A/N: Hey guys, have I told you all how awesome you are? Here's chapter three as promised, Enjoy!

"You're home…"

He didn't know what she found in looking at his face, but whatever it was caused her to waste no time in throwing herself at him, securing her arms around his neck with more strength than he knew she had.

"I was so worried about you," she confessed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you…" he said, letting himself hug her back.

"I'm just glad you're home," she said, pulling back to look into his eyes.

"Elena, I'm so…"

"It's okay," she said, hugging him again.

"No Elena, it's not okay."

"I know," she whispered, pulling back again and cupping his face in her soft hands.

He didn't know how long they stared at each other, but whatever it was, it wasn't long enough.

"Come on, let's get you in the bath," she said, trying to encourage him to hold it together; wordlessly telling him that she would be his strength right now when they both knew he had none left.

He let her fingers move down the front of his shirt, releasing each button with confidence. She undressed him with a touch so light it was if she was afraid she would hurt him, and he was mesmerized by the love that was all over her face as she took complete care of him.

His shirt now solely in her hands, she walked it to the hamper and pretended to busy herself with getting a towel for him so he could remove his boots and jeans, slipping into the tub. Once he was submerged, she came right back to him and perched herself on the edge to face him. He tried not to notice how the shirt she was wearing had pulled up on her thigh as she sat down, but it was impossible not to do so.

He watched her eyes roaming over his face and the parts of his body she could see, seeming to find relief at whatever it was she found.

"He didn't hurt you?" she asked softly; he'd be surprised if either of them would be able to manage anything more than a whisper for the rest of the night.

"No."

She smiled the sweetest of smiles at him as she reached for his favorite loofa; it was a smile he knew he would do anything to receive again.

"Elena…"

"Just let me take care of you," she said with enough authority that he wouldn't dare to argue with her, not now.

She took her time as she caressed his skin with the soft sponge and bubbles, inspecting and restoring every inch of his long arms and chest with the brush of her fingertips. He moved at her every request, giving himself over to her in a way he had never done with anyone else before. He had almost fallen asleep as she had slowly worked over his back, massaging his tired muscles deeply but with the utmost tenderness.

"Lean back," she told him, and he gave in to her wish. She kept her hand on the back of his neck for support as he stretched out, coming to rest against the far edge of the tub with his head now looking up toward the ceiling.

Taking his hand that was closest to her, she wrapped it in both of hers and breathed a soft kiss on the back of his hand.

"I'll be right back," she whispered, leaving the room.

She returned a minute later with a plastic cup she had scrounged up from God-knows-where, and when he looked at her with a curious grin she simply said, "Hair," and he understood.

Collecting his shampoo and conditioner from the shower stall, he realized how natural this all felt to him. Elena was bathing him while wearing only one of his shirts and her black boy-short underwear, moving around him and touching him with a grace that made him feel like they had done this hundreds of times before. The reality couldn't have been more different.

He had not physically felt her since the night she had slept in his bed. He knew this for a fact because he had concentrated every effort on making it so. He knew that their fingers had never brushed as he handed her something, they stayed on opposite ends of the couch while watching movies together, and even when she would stretch out to put her feet in his lap, he would carefully wrap them snugly in the blanket she was always covered with. Their skin had not connected in almost two months, and now he was on sensory overload.

"Lean forward," she said and again he did as she asked. He was not prepared for the feeling of her leg slipping in the water to better position herself behind him while still staying on the edge of the tub. The softness of her skin resting against his side made him incredibly thankful for the bubbles that were somehow still floating in the water.

She leaned forward to run some clean water to wash his hair, her hand waiting to feel the temperature she wanted, and he wondered if she recognized how physically close they were. Her leg was wrapped around him, and her chest was pressed flush against his shoulder as she reached for the faucet.

Christ, he hadn't been with a woman in over two months; he hadn't been able to muster the desire for anyone else, not that he hadn't tried. And as sensual as all this was, he was vehemently surprised that he didn't really want to sleep with Elena. Well, he always wanted to sleep with Elena, but just not tonight. Tonight he only wanted to continue having her close and touch him in ways that had nothing to do with sex, and everything to do with love and unspoken promises of eternal commitment.

"Tilt your head back."

She was incredibly careful as she poured the water over his hair, making sure to wet every strand but to keep the water off his face. She lathered the shampoo and worked it deep into his scalp in a massage that almost put him to sleep again. Rinsing the soap from his hair, she repeated the process with his conditioner, running it through his black locks with a slow and deliberate confidence.

Somewhere in the middle of it all he realized he was absent-mindedly running his fingertips up and down her submerged limb. She either didn't notice or didn't care that he was touching her so affectionately, and he took the opportunity to revel in the feeling of her skin against his. All their barriers had come down, and it was glorious.

"I feel like John Travolta in Phenomenon," he said with smile.

"Well, we're just washing tonight, no cutting…"

"Good, 'cause if you think I'm letting you cut my hair you're sorely mistaken…"

"Why don't you trust me?" she feigned innocence.

"You know I do, just not with scissors," he teased, getting the exact smile from her he had wanted.

"Quiet, lean your head back," she said, rinsing the conditioner and surveying him. "Better?"

"Yes…"

"Do you want to get out?"

"Can we just stay for a minute, this feels nice," he asked, not wanting to lose the openness currently between them by making the mistake of ending it too soon.

"Of course, whatever you want," she agreed with complete sincerity, resuming her massage of his scalp.

He allowed himself to get lost in the feeling of her fingers in his hair, combing through it as if she wanted to memorize every strand. He had never stopped caressing her leg and wished he would never have to stop, but he knew he would have to relinquish her all too soon.

It was if she was reading his mind, or perhaps they were just that in tune with one another, because she suddenly released him and leaned forward to wrap her arms around his chest, her head coming to rest on his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay; we're okay," he tried to comfort her, rubbing her arms that were locked around him. She nodded her understanding and he could have sworn he felt a tear land on his chest.

"I'm just glad you're home."

"I will always come home."

She buried her face in his neck and nodded once again.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"Exhausted; you?"

"Yeah; I think I'm ready to get out, go lay down."

"Okay," she whispered and let go of him. Their loss of contact sent his body into shock and he craved to feel her against him again.

"Here," she said, holding open a towel for him to step into. He stared at her, impressed by how brazen she was being and almost daring her not to take back her request.

"Just get out of the tub," she laughed. Cocking an eyebrow at him she added, "If I see something I haven't seen before, I'll throw a dollar at it…" causing him to let a giggle escape before he could stop himself.

The levity of the moment quickly passed as he began to raise himself from the bath. To say he was exposed would be a monumental understatement. His whole body and soul were open for her to read, he just didn't know what she would do with what she found.

She had locked her eyes on his the moment he began to rise from the tub and never broke eye contact as he stood before her. She had held the towel open and waiting for him, but in a way that allowed him some privacy by blocking his lower half from her view.

When he found his footing on the bathroom floor he let her wrap her arms around his waist, securing the towel low on his hips. It had tickled terribly when she had tucked the corner in to fasten it, causing his stomach muscles to tense and flex and a reflex grin to spread across his face.

"Sorry," she said shyly.

"It's okay," he assured her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

He watched her as she grabbed another towel that she had ready and started to pat his chest dry. He still couldn't believe how gentle she was being with him, how much love she was allowing to show.

He studied her face intently as she dried whatever water she found, realizing then just how worried she had been. She had really thought he wasn't coming home; it was obvious from her repeated expression of relief that he was. He silently cursed himself for everything he had put her through to drive her to this show of affection.

"Elena?"

"Hmm?" she said, distracted by her mission.

"Look at me," he told her, tilting her chin up so he could see her eyes. "I love you, and I will always come home, okay? No matter what…"

She nodded fast, too fast, and a tear escaped before she could stop it. Throwing her arms around his neck she clung to him like she was drowning and he was her only salvation. With a shudder, he realized it probably wasn't that far from the truth, except that she was his savior too.

"Hey, it's okay; we're okay," he soothed her again, holding her tightly to him.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Okay," she breathed. Her chest was heaving; she was too overwhelmed with emotion, the length of the day, and all its events. He knew he would have to be careful with her, there was only so much more she could take.

She pulled back to release him and he took her face in his hands, placing the gentlest of kisses on her forehead.

"Why don't you put this on," he said, handing her the shirt she had brought in for him, "yours is all wet and I don't sleep in one anyways."

"Okay…"

"I'll be right behind you," he promised.

Trying to be a gentleman, he gave her a moment to change and impatiently waited until he heard her get into his bed before walking out of the bathroom, happily dressed in his favorite black pajama pants that she had laid out for him.

He was admittedly a little nervous at the prospect of her sleeping in his bed after what had happened last time, but he knew tonight would be different; she wouldn't run from him in the morning. He found her sitting up and waiting for him, and as soon as he lay down she came right to him, folding herself into him like they were two pieces of a puzzle, reconnected at last.

"Thank you Elena, no one has ever done for me what you've done tonight," he said.

"Hmm?" she breathed, already half asleep.

"Never mind sweetheart; just sleep."

"Good night Damon."

Damon slept more soundly than he had in years. The gentle rhythm of her heart against him had calmed his mind and body in a way that was almost hypnotizing. Listening to it as he drifted off reminded him so much of how his mother's voice used to lull him asleep as a boy. Having Elena next to him made him feel so human…

She had fallen asleep almost as soon as they were in bed; her head finding that perfect spot on his shoulder where she fit just right, her leg snaking its way over his own as she entangled herself in him.

He didn't remember when, but discovered they had moved sometime during the night. As he woke he found himself curled up behind her, both of his arms locking her against his chest. Their legs were still entwined, only now it was his leg lying on top of both of hers. He had hung on to her desperately throughout the night and she had let him; he was in heaven.

He allowed himself to place the lightest of kisses on the top of her head which was securely under his chin. He hadn't wanted to wake her, but she stirred anyway, snuggling backwards into him.

"Hmm, good morning," she breathed.

"Good morning," he whispered back, placing another kiss on her. "You hungry?"

"Mm-hmm," she nodded sleepily, rolling over to face him and bury herself even deeper in his arms. She had pulled her arms up to let them rest on his chest as her face snuggled into his neck.

He combed his fingers through her hair as he let his lips continue to plant little kisses on her; she didn't seem to mind and he was ecstatic to know that the walls that had come crumbling down the night before hadn't begun to erect themselves yet.

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"Hmm…pancakes," she said still half asleep with an adorable pout that he could only feel against his skin; he couldn't see her face.

"Blueberry pancakes?"

"Mm-hmm…"

"Want some bacon with that?"

She shook her head. "Fruit…"

"Okay, how about some cantaloupe?"

"And honeydew…"

"Okay sweetheart, I'll go start the coffee," he said starting to move away from her.

"No," she said forcefully, pushing closer to him; clearly not ready to move yet.

"You know, I may be talented but I can't cook you breakfast from the bed," he laughed.

"Don't care," she sighed, refusing to let him leave.

He couldn't help the grin on his face. He had gotten everything he had wanted; well, almost everything. Maybe if he continued to be the luckiest vampire on earth he could rectify that later…

He tried not to let himself think of the reason they had come to this beautiful place. He had said his good byes to Katherine, and he vowed he would not sabotage his relationship with Elena for her memory. The overwhelming grief he had felt for her was still incredibly raw, but the only thing stronger than that was his love for the girl in his arms. He would let that heal him, he knew that it would.

He thought she had fallen back asleep as he continued to run his fingers through her long brown locks, still kissing her whenever he felt like it to his heart's content. He decided he would let himself go back to sleep too; there was nothing they had to do that day and they could take all the time they wanted, to do whatever they wanted.

He had just closed his eyes again when he felt it.

As a vampire his senses were always too keen on detecting a foreign presence watching him, and he instantly knew that he was being watched now. Opening his eyes to assess the room, his eyes immediately met that of their audience.

"Well, isn't this cozy," the man said that was leaning casually against his door frame, the picture of ease and a satisfied grin on his face.

"Hello, brother…"

A/N: Oh snap! Thanks all for reading, please r/r, love to hear what you thought about this chapter and guessed for the ones ahead. We're just in the opening stages and have a long road ahead; plot going to thicken SOON.

Can't thank you guys enough for the follows, it really means a lot. I will try to get chapter four up in the next couple days. Stupid work interfering with my fan fic writing time. Boo..

Many thanks,

-Goldnox