Gravity

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from The Vampire Diaries.

So it's been a while huh? I'm so so sorry for the wait and I hope you don't all hate me/the story! I do want to finish what I started. Anyway, enough of my ramblings I've kept you waiting long enough:

August 9th 2013

Friday 2:00pm

Long Beach, California

I trudge through the sand and approach Elena who is lying flat on her back on the beach, bathing on top of her beach towel with her sunglasses covering her face.

"I got you some water, baby."

"Oh," Elena tilts her head up before moving to an upright position. "Thank you." She takes the cold bottle from my hand while pressing a quick kiss to my lips. I watch as she takes a large sip, before scanning the crowded beach around me.

I tug on my baseball cap, pulling it further down my head and shifting my sunglasses. I don't say anything out loud but being in such a crowded place like Long Beach is starting to put me on edge. I walked past three cops and two cop cars just on the small trip to the store to get us some refreshments. Obviously I kept my head down low, but apart from Vegas, this seems like the most crowded place we've been to so far and I don't like it.

"Where's Enzo?" Elena breaks me away from my thoughts, moving her sunglasses on top of her head to look at me.

I shrug. "The same place he's been the past four days, walking around town with a picture of Megan asking strangers if they've seen her."

Elena pauses, a small frown on her face before she replies. "Still no luck then?"

"Nope."

The moment we arrived in Long Beach Enzo drove us to the bar where he was tipped that Megan was working at. It was ridiculously early, and all I wanted to do was go find a bed to sleep in but I couldn't say no to my desperate new buddy. Elena was fast asleep by this point, so I made sure that we didn't wake her while we waited patiently for the bar to open.

The second the owner showed up with his set of keys, Enzo leaped out of the car and bombarded him with questions about Megan. The owner, a little taken aback, admitted that he did indeed know Megan, and that she did used to work in his bar, emphasis on the word did. Turns out, Megan still has a drug problem, and after showing up to work high one too many times she was fired on the spot.

This was over a week ago.

Enzo doesn't want to leave Long Beach. We waited around that day to speak to some of the bar staff who turned up to work later in the day and each one admitted that they didn't really know Megan that well. However, there was one who said that she saw Megan the evening before in a nightclub not too far from here which is why Enzo doesn't want to leave.

"What do you think will happen if he does find her?" Elena asks me curiously and I pause.

"I don't know." I admit thoughtfully.

"Hopefully he'll be able to help her sort her life out."

"Yeah I hope so."

"And then, you and I can finally get things back to normal." She smiles slightly and I sigh, moving my arm to wrap it around her waist and pressing a soft kiss to her temple. "Well, not normal but you know what I mean." She smirks slightly and I let out a small laugh despite myself.

"I know." I agree with a small smile and squeeze her waist briefly. I pause, contemplating a question that I haven't asked out loud in a long time. "Do you miss home?"

Elena stills, and I feel her body tense in my arms. "Damon," she speaks up after a moment too long of silence. "We agreed not to talk about that."

I frown at her choice of reply and look down at the sand in front of me, my spare hand sifting through it slowly.

"I know but…it's been four months since we left and I was just wondering if you were getting homesick yet."

She tilts her head to face me but her sunglasses are covering her eyes so I can't even attempt to read her. "Why? Are you?"

"No." I admit honestly.

She pauses for a second before answering. "Then neither am I."

She turns her head to face the water, shifting her weight away from me and lying back down on her back.

I'm about to probe her further on the matter but the sound of my name being called stops me. I look over my shoulder to see Enzo walking towards us, what is clearly a bottle of whiskey being hidden by a brown paper bag.

"Bit early for that, don't you think?" I squint at him through the blaring sun as he gets closer, greeting Elena quickly who barely pushes out a mumble in reply.

"It's five o'clock somewhere, right?" he takes a large swig before dropping down onto the sand beside me.

"No luck on finding Megan?"

"Nope." He frowns and takes another hefty gulp from his drink. "But I figured she's probably somewhere sleeping off her hangover, so my best bet is to try and find her tonight. Check out another club, what do you say? Fancy it? We may as well have some fun while we're doing it."

I pause, the idea of drowning myself in alcohol is actually sounding appealing to me tonight. I turn to face Elena who is lying silently beside me, her sunglasses still covering her eyes to hide half of her face.

"What? You need permission now?" Enzo questions lightly, humor in his voice that I can detect but Elena clearly can't.

"Damon doesn't need my permission to do anything." She bites back. "If he wants to go out with you tonight then he can, I'm not going to stop him."

"I want you to come too." I place my hand on her thigh when she shakes her head. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"I'm not in the mood." She replies bluntly. Enzo sends me a raised eyebrow and I blow out a breath. "Seriously, it's no big deal."

"I don't want to leave you in the motel on your own."

"Why not? It's not like you haven't done it before."

I blink, once, twice, unsure of where to go with this conversation because I don't want to start a fight. Elena obviously isn't in a good mood and I'm not going to force her to do something she doesn't want to do.

"Right then," Enzo breaks the awkward silence. "That settles it then! Boys night out!"

I don't reply and frown when Elena sits back up and starts to gather up her things. "Where are you going?" I ask confused.

"Back to the motel." She replies bluntly while standing up and I know immediately that I'll be in the doghouse later.

"Why? Stay, enjoy the sun."

"No thanks, I need to take a shower. I'll see you later." She turns and leaves before I can even get another word out and I groan loudly before snatching the bottle of whiskey from Enzo's hands and taking a huge swig.

I wake up with a jolt and immediately sit up straight at the sound of a loud crash, my hand reaching out and switching on the lamp on the bedside table. My eyes struggle to adjust to the light that has suddenly over the small motel room but my immediate fear is quickly diminished when I see my boyfriend swaying drunkenly by the door with a guilty look on his face.

"Jesus Christ, Damon!" I scold him angrily, my voice croaky from sleep. I glance at the bedside table to see that it's 3am and that just makes my anger rise. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

I glance down at the other lamp in the room which is now a broken mess on the floor and I groan. There goes our deposit!

"Sorry," he mumbles drunkenly before slamming the door shut behind him. I shake my head in disbelief as he stumbles forward; almost tripping onto the lamp he has knocked down before standing at the edge of the bed. He clumsily pulls his t-shirt over his head before unbuttoning his jeans and stumbling forward again as he tries to take them off.

I shake my head in annoyance and turn the lamp back off, leaving the room in complete darkness and turning over onto my side.

"Dammit Elena!" Damon grunts at the sudden darkness but I ignore him. I feel him land next to me on the bed with a thud and my body shakes slightly from the impact.

I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep when I feel his arm wrap around my waist as he shuffles closer behind me.

"I missed you tonight, Lena." He mumbles, his words slurred and I can smell the fumes from all the alcohol he has obviously consumed. He starts to run his hand along my waist before heading downwards but I grab a hold of it just as he tries to slip it inside my shorts.

"I'm tired, Damon."

He groans and presses a sloppy kiss onto the back of my neck. "I miss you."

"I know," I whisper into the darkness. "I miss you too but you're drunk and I'm tired and this is just not the right time, ok?" I tell him sternly, hoping that he'll just hurry up and pass out.

"I love you, Elena." He whispers, his voice sounding vulnerable and I swallow the lump that is building in my throat. "All I want to do is make you happy."

I take a deep breath before answering. "I know baby."

The room falls back into silence for a few moments and I start to think that he's fallen asleep but he tugs on my waist and pulls me closer.

"Are you starting to resent me?" he asks quietly, his voice like something I have never heard before and it immediately breaks my heart.

"No." I reply firmly, finally rolling over to face him and I'm shocked to see his eyes filled up with unfallen tears. He swallows and blinks them away immediately like they were never even there but it's too late. "I love you, Damon." I tell him honestly, my hand reaching out and caressing his cheek.

"I wouldn't blame you, you know." He frowns. "If you were starting to hate me I would understand. I would understand if you wanted to go home."

"I am home, Damon. You are my home."

He looks down and I immediately press my finger underneath his chin to bring his blue eyes back to me. "Hey, look at me." I tell him firmly. "I love you; I'm never going to stop loving you."

He gulps and nods his head. "I believe you. I just…" he sighs before letting out a shaky breath. "If you wanted to leave, if you ever change your mind you don't have to hide it from me. I know that you're not happy right now, it doesn't take a genius to work that out."

"Things are hard right now." I agree, "But that doesn't mean that I'm not happy."

"Are you sure?" he asks quietly.

"Yes."

"Ok."

"Ok? Go to sleep baby, you're drunk and I'm tired. I love you." I lean forward and press a kiss to his cheek before rolling back over onto my side.

I wait until I hear his breathing even out so I know that he's asleep before I start to cry.

I flick through the crime section in the local paper with a yawn, a feeling of relief when I don't see my face or name plastered anywhere. Not that I expect too anyway, I doubt news in a small town like Mystic Falls would make its way all the way over to California but there's always that feeling of paranoia and caution that is following me around like a bad smell.

I pull off my cap and run my hand through my damp hair from the California heat and I'm reminded of Elena constantly bugging me to get a haircut when Enzo pulls out the chair across from me and takes a seat.

"Where's Elena?" he asks scanning the small bar that we've been spending the whole afternoon in while Enzo was making more of his 'enquiries'.

It's been another week and he still hasn't found Megan yet and honestly, I'm so close to just telling him straight up that I'm ready to leave this town.

Elena was ready to leave about five minutes after being here.

"She's gone to get a manicure." I answer his question on the whereabouts of my girlfriend.

Enzo immediately pulls a face. "A manicure?" he asks in disbelief. "You guys are running very low on cash and she's off getting pampered?"

"Shut up." I snap in annoyance, not liking the tone of his voice. "She's been feeling down lately so I sent her to cheer her up." I fold up the newspaper and lean forward, "and for the record, she doesn't know about how exact we are running low at the moment so keep your mouth shut."

"Dude relax," he holds his hands up in defense. "You're best buddy over here has found the magic solution." He smirks and looks around the dark empty bar quickly before opening up his coat and half pulling out a see through packet with very familiar contents inside.

My eyes widen. "Is that?"

"Yep." Enzo grins.

"Fuck Enzo, are you crazy?" I hiss, my eyes darting quickly around the room but nobody's eyes are on us.

"What?" he looks at me innocently. "I met a guy while I was looking for Megan and he set me up. It was a good deal and quick cash, a lot of cash." His eyes are sparkling and I shake my head.

"That isn't just a little bit of cocaine, that's…heroine!" I try to keep my voice low. "Do you know what will happen if you get caught with that?"

"I'm not going to get caught. What's the big deal? We buy it quick and sell it quick, it's easy money. It's good money. You in?"

I shake my head immediately. "Of course not."

"Oh come on!"

"One, I'm in enough shit as it is! I can't risk getting caught in a drug deal as well!" I snap at him angrily, "and two, Elena will kill me!"

"So don't tell her." He replies casually. "No big deal, she doesn't have to know."

"No way. I'm not lying to Elena."

"You don't have to lie. You just…don't have to tell her. There's a big difference." He tries to persuade me but I shake my head. "Come on Damon, you need the cash. Just think, the money we could make here you would actually be able to afford a decent ring to give to your girl. Isn't that what you want?"

"Yeah but…but not like this." I frown.

"Well then like how? You're running, and I doubt it's for something small either. You can't exactly just walk into a job can you? This is your life now, whether Elena likes it or not."

I stay silent and try to ignore the tempting side of what benefits doing this will bring.

"Look," he leans forward across the table. "We get rid of this batch together; we split the money and if you don't want to do it anymore then that's fine, but at least give it a chance?"

I sigh and run my hand down my face tiredly.

"Well?" Enzo pushes for an answer. "What do you say Damon? Are you in?"

"Where are we going?" I ask Damon with a giggle as he walks behind me with his hands wrapped around my waist and his face nuzzling my neck, his lips pressed against my skin in soft kisses.

The blindfold that is covering my eyes is giving me zero vision but the sand between my toes makes it obvious that we are on the beach.

"It's a surprise!" he squeezes me tight and I smile and press my hands on top of his. "We're almost there."

My stomach erupts with butterflies as I wonder what my boyfriend has planned. I was surprised this morning when he told me that he was taking me out on a date tonight, just the two of us.

No Enzo.

It had been a while since we had spent any quality time together alone and honestly, it was starting to get me down. This life is hard and lonely and we need nights like this to remind us why we are here together.

Why all of this is worth it.

"Ok," Damon stops me, his hands moving from my waist to my shoulders. "One second, just stay here and no peeking!"

I feel him move away from me and I can't stop the smile on my lips. I wait impatiently before finally having enough and I'm about to remove the blindfold myself before Damon slaps my hand away.

"I said no peeking!" he scolds me playfully, his fingers looping through mine and I can hear the smile in his voice. "Ok," he presses a kiss onto the top of my head before slowly removing the cloth. "You can look now."

My eyes flutter open and I gasp when I see the picnic blanket covering the sand, two candles lit on each side and a picnic basket in the middle with a bottle of wine beside it with two glasses.

"Oh my god," I gasp, my heart skipping a beat as I look at Damon with wide eyes. He is stood nervously, tense and I immediately beam at him, his whole body relaxing. "You did this?"

"Ahuh." He grins proudly. "I mean, I had a little help but we don't need to talk about that." He smirks before grabbing my hand and pulling me down onto the blanket with him.

"Thank you," I place my hands behind his neck and pull him towards me for a kiss. It starts of soft but it doesn't take me long to deepen it and before I know it, Damon's lying on his back and I'm crawling on top of him with my hands sliding underneath his shirt.

"Ah ah ah," he chuckles and pushes me away, much to my dismay. "Desert comes later." He smirks at me with a wink and I blush and sit back up. "For now," he pulls out the bottle of white wine from the cooler. "We drink!"

The rest of the evening goes by smoothly and it's the lightest I've felt in a little while. Damon stands up and takes my hand with a smile and I grab it and follow because what else would I do?

"Come take a walk with me." He says softly and I nod, my hand gripping his tightly as he pulls me towards the shore before we walk along with the cool waves splashing against our feet.

"Thank you for tonight." I break the silence after a few minutes of walking silently. "I've had fun."

"You don't need to thank me," he squeezes my hand. "You're my girl."

My smile widens and I look down at the sand sliding between our toes when Damon tugs on my hand causing me to stop.

He looks pale all for a sudden and I look at him confused. "Damon?"

He bends down on one knee and I gasp when he pulls out a small velvet box. "Damon…" I breathe out, not able to find any other words.

I watch as he swallows the lump in his throat. "I had a whole speech planned out," he lets out a shaky breath, "but honestly, my mind has gone blank and all I can think about is how beautiful you look tonight and how much I love you."

My eyes start to water and my heart is pounding in my chest.

"I love you, Elena. I love you so much and one day I'm going to make you my wife." He takes another deep breath. "But tonight, I want to make you my fiancée." He pulls open the box and I gasp again at the shiny ring inside.

"Damon…"

"I know I've already technically proposed to you and I know that you have already said yes but I promised you that I would do this again when I found you the perfect ring." He smiles slightly and looks up at me with hopeful eyes. "Well, yesterday I found you this perfect ring and I just knew I had to give it to you." He pulls it from the box and takes a hold of my shaking hand. He slides it into my finger and a tear falls from my eye.

He slowly stands up and looks at me with a nervous but hopeful smile on his face. "Well?" he asks nervously. "Do you like it?"

I nod my head furiously before slamming my body against him in a strong hug, arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"Yes!" I breathe out with a raspy voice. "I love it! I love you!" I pull back and kiss him hard on the mouth, carried away in the moment.

I don't think about the hard times. I don't think about how much the cost of this ring has probably set us back. All I think about is the love of my life standing in front of me, right here and right now.

I pull back, my eyes filled with unshed tears as Damon looks at me with the happiest smile on his face that I've ever seen.

"Promise me this is forever?" I pant breathlessly and Damon's smile widens.

"I promise."

Well?

I'm sorry it's a little short, and apologies if there are any mistakes I haven't had time to read it over properly! I'm easing myself back into this writing thing and it's hard!

I'm going to try and make a real effort to keep this story going and not make you wait even close to how long it has taken me to post this chapter!

I'm sorry again for the wait, and if there is anybody still reading please be nice to a broken Delena fan right now and give me a review :)

Thanks and until next time!