To be honest, I have no idea how I cranked out this chapter. My muse has been off and on so much for this story. But I finally have a good storyline, and more will be happening. Thank you to all the ones who left amazing comments, and have kept reading. I love you all. + if you ever want to stalk me or see sneak peeks of Hostile Takeover, check out my twitter over at sm0lderhalders. This of course has a few warnings for triggers, but I kept most of it in a wording form, so it's not detailed. Happy reading. I'll try my best to update sooner.

And the blood will dry, underneath my nails;
And the wind will rise up to fill my sails
So you can doubt, you can hate
But I know, no matter what it takes;
I'm coming home, tell the world I'm coming home.
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday.

Elijah Mikaelson was the most charming man she had ever met. He knew how to dance, and the man was practically perfect. Perfect. She watched her dating scene begin again. Elena knew so much about the man. He had already requested another night with her.

Before Elena knew it, hour long dates became plural to hours; and dates became days. Elena saw her life progressively change for the better. They did many double dates with the newlywed couple, Klaus and Caroline. It was something Elena enjoyed. She was finally stopping to smell the roses and live life. She was falling in love with Elijah. The feeling of falling in love was new again, but immediately it made her think of Damon.

One month of dating had passed. It was a very wonderful month.

Stop lying to yourself, Lena.

But waking up to a horrid nightmare made that not such a wonderful month. The relationship started on a great track. The feelings of being in love were all brand new in a way, even if she wasn't sharing it with the person she wanted to. Elena couldn't bear to be around Damon with Katherine somewhere in the picture. Was it jealousy? Of course it was, and the same time every day it woke up her up.

A familiar love song would linger in her mind, or a smell would spark a memory. It had been a month since Damon was out of reach. She knew where he was. Damon had to return to Salvatore Enterprises, due to a fall out with his brother. How did she know? The Google alerts were trusted facts enough, and so was the empty desk she passed every day going to her own office.

The neon bright time on her clock located on the side of her bed read 2:43 am. Her eyes were droopy, and her heart was heavy. Elena was fully aware of the day ahead of her, even if she debated to stay up. The brunette brought herself up to sit on the edge of the bed. She closely looked by, making sure he was gone. Elena slowly got up, and found herself having the same nightmare replay in her mind. Her eyes trailed down her body, catching a few bruises here and there. Scars were even forming. Everything was perfect; at least according to everyone else.

Her pain was hidden quite well, as were the bruises. She had fallen in love with Elijah, but he had finally brought out his evil side. He was dominating and controlling. His passion wasn't for love; it was only for making her into his own personal ragdoll. As always, Elena Gilbert was a fighter. Thankfully, she was heading to a book signing with one of her clients, this week. His binds would not be around her wrists anymore, and she would be able to escape. Most of the nights after he left, Elena cried. Her tears were drying up now, and there were no more tears to shed. Soon after that thought, more tears flooded her eyes as she thought of the hours before her awakening.

The fights he had won were unimaginable. Elijah had the upper hand on her, and through all the anger he had presented to her eyes; she wasn't sure how to break it off. So besides of ending things and making a big mess; Elena Gilbert was volunteered by her client, to head to another state for their book signing party. The book had already shot up on the New York Bestseller list; so business was doing better.

It was settled, the clock struck 4 am, and Elena was quietly booking her plane ticket out of this place. She never wanted to leave her home so much. Elena could only hope though that Elijah didn't find out. For the rest of the morning, Elena would be in the airport trying to nap. The thoughts of last night kept coming back in nightmare form, making her never want to sleep in her room again.

She finished packing a little after 5 am, making sure she was ready for her trip. Her eyes trailed again at the scars, trying to wipe away the dried blood from his fingernails ripping into her neck and her arms. Perhaps, this trip would make them go away.

X

After a long drive to the airport, she plopped down on a seat and found herself trying to doze. Her head fell to the side of her shoulder. The clock only read 6:22 am. She collected her headphones and iPhone from her luggage, turning on music to help her sleep easier.

"Elena," a soft voice called to her. A hand was on her shoulder, shaking her to wake up. Her doze was quickly ended as Elena woke up only to a groggily feeling of being half-awake.

"No, no, no," she murmured, trying to fight herself back to sleep, knowing it was only a dream. It was him. His voice was echoing in her mind, and haunting her.

But the lyrics' playing in her ears was only making the dream more realistic. The soothing Rihanna song continued to play, but suddenly she jolted awake.

"Are you okay?"

Elena glanced over at her friend and the client, Bonnie Bennett. Bonnie had plenty of hits when it came to her novel list. Plus, she was one of Elena's closest friends.

She shrugged. "On the count as I've been sleeping at this airport for the last 2 hours, I suppose, I'm not," Elena murmured softly, placing her head on Bonnie's shoulder.

A strand of hair fell from behind her ear, revealing a scar from last night's terrifying attack on Elena.

"Elena Gilbert, what did you do?!" Bonnie demanded noticing the scar almost immediately.

"—I got hurt, it's nothing," she blinked hiding the wound again, lying to her friend. It wasn't a complete lie on her part, but it was an empty one with no description.

"That is not just nothing, Elena, you are bruised and hurt," Bonnie whispered, barely wiping the blemish makeup off her arms.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Bonnie bit back to the silence.

"I'll tell you on the way there." Elena was short with her best friend, but worried of the outcome.

So after the explanations happened between Bonnie and Elena, there was nothing left unsaid. All the secrets were out, and the scars were revealed.

"You've been keeping this from me?" Bonnie attacked as Elena rolled her eyes.

"I've been keeping it from you all from a month. He doesn't care. He's a monster, he's not perfect, Elijah is just no—"

"Not Damon?" she questioned butting in as Elena shrugged softly. The name made her heart skip a beat, feeling as if she couldn't breathe. She hadn't seen his face in a little over a month. A month was a long time to be away from Damon Salvatore.

Elena pursed her lips. "He chose what he wanted. I didn't do it for him." Elena's eyes fell to the floor and she zoned out staring at the tile. It made her almost want to count every single tile that was lying before her.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Elena wanted to find love, that never ending love that would always be there. It was such a never-ending battle for the brunette. Plus, it broke her heart. "—What are you going to do about him?—Elijah?" Bonnie perked up in a whisper, as they waited at the baggage claim.

Elena crossed her arms and felt as there was a lodge in her throat keeping her from breathing properly. "—I am not even sure. I thought he was better than this. I fell in love with an invisible person. He doesn't even exist in my mind anymore. He's just a demon, just like Derek."

Bonnie was extremely familiar with Derek. He was a demon put in his place, now he was rotting in prison for the things he had done. "I can't find that thing, I always wanted, Bon," she said as tears filled her eyelids.

Bonnie held her best friend tight. "—Tonight is going to be amazing. You won't regret coming, and you should stay for a little while. California is a big, big place, plus all your friends will be there," her friend gave her the best advice always. Plus it was thousands of miles away from Elijah. She could only hope Elijah would never find her here. "—We should go shopping too! I miss my shopping habits," Bonnie continued. She was a comfort to Elena; getting her mind off her troubles.

Soon their luggage appeared, allowing them to leave the airport earlier than they thought. Their cars were already on their way to the hotel they had chosen, making it so Bonnie called a cab. The roads in California were extremely busy, but not as busy as New York. As they were stopped at a red light, Elena's eyes perked up to see a tall building—a building that could only rip her heart out. Salvatore Industries was before her in all its glory. Her eyes trailed, as she began to sob silently. The waiting at the red light almost made her want to rush inside the building and find wherever Damon was in the large business.

"—Did something struck you?" Bonnie asked looking over at her friend.

Elena snapped out of her daydream immediately. "—No, I'm good."

The ride to the hotel wasn't that long to Elena. She had drove much further in New York, but in the state of mind she was in, anything was long and drawn out.

They had chosen the hotel for many reasons. Bonnie had left to go prep for a few things on her own, but promised to be back soon. It was a girl's night most of all, and it was time to forget every burden hanging over Elena's head. The night was supposed to be good, not a time to plant the emotional heartache in her troubled mind. Elena unpacked her things, finding a place to put all of her belongings. Her eyes trailed up at the clock, only showing it was 12:30. Elena crossed her arms, still feeling the aftermath of the pain from Elijah's strength.

The Gilbert had been crying again. Her eyes were heavy from all the tears she had shed, but she could only promise herself that no matter what things would be better. For now, though, it was her and the empty hotel room. She sat on the edge of the bed, looking out the window to view the skyline of Los Angeles. It was beautiful and breathtaking. Something she really never stopped and saw before. Through all her troubles, Elena never had time to stop and smell the roses; until she had let her guard down.

Soon enough, a peck on the door woke her out of her state of mind. She wondered why Bonnie didn't just use her key. Elena walked to the door, going to unlock it for her friend. She pulled the door open, and looked up.

The familiar gentlemen standing before her made her jump out of her own skin. But her tears came to visit again, which felt almost like a downpour of rain. "What are you doing here?" she whispered, almost not audible.

His blue eyes gazed into her hues. He smiled softly. "—A little Bennett told me everything," he muttered, as he furrowed his eyebrows.

Elena embraced him and sobbed into his tailored suit. "Damon," she cried.

"—Come here, Lena," Damon's cooing made her relax for the first time in weeks.

Damon hugged her tighter, as she continued to cry harder. "I've missed you; I've missed you so terribly much I can't make it go away," she blurted. It was like she was a broken record, but she only hoped he felt the same way.

He closed the door behind himself, walking her over to the bed, where they set only inches apart from each other. "—I miss you too, Elena."

"You wanna talk?" Damon whispered more of a muttering tone. His eyes were hurt, the bruises were visible, and so was the heartbreak settling in her eyes.

She shrugged, as her eyes filled up with tears. "I don't know what to say. I'm just surprised you came."

He forced a smile, gently touching the bruise on her face. "How could the Elena Gilbert who was such a bitch to me the first month I met her, let this happen?" he softly gestured, running his fingers over her face.

"I don't know…I just fell in love with a mirage. It wasn't real, it was only what he made himself to be when I was around with him in public—and I got hurt," she whispered.

His smile turned quickly into a frown as he placed his fingertip gently under her chin. "You want to go get some coffee—perhaps something to eat?"

"Work?" she muttered lifelessly.

Damon rolled her eyes, at the remark he had made months ago to her. She always put work first, thinking that was the first thing that mattered. "Welcome back, Gilbert," he smiled grabbing her tiny hand, pulling her off the bed.

;) Surprise! Damon has returned!
+ comments are lovely by the way. I love you all.