"…and I am so sick of always being your second choice! I won't do it anymore, Elena; I won't!"

"So what; you're just going to leave? You're going to leave me just because I chose him?"

"Yes!" Damon snapped furiously at Elena as he tossed his clothes sloppily and carelessly into a black leather suitcase, his blue eyes cold. He'd finally had it. He couldn't sit around and watch Elena ruin her life and end up turning into a ripper because she was letting Stefan of all people teach her self-control.

"You can't do that!" she cried, blurring forward with her new found speed and grabbing his arm to stop him. "I won't let you give up on me! I need you!"

"You don't need me!" Damon shouted, yanking his arm out of her grip, glaring daggers at her. "You need him. You always need him. Why in hell should I stay here and watch you start down the same path my brother took? Do you realize what's going to happen, Elena? You're going to eat bunnies, just like stupid Saint Stefan, and then you won't be able to control yourself around people, and you'll kill someone!"

Elena flinched and recoiled, shaking her head. "No, I won't. Stefan's going to help me; I won't hurt anyone. I won't!"

Damon scoffed as he zipped up his suitcase and shoved it to the floor. "Stefan can barely control himself around human blood. How is he going to control you?"

Elena stood silently, at a loss for words, and just shook her head.

"I won't hurt anyone, Damon… I can't."

"Well, newsflash, Elena," Damon said coldly, his eyes narrowed. "You can. You can, and you will. In my opinion, you should just get it over with and move on."

Elena frowned as he started for his bedroom door, trailing after him. "Are you suggesting I kill someone?"

He shrugged carelessly as he walked into the hall and started for the stairs. "You're going to anyway, under Stefan's watch. You might as well do it willingly, so you can at least enjoy it."

"Enjoy it? What the hell is wrong with you, Damon?" Elena cried, and he snapped, dropping his suitcase to the floor and whirling on her, his eyes a startlingly icy shade of blue.

"You! You are my problem, you heartless little bitch!" he spat, beyond caring when she flinched and recoiled at his words. He had a hell of a lot he wanted to say, and he was going to say it, whether it hurt her or not. "Stefan left. He left, and instead of moving in on you like everyone goddamn expected me to, I helped you find him! Not to mention, the entire time he was gone, you gave me mixed signals! With your flirty little doe eyes and your damn I need you, Damon attitude! You never needed me! I was just some stupid replacement for my damn little brother! As soon as he showed even a spark of his humanity, you dumped me to the side like last week's newspaper, and ran straight back into his arms. You forgave him instantly for the hell he put you through, even after his compulsion was lifted, but when I mess up, you never let me live it down! You think you're nothing like Katherine, Elena, but you are wrong. You are just like her."

Shaking his head with disgust, Damon grabbed his suitcase again, "and I want nothing to do with you."

Elena stood, rooted in place, wide-eyed with horror as she watched Damon start for the stairs. His words slowly began to register in her mind, and her eyes narrowed with fury. Blurring forward until she stood before him, she pulled her hand back and flung it forward, slapping him hard across the face.

"You bastard!" she screamed, and he snarled, tossing his suitcase to the side and flying forward, pinning her to the wall, his face inches from hers.

"So I'm a bastard for telling the truth? I'm a bastard for saying what I've wanted to say for years?" Yanking her forward and slamming her back against the wall again, he snarled furiously. "And what did I say about slapping me? Just because you're a vampire now doesn't make you stronger than me, little girl."

Elena wiggled angrily in his grip, fighting against him. "Let me go…!"

"Give me one damn good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart right now," he snarled, his eyes burning into yours. "Why shouldn't I make you feel physically the way you make me feel emotionally every goddamn day?"

Glaring, Elena continued to struggle, knowing he would never go through with it. "Because you love me," she spat, and the words tasted foul on her tongue coming out in such an acid tone.

Damon's eyes narrowed even more and he glared as he released her, straightening out. "But you don't love me back. So why should that be a valid reason?"

"Because you can't kill someone that you love!" Elena hissed angrily, and Damon rolled his eyes.

"Killing you now would be an act of kindness. That way I could spare you of the eternity of misery you're going to have if you let Saint Stefan teach you control. Caroline could do a better job than he could."

"You underestimate him," Elena sneered angrily. "He's gotten better at control. You're just pissed because I didn't choose you to help me."

"I'm not pissed!" Damon snapped in exasperation. "I'm worried about you! I don't want you to turn into Mystic Falls' newest ripper! He'll ruin you, Elena! I can't watch that happen to you, because I love you!"

Frowning, Elena stepped closer to him. "If you really loved me, you wouldn't be leaving. Did you forget that you promised you would never leave me again?"

Shaking his head, Damon's eyes almost looked pained. "Well, I happen to have made another promise. To my brother. A promise that, if you chose him, I would leave town. I'd let the two epic lovers be happy, and fade into the background where I belong. Where I've always belonged…"

Elena's frown deepened, but it wasn't an angry expression this time. It was almost a look of pity. "Damon…"

"What?" he snapped defensively, his walls flying back up. "It's true! I've always been second best, for as long as I can remember. Would it kill someone to choose me? Just once?"

Shaking her head, Elena stepped closer. "Don't think that way…"

"Why?" Damon asked, closing his eyes, unable to look at her. "You can't deny it. I'm second best to you, too, just like everyone else."

Frowning when she reached him, she moved to brush his dark hair out of his face, feeling his breath hitch. "Don't go…" she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Please don't go…"

"I… I have to…" he mumbled, feeling his resolve slipping. She was standing so close; it was intoxicating.

"No, you don't…" she said softly, brushing her lips over his. She had to do something to make him stay. Anything to make him stay. "Don't leave me, Damon…"

He felt her press her lips to his, and he crumbled. Dropping his suitcase to the floor again, he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her back, pushing her, more gently this time, into the wall behind them, devouring her soft, pink lips with his own. She still held far too much power over him; he knew he needed to leave. He had to leave…

Pulling back, he shook his head. "No… Elena, no…"

Grabbing his cheeks, she flipped them around so he was pinned to the wall, pulling his lips to hers again. "Shut up…" she muttered against them, "…and kiss me…"

A small groan falling from his lips, Damon slid his hands up the back of her blouse, trailing his fingers along her soft, creamy skin, feeling her shiver at his touch. She began to press her lips more urgently to his, shifting her smaller hands up his chest to the top button of his shirt, sliding her fingers under his collar and tearing it open, sending buttons flying across the landing.

Damon growled softly at her hasty action, shoving her down so she was pinned beneath him on the floor, hungrily trailing his lips down her jawline and throat, gripping the hem of her shirt and tugging it over her head, tossing it carelessly aside as he greedily kissed down to her chest, nipping at her breast.

Elena groaned softly, ripping the remains of his shirt from his body and pushing it away, sliding her hands down his toned chest as his muscles rippled beneath her fingers, pausing them at his belt buckle and hastily loosening it, yanking it off and chucking it aside, sending it flying own the stairs and clattering against the wall, falling to the floor at the foot of the stairs with a thud.

She gave a soft gasp when Damon yanked her bra from her body and tossed it away, immediately shifting his lips down to tease her nipples with his teeth, palming her breast in a way that made her eyes roll back into her head, moaning deliciously.

"Damon…" she groaned with need, grinding her hips up into his, and he was all too quick to take her message to heart. Popping the button open on her jeans, he tugged the zipper down and slid them down her legs, peppering her stomach with kisses as he did so, pushing her jeans aside and sliding his hand into her panties, rubbing slowly against her, making her breath hitch.

"I knew that you wanted me…" he breathed, sliding a finger within her, making her moan loudly and writhe beneath him, bucking her hips.

"Damon…!"

He smirked, ripping her panties away with his other hand and pumping his finger slowly in and out of her, enjoying watching her wiggle and whimper as he continued to slow, pleasurable torture.

"You like that, sweetheart?" he cooed, and a soft, kitten-like whimper fell from her lips.

"Yes…"

Smirking, he slid his finger out of her slick, heated core and unbuttoned his dark jeans, sliding them down his legs. "You haven't seen anything yet…"

She groaned with complaint when he stopped, opening her eyes to watch him as he stripped out of his boxers and grabbed her feet, tugging her forward so her body was straight and he was positioned between her legs at her entrance, his eyes boring down into hers.

"Tell me you want me," he purred, and she wiggled with complaint.

"Damon…"

"Say it!"

"I want you!" she cried out, and screamed with unimaginable ecstasy when he slammed roughly into her, placing his hands by her head on the floor as he thrust at an inhuman pace in and out, hissing quietly as her walls clenched around him.

"Daaaamon!" she cried, clawing at the floorboards with her nails, moving her hips quickly with his, loud groans spilling from her lips as she panted, her chest heaving.

He dug his nails deeper into the wooden floor, thrusting harder into her, sparing her no mercy; he had waited far too long for this moment, and she could handle just about anything he threw at her in her new, more durable state.

"Arch your back," he snapped, and she quickly did so, moaning breathlessly as he slid deeper into her, gripping her legs suddenly and wrapping them around his waist, pounding harder into her.

She whimpered and moaned loudly, not accustomed to anyone being this rough with her. It was entirely new and foreign, but not entirely awful. It was painful (it hurt like hell with him driving in so deep) but it felt good. The pain was delicious, and the last thing she wanted him to do was stop.

"Oh, God…! Damon…!"

He gave another rough thrust deep within her, grabbing her hands and lacing his fingers through hers, pinning them above her head so her body was stretched out straighter, allowing him to push in as deep as he could go, satisfied when he heard her gasp and cry out, shuddering with pleasure and pain.

"Oh…! So… deep…!"

Snarling, he bit down on her earlobe, tugging at it and muttering quietly, "My brother could never make you scream like this…"

Elena felt the muscles deep in her belly clench, and she knew that he was right. Stefan was gentle, and sweet, and he made her feel good…

But Damon made her feel sublime.

Every thrust he gave she would meet perfectly, as if their bodies had been designed purely to meet each other's needs; thrust, push, snarl, moan, deepen, clench; it was a deliciously deadly cycle. Elena never wanted it to end.

"Damon… Damon…!" she gasped out, tossing her head back as he pulled out and slammed back into her, his lips hungrily trailing down her neck, nipping at her collarbone. Her body was delicious, and he knew at that moment that, if given the chance, he would lock this girl up and spend the rest of his life ravishing her.

"Elena…" he groaned quietly, slowly feeling the anger that had been fueling his desire melting away, becoming something more. He could feel the passion between them building, taking them higher and higher as he thrust deep within her clenching walls, gripping her hands tightly in his own.

He had dreamed about this, about bedding Elena Gilbert, for months. It had been all he had wanted; all he had desired.

It was happening.

His heart began to pound as sweat glistened in his hair, feeling her clench tighter and tighter, and her moans becoming more and more breathless by the second…

Gazing down at her, rumpled brown hair, heaving chest, her soft pink lips parted with pleasure… he felt an all too familiar emotion swelling deep within him, slowly lowering his head down to hers.

"I love you, Elena…" he breathed, and she cried out just before their lips met, exploding around him with the most thrilling, powerful orgasm she had ever experienced, her body quaking as their lips moved together in a passionate, intoxicating dance.

Pulling his lips back from hers, Damon tossed his head back and groaned loudly as he emptied out within her, his entire body shuddering as his arms gave out and he collapsed on top of her, both of them trembling, glistening with sweat.

His head cushioned on her heaving breasts, he gave a soft groan and squeezed his eyes shut.

Here we go again.