Elena walked down the stairs of her house. It was the day after Jeremy's funeral and she'd been flocked by people constantly. The house was finally quiet. As she walked into the living room, she saw Damon playing a video game. He dropped the controller and jumped up when he saw her. "Where is everyone?" she asked. "I made them go home. Caroline wouldn't stop cleaning and Stefan wouldn't stop pacing and it was just a mess." he said. Elena nodded. "Thanks." she said, walking away. Damon rushed after her. "Elena…how are you doing?" he asked. Elena turned around and shrugged, as if she didn't know what he was talking about. "Fine." she said. "Why?" she asked. Damon sighed and moved toward her. "Elena…don't be like this. You have to…feel it. You have to let it in. Let me help you." he soothed. "Aren't you the world biggest supporter of turning it all off?" she asked. "I was. Until I met a girl who showed me there was a better way to live." he said. Elena rolled her eyes. "Well, she was wrong." she said, walking away. "Elena! Wait…" he said. "I won't make you talk about it…just…let me help you…somehow. I'll do anything."

Elena moved forward, pulling him to her and kissing him roughly. He kissed her back tenderly…but Elena wasn't having it. She tugged at his shirt, pulling it over his head. "Elena, stop." he whispered. "You said 'anything' Damon." she said, breathing heavily. "I said I wanted to help. This—" "This will help, Damon. You want to help, this is what I want. I want to stop thinking! I want to stop seeing my brother lying dead on the floor of a cave! I want to see something else…ANYTHING else for just a minute!" she yelled. "Okay, okay…shhh." he soothed, wrapping his arms around her. She pushed him off. "NO!" she screamed. "I can't feel it, Damon. I won't. If I let myself feel it…I won't ever stop. I'll have to feel that pain every single day and I can't do that again." she said. "Okay, Elena."he said. "But it will catch up with you…eventually." he warned. She nodded….she knew that. "Just…make me forget…for a minute. Please?" she asked, looking up at him. Damon looked down into her doe eyes…and he couldn't resist. He knew that this might make Elena hate him…but this was what she needed…in that minute…and he was going to give it to her.

Damon leaned in, kissing her again. He pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it to the side. Kissing down her neck, he reached down and scooped her up, bridal style. He carried her up the stairs to her bedroom. Leaning down, Damon laid her carefully on the bed. Climbing on top of her, his lips collided with her's, pouring all of his love into the kiss. Elena's back hit the bed and she pulled Damon close, kissing him back passionately. Her hands slid down over his chest, grabbing the end of his shirt and pulling it up over his head. Her hands then found their way to his belt, unbuckling it and then unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. She hooked her finger into his boxers and pulled them off with his pants, her pants and lingerie came next, everything landing in a pile on the floor.

Elena slid her hand between them again, wrapping it around him and pumping him gently as they kissed. He groaned into her mouth and she smirked softly. She released him a few moments later and he slid into her, filling her up.

An hour later, they lay on her bed, entangled in each other. Damon's fingers trailed over her bare back gently as he leaned down, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, Elena." he whispered into her hair. She nodded softly. "I know." she said, the words sounded choked. He looked down and lifted her chin up. "Talk to me, princess." he whispered. Elena shook her head, but tears were already streaming down her face. "No…I can't. I won't. I can't…let it—" hiccup "—in." she finished, her body wracked in sobs. "Yes you can." he whispered. "It's just you and me now, Elena. You can let go." he said. That was all the encouragement she needed, Elena burst into sobs, letting out all the repressed emotions she'd kept in since Jeremy had died. Damon held her silently, stroking her hair as she sobbed. When her sobs finally quieted, he looked down…seeing that she was sleeping. He smiled softly, pulling the blanket up around them.

The next morning, he felt her stirring. Looking down, he watched as she woke up. She looked up at him for a minute and then back down. "Should I go?" he asked "NO!" she clung. "I mean…no…" she said more calmly. "Okay. Okay. I'm not going anywhere." he soothed. She relaxed and curled into him. "Can we just…stay here today? Not answer the phone…or the door…just…lay in bed?" she asked. Damon smiled and nodded."Sure. We can do whatever you want." he said, kissing her forehead."Just promise me you won't try to turn it off again." he whispered. she nodded. "I promise."