Hello everyone! I am back! I apologize for the gap year I had a lot going on and just didn't have it in me to write anymore. I am in a better place now and hope to finish this story for all of you! For those still with me thank you I appreciate you reading and would love some reviews to see how you all like this new chapter! Again, I am so sorry for leaving you all hanging and will try my best to continue with this story and update more consistently. Much love and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

I own nothing.

Chapter 9: Take Your Time

I am here to fight
For only love decides
In the morning light
I will wake to find you
Opening your eyes.

-Cary Brothers

DPOV

"You gonna get that buddy?" Ric asked me for the second time as I continued to dodge Katherine's call.

"I don't think even I've drank enough Bourbon to answer that," I say this while pushing the phone away from me, treating it like it was infected.

"Good thing I have," Ric smiles at my confused expression before he answers my phone quickly, giving me no time to snatch it out of his hands. "Damon's pimp speaking." I roll my eyes, letting him have his fun before his smile drops and he hands me the phone. "I thought you liked the wild and fun ones, guess you're more into the ones that threaten people's lives," he says as I lift the phone to my ear, giving a quick glance at the dance floor before I speak into the phone. Elena looks sexy as hell and that little hip roll has me antsy to grab her and whisk her away and into my bedroom as soon as possible. She gives me a knowing smirk and I give her a death glare for torturing me, making her laugh from a distance before refocusing on Caroline.

"Are you mute?" I hear the growl of my ex on the other line and immediately go to hang up the phone before she stops me with a single sentence. "I'm calling to warn you, don't worry I haven't gone soft I just feel that I owe you one so listen up."

"I'm listening," I say, trying to hide my concern. Katherine only cares about herself, so for her to be calling on behalf of someone else isn't a good sign. I took her silence as an opportunity to leave my place at the bar, walking down the sidewalk outside of the Grille so I could hear her voice more clearly.

"Is Stefan with you?" She asks me seriously.

"Look if this is about the threesome you asked for years ago the answer is still no," I say with a smirk, knowing the statement would make her blood boil.

"I never asked for a threesome you obnoxious bastard, I'm being serious, unless you want to risk the well-being of your sweet little Elena," she says this with a pleased tone.

"How the fuck do you know about Elena?" I ask with contempt, protectiveness oozing from my voice.

"I guess I've struck a nerve. Does Elena enjoy having her own personal guard dog? I know everything, Damon, don't you remember me at all?"

"I try not to," I say flippantly, "as much as I enjoy this banter of ours, let's cut to the chase, what information do you have?"

"Look, I went to see Stefan before he left. Something isn't right with him and you need to be careful," she says this seriously and I laugh.

"Why the hell would I need to be careful around someone who hasn't even killed a fly? I can handle whatever's up my brother's ass, thanks for your concern," I almost hang up when she yells at me to stay on the line.

"Damon I'm not joking. I thought the same exact thing and was nearly put in the hospital. He attacked me, luckily I can kick his ass and do my nails at the same time. I don't think I can say the same about Elena. We can talk about how I know of her at a later date, but if he catches a glimpse of her she's in trouble. He said as much to me when he left, not that I gave him much of an opportunity with my right hook. Just thought I would let you know, I know I screwed you over once and wasn't going to do it again," she said this with a sincerity that made this even more confusing to me than it already was. Saint Stefan attacking Katherine? No way in hell. But why would she lie when she has nothing to gain?

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because as much as you don't think so, the part of my heart that still functions right holds a place for you and Stefan. I did care about you two, and whether you believe me or not I'm worried about you both. Stefan's drinking is out of control, you saw what happened with his accident. After that he went on another bender and nearly pummeled me. I think that when he and Elena split up he lost it and now that they're in the same area code…" she trailed off leaving me to connect the dots.

"I know how Stefan gets with alcohol, but I thought he learned his lesson after he almost got himself killed," I say with a tight voice.

"So did I, I'm the one who took over watching him when you left. He's spiraling out of control, Damon. He needs to be stopped."

"I never thought I'd say this…but thank you Katherine. You may be an evil slut, but I always knew your heart beat for me," I say this with a short laugh and I heard her sigh in annoyance.

"It was nice speaking with you too, Damon. Just take care of it, I have some interest in your precious Elena," before I could ask her why she hung up. Typical Katherine, way to melodramatic for her own good, but at least I had a warning.

When I returned to my place at the bar I noticed not only Alaric missing, but also Elena, Caroline, and Stefan. Shit. How long had I been on the phone? I hurriedly ran my eyes over the people dancing and talking all over the Grille, confirming that all four of them were gone. I tried calling Elena's cell first with no answer, then Stefan's, then Alaric's, and finally Caroline's. Alaric picked up and told me to fuck off since he was at Jenna's. Caroline picked up and told me never to call her again or else the boy toy she was with would kick my ass. That left Elena and Stefan's whereabouts unknown, exactly what I hadn't been hoping for. I hadn't been this worried about someone since Elena's attack and my thoughts were slowly wandering into dangerous territory. I needed to find her, now. Setting my Bourbon down with a slam I checked the parking lot to see if her car was still here, which it was, and then went toward the alleyway since I had already covered the sidewalks outside the Grille while on the phone with Katherine.

That's when I heard a voice screaming my name. Her voice. Normally, I would've killed to hear that sound, but the terror imbued in the screams gave me a nauseous feeling. The nausea passed as rage flooded through my body, my adrenaline causing me to run as fast as I ever had in my life.

EPOV

"Stefan! Stefan, please! This isn't you!" I begged him to stop in desperate sobs.

"Just shut up! You don't get to tell me who I am, you obviously don't care anymore," he said this as he ripped the rest of my clothes off, the cold brick shocking my hot skin. I continued to scream Damon's name, hoping he was somewhere close enough to hear, but doubted it. I hadn't gotten a new phone yet, so screaming for him was my last hope, until Stefan intervened. "I said shut up!" He screamed this at me with such rage that a tremor of dread waved through my body and then he rammed my head into the brick again. The black spots I had forced away earlier were not leaving anymore, becoming more prevalent by the seconds. That's when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure running toward us. I heard muffled voices and felt Stefan's body leave mine. The minute the support of his body was torn away from mine I fell onto the asphalt, gasping for breath and squeezing my eyes shut forcefully to try and get rid of the black spots. I knew that this was my only chance to escape and had to be able to stand upright so that I could run.

As if the figure heard my thoughts exactly, he yelled, "Elena, run! Run, now!" It was Damon and his voice was filled with worry and exhaustion as he fought his drunken excuse of a brother.

"Damon, I…" I wobbled to my feet and gripped the brick for support while trying to cover my body, only in my bra and underwear. From my position in the alley I saw him throw his jacket off toward me, nodding his head toward the alley's exit. I used every ounce of strength I had to push myself off of the brick wall, but once I bent down to get his jacket my world spun. I still heard the grunts and punches but my vision turned completely black and I felt my body topple over the jacket.

I didn't know exactly how long I had been out, honestly I had been in and out of consciousness for what felt like a lifetime by now, but once I finally lifted my weak body from the cold asphalt I realized that Damon was still fighting Stefan. I knew I had to help. I threw on his leather jacket, zipping it up so it was more of a really short dress, and searched for a weapon. An old, rusted pipe came into my line of vision, but it was all the way on the other end of the alley. I just hoped Damon cold hold on until then, which he seemed more than capable of doing considering most of the blood I could see was on Stefan's face. I knew that Damon could kick Stefan's ass, it was just taking longer than usual with him worrying about me, so I needed to speed up the process. I had never felt so much hate in my life for a single person, I was someone who never held hate and always learned to accept and forgive. Although I had previously seen the good in every soul I had encountered, I now saw Stefan in a new light. He held no good in my eyes, and I let that hate spark inside of me as I gripped onto the rusted pipe and walked toward them.

Before either of them realized I was standing close by, I swung the pipe and watched it connect with the back of Stefan's head. I heard a growl of pure anger and darkness and realized it was mine as I continued to hit Stefan. Damon's eyes widened at the sight and he had to yank me away from Stefan, "What are you doing, let go of me!" I yelled angrily at him, still locking my gaze on Stefan's now limp body.

"I'm saving you from yourself," he said into my ear as he gripped me from behind, trying to drag me away.

"Damon let go of me! Damon let go of me!" I turned in his arms and began to pound against his chest, using all the strength that was left in me. I began to feel woozy and regretted using the rest of my energy fighting him. With the last punch to his chest I felt a sharp pain in my head and placed my hands on my knees, doubled over in pain.

"Elena!" Damon worriedly lifted my head up to gaze into his electric blue eyes, pressing a finger to my lip to shift my face up to his. Whatever he saw in my eyes was enough to rattle him and he lifted me up into his arms and began to carry me out of the alley.

"What about Stefan?" I asked weakly. Although I knew I shouldn't care about what happened to him, he was still Damon's brother and obviously needed medical attention. I felt Damon's body tense and saw his eyes grow cold.

"I don't give a shit about him, Elena. I need to get you out of here. Now," he said frigidly.

"But…" I was about to reason with him that he was still his brother when he stopped walking and looked down at me fiercely. My breath caught in my throat at his intense gaze.

"I will always choose you," his face grew nearer to mine with each word and our eyes locked as I drew in a shaky breath. I didn't know what to say, no one had ever looked at me so intensely, no one had ever cared that much about me before. It was both scary and heartwarming, the intensity between us made my heart race, but it also made me feel completely safe knowing that he would do anything for me. In that moment, I wouldn't have been surprised if he risked his life for me, and as much as I appreciated that sentiment, I would never let that happen. I let my eyes shift to our surroundings and felt Damon begin to move again.

"Damon…" I breathed out, "let me walk on my own, I don't want to raise any suspicion to what just happened."

"Nope." It was a simple word, one that probably wouldn't budge but I had to try.

"Damon, please," I cried out, despite feeling the massive ache in my skull again. He didn't answer, keeping his eyes trained straight ahead to avoid mine. After a few seconds of trying to get him to look at me and put me down, I felt myself drift off to the rhythm of his steps against the sidewalk.