A/N

Okay...for those of you who follow my General Hospital stories and are getting an author update...I'm so sorry! This is my first Vampire Diaries fic. I have become totally obsessed with this show and felt compelled (no pun intended, lol) to write a Damon/Elena story.

I am still planning on continuing my GH fics, but this story wormed its way into my head and I tried to ignore it, but it's not leaving!

Basically this is starting off sometime after "The House Guest". I don't really know where I'm going with it yet, but I needed Damon and Elena to get away from Stefan for awhile (and I think all Delena shippers know what I mean). And this is what came from that.

I hope you like it! I'm going outside of my comfort zone a little bit, but I'm trying to really work on my writing skills and this is a super fun way to do that. Please note that while this chapter is not necessarily using my 'M' rating, further chapters definitely will. Anyone who has read my other fics can testify to that. ;)

Anyway, that's enough yapping from me. I am open to any and all criticism. What I want to do is tell a good story, so if I do, or don't...please feel free to let me know.

Oh, one more thing. I have never read TVD books. This is based soley off what I've seen of the show. I own nothing...just having a little fun since we are on yet ANOTHER hiatus!

Cheers!

Kelly

The first thing she noticed was her lack of clothing.

The second was that she wasn't alone.

When she turned her head, the third stared back at her, unblinking, his eyes blue and intense.

As the memories came flooding back, she gasped lightly and bit her lip. His eyes darkened with lust, and she immediately stopped.

Oh, God, she thought. What have I done?

8 HOURS EARLIER

Damon glanced at her for what felt like the hundredth time and rolled his eyes. She sat stiffly, arms folded across her chest, staring through the window of his car outside at the pouring rain.

"Elena."

She lifted her chin slightly, still refusing to look at him.

"You'll give in eventually, you know," he said with certainty. "I can be very persuasive."

Nothing.

Sighing, he pulled the car onto a long driveway. Raindrops fell heavily on the car, and thunder rolled in the distance as he navigated the gravel path. Rocks bounced up, pinging against the metal, and he scowled in irritation.

And then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught her. He looked at her more fully as she tried to conceal the quirk of her lips, but it was too late. He could see the change in her facial muscles as she bit the inside of her cheeks.

"Oh, thank you very much, Elena," he drawled. "I'm so glad you find the fact that this insanely barbaric driveway is going to cost me a new paint job is funny."

Now she was the one to roll her eyes. "Really, Damon? You're worried about the paint on your precious car? Because I kind of thought we had slightly bigger problems at the moment. And yes," she said, her voice rising as she shifted in her seat to glare at him, "I do think it's funny. I think karma is a bitch, and she is getting you back for dragging me out to the middle of nowhere when what we need to be doing is figuring out a way to stop Klaus with everyone else back in Mystic Falls."

Damon reached the house and braked hard before shifting the car into park. Turning in his seat to face her, he leaned forward, locking his eyes onto hers. She held her ground, not breaking the eye contact. The only sign she gave that she was uncomfortable was to lean back, slightly away from him. He could hear her pulse speed up as he hovered, inches from her.

"Karma might be a bitch, Elena," he said in a low voice, "but I've had a lot of experiences with bitches. Get your shit, and get in the house. Because I will not hesitate to carry you in there myself."

He heard the hitch in her breath as he moved his hand to rest on her hip, and he could have sworn he felt a spark of electricity, even through her jeans. He dropped his gaze to her mouth for a brief second before flicking back up to her eyes. She looked slightly panicked, but he could still hear her heart thundering, scrambling as he brushed his thumb once against her thigh.

And he heard her release the breath she'd been holding when he pressed the button to unlock her seatbelt.

Then he was gone. Elena peered through the window and saw him already on the front porch with various bags, unlocking the door.

She took a deep breath. She knew he wasn't kidding when he said he would carry in the house himself. Obviously she was stuck here with him. She pulled out her phone, hoping to call Stefan and just hear his voice once before going inside. She groaned in frustration as the phone beeped twice quickly, and then died in her hand. Hopefully she'd remembered her charger. Damon had stood guard while she packed, forcing her to hurry, and she couldn't remember if she'd grabbed everything she needed. She clenched her teeth. Just one more reason to be angry at him, she thought, shooting a dirty look up to the house.

She stepped out into the rain and tossed her bag over her shoulder before slamming the car door and hurrying to the covered front porch.

At least if she was angry with him, she wouldn't feel…anything else…toward him.

Theoretically.

Elena dashed up the steps of the porch and stopped in front of the open door. She turned around in time to see lightening streak through the sky. Thunder answered almost immediately with a loud, growling clap. She loved storms, always had, and right now she just wanted to watch this one. The wind picked up, blowing wet hair into her face, and she shivered slightly, crossing her arms to rub some warmth back into her body.

At the next flash of light, the next roar of thunder, she felt a tingling in her shoulder-blades. She knew he would be there when she turned.

Sure enough, he stood in the open doorway watching her. He hadn't changed into dry clothes yet, and the button up shirt he wore clung to his skin. The sleeves were rolled up slightly, and water glistened on muscled forearms. His hair seemed even darker than normal when it was wet, and she got a sudden flash of how he would look after a shower.

She swallowed.

Apparently theory was as much of a bitch as karma.

It was the second time in a number of minutes that he'd heard her pulse race, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He watched as she lifted her head up, listening to the rain, the thunder, the wind swirling through the trees. Rubbing herself as though she was cold, and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her.

He knew the instant she sensed him, and he wondered at it. She had no heightened awareness, at least, not in the same way he did. So how was it that, even though he'd walked to the door silently, she knew he was there?

When their eyes met, he had to actively work at keeping his expression calm. But he knew immediately that it hadn't worked. He saw her recognize something, something in his eyes, maybe, that he tried to hide whenever he was with her. He hadn't planned on this time alone with her. Hadn't planned on Stefan being drafted to work with Bonnie and her fellow witches. But as soon as Bonnie had gotten her powers back, she somehow took charge of the whole situation. One thing was certain. Elena needed to disappear for awhile, while the plan was put into motion and Bonnie worked on the spell. Stefan was the obvious choice to take Elena away. But Bonnie and her cousins needed to be protected too. Unfortunately, Bonnie didn't trust Damon at all. And was completely unwilling to put her cousins in his hands.

So Stefan, albeit reluctantly, had offered to stay in Mystic Falls with the witches, and Damon would take care of getting Elena out of town. Elena had been less than thrilled. Had actually been downright against the entire plan. Too bad, Damon had told her. Now they'd they had all agreed to work together, everyone had to do what needed to be done.

He didn't take her to her lake house. It was too obvious a choice. Not to mention the fact that the place was connected to Elena in every way. Damon refused to admit the feeling of not wanting to be there after her getaway with Stefan a couple of weeks ago. He knew he'd be able to sense whatever had happened in that house. It was hard enough blocking out the moments Stefan and Elena spent together in the boarding house. He had no intention of struggling to put his emotions on hold and trying to keep Elena safe at the same time. Luckily, Damon hadn't existed for over a hundred years without learning a few tricks. This house had been on the market for ages. The last owners were deceased and without surviving relatives, so no invitation was necessary. Just a stop on the way to compel the realtor, and the place was theirs.

What Damon hadn't counted on was Elena. She was much more...composed...when Stefan was nearby. She rarely let her guard down with Damon in Mystic Falls anymore, save a few special circumstances, and always when Stefan was otherwise occupied.

But now they were alone together. Completely isolated from the world. He knew she wasn't happy about the situation, but he'd never have believed it was anything other than her wanting to be in Mystic Falls with Stefan. She'd fought with him bitterly as he watched her pack, tossing things into her bag at random. He fought a smile as he remembered her searching her underwear drawer. Then on the drive, she'd all but ignored him, until the last few moments. When he'd leaned across the car to unlock her seat belt, the air had crackled with tension.

Damon tried to pull himself together. This was no big deal. So she was aware of him, physically. He knew that. He also knew that she would struggle against it. He didn't blame her. But it was going to be damn hard to ignore her reaction every time he got close to her.

It pissed him off.

"Planning on sleeping out here?"

Her eyes flickered away from his for a beat. Then she shifted the bag on her shoulder and walked past him into the house.

He stood still for a moment, just breathing in the scent of her.

This was going to hard. He glanced down at himself and thought ruefully, in more ways than one.