A/N I'm glad that people like my version so far. I hope to keep it going for a while. Fingers crossed.

Disclaimer: I own nothing !!

Last time: He closed the remaining space between them and crashed against her mouth. He could not take it anymore. His need for her was overwhelming his senses. He was expecting her to reject him, to push him back. To his surprise, she did neither. What she did instead was reach her hands around his back and up into his hair, clenching her fists.

The kiss was filled with everything that was pent up. All their anger at the cards they were dealt, all the sorrow they were given, all the hurt and pain they had experienced, and most dominate of all was the connection they both felt from the very beginning. From the first time they met and Damon kissed her hand, sending pleasant shivers through her whole body. Every emotion they had denied from themselves and each other was now escaping through this one, intimate touch of the lips.

Damon was the first to pull back, breathless. He has been a vampire for over a century, and it takes a lot to surprise him. And nothing surprised him more than the girl lying beneath him, in her pink tank top and stripped PJ pants with hair splayed about her head. She was staring up at him, just as shocked.

The look of amazement on his face when he looked at her nearly made her giggle and it made her heart warm with such affection that she thought she lost the capacity to feel long ago. It frightened her, it confused her but most of all it gave her hope. Hope that he really did have a soul and hope that she did too. Ever since her parents died, things have felt out of place within her, like something was missing, or something deeper and darker was released.

She didn't want this moment to end. She felt like for the first time in a long time there was a light at the end of her tunnel, but no matter how hard she tried to suppress it, a yawn escaped her mouth. Her eyes had begun to feel heavy. After all, she had not truly slept in two nights. She tried to fight it, to continue this precious moment with Damon, but sleep was over taking her.

Looking down, he noticed the yawn, noticed how she tried to hide it, but most of all he noticed how her hands were still in his hair. It felt good. It felt right. Alas, he knew it had to end. Elena needed her sleep and she hasn't been able to. He knew she was afraid to. The dreams of Stefan breaking out of his cell and the dreams of how he acted haunted her night.

"Elena," he said as he rolled off of her reluctantly, "you need some sleep. And I promise that as long as I am here you are safe while you sleep. I will be here when you wake and I will chase away your nightmares. Sleep." He never took his eyes off of her as he spoke these dangerous words. Dangerous because he was giving something of his away, something that he forgot he had. He was giving her a piece of his heart and he was scared.

But the look she gave back fought back his fears. She smiled at him, thankful, with eyes filled with trust and something else. Love?

She remained silent as she moved in closer, taking all the warmth he had to give. She curled right up to him so her back was pressed against his chest. Without asking, she grabbed his arm and pulled it overtop of her ribs and over her chest so she was holding his hand against the hollow of her throat. Their fingers interlocked. A small smile escaped both their mouths as Elena nuzzled down into his black t-shirt.

As she began to drift into sleep she muttered the most truth filled words she has ever spoken. "Thank you Damon." With those words echoing in the air she fell asleep.

Looking down at the girl clutching his hand, he felt protective towards her. Never did he want to see harm befall her, never did he want to be the one to cause tears to come to her eyes. He wanted to keep her safe and happy. But, he knew that when Stefan was released tomorrow, she would be lost to him. She would run back to St. Stefan, out of a sense of loyalty or love, he did not know.

History is doomed to repeat itself, he thought as he looked upon the sleeping form, her body gripped by some far away dream.

Elena was dreaming of the graveyard. Of the place her parents were buried. It was not sad or scary. It was peaceful. It was pleasant. The sun was out and the birds were singing. A warm breeze caressed her skin as she gazed on her forever sleeping parents. The wind grew cold and the sky grew dark. All was silent. A figure from the shadows was moving closer, not making a sound. He was almost upon her, she wanted to run but her feet were glued to the spot. She couldn't move. The figure was right in front of her now. Reaching towards her. His face clad in shadows and darkness. Before he could touch her face, he vanished. The silence was broken. Animals and birds were screeching and crying all around her. The noise was deafening.

As he watched her, the dream changed. It was quickly becoming a nightmare. He could hear the quickening of her heart and the increased breathing. Before he realized what was happening, he had her in his arms, stroking her face, her hair. Willing her to calm down. He rocked her back and forth until she was still, her breathing back to normal. Scared of himself and his growing attachment to this girl in his arms, he set her back down on the bed, pulled the covers up and slowly backed away.

He could never let himself feel for this girl. It would end up destroying him. He could not become close to this human. When Stefan is released, everything will go back to how it should be. Of course he would still protect her in times of danger, but for no other reason than she was important to his brother.

He reached his door, left the room and shut the door lightly behind him. He headed straight for the cellar. It was time to put things back to normal.