Chapter 27: Road Trip

"A mystery road trip? Of course, Damon, I'd love to go on a road trip with you! I'll just need to run by my apartment and pack a bag before we leave." I giggled at his obvious giddiness. "What has you so happy? You sound like you are practically bouncing off the walls!"

"I'm happy, Lena." I can practically feel the smirk I'm sure he has on the other end of the line.

"This is more than just happy, Damon. You are as downright giddy as a school girl!"

"Well, my joy is two-fold," he laughs.

"Two-fold, huh?"

"Why, yes, Miss Elena," he says in his best Southern drawl.

"OK, let's hear it," I prod.

"Well, first of all, I know where we are going on our trip and while the first part may get your panties in a twist, I think you'll really like the second part. Of course, if you want to avoid getting your panties in a twist, you could always opt to just not wear any."

"Damon!" I gasp. "Where are we going?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be a mystery now would it?" His mirth is palpable. "Should I continue with what I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted?"

"Fine," I teasingly huff, "please, do, go on."

"I just seem to remember another road trip we went on. Trips are quite enjoyable with you.

"Hmm," is my only response as I feel myself blush from my head to my toes.

THEN

My sweet boy-I can't believe that I thought he didn't have a romantic bone in his body. At an ungodly hour this morning I was awakened by the feel of strong arms wrapping around me while a deep voice coaxed me to wake.

"Time to wake up, sleepy head. I've got big plans for us today," he purred into my ear, nuzzling my neck and placing soft kisses on my shoulder.

I stretched like a cat. "Ugh! Damon!" I whined. "It's 2:00 o'clock in the morning. What are these big plans and why do they have to happen right now?"

"It's a surprise, sweet girl. The plans are subject to change at a moment's notice. In fact, they just did!" he grinned, scooped me up and proceeded to join me for a shower that I can assure you got my blood pumping. After I tossed on shorts and a tank top and pulled my hair back into a pony tail, we were on the road. As we rode, I kept begging Damon to tell me where we were heading but he held strong, grinning like a big kid. Since it was obvious he wasn't going to give in, I finally decided to just sit back and enjoy the ride. At least the view was good: Damon looked yummy in a baseball cap, t-shirt, and faded jeans. He was also wearing flip flops which was different for him.

"Why did you insist that I wear my flip flops?" I asked.

"I wanted to be able to see your sexy little pink toes," he quipped.

"You have a foot fetish now?"

"I have an Elena fetish," he replied before leaning over and placing a quick kiss on my cheek. Our comfortable banter continued making the trip fly by. I didn't even realize that we had been on the road for several hours until Damon pulled into a little diner. "Stay put. I'll be right back, baby." A few minutes later, Damon came out carrying a bag that he placed in the previously unnoticed bag in the backseat. "OK, we should get there just in time, but first…" Reaching over to the glove compartment, Damon pulled out a bandana. "Let me tie this over your eyes."

"Really, Damon! Why?" I asked with a roll of my eyes.

"Lena, sweetheart, I am trying to surprise you but I am on a time crunch." He gave me a tight smile. With a nod of my head, he tied the bandana around my head. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Just drive!" I rolled my eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, missy!" he playfully grumbled.

"How did you know? My eyes are covered! You can't even see them!"

"Lena, I don't have to see them! I just know you!" he chuckled and, turning up the radio, continued to drive. I felt the car roll to a stop and the engine cut off. "Sit still and I'll be right around to get you. DON'T touch that blindfold!" I heard Damon get out then another door, presumably the back, open and close then Damon was at my door, unfastening my seatbelt and helping me out of the car. Taking my hand, he led me through what I later found was a parking lot and narrow walkway.

"Damon, what's that roaring?" I knew what it sounded like but there was no way on earth that it was the ocean.

"Shh…don't ask questions." Just then, I realized why he insisted on flip flops as my feet hit sand.

"Are we at the ocean?" I squealed in disbelief. Damon just squeezed my hand and kept walking.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind and whispered in my ear, "Perfect timing." He took off the blindfold and just as the sun started to pop up over the ocean, he breathed, "It's beautiful but not nearly as beautiful as you." After watching the sun rise, we sat down on a blanket and had breakfast on the beach. Damon had somehow snagged one of my swimsuits as well as bringing one of his. We changed clothes and spent the day on the beach.

"You're infuriating, you know that?" I was dreamily staring at him while we lay on a towel letting the sun's rays dry us.

He cocked one eyebrow before replying, "What makes me infuriating? Besides, you're staring, it's creepy."

"It's not creepy, it's inevitable. Have you looked at you?" I really shouldn't stoke his ego like that but sometimes honesty is the best policy. "And you are infuriating because you put up this whole big bad persona and you never let people see this side of you. You, Damon Salvatore, are amazingly romantic."

"That," he points his finger at me, "is crazy talk. Are you trying to get my ass kicked on the lacrosse field?"

"You can say what you want. I know the truth," I tell him, climbing over to place kisses on his chest, trailing up to his very kissable mouth. "Why don't you let other people see this side of you?"

"I thought you didn't like to share," he smiles at me.

"You know what I mean."

"Lena, I let you see it. That's all that matters." With that he rolls me over and pins me to the beach towel, kissing me deeply, drawing a moan from me.

"Damon, we're going to get arrested if you don't stop!" I giggle.

Glimpsing up and down the mostly deserted beach, he gets a wicked gleam in his eye. "Then I suggest we go check out those waves out there." He hops up, grabs my hand and drags me into the water.

NOW

Damon and I have been riding down the interstate and are sitting at a gas station. He leans over to kiss me when he starts laughing uncontrollably.

"Are you OK? What are you laughing about?" It's a little disconcerting when the man of your dreams leans over to kiss you and bursts into laughter.

"I was just thinking about our trip to the beach and…"he starts shaking with laughter again. I roll my eyes and punch his arm because I know exactly what he's thinking about.

"Don't say it!" I groan, covering my face.

"I will never forget the look on your face when that lifeguard picked up your swimsuit bottoms! That was priceless!"

"I wanted to die!" I whine. I know my face is as red as can be. "I was mortified!"

"Not nearly as mortified as you would've been if I hadn't been a gentleman and gone to get them for you." He's still laughing.

"You're no gentleman! If you were a gentleman, I wouldn't have lost my pants to begin with."

"Touche, if you were a lady, you wouldn't have lost your pants. Besides, at least I told him that you lost them peeing in the ocean."

"You what?" This is the first I've ever heard of that.

"I had to tell him something. What was I supposed to say? Tell him that my hot girlfriend couldn't control herself and just had to have sex right then, right there?" he started laughing again.

"OK, Mr. Giggles, let's get a move on. I have no idea where we are headed and I'm starting to get antsy."

As he pulls back on the road, Damon answers, "About that…I think it's time I tell you where we're going. You are probably going to freak out but I promise you it will be OK. They know I'm bringing a date but they have no idea it's you and no idea about, well, everything."

"Damon, where are we going?" Forget antsy. I was downright on edge.

"We're going to a bed and breakfast," he hedged.

"OK…" I drag out, encouraging him to continue.

"But first we are going to have dinner at Stefan and Rebecca's."

My eyes almost bug out of my head. "Damon! You tricked me into this—it's not fair!"

"Lena, yes, OK, maybe I did but would have agreed to come otherwise?"

"No."

"Exactly. Lena, he's my brother and I love you! You are going to have to spend time with him and if you spend time with him you're going to have to spend time with Rebecca."

I'm staring at him in utter shock. "What did you just say?"

"You're going to have to spend time with Rebecca. I know you don't like her but you've got to remember that she didn't do what you thought she did."

"Not that. You said…"

"I love you? Lena, of course I love you."

"Damon, pull over."

"Are you ok?"

"Damon, pull the damn car over!" Once the car is off the road and parked, I launch myself at him, straddling his lap. "You can't just spout that out riding down the road!"

Damon runs his hands through my hair and down my back coming to rest on my waist. I'm lost in his ocean blue eyes when he says, "I love you, Elena Gilbert. I thought you knew that."

"Oh, Damon, I love you too! But I didn't know you felt the same way."

"Lena, I never stopped loving you!" making his declaration and sealing it with a kiss.

AN: Don't you just want to kidnap him? I do! Up next, Elena and Rebecca come face to face. Many thanks for the awesome reviews and PMs! I really do appreciate it. It's unbelievable how encouraging they can be. Thank you also for the faves and follows!