There's still hope.

It's okay. I forgive you.

But, I love you. You should know that.

I do.

I like you now...just the way you are.

It's okay to love them both...I did.

These words play over and over in my head on a continuous loop. My brain hurts from hearing them nonstop. Because they're true. His words. My words. Even her words. I love them both. It's been days since I've seen him. Since we've glanced at each other, knowing things between us have changed. I had no words at the time. Damon? He had words.

He sits up. The sweat that had been running down his face, drying off. I look at the floor when looking into his eyes becomes too much. I hear his feet touch the floor. Before I can register it, he's in front of me. The touch of his fingers on my face is scalding. Too much. It's all too much. Him almost dying, biting me, kissing him. God, I kissed him. Me. Him.

He picks my chin up, forcing me to look at him. I don't fight it because I want to look at him. I need to look at him, even if it's just to make sure he's still here with me. His name is a whisper, "Damon..." So soft, barely audible. I know he can hear it.

His eyes are clear. He knows he's looking at me. None of that dementia from earlier. His eyes search my face. "I love you."

My mouth falls open but he continues, "And, Elena, it's high time you admit that you just might love me too."

I pull away, taking a step back. Anger blazes through me, "Why? Because she said it's okay? Because she did?"

I'm lashing out, trying to keep myself in a bubble because it's too much. It's all too much.

He doesn't flinch. Doesn't argue, but does tell me firmly, "No. Forget about her. Because...because you were the one who came looking for me tonight."

I bite my lip. Looking? That's not strong enough a word. Searching. Seeking out. Hunting. None are enough to describe what I had been feeling since the moment Stefan told me Tyler bit Damon. I had been damn near desperate to see him. Fear clutching at my heart, threatening to burst in my chest as I thought about losing him. Imagining him dead, gone forever….My brain stops working, and I start to black out from the thought.

But he brings me back, "Because you kissed me and you like me, just the way I am." I say nothing, chest heaving with each word that leaves his mouth. He looks at the bottle in my hands and his eyes narrow. "I'm going to look for him. I don't know how much time it will take because in all honesty I have no idea where Klaus is heading but I will find my brother. So it's on you now. I came clean. No bullshit. None of my usual theatrics. It's on you."

He turned on his heel to go to his bathroom. The instant I heard the shower come on, I ran.

The minutes that followed turned into hours that turned into days that turned into weeks. Jeremy and I have settled into a routine, trying to move on. Ric's pretty much moved in because in all honesty we're all we've got. Finding out my brother died that night was unsettling. I just shrugged it off and told him he dies too much. Bonnie bringing him back with a new gift, even more unsettling, but that's another story itself entirely.

It's a Friday night. Summer. School's out and I'm in my room fingering the page I have just written in my diary. They are not just words on a page. They are words I can write but simply cannot speak. I don't know how. No word from Damon when he's always had so many of them before. He sporadically texts me to let me know how his search is going. Even Bonnie's trying to help but her magic isn't able to locate Klaus or Stefan.

I sigh when the breeze blows in through my open window. I sit up, "Damon."

He smirks at me in all his glory. His trademark black hugging his lithe, tone form. He allows my gaze to sex him where he stands. Finally our eyes meet and his smirk is a full grown smile. His voice - God, how I've missed his voice - is like water from a waterfall - is so smooth, pleasant. "Done eye fucking me now?"

I blush. Down to my very toes. I stammer, "You...I mean, I wasn't...I didn't..." I sigh, heart as weary as my spirit. I take a breath before continuing, "What's up?"

His eyes rove over my body. I can see his eyes narrow as he takes me in. I've lost weight. Ten pounds doesn't seem like much but when you're tall and on the skinny side, it make me look like a bag of bones right now. My hair is dull. The circles under my eyes so very obvious because my skin is so pallid. Finally his eyes settle on my face. His eyes show anger. "You're letting yourself go to shit." I can hear the sorrow his voice holds.

Anger bubbles in me. I get up onto my feet to make my way over to him. I shove my finger in his chest, knowing he doesn't even feel it, but I'm livid. "Screw you! You show up after weeks of nothing and you're going to tell me how bad I look? I'm sorry but my beauty regime has slipped my mind as we all try to figure out where that sadistic bastard took your brother!"

My heart is about to burst out of my chest. My lungs flaming with hatred. Then the bastard has the nerve to smile. I gape at him. He places his hands on my shoulders and I feel it in my heart. His touch soothes me, even in the heat of the moment. "There's my girl. That's the Elena I know; the one who drives me completely batty. The chick I saw when I came in? Sitting on that bed wallowing in pity, shame and whatever else? That's not you. You're not a quitter. You're a fighter. Remember that. For me."

He's right. I fought him every step of the way. I tried to fight against Klaus. Elijah. I fight. I don't fucking lay down and just wither away like I have been. He smiles as he sees some of my spark come back into my eyes. Enough with the wallowing. Then my head hangs and he's right there, picking it back up. "No."

I shake my head, tears blinding my vision. I try to speak but all that comes out is a gasping breath before I break down, sobbing. He just gathers me in his arms. I hear footsteps rushing to my room but he sends them away. I don't even know who it is. I cry. I wail. I sob. I howl. I blubber. I let go. Finally, after who knows how long, my tears subside and I feel lips on my hair. I manage a faint smile when I realize he's still holding me, snot and drool be damned.

I push myself off of him. He says nothing. I mumble something about taking a shower and he just lies back on my bed, shucking off his shoes. Thirty minutes later, comfy in sweatpants and a loose tee - have I even picked up a razor in the last few weeks - I come back into the room and watch him.

His eyes are closed. He seems so peaceful. Beautiful, even. I walk over to my dresser to pick up my brush. I quickly plait it before sitting on my bed beside him. The shifting of the mattress makes his eyes snap open. His gaze meets mine and we stare at one another for a few moments before he gets up. He starts to put his shoes on.

I say quietly, "You're leaving." Not a question because I know.

He nods, "Yeah. I found a lead. I'm going to check it out. Bonnie's coming with me."

I roll my saddened eyes. "But I'm staying put."

His answer shocks me, "No."

I look at him, bewildered. "No?"

He shakes his head, "You're not staying put. You're coming with us. Pack a bag, we're going to Italy."

I make my way over to my closet to pull out a duffel bag that I used to use to go on road trips from back when I was a cheerleader. God, that all feels so long ago. I throw it on my bed before going to my dresser. I take out t-shirts, undergarments and a few pairs of jeans. I really don't know how long we're going to be gone for. I figure enough clothing for four days should suffice. I am folding everything, putting it away when I ask, "How come?"

He pinches the bridge of his nose. He sighs, "First you hate it when you're out of the loop and kept away, and now you're questioning it?"

I smile softly at the teasing tone of his voice. "Yeah, I'm a bowl of contradictions."

He rolls his eyes. "I'll wait for you downstairs. Might as well explain this once to the rest of the Scooby gang."

Ten minutes later, I'm downstairs with my bag. I pause when I see Bonnie and Jeremy arguing. Tyler and Caroline are sprawled on the couch unaware of what's happening behind them. Ric looks tense as he leans against the wall. Bonnie looks over at me which makes Jeremy turn around. He scowls at me before whirling on Damon.

"Why the hell do I have to stay and Elena gets to go?"

Damon makes that exasperated face I think he must have patented because no one can pull it off like him. "I'm sure your darling Sabrina has already explained to you, Harvey, that we need her blood."

I gasp out, "My blood?"

Bonnie glares at Damon before walking over to me. "We...we figured out what the one thing is that can harm Klaus. The one thing that can weaken him to the point where we can kill him."

I nod and it dawns on me, "My blood."

Damon adds, "Along with the blood of a vampire and wolf, hence the other lovely additions to our little trip. I've been burning the midnight oil, and racking up frequent flyer miles, figuring this out. If he needed the blood of the three to turn into Scott Speedman's character from Underworld, then same thing that created him should destroy him."

Doubt starts to flood me. I have to ask, "How do you know this will work?"

Bonnie makes her way to the couch the pull out a bottle. The bottle that held Klaus' blood, and in turn, the antidote that saved Damon. She murmurs under her breath and I watch in amazement as the bottle replenishes itself. She staggers on her feet but Jeremy's got her.

She smiles at him. She squats down and pours some of the blood out onto the floor. Kind of nasty. Tyler gets up and takes the offered knife Ric has out. He slices a gash on his forearm, allowing his blood to fall and mix with Klaus'. Damon bares his fangs and adds his by biting his wrist. He looks at me. I take a deep breath and go over to him. He has the knife ready but I shake my head.

He whispers, "Elena..."

I whisper back, "I trust you."

He vamps out and pierces my wrist. It doesn't hurt. God, the opposite is true. I feel the pull of him swallowing before he moves away. I hold my wrist over what's on the floor. The first drop hisses on contact. The following congeals and in mere seconds, it all turns to some gross looking sludge on the floor. Ric comes over and drops a lit match on it. It burns away to ash. A scorch mark is all that's left.

I look up with a genuine smile on my face, "Let's go kick ass!"

Four weeks later - - -

I pace, as I have been for the past week, outside his door. Every time I think I know what to say, I don't. It all sounds so stupid in my head. So childish. So very high school. I glance down the hall to Stefan's room, my heart tensing a bit, knowing he's not there and not sure if he will ever return. I think back to what's gone down the past couple of weeks.

It was Jeremy that found out where Klaus was. His nifty new gift came quite in handy. Since Elijah was dead, his ghost sought out Jeremy, along with his other family members. Whether they were dead or alive, many wanted Klaus dead. We found the crypt where Klaus hid his family and removed the dagger from Elijah's chest.

He rose and told us it was time to end his brother for good. He went to a couple of the coffins and it was creepy to see these people in perfect condition, well besides looking all gray and like they belonged in Thriller, simply rise when he removed the daggers from their chests. Whoa, we had an army of originals to back us. Okay, only three of them, but still. The rest gets kind of blurry in my head. So much happened so fast. Elijah and his clan trapped Klaus. Damon had to subdue Stefan with some help from Bonnie and Tyler. Caroline stayed beside me and actually killed Katherine who came to the aid of Klaus because of his compulsion. Little did we know that Original blood was steroids for a regular vampire. Both she and Damon drank up before going to face Klaus. Bonnie then made a circle of fire trapping him within.

Yes, he was a hybrid vamp/wolf thing but she's a powerful witch. Later on, I found out that she had some of Damon's blood just in case things went wrong and for added power. She would rather be a vampire than lose Jeremy or have Jeremy lose someone else. Elijah and his family stepped into the circle and slashed and clawed at Klaus. Yes, he was stronger than any of them but not when they fought as a team. Once his blood started to flow, the rest of us did our parts. He was held down by his family as we let our blood fall into his mouth. First Tyler's. Followed by Damon. I had to be last. It had to be me. A doppelganger. You could see him weakening as my blood flowed down his throat. Elijah and family no longer had to hold him. We all stepped away out of the circle. The transformation was disturbing as our blood poisoned him. His face and skin bubbling and moving like something out of a horror movie. Bonnie had looked at me before setting him ablaze. His ashes flew away on the morning breeze.

Elijah had turned to us, bowed slightly before he and his kin took off. His last words were a promise of leaving us alone. There were hugs and high fives going all around. Once I was in Damon's arms, the world stopped spinning, I felt settled and at peace for the first time in a long time. Just as I grew accustomed to it, he pulled away as I got wrapped up in Tyler's arms. Of course, there was the issue of Stefan. Sometime during the melee, Damon had injected him with enough vervain to knock him out until we got back to Mystic Falls. Then off to the cellar with him as we let the human blood get out of his system.

God, he had been so angry, so hateful that for the first week. Damon forbade me to even go down there. I got pissy but knew it was for the best. We all know how it went the last time Stefan had to rehab from human blood. The second week had been better. He was too weak to do anything but groan. Damon, at that point, fed him half a cup of whatever animal blood he could find each day. Enough to keep him living but not enough to overpower Damon and escape. The third week was a bit a more calm and our Stefan was back and let out of the cellar - with some tense stares aimed towards him. Damon had all but disappeared when he saw us hugging. Before I could explain, he was gone.

We make our way upstairs to his room. He seems like a recovering addict, so frail. I open the door so we can go inside. He stops to look at me. I give him a small smile before he goes to shower. Less than ten minutes later, he's back in the room with a pair of sweats on and a plain t-shirt. It doesn't escape his notice that I'm standing in the same spot, a respectable distance away from his bed.

His voice is hoarse as he looks at me, "Elena. God, I'm so..."

I shake my head and cut him off, "Don't you dare apologize. You saved him. He's your brother."

"But you're the woman I love." I can't say anything back. His head falls forward before he sits on the bed wearily. He exhales noisily, "You're breaking up with me."

I nod softly, "God, I'm so sorry Stefan, but I can't...I can't do this anymore."

He doesn't say anything. It's probably because he knows I'm right. We haven't been a couple for quite some time. Hell, besides some making out, he hasn't touched me nor have I sought out him out. The last time we had been intimate had been up at the cabin. Things have changed between us.

"Damon." He laughs softly as he gets up, "You're in love with him. You have been for quite some time. I pretty much closed my eyes and hoped it would go away. Hoped that you loved me enough but..."

I sob, "God, I'm so sorry." My head falls forward, too ashamed to look him in the face.

I jump when I feel his fingers touch mine as he stands in front of me. "Don't be. God, what we shared Elena...it's been amazing. I love you like I've never loved another but I'm not who you want or need. He is. He gets you on some level I can't and never could."

I blink back the tears. "Stefan." He's right. Where Stefan would put me in a bubble or stuff me in a closet, Damon would let me fly even if he hated what could happen to me. He would just pump his blood into me to be on the safe side.

He presses his lips to my fingers. "Shh, it's okay. Because you get him in ways I never could as well." He takes in a useless breath before continuing. "Damon flipped off his switch because he hurt, Elena. Not because he enjoyed being an evil bastard but simply to escape the pain of Katherine's betrayal, the cold-heartedness of our father and being condemned to a life I forced upon him. It was done as a defense mechanism. Me? I won't lie to you, or to myself any longer. I enjoyed my time with Klaus. I felt every single thing and that's the difference between my brother and I. I flip my switch to keep myself from turning into that monster because I like it. He became one to escape reality, but he doesn't realize he's not."

I take a step back which makes him chuckle.

He smiles sullenly, "Yeah, guess that's a bit of a turn off. Look, I'm going to stay with a couple of vampires who have the same diet as me in Washington. I'm going to call them in a few. I need to heal and come to grips with what I've done, even if was to save Damon." His voice lowers, "And so I can get over you." He incoherently murmurs, "if I ever can."

"I love you Stefan." I have nothing else to say because it is the truth regardless.

He nods as he steps back, "I know, but it's not the love I want." And he's right.

He left the very next night with some vampires that came to collect him. Damon came back the following morning. He saw me lying on the couch, asked if he was really gone, and headed to his room when I confirmed Stefan had indeed left. Now, here I am, pacing, again. As I bite my lip, his door flings open. He glares at me, with nothing more than a pair of silky looking lounge pants on.

His chest is a work of art. Though pale, there is no mistaking the simple masculinity of every ridge and ripple. I let my eyes sweep over his nipples to his throat and finally reach his face.

He takes in a deep breath, ignoring the eye-fucking I had just been giving him. "What is it, Elena?"

I look at him, cringing at how guarded his gaze is. Finally I can't hold it back any longer. I lick my lips and just fly, "You said it's on me. Well, it's you. I want you. On me. In me. With me. God, Damon, it's only us now. I love you."

His hand tightens on the door. I don't even flinch when it cracks under his grip. His eyes darken as they narrow. He blinks as if trying to clear his head. Then the cold indifference, the cold stance, cracks. He crumples in front of me. His voice is nothing but a whisper, "I...Elena, I can't...take...it..."

I do what I should have done when he opened the door. I close the distance between us and crash my lips against his. His are unyielding but it's okay because mine will pick up the slack. My hands get tangled in his ebony hair, dragging his face down to mine. God, kissing him shouldn't be this good, but it is. And I want more. I press my body closer against his. The coolness of his bare chest seeping through the thin material of my shirt.

He breaks the kiss, pushing me away while taking a step back. He shakes his head and turns from me. There's pain in his voice as he tells me, "Go away. Just go away."

Enough. I will not let him walk away from me. From us. I reach back and slam his door shut. Of course it won't shut properly now that he's gone and damaged it. He isn't looking at me. He bends so his fists are on his bed, his back facing me.

I walk towards him, shedding my clothing with every step. I almost giggle when my legs get caught up in my jeans. I stand before him, naked, vulnerable and scared he's going to turn me away.

I say his name softly, "Damon." He picks his head up and turns to face me, tears on his face. His eyes darken with lust when they take in my nude form. I move forward, pushing him back, all the while hitching my leg on his waist so I can straddle his body. He finally lets go and we fall to the bed, his legs still dangling off. Sure, I'm not playing fair but he'll get over it.

I place my hands on his chest, loving the feel of his skin under me. I lower my face until I can press a kiss to where his heart would beat. I sit back up and find his hands, linking our finger together.

I can't hold the words back anymore, "I'm sorry if you misread the situation when Stefan hugged me. It's why you left, right? You thought that I would just go running back to him, didn't you?"

He sits up on his elbows. His eyes are blazing. That I can deal with. His vacant expressions of the past few weeks, I could no longer stomach. He sneers at me. "Well, did you just expect me to sit outside your door while the two of you fucked to celebrate his salvation? You told me, Elena, it would always be Stefan. So I just took myself out of the equation."

I release his hands and shake my head. God, he makes me so angry. I huff out, "No, you ass. If you had just waited, you would have known that we broke up. I haven't fu...been with him like that since the cabin. We were more friends than lovers these past couple of months. But, noooo, you had to just get up and go and be a complete and total dumbass. Why do I love you?"

The shift on his face is obvious. All the tension seems to leave his body. He sits up, holding onto my waist so I don't fall. His eyes hold the faintest amusement. He uses one hand to ghost along my side, setting my skin on ablaze. I break out in goose-bumps. He smirks at me. He leans forward to whisper in my ear after teasing the outer edge of it with his tongue, "Yes, Elena, why do you?"

I lean back to look in him the eye. "Because you get me. All of me. And yes, you wanna rescue me all the time but you let me be a part of that. You wouldn't just put me in a bubble while going off to save the day. You make the old Elena wanna come out and play and not be ashamed of it. You make me want to pull my hair out but kiss you all in the same breath. You're insufferable, conceited, egotistical..."

He mutters, "Yes, I can see why."

I continue on,"...a brat, condescending..." My voice softens as I cup his face. "...loving, caring, sweet when you want to be, unbearably sexy and who I want. She was right. It's okay to love you both because I love you differently. I love Stefan. A part of me always will but not the way he wants or deserves. It's the love of a friend."

He presses his lips against mine, lingering, before asking, "And me?"

I smile, "I'm in love with you. It consumes me. Flows through me. I love you, Damon, with all my heart and soul."

He says nothing. I don't know how long we sit there on his bed. He sighs before pressing soft kisses on my bare shoulder. He trails his tongue along the hollow of my throat before nipping at my jaw. "Well, then it seems I'm overdressed for such a confession of love."

My heart soars. Flies right out of my chest into his. Our love encircles us and warms us. I find my voice, "Yes, and I think it's quite rude. Here I am all naked..."

He interrupts, "And, dare I say, wet?"

I mock pout at him, "Why should I be? You got me talking wh...oomph, Damon!"

Before I could finish, I'm on my back with him between my thighs. He's hovering over me, not quite touching my body with his. When he looks at me, I swear he's looking into me. Into my heart and soul. He speaks, voice full of promise, "We're okay."

I nod, tears stinging my eyes, "We're more than okay; we're together."

He nods in agreement, "As we should be." The look in his eye changes, "Now, it's high time I claim what's mine."

The words send a flood of wetness between my legs. Really? Just words and I'm a freaking puddle.

He inhales deeply and twists me around to face his godliness, "Oh yes, someone definitely wants to be claimed."

His lips touch mine. Explosions go off. The kiss that starts off slow and gentle quickly turns into passion as our hands touch whatever skin they can find. My hands run along his back, reveling in the feel of his muscles as they quiver under my touch. I break the kiss and gasp when he suddenly slides one of his fingers inside my wet heat.

My head falls back as my mouth drops open trying to catch my breath, "Damon..."

He nips at my throat before picking his head up to look at me. "You're so beautiful. More."

He slides another finger inside me and I'm about to fall over. He can tell by looking at me. I know it when I see the smugness in his eyes. Before I can chastise him, he adds a third and I'm falling as I scream his name.

I come back to myself and he's between my legs, spreading them open while on his knees. His hand is at his mouth as he licks my juices off of them. I groan at the sight. He just licks at his fingers like they're fucking lollipops. I push myself up onto my elbows, eyebrow raised. My tone cocky, when I feel anything but, "That's it?"

He laughs a real laugh. Not his usual snorts of amusement. He gets off the bed making me pout. My breath catches in my throat when I see his hands at the waistband of his pants. He lowers them, leaving on his boxer briefs. He steps out of the pooled material by his feet. He steps closer but makes no motion to lower his boxer briefs. They're tented out with his arousal.

I let my eyes roam his newly exposed skin. The strength of his calves. The definition of his thighs. Treasure still hidden behind the thin fabric. Finally, I look up at his waiting face. I lick my bottom lip before rising to my knees in front of him. I crawl, shuffle if you will, to him. I bring my hands to his boxer briefs and pull him closer. I press kisses on his bare chest raking my teeth against him, smiling against his skin when I hear him hiss. I lap at one of his nipples while one of my hands strokes him through the thin material separating us. I can't even imagine how he will fit inside me. Just before I decide to yank the damn thing off, I bite down on his nipple.

I'm rewarded with his gasp of, "Oh holy fuck, Elena!"

I look up at him and nearly climax again when I see the sheer desire on his face. As I'm pulling the boxer briefs off him, he's shoving me back, helping me by kicking them off. We both fall back onto the mattress. I cry out when the head of his erection rubs against my clit. He dips his hand between my thighs to see how ready I am for him.

He growls at me, "Oh yeah, baby, all for me..." He coats his thick shaft with my juices. The sight making me throb between my thighs.

I reach for him, pulling him down with my arms, welcoming his weight on me. He presses forward, the tip of him, opening me up. It's not enough. I bite his ear lone before damn near begging, "Please, Damon, make me yours already."

He laughs as he pushes forward. Teasing me because it's not enough. His thickness stretching me in the most delicious of ways. He pulls back out. We lock eyes when he speaks, his voice hoarse with want, "Tell me. Tell me, Elena."

There's desire but there's more in his words. Hope. Disbelief. Completion. I lick my lips and decide to have a Damon moment.

I growl out, not even recognizing my own voice. The sultriness of it. The wantonness. "I love you, Damon Salvatore. Now fuck me."

He does. For the next few hours I'm bent, twisted, flipped, licked and nibbled and I still want more. Finally, he throws his body beside me. We're drenched with sweat and other bodily fluids. We're both panting. My lips feel swollen. My chin slightly chaffed from all our kissing. He looks delicious. His hair is mussed up but still looks sexy. Bastard.

He rolls onto his side to look at me. He runs his finger down the center of my face. "What are you thinking so hard about?"

I pout, "That after all this...physical activity, I must look a goddamn mess and you still look like you belong on the cover of a freaking magazine."

He shrugs. "It's positively sinful how attractive I am." I roll my eyes. He presses a kiss to my arm. "You look properly loved, Elena. Your skin is flushed. Your lips begging for more of my attention." My stomach decides to growl. He laughs, "But let's get something to eat. We need to replenish all the calories we've burned off."

He rises, the sight of his naked form, making me want to forgo food and beg him to come back to bed. He slides his boxer briefs back up his toned legs. He turns to me as I start to rise. I wobble but he has me before I topple over. Guess we should feed the human first.

He slips one of his t-shirts on me. It's black, of course, and reaches just below my ass. We make our way downstairs to the kitchen. He sits me on the counter as he scrambles us some eggs. He puts some bacon in the oven and makes toast. I just watch him. The ordinariness of the situation makes me smile. No killer hybrids out to get us. No look alike out to hurt all those I love. Just me and the man that I love chilling in his kitchen.

Guess I'm really not being attention because next thing I know, he's between my legs, spreading my thighs open. He taps my nose with his finger. He bats his eyelashes at me, "I don't like being ignored, Elena."

His hands are massaging my thighs. I feel the heat of his body calling mine. I move closer and bite my lip when I realize he's naked and hard. Hard for me. I reach out and wrap my hand around his shaft. I ask, "What about the food?"

He nibbles on my neck while answering. Nip, talk, nip, talk, nip. "In the warming oven. There's something else I want to eat right now."

With that he removes my hand from him and pulls me down. He turns me around, spreads my legs and devours me from behind. I cum the minute I feel his fangs tease me. "Damon, please..."

He turns me around and lifts me up so I have no choice but to wrap my legs around his waist. I hungrily find his erection and line it up with my entrance. I look him in the eye and demand, "Now."

He fulfills my wish and thrusts into me. I wince at the intrusion seeing how I am sore from our previous couplings. He slows down when he notices. His fangs come down and he bites his tongue. He shoves it in my mouth as he moves oh so slowly. I can't describe it. The feel of his blood, however miniscule the amount, going down my throat as he moves inside me triggers another explosive orgasm. In my release, I bite down where his neck meets his shoulder. I break the skin ever so slightly. He roars and when I look at him, I see that he's vamped out.

He turns his head away, trying to disengage himself but I refuse to let go. I grab his face in my hands, tracing his fangs with my tongue. I pepper his face with kisses. I pull back to tell him, "I love you." I trace the veins protruding on his face and tell him in wonderment, "All of you."

His pace increases. Fast. Brutal. I know we're both close but I want us to cross that final hurdle. I slowly move my hair from my neck to offer it to him.

He tries to pull away, "Elena, baby, no..."

I shake my head seeing that he can't resist much longer anyway, "The hell you're not. I mean it, Damon, all of you."

He leans forward to suck at the skin where my pulse beats erratically. His fangs tease my skin as his movements get hurried. Just as I am about to fall over, he sinks his fangs into me. Every pull triggers another orgasm until he pulls away, exploding inside me.

We collapse to the floor, still joined. He picks his head and laughs, "Holy shit, woman, you're going to be the death of me."

I press my lips to his in the gentlest of kisses, and I can taste the hint of my blood on them. I wink at him, "No, my love, you'll be mine. Forever."

His eyebrows shoot up. He knows what I'm saying. What I'm telling him. He seems to be in shock. That's okay. We have an eternity for him to get comfy with the idea. Now that I have him, I'm never letting him go.

Many thanks go out to LoveEpicLove, who really helped me out with this. She gave me some good suggestions and advice.

Also thanks so VampChic1452 for betaing this after the fact. And with such quick turnaround too. :)