A/N: All moved! Trying to get back into my Vampire Diaries mode of writing. As for this chapter, I really just wanted to write something where Damon was in nothing but a towel...but there is plot too!

Chapter 10

There was nothing unusual about the next two days except for the fact that she never saw Damon. Jake was acting like nothing had happened. If he wasn't being so uncharacteristically polite, she thought she might have dreamed the whole thing.

"Call me." She said into the phone after the voice mail beep. Damon wasn't answering that either. She walked up the stairs toward her bedroom. Dropping her stuff on her bed she paused when she heard something. The shower?

She looked over to her private bathroom door which was closed. She always left it open. The sound was definitely running water. As she headed toward the sound, the water stopped. Emma hesitated in opening the door.

It burst open on it's own accord. Well, actually, it burst open because Damon knocked it open with his palm. He walked into her bedroom, past her, in nothing but a green towel wrapped around his waist. He was dripping water all over her floor but she was too entranced to protest.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it was impolite to stare?" Damon smirked, reaching down to grab his shirt off her bed. He made no move to put it on.

Emma felt her slack jaw and realized her eyes must be popping out of her head. She knew Damon was hot in clothes, she wasn't expecting perfection out of clothes. "What are you doing?" She managed to ask.

"Taking a shower." He shrugged, grabbing the rest of his clothes and standing in front of her.

"In my bathroom?"

"You took a shower at my place, so I took a shower at your place. We're square." He grinned. He seemed to be enjoying the way her eyes kept traveling over his body. She couldn't help herself; he was a masterpiece.

"You could have called." She remembered her anger then and it seemed to snap her from her reverie. He might be beautiful and next to naked in her bedroom but she was still mad at him. She frowned, peering into his eyes. "Where have you been?"

"Out. I had some things to do. I wanted to get them taken care of so I could forget about them." Damon replied, leaving a hint of mystery around every word.

Emma wasn't buying it. "You don't kiss a girl, then leave without telling said girl that you're going." She went into her walk in closet, half shutting the door to change into her pajamas in private but leaving it open enough that he could hear her continue. "You then don't show up in her bedroom, after disappearing for two days, showering in her bathroom and prancing around naked."

"I'm not prancing." Damon protested. Emma emerged to find him already fully clothed. She crossed her arms.

"Things like that make her very worried and unhappy." She finished, glaring at him.

"Oooh, we are talking about ourselves in third person now. Sexy." He walked over to her, taking her upper arms and pulling her close. He rested his forehead on hers; it felt cool and damp, soothing her anger to a dull simmer. "I didn't mean to worry you. Sorry I didn't call." He said quietly.

His eyes had her transfixed. She knew he couldn't compel her like a normal vampire but he could definitely compel her as a normal man. His eyes, inches away, were fathomless and quickly sucking her in. She made a face at him, then smiled.

"'Sorry' won't work all the time, you know." She told him. He stepped back from her and she seemed able to breathe properly again.

"I know." Damon agreed. "That's why I come bearing gifts!"

"Trying to buy my love?" She raised an eyebrow at him but couldn't hide the smile on her lips.

Damon merely smirked in response brandishing a box from seemingly no where. "Didn't have a chance to wrap it."

Emma took the box, making sure to give him a look that let him know he wasn't off the hook. She sat on her bed and opened the box, gaping at what was in it.

When her parents had died she had inherited her father's rare book collection. It was only a few books, since her family didn't have a lot of money to spend on such things. But it had been his pride and joy; first additions of Mark Twain, Beatrix Potter, and C.S. Lewis. There was one missing, however, that her father had always wanted to get for her- the first addition of Alice in Wonderland, her favorite story as a child. He'd never had a chance to get it for her before his death. Damon had heard part of the story; he still didn't know her parents had died. But he did know about the books.

There, in her lap: a first edition of Alice and Wonderland. The one book she'd been missing, the only thing she could think of that she actually wanted more than anything that was a material thing.

"So...you like it?" Damon asked. She realized she hadn't said a word to him yet, she was just staring.

"How...what...why..." She couldn't form a coherent sentence. It was the sweetest, best gift she'd ever received. He sat next to her on the bed.

"I wandered in a book store yesterday afternoon, thinking I would find something for you. I was surprised when I saw that," he motioned toward the book. "And I remembered that you had mentioned it. So I got it."

Emma finally ripped her eyes from the book in her lap to look at him. "You 'got it'? This book is worth at least ten thousand dollars and you just 'got it'?"

"Em, you say that like money is something I don't have. I've been around awhile, plenty of time to save up." Damon raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you like it?"

"Of course. I love it!" She set the book aside on her bed and threw her arms around him. She found herself in his lap and her nose a breath away from his. "Thank you." She added in a whisper. She leaned in to catch his lips with hers.

If Emma had been asked to describe what it was like to kiss Damon, she'd be hard pressed to find the right words. In a moment her world collapsed to the two of them, nothing else mattered. Emotions swirled inside her, none becoming dominant so she felt a little off balance.

When she could finally think straight, she backed up mid-kiss. He stared at her in disbelief. "I was just getting started." He murmured, reaching to pull her back.

"I'm mad at you." She reminded him.

"I bought you a gift."

"Which I appreciate. Where were you?"

Damon sighed so Emma scooted farther back from him. Despite the gift and the kiss she was still harboring some anger from being ditched without a word for two days. He wasn't going to get off easy just because he was charming.

"Don't make me lie to you." Damon finally answered.

"You won't tell me?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Can't," was his simple answer.

She crossed her arms and moved farther back from him, considering. He wouldn't tell her but at least he was trying to be honest about that. He could have outright lied. She wasn't sure how she felt about only knowing half the truth.

"What, you're mad at me?" He was taken aback. "I can't really explain it. I just had to do it. It's over, I'm at your beck and call now." He held out a hand to her. Knowing Damon the way she did, she realized instantly that if she didn't take it, he'd be gone for good. Her hand slid into his and he pulled her back close to him.

"Now where were we?" He asked, leaning toward her.

She kissed him quickly before reminding him. "We're in my house. Jake is home."

"Jake is..." he tilted his head, listening. His eyes widened. "On the stairs." He kissed her cheek. "To be continued..." Damon grinned a devilish lopsided grin and vanished before her eyes. An instant later, her bedroom door opened.

"Jake." Emma slid over on her bed, hiding the box with the book behind her. She flashed a bright smile at her brother.

"Did I hear voices?" Jake asked, leaning against the door jamb. The expression on his face was inquisitive, not mad.

"I, uh," she had never been good at lying, especially to her brother. "Well, I was talking to-"

"Damon." He finished for her. She sucked in her breath, waiting for the tirade that was sure to follow. Amazingly, Jake didn't scold her. He shook his head, mumbling to himself.

"Sorry, Jake. He was here and, well, you know how I feel-"

"I know." Jake cut her off. He walked into her room and stood at the foot of her bed. "I've been thinking. And while you are my little sister who doesn't know a thing in the world, you are also an adult. I am not going to agree with all your decisions." He crossed his arms. "I also know the two friends I made back in college; before and after I knew they were vampires. They were good people, good friends. I've changed since then, so I guess I need to give them the benefit of the doubt, for the moment, that they've changed, too." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I fear for you. I'm scared that Damon is going to do to you what he did to my girlfriend back then. You have to understand that."

"I do." Emma agreed quietly. He nodded.

"But I also can't control you. You're a grown woman, you own and run a business, you can make your own choices in life. If this is your choice then I have to make a decision. I can either ignore you and shut you out, or I can voice my disagreement but accept it and live with it. I choose the latter. I don't want us to go on not getting along. I want us to be family again."

Emma blinked. This was totally unexpected. "Okay." She agreed, drawing the word out in her disbelief. "So you accept my vampire boyfriend?"

"Doesn't mean I have to like him." Jake added gruffly. "Just be polite to him. And he can't spend the night. You might be an adult but..." Jake struggled for a good reason. Coming up with none he shrugged. "Just not here, okay?"

Emma nodded, trying not to blush at the suggestion her brother was making. "But he can come over?" She clarified.

Seemingly in pain, Jake nodded with a wince. "Yes. For now. We'll see how things go. One step at a time with me, agreed?"

"Agreed." Emma beamed. Jake nodded one last time and left with a quiet goodnight. She picked up the book that Damon had given her, looking at it with a cherishing smile. She walked over to the bookcase with the other three books from her dad and slid the new one into place beside them.

Running her finger down the spine, she marveled at the fact that Damon had listened to one of her random babbles and had found her the perfect gift. Looking toward the door she realized that Jake had given her a gift as well, a gift of acceptance and understanding.

"I am one lucky lady, tonight." She whispered to herself, jumping into bed and falling asleep into a blissful dream. All was right in the world.