Chapter 1

Elena was laid back on her couch stretching out her long, toned legs as she flicked through the channels on the television. It was the first week of summer vacation and she was already bored. The holidays were supposed to be the best time of the year, but after a series of unfortunate events over the last year, she had found herself parentless, having to now live under the roof of her Uncle John with her brother.

It wasn't so bad living with them, but her Uncle was a massive gambler and after her brother, Jeremy, survived the car crashed that killed her parents; he had fallen in to a state of depression and drug taking.

It had been a tough year for both of them. Although it had affected her just as badly, Elena had somehow managed to overcome it all and become the person she used to be. It was difficult, but she did it. She'd never been very popular at school, her only real friends being Bonnie and Matt and although they supported her every step of the way, sometimes it was a little too much. They treated her like she was made of glass and that she might break at any moment or fall into a deep set depression.

Just like her brother.

Jeremy had always been a bit of a trouble maker at school, but her mother had always insisted it was just a stage in the teenage years. But, after the accident, things just fell to pieces for him. He started ditching school, lashing out and breaking himself away. Some days he was fine, but others Elena struggled to even get a word out of him. She'd tried everything, even used some of the money left by her parents to try and get her brother help, but he refused.

After months of trying, Elena finally realised that there was no point anymore. It was down to Jeremy if he wanted help and she decided to give him his own space and time to mourn. It scared her sometimes, when he wondered off late into the night or didn't answer his phone, but there wasn't much she could do anymore. John insisted it was best to leave him to move on at his own pace.

Uncle John was her new legal guardian, much to her displeasure. He was a bit of a gambler and a useless father figure for Jeremy. He was either constantly working or down at the bar or at the casino on the outskirts of town. He was also, Elena thought, a shifty and untrustworthy man. He would lie about the smallest things and would jump at the tiniest sound. It was like he was a watching his back, afraid someone would come for him, which didn't surprise her. She knew he had enemies and people after him for his debts.

Elena sighed, fingering the bracelet on her wrist. It had been her mother's and had the Gilbert crest in the centre of the small locket. It contained memories from a happier time.

Switching off the telly, she made her way into the kitchen to check the time. 11:15 at night and neither her Uncle nor Jeremy had shown their faces yet. As usual then, nothing new. They didn't even care that they were leaving a young girl behind at night.

She needed to get out of here, she knew it, but was there a place in the world for a girl like her? Someone who didn't know what they wanted in life? She thought she knew before the accident, but over the year things had changed too much for Elena to want anything anymore. Things over the last year had gotten so out of hand for her and she was so confused about what she really wanted anymore.

Still it could be worse, she guessed.

Deciding she needed a break, Elena started to type a quick text to John, explaining that she was going to be spending the next few days with Bonnie. Her friend had always made it clear that she was there whenever Elena needed her. Besides, staying home alone for the rest of the night and weekend was definitely not what she wanted.

Just then, there was a knock on the door and it made her jump.

Who the hell could that be at this hour?

Elena glanced through the peep hole in the door to try and get a look at who was on her porch. A young man, maybe in his early twenties, was standing patiently at the door with a slight smile on his face. He was wearing a black suit and tie, looking very professional and official. He seemed nice enough, but who was he?

She slowly open the door, making sure to only poke her head around and keep the rest of her body hidden from sight.

"Umm…can I help you?" Elena asked, genuinely concerned.

"Good evening Ma'am," The man with the dark brown hair and piercing green eyes responded. "I was wondering if I could speak to John Gilbert? I have some business to deal with him and, well, it's a matter of urgency."

"He's not in at the moment." She replied quickly, becoming uneasy under the man's intense stare. "Check the local bar; I'm sure you'll find him passed out on the sidewalk at this hour."

His eyebrows fused together. "Well, that's unfortunate. I was hoping that I could solve this little…disagreement now. Maybe you could help me with that?" He muttered, pinning her with his eyes. "May I come in?"

"No." Elena spat, infuriated that he would even ask that when she had no idea who he was.

Out of nowhere, a black Audi SUV with dark tinted windows pulled up on the driveway but it was a vehicle she had never seen before. Something was seriously wrong. Elena went to slam the door in the stranger's face, but he put his boot in the way and pushed the door back open. Elena backed away from the door as the man stepped over the threshold of her house. He straightened out his tie and shook his head, eyes twinkling with amusement.

"You really shouldn't have done that." He smirked. "Klaus?"

Without a moment to spare, a gloved hand came from behind and held Elena's mouth before pulling her against a wall of muscle as the other hand came around and placed a knife to her throat. She swallowed thickly and struggled for a moment before she felt the sting of the metal blade against her sensitive skin.

"Don't scream." Said a low, sturdy voice behind her. "Make a sound and I'll cut your throat so fast you won't know what hit you. Understand?"

Elena froze, her eyes wild and breathing shaky as tears pooled in her eyes. Just as the knife pressed against her skin an unstoppable whimper escaped her lips as fear over took her, one that she had never felt so strongly before. She was going to die, like this…just like in the movies.

Slowly she nodded her head and the hand was removed from her mouth, grasping her hair in a tight hold instead. The knife was still at her throat but didn't have as much pressure behind it, giving her room to finally breathe. She peered past the man in front of her, noting that a few more men were surrounding her house.

The first man from the front door slowly came up in front of her, reaching out and tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ears. She flinched and tried to move away, but the grip on her hair was just too tight. She wasn't going anywhere.

"Now, point me in the direction of your kitchen." The green eyed man said simply.

She sniffled as she raised her hand, trying to remain calm, and pointed to the door on the right. He grinned again and looked up at the man who held her, nodding once. The man behind her, Klaus, shoved her forwards and in the direction of the kitchen.

The walk to the kitchen was the longest of Elena's life and she shook the entire time. It was a small kitchen despite the size of the rest of the house. A small bland wooden table sat in the middle of the room with two chairs on either end. Once in the room, the man, Klaus, slowly allowed her to sit down and removed the knife from her neck.

"Don't try anything stupid." He hissed in her ear, grabbing hold of her shoulders to make sure she didn't move.

"P-please…" She pleaded, not knowing what else to do. She wouldn't cry in front of these evil strangers.

"Shut up!" Klaus spat, yanking her hair again causing a small shriek to escape her lips. He raised the knife to her cheek and lightly pressed the tip against her flesh.

"Klaus!" Another voice boomed behind them, causing the man to let go of her hair instantly.

"Sorry, Mister Salvatore," Klaus mumbled.

He pulled away and the sound of footholds strolling in to the room caught her attention. She didn't dare turn her head or look at whoever it was; instead she gripped the seat of the chair with both hands, telling herself over and over again that everything was going to be okay. Her eyes were trained to the floor as a pair of dark, polished boots came into view.

Too scared to look up, Elena stayed where she was, wishing more than anything that she could just disappear from here and out of site. This was all John's business and now here she was, caught up in the middle of it all.

Then, she felt a large hand come forward, petting her hair gingerly to the side. Her breathing hitched as the backs of his knuckles trailed down the side of her cheek, brushing away the tears that continued to run over her reddened skin. Finally, his fingertips rested under her chin and carefully pushed her face up and away from the floor, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of him.

He was dressed all in black, matching his thick, shaggy hair; his dark blue eyes focused and intense. His jaw was strong and his features bold, making him handsome yet unbelievable intimidating. The man was absolutely gorgeous, young and completely captivating. The way he carried himself demanded attention, respect and authority. The man made his way towards her, and Elena's heart went ballistic, she was sure he could hear it thumping.

"Well, well, well…what do we have here?" He smirked, grabbing the chair opposite of her and leaning forward, his knees brushing against hers.

Elena took control of her shaking body and the tears soon stopped, although they still gathered in her eyes. She had no idea who this man was, or what he wanted, so she tried to control herself.

"P-please don't hurt me..." She spoke in a faint whisper. "Take anything you want and leave."

The man eyed her curiously, rubbing his chin and leaning back in his seat. Elena took the opportunity to look around the room, noticing that the green eyed man was hovering by the back door and Klaus was still behind her. She could hear other people in the house, the banging of cupboards and drawers as if they were all searching for something. Money? Goods?

"What is your name, sweetie?" The blue eyed man asked. He was gingerly stroking her face, and even though she was currently deadly afraid, she noticed that he wasn't really hurting her yet.

Her attention was back on him and she hesitated. Why would he want her name? She considered staying silent, but the way his eyes narrowed at her delay in answering proved that was no option to her at all.

"E-Elena." She whispered.

"Hmm, Elena." The name rolled off his tongue like silk. "That's a very pretty name."

"What do you want from me?" She asked, trying her best to sound brave.

"That's a very good question," The man chuckled, leaning forward in his seat so that his elbows rested on his knees. "You see, I have this problem. I'm looking for someone; John Gilbert, you may know him? Well, he owes me some money, among other things, so I just came to collect."

Elena's blood ran cold. She knew her Uncle was a compulsive gambler, but she didn't think that he would go as far as borrowing money off a gang of mobsters. Or, at least, she hoped that was what it was.

"Take anything valuable, anything you want, but please just go after that," She pleaded, knowing that it was impossible that her Uncle actually had any money to pay them back. "I have nothing to do with this and I want nothing to do with it."

"That is where you are very much mistaken. Anyway, that is an intriguing offer there, Elena." He murmured. "Anything valuable? Anything I want?"

Elena nodded, finding it difficult to find her voice now. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? This wasn't her fight!

The man chuckled again, as he took his hand and rubbed up her leg to her thigh causing Elena to jump at the fiery feeling of his touch. Her eyes widened in complete and utter fear, her body practically shaking. He kept rubbing her thigh and for a moment, Elena was almost certain that he was going to rape her. But then anger consumed her at the humoured look she saw spread across his smug face. He was looking at her, smiling lazily as he looked at his hand touching her thigh, however he didn't do anything other than that.

Without thinking, her hand darted out and slapped his hand away from her.

What happened next was a complete blur. One moment Elena was glaring at the man and, the next, she was face down on the wooden table with her arm pulled painfully behind her back, twisting it at impossible angle.

"Big mistake," The green eyed man hissed in her ear, jerking her arm harshly and making her cry out.

"Stefan!" The man sat across from her barked and, instantly, she was dropped to the floor.

Shaking, she cradled her damaged arm in her hand, noting that a bruise was definitely on the way. The blue eyed man held out his hand to her and, not wanting to upset him anymore, she took it carefully. He helped her back into her seat only, this time, Elena coward away from the man, trying to position her body so she wasn't touching him, but that was nearly impossible.

It was a while before he finally spoke again and the sound of his voice made her jump.

"I think I've made my decision already." He muttered softly. "There is nothing really in this house worth anything to me. However, there is one valuable that I would be happy to take to settle this little…disagreement."

He licked his lips once more, giving her a lope-sided smile. He clicked his fingers and Klaus moved forward and placed his knife in the blue eyed man's hands. He pressed the tip of the blade on to his finger, testing the sharpness.

He suddenly snatched out and gripped her wrist tightly, yanking her forward. Elena panicked and jerked back, but it was no use. He then brought the blade down to her wrist and her eyes clamped shut at the thought of the pain and torture he was about to inflict on her. She couldn't imagine the pain she was going to feel. However, all she felt was a tight tug and then a weight falling from her skin. Opening her eyes slightly, she gasped as the man held up her mother's bracelet which he'd cut away from her.

"You won't be needing this anymore," He smirked, tossing it towards the bin.

"N-no! You can't!" She cried, already to jump from her seat, but the knife was suddenly rested on the side of her face.

"Ah, ah, ah, I'm not finished yet," He teased, turning the blade over in his hand. "I have some another question for you, sweet Elena." He spoke as he started brushing the hair from her face with his knife. "Do you know where your Uncle is now?"

"N-no…" She stuttered, becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the blade being so close to her. Tears slipped down her cheek and he brushed them away with the blade, however being careful that he didn't press on her skin.

"Aw, don't cry," He said mockingly.

"Please…I don't know where he is."

"That's a shame." He sighed, dropping the knife from her hair so that it now rested on the top of her jean covered legs. "Anyway before I leave here tonight, there is one thing of value that I have to have."

Elena stared at him blankly, just wanting his all to be over with. "What?" She asked wearily.

He smirked leaning forward so that his mouth was by her ear. "You."

"Wh-what…what do you mean?" Elena stuttered, feeling a single tear slip from her eye. She knew exactly what he meant; she just couldn't bring herself to believe it.

"I want you, Elena and I will take you." He explained, never once dropping his gaze from her. "It's been a while since I came across such a beautiful prize like you."

"N-no…you can't!" Elena cried.

"Hush now." He mused, lightly trailing his fingertips across her cheek, wiping away the tear track. "I want you, so I am going to bring you home with me, by force if I have to."

"I'm not going with you." Elena snapped, slapping his hand away from her face.

She gulped, instantly regretting lashing out as her man's features darkened. Her heart pounded in her ears as she thought frantically about what she had been planning to do, but the look on his face silenced any thoughts or plans of escape. He was going to kill her anyway, no doubt.

He reached forwards and gripped her hair, yanking her so that her nose was pressed against his. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as if he was contemplating what it was he should do next. He started smirking as his eyes slowly opened, looking in to her frightened doe eyes. She let out a small scream when he continued to pull her hair, but he put a hand on her mouth, silencing her.

"Either you come with me now or we can wait for your brother to come home. You can watch him die and then I will take you with me." He hissed, pushing her back in to the chair as he stood to make his way out of the room.

"Wait!" She cried, her chest rattling. "I'll go with you." Elena whispered, giving up.

She didn't want to go with these monsters. She didn't want to be anywhere near them, but she had to do this for her brother. She couldn't bear the thought of her brother getting hurt, let alone murdered.

She shuddered as the blue eyed man gripped her shoulders from behind, squeezing them slightly. He leant his face down and nuzzled the side of her head, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair, smirking the entire time. She then felt him place a kiss on her head and she wanted to throw up. How dare he put his mouth on her? She cried harder at the thought of what this man could do to her. If he was already putting his mouth on her now, she could only imagine what he'd do to her if he took her home with him. She imagined being kept in a basement, bound and gagged as he inflicted pain on her, or worse.

"Wise choice, kitten," He whispered. "Stefan, the handcuffs."

Elena's eyes widened as the green eyed man, Stefan, produced a pair of cuffs from his suit jacket and passed them over, grinning down at her. Her hands were suddenly pulled behind her back and the cold cuffs wrapped around her wrists, the small clicking sound sealing them shut.

"Can't have you running off anywhere," The man cooed behind.

He yanked her out of the seat and pulled her body flush against his. He smirked down at her before pulling her through the house and out to the front door. There were a few over men dressed the same as Stefan outside the house as well. What the hell was going on?!

One man held the back door to the car open for them and Elena struggled with her hands behind her back, but the blue eyed man supported her. He followed, closing the door behind him and she shifted to try and get as far away from him as possible, but didn't get too far.

Elena looked at her captor with complete terror in her eyes, even more so now as the door closed, sealing her in the back with him.

He smirked as his gaze wondered over her body and God was she gorgeous. From where he sat her breasts were the perfect size. Her legs were long and firm, she stood at around five foot six. Her eyes were bewitching and showed any emotion that she tried to hide. Her skin was flawless and her face was like an angel's. It was as if her face glowed. He, in all his years, had never seen a more beautiful woman. And she was his now.

"So, Elena my dear, I know so much about you already." He mused, inching closer to her. "Is there anything you wish to know about me?"

"I-I…um…wh-who are you?" She cleared her throat when she noticed him looking her over again.

Damon Salvatore. I am the leader of the biggest underground criminal organisation." He smirked, loving the way her breathing became uneven at this information. "One of the areas I work in is loaning my money out. It's a big business, I'm sure your aware, but that is how I met John."

"Why?" She whispered softly, still refusing to look up.

Damon chuckled. "Let's just say he got into a bit of debt with me from a while back and it was time to pay up. He hasn't been very forthcoming, so I had to take actions into my own hands. Although I am rather glad he didn't pay now. I have you to play with."

Elena turned in frustration, anger and pain. She looked out the window, though she could see anything in the darkness. She couldn't stand looking at him anymore; his eyes were too enchanting. The way he looked at her sent chills down her spine as she shifted awkwardly in her current position.

"Maybe you should take a nap." Damon said, tilting his head to the side to observe her. "It's a long drive and you don't look very comfortable."

"I'm fine." Elena snapped, not wanting to give in to any of his demands.

Damon sighed. "Oh Elena, it didn't have to be this way."

Before Elena had time to react, he had reached over the seating and had yanked Elena over to him, pulling her body flush against his as she thrashed around. One of his hands circled her throat, not to hurt her but scare her and it did the job right as she stopped her movement instantly. He pulled her head down so it was resting in his lap, allowing him to take his time regarding his new find. His hand came out and petted her hair once again, taking his sweet time. Elena let out a long, painful cry at his touch, however it didn't affect Damon.

"Why are you doing this?" Elena whispered, tears in her eyes.

Damon smiled leaning down towards her. "All in good time."

With that, he reached in to his pocket and produced a white cloth. Knowing what he was about to do, Elena struggled and fought but it was impossible with her hands pinned behind her. He held on tight as he brought the cloth to her face.

"NO! No, n-"

Her screams for help were cut off and Damon covered her mouth with the cloth, holding her tightly in place. She tried not to breathe, but being so panicked she didn't stand a chance as she inhaled the drugged scent. Her body started being weaker, as did her muscles and she felt Damon release her throat. His fingers brushed away the stray tears falling from her eyes.

The world started to fade around her and her struggles died down as she gave herself into the darkness.

"Sleep well, sweet Elena."

Hello everyone! So this chapter is a test run for a new story I am thinking about writing. As a quick summary, 'Damon is a well-known and ruthless mobster who gets what he wants, when he wants. When John Gilbert fails to settle his debts on time, Damon takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps Elena. But is he her captor or her saviour?'

I know where I want to go with this story but I want to see what you guys think, so please leave a review and let me know if I should continue this or not. This story is going to be rated M for a few dark themes and violence that will appear through out the story. Let me know what you think! :)

Next chapter: Elena awakes in a strange place with her captor. She fights him as much a she can, but will she push him too far? Stay tuned ;)

(2014 rewrite - Thanks to my beta, LiveBreatheVampires, for all her help!)