Chapter Eight

Devotedness

"Go see Tyler and I'll tell Damon." Stefan said.

"He's not gonna believe us, not now." Caroline replied.

"I have a way to prove it to him." He said before leaving and making his way over to his house.

Before Damon began to stir in his sleep, he could feel his heart full of an emotion that hadn't been felt in over a century. Love. The kind of love that changes people, makes them stronger and think more deeply about the world. He was feeling just a bit more of his humanity and it was all because of her.

The love he had for her.

Elena Gilbert.

"Elena.." Damon let out in a rested voice as he opened his eyes and saw the vacant space beside him. He turned over slightly to see over his shoulder and spotted Elena walking out of his bathroom wearing a smile and his black button-down shirt. He gave a smile that held relief but also desire, seeing her in his clothes only made him want her more.

"Hey." Elena greeted as she sauntered over the hardwood floor and threw herself across the bed, landing perfectly beside him.

"I thought you might have left." He said as he turned into her, running a hand over her stomach.

"I don't have to be at school for…at least twenty minutes ago." She said jokingly, looking at her wrist and pretending to read an invisible watch. She then smiled cheekily and pulled his head with both of her hands into hers and kissed him softly. When she pulled back, she noticed an expression over Damon's face, an expression she had never seen before.

"What's that face?" She asked.

"What face?" He answered back with a question, while twirling her silken hair around his fingers.

"That face."

"I'm happy." He replied with an honest smile. Elena could only reflect the smile back as she was feeling the exact same thing in this perfect moment. Instead of saying it back straight away, she wanted to show him she was feeling the same thing and went in for another kiss. Starting off tender but quickly turned into desire, she rolled herself on top of him. Making herself gasp as she felt his nude and muscled body beneath hers.

"I'm happy too." She mumbled against his lips. She didn't care if she would be late for school, she needed this more. She badly wanted to repeat last night's performance and by what she felt against her bare thigh, Damon wanted it too. During their next heated kiss, Elena's vampire face showed itself. She tried to change back but it wouldn't ease, being too young to control it.

"You're beautiful, every part of you." He whispered before kissing over the dark veins that appeared under her eyes. Elena felt elated by him. He was accepting her darker side before she could even accept it herself.

Time was against them but they managed to have passionate sex in the bed before ending with a quick one in Damon's shower. She had raked her nails down his back hard during the first morning session, drawing a lot of blood. So she made it up to him by washing his back and he paid in kind by washing her entire body. Damon was wishing hard that he could keep her here all day, because after seeing and feeling a soapy and shower-kissed Elena had filled him with a painful lust. He couldn't have her for the whole day but that didn't mean he couldn't have her for ten minutes against the tiled wall of the shower. Elena was taken by surprise as he growled and picked her up in a feverish kiss and pushed her against the cold tiles.

His hardness was inside her and she was moaning loudly before she could even blink. She smiled and then moaned as she thrusted back into him. Seeing Damon dripping with water and radiating steam made her feel the same way about him.

She'd never felt more alive, but that wasn't all she felt in this moment. The tiled walls paired with the glass shower made Elena's screaming pleasure echo over the entire house.

Luckily they had the place to themselves.

"Bag." Damon pointed as he followed her.

"I got it."

"Scarf." He said as he looped it around her neck and used it to pull her in for a kiss. Their lips buzzed against each other, causing Elena to hum with happiness. She took a moment before having to bring up the elephant in the room.

"Listen, Damon." She started.

"No, no, no. Don't ruin it." He stopped her by pressing a finger to her delicate lips.

"You don't even know what I was going to say." She replied through her smile, pulling his hand away.

"Well, I'm assuming it starts with "What are we" and ends with "going to tell Stefan?"

"He should know."

"I know he should know, I just don't know when he should know it." He sighed.

"He has to know there's something going on between us, I mean it's the reason he and I broke up. I wouldn't be surprised if Caroline had already told him."

"Yeah, but can we just let ourselves enjoy one secret, selfish day before we destroy his? I mean, we're not exactly happy with him right now." He offered as he brushed both of his thumbs over each of her soft cheeks.

"I know but we shou..." She tried to say but was cut off.

"No, Elena. This is our time. It's never been right before but it is right now." He smiled. "Just one day. One day?"

"Okay, one day." She agreed with a bright smile.

"Yesss." He whispered triumphantly.

Elena reluctantly turned away from him and he escorted her out only for them to come face to face with Stefan. A great awkwardness hit Elena like a speeding bus at the sight of her ex boyfriend seeing her next to her new one, which happened to be his older brother. And the feeling only got weirder when she remembered what her and Damon were doing only minutes ago in the shower.

"Hey." Stefan said under his breath, breaking the brief silence between all three of them. Elena suddenly remembered what happened yesterday and her anger returned. She only gave him a strained look, ignoring his greeting and walked out, passing him without a thought. She only had six minutes until she needed to be at school and if she was to talk to Stefan again she would need more time to yell at him.

The ice out pierced Stefan's heart and his face fell into a defeated expression. He didn't know how he was going to hold it together when Elena was this furious with him. Damon was angry too but at least he welcomed his brother in when he asked to talk.

"Sired. Really, Stefan? That is the most nonsense I've ever heard come out of your mouth."

"It was your blood that turned her. She's been different since day one because of you. You can't deny that."

"Me?" Damon had to ask. Did his brother already know about him and Elena?

"You told her she had to drink from the vein which is why she couldn't keep the animal and bagged blood down. She was feeding on Matt just to make you happy." Stefan said.

"Or you just can't accept that Elena is actually happy being a vampire because of me."

"Alright, prove it. Have her drink from a blood bag. Tell her how happy it will make you and then we'll know." Stefan explained. A fear shrouded Damon's insecurities, crushing his heart and almost removing the incredible feelings that lingered from the perfect morning with the perfect woman. He didn't want this to be true, he wanted Elena's feelings to be genuine but the doubt was creeping in like a scared insect. As much as it was going to hurt, he needed to know. After retrieving a blood bag from the basement fridge he took off in his car, heading for the high school.

It was the same building, same students and the same locker covered walls but as Elena strolled down the stretched hall she couldn't help but feel different. Her face was holding a permanent smile, her legs felt like they were skipping with glee as she was taking in the world and seeing it differently. Her body was still tingling at the memories she had created with Damon over the last nine hours and she could still feel the phantom pain in her toes. They had never curled so much in such a short amount of time.

"Elena, are you alright?" Bonnie asked her friend.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Elena replied with a confused expression. Why was Bonnie asking that? Did she not see how happy she was? She was basically glowing from happiness. And 11 orgasms.

"I heard you moved out to stay away from Jeremy." Bonnie clarified. Oh, right. Jeremy. Elena was too busy on cloud nine to think of her brother.

"Matt is staying at the house with him, to help him keep this hunter stuff in control. He's okay." She finished in a hushed voice, avoiding eavesdroppers in the crowded hall.

"But are you? Clearly they don't have a flatiron at hotel Salvatore." Caroline commented, noticing Elena's hair in a hasty bun.

"Ohh, I was in a rush..." She half-lied. Yes, she was a little rushed this morning but it was more like distraction and desire that kept her. She blushed at the memory of having shower sex for the first time.

Elena then suddenly realized that her two close friends didn't know why she was so happy.

"Are you both free tonight? I'm in desperate need of some girl talk." Elena asked as she let her hair down.

"I'm in." Said Bonnie.

In the evening, the three girls were dancing around the boarding house after plenty of champagne and pop music they then found themselves in Damon's bathroom.

"I love this bathtub, why don't we hang out here more often?" Elena said as she sat back in the dry tub and threw her head back, taking in the perfectly smooth porcelain underneath her clothed body.

"I know why. Do you know how many booze-riddled skanks have been brought up here?" Caroline laughed.

"Come on." Said Bonnie quickly looking at Caroline, trying to warn her to keep her judgment at bay. She hated it when they fought.

"I'm sorry, I will stop being judgmental for the rest of the night." Caroline added.

"Don't stop, rip away, it's only Damon right?" Elena replied.

"Say what you want about ripper Stefan, at least he wasn't a man slut." Caroline defended. Elena took a silence before responding.

"So sleeping around is worse than massacring innocent people?" Elena spat back but Caroline ignored her question and committed to the fight for Stefan.

"I'm trying not to judge but Stefan is missing you, Elena." Caroline explained as she gave her friend a narrowed look.

"This isn't about Stefan anymore." Elena countered. Her love for Damon wasn't going to take anything against it because she finally gave in to what her heart wanted and it made her feel happy. "Damon has always been there for me, even if I hated him for it." She continued as she sat up in the tub, curling her arms around her legs.

"He's not good for you, Elena." Caroline said as she reflected the same narrowed focus back to her.

"You don't get to decide that for me! He's the only one that's been there for me when I turned into a vampire. Stefan has been treating me differently and it's clear you don't like me this way." Elena explained and Caroline took a moment, looking down before replying.

"I'm sorry, Elena but I don't understand." She said, moving closer to the bathtub.

"You don't have too, Care. But I'm not afraid anymore to admit what I want." Elena replied in a soft voice and continued. "I wanna tell you both about me and Damon." She confessed as she moved her eyes over Bonnie and back to Caroline. "We spent last night together." She blushed and waited for their reaction. Bonnie gave her an approving smile, unlike Caroline.

"You what!?" Caroline snapped, breaking Elena's pleasant memory of a romantic slow dance turning into the best sex of her life.

"We did and I wanted to spend tonight telling you both about it." Elena explained as she stood up, stepped out of the tub and walked out the room.

"Elena, come on." Bonnie said as she found her friend tidying up in the lounge area.

"Talk to us, Elena." Caroline added.

"Do you think this is easy for me? I know you hate him but I don't.. I can't.." Elena said as she recalled every moment Damon was there for her.

"I understand, Elena. I know he cares for you." Bonnie smiled.

"You both know I've had feelings for Damon for a while, but now… I think I'm falling in love with him." Elena confessed as her heart responded with extra beats, confirming her strong feelings.

"Ehh, you're not in love with him, Elena, you're sired to him!" Caroline yelled with a scrunched up face.

"What?" Elena asked, not understanding what she'd heard.

"What?" Bonnie echoed. Caroline looked at both her friends and then explained. She mentioned Damon's blood turning her, her different behavior and most importantly, the feeding issues.

"You talked to Stefan about this!" Elena said angrily.

"It's not your fault, Elena. Damon took advantage of you." Hearing that Caroline thought Damon had taken advantage of her, filled Elena with a rage. She wanted to throw furniture at her friend.

"You need to leave!" Elena seethed at Caroline and walked over the front door. Her girl's night wasn't going well and as soon as she opened the door it only got worse.

Two hybrids rushed in and abducted Caroline.

"The Sire bond isn't that literal, Stefan." Damon stated.

"Really? Name one thing that you've asked her to do that you haven't gotten, huh?" Stefan asked.

"I know what I haven't gotten? Blame, guilt. I get it, Stefan. You're pissed that Elena dumped you because she has feelings for me. I bet you blame the sire bond for that too."

"I absolutely do. It explains everything, the blood, her behavior and going back on a decision she'd already made." Stefan spat. He was convinced that the sire bond was causing Elena to have fake feelings for his brother and he couldn't wait to prove it. "Even with your humanity off, she's been attached to you ever since she turned. I mean she impulsively chased you to Richmond without telling me." He added.

"We both know she cares about me, Stefan, so why is it impossible that she could have feelings for me?"

"No. Because it's impossible for her to be so blind that she doesn't see how wrong you are for her." Stefan said in a firm voice. Damon only responded with a defeated look and walked away. Stefan snapped an apology and both brothers moved on in silence through the crowded Bourbon Street.

"A vampire only bonds to sire when she has feelings for him, human feelings. Vampirism only heightens those emotions." The whole sentence rattled through both brothers' heads when the witch explained, but it was different for both of them.

Stefan didn't want to hear it, he couldn't accept it. So he pushed it under his mountain of denial and grasped onto the sire bond.

Damon was first relieved, hearing that Elena had human feelings for him but it was quickly slashed away when the witch mentioned the only way to break a vampire sire bond. He had to break her heart and leave her. He only had her for a few days and one night and now it was ending.

He was right before, this was a dream but now it was becoming a nightmare.

"I'm sorry."

Caroline pulled Elena into a bone crushing hug, apologizing.

"I was bitch. I promise to never again judge ever." Caroline said before breaking the hug.

"Just please don't tell Stefan about me and Damon, I promise to tell him, I just need to figure some things out first." Elena asked, backing out of the hug.

"Yeah, of course." Caroline promised.

"I know I'm sired to you, Damon. Caroline told me. It's what you and Stefan were doing, isn't it? Is there a way to break it?" Elena asked, hoping for a simple solution.

"Yeah, but you're not gonna like it."

"Tyler told me sire bond only affects my actions, not my feelings. My feelings for you haven't changed, Damon. Nothing's changed.

"Everything's changed, Elena." Damon said as he stepped closer to her.

"You're right, I've changed. But so have you, Damon and I'm happy. Just like you were this morning before we knew about any of this."

"You know what'll make me happy. To know that this entire time I've been completely in love with you, that what you actually felt for me was real."

"It is real, I know it is. Damon, I know what you're about to do, please don't do this to me!" Elena begged, stepping closer to him.

"I don't want to do this, Elena. I'm the selfish one, remember? I take what I want, I do what I want. I lie to my brother and fell in love with his girl. I don't do the right thing! But I have to do the right thing by you." He finished. Elena pushed her body closer and took his hand and pressed it into chest, over her collarbone.

"Does this feel wrong?" She asked softly. She moved her other hand up to his cheek and jaw. "Does this feel wrong?" She repeated, letting her gentle touches tell him it's real.

There was a silence between them as her chocolate orbs absorbed into his blue ones.

"This is real, Damon." Elena confirmed.

"I told Stefan I was setting you free." He said, bringing up his hands to hers. Elena shook her head, not wanting to hear Stefan's name.

This was between her and Damon.

"Tell me, what did you learn about the bond?" Elena asked, wanting to know how it happened.

"Your feelings for me, when you were human.." He paused, looking down at their feet. "When you turned.."

"My feelings were magnified." Elena finished his sentence. He looked back up into her eyes and slightly nodded. "And pushing me away would break it?" She asked.

Damon couldn't find the strength to nod again but Elena understood from his silence that leaving him was the solution. But she knew her feelings were genuine, their supernatural bond was an issue but it was also proof.

Human feelings.

The feelings that she was too scared to admit as a human.

Elena took Damon's hand again, interlocking their fingers. She pulled him up to his bedroom and they fell asleep fully clothed next to each other.

Before falling under, Elena thought about the bond as she stared at his resting face.

Could there be another way?

Elena didn't like seeing Damon so insecure, she loved him, so this bond needed to be gone.

"You must be the professor that knows everything." Damon said as he met the college professor that was helping Bonnie with Jeremy's hunter instincts.

"Just call me, Shane." He nodded. "Vampire?"

"That obvious?" Damon replied with a tiny smirk.

"Kind of, plus Jeremy is staring at you." He gestured to the younger Gilbert that was sitting in the lake house lounge with Bonnie.

"Right.. well I hope you know what you're doing. Training Jeremy won't be easy if he actually stakes me." Damon chuckled.

"We'll figure it out." He replied, as he joined them on the lounge. Damon nodded and then looked around for Elena. He saw her sitting outside, legs over the pier, looking out into the calm mirror state of the lake.

With Damon's advice, Shane and Bonnie successfully gave Jeremy a detour in his mind to keep his new supernatural killer instincts at bay. After a reuniting hug between the siblings they found themselves in the lounge going through the Gilbert family's Christmas decorations. Elena looked up, finding Damon sitting outside on the table with a lost expression on his face. She smiled at him and waved, gesturing to him to come inside and join her. Damon gave a flat smile in response but didn't attempt to move. Elena looked down, smiling and snatched the dried piece of mistletoe from the box. She walked out to Damon and placed herself in front of him, almost tucking herself between his seated legs.

"You're missing the fun part." She was aching to kiss him again so she smiled and held the mistletoe above their heads.

"Elena, I can't. We can't." Damon shook his head, giving her a sad look.

"I know how I feel, Damon and that you feel it too, so stop fighting it." Damon took a pause to consider it but it wasn't right. If he was going to be with her, he wanted to be real with no doubt in the way. He wouldn't even kiss until he knew for sure.

"It's good to see you like that, all normal with your brother. I want that again for you." He said, promising again to get her the cure. Damon stood up beside her and continued. "Christmas was always Stefan's and my favorite holiday when we're kids, not that I've celebrated it since. I kinda miss that." He shared.

"You're thinking about how upset he'll be when he learns we're together."

"I've been lying to him all day."

"He's been lying to us. Besides, you've been helping me with Jeremy." She defended.

"It doesn't matter what I was doing, the point is I was here with you. I was supposed to break the sire bond Elena, send you away. I was to do the right thing by my brother and the right thing by you, which is what I'm gonna do right now.." He breathed. Elena's face changed to something blank with some fear underneath.

Was Damon about to do this?

"You're gonna go home."

What? Damon, no." She protested, while feeling a subtle pressure behind her eyes.

"I'll stay here with Jeremy, I'll train him, protect him and we'll kill vampires without you." He explained.

"Damon, please!" She begged with scrunched up eyebrows.

"I'm setting you free, Elena. It's what I want, it's what will make me happy." There was a brief silence between them before Elena replied.

"I won't be happy." She admitted. Being away from Damon now would be the complete opposite, so she wasn't giving up.

"Bonnie will take you home, I promise to look after your brother."

"No." Elena said in a firm voice. The pressure was now moving around her head, it felt like an uncomfortable buzzing, a buzzing that suddenly moved from her head and resonated in her heart.

"No? Do you not want me with Jeremy?" Damon asked, confused about her response.

"No! No, no, no!" She suddenly screamed, surprising Damon and pulling the attention of the three people in the house.

"Elena, what's wrong?" Jeremy asked as jogged out of the house with Shane and Bonnie in tow. Elena didn't move at all. She kept her body in front of Damon and her eyes fixed on his, not acknowledging the others that joined them.

"No, Damon. I'm not leaving you." Elena said in a stubborn and determined voice. The pressure had now wrapped around her heart and was pushing her mind to listen to him. At that moment, Elena was convinced she was physically feeling the sire bond.

Damon was confused, had he not told her to leave?

"Go home, Elena." Damon ordered again.

"Elena?" Bonnie chipped in, trying to get the attention of her friend that was standing at Damon like a statue.

The feeling in her heart changed into a pain, similar to heartbreak but with a hint of love. She knew it was her love for Damon, so she focused on it. She remembered the moment it happened, the moment she wasn't afraid anymore, the moment she admitted it, and for the future moment for when she would tell him. All of it together gave her a small smile as the pain completely changed to love in its purest form.

"I will not, Damon." She said slowly as she breathed out.

"But…what?" Damon said in barely a whisper. Sire bond wasn't working. Bonnie, Jeremy and Damon were all staring at Elena, not understanding.

"Damon, I.." Elena almost confessed before the professor interrupted.

"That is fascinating." He said, stepping in front of Bonnie and Jeremy, taking in what was happening between the vampires.

"What?" Damon said, peering over his shoulder at Shane.

"You broke it, didn't you?" Shane said, looking straight at Elena.

"What? How is it possible?" Bonnie asked from the back.

"What are you feeling, Elena?" Shane asked, wanting to see if it was true. Elena finally broke her gaze from Damon to look at the other three.

"I feel…Loved." She said looking back at Damon and smiled. Everyone held a confused look until Damon spoke again.

"A witch told me a vampire bond happens when they have human feelings before being turned and once you tur..." Damon explained to them without taking his gaze away from Elena's eyes.

"Heightens the feelings." Shane finished, making him smile in wonder. "Sire bond is created by love, so it makes sense it can be broken by love too." Damon couldn't believe the professor's theory but there was an easy way to find out.

"Are you choosing to stay here?" Damon asked Elena in a soft voice.

"Yes." Still not convinced, Damon reached down and picked up a stone.

"Elena, throw this into the lake." He ordered, holding out his flat hand. Elena smiled at his silly task. She picked up the stone and rolled in her tiny palm. She threw it up and caught it, making herself giggle at having her free will back. She beamed at Damon and then placed the stone on the table, making a statement.

Sire bond was broken.

Did it really break that easily?

She then pounced her body at his and she wrapped her hands around his neck, silently telling him that her feelings for him are genuine. Damon felt as if his one and only prayer was answered. The girl that he loves, loves him back and there was no more supernatural doubt in the way anymore. He breathed in her perfect vanilla scent and smiled against her head as a lot of his insecurities faded away. They both pulled back and pressed their foreheads together, sharing the same relived smile. Bonnie smiled at the couple before going back inside with the other two, giving them privacy.

Damon sat back down on the table, pulling Elena with him, tucking her into his arms. Their eyes met and Damon asked.

"Do you still have that mistletoe?" He smiled sweetly. Elena giggled as she pulled it out of her pocket and held it above them again. The air between them crackled as they leaned in for a long, tender kiss.

Mistletoe forgotten. Their love was indeed real.

After Shane's departure and Bonnie's too, Jeremy went to his room for the night, leaving Damon and Elena alone in her bedroom.

"I know you've been feeling insecure, Damon. About me." Elena said as she walked across her room and crawled into the bed next to him. "You don't need to feel that way ever again." She added, stroking his chest as she laid her head down on his naked shoulder and snuggled into him.

"Understood." He said, kissing her forehead lightly. "You understand I won't be able to let you go now." He said as a matter of fact.

"I'm good with that, really good." She smiled with a chuckle and then tilted her head up to kiss his neck then his lips. Making love would have been great but they needed something else tonight.

By happily falling asleep in each other's arms, they felt the growing love between them and they knew it was only the beginning.

Family we can trust.

Caroline heard Stefan say those words and they hung in the air for several minutes. It made her mad at Damon for hiding such things from his brother and she wanted to desperately tell Stefan about Elena. But she remembered the promise she made with her friend last night. Elena was like her family, known each other for most of their lives, trusting each other with secrets. She decided to keep it to herself. It was Elena's news to tell, she only hoped her friend would do it soon.