A lot has happened on the series since I started this story, it's been almost three years since I started it (and then forgot about it, sorry!). I will eventually try to incorporate the new stuff in, but this does take place (timeline wise) way behind the current season, so please bear with as I try to catch myself up!

Thanks for reading and the lovely comments!

Caroline looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing down her red dress and fiddling with her hair. She had strayed away from her normal wavy hair, and had straightened it. It looked weird. But then again, everything about this situation was weird.

From upstairs, she heard the doorbell ring. She took a deep breath, feeling her dead body fill with pressure, cycling this thing that she didn't even need anymore. Grabbing a cardigan, she rushed to go downstairs before her mother could get to the door. That was definitely a conversation she never wanted to have.

Opening the door, she mumbled out an apology for keeping him waiting and Damon just stared. Noticing his shocking absence of an obnoxious remark, she looked at his face.

"What?"

Damon looked at her, noticing how the change had made her sharper, her movements even more graceful than before. He noticed the incredible blood red dress, the way her bangs were falling in her face as she pushed them back.

A slow smile crossed his face, "you look fantastic".

Caroline threw a hand on her hip, rolling her eyes.

"You're impossible, you know that?"

Damon laughed, throwing his head back.

"What? I can't compliment my date?" That same Damon smirk on his face, he followed Caroline to his car, watching her as she rushed to the car to open the door.

"Just get in the damn car," she said, looking back at him and flashing a smile.

Damon walked to the other side of his car, opened the door and started the ignition.

I cannot believe I'm doing this, Caroline thought to herself. Damon Salvatore? Again? But, then again, maybe this wasn't that weird. Maybe the transformation had made her more like him than like the old her. She needed someone. Someone who understood her hunger, her frustration, how she constantly wanted to be drinking blood, someone who just got it.

Damon opened the door to the Mystic Grill for her, his eyes never leaving her body.

Sitting down, a realization hit Caroline.

"Damon, why in the world would you take me to a restaurant?"

Damon looked back at her, like he hadn't even thought about this. The fact that neither of them really needed to eat. Well, eat anything the Mystic Grill was serving.

Staring at each other, they both started laughing, the ridiculous situation becoming so clear.

"Well, we could get steaks. And booze. That's at least something right?"

Caroline smiled at Damon, "Sure. That is something".

The waitress came up to the table, ready to take their order. The way she looked at Damon made Caroline unsettled. Not unsettled, angry. Like incredibly unnecessarily angry. So angry she could hear the girl's heartbeat.

Damon looked back at the waitress and smiled that winning Salvatore smile, and then back at Caroline.

"We'll have two steaks, rare. And scotch. Bring two glasses and just leave us the bottle", his eyes never leaving Caroline's face.

The waitress, clearly upset by the lack of attention, pursing her lips asked for their ID's.

Damon, finally looking up at her said, "I don't think that'll be necessary, do you?"

The waitress smiled, "oh, of course not".

Caroline watched the waitress walked away shaking her head.

"Well, I suppose there are some perks to this whole vampire thing".

Damon cocked his head to the side, "yeah, there are some I'd say".

Caroline looked down, his gaze making her feel slightly uncomfortable. If she was capable, she was sure she'd be blushing.

I'm actually enjoying myself, Caroline thought to herself as Damon told her some crazy story of some of his wilder nights during the 70's. Or maybe it's the four glasses of scotch I've had.

After they had eaten their steaks and the fifth of scotch basically gone, Damon looked across at Caroline, "You wanna go do something ridiculous?"

Caroline wasn't sure what Damon's definition of "ridiculous" was, she found his whole existence ridiculous, but she agreed.

"Sure. Let's go."

After Damon paid, which Caroline noticed, he could have just compelled his way out of the tab, she thought, they headed back out into the parking lot.

"Now, what exactly is your definition of 'ridiculous'?" Caroline asked, walking backwards towards his car.

"You'll see," Damon said. He kept walking towards her, Caroline's back still towards the car. When she was about six inches away, when she should have turned around, Damon pushed her the remaining space between her and the car, and pushed her up against his car. He pushed her bangs from her face, and looking at her, cupped her chin in his hand.

"I'm going to kiss you now and you're going to enjoy it".

Caroline rolled her eyes, about to say something about how he didn't have to say it, how he didn't have to be so obnoxious, when Damon pushed her hard against the car, his hand still on her face, his other hand snaking its way around her waist and kissed her. He didn't kiss her in the half assed way he used to when they "dated" before and he was only looking for one thing. Well, two. He kissed her like every day of his existence had led up to that point, that the only reason he'd been alive so long was to kiss her. And only her.

Caroline's hands grasped at the front of his shirt, at first pushing him away from reflex, until her whole body relaxed into his and she grabbed, the soft fabric of his shirt curling under her fingers. Pulling him as close as possible, wrapping her arms around him, letting her entire body fall into his, she kissed him back.

Finally Damon pulled away and Caroline breathlessly said, "Well, yes. That was completely ridiculous".

Damon brushed her hair where it had gotten mussed from his hands and the car.

"When I said ridiculous, I meant something completely different". He leaned in, whispered in her ear, "something a bit more naked".