This is my one-shot for the Be My Valentine TVD Mixer. This is for petrova39 and is based on her following prompt:

"Damon and Elena are stuck somewhere over Valentines. I don't really care where...or how, but there must be a fire and roses somewhere in the plot. Bonus points for: 'i love you's' and use of leather somehow."

Sorry it's coming several days after V-day. Internet troubles *grumble, grumble*. So, here ya' go, love! Hope you enjoy! (And before anyone mentions it, I know Elena's birthday is not the day before Valentine's Day, but we're going to suspend our belief here. Also, someone already mentioned Elena is OOC here, and yes... she's supposed to be. I mean, when have we seen Elena give into sex with Damon period on the show? So anything nearing that would be OOC... as it is here...)

"Where is he, Damon?" I asked for the hundredth time, my arms folded across my chest in agitation. We had been playing this game for nearly an hour and frustration was eating me alive.

I'd discovered that Damon had been tracking Stefan all along, even though he made me feel like an idiot for ever considering the idea of finding Stefan. He knew where Klaus had taken him and I was determined to bring him home. It didn't matter that Damon had told me Stefan would never come back in my lifetime. I couldn't believe that. I wouldn't.

Damon sat across the room on his bed, the newspaper clippings held tightly in his hands. His ice-cold eyes stared back at me with no indication of him wavering.

"It doesn't matter," he repeated. "He's not coming back."

"Damon!" I groaned with aggravation. "Just tell me where he is!"

"Shouldn't you be getting back to your party?" he questioned with a quirked brow.

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't care less about the birthday party being thrown for me downstairs. It was the least of my concerns.

With a sigh, I lowered my arms and decided to deploy a different tactic. Slowly, I walked across the room and sat beside Damon. I tilted my head down slightly and looked up at him through my dark lashes, trying to pull my best don't-you-see-I'm-hurting eyes. "Damon," I began softly, "I need to see it for myself. I… I need to say goodbye. There's so many people I didn't get to say goodbye to."

Damon's eyes softened as he studied me and his lips turned into a slight frown. This was the reaction I often elicited from him when I finally let my guard down and shared with him my pain. I could see the muscles in his jaw tightening and relaxing as his mind swirled with the decision to either give me what I wanted or not.

When he finally nodded, I understood he'd decided on the latter.

"He's in Chicago."

I wasted no time in jumping from the bed and heading for the door, my mind entirely focused on Chicago and how long it would take me to get there. Appearing from nowhere, Damon was suddenly in front of me, bringing me up short. My brow furrowed and I looked up at him. "Move."

His head tilted to the side. "I could, but…"

I shook my head, not having time for his games. I stepped to the side to go around him, but he matched my step. "Damon," I said with warning in my tone.

"What exactly is your plan?" he asked. "You're going to march right up to Chicago and find him like that." he snapped his fingers to accompany the statement.

I opened my mouth to respond, then closed it quickly, not wanting to reveal I truly had no plan and was acting on impulse. A few beats passed between us and I exhaled loudly. "I have to go, Damon."

He nodded. "I know."

"Then why are you stopping me?"

"Because it's stupid of you to think you can go alone. Stefan isn't safe to be around right now. And even if he were, again, how would you find him?"

"I don't know," I admitted with a defeated sigh.

We stood in silence for a moment as my mind raced with his questions. How would I find him? I'd never even been to Chicago, much less tried to track down a vampire there.

"Pack a bag and meet me in the morning," Damon finally said, his words breaking me from my thoughts.

"What?"

"I'll take you. We'll find him, you can say goodbye, and then we're coming back."

A mixture of excitement and dread filled me. I was excited that I was going to have help in finding Stefan. I dreaded the fact that it was Damon providing said help.

I nodded quickly. "Okay. Okay, we can do that." I stepped around him to hurry home when he grabbed my arm again to stop me. I looked up at him and felt small beneath his intense gaze.

"We're coming back alone, Elena. Stefan is too dangerous to be in Mystic Falls."

I nodded in agreement. "Okay."

He studied me for a moment longer before finally letting me go.

I understood Damon's words completely, but I also understood they were coming from Damon. He didn't know Stefan like I did. If I could just have some time to talk to Stefan, to get him to break free of Klaus's compulsion, he'd be fine and he could come home with us. I wasn't giving up on him and I wasn't going to say goodbye.

…

Music I wasn't familiar with played softly through the speakers as the southern scenery flashed by us. I knew Damon was driving far above the speed limit, but I wanted to get to Stefan just as quickly as he wanted to get this over with, so I kept the berating to myself. Leaning against the door, a chill from the winter air seeped in and I wrapped my arms tightly around my body.

"Cold?" Damon asked and my eyes shot to him, unaware that he was watching me.

"No," I shook my head.

Despite my response, Damon released the wheel and shrugged out of his black leather jacket, then handed it to me. I eyed it suspiciously – not used to the gentlemanly Damon – and he sighed. "It's just a jacket, Elena, put it on."

As my arms slipped in the sleeves and the jacket engulfed my body, his scent surrounded me and I suppressed a sigh. The smell was masculine, spicy, and sweet and completely Damon. I hated the way it fogged my mind and made my heart stutter.

I closed my eyes.

With Stefan gone, it had become increasingly difficult to pretend I didn't feel something for Damon. I wasn't sure what that something was exactly, but it hovered around me at all times, though was usually manageable.

I continued to tell myself that these feelings were a result of the abandonment I felt from Stefan. Although I knew that Stefan had no choice in the matter and that Klaus was controlling him, it didn't make me feel any less alone. Damon just happened to be the only person left that I could really trust to protect me with Stefan gone. There was bound to be something to form between us.

I shook the thoughts away.

But this was why we were going to Stefan right now. He hadn't abandoned me. There was no reason for me to jump ship and go running to Damon. He was just a friend. That's all he was and all he could be. I belonged with Stefan.

"Oh shit," Damon muttered beside me and as I turned to look at him, I heard the engine stutter and grow quiet.

"What was that?"

"I'm not sure," he responded, his eyes trained on the dashboard.

I followed his gaze and saw the speedometer quickly falling. I looked up to verify it was working correctly and was surprised to find that the car actually was slowing down.

Damon led the car carefully to the edge of the road until it rolled to a stop.

"Damon, what are we doing? Why are we stopping?" I asked, my body going cold with dread.

Damon turned the key in the ignition and we both listened as the engine turned over but failed to start. He repeated the motion several times with the same result.

"Why isn't it starting?"

He released the key and shrugged. "I don't know."

Panic spiked within me. "What do you mean you don't know?"

He turned his body toward me and met my eyes with full force. "It means I don't know, Elena. I don't know what you want me to say. It's not starting."

With a huff I unbuckled my seat belt and threw the door open. I started for the front of the car and heard Damon's door open as well.

"What are you doing?"

"Pop the hood," I requested.

"What do you know about cars?" he asked with a raised brow.

I glared at him from beneath my lashes. "Just open it."

He rolled his eyes and reached into the car. The lid bounced as the latch was released and I lifted it. I bit down on my lower lip as I stared into the metal maze of car parts – none of which I could identify.

"So, what's the verdict?" Damon teased as he walked to my side.

I sighed and looked up at him. "Don't you know about cars?"

"Why would I know about cars?"

"Because you were around when they were invented. I assume you studied them some."

"You assume incorrectly," he replied, grabbing the hood and dropping it back down. "Cars were never my thing."

"Damon," I nearly whined, hugging his jacket to me to fend off the cold. "What are we going to do? How are we getting to Chicago?"

"Call a tow," he suggested.

Quickly, I pulled out my cell phone and held it up. My heart tightened. "There's no signal. Check yours."

He pulled his phone from his pocket and shook his head. "None."

"Damon!" I shouted, taking my frustration out on him because he didn't seem at all concerned. "What are we going to do!"

His lips pressed into a tight line and he started looking around. After a minute or so, he focused on the line of trees next to us. "There's a house nearby. Maybe about a mile, I'd guess. I'm sure they have a phone."

Under normal circumstances, there's no way I'd agree to go to some random house and ask to use their telephone, but we needed to get to Stefan. Car troubles would not be what kept me from him.

I nodded. "Alright, let's go."

…

The house we came upon was a small cabin in the middle of the woods. Green curtains were closed behind the small windows and the landscaping had been greatly ignored as vines made their way to the roof. Smoke billowed gently from the chimney against the side of the house and disappeared into the blue sky. The vibe was very little red robing hood. I could only guess that the wolf was walking next to me in jeans and a black v-neck.

The porch creaked beneath our feet as we approached the door and the sound was loud next to the quiet of the surrounding forest. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door. I stepped back and waited for someone to answer.

When several minutes passed, I knocked again, but this time more loudly, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

My brow furrowed and I looked to Damon. "Do you hear anyone inside?"

His eyes narrowed slightly as he concentrated for several beats, then he gripped the door handle and rotated it with inhuman strength until the lock broke and the door eased open. Pushing it back, he stepped forward and I watched as his foot crossed the threshold.

"Wait, no one lives here?" I asked, my stomach dropping with disappointment. No person meant no phone.

"Apparently not," he replied as he continued in, his head turning to look around the room.

I followed him into a small room, becoming confused as I looked around. The room was furnished with a bookcase, sofa, two lounge chairs, and a coffee table with a plate of cookies sitting on top of it. The fireplace was fully stoked and crackled from the flames. "Damon, someone's been here," I whispered, taking a step back toward the door. This room had clearly been used recently and we'd already discovered not by a living person.

"I'm going to check upstairs," he replied and started for the staircase.

My eyes snapped to him. "Wait! You can't leave me down here."

He paused and then held his hand out. "Then come with me."

"Let's just go, Damon," I pleaded.

He stepped forward, grabbed my hand, and started pulling me toward the stairs.

"Damon! No, let me go," I commanded, attempting to yank away my hand.

He spun around and stared down at me. "You don't want to be left alone but you don't want to go with me. You can only pick one or the other. Which is it going to be?"

I stared back at him and weighed the options. I could stay downstairs by myself and face whatever danger might show up on my own, or I could go with Damon and face whatever danger was upstairs with him. It seemed danger was in either option and I hated that my life had come down to always facing something. Why couldn't I just get to Stefan and be done with all of this?

I exhaled heavily, knowing there was no way I was brave enough to stay by myself. "Please let's make it quick," I requested.

He nodded and squeezed my hand gently.

Upstairs, there was a short hallway with one door on the right and one door at the end of the hallway. A stream of pink light poured from beneath the door at the end of the hallway and my brow furrowed. "What is that?" I whispered.

Damon shrugged and stepped up to the door. I held my breath as his hand grabbed the knob and turned. The door quietly drifted open and we stepped in.

My eyes grew as I took in the scene before me.

A grand, wooden four-poster bed sat in the middle of the room with red velvet curtains draped across the bars. Pink and white rose petals were scattered along the floor and on top of the puffy white comforter on the bed. The windows were covered with the thick green curtains, allowing no light in, and a lamp sat in each of the four corners of the room. The bulbs inside had been changed to soft pink lights – what I had noticed earlier.

At the foot of the bed, a tray with two champagne glasses and a bottle of champagne in an iced bucket had been set up. A tall vase with what seemed to be a dozen red roses was next to it.

I turned to look at Damon who was standing suspiciously to the side as I examined the room. "What is this?"

A small smirk turned the corner of his lips and his eyes narrowed. "What is today, Elena?"

I shook my head, unsure of what he was talking about.

"Valentine's Day," he answered for me.

I looked back to the set up and my mouth fell into an 'o' shape. I had completely forgotten what today was; not that celebrating this day was exactly on the top of my to-do list.

"So did you…" I started slowly and trailed off, not entirely sure what I should be asking.

He stepped toward me, his arms folding over his chest. "Did I, what?"

I motioned to the set-up. "This?"

"And if I did?"

I suppressed the urge to groan. "Damon. We don't have time for your games." I shook my head and turned back to the door. Before I could take a step, I found myself flat on my back, the comforter poofing around me from my weight and rose petals floating through the air. I gasped and rolled to my stomach, clambering up to my knees.

"What the hell, Damon?" I shouted, looking around for him. He was standing at the edge of the bed, that ridiculous crooked smirk on his lips. "What are you doing?"

He picked up the tray of stuff and moved them to the floor before kneeling down on the bed and moving toward me on his knees. "Don't you ever think you worry too much?" he asked.

"There's a lot to be worried about."

"Elena," he chided. "Today is a day for love. Not for worry."

"I'm trying to get to my love," I snapped.

The look in his eyes shifted briefly and I wondered if my statement hurt his feelings. Honestly, if it did, he deserved it. He was wasting precious time. I needed to find Stefan before it was too late.

He continued forward until he was barely a foot from me, both of us sitting up on our knees. I watched as his hand lifted and pushed a few strands of my hair over my shoulder.

"What are you trying to do, Damon?" I finally asked outright, though part of me was afraid to hear his answer.

His eyes lifted to meet mine and as they did, the blue softened the tiniest bit.

"Answer me this," he started softly, "Why are you always pretending there's nothing between us?"

I quickly averted my eyes and began moving back to the edge of the bed. His hand caught my arm to stop me, but my eyes stayed away from him.

"Please answer me, Elena."

I shook my head. "Damon… we can't."

"Can't what?" His voice was low and I could hear the tension in it.

I avoided the words. "You know what."

"Say it."

My eyes jumped to his and my lips pressed into a tight line for a moment. "Why are you doing this?"

My breath caught in my throat as he used his speed to pull me forward so that I was close enough for our thighs to touch. I tilted my head back to look up at him in confusion.

"Because I'm not going to pretend anymore," he answered.

I opened my mouth to respond, but before any sound escaped, his lips were crushed to mine.

My mind screamed out in protest as his mouth softly molded against mine and his hands tightened their grip on my arms. Slowly, he released them and his hands snaked around my waist. My eyes drifted close and I felt the biting thoughts fade away as the warmth of his body pressed into me. It didn't take long for my body to go weak and I gave in, pressing back against him and returning his kiss.

Don't do this! part of my mind shouted as the other half simply said Mmmm.

Despite the thoughts telling me not to, my hands lifted until they slid into his hair, my fingers tangling in the silky strands.

He leaned back, his heavy breathing matching my own, and opened his eyes to look at me. "Elena… if we do this…" he swallowed hard and thought through his words. "Then we can't go back," he finally finished. "It'll be done."

I'm not sure if I was responded the way I did because I wanted to or because my mind was too clouded to know any other words, but I nodded and answered with, "Then we won't go back."

Those words were all it took for his lips to find mine once more. His hands slid up my arms and quickly pushed his jacket from my body. I grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and he moved back as I lifted it over his head.

I'd seen Damon without a shirt several times before, but being this close to him took my breath away. The Salvatore brothers were attractive with clothes. Without… well, I stood no chance in hell.

I took a deep breath and allowed my fingers to trace down the chiseled abs on his stomach. I felt him shiver and I looked up at him. His eyes were dark and slightly hooded.

"You honestly don't understand the effect you have on me, do you?" he asked.

His words excited and weakened me all at the same time, causing me to swoon and hold on to him tighter.

His head lowered until his soft lips were pressed against the crook of my neck, his tongue dipping out and running gently along my skin. My eyelids fluttered close and I sighed contently. His hands dropped until they found the bottom of my shirt. Slowly, he pulled it up and over my head, letting my hair fall back down against my back. For just a moment, he stared down at me, surveying the sight before him. His eyes made me nervous and I moved to cover my chest when his hands grabbed my arms and stopped the movement.

"You are so beautiful, Elena," he whispered in a husky tone. The sound travelled along my skin and down between my legs, planting itself there and causing my private bits to tingle.

His mouth returned to my neck and I arched back to allow him better access. His hands moved up my abdomen until they grazed the outside curve of my breasts. When he reached around for the hook of my bra, I froze, my nerves returning. I heard the soft snap before the fabric fell slack around me and I let it slide down my arms, baring my chest and already hardened nipples to him.

Breath whooshed out of his chest as he looked down at me, blowing his wonderful scent over me.

"Wow," was all he managed to say, but the word was enough to light me on fire and spread a blush from my chest to my cheeks.

Gently, he pressed his palm against the small of my back and he lowered me down onto the comforter. With an arm on either side of me, he hovered just above my body and softly kissed my lips.

"I want this to be nice for you," he mumbled into the kiss. "I promise to be gentle."

I nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me and deepening the kiss. Him promising to be gentle effectively washed away any doubts I had about doing this. I had never been one for rough sex, but I knew Damon was and that helped to keep me away from him. There was no hope for me now.

Damon pulled away from my mouth and trailed down my neck and shoulder, each quick kiss sparking along my skin and arousing me more. When I felt his breath nearing my chest, I arched my back and waited.

At first, he was tentative, barely grazing my nipple with the tip of his tongue. The feeling frustrated me and I let out an angry moan. "Please," I asked, pushing my chest up higher. I heard Damon chuckle before his lips surrounded the perky peak and he sucked me into his mouth. The feelings that rushed through me caused me to tremble and my hands gripped the tops of his shoulders. As he switched between breasts, one of his hands went to the button on my jeans. I lifted my hips and allowed him to push them and my panties from my body. I quickly kicked them off my ankles and pressed my legs together, my sensitive area begging for friction. After several minutes of his tongue torturing me, he began his journey south again, licking and sucking the skin on my stomach, around my hip, and then across my thigh to the area aching for him to be.

With tender hands, he pushed my legs apart and my jaw fell open, my heartbeat increasing with anticipation. He first placed a kiss directly above the apex of my legs and I bit down on my lower lip, his slow movements agonizing. I felt the tip of his tongue dip lower and I cried out as it parted the lower lips and ran up in a quick motion. When he acted to do it a second time, I couldn't help but squirm beneath him, my body needing much more than a simple lick. His arms quickly flew out to still me and I pressed my head back into the bed.

"Damon, please," I begged.

"Please what, Elena?" he teased.

My chest was heaving with my quick breaths and I felt as though I would explode if I didn't find some release soon. "I need more," I answered.

"Say it," he repeated his earlier command.

"Why?" I shook my head with my eyes closed tight. Saying it out loud was far too real for me. Nagging thoughts still lingered in the very back of my mind that told me this was wrong and that I should go to Stefan. My body, however, was much more strong than those thoughts and there was no way it was leaving without getting what it wanted. "You said you'd be gentle," I reminded him. Making me say these things to him was not my idea of gentle.

"I will be," he agreed. "But I don't want you to pretend you didn't want it later."

"Damon…"

"Say it, Elena," he demanded.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself to finally give in totally. "Suck me."

Immediately his warm mouth covered the sensitive area and his tongue lapped over my clit.

"Ughh!" I nearly screamed, my whole body arching up to meet him. He held onto me tightly, sucking me into his mouth so hard that I could barely keep up with the sensation of an approaching orgasm. Despite his grip, I rocked my hips against his mouth, his tongue hitting me in the right places at the right times. My hands gripped the bed beneath me and I felt the rose petals being crushed between my fingers. "Yes… ughhh, god, yes," I moaned, my eyes nearly rolling back as the coil within my abdomen tightened more. Damon wrapped his forearms around my thighs and pulled up just enough that my ass was lifted from the bed and my clit was positioned perfectly for his lips. I looked down and was met with his glorious blue eyes staring up at me, drowning me in a passion I was long unfamiliar with.

Pulling me into his mouth again, my eyes clamped close and I knew I was close. His tongue was magic as it teased and flicked and caressed. His lips were glorious as they sucked hard on me, warming me with fire. With just a few more licks, I was falling over the edge, my whole body seizing and my mouth falling open with his name bounding from my lips. Heat rushed over me, burning my skin and sending white spots behind my eyes. My vaginal muscles contracted and released rapidly, sending wave after wave of heaven washing over me.

When it faded, I fell slack onto the bed, my breathing heavy and my body tingling. Damon rose up on his knees and I watched as he ran his devilish tongue across his lips, his eyes dark and scorching. I could barely think as his long fingers went to the buttons of his pants and he undid them, pushing them slightly so that an erection clearly built by the gods bounced free. Whatever breath was in my lungs rushed out as I took in the size of him.

"Ready?" he asked softly, bringing my gaze back to his eyes.

Without hesitation, I nodded, my body already humming with electricity from the thought of having him within me.

He pushed the clothes from his body and fell forward to lean over me again. Staring into my eyes, he positioned his tip at my entrance, took a deep breath, and shoved home.

We both gasped and stilled. His member filled me so entirely that my muscles were contracting just to adjust to his size, sending mini orgasms shooting inside of me like fireworks. Slowly, he pulled back out and pushed back in, coating himself in the wetness stemming from my arousal. Soon, he was able to repeat the motions with no resistance and my heartbeat raced as he quickened his pace.

"Ugh… ohh… ughh," I groaned with each push forward, and when I looked up, I found him looking at me again with eyes both clear and dark with lust. The muscles of his arms flexed as he moved in and out and I let my hands find the back of his shoulders.

Suddenly, Damon flipped us both over so that he was on his back and I was resting on my knees. His hands fell to my hips and he gently began to lead me up and down. His erection rubbed against the spot inside me as I lifted and each time I came down, my clit hit his body and the friction lit me on fire.

It didn't take long for me to set my own pace. On each downward stroke, I'd rotate my hips and gasp from the arousal. Damon lifted his hands and tweaked my nipples with his fingers, causing the coil inside me to start.

"Fuck, Elena," he groaned and I looked down at him. "You're so fucking perfect."

His words excited me more and I placed my hands against his tight stomach, steadying myself as I began riding him harder and faster.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh, yes, yes…" I closed my eyes and let my head fall back, my hair swishing against my ass.

"God, yes," Damon nearly growled, grabbing my hips and helping me to move at an inhuman speed.

"YES! OHH!" my nails dug into his stomach as I approached my second orgasm.

"Come from me, Elena," Damon demanded and I nearly screamed as the orgasm slammed into me, rocketing through my veins and filling my mind with a haze so thick I almost thought I blacked out. "Ughhhhhh! Damon!"

He continued to thrust into me from below, prolonging the orgasm that was causing my pussy to clench and my body to shake. Shortly after, I felt Damon's erection pumping into me, his fingers holding me so tightly down him that I knew bruises would be there tomorrow. "Oh, god, Elena… fuck…"

When we'd both ridden out the high, I fell down onto his body, both of us covered in sweat and with quickened breathing. His member slipped out of me with a groan from him and I too realized that I immediately missed the connection.

He wrapped his arms around me, smoothing my hair down my back and I sighed, my heartbeat and breathing returning to normal. Surprisingly, I felt safe and warm there in his arms. I felt comfortable and not at all awkward.

I was afraid to admit what that meant.

Tilting his head down, Damon softly pressed his lips against my temple. "You okay?"

I nodded. "You?"

Damon laughed. "More than."

A small smile turned my lips. "Me, too."

We laid in silence for several minutes before he spoke again. "Ready to go find Stefan?"

I could hear the million other questions lingering in that one and I knew my response would change everything.

"I think he can wait a while. It is Valentine's Day afterall."