Y'all….I had this chapter ready to go LAST NIGHT. I was 3/4 of the way done w/ editing and my computer cut off! It's been acting up lately =/ ….go to grab my charger….plug it into the wall and the power surges! Shot my charger all to hell! I FLIPPED OUT! (I think I scared my husband!) I was so pissed! And had it not been 11pm I would have ran straight to Best Buy to buy a replacement charger! Needless to say as soon as I got off work today guess where I went?

A long winded explanation for my absence is at the end….and I truly hope this chapter lives up to your long-awaited expectations! Enjoy!

Elena

Such pain as this

Shouldn't have to be experienced

I'm still reeling from the loss,

Still a little bit delirious

Near to you, I am healing

But it's taking so long

Cause though he's gone

And you are wonderful

It's hard to move on

Yet, I'm better near to you

-'Near to You', A Fine Frenzy

Today sucked. This whole day just plain sucked. And it wasn't even noon yet. But I was so ready to get it over with already.

Sheriff Forbes held a small notebook in her hand, scribbling softly as she asked me her seemingly never ending questions. Caroline sat to my right, a silent comforting presence. I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to be here any longer. I just wanted to go home. My eyes automatically sought Damon out, and I watched him as he conversed quietly with Elijah in the corner of the conference room. They were far enough away that I couldn't hear them. But I didn't like the look on Damon's face. It didn't bode well. He hadn't said much since we vacated the women's bathroom. It worried me.

"Elena?" Caroline queried as she squeezed my hand and I shook my head to clear it as I focused back on the Sheriff.

"So she presented you with this note?" Liz asked as she held up the small card encased in a plastic bag. I nodded, let out a deep sigh.

"Yes."

"And that's it?" She said with a critical eye. She was assessing me. And my responses.

I swallowed. Nodded again. "Yes."

The Sheriff frowned before glancing quickly at Caroline. "Because this note seems pretty innocuous for the man you've described to me, a man you obtained a protective order against." I glanced over at Damon quickly to find him staring at me.

"He's unpredictable, Sheriff." I told her. "He's a man of few words. The implied threat is enough." I found it too easy to lie through my teeth. I'd gotten enough practice over the last two years. She made a disbelieving sound in her throat, but continued to write in her notebook. Finally she set it down, clasped her hands together and ducked her head to capture my gaze. "You know if he had sent something else via Ms. Wolfe then you can tell me." Caroline squeezed my hand again and I dropped my head. "I can protect you, Elena." She said softly.

I shook my head, steeled my gaze. "That was all he sent." I whispered. She stared at me for a few moments before pushing away from the table, her chair rolling backwards.

"Fine." She muttered. "But if you wish to change your statement, you know how to reach me."

"My statement won't change." I said quietly, "but thank you, Sheriff. And I do know how to reach you."

"You're welcome, Elena."

"I do have a question though." At her questioning look, I continued. "What happens now? Now that he's violated the protective order?"

Sheriff Forbes rested her hand on her gun, pursed her lips. "I'll head to the fire station from here." She told me. "He'll be arrested. I'll push the judge for no bail, given the circumstances. He's wealthy and would likely be able to post bail immediately." She sighed. "If the judge decides he's not a flight risk or that he's not likely to repeat the offense he could decide to let him go."

I felt a ball of lead settle in my stomach. They might let him go? Jesus. What the hell did he have to do to be kept in jail? I visibly shuddered. I really didn't want to think about that. Didn't even want to go there. Caroline reached over and placed a hand on my arm. "Thank you Sheriff." I murmured quietly. And though I wasn't particularly happy with her answer at least I knew the possible outcomes.

She gave me a somber smile and nodded to her daughter. "Caroline. I'll see you later." Liz then stood and walked over to Elijah and Damon. I strained to hear their conversation but it was over as quickly as it started. Elijah nodded politely and shook the Sheriff's hand. Damon reluctantly did the same. She turned to look over her shoulder at me before she whispered to Damon. And then she was gone.

I sunk deep into my chair, my shoulders relaxing. I felt drained, and so very tired. And my heart ached. I reached into my purse and pulled out the ultrasound picture. Damon had graciously cut Mason's nasty words off of the bottom and returned the picture to me. He'd given me the option of not surrendering it to the Sheriff. And I didn't want to. It was too personal, too private. The note and Jules' presence alone was enough evidence of Mason's clear violation of my protective order. So I kept it to myself as would Damon, Elijah and Caroline.

I rubbed my thumb over the picture and felt the tears well up in my eyes. Caroline reached her arm around my shoulders and rubbed my back.

"Are you alright?" She murmured. I sniffled and quickly wiped the unshed tears from my eyes.

"Yeah." I told her, my brow pulling together. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Elena…"

"I promise, Care. I thought I had put this all behind me…" I took a deep breath, released it on a slow exhale. "I just didn't think he'd stoop this low." I turned to look at her. "I didn't even know he kept a picture." I looked back down at it, at my precious baby who I never even had the chance to meet. Mason had taken that opportunity away from me, destroyed our child. All because of a stupid fight. I shook my head, trying to shake it off. I sighed and told Caroline, "But I'll be okay. You need to get back to work."

"Oh, fuck work!" She said indignantly. "You're more important."

"But Barbara…" I insisted. Barbara had been pissed when she finally got the bathroom door unlocked. But Damon took over, handling the situation as he flashed his private security license at her. His aura of authority, his stance and demeanor made it impossible for her to maintain her level of pissed off. I just didn't want her to take out her irritation over her lack of control of the situation on Caroline after we left.

"Can kiss my ass." She finished for me. She looked positively affronted that I had even said anything. And I let loose a hearty laugh. It felt so good.

"I should get to the bank." I slipped the picture back into my purse and stood.

"You can do that some other time, Elena." Caroline whispered, crossing her arms. "Have Damon take you home." That sounded so tempting. It would be so easy. I looked up at the ceiling for a moment, contemplating my options.

"I just want to get this all over with, Care. I told Jules I was done with Mystic Falls and I desperately want it to be true." I dropped my eyes to meet Caroline's concerned face. I sighed and tipped my head in Damon's direction. "I don't want to come back unless it's to visit you or see Mason in an orange jumpsuit in a courtroom." Caroline made a face and I sighed.

Before she could open her mouth to reply, I felt movement at my back. Instinct had me flinching and spinning around. Damon stood to my left, his face impassive. He inclined his head at Caroline. "Thank you for your assistance today." He said softly.

I sensed her nod, knew her silence came from her appreciation of his fine male form. His and Elijah's. I'd seen her watching him while we waited on her mom. I couldn't blame her. He was extremely good looking. Despite my mood and today's previous events I felt my mouth quirk at the corners. "You're welcome." She said breathily. She nudged me gently in the back. "I'll call you."

I glanced over my shoulder, nodded. I turned quickly to embrace her. "Thank you again."

"It was nothing."

"It meant everything." I told her.

Elijah cleared his throat, stepping up behind Damon. "We should be going."

Damon placed his hand on my elbow. Gently. I didn't cringe or pull away. His eyes shadowed his relief. I tried to give him a small, reassuring smile. I'm pretty sure all I managed was a grimace.

"Bye Care."

"Bye, Elena. Call me if you need anything." I nodded and followed Elijah and Damon's lead as we quickly maneuvered out of the building. Nobody acknowledged Katherine as we passed. She was still pissed from the whole bathroom incident. She glared at us though as we walked out, filing her nails with a nail file. It gave my heart a little kick to see her so angry. It's the little things in life. A trace of a smile ghosted my face, and Katherine's face turned downright evil. I almost laughed out loud. God, what a bitch.

Both men were silent as Damon ushered me to the Range Rover. Opening the door, he helped me in and turned to address Elijah. A very brief exchange of words occurred and Elijah smiled softly at me before turning and heading towards his car. I watched his tall form disappear in the parking lot.

Damon climbed in beside me and started up the vehicle. I continued to stare out the window, slowly realizing that we weren't going anywhere. I frowned and spun in my seat to face Damon. He was staring down at the steering wheel, his hands wrapped around the leather. His knuckles white. Not moving an inch.

"Damon?" I murmured. "What's wrong?"

He let out a short, barking noise that was more of a cough than an actual laugh. "What's wrong?" He repeated. He shook his head and must have noticed how tight his grip on the steering wheel was. He flexed his hands, visibly trying to relax his tense muscles. "I don't even know where to begin."

I sniffled and looked away briefly. I nodded. "I know." I felt my eyes watering up again. I reached up and brushed away a tear that hadn't yet fallen. He must have caught the motion out of the corner of his eye. He frowned harder. "I should have told you."

He shook his head again. "That's not it." He sighed. "I already knew, Elena."

"What?" I asked, thoroughly confused. "Knew what, Damon?"

"About the baby. I knew about your miscarriage." Shock filtered through my veins like ice water. I shivered, blinked rapidly at him.

"You knew about my miscarriage?" I repeated. How in the world? "Wha…? Why? How?"

"That's not relevant." He said shortly.

I scoffed. "I think it is."

He paused before sighing deeply. "Elena, I help run a security firm. It's my job to know these things. I know a lot about your time with Mason."

Well shiver me timbers and blow me fucking down. How the hell? I took a deep, steadying breath and closed my eyes. Counted to ten. Probably faster than one should when trying to calm themselves down. "So the whole having me tell you everything bit was completely unnecessary?"

He turned to face me, eyes wide. "No!" He shouted then corrected his tone and pitch. "No." He murmured much softer. "I had no idea how you ended up with Mason. And I only knew of your hospital visits. The rest I pretty much pieced together."

I let out a tense breath in a huff. I crossed my arms and turned away, unable to look him in the eye. "You had me investigated?"

"I had Ric do a background check. I needed to know how deep you were in, what it was going to take for me to get you out. It didn't matter. None of it mattered but making sure you were safe." I sniffled again, tried desperately to blink my tears away. "Elena." He cautioned.

"Don't, Damon." I sighed. "Just drive."

"You can't be mad at me." He said firmly and he sounded oddly pissed. "I was doing what was necessary to help you. I would have done whatever it took to get you away from him. Whether you were actually with my brother or someone else, it didn't matter."

I huffed. But he was right. And I hated that he was right. He would have done whatever it took. And he had. He'd gone above and beyond for me, inviting me into his home, giving me a job, a car, a new phone. He'd helped me obtain a restraining order for the man who haunted my every waking moment. I didn't like to admit it though. Didn't want to admit it. So I wouldn't. Not right now. I remained silent.

He sighed when he noticed Elijah patiently waiting a few cars away. He reluctantly put the car in reverse and we began the short drive to the bank. We were in and out within minutes. Once I relayed to the manager that I was moving out of the area, my account was quickly closed and I was issued a cashier's check for the amount that remained in my checking account. Though the teller kept an eye on Damon from underneath her lashes, he completely ignored her and kept an eye on the door behind us. His behavior should have been suspicious but the teller was so enamored with his looks she couldn't care less. I wasn't paying him any attention anyway.

Slipping the check into my purse I thanked the teller and turned and walked out of the bank. Damon followed closely behind. "Are you going to give me the silent treatment for the rest of the day?" He asked pointedly as he held the door open for me. I glanced across the street where Elijah was parked and gave him a quick smile. He acknowledged me with a short wave of his hand.

The walk to the car was a short one, but I didn't respond to Damon's comment. I let out a deep breath as he waited at the car door, not opening it. He was intent on getting a response from me. "No." I replied with a huff and frowned at him as he neglected to open the door.

His jaw tensed and he looked back at the bank for a moment before he said gently, "I wanted to hear it from you."

My frown deepened and my brow pulled together in confusion. "Wanted to hear what? About my miscarriage? Why?"

"I thought you might confide in me." He said, suddenly looking away, flinching as he looked towards the sun and I noticed the vulnerability on his face. My heart gave a kick in my chest and my resolve began to waver. "I knew it would be a sensitive subject and I didn't want to be the one to bring it up." Crossing his arms, he turned back to me his beautiful blue eyes locking on mine. "When you're ready to talk about it? I'm here to listen. I'm always here." I shivered as a warm feeling flooded my body. My resolve completely dissipated. I nodded, almost afraid to respond for fear of how my voice would come out, if it came out at all.

He stared at me wordlessly for a moment, before he cleared his throat and turned to open the car door. I climbed in quickly and buckled up. I dug my sunglasses out of my purse and slid them on. As the Range Rover cranked he didn't turn in my direction but he asked me softly, "Do you want to head home or would you like to see the property I bought?"

I wanted to do both equally. But the thing I desperately wanted most was to get the hell out of Mystic Falls. "As long as we leave this town I don't care." I told him honestly. It took me a second before it occurred to me. "What if we're followed?" I asked him softly.

"We won't be." He said confidently. He glanced in the rearview mirror. "That's what Elijah's hanging around for. And if we are followed, then we'll head straight to the office." Damon pulled out of the parking lot and we headed back towards Richmond. I sighed deeply and focused on the pretty fall foliage as we passed the 'Leaving Mystic Falls. Come Back Soon!' sign.

"You don't ever have to go back."

I turned my head to look at him. "What?" I asked, confused.

"Your sigh." He murmured. "You don't ever have to go back."

Oh, but."What about..."

"It can all be moved to Richmond, Elena. That's where we filed the protective order. He'll have to be there, not in Mystic Falls on the court date. Since he'll be in jail, he'll be escorted by the Richmond Police Department there and back." I felt relief course through me. I laid my head back against the headrest and sighed again. Damon's warm hand slid over mine. He squeezed gently. Before he could pull it away, I flipped my hand over and tried to tamp down the warm gooey feeling that rippled through me as I slipped my fingers in between his. I heard his breath hitch and I suppressed a smile. So I did affect him like he affected me. Good to know.

I stared out my window, refusing to look at our joined hands. I feared if I did look down I'd realize it was all a figment of my imagination. And I desperately wanted it to be real.

When we turned off of the usual roads on the way back to Richmond, I perked up in my seat. Eager to see where he was planning on moving I paid close attention to the roads and the scenery. I caught sight of a large body of water, not far off the main road before Damon turned down another road, this one marked private. The houses out here were few and far between. In fact the last one I had seen had been several miles back. I realized quickly as the road seemed to curve around the lake that this was Damon's property he was buying. I squirmed in my seat, excited to see the house and when it came into view I was not disappointed.

A charming two story house appeared around a curve in the trees and I found myself smiling. "Damon, it's lovely!" I told him, glancing over at him quickly before craning my neck to see the rest of it. As he pulled up in front of the house I reached for my seatbelt, unbuckling myself before he'd even put the car in park. Unlacing our fingers, I reached for the door handle and swiftly exited the car. I heard Damon chuckle as I walked up the steps onto the wraparound porch. A glider was set up on the side facing the lake, along with several rocking chairs and I couldn't help it as the smile on my face grew bigger. I put my hands on my hips and turned to see Damon following me up the steps. "It reminds me of the lake house." I told him, nostalgic for the old days when our families used to make weekend trips to the Gilbert lake house.

He nodded. "I thought the same thing when I first came out here."

"Do you have to tear it down?" I asked him, remembering how he had planned on building his own house and tearing down this one. He opened his mouth to reply when we heard the car coming down the long driveway.

I gasped and Damon must have been able to read the terror in my face as he strode quickly towards me. "Elena." He said softly. "It's just Elijah." I took a second to calm my pounding heart as the dark gray Audi made its appearance. I rolled my eyes at myself. I had known Elijah was following us. Had known he'd be joining us here. I'd just simply gotten caught up in the moment. Damon put his hands on my arms, caught my gaze. "All good?" He questioned.

I gave him a nod with a brave smile. "Chalk it up to a blonde moment." I said wryly. "Completely forgot about Elijah."

A smile crossed his face. "Hoping that means you weren't focused on things you should be worrying about."

"I was thinking how amazing this place is."

He took a few steps back, his hands slipping into his pockets as Elijah stepped out of his car and leaned back against his vehicle. "Feel free to join us!" Damon called out as he looked over his shoulder.

"I'll be perfectly fine out here, boss." Elijah remarked. "Might take a stroll around the property." He grinned. "Assess the outside and provide you with an estimate on the security installation. I'll be sure to include a discount!"

Damon laughed and shook his head. "You do that, Mikaelson." He tipped his head in the direction of the front door, "C'mon." He told me. "The inside is less impressive." He strolled to the door and quickly manipulated the lockbox with the combination. A small compartment popped out, providing Damon with the key.

"Are we allowed to do this?" I asked him.

"I sign the papers on Friday; it's been in the works for almost two months. The owners moved away over six months ago. We can go in." He told me with a smirk that was pure Damon Salvatore.

"If we get arrested for B&E, it's all on you, buddy." I said as he unlocked the door and swept it open indicating that he wanted me to go inside first.

He laughed heartily. I stepped inside and realized what he meant by less impressive immediately. It was a nice enough house, but the builder of this lovely house had not taken advantage of the beautiful lake view at all. It was a huge mistake. The floor plan was open; the kitchen huge, perfect for parties and the great room which should have faced the lake was on the opposite side of the house. Although it had a nice view of the woods, it lacked the appeal it could have, had it been facing the water. "So you see why I'm building a whole new house."

I nodded my head as I strolled into the room that must be considered the dining room. "It definitely could use some floor to ceiling windows of the lake view."

"Exactly."

"What's the upstairs like?" I asked as I ran my hand along the banister.

"Head up there and see." So I did. I skipped my way up the stairs and immediately loved the master bedroom. This room had been done right. It faced the lake and had large windows with a balcony that was hidden from the front of the house. I walked quickly over to the French doors and unlocked them, stepping out onto the balcony.

I looked over my shoulder as Damon followed me outside. "This is perfect. You should definitely have the master facing the lake like this Damon." I told him, as I leaned on the balcony railing.

"I plan on it." He said softly.

I sighed dreamily. "I would love to wake up to a view like this every day." Damon coughed and it took me a second to realize what I had just said. I felt my face flame and just knew my cheeks were glowing the color of hot coals. I closed my eyes, unable to turn and face him. "I mean, I'm sure it's an amazing view first thing in the morning. Not that I expect you to give me the master bedroom. Or that I'd be sleeping in it with you." Damon cleared his throat and I didn't think it was possible but my cheeks got even hotter. "Jesus." I whispered. "I'm just going to shut up now." He didn't say anything, so knowing his approximate location I turned and went around him, giving him a wide berth. "I'm just going to uh, check out the rest of the second floor." I told him as I strode back into the house.

Catching sight of my face in the mirror of the master bath, I cursed myself quietly. I pressed my hands to my cheeks as soon as I was sure I was out of sight, hoping to cool them quickly. The bathroom was nice and big enough for two, but could definitely use a remodel. The cabinets were outdated and the wallpaper was absolutely hideous. There was a large tub, with a separate shower and a closet that obviously hid the toilet. There wasn't much to see in the bathroom, but I stayed put. I wondered how long I could hide in here before Damon came to find me.

Obviously not long enough. "What do you think?" He asked, appearing in the doorway. I gave him my honest opinion, choosing to ignore my earlier comments and slipped past him and out of the master, to peek at the other rooms on the top floor. There was one other bedroom and a room that could have once been a bedroom but had been converted into a library/office.

"Will you build an office into your house?"

"That's the plan. Though I also plan on having the master and three bedrooms as well. The house I'm building has more square footage than this one." He said from behind me. Too close behind me. I saw Elijah walking the grounds and decided it was time to be heading back. I tried to evade Damon again, planning to give him plenty of room so I wouldn't have to look at him. Of course my plans never worked out the way I intended them to. Damon reached out for my arm. I closed my eyes when he made contact. "Elena," He began.

"Don't, Damon." I whispered, keeping my head down. I was too embarrassed to make eye contact. "My brain is clearly not functioning today. Just chalk it up to another blonde moment. I don't know why I said what I said…"

He cut me off. "Today is all about honesty, right?"

My heart skipped a beat. Whether it was from nerves or excitement, I honestly didn't know. "Yes." I murmured so softly I was surprised he heard it.

"I hope that one day we might share the master bedroom." If I thought I couldn't blush harder earlier, I was horribly wrong. Again. I reached up to press my hands to my cheeks again, desperately trying to hide them. Or myself. "You don't have to respond." He told me. "I just wanted you to know."

"I, uh…." I didn't know what to say. I swallowed thickly before I finished. "Thank you for your honesty." I muttered before flying out of the room and down the stairs.

I heard his phone ring and his muffled curse before he answered. "You have the worst fucking timing."

Ric. I owed that man a huge hug when I saw him next. I exited the house, heading in the direction I had last seen Elijah. I spotted him standing by the lake and hurried over to him.

"Ah, Elena. Come to view the lake?"

I shrugged. "The house is nice." I told him.

"Pity he's planning its destruction." Elijah remarked.

"It needs a lot of work, some definite restructuring and remodeling." I told him, looking behind me at it. "But I think it's salvageable."

Elijah bent over to pick up a smooth, flat round rock. He flipped it in his hands before throwing it out onto the water, a small smile crossing his face as it skipped five times before it sunk with a plop into the lake. I turned to him and grinned, bending over to find my own rock.

"The house has structural damage, I believe." Elijah said. "It would require a massive remodel and I believe Damon is not fully invested in the house. He wants more square footage, more rooms. To my knowledge, he is also moving the site."

"Oh." We hadn't gotten that far in our chat. Too much diarrhea of the mouth on my part and frank honesty on Damon's part had me skedaddling out of there before we could conclude our talk about the house.

Finally finding a rock of my own, I stood and skipped it out over the water. It bounced seven times before sinking. I looked over at Elijah to see his smirk.

"Quite impressive, Miss Gilbert."

I smiled brightly at him. "Thank you. You're looking at the rock skipping champion of the Gilbert lake house."

"Only because you'd sneak out of the house early in the morning to find all of the best rocks before anybody else could get their hands on them." Damon spoke up, striding towards us.

I turned, completely letting go of our prior conversation and crossed my arms. "Spoken like a sore loser." Elijah chuckled before he cut it off abruptly at the 'eat shit and die' look Damon sent his way. I found myself laughing too. "What did Ric want?" I asked him as I dusted my hands and brushed them off on my pants.

"To harass me." Damon growled. "C'mon." He said, beckoning me with a wave of his hand. "Let's head back." I smiled at Elijah as he held out his hand; palm up to assist me in walking through the slightly muddy bank. He smiled back as he strolled past Damon who was determinedly glaring at Elijah.

I smacked Damon lightly in the stomach. "Knock it off." I told him before walking to the car. I got in myself as Damon had left it unlocked and buckled in. When Damon joined me in the car, he made a face. "What?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing." He started the car and headed down the long drive. He was silent for a moment but I knew he was itching to say something. I just didn't know if I was going to like what came out of his mouth. Especially knowing we had at least another thirty minute drive before we got back to the office. "I just…."

Here we go. "Just what?"

"I'm a little surprised that's all." Interesting lead in. Curious to see where he was going with it, I waved my hand at him, as if to say 'Go on.' "Your reactions today."

"My reactions?" Huh. Really? "What about them?" I crossed my arms, starting to feel defensive.

"Our last encounter with Mason didn't end well for you. You were a self-described 'hot mess.' Today, you handled brilliantly. Even with Jules passing on his message." He paused. "I'm proud of you, but I was expecting a different reaction I guess."

I let out a deep breath, not sure how to respond. But he had only mentioned one reaction. I wanted to know what else he was referencing. "You said reactions."

He nodded as we made it back to the main road, Elijah right behind us. "Your comment in the master bedroom." He said thickly. "It was a harmless comment and yet, you acted like you'd made a huge misstep, said something horribly wrong. You were embarrassed by something that I never would have taken out of context. There was no need to be embarrassed. No need to explain." He shrugged a shoulder.

I ran a hand through my hair, tugged on the ends and looked out the window. "I didn't want you to assume…"

"I don't assume anything with you, Elena." He remarked. "Never have."

I suppose I had probably overreacted. But even given all of our recent revelations I still didn't know how to react around him. It was Damon. I had always been comfortable around Damon. But at the same time? It was Damon. Every moment I spent near him made me more aware of my feelings for him. And it was nerve wracking. So when I opened my big mouth and let that comment spill, I fumbled trying to cover it up. I sighed.

"I'm not going to say that the whole Jules thing didn't throw me." I began. "Or that the note from Mason didn't invoke feelings I thought I'd long since buried. I'm pissed, Damon. Don't get me wrong. But I also feel stronger, feel safer than I did a few days ago." I looked at him tentatively. He kept his eyes on the road, but I knew he was aware of me watching him. "These past few days with you have made a world of difference. You've given me comfort and stability and I feel better prepared to handle Mason and whatever else comes my way. Because of you. And because I know you won't let anything happen to me." I paused and fiddled with the pleat in my pants before continuing. "In regards to the master bedroom comment, I…uh, you make me nervous."

"Wait. What?" His eyes flew to meet mine before I looked back down at the floor boards to avoid his gaze. "I give you comfort and stability and I make you nervous too? What the hell does that even mean, Elena?"

Hell. Why the hell had he decided to have this conversation in the car. I rubbed my hands over my face. "You're an amazing friend…"

"Jesus." He scoffed, disdain written all over his face.

"But I like you!" I nearly shouted. "Okay?" Dammit, well I'd gone and done it. Just kill me now and end my misery. "I like you. And you make me nervous. So I spew random things that sound fine in my head, but when it comes out it sounds all wrong so I screw it all up and make it worse!" I closed my eyes, absolutely mortified.

He was quiet for a moment as he absorbed my endlessly embarrassing rant. "Don't ever be embarrassed." He murmured softly. "Mind if I say something now?" I shrugged, too humiliated to open my mouth and voice a response. "You are the strongest person I know. The things you've been through, the hand you've been dealt, I'm amazed at how well you handle it all. All I did was help you expose the characteristics and traits you already possess. And the fact that I make you nervous?" I could hear the smile in his voice. "Well that gives me hope."

Hope? He reached for my hand, covering my swiftly moving nervous fingers as I was still playing with the pleat in my pants. I stilled immediately, loving his touch.

"I couldn't make you half as nervous as you make me." I shivered as he ran his thumb over my hand. "I like you too, Elena."

Well, alright then. This wasn't necessarily new information but it was definitely reassuring to hear it. A smile ghosted across my face. I met his bright blue eyes and looked down at his mouth and that crooked smile that I loved a little too much. A deep breath filled my lungs and I let it out slowly. Maybe today would turn out okay after all.

Damon

Your eyes, they shine so bright

I wanna save that light

I can't escape this now

Unless you show me how

When you feel my heat

Look into my eyes

It's where my demons hide

It's where my demons hide

Don't get too close

Its dark inside

It's where my demons hide

It's where my demons hide

-'Demons', Imagine Dragons

Damon sat at his desk, immersed in paperwork. It was the only thing keeping him from jumping into the Range Rover and hauling ass to Mystic Falls to personally deal with Mason Lockwood. Well, that and the girl in the next room who was happily conversing with Rose about payroll. Who in the hell got excited about learning to do payroll? Elena freaking Gilbert. Damon smiled, shook his head and glanced at the clock on his desk.

4:52. Almost quitting time. He'd gotten a lot of work done when they'd returned to the ExPro's office. He had purposefully locked himself in his office, hoping to isolate himself and his rising rage over today's injustice. Every time he thought about it, or Elena, or the ultrasound picture or Lockwood and his whore his hands clenched into fists and he ground his teeth. According to the resident psychic freak this meant he wasn't 'dealing with his emotions'. Well, no shit Sherlock.

Ric had made an initial appearance when they had first arrived, tried to cajole Damon out of his funk. Ric had noticed right off the bat how tense and pissed off he was. Fucker could always tell. After several failed attempts to lighten the mood, Ric had left him to his own demons. He'd bitched and moaned about it, but he'd left. Damon had been beyond grateful. He was in one of those 'just need to be alone' moods. It was in the best interest of everyone in the office to stay away. At least for the time being. He guessed this might be one of those times where the name 'McGrouchy' was fitting.

He'd called Liz a few hours ago. She had nothing to say other than Lockwood was in custody and that he and Stefan would be kept far away from each other. She'd also mentioned that his brother still hadn't said a peep about anything. Little shit. He still found it hard to believe that after everything he'd done he didn't want to help Elena. Fucker had set her on a downward spiral. He could damn well make amends.

A knock on his door cleared him of his stupor. He glanced up and noticed Elena standing in the doorway. He waved her in. "Hey," she whispered. "What time did you want to leave?"

Damon pushed his chair back a little and motioned for her to come inside. "Are you ready to go?" He asked, noticing that she looked a little nervous.

"Whenever you are." She told him, looking down at her hands.

"What's wrong?" He asked, irritated that she would feel unease around him. He never wanted her to feel that way. Ever.

She shook her head. "Nothing." She protested a little too loudly.

Damon sighed. "Elena, I thought we went over this." Frustration filled him and he took a deep breath to ensure it didn't seep out of his pores. Elena didn't need to know he was feeling this way.

"I just….Ric said…"

The fuck? "Ric said what?" He asked.

She looked up, met his eyes. "He said you were in a mood. And should be left alone." Well, Ric wasn't wrong.

"That doesn't include you, Elena." He set his hands on top of the desk, put them together. "It never includes you. If you need something, you let me know. I don't care what kind of mood I'm in."

Relief had her shoulders dropping, the tension easing out of her. Jesus. "You just didn't appear to be in a mood earlier and I didn't know if it was something I said or did or…I thought everything was fine."

They definitely had to work on their communication. He gestured at the chair closest to her. "Sit, please." He said. She nodded, shut the door and immediately sat. "Please know that my mood and attitude is in no way attributed to you." She didn't look reassured. "Elena," He began. "I'm angry. Incredibly angry. What happened earlier today knocked me off my game." He paused, looked down at the floor. "When the Sheriff arrived, I was ready to head down to the fire station." Her eyes flew to his and he saw the fear in her eyes. It was a swift kick in the gut. She feared for him? She didn't think he could handle a coward like Mason Lockwood? That fucking hurt. "If I had left, if Elijah hadn't known exactly how to talk sense into me? I likely would be in Liz's custody this evening. Elena, I wanted to kill him." Damon said softly as he looked down at the floor. He couldn't look at her right now. He didn't want to see the look on her face. "I still do." He admitted. "I'm dealing with it a little better right now, but there's a part of me that still wants to eradicate him from your life. Remove the threat permanently. And I know that makes me as much of a monster as he is."

Elena's small gasp had him looking up. "No." She whispered. She was shaking her head continuously. "No, Damon. You're not a monster. He is. He'll always be. But you are not a monster."

Damon cracked a self-deprecating smile. "Well, you know what they say about opinions, Elena."

Elena raised her lip in an almost snarl. "You and Mason Lockwood are not the same." A warm sensation started to spread through his heart. She had faith in him. That was a start, right?

"I've had dark thoughts since you handed me the picture, since we left that bathroom. They're consuming me." He whispered. "I needed to be alone to deal with it. With them. It had nothing to do with wanting to get away from you. And you know if you needed something or wanted something all you had to do was come knock on my door. I did tell Ric I needed space, but it in no way was meant for you."

She swallowed hard and nodded. "I just wasn't sure…."

"Then you ask, sweetheart. You can always ask." He insisted.

She had her hands clasped together in her lap. He noticed her knuckles were white. "It's new for me." She told him. He bit his tongue, holding back the words he knew he shouldn't say. She was already damaged enough. "I'm not used to being able to ask."

"It'll take some time." Damon admitted. "Change always does.

She was silent for a few minutes. So silent he wondered if there was something else. Something else she wanted to say. She kept her head down and gnawed on her lower lip. "I was about 11 weeks pregnant." She said softly. Damon inhaled sharply. She looked up and shrugged a shoulder. "You wanted to know, right?" He bit down harder on his tongue, surprised he hadn't severed it. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth, but he knew better than to make an outward show of his reaction. He wanted her to get it out, to keep going. So he nodded. "He said he was happy about the baby, but I could tell he wasn't being truthful." She looked away, towards the window. "It was a really nice day outside. I remember I opened all the windows, aired out the house. It was a good day for spring cleaning."

She sighed and reached up to brush a tear away from her cheek. He longed to get up and sit next to her, wipe the tears away for her. But he knew if he moved, she might stop. So he stayed. "It was a Saturday. His Saturday off. He'd had some of the guys over. They were drinking. They drank a lot that day. I, uh… I was washing dishes when Stefan came into the kitchen to get a beer." Damon's growl caused her to stop. She looked over at him and he shut his eyes in anger. He didn't want her to see the rage he knew was pouring out.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "Please continue."

"He would come over sometimes." At Damon's nod, she went on. "He stopped and asked me how I was doing," She let out a little laugh. "I didn't think he cared. I told him I was fine and went back to my dishes. Mason had been standing in the doorway. He witnessed our measly six or seven word exchange. Apparently I wasn't supposed to speak to Stefan. Clearly I didn't get the memo." She brushed away more tears and looked back over at him. Held eye contact. "After everyone had left, he laid into me. I didn't know what I had done wrong at first. He was drunk. He mumbled a lot, talked to himself mostly. I couldn't understand half of what he was ranting about. But when I heard Stefan's name, I knew." She started to sound detached as she stared at him. And he didn't blame her. When he talked about Iraq and Afghanistan he would become detached too. It was easier that way. "He pushed me." She said. Damon felt the rage coil in his chest. It had been building all day, but hearing about this? Only made it worse. "I slipped on the mat in front of the sink. Fell down on my butt, knocked my head on the counter." Her eyes glazed over, as she became even more withdrawn. "He was wearing this pair of steel toed boots."

Jesus. He didn't know if he needed to hear anymore. If he could hear anymore. He held his breath. "I don't remember much after that. I woke up in the hospital a day later." She sniffled. "The doctor told me I had lost the baby." She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "And then told me I would likely never be able to have kids again." She scoffed, looked over at him. "Mason told them I'd fallen down the deck steps. Told them they were 'slippery.' That he had hosed them down after the party." She was silent for a few moments before she looked up and met his eyes. The tears there ripped at his fucking heart. She shrugged a shoulder. "They believed him. Everyone always believed him."

He didn't know what to say. Didn't know that anything he could say would make any difference. He stood and walked over to her. He squatted down in front of her, not unlike he had done earlier this morning. "I'll always believe you." He whispered.

She nodded, the tears brimming over her lashes and streaming down her face. "I know you will." She sniffled once and wiped her tears away with her fingers. She let out a deep sigh. "I've never really talked about it." She whispered. "Feels good to get it out."

A wry smile emerged on his face. "That's the beauty of therapy." He arched an eyebrow at her. "Or so I'm told." The beginnings of a smile began to appear on her face. "I can't imagine what you've been through. But I can honestly guarantee you it will never happen again."

The look on her face turned to one of skepticism. "How on earth can you possibly do that?" She asked.

He wasn't prepared for her to ask that. To be honest? His hope was that she would be with him. He'd already hinted several times to it. And he knew he would never hurt her. She had to know that too. But if she wasn't considering him as a possible part of her future than what could he do? Sure, he'd fight like hell for her, but if she didn't want to be with him than he sure as fuck wasn't going to force her. His heart broke a little as he began to think that she might not ultimately want to be with him. But he steeled his voice, and told her, "I'm going to teach you how to fight back."

Her eyes lit up and she grinned. It was a total one-eighty from where she had just been. "You're gonna teach me to fight?"

He chuckled, made a face. "I'm going to teach you self defense."

She wrinkled her perfect little nose at him. "Self defense?" She said it like it was dirty, a bad word.

He rolled his eyes at her, "And how to kick somebody's ass." Her smile hit him like a sucker punch to his gut. Jesus, he had it bad. He laughed at her to hide his foolish love drunkenness.

"Sounds like fun." She whispered.

Damon smirked and shook his head "Go get your stuff together. We'll leave in ten minutes. I need to wrap some of this stuff up." She beamed at him and danced out the door into the lobby.

He was skirting his desk to resume some last minute 'needs attention' items before they left when his door opened again and quickly shut. Fuck.

Damon groaned. Ric's snicker was enough to have Damon rolling his eyes. "Told you I needed space today." Damon half growled.

"Yeah, well. I gave you space, cry baby. Your time out's over." Ric seated himself in the chair across from Damon's desk. The one Elena had just vacated.

"I'm not in the mood for your antics today." Damon remarked as he printed the schedule for next week's New York trip. He needed to review it, look for any holes in security, any changes that needed to be made.

"You love my antics." Ric grinned.

"On a good day, I tolerate them. On days like today, I prefer to avoid them altogether."

"See? Now that's your problem, Salvatore. Avoiding shit." Ric told him as he reached for the stress ball sitting on the corner of his desk.

"You're my problem, Saltzman."

"I beg to differ, sir." He announced with an air of arrogance. Smug bastard. "You've got 99 problems and Alaric ain't one." He rapped horrendously.

Damon couldn't help it. He chuckled just a little bit. "You're an idiot." Damon said as he shook his head.

"I know you are, but what am I?"

He rolled his eyes. "Do you have anything important to say or are you just here to harass me? Because I've got shit to do." He took a stack of papers and straightened them, stood them up and smacked them on the table. He glared at his friend.

"Got a phone call from the Sheriff." Damon sat up straighter in his chair. Ric had his attention. But why the hell hadn't the Sheriff contacted him? "Don't get your panties all in a wad, Salvatore. She called the office. Rose answered. I intercepted the call. You didn't want to be 'bothered', remember?" Ric said using air quotation marks. Prick.

"Anything involving Elena doesn't constitute 'bothering' me."

Ric waved his hand at him. "I know, I know. The 'bothering' was in reference to me. Anyways, if it was bad news the Sheriff was going to be doling out, I wanted to be the one to break it to you, not her." Damon widened his eyes at his friend and raised his eyebrows, eager for him to get to the fucking point. And soon. Ric frowned. "Well, Stefan's talking."

"Thank fuck." Damon sighed with relief. "What…?"

It was Ric's turn to roll his eyes. "Patience. It's a fucking virtue, Salvatore. Now quit interrupting me." Gritting his teeth, Damon bit back his retort. "Lockwood was denied bail. He's being held in Mystic Falls until a transport can be arranged to Richmond." Damon closed his eyes and dropped his head, his chin touching his chest. Relief filtered through his veins. "She wouldn't go into what all he talked about but from what I understand it's some heavy shit. She's investigating his claims. I'm sure we'll be hearing from her again here soon."

"Did she say anything about a deal she's making with him?" He asked.

Ric shook his head. "They've got to vet everything first."

Nodding, Damon blew out a tense breath. "Did you say anything to Elena?"

"Figured I'd leave that to you, brother."

Damon sighed. It was better that he delivered the news. "Did she say anything about when the transport would take place?"

"Nope." Ric kicked back in his chair and propped his feet up on Damon's desk. "Bet we can get 'what's his face' to do it." He snapped his fingers repeatedly as he tried to recall the name.

"Donovan. Or Mutt. Whatever you want to call him." Damon supplied with a smirk.

Snapping his fingers again, Ric pointed at Damon. "That's it! Matt!"

"Mutt." Damon mumbled, still slightly irritated with the deputy. Ric picked up on the irritation right away and there was nothing Ric liked more than picking at discomforts, particularly Damon's.

"Do I sense a little animosity there, Salvatore?" His grin was devious and had Damon turning back to his computer. He didn't need this shit right now.

"You sense me wanting to call it a day." He reached out his hand and punched at Ric's booted feet, trying to knock them off the desk. "Now would you please get the hell out of my office?"

The two front legs of the chair hit the floor, followed by the thump of his boots and Ric leaned forward. "Nah. That's not it." He pointed a finger at Damon, wagged it at him. "Green's not a good look on you, my friend."

Damon rolled his eyes, but still refused to look at Ric. Fucker didn't need any encouragement. "Leave." He growled through grit teeth.

"I mean I understand you're jealous." Jesus. "He's definitely into your girl. And I guess he is kind of good looking." That earned a glare. "If you're into the whole lovesick puppy, blue collar, over-compensating protective type." Ric grinned. He snapped his fingers and pointed again. "Hey, wait a min…."

"I'm going to break your fucking finger if you don't get it out of my face." Damon interrupted.

Ric laughed and stood. He held his hands up and slowly backed away. "I mean, I'm just saying Salvatore….he sounds an awful lot like…"

"Get the fuck out of my office!" Damon hollered, snatching up the medicine ball and throwing it hard. Ric slammed the door closed just in time as the ball smacked against the door.

"That's company property Salvatore!" Ric yelled as he walked away.

A deep sigh escaped Damon as he leaned back in his chair. Well, that was one weight off of his shoulders. Stefan opening up to Sheriff Forbes boded well for an extended stay for that bastard Lockwood. He rubbed his temples.

His cell phone buzzed once on his desk and he groaned. He glanced down at it, dreading seeing whatever Ric had to say. But the message wasn't from Ric.

Need a few mins to compose yourself? -E

He laughed out loud. Replied immediately.

Need a new best friend. Old one's becoming a large pain in my ass. –D

He set the phone down and gathered his stuff together, stuffed it in his bag. His phone buzzed again and he couldn't help the smile that he knew probably made him look like a goofy ass, but for the life of him he couldn't find the sense to care.

I'll apply for the role. –E

He looked up through the window into the lobby. Elena grinned at him. He grinned back.

No need to apply, sweetheart. Job's yours. –D

Sliding his cell phone into his pocket he slid on his jacket and grabbed his bag. He headed out into the lobby and stopped at Elena's makeshift desk. They really had to get her a desk. He made a mental note to call their interior decorator and have her rearrange some things for them over the weekend. Perfect opportunity for Damon to spend some of Ric's 'hard-earned' money and get Elena situated in her new role.

Rose smiled up at Damon as he stood in front of her. "He's been chomping at the bit to mess with you all day." She whispered conspiratorially. "It's just not a good day for him, otherwise."

Damon rolled his eyes. "He's just pissed 'cause I kicked his ass last night." Damon remarked rather arrogantly. Elena's eyes widened.

"You beat him?" Her shocked voice did a number on his ego. In fact, it kind of fucking hurt. He rubbed the palm of his hand over his heart.

"You thought I didn't? Jesus, little Gilbert. Have some faith."

She shook her head. "I did, but I thought…and you took….and Ric asked…" She babbled all over herself. It would be kind of cute if his heart hadn't just been stomped to pieces.

"Asshat cheated!" Ric called from his office.

All three turned towards Ric's office. He was standing behind his desk, holding his hand over the mouthpiece on his phone. Damon shook his head. "It's always 'cheating' when I win and you lose!" He yelled. He reached for Elena's arm, tapped her elbow. "C'mon, Elena. Let's get out of here before you have to witness another beat down like you did last night!" Damon announced just loud enough for Ric to hear.

"Ha!" Ric roared. "I let you win, Salvatore!"

"Sure you did, Saltzman!"

Rose and Elena could barely keep from laughing out loud as Elena quickly gathered her stuff. "You're lucky I'm on hold for the Senator!"

As she pulled on her jacket, Elena reached for his hand. Damon smiled warmly at her as they made their way to the exit. "Y'all have a good night!" Rose called to them. Elena half turned to wave goodbye to both Rose and Ric before Damon pulled her out the door.

After helping her into the car, Damon performed a quick scan of the parking lot then climbed in the driver's seat. As Elena buckled up, he turned towards her. "Lockwood was denied bail." He blurted out. Might as well get it out there.

Her eyes widened. "Oh." She breathed. "Oh."

"He'll be transported to Richmond soon."

She took a deep breath, nodded. "That's good, right?" She asked.

"Being denied bail? It's excellent. It's what we wanted." He reached for her hand, squeezed. "Stefan has also started talking to Liz." An uncertain look crossed her face and he hated having to be the one to have this conversation with her. He hated being the one to worry her all over again. But better him than anyone else. And ultimately, he really didn't know how he felt that it was Stefan that she was worried about.

"So, Stefan will be protected, right?"

Damon nodded. "Yes."

"And Mason gets charged with more crimes?"

"If what Stefan says pans out, then yes. Mason will be charged with more crimes, he'll get a longer sentence."

Elena bit her lip and looked up at him with big eyes. "Can we just go home now?" She asked softly. "It's been a long day." Damon brought her hand up to his mouth, kissed her knuckles gently.

"Sure, sweetheart." He whispered as he let go of her hand and started up the car. "Let's go home."

Halfway down the road, she turned to look at him. He could sense the animation bubbling in her. "What?" He asked skeptically, drawing back just a bit.

She pursed her lips, and chirped excitedly. "I want you to teach me to shoot, too."

Oh, hell no. That stirred up all kinds of feelings, and not ones he particularly cared to mention. He shook his head. "I…."

She immediately sensed his discomfort and launched into defensive mode. "What if you're not around? What do I do then?" She crossed her arms, and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I won't ever not be around." Just the thought left him cold and filled with dread. He shuddered. "You don't need…"

"You can't always be around, Damon." She protested.

"The hell I can't!" He growled, feeling his blood pressure rising. He wasn't going anywhere. Period. He put both hands on the wheel, gripped it tightly.

"You're being ridiculous." She said.

Damon scoffed. "I'm being ridiculous?" She reached out and placed her hand on his arm. He stared down at her hand for as long as he could before returning his gaze to the road. His heart calmed, his mind eased. All from just a fucking touch. Her touch. Jesus, he had it bad.

"I just want to know how to handle myself." She softened, just a bit. Probably hoping to get a different reaction with a softer tactic.

He wasn't budging. "And I'll teach you…" He sighed, "Self defense." He pulled into the driveway, parked the car.

Elena rolled her eyes, before a devious spark appeared and the corner of her mouth lifted in a half smile. "Fine." She said, turning her back and putting her hand on the door handle. He knew immediately what she was thinking. Knew her too well.

"He won't teach you either." Damon challenged, arching an eyebrow and crossing his arms.

She looked back at him over her shoulder, shrugged. "Says you."

"He won't. And neither will anyone else you go to." He was firm on this. She didn't need to know how to shoot. It wasn't necessary.

"You don't think he'll teach me?" She asked as she jerked open the door, paused before climbing out.

"I don't think, I know. Elena, you don't need to know how to handle a gun. It's more likely to be used against you…." He stepped out of the vehicle, winced as she slammed her car door shut.

"Not if you teach me self defense first." She retorted, crossing her arms. She stood at the vehicle, pouting as he started towards the house. She scurried after him.

"Go change. Ten minutes. Meet you downstairs." He told her as he unlocked the door and disarmed the security system. He began the walk towards his room, signaling the end of the conversation. Hoping she would see it as such. He could only be so lucky.

She grumbled something under her breath as she walked by, slammed her door. He rolled his eyes and shut his door. Leaned against it. He took a few deep breaths before he strode to his dresser. He swiftly changed into an old Army t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts. He didn't know why he was looking forward to this. It was probably going to be pure hell for him. When it came to Elena, he was a glutton for fucking punishment. But she needed to know how to defend herself. And he needed to know she was capable of handling herself in the event that another situation like today's popped up, heaven fucking forbid. Tying on his tennis shoes, he heard her briskly walk by his door.

Damn. It hadn't been ten minutes. Elena was definitely excited to learn how to kick ass. Or excited about kicking his ass. Most likely the latter. He could only hope that it was the prospect of spending some 'quality' time with him that had her so excited and not the idea of getting to beat him up. Ric was right. Lovesick puppy didn't even begin to describe him.

He headed towards the kitchen and caught Elena in the refrigerator grabbing water bottles. She frowned at him for a moment before she spoke. "Thought we might need these." Damon nodded and caught the one she tossed his way. They headed down the stairs, Damon turned on the lights as Elena crossed the room to set her water bottle down on 'Ric's side' of the ring.

"Alright." Damon strolled over to her side of the room. He took a moment to appreciate her choice of attire for this occasion. She was absolutely breathtaking in her short shorts and t-shirt. But he couldn't focus on that or he wouldn't get anything accomplished. "We'll start with the basics. Make a fist." He told her. He watched as she curled her right hand into a fist and immediately began shaking his head.

"What?" She asked, obviously a little affronted. Still definitely pissed. "This is a fist!" She insisted.

"It is." Damon smiled, "but if you hit someone with that, you'll break your thumb." He uncurled her fingers and closed her fist in his hand, thumb out. "Like that." He murmured as he casually ran his fingers over hers. She shivered and he grinned. He let go of her hand and loosened his shoulders. "Alright." He backed up a little. "Show me what you've got."

Elena rolled her eyes. "I don't know anything." She told him. "That's why we're doing this." He heard her implied 'dumbass', and grinned.

Damon held his hands out, beckoned her forward. "You've got something; you just may not know it. Come on. Hit me."

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't tempt me, Damon."

He laughed, "You're not going to hurt me, sweetheart." He beckoned again. "Just….ooomph." She socked him in the stomach. She packed a pretty good punch. He chuckled and watched as her eyes lit with fire. "That was decent." He informed her. "You caught me by surprise."

"I learned a thing or two from…." She dropped off, the spark in her eyes fading.

"Unh-uh." He shook his finger at her. "We're not doing that here. Draw on past experiences but don't drown in them." She visibly steeled herself, straightened her shoulders. "There you go." He said with pride.

A faint smile crossed her face and he felt a warming sensation course through his body. God, he loved her. "Alright. Teach me something. Isn't this a lesson?" She demanded.

He nodded. "We'll start with the basics."

"Always a good place to start." She quipped, her tone positively dripping with sarcasm.

He arched an eyebrow. "If someone comes at you from the front, you always want to aim for the parts you can do the most damage quickly and easily. So eyes, ears, nose, neck, groin, knee and the legs." She absorbed the information and nodded. "Now, if your attacker is far enough away don't approach them just to hit the face. Kick. Either the knees or the groin, though it's more effective to knee the groin if you're close enough." She nodded again. "You also don't want to stay and trade kicks and punches all day. The goal is to injure and get away. So," he stepped forward, assumed an aggressive stance. "I'm coming at you from the front. What do you do?"

"I kick." She said. "Before you get too close."

"Good. What do you kick?" He asked.

"The leg." She answered quickly, and he shrugged one shoulder.

"Or the knee."

"If you kick low, you don't run the risk of your foot or leg being grabbed. The side of the knee is especially vulnerable; you can force it to bend. You can kick the front, but it's less likely to result in your attacker falling down. So, let's give it a try."

She took a deep breath and kicked out at his leg. Her shoe barely made contact before she pulled back. The look on her face was triumphant. He really wasn't sure why. "Elena," He sighed. "You're not going to hurt me." Her smile dimmed. "Hey. This is practice, but I want you to put everything you've got into it. You can't hold back."

"But…." She protested.

He cut her off immediately. "No buts. Your goal is to maim. Now again."

She drew back her leg and kicked him hard, her shoe bouncing off his shin. After her foot was back on the ground, she perched her hands on her hips rather cockily. "Better?"

"Slightly." He told her and grinned at her frown. "Aim higher. Again."

They repeated the process, alternating her legs until she was accustomed to using both. His shins and knees were smarting as they decided to move on to a different tactic. He began to instruct her on the close up techniques. In his own fucked up way, he liked these moves better. Maybe that made him a masochist. He got to hold her for a few precious seconds before he showed her how to beat the shit out of him.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Now, how would you get out of this?"

She paused for a moment before she pulled her right arm as far forward as possible before elbowing him in the gut as hard as she could. His breath left him in a loud whoosh and his grip loosened just a little as she slammed her tiny little foot down on the inside of his. His grip loosened more and she was able to free her arm enough to ball her hand into a fist and smack him in the nose, thankfully not very hard. Knowing where she was going next, he was able to catch her hand before she punched him in the groin. He backed away from her for a moment as he took in her triumphant smile.

"Good." He exhaled in a slight wheeze. "Let me guess."

She grinned and took a small bow, and he found himself lighting up too at the pride he felt radiating through him. "Sandra Bullock. Miss Congeniality. SING."

He laughed and shook his head as he took a deep, lung filling breath. "Figures." He held up a finger at her. "Simple and effective."

"So you approve?" She asked.

"It works. But there are some other ways to get out of it too." And he proceeded to show her. She was panting when they broke for a water break a good thirty minutes later.

She was seated on the stool in the corner while she greedily gulped down the water in her bottle. "Thank you for this." She said in between gulps. He nodded.

"You're welcome. It's good to have a basic foundation. We can always build on these moves too." He told her. "In a week or two, we can start a regular routine; have you lift some weights…" He laughed. "We can even have Ric in here so you get a feel for someone other than me." The blush spread quickly over her cheeks. It was the cutest damn thing he'd ever seen. He loved making her blush. Even so, he felt the need to clarify. "Even though we've been through all of our training together, we still have different fighting styles. He could probably teach you a few things, too." She nodded, but looked away.

"Makes sense." She muttered as she took another swig of water.

He decided he could offer her an olive branch, a compromise. "Keep doing as well as you're doing," he said. "And I might be persuaded to teach you to shoot."

"Really?" She squealed.

"Could be." He shrugged. "You'd also have to kick Ric's ass."

"Done!" She laughed as she stood back up. "You won't regret it, Damon." She said earnestly as she stretched her legs.

He chuckled. "Debatable."

Gulping down the rest of his bottle, he tossed it across the room into the trash. "Impressive." She announced.

He smiled. "Come on. One or two more moves then we'll call it quits today." She groaned, having been waylaid by his sort of promise to teach her how to handle a gun. She set her water bottle down and slowly moseyed on over to him. He found his mouth turning up in a smile.

She sighed. "Where do you want me?" She asked, then squeezed her eyes shut in horror as her lately ever present blush appeared on her cheeks. He fought his hardest to keep the smile off of his face as she dealt with her choice of phrasing. She cleared her throat and tried again. "What move are we trying next?" She rephrased.

He shrugged. "We've got the basics down. Is there something in particular you'd like to work on?"

She made a face, crossed her arms. "Maybe some ground moves? I don't know."

Shit. Ground moves? Probably not the best idea. He sighed. But, she did need to know how to get out of them. They were definitely vital moves to know, but… "I uh…"

Her expression changed. "What's the matter, Salvatore?" She teased. "Scared of a girl?"

He smirked and briefly toyed with the idea of messing with her, but he thought better of it at the last minute. She wanted ground moves? She'd get ground moves if it killed him. And it just might. "Let's try a pinned move." At her blank stare, he knew he had made the right decision by not using the word 'mount'. Typically the move he was about to teach her to get out of was referred to as the mount position, but given her state of nervousness around him lately, it was best not to use the term. She'd already blushed enough today.

"What do I do?"

"So, uh…lie down on your back." She eyed him warily but dropped into a squat, plopped her butt down on the mat and laid back.

This was stupid. So fucking stupid. What the hell was he thinking? He wasn't. Clearly. "Alright." He said gruffly. He would just do this and get it over with. Easy peasy. She arched an eyebrow at him, sensing his hesitation. 'Let's try a pinned move.' He mimicked. Fucking idiot. Of all the ground moves… "So, if you get pinned, your biggest defense is to lift your hips." She eyed him warily. "Lifting your hips if someone is about to strike will easily throw them off balance. You always want to keep your arms on the inside of his, to block any blows." This was so not a good idea. He took a deep breath, walked the short distance to her. Maybe they should wait on that move. Try another one. He dropped to his knees. "Bend your knees, bring your feet back." She quickly complied. He scooted forward so that his knees touched her butt. He leaned over her, braced his hands on either side of her head.

The scent of her shampoo wafted in his direction. "Now what?" She asked softly as he caught himself leaning in to smell her better, a second away from closing his eyes. He shook his head to clear it.

"Oh. Uh…." Think, dumbass. "The first thing you want to do is…." He was drawing a complete and utter blank. A slow smile spread on her face and she arched an eyebrow. Jesus.

She was enjoying his discomfort. He narrowed his eyes at her, smirked. "Alright. If you're trying to hit him, he's going to go for your wrists, hold them tight so you can't fight back."

She nodded, listening intently. "You know how to get out of the wrist hold, but in this position you want to get up, get off the floor. That's your goal. You want to pull your knee in, place it on my stomach. It prevents me from moving forward."

He lifted her knee, turned it so that it lay on his stomach. "Okay." She whispered. "Now what?"

He walked her through the process slowly, gave her more instructions, beyond pleased as she listened and followed his directions to the letter and escaped the hold. "Got it?"

"Yes." She said. He nodded.

"Good. Let's try it."

They both resumed their former positions. He grabbed her wrists, taking care not to hold too tight but holding tight enough to prevent an easy escape. The determined look on her face filled him with pride. She was definitely getting the hang of this stuff. She could hold her own. It helped that she was an avid runner, already fit. Her legs were toned, strong. And with this move it helped to have that leg strength. "Ready?" She asked.

"Always." He responded as she began to perfectly execute the moves he had shown her.

"Excellent." They practiced the move a few more times. She had it down pat. Thank God. He didn't think he could take anymore. He needed a cold shower. Bad. He stood, brushed his hands on his shorts, reach down for her hand.

She hesitated. "You didn't show me the hips move."

What? The hips move. Shit. He had switched moves on her. "I think we can save that for tomorrow." He muttered. She didn't budge. "We've done enough today."

"Just the one more." She pleaded, pouting just a bit. Her bottom lip poked out and he groaned.

"I'm a glutton for punishment." He mumbled under his breath.

"What?" She asked, thankfully not hearing what he had said.

He heaved a giant sigh. He could do this. He could. "Nothing." He dropped back down. "The hips one is where the attacker has you pinned by straddling your hips."

Her blush came back full force. "Oh." She whispered. He watched as she swallowed. "Okay."

She flattened her legs, allowed him to straddle her. Her blush didn't fade. It wasn't going away. "Most of the same rules apply. The attacker has the control in this position. He truly has you pinned." She nodded. "He's going to hold your wrists to avoid your blows." He quickly ran over the steps to get out of this move. There were two ways. She could flip him over, get him on his back which got her out from under him but wasn't an easy a getaway. It placed her on top, and she could easily be grabbed again, pinned. Or she could buck him, scoot out from under him using her feet to push away. A few well placed kicks and she could get away quickly.

"Got it." She told him. "Let's do it." He smirked. She rolled her eyes at him, not even a blush appearing. "Which getaway?" She asked.

He leaned over her, grabbing her wrists. "Surprise me."

It was her turn to smirk at him, before she bucked her hips, knocking him off balance. With a few well executed moves, she rolled and ended up on top of him. Good girl. She did well, but he decided quickly to not make it easy on her. Any opponent she would likely face wouldn't just give up after losing the upper hand.

Victory brightened her face at her triumph and she prepared to jump up, expecting him to let go. He didn't. He pulled on her wrists, intending to have her fall on him and flip her back over. She hesitated, attempting to quickly break the wrist hold as he had taught her earlier. She grinned at him, thrilled for the challenge as she deftly tried to get away. She freed her wrists and attempted to jump up to get away while he grabbed her leg.

She tumbled back down with a frustrated grunt, not falling on her knees as she had intended but instead landing on top of him. Her surprised 'oomph' wasn't near as surprised as his was. He was still flat on his back, and her delectable curves were flush against him. His body responded as any man's naturally would when presented with such an enticing opportunity.

She laughed softly, breathlessly as she placed her hands on either side of his head and lifted her head and shoulders upwards. She looked down at him with a sheepish grin. "Guess we'll have to work on that one."

He swallowed hard, unable to speak. Afraid to speak. Surely she felt his response to their current predicament. How could she not? He nodded his head. She should get up now. Really. She should. But she didn't budge.

Her grin quickly faded as she looked down at him. The tension surrounding them was palpable, thick and heavy. His heart felt like it was crashing into his ribs, eager to beat its way out of his chest. She blinked once as her gaze drifted down to his lips.

He recalled their moment in the car from earlier today, when he had let her out of the car to go off and face Jules. He'd seen the look on her face then. He had wanted nothing more in that moment than to kiss her. But he'd have been damned if he let something like that fucker Lockwood and his whore overshadow a moment like their first kiss. Or first kiss since that one nine years ago. No, that moment in the car hadn't been their moment. It hadn't been the right time.

But the more heartbeats that passed jolted his brain into thinking that this might be it. This might be the right time. After God knows how many seconds had passed, her eyes drifted back up to his. They were steady, sure. He stared into them for a brief moment, asking the question. A quick intake of breath was her answer.

His hands, previously holding the back of her arms moved upwards slowly. He could feel her heart thudding against his chest. Or maybe that was just his, still trying to escape his body. One hand reached her neck and stopped there. Her pulse beat hurriedly against his palm. His other hand drifted up to her face, cupped her cheek. Her heated eyes remained on his, as he curled his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her closer. She complied easily, her arms bending until she fully rested on his chest again.

And with a breathy sigh, her head tilted down, her nose nuzzled his and just when he thought he wouldn't be able to take anymore her soft lips brushed his. He watched her eyes shut before his too closed of their own accord. She made a sound low in her throat as her hands moved from the floor to his chest, his face. He lifted his chin, capturing her lips with his, deepening the kiss before she could pull away. His heart settled into its rhythm. Everything clicked into place.

He felt whole again. This was where he belonged. With her. Like this. He'd waited nine, long years for this. Nine. He'd been back stateside for three months, been in Richmond almost that long. And this was the first time he'd felt like he was home. She felt like home.

Finally.

*Sigh!* I know some of you were dying for their 'first' kiss….and I was too! I desperately wanted it to be included in this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Once I FINALLY got it finished I was super eager to share it with you…so my editing was done pretty quickly. And as a result I'm sure there are plenty of errors. As always, all mistakes are mine and I thank you in advance for your amazing reviews. I love them to no end! Feel free to let me know what you thought and scold me as well for the long ass wait. I fully intend on never making you wait this long again. Plus…I'm beyond excited to write Elena's next portion….and experience her reaction to their kiss.

AN2/Long winded explanation: Sooooo much has happened in the past three months I don't even know where to begin. The day I posted the last chapter I accepted a job promotion and the very next day I had a car accident (not my fault). Between all of the ins and outs of the accident, the agony of having to buy a new car, dealing with the other guy's insurance company, some residual medical issues as a result of said accident, three family birthdays, my job sending me off for three weeks of out of town training, everyone in my house sick with the flu and the holidays and then the two winter storms that hit the South? Yeah, right in my neck of the woods. I had zero time to write or even think about this story. I wanted to write, I could just never find the time. And I felt super guilty every time I got a review asking when the new chapter would be up. =/ And when I did sit down to write I couldn't seem to get in either Damon or Elena's heads! I rewrote Damon's chapter four times. FOUR! I definitely lost my mojo and I'm sorry.

Alright, fellow Delena fans. I'll stop yapping now! I bid you adieu! Now go review! ;)