Authors Notes: Hello! This is my first Vampire Diaries fic. I am obsessed with this show! Especially Damon. I was lucky enough to meet Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley over the weekend. There was a Vampire Diaries Convention in Chicago and it was amazing! I got to take a picture with Ian, I about died! He was very sweet. His poor finger was broken haha. My cousin and I had so much fun. Anyway I hope you give this story a chance, I'm very excited about it. Don't worry Layla wont be a Mary Sue. This will be pretty dark at times but I think you'll enjoy it. This is set right after season 3 ends. So this is my twist on everything. Enjoy! I don't own Vampire Diaries, blah blah blah.

Damons POV

It's been six agonizing months since Elena became a vampire. I was all set and ready to honor the agreement my annoying little brother and I had made. But of course things can never go my way, ever. Elena was having trouble with her transition; she was having a hard time with the Stefan friendly furry friends diet. So who does the second most selfish woman on the planet come to for help? Why the fuck can't I just learn to say no to her!? I would have stuck to my plans had Stefan not come to me practically begging at my feet to help her. As much as he's pissed me off over the years I was finally starting to have some semblance of a normal relationship with my brother and it was even harder to say no to him than it was to say to Elena. So here I am following around the little vampire that could to make sure she doesn't snack on some innocent bystander. She's been doing obnoxiously well with not eating anyone, she's slipped up a few times but she's never killed anyone. I honestly wish she'd just rip someones throat out flip shit and blame it all on me like she usually does so it would give me an excuse to yell back and get her to hate me so I could leave this goddamn town without feeling guilty. It doesn't hurt so bad to see her with Stefan anymore, sure it still stings that she led me a long and yet again chose him but I want him to be happy. I'll never fully be over Elena, I love her too much. It doesn't help that she still runs to me anytime somethings wrong and forces her company on me when all I want is to be left alone with my bourbon and whichever new girl is lucky enough to be in bed with me for the night. I wish I could hate her for all the shit she's put me through but deep down I know that she honestly has no idea how much she's hurt me and that makes her selfish habits even more damaging. She would never hurt anyone on purpose; she's disgustingly selfless when it comes to everything but me.

Life has been more boring the last six months than it has been in years. Some psycho council member blew up himself and most of the rest of the council so now there's no real threat to any of us. Klaus still lurks around but I think that's just to annoy the shit out of Blondie and Saint Stefan. Everything is normal…and that's abnormal. Elena has barely changed since her transition except for heightened moods and her feeding tendencies. I spend my days drowning in booze. I'm trying to not feel without having to turn my switch off, I mean I'm all for a good killing spree but apparently it would piss everyone else off. So my slight depression has to be cured with a gratuitous amount of alcohol and sex. Right now I'm driving around trying to track down the baby vamp because she's not answering her damn phone and Stefans practically having a conniption fit. I'm surprised when I find her in front of a large house down town talking to someone I don't recognize. I park across the street and step out. As soon as the woman turns her back on Elena I see her lunge and I'm at her side and holding her back in an instant. So much for her good behavior.

The woman hears the commotion behind her and turns to face us. Well hello there beautiful. I've definitely never seen her before. She's about 5'4 and slim. Her hair is a dark red and choppy, it reaches the middle of her back. Her eyes are an extremely bright green and stand out against her pale skin.

"Oh, where'd you come from?" The look on her face is priceless, she glances over my body a little longer than necessary but I'm used to that. I know how attractive I am. Her eyes meet mine and I smirk and hold out my hand to her.

"I'm Damon Salvatore I was just looking for my friend here." She goes to shake my hand but then pulls back before our hands meet, her palm is cut open and bleeding.

"Sorry, I forgot. Sliced my hand getting these boxes out of the car." That explains Elena's almost mess up. I glare silently at the young vampire, she looks guilty and depressed. Shit, I can't even be angry with her when she looks like that.

"This is Layla Aston, she just moved to town. I was helping her carry boxes inside and I lost track of time." Knowing Elena it's probably true, she's the kind of person that would just offer a random stranger help. Guess that means she was invited in.

"Well it was lovely meeting you Layla, but I have to get this one home to her boyfriend." I take her uninjured hand and kiss it. My knuckles brush against her bracelet that's dangling down and I wince and pull back. It obviously has vervain in it. So the sexy new girl has some secrets.

"Are you ok?" Layla looks more confused and concerned than angry and afraid…maybe she doesn't know what she's wearing. Elena Looks concerened for an entirely different reason.

"Does that bracelet have real emeralds in it?" I quickly change the subject. "Do you mind if I take a look at it?" She shrugs and takes it off. I take a handkerchief out of my back pocket and take the bracelet from her.

I take step towards her and lock eyes with the beautiful woman. "Do you know about vampires?"

Her eyes dilate and she answers almost mechanically. "Only about the ones in the stories my mom used to tell me. Vampires aren't real." Just as I thought.

"Who gave you the bracelet?"

"My father gave it to my mother and she gave it to me."

"Why are you here?"

"It's the last place I remember being happy." I'm surprised by her answer. What does that mean exactly?

"You're going to forget that I asked you about any of this." Layla snaps out of it and shakes her head.

"So do you think they're real?" I smile and hand her back the bracelet.

"Yes ma'am. Whoever gave you that must really like you." A strange expression crosses her face, sadness and maybe anger.

"I really have to get back to getting this stuff inside. It was nice meeting you both. Thanks for the help Elena; I hope we'll run in to each other again soon." Elena says goodbye and we take our leave.

As soon as we're in the car Elena starts in. "Damon, I almost fed on her! I wanted to feed on her. Her blood smelled so good and I just…" I cut her off with a finger to her lips.

"Can you stop talking for just a minute? I could give a shit less about who or what you decide to eat; Stefan on the other hand will get even more mopey and unbearable than usual if you slip up. I only came looking for you for his sake. Only thing I'm pissed about is the fact that you were going to attack her in broad daylight in her driveway. But I was there and it all worked out so stop your self loathing suicidal rant while you're ahead."

She lets out a sigh and looks down. "Thank you Damon." I hate when she sounds like this. When she sounds like she needs me and wouldn't know what to do without me.

"No problem. You know me, your friendly neighborhood vampire, saving innocent humans all day everyday." She smiles slightly and seems to relax a little.

"Layla was really nice. She used to live here when she was a kid. She's moving into her grandparents house, they were in the house the pastor blew up. They must have been part of the council." Elena really was chatting up the new girl in town; she was too friendly for her own good.

"Ooo Stefan will be thrilled! You made a new friend today, I'm so happy for you honey." She rolls her eyes at my dramatic patronizing tone.

"You're such an ass." Believe me, I know.

Laylas POV

I had just gotten back from meeting with Sheriff Forbes. I was beyond mentally exhausted. Vampires, werewolves, doppelgangers, witches. Jesus Christ! What the hell kind of world was I living in? I knew my life was already completely fucked up but now all of this on top of it. My grandparents had left strict instructions that the sheriff tell me all about the council and all the happenings in Mystic Falls if anything happened to them before they were able to tell me themselves. I should have never moved in with him, I should have moved in with my grandparents when my mother died. I would have known more about this place. I loved them, why the hell was I so stupid? I had lost everything. I was determined to start over here. I would take all I learned in stride. I didn't believe all the crap Liz told me until she showed me the letter my grandmother left me. They thought I would be part of the council, part of this life. Now I would do just that, for them. They didn't believe that all vampires were bad, they just believed we should be careful and keep ourselves protected.

I now knew the two people I met earlier were vampires. Elena seemed incredibly nice, Liz said she was best friends with her daughter Caroline, who was also a vampire. And Damon was a part of the council and a good friend of Liz's. He was so ridiculously hot. I take a deep breath as I leave the police station and go towards the Mystic Grill, it's been here for years.

There aren't too many people in here at two o'clock in the afternoon. I take a seat at the bar and order a screwdriver and a shot of tequila. I shoot back the tequila and revel in the burn. I need this. I'm happy that the Grill is so dim, I'm basking in the ambiance of the place, my head is pounding from all of the shit I've had to process today and if it was bright and noisy in here right now I probably would explode. I order another shot but before I'm able to drink it I see someone sit down next to me out of my peripherals.

"Day drinking huh? My kind of girl." I stiffen at the sound of the seductive slightly familiar voice next to me. I turn to look at the attractive man next to me…scratch that attractive vampire. I'm surprisingly not afraid. I'd went though some pretty difficult things in my life, I could handle this.

"Care to join me in a shot?" Might as well befriend the vampire. Wouldn't want him trying to eat me later on. I laugh at the ridiculousness of that statement and this whole situation.

He smirks and gestures the bartender towards him. "Give me my usual and a shot of tequila." He comes back with what looks like two glasses of bourbon and the shot. He sets one the glasses to the left of him. "What are we drinking to?"

I think for a minute. "To new beginnings." We clink our glasses together and down our shots.

I'm three screwdrivers in and just as many tequila shots. Apparently Liz called Damon and told him all that she told me. He's funny and charming, never a good combination.

"You're taking all of this way too well. I'm starting to think you might be some kind of freak." I laugh at this, probably too loudly.

"Says the vampire. You're right, I'm the freak." He has an almost constant smirk on his face.

Damon orders us two more shots. "You're a very pretty girl. Aren't you worried some creep will swoop in and take advantage of you in your vulnerable drunken state?" I roll my eyes and smack his arm. He's wearing a dark wash jeans, a black t shirt, and a black leather jacket. It all looks way too expensive for a small town like this.

"What? A creep like you?" He chuckles and shrugs. " You are way too well dressed for Mystic Falls, but I'm sure you know that. You're one of those guys that know exactly how hot they are and completely uses it to their advantage aren't you?" I wouldn't be exactly this brazen if I was sober.

He turns his barstool towards me more and captures me in his intense gaze. "So you think I'm hot?" I'd like to smack the grin off his face…or maybe kiss it. You're insane Layla! He's a vampire!

"Obviously. The fact that you think you're hot though is completely unattractive, so you lose some points." He quirks an eyebrow.

"I wasn't aware that you were keeping a point system with me. So what's the goal and what do I get if I meet it?" His voice is all silk and leather and way too seductive. My head is fuzzy enough as is.

"I don't think you're going to find out today but I'd be on my best behavior if I was you. Next time you might get lucky." He definitely reads the double meaning behind my words. When the hell did I get so flirty?

"Ouch next time, already shooting me down?" His words go through me like ice. My stomach drops, my heart starts pounding, and my ears start ringing. Spots begin to obscure my vision. I feel myself tipping over.

"Layla? You ok? Layla!"