I loved writing every minute of this. I just hope you guys will enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks again for all your thoughts and encouragement in the reviews. As always, if there's anything at all you want to say or suggest, go for it. I'm open to whatever you have to say. :)

The Camaro was in the drive when Elena got to the boarding house. It was a good sign. She hopped out of her own car, pocketing the keys and heading straight for the front door. She didn't even ring the bell. She just put her hand on the door and tried to open it. It was locked, but thankfully, Elena had her keys in her purse. Stefan had given her a key to the Boarding House months and months ago. She'd never given it back - it was still on her key ring, right next to her own house key. Elena pulled it out, inserted it into the lock, and turned. The door swung open, permitting her entry. Elena slipped inside, shut the door behind her, and locked it tight once more. She dropped her keys back into her purse, and headed down the hallway slowly.

Her gold heels clicked against the floor as she walked. Elena felt terribly overdressed for the situation, in her burgundy red dress, and her elegant golden earrings. Not even her throat was bare, as she wore a gold pendant she had filled with vervain. She swore, she could probably start a trade in vervain laced jewellery. But she had to do this. Now. What she wore and how she looked was inconsequential. Besides, if Caroline's plan really worked, then she'd be holding his attention very easily.

The lounge was empty, and on instinct, Elena headed down the hallway towards the library. She could hear flames crackling, and a light, warm glow lit the space near the door. So either the house was burning down or Damon had lit a fire and was sitting right there. Elena moved confidently before she could change her mind, and stopped just beside the railings, looking down into the middle of the room. A large, comfy sofa was the centrepiece. Damon was sitting there, a glass in his hand, a crystal decanter of his favourite scotch sitting on the table at his side. Damon turned his head to see Elena standing in the doorway. Elena saw his eyes widen slightly and his brow furrow as the firelight struck her face, bringing her red and gold outfit to life. In that moment, Elena looked like a living flame. Elena could tell Damon liked the way she looked. She was glad.

He covered up his satisfaction quickly, swirling the liquid in his glass absently as he observed Elena. "Bored of your lover boy so soon?" Damon asked dryly. His words hurt, but Elena refused to quail. She was glad to know she'd made the right choice; her thoughts had been right. Damon Salvatore was jealous. He didn't seem like the jealous type, but who was she to object with what was right in front of her?

"There's nothing going on with Caleb, Damon. He's just an old friend that doesn't know how to keep his hands to himself." Elena placed her purse on a table nearby, before moving around the railing and down the few steps. Damon, placing his glass down on the table beside the decanter, let his eyes swept over her figure. Elena refused to back down. This was her moment. She was going to take it whilst she still could. Damon seemed to fight an internal battle, but a few moments later, he spoke.

"You should go back to him while you still can. Don't screw up your social life on my account."

Elena swore she never been so surprised. She'd never been quite so frustrated either. Damon wanted her to go back to him. Why? Couldn't he see that she didn't want to be with Caleb?

"Why should I, Damon?" Elena challenged. Damon looked at her dangerously. He got to his feet and moved to stand in front of her, to meet her as she moved further into the room. She could see the fire burning in his blue eyes, smouldering with something intense; Elena was surprised she could stand the heat.

"Because you deserve it, Elena. You deserve some nice, normal, guy who can give you a nice life with three kids, a beagle and a nice big house with a white picket fence. After all the crap you've been through, you deserve that much."

Elena could have cried as Damon turned away to stare at the fire. He was rejecting her because he thought she deserved better than him. Damon honestly believed that she deserved a normal life, because it would be better than what he could offer her. The sincerity and the concern for her welfare alone was so moving. How had she denied her own feelings for so long? Damon had it backwards. She was the one who didn't deserve him. She didn't deserve him at all. This was a man who was prepared to break his own heart for her sake. She didn't deserve someone who would do that for her. She'd been completely ignorant, and she'd been hurting him for months as a result. She only hoped her could forgive her.

"What if that's not what I want?" Elena murmured quietly. That got his attention. She could see it in the way he froze solid. Elena moved forwards and around Damon until she was standing directly in front of him.

"You don't know what you want. You're only nineteen," Damon replied. It didn't sound like a reason. It sounded like an excuse - a deflection to make her shut up and go away.

"I've been thinking about it a lot, Damon. What I want. Because you know what? You can be such a bastard. You're arrogant, cocky, selfish, you don't think about the consequences of your actions, and sometimes you really don't give a shit. Screw the world. Let it fix itself. That's how you think, isn't it? You do things you have absolutely no right to do. You're impulsive, unpredictable, unruly, and being around you is like standing three feet away from a raging, out of control fire. If you stick around long enough, you're just going to get burned." Elena could see her words hitting Damon like needles. With every moment, she could see his eyes harden as the pain struck. But she didn't pause for a second. She had to make her point.

"But the sad part is, that's not who you are, Damon." The surprise in his eyes was palpable. Elena laid a hand on Damon's upper arm, squeezing slightly. "You're strong, resilient. You've been hurt so many times - I've hurt you so many times. And yet you're still here. You care about things that matter to you, you care so much it hurts. Deep down, you are the most selfless person I have ever met. You'd do anything for the people you love. Your decisions are absolute. You don't hesitate, and once you have a plan in your head, you're as stubborn as hell. There's so much more to you than meets the eye. You just have to be willing to find it. And all of that helped me decide exactly what I want. I know what I want."

The look in Damon's eyes was indescribable. It was like a candle was burning there, melting away every wall there had ever been between them. It was like he was daring to hope something could go right in his life. He was just starting to think that maybe, just maybe, something had changed. It was only a faintest hope. But it was there. Elena could see it. She could feel it in the air between them, as electric currents charged the space between them.

"And what do you want? What did you decide, Elena?" Damon asked, scepticism running through his every word. That doubt was what did it for Elena. The completely unconvinced air she could see in his eyes. She made her next move without even thinking. She didn't need to think. She just knew. She knew exactly what to do. She was going to have to prove herself. She wanted to prove herself. Because if she didn't prove it, she knew Damon would spend the next week wondering if she meant what she said. Actions spoke louder than words.

"I decided this."

And then she closed the space between them, and kissed him.

There was no hesitation. She was fast, sharp. She made sure that she knew what she was doing. But once she was going for it, there was no stopping her. But when their lips met, it was worth it. Her eyes fell closed as she savoured the moment, the feeling of Damon's lips on hers. So many teenagers describe their first kiss as being like fireworks. Elena knew this kiss with Damon was fantastic, but it wasn't fireworks. It was like fire. Like someone had just set a match to a canister of gasoline. It exploded behind her eyes and burned away. Passionate fires licked at her heart, filling her with gorgeous, warm feelings. Kissing Damon was setting her whole body alight. Kissing Damon was the best things she'd done in months - no, in years. She had loved Matt, and she had loved Stefan, but god. Kissing them wasn't even in the same league as Damon Salvatore. They were both sweet, gentle, caring. Damon was wild, untamed and absolutely uncontrollable. And heaven knew that Elena loved it.

Damon was suspended in shock for a moment after their lips met, but he soon fell into it, taking every moment in and savouring it as much as Elena was. He started to kiss Elena back, a hand slipping to her waist, another supporting the back of her neck. Elena found her hands tangled up in Damon's hair before she knew what she was doing, and Damon's passion began to move like lava through her soul, changing her irrevocably. They were kissing like they were dying, and only their contact would save them. It was amazing.

Faster than Elena could process, Damon had moved them both, so that she was lying flat out on the sofa, Damon suspended over her. He paused for a moment and the look in his eyes - the burning love and passion and satisfaction. It made it all worth it. Oh so worth it. Damon dove in, and they resumed kissing like it was their last day. Like it was all going to end in five minutes, and they had to crush an eternity of love into a single moment. Elena wondered why she had denied herself this for so long. It was just meant to be. How could she have protested against something as perfect as this?

"Wait." The word slipped out of Damon's mouth as he paused for a moment. Their bodies were still in contact, fitting together like two pieces of a puzzle. Elena tried to shift slightly, but there really wasn't enough room on the sofa for it. Elena didn't speak - she knew Damon would talk when he could. Instead, she just focused on catching her breath.

"Are you sure?" Damon asked. Elena wondered if he was expecting her to walk away and leave. After all the mistakes she made and the pain she'd caused, Elena could understand that. He still doubted her. It stung, but she supposed she deserved it. Elena opened her mouth to reply, but Damon cut across her. "You have to be sure. If you change your mind tomorrow, or next week, or next month..." It would break him. Damon didn't say it, but she knew it was what he meant. Elena put a hand against his face, cupping his cheek gently. She examined Damon's face closely.

"I made my decision, Damon. And this - it just makes me sure that it was the right one." Elena hesitated. "I'd understand if you'd changed your mind, though. If you'd rather I left..."

Then Damon kissed her, in what was undeniably a move to make her shut up. It was so easy to fall back into the flames of their love, flames that had been burning for so long. Maybe that was why they were being so intense now. Because their feelings had been waiting, building, for weeks. Elena knew she hadn't just started loving Damon at the ball. That was just the moment when she chose to accept it. Was that why she'd missed Damon so much when he'd walked away and left her? Because she loved him? Damon had walked away from her, from their relationship. But he'd come back. He'd come back. Was that because he'd missed her too? Seven words rang through Elena's head. 'When it's real, you can't walk away.'

Drinking in the moment, Elena just let her body do the work. But eventually, she was forced to call her own pause. She was going to have to call Jenna or Caroline or someone and let them know she'd be home late tonight. Or at least where she was. Elena placed a hand on Damon's chest and pushed. It would never be enough to move him, but Damon understood and moved back. The doubt and pain in his eyes was shocking. Like he was expecting her to declare she didn't love him and she was going home. Elena smiled slightly, trying to reassure him. "I need to call Jenna. She doesn't know where I am."

As Elena sat up, Damon moved with her, leaning back on his heels. Elena was glad to see all the pain was gone from his eyes, but now he just looked like he was planning something. Elena wasn't sure which was worse. Elena got to her feet, a little unsteady on her heels, her figure backlit by the fire. She began to walk over to where she'd left her purse. Damon was honestly trying to resist going too far tonight. He'd only had her for a matter of minutes; he didn't want to screw it up now. But he couldn't leave her alone. He couldn't let her go. After so long waiting, after finally giving up on having her, he wanted to savour every moment that Elena Gilbert granted him. He was still half expecting to wake up in a few moments and find it was all a dream. Every second of this was like a diamond. Was this why she'd kept him close, why she'd invited him to Christmas? Not as a manipulative plan or something meant for her own intentions. It was because she had been waiting to do this. Elena was just glad she'd finally admitted her feelings. Third time lucky. She was aware she should have done it days ago, but the moment had never been right. Even with her confidence in her feelings, she found it hard admitting them out loud. It was faintly ridiculous, but true.

In the end, Damon gave in to his desires. He swept Elena Gilbert off her feet and took her up to his bedroom. That bed was more than big enough for the both of them to do whatever the hell they wanted. Elena was surprised at his action, but she wasn't complaining. In actual fact, she laughed. She supposed phone calls really could wait. He had her sitting on his bed in moments, and Damon was there in front of her, smirking. "Come on, Elena. Time out. Just for five minutes."

Elena smiled at the memories. That was how he'd persuaded her to go to Georgia. It had worked then. Still worked now. Elena sat up on her knees, moving forward to meet Damon, to close the gap he'd created between them. "I get the feeling this is going to be a little longer than five minutes."

"Ten minutes, then," Damon supplied. Elena laughed, and leant in to get a taste of his lips again. Before she knew it, they were kissing once more; clinging to each other like life itself depended on it. Elena flicked off her golden heels, wrapping herself around Damon, entwining their bodies. She slid her hands under his shirt tugging it upwards. Then it was off and he was shirtless in front of her. It only made her want to stay with him more.

They fell into the throes of their romance, and Damon was kissing her throat, her chest, every inch of bare skin he could find. Elena pushed him over, landing Damon on his back so that she could hover above him. She kissed his lips, pouring all of her feelings into it. When she withdrew, she was surprised at what she saw. Damon's eyes were bloodshot, the veins running to his eyes a harsh colour of red beneath his skin. Elena knew if he opened his mouth, she'd find fangs. Damon held a hand up to her. "Brief pause," he murmured to her. Elena rolled off of him, so she was just lying on the bed at his side.

Damon was surprised that had happened at all. He was usually so in control. Unlike his little brother, he'd spent the better part of a century and a half learning precisely how to control these kinds of things. He'd been with hundreds of women, and he hadn't accidentally let this side of him show in a very, very long time. But then again. None of those women were Elena. She was something else entirely. She made him lose all sense of control without even trying.

Elena lay there, just giving Damon time. She was just glad he hadn't done anything stupid. She loved him, but just because they were together didn't make her an automatic meal-on-wheels. She shared blood with Damon before, true. But that had been different. Even Elena had her limits. But she wasn't worried about Damon biting her. Not even as he took a moment to reign in the bloodlust. It was Damon. She trusted him. Eventually, Damon slipped an arm around Elena's shoulders. Elena smiled, snuggling into his chest as his head fell into her hair. Elena took his free hand, entwining her fingers with his. Elena knew that her hair was probably a mess, and the red dress she still wore was almost certainly ruined. It would take a lot of effort to remove all the creases. But Elena couldn't honestly say she cared. She was just happy she was in Damon's arms.

"How're you doing?" Elena asked, concerned. She twisted her head in an attempt to see Damon better. His face was human again, which was a plus.

"I'm just great, Elena. Walking on sunshine," he teased. Although for once, it wasn't said in irony. Elena smiled.

"Good."

"How about you, 'Lena?" Damon queried with a smirk etched on his face.

"Never been better."

There was a pause. Elena just listened to the rhythm of their breathing, of their heartbeats, although hers was far stronger than Damon's faint pulse - so faint it was hardly even there. Then she spoke once more.

"I'm sorry, Damon." Elena said quietly. Damon's brow creased.

"For what?" he asked, confusion clear in his voice. But as she began to speak, all airs of puzzlement cleared.

"Ever since you came back, you've just been trying to help and I've just hurt you in return. I wish I could change that. I never wanted to hurt you. I'm sorry." Elena felt Damon's arms loosen slightly. She braced herself for rejection, but Damon just moved slightly so he could look her in the eye, sweeping her hair from her face. Elena was caught up in his eyes in moments.

"Elena. Forget it." He spoke so intently, Elena would have sworn he was trying to compel her. He wasn't - and she was wearing vervain anyway.

"But-," Damon placed a finger on her lips, striking her silent.

"It doesn't matter, Elena. None of that matters." Elena tried to speak again, but Damon just shut her up once more. "You're here now. That's what matters."

"I was afraid I was going to be too late. I thought I'd lost you," Elena admitted.

"I generally do not go in for sappy declarations like this, okay? But you could never be too late, Elena." Damon said it like it was a fact. It probably was, in his mind. Elena smiled slightly. "Now, please don't reduce this to a scene out of some B-rate made-for-TV movie."

"Fine. I need to call Jenna anyway," Elena said, deliberately sounding petulant. A smile curled her lips as she sat up and swung herself off of Damon's massive bed. Damon rolled his eyes.

"Oh no you don't," he told her, before grabbing her around the waist and making her sit on the bed. Elena laughed.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Salvatore?" Elena asked sweetly. Damon smirked at her briefly.

"You are staying right there. Don't move, don't talk, don't even blink. I will get your phone for you."

"I am perfectly capable of getting it myself," Elena protested, trying to stand up again. Damon just pushed her down.

"Yes, but I can be there and back faster than you can leave the room." Elena smirked.

"Why don't you try it and see?" Elena challenged. Damon smirked again, and Elena couldn't help but grin.

"Ready?" Damon asked. Elena nodded. And then he was gone. Elena hopped off the bed and immediately headed for the door. But Damon's room was so big, it was such a long distance to the door. Elena didn't waste time, and she was so sure she had won when her hand made it to the door. She smiled, and made to put her foot over the threshold. It was silly, but she took great satisfaction in the fact she had won against Damon. That was, until she crashed right into him.

Damon caught her, that smirk still on his face, and once he'd righted her, he held Elena's phone up high. It was like he was saying 'told you so' without using those precise words. Elena glared at him.

"I got to the door," she told him, taking her phone and walking straight back into Damon's room.

"But you didn't make it out the room."

Elena ignored him, instead pressing the call button for Jenna's number.

"Elena! Where are you?" From the background noise, it sounded liked Jenna was still at the Grill. Elena looked over to Damon, who had wandered into the bathroom. He was still shirtless, and Elena was mildly distracted by the fact.

"I'm at the Boarding House," Elena admitted. She had promised herself she wasn't going to lie to Jenna. But she was going to have to break her relationship with Damon to her aunt gently. She still wasn't so keen on Damon. But then again, who was?

"With Damon?" Jenna sounded suspicious.

"Yes, with Damon. It's fine, Jenna. I'm fine." Elena promised her aunt.

"I don't like him being around you. He's trouble, Elena." And yet, where would she be today without Damon Salvatore? Elena knew the answer to that question - it was just a shame Jenna didn't.

"Jenna. I know you care about me and I know you only want what's best, but I promise you, I am fine. This is my choice. I'd appreciate it if you let me make it." Elena could hear Jenna sigh down the line. "I just wanted to let you know where I was. I didn't want you to worry."

"Okay. But don't be too late - I need you on hand at all times tomorrow. Someone has to stop me from burning down the house." Jenna said begrudgingly. Elena couldn't help but smile. She walked over to the window, staring outside into the black night beyond.

"Don't worry; I'll be there when you wake up tomorrow. I promise." Elena couldn't help but think that if today had been any other day; she would have just stayed over at the boarding house. But it wasn't. She had brilliant timing.

"Fine. Just be careful."

"I will. See you later, Jenna."

And that was how you handled one aunt. A quick text to Caroline and she would be done for the night. Elena polished that off in a matter of seconds. Then she turned her phone off, and turned around. Damon was lounging on his bed, watching her. Elena smiled. She walked over, putting her phone down on the table next to Damon's bed, before sliding onto the mattress to sit next to him.

"What did Jenna say to you anyway? At the Grill?"

"You noticed that?" Elena blushed slightly. Damon's lips curled into a smile. "Oh, it was just the usual. The 'I don't know what you're doing with Elena but you better be nice' thing."

"Oh."

"She seems to be under the impression I've been stalking you for the last two months."

"Oh," Elena repeated, for a lack of a better response. She was suddenly very interested in studying the fabric of her dress.

"You didn't tell her about the whole 'Katherine' thing, did you?" Damon asked. Elena inhaled.

"Nope." Damon looked at Elena, curious.

"Why not?" Elena shrugged.

"I'll tell her soon. We'll tell her soon." Elena amended. Damon gazed at Elena, meeting her eyes. The blue fire was so intense, that Elena was captured. Damon placed his hands on her face, and Elena loved the feeling. She closed her eyes, and savoured it.

"I love you, Damon," Elena murmured, leaning into his body. "I'm sorry I took so long to say it. But I do. I love you."

Then Damon kissed her, and the night was consumed by their complete and utter infatuation with one another.