When my eyes fluttered open I felt Damon's familiar hand supporting my head. He had my phone pinch between his shoulder and ear as his other hand checked my pulse. His face was grim as he took in the news that the officer had told me.

"I understand. We will be on the next flight out." He ended the call and was surprised to see my eyes open.

"How are you?" he asked with delicateness that I've only heard him use with me.

I took a deep breath trying to steal myself before I asked the inevitable question "Is Jenna…" I left the question open he nodded.

I couldn't help the sobbing that over took me. I tried calm my breathing as I sunk into Damon's arms and pretended like this never happened, but unfortunately it was real. After my body couldn't produce anymore tears, I caught my breath. Damon's warm hand caressed my damp cheek.

"What about Ric?" I asked remembering who went with her.

"Ric will be fine, he'll live." Even as he said it I could tell he wasn't sure of it, but I could also see he desperately wanted to believe it.

I just sat there and listened to him breathing. He place kisses on my forehead periodically and told me that everything was going to be okay. The kisses seared and I looked up into his clear blue eyes, attentively he kissed my cheek and then he kissed the corner of my mouth, at that point I grabbed him tightly to me, securing our lips together. At that moment I need Damon more than I ever had before. I frantically tried to get his clothes off but they stubbornly stayed on him.

He stilled my hands for a moment, and I met his even gaze. "Elena," he whispered, he was hesitant and I could understand his reasoning.

"I need you Damon," I whispered, my voice horse and forlorn from my sobbing.

"I know you do but I need to take care of you. You haven't eaten and we are going to have a rough couple of days ahead of us. Please for your benefit, let's focus on something other than this," He suggested. I didn't want to, it was juvenile to want him to be my only comfort, but he was right, he was always right.

"Okay," I conceded.

By midnight we were on a plane out to Florida, economy class was the best Damon could do on such short notice.

There was the typical grief that security gave us, the long laborious delay to board the cramped stuffy container of a plane. Damon had urged me to try and get some rest. The "honeymoon preview" lacked in that department and the crying was certainly no help to my exhaustion.

"You can sleep on me if it'll help," Damon mumbled into my ear kissing my hair.

I nodded but I didn't want to sleep, Damon smelled like heaven and I couldn't help but rest my head against him, he was my rock the only thing keeping me sane at this point.

I got lost in the memory of Damon proposing to me.

"But Jenna-" I tried to tell her over the phone, we were arguing over the fact that I didn't want to play babysitter to our extended family tomorrow, Damon and I were wanting to spend the weekend together. We were in a really great place. Stefan had left after our big break up and hadn't been back since. Add that to our insatiability and we needed the time.

"Elena, stop worrying. They won't be here until tomorrow, I love you. You're the best Ric and I appreciate it! Spend some time with Stefan." I sighed as the line went dead. Stefan… she probably didn't mean to say it, I had waited a while after we broke up to let her know. She reacted predictably and tried plotting ways for us to get back together. I left out a lot of details about the end of our relationship especially Damon's role in it.

Well if I was going to have the house to myself for the night I might as well use it for good, I had my finger ready to press call when my phone was plucked out of my hand.

"What—" I started to ask as I turned around but was met with some glorious and wildly talented lips.

"Mmm," I moaned as I slowly opened my eyes to see his bright blue ones. He was smirking as per usual.

"I had no idea you could read minds." I said as I came back to reality.

"Only yours Elena, for example," As he said that he trailed his fingers down the side of my body linger over my breast. My breath hitched, and he smiled wider.

"Damon," I gasped, slightly mortified as I looked around. But in was fruitless, Jeremy was anywhere but the house, Jenna and Alaric were gone so that really left no other candidate to catch us.

"You know Elena," The way he drawled my name made my knees quiver, he brought his lips dangerously close to the part of my neck between my earlobe and my jawbone, all the while his hands kept me molded to his sculpted form.

"Ya," I squeaked as I tried to keep a coherent thought, other than my instinct telling me to throw him on any flat surface and have my way with him.

"I'm going to take you," He left his statement open ended as he undid the top couple buttons of my shirt and traced fiery lines across my collarbone stopping just short of my perked nipple. It felt as though I was a lighter and he was trying to ignite me.

"Uh huh," I asked loving everything about what he was doing. That is up until he pulled away.

"To dinner," He ended the sentence with a triumphant smirk.

I let out an exasperated sigh, "Don't you want to finish what you started?" I asked him deflating more and more by the minute.

"Believe me Elena; I have every intention to finish that, but later. First we must dine, and you should wear something nice."

And with that he left, I stood speechless in the kitchen for a minute or so until my phone rang.

"Yes Damon?" I asked when I saw it was him on the caller ID.

"You have two hours," He said cryptically, and then he hung up.

Two hours later, he pulled up in his Camaro and let out a low whistle upon seeing me in my deep scarlet cocktail dress.

"Damn 'Lena, you clean up nice."

"Not so bad yourself," I baited as I appraised his form fitting black attire. He looked good enough to eat. I kissed him on the cheek, and made sure to 'accidentally' gaze the front of his pants.

He held the door open for me and then got in the car.

"Wait Damon, before we go anywhere I need to give you something." I said.

"What is it?" His interest piqued.

I held up the lacey black thong that I had on earlier. "I decided to forgo this article of clothing tonight, I hope you don't mind." I slipped the barely there fabric into the front pocket on his shirt. The look he gave me as I pulled away made me see a benefit to going commando from here on out.

"You little vixen, I'm beginning to think I'm becoming a terrible influence on you."

"Good" I said, as I ever so causally rested my hand on his upper thigh. The smirk of approval on his face was worth it.

We had gone back to the boarding house and had a meal that we fed to each other, trying to best the other seductively. Once we got to the chocolate covered strawberries, I was certain the next stop was his room.

"So Damon, why don't we take these upstairs and get creative?" I asked batting my eyelashes innocently.

"While that idea is ever so tempting," He told me as he adjusted me on his lap. My dress rose dangerously high. "We have one more stop tonight, but I need you to trust me."

"Sure," I said, curiously intrigued.

"Wear this," He said pulling a cloth off the table, I was to focused on Damon to notice it's existence before that moment.

"Just this?" I wondered out loud. He let out a bark of a laugh.

"You just can't get enough of me can you?" He asked rhetorically, his signature smirk decorated his face. "It's a blindfold Elena," He explained, and while doing so he tied it securely around my eyes.

"All you have to do is trust me," He told me, at this point I had no other choice but to trust him, not that I minded.

All the while keeping contact with some part of his body, he had led me out to his car. The drive felt long, and by the sounds of things, and the feel of the cool air, I knew we were coming close to the falls.

When he finally removed the blindfold, I blinked in the darkness after a moment a recognized this as the first place we officially met; the one Damon had compelled me to remember.

"Damon," I whispered, I anticipated what was about to take place, but at the same time I denied myself the ability to let my imagination run wild. It was Damon after all; he probably hadn't considered this for himself…ever.

He spun me around so I was facing him and he grasped my hands in his.

"Elena, when I was here with you last time I told you that you deserved a love that consumed you, and that you want what everybody wants. Well, I'm asking you if I can be that love, your passion, adventure and that little bit of danger, not only for tonight but the rest of our lives together,"

He sunk to one knee a produced a small velvet cube out of his pocket. "So Elena Gilbert, will you marry me?" He asked as he flipped that top of the cube open.

I was speechless; I hardly registered the tears of joy streaming down my face. All I could do was try to nod my head.

Damon waited on one knee until I finally was able to squeak out a tiny "yes"

He slid the beautiful ring onto my finger he picked me up and spun me around. His face beamed with the most breathtaking smile. Our lips met and I couldn't imagine being any more in love with him in that moment.

As soon as we got back to the boarding house he made good on his promise from earlier in the evening.

I awoke to Damon's warm lips kissing me awake.

"Dreaming of me?" He asked a light smile played at his lips, for a brief moment I forgot why we were here.

"Yup, explains the drool," I said with a smile.

He raised an eyebrow "You weren't drooling,"

"Not from my mouth," I teased with a wink as I stood up. His face said it all, but he was always one to play dirty. He purposely touched every part of me he could when he stood up as well.

"You'll have to show me later." He breathed on my neck and kissed it ever so lightly.

And for that moment, I could accept that whatever was about to happen, whatever atrocities lied ahead; I would make it through as long as I had Damon at my side. I glance down at the ring on my finger and smiled.

The brief reprieve from sadness vanished within minutes of arriving at the hospital; the next few hours flew by in a dizzying blur.

Seeing Aunt Jenna's body was too much for me to handle, I broke down in hysterics, I called Jeremy sobbing. I must've stayed in the morgue far longer than normal, but I couldn't bring myself to leave.

After Damon was able to convince me to leave Jenna, we went to see Ric. We went up to the intensive care unit, but before I could go in Damon stopped me "Elena listen to me."

His stern voice caught my attention and I looked into his eyes.

"Do you trust me?" He asked, cupping my face in his hands.

"Of course I do Damon, what kind of question is that?"

"Okay, then I need you to do as I say. Ric isn't going to be in good shape right now and what would be counterproductive to his recovery is you crying over him and sobbing about Jenna. I know the wounds are raw but you need to stay strong for him, I'll stay strong with you. It's too late for Jenna, but Ric can still make it out alive."

I blinked at him trying to get what he was saying.

He gently stroked his thumb over my cheek to catch a stray tear I wasn't aware I had the ability to produce, "No tears okay,"

"I think I'm all out of them," I whispered hoarsely.

"Well just in case, Ric needs us now more than ever. Later you can cry but right now be strong, for him, for Jenna, and for yourself."

"I don't know if I can do that Damon." I said

"But I do. Elena, you're the toughest person I know. Prove me right like I know you can."

I couldn't help it but to throw my arms around him and hold tight. I was being proven time and time again how much Damon was the one man I should love. I sucked in a deep breath I went in to find Ric, Damon's comforting hand resting on my shoulder.

For some reason his room had a police officer guarding the door, I had to remind myself to ask someone about it later but for now I went into the room and grabbed Ric's tube laden hand.

"We're here for you," I whispered.

AN:

Woo *fans face* steamy in here or is it just me. Let me know in a review.

I had way too much fun writing that.

Side notes: The more reviews I get the more inclined I am to write, so keep 'em coming.

Long absences are not going to be explained in false chapter AN notes (I'll try and keep my profile updated for explanations). – Generally if I have the urge to procrastinate like nobody's business within the next couple months you'll get an update.

That said, YOU ALL ROCK! From the bottom of my heart I love you all!

Forgive my lack of proof reading (and switch of tenses)…

Hopefully I'll see you soon!