Somehow it is cut so much

Deeper then they seem

You'd rather cover up

I'd rather let them be

So let me be

And I'll set you free

He picked her up outside of school as usual at a quarter to three. Every day. Same spot. Same time.

She slid along the seat, leaving a distance between them that he longed to close in on, but that he was scared of doing something about since he didn't completely trust himself around her.

He could see her glancing over at him every few minutes or so, and he pretended not to take any notice. But he observed everything about her. She was all he breathed, all he could feel and hear and see. She was his everything, and she didn't even know. Totally oblivious of the power she held over him, she sat there holding her books in a tight grip.

This had been their routine for the past two months with Stefan gone. Elena had wanted to go on a frantic vamp hunt after Klaus had taken Stefan with him. But in the end, it had been Alaric who had set her straight. She couldn't just up and leave, she had school. Her friends. She was still a teenager. She had Jeremy. And that was the only thing that had stopped her; Jeremy.

Jenna had just been buried when Stefan gave his freedom up for the cure to Damon's werebite. And Alaric had convinced her that leaving Jeremy after his own near death experience and other strange witchy woo woo that was going on, would be the worst that could happen to the teenager. Jeremy had lost too many in such a short a time, he couldn't handle losing Elena too.

So Damon had been left behind when his sidekick and vampire hunter had gone on a blind goose chase to find his lost brother. To play Elena's babysitter. Not that he minded. She filled his every waking hour as it was; to be able to just sit next to her in his car in complete silence, was one of those rare moments that encircled Damon with pure serenity. He could do this forever and a day.

Two months of silence in his car. Two months of acting as if what had happened between them had been nothing but an illusion, a dream.

So he did nothing. But watched. Waited. Pretended not to care.

'We're here', he said as they reached the boarding house. She flinched at the sound of his voice and he wondered to himself what she had been thinking about, losing herself in memories or thoughts that he couldn't reach or ask about. She wasn't his to know in that sort of way.

She didn't say a word, but walked straight past the library and into the kitchen. He liked that. The familiarity of it all. She knew he would cook for her, just like he had the past weeks. He liked cooking for her, and he liked that it surprised her every time. As if she couldn't get around the fact that he could be homey.

He enjoyed surprising her. A little bit too much, in fact.

'So, what would Miss Elena like for dinner tonight?'

This is where they let their guard down. This is where their friendship blossomed. In the kitchen with the kitchen island as a safety harness between them. In the car the close proximity made it hard to breathe. But the kitchen was a nonthreatening environment, letting them act normal around each other. Banter all around.

'I don't know. Maybe some pasta with chicken?'

Damon frowned and looked at Elena with one brow raised.

'You're not seriously telling me you want pasta and chicken. You had that yesterday, so that would mean left overs. I don't do left overs, honey. You gotta give me something better than that.'

Elena blushed a little.

'I just don't want to be any more trouble, Damon, than I already am. I know you're stuck here with me, and you'd rather be right in the middle of the action.' She sighed. 'I just don't want you to get bored.'

'I could never get bored with you, Elena.'

He said her name like it was dipped in honey and she swallowed hard. It was getting more and more difficult to breathe for every day they spent together. She should really ask to go home, but she knew that with Klaus still on the loose, Damon would never leave her out of his sight. And Damon had promised to keep her safe until Stefan was returned.

Damon always stood by his word. Which meant she would have to stay with him.

She sat down to buy herself some time before she met his eyes. They were an unusual fluorescent blue that seemed to see right through into her soul. He tilted his head waiting for her to speak.

'Ok,' he said when she didn't seem to have an answer for him. 'If you don't wanna choose I'm gonna do it for you. So, how about some delicious potato salad with smoked salmon.' He had already taken the precaution to get the potatoes ready in the morning. Potato salad was better when served chilled.

He started moving around the kitchen with an ease that amazed her every time she saw it. He made cooking look easy. Elena didn't even know how to boil an egg, let alone how to make a salad. She leaned forward a bit to have a look at what he was doing.

'Wanna help?' he asked without looking at her, while he brought out the salmon from the fridge. 'You could start cutting the leek and onion. Just stick them in this bowl here when you're done. ' He pointed at a large ceramic black bowl standing in front of her, already filled with small purple potatoes.

She stood up and reached for the knife. She could hear him chuckle.

'You really aren't used to being in the kitchen, are you? You need to wash your hands off first. There's some hand soap next to the sink.'

She nodded silently, thinking that the girl who finally would catch him could call herself lucky. She ignored the cold hand clenching her stomach at the thought of Damon caught by anyone. They were thoughts made to be tucked away. Far and deep into the crevices of her heart. Somewhere hidden, where it wouldn't remind her of that nagging feeling of regret.

She did as she was told, and started cutting the leek. She kept looking over at him, but he seemed deep in concentration with cutting beetroot into small squares then soaking them in balsamic vinegar and virgin oil.

'Beetroot?' she queried as he added a pinch of salt and then some pepper to the mix.

He nodded and smiled at her. It was the cutest and most relaxed smile she'd ever seen him wear, and boy, did he wear it well. He seemed so young all of a sudden and her insides felt hot. She hastily looked away.

'It's the secret ingredient. Normally you'd have beetroot with meat. But it's really delish with a cold potato salad and salmon.'

'How come you know all of this?' she found herself asking.

'Because life as a living dead can be quite the boredom if you don't take on any hobbies.'

'So you took cooking courses because you were bored?'

Damon gave her a wolfish grin while cutting dill into the potato salad with a small pair of scissors.

'Well, yea, that and the fact that knowing how to use a kitchen knife gets you laid.'

Elena nudged him in the side with her elbow, but she was smiling widely at him.

'So, what's next?' she asked him turning to face the rest of the ingredients that were still lying on the counter.

'We just need to lay the salmon out on this platter, get some lemon zest drizzled over it, pinch of salt and pepper and we're good to go.' Damon turned to the bowl of potato salad that he had covered up earlier, after zesting some lemon on top. He had patiently explained to Elena that the reason for covering the salad was to let the ingredients sink in for better taste. Elena had been watching his lips intently the whole time, finding herself wondering what he would taste like right there and then, before she shook herself out of that line of thought with a big shrug.

It was so not on, wanting to feel the lips of the brother of the boy she loved on top of her own. Especially since Stefan had been kidnapped by a crazy werevamp, who could be doing god knows what with him right now.

Where was her head at? Really? This wasn't like her at all. But there had been a change inside of her regarding Damon. And ignoring it was getting harder and harder to do. Especially surrounded by the heady scent of said brother. And it wasn't his after shave that did it to her. It was him, and his natural scent. It sent her off course. Sent her world into a spin, tilted her existence. And he didn't even know it.

I am in misery

There ain't no other

Who can comfort me

Why won't you answer me?

Your silence is slowly killing me

Girl you really got me bad

Damon took the cover off and brought it over to the table. Elena carefully laid out the salmon, but she let Damon add the finishing touches, making quite sure they wouldn't accidently touch each other by chance. There was enough electrical charge running between them as it was, it was making her dizzy. To touch him now would be a serious disaster. Just thinking about his hands on her, sent hot flushes down her back, reaching her middle, to settle low in her stomach.

To rid herself of the thoughts in her head, she walked over the sink to wash her hands. When she was done, Damon was standing behind her with a glass of white wine. She started shaking her head at it but he stopped her.

'This glass of wine is the only alcohol you'll get, I promise. It goes beautifully with the fish; it's a South African Sauvignon, very clear and fresh to the taste. After that you're back on milk or water, which ever you prefer.' He winked at her when she reached for the glass. 'Come on, let's sit down.'

They ate the meal in complete silence. And the silence was good. It was calming. Sometimes their eyes would meet and they would smile at each other in mutual agreement, but not a single word was spoken. When had they become so close that they could sit in company with each other and let silence speak for itself?

Elena relaxed back in the chair after dinner was finished. She took the last sip of wine from her high stemmed glass, before she closed her eyes in satisfaction and leaned her head against the back rest.

'That was just amazing, Damon. It's been a long time since I had something as refreshing as this.' She raised her head and looked at him. 'You really are good at this. Why don't you do something about it?'

'What, becoming the new Jamie Oliver of the US? Thanks but no thanks.' He frowned and tilted his head a little before speaking again.

'You can't help yourself, can you? Always trying to make me the better man. I am what I am, Elena. Nothing, not even a little bit of cooking is gonna change that.'

Elena sighed and leaned back in her seat again, closing her eyes in the process.

There it was again, the big secret, the big lump of remorse and regret that was a boulder stuck between them.

I like you, just the way you are.

Damon was able to scrutinize her in peace. He drank her in, just as he did every day. But today he couldn't seem to get enough. He could see the pulse at the base of her throat just next to her locket filled with vervain. Her neck was so delicate; he wished he could just touch it. With his fingertips, just once let them brush against her clavicle.

'Why are you looking at me like I'm dinner?'

Elena's voice brought him back to reality. He hadn't noticed her looking up at him. It took him less than a second to find himself. Some of the perks with being a vampire; it was harder for humans to see them disconcerted.

'It's because, in actuality you are, Elena.' He grinned, giving her a once over with his brow raised. He had the fortune to watch her blush. 'But don't you worry; I've had my kind of dinner before you got here.'

She stood up and started clearing the table, to have something to do instead of feeling stupid asking him something like that. But most of all because of the look in his eyes when he spoke to her. She could feel it all the way down to her toes.

Elena sighed while rinsing the plates. The wine must have gone straight to her head, there were thoughts dwindling in and out of her head.

And all of them were thoughts of Damon. She inadvertently touched her vervain necklace and breathed a sigh of relief still feeling it, safely around her neck.

It was the wine, definitely the wine. Because why else would she think about him like this?

She didn't know how, but all of a sudden she knew that he was standing right behind her. It might have been the way the hair on her neck stood on end quite unexpectedly. She continued rinsing the forks and knives, the glasses; putting them to the side to be stacked into the dishwasher. She pretended she hadn't noticed his closeness, but she knew, and she didn't mind. The warmth of his body made her skin tingle ever so slightly. When she was finished, she just stood there, hands against the sink and eyes closed. She knew that this moment would never come again.

'How come you're so warm, even though, technically, you're dead?'

Damon took a small step closer before he answered and he could hear her breath catch. They were standing so close that he could feel her heartbeat against his chest and the heat of her body against his.

'It's the human blood. Remember I told you about it in Atlanta? Drinking blood keeps our bodies functioning almost as a normal human's. Which means that my body temperature is a normal 98.6, just like yours.'

Elena turned around, her breasts skimming his chest, and now it was his turn to catch his breath. Very unnecessary since he was dead, but it was a reflex, like so many other things. Like how his body twitched at the thought of her naked underneath him.

Her eyes were focused on his; they were a dark brown, nearly black. He nearly failed at meeting them, but somehow they drew him in, keeping him there. Suddenly his mouth felt dry and he had an urge to turn around and walk away from this situation which he wasn't sure if he was ready to handle.

'So, what's it like, being a vampire?' she asked, letting her eyes skim his lips and back up again. She leaned against the sink which in turn meant that her hips jutted out a little bit extra. His hardness was resting gently against the front of her jeans, and he swallowed nervously, not knowing if he could answer her without his voice breaking. He knew that she felt how turned on he was, but she didn't move away from him.

And he couldn't.

'Maybe we should go into the library, watch some TV? I think there's one of those dance programs on that you like.' He was stalling, he knew it, but he needed to get further away from her. 'I'll get the coffee going.'

'Whatever', she replied, looking at him intently.

With a huge effort he turned around and started sorting some coffee out avoiding looking at her. He could nearly hear her smirk before she left for the library. As soon as she was gone he breathed out in relief. His hard on was killing him. And what the hell was she doing? This wasn't like Elena at all. And for the first time he was scared around her. She was actually frightening him.

Say your faith is shaken

You may be mistaken

You keep me wide awake and

Waiting for the sun

I'm desperate and confused

So far away from you

Damon was delaying walking into the library after her, and when he saw her sprawled out on the couch, remote in hand, he knew he was knee deep in shit. Her hair lay silken against the backrest and he wanted to run his fingers through it, smell it, feel it against his cheek, his chest.

'Are you just gonna stand there?' she asked, looking at him with a cheeky grin. 'It's about to start, and I'm dying for some coffee.'

'Sure', he said, shaking himself out of the reverie. He sat down next to her, handing her a mug of steaming hot coffee. They sat in silence for quite some time, watching Cat Deeley prancing around in yet another skimpy outfit, showing off her extremely long and toned honey colored legs. Damon shifted uncomfortably on the couch. And it wasn't due to Cat's shapely legs. No, it was due to someone in much closer proximity and with some quite shapely forms of her own.

'So, you must have done some dancing in your lifetime.' Elena said, out of the blue. She was thinking back to the Miss Mystic Falls dance, where he had saved the day by turning up and danced with her. He had moved so smoothly and with such cat like grace, it had terrified her. She could still remember the way he had looked down on her, what he had smelled like and how sure he had seemed in what he was doing. She had felt secure in his arms. Protected.

'M-hm', was all he said, so she decided to prod at bit more.

'What kinda dancing have you done then?'

He looked over at her with a confused look on his face.

'Why the third degree about my dancing skills? I thought we were watching this.' He nodded to the screen.

'Yea, well, you're such a secretive person, Mr. Salvatore, so I'd rather listen to your history than watching this. Even though, I have to say that dark haired guy is looking mighty fine in his jumpsuit.' She grinned at Damon cheekily and he couldn't help but smile back.

Whatever Elena Gilbert wanted, Elena Gilbert got.

'Ok, I've done most dances. Where to start? Boring ones? Head banging in the eighties. Not my type of scene. And the haircuts', he frowned. 'Let me tell you, I didn't look pretty.'

'I really enjoyed the twenties, though. The Bunny-hug was one of my favorites. But a classic like the Charleston wasn't so bad either. The flappers were gorgeous to look at. With their short skirts and bobbed hair.' He gave her his trademark grin and lifted his brow seductively. 'You'd look great as a flapper.'

Elena smiled at him, shifting so her legs brushed against his thigh. He sat perfectly still, waiting for her to move and put some distance between them, but she never did. When he looked up at her, she was watching him intently. He swallowed hard and tried to smile, but the smile faded.

All of a sudden the room felt too small for the both of them. Elena inched closer, now sitting so near to him that their shoulders met. Her right leg had somehow ended up across his lap.

'Will you show me your favorite dance one day?' she whispered. 'You know, really show me.'

There was no hiding the subtext behind her words. He tried to, but couldn't. She gazed at him behind lowered lashes, her eyes darkened by affection and want. As if in slow motion he saw her hand lift as she gently slid her fingers through his hair, letting her thumb graze his earlobe. He shivered and seized her hand to make her let go of him. His eyes flickered to her neck. Her necklace was still hanging right where it should.

'What are you doing?' he groaned tightly. She looked a bit taken aback, but gave him a secretive smile.

'Haven't you always wondered what it would be like?' She tilted her head to the side while breaking her hand free from his grip. Her leg had ridden up so it was rubbing against his dick. Damon locked his eyes to hers and scanned her face for something, anything, to prove to him that he wasn't actually hearing what he just heard.

He grabbed her neck roughly. They sat still for an agonizingly long time before his lips came crashing down on hers.

He was on top of her, her legs around his waist. Their bodies hard pressed against each other, fighting to break loose from their clothes, lips locked in a kiss none of them wanted to break. It only took Damon a moment to rid himself of his shirt and jeans. Still kissing Elena violently, bruising her lips, he ripped her top in one graceful move, leaving her lace clad chest free for his roaming hands. Her skin felt so soft against his fingers. He bent his head down to kiss the cleavage between her breasts, slowly removing the straps from her shoulders. Elena's head dipped backwards and she grabbed his hair, holding his head in place as he took one of her nipples in his mouth, letting his tongue roll in circles around it, tasting her.

She let out a loud moan as he bit down using his blunt teeth, before trailing his tongue to her other nipple, while sliding his hands down to her rear, lifting her closer to him. He rubbed himself against her, feeling the strain in his groin, pushing harder and harder.

'Elena,' he sighed against her breasts before climbing up to meet her eyes. She smiled wickedly at him, and then pulled him against her, letting her tongue slip inside his mouth, exploring him, making his dick grow in size, making him sweat and hurt and ache to plunge deep inside of her.

It was so good, but it was so bad. He knew this. He knew he should stop it, but he couldn't.

'Undress me,' she demanded in a low voice.

Your salty skin and how it mixes in with mine

The way it feels to be completely intertwined

It's not that I didn't care, it's that I didn't know

It's not what I didn't feel, it's what I didn't show

So let me be and I'll set you free

Elena was riding him hard, letting herself go completely. She kept her hands on his chest as leverage, while using her upper thighs to move rapidly up and down his aching shaft. Damon had to grip her hips hard to steady himself.

'Elena. You need to…' He could barely get the words out, and he had to bite his lip for a second not to moan out loud as she ground herself against him with relentless force. 'You need to stop for a second. I'm…um, I'm gonna… not be able to stop.'

She let her nails dig themselves deep into his chest as an answer and he growled at her, trying to sit up, their eyes locking. Her smile sent shivers down his spine in anticipation and then she roughly pushed him back down against the sofa with a lot of strength for such a tiny person.

'Aah, Elena. Stop.' He groaned trying to force himself not to buck his hips in response to her. He wasn't far gone now. Only a few seconds, if that.

'Please.' He couldn't believe he'd resorted to begging her to stop. He'd never thought that even possible. But he was too excited. He could feel his dick twitch inside of her as she clenched her inner walls around him. But he didn't want it to end. So he tried one last time knowing that if she didn't stop right away he'd have to let go. 'Please, Elena.'

He could hear her snigger before slamming to a stop against his hips. The room was still except for their heavy panting. Damon tried to calm down, keeping his eyes firmly shut. He licked his lips, his head filled with anything but the very naked and supple girl straddling him. If she so much as moved a fraction of an inch he'd come inside of her right away.

She moved her hands up towards his shoulders and started leaning forward. Again he grabbed her hips holding her in place.

'I'm not kidding. If you move…' he breathed quietly.

They lay still for a long while, their breathing gradually calming down. Damon felt Elena's body tense up to lean forward again. Her breasts skimmed his chest and she pried his hands away from her hips and put them above his head. And her hair fanned around their faces encasing them together. He opened his eyes and searched for hers. Painfully slowly Elena started moving her hips in small circles letting him fill her all the way up. He let out a moan of gratification at her slow movements. He'd calmed himself down enough to be able to respond to her again.

He'd never in his vampire life had to stop having sex with a woman. Ever. This is what she did to him. He became a bundle of nerves, too sensitive to touch around her. And he'd never been as excited around anyone as he was Elena Gilbert. The hold she had over him was out of this world.

Unbreakable.

'You ready?' she purred against his mouth. He smiled and nodded. Grabbing hold of the back of her head he kissed her hard while driving himself deeper inside of her. Her moans turned crescendo into low screams of pleasure as his dick rubbed against her sensitive clit.

'Damon', she moaned. 'Da-amon.'

She was ruthlessly slamming into him over and over, her beautiful breasts bouncing up and down as she did. He leaned in and took one of her nipples in his mouth and sucked slowly before letting his tongue swirl around it. With one hand on her hips he started massaging her other breast, gently rubbing her nipple between his fingers, extracting another lustful moan from her lips.

She roughly pushed him back again, a faint smile showing.

'Sit up', she demanded.

He did, with her still straddling him. Elena started moving down his aching shaft again, painfully slow, not letting go of his gaze.

'I want all of you inside of me', she whispered, licking her lips. 'I want you to bite me.'

Time stopped. It literally stopped.

Damon tried his hardest to stay still, but the words that had come out of her mouth was the added fuel to an already raging fire. His grip around her hips hardened and he bucked his hips violently, making her gasp out loud.

He started circling her clit with his thumb while sucking and lightly biting down on her hard nipples. Elena's eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head, but she kept the pace, crashing down on him, meeting his every thrust with enthusiasm.

'Oh my god, Damon, I'm gonna come.' She moaned between clenched teeth. Their eyes met briefly as he vamped out and she leaned her head to the side as an invite for him. He licked her blood filled vein, sucking on her skin to warm up the area, letting his fangs graze her neck sending shivers down her spine.

Elena's hot wet walls were enfolding him squeezing tight around him as she started to drive him home. Her panting was loud and her eyes unfocused. He knew she was close. He penetrated her skin just as her first wave of orgasm hit her.

'Oh my, oh Damon,' she moaned, holding his head still, as he drank deeply from her luscious vein. Her blood was singing to him, she tasted so sweet and as he came he bit down again, but this time not drinking as intensely. Elena's breathing was elaborated, but she sounded sated.

Damon licked her neck clean and looked up at her. She softly stroked the veins under his eyes and leaned down to kiss him, fangs and all. Her tongue stroked against one of the sharp corners and Damon could taste fresh blood in his mouth.

Without warning, Elena bit down on his bottom lip, hard enough to draw blood. Damon pulled back, but she just leaned forward and sucked on his lip and then eased her tongue back into his mouth.

The kiss was amazing. Elena's soft tongue met his and his blood mixed with the pure taste of her was like an elixir. A wave of heat coursed through his body. Their kiss deepened and they held onto each other, neither wanting to let go, but both knowing they had to.

'I've never done anything like this before,' she whispered against his lips.

'Me neither,' he answered back. And it was a truthful answer. He had never before made love to someone he valued as much as Elena. He had never shared blood with anyone, not as intimately as this, not with someone he truly loved.

Elena kissed him one last time before she detached herself from him. He watched her locate her clothes, but she settled on pulling her cardigan around her before heading towards the stairs.

'Pick me up tomorrow again?'

He looked over at her and nodded before she walked out of the library and towards Stefan's room.

She was his poison. His drug, which he craved. She was flowing through his bloodstream, and not only metaphorically.

She was his addiction and she knew it.

She knew it.

Lyrics used; Maroon 5 - Misery