Hello there!

So sorry it took me so long and that it's kind of short but I really hope you like it.

Huge thanks to everyone reading and to Lorena for being my beta on this.

There's a cold heart, buried beneath
and warm blood, running deep
Secrets - are mine to keep
protected by silent sleep
I'm not ready, I'm not ready
for the weight of us, for the weight of us

The weight of us

.

Elena dipped a French-fry into the catsup bowl as Caroline almost chocked on her cherry cola. "So he totally felt you up in the car" The blonde said between coughs. Elena moved to pat her back but the blonde moved her hand away "I'm fine, jeez, it was just the commotion"

Elena rolled her eyes at her friend and took a sip of her own glass. It was Saturday night and they were currently sitting in Caroline's apartment, the blonde had called her first thing in the morning demanding answers but Elena told her she would need to wait until she could tell her everything face to face.

"He has it so bad for you, I'm telling you this is going to be good" The blonde girl said "Even though I still can't believe he didn't try to sleep with you, it's more than obvious than he wants to"

"Oh I don't know maybe it has something to do with the fact that I babysit his children and it would be a mistake to rush things" Elena answered. There was no denying the fact that she had wanted to sleep with him the night before but she also understood that once they crossed that line there would be no way back.

"You're probably right. Either way this makes me so happy!" Caroline said while clapping her hands "You have no idea how long it's been since I've seen you this way about a boy" Elena looked at her with a quirked eye brow "Try never!"

"Very funny"

"I'm serious, yes you've dated and I'm pretty sure that you loved Jake during the time you were together, but it was puppy love. The way you look when you talk about Damon…" Elena blushed and looked down at the french fries still lying on her plate "There's so much passion there"

"It scares me Caroline, I've known him for just a few weeks and I already feel like he has a hold over my heart, every time that I'm with him it's like… he consumes me Caroline and that scares the shit out of me" Elena closed her eyes for a moment and opened them to find her best friend looking at her with sympathy. "What if it doesn't work out? I think it would literally break me to walk away from him and the girls"

"Don't think like that honey, all good things in life are a risk and scary. But isn't that what we dreamed about when we were little. You know, great love." Caroline looked deeply at her and Elena realized it wasn't just her they were talking about anymore "And great love is wild and passionate. It burns and consumes"

"Did you just quote Buffy the vampire slayer?" Elena asked with a smile

"There was a marathon yesterday on TV, so yeah. But the fact that it comes from a tv show doesn't make it any less true" Her friend stated with a serious look "I know you want that kind of love and if what you feel for Damon right now feels remotely like that then go for it girl" She said raising her glass in the direction of Elena "And it's also why I decided to end things with Tyler for good"

"Are you serious?" Elena asked, her eyes almost coming out of her sockets

"Yes, I love him and I think a part of me will always love him but he's just not the same man I fell in love with. He changed and I think this new version of him doesn't care about me anymore, I think he's just used to the idea of us, of me" The blonde's eyes shinned with unshed tears but she managed to smile as she stared at her friend "I want that too, great love. And I know Tyler won't give it to me, I can't keep letting him hurt me."

"I'm so proud of you Caroline" Elena stood up and moved so she could take her friend into her arms "You'll do so much better without him holding you back"

"I know" The blonde said as she rested her head on Elena's shoulder

"But I still can't believe that Matt and I tried to tell you this for the last four years and you took the decision after watching a Buffy marathon" Both girls laughed out loud and Caroline could feel the pressure loosening up in her chest

"What can I say, Spike is a really smart guy"

"Mew, I'm more of an Angel person" Elena said with a smile and they both started laughing again.

"So, what are you going to do once you see Damon again?" Caroline asked once they released themselves from their hugs.

"I don't know, I think I'll just wait and see how he acts with me" She hadn't seen Damon in the whole day and in some way she was grateful for it. She needed time to gather her thoughts and truly know what she was feeling. "I don't even know what we're doing"

Would they start a relationship? Friends with benefits? She had no idea. But she guessed they would keep things in secret, it wouldn't be fair for the children if things didn't work out in the end, Elena knew that Briar and Violet wanted her to be with their father so it would break their hearts if things ended badly between them.

"I think you're right, and you probably should keep things hidden for a bit" Caroline said as if she was reading her mind "Because those kids love you to death, at least Briar does, she talks about you all the time" The blonde girl said with a smile and Elena felt her heart expanding.

She loved them too, deeply. There was nothing she wanted more than to take care of them and their father. Elena never thought a lot about having a family of her own and those kinds of things but right know she found herself wishing for a quiet family life next to a wonderful man like Damon Salvatore.

Damon groaned as he closed the laptop in front of him and dropped his head into his hands.

"Can I know what has you in such a merry mood mate?" Enzo asked as he walked into Damon's home office.

"Can't you guess?" The blue eyed man answered while lifting his head to stare into his friend's eyes

"I would try and say it's because of a brunette bombshell but I don't want to assume" Enzo took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk and crossed one leg on top of the other.

"You would be right" Damon said and slumped back in his chair "I swear to God I don't even know what I am doing anymore"

He had been in a state of complete stress ever since the night before, he truly hadn't expected all the emotions the girl evoked in him; she was gorgeous, that was true but there was something more to her, Damon was incredibly afraid of what he was starting to feel for her and how it would affect the dynamic in the house.

"What do you mean? You took her on a date mate that hardly means you have to marry her"

"You don't get it Enzo, Elena is not the kind of girl you play with" Damon said in a gravelly voice "If only you knew… she's the kind of girl that brings you to your knees… and I want, I want to give her everything she asks for" Enzo raised his brows at Damon's statement "See where my problem lays?!" Damon said with exasperation in his voice

"I don't see a problem here mate, it just seems to me like you're in-"

"Don't" Damon raised a hand in the air and stopped his friend "Don't even finish that sentence Enzo, I can't be"

"Why not?" His friend shrugged "Because of Kat? For how long are you going to let her control everything you do"

"It's not like that" Damon said grimacing

"Yes it is, and okay I get it, she did a number on you" Enzo moved forward and leaned onto the table "And I get it, it's hard to move past it but Damon what happened with her is in the past, all of it. Just let it go mate"

Damon huffed and laced his hand in front of him. He knew his friend was right. He had said those same words to himself a million times over but it was easier said than done and besides now he had the girls, it wasn't just him in the equation this time.

"I know, I know but… I don't even know…" He let the sentence hang in the air

"Because let me tell you something if you don't take a leap and try something with this girl then I think it's better if you cut this shit and leave her alone" Enzo said sharply and Damon felt his words twisting in his gut "Stop encouraging her because eventually it's going to blow up in your face," Enzo said sharply and Damon felt his words twisting in his gut.

Damon knew his friend was right, Elena had become such an important part of their lives in the small amount of time she had been at the house and if he did something to ruin it all the children would never forgive him. But the idea of not touching her again, of not kissing her was unbearable; in all honesty he had no idea what he planned to do with them but going back to square one wasn't an option, not after last night.

"You see, I gave you a lot to think about, I'm such a clever man" Enzo said with a sufficient smile on his face.

"Bite me" Damon gritted while rolling his eyes "Anyway, there was something you wanted to discuss? That's why you showed up in my house on a Sunday morning?"

"Oh yes, the masquerade" The dark eyed man answered with a smirk on his face

"Masquerade?" Damon asked, eyebrows raised in confusion

"Bonnie told me you would forget about it" Enzo muttered "The charity? They're raising money for research on spinal cord injuries, ring a bell?"

"Oh fuck, I totally forgot" Damon said while smacking his forehead lightly

"I'll tell Bonnie to remind you all the details, the point is that you need to donate something for the auction"

"Donate something?"

"Yes, anything that belongs to you"

"Like my favorite pair of shoes?" Damon asked with a smirk on his lips

"It wouldn't be bad, it doesn't need to be of great value but it need to belong to you. Every important personality is giving something, I heard Josephine Alarcon is donating a hair brush. Can you believe that woman?"

Damon laughed and shook his head while rummaging through his brain trying to find an idea for the donation when it suddenly hit him, Elijah Michaelson wasn't the only one who could help Elena launch her career. "I think I have the perfect item"

"Really? What is it?"

"A painting" He smiled as Enzo looked around the room admiring the variety of art Damon had hanging on his walls.

"Okay then, I'll let Valerie know"

"Valerie? She's hosting this event?" Damon asked

Enzo huffed in annoyance "Seriously mate, your head is in the clouds these days"

"This should be interesting, I hope there's no drama between her and Stefan in the ball" Damon said with a frown

"I wouldn't count on that" Enzo said

They talked for a few more minutes and then Enzo excused himself claiming to have some important event to attend to, Damon of course knew he was meeting Bonnie for brunch but decided not to mention anything, they would decide when it was the right time to make their romance known.

Damon needed to talk to Elena, needed to tell her he would purchase one of her paintings to donate and to ask her to be his date to the masquerade. Suddenly the future didn't seem so scary anymore, for the first time in a long time he was feeling utter and complete happiness in his life. The feeling that maybe things would work out this time.

Damon entered the kitchen and smiled when he saw the brunette girl picking out pieces of a defrosted pizza slice.

"Pizza? At this time?" He asked while looking at the wall clock that marked 2:30 am.

Elena chuckled slightly "I wasn't hungry when I went to bed but woke up with a huge hole in my stomach so…" She shrugged and gestured to the plate in front of her.

"Can I keep you company?" He asked even though he already knew her answer. They had been doing this routine for the last week after all.

"Sure" She smiled as her eyes were casted down

"How was your day?" He asked before taking out a chair and sitting on it.

"It was pretty nice actually, I spent the entire morning with Caroline, we even went to get massages and to the movies"

"A girls day then?"

"Yeah, Caroline and I have been friends since we were little girls and we see each other pretty much every week but lately her boyfriend started to be a little bit overwhelming so we didn't see each other as much as before. Luckily that's about to change"

"How so?" He asked with a raised brow as he watched with rapt attention every movement she made and every piece of food she took to her mouth.

"She and Tyler finally broke up, and don't get me wrong I love her and wish her all the happiness in the world but that man wasn't going to give it to her, he's been awful to her since…forever and no matter how much I tried to tell her that she never listened and it's sooo good to finally see her moving on" She stopped and stared at him with a half-smile "I do tend to talk too much sometimes"

"I like hearing you talk" He answered and color tinted her cheeks as she looked down at her plate "I want to make you a proposition"

"About what?" Elena asked with a frown

"There's a charity ball coming where I have to donate something that belongs to me. I want you to sell me one of your paintings so I can donate it"

"What?" Elena asked, the surprise evident in her voice "Why would you want that?"

"Because I think it will be a wonderful way for people to know your work" Elena stared at him completely speechless "What do you think?"

"Damon I- you don't have to do that"

"I know but I want to, I want to be able to do something for you Elena" His face softened and his eyes shinned with emotion. Elena felt sucker punched as she stared at the enigma that was Damon Salvatore

"Thank you Damon, but I won't sell it to you. It'll be a gift" She smiled "I'll show you some of the ones Caroline let me store in her apartment and you can choose the one you like the most"

"Thank you Elena" He cleared his throat "I also want you to be my date for that night"

"What?"

If him asking her for a painting was unexpected this was even more surprising, if Damon wanted her to go to a public event with him that meant this thing they had together did mean something to him.

"Come with me" He leaned across the counter and took her hands between his "Elena, I have no idea what is happening between us and I'm not sure I can promise you something right now but I- I can't ignore what I'm feeling"

Elena closed and opened her mouth a couple of times with a frozen expression on her face. His heart started to race and a chill went through his whole body at the thought that she might not want the same thing, that he had made a mistake while reading the signs and now was ruining everything.

"Okay"

"Okay?"

"Yes, Okay. I'll go with you. And we'll see what the hell is this thing between us" She gave him a nervous smile and he almost sighed with relief.

They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds and then resumed their talk. Their laughter and voices filing the silence in the dead hours of the morning.

They went their separates way at four am, with racing hearts and smiles on their lips.

A review? Pretty please