Elena walked in her mother's room careful not to make any noise that would wake her up.

"It's okay sweetie, I'm not sleeping."

"Why not? You need to rest." She sat at the edge of the bed.

"Have you ever felt so happy that it was impossible for you to fall asleep?" Miranda smiled at her daughter.

"Yeah..I have. Is it because of Damon?"

"Not only because of Damon. It's also because of Jeremy." Elena was surprised. "When he brought me in my room he promised me we're gonna spend more time together and that we'll be going out for walks all the time." Elena couldn't believe in her ears. Jeremy wasn't the person who would show much of emotion since their father passed. Elena always felt like Anna was the only person who could make him feel something and express it. But now he was getting better. Maybe seeing Damon acting like a real son made him realize all those things he could have done for his mother and never did. "Elena, I don't care about the walks. We can stay home all the time. I just feel like I'm getting my son back." Tears fell from her eyes.

"Things are getting better mom. Jeremy will find his old self, I know that."

"He's getting there." She smiled and grabbed her daughter's hand. "Now..please tell me what happened with Tom today?"

"We had a fight. He wants the marriage to happen soon. But I...I'm.."

"Elena listen to me." She cut her off. "I'll tell you something and I want you to think about it." She looked in her eyes protracted. "If you feel like your feelings have changed you can say it. And you better say it before it's too late." Elena thought about it for a second and then nodded. She didn't know what to say. Her mother was right. Her feelings had changed...she just didn't knwo if she was ready to admit it. "Do you promise me you'll follow your heart on this?" Elena smiled and nodded again. "Good. And have a great time tonight."

"How do you know I'm going out tonight?"

"I'm your mother. I know everything." Elena laughed at her statement.

"Goodnight mom."

"Goodnight baby."

She walked out of the room and pulled her mobile phone out of her pocket to check the time. She needed to start getting ready. But before that there was someone she needed to talk to. She searched her contacts and found Caroline's.

"Hey!" She heard Caroline's voice.

"Hey." Elena started walking towards her room.

"Oh my God! Why do you have your "something's up" voice on?"

"I'm in desperate need of some girl-talk." She closed the door of her room as she walked in.

"I think I already know what you want to talk about. But let's not do it over the phone. I can be there in half an hour."

"I can't. I'll go out with Damon." There was a long pause until she heard Caroline talking again.

"Oh..."

"Say something please."

"Elena I don't think you're ready to hear what I have to say. Look...just go out tonight, have fun and we'll talk about it tomorrow. Okay?" She said with a sweet voice.

"Okay. Don't make any plans for tomorrow night."

"What plans can I make when my best friend needs me?"

"I love you." Elena smiled.

"I love you back. Look I got to go. See ya."

"Bye."

They hang up. Elena knew that the following night was going to be a big one. But she also had a bad feeling about it and she couldn't shake it.


"Finally miss Gilbert. I was beginning to worry that you won't show up." Damon said with a smirk on his face and then bit his lip. Elena found the sight very erotic and looked away. "It was worth the wait. You look stunning." He said with a low sexy voice that was making her wet.

She was wearing a black short tight dress and high heels. Her hair were falling on her shoulders long, wavy and more beautiful than ever. But the one thing that had caught Damon's attention and made his heart skip, what felt like a thousand beats, was her red lipstick that was making her lips irresistible.

"You don't look bad yourself." Damon had kept it simple. He was wearing black jeans and a black shirt but they were enough to make him look like every woman's dream.

"Shall we?" He smiled politely and opened the door for her.

Fifteen minutes later they were at a local bar ordering their drinks. Elena was a little nervous. She suddenly felt like all of this was an exploration about her feelings for Damon and it was a big step for her to even admit they were there. A day before she wouldn't even admit these feelings existed. But now how could she deny it? Especially when they were standing on her way.

"You okay?" Damon smiled at her.

"Yeah, it's just...you did so much for us and I don't know how to thank you."

"Elena I'm not doing all these because I want you to feel like you have to thank me. I just feel like doing them. Now let's get drunk." He winked at her.

"I don't get drunk easily." She stated.

"Great! I'm glad to know that one of us in gonna be sobber and not let unknown women take advantage of this body tonight."

"Cocky." She said while the waitress served their drinks.

"He has every reason to be." The woman said. "If I was his age I'd definitely try to get him drunk." She winked at him.

"And you are?" Elena said with a soured expression on her face that she just couldn't control.

"My name is Bree honey." The negro woman said. She was about 40 years old and attractive.

"I'm Damon." He said and surprised Elena. DON'T YOU DARE START FLIRTING WITH HER. She screamed but just inside her head. "Well Bree, you're very beautiful and I bet that if you were my age I'd let you get me drunk. But the thing is that these days are over for me. A few months ago I proposed to this beautiful young lady and we're getting married very soon." Ξ•lena gave him a what-the fuck-are you-talking about kind of look but he winked at her and that made her understand the game he was playing.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I mean it's obvious there's something going on between you two, but there's more. You're pretty serious huh?" Bree asked with a smile on her face. Oh my God! Did she just say it's obvious? Elena's thoughts were going crazy. It was a dangerous game to play with Damon as a partner, but she had promised herself that tonight she'd just let herself free to enjoy everything that Damon's company could offer her. Well..not everything. She thought.

"Yeah we are." She finally got in the game too. It could be fun after all. But she regreted it the second Damon reached for her hand and held it in his. The goosebumps started to raise the minute that his flesh met hers. She mentally face-palmed herself ang cursed her body for giving her away so dryly.

"You two really got my attention now. Why don't you grab your drinks and come by the bar? After all, this place is almost empty."

"What do you think baby?" He smiled at her and placed a light kiss at her hand, making her heart do crazy things inside her chest.

"We'll be there in a minute." Elena said politely and Bree walked away. "What the hell are you doing?" Elena said with clenched teeth.

"Having fun. Oh come on! We can make up fake stories and laugh all night long." He looked so excited. "But if you feel uncomfortable we can stop right there. I could pretend I'm having a panic attack or something and leave." Elena thought about it for a few seconds.

"Oh screw it. Let's do this!" She said and finished her drink in one shot. "But remember there's one basic rule we should follow in order for this to work. Whatever the other says. Just go with it."

"So yoou'll just go with whatever I say for an entre night? This should be interesting." He wiggled his eye-brows.

"I'm so gonna regret this." Elena whispered to herself.

They approached the bar, where Bree was sitting alone drinking bourbon.

"Oh there you are." She said when she saw them coming.

"Let's do shots." Damon suggested.

"Oh I'm in baby." Elena said. Damon sat on a stool chair and before Elena had the time to sit on her own, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to him.

"Don't sit. I want you close to me." Thanks to her heels her face was almost at the same level as his.

"Okay." Elena barely formed the word. She was caught off guard.

"Come on you two, you're gonna have a lifetime to gaze into eachother's eyes. What are we drinking?"

"Tequila will do." Damon said without taking his eyes off of Elena's. She was just starting to realize in what trouble she had gotten herself into. They'd have to act like a couple for the rest of the night. Oh boy. SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!

After eleven rounds of tequila shots the three of them were joking and laughing like old friends. Elena was sitting at the bar stool next to his. They weren't face to face like they were before but he now had his hand on her thigh and she was holding it there.

"You know what?" Bree said with a smile. "When you told me that you were gonna get married, I thought, 'God what are these kids doing'? 'Why would they settle down from such a young age'? But now I see it." She smiled at them. "You really complete eachother." The words hit her like a bucket full of cold water. Someone had just made the realization for her. Damon was the only person who could complete her. That's exactly what was missing from her relationship with Tom. She looked at Damon. Her expression was serious now, which made him take her hand in his and then look at Bree confidently continuing their conversation. Elena's mind though had shut their voices out. The only thing she could think about was her hand in his. It felt so right, even though she knew how wrong it was to be holding it, especially when she finally knew that her intentions weren't friendly at all. She could hide it from the others all she wanted, but she couldn't lie to herself anymore. She was falling in love with him. Any other moment than this, she would have freaked out. But after eleven tequila shots and the feel of her skin against hers, she just wanted to let go for one night. Maybe in the morning she'd find the strength to start denying once again what she and Damon had, and do the right thing by Tom. But tonight she would just let go.

She came out of her thoughts when Damon squeezed her hand without realizing it.

"Don't tell me about loud sex." She heard him saying to Bree. "Elena and I once stayed the night at a motel. I'm sure the people who were there that night, will remember us for a long time. You know I did that thing with my tongue and she-" Elena's cheecks flashed red.

"DAMON!" She looked so cute when she got mad at him.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of baby." He said and kissed her cheeck lightly, making her brain freeze for a moment. "After all, I can't say that you don't affect me in the exact same way." He smirked.

"Damon though is more loud in other situations." If he was going to play dirty, she would play dirty too.

"Such as?" Bree asked all curious.

"Yeah Elena, such as?" Damon repeated the negro woman's words.

"Every time we watch a horror movie he starts screaming like a little girl and hiding under the blanket."

"No way!." Bree laughed with her heart.

"Such a coward huh? But you agreed to marry me anyway." He said and did another tequila shot on his own.

"You can call me crazy." She said and he rolled his eyes, but then smiled at her.

"Crazy about me." Damon winked.

"He really is cocky." Bree admitted.

"I know." Elena said in a sing a song voice. "So, what about another round?"

They spent the rest of the night like this. They were drinking and having fun. Elena felt like she suddenly travelled back in time, in days when she was younger and carefree. Damon was the only one who was able to make her feel like that way again. Alive. And she didn't even have to try. After the car accident and her father's death all she was doing was try. She was trying to help her mother. Trying to reach her brother, who had completely shut her out. Trying to be the woman Tom wanted. Trying to not break. But she was sick of it. Damon had brought the light in her eyes back. He had done the impossible. Made her feel like the future wouldn't only hold more pain for her. He made her hope that everything would get better. And she needed that.

"I swear this room is suddenly spinning." Elena said and laughed.

"Damon I think you should take her home. One more shot and she will be on the floor."

"Come on baby. It's time to go." Damon said and helped Elena stand up.

"What? No! I wanna stay here and drink!" She said in a drunken tone. Damon ignored her and helped her put on her coat.

"Come on. Say goodnight to Bree." He said and slid his hand at the small of her back, always ready to catch her if she couldn't stand.

"When did you become so responsible?" But Damon gave her a warning look "Goodnight." She pouted at Bree's direction.

"Bye sweetie." The woman smiled. "And remember one thing. No matter what a hard time he gives you sometimes and no matter how cocky he is, he loves you. Anyone can see that from miles away." But Elena was too drunk. She couldn't analyze Bree's words, even though a part of her brain was screaming that they were too important.

"Bye Bree. We'll see you around." Damon said and helped Elena walk to the exit while she completely leaned on him.

They walked towards her car and Damon helped her in the passenger's seat. After a moment he was inside the car with her. Elena reached for his hand with hers, which stopped him from starting the car.

"Damon." She said with eyes that couldn't focus. "Please don't leave me." She cried and he turned his whole body to her direction so he could face her.

"Hey...I'm not going anywhere." He took her face in his hands trying to calm her down. Where did the happy mood go? "I'm right here."

"No, you don't understand." She said while sobbing.

"Talk to me." Damon said worried.

Her drunken self couldn't start analyzing everything she's been thinking for the entire evening. This version of herself could only say what she really wanted in the most simple way possible. And that was for Damon to never leave her. She wanted him and everything he brought in her life to stay with her. Elena looked into his ocean blues and then his lips.

"I want to kiss you." She said. Elena would have never said something like that. But in that moment she couldn't think of what was right and what was wrong. She could only think of what she wanted and how she felt.

Damon held his breath and his body froze. His eyes were looking at her lips. Her red lipstick had been torturing him all night. He wanted to ruin that lipstick. He wanted to taste her mouth and get lost in her and then he wanted to make love to her until they couldn't move anymore.

"Elena." He whispered and his face got closer to hers. His eyes closed and so did hers. His one hand was holding her face in place and the other was taking her long wavy hair out of the way. She felt his hot breath caressing her face and she knew his lips were only an inch away from touching hers. She pushed her face forward but he pulled back. He wanted this kiss her more than anything. He wanted her more than anything. But he couldn't do that. She was drunk and he wouldn't ever take advantage of that. With any other woman he would have just gave in. But Elena was too important. "I can't." He finally said and broke out of the spell that was pulling them together.

"Why?" She whispered. Her face still inches away from his. He stroked her cheeck which made her open her eyes.

"Because when you finally give in. I don't want it to be because you're drunk and confused. I want it to happen, because you just can't not do so." And with that he moved his lips on her forhead. Elena closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. It was intoxicating and it made her feel even more relaxed than she already was.

"Now let's go home. You need to rest." He said and started the car.

They remained silent at the entire car ride. Damon used all his might to not even look at her.

When they got home he helped her get in her bedroom. He tucked her in bed and made sure she didn't need anything else.

"Damon." She called him right before he was about to leave the room. "Please stay here."

"Elena go to sleep. We'll talk in the morning." But his voice was giving away what he really wanted. He wanted to just do what she had just asked him to.

"Please." And once again he was too weak. She made him weak. He couldn't say no to her. With other woman he was always in contol, he was the one calling the shots. With Elena it was different. Satisfying her, or making her happy in any way possible...he just loved it. And while his heart was demanding for him to listen to its owner, another voice inside his head started screaming that this would be a mistake. Yeah, it was probably the last time he'd actually get to hold her in his arms. But she was valnurable and she was one of the few people in his life that he'd never take advantage of.

He went near her and leaned down so that she didn't need to look up in order to see his face. Her eyes met his.

"Please stay." She said again.

"You don't want this." Damon said softly. "You're not ready for this." He wasn't talking about the fact that she wanted him to sleep next to her. He was talking about everything that this would bring in her life the next morning. They'd have to talk about it. He'd push her until she would finally admit that she doesn't want to get married with Tom and then she'd have to make a choice. But what would be the point in that? As much as he wanted to scream in her face, all the things that he was able to see, that she couldn't, he also knew that she had to figure things out on her own.

"How do you know?" Her voice was just a whisper.

"Because I know you better than you know yourself." He smiled. A sad smile. "Goodnight, Elena."

He didn't hesitate anymore. He walked out of her room, before she could change his mind. He did the right thing and that made him feel a little proud.


The sound of the door-bell made Caroline fall out of her peaceful sleep. Her brain was still not working. She was pretty sure though, that she wasn't expecting anyone. She checked out the time in her mobile phone. It was 8 a.m. Who could it be? It was still early. She heard the bell ringing again, this time the sound was followed by some knocks on the door too. She jumped out of bed and put on her blue robe. She walked down the stairs and rushed to the door.

"If you're a thief, just so you know, my mother is the sheriff of the town, so just leave." She said loudly.

"It's Elena." She heard her friend's voide at the other side of the door and she opened it immediately.

"What are you doing here at 8 a.m? It's early even for seize-the-day-ers like me."

"I can see that." Elena scanned her friend from head to toe. "Thief? Really? What kind of thief rings your bell?"

"You know what? I haven't had coffee yet, and yesterday, it was a pretty crazy night, so shut up and come in."

Elena walked inside the house and went to sit in the living room.

"Don't talk to me about crazy."

"What happened? We were supposed to spend the night together, not the day." Caroline's schedule was always full, so it remained strict. And Elena had just disorganized it by showing up unannounced.

"Caroline." She said in order to make her friend stop talking. When she got Caroline's attention she continued. " I don't remember a thing from last night." Elena said and Caroline froze.

"Fuck the coffee. I'm gonna need vodka to do this." A bottle of vodka was on the coffee table in front of them and she reached to grab it. She had left it there last night after she had a couple of glasses to calm her nerves.

"I want you to be sobber when you hear all this, because I really need your advice right now." Elena took the bottle from Caroline's hand and placed it back on the table.

"How bad is it?"

"That's the thing. I don't know." Elena sighed.

"Tom showed up here last night." Caroline just spilled and Elena's eyes got wide.

"What? Why?" Elena had a bad feeling about this.

"He's jealous Elena. A guy from your past who's sexy as hell lives under the same roof as you and he also seems to be interested in you. All this, plus the fact that you don't seem so willing to marry him makes him worry." Caroline was happy that she was finally saying everything she was thinking. Tom had gotten her in the middle last night and she didn't like that at all. It actually made her panic. "So he showed up and asked me if I know anything." Caroline paused.

"What did you say to him?" Elena asked in a very serious tone.

"That I don't know anything of course. What else?" Tom was a good friend, but Elena was like family. So even if she thought of telling him the truth she decided that she could never do that to her, and she stayed out of it.

"This is all my fault." Elena said and let her head fall in her palms. "I'm so sorry Caroline. I didn't mean to bring you into this mess."

"What are friends for?" The blonde girl said and smiled. Yeah, the previous night really had been stressful but she was already over it.

"Did you say anything else to him?"

"Yes, I told him that he doesn't need to worry and that there's nothing going on between you and Damon...which was true about that time." Caroline tried to smile but she didn't feel like it, so she just quited.

"Do you think something happened between me and Damon last night?" Elena asked.

"I think that it's possible, but let's not rush into conclusions. Let's take it from the start." The other girl suggested.

Elena told her everything she remembered. She told her about Bree and how jealous she felt when she flirted with Damon. She told her about Damon's little role play idea and how real it felt. She told her how free she felt while drinking and laughing with him. She told her about what Bree told her. She remembered that very clearly. She had told her that they complete eachother. She also told her about all the things she realized about Damon. All of her thoughts, about everything he's brought into her life and how scared she is of losing them...of losing him.

"And then nothing. They're all flashes. We were in the car and our faces were so close and I remember his lips. And after that...darkness."

"Why don't you ask him?" Caroline suggested.

"I don't know if it's a good idea to have this conversation with him." She didn't even know what she was supposed to ask.

"Damon is the only one who has the answers you need."

"But what am I gonna do if? If...you know." She didn't even wanna think about that possibility.

"I think that first of all, you need to be honest with yourslef. It doesn't matter if you kissed him or even had sex with him. What matters is that he has gotten under your skin anyway." Caroline stated. "You are attracted to him and all of his bad boy glory. And why wouldn't you? You said it yourself. He makes you feel alive. He has brought back all the good things that were missing from your life, with all the tragedy sarounding you. When have you ever talked about Tom like that?"

Elena was speechless. Caroline was saying out loud everything Elena was afraid to admit and that made her feel like someone had just told a secret loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I love Tom, Caroline. I do." Was all Elena managed to say. Maybe it was the only thing she had left to say.

"I know you love Tom. But are you in love with him?"

"I don't know. I have a good time when I'm with him. And he's so sweet with me and he doesn't like fighting with me. He's basically the perfect boyfriend. Why wouldn't a girl want all that?"

"And Damon isn't?" Making her talk about both of them was the only way she could help her.

"Things with Damon are different. When I'm with him...it just...it consumes me. And he somehow makes me feel free and I just let go. But he also knows how to push my buttons. He can drive me crazy. I mean, one moment we're fine and the next we could be fighting. He's unpredictable and it scares the shit out of me." Caroline was smiling the entire time. Her friend was falling in love and it was the real deal this time. She could see it in her eyes. She could hear it her voice. There was something passionate in the way Elena was talking about Damon. There was a sparkle in her eyes, one that she didn't have when she was talking about Tom.

"One last question. Have you ever thought of Damon sexually?"

Elena parted her lips and took a big breath. Then she simply nodded.

"Then everything is crystal clear. You're falling for him. It might scare you, but it's the truth. The sooner you admit it to yourself the better."

"This can't be happening Caroline. I'm with Tom. I'm about to get married with him. I can't fall in love with someone else." Elena's eyes were filled with tears.

"You're not married yet. You can still change your mind." Caroline smiled.

"Caroline I've been with Tom for a very long time. He proposed and I said yes. I can't just change my mind about something like this." Elena said desperately and the tears finally fell from her eyes.

"Do you hear yourself right now? Elena, marriage is a big deal. It's something that you need to be 100% sure about, and I can see that you're not."

Elena wiped away her tears.

"I can't deal with this. Not right now." She took a big breath. "Do you mind if I stay with you for the day and night? I think you're the only person it's safe to be around right now."

Caroline nodded and pulled her friend in a hug.

"Everything's gonna be fine." She said.

"You believe that?" Elena asked still in her friend's arms.

"I know that. Things will fall into place. You'll see."


So that was another chapter. Sorry for the late update. Let's just say that wirting can't be put in my priorities. But I do love the story that I'm trying to tell and as I said the last time that I updated I will finish it even if it takes years. So please tell me what you guys think. I read all your comments and it's really amazing to know your thoughts on each chapter. So thank you for supporting this fanfic. I love you all xoxo