"It should be illegal for someone to look that miserable on their birthday," Caroline said to Elena, jerking her thumb over her shoulder as she walked towards the dance floor. Elena turned around and realised what Caroline was talking about.

It didn't take a genius to see that Damon was not pleased with the turn of events. He was hunched over at the bar of the Grill, alone, swilling the remnants of his bourbon around the glass as he stared off into the distance, oblivious to the festivities around him. Sighing, Elena walked over, intending to tell him off for his despondent behaviour.

He beat her to it. "Save it, Elena. I know you arranged this whole thing with the best intentions and everything, but a birthday party in the midst of everything that's going on, not really my jam." He didn't even bother looking at her, his eyes glued to the glass in his hands.

"Look, Damon, I know that you're worried about Stefan going off the deep end, but you've been at it for weeks now. I just wanted to give you a chance to step away from all of that for a while," Elena said, placing her hand on top of his, effectively forcing him to finally look at her.

"He's my brother, Elena. I have to find him." His eyes, normally an unnervingly piercing blue, were dull and vacant, barely focusing on her.

"He can take care of himself, Damon. You, on the other hand..." she trailed off, noticing how pale he looked, the dark rings lining his eyes and the telltale tremor of his fingers. She leaned in, lowering her voice. "How long has it been since you fed?"

He really looked at her then. His eyes flicked down her face to her mouth (and those full, tempting lips), frowning at their proximity for a second. She tapped the back of his hand lightly with her finger and he snapped out of his daze. He sighed in resignation. "Let's just forget about all that for a minute and enjoy ourselves."

Damon drew himself upright, his habitual smirk slipping into place (much to her delight). "Dance with me?" His eyebrows raised suggestively as he held out his hand to her. He expected her to turn him down, blushing, but Elena remained unfazed as she placed her hand upon his, a cheeky grin lighting up her face. She allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor, trying not to notice the way his shirt clung to him in all the right ways.

Facing him, with barely a few inches between them, Elena began to sway her hips to the music. She held him with an intense gaze as she raised her hands to trail them through her hair and down her neck, all the while keeping to the beat of the song. She skimmed her hands over her sides, and further down to her thighs (barely covered by that tight skirt of hers), her lips quirking upwards as she took in his reaction. Damon watched her, almost slack jawed, wondering who this seductress was and what she had done with Elena Gilbert.

The mischievous twinkle in her eye caught him and he shook himself out of his reverie, deciding that two could play at this game. He closed the distance between them, bringing an arm around her, his palm pressing into the small of her back so that her hips were pinned against his.

Her breath hitched and she stopped moving, suddenly aware of their position. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, and he noted the surprise and confusion in her eyes. But he also noticed something else. The heaving of her chest as she caught her breath, the rapid beating of her heart that she was trying hard to steady and above all, the darkness that had resolutely settled in her eyes. It was a darkness Damon knew all too well. Lust.

The song shifted into a slower, more sultry strain. Elena gave her hips an experimental sway and Damon hissed, the movement creating a delicious friction. Elena, noting his discomfort, continued to move to the music, a slow smile spreading across her face. Damon exhaled heavily, every brush of her hips against him merely heightening his arousal. "Elena, stop," he groaned, in torment. She paid no heed, continuing to grind against him, intoxicated by the power she had over him in that moment.

"Elena," he tried again. "Elena," She stopped moving against him (looking far too pleased with herself) and he missed the contact almost immediately. He leveled her with a look, desire evident in both their eyes.

"If you keep at this, I won't be able to control myself much longer."

"So don't." She jerked her chin up, defiantly, daring him to go further.

"I don't think you understand, Elena, I've been attracted to you since the day I laid eyes on you."

"Strangely enough, so have I, Damon," Elena said, unwaveringly meeting his gaze.

He stopped short, taken aback by her blatant admission. There was nothing but sincerity in her eyes and it was then that he realised, she truly wanted this. Wanted him.

He closed the distance between them again, until she was pressed against him completely, until she could feel his arousal against her. She gasped at the sudden contact and stilled as he lowered his head until his mouth was beside her ear.

"I want to ravage your lips until you're moaning into my mouth and you can't think straight."

She inhaled sharply, but then turned her mouth towards his ear.

"Then do it."

She lightly traced the shell of his ear with her tongue.

He let out a deep growl and grabbing her chin in his hand, he pulled her in for a searing kiss. Elena was frozen in shock for a moment, but the warm pressure of his lips on hers had her wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. It was everything she had always thought it would be (and yes, she had thought about it) and more. The insistence of his lips against hers and the sensation of his hardness pressing into her had her whimpering into his mouth. He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her to him as he broke the kiss, searching her face for any signs of remorse.

Breathing heavily, she said nothing but merely grabbed his hand and began to storm out of the Grill, dragging him behind her. She threw open the back door and stepped into the alleyway behind the restaurant, waiting for Damon to shut the door behind him. She backed him up against the door and leaned up to claim his lips again when he stopped her.

"Elena, I need to know that this isn't a one time thing. That this isn't another mistake that you're making. That when we find Stefan you're not going to go running back -"

"Stefan and I are over, Damon. His bloodlust won over his love for me. Somewhere along the way, I lost my love for him as well," Elena murmured, looking anywhere but at him. "Of course, I still love him. I'm just not in love with him," she finished, looking up at Damon, trepidation written clearly across her face. "He - he was convinced that I had feelings for you," she mumbled, almost inaudibly.

Damon stood there, trying to process that last bit of information, his heart filling with a feeling he hadn't allowed himself to indulge in since he turned. Hope.

"Do you, Elena?" Damon tried to sound nonchalant, but the expectancy in his voice gave it away.

She was silent, her head bowed, nothing but the faint echoes of music from the Grill and the sounds of their own breathing filling the air.

Damon gently lifted her chin with his hand, but her eyes remained trained on the floor.

"Do you?"

She finally lifted her eyes to meet his and he was shocked to find them brimming with tears.

"Yes, damn you. I'm in love with you. I have been, this entire time. Yes, yes, yes," she said, breathlessly.

Snaking an arm around her waist, Damon crushed her to him, his other hand threading itself in her hair, pulling her mouth to mould it to his. He turned them around and pushed her up against the back door. The kiss was beyond passionate, years of tension and pent up emotion leading to this one moment. As their tongues fought for dominance, his hands travelled down her back, cupping her bottom as his other hand slid under her shirt and caressed the skin of her waist, causing her to moan loudly into his mouth.

"Damon."

"Yes, Elena," he said, in between kisses.

"Bite me."

"Oh, I intend to."

Her one hand tangled in his raven locks while the other anchored itself around his waist, as he ground his arousal into her. Her back arched, pressing her body into him further. Sensing that her legs were starting to give away beneath her, he hoisted her up so her legs were wrapped around his waist. He brought his mouth to her neck and slowly began to lay open mouthed kisses down the entire column, earning a contented sigh from Elena. He languidly began to suck on the spot of skin right where her carotid artery was and her breath hitched in anticipation.

"Relax," Damon murmured, coming back to her mouth to place a chaste kiss against her pliant lips. "The pain is only momentary."

He gently took hold of her neck with one hand and turned her head to the side. He continued to kiss the skin of her neck, thrusting his hips against hers feverishly, enjoying the way she was bringing her hips up to meet his, increasing the friction. She began to moan in earnest, and once Damon was convinced she was close, he transformed and allowed his fangs to scrape against the skin. When Elena didn't tense up, he reared his head back and sunk his fangs into her throat just as she came undone. Elena cried out as a sharp pain gave way to intense pleasure and the blood left her in long draws.

The taste of her blood hitting his throat was nirvana like none other. He felt Elena beginning to grow limp against him and immediately stopped drawing the blood from her, licking at the wound.

"That...was something else," murmured Elena, her eyes half shut in bliss. Damon chuckled and pressed a kiss to her lips before scooping her up bridal style and cradling her against his chest.

"There's a lot more where that came from," Damon said, smiling down at the half asleep Elena in his arms.

She cracked an eye open to look at him. "Did you have a fun birthday, then?"

Damon grinned widely. "Best birthday ever."