AN: Posting two chapters at once, so make sure you see the one before this one, Chapter 13. You'll know you'll have read it if you are depressed as hell. If not, and you are still glowing from the sexy scene, go back.

Chapter Fourteen

Katherine closed the door after Elena left and poured herself a glass of orange juice. That was too easy, she thought.

Damon walked out a moment wrapped in a towel still dripping water. "Who was that?" he asked, drying his hair with a second towel.

"PA," she lied, admiring his naked, wet, chest. She stood and sauntered over to him, her expression clearly one of a desire and a plan to seduce. She brought one hand to his chest before he caught her arm and held her away.

"Nice try sweetheart. But no dice. You said you were here for a reason, let's get to it. You've got five minutes." He paused for a moment, taking a glance around the trailer. "Why are all my clothes everywhere?"

Fifteen minutes later Damon was standing next to a visibly upset Elena, both of them half-listening as Ric gave directions for the last scene. It was a dream sequence that would happen while Ian was drugged. Damon was dressed in blood and tatters while Elena was dressed as a modern day angel: white flowing robes and giant angel wings. Damon couldn't look at her, or talk to her, or even think about her. What he had just seen had shaken him to his core.

Next to him, Elena vibrated with rage, hoping Ric wouldn't be able to tell she was about to haul off and smack her co-star across the face.

"...and then I want a longing look at the

end. I want you two to remember every moment you made love."

Their heads shot up together as they both stared in disbelief at Ric. Did they needed to be reminded in this moment what they had lost?

"Places!"

They parted and Elena went to stand on the riser next to his bed. Damon lay down on the bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. He looked at her as she was being raised above the bed like she was flying above him.

How had he been so fooled by her? As careful as he was not to get played, he still fell for her hook, line, and sinker. But Katherine had the proof. Disgusting photographs of Elena having sex with Elijah the week she was supposedly in Mystic Falls. Then the one day she went home to feed her cat, another meeting with him at a sleezy hotel! Was she some kind of nympthomanic? As hard as he had bedded her, she needed more? He felt sick thinking about all the positions he saw her in, on her knees on the dirty motel carpet, in a tub like his fucking Elijah Fucking Hamilton. She looked over at him and he looked away.

Elena caught him staring at her and it took everything she had to not launch herself at him and scream why? It was obvious that he knew that she knew about Kathetine, hence the cold shoulder.

Which was fine by her. It was better this way. He wouldn't have to pretend to let her down easy. It could just be over.

"And...action!"

Neither Damon or Elena moved, prompting Ric to yell cut and ask them what was the matter. They both shook their heads and murmured something and they started again.

"Action!"

(Ian awakes in a cold sweat, in an unfamiliar room. He is breathing heavy as he notices his surroundings. He remembers Nina and starts to panic till he sees her floating above him as an angel)

Nina: Shhhh, it's ok.

Ian: How is it ok? You're dead!

Nina: I'm at peace now, and soon you will be too.

Ian: What does that mean? Am I going to die?

Nina: No. It means you are going to live.

(Nina floats closer to Ian until they are a hairs breath apart.)

Nina: I love you

(She begins to float away towards the ether)

Damon gazed up at Elena floating against the green screen and for a moment broke character and really looked at her. She looked so sad, like her lifetime of troubles had finally taken their toll. He wished he could reach out to her and enfold her in his arms like he had done just yesterday. But he couldn't. It wasn't in the script.

Nina: Goodbye (she floats off into the darkness)

Goodbye, thought Elena as she looked down at Damon. You were the happiness I was looking for but now I know it was just a lie, a beautiful burning lie. She kept his gaze, but her thoughts were far away.

"Cut! Fabulous!" Ric shouted as he moved onto the set. "Get Damon out of here and give me a handheld to get the close ups of Elena!" Everyone bustled around getting ready for the next shot as Damon was pushed to the side, his part done.

Well, that's that, he thought. Time to start drinking.

The party at Stefan's house was in full swing when Elena arrived alone. This time she was prepared and had brought along a bathing suit and a coverup. Hopefully she wouldn't need it. She didn't plan on staying long. Long enough to be polite. Long enough to say goodbye to her new friends.

She knew, of course, they were temporary friendships. The entertainment industry lent itself to it short-term engagements. She wasn't sure why she expected it to be any different now, especially with Damon. While he was moody and hard on those around him, for some reason his friends were loyal. They would choose him each time.

Bonnie caught her on the arm, surprising her. Elena turned to face her. Except for Bonnie, of course. In her, Elena knew she had made a true friend. A friend, who, right now, was looking at her with sympathy.

"You ok?"

Elena nodded. She explained dispassionately on the phone to Bonnie what had happened. Bonnie was shocked and vowed to get to the bottom of it, but when she called back later with news, none of it was good. It appeared Damon and Katherine were back together and had been seen several times during the rest of the day, Katherine hanging all over Damon everytime Bonnie saw them. She also tried to talk to Stefan, who seemed upset but refused to talk to her. None of it pointed in a positive direction and for that, Bonnie was sorry.

"Let's get you a drink." Bonnie led Elena by the hand to the bar where Tyler, in a tux with surf shorts was serving cocktails.

"Here you go, Elena, special of the house. I call it the 'Love Is Hell' cocktail. One part bitters, one part lavender juice and 80 proof vodka."

Elena took the drink and thanked him. He winked at her then helped the next guest in line.

Two drinks later, Elena was starting to forget her own name, let alone Damon's. She knew when he arrived though because all conversation stopped and she felt all the eyes on the room on her.

So much for thinking the cast and crew didn't know what was going on between them, she thought. Elena squared her shoulders and turned to face Damonn

As she had dreaded, he was with Katherine, his arm slung around her shoulders. But it looked more like she was holding him up than holding him. He looked very drunk, like he had been drinking for far longer than anyone else in the room.

The crowd lost interest after it seemed Damon had no more idea of creating drama than trying to order another drink from a reluctant Tyler.

"'Love Is Hell?' is the name of the 'signature' party drink? Who comes up with this garbage? Although, I'd have to say, the name isn't accurate. Love isn't hell! It's swell!" He laughed at his own joke, but no one else did. Suddenly he spotted Elena and moved towards her in a slightly weaving pattern across the room.

"There she is! Our star! We should ask her! Tell us Elena, is love hell or swell?" He plopped down on the couch next to her and looked up at her with mooney eyes. "You would know right? You're the expert."

"You're drunk," Elena replied distastefully.

"You're very perceptive. Its what I liked about you. That, and other things..." he leaned against her, leering.

"Get off me," she said angrily and shrugged him off.

Katherine pulled him to his feet and led him away. "Come on Damon, I'm bored. Let's go find Stefan."

"Yes, Stefan. Always Stefan," he grumbled, but followed her dutifully off towards the pool.

Elena turned immediately towards Bonnie and started talking about her week off and decision to accept a part in a play in New York. Bonnie was happy that she would be getting away, but would miss her. She promised to fly out for the premiere.

After a short time, Elena excused herself to go to the restroom. She wandered through the house until she eventually found the master bedroom and bath.

After relieving herself she walked back out into the bedroom to find Damon passed out on the bed, looking like he was out cold. Tiptoeing past him, she had almost made it to the door when she heard him call her name.

One hand on the doorknob, she half-turned towards him, knowing the right thing would be to keep going. She could hear him murmuring softly in his sleep and her feet moved towards him disobeying the voices in her head.

"Elena," he whispered, his eyes shut tight.

Her heart constricted as she heard the pain in his voice. Was she wrong about him? Did he still feel something for her? As she moved closer to the bed she heard him whisper with a sigh, "Clare de Lune." Her heart did melt that time and she found herself sitting on the edge of the bed reaching for him, and then stopped herself. What on earth was she doing?

At that moment, Damon opened his eyes. He saw her and he smiled. Seeing his smile she forgot what she was supposed to be mad about. He reached out a hand to brush her hair back from her shoulder, his fingers lingering on the soft skin. His hand slid down her arm and latched around her wrist, pulling her down onto the bed with him so that they were lying side by side. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before he leaned over and kissed her. Only their mouths touched, it seemed so chaste, but so much more was happening. Their tongues twisting around each other like mating snakes, their breath co-mingled, and they each breathed in the sweet scent of the other. Their noses bumped as they deepened the kiss, the suction and nibbling pushing them past the boundaries of propriety. Elena moved first, nudging in to press the length of her body against his. His hands came down to cup her hip, as he surged against her, hitting her in her sweet spot, making her cry out.

That seemed to wake him from the dream or drunken stupor he was in, and he suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked at her in horror. What in the hell was he doing?

He pushed her away and jumped off the bed, forgetting for a moment how drunk he was and nearly falling over backwards in the process. He steadied himself on the nightstand as he glared at her.

"Nice try, honey. But this ship has sailed."

Elena sat up in bed looking at him confused. "I thought..."

"I'm sure you were thinking a lot of things. All of them dirty, perfect for a dirty little girl like you." Elena blanched, because who would know better than Damon how uninhibited she was during sex? How she begged him to fuck her hard, the sloppy blowjobs she'd given him, all that screaming? She could not believe he would ever hold it against her. She thought he liked it as much as she did. She was wrong, obviously.

"But you know what I think? I think...I'm not nearly drunk enough for this conversation, so if you'll just excuse me, I have to go find my girlfriend." He said it with such sarcasm and hate Elena almost felt sorry for Katherine. Except she didn't and wouldn't. Ever.

Elena rose and methodically straightened her clothing and headed back into the party. She would make her goodbyes to Stefan and Tyler and the gang and give Bonnie a big hug, but then she was leaving. Going home, packing her bags and getting the first plane to New York.

She was finished with L.A. At least for now.

AN: Next chapter to post soon. Can't leave you hanging out here with all this angst for too long. You'll get depressed, work and family life will suffer, you'll lost the will to live. Ok, not really.

AN2: Read and review. Thanks.