Hey, everyone sorry about the long wait between chapters. I went away for the week to visit family and didn't have much time to write! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, as always, your encouragement and reviews are welcomed and appreciated. The song I Built a Friend by Alec Benjamin helped inspire me to write this chapter!

That night at The Grill was busier than most. Apparently, there was some band coming to play or something, Luna didn't really know. Or care.

She was too busy to care.

Luna didn't think she had ever made this many drinks in her life. She hurriedly topped off whiskeys, created cocktails, and mixed martinis all the while her mind was still on Damon. Unfortunately, no matter how stupid it was, the raven-haired man was the focus of her thoughts. And whenever The Grill door opened, her eyes flicked up, searching for the ocean eyed bad boy hoping it was him coming through the door as promised.

Except it wasn't.

Just when she had given up, and the night was winding down and coming to a close The Grill door opened for the millionth time and in walked the center of all Luna's thoughts (even though she would never admit it out loud).

Luna looked down, focusing on the drink she was making to hide her smile, while Damon sauntered over doing anything but hiding the smirk that graced his lips. Casually plopping himself down in a barstool in front of Luna, he leaned forward and tugged on one of her stray curls.

"Hello, bartender?" rang Damon's voice, causing her to look up.

"Oh, Damon. I didn't notice you." Luna explained, her upper lip threatening to break into a grin.

"Oh, you didn't huh?" Damon said, a not so subtle layer of doubt mixed in with disbelief "then explain why your heart started beating faster as soon as I walked in."

Luna narrowed her eyes at him in surprise and confusion "How did you know that?" she questioned.

"Oh, you know…" Damon trailed off mysteriously.

Luna shook it off and chalked it up to her fast rising chest or the hard pumping in her carotid artery as she poured him a whiskey, sliding it over into his hand which caught the drink without missing a beat.

"I'm surprised you weren't by earlier tonight," Luna said, trying to play off her tone as casual as she began to wipe down the bar.

"Why? Did you miss me?" Damon smirked.

"What? No, I-" Luna started

"it's okay you can admit it. I'm irresistible." Damon cut in, a twinkle in his eye.

"I seem to recall me turning you down" Luna retorted.

Having brought this up Damon's eyes flashed something she didn't recognize and began to darken.

"Yeah…how did you do that?" Damon said curiously.

Luna rolled her eyes "Okay, you're hot but it's not like no one has ever said no to you before, right?" Luna inquired

"Only one girl," Damon said, his mind fogging over with memories of a certain curly haired woman, adorned with fancy jewelry, corset dresses, and fangs.

"Damon?" Luna questioned, as Damon spaced out before her like he was reliving another time.

If Luna looked close enough she might have seen the glimmer of his past and the ghosts within it reflected in his eyes. But just like that, it was gone and the arrogant Salvatore was back before her eyes, acting like he never left.

Downing his drink in a gulp, Damon slid the tumbler back towards Luna.

"Another," Damon grumbled

"Hard day?" inquired Luna, unscrewing the cap on the whiskey, and refilling his glass.

"Hard century," Damon admitted.

Luna laughed, her eyes sparkling, "Feels that way sometimes, doesn't it?" she paused as he reached across the bar, slipping his hand around the glass and pulling it towards him to take greedy sips. "If you're going to drink like this for the rest of the night you better give me your keys" she continued, holding out her open palm.

"I think I'll be fine" Damon protested, finishing another whiskey.

"Keys or no more drinks." Luna deadpanned, eliciting a groan from Damon.

"Come ooon" Damon begged, his bottom lip jutting out slightly.

"You're cute, but no." Luna declared, much to Damon's dismay.

Damon sighed, handing over his keys to the bourbon-haired bartender, "Don't let these out of your sight, I love that damn car." Damon said seriously.

"I'll guard it with my life" Luna offered, a smile playing on her rose-tinted lips as she tucked the keys into her pocket.

Many whiskeys's later; when the bottle was almost empty and Damon sat hunched over the bar top, a half-filled glass in hand and eyes fogged over with the copious amount of alcohol in his system like he was trying to look through all the glasses he drank, the two were once again the only two left in the bar.

Luna had finished wiping down the bar and cleaning up the remaining glasses about fifteen minutes ago, however, a certain blue-eyed Salvatore guzzling down whiskey's like they were water and he was parched made it hard for her to leave.

But she didn't mind. Better here than home, right?

Especially with Damon around.

However, as she poured the remaining bit of whiskey into his glass, finishing off the bottle that he started and the clock ticked away well past midnight, she figured they better call it a night.

"Well, I think that's enough for you tonight. I don't even know how you're still upright." Luna uttered

"I guess you could say I have a really high tolerance" Damon slurred

"Uh huh," Luna said as she made her way around the bar and over to Damon, "It's time to go home, come on, I'll drive you." She continued

"I'm fine, I'm not even that drunk" Damon said, his voice catching on the words as he struggled to sound sober.

"You're not. Come on." Luna reasoned, tucking one of her arms under his leather-clad one to help him stand.

Damon leaned against her; his head coming to rest on top of hers and his arm snaking around her narrow waist.

"You gonna take care of me?" Damon mumbled, his voice thick with whiskey and unanswered questions.

"Yeah, Damon. I'll take care of you." Luna reassured, her voice soft and delicate.

Damon hummed in content as he leaned into the smaller girl, as she led him outside. She quickly unlocked the blue muscle car, opened the door, and maneuvered Damon inside and into the passenger seat.

Luna buckled the drunken man in, closed the door and got in the driver's side, doing the same for herself. She started the car with a rumble of the engine, as she looked over at Damon.

"Are you driving my car?" Damon questioned, with the raise of an eyebrow

"Well I don't have my own" Luna reasoned

"Be careful with it," Damon warned, leaning his head back against the seat and closing his eyes.

Luna carefully pulled out of the parking lot, taking a left down the paved road.

"Don't fall asleep on me" Luna called "I still don't know where you live…or how to get there"

Without opening his eyes, Damon replied "Take the next left at the lights, it's straight from there for about five minutes. I live in the Salvatore Boarding house, you'll know it when you see it."

Luna nodded, even though Damon couldn't see her, and made her way down the stretch of pavement that seemed to last for miles.

When Luna pulled into the Salvatore Boarding house she was stunned, she figured mansion would be a better descriptor as she came to a stop outside the front door.

"This is where you live?" Luna gasped, eyes trailing over the numerous bricks and greenery.

"Mhmm. Me and my brother" Damon said, one eye opening to peek at the girl beside him

"Just you two?" Luna asked

"Just us two." Damon clarified, unbuckling his seatbelt and shrugging it off.

"Let me come 'round and help you." Luna volunteered, shutting off the loud muscle car and undoing her own belt to come around to the passenger side door.

Wrapping her arms under his she carefully hoisted him up and out of the car and with his help, she managed to lean him up against the car while she closed the door.

"Let's get you inside and into bed," Luna said, wrapping her arm under one of his and across his back.

"Into bed already?" Damon teased, eyebrows wiggling as he continued "on the second date, nonetheless?"

Luna laughed, something Damon kept making her do. "You wish. But I don't take advantage of drunk people" Luna explained, helping him walk into the mansion before them.

"I would let you" Damon grinned, showing off his pearly whites

"Alright, come on," Luna said, kicking the door behind her close as she made her way over to the staircase.

"You don't even lock your door?" She pondered, now just realizing it

"It's Mystic Falls, nothing bad ever happens here," Damon said, his voice covered in thick layers of sarcasm, like blankets on a cold winter night.

"You know every time someone says that bad things always happen, like right after the person says it." Luna gulped, as the pair slowly made their way up the stairs.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you" Damon promised, alcohol wafting off his breath.

"In your state? I would be the one protecting you." Luna concluded

Damon laughed, a real throaty laughed that hung in the air and seeped into Luna's skin, infecting her with laughter as they reached the top of the staircase.

"Which way is your room?" Luna inquired, her eyes searching the many halls filled with numerous doors

"Far right, at the end of the hall," Damon replied

"It's really beautiful here," Luna said in awe, looking around as the two walked

I think it would be too cliché to say Damon was gazing at the copper-haired girl with ivory for skin when she said it was beautiful. But I would be lying if I said Damon didn't spare a glance in her direction, blue eyes flicking down to the battered bartender.

When the pair made it into Damon's room, Luna couldn't help but let her eyes wander, inspecting the king-sized bed with luxurious bedding and matching furniture throughout the room.

"I love your room" Luna voiced

"I'm sure you do," Damon said, a grin fixated on his face

"Okay smart guy, let's get you to bed." Luna quipped, helping him sit on the plush fabric.

When Luna finally managed to get him into the bed she pulled off his shoes and pushed his legs onto the bed, pulling a spare blanket off the end of the bed to cover him.

"Tucking me in?" Damon teased, his voice light and clear

"I said I would take care of you, didn't I?" Luna insisted

"Yeah, I guess you did…" Damon trailed off

"Lay on your side, you could choke if you throw up in the night" Luna fretted, climbing beside him on the bed to help him roll over.

Damon easily rolled onto his side, all signs of drunken limbs gone, and pulled her down with him in a quick motion. Luna landed on her side as well, facing the blue-eyed Salvatore, noses almost touching and his arm around her waist.

"Damon?" Luna asked, her voice soft and minty as it puffed against his lips

"Mhmm?" Damon responded, his eyes boring into hers like he could read her every thought.

As silly as it sounds, Luna could feel his gaze in the deepest parts of her, picking her apart piece by piece revealing her core for everything that she was and ever could be. Like all her secrets were out in the open for once, instead of stuck in choked words in her throat or fading bruises on her body.

Luna decided, maybe just for tonight, she could let go.

"Tell me about yourself, all the deep dark secrets and truths that are bubbling just beneath the surface waiting to break free," Luna whispered, her sentence coming out in one big breath.

"I will if you will." Damon offered.

The two talked all night; about their lives and family, about everything and nothing all at the same time, till the sun started to peak in-between the clouds and Luna's voice began to slur with sleep as her eyes closed in the middle of a sentence and she was taken by sleep.

He tucked a stray hair of auburn behind her ear delicately, just letting the pads of his fingers brush against her cheek as he watched her sleep.

His eyes; blue and swirling like the ocean during a storm, analyzed her face, taking in every detail, every muscle movement, freckle, scar, and bruise engraving it into his mind.

That night Damon didn't get much sleep, if any at all; his eyes refusing to close, as they drank in the sight of Luna asleep, her chest rising softly with every breath.

The same strand fell back from behind her ear and across her face, tickling her cheek making her nose crinkle. Damon once again tucked it softly behind her ear, never missing a beat.

I guess he really wasn't that drunk after all.