*I don't own The Vampire Diaries or anything associated*

Okay, I thought I might try my hand getting Elena and Damon to bond again after all of the rubbish that has been in their way. Its set on one afternoon and evening alone together. No life or death situations or much Drama... MUCH I might add :) I'm going to warn, in this first installment of what hopefully is a couple of stories there is no declaring etc. because thats unrealistic. They have had too much of a rift between them to suddenly get together. So this is the start of the closing of this rift. I hope you enjoy reading!

"Well aren't you looking scrumptious today Elena," Damon grandly declared as he opened the door.

"Damon. Is Stephan here?"

"Maybe, but what would I get out of telling you? I much prefer to see the distress on your face as you well know- Ah! There's the look that I so love," he smirked, waggling his eyebrows playfully.

Elena looked at him unimpressed.

"I'm not in the mood Damon. As you well know, there seem to be a group of THE original vampires that are bent on killing me. Our only hope seems to one that previously tried to kill me and nearly succeeded with Jenna. And to top it off things aren't exactly peachy with Stephan either."

Elena realised what she just said and prayed to god that Stephan wasn't in the house, fearing the hurt it would cause him. Damon looked her up and down amusedly.

"What you need is a good hard drink," he deduced.

"No, Damon, that's how you cope with your problems; that and the occasional killing."

"Nice suggestion. I shall drink for both of us then. I don't feel like killing today lucky for you" he winked at her and Elena rolled her eyes, "You better come in. Stephan's out hunting but should be back very soon."

With that he shot off, leaving the door open. Elena sighed and made her way in, shutting the door behind her. She found Damon in the lounge, indeed drinking for the both of them. He looked over and raised his double whiskey.

"Cheers."

"Yeah..."

"Sure you don't one?" he asked only half jokingly. His eyes were searching her face with such genuine concern that her breath caught momentarily. God those eyes...

Elena shook her head, made her way to the couch and sunk into it, resting her head back. Stephan should be here by now, she thought. Elena could hear Damon humming softly to himself whilst making another drink. It surprised her, since she shouldn't, but she felt at complete ease to let her guard down around Damon; even after all that he'd done. Since he had rescued her with Stephan from Rose, there seemed to be something nagging at her brain about him. She wasn't stupid, she knew it had to be something about her vervain necklace, but she was frightened to find out. Damon scared her, and not because he was an emotionless killer/alcoholic. No, he had emotions buried deep. That was what she was scared of. She closed her eyes thinking...

Elena opened her eyes with a shock. Damon was looking down at her smiling. She was moving? Ah, Damon was carrying her up the stairs. Hopefully to Stephan's room and not his. But she was shocked to find she didn't want to check and blushed furiously.

"Don't worry I'm taking you to your brooding lovers room," he smirked as if reading her mind.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Not long. You snore you know."

"Huh? No I don't!" she said indignantly.

He chuckled, "Oh yes you do. I'm surprised anyone can stand it."

"I... I... have never heard that from anyone..."

"I'm sure they were sparing your feelings."

"You're lying." She said flatly.

"But you're not sure though, are you?" his eyes twinkled.

"UUUFFF!" She puffed as she suddenly found herself on Stephan's bed.

"Geez, ever the gentleman," she declared sarcastically.

"That's Stephan's job, not mine sweet cheeks."

"Speaking of Stephan, where is he? Shouldn't he be back by now?"

Elena studied Damon well as he tried to put on his most reassuring face saying "I'm sure he'll be back soon. To be brutally honest one squirrel is not going to fill him up is it? I'm sure he's just busy massacring an entire family of them. Or, getting Bambi, his mother, Prince of the forest AND the skunk for good measure... That reminds me, he had a call from PETA the other day..."

"Seriously Damon, I should ring him."

Damon sighed and moved to lean on the door frame.

"I already did, it's either off or there's no signal where he is right now. He's definitely not in the surrounding area as I have checked to see if he's gone psycho again."

Elena flinched at that and Damon looked at her apologetically for his bluntness. Again Elena was surprised by this. There was a time when he wouldn't have cared.

"What should we do then?" she asked.

"Nothing, I'm sure he's fine. He wouldn't have put himself in any situation without telling you or me first depending on the situation respectively."

"Uh-huh."

"Look Elena," he started, looking at her earnestly and holding his hands up, "I know you have a lot of crap to deal with right now. You can't do anything about Stephan. If we could I would be out there doing something."

Elena looking down at her hands, nodded submissively.

"Elena..." she looked up at him. "Why don't we take the afternoon off? Just relax. Like our road trip. I know things aren't the same, but I think a little drink and a game of scrabble, some trashy movies and our best friends Ben and Jerry is what you need. What do you say?" Damon searched her face and Elena felt naked under his gaze. She shuddered slightly.

"I don't know Damon..."

"I promise that this is entirely selfish and just as much for me as you," he grinned, "I don't think I could stand your moping face all afternoon."

Selfish. Where had she heard that before? She got up from the bed and walked over to him. Stopped barely inches from his face in an attempt to intimidate him and get a ruse out of him. To her surprise he looked almost bashful as he stepped back slightly.

"There's something we should talk about, Damon. About my necklace, that is."

His face was blank.

"I gave it back to you and didn't feel like stopping for a chat. In and out. That's all it was. Okay?"

"For now."

Damon gave her a frustrated groan.

"Listen. You have been spending WAY too much time with Stephan. Stop reading too much into everything. Now do you want to watch Jerry Springer with me and some ice-cream or not?"

Elena really smiled for the first time in a long time. She would never admit it to him again, but the ass really wasn't the worst company in the world.

"So what flavour have you got?"

Well I hope you liked this first chapter! I will start writing the rest very soon :)