Whew! I got back yesterday at 4 a.m. and slept all day, so I just got around to writing this chapter. Sorry for the hiatus, there was no wireless in my hotel. I know the lack of Delena in the past couple of chapters have been boring and probably why there hasn't been many reviews, so here we go!

Chapter 12: Little By Little, All at Once

Ric pulled into the cemetery, struggling to see through the torrents of rain hitting his windshield like bullets. Grabbing a stake and slamming the car door, he set out, immediately getting soaked to the skin. His shoes squelching with water, he jogged up and down the rows of headstones, darting his eyes back and forth through the shadows. Nearing the back of the cemetery, he crossed over to a clearing edged with large oak trees. He turned a corner and saw the vampire, his head bent over Elena, who was looking limp and a little worse for wear. Praying that the vamp hadn't bitten yet, he sneaked around to the other side of a different tree, then stealthily crossed over and stood not 3 feet behind the demon, his stake raised high.

…

Damon sped down the road like there was no tomorrow, pushing his old car to its limit. He could feel himself slowly regaining strength, but he couldn't think about that, not when the word torture was ingraining itself in his mind. The vampire had expressed his wishes to torture Elena. If Damon got there too late, if she had to suffer at the hands of that bastard, he would toss off his ring and find a merciful patch of sunlight to step into, by God. There was nothing else to live for. Finally arriving at the cemetery, Damon leaped out of his car and took off through the pouring rain, trying to decipher a heartbeat through his weakened senses.

…

Elena dimly realized she was about to die as Gabriel lowered his head to her neck. Under the compulsion, she had accepted the fact that her life was being cut short. The acceptance had allowed her mind to focus on other things, and all she saw or heard was Damon. Damon's eyes. Damon's sense of humor. His gentleness. His scent. His heart. The heart she knew to be more sensitive than anyone else's that she'd ever met. She never got to tell him goodbye. She never got to say how much she really cared about him. How she might love him. A tear trickled down her face, melting in with the driving rain that was drenching her through the trees. Elena's eyes fell shut in defeat, her arms dangling limply at her sides. She waited for the bite that would end her. It never came. Something inside her snapped, and she felt a release as she stepped forward, her eyes still closed; the compulsion was broken. Her jaw dropping, she forced her eyes open and found herself standing a few feet away from Alaric, who had an expression of something between shock and triumph on his face. Looking down, Elena saw Gabriel crumpled and gray, lying between them with blank, unseeing eyes, a stake protruding from his chest. Relief hitting her like a train, she stepped over the body and threw her arms around the life-saving teacher, too overwhelmed with gratitude to form a coherent sentence.

"Thank you Thank you Thank you…saved my life…" Elena choked out between sobs, her chin resting over his shoulder. Opening her eyes, she saw a familiar black figure approaching the edge of the clearing. The sight of him caused her chest to explode, incapable of holding back all of her emotions anymore. Pulling back from Ric, she stumbled over the deceased vampire and ran across the clearing, rain hitting her skin like needles. As she neared him, she noticed that his arms were spread apart, held open to her unconsciously. His expression was unreadable, but she didn't care. Just as she thought her ragged breath would give out on her, she reached him. She jumped into his arms, putting her hands on his shoulders as she threw her legs around him, securing herself around his waist. He staggered back a little, but recovered and wrapped his arms across her back, feeling bare skin through all the rips in her sweater. Without giving it another thought, Elena crushed her mouth to his, not able to go a second longer without conveying to him how she really felt. At first he was shocked, but recovered quickly and kissed her back, with more passion than any other kiss he had given before. His strong mouth slowed hers down, drawing out the kiss and making it slower and languid. She was consumed with how sweet he tasted, and she opened her mouth against his, releasing a slow hot breath while tangling her fingers in his dripping wet hair. He almost died at her response, and he pressed his fingers against her bare skin exposed at the waist. He slowly stroked her tongue with his, and they tangled together in a burst of passion. Elena's breath caught with a faint whimper of desire, and she pressed herself as close as she could to his chest, dizzy with his scent. The world seemed to have stopped turning and not even time existed in this blissful place where only the two of them thrived. Elena pulled her mouth from his, trying to draw breath. She rested her forehead against his, staring into his smoldering blue eyes and breathing his air. Seeing that look in his eyes once again, this time she was able to put a finger on it: love. At that moment, Elena knew she would never kiss another person besides him, Damon Salvatore, for all eternity.

As he leaned his forehead against Elena's, happiness broke in waves over Damon for the first time in centuries. Pure, unadulterated happiness. She had given him the one thing he had wanted more than anything in his entire existence: herself. Unable to speak through the lovely haze and unwilling to break the silence, he dragged his hands down Elena's sides and over her hips, bringing them to rest under her thighs to hold her up. He lowered his head to her shoulder, kissing her wet bare skin where her sweater had been ripped away. He kissed his way over her collarbone and up her neck, his tongue darting out to brush against the silky skin on her jaw right beneath her ear. A small noise rose from the back of her throat, and Elena's head dropped back, her eyes rolling up in pleasure.

"Damon…" she breathed, an undertone of warning in her voice. Oh. Right. Ric and the dead tomb vamp were still over there. Not wanting to break the contact, Damon pulled her around and carried her in his arms across the clearing, swallowing hard. She rested the side of her head on his collarbone, pressing her face into his neck and kissing it. Damon's eyes fluttered with pleasure, still not believing that Elena was finally his. She pressed herself closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and keeping her face tucked into the base of his throat.

"Thank you, Ric. Neither of us would still be here if not for your help." Damon looked at him with an expression of sincere gratitude. Ric nodded, and looked at a collapsed Elena in Damon's arms, sighing.

"You guys must both be pretty beat. Go back to the boarding house, and I'll take care of it from here. When the rain stops, I'll torch him and be done with it. "The two of them both looked up at the sky, where the rain was beginning to subside. Damon shot Alaric another grateful look, trying to convey how appreciative he really was, and turned to go, carrying Elena back to the car. Her heart beat at a relaxed pace, and he was relieved beyond imagination that she wasn't hurt besides the few scratches here and there. When he reached the car, he carefully laid her, now sleeping, into the passenger seat. Her head lolled back against the leather, and he gently pulled the leaves and twigs from her wet hair. He dusted his hands off and sank into the driver's seat, turning up the heat to keep her warm as he drove home. The vervain still hadn't completely worn off, and he was exhausted. The warm circulating air enveloped him with her sweet scent, and he could've fallen asleep right then and there. He shook his head, focusing on the road.

Three-quarters of the way home, Elena slowly opened her eyes, rolling her head over to look sleepily at Damon's gorgeous profile. Slightly disoriented, she groaned.

"Where are we?" her voice cracked with sleep.

"We're almost home, honey, don't worry." He reassured her in a soft low voice. Elena faintly noticed that this was the first time had ever used a pet name with her in a serious manner. A meager smile tugged at her lips as she drifted back into unconsciousness. What felt like seconds later, she heard the engine shut off and Damon get out of the car. Feeling slightly more alert, she stepped out past Damon, who was holding open her door for her, and grabbed his hand, pulling him along with her up to the front door. He got out his keys and unlocked the heavy front door, and they walked into the house to be greeted by welcoming heat billowing from the fireplace. Not releasing hands, they slowly ascended the staircase, both dragging their feet. On the landing, she turned around and drew him into what would've been a bone-crushing hug, if he were human. He bent his head down to rest against the side of her face, lightly placing his hands on her hips.

"Thank you," she whispered, her breath tickling his ear. She felt him nod against her, his lips brushing against her neck with the movement. Closing her eyes, she pulled away. Giving him a long, weary but assuring look, she put her hands on his shoulders and leaned in to kiss his cheek, pulling away before she could drown in his dizzying scent again. Dragging her fingertips down his chest with the release, she turned and disappeared into the bathroom to get clean. Damon sighed, a hollow aching feeling gnawing at his chest. He refused to consider the sappy cliché "loving so much that it hurts," but couldn't help but identify with it in his current state. He turned and slowly plodded up to his room, too tired to even think.

Elena ripped off her shredded clothing, holding them to her face and inhaling as she waited for the shower to heat up. They smelled like rainwater and Damon. The most intoxicating scent she had ever come across. Reluctantly dropping them, she stepped into the shower and relaxed under the hot stream. She took her time washing up, her mind lingering over the events of a few hours ago. The kiss…she smiled reflexively. It felt right. More right than any kiss she had ever shared with Stefan. Even after the fact, Elena realized that she stood by her original resolution that she would never kiss again if it wasn't Damon Salvatore. Nothing could ever compare to that. She could still taste him on her tongue, and it was like tasting a little piece of heaven. She giggled at her sappy thoughts, shaking her head at their uncharacteristic nature. She turned off the water and walked out of the shower, rubbing at the fogged up mirror with her towel. She dried herself off and combed her hair, then put on fresh underwear and brushed her teeth. She didn't replace her clothes, but merely wrapped a towel around her before walking out into the hall. The kitchen below was dark and quiet, so she crept up to Damon's room, knowing she would find him there. The door was slightly ajar, and she softly pushed it open, slipping into the dimly-lit room. Damon was sprawled out on the bed, shirtless and clearly half-dead with exhaustion. His arm stretched across the bed, and he was laying flat on his back with his other arm slung over his well-defined stomach. Elena let out a pent-up breath. God, he's even more beautiful when he's asleep, she observed, staring at his relaxed, innocent-looking face.

Not wanting to wake him, she quietly padded over to the bed and carefully crawled up onto it, lying down and snuggling into his side. She laid her head against his extended arm and rested her arm also across his stomach, placing her hand softly over his. The only thing separating them from full skin-on-skin contact was her towel, but she was so tired she didn't care. Relaxing against his side, she felt her eyes grow heavy, and she gave in to sleep.

…

Elena awoke in an entirely different position than she had fallen asleep in. Sometime during the night, her towel had slipped off and was lying crumpled underneath her ribcage. Her bare back was pressed against Damon's bare chest, and his arms clutched her to him tightly, as if he was afraid she would disappear if he let her go. His arms were curled over her, one on her ribcage right beneath her bra and the other looped under her, drawing her against him with light pressure, his forearm resting on her abdomen with his hand extended to curve onto her waist. His chin rested over her shoulder from behind, his face pressed to her cheek protectively. She was incredibly warm and comfortable in the position, and Damon seemed to still be sleeping soundly. Not wanting to move or wake him, she bent her elbow and rested her arm on top of his, draped over her ribcage. Before going back to sleep, she turned her head slightly and kissed the corner of his mouth. Unconsciously responding to the intimate gesture, he drew his arms around her tighter and nestled his face into her neck.

"Elena…" he sighed, breathing her name in his sleep.

Closing her eyes, Elena leaned further back into his broad, warm, well-muscled chest and let sleep claim her once more, her heart full.

I apologize for the complete lack of dialogue in this chapter, but I just didn't see where it would fit in, in relation to what I was focusing on. Plus my Characters were all bound to be physically and emotionally exhausted, so I didn't really picture witty banter in the moment. Sorry if it got sappy, but I had to do it. Whoops if it seems like I was rushing into the Delena, but I couldn't keep them apart any longer and the moment seemed appropriate in my mind. Hope you liked all the Delena goodness, and even if you didn't, please please leave a review. I haven't been getting the best response lately so I'm hoping this chapter makes it up to all of you. Let me know what direction you want this to take, or if there's a particular scene you want me to write in, what you want more or less of, etc. The plot will come back more soon. Thanks you guys! Feedback is love