Disclaimer: TVD belongs to whoever receives the royalties and that sure as hell isn't me. I just pretend while I'm writing.

Summary: After all is said and done Damon is about to leave, but decides to say goodbye to Elena before he does. It doesn't really go as he thought it would.

AN: I apologize for the long wait, but there has been such a severe decline in readers that I've been considering how to cut this fic short without copping out completely. I'm thinking I might be able to round things off in a chapter or two. SO a super special thank you to all of you that have stuck it out this far and I hope you stick with me a little longer still.

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testing new turfs

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He shifts his weight from boot clad foot to boot clad foot uncomfortably as they wait for someone to get the door. It's mere seconds, but in that time he manages to get it in his head that this is all a set-up and that the witch and his brother will come flying out of the woodwork and smite him down... he might be slightly on the paranoid side, BUT that's what's kept him alive and one step ahead for his unnaturally long life.

"If you don't want this then we can just bolt." She whispers having read him perfectly.

He opens his mouth to speak just as the door flings open and people begin to spill out and surround them before they begin to hug and kiss the pair while cackling loudly. It's all just a sea of milk chocolate bodies blurring and voices meshing together. He's getting dizzy from the overwhelming crackle of magic in the atmosphere and the thick scent of Bennett witches suffocating the air.

His gorgeous girl steps protectively in front of him pressing her back flush against his front. With a loud sharp whistle she effectively shuts up the assembled crowd. "Not to be rude, but you're all kind of freaking me out." She says grinning broadly earning herself soft snickers from the group. "Since there are clearly no pretences then... yes, I'm Elena Gilbert the other doppelgänger and this is the Damon Salvatore."

"Pay up!" A very handsome middle-aged man wearing horn rimmed glasses says as he punches a taller spectacle free version of himself on the shoulder.

The taller groans making a face as he pulls out his wallet from his back pocket. "You two couldn't have shown up next year?" He says with annoyance pulling out two fifties and handing them to the gleefully grinning man.

"We could always leave." The vampire deadpans closing himself off fully from the onlookers. He thinks that might be his next best idea of the day... or third.

There's a thick silence that follows his statement and she turns slowly to face him. Her large doe eyes search his face carefully. To the world he seems unreadable, but he can see her taking everything in as her lips slowly slide into a soft smile and she reaches up and cups the side of his face tenderly.

The world around them seems to fade away as he leans into her touch and his crystalline gaze locks with hers. A warm breeze goes through him and fills him with a deep sense of calm. It's all her doing... he hadn't expected their bond to manifest so quickly.

She shoots him a mischievous wink before she withdraws her hand and turns towards the staring crowd. "So do we need to start killing people or is someone going to invite us in?"

She said we... his demonic side purrs in delight at her words. He definitely likes the sound of that. In fact his gums are throbbing at the mere thought of the two of them tearing through the country leaving a ruby trail of carnage in their wake. That part of himself, he isn't looking too much forward to sharing with her; it's most likely where and why he'll lose her.

As the intoxicating thoughts of the carnage they could cause flit through his mind, he notices a minuscule quirk of her head. He isn't sure what it means, but maybe she felt that and he's quite sure that that would be a bad thing. A fucking disaster of epic proportions. Perhaps it's time to flip the switch partially... if he can.

"Don't." It's her voice that whispers softly in his mind and his façade almost cracks from the shock. She couldn't possibly have... "Don't." The word echoes and bounces around in his mind again and he's sure this time that it's her.

Everyone is chuckling around him so he cracks a smirk just in case. In truth he's freaking out that she's in his mind. SHE'S IN HIS FUCKING HEAD! The instant he's thought it a feeling of something he can't quite put his finger on floods him, leaving him feeling sated and almost high. She's friggin' everywhere... it's delicious... and now he's just grinning like a love drunk idiot.

"Please come in." A petite woman in her mid sixties with slightly greying hair says smiling warmly at them.

She slips her tiny warm hand into his and gives it a tug. Still grinning goofily he follows her over the threshold and into the small brick house wondering how the hell all those people could possibly fit in there. They don't, he realizes as he watches people spill out into the backyard to make room for all of them.

How many freaking Bennett's... ugh, Saviour's are there?

It's like he isn't himself and yet he's never felt sharper and more alert in his life. It's such an odd feeling, like he's more him yet not at all. He's being nice to everyone and talking and laughing and making conversation... and EVERYONE likes him. Hell, he likes himself like this, he's fucking awesome.

Then there's her looking at him with those beautiful brown eyes of hers all lovie-dovie. She laughs and smiles and shoots him secretive looks filled with all sorts of naughty promises that he can't wait for her to make good on. Shit, the girl is a damned temptress of the highest order.

"Dinner's ready!" The same petite woman that invited them inside shouts over the assembled crowd and they all start moving towards the back of the house.

His girl slips herself under his arm and snakes her own around his waist. He just can't get over the delicious feel of her body pressed up against his. "Look at that. You didn't even have to get us invited to borrow a kitchen to get ourselves a home cooked meal." She says accompanied by a mischievous wink in his direction.

His eyes widen to the point where he thinks they might actually pop clean out of their sockets. Had she really understood him earlier and NOT freaked out or gotten angry at him for suggesting it?

The sweet sound of her chuckles tell him that yes, she understood. "It's not like anyone would have gotten hurt in the process." She answers his unasked question... although considering she'd been in his head earlier she might have picked it up before his mouth could form the words. Damn the girl is amazing.

"You're OK with that?" He asks hesitantly, because he hasn't known her to be OK with him rummaging around in peoples heads... well there was that time and the other one and... OK so on occasion she's been fine with it, but not very often.

Shrugging her slender shoulders she gives a far too innocent smile. "I'm kind of looking forward to being able to try it out myself." She says and now the demon in him is doing some kind of happy dance in his chest stomping so rapidly on his heart that he could be mistaken for someone still fully alive.

He smirks and lets his crystalline eyes dance in that way that he knows drives her crazy. "Really now? What in particular are you looking forward to try?" He asks huskily as he watches her pupils quickly dilate making her eyes seem almost black with desire for him.

They're interrupted by the bartender from earlier before she can answer. "I'm glad you two made it." He says directing them to the head of the long middle table of three lined up in the backyard, placing him at the head and her to his left. He chuckles internally; had this been back in his day than this would have meant he was head of the family and she his missus. The thought tickles his mind and he realizes that maybe he wouldn't mind if that were true.

Teresa, the elderly lady that invited them in, clinks her glass and everyone quiets down. "I just wanted to tell the two of you, Damon and Elena, that we're thrilled that you decided to grace us with your presence. I know Dominic would have been delighted to know that his predictions of your return were true and hopefully you feel as though we are your family as much as we think of you as ours." A murmur of agreements ring throughout the crowd before she continues. "As long as there are Saviour's, you have family and a home. Welcome!"

"Welcome!" They all chorus and raise their glasses in salute before drinking. It's all very romcom-y or maybe like a not as funny as it's supposed to be spoof on his life.

He doesn't really know what to make of the whole situation never having been in one of these before. Smiling he looks to his side searching for some sort of reassurance from the beautiful girl next to him. She's smiling blindingly at him as she raises her glass to clink with his, which he's apparently holding up.

The fragrant taste of a well aged red wine mingled with the sweet taste of blood hit his tongue unexpectedly as he tips the glass to his lips and sips. He blinks in surprise and unceremoniously sticks his nose into the glass and takes a deep inhale. Yepp, it's blood alright... human blood.

"Sorry, did I get the proportions wrong?" A gangly boy no more than fifteen asks looking decidedly nervous where he sits two seats down on the right.

He surveys the scrawny thing with a furrowed brow. The kid kind of reminds him of the younger of the Gilbert's siblings when he first met him; he's very emo. "You mixed this?" He questions pointing at his glass. Why the little twerp was the one handling alcohol and blood for the undead guy doesn't sit too well with him... and THAT not sitting well with him does not sit well with him.

The boys lime green eyes study the vampire hesitantly before he answers. "Yes, my mom's the one who got the blood, but she's working so I brought it. She's a doctor and my uncle Dominic said it was OK."

"It's better than OK kid, it's great." He says with an appreciative nod before he gulps down a large swallow of the delicious concoction. It's going to be a thing now, he's sure of it.

The kid grins broadly making his unusually green eyes sparkle and puffs up his chest slightly. "It's two thirds AB negative and a third of the wine with the gold label with about a spoon of apricot snaps. All room temperature; shaken." He says proudly clearly having come up with the concept himself.

"Did you say negative?" His gorgeous girlfriend suddenly interrupts as she distractedly fiddles with her cellphone while simultaneously shovelling mash potatoes into her mouth. Finally she's eating actual food.

The kid nods in the affirmative seeming to have lost the ability to speak once he lays his eyes on the stunning girl.

"Do you have a name for it?" She asks and it's all getting a bit odd.

"Donor Delight." The boy replies shyly making both the vampire and his doppelgänger chuckle.

"Care is just gonna love this." The brunette says between chuckles as she texts at lightening speed. "I'm Elena, by the way." She says reaching over to shake the boys hand once she's finished with her text.

With reddening cheeks the dark haired teen shakes her hand. "Mihailo." Obviously the kid likes his girl, but then again doesn't everyone?

"Nice to meet you Milo." He says sipping his drink and offering up his own hand to shake. The boy takes it hesitantly as he tries to suppress a scowl.

Surprisingly she pokes him in the ribs making him turn to her with a dark brow quirked questioningly. "He does that when he likes people." She says pointedly to the kid that instantly brightens up. Does what?

"'Lena?" He says urging her to go on and explain just what this thing is that he apparently does when he likes people. He isn't particularly fond of the idea that he seems to have some sort of tell that he isn't aware of.

She chuckles sweetly and gives his side a little affectionate nudge. "See?" She says to emo boy and he nods as his lips slip into a pleased smile. "You shorten peoples names hon'." She says when he still looks just as confused.

He almost spits out a heated denial, but he reluctantly has to face the fact that he actually does that so instead he just rolls his perfectly blue eyes and smirks.

Suddenly he feels a pang in his chest... an uncomfortable tightening as images of the people in his life with their names conveniently shortened swim in his mind. OH-GOOD-GOD... he actually misses them. There's a sudden inexplicable urge to have a guys night talking smack, drinking bourbon and... fraternizing with friends?

It's this damned emo kids fault for reminding him of baby Gilbert which inadvertently leads him to think of the rest of them. What the hell happened to being a lone wolf... vampire?

That's not it though, he's always had friends, admittedly some severely lacking a moral compass, so it's something more... it's... they're... goddamnittofuckinghell... he misses his fucking family.

He shoots to his feet abruptly not entirely sure what he's about to do. "It... I... damn it." He sort of stutters gazing at his fondly ginning girlfriend with wild eyes.

She chuckles far to amusedly for his overly emotional state to handle properly. "Tell Alaric I said hi." She says tossing her phone to him which he of course catches.

She's in his god damned head again and he sort of wants to tear his fucking hair out by the roots. Apparently she understands what's going on in his mind better than he does and it's driving him mental. How in the hell is she able to do that and not him when he's the undead one?

At the instant he thinks it she shoots to her feet and grabs his hands looking very worried which kind of pleases him. "I'll stop." She says squeezing his hands reassuringly. "I'll try to... I'm not really sure how this works." She adds with a sheepish smile that instantly chips away at his hysteria.

She's not doing it on purpose which is strangely reassuring... wait... does that mean that he's projecting?

Experimentally he puts up a very solid mental barrier and tests it out. "Can you hear me now?" He almost chuckles at the ridiculousness, but she is standing there looking just as worried as she was mere seconds ago. He let's the barrier slip and tests it out again. "Tell me if you can hear me." He demands this time.

"I hear you." She says giving him an odd look and this clearly means that he's the one that's been doing this all along... he just didn't know it.

Grinning sheepishly back at her he gives himself a mental slap on the back of the head. "Sorry. Turns out it's my fault... oops." He says sounding far from sorry.

She rolls her warm brown eyes and chuckles."Thank god. You were driving me crazy with thinking of..." She trails off glancing at the little emo boy unabashedly listening in on their conversation. "... you know what every other second." She finishes with a delicious blush staining her cheeks.

He can't help himself and his wayward mind though; the girl is mouthwateringly tasty. "It's your own damn fault for... well, being you." He retorts dumbly because he's too busy thinking of ravaging her once more to be able to come up with anything witty to say.

Shivering slightly she lets out a strangled breath as the delicious scent of her perfumes the air. "I thought you said you have a handle on this." She says looking decidedly flushed and perhaps a tad worried as well.

This projecting thing is pretty awesome.

He smirks delightedly and waggles his dark eyebrows. "I do." He informs cheekily before he turns and swaggers back into the house to make that call to good ol' Rick.

This is going to be so much fun.

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AN: Let me know what you think of this chapter and feel free to request that I tie up specific loose ends that you're wondering about. I heart the lot of you! Review!