*Sorry it's been so long. I've been so busy this summer I haven't had any time. And I'm writing a story that unfortunately can't really be posted on fanfiction because it's my very own idea. If you want to read some of it, btw, just send me a private message and let me know. I love feedback. I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. And if you also read my other fanfiction, painting blue eyes, I don't know when i'll update that cuz i'm kind of stuck. If you have any ideas just let me know. Oh, and I'm considering changing this to a mature rating. How do you guys feel about hot vampire sex? Maybe. We'll see. Enjoy!

They arrived home, caked in mud and Elena quickly rushed to a shower, tired of the odd scaly feeling the mud provided. Damon went up to his room and undressed in his closet before also making his way to the shower in his bathroom. Elena was almost surely in Stefan's. She'd just be more comfortable there. That was, of course, before he heard water coursing out of a faucet in his bathroom. She was showering in his room.

He knew that the shower door was simply a pane of glass so he snaked the back of his head into the room and asked if she would let him know when she was finished before pulling on a bathrobe and laying on his bed.

"Damon!" Elena yelled.

Damon heard a muffled scream come from the bathroom and he strolled over grabbing a towel and a bar of soap from a little bowl by his sink.

"What's up, Elena? Need a towel? Some soap?"

"No. I can't reach this spot on my back and I just know it's covered in stubborn mud."

"Okay. Just a sec." Elena was inviting him to shower with her. It was subtle, but he always knew the difference between and invitation and a request. Especially when it came to women. She'd probably showered with Stefan multiple times but never with him. It wasn't like her. And then a quiet voice in his head whispered, "It is like her. And you know it. She's giving you a chance, moron. Take it." So Damon took a very deep breath, let his bathrobe slip from his shoulders, and sauntered into the bathroom stark naked.

Elena smiled when she saw him and she turned her back to point to the spot. "It's right there, Damon. Could you get it please?"

Damon's eyes explored the soft curves at her waist to the peak of her legs and bum. She was so beautiful. He opened the glass door and shuffled his way into the shower. "Mind if I join you?"

"Guess not, since you're already in here."

"That was the plan. Can you hand me the bar of soap from the basket?"

"Sure," Elena said, grabbing the soap and chucking it straight at his face. Damon snagged it from the air just in time. "You missed," he teased. Elena didn't say a word in return and Damon started rubbing the bar of soap, slowly and in circles on her back where the mud was. It quickly sluffed away, but Damon continued to apply the soap.

"I think it's clean, Damon," Elena whispered.

"Yeah."

Elena turned to face him, water running down through her hair and across her stomach in weblike patterns. She cupped Damon's face in her hands and kissed him lightly on the mouth. "Thank you. Do you need anywhere done?"

"How about my entire body?"

Elena giggled. "Not an option, pervert."

"Don't go throwing around names, big talker. As I recall, you were the one who invited me to shower with you."

"Any mud you can't reach?"

"No, not really."

"Well then I'm out of here."

"Not so fast, princess," Damon growled and he encircled his arms around her bare waist. The sparks were undeniable and Elena couldn't help throwing her head back against his shoulder and reveling in the feeling. He spun her around and he kissed her gently on the lips. The kiss deepened just as quickly as the first one and before Elena knew what was happening, her back was against the wall of the shower, water was pouring down her face and into the kiss, and her feet were latched together around Damon's waist. Elena pulled back and put her hand to Damon's lips which he began pecking up and down her finger.

"I can't do this. Put me down, Damon. Give me a day or two okay? Don't just jump out of the gate."

Damon's face exploded in anger and he sat her down before hopping out of the shower, wrapping himself in a towel, and storming out of the bathroom. Elena followed like a lost puppy and snagged Damon's wrist before he could get too far away.

"What's wrong?"

"Why'd you invite me in there, Elena? What were you hoping to achieve?"

"I don't know, Damon," she cried. "I'm sorry. It just seemed like a fun idea at the time. And I did need assistance with my back."

She saw Damon's shoulders heave up and down. "Okay. It would be wonderful if you could figure out some answers though. Like soon."

"I know. And that's why we're doing this. I never said it was going to be easy."

"And neither did I, Elena. Neither did I. But have a little faith in where I'm taking this. We've known each other for a couple years now and I've loved you for almost as long. Give it your all, because that's what I'm giving you and I expect something in return."

"Like what?" Elena asked.

"I don't know because I'm not sure what you're willing to give."

"Everything."

"Right now, I disagree. But we'll see. I sure as hell hope so."

"I love you, Damon," Elena said tentatively.

"Do you? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

"You think that low of me?" Elena said, her eyes flashing. "Are you serious?"

Damon bright blue eyes pierced hers but she did not waver from his gaze. He continued searching them until he whispered, "No. I guess not. I'm off to bed."

"So you do sleep." It wasn't a question, more of an observation. But Damon replied anyways.

"I'm not invincible, Elena. As much as I like to think I am. I do need sleep to survive. Much like you."

"I've never actually seen you in the act though."

"Sleep with me?" he winked, his bad mood apparently erased.

"You're disgusting."

Damon nodded, as if he'd already known the answer and flopped onto his bed. Elena sighed and shut the door behind her as she left the room. This was the problem with Damon. They couldn't stop fighting. He wouldn't stop questioning her every move. Before Stefan left, it had always pissed her off to the point of insanity, but as she was crossing the hall to Stefan's bedroom, she couldn't help wondering if she'd made the right decision.