Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story. But I knew what I'd pick if I was allowed to own one thing. Fine, who I'd pick. Whatever.

A/N: So, I haven't written Vampire Diaries fanfiction before. In fact, I haven't written any kind of fanfiction in a long, long time, so I might be a little rusty and out of shape. This is loosely based on a quote I came across recently (see below) and I personally just love all those little moments between Damon and Elena and wanted to write one of my own. This includes Damon Salvatore being creative and participating in arts and crafts. Seriously. Takes place the day after episode 1x19. Because we didn't get to see what happened after Damon stayed with Elena in the basement and sat down on the floor with her, I filled in the blanks for y'all a little somewhere in this story. Well, like I said: I'm a little rusty and I don't think I really have the characters down yet, but I give myself top marks for trying. Feedback is, as always, very much appreciated.

Summary: Elena finds out Damon is full of surprises. And also very creative for some reason. And oh yes, that he's still mysterious. One-piece. Takes place the day after 1x19 Miss Mystic Falls.

"Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise." – Julia Cameron

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Mystery, surprise & creativity

Elena sighed as she looked around the crowded schoolyard where dozens of people were taking up all the space, all busy decorating and crafting for the Founders Day events that were coming up. She checked her watch and concluded it was way too early for her to make up an excuse and leave. Even though her participation in town events had been lacking this last year due to her parents death and the current vampire-ish developments in her life taking up her free time, people still expected her to be here. Better yet, they expected her to supervise, be in charge for some reason. She didn't remember signing up for that, but it was like people simply expected it from her. She tried to remember that Elena Gilbert and tried to act like her, but for some reason the memories of that time were a little blurry. That Elena Gilbert no longer existed and it was exhausting trying to be her all the time. She was dying to go back to the boarding house and check on Stefan. He had barely been awake when she saw him this morning and it killed her to see him hurting like that. She shrugged off her worries and tried to focus on the task at hand: painting clouds on the wooden ornaments in front of her on the lunch table. She reached out to the white paint, but accidentally knocked it over when a dark shadow appeared over the table and startled her. Her head shot up and she came face to face with Damon and his signature smirk.

"Morning." He said cockily, tilting his head.

Elena frowned. She leaned on the table, ready to get up, assuming the worst. "What's wrong? Is it Stefan?"

"Relax." Damon sighed, walking over to her side and sitting down next to her. "Brother dearest is still safely locked up in the basement and still very much in a vervain induced coma."

"He still hasn't woken up?"

"Not fully. He keeps slipping in and out of consciousness. Which is a good thing. He was out of it this morning though. After you left I threw your leftover soggy cereal at his head. He didn't even move a muscle."

"You threw cereal at his head?" Elena asked, raising her voice, not believing he would do something childish like that.

"It was within reach." Damon shrugged. "And spitballs just seemed tacky. And it was funny! Or it was supposed to be. I expected him to try and attack me or at the very least tell me to 'stop acting so childish, Damon. God, you're such a child sometimes'." He impersonated his younger brother, voice, movements and all.

"And he didn't even move? How's that a good thing?" Elena asked, ignoring his sarcasm and tricks and focusing on what was really important to her.

"It means he's smart. He should just stay still and try not to move until the vervain has left his body. That way he'll be back to full strength the fastest. Or you know, squirrel-strength in Stefan's case and he can go back to his brooding, dull self."

Elena rolled her eyes at this last comment and instinctively nudged him in the ribs. Damon smirked at the move, which to him showed how comfortable she'd gotten around him the last couple of months.

"So, what are you doing here then?" Elena asked him as she went back to work, taking the pile of paper towels in hand, trying to clean up the mess she'd made with the paint. Damon reached out and took the paper towels from her, causing Elena to frown at the nice gesture as she allowed him to wipe up the paint for her.

"Well, I came here to pick out dinner. It's like a walking, talking and mini-skirt wearing buffet. And I had a sudden craving for swoony schoolgirl. My favorite."

Elena didn't even bother rolling her eyes or giving him a disapproving look. She knew there'd be no point in doing that. She also knew he was kidding. He hadn't fed on a human being in a while now, judging from the lack of suspicious deaths in Mystic Falls lately.

"Had my eyes on a bubbly blonde cheerleader with her delicious neck on display thanks to a very convenient ponytail, but… then I saw you." Damon continued. "Figured you could use the company."

"What made you think that?" She said sarcastically as she looked around the empty table. It was true that she was a bit lonely today. Caroline was working on a project with Matt on the other end of the schoolyard. She and Bonnie weren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment and any other friend she'd ever had, had basically stopped being her friend since her parents died. The one other person in school she could depend on was Stefan and well, he wasn't here either. She was on her own today.

"The looks the witch and Caroline keep throwing you say about enough."

Elena looked around the schoolyard at her two friends and immediately understood the kind of look Damon was referring to. The mixture of disgust, worry and even a little fear, was easily read off their faces.

"I'm pretty sure those are directed at you." Elena told him. "They don't like you very much in case you hadn't noticed."

"Oh, I've noticed. I don't particularly care though. Despite my dashing good looks, people have always taken a liking to my boring, little brother. I personally don't understand it, but I guess my attractive physique is just intimidating to most. Nothing I can do about that. So, what are we painting here?" Damon asked, looking down at the paint and the wood on the table.

"Clouds." Elena sighed, following his gaze. "Blue summer skies."

"This is supposed to be a cloud?" He chuckled as he pointed at Elena's attempt.

"It's cloud-shaped." Elena said defensively, a little offended by his chuckles. "It'll look fine from a distance."

She reached out to the brush and was ready to dip it in the white paint when Damon interfered. "Give me that." He said, feigning annoyance and impatience as he took the brush from her hand and went to work. Elena watched in amazement as she saw what Damon was doing. A perfect blue sky appeared on the first wooden ornament in a matter of minutes. And they weren't fourth-grader clouds the way Elena had been painting them, it was an actual realistic sky, matching what she would see if she looked up at the real thing right now. Her head turned to Damon.

"I didn't know you could paint." She voiced her amazement.

Damon dropped the brush in the glass of water next to him and turned to Elena. He draped his arm around her shoulder in the carefree, playful manner he had gotten so accustomed to over the last century and a half as he leaned forward a little, looking into her eyes the way he would always try to when he was around her.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, my sweet Elena." He teased, smirking as his other hand went up to her face and his index finger touched the tip of her nose for less than a second.

Elena froze at the gesture, even though she should be used to his ways by now. Naturally, their gazes met and she was once again blown away by the intensity in his breathtaking eyes. She remembered taking in this overwhelming intensity yesterday during the dance they shared and how dangerous it had felt. Addictive almost. She forced herself back to reality though and shrugged off his touch as she looked away. "Don't do that." She murmured almost inaudibly. Damon didn't seem bothered by this as he allowed her to break the one-sided embrace. Instead, he moved a little closer to her so their arms were touching. For some reason Elena did allow this physical contact and she didn't move away like he expected her to.

"There's a lot you pick up in 150 years of being undead." Damon continued, taking the brush back in his hand.

"Knowledge maybe, yes." Elena agreed, picking up the other brush from the table and getting to work alongside Damon. "But something like this takes talent."

"Or practice." He shrugged as he continued to paint, their hands occasionally touching when their brushes moved to the same spot. Neither one of them commented on it. They simply allowed it to happen, all the while sitting so close to each other their shoulders and arms were touching.

"So that's the reason you're good at it? You practiced?" Elena smiled after a short silence.

"What are you smiling about?" Damon smirked, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"It's just…difficult to imagine you painting."

"I'm painting now."

"Yes. But…when you say practice, I imagine you out in a field, painting sunsets and rainbows. It's funny. But that's probably not how it happened, huh?"

Damon threw her an all-saying look as he raised his eyebrows and smirked, not answering the question. Elena couldn't help but smile. Damon surprised her as usual. They hadn't always been good surprises, but today there was something different. For the first time she felt as if there was no ulterior motive for them to be talking. There weren't lives at stake, there wasn't a crisis going on, it was just the two of them sitting here and talking. For no reason whatsoever.

"Thank you." She then spoke.

"For what?" He asked, continuing to paint and not bothering to look up.

Elena shifted slightly, trying to come up with the right words. "For sitting me with now. For sitting with me last night. For carrying me to bed after I'd fallen asleep. For…dancing with me yesterday."

"Ugh. Yes. The trouble I had to go through yesterday. You're right. A thank you is in order." He teased. "Has anybody ever told you that you snore?"

"I do not!" She immediately spoke up, hitting Damon on the arm at the ridiculous accusation.

"You do." Damon assured her. "Well, it's not really snoring. It's more like…purring. It's very attractive, actually."

"How did I end up waking up without my sweater and shoes on, by the way?" She changed the subject, eyeing him suspiciously. "I don't remember undressing myself."

"I carried you to bed." Damon shrugged. "You can't have shoes on in bed."

"And the sweater?"

"Don't worry. I peeked first. Made sure you had something on underneath. I saw the tank top and I figured it would be okay if I…"

"What if I hadn't had anything on underneath!" She interrupted him, her eyes growing big at this unnerving realization.

"Free show for me." He shrugged, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Elena shook her head in disbelief. "You're disgusting."

"Disgustingly good looking." He corrected her, nodding. "And I don't see what the big deal is. Nothing I haven't seen before."

Elena threw him a look while shaking her head. Of course a look of this nature made him smirk even more.

"Relax. I didn't see a thing."

Somehow that statement didn't help. Because she wasn't at all uncomfortable with Damon taking care of her the way he had last night, even though she had all the reason to be just that. Everybody who knew Damon would warn her not to trust him, but for some reason she did. With her life even.

"We're getting company." Damon then added and Elena looked over his shoulder to see Matt, Caroline and Bonnie approach. Damon didn't turn around.

"Everything okay here?" Matt asked, genuine concern on his face as he looked at Elena. The threesome gathered around the table.

"Yeah, fine." Elena assured him, trying to smile as she got up from the bench, suddenly uncomfortable sitting so close to Damon in the direct presence of her friends.

"What's he doing here?" Caroline then asked, nodding to Damon.

"Alright. That's my cue to go." Damon said as he got up and turned around. "Always lovely to see you, Caroline. Oh, I'll always remember the good times we had." He teased her in his usual charming way, his hand reaching out to her face, causing Caroline to immediately take a step back, a disgusted look on her face.

"Leave me alone, Damon."

Damon turned to Bonnie. "And you." He started. "I…I'm trying, but I have nothing to say to you."

"Likewise." Bonnie shot back, giving Damon a look that Elena didn't even recognize. There was a lot of hate hidden in there and Elena had never seen Bonnie capable of hating somebody. Damon wasn't impressed though and continued to smirk, causing Elena to fully realize how much he loved it when people disliked him. It was like he fed off it.

Damon turned to the one other guy in their group.

"Matt…" He started. The guy in question shot Damon a look that would've had the power to kill if the person he was directing it at hadn't already been that. Damon seemed to be searching for something to say to him, eventually giving up. "…Just…say hi to your mom, I guess." He then shrugged, turning to Elena.

"I'll see you at home later?" He asked, an amused look on his face, knowing exactly what kind of effect these words would have on the others.

Elena nodded, the mere mentioning of the boarding house causing her to think of her boyfriend and caused her to miss how Damon had just referred to as it as 'home' instead of 'my place'. "Take good care of him, okay?"

"Ugh. You're mistaking me for him. I'll be the one checking the house for something else to throw at his head. Preferably something that will leave a dent in his wrinkled, brooding forehead. Like a shoe or a…brick."

Elena shook her head, giving Damon a disapproving, yet somewhat amused look. She didn't want to, but his attitude had become entertaining to her. She looked right through it by now and knew that even though Damon would never admit it out loud, Stefan would be just fine as long as he was around. And most importantly, Damon knew that she knew this.

"Is Stefan okay?" Caroline asked. "I thought he said he'd be here today?"

"Yeah. He just…he got sick last night. The flu." Elena lied, unable to look at Bonnie while doing so.

"See you back at the house." Damon concluded, stepping forward and reaching out to her side, placing a hand on it as he leaned over and carefully pressed his lips against her cheek, lingering there just a moment too long. His hand then moved a little lower and rested on her hip. While it only lasted a second, it was a provocative move, solely meant to annoy the people in their presence, Elena knew. Yet it was an unexpected feeling as the palm of his hand touched the little bit of bare skin between her shirt and jeans and sent an unwelcome shiver down her spine, not going unnoticed by Damon when their eyes caught each other as he backed away from her. Surprise spread on his face, quickly followed by amusement, causing a spark to form in his eyes. He enjoyed having an effect on her. Elena had to look away. She didn't even understand why. After all, with any other two people a kiss on the cheek like that would've been innocent. Hell, even Matt would say goodbye to her like that. It was an ordinary gesture between two friends who parted ways. But while Elena considered Damon a friend, she could never think of him as ordinary.

"How about some Chinese take-out tonight?" Damon then asked, breaking the tense silence between the group of people.

"Fine." Elena muttered, becoming aware of the others again. She could only imagine what was going through their heads right now.

"Or maybe I'll have them deliver. Such a great invention. A human being actually shows up on your doorstep holding the food of your choice. Win-win situation for the both of us, right?"

Elena couldn't help, but smile a little. "Behave." She told him softly, carefully looking up, forgetting about her surroundings for just a second. She was glad to see the familiar smirk on his face as his hand went up and he waved at her. It was a cocky wave, the way only Damon Salvatore could wave at anybody. With that, he walked off, not saying goodbye to the others. Elena had no choice but to watch him walk away, her eyes glued to his back.

"What was that about?" Matt instantly asked. "Win-win?"

"Ew. I'm just going to come out and say it: that's a creepy love triangle you have going on with those Salvatores, Elena." Caroline spoke up, ignoring Matt. Elena knew Damon heard this too. She tore her eyes away from his back and focused on Caroline.

"Don't be ridiculous." She immediately said, not even wanting the thought to enter her head. She wasn't Katherine and nor would she ever be.

"I hate that guy. He has no business being here." Matt added.

"And you're staying at his house?" Caroline asked as if she couldn't believe it.

"I'm staying with Stefan." Elena clarified, defensively. "Somebody needs to look after him."

Bonnie scuffed and turned her head. Elena was afraid to look at her once best friend.

"I don't like the way Damon looks at you, Elena." Her blonde friend continued. "It's…like you're something to eat."

Elena's gaze went back to Damon who had already reached his car, but turned around at Caroline's words that Elena knew he must have overheard. He raised his eyebrows, tilted his head to the side and their eyes locked as the typical Damon Salvatore smirk appeared on his face. It was exactly what Elena expected. She smiled shyly as she turned back to her friends.

"I know you don't want to believe it…" Elena then started, knowing he was still in earshot. "But Damon Salvatore is full of surprises. And they're not all bad."

"Right." Caroline said, rolling her eyes. "Like I said: creepy love triangle. Anyway…why we're here: we need you to come take a look at the costumes for the parade. You're in charge, remember? They were just brought in and…"

Elena nodded slowly, trying to focus on the words coming out of Caroline's mouth. Her gaze automatically went to the familiar car pulling out the parking lot though. Love triangle. Ugh. Don't be ridiculous.

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A/N: Please, review. It would mean a lot to me, since I haven't written anything in a long time. ;-) Tell me if it was any good. And constructive criticism is of course welcome too. ;-) Thanks!

Steffanie