Hello again! I'm really excited to put up a new chapter for you that really throws the story into the action. I feel like this fic has been fairly boring so far, so to write something like this was really fun for me. It's definitely a pivotal chapter and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did while writing it.

I'll leave a longer note at the bottom to talk some things out, but for right now, I'll let you read. Please send in your reviews and thank you so much for your support!

October 2006, Part Two

"The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it… I can resist everything but temptation."

The first was stolen. The second was uncalled for.

Not many things shocked Damon Salvatore. He was a thinker, incredibly self-aware and observant. Almost every single person he encountered followed a predictable pattern that he could discern from the moment he met them. He was rarely wrong in his judgments and prided himself on his intuitive nature.

But Elena Gilbert: she was the enigma.

He was fairly sure it's what kept him coming back to that library and helping her with her work. There had been plenty of opportunities for him to back out, some of which she'd even offered up herself, but he'd continued onward, buying her coffee and never losing patience over her slower rate of learning. As Damon's mind flickered back over the past few weeks he'd spent with her, he realized that he'd long since crossed the line of just being a nice guy. And after receiving the recent insight into her past, he realized just how much he'd screwed up.

Damon backed away, dropping the hand that had lingered far too long near her ear. Thankfully, the dreamy stupor that Elena had held when she asked him disappeared in an instant, her eyes widening as she fully recognized the implications of her question.

"Wait, Damon… I… I…" She was at a loss, stuttering, as her face became four shades more flushed.

And as if a cold bucket of water had been tossed over Damon's head, he could finally see more clearly. Elena suddenly looked her age, a scared, instinctive girl who had grown too attached to the first man who had been kind. And who could blame her? If he were some guy living down the hall from her, if this was a normal situation, all of her girlfriends would be saying that those unnecessary tutoring sessions in the library and the walks back to her dorm were totally signs that he was into her. Hell, a few minutes earlier, he'd called her a "very pretty girl." Everything Elena knew about romantic relationships had come from television and movies and if they were characters in one, the audience would be screaming at him to tug her into his arms and kiss the crap out of her.

The mental "stop sign" that had appeared in Damon's head was flashing neon red and he recognized that he needed to fix the mess he'd created. "Elena, you know I can't do that." He grimaced at how stilted he sounded.

Elena rapidly bobbed her head up and down, swallowing whatever stress-induced lump had formed in her throat. "No, right. Of course. I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking."

She was avoiding eye contact at all costs, staring at her shoes that dug into the sidewalk. Damon let out a deep breath, knowing he needed to be the mature one in the situation. Elena would have rather pretended she'd never asked, but Damon understood the connotations her question implied. A small group of half-drunk students passed by them, oblivious to the pivotal shift that had just occurred in their blissfully ignorant relationship. Damon noticed a deeper flush in Elena's face at being seen during such a vulnerable rejection. His eyes flickered to the small, tamed area of woods adjacent to them.

"Come on," Damon placated, extending his hand to guide her to a more private area. He immediately regretted the more intimate move, but Elena had already warily taken it. Damon sighed at how she could still trust him so intensely regardless of his negative reaction.

Damon located a small bench off of the dirt path just a few steps in. They could still see the street and the glowing lights of nearby buildings, but unless those passing by looked, they wouldn't see the pair in the trees.

Damon inhaled, preparing himself for the riskier topic he was about to approach. "Elena, I hope you… It was never my intention to convey that I was romantically interested in you. Clearly, I do care about you, but purely platonically. I'm engaged and-"

"Please don't speak to me like I'm a child." The words were said so quietly that Damon almost missed them.

"I'm sorry?"

The eyes that had once been filled with weak acceptance and dismay were now filled with that familiar fire. "I said don't speak to me like I'm a child who misunderstood. I'm sheltered, not stupid." Her words came out hot and bitter. If she were any less of a lady, she might have spit.

Damon, once again, was thrown. Her shifts in emotion were beyond Damon's comprehension and it both beguiled and frustrated him to no end. He'd expected tears and never-ending apologies that he could placate with some consoling words, but not anger directed towards him.

"Elena, I-"

She stood up, her right hand waving as she talked. "I'm not some love-struck teenager who became enamored with the first guy who looked her way." He noticed something flash across her eyes before she continued. "I know that you're engaged and I know that you're only here to help me. So I don't appreciate you talking to me like you're some kind old gentleman who can hand me a lollipop and send me on my way, chuckling over how silly young girls can be!"

Damon was triggered by her attempts to embarrass him because of his assumptions. "No, you're right. To you, I'm the guy who would cheat on his fiancée because you give me some pity story about how you're scared of the big, bad world." Damon was now fully convinced Elena brought out the darkest sides of him.

"I'm not asking you to cheat on your fiancée!" Elena hissed, trying to keep her voice low so she didn't call any public attention to herself. "I was…"

He shot up from his seated position. "What?! What were you asking me? Because I'm pretty sure you were asking me to kiss you."

Some of the raging passion in Elena's expression faded at his words as she visibly deflated. "Never mind. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it. Are you happy now?"

"No!" Damon's loud retort caused Elena to arch her brow in surprise. "I mean…" And that's when he realized that he couldn't do it. Attempting to understand what Elena had been thinking in that moment was impossible. "Just tell me what's going on inside of your head, Elena, because I don't get it. At all." Gone was the mature "better man" who should have handled the situation with grace and dignity. All that was left was a guy exhausted from trying to figure it out. He clumsily fell back onto the bench, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing his face with his hands.

"I don't know," Elena cried, exasperated. A quick glare from Damon helped her understand that her answer wasn't good enough. She sighed, sliding down next to him, leaning her back against the granite and sitting in the dirt. "I… I was just projecting an idea onto you. It was word vomit. That's all."

Damon let her words settle, allowing himself to calm down, if only slightly. "Yeah? And what idea was that?"

Elena worried her bottom lip between her teeth, her finger tracing a pattern in the dusty ground. She took her time formulating a response, crafting design after design into the earth.

"You're right. I am scared. I'm tired of being the girl with no life experience. It makes me feel weak, fragile… I'm worried I'm going to be taken advantage of if I don't step up and do something about it."

Damon nodded slightly, even though her unwavering gaze into the trees prevented her from seeing him. He understood where her explanation was going before it was even fully stated: get rid of that first kiss stigma by making it mean nothing so that she could move on with her life. It wasn't totally logical, but he could see how she'd twisted it to make sense. "And you chose me because…"

"I didn't choose anybody," Elena shot back, but her too-quick response made her answer improbable. She let out another sigh at his dubious gaze. "I guess… because I trust you. You're the only guy I trust, in fact. I told you my deep, dark secret and you weren't freaked out by it."

"Elena, I almost got hit by a car. Your interpretation of how well I took it might be a little off." Damon felt a bit more relaxed as he heard a slight giggle fall from her lips.

"You know what I mean. I guess I thought it could be another… teaching moment."

Damon let out a laugh. "Yeah, well I'm pretty sure a kissing lesson isn't exactly teacher-student material. Especially for a guy who's unavailable." Damon paused, scraping his own toes into the dirt next to her drawings. "I'm guessing I can't convince you to wait for a guy who can and wants to be with you."

Elena scoffed. "Yeah. As you've heard, I'm pretty emotionally damaged. I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon."

Damon felt the need to correct her, but decided he'd stepped over the line a few too many times already. "Well, then… I guess my advice would be to find someone your own size to play with… maybe even someone with the same relationship status as you."

Elena lifted her head to look at him, an expression of guilt crossing her face. "I'm sorry, Damon. I shouldn't have put you in that position."

"Apology accepted," Damon replied. They sat in silence for a minute or so as Elena wiped away her drawings. "Alright, time for you to go to bed. You have a big exam tomorrow."

Elena groaned and Damon let out a slight chuckle as he stood, extending a hand to help her get off of the ground.

"Thank you for everything tonight, Damon," she continued, wiping her hands on her pants. "I'm really glad I could have had you as a friend."

Damon quirked his eyebrow at her, a teasing smirk forming on his face. "What makes you think you need to use the past tense?"

Elena's eyes widened as they came to the sidewalk again. "You mean you'd actually even consider helping me again after tonight?"

"I think… that next study date, you buy coffee, and all is forgiven."

Elena's relieved grin nearly swallowed her face whole. "So I guess… I'll text you tomorrow?"

"Sounds perfect. Good night, Elena. Good luck tomorrow."

"Good night, Damon."

"No way! People don't realize it, but Will and Grace was definitely number two."

"Are you kidding me?! Top ten, maybe, but there's no way it's number two."

Damon and Elena had spent their walk home debating the order of modern television sitcoms when it came to the best of the best. They'd both mutually agreed that Friends won the first spot, hands down. But after that had come the affable bickering. It was about two weeks after the "kissing incident" and it was if nothing had changed. In fact, if anything, they'd only grown closer.

"Two words: Karen. Walker." Elena replied haughtily.

"Oh please," Damon shot back. "You and I both know that Jack McFarland was the best thing that ever happened to that show. And let's not forget the world's worst series finale..."

"The world's worst?! That's a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think? Besides, a show's overall quality is not cancelled out by the quality of its finale!"

Damon was about to throw out another argument when he was cut off by a shrill female scream. Both of Damon and Elena's heads shot towards the parking lot on the left where they'd heard it. The voice rang out more clearly the second time.

"Please let go of me!"

Before Damon could consider another reaction, he was racing towards the source of the cries.

Once Damon reached the lot, he discovered a young guy backing away from the girl. Apparently, Damon had been heard while he was running. The girl was slightly crying as she tugged her haphazardly arranged shirt down, leaned back against the door of a car.

"What the hell is going on?" Damon inquired, attempting to keep his voice relatively calm despite his anger.

"Nothing." The boy uncouthly wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. "It's just a misunderstanding. She's fine."

"Yeah, I wasn't asking you." Damon shot back. He was thankful that he at least had both size and age on his side. Damon was typically leaner than most guys so the situation could have likely not been in his favor. He turned to the sniffling girl. "What happened?" He asked again.

The girl's eyes widened as they flickered over to her peer. Damon watched her swallow and something shift in her demeanor. "He's right," she replied calmly. "It was just… a misunderstanding. I'm okay."

Damon didn't buy it for a second, but both of their adamant denials were forcing him to change his plan of attack. It would have been a lot easier if the girl had simply been an overly emotional wreck, hysterically describing what the guy had done to her. But apparently, she was willing to protect the asshole.

Damon took a deep breath. "Well, I'm sorry but I don't really have a choice. You're going to have to explain it to the police."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" The guy shouted, only fueling Damon's anger more. But before he could grab his phone out of his pocket, the girl stopped him.

"No, please. Don't do that. I'm begging you." Damon's eyebrows furrowed at her crazed expression. She was crying more over his choice to call the police than whatever the guy had been trying to force her to do earlier.

Damon took a deep breath. He knew the better choice for both of them would be to report the situation to the authorities, but the frantic look in the girl's eyes was making him wonder if he didn't know the whole story. She looked about ready to give him her first-born just so he wouldn't snitch.

Damon shifted his gaze to the pissed off guy. "Go home, now, and I won't report it." He noticed the glimmers of relief on both of their faces, the girl's far less subtle. He watched as the guy went to grab for the girl's hand, but he stopped them. "Hell no. Go home by yourself. I want to talk to her for a bit." The relief was gone in an instant on her face and the guy seemed as if he was going to challenge Damon. "I'm sorry. Would you prefer being questioned by the cops? You can live a night without trying to get your dick in something besides your hand."

The stunned reaction on the boy's face matched the shock Damon was experiencing. He couldn't recall the last time he'd said something that vulgar and malicious, even if, compared to most, it was fairly mild. The boy swore at him under his breath before drunkenly stumbling off towards what Damon hoped was his dorm.

After he was gone, Damon turned his attention to the girl. "What's your name?" he asked. When he saw the alarm cross her features, he corrected himself. "Just your first. I'm not going to report you."

The girl warily nodded. "Alex."

"Ok, Alex. Are you all right? Be honest. I can get you medical attention without it becoming anything more." Damon was being truthful. With his knowledge as a lawyer, he knew how to keep it under wraps.

"I'm fine. He didn't hurt me." He watched as she wiped away some of the errant mascara running down her cheeks.

"Do you mind telling me what happened? I promise it'll just be between you and me."

Some doubt filled Alex's face, but she began explaining regardless. Damon hated how trusting she was, knowing it would just get her into more trouble in the future. "That was Josh. He's a huge deal at one of the frats and the fact that he even talked to me is a miracle. So he took me on a walk, which I know is just a code for hooking up, and I thought I was going to be okay, but then I chickened out and he got pissed off." Her eyes became a bit more frenzied. "The reason you can't tell anyone is… well, if he got arrested or reported or anything, my social life would be over. I mean… he's Josh."

Damon felt the urge to shake the senselessness out of her. Her warped logic was absurd and he hated that she believed she had to live in this twisted world of college reputations. Damon sighed. "Well, Josh is a dick and I would suggest that you avoid him at all costs. Social life be damned. You're lucky it was me who showed up… Hell, you're lucky someone showed up at all. Do you get that?"

Alex nodded, some shame crossing her features. "Yeah, I get it. Thanks for your help." She pushed herself off of the car and began heading in a way that was, thankfully, in the opposite direction of the one Josh had gone in. But before she left, her gaze shifted towards something behind Damon's shoulder. "Bye, Elena. See you in English."

Damon took a deep inhale, scrunching his features up in a mix of frustration and guilt. He'd completely forgotten about the girl he'd been escorting home and realized he was an idiot to believe she might just stay right where he'd left her. To be honest, it was smarter for her to follow him, but now she'd witnessed an event he wished she hadn't.

Damon turned slowly around on his foot and was met with two brown eyes that were widened from the new experience. She looked legitimately terrified of what she'd just seen. Damon swore under his breath, walking swiftly towards her. "Come on," he said briskly. He grabbed her hand without hesitation, guiding her back on their path towards her dorm.

Damon wanted to hit himself for his carelessness. He could bet his life savings on the fact that Elena had never seen something so raw in her life. And, on top of that, she'd watched Damon fall prey to the pleadings of a foolish damsel in distress. She was supposed to look up to him, see him as an example for what a guy was supposed to be. But instead of doing the mature thing, he'd let them both go home. For all he knew, Alex would be right back in Josh's arms tomorrow, apologizing to him for not being more open to his forced attempts at sex. Damon rarely swore in front of Elena and he realized that this was the second time that being with Elena had brought out some darker side of him.

As they continued their walk back, Damon couldn't shake those terrified eyes out of his mind. And not the ones Alex had been sporting. No, he was fixated on the fear Elena had held. He hated that for her. She knew Alex personally. She might even know that Josh kid. Damon didn't think that Elena was completely innocent to the sick, twisted things some guys would do to get off, but he wished she hadn't been introduced to it like that.

But then Damon remembered that conversation a few weeks back. How Elena had said that she would refuse party invitations simply because she was afraid of being taken advantage of. He'd told her to find someone to kiss that was actually her own age. Fury rushed through Damon's veins as he registered how shitty his mistake had been.

That could have been Elena. She wasn't stupid, but she was possibly naïve enough to fall for lines from a guy just like Josh. She seemed so desperate to be more experienced, less vulnerable, that she'd be willing to put herself in the most vulnerable position she could. And Damon had encouraged it. Basically told her to jump straight into some douchebag's arms so that she could get it over with.

It could have been Elena. And Damon would have not been there to stop it.

As Damon's thoughts continued to dart between his mistakes and Elena and the proposed kiss and what they'd witnessed in the parking lot, he didn't notice that their walk was taking a lot longer than normal. When he finally shook himself out of his self-deprecating thoughts, he realized that he was riding the elevator in Elena's dorm. Apparently, his mindless stride had followed her into the building. He couldn't tell if she didn't call him out on it because she didn't care or because she, too, was still shaken up over what happened.

By the time they reached her door, Damon reasoned that he was there to comfort her, given what they'd just witnessed. He brushed past her into the darkened room and, as Elena flickered the light on, he noticed the slightest bit of apprehension over his latest move. She moved past him, setting her belongings on the bed against the far wall. Damon faintly remembered her mentioning that her roommate had gone home for a long weekend and wouldn't be back for another two days. At least he didn't have to explain his seemingly inappropriate presence to an overly curious undergrad.

Damon's eyes took in the room, regardless of the burning stare he could feel on him. He hated that Elena's side of the room was so sparsely decorated compared to the lavishly done side of her roommate. It was another thing to make her feel inferior and she didn't deserve that. She should have been better prepared for this. She should have been better prepared for all of this.

"Are you okay?"

Damon grimaced. That was supposed to be his line. She wasn't supposed to be helping him. "The better question is 'Are you?'" Damon's voice came out gravelly and he barely recognized it.

Elena nodded, her lip twitching. "Yeah. It just… scared me." And there was that word again. Damon held back a growl, turning away from her and running his hand through his hair.

"Seriously, Damon. You didn't have to make sure I made it into bed. I'm okay. Bad stuff happens."

"Yeah, well it could have been you!" Damon whirled around as something shifted inside of him, his chest tightening in frustration. "That 'bad stuff' could have happened to you."

Elena's features were marred in confusion. "Okay, well I could get hit by a car or my dorm could burn down, too. Why are you suddenly so torn up about it?"

"Because you're not standing in the middle of the street or leaving candles on in your room!"

Comprehension slowly dawned across Elena's face as she realized what he was hinting at. He watched her as she tried to hold some of her irritation back. The dorm room was silent except for Damon's heavy breathing. "You think I'm willingly putting myself into situations like Alex did?"

Damon sighed. "No, but you sure seemed eager to a few weeks ago."

Elena's lip curled in disgust. "Damon, I said I was tired of being inexperienced, not that I was going to spread my legs anytime some depraved frat guy called me pretty."

Damon's jaw dropped slightly at her vulgar words. It took him a few moments before he could gather himself. "God, Elena. You don't get it. I basically told you to find some guy your own age to throw yourself on!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did! I might as well have just patted you on the head and said 'Go get 'em, sport!'" Damon ground his teeth in rage. "God, we can't… I can't… you shouldn't have me to look up to, Elena."

"Look up to? What the hell are you talking about?"

Damon frowned, his voice growing more somber. "I shouldn't have let them go tonight. I should have called the police. That wasn't the mature thing to do. I shouldn't be continually making these mistakes-"

Elena cut him off. "God, Damon. What is it with you and constantly trying to do the right thing?! You're not here to be some kind of role model for me and you're sure as hell not here to be some sort of replacement dad or big brother!"

"Then what am I here for, Elena?" And that was the question that he'd been asking himself for far too long. "What am I here for?"

Elena shook her head. "You're here to help me study and be my friend."

"I'm trying to be your friend! And as your friend, I'm telling you that you shouldn't go throwing yourself at random guys."

"Do you think I'm incapable of determining for myself who's a creep and who's not?!"

"I think that I have the right to be worried about you, especially after everything that's happened."

Elena let out a growl. "You know what?" And before Damon could even fully grasp what was happening, Elena was across the room with her lips firmly pressed against his. Damon gave nothing in return, mostly because the kiss was just that quick. Elena shot back from him, that unfaltering determination in her eyes still sparkling. "First kiss: done. You don't have to 'worry' about me anymore!"

Damon stood, jaw agape at what had just occurred. For what felt like the thousandth time, Elena had done something Damon could have never predicted. "Did you just steal your first kiss from me?"

Elena groaned. "You should be thrilled, Damon. Now your desperate little parasitic ward isn't so desperate anymore. She can cross that off the list without being taken advantage of by some sleazy undergrad. You can finally sleep at night."

Damon was still flabbergasted. "What the hell, Elena? Are you out of your mind?!"

The sarcasm dripped off of every word. "No, Damon. I'm not. I'm just a silly little child who can't think straight without a mature, strong man guiding her along!"

Damon had nothing to say back to her, still lost in the cloudy fog of emotions overtaking him. And as he watched her try to normalize her breathing, he hated what he saw. Because he didn't see the aforementioned child. He didn't see the frightened little girl in the parking lot or the pleading one from the woods. He saw the young woman, the one her parents and hometown had tried so hard to contain, the one he'd tried so hard to ignore. And as much as he wished this were the first time he'd seen her like this, he could suddenly recall countless times where the man had overcome the good guy. Where his gaze had lingered too long when she'd bent over to pick something up. When he'd gone along with a conversation that had become too flirtatious or spent a gratuitous amount of time with her when he should have been home with his fiancée. All of those times had been reasoned away by the "good guy" in him. But now, standing in her dorm room, frustrated ten times over, the way he was looking at her couldn't be erased by the good guy. In fact, the good guy was nowhere to be found, long since escaped after it saw the train wreck Damon had willingly boarded by following her upstairs.

Regardless of his missing better side, Damon knew he had to leave. "You're right. You don't need my guidance anymore. I think… I think we're done being friends. In fact, I think we're done altogether. This was a mistake." Damon turned, heading towards the door.

"Wait, Damon!" Elena cried out meekly once he grasped the handle. Damon shook his head back and forth. That he had expected.

"Does that freak you out, Elena? Not sure what you're going to do without someone holding your hand?"

Her eyes gave away her true feelings, a sweeping expression of shame crossing her face as she looked down at her shoes.

Damon continued. "You see, that's the thing. You want a relationship that I can't give you. I can't be your equal. I can't be your best friend. I can't be the guy you can take all of your crap out on. And I definitely can't be the guy who comes running back to help you even after all of this." Damon came closer to her, forcing her gaze upwards. "So here's the deal. If you're so terrified of failing out of school, you need to apologize to me about the tantrum and the kiss and then you need to admit that you need my help. That's the relationship we're going to have. Because I can't be anything more for you. Especially not…" He didn't need to finish his sentence.

There were about fifteen different phrases that could fill in that blank and Elena knew all of them. And because of that, Damon expected her to immediately express how regretful she was. But instead, she clung to her anger with a stubborn determination as if it were a safety blanket.

"No," she replied simply.

Damon felt more fury rush through his veins. "Really? You really want to go with that answer?" Elena nodded her head up and down slowly, causing Damon to let out a bitter laugh. "Alright. Fine. Have fun failing out of college. I hope your hometown accepts you back with open arms. Look forward to a future of being unhappily married and popping out little overly religious kids."

Damon caught her wrist before it could come within six inches of his face. Clearly, she'd never slapped anyone before because the movement was far too obvious and clumsy. He leaned in a little closer, something the good guy side of him would have reasoned was purely to scare her out of her outburst, but the good guy was still long gone. "Are you done?" The bitterness in his voice came out like venom.

"Not yet," she murmured.

Suddenly, she was up against him once more, her lips forced tightly to his, if not slightly missing his own. And this time, she didn't pull them back after a few seconds. Instead, she lifted one hand to his shoulder to hold herself more firmly to him.

Damon would swear up and down, even years later, that he fought it with everything he had. He was a good guy and this was totally wrong. Problem was, that good guy had disappeared somewhere between the lobby and the elevators and the only thing left was a sick form of sexual tension Damon had kept suffocated for far too long. So when Elena's mouth opened against his, trying to take in a breath, he lost the will to fight against it, and kissed her back.

It took Elena a few moments before she could understand the rhythm. Although he wasn't planning on informing her, it was fairly obvious that this was her first real kiss. The one minutes earlier could barely count for anything. But he could ignore the clumsier movements of her mouth given that they paled in comparison to the rushing need flowing through him. Damon grabbed the back of her head with one hand and the small of her back with another, securing her against him more forcefully as he finally made his first attempt at sliding his tongue across her bottom lip. He felt her hesitation as she opened her mouth, but he held the control in the kiss. The hands that were on his shoulders slid up to his neck and an impulsive yank on a small tendril of hair along with the first slide of his tongue against hers had him shifting his right hand down from her back to her ass.

Damon was damned sure it was impossible to think of anything beyond the kiss. All he wanted to do was keep touching her. Every goal and accomplishment he'd made in his life was simplified into that one aim. Thankfully, because he could only contemplate where to put his hand next or how he could be so wound up over someone who had never done this in her life, he couldn't think about Rose or Elena's age or any aspect of his morality. And once Elena finally figured out the tempo, he could only figure out how to get her closer to him.

Damon squeezed her ass once more and practically said a prayer when she allowed him to lift her onto the nearby sink she shared with her roommate. The small amount of counter space available fit her ass perfectly and Damon was tugged towards her when she wrapped her legs entirely around his hips. His mind briefly flickered to what movies or films had taught her this and he wondered if she'd ever delved into anything sexually explicit. For a girl who had done nothing, she seemed to know how to do a whole lot of something.

Since most of it was a haze, Damon could only slightly remember what had caused him to stumble out of his reverie. It could have been when Elena's nails had scraped down his clothed back, but he was also pretty shocked when his own hand slid down the side of her breast. Whatever it was, it was enough for Damon to tear his lips away from hers, panting from the exertion.

The only word Damon could form and the only one he could consider came out twice. "Fuck," he murmured, stemming mostly in awe of what had happened. The second time, it was from fury. "Fuck!" He noticed Elena flinch at his outburst, but he'd stepped away to prevent any repeats of the mistake that had just occurred.

Both of them were trying to catch their breaths, neither daring to look at the other. Damon briefly wondered if she was crying, but decided it wasn't worth it to check. He knew he had a decision to make. He could either walk straight out of that room and never say a word about it or he could have a rational discussion that involved him apologizing for his massive misstep and a promise to never do something like it again.

"Damon."

And just like that, Elena's voice made the decision for him. She sounded so broken, so needy, and it affected Damon far too much. He knew there was no way they could discuss this without it becoming way too much, way too quickly. He needed to get out of that room before he lost control again. Before he made another fucking mistake.

So Damon did. Without a glance in her direction, Damon walked straight out the door.

When Damon entered his townhome, he expected it to be pitch dark. Rose should have been long asleep by now, given the amount of time he'd spent just driving around in aimless circles. The emotional turmoil of deciding his next move had drained him of all energy. But instead of stumbling into a dark house, he was met with the glaring brightness of a single light coming from the combination living/dining room.

Damon had decided he was going to tell her. He had to tell her. He needed to make one good decision tonight or else he wouldn't be sure of whom he was anymore. Damon slowly made his way towards the source of the light, preparing for the worst, but was met with something even more troublesome.

Rose was sitting in the chair farthest from him, her gaze cold and completely detached. There was nothing in front of her, no activity that would have forced her to stay awake. And the moment he came into view, she began to speak.

"Damon, we need to talk." Her voice was chillingly void of any sort of sentiment, but Damon was too distracted by his own news to notice.

"I have to tell you something first-"

"I can promise you, Damon, that this is more important." Rose suddenly had the slightest bit more passion behind her words, but it was still eerily vacant. And Damon could finally pick up on it.

"What's wrong?" He asked, a hint of concern tainting his words.

Rose took a breath before continuing, her blank stare meeting his.

"I fucked someone else."

That sentence finally made Damon notice the two suitcases lined up against the wall. That sentence finally made him notice the engagement ring sitting on the table, far, far away from the place it was supposed to be.

"Damon, I don't want to get married to you. At all."

So... what'd we think? Did anybody predict this turn of events? I feel like it was fairly obvious, but maybe I'm biased :p

I hope you guys can sense some of the OOCness leaving the story. I feel like you're starting to see a more Damon-like side to Damon along with Elena becoming a bit more Elena-like. At least when it comes to the show. Clearly, they still have a long way to go, but it was fun to write them more in-character than they have been in the past. Damon is definitely going to have his biggest shift of character after what just went down so be prepared for a more realistic and cynical Damon. Elena still has a lot more to experience before she can have a major character shift, but it's coming... slowly but surely.

I also want to address any concerns you might have with how fast this story is going. I'm trying to make Damon and Elena's relationship as realistic as possible and I know the quick pace accompanied by how much has gone down in the past five chapters makes it seem like I'm rushing through. But I can promise you, as someone who knows exactly where this story is heading, the stuff that's happening right now is a blip on the radar compared to what's coming.

It's as if you were writing a fifty page essay for school. If WI was that essay, the stuff that's happened so far would only equal the introductory paragraph. Seriously, a LOT of stuff has still yet to occur and their journey together has only just begun. So if it feels like Damon suddenly wanting to kiss Elena came too swiftly or her feelings for him are unreasonably soon, just remember that, if D and E were to look back on their lives in this story, this would only be a small portion of what is to come. I have no desire to write, and I think you have no desire to read, ten or so chapters of D and E just getting to know each other. It's boring, at least to me, and I'd rather get to the stuff that's really important in the end. I hope you guys can agree with that and understand how much more this story has to come. (Once again, we haven't even gotten to what's mentioned in the summary!)

Alright, well I think that's all I had to say for this chapter. I really hope you guys are enjoying the story. It's definitely a weird change for me to go from YBR, where I was getting 50+ reviews a chapter and thousands of views a week, to this one which is... different to say the least. I hope that's simply because it's new and not that I'm suddenly the world's worst writer and you all think it's a bunch of garbage. Regardless, I hope you leave your honest reviews (I've been really good at responding to them!) and continue reading. I'm loving this story and where it's headed and I hope you all are as well. Especially since a whole lot more is about to go down ;)

I love you all tons and will update in a week!