a/n: Sorry for the delay guys! It's not that this chapter was hard to write, it was that I couldn't find a good place to stop. I kept getting ideas and it ended up being so long that I was able to split it in two. I'll have the second part up in a few days...and then...nothing (unfortunately). The good news: Zoraya Windwalker, my lovely beta, will be returning soon and I'll have new stories to fill the six weeks of no new TVD episodes! :)

Speaking of...I actually could use some help with them. I am working on Caught in the Middle and the pace is slower than I would like. I know what I want to write, but can't seem to make it work, so any suggestions/ideas would be wonderful. I am going to do a sequel to Within Temptation and I'm thinking of bringing Klaus into it...thoughts? If you guys want, I'm also willing to hear your suggestions/ideas for that story as well. Then of course, there's the wedding story I keep promising, hopefully I'll be finished with that one soon. Last, but not least, I have a story that will be playing around with the werewolf legend. You'll just have to read it to find out what I'm up to ;)

Alright, now that I've filled you in on what I've been up to, I can shut up and let you enjoy the chapter!

p.s. Thanks a bunch to BadBoysAreBest for helping me with this episode! (although the question I asked won't arrive until part two).

TWELVE

Elena was jolted from sleep, instantly rising up on her elbows. She scanned the room trying to figure out why something felt off and then realized that the bed beside her was empty. Not even a second later, Damon stepped through her window and did a double take at the sight of her staring back at him. "Where did you go?" she asked, her voice still raspy from her breakdown the previous night.

He remained silent until he was lying next to her. "I went to see Stefan."

"And you didn't wake me...why?"

"Because I wanted to check on my brother without having to worry about you doing something stupid."

"I wouldn't-"

"Sorry Sweetheart, you've given me too much evidence to the contrary."

Elena sighed, knowing he was right. Deciding it was best not to argue, she laid back down and turned her head to look at him. "How is he?"

Damon thought of the best way to word his answer. "He's fine, I guess."

"Fine?"

He shrugged. "He's locked in the tomb with Katherine. So far everything seems to be fine."

"What about blood?"

"I'm not going to let him starve, Elena," he said. The tone of his voice caused her eyes to narrow. "Katherine told me that if I was going to bring blood for Stefan, I had to bring enough to share with the entire class. She told me if I didn't, she would kill him."

Elena rolled her eyes. "No she won't."

Damon nodded in agreement. "I give it a few more hours before they start getting reacquainted."

Elena stared at him, trying to figure out his meaning. The moment it clicked, she felt her heart drop into her stomach. Damon shuddered inwardly, knowing he shouldn't have said anything. "It's not like we're together anymore," she mumbled and turned her face away from Damon to stare at the ceiling.

Damon knew she was talking more to herself than to him. "We'll get him out."

"How?"

"I don't know exactly, but we will."

"Then Katherine will be out too."

"Then we'll just have to kill her like we originally planned."

Elena shook her head. "You and I both know that neither of you will kill her."

Damon said nothing; she was right. Instead, he decided on a not-so-subtle subject change. "So about the Rose situation..." Elena turned to look at him again, one of her brows cocked as she waited for his explanation. "She was just a distraction."

"From what?"

"You."

Elena was taken aback by his quick response. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks as she took a deep breath. She didn't know what to say to that. She wasn't even sure if there was anything she could say to that.

"I thought I had compelled you to forget and I needed something that would get you off my mind. Because in all honesty, I wanted to come back here, compel you to remember, and-" he stopped to smirk at her, making her blush deeply. "Well, I'm sure you can fill in the blanks."

Elena shook her head, trying to hold back her smile; failing miserably. Only Damon could take a sweet moment and make it dirty. "To be honest, if I had seen you that night, I probably would have staked you. I was angry that you tried to make me forget."

"Really? You were angry about it?" he asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "I couldn't tell."

This time, Elena changed the subject, catching him completely off guard. "I was coming down the stairs to you, just so you know."

"You were?"

She nodded slowly. "I don't know when this started, but I feel safe when I'm in your arms." She felt the heat rising back to her cheeks. She cursed herself for blushing so easily. "You had killed that man that was probably going to kill all of us and you came to rescue me. I wanted to feel safe, but Stefan stepped in the way."

Damon snorted. "Story of my life," he muttered. Inside, he was feeling warm and triumphant. She had wanted him; not Stefan.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I did yesterday. I know it was little rash, but-"

"Which part?" he teased.

She made a face at him and sighed. "Everything. I really thought turning myself over would be best, but Rose brought up a good point. Even if Klaus got to use me as a sacrifice, there was nothing saying that he wouldn't go after my family anyway."

"And you didn't even say goodbye," he reminded her, trying not to show how much that affected him.

"I wouldn't have been able to go through with it if I had to say goodbye to anyone. Especially to you and Stefan because you would have seen right through me."

"Damn straight."

"And I know I overreacted about the Rose thing, but I do find it a little strange. I'm over it now."

"Don't worry, the next time I see her, I'm going to try my hardest to repay her for leaving us." Normally the cold edge to his voice would have left Elena feeling a bit unnerved, but at the moment, she felt nothing.

"One last apology," she said and offered him a small smile as she adjusted her body so that she was lying on her side to face him. "I'm sorry for completely losing it when Jeremy told me about Stefan and I'm really glad that you were there."

He grinned. "Girls always go weak at the knees around me."

Elena rolled her eyes, letting a smile take hold of her lips. "Just promise that you won't catch anyone but me." It was meant to be a tease, but it changed the atmosphere around them dramatically.

The humor in Damon's eyes dimmed and he reached out for the hand that wasn't propping her head up. "Speaking of," he started and laced his fingers with hers. "Where exactly do we stand with each other?"

Elena stared at him, trying to find the right words. "I want to be with you, but-"

"No," he interrupted and shook his head the best he could. "There are not buts."

"There are very powerful vampires after me, Damon. We don't know when they'll show up, but I know it will be soon. For all we know, tomorrow could be our last day together and I don't think it's right that we start something that..." her voice trailed off as he shook his head again.

"That's exactly why we should be together. I didn't try this hard just to almost be with you."

She squeezed his hand and gave a slight nod. He wasn't going to take no for an answer. "I just..." she sighed softly, not able to find the right words. "I want to be with you," she repeated. "But I'm not the type of girl to jump into bed with someone right off the bat."

He stared at her for a moment before a smirk took hold of his mouth. "Technically..."

Elena let go of his hand to shove him playfully. "Damon, I'm trying to be serious here."

He continued to smirk, but nodded his understanding. "I meant what I said Elena, we can take it slow." A grin spread across her face and he narrowed his eyes. "I swear, if you start laughing, I'm out of here."

"No laughing, I promise," she said although the grin remained on her face.

Damon reached for her hand again and re-laced their fingers. "If you want the dates and the romance, then that's exactly what you'll get," he informed her, his voice low.

Never in Elena's wildest imaginations had she ever thought something like that would come out of his mouth. It made her blush again. However, the sensation was short lived as she thought of the dark times that lie ahead of them. "Damon," she said firmly, wanting him to hear her out. "I do want that, but with everything that's going on-"

"We'll make time," he interrupted again, this time giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We'll take it slow for now and when this is all over, we'll take some time away from Mystic Falls."

Elena drew in a breath and cleared her throat. "There is one thing that I want to do before we make this official."

Damon just stared at her. "I'm not going to like this am I?"

She offered him a smile and mouthed the word no. "I want to tell Stefan about us."

"Why?"

"Because it's the right thing to do and you know it."

Damon sighed, knowing she was right. Stefan deserved to hear about it from them before someone else spilled the beans. The fact that Elena brought it up just reminded him why he loved her as much as he did. "On one condition." One of her brows rose, waiting to hear what he had to say. "What did Katherine have to say to you?"

"She told me about her family. She told me how she had a child and her father forced her to give it away within seconds of it's birth. She told me about Klaus and the other vampires and how she turned." Elena paused, not really wanting to tell him what Katherine had said about him and his brother. "Then I asked her a few personal questions that I don't want to talk about right now."

"Why not?"

Elena bit her lip, searching for the best way to answer him. "Think of it as girl bonding."

"You bonded with her? Over what?" he asked before realization kicked in. "Oh."

Elena gave him the condensed version of what she and Katherine had discussed about the brothers. "When she told me she hadn't compelled Stefan's love because she wanted it to be real with him, it reminded me of you." She paused, feeling a little heat rise to her cheeks. "When we were in Georgia, you said the exact same thing to me. The moment I heard those words coming out of her mouth, I knew she was telling the truth."

"See, I told you she made her choice," he mumbled.

She reached out and cupped his face. "Hey, it doesn't matter anymore, right?"

"Right," he agreed and turned to kiss her palm before removing it and lacing their fingers together again. "Soul mates, huh?" he mused. He had always been under the impression that he didn't have a soul anymore.

Elena nodded and decided that everything that needed to be discussed had been. Instead, she simply stared at him, gazing into his eyes and tracing circles against the base of his thumb. Fortunately, he was content with doing the exact same thing. A small smile graced her lips as the desire to kiss him rose within her. It was strange, to be this close to him and know that she could kiss him without any guilty feelings.

"Elena?" he questioned, as if he could see the debate going on in her mind.

"Yeah?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"You," she replied and felt the beginnings of yet another blush rising to her cheeks.

His brow arched at that. "What about me, exactly?"

Elena let go of his hand and lifted her head in order to move a little bit closer to him. "I want..." she started, her voice low.

He mirrored her every move, stopping when his face was only inches from hers. "What do you want, Elena?"

Instead of telling him, she decided to show him. Swiftly, she closed the gap between them and pressed her lips softly against his. Damon was slightly surprised by her initiation. He had been expecting her to be hesitant and let him take control. This was an interesting new development and he had to admit; he liked this side of her. Her tongue darted out and ran across his lips, asking for entrance. Damon parted his lips to grant her access and his tongue moved to greet hers.

While their mouths moved as one, Damon looped an arm around her waist and pulled her over top of him. She straddled his abdomen and cupped his face; her hair forming a shield around them. His hands rested idly on her hips as he returned her kiss in full. It was much different than any of their other kisses. Instead of being fueled by forbidden passion, it was comfortable and exploratory. While it certainly wasn't their first kiss, it was the first one where they weren't trying to rip each other's clothes off. There was still a need there, but this time it was a need for connection.

Elena slowed the kiss and finally moved her mouth from his, needing to breathe. She propped herself up on her elbows and smiled down at him. "Will you still be here in the morning?" she asked in a soft voice.

One of his hands moved from her hips to cup her face. "Now that Elijah's alive and you may have alerted Klaus about your existence means that I am never going to leave your side," he informed her. Elena knew he wasn't joking from the serious look in his eyes and the tone of his voice.

Instead of arguing with him, she nodded and slid off of his body to lay by his side. Just as they always did, she placed her arm around his waist while his went underneath her head. Elena placed her head in the crook of his shoulder and got as close to him as she could. Without either of them saying another word, Elena closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep again.

This time, when Elena woke up, there was sunlight streaming through the windows and an arm fastened securely around her waist. She opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of Damon. They hadn't moved an inch during their slumber. Just as she decided to lay there for a bit longer, she heard Jenna and Jeremy arguing loudly downstairs. She sighed heavily; if Jeremy was up, then it was way past time for Elena to get out of bed. Unfortunately, Damon's hands were laced together and he was just as strong asleep as he was awake; he wouldn't budge.

Elena grinned and hooked her leg over his waist, pulling herself up so that she was straddling him. Almost immediately, she felt him stir beneath her. His hands separated and moved to rest on her hips. "Morning," she said as his eyes opened.

"Morning," he returned.

She offered him another smile and continued to slide off of him to get off the bed. She gasped as he tightened his hold and used his speed to pin her down on the mattress beneath him. "Damon!" she hissed, trying not to laugh.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, smirking down at her.

"To take a shower." His eyes glistened with mischief. "Alone," she added, smirking back at him.

"I don't think you were listening to me last night," he said, brushing the hair off of her face, tucking it behind her ears.

She narrowed her eyes in curiosity. "I don't..."

"I said I wasn't going to let you out of my sight."

Elena shook her head and playfully smacked his shoulder. "Ha, ha. That does not include the shower," she informed him. She smiled and raised herself enough to kiss his lips briefly. "At least not this time."

Damon groaned at her words; that small hint of eventually seeing her naked was enough to make him hard. After all this time of imagining what it would be like to have her, the reality was making him impatient. He had promised her slow, but truth be told, he didn't know if he would be able to keep that pace.

"Damon?" her voice drew him from his thoughts, the tone of it making him realize it wasn't the first time she had called for him. One of her hands was cupping the side of his face, her thumb brushing over his cheek softly.

Instead of answering her, he lowered his lips down to hers. Her body molded to his instantly and she was able to feel his fully erect member hitting her core. A smile formed on her lips, but she never broke the kiss. Damon was the one to do that, moving his lips to ear to whisper, "You know, we would be saving the planet if we showered together. Water conservation and all that."

Elena laughed at that and shoved him off of her. She got to her feet and shook her head at him. "Not this time," she insisted and went to her dresser to collect fresh clothes.

"But eventually?" he asked as she moved to the closet.

Elena turned to give him an impish smile and shrugged her shoulders before closing the door to the bathroom. Damon groaned again and turned to lie on his back, staring up at the ceiling. There was a smile on his face; a genuine smile that left him feeling strange. He wondered how Elena would react to him in public. Would she refuse to acknowledge that they were together? Would she let him hold her hand? Kiss her when people were watching?

Damon sat up and forced away those thoughts. He had no reason to doubt her; if she was ashamed to be with him, she wouldn't have agreed to start a relationship. With that, Damon headed downstairs. Since he had spent the night more than a few times, he knew Jenna wouldn't give him the third degree when he walked into the kitchen. Although, given the recent turn of events, he couldn't help but feel a little awkward. Just before he left Elena's room, he heard Jenna saying goodbye to Jeremy. Damon thought it was best if she left before he made an appearance.

Jeremy did a double take as Damon entered the kitchen. "You're still here?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Jeremy stared at him for a moment and then shrugged. "Coffee?" he offered, letting Damon's question go unanswered.

"Sure."

"Jenna made it."

Damon's nose wrinkled automatically. "Never mind."

Jeremy snickered and nodded in agreement. "That's what I said when she offered."

Damon leaned against the island and studied Jeremy. "Good to see that your ring healed you."

"Yeah. I can't imagine what I would have said to Jenna." Jeremy leaned against the fridge and tipped his head up to the ceiling, making sure that the shower was still running. He looked back at Damon and took a deep breath. "Can I say something to you?"

"Is this about your sister?" Damon asked, having heard the serious note in the younger boy's voice. It was clear Jeremy was about to deliver the "you break my sister's heart, I'll break your neck" speech.

Jeremy nodded and Damon motioned for him to continue. "I know that you and Elena have been spending more time together than usual. She cares about you and you obviously care about her, but she's been in danger more times than anyone because of you and your brother. I know you won't hurt her and I trust that you'll keep her safe. I've said this to Elena before, but if you can get her to care about you, then there must be something good beneath the surface. What I'm really worried about is that you're known to be a womanizer. If you're going to be with my sister, you can't break her heart."

"I was never planning on letting Elena go nor was I planning on hurting her," Damon said.

Jeremy inclined his head and smirked. "As cliched as this is, I have to say it." Damon nodded and smirked back at him. "If you break her heart, I'll have to stake you."

"I would love to see you try."

Jeremy grinned. "I'll just let Jenna do it."

Damon's face became serious at that. "Well played. You have my word, Gilbert. If I break Elena's heart, you are more than welcome to stake me."

As Jeremy filled Damon in on what happened at the tomb in his absence, Elena finished her shower and dressed for the day. Both men stopped talking the minute she walked into the room. "What?" she asked, looking back and forth between the two.

"Nothing," Jeremy said although he was smirking. "I'll leave you two alone. See you later," he added and disappeared through the back door.

"What would you like to do today?"

"I would like to go see Stefan. We can take him a few things and give him some blood."

Damon crossed the kitchen and took her hands in his. "You don't have to see him."

"But-"

"While I would love nothing more than for you to tell him before I ruin it with an inappropriate comment, I know you don't want an audience."

"Audie- Oh," she said and sighed. She had almost forgotten about Katherine being in the tomb as well. Almost. "Are you sure about waiting?"

This time, Damon's head cocked to the side. "What do you mean?"

"I want him to hear it from us first."

Damon nodded, finally understanding her meaning. "Then I guess I have the extra motivation to get him out of the tomb."

Elena took a deep breath, knowing she had hurt him a little. "I don't want to hide our relationship, but imagine if the roles were reversed. You would want us to respect you in the same way, right?"

Damon pulled her to him and kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms securely around her body. "This is one of the many reasons why I love you."

Those words made Elena feel warm and fuzzy inside and she couldn't help but blush. Again. She circled his waist with her arms and squeezed lightly. "Thank you for understanding."

Fighting the urge to hoist her onto the island counter, Damon pulled out of her embrace and gave her a small smile. "I won't be gone long, okay?"

"What happened to never letting me out of your sight?" she challenged.

"Only in a perfect world," he quipped. She smiled and he leaned in to kiss her gently. "I'll be back shortly," he said and Elena followed him to the front door, standing there to watch him until his car was out of sight.

She lingered in the frame for a moment longer than she meant to. As she started to shut the door, the air stirred, catching her hair in a breeze. Elena jumped back at the sight of Elijah on the other side of the threshold. "Oh good, you're alive."

Instinctively, Elena took a step back, finding it very reassuring that he couldn't get in. "What do you want?"

"Invite me in and I'll tell you."

She shook her head rapidly. "I'm not letting you in. I'm not an idiot."

"Yesterday might prove otherwise," he taunted and looked over his shoulder. "Let me in or I'll follow the Carmero."

Elena's heart skipped two beats in a row before she felt it sink into her stomach. She knew he would carry out his threat and go after Damon. "C-come in," she whispered, her voice broken.

He smiled and stepped into the house, closing the door behind him. "Why thank you, Elena."

"What do you want?" she asked, taking a few steps back.

"To make a deal with you," he answered, staying close to the door as a sign of peace.

"A deal?"

He nodded briefly. "You know from Katerina's experiences that Klaus will lash out at you if you try and defeat him. He wants the moonstone and he wants you. If either of those two things were to go missing, he would tear your friends and family limb from limb. I'm here to tell you that Klaus is one of the few vampires that want the curse lifted from that stone."

Elena's eyes widened at that. "I thought more vampires would want it gone."

He shook his head. "Werewolves are slaves to the full moon. If the curse were lifted, the tables would turn and they would have a real shot at being in charge, so-to-speak."

"Oh," Elena said. It did make sense to her in a weird sort of way. "Is that why you killed those men?"

Elijah nodded again. "I don't want anything to happen to you either. I have my reasons, reasons that I do not wish to share with you at the moment," he explained before she could ask. "If you stop trying to get Klaus' attention, I will make sure your loved ones are safe upon his arrival. Do you accept?"

Elena studied him, trying to decide if he was a man of his word like Damon or if he was only out for himself like Katherine. "On one condition," she said, proof that Damon was already rubbing off on her.

Elijah's brows rose at that. "You're negotiating?"

"Yes."

His lips curved into a smile and he inclined his head. "What is your condition?"

"I want Stefan out of that tomb. You get him out and I will sit back and stop trying to turn myself in."

Elijah nodded. "I will get Stefan out of the tomb and I promise to keep your loved ones safe," he said and extended his hand. Elena moved cautiously and took his hand firmly in hers. As she let go of his hand, he stepped back towards the door and opened it. "Pleasure doing business with you Elena," he said and in the next instant, he was gone.