Hey guys! OMG this weeks episode! AHHH DELENA! heheh sorry :)

Iwont be able to update this weekend as i am on rowing camp til sunday night, but i will try to get a chappie up by monday or tuesday. Anyways, enjoy!

They wandered on until a quaint little sea side café caught Elena's eye. She pulled Damon towards it without a word and they laughed as they stumbled over the curb, crossing the road to the door of the café. As they were waiting for a table Damon detached his hand from Elena's so he could wind it around her waist and pull her close.

'Excellent choice, Princess,' he whispered in her ear. She giggled, and was just about to answer him when a waiter appeared in front of the pair.

'Hi, how can I help you? A table for two?' Elena nodded and he led them to a small table on a patio outside, facing the surf. He was well-built, tanned, and had dark brown hair and matching eyes; and Elena couldn't help but notice the muscles that moved under his shirt when he walked in front of them. She also noticed Damon noticing her watching the waiter, and he tried to catch her eye; tugging on her waist gently and taking her free hand. Elena could tell he was a tad jealous, and she knew she was just getting on his nerves deliberately; the waiter's muscles, however tan he may be, were still no match for Damon's sculpted perfection in her eyes. A giggle escaped her mouth and Damon's eyes tightened minutely, not noticeable to someone just observing, but Elena knew him so well that it was just about as obvious as him screaming in anger.

The waiter left them to their own devices and came back shortly with menus after they had seated themselves. As he approached, Elena smiled sweetly at him and Damon was glaring at the table top.

'A menu for you, Sir, and a menu for the pretty lady,' He winked at Elena and she laughed a little. Damon continued staring, but shifted his gaze to the view to his right. 'Can I get you guys a drink?'

'Sure, we'll have a Corona, please, and a Bourbon. Neat.' Elena shot him another smile, and scoured her menu for something to eat.

'I'll be right back with those,' He walked quickly away from them, yelling their order to the barman in the corner.

Damon had one elbow propped on the table, fist clenched tightly, and the other one playing with his phone. Elena knew the waiter had gotten on his nerves, he didn't usually fiddle with things.

'What's up?' She reached out a hand and stroked the back of his fisted hand, her tender touch causing him to relax slightly.

He wouldn't answer. She tried again.

'Is this about that waiter calling me a pretty lady? Damon…' She smiled and he turned to face her.

'No, Elena, it's the way that you responded to him. The smiles, the-'

'Damon,' she laughed at him, and he glared right back at her. 'You honestly thought that was for real? Have you not been here with me the past few days? I saw your change of mood as soon as that guy walked over to us. You knew that he was going to hit on me in some form and I was just making a joke out of it. I'm here with you, and only you. Do you see anyone else around? Hmm?'

He looked down at his hand, the one that was in Elena's and he smiled, embarrassed.

'I really am thick at times, aren't I?' She giggled and his eyes met hers. They leant closer together and Elena reached out with her other hand to take his in both of hers.

'I must admit, I was surprised when you didn't catch on straight away! Come on, Damon, you can't have thought I'd go for him, did you? You know I prefer my men un-sundamaged,' He chuckled at her comment and the waiter returned with their drinks.

'I think we'll need a few more minutes before we order, thanks,' Damon told the man before he could say a word, and he left them in peace.

They ended up ordering the first thing on the menu because they had been too distracted to even think about ordering by the time the waiter came back, so when the food came Elena had no idea what she'd ordered, only that apparently it was edible. The pair were politely surprised when they ended up receiving the lobster, only the most expensive thing on the menu.

'We should probably look before we order next time, I don't think my pocket can take more of this,' Damon joked.

'I'm pretty sure you'd be just fine,' Elena giggled and took a bite of the lobster. 'At least it's worth its money,' At that Damon pulled a face, a cross between a pout and a frown that only made Elena laugh harder.

After they had eaten their fill, the two of them strolled down the seashore while Elena's stomach settled. They ended up walking along the wet sand, shoes in hand so they wouldn't get wet and hands joined, swinging between them. Damon's pants were rolled up to his calves and Elena's hair floated in the sea breeze. The sun shone on her chocolate waves and they, like the sea, sparkled with the sunlight, bringing out golden tones Damon never knew she had. Elena was too busy digging her toes into the sand to notice her hair shining, but Damon's eyes were riveted. He never stopped marvelling at just how beautiful and free-spirited young Elena was, with her eyes glittering with joy and her hair framing her face like a golden-brown halo; her olive skin glowing under the sun's rays, perfectly contrasting the white dress and her luminous smile. He gazed thoughtfully and rubbed his thumb in small circles over the back of her hand, his lips curling up at the edges. Finally she noticed him.

'What?' She stopped walking but her smile didn't fade. 'Is there lobster on my face?'

Damon smiled, properly this time. 'No, just thinking.' Elena smiled back at him and suddenly a thought crossed her mind.

'Do you feel like a swim now?' She sucked on her bottom lip and Damon chucked his shoes further up the beach before quickly whipping his shirt and pants off to reveal his blackboard shorts.

'Sure am,' He took off towards the waves and Elena hurriedly dumped her stuff, shrugging off her dress so she was in her fuchsia bikini and ran after him.

'Wait for me! That's not fair!' she shouted after him as she leaped over smaller waves. He was already waist deep in the surf and just before she reached him he dived under a wave, emerging right in front of her.

'Really? Seems fair to me,' He smirked and winked at her and with a swift sweep of his leg, he dunked Elena under the water, and she came out gasping and spluttering.

'Not all of us are superhuman, thank you very much! You pretty much drowned me!' Damon grinned and splashed her.

'That was the point!' He cheekily wiggled his eyebrows and did it again. This time, however, Elena was at least slightly more prepared and didn't splutter quite so much.

'Oh, it's definitely on now,' Her voice dropped low and she let out a war cry before leaping onto him, but he easily evaded her advances and dunked her from behind. She decided to stay underwater, and with a burst of strength, she pushed off the sandy ocean floor and barrelled into his stomach with her shoulder, tackling him and surprising him but not quite dunking him. His head stayed above the water, but before she could act on it he was on his feet again, towering over her. All it took was one evil grin and his palm on her head to force her beneath the waves again.

She grew tired of him constantly pummelling her. It's time to play dirty, she thought.

She didn't fully stand up once her face emerged, and a grimace was stretched over her face. Naturally, Damon quickly made his way over to her.

'Elena, are you alright?' His eyebrows met in concern.

'I think I rolled my ankle in the sand when I went under,' She reached for her ankle and she could feel the guise working.

'I'm so sorry, I'll carry you to the shore and we can take a look-'

'Aha! Gotcha!' Damon was cut off by Elena grabbing his shoulders and pulling him forward as he leaned over her. He couldn't recover as he was already off balance and he fell straight into the water. Elena exploded with laughter and by the time Damon's head broke the surface of the water there were tears in her eyes. Damon didn't seem too pleased though, and he scooped her up in his arms and dunked her head in the water repeatedly. Every time she had just taken a breath she was suddenly back in the water, but after three or four tries Damon let her properly recover. She clung to him, gasping for breath as he smirked at her, thoroughly enjoying it.

'That was totally not fair,' she tried to frown but was just reminded of how she dunked him earlier and a smile slowly spread across her face.

'It totally was. And I think we should get out now before you get anymore funny ideas, missy,' Damon proceeded to carry her towards the shore with her hitting his chest in protest.

'But we've barely been in for five minutes!'

'Well I'm sorry but I can't have you trying anything again, it's just too humiliating. Plus it's getting darker,' Damon nodded towards the sun getting lower in the sky. It threw an orange glow over everything and everyone and Damon looked like he'd had a bad fake tan. Elena couldn't help but snicker and Damon shot her a questioning glance.

'What's so funny, Princess?'

'The sun is making you look like you have a really bad fake tan,' She continued to giggle and Damon set her down on the sand with a mischievous glint in his eye.

'Right, that's it,' He grabbed her clothes and sprinted down the beach towards the car park.

'HEY!' Elena shot after him, making impressive ground considering the sand and his physical advantage. Soon she caught up to him and tackled him around his waist, bringing them both down into the sand. Her hand darted out and collected her dress, backing away before he could pull her back down to the ground and poked out her tongue at him. She slipped the dress over her head after brushing all the sand off it and herself, and started back for the rest of her stuff.

Before too long, Damon sidled up beside her.

'How did you manage to catch up with me, you little speed demon! I was at full human pace!' She tossed her hair over her shoulder defiantly.

'I used to run track before I started cheerleading.'

'Aren't you full of surprises. Hey, do you feel like going out for dinner tonight? Can't be bothered cooking,' he winked at her and she scoffed.

'Sure, we just have to get cleaned up first.' She looked over at him and he was grinning contagiously. She couldn't help but crack a smile and once they gathered their things, they headed back to the car.

Elena had only one problem in the whole world; she couldn't figure out what to wear.

Reviews are love!

-M