This was a becoming a really long chapter so I split it into two, the rest of the long chapter will come asap as chapter 9. Thanks for reading and of course, I own nothing! (But owning Damon for a day would be bliss!)

Chapter 8 – Happy Trails

Skipping down the stairs the next morning, Marley felt refreshed from her sleep. People often say that sleeping on something helps unjumble things in your head and that's how she felt now. The thoughts that were spinning over in her head had cleared into images of her time with Damon. She could remember bits of the conversations they had in his room, some of the things they had talked about.

The doorbell rang and she opened the door, then stepped back in surprise as she saw Damon leaning on the doorjam, leather jacket fitting to his chest, gorgeous eyes trained on her with a hint of a smile in them. Strolling past her and into the hallway, he turned and greeted her.

"Does your plant have a death wish?" he asked.

Perplexed, Marley just looked at him.

"Your plant" he indicated at the withered little fuschia she kept on the hallway table and pretended to water regularly.

"Oh, yes, well, plants and I don't mix. I have trouble keeping things alive, I don't trust myself with a pet."

"I know what you mean" he smirked back and held out his hand.

"Umm... " she managed to get out of her mouth, looking at the hand in confusion but not taking it.

"You and me, let's get out of here." he said, leaving his hand extended.

Marley tucked her hand into the pockets on her hoodie and hugged it tightly to her body. "I don't mean to be rude but the last time I saw you, we didn't exactly decide to hook up again. And you have this weird habit of turning up at my house out of the blue."

He dropped his hand then and tapped it on the table next to himself. "Yes well, things can change and I don't do plans, I do spontaneous, can you handle that?" As he asked, he cocked his eyebrow at her and tilted his head to the side, crossing his arms across his chest.

Maintaining eye contact, Marley thought quickly. The images that had been spinning in her dreams had ironed out to be memories of Damon in his room, talking about the things he'd done with his life and it had seemed fun and relaxed. No matter how confusing this whole thing seemed, she didn't want to turn down a chance of hanging out with Damon again. If she hadn't been sure about it before, seeing him standing in front of her now cemented it for her. The man was a babe, better than she remembered, better than in her dreams.

The strange thing was the aura he gave off. She didn't feel completely safe with him but she wanted to be with him again, almost as if he was pulling her towards himself.

Meeting his eyes, she nodded and he reached out his hand again, taking hers in his own. A zing went between them and her heartbeat escalated. "Where are we going, do I need to change?" she asked indicating the hoodie and shorts she was wearing.

"Perfect" he replied, taking the opportunity to look her up and down.

Marley felt like she was being slowly undressed with his eyes and resisted the temptation to raise her hand to her flushing cheek.

Damon smiled and said "Remember when we were talking about the things we like to do around Mystic Falls and you mentioned the trail up in the woods by the Falls? We're heading there" he replied, pulling her through the front door.

Damon's POV

"She's smoking hot, even in a hoodie and shorts" Damon thought as he followed Marley up the trail. The shorts showed off her long, tanned legs and he smiled at the memory of running his hands over them in his room. All of which she wouldn't remember of course since he had taken that memory away from her. He deliberatley let her go ahead when the path narrowed, under the guise of the gentlemanly "women go first" but actually it was just to take in the figure she cut as she moved.

Even now as he watched her lean her head to the side to duck away from some branches, he got a wiff of her scent and the sight of her neck and he had to stop himself from cutting in front of her and taking from her what he was after. But was it still just blood that he wanted from her?

As he stalked after her, she turned, hair twisting around her face and seeming to read his mood she called back "Come on slow coach". The challenge in her voice gave him pause, but only for a moment and then he was standing well in front of her, hands on his hips and smirk on his lips.

Her mouth fell open. "How did you get in front of me?" she asked, turning her head back to look at the trail behind her and then back to where Damon was now leaning against a tree.

"I'm quicker than you might think" he replied with a grin.

"I can see that" Marley snipped back, walking past him to take the lead again. Looking back to make sure he was following her, she continued "I'm going to get to the bottom of what's going on you know."

"What do you mean what's going on?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"The strange things that have been happening since I met you. The reason you turn up unannounced and just assume I'm going to drop everything and come with you."

"But I knew you would" he replied arrogantly.

"Hmmmm you seem to know me better than you should considering we've only met a few times. You have to admit you're kind of stalkishly strange."

"And sexy and different and you want to know what's going to happen next" he whispered into her ear, suddenly walking right next to her. Her body reacted with a shiver as the heat from his body seemed to attach itself to her skin, warming all the way through her limbs.

Marley blushed as she thought that indeed and unfortunately all that Damon said was true. She did find him incredibly sexy and he was different to any guys she had met. It was like he could get into her head and that was something no guy had ever done before.

Turning to look him straight in the eye, she replied "I already know what's going to happen next."

"Oh? And what's that?" he asked, leaning towards her and almost taking her breath away as his lips came closer.

She leaned slowly towards him with a smile at the edge of her lips. Just when they were close enough you could only slide a sheet of paper between them and Damon could feel the heat coming from her skin, she breathed a quiet "this!" then pushing Damon backwards and setting him off balance a little, she took off running, heading to the top of the trail.

"Little minx" he thought with a smirk, walking slowly after her rapidly dissapearing figure and listening to her laughter fade into the distance.

Grinning, hair streaming out behind her as she ran to the top, Marley flopped down on the crest of the hill, cheeks red from the exertion, chest heaving under her top. Damon advanced slowly, enjoying the spectacle of Marley, the world spread out around her, the backdrop of the trees and mountains in the distance. The carefree way she sprawled on the ground and laughed up at him as he approached made him take a moment to pause. He did crave her, but not her blood although that would be a definite bonus. What he craved was her time, just hanging out and being 'normal'. "Well, that and her body" he thought, remembering the hills and valleys he had explored.

He wanted to drop down next to her, for it to be like it had been with Katherine all those decades ago. At the thought of Katherine, a cloud fell over him and his face became hard.

"But she's not Katherine" he brooded silently, looking down at her. "Katherine chose Stefan, I was always going to be her second best. And now Stefan has Elena as well."

Marley was lying on her side, hands shading her eyes from the sun. "Are you going to stand there and mope all day?" she asked, moving her hands for a moment to look up at him.

Damon slowly sank down next to her, rolling onto his side and propping his head up to look at her. The sun was falling across her hair, turning the blonde into a white lake of ice against the grass.

Marley POV

The sun was shining straight on her face so Marley was peeking out from where her arms covered her eyes when she noticed Damon's face turn hard. "Why does he always spin 180 degrees?" she wondered. "One minute he seems to be relaxed and we're having a good time and the next he is shooting daggers from cold, dead eyes. Is it something I say or do?"

"Are you going to stand there and mope all day?" she asked. Damon raised his eyebrows then responded by dropped gracefully down to the ground next to her, his body mirroring her own.

"You're a bossy one, aren't you?" he asked.

"So I've been told but especially when the person I'm with seems to like spending time with me one minute and then the next they look like they want to kill me."

Damon looked up sharply, meeting her eyes briefly before looking away with a half smile on his lips. "Is that what I've been doing?" he asked.

"Well yes, sometimes, often even" Marley replied with a sigh.

He didn't reply, just continued to look away and Marley watched him, openly admiring his features. Adonis sprang to mind, he seemed to be carved from smooth rock and her fingertips itched to touch him so she reached out and brushed his cheek. He instantly reacted, reaching out and grabbing her wrist in a tight grasp. He met her eyes and held them, causing her to swallow at the intensity of his gaze. It wasn't passion that she saw there; something else seemed to burn out of them, confusion and something hidden in their azure depths. And then he seemed to realise he was squeezing her arm too tightly and let it go.

She was beginning to feel light headed and so Marley shook her head, trying to break free from the spell he was casting over her. She needed to talk, to change the atmosphere that was building and strange between them.

"Ok so, I have a few questions" Marley said. "What's with the super speedy running, you move so fast? And I've never had a reply when I've asked, but why did you bite my wrist the other day?"

Damon sat up, resting his arms on his knees and looked away. Reaching into his jacket pocket he pulled out a small bottle and opening it, took a swig before closing it up and popping it back into his pocket.

Standing up, he reached down for Marley's hands and hauled her to her feet. They were standing a foot away from each other and Marley could smell the scent of him wafting towards her, intoxicating and heady. She was almost ready to close her eyes and just inhale his scent when he spoke.

"I need to show you something" he said and without a pause he brought his arm up to his face and bit into his wrist, blood cascading down his fingers and dripping onto the ground between them.

OK, hope you liked the little cliffhanger! Will be a few days until I post the next chapter although it's almost finished. I may manage to finish it faster if I have a review or two?! :P I already know where this story is going but I'd love suggestions, if you want to post them through :)