AN: Hey, guys! Thank you for the reviews and for reading! I'm so glad y'all like this so far! I've got so much in my mind for this story and others, I don't know what to do with myself! I don't want to disappoint, but this chapter is just a little short compared to my others. I was going to go on with it, but it just had to stand alone. I've got my next one on the burner, so don't get sad! :D So without further ado, ENJOY!

Elena's desk was a phenomenal mess. Things were in places she didn't remember and her emails were overflowing. Sheriff Forbes had inserted Caroline to pick up the slack to keep Elena's workload from overpowering her when she got back. Much to the Sheriff's dismay, it seemed like it might have doubled it instead. Caroline had neatly organized whatever flew onto her desk, but she had also put in some things that were not right and Elena groaned, knowing the work it would be to correct it. Despite that, she thanked Liz anyways, knowing she was only trying to be helpful.

"Elena!" A peppy, happy voice said from behind her, nearly scaring her out of her chair. Elena spun, seeing her temporary in the door with a vase of beautifully ragged sunflowers.

"Care!" Elena smiled, actually excited to see her other best friend for the first time in weeks. Caroline set the bouquet next to Elena's computer and wrapped her friend up in a hug, squeezing her tight.

"I thought these might brighten your day. I'm so glad to see you!"

"Awe. Thank you! And for the flowers for Damon too, Care. That was sweet of you. Where have you been?" Caroline nodded, and then pointed at the desk behind Elena.

"I know Mom was just being a mom and trying to help me out, but I don't think I'll ever forgive her for sticking me in your spot. It is so /hard/. I was up here 'til ten o'clock some nights!" Elena laughed a little, unintentionally.

"It takes a lot of practice. Patience."

"/That's/ my problem, then. How's things?"

"Okay. I'm sure everyone knows by now, but he's lost some of his memory. But it's looking up." Caroline's face fell a little.

"Really bad?" Elena shook her head, rubbing a palm against the heel of her elbow.

"He's remembered a little thing or two," she said, suddenly feeling a little /too/ optimistic. He'd remembered, what? Two things? But he'd been home for days. That was something, wasn't it? Caroline flashed a glance at her watch and tapped it.

"I've got to run. Mama's got a hot date," she grinned. Elena returned it, nudging her arm against Care's.

"Ooh. Who's the lucky guy?" Caroline kind of rolled her eyes, looking at the ceiling with some kind of indescribable look on her face.

"/Well,/ if I tell you, you can't take it bad or judge me or any of that." Elena folded her arms, waiting on Caroline's reply. But she just bounced on her toes, curls springing with her as she mustered up this confession to her friend.

"He's really not a bad guy, once you get to know him. He's really sweet, too-"

"Caroline, who is it?"

"Tyler." Elena blinked.

"Lockwood?" Caroline groaned and covered her face.

"You're judging me!"

"No no no, Care. I'm just...surprised. You thought he was a total jerk in high school."

"Yeah, well you thought the same thing about Damon and look at you now," she boldly pointed out. "Except Damon still has, like, 30% jerk left in him." Elena sighed, not wanting to go into this with her. Or anyone else for that matter.

"Caroline, don't."

"No, Elena. He's still a jerk. He hasn't changed. I know you two have been through alot, but he's still doing it." This was her rant, everytime they ran anywhere near this subject. Caroline thought Damon didn't treat her like she thought he should. Reality was, he did. She just never saw it.

"This accident has kind of changed him."

"That's what you said about the war, too," she said, somewhere between a retreat and a confrontational snip.

"No, Care. Seriously. He's...well, he's not quite as...shut off as he was. He doesn't have a reason to anymore. He doesn't remember." Caroline suddenly felt a little remorse for jumping her friend, knowing she was having a hard enough time as it was. She pursed her lips.
"I'm sorry. I just- I've never liked him-"

"I know, Care. And you know I love you for looking out for me. But I /promise/ he's okay. I would've left by now if I thought otherwise." Caroline smiled, and Elena hugged her friend and thanked her for the flowers again.

"Tell me about this date. Text me, call me, something," she grinned.

"Oh yeah. I will," she nodded in response, hefting her purse up onto her shoulder and snuck around her friend, now /really/ running late. "Love you!" With a click-clacking of heels, Caroline almost ran out of the station.

Elena looked back at her workstation and sat. Her computer screen read out the hour as 12:15 pm, which meant she only had a few more hours until she could go. Though she really needed to stay and sort this all out, she wanted to be home with Damon. After the dinner at Bonnie's, he'd kind of withdrawn from her. He looked at her with what she almost thought was contrite, and it irritated the hell out of her. He was so happy a few days ago. What had happened? She racked her brain, but she came up to a loss. She wanted to help him somehow but when wouldn't talk to her she was left to do nothing. Waving her away seemed to be his best skill at the moment. Already she had decided that irritating him until he spoke would be her strategy. It always worked before. She found her phone and typed out a message to him.

/Everything okay?/

/Peachy keen, gorgeous,/ he replied almost immediately. Pet names. She missed those, and the past few days he'd starting using them again. It made her smile for once.

/Making dinner/" he sent a few moments later.

/What's on the menu, chef?/

/Surprise. ;)/ Of course it is. And he used the winky face. He was peppy compared to his past days. She was at her wits end with his mopey-ness. Talking to him had been like pulling teeth. He was almost pensive. God knew why. But now this? He was becoming a roller-coaster.

Hours passed, slowly but surely. Elena had became unable to procrastinate any longer after her small chat with Damon and did her dreaded work. Although some of what Caroline had done would have to be restarted, she was majoritively done. Proudly so. Elena waved at the chief with keys in hand and bolted out the door.

She entered the house, a familiar aroma greeting her. While the kitchen was bright, it was the only thing in the house lit. Damon was nowhere in sight and the place was so silent, a pin could be heard dropping to the floor. The dining room was lit by nothing but a group of candles in the center of the table. Flames flickered off the glasses and Elena awed over it. She heard footsteps come down the hall, but she didn't look to greet Damon. She was too excited.

"What is this?" Elena swept another gaze over the dimmed room, the clothed table, the set dishes. Was that wine? She grinned ear to ear, Damon ushering her to her seat.

"You're home early. It's not quite done," he said as he pushed the chair beneath her. "But I think you'll like it. I know I do."

"What is it?"

"Only the best dinner ever." A knowing grin planted itself on Elena's lips, but she waited to see if her assumptions were right. The oven popped closed and a few moments later, her answer sat in front of her.

"Chicken enchiladas." She watched as Damon served her a helping of the steaming dish.

"They're my absolute favorite," he grinned, now serving himself. He was in a whole new demeanor, completely different from the funk he'd been stuck in for days. She didn't question it right now. She enjoyed it too much. Elena nodded, having made the dish before her so many times for him she knew the recipe by heart.

"I make them every time you come home. And, I made them the night you proposed." Damon chuckled.

"My favorite food and girl in the same night." They both laughed. She felt a little thrill at that, but she didn't push it.

"What's with all the dressed up? Tablecloths, candles, wine." She raked the tines of her fork over her food but watched the man across from her. He refilled her wine and rolled his shoulders.

"You've had a rough few weeks. You deserve it. Especially for putting up with me." She chuckled a little.

"We both have. /You/ were the one in the hospital bed. Remember?"

"Mm. I got some pretty great sleep."

"Stop," she laughed. "You aren't even /remotely/ funny." He wagged his brows at her.

"You seem to get a kick out of it," he pointed out with a simper. Elena just shut her mouth, not going to egg it on anymore. Damon, on the other hand, was enjoying how much effort she was putting forth just to prove him wrong. And that made her that type of angry/not angry that she only could get at him. She huffed a little to herself, cutting another piece of her meal off with the side of her fork. As she took a bite, she could see the smirk on his face out the corner of her eye.

"Can I say something, Elena?" Her heart did a tiny flip. His voice had changed. She abandoned her meal to look to him.

"The other night at Bonnie's, I talked to Jeremy and Stefan. I asked them about you."

"What do you mean you asked them about me?"

"Let me finish, baby," he said. Christ. /Baby./ His serious word. She shook internally, happy to hear something like that, but remained silent so he would go on. "I want to apologize for being so...shut off from you for the past couple days. I don't mean to, but I had my reasons." He dropped his napkin into his plate, pushing it away and inching a little towards her. "At Bonnie's the other night, when you were with Marie, I don't think I saw anything so beautiful in my life." Elena laughed quietly.
"Marie is gorgeous, isn't she?" Damon shook his head with a laugh.

"Not Marie. /You./ You were so purely happy I couldn't hardly keep my eyes off of you." Elena felt a heat crawl across her skin at his compliment. First time, hundredth: his words always made her blush. "I've learned about you all over again the past weeks. You've helped me in every way possible. You've sat by my side endlessly. I can't thank you enough for putting up with me." He watched her and she watched him. Damon cautiously rose a hand and caressed her cheek, as if she might run. Much to his pleasure, she fell into it, missing those soft touches. When she opened her eyes, his were on her again, warm and vulnerable only for her, and lost on some level she couldn't quite reach. She covered his hand with hers and squeezed it gently as she pressed lips to his palm.

"I love you, Elena Gilbert," he spoke. It was soft and low, but it was as good as a yell. Almost a month since she'd heard those words. They ran through her like a jolt. Exhilarated her. This was everything she needed to hear. To know he was in love and that he was still hers. She was stunned for a second, but she closed what space was between them. Lips met and at that moment, she felt the happiest she had in ages. That passion only Damon Salvatore had began to show as he returned her kiss.

"I love you," she breathed. Not that she had to tell him. She'd said it a hundred times to him in the past weeks, and she was always greeted with some tiny, remorseful smile. Not now. His hands had long left their cradling on her cheeks and were on her waist, pulling her up from the table with him. She felt his lips twitch and before she could question it, he'd scooped her off the floor. She let out a squeal of delight, kissing the side of his neck as he started down the hall.

"I love it when you do that," she whispered beside his ear as he let her fall onto the bed. She sat up, and his lips found hers again as he crawled over her. His heated kiss powered a flame through her. No kiss like that in the world existed but here. Damon slowly started down the column of her neck. She could feel as he undid each button that kept her skin separated from his. Those agile fingers hadn't forgotten how to work, and soon they had meandered down her body, gracing places that drove her crazy with desire. It was like he knew, and right now she wouldn't be objected to saying he was lying about his memory. /The proximity/. She grabbed at his shirt, wanting to pull him back to her, but he lithely slid right out, continuing to carefully pepper her abdomen in feather-soft kisses.

"Some things like to sit in the back of my bruised mind," he mumbled against her as if he were reading her mind. She let out a breathy, hitched laugh.

"What else is sitting back there that I should know about?" she teased. And for a moment she was absolutely happy. It wasn't the sex. It was the righteousness of it, of him, and complete and total normality. He still loved her. The thing she dreaded for weeks after his injury had been eradicated with three simple words. Her fear was over nothing. He still knew her like the back of his hand. He still loved her like nothing else. He just didn't know who she was.