A/N: Here I am again! I'm so grateful for the overwhelmingly positive response for the last update. Hopefully you'll all like this one, too. I'm sorry to tell you all that this is the final chapter before the epilogue, and it's unlikely that I will write a sequel. This story just started out as something little and personal that I never planned to publish, so the onslaught of reviews and notifications have been incredible, more than I ever could have hoped for, and I thank you guys for every single one.

This finally earns the M rating, but I can't make any promises that it's been worth the wait. I'd like to thank Lucy and Jess in particular for their work as smut consultants on this chapter, because without them and their endless patience, I wouldn't be able to write a single word.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or its characters; all rights to their respective owners.

June 2012

There's something about tonight that feels different.

Damon's taking me out for dinner; that's not unusual. For our first official date, we went to the Grill for burgers, and for our second, he cooked for me at his place. No, it's not the idea of dinner that has put butterflies in the depths of my stomach.

Maybe I've spent too much time around Caroline, who for the past week has been reiterating the cliché of the third date policy. She really places too much stock in things she reads in Cosmo.

"It's the unwritten law of relationships. Sex on the third date; any later and it's not going to happen, I promise you." She then went on to give me unsolicited advice about her first time, and what I should do, and what I should expect, and though I appreciated the sentiment, I tuned out after the first five minutes of Sex 101.

I think Katherine was in on it too, because she cornered me yesterday for the same lecture. Now, she and Jenna did cover the birds and the bees talk with me when I hit thirteen, but for some reason she felt the need to go over it all again in finer detail. It took me a while before I convinced her that it was unnecessary.

So, here I am all dolled up in a loose fitting scarlet top tucked into black, high-waisted shorts with red stilettos that cross over my feet and around the ankle. It's the perfect blend of classy and seductive. Katherine straightened my long hair for me, and I'm oddly nostalgic as I'm reminded of her doing the same for the night I first met Damon.

The doorbell rings and the butterflies go wild again.

"Elena!" Ric calls.

"Coming!" I check my makeup one final time before I go downstairs, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

Damon's dressed in black, as always, his eyes as bright as ever. He gazes up at me as I descend the steps one at a time, and I'm always struck by the way he looks at me, with adoration, awe, love and lust all rolled into one. I don't think I ever could have imagined anybody looking at me the way he does.

"You look amazing," he breathes in my ear as he gives me a quick kiss on the cheek, and I blush. He's told me countless times how much he loves it when I blush.

"Have fun tonight, you two," Alaric tells us with a grin and I flush harder. Damon grabs my hand reassuringly.

"We will."

Katherine gives me a hug and a wink and then I'm in Damon's Camaro, on our way to the restaurant. Being with Damon is never uncomfortable – we tell each other everything and thus can talk about anything, or other times we remain in contented silence, holding hands or lying together on the couch as he strokes my hair.

We arrive at the restaurant, and I'm relieved to see it's not too fancy – Damon knows my taste isn't that refined. I order a simple grilled salmon dish with a side salad, and he orders the lamb wellington and steamed vegetables.

"So, how'd the chat with your mother go today?"

I called Isobel a week after my birthday to tell her that I received her letter, and she was relieved that I wasn't just going to ignore it. She wanted to talk to Katherine, who refused at the time, but I finally convinced Kat to call her today and hear her out.

"It went okay. It was still pretty tense, but Katherine ended up inviting her to the wedding."

"That's great!"

"Yeah. She said she's coming back to Mystic Falls for good this time. She's flying in two weeks before the day."

"It sounds like she's really trying to fix things."

"She is. I think she regrets not being there for some of the most important moments in our lives, so she's diving in the deep end with Katherine's wedding. She understands that she doesn't get to have a say in things now but she wants to be a part of our lives again and she told Kat she'd take anything we can give her. It's going to be tough, but it will work out."

I ask him about Stefan, because he too has decided to turn over a new leaf with his brother and repair their relationship. He realized that it wasn't Stefan's fault that his dad left, and he had to stop cutting him out because even though they didn't get along, they were still brothers. With Caroline and Stefan still going strong, he knows it's going to be less painful for all of us if they're not ignoring each other.

Our dinner arrives, and it's delicious. The salmon is perfectly cooked and the lemon chilli dressing on the salad is the most divine thing I've ever tasted, except for perhaps my boyfriend's lips.

He drives us back to his place and the nerves I'd forgotten during dinner resurface. Before we get out of the car, he gives me a long, searching look.

"What?" I say, confused.

"Nothing; it's just… I want to take you somewhere, if that's okay?"

"Of course."

"It's not far; just a short walk," he tells me as we get out of the car. It's still pleasantly warm out, even though the sun has long since set. He grabs a small bag from the back of his car and loops his arm with mine as we walk up to where the road turns into a path through the trees.

I've never been up here before, so I have no idea where Damon's taking me. It's a gentle slope up a hill, along a stone path through to a clearing.

I'm breathless as I look out over Mystic Falls – the hill we're standing on is perfectly angled to gaze down at the lights of the town and above the stars shine bright on the endless black canvas of sky.

"Oh, Damon; it's beautiful," I say softly, turning to look at him with an enchanted smile.

"I know. This is my favorite spot in the whole town." We sit down together and he takes out a bottle of wine and two glasses from the bag, passing me one of them and pouring the dark liquid into it before doing the same for himself.

He seems to be trying to find the right words for what he wants to say, so I take my drink-free hand and slip it into his, squeezing once.

"This was my mom's favorite place," he begins, and I feel a pang in my chest at the obvious emotion in his voice. "We used to come here all the time and watch the sunset and stargaze and she would drink this exact kind of wine, her favorite, until I fell asleep, and she'd carry me home. When she got sick, we didn't stop coming up here; even toward the end, I just pushed her in her wheelchair. She loved to see all the lights and the way the stars made it seem like they were reflected in the sky; she told me that when I was really little I thought we lived in a snowglobe and the stars were just the lights reflected in the glass."

My eyes fill with tears as he takes a deep breath, willing himself to go on, willing himself to keep opening up to me.

"When she died, she was cremated. We had a memorial stone in her family's plot at the cemetery, but I asked for us to scatter her ashes here, at night. I know that's what she would have wanted. I've never told anybody about this place before."

I swallow hard, trying to slow my tears. "Why did you bring me here, Damon?"

He looks at me thoughtfully. "I know my mother would have loved you. I guess this is where I feel closest to her, so I feel like I'm introducing you, or something. I don't know; I guess you're just the first person I've ever felt like sharing this part of me with."

"That's so sweet," I whisper. "Thank you."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

We sit on the side of the hill and sip our wine in silence. I want to burst with emotion over everything he's shared with me. I marvel at how I can feel so close to him, closer than ever, and we're still yet to sleep together. I feel awed and blessed to be able to share in this part of him, that he trusts me with his most personal memories.

We wander home just after midnight, and I feel a little buzzed from the wine. My tears have dried and the solemn moment has passed.

I'm ahead of him as we walk into his room, and I hear him close the door behind us as I turn to speak to him.

"Damon-"

I'm cut off as his lips meet mine, his palms on my cheeks, and as I gasp in surprise, he traces his tongue over my lips and it meets my own. His hands travel down, his right between my shoulder blades and his left at the base of my spine, and he pulls me flush against him, my fingers on his pectoral muscles. This is the most intense kiss I've ever experienced and as we part, I have to consciously refrain from begging him for more.

I'm not left wanting for long, though, as he pushes me back until I fall onto the bed, my hair fanning out around me. His eyes are dark and hungry as he advances on me, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. As he braces himself with one hand either side of me, I surprise him and flip him over so I'm on top, straddling him. By some miracle, I'm able to kiss him senseless as my fingers find the buttons of his shirt and proceed to undo them, working my way down until I can feel his skin and rippling muscles beneath my hands.

As I become aware of his arousal through his pants, he reaches up and gently puts his hands on my shoulders, holding me off.

"Elena," he pants. "I don't want to stop."

"Then don't," I purr seductively, unable to resist grinding myself against him a little and smirking as he lets out a deep moan.

My head spins slightly from both the wine and the sudden change in position as he rolls us over again and unbuttons my shorts, slowly pulling them down my long legs and leaving light kisses on my skin as he goes. He then pulls my top over my head, and I silently thank Caroline and Katherine for not letting me get dressed without the strapless red lace bra and matching panties I'm wearing. Damon's eyes darken with lust.

"Beautiful," he murmurs as he begins to lavish kisses on every exposed inch of skin: my neck, my collarbone, my shoulders, my stomach, my hips. When he reaches my inner thigh every part of me shudders in delight and I sit up with a groan.

My fingers feverishly attack the button of his jeans, my hair wild and messy around my face. He scrapes his teeth lightly against my jaw and neck, almost succeeding in distracting me entirely, but I manage to successfully undress him anyway.

His hand slips around to the clasp of my bra, but he hesitates slightly, toying with it. I'm desperate now, wound up and longing for some sort of release.

"Take me, Damon," I beg him, almost growling with need. "I'm yours."

It's all he needs to hear as his mouth is on mine again, and my bra is gone in two seconds flat. His fingers caress the newly exposed skin and although I thought I'd feel uncomfortable, I've never felt safer than I do with this man before me. He slips one finger in the waistband of my panties and drags them down my legs. I can sense his reluctance, knowing he's remembering New Year's Eve with Kol and worrying that he'll scare me, but I trust him; I want him to touch me. I ache for him to touch me.

"I'm fine," I assure him, my eyes fluttering closed in anticipation.

The first contact of his fingers with my intimate area is brutal in the most mind-blowing way. He drags his tongue across my hipbone and up my stomach; the wet skin catches the air, creating a contrast between the pleasant coolness and the heat I feel everywhere else. I sigh with pleasure as his talented fingers begin their sinful ministrations, alternating between quick, fleeting touches and slower, more torturous strokes. To tease me, he slips a finger into me, testing me, stretching me, and my throat constricts as I emit a strangled gasp of pleasure. His thumb continues to apply pressure there and I'm so, so close to being catapulted into next week that my fingernails dig into his skin, almost drawing blood; and then, he stops.

"Damon," I groan as he pulls his hand away. He kisses me, slowly, sensually, his eyes glinting at my desperation.

"Be patient," he scolds gently, before he works his way down my neck, chest, and stomach again to settle between my thighs.

If I thought his fingers drove me crazy, his tongue sends me rocketing out of my skin. I breathe in with a sharp hiss, and my right hand grips his hair while my left hand searches for something to keep me grounded, twisting in the sheets. I attempt feebly to hold him there, to control him and that tongue somehow, the tongue and lips putting pressure in all the right places, and I can feel his cocky smirk against me as I squeeze my eyes so tightly shut I see stars. It doesn't take long before I tumble over the edge, falling on and on, fireworks bursting behind my eyelids, arching my back off the bed and screaming his name.

The aftermath of my first orgasm leaves me exhilarated, my blood roaring in my ears, my breath coming in gasps, my vision spinning. I slowly open my eyes and see Damon, his eyes completely black with desire.

"You… that… I never want to forget how you looked just now," he tells me, breathless.

I pull him down to kiss me again, feeling lust stir in the depths of my body again as his hands run over my bare skin. I can feel his hardness against my lower stomach and eagerly rid him of his boxers, my fingernails accidentally-on-purpose grazing him along the way.

"Are you…?" He inquires, his teeth clenched as he hovers over me.

"On the pill? Yes," I breathe, trying to guide his hands with my own to where I crave his touch most. Katherine covered birth control with me weeks ago.

"I don't want… to hurt you…"

"You won't."

"We'll take it slowly."

"I trust you," I tell him, and I've never spoken truer words in my life.

He doesn't keep me waiting any longer. Slowly, smoothly, he sinks into me.

I register a twinge of pain but before I can even react to it his lips are on mine, and I'm losing myself in the taste of him. He rolls his hips again, and the pain is lesser this time, and even less the third. Soon, all that exists in my world is his tongue in my mouth, his touch on my skin, the warm feeling building from somewhere deep inside me that I didn't know existed and the knowledge that I've given myself entirely to the only person I've ever loved.

His kisses are more passionate now as he begins to lose control. His teeth catch at my bottom lip, my fingers running through his silken hair and down his neck and muscular back; I'm trying to take in as much of him as I can while he takes me; I can't get enough.

One last stroke and I'm soaring, his name on my lips again, and surely the sight of me losing grip with reality in the wake of his lovemaking for a second time takes him with me.

"Fuck, Elena."

My eyes flutter open and I've landed. I'm exhausted, trembling and slowly remembering what it means to breathe as he collapses on top of me, the comforting pressure of his body doing wonders to relax me despite the light sheen of sweat covering our skin.

I can't speak for I know if I tried, all I'd manage would be incoherent babble. I've never known love like this before, scorching in its intensity, dangerous in its passion. Damon gently brushes my sweat-dampened hair off my face and kisses my forehead before rolling off me, pulling me to curl into his body and tugging the bedsheet over us.

We don't need to talk – what we have shared is worth more than any confession of love; it has built a stronger bond between us than that which can be formed with words.

I can feel that he loves me, and he can feel that I love him too.

That's enough.

That's all we need.

I hope it wasn't too bad! I'll see you again in a few days for the final update of All I'll Ever Be. Thanks for sticking with me for this long. ~ Kim