Elena Gilbert sighed as she hung up her cellphone. Bonnie was right; she was being unfair to Matt. If she didn't want them to be an item anymore, she needed to tell him. Stringing him along was beyond wrong. Hearing a slight gush of air which she assumed to be wind, she looked up. Her heart beat increased a bit with fear when she saw a man standing in front of her in the moonlight.

"Katherine?"

Elena frowned and looked around, assuming he must be talking to someone else. But no; it was only her out here, on the vacant road. Elena's eyes widened a bit as she got a closer look at the man before her. Only her, and this gorgeous guy. "Um, no…" she said quietly, tucking her hair behind her ear as her brown eyes shyly moved up to meet what she noticed to be startlingly crystalline blue hues. "I'm Elena."

"Oh…" the man's face seemed to fall a bit, and he looked slightly confused. "You… you just look… I'm sorry; you just really remind me of someone..." He seemed to collect himself quickly, and gave her a smile. "I'm Damon."

Elena felt herself getting a bit uneasy around the stranger, Damon, and bit her lip. "Not to be rude or anything, Damon, but it's kind of creepy that you're out here in the middle of nowhere."

"You're one to talk," he stated with a smirk, and Elena felt her heart skip a beat. God, he was attractive… "You're out here all by yourself."

"It's Mystic Falls; nothing bad ever happens here," Elena said with a shrug, as though it should be obvious. What was up with this guy?

Damon gave her a slightly skeptical look that she didn't quite understand; what, did he not believe her? Did he know something about the town that she didn't? Sighing, she decided just to tell him; it wasn't like she was ever going to see the guy again. "I got into a fight with my boyfriend."

"About what?" Damon said, and then held up his hand in an apologetic gesture, "May I ask?"

Elena shook her head. "Life, the future… he's got it all mapped out."

"You don't want it?"

Elena shrugged, giving him a small smile. "I don't know what I want."

Damon cocked his head, and that smirk was back again. "Well, that's not true; you want what everybody wants."

Elena couldn't help but grin back, and respond in a slightly playful manner. "What, mysterious stranger who has all the answers?"

Damon gave a small chuckle and looked away from a second before returning his gaze to her. "Let's just say I've been around a long time. I've learned a few things." His grin turned to a look of mock seriousness as he nodded.

Elena grinned. "Well, Damon; tell me. What is it that I want?"

Damon's grin was back again as he took a few steps toward her with each word he spoke. "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, and adventure… and even a little danger."

It took Elena a few moments to process his words. Maybe it was how close he was now standing (God, he was hot…), or maybe it was… the truth in his words. She did want all those things. With Matt, it wasn't passionate. It was average and, if anything, growing dull. He wasn't adventurous or exciting; he was your everyday average All American guy. As for danger? The only time Matt was dangerous was when he was trying to cook.

But this guy… Damon. Even his name was enough to send shivers down her spine. He was gorgeous, and his voice was like velvet… he seemed to radiate danger, and her subconscious was screaming at her to run, but she stayed anchored in place. He was… fascinating.

"So, what do you want?"

Damon seemed a bit floored by her question. "Ahh…."

Elena heard a honk, and saw her parents coming around the corner. "That's my parents," she explained, and gave a tiny gasp when she found his face mere inches from her.

"I want to know you better, Elena," he said with a slight grin playing at his lips. "Maybe I can help show you exactly what you want."

Elena blinked rapidly with surprise at his close proximity, and the power of his words. "I…"

Damon chuckled. "I'll see you around, Elena; have a safe trip home."

She shook her head to clear it. "Wait; I don't even know your last name."

Damon grinned as her parents pulled up beside them. "Salvatore. I'm Damon Salvatore."

Elena grinned. "I'm Elena Gilbert."

"Gilbert?" Damon asked, and blinked a few times with surprise.

Elena opened her mouth to question his reaction, but never got a chance. "Elena, come on! Jeremy and Jenna are waiting for us at home."

"Coming!" she called to her Dad, who was eying them warily.

"So, I guess I'll…" Elena trailed off in confusion and looked around; Damon, the mysterious stranger with all the answers, was nowhere to be seen. "Damon?" she called, looking around. Her father honked the horn again. "Elena! Let's go!"

Sighing, Elena turned and headed for the car, climbing in the backseat. "Sorry; I was talking to someone."

Her mother looked around. "Who, sweetie?"

Elena sighed and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Can we just go home?"

With her momentary distraction now gone, the reality of her argument with Matt was free to return. Slumping back in her seat as she fastened her seatbelt, she proceeded to silently mope as her father pulled back onto the road.

In the shadows of the trees bordering the road, Damon smirked. "Elena Gilbert…" he mused curiously as he watched the car disappear down the road. "Well, Elena, you're in for a world of surprises…"

… . … . … . … . …

"Elena, you should know better than to wait alone out there. Who was that man you were talking to?"

"I don't know, Dad," Elena grumbled from the backseat, keeping her eyes locked on the trees they passed in the darkness.

"Then why in hell were you talking to him, Elena? He could have been a creep!"

"He wasn't a creep, Dad! God, don't be so stupid…"

Grayson turned in his seat, frowning sharply at his daughter in the back as they approached Wickery Bridge. "Don't you talk to me that way, young lady! I don't care if you're seventeen or seven, I can still…!"

"Grayson, look out!" Miranda screamed and Elena and Grayson's eyes flew to the windshield. Grayson gasped as he lost control of the car, sending it skidding along on the bridge.

"Dad!" Elena screamed in terror, clinging to her seat as she was flung around. She screamed even louder as the car flew to the side, smashing through the guard rails of the bridge and plunging off. There was a loud crash as the car was flung into the water below. Elena felt her head smash against the back of the driver's seat, and everything went dark.

… . … . … . … . …

Damon stared up at the stars above as he casually made his way along the road, in search of his midnight snack. There was bound to be someone stupid and naïve wandering up the street between here and the boarding house where he knew Zach would be thrilled to see him. He made to cross what he remembered as Wickery Bridge when he frowned deeply. The guard rail was shattered and splintered, shards of wood still on the bridge. He slowly made his way to the side and his eyes widened as he saw the glow of red taillights flickering in the water below. He couldn't help but snort with a small laugh. What was it Elena had just said, merely twenty minutes ago? Oh, yes; It's Mystic Falls; nothing bad ever happens here.

Finally, the entertainment begins. Grinning lazily, he decided to go have a look at the misfortunate victims of the accident. Tugging off his leather jacket and pulling his black t-shirt over his head, he sat them both on the now splintered guard rain and dove down into the water. The chill was welcome on his skin as he swam over to the cracked windows of the car that was filled with water. Let's see… there was a middle aged woman, likely in her mid to late thirties, who clearly seemed to already be dead. Such a shame… Then there was a man, possibly a few years older, who seemed to still be clinging to consciousness. It was now that Damon realized he was trying to get his attention. He noticed the man pointing to the backseat, and swam curiously to see what all the fuss was about.

The first thing he noticed was the flowing, long brown hair. As it shifted away from her face, he felt a fraction of the breath he had been holding wheeze out in shock. It was her. Elena Gilbert. Clearly, she was out cold. He felt conflicted. Should he save her? Did he really care? Sighing, he yanked the door free from the car and swam in, ripping her seat belt in half and grabbing her. The man, Elena's father, looked back at him with a look of gratitude shining in his eyes. Then they glazed over, and Damon knew he was dead.

Swimming to the surface, Damon sucked in a breath and pulled Elena's cold, slumping form over to the bank, lying her down and looking down at her. "Hey, Elena…" he said in a velvet-like voice, brushing a wet lock of hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear. He sighed; clearly she wasn't waking up on her own. What the hell? He may as well save her; he had nothing to lose. Careful not to press to hard and risk shattering her ribs, Damon began to push down on her chest in a skilled manner. "Come on, Elena; breath…"

Bending down, he plugged her nose and met her lips with his own, breathing a lung full of air past her cold lips. God, they felt just like Katherine's…

He repeated the action ten more times, until she finally coughed up the water she had breathed in, gasping in a breath of air and coughing.

"Good girl…" Damon said softly and her wide, terrified eyes met his.

"What happened?" she whimpered. "Where am I? Where are my mom and dad…?"

For the first time in what felt like years, he felt a slight pang of sympathy. "You… were in an accident, Elena."

"Where are my parents?" she asked, turning her head frantically as her chest heaved with fear, her eyes growing wider. "Where's my mom and dad…?"

Damon bit his lip as she began to sob. "Hey, just calm down…"

"Where are th-they…?"

He sighed. "Elena… they're gone."

She frowned, not understanding. "What do you mean…?"

He shook his head, not wanting to elaborate. He was the wrong person to tell her this. "Is there anyone I can call?"

"My aunt… she's staying with us… where are my parents?"

Damon scooped the quivering girl up into his arms and started walking back up to the bridge. Elena's eyes widened as she saw the damage. "Oh, my God…"

Slowly, she began to process what Damon was telling her. She had been in an accident. Her parents were gone…

"Oh, my God, no…!" she said in a thick voice, starting to sob with horror as she clung to Damon. "No, no, no!"

"Just calm down…" Damon said as they reached the bridge and he pulled his cellphone out of his jacket pocket. "What's your home phone number?"

"No! No, my parents! We have to save them…!"

"Elena!" Damon said firmly as he attempted to hold her with one arm. "Tell me your phone number."

"My parents! You have to save them, too!"

Giving a low snarl of irritation, he grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, gazing into her eyes. "Tell me your phone number."

Her hysterics subsided as silent tears trailed down her cheeks. "434-3734…"

Dialing the number, Damon sat Elena down on the bridge so she was sitting down, pulling his shirt over his head and grabbing his jacket, wrapping it around her quivering shoulders absentmindedly. Finally, a woman answered.

"Hello?"

"Are you Elena Gilbert's aunt?"

There was a pause on the other end before the woman replied, "Yes… I'm Jenna Sommers. Why?"

"Elena and her parents have been in a car accident. I was able to save her, but her parents are dead."

There was an even longer pause before the woman responded in an acid like, icy tone, "Is this some kind of sick joke? Who the hell do you think you are…!"

"I think I'm the man who just saved your niece from downing! They drove off Wickery Bridge and plunged into the water. Her parents drowned, and I could only save Elena. Now, I suggest you call the police to come and get the other two out of the car; I'm taking Elena to the hospital."

With that, he hung up and shoved his phone carelessly into his wet pants pocket. "Come on; you need to see a doctor."

Elena was huddled in his jacket, shivering and sobbing quietly. She didn't look up at him when he spoke. Sighing, Damon knelt beside her and tilted her chin up. "I'm sorry, okay? It was too late for me to save them. Your father wanted me to save you, so I did. There was nothing more I could do."

She shook her head. "They can't be dead… they just can't be…"

"Come on, Elena; we need to get you looked at. Okay?"

She shook her head again, and he frowned. "Elena, I'm taking you one way or another. Police will come and get your parents. You can either come with me willingly, or I can make this very unpleasant for both of us."

Whimpering, she shakily stood up, falling forward on her quivering limbs and crashing into his chest, bursting into sobs again. Damon sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "It's going to be okay," he whispered, picking her up again and continuing to walk toward the hospital. He let her cry into his chest, unable to compel her to stop. For once, compulsion just didn't seem right. If there was anything this girl needed right now, it was a good cry.