Hello guys!

I hope you're all doing okay, yesterday we celebrated a year since TVD ending and we got our Delena endgame so that really got me in the mood which is why I am posting a new chapter today, the updates for this story might be a bit slow so please bear with me. I really hope you're enjoying it and that you can take a bit of time to leave a review. I want to thank Amy for being the beta for this and for doing such a great job at it.

Please, enjoy


"I owe to you the best and perhaps the worst hours of my life, and that is a bond that cannot be torn apart"

-Jorge Luis Borges-

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NEW YORK CITY

DECEMBER, 2004

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Elena took a sip of the beer she was trying to pretend she liked while 'The Reason' by Hoobastank blasted from the speakers of the small pub her friends had dragged her into. Today marked the end of her second month in NYU, eight weeks in and she hadn't gone off campus at all so her roommate Rebekah had dragged her with other girls to a pub near campus where her current boyfriend worked.

Elena had never been close to her parents. They were the kind of parents who were always travelling and vacationing without their kids. Her mother was always at charity functions or country clubs and her father was always working or God knows where, so Elena and her brother Jeremy had to figure out how to handle themselves alone.

Luckily for them, her aunt Jenna was always around; she was her mother's sister and was a crazy and funny theater seamstress who had instilled in her a love for fashion and vintage clothing. It was Jeremy and her who Elena was missing and of who she had been thinking the last two weeks.

So she was grateful that her friend had convinced her to go out, since she was currently having so much fun; she had been so sad missing her brother and aunt, nervous about her new life at college and trying to adjust to classes that she barely got any time to have fun and socialize.

She was currently leaning over the pool table trying to beat Rebekah, whose brothers had taught how to play. Her flowy, lacy black dress had ridden up probably more than it should and had gotten the attention of a couple of guys, one in particular.

Liam.

He was in two or three of her classes and Elena found him incredible obnoxious, he was always saying the wrong things and breathing down her neck, Elena hated having his attention and that was currently ruining the mood for her.

"Get lost" Rebekah told him when he asked Elena out once again; "She already told you no"

Rebekah Mikaelson was a tall, loud blonde girl, Elena joked around that she looked like a Barbie but could give a sailor a run for his money; the blonde girl always told her it was the result of growing up with four brothers.

They were complete opposites; Elena was quiet and bit shy when you first got to know her, but with time she revealed to be sassy, cheeky and reserved at the same time. Rebekah on the other hand had no reserve, but somehow, they clicked together and were slowly becoming great friends, something Elena needed since her best friend Bonnie had chosen to go to Princeton.

"Just one coffee Gilbert, just one," he said. Elena rolled her eyes before hitting the ball and failing epicly. "I'll give you better luck"

"You can give me better luck Liam!" April, one of the girls who surrounded the table told him and he send a flirty smile in her direction. Elena snorted as she straightened up, Liam thought he was God gift to human kind and she didn't like that one bit, he wasn't that cool.

"I'm not interested Liam" She said looking at him straight in the face

"Why not? Come on just go out with me"

"And who do you think you are asking the future mother of my children out?" A tall dark haired man with the most beautiful blue eyes and captivating smile she had ever seen walked towards her and placed his arm around her shoulders.

"And who are you?" Liam asked irritably

The stranger looked down to Elena and his lips lifted in a smirk "Well I am the future father of her children" She stared at him dumbstruck for a few seconds before reacting.

"You see Liam, this is why I can't go out with you" She gave him a wide grin and his jaw clenched before raising his hands in the air and walking back.

"Sorry man, I thought she was free" He muttered

"You thought wrong" The stranger said sternly.

Liam nodded and headed in direction of April who was more than happy to have his attention to herself now. Rebekah mouthed 'OH MY GOD' from across the table at her and her cheeks flushed red when she lifted her eyes to the handsome stranger.

"Honestly, if he backed away that easily, then he was so not worthy"

She smiled in spite of herself; the man seemed a bit older than her and was without a doubt the most handsome man she ever met; his eyes were so blue and compelling, his jaw was to die for and his cheeks had a rosy tint that made him look so adorable. Besides that, he exuded sexual appeal like no one she met before and when he smiled his whole face lit up like a torch.

"So future wife, what is your name?"

She stepped away from his embrace with a chuckle "You're very confident."

"Not really. Well, maybe a little, but mostly I believe in fate" He took the cue stick from her hand and moved it from hand to hand in front of him.

She quirked an eye brown in his direction, a smile permanently etched on her face "Fate?"

He handed the cue stick to one of the other girls by the table, who were watching the exchange between them eagerly "Yes and it's fate what brought us together in this fine winter day"

She chuckled and extended her hand to him "I'm Elena"

He took her hand "Nice to meet you Elena, I'm Damon" He placed a kiss on top of it and made her blush for the second time that day.

"And what are you doing here, Damon?"

"I came here to meet you"

"Smooth"

His lips stretched in a wide grin "What are you drinking?"

"Uhm…" she lifted the bottle to him and he laughed

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" He looked at her questioningly.

She looked at him sheepishly "it's college… are you going to turn me in?"

"Of course not, but since I think that might not be of your liking, why don't we get you something else"

"I don't accept drinks from strangers"

"Then don't. You can come to ask for your lemonade yourself" He said and offered his arm for her to take.

"Lemonade?" She looked at his arm; it was toned and was dusted with dark hair. Elena had never thought much about forearms before but now she couldn't think on something sexier than his.

He winked at her "We'll ask for some vodka in it"

Elena laughed but accepted his arm; Rebekah looked at her questioningly, so she gave her a quick, reassuring glance and fired her a quick text telling her she was going to be fine and that it was all right if she left with her boyfriend. After all wasn't this what college was about?

They sat in a booth placed in the corner of the small pub, their shoulders rubbing against each other as they sipped their drinks and talked about their lives. Elena found out she really liked lemonade with vodka, so Damon had to stopped her after her second one because he wasn't trying to get her drunk.

Elena felt puzzled because of his behavior, he was obviously showing interest in her, but he didn't seem like he was trying to get into her pants and wasn't that all boys in college wanted?

"So how old are you Damon?" Elena said as she picked an onion ring of the basket he had ordered for them.

"I'll turn twenty three in a couple of weeks"

Elena smiled at him "An older man, I like that" She said cheekily.

Damon laughed softly under his breath "I would hardly call myself an older man" He told her as he leaned closer and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "There's only five years between us, little one"

Elena rolled her eyes at him before taking another piece of food from the basket "So law school?"

"Yep" He said as he leaned down and bit into the onion ring on her hand, Elena stared at him with her lips parted finding herself weirdly turned on by his actions.

"You'll be a big shot lawyer then?" She asked after she took a few minutes to compose herself "A great catch for a husband right?"

"That's what I've been trying to say for the last half hour" He said throwing his hands in the air and leaned back on the seat "Stick with me, sunshine, and I'll show you the world"

Elena laughed delighted at his man's attitude, he was so confident on his own skin, so carefree and light hearted. After spending only minutes with him, she already felt like all her worries had slipped away to somewhere she couldn't reach.

She felt like she was floating.

"And where would we live, here in the city?" she asked following him in his game.

"Of course! Who would ever want to leave New York?" He asked as if the notion itself was outrageous "But we might have to get a house in the outskirts because it would have to be a big one to hold our four children"

Elena almost choked on her drink "Four children?"

"Yeah, the twins will be born a couple of years after we marry" He said caressing his chin in a thinking motion "And once they're three, our boy will be born and two years after that, our little girl"

Elena chuckled "You've really thought this through, haven't you?"

"Of course. It all came to me in flashes when I watched you leaning over that pool table" His lips formed a smirk and he leaned closer to her, his smell intoxicating her senses and making her want to throw herself at him.

At eighteen years old Elena had only dated one boy, Matt Donovan; they knew each other since they were children, he was her high school sweetheart and had been her first in everything but if she was honest with herself she never felt towards Matt the kind of passion or excitement she heard people talked about. He was a nice boy and she was comfortable with him but she never craved him or felt desire burn in her for him, so for her it was only natural to end things up with him before she headed to college.

He stayed behind in Mystic Falls, Virginia where Elena was sure he was going to spend the rest of his life because that was the kind of man he was; loving, sweet, dedicated to his family and his town but sadly he wasn't enough for her. She wanted more, wanted to feel the kind of love songs talked about, she wanted that burning all-consuming need to be with someone.

Right now, sitting here with this man she just met, Elena was sure he would be the kind of person who would devour her whole, that Damon was a man who loved deeply and that somehow meeting him wasn't an accident. She was meant to know Damon and the question now was whether he would be good for her or not.

"Being serious here, where do you see yourself in ten years Damon?" He smiled at her and leaned back in his seat, Elena admired the confidence that oozed out of him

"In ten years I'll be 33 so hopefully I'll be married and with a baby on the way" He gave her a suggestive smile and she couldn't help but laugh at him "I'll be a big shot lawyer earning enough money to live well and to take cases without charging to help people"

"Wow, that's very ambitious!"

"I am an ambitious guy," He smirked "What about you, where do you see yourself in ten years?"

Elena sighed and seemed to think on her answer for a while "In ten years I'll be twenty-eight so hopefully I'll be engaged" She gave him a look to let him know their plans didn't match but he shrugged as if it wasn't important "I'll have a place of my own, and I'll be working at Cosmopolitan or Elle"

He nodded in appreciation "Nice, I like a girl who knows what she wants"

The drinks kept flowing as time seemed to fly away, they laughed until tears sprung from their eyes and their bellies hurt. Elena couldn't remember having so much fun before tonight; she honestly couldn't remember feeling so in tune with someone else. Good looks aside, Damon was a really interesting man and a joy to be around.

When the clock struck midnight, he asked for the check and refused to accept any money from her, he took her coat from her hands and helped her with it, then he took her hand like it was the most natural thing in the world and led her outside the pub.

"How are you liking New York?" He asked as they strolled back to campus, it was a chilly night and his cheeks were tainted red from where the cold was biting his skin.

"I haven't seen much of it; honestly, I'm a bit overwhelmed if I'm being honest," she replied while looking at him, he was one hell of a good looking man.

"How is that possible?" His eyes widened in evident surprise "It's the city that has it all - I can't believe you haven't run around it yet. Overwhelming how?"

She laughed under her breath, his eyes going to their linked hands. She had no idea why having her hand in his felt like the most right thing in the world "I come from a small city where everyone knows everyone and suddenly I'm dropped her into this crazy blur of activity where I don't know anyone. I mean, I'm sure I could get lost in Central Park alone"

He laughed wholeheartedly, his body shaking with the strength of it "Of course not, that's insane, I am naming myself your official tour guide in the marvelous city of New York"

"Oh yeah?" She quirked an eye brown in his direction, a sassy smile playing on her lips.

"Yep" He answered stressing out the 'p' "You will fall in love of this city in no time under my tutelage," he told her. Elena didn't doubt it for a minute; she was already half in love with him after a couple of hours together.

"Well then, Damon, I believe you," she answered as they approached her building. He opened the door and they walked inside to the warm calmness of the inside, they walked up the stairs in silence until they reached her door. Elena knew Rebekah was not inside and probably would stay the night with her boyfriend, so she decided to be bold for the first time in her life "Are you coming in, Damon?"

He gave her a cheeky smile as his eyes drank her in, they burned with desire and she felt a shiver going down her spine at the sight of them. "There's nothing I want more than that, but I'll have to pass"

As if a bucket of water was thrown at her, her body went cold "What?" her cheeks were burning with embarrassment. "Why?"

He leaned down and placed a strand of hair behind her ear "I don't want a one-night stand with you, Elena; I want to see you again. Take you out, so no I won't sleep with you tonight, not yet."

"That is…" She trailed off not even knowing what to say. He had seem genuinely interested; she was sure he wouldn't reject her - that's why she had asked him inside. What kind of man rejected a one night stand?

"That doesn't mean I can't do this" He whispered before leaning his head and taking her lips in a kiss. Elena immediately closed her eyes, his lips were soft against hers as they moved, his hands cradled her face gently and she almost wanted to weep at the tenderness of his touch. There was a magnetism between them, electricity she had never felt before. In that moment, Elena knew that Damon was going to be one of a kind, she knew that this man who was kissing her was going to brand himself in her soul.

The wet sound of their tongues playing against each other was the only thing that could be heard in the deserted hallway, he had her pressed against the door and with her hands tangled in his hair as she moaned into his mouth, then suddenly and without warning he broke apart, his lips resting inches above hers "Goodnight, Elena" He whispered "Tomorrow, 9 o'clock, I'll bring breakfast"

"Okay" That seemed to be the only word she was able to muster after that earth-shattering kiss that left her wanting more. He pecked her lips one last time before pulling away and smiling at her.

"I'll be counting the hours to see you, Beautiful." He kissed her forehead before turning around and heading towards the stairs, Elena remained slumped against her door as a wide grin broke across her face.

Who would have thought that listening to Rebekah and finally getting out would turn out to be so productive?


So?