Elena stares out the window at twilight. The trees form a vast undulating sea, punctuated by their shadowy silhouettes like great ghost ships.

Caroline glances at Elena, "You've been suspiciously quiet since we left Damon's shop..."

"Ya know how sometimes it almost feels like your mind is stuck on vibrate and you can't calm it down?" Elena asks cryptically.

"Yeah. Why?" Caroline replies as pulls into the drive-thru lane at the Dairy Queen. Once they have their blizzards, she drives past Jenna and Ric's street and pulls into a spot at the local park.

"Come on, let's eat and you can tell me what's going on in that pretty little head of yours," Caroline steps out of the car and nods at Elena to join her at a picnic table.

Elena takes a bite of her ice cream and sets her cup down. "It's Damon!"

"What about Damon? The accident? It wasn't his fault," Caroline rushes to defend him. "Believe me, I, I mean we, all hounded the police and they assured us he wasn't drunk or high or being reckless in any way. You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Both of you were."

"It's not that, Caroline...The Damon I just met is my Damon!"

"What?" Caroline gawks at her. "Do you hear how bizarre that sounds?"

"You think I don't know that?" Elena huffs.

"Are you about to spiral down some weird, time-space continuum or whatever just to try to explain this?"

"Okay, Caroline, I can't explain it, I will admit that, but that doesn't mean that my life with him wasn't real or...real yet."

"I think it's a good idea to think this through for a moment. If you tell him, he'll think you're crazy, too."

"Wait, too?"

"He'll think you're crazy. I think you're creative," Caroline tries to deflect.

"Okay, you know what? I'm going to prove it to you and not for your sake, for my own. No matter what you or Ric and Jenna think, Damon is real, and I love him too much to let him go, so there. I even made a list of everything he likes." She pulls a piece of paper out of her purse.

"His favorite color is black. His favorite drink is bourbon. He loves his vintage blue Camaro. His parents are named Giuseppe and Lilly. I never met his mom, she died before we got together. He has a first edition copy of Gone With The Wind."

"Calm down. You know I'll always be here for you but you can't just blurt that story out to Damon!"

"Really!?" Elena rebuffs sarcastically as she tosses her empty cup into the trash barrel. "I'd like to go home now."

"Of course," Caroline agrees as she links her arm with Elena's and leads her to the car...

A few days pass before Elena pulls up in front of the motorcycle shop. When she walked out of the local employment office with an address, she hadn't realized it was Damon's business. She paid no attention to the street address when Caroline brought her here.

She walks inside to the sound of his voice saying he'll be out shortly.

Elena focuses on one of the motorcycles. Her hand ghosts over the oval-shaped gas tank painted a classic Americana red, white and blue.

"Hello, Elena," Damon states as he approaches her. "You know bikes?"

"No, not really. I can appreciate a work of art though." Elena smiles at him.

"This is a Shovelhead. It was produced by Harley Davidson from 1966 to 1984. It gained the nickname "Shovelhead" due to the look of the rocker heads having the appearance of an old coal shovel that was flipped upside down, giving the appearance of a shovel."

"Sounds like you did your homework before opening the store," Elena mentions.

"I've always loved bikes...Jeremy's not here, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Actually, it's you I came to see. I no longer work at the bank. I was in the hospital too long for Mr. Mikaelson to hold my job. To make a long story short, the employment agency told me you needed help for the restaurant?"

"Let's go upstairs, I'll buy you a drink." Damon extends his arm to point to the second floor and follows Elena up the spiral staircase leading to the bar and restaurant.

"My grand opening is next week," he explains as he slides her a glass of iced tea. "Have you ever done this work before?"

Elena nods, "I worked as a waitress in high school and filled in as a bartender from time to time when I was old enough."

Damon walks out from behind the bar. "Let's see how good you are..."

"What can I get you?"

"A vodka tonic."

"Vodka tonic? Come on. Test me a little," Elena retorts in a teasing tone.

"Okay... A Negroni."

"A ne-what?" Elena asks, a perplexed look on her face.

"Uh..."

Elena laughs and grabs a shaker. "I was kidding. The Negroni was first made in 1919 for Count Camillo Negroni when he swapped the soda water in his usual drink, the Americano, for gin." She mixes the drink, pours it into a glass, and slides it to Damon.

He takes a swallow. "I've never tasted a Negroni like this. You're hired."

"Yes!" Elena fist pumps. "Thank you. You won't regret it."

"I owe you. I'm so sorry, Elena for what happened. You have no idea how many times I wished I could have a do-over of that night."

"It was an accident, Damon. It wasn't either of our faults, it's just something that happened. I don't want to dwell on it anymore... So when do I start?"

"We open next week but you can start tomorrow if you want. We have some stocking to do among other things."

"I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you again, Damon." Elena lets her stare linger for a few seconds before she says goodbye and leaves the building.

Elena is busy stocking the bar and setting it up to her liking. Just as she's about to pour herself a cup of coffee and sit down for a few moments, her head jerks to the side when she hears the sound of heels tapping on the staircase.

Elena gasps lowly when she notices a woman with long blonde hair. She takes in the Burberry purse and long, jewel-encrusted nails as the woman ascends the last couple of steps before reaching the landing. She takes a deep breath as she comes face to face with the woman she saw hugging Damon.

Her makeup is done flawlessly. She was wearing a rainbow-colored sundress and her pink lips curve up in a smile. Her eyes meet Elena's and she smiles.

"Can I help you?" Elena asks.

"Oh, I'm here for Damon," she explains.

"I can get him for you."

"It's fine. He told me to meet him here. I'm sure he'll be out soon."

Elena's stomach is doing flip-flops. "Can I get you a drink?"

Callie shakes her head. "Are you his new hire?"

"I'm Elena Gilbert, Jeremy's sister."

"Callie Shaw, I'm Damon's girlfriend!" She smiles.

"Are you sure?" Elena blurts out.

"Excuse me?"

Elena feels her cheeks heat up and tries to cover for her faux pas. "I mean, you are Damon's girlfriend and there he is." She tilts her head in his direction.

Callie's face brightens with a big smile as she turns around to greet Damon.

He gives her a kiss and takes her hand. "Elena, I'll be out of the shop for a couple of hours. If you need anything or have any questions, I'm a phone call away," he tells her.

"I'll be fine."

"I know you will," he stares at her for a few seconds before turning back to Callie. "You ready to go?"

"Yes, let's get out of here." Callie pinches his ass, earning a wink from Damon as they descend the staircase.

Despite the sinking feeling in her gut, Elena forces a smile as she watches them leave the shop.

"I think you need a vacation," Callie announces as she takes a swallow of her chardonnay.

Damon flicks a brief glance at her before returning his eyes to his plate of pasta. "Duly noted."

"I'm serious," Callie persists. "You've been working nonstop to get the business up and running and now it is. Surely you can take a week off? We should go to a beach..."

"Cal, the place just opened, I can't take off right away. And what about your job?" Damon retorts.

"My job isn't a problem and besides, I'm worried about you. You're running on fumes."

Damon rests his palm on her hand. "I appreciate the concern but now's not the right time. I've got too many pressing things to take care of."

"You mean like Elena Gilbert?" Callie locks eyes with his. "Did you hire Jeremy's sister out of some sense of misplaced guilt?"

A sigh leaks from his chest and Damon shakes his head. "Nothing gets past you, Callie."

"You don't have to be so sarcastic."

Damon expels a sigh of regret. "I know. I'm sorry." he squeezes her hand. "But no, Callie, I didn't hire her out of guilt. She interviewed for the job and I gave it to her. She knows how to run a bar."

"If you say so," Callie states and empties her wine glass.

"Are you ready to go?" Damon asks, tapping his temple.

"Do you want to come back to my place?"

"Not now. I am tired, Callie. I'll take you home."

"And then you're going to go to the store aren't you?" she huffs.

"I don't want to fight with you, Callie, but there are responsibilities that go with ownership. So let's drop it before one of us says something we can't take back."

Callie nods and after Damon throws some bills on the table, they walk out with his palm resting on her lower back...

Elena is an arm's length from her apartment door when Caroline barrels into her, hugging her tightly.

"Caroline, need to breathe" Elena squeaks out.

"Sorry, I just haven't seen you in days."

Elena lets out a short chuckle while extracting herself from Caroline's grasp and unlocking the door. She sets her stuff down and gestures at her blonde friend to have a seat at the kitchen table.

"So" Caroline begins, "Do you like the job?"

"Actually, I love the job," Elena acknowledges as she pulls two bottles of water out of the fridge.

"Where's Jeremy?" Caroline looks around.

"I think he's with Bonnie..."

"You know the two of them are pretty tight."

"When did that happen?" Elena takes a swallow of water.

"While you were in the hospital. They're really great together...you don't have a problem with that do you?"

"No, no," Elena answers absently.

"Anything new on the Damon front?"

Elena's eyes snap to hers. "He has a girlfriend," she says as her shoulders slump.

"Oh! Is it serious?" Caroline shakes her head. "I'm sorry, there's no way you could know that."

"I have no idea what I'm going to do but I can't give up...at least not yet."

"Good. And if he's the one, somehow it'll work out," Caroline states, trying to reassure her.

Elena tosses her empty bottle into the recycle bin before meeting Caroline's blue gaze.

"From your mouth to God's ears..."

Damon sighs as he presses his forehead into his right palm. It's been an exhausting day, but he could not be more pleased with the reception given to his business by members of the community.

He looks up at the sound of a rap on the door to see Elena poking her head in.

"I just stopped to see if there's anything else before I go home?" Elena mentions, her hand gripping the door.

"You any good at math?"

"I'm okay. Why?"

"I'm trying to get the books to balance. I'm missing something."

Elena enters his office. "Do you mind?" she asks, pointing at the computer screen.

"No." Damon rises and allows Elena to take his seat.

She studies the numbers carefully, scrolling through the page several times.

"I got it!" Elena exclaims with a smile.

Damon looks over her shoulder.

"Check out line 18." She points to it with a pencil.

"Okay?"

"Do you see it?"

"No." Damon shakes his head with a punch-drunk look on his face.

"I am going to explain it to you real slow, okay?" Elena teases. "Line 18 is duplicated." She scrolls down and shows him the other one with the same numbers.

"If you subtract the one, the numbers balance."

"Elena, you are a lifesaver. Thank you," he remarks as she rises from his chair and picks up her purse.

"Goodnight."

"It's late. I'll walk you out." Damon follows her outside and opens the car door for her once she unlocks it. She slides behind the wheel and looks up to lock eyes with him.

"You're off tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, but I can come in if you need me."

"No, it's not that. The McConnell Winery has a great selection. I'm going to drive out there and talk to the owner. I'd like to sell some of their product if we can make a deal that benefits both of us. And I saw an ad about an old Indian Motorcycle that needs some work...would you like to come along?"

"I'd love to."

"I'll pick you up around 10 if that's okay?"

"Sounds good. Goodnight, Damon," she swallows the emotion that comes with this small simple moment and turns to leave.

When Elena steps out of her apartment the next morning, she's met with a clear morning and Damon standing next to his motorcycle.

"Good morning, Elena."

"Hi, Damon," she grins as he hands her a helmet.

"You ready?"

"Yes," she wraps her arms around his middle as he revs the engine and drives.

As they head south out of the City, her smile continues to grow with each passing mile of scenery. They turn onto Highway 13 which hugs the Atlantic ocean. Elena marvels at the tall trees lining the road, and she inhales the salty sea breeze and allows herself to feel a sense of calm, something she hasn't felt since she woke up.

After driving a few miles north, Damon turns off the highway and onto a side road, eventually pulling up in front of the Winery.

There are wildflowers lining the walkway, tomato vines climbing cages in a small garden out front and large Red Oak trees framing either side of the house. It was, without a doubt, one of the most charming places Elena has ever seen.

Once he parks the motorcycle, they walk down the sidewalk.

"We've been expecting you," Camille O'Connell steps outside and approaches them.

"Camille, this is Elena Gilbert."

"Hi Elena, you know who I am," she laughs and leads them into the wine tasting room.

Damon holds out a chair for her and sits down himself. Camille signals for a waitress to bring them a tray.

Elena watches Damon swirl the first glass in his hand before raising it to his nose to breathe it in.

"Your turn," he hands it to her. She stares at the way the light hits the surface, glistening as the liquid swirls in the glass.

She breathes in the fruity scents. sweet peach skins, lush pineapple, and subtle honeydew are all in the aroma but married with elegant nuances of oak.

"That's our 2020 Barrel-Fermented Chardonnay. We use sweet peach skins, pineapple, and honeydew combined with nuances of oak. We handcraft it in the Burgundian style on top of a Virginia mountain," Camille informs them.

"It's delicious," Elena gushes at the taste.

"Try this one," Camille hands them each a glass.

"I understand why your place has such a stellar reputation," Damon remarks as he savors the taste.

"Yes, it's exceptional," Elena adds.

"That is our Freezeland Red. It's black currants, red raspberry, and super-ripe stewed blueberries." Camile smiles at their reactions.

"One more," she wags her finger at the waiter to bring two more glasses.

Luke hands them each a glass.

"This is our 2019 Meritage. Have a taste."

Damon licks his lips. "Camille, it's excellent."

"It's an alluring complex wine enjoyed as each stage of the palate unfolds in layers. It has a range of fruit flavors, with very subtle nuances of tobacco and oak."

"Well, Camille, I would love to serve your wine in my cafe. Can we talk?"

"Sure, let's go up to the house," she signals Luke to clear off the table and they exit the tasting room and follow Camille...

An hour later, Damon draws her attention back to him as he rises from the couch, eyeing her with a smirk. "We need to get going."

Camille follows them outside to where Damon parked the motorcycle.

"Thank you, Mrs. O'Connell. I had a delightful time here."

"We have a bed and breakfast down on the property, too. You should come sometime," Camille informs them with a knowing smile.

"We'll consider it. Thank you again, Camille. I'm looking forward to the delivery," Damon replies and as soon as Elena climbs on, he waves goodbye and drives away.

Their drive home along the highway is both exhilarating and, at times, harrowing. Damon takes the complex curves at a safe enough speed, but a two-lane highway with a sheer drop to the ocean below gives it an air of danger.

Elena can't deny how gorgeous the views are – waves crashing against rock jetties and sandy cliffs, seagulls flying overhead, and a handsome driver whose windswept raven hair and bright blue eyes are almost as breathtaking as the scenery.

Damon turns onto the interstate heading back to the city but stops to pull into a scenic overlook.

"Beautiful isn't it?" he asks as they stare out at the ocean.

"Yeah," she agrees quietly, eyes fixing on the view in front of her, but acutely aware of Damon's body behind her. With only a small space between them, she can feel the heat of his body against her back and his warm breath tickling her neck. It takes every ounce of willpower not to lean back into the muscled chest...

His fingers twine with hers. She can feel his soft puffs of breath against her neck. He pumps rhythmically against her, their bodies moving together in some age-old, instinctive dance. He ends where she begins. He completes her in a marvelous way, fills her up so that there's no room for emptiness at all. She clasps him closer, seeking out his lips for a kiss, and falls into the swirling, blue depths of his eyes.

"I'll be at the bike, come when you're ready," he says, his breath grazing the outer shell of her ear and then he's gone, leaving her breathless.

After taking a few minutes to regain her composure, she finds Damon sitting on his bike, chatting with another man on a motorcycle.

"There you are," he hands her the helmet and she climbs onto the bike and they're off again to view the Indian motorcycle he's interested in.

As Damon expertly navigates the road's twists and turns, Elena holds on tight as she revels in the closeness.

Jumping at her nearness, Damon sucks in a sharp breath as heat floods from his ear, down his neck, and races south, along with the rest of the blood in his body. Truthfully, he barely knows her, and yet...

"Thanks for taking me along. I had a wonderful time," Elena states as she removes her helmet.

"Amazing what a day off will do," Damon replies as he walks her to the front door. When she looks at him with those big brown eyes, he wants nothing more than to pull her between himself and the door.

"I better go."

"Goodbye," Elena says softly and she waits outside until he's out of sight...

Damon turns toward home. While on the way, as his mind begins planning for a war against his heart, pleasing, promising thoughts and feelings from his day with Elena are clashing with his feelings for Callie.

He likes Elena very much, probably too much for his own good...

As she locks eyes with Damon, Elena slowly unbuttons her blouse while his hands move teasingly from her hips.

Sliding under the now open blouse, his fingers dance along the curve of her body until he reaches her waist. His hands explore the sides of her body before skimming across her flat abdomen, ever so softly over her ribcage, and finally still when they reach her bra.

"Let me take it off you," he says, brushing his fingers along the curve of her breasts moving upward to her shoulders.

Damon slides her blouse down her shoulders letting it land on the floor. He pushes the black satin bra strap down her shoulder and places an open-mouthed kiss on her bare skin. He smiles as she lets out a breathy moan. His tongue savors her soft skin before grazing the sensitive flesh with his teeth.

Reaching behind her Damon unhooks the clasps on her bra watching as the satin falls away freeing her breasts. As if tasting her for the first time he lightly runs his tongue along her collar bone and between her breasts.

Damon teasingly slides his hands to her breasts and cups one while running his tongue over the other.

Grinding against him as he sucks the hard nipple in his mouth, Elena threads her fingers through his hair.

"God, I love you," Elena moans leaning her head back while he moved onto the other breast.

Still embracing her, Damon moves to her neck and with his lips still pressing against her skin he says, "I love you, too."

Bzzzz-bzzzz-bzzzz...

Elena's eyes snap awake at the sound of her alarm clock. "You had to go off just then," she grumbles as she reaches her hand over to turn it off. She drags herself out of bed to get ready for the day. After filling her travel coffee mug, she locks up her apartment and heads to work.

As soon as she steps inside the House of Thunder, she's greeted with the image of Damon and Callie chatting near one of the motorcycles, both smiling when he kisses her softly.

"Don't look. Don't look," Elena repeats the mantra silently as she focuses her eyes on the staircase in front of her. When she reaches the top, she looks down and meets Damon's piercing blue eyes.

He smirks at her, sending a shiver up her spine and a blush to her cheeks. Quickly she looks away and hurries behind the bar to prepare for the day...

"Hello, Elena," Caroline announces as she, Jeremy, and Bonnie take a seat at the bar.

"This is great," Bonnie comments as she takes in the ambiance. "I love what you and Damon have done here." She grins at Jeremy.

"We came to have a few drinks and see where the night takes us, please?" Caroline remarks, plastering a smile on her face as she looks at Elena.

"What's your poison?"

"Long Island Ice Teas," Jeremy interjects.

"Which one of you is the designated driver?" she frowns at her brother.

"That, big sister, is you." Jeremy winks at her.

"You might have asked me first. What if I have my own plans?" Elena asks as she mixes their drinks.

As she's sliding the tall glasses to her friends, she catches a glimpse of dark hair. Damon has the bluest eyes she's ever seen and a smirk to make a stripper blush, and he's the most delectable thing she's ever laid eyes on.

"Look what the dog dragged in," Caroline teases.

Not missing a beat Damon responds to Caroline "Oh Blondie, you know very well I simply could not go another minute without hearing your dulcet tones."

"You're lucky I like you," Caroline raises her middle finger at him.

Damon puckers his mouth and blows a loud smooch across at her.

"You two have an interesting dynamic," Elena remarks, watching the two of them.

"That's how we roll, Elena," Damon smirks. He respects and admires the way she helped Jeremy when he went into a periodic funk while Elena was still locked in her coma.

"Do you want something, Damon?" Elena asks, fidgeting nervously with a bar rag.

He shakes his head. "So Jeremy, how do you feel about returning a favor?"

"What favor would that be?" Jeremy begins to look apprehensive. After all, this is Damon, and who knows what he could have under his sleeve.

'Well, Callie is getting an award at work and I promised her I'd be there. Do you think you could run the shop tomorrow afternoon for a couple of hours?"

Elena just smiles softly at Jeremy. She's happy that Damon trusts him but at the same time, the mention of Callie gives her a sour taste in her mouth.

Caroline shoots her an uncomfortable glance and Elena nods under her gaze. They both know the topic of Callie is in the do not discuss pile.

Using her impeccable social skills Caroline rapidly moves on to another thought. "So, Damon, I'm trying to convince Nik to buy a motorcycle. I'm going to bring him here and I expect you to convince him."

"I'll do my best, Blondie. I have a vintage Harley. It needs a little polishing up and then it'll be ready to display."

"I'm counting on you," she points her finger at him.

The rest of the conversation revolves heavily around random topics.'

Elena keeps busy waiting on other customers and at closing time, she collects her things and the keys from her friends to drive them home.

"Goodnight, Damon," Elena raises her hand in a wave and drives off. She keeps her eyes on the rearview mirror until he goes inside...

I apologize for the lateness. I planned to update yesterday but we had internet issues.

Thank you all so-so much. And thank you, Eva.

This is another one that started out as a one-shot like 'Caught Up in You'. I could have made it longer with shorter chapters but I decided not to for this story.

Chapter title: 'All I Have to do is Dream' by the Everly Brothers.

Take care and have a wonderful day.