Disastrous. That was the only word that could describe how homecoming had turned out. Mikael was dead, Stefan was gone, and Klaus was now literally unstoppable.

Elena rolled over in her bed, staring at the sunlight pouring into her room through her window. How could it possibly still shine after all that had happened?

Of course, she couldn't help but envy all those who had been at the Lockwood's party last night, without a clue of what was really happening there.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she sighed and rolled out of bed, standing up and walking over to her mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes from her sleepless night, and she yawned, wishing she could just crawl back into bed and stay there.

But she couldn't. Because she wasn't the only one who had been impacted by last night's failed events.

Most likely, Damon's night had been much worse, with far too much alcohol consumption, and, she prayed for it not to be so; a few bodies scattered through the Salvatore boarding house.

Hoping it wouldn't be too much of a disaster area when she got there, she quickly dressed, threw her hair in a ponytail, and rushed out the door and into her car.

When she pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine, she let out a bit of the breath she had been holding; there were no dead bodies outside. Always a good sign. She could only hope it would be the same inside, too.

She got out of the car and walked, cautiously, up to the door, knocking. Of course, Damon didn't answer. Sighing, she pushed the door open and walked inside.

"Damon?" she called, walking into the house.

Still no dead bodies. She heaved a sigh of relief.

But Damon was still not answering her.

"Damon!" she called in exasperation.

When he still didn't answer her, she walked up the stairs and over to his bedroom door, prepared to storm in angrily.

But she paused in front of the door. What if he was still upset? What if her yelling pushed him over the edge again, and this time she couldn't pull him back to her? That was the last thing she needed right now.

So, instead, she quietly pushed open the door, peaking into his bedroom.

He was sleeping.

She quickly scanned the room; no dead sorority girls. Either he was very good at hiding them, or he hadn't fallen over the edge last night, after all.

She walked over to his bed and crossed her arms over her chest, smiling softly at him.

He was sleeping on his stomach, facing away from her on the pillows, his hair slightly rumpled. She couldn't help but notice how his muscles in his back seemed to ripple when he breathed in and out deeply.

She bit her lip; he was so... perfect.

And it only seemed like he was getting more and more perfect each day. Becoming a sweeter, kinder, more trustworthy Damon.

A Damon who had rolled over as she watched him, and grinned when he saw her standing there, staring at him.

"You know," he said, shutting his eyes again, "Stalking isn't a very attractive quality, Elena."

She blushed.

"I wasn't stalking you."

He opened an eye and looked at her questioningly.

"Oh? How long have you been standing there?"

She bit her lip.

"Five minutes."

He shut the eye again, grinning.

"Stalker..."

"I am not a stalker!" she cried defensively.

She gasped when he grabbed her with vampiric speed, rolling her underneath him.

"It's okay." He said, smiling and brushing hair out of her face. "While other men may find it creepy, I think it's cute."

She blushed.

"Well, I happen to not find being harassed cute."

He shrugged and released his hold on her.

"Fine. I'll just go back to sleep..." he said, rolling back over so that he was facing the wall opposite her.

Her eyes widened impulsively when he did so; she could tell, from where the low spot the blankets were, that he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.

"Did you seriously just grab me while you were naked?" she hissed, blushing furiously.

She could tell he was laughing.

"Oh, lighten up, Elena. You were the one who came barging into my bedroom before I was even awake. What did you expect to find?"

"Underwear, at least!" she cried, and blushed even redder when she said it. That had sounded so stupid...

Damon was laughing openly now.

"Really? It's like you don't know me at all..."

She smacked his arm and rolled her eyes, still blushing beat red.

He rolled over to face her again, and suddenly his smile faded away.

"What were you really expecting to find when you came here, Elena?" he asked quietly.

His sudden seriousness threw her off.

"I... I don't really know." She said, guilt seeping into her stomach. "Maybe a few broken glasses. And, maybe, a few..." she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence, for fear it may set him off.

"Dead bodies?" he offered up, and she sighed, nodding.

She waited for him to snap, to say something smart, something hurtful, something that would make her storm off.

But he didn't. When she looked up at him, his face was blank. All but his eyes. His eyes, always so expressive, the one true way to see into Damon's soul, were filled with... disappointment?

"Damon-" she started.

"No." He seemed to shake himself out of a reverie. "You don't have to say anything. I understand."

"Do you?" she asked, unsure if he really did.

He shrugged.

"I don't blame you for thinking that. It's... something I would do."

Suddenly, she felt something bubble up inside herself. It was... anger?

Yes, she thought, anger. Anger that he had as little faith in himself as she had when she pulled into the driveway.

"I don't think so." She shook her head, absentmindedly reaching over to run a hand through his tousled black hair. "Not anymore."

He took the hand that played with his hair in his hands, holding it tightly.

"I'm sorry." He said. "About last night. It should have worked."

"Why are you apologizing? You didn't screw up the plan." She bit her lip.
"Stefan did."

He sighed and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling while playing with their fingers.

"I don't understand why he did it. We were so close, Elena."

She gave his hand a squeeze.

"We aren't going to give up, Damon."

He looked over at her.

"On Stefan?" he asked, a bit hoarsely. "Or on killing Klaus?"

She squeezed his hand more tightly.

"Stefan is too far gone, Damon. I'm not sure if there is anything left to save."

Damon's expression was unreadable, and Elena sighed.

"Let's just focus on Klaus, alright?"

He gave her a small smile.

"I have a better idea; let's just focus on you today."

She frowned.

"Me? What do you mean?"

He stroked her shoulder with a feather-light brush of his fingertips.

"Well, how long has it been since you've just... had fun? Not worried about anyone else?"
She frowned, genuinely thinking, and came up blank.

"I... don't remember." She admitted.

He grinned.

"Exactly. Which is why I think you need an Elena Day."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And just what do you plan on doing on my Elena Day?"

He smiled.

"Whatever you want. It's your Day. We can have a Damon Day some other time."

She smiled, a genuine smile.

"Well... that actually isn't a bad idea. We could start by going to the Grill for breakfast. No, wait!" she was grinning.

"What?"

"We should start by you putting some pants on. While I'm sure you would be perfectly fine with going out naked, I think it might make other people a bit uncomfortable."

He grinned.

"How does it make you feel?"

He waggled his eyebrows, and she blushed.

He laughed.

"I'm joking, Elena."

She grinned.

"I knew that."

He sat up and rubbed his head before wrapping the blankets around his torso and walking over to the bathroom.

"You do realize what this means, though?" he asked her from in the other room.

"What?" she called into him.

"It means that, if you agree to this, I actually do get a Damon Day somewhere down the road."

She grinned.

"Fine. You'll get your Damon Day, too."

"And you know what that means, don't you?"

She sighed, grinning.

"And what does that mean, Mr. Salvatore?"
He poked his head into the room, grinning that classic flirtatious Damon grin.

"It means bubble bath for two."

She blushed.

"What did I just say about nudity?"

He shrugged.

"I never said anything about being naked. You can wear your clothes if you want."

She raised a brow.

"And you?"
He grinned.

"That's up to me; Damon Day, remember?"

She rolled her eyes.

"How could I ever forget?"