Three: Coffee.

Brooklyn, 6 am

They had been sat in the diner for hours, yet it seemed like barely ten minutes since they had walked through the door.

The neon sign that buzzed happily above the bathroom doors and kitchen door no longer irritated Effy; the red leather seats didn't seem tacky to Damon anymore. Everything suddenly seemed very sweet and almost beautiful, right down to the overly bright overhead lights. Even the coffee didn't hold a horrible fake taste anymore.

Damon leaned back and sipped his coffee thoughtfully. Effy was stunning; he had decided that the second she walked into the bar last night. Her hair was always tousled and exactly the same chocolate brown shade of Elena's. Her eyes were bright blue like the sky, sapphires and the ocean all rolled into one, just like Rebekah's. She was cool as ice, secretive as a teenagers diary, and sometimes as flirty as Katherine had been.

Maybe, he thought, that was why he liked her.

He brushed that thought aside rather quickly.

Effy was more than any of them. She was young, yet so remarkably bright that she surprised him. She was so sharp tongued (so much so that she could never be like Elena) yet could be so sweet spoken (so that she could never be Katherine) but she clearly knew what was right and wrong (she couldn't be Rebekah).

To him, she was the perfect mix.

Effy knew he was watching her.

Holding her cup in her hands, lips pursed to blow on the hot liquid carefully, she looked up at him.

His eyes astonished her. They stared deep into her soul, not once flickering away. That should of made her uneasy but it didn't. She was sure that if anyone else was to look at her with so much intrigue she would run a mile.

But not with Damon, never with Damon.

He made her feel calm, relaxed, tranquil. It was a welcome change from the emotions she usually felt around people; usually those of hesitance, reluctance and a wish to avoid them.

Her eyes stayed on his for a while before beginning to wander. His skin was perfect; creamy and flawless, like hers, but filled with strength that hers wasn't. He was like a marble statue that had come to life; she was like a pure white swan. His hair was jet black, slightly floppy over his forehead, but when the light shone upon it dozens of rainbow colours were revealed.

He truly was a wondrous sight.

"What can I get you?" a pretty blonde waitress asked, notebook and pen poised ready to scribble down their order.

Damon didn't even look at the menu. "Pancakes and maple syrup, scrambled eggs and a large coffee. Effy?"

"Eggs and bacon with a side of French toast. Oh, and another coffee."

The waitress smiled and walked away. Effy leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on the sticky table.

"So we've been sat here for three hours and I still know pretty much nothing about you."

Effy raised one perfect dark eyebrow. "I could say the same about you."

Damon smirked. "Touché Effy, touché."

She smirked right back at him, a glimmer in her icy blue eyes.

"I'm serious though, I'm curious about you."

Effy looked right at him, an action he took as a sign to continue. "I want to know more about you."

The waitress returned with their order and Damon could of bit into her neck and drained her of blood right there, simply for ruining the moment. She put down the food quickly and walked away. He was glad.

Effy picked up her fork and began stabbing at her eggs. "Like what?"

Damon was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected her to actually give him permission to ask questions.

He recovered quickly, however.

"I want to know about your family."

She looked up, fork paused halfway between her plate and her mouth. "Seriously?"

He nodded and she narrowed her eyes. Family was definitely not her favourite subject… but what did she care what Damon thought? She barely knew him, after all.

"I'm the youngest child and only daughter of Anthea and Jim Stonem. I have a brother called Tony- he's twenty now and lives in Cardiff with his girlfriend."

Damon paused, expecting more. "That's it?"

"Yep." She went back to eating her eggs. "Now it's your turn."

"What?"

Effy swallowed the mouthful of food she was chewing and stared at him like he was stupid. "It's your turn to tell me about your family. That's only fair, don't you think?"

Damon sighed and leaned back, putting down his fork. "I was born in Mystic Falls. My mother died whilst giving birth to my younger brother Stefan, leaving us to live with our father. His name was Giuseppe Salvatore. My younger brother was the golden boy, I was always the naughty one. He looks after the family business now."

"Is that it?"

Damon smirked; she was playing him at his own game, he liked that.

"Yep. Now it's your turn again. I want to know about your friends."

Effy froze for a moment- a moment too long, for Damon noticed- before speaking. "My best friend is called Pandora, I call her Panda. She's crazy and immature, she lives with her boyfriend Thomas- another friend of mine- in London. She goes to Oxford University. I miss her."

Damon did something neither of them expected. He reached out and touched her hand gently, a soft smile on his face.

Ignoring the action, Effy continued. "I have this other friend- he's called Cook. He's crazy too- impulsive and careless and completely fucking mental," a small smile crept onto her face now. "But that's why we all loved him so much."

Damon felt a strange feeling in his stomach. Could it be jealousy?

That was stupid, he knew. Why should he feel jealous of a boy that Effy was obviously no longer in contact with, when he was the one sitting with her now?

She continued talking, and he listened intently. She told him all about Emily and Katie- the feisty twins who fought constantly- and Naomi, whom was Emily's girlfriend (that had apparently caused a lot of friction between the twins). She described JJ as a sweet boy who was obsessed with magic and was forever trying to keep the group's friendship alive, and how he was still in Bristol with his girlfriend Lara and her son. Lastly, she spoke about a boy named Freddie.

"He loved me and I loved him. But we made each other do crazy things; he quite literally made me go insane. We couldn't leave each other though, no matter how much we wanted to or needed to. We just couldn't."

Effy stopped speaking and removed her hand from beneath Damon's.

"If you don't mind my asking, what happened?"

Effy didn't reply for a long moment. She simply stabbed at the food in front of her. Just as Damon was about to say it didn't matter, she spoke.

"He was killed. By my doctor, of all people. After that I had to leave. So I did, and here I am."

Silence enveloped them for a long time. Damon felt no pity for this girl, for he knew exactly how she felt. He had been in her position, he had lost someone he cared about a long time ago. Only difference was, Katherine had come back.

"I guess it's my turn to tell you about my friends."

Effy nodded.

"I don't have many. I'm not the kind of guy that has a dozen best friends, and when I think about it, the best friend I've ever had was my little brother. But Stefan and I have our issues, ones that are too bad to solve. I've had other friends, but they all still live in Mystic Falls…" he went on to describe cute Caroline, with her blonde hair and shocking amount of power she held over people. He explained about her relationship with Tyler, who was equally as fiery as Caroline. His eyes softened when he spoke about Elena, the girl whom was soon to marry his younger brother, he told her.

"This Elena means a lot to you." It was more a statement than a question.

Damon nodded and cut up his pancakes. "Yeah. She does."

His expression became wistful, and Effy could see a more immature version of him. The façade disappeared, leaving behind an innocent boy. It made her smile.

"Have you finished your food?" Damon asked, the mask covering his face once more.

Effy nodded.

"Let's go. I'll walk you home."

He threw a handful of notes on the table and began to walk away, signalling for Effy to follow. She thought about staying behind as a way of proving that she didn't like being told what to do, but decided against it. Damon didn't seem like the type who would be bothered by a young girl's tantrum. He would probably just keep on walking, right out the door and out of her life.

A small part of her told her that she should stay behind. But something inside her made her get up, grab her coat and follow him. He was bad news, she knew nothing about him but she knew that much. And yet, she couldn't begin to imagine not being around him.

They walked through Brooklyn in silence, both lost in thought. The diner was a ten minute walk from Effy's apartment, something she suddenly hated. She didn't want to leave him- who knew if she would ever see him again?

They were getting attached to each other, and hadn't Damon swore to himself when he left Mystic Falls that he would never grow to care about a human again? With their fickle hearts, he was likely to get burned several more times during his eternal existence.

But Effy was just like him. She was broken too, he could see that. Without thinking, he reached out and took her hand, giving it gentle squeeze. If she cared she didn't let on, simply continued staring straight ahead with cool blue eyes.

They continued the walk still clutching each others hands. As they drew up outside Effy's apartment building, she felt a ping of sadness pinch her heart. She didn't want to say goodbye to Damon; not yet anyway.

"This is it?" he asked her.

She nodded, looking down at her Dr Marten clad feet.

"Meet me again tomorrow, same time and place?"

She nodded again.

"See you tomorrow then."

"Goodbye Damon."

She turned without looking at him and marched straight into her building. She climbed the stairs slowly, her mind whirring and heart beating. She didn't want to leave him. She wanted him to come upstairs with her, to never leave her.

Of course, he couldn't.

He had a life, a job, a house, maybe even a girlfriend.

(Oh, how wrong she turned out to be.)

She found her door- a bright red that was probably once a cheery sight but the paint had chipped away and it reminded Effy of blood- and was pushing her key through the lock when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Effy," it was Damon, all gorgeous six ft of him, looking slightly dishevelled but somehow still unbearably handsome.

"Yes?" she replied softly.

He responded by cupping her face roughly in his hands and kissing her. He didn't even start out soft; the passion unearthed itself immediately. Effy kissed him back equally as hard.

"Hello to you too." She smirked when they pulled away.

Damon smiled slightly. "Are you going to let me in? Your neighbour is looking at us funny."

Effy turned on her heel and pushed open the door, striding inside. She was halfway through her hall when she realised he didn't follow her.

"Fucking hell Damon; come in."

With a grin he stepped inside, closing the door softly behind him.

She kicked off her boots- a sturdy brown pair of doc martens that she adored- and threw her coat on the black leather sofa. Then she turned to Damon.

Before she could speak he rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his lips to hers. She kissed him back, fiery and passionate. She bit his lip and he groaned in pleasure. Soon she was pushed against the wall, legs wrapped around his waist.

An hour later, they lay on the tiled kitchen floor together, staring up at the ceiling.

"Effy?"

"Yes?"

"You're not very good at cooking, are you?"

Effy propped herself up on her elbows. "What the… oh, the stains on the ceilings. No Damon, no I'm not."

"I'll teach you sometime."

Effy smiled; that secret smile that fucked everyone up. "Thanks."