When I woke the next morning, a letter was placed on the pillow beside my head.

Elena, it began.

I've gone to change clothes and make myself presentable for my meeting with your aunt and brother. I will arrive at your front door at precisely 10 AM. Then, we will start our apartment shopping.

I love you and miss you already.

-Damon.

My heart fluttered in my chest as I read the last line through four different times. This was going to take getting used to – Damon and I having a somewhat normal, somewhat calm relationship. So often, we as a couple felt volatile and on the verge of exploding, but for once, things were peaceful; at least as peaceful as they could possibly be given our circumstances.

I looked over at my alarm clock and let out a small gasp as I realized it was already nearing 9:00. Quickly, I showered, scrunched mousse into my hair to create flowing waves in my usually straight hair – this style was much easier to create – and dressed for the day. When I finally got downstairs, it was 9:45.

Jenna and Jeremy were both sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. When they heard me enter, they both greeted me with a "Good morning" simultaneously.

I smiled back at them and repeated their greeting.

"There's some eggs and stuff in the kitchen, if you're hungry," Jenna informed me as I sat at the table.

I shook my head slightly. "Nah, I'm not hungry." Truth be told, I was hungry, but I was extremely nervous about Jenna and Jeremy meeting Damon. Were these two parts of my life I was supposed to keep separate? Would something bad happen by joining them?

I realized I was beginning to have cold feet. I wasn't sure that I was ready for them to officially meet. The overwhelming need to protect my family was starting to battle with my need of finding a balanced, typical lifestyle.

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall – 9:48. I still had 12 minutes to call this whole thing off.

"So, Elena, what are your plans today?" Jenna asked as she scooped up a fork-full of eggs.

It always seemed like she was just on the brink of reading my mind. I leaned back in my chair. "I'm going…" I decided to use Damon's words, "…apartment shopping."

My aunt looked up at me through her eyelashes, her fork halfway to her mouth. "What?"

Jeremy smiled broadly as he sat down his cup of orange juice. "So this means you're staying in Mystic Falls?"

"Looks like it," I nodded.

Jenna let out an ear-piercing, screechy howl and dropped her fork before running around the table to me. I was suddenly thankful I was sitting as she slammed into me, her arms pulling me into an uncomfortably tight hug. "Yay! Yay! Yay!" she cried, half jumping up and down as she was leaning over to hug me. She stood back up. "Oh my gosh, Elena, I am so excited," she began like a giddy sorority girl. "We are gonna' find you the greatest place! And then we'll go shopping to buy you new furniture and decorations! Oh, Elena, I'm so glad you're staying!" She bent down to hug me again, accompanied by a second squeal.

"Aunt Jenna, calm down," I laughed, hugging her back. "I know it's exciting, but sheesh."

She pulled away and started towards her place at the table again. "So, what time do you want to go?" she asked as she picked back up her fork.

I bit down on my lower lip for a moment. Here goes nothing. "Well, I kind of already have plans to go look with a friend."

She tilted her head slightly and frowned. "Oh."

Shame washed through me. "Yeah," I continued, "I'm sorry. They just happen to be in town for the day so they asked if they could tag along."

She looked down at her plate and nodded slightly. "Oh okay. That's no problem." As I was searching my mind for a way to comfort her, her face suddenly lit up and she looked back to me. "But we can still go furniture shopping and stuff, right?"

I grinned. "Absolutely. As soon as I have a place picked out."

She did a small dance with her shoulders, a huge smile plastered across her face, and began digging into her food again.

I shook my head slightly and rolled my eyes. Jenna was just too cute sometimes.

"So what about your schooling?" Jeremy asked.

I looked over at him and shrugged slightly. "I'm not one hundred percent sure yet. I mean, I hadn't picked out a major or anything back at my old school, so I just figured I could start fresh here and figure it out. I have all my basics practically finished already. Now it's just picking a career. So, I don't really know. We'll see."

He nodded and opened his mouth to respond, but as he did, the doorbell rang. Instantly, my heart dropped into my stomach and I looked at the clock again – 10:00.

Jenna's brow furrowed. "I wonder who that is."

I jumped out of my seat. "My friend. He said he'd be here around 10."

"He?" Jenna asked, sitting her fork back down.

I remained silent and exited the dining room. As I entered the hallway, I could see Damon's silhouette through the frosted glass panes of the front door and my heart skipped a beat again before speeding up.

I could hear the patter of Jenna's bare feet following closely behind me. "So who is he?" she whispered excitedly.

"Just a friend," I whispered back over my shoulder, but I knew Damon could hear us regardless of our soft voices.

"Right," she said slowly with a smile. "Just a friend. Okay."

I made a sudden stop and turned to face her. "Okay, he might be just a little bit more than just a friend. But it's just starting out, Aunt Jenna," I told her with a stern eye. "Don't put too much stock into it."

A warm, motherly smile spread across her lips. "Okay, sweetie. I won't count my chickens before they hatch." She eyed me up and down. "But I have a feeling it would be okay if I did."

She knew I was in love. She always knew what was going on in my life without me even hinting at it. Although there were times when Jenna could be immature and very non-parental, there was no one better qualified to take my mothers place than her.

I took a deep breath. "Just try to stay calm, please," I asked her.

She nodded and held out a hand, indicating my guest was still waiting.

I turned around and swiftly pulled open the door. My jaw fell slack.

Seeing Damon standing there was almost like a dream. The mid-morning sun shone around his body, illuminating the edges of his skin. His famous sexy smirk decorated his lips and the deep, sparkling pools that were his eyes set my soul on fire. He was wearing dark jeans and a deep gray v-neck t-shirt, his standard black leather jacket draped across one of his forearms. In his hands he held two bouquets, one of roses, the other of brightly colored daisy poms.

My eyes were fixated on him while everything around me faded away. Whenever I thought about not being good enough for Damon, it was all based around his appearance. He was magnificent. I was barely ordinary. I could only hope he loved me enough not to care.

"Hi," he said softly, his grin broadening.

"Hi." My response was weak and nearly just a squeak.

He chuckled slightly before turning his gaze to Jenna. "Hi, you must be Elena's aunt."

I was quickly reminded of my aunt standing beside me and I turned to look at her. She appeared to be just as dazed as I was. Slowly, she held out her hand to shake his and I couldn't help but notice how her hand wobbled.

Damon lowered himself slightly to lift her hand and kiss her knuckles. I watched Jenna's face turn seven shades of red.

"N-nice to meet y-you," she stammered. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

He let her hand fall and her stood straight again. "Damon." He held out the daisy poms to her. "These are for you. I hope you like them."

Her blush deepened. "That's so thoughtful of you, Damon, thank you."

He turned to me. "And these are for you." He handed me the roses.

I smiled down at them. "Thank you," I responded softly.

Before I could fully examine the bouquet, Jenna snatched them away. "I'm going to get these into water right now so they last longer," she said as she started for the kitchen.

I laughed and looked back to Damon. "That was sweet of you."

He shrugged. "That's what we do, right?"

"Who's we?" I asked with a furrowed brow.

"You know, boyfriends." He said the word in a casually dismissive tone.

I pulled my lower lip in between my teeth. "So is that what you are?"

He grinned. "I normally don't go for that type of thing," he said as he leaned against the doorframe, shoving his now empty hands into his jean pockets, "but I figured what the hell. Why not live a little?" He scoffed quietly. "Well, technically I don't live, but you get the point."

I felt my cheeks burn softly. "Okay. Sure," I nodded and folded my arms across my chest. "We can definitely give this…'thing' a try."

"It feels odd, doesn't it?" he asked suddenly.

"What does?"

"Doing this whole thing backwards. I mean, you and I have kind of already surpassed the girlfriend/boyfriend stage, but…" he shook his head slightly, "…here we are."

I couldn't help but giggle. He was right. We were definitely not doing this all in the right order.

"But I guess," he started with a sigh, shoving off the doorframe, "when you're as old as I am, it doesn't matter how you get to this point. As long as you do." He leaned down and lightly grazed his lips across my cheek.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, his soft touch instantly making me dizzy. When contact was lost and I opened my eyes again, Damon had already moved past me and was walking down the hallway.

I shut the door and followed him into the dining room.

Jenna was just entering from the kitchen holding two vases full of water that contained the flowers. She sat them in the center of the table.

Jeremy looked up from where he was still sitting at the table, his plate entirely empty in front of him. His eyes briefly passed over me and when they landed on Damon, he froze; all of the color drained from his face.

He remembered. I glanced nervously at Damon who was standing calmly by my side.

"Jeremy, this is Damon. Damon, Jeremy," Jenna introduced the two as she stood back and eyed the position of the flowers.

Jeremy stared at Damon with a panicked expression for a few moments longer before shaking his head and running a hand over his face. When he looked back, he appeared much more calm, only slightly rattled.

Jenna looked at Jeremy once the silence had lasted too long. "Jer, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," she laughed.

He grinned, but the smile was off and seemed uncomfortable. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He held out a hand to Damon. "Nice to meet you, man."

Damon stepped forward and shook his hand. "You, too."

When their hands dropped, Jeremy tilted his head and his brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, man, but do I know you? You seem like…ridiculously familiar. I swear we've met before."

Damon looked at me then back to Jeremy with a shrug. "Not that I know of. I haven't been in Mystic Falls in a really long time."

"Huh," Jeremy huffed, then looked back to his empty plate, obviously mulling over his déjà vu.

I looked back at Damon and he quickly winked, indicating that things were okay.

"Well, guys, we're gonna' head out," I said to Jenna and Jeremy. I wanted to get out of this house before Damon's appearance triggered other memories in Jeremy.

"Jenna, it was lovely meeting you," Damon started with a cool smile. "And Jeremy, if you remember where we met, let me know."

Jeremy laughed. "Yeah, no problem." I hoped with all my might that conversation would never happen.

"Goodbye, Damon," Jenna smiled. "If you're around this area again, don't hesitate to drop by."

"Will do, ma'am." I watched a blush touch Jenna's cheeks again. That trait must run in our family.

Damon turned and lightly placed his hand on the small of my back. "Let's get going, shall we?"

I nodded and my face heated once more. Maybe the blush didn't run in our family so much as Damon was just an excellent charmer.

Damon and I pulled up in front of an apartment complex that had been advertised in a local real estate book.

From the outside, this place seemed as great a catch as my last apartments, but without a job, I didn't have many options. When my parents passed away, they left both Jeremy and I a significant amount of money, so for now, I would live off of that. But using their money always made me feel guilty so I tried to use it sparingly until I could make it on my own.

I climbed out of Damon's car and sighed. "What do you think?" I asked over my shoulder.

I heard his door close. "I think it looks like shit."

"Damon!" I chided. "At least wait until you see the inside, geeze."

We went to the front office and asked to see an available apartment. The owner was a middle-aged man dressed in an oddly colored suit. As he led us up the stairs to the third floor, I noticed several lights were flickering and some had gone out altogether. It gave the place an eerie feel.

We reached a burgundy painted door and he unlocked it. "I'll be back in about ten minutes," the man said. "Have yourselves a look-around and let me know your decision."

The man looked to me and I smiled softly, then he turned his gaze to Damon. Damon remained stone-faced – a very intimidating look – and the man quickly turned his eyes away and scurried off.

I stepped into the small apartment and my heart sank into my stomach. The living room was barely large enough to fit a couch, if that. I hid my disappointment though and started walking through.

"Well, this is cozy," I said with optimism.

The kitchen was directly past the tiny living room and it was just as small. There was a refrigerator that had turned yellow over time shoved in the corner. On the opposite wall a countertop stretched a foot in length, then the stove was placed, then the countertop continued with the sink placed awkwardly in it. That would definitely be hazardous for me – having the stove and sink a foot apart. I turned back around and realized there was no room for a kitchen table at all.

I bit down on my lower lip and headed for the bedroom. The bedroom was a bit bigger than the living room; at least that was promising. I could definitely bring a full sized bed in and maybe a dresser.

I walked over to the closet and threw open the door, only to be met with a brick wall.

I suppressed a sigh and shut the door back. "What do you think, Damon?"

I walked back into the living room to find him and saw he was still standing at the doorway; he had never even entered.

"I think it looks like shit," he repeated.

I folded my arms across my chest, defensively. "It needs a little work, yeah, but other than that I think it'll do."

He lifted a brow. "You're actually considering this place, Elena?"

I looked around and felt a bit embarrassed. "I mean…yeah," I responded slowly.

"Nu uh," he suddenly said, and walked toward me. "Absolutely not. No way." Before I could try to convince him otherwise, he lifted me and threw me over his shoulder.

"What the hell, Damon?" I gasped. "Put me down!"

"No," was his only response as he walked out of the apartment. I felt the wind whip around me suddenly as Damon used his speed to get us down the stairs in under a second. My stomach churned and I clenched my teeth tightly, gripping the back of his t-shirt.

He slowed at the bottom of the steps, but didn't put me down. I was grateful for I was sure I wouldn't be able to stand.

"Wow, that was fast," I heard the apartment owner's voice. "Uh, so what did you think?"

I knew he had to be confused about Damon carrying me.

"It's not going to work," Damon said coldly as he continued past the man. I looked up in time to see the man curse to himself and walk back into his office.

When we reached his car, Damon pulled me forward and practically threw me into the passenger seat. Nearly simultaneously he was climbing into the drivers seat.

"Now," he began sternly, "we are no longer going to view apartments based on those you choose," he said and picked the red book up from the dashboard.

I was still a little winded from the run and our unexpected departure so I remained quiet and leaned back into my seat.

I watched as Damon flipped through the pages rapidly, briefly pausing to look a few. After about a minute he threw the book into the back. "Forget it," he mumbled and started the ignition.

I furrowed my brow questioningly. "Where are we going?"

"To our new place," he said simply and pulled away from the curb.

Fifteen minutes later we had crossed out of the city limits and I found myself being driven down a long, winding dirt path. Trees thickly decorated the land on both sides.

"Damon, I don't think they build apartments this far out of town. Are you sure we're not lost?" I asked as I watched the blurred green outside my window.

He laughed. "We're definitely not lost. In fact we should be there right about…now." As he said the words, we turned the corner and the trees thinned out to reveal a large yard full of plush green grass. Just beyond the yard was a large, two story brick house. It appeared older than the trees, but seemed very well taken care of. The house was glorious and far larger than anything I'd ever stepped into.

I looked back to Damon, my mind utterly confused. "I don't understand. Have they turned the rooms into apartments here?"

He pulled up to the front and turned the car off. "No," he answered. "I haven't changed anything in this house for over a hundred years."

I gasped and my eyes grew wide as I looked back to the house. "This is yours?"

He opened his door and started climbing out. "I prefer ours," he chuckled, "but you can call it that if you'd like."

I clambered awkwardly out of his car, my gaze locked on the house. I took in the two large, white front doors with beautiful carvings in the wood. My eyes then ran over the exterior. There were so many windows and each had the proper shudders attached and I could see matching curtains inside. A green vine stretched up the wall, but instead of making the house appear uncared for, the vine gave the house a gorgeous, regal elegance and spoke of how old it was.

Damon moved to stand beside me and I could see him staring in me in my peripheral vision. "What do you think?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Damon, I couldn't…I can't possibly…it's just too…" I stumbled for words as I stared at the miraculous piece of architecture. "It's just too much. I could never afford this."

He laughed. "Elena, I own it. There's nothing to pay for."

I looked to him and shook my head. "Damon, it's such a nice offer, but I really couldn't." I sighed and looked back to the house. There would never be an apartment that could compare to this, but I simply wasn't worthy of this much.

Abruptly, Damon swept me up into his arms and placed his lips against mine. He pulled away and his eyes were dark with lust, causing my mind to forget about my sadness over losing the house and my heart to pick up speed.

"Let me convince you that you absolutely could," he said in a low voice that sent chills along my skin.

Before I could ask what he meant, he rushed into the house, the door opening and closing by me in a blur. He ran us up the stairs and into a room. When the door closed behind him, he placed me on my feet and pressed me against the door, his hands on either side of my face.

I had no time to look at the room I was in before his lips were on mine again, pressing forcefully. A low growl rumbled from the base of his throat and the sound made me shudder.

One of his hands dropped and slid down my side until he reached the hem of my shirt. Slowly, his hand slid up and paused, his thumb rubbing circles into my skin.

His mouth opened and I mimicked his move, allowing his tongue to glide smoothly into my mouth.

As our tongues danced together, his hand continued its movement until it found the lower curve of my breast. His thumb glided along the fabric of my bra, pushing it aside gradually. His touch made my skin pucker with goosebumps.

Finally, the bra was pushed aside enough for his thumb to graze over my nipple, instantly causing it to harden. I moaned into his mouth and he smiled against my lips, his other hand falling to hold my cheek.

He began to massage the breast in his hand and I could feel myself growing wet from the arousal.

Damon broke our kiss and I gasped for air. His lips began to suck and kiss along my neck and I let out another moan, my eyes closed tightly. My heart was hammering in my chest and my breath was escaping me unevenly.

I didn't understand why this was happening, but there was no way I was going to stop any of it. My hands lifted until they found Damon's hair. I wrapped my fingers into the dark locks and tugged slightly.

Damon let out a low groan and pressed his pelvis into me. Both of his hands fell and gripped the sides of my hips as his teeth nipped at my neck.

He applied pressure on my hips and pulled me forward, away from the door. He continued to kiss my neck as he moved backward. I opened my eyes, the movement startling me, and looked at where I was moving.

Apparently, I was in a bedroom. A large, four-poster bed was directly behind Damon and he seemed to know exactly where he was going. My first assumption was that it was his room.

Once we neared the edge of the bed, Damon broke away from my neck and sat down. His hands which were still on my hips quickly reached for the button and zipper of my jeans and he took them off hurriedly. My skin reddened with a blush at standing directly in front of him in only a t-shirt and panties.

He looked up at me from under his thick eyelashes, causing my breath to catch in my throat.

"You are so beautiful, Elena," he said with a lust-fill tone.

He lifted the hem of my shirt slightly, exposing the lower half of my stomach, and he leaned forward and gently placed a kiss above my belly button. The act was remarkably sweet and even more sexy.

I watched as his hands dropped my shirt and slid down my sides, rubbing the outside of my thighs before one traveled inside my legs. His fingers glossed over the outside of my panties and my head automatically tilted back, my eyes fluttering close.

I felt his cool fingers hook into the sides of my panties and he shimmied them down. His lips once again found my stomach and they began to make a trial lower. As his tongue licked at my skin, my heart pounded loudly, anxiously awaiting for him to reach my most aroused spot.

His hands slid around to the back of my thighs again and he gripped tightly just as his lips found my center. His tongue slid out and ran along the outer lips.

I sucked in a sharp breath of air and held back a moan that so desperately wanted to escape.

Suddenly, Damon flipped me over and I landed on the bed, the sheets poofing around me. He opened my legs and climbed into the bed on his knees. His movements were smoothly animalistic and aroused me even more.

He lowered his head and he licked at my center once more. My head pushed back into the sheets and I gripped the fabric tightly with my hands. The movements with his mouth were sensual, yet agonizing. I was desperate for his body.

I felt his tongue glide in between my lower lips and a gargled moan escaped me as he caressed the bundle of nerves. Slowly, he sucked on my center, every now and then flicking my clit with the tip of his tongue.

I felt a knot growing in my lower abdomen and knew it wouldn't take much more for me to come.

Unexpectedly, Damon lifted away from me and I fought the urge to whine. I heard the clinking of his belt and I smiled to myself, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

I heard the fabric of his jeans slide away and his hands grabbed my legs. He pulled me forward until I felt the edge of the bed against my rear end.

His fingers traced patterns into my skin and I took another deep breath.

"Are you ready?" he whispered.

I nodded frantically.

Him entering me was always a relief. He felt perfect in my body and connecting with him in this way was like coming home.

He pushed in until I was filled completely with his hardened member.

My lips parted and I licked at them, waiting for him to begin his rhythmic movement.

Very slowly, he pulled out until just his tip was still inside me, then he thrusted forward again.

A weak cry slipped from my lips and I gripped at the sheets more tightly.

Once Damon began moving in and out, he very quickly found his pace. Each time he entered me, another clipped, gaspy moan would make its way from my mouth.

Sweat beaded along my hairline and I realized it was extremely hot in the room. I reached down and pulled my shirt and bra over my head as Damon continued his movements. As soon as they were off, Damon wasted no time in reaching down and kneading each breast, his finger pinching and pulling at my very erect nipples.

As he pounded into me, the knot coiled more and I knew I was nearing my climax.

One of Damon's hands fell away from my breast and he reached down to rub at my clit. The added simulation caused my hips to buck into his and I bit down hard on my lower lip.

"Unngg, Elena," Damon groaned and I let go of my lip to smile.

Both of his hands moved to my hips to hold me in place and his movements began to come sporadically. He angled his body slightly forward so that on each upward thrust, his pelvis was rubbing against my throbbing center, sending electric waves throughout my nerves.

Each time he rammed into me, despite his efforts to hold my hips, I lifted from the bed a few inches and fell back down. The action did not feel good and when I gasped, I think he got the hint because he gripped my back and lifted me from the bed.

He turned slightly and pressed me against the wooden rail of the bed. I lifted up with one hand to grip the rod, my other folding around his neck to keep me secure.

Damon lifted me up and down with his hands, his moans escaping him more often.

My breath was ragged as I moved against him, reveling in the feeling my body got each time my clit made contact with him.

Suddenly, his fingers clenched against me and I felt warm fluid pump under my skin.

I opened my eyes and watched his face. I had never had my eyes opened as Damon orgasmed before, and now I was sorry I hadn't.

Against his clear complexion, reddish veins appeared across his face. He opened his eyes and the ice blue pools had turned completely black. His expression was that of great ecstasy and I found pride in myself that it was me that gave him that feeling.

He was beautiful. Most would probably not think so because of his vampire features, but this was Damon. This was the man I loved and I found nothing more stunning.

As the veins faded away and his eyes returned to their normal color, he leaned forward and kissed me deeply, his hips still pushing up into mine.

Damon turned us around and laid us both on the bed. He hovered over me as he continued entering me. One of his hands held his torso up, but the other gently caressed my cheek. "Come for me, Elena," he whispered, his cool breath flowing over my neck.

He angled his body again so that he was making maximum contact with my center and I moaned his name.

"Come on, baby," he said softly. "I want you to come for me, love." He moved his hand away from my face and rubbed at my center again, thrusting more forcefully into me.

Very quickly the coil wound as tight as possible and as he entered me once more, it exploded. I was sure I screamed Damon's name, but a rushing sound flowed inside my body and I couldn't hear it. White spots decorated the black beneath my lids and my fingers screamed in pain as I dug holes through the sheets.

The orgasm hit me hard, causing my body to shudder violently. "Ohh, Damon! Ohh, god, Damon," I moaned, arching my back as another lap washed over me.

I opened my eyes, despite wanting to keep them close during my orgasm, and I reached up to the back of his head. I used all my strength to pull him down to my neck. "Bite me," I commanded, still moving my hips against his.

"What?" I heard him ask.

"Do it, Damon!" I yelled.

As I requested, his fangs pierced my skin and another orgasm erupted at my center.

"Ahhh, yesss!" I yelled out, lifting my hips to meet him thrust for thrust.

I felt my blood flow from my body and my heart beat faster to keep it all moving.

I had truly seen Damon earlier for exactly what he was. This was what he needed to stay around and I found comfort… and arousal in the fact I could give it to him.

As he drank, he groaned against my flesh and I felt warmth inside me once more; I knew he had reached a second orgasm.

As my orgasms began to fade, Damon pulled away from my neck and he rolled over onto his back. Both of our chests were heaving as we panted for air.

I reached up to my neck and felt the remaining marks from his bite. A small smile formed upon my lips.

"So," Damon began through his breaths. "When would you like to move in?"

Authors Note: Okay, guys, I'm posting this really fast before I have to leave my computer for a while. I didn't get to send this to beta because I wanted to post it before I went out of town and I'm literally 5 minutes from not being able to be at the computer, so I didn't proofread, so let's just ignore the mistakes just this once until I can get back and go through it.

Let me know what you guys thinks!

See you next chapter.