It's an overcast and cold day. A thick bank of fog is covering the landscape, making it look like an old black-and-white horror movie.

After a few more minutes that take him and John deeper into the forest, Damon pauses and turns to Elena's father.

"I tried to hurt her. I really wanted to hurt her," Damon admits truthfully.

John gives him a glance and continues walking. "That's three in a row. You quit being a doctor, a hockey player and now you're going to quit on Elena."

"You're too much," Damon fumes as both anger and remorse settle in his gut.

"Well, It seems to me that you run away from anything that looks tough. Don't try to deny it, your actions speak for themselves."

"Did you ever skate on a pro team?" Damon counters at John's pointed barb.

"That's easy. You just get beat up," John shrugs as they continue their march through the snow.

"I know goddam well what you're talking about! You're calling me a failure," Damon barks back at him.

"Maybe I know the moves pretty well." John stops and turns to face him.

"Don't."

"If you want to spend half your life making up your mind about what you feel like doing, that's fine. But eventually, you have to choose or you'll end up in this crummy little town just like the rest of us. You're smart, Damon, and you have so much potential. Don't waste it," John explains sagely.

He holds Damon's stare for a moment before he continues walking.

All day long, Damon turns it over in his head. It's different at night. After climbing into bed and flicking off the lights, he listens to the tree branches scrape against the window or the wind howling, his mind is endlessly on Elena.

He doesn't want to miss her.

He doesn't want to want her.

It's irrational how much he wants her. Damon can still feel the knife in his gut when he remembers seeing her kissing that other guy and yet, he can't shake her loose.

Sighing, he picks up his pace to catch up with John.

The rink is quiet and empty as Damon and Elena walk inside. She walks along the outside curve of the boards, her fingers trailing along the rim until she comes to the gate that leads to the ice and opens it.

She isn't ready to lace up her skates. Once Elena sets her blades on the ice, it will be a real test of what she can still do in her now-dark world.

Shrugging out of her coat, Damon takes it from her and lays it on the bleachers.

He takes her hand as they walk along the edge, keeping close to the boards, until they stop at the rink's oval. Elena leans back against the boards and sinks to the ground, her knees pulling up to her chest as she feels the coolness seep through her jeans and chills her palms.

Damon stoops down in front of her. "You know this rink like the back of your hand. You don't need to see it, it's in here." He taps her temple. "It's just you and the ice."

Elena closes her eyes, leaning her head back against the boards in contemplation.

Do you want to skate again? And the answer is yes, she's not going to let her blindness take something she's loved since childhood away from her.

"Remember when we first met? It was at our pond," Elena asks as reaches for his hand.

"How could I forget?" he gives her hand a squeeze.

Elena stands at the edge of the frozen pond, watching with rapt attention as other kids twirl and skate on the ice. "Go on, Elena," John Gilbert, her father gives her a slight nudge. She sucks her lower lip between her teeth when she looks up at him.

"I don't want to fall."

"Everyone falls, Elena. It's as much a part of learning to skate as the ice is!" Grayson explains, winking at her.

"But daddy!" she protests, her eyes darting from the pond to her dad's eyes.

"You promised that if Santa brought you skates, you were going to learn how..."

Feeling a little sheepish, Elena looks down at her feet. Several moments pass and then she begins to inch forward onto the ice.

"There you go," John encourages her, watching proudly as she begins to move shakily.

Out of nowhere comes a young, dark-haired boy who slams into Elena, sending them both sprawling onto the pond's hard surface. "Daddy," Elena cries, her lower lip quivers and her eyes fill with tears.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to knock you down," The little boy explains as he helps her up.

Grayson stoops down and brushes a strand of her hair off of her cheek. You're okay," he tells her as he checks her over,

"It was an accident." The dark-haired boy stares at him before looking at Elena.

"I believe you," John acknowledges him. "What's your name? I haven't seen you around here before."

"Damon Salvatore."

"It's nice to meet you, Damon. This is my..."

"I'm Elena. I got my skates from Santa Claus," she sniffs and brushes her nose with the back of her arm.

"Come on," Damon says and offers his hands, extending them to her. "I'll show you how to skate."

Elena looks at her dad for approval and when he nods, she takes Damon's hands and lets him lead her onto the ice.

Elena laces up her skates. Damon takes her hand. They step onto the ice together and take off at a steady pace around the ice. As they warm up, Damon increases his speed which makes Elena push harder, but then she feels herself falling behind.

"C'mon, Elena, I know you can skate faster than that."

She glares in his general direction.

"You're on your own." He releases her hands. "Make a circle. Go faster," he watches her enthralled. "That's it. You're going to cut toward the center, toward me. Listen to where my voice is."

She nods as she skates to him. "Damon."

"That's it. Make a sharp right turn. You're coming to the wall. You've got about ten feet. Five feet, turn, turn. That's it... All right."

Elena takes off around the ice, crossing her feet as she moves backward to gain momentum.

"Now do a sit spin. You're in the middle of the ice."

When she thinks she has enough momentum to propel herself into the air, she leaps and twirls but lands in a heap on the frozen surface.

Damon skates over to help her up. "Why do we fall, Elena?" he asks as he takes her hand.

"So we can learn to pick ourselves up," Elena laughs as she grabs onto him and rises to her feet. "Hell, I did that when I could see."

He kisses her hand. "Now do it again," Damon encourages her.

Elena nods and skates around. She faces forward and stretches her arms out as the cool air of the ice rink breezes over her. She can do nothing but grin and close her eyes as she comes to a realization.

She can do this.

She has to do this.

For herself.

Skating for Elena is natural.

Like breathing.

She takes off around the ice again, gaining the needed speed to propel her through the sequence. Elena faces forward, extending her leg and bringing her arms in as she leaps in the air, spins twice, and lands on two feet but she stays on them.

Damon whoops excitedly as he skates over to her.

"You did it. You landed a double," he blurts out as he skates over to Elena and pulls her into his arms.

"lt wasn't perfect," Elena laughs.

"Well, it was damn good. What a girl, what a girl!" Damon hugs her tighter.

Elena raises her hands and lays her fingers on either cheek. "Damon...I love you."

He stares at her silently as he holds her close.

"I know you don't like me very much anymore. But I love you." Elena tells him as her eyes begin to glisten.

Damon brings cradles her head with his hands and pulls her against his chest. "I want you."

"Now?"

"Yeah. Come on." He takes her hand and starts to skate toward the gate.

"What about Sheila?"

"She's not here. It's only 4:00."

"I was beginning to think you didn't know how..." Elena teases as he lifts her into his arms and carries her off the rink.

"Damon!" Elena squeals, wriggling in his arms. "Put me down! You're going to fall."

Carefully he does so, making sure she has her balance before momentarily letting go.

"You know I'd never let you fall...It's you. It's always been you," he says and crushes his lips hungrily against hers.

His head finally dips to press his lips to the smooth column of her throat, her pulse fluttering like hummingbird wings beneath his mouth as her breath hitches.

"Mmm, Damon," Elena releases his name with a breathy moan as his tongue traces along her collarbone.

"I fucking love it when you say my name like that," he groans, pressing his hips against hers more insistently so she can feel every inch of his hardness straining against her.

"That is what you do to me."

Elena moans softly as she feels him pressing against her stomach. She moves her hips against him, unconsciously at first, desperate to feel more. At his husky groan, she rubs herself more firmly against him.

"You have no idea how good that feels," he sighs pleasurably.

"I may have an idea," Elena counters as she ventures one hand lower and strokes him.

Damon grips her wrists, flinging her arms above her head with a thud against the ice.

A low, gritty sound comes from his throat as his lips assault hers. His tongue alternately thrusts and parries against hers. Elena's hands search for something, finding only air to grip as she groans against his lips in frustration.

Damon swallows her moan and meets it with one of his own. "Elena," he murmurs against her lips. "I see now why those ice hotels are a thing," he chuckles only for a moment, the sound dissolving when her wandering hands trail along the top of his jeans.

Damon hisses out a low breath as his hands reach around to stroke over the rounded swell of her ass and his fingers dig into it, urging her closer. His lips attack her neck, the growth of stubble on his jaw abrading her skin there with the most delightful feeling of pleasure and pain she's ever experienced.

He tears his mouth away.

Elena presses her lips against his neck and whispers against his skin, "Don't stop."

"I'm not." Damon shakes his head as he releases her hair from its scrunchie and slides his hands through it.

The warmth of his body on top of her and the cold ice at her back sends delightful shivers up and down her spine.

Damon skims his fingers down her side, lightly grazing against her breast and making her wish they were both naked right now.

Elena snakes her hands beneath the hem of his shirt to smooth over the heated muscles of his back.

"Elena," Damon groans, his hand continuing to journey lower on her body until he can wrap his hand around the back of her knee, hastily drawing it upward to hitch high around his hip.

Elena tightens her leg around him, raising her hips enough to gain the amount of friction she's desperately seeking.

Damon thrusts his pelvis against her slowly at first, thoroughly, but gradually picking up just a little more speed. His body gives her warmth with each thrust of his hips against hers that grows until she feels it throughout her body.

Elena's fingers clench into his back, her eyes wide, her mouth open on a strangled whimper as she feels a swift fist of tension in her belly followed by the complete relaxation of every muscle all at once.

A moment later, she feels Damon tense above her. He buries his face in her hair, releasing a jagged moan against the skin of her neck. His body stills except for his chest rising and falling with the struggle to catch his breath.

He relaxes after a few minutes and Elena feels his weight shift until he is laid out beside her and pulls her into his side.

Lying there with Damon on the ice, Elena feels content as she listens to the sounds of his breathing.

"If that's what it's like when both of us are fully clothed," Damon finally speaks, his voice husky and languid. "I don't know if I'll survive when I get you naked."

Thank you, all. DE are going to talk soon.

The "Why do we fall- so we can learn to pick ourselves up" is from 'Batman Begins'.

IACBTM will update next. It's been a long time since I had 3 stories in progress at the same time. Still drawing a blank on holiday ideas.

I hope you all have a fabulous day.