"Clothes – that's what we need," Damon says, tapping Elena on the tip of her nose with his pointer finger, sporting an overenthusiastic smile that makes him feel like a real boy. This is what it means to be human. Here, right here, tucked into bed with his girl, watching Friends re-runs and feeling his heart race under her hands like a hummingbird.

"Clothes?" Elena groans, stretching luxuriously. The comforter slides a few more inches down her bare chest, and Damon bites his lip. Elena notices, which of course only makes her smile wider, taking advantage of the effect that her body has on him. "Why on earth do we need clothes?"

"Well, for one thing, we're almost out of clothes. Seriously. Unless you want to do some laundry in a creek somewhere, we need to buy some basics."

Elena rolls over onto her stomach, legs crossed in the air, looking up at him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, like an adult indulging a child's antics. "You know there's, like, Laundromats, right? And hotel room service? And -"

Damon cuts her off with a swift, darting kiss, pressing his lips chastely to hers to shut her up. Pulling back by inches, he ducks down and nuzzles his nose into her collarbone. "Baby. Come on. I just want an excuse to watch you try on lingerie. Is that such a crime?"

"Not a crime," Elena giggles, arching her back up into his touch, tangling her fingers in his hair; she scratches at the back of his neck with her nails, makes him shiver. "In fact, let's go do that." Crawling over him and jumping out of bed with a surprising burst of energy, Elena whips around the room, gathering up belongings, shoving dirty clothes into their duffle bag and tossing a black t-shirt at him, followed by jeans. Damon just stares after her, dumbstruck for a moment, watching the curve of her slim waist as she moves, loving how completely comfortable she is being naked in front of him. There's a vulnerability in it, a deep trust that makes him feel a sort of awkwardly wonderful warmth in his chest. Deep breaths, Damon, he thinks, inhaling slowly. All this love and romance stuff is gonna take a little while to get used to. "Damon," Elena laughs from across the room as she fastens her blood-red bra behind her back, "snap out of it and get ready!"

"Yes, yeah, sorry," he says, smiling distractedly, climbing laboriously out of bed and pulling on his shirt. He is about to zip his jeans when he realizes – "Boxers?"

"No boxers," Elena smirks, wicked, cocking one eyebrow up in challenge.

He is across the room and in front of her in less time than it would take an average person to blink. Elena just barely reins in her surprise at his sudden proximity, and Damon grins hugely, stealing the scrap of fabric she was about to pull on. Tucking it into his jeans pocket, he flashes that seductive, smoldering-eyes thing that usually bends her to his every will. "Fine, but no panties."

"Sounds like a deal." Her voice is dark and sweet, like bitter chocolate – perfect. Stretching up on her tiptoes, she draws him into a merciless kiss, soft and smooth and just so Elena that he lifts her up off her feet, arms tight around her waist. "Love you," she whispers against his lips.

"Love you, too," he says, pulling back slightly, looking down at her with half-closed eyes. Blinking lazily, he smiles a sloppy smile at her, tucking her golden hair behind her ear, brushing his thumb across her cheekbone. "But if we want to get on the road at some point in the foreseeable future, I think we'd better stop with the suggestive glances and kissing and stuff."

Elena overacts a sigh, taking a big step back, glancing at him shyly from under her eyelashes, suddenly reverting to that innocent, timid girl that she puts out in public. He likes that – likes that he's the only one who can see that sexy, uninhibited side of her that makes his blood turn to fire in his veins.

" Maybe," she says with a slight smile that makes him want to pull her back into bed.

Focus, Damon, he thinks, wondering what on earth is happening to him. Seriously, a day ago, he was an inexperienced, five-hundred-year-old teenage boy. He'd never thought that there was anything physically intriguing about a woman other than her blood. But now – now he can hardly keep his hands to himself. He's a slave to his instincts, driven by hormones, pulled in by whatever magical something about Elena that drives him crazy. It's ridiculous.

"Damn," he says as he and Elena finally make their way out to his car, hand in hand, stepping in tandem across the sun-baked black-top. "This whole sex thing changes stuff, doesn't it?"

Elena laughs out loud, a happy, carefree laugh that he hopes he can hear for the rest of eternity. "I'd say so."

"Seriously. It's craziness," he continues, helping her into the car and reappearing at the driver's side, sliding into the leather seat, automatically reaching for Elena's hand after he starts the car. "It's like – I look at you, and I see two people. Innocent, adorable Elena that I want to show off to all my friends (you know, if I had any) – and sexy, delicious Elena that I want to – well, you get the idea."

Elena smiles at him, squeezing his hand. A few moments pass in silence as he pulls out of the hotel parking lot and maneuvers onto the thruway. Suddenly, she speaks up again, serious. "What happened to the blood-filled, easily-taken-advantage-of Elena that you used to want to bleed dry?" Her words attempt to be offhand, but he can hear the real insecurity behind her words, the uncertainty still clinging to the edges of her mind despite everything that's happened between them.

"I don't see her anymore," Damon says quietly, rubbing the back of her hand. "I promise."

Elena blushes and looks away, but not before he sees the pleased smile lifting the corners of her mouth.

Grinning, Damon leans back in his seat, relaxed and utterly at ease. He is on top of the world. He is so happy it's almost unbearable. He has Elena, a CD of great music, the open road. Sex and sugar-sweet kisses and the prospect of getting to see Elena try on wonderfully revealing lingerie in the near future.

Life, for the first time in five hundred years, is good.

Author Note: Hmmm, two updates in two days? Have I redeemed myself for my long absence yet? Hehe. Read and review, please. It makes my day, lovelies!

Xoxo, Sam