Elena smiled across the table at Damon as they cleared off the table. Dinner had gone off without any major incident. Jenna had been a bit hesitant when she came home to Damon and Elena cooking together but had held her tongue through dinner. Jeremy had filled the few awkward silences with anecdotes from school. Now as the stood at the sink rinsing and drying the plates together Elena couldn't stop smiling. "You seem happy." He said quietly as he passed her a plate.

"I am." she said as she dried the plate. "Why wouldn't I be? Jenna seems to be finally warming up to you."

"I was worried you would still be thinking about Caroline." He said subtly rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand resting on the countertop.

"I wasn't." she said her smile dropping.

"Sorry." he said squeezing her hand. "I didn't mean to-"

"No." she said removing her hand quickly. "It was a good thing you reminded me. I'll finish the dishes you go back and take care of Caroline with your brother."

"She'll be fine while we finish up." he said reaching for another plate.

"Please." she said gripping his wrist. "Go take care of her." She looked up at him pleadingly. "For me."

"You know I can't say no when you do that." he said. "Let me finish this one and I'll go."

"Ok." she said. "And go quickly please. Just worry about Caroline."

"And what about you?" he said. "Don't you need taking care of?"

"Take care of her first." she said taking the plate from him and placing it in the dish rack.

"Whatever you want." he said leaning down kissing her cheek softly. She blushed gently as she looked over her shoulder at Jenna as he kissed her neck.

"Damon..." she said closing her eyes slowly. "Jenna is still right there."

"Damn." he groaned into her ear. "I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

"Only if you've got Caroline well taken care of." she said.

...

Elena lay back in her bed staring at the ceiling. She tried to force herself to fall asleep but every time she closed her eyes she felt her breathing stop and she felt panic set in. So here she lay in exhausted panic listening to every sound in the house carefully. As she felt her heart leap again she finally sat up running her hands through her hair and reached for her phone. She wrote a text to Damon.

I don't feel safe without you here. I know I told you to help Stefan with Caroline but is there anyway you could come here?

Her thumb hovered over the gently glowing SEND button but she set her phone down the message unsent. She knew that Caroline's transformation was a much higher priority then her nighttime loneliness. She laid back again staring at the ceiling again. As she rolled into her pillow and inhaled she relished the smell Damon left on her sheets letting it soothe her. She heard a creak that she could have sworn was on her stairs but she closed her eyes tightly trying to reassure herself. She heard the creak again and she squeezed her eyes tighter. She heard the sound of her door opening and as she felt her heart start to race, she felt someone sit at the foot of her bed. "Elena, honey are you awake?"

"Jenna?" she said opening her eyes feeling relieved.

"Yeah it's me." she said gently patting Elena. "I've got some tough news for you."

"What is it?" said Elena her thoughts immediately turning to Damon.

"Well Caroline checked out of the hospital without her parents and no one has seen her since. The police called to see if we knew where she was but so far no one has seen her."

"She- she's missing?" said Elena nervously.

"I'm sorry honey but I thought I should wake you up to make sure you don't know where she is."

"I don't." said Elena quickly.

"Are you sure?"said Jenna. "I know you think you might be protecting her but the doctors say she still needs to be in the hospital for a few more days on bed rest due to her injuries."

"I don't know where she is." said Elena. "I would want her to be taken care of."

"Ok." said Jenna "But if you find something out, her mom is really worried about her." Elena nodded. "Well go back to bed."

"Ok." said Elena laying back in bed. "Night."

"Night." said Jenna as she closed the door behind her. As she did Elena reached for her phone. She quickly deleted her previous message and wrote a new one.

People are starting to notice Caroline's missing. How are we going to cover for her when she gets back?

She went to press the send button again but set her phone down again. She knew Damon would have a plan or was in the process of forming one. She knew the real reason she wanted to send that text was so she could just speak to him again. He would have known just what to say to her to calm her down. She stared at her window willing him to appear but finally rolled over and fell into fitful sleep.

...

She awoke the next morning and instinctively reached for Damon but as her hand hit the cold empty pillow she remembered he wasn't with her. She sat up quickly and reached for her phone. She saw that there was a message from Damon and she opened it eagerly.

I'm sorry but I need to stay with Caroline today while Stefan is at school. Do not come to the Boarding House, Caroline is too unstable right now. I will come over after school if I can. Do NOT come over, I mean it. I love you.

She set down the phone exhaling in relief over Caroline's safety and exasperation at her lack of contact with Damon. She rolled out of bed and fingered the locket around her neck. She pressed it gently to her lips then rolled out of bed and waked to her dresser. As she pulled her shirt over her head she looked over at her desk where Damon's jacket was draped over the chair. She pulled it around her inhaling deeply again. She walked down the stairs slowly listening to Jenna walking around the kitchen and Jeremy chewing noisily. "Morning Elena." said Jenna looking up the stairs.

"Morning." she said quietly.

"You don't have to go to school today." said Jenna.

"But my suspension was only for one day." said Elena sticking two pieces of bread in the toaster.

"But I understand if you want to stay home. I mean with the news about Caroline I would understand if you want to stay home and-" Jenna paused watching Elena pour herself a cup of coffee while staring out the window. "Process."

"No." said Elena stirring in sugar. "I can go to school today."

"Is Damon giving you a ride?" said Jeremy setting his empty plate in the sink.

"No." said Elena taking a long sip of her coffee. "I'm driving myself." She set her mug down and turned away from the window. "I'm going to be late."

"Elena if it's too much you can stay home." said Jenna resting

"No I'm fine." she said shrugging her hand of her shoulder and brushing past her. She grabbed the toast and headed out the door. She sat in her car gripping the steering wheel and exhaling slowly. "I'm fine." she repeated resting her forehead on the wheel. Her phone buzzed in her bag and she pulled it out.

Don't worry I told Stefan to leave you alone if you want. I'll be waiting at your house when you get back once Stefan gets back.

She leaned back in her seat the ghost of a smile flickering over her lips. She felt slightly better at the prospect of seeing Damon but her stomach was still in knots over Caroline and Bonnie. She flexed and unflexed her fingers around the steering wheel a few more times before starting the car. She drove to school on auto-pilot only pausing to glance at the parking lot where Damon had pulled aside. She remembered how he had pulled her out of the car pressing her against it, his lips pressed against her neck, his hands- she shook her head and refocused on the road. There was no way she could get through the day if she kept thinking about Damon. Damon with his pale eyes and his smirk and- She slammed on her brakes as she nearly rear-ended the car in the parking lot in front of her. She exhaled slowly as she eased into a parking space. She pulled the collar of Damon's jacket up to her nose and inhaled slowly letting it calm her. She finally opened the door and stepped outside. The cold stung her face as she closed the door and looked up at the school. She was met with the same stares she had encountered two days before but there were less people staring.

She hitched her bag onto her shoulder and walked towards the school her head down. She made it all the way to her locker without making eye contact with anyone. When she finally made it there she saw a familiar pair of shoes in front of her locker. "Hi Stefan." she said glancing up at him as she put her books into her bag.

"Hey." he said looking at her carefully.

"How is she?" said Elena her voice low as she glanced around.

"Better now that she's got some help. Once we got her in the house and some animal blood instead of human it started to curb her cravings."

"Good." said Elena. "When do you think she'll be able to come back home?"

"Two or three days."

"Did Bonnie agree to make her a ring?"

"I haven't asked yet." he said as she zipped her bag shut. "I was thinking you could ask-"

"I can't." said Elena standing up quickly. "Bonnie's not really speaking to me right now."

"Why?" said Stefan.

"She came over last night worried about Caroline and Damon was there and-"

"I get it." he said cutting her off swiftly. "I don't need to know what she saw."

"She saw me happy to be with someone who cares about me." said Elena slamming her locker door shut. "Look I'm sorry about what I did at the Boarding House and at school but I wasn't myself and I did stuff I didn't mean."

"Like sleep with my brother." said Stefan opening his door so roughly he bent the hinges of his locker.

"Look I'm sorry." hissed Elena as she leaned into his locker. "I shouldn't have- Without breaking up with you first. But I'm not going to apologize for being happy." Stefan looked up and she felt her skin start to burn at the look he gave her. "J-just go ask Bonnie for the ring." She said ducking away from him. She speed walked down the hallway glancing back as she turned the corner. Stefan's eyes still burned into her and she quickly looked back at the floor. It had been easy to ignore him before but right now she needed him to take care of Caroline, so she had to play nice. She sped into her first class and sat in her normal seat.

She pulled out her textbook and flipped to the pages listed on the whiteboard. She read the same page over and over not absorbing a single word. She spent the next hour slipping in and out of her lectures and notes. She tried to pay attention but she couldn't stop thinking about Caroline and Damon. She sat at one one of the perpetually empty benches during lunch unable to have anything but water.

She sat in her last class frantically tapping her foot as she stared at the clock. When she caught her teacher looking at her with a raised eyebrow she quickly crossed her legs and stilled her feet. She could only stay still for so long before she started to tap her fingernails across the desk. She subtly started to put her books into her bag before the bell rang. As it rang she bolted across the room to the door and sped down the hallway. She was halfway across the parking lot when she felt someone grip her elbow. "What?" she snapped as she turned around. "Oh." she said quickly calming as she saw it was Bonnie. "Sorry I-"

"I don't need to know." said Bonnie reaching in her bag. "Just give this to Damon when you see him for Caroline." She shoved a worn leather ring box into Elena's hand.

"Bonnie i'm sorry I didn't tell you about Caroline I just-"

"Stop trying to explain." said Bonnie. "You made your choice." She turned on her heel and stomped across the lot. Elena debated running after her but the thought of Damon waiting for her pulled her into her car. She sat down quickly and threw the car into reverse. Every time she hit a red light she wanted to scream but contented herself by gripping the wheel until her knuckles turned white. When she finally reached home she moaned when she didn't see Damon's Camaro. She pulled into her driveway and pulled her key from the ignition and leaned back in her seat. She knew if Damon wasn't here it was because Caroline needed his help.

She pulled her bag over her shoulder and shut her door behind her. She exhaled loudly as she walked through her front door. She had rushed home so quickly Jeremy was still at school so the house was empty. She walked up slowly as she opened her door shed gasped when she saw Damon leaning against her window.

"Miss me?" he said smirking. She dropped her bag as she ran across the room. She threw her arms around his neck as she kissed him hungrily. She backed him against the wall and grinned as he spun her around pressing her back into the wall.

"Oh god I missed you." she said pulling back to look at him. She tangled her hands in his hair as she kissed him again. She groaned as his hands ran down her side and under her shirt. She threw her head back as he kissed up her neck.

"Not as much as I missed you." he said nipping at her ear. "It takes spending a day with an emotionally unstable cheerleader vampire to fully appreciate someone as perfect as you."

"Is she doing ok?" said Elena momentarily distracted.

"She was pretty bad last night but by the time Stefan got back she was just whining about not being able to go out."

"Oh that reminds me," said Elena ducking out from under his arms. "Before I forget Bonnie gave this to me for Caroline." She ducked down and pulled the ring box out of her bag.

"Thanks." he said pressing it into his back pocket. "Now where were we?" He said pulling Elena back into him gripping her back. She wrapped her arms around him laying her cheek against his chest.

"I missed you so much." she said. "I couldn't think straight all day." she pulled back looking up at him. "Does that make me sound pathetically clingy?" she said looking up at him concerned.

"No." he said stroking her hair. "Because I couldn't go five minutes without thinking about you." he cupped her face stroking her cheek before he pulled her in. This kiss was controlled, gentle. His lips brushed against hers so tenderly she had to fight the urge to attack him. He kissed her slowly letting his hands slide from her cheek to waist. He tightened his hands slightly as she moaned gently into him her hands gripping his shoulders to steady herself. He backed her slowly into her door closing it behind them. He locked the door and Elena felt the click reverberate through her chest.

"Damon please." she said quietly into his ear. "I need you." She looked up at him biting her lip. "Now."

"God you are sexy." he said.

"Then don't make me ask twice." said Elena.

"You don't have to." said Damon backing Elena into her bad so quickly she fell back onto her bed catching herself on her elbows. He crawled over her and she smiled reaching up to grip the back of his neck. She pulled him down to her as she kissed along his neck and jawline. "God I missed you." he said groaning as his hands tightened around her sheets. She slid her leg up and around him kissing him as she smiled.

"I just realized something." said Elena looking up at him.

"What?" said Damon looking down.

"The vervain should be out of my system by now." she said tossing her hair to the side as she turned and exposed her neck to him as she lay back.

"That's right." he said stroking the smooth skin of her neck as she shivered underneath him. He leaned down and Elena tensed in anticipation ready to feel the sharpness of his fangs. Instead she felt his lips press gently against her neck. He pulled back and she looked at him confused.

"Why didn't you-" she said but he pressed his finger against her lips.

"I missed you." he said. "Not your blood."

"I know that." she said. "I was just offering." She sat up on her elbows again looking up at him.

"Elena," he said. "I'm worried that if I keep feeding from you, you might-" He paused considering his words.

"I might what?" she said. "Get addicted?" She smiled but Damon's face stayed stoic. "It's not like that's possible. Is it?"

"It is." said Damon.

"To you biting me?" she said.

"No." he said. "But after every feeding I have to give you my blood and you can get addicted to that."

"How?" said Elena watching as he sat next to her.

"You know how you feel after I feed you?" he said. "That rush of energy, the way your heart speeds, that jump of adrenaline?" Elena nodded still looking confused. "My blood is a drug to you and I don't want you to get hooked."

"Ok..." she said. "I guess you know what's best for me."

"I just want to protect you." he said pulling her hair back over her neck as he sat up.

"I know." she said sitting with her back against his chest. They intertwined fingers as she lay her head against his shoulder. He crossed their arms over her chest as she looked over her shoulder. She smiled and closed her eyes as he kissed her deeply.

"I love you." he said quietly. She kept her eyes closed breathing deeply.

"I don't ever want to lose you." she said.

"You never will." he said