Heeeey everyone!

As an apology for the slow update in the last couple of weeks, I'm treating you all to this chapter nice and early. I notice I've lost a couple of regular reviewers in the last chapter *sobs* I hope this is not the case! For those who have reviewed, thank you very much for your comments. Reviews are what spur a writer on and to me it's like Christmas come early! So as a thank you, I give you a lil' bit of Delena in this chapter and I promise you LOADS of Delena in the last few chapters to come. You heard me, last few! The end is almost upon us! DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN!

But until then, I give you Monday morning... *takes in deep breath.*

ELENA'S POV

And so came Monday morning. The best and worst day of the week.

In less than an hour Elena would be sat at her desk in classroom E6.

She would be face to face with Damon for the first time since their relationship crashed headfirst into crisis. The discovery, the break-up, the rumours, the unknown - all were about to be faced with thirty pairs of eyes watching her go through it all in silence with no where to run and no one to turn to.

Elena grabbed onto Bonnie's wrist.

"I can't do this."

"Yes you can" assured Bonnie stepping in front of Elena to take her hands. Elena looked up from her feet, seeing the support yet uncertainty shining in Bonnie's eyes as they stood face to face on the sidewalk.

"I'm going to fall apart I know it" said Elena, her voice growing incredibly weak as she struggled to keep her panic at bay. Bonnie squeezed her hands tighter.

"You wont because you know you can't. Whatever you're about to face in school today, you have to face with strength. You've got yourself this far and you did that alone. You've got me now hun. I know you can keep going."

Elena managed a soft smile, nodding at her friend who truly believed in her. If she crumbled under pressure it would be game over for Damon. This was her way of protecting him and she had to succeed. All she had to do was walk into that classroom like she had done thousands of times before with any other. She would laugh with Bonnie, rummage through her bag for her homework, flop down into her seat and proceed to listen and learn. The model student. That was all she had to be and she knew she could do it.

"Lets go," Elena said, keeping hold of Bonnie's hand a little while longer until Mystic Falls High came into view.

"Hey guys, wait for me!"

Elena jolted at the shrill of her unexpected voice behind them. She continued in a steady walk without looking behind, leaving the 'good morning' ritual to Bonnie.

She did a mental countdown of how long it would take for Caroline to bring Friday night up.

Three

Two

One-

"So seriously Elena, is it true?"

Her voice was oozing with curiosity as she hooked her arm through Elena's, the smell of her sweet, rosy perfume washing over her senses. As much as Elena knew Caroline's airy and flippant character, it still bugged her that Caroline didn't even think once to go about the teacher/student gossip with a little sensitivity. Just once in the whole of their friendship, this would have been the perfect time to do so.

"No it isn't true. And I swear to God Caroline if you so much as badger me one more time for the juicy details you're never going to get, you're no better than the bitches who were harassing me the other night."

Elena looked back and forth between the gob-smacked faces of Caroline and Bonnie, before setting her mouth in a straight line and turning to walk towards the school grounds again, not regretting a single one of those words that fled from her mouth. No more playing innocent and weak. She was going to be strong with everything that would be thrown at her today.

"Elena..."

Oh great...

"Stefan I am not in the mood for you," she said, raising her hand to his face as he came bounding over to her. She carried on walking, not even bothering to look at him. She was done with him.

"I just wanted to apologise for-"

"For what? For not believing me? For threatening to tell everyone? For treating me like crap while you drove me home?" she rushed, twirling around to face him dead on, her hair fanning around her body with a heavy swoosh.

"For all of it, I've only just realized what a complete dick I was."

"Too little too late."

She moved to walk away but he grab her hand.

"I was just angry with him."

"But he hasn't done anything!" she argued.

"No, just banged you while reciting Hamlet together..." came an unidentifiable male voice as they passed in the hallway, clearly eavesdropping on her confrontation with Stefan. Echoes of laughter circled around Elena as she bit her lip, staring down to the floor to hold the stinging of her tears back.

Neither she or Stefan knew what to say after that.

"Elena come on," came Bonnie's voice, in a tone that told Elena she had heard the whole thing.

Without another word to Stefan, Elena allowed Bonnie to lead her on through the heaving crowds, making sure to keep her head low so no one noticed her as they made their way to English class.

As much as she recited to herself to play it cool, act normal, like it's just another day, her heart was pumping twice as hard and her legs gradually felt weaker as they walked the all too familiar hallways. Her mind became void of all sense, even trying to picture Damon was difficult. She kept her alarmed, dark eyes fixed to the dirty floor beneath her feet, noticing how sticky the laminate was beneath her soles, wondering why the janitor didn't do a better job of it, because it really was quite filthy and-

"Whore..." breathed a female voice into her face, completed with a hard shove that knocked Elena and Bonnie into the wall.

"What the Hell?" mumbled Bonnie, sounding a little uneasy incase she was actually confronted by someone who was happy to start a fight. But whoever the girl was, she had disappeared into the crowds. Elena could only hear what was happening around her for she was too afraid to so much as lift her head an inch.

"Can you see?" Elena hissed, stroking her fingertips through her hair so it partially covered her face like a veil. She meant to say 'can you see Damon?' but didn't dare breath a whisper of his name. But Bonnie understood.

"Nothing yet, but we're here now. He could be sat at his desk."

"We'll be looking out for the eye-sex," tormented a male voice. It sounded very much like Tyler's. Elena blinked upwards in time to see him wink at her with a crude look. Bonnie smacked him on the arm as hard as she could.

"You're an ass, Tyler!"

He burst into laughter with a few others, and Elena felt a tiny jab of pain as she swore one of those voices belonged to Matt.

The whole situation was overwhelming. Elena saw she was a step or two away from entering the classroom when she would finally settle her eyes on Damon for the first time in nearly a week. As she backed up to do a runner, Bonnie discreetly held her hand.

"You have to do this," she said, her voice low and serious. Elena soaked in her words like a sponge, inhaled a deep breath and walked inside.

...

Damon wasn't there anyway.

A momentary sigh of relief escape Elena's lips, as it made the walk to her desk that little more bearable with the several pairs of eyes watching her every single step. But no sooner as she dumped her bag onto her desk, Damon's absence begged the question;

So if he's not here, then where exactly is he?

The worry wobbled through her tiny frame, her fingers flittering, causing her to drop her note pad. The heavy 'thump' made everyone look and giggle under their breath. She felt like a little kid being the subject of senseless bullying as she kneeled down to retrieve her book. Her blood beating through her ears as she moved back to sit in her seat, forcing herself to ignore everyone.

"What act did we get up to?" Elena asked Bonnie, needing some conversation.

"Oh," quipped Bonnie, flipping through her pages. "I actually don't know, that's usually your job to remember!"

Elena felt normal and calm for the whole of five seconds that Bonnie spoke. No sooner as the exchange was done, she was straight back to fretting over Damon. He still wasn't here and it was ticking past the nine o' clock hour. She bravely glanced to the door, noticing people watching her in the corner of her eye as she did so, and looked straight back to her note pad again, taking extra time to write the date to keep herself busy.

Another minute or so dragged by - still no Damon.

The sound of Elena's heavy breathing hadn't gone unnoticed by Bonnie. Elena tapped her pen, shook her leg under the table, bit her lip, glanced round to find a group of boys at the front pouting at her with amusement. This. Was. UNBEARABLE.

A few moments later, a familiar substitute teacher breezed into the room, shrugging off her coat and dumping it over Damon's chair like it were her own and like she'd taught this class a hundred times before.

This was not a good sign. Not a good sign at all.

"Good Morning E6, I'm Mrs Peterson as I'm sure some of you may know, and i'll be teaching your class today..."

The room broke out into a series of whispers.

Clicking the pen that she tapped so hard it left indentations in her paper, Elena scrawled messily in the corner of her book and elbowed Bonnie to read it.

Can't take it, Bon. Where is he!

Bonnie was about to reply by writing back, but she quickly nodded over to the door. Elena looked over, feeling her heart leap into her mouth, only to sink to her feet when she saw her Uncle John standing by the door.

The class fell into complete silence.

"Elena could you come with me please" he said sternly.

A collective gasp and burst of whispers broke out in the room again. The walls seemed to squeeze in on Elena, making her feel incredibly claustrophobic as she continued to stare at her estranged Uncle. Bonnie's gentle touch landed on her forearm, a silent support for Elena, unable to do much else. With legs that didn't seem to feel like her own, Elena stood out of her chair, her eyes landing on Stefan's momentarily. He looked a mixture of things; sympathetic, confused, accusing. Elena looked away, scared that he might suss her out as he never did say whether truly he believed her the other night. He just parked outside her house, said his goodbyes and drove away, leaving Elena in further disarray about his loyalties. Her plan to have him on her side, all but dashed.

Elena approached her Uncle with apprehension, running through all the different scenarios of what could happen in the next few minutes. Would she be questioned? Would she find out Damon was already holed away in prison? Would a bright light be burned into her eyes as they demanded to know where he was hiding? Would Damon be there wherever she was being taken? Would she finally see him after days of not knowing what was happening to him? So many questions and so little hallway to walk down as she followed her Uncle towards the room where he had lead her so many times before. The faculty lounge.

And so it begins... whatever 'it' is.

Upon entry Elena met the eyes of Principal Lockwood. Elena smiled softly, but it was not returned. Mrs Lockwood slowly blinked and gestured for Elena to take a seat at the table in the middle of the room. The silence was deafening as she carefully settled against the cold, hard plastic of a chair, suddenly remembering the time Damon found her in here alone. She remembered how he tried to lift her spirits, how he stared at her, how he offered her support when her Uncle was trying to damage what little support she had alone. Whatever she lacked in life, Damon filled those spaces up. Strength, courage, love, laughter and above all, the determination to keep going no matter what life threw at her - and this was life throwing one heck of a curve ball.

"I'm sure you know what this is about, Elena" said her Uncle behind her while closing the door.

She didn't say a word for she didn't know how to begin. She glanced up at Mrs Lockwood, then to her Uncle who slowly stood beside her. They were waiting for her to speak.

"I do," Elena said, her voice a little course and raspy.

"And I'm sure you know that these... rumours, are very serious allegations against Mr Salvatore and we need to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible."

His words were hard, cold and like a brick slamming to Elena's chest.

"We need you to tell us everything that you know." John said, leaning over the chair, his face shadowed by the harsh lighting above them.

Elena looked back and forth between them, trying to control her wavering breaths.

"The truth is..." she began, cut off by her need to swallow, her mouth parched and in need of moisture. "...The truth is, is that there's nothing to tell"

"What do you mean there's 'nothing to tell' Elena?" asked Mrs Lockwood, folding her arms and cocking her head to the side with curiosity.

"It means exactly that Mrs Lockwood. There is nothing I can tell you, because this is a complete lie that someone has made up about me."

The door unexpectedly opened at that moment. Elena watched as her Uncle and Principal snapped their heads up in unison. Elena followed suit, to quickly find herself trying to bottle up her darkest emotions that threatened to burst as Isobel Flemming stood at the open door.

"Oh my, am I interrupting something?" she said, hand to her chest, sincerity pouring out of her while Elena knew the woman was completely aware of what was going on. She gripped her fingers to the plastic seating at either side of her legs, her fingernails scratching the surface, knuckles popping with the tension.

"We were going to inform teachers of this particular situation later today Miss Flemming, it's nothing for you to concern yourself with at the moment" explained John.

What? They're going to tell everyone! ?

Elena whimpered a little, but it was unheard over the hushed talking from teachers above her. She watched as Isobel fished for information, playing the concerned role, eyebrows raised, hand to her lips, she even began to glance at Elena with sympathy. Elena narrowed her watery eyes at Isobel, her enemy, the woman who had destroyed everything.

"I hope this is not about the notes that I overheard students talking about earlier" said Isobel, surprising everyone. The woman kept her cool, playing her part incredibly well.

"As a matter of fact it is," admitted John, suddenly welcoming Isobel in the room to join in the fun. Elena squeezed her eyes shut and looked down to her knees. Her eyes were screaming for the tears to fall, seeping out between her eyelashes but she managed to hold them within.

"Then I feel I must say something," Isobel said, circling around the table, making sure everyone knew that she had some news on the tip of her tongue, going as far as to eye everyone individually

"Well?" Mrs Lockwood pushed, stepping closer to her employee.

"As inappropriate as this may be to announce in front of Elena..." the woman dared to place her hand on the curve of Elena's shoulder. Elena winced as though she'd just been scolded, recoiling from the woman's palm, only to feel Isobel squeeze her flesh, keeping her still. "Myself and Mr Salvatore have been... we have been seeing each other for quite some time. I apologise, I didn't want to reveal it this way, but with such serious accusations against him and Miss Gilbert here, I couldn't keep this quiet. These rumours are ridiculous fabrications made by an attention seeking student who needs to be found and punished. I can assure you that none of it is true."

Silence billowed through the room once more.

Elena stared blankly at the table, shaking under Isobel's hand that had gently begun to slide to her upper arm, stroking her supportively, with an almost maternal instinct. It sickened Elena, she finally glared up at Isobel who smiled down at her; warm, compassionate, kind, but with a sly spark in her dark eyes. An exchange of looks that could only be recognised between the two of them. The sound of Jonathan Gilbert releasing a hefty breath, broke the silence.

"Still... I would like to hear a confirmation from Elena that these intimacy's between herself and Mr Salvatore are indeed false. As much as your word is plausible Mrs Flemming, this is still a very serious matter."

"They are false." barked Elena, with so much resentment and anger that she barely recognised it as her own, "these rumours have been created by some sick, twisted individual with nothing better to do than ruin other people's lives for their own amusement. Mr Salvatore is a wonderful teacher and has been incredibly helpful to me, having understanding what it's like to loose a parent and knowing how to cope with such a difficult loss. And if he's judged so horribly for being the supportive teacher that schools desperately look for, then you'll be losing one of the best you'll ever have in this place."

Elena silently cheered to herself for delivering such a winning speech. She left each and every one of them dumbfounded. They clearly didn't expect her to stand up for herself. But she had and she was proud of herself. She smiled as she felt Isobel Flemming slowly release her grip from her shoulder.

"Okay," said Mrs Lockwood, palming her hands together, "Miss Flemming thank you for your information. We'll be sure to take it on board."

The way she spoke told Isobel it was her time to leave the room. Elena didn't look at her enemy, but instead heard her heels take three muffled steps and the door open and close, leaving her with her Uncle and Principal once more.

She had won over Isobel. A small victory, but it was a win nonetheless.

"I am sure what you're what you're saying is true, Elena" said John, grabbing Elena's full attention as she shuffled a little in her seat. "You're not one to lie, you understand the difference between right and wrong, and you're a sensible young woman. But we have to be sure."

"You have everything you need Uncle John. I'm telling you nothing is happening between myself and my teacher. And clearly he's going out with Miss Flemming. I'm sure if... if you talked to him, brought him here, he'll tell you the same."

Elena suddenly felt her nerves flicker with the look her Uncle gave her as he backed away from the table to busy himself by making a cup of coffee.

"Mr Salvatore is currently undergoing a police interrogation. As of an hour ago to be precise, so it is no surprise Miss Flemming is none the wiser. He has been excused from teaching for the next fortnight or so. But not entirely for these accusations."

Elena felt her entire body begin to shake as she raised from her seat.

"What do you mean not entirely?" she shook, "Why the police? Why did any of this need to-"

"It was completely necessary. Surely you understand this situation had to be thoroughly examined," John stated, sipping on his coffee and looking over to his niece who stood like a shaking leaf in a blustery wind.

"But this... it just seems so... so unfair" Elena whispered, suddenly feeling the arms of Mrs Lockwood cupping her shoulders.

"It is a lot to take in, I understand that" spoke Mrs Lockwood, smoothing her hand through Elena's long hair as though she were an upset child in need of mothering. "But it's only right that this was taken further not only for your safety, but for the safety of others."

Elena watched her Uncle notice something, or someone as he walked past her towards the door. She turned to find him blocking the window, he quickly excused himself and slipped out of the room, opening the door enough to allow his body to squeeze through.

"What's going on here?" Elena caught John say, straining her ears to hear more.

"If you'd prefer to go back to class that is your decision, but we're strongly considering that you move to another until further notice."

Elena wasn't listening to her Principal and instead moving out of her hold towards the door.

"Elena come away from the door please."

"You'll have to wait a moment, we still have my niece inside..."

"Can I go back to class now?" Elena asked Mrs Lockwood, needing to get out of the Faculty lounge so she could see the mystery person her Uncle was conversing with.

"Not just yet. We need to..."

Elena threw caution to the wind and threw open the door.

...

She almost fainted.

"Elena go back inside," said her Uncle.

But she couldn't.

Elena couldn't tear her eyes away from Damon. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she could only stare and take in his bruised and battered form that stood within touching distance from her.

He was just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. She noticed his eyes, dull and void, suddenly light up when he laid them on her, amidst the bruising that blotched his once healthy, alabaster skin. She felt a disturbing chill cradle her spine, as the realization of what he must have been through in the last few days hit her hard.

She couldn't ask how he got those bruises.

She couldn't tell him everything was okay.

She couldn't let him know she understood what Isobel was doing to them.

She couldn't tell him she was still there for him.

And above all - there wasn't a single thing she could do to comfort him.

"We'll go to my office," Mrs Lockwood stated. Her words were distant and echoey as Elena blinked several times to notice her Uncle was talking in hushed voices to two policemen, one stood directly besides Damon and she hadn't even noticed them.

She was desperate to say something, anything to clear Damon's name but she feared it would only make matters worse for him. It felt like she was being torn apart from the inside out as she stared into his sorrowful eyes. A small smile, for the briefest moment, flickered on his pale lips. He knew she couldn't do anything, he was telling her that with the simplest of looks.

I love you she thought, wishing they had the power to read minds as she was finally being ushered away by Mrs Lockwood. She didn't want to leave, she wanted to stay with Damon, even in the most agonizing of situations. It didn't matter, it was better to be with him than completely without him.

They were turning the corner, and Elena looked at Damon one last time, and then he was gone.

As much as she wanted to hold it together she couldn't help but begin to sob as she was being lead away from the building. Mrs Lockwood produced a few, scrappy pieces of tissue and Elena took them, dabbing away the few tears that spilled.

"I can imagine that was difficult, sweetie" coddled the woman, her hands lightly placed around Elena's as they made their way to her office.

"How did he get so hurt?" Elena asked, feeling it was innocent enough, she had just seen her teacher black and blue in front of her, she would ask that about anyone.

"There was an incident," was all Principal Lockwood said, opening the door to her bland, little office and offering Elena a seat inside.

Elena perched onto the hard leather chair, watching Principal Lockwood's every move, wondering where it was all going to go from here.

"None of it's true Mrs Lockwood," she whispered, earning a surprised look from her Principal, Elena didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing, but right now she was too emotionally drained to over think things. "Mr Salvatore is innocent. He's innocent I swear..."

"...That will be for the police to decide Miss Gilbert. Now - which classroom to put you in until further notice..."

DAMON'S POV

Aside from his mother's funeral, today had to be one of the longest and most painful days of Damon Salvatore's life.

Despite constructing a fool proof plan with Isobel in the early hours should he be called in for questioning, to being abruptly lead from his house at 8am by police officers, to an hour long interrogation with tough, unclear, crude and difficult questions thrown at him, the hardest part had to be standing face to face with Elena and not being able to touch or speak to her.

Yeah... that was definitely the hardest part to deal with.

She looked... jeez, he didn't even know where to begin with that. The state he was in must have horrified her. The fact he was there in school at all must have horrified her. It was all so unexpected and she handled it incredibly well. She didn't give anything away, except to stare with her sorrowful, doe eyes. But you could pin that on anything, in particular the fact she was having 'horrible rumours' spread about her all over the school. She was a tough cookie, and Damon was proud of her.

But as much as seeing her did him a world of good, it didn't change the fact that the last she saw of him he was kissing Isobel. The thought alone made him long for a stiff, alcoholic drink. As wishful-thinking as it was, Damon still felt that Elena understood the situation. She knew what Isobel was like with him, it wouldn't come to that much of a surprise to learn that Isobel would be willing to blackmail him now would it?

The door to the faculty lounge opened... at long last.

Damon half-listened to the cops explain that his classroom had been searched, and that he was free to go in and collect any belongings he wished. They were making it sound like he wouldn't be returning at all - not that Damon would mind.

"We'll give you fifteen minutes" one said, standing aside to allow him to leave. He'd been hollowed up in that fucking lounge for the entire day while questioning continued with Jonathan first and then Isobel, now that she was his... girlfriend. Ugh, the shudders at that 'fact' never ceased to riddle his body.

As much as Damon wanted to show the cops how much they were pissing him off with glares, frowns, the clenching of jaws and so on, he kept smiling a little, to show an air of innocence, humanity, whatever. But it was wearing thin on them and it didn't really matter. Their cold, disconnected attitude with him never altered once. Innocent until proven guilty? Damon had to suPpress his smirking at that one as he carefully moved out of his seat, making sure not to upset his cracked ribs.

John was stood at his door, looking incredibly angered and hostile. Damon let him have it. After all, it was his niece who was apparently being 'corrupted by his charm and manipulative ways' - a popular term the police used on him throughout his questioning to throw him off. It grated on Damon like steel nails to a chalkboard.

Neither man said a word as Damon entered his room. In his mind he expected the place to be ransacked, but looked how it normally did at the end of a school day. The odd chair strewn here and there, papers scattered, forgotten pens on tables. His desk as usual, neat and tidy. There wasn't really much stuff he needed to get. He wasn't one of those people who brought half their home with them to work. He carefully wandered over to his desk, sub-consciously flickering his darkened, blue eyes to Elena's seat at the back of the room.

"Fifteen minutes," echoed one of the cops at the door. "Meet us back at the faculty lounge."

Damon didn't respond. He waited until the door closed until he began fishing through his drawers for his spare apartment keys, cell phone charger (not that it was of any use now he'd trashed it like an idiot) a few books that he indulged in during lunch hour, expensive stationary...

A hand grabbed his shoulder.

Damon twisted around, ready to defend himself against someone who intended to beat his ass down after hearing the rumours. But he was stunned, simply stunned to find none other than..

"Bonnie what are you doing! ?" he hissed, glancing worrying at the door while she flipped out a pen and piece of paper.

"Your address. Write it!" she ordered, undeterred by his bruised face as she stared directly into his eyes.

Damon clenched his jaw and with his left hand, took the pen and paper from her and slid them away.

"You need to leave Miss Bennett."

"It's for-"

"Don't make me tell you again" Damon said, eyes wild, angered that the girl was stupid enough to be here. Because clearly this meant only one thing - Elena had told her.

"It's for Elena!" Bonnie finished, grabbing the pen, then his hands and weaving his fingers around it for him to write, 'Let her find you!"

Damon didn't trust her. Not one bit.

"You mean to let half the boys in this school find me. Bonnie please leave."

Her emotional, brown orbs never left his as she shook her head.

"I would never do that. This is for my best friend. She's in pieces Mr Salvatore. Elena needs you."

Her words jutted through him, chipping away at his heart until it finally knifed to the core.

He pushed the paper and pen back to Bonnie, but before she could protest, he said with a low whisper.

"You need to write. I'm not quick enough with my left, my right is broken."

"Okay," Bonnie said with a flicker of excitement crossing her features.

They rushed through his address, Damon never taking his eyes off the door.

"You got it?"

"Got it" Bonnie said, but still writing something Damon couldn't make out.

"I need your number too Bonnie, she can't come round-"

"That's what I'm writing. We know about Isobel," Bonnie said, looking up at her teacher to find a wave of relief wash over him.

Damon's wishful thinking had paid off.

Bonnie handed him her number.

"Now you need to go. Fast."

"I know."

"Do not let Elena come to me unless i've told you it's okay to do so."

"Yes sir," Bonnie said, stuffing the paper into her coat pocket and quickly hurrying for the door.

Damon didn't need to tell her to be careful. The girl was watching closely for any passer by's. She didn't look back and nor did she say goodbye as she quickly and quietly left his room. He quickly followed suit, hauling whatever possessions he had in the crook of his arm and leaving his classroom, watching Bonnie leave in the distance without a single person detecting her.

"Everything sorted?" asked a police officer, their head poking out of the faculty lounge.

"I think so," Damon said, completely unsure whether he just did the most careless thing he could have possibly done.

He'd just have to wait and see.

Did we like...?

Please review and let me know your thoughts! I'm going away on holiday next week, so if I get plenty of them I promise to leave you with the juicy Delena chapter i've got brewing in my head for you...

Thank you for reading as always!

Anna x