::hides:: Please don't kill me for being so late... I've had little to no inspiration lately.. I have also moved cross country from Virginia to Nevada. My grandmother passed away last week.. it's been crazy! But here's a new chapter. I hope you will leave me some love! :) Take care!

Chapter 8

Beatle-ology

Damon wasn't the type to get nervous, but today he was. He found himself nearly thankful for all the times Stefan had covered his ass throughout all the messes he had made. If the sheriff even became slightly convinced that Stefan might be a vampire, it would lead straight back to him. Obviously, the outcome of that would be catastrophic.

He stepped into the station, not surprised to find it empty, being a Sunday. The front desk cop smiled as he approached, letting her eyes wander just a little too much, "Afternoon, Mr. Salvatore. Care for a coffee? Sheriff's just finishing up on a call." She batted her eyes flirtatiously.

"No thanks," he replied, shaking his head. He sat down in a chair to wait. He pulled out his phone and sent Elena a text, then proceeded to look at the picture of her he had put on his phone. He was wicked, having snapped a photo of her sleeping early this morning when he woke up. She would probably object to this, but he found it beautiful; goddess- like even.

"Damon," the sheriff's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

He stood, putting on his "good guy" act like always, a nod in her direction, "Sheriff."

She gestured him towards her office. He moved in, taking a seat across from her desk. She moved around her side of the desk, "The Virginia Beach representative is running late. I don't want to waste your day, so we'll get right down to it. If he needs any more information though, you may need to come back in."

Damon nodded, "Of course. Anything I can do to help."

"As of right now, Bethany's disappearance is being considered a runaway case, rather than a kidnapping, given her troubled history. I suppose what is most surprising is Stefan's sudden change in behavior. Do you know if he was on drugs?"

The nice thing about this conversation, Damon suddenly realized, was that his lies were only half lies. Blood was Stefan's drug, much like crack to a hooker. "I think he was," Damon said with a nod. "He started getting moody, stressed out, mood swings. After Elena left him, it only got worse."

"So Elena left him because she suspected him of using drugs?"

Damon nodded, noting that she was almost insinuating that Elena leaving Stefan had everything to do with Damon himself; which in all reality was a huge part of it.

"Do you know where he is headed? What was said yesterday?"

"He said he was leaving town, but he didn't mention where or when he would be back."

"And you haven't heard anything from him since?"

"I haven't. Knowing my brother, he will be back, but there really is no telling when." It could be decades or even centuries if Stefan manages to stay alive that long…

The sheriff sighed, "Well, as of right now he's not being charged with any thing. Troubled teens go missing every day. Unless you have reason to suspect that either of them is in trouble, minus the drugs obviously, then I'm afraid we can't do anything. Her parents have filed a missing persons, which will be placed all over the US I'm sure, but still, the girl is 18, so legally, there's nothing that can be done to force her to come home."

Damon nodded, "Well, if I hear anything…"

"Thanks."

He quickly moved to the next subject, lowering his voice, "Have we heard anything about the theft of the blood bank?"

"Still nothing. It seems whoever did it is laying low." She sighed, "You know, blood bank theft sure as hell beats the dead bodies, I will admit that."

"Certainly," Damon said. Not too long ago he had been part of those dead bodies piling up in Mystic Falls. Thankfully, no one had caught onto him, with the exception of John Gilbert. Thus far, he had stayed out of his way after he unsuccessfully tried to kill him. It was also apparent that John had kept Damon's secret safe, for now.

"Well, I will call you if I need any more information Damon. Thank you."

"No problem sheriff."

Damon saw himself out of the police station and into his car. He headed home, deciding it was time for a drink. The blood bank blood sufficed, but it was not the same. It had been barely over a month since he had drank fresh blood but he was really feeling like a junkie, wishing he could savor the sweet taste of blood that was still pulsing through someone's veins. His hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles whitening.

For Elena, he thought. Don't fuck this up, Damon.

He made it home, parking his car and heading straight inside. He poured himself a glass of blood from the freezer and then headed into the den to relax for a few. He pulled out his phone and shot Elena another text about what she was doing.

She responded, saying she was at The Grill with Bonnie, the witch.

He had no desire to be around her at the time being. He'd heard the conversation she'd had with Elena yesterday. The ultimatum: it was either him or her. Elena picked him, though now he wondered why she was having lunch with Bonnie.

He let her know to text or call when she was done and then let himself relax, thinking a nap might be in order. No sooner than he had started dozing off, the doorbell rang. Irritated, he got up and headed towards the door.

Swinging it open, he was hardly shocked to see John Gilbert standing there. He was however, slightly concerned about the crossbow that was aimed at his heart.

"Afternoon John," Damon said, holding his hands up in defense, "No need to be twitchy. I thought we sorted out this little problem we had."

John chuckled, "Far from it. We've got a serious problem on our hands. Seems to me as though you've taken a severe liking to Elena, and I'm here to tell you that you're going to back off."

"And if I don't?" Damon challenged.

John cocked his head matter of factly, eyeing the crossbow, "What do you think, Damon?"

"I think," Damon said slowly, "That you're making a huge mistake."

John rolled his eyes, which was enough time for Damon to make his move. In one swift movement Damon launched forward, gripping the crossbow, tilting it into the air just as it went off, the wooden arrow bouncing from the wall and falling to the ground.

In a matter of seconds, Damon was behind John, crossbow in one hand, other arm snaked tightly around John's neck. "See, told you."

John didn't bother struggling, knowing it would ultimately end badly if he did. Damon tossed the crossbow and then grabbed John's hand, gripping the ring that had saved him last time.

That's when John panicked. "Listen, I'm just trying to protect my niece is all."

"I have no intention of hurting her," Damon hissed into his ear. "I've done nothing but protect Elena."

"You're a vampire, Damon. You're a monster, and eventually you will hurt her, no matter how hard you try."

"Says who? I've had many relationships over the years where I never hurt anyone." Okay, so that was hardly the truth, but he knew that he would never hurt Elena.

"I just want the best for her. She deserves that."

Damon couldn't agree more, "And who's to say right now I'm not the best for her."

"Because of what you are. That could never be the best for Elena." John waited a moment before continuing, "Can you let me go please? I'm done trying to kill you."

Damon waited a moment before releasing him, holding his ring still in his hand as a threat.

"A vampire and a human can't be together Damon, you have to know this. Eventually, things will change; she'll grow old and you'll stay looking the same. That's why you'll never be the best for her."

"Well," Damon said, a sarcastic jeer crossed his face, "I don't really much care what you think John. Right now, it works. I care about her, whether you believe it or not. Plus, I think you've got bigger problems to worry about than me. Like Stefan, for instance."

"Yes, well, he will be dealt with accordingly if he returns."

Damon fought back the urge to rip John's head from his body, "He is my brother. Though he may be acting like a rebellious teenager, no harm will come to him by your hands. If anyone is going to take him down, it will be me."

John shrugged, "Well, right now he's gone. Therefore, my number one concern is you. I will be watching your every move, Damon. One toe out of line and I will tell Sheriff Forbes and this entire town what you really are."

Damon smirked, but said nothing. His badass way of saying he understood. As John stepped out to the porch Damon said, "By the way John, next time you show up at my door with a fucking crossbow, I will rip off that ring and tear your throat out."

John chuckled, "Next time, I'll just shoot your heart right out of your chest before you can do that."

"Guess we'll see."

"I suppose so."

Elena tried to write her History paper but the words just wouldn't flow. She had decided on writing about how the music of the 60's influenced the culture, in particular, The Beatles. Still, the words just weren't coming together.

Truthfully, all she could think about was Damon. Stefan had never invaded her mind like this. Yes, she thought about him and she missed him when they were together, but it was nothing like this. It was distracting.

She had called him after the grill, saying that she needed to finish this paper and that Jenna and John were beyond pissed with her.

"Well, if you need any help I totally lived through the 60's you know. I even met The Beatles once," he had said.

"I really should write this on my own," she had responded.

They spoke for a few more minutes, and then she had let him go. And now she was here; an empty document open with just her name, date, and class name. The blinking cursor was taunting her. Blink blink blink blink.

She caved, picking up her phone and dialing Damon's number. He picked up on the first ring, "Change your mind?"

She chuckled, "Yeah, I need the expertise of Damon Salvatore."

"Good choice. I'll be there shortly. Window?"

"Yeah, but we have to be careful. Jenna might nail my window shut if she finds out you're sneaking in through it."

He laughed but it wasn't coming through the phone, it was coming through the window. "I'm sure I could open a window that was nailed shut."

"Not the point," she replied with a smile as she stood, moving to greet him.

He kissed her softly, cradling her face in his hands, "Missed you."

Elena almost wanted to give up on her paper entirely, and spend the night doing everything but homework. She refrained. There would be time for things like that later.

"So let's see what you've got so far," Damon said, heading over to her computer. He peeked at her heading and chuckled, "Well, certainly looks like you've been working hard."

Elena rolled her eyes, "I couldn't concentrate."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm an expert on Beatle-ology. "

They sat for the next two hours, discussing everything Damon knew about The Beatles. She used his knowledge combined with her sources to write her paper. When she put the final touches on it and submitted it via email, she sighed in relief.

Damon massaged her shoulders, "Now that wasn't too bad was it?"

"Thanks for your help," she responded, yawning. "I didn't think I would ever get that done."

"Glad I could be of service." He looked at his watch, "I guess I should let you get some rest. Don't want your Aunt Jenna taking you away from me." He winked.

She smiled softly and stood from her chair. "Stay just a little longer? Until I fall asleep?"

He pulled her into a hug, and then moved her with him to the bed. He crawled in and slid over and she joined him, her back pressed to his chest, his arms wrapped around her tight. She sighed softly, feeling safe and content in his embrace.

It wasn't long before she had fallen asleep, her breathing deep and easy. He released her slowly, pulling the covers around her before turning out her lamp and sneaking back out the window, closing it tightly and then heading off into the night.