(One Month Later)

DPOV

I was still having nightmares about that hotel room. Every night Elena's blood stained face haunted me, sweat and tears streaking pale lines through the red. Every night I relived the agony that was my body, craving Elena's blood like a human's oxygen deprived body craves air, the torture that felt like shoving a branding iron down my own throat. Every night I woke up, dripping with sweat and gasping for breath.

I cried out as I jerked out of my fitful slumber. I trembled from the vivid memory of it all. Sitting up slowly, I gave out a shaky sigh and got out of my tangled bedcovers. I stepped cautiously towards Elena's makeshift room. Stefan had gone again, this time searching for the bits and pieces that came together to form his new day ring. Elena lay underneath Stefan's silky duvet, breathing lightly and barely moving. She was dreaming about... me... and Stefan. In her dream, she was telling Stefan that she couldn't be with him anymore... not when her heart belonged to someone else... Damon?

I gasped in shock. It's only a dream, Damon; it might not be true... I told myself, but I was unable to contain the sheer joy that, even if it was just in her dreams, she had chosen me. I silently glided over to where my angel was sleeping, stroked her face, and kissed her forehead. I didn't deserve her. Not after the agony I put her through that night at the hotel. That Stefan put her through... my mind corrected me. I had told him to leave Darke alone, but he had to continue with his vain attempts to recover his ring, Katherine's ring, which almost had Elena killed.

I looked back into Elena's dreams.

They were somewhat more private now, and I'm almost certain Elena would shove a stake up my ass if I didn't stop watching them, but I could tell they went something like that time in the holidays, just after Darke's first appearance...

I stopped watching. I wouldn't want anyone seeing my dreams if they were anything like that.

I walked downstairs and grabbed myself a Bourbon on the rocks. Crashing on the sofa, I felt the warm mixture of alcohol and sleep wash over me, and sure enough, I was gone. It was the best night's sleep I'd had for a month.

EPOV

I woke up the next morning bright red. I couldn't believe what I had just dreamt. I felt so embarrassed. But that dream had told me one thing. One so very important thing.

I loved Damon.

More than Stefan. More than anything in the whole world. But not in the same way as with Stefan. My relationship with Stefan and been a mushy, lovey-dovey, soppyness of a relationship. My relationship with Damon was so much more. But telling this to Stefan would break his heart. I couldn't give up on us just yet. I had to get more excitement into our time together. But this would be difficult to do, seeing as though he was never around anymore...

I staggered down the stairs in the dark to get some water to calm my nerves. As I came back from the kitchen, I noticed Damon on the couch, breathing deeply, his face so peaceful. There were very few times when Damon looked so relaxed. I decided to sit down on the other sofa to watch him sleep. I'm not too sure when I fell asleep. I just know that when I did, it was dreamless.

DPOV

I woke up a few hours later, a dim light filtering through the curtains. I had a stiff neck from laying in an awkward position on the sofa, and the light from the window stung my hand where it touched it, and small blisters appeared. I pulled my hand back and realised my ring had fallen off during the night. Felt around on the floor for it, and when my hand found it, I shoved it back on.

I moaned and opened my eyes, and found Elena on the sofa opposite, her arm dangling gracefully over the side. I smiled as I realised she had been watching me sleep. I guessed that I deserved it, after peeking into her dreams only a few hours previous. I looked at the floor and noticed that my bourbon glass had smashed on the floor when I fell asleep. I cleaned it up, then slowly picked up Elena and gently carried her back to bed, where she sighed in her sleep lightly.

It was the start of a new day, and as I looked out the window, I realised for the first time just how beautiful the daytime was.