Author's Notes: *Sigh* I have to admit that I have enjoyed the last week or so of my TVD distraction from the quickly encroaching darkness of my Supernatural season finale.

I liiiiike Alaric and Damon. ^_^ They were fun to play with and I hope you enjoy this little tidbit. (probably out of character, but eh, playing around a bit). I think Elena would be a bit of an adventurous person in this situation. I mean, she's already hanging around vamps, right? Please review if you enjoy!

Summary: In which Alaric and Damon are spied upon and Stefan realizes Elena can be a bit freaky…and likes it.

Everyone Has Fantasies

"It wouldn't have mattered to Damon." He shrugged.

Stefan didn't know how they'd gotten to talking about this. If Damon would have been attracted to Elijah if he wasn't all…ya know, evil. If he would have still fallen for Katherine if 'she'd' been a 'he'. He supposed it stemmed from his girlfriend's recently completed mission of making sure Damon truly liked Alaric and wasn't just toying with him.

"...Is it a vampire thing?"

Stefan sensed the trap and slight teasing tone.

"Maybe…a little…not really." He sounded a bit frazzled. Elena smiled and hit him playfully with a pillow, showing it didn't matter to her who Stefan had been with before, male or female. He'd chosen her as she had him. They settled down again, Elena against him.

"Truthfully, I don't think it much mattered to Damon when we were human."

"Really?" Her tone was teasing again.

"Yea." He winced. "I know a lot of things about my brother I wish I didn't."

"Like what?" Now she was fishing, playful. Trying to put him on the spot. He shook his head and she needled. "Come on…"

"I thought you just wanted to make sure he was serious about Alaric. I think you've figured that one out."

"I know." She was serious a moment. "I've watched how they act together too. Just a few seconds when Damon thinks no one's watching." She looks sweet and dreamy for a moment because she had seen something she never thought she would. "He actually leaned into him."

Stefan smiled despite himself. He wanted his brother to be happy as much as Elena did and was secretly pleased that he and Alaric seemed to fit so well. Of course, Damon stopping from sniffing around Elena was a relief, too.

Elena and the rest had seen the public side of Alaric and Damon. They didn't keep anything hidden, but they didn't broadcast it either. Alaric would open a door, Damon would elbow him on the way by. Damon would actually lean in for a kiss, but if anyone came by, change it to a rough nip at his neck instead. No one understood their relationship, that was a given. But Elena wanted to be sure neither of her friends would get hurt, especially Alaric who could end up dead, or undead, or alive-undead anyway.

She had taken to…Stefan would say 'spying' on them, but she preferred 'checking in'. Damon always knew she was there though. Those super senses she couldn't get around. A quiet night at the fire when she was sure they were being cute and cuddling. She had breathed too loud or something and Damon had known she was there, quickly switching to straddling Alaric's lap and turning raunchy. Damon had looked up to her, triumphant, and winked. She had looked annoyed. Alaric had followed the look to see Elena, looking dazed. When he saw her, he turned back to Damon, now also annoyed.

Alaric had gotten into their new game once or twice too though. Maybe just to try and confuse Damon, maybe because they were more alike than they liked to show. She had almost caught Damon unaware once when they were kissing, but when she rounded the corner, somehow Alaric had seen her in a reflection. He had wrapped a hand in Damon's hair, pulling his head back roughly. Not knowing she was there yet, Damon had kind of whined, surprising both Elena and, maybe Alaric, just a little. She had made her own escape from that one. A bit…okay, more than a bit turned on herself. She'd practically attacked Stefan that night, but he hadn't complained.

Then, one time when she hadn't even been meaning to, she'd seen the proof of what she'd really already figured out.

They'd all been exhausted after saving their town, once again, from their own contained version of the apocalypse. The group, all still alive, or as alive as they'd ever been, had made their way to their homes with tired goodbyes. After she and Stefan had gotten cleaned up, she decided to check on Damon. He'd been fairly torn up in the scuffle and had been stumbling slightly on the way home, though he had fended off Alaric's cursory attempts to steady him. Stefan had nodded at her, he was worried too, but neither brother would ever change in their reluctance to show it. She thought they may have been just as bad as Alaric and Damon at that and rolled her eyes.

She'd ambled down to Damon's room to see the door open with no one inside. A bit more worried now, she went to the study and found what she was looking for. She hadn't meant to be spying this time, honest. But now she was there and so was Alaric and she hid behind the corner.

Damon looked thrashed, sitting on the couch with a drink. Alaric, already showered, stood over him disapprovingly.

"You look awful."

"Then I fit right in." The weak jab and snarky smile only made him seen more exhausted.

Alaric rolled his eyes and walked to the side where Elena couldn't see him. He came back and plopped a towel on top of Damon's head. Damon started and opened his mouth, but Alaric stood in front of him, hand on his head.

"Just shut up. For once, for one night. Your eyes aren't focusing right and I've got the worst headache I've ever had, so just shut up."

Damon looked up at him through his eyelashes with a towel on his head like a petulant child, but he didn't say anything. Alaric worked the towel over Damon's hair trying to get out the worst of the blood; other's as well as the vampire's own. After a minute, Damon gripped Alaric's arm and harshly pulled him down next to him on the couch, pulling the towel off his head with a scowl and tossing it away.

Alaric rolled his eyes again and put his arm around Damon, roughly pulling the vampire toward him. Damon started for a second, but quickly relaxed against him. Elena knew he was smiling just a bit, trying to hide it like he always did when it was real. As per Alaric's request, he didn't say anything, but pushed Alaric down to lie on the couch, arranging himself so he lay half on, half off his lover.

"Pushy." Alaric admonished softly. He moved his hand to Damon's waist and tucked the vamp's head under his chin. Damon just huffed and closed his eyes, Alaric right behind him. Elena knew they would have moved by morning, before she or Stefan woke up. She smiled and crept back up to their room to report her findings, pleased.

"I think you like trying to catch them." Stefan expected her to blush and stutter and hit him like she usually did at such an accusation, but she was too relaxed and satisfied at the moment and only smiled coyly.

"Maybe…" At his raised eyebrow, she went on. "Oh, everyone has little fantasies in their heads they're fond of. Come on, tell me something about Damon that'll shock me. Something about the big bad vampire-"

"He likes being on bottom." Stefan mumbled, embarrassed but smiling wryly.

"Really?" Elena thought for a moment, nodding as she thought about Alaric and Damon. "I can see that. But he'd probably put up a fight anyway." She remembered Alaric pulling his hair and the lustful sound Damon had made and looked at her boyfriend's wide eyes. "What?"

Stefan shook his head, trying not to show how much he liked his girlfriend's adventurous attitude and the things he was thinking about trying with her now.

"Nothing." He tried to shake the idea of his brother having sex out of his head. "You're right. He likes it rough, likes pain…I hate that I know any of that." He muttered.

Elena nodded and fell back against him.

"Alaric's perfect for him, then. Great angry sex. And I bet he can get Damon to calm down and let him be gentle too. Show him it doesn't have to hurt to be good…"

Stefan stuck his tongue out and made a face, amusing Elena further. She liked teasing him.

"Ack!"

"What? I think it's cute…"

"Not about my brother!"

She shrugged.

"It's just in my head. You can have your own hot little ideas. Like I said, everyone has fantasies. Like you and that nurse costume you like me to wear-"

"That's different." He muttered.

"-and when you called me 'Halle'."

He balked.

"Wh- I didn't!"

"You muttered it once." She smiled. "It's fine. It's just fantasy. You're all I need and I'm all you need, right?"

"Fine." He conceded, secretly pleased he had such an open girlfriend. "But I'm never calling you Damon."

She nodded happily.

"I'd be creeped out if you did."

He nodded and smiled and they settled against each other to sleep. In the darkness, he heard her whisper.

"…And a little turned on."

Stefan sighed.