A/N: Thank you to everyone that reviewed last chapter. You guys are the best! Took some time to think about this chapter, so I hope you enjoy this one.

Chapter 18: Don't Speak

The lingering breaths from the shadowed figure twirled into the cool air, creating a cloud of mist to form near his curved lips. The tips of his eyelashes would close for mere seconds, savoring the sound of the heartbeats nestled inside the home of his rival. His arms ached to wrap around her small figure, bring her in close to his chest as he whispered loving words into her ear. But the dreams were thrown to the ground, shattering into millions of pieces as his eyes fell upon the raven-haired man, his rival, walking past the window that he had so carefully surveyed from his current location. The game was officially started, the game of cat and mouse, the game of the affections of the woman. Oh, how he could toy with another man's emotions, as well as self-pride just to win the heart of his companion.

His brother had dearly and utterly failed him, so once the cannons roared, he was prepared to fully wage his war of shredding his opponent's skin from their skeleton.

Damon glanced over to the silent brunette, cutting freshly-picked carrots into miniscule pieces, placing them in a bowl by her side. Each time the blade of the knife slowly sliced through the middle of the carrot, bringing the blade ever so closer to the cutting board and then the echo of the blade being brought back up to begin slicing again, he would wince, watching her forceful movement as she took all of her previously-suppressed anger out on the carrots.

The handle of the coffee mug, or blood mug as I should most likely say since the mug had never seen the likes of coffee before, must have begun to crack as he squeezed the handle forcefully each time his eyes would narrow, wincing at the cutting taking place in the kitchen.

Unbeknownst to Damon as he was occasionally glancing over to her, she was throwing a glance towards him as well. Once he would turn his head back towards the fireplace, she would dart her eyes to the back of his head, wishing to throw the knife to it just to gain his attention. Elena wanted to feel some form of affection, but she had reasoned with herself the previous night as she cried herself to sleep that he must be doing all of this ignoring because he did not want to harm her, for he had was trying his hardest not to drink from a living human, especially not her.

As the blade came into contact with the cutting board once more, she had found amusement in watching him visibly do a small wince, softly jolting his shoulders upwards, then glance over his shoulder to see if she saw him do so. But she would quickly avert her gaze away from his, and back to the cutting she was doing.

Neither Damon nor Elena, who were covertly yearning to show love towards each other, were aware that they weren't the only ones watching over one another. The man in the shadows seemed quite content with the current situation between Elena and Damon.

"As long as it makes it easier for me to get the girl." He hissed to himself, drawing the hood back over his face once more, and speeding away.

The padding of her bare feet against the wood was in harmony with the mumbling voices on the television in the far away living room as Bonnie rushed to turn the water pouring out from the spout off once more.

"Not again." She whined, her fingers wrapping around the knob to force it off. The spout had been arbitrarily turning on throughout the day, forcing Bonnie to practically stay home in her pajamas, watching nothing but soap operas.

The sun was still far up in the sky when she walked back into the living room, her hands dripping. She quickly wiped her hands on the towel she had set out on the coffee table before sitting on the couch to continue her marathon of soap operas.

"Kenny just has to live," She popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth, eyes narrowed, "The show will be nothing without him." Her hand dived into the bowl once more, only to find the tips of her fingers colliding with the pit of the bowl. Bonnie peeked in, finding nothing but kernels. With a long sigh, she got to her feet and walked into the kitchen, only to find her face colliding with the hard chest of a tall, dark figure.

His head was about to explode, trying to think through every possible conversation he could strike up with her, only to find the piling cons that were bound to follow after he let one word escape his lips.

Suck it up, Salvatore. Stop being such a wuss.

His eyes narrowed, drawing in a sharp breath. This immediately caught Elena's attention as she used the blunt side of the knife to gather the pieces of carrots into the bowl. She had been running a list in her head of every conservation-starter that wouldn't lead to a fight between the two of them. Placing the bowl on the counter, she wiped her hands on the waist apron and started towards the parlor where her husband currently was.

Damon exhaled the breath he didn't even realize he was holding at the sound of her shoes against the wood flooring. The crackling of the fire was no longer a cover-up for his heavy breathing, the smell of her entered his system as he inhaled deeply, wanting more. His eyes darkened when they landed upon her pulse point as she took a seat on the neighboring couch, her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

She twiddled her thumbs for a few brief moments before glancing up, not entirely sure if this plan of hers was such a great idea. Clearly, telling by his eyes and sudden stiffening, he was about to lose control of his hunger.

The room fell silent, the crackling of the fire continuing. Elena's patience soon wore thin; standing to her feet, she made it half-way across the room before something gripped her back.

"I need to talk to you." He unexpectedly growled, his eyes anywhere but near her face, let alone her neck. A lump began to form in her throat as she walked back to where she had previously sat after he had released her.

Clearing his throat, he mustered all of his inner strength to look into her eyes, "The man that was following you," He growled inwardly, "Did he release any personal information, or were you only able to see his face?"

She straightened her back, trying to remember, "His name was…" She thought for a moment, "El…El…Elijah. Elijah Mikaelsen."

Damon's eyes grew a shade darker at the mention of the name, "I know for a fact that he was not acting on his behalf. He has an older brother named Klaus," He clicked his tongue in disapproval of the man, "Quite a nasty fellow, a vampire I might add, who does anything and everything to get his hands on something," He locked eyes with her, "Or someone."

The lump in her throat expanded, her eyes began to softly burn as her hand rested against her stomach, imagining the horrible things that Klaus would do to her child.

"Ello, my dear." He brushed a finger across her cheek, sending immediate shivers down her spine. She knew in her heart that this man was not to be trusted, especially since he was in her home, uninvited.

Uninvited.

Confusion immediately overwhelmed her, freezing her in the spot in which she stood as she tried to understand how he was in her home. "How? How are you in my home?"

He chuckled maniacally, "I have a few witches on my side as well. They worked around the invitation concept, allowing me into any home, little witch."

Bonnie froze, feeling utterly weakened. He knew about her paranormal status, which meant that he knew about her powers. "What do you want?" She hissed, backing up away from him until her back hit the wall.

He flashed a crooked smile as there was a soft breeze, revealing an equally-smiling Elijah by his side. "Oh, I just want a little thing called revenge." Her entire body tensed as Elijah flashed forward, drew her neck to the side and bit down into her artery.

A/N: And there you have it. I know that it is obscenely short, but after writing the last chapter, I'm not feeling the inspiration.

I need inspiration!

Next Chapter:

No, Bonnie does not go to the hospital, but someone has the power to heal her, and you may just be surprised as to who it is. Damon gives up and gives into the hunger, harming not only one person. After hearing what happened, Alaric has a flash of anger, gathering his vampire hunting equipment. Uh-oh.

Quick the little button below and I will write the next chapter.