Summary: Damon and Elena set out to find Katherine. Damon realizes that what he's been searching for has been there all along.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. (Nor do I profit from this story)

Warning: There are some scenes in this fic which contain explicit content. These scenes are appropriately marked. If you are underage, and reading this fic despite the rating, but are still squeamish, avoid these scenes (you can't miss them).

Heartbreak Warfare

Chapter Two: Vindicated

Hope, dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption
Winding in, and winding out
The shine of it has caught my eye

And roped me in
So, mesmerizing, and so hypnotizing,
I am captivated, I am…

Vindicated

-Dashboard Confessional

Damon paced the length of his room restlessly, running his hands through his dark brown hair, his mind unable to relax.

He was so ready to be done with this god-forsaken town. Without Katherine, Mystic Falls lost all its appeal. It was just another, shitty town, empty and meaningless. Slipping onto his bed gracefully, the vampire finally closed his eyes and allowed memories of Katherine to fill his mind.

Her silky, long curls and smooth pale skin. That sexy, mischievous smile, full of secret meanings, hidden agenda's, and broken promises.

She was a mesmerizing, beautiful woman but at the same time cold and calculating. Drawing Damon in, forever keeping him captivated and longing for something he would never again have.

A low growl left the back of his throat.

Why? Why had she done this to him? Had she really thought so little of him when all he could do was sing her praises?

Damon's anger was slowly building. How dare she. He had sacrificed years of his immortal life to save her. And just like that, Damon's anger dissipated. So that's how he saw it, was it? Katherine was the damsel in distress, and Damon was her knight in shining armour. Quiet snickers of amusement escaped his mouth. Ridiculous.

A peal of laughter distracted Damon from his musings.

"Stefan don't." the voice let out another tinkling laugh.

Damon rose from his spot on the bed and swiftly made his way to his bedroom window, pulling aside the curtains and looking outside.

Stefan and Elena stood outside the boarding house, wrestling playfully on the front lawn. Elena's soft laugh of joy rose up to meet his ears once more and Damon turned away from the sight, frowning slightly.

'Children' he thought, suddenly angry once more. His eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Why couldn't he have what Stefan had? What had Stefan done to deserve his happily ever after that Damon had not?

Memories of Katherine flew through his mind again.

He couldn't bring himself to believe that she had just blown him off. His lips curled and a snarl of anger tore through them.

Annabel.

Now that the thought occurred he couldn't believe he had taken the wench upon her words so easily. Maybe Katherine had escaped the horrors of the tomb, but that didn't mean that she wasn't out there somewhere looking for him. For all Katherine knew, Damon had given up on searching for her. 145 years was a long time to wait for somebody. Hell, Katherine could have assumed he'd been staked by now. So many explanations.

Damon was surprised at the tremble of hope that ignited in his chest. It wasn't like him to be optimistic about anything, but now it hit him hard, thawing his frozen insides. A slow smirk crossed his features. It was time to finally find Katherine.

Elena's visit with Bonnie had gone unsurprisingly terrible. Her friend was falling into a deep depression, and Elena was at a loss of what to do.

A part of her felt like Bonnie's pain was her fault. She should have never asked for Grams help. In the end, her passing had been in vain. It was unnecessary and preventable. The brunette walked home alone, head bowed in thought.

Poor Bonnie.

So lost in her thoughts Elena didn't become conscious of the figure ahead of her until she'd walked smack into him.

"Well, well, what have we here?" a familiar voice drawled from above her.

Elena's head snapped up quickly in annoyance and she took a few steps back to distance herself. Did the vampire who kept saving her life have to be such a sarcastic pain?

"Hello Damon. You seem to be back to your regular self"

The dark haired man smirked knowingly. "And you love it. Admit it, Elena, you missed me"

Elena's eyes dropped in silent admission to the accusation.

"Don't let your head get to big," she mumbled.

Damon's hand rose to caress the girls' cheek before dropping to her jaw and forcing her to look up at him.

Elena gasped as their eyes met. The spark had returned to Damon's eyes. Malevolent, mischievous, with a glimmer of something that resembled renewed hope. Yes, Damon was back to his regular self and relief washed over her.

"It's good to have you back, Damon" she said quietly.

The vampires' lips twitched up in a half smile, his hand still gently forcing Elena to look up at him.

"It's good to be back."

"Where have you been?" Stefan snapped when Damon walked through the door twenty minutes later.

Damon shrugged.

"Out. What's the problem?"

Stefan's face contorted angrily.

"I've been trying to reach you all afternoon. Where's your cell phone?"

The older Salvatore's eyes narrowed dangerously, "I don't know father, I must have forgotten it at home."

The green-eyed vampire sighed in exasperation. "Damon, I'm serious. We have a situation. It seems William Johnson wasn't the only vampire that escaped the tomb."

Groaning with irritation, Damon headed into the kitchen. He needed a drink.

"Well that's just great. What do you want me to do about it?"

Following Damon into the kitchen, Stefan quickly snatched the bottle of scotch out of his brothers' hands before he could pour it into a glass.

"Damon, you know what this means. The people of Mystic Falls aren't safe" a pause, "Elena isn't safe"

Something resembling care flashed though Damon's chest. It was gone before he could think to deeply on it.

"Not my problem, Stefan. I already told you my plans. I'm going to find Katherine."

Stefan nodded in acceptance to the declaration.

"I know."

"So then, dear brother, you know that this isn't my problem. I'm not staying, deal with it yourself."

The younger Salvatore eyed Damon somberly.

"I need to ask you a favor, Damon"

"I'm not staying. Go play Buffy by yourself, I have other plans."

Ignoring Damon's words Stefan ploughed ahead.

" I want you to take Elena with you."

Reveiwer of the Week

to-live-and-breathe:

Thank you so much for your review. Of course, anytime someone takes the time to review my work I am ecstatic. It's amazing to have people enjoy the things that come out of my head. Your review in particular though really flattered me and had me grinning for the rest of the day. It made me re-appreciate my writing in a way I haven't in a long time, so thank you for that.

I'd also like to thank the rest of my 17 reveiwers for chapter one. I was overwelmed by the support and warm comments I received. Thank you all so much.

Again, any kind of helpful comments are accepted. Please review. :)