N: This is a special one-shot written for hopelessromantic549 as part of the Valentine's Day author exchange on livejournal. I hope it lives up to your expectations and it's not to cheesy, enjoy!

Thank you Ella for your help with this, I really appreciate it!

Blood-red roses

Stefan's name was written on the illuminated screen of her cell phone and Elena had been staring at it for the past ten minutes. It had been two weeks since Stefan had gone back to his old self and he was acting like a human being again; but Elena was still expecting him to go all 'ripper' on her for some reason. He had literally put her through hell and it was hard to believe that after all that happened he could just be back to his bunny diet and decent conversations.

There was this fear inside her heart that she had lost Stefan long ago and there was no way that they could go back to the way they once were. Looking at him, she had to admit that old feelings were crawling their way to the surface. She would still remember the first kiss they shared, their first – epic – conversation. He'd been so good and gentle…he'd been everything a girl could ask for, but that had changed. One day he just decided she wasn't worth it and left with the vampire that was responsible for killing her family; the vampire that had killed her.

"Hello," she said softly.

"Elena…" he whispered. She didn't say anything because it wasn't a question and she didn't know what to say. "…I was wondering if you'd like to join me for coffee," he finally said and she smiled at the shy way he was talking.

"Alright, I'll meet you at The Girl in an hour."

***blood-red roses***

An hour and five minutes after their conversation on the phone, Elena was entering the dark bar. She spotted him immediately in the left corner waiting for her. The smile on his face when he saw her made her heart ache. He was still so beautiful and, in a way, innocent looking, but as she looked closely, she could spot the changes in his eyes. This Stefan was not the same as the one she fell in love with, even if he looked like him.

"Hi," she said simply, taking a seat in front of him at the round table. She took off her jacket and put her bag on the empty chair between them. The waitress came a minute later and she asked for a coffee and grilled cheese with eggs, bacon and fruit.

"I wonder what else has changed about you, besides the fact that you replaced the usual cereal with eggs, bacon, cheese and fruit," Stefan said raising an eyebrow at her.

"Since I started training, I realized I need more than a tiny bowl of cereal to keep going," she explained and he nodded.

"So Damon trains you every day?"

"Almost; if no one dies the day before," Elena answered in a failed attempt to make a joke. Of course since they kissed they had been avoiding each other. It had been a while since they trained together.

Every night she would close her eyes and that kiss would happen over and over. Sometimes she would call after him and tell him to stay, sometimes she would pull back and slap him and sometimes she would break down in his arms. But every time, the contact of her lips with his would make her heart beat faster, her knees weaken and her palms sweat.

"Elena?"

"Uh? Sorry I wasn't here."

"I noticed. I was saying that I find admirable the fact that you learned to defend yourself. I've always admired your strength and courage."

"Thank you," was all she said before pushing the empty plate by the edge of the table.

***blood-red roses***

After Elena finished her coffee, they went for a walk in the park. The weather was perfect for that sort of thing. It wasn't too hot or too cold.

"Is there any chance you'll forgive me for what I've put you through?" Stefan asked taking Elena by surprize. Could she forgive him?

"I don't know Stefan, I need time…" she whispered. She needed time, probably lots of time. She needed…she didn't even know what she needed; she just knew she wasn't ready.

"Next week is Valentine's Day, I was wondering…if you'd let me take you on a date?"

She had no idea that next week was Valentine's Day. Days got sort of mixed up, especially since Jeremy went away. She told herself that it was just a coincidence that Damon and she kissed the night before. Why would Stefan pay attention to that? She wondered for a moment if Damon knew. For some reason she just couldn't imagine Damon counting the days until Valentine's Day. She couldn't even imagine him celebrating it.

"I'll think about it," she heard herself say.

***blood-red roses***

After their conversation they started meeting every morning for coffee. Stefan would always remind her that he was very sorry for what he did to her and how he acted. He was buying her chocolate and ice-cream almost every day and she let him, because she didn't know how to refuse him.

They would talk about the weather, about school and Jeremy, but every time the subject would come back to them, Elena would change it. She knew that sooner or later she would have to talk about it…about them, but she wasn't ready. She wondered if she ever would be.

Yes, she still cared about him, she probably always would, but did she still love him? Was she still in love with Stefan Salvatore? It was so complicated. He hurt her and her friends and then, here was Damon, what would she do about that?

"Elena are you even listening to me?" Stefan asked and she shook her head to bring herself out of her trance.

"Sorry, a bit distracted lately."

"I noticed. What is it? You can tell me what's bothering you; I might be able to help."

"It's nothing really…" she whispered. It wasn't like she could talk about Stefan with Stefan. She needed a friend, but Bonnie was busy re-bonding with her mother and Caroline was at her dad's; they were working on breaking the sire bond between Tyler and Klaus. So she was stuck on doing this by herself.

"Every time we meet you seem to be miles away. You might've changed a lot while I was away, but deep down you are still the same Elena…"

"What do you know about who I still am?" she snapped. How dare he pretend to know her? She changed so much, she felt so different. It felt like years and not months passed since she cried her heart out on Damon's death bed and Stefan left town with Klaus.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that. I just…I can still tell when something's bothering you," the pain in his voice was breaking her heart again, but to be honest, she felt like it was none of his business.

"It's nothing for you to worry about…" she whispered.

***blood-red roses***

It was seven thirty on Valentine's Day, Stefan was supposed to pick her up in half an hour and she was still in her jeans and t-shirt staring at herself in the mirror. She'd been there for what seemed like days, weeks even, in reality only a little over an hour had past.

There was pain in her big doe eyes. She could clearly see the fear and confusion they held. She'd been up all night trying to make up her mind, to finally realize what she wanted, but morning came and she still didn't have an answer.

When Stefan knocked on her window she went over and opened it. He got inside and handed her a bouquet of white orchids. They were beautiful…so pure and innocent, so unlike her.

"Elena what's wrong? Why aren't you dressed?" he asked and she just couldn't help it anymore, she head to get it off her chest.

"Stefan, you hurt me. You hurt me in ways I never thought I could be hurt by someone. I can'…I don't know if I can move past everything that had happened. Everything has changed…"

"Nothing changed," he interrupted her, taking a few steps forward. "Not for me anyway. I still love you, Elena; I always have. In my darkest moments, when my conscience would fail me, the love I had for you didn't," he whispered, wrapping his hand around her waist to pull her closer. "Remember when I called you on your birthday?" he asked and she nodded as a soft tear left her eye. "Remember what you said to me?" she nodded again. "You told me you loved me and to hold on to that. I did…I held on to that, Elena…"

He softly brushed her hair over her shoulder and caressed the soft skin of her neck, letting his fingertips slide on her jawline. His lips came so close to hers there was no doubt in her mind that he was about to kiss her, but he stopped and that's when she realized they weren't alone in the room anymore. She could feel his presence, so she turned towards the window and saw him in the window-frame, staring at her. His eyes found hers and she broke into a million pieces right there under his disappointed gaze.

Only after he disappeared from sight she realized he had been dressed in a black tuxedo and he was carrying a big bouquet of blood-red roses in his hand. She waked over and picked up the flowers from the windowsill.

"Elena…" Stefan murmured carefully.

Elena took a deep breath to fill her lungs. They smelled incredible…they smelled like him.

"I have to go," she said leaving the roses on the bed. She started running down the stairs. She grabbed her keys and drove towards the Boarding House.

"Please be there; please be there…" she prayed. She watched briefly as the pointer was showing her she was driving with 140 km/hour (86 mph*), but she didn't care, she just wanted to get there faster.

Ten minutes later she was pulling into the drive-way. She literally jumped out of the car, not bothering to even close the car's door and ran towards the front door. She stopped in front of it and thought of a second that he might not be there. The thought made her press her right hand on her chest and let out a soft moan. He wouldn't just leave, right? He promised her he would never leave. Damon may be many things, but he wasn't a liar.

Taking another deep breath, she opened the door and got in. She immediately walked into the living room, expecting to find him by the liquor cabinet, but he wasn't there and she let out a short sigh.

Once she was in front of Damon's door, she put her hand on the handle and closed her eyes, praying to find her blue-eyed vampire inside. When she opened the door and saw him by the edge of the bed with a bottle of hard liquor in his hands, she mumbled a: 'thank God' to herself and walked in, letting the door close behind her with a soft noise.

"I guess congratulations are in order," he murmured and Elena walked in front of him raising an eyebrow. "You and Stefan…" he continued in a sad tone. "…I knew it was only a matter of time. After all…it's Stefan and it will always be Stefan."

"But…it's not," she whispered.

Damon pushed himself off the mattress and walked towards Elena.

"Weren't you about to kiss and make up when I walked in?" he asked and for a split second Elena looked at the floor ashamed.

"Yes…kind of."

"Well, that proves my point."

"Stefan was telling me that he…"

"I don't want to know," Damon protested.

"Yes you do. He was telling me how he held on to the love he had for me and how he still loves me. He reminded me for a moment of how I used to feel about him before all this happened. Yes, he was about to kiss me, but then he stopped and I looked around and saw you. I looked into your eyes and it hit me. I couldn't be with Stefan. Not because of everything he's done or the hell he has put me through…but because it's you. Because when I go to bed at night, I dream about you; because I can't get that kiss out of my head; because when I woke up this morning and realized it was Valentine's Day, I was wondering what you would be doing? Because when I asked myself who I wanted to spend this day with, the answer was you." she stopped to breath and Damon placed the half empty bottle on a chair but kept the distance.

"I don't know exactly when or how, but somewhere along the way, the sensitive and perfect girl that was in love with Stefan, disappeared. In her place came this strong woman who's not afraid to get dirty and fight for her freedom. And this woman is head over heels in love with this impulsive and passionate vampire that makes her burn from inside out just by looking at her. That makes her ache for him when he is not around. He makes her melt when he touches her and she's kind of lost without him."

She looked up to meet his eyes, waiting for him to say something. His eyes were sparkling softly and if she didn't know any better, she would've thought he might cry. Instead, he reached for her left hand and pulled her towards him.

"God, Elena, do you have any idea of the hell you put me through?" he asked, but didn't wait for an answer. His lips crushed hers and there it was: that sensation that was making her head spin and her knees treble. She curled her hands around his neck, pulling him closer to make sure it wasn't another one of her dreams. His smooth tongue poked between her lips and she parted them to allow him access. When it slipped inside her mouth, she lost her balance and Damon's strong arms went around her waist to support her.

"Damon?"

"Uh?"

"Would you…be my Valentine?" she asked between kisses and he pulled back to look at her from head to toe.

Her hair was a mess and her outfit was a bit wrinkly, but to him she had never looked better. He hoped she knew how perfect he thought she looked from the first moment she woke up until the moment she went to bed and in her sleep…she looked like an angel. It was hard for him to even begin to believe that she was actually choosing him.

"I would be anything you want me to be," he answered.

"Damon, I don't want you to be anything more than you already are. You told me once that I wanted to change you, to turn you into Stefan and I just want you to know that I never wanted that. I love you, Damon, just the way you are."

"Say it again."

"I love you…"

"Again!"

"I love you, Damon Salvatore."

And then, his lips were on hers again and she was in heaven. His cold hand slipped underneath her t-shirt and she gasped in his mouth.

"Make love to me, Damon…please," she pleaded and he didn't wait to be told twice. She felt her feet leave the ground slowly and a second later her back was hitting the mattress.

He took off her top and growled in approval seeing that she wasn't wearing a bra. Still kissing her, he peeled her jeans off as well, leaving her only in her minuscule underpants. Using his fingertips he started exploring the silkiness of her skin, starting with her collarbone, all the way to her knees.

When the tip of his fingers passed over her nipples she let out a high pitched cry and Damon lowered his head to suck on it.

"Damon…" she mumbled, desperately trying to get him out of his clothes as well. "…please, I want to feel you," she said and he stood up. She opened her eyes, and was mesmerized, as he undressed himself. "I would make you put your clothes back on and strip them again, because I love the sight of you doing that, but I feel like I'm going to die if you are not inside of me in the next two minutes," she said and he smirked.

He positioned himself between her legs and pushed her thong away to find her soaked, pulsating center. His fingers started going in small circles on her clit and she cried out his name, pushing her hips forward.

"You're so wet…" he whispered in her ear letting one of his fingers thrust inside her folds.

Elena moaned loudly and her nails dug into Damon's' shoulders hard enough to make him roar like a wild animal.

When he finally replaced his finger with his hard-rock dick, Elena's eyes rolled in the back of her head, her legs grabbed his waist and her fingers tangled in his hair. Her body started to tremble uncontrollable and her inner muscles shrouded around his length. He started pumping in and out of her, filling her completely each time and hitting that sweet, heavenly spot that made her lose her mind.

It was like…she was made for him, they fit to perfection. Not only had their bodies connected in that moment, but their minds and their souls as well.

"Oh God…I…please…Damon…" she came hard and he followed soon. They both fell on the bed exhausted.

"Now what?" he asked when Elena got up and started dressing.

"Now you take me home to change and you take me out on a date," she said smiling.

N: I hope you guys liked it, please review and let me know.