This one gets cheesy, y'all :)

Elena sat huddled in a blanket on the couch, watching her brother sleep, or whatever he was doing, as she waited for him to wake up. Damon was standing with his alcohol, looking into the fire.

They had hardly talked at all, save for a 'no' when he asked her if she wanted to take her brother to their house or stay here. They needed to, and they both knew it, but Elena was insistent on making sure her brother was okay first.

She was feeling again, and the emotion she focused on like Damon said…well, it was her love for him. In hindsight, it probably wasn't a good idea to balance every last ounce of her sanity on a man that hated her right now and couldn't care less. Maybe some of what he said wasn't true, it was just him trying to get her to feel, but that didn't mean all of it wasn't true.

And the thought of him not loving her anymore was too much to handle, so she chose to ignore it.

"How much longer do you think he'll be out?" She asked timidly, not wanting to disrupt the calm before the storm.

Damon lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug, "Any second now, I'd guess."

Elena nodded and hugged the blanket closer to her, fighting off more tears as thoughts of Damon hating her filtered in anyways.

Minutes of silence passed between them and just when Elena plucked up the courage to say his name, Jeremy woke up with a gasp and bolted upright.

She abandoned what she was going to say, as if she knew what that was, and went to his side to make sure he was really okay. They hugged, Elena apologized, and Jeremy forgave her, just like that. She couldn't have been more grateful to have a brother that understood and wasn't upset with her.

After making sure he was okay, Jeremy insisted on getting home, claiming that he was going to call Bonnie to let her know what happened. Elena was glad to see that her brother and best friend were back together, and he drove himself home with his car that he and Stefan had driven there earlier. Elena really just wanted to be with Damon, so she declined riding home with him and he gave her a knowing look before kissing her cheek through the car window and driving off.

Then it was just Elena and Damon. Well, Stefan too, but he had gone to his room to give them some privacy after Elena managed to apologize to him in the woods on the walk back. There was a lot they still needed to work through, but it was a start. At least he had finally accepted that she was going to be with his brother.

When Elena walked back inside, Damon was waiting for her in the foyer. She didn't know what to say, so she just let out a breath and gave him a sad smile. He smirked a little in return before closing the distance between them and gently placing a hand on each of her cheeks. She loosely gripped his wrists as his thumbs rubbed the smeared makeup beneath her eyes.

"How are you feeling, warrior princess?" He asked softly.

"Like shit." She answered honestly, making him laugh.

He nodded towards the stairs, "How about you take a nice hot bath and relax before shit really hits the fan."

She smiled despite herself and loved him just a little bit more for making her do so. Then she brokenly asked, "You don't hate me?"

His heart ached knowing that she had to doubt his love for her, but he knew that going into this. He let out a breath and pressed his forehead against hers, "No, baby, I love you."

And with those five short words, her entire world seemed to come together again. She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him desperately, snaking her arms around his neck and holding him so tightly that he'd never be able to leave. He moved his arms around her waist as she opened her mouth to him, and he moaned at the contact alone.

He hadn't kissed her since they were on Silas's island, and he hadn't prepared himself for just how good it was going to feel to have her in his arms again. The real her too, not the woman he had sex with in New York.

When they separated a few long moments later, Elena buried her face in his neck and allowed herself to fall apart.

And Damon let her.

She cried words of love and regret over and over until his words of assurance were practically rehearsed on his tongue.

Eventually he picked her up in his arms and carried her upstairs, sitting her down on the bathroom counter as he drew her a bath. While the tub filled with water and the bubbles expanded, Damon moved between Elena's legs as she attempted to wipe away her raccoon eyes. He smiled at the sight and gently grabbed her hands, moving them away, "Trust me, your hands are only going to make it worse."

She pouted adorably and he grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist. She huffed, "I must look like a mess."

"A beautiful mess." He teased. "But it's good to have you back, Elena."

She took a deep breath before admitting, "Aside from all of the horrible things I feel right now, I really missed being in love with you."

He gave her one of those smiles that could light up a room, and she melted into him as kissed her softly. Nothing could ever compare to the feeling of kissing him. She took it for granted before, but now that she knew what it was like to not have him in her life, she promised herself she would never go back there.

She needed Damon like she needed air, or blood, or whatever. Living without him wasn't living at all, and so long as she was alive she would be by his side.

Brushing his hair behind his ear, she smiled, "I know we have a lot to talk about, but I just want to let you know that I'm in this. Us. With you, forever. I can't live without you, Damon, even when I don't have my humanity, and I never want to have to wonder again."

Cupping her face in his hands, Damon said, "Elena, I promise you, you will never doubt my love for you again. I know what I did was fucked up, and I can't apologize enough for everything. For having Caroline say you were like Katherine to me, for telling you that you meant nothing—"

"For having sex with another girl." Elena practically whispered, dropping her gaze and pulling away from his hands.

For a split second, Damon had no idea what she was talking about, because he never did sleep with someone else. Then when it hit him, he pulled her chin up to meet her teary eyes, "I never slept with that girl, baby. But I needed you to believe it to get you back."

"You didn't?" She asked softly, her voice filled with hope—the most vulnerable she'd been in months.

"Of course not." He sighed. "You are the only woman I will ever need, Elena. On any level. Even if you decide that you never want to have sex again for some insane reason, I'd still need you."

She giggled softly, "Lucky for you, I haven't gone insane quite yet."

He grinned and gave her a quick kiss before moving to turn off the water before the tub overflowed. He then motioned to her bath and smirked, "A bath awaits, Miss Elena."

She grinned widely and hopped down from the counter, "Is that how you talked back in 1864?"

He rolled his eyes and smiled, "Shut up and get in the tub before I throw you in it."

She sent him a playful glare before peeling her clothes off and sending Damon a wink when she caught him eying her body. His only response was to flash her a shit-eating grin as she stepped into the hot water and sunk her body beneath the white bubbles covering the surface.

She sighed contentedly as she was actually able to enjoy a bath, because again, she had to feel to enjoy something. She cracked open an eye to look at Damon and asked, "Are you gonna make me wash myself or do I get to boss around my servant like I'm the daughter of a wealthy landowner back in 1864?"

He chuckled, pulling up a stool next to the tub to sit next to her, "So now I'm your servant? To think I thought I got upgraded to boyfriend…"

She grinned, "Oh, stop complaining. You get to see me naked—you have nothing to complain about."

Damon laughed, reaching for the soap. Neither of them had realized just how much they had missed about the other until they were back to the witty banter that always seemed to come naturally to them. Elena had missed the way he could always make her laugh, and the way that he was always ready to throw back another sarcastic comment that would make her roll her eyes.

Her bath was filled with lots of easy conversation and playful teasing, neither of them wanting to delve into the conversation they had to have. They had just gotten each other back; they weren't ready to give it up quite yet.

After a few more stolen kisses between laughs, Elena pulled the drain while Damon wrapped her up in a towel to dry her off. She molded against him, her cheek lying against his shoulder as he dried her off. If there was one thing she knew without a doubt that she'd never question again, it was his love. Just the way he tenderly rubbed her skin while holding her in his arms and pressing kisses to the top of her head…it was enough to make her wonder how she'd ever survive without him.

After dressing her in one of his t-shirts, Damon carried her to bed and stripped all of his own clothes off before climbing in next to her. She secretly loved that he always slept naked, even if she rolled her eyes at him for it.

When they were both lying on their sides facing each other in the dark room, Elena reached out to stroke his cheek and asked, "So are we good?"

Damon automatically nodded, "Of course, Elena." He snaked an arm around her waist and lifted her easily to pull her flush against his chest, "I love you. That hasn't changed in these past few months. I know that a lot happened, and I have no doubt in my mind that we'll eventually start fighting about it all, but if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask me anyways."

She smiled a little, "We always did argue a lot. Though once we got together, it kind of stopped while we were in the honeymoon phase."

He nodded, smiling, "And now that we're past that, we can get to the real stuff."

"Like what?" She asked suspiciously.

He rolled his eyes a little, "Our future. And you know what the first thing I'm going to do is?"

"What's that?"

"Take you on our first date."

When the doorbell rang, Elena bolted for the door, getting flashbacks of when she was sixteen and hadn't wanted her parents to answer the door for her date. Back then, Matt had been standing behind it and she'd been excited for that.

She couldn't believe how much she had changed.

Jeremy and Bonnie were upstairs in his room, because Bonnie had been over to help her get ready for her date before hanging out with Jeremy. Normally that would have been Caroline's forte, but she was busy with Tyler who had recently decided he was going to do a lot of traveling to help other wolves with the transition. He was back in town for a few days, and Elena wanted her friend to be happy.

After all, she was beaming.

She swung open the front door and all of the breath that had been in her lungs flew out at the sight of Damon in a tux with a bowtie. Damn, he cleaned up well.

"Hi." She breathed, her cheeks burning from how stupid she sounded though to Damon it was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen.

He grinned, "God, you look amazing, Elena."

She glanced down at her floor length dress that was draped across her body so perfectly she was sure it had been tailored for her. The blood red fabric hung off of her shoulders, leaving them bare along with her neck. Her hair was swept up into a low bun at the nape of her neck, and she was wearing simple diamond studs so not to offset the focus from the dress.

She blushed, "It's nothing, Damon, really…"

Lies. She had scoured neighboring towns with Bonnie for days until finally she found it in a boutique an hour away. But she wasn't about to let him know just how much effort she had put into getting ready for their date.

Their first date.

Little did she know that he had put just as much effort, if not more, into planning the date. This was going to be both his and Elena's last first date ever, and it was going to set the tone for their entire future together. Of course it had to be perfect.

He shot her that panty-dropping smirk of his and said, "Bullshit, but I'll let it slide because I know you're nervous."

Her eyes widened and her perfect red lips parted, "I'm not nervous!"

If only her voice hadn't risen an octave too high, then he might have just believed her. Chuckling, he held out his hand and said, "Then come prove it to me in the limo."

"A limo?" She gaped, just now noticing over his shoulder that there was a sleek black stretch limo waiting.

He raised a brow, "You didn't think we were going to take the Camaro dressed like this, did you?"

She blew out a laugh before grabbing her purse and slipping her hand into his, "I guess I should have known better. You're really pulling out all the stops tonight, aren't you?"

"Because you're worth it." He said simply, helping her inside the limo when the driver opened the door.

After tipping the man and getting in himself, he slid beside Elena and she pulled him in for a quick kiss, no words needed to know that she was thanking him for making it perfect. He interlaced their fingers, noticing that her nails were painted the same red as her dress, and he had to take a moment to truly appreciate the sight of his girl dressed in the color. Though he was sure having her naked and covered in actual blood would be a much more erotic sight.

"So are you going to tell me where we're going?" She asked, trying to be casual but he saw right through her. She hated surprises, and he knew it.

"First we're going to dinner." He told her vaguely.

She raised a brow, "It's three o'clock…"

"And by the time we get there, it'll be time to eat." He returned, smirking knowingly. "Now, what would you like to do while we wait?"

Instead of questioning him further, she decided to save her breath. If he didn't want to tell her, he wasn't going to. "I don't know, I've never been in a limo before. What is there to do in here?"

As she looked around, she spotted a TV, a mini-fridge, some snacks, a bottle of champagne on ice, and a remote to what she assumed was the TV, or maybe a sound system.

Damon's hand was stroking her knee through the dress, and he leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "That all depends on just how horny I can get you, kitten."

Her breath hitched just the way he wanted it to, and she breathily asked, "Isn't that part supposed to come after the date?"

He smirked, "I think we're way past proper date rules, wouldn't you agree?" His hand slowly slid further and further up her thigh, nearing the throbbing space between her legs.

Suddenly nothing else seemed to matter besides getting Damon naked and having her way with him. She swung her leg over his lap and hiked up her dress while she connected their mouths, "Mess up my hair and you're dead, Salvatore."

He chuckled and wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, holding her against him while they devoured each other. She ground her hot center against his straining erection, and he growled in response.

"Damon…" She said through a breathy moan.

Placing his hands on her thighs, he slowly rubbed her bare skin since her dress was bunched up around her hips. He made his way upwards until he could hook his fingers in the waistband of her panties, and he peeled them off without complaint. Seeing that they were a thong and black, he tucked them into his pocket before positioning her on his lap.

She sucked in a ragged breath as his finger slipped inside of her, and then he added another. Her eyes fluttered shut and she dropped her head against his shoulder as he repeatedly stroked her.

He nibbled on her ear and murmured, "That's it, baby…"

Elena's chest was heaving as her body struggled to hold onto that last thread of control, and when he applied just the right amount of pressure, she fell apart.

She had never had sex with anyone other than Damon in all of the time that her humanity was off, but that didn't mean she didn't have any orgasms. A few men here and there had touched her through her clothes, but for the most part, she had to give them to herself if she wanted one. Her subconscious just wouldn't permit her to let go of Damon…

When she came back to earth, she leaned in to kiss Damon and murmured against his lips, "I love you, baby."

His answering kiss was all the reassurance she needed. After freeing him from his pants, Elena positioned herself above him and sank down in one slow motion, their foreheads dropping together along the way.

She started bouncing up and down, the bumps of the road beneath them as they made their way towards their destination only making it easier to hit those powerful strokes. Damon pulled the top of her dress down to reveal her breasts, and he ripped the strapless bra from her body so he could latch onto a nipple.

Cherries and vanilla.

He didn't know how she did it, but if he could only taste one thing for the rest of his life it would be that.

Elena ran her hands through his hair, fisting it and pulling it as he drove her closer and closer to the edge. He flicked his tongue around the cold metal barbell pierced through her nipple, once again thanking whatever thought process her humanity-free brain had. Not only were they one of the biggest turn-on's Damon had ever seen on his innocent girl, but they made Elena's nipples even more sensitive. Before either of them knew it they were hurtling off the precipice, tethered to this earth only by the other's soul.

Eventually, they wound up lying completely naked on top of each other, having tried their best to hang up their clothes so they still looked presentable when they arrived. The driver notified them that they were ten minutes from the restaurant, so they began redressing.

As she reached for her dress, she mused, "I still can't believe I pierced my nipples and tattooed your name on my body."

"In a heart." He smirked, earning a playful glare. "But seriously, it's sexy, Elena. To see my name permanently written on your body? It doesn't get much better than that."

"No surprise there." She teased him while hooking her bra on. Though she couldn't seem to find her panties… "But what about my nipples, should I just take them out?"

"Hell no!" Damon immediately argued, and Elena laughed. "Do you have any idea what seeing you, a doe eyed girl who does no wrong, with pierced nipples does to me? It's like you waving your sexuality in my face, and I'll be damned if I let the minx in you disappear."

She rolled her eyes a little then slipped on her dress, deciding to leave the conversation at that. If Damon liked the piercings, then she'd leave them. After all, they were only for him.

Elena's dress made it through Damon's eager hands unscathed, and she smoothed out the wrinkles in the soft fabric. Damon's pants were slightly wrinkled in the front, but it wasn't too noticeable, and the crisp white shirt was only missing one button that thankfully got tucked into his pants anyways. He tied the bowtie back on as Elena began fixing her hair and makeup, artfully rearranging it all while Damon watched her unapologetically.

"So are you going to tell me where my panties are?"

He smirked, "What do you think?"

She playfully rolled her eyes and when she finished fixing her makeup, she snapped the mirror closed and reached out to smooth down some stray locks of Damon's unruly hair. He smiled at the gesture, grabbing her hand and kissing her palm while her answering smile was one of pure adoration. Then she wiped her lipstick off of his mouth, because that was probably the most obvious way to tell that they had been up to no good.

Just as Elena strapped on her strappy silver heels, the limo stopped and the driver walked around to open the door for them.

"Where are we?" Elena asked when she finally got a good look at the city around her.

"Downtown Richmond." Damon answered easily, lacing their fingers together. "It's no New York, but it'll do in a pinch."

She smiled, "It's perfect."

"Wait 'til you see the restaurant." He said teasingly, doing that eye thing as he led her to the door of the building they were in front of.

If there was ever a picture that could define the word elegance, it was this place. It had some fancy name she couldn't even pronounce, and she was sure the crystal chandeliers hanging above each table were worth more than her entire house.

Dinner was…shockingly normal. They didn't talk about anything supernatural, or anything that would even indicate that something was amiss in their lives. They truly just sat down and really got to know the basic things about each other that seemed to have flown by under the radar.

Like Damon's favorite color. It's blue. And his birthday is June 18th, exactly four days away from her birthday on the 22nd. He prefers TV shows to movies, and absolutely loathes seafood. His favorite vegetable is asparagus, to which she shared that her favorite is brussel sprouts. His favorite season is winter, and black roses are his favorite flower because his mother used to breed them. He would pick silver over gold any day, because he was allergic to real gold when he was human and just never liked the color as much.

It was surreal for Elena to hear him speaking so openly about himself in such a normal setting. It was almost as if they had just met, and really were on a first date just trying to get to know each other.

And she found that she liked it.

Listening to what makes the man she loves tick was fascinating, because nobody knew everything about Damon. Nobody could say they knew him as well as she did—not after tonight. Not even Stefan.

"I love you." She blurted out abruptly, interrupting him mid-sentence in a description of why he hated chocolate cake but loved brownies.

He furrowed his brows slightly, laughing a little, "I love you too…"

She blushed, realizing how rude she had been, "Sorry for interrupting—I really do want to hear all about why chocolate cake is awful, but that's why I needed to say that. To thank you for this. For tonight. For bringing me out here and treating me to the most expensive meal of my life and telling all of the little things about you that nobody else knows. It means more to me than I think you realize, and I love you, so much, Damon, for doing this and making me feel normal, and trusting me with the information that you hate it when people repeatedly click a pen."

They both laughed softly and Damon smiled sincerely, "You're it for me, Elena. You're my happiness, my future, and my life. There are no lengths that I wouldn't go to, to make sure you know how much you mean to me. We're never going to have a normal life, and I've had a lot of time to accept that, but it will be our life, and I'll do my best to make sure it's as normal as it should be for any other eighteen year old."

"You're the best." She whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

He smiled in return then continued, "And that actually brings us to the next event of the night."

Having already paid for dinner and their dessert plate cleaned spotless, Damon stood up and gave her a hand, leading her out of the restaurant and back to the limo. He kept her in the dark of his plans for the entire limo ride back to Mystic Falls, but it wasn't too hard to distract her. She had a full belly and a dopey smile on her face as she curled up into his side and they watched a movie.

By the time they got back to town, it was just past seven and they were a few minutes from their destination.

Damon started, "So remember how I told you I wanted to give you the most normal life possible?"

She nodded suspiciously, "Yeah…"

He opened the mini-fridge and pulled out a plastic container with a corsage and boutineer that had red ribbons to match her dress. He flashed her a smirk, "I figured taking you to prom was part of that."

Realization dawned on her and she gasped, "Oh my god, tonight's prom!"

He chuckled as he slipped the corsage on her wrist, "It is, baby. Everyone was in on it. I had Bonnie help you pick out a dress that would work for prom and dinner, and I had Caroline organize getting us inside without a hassle."

"So that's why Bonnie bought a dress of her own…" Elena mused as everything started making sense. Damon handed her the boutineer and she put it on him, just about ready to cry from how thoughtful he was. She couldn't believe she had completely forgotten about the night that she, Caroline, and Bonnie had been looking forward to since they were freshman. She wondered just how big her heart could fill with love for the man next to her before it busted out of her ribcage.

Damon smiled and nodded his head towards the opened door the driver was standing next to, "Come on."

She gave him her hand and they stepped out into the warm night in late May and he once again tipped the driver before leading her towards the entrance. The theme was 'A Walk Down Memory Lane' and it was being held in a fancy outdoor/indoor reception hall. You had to walk through a paved path in the woods for a little bit before reaching the party.

Electronic screens were set up along each side of the path, lining the entire way. Each one had different photos flashing through them, detailing all four years of high school. Before they could even start the walk, Caroline, Tyler, Bonnie, Jeremy, Matt, and his date April, all appeared around them so they could experience the whole thing together.

This time, Elena couldn't stop the tears from falling, because she truly didn't deserve any of it. She had been so horrible to them all while she had her switch flipped. It was a miracle they had been so quick to forgive her when she didn't deserve it.

The walk was composed of many tear filled hugs, thick laughs, and bittersweet emotions as they all realized that this was the last time they'd ever be together like this again. Their senior year was almost over, and after the summer they'd all be going their separate ways for the next chapter of their lives. Of course, the three girls were all going to Whitmore where they'd be roommates, but Tyler was heading back out to help a pack as soon as prom was over. Matt was staying behind in Mystic Falls to train with Caroline's mom to be a police officer. Jeremy still had another year or two of high school, depending on how many classes he failed this year.

And Damon of course would go wherever Elena asked him to.

The only person she didn't see was Stefan, but she supposed that a high school prom when he didn't have a date wasn't the most enjoyable thing for him, so she didn't comment on the fact.

Instead, she focused on everything and everyone else. The girls cooed and shed more tears when a picture of the three of them dressed in cheer uniforms from freshman year appeared, and Caroline complained about how terrible her hair looked back then. Bonnie then pointed out that she at least had manageable hair, unlike her own wild curls that were sticking up all over the place.

Then a photo of Elena and Matt surfaced right after they had started dating. They were just smiling for the camera with their arms around each other, and they laughed at the memory. It seemed so strange to ever think she had dated him now.

Even a photo of Elena and Stefan together appeared, and she smiled sadly at the memory. She missed having him as a friend, and the sad look didn't go unnoticed by Damon.

All the pictures really had Damon thinking about her past and how he knew almost everything about it. Yet when the roles were reversed, she knew very little about the extensive past he'd had. He's very sparingly given her details because he knew that she wouldn't like what she heard more often than not.

Or at least of the vampire side to him.

The human side was a part that was almost too vulnerable to show her. He wasn't that man anymore, and a part of him feared that if she saw who he had been she'd think that he was better than the vampire. Hell, he was better. Damon knew that. And that's why he didn't want her to fall for the human only to be disappointed in the vampire.

It sounded ridiculous when he really thought about it. She never knew the human, and showing her everything he held onto from that time of his life wasn't going to make her know him. It might just give her a little more insight into the man he was now. The human wasn't completely gone from him, but it may as well have been. It seemed that Elena always tended to bring out that side of him, and maybe that was a good thing. She knew what the human part of his vampire was like, and he wasn't afraid of showing her that much.

But to share with her a time when he knew nothing of the supernatural, when he was just your average everyday guy that had never been damaged by a broken heart…that was what he scared of. He trusted her, of course, with everything he shared. But he really didn't want the attention and fawning she would no doubt do of giving her a piece of him that no one else knew aside from his brother.

Besides, the memories that his human life brought up were just too painful. Not really something he was eager to go over.

But for Elena…he just might share it all with his soulmate.

Obviously there is a part two to this cheese-filled chapter, I should have it posted sometime tomorrow!

Thank you for reading and all of the reviews!