a/n: it's been a while since I've done a Dark Damon fic, and I've been missing him a little bit. Is it terrible that he excites me almost more than sweet loving Damon?

p.s. I recently looked up the statistics of some of my stories, just for kicks and I was floored to find out that some of them have been 'hit' over a thousand times. That's a thousand people that have read my stories. On one hand, that's absolutely incredible. My work is reaching that many people! On the other hand, my stories average a 15-20 review base…and compared to the thousands that read some of my stuff…that's a little disappointing. I'm not saying that everyone has to review, especially if they have nothing to say. It just seems…sad that nearly 2,350 people read 'Little Theif' and I only got 14 reviews…

Looking on the bright side, at least 14 of those people loved it enough to comment . Enough whining from me, apologies about that.

Dedicated to circelily on livejournal (for her prompt: Elena finds Damon with a bloody mouth) That's all she gave me, so I'm gonna do my best to run with it.

BITTER WARMTH

Damon couldn't take it anymore…he just couldn't. Katherine didn't love him; she loved Stefan. Elena didn't love him; she loved Stefan. Rose was dead, Andie was dead. The soritory girls he'd been compelling and fucking into all hours of the day and night had lost their appeal and right now all he really wanted was a good damn drink. Not one that could be found in his liquor cabinet though…no, this one he would only be able to find if he followed the sound of a beating heart. Perhaps drag some poor defenseless girl into a dark alley, have his way with her, compel her into silence and then drain her; leaving her empty body on the pavement. It seemed rather dark and vicious, but that was exactly how he was feeling. He was tired of trying to be the better man; it was getting him absolutely nowhere. Hell, she paid more attention to him when he was threatening to murder the town's population.

Maybe that was the only way into this girl's heart; to strike fear into it. To be the bad brother that she felt she had to save…

He didn't like the thought of it, but his mood was dark and he didn't feel like fighting himself into the light tonight. He looked up from his glass and surveyed the prey at the Mystic Grill. The options were fair, but limited and they were the same ones from last night. He didn't want them, he wanted her. Would he ever get away from craving the Petrova face? With a grunt he finished the drink and set the empty glass on the bar. With a quick wave to Matt he pushed back and walked out to the car. For a minute, Damon just stood there; staring at his priceless Camaro and then he turned away from it and started walking. Maybe if he got a little fresh air he wouldn't feel so…antsy. Even though, he could feel the dryness of his throat, of his hands as he lusted for the dark, rich warmth of blood. Not any blood, Elena's blood. He'd dreamed of her almost every night since arriving back in Mystic Falls, and while every dream hadn't contained him drinking from her, it was a craving he would never be able to suppress until he'd done it at least once.

Quickly his mind worked out the perfect excuse for what his dark nature was begging him to do. Wouldn't it be better to go to Elena now? To try and make her agree to feed him while he still had somewhat of a handle on his control before he completely snapped one day and ended up killing her. In the long run, he was doing this for her. As his mind made up the decision, he noticed his feet had already been leading him towards her house and after a few more minutes he stopped at her porch, reaching out carefully and slowly, finally throwing himself into the plan and knocking on the door much louder than was required. "I'm coming!" she called from inside and he smirked to himself.

Not yet you aren't.

When she pulled open the door, the smirk disappeared and it took him a second the recover from the sight before him. Her skin was flushed and clean, her hair damp as she combed it back from her face. The smell of the shower she'd recently had hung in the air around her and she smelled even more delicious than she normally did. Her smile was sweet and she stepped aside to let him in, apparently not finding it that odd he was awake and walking around at this time of night. Her time with vampires apparently had prepared her for the uneventful. With a quick glance he checked the clock on the wall and then looked back at her. What human had a shower at midnight? He looked her over again, taking in the way her long legs peeked out beneath her shorts and the way her breasts pulled tightly on the light blue tanktop she wore.

"I thought you would be in bed." He finally said when her smile faded and he realized he hadn't yet spoken.

"So you came over here to wake me up?" she asked curiously. "Is anything wrong?"

So many things were wrong, but nothing of what she meant. "No." He shook his head and watched as she began tugging her comb through the wet tangles once more. "What are you doing up?"

Elena shrugged and walked over to the stairs. "Caroline called a little while ago. That woke me up. She's upset about Tyler, can't sleep so she wants me to come stay over with her." Damon followed her up, half listening to what she was saying, half watching her ass move beneath her shorts. "I just wanted to have a quick shower first."

When they reached her bedroom door he was hit with more of her smell, more of her essence and he gripped the doorknob tightly as he held it open for her. She brushed her chest against his as she moved past him, his body instantly tightening at the pressure, however lame it was. "So I'm interrupting then?"

"Hmm?" she looked up from the overnight bag she was carefully packing on her bed and smiled at him. "Are you sure everything is okay Damon. You seem really pale and upset. Like, more than normal. Can vampires get the flu?"

"I don't have the flu." He nearly snapped, but held tighter onto the knob, amazed he hadn't crushed it yet. "I'm just…thirsty."

"Oh." She smiled and grabbed her glass of water from the nightstand. "Here, have some."

He shook his head and held up a hand to stop her. "That's not what I meant."

Elena felt foolish for being so clueless and blushed, setting her glass down carefully. "Right, sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry." Damon released the door and took a few more steps into the room. "You could help me though."

She laughed first, thinking he was just teasing and then she saw the hard look in his eyes and instantly shut up. "You can't be serious?"

Damon looked straight into her eyes, his lips between a smirk and a grimace. "Have you never thought about what it would be like to have me bite you?"

Elena gasped as Damon moved quickly, too quickly. He was behind her in the next instant, brushing her damp hair to the other side of her neck, revealing her smooth, bare neck and shoulder. "What…what are you doing?"

Her voice was trembling, but Damon ignored it. He felt his fangs slip into place as he slid his arm around her waist, locking her body tightly against his. "I could take it from you, you know. I don't have to ask."

She shivered in his arms and roughly shoved him back. "What the hell has gotten into you?"

He grabbed her, spun her around and pinned her down on the bed. "I said, I'm thirsty."

"Do I look like a blood bag to you?" she retorted and slapped him as hard as she could across the face. When he turned back to look at her, his fangs were fully out and he nearly snarled in her face.

"Pissing me off is probably not the best idea right now, Elena."

She glared up at him, her hands pressing against his chest tightly. "This isn't you Damon. I don't know who it is, but this isn't you. You're acting like…like…Stefan."

She thought back to how brutal he'd been when under Klaus's control. How he'd bitten her, just taken her without warning and the fear she'd felt then crept into her eyes. Damon saw it and released her, stepping back. "Isn't that what you've always wanted? For me to be more like Stefan?"

"Not that Stefan." She said, quietly gasping for air as she realized she'd been holding her only breath. "I want the real you Damon, and this isn't the Damon I know."

"That's just it Elena." He said looking down at her. "You don't want the real me. You don't want the sweet, better man me. You don't want the monster in me. You don't want the human me. You don't want me at all; you want my attention. You want to know that I love you, that I'll always be there for you." Damon grabbed her, pulling her tightly against his chest. "This is it Elena. Like it or not, you can't have it both ways. I'm a vampire and I crave blood…but I can still love you like any other man, and probably better."

With that he kissed her, slowly…deeply. She clung to his tshirt, holding on for dear life. She waited for him to break the kiss, to sink his fangs into her and drink from her until she was empty…but he didn't. He pulled back slowly and looked deep into her eyes. "Damon?"

"All or nothing, Elena." He whispered, answering her unasked question.

She nodded, and then he was gone.

She felt the cold seep into her skin at the loss of his presence and rubbed her bare arms. She could go to Caroline's and ask her friend what to do, but she could already hear the blonde's answer. Quickly, she grabbed her car keys from the nightstand and flew down the stairs. She jumped in her car and sped toward the Boarding House, praying that he would be there when she arrived.

Damon ushered the cute blonde into the living room and let her look around, amazed at all the things. He normally had patience for this, took pride in this, but he couldn't hold back his hunger anymore. Carefully he came up behind her as she looked into the fire, wondering what it was that had possessed him to bring her home with him. Sure, she'd been outside the Grill admiring his car…but she wasn't Elena. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend she was though…maybe. With a sigh he came up behind her, moving her hair back from her neck as he'd just done in Elena's bedroom. This girl didn't smell as sweet, her skin not as tempting, but he ignored that. He only listened to the beats of her heart, to the rush of blood in her veins. "What did you say your name was?" he whispered, knowing that under his compulsion she wouldn't be offended by the question.

"Maggie." She whispered, tilting her neck to the side in preparation for what she thought would be a kiss.

"Right, Maggie." He pulled her face back a bit so he could look her in the eyes, one finger on her chin to keep her in place. "This is only going to hurt for a minute."

"Okay." She smiled and he let her head fall back, giving him the perfect view of her breasts and her neck. With a groan he sank his fangs into her, holding his hand over her mouth to muffle the sound of her screams. He watched with open eyes as her blood trailed down her shoulder and between her cleavage. The monster inside him wanted more, wanted not one single drop to be wasted and so he spun her around, ripping her dress open and letting his tongue lap up the lost blood.

Maggie moaned, holding his face against her as he tasted her, barely even realizing what he'd done to her. Damon glanced up at her, seeing the pure ecstasy on her face and smirked. He was a lot better at compulsion than he gave himself credit for sometimes. Just then the front door slammed and he stood up, glaring at the intruder until he saw who it was. Elena stood in the doorway, taking in the sight of the half naked girl and his bloody mouth. Her expression turned from shock, to disgust, to anger in a matter of seconds and then she was in the living room and shoving him off the girl. With strong arms she turned the girl towards her and shook her, trying to free her from the compulsion. "Go home, go home now. Don't stop running till you get there."

Maggie nodded and turned, slamming the front door behind her as she fled the house. "What the hell did you do that for?" Damon demanded.

"Me?" she came up to him, her eyes on fire with anger. "You promised you would stop feeding on humans! What the hell do you think you're doing?" She raised her arm to slap him, but he caught her wrist, remembering the sting from when she'd hit him earlier.

"I had no other choice." He leaned over her, bending her back slightly. "I tried to come to you."

"Ha!" Elena shook her head and tried with her other arm, only to find her pressed against the nearest wall with her hands pinned above her head. "There is always a choice Damon."

He looked down at her, realizing how badly she didn't understand his blood lust. "It's not an addiction Elena. It's how I survive. Asking me not to drink is like asking you not to eat."

"I never said you couldn't drink, I just meant you didn't have to kill."

"It's in my nature to kill!" he slammed her back against the wall again. "Don't you see that? Don't you see who I am? What I am?"

She shook her head, freeing her wrists from his grasp so she could frame his face. "You don't have to be like that You could fight it."

"Like Stefan tried right?" he glared and his grip tightened painfully on her. "I can't fight who I am. Besides, why should I want to? The only reason I would is in love with my brother."

"I do love him Stefan. I love him because he tried to be better, because he tried to change himself. I love him because he was there for me again, to make me smile, to make me believe in love again."

"Shall I get a violin to play for this speech?" he sneered down at her and she shrunk back a little.

"I'm not in love with him anymore…I just…I'm not. I thought it was best for everyone if I was…but I can't be in love with him."

"Why?" Damon asked through clenched teeth, both fear and hope bubbling up inside him; two emotions he'd been desperately trying to turn off since first meeting her.

"I fell in love with you, somewhere along the way. Somehow it became alright for me to admit my feelings to myself. All the awful things you've done didn't mean that much anymore, because in some sick, twisted way you did all of them for me…for us."

"Not all of them." He admitted, his fingers softening on her just slightly.

Elena ignored that and noticed she had the freedom to move her own arms again. Slowly, hesitantly she slid her hands up his arms, to his neck, to his face. "I know that you can't simply stop being a vampire…but I can help hold back the monster inside you."

Damon closed his eyes, leaning into her touch and breathed in her perfume, in the scent of her blood just beneath the surface of her wrist. "You don't know what you're offering me."

"Yes, I do." She whispered and caressed his cheek with her fingertips. "I won't be your blood bag Damon, but I will be here for you when you need something more to satisfy your cravings."

"You would…do that…let me feed on you…"

Elena smiled as gently as she could, doing her best not to let the fear and terror reach her eyes. Stefan had bit her twice, once to save his life, once in mad anger. Klaus had bitten her in the sacrifice and drained her completely. All of those had hurt, had nearly killed her…but with Damon she knew that she would be safe, that he would never lose control even if he did seem a bit darker tonight. Even his eyes were a darker blue than normal. She wondered if it was from bloodlust or desire for her body. "I would do anything for you, as you would do anything for me."

She watched with a wide gaze as he bent his head to kiss her palm, holding her hand against his lips. He kissed each fingertip, the dark veins under his eyes appearing as his fangs slipped from hiding. She felt the tickling sting as the sharp points scraped down to her wrist, and then gasped when they sunk into her. Damon held her tightly against his chest, cradling her protectively as he drank. She could feel his tongue lapping against her skin, his teeth nibbling to keep the wound open. Her eyes closed, rolled back and he let her head fall against his shoulder. Having Damon drink from her was almost more intimate than any love making she'd done with Stefan or young fumbling she'd blushed through with Matt.

This was pure, this was deep attraction, dark love. This was Damon's intense devotion and her inspirational sacrifice. It was all they needed to prove they were destined for the other. After a moment that could have been an hour, Damon pulled back and licked his lips clean, the sweet essence of the girl before him humming through his senses. It made him feel strong, powerful, unbreakable. It made him feel loved, and for once in his undead life; completely safe. She looked up at him, her eyes opening slowly, almost sleepily. "Are you alright?" he asked gently, still holding her against him.

Now that one craving had been satisfied her proximity was making it all the harder to ignore the now, new pulsing need within him. "I'm a little lightheaded." She admitted honestly, her eyes widening when he bit into his own wrist and offered it to her. "What are you doing?"

"I once forced you to drink my blood. I threatened to turn you more often that I would care to remember…but I want this to be your choice. I can heal your wound, take the pain away and show you how wonderful and incredible I am feeling right now."

Elena hesitated, looking between his eyes and the quickly closing wound. Without another thought she closed her lips around the two trailing blood drops and drank him in. She could feel the same power and strength he felt flow into her. She could be unstoppable with him, she could be unbreakable with him. For the first time since her parents died, she felt completely safe and secure in her own body, in the arms of someone else. A sense of calm swept over her and all new kind of dizzy hit her. When she released her lips from his wrist she looked up to see his eyes had darkened even more. He wasn't angry at her but the passion he was feeling was no longer gentle and calm. "What's wrong?"

He lifted his hand hesitantly, wiping a drop of his blood from the corner of her mouth and took an unneeded, deep breath. "I think you should leave."

As he spoke he wound his fingers through her hair, holding her closer, pressing her between him and the wall so that they could feel every inch of the other's bodies. "Why?"

"If you don't…I can't be responsible for what happens next."

Elena swallowed, trying to clear her throat but finding it dry even though she'd just had the most incredible taste of her life run through her. "We just drank from each other…what more do I have to be afraid of?"

Damon could have groaned out loud at her utter lack of knowledge about vampires. Had Stefan really treated her so gentle that she didn't understand how easily he could kill if they went any further? "I could lose control Elena, I could seriously hurt you."

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm not afraid of you, Damon. Whether you lose control or not, I am in the safest place in the world when I am with you."

Damon could feel the burning passion spark a little more within him at her words, at her complete trust in him, then at her taste when they kissed. Neither of them were sure who it was that closed the distance between them, but it didn't really matter anymore. His hands tightened on her hips, lifted her up and locked her legs around him. They were across the living room and down on the rug a moment later, his patience not even daring to suggest the bedroom upstairs. Silk sheets and love making was for another time. They'd already shared one of the most intimate experiences he could ever give her as a vampire, and he wasn't going to hold back anymore. From the little murmurs and sounds within her, it didn't really sound like she wanted to anyway.

A minute later they were tearing each other's clothes off; lips and teeth tasting new skin as it was revealed to the other. Damon threaded his fingers through her hair, and tilted her head back. There was a fire in her eyes he'd never seen before. Her heart beat like a freight train in his ears, and as he pulled her closer the heat radiating from her body began to warm his. "I will have you Elena." He promised, settling his lips back on hers. The passion and lust he passed to her through his lips seeped into her blood and set it boiling. She tugged and pulled and scratched and held, unable to get enough of him. The frenzy had begun, and Damon was sure he'd never seen anything so exciting in his life as a sexually frustrated Elena.

She wasn't sure how it was possible to feel completely alive, out of control and desperate, yet powerful and at complete peace in the same moment, in the same body. She felt his tongue lap at an important spot under her ear, and she shivered. This was all too much for her, and she was glad he was kissing her neck so she could breath. He locked his lips on hers, finding her tongue. Elena felt like she was on a rollercoaster as she breathed in the scent that was Damon, around her, in front of her, all over her. It was incredible. She wanted him to take her, needed to feel him inside her, all around her. Her nails raked over his chest, scratching him and leaving marks that only healed themselves moments later. She moaned, leaving more. She wanted him to be hers just as bad as she wanted to be his. That pleased him more than anything else could have.

Testing her tightness, her wetness; he slid a hand between them and let his fingertips dance over clit. She writhed beneath him; only staying on the ground because his weight and strength held her there. She bit into his shoulder, leaving a new mark when he slipped a finger inside her, shooting pleasure up through her until she was a trembling mess. Her moans turned to desperate murmurs and she was little more than a pleased pile of goop in a matter of minutes. Damon wasn't settling for that, the monster inside him wouldn't settle for that and the clawing need inside him was desperate for more of her potent, pleasurable sounds. She nearly screamed in pleasure as he slid into her, barely any warning other than the quick kiss to her lips. He swallowed her first few moans, desperate to kiss her, to taste her as they became one. Her legs tightened around him, the balls of her feet digging into his ass, hoping to push him deeper inside her. Somewhere, in the back of her mind she realized that he'd bitten her again, this time at the rise of her left breast, but she didn't bother to care.

Her head bent to show off the spot where he'd branded her, her back arched, pressing her breasts on display and her hips thrust up against his, finally reaching the spot that sent her over the edge. She clung to him, memorizing each and every wave of pleasure, each tingle of orgasm as the new sensations rippled through her body. Elena felt his tongue lap up a bit of the blood that had trickled down her neck, glad when he finally moved to kiss her. She did her best to translate how incredible she felt through the kiss, their lips moving together in slow perfection as they each recovered from the first bonds, their first time. A while later, Elena forced her extremely sore body to roll over, pleased by every twinge of pain and bruise. She laid her cheek on his arm, looking up at his face. Slowly his eyes opened and he looked down at her. The fire had died down behind her, but she could still see the flames licking back and forth at the wood as it reflected in his eyes.

They weren't as dark now, but they weren't entirely light either. "I believe you accomplished what you set out to do tonight." She teased, leaning up over his chest to kiss him gently.

She thought they both needed gentle after tonight, after everything they'd put each other through.

"I am sorry if I hurt you." He said quietly, aching to hold her tightly against him, but seeing the faint twinges of pain she couldn't hide.

"I will take every bruise as if it were a battle scar. I'm sorry I ever asked you to change. I want you exactly the way you are; even if that means dark and dangerous."

He smirked, letting her next kiss go on for a few seconds longer than she'd intended. "I can be slow and soft if you want."

She sighed and tucked herself into his arms, settling her cheek on his chest and wiggling her naked body closer to his. The hear from the fire warmed them both, and despite her lack of clothing she felt hot all over. "I think I need more than a few minutes to recover from that."

He chuckled, sounding quite proud of himself and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, breathing in the smell of her shampoo. "Recover quickly. I may have eternity, but I don't plan on waiting a century to have you again."

She pressed a kiss to his skin and let her eyes close, wondering just what the hell life with Damon Salvatore would mean to her now.

a/n: I'd intended for this to originally be a much 'darker Damon' but it just didn't seem right. I don't entirely see Damon as all dark, or all light…so I put a bit of both in there.

Sorry it took me so long to update this. Life is getting a little out of control and June is going to be SUPER busy for me as I have quite a few shoots booked for my photography business.

Other than writing (and studying to be a wedding planner) this is my baby. Thank god I don't have a real baby yet- I don't know what 'hobby' I would have to give up to make room for a real life child.