a/n: well, come on…we knew I couldn't stay away. I had a lot of fun writing the first chapter and I knew as soon as I wrote the last few lines that I would have to continue it. I'm not sure how much longer it will go on, or if it will become completely ridiculous, but let's try the ride anyway! Thank you to everyone that reviewed and encouraged me to keep going with this.

p.s. spot the drabbles!

Chapter Dedicated to Annalay

Elena stayed in the shower for over an hour. She sat on the floor, letting water beat massaging pulses into her back as she waited for the tears, the regret, the deep seeded hate of herself. It never came, instead she just felt sad and alone. She imagined the pained look on Damon's face when he woke up alone, she'd left him with no answer. No explanation. She'd cheated on Stefan, that was a fact…one that was bound to happen sooner or later. She felt terrible deciding that, knowing that to the depths of her heart, but if she couldn't be honest with herself, than she definitely couldn't be honest with either of the brothers. Oh God, what had she done?

She didn't want to hurt Stefan, but it wasn't like he'd been all that affectionate lately. She'd been getting the feeling that he only stayed with her because it had become routine. They were just stuck in an endless, sexless, loveless circle and last night Damon had thrown a wrench in the whole operation. At a time, she'd been rather pleased with the routine, it suited her and calmed her. But now, after living the excitement, tasting what could be she didn't think she could go back to how things used to be. It just wasn't possible. Her mind spun with all the wrongs and rights of what she'd done, of what she had to but she pushed herself to her feet and rinsed off one last time.

Hiding in the shower would do no good. She had to talk to Stefan, had to talk to Damon. Her heart would tell her what to do, she was sure of it. Elena stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around her, sweeping her hand over the mirror to clear a path. She didn't really look any different, flushed skin maybe a few bruises from his hands that only made her smile, but no drastic changes. She would have to find a way to explain those to Stefan, if he ever saw her naked again that was. As she blow-dried her hair, she allowed her mind the chance to think and torture itself.

I loved Stefan, I honestly did. I loved him like I'd never loved anyone before. Loving a vampire is completely toxic, it's all consuming and it's the most wonderful, dangerous thing anyone can do. To be loved by a vampire though, is a million times worse. The draw you feel to be with them all the time, the little bits of your life that you give up to be with them is nothing compared to what they go through to be with you. I understand that now, I see in the way that Stefan is with the switch turned off, and the way I feel when Damon looks at me. To love me, Stefan had to give up his true self, he had to repress his vampire instincts and lie to both of us about who he was. I've come to terms with that now, I've accepted that the man I fell in love with was nothing more than a lie.

Damon however has never not been himself with me. Oh, he's definitely lied to me and with malice, but he's never tried to change himself for me. He's improved his attitude toward humans and he's stopped feeding without abandon, but that's more so got to do with that fact that his constant quest to find Katherine is over. He felt he had to be bad for her, he had to kill and fight for her to love him, and with me he doesn't have to be anyone but himself. Of course, he still fights and he still kills but now it's because he's protecting me. And I guess that's what haunting me the most about loving these brothers. Do I continue to fight for my first real, all consuming love and hope that he will go back to lying to himself about who he really is? Or do I let go and allow myself to fall head over heels in love for the vampire that truly loves me with his whole soul, and isn't afraid to be who he is, to show me what is he and still make me love him.

But he doesn't love me, he said so last night. I thought he did, I was almost entirely certain that he did, but it was impossible to know the truth. Damon lies to protect me, and maybe he thought it was best to protect me from the most dangerous thing of all, his heart. If I knew he loved me for sure, I would be even more torn between him and Stefan. The weight on my shoulders didn't get any lighter, in fact it made it worse. Now I had two choices to make, and they both depended on whether or not Damon saw me as more than a one night thing. The way he'd touched me and kissed me had definitely felt like more, but was that just what I'd wanted to feel?

Elena shook her head and snapped up into a standing position her hair completely dry now. It was Saturday so there was no school to get ready for. Stefan would probably come over for lunch, since that is what was normal, but he would just sit across from her at the table and barely speak. He did everything barely lately. Barely spoke, barely touched, barely looked. It was like dating a chair, or a blind and deaf man that wasn't entirely sure you were in the room at one time. She had to make a choice, and she had to make it fast. All this back and forth in her brain was slowly going to drive her crazy.

The early morning greeted Damon before he was ready to get up. The muscles in his arms ached, his legs hissed in restraint as he rolled over. He desperately wished he could rewind the clock and get a few more hours of sleep, but part of being a vampire was taking what little sleep you could get and being thankful for it. The undead body did not need a lot of sleep to flourish, even though the remaining veins of humanity ached for it. He yawned loudly and threw his arm over his eyes, cursing the man and the monster he was jointly. The thick blue stone of his ring smacked against his face and he pulled his hand back to glower at it.

What a wonderful contraption this ring that had been made for him, and how utterly thankful he was to have it. He couldn't imagine what life would be like without it, and frankly he didn't want to think about it. If he was a slave to the sun as other vampires were, he would miss out on far too much. He would never get to enjoy breakfast on the sidewalk and flirt with the pretty waitresses at the diner. He'd have to stay cooped up in the house all day, feeding off last nights leftovers and waiting for the few blessed hours of nightfall. He'd never be able to feel the warm sand under his toes or enjoy the brightness of the stars when night did eventually fall.

But probably the most important thing about being able to walk in the sun, is that he could see Elena whenever he wanted. The sharp sting of reality instantly brought back the memory of last night, the wonderful way her body had arched for him, her moans and the look in her eyes as she'd come for him over and over again. It was all too much and he found himself already desperately needed her. He knew she was gone, knew that she had been gone for a while. Her spot on the bed next to him was harshly cold and perfectly empty. There was no indent in the pillow, not even a wrinkle in the sheet to prove that she'd been there.

He would not let it be like this never happened. They'd agreed to a one time thing, but he was going to have to break their unspoken promise and go to her. It was all just too much. The connection between them was just too much. It was too much to ignore, and he couldn't possibly go back to the way things were now. He could never watch her and his brother sit on the couch, smiling and laughing like they should be on the cover of Life. It was just too real now, and he regretted not telling her he loved her. It may have scared her away, but then at least she would know. At least she could make a proper choice of who was better for her.

He threw off the sheet and rushed around the room, quickly dressing and shaving. Stefan was awake, down in the kitchen making coffee but he said nothing and neither did Damon. If baby brother suspected anything, he showed no signs of it. "I'm going out." Damon called, not waiting for an answer before slamming the door behind him. It would take fifteen minutes to get to Elena on foot, ten if he drove and five if he did double the speed limit. Taking the risk he jumped in the Camaro and gunned the engine. If she thought she could just leave in the middle of the night without a word, she had another thing coming.

When Elena came out of the bathroom, her heart stopped for a moment. She clutched the towel tighter to her chest, waiting for her heart to return to normal. Damon was sitting at the end of her bed, his elbows resting on his knees as he waited for her. His eyes spoke volumes, happiness at seeing her, hurt at her not being there when he woke up, fear that she hated him now, hope that she wouldn't kick him out. It was all too much for her to take into her already full, already rambling brain and she was tempted to run back into the bathroom and hide until he got bored and left. That could take years, and Stefan would be here within two hours.

"Hi." She finally managed, wondering why she was whispering.

"Hi." He stood up, but didn't come forward. "I figured…I mean, I guess I thought it best to check on you."

"Oh." She nodded, and walked to her closet, making sure the towel was tight. "Thank you."

She wasn't sure why this was so awkward. They'd had sex for Christ Sakes, they knew things about each other no else did, they were best friends and she was acting like they barely knew each other. "How are you feeling?"

"Confused." She answered honestly, turning around with a tshirt, in her arms.

Damon watched as she walked to the dresser and pull out a pair of jeans. She threw him a look before opening the top drawer and pulling out a light blue set of panties and a matching bra. He wasn't sure if it was cute or ridiculous that she was acting so nervous around him. "Is there anything you would like to talk about?"

"Tons." She admitted and turned to look at him, setting the clothes atop the dresser. "But to be honest, the appeal of talking right now just isn't on my mind."

Damon watched her eyes darken and change, recognized the skip in the beat of her heart and felt the same magnetic pull she had the night before. It was like fire and ice, oil and water, intense opposites that always seemed to find their way back to each other. He took two long strides toward her, towering over her by a foot or so. She looked up at him, the slightest hint of fear in her eyes, and then she tentatively let her hands flatten against his chest. She could feel the hard muscle beneath the silk shirt and instantly ached to see him, feel him again. She felt his hands move to either side of her waist, slowly backing her against the wall, holding her there like a prison with his eyes.

"What is on your mind Elena?" his voice was dark and deep and she found herself getting lost in him, in her desire for him once more.

"You." She admitted, her fingers already working the buttons of his shirt open as if they had a mind of their own. "I have to have you, one more time."

He nodded and bent down, their lips touching tentatively at first. The spark ignited a moment later and Elena felt herself clawing at his chest like a madwoman. She tugged at his hair, bit his bottom lip, her body desperate for the contact she'd had last night, for overwhelming sensation of being worshipped and loved and taken care of. She'd never felt more beautiful, more sexy in her life and in Damon's arms she was a goddess. He tightened his hands into fists on the fabric of the towel and she felt it give way. When the towel dropped to the floor, Damon stepped back to admire. He'd kissed and touched every inch of her last night, but the dim light from the window had done nothing for his eyes.

"My God Elena, you're beautiful."

She shook her head, not necessarily disagreeing but unbelieving that someone like him, someone as beautiful as him could think that she was beautiful too. "Make love to me Damon." She said, her voice soft and pleading. "Make love to me and let's forget about everything else for a little while."

The offer sounded pretty good to him, so he took her hand and led her to the bed. The late morning sun shone in through the window, casting a wonderfully warm glow on her skin as he lay her on the bed. Making love in the daylight was so much different than at night. The darkness was a cloak, a covering of sorts that hid things and left some mystery. It was an incredible experience in its own way, but being with Elena in the daytime was another experience all together and it was one he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle never enjoying again.

Elena watched as he undressed, almost deliberately slow to torture her. She could feel herself already achingly wet, her body calling for some kind of release. As he stepped out his pants, he looked up to find that she had her hand between her legs, fingers moving quickly and with talent over herself. She breathed a little faster when he got onto the bed, smoothing his hand up and down her thigh. He wanted to touch her, wanted to make her come, but watching Elena pleasure herself was a sight he would not soon forget. She turned her face in his direction, her lips begging to be kissed as she played with herself. He could smell her arousal in the air and it made him all the more desperate to be inside her.

"Does this bother you?" she asked, her voice breathless and laced with need. He saw her hand still and slowly begin to move away. "I can stop if it does."

He grabbed her wrist and held her hand in place. "Don't stop. If it brings you pleasure, don't deny yourself. I'll be here to take over when you're satisfied."

She looked at him, her eyes darting over his face as if she wondered if he was being serious. If he found out that his brother didn't allow her to touch herself during sex, he was going to do a lot more than punch him through a wall. Damon told her to close her eyes, and pressed a kiss to each lid before moving to her neck. Elena's breathing got shallower as her fingers moved faster. It was almost too much for her, to have the pleasure of her own hand working her exactly the right way as Damon kissed and sucked at her neck. He hadn't done that much last night, probably in fear that he would leave a mark, but at the moment she didn't care if he left a hundred hickeys on her body.

"I fantasize about you when I do this." She admitted, her free hand searching for his on the bed.

Damon allowed his fingers to lace with hers, unable to decide if he wanted to watch her face or her fingers when she finally came. "What to do you think about?"

She sighed and tilted her face back towards him. "I imagine your hands sliding over me, like this." She took his hand and gently placed it on her stomach, guiding it back and forth, then up to her breasts. He watched as she pinched her own nipped, then moved his hand to do the same. He followed her direction and added a little flare of his own, bending down to kiss around the other breast. "It feels much better when you do it."

He chuckled and decided to watch her face. "I want to watch you as you cum Elena. I want to see your face this time around.

"Help me." She insisted, trying to guide his hand down between her legs.

He shook his head and sat up, moving to kneel between her thighs. He pressed her legs wider, hearing her hiss of pleasure as she spread. "Does that feel better?"

"Oh yes." She gasped, her eyes shutting tightly. "Touch me Damon, please."

He slipped one finger inside her, rubbing at the spot for a moment before pulling away and spreading her legs a little more. She whimpered and moved her hips up, searching for his hand. "After," he promised kissing the inside of her knee. "let me watch you."

She nodded and increased the pressure of her fingers, enjoying the sensation but desperate for it to be over so she could have him. He was so much different than Stefan, more attentive, more focused. "I'm cuming." She moaned, and he knew from the way her heart pounded blood raced that she was going to scream. The house was empty, to which he thanked his lucky stars for.

He watched as her fingers moved wildly, almost inhumanly over herself, her face contorting beautifully as she brought herself to climax. It was almost too much of a sight for him to handle and the moment her hand dropped away, he was between her legs and ready to enter her. "Good girl." He soothed, running his hands down her thighs. He let one finger slip through her wetness, surprised when she bucked violently up against him. There was more pleasure to be take from this girl and he intended to drain her before the sun set. "Hold on." He said, her hands instantly wrapping around his biceps.

He wanted to get inside her while she was still trembling, while she was still recovering, and they groaned together as he slid home. Her nails dug into the muscle of his arms and he ground his teeth to keep silent. "Fuck Damon." She gasped, clinging to him as if her life depended on it.

"I'm working on it." He teased, beginning to move in and out of her at a snails pace. "You're so fucking tight."

"Is that good?"

"You're perfect." He said it like a vow, praying that she would believe it and remember it.

"You feel so good." She lifted up, needing to kiss him, needing to hold him, feel his arms around her.

He quickly fixed their position so she was sitting in his lap. They could only move a little, but their eyes were locked and their mouths were inches apart. It was one of the most intimate and erotic position he knew, and he rarely used it. Her legs tightened around his waist as she searched for more friction, their tongues tangled together as the new tingles of pleasure shot down her spine and settled low in her stomach. Everything felt right when they were together, there was no one else in the world and nothing to interrupt them. Damon slid his hands under her ass and lifted her slightly before thrusting up once, than twice with a little more force.

Fireworks erupted in front of Elena's eyes and she clung to him as they put another nail in the coffin that was their relationship. Damon moved with her, letting his release go as he kissed her neck. She moaned and cried and screamed his name as the powerful, intense burn of pleasure ran from her toes to her brain. It was definitely too much, the connection, the sensation and she slumped against his chest. He held her there for a minute, realizing he was rocking her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and gently lay her down, rolling himself onto his side next to her. Her eyes fluttered open and closed a few times before closing completely. A nap wouldn't hurt either of them.

"I was lying last night." He whispered, half hoping she was already asleep.

"Hmm?"

"When I said I didn't love you. I was lying."

"Oh." Her voice was groggy, and far away. "I'm glad."

"That I lied?"

"No." she rolled toward him, her face pressed to his chest, her voice even more muffled now. "That you told me the truth. I lied to."

"That's good." He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tighter against him. Of course she wouldn't say the words, not right now and he couldn't really blame her because he hadn't said them either. They knew how the other felt and that's all that mattered in this moment. An hour later, Damon heard Stefan's car pull into the drive. Instincts had him springing out of bed, and throwing on clothes. It startled Elena awake and she looked around wildly.

"What is it? What's the matter?"

"Stefan's here." He tossed her clothes from the dresser at her. "You have about five minutes, maybe eight before he gets inside. Jump in the shower, you smell like me, like sex. It's an incredible smell, and dammit if it doesn't make me want you all over again, but he will not be pleased by it. I will try and stall him."

"How?" she was already headed to the bathroom.

"I don't know. I'll think of something." Elena watched as Damon swung one leg out the window and then another. He smirked at her through the glass and then he was gone. She turned and rushed to the shower, praying she would have more than eight minutes.

Damon landed on his feet behind the tree and quickly dug his cellphone out of his pocket. He hit the speed dial number that would connect him to Stefan and waited. Baby brother mumbled something under his breath and answered with a gruff. "Hello?"

"You sound pleased." Damon did his best to make his voice casual. "I was wondering if you would be up for going hunting with me tonight."

"I don't do your kind of hunting, brother."

Damon grinned and leaned against the tree, watching Stefan pace back and forth in front of the door. He heard the shower shut off through the open window and hoped he could keep the conversation going long enough to give her time to get dressed and Frebreeze the crap out of her room. "I figured I would allow myself to go down on the food chain for a night. It would be nice to spend some bonding time together, wouldn't it?"

Stefan pondered the idea, his brows furrowing as he tried to decide if his brother was for real or not. "What's the catch?"

"You may have to suck the leftovers if I can't stomach it."

"Alright, sundown. I'll meet you at the old house." Stefan ended the call as Elena shut off the hairdryer. She rushed to the window and looked down, seeing Damon standing a few feet below.

"I'll call you." She smiled and then she was back in the house and the window was shut, as she rushed to answer the doorbell Stefan had pushed twice now.

Damon arrived back at the Boarding House and took a shower of his own. The last thing he wanted to do was wash away the memory of another tryst with Elena, but it would do no good to go hunting with his brother smelling like his girlfriend. It was already past noon, and as Damon stepped into the shower he figured that he had about four or five hours until he had to go through with his ridiculous plan to hunt for wild meat. He nearly shuddered at the thought of sucking on a poor defenseless creature, but what else could he have said to get Stefan's attention.

Sighing and tilting his head back into the hot spray he remembered how truly incredible the second time with Elena had been. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to handle going without another fix. It was terrible he knew, to be addicted to her already, but he just couldn't help it. She was never going to be out of his system, so he had just better get used to the feeling of wanting her. "I'm damned for sure." Muttered to himself.

-A Good Fight and a Few Hours Later-

Elena felt a gust of wind ruffle her hair as the front door to her house slammed. She wasn't sure how it had happened, and honestly at this point she couldn't remember. It had to have been somewhere between letting Stefan in at noon, lunch, the attempted make out session and now the slammed door where he had deduced that she had cheated on him. "You've been on me for weeks to touch you. I finally try and you're not even into it." She supposed that's where it had begun, but after being kissed and loved by Damon, every move Stefan made did nothing for her.

Thankfully he had no idea who she'd cheated with, and she prayed furiously that he never would. She felt one single tear slide down her cheek. There was no emotional breakdown, just the overwhelming need to be back in Damon's arms. She rushed up the stairs in search for her phone, wondering if it was safe to go over to the Boarding House yet. She waited patiently, relieved when Damon's voice flooded her senses from the other line. It was almost ridiculous how happy a simple word like hello could make her feel. "Hello." She sat on her bed, wishing he was here.

"I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that Stefan knows something."

She heard the slight hint of anger in his voice, but she wasn't sure if it was directed at her or not. "Yes, we got in a huge fight. He doesn't know it's you though."

"I figured. I was supposed to go hunting with him, but he cancelled at the last minute and said he wanted to go alone."

All she really got out of the sentence was that the Boarding House was empty. "I'll be over in ten minutes." She jumped up and grabbed her keys from the dresser.

When she found Damon he was in the den, a glass of whiskey in his head and rock music playing low in the background. He didn't greet her with a kiss like she'd expected, in fact he seemed to barely notice her at all. It reminded her of how Stefan had been acting and it instantly sent her into a state of panic. She moved closer to him, her hands on his arm, pulling him closer to her, trying to get him to look at her. "I didn't tell you to come here." His voice was cold and distant and she instantly took a step back.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"What exactly did you tell my brother?"

"I don't know." She shrugged and moved to lean against the antique desk Damon used as a bar. "We were shouting most of the time. Things just come out."

"You're sure he has no idea it was me?"

She shook her head, forcing herself to look at him. "Why are you so angry?"

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"He's your brother, I know you don't want to hurt him. I thought…I don't know what I thought. I guess I hoped we would tell him together if it became serious enough to tell him about."

"So," he filled his glass and hated the fact that as a vampire he couldn't actually get drunk. "it's not serious as of right now?"

"I don't know." Elena shrugged. "We've only been…us for less than twenty four hours. I broke up with him for you. Isn't that good enough for now?"

"No!" Damon slammed his fist into the table, rattling the crystal glasses. "It's not good enough, and it shouldn't be good enough for you either!"

Elena felt her fists clench as she stared daggers into Damon. How could he stand there so smug, so infuriating and utterly irresistible all at once? The only thing that kept her standing still was the fact that she couldn't decide to slap him, kiss him or throw him to the floor and do both. Just as she decided that both was the most pleasurable option, he laughed, downed the rest of the drink in one fluid motion and turned to walk out of the living room. "Where are you going?" she called after him. "We are in the middle of an argument!"

He looked over his shoulder, the expression on his face somewhere between a smirk and a glare. "I'm going to bed. I'm tired of arguing with you over things that mean nothing." When she opened her mouth he shook his head. "No, you are going to be quiet for once. We have been fighting about little things, big things, the same things over and over without actually fighting about the thing we are really fighting about. I'm tired of it, and if you aren't going to actually argue with me about what we need to argue about, I'm going to bed."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" she strode after him, having to take two steps for every one of his. "That barely made any sense."

"Listen," he stopped again, this time swinging around fully to face her. "I've had a long hard night. If you want to continue this, feel free to follow me into bed. Otherwise, go home and leave me alone."

She was at a loss, completely messed up and hopeless and confused. Just a few hours ago they had been happy, blissfully happy. Now they were shouting at each other, and she figured she knew why. "Let's go upstairs." She smiled faintly, and reached for his hand. "It's time we talked about some stuff."

a/n: so, I'm thinking I will be able to wrap this up in one more chapter. How you all are still interested in how it will all turn out. Can't wait to hear what you thought of this section. Talk to you all soon!