New York, 1979

FS*FS*FS

Felicity unlocked her penthouse apartment door and put her keys in the bowl on the table near the door. Taking off her favorite brown leather jacket she looked around empty dark space and resigned herself to lonely night watching TV in her comfortable pajamas with only carton of ice cream for a company. It was not how she was planning to spend tonight.

Not three hours earlier Felicity was preparing to go surprise Damon because she hadn't seen him all week while working on some of her family's investments. She changed into tight fitting jeans and revealing bright red top. She had blown out her hair in the manner that made one thing about sexy times. Her lips were painted blood red as if she just finished eating; Damon once said that he quite liked it on her. Walking down the street she made quite a few heads turn, but all of that was for one man's benefit. But he was no show.

Felicity went to Billy's, the bar they first met and usually hang out at, but Damon wasn't there. She decided to check his apartment upstairs. She knocked for awhile without answer before using the key Damon gave her but apartment was empty. Leaving she bumped into Will but he also had no idea where Damon was, he hadn't seen him since last night when Damon brought him new documents. Nothing left to do Felicity left a note for Damon and went home.

Felicity slipped out of her heels as she sauntered to her bedroom to change but first she made her way to the kitchen to take ice cream out of freezer to soften up.

Putting carton on the counter she tensed slightly as she felt presence behind her, but it melted away as familiar voice reached her.

"You're home."

Felicity turned around ready to demand explanation from Damon, but his expression made the words stuck in her throat. Instead she embraced him. But Damon shrunk away from her as if it hurt him.

"No." He whispered so quietly Felicity barely heard him. His voice was broken and it mirrored in his grey eyes. Blonde vampire wanted nothing more than to take him in her arms and make all that pain and suffering go away. They knew each other mere six months and he already became one of the most important part of her long immortal life. It's not like it was first time Felicity was falling for someone, but never so fast and so strong.

But tonight was not the time to analyze these feelings, so Felicity pushed them aside for the later time. Now she focused on Damon. It was clear he didn't want to talk yet; nevertheless he was here, at her apartment, which meant he didn't want to be alone.

Gently Felicity put her hand on Damon's arm, this time he just tensed instead of recoiling from her touch and guided him to the sofa in the living room.

"I'll go change." Felicity said handing raven haired man a remote. Only answer she got was a single nod. With one last glance his way she left the room.

After changing into comfortable pajama bottoms and oversized t-shirt with some kind rock band's name on it, Damon left after one of his visit's, she came back to the same scene she left. Only change was that Murder on the Orient Express was playing on TV.

One look at Damon's tense posture sent Felicity towards the bar to fetch a bottle of the bourbon which found its way to her home sometime after her fellow vampire became regular guest here. Usually Felicity preferred vine for the quiet nights on the sofa, but tonight demanded something stronger. So she took the bottle and two tumblers and went to join Damon.

After swallowing the first glass, they both sipped the second one slower. Both vampires were turned toward TV as the movie played out, but if asked neither would be able to say what was happening on screen.

Sitting on the opposite sides of sofa they weren't touching. No matter how much Felicity ached to slide closer and hug him, she knew that he needed to make a first move. And midway during the movie he shifted closer to her letting their knees touch and his hand wandered to find hers. His muscles were still rigid but at their contact he relaxed a fraction.

DS*DS*DS

Previous week went well for Damon if not a little bit boring. At least until yesterday.

Well actually it was miserable. He missed Felicity. In few short months she made herself a firm fixture in his life and Damon didn't even notice it happening. Last week when he didn't see her because she was out of town on family's business, he understood that he relied on her being near. He didn't even know her that well, there was still centuries full of stories, but he felt like he can trust her, there was something about her that made him feel at ease. Damon enjoyed Felicity's company so much that he started to experience emotions again. First time since he turned them off in 19** New Year's Eve, after he made a difficult decision to leave his cellmate for death to guarantee his own escape.

Pleasant emotions crept on him without his permission, but he was powerless to stop them. Only his sheer will allowed him to keep tight lid on pain and guilt.

So without Felicity there beside him to occupy his time, Damon retreated into his old patterns, with the exception of sleeping with other women. It held no real appeal to him anymore.

Bidding his time until Felicity came back Damon did few jobs for Will. Everything was fine until Friday night when another job bring up the memories he tried to suppress since his emotion started to come back. It was like a damp breaking down and guilt and pain of lost friend came rushing, threatening to drown him. Damon's first instinct was to flick his emotion's switch off again. But something or better said someone stopped him. His mind conjured picture of Felicity's smiling face and he knew that he would be unable to go through it. So he did next best thing. Drink himself into forgetfulness.

He spent the rest of Friday night in the one of the dodgiest bar he ever set foot inside, and he visited a lot of them over the years. Copious amounts of cheap whiskey dulled his mind and whispers of his demons became almost bearable. But he still couldn't forget.

Once bar keeper tried to make Damon leave, he compelled to let him stay. He spent there all day drowning his sorrows. But it wasn't enough, and not long after the dark he turned up at Felicity's apartment building's foyer. The doorman waved Damon towards the elevators without needing to compulsion, because sometime during last three months Damon became regular guest there.

He went up to the top floor and made his way to Felicity's penthouse door. For a minute Damon contemplated leaving, but before he could act on it, he was already turning the key in the lock and walking inside.

Apartment was dark and empty. But fresh scent of Felicity's favorite perfume lingering around let Damon knew that she was here not long ago. Wandering deeper inside Damon stopped in the kitchen and took a seat at cozy breakfast nook, where he spent a lot mornings as of late.

Damon sat there in absolute silence and darkness for about an hour before he heard the lock in front door turning. Soon the keys hit the hall table with a clank and from familiar muttering he knew that it was Felicity coming home. Blonde often talked to herself without noticing. It was how she sorted her never stopping, brilliant mind and Damon found this little quirk quite adorable.

He heard her heels hitting the hardwood floor as she kicked them off. It was very familiar sound, often heard in others, more intimate and steamier, circumstances.

Raven haired vampire stayed frozen in his place when Felicity stepped in the kitchen, going straight to the freezer for her favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream. Something must have upset her.

Damon stepped out of the shadows and saw that his movements made her muscles to tighten, and even the air around her seemed to stand still.

"You're home." It was the only thing he could muster to say at the moment and he felt stupid saying it. He knew that he came here to talk but he just couldn't. Felicity turned to him no longer in defense mode, but not relaxed either. Her fiery gaze directed at him let him know the reason for her sour mood. But something Felicity saw in him made her eyes soften and the strange tenseness in the air dissipated too.

Soon they were sitting in her spacious living room, movie playing on TV neither of them watching it.

As time progressed they slid closer and closer to each other like magnets. By the time the end credits started rolling on the screen they were mere inches apart.

Damon knew that he wanted, no, needed to talk to her. But to actually sound out his inner turmoil was proving to be much more difficult. But looking into Felicity's deep blue orbs he knew she would not judge him and her innate compassion might even sooth newly reemerged hurt and guilt.

As if feeling his mental unrest Felicity laid her gentle hand on his knee and squeezed in reassurance. She was prepared to sit with him here, in silence for however long it'd take for him to be ready to talk. Her quiet presence gave Damon enough courage to start.

And as he started he just couldn't stop.

He told her how bored he was all week, that why he took one of Will's jobs. He told her how he took the documents from his latest victim's body. His name was Laurence Johnson. This with addition that the victim looked similar to his cellmate made pain and guilt to resurface.

He told Felicity about Augustine society, what they've done to him and other vampires, how he found himself sharing the cell with Lorenzo St. John. He told her about escape plan he and Enzo made and how it all went sideways. He finally told her about Maggie and his revenge against Whitmore family. He even admitted that he resented his brother Stefan for never looking for him, for not rescuing him from that hell.

After his heavy confession Felicity didn't say anything, just stared at his eyes. Intensity of her gaze made Damon believe that she was seeing right through him and he started fidgeting waiting for her next move.

Still without single word Felicity stood up from her perch on the sofa. Damon was nervous about her reaction, but she reached her hand to him as an invitation.

Once Damon grasped it blonde woman led him into her bedroom. She didn't turn the lights on. The lights of the city coming through the windows were enough for them to see the way to the bed. They had enough practice navigating this space in more preoccupied mind state. Felicity lifted the comforter and slid under it waiting for Damon to do the same. And after ridding himself of his boots, leather jacket and jeans, he did.

His little minx pulled him closer. Their bodies were flushed together, but it wasn't sexual or even physical. No tonight was about emotional comfort and it was just what Damon needed.

Couple clung to each other all night. And even in the late morning when the sun was almost reaching her zenith both pretended not to notice the other was awake not wanting to separate yet.

When they finally released their hold on each other and got up Damon found that Felicity's favorite ice cream was forgotten last night and have melted into the puddle on the kitchen counter. Looking into the damage he promised himself to fill her freezer full with it first thing in the morning.