A/N: Thank you for your kind reviews. I thought I'd do this chapter from Damon's perspective.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of the characters on the show.

Damon Salvatore decided on a quiet evening in, which was unusual for him. He usually spent his Friday evenings drinking with Alaric at the Grill late into the night. Tonight, he opted for a glass of bourbon and a few chapters of his favorite book, Gone With the Wind.

The civil war tale gave him memories of his time in battle and of his romance with Katherine Pierce. In many ways, he and Katherine were like Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara. They were both rebellious, scheming individuals. Like Scarlett, Katherine was a manipulative bitch. It took Damon almost two centuries to give Katherine the big send off like Rhett had with Scarlett. His rejection of Katherine was a more vulgar than "My dear, I don't give a damn."

He wouldn't take Katherine back even if she did have feelings for him. There was one other woman who, despite looking exactly like Katherine, was her polar opposite. Elena Gilbert is truly Katherine's doppelganger, she is everything Katherine is not. While Katherine was willing to kill her friends in order to get her way, Elena would sacrifice herself for her loved ones without a second thought. Elena's selflessness was a characteristic that Damon both loved and hated. He loved it because it showed that she was good and kind. He hated it because he loved her and could not bear the thought of losing her. He would never let Elena get her way when it came to her safety and wellbeing. He would always protect her and would kill anyone that harmed her. Even though Elena was in love with Stefan, as Katherine had been, it did not stop him from doing everything in his power to keep her safe. He was there when Stefan broke her heart, and even though Elena never made a move to take their relationship to the next level, he still had hopes that there would be something more.

As he thought of Elena, he wondered what she was up to that moment. She had mentioned to him that she would be attending a party with some of her annoying high school friends. He told her that she would have a much better time alone with him. As usual, she dismissed his innuendo and cocky smirk with an exasperated sigh. This time, however, he caught a small smile on her face, adding more to Damon's hopes of a relationship in the future.

Maybe tonight she would drunk dial him after taking a few shots, Damon thought. He laughed to himself as he imagined Elena drinking. She definitely loosened up more after having a few drinks, as he saw during their brief trip to Atlanta.

As Damon took another sip of his bourbon, he heard a faint knock at the door. It was inaudible to human ears, but Damon was able to hear it from his study. He sighed as he set down his glass and headed to the foyer, where he smelled blood coming from outside. He opened the door and saw Elena barely conscious and naked on the doorstep.

"Damon?" Elena whispered as she saw him. She could barely see through her half-open eyelids but as soon as she saw the familiar pair of icy blue eyes, she realized that she was safe.

"Fuck, Lena" Damon cursed as he picked her up and carried her inside. With vampire speed, he took Elena upstairs to his room. By the time he set her down on the bed, Elena had lost consciousness.

Damon growled as he examined the damage. She was pale, bruises were forming everywhere, and there was dry blood on her forehead, mouth and legs. He quickly went into his bathroom and grabbed a damp washcloth before returning to her. Damon mentally cursed as he wiped the blood and traces of dirt from her body.

"I'll fucking kill the bastard that did this to her," he thought as he finished up. He went into his closet and grabbed a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and dressed Elena before covering her with his blanket.

Damon laid down beside her and gently stroked her cheek. She was always strong and brave, but now she looked so small and vulnerable, so human. He was filled with rage as he thought about the horror that she had gone through. He was going to find the man who did this to her and he was going to make sure that he died a slow, painful death.

"I should have been there, this shouldn't have happened to her. She doesn't deserve this." he thought angrily as he watched her. He stayed beside her for a few hours before he saw her stir.

"Damon?" Elena mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey Lena," he replied softly as her eyes met his.

"Damon" Elena said again, beginning to cry as she remembered what had happened. Damon pulled her close as she continued to cry.

Elena clung to him as sobbed, flashbacks of her attack plagued her mind and caused her to break down even more. Damon whispered reassuring words to her as he held her and gently wiped her tears.

"Elena, I know that this is painful for you to talk about but I need to know, who did this to you?" Damon asked once her sobbing had subsided. He regretted asking, as he saw her get upset all over again but he knew that Elena would feel better if she talked about it. He knew that she kept things to herself in the past and it only caused her more pain.

"Dominic Miller and Anthony Jones, two guys who went to my high school. They dragged me into the woods and...and forced themselves on me." Elena choked as she cried.

Damon's eyes turned red at Elena's words but regained control as he realized that he needed to comfort her instead of vamping out.

Elena heaved as she reached her hand up to her neck to touch her locket, a habit that she formed whenever she was nervous or scared. Her eyes widened as she realized that she wasn't wearing it.

"Damon? Have you seen my necklace?" she asked as she looked up at him.

"No Elena, I haven't. You weren't wearing it when I found you." Damon said.

"They must've taken it along with the rest of my things," Elena said in an upset tone. Dominic taking her things added insult to injury. She was especially upset that her locket was stolen. Although she didn't have the same feelings for Stefan that she used to, the locket was still one of her most prized possessions. It had been with her during all the hardships she had endured throughout the past year. Besides being a token of her perseverance, it protected her from being compelled by vampires.

"Promise me you won't compel me to forget." Elena said.

"I promise, I won't do anything you don't want me to." Damon responded.

"I also don't want to drink your blood. I want to heal naturally." Elena added.

"As you wish Lena," Damon replied.

"I was afraid I would never see you again Damon." Elena whispered after a moment of silence.

Damon frowned before he tilted her head up to face him.

"Don't say those things Elena. I can't stand the thought of losing you. Besides, you're the strongest woman I know. You will overcome this and I'll help you." he said.

Elena nodded and whispered "Thank you" once more before moving closer to him. They sat in silence for a long time before she yawned.

"You should rest Lena," Damon said.

"I'm afraid of sleeping Damon, I'm scared that it'll happen again in my dreams." Elena whispered.

"Don't worry about it, I'm here. I won't compel you to forget, but I can make sure you don't have nightmares." Damon said with a small smile.

"I would greatly appreciate that," Elena said as she nestled deeper into his arms. As she slowly fell asleep, Damon made sure that she slipped into a pleasant dream. He chose to give her a tour of Paris, the city she always wanted to visit.

Damon saw her smile in her sleep and instantly began to feel more at ease. He gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face before kissing her forehead.

"I'll always be here for you. I love you Lena." he whispered before falling asleep.

Thank you for reading. Please review!
-Nisa93