Damon parked his convertible. They had finally reached their destination: Cape May. They were in the Jersey Shore. He looked over at Elena, who was still sound asleep in the passenger seat. It was only eight in the morning. He looked at her peaceful face, wondering what it would be like to steal a kiss from the sleeping Elena. He smiled to himself as he shook off that idea, and lifted Elena up, without waking her. He headed toward the bed and breakfast he had called about a half hour earlier. They were already checked in, so he brought Elena to the room, and lay her on the bed. He sat there for a moment, examining the place. He made sure to get a room with a couch, so that he had somewhere to sleep.

As he began to walk away from Elena, a soft hand grabbed at Damon's arm. He looked back at Elena, thinking he had woken her up. She was still sleeping but subconsciously had grabbed on to his leather jacket. So, he willingly brought Elena in his arms and held her. Time stretched and stopped around him as he stroked her hair, and whispered sweet nothings in her ear. He enjoyed whispering to Elena the things he felt for her, for he knew that she could not hear them.

Slowly, Elena woke up. She didn't want to open her eyes. She was far too comfortable to ruin the moment. And her eyelids were as heavy as lead. Slowly, as she grew more and more alert, she felt strong arms around her.

Stefan? she thought drowsily. Maybe the previous night had just been a sick dream, but as Elena's tired haze cleared, she heard Damon's voice in her ear. He was whispering something, but she couldn't make out the words. She then gradually opened her eyes. Sure enough, Damon was lying there, holding her. And her head was resting on his chest.

"Where are we?" Elena asked him, looking around tiredly.

"Cape May," Damon said, his face sly. Then he turned his focus to the hand still wrapped around her waist.

Elena got up, feeling a bit awkward, and ran her fingers through her tangled hair. "Wait. The room…"

"I'm taking the couch," Damon replied, nonchalantly. "Elena_"

"Yes, Damon?" she asked, pulling her hair into a high ponytail.

"Stefan called last night."

"He did?"

"I think he wanted to apologize," Damon explained. Elena just looked annoyed.

"He never means it," Elena said solemnly, her eyes trailing to the ground.

Damon saw the depression in Elena's eyes. He quickly approached her. She could feel his breath on her neck as he spoke. "Hey," he whispered, gently. It sent chills down her spine. "Don't be so annoyed with him. No idiot on the planet would want to give youup."

Elena turned around, so that she could look into his face. "Would you?" she asked, challenging him.

"Stefan made a big mistake," was all that Damon said.

"Answer my question."

Damon did not want to tell Elena that he wanted to keep and hold her forever. His inner little boy emerged, when he was wondering if saying this would hurt their relationship, but when he looked in Elena's bright chocolaty eyes, he knew that nothing could ruin their strong bond.

"No, I would not give you up. And definitely not without a fight." He felt very shy for a moment. He knew in the pit of his stomach that this was a turning point in their relationship. "If anyone could think for a second that I would hurt you like Stefan did, they're out of their minds." His voice had a deep need in it, and Elena took a step closer to him.

"Why do you care so much about me? I don't deserve it."

"Because I'm falling for you," Damon replied, walking even closer to Elena, invading her personal space. She looked shocked at what he had said. She obviously wasn't expecting that as an answer. He gave her a daring smile. "I'm not Stefan. I know what I want." He pulled her even closer. There was no space between them.

"Prove it," she whispered. And then he simply couldn't take it any longer. Within seconds, Damon's lips fell upon hers. At first, she was standing still. But as the shock wore off, she began kissing him back, even harder.

Nothing can compare to this moment, Elena thought to herself, as she kissed Damon passionately. Nothing could compare to the feeling of his cool lips against hers. Nothing could compare to the way he held her, with such love and intensity that she wanted to cry out in pleasure every time his masculine hands held her tighter. Nothing was as sweet as that moment. She then realized what it felt like to be loved, to be cherished. She never wanted to let go, and she knew that he felt the same way. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment when his strong fingers went through her hair. She had never felt that way when Stefan did this. She was now being kissed by someone who truly loved her for who she was –inside and out–and was willing to accept her every flaw. She was shocked to think that she had these feelings about Damon Salvatore, who only a few months ago had no mercy for human life. Now, there he was, miles away from home, with the human girl who had captivated his soul. Elena never thought that she would end up with him, but the sweet shock of the kiss was enough to convince her.

A few minutes later, Damon and Elena were taken out of their passionate haze. Elena's phone was ringing. She pulled her lips away from his, very reluctantly, afraid that Jenna was calling. When she looked at the caller I.D, it was Stefan.

"I'm not answering," Elena stated.

"Stefan's not going to give up, you know. He's still in love with you."

"Well if he was in love with me, he wouldn't be hitting on Katherine." Elena didn't like having this conversation about Stefan. She wanted to talk about Damon.

"Then tell him that."

"Maybe later," Elena said, pressing the ignore button. She put the phone down and walked over to Damon. Once again there was no space between them. "I don't want to talk to Stefan. I want to talk to you." She smiled at him through her lashes. "So, what are we doing now?"

Damon laughed, as he held Elena close. "Well we are at the Jersey Shore, so I would think that we should go to the beach."

Elena nodded. "There's a boardwalk in Wildwood," he added. She seemed more excited at that idea.

"Let's go!" Elena said, already walking to the door. Damon grabbed her hand and stopped her. He looked at her clothes, a mismatched t-shirt and blue shorts. She was going to need a new outfit. Luckily, there was a boutique on the street of their bed and breakfast. He gave her some money and said, "Go get some clothes. I'll meet you back here."

"Wait, I don't want you waiting alone!" Elena said to him.

"I'm not. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to look for a seagull or something. I hate to pull a Stefan, but I'm guessing that there's not a blood bank around here."

Elena chuckled. "Okay," she said "Thanks! I owe you big time."

"Wait," Damon told Elena, before she could walk out the door. He kissed her again, savoring the fact that he had her, and she finally accepted him for who, and what he was. She pulled away, smiling at him. She gave him a quick peck on the lips once again before walking out. He watched her leave, smiling too. What was wrong with him? He shouldn't have gotten butterflies knowing that he had kissed a human girl. He didn't even consider biting her neck, and last night was in shock when he saw her in a Pink Floyd t-shirt! He knew what was happening to him; Isobel had stated it about a month ago, but he couldn't admit it, even to himself, yet.

Elena got back to the room with her bags. Luckily, Damon was not there. She needed time to think. She needed to review what had happened. She had kissed him! But how could things have happened so suddenly? One moment they were talking about Stefan, and the next, they were in an intense lip-lock. She knew that she had feelings for him: feelings that she couldn't deny. She liked kissing him. But why did she feel so guilty? Once again, her thoughts were interrupted as her phone rang. She was not going to avoid Stefan this time, so she reluctantly pressed the send button.

"Elena, are you okay?"

"Why would you leave me at the prom?" she asked, ignoring his question.

"Elena…"`

"Did you just decide right then that I wasn't good enough for you?" She was trying to control her temper.

"You don't understand…"

"I do, Stefan. I get it. "

"No, you don't. I can tell you what's going on with me. Just please, tell me where you are."

"Why? So you can magically fix everything? Life doesn't work that way, Stefan. I'm done with this. I'm done with Katherine. I'm done with you!" she exploded. She heard Stefan sigh on the other end. Was he trying not to cry?

"Please, Elena. I need to explain. I need you to give me another chance."

"I'm through with giving you second chances." She then hung up. She turned around to see Damon in the doorway. Great.

"We need to talk about what happened earlier," Elena told Damon after she had changed into a pair of jean shorts and a black camisole. They were sitting on the newly made bed.

"The kiss," Damon said, flirting with his eyes.

"Yes."

"What about it?" he asked her.

"You were so different, so…"

"Human?" Damon suggested, gazing into her eyes.

"Yes. I'm worried that…" Elena struggled to find the right words. She didn't want to insult him.

"What?"

"I'm worried that you only turned on your humanity so that I would want to kiss you. I'm afraid that it wasn't real. I know you; you aren't that genuine."

"You only know that one side of me. You brought out the humanity in me," Damon answered. Elena was shocked. He seemed to mature, so gentle.

"Is it all an act?"

"Is what an act?"

"Your ruthless personality... Is it real?"

Damon looked at her a moment. When he was with her in Atlanta, she asked the same question. This time he knew his answer. "I'm a vampire, Elena; that's how I'm supposed to be."

"You still have your humanity," Elena stated. "Don't lose it."

"I thought I lost it a long time ago," he replied. "I don't know how, but you found it."

"I've known you for a while, Damon. It's always been there, right under the surface."

"I don't know, Elena. The things I've done in the past are too morbid." Elena never saw this side of him. He was so dear and unsure. She knew that Damon was more complicated than he let on.

"The past is the past," Elena whispered to him, her arms wrapping around his waist. She was behind him now. "I'm not going to judge you." And then, she kissed the top of his head, and began kissing downward, until she found his lips. It was a gentle and a sweet kiss, one that took his breath away.

Damon pulled away from her after a while, only far enough to be able to speak. "Let's go to the boardwalk," he chuckled against her lips. She agreed, willing to do anything as long as she could spend more time with him.

As they approached the Wildwood boardwalk, Elena's eyes had never been so big before. She was in awe of all of the rides and stands. She felt like a little kid again. Damon held her close, laughing at her sudden excitement. Her happiness was contagious.

"What should we do first?" Elena asked, squeezing his hand as she examined all of the lights. "Something fun!"

"What about that?"Damon asked, pointing to a ride in the distance. It was like a human slingshot. They watched as two people were catapulted from the top of two tall poles, only being held up by a thin cord.

"Yes!" Elena squealed. She wasn't the thrill-seeker type, but tonight, with Damon, she was.

They were the only two people who were daring –or stupid– enough to get in the line. Within a few moments they were being strapped to the cords. Damon held Elena tightly, making her feel protected and safe. "I won't let you fall," he whispered in her ear. She believed him. Soon, they were slowly being raised, and within seconds were flying over the boardwalk. Elena tried not to scream and closed her eyes, forcing her face into Damon's shoulder. Before she could even open her eyes, they were being pulled back down. She sighed in relief, and Damon held her tighter.

Damon laughed as he guided the dazed Elena back to the stands. "You're white!" he told her, and then turned serious when she didn't laugh back. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," she said, holding onto him. "Just a little shocked."

"I can't imagine that a ride would do this to you," Damon said, puzzled.

"Don't worry. It's just a headache. Let's sit here for a while," Elena replied drowsily, pointing to a bench. Damon was afraid that she was going to pass out, so he sat her down.

"Stay here. I'm going to get you something for that headache, okay?"

"Yeah…" she trailed off. He kissed her forehead gently and went out, looking for someplace where he could get her an aspirin. He hated to leave her.

Shortly after leaving, Damon returned with nothing. He figured that he could use compulsion if the pain got out of hand. When he got to the bench, Elena was not there. There was no trace of her. He looked around for her. Nothing. No one human could have snatched her that quickly. And then reality hit him.

She had been taken. By a vampire.