A/N Hello to everyone reading this and thanks for taking the time to do so. That fact makes me very happy. Now, for a quick briefing.

1. This is definitely an AU story with some canon thrown in when appropriate. Also, this is DE-centric so we will focus on them for the most part.

2. The events of this chapter take place one evening after the last episode, which is at this date, 3X20. So, if let's say 3x20 happened on a Monday, this chapter begins Tuesday evening.

Official Disclaimer

I do not own The Vampire Diaries, in any way, shape or form. The books and the TV show, as well as all associated characters, are the rightful property of the CW and the amazing LJ Smith. All I own is the plot. This disclaimer applies to this chapter and all chapters in the future.

Chapter 1

Damon stared at the fire with a quiet, almost obsessive determination. His sharp senses could pick up the crackling sound of burning wood, paired with the heady aroma of smoke and the muted flicker of flames. He was also acutely aware of the slight buzz from his bourbon.

Considering who was in the house with him, being able to stare at the fire was a miracle in itself. To the notorious Damon Salvatore, the person in the house was the one person he could never resist. Strangely, unlike all the other times, he actually did.

Sing to the freaking heavens, his mind whispered. I have managed to resist Elena Gilbert.

Well he did resist. At least until he heard her voice – it was a soft murmur and filled with hesitation.

"Damon," she said, "did you hear me?"

He turned around, his drink still in hand. "Of course I did, Elena. Vampire, remember?" His smirk was curling his lips again.

"So what do you think of what I just said?"

What do I think? You wanna know what I think, Elena? I think I'm going crazy. The last time we were on a road trip, you ended up kissing me outside our Denver motel room.

He took a sip of his bourbon and scoffed, slightly frustrated. His thoughts didn't let up.

Of course, Jeremy cockblocked me, and then I found out it was all an experiment for you to see who you wanted between Stefan and I. For fuck's sake, it's all very tiring. God, why the fuck am I such a masochistic sucker for punishment?

Despite the murmurs of his head, Damon ended up saying, "I think I wanna know what brought your little suggestion on."

At that, all the fire went out of Elena's eyes. The elder Salvatore felt a certain urge to comfort her. Clearly, the alcohol and his bruised pride from Stefan being her date at the 20s dance were making him hold back.

She let out a breath, taking a seat on the nearby couch. "Everything is surreal. The whole Decade Dance thing is always a brush with death for us and the 20s one was no different." She took a pause. "I guess all of it just got to me, you know? This morning, I didn't even wanna get out of bed."

Damon took the final sip of his drink, in time with Elena's long sigh, apparently one of resignation. "And?"

"And so when I was having breakfast, I told myself I was gonna suck it up and just survive the fact that everything around me screams death or danger. Instead of that though, I ended up eating ice cream and crying over everything I've lost. Jeremy saw me and then we ended up crying together for God's sake."

A fleeting image of a crying Jeremy amused Damon for a second. Once the words crying over everything registered in his brain however, he unconsciously took a step closer to her.

"You still haven't told me why you want to go on a road trip with me," he said, though his voice was gentler now.

Elena's next actions were utterly unexpected. Damon was waiting for a verbal answer, but got a sad hug instead. Simple as the gesture was, it floored him.

"He saw me and what not," she eventually said, looking up at him. "And somehow, when we finished all our crying, we ended up at a point where he told me something Rose said to him."

"When?"

"Back when we were driving home."

Overcome as he was by their closeness, he brushed a stray lock of her hair. "Do share."

"Apparently she told him that Stefan would always be good for me. That his love was pure." At that, the formidable wall around Damon was back up. His eyes had also turned into ice, his stare blank and unforgiving.

His thoughts consisted of a single sentiment. You think I don't know that Saint Stefan is inviolable and perfect? Fuck this all.

"I'm not finished, Damon," she said, gripping his arms. "She also told him that you were either the best thing for me, or…"

"Or what?" He was unable to keep the edge out of his voice.

"Or the worst." Elena's voice had been hesitant, scared as she said the last bit.

Damon only said, "And which one do you think I am for you?" His eyes had regained none of their warmth, but were now pensive.

Considering everything, he'd already come to expect her eventual answer. It was her response for most things these days. It fucking frustrated him.

Right on cue, she said, "I don't know, Damon."

He scoffed internally and turned to refill his glass with another dose of bourbon. Once done, he took a long swig and faced her. Unlike earlier moments of a similar nature, the elder Salvatore was remarkably calm despite her indecisiveness.

"And what, Miss Gilbert, would help you to know? Like I said, I'm not gonna make this easy for you. You expected me to lash out, didn't you? Because of your usual claim of not knowing?" He smirked. "You thought I would make the choice for you and I didn't. Points for me, huh? I'm turning into such a good boy." He couldn't resist adding a little note of seduction into the last part. He was who he was, after all.

"Damon…"

"Answer my question. You expected me to lash out, didn't you? Tell you something like, 'What the hell is so hard with knowing? You just know, for crying out loud.' Was I right?"

Her lack of a response was the only answer he needed.

He continued, "So like I said, I'm taking all your usual decision-helpers off the table. I am not lashing out or anything, just so you can say I'm the worst for you by forfeit. I am not," his voice grew determined, "going to lash out or otherwise fuck this up so you can fall back on your usual Stefan-Good and Damon-Bad routine. It's getting old, you know?"

Much to Damon's satisfaction, Elena had no response for a long time. She was back in her old spot, seated and lost in thought on the sofa. The elder Salvatore did the same, losing himself as well in her observation of her.

For herself, Elena felt an almost ominous sense of weight. It seemed as if Damon's words ended up being anchors, ones which held her immobile as she sat.

If one word could describe her thoughts, it would definitely be chaotic or insensible, for sure. Also, much to Elena's surprise, they were kind of hormonal.

What the hell am I supposed to say to him? Oh God, all this is crazy. Wait. Why on Earth did I have such an easy time with Stefan at the dance? Wasn't he the one that tried to drive me off the Wickery Bridge? Wasn't he the one who told me he didn't want to come home?

What major wrong did Damon ever do these past weeks and months? All he did was sleep with Rebekah – that being due to what I told him. Why did I even tell him that?

Fucking shit. He's right. I do fall back on the routine of making Stefan out to be constantly good, while he's the opposite. So what the hell do I tell him? And why is he staring at me like that? And oh God, he's a really good kisser. Wait, where the fuck did that come from? Wow, I don't even curse all that much. Focus, Elena.

She glanced at him, her eyes landing on his lips.

I said freaking focus, Elena! You're supposed to be figuring things out with the Salvatores. Another glance at him and she was nearly undone. His eyes seemed to be shining, endless oceans of sentiment. Damn it.

A blush came to her cheeks, which prompted a mostly unseen smile on Damon's end. He always knew how much he affected Elena. To be honest, he wanted to play a bit and see exactly how much he could achieve on that end.

"You okay, Elena?" he said, his voice lowered and velvety, for maximum effect. "You seem a little flushed there."

Oh God, his voice! "I'm fine, Damon."

He sidled closer, their sides touching as his arm rested behind her. "So can I get my answer? You've sidetracked me. Why are you asking me to go on a road trip?"

In that moment, Elena decided she would just go with her heart. For one, her mind was sick of making up reasons and answers. Secondly, her entire being seemed to acknowledge the crucial need for a choice, a final resolution in the matter of which brother had her heart. Even her weary thoughts reflected it.

There is something undeniable, something deep and vital between you and Damon. Figure it out, Elena Gilbert.

Finally, she said, "I'm asking you because I deserve to know how you are when we don't have any pressing matters to attend to." Like all this finding your bloodline crap and what to do if it's not from Klaus, which means Tyler could die, her mind added.

Much to her relief, getting the initial words out seemed to free her. She found herself unable to stop.

"I deserve to know how we'll be if we make a conscious choice to just be with each other." She said that sentence with a small quirk of her lip, a clearly positive sign.

Damon felt a surge of hope, a warmer, more affectionate smile now on his face. "Define be with each other, please?"

"Hold your horses. I haven't made that choice yet, Damon. What I mean is, all our road trips always come with serious, life-or-death agendas attached. This time, our agenda is ourselves and whatever rests between us."

He was deflated a bit, yet also comforted, at her lack of a final verdict between him and Stefan. He finished his bourbon. "Aha. I get you. Go on, Elena."

She looked at him with more focus than before. "This time, we go because it's about us. About finding out what we can be, you know? We go with the conscious choice to be free of worries and other cares. We go without thinking about how to survive the dangers of our lives."

"I like where this is going. More, if you please, Miss Gilbert." His voice was intoned with more happiness, and dare he say it, a little bit more hope than ever. As with many previous encounters, he was smoothing things over with his signature charm.

"We go because we choose to. I think it's also safe to say, this time we go because a choice definitely needs to be made."

Damon nodded and watched as Elena stood up. "Remind me to thank Rose for the indirect inspiration on your part," he said. "And tomorrow, I lay out my own ground rules, to be fair. I'll be at your house by nine."

She copied his nod of affirmation, a bit apprehensive about his supposed ground rules. "So is that a yes to the road trip, Mr. Salvatore?"

He smiled. It was that easy smile of his which she secretly admitted to loving. "Oh, most definitely, Miss Gilbert. May I walk you home? Southern gentleman in me, you know?"

And also because I want you to fully see how amazingly good I can be to you if you just let me.

"Why thank you," she said, a small sliver of deep happiness now in her. She attributed it to the freedom she felt, all because she was now acknowledging that there might be actually be something deep between them.

As Damon followed Elena out and quietly closed the door behind them, his last thought was simple but heavy with hope and possibilities.

She hasn't made her choice. Oh God, if you really are up there. Please-please-fucking-please let it be me.

Back inside the Salvatore boarding house, Stefan was silent. More than ever in his more than 160 years on Earth, he wished he didn't have the senses of a vampire. He cursed his ears for picking up their voices. Their banter. Their connection.

After all, what do you say when you hear your brother in the house, confirming a road trip with the girl you love? Even more, how the heck do you react to the whole gist of their conversation? About discovering how they could be?

At that, the younger Salvatore also had a crushingly ominous thought in mind, though it wasn't nearly as hopeful as his elder brother's mental musings.

Wasn't Denver enough?

The thought rendered Stefan unable to rest at all.

A/N So? Thoughts? Suggestions? Predictions? Share them in a review and let me know! I would absolutely love to hear from all of you amazing people!