A/N A HUGE Thank You to all of you that leave me reviews! And also to those that add me to their favourite lists. I appreciate it so much. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Pretty please let me know what you think by clicking on the review link at the end.

Special thanks again to jazzywriter22 for beta-ing this for me. She takes time for me even though she has no time to spare and for this I highly appreciate her! :)

Chapter 3 – Can't Get There From Here

Damon knew he was running late as he pulled his Camaro into the last empty parking space in front of the Mystic Grill. He was supposed to meet Elena and her friends there to see some live music. Apparently Bonnie's boyfriend's band had a gig tonight and they were all coming out to support him. He didn't know and honestly didn't really care, but Elena had asked him to join them so he thought he should make an appearance, even if he hadn't exactly hurried to get here. He decided if it really sucked he'd have a couple of drinks with Ric, cut his losses and slip out the back.

It had been four days since they'd seen each other. He'd gone out for blood the morning after they were together and she hadn't been there when he'd gotten home. No note, no text, no call. He honestly had no idea why he was even surprised. So he'd jumped right back into his car and just hit the road. Driving fast with the top down for hours on end always did wonders to clear his head. In the old days, he would have exorcised his frustrations by fucking and feeding on some random hot young thing, but - sometimes unfortunately - that was no longer an option for him. He only wanted Elena.

By the time he'd returned to the boarding house, it was completely dark. It was the middle of the night. He'd tried to keep his mind blank as he'd gone straight upstairs to bed. Which still smelled like her, smelled like them. It made him wish he'd just stayed out, because all his anxiety had returned in spades.

Since then, their only communication had been a few text messages and one brief phone conversation. She hadn't come by and he hadn't gone to her. He also hadn't told her that he loved her since the night they'd made love and, once again, she hadn't said it back. It hadn't really been a conscious decision to stop saying it, at least not at first. But, to be honest, at this point he was waiting to see when or if she would notice.

Damon was fully aware that now he was also partially to blame for their recent disconnect, so he'd decided he'd better make some attempt to repair things with her tonight. Arriving so late was probably not the best way to go about it, however.

Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, he stared at the entrance to the Grill and willed himself to get out of the car and go inside. Maybe not tonight, but he knew what he soon would be have to do, what questions he would need to ask her. He just couldn't quite decide if he really wanted to know the answers.

The band had started into their fourth song and seemed to be finally beginning to lose their nerves and really hit their stride. The music was a blend of garage-rock and blues and the singer's voice was deep, raspy and definitely sexy. At first Elena had been undecided, but now she came to the conclusion that she actually quite liked them.

Bonnie's boyfriend, Nick, was the bass player. He seemed to be all made up of angles and sharp points. He was very tall, very slim with long gangly legs and arms. With shaggy, shoulder-length black hair flopping over very pale gray eyes, a palled complexion and bone structure to die for, Nick was the epitome of an indie-rock musician. The combination of such light eyes and skin contrasted against dark brows and hair made quite a striking first impression. Bonnie couldn't take her eyes off him on stage and the smile on her face was filled with adoration. Elena was really happy for her friend.

She glanced toward the door again for the umpteenth time and frowned. Where was Damon? It wasn't like him to be so late to meet her. And he was over an hour late tonight. Elena was definitely beginning to worry. Mystic Falls was a town where trouble often arrived unexpectedly and Damon was generally a magnet for trouble. She pulled out her phone to text him, as it was way too loud in here to make a call.

Before she could finish typing and hit the send button, she felt a cool hand grasp her elbow. She whirled around to find Damon standing behind her, an apologetic smirk on his handsome face. She raised one questioning brow at him, but he just shrugged. After lifting up on her toes to greet him with a quick peck on the lips, she turned back around to resume watching the band while he made a beeline for the bar. She wondered if he was drunk already? If not, she was sure he would be soon enough. She knew his drinking should probably be a given at this point, but she'd be lying if she said it didn't get irritating sometimes.

Elena stood between Caroline and Bonnie and swayed her hips to the throbbing beat as she tried to find her way back into the groove she'd been enjoying before he'd shown up. Unfortunately her stomach chose that moment to begin churning and twisting the vodka tonic she'd had. The pleasant slight buzz she'd been feeling seemed to have deserted her.

She glanced at Bonnie again and noticed that her friend had a queasy sort of look on her face, as well. Maybe they'd both eaten or drank something that was off? Bonnie headed in the direction of the girl's washroom and Elena decided to follow her.

It wasn't quite as crowded with women as she thought it would be – it seemed most people were out watching the band. Elena found a free sink to splash some water on her face. She braced her hands on the edge of the porcelain, looked down, squeezed her eyes shut and drew in a few deep breaths. The knot in her gut relaxed, but only slightly.

As she glanced back up into the mirror she saw Bonnie slowly exit one of the stalls, looking uncomfortable and definitely paler than usual.

Elena straightened and turned to her friend. "Did you just throw up?"

Bonnie gave her a sheepish look and nodded.

"Are you all right?" Elena looked at her with concern.

She nodded again and went to wash her hands and splash cold liquid onto her own face.

Elena frowned and rubbed Bonnie's lower back as she bent over. "Hope so. Can I get you a glass of water?"

Bonnie gave her a wane smile. "Thanks, 'Lena. Don't worry – I'm okay. I'm coming back out with you. Don't want to miss the rest of Nick's set."

Elena noticed colour re-flood Bonnie's cheeks at the mention of Nick and it brought a smile to her own face. It was great to see her happy in a relationship. It had been a long time since Elena had seen Bonnie so head over heels for a guy.

As the girls exited the rest room, Elena glanced toward the bar. There was Damon, familiar glass of liquor in hand, engrossed in conversation with Jeremy. When was the last time they'd seen each other? She wracked her brain. New Year's Eve, she thought. Guess they had lots to catch up on. She knew that these days the two of them thought of each other as family.

She walked over and stood by them. Without breaking eye contact or pausing in his discussion, Damon handed her the glass of vodka tonic he'd already bought for her. She smiled at the fact that he just knew and took it gratefully, having a sip as she looked towards her brother to try to decipher what he was saying over the loud music.

Damon snaked out his arm and pulled her against him as he leaned over to Jeremy so he could speak loudly close to his ear to be heard. Elena had no idea what they were discussing, so she turned to watch the band some more.

After standing with them at the bar for a bit, she noticed Bonnie and Caroline dancing near the front of the stage again. Quickly downing the rest of her drink, she pulled away to go re-join her girlfriends. It wasn't like she was following the guys' conversation anyway.

Bonnie appeared to be feeling much better. Elena caught her eye and raised an eyebrow in question. Her friend gave her a wide grin and one thumb up. Good. She knew Bonnie would absolutely hate to be sick tonight, when she was there to support Nick and probably intended to role-play as his "groupie" later. She shuddered. Now there was an image she didn't need in her brain.

Elena found herself rocking her hips and bopping her chin to the music as she watched the band with her friends. The tight churning coil in the pit of her stomach finally began to subside. Before she knew it, they were announcing that they were about to play their last song and the crowd was cheering them on.

The final song started out slowly and the attractive singer began crooning out his heartfelt lyrics into the microphone while giving longing glances at a pretty redhead near the front. Elena rolled her eyes and smirked to herself. Really? A ballad as the last song of the night? It was so high school. She was just about to turn around to get another drink from the bar when she felt a familiar pair of strong arms wrap around her waist from behind.

Leaning back into Damon's snug embrace, she found herself surrounded by the light scent of his cologne. His entire presence enveloped her. He rested his chin on her shoulder and swayed them both to the beat. Elena closed her eyes and let her body melt into his. Moments like this made her forget everything that had been weighing on her mind. She still felt such a surge of electricity run through her system every time he touched her.

"When was the last time we danced?" he whispered against her earlobe, the vibrations of his words sending a pulse of lust straight through to her core. Some things never change.

"I don't remember," she answered honestly, shivering a little.

"Me either. It's been too long."

Elena nodded. "This is nice," she sighed and rested her head back onto his shoulder as he moved them together to the music. She let herself relax in his arms and get lost in the moment. She caught Bonnie and Caroline each flashing her a smile as they noticed them seeming happy together.

When the show was over, she straightened up and stepped away from him. Damon quickly grasped her hand and laced his fingers through hers so that she couldn't pull away completely.

Caroline had places to be and Bonnie was headed backstage, which was really just a storage room the Grill had given the band to get ready in, so they said their goodbyes for the evening. Elena made sure to tell Bonnie how much she'd enjoyed Nick's show.

As she slipped into the passenger seat of Damon's car for the first time in months, she pressed her head back against the soft leather of the headrest and closed her eyes. This car, too, enveloped her in the fresh, clean scent of his cologne. She tried to remain in this happy mental place when she heard his door crunch closed after he climbed in beside her. They had yet to have a real conversation since she'd come home, only a few words and a few texts here and there. She knew him well enough to know that even though he hadn't once pressed the issue over her school term, it wouldn't be long now before he would start asking her some difficult questions. The ones she wasn't sure if she knew how to answer yet.

Elena assumed Damon would take them back to the boarding house, so she was surprised when he pulled up in her driveway. He laid one arm across the back of the seat as he swiveled toward her, not bothering to turn off the engine.

"You're not coming in?" she sounded surprised.

He shook his head. "Nope."

She narrowed her eyes and tilted her face. She'd just taken it for granted that they'd be spending the night together. After their little moment snuggling and swaying while watching the band earlier, she definitely wanted him to stay. Damon Salvatore skip an opportunity to get laid? This wasn't like him at all.

"Why not?" She didn't mean it to come out sounding so petulant.

He ignored her question and stared at her for a moment, pupils retracting slightly as if considering something. Then he spoke quickly, "Can I take you out for a lunch date tomorrow? We could go for a hike after?"

Elena's mouth fell open slightly. A date? How long had it been since they'd done that? Months and months. She wondered if he wanted to talk about how weird things were between them right now. Perhaps he thought it would be easier in a public environment? Again she thought that she wasn't sure if she was ready to go there just yet.

Suddenly realizing she was taking too long to answer, Elena quietly replied, "Sure." She reached for the door handle, but he stopped her with his hand on her wrist.

"Not so fast," Damon said firmly as he pulled her into his arms. She was just going to go in the house without a goodnight kiss? This was getting a bit ridiculous. He'd be damned if he would let her give up on them without a fight. Her lips were soft, and she tasted like a sweet combination of citrus and vodka. He kissed her deeply and thoroughly and left her gasping as he pulled back from her.

"Goodnight," he murmured.

Elena had a dazed and lust-filled expression on her face as she regarding him blankly for a second. Then his valediction sunk in. "Goodnight," she whispered back, and slowly stepped out of his car.

Sleep was a long time coming that night. For both of them.

When Elena woke up the next morning, there was a text waiting for her from Damon.

Be ready at noon.

She smiled to herself as she slipped out of her warm bed and made her way into the bathroom. As she examined her sleepy visage in the mirror, her eyes dropped to the bathtub behind her. Jeremy wasn't up yet and she had a couple hours before Damon would be here. She sighed happily to herself as she realized there was definitely time for a nice, long, relaxing bubble bath.

The doorbell rang at promptly 12:00, which didn't surprise Elena at all. As opposed to last night's concert, this afternoon's date was his idea, so she'd been confident he wouldn't be late. She swiped on some lip gloss and went to open the door.

As she pulled it open, she was greeting by a humungous bouquet of red and white roses. She couldn't keep from laughing out loud at the sheer size of it. It lowered half a foot and Damon's striking blue eyes peered at her over the top.

"You like?" he smiled, stepping into the foyer and placing them in her arms.

Elena looked down at the huge bunch of roses in awe. There had to be at least four dozen here! "They're beautiful," she exclaimed. "What're they for?"

"Because I wanted to." He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "Mmmm…you taste like cherry lip gloss. My favourite." His signature lopsided smirk was in place again and he widened his eyes at her in that enticing way he had. His whole facial expression just screamed sexual innuendo. She grinned back at him; she kind of loved it. Just like old times, she thought.

He retrieved the bouquet back out of her arms and went into the kitchen to find a home for them. She followed him into the room.

"Thank you, Damon. But really - what's the occasion?"

"Why do I need a reason to bring my beautiful girlfriend flowers?" He glanced back at her over his shoulder as he rapidly trimmed the stems and placed them in two matching crystal vases he'd found in one of the overhead cupboards.

Elena faltered. "You don't, I guess. I just wasn't…wasn't expecting it. They're really stunning. Thank you again."

He finished arranging the flowers and stepped over so that he was back in her personal space. Holding her gaze, he replied, "You're really stunning. And you're welcome. C'mon, we've got places to go." He grabbed her elbow and angled her towards the front door.

Damon took her to lunch at an unfamiliar quaint little Italian restaurant. He explained that it had only been open for a few months and he'd heard it had an amazingly talented chef. Elena felt a little under-dressed for the simple elegance of the place, but he'd told her they were going for a hike after, so she'd chosen a neat pair of olive capris and comfortable walking sandals. Her hat and sunglasses were sitting on the passenger seat of his car.

From the moment she sat down across from him at the small table, Elena felt that twisting and churning in the pit of her stomach begin again. This time she knew what was causing it, though - nerves. It was a stress reaction to knowing she would soon be forced to discuss the future of their relationship. Her palms were beginning to sweat even before the menus arrived and she knew if she wasn't careful she would start responding to him in irritation as a defense mechanism and he would know right away that something was wrong. She was fully aware that he was generally quite attuned to her emotions.

All throughout lunch, she waited for him to bring it up. Elena was being so careful to not let herself react in an annoyed way to his small talk that she soon found she was only replying to him with short answers or not saying much of anything at all. It all felt so very unnatural and awkward to her.

She excused herself to the ladies room to try to regroup. There she began a series of deep breaths to attempt to calm herself. Filling her diaphragm completely with each inhalation and emptying it completely with each exhalation, she practiced the deep breathing technique she'd learned in yoga classes taken during university.

It seemed ridiculous to feel uncomfortable around Damon when they knew each other so well. She needed to turn her mind off and just enjoy his company. He was obviously making an effort here – the roses, the fancy lunch, the planned hike. He was trying to re-connect with her, to prove to her that things between them could still be as good as they were before. The least she could do was to try to live in the moment and appreciate it.

After a few long minutes it seemed to work. Elena felt her heart rate return to near normal and her stomach calm. She stretched out her tense neck muscles and returned to the table.

When they finished up and he still hadn't brought up anything too sensitive, she felt herself relax even more. He drove them back to the boarding house and parked the car, coming around to open her door for her like the southern gentleman he had been raised to be.

"Where are we going?" she questioned.

"You'll see." He was being cryptic again.

Damon reached over to intertwine his fingers through hers as they began to walk along the ancient dirt path through the woods that lay behind the sprawling Tudor mansion.

He was surprisingly quiet as they strolled, both just enjoying the beautiful scenery. Songbirds serenaded each other from the lush green treetops around them and off in the distance she could faintly hear the roar of the falls crashing into the rocks at the base of the cliff on the Mystic River. Idly she wondered if that's where they were headed.

Occasionally he'd pause and point out something interesting to her. Sometimes he'd stop and dive under the brim of her hat for a quick kiss. It was sweet. She loved and missed this part of their relationship, when it was just the two of them in their bubble and the rest of the world was gone, didn't even matter. She relaxed even more and let herself get caught up in the simple peacefulness of their environment.

As it turned out, she was right in her speculation. After walking for about an hour they eventually came to a small open place by the river near the base of the falls. Damon sat down under a tree and patted the grass beside him for her to join him. She settled down into a sunny spot and leaned against his side as he wrapped one arm around her.

"It's gorgeous here, Damon. Thank you for bringing me."

"Welcome." He was quiet for a bit, his hand slowly stroking up and down her arm as they rested there. Then he shifted her body in between his legs and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. She reclined against his silent chest, closed her eyes and listened to the rhythmic sound of the cascading water crashing against the jagged boulders below.

Eventually his voice startled her out of her serene moment.

"This particular spot holds special meaning for me." Damon paused, as if gathering his thoughts together. "When you were in the hospital those four days, when I thought that you died in front of me and I took off…this is where I ultimately ended up." Deliberately he left out how he'd gotten here. He'd told no one that part.

"I've never felt so…empty…as I did when I thought I'd lost you forever. I was sitting right here, under this same tree, trying to decide if I had the strength – or the will - to go on without you, when Stefan found me. When they told me you were not only still alive, but awake and worried about me…"

Damon stopped again. She turned to look at him curiously when she heard the catch in his voice. He was staring off into the distance toward the river. Finally he continued, "It was literally the happiest moment I've ever known. I was so sure you were gone, Elena. So sure. I have never been so ecstatic to be wrong before." He smiled down at her.

A lump formed in Elena's throat at the memory of that difficult time and realizing just what it must have put him through. They'd both nearly lost each other for good that spring. She reached up and touched the side of his face and he covered her hand with his own.

"Look, I know things haven't been so perfect between us lately. I know you've had a lot on your mind with your studies and I completely understand the reasons why we haven't spent much time together over the past while. I can't say I understand exactly why something's still a little off since you've been back, but I know we can fix whatever it is. We can overcome anything together - we've proven that."

He took a deep breath. "Forgive me for having to ask this, Elena, but…do you still love me?"

Her face shifted into a shocked expression. Her dark eyes penetrated his lighter ones, searching for the reason for his doubt even though deep in her heart she knew exactly why he needed to ask. She swallowed thickly, but instead of replying simply nodded.

Damon reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small box. Elena instantly felt her stomach drop and her insides turn to ice at the sight of it. No no no no no no! He wouldn't!

She stared warily at the antique-looking brown box. He carefully pulled it open to reveal a very delicate white gold ring with two dazzling medium-blue stones set in it. Two stones that, in this lighting, were the exact colour of Damon's incredible blue eyes. It was simple and it was gorgeous.

"This is my mother's wedding band. It's set with two sapphires, as that was the birthstone of both my parents. My father had it specially made in Italy for her." He paused and held her increasingly panicky gaze. "I've been thinking about it for a long time now. I want you to have it."

She felt the blood draining out of her face as she gaped at him. This was the very last thing she had expected. "What are you asking me?" she whispered.

Damon took her left hand in his larger one and shifted his body so that he was on one knee in front of her. He smiled at her. "You're gonna make me do this the right way, aren't you?" He continued in a very serious voice, "I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. I want to spend the rest of my – the rest of your life with you. Will you marry me, Elena?"