eleven
hermione.

ELSIE DONOVAN HAS always been cautious when it comes to driving. She knows how dangerous it is to be behind the wheel, that a life can be taken with a single mistake. Her accident last spring only made her more careful, but her mind is racing as she drives towards her house.

She's curious about the supernatural world. About the creatures that lurk in the shadows. She's also been calling her mother nonstop, because she wants to know about the adoption. Unsurprisingly, her mother hasn't called her back.

That's why she doesn't notice a vampire standing in the road until it's too late. She spots him at the very last second and gasps, swerving to the side of the road to try to avoid hitting him. Except when she does, her car spins out of control and before she knows it, the car flips. Her heart does a flip as she lands upside down, feeling the glass from her windshield breaking.

She coughs, her mind spinning from the situation. The Donovan girl attempts to move, only to find that her whole body hurts. She spots the man laying in the road and watches as he stands up, unbreaking all of the bones he broke in the crash.

He's a vampire, the Donovan girl instantly pieces together, feeling herself fill with fear. She forces herself to move and she tries to get her seatbelt off, only to find that she's stuck in the car.

The hooded vampire moves towards her, no doubt to end her life, but then he abruptly speeds away. Not moments later, Elsie is met with Damon's familiar crystal blue eyes. He kneels down beside the car, peering at her nervously. "How ya doing in there?"

She lets out a cry of surprise, inching away from him. All she can muster is his name, which comes out as a hazy whisper. "Damon."

"You look stuck," Damon observes as she heaves, feeling as though she can't breathe as she realizes she could've just been killed.

"It's my seatbelt," the girl tells him, having given up on getting herself out. Damon pulls the car door off before returning to her.

"I'm gonna get you out of here. I want you to put your hands on the roof," Damon instructs and she hastily does as told. "Okay. One, two, three."

He then effortlessly yanks the seatbelt off, resulting in her falling head first from the seat. Damon lurches forward, catching her in his arms. He eases Elsie from the car, carrying her away from the totaled vehicle bridal style. "I got you. Are you ok? Can you stand? Anything broken?"

Elsie shakes her head dizzily, the fuzziness only getting worse when Damon sets her down. She has a cut on her forehead, but Damon doesn't notice any other physical injuries. The only thing really alarming is how dizzy she appears to be. "Whoa, you're fading fast, Elsie. Look at me. Focus. Look at me."

The Donovan girl does her best to focus on Damon, trying to stay conscious. Despite this, she feels overwhelmed by the pain and dizziness. She only fights it for a moment before giving in. She falls unconscious, losing her footing in doing so. Damon catches her, only to take her to his car and start driving.

When she comes to, she's in an unfamiliar vehicle. Elsie feels a slight pain in her temple, but completely fine other than that. She looks around at her surroundings, finding that she's in a convertible with Damon Salvatore. She looks at him in confusion once she realizes that she doesn't recognize the area they're driving through. "Where are we?"

"Georgia."

"Georgia?" Elsie repeats, clutching her head painfully and chuckling slightly. "Very funny, Damon. Seriously, though. Where are we?"

"Seriously, we're in Georgia," Damon confirms as Elsie lets it sink in. She sits back in her seat, staring at him like he's crazy. "How ya feeling? There's no broken bones. I checked."

"I'm really sore and dizzy," Elsie breathes, the events of last night flashing through her head. "But my car... Oh, my God. I totaled my car and hit a guy. But then he got up like it was nothing. He's a vampire, right? Who is he?"

"That's what I would like to know," Damon remarks, keeping his eyes on the road.

Elsie puts her head between her legs, not feeling so great. "Can you pull over? Please, Damon. Stop the car. I feel like I'm gonna throw up."

"Okay. Just no puking in the car," Damon nods before doing as told.

He pulls to the side of the road, where Elsie throws the door open and gets out of the car. She moves a few feet, only to see black stars and feel the dizziness hit like a ton of bricks. She stumbles, only for Damon to vampire speed over to her and grasp ahold of her arm, steadily holding her up. "Hey. You ok?"

"I just need a minute," Elsie decides, taking a step away from him and running a shaky hand through her hair. She focuses on her breathing in an attempt to make herself feel better. "Why did you bring me here, anyway? My brother's gonna think I left him. I don't do that, Vi-"

Elsie trails off, thinking about her sister for the first time in weeks. Except for the first time in her life, she doesn't have any feeling attached to her sister disappearing. It's a strange, foreign feeling to her, but she knows it's wrong.

"I would never just walk out on my family. Matt's gonna think I did," Elsie explains, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her.

Damon is about to respond when her phone goes off. Damon pulls it out of his pocket, only for her to audibly gasp. "You took my phone?"

"I found it a couple of feet from the car," Damon informs before answering the call. "Elsie's phone."

"Where is she? Why do you have her phone?" Stefan's voice comes from on the other end of the call, only for Damon to snarkily respond.

"Elsie? She's right here. And yes, she's fine."

"Where are you?"

"None of your business, little brother. Rest assured, she's in good hands. You have a good day. Mhm. Bye-now."

Damon hangs up as Elsie crosses her arms suspiciously. "Where were you even going?"

"A little place right outside of Atlanta. Oh, come on, Elsie. Do you really wanna go back to Mystic Falls right now? What's the rush? Time-out. Trust me. Your problems are still gonna be there when you get back."

Elsie considers it for a moment, nervously moving her hand to her neck where the necklace Stefan gave her usually sits, only to find that it's gone. She realizes she must've lost it in the accident, and that means she's susceptible to compulsion.

She knows she should make him take her home, but a part of her is curious as to where he wants to go. And he's right, her problems will be there when she gets back. One day won't hurt, so she sighs. "I'll go with you if you promise that I'll be safe with you and you won't compel me."

"I promise," Damon genuinely promises her before getting back in the car.

He motions for her to join him and she does so hastily. She's silent for a few minutes before she breaks the uncomfortable silence. "Can I text my brother and let him know I'm okay?"

Damon hands her the phone without any protests and she shoots her brother a quick text, telling him that she's alright and that she'll be back by tomorrow. Once she's done, she looks at Damon nervously. "Where's my car?"

"I pulled it off to the side of the road. I don't think anyone will bother it."

"Poor Lola," Elsie whispers, only for Damon to burst into a fit of laughter. He looks at her like she's crazy, at which point she shrugs. "What? I loved that car."

"I can tell," Damon winks at her as they pull into the parking lot of an almost empty place called Bree's Bar.

She looks at the building in confusion before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her wallet. It's then that she flashes Damon her fake ID. He takes it from her hands in surprise. "I have to say, I'm impressed. I didn't take you for a drinker."

"I'm normally the designated driver, but I still have fun sometimes," the Donovan girl quips as they walk into the building.

They walk to the bar, where a tall, dark-skinned woman is wiping off the counter. She stares in shock as Elsie and Damon walk in. "No. No, it can't be. Damon. My honey pie."

The woman climbs over the bar and grins at Damon happily before grabbing him by the face and bringing her lips to his. Elsie gawks at them, taken aback by how abrupt that was. Damon returns the kiss eagerly, leaving Elsie to stare at them with wide eyes.

Once the wave of surprise has passed, she moves past them and takes a seat at the bar. Damon sits down beside them shortly after and the woman, Bree cheers and picks up a bottle of vodka. "Listen up, guys! Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness!"

She pours some shots and offers them to the duo. Damon tilts his head back and takes his with ease whereas Elsie hesitates, wanting to wait a little bit before getting drunk. Bree then looks at her questioningly. "So, how'd he rope you in?"

"I'm not roped in," Elsie assures the woman, flushing at the woman's thoughts. "We're... we're..."

She trails off, unsure what to call Damon as Bree giggles. "Sweetheart, if you're not roped, you're whipped. Either way, just enjoy the ride."

"Sounds like a plan," Elsie nods, deciding to play along before looking between the duo. "So, how'd you two meet?"

"College."

Elsie turns to him, unable to believe her ears. "You went to college?"

"I've been on a college campus, yes," Damon effortlessly downs Elsie's shot as Bree explains.

"About twenty years ago, when I was a sweet, young freshman. I met this beautiful man, and I fell in love. And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him even more. Because, you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody."

Damon then leans towards Elsie, lowering his voice to a whisper. "She's a witch."

"Changed my world, you know."

Damon smirks at Bree not even trying to hide how much she's still attracted to him. "I rocked your world."

"He is good in the sack, isn't he?" Bree remarks, looking at Elsie. She shifts uncomfortably before downing one of the shots Bree set down, the alcohol burning all the way down her throat. "But mostly he's a walkaway-Joe."

Bree downs another shot before her cheery expression falls. She frowns at Damon. "So, what is it that you want?"

Elsie leaves them alone for a little while until Bree goes off to wait on some other customers. Damon has some food and more booze. She gingerly returns to her seat, at which point she decides to ask him a question. "So... I'm descended from Florence. I know Katherine was a vampire, so was Florence too? Does that make me part vampire?"

She finds the idea of being part vampire odd, especially since she doesn't drink human blood the way the Salvatore's do.

"Florence wasn't a vampire, she was a witch," Damon corrects her before a smirk finds its way onto his face.

"She was a witch?" Elsie deadpans, surprised by this information. "Stefan told me I'm related to her, but I don't have any magic powers."

Damon shrugs, not really surprised by this since neither of them know the power she possesses. "Witches aren't rocket science. Some are born powerless. Also, vampires can't procreate, but we love to try."

He gives her a tempting look, only for her to feel her cheeks heat up. "Stop that. Wait... how can you eat human food if you're technically dead?"

"As long as I keep a healthy diet of human blood in my system, my body functions pretty normally," Damon pops a fry in his mouth to make his point.

Elsie chuckles, stealing a fry and eating it, only to sigh. "You're being weirdly nice. Is it real or an act?"

She looks at him with hope shining in her crystal eyes. Damon shrugs as her phone goes off. She pulls it from her pocket and finds that her brother is calling her. "I'll be right back."

Damon nods, watching her go outside to answer the phone. She presses it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Elsie. Elsie. Where are you? Are you ok?"

"I'm great," Elsie answers, closing the bar door behind her gently. "Everything's fine-"

She cuts off as an unfamiliar man puts his hand over her mouth. The girl struggles in his grasp, trying to call out for Damon and having no luck. He's far stronger than she is, holding her in an iron grip as he forces her away from the restaurant.

He takes her to a nearby alley, where they wait impatiently. She fearfully waits for the man to try to harm her in any way, but he doesn't. It makes her suspicious up until when she realizes she's not the one he wants. He wants Damon, which is why she feels dread fill her body when she sees Damon enter the alley. "No-"

She cuts off as the vampire speeds over to Damon and bashes his knee caps in with a baseball bat. Damon lets out a surprised cry as he falls to the ground. The vampire hits him a few more times before picking up a gasoline jug and soaking Damon in it.

Elsie runs towards them, protesting until the vampire flashes her his vampire face. She jumps back, scared, but she knows she can't let him kill Damon.

"Why are you doing this?" Elsie interjects, wanting to understand what Damon did to inspire so much hate in the vampire before her. "Who are you?"

"That's something I'd also like to know."

The man rolls his eyes at Damon as he pulls a lighter from his pocket. "That's perfect. You have no idea."

"No idea about what?" the Donovan girl demands. "What did he do?"

"He killed my girlfriend," the vampire yells angrily before turning to Damon mercilessly. "What did she do to you, huh? What did she do to you? All she did was go visit Stefan and you killed her!"

He kicks Damon in the head as Elsie realizes who he's talking about. "Lexi? Lexi was your girlfriend?"

He nods, getting ready to set Damon on fire. "Believe me. I'm doing you a favor."

"No. Please, don't hurt him," the Donovan girl begs, tears welling in her eyes as she feels something she's never felt before well up inside of her. "Lexi was a good person. If she loved you, there has to be a part of that that's good. So don't do this. I'm begging you."

"I'm sorry," the vampire apologizes, sincerely meaning it because for some reason, she appears to care about Damon.

He allows the lighter to drop as Elsie lets out a horrified scream. A scream that rocks the foundation of every building within a block of them, knocks the vampire off his feet, and completely breaks the lighter into pieces before it reaches Damon.

She gasps once she's done, processing what she just did. She feels as though something has been released from inside of her and like a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. Little does she know that she just peeled away a layer of a very complicated spell that was placed on her when she was born. But that's not what she's worried about, she's worried about Damon.

She runs over and kneels down beside him, letting out a relieved sigh once she realizes that he's still alive. "You're ok."

"I'm not that easy to get rid of," he jokes as the other vampire pushes himself to his feet, only having felt power like that once before when he encountered a very special witch.

"Oh, my God. You're one of them," the man realizes, having heard the stories of the baby that was sent away from a powerful family of witches that live in New Orleans. He then turns to Damon. "People are gonna come for her."

Elsie stares back at him in confusion before he speeds away. She thinks over his words as she helps Damon to his feet. The pair make it to the car before Damon goes back into the bar to see Bree.

He doesn't say anything, but when he comes back, he has some blood on his shirt. It doesn't take Elsie much to figure out that Bree is the one who told the vampire they were at her bar and that Damon killed her for it. They stop at a hotel, where they sleep in different rooms. Except Elsie doesn't get much sleep, because she's wondering what the man meant when he said she's one of them. The next morning, they begin the drive back to Virginia.

Elsie sleeps as Damon drives, but he decides to make conversation with the eldest Salvatore when she comes to.

"Why'd you bring me with you, Damon?"

"Well, you're not the worst company in the world, Elsie. You should give yourself more credit."

"That can't be the only reason," Elsie points out, seriously wanting to know. "You couldn't of known I could do... whatever I did last night. I've never done anything like that until now."

"Well, you were there in the road. All damsel in distress-like. And I knew it would piss off Stefan and Elena," Damon retorts, giving her a playful look since he's not the biggest fan of his brother and Elena. "And you're not the worst company in the world, Elsie."

"Sorry, I'm kind of a mom friend," the Donovan girl admits sheepishly, a small smile finding its way to her lips. She knows she's a protective, mom friend, but she's okay with it. "You probably would've had more fun at a bar with someone else."

"You did ok."

"I saved your life," she can't help but smirk at him teasingly. He matches her smirk.

"I know, Hermione."

"Did you just compare me to Emma Watson's best character?" the girl's grin widens happily. "I'm flattered."

UNEDITED