Disclaimer: I don't own the book or television series The Vampire Diaries. All I own is my imagination.

A/N: There was a lapse of time between my last update and this one, which can be explained by the fact that I am trying to find a job. I am done with college, though it's not official yet since I'm waiting on the paperwork to go through, a.k.a. my actual degrees, but I have already decided to dip my toe into the job search. Let me tell you, it is a very daunting process for me-although I am one of those people that can give myself a headache by stressing over little thngs-because I have no actual work experience and, therefore, am scared that I won't find a job... ever. Bordering on the ridiculous, I'm aware, so I'm just going to keep at it and stay positive about the whole experience. :) So, thanks for your patience and loyalty if you're followers of this story and read on.

Rediscovery

"Don't walk away; there's too much at stake."

Elena awoke with a start, eyes fluttering open and a single breath escaping rapidly and feverously as she shot up in bed. She ran one hand through her hair and let the other one drop onto Damon's side of the bed. He was no longer where she had last seen him, but exactly where she needed and wanted him. She had a bad dream, it was the psychological fabrication of the fear she still carried with her, closer now that her humanity ran a much larger risk of being compromised.

The nightmare could start several different days, but always took a turn for the worse and ended with her in the middle of a forest, on the ground as blood was trickled down her throat. Afterwards, before she could get a good look at the other person and recognize them, she would be killed. She had yet to witness her own resurrection, since she always woke up with a start as soon as her neck was snapped. It was something she preferred to not even dream about, but she was,because it could be a possible indication of her future.

She didn't know if Damon was worth it, which wasn't fair because he had been doing nothing but proving himself to her, so much even that she now felt confident her human life would be safe with him. Doubtlessly, so would her immortal one, but somewhere she was afraid that she would need him too much if she were to become a vampire. She would be forced to depend heavily on him if she wanted to get through the first few weeks; she intended to live an as humane vampire life as she could. A permanent diet of animal blood it would be. She wondered if that decision would be as easy to come to terms with when morals and valued would come second to her constant blood thirst?

She shook her head, pushing the thought to the back of her mind for now. For the time being, she would focus on locating Damon. "Damon," she called out his name softly as her legs dropped off the bed, floating an inch or so above the floor for a few silent seconds before they came into full contact with the cold floorboards.

Just as she settled her feet, a raven flew in through the open window and landed on the window sill. A smile lightened the load on her heart as she watched Damon change back into his human self in the blink of an eye. He looked dangerously irresistible in his dark jeans, fitted tee, and black leather jacket. His hair was a mess and his smirk bordering on devilish, the polar opposite of any guy she had ever dated, but none of them had had the ability to make her heart beat so erratically. It was pounding against her chest, loud enough for him to pick up with his supernatural hearing; her body was seeking for an outlet for her frenzied feelings.

She didn't get up as she asked him, "Where've you been?"

"Hunting," he told her, shrugging off his jacket. "Animal blood isn't as satisfying or sustaining as human blood, so I need more of it to keep me from climbing the walls." He hung the jacket over the back of a chair and turned, his eyes lowered as he shared the following, "I also need to feed more regularly if I want to stay strong, well, as strong as I possibly can be feeding off of animal blood." He was aware of how it sounded like he was trying to prove a point to her and reverse the decision that he had made based on her personal preference. More so it was him seeing the bigger picture, the picture in which his supernatural abilities wouldn't be as effective as they were when drinking human blood. "Look," he began, brushing his thumb across his bottom lip and raising his eyes so he could look into hers, "the reality of the situation is that I can't protect you as well from… other predators when I'm limited to animal blood. I can't guarantee your safety, nor can I guarantee Stefan's… I mean, sure he can hold his own in a fight, but I was always the secret weapon that sealed the deal." A wistful smile revealed all she needed to know.

She nodded. "Okay." She had already realized that changing Damon's lifestyle wouldn't end up working. "So go back to drinking human blood, the blood bank kind," she added as an afterthought and he simply shrugged his shoulders. "The thrill of the kill isn't what it used to be anyway; Stefan's speeches about morality took the fun out of that."

"He's such a killjoy," Elena remarked sarcastically and with a roll of her eyes, though she couldn't help but match her smile to Damon's.

His trademark mischief illuminated his eyes. "Plus, there are other ways to satisfy my predatory instincts."

She shook her head and looked away while keeping her head down and eyes on the floor. He watched her cheeks color crimson and her long lashes flutter in silent excitement. He didn't hide his contentment at the effects he aroused, but remained in place, leaning against the window sill so as to keep her discomfort to a minimum, for now anyway. "What's with the sudden change of heart?"

Elena drew her feet together and turned them inwards so her toes were almost touching. "You're not the only vampire I've run into," she verbalized to him, conscious of how absurd those words would have sounded to her less than a year ago. "It's selfish really." She raised her head to look at him again. "I don't have the same added advantages as you; I'm human, but with you in my corner… at least I'm on an equal footing."

"So… basically what you're saying is that you need me… to protect you."

She nodded in agreement. "To protect me."

"To protect you," he repeated.

And die for her if needed was something that crossed both their minds simultaneously, and what she was trying to figure out was, if he thought she was worth saving and dying for, then wasn't he as well? There was something morbidly romantic about the notion.

"It's how you stay among the living, where I'd like you to stay," she softly confessed to him, their eyes meeting intimately.

"What about you?"

The topic up for discussion was a serious one, but their positioning—him leaning against the windowsill and her still seated on the bed—kept it informal and calm.

She didn't instantly dismiss his question, the way she had before, because she knew that if she were realistic, she at least had to consider the option. What if this did last? Her composure maintained its wholeness and serenity as she responded, "Let's see if we can survive this first and experience what it's like to be together… without the thought of death. Or the negative aspect of it anyway," she quickly included.

"Hey," Damon said, "you don't have to sugarcoat death for me. I'm too deep into it for that; you just make the best out of it." He paused to lick his lips before he continued on, "Especially since my reason for dying and resurrecting has dissolved into a pile of ashes." He held her gaze. "Ironically enough, I've now found my reason for living."

His words touched her more deeply than any of his words had ever managed to. She didn't make a big deal out of it because she didn't want him to pull back and retreat into his shell, hardened over the many years due to disappointments and heartaches. She did get up, eyeing the small alarm clock on his bedside table. It had gone only just past midnight. "I know you don't usually sleep, but you want to give it a try?"

"What the hell," was his response as he pushed himself from the windowsill and headed for the opposite side of the bed. He kicked off his shoes and gave her attire an onceover, her back still turned to him. "You want something more comfortable to sleep in?"

Elena shook her head and bit her lip as she began undressing slowly and somewhat unsurely. Her jeans she shrugged off first, as gracefully as she could, and then her camisole followed, leaving her standing in her matching light pink bra and panties. She felt incredibly vulnerable, but she wanted to be comfortable like this in front of him: practically naked and bearing all of her skin.

Damon had only managed to get to his shoes and was just looking at her, awestruck at the flawless olive strips of skin, soft flowing lines, rosy cheeks and pouty lips, and her hair falling down in an unruly manner. She was pure beauty.

She bit her lip again and smiled, her eyes downcast and the color in her cheeks deepening. "Stop looking at me like you've never seen a girl naked before."

"Technically you're not naked, but in a state of undress."

She turned her feet inwards, a self-protective measure, but put one hand on her hip as confidently as she could, a cute gesture. "Are you going to take off more?" She blew a strand of hair out of her face and locked eyes with him. "It's only fair, and I'd feel more comfortable if I wasn't the only one in a state of undress."

"Well, you better buy me a lamp and call me a genie because my wish is your command. But I can think of a better place to rub me than the lamp," he finished seductively before continuing to undress himself. He took off his shirt and started to undo his belt while she watched him shyly, but closely.

"Oh," he began, unzipping his jeans and sliding his fingers in between the waistband," I think I forgot to mention this, but I tend to go commando."

Elena's lips slightly parted in shock while her eyes flickered up to his, trying to figure out if this was just him pushing her buttons. But before she could ask, he dropped his pants and she got a full and uncensored view of his most private parts. She turned her head, not knowing where to rest her eyes or what to say, though, fortunately, Damon simply slid beneath the covers.

"Are you going to take off more?" he asked, his tone of voice teasing. He didn't expect her to take off any more. Realizing this, Elena decided to be bold and fearless, although it all cumulated into something sexy in Damon's eyes as she unhooked her bra and slipped out of her underwear. She was quick to dive beneath the covers, but he had gotten more than a good look at her in all of her glory, and it didn't disappoint.

They remained laying there in silence for a few seconds.

"Now you're naked," Damon told her, drawing the attention to where she'd rather not want it out of embarrassment. He looked over at her and caught her eyes with his. "I might need something to wear me out before I can even consider going to sleep." Elena laughed and he rolled onto his side. "What can I say, I'm a night person."

She turned her head a little more to look at him, her lips now aligned perfectly with his. He leaned in some more, his lips hovering over hers like a bird that was ready to go in for the kill, though he didn't. Instead, he waited until she came to him, which she did. Their lips met lightly at first, though they eventually crashed together as their bodies did. He maneuvered himself on top of her, one leg in between hers so he wouldn't be too tempted to lose complete control, not without her permission.

Skin was pressed on skin while their hands experimented in different directions. He had one on the side of the face while the fingers of the other were tracing the lines of her body, stopping to apply pressure every now and then to see what kind of reaction he would get from her. Meanwhile, one of her hands was lost in his locks and the other was on the dip just above his backside.

She moaned as he temporarily broke their kiss and dipped his head to trail kisses elsewhere. Both of her hands now flew to his back as she urged him on. "Damon," she said his name, her eyes closed and words laced with lust. She felt him smile against her stomach and she opened her eyes again, looking down at him. "What?"

Damon chuckled as he brought his head back up. "You know that I'd love nothing more but to have sex with you, but seeing as how I'm not the most responsible vampire, I don't have any condoms… And I personally don't want any vampire spawn running around and making the world a not so better place. Is there any chance you brought—"

Elena shook her head, obviously sexually frustrated. "Damon," she whined.

He silenced her by kissing her neck, feeling her fingers delve into his hair again. "I could go into Stefan's room…" He stopped to look at her as she went over what he just said.

Finally, she nodded and began to push him off her. "Do it."

"Like I said, your wish is my command." He placed a kiss on her stomach and got out of bed and left the room. When he came back, he crawled back under the covers, settling on top of her. What followed was their first time.

Afterwards she fell asleep, as did he.

Please review? Well? To be honest, the writing experience isn't as satisfactory any more because loose ends are pretty much tied up and I feel like I'm dragging this story along when it's no longer necessary, so one of the next chapter will be its last. I can start a new story then, maybe, or write some one parters because I still very much love this pairing and am excited for the show to start again. Thanks for reading and please review and reassure me on the job search thing if you're feeling particularly kind. :)