AN: Sorry guys that it has taken me so long to get back to this story. Between a severe case of the summer time blues and complete lack of inspiration time passed by. Hope you enjoy it.

You better shut your mouth

Hold your breath

Kiss me now you'll catch your death

Oh, I mean it

Oh, I need this.

"Skin" – Nathalie Merchant

Damon returned to the kitchen to find Elena devouring her food.

"I take it the food is good?"- he asked as he warmed up his cup of blood in the microwave.

"Very."- was all the response he got between mouthfuls.

A proud smile graced his lips as he watched her intently. When Elena was done with her food he approached her quietly from behind.

"Satisfied?"- he purred next to her ear making her melt on the inside at his velvety voice.

"Yes" – she breathed –"I mean, thank you, it was delicious Damon."

He kissed her cheek softly as he reached to take her plate away.

"You are welcomed babe." – he made to move away but Elena held his arm in place.

"Not so fast." – she turned to look at him – "You lied to me Damon…"

Damon looked down with a sigh.

"I know…and I am sorry Elena."- he said with emotion looking up at her - "Really sorry that I couldn't keep my mouth shut about how I felt." - he walked away to wash the dishes.

"I understand why you did it...But we could have talked." - she argued.

"I didn't want to burden you..." - he shook his head trying to concentrate on the soap instead of the pain in his chest -"I meant what I said...Stefan deserved you then... He was the good brother... I'm no good."

"You are perfect as you are Damon." - she said sadly.

"You keep repeating that and one day i might believe you." - he winked at her, emotional mask firmly back in place.

Elena shook her head and squared her shoulders before asking the next question.

"Was that the only time you used compulsion on me?" – she asked bluntly and watched Damon's back tense.

"No…"- he said quietly and she closed her eyes to keep it together.

"When?" – she asked meekly.

"When we first met." – Damon said turning around and leaning against the counter as he meet her eyes.

Elena's brow furrowed in confusion.

"When I came looking for Stefan and met you at the boarding house?"

"No." – Damon replied nervously –"That wasn't the first time we met."

"Silly me."- Elena replied angrily –"Why would I think that anything is like I really remember?"

"Elena."- Damon said as he approached her –"I am truly sorry but I didn't know you then!"

"Out with it!"- Elena hissed crossing her arms and jutting her chin out as he placed his hands on her arms.

"I met you on the night of the accident."

Elena's jaw slackened and her reaction was to pull away from him as if burned.

"Y-y-ou were with Stefan?" – she asked, her heart clenching painfully within her chest.

"What? No!" – Damon reached for her again, grabbing her shoulders firmly –"I met you when you were waiting for your parents. When you were talking to Bonnie on the phone about Matt."

"Ok…"- Elena said uncertainly –"Why did you make me forget?"- her voice got quieter –"Did you do something bad?"-her hand instinctively reached for her neck.

"No. Nothing like that Elena." – he said pleadingly –"I swear I didn't touch you. I compelled you because at the time I didn't want people knowing I was in town yet."

"Is that really all?" – she asked dubiously cocking her head.

"Yes."- he said firmly –"And if you allow me I will unlock the memory."

Elena's hand automatically went to her neck to touch her vervain necklace, only now remembering that she had removed it for her walkabout.

She nodded minutely and watched as Damon's pupil's dilated.

"You will remember the night we first met"

Elena gasped as the images started flooding her mind together with an all encompassing longing for Damon that crept into every fiber of her body as she looked at him with new eyes. Eyes that were no longer blind or debilitated by the fog of memory, compulsion and lies. Eyes that understood their story, their interactions better, clearer than ever before. Finally Elena had an explanation for the sense of loss that she couldn't quite place since the night of the accident, the sense of loss that she had associated to the death of her parents but that was all about the man in front of her.

"I remember…"- she whispered in a daze –"Your voice, your eyes, your words."

Damon smiled sheepishly.

"The longing in your eyes when you thought I was Katherine…" – Damon tensed- "The surprise when you realized that I wasn't." – she smiled a little –"You gave me butterflies in my stomach." – she giggled and Damon joined her –"Even then we had this banter going on."- she said in amazement –"Why didn't you attack me?"- Elena asked confused.

"I liked you from the first moment I realized that you were not her." – he said simply.

"You liked the babbling teenager that looked like the queen bitch that broke your heart?" – Elena said incredulously.

"You were charming Elena…and so trusting." – he answered caressing her cheek – "How could I not fall for you?"

"I felt so…so comfortable around you…" - she said in awe searching his eyes

"I felt the connection too Lena."

"I even flirted with you!"- she bit out horrified.

"True"- he answered with a devilish smirk –"But I returned it in kind."

"Damon…"- Elena replied blushing.

"Elena…" – he replied wiggling his brows suggestively.

"You mesmerized me that night." – she said quietly.

"And you captivated me."- he whispered caressing her face soothingly.

"A love that consumes me…" – Elena inhaled sharply repeating his words – "Passion and adventure and even a little danger." – she looked at Damon longingly – "You didn't drink from me…you didn't press your advantage…"

"You started changing me even back then babe."- Damon leaned in to rest his forehead against hers, one hand pressed on the counter at her side, the other caressing her cheek.

"You met me…dazzled me… spoke my thoughts aloud and then… and then you vanished…" – Elena whispered brokenly as tears trailed down her cheeks.

"I know…"- he said sadly –"I can't change what I have done Elena…"- Damon acknowledged lifting her chin –"But we can work on getting things right from now on."

"You let me hate you Damon…"

"When I met you the second time you were not the same girl Elena."- Damon eyes begged her to understand –"You were broken by your losses and infatuated with my little brother."

"I knew no better." - she pleaded in her defense.

"I know that love… But you must understand that from the very beginning all I wished for you was for you to be happy. At that time Stefan made you happy…Then he turned you against me and the drama ensued."- Damon sighed heavily –"I wanted you to come to me naturally…To see that what we shared was bigger and more resilient that the puppy love you and Stefan shared."- he shrugged –"I guess I am just a foolish romantic masochistic idiot after all." – he chuckled without humour.

"Don't." – Elena bit out reaching for his face –"Don't twist this…let me find my way back to you…" – with that Elena leaned in and placed the softest of kisses on his lips - "We can do this Damon." – she whispered as her forehead leaned on his and her hands flattened against his chest.

"I know we can sweetheart."- Damon acknowledged, wrapping his arms around Elena as if to protect her from her own heartache.

AN: I hope it was worth the wait. Review if you can! xoxo