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"Holy...shit," Damon panted, bending over and grabbing his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

Elena laughed, putting her hands behind her head as she also heaved in oxygen, "Told you. Not as easy as it looks, huh?"

He laughed breathlessly, straightening and wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"There's no way that was only three miles."

"That's the length around the lake," Elena assured him and he shook his head, "Remind me to apologize to Jeremy and Donovan when we get back."

She smiled and reached for his hand, "Come on. There's cold water in the fridge."

It had been a good start to the day.

Elena had decided that with everything going on at the Boarding House, she and Damon could use a weekend to themselves.

He'd been on board with the suggestion and they'd arrived at the Lake House yesterday.

The quiet serenity of the place had felt so...normal, and the two of them had been doing every activity that human couples usually did on weekend vacation.

Swimming, sex, lounging by the fireplace, and now, an early morning run.

Damon hadn't been too eager about that last one, but had agreed with her that they needed to pick up healthier habits now that they were human.

Human.

It still amazed her to think that she was really getting a human life with Damon.

That Damon Salvatore was a human with her, and even more, was happy about it.

Sure these past couple weeks had had their moments.

After all, an adjustment of perspective is necessary after spending over a century and a half as an almost invincible vampire.

But Damon was doing better than anyone had originally expected and it had turned about to be more amusing than worrisome.

Like how a three mile run proved to him he was way out of shape, despite his lean form.

Or how he'd actually turned red when she suggested they buy some condoms, then the very interesting night that followed when she realized he had never had to wear one before and had zero idea how to put one on.

She'd been more than willing to show him.

But the funniest was probably how his tolerance for his favorite bourbon was about half of what it had been.

Elena had discovered first hand that drunk Damon was a clingy love-bug and hungover Damon was a grouchy slug.

She smirked, recalling how he'd cursed the bottle, the company that made it, and even the plants the liquor had fermented from that following morning as he buried his head under a mountain of pillows to block out the sunlight.

And speaking of sunlight...she noticed that Damon would often rub the empty space on his finger where his daylight ring used to be, but then he would give a tiny smile and look up at that blazing ball in the sky that was no longer a threat to his life.

It warmed her heart that he was finding peace with their situation, no matter what form it came in, and was excited to discover what else their lives held for them.

They walked into the Lake House and went straight for the kitchen, Elena leaning on the bar as Damon grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge, tossing her one.

"Thanks," she said, and they downed the drinks.

Damon wiped his mouth once it was empty, and lifted his chin, "From now on, I propose that we find a different way to exercise...a more fun way."

Her brow arched as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, "And what exactly did you have in mind, Mr. Salvatore?"

Damon kissed her shoulder and his fingers tugged at her sports bra, "We could start with removing these, then maybe getting in the shower."

She turned in his arms, smirking, "Using your body to get out of running is a cheap shot, you know."

Now he was grinning, "But is it working?"

"Not answering that."

He took that as encouragement and kissed her shortly, letting his lips trail over her face and down to her jaw.

His hand angled her head and Elena melted into him.

Okay, so maybe this wasn't a bad alternative to a three mile-

"What's this?" Elena paused, something catching her eye as Damon turned her head.

"What?" he asked against her neck.

She reached over and picked up the thin, long black box that sat on the counter she was currently leaning against.

Her boyfriend straightened and smiled, "Oh, that. Just a little present for you. I've had it for a few days now, but things have been a bit crowded at home, so I figured I'd give it to you here."

She looked up to meet his gaze, "Yeah it has. But Bonnie's leaving for Africa next week. So that'll be at least one empty room."

Damon's arm closed around her waist and he placed a kiss on her forehead, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that."

She frowned, "About Bonnie leaving for Africa?"

He shook his head, then grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the couch.

Once they were seated, he motioned to the box, "First, open that."

Elena eyed him skeptically, but did as he asked and opened what she expected to be a piece of jewelry.

It was, and it left her breathless.

"Oh, Damon," she murmured, picking up the delicate chain of the necklace.

It was silver with a small pendant at the end of blue stone in the shape of a teardrop.

The color was familiar, and she glanced up at Damon.

"Do you like it?" he asked, sounding almost nervous.

She smiled a little, "It's beautiful...this stone, though, is it-"

"Lapis Lazuli," he answered, "Yes. The same that was in our daylight rings."

She handed the piece over to him, "Put it on me?"

He nodded with a pleased grin and she stood to turn, lifting her hair.

His fingers tickled the back of her neck as he worked the clasp, and once the necklace was in place, she felt his lips press against her skin, "There."

She reached down and fingered the pendant, admiring it, "What's the occasion?"

"I can't just get you a gift?" Damon asked, a little teasingly.

Elena smirked, but gave him a knowing look.

"Fine," he consented, "I just noticed that at Stefan's memorial, you left your necklace. I know that it meant a lot to you and while you were gone, well, I guess I got a little attached to it too. But you were right. We can't live in the past...so I thought you might like a way to commemorate it; while making a new start. That's the occasion."

Elena wasn't sure how to respond to that.

The gesture was touching, and leave it to Damon to find a way to give her what she didn't even know she wanted.

"Thank you," she said softly, "I love it."

"And I love you," he smiled, leaning forward to give her a kiss, which she readily returned.

Their arms wrapped around each other and soon they were falling back on the couch, with her climbing into his lap so they didn't have to break apart.

Damon's hands gripped her roughly, his fingers digging into her rib cage as she grinded against him, grasping his hair in her hands as they clung to each other.

If she had ever worried about humanity dimming Damon's...skills, she certainly wasn't anymore.

Sure, as vampires they were able to go for hours without getting exhausted, there was something about being human together, being so connected to life and to each other that made every touch a thousand times more intense.

She was convinced she could spend a lifetime in Damon's arms and never get bored with what they shared.

"Shower," she mumbled against his lips, and he nodded, lifting her as effortlessly as he had before the cure, and carried her over to the staircase.

They stumbled their way up them and into the master bedroom, refusing to part their lips for even a moment to watch where they were going.

However, when they finally reached the bathroom, Damon pulled away long enough to reach into the glass shower and start the water, while she stripped out of her workout clothes.

Damon did the same and then, as fast as humanly possible, had her back in his arms and inside the shower.

Elena shivered as her back met the cool tiled wall, but it was soon forgotten as Damon used it to support her and reached between their bodies.

His fingers came against her wet heat and he practically growled in her mouth.

She tightened her grip on his shoulders, whimpering as he stroked her.

"Damon," she begged, jutting her hips out, "Please."

He kissed her again, before letting her go, and she felt every hard inch as she slid down his body.

"Turn around," he told her, grabbing her hips.

She did as he said, putting her back to him and the shower head, and he lifted her arms, having her brace against the far wall.

Then his hand came between her thighs, spreading them as far as the closed space would allow.

He kissed the back of her neck, "God, you're beautiful."

She tilted her head back, resting it against his as Damon's body came against her.

A few more movements, a slight angling of her hips and…

She moaned as he slid into her, filling her in the best way.

"Yes," she breathed, rocking against him and Damon moved one hand from her hip to her shoulder, holding her in place.

Then he was moving.

The sounds that left her in that shower were loud, and wildly inappropriate, making her all the more grateful they'd decided to take this little trip.

It had been long over do.

They eventually finished in the shower, Elena finding completion three times before Damon had reached his own, and they were back in the living room, cuddled on the couch in just their underwear, pretending to watch some action movie while they made out like a pair of teenagers, only taking occasional breaks to talk about the plans for the rest of the day.

"I don't want to go back tomorrow," Elena sighed wearily, "I mean, I love our friends, but...I've missed this."

Damon chuckled quietly, "Oh baby, you have no idea."

She ran her hand over his chest, settling deeper into his side as he let his arm rest around her waist.

"We still have tomorrow though," he said.

She nodded, "I know. But I wish it was longer. Maybe we should just stay here for the whole week."

She glanced up to see that Damon's eyes were already on her, "Unless you don't want to?"

He shook his head, "It's not that."

"Then what?" she pressed, sitting up.

He followed her lead and pulled himself into a sitting position, "Something else I've been meaning to talk to you about. You know how earlier you mentioned that Bonnie was leaving soon for her world tour adventure?"

Elena nodded, "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, I was thinking," he paused slightly, measuring her expression, "What if we did the same? Not the whole world tour thing, of course, but just got out of Mystic Falls for a while."

Elena blinked, surprised by the suggestion, "You're ready to leave?"

He shrugged, "Ric and the others have everything under control with the school and the remodeling. I can sign the house over to him or Care Bear so they can sign off for everything, so we wouldn't have to worry about that."

She shook her head, "I meant about Stefan...I mean, to be honest, I've been thinking about us heading out eventually too, but I wasn't sure you were quite ready to leave the place where he is."

Damon nodded, understanding, "I appreciate that. But this is what he would want, right? Us living our lives. The sooner we start, the less he'll have to bitch to you about in the great beyond."

Elena rolled her eyes good naturedly, "You mean us. The less he'll have to bitch to us about."

Damon smirked lightly, "Sure."

She narrowed her eyes, but decided to let it go for now.

One day, she was going to convince Damon that his soul was worth being saved, but she had many years to do so.

Today, there was a more pressing discussion.

"So, you're really ready to leave?"

Damon nodded, "Yeah, I think so. If you are. I planned on leaving Caroline half of what was in the Salvatore funds, but we can take the rest and find a place to start over. Wherever you want."

Elena smiled slowly, "I wouldn't mind having more time alone with you. And I'm already pretty behind in school. Couldn't hurt to start a semester sooner rather than later."

He nodded, "Especially if you're still planning on Med School being a part of your future."

"I am," she said.

"Then let's do it," Damon prompted, "Let's go find that loft you talked about and start on that human life you had planned."

She laughed, "Tribeca, right? You remembered."

He smiled at her, "Of course I did. And if New York is what you want, then that's where we'll go."

She pondered that idea, "Hmm, maybe. But we can figure out the location later. Right now, I'm going to call Bonnie."

"Bonnie?" he asked, confused by the statement.

Elena nodded, standing up to grab her phone, "Yeah. You're human now, and if we're branching out in the human world, we're going to do it as safely as possible. I'm going to have her put the same protection spell on you that Valerie put on Lizzie and Josie."

Damon frowned as she dialed, "Isn't that a little...over the top?"

"Nope," she assured him, placing the phone against her ear, "I'm not going to risk losing you or you losing the cure. If any accident were to happen and you bled out, you'd start to age and we'd be screwed. Not to mention the last time you were human was in the 1800's, meaning there are tons of vaccinations you need and sicknesses that your body will be exposed to and I'm not letting you die of Tetanus just because a little protection spell might be over the top."

Voicemail picked up and she left Bonnie a message while Damon chuckled, "You've thought this through, huh?"

She nodded as he walked over to her, "You bet I have."

Her eyes bore into his as he took her face in his hands, "I'm never going to losing you again, Damon. Not if I can help it."

He brushed his thumb over her cheek, "I understand. We'll do the damn spell before Bonnie leaves."

Elena smiled and stood on her toes to peck his lips, "Thank you."

He pulled her back into him and kissed her harder, "No, Elena, thank you. You really are the best thing that ever happened to me."

She smirked at him, bringing her finger up to boop his nose, "And don't you forget that."

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