A/N: Hello everyone, thank you for the nice reviews! I should be studying for finals, but I decided to finish up this chapter instead. Talk about procrastination! I would like to wish a Happy Birthday to Ian Somerhalder and I would like to express my joy for the last two episodes of TVD, Delena finally happened! Now let's hope it stays that way!

Damon and Elena had been together for three months. During that time, he had helped her with her physical and emotional recovery. Damon had to practice extreme patience, the only other times he had so much patience were when he was learning to control his thirst for blood and when he waited for Elena to choose him over Stefan.

In the beginning, she would consistently wake up screaming from the nightmares that she had. He would soothe her until she fell asleep again and he would make sure that she had a peaceful sleep by manipulating her dreams.

On top of that, some days were good, others were bad. Even though Damon had dealt with Dominick and Tony, she was still afraid of going out in public. When Damon had finally convinced her to go out, she was fearful of any man that tried to talk to her.

He even felt bad for the new worker at the Grill who merely asked Elena what she wanted to drink before earning a terrified look from her and a "Stay away from me!" The only time Elena felt safe was when she was alone with Damon.

Although Damon was happy that Elena only trusted him, he wanted her to live without fear. So for months, Damon had worked with Elena to help her overcome the trauma that she had suffered. He started by having her face her fears by going back to school in order for her to interact and socialize. He also taught her self-defense and kickboxing so she would feel more confident. She was slowly coming around. Every day Damon noticed that she became stronger, unafraid and alive.

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"Damon? Can you take me to the woods?" Elena asked abruptly one day.

"Are you sure Elena?" Damon asked, bewildered. Out of all the places in Mystic Falls that caused anxiety for her, the woods were the worst, along with Wickery Bridge. Damon had encouraged her to confront her fears but he hadn't expected her to want to go to the location where she was raped.

Elena merely nodded and said "I'm sure. I'm ready to let go. I need to let go."

They walked hand-in-hand to the woods. Damon tried looking for any signs of Elena's anxiety - increased breathing or heartbeats but everything was normal. She felt at ease and safe with him. Damon swelled with pride for the small human beside him; she had come so far during the past few months.

They walked for a while and were deep in the woods before Elena suddenly froze. "It was here," she whispered. She treated the area like she was in a cemetery. For her, the innocent and fragile Elena had died there. Damon remained silent, he knew that Elena wanted some time with her thoughts.

Damon scanned the area; he couldn't help but grow angry as he thought about what those bastards had done to her here. They had desecrated something sacred in this spot. Damon was distracted when a shiny object flashed, slightly covered by the decaying fall leaves. He leaned down to pick it up and was automatically burned.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked, alarmed as Damon yelled in pain before she spotted the object on the ground.

She immediately knew what it was. She leaned down and picked up her locket – the one that Stefan had given her.

"This whole time I thought that Dominick had kept it. It must have fallen off," Elena said, shocked as she brushed some of the dirt off it.

She thought about that night when she was getting ready for the party. She had kept the necklace as a symbol of hope. It was something that had been with her during the most difficult of times but it was also a symbol of Stefan. Her decision made, she dropped the locket on the ground and covered it with the leaves.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked, he knew how attached she was to the locket.

"That was the old me. I need to let go and recover from the rape and from Stefan." Elena said, "I have you. You've been with me throughout everything – you always have. Not Stefan."

Ever since she had chosen Damon it was as if all her problems and worries ceased to exist. He was her savior. Damon hugged her. They stayed in the embrace for a while. They were alone but they were all each other needed.

"Let's head home" Damon said softly. Elena nodded in response.

They walked back to the Salvatore manor in a comfortable silence, leaving behind the shattered memories of Elena's past.

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"What would you like to do?" Damon asked as soon as they were home.

"Well Mr. Salvatore, I would like to enjoy a nice glass of wine and I'd love to watch Twilight" Elena replied with a grin, earning a groan from Damon. If there was anything Damon hated, it was chick flicks – especially ones with wimpy men. Sometimes he didn't know who was worse, his baby brother or Edward Cullen.

"Elena can't we watch something else? Preferably something without sparkling vampires?" Damon asked.

"Please?" Elena asked, pouting. She knew that pouting was Damon's weakness. She could convince Damon to do whatever she wanted when she made that face.

"All right, okay. But I'm drinking something stronger than wine to make it through that movie" Damon said as he went to grab wine for Elena and bourbon for himself.

Elena rolled her eyes as she put the movie into the player and sat beside him on the couch.

Damon was falling asleep midway through the movie before he felt Elena's lips kissing his own. Damon instantly woke up as he kissed her back; he was always up for a make out session with his beautiful brunette.

There was a sense of intensity and desire in her that he hadn't felt before as Elena continued kissing him.

"Damon… I think I'm ready" Elena said shyly as she turned red.

Damon automatically knew what she meant and was shocked.

"Are you sure Lena?" Damon asked. They had never had sex these past three months that they had been together. Damon avoided the topic because he did not want to force Elena to do something that she did not want to. He wanted their first time to be a positive experience that left her wanting more.

Elena nodded and said "Today, I wanted to let go of my past so I can move on with you. I wanted my first time to be with the one I love but it didn't happen that way and I had to wait until I was sure I was ready to try again."

"Lena, this will be your first time. What those bastards did to you didn't count. I'm going to give you the love that you deserve" Damon said as he picked her up and carried her upstairs to their bedroom.

Damon kissed her as he laid her down on the bed. Elena returned his kiss as she unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off him. His searing kisses moved from her lips to her jawline. He slipped off her shirt and kissed her exposed stomach. Elena clutched the sheets as he made his way up to her breasts. She moaned as he kissed one while he fondled the other.

He slowly slipped off her jeans, wanting to be sure that she was okay with his actions. Hearing no protest, he slipped two fingers into her womanhood, earning another moan from her.

He slipped off his clothes at human speed, wanting to take his time with her. Elena's eyes grew wide as she saw him nude for the first time. He looked like a Greek god.

Damon held his breath before penetrating her. He let out his own moan of pleasure as he felt how wet and tight she was.

Elena dug her fingernails into his back as he began to pump inside her before picking up his pace. Damon mentally celebrated as he heard her practically shouting his name – he never cared about pleasing a woman as much as he cared about pleasing Elena.

They both panted as they reached a mutual climax. Damon leaned down and gave the woman he loved a final kiss before laying down on the bed and pulling her into his arms.

"That was amazing" Elena whispered as she blushed.

"It was," Damon agreed as he played with a lock of her hair. He smiled as he noticed that her eyes were sparkling and her skin had a natural flush, she looked beautiful.

They soon fell asleep, both content and exhausted from their intense love making.

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Elena woke up in the middle of the night, feeling incredibly sore and thirsty. She sighed, all she wanted to do was lay in bed with Damon and fall asleep again but her thirst was too great. She gently kissed Damon's cheek before wrapping herself in a bathrobe and heading downstairs for a glass of water.

She hummed happily to herself as the water dispensed into her glass. She closed her eyes as she recalled Damon's kisses and his touch; it was unlike anything that she had felt before and she couldn't wait to have more.

Elena was abruptly pulled away from her daydream when she heard a voice say "Hello Elena"

Her glass crashed to the ground as she opened her eyes and saw him. His eyes were blood red and dangling from his hand was the necklace she thought she had buried forever.

"Stefan."

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