"A Moment In Time"

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this (*sigh* unfortunately).

Fandom(s): Vampire Diaries
Character(s): Damon Salvatore (and Elena Gilbert)
Pairing: Damon/Elena

Rating: T
Words: 586 words

Requested By: none
Challenge/Summary: Tag on to 4x07 – After getting what he's always wanted from Elena, Damon worries that it just might blow up in his face.
Inspiration: I have mixed feelings about this whole sire bond concept between Delena but one concern I do have is Elena's reaction to it once she finds out and whether Damon did know about the sire bond or not before he slept with her.

Spoiler(s): everything up to ep. 4x07 ("My Brother's Keeper")
Time Frame: Immediately after the episode.

A/N: Additional comments at the end to avoid spoilers. I wrote this before the 4x08 webclip between the Salvatores was released.

*VD*VD*VD*VD*VD*

"Doubts"

Damon exhaled deeply as the night's events rushed through his mind. He still couldn't believe it. One minute he was dancing with Elena by the fireplace and the next, they were kissing which instantly turned into something more. A whole lot more.

Even with Elena currently tucked into his side at the moment, fast asleep, Damon still couldn't believe that he finally got to sleep with her. He finally got to make love to the girl he's been pining after for almost a year.

And yet he still had his doubts about her and it was all thanks to that stupid sire bond between them. At first he was going to be the better man and decline Elena's come-ons to him but there is only so much a man could take when it came to his restraint against her…after all, he's had to restrain from her for quite some time now.

But the sire bond does complicate their already complex dynamic.

He hadn't realized that there was one between them at first but little moments started to stand out in his mind and it didn't take long for the theory to materialize in his head. He had mixed feelings about the concept because on the one hand, Elena would feel this undeniable pull towards him (which is what he wanted) and yet on the other hand, he wouldn't be able to tell how much of it was due to her true feelings for him or if it was all the sire bond's doing. It definitely put some doubts into this Salvatore's mind because would whatever he had with Elena now be because of a stupid rare sire bond or because Elena wanted it…wanted him? Just thinking about it made the vampire's brain hurt and it was just a theory at that point.

So he decided to test it out.

The moment he got his confirmation was when Elena shouted to Damon that she had killed Connor because he told her to do it. Those words were all that he needed and he felt ashamed for using her like he did. He used his sire theory to complete his agenda which he regretted the moment he saw the guilt in Elena's eyes when she was burying the hunter. With a move that was meant to protect Jeremy, it ultimately led to something far worse for the younger Gilbert. It was a stupid plan on Damon's part that resulted in Elena having deadly hallucinations and them with no map to getting the cure for Elena.

But now what was he supposed to do?

If Elena found out about the sire bond, would she turn on him and run back to Stefan? Would she turn back on all the progress they've made together? Would she doubt the connection that was between them long before she became a vampire?

Sire bonds between vampires was a rare thing to find and while he was okay with it, would Elena be alright with it?

As the conflicting thoughts raced through Damon's mind, his hand continued to brush along Elena's back as he watched her sleep with a smile on her face. He didn't want to lose this feeling when he was with her…he didn't want to lose her.

Yet deep down he knew that if he didn't act fast, all his progress with Elena (with them and with her being a vampire) would be swept under the proverbial rug before he knew it.

And that's not something he was willing to lose.

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A/N #1: And there you go. After watching 4x07, I couldn't get the thought of Damon knowing about the bond out of my head which worried me because I don't want Damon to manipulate Elena like that (and I wanted Elena to be with Damon on her choice) but after watching the new 4x08 webclip, it seems like my thoughts can be put to rest (to some degree) BUT I still wanted to share this and ask if you thought Damon knew about the sire bond. Is this a good or bad twist to the Delena dynamic?

A/N #2: Thank you to everyone who took the time to read my latest snippet/challenge on Vampire Diaries, it means the world to me! I do hope to hear more of your thoughts on my snippets or on the situations I bring up in them. Reviews always bring a smile to my face! A special thanks to Enx2103, arosew and Ghostwriter for leaving me a review for my previous snippet...once again, thank you for always leaving your thoughts for me to read and respond to. THANK YOU!

Coming Up Next: TBA

Originally Published: November 30, 2012