Chapter One

Unexpected Revelations

Here I am,

With my love out the door,

And my heart on the floor,

You should be knocking

How could he lie to her? He'd promised he was over it. Sworn he had it under control. She'd trusted him. She loved him. And he'd let her down.

The news reports flashed through her mind again. Three dead. Teenagers, just out for a good time celebrating their exam results. A dog walker had found them the next morning, mutilated and empty of life.

"Another animal attack devastates Mystic Falls"

She wasn't buying the story, she knew better. She'd confronted him then, asked why he hadn't told her, why he'd refused her help. He'd shaken his head, his face a mask of sympathetic understanding.

"It wasn't me Elena, I swear."

"Who was it then Stefan? And don't even bother pretending it was an animal attack because we both know that's bullshit!"

"It was Damon." He'd whispered.

And she'd believed.

She'd glared into his eyes and faltered at the sincerity she'd found there. Livid, she'd marched up the boarding house stairs and rushed down the landing to Damon's room. Faltering slightly she'd thrown open the door and stood there trying to regain her composure.

He was propped up casually against his black silken pillows lazily flicking through a copy of that mornings paper. He lifted his lashes piercing her with his deep blue eyes, his trademark smirk daring her to wipe it away.

"Why, Damon?"

"Why what? Elena." He replied, fluidly swinging his legs off of the bed and standing to face her.

"Don't play games with me I am not in the mood. Why did you kill those people in the woods. You promised!" She'd screamed, her voice breaking with anger.

His lazy demeanour diminished at once. "What?" He'd asked incredulously. "You think I did that?"

"Well who else, Damon?" I yelled, closing the distance between us and pushing his chest with as much force as I could manage.

"Why don't you ask your boyfriend? I'm sure he's just dying to fill your head with even more ridiculous lies!" He muttered vehemently, anger rolling off him in waves. His eyes turned black and he turned away speeding into his bathroom and slamming the door.

I'd turned around then to see Stefan standing in the doorway guilt etched on every feature of his face.

Hurt and disappointment overwhelmed me. "It was you. You killed them."

"I didn't mean to, Elena. I lost control, it won't happen again. I'm sorry. I have it under control now, I'm fine. We'll be fine" He walked slowly towards me, pleading with his eyes.

"You lied to me. You tried to blame Damon. How could you do this, Stefan? After everything that's happened?" I couldn't think, couldn't breathe. I shoved passed him and ran down the stairs and out of the front door. I'd made it all the way home before I'd given into the pain and broken down sobbing in my car.

I managed to compose myself long enough to walk through the front door and run up the stairs before Jenna or Jeremy could ask what was wrong. I stared around my room willing myself to calm down. I needed to think, to plan. I had to make him stop before he hurt anyone else.

"Elena." Stefan called from the open window. "Elena, please, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Let me explain…"

"No, Stefan. Leave me alone. I can't be around you right now, just go"

"Elena…"

She cut him off before he could waver her resolve. "Please, just go." She turned her back on him and heard him sign heavily. She paused for a few seconds before turning back and crossing her room to close the window, her gaze lingering on the now empty tree branch.

Frustration, anger and disappointment coursed through her. Forcing herself to relax she stripped off her clothes fighting tears and stuffed them into the laundry basket next to her closet.

She was just about to grab her pyjamas from under her pillow when she felt the air stir around her. Refusing to acknowledge his presence she continued searching for her pyjamas.

"Looking for these?" Damon asked.

She slowly turned around to find Damon standing next to her window holding up her shorts and vest, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Give them back Damon." She demanded, holding her hand out whilst bringing the other one up to casually rest on her hip. "Now."

"Or what?" He took a step towards her, daring her to come and get them.

Elena flung up her arms, sighed and laid down on the bed, resigned to playing along with whatever he had planned so she could go to sleep and hopefully wake up to find this was just some really bad nightmare.

"What do you want Damon?"

"Well I did want to see if you were okay after your little lovers tiff back there but now seeing you in that very sexy underwear, might I add, my want just got a whole lot…bigger." He teased, waggling his eyebrows and looking me up and down lust apparent in his darkening eyes.

"Ugh, forget it Damon. I just want you to give me back my pyjamas and get out of my room so I can go to sleep."

He moved closer to the bed and lowered his head to my ear. His breath tickled my neck as he whispered huskily, "Are you sure that's what you want? Because your body seems to want something else entirely."

His delicious scent enveloped my senses as he brushed his lips seductively across my jaw and down my neck. My brain began to cloud as I struggled to form a coherent sentence in answer to his question.

"No…I mean yes…I don't know…" I tried to slow my heart rate and stop my shaky breaths. I needed to think. I couldn't let him get to me or I wouldn't be able to control myself.

"Which is it?" He breathed lifting his lips from my neck to gaze at me. "Yes or no." He smirked but I could see the underlying plea in his eyes.

I swallowed and sat up trying to sort through the mess of emotions pumping through my body. "I can't do this right now. Me and Stefan…we haven't…I don't know how to fix it…but I'm not going to…I don't want to be Katherine."

"You're not. I'm not asking you to dump Stefan and ride off into the sunset with me…though it's an intriguing idea." He smirked. "But I don't want to be strung along for another 145 years either. We have something. I can feel it, you can feel it. So why are you fighting it? Give into your feelings, Elena, be yourself for once."

"Because I love Stefan. I can't just forget my feelings for him. I care about you. More than I should, more than anyone knows I do, but I can't do that to him. I won't be the reason you tear each other apart." She stood up and headed towards the bathroom but Damon got there first.

He gently paced his hands on either side of her face and gazed at her longingly. "I care about you too." He whispered. "And I will let you decide in your own time but know that I won't wait forever. We are meant for each other and the sooner you realise it the easier it will be for everyone."

He paused to gauge her reaction and slowly bent his head towards Elena's searching her face. Then he gently placed his lips to hers. What neither of them was prepared for was her reaction.

Elena slammed her body into his deepening the kiss with passion and lust. He hesitated for only a second before responding relishing in the feel of her lips against his. He'd kissed many girls but he had never felt like this. He wanted to melt into her as she slowly brought her arms up to wrap around his neck, stroking her fingers through his hair and sending small pleasurable shivers down his spine. He loved her. He knew that now. There was no turning back, no running away. He would fight for her with his last breath if he had to.

Wow. Was all she could think, all she could feel when his lips met hers. She needed him. They needed each other. He was right. She was fighting the only thing that had ever made her feel complete since the night her parents died. She wanted to feel guilty about betraying Stefan but she simply had no more room for any feelings other than the overwhelming desire she felt for Damon in that moment.

She broke the kiss to come up for oxygen, her breathing ragged and erratic. He was gazing at her intensely waiting for her to speak. She got lost in his eyes for several seconds before she managed to form words to describe how she was feeling.

"Well that was…wow." She breathed unable to sum up into words how amazing that kiss was.

He chuckled and stroked her face, resting his other hand on the small of her back and tracing tiny circles along her spine. "Guess that answers the question of which Salvatore brother is the better kisser." He teased, bringing her lips to his again.

It was sweeter this time, less rushed, but still painfully intense. She'd never felt this way with anyone. He could make her feel so angry she felt like she would explode and the next second she'd be fighting laughter at some witty remark he'd make to calm her down. There was no denying their chemistry, she could be herself completely, let all her guards drop whenever he was near.

She broke the kiss again and moved back from his embrace. "I have to tell Stefan. He deserves to know. I don't know if I can be with you Damon there's just too much to deal with right now but I will not mess with your feelings. I have to sort things out with Stefan and then we'll talk about this thing between us."

He watched her silently processing her words. "Okay." He said. "Just let me know if you need me." He walked towards her and hugged her tightly to him before placing a kiss on her forehead and walking to the window.

"Elena, you are the most beautiful person I've ever met. I don't do good and I don't do big long speeches about feelings. I won't change for you but I will never hurt you or anyone you love. I will understand if you can never love me but I want us to try. Just think about it, that's all I ask, and let me know when you've made your decision. I'll face whatever you decide but if you choose Stefan we can't be friends and I will leave because it will kill me to watch you with him."

He smiled a little forcibly then turned and disappeared.

She didn't know what to do. She knew she had the power to break him and it would kill her if he turned back into the cold hearted monster she'd first met. She loved Stefan. But Damon made her feel…alive…whole. Her heart felt heavy as she dressed in her pyjamas and huddled down under the covers. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.