Hi! Wow.. So I was really surprised by the amount of response you guys gave me, but I am also really psyched about it, so thank you all so much!

Because you guys are so awesome, I decided to just upload one chapter - maybe two - a week, the last being uploaded the day we'll get to see the real deal again.
That should keep us going, right?

Anyway, this is a transitional chapter, full of Delena fluff - Usually, I don't really write fluff, so if it's no good.. Blame it on that - the action will begin next chapter, though I'll lay the main focus on Klaus, Jeremy, Damon, Elena and Stefan.

I don't really wanna delve into the whole witchy thing - it would take me far more than a few chapters to deal with that one ;)

Anyway guys, R & R!

Chapter Two

Damon's POV

He awoke to sunlight streaming into the room—awoke to an achingly familiar scene. He was resting comfortably on a mountain of pillows, the sheets twisted loosely around his body—and he was alone. He groaned and buried his face in the pillow once again.

It could not have been a dream, could it? He scoffed internally—of course it could. Having Elena break her sire bond just so she could run right back into his arms did sound all too good to be true.

And then there was the small matter of his brother—if it were true, and his imagination had not decided to torture him, it would kill Stefan. Damon loathed it, but he knew Stefan still believed this was all a phase Elena was going through.

Stefan was banking on Damon sending her away—and all of a sudden, it infuriated him. Of course, he had sent her away, but he hadn't done it so she could run back to Stefan. He'd done it because he needed to be sure—because she needed to be sure. Because he loved her.

The memory of her confession brought a smile upon his lips, even though he still wasn't convinced it had been real—he was still 50 % sure it had been a dream.

A great, sexy, marvellous dream—but a dream nonetheless.

He was broken from his thoughts by the soft click of the bedroom door, followed by the soft patter of footsteps heading straight for the bed. He nearly shot up into a defensive crouch when he caught a whiff of honeysuckle—and just like that, his worry dissolved into nothingness.

It wasn't a dream—she was right here.

So why the hell wasn't she in his arms yet?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he moved faster than he could comprehend, rolled over, grabbed Elena—who had been watching him sleep at the edge of the bed—and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against his body as he buried his face in her hair.

She squealed and smacked his arm—which only made him smile—before draping an arm around his waist and pressing a kiss to his chest.

'Good morning,' she muttered, and he smiled at the happy, upbeat tone in her voice—Yup. She was as blissfully happy as he was.

'Hi beautiful,' he whispered in response, tightening his grip on her. 'Where were you?' He asked, jutting out his bottom lip in a pout, 'I woke up all lonely.'

She giggled and tugged on his bottom lip. 'I was checking on Jer and Shane. They were outside running laps, so I got us some blood bags and came back here.'

'Hmm,' he mused, revelling at the feeling of rightness that descended upon him, 'I would've loved to wake up with you in my arms though,' he confessed, 'So please stay next time?'

She grinned. 'I loved waking up in your arms. I'll stay next time.' He smiled happily and pressed his lips firmly to her temple, wrapping her in his arms.

Elena let a content sigh fall from her lips—something that made basking in his happiness far easier than it should be—their world was still upside down, and there were plenty of problems waiting for them in Mystic Falls—but he could not bring himself to care.

He was happy.

For the very first time in a 146 years, he was genuinely happy.

'You know,' Elena breathed, nuzzling further into his body, 'we'll have to get up eventually.' He growled in protest, tightening his arms around her—he had no intention of going out to face reality today. Last time he'd had Elena in his bed and they'd gotten up, bad things had happened.

Nuh-uh. He was so not falling for that trick again.

He was staying right there.

'Nope,' he replied, pulling back just far enough to look at Elena, 'We are not leaving this bed.' She raised an eyebrow at him, trying to hide the amused smile that was pulling at the corner of her lips. He smirked and flipped her onto her back, wedging his body between her thighs.

'I've got three days to make up for,' he grinned, nipping on her earlobe, relishing in the soft gasp that flew from her lips. Her arousal perfumed the air, and the last thought that crossed Damon's mind as she pulled his lips back to hers was that he was so right.

Not leaving that bed today.

No fucking way.

Elena's POV
Some time later

She was completely spent, panting heavily—she had not been this out of breath since she had been turned. The thought brought a smile to her lips.

Damon really did live up to his hype—and so much more. It made her wish she had not been so foolish as to reject him for so long, or to fight what she had felt for him.
She had always known she would not be able to fight it off indefinitely—but she had tried nevertheless. It was terrifying, all-consuming, adventurous and even a little dangerous—but it was real.

It was what she wanted more than anything else—and now that she finally had it, she was never letting go again.

She pulled Damon closer and closed her eyes in bliss, slowly drifting down from the high he just delivered her.

'Still want to get up?' He breathed in her ear, his weight pushing her deeper into the mattress. She laughed breathlessly and shook her head, caressing the well-defined muscles of his back. 'I don't think I can,' she muttered, 'My legs feel like jelly. I thought vampires didn't get tired like this?'

Damon chuckled and rolled off her, pulling her into his embrace instantly, before she got the chance to miss his warmth. 'You'll feel better in a few minutes,' he smirked, 'and then I'll get you all tired again.'
She grinned right back at him, enjoying the simplicity of their shared happiness—she did not allow thoughts of Mystic Falls, her brother, his brother, Klaus to burst their happy bubble—Damon was right.

They honestly needed to make up for those wasted three days—they deserved their five minutes. And she had to admit; she loved taking five minutes with Damon—even when they didn't drive halfway through the country to a bar.

'Will you now?' She smirked, moving at super speed to straddle him and pin his wrists to the bed. 'And if I won't let you?' His eyes had widened in surprise briefly, before that sexy glint she loved had reappeared—and she knew he was beyond pleased.

He loved it when she fought him for dominance—even though they both knew he usually won in the end.

His hands slid up over her bare thighs—she suppressed a shiver and smirked down at him—, 'Well, go ahead,' he grinned, 'Stop me.' She smiled saucily and leaned down, giving him a bird's view of her chest—it had the effect she was looking for—he was nearly drooling.

'Maybe I want you to convince me,' she breathed in his ear, nearly laughing out loud as he shivered when she grazed her teeth on his earlobe. 'You are such a minx,' he growled in frustration—she giggled. 'As if you don't like it,' she replied, smirking at him.

Before she knew what was happening, he flipped them over and pressed her into the mattress. 'I don't,' he breathed, their breaths mingling, 'I love it.'
She felt her heart soar at his words and the love that seeped from his intense gaze—she didn't know how to respond to his passion, his intense love, with words—so she did the only thing she could to show him her love.

She pulled his lips down to hers, slipping her tongue between his lips—and for once, he allowed her to control the kiss. Her tongue slid tenderly along his, mating and twining with his, one hand burying itself into his dark hair, the other resting on his lower back, pulling his body so close to hers, nothing separating them anymore—and that was what she needed right now.

She needed him to be this close—she knew he needed this too—they couldn't have anything separating them anymore.

He pulled back to look into her eyes—and she was floored by the intensity of his gaze—and cupped her face in his hands.

'I love you,' he whispered, the words ghosting along her skin, raising goose bumps all over her body.

She gazed into his azure blue eyes, allowing herself to lose herself in his gaze—and for the very first time, she allowed herself to fall—and she wasn't scared of it anymore.

'I love you too,' she muttered.

And then his lips sealed over hers once again—and there were no more words between them.

Elena's POV
That night

'Damon,' she moaned, attempting to dodge his roaming hands, 'Damon, Jeremy is waiting for us.' She pulled her shirt over her head and attempted to straighten her hair slightly—or at least to make it look less like she had just spent twelve hours rolling around beneath the sheets with Damon—not that she hadn't...

She just didn't want to look like it.

The man in question was standing behind her, his hands splayed out on her stomach, his lips firmly pressed to her neck. 'I don't wanna go,' he whined, 'I'll have to behave and not touch you—' He smirked at her in the mirror, '—and that is so not going to happen. I can't keep my hands off of you.'

She giggled and squirmed in his arms, only half-heartedly fighting off his advances—saying she wanted to have dinner with her brother and Professor Shady Pants—as Damon still insisted to call him—was one thing... Actually rejecting Damon when he was in full-on seductive mode was another—another rather impossible thing.

She had no clue how she managed to stay away from him for two years—once she'd given in, she couldn't get enough of him.

And she loved it.

It had never felt that way with any of her boyfriends—and she liked it that way. It only proved what she had always known, and always fought—she and Damon did have something special; something most people would never have, nor experience.

'Well,' she said, breathing in deeply and steeling herself, 'you're going to have to.' She pulled his hands from her body, turned around, pecked him on the lips and darted back into the bedroom, hoping he wouldn't follow her too closely—she only had so much self-control...

And when it came to Damon, it was fragile at best.

Of course, he knew this as well as she did—and before she had a chance to shield herself, he flew into the bedroom and slammed her into the wall—her heart jumped in her throat and she barely managed a squeal before his lips roughly smashed onto hers, his tongue sweeping into her mouth, possessing, controlling, arousing.

And then he leaned back, his breathing ragged. She felt her heart beat slightly faster and smiled softly at him, stroking his cheek gently. 'You wanted to see your brother,' he breathed, his eyes stormy and filled with hesitation. She shook her head—she wasn't really too sure why she had wanted to leave the bed anymore. 'Never mind,' she whispered, her eyes fixed on his lips.

Something in Damon's eyes changed—hesitation was replaced by determination—before he leaned down and gently brushed his lips against hers. The soft, fleeting contact sent lightening coursing through her body, her inability to think straight when Damon was around increasing even more. He leaned back, staring at her, his eyes darker than she had ever seen them before. She was already breathing heavily, and the kiss had lasted less than three seconds.

Frustrated that he had leaned back, angry at herself for wanting more and feeling more daring than she ever had before, she grabbed his collar and crashed her lips to his again, making him groan softly at the sudden contact. He needed only a tenth of a second to react to the passion with which she had kissed him though. She poured in every ounce of passion and affection she had ever felt for him into the kiss, happily accepting the deepening of the kiss as he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, completely lost in the sensation of kissing him, while he hoisted her up, pressing her against the wall, groaning when she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. Her heart skipped a few beats when the protruding bulge in his jeans came into contact with her heated core. She moaned softly into the kiss and felt Damon smile into the kiss, his hands sliding down to her thighs, and she started rolling her hips against his.

She nearly fainted at the delicious friction between them. 'Jesus Christ, Damon,' she panted against his lips, 'Please, don't stop.' Damon, on the other hand, was no better off. He'd be more likely to take off his ring and go sunbathing than to stop kissing her.

He'd tried to hold back for so long—he was physically unable to stop now that he'd actually had her.

Elena let one hand—keeping the fingers of her other hand locked in his hair—wander, gliding over his chest, playfully popping open the first few buttons of his shirt. He growled against her lips, before letting his lips wander down her throat and whispering, 'You do realize your baby brother is in the next room, right?' Contradictory to his words, he let one hand slide under her shirt, lazily tracing circles on the smooth skin of her stomach. She gasped softly before retaliating in the same manner.

Damon growled at her and returned his lips to hers, kissing her even more passionately than before—if that was even remotely possible. Elena smirked against his lips and continued unbuttoning the shirt, oblivious of the world around her.

Suddenly, someone coughed loudly behind them, causing them to jump apart, Elena blushing violently. They turned around to see Shane standign in the doorway, smirking slightly. 'I'm sorry,' he smiled, 'I didn't mean to interrupt, but Jeremy said I better get you two out before you got to round... Twenty?' He shot them one last smile and left the room, leaving the pair of them, both too embarrassed to say anything anytime soon.

Elena bit her lip softly and glanced at Damon, who was standing a few feet away, his hair all messed up, his shirt half-unbuttoned and his eyes still darker than usual.

Christ. It should be illegal to look so sinfully handsome.

'Damon?' She muttered, wondering why he was so... Out of it, all of a sudden. She watched Damon snap out of the trance-like state he had been residing in and glance in her direction. It took him less than a second to cross the distance between them and to gently press his lips on hers again, proving all his love and affection to her.

His hand on her cheek left her skin tingling. Instead of pushing him off, she kissed him back, her fingers playing idly with his hair as they kissed. She felt her heart skipping several beats at how good kissing him felt. Realization finally sunk in. She was kissing her ex-boyfriend's brother.

She was actually kissing him. Kissing him.

Kissing Damon.

She never wanted to stop. Unfortunately, Damon disagreed and broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. 'We need to stop—or I won't be able to.'
She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. 'I know. Is it always like this? It was never like this...' Damon sighed. 'I don't know,' he finally admitted. 'But I can hardly imagine anyone else being as epic as us.'
She looked up into his eyes. 'I think I should go home tomorrow. I need to tell Stefan.' He shook his head. 'I don't want you to have to tell him alone. He should hear it from me. I'm his brother.'

She bit her lip. 'But I'm his ex. He should know—I can't expect Caroline to lie to him any longer.' He sighed. 'Can we talk about this later? Your brother and the creepy professor are waiting for us.' She groaned when she remembered the other two people in the house.

Damon chuckled softly and moved out of her embrace, running a hand through his hair. She sighed and straightened her shirt, covering the exposed skin, and ran a hand through her hair too, though she knew it was probably hopeless. Damon grinned and took a step closer again. 'Here,' he began, 'Let me fix that for you.'

She dropped her hands to her sides and let him run his fingers through her hair, 'fixing it', as he so charmingly put it. When he stepped back with a satisfied grin on his face, she smirked and took a step closer to him, reaching for the buttons of his shirt.
'Here,' she mimicked his words, 'let me fix that.' Slowly, she started buttoning the shirt again, making sure she brushed her fingers over his skin every single time before she covered it with his shirt again. Her fingers stilled at the last button, and Damon groaned softly. She shot him a questioning look.

'It was a lot more fun watching you take the shirt off than putting it back on,' he explained, a boyish grin gracing his features. She giggled and bit her lip while looking up at him. When she'd buttoned his shirt again, she let her hands linger on his chest longer than she should've—but she just couldn't help herself. Damon chuckled and leaned forward, capturing her lips in a soft, sweet kiss.

When he leaned back, he whispered, 'I know we weren't supposed to talk about this now...' His boyish smile made her tummy tingle, 'But does this mean I can actually call you mine now? My girlfriend?'
She grinned, touched by how vulnerable he sounded for a moment. He opened up to her—it was all in her hands now. She swallowed thickly, her throat feeling oddly restricted for a moment.
Finally, she managed to choke out, 'If you have to ask, I wasn't doing the kissing-part right.' A huge smile appeared on his face, and before she knew it, he wrapped his arms around her waist, swept her off her feet, his lips crushing hers again.

Elena leaned on the railing, staring out over the lake, deep in thought. Last time she'd been here, she had been so in love with Stefan... But—like she'd told Damon—it didn't feel like more than a memory.
She'd always love Stefan—he had been her first love—but she wasn't in love with him anymore, and she hadn't been for a long time.

She'd been clinging onto what they had because he had been the only thing to make sense amongst all the supernatural crap life had thrown at her. And maybe, once upon a time, she had believed she would always love him, she had believed she could wait for him—but she was young; naive.

Damon had snuck into her heart and took possession of its entirety, leaving no more room for Stefan.

And as she stared to the lake, she finally felt the gravity of how her world had changed—how everything had shifted. Time no longer seemed like an issue, for she would be given an eternity to live—an eternity she hoped to spend with a certain Salvatore brother.

The only thing standing in the way of that future, that dream—was the other brother.

She wasn't sure how to tell Stefan—though he should know something was up—she and Damon were practically inseparable nowadays—she knew it would break his heart to know Elena was with Damon of her own volition, but he deserved to know the truth.

She was aware that Damon wanted to tell his brother—partly because he did feel guilty; partly to shield her from Stefan's anger—but she knew he needed to hear it from her. It had been her fault it had been stretched out this long in the first place.

She had always known she would choose Damon in the end—she should've been honest with both of them earlier.

Elena nearly jumped a foot in the air when a pair of arms slid around her waist, but she relaxed when she recognized Damon's scent. She leaned back against his chest and relaxed, relishing in the safety of his embrace. He rested his chin on the top of her head and his hands on her stomach.

'What are you doing out here?' He whispered, not breaking the peaceful atmosphere that surrounded them. She shrugged and rested her hands on his. 'Just thinking,' she replied, hoping he'd avoid the Stefan-subject. She didn't want to fight right now.

Today had been perfect—their secret, selfish day—the day they'd never gotten.

She did not want to spoil it by bringing up Stefan.

'About telling Stefan,' he deadpanned. She sighed. He never really was one to beat around the bush—she shouldn't really be surprised.

'Yes,' she admitted, twining her fingers with his, 'And about how he's going to take it. I mean, I know he knows something's up, but...'

'But the thought that you would actually choose me probably hasn't even crossed his mind,' Damon muttered, and she felt the bitterness and sadness weigh through in his words.
Alarmed, she turned in his embrace and cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to look down at her. 'Damon, I am choosing you. You know that, right?'

He nodded, but his jaw was still thick with tension, and she could feel his emotional withdrawal as clearly as though he was actually walking away.

'Damon,' she whispered, pushing down the panic that was rising in the pit of her stomach, 'I mean it. I always thought it would be you in the end... I told you I wasn't thinking about 'always' when I chose Stefan. I just...' She hesitated and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest while pulling him close, as though he would suddenly disappear.

'I was scared. I am scared. But you were right—I wanted passion, and adventure and even little danger. I always wanted you, Damon,' she looked up into his stunning blue eyes, 'I was just too scared to admit it. I love you, Damon,' she whispered, 'I'm always going to choose you. I promise.'

She could see the moment his walls broke—she could see the moment he let her in completely—and it filled her with joy she had never before experienced.

'God, I love you,' Damon grunted, before pressing his lips to hers in a short, passionate kiss. She giggled and pulled him closer, until there was not an inch of space between their bodies, their lips still joined, tongued mating passionately and hungrily.

A sudden chill ran down Elena's spine as a harsh voice snapped through their passionate haze. 'Well, isn't this cute?' They pulled apart, though she kept her gaze trained on Damon, whose eyes were fixed on something behind her.

She turned around, all-too-aware of Damon's hands holding her as close as he could, and her eyes widened in surprise. Right there, in front of her, covered in blood, an angry, rage-filled expression on his face, stood Klaus.

He tilted his head to the side, and a sinister smile played his thin lips. 'Hello Elena.'

Okay, so ... Minor cliffie :D

Anyway, R & R people! It inspires me to keep going! Next update sometime next week!

I love you guys!

Xx Annaelle