"And the nights are sill as long as they ever were
All the things that could go wrong, well they still occur
But when the violent sun breaks the morning air it will find me there
Next to you"
Damon could hear the sound of Elena's tapping heels as she climbed down the dark wood stairs of Stefan and Caroline's townhouse and walked directly towards him; she had tried to be subtle, to approach him in a rather delicate and surprising way, but she knew he could hear her every step and she was fully aware that he wanted to hear them. It had been two hours since the last time they had seen each other when Damon and Stefan decided to go Christmas shopping, and exactly three months since Elena had woken up from her deep sleeping state that lasted 65 years.
He didn't turn his head to face her, or showed the slightest sign that he was aware of her presence; instead, he smirked- a half smile that cleared the permanent frown from his expression. Damon could sense her standing right behind him and, repeating a habit he had developed during those decades, he pictured her in his head; he pictured her dark hair falling in long curls on her shoulder, her arms tightly crossed on her chest, he painted her loving expression with his imagination- the one expression she kept just for him.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked, finally breaking the silence that rested between them as she took one last step and touched his shoulder in an extremely delicate way.
Damon was sitting by the fireplace, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands dangerously close to the fire as if he was defying one of his basic nature instincts. Elena couldn't help but smiling at that image as she guided her hand to his soft, black hair and gently stroked it, feeling as he tilted his head to let her know he was deeply pleased with her act of affection.
"If you guess," he let the words come out of his mouth in a challenging tone, reaching out for her hand and caressing the bare skin on her arm. "then I might give you a kiss."
Elena laughed in a soft, gentle, almost angelic way that caused Damon to sigh deeply. He had missed her. For the last months, they hadn't stayed away from each other for more than an hour and neither of them had objections. She felt him, she felt the almost desperate need he had of staying close to her, she understood why his hands were always touching hers, why his eyes were never far from her figure and why he became uneasy every time she got away from his sight. Elena just knew, he didn't have to tell her and she was aware that he wouldn't talk about his fears out loud so easily, but she knew he was scared.
It had been 65 years and even if Damon's love and devotion were intact, he was different, he was more thoughtful, more damaged, and Elena was gently and subtly trying to get inside his head.
"Let's see, I would say you're thinking about the delicious dinner you heard me ordering for tonight?" she offered, using a rather childish tone as she sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.
Damon rolled his eyes, his fingers touching Elena's hair strands falling on his chest. "No," he responded softly and looked down at her with a funny expression - as if he was trying to figure if she was really just joking - that turned into an exceedingly affectionate one once he captured the silly smile on her glossy lips. "But I believe you still deserve a kiss."
Elena felt Damon touch her chin with his index finger and carefully lift it so that he could actually see her face. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply and catching his every scent. She had always loved the way Damon smelled like, and she could always recognize it: it was a mix of cologne, bourbon and a scent that she was never able to identify, it was just Damon. She sensed as he touched her lips with his gentle , yet harsh ones. His kisses had a different taste now, they weren't just passionate and warm anymore, but needy and possessive. He needed to feel she was his, he needed to know that she was real.
She responded to his kiss in an equally passionate way, placing the palm of her hand on his cheek and cupping it while bringing her free hand to his hair again, caressing in a delicate way.
"Damon," Elena whispered to his ear, pulling him closer so that he'd understand that she wanted him to listen carefully. He answered with an unintelligible mumble. "I am here. This is real."
At the sound of those words, Damon instantaneously wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. He understood what she meant, he didn't need her to say anything else; she was real, she was back to him at last and there was no scenario ahead of them in which they weren't together.
He had waited for her for decades, he had been through hell infinite times when she wasn't there, he had been lost in a pit of darkness that he could barely survive, but she was now back to him.
Damon felt his throat burn and his eyes water up as he tried to mutter the words he had been trying to say. "I love you, Elena"
Elena kissed his cheek, containing her own tears as she composed herself and freed herself from his tight embrace for a moment. "I love you too. I truly, madly love you."
Moving in a way that was humanly impossible, Damon got up and stood in front of her. He offered her his right arm with a rather mischievous look in his face.
"Would you dance with me? I think I should show you the biggest hits you've missed in this long time you were gone, Sleeping Beauty."
"Only if you promise not to break my very human bones for as long as you are still stronger than me" Elena answered in between laughter and stood up grabbing his hand.
It was all familiar to her: Damon grabbing her hand, his own making its way to her waist in a proper XIX century way, the look on his face as she placed her palm on his neck...She had been reliving the same dance for over 60 years. Damon had left their last moment back then, she had asked him to live his life, to not sit around waiting for her and she had stayed in the very same moment for decades. It had been like a never-ending dance with the love of her life, a moment she held onto, a distraction to make time go by faster.
"Thank you," Elena heard the soft whisper he uttered as he pulled her closer to him, his lips on her ear. "Thank you for coming back to me."
"I will always come back to you," she replied in a reassuring tone and eliminated any space between their lips. "Always."