Elena drug herself back to the apartment and collapsed heavily on the couch. She shut her eyes, but images of the hospital room flooded back in her brain. The smell of the thick blood caked inside of her nostrils. It was almost as if she was back there again. The thought of being around the two of them again soon made her stomach churn once more. She wasn't as sure as she once was about the whole vampire lifestyle. It was one thing to know about it, it was another to experience it first hand, and it was utterly disturbing. Mary killed somebody today. Some innocent woman who had coworkers, and friends, and possibly even a family of her own. She had torn her open and ravaged in her blood. Shivers ran down Elena's spine. She reached for the blanket on the back of the couch and pulled it up over her eyes.

The closing of a door and shuffling feet startled Elena back into consciousness a few hours later. Mary's laughter filled the room now, only pausing when she saw Elena laying on the couch. She froze, eyes widening, and sucking a deep breath in. Damon immediately stepped in between the two girls, blocking Mary's view.

"What are you doing? It's not like I'm going to attack her. It's Elena for heaven's sake," Mary hissed.

"I don't know what you're going to do. Neither do you until you do it. I'm just not taking any chances with her involved. Mary glared daggers into him. She huffed and walked out of the room towards the bathroom. Elena sat up and rubbed at her still sensitive eyes. Damon went over, took her into his arms, and kissed her forehead lightly.

"How are you holding up," his blue eyes were filled with concern. Elena leaded her head against his shoulder and shook it left to right. She couldn't put into words how she felt right now. She couldn't explain the fear she now felt of her best friend and possibly even Damon. Mary had ruthlessly severed someone's throat because she was hungry, whose to say Elena wouldn't be next. Damon hugged her tighter against him.

"She's just new. She can't control herself yet. Imagine having every emotion you have ever felt hit you all at once, but magnified by a hundred. That's a good comparison to what state she's in right now. She doesn't want to hurt anyone, especially you, but she can't keep herself from doing it. So you need to stay away from her as much as you can." Elena nodded against him. Her fears were not abolished. They sat there together in silence for a while before Elena finally spoke.

"The blood today was too much. I know you can't help it, but after seeing that woman it was just too much for me to handle. I had to leave. I love you so much, and I don't want to ever change you, but I can't watch you feed. Even if it's just from a blood bag. My stomach can't handle it." Damon drew back from her.

"That's me Elena. That's who I am. I know I keep it from you usually, but you can't push it away forever and pretend it doesn't exist. If you are going to be with me you have to accept all of me. Yes, that means accepting the fact that I'm not the good person. I've turned off my humanity, I've ravaged towns, I've killed people. I'd kill anyone over you and not think twice about it. Tell me, can you handle that?"

"No. I don't know. I want to be okay with it all. It just scares me Damon. What if you get so worked up one day and accidentally hurt me? It'd be so easy to do," Elena was crying now.

"It would be. I could snap you like a twig at the drop of a hat, but I wouldn't. I have had nearly two decades to work on my control. I would never be in such a bad state to where I would hurt you."

Mary came back into the room and gave the couple an odd look. She could hear their conversation clearly from the other room, but decided not to intervene. Her red curls bounced around her as she skipped off into the kitchen and rummaged through the pantry. She pulled a few ingredients out and started cooking dinner up on the stove.

"What if you lose your temper and I'm just too close. You could seriously hurt me Damon. You come off all calm now, but I know you can be a ticking time bomb when you're emotions are running wild," Elena retorted. Damon took her hand into his own and kissed each fingertip gently.

"Elena. You have my whole heart. Every little piece of it. I would sacrifice everything in the world to keep you safe. You have no reason to worry. You especially have no reason to be afraid of me." This was one of those rare moments that Damon let his emotions break through. He was always very intimate, but never put his heart out in the open this much. She nodded in response to him and laid herself down in his arms. He pushed the loose strands of hair behind her ear and stroked her arm softly.

"This is cute and all, but I'm hungry. Anyone else? I made extras," Mary's tone was apathetic. She had three plates made and sat them out on the bar. She poked at the noodles with her fork before shoving them into her mouth. She promptly spit it back out.

" I think you're food is stale Lena. I can cook, but this tastes like shit," her face wrinkled up in disgust. Damon got up and fetched the two remaining plates and took one to Elena who quickly tested out the food.

"I don't know what you're talking about, mine tastes great," she shrugged. Damon let out a small, amused laugh.

"When you turn, your taste buds aren't the same. Now you're made for blood, not pasta. Of course it's going to taste horrible. It sucks, but you have to eat, it helps keep the cravings down. If it doesn't do the trick I've got plenty of bourbon that will." Marry frowned a little, but continued eating. A calm silence settled over them while they all finished up their dinner. It seemed almost normal for a few minutes.

"Well, I think I'm just going to go ahead and turn in. Damon?" Elena looked over at him longingly.

"I'm going to help clean up really quick, and I'll be back there soon. Promise," he gave her a quick peck on the lips and started carrying plates into the kitchen. Elena went back to their room and exchanged her jeans and tshirt for silky pajama shorts and a tank top. Damon stocked Mary up on blood bags for the night and advised her to stay then joined Elena in their bed.

The room was dark, but he could feel Elena snuggle up against him under the covers. She threw her arm over his chest and closed off any space there was between them. Damon stared up at the ceiling, but couldn't bring himself to close his eyes. He thought about Stefan a lot, and couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling that he didn't even know where his brother was yet. He had been so caught up in Elena and now Mary, that he hadn't gotten around to any investigating.

"Damon," Elena whispered softly. She lifted her head up to look at him.

"Hmm."

"I'm sorry about today. You should know, I'm not afraid of you," Elena kissed his lips softly. Damon deepened the kiss and laced his fingers into her hair pushing her closer to him.

"You should be," he smirked. He flipped her over onto her back and pinned wrists down on the mattress. He trailed wet kisses along her jawline and playfully nipped at her neck. She squirmed and giggled underneath him. He didn't relent, and ran his hands over her curves and captured her lips greedily. He wanted all of her.

"Do it " Elena moaned as he nibbled below her earlobe.

"Be patient. It'll be worth it," Damon smiled on her lips.

"No, not that. Well that too, but I want to try something new," she smiled seductively. Damon paused and cocked his head to the side.

"What do you want, baby," he asked cautiously.

"Bite me. I want to give all of me to you. Just try it, if it's too much I'll tell you. Please, Damon," Elena urged. Damon pulled away from her slightly not knowing whether to be grateful or horrified. Not two hours ago she was stressed out about him hurting her, now she was practically begging for it.

"Elena, now's not the time. You need to be able to trust me first. I don't want to scare you, and I know it'll be more painful for you than me," he tried reasoning with her. She pulled him back to her, and sucked at his lower lip. Then she skillfully reached around and maneuvered him out of pants.

"Please," she pleaded. "I trust you. You won't hurt me." That's all it took. Damon unraveled then and there. He tore the short shorts away from her body and entered her carefully. She gasped as she took all of him in. As he moved she moaned in quiet ecstasy. He silenced her with aggressive kisses.

"Bite me, Damon," she moaned louder. He couldn't resist the invitation any longer. He kissed his way down her jawline, and moved his hands to cup her breasts. Ever so softly his tongue marked a small circle on her neck, a few inches below her ear. His razor sharp canines lengthened and he caressed them against her tender skin. As he thrust into her again he bit into her neck, sucking gently. Her nails dug deeply into his back and small scarlet ribbons trickled down from the incisions. Her moans grew louder and uncontrollable. Damon relished in the pleasure he was dealing her. After a few more thrusts she reached her release and cried out his name as she came. Not yet down from her high, she tore his mouth from her neck and kissed him passionately. Blood smeared across her lips, but she could hardly care. Damon sped up and reached his peak as she knotted her fingers in his hair roughly. After all was over, Damon rolled over on his back and pulled her onto his chest.

"That was amazing," he panted out. Elena giggled into him.

"And you didn't even hurt me," she boasted.

"No, I think I got more of a beating than you did. My back has to be bleeding," Damon laughed.

"I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to. It was just very, wow."

"Don't be sorry. That was the hottest thing ever. I love you crazy pants," he kissed her nose lightly. Elena pulled her hair back out of her face and climbed up onto him.

"Now, how about round two," she teased flirtatiously.

"You're so perfect."