Dear readers,

After two years one of the most recurring questions in my PM-box is still "What happen to Scars beneath the Surface". Well… It used to be a one-shot, then it would be a 5-chapter plot, then 10… By chapter 15 I knew I needed an overarching plot for 30+ chapters. Long story short: the start is very rushed and I was not happy about some early plot choices so I wanted to fix it. Therefore I pulled it indefinitely from the site to re-write.

But in the meantime I found a job and started re-constructing my house… Realistically there is just no way I could re-write it to my own satisfaction in the next three years. So I'm adjusting my expectations and instead of re-writing, I'll just get the most embarrassing spelling errors out and providing it with intros and outros. So for anyone who was not able to read it the first time around: adjust your expectations and wait for the second half before judging the plot, but if you still want to read: here you go! I'll be posting the chapters whenever I can find time to correct them.

So without further ado, here's the story I could never quite fully remove here. It brought me immense joy to write, great excitement to read people's opinions, and friendships that will last for a lifetime. I genuinely hope you'll like it!

With love

C.

xXx

"You only have one shot to make a good first impression," they say. So dress your best, wear your brightest smile, remember your manners and always come in… with a bang!

xXx

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse

xXx

Damon was trashing wildly underneath the covers.

"Please don't do this," he whispered brokenly. His voice cracked, making the sentence almost unintelligible.

"Aww, don't pout sweetheart, I know you secretly enjoy it, don't you?"

Damon shook his head slowly in silent denial. Katherine didn't care though and straddled the young man's naked chest anyway. She cradled his chin in her delicate hands and tilted it, forcing him to meet her gaze. Damon knew what was coming next, knew that he couldn't escape her, but he couldn't give in just yet, so he averted his eyes just a little longer, postponing the inevitable.

Katherine crushed her lips to his, possessive, demandingly, urging him to give her what she wanted. Damon just lay there motionless, limb, as he closed his eyes and tried to forget about life for a while. His stepmom's lips parted his unwilling ones savagely. Did she even notice what she was doing? Did she realize how degraded it made him feel? Or was she so caught up in the lies she fed him, that she actually started to believe them herself?

Suddenly her lips stilled on his as her lips moved along his cheekbone to whisper in his ear: "Damon, I want you to look me in the eye when I make love to you, dear."

"This isn't love, this is illegal," he retorted weakly, his blue eyes piercing hers for just a second, pleading with them to let him go. A plea his pride could no longer bear to utter out loud.

Katherine just smiled up at him, her fingers fisting in his black hair: "As you wish, my dear, it's not like I care…"

Damon closed his eyes again as he sank right back into oblivion, patiently waiting till it was over, till he could have his body back. Damn, he hated that woman, loathed her for what she did to him, for making him feel as if he were no longer a person but merely a body trapped in a room.

At first he had made himself believe that he had provoked her. That was the only logical explanation, right? The alternative… the alternative was no something he could bear consider.

Katherine's panting snapped him back to reality, that meant that it was almost over. Finally. Her body rocking faster and faster against his, her hands fisting in his hair. She was most certainly drowning in ecstasy and he… he just wanted her to leave.

It's not that Damon didn't like sex, he used to love it. The moment he slipped right over that brink, was the greatest feeling in the world… not anymore… he hadn't slipped over that brink in months now. For one because he couldn't, not when she was around and when she wasn't, his body just wouldn't… perform. It was like she had broken him.

It made him feel weak, powerless, useless, a coward. Eventually he'd stopped trying and the one act he used to love was turning into something that made him loathe himself.

Katherine however, did not seem to have any problem reaching her high, maybe she got off on his pain. When she was done moving, she let her sweaty body fall on top of his. It's was sticky, disgusting, all lady-like elegance gone.

"So, how did you like it dear?"

He decided to ignore her, keeping his eyes closed, wanting to make her believe he had dozed off. Katherine however, was impossible to fool. "Damon," she chided, "I knów you're awake…"

"Go away." His voice was even.

"Not before you admit how much you liked it," she shot back, smirking.

"I hate everything about you and you know it," he continued just as evenly. He wasn't sure though what she wanted to hear, his pain, a glimmer of care? If it was romantic interest than she could wait until hell froze over.

"Fine, I see we're not getting anywhere tonight, are we? Maybe your brother will show me a little more gratitude," she retorted smugly, knowing that would do the trick.

"No!" Damon protested instantly, his voice enraged. "He's a kid, leave him alone, you promised!" he added, desperation seeping into his voice unwillingly.

"Relax sweetheart," she said softly, stroking his check, "You know I like you best anyway, but if you keep resisting me, you leave me no other option, dear."

"Why are you doing this?" Damon whispered.

"Because I need you Damon, that's why. Now be a good boy and go clean yourself up, your father expects you at dinner at five sharp."

xXx

As Elena opened up Damon's bedroom door. The oldest Salvatore was obviously in distress, she had heard his cries all the way from her own room. She kneeled next to his bed and shook him gently, urging him to open his eyes.

"Damon, wake up! Are you ok?"

When he finally opened his eyes. The icy blue seemed to pierce her skin, leaving her frightened. Damon violently jerked his arms back. "Do not touch me! What the hell are you doing in here?" he shouted startled.

Elena quickly stepped away from the bed, shocked. "I… You were… having a nightmare… I heard you. It was- I just wanted to-, just wanted to-" she stammered.

"Who the hell walks into a bedroom unannounced?" Damon bit back. "Whatever deal you and Stefan agreed to, did not include me, so leave me and my room alone! Understood?" he snapped angrily. His covers had slid down a little, revealing his bare chest. How dare she just walk in there while he was not even awake? Where did she get off disrespecting his personal boundaries that way? He hadn't expected to need a key for his own bedroom in his own house. Stefan and his need to rescue stray puppies… So why had she entered? Was she simply insane, or had he truly been that loud?

xXx

A shiver crept down Elena's spine at the uncomfortable memory of her first real encounter with Damon. It was a nice summer's day in July now though, the second day of spring break for Elena. Truth be told: she was absolutely miserable, writing all alone in her room and trying hard to concentrate on the things she could finally do now she was free from school. No matter how hard she tried though, she always came up blank. She missed her friend. She missed Stefan. Yet Stefan wasn't around and he wasn't coming back anytime soon as it turned out.

Stefan was the first friend she had made in college, three years ago. He had been born into a very wealthy family, his father being a very successful businessman with companies all over the world. The man was currently residing in his hometown in Italy, leaving Stefan to fend for himself in Boston. That's how Stefan and Elena had become fast friends, both abandoned in the big city.

When Elena confided in Stefan about her financial trouble, Stefan had been the one to work out a special deal for her, as a favor. He'd suggested for her to move into the big, empty boarding house he was living in, free of charge, if she could help him with the household in turn. For Elena, the proposal had been ideal up till now, that way she did not have to spend any money on a dorm. And she didn't mind a little washing and cleaning, especially not if it helped Stefan.

They had been living like that for three years now, always enjoying each other's company. Whenever she needed someone to talk to, Stefan would be her shoulder to cry on and vice versa. It meant a lot to Stefan, the big house could get lonely sometimes and although he was perfectly capable of cooking himself, nothing he could ever make tasted quite as good as Elena's lasagna.

This summer, however, Stefan was gone. He was visiting his father in Italy over spring break, leaving Elena in charge of the house. At first she thought that meant she'd be alone for two months, but she thought wrong. Yesterday a dark-haired handsome stranger had shown up, Stefan's brother, and apparently he was there to stay...

Elena had been happy at first, looking forward to getting to knowing Stefan's big brother, but Damon wasn't really one for small talk, in fact he barely even acknowledged her most of the time. Regardless of what he thought of her though, it looked like they'd be sharing the house for the next few months, so Elena had every intention of getting along with her new housemate. Whatever it took, she kept reminding herself. If Damon truly hated her presence, he could alert his father of the guest freely living under his roof after all, and she'd have to find a new place to stay.

She was determined to take good care of him, just like she had done with his brother. It couldn't be too hard to make him realize she was good company, could it?

xXx

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age

xXx

You only have one shot to make a good first impression. But if at first you don't succeed… try again. In 5 minutes you see merely a fraction, not a person. And sometimes the true story hidden deeply beneath the surface of piercing blue or chocolate brown eyes is worth a try. The best things in life take more than 5 minutes to figure out anyhow…

xXx

Song: Radioactive - Imagine Dragons

Update: probably before next weekend