AN: First of all, a very happy New Year to all of you who are still reading this story! I will not be keeping you much longer, because this is essentially the last chapter… sort of, anyway ;) The title is once again, a song by the Belgian band Triggerfinger.

I'm so very sorry to have kept you waiting so long for this chapter! I wasn't satisfied with it, and on top of that, as I already told some of you in my replies to your reviews, Damon and Elena insisted on some rather explicit stuff, which posed some problems for the T-rating. Therefore a little WARNING: the end is still quite suggestive, even if my wonderful beta Shadowfaxangel (thanks for that, my friend!) went through it and sort of edited the most explicit parts out…

On the smut-front: don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my promise to write a spin-off for the previous chapter! But I'm trying to integrate some of the explicit bits that got edited out of this chapter into that spin-off, since some of you wanted bloodsharing there…

And so, here's the fiftieth chapter! Enjoy…


Elena woke up sometime during the night, curled up against Damon's side, his arm holding her close. She burrowed a little closer, enjoying the luxurious feeling of Damon's high-thread count sheets sliding against her bare skin. Then she squirmed. She didn't want to get out of bed, but she needed to pee. Well, there was nothing to it: she'd have to answer nature's call.

She slid out of bed reluctantly, looking around for something to wear. She was just too self-conscious to go traipsing around completely naked. One of Damon's shirts was hanging on the chair next to the bed, and she shrugged it on, burying her nose in the fabric for a second, breathing in his familiar scent. Doing up some of the buttons, she snuck into the bathroom and switched on the light.

After taking care of business, she washed her hands and absently scratched the itch on the side of her neck, only to give a little yelp in pain when her nails unwittingly re-opened the scabs left by Stefan's bite.

She turned to the tall mirror hanging on the wall to take a closer look at the self-inflicted damage on her neck, tilting her head to peer at the torn skin. If the TV-shows had to be believed, a vampire's bite looked like nothing more than two small holes in your flesh, but this was much messier; the teeth marks left by Stefan's incisors weren't anything like those neat little pinpricks at all...

As she was observing herself in the mirror, there was a sudden movement at her back, and Damon materialized behind her, watching her with a guarded look on his face. He wore only his black drawstring pants - but those he wore really, really well... Her mouth watered at the sight of all the bare skin he was displaying. She sighed when the mirror showed her the toned muscles rippling under firm skin.

"Can I see?" He asked carefully, indicating that he wanted to take a look at her neck.

When Elena nodded, he gently brushed her hair over her other shoulder, and fractionally pulled down the collar of the shirt. Elena shivered as his cool fingers touched her sensitized flesh.

Damon misinterpreted her shiver, "Does it hurt?"

"N-no, not really," She craned her neck and tried to see, "It looks ugly, doesn't it?"

"You want me to heal it?" Soft fingers danced across the downy skin of her neck, and her breath hitched as her belly clenched in anticipation.

"It's not that big a deal. It will remind me that I shouldn't have underestimated him..." She trailed off, and their eyes locked in the mirror, "I never thought he'd do it, Damon. I never imagined… that he'd want to hurt me like that..."

Damon looked contrite, "I'm so sorry, Elena. In my brother's defense, I should probably mention that he didn't mean to hurt you..." He looked down, staring at his fingers playing with a strand of her auburn hair, "… but I should have realized what he intended all along. I should have stopped him before he could do it."

Elena had to strain her ears to hear his apologetic whisper, in spite of his mouth being so close to her ear. She shook her head slightly, "You couldn't have known, Damon. And you shouldn't think I blame you in any way! It's my own fault for being too trusting of Stefan when I knew something was off."

He twirled the lock of hair around his finger and used it to stroke her ear, hesitating for a fraction of a second before saying honestly, "No, I should have known."

When she opened her mouth to deny it, he was quick to put a finger to her lips, still gazing at her in the mirror. Shadows clouded his blue eyes as he murmured, "There's something we need to talk about, Elena. Something Stefan and I should have told you before now..."

His hand was slowly stroking down her side in a gentle caress that was meant to be comforting, but her body didn't see it that way. She could feel goose bumps rising all over her skin in response to his touch, and she let herself sink back against him. His breath tickled her ear, and she gazed into the mirror, spellbound by the sheer eroticism of their reflection, all her senses attuned to the smooth glide of his hands over his own shirt, down to her legs, where he found her bare skin…

Damon had been staring at the mirror absentmindedly, his fingers idly drawing geometrical patterns on her skin. He hadn't really been paying attention because he was pondering how to best broach the sensitive subject that he needed to discuss with her. Only when the sweet scent of her arousal suddenly hit his nose did he look at her more closely. Awareness washed over him when he noticed that her eyes had lost their focus, her heart rate had accelerated and her breathing had turned shallow.

He hadn't fed more last night, because he needed to go out and get himself a new supply of blood bags first thing in the morning. But after the serious injuries his body had sustained the day before, he would need to feed again pretty soon... The combination of her arousal mixed with the heady tang of her blood from the bleeding punctures at her neck proved too much for him. Instinct took over, making him hard instantly, while at the same time he felt the sharp sting of his fangs as they nicked his bottom lip. God, but he wanted her so very much, her body, her blood, all of her, forever...

When he felt his control unraveling, he let go of her as if she'd burned him, and hastily took a step back, whirling around to get himself away from the irresistible temptation of Elena. His jaw tightened and he inhaled deeply through his nose in a futile attempt to force his features back to normal. But it didn't work, because the air seemed positively saturated with her delicious scent, and her racing heartbeat sounded incredibly loud in his ears, causing his senses to short-circuit.

He was just about to get the hell out of the room, and maybe even out of the house, so he could find himself some blood to subdue the craving, when a butterfly touch on his bare back indicated that Elena was standing right behind him. He froze, registering every touch like a trail of fire.

Elena had seen the transformation in the mere moment it had taken Damon to turn his back on her. Unlike yesterday, when Stefan's face had scared her out of her wits, she wasn't afraid now. She turned away from the mirror and extended one hand, her fingertips skimming the taut skin of Damon's back, and felt him tense. After a millisecond's hesitation, she said very softly, "You need to feed." It wasn't a question, nor was it a statement; it was something in between.

"Yes," He gritted out between clenched teeth. Feeling the need to explain his uncharacteristic lack of control, he added, "It's because of yesterday... but I need to go out first, get some blood..."

Before he could move away from her, she tugged his arm insistently, "Damon..."

"Don't say it, Elena," He growled, interrupting her tersely, knowing what she intended to say. But he wanted to keep her from saying it out loud, because if she did offer him her blood, he didn't know if he would be strong enough to refuse, and he didn't want her to offer out of some misplaced sense of obligation or guilt. He wanted the first time he truly drank from her to be something she really, really wanted...

She tugged again, harder this time, her nails biting into his unyielding flesh, and she said the words anyway, "Damon, I want you to take some of my blood..."

He groaned, her words so tantalizing that he could almost taste her divine essence exploding on his tongue, "Don't, Elena!" He pulled away from her half-heartedly, moving towards the door, intent on getting out of the room.

Surprisingly, Elena was quicker. She darted around him, racing out of the bathroom and to the door, fumbling to turn the key in the lock. Then she pulled it out, threw it somewhere in the vicinity of the bed and leaned her back against the door defiantly, a mischievous little smile tugging up one corner of her mouth.

He turned his head to follow the key's trajectory, having no trouble locating it in the dim light of the flames flickering in the fireplace.

"That's not going to stop me getting out, Elena," He said, still staring at the rumpled bed, slowly forcing his face back to normal by sheer strength of will. He succeeded in pushing the bloodlust back only because they were no longer within the close confines of the bathroom, and her alluring scent was less overpowering now.

"I know that!" Elena said, flipping her hair over one shoulder to keep it from sticking to the blood on her neck, but at the same time cleverly exposing the gracious column of her throat. It was almost as if she was taunting him on purpose, as if she really wanted him to bite her... How could she want that, after what'd happened just the day before?

"Don't be silly, Damon," Elena continued relentlessly, "Just take a little, at least! I know you won't hurt me the way Stefan did!" She figured that had to be the main reason that he didn't want to bite her.

"It's not that, Elena!" He knew he was staring at her, unable to resist the lure of her plastered against his door, wearing his shirt... God, but she was beautiful, tempting as a siren, and just as irresistible.

"Then what is it? I want you to take my blood, because I love you. Why won't you do it?" She insisted, her voice quivering with emotion. Why was he so adamantly refusing her?

Her heart skipped a beat when he was suddenly very close, one hand on either side of her face, crowding her against the door, his blue eyes fiercely intent on hers, "Because you don't know what you're offering me, Elena!"

Elena frowned. She heard him, but she didn't understand. Damon knew he'd have to explain. Chances were that she wouldn't be able to get out fast enough once she truly got it.

"If I bite you now, it's going to be with intent!" He ground out, and when she opened her mouth to speak, he shook his head and leaned in closer, effectively silencing her. His voice turned into a growl that she felt all the way to her toes, "It means that I'm going to claim you..."

She looked at him silently, and he went on, "Stefan never did that, Elena, but it's what he intended to do yesterday..." She swallowed and looked down, remembering the possessive light in Stefan's eyes the day before.

Damon cupped her cheek and gently rubbed his thumb over her lips before continuing, "He drank from you with the intent of claiming you for his own. He didn't quite succeed, but if I drink your blood now, after last night... Consider this fair warning, my love. I'm not going to be able to keep from doing the same."

She looked up again, and he could feel his gums aching, but he wouldn't allow his canines to drop. His voice deepened when he concluded, "You will be mine, Elena. For as long as you live..."

Elena surprised him once again. Instead of bolting as he half expected her to do, he could hear her heartbeat pick up speed, as if the idea excited her. Wordlessly she brought her hands up to thread her fingers through his hair. Then she pulled his head down almost forcefully and guided him towards the twin punctures in her neck as she said breathlessly, "I'm already yours, Damon. For as long as you'll have me..."

He groaned. There was no gainsaying her apparently, so he gave in. She'd been duly warned, and he wanted to taste her so very much... His fangs slipped into place again.

He felt her muscles tensing up as she braced herself for the double wasp sting of his teeth slicing her flesh. So he lowered his head and just licked the bleeding wounds, his tongue softly running over her skin, slowly lapping up the blood that was already there.

She squirmed and grumbled, "Just do it, Damon! I don't care if it hurts!" The anticipation was becoming almost too much to bear. What he was doing felt absolutely amazing, but if it was going to be as painful as it had been yesterday, she'd rather just have it over and done with...

He pulled back and she looked into his red-rimmed eyes as he gave her an almost smug smile, fully back in charge now that he was no longer having to fight himself. "Remember the salsa bar, Elena? If we're going to do this, we might as well do it right! At least I can make you enjoy this..." He waggled his eyebrows teasingly, "And if you're going to be mine, you'd better start listening to me!"

An adorable furrow creased her brow, "If I'm yours, does that mean that you're mine too?"

He smirked at the hopeful tone of her voice, "Nope. But you can accept my claim and turn it into a full-fledged bond. We'll talk about that later..." If she was already willing to allow him to claim her, that was more than enough for now. He didn't want to push his luck by talking to her about willingly drinking vampire blood, his blood. He'd already forced it on her once with disastrous results, and since she'd refused his earlier offer to heal her...

"Just relax, Elena…" His lips latched onto her pulse point and he sucked as if he wanted to give her a hickey, drawing more blood to the surface. His fangs gently scraped her skin, but he was careful to avoid the abrasions that were already there.

She shivered violently, her bottom lip catching between her teeth. His breath was cool on her burning skin as he whispered, "Do you trust me?"

Her nails dug into his shoulders as she gave a tiny whimper, "Yes..."

"Then you know I won't hurt you. I love you, Elena," He murmured, his hands sliding down her sides and easily slipping underneath her shirt.

His fingers on her bare skin made her arch against him with a soft sigh, "Please, Damon..."

His voice low and possessive, he purred, "You're mine now, Elena," right before he sank his teeth into her flesh, exactly over Stefan's bite, as if he wanted to erase every trace of it.

As soon as the warm flow of her blood hit his tongue, he closed his eyes, savoring every sip of the heavenly ambrosia that was Elena's blood. Drink of the gods... that seemed like a fitting description, for Elena represented his very own idea of paradise. He'd fantasized about this so often that he could hardly believe that it was finally happening for real. Even though he wanted to drink her in with big gulps, he forced himself to go slow, to focus on Elena's pleasure first and foremost.

Elena's lips parted in surprise as the initial sting faded and desire flooded her body in a rush, making her feel hot and tingly all over. Her breath came in sharp gasps as the tension quickly built inside of her, mounting fast with every slow draw, and she swayed slightly, her knees no longer supporting her weight.

Damon drew her flush against his body and slid one leg in between her thighs, just like he'd done in her dream, the dream that seemed a lifetime ago already. The sense of belonging was overwhelming, as if they'd done this many times before. Elena rubbed herself against Damon urgently, her nails raking his back. He didn't mind at all; he just wanted to pull her closer, pull her inside of him if he could.

His hands came away from the door, and he cupped her bottom, raising her up higher and pinning her with her back against the door. She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding on tight as he kept drinking her in. Her eyes were half-closed and unfocused, intent as she was on just feeling what he was doing to her. The sexy little sounds of encouragement she emitted, made him so hard it hurt, and he desperately wanted to make love to her.

In spite of the haze of bloodlust mixed with just plain old lust that clouded his brain, he instantly noticed the moment her heart skipped a beat, and he knew that he would have to stop drinking if he didn't want to take too much. But it was the hardest thing he'd ever done: she was more intoxicating than the best liquor he'd ever had, and by her reaction, he knew that she was more than enjoying it.

He had to force himself to withdraw his fangs and licked the cuts closed with his silky tongue.

Elena's eyelids fluttered and she mewled in protest, her hands tightening in his hair as she tried to keep him at her neck with a whimper, "More, Damon! Don't stop!"

Damon ran his tongue over his lips, removing the last traces of blood on his mouth before answering, "No, Elena. I have to stop for now. You already lost blood yesterday..." His voice was hoarse with suppressed desire, rife with emotions.

"Don't wanna..." Elena mumbled. "Need you now!"

In case he hadn't understood what she meant, her hands started groping between their bodies to claw at the drawstring of his pants. After some frantic fumbling, she got the knot untied, and the loose-fitting pants dropped to his ankles, much to Elena's satisfaction.

The thought flashed through Damon's mind that she truly was his perfect mate. Her blood had satisfied one kind of craving, but it had increased another hunger hundredfold. He choked out, "God, yes, Elena, I want you so much!" right before crushing his lips to hers again, kissing her passionately. The world fell away when their bodies finally merged, joined in the oldest dance of all time.

He wanted to feel more of her, but his questing fingers met with the shirt she was still wearing, even if it had ridden up to expose part of her stomach. He tugged at it irritably. When it didn't give, he lost all patience with it. He hooked his hand in the neck of the shirt and ripped. In a single movement, all the buttons were gone.

She hissed when his cool fingers made contact with her heated skin. Her hands came up to cup his cheeks, and she gave him an openmouthed, frantic kiss, nipping at his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, but instead of pulling back as he'd expected her to, she sucked the little drop of blood into her mouth, trying to get more, but the tiny wound had already closed up.

Her eyes were half-closed as she asked him in a breathless whisper, "Can I taste you too, Damon? Please?"

He almost lost it right then and there.

He couldn't trust himself to speak right now, because his mind had gone completely blank at her question. He just turned hastily, holding her firmly to him, and without breaking their connection, he rushed them towards his bed, fumbling to open the top drawer of his nightstand and extracting a sharp knife. His weight pressed her into the mattress, motionless for a moment, and she dug her heels into his butt, urging him closer.

"Elena, are you sure?" He whispered, his eyes locked onto her flushed face. "It would mean an unbreakable bond…"

She opened her eyes fully, the pupils almost black with yearning, and nodded, "Yes. Yes, I'm sure. Please?"

He raised the knife, drawing it along the side of his neck, making his blood flow slow and sluggish. The knife clattered to the floor as she let out an almost ferocious growl, her eyes fixed on the vermilion drops that appeared on his alabaster skin. She used her tongue to tentatively lick the shallow cut, and his eyes drifted shut at the incredible sensation of her lips on his skin, knowing that she was drinking his blood, and doing it willingly.

Elena didn't know what she'd expected Damon's blood to taste like. And even now that she was actually tasting him, she couldn't have described exactly what the flavor was like, but it was a far cry from the metallic taste of her own blood. It was thicker and sweeter, and even a few drops of it went straight to her head, making her feel almost high. She wanted more. So she sucked harder, trying to milk the shallow wound he'd made for all it was worth.

A sexy purr rumbled in Damon's chest as she drank from him, and he felt his need for her spiral out of control. He started moving again, and she clung to him, her teeth still nibbling his neck. As if the blood exchange had fine-tuned the way their bodies reacted to one another, they reached their peak at the same time, the waves of ecstasy that started in Elena's body seemingly rolling through Damon and back, creating its own little cycle of blissful feedback.

It was beautiful and it was just perfect. It was the ultimate dance.

When they collapsed onto the bed, Damon gathered her close. Elena snuggled into him with a secret little smile curving her lips and a soft whisper, "Now you're mine too..."


AN: Like I said, I've been dithering about posting this chapter, mainly because I wasn't fully satisfied with it as the end of this story. I know there are still some loose ends to tie up, which is why I will try to write an epilogue… Let me know if you liked it at all? You know I love your wonderful reviews!