Gosh, So many amazing reviews from you all! I can't tell you how much it means to me! I'm sorry that this chapter took a little longer, I just finished my last exams for the summer so I'm going to have a lot more free time on my hands to write! Some of you are asking for "Lemons" I'm not sure what this is but I think I have a pretty good idea about what you're asking for haha. You'll just have to be patient I'm afraid, this one is a slow burner... Sorry D:

Elena sighed as she sat down on the corner of her bed surveying the stillness that was her bedroom. There was a light sheen of dust covering the top of her dresser and she frowned because it made her realise just how little time she spent at home these days. Stefan was waiting for her downstairs talking to Aunt Jenna, explaining that he was feeling much better after his bout of "glandular fever". Katherine hadn't come back since that night and she didn't want to admit it but it was beginning to nag at the back of her mind. It made her feel on edge and not in a good way. She felt the air change and steeled herself for the figure that was bound to appear, to her surprise it wasn't Damon this time, it was Jeremy.

"Jer?" she breathed, startled that he was standing before her. He smiled awkwardly down at her.

"Hey… look, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry – for everything. I'm sorry for being so angry with you about lying to me; it's taken some time, but I understand that you were only trying to help me" he began, his hands fidgeting slightly telling her that he was nervous. She instantly softened and got up throwing her arms around his neck.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you" she spoke softly, her voice thick with barely contained emotion and relief. He smiled allowing his head to rest upon her shoulder and wrapped his arms around his sister.

"I wanted to say something sooner, but I didn't know how" he continued and her only response was to squeeze him tighter, trying to convey how happy it made her to know that they were going to be ok, that her actions hadn't pushed him away forever.

"It's ok, it just matters that you've said it now; and I'm sorry too, for the way I reacted after you turned" she whispered closing her eyes against the memory of walking upstairs to find him dead. Overdosed on her own pills.

"No… no I understand. It was selfish, I didn't even think of how it would make Jenna feel, or you… I – I think we should tell her" he said, pulling away from the hug so that he could face her.

Elena's eyes widened slightly in shock, he honestly thought that they should involve Jenna in all of this? In this mess, she shook her head vehemently.

"No. We can't. It's too dangerous Jer! I don't want this life for her" she said willing him to understand.

"But she blames herself, if we told her then she'd understand she wouldn't feel so bad all the time! And it's too dangerous for her to stay here! I know we guard the house but if Katherine really wanted to get in, she could; Alaric can only convince her to stay with him some nights, she won't move in with him" he answered.

Elena sighed and started pacing, trying to formulate a plan that would work. He was right of course, Jenna couldn't stay in the house given what they were planning to do, she could not allow her to become collateral damage. Not now, not ever. That's what led her to think of Damon, to think of the easiest and least disruptive way of trying to get her Aunt out of this house. Compulsion. She inwardly groaned at the prospect, given everything that had happened with Jeremy she was apprehensive about suggesting it at all, but what other choice did she have? She would rather have a family that hated her for lying to them than a family that was dead.

"What if Damon compels her to move in with Alaric?" she began slowly, testing the waters to see how he would react.

"Just until Katherine's gone and in the meantime I can stay at the boarding house" she continued. Bracing her self for whatever reaction Jeremy would give. He seemed displeased with the idea but he took the time to consider it anyway.

"She'll know something is wrong, that something is missing – deep down inside Elena. That's how it was with Vicky; I still felt empty. I just couldn't remember why" he explained a look of sadness crossing his features at the mention of her name. She bit her lip her expression one of sympathy before she continued.

"I know Jeremy, but anything is better than her being hurt" he said, fighting hard to keep the tone of her voice steady as the memory of her decimated carcass flashed freshly across her mind. Eventually, he nodded his acceptance.

"Why do want Damon to do it?" he asked, confused. He knew that Damon felt a strange sense of loyalty towards Elena, he'd seen and experienced it first hand, but he'd had no idea that his sister had started to return those sentiments. Had he really missed that much? She seemed taken aback by his question and he saw the way her expression masked itself, becoming defensive as she worked to think of why she'd immediately chosen Damon.

"Because his powers are stronger that Stefan's" she finally decided upon. Yes. That was a good enough and justifiable reason. There was no need to delve into the logistics of their complicated, whatever with her brother right now.

Jeremy raised his eyebrows at her playfully and smiled.

"Sure, if that's what you want to believe" he teased. She looked at him completely indignant before hitting his arm playfully.

"Don't be so stupid! There's nothing going on" she answered a small smile creeping its way onto her face too. It felt so good to have her brother back, to have that companionship and she had to admit her heart felt the lightest that it had in weeks, it was like she could suddenly breathe a little easier than before. She'd make the most of this time because she was sure that it wouldn't last.

"So we're agreed, I'll ask Damon tonight?" she said, getting back to the matter at hand. Jeremy nodded once.

"Tonight" he agreed.

Damon was sitting at the bar of Mystic Grill staring at the amber liquid sitting before him in a glass. He wasn't brooding, no. That wasn't his style; instead he was "contemplating". That was the term he preferred to use to describe the internal musings of recent events, more importantly – Elena related events. He wanted her. He wanted her body, mind and soul to be forever fused with his, that's what he wanted, but currently he was trying to determine what he already had. Her trust and her friendship and he had fought hard for it. Lost little pieces of his armour for it, allowed her to blast little holes into the wall surrounding his heart for it and he just could not figure out how he felt about that right now; on the one hand he despised it, he absolutely loathed that he had a weakness. It was pathetic, laughable. He was a hypocrite of the worst kind though because at the same time, some small un-identified part of him welcomed the blessed release after hundreds of years of tightly coiled control. And it was that part of him right now that was desperate for more. And that was why when his phone sprang to life reading "Incoming Call, Elena" his proverbial heart leapt.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" he drawled, his voice silky smooth and his tone seductive. He heard her suck in a breath and smirked.

"Damon, I need your help" she began. He assessed whether she was in danger quickly by the tone, pace and steadiness of her voice and once he was satisfied that she was not, he decided that he could toy with her. After all it was so easy to get a reaction from her.

"Don't you always? What's wrong this time, did Stefan kill your wabbit?" he said, only half mocking her. His brother still a particularly sore subject. He delighted in the fact that he could practically hear her roll her eyes; could see that look of impatience cross her features.

"Look if you don't want to then fine, I don't have time for this" she spoke angrily, getting ready to hang up. He let out an exasperated and exaggerated sigh.

"Urgh fine, but lighten up will you? I was just having some fun, you should try it sometime" he said, already grabbing his coat and heading back to his car. She ignored his comment and continued.

"Can you meet me at my house?" she asked, playing absent-mindedly with the bottom button of her blouse as she rested against the pillows of her bed.

"I'll be there in 5" and with that he abruptly hung up. She sighed and took the phone away from her ear, locking it before dropping it on her beside table. All there was left to do was wait, and true to his word 5 minutes later, a tap came from her window. She turned her head to the side to look at him perched outside of the glass.

"It's open" was all she said, she couldn't really be bothered to get up to let him in, not when he could just as easily do it for himself. Besides, it wasn't like him to knock. There was a blur of movement in which he gracefully pulled the window open and slipped into her room before plopping himself down on the bed next to her. She only stiffened in surprise marginally before relaxing again. Typical, she thought.

"Pray tell Elena, what can I do for you?" he said, drawing out the latter part of his speech, accentuating each word carefully. She glanced at him, sceptical because she could smell the too strong alcohol on his breath.

"Were you at the bar?" she asked, looking slightly puzzled. And he cocked his head to the side scoffing at her slightly.

"Duh"

Where else would he have been? He wondered, frowning at her slightly. She brushed that comment off and decided to cut to the chase, his presence was making her stomach do silly things that felt distinctly like those tell tale flourishes you felt whenever you saw a cute boy in the street. She silently admonished herself for getting distracted and continued.

"I need you to compel Jenna into moving in with Alaric" she asked quietly, sitting up and turning so that she could face him properly, she folded her legs under herself so that she was sitting cross-legged. He pursed his lips slightly considering her words not needing to ask why she was requesting this. He was surprised that she hadn't asked sooner if he was being honest.

"Ok" he said simply. Meeting her sceptical gaze, he gave her a winning smile and waited as she regarded him.

"That's it?" she asked slowly, after all of his joking he was just going to agree to do this for her as a favour, no strings attached? He made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a contemplative "hmm" before sitting up abruptly making sure to get into her personal space.

"Don't worry, I'll think of a way for you to repay me for my… services later" he quipped, his cool breath causing Goosebumps to erupt all over her skin. She found herself un-able to blink, breathe or form coherent thought as the electricity crackled between them. They were practically nose to nose, alone in her bedroom, on her bed. And the only thing she could process right now was that his eyes were amazing; she felt that she would be completely lost in their depth if the niggling feeling in the back of her mind that shouted "Stefan" at her would just shut up already. And her eyes widened at the realisation that she'd just thought that about her conscience reminding her that she had a boyfriend irrespective of the way things were going between them, she would not cheat on him. She couldn't do that to him.

She cleared her throat the noise jarringly loud in the tension filled silence and she forced herself to move, to get up from the bed – to distance herself from him because it was getting harder and harder to deny the impulse to touch him. And she wanted to, so desperately and that scared her.

"I – You should tell her that I'm staying at the boarding house and that she's ok with it" she continued her voice quavering treacherously. His eyes followed her like a predator and she had to fight the instinct to tuck her hair behind her ear, a nervous gesture - one that he'd be sure to pick up on. He got up lazily from her bed, spotting something on the bedside table and giving it a once over before standing and walking towards her bedroom door.

He held it open expectantly waiting for her to walk through it; it took a moment for her brain to catch up with the rest of her body after that close call, but eventually it did and she found herself moving of her own accord downstairs towards the quiet voices chatting by the TV in the living room. Jenna was sitting on the sofa next to Stefan a cup of coffee planted firmly in her hands; she looked thinner, paler. Her skin a little duller than she previously had been and it flooded Elena with guilt as she walked into the room, Damon following closely behind her.

Jenna's eyes widened in shock slightly at the sight of him, the door definitely had not gone.

"Damon! How did you get here?" she asked slightly alarmed, she hadn't seen him since she'd caught him kissing her niece and she was fairly sure that any ill feelings to held towards him were completely justified. She sent Elena a questioning and slightly accusing look, they'd both come from upstairs… what had they been doing? Had they been doing it whilst Stefan was in the house!

She put the mug down rather more forcefully than necessary and stood, ready to put a stop to whatever was going on under her own roof. The words however died on her lips as Damon stepped in-front of her taking her by the arms gently bending slightly in order to make full eye contact with her. Stefan stood moving forwards ready to intervene before he caught the shake of Elena's head that stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait, what the hell are you doing?" she asked slightly disgusted and completely confused. Elena stepped forward and took her hand.

"It's ok" she said, before slipping off the bracelet filled with vervain that she had given her for protection and placing it in her pocket. Before Jenna could utter another protest Damon began to speak.

"You're going to move in with Alaric Saltzman tonight, he asked you last weekend at dinner and you said yes. You'll go and pack only the things that you need and he will be over to pick you and your things up in an hour. Elena will be staying at the boarding house with Stefan; you're ok with this. Do you understand?" he asked, watching as her expression became blank and serene. She smiled slightly regarding them all before speaking.

"You know, I really need to go and pack… do you mind?" she asked, not waiting for an answer before she made her way upstairs to her bedroom. Elena shivered slightly the precedence of what she had just done weighing down on her. She looked at Damon whose expression was unreadable.

"Thank you" she said simply, and he nodded, looking between Stefan and she before deciding that it would be best to escape the confrontation before it began.

"I'll go and get Ric, fill him in on our lovely new living arrangements" he spoke, chipper as always before striding comfortably out of the house and into the dying sunlight. Elena looked over at Stefan, feeling slightly guilty for not informing him of what she'd had planned.

"It was easier this way" she whispered, watching helplessly as one more wall erected itself, making the chasm between them just that little bit harder to close.