It's strange, being here again after so long. Despite how long she's been away, Elena still remembers everything about the place; the blue and purple pansies planted in the front yard in the spring, the soft tinkling of Martha's wind chimes that reminds her of summer afternoons and gusty fall days. The blue paint has faded since she'd last seen it, but she still recognizes it. It looks like the color of the sky before a bad storm.

Elena walks up to the door, dragging her suitcase behind her. She raises her hand to knock, but she stops, takes a deep breath, and forces herself to hit the door. The familiar "ding-dong" sound comes from inside, and the shuffling feet of someone running to see who it is.

It opened slowly, and Martha's warm, loving face is revealed. Without missing a beat, she embraces Elena in a tight hug, and suddenly she's not quite sure why she waited so long to come home.

Braving the cold again, Elena trudges through the snow, her breath pales against the numbing air. She blinks thoughtfully as the frost patiently kisses her face, captivated by the soft, dusty illusions of light that sit heavy on her eyelashes. She adores the snow, even more so when it's falling.

When she reaches the barn door, she's frozen to the spot. She can feel her heart pounding in her chest...

Lub-dub.

Lub-dub.

The beating gets louder and louder, she can hear this cacophonous thrumming rhythm roaring in her ears.

Sucking in a fortifying breath, she pulls the door open a crack and steps inside. For a moment she just watches him. Then his voice resonates, he thinks she's Martha.

"It's me, Damon," her voice quivers.

Then he turns around... His hair is a mess of black silk, windblown and ruffled. His eyes are as clear and blue as the South Dakota sky. Words leave her as she stares into them.

Damon's mind is reeling, unable to comprehend or process the images it was being sent by his eyes. He looks away, then back again to see if she's still there. "Elena?" His eyes desperately search hers… "Am I hallucinating?"

"No, Damon," she shakes her head back and forth. "I'm really here."

He stares as if she'd pulled a rhinoceros from her pocket. She can just imagine the sparks in his brain, desperately trying to connect the dots.

Then his smile slams into Elena's heart. It stretches from ear to ear and makes laugh lines appear at the corners of his eyes.

And in a millisecond, he's in front of her. "Elena," he takes her face in his hand and with that, he kisses her. His mouth is hot on hers, open and inviting. She kisses him back trying to make up for all the years she's missed.

His hands grab her waist and tighten, her body responding by sliding closer. She presses right up against him now, neither of them breaking away even as the kiss gains momentum. He's moaning into her mouth and it's just about the best sound she's ever heard. His tongue is playing against hers, moving and sucking, then licking her lips and diving back in.

In his kiss are the promise of years and the sweetness of waiting for real love - his love.

And it's the best one she's ever had...

Suddenly he stops and steps back, "I'm sorry, Elena. I...I...what are you doing here?"

"Don't be," she closes the distance again. "I missed you, Damon."

"Why now?" he tilts his head, studying her face.

The ache of longing to be with him echoes through the very marrow of her bones. It's a chill wind trapped in the four chambers of her heart. Elena never knew that missing someone could take over every fiber of her being and wring her out like a wet sponge every day. She starts to tear up. Damon pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and hands it to her.

"Can we sit down?"

He nods and gestures towards the bales of hay. When he sits beside her, she shifts to face him. "I swear I've never forgotten you," she dabs her eyes. "Nor everything we've shared since we were kids or that special first time. You've been my best friend for as long as I can remember."

She shakes her head and drops her eyes. "I've been a horrible person, shutting you out I mean. I was so set on starting a life far away from here, away from my parents but it was never supposed to be away from you too. That night meant so much, Damon...but I was afraid that if I didn't leave then, I never would. When my mother got a hold of your wallet and called me, I just felt the only way to keep her out of my life was to keep you out of it too. I'm sorry, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

"Elena, there's nothing to forgive. I wanted this for you. You know...to extend your wings and fly free of everything that kept you earthbound here. I've never been mad at you," he shakes his head. "I won't deny that it didn't hurt when you stopped communicating...well except for the Christmas and birthday cards but again, I wanted you to be happy even if that meant leaving me behind... you did what you felt you needed to do."

"Oh Damon," she slips her gloves off so she can feel his skin under hers when she moves to palm his cheek.

He notices that finger is bare.

"Kiss me again," she whispers, her eyes sparkling brightly under the barn lights. She reaches out for him, and he leans down, capturing her lips with his, a long, slow, and deep kiss that melts her bones.

Damon feels her shiver and pulls away. "Let's get you inside before you get sick."

Elena nods and puts her gloves back on. Damon wraps his scarf around her neck and as soon as they step outside, he lifts her up.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" he winks, throws her over his shoulder, and jogs through the snow to the house, loving the feel of her weight on his.

"I drove through town last night but I really didn't pay attention," Elena stares through the window as he drives into Main Street Deadwood.

After parking the car, they enter the cafe to have some lunch. Elena had a good time this morning, helping to feed and get acquainted with the alpacas. She also helped Martha make a batch of Christmas cookies, something she always looked forward to when she was a little girl.

Not to mention that she makes the most delicious ones in the state. Elena would ask what her secret is and she always gets the same reply.

"I have been making cookies for so long I know what will make the best ones," Martha would wink at her.

"What are you thinking about?" Damon squeezes her hand when the waitress seats them in a booth.

"Baking with your mom this morning. I hope she'll let me take some home with me."

A crestfallen look washes over Damon's face for a millisecond but he quickly covers it with a forced smile. "I'm sure that won't be a problem."

"Yeah, I know," she takes a swallow of water and looks around. The restaurant is pretty full, tables are busy. An old couple is eating side by side, studiously bent over their meals. A group of young women are giggling. Sitting nearby, an older woman dining alone frowns.

"Elena?"

Elena's face falls faster than a corpse in cement boots.

"Dad?"

"What are you doing here?" she slides further into the booth to put a little distance between them.

"I came in for some lunch."

"Did you tell him?" she glares at Damon.

"No," he shakes his head, more than a little insulted at her accusation.

"Damon had nothing to do with this Elena, it's a coincidence. I know I don't deserve anything from you ever but can you give me a few minutes to say my peace?"

"Why should I?"

"Can I sit?" he gestures at the crowd of people.

"It seems you're determined to talk whether I want to listen or not?"

"I'm only asking for a speck of time. The reason I want you to listen, hate is toxic, Elena. I'm not saying you're wrong to feel it. You have every right after we, your mom, and I ruined your childhood. I earned your hate; but let me tell you this, you can never hate me more than I hate myself for being such a poor excuse of a human being during those years. I missed so much that I can never get back and neither can you."

"Yes, you did," she nods at the waitress when she fills their cups.

"I don't know if you're aware but I married Jenna Sommers. I haven't had a drink since she and I got together. I have a good job and we're very happy. You need to know how proud I am of you and your success and that you did it on your own."

"I'm glad you quit drinking," she meets Damon's eyes for a long moment before turning back to her father.

"I'm not asking you to quit hating me to ease my conscience, nothing will ever do that, but I hope you'll let it go for yourself. Hate is a strong emotion. The emotional venom pollutes your spirit, poisons your soul, and seeps into all of the relationships that surround you. Holding onto it is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you're the one who gets burned."

"Look, dad, you can't possibly expect me to forget everything in a few minutes here."

"No, no, I understand. And I know we may never have any kind of a relationship, but I will hold onto hope that one day you'll be able to forgive me."

Elena shakes her head. She feels so raw like there's no skin over her pain and the wind makes it bleed.

"I need time, probably a lot of it...I can't promise anything, but I will think about what you've said."

He stands, nods to Damon then looks into his daughter's eyes. "That's more than I could have hoped for. Goodbye, Elena," he stares for a few seconds before turning around and exiting the restaurant.

Damon's quiet on the way home, he barely casts her a glance.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you, Damon. It was just such a shock to see him. I had no right to accuse you."

"Don't worry about it," comes his reply without taking his eyes off of the road.

"Would you please talk to me?" she asks, frustrated.

Glancing at her, he pulls onto a scenic overlook and stops the car. He shifts a little to face her. "What are we doing, Elena? I love you; I have for as long as I can remember but you're going back to Seattle, my life is here. And what about Tyler? Every time I see your picture in a magazine or mentioned on TV, you've always been with him."

"What about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

He takes a breath. "I was, her name is Kaley. I broke up with her after Thanksgiving. She's a great girl, I just couldn't give her what she wanted..."

Her heart jumps in her chest. "I don't love Tyler. I love you and I don't know what we're doing either," she drops her eyes to her hands, knotting together in her lap.

"I want to be with you Elena, but how do we get past the distance? We won't survive if you're there and I'm here, we fly to see each other a few times a year. That'll never work and you know it too," he rakes his hand through his hair.

"So, you want to give up before we even start?"

Damon sighs and looks at her. His eyes are blue; that doesn't even begin to explain all the complicated depths and colors that are there too.

"I can't lose you again, Elena," he shakes his head. "I'd rather let you go than start something and have you walk away in six months."

"Oh Damon, she snaps her seatbelt and slides over, closing the distance between them.

Her lips alight on his cheek like a dew freckled petal caught in a breeze, so soft and with the smallest hint of coolness.

"I don't know the answers, not yet but I can't lose you again either, I won't. We'll figure it out, I promise."

Damon leans in and brushes his mouth against hers, pulling her bottom lip between his just a little, before he releases it. He hovers, his face inches from hers. She sucks in a shaky breath as her eyes find his.

Heat explodes in his chest as he rubs his lips across hers. Elena kisses back, hers sliding against his. Damon opens just a little and can feel her breath in his mouth. She tastes good and feels so good. He brings his free hand up to cup her face and tilt her head.

She leans into him, closing the space between them. Damon slides his hand into her hair, gripping the back of her neck so he can make this deeper, more intense.

Her hand slides up the side of his neck, cupping his jaw, then back until her fingers are in his hair. It feels good.

All of it feels so fucking good.

When the kiss ends, Damon squeezes her hand and drops another to the top of her head. Elena slides back into her side of the truck as he starts the ignition to drive home.

Thank you all so much for the reviews, follows and favorites.

Chapter title: 'Rewrite the Stars' by James Arthur and Anne-Marie for 'The Greatest Showman' soundtrack.

Today's my birthday but we really don't have any plans. I was one of those, "you can open your present now or wait till Christmas" kids. :D I thought about working tonight but my husband said no although I've worked many birthdays in my career.

Have a wonderful weekend and we'll see you next time with chapter 7.