AN; Here's a long one for you guys! Enjoy!

12 WEEKS

DAMON

She'd fallen asleep in his arms as he'd rocked her back and forth. He'd stayed with her on the scrawny and very uncomfortable hospital bed for a couple of hours before he'd been heading home to Duke.

She'd had to stay the night for observation but he'd picked her up the next morning and she was obviously starting to get tired of his antics of trying to force her into a calm state of mind because she glared at him from her seat on the sofa.

Yup, Elena had buried herself under three different blankets, cursing under her breath while trying to get comfortable in one of the corners of the sofa. He'd found her in the living room around 6 am and she'd seemed rather miserable and he'd eyed her critically. She'd looked like, well, quite frankly, she'd looked like shit. Not that he could really blame her, the bleeding had caused him to toss and turn throughout the two nights that had passed since the incident as well. Damon would never admit it out loud but he was scared for her.

He'd decided that they would postpone everything that had to do with social appearances – she didn't need the extra stress.

"Damon, it's not your job to take care of me."

"That's not true, it is my job to take care of you." He said as he handed her a cup of tea, sitting at the edge of the coffee table. "Besides, I promised your dad, otherwise he'll have me killed. Believe me, he sounded very convincing."

"Well, he can be scary but you don't have to take care of me." She complained. "I'll be fine on my own. Besides, I'll probably just sleep through the day, I'm so tired."

"And what if you get hungry?" He stated quickly. "Or if you need something?"

"Damon, please, I'm fine. I know where the kitchen is and the bleeding stopped earlier this morning. I'm not sore or anything. I can move without worrying. Besides, the doctor said I'm perfectly fine so don't you worry either. Worrying is bad for the baby."

"I know but you should be cared for, I could talk to Luca–"

"No." She stated firmly, scratching the back of Duke's head and ear as he came to rest his head in her lap. "I don't need a babysitter. I'm fine."

"God, you're so damned determined." He growled, pulling a hand through his hair. His suit felt rather small and tight as he got to his feet. He would've preferred to just crawl back in bed after everything that had happened lately but no, he had things to do. He had to catch up at the office.

"Go to work. I'll stay here, tucked under the blanket, watching Netflix and eating whatever is on that list I've got to follow."

"Don't you dare give a fuck about that stupid list. If you want ice cream, or soup, or chocolate, or a fatty, cheese omelet? Order it from Luca and put it on my tab."

"I can't do that."

"Please!" He almost growled, losing a bit of his calm exterior and Duke tilted his head to look up at him in confusion. "I'm just saying. You've had a rough couple of days, I don't think kale and steamed egg whites will lighten your mood right now."

"You might have a point." Elena nodded, biting her lower lip, eyeing him from under her dark lashes.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have raised my voice."

"Apology accepted." She sent him a wry smile and he rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at his mouth. "We're all stressed."

He felt sorry for her and the bloody trauma she'd been forced to go through, literally. He wanted to stay home with her, keep an eye on her, make sure nothing happened to her or the baby. He didn't want to come home and find her in a pool of blood on the floor. He almost cringed at the thought.

He shook his head as he met her brown eyes, hoping to be able to escape inside the warmth radiating from them — Nope. Not now. Fuck.

"I have something that I need to do and unfortunately it can't wait. I'll hurry back. Just, relax and call me if you need anything. Okay?"

"I have Netflix and Duke is here. I'll be fine. Don't stress on my account. I'll only feel bad if you do."

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Stop it. You have to go to work. Take your time."

"I'll work from home." He declared sternly.

"No, that's not necessary. I told you, I'll probably sleep through the day."

"That's perfectly fine and I'll be in my office down the hall. It's a perfect plan. I just have to take care of some business first."

He could tell that she wanted to protest but he sent her a stern look, nodding at her before leaving.

Damon slammed the car door behind him, turning to look at the building – it was huge but he knew just where to find her. Shit was about to go down.

Miranda had managed to get him alone for a couple of minutes during their dinner last week and she'd told him everything. He'd been so full of anger and disdain he harbored towards the woman he was currently on the hunt for.

He was a man on a mission as he stomped through the doors of the clinic, walking down the corridor leading to her office. Thankfully, the red 'do not disturb' lightbulb was turned off so he burst through the door, slamming it shut behind him, causing Dr. Amelia to jump in her seat. She was sitting behind her desk, typing away on her computer. Confusion could be shown in her face as she lifted a questioning eyebrow.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?" Damon all but roared, not giving a shit whether anyone else overheard their discussion.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"What you did, the way you treated Elena–"

"Calm down, calm down. Let's be rational. I talked to both Giuseppe and Stefan before her scheduled meeting and according to them, she's just another one in the pile, Damon. You probably know it as well as I do."

She sounded so casual and natural that it caused him to actually shiver, his skin tingling but not in a good way. The vibe she sent him was cold and that was the reason the goosebumps appeared at the back of his neck.

"No!" He snapped, anger boiling so close to the surface that he could feel the mere heat of it. "She's my friend and you disrespected her. You didn't break the patient-doctor confidentiality agreement; you tore it apart and set it on fire, bombed it with a fucking bazooka!"

"You're overreacting, let's sit down and discuss this like grown ups." Dr. Amelia hushed him.

"Over–– I'm overreacting?" He chuckled wryly.

"Look, I admit that I was excited but that's hardly a crime. She swallowed the bait, answered my questions and there's that. She needs to work on her own integrity––"

"What bait, she's not a–– Shit! You crossed a line!" Damon slammed his hand down on top of her desk, making damn sure she heard the growl in the back of his throat.

"That's none of your bus-"

"You made it my business when you mistreated my future wife!" He barked, his voice so low that he would've scared anyone within hearing distance. "What the hell were you thinking? I have no choice but to press charges, you know that! You broke the law."

"I don't think that's necessary." She hissed vehemently, standing from her seat, her cheeks flushed from anger, as she rounded the desk. "I've dealt with a lot of shit from your family through the years. I've buried things that could give you nightmares for the rest of your life. I could tell you things about your father that would have that pretty hair of yours curl in disgust."

"I don't care about that shit! That's between you and my father. I'm not interested in the details." Hell, it was the truth. He didn't care about his father's shenanigans, the man would have to own up to his own troubles and mistakes because Damon was over it.

"You should be!"

"Don't you get it? You broke the law and if I have anything to say about it, you'll never get to practice medicine again."

"I'll leak every single detail on you and your family. God knows there's more than one corpse rotting away in your own closet, isn't there?"

Damon gritted his teeth. He was aware of the fact that Dr. Amelia knew a lot about his family, but how much? Did she know–– No, no way. That was buried, he would never let that resurface. He stepped closer, invading her personal space, getting all up in her face, whispering to her.

"Threaten me all you want but if you go after Elena, I can't promise what I'll do. Well, except for the fact that you'll never see me coming."

He'd been shaking with anger as he got in the car and headed over to the mansion. He'd been accepting his parents' behavioral modification thing for far too long and he was about to snap. Hell, he'd already snapped. He was so mad that he felt as if he was about to burst at the seams. His head was spinning furiously and his heart ticked like a freaking bomb in his chest - it almost hurt as he inhaled sharply. Was he having a fucking panic attack? Shit! He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white and his chest heaving as he tried to compose himself.

Damon was tired of always playing by the rules, always behaving, staying in line, being the perfect son. Ever since he could remember he'd been drilled into being someone he wasn't, his parents had never allowed him to be– just, Damon. No, he'd had to live up to their expectations, he'd been their firstborn and the pressure had finally caused him to lose his shit. Meanwhile, Stefan had been the golden boy throughout their entire lives and Damon had fucking had it with everything.

He didn't even bother knocking on the front double doors as he continued through the foyer at his parents' place, two of the three maids nervously hurrying after him as he continued towards the dining room with the huge crystal chandeliers his father had purchased for his mother's fortieth birthday. They always followed their schedule, never broke protocol or strayed from the calm and collected personalities they showed the rest of the world, except behind closed doors.

Sure enough, his parents were seated at the end of the table, looking up in surprise as they noticed him storming in. Damon didn't bother to say hello, he just simply made his way over to them, stopping.

"Elena suffered from a rupture, there was blood everywhere, but your grandchild is still growing and thriving, so no worries there, thanks for the showed concern." Damon sat down opposite his father, letting his eyes travel back and forth between his parents as he spoke.

"Calm down, we already know about the bleeding," Giuseppe said as he continued to cut a large piece of his bloody steak, nodding, shrugging his shoulders as if saying whatever.

Damon narrowed his eyes and continued as calmly as possible. "Dr. Amelia is threatening to talk to the press and release information about Stefan's and apparently – your earlier mistakes because she's a bitch. Oh, and she threatened my future wife which guarantees that she's a fucking moron as well. And father, I'm pressing charges. She broke the patient-doctor-confidentiality – which means she broke the law."

"She called earlier. I'm aware of the situation."

"And?" Damon questioned, anger bubbling inside, burning his intestines. "That's all you have to say?"

"You've caused quite a mess. I hope you're aware of that." Giuseppe said sternly as if talking to a child.

"What?" Dumbfounded, Damon stared at his father. "I've caused a mess? Are you fucking kidding me? Where the hell is Stefan?"

"He's still in Los Angeles. He needed a vacation." His mother interrupted with a matter of factly kind of snort to her tone of voice.

"Vacation?" Damon laughed before glaring at his father.

"Yes, he needed some extra time to come to terms with everything. He's already going through a rough time. There's no need to bother your brother with the gory details if the girl is fine."

"Are you insane? Tell me you're crazy. How can you defend him after everything? How can you possibly take his sid––"

"You do not get to question my authority!" Giuseppe growled, throwing his knife and fork onto the plate, causing it to almost crack at the sudden impact. "You do as I say or––"

"Or what?" Damon roared back, not caring about the fact that his mother tried to reach for him, begging him to calm down. "Why is it suddenly so important for everyone to keep me in check?"

"Someone needs to teach you how to behave!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, father, but last time I checked, I was still a human being! Newsflash, I screw up, just like everyone else!"

"Stop with the pity party, I did not raise a screwup!"

"Exactly! I am not Stefan." Damon growled. "How about you stop trying to turn me into him? You can't fix his mistakes by molding me into the shape and form you prefer. Would it be so fucking hard for you to just be a real dad and actually give a shit for once?"

And with those last words spat in his father's face, Damon glanced at his quiet mother, shook his head in disappointment and left the mansion, intent on staying as far away as possible from the two people he'd called mom and dad.

Damon pressed the phone to his ear as he walked down the pavement of the mansion, heading for his car. He didn't care if Stefan was asleep, fucking or drinking, he had to give his brother a piece of his mind while he was still mad as hell and all riled up.

Straight to voicemail, of course! He slammed his hand down on top of the hood of the car, the smacking sound causing him to cringe as he realized how stupid that move obviously was. The palm of his hand stung with the pulsating feel of misjudged guidance. Fuck, he was losing his shit!

His family was obviously batshit-crazy-stupid people that didn't care about life outside their circle of manipulative shenanigans. He was so tired of everything; dealing with work and Stefan's shit! And Elena!

Okay, not that he could blame her for all the things going down in his life right now, she was an innocent bystander – for the most part – and he liked her. She was kind and warm; all the things he'd missed as a kid due to his parents, all the things he'd missed so far in his adult relationships due to the fact that he always chose manipulative women to sleep with. It had always been casual, nothing too serious but now, fuck…

He picked up his phone, dialed his brother once more. Straight to voicemail.

"Call me back, you fucking asshole."

ELENA

Duke had been sound asleep on the sofa, propped behind her legs while she rested on her side but then her golden lifted his head, sniffing the air, concentrating on things Elena couldn't detect with her human hearing.

When Duke started wagging his tail, Elena ushered him on his way to greet Damon. She could hear the sound of paws as Duke made his way down to the foyer and the slamming of the front door.

She was tired but forced herself to sit up and shuddered when Damon walked through the living room with determination on his face and straight into the kitchen – not a word uttered, not a single glance her way. She frowned, bit her lower lip. Something was obviously wrong. She got to her feet and hurried after him. To her worry, she found him leaning against the counter, his shoulders shaking so violently it almost scared her. She could feel the intense energy roll off of him in pulsating waves.

"What's wrong? Damon, talk to me."

"Nothing." He breathed, his voice hoarse.

"But, you can talk to me–– we're friends."

"Leave me alone." He bellowed, turning to face her.

She flinched at his raised voice. Her heart aching in her chest as she noticed the pained expression on his face. He was so worked up, panting, his eyes pleading with her, his hands shaking with raw emotion. She'd never seen him so out of control before - her brain told her to just walk away. Coming in his line of fire right now could cause damage they probably wouldn't be able to repair. However, Elena's heart insisted on pushing him over the edge. She would catch him if he wanted her to.

"No, you're obviously not feeling well."

"Steer clear of me then." He advised.

"Talk to me." She insisted, crossing her arms above her chest as if trying to hold herself together.

"There's nothing to talk about. None of this matters to me!"

"Bullshit! How could it not matter? You're so upset that you're shaking!"

"I can't be what other people want me to be, I can't live up to their expectations. I screwed up and I'm not allowed to do so! Believe it or not but I'm human, Elena. Okay? I have emotions, just like everyone else. And right now I'm pissed off. So leave me alone."

"It's okay–"

"No, you don't get it!" He pulled both hands through his hair, shaking his head. "I fucked up!"

"Then talk to me!" She pleaded angrily, almost yelling. "Explain it. Make me understand!"

"I've had it with work, my parents, everything! And god damn it, a part of me wanna seek comfort in you but I can't because of my brother! And to top it off and make matters even worse, I can't fucking think straight because my head is spinning and I just really want to kiss you right now!"

"I'm right here!"

"That's not the point!"

"Kiss me."

"What?" He all but panted.

"If that's what you need in order to not lose your freaking mind and scare the shit out of me, then kiss me."

His face fell as her words hit him like a slap on his cheek and she closed the gap between them without a second thought, grabbing the back of his neck pulling his face down to hers, their lips colliding.

She snaked her arms around him, hugging him tightly, pressing her body against his and sighed as he finally loosened up, sinking into her embrace, no longer tense.

It was a deep, long and intense kiss, yet no tongue or mingling breaths were involved.

"What do you need?" She asked as he slowly let his lips leave hers, hovering close enough for her to touch his mouth if she tilted her head just the slightest bit.

"What do you mean?" He whispered, his voice low and husky.

"Maybe, you need some time off from work. You could go on vacation? If just for a couple of days. I'll stay with my parents and I'll see you when you get back."

"That's not an option." He interrupted, his arms tightening around her.

"You need space to reload your batteries."

"You're right, I do, but not from you. I need space from my family, the city and everything. You need some time from everything as well. I know you've had a rough couple of weeks, all thanks to me and well, the entire Salvatore clan."

"What do you say if I tell you that I have just the perfect place then?" She quipped, eyeing him, feeling safe and warm in his embrace.

"What?" He eyed her suspiciously. Intrigued.

"As you probably already know, my family isn't rich but when my grandmother died, she gave her lakehouse to my parents."

"You own a lakehouse? Where?" He was surprised, to say the least.

"Approximately ten miles from here."

"Huh. So?"

"So, do you wanna go?"

"Hell yeah." He mumbled as she pushed up on her tiptoes, placing a soft kiss on his mouth.

DUKE

Duke eyed the two humans as they latched their mouths onto one another. They were obviously switching saliva for some crazy reason. Mama Elena seemed rather flushed as she pushed away from Damon and left him standing in the kitchen, alone. Duke decided to stare at Damon until the human would realize he'd seen it all.

"Hey, Duke." Damon nodded and walked over to him, hunching down. "Bet you saw that, didn't you?"

'Yes, Damon. I saw everything. What were you doing to mama?' Duke tilted his head as Damon scratched his chest, moving his hands to massage the floppy ears. 'Okay, keep going.'

"Thanks for taking care of her today."

'Pfft, I always take of her. It's my job.'

"Let's go pack some stuff."

Duke followed Damon through the apartment. He could hear his human rummaging around in her room and wagged his tail, figuring she would be fine on her own for a while.

His mama had seemed stressed about their new surroundings, missing her other pack members. Grayson and Miranda was still a part of the pack but didn't live with them anymore, he missed them sometimes. Duke did his best to comfort mama Elena when she felt sad or lonely. She was so tired; not that he minded, he liked their daily naps but he worried about her. His human used to be so full of life, loving food just as much as he did. Now she just ate and barfed.

Sure, Duke used to do the same thing as a pup but he always saved the leftovers, mama Elena flushed them down his favorite water fountain. Rude but true.

And then there was Damon. Oh, he liked Damon. He was kind and after all - he did feed him on a regular basis and he gave the best belly rubs ever. And even though Damon was new to their small pack, the human reeked of authority and had a steady hand and open heart when handling him; but mama Elena was still the Alpha. Duke knew his place in the pack and hopefully, Damon would figure out his place sooner rather than later.

ELENA

"Can I drive?" She asked as they walked through the underground garage, Duke following two steps behind her.

Asking if she could drive was – truth be told – mainly because she could tell that he was still worked up. Going through the emotions he'd shown her a glimpse of earlier wasn't supposed to be mixed with driving. The combination could be deadly. So, instead of offering to drive, she'd asked, with a hint of demand hidden somewhere in her voice.

"Sure." Damon nodded and pointed towards the row of cars parked neatly beside one another. "Pick one."

"Wait for a second, they're all yours?"

"Yup." He shrugged indifferently.

She glanced at him before turning around to eye the vehicles lined up in front of them. Wow. She recognized his Mustang and smiled softly; she wouldn't mind seating herself behind the wheel but Duke wouldn't exactly fit and she refused to leave him behind - he loved the lakehouse and Elena loved him, so, it was an easy decision.

"Can we take the SUV?"

Damon nodded firmly and steered his steps towards the young man seated inside the small corner booth office in the back of the garage and returned shortly with the keys, handing them to her.

"Treat Olivia with respect."

"Olivia?" Elena raised a questioning eyebrow and he rolled his eyes at her. "You named your car?"

"I name all my cars. Fair is fair and hey, I've seen the number of stuffed animals that you've clearly spoiled Duke with throughout the years you've had him."

"So?"

"I bet you've named every single one of them."

She blushed crimson, bit her lower lip. Okay, fine, maybe she'd named a couple of them. Rob, Sally, oh and Bill, the purple fat elephant that she'd won at the Tivoli three years ago.

"Am I wrong?"

"Nooo…" She drawled in a whispered voice and he sent her a crooked grin.

They made their way over to the car. The black and shiny surface was smooth under the palm of her hand. Elena had never owned a car of her own so whenever she borrowed her parents old and rusty, yet very reliable Volvo, she'd never imagined herself driving Damon Salvatore's SUV one day. It was mind-blowing, to say the least.

She was baffled to see that Damon put their bags in the backseat as well as allowing Duke to jump in through the open door, but not before draping a blue blanket across the seats. She didn't complain, just bit her lower lip and glanced at him, he was still riled up and stressed out. She felt bad for him. She hadn't managed to get much information out of him and had basically decided to put it off as long as she possibly could. However, Elena suspected that his parents were to blame for some of his raging emotions and from the little things she'd heard about them - she probably couldn't blame him. She'd seen pictures of his parents online and they'd seemed so collected, calm exteriors and charming smiles.

Damon motioned for her to get behind the wheel so she did, buckled up and started the car and rolled out of the garage.

It was exhilarating, the car was huge and she had to admit that she was having trouble relaxing as she crisscrossed through the cars and different lanes. Traffic was wild and she remembered why she hated driving in the middle of the city; it was stressful and lacked the enjoyment of sliding through nature.

"It's okay," Damon assured as another driver honked behind them, noticing her obvious stressed state of mind. "Take your time. It's just a car and it's insured so don't worry."

"You named her," Elena remarked, checking the rearview mirror.

"Don't worry." He insisted, leaning back in his seat, shifting ever so slightly in order to scratch the back of Duke's head.

Elena sighed, gripping the steering wheel, let his words sink in and slowly relaxed her shoulders as he connected his phone to the car via Bluetooth, starting a playlist on Spotify, causing the atmosphere to change from rapidly stressed to calmer as they left the city behind.

DAMON

Once they reached the highway Elena drove his car with ease, loosening her formerly tight grip on the steering wheel, Duke was snoring in the backseat and Damon felt rather relaxed. He'd been so worked up lately, hell, he'd been on the brink of destruction even before Elena got thrown into his life. She'd been right, he needed a break from everything, had to get away from the city and his parents' empire. It was still hard to breathe but he made sure to inhale and exhale to the beat of the acoustic music playing in the background. 'Inhale, count to five. Exhale, count to five.'

He could feel his heart slowing down to a somewhat normal pace and decided to close his eyes for a brief second. It wasn't like he was going to join Duke in dreamland. As a kid, he'd never been able to nap in the car. He couldn't explain it but had a vague and distinct feeling of handing the control over to someone else and everything going to shit without his active presence. So, nope. No sleeping in the car.

ELENA

Elena dared herself to peek to her right, slowly realizing that Damon had fallen asleep. With his face turned towards her, his mouth slightly ajar and his features relaxed, she smiled softly and felt the unmistakable flutter of something warm tingling inside her.

'Just relax', she thought to herself.

She drove without fear as they got further and further away from the city. The chance of hitting a tree felt less likely than hitting a biker or runner crossing the busy streets of the town. Maybe it was just an irrational fear of hers, but she'd always been scared of hitting someone. She wasn't a bad driver, just a little nervous and extra cautious from time to time.

But as she started to feel at home behind the wheel of the huge SUV, the emotion of fearless satisfaction hit her and it was a new sensation, to say the least. The berry was okay, the bleeding had stopped, she felt no pain, Duke was fine and Damon seemed relaxed. The thought of their earlier kiss had her chuckling quietly. She had no idea what had possessed her to just grab him and plant one on him. She could feel her cheeks burning at the memory of his hands sneaking their way around her waist, gripping her tighter.

She had no idea what it meant or what she wanted it to–– No, not going there, not right now. They would have time to talk and just hang out at the lakehouse. Lord, she could barely wait.

DAMON

"Wow, I'm impressed." He admitted, gawking at the interior.

"Not so bad for a poor gal, huh?" She joked.

"Your words," He squinted his eyes at her. "Not mine."

She rolled her eyes and he followed her into the rustic, old, yet warm and welcoming kitchen.

"This place is huge." He whistled. "How many rooms are there?"

"Seven bedrooms and four, no, five bathrooms. A living room, then there's the dining area—"

"Elena." He interrupted. "It's almost bigger than my apartment."

"No, it's not." She chuckled. "Besides, you live in a penthouse, I would hardly call that an apartment."

"Uh, it's the same thing."

"Uh," She mocked. "It's not the same thing. My older brother Jeremy used to rent an apartment. The place looked nothing like yours, okay."

"Fine, smarty pants." Damon held his hands up in defeat, smirking at her. And holy, did she just blush–? Nah. No. She didn't blush. 'Get it out of your head.'

"Thank you."

"When is your brother coming back?" Damon knew it was a touchy subject and didn't really know how to bring it up without causing her teary eyes to appear.

"I'm not sure." She shook her head, unpacking some of the groceries they'd bought on their way over. "He might volunteer for another year. But don't mention it with my parents around."

"Why not?" He frowned, offering to help her.

"Because my Dad doesn't know yet."

"Your Mom doesn't want him to know?"

"I don't know but deep down I suspect that my Dad wants him to come home and help with the shelter. He always wanted Jer to be a veterinarian. But, knowing my Dad, he'll never ask for help or push my brother into a line of work he doesn't want to practice."

"Could you take me one day?"

"What?" She looked at him, humorously, raising an eyebrow. "To the animal shelter?"

"Yeah, why not?" Damon shrugged. "I do like animals."

"Ha, you could've fooled me." She responded and glanced at Duke.

"Hey, the two of us just got off on the wrong foot— paw— whatever, Duke likes me, I accept him."

"Jeez, you're such a charmer!" She laughed, playfully slapping his shoulder as she passed him. "Come on, Duke needs a walk."

"Give it to me."

"No way, he's going to lead you on with his soft eyes and then you're going to have to stand here for the entire afternoon, throwing till your arms fall off."

"Give it to me," Damon demanded.

"No, I'm serious Damon. He's a golden retriever, he never stops." She snickered and tried to hide the item behind her back. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into—"

Damon grabbed the tennis ball from Elena and gazed down at Duke. The retriever sat down immediately, his tail wagging furiously back and forth as he waited rather impatiently for Damon to go ahead and just throw the damn thing.

"You brought it upon yourself!" She shouted as she walked away from them.

The sound following as Duke jumped headfirst into the lake had Elena giggling as she sat down on the dock her father had built approximately ten years prior. Her retriever broke the surface, efficiently swimming towards the ball, snatching it before heading back to shore where Damon waited for him.

DAMON

They'd had a great afternoon, he'd played with Duke and he'd actually made dinner while Elena withdrew to her bedroom, resting for an hour or two. Duke had joined him in the kitchen, eyeing him carefully as he'd chopped tomatoes for the salad. The retriever was a nice company and Damon found himself talking to him when they were alone. He was a good listener, never interrupted or gave bad advice.

Elena had appeared in the doorway just as he'd sliced the homemade pizza into six pieces. After finishing their plates, she'd thanked him for making dinner, they'd cleaned together. They'd talked about the house and were now seated in the cozy living room. Damon stretched his shoulder as he sat down in the armchair opposite Elena, eyeing her as she snuggled up on the couch, yawning, Duke resting under the coffee table, his tail moving leisurely as he slowly succumbed to sleep.

"Are you tired?"

"It's all the fresh air." She cooed, smiling.

"I see."

Silence filled the air between them as he locked his eyes with her brown ones. Something tingled at the back of his spine and he swallowed the nervousness he felt whenever they gazed at one another. It felt as if she could see right through him, felt as if he was an open book for her to read. Damon shook his head. They hadn't talked about what had transpired in his kitchen yesterday, they hadn't talked about what had been said between them at the hospital after her bleeding. No, they'd shoved it to the side and the thoughts piled up inside him. He wanted to dissolve the issue before it got blown into proportions they couldn't handle.

"We need to talk." They somehow ended up saying in unison.

"You first." Elena insisted.

"I want to apologize for the way I acted yesterday when I got home. I was so riled up and I lashed out. It's like I've been kept on this short leash my entire life and I– snapped. You got in the line of fire and I feel really bad for exposing you to that side of me. I never wanted to scare you."

"You did scare me, but, it's okay." She whispered, looking at him. "You were vulnerable and I've never seen you display that kind of emotion before. If anything, it was brave of you to show that side of yourself."

The sincerity in her voice caused him to inhale sharply as he leaned forward to rest his arms on his knees. He stroked a finger across his mouth, contemplating what to say next. He closed his eyes, blinked and faced her again. She eyed him quietly as she bit her lower lip. Jeez, he would have to tell her to stop the lip-biting-thingy at some point, or he would snap again - in a completely different and naughtier way than yesterday.

"Look, I wanted to talk to you about the arrangement." He finally said. "Grayson told me a thing or two and I understand that you might have doubts about the potential marriage so I'm offering a negotiation; you should get the opportunity to be involved. After all, it's a big decision."

"What kind of negotiation?" She asked wearily.

"No marriage."

"Wait, what? I thought that was one of the paragraphs. The clause was–"

"Elena, I get that marriage is important to you and once you get married, you want it to last forever. I mean, I don't understand it but, at the same time, I get it."

"So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we postpone everything linked to wedding stuff. We can still get engaged. I've heard it's a huge thing in some countries - people get engaged but they skip the wedding."

"Oh, really?" She snickered at him as he moved a hand to rub the back of his neck.

"Yup." He nodded. "I know that the situation is delicate and difficult to deal with but I would never force you to marry me just because my parents say so."

"I know."

"My parents aren't like yours."

"What do you mean?" She mumbled, pulling a hand through her hair.

"Your parents are married for real. My parents," Damon chuckled, the sarcasm sour in his voice. "They're basically just partners in business. I've never seen them engaged in PDA. Not that I want to see that but– they never hugged or showed emotion towards one another. I don't know what I want to say. I just– If we decide to get hitched or not, that's none of their business. It'll be between the two of us. It's a decision we make together, no matter what's written in the papers."

ELENA

"Morning."

"Good morning." She greeted, closed her eyes and inhaled the smell of coffee as she heard him enter the kitchen. "How'd you sleep?"

"Better than I've slept in months." He purred, rounding the kitchen island where she was seated. "I bet it's because of all the fresh air."

"See, I told you." She exclaimed.

To her surprise, Damon leaned down to kiss the back of her neck before passing her and hurrying towards the coffeepot. The simple yet very intimate action sent shockwaves of shivers down her spine and her insides flared up like bushfires!

"What do you think you're doing?" She managed to stammer, her voice wavering.

"What?" He frowned as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"You just–" And then she noticed the bare chest and the soft skin he'd obviously decided to put on display for her. She cleared her throat. "You just kissed the back of my neck as if—"

"As if what?" He cocked an eyebrow.

She eyed him casually, turning in her seat. He seemed different from the person she'd gotten to know during the past few weeks. Just the fact that he'd entered the kitchen without a shirt on, black sweatpants hanging low on his hips, showing off the abs and oh gosh, abs– Abs everywhere.

"Hey, eyes up here." He grinned.

He was– holy shit– he was cocky! This was the Damon she'd always imagined when reading about him in the magazines; the cocky, secure, hot and sexy as fuck type of guy. The one you loved to hate; with a raw passion. Sure, he'd been all of those things when he'd showed up at her doorstep but he'd - obviously - been holding back. He'd been tamed and drilled into a molded figure that she'd never been able to wrap her mind around. He'd been distant yet close.

So, to notice that his entire stance had changed overnight– caused her to feel lightheaded. Or maybe– maybe this was the real Damon that he'd kept hidden under the controlled and proper manners he'd talked about last night. He did mention a leash during their conversation about his parents. Wait, no, that was– Her eyes started to wander by their own free will. Oh, his hair seemed so messy and silky - all at the same time, how was it even possible? Gosh, she just wanted to pull her hands through his dark strands and tug at it.

The usually calm and collected version of him had turned into something— well, something more– and it was undoubtedly and undeniably– sexy beyond belief. She gulped, trying to compose herself. She shook her head, what on earth was happening to her?

"As if I wanted to devour you?"

"Um, no. I just— I thought—" she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. It was getting harder and harder to hide the heat building inside her. He looked good enough to actually eat. Oh my, she wouldn't say no to nibbling at him, sucking the sensitive skin just below his navel, trailing the line of hair that dis– She cleared her throat and got to her feet.

"You kissed me yesterday."

"That was– I mean–" She stammered, fidgeting with her hands. "No, that was different."

"Different how?" He tilted his head.

His eyes glittered with mischief and her cheeks burned; they were probably a bright shade of red and there was absolutely nothing she could do to hide it. Damon leaned back against the counter and sipped on his coffee, never breaking eye contact with her.

"You needed it."

"I did." He confessed.

"Well– good! But I don't need you to go around kissing my neck, nuzzling it and make me feel–"

"Hot and bothered?"

"Whatever, if you're just going to mock me..." She shook her head and attempted to leave the kitchen when his hand wrapped around her arm, turning her towards him.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. It wasn't my intention."

"Yes, it was." She countered.

"What do you want me to say, Elena? I got to yell at my parents, I slept an entire night for the first time in six months, I woke up in a really good mood and it just– It just happened. I'm sorry."

He seemed rather sincere and she sighed, realizing his hands had come to rest on her hips. She wasn't mad, just surprised and to be honest, yes, she was hot and bothered. If he could be honest with her, then maybe she should give it a try as well. 'Here goes nothing.'

"I'm confused." She explained, tilting her head to look up at him. "I don't know what we're doing. I'm attracted to you which should be weird considering the fact that I'm–"

"Considering the fact that you're pregnant with my niece or nephew?"

"Yes." She whispered, resting her hands on his chest. Elena could feel his heart beat furiously below her hands and she bit her lower lip.

"Don't do that." He all but whimpered huskily.

"Do what?"

Damon's arms tightened around her waist as he pulled her closer, her hips rocking into his, her breasts pressed almost flat against him as she snaked her arms around his neck, their lips mere inches apart from each other. She could feel his breath on her mouth, causing her tongue to dart out. Elena could see the flickering of his eyes as she licked her upper lip, the hitch in his throat as she played with the hair at the back of his head, caressing his neck with soft hands.

"The lip-biting-thing, it has got to stop."

"Or what?" She breathed.

DAMON

He hissed at her newfound confidence, where did that come from? It was hot, in fact - it was so freaking hot that the strain in his sweatpants couldn't be hidden even if he tried. He tilted his hips, making sure she could feel exactly how she affected him.

"Or I'll probably end up kissing you."

Her hands raked through his hair and he couldn't help but to close his eyes, he wanted to groan out loud, it felt so damn good. 'Shit, don't stop.' And then, to his big disappointment, her hands came to a stop as she forced him to meet her eyes. The brown color of her eyes reminded him of hot, melted, dripping chocolate and he just wanted to drown in them.

"So do it." She implored.

Damon feared that his knees would give out unless he moved. So, he caught her upper lip with his mouth, inhaling her scent, his body pulsating with the heat and lust blowing up between them. She tasted of coffee and something else that he couldn't exactly pinpoint - he liked it.

Elena opened her mouth, inviting him to explore her and when their tongue's found each other, he feared his heart would burst through the chest. Moaning, locked in his embrace, she felt like she belonged there.

This was different from the kiss they'd shared yesterday. She'd surprised him when he was on fire from anger and frustration. It had been sweet and yes, rather comforting. It had grounded him in a way he wouldn't admit out loud for her to hear. But, it had also been chaste, no tongue and no painful dick throbbing with the ache to be touched, in his pants.

Damon stroked his hands up and down her back, devouring her mouth, mesmerized at how she actually fit so amazingly well pressed into him. He continued down her throat, kissing the place where neck and shoulder met, causing her to whimper, her breathing just as heavy as his own. She tugged at his hair, almost giggling as he made his way up to her lips once more. Damon couldn't remember the last time he'd been so turned on by simply making out.

The buzzing sound and vibration of his phone caused them to part. She smiled at him as he fished his phone out of his back pocket and he smirked in return. They stared down at the phone in his hand. Their smiles disappeared.

Stefan.

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Love, Quinn