted to see her again, to see if our weird bond was still there after everything that Lockwood put her through.

Just as my fingers pressed a button on my phone, a song I hadn't heard since the 90's blasted out through my state-of-the-art sound system, and then a wave of nostalgia hit me as I remembered my earlier childhood, when times were different and much simpler, before all the family drama. I cranked up the volume as the opening notes of 'Baby Got Back' flooded through the car and I rapped my heart out to the song that was the highlight of my younger, carefree days.

"I like big butts and I cannot lie, you other brothers can't deny, when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist and a round thing on your face," I sang as I channeled my inner gangsta, bouncing around on my seat as I got into the groove, not caring in the least if everyone in Mystic Falls could see me through my window as I drove through town. All my finger gestures were considered cool once, never mind what the music industry came up with recently. If that stupid, annoying 'Oppa Gangnam Style' song was considered as music and the dance was indeed a recognized phenomenon, then I was already much cooler than most people already.

I was in a considerably better mood when I pulled up to the driveway of Blondie's house, only to be met by the very wide grin of one Elena Gilbert. Well, she seemed to be in better spirits than I'd seen her in days, maybe even weeks, so I didn't think anything of it when she hopped in to the passenger's side of my car before I could do the gentlemanly act of opening her car door for her.

"Hey, Damon," she greeted breathlessly, looking as if she was on the verge of bursting out with laughter at any moment.

"Hi," I replied, my eyes taking in her breathtaking smile and glinting doe-eyes with her silky long brown hair. She looked….alive, and it had only been a few seconds in my presence. I should have taken her out sooner. Maybe it was because of the idea of not being cooped up inside a house all day and night. After all, she was a prisoner at the home she shared with Lockwood, so I assumed that she wasn't looking forward to the same treatment by her friends. "You look great!" I complimented without taking my eyes off from her face long enough to even check out her outfit. Just the sight of her elusive smile was enough for me.

"Thanks," she blushed, "but I ain't got no 'juicy doubles' if that's what you're into." She sat there with the cheekiest smile on her face but all I could think about was why the words she used were so familiar.

Well, damn. Juicy doubles. She was quoting the lyrics of my impromptu rap song back to me. But how did -?

I glanced at my phone, and that's when I saw that the forgotten call that I made to her number during the drive did, in fact, connect and she was on the other end of the line for the duration of the song.

"Well, slap my ass and call me Sally," I breathed out in dismay, my cheeks getting hotter by the second. Good going, Salvatore! Way to impress a girl by rapping about liking women with gigantic asses.

She released a peal of adorable giggles at the sight of my reddened cheeks and I instantly felt better. I really wouldn't mind making an ass out of myself if it managed to cheer her up, at least. The cheerful atmosphere made my earlier reservations about spending time alone with her disappear completely, as we were now able to joke around and talk like how we used to. Our conversations were getting easier until we arrived at our destination.

"Woah," she exclaimed the moment the building came into sight. "This place…it's fantastic. Where are we?"

"This, Elena, is one of the oldest buildings in Mystic Falls. It used to belong to a very prominent family about a century ago. Come on, I'll show you around," I urged as I got out of the car, indicating that she should do the same. Together, we walked down the gravel path that led to the front yard, kept tidy and beautiful with yards of fresh green grass, neatly trimmed shrubberies, and a little decorative well at the edge of the driveway.

"Wow, are we even allowed to be here? We're not trespassing on a private property, are we? Because I don't quite enjoy getting shot at, you know?" I smiled a little at Elena's quip, watching her drink in the sight of the expansive estate. Truth be told, I still find myself overwhelmed by the place, too. It was massive and quite picturesque, perfect for the day I had planned for her.

"What's the meaning of life without the presence of risks, huh? Come on, live a little. I promise I'll throw myself at you," I said teasingly without thinking, which was not much of a surprise since my brain matter was probably still scattered all over my expensive upholstery in the Camaro ever since I realized that she heard me rapping.

I didn't realize that I was way ahead of her until I turned to look at her, only to find her standing frozen with a palm pressed firmly against her mouth, her shoulders shaking with mirth. "What's wrong?"

"Y-you said that you'll throw yourself at me," she managed to stammer in between giggles. Seriously, what was the matter with me? I kept accidentally being funny all morning.

"Jeez, I meant that I'd take any flying bullets for you, Elena." Real smooth, Salvatore. You just about declared your true feelings for the girl who just broke up with her monster of a boyfriend. Nice. And now I'm talking to myself. Cue the eye-rolling.

Amazingly, my explanation drew a startled smile from her and for a moment, her gaze softened into mine and I could just picture the both of us, standing just outside the front doors like a couple of idiots just grinning away. It wouldn't be a bad way to spend the day, actually. But, she was here for a reason. I just had trouble remembering what that reason was.

Oh, yes. Right.

"Umm, so remember when I said that I wanted you to meet someone special?"

Her eyes widened in surprise and then she looked around warily, as if expecting someone to walk right up to us right then. "Yeah, I- I think so. We're meeting someone here?" she asked nervously, and I wondered why she suddenly seemed apprehensive. Who was she expecting to meet, Jack the Ripper? Or Ted Bundy?

"Yeah, come on, let's go in," I said and proceeded to unlock the main door, holding it open as she tentatively stepped in, now looking fearful of the mysterious character I was about to unleash on her.

"Wait, where did you get the keys to this place?" she asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"This is my home," I stated simply and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Y-you live here? In this massive house? Alone?"

Choosing not to answer her questions for a moment, I gently guided her through the dark foyer and into the high-ceilinged living room with dark timber paneling on the walls and a massive stone fireplace right in the middle of the opposite wall. I pushed her tensed body into one of the huge orange sofas, giving her shoulders a light squeeze as I did. "Actually, no, I don't live here alone. Wait here for a moment."

I then retraced my steps towards the foyer, approaching a chest of drawers where an antique lamp rested on and rummaged through the top drawer to find what I was looking for. Successfully locating the item, I pocketed it and then bellowed loudly, "Pig? Come on down."

The sound of nails pit-patting on the hardwood floors assailed both our ears in an instant, and soon, a light brown ball of fur raced past me and went straight to the shocked brunette who didn't quite know how to react. I heard a loud "Ooof!" from her before she disappeared from my sight.

I ran back to the sofa, and then promptly burst out laughing when I saw my dog, a pug, on top of Elena, giving her face a tongue-bath while she tried to avert her face from the unexpected assault. Elena was flat on her back now, chuckling and valiantly attempting to push the over-enthusiastic dog away so that she could breathe.

"Pig, that's enough. Down, girl," I ordered in a stern voice, but the rambunctious bitch wouldn't heed my command. I had to lift her bodily away from a struggling brunette, the dog panting heavily with its tongue hanging out as I held on to her tightly. She may be a tiny bit overweight for her type of breed; my muscles were aching just from carrying her alone.

"Are you okay? Sorry about that, Pig can be overly-friendly sometimes, but I've never seen her fly at someone that fast before. She must really like you," I said as I helped the fallen woman up from her horizontal position, setting the panting dog on my lap as I took a seat next to her.

Brushing her hair off her face, Elena nodded. "You named your dog 'Pig'? That's so cute! But why that particular name, though?" she laughingly asked while wiping her wet and rosy cheeks with her jacket sleeves. She seemed utterly captivated with my dog, her warm brown eyes trained on her as she scooted closer to me on the cushion, eager to pat the attention-loving pooch.

"Umm, she snores. Loudly," I stated simply, distracted by her proximity to me now that the entire length of her right thigh was flushed with mine, separated only by the denim of our jeans. It didn't help that she was bent down towards my lap, her hair tumbling over my thighs, stroking Pig's big and round head as she leaned in to coo at her, much to the dog's delight. Pig returned the affection by licking Elena's chin and nose, making her scrunch her face adorably at the smell of dog-breath.

I found myself increasingly jealous of my dog being able to openly lavish such attention to the girl I was falling in love with, despite my best efforts to maintain a strictly platonic connection with her. There was nothing I wouldn't give just to be able to reach out to touch her face lovingly, or to see her smile at me the way she was smiling at my bug-eyed dog.

I wanted her. Dear God, how I wanted her.

"…don't snore, right Pig? I'm sure your Daddy's just exaggerating, isn't he? God, you are so precious! Isn't she precious?" Elena chuckled as she scratched behind its ears, earning her a deep growl and closed eyes from the pampered pooch.

You're precious, and if I'm the Daddy, I wouldn't want anyone else to be her Mommy but you, I thought to myself as I shifted uncomfortably beside her, sliding further up the seat to put some distance between us. I was worried about my self-control around Elena, fearing that I would do something stupid like, I don't know, kiss her? Lick her from head to toe like my dog just did? My change in position alerted Pig to a familiar smell coming from my pocket, her floppy ears perking up and she started grinding her head against my thigh, pawing at me with her right paw.

"What is it? Why is she doing that?"

"Oh, she just wants the boner in my pants, that's all," I said without thinking - for the umpteenth time today - while I raised my hip so that I could reach into my pocket to remove the item meant for Pig. Elena's sharp bark of laughter made me look up at her reddened face, her lips pressed tightly together as she stifled her giggle. Then, I realized what I said.

Did I just say that I had a boner in my pants? A boner? To a lady? Face, meet palm.

"Umm, bone. I meant bone," I explain sheepishly as I held the small cream-colored rawhide up to prove that I wasn't a horny toad, only to have Pig jumping up and snatching it from my fingers before jumping down onto the floor near Elena's feet to nibble happily at her favorite chew toy.

Still chuckling softly, the brunette slid down to sit cross-legged on the floor beside my dog, propping her chin up with her hands as her elbows rested on both knees while she kept her fascinated eyes on the dog. Much to my reluctant amusement, my own dog, the one I had rescued from the pound since she was three years old, quickly climbed up onto Elena's lap with the bone in its mouth and settled down comfortably by resting its heavy head on her thigh, sighing in satisfaction.

Just then, my phone beeped, signaling an incoming message. It was from Blondie. My eyes started rolling automatically as soon as I read her texts.

NEW MESSAGE FROM CARE BEAR:

HEY! ARE YOU GUYS NAKED YET? ;)

Despite my best efforts, I had to bite back a grin at her opening words. Glancing discreetly over at Elena who was temporarily distracted with Pig, I typed a quick reply.

STARSKY: OH YES, WE ARE NOW IN MY 'MASTURBATE ROOM' :P

A few seconds later, her reply read:

NEW MESSAGE FROM CARE BEAR:

PERVERT! :D OH YEAH, I CAN'T JOIN YOU GUYS BECAUSE I HAVE PLANS LATER. TTYL!

What the hell?! She wouldn't leave me alone with Elena all day, would she?

STARSKY: WHAT? WHAT PLANS?

NEW MESSAGE FROM CARE BEAR:

I HAVE TO WASH MY HAIR. IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. ;)

Wash her hair? What the hell was she playing at?

STARSKY: GET OVER HERE, BLONDIE!

NEW MESSAGE FROM CARE BEAR:

I'M TRYING TO GIVE YOU GUYS SOME ALONE TIME, DUH! GO GET HER, TIGER! *ROARS* LATER!

"I didn't know you had a dog," Elena commented as she ran her fingers down the length of Pig's short and extremely rounded rump, pulling my attention back to her. Vowing to have a few choice words with Blondie later on, I reluctantly pocketed my phone without bothering to reply her. "She's gorgeous. And look, her eyes are brown, like mine!"

I must be a glutton for punishment because the next thing I knew, I was joining them on the floor, stretching my legs out as I leaned back against the couch while making sure that I had at least a six inch gap between us. "Yeah, I've had her for a couple of years. It was love at first sight, for me at least, when I saw her at the pound. She was three, and about to be put to sleep when I walked in one day. She was scrawny, badly wounded, and had a bad case of skin infection. No one wanted to adopt her because she was a fully grown bitch, not to mention the cost of nursing her back to health. Her previous owner had her chained to the back of his truck and dragged her behind him as he drove for a few hundred meters. It was a sad sight, let me tell you that."

My throat felt constricted while I recounted my first encounter with the apple of my eye, and I thanked God everyday for my unplanned visit to the pound on that particular day. It was nothing short of a miracle that I found her and that she found me.

"That's…awful!" Elena cried out angrily. "How can somebody do that to a poor defenseless animal? If he didn't love her, he could have given her away or at least got someone else to adopt her! How could he have tortured her like that? Poor Pig," she whined and reached down to pull the clueless pug into a hug, burying her face in its fur as the dog grew tired of her tug-of-war with the now half-eaten rawhide, preferring instead to simply lie still with her eyes half-closed. It took only a few seconds more before the dog proved to Elena how she earned her name. "I can't believe it! She's snoring!" the brunette exclaimed with a mixture of amusement and surprise.

"Like a chainsaw. What did I tell ya?" I grinned smugly before my expression turned serious again. "There are monsters everywhere, Elena. Human beings are capable of worse things than the most untamed animal, believe me. But at least she's happy now, and safe. And fat," I added for good measure, eyeing the extended belly of Pig. Perhaps it was time for a doggy diet.

"I'm glad she found you then," she said softly, her watery eyes gazing deep into mine and her lips curving into a grateful smile. Somehow, I had the sense that she was not only referring to the dog, but also to herself, and that spurred me on into a sensitive topic, but one that I felt that I had to breach anyway.

"Elena," I started hesitantly, "you know I'm here for you if you want to talk about what he did to you, right? I mean, bottling up your feelings is not going to help you move on, not until you've come to terms with what he is, and what you are."

Immediately, I could see Elena shutting down in front of my eyes, like a fog that descended into her mind, pushing my words out. I didn't need to say his name out loud for her to know exactly who I was referring to.

"No, Elena, hear me out," I insisted as I sat up straighter, turning my body completely to face her as I pulled her hands into mine, brushing my thumbs over her knuckles comfortingly. "What I'm going to say is not pleasant but you need to hear it anyway because nobody else is going to tell you the truth, not if they think that they are going to hurt you. But you need to hear this, because as your friend, I want you to be able to accept reality and be able to move on from this…from him."

She tried to avert her eyes and pull her hands away but I held on firmly. And this time, I wasn't going to let her off easy.

"You are a victim of abuse. Mason Lockwood is a bully who thinks that he has power over you just because you had no other choice but to stay with him, whether it was because of your lack of family or that you loved him, or for whatever reason. The simple truth is that he's the worst kind of monster there is, because he laid a hand on you, Elena. He may have loved you in the past, but what he did to you, that is not an acceptable form of love. He wouldn't have hurt you if he loved you. He just loved the feeling of dominance over you, that certainty that you'd take everything he dished out because he made you feel as if you deserved it. But you didn't, it wasn't your fau-"

"But I did deserve it, Damon!" she burst out suddenly, her eyes flashing with resentment at my chosen topic. "I lied to him, I went behind his back, and I wasn't a supportive enough girlfriend. Is the list of my transgressions enough for you? Do I need to explain how I had it coming, that I practically forced his hand? He hasn't always been the guy you all seem to think he is, you know? The angry guy? Well, that wasn't him."

"Then tell me, who is he, then? A guy with issues? A guy with split personalities? Why can't you see the truth? It doesn't matter what you think you did, if a person ever raises a hand against you, you leave. Just like that. You stayed with him when you were supposed to be running in the opposite direction, you stick up for him whenever any of us say something bad about him, and yet you know, deep down that something's not right. That's why you showed up at Caroline's front door the other day, isn't it?"

Elena shook her head before I even finished. "I left him because Caroline needed me, and to be honest, I wanted to show him that I wasn't okay with him drinking again, that's all. I didn't intend for it to blow up in my face the way it did," she sighed sadly, all traces of our previous jovial mood now gone. Why did I open my big mouth anyway? "You wouldn't understand anyway, and why should you? You've never been in my situation before, none of you have."

Au contraire. It was time to drop the bomb.

"Oh, I understand perfectly, Elena, more than you think. What did you think made me decide to be a social worker with the DVN anyway? It sure as hell wasn't for the money," I said bitterly, letting all the old wounds expose themselves to the raw emotions that washed over me as I remembered what happened all those years ago.

My tone must have struck a chord with Elena as she turned to gaze at me curiously. "What was it, Damon?"

Even after all this time, it still hurt just thinking about my tortured past. How does one answer that kind of question, knowing the painful outcome of what happened? Ah, screw it.

"Everything you just said, every excuse you made on Lockwood's behalf, I've uttered them all. I was in denial as much as you are now. But if you really want to know the story, then you have to come with me. I have something to show you," I said, getting up to my feet and holding out a hand to her, waiting.

Elena looked confused for a moment, her eyes riveted on my outstretched hand, and then she gently pushed Pig off her lap without waking up the exhausted dog. The continuous snoring didn't let up, even for a second. Without any further hesitation, she took my hand and allowed me to pull her up.

"Where are we going?" she asked as I led her towards the main door.

"To the cemetery."

Sorry, this chapter took so long. The words just wouldn't come out last week. But now that we've established the mystery character was Damon's dog, I hope that you'll like Pig. She'll be featured in a few other scenes soon.

And that Damon's car scene with the song? True story. Happened to me when I forgot that I was calling my client on my hands-free set, and I was singing my heart out, not realizing that he could hear everything on his end. I only realized it when he called me back, trying not to laugh at me. Suffice it to say that I didn't dare to meet him after that, ever. *blush*

My twitter: cgsa_cher for more embarrassing stories about myself. I have plenty.

Kristi (tukct81), my beloved beta and publicist. I wanna kiss you all over. I am, of course, straight.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I love you all…platonically. I only love Damon Salvatore inappropriately. Sorry if that burst your bubble.