a/n: to say I loved this scene would be a drastic understatement. Even Jeremy interrupting seemed somehow sickly perfect, although desperately annoying to us Delena fans- but hey! Let's be happy with what we got and be glad that it's getting us SOMEWHERE at least with our favorite couple.

As you may have guessed…I AM HOME! And I am anxious to get my butt in gear and do some writing. The vacation was nice but now I have a nice long line of requests and my flashback story to still finish. So in honor of my return and the lovely episode, here is my brand new one shot!

Elena kept her eyes half closed as she waited for Damon to come out of the bathroom. Jeremy was sound asleep in the bed next to hers, which meant that she would either have to share with her charming vampire companion or make him sleep on the floor. When she heard his footsteps coming closer she quickly shut her eyes. He moved carefully and quietly, reaching for a bottle of alcohol he'd either brought with him or found somewhere in this musty, dusty motel room. She tried real hard not to think of all the people that had slept in this bed, done things in this bed. She tried even harder to remember that her brother was a few inches away, and not the heaviest sleeper in the world. She was finding it hard to think about anything innocent however with Damon looking all brooding and sexy.

Elena watched the muscles in his bare back and arms move under his pale skin as he walked over to the small table and pulled his shirt back on. How was it even fair that he could look that beautiful, that devastating? She watched him lean over, peeking out the window and watching for Kol. The Original would no doubt try to find them, for she'd never met a vampire that simply gave up on getting what they wanted. Especially Damon. He fixed the collar of his shirt, keeping his eyes to himself. Surely he could hear her heart beating madly as she stalked him with her gaze from the dark corner of the room. She felt the pounding in her chest like a loud freight train, giving her cover away. The harsh scraping sound taunted her ears as Damon unscrewed the lid and poured himself a less than generous drink into the plastic clear glass.

She'd seen him drink much more before, and it shocked her that he didn't just drink straight from the bottle. It would have been quieter, but he seemed too lost in his own thoughts in the moment to care about not waking her up. Elena desperately wished that she could read his mind, that she could figure out what her own mind was telling her about this whole mess. The sick realization that this trip was partly an experiment to test her will, her desires made her guilt level rise to an all time high. He sighed as she sat down, propping his legs up and crossing them at the ankles. The light from the window wasn't exactly moonlight thanks to all the manufactured fluorescent bulbs lighting the outside of the motel, but the white glow splashed over his upper body like a spot light, calling her eyes to focus on him. There he was, being devastatingly beautiful again, and the worst part was he didn't even know it.

Elena's eyes followed up from the thin trail of hair to his bellybutton, over the contours of his abs. There was the slightest sheen of sweat over him that made him glow even a bit more. She captured each line of muscle, over his hard chest and up to the smooth lines of his neck and chin. His eyebrows were twisted with worry, the features of his face making him look like a dark angel. Wasn't that just the perfect description for him? The dark angel of salvation…Damon Salvatore. He could heal with his hands just as easily as he could harm and it was perhaps one of the things she found most fascinating as exciting about him. There wasn't a single moment that she spent with Damon that she wasn't scared for her life, for her innocence- but there was always an equal measure of trust. She knew she could trust him, and she did; with her life every moment of every day they spent together.

He drank the glass empty, slowly looking up. His eyes settled on her almost immediately as if he'd been desperate to look at her but trying his hardest to resist. It was too late, she knew that he'd already seen her eyes open but she closed them anyway and tried to pretend that she'd been asleep the whole time. Of course, it was pointless. Did she really want him to stay over there in what was no doubt an uncomfortable chair? Did she really want to sleep alone tonight? What would be the harm in being awake, in letting him know that she'd been watching him, that at least subconsciously she wanted him? Damon kept his eyes completely focused on her, listening to her heart beat slow and quicken again. She could close her eyes, but she couldn't hide everything from him. After a moment she looked at him again, the expression on her face almost indescribable. She looked beautiful, she looked lonely, she looked like she wanted him.

He hesitated, wondering if he could be in the same bed as her another night and keep his hands to himself. The car ride to Chicago had been uncomfortable enough as it was, with neither of them barely speaking. Clearly she had a lot on her mind, as did he…but now, right now in this moment they could do nothing about the world that was going on outside of them. Right now, all they could do was be there for each other, and with the way she was looking at him he knew that he couldn't be there for her the way she needed from all the way across the room. With a low sigh, he set the empty, plastic glass down and pushed himself to his feet. Her heart skipped a beat, rapidly picking up as he moved closer, her fear evident but she didn't move away, she didn't protest and she didn't break their eye contact. He carefully slid on the bed, noticing that she didn't slide over to give him more room.

Damon could feel the outside of her leg against his beneath the covers. Could smell the slight mint on her breath from when she'd brushed her teeth a while ago. She'd showered her perfume away, his favorite perfume, but her shampoo scent hung around her, stayed on the pillow. She just kept looking at him, waiting for him to say something, to do something. It was like she'd been testing him all day, waiting for him to screw up. There was a hidden meaning behind everything she said to him lately, her eyes always searching for answers. The look was gone now and she was just looking at him like a woman would look at a man. Curious and trusting but careful, always to careful to get too close to him. When it was clear he wasn't going to be the first one to break the silence, she spoke.

"You never told me about that…what you did for Rose."

He grimaced slightly, almost disappointed that she'd discovered a little more of the softer side of him. "It wasn't about you." The words weren't rude, and they weren't meant to be. They were just the truth, and Elena understood that.

Rose was a subject for him that no one really discussed and she'd accepted that a while ago. Perhaps her death had been too close to home, especially after his own bite and brush with death, but whatever it was, Rose was off limits, until today anyway. He hadn't been in love with Rose, but he had loved her. Had cared for her, and watching her die in his arms had changed him a bit. He'd given her the dream to soothe her, to be able to see her smile again. Even now, he wished he could see her, talk to her like Jeremy has this afternoon; but he'd said his goodbyes to her in the sun, and time had moved on. It would be a lie to say that he didn't think about her often, that she didn't cross his mind but he tried very hard to keep that part of him separate from the part he showed the world.

Even Elena, the girl he loved rarely got to see it. She smiled, not sure what else to do. He could be so confusing at times, especially right when she thought she had him all figured out. "Why don't you let people see the good in you?"

He kept his hard gaze on the ceiling, unable to avoid her completely, but hoping that at least if he wasn't looking at her, he would be able to keep some of his personal thoughts to himself. It was no use, Elena was always able to cut him open and poke around inside his brain…and unfortunately his heart. "Because when people see good, they expect good," he paused, finally allowing himself to focus on her. What was the use in hiding from her anymore? "and I don't want to have live up to anyone's expectations."

They stared at each other for a few more moments, Elena holding her breath until she realized that she was laying there, waiting for him to make a move, to kiss her. She let out a sigh, took in a new set of air and moved to her back. Damn you Damon. She thought with a smile. Why do you have to be so damn easy, and hard to love at the same time? Elena let her hand drop down from her face, surprised to feel the warmth of Damon's skin so close to hers. She'd basically let her hand fall right on top of his. She felt his hesitation, the tense muscles in his arm for a moment as he considered what to do. Then, he decided for both of them and gently let his fingers brush against the back of her hand. She didn't exactly open up for him, but she didn't resist either.

His fingers slid under her palm, fighting to intertwine with the dead weight of hers. She wasn't responding, but that didn't stop him. In fact, it only made him that much more desperate to get a reaction out of her. Her chest rose and fell a little faster as she fought to breathe, their eyes connecting as she fought for control, and just as she was about to snap, just as she was about to give in, roll over and wrap herself around him, the fear caught her and she quickly got up, shaking her head. He didn't curse, he didn't sigh. He simply lay there, his palm open and watched as she grabbed her sweater and disappeared out the door. It took him only a moment to decide to follow her, his mind behind his body as it was already moving before his brain had given his legs the order to move. She stood there, a few feet away, leaning against the vending machine. Her back was to him, but he could read her body language, the beats of her heart and the rate of her breathing well enough to know that she wanted this, wanted him.

Damon stepped closer, but he didn't really need to. Elena knew he was there, had expected him to follow her. Wanted him to follow her out here, away from Jeremy, away from the bed and everything that was clouding her mind. This experiment was getting her nowhere, and Dammit! Why couldn't he learn to button a shirt? "Don't." she practically begged, not sure if she was asking him to go away, or never leave her.

She could feel his eyes boring into her from behind. "Why not?" he asked, his voice so quiet. So gentle, and she knew he was right. Why not, why couldn't they be together? He loved her, and she loved him. He'd gotten under her skin, and he wasn't going anywhere, so why was she so scared? Because of Stefan, because a part of her still loved Stefan? A part of her still loved Matt to, but that didn't stop her from being with Stefan. Granted the two kinds of love were vastly different. Matt had been familiar, he'd been safe and normal. Stefan had been kind, practical and sweet. "Elena." He breathed her name and she softened a bit more. But Damon, her Damon- the Damon that had made Rose a dream to die to, had brought her here to see her brother, had kept her safe and alive was standing right behind her, offering himself up and she couldn't think of anymore excuses to ignore him.

Damon watched her, heard the erratic pounding of her heart. He thought she might run again, almost braced himself to chase her- but then she was spinning around and moving quickly into his arms. This time, she kissed him and she kissed him well. He didn't have time to stumble or gape at what was happening. The moment was perfect, it was beautiful and it was damn sexy. Their lips slanted together, over and over. His hands tightened at her waist as she tangled her fingers in his hair. He couldn't stop, wouldn't stop this. She tugged her way down, cupping his face with her soft palms. She was soft, so soft but he also remembered how strong she was, just how much she could take. She wasn't his brothers girl anymore, that girl was gone. This girl, she was made for him. She was rash and tough and while she maybe didn't know exactly what she wanted she fought for what she did know.

And right now, that was him.

His hands were everywhere on her, which was just fine considering she couldn't stop touching him either. There were no where her hands were satisfied to rest, and that didn't bother him one bit. He felt like his body was on fire, felt like he would simply die if he let go of her. The lights above them seemed to hum and he vaguely noticed one of them blinking through his closed eyes. The hum wasn't the lights at all he finally noticed, it was her making the sweetest sounds of pleasure he'd ever heard. The temptation took over and he backed her against the cement post, knowing she could take the discomfort for the moment. Really, Elena barely noticed the rough edge against her. She was too focused on the feel of Damon's lips as they trailed down to her neck, lower to the rise of her breasts and back up. It was all so fast, all a haze of pleasure and wonderful sensations that she couldn't believe she's been denying herself, but she felt every brush of his lips, every slip of his tongue, every spark that shot from his fingers against her skin where he touched her.

Her sweater fell from her shoulder, but she didn't care to fix it. Part of her wouldn't have cared if he'd taken her right there. The thought had crossed Damon's mind, and he found himself desperate to see just how far she would let him go with all this. He pulled back, just slightly enough to be able to look into her eyes. There was no regret there, just lust and love and need for it to continue. For him to continue. Her lips were already becoming swollen from his assault and he found it to be quite an erotic sight. The faint wind around them brought a few pieces of her hair up and around them, surrounding him with the smell of orchids, but it wasn't enough to cover the scent of her arousal. She wanted more, and who was he to deny her of that? Especially when he wanted everything her eyes were promising just as badly as she did.

Their lips connected again, sending them back into the whirlwind of desperate ecstasy. His tongue twirled and danced with hers, both of them fighting for the upper hand. His fingers were in her hair, pulling her closer, and then they weren't. Then his hands were all over her and she ached to feel skin against skin. Their breath mixed in the air and he pressed her tighter against the wall, his lips leaving hers only to find the pulse point at her neck once more. She moaned aloud and he let her, wished she would do more of that, that she would gasp his name instead of incoherent mumblings. At any second he knew, they could be interrupted. Jeremy could wake up and come outside and find them, and he couldn't stand to have that happen, not now that they were so close.

He pulled back, hoping she would let him speak his mind before shutting down but she shook her head furiously and kept kissing him. He chuckled, sliding his hands up to her shoulders and pressing her away from him. "What?" she demanded, breathless and desperate.

"If we don't stop, I'm going to take you right here."

She smiled, almost a smirk. Her eyes almost dared him and he seriously considered following through with that, but he figured they'd pressed their luck enough for one day. Still though, he couldn't help kissing her again; something he would have to learn was not something he could do only once and then stop. He pulled her tight against his chest, aching for her shirt and sweater to disappear. He wanted to feel the soft, silk of her skin against him. He couldn't go one more minute without it, so he began moving them toward the room, pressing her against the door. When he reached down for the door knob, she shook her head. It wasn't a no, it was simply a warning, a reminder that her brother was in there. This time he did curse, but then he remembered something from when they'd checked in. The clerk had been so happy to see them because they were his only clients.

That meant every other room was vacant. He kissed her again, half dragging-half walking them over to the next closest room. Either she trusted him enough to follow him, or she wanted him so badly she didn't care what he was doing. He released one hand from her waist and twisted the knob on the door, breaking the lock with a quick turn. She gasped, looking down at what he'd done, but he only smirked and shoved her into the dark room. It smelled just as musty and dusty as the one they were staying in but this one was much emptier and darker. There were no little brothers that could interrupt them, just the way he liked it. This time, it was Elena that pushed him up against the wall, her lips attacking his neck. "I wondered how good you would taste." She whispered, sliding his open shirt to the floor.

He groaned loudly, letting his head drop back against the wall as she racked her nails down his chest, over his abs and locked in the waist of his pants. She pressed hot, open mouthed kisses to the spot between his ribs, surprised to find that it tickled. Damon watched, almost mesmerized as she sunk to her knees, her tongue darting out to trace a line above his belt, her fingers working quickly, desperately to remove him from his pants. Once his belt was open and his zipper pulled down, he reached for her, pulling her back up so he could kiss her. They half tripped, half walked their way to the bed, somehow finding it in the dark as he kicked off his shoes and any remaining clothing. She touched him everywhere she could reach, pleading with him but for what exactly neither of them were sure.

She just wanted, simply wanted. After so long of denying herself, she couldn't help only wanting everything and anything he could give her.

Damon pushed her sweater down her arms, not sure if it ended up on the bed or floor. Then her arms were tight around his neck again and she was rolling him onto his back, completely naked beneath her fully clothed body. He slid his hands up under her tank top, feeling her skin, discovering she wasn't wearing a bra and then down to her black pajama pants. At first he lightly caressed her over them, then feeling brave he slipped one hand beneath the hem, cupping her ass and holding the lower half of her body tighter against his. Elena moved against him, teasing the both of them until they were within an inch of sanity. Damon was quickly losing patience, could tell from her moans that she was as well and promptly ripped her shirt from her. He greedily drunk in the sight of her naked torso and found himself itching to put his hands all over her. To keep from that, he moved her onto her back, kissing her again and again until she pushed him back forcefully, glaring up at him slightly through the darkness.

"What?"

She slipped her hand under his, lacing their fingers together and pulling him down to kiss her. At first he was confused, then he let her guide his hand down between them. "Touch me." She moaned against his lips, already getting pleasure from the light pressure he was putting against her core.

He could feel the heat of her center penetrating through her pajama bottoms, knew that she would be wet and suddenly ached to find out just how much. "Here?" he teased, his tone dark as he slid his index finger over her clit through the layers she was still wearing.

"Don't be an ass." She hissed, bucking up against his hand and fisting her fingers around the black locks of his hair.

Damon chuckled in her ear, pulling back from her but only to tug her pants down her legs, right along with her panties. In the darkness Elena felt protected, she felt safe. She didn't need to hide from him and she didn't need to cover herself, even knowing that he could see better in the dark. His eyes followed the curves of her breasts, the lean lines of her body and he bent to taste every inch of her he could. She pulled at his hair, guiding him all over until he took control and began pressing kisses to the inside of her thigh. She collapsed back on the bed then, arching up at the first sweep of his tongue inside her. Elena cried out his name, and then whimpered when he pulled back. "I'm sorry." He whispered, crawling back up her body, latching his lips on her neck and shoulder. "I can't wait anymore."

She nodded in understanding, in approval. "There will be other nights."

It wasn't spoken as a promise, but he was going to hold her to it as if it was one. The fear that this was just a moment of weakness on her part edged at the back of his mind, but he pushed it back and coaxed her legs open once more. She gasped, letting his tongue slip between her teeth as he slid one finger inside her warmth. His eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head as he tested her tightness, telling himself he would have to go slow or end up ruining this for her. He knew she wasn't innocent, that she hadn't been until Stefan came along but she hadn't been with anyone in a while either. It was like some kind of sick contest he was playing, against his brothers talents, her own fantasies with him and whatever he would be able to give her tonight.

When he slid into her and she moaned his name, he knew he was winning. She clapped a hand over her mouth, doing her best to muffle the sound of her pleasured cries as he moved in and out of her a little faster each time, but he shook his head, pulling her arm back and securing it above her head. "Don't hold back Elena. I want to hear it, I want to hear all of it."

She nodded, settling her free hand on his shoulder and digging her nails in. He watched as she let her head fall back against the pillows, arching back to tease him with the long lines of her neck. He'd tasted her skin, he'd tasted her arousal, her lips and now he wanted to taste her blood. Needed it. Once she'd told him she liked him just the way he was, that meant the monster inside him as well. When he felt her insides clench tightly around him, he slowed a bit, pulling out only to slip back inside her fully. She screamed his name, holding him against her, letting her head drop to the side. "Do you want to taste me?" she asked, nearly breathless as the first effects of her orgasm began lapping at her senses. A little more, that's all she would need to topple over the edge. Just a little more.

"Yes." He admitted, almost embarrassed but amazed that she seemed to be able to read his mind.

She looked up at him, smiling. "Nothing is stopping you."

He held back the grin that was threatening to split his lips and leaned down to kiss her. She let their tongues tangle for a minute, reveling in the feeling of having Damon be inside her and above her all at once. Then she slowly tilted her head away, guiding his lips down her jaw and over her neck. Damon found her pulse point, laved it with his tongue and sucked until the blood began to rise to the surface to create the bruise of a hickey. He felt her nails dig into his lower back as she held on, heard her cry out when he plunged his fangs into her. Elena nearly exploded a moment later beneath him, finally finding that little more she needed to finish. There wasn't any closer, any more inside her he could have gotten and she found herself trembling almost violently beneath him.

She took comfort in the back he was shaking just as bad, holding onto control as he tried not to drain her and cum inside her at the same time. She knew he was waiting until she was done, would probably try to make her scream again, but her body was spent and she wasn't sure she could survive another one. As the stars shot across the darkness of her closed lids she pressed up against him, urging him on. "Cum with me." She pleaded, and apparently her words were the final straw for him.

In a moment he went rigid, and then he was cumming and drinking more. She felt her head grow light and tapped his shoulder, an unspoken signal for him to stop. Damon got the message, retracting his fangs but he kept thrusting into her until they collapsed together. For a minute or two, or maybe even an hour they lay together trying to catch their breath and figure out exactly what had just happened. "Please don't tell me you regret that." He whispered into the darkness, warmth spreading through him when she snuggled closer to his body.

"I don't regret that."

She leaned up on her elbow to kiss him, not even hesitating at the thought he might taste like her blood. His fingers wove through the hair at the base of her neck, holding her in place. "I love you Elena."

His words made her shiver, for it wasn't just puppy love or infatuation or lust he felt for her. No, it was unyielding, undying love that he would never be able to escape from and in that moment she realized that the reason she'd been unable to run back into Stefan's arms willingly was because she shared the same level of emotion for Damon. He may not be the perfect image she'd once thought his brother was, he may be a sinner but so was she. Neither of them were perfect, but together they kept each other steady.

"I love you." She whispered, settling her head on his chest. "Never let me go, okay?"

He smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, his nose filling with the scent of orchids. "Never."

a/n: well, that was certainly longer than I intended it to be, but I think it was worth it. I've still got some unpacking and laundry to do and pictures to edit from the trip so I have to get my butt in gear, but I figured that I would get this posted for you all to enjoy. I know that two other authors beat me to the punch on this, but each fic is so different and I figured you all wouldn't mind my version.

I missed you all and I will be looking forward to the new fics, the last three episodes of the season and reaching the 200 story mark!