Short AN, because this is the fourth time I'm typing this (damn you, wi-fi) and I really hate repeating myself. I got over my writers block! *insert yay sound here*! Hope you like this!

Chapter 6:

I watched over Elena for the next month. Eventually I caught up on the dark skinned girl's name. Bonnie. Bonnie Bennett. The name made a bell ring, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I'd watched over her and her friends for a while now, and she was safe. Nothing else mattered, to be honest.

So, there I was, another normal day, watching over Elena in school. I had been kind of amazed that she hadn't seen me around at all. I mean, for Christ sake, I'd been following her around for the past month. But the girl was pretty oblivious to creepy stalkers, which made me happy I had decided to keep an eye on her. She would be way too easy to sneak up on.

"Are you trying out for the cheerleading squat?" Elena asked her dark skinned friend, as she shut her locker. As usual I was watching from afar, listening in on her conversations.

"Yeah, of course! Aren't you?" Bonnie raised her eyebrow at Elena and clutched her books a bit tighter to her body.

"I don't know... I mean, I've always wanted to be one of those girls. But what if I'm not good enough?" Elena said, biting her bottom lip. I raised my eyebrow slightly, trying not to stand out too much in the hallway.

"Oh, come on, Lena! You'll be fine. Let's just go for tryouts after school, and hope for the best! Can we go to class? I feel a bit... Strange."
My other eyebrow followed the first one. She could feel my presence. That little witch was already aware that something was going on. Maybe I would have to investigate her name further. If she was a witch and a member of a founding family, I would have to know her ancestors. And one of them had to be a witch. What had her last name been again? Something with a B.

I would have to look that up later. Right now I needed to focus on the fact that the girls were headed for their last class of the day, before the cheerleader tryouts. Of course Elena wanted to be a cheerleader. Could it have anything to do with my weird obsession with cheerleader girls? Nah, it couldn't have. She would have to grow up to be her own person, not becoming my dream woman. That wasn't a part of the singer bond. It couldn't be.

As always, I stayed out of her classes, staying in the hallway, ready to make a move, if anything would happen. The chances of anything happening was slim to none, of course, since she was living in a small town, and had no enemies whatsoever. Actually, there really weren't any reason I should keep watching over her like a hawk. But I just couldn't let her be. It was downright impossible.

After the last class had I ended, I followed the girls out side, watching as they stood with the rest of the girls trying out. The football team was right behind them, the guys ogling the girls a bit too much for my liking. Oh well, Elena was only 14. She probably wasn't interested in boys yet. Girls wasn't interested in boys, at the age of 14, right?

God, I was so not fit for this.

I kept myself hidden under the bleachers, as I watched the tryouts. I was immediately surprised by Elena's flexibility. The cheerleaders would be crazy not to pick her. She would be perfect on the team.

What I really didn't like, though, was Kelly's son, ogling her from the football team. He wasn't taking his eyes off her, sending her smiles and winks from their practice. And the worst part about it was that she was actually returning those smiles. She was way too young to start a relationship! Had she no idea what was going through the mind of a 14 year old boy? Had she absolutely no idea that the only thing on his agenda was getting in her pants?! I definitely needed to watch that boy! He was not using my Elena for his dirty plans. She was way too good for that.

God, I needed a drink. But I couldn't just leave Elena alone with these boys. I needed to make sure she got home safely, before I could go home and drink myself into a stupor. I needed to drink myself into a stupor. It had been way too long.

"Elena! How are you getting home?" I raised my eyebrow, as I looked at Bonnie. She was running after Elena, who had started to move towards the parking lot.

"My mom's picking me up. Don't worry, Bonnie. I'll see you tomorrow."

The two girls hugged each other, before Elena walked the distance to the parking lot. I watched as she got in the car, and as they drove away. She would be okay. She was with her parents, not that boy. I had been worried she was going with him for a moment.

As soon as I had made sure, they had made it home, I went home and instantly found my stash in the library. Oh yeah, this was just perfect.

"Baby, I can't find my... Oh, it's you."

And, moment ruined. Why the hell did my brother's blonde terror have to ruin every single moment of peace? I quickly emptied my glass and took a swig from the bottle instead. I was obviously going to need it.

"Yeah, as if you hadn't noticed. My heart's beating, my brother's isn't. So, tell me again why you're choosing to come in and ruin my perfectly quiet time?" I asked, sitting down on one of the couches. Caroline sighed and sat down opposite of me, grabbing a bottle from the stash on her way.

"I actually expected to find Stefan down here. I don't usually listen after heartbeats. It's been ages since there's been anyone here besides us, and you're the only one with a beating heart. So, why are you drinking this time?" she asked, opening the bottle and taking a swig. I raised my eyebrow at her. Blondie was drinking? That was a new one.

"You should know that I drink when I want to. I don't need a special occasion," I said, rolling my eyes at her. She raised one eyebrow and gave me a look that told me she didn't believe me at all. Damn that woman.

"You wanna try that again?" she asked, leaning back in the couch and crossing her jeans covered legs. I sighed and looked away from her. I was telling her way too many things!

"Fine. If you must know. Elena had tryouts for the cheerleader squat today. And one of the boys ogled her a bit too much for my taste. She actually returned his looks, can you believe that?! I mean, is she purposely trying to get raped?!" I asked, standing up from the couch and taking a large swig from the bottle. I needed that. I was getting more frustrated by the second.

And what did Blondie do? She laughed. I felt like pinning her to the wall by her throat. Why the hell was she finding this funny?! How could she find this funny?!

"Damon, calm down. She just likes him! She's just 14 years old, and so is he. They aren't going to go out and have sex first thing. You don't have to worry so much," she said, taking another swig from the bottle in her hand. The amusement was still a bit too clear on her face for my liking. Just because she'd gone through all of this stuff, when she had been a small teenager, didn't mean I had complete knowledge about it.

"He's a boy, Caroline. I know what's going through his mind. It's sex, sex and sex. And I am not having him fumbling around with Elena, making her do stuff she's way too young to be doing!" I said, throwing the now empty bottle across the room. Caroline bit her lip, trying to keep her laughs in. I had to give her credit for trying.

"Don't worry, Damon. I'm sure Elena's way too smart to let him get in her pants. She's not thinking of that yet. They're 14 years old. Let them have their fun," she said, not even flinching as I banged my hand on the table. She was probably used to me being violent by now. Especially when it came to Elena.

"Not if that fun is going to leave Elena heartbroken, or pregnant or something! I am not letting it happen, Caroline!" I said, all of sudden being way too aware of the way my heart sped up. I sped out of the room, not even bothering to tell Caroline why I needed to go. It wasn't a major speed up in the heart rhythm, but it it was something, and I needed to check up on her. I needed to know she was okay.

It took me less than two minutes to reach the Gilbert house. That's fast, even for a vampire. I didn't even bother to take the car. Vampire speed would be faster, and I needed to make sure she was okay. As soon as I got there, I jumped into the tree outside her window, knowing she was in her room. I could feel her presence.

There she was, only clad in her PJ's, sitting on the bed, with her diary in her lap. Her bottom lip was trapped between her teeth, as she wrote away, gone from the world. Whatever she was writing, had something to do with the speed of her heartbeat. I wanted to go in and check it, but it would be too risky. She could see me, and then everything would be ruined. I didn't want to compel her, but she couldn't know of me yet.

So I got somewhat comfortable on the branch outside her window, and kept looking at her. Her body was still premature, next to no curves showing in her tanktop and shorts. Her long hair was up in a messy bun, a few strands escaping and hanging down her face.

I liked seeing her like that. She was totally lost in her writing, not even bothering to look up. Her hand was furiously writing ahead, not slowing down once.

She'd actually continued keeping a journal. My gift to her hadn't been a waste. She was clearly going to use a new journal soon. She was on the last pages of the one in her hand.

I smiled, knowing that I was the one who had started this. I had given her the first journal, the first she'd written in. And apparently she'd kept it up.

I have no idea for how long I sat there. I do know, however, that at some point she yawned and probably decided it was time for bed. The journal was hidden behind the big painting on her wall – clever girl, and then she got under the covers and turned off the lights. I felt like tucking her in. I actually felt like making sure she was going to sleep tight. Oh my God, what the hell was happening to me?

As soon as I felt our heartbeats slow down, I silently got into her room. It smelled like her. God, how it smelt like her. Some sort of mixture between strawberry, vanilla and... Her. Just her.

I stood next to her bed, smiling at the small girl before leaving a kiss on her forehead and quickly disappearing. The last times I'd touched her, she'd woken up. I couldn't have her actually see me. Not this time. No matter how much I just wanted to tell her everything and be with her every second of the day, I had to keep in the shadows.

Over the next few weeks I kept a good eye on that Matt boy. Him and Elena saw each other constantly, but he never made a move. He never did anything inappropriate, and always acted like a perfect gentleman to her.

The only problem was that I didn't miss the blush in her cheeks when he accidentally touched her. I didn't miss the way she looked at him.

Sure, it was just a high school crush, nothing big, but she had absolutely no idea what was going through that boy's mind. I vaguely remembered being 14 years old. I'd lost my virginity at 14, even though it was highly inappropriate back then. Truth to be told, I really hadn't cared at all. I'd met this beautiful older woman at the library, and for some reason I'd gone with her home.

My dear father had hit me and locked me in my room for three days after that. I hadn't been allowed anything else than water and a small bit of bread during those three days.

I'd been with that woman more than once during my teen years. She'd been crazy and wild, and she'd taught me a lot of things. Call her my mentor if you like.

I was 18 when she disappeared. I still had no idea what had happened to her. I just know that one day she had left town, without as much as a goodbye. I hadn't exactly been heartbroken – she had become a good friend, but I'd never had any feelings for her at all.

Sometimes I still thought about her. Her name had been Isabel. I'd never caught onto her last name, but I knew she was a widow. Some people around town had told tales about her killing her own husband, but I'd never really believed in those. Actually, I'd never really bothered to care about it.

Oh yes, I still remembered being 14 years old.

I was clad in my normal boots, dark jeans and leather jacket. It was incredibly easy to blend in with all the drunk high school students. The only ones standing out were the football players and the cheerleaders in their red and white uniforms.

Yes, I was actually here, the night before a football game, witnessing the coach trying to pep everyone up and the students getting drunk as hell. And why was I here? Because Elena was cheering. And because she could get hurt. The seniors were here as well, and she would be an easy target. I had to protect her.

She looked cute in her cheerleader uniform. I didn't like how much of her body it showed, but it reminded me that she was still a little girl. It wasn't too tight, like the older girl's, and it looked somewhat near decent.

The blond boy hadn't been able to keep his eyes off her all night. I noticed he wasn't drinking and that he actually acted responsible, comparing to the other football players. He wasn't being violent, and he wasn't getting too close to the cheerleaders. Maybe he wasn't the worst person in the world, if Elena had to have a crush on someone.

I couldn't help smiling as Elena was cheering. It was clear that she loved it, and she was good at it. Really good, actually.

The night was pretty normal, until I noticed Elena going away, her arm linked around Matt's. Where were they going? I followed them, hidden in the shadows, watching as they made their way to the bleachers. What the hell were they doing?!

"You're really good at cheering, you know that, right?" Matt said, smiling at Elena, as they sat down on the bleachers. The stadium wasn't lit up, leaving them with only the light from the stars and the half moon in the skies. A bit too romantic for my liking, but I couldn't interfere. I wanted to know exactly what was going on. If he started overstepping her boundaries, I was going to make some noise or compel someone to find them. But for now I would just sit back and watch them.

"Thanks... I like it. It's fun. I'm glad I made it to the team," she answered, leaning back against the bleachers behind her. She looked relaxed. She obviously trusted this boy. And I was actually forced to give him a chance. Elena obviously wanted him in her life, so I couldn't just compel him to leave town. Not if she actually liked talking to him.

"Of course you did, Lena. Come on, they'd been idiots if they hadn't taken you in!" he said, smiling at her. He was nervous. It was obvious, the way he was playing with his fingers and shifting constantly. Why the hell was he nervous? What did he have in mind?
"Thanks, Matt. And you made it on the football team! No surprise really," she said, smiling at him. Her eyes were sparkling and for some reason, I really wished I was the guy sitting there and talking to her. But no, I had to keep myself hidden underneath the bleachers, looking at them. Looking over Elena. Because that was what I existed for.

"Yeah, guess so... Listen, Lena, there's something I really want to talk to you about..." I moved closer, ready to make a move if necessary. What could the boy have to say to her? Okay, maybe I knew exactly what he was going to say, but I so wasn't going to think about it, if he wasn't doing anything like that.

"Sure... What's up? You seem nervous?" she said, reaching forward and taking his hand in hers. His looked so incredibly big compared to her small one. I couldn't help but remember the first time her little hand had been wrapped around my finger. Back when she had only been a small baby. But here she was, sitting with a boy in her cheerleader outfit. Time went too fast for my liking.

"Uhm... God, I have no idea how to say this... We've known each other for some time now and... Well, I just... I like you, Lena. I like you a lot," he said, looking up at her with nervous eyes. She smiled at him and started rubbing soothing circles on his hand. She didn't say anything. She just waited on him to go on.

"I just... Would you like to go on a date with me?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. That was so not how you asked a girl out. But somehow, it seemed to work on Elena. Her face lit up with a enormous smile, as she nodded at him.

"Of course! I would love to!" she answered, blushing a bit at him, as he let out a relieved sigh. Well, she did seem to like him. And as of right now, he treated her well. I would have to accept this for the time being. And I would have to get used to her being in a fucking relationship. Wasn't she way too young for that kind of stuff? Wasn't that something she was supposed to wait until she was like... 20, or something? I mean, she was a good girl. She wasn't like the girls I usually went home with. Elena was a good girl. Not one of those girls who went home with a complete stranger after a night of drinking.

"So, I'll pick you up this Friday? Say, 6 pm?" Matt asked, pulling her a bit closer. I didn't like it, at all. He couldn't just take liberties with her, just because she'd agreed to go on a date with him. He needed to step back a bit, and let this take it's time.

"Sounds good... Have you been drinking?" she asked. Even I made a surprised face at the comment. Why the hell did she need to ask if he'd been drinking? Did she find his request so weird that he needed to be drunk to ask her?

"Uhm, no... I haven't touched anything," he said, obviously just as surprised as I was. Where was she going with this?
"Would you mind walking me home? I don't really feel like walking alone..." she asked, looking at him with a pair of puppy eyes. I would be damned if anyone would be able to resist those. If he didn't want to walk her home, I would!

"Sure... You wanna go now?" he asked, obviously relieved. I understood him. She nodded and stood up from the benches. I didn't miss the way his hand sneaked it's way into hers. I already felt like breaking the kid's neck.

I followed them all the way to Elena's house. I would be damned if I let them go home by themselves. I was keeping an eye on them, checking that he didn't take her to some abandoned warehouse or something. I knew the type, and even though I knew Matt wasn't one of those guys, I couldn't help but want to protect Elena.

Our hearts were beating way too fast for my liking, but there was nothing to do about it. She liked him, and her body reacted the way it did.

They reached her house, him following her. I stayed hidden as he walked her to the door.

"Thanks for walking with me, Matt," she said, reaching up and placing a single kiss on his cheek, "I'll see you tomorrow."

And with that comment, she disappeared behind the door, leaving Matt to stand outside, completely baffled, with his hand against his cheek, where her lips had touched his skin.

After standing there for a full minute, he walked back to the pavement, and walked home. Thank God for that.

I quickly made my way to the now familiar tree in her backyard, and climbed it as fast as possible. I kept myself hidden amongst the leaves, watching her as she threw herself on the bed and started giggling. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help but smile at her happiness. That was what was important. Her happiness. And if that Matt boy made him happy, I would let him see her. But only when he made her happy.

Her happiness came before everything else in my world.

There you are! Thank you guys for 107 reviews! I will see you next time! Please leave a review! Would make my day!... Or, night, really.