OBVIOUSLY: I do not own "the Vampire Diaries," or any of the characters. But here's to hoping!

SO! Here we are. It's been a few days, I know, but I really wanted to get this chapter JUST RIGHT! I have also decided (with YOUR help, lovely readers) to include a sort of "soundtrack listing" at the end of each chapter from here on out. I think in terms of movies, so a lot of the time I have a song playing in my head when I write a scene. For example, during the dream sequence in chapter 4 (aptly titled "the Dream"), I had the amazing D/S/E triangle set to "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" from the Across the Universe soundtrack. I had that song and scene matched up really meticulously, down to lyrics and bars and all sorts of good stuff. ANYWAY. From here on out, you'll get inside my head for that stuff. A big thank you to Jen (Angel's blue eyed girl) for recommending this fic to so many readers. I appreciate it! You'll all be happy to know that this chapter is my longest one to date : )

Here's what you've been waiting for. Enjoy, gluttons!


Stefan smiled nervously. "Okay," he said.

And then there was silence. Elena could have sworn it was an hour as she sorted through all the combinations of words in her head. What could she possibly say? He was staring at her, silently willing her to tell him. What have I gotten myself into? she thought. She was screaming at herself on the inside, just tell him! She looked down at her hands, which had a tight hold on her white sheet. She thought of the cool, blue satin from the dream and took a deep breath. She remembered how Stefan had left quietly in the dream. Hold onto that, she told herself as she looked back up at him.

He hadn't taken his eyes off of hers, and when she met his gaze, there was some kind of pain in it. Had Bonnie told her? He couldn't believe it. He hadn't expected it to hurt her like this. "Elena," he muttered. "What—" But she couldn't let him finish. The words ran out of her with determination.

"I slept with Damon." She watched him carefully.

His mouth fell open. He blinked as his lips formed the trace of a "w" a few times—a "what" or a "why", but he was silent.

She shut her eyes for a moment. "Stefan," she began as she opened them, but stopped when she saw him scowling.

"What did he do to you?" he demanded.

"What? Nothing! Stefan, he—" she argued, but he cut her off.

"What did he do to you?" he asked again.

She frowned. "Stop it!" she begged. "It's not like that."

He rolled his eyes at her. "You really think that, don't you?" he asked, almost laughing at her. "I can't believe I trusted him. I can't believe I thought for a second he wouldn't take advantage of you."

Now she was angry. "Take advantage of me? He didn't take advantage of me! If anything, I took advantage of him!"

His face relaxed into a saddened expression. He was thinking more clearly. The thought of the pain in her eyes from before made him sick to his stomach. Bonnie hadn't told her anything. She wasn't hurt, she was guilty. "So this is what you meant when you said he needed you last night?" he said, snidely.

"Excuse me?" she argued. "You said it first, Stefan. You were the one that left me there with him because he needed me."

"I didn't leave you there to have sex with him!" he scoffed.

Her head fell and she looked at the sheet in her hands. "I'm sorry," she told him, her voice quiet and sincere. "It's not like I wanted it to end like this…" Her voice trailed off.

He froze. "End?" His voice was hollow. "What… So, it's over for us? Just like that, you're choosing him?"

She looked up at him again. "What do you want me to do, Stefan—dance around between the two of you forever?" The question was cutting.

"How can you choose him so easily, Elena?" he asked her.

She hesitated, afraid of saying what had to be said. She had hoped he would just have realized it on his own, but she'd come this far. "Damon and I… We need each other."

He heaved a breath that was like a humorless laugh and shook his head slowly. "Well, that's just perfect," he said. "And I suppose you don't need me anymore?"

Her eyes welled up with tears. "You make it sound like I've just chewed you up and spit you out," she said, her voice shaking. She blinked and a pair of tears fell from her eyes.

He glared at her. "Haven't you?" he nearly shouted as he stormed toward the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked, wiping her eyes.

"I have to get out of here for a while. I have to get out of Mystic Falls. Just hope I'm back by the time you realize what a stupid mistake you've made." He slammed the door behind him.

"It wasn't a mistake!" she hollered after him angrily. She wiped the tears from her cheeks, now flushed.

She heard Jenna downstairs. "Stefan, is everything alright?" The front door slammed halfway through the sentence.

Elena only sat for a minute. She was surprised at how quickly the anger and pain of arguing melted into the relief that he had left. It hadn't gone the way she'd hoped—not by a long shot—but she'd done it. She'd told Stefan everything, and it felt like the weight of the world was off her shoulders.

Her sweatshirt quickly followed suit. She dropped it to the floor and opened her drawer to pull out her sexiest black lacy bra and the matching boy-short panties. She shimmied out of her jeans and went over to the bathtub. She turned on the water and twisted her hair up on top of her head, tying it into a messy bun. She stood in the tub. After she lathered up her legs, she picked up her razor and went to work.

She shaved quickly but efficiently. As she rinsed her now smooth legs off under the faucet, she thought of Damon's touch. She shivered as rose-tinted memories of the night before played over in her mind. She closed her eyes and tried to recall every sound he'd made. Scattered words that he'd grunted through clenched teeth sounded distantly in her mind. …how long I've waited for this… have to fuck you… come for me, Elena… The way he said her name was the best part of all.

Elena dried off her legs and massaged them with lotion. She slipped into the lacy black panties, aware that it wouldn't be long before they were soaked. She settled her breasts in the bra, watching them in the mirror as she squeezed them together with her arms and gave her sexiest pout. She giggled as she had before. "Go get 'em, tiger," she said to her reflection.

She retrieved a black ribbed tank-top from her drawer and pulled it on, letting the very top of the lace poke out from underneath. Then, it was back on with her jeans. She went to the mirror and slicked a touch of golden, shimmery eye shadow on her lids, then some black eyeliner and mascara. No need for blush, she thought. She was adequately flushed from reminiscing. She swiped some rosy gloss on her lips and kissed the air, admiring her reflection once again. She pulled the tie out of her hair and shook the bun loose. She pulled a pair of white ankle-socks out of her drawer and then paused as a thought crossed her mind. She tossed the socks back in the drawer. "Heels," she said aloud. She went to her closet and slipped into a pair of black pumps. Not very fun to drive in, but they made her feel sexy, which was undoubtedly a priority. Her leather jacket was still sitting on the window seat where she'd flung it upon entering her room that morning. She picked it up and started putting it on. She gave the mirror one last smile before heading downstairs.

She was shoving her arm through the second sleeve as she made her way to the front door, and as soon as her hand touched the doorknob, Jenna's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Hold it," she demanded. Elena turned around to meet her gaze. "What's going on? Why did Stefan storm out of here without a word?"

Elena rolled her eyes at the mentioning of Stefan. "I had to make a decision, and he didn't like what I chose," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Oh? And what choice was that?" Jenna asked, her eyebrows raised.

Elena sighed. "To be with Damon."

Jenna stared at her blankly for a moment. Elena could see that she wanted to argue, but eventually opted against it. "Are you sure about this?" she finally asked.

Elena smiled. "Like you wouldn't believe, Jenna." She opened the door.

"Where are you going?" her aunt asked.

She responded with an "are-you-kidding-me" look. "Where do you think?"

Jenna shook her head and smiled. "Be careful, alright?"

Elena nodded. "See you later."

The drive seemed to take an eternity. She felt the need for Damon, earlier confined to the wetness between her thighs, spread to her stomach and her chest. She was yearning for him. When she arrived at the boarding house, she was pleased to see his Camaro in the driveway. She parked hastily and checked her reflection in the rearview mirror before getting out and walking, or rather strutting to the front door.

Elena took a deep breath and knocked twice, though she didn't wait for an answer. She pushed the big door open and walked in, closing it behind her. "Damon," she called out with a sultry voice.

And all at once, he was down the stairs in a blur. If she'd have blinked, she would have missed it. He stopped just in front of her, eyeing her from top to bottom. "Well, look at you all dolled up," he said with a smirk as he closed the space between them. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her middle to his. Their lips were nearly touching.

The corners of her mouth turned into a coy smile. "I've been thinking about you all morning. I couldn't wait anymore."

His smirk widened into a satisfied grin. "That makes two of us," he admitted.

Elena's smile faded as she remembered the bad news. "Bonnie's grandmother…" she began. "She's dead."

To her surprise, Damon's head fell. "Damn," he said woefully.

"Bonnie's going to be okay, I think. She's tough," Elena added, and they were silent for a moment.

Then Damon spoke. "So, I'm surprised my brother hasn't charged at me with a stake yet. You did tell him, didn't you?" She just nodded. "And how did he take it?"

"Great," Elena said sarcastically. Then she switched to a casual tone. "He stormed out. He's leaving town for a while. He's furious with me," she said as she moved to Damon and unbuttoned his jeans. She paused for a moment and looked up at him. His blue eyes were wide and practically glittering, and his mouth was cocked in a very pleased half-smile. "But he's gone now," she sang seductively. He loved the naughtiness in her voice, not to mention her apparent total disregard for his brother's feelings.

She swung him around and pushed him against the front door and quickly locked it. It only took a moment to slide his jeans and boxers down his thighs a bit so that his erect cock was exposed to her. She fell to her knees and smiled up at him, soaking in the look of pleasant surprise. She took his length in her hand and licked her lips. That drove him wild—like she couldn't wait to taste him.

Which she couldn't. Carefully, lightly, she ran the tip of her tongue around his head. He groaned. "Elena…" The name escaped his lips like a whisper, and it made her even hungrier for him. Her tongue slid down the underside of his shaft and back again. As she felt him shiver, she circled his head again delicately. She glanced up at him to see that his eyes were shut and his mouth was wide open, as though he'd lost the control to keep his jaw from dropping.

Elena took him into her mouth wholly, as far as he would go. She felt his entire body jerk. He let out a noise somewhere between a sigh and a grunt, but Elena wasn't worried about identifying it; whatever the sound was, it seemed to have hit her in the stomach. Her belly twisted anxiously with the desire to ride him, but it was just slightly outweighed by the desire to feel him squirm just like this.

He wanted to watch her as her head bobbed, and for fleeting moments he did. But the feeling of her mouth around him was unbelievable. Though he tried to keep his gaze locked on her sweet little mouth wrapped around his cock, but his eyes kept rolling back in his head. He was gritting his teeth and he grabbed a fistful of her chocolate brown hair forcefully—probably too forcefully.

But Elena didn't complain, though she nearly choked on him with surprise. Her hand wandered up his thigh, her fingers tickling his flesh as they brushed across it. Then she took hold of his balls, giving them a gentle but firm squeeze as she sucked hard on him.

He quivered as she swirled her tongue around his cock. "Elena," he groaned. He repeated the name over and over again, unable to control it—or maybe he was able, but he didn't care to try. He held on to her hair as he trembled. She was moving faster now, her head dipping back and forth more vigorously. It was hard for Damon to keep it together. His warm pre-cum was dripping down her throat as he fought to hold on. He wanted to come inside her, and he wanted to feel her coming all around him. It took him almost a full minute to muster up the willpower to stop her.

"Get up," he said, trying to catch his breath as he pulled gently on her hair, prying her mouth away from his throbbing hard-on. His plan was to swing her around, almost violently, and push her back up against the door. He'd planned to close the space between him by pushing himself against her and making her squeal. He'd planned to pull her jeans off at lightning speed and shove himself into her just as fast. He'd planned to spill everything he had into Elena after what would probably be mere moments. But as she rose, everything seemed to slow down, and Damon immediately and involuntarily abandoned all of those plans.

He stood there for a moment, ready still to explode, but not physically like before. Instead, he felt that he was filled to the brim with something almost unreal. He put his hand behind her head and pulled her toward him, smoothly and slowly, until their lips met. The kiss was incredible. She was taken aback by how soft but intense his usually quick—in every way—mouth was against hers. His tongue twisted and tangled with hers and her knees weakened slightly at the sensation. He pulled away for a moment and stared into her eyes. Those deep, brown eyes stared back at his surrender to this emotion. He took her by the hand and led her to the fireplace where it had all begun the night before.

Words of love were in his throat, but he fought them back. In his mind, he was chanting it. She peeled off his grey tee-shirt. Grey was usually such a gloomy color, but compared to the blacks and navies that Damon usually wore, it seemed very light. He kicked off his shoes and socks before she pulled his jeans and boxers the rest of the way down. He kicked those aside as well. She let her eyes pass up and down his perfect body as she held on tight to her words of love.

It was a new sensation for Damon—standing naked in front of a woman. Usually, his clothes were torn off in the process of ravaging his partner. It wasn't like him to stand and display himself patiently. Of course, he was yearning to be inside of her, but there was something satisfying in this by itself. He was stripped down completely in front of Elena. What a cheap metaphor, he thought to himself and laughed a little.

Elena cocked a grin at him. "What's so funny?"

Damon shook his head. "I just thought of something really…" He struggled to find the right word. "Cliché, I guess."

"What?" she giggled.

"I don't know. Being naked and exposed like this. I've completely bared myself to you, inside and out." His eyes were wide and he was smiling, as though he were getting to the punch line of a joke.

She laughed. "Alright, it might be cliché," she admitted. "But it's still very sweet."

"Naturally, darling," he said as he lifted her up from the couch to stand in front of him. He slid her leather jacket off and let it fall to the floor, and her tank-top, pumps, and jeans quickly piled on top of it. It was quite a sight as she stood there, her toned, perfect body dressed only in that incredible black lace. It made his cock stand at attention.

The look on his face was driving her wild. His eyes were passing over her rapidly, seemingly unable to decide which part of her to look at. His lips, redder than usual from the lip gloss that had rubbed off of during their kiss, were parted, and he ran his tongue—god, that tongue!—across them. He was breathing heavily, and she knew it was because he was eagerly inhaling the scent of her desire. Her panties were, as she had expected, soaked through by now.

He pushed her gently so that she was sitting upright on the couch. He kneeled before her and slowly slid his hands up her thighs. She whimpered. He grinned. Her mind drifted to the night before, to the way he felt as he filled her, and she ached to feel it again. "Oh, Damon," she sighed as he kissed her thigh. "Please," she begged as she reached for his shoulders, trying to pull him up.

He crawled up her body and pressed his forehead to hers as one hand found the clasp of her bra. "Please what?" he asked her, cocking an eyebrow at her as he peeled her bra away and released her beautiful, olive breasts and those two absolutely perfect nipples. He sucked and nipped at one of them while he massaged the other with his hand. His idle hand didn't remain idle for long—it tiptoed down her belly to her mound. She gasped.

"Fuck me," she pleaded.

He moved up to bring his mouth to her ear, simultaneously taking his erection in his hand and pressing the head against the black lace between her thighs. "Come on, baby," he whispered against her earlobe, "not before I return the favor." Before she knew it, he was on his knees again. He breathed hard against her panties, anticipating her reaction. It didn't disappoint; her hips bucked beneath his mouth and she swore. He bit down, taking her underwear in his teeth and pulling at them savagely. Her hips bucked even harder. His hands violently rid her of her last shred of clothing, pulling the soaking black lingerie down her legs and off over her feet. He spread her thighs wide and slid two fingertips between her dripping folds. She gritted her teeth and looked down at him. He licked her juice off his fingers and reached up to massage one breast as he dove between her legs.

He drove his tongue up into her and she jerked against him. As he continued to fuck her with his tongue, her body writhed even more furiously beneath him and he had to let go of her breast to get a hold on her hips. He lifted her legs and draped them over his shoulders, locking his arms around her thighs to keep her in place as he flicked his tongue over her clit. She was going wild; she couldn't keep herself still. He nipped at the little bud and sucked on it. "Damon!" Elena cried over and over again. The cry echoed through the old house, and undoubtedly, had there been anyone passing by they'd have heard it as well. He cautiously released one of her legs and brought his free hand to her opening. He pumped two fingers into her as he bit and sucked at her clit.

He felt her shudder, and though he didn't think it was possible, she screamed even louder. Her hands frantically searched for something to hold on to. One of them found a fistful of his soft, dark hair, and the other dug fingernails into his shoulder. He grunted against her cunt and pumped his hand faster. She threw her head back as the orgasm took her over. Damon frantically lapped at her wetness as her walls stopped contracting around his fingers. He pulled them out and turned her to lie down on the couch. He positioned his groin between her legs, lifting one of her thighs and resting it on his hip. She draped her other leg over the back of the couch and he thrust himself into her with a groan. His chest pressed against hers and his head fell to her neck as he filled her again and again.

"Oh my god," he muttered against her flesh. His hip had her thigh pinned up along her belly and he was hitting a spot in her sheath that was quickly taking her to her next orgasm. She dug her fingernails into his back and shouted his name again. He lifted his head to look into her eyes. He was teetering on the edge, and he could plainly see that she was too. He grabbed the arm of the couch behind her and used it to pull himself into her harder. He swayed his hips back and forth to hit her from every angle imaginable. "Oh, fuck," he grunted. "Elena," he said. It was almost under his breath, but he repeated it, just as she had repeated his name before. The volume increased with each cry until he was shouting. He felt the familiar convulsion around his cock again as the orgasm hit her. She gasped, her mouth wide open as she heaved unbearably enormous breaths.

He didn't take his eyes off of her as she rode her orgasm out, all while his was building inside him. Damon thrust harder and harder, still holding tight to the arm of the couch behind her head. His other hand moved to cup her face. He rubbed his thumb against her cheek as he felt his climax approaching—only moments away. "Oh, Elena," he sighed, his forehead against hers. Their eyes were locked. "I love you," he groaned as he pushed up into her a final time and spilled his come.

Her eyes widened with surprise and delight. He froze and swallowed hard, then continued gasping for air. He closed his eyes and smiled. He pulled himself out of her slowly and flipped around so that he was sitting up on the couch. He pulled Elena up to snuggle against her. She nuzzled into his neck. "I love you too, you know," she told him before nipping at the space between his neck and shoulder. He smiled and lifted her chin up, then kissed her.

"I don't know how you do it, kid," he said to her. "But you've just got this way of making my heart skip a beat." He batted his eyelashes at her and she laughed.

"Well the feeling's mutual," she said with a smile. "I worked up an appetite," she announced, happily springing to her feet and pulling on her underwear and her tank-top. She turned to walk to the kitchen.

"Not so fast," he said, stopping her in her tracks. He stood up and picked his boxers up, turning them right-side-out. "The heels," he ordered with a grin.

She beamed and slid into them. "You like?" she asked with mock shyness.

He answered her with a growl and pulled her toward him by her tank-top. He kissed her hard on the mouth before letting her go to the kitchen. He slipped into his boxers while he listened to the sound of cabinets opening and closing. He pulled his tee-shirt from the mess on the floor and put it on. Then he heard a knock on the door.

He walked to the front entrance and opened the door to reveal Bonnie standing behind it. "Hi," he offered.

She looked him up and down as he stood there in his underwear and a tee-shirt. "Um… hi," she replied.

"Excuse the outfit," he insisted with a grin, which soon faded. "Hey, I'm sorry about your grandmother."

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

Damon frowned. "I really am. And I really appreciate what you two did for us—for me—last night. I'm sorry it ended the way it did."

Bonnie's expression lightened a bit. "Thank you, Damon." She paused for a few moments. "Is Stefan here?"

"No, ma'am. Why don't you try his cell?" he suggested.

She sighed. "Yeah, I tried."

"Well what do you need?" he asked her. Maybe he should try and help her. It was the least he could do for insisting her grandmother try the spell that ended up killing her.

Bonnie froze for a moment. "I just…" she started, concocting a reasonable excuse in her mind. "I wanted to thank him for helping me out last night."

"Aha," Damon said. Just then, Elena walked back to the couch with a glass of water.

"You know, you really have no food in this place!" she called out.

Damon turned around, and Bonnie stepped inside. "Elena?" she called into the house.

"Bonnie!" Elena panicked slightly and picked up her jeans. She was pulling them on as she made her way to the front door and was still buttoning them as she got there. "Oh my god," she said as she and her friend threw their arms around each other. "How are you?" she asked, concerned.

Bonnie cocked an eyebrow at Elena as they let go. "I'm okay…" she said, half-smiling. "How are you two?"

Elena took a deep breath. "How this must look, huh?" she joked, trying to diminish the awkward vibe in the doorway. "Well, we…" Elena searched for an explanation and Damon watched with an amused smile. "Well, you're the psychic," she finally said, giving up. Damon laughed and kissed her on the cheek before he walked away to finish getting dressed.

"Oh my god, you whore!" Bonnie said, wide-eyed.

Elena laughed. "Shut up! I just… I don't know. I've felt it for a while and I finally realized what it is."

"Well I sure as hell know what it is!" Bonnie exclaimed, her words broken with laughter. "I can smell it!" They both snickered uncontrollably. "So, tell me: what was this grand realization?"

"I need him. I love him," Elena said proudly. Bonnie could hardly believe her ears. "Don't look at me like that, Bonnie. He's different than you think."

Bonnie almost snorted laughing. "Yeah, I bet." She paused to gather her composure. "Did you talk to Stefan?"

"Yeah; he took off when I told him," she explained. "I don't know when he's coming back. I just know he's livid."

"Oh," Bonnie said disappointedly. Elena stared at her and Bonnie snapped out of it. "I just wanted to thank him for everything last night, and all that… I tried to call him but he didn't answer his phone." Elena nodded.

The girls said their goodbyes and Bonnie left Elena to Damon. The pain she'd tried to ignore in the house crept up on her as she walked back to her car. Stefan hadn't told Elena. What's worse, he let Elena feel guilty about sleeping with Damon when Stefan had been unfaithful just the same. She picked up her cell phone and called Stefan again—for the fourth time, to be exact.

And for the fourth time, it went to voicemail.

At the beep, she sniffed and tried to mask the sound of crying in her voice. "Hey, Stefan, it's me. I know about Damon and Elena, so… I don't know. You said to call you, so I'm calling you. I know you didn't tell Elena about what happened but I didn't tell her. I know that you said to leave it to you. Elena says you took off… Well, I just want you to call me, I guess. Grams' wake is tomorrow and the service is the next day. I'd really like it if you came, so… Yeah. Please call me back. I'm a little worried about you. Bye."


Soundtrack Listing for Chapter 5:

"Like a Virgin," Madonna
Elena calms down after Stefan leaves - She arrives at the boarding house

"A Big Hunk O' Love," Elvis Presley *With particular emphasis on the lyric "But I ain't greedy, baby; All I want is all you got!*
Elena gets Damon up against the wall - Everything slows down for Damon

"Stuttering," Ben's Brother
Everything slows down for Damon - Damon says "I love you"

"The Way I Am," Ingrid Michaelson
Elena says "I love you" - Bonnie says "Um... hi"

"All Dressed Up With A Broken Heart," Peggy Lee
Bonnie leaves the boarding house - end of chapter


Aaaaaand scene! Insert witty plea for reviews here.