Dear diary,

I feel so alone. So, so, forgotten. Ever since Jeremy died, I haven't been able to forgive Stefan. I don't know why he did it, but he killed my brother. The only one i have. No one understands why he meant so much to me, but he went through hell and back with me. I completely dumped Stefan if that wasn't apparent. According to Damon, he's somewhere in Italy now.

Damon left to go and check up o him a little while ago. I'm guessing to make sure that he didn't lose too much control. I feel empty without Damon. He brings me happiness; he makes me forget about how much it hurts without Jeremy. And now he's gone and he won't be back for who knows how long.

-Elena

Elena sat on her bed, not noticing a spying shadow by her window. She began to sob into her teddy bear that Damon had gotten her a little while back. She then suddenly felt a slight breeze that sent shivers down her spine. She looked around but her room was empty. Then a hand covered her mouth and she screamed. But all you could hear was a muffled moan.

Elena smacked the figure's arm trying to get him off of her, unsuccessful of course.

"OW! You know, you surprise me with your strength." he chuckled darkly.

"D-D-Damon? You scared the shit out of me! When did you get back? Oh I'm so happy to see you! But still why the grand entrance? You could have just come right in and said something!"

She got up off the bed and hugged him fiercely. He walked backward so they winded up on the bed again. She looked into his eyes and she couldn't help but stare. They were the most beautiful shade of blue. She felt like her body had melted into the ocean. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. Their faces were mere centimeters apart. Damon gave her a cocky smirk.

"You care to explain that stupid look on your face?"

She blushed, "Uh..." She slid off of him. He sat up and whispered in her ear, "Are you happy to see me?"

She simply nodded. He placed a hand on her thigh, and she covered it with her own.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you. It was like i was empty and nothingness with you gone. It was really strange. I guess, I just really miss your company. I also miss partying. Definitely the drinking and everything else too, but our lovely little conversations in front of your fireplace at 2 in the morning are what i missed the most. Weird right? I know I'm a loser for missing you that much, But after everything that happened with Bonnie and Caroline, and of course the whole Stefan killing Jeremy thing, you were there for me and I guess I had like a Damon withdrawal problem, you know?"

"You thought about me?"

"Of course, you're such a big part of my life that I didn't know what to do half the time."

She looked at him to try and find an emotion on his usually masked face. And there it was. She saw confusion, love, and then...the mask was back. He lied back down on her bed. He closed his eyes and tried to let the information that he just heard sink in. He couldn't believe that she missed him that much. He knew they were friends but he didn't know that she missed him as much as he missed her. He had missed her smile, her laugh that was only heard by his ears as of recently, her amazingly deep hazel eyes, the long brunette waves of hair that flowed from her head, her amazing wit that matched his own and just everything about her. He also missed those conversations because he could be the real Damon, not the jerk that had first met her. He was able to open up to her; he couldn't even do that with his own brother, especially after the way that he hurt her. He pulled on her arms and brought her down to lay beside him.

"Why don't you go to sleep Elena, I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."

She closed her eyes and nuzzled into his shoulder and put her head in the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and they slept perfectly content.

"Damon? Damon this isn't funny! Where are you?"

She began running in the woods where she once stood, but at the next step she took she was in her living room. "Stefan?"

Stefan stared at Elena then looked at the ground where a body was. Stefan had a tear in his eye. When she looked closer she could see the blue eyes she loves so much wide open but his skin was all veiny and vampire corpse like.

"What did you do?" She cried.

"You loved him, he loved you. He had to die, just like Jeremy and just like you."

Stefan then lunged at her.

She awoke out of breath and a tear streaming down her face. Damon wiped the tear away and pet her hair.

"Shhhh, it's alright kitten, it was just a dream."

Her erratic breathing slowed. She placed her forehead on his bare chest.

"Wanna talk about it? Will that help? Please tell me what I could do."

"Elena sighed and said," Stefan staked you, and then he came after me."

She then realized that his chest was bare. It didn't bother her; she saw his god-like chest 90% of the day anyway because he's too cocky to put on a shirt around her. She didn't know when his shirt had come off, only that it had and it was very soothing. Damon looked at Elena, the stunningly beautiful girl in front of him, and wondered why she was so upset over the dream. It was normal to have nightmares of a monster, but nightmares about him dead? She wanted that for so long until they went to Atlanta, and even after that she wanted to stake him. But why was she upset?

"Damon, I'm scared, what if he really does come back and kills us?"

"Why would he, I haven't done anything horrible...lately."

She cackled a little, he always knew how to make her laugh even when she was all sweaty and nightmarish.

"Damon? I don't understand why you're helping me. I was so horrible to you. Everything I said in the beginning, I was so judgmental and unforgiving."

She didn't know where that came from, she guessed that maybe her subconscious had gone haywire and mixed her thoughts with her actual words.

"I stay because you are my friend Elena, and a few bad words aren't going to keep me away. Now you have school. So go get ready, and my sexy self will drive you there."

She rolled her eyes and leaped out of the bed. She walked to the bathroom, shaking her hips slightly for his enjoyment, and began to undress.

"What are you doing?" he asked

"I'm about to shower as a matter of fact."

"Would you like some company?" he said. Then he did that little eye thing that drives Elena mad with lust. She looked away and walked into the bathroom closing the door behind her.

"Lena, I have a surprise for you!" he sang.

She opened the door a crack and peered out.

"What is it Damon? I really have to take a shower."

"It's down here!" he called from below the stairs.

Elena wrapped a towel around her naked body and walked down the steps. The door was open and there were a dozen black roses on the stoop. She bent down and picked them up 'These are beautiful, but why would he get them for me. Ooh there's a note.' She opened the note and it said "turn to your left,' so she did and on the table was a full course breakfast for 2 and a stack of DVDs. Damon emerged from the kitchen with two cups of coffee and a glass of orange juice for Elena.

"So, does this make up for showing up unexpected?" he said. It was almost a whisper. He looked almost a little embarrassed.

"Yes, it does. Thank you. So I'm guessing school is out of the question?"

He nodded. He was so happy that she'd liked what he had done. 'I swear that if she ever tells me she loves me, this will happen regularly. She won't know how good I'll treat her. She'll be my queen, my princess of darkness, we'll travel he globe, and I'll show her everything that's beautiful in the world.' he promised himself. He smiled at her, not the usual smirk, but a genuine smile. He didn't do that often, but when he did he lit up the room. He was able to open up with her. He was able to be free. He didn't have to hide nor did he have to be a bad ass, he could just be Damon, just like he was before he was changed. She understood him. She grieved with him, she hated with him, heck she even slayed with him. As he thought about it a little more he realized it seemed like the Buffy/Spike relationship. He liked Spike; he was just as bad ass as he was. Only there was no such thing as a slayer. Damon was taken out of his train of thought by the sound of Elena's voice.

"Well, I still have to shower, but when I'm done I'll come right down."

He nodded. "The offer for company is still standing kitten."

"Maybe next time, now I smell like wet dog, it's gross. I'll be down in 15 minutes."

She went back upstairs. She went into the bathroom and thought all about Damon. The way his voice is as rich as silk and how every single article of clothing he owns fits him perfectly to tease her with those rock hard abs. She cleaned herself up, not knowing that Damon was right outside the door. She began to hum. The song was 'Love like Whoa' by The Ready Set. They were her favorite band. She turned to find Damon staring at her trying to see through the fogged glass.

"Enjoying yourself Damon?"

"Yes, a lot actually. But I'm going to walk away and let my virgin eyes remain virgin."

Elena flat out laughed, "Virgin eyes? If those eyes are virgin then that must mean I'm a vampire!"

"Har har, well hurry up, your food is getting cold."

She heard him walk away and resumed her humming.

Once she was done with her shower, she went into her room and tried to find the cutest clothes to wear. She rummaged her closet and found her skin-tight blue skinny jeans, and a black off the shoulder top with gold appliqués. She slipped on a silver heart necklace and her assortment of rings along with her various bracelets. She brushed her long wavy hair and decided to let it air dry, and she put it into a top knot. She trotted down the stairs to see Damon with a glass of blood, suspected to be spiked, in front of the television crouched down fighting with the DVD player.

"Dammit! You better work for my Elena! Get your act together stupid DVD player!"

Elena laughed and crouched down next to him.

"You know, maybe if you spoke nicer to it, it would work. Here, let me try." She looked at the DVD player."Now Benita, you have to cooperate, it's time to play some...uh...Peter Sellers? The Pink Panther, really?" She gave him a sly look. "Whatever, just please work Benita?" She opened the DVD player and put the disk in. She closed it and it began playing. "See just a few nice words."

"Mph"

Damon walked to the couch and beckoned Elena to join him. She sat down at the other end and he placed his head in her lap. Elena giggled a little. She couldn't believe a macho vampire like Damon would cuddle like this. 'Remember Elena, just friends, just friends...'