I hope you are enjoying Ablaze so far.

This chapter comes with a mature warning, as it contains my first Delena love scene. I wont spoil anything more.

Enjoy.

Chapter Seven

Blithe

"Hey now, it's my car." Damon said as he swatted at Elena's hand playfully as she reached for the radio.

"You can have your music on the way back." She grinned. "Bonnie can't stand your music taste." She teased and Bonnie huffed from the backseat.

Bonnie had learned everything about Elena's latest trials over a long phone conversation, including her new or old, depending how you see it, feelings for Damon. Bonnie wasn't sure how she felt about it. Damon had an awful beginning when first arriving in Mystic Falls, which included threatening her life more than once. She couldn't say it out loud but she had to admit that Damon had changed or was still changing and Bonnie knew Elena was the reason for it. Watching their flirty banter during the road trip clearly confirmed that it was only a matter of time that a romance would take them over. She wasn't happy for Damon but seeing Elena like this reminded Bonnie of how her best friend was before she lost her parents. The fun, carefree girl that enjoyed parties and cheerleading. In this moment, watching them from the backseat, she decided to swallow back her judgment and give them a chance. If Damon was to hurt her, she could always tear him apart with her new magic.

"I don't mind it." Bonnie said quietly.

"Bonnie!" Elena squealed, looking back at her friend with a surprised face.

"What?" She shrugged, knowing she just defended Damon's music.

"Did you just compliment my music taste?" Damon asked, looking in the rear view mirror to see the witch but she didn't respond. "I guess Bonnie likes old rock." Damon smirked at Elena

"I'll get my way eventually." Elena giggled and flashed her eyes at him, implying that what she said had two different meanings.

"I'm sure you will." He flirted back, knowing exactly what Elena meant and his eyes twinkled back at her. Even with Bonnie here, Elena was reminded of their timeout road trip to Georgia. She couldn't believe that it was over a year ago but she could easily recall her feelings of that day. She found him intriguing, even though he kidnapped her after saving her. She had trusted him, she had fun without judgment and mostly importantly, she saved his life. While watching him from her seat, she wondered if they could have another road trip adventure later on, one where they were together, happy and enjoying life. The wonderful dreamy images flicked through her mind as she smiled to herself. It only took a few more 80's rock songs before they arrived at Whitmore college.

At a failed attempt on her first feeding, Damon and Elena walked into a frat house in the evening that was hosting a party with a theme that was a perfect fit for two feeding vampires.

"Drunk idiots covered in fake blood, couldn't be easier. Come on, pick one." Damon said as they moved through the partygoers. Elena instantly spotted a guy, watching him spiking a drink and decided on her first meal.

"I found one." She said with a narrowed look.

"Roofie guy, nice choice. You've got this." He said as he patted her back. Elena smiled at him and then moved in. With an easy introduction, a clever isolation and a perfect compel, Elena got her first taste of fresh blood of the night.

"How do you feel?" Damon asked as she wiped her mouth.

"I feel good." She beamed. She did feel good. It had been over 24 hours since her last fill, so her first feed felt like drinking the purest water on Earth.

She pounced forward and wrapped Damon in a hug. He closed his eyes, taking in the feeling of her warm body pressed against his.

"I want more." She whispered.

"Blood, right?" He whispered back, holding his smirk against her ear.

"Yes…blood." She answered as she pulled back with a matching smirk and poked him in the chest.

"Come on, you just need to repeat what you just did." He took her hand and pulled her into the next room where the makeshift dance floor was.

Only three more successful feeds and Elena found herself moving her body to the low bass music. As she fed, the blood started to taste better. Her last feed had blood that tasted incredible. It was like ice cream mixed with fruity alcohol and enhanced with spices. It made her feel, ironically, alive. She danced on the spot, swaying around and enjoying the light display. She then spotted a handsome man approaching her, wearing a white shirt covered in blood.

Real blood, because it was Damon.

She smiled hard as he swayed towards her and slotted into her personal space. He smiled back and moved his hands to her shifting waist as her arms moved up and looped around his neck. They both easily started dancing in perfect sync and the very little space between them crackled with an intense chemistry. They moved blissfully, enjoying every touch as both of their hands traveled over each other's bodies. Damon's hands moved up from her waist, caressing her sides, tracing her curves and then up to her face to run his fingers through her hair. Elena felt shivers at the soft touches which made her smile more, making her want to return the feeling. Her hands unattached from his neck and she moved them down, raking her fingers over his hard chest which set his skin on fire and sent a rush of desire through her entire body. Suddenly, her costume felt foreign and she wished nobody else was here. Her dark chocolate eyes narrowed, wanting to find his gaze. He looked at her with his piercing blues and understood what she was thinking. At the exact same time they both stilled, like statues with their eyes fixed on each other. Their faces both moved into each other, noses and foreheads touching, going in for the igniting kiss.

Bonnie finished her meeting with the professor and returned to the party to find the two vampires. She broke through the drunk students, tripping over discarded cups and sticks of celery and found Elena and Damon embracing each other on the dance floor.

They weren't moving. They seemed so content and dare say, complete. A small smile almost grew on Bonnie's face as she saw her friend in a soft kiss but then she spotted the bloodstains over both of them and her judgment spilled up like bile. With an angry expression, she stormed over, grabbing Elena's arm and pulling her out of Damon's grasp and out of the house. Damon couldn't even find a word to protest because Elena was dragged away from him so suddenly.

"Bonnie, what are you doing?!" Elena argued loudly, feeling confused and mad at Bonnie's action for removing her from a romantic moment.

"This isn't you, Elena. Damon is changing you!" The witch said as they stopped on the front lawn.

"I'm still me Bonnie, I'm a..."

"A vampire." Bonnie finished for her.

"Yes, Bonnie. I'm a vampire now, and I know you hate that but the alternative was dying." At this moment, Bonnie wanted to tell Elena about the cure, to give her a new hope but Stefan had asked to keep it a secret to protect it. To protect her only hope.

"I know. I hate vampires, Elena, but I don't hate you. You're my friend, but it's difficult to see you like this." The young witch explained and Elena nodded, understanding Bonnie's tricky position.

"It's not easy for me either, Bonnie. But today… It's the first time I've felt good about my new life, and I haven't hurt anyone."

"It just seemed like you were out of control." Bonnie replied and both ladies heard a loud scoff behind them, they turned around to see Damon.

"You'd have to go Stefan if you want to see what an out of control vampire looks like." He stated, moving closer to the witch. "You should've seen her. I have never seen a new vampire with such control before." He beamed with pride, shining over both ladies. Damon had watched her the entire night, while only taking short moments to feed himself. He was enchanted by how vampire Elena moved through the party, selecting people, feeding and flawlessly compelling them. Clearly her heightened compassion for others was keeping her from going too far.

He smiled then looked over to Elena. "You're amazing." He said and she couldn't help but smile brightly back at the heartfelt compliment. Damon brought his gaze back to Bonnie and reassured her. "Don't worry about her, okay?"

"I'll…" Bonnie couldn't speak. She wasn't used to this kind of Damon.

Where were the insults and the sarcasm?

"Come on, let's get back." Damon said as he began walking to his car with both ladies in tow.

It was late in the evening by the time they got back. After dropping off Bonnie, Damon made his way to drop off Elena. The cold night air breezed up between them as they walked in stride up to her porch.

"Thank you, Damon." Elena said as she stopped and turned towards him on the porch.

"No problem." He replied and then a strange sense of Deja vu hit him.

Did this happen before?

"I appreciate what you said to Bonnie too." She said, reaching and taking one of his hands in hers. "I think she might be warming up to you." She giggled lightly.

"I haven't threatened her in a while, that's probably it. I could change that if you want." He joked as he tickled his fingers in her palm and then interlocked them with hers.

"Don't you dare." She warned playfully while she circled her thumb over the back of Damon's hand.

"You did great today, your control is good." He smiled and then his other hand found her empty one. Elena glowed at his compliment. She took a moment before asking a question that made her heart tingle.

"You know, tomorrow is the Miss Mystic Falls pageant and…I don't have a date."

"Miss Gilbert." He said in a lighter tone. "Are you asking me to escort you?" Elena blushed and smiled at his charming response.

"I'm not a contestant this year, only a guest." She clarified. Damon then began to swing their joined hands and then slowly pulled Elena into his embrace.

"I think I'll be available." He whispered before pressing his lips into hers.

Worlds collided as their kiss was tender and sweet which helped Damon remember that this moment did indeed happen before. Same kiss, same porch, same amazing girl. Damon pulled away reluctantly but he had to mention his thoughts. With their foreheads resting together and their eyes looking down he asked.

"We've been here before, haven't we?" Elena didn't need to think because she had already made the connection herself.

"Yes, same kiss but different feelings. You don't need to feel guilty this time." She smiled, reminding him there was no Stefan in the picture anymore. "That time before you kissed me here, on the porch, it confused and scared me. But I'm not afraid anymore." She explained.

"I always wondered how you felt about that kiss. I don't regret it but you acted weird afterwards."

"That was the confusion, idiot." She chuckled. "I don't regret kissing you back." She confessed softly and Damon smiled, wide enough to show his teeth.

"I'll pick you up in the morning." He said and began releasing his hands from hers, but unexpectedly on Damon's part, Elena tightened her hand around his and pulled him back into another kiss. Minutes of heaven passed and then she pulled away.

"It's right and it's right now." Elena whispered, recalling the very words he said to her the day after their first porch kiss. She then broke away from their embrace.

"Pick me up at 9." She grinned and he nodded.

Damon smiled at her then watched as she disappeared inside her house. He then vamp-sped back his car and drove home.

He was so excited for the next day ahead, he knew getting to sleep tonight wouldn't be easy. His undead heart was thumping faster than normal as her soft lips and brown eyes was all he could think about.

"We should tell Elena and Damon about this, it doesn't feel right keeping this from them." Caroline said while sitting across from Stefan.

"I know it's wrong, Caroline." Stefan huffed in a frustrating voice. "But I can't risk losing it."

"I know. You want the cure for Elena but why haven't you told her about it?" She asked, totally not understanding.

"It's not that I don't trust her and my brother to know about it, I just…" he trailed off. Stefan knew in his heart why he wanted the cure so badly, he knew it was selfish, but he desperately wanted human Elena back in his life. He might be blinded by heartbreak but he was having a hard time accepting the breakup and considered if Elena's feelings for Damon were actually genuine. Elena had been struggling ever since turning and her emotions were all over the place. He was convinced, if she took the cure she would revert back to human, along with her human feelings. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but the cure meant hope. Hope to be with the love of his life again.

"I get it Stefan, I'm worried about her too, but Bonnie told me she did well yesterday. She said Damon was impressed with her control." Stefan shifted at her words and Caroline noticed. "I know this isn't easy for you." She said, trying to comfort him. Bonnie had told Caroline last night what she witnessed between Elena and Damon. Caroline couldn't believe how quick Elena was moving on while Stefan was in pain and struggling. She could've told Stefan what was happening between them but she didn't want to hurt him more, and it wasn't her place to tell him either. Stefan didn't respond, he only looked away from her gaze and shifted his focus to the wall of books on the opposite wall of the library. He wanted to talk to her about what he was feeling but it was just so raw at the moment, he needed some time. "You know, she'll forgive us for keeping the cure a secret because she'll be happy about it. But…" She paused. "Not telling her about Jeremy…" Stefan's eyes came back to her and held a sad expression on his face. He knew this was the worse part of it. Elena was going to hate him for it.

"It tears me to pieces, Caroline!" He spat, unable to hold in his internal conflict.

"Then we should tell her, today. Look, I need to get the Lockwood's, it's pageant day. You should come with me, Elena will be there."

"With Damon?" He didn't want to know but the question spilled out.

"Most likely.."

"I'd rather not. Besides, Klaus is threatening to take Jeremy and have him kill more vampires. I'd prefer to do it my way." He explained. Keeping Jeremy safe was a top priority.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Caroline said as she got to feet and started her way out of the Salvatore library.

"You're right, Caroline." Stefan called out, making her stop in her tracks. "I'll tell her tonight. Things will change if she knew about the cure." Caroline nodded back.

"I can be there too." She offered.

"No, I need to do this by myself." Caroline nodded and then left. Stefan looked down as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He texted Jeremy to meet at the Lockwood cellar and then headed out the door, heading for the town hospital. He needed to make another vampire.

Elena couldn't help it but she was feeling like a young high school girl again, a tummy full of butterflies, filled with excitement to get ready for her first date with a boy. But this wasn't a high school romance, this was going to be the complete opposite and Elena was thrilled for the new experiences that were headed her way. Damon had picked her up and they drove to the town event together. After sharing compliments between each other Damon noticed her fidgeting with her phone in her lap.

"You okay?" Damon asked, breaking the calm silence between them. "You seem worried about something."

"You noticed, huh?" She said looking up at him as the Camaro passed through the town center. "I'm worried about Jeremy. He left the house in a rush this morning and didn't say where he was going."

"Little Gilbert being shady again, it must be Tuesday." He joked, trying to lessen her concern. When she stayed silent he amended.

"I'm sure he's fine. Did he have a date to the pageant? Running around for a girl would make sense."

"I don't think he does but he hasn't really been talking to me lately." Elena paused to take a breath. "I think he's struggling with me being a vampire."

"He'll come around, Elena. Don't stress about it."

"Okay." She replied with an exhale and looked down to tuck her phone into her clutch.

"I'll go look for him if you like, you're the only reason I'm going to this event." He said as his right hand left the steering wheel to take her hand. She smiled and pulled his hand into her lap and held it between both of hers like a sandwich. She couldn't take her gaze away from the sight of their layered hands. It made her feel strong but also relieved. If things were going to happen, she would have Damon by her side. With some hope, this date would go well and nothing would ruin it.

She was very wrong.

The pageant was already underway as Damon and Elena made it to the Lockwood estate and Elena was pulled away upstairs by Caroline as soon as she saw them.

"We're together, Care. I'm not going to hide it." Elena defended. Both girls were upstairs helping April Young choose the right dress, it wasn't something Elena cared about anymore but it was important to Caroline and April.

"I realized that, Elena. Bonnie told me everything." Caroline said, putting her hands over hips. "But you moved on so quickly and you're only hurting Stefan more by doing it. He doesn't need to see you with his brother."

"I'm not doing this to hurt Stefan, I'm doing it because I'm not afraid of what anyone else thinks anymore. My feelings are real and we already know that he loves me." She explained and Caroline grunted.

"It's Damon, Elena. He's only going to hurt you."

"No. He loves me and I…"

"Should I go with the red dress or the blue one?" April asked, interrupting their conversation as she walked in carrying both options in her arms.

"Blue." Both vampires answered in unison.

"Really? The blue seems a little safe." April replied, looking at both girls.

"Safe it good when it comes to the judges." Elena explained.

"It's true." Caroline agreed and April nodded.

"The red one, definitely." Damon said as he appeared in the doorway, taking in the conversation but also admiring Elena's beautiful presence. His eyes quickly ran over her entire form. He thought she had never looked so gorgeous, giving that black lace dress justice. He gave her a wink, making her blush and smile in response.

"The red one is to showy, we agreed on the blue." Caroline defended.

"Isn't that the whole point of a pageant?" Damon replied as he stepped into the room.

"Did you win Miss Mystic last year, no, I don't think you did." Caroline replied with narrowed eyes and a slightly bitter tone.

"Neither did Elena, she wore blue." He stated, remembering how she looked descending those stairs in the perfect dress and beautiful hair.

"No one cares what you think." Caroline spat.

"I care." Said April in a soft voice as she looked up at the male vampire clad in a black tux. Elena couldn't help but feel jealous as the young girl kept her eyes on Damon.

"April cares. Red, right Elena?" He asked as his eyes met hers.

"The red is pretty." She replied, looking at both dresses in April's arms.

"And my work here is done." Damon smirked before exiting the room.

"Uhh, what happened to thirty seconds ago when you hated the red one?" Caroline asked as she turned to her friend with a confused expression. Elena took a moment before she answered. "What happened to safe is good?"

"Whichever one you wanna wear, April." Elena said before trotting out of the room to follow Damon.

"Damon." Elena said at the top of the stairs, making him come to a stop at the bottom. He smiled back as she began to slowly step down towards him. The whole moment seemed familiar.

"Save me a dance." She smiled as she reached to take his hand.

"You're the only one on my card." He replied with a smile. "You look so beautiful." He repeated the same compliment he used this morning. He actually felt his jaw drop when he picked her up earlier and admired her in that black dress. It hugged her curves perfectly at the same time it held a graceful elegance, only showing the skin of her legs and a small part of her back. Not to mention her hair was in some kind of side braid that exposed her very inviting neck. He wanted to kiss and nibble it for days.

"You said that already." She said shyly and looked down to hide her blush. He only shrugged at her and smiled. They both moved into each for a kiss but were interrupted by Carol Lockwood.

"Damon, there you are, there's someone you need to meet." Carol said as she gestured to the large doorway that was attached to the back courtyard. Damon smiled at Elena again before reluctantly following Tyler's mother outside. Elena looked down smiling, thinking about what it would be like dancing with Damon again, now that she had admitted and confessed her feelings.

"Kill him, Jeremy!" Stefan yelled as he pushed the wooden stake against Jeremy's chest.

"You're crazy." Jeremy replied. "You just want me to kill another stranger."

"He's a murderer and he'd likely kill again!." Jeremy took the stake before Stefan circled around to the chained vampire and pushed him towards Jeremy. After killing the vampire, Jeremy felt an urge rise up and it settled in his head as a natural instinct. He wanted to kill more vampires. After staking Stefan in the stomach, he left the cellar, seeking for more bloodsucking monsters.

Might as well start with the one he lived with.

After April Young was announced and awarded the Miss Mystic crown, the event settled into a reception with an open dance floor. Elena waited on the edge of the open space while searching the crowd for Damon, only to find a serious looking Jeremy. He looked like the Terminator as he slowly pushed through the people, without blinking or slowing down. A wave of worry rolled over Elena, so she left the stage and took off, following her brother into the house.

"Jere, where have you been? What are you doing?" She asked as she found him sitting silently and holding a stake in his hands. "Put that down."

"Connor was right, all I can think about is killing vampires." He calmly stood up.

"Connor? What are you talking about?" She asked in a voice full of concern and confusion. Connor was dead.

"Everything inside of me is telling me to drive this stake into your heart." Jeremy replied as he tightened his grasp around the piece of wood.

"Why would you say that? I'm your sister, Jere."

"And you're a vampire so you have to die." He said before rushing towards her with the stake pointed towards her body. Elena was surprised but she dodged the sharp piece of wood and pushed Jeremy back, causing him to fall backwards.

"Jere!" She yelled as she moved over to her brother. "Jere, wake up!" Jeremy shot up quickly and used the weapon strapped to his wrist to stab a small stake into Elena's neck. She fell to the ground, clutching her throat, struggling to breathe. Jeremy gathered up the stake and approached his sister like a grassland predator.

"Jeremy, don't!" Matt shouted as he entered the room, seeing Elena holding a bleeding wound on her neck.

"Get out of here Matt!" Jeremy shouted back.

"Jere, look at me, you don't want to hurt your sister. I'm human and I'm telling you not to hurt her." He begged but Jeremy didn't hear Matt because of the deafening voice in his head saying to kill her. Jeremy raised the stake ready to drive downwards but was suddenly pulled away in a blur by a strong force.

"Stop, Jeremy!" Damon yelled in his face and removed the weapon from his grasp. "Get him out of here Matt!" Damon shouted as he pushed Jeremy towards him and Matt escorted him out without a word.

"Don't worry, I got it." Damon said as he knelt down to Elena and removed the tiny stake from her neck, helping her find her breath again. He brushed her hair away, avoiding the blood.

"We need to find Jeremy." She said as Damon reached for hands and helped her to feet.

Reluctantly but necessary, Damon and Elena split up to cover more ground to find Jeremy but Elena found Stefan chasing her over the front lawn instead.

"Elena, wait!" Stefan called out.

"Not now, Stefan. I need to find Jeremy." She replied as she kept walking her bare feet across the grass. "Something is wrong with him."

"Wait, it's my fault." He confessed with regret in his eyes and Elena stopped.

"What do you mean?" She asked as Stefan stood in front of her.

"There are things you need to know." Stefan took a pause before coming clean. "Jeremy is a hunter, Elena." She gasped. How did she not know this?

"What…how?" Stefan took another pause to find some strength. Elena wasn't going to like this and he was hoping that she wouldn't hate him. He began his explanation by going over the history of the Five and their purpose and then moving onto Klaus and Jeremy.

"So you've been working with Klaus and dragged my brother into this!" Elena seethed with a furrowed brow.

"We saved Damon." He said plainly.

"Don't make this about Damon!" She spat. Elena couldn't believe that she was left out of something so important. Was Damon hiding this from her too? Her heart felt a pinch of pain at the thought that Damon was keeping secrets at the beginning of their relationship, just like Stefan did.

"Isn't it all about Damon." Stefan spilled out venomously.

"I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about my brother." She replied, not wanting to have that conversation with her ex right now. "Why are you doing this, Stefan? Why is it so important that you're working with Klaus again and hiding it behind my back?"

"There's a cure, Elena. A cure for vampirism, it's your only hope."

"A cure…" Elena whispered to herself.

There was a cure. She had the chance to be human again. She couldn't believe it. Elena's shocked expression changed back to furious when she put two and two together.

"So you've been making Jeremy kill vampires!"

"We need the map to get the cure."

"I don't want a cure if it costs me to strip my brother of his humanity. He doesn't deserve this."

"He's the only way to fix all this."

"You mean me, the only way to fix me. You don't have to love me like this. The old Elena died when she drowned in the river, let her go so you can move on." Elena told him.

"Elena!" She heard Damon's voice behind her and she turned to see him approaching them. "I had Matt take him to your house." Damon explained as he stepped up to her side. Elena felt relief that Jeremy was safe for now but it was quickly replaced with anger.

"Did you know about this!" She snapped at him.

"About what?" Damon asked with a shocked expression. He felt like there was more going on, it didn't make sense, Jeremy would never hurt his sister.

"Jeremy! Klaus and a cure!" She said accusingly.

"What?" He paused. "A cure for what?"

"Vampirism." Stefan spoke up and drew his eyes to his brother. Damon wanted to ask more questions but Elena bet him to it by repeating everything Stefan had told her. Damon took a moment to take in everything. He couldn't believe his brother was budding up with Klaus and had been lying to Elena.

"You're trusting Klaus for a mysterious cure that we've never heard of. Call me skeptical, brother." Damon said to his brother.

"It's real and we need it." Stefan replied.

"Yeah, we know why you want it." Damon said bitterly, gesturing his eyes to Elena and then back to his brother. Stefan wanted to respond, he wanted to say that Elena wasn't herself anymore but couldn't do it in front of her. Instead he turned on his heels and left them on the lawn.

"I can't believe this." Elena said as she turned closer to Damon. He gave her a soft look and then pulled her into a hug.

"It'll be okay, we'll figure this out." Damon whispered into her hair, as he rested his chin on her crown.

"Do you think it's real? The cure?" Elena whispered back.

"I've never heard of such a thing." He said as he pulled back to see her face. "But Klaus is like a billion years old, so maybe.." Elena gave him a small smile and their eyes glowed with a mutual hope. Elena's hope was for the potential to be human again and Damon's hope was to do anything to make sure she would get it.

If such a thing existed.

"She looked me in the eye and told me to move on." Stefan said as he sat opposite Caroline.

"She's lost okay. You and her, epic." Caroline replied and Stefan shook his head. "At least she knows about the cure now." She added.

"I should've just told her everything from the start, I hurt her and now she's gonna hate me."

"She won't hate you. Yes, she'll be upset for a while but she'll come back to you."

"She's changed." Stefan said, doubting Caroline's words.

"I know, even Klaus said something about her."

"What?" Stefan asked as he poured himself another shot of tequila.

"I don't even know, he didn't say anything directly." Caroline leaned forward and continued. "Look, you just need to get the cure for her."

"Klaus won't allow that."

"Why? He doesn't even want it."

"He wants to keep Elena human so he can make more hybrids."

"He's gonna need them, Tyler's got most of them unsired." She said, leaning back in her chair.

Sired.

That word bounced around in Caroline's head and it started building a theory.

"Oh my god!" Stefan looks at her with his furrowed brow. "Ohh.. my.. god!"

"What?" Stefan asked, so Caroline explained her theory.

"The red dress. It explained why she ran off chasing Damon without telling us. She can only drink from the vein because that's what Damon said." She paused. "Is this really happening?"

"Are you saying?…Elena is sired to Damon.." Stefan couldn't help but squirm at the possibility. Did this mean every action and emotion was influenced by this sire bond? Were her feelings for Damon even real? Stefan felt a small smile on the inside of his face as he was convinced that Elena didn't love his brother, but he needed proof.

Caroline was right, the second reason Elena followed Damon to Richmond was..

Sire bond.

"Thanks." Elena said as Damon offered her a crystal tumbler half-full of bourbon and she took a gulp. After this day, she needed a drink.

"I was being polite, I thought you hated whiskey." He said as he sat down next to her.

"My brother wants to kill me."

"Welcome to the club." He smirked and clinked his glass against hers, making her smile.

"Jeremy can't live with me. Stefan lied and wants to fix me and Caroline said our relationship has clouded my judgment. Safe to say I'm not great at this vampire thing." She sighed.

"You wanna know what I think?" He asked, ignoring Caroline's opinion. Elena hummed and shifted her body to face him. "I don't think I've ever seen you more alive." He grinned.

Alive.

That word brought a spark of light to her heart and it jolted around. She smiled at him warmly, knowing that he was the reason she was feeling alive again.

"That dance they did today, it reminded me of how w.."

"We danced together?" He finished for her and she nodded.

"I wanted to dance with you today." She admitted with gleaming eyes.

"Same." He smiled. "I'm sorry all that other stuff got in the way."

"You don't need to apologize for that. It was Stefan's fault." She said before taking a small sip from her glass.

"I can't undo what he did, but I can fix the other thing." He said as he put down his glass and hers too. Elena looked up at him wondering, until he stood up and offered out his hand. A smile plastered over her face causing her cheeks to blush pink. She reached up and took his hand and he pulled her over to the crackling fireplace, both of their bodies highlighted in an amber glow. Without any need for music, Damon pulled Elena into a soft slow dance. They soulfully looked into each other's eyes as they gently clasped their hands together and began moving around as one. All the bad things that had happened today had completely disappeared from Elena's mind as she fell into this perfect moment with him.

And she kept falling.

Damon swung her out into a spin and brought her back and continued to dance.

Elena couldn't help but bring her eyes back to his. The orange light from the burning fire was glistening in his irises giving his icy blues a golden twinkle. His hands began moving over her dress, caressing her lower back and her hips. It felt like every nerve of her body was being touched all at the same time, causing a tsunami of desire to flow through her bloodstream.

Vampires had heightened feelings and sexual attraction was no exception.

Neither was lust.

Feeling confident and wanted, she crashed her lips to his at the end of the second swing. The kiss started off tender and then turned into a inferno of passion. They both pressed their lips into each other harder, wanting more. Their mouths opened, granting their tongues to meet for the first time since Denver. The sweet taste of saliva and bourbon was exchanged as their heads shifted to the side for better access. Elena's hands hooked around Damon's neck as his hand traveled over her back and down to her bottom. The sensation filled Elena with throbbing lust and she couldn't hold back anymore.

With her vampire strength she blurred Damon across the room, hitting a wall and throwing a small table across the floor. She pushed him, feeling his hard chest, holding him to the wall as they reattached their lips. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. With the need to see his naked chest again, Elena moved her hands up and tore open his shirt, making the buttons scatter across the hardwood floor. Damon's internal fire burned hotter at the sight of a lusty Elena. He kissed her back and then blurred her back to the fireplace, holding her against the carved stone. Their kisses were becoming more desperate and their clothes more unwanted. Damon pressed into her harder as Elena brought one of her legs up to to grip around his hips, locking him in place. She knew what was coming and her heart felt like jumping out of her chest.

"Ohhh, Damon..." She managed to gasp past her lips.

Damon then used his strength to pick her up completely and Elena locked both legs around him after kicking off her ankle boots and they pressed their throbbing body parts together. Their internal fire began to intertwine and burn brighter.

Taking control, Damon blurred them to his bedroom without losing any contact. Their skin was burning underneath their clothes, making it uncomfortable, they needed to be gone. Damon put Elena back down to her feet and started pulling at her pink belt, releasing it only enough for it to loosen. Elena pushed him back, finally breaking their kiss. She gave him a saucy smile that Damon hadn't seen before as she slowly reached down and pulled the entire dress over her head. Damon was completely stunned for a moment as he drank in her new state of undress.

His room was only illuminated by two lamps but it was enough to see all of her delicious curves and flawless olive skin. She looked like a goddess, standing there in her black lace underwear. He didn't waste time reconnecting their lips. He hungrily ran his hands all over her naked flesh, enjoying the warm softness that he's always dreamed of touching. Starting at her shoulders, running down the length of her spine, causing her to shiver, then settling over her lace covered bottom. He couldn't help but give it a squeeze, causing Elena to gasp. She then finished removing his shirt and explored his entire chest and raked her fingernails down his washboard stomach. The pebble shaped muscles only made Elena become filled with more fiery lust as her body throbbed harder.

"Damon.." She let out breathlessly, silently telling him she couldn't wait much longer. Damon understood as he started pulling her towards his bed. Before falling into the cotton sheets, Elena wanted his jeans to be gone.

The next moment they were feverishly kissing on his bed, still wearing their underwear. To Damon's mouth, Elena's skin felt like warm silk and tasted like summer fruits mixed with vanilla. He gave her open-mouthed kisses over her face, neck and down the exposed tops of her breasts. Elena began panting at the intense pleasure and let out soft giggles when he found her ticklish spots.

"Elena…" Her name rolled off Damon's tongue like a sinful secret. Elena knew he was asking for permission. Even though this was the hottest experience he'd ever had, he still wanted it to be real. Their eyes met and her brown orbs expressed a yes, giving him what he wanted.

What they both wanted.

He smirked at her before returning his mouth to her chest. As he ran his tongue across the top of her breasts again, he tunneled his hands under her back to find the bra clasp. In a flash, the lace covering was away and Damon took a heart pumping moment as he took in the beautiful sight. Her breasts were heavenly. Perfectly shaped, soft, warm and had the most delicious looking dark pink nipples he'd ever seen.

"You are stunning." He said breathlessly as he began treating her naked chest to many kisses, licks and soft touches. He made sure to spend several minutes on each nipple, circling his tongue around until they were perfectly peaked and extra sensitive.

"Damon… Ohhh my!" Elena moaned as her body squirmed beneath his. After giving her chest several more minutes of attention, he began kissing his way down her toned stomach and then finally reached her panties. Before asking consent to remove them, he kissed her right on her covered core.

"God, yes!" Elena answered through a rapid breath as she felt his mouth press the lace into her sensitive flesh. With her say so, he slowly tugged her panties down her legs, kissing her thighs while he did so. After throwing her last piece of clothing on the floor, Damon started kissing upwards. Beginning at her lower legs then the tops of her legs before taking long licks up her soft inner thighs.

"Damon, please..." She begged breathlessly as she laid out her naked body for him.

"I've got you, Elena." He murmured before he gave her something she would never forget.

He dived into the triangle of her thighs and his wet tongue licked her folds several times before he attacked her clitorus with kisses and a gentle suck through his lips.

"Oh, god!" Elena screamed and dug her fingers into the sheets. She was having a hard time staying still. Elena thought the feeling of oral was great but now it was heightened and it was paired with Damon's talented tongue, she couldn't even find the word to describe the intense pleasure that was taking over her body. She fought so hard to fight off her first orgasm, this feeling was more than incredible so she didn't want it to be over so quickly. Her body writhed with every lick, her skin burned with every kiss, her throat let out every moan of pleasure when he teased her sensitive bud and she bit her lip when his first body part entered her.

"Yes!" Elena moaned, pressing her teeth into her bottom lip as she felt two fingers slide into her warmth. With his hungry tongue on her clitorus and the two thrusting fingers, Elena knew she couldn't hold off forever.

"Ohhh, Damon..I'm gonna..I'm.." She warned breathlessly but he kept his pace.

"Just let go." He whispered against her sensitive flesh and increased his ministrations. Taking his advice, her eyes rolled back and her body exploded.

"Damon! Ohhh, my..fu..." She screamed and groaned into the air as her entire body tensed up to a blinding peak and then slowly and gradually came back down to a buzzing, relaxing state.

"Incred…ible.." She said in a soft breathless voice.

"You like?" Damon smirked smugly as he kissed back up her naked body to see her sex-hazed eyes. She only gave him the same smirk before pulling him down into a hungry kiss. In seconds Damon was naked too, skin on fire and aching for it. At the apex of a passionate kiss they finally connected in the most intimate way, fitting together like puzzle pieces, perfectly made for each other.

The fire they shared exploded, engulfing everything around them in heat and flames.

"My god, Damon!" Elena moaned at the incredible feeling of the first contact. With the heightened sense of pleasure, that first thrust inside her body was almost enough to make her come undone. She had to shut her eyes and bite her lip again to keep her climax at bay. It was like having sex for the first time all over again except without the pain and the pleasure was tenfold.

"You, okay?" Damon whispered, breaking their kiss and moved down, nibbling on her earlobe.

"God, yes! You feel inc.." Elena cried out in sweet pleasure as she enjoyed his gentle thrusts. Every nerve was being touched by Damon right now, as was every internal muscle of hers. She bought her knees up higher and snapped her legs around him, wanting all the deeper penetration she could find. With her legs locked around him, she was able to thrust up into him, perfectly meeting his movements.

"Ohh, Elena.." Damon moaned as he enjoyed the heat of her moving hips.

Damon's life before Elena was hell. He didn't care about doing right by anyone, his brother included. But this moment was changing everything. His heart was swelling, his walls that held his emotions back were tumbling down and every cell in his body was humming with pleasure. He let out a groan as he kept moving at a tender, human pace. They both didn't want this experience to ever end but they also couldn't wait to find their first release together. Elena could feel her pleasure building up again, slowly reaching to its edge.

After several minutes of thrusts, kisses and loud moans, Elena tipped over. She screamed out his name again as her first intercourse orgasm hit her like a wave made of stones. Her core squeezed and fluttered, her back arched up, her eyes shut and her face held an O shape for several minutes. Damon took in her gorgeous reaction and imprinted the image in his mind to carry it around forever. It was the sexiest thing he had ever seen and he couldn't wait to see it again. Elena's breathing started to settle as she came down from her high and her body hummed as her muscles relaxed from their tight state, only to prepare for the next.

She opened her eyes to find Damon hovering, smiling down at her and she couldn't help but smile back. Using her strength she pushed him onto his back and they rolled together without breaking apart. Damon took in the sight of her naked, glistening body on top of his and considered changing his mind about the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. Elena pulled him up to her, pressing their bare chests together as she began riding up and down in the seated position. They were pulled into a slow sensual kiss and Damon continued his lips downward, reaching her naked breasts. It was indeed the second softest part of her body and it made him go crazy. He licked, nipped and sucked, enjoying every square inch of her luscious skin. It only took a few more moments of this excruciating pleasure before their climaxes crashed into each other.

"Ahh, Elenaa.." He groaned as his hands squeezed her ass hard and let go inside her.

"Oh, yes.. Damon. Ohhhh!" She moaned into his neck as her hips shook with spasms over his. Damon fell back first, hitting his pillow and Elena collapsed down onto his chest and nestled her face between his shoulder and neck. "That….was.." Elena panted. Damon struggled for a moment to find the right word to describe their sex. It was better than incredible, amazing wasn't good enough and mind-blowing didn't measure up. It was all of those things and more.

"Everything." He replied in her ear with a breathless voice as he caressed the smooth skin of her back and shoulders, catching small beads of sweat.

"Everything?" She asked against his heated skin.

"I couldn't find the right word to describe it, so I used them all." He explained. Elena let out a giggle before moving her head to rest her chin on his chest so she could see his face clearly. He was grinning and his eyes gave off a sense of peace and happiness.

"I agree." She said as she began tracing circles on his pectoral muscles with her index finger. "I have a hard time describing us too."

Damon took a short pause as he watched a naked Elena resting on top of his body with a lovely smile on her face. He couldn't believe this was happening.

"I'm scared this is a dream. I'm gonna wake up and you're going to vanish." He confessed his fears as he stroked some hair out of her eyes.

"This is real, Damon, I'm here with you." She paused and smiled again. "Totally naked, by the way.." She added and then smirked at him seductively.

"Trust me, I noticed that." He smirked back, remembering her flawless skin, her perfectly shaped breasts with those dark pink nipples, her flat kissable stomach and those long perfect legs. He was getting excited from memory alone.

"I'm still inside you too." He winked at her so she clenched around him. Elena gave him a dark gaze and then moved up to kiss him, starting round two. With their vampire stamina and their hunger for each other, their night wasn't over yet.

Three hours, a messy bed, sweaty bodies and six more orgasms later, well six for Elena and three for Damon, they finally fell into a slumber holding onto each other, feeling exhausted but also blissfully satisfied.