a/n: I decided to put the action first so that Delena could have their getaway without being interrupted. Hopefully you guys like the changes. There will be a part two to this episode which will feature more about their getaway :) Anything you want to see, let me know and I WILL include the bathtub scene, just as I promised :)

SEVENTEEN

Elena was half awake, half asleep as she moved for the umpteenth time, trying to get comfortable. Caroline's bed was big, but not big enough with her, Caroline, and Bonnie all lying on it. Elena did another half turn and gave a soft yelp as she crashed to the floor. The thud woke Caroline up instantly. When she realized no one was in danger, she looked down at Elena and smirked.

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks for asking," Elena mumbled playfully, smirking back at Caroline.

"It's time to get up anyway," she replied, turning to give Bonnie a light shove. "Wake up Bennett."

"Don' wanna," she grumbled, pulling the pillow over her head as Elena pushed herself to her feet.

When Caroline turned back around, she saw Elena reading a message on her phone, that secretive smile on her face. "What's that?" she asked.

Elena's cheeks reddened as she looked up from her message. "It's from Damon."

"Damon?" both girls asked in unison, Bonnie's head rising up to stare at Elena.

While Elena wanted to share the news with her friends, the night had been about making Caroline feel better. She didn't want to put the spotlight on herself, but she had been caught red handed. "We're together now," she replied. There, it was out there. Elena smiled wider as she realized she had told someone other than Stefan and John. This wasn't about hurting anyone or getting back at them, it was finally about announcing it because she wanted people to know.

"What?" Bonnie asked as Caroline said, "When?"

"Um...a few days ago," she said, realizing how far apart they had drifted in the last few months. It was almost as if they barely knew each other any more. "But it's been going on for a little longer than that."

"What about Stefan?" Bonnie asked.

Elena shrugged. "He's dealing with it. We really did break up that day and ever since then I've been falling for Damon. It wasn't sudden, but because I wasn't focused on Stefan, I was able to realize what I felt for Damon."

Caroline could barely contain her smiles as she leapt from the bed and wrapped her arms around Elena. "I'm so happy for you!"

"You are?"

"Damon's different now and it's all because of you," she said, pulling back to look at Bonnie. "Aren't you happy for Elena?"

Bonnie sat up and looked between her friends. "But...it's Damon."

Elena nodded. "Bonnie, I know he's not your favorite person, but he really has changed. I'll understand if you have your reservations, I would too if roles were reversed, but I love him."

She took a deep breath and slowly got up, making her way to Elena. She hesitated and then hugged her. "As long as you're happy."

"Thanks Bon," she returned and hugged her back.

"Just know that if he hurts you, I will take him down before he even knows what hit him."

Elena laughed briefly. "Oh, he's well aware."

Caroline hugged both of them. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"I didn't want to make the night about me," Elena said as she pulled away, trying to find her things to get ready. "You needed us to be there for you, Care."

"Still, gossip would have helped," she said with a wink. "So what was the message?"

Elena smirked, staring at Caroline who gave her a sweet, innocent smile in return. "Yeah, I'm curious too," Bonnie chimed in.

"Before I came here, he said he had something planned for us and the message was just a reminder of that."

Caroline's eyes lit up at the way Elena's cheeks reddened and her heart sped up. "Have you two-"

"No."

"But you're-"

"Yes."

Caroline grinned from ear to ear. "You know you have to tell us the details, right?"

Before Elena could reply, her phone went off. She excused herself to the hall even though she was well aware that Caroline would be listening either way. "Morning," she said as she answered it.

"Morning," Damon replied. "How was girl's night?"

"It was good. Definitely a nice change of pace. It was almost like it used to be before all of this started happening."

"So you want a break from this?"

"More than you'll ever know."

"Perfect. How would you like to spend the weekend at the lake house?"

Elena sucked in a breath. She hadn't been there since before the accident. "H-how did you..."

"I have my ways," he said, his voice cocky and playful. Elena was still trying to wrap her head around the idea of going to the lake house again. "Elena?"

"I'm here," she said.

"I can always find somewhere else to go if-"

"No, no. The lake house is fine. I just kind of forgot about it. When do we leave?"

"There's a Historical Society luncheon at the Lockwood's. There's something I have to check up on."

"Damon-"

"We'll go after that."

Elena sighed and closed her eyes, leaning against the wall to Caroline's bedroom. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"I'll do my best. Meet me at the boarding house later and we'll leave right after."

"Sounds good. Bye," she said and hung up. She gave herself a moment before returning to the bedroom to face another round of questions from her friends.

Elena got up from the couch in the parlor the moment she heard a car pull into the driveway. She had been at the boarding house for a little over half an hour waiting for Damon to get back from the Lockwood manor. She went to greet Damon at the door and stopped at the sight of blood on his hands and shirt. "What happened?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.

Damon wanted to tell her nothing and let the subject drop, but knew that it wasn't an option. "Elijah was there."

Her eyes went wide, but she remained frozen where she was. "And?"

"And I confronted him about the deal he made with you."

"Damon-"

"Elena, I don't trust him. He's an Original."

"So? He's still a vampire just like you are."

Damon shook his head adamantly. "We are definitely not in the same category."

Elena stared at him for a moment before her eyes flickered to the blood. "Why is there blood on you?"

He gave her an apologetic smile. "Well, I may have confronted him with a little too much..."

"Arrogance?" Elena supplied.

"Pretty much. He stabbed me in the neck with a pencil to show me that he was the stronger of us. He then gave me a verbal reminder that he was only going to keep me alive as long as I was useful in keeping you safe."

"Well, maybe next time you'll leave it alone. I don't trust him either, but right now he's the best shot I have at keeping everyone safe."

"How many times do I-"

Elena shook her head and raised her hand to silence him. She gave a warm smile and moved forward. "You know what?" she asked, stopping right in front of him. "I don't want to talk about this any more. You promised me a break from all this drama and I want it to start now."

Damon nodded, leaning in to kiss her briefly. "Let me go wash up and grab my stuff. Then we'll be out of here."

"Don't take too long."

"I won't," he assured her before using his vampire perks to rush upstairs.

Elena stood there for a moment before she found herself following him up to his room. She stopped just inside and watched him put things into a small suitcase. He knew she was there, but he decided to wait and see what she was up to. He stopped as she closed the door and made her way to him. When she approached him, she smirked and reached up to cup his face, bringing his lips down to hers.

"What about the lake house?" he asked, pulling away to let her breathe.

"It'll still be there in the morning."

"I thought you wanted a break."

"I want you more."

Damon was shocked by her boldness. He knew she had it in her, but to hear it aloud made him instantly hard for her. Instead of commenting, he pulled her as close as he could and kissed her deeply. She gasped into the kiss as he used his speed to lay her down on the bed and settle himself over her. She bent her knees, cradling his body as her fingers dove into his hair. Damon groaned as she raised her hips, her core hitting his very aroused member.

Slowly, he moved his lips from hers, trailing them down her throat. He kissed and nipped at her flesh until he hit the top of her shirt. He pulled away slightly to look down at her. She was quite the vision with her chocolate brown hair spread out over his pillow, her eyes filled with lust as she looked at him. His eyes flickered towards her lips. He smirked with satisfaction at how kiss-swollen they looked.

"What?" she breathed.

He shook his head and reclaimed her lips. "You're beautiful," he whispered, his fingers tugging at the bottom of her shirt. Just as his fingers brushed against the bare skin of her sides, a loud crash filled the silence of the room. Damon was on his feet in an instant, using his senses to see what it was. "Stay here," he demanded.

"What is it?" she asked, getting to her feet as well.

"I don't know, but it isn't Stefan."

"Damon-" she started as he went for the door.

"I mean it, Elena. Just stay here," he ordered and disappeared from view.

Elena stared after him for a moment before she decided to go after him anyway. Just as she made it to the door, someone grabbed her from behind. At the same time she heard fighting downstairs she felt a sharp pain in her side. Everything started to blur and she felt weak. As her legs gave out, the person holding her let her fall and she landed on her back. Her eyes narrowed in confusion as she saw the person that had attacked her. "Tyler?" she whispered and then everything went dark.

Damon came to feeling pain. He could feel the vervain coursing its way through his system, keeping him incapacitated. When he could see straight, he noticed a man standing in front of him. His lip curled as he inhaled the scent of wolf. It wasn't until he tried to move that the man pulled on a chain, tightening the torture device that was around his neck. The wooden nails pierced his skin, causing his body to jerk as he let out a groan of pain.

"Where's the moonstone?"

Damon gave a short laugh at the irony. Not long ago he had tortured Mason in the same chair for the exact same information. "I don't have it."

"Then where is it?"

"Where's Elena?" he countered.

"We've got her," came a female voice. Jules stepped into his view with a few of her were friends behind her. "Tell us where to find the moonstone and I might keep her away when I kill you."

"You really think that I would tell you where the moonstone is?"

"No, but I have to try," she said, leaning in close to him, but still out of his reach. "But if you don't, I'm pretty sure Elena will. I don't think she can handle something like this for too long."

Damon lunged for her only to have the device around his neck tighten and dig in further. He growled and gripped the edge of the chair. When the device went slack, Damon started laughing and smirked at Jules. "You do realize that if anything happens to her you're going to wish you had never been born right?"

"You'll be dead too."

He gave a shrug. "But this town is filled with people, supernatural and human who would retaliate and they wouldn't stop at your pack. Some of them are vampires who are stronger than you could ever imagine."

"We'll see about that, pretty boy," the wolf with the chain said as he yanked again.

Elena sat straight up, the sound of Damon's cries of agony filling her ears. She turned to see Tyler standing near the door holding a gun. "Tyler? What the hell did you do?" she asked, getting to her feet.

"They want the moonstone and the doppelganger."

Elena swallowed around a dry throat. "We don't have it."

"But you're still the doppelganger."

"Yes and in order for the curse to be broken, they have to kill me. It's my blood that they need; my death." She moved towards him with the intent of bolting downstairs when she had the right opportunity. She stopped as she heard Damon again. "They're killing him."

"He killed Mason."

"Because Mason was trying to kill me."

"What?" he asked, disbelief written all over his face.

It wasn't the truth, but Elena was willing to say anything to get to Damon and herself out of harm's way. "He was working with Katherine to get the moonstone. Once he found out that she was going to take it and run, he went after me. Especially to get back at Damon and Stefan."

"They're vampires Elena. They're dead. Why are you with them?"

"I know the wolves and the vampires don't get along, but they've been here for a long time and nothing's happened. It was only when Mason started putting me in danger that Damon got back at him." She winced as Damon's cries got louder. She moved to the door, but Tyler blocked her.

"I can't-"

Elena lunged at him, pushing him forcefully against the door, his gun dropping to the ground. "If they kill him, I will make sure that bad things happen to you and everyone else that played their part," she hissed, shocking herself.

Tyler blinked a few times, completely stunned by her threat and the force of which she had shoved him. Slowly, she let go and he stepped out of her way. As she opened the door, there was a man on the other side that shoved her to the floor as she tried to run. "I knew you wouldn't be able to do it," he said to Tyler. "You're staying right here," he added to Elena, shutting the door behind him, slowly making his way towards her.

Damon was trying his best to keep his composure, but he could hear Elena upstairs. He knew she was trying to get to him and that someone was up there to prevent her. He was more than willing to let himself get hurt by using every ounce of his strength to get out of the chair, but if it killed him, he would only be putting Elena in more danger. There would be no one to protect her. By the time anyone else found out that she was gone, it would be too late. Luckily, he didn't have to wait for freedom any longer.

"Looking for this?" came Elijah's smooth voice as he strode into the parlor, holding the moonstone up for the wolves to see. All five heads went up. The man yanking the chain let it fall from his grasp as they stared at Elijah. He set it down on an accent table in front of them and raised his hands, smirking at each wolf. "Come and get it."

Two male wolves rushed forward, only to have their hearts ripped from their bodies in the time it took them to blink. Jules stared at the new comer with horror as she watched him drop the organs next to the lifeless bodies. Another rushed Elijah only to meet the same fate. As his body fell to the floor next to the others, Jules took off. Elijah approached the man who had been holding the chain.

"Don't kill me," he pleaded.

Elijah smiled and killed him equally as fast. As his body fell, he dropped the organ and looked at Damon. "You're welcome."

"Get me out of these," he demanded, hearing Elena upstairs. He knew Elijah heard her too, but was glad that he stayed put to free him from the multiple contraptions that had held him to the chair. "Thanks," he said before using the strength he had to get upstairs. They were in the hallway, Elena slung over the other man's shoulder with Tyler helplessly watching in shock.

Without giving the wolf any warning, Damon rushed forward and ripped the heart out of the man's chest, catching Elena before she fell. He turned to look at Tyler who had gone ghostly pale. "Go. Now."

As he left, Damon brought Elena into his room and removed the gag around her mouth before tearing away the rope on her arms. Immediately, she put her arms around his waist and held him tightly, not caring that he got blood all over her. She pulled back to look at him, surprised that he hadn't healed yet. "You're still bleeding," she said, unable to tear her eyes away from the wounds on his neck.

"It'll heal," he answered. The vervain was still in his system, slowing the healing process. The only thing that would speed things up was fresh blood.

As if she had been reading his mind, Elena stood up straight and met his gaze. "Take my blood."

He shook his head; he wanted to, but then again he didn't. "I can't."

"Take it, Damon," she demanded. "I can't have you collapsing on me."

He could see the worry and fear in her eyes as she looked at the multiple wounds. She was scared that more would show up and she wanted him to be ready to go in case something happened again. Slowly, Damon nodded and leaned in to kiss her. When he felt her relax a little bit, he moved his lips down her neck, going over her pulse point repeatedly. She shivered as she felt his elongated canines scrape her flesh. Her eyes squeezed shut as her fingers rested against his shoulders. She gave a slight moan as his fangs pierced her skin and his arms went around her as she relaxed even more.

She had given blood to Stefan to save his life once, but it was nothing compared to this. She felt connected to Damon on a whole new level. More proof that they were meant to be. Elena had always thought that being bitten would be a horribly painful experience, but Damon made it pleasurable. She felt her body reacting the way it did when he kissed her, only she felt a bit more airy.

When he pulled away, he lapped up the excess blood that had spilled onto her skin before licking his lips. He had always imagined what the taste of her blood would be like, but he had never expected it to be so perfect. It had taken all his strength just to stop. He claimed her lips again, pulling her even closer to him. Her arms wound around his freshly healed neck, not caring about the blood, and deepened the kiss. When she started moving backwards towards the bed, he stopped her.

"Not here," he murmured against her lips. "Not with all this death around."

Reluctantly she nodded. The fact that she had almost lost him made her want to be with him more than ever. She needed that reassurance that he was here; that this was real and they had survived. "Who's going to clean it?"

"I'm going to call Stefan while we're on our way to the Lake House. He can take care of it," he said as he picked her up to hurry her past the carnage to get to the car.

"What about our stuff?"

"We'll worry about it later," he said and began speeding towards the lake house. Now it wasn't only Elena that wanted a break from everything. Damon was tired of almost getting killed and putting Elena in danger. Their getaway would be a nice change of pace.

Elena marveled at how fast they had gotten there. She sat in the passenger seat, staring at the house. "It looks exactly the same," she breathed.

"Are you sure you can handle being here?" he asked, seeing that faraway look in her eyes.

She nodded and turned to look at him, allowing him to see how much blood he had gotten on her. "We'll just have to make new memories," she said and slid out of the car.

She walked in and looked around with the expression of a child on Christmas morning. He cleared his throat and waited until she turned to look at him. "Forgetting something?"

She smirked and went back to the door. "Get in here, Salvatore."

"Gladly," he replied and pulled her to him after crossing the threshold. He cupped her face and kissed her forehead. "I say we get rid of these clothes and wash away the bad part of today before we make those memories."

"I like that idea," she replied before putting her hand in his to lead him to the bathroom that had always been hers. It connected to the room she had had growing up and it was all for her.

As they waited for the water to heat up, they stood in front of the vanity, facing each other. It wasn't long before Damon began to undress her. Out of all the times he had removed her clothes, this was the least sexual. This was truly about washing away their fears and worries; getting things back to normal so they could enjoy their time alone together. That being said, he still took his time with her, caressing her olive skin from time to time. It was the first time he was going to see her completely nude.

Elena returned the favor, undressing him just as slowly as he had undressed her. When they were done, they remained frozen in place, their eyes glued to one another. Finally, Damon reached out for her hand and stepped into the shower, pulling her in with him. He put her under the water first, using the washcloth Elena had grabbed off the sink to lightly scrub the blood from her face.

When she had been taken care of, she switched places with him and watched as the water turned pink from the amount of blood that was being washed away. Taking the washcloth, she began mimicking his earlier movements, lightly moving it against his skin until every trace of blood was gone and the water ran clear.

Damon looked around and then at Elena. "No toiletries?"

She nodded. "In my bag," she answered, smirking lightly. "The one you made me leave behind."

He returned her smirk with one of his own and moved forward until she was pressed between his body and the wall. Her eyes fluttered as their bodies molded perfectly and she felt his arousal against her stomach. Instead of saying anything, Damon leaned down and kissed her slowly. His need to remove the blood was gone only to be replaced with another need.

He broke the kiss to shut the water off and do a quick towel dry. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck. "Lead the way," he whispered, his warm breath sending shivers down her spine.

She led him back into the bedroom they had passed through on their way to the bathroom. He made a mental note to look at her things later to learn more about her. Right now, he was focused on the wet, naked girl before him. He spun her around to kiss her heatedly, reveling in the way she reacted when he moved them to the bed. Just like earlier, her body cradled his, her arms wound around his neck.

"Thank you for giving me your blood," he whispered, nipping at her earlobe.

Her fingers moved through his wet hair as she nodded. "You needed it."

He kissed her again. This time it was passionate and tender at the same time; just enough to drive her crazy. He propped himself up on his forearms and then reached down to see how ready she was. He moaned at how wet she was; how tight she was around his finger once he slipped it inside of her. He inserted another finger and thrust them in and out of her a few times before removing his hand. Damon poised himself at her entrance and waited until her eyes opened. "I love you."

"I love you too," she replied in a breathy voice.

Elena moaned as his mouth found hers at the same time he slid inside of her. Her body arched to accept all of him and he stilled to let her adjust. When she rotated her hips, Damon took that as a sign that she was ready. Slowly, he pulled almost all the way out of her and then slid back in. Her body arched off the bed as she let out a breathy moan. She had never felt anything like this before.

Damon set an agonizingly slow pace, wanting to take his time with her. With each thrust, Elena could feel him getting deeper and deeper. She tried different angles with her hips until she found the right spot. She hissed in pleasure when she found it and moaned in his ear. "Faster," she breathed.

Damon was more than happy to oblige. He pushed himself up just a little bit to get a better angle and thrust inside of her again. Elena's head ground against the pillow as he increased his pace with each thrust. It wasn't until he moved to sit, grabbing her hips to tilt them up, that he noticed how close she was. He removed on hand from her hips and raised it to their joined bodies. She let out a loud moan as his finger found her clit and started rubbing it in time with his thrusts.

Elena's body arched again as she felt her release getting closer and closer. "Come for me," he urged, making sure he buried himself all the way with each thrust, hitting her spot each and every time.

Soon, she was withering beneath him, crying out his name as her head exploded from the intensity of her release. She could feel her body being warmed by his release and opened her eyes to see him. She was more than surprised to see his fangs out along with the veins that lined his face. For the first time, she realized how beautiful it was.

When Damon slowed to a stop, he realized she was looking at him with awe. He leaned down to kiss her now that his fangs and retracted. After some moving around, they found themselves under the covers. Damon held Elena to him with her back pressed against his front, his chin on her shoulder. "I really do love you, Elena," he whispered, pressing kisses against her skin.

"I love you too," she whispered back.

It wasn't long before they both drifted off to sleep. The emotional roller coaster of the day was finally over and after their little tryst, they were both more than worn out. Damon watched her fall asleep before he joined her, completely happy with the small smile that remained on her face.