A/N: Big thanks to aj81writing for sending readers my way. Her fic Alive and Kicking, about hot and sweaty gym instructor Damon, has me totally addicted. For those of you who like a fic about friends as much as I do, I am also enjoying You Found Me, by asdfghjklb, and Just the way you are by DomOx. I don't get time to search much for fics at the moment, but if you think I'd like a fic please feel free to PM and recommend one to me.

This week has been even crazier than normal, and this is the longest chapter I've written in a while. Please forgive me for any mistakes.

Chapter Three

Welcome to Heaven's Isle

The flight to Heaven's Isle, an island located in the Caribbean, took them around five hours. Elena sucked in a breath as she saw the view of the island through the plane window.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Damon asked her.

It looked like paradise, Elena thought. Lush, tropical vegetation covered most of the island, and she could see the white sand beaches Damon had promised her. It was all privately owned by the Smith brothers. The island had been in their family for years according to Damon. Even as she stepped off the plane, Elena thought the sky was bluer than she'd ever seen it in Mystic Falls.

"This holiday is just what you need," Damon said to her, as they made their way over to the long line of jeeps waiting to take them from the landing strip to the Smith's property.

She looked at him questioningly.

"How can you ever be unhappy in surroundings as beautiful as these?" he asked her.

"It is difficult," she said to him.

"It's the perfect place to get over your mystery man."

Elena wondered what he would say, if he knew he was her 'mystery man'.

"You think so, huh?"

Way to go Salvatore, he chided himself, remind her of the guy she's trying to get over. He wanted her to forget the fool, but truthfully Damon was struggling to put the guy's existence out of his mind. She was so rarely interested in anyone that way, that he found himself desperately curious about who had captured her heart. He knew pretty much everyone in Mystic Falls, so he'd been making a list of possibilities in his head for the past few hours.

"You're not going to tell me who he is, are you?"

She looked towards the mountains as their jeep started moving. "Nope."

"Well, I know he's an idiot anyway."

She looked back at him, raising an eyebrow.

"For not realizing how amazing you are."

She smirked.

"Something funny?" he asked her.

"Not really."

Within minutes they had arrived at a large, yellow rendered property that looked more like a hotel than a house. As they pulled up to the front entrance, staff marched out like ants on a mission, going to each jeep and retrieving the baggage of each individual, ticking their names off a list. Elena wondered just how many staff it would take to maintain a property of such size, and look after the seventy or so guests who had been flown in today.

"Welcome to Heaven's Isle," Elijah said to them, as they exited the vehicles. "Your luggage is being taken to your room as I speak, and refreshments are being served out on the terrace. If you follow the path around the back of the property, Klaus is waiting for all of you."

The Smith's island house was so big that it took near ten minutes to reach the terrace. Elena didn't mind. The sun was warm, and the scenery was stunning. Once they reached their destination, waiting staff began circulating with drinks and canapés.

"Good afternoon everybody. I hope you enjoyed the flight," Klaus said to them when he came into view.

"What is this?" Elena asked, as she took a glass off one of the waiters.

The color of the drink was a strange combination of pink and blue.

"A Heaven Sunset," Damon told her.

Elena took a sip of the cocktail. It was just one more thing that could be called outstanding on this little piece of paradise, she thought. The combination of sweet and spicy burned all the way down to her stomach in the most delicious way, warming her entire body and making her tingle.

"Like it?" Damon asked her.

"The secret is the Romalee fruit found exclusively on Heaven's Isle," Elijah told her, coming to stand next to them.

"It's incredible," Elena said to him.

"Yes, it's meant to be some kind of aphrodisiac," Elijah said.

Elena wasn't even aware she'd let her alarm show until she heard Damon and Elijah chuckling.

"No need to look so worried. It's no more potent than say, oysters or chocolate. Am I to believe the two of you have made the jump from friends to lovers?" Elijah asked them.

Damon's eyes locked with hers at the word lovers, making her as warm and tingly as her drink had a moment ago. It wasn't just Katherine they were lying to, Elena realized. It was Damon's bosses, and all of his colleagues. Most of them seemed like nice people. And if she wasn't careful, she might end up believing it herself when Damon looked at her like that.

"It's true," Damon told him, his eyes never leaving hers.

The rather personal question was of little surprise. Klaus and Elijah treated their employees like family, and made an effort to know each of them, and their partners. Moreover, the week away was meant to be partners only, not for friends, and each time she had been introduced to Elijah, she had been introduced as Damon's friend.

"Well, I daresay it's time," Elijah said to them. "It's obvious you two belong to each other."

Elena smiled politely, and wondered what Damon made of that sentiment. If only he had drawn the same conclusion at some point over the past thirteen years or so. Elena remembered when the realization she was in love with him had hit her as painfully as a pile of bricks being dropped on her head. It was summer break, she was seventeen and she and Damon had accompanied her Aunt Jenna to Cape Macintyre, where Jenna's friends owned a holiday house.

The two of them had spent the better part of the summer diving off the cliffs together, swimming and sunbaking. She still remembered the smell of sunscreen; the sound of the waves breaking against the cliffs, and the way burgers tasted at Fast Jack's – the local diner. But most of all she remembered how over the course of the summer she started to notice things about her friend that she hadn't noticed before.

Damon had always been far too handsome for his own good, but suddenly she couldn't stop noticing just how nice his smile was, and how many muscles he'd been hiding underneath his shirts. Her friend had grown into a man right before her eyes. She'd barely been able to keep from staring every time he'd stripped down to go swimming. Then there was the way he seemed so much more confident, and how one look from him could make her feel all giddy.

Every other woman at Cape Macintyre noticed him too. Before she knew it, Damon had all the girls in town wanting his attention, but like the loyal friend he was, he never left her side. They spent every day together, and the summer passed by in the blink of an eye. All too soon it was time for the Summer Breeze Dance, the biggest event of the season at the Cape.

One week before the dance they were in Fast Jack's when the subject of the dance came up.

"So," he said to her, leaning back in the booth, "Summer Breeze is next week."

Elena didn't need him to remind her. She'd been looking forward to the dance for the last two months. "I know. I can't believe how quick the summer's gone."

"Me neither. I haven't had this much fun in…well, never," he said to her, grinning.

"It's been pretty amazing," she agreed.

"I'm glad I came. Mystic Falls would have blown without you."

"Well, I'm glad your dad let you come."

"Like he was even sober enough to understand what I was asking," Damon said, shaking his head in disgust.

"Well, I'm glad you came anyway."

"Me too." They looked at each other for a moment, before he spoke again. "So, the dance…"

"The dance," she repeated.

He looked her right in the eye. "There's this really great girl I want to ask, but I'm kind of scared she'll say no."

Elena's heart started pounding and she could scarcely breathe. Damon never seemed scared of anything. Didn't he know that no-one in their right mind would say no to him? Every girl in town wanted to be his date. Who could he possibly be so nervous about asking? He had to mean her. Had he started seeing her differently too? Butterflies beat their wings in her stomach. He wanted to go to the dance with her. The idea filled her with so much happiness that she couldn't keep from smiling at him.

"Whoever she is, I'm sure she'll say yes," she told him.

"You think so?" he asked, smiling back at her.

"Definitely."

Elena waited for a beat, but when he said nothing more, just popped a fry in his mouth, she decided to push for more information. "When are you going to ask her?"

"Tomorrow," he told her. "She works at the Sea Shack every Saturday."

"Joanna Kelly?" Elena asked, feeling sick as she thought of the busty blonde who had been popping her gum in Damon's direction all summer long.

"Yeah," he said with a dopey smile on his face. Then he turned serious. "I didn't ask. Who are you going with?"

"I…I haven't decided yet."

She'd spent all of her days here with Damon. All of the boys their age thought she was taken, and Elena had never given them any reason to think any different, because she'd been too busy crushing on her best friend. How had she not realized until now that the friendly feelings she had always had towards him had suddenly blown out into something far more? It had obviously never occurred to him that they should go together, and why should it? They were friends. She wasn't meant to want him to take her to the dance.

"There has to be someone you want to go with," he said to her.

She shrugged, looking across the room and giving the name of the first guy she saw. "Maybe Tommy."

She had no interest in the waiter at Fast Jack's, but she couldn't think of anyone else, and she definitely needed to be thinking of someone other than her friend. Tommy wasn't too bad, Elena decided. His dark blond hair was a tad too long, but he had nice green eyes, and a nice smile, and he always made a point of coming over and speaking to her whenever she ate there.

"I'm sure he'll ask you," Damon reassured her.

"I hope so."

Tommy did ask her, but she had no idea if that was because word got out that Damon was taking Joanna to the dance, and Tommy wanted to take her, or whether Damon had convinced Tommy that he wanted to take Elena. It was exactly the type of thing Damon would do for her. The evening of the dance came soon enough, and Jenna, who had decided to stay home due to a headache, gave them a curfew of one am.

The four of them walked to the dance together, like they were doubling, and Elena tried to convince herself that double dating with Damon would be fun. All she had to do was get over these stupid feelings she was having for him. The whole town was lit up like a Christmas tree; and there were rides, and games, and a band playing on a stage made of straw. The carnival like atmosphere would have been enjoyable if she wasn't wishing she was there as Damon's date.

She had to stop thinking of him that way, she told herself. She had to try and forget the way she felt. Tommy danced pretty well, but Elena found her attention being drawn to where Damon was dancing with Joanna. They both looked like they were having a good time. Joanna was laughing like a hyena at something Damon said. Finally they swapped partners, so Joanna danced with Tommy and Damon danced with her. The band switched from a fast song to a slow song, and Damon put his arms around her, making her heart beat faster.

"Having fun?" he asked her.

"Tons," she lied.

"Tommy treating you right?"

"Drop the big brother act, Damon."

"I'd make a good big brother, don't you think?"

"You can be pretty annoying," she teased.

"I'm going to leave the dance for a while," he told her. "Will you be alright with Tommy?"

"Where are you going?"

"Joanna's parents are helping clean up after the dance. They won't leave here for a while."

"You're not coming back with me?" she asked him abruptly.

He frowned at her. "I'll be home by one," he told her.

Joanna wasn't the first girl Damon had been with, but this felt different. This felt like her heart was breaking. She wasn't meant to feel like this. She didn't want to feel like this. Why couldn't she go back to seeing him as the friend he'd been before they went away together?

"That's okay then," she said to him, as if that had been what she was worried about.

"You'll be alright?" he asked her.

She nodded. "I wanted some time alone with Tommy anyway."

Damon let her go as Joanna launched herself at him, pushing her breasts against his chest in a way that left Elena feeling completely inadequate about her own breasts. "Ready to go?" Joanna asked him.

"Have a good time," Elena said, trying not to choke on the words.

Have a good time? Couldn't she have picked anything better to say?

"We will," Joanna said, with a giggle.

Elena watched the two of them leave together, before heading to the bathroom. She splashed some water on her face. It didn't matter how it had happened, or when exactly over the summer it had become more than some small school girl crush, but she wasn't just dealing with a crush anymore. She was in love with him. The sudden realization wrenched a sob from her. This was a disaster, Elena thought; no doubt about it.

When she walked out of the bathroom, she feigned a headache and asked Tommy to walk her home. Fortunately, Jenna had already gone to bed, saving Elena from having to answer any questions about the dance. Elena got ready for bed but didn't bother trying to sleep. Instead she wrote in her journal. She was still writing when she heard Damon come through the front door five minutes before one. She hoped he would go straight to bed, but he must have seen her light on because he knocked on the door.

"Come in."

"Hey," he said to her, stepping into her room.

She took in his messy hair, the lipstick on the side of his face, and the missed button on his shirt, and felt a fresh wave of pain engulf her.

"Just checking you got in okay."

"Thanks," she said to him, looking back down at her journal.

"How was the rest of the dance?"

"Really good," she lied without looking up.

"Okay, well I'm off to bed."

"Goodnight," she said stiffly.

He was quiet for a moment, "Goodnight Elena."

The next day they left Cape Macintyre.

"You're quiet today," he said to her when they stopped at the store to buy snacks for the trip home. "Everything okay?"

"I'm just sad we're going home."

"Is that all?"

"Uh-huh."

"Are you planning on keeping in touch with Tommy?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "Will you be keeping in touch with Joanna?"

"Nope."

"You didn't have a good time?" Elena asked him as casually as she could.

"I had a great time."

It was the last thing she wanted to hear. "She doesn't want to see you again?" she managed to get out.

"No, that's not it."

"Then-"

"I'm walking away."

"Why? If you had a good time-"

"And then what? I start to care about her, and then she's the one walking away from me."

She looked at him properly for the first time all morning. "This is about your mom isn't it?"

"She just walked away, Elena; from Dad and me as if we meant nothing to her. As if I didn't matter at all."

She put her hand on his arm, and gently squeezed. She struggled to know what she should say whenever he mentioned his mother, and that was because Elena didn't understand. She couldn't fathom how a mother could just walk out like that.

"I don't understand why she did that, but you can't live your life cutting everyone loose before they cut you loose, Damon. That's just crazy. I mean, what about us?"

"What about us?"

"You care about me, don't you? You're not cutting me loose."

"Yes, but you and I are different, Elena."

"Why is that?"

"You're my best friend, not my girlfriend, and friends don't walk away from each other."

Sometimes Elena had wondered whether maybe friends should walk away from each other. If she had walked away from her friendship with Damon, however, would that have saved her pain, or caused her more pain? She had lost so many people from her life that having someone who was always there for her; someone who she could trust, and who cared about her unconditionally had seemed worth the heartache.

Over the years she had only grown closer to him. She had tried to get over the way she felt about him. She'd dated on and off, but no-one had ever come close to making her feel the way he did. She had consoled herself frequently by telling herself she always took first place in his life, and that his hang-ups about women and his fear of being abandoned and rejected were keeping them apart. When Katherine had come along, however, she had realized that that wasn't true, because he had hurdled over his hang-ups fast enough for her. Now Elena could not sit idly by and watch him give that woman the relationship that she herself had wanted from him for so long. She had a new determination to fall in love with someone else. She would move on; she would get over him. She had to for her own sanity, and for the sake of their friendship.

A large gong sounded somewhere, and she was drawn back to the present as Klaus addressed them all.

"Welcome, employees of Smith and Smith Advertising, and welcome partners. I hope the flight was comfortable. Tomorrow we'll start the activities, but tonight is for relaxation and rest. You'll need it."

The crowd laughed politely, but Elena wasn't sure if he was joking or not.

"Pre-dinner cocktails will be served at six. Please do not be late."

Once everyone had finished their drinks, they were shown to their rooms. The room she was to share with Damon was big for a bedroom. The walls had been painted the same color as the water they had flown over to get here. Double glass doors led out onto a small balcony, and inside the room there was a king size bed, a wardrobe and dresser to pack their clothes away. There was also a couch, but Elena noted there was not much else. She supposed the Smith brothers wished their guests to socialize, rather than hide away. A door led to an adjoining bathroom to be shared with the room next door.

Elena put her suitcase on the bed, opened it, and began taking her clothes out. She had packed away several dresses for some of the events Damon had warned her about, and she wanted to hang them up sooner rather than later.

"So," he said to her. "I'll take the couch, and you can take the bed. Unless you want to share."

The moment Damon said it he wanted to take it back. Elena looked up from the case she was unpacking, and as her eyes met his Damon couldn't stop imagining them sharing a bed together, and not one of those images involved either of them actually sleeping. He sat down on the couch quickly, not wanting her to notice the effect the idea was having on him. At the rate he was declining into madness he would be attacking his friend in her sleep.

Elena was shocked when she saw a flash of heat in Damon's blue eyes. She looked back at her suitcase, and kept taking out clothes, but it was too late, need swept through her so fast it left her shaking. Surely she had imagined that. Surely that hadn't been awareness she'd seen. She looked at him again, but whatever she had seen, if she had seen anything at all, was gone.

Disappointment coursed through her. She had to get a hold of herself. Now she was imagining he wanted her. Of course he didn't. In all the years she'd known him, he'd never looked at her the way a man looks at a woman he desires. Best they didn't share a bed, or she might maul him in his sleep. Was she going to be able to get through this week without giving away the only secret she'd ever kept from him?

"Probably best you sleep on the couch," she told him. "I've been told I talk in my sleep."

He nodded. "We still have a couple of hours before dinner. Do you want to take a walk?"

"I'm kind of tired. I might try and get some sleep."

"Okay. I need some air. I'll be back before six, so we can go to dinner together."

She nodded, smiled, and waited for him to leave. When he shut the door behind him, she sighed with relief. She already felt exhausted trying to hold onto the reigns of what she felt for him, and she still had an entire week to get through; an entire week of putting on a show for Katherine. Once she finished unpacking, she lay down on the bed, hoping to sleep, but two questions kept playing on her mind. Would she ever get over him? Could anyone ever actually compare to him? She had to believe they would, or she was in serious trouble.

As Damon walked along the beach he wondered what the hell was wrong with him. For some reason he couldn't stop seeing his friend differently today. The best he could do is hope it was some momentary madness that he would get over. Quickly. He never wanted to complicate what they had with sex. Sleeping with her would blur the lines of their friendship, and he couldn't risk that.

"Damon."

If she hadn't said his name, he would have walked right by Katherine, who was sitting on the sand in a black bikini by herself.

"Where's Stefan?" he asked her, dropping down beside her.

"Recovering," she said to him. "You'll be happy to know he doesn't have your stamina."

"That's too bad. For you."

"Don't sound so pleased."

Damon smiled, but said nothing.

"Where's Elena?" she asked him.

"Sleeping."

"Shouldn't she be out enjoying a walk with you? You two usually don't leave each other's sight."

"We don't do everything together."

Katherine made a noise, signaling her disagreement with that statement. "I'm surprised she let you out of the room."

"Why?"

"She's been in love with you for how many years?"

After Elena had said what she had earlier today, he could hardly go ahead and dispute it now, but Katherine didn't know shit. She'd always gone on about Elena being in love with him, and how he had been blind to it. Damon had denied it every time. Sure Elena was in love with someone, but it wasn't him. Katherine had been convinced though, and she wasn't the only girlfriend he'd had who'd thought the same. He would know though, wouldn't he? He would know if Elena Gilbert was in love with him.

"So?" he said to her.

"So, you're sitting here on Heaven's Isle with your ex-girlfriend. I wonder what she would make of that."

"I wonder what Stefan would make of you sitting here with me," he said to her.

A dark shadow suddenly loomed over them both, stopping her from responding.

"I've been looking for you," Stefan said to Katherine.

"I've been enjoying the view here with Damon."

Stefan gave Damon a dirty look. "Where's Elena?"

"Back at the house."

"That's too bad," Stefan said to him, his smile unpleasant, and his eyes cold. "Tell her to save a dance for me later."

"You can ask her yourself," Damon told him, his eyes equally cold. "I know what she'll say."

Dinner and dancing on the first night on the island had been a tradition for as long as Damon had been coming to Heaven's Isle. He would have to warn Elena of Stefan's intentions. He'd told her everything about Stefan and their competition anyway, but Stefan was going to try and get his hands on her, just to piss Damon off.

"You'll save a dance for me, won't you Damon?" Katherine asked him.

"Of course," Damon told her.

"I'm sure we can swap partners for at least one dance," Stefan said to him.

This was going to be even trickier than he thought. If he pursued Katherine, then he left Elena vulnerable to Stefan's attentions.

"Katherine," Stefan said. "Take a walk with me."

Katherine huffed out a breath, but she stood up anyway. She turned to Damon, and smiled seductively. "I'll look forward to the dance you promised me."

"What were you doing with him?" Stefan asked her angrily, as they walked away.

"Careful, Stefan, you're beginning to sound like a jealous old woman."

Damon smirked. It seemed all was not well in paradise. It wouldn't be long before they fell apart. Stefan would blow it sooner rather than later, and Damon could swoop in and claim the prize. Not that he was thinking of Katherine as a prize. He loved her; he was sure of it. He walked back to the room, hoping Elena would be awake now. She was getting dressed when he entered the room.

"You're back," she said, smiling when she saw him. "Zip me up."

She turned around in the black cocktail dress she was wearing, exposing her neck, and partly naked back. This is ridiculous, Damon thought, when he felt the urge to put his hands on her body, and leave a kiss in the crook of her neck. Shouldn't he be thinking about Katherine?

"Did you sleep?" he asked her.

"I tried. I ended up reading a book instead." She turned around when he finished. "Thanks. How was your walk?"

"I ran into Katherine," he told her, trying not to admire the way the dress fitted her like a second skin. "I think our plan is working."

"Oh?" she said to him, walking into the bathroom. "That's great."

"Well, it was a great plan."

Elena looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. "How could you be so stupid?" she asked her reflection.

If the plan worked, and it sounded like it was indeed working, what would happen when Katherine decided she wanted Damon back? Where was she going to stay if they couldn't keep their hands off each other? Damon would never leave her high and dry, but she hadn't thought any of this through. Would she be forced to fake some kind of break-up with him?

Then there was the fact that Katherine didn't like her. Katherine saw her as a threat, and coming along this week, and playacting Damon's girlfriend wasn't going to help her cause with Katherine. Would Katherine try and stop Damon from spending time with her? Would she see less of her friend? Would he decide to marry the woman? They were changing, Elena thought. They were changing far too quickly.

Her friendship with Damon had reached some kind of turning point. Damon had fallen in love for the first time, and she had decided she was going to start dating seriously, and looking for someone to share her life with. Her friendship with Damon had been her rock for so long, that now that it was shifting into something else, she felt unsteady and uncertain, and not quite sure of anything at all.

She finished freshening up her make-up and walked out of the bathroom. She looked away when she saw Damon taking his tee-shirt off, not wanting to feel the pangs of desire that would remain unsated. She searched through the wardrobe for her purse, and when she found it and turned back around, he was buttoning up his shirt. He looked at her, inclining his head and studying her intently for a moment.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm fine. Why?"

"I don't know. You look sad."

"I was hoping for nice."

His eyes softened a little. "You look nice too, but something's up."

He always saw through her so easily.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

She was holding out on him again, Damon realized. He could see it in her face. Something was wrong, and she didn't want to tell him what it was. What was the hell was wrong with both of them? He was having certain…impulses around her, and she was keeping things from him. Why wouldn't she tell him what was wrong? Was she thinking about her mystery man again?

"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?"

"Who?"

"The guy you're in love with."

"You caught me," Elena said to him.

This guy had an even bigger hold on her than Damon had originally thought, and maybe he'd taken the wrong approach when it came to helping her deal with him. She needed to forget the guy, sure, but maybe she needed to talk about him first. Isn't that what women wanted? To talk about everything? Elena had told him a good friend can see when their friend was hurting, and Elena definitely wasn't herself at the moment. Tonight he would make it his business to uncover the identity of her Mr X; convince her the guy was an idiot, and then he could give her a shoulder to cry on, and push her to forget him altogether. Add that to furthering his advances on Katherine, and keeping Elena out of Stefan's evil clutches, and it was going to be a busy night.

A/N: Thank you for every story alert, favorite, and review. You all keep me making time to keep writing this even when it feels impossible at times. Thanks for reading, and please review.