I am loving your feedback and I wanted to say thank you so much. You have no idea how great it is to get a positive response about your own work, especially when it is your first attempt. Some of you have even posted every time and I can't thank you enough.

But back to the story...

This chapter ended up being extremely long, but I figured you all wouldn't mind. Damon and Elena had a lot of obstacles they needed to overcome in order to make a connection between them realistic. I hope I was able to approach and deal with these obstacles in a way you all as readers will believe. If not, please let me know. I'm feeling very vulnerable about posting this chapter because every time I read it, I make a correction to one of their statements. Typically before posting I will review a chapter once and be fine with it. Not so much with this one. After making alterations 26294749 times, I decided to just post as is. It appears I will never be completely satisfied with this chapter, and I've come to terms with that. So yes, please let me know if something doesn't make sense or whatnot.

Sorry about my rant, but I had to explain why it took so long for me to post this chapter. I hope you all like it. :)


Elena was absolutely drunk; of this Damon was sure. They sat on the same couch nearly 6 hours after their discussion regarding Stefan had ended; straying only once to partake in Damon's late night quesadilla snack suggestion.

Damon was well aware of how close Elena was and he vibrated with anxiety at the thought of it. Every few sentences, Elena had reached down and placed her hand on his leg. Damon knew this was simply to balance herself, but the idea of it being more was more than enough to keep him there all night.

Elena was attempting to tell a story regarding a field trip her, Caroline, and Bonnie had taken to the Mystic Falls Zoo, but kept losing track of her thoughts.

"And Bonnie decided it was a good idea to hit Tyler over the head with her stuffed gorilla." She lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned into him as if she was telling him an incredibly important secret and whispered, "Just between you and me, I think it was because she had a crush on him." Following this, Elena let out a laugh contagious enough to make a funeral audience join it.

Damon responded genuinely with his own laugh and thought she looked absolutely beautiful. It had been far too long since he had seen Elena smile this much, and it was a glorious site to see. It didn't matter that it had taken more than 10 drinks to get her to this state of bliss, she was here and that was the important thing.

Elena broke through his strain of thoughts by waving her hand in front of his face and slurring, "Hello, earth to Damon. I'm in the middle of a very important story regarding a gorilla and… who was I talking about? Oh yes, Bonnie. Bonnie and her stuffed gorilla! Are you still listening?"

Damon chuckled and repositioned his body to show his full attention to her. Elena giggled in response and his frozen heart melted. Her chocolate brown eyes rested on his for a minute before she blushed and looked away. She then waved her hand dismissively through the air and said, "Nevermind; the story really isn't that interesting anyway. Let's turn on some music."

She threw herself off of the couch before immediately falling back down. In a flash Damon was there to catch her fall. She looked up at him, let out a laugh filled with embarassment, and asked, "What would I have done without you?"

Damon replied, "More than likely you'd have continued falling into the soft comfortable couch behind you, but we both know I can never resist the opportunity to show off my super speed."

"So very true," Elena agreed.

He lifted her into an upright position and released her. She made her way to the stereo and sifted through the radio stations before stopping on Marilyn Manson's "Tainted Love." At the sound of it she threw her arms up over her head, closed her eyes, tilted her head back and began singing along to the lyrics.

Damon tried to take his eyes off of Elena finding it inappropriate to stare, but he was completely captivated by her. She was a firework bursting with colors and he feared if he blinked he would miss one.

She shimmied her way back over to Damon and pleaded, "Dance with me?"

He shook his head and through a grin he shouted, "No way!"

She grabbed his wrist, batted her eyelashes seductively and begged, "Please? You know you can't resist me."

If only she knew. Damon gave in. He flashed from the couch and had a hand wrapped around Elena's back before she had time to blink. He threw her into a dip and teased, "You're lucky dancing's my specialty."

He lifted her back into an upright position causing Elena to sway. Once she regained her balance, she took the opportunity to grind her body against his. She slowly lifted her eyes and questioned, "Is there anything you aren't good at?"

Damon shot her his famous grin and said, "Of course, breeding bunnies. Every time I tried, Stefan got hungry. I kept telling him this was the one skill I hadn't mastered and it was of incredible importance that I did, but he couldn't help himself."

Elena slapped him on the shoulder and responded, "Oh that's horrible. You had better be joking!"

Damon eyes narrowed as he raised his eyebrows up and down. He smiled, took her wrist and threw her into a spin before saying, "Of course I'm joking, Elena. I'm good at everything."

She let out another contagious laugh as she spun back into him. Her face rested nearly inches from his and their eyes stared into each others, neither one attempting to pull away. Damon could feel the invitation of her warm breath against his lips, but made no attempt to accept.

After seconds Elena blinked breaking the connection and reversed her stance. She once again began moving her hips seductively causing the back side of her body to slide against the front of his. Damon felt desire wash over him, but snapped back to reality before he had given in.

He stole a glance at the clock on the wall and noticed it showed almost 3am. It had been a very long day for both of them and she desperately needed to get some rest. With the amount of alcohol in her system, he predicted she would be sleeping long past noon.

He slowed his hips and she mimicked his movement. The sudden sensual change to her rhythm made his body go stiff. It was definitely time to get Elena to bed.

She continued the grinding motion until she noticed he was standing in place. She turned to face him with an inquisitive brow and questioned, "Why did you stop?"

"I think it's time we both call it a night. It's getting pretty late," he answered.

She pursed her lips into a pout, which Damon realized made her look exactly like a 2-year old, and made her way back onto the couch. She flopped down and moved her hand in a circular movement motioning him to sit next to her.

Damon rolled his eyes, but complied by joining her.


Elena knew she was entering dangerous territory. Her sensed were blurred and she was just a little more buzzed than she would have liked. But she was enjoying herself and it had been way too long since the last time she had relaxed. To be honest, she couldn't remember the last time she let loose and had this much fun. But, she knew with 100% certainty that she was not ready for the night to end.

She glanced at Damon sitting next to her and felt an incredible desire to touch his flawless face. It felt like his icy blue eyes tore through her exterior and right to her soul. She had never felt more comfortable and; yet, completely uncomfortable at the same time.

So much had changed between them in the time they had spent apart. She had changed. She had become stronger, but knew he was more than strong enough to compliment her newly found self. Feelings she previously held had disappeared and others had emerged in their place. She wasn't sure how or why this happened, but at the moment she simply wanted to embrace them. But before she did, there were a few things she needed to get out of the way.

She shot an intense look at Damon and continued her thoughts out loud, "You have hurt so many people that I love and I should hate you. You have manipulated me, drank from my friends, turned innocents into vampires, and ultimately killed my brother."

Damon's face turned to one of regret. Elena noticed this changed, but it didn't reverse his past actions.

"What happened to you, Damon?" Elena asked.

Damon appeared confused as he asked, "What exactly do you mean? I don't need a rhyme or reason for why I do what I do. But most of those events have a tendancy to be a result of my encounters with one evil vampire, who sort of resembles you."

Elena knew it was going to be difficult to get him to open up again. He had lowered his protective gate once today and the likelihood of him doing it again was slim to none, but she had to try. "That's not what I mean, Damon. When you first showed up in this town you were the epitome of evil. You try hard to prove that it's still in you now, but it's not. You care about the people you hurt. You haven't always, but something changed. Instead of dedicating yourself to harming people, you have switched and now dedicate everything to protecting them. What happened? What made you switch?"

Damon furrowed his brow. He appeared reluctant to continue the conversation, but he answered, "I don't dedicate myself to protecting them, Elena. There is one person I will risk anything to protect and that is you. As much as I hate to admit this, you have managed to change a bit of who I am, but just a bit. I care about what happens to you, but don't mistake that for good. I am still evil."

Elena rummaged through her thoughts silently before ultimately releasing a large sigh. She then said, "I should still hate you for what you did, but I can't. You have done things in the past that have really pissed me off; actually, you have been a complete ass! But despite what you think, you have also done things that prove you aren't all evil. They don't exactly make up for your past actions, but they help to even the scale a little."

Damon's expression had returned to it's normal icy glare and she had no idea if what she was about to say would effect him in any way, but she had to say it anyway. "I have told you in the past that I would never forgive you for what you did to Jeremy, but I wanted to let you know that I do. You have shown there is enough good in you for me to forgive you."

Evidently her forgiveness meant more to Damon than she had expected. She could see his expression change slightly into gratitude, or maybe it was relief. She knew he was trying to appear unaffected, but she could read him like a book. He made no action other than taking a sip of his drink before replying, "That's not smart of you, Elena. You have more faith in my intentions than I do."

As simply as it came, his honesty had disappeared once again. Elena rolled her eyes knowing it was silly to think Damon was capable of holding an entire conversation without his protective barrier, but she decided to ram right through it as she blurted out, "I really missed you when you pushed me away."

Damon looked down at her and frowned. She could tell he felt terrible about his actions in the past, but he confirmed them. "I'm sorry for what I've put you through, but for once I was following through with what I thought was best."

Damon let out a sigh and began, "I'm dangerous, Elena. It's in my very nature. I tend to act without," he paused as though trying to find the correct word, "…thinking."

Elena narrowed her eyes at him, but he continued. "I didn't want to bring any more opportunities for something or someone to hurt you, we both know you succeed in that well enough on your own," he joked and hit his shoulder lightly on hers.

"But don't you think I should have had a say in whether I wanted you around or not?" Elena questioned.

Damon smirked and said, "You don't always choose your safest choices, Elena. And I feared if I left that decision up to you, you'd have picked the wrong choice."

Elena leaned into him making sure he was looking directly into her eyes and stated, "First off, I'm strong and wise enough to make my own decisions. And second, why would you ever believe yourself to be the wrong choice?"

Damon's face closed nearly all of the remaining space between them as he whispered with determination, "Everything you said earlier about the past actions I have made are enough to prove to you that I will always be the wrong choice. If I was the right one, I would have never made them in the first place and there would have never been a need for you to forgive me. I will never be your safest bet and don't you ever forget that."

Elena's eyes closed slightly, he was so close that she could almost taste him. His scent was intoxicating and overwhelming her and before she knew what she was doing, she whispered in response, "I think you're wrong. But if you're not, then maybe the wrong choice is exactly the one I was always supposed to make." She brought her lips to his slowly only to find his made no movement in response. She pulled away to see a pained expression consuming his face.

"Did I do something wrong?" questioned Elena.

Damon placed his hand on the side of her face, pure sadness reflecting from his eyes, and said, "Of course you didn't, but no matter what you think at this exact moment, it will change tomorrow. You'll realize I'm not the right choice, Elena, and I am definitely not the person you think I am."

She tilted her head to the side and smiled before stating, "Deep down you have always been the person, well vampire, I thought you were. You're impulsive and make bad decisions sometimes, but like you said, that's in your very nature and I have forgiven you for that."

Elena moved her lips until they were millimeters from his. She could feel the static react from the closeness of their skin as she said, "And every day you have slowly transitioned into the amazing, caring, and honest vampire I knew you were capable of becoming."

She then pressed her lips against his for a second time, but this time with a little effort from her part, his responded with a tender kiss. She felt his hand lift and graze the bottom of her chin and in return she wrapped a hand around the back of his neck.

There was nothing else she could add to the moment to make it more perfect. Damon had released his defensive walls and she felt completely at ease. With each motion of their lips she felt herself fall deeper into bliss.

Her tongue slipped to the edge of her mouth and teased the traces of his lips. They parted in response allowing her tongue to massage against his. Damon wrapped his arms protectively around her waist and pulled her into a passionate embrace. His right hand reached up to her face and then slid down her back and finished by wrapping itself around the outer side of her thigh.

Her entire body was responding; it felt like it was on fire and it was only building in heat. She wanted more of him, all of him, and not just for tonight.

Following his lead, she lifted one leg before placing it on the opposite side of Damon's causing her to settle into a straddling position. She ran her fingertips along the back of his neck and noticed him slightly shudder at the touch.

In response, she felt Damon's free hand move to the back of her neck and into her hair. It was only seconds before it had become completely entangled.

Sensing his desire, she pushed her body against his and moved her hips in a slow rhythm to show what she was craving. She knew he wanted the exact thing because she could feel the solid evidence underneath of her.

She began kissing him more passionately, breathes escaping rapidly from her mouth, before Damon immediately stopped and pulled away; throwing his arms up to resist her from continuing.

Elena brought her head back slowly and stared at him in disbelief.


Damon was absolutely crawling inside. His craving for Elena was more intense than it had ever been. He wanted nothing more than to carry her to his bedroom and finish what they started, but he couldn't do it. Not tonight.

Elena's heart had been shattered only hours ago and she was drunk. She had obviously only forgiven him because of the amount of alcohol in her system, and she definitely only wanted him for the same reason. She was vulnerable and he wanted no part in taking advantage of her. As much as it pained him, he let out an unnecessary breath and said, "I'm sorry, Elena, but I can't do this."

She stared at him with pure shock in her eyes before it turned to embarrassment.

He immediately felt the need to explain himself, "Not that I don't want to. Oh god do I want to, but not tonight. Too much has happened and if this were to truly happen between us, I would want it to be when we're both ready."

She interjected him and said, "I'm ready."

He tucked a piece of her chestnut hair behind her ear and said, "You're not ready. So much has happened to you today. You're dealing with everything that went down with Stefan and you've had a lot to drink. I'm just protecting you from doing something you'll regret later."

He hated admitting it to himself, but he knew in the morning Elena would wake up and realize the dream occurring to him now was indeed her nightmare. And he couldn't bear for her to feel that regret.

She removed herself from his lap and spoke with intense anger, "I'm not the fragile creature you think I am and I'm perfectly capable of making my own decision; but thank you for once again making my decision for me. I thought we went over this, but you obviously weren't listening to a thing I just said."

Damon stood to face her and pleaded, "It's for the best, I promise you. Tomorrow you will thank me for this."

"Whatever you say," she spat. "What bed can I sleep in other than yours or Stefan's?"

Damon attempted to take her hand, but she swatted him away. He sighed and instead led the way to a spare bedroom. He didn't enter because it was obvious she had no desire for him to. She walked past him and took a seat on the edge of the bed before saying, "Goodnight."

Damon took one last glance at the fantasy he just denied and said, "You'll forgive me in the morning."


Sorry guys, but I couldn't give you what you wanted just yet. It wouldn't really be much of a story if I had. I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway.