Hey there,

I'm so sorry for taking so long but i've a little bit busy lately.

I am devastated by the news of season eight being the last, I mean we all knew it was coming but a part of me was still on denial and after that heart breaking goodbye video now everything feels so real, I can't believe we will only get 16 episodes and that we're finally saying goodbye to this show, I've watched it since I was fifteen and I honestly feel terrible.

Anway, enough with my rambling. I really hope you like the new chapter and well I added Valerie as Stefan's love interest even when I know not everyone like her but the thing is I wanted Caroline and Klaus for this one and even if at the beggining I hated Valerie, she grew on me with time and that scene where she and Stefan said goodbye completelly broke me and made me apreaciate her more.

Thanks to my awsome beta and to everyone reading

Love you!

One look at you; my whole life falls in line.
I prayed for you; before I called you mine.
I can't believe it's true, sometimes.
I can't believe it's true.
I get to love you, it's the best thing that I'll ever do.
I get to love you, it's a promise I'm making to you.

I get to love you

.

Her hands gripped the counter behind her as he trailed kisses all over her exposed throat, one of his calloused hands was lost underneath her Victoria Secret's camisole and gripped her breast in the most delicious of ways. Her own hands were running through his soft hair, mussing it, getting lost on the feel of him.

"Oh Damon" She half whispered as he pressed closer to her, his erection digging into her hip. Suddenly she wanted her tiny pajama shorts to be gone so her skin could feel completely what was Damon Salvatore.

His lips trailed upwards once again and found hers, the wet sound of their kisses the only thing that could be heard in the dark kitchen "We probably shouldn't be doing this here" He whispered between kisses

"We probably shouldn't" She answered as her hands moved from his hair to the tough muscles of his back, stroking everywhere she could underneath his shirt.

"Then you should stop me" He answered and she could feel him smirking against her mouth as he took her by the rear and lifted her onto the counter. He moved between her open legs and rested his head against her chest, pressing a kiss onto her breast.

"I think we suck at keeping this a secret" She said with a small smile as he nuzzled his face against her chest, their breathing coming back to normal and his pants still incredibly tight with his desire for her.

"We probably should be more careful" He answered and almost purred when he felt her petting his hair.

They had met in the kitchen like they'd done every night since she started working for him, they had expected to talk like they used to do but instead the moment their eyes landed on each other the fire between them started burning up and they weren't able to stop it, it had been a battle of teeth, lips and skin.

"But apparently I can't control myself once you enter a room" He said as he moved and lifted his head to smile at her "You are driving me crazy" She didn't answer, only smiled as he walked away, moving towards the refrigerator.

In a way Elena felt like a spectator in this part of her life, she couldn't quite believe this was happening to her. Elena Gilbert, the quiet girl from Virginia was actually having a relationship with her boss, a wonderful man who had two daughters, was a widow and also the hottest man she had ever laid eyes on. Her fifteen year old self would never believe something like that could happen to her.

"I feel kind of bad lying to the girls" He told her as he placed a pint of ice cream next to her on the counter and pulled out a chair to sit on it "Just this morning Violet asked me if I thought you were pretty"

Elena laughed quietly "They are something else right? There's nothing like the innocence of a child. I think they might have their own plan though, they told me today that you give the best hugs in the whole world"

Damon threw his head back and laughed and Elena almost licked her lips at the way the muscles in his neck stretched "They couldn't be more obvious right?" He handed her a spoon and took hold of her legs so that her feet were resting against his lap

"They've been going at it for days" Elena answered as she dug her spoon into the ice cream and tried to ignore the feel of his cool breath against the skin of her knees. "Violet even told me and I'm quoting 'Why do you and uncle Stefan talk so much? My daddy's hugs are better' so I think they're being pretty obvious"

"And they are also right you know" He traced his hand all over her leg and she threw her head back and closed her eyes "Stefan's hugs are nowhere near good as mine" He kissed her knee and then dropped back onto his chair "But you know what? I don't think you should test that theory"

Her eyes opened and she lifted an eye brow while looking at him "Jealous Mr. Salvatore?" He took the ice cream from her hands and dug in his own spoon while avoiding eye contact with her

"I know it's stupid but I don't like seeing you with him" He shook his head as he put the spoon in his mouth

"You do know I have no feelings towards your brother right? Other than friendship"

"I do know, and that's why it's so stupid but… God Elena you make me feel so out of control. I have this primal need inside of me to keep you out of other's men gazes forever" He expected for her to be angry and tell him he had no right over her but instead she laughed, a beautiful sound that filled his ears.

"You do sound a bit crazy" She admitted

He smirked "Told you, I'm hopeless" His face turned serious "It's just… it's been a while since I've felt this way for someone, I hadn't been in a relationship since…"

"Since your wife" She finished the sentence for him. He nodded and avoided looking at her once again "What happened to her Damon?" She asked in a soft voice

"Car crash...Violet doesn't even remember her" He asked with an edge of sadness. He didn't know what saddened him more, the fact that his little girl would never know her mother or the fact that a huge part of him thought it was better that way.

"I'm sorry" She leaned down and placed a hand on his cheek, he nuzzled into her palm with his eyes closed.

"It's all right, it's been a while" He said truthfully and Elena hated the part of herself that felt jealous over a dead woman. Over what she and Damon had shared. "But my point Is that I'm not sure how to be in a relationship anymore" And truth be told he never felt that out of control as he felt when he was with her "I want to lock you up in this house and never let you leave, and I'm completely sure that's not normal behavior"

Elena threw her head back and laughed "No it isn't. But we can work on that" His lips broke in a grin and it sent a warm feeling towards her chest. There was nothing more beautiful than Damon's smile.

He gripped her feet and smiled at her "Thank you" His blue eyes shinned as they looked at her. "I wanted to talk you about something"

"Shoot"

"You know the gala is this weekend and I asked you to be my date for the event" Damon knew Bonnie, Stefan and Enzo would never leave him in peace when they found out he was taking Elena and he honestly didn't know how that fit with their whole secretive relationship but in the end it was her painting that was going to be for auction so it made sense for her to be there.

"Yes, I remember" She half smiled as she moved her feet in his lap, Damon closed his eyes and groaned.

"You know you are making this really hard for me" He said while forcing her feet to stop moving "Here I am trying to be decent and have a civilized conversation and you are trying to wake up the beast"

"The beast?" Elena asked with a chuckle

"The beast" Damon said while doing that eye thing that drove her mad "Now behave, Miss Gilbert" He said trying to appear serious but failing miserably.

"I'll be a good girl, Mr. Salvatore" Elena grinned when she heard the low rumble coming out of his chest

"You are going to be the death of me, Elena Gilbert" He said while shaking his head "But as I was saying about the Gala, I want to make you a present"

"No"

"Excuse me?"

"I said no"

"You don't even know what I'm going to say"

"I have a pretty good idea what are you going to say"

"And what is that Miss Gilbert?" He asked with a raised eye brow before taking a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

"You want to buy me another dress" She told him

"I-"

"The answer is no, Damon. I don't wanna feel like your Barbie Doll. You buying me clothes… It makes me feel uncomfortable" She shrugged, avoiding the look in his eyes

"But why Elena? I'm not trying to turn you into anything nor make a show of my power" He leaned into her and pressed the side of his face against her leg, the hint of stubble on his face rasping deliciously against the softness of her skin. "It's just… it's the way I was raised. You can say I'm a spoiled ass and you know what, maybe I am, but I've been wealthy my entire life and unlike other people I don't hold back when it's time to spend it on the people I care about"

"Damon…"

"No, you may think it's sad or something like that but it's one of the few ways I have to show people that I care about them. Things always make people happy" Why couldn't she understand that he wanted to give her the world? He had the means to do it so why not spend all he had in making her happy.

"Oh Damon" Elena looked at him with tenderness and leaned down to cup his face in her hands "You have so many ways to show people you love them. The way you hug and kiss your girls? The way you make sure to make them breakfast yourself on Sundays or the affectionate pat on the back you give to Stefan every time you see him? The way you are with your staff and auctioning my painting because you want people to know about me. Those are things that show that you care"

"Elena..." He whispered unable to say anything else, something had clogged down in his throat and refused to let him speak.

"I don't need you to buy me things for me to know that you care, the girls don't need it either nor Stefan" She told him "And you definitely don't need it for me to care about you"

Elena moved herself out of the stool and onto his lap, he placed her legs securely around his hips and pressed their foreheads together "You are so different… so different from all the other woman I've ever met"

There was an edge of sadness in his words and Elena wanted nothing more than to know who had broken this man's heart. Damon looked so strong and imposing. A force of nature… and in a way he was but there was something deep down inside of him, something that was broken and she wanted to fix it, to put it back together.

"You are something else as well, Mr. Salvatore" Elena told him before kissing his nose and moving her head so it rested in the crook of his neck.

He held her and traced patterns across her back and listened to her soft breaths, he could feel her heart beating next to his chest and relished in the feeling of it, in the quietness of the moment and the sincerity only night could give. They stayed like that for what felt like hours until their eyes grew heavy with sleep and they had no option but to go to bed.

Elena laughed out loud, almost spitting out her drink because of the joke the youngest Salvatore told her. It was a bright Friday morning and Damon had taken the day off to spend it with the girls. Briar had skipped school and the three of them had headed to the zoo, Elena thought a part of him felt too guilty to be hiding things from the girls. They had invited her to come but she felt like it was something they should do just the three of them together. Instead she had agreed to go with Stefan to have lunch and then meet Caroline in the mall so she could help her pick out a dress for Saturday night.

"So are you bringing someone tomorrow night?" Elena asked a few minutes later. She saw the way Stefan got uncomfortable at the question and decided to push things a bit "Is something wrong?"

"No, well… it's just, the girl hosting the ball… we kind of have history" He told her quietly and Elena imagined it was quite the history for the way he was talking.

"So you don't want to bring anyone to not make her uncomfortable?"

"No, I actually think she doesn't care at all anymore" He said with a sad smile and Elena's heart broke for him. She reached across the table and took his hand between hers

"What's her name?"

"Valerie" He whispered

"And what happened?"

Stefan let out a sardonic laugh and took a sip of his drink "Oh my dear Elena, I think we might need a more strong drink for that story and I don't think right now is the right time" He leaned back on his chair and Elena could almost see the physical walls closing around him.

In the small amount of time she had working in the Salvatore house she had learned that both brothers hated to appear vulnerable in front of others. Damon was hostile and hid everything behind a mask of seriousness and Stefan was all happiness and smiles but both shields worked the same way, they kept people from seeing who they really were.

"You have my brother eating out of your palm" Stefan told her after a few minutes of silence.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Elena asked while looking anywhere but his eyes

"Oh please don't take me as a fool Elena, I can totally see what's happening between my brother and you"

Elena let out a sigh and stared into his eyes "You can't say anything Stefan… we want to keep it a secret in case it doesn't work out" Part of her felt bad for breaking her promise to Damon but the other part felt relieved to have someone other than Caroline to know the truth, someone who also knew Damon.

"Don't worry about that sweetheart, not a word from me" He simulated zipping his mouth and Elena couldn't help laugh at the childish action. "But I am truly glad that you are trying this, you are good for him Elena"

"You think?"

"Of course, I'm glad he finally has a good nice woman with him. Katherine was such a bitch"

"Stefan! Don't bad mouth death people" Elena admonished him in a hushed tone

"She won't mind" Stefan said with a cynical smirk on his face before sipping his drink "And I'm not saying anything but the truth, she was a terrible woman"

"That much?" Elena asked, more than a little intrigued in the true story of Damon's wife.

"Yeah, I don't know how much Damon has told you about her" How about nothing? Elena thought to herself, other than the fact that she died on a car crash Damon had mentioned zero words about the woman. "… but they had split when the accident happened"

"What?" Elena asked, the surprise evident on her face. Caroline had investigated everything about the Salvatore's and they never read anything that mentioned something about a separation. "I didn't know that"

"Katherine had been cheating on Damon for years" Stefan said with a sad expression "Everyone tried to tell him about it but he couldn't see it, he was blinded by her and her act. And those girls… those girls were my brother's life and the fact that she was their mother made her perfect in his eyes. But after a while he finally paid attention and realized he was living in a dream, that Katherine was a whore and the worst mother possible. I swear to you Elena that those girls have absolutely no good memories of her mother… they were perfect and she never took care of them" The rage on Stefan's face made Elena realize how much he truly cared about his family

"And then she died" She said in a whisper

"Yeah" Stefan said, not meeting her eyes "then she died"

Their conversation took a lighter tone after that, they went back to laughing and joking about Saturday's event. Stefan suggested to Elena topics to talk about and promised to protect her from the stuck up bitches who surely would try to take Damon away from her and she promised to protect him from Valerie and all the demons he carried around him.

There was no doubt now that this family had snuck up on her and was taking residence in her heart. She loved the Salvatore family and she hoped to be around them for a long time.

"Elena are you going to keep ignoring me for the rest of the day?" Caroline Forbes whined as her friend ran her hands down a deep green silk dress she was holding in front of her "I already said I was sorry"

"You know you just broke best friends code right?" Elena asked with a raised eye brow as she placed the dress in the rack again.

"Oh come on, it wasn't a big deal"

Elena gasped at her friend "You just told me you're going to the same ball I am, except you are going with the hot brit, who turns out you've been talking since two weeks ago!" Caroline winced at Elena's words "Who you never told me you met again"

"It was an accident, we met in Matt's house by accident and then one thing led to the other" The blonde girl said as Elena gave her an angry glance and headed towards the entrance of the store, Caroline could see a smile forming on her friend's lips so she knew she was already forgiven. "I'm sorry" She said lacing her arm with her friend's "I promise the next time there's a new development in my love life I will tell you everything, I just didn't want to say anything in case there was nothing between us"

"But there is?" Elena asked

"I really like him Lena" The blonde girl answered, the happiness was evident on her voice and Elena felt a warm feeling in her chest, it had been so long since she had heard Caroline being this happy. "He's a gentleman and he always treats me so nice. And I know that I shouldn't be diving into something new when it's been so little since my break up with Tyler but… I don't know it just feels right with him"

Elena smiled at her friend and leaned her head into hers as they walked through the halls of the mall "I'm glad you're happy again, Caroline, it's been a while since you've smiled like this and it makes me so incredibly blissful to see you this excited over a guy" The blonde girl smiled at her friend "And don't worry about the timing, who cares if your break up is recent, look at Taylor Swift" Both girls laughed at this and continued walking in silence for a few minutes until they found a new dress shop

"I've never been here before" Caroline murmured before entering.

For the next few hours the two best friends tried different kinds of dresses, they spent the afternoon among laughter and jokes. With every passing minute the girl's excitement over Saturday night grew, Caroline couldn't wait to see Klaus again and to finally see Elena interact with Damon, she had only seen the Salvatore man a few times in the past and she was dying to get her eyes on him once again.

"God I'm not sure I'll fit into this thing" Elena said from the dressing room while Caroline waited for her sitting in a pink fluffy chair.

"Of course you will" Her friend answered. The blonde girl had decided on a white Greek styled dress made of a fabric so soft that it literally looked like she was walking on air while using it. "So, what are you plans for tomorrow night?" The blonde girl asked casually

"What do you mean? you know what my plans are" Elena answered

"You know what I'm trying to say" Caroline told her and when she received nothing more than silence from her friend she shrieked "I knew it! You are so planning on sleeping with him!"

"Caroline, hush!"

"There's no one else in here silly" The blonde girl said while looking around the empty store. "So, are you going to sleep with him?" Caroline asked in a whisper now, making Elena laugh from the other side of the door

"I want to" Elena said "I really want to" She said before opening the door and revealing herself to her friend

"Oh Elena!" Caroline said while staring at her in awe "You look gorgeous"

The brunette girl was wearing a mermaid cut strapless red dress that fit her figure like a glove and made her breasts look fantastic "He is going to love you in that dress, there's no doubt that you are going to end up sleeping with him"

"You think?" She asked a bit unsure as she looked at herself in the mirror

"Of course" The blonde girl beamed

"Then my sweet Caroline, I think this is the dress" Elena said with the biggest smile while her friend clapped her hands and squealed in her seat.

Review?