A/N: This is kind of an author's note and warning in one, because I'm going to be honest and say the ending your about to read may not be the most popular one, but it's one I envisioned from the start of writing this. I want to say again how much I appreciated your reviews! Please leave me one more gift for the end of this story :)

168 hours

Elena could only think of one thing and one thing only, and that was sleep. It was a hunger that her whole body was complaining for. Her legs felt too rigid, her arms too closely connected to her shoulders that were sore and prickly-feeling, her neck not stable enough, more like a bobble head toy. And none of this was being helped when she was only six or so feet away from her bed, which was looking almost as fluffed and majestic as the cloud on the new Katy Perry album.

"Do you think this is really working?" she asked Damon. She rubbed her eye with the side of her hand.

"I don't know, am I still awake?" Damon blinked.

They were standing in Elena's bedroom. They were standing because Damon thought it would help them from falling asleep. They were in Elena's bedroom because they were too lazy to move very far from their touching/make-out session in her bathroom. Neither of them were exactly sure how long that had lasted, other than the blur of lips and hands, and when they did leave the illuminated square of a room it was slightly brighter outside. It took them way too long to find a clock, but once they did, they saw in lime green letters that they were 37 minutes away from being awake an entire week. That's when Damon suggested they stand up, both of them still shirtless.

"I think so," she said.

"What time is it?"

She turned her head to read the digital face. "8:49."

He grumbled something, it sounding kind of a like a growl. Smoothing the palms of his hand up the underside of his chin, he sighed.

"I thought you said you could stay up for another week," she said.

"I said that when I thought you'd be asleep in the next day, two tops, and naked within the next three," he said. His yawn moved his entire head back, the craziness of his hair making him look like a sleepy lion.

Lions made Elena daydream about golden fur and soft things, and she had to flash her hand in front of her eyes to make sure she was only daydreaming and not doing that kind of closed eyelid dreaming that she'd been missing…a lot. She yawned, too gone to appreciate the irony of Damon starting the chain effect this time. Trying to focus on something that would jolt her even a little, she looked to her window for some sun. But the clear, bright morning only reminded her of how gritty her eyes were feeling.

"Damon."

"Yeah," he said. His gaze was following hers around the room, probably too bored to do anything else.

She shook her head, making her spine feel like Jell-o and a rock at the same time. "I don't remember."

He chuckled, but slower than he normally would have. "Me neither."

She crossed her arms, because her ribs were like wobbly things underneath her skin, and she was surprised to not feel the material of her tank top. Her eyes dropped. "I'm not wearing a shirt!"

"You look better without one," he said. He started walking towards her, staggering almost as much as an eyeliner-less Jack Sparrow. When he was right in front her, he tried to touch her shoulder, but ended up swatting air. He snickered. "Oops."

"I forgive you," she said, very serious.

Damon squinted, looking to the ceiling as if searching for something. "I think this has gone on long enough."

"What has?"

"What?" he said.

"I said what has," she said. At least she thought she did.

Damon scratched his forehead. "Right, this has gone on way too long."

Suddenly Elena could understand what he was telling her. "Are you forfeiting?"

"No!" Damon said. The force of raising his voice rocked his body forward like a violent seesaw into
Elena.

Her feet weren't ready for this at all as she began to bend backwards at his weight until he pulled her back up. Once her toes were on the hardwood floor again, she only felt slightly balanced, because a good deal of his weight was slouched against her. Her face was stuck against his upper chest, and she could have sworn he smelled like strawberry ice cream and suntan lotion. And it reminded her of the outdoor summer she still wasn't experiencing.

"What if we both forfeited together?" she whispered. She was close enough to his ear for whispering.

"You mean we both lose?"

She shook her head into his collarbone. "No, we both win."

He was silent for nearly a minute. "Okay."

"Okay," she whispered.

Before she could pull away, they were shuffling backwards. Then she felt her down comforter on her calves. Finally she was completely horizontal on her bed. Damon was next to her, reaching for pillows. He handed her one before he squished one under his own head. Elena was on her back. Damon was on his side.

He thrummed his fingers along her stomach. "So, what does this both winning thing mean?"

She couldn't believe he would want to talk at a time like this. But, she tried to stay conscious. "We both have to keep our side of the bet."

"At the same time?"

"If you want," she said. She was imagining the feel of spandex against her naked body. "I have a whole nother week on house arrest."

"A whole week?" he said softly.

She smiled. "A whole week."

He kissed her. "Go to sleep."

"You have to close your eyes first," she said, barely keeping hers open.

"Fine," he said. He clutched her side to scoot her against himself. Closing his eyes, he said, "Goodnight."

She watched him a little before moving closer and kissing him. With her fingertip she caressed the shape of an S on his bare chest, and kissed him again. He didn't respond, so she laid back down. Snuggling into the comforter that felt much more amazing than she'd remembered, she closed her eyes, the insides of the lids feeling like warm liquid in her sockets. Feeling herself swirl into a rabbit hole-like dream, she opened them again.

"The clock," she mumbled. On her bedside table, it said 9:02, and she sighed. They made a week.

Before closing her eyes for the final time, she thought she saw Damon smirk. But, thinking he was dreaming, she didn't pay attention, instead slipping into a thick, slow breathing sleep. She didn't even feel him smooth her hair from her cheek, or slowly kiss each eyelid.

A/N: Again, thank you for reading. Now...review :)