Chapter 13

Elena pulled Damon's box out from underneath her bed. She looked at him slightly guiltily as she handed him the treasures she had taken from his room. He stared at the ring and the photo of her and raised an eyebrow, looking at her quizzically.

"I wanted to prove that someone had taken you by force." She rushed to explain. "I remembered you mentioning your mothers ring and when I found it, I thought I could convince Stefan that we needed to rescue you. But he didn't believe me, and he wanted to take it away…so I brought it here. You had kept this stuff for ages; I didn't want Stefan to have it."

She didn't mention the photo of her, deciding that that was a conversation for another time.

He glanced at her with something unrecognizable in his eyes before taking the box and setting it on the bed.

"Thank you." He said softly.

She opened the letter with shaking hands, reading the words that had hurt her so badly. She handed it to him and he scanned it, his face darkening with every word.

"I did not write that." He spat. "I would never do that. To him maybe but…not to you."

She frowned.

"Then who did write it?" She asked.

Damon examined the paper.

"Did it arrive in the post?"

She shrugged.

"Stefan showed it to me, it must have arrived at the boarding house." She said.

Damon grit his teeth.

"Stefan." He muttered.

Elena's eyes widened.

"No…he wouldn't." She whispered.

"He would if he thought that it was in your best interests." He replied.

She swallowed back tears as she realized that he was right. She had been desperate to find Damon, going out of her mind with worry. Stefan had been concerned about her; he had thought she was going to get herself hurt over her obsession with saving him. So much for being in her best interest, she thought bitterly.

She turned away from Damon to hide her tears and wiped angrily at her eyes. She felt his hands on her shoulders; he rubbed her arms reassuringly.

"Thank you for wanting to rescue me." He said softly.

She turned to look at him, and she could see the gratitude in his eyes. It wasn't often that he felt wanted. Before she knew what she was doing she had thrown her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"I'll always want to rescue you. Don't you know that by now?"

He chuckled, she did seem to have a habit for saving his life.

Elena thought of something and suddenly pulled away.

"So what did happen to you?" She asked, a hint of fear in her eyes.

He sighed.

"That's a story for another time. For now, we are going to concentrate on getting you back to good old sensible Elena." He said with a smile.

She rolled her eyes.

"And how do you propose we do that?" She asked.

He got up and held his hand out for her.

"Well for one, no more early morning scotch chugging." He said teasingly.

She took his hand and leant into his side as he led her from the room.

"And no more hanging out in that disgusting bar." His voice hardened a little and she looked up at him.

"Are you angry with me?" She asked in a small voice.

His face softened instantly.

"No, of course I'm not angry with you. How could I be?"

It was only then that she realized he was leading her towards the front door. She stopped suddenly and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"To the grill." He replied, grabbing her coat from the back of the door.

She bit her lip nervously.

"Damon…I haven't been there since…"

He wrapped the coat around her shoulders and she reluctantly pushed her arms through.

"All the more reason to go." He said as he buttoned it up.

She still hesitated, eyeing the door.

She hadn't seen anybody from her old life in a long time. She knew that the grill would be swarming with people she used to know. Sherriff Forbes, Matt, Tyler…they all knew what she had been up to. Rumors spread like wildfire in mystic falls. The fact that good girl Elena Gilbert was partying it up with the town's worst, hadn't gone unnoticed.

Damon seemed to understand her concern and took her hand, smiling reassuringly.

"You're going to have to face the world someday Elena. The more you put it off the harder it will get."

She swallowed hard, but nodded, taking a deep breath and following him out the door.

I know i suck! I am so sorry I have taken so long and this is such a pathetic update :( Forgive me? Let's just say that this chapter is the calm before the storm...