Hey, guys, first of all I want to thank you, for all of your amazing feedback, now I know I say that often, but it really means a lot to me! So, here I am with the next chapter, I really hope you enjoy it :)

Elena just stood there, waiting for him to continue. She didn't want to say anything, because she thought she might scare him away, and he would close up to her again. She knew that something big has happened between him and Katherine and it was still hurting him, she knew that it was costing him so much to open up to her and tell her this story, that she couldn't move. Damon ran his hand through his hair nervously and looked at her. She just nodded, hoping this little gesture of hers would give him what he was looking for – support and confidence. He took one last deep breath and started:

„When I met Katherine I was in my third year in the FBI. We met in a bar, I wasn't really much different from how you know me. The same womanizer, a boy, whose only wish was to get into someone's pants with no additional commitments. And it was working for me, every time. Until that one night I met a woman at the bar, I had never seen someone like her; she fascinated me so much that I kept my attention on her all night, which, for the time being, was saying a lot. She was free, funny, cute, she was living for the moment, not caring about the consequences, there was something about her, a fire that was so... tempting that you just couldn't take your eyes off her. We didn't even slept together that night, we talked. It was the first time I sat and talked with a woman for hours. It was very unknown to me, I didn't know the feeling and it was scaring me."

„After that, we left the bar, and went on our separate ways. I didn't have her phone, she didn't have mine, there was no way we could reach each other again, but she was all I could think about, and I knew that if I don't find her, I will never forgive myself. So, well, let's just say there are certain advantages in working for the FBI. I managed to track her down, and after a lot of begging and arrangements I convinced her to go on a date with me. You see the thing with Katherine was, and I suppose, it still is, is that she has free spirit, you can't capture someone like that and chain him in a relationship. But I managed, or I thought I had. We went on our first date, it was perfect, I was getting more and more attracted to her with every minute that was passing."

Elena couldn't help but feel the awful feeling in her stomach, every time Damon said how happy he had been with her. She was jealous of that woman, and she didn't even know why, it was clear he had left her in the past.

„So things got deeper between us. She met my friends, my colleagues, my mom. Well, momma wasn't very fond of her, she kept on saying that this girl is trouble and I shouldn't get involved with her, but you know how the in-love mind works, and I didn't listen to her, I kept on telling her how happy she was making me, and mom just went with it, but she had always known there was something fishy about Katherine, from the very beginning."

„With time, I felt like I wanted, I needed something more, and again, this was very unlike me for the time being. So ever since our second anniversary I started thinking of proposing to her but I was too scared that she'll run away from me, if I ask her, she, very much like me in that department, has serious commitment issue. But after a year, I thought, fuck it, I'll ask her and see what happens. So on our third anniversary I prosed, with getting down on one knee and everything, It was like in a book, or some cheesy movie, and imagine my surprise and happiness, when she actually said yes, I seriously couldn't believe my eyes and ears, it used to be one of the happiest moments in my life. And so, we got engaged, and we started planning a wedding. But after a couple of months, I started feeling how she pulled away from me, I could feel her slipping though my fingers, I didn't know why, I just... I was asking her every time if there was something wrong, and she just used to laugh at me say I was imagining things. But my senses were always good, I knew there was something wrong. So, around three weeks before the wedding I came home during my lunch break, I never do that, but this one time I wanted to surprise her, to cheer her up. Well, when I got there, I saw Katherine naked, with a sheet wrapped up around her, a condom was lying on the floor and there were man's clothes all over the place." He stopped and swallowed. „I never saw the guy, but I told her to pack her bags and get out of my face. In our bedroom, Elena. I had to call to all of the people we had invited to the wedding to tell them we were calling it off, it still is one of the most embarrassing things I ever had to do." He finished and turned to face Elena who was looking at him with teary eyes.

„Damon I am so, so sorry." She whispered, wrapped her hands around him and started moving them up and down his back in a soothing manner. „Is that why you don't believe in marriage?" She asked cautiously.

„Yes. You know when you get burned once..." He didn't finish his sentence, but Elena knew exactly what he meant. He was staring at the ground as he said:

„This is what has been bugging me from the very beginning, Elena. I know how it feels to be betrayed by the one you love and I am doing the same thing to my own brother." He just shook his head.

„Damon..." Elena wanted to tell him that she wants to be with him, she wanted to tell him that she would leave Stefan as soon as thing whole murder thing blows off, she wanted to tell him that she would gladly spent her life with him, but she couldn't. She didn't know how he would react, and she didn't want to scare him away and lose him. „You're not a bad person, how many times do I have to tell you that?" She ran her hand through his hair.

Damon just looked at her with his baby blue eyes, the insecurity and guilt still creeping up on him.

„Damon, look, things with me and Stefan are not working out since way before you came into the picture, okay? We've had our problems since... forever and if you ask me, I don't know what we're still doing together; it feels more like obligation now. The two situations are completely different." She was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince him.

„No, they're not and you know that." He told her in a low voice, but she didn't felt like talking about this anymore, so she just kissed him, stopping his next words.

„I'm so glad you told me." She whispered to him.

„I'm glad I told you, too." It was true, now that she knew, he felt like a little bit of the burden he was caring had fallen off his chest. The pain, the humiliation, it was all still there, but it felt... better, he realized.

Elena kept on moving her hands up and down, until they stopped at his belt, touching his gun.

„Damon, remember that you promised me something?" She said devilishly. He could use a little distraction as well.

Damon quickly got what she was talking about. „And I intend to keep my promise." He assured her.

„I want to learn now."

„Right now?" He gaped, surprised.

„Yep." She was sure she was sounding like a stubborn child, but she didn't care.

„Are you serious?"

„As a heart attack."

He looked at her for a couple of moments more and then he said:

„Well, if that's what you really want, who am I to say no to these beautiful doe eyes."

Elena's face lit up at his words, and they slowly got down from the roof, and walked up to their car. Damon drove back to the city, and stopped at one small building. They entered it, and he motioned for her to follow him. They got to a big black door, and Damon got a key-card out of his pocket and ran in through the sensors at the door. Elena heard a weird noise and moments later the door swung open, revealing a big training room.

„What's this place?" She asked him, looking around.

„It's an FBI facility. We train here." He informed her. „Now come on."

They moved to closer to the shooting targets, and he handed her glasses and a pair of earplugs. After that he disappeared for a moment and came back with a gun.

„Now, lesson number one. The gun is heavy, it's not as easy as they make it look like in the movies. Here take it, it's not loaded, so it's usually heavier." Elena took the gun from him, and she felt how its weight fell in her hands, he was right, it was kind of heavy. „Now put your arms up." He ordered and she obeyed, wrapping her hands around the gun. „Not like that." He corrected her, coming closer. He pressed his body next to hers, she could feel how close he was to her, and it was making it harder for her to concentrate. „Put your thumb here, like that, and your other finger on the trigger, just like that, good." He put his hands over hers, and her body shivered from his touch.

„Now that's how you hold a gun, is that clear?"

"Yes." Elena said firmly.

"I am going to put bullets in there. So this brings us to lesson number two. You should know that when you're shooting you need to keep a stable position, you need to feel your feet fixed on the ground, otherwise you'll fall back." He said, giving her the loaded gun. She took it and aimed at the target in front of her. She hesitated for a while but then pressed the trigger, feeling some kind of power pulling her back. Damon grabbed her by the waist just in time, and she turned her head to face him. „Told ya." He gave her a kiss, from which her knees felt weaker.

„Damon, I thought you said I should stay focused." She murmured, and he pulled away from her. „Did I even hit the target." She said and turned to check.

„You did." Damon laughed at her. „Just not the right one." Elena saw her bullet on the target next to hers. „Don't worry, you'll get better with time I promise."

After five more failed attempts, and two which actually hit the right target, they decided to call it a night, and Damon drove Elena home. He left her two blocks away from her house and gave her a quick kiss goodbye.

The next few months went in a little bit of a haze for Elena, she hadn't felt so happy in so long, that sometimes she thought it would get back to her triple. Things between her and Stefan, contrary to everything, were going pretty well, but it was because Elena was happy, and she lit up the whole house, As long as she was happy, he was happy. They didn't fight, they didn't do anything, they just talked. Their sex life was as dead as always, she hadn't had sex with him from the last time on that dinner party, but he seemed not to mind, as long as things between them were good. Elena didn't know how he was managing, but she didn't ask questions.

Damon, on the other, hand, had managed to boost her confidence, she felt much more confident in bed now, than she had ever been, he kept on telling her how amazing she is, and she loved it. They spent time together, usually at his place, once or twice they had gone to a restaurant, but they didn't take that risk very often. He could make her laugh, like now one else, and she knew he felt the same way, although he never actually admitted it. He was making her happier that she had ever felt, and this started to scare her. It had gone to such extremes that when it was time for her to go home, she didn't want to leave, because she felt like her home was with Damon now.

She couldn't miss, though, how with time passing, he got more and more nervous, about the investigation. There hadn't been any new leads for months, no new murders, nothing, things seemed to have frozen, and this was making him worry out of his mind. With every minute that passed he felt more and more attached to Elena, and when he thought about something happening to her, he felt like someone was taking his chest and hitting it so hard, it was difficult for him to breathe.

Elena felt like doing something, she couldn't bear watching him like that. So she decided to cheer him up. She got to his office, and without even knocking stormed inside, locking the door behind her. Damon took his eyes off the computer screen and gave an amused look to Elena:

„What are you doing here, how did you even get here?"

„Well, a pretty face can get you anywhere." She smiled, imitating one of his jokes. He just laughed at her and took a look at his girl. She was wearing a long, black mantle and red heels.

„What is going on here?" He asked, a playful look appearing in his eyes.

„No. Talking." Elena purred at him and started unbuttoning her coat. It fell from her body revealing her, only in her black underwear. Damon's eyes lit up from the sight before him. Elena slowly moved next to him, sitting in his lap. Damon's hands started wandering all over her body. They already knew every curve of each other, every little scar they had. From time to time, Elena even felt that sex was not enough for her anymore, she caught herself thinking about a future with him, kids and all of that, but he had clearly made his position on marriage, and she knew that. Now that she knew about him and Katherine, she couldn't really blame him, he had been hurt, and he didn't want to get hurt again, he couldn't bear the betrayal, the pain, and at times she caught him thinking about it as well, she could say that he was thinking about that by the way his expression changed. All of the pain appeared there, his beautiful features became more and more worried. She never asked for more, although her heart craved it.

And she didn't feel that with Stefan, not just physically. Now she knew that they couldn't connect the way her and Damon could. It was enough just to look at Damon and he knew what she wanted, he understood her, he fulfilled her like nobody else could. Before she met him, she didn't believe in soul mates, she didn't believe there was someone, who could be your other half, but now she got it. Once she found him, she couldn't imagine her life without him, every time she thought about him leaving she felt like someone had ripped her in half and took the other piece of her with him. She needed him, like she needed air, her heart was still skipping a beat every time she saw him, even after months.

She kissed him hungrily, devouring, wanting to feel him again. He returned her kiss just as passionately, their tongues dancing with each other. Elena's hand slowly moved to his pants, unzipping them quickly, she unbuttoned his shirt with one hand, and started leaving a trail of kisses down his stomach, feeling how his whole body tensed up from her touch. She removed his boxers quickly, and teased him with her tongue. A loud moan escaped his mouth and he started whispering her name in pleasure. Elena felt how her insides started tingling for his little pantings, and she couldn't wait anymore. She positioned him at her entrance, and he slowly trusted inside of her, getting the usual feeling of complete satisfaction. He never thought he would feel such a desire for a woman, even after months of being together, he was still there, not being able to imagine his life without the beautiful brunette, without her smile, her laugher, even her pouting. She was truly, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Even with Katherine, he had never felt that, the need to protect the woman with his life, the feeling that he would die before he let anything happens to her. He often caught himself, thinking about their nights spent together, and not only when they were in bed, but also when they would only talk for the whole night, and she would get so tired that she would end up falling asleep in his arms, how she used to come into his office whenever she felt lonely, and would just sit in the corner and watch him work. They were spending every free minute with each other, it didn't matter if they were just talking or having sex or simply sleeping, they needed to be with each other, to feel the other person next to them. For the first time in a long time Damon felt vulnerable, he had slowly started to open up his heart to this woman and he didn't even know when that had happened, it was so sudden, that when it hit him he didn't know how to react.

Another little growl left his mouth, while Elena was moving rhythmically on top of him, they didn't need to talk, they didn't need words to understand each other, all it took was one glance. When Damon felt his release approaching his lips found hers, and he kissed her like there was no tomorrow, feeling her walls tightening around him as she moaned loudly in his mouth, digging her nails into his back, while her orgasm washed over her, followed by his own.

Damon took her in his arms, and she laid her head on his chest, like she always used to.

„Someone's been feeling naughty?" He laughed playfully at her.

„You looked so stressed lately that I wanted to cheer you up somehow." She admitted, looking at him, and smiling warmly.

„You're one little devil." He said and kissed her nose. At this moment her wallet fell on the ground and all of the stuff spilled on the floor. Damon's expression froze as he saw a picture of her and Stefan.

„Damon..." She started, seeing the sudden change in his expression. „Please don't be like that."

„Like what, Elena? Like the other guy, like the one you fuck and then you get back to your husband, like the one you sneak around with, like the second choice?" He exploded.

„No! Damon!" She started yelling at him now. „You know you're so much more that that! And you're definitely not the second choice!" She knew how he must feel, but she couldn't leave Stefan just yet, it was a decision that would turn her whole life upside down and she wasn't sure if she was quite ready to leave this life. She wasn't happy with Stefan, there was no doubt about that, but the moment she left him she would close a whole page of her life, she would turn her back on everything she knew and she would dive in the unknown. She needed more from Damon, but she wasn't sure if he was able to give it to her.

„Oh, really?" His eyes glittered with anger.

„Yes, really." She said cupping his face. „How abourt we talk about it over dinner, and I'll tell you everything you want to know, okay?" She gave him a kiss, and she felt how his body relaxed under her touch.

„Okay, sure." One more thing she liked about him – how calm he was, how strong he was, how he could bear anything without complaining. He was the strongest person she knew.

„Agent Salvatore?" A voice came from behind the locked door.

„I'm kind of busy right now." Damon yelled back.

„But agent, there's development on the Gilberts' case." Damon stood up in a flash and started putting back on all of his clothes.

„What is it?" His voice had become serious and harsh in a number of seconds.

„Caroline Forbes has been kidnapped."

Okay, I couldn't help myself, I had to leave that cliffhanger xD I hope you like this whole murder story, because this is what I am going to deal with in the next few chapters! Feedback will be loved, as always :)