Title: Beyond The Stars

Summary: Elena G, a forensic psychiatrist is assigned the biggest case of her life, Damon S, a cold, ruthless contract killer who serves the most wanted mafia family. He's the only link to Godfather and Elena's job is to convince him to help the forces track down the Godfather of Cosa Nostra. Fate takes a twist when the cruel hitman confesses his love for her. His love is mad, passionate and dangerous. He wants her at all cost. He wants to become a better person for her. He wants to redeem for her. But redemption comes at a cost. Elena finds herself torn between her duty and love.

Three Episodes. A lethal love! A journey for redemption and a journey for a happy ending.

Warning: Since the plot revolves around Mafia and lust for power. Don't expect the characters to be moral and righteous. Damon is portrayed as a criminal so he would act as such. He is a bad guy with no remorse. And Elena will have her frustrating moments too. Also warning for language and sexual content in future chapters.

The dealings and goverenment procedures are fabricated and have no connection to real world (Duh!)

Disclaimer: All characters belong to their respective owners.

The story contains 3 chapters of 10k words each. I hope you enjoy.

Song credits: A beast am I, Amon Amarth

Mirrors, Justin Timberlake

In darkness I drown

Consumed by my hate

A beast am I

So vicious and grim

Chapter 1: A beast am I

Waiting wasn't something Elena felt she could do when something so life-changing was about to happen. She tapped her foot impatiently. "What's taking so long?" She huffed.

It wasn't her first visit and neither was it her first task. But it was going to be most important, career changing case of her life as a forensic psychiatrist and she couldn't wait to start.

Shortly after a few minutes, the door of the private office opened, there stood a very decent middle-aged man, Alaric Saltzman.

Her arms unfolded and her lips curled into a soft smile. "Good Morning, Mr. Saltzman,"

"Morning, Doctor Gilbert, I see you're early today," He said lightly yet formally.

"I have given serious consideration to the one-hour long responsibility speech that you gave me the last time I visited and decided to be more responsible from now on," She said, jokingly.

He looked at her disapprovingly. "Doctor Gilbert-,"

Elena rolled her eyes, "I know, I know, stay professional, don't joke around, the board doesn't approve of it,"

"Elena, this isn't a laughing matter, I was the one who referred you for this job, my reputation is at stake, don't screw this up," He said strictly.

She sighed a deep sigh, still unserious as he lectured her about responsibility and professionalism.

"And I want none of that nonseriousness during the meeting. The board will see you in a while. So far, they're impressed with your work and your track record with your previous patients. They see you as a brilliant doctor who'll help us solve the case. Please, don't ruin that." He almost pleaded.

"Chill, Ric. I've got this," She said as she stood up.

The office phone beeped and interrupted Alaric's rant about her casual attitude. Glaring at her, he reached for the phone and answered it, "Yes, sir, we'll be right there," He put the phone back and turned to look at her. "This is the biggest case of both of our careers, Elena."

"Ric, I have heard this for the two hundredth time this week,"

"Elena, the board is giving serious consideration to your suggestions. All jokes aside, we are this close to success. We've solved many complex cases. And I am sure we'll crack this too. You already know how much this case means to me, but tell me, are you sure about what you're doing? Are you ready to put yourself in danger twenty-four-seven because you and I both know… he's very dangerous and-,"

"You have to trust me, Ric." She replied, serious now. "I know what I am doing. I know it's dangerous. He's ruthless, cold and cruel as death. But if we don't make him fess up soon, we'll be putting countless precious lives in danger and I won't allow that," She said, determinedly.

A proud smile stretched across his face, "This is the exact reason why you're my favorite student." He sighed a deep sigh, "Come on, let's go."

..

..

"Damon J Salvatore, age 28, a contract killer by profession and a very stubborn man. Described by others as the archetype for all future mafia members, he has allegedly done fifty-two confirmed kills, including two with pens. Thirty-seven headshots. But the man leaves no proof behind. He works for the American-Italian mob, a mafia that deals in weapons, that contains everything from silenced pistols to high-powered rocket launchers." Elena paused, switching to the second slide.

"No one knows where he came from, his whereabouts, his family. But he was famous in his world from early teenage. FBI traces his records way back from his days in the street gang known as Bronx. Even then he was considered a hothead known to kidnap other mobsters and hold them for ransom to make some extra money," She said, playing with her pencil.

"He was caught a month ago by the bureau, Don Vincent had been tirelessly searching for him ever since then and I know they're planning to break him out soon," Alaric interrupted. "And even if they don't, they'll have him killed. We need to transfer him to somewhere Don and his gang can never reach him. And for that, Doctor Gilbert and I have a suggestion,"

"Doctor Gilbert, are you aware of Salvatore's history, do you even know how dangerous he is?" The President of the meeting addressed Elena. "Can you tell us about progress up till now? We've been informed that he's responding to you."

"I'm coming to that," Elena said, holding her hand up, "You've all read the report of the FBI monitored meetings that I had with Mr. Salvatore, he didn't say a single word in the first two meetings, however, on my much insistence, we had a very brief conversation, a week ago in our third official meeting, the very conversation that helped me figure out my conclusions regarding his record and my techniques that can help us reach Don Vincent Peirce through him and eventually the godfather."

"Doctor Gilbert, we appreciate your efforts but your… techniques, I don't think we can allow that. You know he's ruthless, he's a known killer, how do you expect us to allow you to give him a temporary bail and allow him to stay with you, the very suggestion is too silly to consider," Officer Shane commented as he studied a file. "He could escape, he could kill you-,"

"He won't," Elena said, "He only kills for money and self-protection,"

"He's a psychopath, he can do anything," The president hissed.

"Not according to my study," Elena said, confidently. "Mr. Whitmore, I've been observing him for months." Elena stood up and picked up a remote controller, she turned to multi-media and put on footage of her patient. "We all know that Damon keeps to himself. He's a born loner. He doesn't trust anyone but himself." She fast-forwarded through footage, "See, how he sits for hours alone and stares at a spot,"

She stopped at a particular point of the video, "This is the only irregular behavior I see in his everyday pattern,"

Everyone turned to the screen, suddenly very interested. The man in the footage is sleeping soundly until a roach crawls up his back, his eyes snapped open, he flinches at the sight of the revolting insect and kills it with his bare hand, a look of pure rage on his face. He then picks it up, stares at it for an uncomfortably long time and throws it in the bin.

"I don't understand," The blonde officer, Lexi Previn said, "What the hell is this?"

Elena rewinds the footage and plays it again, "Do you see the look of pure fear on his face for a moment when he feels the roach crawling on him, the anger in his eyes and the revenge he took from the poor creature for creeping up his back, it wasn't because of his fear of insects, no, he kills it without a second thought, the fear on his face is because he wasn't expecting it, he was caught off guard. Do you see the lack of trust in his eyes, that's what I'm talking about."

"I don't understand how that will help in our case. Mr. Saltzman, I trust your judgment when you said that Miss Gilbert could help, and I admit her services to FBI, she has helped solve many cases but perhaps this isn't a case she can help us with. I personally opt for force, torture it out of him, transfer him to area 24 under high security and as for Doctor, you-,"

Mr. Lockwood, the Mayor was about to dismiss her when she interrupted, "Mr. Lockwood, Damon is suffering from Empathy Deficit Disorder and Depersonalization Disorder, he has no remorse for what he did or what he'll do if he gets released. He's void of all emotions and humanity. Torture would get you nowhere. He's not afraid of death, he's faced it too many times. He isn't afraid of pain. Your officers did try your way of making him confess, but he didn't break and he won't break now either,"

"Then I guess we have no other way then to run a quick trial and put him on the electric chair. The sooner the scum is off the earth, the better,"

"You do that and you'll never know Don Peirce's location. He will never open his mouth. And the longer you keep him here, the higher the risk of him breaking out of here or being killed by his own gang." Elena countered. "You're putting the whole town at risk,"

"There is no other alternative," He replied.

"There is," Elena said, folding her arms. "I'll make him confess,"

"Silly girl, this isn't a movie, you can't just-,"

"The only way to break him and force him to confess is to earn his trust and make him feel,"

"Feel what?" Alaric inquired.

"Anything. It could be pain, remorse, fear, empathy, love-," Elena shrugged.

An idea came to Alaric's mind and he knew it would work.

"He's a murderer, he can't love," Lexi countered.

"We're not working on that. We need his trust. He'd never had a friend or anyone. He'd been alone all his life. We need him to put his trust in someone else for once, we need to give him a chance to live a normal life, we need to show him colors of life, beauty of nature, and error of his ways," Alaric said, "I'm assuming that he never had a shot to normal life with normal people. He'd been in the underworld all his life so he doesn't have any idea of the beauty of the world, we need to give him a glimpse of a normal life, friends and a family. We'll tempt him. He's very loyal to Don but he'll break."

The other officials including Elena seemed a bit hesitant at his words.

"We need to make him feel," Alaric said more to himself than her. "I say we give Elena a chance and give him temporary bail on the pretense that he needs to be treated in a much more friendly environment."

"But, he's very unstable, Mr. Saltzman," Lexi said, "What if he… what he harms her?"

"We're only showing him that we're letting him out, he'll be monitored by FBI twenty-four-seven," Alaric promised.

"Well, this can be considered, after all, we don't have any proof of the felony, we can't keep him in custody for long, we'd been illegally keeping him already for three months, if the word got out, we could get into serious trouble and even if we hide him here, there is a chance he would escape. We need him to track the Godfather," The president said, scribbling on the file. "Doctor Gilbert, do you think you can do this?"

Elena looked up, a bit uncomfortable with the idea now but she nodded. If their team managed to capture Don Peirce, she would be a national hero. Even if it meant that she'll have to deceive her patient. But deceiving a criminal wasn't exactly a crime, was it?

..

..

They were sitting in the F.I.C room around the circular steel table that was bolted to the floor in the middle. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from a single dim light bulb high above. The walls were built of dark granite, and there was no air flowing in or out of the room.

Elena studied him, quietly. As usual, his eyes were downcast, lost in another world. Despite the obvious distress of the situation, he seemed awfully relaxed.

Damon leaned back in his chair and attempted to cross his arms over his chest. His cuffed hand prevented this, so he rested his right arm on his lap and placed his left one the table.

"How are you doing?" She attempted to start the conversation.

He didn't look up; neither did he answer. He never looked at her. She'd noticed that.

"I'll take this as you're doing good." She commented with a chuckle but he didn't reply neither did he reacted in any sort of way.

"Did you do the exercise I told you to do?" She asked.

His lack of response didn't bother her. She knew he was a difficult patient.

"I see that they've given you a separate cell now. Your physician deemed you healthy, so you're eating properly. You've also been working out, good job, keep yourself busy," She said while she took notes, scribbling on her notebook. "Yikes, you've had a fight with one of the prisoner, just in the morning," She read from her file. "Now, what have I said about fighting, Damon."

"It wasn't my fault," He finally said.

"You beat him ruthlessly because you said that he lied,"

"He reeked when I asked him did he shower, he lied and said that he did. I don't like liars and I don't like dirt." He answered as if his actions were justified and she realized he really did believe he was serving justice.

She rolled her eyes, "Damon, this kind of behavior is exactly why you're here, they don't have any proof against you now but the more you behave like this, the more they'll make you stay here," She said, shaking her head in disapproval.

He placed both of his hands on the table, interlocking his fingers.

"Anyway, I wanted to talk about our last conversation. Well, it wasn't much of a conversation, since you never actually talked much," She said with a sigh, "But by somewhat little conversation that we had and FBI investigation, the board has come to the conclusion that they have the wrong man, you haven't killed Lorenzo Johns and Don Zach. Congratulation, you're a free man now." She said, smiling warmly.

At that moment, Damon met Elena gaze with unblinking ice blue eyes filled with surprise

"I've convinced them that you're just a patient suffering from mental illness, which brings me to the second big aim of this meeting, the board is concerned with your abnormal behavior and believes that you have the tendency to harm people. You'll be released on the condition that you agree to go through government-organized therapy session and medical examination, you'll be assigned to a professional psychiatrist, who will observe you around the clock, you'll be released free of charge only after your doctor deems you normal," Elena said fast as she placed a file in front of him.

"And if I refuse?" He said, after a while.

She sighed a deep sigh, "Look, Damon," His features were hard and cold, his eyes penetrating and knowing with a penetration that disconcerted and repelled whoever encountered their gaze. But she wasn't any girl, she was Elena Gilbert and she had encountered numerous terrifying criminals, he didn't scare her.

"As your doctor, I recommend you to go through this session. I don't know what happened to you in past but don't let that cloud your future." She reached her hand to his hand, touching him lightly. He flinched, pulling his hand back as if burned by her touch.

"I'm giving you a chance to rebuild yourself, rebuild your life. If you want a good life, be good. Your actions are a reflection of you. Live well. Live this life to your fullest. You have only one chance to live. Remember, this is a onetime only offer. You're only on this beautiful planet once. Make it count." She spoke, softly, standing up. He looked at her confused, his lips forming a thin line.

"I'll be waiting for your answer," She said as she left.

..

..

The next time she visited him, he refused her help, bluntly. He told her, he didn't want to go at all.

"But, why?" She asked, surprised.

"Because I don't want to go out," His voice harsh but calm.

"Damon, I'm trying to help you, they think you're associated with the mafia, I'm trying to prove that you're ill and you need help. They're giving a chance to-,"

He rolled his eyes, almost as if bored and raised his hand, a gesture for her to stop. "One, I'm not associated with mafia, I'm a freelancer, I work for myself and two, I don't need help of a…,"

"A what?" Elena spat, her eyes hard, challenging.

"A woman," He said carelessly.

Elena's eyes widened, her face hardened and her jaw clenched but she remained calm. "Why do you want to stay here?"

He remained quiet as if he hadn't heard her.

"Damon, everything you say would stay between us. Doctor's code. I told you that on our first meeting." She insisted.

"Then what are these cameras for?" He said, looking around. "Can't fool me, doctor."

Elena pushed a button, under the table. "Doctor Gilbert to Officer Saltzman, please turn off the cameras."

"Copy, doctor," Alaric replied before the red lights on the cameras on the corners of the room, dimmed.

"Here," Elena said. "The doors are bolted, the cameras are closed and," She turned off her receiver off. "Now, the conversation between us is completely private,"

He bit the inside of his cheek. "You know if I want I can kill you now," His eyes remained fixed on a spot on table, "The spot on your neck, next to your birthmark, all I need to do is tilt it a bit and you're dead,"

"Do it," Elena challenged. "I'll like to see you try,"

He took a deep breath, not looking at her all, but she could see he was impressed.

"I'm not afraid of you,"

"That's because I haven't scared you off yet," A light smirk played on his lips, as he looked up, his eyes gleaming dangerously. "I don't know what you're trying to achieve but I would suggest you to stay away from me and my work," He hissed. "I don't want to go out and I don't want to be labeled a mental." His voice was barely above the whisper that made the hair stand up on the back of her neck. "And if you interfered than I will break out of jail, stalk you down the end of earth and kill you,"

She wanted to run, get away, or maybe stay there staring at him, something about the way he looked at her scared her but then again, she had to remain calm, she was trained as such. She couldn't give him a weak impression of herself. She stood there, hands folded, matching his glare.

Someone knocked on the door. "Your time is up,"

..

..

"Are you sure about this?" Dr. Meredith asked her again. "You say he has aggression issues; he isn't mentally stable then I don't see how Ric managed to get his temporary bail papers."

"It's for the mission," Elena said as she signed a file and closed. "We need him to reach Don Peirce and the godfather, he's our only clue."

"You say he doesn't want to go, maybe he's on an agenda here to kill someone," Meredith commented, helping her pick files. "He did attack prisoner number 29 just this morning,"

"No, Prisoner number 29 has nothing to do with this case," Elena said, "He must have sat on Damon's bed or something. He's… he's also a very big clean freak."

"Another sign of OCD," Dr. Meredith noted. "Are you sure you're taking him home?"

Elena nodded, lost in a thought, "I know it's dangerous but… I know how to control him. Also, Ric has installed cameras in every corner of my house except my bedroom, Officer Liam and Tyler would be in the neighborhood. I won't be alone,"

Meredith nodded.

While they discussed the case, they walked down to the reception and asked for her patient. The Receptionist informed her that Damon was in Enhanced Interrogation Unit. Her eyes narrowed. She knew the kind of things that happened to prisoners in that unit. Prisoners were subjected brutal systemic torture. Methods included beating, binding in contorted stress positions, subjection to extreme heat or cold, sleep deprivation to the point of hallucination, deprivation of food, drink, and withholding medical care for wounds. It was a prisoner's hell.

She had strictly opted against it when the officers held a meeting on how to make Damon fess up his crimes and force him to help them locate the Godfather. Apparently, her suggestions held no value. She walked down the hall fast and entered the room without permission.

She could see him through the one-way window. He was hung upside-down by chains attached to cuffs around his ankles and beaten with plastic pipes to obtain a confession about some nonexistent plot. But there wasn't a hint of pain on his face as if he couldn't feel or maybe he has felt so much, he welcomed it like a friend.

"Talk. Talk now or you don't have any idea of what I've stored for you next," One of the officers hissed.

"Let me guess, waterboarding. Been there done that," Damon replied as if bored.

Slap. Slap.

"You gotta let me go someday, you have no proof. No case," Damon said confidently.

Punch.

"They'll come for me, you know, and when they do, you'd be fearing for your life,"

"Not before I kill you," The officer spat and before they could continue their torture. "Stop," Elena demanded.

"Doctor Gilbert, you… what are you doing here? You're not allowed here. Please leave immediately," The officer said, bewildered by her presence.

"I have been sent by Officer Saltzman, I have Mr. Salvatore's bail papers. Under the agreement that we had, he's allotted a temporary bail. And if you have any more questions please refer to Mr. Saltzman, and for goodness sake, release him, let him down." She said quickly, as she handed him the papers.

The officer looked at her disbelievingly before going through the papers. His eyes narrowed as he read. Then he finally ordered the other officers to comply to her orders.

..

..

She looked back and found him standing by the door of her house, looking around as if he was in another world.

"Come inside," She gestured him, trying her best to smile warmly. "This is my house. I had a roommate but she moved in with her boyfriend so it's just-," He ignored her small talk as he walked past her. She made sure to scrub the house clean, knowing his condition. The fact was finally sinking in. She was all alone with a psychopath. Now, that was scary.

He picked up tissue paper and cleaned the tiny spot on the glass table in the dining.

"Huh, I guess I missed that," Elena said, lightly. Or at least she pretended too. "That's my brother's room but he isn't here anymore, you could stay there, but it has a small bed, speaking of which I was thinking we could go shopping, I didn't know your size so I couldn't buy you clothes, apparently, 'this big' isn't a size," She chuckled at her own joke but when he didn't join her, she stopped. "And that's the tv, but I don't watch-,"

"Do you always talk this much?" He hissed almost making her jump. "Hush, now," He said, putting his finger to her lips.

She nodded, almost too quickly.

..

..

She explained to him that she had convinced the board that he was a patient in dire need of a treatment. However, they believed that his life was in danger and that he had to live in this small town, Mystic Falls, for a while. She told him that it was a good chance to start a new life.

Since she had promised him a normal life, so despite his harsh glares and threats, she insisted that they go out to eat. She told him that she didn't know how to cook and despite his obvious reasoning that he was fine with eating boiled vegetables, she stood her ground on taking him out to eat.

As they left the house, she signaled, Officer Tyler and Liam to follow them, making sure Damon didn't notice.

"Andros makes the best pizza here, we were schoolmates but then his mother died and his grades dropped and he dropped out. But he didn't give up." She chatted knowing that he was ignoring her rant, while they waited for their food.

"I know," He said, surprising her. He hardly indulged in conversation with her, so for her, it was a success.

"How so?"

"I have a profile here," He said, quietly. It was obvious that he didn't want to share much.

"Aha," she nodded, skeptically.

A little later, their food was served.

While he munched on the chicken salad sandwich, she couldn't help but notice his features for the first time in broad daylight. He was badly in need of a shave, hair unkempt, almost wild looking, but even with his horrible attitude and look, she had to admit that he was handsome as sin. Taller and well-built, his looks took her breath away. His blue eyes were so piercing, so enchanting, and so beautiful.

"Damon, not that I have any problem, but you badly need a visit to a hairdresser, also… you're in dire need of a shave," She commented. She closed her eyes in fear of his response. But neither did he threaten her nor did he hissed.

"Why?" He asked, not taking his eyes off his food.

"You'll look good,"

"Why do I have to look good? Are you casting me in a movie?" His response made her chuckle.

"When is the last time you looked in the mirror?" She inquired and he didn't answer. Not because he didn't deem it important but because he couldn't remember. He touched his cheek and felt the overgrown hair.

She clicked on her phone, opening the front camera and showed him his refection. He couldn't recognize the man in front of him. All he could see was a shell of a man, staring back. He looked like a zombie. No wonder she called him the walking dead, whatever that meant.

"Now, keep in mind, you're a man who hates uncleanliness," She added, in case she pushed his buttons far enough to no return. She wanted to reason with him.

He glared at her, while his eyes switched from the mobile screen to her. She offered a hesitant smile, putting her phone back, folding her arms. "Cheque, please,"

The server walked to them, looked at Damon and then took the food trays back.

"Hello, cheque?"

"On the house," He replied quickly as he left.

"Why…" Then her eyes drifted to Damon, arms folded and biting his cheek he was looking out of the window. "This is disgusting,"

"What?" He inquired confused.

"Why isn't he taking money from us?" She asked.

"I told you, I have a reputation here,"

"I'm paying for my food," She hissed as she stood up.

He held her wrist, his eyes hard. "Sit back,"

"No," She shook off his hold on her arm, walking to the counter. She took out her wallet, paid their bill and walked back to him. Damon felt challenged. Even though he knew he had scared the living daylights out of her, she stood her ground and did what she believed in. Now that was new.

"Let's go," She said, a strict look on her face. And even though he never took orders from anyone, he surrendered to her and followed her.

..

..

As she parked the car in the garage, he held her wrist. She looked at him, shocked. A little while ago, she felt courageous enough to go against his orders but now that they were alone, she felt a bit scared.

"I thought you said I could trust you," He said quietly.

"Yeah…," She said, feeling her breath get uneven.

"Then why do those idiots keep following us everywhere," He said, playing with a strand of her hair, his eyes gleaming with fury. She knew he was referring to Liam and Tyler.

"I… they're for security protocol."

"Don't lie," He hissed.

"Officer Saltzman feels that-,"

"I'm unstable, I can kill you within a second in one of my anger rampages," He completed, smirking.

She nodded, taking a deep breath. "But you won't,"

"How can you say that so confidently?" He said, a soft smile playing on his lips but that smile was deceiving. She knew he was furious. His eyes were filled with nothing but rage.

"I would be dead by now if you wanted to kill me," She breathed.

"Yet,"

She closed her eyes, pushing back her tears.

"I'll make you a deal, you shoo them away and tell me where all the cameras, and have them disabled first thing in the morning, I promise to never harm you and I promise that I won't escape," He whispered, running his fingers through her locks.

"You won't escape and you won't hurt me,"

"You have my word.

She bit her lip and thought for a second before she nodded.

"Good girl, now let's go inside, act normal," He said.

She duly complied.

As they went inside, he followed her to bedroom.

"This is my room," She said, hesitantly. "You're sleeping there," She pointed.

"Hmm. No cameras here, huh," He whispered and she nodded, taking a deep breath. "If I murder you, no one would know,"

She felt her breath get stuck.

"Breathe, Elena." He said with a playful smirk. "Goodnight,"

..

..

When she informed Alaric about Damon's demands, Alaric refused to comply, he thought it was too much of a risk but they'd no choice but to do so because they had straight orders from the headquarter to do anything in order to get the Godfather's whereabouts.

Elena had already agreed to the mission she had no other option either.

So, they did what Damon demanded. But they didn't leave her unguarded. They gave her a genius watch, so she would be able to stay in contact with her team at all time and inform them in case of emergency. All she had to do was, press a button and a well-equipped team of officers would rescue her.

Officer Lexi had allotted total fifteen weeks to her for the mission. It was the maximum time she could dodge the mafia from reaching Damon.

The first week had already passed with no apparent progress. After fifteen weeks if Elena couldn't make Damon confess his crimes and persuade him to help them locate the godfather, they would have no choice but give Damon a clean chit and a permanent bail.

Like the mission stated, she had to win his trust and pretend to be his friend. But as the days passed by, she realized how lonely her patient actually was. He always kept to himself, never talking, never smiling. She would literally find him staring at a point for hours, lost in another world.

Other than working out, he didn't have much interest in the worldly pleasures. He didn't watch tv neither did he had any interest in reading books. He didn't like to go out and enjoy the company of other people either. He was a living dead, no life, no feelings, no relations, no goals or dreams. His eyes were so empty, they scared her.

Finally, she decided to do something about it. She tried to indulge him in conversations with her, she tried to talk about anything she considered would interest him, she paid attention to the smallest details about him and took care of him.

Just a couple of days ago, he had hurt himself while working out. Despite his protests that he was fine, she tended to his wound softly. He didn't thank her; neither did he show any gratitude.

Yesterday, she slaved two hours on making lunch for him. She told him about it while she served. "I have never cooked for anyone before, so I'm kinda nervous," she chatted as usual.

He didn't react at all and as usual, ignored her blabbering.

At night, she literally forced him to go out with her for a movie. At first, he was very reluctant but when she told him that if he needed a clean chit, he needed her signature on his health certificate and she would only do it when she's sure he showed normal human behavior, he didn't have any choice. He grunted and rolled his eyes throughout the movie, showing her his obvious displeasure.

The next morning, after breakfast, she suggested again that he should shave. Surprisingly, he didn't deny.

"Will you… will you do it for me?" This was the first time she had seen him hesitant. He always ordered her around whenever he needed something.

"Of course," She replied, warmly.

Swiftly, she went to a bathroom and after a while appeared with a shaving kit.

"How the hell did you-,"

"I bought it, yesterday—just in case," She said, smiling.

Wasn't she so sure that he would submit? Damon thought as she set up her tools. She was far too clever for his own good.

He watched her in silence as she sharpened the razor on the leather strap and then made lather from the soap. She seemed to know what she was doing but still, he was cautious of trusting his neck to the clumsy doctor.

He never trusted anyone. But she was… different. He didn't know why but she seemed harmless. Despite what his heart claimed, he was still very careful around her, if Officer Saltzman trusted her enough to hand his case over to her, then obviously she was no fool.

Or maybe, she was one of those super optimists who believed they could redeem anyone with their affection and kindness. But didn't they know, it was too late for him.

She rubbed the soap over his rough beared face, her eyes focused on his. Her touch was soft, too soft. He couldn't help but close his eyes.

She began slowly and carefully, dipping the knife into the mazer filled with cool water then drawing the blade slowly over his skin.

As soon as the blade touched his face, his eyes snapped open. He suddenly seemed tense. What if she kills him now? What if that's why they've hired her, so they could kill him when he least expects it.

"You can trust me, I have done this many times for my father," She said as slowly pulled the razor down his cheek.

He didn't reply but she could sense his approval. She soaped the right side of his cheek and smiled when she got too close to his lips. Biting her lip, she picked up the towel and cleaned it. From his vantage point, he could see the soft swells of her breasts confined by a simple cotton bra. There was nothing deliberately provocative about the way she was dressed, yet he was provoked nonetheless.

He took a deep breath, looking away, trying to think of something else. He never let his desires come between his work and right now he needed her approval before he could get a permanent bail.

"Done," She said as she showed him the mirror.

It seemed like he had seen himself after ages.

"I knew there was a handsome face behind all that… hair." She commented but then her eyes widened. "Did I say that out loud? Oh dear God," She panicked. "What's wrong with me?" She face-palmed and turned to pick her things quickly. "Elena, you silly girl, can't keep your mouth shut. Why do you have to be so awkward?" She talked to herself.

He looked at her uncertainly, not knowing how to respond. No one had ever told him that. No one actually ever paid attention to him.

She kept mumbling something under breath and walked away, leaving him to battle him with alien emotions.

..

..

Sometimes she would stay awake all night, thinking about the heartless criminal sleeping in the next room. She would check the locks of her door and windows, several times but she still felt uneasy. She would keep a gun in her bedside cabinet, just in case, even though she knew that if he decided to end her life, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

But, surprisingly, he didn't. Mostly, he ignored her and only agreed to her whenever she threatened she wouldn't sign his medical certificate.

One morning, she woke up to the sound of a very old but beautiful song playing somewhere distant. Curious, she rose up, wore her robe and followed the music.

ti odio e ti amo (I hate you and I love you)

She heard a verse as she walked down quickly to the kitchen. The gas stove was on. He was making breakfast and chopping onions quickly for his daily omelet.

She was about to tap him on his shoulder and acknowledge him of her presence when suddenly he turned around, held her by her neck and pushed her against the wall, the sharp knifing pointing on her pulse point.

She yelped in fear before she clamped her mouth shut.

He stared into the stunning chocolate brown eyes filled with desperate fear and pleading and knew he was totally lost. Her chest moved in sequence with her breath. Deep. Slow. Heavy.

Damon had never seen anything more beautiful than her eyes. He allowed his eyes to wander across her delicate features and pause to contemplate her most perfectly delectable rose-colored lips.

"What is wrong with you?" He hissed. "Don't you know better than to sneak up on my back?"

"I'm… I'm sorry," She whimpered.

"Never do that again," He warned, before he pulled away, feeling a little overwhelmed by her presence.

She kept quiet while she watched him work on the breakfast, cleaning after himself as soon as he was done. She served the breakfast on the table and bit her lip when she almost slipped, making the soup bowl fall on the floor.

He growled inwardly, shooting her a death glare before he picked up a rug and cleaned the floor till it was spotless.

They had breakfast quietly. He had warned her on the very first day that he didn't like a conversation while eating. He thought it was disgusting and disrespectful to food.

"Why so quiet today?" He asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Me? You're talking to me."

"Is someone else here?" He said, rolling his eyes.

"You said you don't approve of conversation while eating," She reminded him.

"I said, I don't approve of conversation while you have food in your mouth, you've finished. You can talk now."

"Oh good. I couldn't keep quiet for much longer anyway." She said, cheerfully. She asked him how he was feeling and if he wanted to do something today. He told her that he didn't have anything on his mind. She suggested they could go shopping for him. He didn't disapprove so she knew he had no problem with that.

After all, they had a regular routine of having lunch at the Grill and walking back to home. So now, he was a bit comfortable going out of the house. He still didn't engage in conversation with anyone else other than her.

The conversation turned to his health and how the cozy homely set up affected his mind. He gave her short replies but admitted that he felt better. Much better.

Trying to keep the conversation going, she asked him about the meaning of the Italian song playing on the stereo. "What does it mean?"

"I love you," His voice was cold and his face void of emotions.

"What?" She almost spat out her juice.

"That's what the songs say." He replied, dryly, handing her a tissue to clean her chin.

Her mind raced. Her doctor mode activated. She was searching for any kind of signs of emotions on his face, any connectivity of the song to him.

"What else does it says?"

"You missed a spot." He said uncomfortably as he pointed at the corner of her lips.

"Yeah, sure," She said, cleaning the corner of her mouth, missing the spot again, "You were saying,"

He took the tissue from her hand, wiping the missing spot, "It's about a man who is very strong but is weak when it comes to the woman he loves. They break up but he's losing his mind over her. He loves her and hates her at the same time. His love isn't a fairytale, he's dangerous and he'll do anything for."

"Is that your story?" She asked, out of the blue.

"No,"

"Did someone leave you? You know you can share it with me. I promise to keep it a secret. Hell, I can even help you get her back."

"Listen, girl, don't mistake me for anyone other than what I show you. This is my real face. I don't have any story. I'm a criminal, not a lover. And its high time, you stop pretending to be Miss Righteous-Savior-Angel trying so hard to redeem a hopeless criminal. I can't be redeemed. So don't waste time."

"I would disagree. You're not hopeless. Every day is a chance if you want it to be." Her smile grew soft as she stood up.

..

..

Aren't you somethin' to admire

'Cause your shine is somethin' like a mirror

Elena Gilbert was an enigma. She wasn't anything like the woman he had ever met before. She paid attention to the smallest detail about him. Just a week ago, she took him out for shopping. And despite his obvious grumblings and his sour mood, she made him try numerous shirts and bought him what she thought suited him the most.

"Black really suits you, did you know that?" She said as she paid on the counter.

Afterwards, they went to the hairdresser, who clipped his hair and styled it in accord to the modern times. Elena specifically told the hairdresser to keep the length equal since Damon was very sensitive about that.

"Wow." She whistled in appreciation.

"I look ridiculous, what have you done to me?" Damon said, staring at the mirror.

"You finally look like a civil person,"

"No, I look like those ridiculous men from boybands," He said, running his fingers through his hair.

That night, they went to watch a movie. She picked up a light movie again. She told him how good the movie would be and that she was so sure he would enjoy himself.

Since she wasn't very good at keeping the suspense, she had told him the plot before the movie even started. She laughed throughout the movie and quoted the movie before the scenes would come.

"Now, he's going to fall off that chair," She said, laughing, "And now he's going to miss the bus,"

She giggled childishly and clapped when the credits rolled on the screen. "Did you enjoy it? It was fun right?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," He said, rolling his eyes.

"Let's walk back home," She suggested.

He shrugged, not caring much.

As they walked outside of the theatre, the cold wind hit them. She shivered, getting closer to him for warmth. His body tensed. What was she doing?

"It's too cold and too dark. We should have taken a cab," she said.

"Home's not that far,"

When she felt something rush through the bushes of the park, she held his hand, gasping.

"It's a cat," He said before she could react. "Don't worry," He looked up at her, "As humorous as this sound, you're safe with me," With that, he held her hand tightly.

..

..

She quickly set up the dinner while he freshened up. When he came to the dining room, she gestured him to sit.

"Sit, I have everything ready. I hope you like it, I tried something new," As usual, she chatted while she served him. "You're cranky like a baby when you're not fed on time," She said with a chuckle and he wondered how she knew him so much.

Of all the dangers in the world, hunger was the one thing he feared. In his teens, he had once starved for four days and had almost died. He never wanted to feel that weak again.

During dinner, she stayed quiet and only commented a couple of times when she couldn't stand the silence. Afterwards, she picked up the dishes and cleaned them swiftly, despite how tired she was. "Normally, I would leave them for the morning but I know if I did, you wouldn't be able to sleep at night," She giggled as she turned on the dishwasher and cleaned the counters.

"Damon, I have to go to the hospital on Monday, I won't be able to give you full time anymore, but I'll give you a cell phone tomorrow, so you can call me when you need me," She chatted.

"Why? Why are you going?" He asked, frowning. He didn't know why but he didn't like the sound of that.

"Duty, silly."

"I'm your duty,"

"I think you'd be fine without supervision." She said as she unloaded the dishwasher. "After all, you must be sick of me. I think you'd enjoy a little alone time,"

He remained quiet for a while, nodding.

"But please do remember your promise."

"If I wanted to escape I wouldn't be here now," He replied raising a brow.

She shrugged, nodding.

After a brief pause, he broke the silence, "I don't know how to use a phone,"

"What?" She said in a surprised tone. "You're kidding me,"

"They never… I never felt the need of getting one,"

"Oh," She said, frowning. "Don't worry, I will teach you how to use."

..

..

It wasn't surprising at all for her when she found out that he was barely educated. He had dropped out in his junior year, he didn't tell her why nor did he give her any kind of explanation. She also found out that the most modern gadget that he had ever used was a pager.

She figured that maybe the Mafioso must have never allowed them. They were only allowed a pager to let them know about their next target.

He made silly mistakes while she taught him how to use a phone.

"And this is how you call," She said, clicking the phone icon. "You know, it's very surprising that you can't use phones, I mean… are you from another century or something because-,"

"Do you know how to use an F2000 Assault Rifle?" He asked, looking up from the phone to her.

"No," She said, hesitantly.

"Well, I do,"

She rose her brows but didn't react at all. This surprised him, she wasn't afraid of him anymore like she used to be. In fact, she would often laugh it off. She was more comfortable around him, now.

"What is this… youbuer?"

"It's Uber as in oober."

"There's a 'u' in the start, it's youber" He insisted.

She giggled, shaking her head. "You have your cute moments,"

He rose a brow at her comment but didn't say anything. "And this… inst…"

"Instagram." She completed. "See, It's an app to stay connected to people you love, you make an account and then you post your pictures. "

"Then what?"

"Then other people get jealous of your awesome life and the pretty things you have," She said as if it was obvious. "Just like mine," She said as she logged into her account and showed him her timeline. He narrowed his eyes, looking at a particular picture where she was sitting on a bike. "You don't have this bike,"

"I know. You know. But they don't."

"Okay, I don't need this," He said, making a face. "Remove it,"

"Fine," She said, uninstalling it. "If you want to install it again you'll have to go to istore."

"Which route?"

"God," She let out a chuckle. "It's like I'm talking to an alien," She laughed and laughed but he never joined her. "Okay, back to work,"

..

..

When he first started living with her, he was often annoyed at how much of a chatterbox she was but not anymore. Unknowingly, he had gotten used to her. He would sit by her and listen to her quietly as she talked all day long.

On weekends, she would call her friends and they would have a one-dish party and play silly games. Of course, he never joined them. And she never insisted that he take a part. But she made him stay close to her on the pretense that he needed to interact with people more to break his anti-social character. He would stay at a distance and watch her play foolish games and gossip with her friends. During lunch, she served him separately but she would stay with him and company him until he had finished. After her friends would leave, she would drag him to the family room, and after a tiring therapy session, they'd watch a movie, until she fell asleep.

The first few times, that happened, he would leave her on the couch but after the first month, he would pick her up and take her to her bedroom, tuck her in her bed and leave. And every morning when she woke up, she would thank him for being so considerate to her.

Unknowingly, he'd become fond of her smiles, her giggles, and her appreciation. She was very cheerful and oh so full of life. Her eyes shone with happiness as if sadness has never touched her. Maybe it was just him, but he felt like the world brightened more whenever she laughed.

Sometimes she was such a ditz, she would lose her stuff all over the house and then he would help her find them, especially her hair ties, which he would find often on the bathroom sink. He wondered how she had passed her degree with such bad memory.

Often, she would be running around the house in a sweatshirt and boyshorts, but whenever they had to go out, she would take out almost all the dresses in her closet and take hours to decide what she wanted to wear.

She would hum a pleasant tune while she got ready and style her long beautiful hair and he would often find himself secretly looking at her when he was sure she couldn't catch him.

"How do I look?" She twirled in her lime and emerald babydoll dress, "Too much shimmer? Should I change? Do I look like I'm trying too much?" She spoke quickly, not giving him time to answer.

"Beautiful." He replied, interrupting her. "You... you look beautiful." His gaze a mixture of admiration and desire.

Not being able to stand his intense gaze, she looked away, smiling nervously, "Thank you," She bit her lip, something she tended to do whenever she was nervous.

"You clean up pretty good yourself," She said as she inched closer. "Just a bit," She ruffled his hair, styling it. "Perfect,"

Today, she was invited to Mystic Fall's Annual Summer Festival and she insisted that he accompany her. He had refused initially but when she pleaded him, as she batted those long beautiful lashes over those big beautiful brown eyes, he couldn't find it himself to say no. He was a bad guy, a very bad guy. But there was something about her that stopped him from showing her the ruthless dark side of him.

Like usual, she didn't instruct him to behave at the party and pretend to act nice. He realized that she was trusting him more and more. She believed in him. She actually believed that he could be redeemed. She didn't see him as a mad animal that needed to be put down, she saw him as a real living human, she had hope in him that he could be healed, that he needed to be cared, he needed to be loved.

Maybe it was the therapy sessions, that he and Elena had regularly or maybe her presence and her kind words were healing his soul, but for the first time in a long while, Damon felt peace. He had to admit, life was so much better like this. No fear of getting caught, no fear of death every living second, and certainly no killing. Maybe… he could actually leave everything behind, build a new life, settle down and live a happy life like everyone else.

It was like he was finally seeing a light at the end of a dark, never-ending tunnel.

"Damon, you ready?" She beamed, popping his thought bubble.

"Yes," He whispered. "Yes, I am."

..

..

As a reward for acting like a gentleman in the festival, she had decided to take him to the forest near the outskirts of the town to show him her favorite spot. She told him that she knew he would love it. He didn't care as long as she was accompanying him. He rather liked to be around her. It made him anxious when she wasn't close. Unknowingly, she had become his drug and he was getting addicted to her more and more with every passing second.

She had put on light music as she sped the car down the road. She talked about all sort of things, telling him funny stories about her childhood, her memories of her favorite spot and her plans for their trip. She was clearly very excited.

She stopped the car where the hiking track started and parked it in a reserved spot. They picked up the luggage and made their way down the rough track. Once or twice, she almost fell but he caught her before she could hit the ground and hurt herself.

She pecked him on his cheek, a token of her appreciation. To her, the kiss might not have meant much but she had no idea that a small peck had wreaked havoc with him. Automatically, his hand reached up and touched the spot of that gentle kiss.

"My friend, Arthur, has reserved a boat for us, you said the other day that you liked fishing, so I went to the market and bought us a kit. Now, I have no idea how to fish or… how to even use these things?" She said as she played with the hook, "I'm totally depending on you,"

He pursed his lips, taking the rod from her hand, staring at it in awe. The last time he held a fishing rod was about twenty years ago… before 'they' killed his family.

"Do you like it?" She asked, nervously.

"You bought it for me?"

"Yes, I said that, didn't I?" She said, rolling her eyes.

"Thank you," He said, his eyes fixed on the fishing kit.

"Do you wanna try it?" Elena said as she unbuttoned her button-up shirt, took it off and tied it around her hips.

Damon nodded.

"Come on, then," She said as she hopped down the uneven ground to the bank. She stood by the boat, uncertainty as if asking for him to help.

Damon jumped inside and then held her hand, helping her hop in. In a while, they figured how to operate the boat and drove it to the middle of the lake.

"Now, how do we do this?" Elena said, excitedly as the opened the fishing gear.

"Well, first we match a hook to the bait," He explained as he tied the hook to the end of the line with a knot.

"Won't it slip."

"Make a strong knot," He instructed. That's how his father taught him. He remembered it like it happened yesterday.

He eagerly told her everything he knew about fishing. For the first time, Elena had seen a hint of excitement and happiness on his face, only a shadow, but it was there and she was glad she was the reason for it.

"You're not paying attention," He said, frowning. "I will not explain again, I told you, I don't repeat myself."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Elena said, pretending to not hear him.

"I said, I don't repeat… fuck it," He said, turning around.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," She said, holding his arm. "Teach me," She batted her long eye-lashes, giving him that look that he couldn't resist. He stood frozen, dazzled by her eyes before looking away hurriedly as if his eyes would give away something. She made him feel things he never felt. She consumed him with her enchanting eyes. Her touch overwhelmed him.

"Now, we bait the hook," He said, turning his attention back to the fishing gear, "and tie the bobber above the line," He then extended the pole to water and lowered it until it was completely immersed.

"And now?"

"We wait." He said as if it was obvious.

"For how long?"

"Maybe hours."

"HOURS"

"Shh." He hissed. "Pro Fishing Rule number one, keep quiet or you'll scare them away."

"Okay," She nodded.

But it had barely been five minutes when she complained that she couldn't stay quiet for too long. He tried to reason her but eventually gave up.

"That's it," She said, as she stood up as she put on her swimming goggles.

"What're you doing?" He inquired.

"Jumping in there to catch the damned fishes myself." She said as she jumped into the lake.

His eyes widened in surprise and then panicked when she didn't emerge out. "Elena! Elena!" When she didn't respond. He took his shirt off, put on the goggles and jumped in the water. He swam down the water with swift, noiseless strokes, anxious to get as far as possible to search for her. When he felt his head feel heavy because of the lack of oxygen, he swam back up. As soon as he went up, he found her in the boat, soaked up, smiling mischievously.

"Hi, there!" She waved.

"You're so dead when I get up there,"

"Oh, I'm scared," She said, not afraid of his threat at all.

"I'll get you for this," He said but before he could climb up, she jumped back in the water. "Catch me if you can,"

"You silly girl," He hissed as he chased after her.

Elena kept going under water and popping up surprising Damon. They began swimming around close together. She giggled and splashed him. An amused smirk played on his face as he grabbed her by the back, demanding her to apologize or he would punish her.

They went underwater for a very brief time. He followed her down to the bottom, admiring every curve of her body through his goggles. Beams of light illuminated their path as they swam. A nine-foot-long arapaima fish crossed their path. It stopped and looked at them for a moment then swam away.

When he knew she had enough fun, he demanded they go back to the boat. With a deep sigh, she agreed. They went back to the boat and dried themselves with towels.

Afterwards, they talked about a lot of things. As usual, she talked about herself and slowly, very slowly, turned the conversation to him.

Damon answered her questions about himself, admitting to her that he felt more relaxed and secure now. Little by little, she tried to make him talk about his past. She did it very carefully. She didn't want to set him off. She knew he was attached to her but he was still a killer and killer couldn't be anyone's best friend.

He answered very briefly. "My parents… they died in an accident."

"What about that song? The song you play every morning. Was there a woman in your life?" She asked, slowly caressing his hand to keep him calm, a tactic she used to keep her patients calm. He looked up at her, biting his lower lip, quiet. "Did she leave you because… because of your association with the mafia? Doesn't she know that it's not proven felony, that there is a chance to prove you innocent."

When he never replied, she took that as yes.

"Is that why you're so cold? Is that why you don't believe in love? In redemption?" She said, cupping a side of his face, looking at him, warmly, her gaze a mixture of kindness and sympathy. "Don't think that you're hopeless. Every day is a new hope. Every day is a chance to get redemption. Look around you, the world is too beautiful. Do you really want to live in your world filled with nothing but hatred? Or do you want to leave it all behind… this choice had always been there. All you have to do is… take a leap. Build yourself again. A new you. A better you."

He looked around, uncertainty as if thinking about her words.

"I can help you get her back." She said, sighing. "We'll tell her that you don't belong to Mafioso and that the allegations are false. You were falsely accused. In a way, we aren't lying because FBI doesn't have any proof against-,"

"I do belong from Mafioso. Augustine is our Godfather. I work for Cosa Nostra." He admitted to her bluntly.

Her eyes widened in shock as her mouth gaped open comically, like a fish out of water gasping for one more breath of life.

"I joined them as a contract killer when I was seventeen and ever since then I have been working for them. I have committed seventy-two murders, over two hundred kidnappings and lead thirty-seven drug deals. I'm Augustine's right hand. Your details about me weren't just allegations, Elena. They're facts. True verified fact."

Every word he said twisted Elena's guts, filled her head with ghastly images. For a moment she felt nauseous and disgusted. Fear gripped her heart for what was to come. Was he about to kill her? Is that why he was telling her about himself?

Slowly, she reached for her watch, "Why… why are you telling me this?"

"Isn't that what we're here for? Nature Therapy? We're supposed to talk, no?" He questioned, reaching for a strand of her hair, curling it with his finger. "Your watch isn't going to work. The water corrupted its system. Besides, you don't need to call them, I promised I won't harm you, didn't I? I don't break my promises," He said as if reading her mind.

"You knew about the…,"

"The pretty little watch that officer Saltzman gifted just after the day I had the cameras disabled. Elena, I've been on FBI watch list for ages but they still haven't managed to get a single proof against me. They don't call me ghost-faced killer for nothing. Do you really think of me as so naïve?" I wasn't born yesterday." He said, playing with her fingers. His gaze slowly moved up to her face, locking eyes with her, "This is… this is my reality, Elena. I'm a contract killer, criminal and a Mafioso. Do you still think I can be redeemed?"

She looked at him, hesitantly.

"Because I want to live the dream you showed me. I want to leave my world behind. I want to live here forever. I want to get a job, settle down, I want to live my life without a fear. I want a family like you have. I want friends. I want to watch movies and laugh freely like you do. I want to love. I want to live." He didn't remember the last time he had talked so much. "I want this life. But do I deserve it? Can this become my reality?" He asked her, and for the first time, she witnessed a hint of fear and vulnerability in his eyes. As if she would say no and all his dreams would shatter. As if, if she refused he would have no option but to live in darkness forever.

At that moment, she felt sympathy for him. He was asking her for a chance to redeem, he was requesting her to let him live his own life. For the first time, he was willing to live. He didn't want to die, not knowing how it felt to love and be loved.

She nodded. "As long as your alive, there is hope, there's a chance to redeem. Like… like I said before, the choice has always been yours."

He took a deep breath, looking up at the sky and then to her. His mouth curved, transforming his darkly handsome face into something impossibly beautiful. She suddenly wondered if he knew how devastating his smile was. He had to know.

Before she could say anything, he pulled her into his arms, into his warm embrace. Shocked, she didn't react for the first few seconds but then she finally hugged him back, burying her face in his neck.

Damon had lost hope when situation forced him to commit his first sin, his first murder. After that, he thought he couldn't be redeemed so why even try? But today, he had a reason. He had to become a better person for Elena. He had to leave his world behind to build a life with her. He needed to redeem himself to make himself worthy of her. Little did he know, redemption is possible but every sin has a penalty, redemption has a price.

..

..

"Where are you going?" He asked her when he saw her ready and about to go outside.

"Work," She said, smiling warmly as she tied the straps of her heels.

"When would you be back?" He asked, already eager for her return.

She let out a giggle, telling him she'll be back in a couple of hours. She couldn't help but notice a grim look on his face, every time she left.

He'd been acting very weird lately. He followed her around the house and sat close to her. He would look for excuses to touch her or stay close to her. She often found him, looking at her whenever he pretended to read a book. But whenever she would catch him, he would look away, flustered as if he was a child caught stealing from a cookie jar.

He made lame excuses to come into her room and talk to her for no apparent reason at all.

Happy that she was finally making progress with Damon and was getting close to him, day by day, she never realized he was getting addicted to her attention, he misjudged her care for her love.

Admittingly, it wasn't his fault. He'd never been loved, so he was bound to get attached to the first person who showed him the slightest affection. He had fallen desperately in love with the beautiful girlish psychiatrist, so much that his love bordered worship.

Caroline, a fellow doctor and Elena's friend was the first one to notice. She had come to visit Elena and witnessed Damon's reaction when Elena accidentally burned her hand while cooking and he'd panicked as if he was hurting, as if he felt her pain. He immediately tended to her burns, while murmuring comforting words.

"He's changed a lot." Elena said, proudly. "You know, in the beginning, he would hardly respond to me, but over time, we've grown so close… he's so soft with me, he's such a great fri-,"

"You know he is in love with you, right?" Caroline interrupted.

"What?"

"Don't pretend like you don't see it."

"I'm sorry? What the fuck?" Elena said, surprised.

"Didn't you see the way he reacted when you hurt yourself, he couldn't breathe. It was like he could feel your pain. And the way, he looks at you…,"

"Care, stop," Elena said, rolling her eyes. "Damon… he cares… It's not what you think. He'd never had friends. I'm his only friend, so he cares about me more than… normal. That's it. He's not in love with me or something. That's ridiculous. He's my patient." Elena explained.

"Your blind, Elena," Caroline said, getting up. "Look, as a friend, I suggest you get rid of him. I understand… often mentally disturbed patients find comfort in their therapists and psychiatrists because they think we understand their problems and we accept them unlike the rest of the society. They mistake our empathy for love." She whispered, making sure Damon wasn't close by.

"Because in the end, that's what they really want. And they'll do anything to get it. Get rid of him before he becomes a problem for you," With that said, she left, leaving Elena to ponder on her words.

For a while, she thought about it but then deemed Caroline's deduction as garbage. It's impossible. Damon Salvatore cannot fall in love with her. They can never be together ever.

She knew it was wrong to even consider that idea. But the heart wants what it wants and it wanted him.

..

..

They were watching a movie. Elena's laid back leaning on the arm of the couch, her legs in Damon's lap. Now and then, he would place his hands on her feet and slowly caress them. From the corner of her eye, she noticed him looking at her and then looking away abruptly when she turned to him and rose her brow, questioning his gaze.

Caroline's words rang in her ears and she wondered if Caroline was right all along.

Lost in her thoughts, she never knew when she nearly fell asleep.

She felt someone pick her off the couch and carry her to the room. She knew it was Damon, she could smell his sweet fragrance.

He tucked her in the bed and wrapped a comforter around her. She felt him slightly caress her face, a light smile playing on his lips. Then he inched closer, sinking to his knees. He played with a strand of her hair, tucking it behind her ear, his fingers slowly stroking her cheek and then her lips. Then slowly and very quietly, he drew closer and closer until she could feel his breath mingling with hers.

His lips pressed against hers, then gently covered her mouth in sweet tenderness. His lips were so soft and so achingly sweet. She never wanted him to stop. But he pulled away, stroking her cheek and whispered his love confession. "Sweet Dreams, my love."

Was it a dream or reality? All she knew was she never wanted it to end.

..

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I hope you're interested in the plot and I really hope you like the chapter. The next two installments would be posted after I see the response to this chapter.

Marry Me Instead and The Devil Obsession will be updated soon.

Do review. I'll be waiting for your thoughts.