Author's Note: A chapter without making you wait two weeks? I must be starting to get back into my routine. Here is another chapter from Damon's POV, which I've found a lot of you like. So, I hope this one does not disappoint. It's not as long as my previous chapters have been, but it's still barely under 6,000 words. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews about the wedding chapter. I'm so glad that you all seem to be enjoying Caroline and Stefan in this story, because they are going to continue to play a big part in how everything unfolds. So, here's another chapter for you, moving the story along. Read and review! Most of all, enjoy!

Chapter 10

Have you ever held your breath and asked yourself
Will it ever get better than tonight?
Tonight

"I swear to God, you two act like little children sometimes," Caroline grumbled as she set her bag down on the couch. "What has gotten into the two of you?"

"Caroline," Stefan finally began, taking quick steps to his wife's side. "What are you doing here? You should be at home."

She looked at him and rolled her eyes. "I called you five times and you didn't answer. I got worried." Caroline looked to her husband and then brother-in-law. "And it would appear that it was for good reason. So, I'm going to ask for the last time, what is wrong with the two of you?"

"Elena came by earlier, asked Damon not to get married," Stefan said quietly.

"Stefan!" Damon shouted. His brother had officially lost his mind from being sleep deprived. Caroline was overly dramatic on a good day. With news like this, she was going to be a category five hurricane. She was the last person that needed to know that Elena had tried to keep this wedding from happening.

"You raise your voice one more time and I will throw you out that window, Damon Salvatore!" she hissed through clenched teeth, her finger pointed angrily in his direction.

He rolled his eyes, but lowered his voice nonetheless. "At this point, I might go willingly."

His wedding day was not supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be calm and happy. Elena was not supposed to show up and beg him not to do it. Stefan was not supposed to be digging at him. Caroline wasn't supposed to be involved in anything. All he'd wanted was a simple day, and with one timid knock on his hotel room door, it was shot to hell.

Caroline carefully adjusted the small bundle in her arms and handed it off to Stefan before walking over to Damon, hands on her hips. "Tell me everything that happened, right now."

"She showed up at the door, told me not to get married, Stefan showed up, and she left. There you go. Think I can sell the movie rights?"

"That's it?" she demanded softly. "She just left? Where did she go?"

"I don't know. I didn't exactly ask her about her plans. My mind was a little too shocked by the fact that she tried to ruin my wedding day."

"Don't you say that," she snapped at him. "You know she wasn't trying to ruin anything. She loves you and she thinks this is wrong. I seem to remember us all voicing various concerns through this entire process."

"She left," he bit out. "She can't be surprised that I didn't wait around for two years, Caroline." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, I'm sorry that she hasn't moved on, but I have. I have someone else, and I'm marrying her. Elena understood that, and she left. You need to understand it as well."

"I don't know if your choices can be considered moving on," she voiced quietly.

"Well, it is. Deal with it."

"What I need to understand is what is going on with my best friend." Caroline rushed over to her bag and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed what he was assuming Elena's number and pressed her phone to her ears. Only a moment later she pulled it away and looked down dejectedly. "It's off. This is bad. Really bad."

"I'm sure she's fine," he tried to assure Caroline, but he knew he wouldn't do much use. He couldn't think about Elena right now and what she might be feeling. He understood that he'd probably hurt her, but he had other things to think about.

"She'll call you soon," Stefan insisted.

"I was just as upset with Elena as you two were when she left. She was my best friend. She is my best friend. And I get that you two are done, I do, but she is out there doing god knows what right now."

"So what are we supposed to do about that?" Damon inquired, his voice carrying a bit of an edge. "I'm getting married in a couple hours. I can't just roam the city looking for her. And isn't it a little too cold for you to be running around in the city?"

"You could be a little more sympathetic."

"Elena isn't my problem, Caroline! I mean, what did she really think was going to happen? Did she expect that I would just waltz off into the sunset with her? Elena needs to learn how to handle the consequences of her actions."

"You've been punishing her with those consequences for a year, Damon." Caroline looked to her husband, seeking some sort of support for what she was saying.

After a moment, Stefan sighed and glanced down. "I don't know if I can support this. I've tried to, but you know how I feel. I don't think I can stay quiet anymore."

"What are you saying, Stefan?"

"I'm saying that I'm having serious doubts about this. Elena showing up has changed things. You can't deny that. So, how am I supposed to stand up at your reception and give some speech about how happy I am about this whole thing, when I have had doubts since the beginning?"

"You're poetic, figure it out," he snapped.

Stefan walked to stand in front of Damon, a pained look in his eyes. "If you had had a single doubt about me marrying Caroline, you never would have let that wedding happen. Isn't it my job to do the same for you?"

"Mind if I cut in?" Damon interrupted the intimate dance his brother and Caroline were sharing. Stefan pulled away from Caroline and eyed him apprehensively for a moment before holding Caroline's arm out for Damon.

"Play nice."

Damon swiftly took Stefan's spot, leaving a comfortable distance between him and Caroline. "Don't try anything," she warned with a teasing smile. "We're siblings now."

"Cause that's what would make it disgusting."

She playfully slapped him on his shoulder. "Your brother told you to be nice." They moved easily to the music, comfortable, despite all of their past disagreements. Caroline was a pain most of the time, but he couldn't deny that she was a nice girl that loved his brother. "Thank you for the bracelet," she said quietly. "It meant a lot."

He shrugged. "It didn't go with my outfit."

"I'm serious, Damon. I know how much your mom means to you." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "The fact that you gave this to Elena for me to wear on my wedding day, I know that's your way of saying you trust that I won't hurt Stefan, and you believe in us."

For the hard time that Damon gave Caroline most of the time, she was right; he believed that Caroline and Stefan were supposed to be together. On the surface, they weren't supposed to work. Caroline was overly enthusiastic and appeared to be horribly shallow. His brother, on the other hand, spent his days reading literature and writing papers. It had been like pulling teeth to get Stefan out of his shell until Caroline came along. They balanced each other and smoothed the rough edges. In some weird way, they fit.

He might never believe in the idea of marriage again for him or having anything serious, but he couldn't deny that it was what was right for his brother. Stefan needed the wife and the family. He needed a life out of those stupid romance novels that were centuries old. Caroline gave him that, and he knew that his mother would have wanted her to wear that bracelet today.

"It's what my mom would have wanted." Caroline quickly leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against his cheek. He recoiled in mock indignation. "Hey, you're a married woman now. You gotta keep your hands to yourself."

"Cause you're exactly who I want to go home with tonight." She rolled her eyes, but seemed amused nonetheless.

"I know your maid of honor does."

"Yeah, her brother pushed her down the stairs when they were little. We think it's left some permanent damage."

"Haha," he deadpanned. "Elena is obviously the smartest one in your little knock off three stooges bunch."

"Ugh, we are so the Powerpuff Girls," she scoffed. Her face quickly grew serious. "Can we be serious for a moment?"

"Didn't we just do that?" he nearly whined. He had a daily quota of 60 seconds that his body could physically handle genuine emotions. He'd reached that quota with the talk of the bracelet. If it continued any longer there was a very real possibility he would combust into millions of pieces.

"You're sleeping with my best friend, and I haven't said a word until now. Give me a few minutes, at least." Her eyes implored him to hear her out, even if only for a moment. "Please, Damon."

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "What do you want to say?"

"Elena's been my best friend since I was still having my pretend wedding with my stuffed animals as the guests," she smiled wistfully at the memory. "I know Elena probably better than she knows herself sometimes. That means I know that she's not this girl. She's not the girl that has sex with no commitments. She isn't the girl that doesn't think of marriage and happy endings. She's the girl you take home to your parents, not the one you call in the middle of the night cause you're horny."

Damon rolled his eyes, but he knew Caroline was right. Elena was the kind of girl a guy spent the rest of his life with. Once upon a time, he was that guy. He wanted to have the successful job, while having a family at home. He wanted it all. Time passed and everything fell apart with Katherine, and those dreams left with her. He wasn't supposed to be married, and he most certainly wasn't meant to be a father. That's why he knew this arrangement with Elena would only be temporary.

He couldn't deny that he and Elena were having a great time together. She was like a breath of fresh air after Katherine, but they wouldn't last. She was far too kind for the world he lived in. They'd have their fun for a few months and then she'd tire of the non-commitment. Things would end on good terms and she'd go off and find the good guy to marry and he'd find more women to share his bed. Simple, easy, and clean.

And he told Caroline just this. "I know Elena isn't that type of girl in the long run. This is just an arrangement that will last a few months, and then she'll be free for you to fix her up with whatever amazing guy you can find for her."

"You really think it's going to be that simple?" she questioned skeptically.

"I think we're both adults and we knew what we were getting into. And if it stops working for Elena, she's free to end this whenever she wants. I'm not exactly locking her in my bedroom every night."

Caroline glanced over to the other side of the room, a conflicted look passing across her face. He followed her eye line to find Elena standing with Bonnie. They were engaged in a conversation as Bonnie spoke animatedly about something, but Elena had a curious eye on them.

"She cares about you, Damon." Caroline spoke softly after tearing her gaze away from the topic at hand. "She cares a lot more than she probably should. Just be careful."

"'I'll be careful." The song quietly faded out and Damon and Caroline came to a stop on the dance floor. He held out his arm for her and then guided her through the crowd. Once they reached the edge of the dance floor, he stopped and looked at her.

"Thank you for the dance, Damon." She smiled sweetly.

"Just take good care of my brother, okay?"

"The best," she promised without a moment's pause.

"Good." He smiled and released her arm as Elena came striding up to them. "Congratulations, sis." Caroline's smile nearly exploded across her face before she turned and was immediately pulled into a congratulatory hug by a guest.

"That looked interesting." Elena slid up next to Damon, casually wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Just welcoming her to the family."

"Really?" She raised a skeptic eyebrow. "Cause I think you were talking about me. Am I right?"

"No, you're wrong," he quickly denied her accurate assumption. "She was just thanking me for the bracelet."

The mention of the bracelet quickly had Elena abandoning her belief that she had been the topic of their conversation. Her eyes lit up and she smiled brightly. "You should have seen her face when I told her that it was your mom's. She'd never admit it, but she wants you to like her."

He burst into laughter. "Yeah, right. She could care less what I think about her."

"That's not true," Elena quickly denied. "You're Stefan's brother and he would do anything for you. She wants you to like her, because she knows how close you and Stefan are."

"Elena," he said seriously, "If I didn't like Caroline, this wedding would have never happened."

It sounded harsh, but it was true. She may drive him out of his mind some days, but she wasn't the worst person Stefan could have fallen in love with. She'd never hit on him, for one. Most of Stefan's other girlfriends had tried to hit on him at some point or another, land the brother with even more money. Caroline also wasn't afraid to go toe to toe with him. She may want him to like her, but she didn't back down. She stood her ground, even if she was running the risk of making Stefan mad.

He may not ever want to date Caroline in a million years, but he could acknowledge the good parts in her. And if he'd ever genuinely had a problem with Caroline he knew it would have caused a problem in her relationship with Stefan long before they could have gotten to the engagement, just like he'd never be able to be with someone for long that his brother legitimately didn't like. You don't marry someone your sibling can't stand. You just don't.

A shadow of something passed over Elena's face before she asked, "Would you marry someone Stefan didn't like?"

"Stefan likes everyone. That would never be a problem, especially since I'm never getting married again."

He felt Elena tense in his arms and Caroline's words sounded in his head. Maybe she had stumbled on something with Elena's feelings that he hadn't picked up on. Granted, he wasn't searching for anything to do with Elena's feelings, but he hadn't known there had been something to search for. He understood that she cared about him; he cared about her too. She was a good person, and he didn't want to hurt her. Was something changing though?

"So, Stefan liked Katherine?" she questioned quietly.

Damon blew out an uncomfortable laugh. "I don't think Katherine is a conversation either of us wants to have." He pulled her arm above her head and spun her around dramatically. "We have one hour until midnight and your best friend just got married. We are going to have fun, then we are going to have a hot make out session at the strike of midnight, and then I'm taking you back to my place and getting you naked."

She laughed freely as he pulled her back against him, the spark back in her eyes. Maybe Caroline had touched on something that he needed to confront, but tonight was not the night for it. There would be no talk of feelings, ex-wives, or marriage. All he wanted tonight was just them and the fun they had. That was all he needed.

"I don't know," Elena giggled, sliding her arms over his shoulders. "I've had my fair share of drinks tonight. I might just be unconscious by the time we get back to your place."

"That's never stopped me before."

"Ew!" she exclaimed. She shoved him away from her with a laugh. "That's disgusting."

The sound of a knife tapping against a champagne glass silenced the party. Damon looked to see his father standing by his table, poised and ready to speak. Once he was certain he had the attention of everyone in the room, he began, "My apologies for interrupting the festivities. I just wanted to take a few moments to say congratulations to my son and his new wife, Caroline. Son, your career goals may be questionable, but you chose a good wife. Welcome to the family, Caroline."

While the room erupted in applause, Damon merely rolled his eyes. He had no need to kiss his father's ass for a speech that was more meant to remind Stefan of his poor career choice rather than truly welcome Caroline to the family. In the surprises of all surprises, Giuseppe Salvatore actually liked Caroline. His father probably liked his new daughter-in-law more than both of his sons. That didn't mean he'd give some grand speech about how happy he was for his son though.

Stefan had just finished grad school and was probably going to end up being the hot college professor as his career. A respectable choice for most, but a real world nightmare for Giuseppe. Though Damon had been the one bred to take over when his father stepped down, Stefan was supposed to work in the family business as well. He was supposed to be a lawyer or an accountant, not a professor of literature that read novels in his spare time. That was not how Salvatore men were raised.

"He can't even give my brother one night," he grumbled in a low voice. "Here, give me." He grabbed Elena's champagne glass from her and snatched a knife off of a nearby table. Before Elena could ask him what he was doing, he'd tapped the knife on the side of the glass to get everyone's attention. "Seeing as it's time for the speeches, I guess I should give mine."

"Oh god." He heard someone mumble behind him. Stefan and Caroline's faces were clearly visible just 20 feet away and he knew the same thoughts were going through their heads right now.

"Calm down, I promise this is not an encore of my speech from their engagement party." The crowd laughed politely at the joke, but he could still feel the apprehension in the room. "They say how you ring in the New Year is how you will spend the rest of your year. And if the superstition is true, I suspect that my brother and Caroline will spend the next 12 months attached at the hip and mouth. Basically, they'll be the same as they always are." This line received a much heartier laugh from the crowd, and as he saw the smiles on Caroline and Stefan's faces he knew he was doing well. "When I first met Caroline, I had no idea how I would be able to handle her without mainlining an IV of caffeine, but the more I got to know her, the more I realized how great she was for my brother. It should come as no surprise that my brother, who will devote his career to great works of literature, learned far before me that you never judge a book by its cover. You're a great girl, Caroline, who makes my brother incredibly happy. My mother would have adored you and welcomed you with open arms into this family. Welcome to the world of the Salvatore men." He raised his glass in the newlyweds' direction. "Oh, and before I forget, producing baby Salvatores is totally on you two."

Even though he'd prefer something stronger and it was Elena's glass he was holding, Damon immediately downed the contents in the glass. Speeches like that were not his thing. He could charm his way through a high-pressure boardroom meeting. He could stand up in front of a room full of people and lay on more sarcasm than they'd heard in a month. What he did not do were speeches about stupid cliché things, and he'd pulled out all the clichés he could think of during the past minute. He did it for Stefan though. He'd owed his brother that much after the engagement party and his father's not so subtle dig about still being unhappy with Stefan's career choice. If he couldn't voice these words on a day-to-day basis, he could pull them out for one minute, one time in his entire life.

His brother strode toward him as the room erupted in applause and cheers. This speech went over far better than his speech at the engagement party. Stefan's reaction was proof of this. He wrapped Damon in a tight hug. A good bit of the awkwardness he felt over what he'd said in his speech dissipated as Stefan hugged him. "I know you hated every moment of that, but thank you."

He wrapped his arms around Stefan in return. "Just don't ever get married again.

Stefan laughed and released Damon from the hug. "Don't worry, this is the only time I'm getting married."

"Good, cause I'm never doing a repeat of that again, not even to make up for dad's horrible speech."

"It wasn't that bad." Despite their father's cold behavior their entire lives, Stefan still admired their father. He'd usually always side with Damon, but he'd still always try to see something positive in Giuseppe's behavior or words.

"It sucked. The man doesn't have a loving or funny bone in his body, which are needed for a decent speech."

"So you're admitting you have something akin to love in that black heart of yours?" Stefan teased.

"I have the humor, that's enough," he laughed.

"If you say so." Stefan looked over his shoulder at Caroline and then back at Damon. "I haven't said it yet, but thank you for lending Caroline the bracelet for today. I didn't even think to lend her something of mom's. It meant a lot to her, but it meant a lot to me too. Thank you."

Damon shrugged uncomfortably at Stefan's words. This was the third time today someone was thanking him for the bracelet. If he'd known it would have been this big of a deal, he probably would have let it stay put in the box in his night stand. He didn't do nice things like this, and the attention he received from those acts was one of the reasons why. It made him feel awkward and like he had to continue to follow it all up with nice behavior on a continual basis, which was just not who he was. He didn't spend his day doing nice things. He did what he wanted, went after what he wanted, everyone else be damned. So, if people would expect anything like the bracelet again, they'd be sorely mistaken.

"Elena needed something for Caroline to have that was borrowed, so I gave her that. Let's not dwell on it."

"Okay, I won't mention it again." Stefan smiled and clapped Damon on the shoulder. "I better get back to Caroline. She keeps forcing me to dance."

"Yeah, you enjoy that." Damon watched Stefan walk away. Elena came up to his side, smiling up at him like a giddy little girl. "Don't even say it," he warned.

"Say what?" she questioned innocently.

"Whatever it is going through your head, don't say it." He turned to look down at her, the smile still ever present on her face. Her eyes twinkled in delight. She opened her mouth to speak, but he captured her lips in a heated kiss. He slid his hands up to cup her face gently, keeping her firmly in place. She was shocked at first, but easily responded, opening her mouth beneath his to grant him entrance. The kiss was far shorter than he would like, only lasting long enough to get a small taste of the champagne on her tongue. He broke away, placing a small kiss on her parted lips as she struggled to open her eyes. "What were you going to say?"

She choked on her voice for a few moments, blinking rapidly as she tried to regain her bearings. "Nothing," she finally forced out. "I was about to say nothing."

"Good answer."

"Good distraction." She smiled and pressed her forehead against his chest, allowing him to support most of her weight. "I hope you know I can't give a speech now. I can't follow that."

"I am a tough act to follow. The people love me. It also doesn't hurt that I'm easy on the eyes."

"Asshole," she mumbled against his chest.

"Oh, come on, you'll be fine. Get up and say all that girly stuff that will make Caroline ruin her makeup. People will love it. Talk about fake weddings and how you'll kick Stefan's ass if he hurts her. Just be a girl."

"Sexist."

"Why, yes, I am sexy," he replied, pretending to have not understood what she'd said. He snatched the knife and empty champagne glass off the table and quickly tapped the glass. "Oh, look at that." He gripped her arms and turned her toward most of the guests. "It's time for your speech."

She looked at him, looking like a deer caught in headlights. "What?"

"You've got it." He nudged her a little further in front of him. She glared at him for several long moments before turning around.

"Well, hello," she laughed awkwardly. "Apparently it's my turn." She shuffled nervously on her feet for a moment before lifting her head and looking at everyone. "I've known Caroline for most of my life, which means, when she came to me after she met Stefan, I was naturally scared for him. If you know Caroline, you know she can come on a little strong. And Stefan, even though I didn't know you, I was scared for you." Damon laughed along with everyone else in the room. She might be nervous, but she was doing great. "But then I heard you kissed her and I didn't have to worry about a restraining order anymore. And after that, I don't know if you knew it, but there was no choice about you two getting married. Caroline was going to drag you down that aisle whether you liked it or not. Lucky for us, you fell head over heels in love with her. You saw the real Caroline that is nothing short of amazing, even if you do have to pick up a coffee habit to even attempt to keep up with her. So, you better count yourself lucky, Stefan, because if there is anyone you want on your side when things are hard, it's that girl standing right next to you."

Elena rushed over to Caroline and threw her arms around the small blonde. They embraced for several moments, and he suspected there were a few tears being shed. After a while, they pulled apart and Elena walked back over to him. She roughly shoved him in the chest when she reached him. "I am so gonna make you beg for it tonight."

He knew she meant it as a threat, but Damon was suddenly even more excited to get back to his place. The prospect for his night just got a lot more interesting. He took a step toward her. "Payback will be fun. Remember that."

"We'll see," she mused.

"God," he groaned and pulled her to him. "Can we just leave now?"

"No we cannot, especially since you forced me into that speech. I was mortified!"

"You were amazing. And you made Caroline cry. Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

"She cries at that horrible ASPCA commercial, it doesn't count."

"Well, if I can't go have real sex with you, we can at least simulate it on the dance floor." He grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the thick crowd of people dancing merrily to the loud music. He found a spot easily enough and pulled her toward him, draping her arm over his shoulder. He grabbed her hips in his hands as she began to sway them seductively to the beat. "I can have fun with this."

"You can have fun with a funeral. You're demented like that."

"Yeah, but I can't take a funeral home with me at night and have my way with it."

"No, but you'd certainly pick someone up," she pointed out with a knowing smile.

"Grieving women need sex too. I don't discriminate." She rolled her eyes at this, but didn't seem greatly amused by it. "Hey, it doesn't matter though. You're my girl now."

In a sense, she was his girl now. He wasn't sleeping with any other women, nor was he trying to. He barely even entertained the flirting he received. Elena was giving him all that he was looking for at the moment. He might not call her his girlfriend or promise to not sleep with anyone else while they were doing this thing they were doing, but she was his girl. She was safe and fun, and everything that Katherine wasn't. She brought something new to the table and he needed that.

"I'm your girl until the next one comes along."

"Well, I'm keeping you for as long as you'll have me." He grabbed her hand and spun her out before pulling her back in. She twirled into his chest, out of breath from surprise.

She smiled sweetly up at him. "I like that plan." The song changed into a slower song, one meant for holding your lover tight and whispering sweet nothings into their ear. He pulled her hips to his and twined their fingers together, as their movements slowed. She leaned on him a little more, the smile not so sweet anymore, just a smile of contentment. He understood that smile right now. He wouldn't want to be anywhere but here in this moment.

With Elena's head resting comfortably on his shoulder, their hands clasped tightly on his chest, while her other free hand traced abstract objects on the back of his neck. His free hand had found its way down to the small curve of her backside, his fingers skimming lower every few moments. They swayed easily to the music, everyone else falling away.

This was what happened with them. They could be in a room with hundreds of people and all he'd notice was her. Once he had her in his arms and in his senses, she was all he saw. Nobody had done that for him since Katherine.

The song came to an abrupt halt as it became apparent that the strike of midnight was less than a minute away. Everyone was on their feet, most with drinks in hand, cheering excitedly. And then, the countdown began.

"10, 9, 8," everyone chanted, getting more excited the lower the numbers got. Elena looked up at him a wide smile on her face. "7, 6, 5," they continued." Elena grabbed a noisemaker that staff was carrying around, nearly bursting with excitement. The crowd was absolutely out of control now, everyone hugging and getting their glasses ready. "4, 3, 2, 1!"

The crowd went wild with shouts and bottles of champagne popping all over the room. Elena had her head thrown back as she happily screamed out. "Happy New Year!" She placed that horribly offensive noisemaker in her mouth and blew to her little heart's content. "Happy New Year!" she shouted again, and he could only laugh at her excitement.

The DJ turned on Auld Lang Syne and the crowd died down a little as the couples began wrapping their arms around each others, kissing without abandon. He cupped Elena's face in his hands and lowered his lips to hers. She was still smiling as he captured her lips. It was slower than the other kisses they'd been sharing today. There was something bubbling under the surface as his tongue slid over hers. Delicate fingers tangled themselves in his hair as she seemed to pull him as close to her as possible. It was a kiss of searching, searching for something that neither knew they were looking for, but they kept seeking it out. Out of breath and far from sated, they pulled apart enough to rest their foreheads against each other.

"Happy New Year," he told her softly, keeping her pressed tightly against him.

"You say how you spend you ring in the New Year is how you will spend the rest of your year. Are you a superstitious man, Damon Salvatore?"

"Not in the slightest." He smiled down at her.

"Well I think that this is going to be the best year of our lives. After this night, how can things go bad?"