(A/N) Hey guys, so after some consideration, and some supportive reviews on all my oneshots so far I've decided to do a full Klamon story. This story picks up from the scene in 3x03 when Damon came back into Stefan's apartment with Elena's dress and she was all whiny about her "practically being discovered by Klaus", but with my own bit at the start of it. :-P.

And for any future chapters, it doesn't follow the Vampire Diaries except for this chapter, and I'll probably use dialogue from future episodes in later chapters. I'm not so sure about the rating for this one, but I'm gonna keep it at M for the horror-ish elements in it.

Enjoy guys, and please review. I'm one of those pesky authors that only update if there are a certain amount of reviews, because if I don't, nobody actually says anything.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries, if I did it'd be Klaus/Damon (duh) and Elena wouldn't have played with both brothers.

Warnings: Light smut in future chapters, scenes of horror and violence which may be frightening to younger readers (dare I say elderly? - LOL), and contains (mild) Elena bashing - I just hate her so much, she's like Katherine 2.0 or something.

~ooOOoo~

Vampires will take whatever they want. They will hurt whoever they want. And they'll do it without remorse. It's their nature.. - Alaric Saltzman.

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"Here you are, Sir." The red-haired cashier handed Damon a sturdy brown paper bag with a smile.

"Thank you." He took it from her, discreetly looking at her name-tag pinned above her left breast. It was always the way to subtly compliment woman without being too forward, since he wasn't looking for a little side-order of blood to go with the dress inside the bag. "Hannah."

She flushed a dark shade of red over her high, pale cheekbones, and twirled a lock of fiery hair around her index finger. Damon flashed her his million dollar smile, winking one of his cerulean blue eyes. He slid the bag from the counter, expertly thrusting his arm through the stout-looking handles before the last corner even left the till. He turned and walked out of the store, feeling all the woman's - and some select men's - eyes on him as he did so.

Damon walked out onto the busy high street, the sound of cars revving and horns blaring in his ears. As he walked down the cobbled pathway, back to Stefan's old apartment from the 1920's, he found himself thinking about how much quieter it was then. Instead of hefty trucks and vans bellowing thick smoke into the air, and the drivers of cars always hitting their horns, trying to compete with each other and make the loudest sound, there used to be the sound of soft jazz being distributed throughout the whole town, with the occasional barely-advanced cars rolling down the street.

Damon suddenly remembered Elena's phone call to him, but he wasn't going to hasten his walking speed, that was for sure. He wasn't at her beck - and quite literally in this situation - call. He was still mad at her about their fight on her birthday, and all-but blackmailing Alaric to hike through the Smoky Mountains with her, which almost ended up with Damon being bitten by Ray, a rabid hybrid, and Elena getting killed.

Jealousy wrenched at the metaphorical knife in Damon's heart as he knew she was doing all this for his baby brother, but if it was him, she would probably just yell at him to get back under control, or use her sickening "Damon, please" and a bat of her eyelashes to get him to do what she wanted. Even if she didn't realise it, or she was just ignoring it, she was turning to Katherine more and more each day - although he would feverently deny it if anyone said so - she needed Damon to fall back on during "Stefan's darkest periods" but yet she insisted coming out to Chicago to save him.

Turning in his trek down the street, Damon came to the old complex which Stefan's apartment was in. Part of him wondered if he would find Elena torn to shreds, the culprit being none another than his brother, or if he would come across an empty room with a ransom note pinned to the wall. Alright, easy Damon. He reasoned with himself, stepping into the complex.

The stairs made loud creaks as he ascended them, no doubt frightening Elena if she was still inside Stefan's apartment. He knew which floorboards creaked and which didn't, but he wasn't going to spare himself the trouble of bypassing them just for Elena. Damon found himself thinking, a lot lately, about how everyone seemingly always wanted to kill themselves to save Elena, but she refused every attempt, just because she was so selfish and wanted everyone by her side at all times. Especially Stefan.

It was beginning to get annoying - Stefan only left because he had saved Caroline and Tyler, and Tyler had bit him. If Damon had left them in the cell, they would both be dead, but Elena would still have an Aunt, and an "epic" love with her boyfriend. It was sickening the way she wanted everything to go her way, Damon knew a reality check was in order.

He pushed open the door to the apartment, having wrenched the knob off earlier, and sauntered inside. He saw Elena's figure half hidden behind the wall. Her hand lowered the vervain dart she had been holding - Damon knew it wouldn't be much use against Klaus now he'd broken the curse - and her eyes, which had been trained fiercely, and almost harshly, on the door, transformed into a watery look of relief.

"Finally I called you an hour ago." Her voice was riddled with urgency and her body came out from behind the wall. She placed the vervain dart over on Stefan's old bed, and walked towards Damon. The look in her eyes and the look that was plastered on her face told him she was looking for comfort. He had none to give to her.

"Make yourself presentable." He tossed the bag with the dress in it, into her arms. She caught it, but now added to the mixed emotions in her eyes, was confusion. "I know where Stefan's gonna be tonight." Damon told her, giving her a little grin.

"I told you that I was practically discovered by Klaus and you're worried about what I'm wearing?" Elena's voice sounded betrayed and hell forbid - whiny, like she wanted Damon to wrap her into his arms or something like that. She was like one of those people that always needed someone, but when what she really needed, was to learn independence. Damon had survived on his own for almost a century and a half, not counting the occasional times he and Stefan met in the middle, but it wasn't possible for Elena to do it?

"I had an hour to realise what a bad idea it was to leave you here alone, process it, and move on." Damon said bluntly. He watched her posture change, and she stood taller, looking slightly affronted. He refused to be her surrogate Stefan until he got back, because he was done loving her until she opened her eyes and realised she loved him too, or stopped denying her feelings just because she was worried about Stefan getting hurt.

"Are you okay?" He asked, in a tone that to most people would seem like he didn't care. And he didn't, not right at that moment.

"Yeah." Elena responded breathily, sounding like she was about to cry. Damon almost rolled his eyes at the sight in front of him. He couldn't believe she'd been scared by something for over an hour. Anna's words to her when they were all trapped in the tomb flashed across his mind - "You scream, and shriek and even bother to escape, but then you just come right back to it." Damon knew that was true, she barely even tried to rescue herself, just played the damsel in distress until he and Stefan showed up to save her.

"Okay, good." Damon acknowledged. "Get dressed. you're all road-trippy and gross." He motioned to her fraying denim shorts and her top, which was starting to look dirty.

"So you know where he's gonna be?" Damon noticed her voice was notably stronger. Of course, whenever Stefan's involved, she always perks up, couldn't give a damn about herself or anyone else for that matter. He thought viciously.

"Yes, with Klaus." He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it was right at that moment. Wherever Klaus went, Stefan and a trail of mutilated bodies would follow. "So I'll distract Klaus, and you deal with Stefan." Damon told her, leaving no room for discussion.

"Ok." She nodded, her voice back to that breathy tone it had first been. "Thank you." She managed a small smile, which Damon did not reciprocate, instead he stood up, and walked over to Elena, towering over her. His vampire hearing heard her heartbeat increase almost instantly, and then he became angry at the fact she would always fight his feelings because it would always be Stefan, no matter what he did for her.

"But you're gonna have about five minutes tops, before that hybrid freak rips my heart out." Damon knew Klaus would probably be weary about him, but it didn't bother him so much. What did bother him, was that if Stefan and Elena took to long with their relationship drama, he would run out of distractions. "So please, tell me you can do this." He looked desperately into her eyes.

"I can do this." She nodded in a determined voice. Damon motioned over to the bathroom, and she went inside to change into the dress. It was only a purple, simple stretch of fabric, nothing too fancy seeing as she was only trying to convince Stefan to come home and he was sticking his neck on the line, as per usual which he was growing tired of, and distracting Klaus.

"Need any help in there?" Damon called from where he stood in the center living room. He heard her breath hitch from behind the closed door, and he smirked to himself.

"I'm fine." She called back, her voice shaking. Damon knew the effect he had on her, and he was revelling in it. He could make her heart skip or stop all together, make her skin burn hot when he touched her, or ignite the blazing Petrova fire in her when he riled her up. But lately, all that had lost its appeal, he was loving her recklessly, yet she was pretending she didn't know, when the whole town could have figured it out within an hour.

"Are you sure?" He teased her. "It wouldn't be like seeing anything new."

"I'm not Katherine, Damon." Her scathingly fierce reply shot through the door. Damon shook his head, she was completely oblivious as to how she was coming between him and his brother. Damon knew it was bad news that she looked like Katherine, and often wondered if that was why Stefan stayed, practically stalked her for months, and fell in love with her. He heard the quick rustling of clothes, and the crinkle of the paper bag, and quickly shook himself out of his thoughts.

"I'm ready." Elena announced, smoothing out the creases in the dress with her long-fingered hands.

"Alright, let's go." He opened the door and walked out, not giving Elena time to get ahead of him. Her shoes clacked against the wooden floor as she ran after him, creating a resonating echo throughout the entire complex. He smirked to himself again, and made for his trusty blue Camaro.

Damon opened the door to the drivers seat, and Elena rushed past the bonnet of the car, before hurrying in and slamming the door. She buckled her seatbelt up, and Damon turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life, and soon they were burning rubber down the high street.

"Seriously Damon!" Elena huffed. "Why did you run off like that?"

"If I recall, you were the one doing the running." Damon responded smoothly, occasionally giving the steering wheel a gentle twist every time they reached a junction. They were headed for Gloria's bar. Damon knew that was where Stefan liked to unleash the Ripper and wreak havoc on the inhabitants inside. It struck Damon as odd that Gloria never did anything, especially with her being an a hundred and sixteen year old witch after all.

Damon came to a silent halt outside Gloria's bar, with Gloria's flashing above them in the same, curly neon letters that had been there in the 1920's. Damon pulled the key from the ignition, switching off the lights, and getting out of the car. Elena followed suit, eagerness was eminent all over her face, and it only drove the knife in deeper. "I love Stefan, it's always gonna be Stefan." Her tearful words the night Katherine had rejected him echoed in his mind, and he clenched his fist angrily.

"Stay here, I'll go and get Mr. Ripper." Damon left no room for an objection, and slipped away into the shadows, leaving Elena alone and out in the open. He pushed open the bar's back door, general chatter, witty banter and the sound of music filled his ears.

Damon spotted Stefan over by the bar, talking with Klaus who poured another shot of tequila. Stefan glanced around, and caught Damon's eye, widening his own in realization. He hooded them quickly as Klaus turned towards him. Damon walked back outside into the cool night air, craftily standing near Elena, but made sure Stefan wouldn't be able to see her.

He felt a supernatural force push him back onto his car, pressing him up against the window. Damon thought for an instant that it was Klaus, but he recognised Stefan's mess of light brown hair, even in the darkness. Stefan gave him another shove against the car, and Damon didn't fight back. "What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with you!?" Damon shoved him back and broke his grip on his shirt, being older and stronger than his brother, despite the fact he was on human blood. "You kill Andie one day, save my life the next. What are you good, bad? Pick one." His eyebrows danced above his eyes as he spoke, glaring daggers at his brother, and pushing him back.

"Klaus almost saw Elena today." Stefan's voice was riddled with urgency, and his eyes shined with desperation. "You have to get her out of Chicago." He was almost pleading with him. Damon clenched his fist again, like he hadn't tried! But as usual, everyone had to do what Elena wanted, nevermind having free will or the right to save themselves.

"She's not going anywhere until she's got you checked into vampire rehab and on the mend." Damon told him, walking a little closer, almost violating his brother's personal space, although given the number of times they'd pinned each other against the wall said otherwise. "Trust me, I've tried." He whispered in a hushed voice. If Klaus heard their conversation, they'd both be dead.

"She's the key to everything. Klaus can't know she's alive." Stefan said.

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked, making his confusion clear. What was Elena the key to? Besides destroying brotherly bonds without realising it, or just being plain ignorant about it.

"She was supposed to die in the sacrifice and she didn't, now Klaus can't create any new hybrids." Stefan explained, panicking. "His witch is seconds away from figuring it out." He said.

He grabbed Damon by his shirt, and clung to him desperately. "Tell Elena to go home, and forget about me." He ordered.

Damon shook his brother off. "Tell her yourself." He jerked his head towards Elena, who was stood there looking like a deer caught in headlights. Damon braced himself, he was heading into certain danger, and possible death. He pushed open the back door, just as Stefan and Elena began talking, and he strolled into the bar again.

"Last call, drink 'em up." Gloria called around the bar. Damon took no notice of her, and deliberately sat on the bar stool next to Klaus, mocking him almost.

"I see they've opened the doors to the riff-raff now." Klaus said, not looking at him.

"Oh honey, I've been called worse." Damon turned his head and smiled at him. He really hoped nothing major would happen tonight, and Elena would just accept Stefan wasn't going to come back, or if he did, it wasn't going to be all sunshine and roses like she wanted.

"You don't give up, do you?" Klaus finally looked at him, twisting a small cocktail umbrella between his fingers. He looked different than the last time Damon saw him, stubble had spread across his chin, and his eyes looked much more intimidating. Damon thought it was because of the wolf inside him was brewing, waiting to leap out and strike, causing mass devastation.

"Give me my brother back, and you'll never have to see me again." Damon bargained. Klaus gave a small chuckle, and Damon felt his legs go numb. It sounded rich and cultured, but like the lowest notes of a melody at the same time. Klaus was truly an intimidating wonder.

"Well I am torn." He broke Damon from his thoughts, all the while he kept fiddling with that umbrella. It made Damon a little nervous, although he wouldn't admit it. It could be used as a perfect surrogate stake. "You see I promised Stefan I wouldn't let you die, but how many freebies did I really sign up for? And clearly you want to die or else you wouldn't be here, so..." Klaus' voice trailed off, and he gave the tiny umbrella another twist.

"What can I say? I'm a thrill seeker." Damon smirked, his full attention now on the hybrid. Klaus gave a wolfish grin, and Damon barely had time to blink before Klaus' hand was wrapped around his neck in a tight hold, a loud slap being heard from the quickness of the assault. Damon felt Klaus lift him up into the air, and his feet dangled helplessly in the air.

His arm shot out in an instant reflex, wrapping his fingers around Klaus' wrist, but the hybrid's grip didn't falter. Damon had been strangled by Elijah before, but the tightness he felt around his throat now, just couldn't be compared. He was raised higher into the air, with Klaus now stood up from his bar stool. Damon groaned as he felt his spine being stretched to it's limits before several cracks were heard. He gasped in what little air he could, amazing at how nobody in the bar was reacting.

"Oh dear what was that?" He could hear the grin in Klaus' voice. His arm was now completely extended, and Damon thought about kicking him in the stomach, but it wouldn't be a very wise choice. His pointless struggles ceased for a moment as Klaus picked up the cocktail umbrella, and lightly pressed the tip against his chest.

"I'm a little boozy, so you'll forgive me if I miss your heart the first few tries." Klaus whispered to him. Damon chuckled, and he felt a searing sensation in the right side of his chest, nicking one of his arteries. He groaned again, and hung limply in Klaus' grip like a rag doll.

"No that's not it..." Damon breathed out as Klaus pulled the sharpened tip of the umbrella's end from his chest. Not a moment later, it was jammed back in, eliciting another groan from the younger vampire. Damon didn't even think about moving, the tip of the stick was scraping against the side of his heart. "Oh, almost."

"You want a partner in crime?" Damon's voice oozed desperation as Klaus jerked the umbrella towards him. He groaned again, feeling the tip nearly penetrate his heart, and Damon wondered for a split second if this was how he was going to meet his end - by being stabbed with a cocktail umbrella. "Forget Stefan, I'm so much more fun."

Klaus grinned at him, before tossing him backwards. Damon felt his body sail through the air, and he smashed into a table, the legs buckling and snapping under the new weight that had been thrown against it. He laid amongst the splinters, ignoring the pain in his chest as he looked around.

Klaus' boots came towards him, and a hand curled tightly around his shoulder, prohibiting any and all movements Damon tried to make. "Really? Then prove it." Klaus challenged him.

"What?" Damon's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Prove to me, that you can be a worse ripper than Stefan, and I might consider taking you with me instead." Klaus explained. Damon thought for a split second, he didn't mind being the bad guy, and he had embraced his vampirism more than Stefan had. He then thought back to 1864, when they were the best of friends, and would die for each other. Damon would still die for his brother, over Elena in a heartbeat, but he would never admit that to anyone.

"Give my brother his life back first." Damon bargained, feeling oddly calm, despite the situation he found himself in. Stabbed with a tiny umbrella, and making a deal with a deadly, indestructible hybrid who could kill him without blinking.

"Why, is that because Elena wants him back?" Klaus asked. Momentary fear seeped into Damon's body, and he felt his eyes widen. Klaus smiled above him, showing a row of white teeth. "Oh come on, you really didn't think I'd be able to hear her, did you? I heard her heartbeat back in Stefan's old apartment, and I can hear it now. Quite literally being ripped into pieces all because of your little brother you both want to save so desperately..."

"Are you gonna give him back, yes or no!?" Damon demanded, writhing and twisting in Klaus' grip.

"Tsk, tsk, patience, little one." Klaus whispered softly, and Damon felt his stomach drop. He didn't know what was going on with him, but it would be a secret he'd keep to himself for all eternity. "You haven't fed on a human in a while, have you?" He asked.

Damon's brows shot up. "What the hell does that have to do with-"

"Just answer, the question Damon." Klaus' tone made no space for a debate about it.

"No, I haven't." Damon admitted. He had found himself more that enough times wanting to revert back to his old ways, but Elena's constant reprimanding about his humanity just wasn't worth it.

"And do you know why that is?" Klaus asked him, and Damon dared to play the oblivious card, knowing the explanation he got would somehow revolve around Elena. "It's because Elena has wrecked you, allowed useless emotions to cloud your mind. Like love. But from what I gather, she either doesn't realise, or completely ignores it. She's a lot more like Katerina than she thinks, she's come between you and Stefan just like her."

"What is it about Petrova doppelgängers that we men find so alluring?" Klaus chuckled down at him, unintentionally reminding Damon about how helpless he was.

"Elena is not like Katherine." He ground out through gritted teeth.

"She uses you to get what she wants." Klaus pointed out.

"No she doesn't." Damon objected, when he knew full well she did. She had subtly manipulated him to take her here to Chicago, and she had done it again when they were hiking the Smoky Mountains. He didn't even want to think about the time they were getting information on Katherine, and he had given it to her, yet Elena still cast him out of her life, having known the answer the whole time they were at Duke.

"Stop lying Damon, it'll get you nowhere." Klaus reprimanded him, and Damon cursed the fact that werewolves were like living lie-dectors. "Now, about this little deal... I'll give Stefan back to Elena, on the condition that the minute you feel hungry, you'll feed on a human."

"Sounds fair." Damon nodded with a chipper looking smile. "Not." It slid off his face in an instant.

"Well, well, it sounds like they're still talking, so we have time for a little game I have planned." Klaus smirked, and Damon felt his stomach tighten into a thousand knots. He knew from seeing Katherine back in Alaric's apartment during all the sacrifice business, what Klaus' idea of fun was.

His back smashed against a wall, and Klaus' hand was pressed tightly against his chest. He grinned at him, and waved one of the broken table legs in front of his eyes. He was about to stab it into his body, and Damon braced himself for the impact, but it stopped short, the tip resting on his shirt.

"Not in my bar Klaus, take it outside." Gloria ordered him.

Klaus chuckled, not looking at her, but burning his ice-gray eyes into Damon's body, discreetly studying him. "Leave this to the men Gloria, and just this once, I think you can handle a little blood spilt, seeing as it would inconvenience me to take this outside."

"You make a mess, you're cleaning it up." Gloria grabbed a few empty glasses, and took them away for cleaning. This time, it was Damon's turn to grin.

"You got told." He laughed. He was stopped as Klaus rammed the stake through his stomach, pinning him to the wall. He picked up two others, undeniably sharper, and shoved them into his wrists. Damon cried out in pain as he felt his veins burst and his bones crack. Klaus strutted into his full view, and Damon was thankful that he didn't have another makeshift stake with him.

"Alright, let's get this started. I'm going to ask you a few questions, and if you don't answer, or I find out you're lying, I'll bite you, and I won't heal you until I get the answer that I want." Klaus explained, and Damon eyed him venomously. Klaus chuckled and ran his hand over Damon's cheek, involuntarily making him shiver. "Oh don't pout like that Damon, this'll be fun."

"Yeah, for you." He shot back.

"Okay, first question, how badly do you miss feeding on humans?" Klaus asked him. Damon hadn't fed on a human in a while, and missed the feeling of his prey's life essence being drained by him and sucked down his throat, giving him life while stripping a human of theirs. He was broken roughly from his thoughts as something slashed his skin open. The open wound began to burn severely, and Damon realised Klaus had just bitten him.

"What the hell!?" He yelled, struggling against his restraints as his whole body began to burn up.

"I told you that's what would happen Damon, now answer me." Klaus ordered him, reminding him that he was the alpha, and held and dealt all the cards. "There's about ten minutes before you start to feel the effects of my bite Damon, and they are much worse than a regular werewolf." He taunted him in a sing-song voice, running his finger down his cheek.

With a jerk of his head, Damon snapped at Klaus' hand, and he pulled it away, chuckling at him. "Ooh, you're a feisty little boy." Damon groaned as he grabbed his neck, squeezing tighter than a vice. "Just answer my question."

"A lot." Damon panted through gritted teeth, trying to put the pain at the back of his mind. It was far more excruciating then when Tyler had bit him. Tyler's bite was like someone had shot him with wooden bullets, but the pain from Klaus' was similar to when he was human and his father smashed a decanter over his head for reasons he couldn't remember. "I miss it a lot."

"Why?" Klaus asked curiously.

"B-because I..." Damon's head dropped down as his neck couldn't take the weight. His heart thudded painfully in his chest, directing Klaus' deadly venom around his body. His limbs were getting numb each time the venom continued its destructive path. Damon coughed and to his horror, blood splattered over the polished tiles below him.

Damon felt Klaus' hands gently lift his face up, and he tried to look at the man in front of him, but his vision was blurring and the room was spinning. "Hmm, unfortunately for you, it looks like my venom's decided to start its work early, you may want to hurry up with that answer sweetheart."

"I'm not myself." Damon's voice was raspy, scratching his throat.

"Yes, I can tell." Klaus brushed a thumb along one of Damon's cheeks. "You've grown soft Damon, and it's all because Elena wants you like this, would I be correct in thinking that?" He asked softly.

"Mmm-hmm." Damon nodded as best he could, forcing his head to stay where Klaus' grip held it.

"Round two then, how is Elena still alive?" Klaus asked. Damon knew Klaus would bite him again if he didn't answer, but the raw, scratching feeling was proving too much for him, not to mention the fact that the whole game was far too sadistic for Damon's liking. It was one of those things that were fun to watch, but when the pain was inflicted on you, you cursed everyone to Hell and back that watched.

"During the- When you- Bonnie did-"

"Focus Damon, you don't have all day." Klaus' voice broke through the haze that was Damon's mind, and he feverishly tried to organize his thoughts.

"Bonnie did a spell and it brought her back, still human." Damon explained quietly, not wanting to aggravate his burning throat. He was never a fan of it, but coughing up blood seemed like a suitable remedy in this situation. His head was pounding against his skull, creating a dull, thudding rhythm between his ears.

"Fascinating." Klaus breathed, running his thumb along Damon's lower lip. "But now I can't create anymore hybrids."

"Yeah, Stefan filled me in." Damon coughed weakly, although to his annoyance, not a single slither or drop of blood came out. "Are we done with the 20 questions now?" He asked hopefully, trying to not give his eagerness away. Klaus would find some way of using it against him, he knew it.

"Just one more." Klaus grinned at him once he saw the annoyance and frustration in his eyes. "Why are you afraid of what Elena thinks about you?" He asked. Damon wouldn't call himself afraid of what Elena thought of him, just fed up of her incessant whining, childish behaviour and her I'm-so-better-than-everyone-else attitude. And he was annoyed about how she constantly toyed with his feelings - probably realising exactly what she was doing - leading him along one step, and then going back four, and the four often led to his brother.

Damon groaned as Klaus' hand wrapped itself tightly into his hair, and yanked his head to the side. A wave of aching pain spread through his entire neck like a plague. He heard Klaus hiss, and Damon froze entirely as the very tips of his fangs rested above the already inflamed bite. All it took was one more push, and Damon would be dead before the game was finished.

"I can almost taste your fear, Damon. It's intoxicating..." Klaus breathed heavily against his neck, chuckling in sadistic pleasure, his British accent giving more of an allure to it.

Damon swallowed hard, not wanting to go to the full extent of why he cared about what Elena thought about him and his lifestyle and behaviour, because he would probably be dead before the end of the game, without a second bite. "I love her, but she's in puppies and rainbow land with Stefan, even now while he's fallen off the proverbial wagon."

"She just wants you as another Stefan, she doesn't want you, she just wants you falling over your feet for her so you'll do whatever she says." Klaus whispered softly to him, bringing his face back into Damon's eye line. He bit back the gnawing feeling he had that this was true, but he knew it was. At almost every turn, whether it was a blonde or a bloodbag, she was always there with a disappointed or judgemental look on her face that could rival Bonnie's.

"Mmm, I think you've suffered enough." Klaus kissed the bite on Damon's flesh, and he felt himself shiver from head to toe. He gasped out loud as Klaus wrenched the first stake from his stomach, his skin sewing back together once the obstruction had left it and the route his bloodstream took wasn't blocked.

Damon winced as Klaus pulled the stakes from his wrist. He slid down the wall and fell onto his knees, swaying momentarily before falling on his stomach. With the begrudging knowledge that he was too weak to move, Damon peeked out of the corner of his eye, and saw Klaus holding an empty glass.

His hybrid visage appeared, and Damon was intrigued. Klaus had the red and black lacing the whites of his eyes and the thick veins around them, but his irises - which would have stayed gray on a normal vampire - were a brilliant shade of amber, almost rivaling that of the bourbon Damon frequently drank, even more than often due to recent events. He also had double canines, which he sunk into his own hand. Klaus let the blood drip monotonously into the glass, and Damon licked his lips.

A groan slipped past his lips as Damon felt Klaus' free hand push him onto his back. He crouched down beside him, the glass full with his blood. Klaus pulled him into a sitting position, supporting his entire weight with his free hand, and held the rim of the glass to the seam of his lips.

"Drink up." Damon parted his lips enough to allow some of Klaus' enticing blood to snake past them. He began drinking more hungrily, feeling the werewolf venom leave his system. Klaus' blood tasted sweeter than the first time he'd drank it, it was the real deal, fresh and warm. If by some ridiculously stupid turn of events, all of Mystic Falls' human population were chock full of vervain, Damon knew he wouldn't mind surviving off of Klaus' blood for the rest of his eternal life.

As he drained the last mouthful, Damon felt Klaus pull him to his feet, gently setting him down on the floor. "I'll return your brother back to Mystic Falls tomorrow."

"Thanks, I think." Damon turned around to go and find Elena, well aware of the fact he had just sold his soul to the Devil.

"Goodbye Damon." He could hear the smirk in the hybrid's voice, but he ignored how strange it made him feel, and pushed open the door to the back entrance. Stefan and Elena were nowhere to be seen, although Damon heard soft, sobbing sounds coming from inside his car.

He opened the driver's door, and looked in to find Elena, teary-eyed and twisting her necklace between her fingers. Damon slid into his seat, and turned the key. The engine purred and the headlights flickered on, illuminating a pathway for them, and expelling every shadow.

Ever since Damon became a vampire, he knew very well that things often did hide in the shadows, whether it be another vampire, a vampire hunter, or a werewolf. He heard Elena choke a sob back, and judging by how loud it sounded, Damon couldn't help but think she had done it simply to get his attention.

"Are you okay?" He asked, feigning and not feigning concern, curling his fingers on the steering wheel. He hated the fact that Elena always got upset when things were told to her like it was, and how she always seemed to cry and play the damsel in distress whenever something happened to her, even though Damon knew it was just an act. She just wanted everyone at her side, at her beck and call.

"Just drive." For once, Damon had no objection of doing what she said. The sooner he got home, the sooner the bodies could start hitting the floor, and the clouds start raining blood.

~ooOOoo~

"What!?" Damon yelled as the relentless pounding on the front door wouldn't stop. He knew he sounded like a cranky old man, but he didn't care. He'd been up all night, went to bed on a blood high - which amazed him because he only had a glass of Klaus' blood - and woke up with a pounding headache. He growled and threw the sheets back, exposing his half-naked body. "Okay I'm coming!"

He angrily picked up a shirt from the floor, not caring if he'd worn it before, and thrust his arms through the arm holes, yanking the head hole over his hair. Unable to take the banging on the door any longer, he took off with a burst of supernatural speed, and pulled the door open, ready to chew the person out for disturbing him.

But who he saw, wasn't just any old teenager, it was an a hundred and sixty-two year old vampire pretending to be a teenager. "Stefan..." Damon breathed in relief. Now he could take a break from Elena's incessant detective work, and get down to business - ripping half the town apart.

"Hello Damon." Stefan smiled morosely, and Damon nearly rolled his eyes. He was free from Klaus, why was he not happier? Then Damon guessed that he was probably feeling remorse for the victims that he killed, and he was buried under an avalanche of guilt. "Can I come in?" He asked.

"It's your house too, isn't it?" Damon smiled before stepping aside, allowing his brother to cross over the threshold.

"Look, Damon I-I'm sorry about, everything." Stefan apologised, and Damon knew he meant it, he could practically see his eyes swimming with guilt, threatening to drown him at any moment. That was Stefan's biggest problem, he hated himself because he stripped people's lives from them. He had always been compassionate as a human, and as a vampire that was magnified. Remorse was his eternal curse.

"It's alright, people die. Move on." Damon brushed him off.

"How's Elena?" He asked. Damon almost hit the wall. Why did everything in Mystic Falls seemingly revolve back around to Elena? Aside from being the Doppelganger, and the object of Stefan's feelings, and the former to Damon's own - he'd given up any chance that Elena would choose him, she was just too judgemental over his lifestyle and behaviour - she really wasn't that special.

"Probably sobbing into her pillow and drowning her sorrows in a big bix of Chunky Monkey." Damon really couldn't care less right now about what Elena was doing. She was probably still reprimanding Jeremy for smoking some pot on the night of her birthday. Jeremy had a right to do what he wanted, regardless of whether or not it was a good choice, but he had a right. But taking people's choices away from them were all Elena seemed to be good at, besides screaming, yelling, crying and slapping Damon whenever he did something "wrong".

"Care for a drink?" He asked, Stefan declined with a shake of his head. Damon walked over to the liquor cart, and selected the crystal decanter filled with his favourite drink - Bourbon. He unscrewed the top, and began pouring the liquid into his usual tumbler. He corked the decanter once he was done. Out of the corner of his eye, Damon saw Stefan pacing around the room.

"I really messed things up, do you think she'll forgive me?" He asked nervously, his brow furrowed into a line which, Damon thought, could rival the lead from the really bad vampire movie where they all sparkled.

"I think as soon as she gets here wanting to cook chili for the Founder's thing that's going on, she'll be running into your arms and you'll go off into rainbow land where everything's good and there are no big bad hybrids bringing the neighbourhood down." Damon was well aware he sounded bitter, but he didn't care. The first step to causing mass destruction - stop caring. He sipped on his drink.

"Are you alright, Damon? You seem a bit... agitated." Stefan voiced concern.

"I'm fine." Damon nearly snapped, draining the rest of his glass. His ears pricked up at the gentle sound of an engine purring lazily into the driveway. He looked out the window, and he saw Elena get out of the car with two green bags full of ingredients for the chili. Damon couldn't remember why he'd agreed to help her, so he pinned it down to the blood-high.

"Girlfriend's here." He said to Stefan as the front door opened. Please do come in Elena, and don't knock while you're at it. Damon thought. She didn't own this place, not anymore.

"Damon!?" She called, her voice echoing in the foyer.

"In here!" He responded.

Her footsteps got closer and closer to the living room. Soon she was stood in the doorway, her eyes were red and puffy, and she had dark circles under them. "So I've got the chili recipe for the Founder's-" She stopped once she saw his brother. "Stefan? What are you doing here?" She asked cautiously, her eyes showing hurt, confusion and a hint of happiness.

"Klaus let me go, Elena." Stefan told her, walking towards her. Yes, based on the deal that I made. Damon corrected him in his head, although Stefan didn't know that. Nobody knew that, it was between him and Klaus.

"I'm so sorry, I never meant a word of that, I was just trying to protect you. I'm sorry." Damon looked at his brother, and saw he and Elena wrapped in each others arms. He felt instantly angry again, Elena was willing to overlook Stefan's murders, but whenever Damon did anything, he never lived it down.

"It's okay Stefan, everything's going to be okay..." Elena hushed him, softly stroking his hair. Damon frowned in annoyance and anger.

Turning away from the cringe-worthy display of affection going on in front of him, he looked out of the window, and to his surprise, he saw Klaus stood near a bank, watching and observing. Even from the distance that was between them, Damon could see the smirk that was on Klaus' face as he watched him. Damon looked past him, admiring the town which spanned out for miles in front of the boarding house.

He was the artist, the town was his canvas, and he was ready to paint it with blood.

~ooOOoo~

(A/N) Ok guys, how was that? Good? Terrible? Delete the story and never think of it again? Lemme know what you think, and I'm gonna need alotta feedback for this one guys.

I'm actually pretty buzzing, so if you guys like this story, I'll love writing it, because I love dark Damon. I hate how he is now he's fallen in love with Elena (Season 1 badass Damon all the way) why couldn't it have been Klaus? :( That way they could have had murder sprees and killed Elena! XD.

Review with your thoughts guys, and stay tuned for the next chapters.