Okay, so I was looking through baby names and I just HAD to write this! I mean, c'mon, it was begging me to. Don't worry, I am still writing my other stories (as this hit me I was writing the next chapter for Blood's Thicker Than Water) but some one-shots will keep everyone going.

Anyway, please enjoy. Once again I would like to say a HUGE thanks to all my reviewers; during this stressful time in my life (exams) I could use some nice comments.

Also, completely off the topic, I would like to recommend a book: While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky. It is a true masterpiece. I've never read anything by her before, but her book took me to a completely different world. It's nothing to do with vampires or anything supernatural, I just wanted people to read the book and know how good it is, because it really is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries. If I did, it would have been Elena that Damon had kissed...

P.S. I would like to point out that I have only seen up to episode 1x16 (WHY did I have to live in the UK?) so I'm not quite up to speed. But by reading other people's stories, I think I can give it a shot. ;)

What's in a name?

It was raining, but Elena didn't mind. She was sitting under the porch, watching the water cool the hot ground.

She had been trying to keep her mind away from Stefan. He was at the boarding house (hopefully) being watched by Damon. He was still eager for human blood, so Damon had advised Elena to stay away for the time being. As much as Elena wanted to be around the Salvatore boy, she understood; it would be a stupid needless risk. Damon promised to let Elena know when she could see Stefan again.

It's like he's in rehab, Elena thought, and a shameful smirk appeared on her face. In some ways, he was.

Since Bonnie wasn't speaking to her, Damon and Stefan were obviously preoccupied, and Caroline was out with Matt, Elena had nothing to do. So she had rifled through some old things of her parents, coming across a baby book. It was an outdated book, with "more than 4,000 names" gracing the pages. For fun, Elena opened it, moving through it.

Predictably, she looked up her own name. But like she said, the book was outdated, so the closest thing she could find was "Elana" which simply meant "Oak tree". She wasn't particularly thrilled with that, so she continued looking for other people's names.

The name "Jeremy" meant "Exalted by the Lord". After searching the dictionary for what "exalted" meant, she realised it said "raised by the Lord." Did that mean he was raised in status? Elena tried to imagine her brother doing great things, like writing a bestselling novel or discovering a cure for cancer. Somehow she couldn't picture Jeremy doing any of these things, but then again, it didn't seem like Jeremy. Not that she meant he could never achieve something like that, but not in English or science. Maybe he would do something else...

Or maybe it meant "raised" as in, "taken up to heaven."

Not wanting to think about that, once again Elena flipped the pages. She looked for her aunt's name, finding that "Jena" meant "a small bird." Elena smiled down at the book. "A small bird" living with an "oak tree". It was as if it was...fate, in want of a better word. God's little joke. Jenna could be described as a bird, flying here and there, small, simple, sweet.

The next name she looked for was Alaric. Surprisingly, the book had that. "Alaric" meant "ruler of all". What would he make of that? Elena wondered, once again smiling. He would find it interesting, certainly, wanting to know where it originated. Elena doubted it fit him though. Next to Damon, Alaric didn't rule anything; then again, he couldn't die.

Taking a deep, bracing breath, as she often did when thinking of her birth mother, she looked up her name. It was just another form of Elizabeth. Like her mother, Elena wasn't sure what to do with that.

She rummaged through the book for Bonnie's name. The book (of course) didn't have the name Bonnie, but it was a version of "Bonita," which meant "sweet and good". Once again Elena smiled, thinking of her friend – if she could be called that. Bonnie didn't want anything to do with her as long as Elena was hanging out with the Salvatore brothers. And yet, before, she had been willing to help Damon rescue Katherine, even though she hated his guts. And how had she been repaid for that? By losing her grandmother. More than anything, Elena wished she could have done something, have somehow stopped Shelia from dying. But life wasn't like that; if it was, Stefan would not be a vampire, he would be human; her parents would be her real parents, and still be alive; Bonnie would still be her friend; and Damon...

She went to the M section, finding Matt's name. "Matthew" meant, "gift of God." That fits Matt perfectly. He certainly was a wonderful guy: he was so dependable, she could always count on him. Even when they had been dating, she found it hard to criticise anything that he had done. Elena would not call on Matt now, not when he was rightfully Caroline's, but it was comforting to know that he would come if she needed him.

Elena found Caroline's name. She smirked at the meaning: "Little woman, born to command; the power behind the throne; the hand which rocks the cradle and rules the world." It definitely fit the blonde haired girl. Caroline liked to be in control, and she enjoyed to boss people around. With her stubborn attitude, Elena believed that Caroline would be able to do anything that she set her mind to.

On the next page was the name "Catherine". This meant, "Pure maiden; the saint who was martyred on a spiked (Catherine) wheel." Elena snorted. Yes, Catherine was a martyr, or at least pretended to be. She probably liked people thinking that she was torn between two lovers, two people that she couldn't choose between; that she had suffered for years in a tomb. Elena sometimes wished she was a vampire, so that if she unfortunately met that scheming bitch, she could teach her a lesson; a punishment, for hurting Stefan, for hurting Damon, was causing a rift between the two brothers that had once been so close.

Somewhat reluctantly, Elena found Stefan's name. "Stephen" translated into "The crowned one; a man who wears the victor's laurel wreath." This meaning made Elena uneasy. Was that a sign? Would he beat this...disease, this drug that he was back on? Did it mean that he was a victor, a winner, like he had won Katherine? Like he had won her?

Elena didn't want to think about that.

Last but by no means least... Elena moved to the D section of the book, looking for Damon's name; wondering if the book even had it.

She would not have been surprised if it had meant, "demon" or "the devil's son." But this? She had not been expecting this.

And more importantly, was it true?

A small gust of air blew the pages of the book. Looking up, she saw the dark haired, blue eyed eldest Salvatore. "The complete book of baby names?" Damon asked, strolling towards her. He smirked at the girl. "Anything you want to tell me?"

Elena slammed the book shut. "Do you want something Damon, or is it just your life's mission to annoy me?"

"No – it's my life's mission to annoy Stefan." He dropped his smirk, though a smile was still in his eyes. "Seriously though, I came to tell you that Stefan may be up for a visit."

Elena didn't feel the usual lift of her heart at the mention of his name. Instead she felt her stomach flutter with nerves. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Damon seemed to understand what she meant. He took her hand, pulling her up in an instant. "I promise Elena, I won't let him hurt you. If I thought he couldn't handle it, I wouldn't take you to him." He smiled slightly at her. "I'm not going to leave you two alone though, so let's try and make sure the insides of my stomach stay inside."

Elena found herself laughing; found herself feeling safe with him. Maybe the book does have it right. "Okay," she said, attempting to be brave. "Let's go."

Damon grinned, feeling proud. "That's my girl." Taking her hand, he pulled her on his back, whisking her to the boarding house.

Damon – "Tame and domesticated; the true friend."

Author's note: None of these meanings are made up. Seriously, the name Damon actually does mean that! As soon as I saw that, I knew I had to write this; I just knew.