Damon was holding Elena gently, but firmly; her legs were wrapped around his waist. He was supporting all of her weight.
Her back arched against the tree; she felt the bark dig into her shoulder blades, but it wasn't painful because she was too encapsulated in Damon. Elena clasped Damon's deltoid in her hand, squeezing hard.
"Elena," Damon whispered against her neck.
"Mmm?" Elena grunted in response, too blissed out to form even the simplest of words.
"Look at me," He demanded and Elena quickly complied. She placed her hands on his hair and pulled his head back to look full on. Once her eyes met with the blue of his, she became overwhelmed with everything: hormones, lust, love, respect, appreciation.
Elena's body slowly stilled and Damon gently dropped her to her feet.
She didn't trust her legs. Luckily, she was still pinned between Damon and the tree. If she wasn't, she probably would've collapsed onto the forest floor.
Damon was staring at her, watching her intently, and she never broke eye contact with him. She felt everything of their past swell up between them like a tidal wave.
The emotion she weld by being so physically close to him was almost enough to make her cry; not because she was sad, but because she was in love.
Tears welled up in the bottom of her eyes. Damon noticed the sudden salt water and brushed away her tears with his thumb.
"Hey now," He spoke in his soft, comforting voice, "I can't have been that bad."
Elena smiled and let out a quick laugh at his joke.
"Actually, you're the worst I've ever had," Elena played along. She laughed a bit more and Damon smiled. He brushed her bottom lip with his thumb.
"This was incredibly stupid on our part," He stated and Elena nodded in agreement.
"That seems to be a pattern when it comes to us." Elena laughed. Damon watched her laugh. He had never seen her as happy as she was when she was with him. He loved the fact that he could take away some of the pain that haunted her.
He bent down and kissed her, cutting off her laughs. She moaned against his lips and grabbed the lapel of his jacket, pulling him closer to her.
"Well, where is she?!" Elena heard Caroline's voice moving towards the woods. She quickly broke from Damon's lips and pulled him behind a large oak trunk. Now out of visibility, she connected their lips once again.
She didn't want to be caught, but she didn't want to leave.
A little part of her actually wished that they'd be caught, so then she'd be forced to reveal her love towards Damon.
"I don't know, Caroline!" Bonnie's voice drifted over the woods.
"I swear to God, if she's with Damon!" Caroline exclaimed.
"She's not." Bonnie blatantly covered for Elena, "I just saw Damon inside."
"Well, she needs to get back in there if she wants this thing to be believable."
"I'll find her; you just go make sure Stefan's all good." Bonnie said. Elena heard Caroline hesitantly walk back into the mansion.
"Elena," Bonnie whispered, "If you can hear this, please come back. Both you and Damon. You're needed."
Elena broke from Damon's lips and grunted in disappointment.
"Damn doppelgänger duties." She whispered.
"I see you've told witchy," Damon stated, "I'll go with you."
"That's not necessary," Elena requested.
"Yeah it is," Damon insisted, "What if a werewolf finds you a little too appetizing on your walk back?"
Elena laughed and shrugged.
"I honestly doubt that." She pulled away from him, but he grabbed her hand and quickly spun her back to him. "What—?"
Damon cut her off by kissing her. He gently nibbled on her lower lip and pulled away.
"Sorry," He shrugged, "You just looked so appetizing." Elena smiled and ran her hand down his bicep and forearm until she reached his hand. She entwined their fingers.
"Come on," She laughed. She began leading the way out of the forest and Damon followed. They walked in silence for a moment.
Elena was thinking about how bizarre it was how her relationship with Damon had progressed.
"Remember when I hated you?" Elena broke the silence.
"Yeah." Damon responded, "That's a genuinely terrible conversation starter, Elena."
"Well, I just find it funny."
"That now you're oh-so-in love with me?" Damon finished her thought and she nodded.
Just then, they emerged from the woods to find Bonnie standing with her hand on her hip. She was examining her phone intensely, obviously trying to text Elena. She looked up when she heard Damon and Elena's footsteps and sighed audibly.
"You two are not being very discreet." Bonnie said. She looked at Elena, "What ever happened to the whole 'ending it' thing?"
"I lasted a good twelve hours." Elena joked, but Bonnie did not laugh.
"Well, I can see that you're still 'Team Stefan.'" Damon chimed in, nodding towards Bonnie.
"No, Damon," Bonnie responded, "I'm 'Team Elena,' meaning that I'll always protect her. No matter what the circumstance." Damon heard the threat in her words and he was honestly grateful for Bonnie's position because it meant one more person watching over Elena. Of course, he'd never admit that.
"So what's up?" Elena asked. She let go of Damon's hand.
"People were asking questions as to why you danced with your fiancé's brother and then disappeared for thirty minutes," Bonnie paused to let the reality of the situation sink in for Damon and Elena. They momentarily escaped their lives, but Bonnie made it a point to make them remember the stakes, "Katherine has people everywhere. We need this to work if we want to stay on Klaus's good side."
"You're right," Elena conceded.
"Unfortunately," Damon tacked on and Elena sighed. She turned around and looked at Damon. She knew that the moment she reentered the mansion, she would have to have a somewhat cold attitude towards Damon and she hated that.
She backed away from him to the front door of the mansion. She placed her hand on the doorknob and right before she turned the handle she mouthed 'I love you.' She felt the desire to remind him.
Damon mouthed 'I love you' back at her as he watched her disappear into the life of both their nightmares—one without each other.
AN: Reviews are greatly appreciated!