We sat in silence for nearly twenty minutes, simply holding each other in the dark. Finally my legs began to ache from the position and I knew I needed up.

I lightly kissed the side of Damon's neck before lifting myself off of him.

"Where are you going?" he whispered.

"I just need to get up for a little bit," I replied. I took a moment to stretch out my tired limbs before opening the closet door. I had been in darkness for so long that the pale light coming from a lamp in the bedroom was enough to blind me momentarily. I waited for my eyes to adjust before I exited the closet and found new clothes to wear.

I had new panties and pajama pants already on and was tugging an oversized t-shirt over my head before Damon stepped out of the closet as well.

"So this was okay?" he asked quietly.

I turned to look at him as the shirt fell loosely around my torso. He had picked up an angel statue from my desk and was looking at it in his hands. He seemed almost nervous.

"This was okay," I smiled softly in agreement.

He sat the angel back down and looked up at me. "I really didn't know if coming here was the right thing to do. I changed my mind a million times before I decided to come. And honestly, I didn't come here with the intention of having sex with you. I just…" he looked to the ground, "…I just needed to see you. And when I finally did…" he trailed off and shook his head lightly. "I've really missed you, Elena."

I walked over to my bed and sat down, patting the spot beside me. "We need to talk, Damon."

He walked over and sat beside me. I decided it would be best for me to avoid his sparkling eyes if I was going to try to have a serious, coherent discussion with him. I stared down at my hands.

"Damon, I'm tired of not being with you. I'm tired of trying to convince myself that I don't love you, because I do." I looked up at him and our eyes met; I instantly knew I had made a mistake. "I love you, Damon," I repeated, feeling my will to stay strong crumble under his gaze. "But I don't know if I can ever just accept what you are." The words burned on the way out. "And what happened to Jeremy can never happen again. Keeping them safe comes before me falling in love."

Damon shook his head slightly and took my hands into his. "Elena, I swear to you it won't. I lost control and it was an accident. And I can't change the fact that I am what I am, but I need you to know that however much you love me, my feelings for you are so much stronger. Vampires don't change often, but you have changed me in a way that is absolutely irreversible. I'm begging you to try to see past my flaws and my mistakes. I want nothing more than to be with you."

His eyes were intense and his words warmed my body. It was unusual to see Damon so vulnerable and open, but I had a feeling he knew that he was saying just the right things to pull me in.

"The time we've spent apart has been worse to me than someone simply driving a stake through my chest," he continued. "Knowing that Katherine is out there worries me and not being here to protect you hurts me. My existence revolves around you, Elena. You are everything to me and I know I don't deserve you, but I'd like to try, maybe even pretend I do."

Him bringing up Katherine created a pit in my stomach. "Damon," I said softly, "why did you lie about how Katherine escaped?"

He dropped my hands in my lap and slowly pulled away. "I…I didn't," he contradicted, but the statement held no strength.

I nodded. "You did. Stefan told me he released Katherine."

He sighed and looked to the ground. "I…I just…" it was almost humorous seeing Damon at a loss for words. He normally had so many. "I just didn't think it was the proper time or place to tell you about how big an idiot Stefan is," was the answer he finally settled on.

A small smirk tilted the corners of my lips. "Or," I challenged, "did you want to protect your brothers' reputation in my eyes?"

He scoffed. "What? Of course not. What a ludicrous statement. I could care less what you think of Stefan." He rolled his eyes.

"You're lying!" I laughed. "You were trying to protect him!"

I gasped as Damon moved in a blur, straddling my lap and pushing me back on the bed. He hovered inches above me, his hands holding my bent arms on either side of my head, completely immobilizing me.

"I'm telling you," he began in a low tenor, his chest rumbling above me, "I do not care what you think of Stefan." His eyes were glistening in the low light and they held an air of silliness.

I knew he would never admit he lied so that I wouldn't think badly of Stefan. He was doing what any sibling would do.

I lifted my head, the only part of my body not being held down, and lightly pecked at his lips.

He grinned and lightly kissed me back.

"Elena?" Jenna's voice called loudly down the hallway before she began knocking on my door. "Sweetie, are you okay? Jeremy said he heard some commotion while I was taking all of the trash from this morning down the road to the dumpster." She jiggled the door handle. "Elena?"

Quickly I tried thinking of an excuse for the noise.

"Elena?" she asked again, slight panic apparent in her voice. Jenna did always get antsy quickly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay!" I answered. My eyes remained locked with Damon's. I wasn't sure if my tone of voice would be satisfying enough for her.

"Well, um, open the door then," she said nervously. I guess it wasn't satisfying enough.

I looked up at Damon, my eyes slightly wide. How would I explain him?

He smiled and quickly kissed me again. "I'll see you soon," he whispered.

Before I could ask what he meant, he was gone and I was left on the bed alone.

"Elena, are you opening the door or not?" Jenna asked.

I sat up and looked around the room, smiling to myself when I spotted the fluttering curtains.

"Elena!" Jenna yelled, obviously becoming aggravated.

I rushed over to the door, unlocked it, and swung it open. "I'm fine," I assured her again, feeling once more like a teenager.

Her eyes were narrowed as she scanned me from head to foot. "You changed clothes?"

"The others were too thin and I was getting cold."

Her eyes traveled back up my body and rested on the necklace hanging around my neck. "Where did you get that from?"

"A friend," I answered in noncommittal fashion.

"So," she started slowly, finally bringing her gaze back to my face. "Are you okay? I mean, with everything then went on downstairs earlier. You seemed upset."

I shrugged slightly and leaned against my doorframe. "Yeah, I'm fine. The gift I opened just reminded me of someone that I missed."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I smiled softly at her. "Thank you, but I don't think that'll be necessary. I've…come to terms with missing this certain someone."

Jenna's face was slightly blank as she stared at me. I'm sure she was thinking I had gone absolutely mad. One minute I'm crying over a present that mysteriously appeared under our tree, and then next minute I've changed clothes and am acting like I hadn't really been upset at all. I knew she was worried.

I stepped out into the hallway and softly shut the door behind me. "Come on, I bet Jeremy is getting lonely downstairs. We need to start cooking for tonight anyway," I said as I threw my around Jenna's shoulders; an awkward task because of our height difference.

Jenna shot me an odd look before nodding. "I guess you're right." She sighed, "I really hate cooking, though. I always tend to burn everything."

"Everything will be just fine, Aunt Jenna," I laughed as we started down the stairs. The statement was beginning to ring true for more situations than just our Christmas meal.

I lazily drug my feet against the carpet as I made my way back up the stairs. My stomach was full, my mind was clear, and for the first time in a long time, I was feeling good.

Jenna, Jeremy, and I had spent the rest of the holiday playing with our new gadgets and watching Christmas movies as Jenna and I took our time in preparing the evening meal. It had been one of the best Christmas's in a while, mainly because I was back home.

Being home reminded me just how much I missed Mystic Falls. It also made me realize that I kind of belonged here. After high school, I was just like every other kid my age and dying to get the hell out of dodge. Mystical Falls was too tiny a town for my liking back then. But now, things had changed. I had changed and now this place was really the only place I enjoyed calling home.

The next agenda on my list of things to do to get my life in order – behind reconciling with Damon, of course – was to get an apartment somewhere in Mystic Falls. I knew I no longer wanted to be so far away from my family and settling down here seemed like the right choice.

In the back of my mind, I wondered how Damon would feel about that decision. I knew he said he and Stefan were originally from here, but I didn't know the story behind that statement. The first night we had met, he had seemed amused at the fact I was a Gilbert and had even stated it was a small world; whatever that meant. Was his history here not a pleasant one?

But he had also revealed to me that he was as deeply in love with me as I was with him, and if those words were true, he would follow me wherever I chose to go. And as of now, I had chosen Mystic Falls.

With a large, unattractive yawn, I turned the knob on my bedroom door and stepped inside.

As the door closed, I was immediately drenched in cozy, warm darkness and I knew I wouldn't last more than a few minutes once I was in bed.

I decided to ignore my pre-bed ritual due to lack of energy and I headed straight for my bed.

With a large stretch and one more yawn, I threw back the sheets and crawled into bed.

I was nearing the other edge of the bed when I ran into a large mass. I opened my mouth to scream and I jerked my body back to scramble away when two arms wrapped around me.

"It's just me," Damon whispered softly into my ear.

"Damon? I hadn't expected you to come back tonight," I admitted, trying to ignore my extremely loud heartbeat.

Damon wrapped his arms tighter around me and pulled me down onto the mattress.

I snuggled my head under his chin and smiled slightly at how perfectly my body formed itself against his. For someone who had just been scared half to death, I had calmed down surprisingly quick. I guess Damon alone was enough to comfort me.

"Why wouldn't I?" he questioned. "That short amount of time earlier wasn't enough for me. Was it for you?"

"No, of course not," I answered quickly.

He nodded once. "So, that's why I'm back."

"I kind of feel like a teenager again," I laughed against his neck.

"Why is that?"

"Because here I am with a guy who's snuck into my room."

I felt his head lift a little. "Oh, so you did this a lot when you were a teenager?" The question was extremely insinuating.

"No!" I giggled, lightly hitting his shoulder. "I never had guys sneak into my room, but from movies I've watched and books I've read, this is what teenagers do, right? The guy sneaks in through the girls' window and snuggles up to her in bed. The parents never know and never become suspicious, but the kids don't ever do anything non-PG rated, so it's not like it really matters if they find out or not. It's always so sweet."

He bent his head lower and lightly nipped at my earlobe. "We could definitely make this non-PG, if you'd like, Elena." His voice was low and sinisterly sexy. "I'm sure it would keep you from feeling like a teenager."

My face heated with a blush. "We can just keep it sweet," I responded meekly.

He kissed the small dip directly below my ear and smiled against my skin. "If you say so," he faux sighed before resting his head above me again.

"I could introduce you to my family, if you'd like," I told him. "Maybe tomorrow? Then I won't feel like I'm sneaking so much."

He shrugged. "If that's what you want."

I bit down on my lower lip in thought for a second. "You don't think Jeremy will remember you, do you?"

He shook his head. "Very unlikely. Stefan told me what he did for him, so his mind should be protected from the memory."

I nodded slowly, hoping that whatever Stefan did would hold up. "Well, whether or not I introduce them to you soon, we won't have to do the window thing for very much longer."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to get an apartment of some sort here in Mystic Falls." As I said the words, I felt his muscles tense around me slightly. I pulled away from him a little. "You don't like that idea?" I asked slowly.

His grip around my body eased up and he moved so that our heads were leveled. I could hardly see his face with the lack of light, but his eyes were unmistakable. "I don't think it's the best idea, no," he responded cautiously.

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "Why not?"

"Because it would be too easy to find you here."

"Who's looking for me?" I retorted quickly, pushing myself up with one arm.

He mimicked my movement. "We don't know what Katherine is up to," he reminded me.

"Damon, I'm not going to let her rule my life. If and when she comes around, I'll deal with it, but I'm not going to run from her."

"It's just not a good decision, Elena."

I folded my arms across my chest. "Damon, is that the only reason it's a bad decision? Because she could find me? Or is it a bad decision because it would be bad for you?"

"What is that supposed to mean, Elena?" he groaned softly.

"Remember how when we first met you told me you were from here. What made you leave?"

I could see a soft shadow on his face move, indicating his jaw muscles were flexing; a tell-tale sign he was mulling over his answer.

"Damon," I repeated a bit more boldly, "Why did you and Stefan originally leave Mystic Falls?"

"Some people," he began slowly, "don't really appreciate our presence in this town."

"Wow, could your answer be anymore vague?" I asked sarcastically.

"Don't be snide," he commented and I rolled my eyes.

"So who were these people?"

He was quiet for a few moments longer before responding. "Your ancestors."

The answer brought me up short. "What?"

He nodded. "Your forefathers found out what we were and were determined to drive stakes through our hearts."

My jaw fell slack. "My family tried killing you?"

"Yours and the families of many, many others."

"But why would that be an issue now?"

"Most of those families are still plenty aware of our existence. Not all legends die."

"And you'd think they'd come after you?"

"I know they'd come after me," he corrected.

Sympathy poured through me as I listned to Damon's confession. I had only experienced someone seeking me out to kill me for one month so far. Damon had been experiencing this for centuries. I couldn't imagine how that would feel.

"Damon, nothing's going to happen to you," I said softly, reaching forward to gently caress his cheek.

"I know that I'll be okay," he said slowly, taking the wrist of my outstretched hand and pulling my palm in front of his lips, kissing it gently. "It's you I worry about."

I tilted my head softly. "People wouldn't hurt me because of you, Damon."

"Stefan and I were killed because we were with Katherine," he quickly interjected, lightly grazing his lips along the pads of each of my fingers.

"They killed you because of her?" I gasped.

He nodded. "When they found out we were helping her and that we were in love with her, they killed us. And when we became what we are now, they sought to kill us again."

My heart suddenly felt torn. I wanted so badly to live in Mystic Falls, but I would never do anything that would hurt Damon.

"Damon, I want to stay here," I whispered timidly. "I don't want to run anymore."

He sighed and placed his forehead against my palm. "Elena, I'm so worried for your safety."

"I know." I pulled my hand away and replaced it with my own head, our noses grazing each other. "But I can't live my life in fear. That's not a life at all."

His cool breath flowed over my face as he pondered over my words. "You're right," he finally said. "I want you to be happy and if Mystic Falls is where you can be happy, then we'll stay here. We'll start looking for an apartment for you tomorrow."

I gently pulled my lower lip in between my teeth for a moment. "Maybe we could look for an apartment for us tomorrow?"

I felt the muscles in his face adjust themselves into a smile. "Sure, if that's what you want." He tilted his head down so that our lips touched. "I love you," he mumbled against my lips.

I simply nodded and increased the pressure between us.

Several seconds passed before Damon pulled away. "You should get some sleep," he encouraged softly. "Tomorrow is apparently going to be a big day."

He lied back on the back and pulled me with him. I rested my head on his shoulder, one arm thrown casually across his stomach. Both of his arms wrapped around my body and he snuggled us deep into the covers.

Although I really no longer wanted to go to sleep, I knew I was tired and he was right; tomorrow would be a big day. I closed my eyes and instantly had to suppress a yawn.

"Goodnight, Damon." I smiled as the words exited my lips. It felt right to be going to sleep next to him.

"Goodnight, love," he responded as he slowly began to glide one hand through my hair, from the top of my scalp to the tips at my lower waist.

Before I drifted off, a random question popped into my mind. "Damon?"

"Hm?"

"How did you get into Aunt Jenna's house?" I asked, my brow furrowing.

"She invited me in, of course."

I rolled my eyes behind my closed lids. Of course. I should have known.

Normally I would have berated him for his misuse of my aunt, but I was too tired and the argument just didn't seem worth it. "Goodnight," I repeated with a small smile.

He chuckled, and briefly tightened his grip around me before resuming his laps through my hair. "Goodnight, Elena."

Authors Note: See you next chapter! :)