Hello once again! We are nearing the end of this and I just want to thank all of you who have reviewed, favorited or alerted this story. It means the world to me. Your support has kept me going and kept me writing. Also this is the first story where I've received ZERO negative reviews. You have no idea what that means to me. I get to know so many amazing people and I thank you all for being my friends.

A major thank you goes to Layla Reyne who has helped me with this story more than I can say. Her advice is priceless and has made this story what it is. She's also been helping me cook up my next fic. She is just as amazing at writing as she is at beta'ing. Go check out her stories. They are so, so, SO good. I can't recommend them enough.

Okay, onto the story!


Tears are streaming down my cheeks before the suite door even shuts behind me. I run away from that villa where the man that I love shattered my heart for the second time. I find my same driver from last night waiting patiently near the exit, ready to drive Damon and me around for whatever had been planned for today.

"Miss Gilbert?"

"Can you take me home?" I ask in a small, pathetic voice.

His eyes gentle and he nods, opening the back door of the SUV for me and closing it once I settle into the leather seats. He gets behind the wheel and drives away without a question.

I stare out the window as the gorgeous Hawaii scenery flies by, but none of it registers through the haze of devastation clouding my mind. How could Damon lie to me? I trusted him. I thought maybe... maybe he was falling in love with me. God, how stupid could I be? Damon has proved time and time again that he only wants one thing from women - sex. And I was naive enough to think that I would be the one exception. I thought I would be the one who finally tamed the unattainable Damon Rock-God Salvatore.

My heart tries to remind me of all the sweet things Damon's done for me since I've been out of the hospital. How he's taken me on dates and not pressured me into having sex with him. How he blocked me from the view of the paparazzi when I was throwing up over the side of a boat. How he planned a romantic dinner for us in our own private villa. And how he didn't sleep with me until everything was perfect.

I shake my head, trying to physically banish those redeeming thoughts from my mind. I can't ever allow myself to get caught under his spell – to be fooled by him – again. I've learned my lesson, twice.

When we finally pull up to the house, I jump out of the car before the driver even has a chance to open my door. I just want to go to my room and curl up in my bed where I can cry in peace.

I mutter a half-hearted thank you and rush inside, hoping that I can get through the house without being caught by one of the guys, but of course, luck isn't on my side today. Both Matt and Stefan are standing in the kitchen, and they turn to stare at me when I enter.

Their eyes go from surprised to worried in only a few seconds. No doubt, my red rimmed eyes and blotchy cheeks indicate to them that something is wrong.

"Laney?" Matt asks quietly, the genuine concern and love in his voice setting me off. My face crumples, and they blur as my eyes fill with tears that spill down my cheeks.

They each take a step toward me but I back away, shaking my head. I can't handle their comfort right now. So I take off up the stairs, slamming the bedroom door shut behind me, sending a pretty clear message that I want to be left alone.

Like a hormonal teenager, I throw myself onto the bed and let it all out. All of the hurt Damon has caused, all of the fear from that short time I spent in that non-descript motel room, not sure whether I'd make it out alive. The sadness of waking up in that hospital room to find out I had lost my memories. It's all so devastating and too much for me to handle. The emotions are like a weight that is crushing me.

I'm not sure how long I lay there, letting the pain wash through me, but when my head pops up from my pillow, the sun is nearly gone and there's a soft knock at my door. Before I have a chance to yell at the intruder to go away, the door opens and Jeremy peeks his head in.

"Laney?" His voice and eyes are soft and provoke the tears that I thought I'd finally gotten under control. He notices my eyes well up and rushes across the room to take me in his arms. "What happened?"

"He lied to me," I quietly cry as I hold my brother close, taking his strength.

He pulls back and brushes the stray hairs off of my face. "Who lied to you?"

"Damon, damn it!" I scream hoarsely. "He looked me right in the eyes and lied to me, over and over again. Why would he do that?"

Jeremy sighs as if what he's about to say pains him. "Because he loves you."

I jerk away like he hit me. "Don't pull that bullshit with me, Jer."

"I'm serious, Elena," he says, running his hands through his hair.

"Then how come now that I have my memories back, I seem to recall you singing a different tune at the show in Phoenix?" I ask with more bite than I should, but I can't handle all of this anger and hurt anymore. I need to get it out before it destroys me.

"That was before," he replies lamely.

I cross my arms over my chest. "Before what?"

"Before I almost lost you, Elena!" he exclaims suddenly, pushing himself off of the bed and pacing in front of me. "Before I realized that if you got a second chance at life, you deserved to make your own choices. Before I saw what you almost dying did to Damon." Jeremy pauses, his voice fading and breaking slightly. "He almost died that day too, Elena, and every day that you didn't wake up, I could see the light in his eyes fading."

The picture he paints is so painful. The image of Damon's face when I woke up comes to mind. His red-rimmed eyes, the tears he shed when he realized I was really awake. It's too painful to think about right now when my emotions are this raw. So instead of lingering on the blinding pain, I put it away and focus on my anger. Anger hurts less, anger doesn't make me want to fall to my knees and sob for the man that I love.

"That doesn't excuse what he did. He made it worse by lying to me." I turn my fiery gaze on Jeremy. "Why did you let him lie to me?!"

Jeremy's shoulders droop, and I feel like a total bitch. He drops back down onto the bed next to me.

He sighs and when he finally speaks, his voice is low and soft. "Because he was making you happier than I've ever seen you. How could I be a monster and take that away from you, just because I was having a hard time accepting it?"

We stare at each other in silence, letting his words linger in the air. I understand where he is coming from, I get it, but the anger, bitterness and shame I feel won't let me accept it.

"What does that say about me, if I forgive him?" I whisper, confiding my fears in my brother.

He puts his arm around me and pulls me close, resting his head on top of mine. "It says that you love him too, and you understand that he's human and made a mistake."

"What about the rest of the world?"

Jeremy rears back suddenly, cupping my face in his hands, his eyes burning. "Fuck them, Elena. They are vultures that prey on the sweet and innocent. Fuck them and do what you want to do. Love who you want to love. Don't let them or me or anyone else stand in your way."

I nod, unsure of what else there is to do or say.

The sound of my ringing phone jolts us both in surprise. Jeremy leans over and grabs it off the nightstand, looking at the caller ID.

"It's an unknown number. Want me to answer it?" he asks, knowing how much I hate taking calls from numbers I don't know. Years of being bombarded by reporters will do that to a person.

I nod and he answers it, listening intently.

"What the hell are you doing there?!" Jeremy says suddenly. Who is he talking to?

"Okay, I'll send her," he replies and then hangs up.

I eye him suspiciously, waiting for him to tell me what the hell is going on.

He takes a deep breath before looking me in the eyes.

"Damon's in jail."


Just when I thought my anger was receding, I'm pissed all over again. I'm fuming the whole ride to the police station and while I fill out the necessary paper work and pay his bail. The booking officer informs me that he was arrested for fighting and public intoxication.

Why would he do this? He knows how much I hate it when he gets into fights. It reminds me too much of when we were young. Those images are some that'll haunt me for the rest of my life. Hurt, confusion, anger, and sadness all fight for priority in my heart.

The officer leads me back to where Damon is being held. We round a corner and there he is – the big, badass, beautiful rocker who broke my heart - sitting on a bench in an otherwise empty jail cell. He is bruised and bleeding and looking at me like he used to when he was sixteen, after a nasty fight with his father. My broken heart cries out for him and his pain. The anger that was already fading disappears, leaving exhaustion in its wake.

Damon says nothing to me, just hangs his head in shame, as we leave and drive back to the now-empty house. When we get there, he silently follows me up the stairs and into my room, an unspoken agreement between us that I will be the one to tend to his cuts and bruises. He sits down on the toilet, our old routine coming back to us effortlessly, as I gather first aid supplies from under the sink. The silence in the bathroom is deafening, but neither one of us wants to break it. Me because I know that I won't be able to control what I say, and him because I know that he's feeling guilty. I can almost see it weighing him down. I want to relieve his burden, but my broken heart won't allow it.

Instead, I busy myself cleaning his cuts. The work is almost soothing because I don't have to think, I don't have to feel, and I don't have to hurt. I look anywhere but into his blue eyes; I know I won't be able to keep this up if I do. They'll break me down; they'll tear me apart. Damon's pain is and always has been my pain.

I try not to think of all the times we've been in this position. Two young kids who didn't deserve to learn how evil the world could be, but who, despite that evil, found solace in each other. Though that's not how it is now. This time, it's actually Damon's fault. This time, he brought it upon himself and I can't help him with that.

When I'm finished, I turn away, unable to take his close proximity any longer, but his hand on my arm stops my retreat.

"Elena," he whispers. His voice is so broken and so remorseful that I have to fight back the stinging behind my eyes. "Please look at me."

I turn slowly, glancing down at his hand on my arm, the same hand that lashed out in violence mere hours ago. I jerk my arm from his grasp and look up in time to see what that does to him, but I try not to let it affect me.

"Elena, don't," he says softly, obviously hurt by my rejection.

"Just stop, Damon," I say finally. I sound so tired. I am so tired. Tired of all of this.

"Please don't be afraid of me," he whispers, dropping his gaze, and I lose it.

"I'm not afraid of you," I snap. "I'm fucking pissed off! What were you thinking, Damon? God!"

My words seem to snap him out of his self-pity. His eyes meet mine, and I see the fire starting to burn there.

"What was I thinking?" he asks, his voice low and dangerous. "I was defending you!"

"Newsflash, Damon, I don't need you to defend me. I don't need anything from you!" I yell, my eyes burning with angry tears, as I back into the bathroom wall with Damon stalking toward me. I need to get away from him. I need to be as far away as possible from the man who can shatter me.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Elena," he hisses, towering over me.

"Why do you even care? You obviously didn't care enough to tell me the truth, so why would you care now?" I spit the words like venom. That's how they feel, like poison in my throat.

"Because I'm so fucking in love with you!" he bellows, his hands landing with a slap against the wall on either side of my head. My heart freezes, my mind freezes, I think even my soul freezes.

His voice drops and his eyes soften as he looks down on me. "When they said those awful things about you, I didn't think, I just reacted because nobody talks about the woman I love like that." He pauses, one hand coming off of the wall to gently - so gently that it hurts - tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "I love you, Elena. I'm so goddamned in love with you. Can't you see that? But I know I'm the worst choice for you."

His words hang between us and I see the resignation in his eyes. He truly believes that.

"I know you're the worst choice for me," I reply, waiting for his eyes to lock with mine. "But you're my choice."

We stand there staring at each other until everything I feel for this man explodes inside of me. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull his lips to mine. He responds instantly, fusing our mouths and tongues together while pressing my back into the wall. God, I can't get enough of him. My hands are everywhere - fisted in his shirt, pulling at his hair, gripping his tight ass - anywhere I can touch, my hands are there.

He tastes like sin and it's addicting as hell. I can't taste enough of him, touch enough of him, love enough of him. We are all feel and taste and passion as he wedges one leg between mine and I shamelessly rub against it, moaning into his mouth. He swallows every sound greedily as his hands glide under my shirt to palm both of my breasts in his hands.

I pull him closer and breathe his name as his lips trail down my throat, suckling on the spot where my neck meets my shoulder; the spot he knows makes me weak in the knees.

But suddenly something changes and he slows, seeming almost hesitant.

"What's wrong?" I ask breathlessly when he pulls away. I tighten my arms around his neck to keep him from going very far.

His eyes are conflicted and his body is now full of tension. When those baby blues meet my own eyes, I see the pain in them so clearly. "Can you ever forgive me? Can you ever look at me like you used to? Can you ever love me again?"

His words floor me. They are uttered so quietly, so full of uncertainty that my heart almost breaks all over again.

I grip his face, needing to be sure my message is received. My voice is strong and confident when I declare, "I never stopped, Damon."

His shoulders drop and his body nearly collapses onto mine as his forehead comes to rest against my own. He takes several deep breaths, his body shuddering slightly. I run my hands over his back, letting him take whatever he needs from me.

Finally, he pulls back, his hands wrapping around the nape of my neck, holding me close to him.

"Say it," he whispers huskily. "I want to hear you say it."

I can't help the smile that tugs at my lips. "I love you, Damon."

"Again," he commands roughly, sending jolts of pleasure through my entire body.

"I love you," I comply, looking him right in the eyes, letting him see for himself the love I feel for him shining in my own.

I can practically see the satisfaction roll through him. "Tell me that you're mine," he says, his chest puffing out with masculine pride. I have to keep myself from rolling my eyes. I know he needs this. I know he needs this confirmation. Damon's never felt like he's ever had someone love him, and I know it's hard for him to believe even now.

"I'm yours," I respond without hesitation.

A satisfied growl rips out of his throat as he devours my mouth once more, only this time it's so much different. He's savoring me now, not rushing to get the last taste before it's taken away from him. I respond just as eagerly, my hands clawing at his shirt in my need to feel his skin, desperation taking hold inside of me. I need him now. I need to feel that he loves me, I want him to show me. I need him to make me his.

His shirt nearly rips with my haste to remove it. We lean apart just enough to get it over his head, but then he doesn't come back to me. A whimper leaves my mouth when I pull at him and he doesn't budge.

"Hey," he whispers, his hands gentle on my face, pushing the hair out of my eyes. "I'm right here."

"I need you, Damon," I reply, not caring how desperate I sound. "I need you to show me you love me."

My words stoke the fire in his eyes and his lips take mine possessively and God, I love it. This is what I need. I need him out of control for me. I need him desperate to make me his. I need to feel like he's as crazy for me as I am for him.

His hands trail down my body, cupping my breasts briefly before settling on my ass, kneading and pulling me into him. He leans back just enough to pull my dress up over my head and then he's gripping my thighs and lifting me up. I wrap my legs around his waist, my hands fisted tightly in his hair. His moan of pleasure as I shamelessly rub myself against him only spurs me on, igniting the heat that was pooling low in my belly.

Damon has my bra unhooked and is pulling it off as he lays me down on the bed. His eyes are full of unbridled passion, taking in every inch of skin on display for him and only him. I give him a coy smile as I raise my arms above my head and stretch my body, arching up my back. When I open my eyes and meet his gaze, I can see exactly what my little move did to him and feminine satisfaction runs through me.

"How are you so goddamned sexy?" he growls, the sound resonating deep in his chest. It sends tingles all through me and brings a blush to my cheeks, which only lights Damon's eyes up more.

I sit up and pull him forward by the waistband of his jeans, tilting my face up to his, waiting for his kiss. He obliges me, threading his hands into my hair and holding my head at the perfect angle for his lips. It starts sweet, but quickly spirals as the heat and the chemistry between us becomes too much. I need him. I need him in every part of me - my body, my heart, my soul. I unsnap the button on his jeans and pull down the zipper, tugging the denim down his legs and finding him commando. Figures. I smile up at him and he gives me a sheepish grin that quickly turns into a silent open-mouthed sigh when my hand wraps around him.

He lets me stroke him once more before he pulls my hand from him, kissing my fingertips sweetly. He kicks off his jeans and then pulls my panties down my legs. He crawls up on the bed, wrapping an arm around my waist and effortlessly positioning me in the middle of the bed with my head resting on the pillows. I love the way he makes me feel so protected, so small in his arms. I tangle my fingers in his hair and pull his lips back to mine. He props himself on one elbow next to my head as his other hand skims down my body. When his fingers hit my center, he rips his lips from mine, letting out a hoarse groan at how ready I am for him.

I gasp and arch when his fingers sink into me, his thumb circling the bundle of nerves that turn my body to goo. His lips trail down my neck and pepper kisses across my chest until his lips reach one nipple. He pulls the peak into his mouth, the suction making me arch my back in pure bliss. My hands hold his head to my chest as he works magic with both his mouth and his fingers.

"Oh, God," I moan, the pressure inside of me building as he makes me come alive, and it doesn't take long until I'm catapulted into the waves of pleasure.

He helps me ride it out and then he kisses me gently. He pulls away briefly to reach over my sated body and grab a condom from the nightstand. Just watching him touch himself as he rolls it on gets me going all over again and when his body settles between my parted legs, I am more than ready for him.

He pushes into me slowly, sending tingles up and down my spine. He moves slowly and steadily, his labored breaths breezing across my parted lips. Our eyes are open and locked on the others. I've never felt closer to him, and yet I want to be closer. I want to crawl inside of him and stay forever.

I wrap my legs around his waist, digging my heels into his ass, urging him on. He complies while he takes my hands and tangles his fingers with mine, holding them down on either side of my head. His hips move faster and faster, rolling and hitting that spot that makes me see stars, but his eyes stay fixed on mine. I can see all the love he feels for me right there at the surface. I've never seen Damon this vulnerable and open. I cherish it, hoping and praying that he can see the same in my eyes. I love him; I've loved him since I was twelve. I love him so much that it almost physically hurts, and he's showing me that he feels the same as he moves inside of me and whispers sweet words against my lips.

When I finally let go, I take him with me, both of us crying out the other's name. I clutch him to me and he does the same, making me feel like I'm the only solid thing he can depend on in this world. It's the same for me. He anchors me while the waves threaten to take me away forever, but I'll come back, only for him.

We collapse in a sated heap, Damon's breath warming my neck as hold him in my arms. I love feeling his skin, his body blanketing mine.

After a few moments, Damon rolls off of me, disposing of the condom before he crawls back into bed next to me, pulling me to his chest and wrapping me in his arms. We lay on our sides facing each other, and I can feel Damon watching me as my own eyes follow my fingers that are lightly tracing over the tattoo on his chest.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Damon asks softly, breaking the silence between us.

I look up into his blue eyes, the same eyes I fell into when I was twelve years old. The same eyes that saw unthinkable horrors in his own home. The same eyes that cried when I finally woke up in the hospital. The same eyes that made it clear to me how he felt, how much he truly loved me.

"Damon, you've always been my first choice," I reply passionately, taking his face in my hands. "You will never, ever be anything but my first choice."

His eyes - if possible - warm even more, and he pulls me close until there is no space between his skin and mine. He presses his face into my hair and whispers words into my ear that make my heart sing and bring tears to my eyes.

"You are the reason I feel whole again."


Cue the aww's! They are too precious for words.

Follow me on Twitter: rachellebelle08

Also keep your eyes opened for my next fic called Uncovered. I'll be previewing it when I post the RHLH epilogue on Sunday.

As usual, reviews are love.