Hello my lovely reader chums :) Long time, I know. Thanks to all those who have followed/favourited/reviewed so far. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter and as usual, I do not own The Vampire Diaries.

The ground beneath her feet was cold. Too cold. It bit at the delicate skin of her toes and crept up her legs; each second bringing with it an icy chill in her veins and prickling of pain that attacked her tense muscles. Her eyes squinted as she struggled to decipher the world around her with only a scattering of night time stars to help her in her quest. A sudden gust of wind and her attention was diverted to the layers of pale lilac chiffon that blew around her ankles and tickled her sensitive skin. Fingering the material, Anna eyed it suspiciously. Neither the darkness nor the unnerving silence bothered her but the dress did. Underneath her bare feet her eyes caught the sight of luminous white stripes that lined the centre of the ground with segmented gaps, and it took her a few seconds for her to realise that she was standing alone in the middle of the road.

Lifting her head up, she twisted her neck left to right and frowned upon confirming how alone she truly was. The night was so still that not even the hoot of an owl or the chirp of a cricket pierced it. Turning her attention solely back onto the fine material that still clung between her fingertips, Anna lifted it up and brought it close to her face. Inhaling deeply, she was met with the undeniable scent of lavender and instantly she let the lower half of the dress fall from her hands. The memory was too much for her to bare and she wanted to tear the dress from her body and purify her skin of the intruding scent.

"You look stunning… if it isn't obvious."

The unexpected intrusion startled Anna and her body visibly tensed and jumped a few inches in the air. Her hand on her chest, she let out a sigh when Damon's silhouette came into focus; his body clad in a fitted black tuxedo and his dark hair ruffled. She remained quiet as he carefully walked towards her, each one of his steps echoing loudly, and spoke only when he was so close to her that he reached out and effortlessly grasped her hand; spinning her round and dipping down low to the ground before bringing her back up.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered breathlessly; her heart hammering against her rib cage.

Slowly moving his feet with graceful ease, Damon kept up a gentle waltz and did not laugh when Anna struggled to match his steps. With each second that passed he felt the tension seep out and away from her rigid body and when she finally relaxed fully into him, he addressed the question that she had asked him minutes before.

"You want to talk about it?"

He stopped abruptly and raised a disbelieving eyebrow when Anna started at him with feigned ignorance. Separating their once clasped hands, Damon picked up a layer of the dress and glared at the blonde-haired woman until she snatched the dress from his fingers and folded her hands in defence. Her nostrils flared and she swallowed down the angry retort that threatened to slip from her lips. Damon's concern was justified, she knew, and the event to which he spoke of had been the birth of their enduring bonds of friendship. Still, she was reluctant to speak and relive the nightmares of her past.

"No." she snapped, before changing her mind and pinching her bottom lip between her teeth as she uncurled her arms. "I'm okay."

"First it's day time drinking and now I find you're dreaming about that night. Look at you…" Damon half-shouted, pointing to the lilac coloured dress with disgust. "You're not okay."

"Things are… different… lately. I'm different, Damon. I just have a lot going on and-"

Cutting her off, the older Salvatore brother gripped Anna's slender, pale wrists with both hands and towered over her; his eyes brewing with irritation and another emotion which the human woman could not put a name to.

"You're running off to Stefan when I'm right here! Let me in."

Her thoughts wandering to that afternoon, Anna shuddered as she remembered how close she had come to confessing her true feelings for Damon; how close she had come to burning her whole life to the ground for a man who did not – and would not – love her back in the way she yearned him to. Even in her dreams she had learned to keep her defences up. The present situation was proof of how much the man she called her best friend had the power to invade her life.

"Damon, you spend so much time making everything that's wrong in my life, right. There are some things you can't fix, though."

"We've never kept secrets from each other before now." Countered Damon; the irony of his own secrets from Anna not being lost on him even as he called her out on her actions.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

It had been a light-hearted attempt to dispel the strain that was clearly so evident between them but it had failed miserably. The flash of guilt that consumed Damon's blue eyes flared up a flame of interest in Anna and her brow furrowed as she tilted her head to the right and stared at the man holding her in place.

"Seems I'm not the only one with secrets, huh, Damon?"

Releasing one of her wrists and using his free hand to softly cradle her cheek, he invaded her remaining personal space and spoke with conviction; believing every word that left his mouth but hating himself at he did so.

"My purpose is to keep you safe and to make you happy. If I thought, even for a second, that the secrets I have would bring you an ounce of joy I would spill them without any hesitation. The things I hide from you I do so for a reason. They will bring you no happiness and it's my burden to carry them. Your secrets, however, hurt us both. When you're happy, I'm happy, and when you're not… I'm goddamn miserable. So just put me out of my misery, Anna."

It amazed her to the very depths of her heart the capability that Damon Salvatore's words always seemed to have at turning black into white, bad into good, wrong into right. Her defences dissolved into puddle and she bit back a sob as a sense of pathetic self-loathing overcame her body. Giving into her desires, Anna wiped away a stray tear that had crept its way down her face and she shook her head as she held Damon's gaze.

"I love you, Damon. I really, truly love you."

With a jolt that caused her whole skeleton to tingle with the sensation of intense electricity, Anna awoke and sat straight up. The sheet that had been covering her nakedness had slipped down to her waist and she gave Stefan a quick glance to confirm his continued sleeping state. The room was bathed in a grey light of the early morning sun that was still fighting with reluctance to rise and signal the start of the day. Prising the cotton bed sheets from her legs, Anna picked up her red panties and Stefan's white t-shirt from the night before. Dressed, the shirt did not completely obscure the view of her underwear and her chest was partially visibly through the unforgiving colour. Tiptoeing from the room, she left the door ajar so as not to alert Stefan and let her feet carry her to her destination. She did not allow herself to think as she travelled down the stairs to the next level of the house and crossed the corridor. Her hand was raised and poised to knock when a niggle of doubt began to worm through her veins. Lowering her hand, the blonde beauty turned on her heel when her ears detected the opening of the door. A shiver ran down her. She felt his presence instantly and her body moved of its own accord as she turned on the spot and breathed heavily. Naked from the waist up, Damon stood with his hand still on the door handle when he spoke.

"Elena's not here."

It was not what he had intended to say but it was what had felt right and true. He saw her standing in front of him and allowed himself to trust his instincts when they told him that she was here for him. There was no moment in time that he could identify that revealed Anna's intentions. The dream was fresh but this wasn't the Anna from the dream. Not her dream anyway.

Surging forward, Anna wrapped her arms around Damon's neck and pressed her lips against his. She had to stand on the balls of her feet to reach him and the t-shirt she was wearing rode up. His primal urges dominating him, Damon's hands moved to cup the curve of her bottom; the skin so soft and supple it made him groan in delight. The heat of the woman's hands now travelling both down his back and tangling into his jet-black hair only heightened his sensitivity and he reciprocated Anna's kiss with deep ferocity.

Needing more, Anna jumped into the air and felt Damon catch her securely as she wrapped her slender legs around his waist and melded their two bodies into one. One hand still kneading the soft flesh of her behind, she hissed when the remaining hand wound its fingers tightly into her scruffy sunshine curls. The room was a blur and the uncertainty of being suspended by strong arms was replaced with the plush cushioning of a bundle of slept-in bedsheets. All around her, Damon's scent permeated the air and made her feel heady. The kisses did not stop. The seconds ticked by and the forbidden kisses took on a life of their own; becoming more romantically savage and urgent as if time was running out for the two lovers and they had to get their fill while they could.

The unexpected sound of a door slamming tore through the haze of lust that Anna and Damon were cocooned in and the two ceased their illicit actions. Her mind clearing, Anna clamped her hand over her mouth when she heard her younger sister call out her boyfriend's name and shoved the man away from her. Guilt trampled her heart and her conscience reprimanded her for her despicable actions. Panic stricken, she crawled off the bed and ran for the still open door. Beneath the weight of her body her feet slid on the wooden flooring of Damon's room and she passed the threshold and into the corridor just as she heard Elena ascending the stairs. She did not look back but did not notice the man waiting for her until she lifted her eyes and locked onto the face of Stefan Salvatore. He stood, arms folded, blocking her view of her sister and more clothed than when she had left him sleeping minutes before.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Longer than you'd like."

There was no sympathy. No concern or understanding. Only disbelief and betrayal; the latter stunning Anna into complete submission and silence.

"What's going on?" asked Elena, stopping abruptly when she stumbled upon the tense meeting taking place

Now dressed in black cotton pants and t shirt, Damon appeared behind Anna and stared at his girlfriend quizzically remarking upon the early hour.

"What are you doing here?"

He did not hear her response and her voice trailed off as both turned their attention to the drama that was unfolding in front of their eyes. Standing off against one another, Stefan remained stoic in his pose whilst Anna's body was limp and her hands were half held in the air stretching out towards the youngest of the Salvatore brothers. Turning his back to her, Stefan walked away and headed down the stairs. Instantly, Anna ran after him.

"Stefan." She tried to shout, her voice breaking.

The tones of her sister's questions reached her ears but she paid them little mind. Stefan's pace was so quick and full of purpose that he had reached the archway of the reception room before she had finished the journey of the stairs. Rushing towards him, she stopped short when his head snapped in her direction and his usual gentle features were now nothing but icy stone.

"Don't, Anna."

Her excuses were just that – excuses. There was no justifiable reason for her actions and Stefan realised her was not just angry. He was furious. Not only had she jeopardised her relationship with her sister, she had also made a mockery of his feelings for her. It might not have been love but he cared for her deeply, and knowing she had left his bed to go into Damon's had left him feeling used and cheap.

"I'm sorry." She began, unable to stop herself from trying to fix what she had broken.

"For what?"

Head hanging, her eyes prickled with the burning effort of holding back her tears at the sting of the venom in Stefan's voice.

"I never meant to disappoint you." She whispered.

Closing his eyes for a long moment and puffing out a sigh, Stefan stroked Anna's hair softly before catching her plump lips with his mouth as she looked up at him in surprise. Kissing her at an almost excruciatingly slow pace, he traced her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue then pecked her mouth lightly.

"You're playing with fire, Anna. This will ruin you if you let it."

With one simple nod, she expressed her agreement despite the ache it caused in the chambers of her heart. Damon Salvatore was off limits. Yet, her brain whirled as she tried to process Damon's actions and total willingness to accept her advances. Staying away from the man was much easier when she had believed he wanted her only as a friend. His attraction to her had been evident. She had had a taste of her wishes becoming reality and she struggled to convince herself that she would not go back for more.

Her green eyes told him all he suspected. A chain reaction had been put into motion and now Stefan scrambled to formulate a plan that would limit the damage. All was not fair in love and war, as he had come to realise over his centuries of experience. If Anna chose love then it would indeed cause a war and now was the time to pick a side.

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