Hello to all of you!

Did I mention how glad I am to write this story? To have the opportunity to flee into this bubble where Damon and Elena have a real chance together? After the last episode I was completely shocked. Not because Katherine took over Elena's body (that was pretty predictable), but because of the heartbroken look on Damon's face. I get it… or at least I hope that this new situation is essential to Damon's character development but… seriously? What the fuck?

Okay, enough of that ;) Enjoy the chapter; it might give your hearts some Delena feels. And thank you so much for the kind reviews! You made me smile with each and every one of them! Shoppe69, you are the best! Thanks again for the theoretical checking ;)

Xoxo Giuna

Chapter 10

For more than half an hour, Damon leaned against the door frame and watched Elena staring out of the window. Although Mason had been dead for almost four weeks now, he still worried about her. At first, he hadn't understood why she often seemed so absent, but that was only until he had found her crying on the couch in the middle of the night.

She hadn't been able to talk to him and it hadn't been necessary. He had known intuitively that she had started to work through her horrible past, even though there was no need to be afraid of it anymore. Unfortunately, that didn't mean she could simply forget it.

The damage Mason had caused her was so huge, Damon often asked himself if she could really accomplish to recover from it on her own, or with his help for that matter. Only that helping her turned out to be pretty difficult because Elena refused to open up to him at all.

Damon knew she behaved this way to spare him the nasty details and for sure because she still felt hurt and humiliated when she thought about it. He had tried more than once to convince her that it wasn't necessary to spare him anything, but she had just shaken her head no.

So the only thing left for him to do, was to soothe her and to be there for her when she cried. But that simply didn't feel enough. Damn it, he wanted to do so much more, but couldn't risk pushing her too far.

Hour after hour he had thought about different ways to support her, and sometimes he had been successful. He had taken her out to show her all the beautiful places of New York City: the EmpireStateBuilding, the Statue of Liberty, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Times Square. Elena had blossomed then. Sadly enough, it had never lasted for long.

The only time she had opened up a little, had been during a walk through Central Park…

They strolled around for hours and Damon noticed that she wanted to tell him something, but obviously she had no idea how to start. So he waited and hoped she would find the right words at some point.

When they arrived at one of the reservoirs, she again seemed far away. Her beautiful brown eyes stared straight ahead, looking at something no one would ever be able to see apart from her. The concern in her expression finally led Damon to make the first move anyway.

"What's bothering you?" he asked and encouragingly entwined her fingers with his.

"It's nothing," she insisted with a dismissively wave of her hand.

"It's not nothing, Elena. I'm not blind, you know? There is concern written all over your face"

She twisted her mouth into a sweet pout promptly which made a response totally redundant.

"Wanna share?" he offered her instantly, although he wasn't very optimistic her answer would be yes.

"I was thinking about us," she admitted after a more or less brief pause.

"And?"

"It's complicated."

"Why's that?"

"Because it's embarrassing to talk about."

"But maybe there is no need to be embarrassed at all."

"You're not going to like it."

"Try me."

"I don't know."

"Please?"

Elena stared into his eyes, searching for some reassurance she needed to let him in on the issue she got on her mind.

"Okay," she gave in, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for the revelation.

Damon waited patiently, looking back into her eyes as encouragingly as possible.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something…," Elena admitted shyly, fumbling with the loops of her belt nervously.

"Okay, go ahead," Damon replied without hesitation.

"Phew, fine," she swallowed heavily. It took her another 30 seconds to start. "Is it satisfying for you when you sleep with me?" She inquired, looking down onto the ground. Damon furrowed his eyebrows and blinked a couple of times in disbelief before he was able to respond. He had expected anything but definitely not this.

"Elena, of course it is. Why would you think that it isn't?"

She smiled slightly in relief, "It's just that I still feel so inexperienced when it comes to sex. This is the first time I'm in a real relationship. And, you know, you're kind of an expert in giving me pleasure, but I don't want to be at the receiving end all the time. I want to give, too." Elena's cheeks flushed pink but her eyes shone again.

On the one hand, he felt flattered but on the other hand he was shocked. Had she really told him, what he thought she had? But he needed to comfort her first.

"It's so sweet that you're thinking this way. And although it is always a pleasure to sleep with you and I already feel like I'm receiving a lot, I promise that next time I will give you the opportunity to find out what it is that you want to give to me," he assured her.

"Thank you," she remarked boldly, kissing him on the cheek softly.

"Elena?"

"Yes?"

"Don't be mad at me if I might cross a line, but I just need to ask you this. Were you still a virgin when Mason… had raped you for the first time?" He held her hand even tighter, stroking the back of it lovingly.

"Yes, Damon," she confirmed quietly, but she wasn't upset at all. She had known that he would read between the lines.

"Fuck," he sighed and pressed her against his body to protect her from the cruelty she couldn't be saved from anymore.

"If I could, I would kill him once more," he breathed against her temple to keep himself from losing control right in front of her. The rage inside him was almost unbearable.

"I know," she murmured and let him comfort her.

"You know, Damon, for me the first time I slept with a man, was with you," she pointed out, but she wasn't sure if he would be able to fully understand what she meant.

While he remembered her words, Damon smiled softly at her motionless body standing at the window with her eyes still staring out into nothingness. He had known from her facial expression during her sentence that she had thought that he wouldn't figure what she had meant, but actually he did. Or at least he thought he did.

What Mason had done to her, had been sheer violence, something she would never compare with the devotion she felt when she was with him.

He was a lucky man that she was able to look at it this way, knowing that this wasn't natural. Not after all she had been through. He was almost certain that her point of view had something to do with her gene, too.

While he observed her minute after minute, he realized once more that this had been one of the very few times when she had shared thoughts which concerned her past with him. Perhaps she needed a girlfriend, someone how would be able to understand her in a way he just couldn't because he was a man, and she could probably open up to much easier.

Jesus, why hadn't he thought about it earlier?

"You're staring, again," Elena said with a smile on her lips, but looked out of the window without moving in the slightest.

"You've got me there!" he grinned, once again surprised how she always accomplished to talk to him so good-tempered, as if she didn't go through hell again. She never took her grief out on him. Only when she was crying, he knew how bad she really felt.

"Please stop worrying about me, Damon. I'll manage!" She tried to comfort him but Damon knew that it was just that…an approach.

"Look who knows me better than I do," he teased and walked over to her, knowing that it was okay then. Stepping right behind her, he pulled her against his chest.

Her scent still took his breath away, he couldn't think of anything sweeter or more intoxicating than her unique perfume.

She responded immediately and rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes and snuggling against his neck, finally starting to relax.

"I'm sorry, Damon," Elena whispered silently against his velvet skin.

"For what?" he asked pretty confused. Her apology was completely unexpected.

"For being so absent and broody all the time. It must be quite bugging, but-," Damon didn't let her finish.

"You've got to be kidding me! Elena, you've got all the right in the world for being as absent and broody as you want. I'm the last person on earth who is going to judge you for this," he explained her, having a hard time to stay calm.

"You better let me finish, Mister I-interrupt-you-whenever-I-want-to," she teased back and pricked him with her fingertips into the ribs.

Damon giggled as she found the exact spot, where he was the most ticklish.

"Okay, okay. What was it you wanted to add to your stupid apology?" he blurted out, wiggling like crazy.

"I wanted to let you know that it's not just bugging for you but also for me. Or only me if I got you right. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I want to move on. That I want to leave my past right there… in the past. But it isn't easy, you know? I'm trying so hard to find a way to just let it rest, but… I just can't. With him being dead, it seems to be harder than before. Maybe it's because the fear of him is gone, and now there is nothing left to distract me from the actual problem anymore," Elena paused, arranging her thoughts and giving Damon the opportunity to say something as well, but he just nodded and remained quite.

"Damon, I think I'm not able to handle it all by myself," Elena confessed in a hushed tone, confirming Damon's previous apprehension unintentionally.

"You know I'm here for you, right? But I guess that's not what you meant." Damon stroked her hair tenderly; he could imagine how difficult it must be to admit something like that to oneself.

"That's true, it's not what I meant Even though I can barely imagine talking to a therapist, I know that I need to talk to at least somebody. And, Damon, I know and perhaps I even understand that you want to be this person, but that wouldn't be right. I've given it a lot of thought the last couple of weeks, but what I have to say is nothing you should hear. When I finally start talking, I don't want to think about what it might cause the person who is listening. And please believe me Damon, as strong as you are, it would affect you," she clarified, taking his hand in hers.

Damon thought about her words and when suddenly a picture of his Elena beneath the monster popped up in his mind, he finally understood her. It had been horrible enough to witness it in her dream and to feel her pain for a couple of seconds, but what must it been like to hear how she had felt during such violence for two years? He swallowed hard, Elena was right, though. He had no idea how he should handle the emotions her words would evoke inside him.

"I understand…," he pressed out between clenched teeth, wrapping his arms around her vulnerable body protectively. Life was such an unfair bitch!

His idea for Elena needing a girlfriend seemed momentarily pretty dumb. She would never load her atrocious experiences onto a friend.

"I'm relieved you see it like this and please, Damon, there is no reason to feel useless," she assured him, seeing the unsatisfied expression on his face and making him smile a little.

"But I do," he admitted "I want to help you, but I can't do anything!"

"What are you talking about? You've helped me so much the last weeks, if it wasn't for you I might have fallen into a full-fledged depression! You've been the most wonderful distraction I could've wished for. And you seem to be absolutely oblivious about it, for that I need to apologize too. I should've talked to you more openly and I'm really sorry I didn't." Elena stood up on her toes and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Yes, maybe you should've," he grinned at her. "I'm glad it was at least not completely futile," he said, smiling at her.

"Of course not. Damon, I… there… err," she paused, hesitating when the right words were hard to find.

"What is it?" Damon asked concerned, searching her gaze.

Elena inhaled deeply.

"There is something, I wanted to tell you for quite a while now, but I don't know I… I just wasn't sure how. Perhaps it's too soon to say it anyway, you probably don't want to hear it and-"

"Mister I-interrupt-you-whenever-I-want-to needs to interrupt you again," he teased while a crooked smirk spread over his face.

"Elena?"

Elena stared up to him, her brown eyes full of insecurity.

"Yes?" she whispered.

"Whatever you want to tell me, just tell me. I definitely want to hear it."

She blinked a couple of times, knowing that it was about time to communicate it to him and that he deserved to know.

"Fine, okay," she agreed and inhaled once more, gathering all her self-confidence.

"At first I need you to know that I'm really happy to be here, to be with you. When we first met, I thought this was going to be hell on earth reloaded, but I was completely and utterly wrong. It turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me, because of you. You guided me through this and you were always there for me when I freaked out again. You even made me realize that I could trust you, a man, with my life; although I had sworn to myself that I would never trust a man ever again. You made me feel all the emotions, I thought were lost for good. Like safety, confidence, devotion, joy and…"

"And what?" Damon stunned and narrowed his eyes when her pause endured for too long.

Elena smiled brightly at him, knowing that this was going to shook him to the core.

"And… love. I love you, Damon," she said, putting all emotions she cherished for him into those three words.

"What?" he whispered faintly, absolutely sure that he got her wrong.

"I love you, Damon," she repeated patiently, totally unconcerned about his unromantic behaviour. She hadn't expected it any other way.

Damon stared at her, searching her eyes for the truth. He was totally thunderstruck and it didn't get better as she kept smiling at him so beautifully.

How was this possible? He hadn't heard those magical words for over a century. No one had ever told him 'I love you' since he had become a vampire. He wasn't a creature to love, not anymore. He had done so many horrible things Elena didn't even know about. She wouldn't say something like that if she would know him better.

"Damon?" she interrupted his thoughts and led him to look down into her eyes again.

"You're looking like I've told you that I hate you, and not that I love you. Please, stop thinking about all the reasons why I shouldn't feel the way I do," Elena guessed his thoughts without the slightest effort.

"You know me well, beautiful," he smiled back at her, cupping her cheeks with his hands and stroking them gently with his thumbs.

"Since I'm a shattered soul, I know when I see a fellow in misery. Maybe you will be able to tell me your story one day too," she said without the tiniest bit pressure in her voice.

"Elena, what you said… those words-,"

"No, Damon, don't. I didn't say 'I love you' because I wanted to hear it in return. I told you because I just wanted to share my feelings with you. If you don't feel the same way yet, it is perfectly fine."

"Now, who is interrupting whom, Missy?" Damon questioned and raised one eyebrow. Elena grinned shyly and looked down to her feet.

"No, no, no, look at me," he demanded and brought his right hand under her chin to lift her face up so she had to look him straight in the eye. Quite involuntarily, she let him do as he liked and wasn't sure if she really would be able to cope with a rejection.

"Elena, you have no idea what it means to me to hear those words from you. I had given up the illusion that I would be worth being loved by anyone a long time ago. But there you are. A beautiful and kind-hearted girl, shattered by a past one wouldn't wish their worst enemy, is finally able to love me, the bad guy who is at least as violent as his victims. You know what's funny, though?" he interrogated in the middle of his speech. Elena silently shook her head, staring at him as he fought with his emotions.

"Since we met my life seems to have a meaning again. The last two months have been a pretty hard challenge for me. I wasn't used to taking care of anyone or to act out on emotions, but you were full of emotions and they crashed down on me with such force that I couldn't help but feeling them too. The first emotion you made me feel was compassion. And I can assure you that I had almost forgotten that it even exists, not to mention the way it feels. From that moment on I wanted to be there for you, I wanted, no, I needed to protect you and to show you that you're more than worth to be well treated. I started to care for you practically right from the beginning, and if I wouldn't be so rusty when it comes to emotions of any kind, I would have known much earlier that I love you too, Elena. Although I still don't get what I've done to deserve your love," Damon ended and realized just then that Elena's face had turned into a beaming smile like he had never seen before on her flawless face.

"Stop talking and kiss me, Damon," she said clearly but didn't want to wait any longer, so she grabbed the back of his neck firmly and crushed her lips on his.

Surprised by her dashing behaviour, he laughed out happily but just once because the way Elena kissed him took his breath away. She had kissed him passionately before but nothing like this. Her parted lips moved on his wildly and softly at the same time and within seconds he was moaning against them.

Parting her lips further, she welcomed him inside of her mouth with her smooth tongue as reception committee. Demandingly, she caressed the tip of his tongue, bit it, sucked on it and simply made him lose his mind. Damon grabbed her waist and pulled her further against himself. He fisted his hands into her shirt, pulling her closer and letting her feel how damn much he loved her as he responded her kiss in equal measure. He relished the softness of her full lips and the thundering heart beat against his chest.

Slowly, he shoved her backwards until she wasn't able to do anything but to sit down on the armrest of the couch the second the hard material pushed against the back of her knee. Without interrupting their lustful kiss, Damon bent over her, wrapped his arm around her hip, lifted her up and positioned her into the corner of the couch straight into the baggy cushions.

Elena opened and bent her legs immediately and dragged him between them, feeling his hard need against her already hot centre.

Only when her lungs screamed for air, she threw her head aside and took a deep breath, smirking at him mischievously just to earn his crooked grin she loved so much.

"I'm so happy, Damon," she let him know sincerely and felt more than relieved that the oppressive weight of her past was at least not able to ruin her feelings for Damon.

"It's wonderful hearing you say that," he smiled brightly back at her, letting her sparkling eyes consume him completely. "Me too. I have never been happier," he whispered and rested his hands on each side of her head for support.

Although it could hardly be possible, her eyes started to shine even more as if they were responding to his words.

As she recognized the way he trapped her with his arms, just like he had done twice on the first day they had met, she realized at this very moment, how much had changed between them. Back then she had been afraid of him, considered him a monster and now, well, now she loved the man right in front of her; the man who had saved her in so many ways, he would probably never understand.

Back then she had wanted to flee, but right now she just wanted to be close to him; as close as possible.

Elena held Damon's gaze effortlessly because there was nothing to be afraid of anymore. She reached for his arms from underneath him and encircled the taut and sensitive skin on the insides of his lower arms.

Oh-so tenderly she let her fingers drive up his arm, at first barely touching him but increased the pressure the higher she came. When she reached the hugeness of his biceps', she pushed his shirt upwards and stroked over those strained muscles which turned her on so freaking much.

How much exactly, Damon could smell instantly and smirked cockily as he observed the way Elena was admiring his arms hungrily.

His own hunger for her increased momentarily and he could sense that it wasn't just his hunger for her body but also for her blood. It was already dark outside…

Elena felt his appetite as belonged it to herself, too, just that this feeling simply didn't feel human at all. This sentiment was so strong so consuming; it overwhelmed her every single day afresh. Perhaps it really was the way he felt it.

Still petting his arms, Elena dived into the blue oceans of his eyes, luring him closer with her brown ones, knowing her blood would support her willingly and giving her that extra bit self-confidence she badly needed for what she got on her mind.

Like under hypnosis, Damon lowered his face closer to hers and brushed his lips against her mouth. Elena's heart skipped a beat as she felt him kissing her uninhibited, showing her exactly what he wanted when his hands were suddenly all over her shivering body.

"Ah…," she moaned into his mouth while Damon roamed her torso up and down with his hands, cupping her breasts dashingly. Frantically, he pushed her shirt up and over her head, receiving better access to the beauty that was her almost naked body. He didn't dally away one single second before he cupped her breasts again and sank his nose into the just resulting line between them. Fuck, she smelled so unbelievably arousing.

"Oh… Elena," he inhaled deeply and took her left nipple into his mouth while he teased the right one with his fingers.

At the sensation of him pleasing her breasts, she nearly lost her mind. Her whole body, inside and outside, was screaming for him, making the ends of her nerves prickling like crazy and his blood boiling to the surface. It felt marvellous. Only when he shoved one hand down and over her stomach, reaching her sensitive belly, she regained an ounce of mind.

Hadn't she planned something completely different? Argh!

"Damon?" she moaned and grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Huh?" he murmured irritated and tilted his head back, looking her in the eye.

"I just want to remind you of your promise," she murmured slowly and with an even faster heartbeat.

"What promise?" he asked dumbfounded, being still pretty distracted by her body.

"The promise that you would give me the chance to find out what I want to give back to you," she breathed as seductively as she could manage.

"Oh," he sounded very startled but also very pleased.

"Yeah, I wasn't quite successful to remind you so far, but luckily your hunger hasn't switched out my mind yet, so…," she smiled at him and tried to remain calm, "what about a change in position?" she inquired sweetly.

"Where do you want me?" Damon smirked at her smugly.

"I want you like this…," she whispered in a husky voice and sat up, lowering her face down to his. She kissed him passionately while she pulled her legs out from underneath him, kneeling between his legs and pushing against his shoulders so he was forced to rest his back into the other corner of the couch.

"Much better," she commented, enjoying the amazed look on his gorgeous face. His eyes sparkled in excitement when Elena grinned at him sexily and reached her hands behind her back to unclasp her bra. In one swift move the fabric slipped down her shoulders and dropped to the floor, leaving her topless in front of Damon, whose hungry eyes grew even hungrier.

"My thoughts exactly," he grinned back at her and lifted his hands to touch her again, but Elena stopped him as she shook her head resolutely.

"No, no, no, keep your hands to yourself," she chided, wagging her finger at him.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Damon obeyed immediately but kept grinning. He even kept grinning when Elena removed his shirt and threw it carelessly to the ground somewhere near her bra. But he certainly stopped the moment Elena bent over his bare chest, pressing her breasts against his warm flesh and slid down his body with outstretched arms, caressing his neck and chest on her way down.

She placed open-mouthed kisses around his navel and narrowed the circle inch by inch until she dipped her tongue inside it, opening the belt of his pants at the same time. Within seconds she undid button and zipper of his jeans and pushed them down his hips together with his boxer-briefs, freeing his hard length in the process.

Hardly breathing, Damon blinked a couple of times, his mind only capable of one thought. What was she up to?

"What-," he started but Elena was faster.

"Shh," she silenced him and placed her hand around his pulsating hardness, making him gasp for air as she started to massage him up and down… up and down.

At this moment Elena felt wonderful; she loved him and she loved to bring him pleasure and she was indescribably happy that he seemed to like it.

She lowered her head closer over his cock and looked up at Damon's face, but found his eyes closed in relaxation. She smiled before she opened her mouth, licking over the tip of his head.

"Jesus, Elena," Damon nearly shouted in surprise as he felt her tongue swirling around his hard dick.

"What are you doing?" he wanted to know unnecessarily.

"What does it feel like?" she asked calmly because she had totally expected him to react this way.

"It feels like you're going to suck me off!"

"There you have me!" she smirked at him, mirroring his own words back on him.

"Hilarious, Elena. No, seriously, you don't have to-"

"But I want to do it," she interrupted him again, feeling her blood hot under her skin and his hunger almost unbearable.

How did he manage to find the strength for this conversation?

And without waiting for a response, she closed her lips around him.

Damon's self-control fell apart the second he felt her soft lips around his cock. He gave in to her, to her calling blood and to his hunger, briefly speaking, he welcomed madness.

He slammed his head back into the cushions and rubbed his face in surrender, while Elena moved her mouth up and down his length and firmly stroked him with her hand as well, causing him to feel like he was going to explode. All the muscles in his body constricted at his attempt to handle the sudden rush of pleasure and adrenaline combined with the urgent need for her which washed over him.

Damn it, her mouth felt perfectly and he couldn't keep himself from groaning loudly when Elena took him deeper down her throat, swallowing around him.

"Ah…Elena," he breathed when she increased her pace, sucking on him and swirling her tongue around him in one blurred motion.

Opening his eyes, Damon sat up and bent down to Elena, almost like being under remote control. Her blood, no, his blood was luring him so compellingly, he hadn't the slightest of chances to resist.

While sucking on him feverishly, Elena looked up at him with fire visible in her eyes and tilted her head to one side, granting him better access to her neck.

Damon brushed the long brown strands of her hair to the other side of her neck and lowered his face. Licking over the velvet skin of her neck, he knew he would come undone soon. Without thinking of it, his teeth broke further through his gums, easily finding the perfect spot over her drumming pulse point. Elena moaned in anticipation when she felt his fangs scratching over her sensitive skin, impatiently waiting for him to finally sink them inside her needing flesh When he did, the vibrations of Elena's moans of pleasure grew more and more intense around him and together with the amazing flavour of her blood caressing his taste buds, he couldn't hold it together any longer. While he sucked at her and Elena on him, he ultimately let go and came straight into her mouth.