A/N: I'm back from Cali! Thank you for your lovely reviews from the last chapter. It was lovely to read them when I got home. Haven't had time to reply individually yet but I will.

HELP NEEDED: So this story isn't too far from being finished (six more chapters maximum) and I plan on finishing The Embargo within the next few weeks which means it'll be time for a new story. I already have the idea planned BUT I'd like to know how many of you might be likely to read it. I've put the synopsis and a little bit more info at the end of this chapter. Anyone willing to let me know their thoughts will get an extra-special little message. Thanks in advance :) x

Chapter 10

"Good morning tourist," Damon sing-songed from outside of Caroline's apartment door before knocking lightly.

He didn't have to wait long for the door to open, revealing a jean short and converse-wearing Elena. She couldn't help but return the beaming smile he gave her as she held the door open for him to come in, but it faltered as she noticed his eyes travel the length of her arms. Self-consciously, she closed the door behind him and folded her arms, spanning her hands across as much skin as she could manage. As if realising what he'd done, Damon shook his head quickly and handed her a cup of coffee and a bag with a smoked salmon bagel in.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She took a bite as he moved inside, resting against the countertop as he looked at her curiously, amused as her hair flew out behind her as she rounded the couch, clearly on the hunt for something she couldn't find.

"Can I help?"

"No, I just….was looking for this," she said softly.

"It's really hot outside. You're not gonna need-"

Elena held up her arms to signal what was now covered by material and Damon stopped mid-sentence in realisation. "Right."

He swallowed thickly and Elena removed the bagel from it's place on the coffee table where she'd put it down before taking a sip of coffee. "Mmmm." She moaned appreciatively as the hot liquid pretty much burned her throat but in the best way. "You bring good coffee."

"Consider it the start of your proper acquaintance with this city," Damon replied. "You ready?"

"Yep."

"Then we should get going."

The sun was already hot overhead, the buildings filtering shards of sharp light down each street. Not a single cloud punctuated the sky and Elena marvelled at how alive the city already felt - not something she'd only noticed that morning, but a fact she never really got hold of all the same.

"So where are we starting?"

"The High Line," Damon told her. "Before it gets too hot."

They exited the subway at 14th Street Station, both surprised by the wall of heat that hit them. Elena noticed Damon eyeing her jacket but said nothing, fiddling instead with the zip that hung from the end. She was already feeling the heat but the last thing she needed was people staring at the marks up her arms. It wasn't only her wrists that bore the evidence of Stefan's moments of anger.

"This place was actually inspired by the Promenade plantée in Paris." Damon told her as they walked along the linear park at a swift, yet comfortable pace. "It used to be old sections of the railway but now it's been filled with plants; it's a pretty great way to gather a different perspective of the city."

It was like having her own personal tour guide, Elena mused. She peered up at Damon from under her sunglasses to find that he was smiling.

"Popsicle?"

"What?"

"There's a place just along from here that does the strangest flavour combinations in popsicle form. They're surprisingly delicious."

It was only 10am and despite her bagel and coffee, courtesy of the man beside her no less, Elena found herself tempted to see for herself.

Damon paid for two sticks: chili and lime for himself and a mango, cardamom and ginger one for Elena. They continued walking - a little slower now - until they'd finished their treats and she was surprised as her tugged at her hand upon seeing a wider section of the track.

"This is my favourite part," he told her. "The urban theatre."

Elena couldn't help but smile as she felt a warm, tingling sensation in her left hand, exactly where Damon's fingers were. Even from behind his sunglasses, she could tell his blue eyes were bright with a sort of boyish excitement she found rather endearing.

"See how the view is split by the different panels- it creates snapshots of the city below."

The pair walked towards the frames, gazing out to take notice of the cabs, pedestrians and skyline surrounding them. Damon let go of her hand to point out various places of interest and Elena felt a pang of disappointment at the loss of contact. Still, she absorbed his explanations of the uses of different buildings and noted the way his hands moved increasingly faster, the more passionate he got.

"Come on," he told her as she'd taken a set on the wooden benches to watch the traffic below. "We still have so much to see."

X

"This is the best pizza I've ever had in my life!" Elena exclaimed, shoving another bite into her mouth none-too-delicately. He only offered her a smirk in response and took a bite out of his own slice as they walked through the East Village. This was stop number two on their food tour of lower Manhattan, the first being for some Belgian fries that were so unbelievably good that Elena had almost suggested they split another portion. By this point in the day, she'd normally be grateful to have managed a bowl of cereal. Instead, she'd rather greedily - under Damon's influence of course - consumed a smoked salmon bagel, popsicle, half a Japanese hot dog, half a portion of Belgian fries and was now shovelling pizza in as though she wouldn't see tomorrow.

Elena looked up at Damon who seemed pretty pleased with himself, and she couldn't help but smile. She was eating food like a true New Yorker - on the go and local. If he took her to a pretzel stand before the end of their day together she'd be able to tick off every cliched tourist food on the proverbial list.

"I told you that crap from the 7/11 doesn't count."

"I happen to like 7/11 pizza!"

"Yeah, but you just told me this is the best one you've ever had. Ergo…"

"Ergo?"

"Ergo 7/11 can suck it."

Elena laughed and licked the grease off her fingers. Adjusting her jacket as much as she could, she blew out a breath in an attempt to cool herself a little.

"People won't notice," he said softly.

"You did."

Damon sighed a little, turning to face her. "Do they hurt?"

"Not really. Not any more."

Elena wiped at the sweat on the back of her her nose at what she found, she peeled back the jacket at one side and then at the other before resettling it.

"You should be really proud, you know?"

She scoffed, "Proud of what exactly?"

"Being you."

"Really? Because from where I am, being me isn't so great right now."

"I'm sorry about your parents and what happened with...Stefan. You've been through all of that and yet somehow you're still finding the courage to get up every morning, treat asses like me who manage to get shot twice, and do it all with a smile on that beautiful face. For what it's worth, I'm proud of you."

She had no idea what to say. The last person who'd told her they were proud was her mom when she'd first moved to New York. That seemed a heck of a long time ago. And did he just refer to her as beautiful? At a loss for words, she brushed her fingers against his with a hint of a smile before they began walking again.

X

Elena was exhausted. Exhausted and so full that as she sat down on the couch in Caroline's living room, she let out a groan of pain.

"You're a bad influence when it comes to food."

"I wasn't the one who decided three desserts was a good idea."

"No, but you were the one who said I'd regret my choice if I didn't pick exactly what I wanted."

"Again, none of that involved me saying 'have three desserts Elena'."

She rolled her eyes at Damon's response as she searched her purse for the phone that was vibrating.

"Hey, Care."

"Elena, I just wanted to let you know I'm going to be late home tonight."

"Okay. Are you really busy?"

"Um….actually, I'm going for a couple of drinks and some food."

"With?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in mock suspicion. She knew it would only be a matter of time before Tyler and Caroline finally went on a date.

"Klaus?"

"What?!"

"Okay, less judging."

"I wasn't ju….sorry."

"He offered and I'm actually pretty hungry. Apparently there's this really nice British pub on West 45th. Hey, did you have a good time with Damon?"

"Yeah, um, he's here now actually."

"Elena!" Caroline shrieked. "Hang up and get back to whatever it was you were doing."

"We were regretting our greed."

"Actually, you were regretting your greed," Damon interjected. "But if tarring me with the same brush makes you feel better, I won't hold it against you."

"I like him," Caroline told her over the phone. "He seems good for you. Now hang up and I'll see you later tonight."

"Bye Care."

The call ended with Caroline's muffled giggle and Elena couldn't help but feel a sense of giddiness for her friend. After everything that had happened lately, today had brought a welcome and much-needed lightness.

"She's going to be home late."

"Hot date?"

"Something like that."

"Are you going to be okay?" Damon asked. "On your own?"

Something in her chest - the same feeling she had in the hospital when he'd visited her - made her want to cry. Not because she was sad, but for some other unknown reason.

"Yes," Elena managed to choke out.

"You sure?"

"I'll be fine." It wasn't a lie. She would be. Until she went to sleep.

"Then I'll leave you to it," he replied, forcing himself off of the couch with a wince that Elena couldn't help be notice.

"You're in pain."

"I've just walked a lot," he waved it away. "That's all."

"Let me check."

"Elena-"

"-I'll just make sure...Damon!" she cried, her eyes widening at the raw, bruised wound on his torso as she lifted his shirt. "How long has it been like this?"

"Not too long."

"Are you changing your dressings?"

"Yes."

She raised an eyebrow skeptically and he took hold of her hand to pull his shirt down. "It's more difficult that you make it look."

"Come with me," she instructed, his hand still holding hers which made it easy for her to tug him in the direction of the bathroom.

He settled against the white counter as Elena rooted through the cabinet, huffing when her jacket restricted her movements. She peeled it off, not thinking twice about the ugly marks on her own body as she found the dressing pads and tape.

"Wait here," she instructed, leaving Damon in the bathroom while she rummaged in her work bag for a sealed pack of gloves. Grabbing a bottle of vodka from the kitchen, she returned to find the dark-haired man waiting expectantly, looking almost like it wasn't his first time propped up in her bathroom.

"I'm more of a bourbon man."

"We don't have any," Elena told him as she held out the bottle, "and this is going to sting so I suggest you take a large swig."

He did as she told him, winced as it burned his throat and repeated the motion while she pulled on the gloves. She tried to hold up his shirt with one hand as she wiped the red skin carefully but she was unable to clean it properly.

"Can you take off your shirt?" she asked him, "So I don't have to hold it?"

Elena figured he'd be smirking and waited for the sarcastic comment to come her way. When it didn't, she looked up at Damon to find him watching her intently, no smirk, no narrowed eyes, just something she couldn't quite place pooling in his eyes. She continued to feel his eyes on her as she cleaned the wound as delicately as possible, hearing the clear liquid tip inside the bottle from time to time as he brought it to his lips when she wasn't quite delicate enough. With great care, Elena lightly pressed a clean towel against his damn skin, sighing for a reason she didn't understand.

Just like they had done in the hospital all of those weeks ago, Damon held the dressing in place while Elena taped the sides to his skin, their fingers brushing as they always did. This time, she looked up and instead of the grimace etched into his lips and cheeks, his face was relaxed as he gave her a half-smile, the corners of his lips curling upward in a gesture so slight that she might have missed it had she not already known what to look for.

"Thank you," he said softly as she finished and removed her gloves. It already feels…"

"Better?"

"Better."

"You should avoid too much exertion," she told him, handing him the black t-shirt that he'd balled up on top of a pile of pristine white towels. "I think we walked too far today."

She helped him pull on the shirt and felt those ever-increasing tingles run along her fingertips and up her arms - more intense than she'd felt them before.

"Maybe I just ate too much and my skin stretched."

"Like you said, I'm pretty sure that was me, and I mean it Damon; you should rest."

There was a strange, almost uncomfortable moment when she leaned toward the cabinet to put away the supplies at the same time that he leaned forward, causing their cheeks to brush. Elena thought she might have heard him suck in a breath but when she pulled back to stand straight, she realised she was the one breathing heavily. If Damon noticed, he didn't say anything but cleared his throat and stood upright himself.

"I should get going."

She nodded and followed him to the apartment door. "Thank you for today. It was….it was what I needed."

"I actually had a good time."

"Gee, thanks."

"I meant, playing tourist. You made it fun."

Much like the moment earlier, the pair stood somewhat uncomfortably before Damon huffed out a breath and pressed a kiss against her forehead.

"Take care Elena."

She stood, rooted to the spot without a string of coherent words forming. It wasn't like the last time he's told her that. It didn't sound like a goodbye. He left without a backward glance and Elena found herself standing with the door open for much longer than she should have. When she finally returned to the present, she shut it quickly, locking it behind her as she flicked off each light in turn - other than the one sitting on the sideboard by the door. The city was still loud and bustling below her, the noise more evident now that she was alone.

She fell into bed, even more exhausted than she'd been upon her and Damon's return to the apartment earlier. Setting her phone alarm for 5am - ready for her shift at the hospital - made her smile more than it should have but it felt like she was taking back a little control; work was her first step.

Just as she was drifting off, her eyelids giving way to the inevitable sleep she so desperately needed, her phone buzzed its ringtone, rousing her abruptly. Elena pulled it towards her, squinting at the harsh light of the screen. Stefan.

Unscripted

Damon and Elena are the lead actors in hot CW show The Vampire Diaries. Despite trying to fight their developing feelings, the two eventually fall in love. However, when real life starts to imitate the show and they find themselves wanting different things, they must learn how to continue professionally and independently when everything they know leads back to each other.

Basically, the idea for this story came half from a song I was listening to (not going to tell you what it is yet as I want to use it on a specific chapter) and half because I'm STILL not over the fact that Nian broke up. So, this story will be the fanfiction version of their relationship, and all of you Nian shippers know, like me, that those two were epic and the absolute epitome of true love. I'm just trying to give us their happy ending haha.

What I'd like from you lovely lot are your favourite Nian moments so that I can TRY and include them wherever possible.

Gracie xxx