A/N: I am sorry for the delay in updating. In the throes of writer's block! Still, thank you so much for all the reviews, the follows, the faves - everything! This chapter has been a real slog, but I hope it reads better on paper than it did inside my head. At least you get some sweet lemonade for reading! And a hint or two of things to come. If you have any ideas for the story, don't be afraid to PM me. I love to hear from readers! Thank you again, and please REVIEW! Enjoy!

Dislcaimer: I do not own or operate The Vampire Diaries.

Chapter 8: Just Running Away

Elena's phone buzzed and she reached for it. She felt Damon's arm pull her close to his body again.

"I need to check this message, hon." She reached again for the phone and heard Damon grumble faintly. She grinned. She looked at the text. It was from Jeremy. Apparently, he and Caroline had gone bar-hopping after the party and ended up sleeping it all off at her place. Well, Caroline had worked her tail off to get everything just so for that shindig, and she deserved to cut loose.

"You'd better put that phone on the nightstand if you want to keep it in one piece." Damon's voice was soft.

She placed the phone next to the lamp and found herself on her back underneath Damon's body, his eyes still a little drowsy. "Aren't you Mr. Bossypants this morning?" she said.

He kissed her deeply and trailed his tongue down her neck. She felt his fangs in her neck and she yielded to the feeling of his mouth pulling blood from her veins. When he licked the wound clean, he could see it healing over - a result of her still having his blood in her system. "So you think I'm bossy?"

"You mean you're not? Telling me to put my phone down and then going all caveman on me? Definitely fits my notion of bossy," Elena answered, but she was running her hands over his back.

"I think I prefer 'assertive.'" His smirk was firmly in place.

"Semantics. It all boils down to you liking the whole control thing."

He kissed her neck again. "Is this a problem?"

Elena really couldn't think straight when he did that. Her blood started to heat. "You don't own me, Damon," she said.

He continued his kisses. "Not legally, no." He raised to look her in the eyes. "But you do kind of make me wish harems were still the fashion. If I bought you and had ownership papers on you, then I could keep you all to myself and no one would say a word. They'd just talk about what a lucky man I am." His grin was almost enough to make Elena wish the same thing.

"I take back what I said about you being a caveman. You're a Neanderthal!" she exclaimed.

"Semantics," he said, throwing her words back at her. He kissed her and then raised up again to look into her eyes. "Do you have any vacation time coming to you?

"Some, I guess. The Gatlin party was last-minute, and we don't have anything on the books for a couple of weeks. This is usually our slow time, before the holidays start. Why?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to go somewhere for a vacation."

"I don't know. Where did you have in mind?" This was unexpected.

"Anywhere. Do you have a valid passport?"

"Seriously?" Elena squeaked.

"Now you sound like Caroline. But yes, I'm serious. The question is, somewhere warm or somewhere cold?"

"Isn't this a little unexpected?" she asked.

He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "I don't do the expected thing," he said.

"Apparently not. If I said 'warm,' where would we go?"

"How about the Cayman Islands?"

"Why there?"

"Because I own a bungalow on Little Cayman. It's very secluded. Nothing but sand, sun, surf, the best seafood you've ever eaten, a private beach, a jacuzzi on the deck… What do you say?"

Elena had never been known for her impetuous decisions, but just once in her life, well, couldn't she throw the proverbial caution to the winds and do something crazy? She shifted to turn and face him. "When would we leave?"

"Tonight. I have a friend with a charter business. I'll call him and reserve the jet."

"The jet?"

"Sure. A Lear. You didn't think I'd take you to the Caymans in a four-seat puddle jumper, did you?" He grinned that grin at her.

"Well, no, but I guess I wasn't expecting a jet. Do you own the jet?" she asked.

"God, no. Too expensive. I own part of the company. I fly free."

"Well, that's convenient."

"You'd better believe it is. Especially when you're carrying a couple of days' worth of blood in a cooler."

Elena chuckled. "I can see where that would be a problem. How long did you plan to stay?"

"As long as you can before Caroline starts hyperventilating at your absence."

She laughed out loud. "And where will you get blood on the Caymans?"

He just raised his eyebrows. "Suppliers. It's not a problem. Blood is actually a lot easier to get than high-quality cocaine."

"And you would know this how?"

"I know people in that business, too. But don't worry, Miss Judgy Eyes," he said when he saw the look on her face. "I don't have an iron in that fire. It's just good to know people. Never know when you might need to call in a favor."

"I see. I wasn't necessarily judging you, though."

"Yeah, you were. But I can lay those fears to rest, anyway."

"Good to know. So do you need to go back to Rome to get some clothes for the trip?"

"Nah. I keep stuff there. My sizes don't change, and shorts and T-shirts never go out of style."

"Well, that's true. Guess I'll need to get some packing done before we go, though." She made a move to get out of bed, and Damon trapped her again.

"No, I don't think so. Not yet, anyway," he said with a wicked grin.

"You're insatiable," she said, but she was smiling.

"Goes along with the territory, sugar." He nuzzled her neck. "Blood, sex - it's all good."

"You want both all the time?"

Damon thought about that. "To a greater or lesser degree, pretty much. One kind of replaces the other." He sucked the skin on her neck. "And sometimes, you're lucky enough to get both at the same time, if you have a willing participant." He bit her skin very gently, worrying it in his human teeth, then licking it, which sent corresponding darts of fire licking through her veins.

"I always thought vampires would be cold to the touch," she said.

"Remember, I told you our bodies operate pretty normally. We're a little cooler, maybe, but not cold. Now, most vampires do gravitate to warmth, like sweet, warm bodies," and here he snuggled her to him, "But cold? No. We're not reptiles, after all."

"Yeah, I know. But let's face it: there are a lot of myths to dispel about your, um species."

"Oh, I know it. That's why I contacted you. I wanted to dispel every misconception you've got about me." His mouth went to work on her skin again.

"Yeah, I got that idea," she chuckled, and arched against Damon as he cupped her breasts in his hands and flicked her nipples.

He dropped his mouth to suckle her and when he raised his head, he said, "I can't believe that yard dog Mason thought he could satisfy you on the best day he ever had," Damon growled.

"He's not you, that's for sure," Elena said, breathless.

"Damn right, he's not," Damon agreed, as he continued kissing her skin, finally reaching her center, and putting his tongue to good use on her moist folds as she whimpered with the feeling. Elena hadn't had that many lovers, and none who were as intent on making her climax first, and absolutely none who were as fond of oral sex as Damon. Not only did he obviously love doing it, he was an expert. But that held true for every aspect of his lovemaking. He was unbelievable. She felt her orgasm start and she knew what would happen. As soon as her body tipped over the edge, Damon was on top of her and inside her, feeling the spasms of her body gripping him as he thrust into her body. As he climaxed with her, then rolled her to her side, still inside her, she couldn't stop a giggle.

His face turned serious. "Elena, that kind of laughing after mind-blowing sex is not encouraging."

She touched his cheek. "Damon, has anyone ever told you that you're perilously close to being a man-whore?"

"Not recently," he growled.

Elena stroked his hair. "Oh, don't get all torqued out of shape. I was teasing you. But you said yourself that you're fairly insatiable."

"You said it, actually. I just didn't disagree with you."

"Semantics again."

"Mmmm," he hummed into her neck. "As much as I'd love to take you out to breakfast, I really think we need to lay low. I'd hate to run into Katherine again, and she has a way of running into people when you don't want her to - which is always. Plus, if she's keeping company with Rover, that's just a nasty combination I don't want to deal with. Let's give her time to clear out of town."

"Is that why you want to go to the Caymans?" Elena asked.

"Partly, but I really do want to get you all to myself for a while, and you deserve some time off, too. If you bring your laptop, you might get some writing done."

"I know I need some time off."

"There you go, then. Give Caroline time to wake up and fluff her hair, and then call her and let her know. She can keep your brother company, right?"

"Apparently. He slept over at her place last night. Said he'd had too much to drink and that's where they ended up."

Damon grinned at her. "Some excuse is better than none, I guess. I think he's had a case for her and last night was the first time he's really gotten to indulge himself. Can't blame him. Caroline is a beautiful woman. Not like you, but still beautiful."

"Has that charm always been a part of your personality, Damon?"

He thought about it. "More or less. It does come in handy."

"I'm sure," Elena said, a little facetiously. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting up out of this bed, and I'm packing for a vacation." She rolled over, but Damon caught her again and kissed her.

"Now you can get up," he said with a smirk.

"Gee, thanks." She got out of bed and slipped on panties and a T-shirt. She looked over at Damon, who had thrown the sheet back and was lying there naked, the morning sun turning his skin to alabaster. He was truly extraordinary. "Were you always so fair skinned, or is that a vampire thing?"

"Both, believe it or not. Father was pure Italian, and Stefan has his complexion, but Mother had very fair skin, and I look like her. Vampires do tend to be paler than normal, but I was always fair. It's not so noticeable now, but when I was human, I tended to have red cheeks. When I was six, everyone thought it was adorable. Not so much when I was 16, and it was downright embarrassing when I was in the Army. They used to call me 'little pink cheeks,' and eventually they shortened it to 'Pinky.' I caught hell about it. I think it's called rosacea now." He rolled his eyes expressively.

"Bless your heart. I know that was bad," Elena said. "So, what were you going to do before you were turned? I mean, with your life?"

"I really didn't know," Damon answered. He slipped on his underwear. "I was kind of aimless. Of course, I was also a deserter. I went AWOL from the Army, and naturally, Father despised me for a coward. But here's something you probably don't know: Desertion was a problem on both sides. What's a man to do when he's the provider, has a wife and children at home, and there's the spring plowing and planting to be done so the family can eat? And after a while, well, you can't imagine how hard times were in Virginia - all over the South. People were literally starving to death. When Margaret Mitchell wrote 'Gone with the Wind,' she nailed it about how things were during the later years of the war and during Reconstruction. If I hadn't been turned, I'd have probably done what a lot of ex-Confederates did, and gone to Texas. They were welcoming men with battlefield experience into the Mexican army. Maybe I'd have found myself a beautiful Spanish girl, married and had half-a-dozen children." He finished dressing and went into the kitchen.

Elena looked after him. He had never been so candid about himself, personally, before. He had lost so much - had so much ripped from him. She knew Damon was entirely too proud to accept what he would term "pity," but she still felt so sorry for him. She was beginning to realize that, for all his swagger and bravado, Damon had not had an easy life, before or after he was turned. She remembered the anger in his voice when he spoke of Katherine - and the hurt. Elena would like to stake the woman herself, just for her callous treatment of Damon, and Stefan, too. It wasn't right.

She found her pajama shorts and went into the kitchen. Damon sitting at the kitchen island and was reading the morning paper. He had finished a bag of blood, so he should be in a decent frame of mind. On impulse, she went to him and kissed his cheek. He looked sidelong at her, but his expression was pleased. "What was that for?"

"Just because." She went to the refrigerator. "Jeremy's kind of cleaned me out of groceries, but I do have pancake mix. Or, we could just be really lazy and eat cereal. I know I have Honey Nut Cheerios and Raisin Bran. Jeremy brought his own box of Peanut Butter Captain Crunch, sugar junkie that he is." She poked around in the fridge. "I do have four eggs, though, and plenty of bread. How about French toast?"

Damon grinned. "That sounds good. I'll be glad to do the honors."

"Oh, you don't have to," Elena said.

"Maybe I want to," he replied, giving her one of those fathomless looks again.

"You're spoiling me."

"Only the beginning, believe me," he said.

She smiled at him and said, "Let me go call Caroline." She went into her bedroom and closed the door, even though she figured Damon could probably hear her anyway. "Hey Caroline. You up?"

"Yeah, mostly. What's up?"

"Could you handle things solo this week?" Elena asked.

"Why do you ask?" Caroline said. Elena could hear the curiosity in her voice.

"Well, Damon wants to take me on a vacation. And, I don't know if you noticed, but last night, Mason showed up. And he was with this crazy ex of Damon's. They were together, which is just freaky. But they were there, and he suggested going out of town, and that just sounded great to me."

"Two exes? Crap. I'd want out of town, too. Where you planning on going?"

"He has a place in the Caymans." Elena held the phone away from her ear to dampen Caroline's squeal.

"What? Seriously? Oh, my God! Shut up, Jeremy! Let me talk to her."

"Did you and Jeremy have a good time last night?"

"We did. It was fun. Now then. How long do you plan to be gone?"

"All week."

"That's fine. It's our slow time, anyway. I may just close up shop altogether. I could use a break, too. So, how did Mason find you?"

"He was with Damon's ex, like I told you. She's really crazy. Damon took care of the situation, though."

"I'll bet he did. He's good at that kind of thing, I'm thinking."

Elena chuckled. "Yeah, he is. So you're cool with me going?"

"Sure! I'd be the worst friend in the world if I told you not to go, just because you haven't been seeing him that long. I mean, I'll be able to call you, right?"

"I guess. I figure my cell will work. I'm taking my laptop, so I'll have email, too, and Skype!"

"O.K. Have bunches of fun, but I guess that's a given, right?" Her meaning was obvious, and Elena could hear Jeremy groaning in the background.

She laughed. "Definitely. Tell Jeremy to leave my car at your place when he leaves. I'd rather it be there than at my place. Damon's car is in my garage, and it's locked."

"All right. Well, I'll talk to you. Lucky thing!"

"See you, Caroline. Get some rest this week." She ended the call and got her suitcase and started packing.

They boarded the plane in late afternoon and settled in for the flight. Damon said it would take about three hours or so. Elena leaned back in her chair, which was essentially a big recliner, and put her feet up. "I could get used to traveling like this," she said.

"Only way to do it," Damon agreed. "When we get to cruising altitude, we can eat. Steakhouse in Atlanta catered dinner. Sound good?"

"Sounds great! I think I mentioned you're spoiling me?"

He grinned. "I enjoy spoiling you. You don't expect it."

"I can't believe some people just assume their dates are supposed to go all out, all the time. That's just kind of greedy. But I see it all the time in my business. I like what I do, but I don't like the way some of these people act."

"What kinds of events do you like to organize?"

Elena looked over at Damon. "Really? I like small events for people who are just glad to have the event. We did a party last spring for a 100-year-old lady. Her family was so sweet. They didn't have a huge amount of money, but we worked really hard to give them the most for what they had to spend. Everyone had a great time, and it was a lot of fun. I like those kinds of events. Obviously, we can do big and splashy, but those aren't my favorite kind of events to plan."

"That's interesting. What about Caroline?"

"Her? Oh, she lives for the big events. She thrives on the pressure. That's probably why we make such a good team. We kind of complement each other. She loves the big parties, and I like doing the small ones. It works for us. Do you have any research projects you're supposed to be doing this week?"

"Nothing I can't do on your laptop, if you'll let me borrow it," he said with a grin. "We'll stay in George Town on Grand Cayman tonight, and then on to Little Cayman in the morning. We will be on a puddle jumper for that one. It's only for about 30 or 40 minutes, though."

"Where are we staying tonight?"

"At a little bed and breakfast outside of town. They know me, and the breakfast is awesome. We can go to the grocery store and stock up for the week, plus there are a few restaurants on Little Cayman, and if you want to come back to George Town during the week, no problem."

"It sounds wonderful. I can't believe you're doing this."

"I can't go into the yard, Katherine. There's a protection spell on it." Mason shrugged his shoulders.

"Now, who do you suppose did that?" Katherine said. "She's not a witch."

"Doesn't mean she doesn't have one as a friend, though. She's got the entire perimeter protected."

Katherine tried to cross into the yard also, but couldn't. "Must be something that keeps most supernaturals out. Doesn't explain why Damon could be here, though. And he was here. I can smell him." And she could scent out his unique fragrance of leather and bourbon - and himself. Centuries of immortality had not been kind to Katerina Petrova's psyche. She was perpetually bored and irritable, and almost completely without conscience. When she had Damon and Stefan both, however, she was able to keep the boredom at bay, and it had been difficult to find others who fulfilled her needs as they did. Their last coupling was in Chicago in the 20s and it was rough, dirty and brief - and Katherine wanted more of it. The compulsion spell she bought in New Orleans had cost a fortune, but if it worked, she could have both Damon and Stefan again, from now on. She stomped her foot in anger.

"Dammit! Where did they go?"

"Well, they're obviously not around. C'mon, Katherine. Let's go."

She turned to look into his eyes and hers dilated. "You will drive by here every day. When Elena and Damon get back, call me immediately."

"I'll call you immediately," he parroted back to her.

"That's right. Now let's get out of here." She ushered Mason to his car and they left.

"There's some champagne chilling in the room, Damon," the B&B proprietor said.

He grinned. "You take good care of me, Claudine." He kissed her cheek and motioned to Elena, and they went to their room, which had a private entrance.

"How do you like it?" he asked.

"It's great. Looks comfortable." The room was painted in a soothing creamy beige, with white wainscoting and a little seating area with a loveseat and a recliner. The four-poster bed was dark wood, as was the dresser. The large bathroom had a whirlpool tub, which sounded great to Elena. She put her suitcase on the seat at the foot of the bed and opened it.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting ready to fire up that whirlpool tub for a while."

"Need some help washing your back?" Wickedness was all over his face.

Elena grinned at him and kissed his cheek. "A girl needs her privacy once in a while, sweetie. Maybe next time."

"I'll remember that."

She laughed and went into the bathroom. As she luxuriated in the warm water, she pondered on the strangeness of her situation. By all rights, she should be terrified of Damon, but she wasn't. That Katherine woman had scared her out of her wits, but Elena hadn't told Damon she felt that way. She was just as glad to be out of the country for a few days, and hoped Katherine didn't have a passport. Elena sighed as she washed her hair. Damon Salvatore had to be the best looking man she had ever seen. Everything about him was male perfection. She asked herself if there was anything about his physical appearance that wasn't perfect. The only thing she could come up with was that his nose was just a little big, but it gave his face character and kept him from being downright pretty.

Damon was lying on the bed when Elena came out of the bathroom, wearing a pink short satin robe. "What'cha got on underneath?" he asked, sex in his tone. She was brushing her hair in front of the dresser mirror.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I'll find out, I guarantee," he said, smirking.

"Maybe."

A woosh of air was all the indication Elena had that Damon had moved, but he was suddenly behind her, arms around her, mouth on her ear. He nibbled on the shell of her ear, then kissed the skin behind her ear and down to her neck. He untied the sash on her robe and parted the sides, then slid his hands underneath. His chuckle nearly made Elena's knees buckle. "You're very, very bad, sugar. Nothing on under here but body lotion."

"Why should I wear anything? Not like it'll stay on," she answered and was rewarded with another laugh. She loved to hear Damon laugh.

He turned her around and ran his tongue from the hollow of her throat up to the point of her chin, and then kissed her. He was naked too, and pressed her body to his. Then, he picked her up and they were on the king-sized bed, he was on top of her, and was kissing her between her breasts and then nosed his way back to her mouth. His kiss was burning, and she clung to him, willing him to thrust inside her. She didn't care if she climaxed first or not. She just had a deep need to feel his body moving inside hers.

"I need you inside me now, Damon. Please," she whispered.

"Can't disappoint a lady, now can I?" he answered, low, a laugh in his voice. He eased himself inside her, and her sigh of satisfaction was almost enough to make him lose it right then. At first, he moved with exquisite, slow thrusts, and Elena was content to let him do it. Then, he picked up the pace, and moving faster, balancing on one knee, as he brought her hips to meet his, as if she weighed nothing. He stroked her folds, then could feel her climax around him and she chanted his name. The delicious spasms of her body brought Damon to the edge too, and he cried himself spent. He grinned when he realized her robe never came off completely.

Last night, this morning, just now - Damon couldn't believe how sensual Elena was. He was enchanted by her. He knew this - whatever it was - couldn't last forever, but he wanted to be with her for as long as he could. Katherine might make that impossible, though. He wondered what in the world she was doing in town, and with Mason Lockwood, no less. Nothing good, he knew.

He lay down next to Elena and pulled her next to him so her head rested on his chest. He turned out the light and nosed in her hair. "You smell wonderful," he said.

She laughed softly. "Must be part of dating a vampire. A regular guy says a girl is beautiful. A vampire says she smells good. All in the perception, I guess."

Damon laughed too, and deliberately tilted Elena's face up so he could kiss her. "You taste good, too. And that's definitely a compliment."

Elena felt for the blanket and pulled it over them. They said their good-nights and Elena drifted off to sleep, feeling absolutely safe - and loved. Whether Damon said it or not, she felt loved.

Damon watched Elena sleep for a little while, and felt strangely human. Maybe it was dangerous for him to even think it, but he did feel very human. It was strange enough that he drew an odd comfort from it and slept, too.

Well? Thoughts? All you have to is type in a few words in that little box below! Oh - and wouldn't we all love to be whisked away to the Caymans by Damon? Yep. Thought so.