I sat there on the edge of the bed with my arms folded trying to make sense of my emotions by staring at the floor, I heard him pick it up and then drop it, I looked up and saw him frowning at me.

"I'm staying in the area, just not at the house. I can't stay here any longer, but call me in two weeks and we'll talk."

Then he was gone.

Stefan agreed that he wouldn't tell Elena the whole story about why Damon left, just that we had a row and Damon decided to move out permanently, he hadn't told the girls and I didn't want them to know either.

The girls came back from the U.S full of the progress they'd made with their families and how wonderful it had been to go home, both had bought me some presents and had photos to show me but both were a bit jet lagged and needed their sleep so they went up to their rooms, but as they got upstairs Bonnie's psychic abilities sprung into action- "Why did Damon leave?" Elena turned to look at her friend in shock who also looked shocked herself, Stefan winced and I just sighed.

"We had a huge row and he's moved out permanently, but we're still friends. I'll explain tomorrow after you've had some sleep," I said but Bonnie wasn't about to let the matter drop. "Just great! So any chance of me trying to get back with Damon's gone then. Thanks for that Lizzie!"

Elena opened her mouth to say something but I noticed that Stefan squeezed her arm, so I said to her "you know something Bonnie? If it weren't for that bloody spell that you cast, the time travel one I told you not to then you wouldn't have split up with Damon and he wouldn't have moved out. It was because of your spell that all this happened- argument included! So if you want to get back with Damon then call him, I'm not passing on messages anymore for people who can talk for themselves!" I stormed off into my room and slammed the door, leaving the three of them opened mouthed.

The next morning there was a tentative knock on my door and both girls came in in their nightwear, I sat up in bed as they sat down on it. "I wanted to say I'm really, really sorry. You're right about what you said yesterday, but what happened when you went back Lizzie? It must have been something really bad for all this to kick off," I put my face in my hands and sighed. "I really don't want to talk about it, I'm sorry. Something bad did happen but I really want to forget about it." Both girls looked at me sympathetically, Elena grabbed my hand and held it "you don't have to Lizzie, but if you do then we're both here for you okay?" I nodded, then rolled my eyes as Bonnie sat there fidgeting. "No, I don't have any idea what's up with Damon, he said that he's left permanently and that he's rented a place nearby and if I call him in a couple of weeks when it's ready I can go visit," Bonnies' eyes narrowed when she spotted the mark on my neck. "Is that what I think it is?"

"It was my leaving present to him," Bonnie looked confused, Elena nodded in understanding, "trust and forgiveness. You wanted to show him that you trusted him and by taking your blood he was showing you that he forgave you, so the bond is still there between you two." I nodded, Bonnie enveloped me in a hug, "well we went shopping and bought you back a couple of killer tops that I know you'll love so what do you say we have a girl's night out tomorrow night, just you and I."

Elena glared indignantly at Bonnie, "what about me? Don't I get invited?"

"That depends on if Stefan's still got you chained to the bed, he was on tenterhooks every night waiting for your call and he got really worried if you phoned just five minutes late," Elena blushed and we all laughed.

The rest of the day the girls told Stefan and I all about what happened in Fells Church, how their families (Elena's in particular) were taking it and people's reactions.

They had brought back a couple of teen magazines that had pictures of the boys in, it seemed that although both boys had most of America's teen population in their thrall one of them was a tiny bit more popular than the other, Lisa Jane had given an interview about him and how shocked she was when he turned up on her doorstep (literally).

She had told the interviewer that although he said he hadn't known about the books for very long, he had read all of them and seemed to be very well informed on the fandom, their likes and dislikes.

She said that once she had gotten over the shock, she started questioning him about Stefan and the others. He told her what she wanted to know and then told her about me, how I was the one who helped them discover the full scale of their popularity through websites and fan fiction.

The rest of the interview was about her thoughts on the popularity of the books, the tv show and the characters revealing themselves, Elena said that everyone wanted an interview with them- especially Damon as every teen magazine had letters in it from fans saying they loved him and wanted him to bite them. Of course there was the usual Stefan vs. Damon in a couple of them with pros and cons of both brothers so that the reader could make up their own minds.

"Things have gotten way over heads now over there. Not everything was positive, there's been a lot of discussion in the papers if Damon's a murderer, if biting girls is rape and if they've committed fraud," Elena looked terrified. "What's going to happen when it comes out over here? I'm scared some stupid girl is going to come forward saying that Damon bit her without her consent just to get money and fame." I nodded and Bonnie said "I'll have to cast a protection spell around everyone and the house if it gets bad enough."

The next night Bonnie and I had our girlie night out, we went to a cocktail bar and although we only intended to have one or two before clubbing, we tried each cocktail on the menu at least twice before going onto a club and dancing the night away. About halfway through the night we met a friend of Bonnie's from work, tall with brown eyes and blonde hair, he was quite good looking and he seemed to fancy Bonnie as much as she did him so when I went to the bar to get drinks and they had disappeared, it wasn't a major shock. I found them in a corner together, Bonnie said they were going back to his place so I said I'd get a cab back and I'd call her once I'd got there, but she'd have to call me to tell me where she was as well.

The agreement made I made my way outside and started staggering towards the taxi rank when a black Ferrari roared up in front of me and a familiar figure got out, he stood there leaning against the car with his arms crossed.

"Where's Bonnie?"

"She pulled and she's going back to his house," he looked furious, "she said she'd give me a buzz to let me know where she was when she got to where she was going. She knows him from her work apparently."

Damon stood there, his expression hadn't changed and I wasn't in a particularly good mood myself, so I slipped my heels off and walked barefoot past him on my quest for the taxi rank down the end of the road.

"Where do you think you're going?" he was suddenly in front of me,

"Taxi rank, where else would I be going?" I snapped, which made him raise an eyebrow but I just walked round him and kept going for all of two seconds until I found myself in his arms, being carried back to the car.

"Let me go will you! I'm perfectly capable of walking to the taxi rank and getting a taxi home!" I had my arms round his neck anyway, he rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'd rather make sure that you got home safely myself if you're going alone. I'll have to deal with Bonnie later." He set me down and I got into the car, "I've still got a key to Grove House, you're lucky." I didn't say anything as we drove away, I just stared out the window.

He pulled up in the drive and I opened the car door to slip my heels on to walk over the gravel to the front door, but suddenly Damon was standing there and then I was in his arms again and he unlocked the front door. He put me down once inside and I just stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say. "Thank you, sorry I snapped. I was having such a good night until Bonnie pulled, she didn't even tell me she was going with him- I had to find them in a corner."

"I'll find her and make sure she's okay, now you're home safe and sound, ciao piccolina." He went to walk out the front door but then turned around and stared at me, then my phone rang. The moment spoilt it was a drunken Bonnie giving me the address and the name of the person who she was with, I grabbed a pen and pad and wrote it down when I hung up he was still standing there. "Do you fancy some company for a bit?" I asked him, a grin suddenly spread across his face, "do you fancy coming over to my place? I'll grab a bottle of something, you go and sit in the car," so that's what we did, I didn't even leave a note for Stefan which was bad for me as I knew he'd worry.

Damon put his foot down when he got out of the drive and grinned at me as I held on for dear life, I laughed as I trusted him completely even though at times he drove like a maniac.

Damon had rented a flat not too far away from Grove House, very near Hampton Court Palace in fact, minimalist was the style I used but of course he didn't like possessions much, he asked me to sit down and got two glasses out of the cupboard and a corkscrew for the sweet red wine that he knew I loved so much.

I was beginning to sober up a bit but wasn't reading too much into it, "go put on some music if you like, I know you when you get back from clubbing, you like to carry on the party in the living room. Regardless of who else has to listen to it," I laughed and went over to look at his cd rack, there was quite a selection but none I fancied so I put the radio on, it was playing Taylor Swift. Damon groaned and poured two huge glasses of wine, I took a gulp of mine .

"I love this one, have you seen the video where she's singing in the mirror with the hairbrush?" He shook his head "Oh, do you remember driving to my house in the middle of the night, I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're 'bout to cry, and I know your favourite songs and you tell me 'bout your dreams.." I sang, Damon sat there wincing the whole time but laughing as I bounced about mimicking the video.

"You're a lunatic! I don't think I've ever seen you like this when you're drunk," he looked thoughtful, I just laughed loudly.

"I don't like that song. Let me put one on that we can dance to," he chose something that surprised me- "Michael Buble?" he grabbed me and we started to waltz quite quickly with him spinning me and pulling me back, "I love this," I said, laughing as the waltz turned into a foxtrot with Damon swirling me round and showing me what I should be doing with pictures that flowed in my mind.

"I'm really surprised that you like this, I didn't think it was your sort of your song," I said as it ended, he laughed.

"I don't mind it, it's a bit corny 'I just haven't met you yet' honestly, the video's just as bad. But it's a catchy tune for us to dance to that I knew you'd like, you have good rhythm and timing for someone so clumsy."

I laughed at that as we sat down on the chair, "I'll take that as a compliment," we laughed and I yawned.

"Why don't you stay here tonight? I have a spare bed, let me show you," he lead me the way to the bedrooms, I noticed that he had photos of Atlanta and a couple of ones from just after I bought my camera. "Stefan really didn't like it when you decided to have him take our photo did he?" I smiled, Damon laughed long and loud, "my brother isn't stupid, he could tell from the grin on your face you were more than happy to have a picture taken with me." I grinned at him, then laughed.

"What girl wouldn't be more than happy to have her picture taken with you?"

"Come on you, this is the spare bedroom, you've an en suite and I'll let Stefan know you're staying. You can wear this for tonight if you wish," he produced a black shirt that was just about big enough to be a night dress. "Thanks Damon," he bowed low and we grinned at each other.

"I'll let Stefan know you're here and where Bonnie is. Goodnight Elizabeth, sleep tight." He shut the door, I changed into the night shirt and was out like a light as soon as I got into the bed.