After Jessa's shocking agreement to remove Tyler's curse, the silence was deafening. It took a few moments for what she'd said to sink in, then the boom of voices started. She didn't care, she was holding Tyler's eyes with her own and saw what she'd offered in replacement of his own offer turning through his head. The rest of the people in the room didn't matter. This was up to Tyler.

"Bait," he said, quietly but Jessa could hear him. He nodded, a sort of smirk coming to his mouth. "I'm going to be bait for Klaus, then you're going to remove my werewolf curse in front of him to prove you can."

She nodded fast, still ignoring the complaints and arguments rolling around them. She could hear Damon getting upset with the others, but again her focus was on who it needed to be on right now.

"Dammit, he's not a science experiment," a female voice broke through. Caroline, Jessa realized.

Tyler and Jessa were having a quiet communication, coming to terms with what needed to be done. They'd not looked around to see or hear the cacophony of noise around them. Together, the two of them knew that this plan hinged on them. The rest were going to be backup, but in the end, it was Tyler and Jessa who would have to make it work.

"Are you sure, Tyler?" Jessa asked, in his head he could hear her voice, even though her lips didn't move. She needed to know for certain that this was what he wanted.

"Yes," Tyler said, keeping eye contact. "I want this. I want to go back to just being Tyler Lockwood. I don't want to have to worry about the full moon, or if I'm going to hurt someone I care about just because I become a monster every month."

Hearing Tyler's voice, the rest of the group stopped talking. He'd voiced the answer to their objections, simply and clearly. Jessa nodded, looking around. "Tyler's made his choice, so now we have to get down to the planning."

AN HOUR LATER

Jessa quietly followed everyone to the door, showing them out now that they'd managed to hash out the details. Everyone had a part to play in this, but it still weighed heavily on her shoulders. The plan, the entirety lay in the ability to actually DO what they set out to do, and her ability to master removing the very complicated curse or gift that her mother had given so easily.

After goodbyes, none of which she'd actually heard, Jessa turned back to the library. Damon was still at the door, assuring Alaric that they'd have time to chat later. Right now, he knew without a doubt that Jessa needed him. And standing here chatting to arguably his best friend, was wasting his time. A quick goodbye and she could hear the door close.

Before she could blink, he was beside her. His arms wrapped around her from behind, and together they stood at the window, watching the sun shine down on the massive backyard. They stood there for a moment, allowing the silence to stretching comfortably between them. Nothing really needed to be said, Damon knew that this was difficult for her. That she'd fought so hard to not be in Mystic Falls, in this house, and definitely in this situation.

With a sigh, Jessa turned in his arms and pressed her cheek against his chest. He felt her slump a bit, comfortable in his embrace. She was so warm and unbearably small against him and he just wanted her to know how much he loved her, no matter how hard their current situation was.

"You know," he started, his voice deep and husky, "I think that once Stefan is home, we should make this our home."

He could feel her give a small inhale in surprise, but she didn't stop him. "I mean, once we're married, I don't want to have to share space with him and Elena. I have plans for you and our own place would be nice, wouldn't it?"

Jessa gave a small noise of assent. He wanted them to get married and to live in the house her parents built for them. She didn't say anything, wanting him to paint the picture of their future as he saw it.

"Let's sit down," Damon said, cradling her in his arms and pulling them towards the sofa. He lay back against the arm and lay her on top of him. His arms still holding her tightly, and her cheek still pressed against his chest. "We'd have to redecorate a little, if that's alright with you?" He looked down at her and saw a small nod. "I think waking up to you every morning and going to bed with you every single night is going to be my own personal heaven, Jessa. I want us to make our life together in this house and eventually raise our children here."

She smiled at that, knowing it was something she'd never thought possible. Living here, in this town, in this house was definitely not something she'd thought she'd ever want. And having Damon beside her and raising children! Not even in a daydream did she think that was something she'd want, much less need.

She looked up, propping her chin on his chest and looking at the peaceful expression on his handsome face. "So here?" She said, looking around the library. "You want to live in this house?"

"Unless you'd rather not?" He said, looking into her eyes. He knew this town wasn't necessarily her favorite place, but this was their home.

"I'm not as opposed to it as I was when I arrived." Jessa answered, still looking into his eyes. "This was my home for a crucial part of my life, and it was where I met my best friend and the love of my existence." She said the last part with a small shrug, pretending it wasn't as huge of a deal as it was.

His smile was breathtaking, and his eyes held both a smolder and a twinkle. "Best friend and love of your existence, huh?"

She smirked with a little shrug again, playing up the idea of it being no big deal. With the speed she was growing to love, Damon had their position on the sofa reversed. Pinning Jessa under him, she had no doubt that he was about to make their afternoon much more enjoyable.

Damon looked down at the love of his life and she took his breath away. Those eyes, such a light green that they looked almost like glass. They'd haunted him for a very long time, accusing him of everything he knew that he'd done wrong. If he wanted to be honest, every time the humanity switch came off for him, it was those eyes, hers that brought him back to the surface. Her hair, still the light brown of her toddler self, was so long down her back that he could remember thinking about how wonderfully silky it must be as they grew up. He'd looked for reasons to touch it, and the first time he had it took all of him not to rush to kiss her. He'd been heading to war, and she'd been far too young. The fact that she was so tiny, yet held every curve that could drive a man to distraction was another point that had driven him to distraction when they were growing up together. Her hatred for corsets was legendary in their house, and so he'd seen her so often without one that he'd come to learn how her body looked without it, albeit under the cover of her dresses.

The look of her when she'd bumped into him on her first day back came rushing to his mind. Her hair had been hanging down and she'd been dressed as he'd never imagined seeing her. Skinny jeans and a loose t-shirt, clearly for comfort during flight had made him think she was a mirage, never had he considered what she'd look like in modern fashions, and yet there she'd been looking like a dream and a nightmare come to haunt him in the flesh. And haunt him she had. After their disastrous reunion, he'd gone home and had the vision of her alive, and exactly like he'd seen during their first meeting as children had made him almost insane with longing. He hadn't told her how he'd needed to take multiple cold showers, even though he'd been seeing Andi at the time, it wasn't enough. Nothing short of Jessa would ever be enough.

He closed the gap between them, allowing his weight to truly pin her beneath him as his lips claimed hers. Her answering moan was all that he needed to slip his tongue inside for a dance that was easily becoming his favorite. Hers touched his back, easily learning the steps, although she'd admitted to her lack of experience. Her hands found his neck and teased the soft, sensitive skin there. As he was becoming accustomed to, the thirst started building and burning. Not unlike his thirst for human blood, but far more powerful and not so easily quenched. He felt her teeth graze his bottom lip and it was his turn to moan. They were both insatiable now, needing far more than either were able to articulate with simple words.

He leaned back, taking her in again. Her kiss swollen lips, the light eyes he loved so much with pupils blown wide with love and lust, and the flush that was already on her skin. She almost growled at the loss of his weight and lips, but she smiled nonetheless.

"Jessa," he whispered, pulling her so she sat up enough for him to begin slowly removing her clothing. "I want this to be OUR house. I want us to OWN every part of this house, every room, every surface, every nook and cranny."

She bit her bottom lip, and started to mirror his removal of her clothes with his own. "Damon," she answered, looking deeply into his eyes once his shirt was gone and her hand was on his pants button. "I plan on making this house, and you MINE."

And with that began a long round of trying to desperately quench an unquenchable thirst that they both felt building to a fever pitch.