Hey guys, I'm back with another update! This one is coming to you a week after the last update, and I will try not to update less than once per week until the story is finished. I thought this chapter was going to be a lot shorter than the last, but it ended up being almost the same length. I have just about 10 pages of mostly all Delena interactions for you guys to enjoy!

To my reviewers: Longtimefan22, jairem, Poipoi13, Guest, ScarletRose, & Guest - THANK YOU so much for your reviews! I truly appreciate your kind words, and I am so happy that continuing this story is making you guys happy! ScarletRose: You are so right, Enzo has not made an appearance in this story. In fact, I don't think he existed yet in the show at the time that I started writing The Babysitter. But I love Enzo, and now that you've reminded me, he will definitely be making an appearance at some point or another. Thank you!

Hope you enjoy!

The Babysitter

By Diana AKA DeeReadinQueen

Ch. 20 – Biology or Chemistry

Well, I survived the rest of that taxi ride with Damon and the girls. I don't know how. After he asked me what I wanted, and I was about to let my hormones take over and lunge at him, crashing my lips into his, Kat conveniently woke up and got sick again. She woke Emily, causing another chain-reaction as both girls dry-heaved into plastic bags. Damon and I soothed them back to sleep, and I fell asleep myself for part of the ride. When we finally got home, it was nearly 11pm and I had to bathe the girls and put them to bed, each with a big pot beside their bed in case they woke in the night. Damon stayed by my side the whole time, even suggesting that he stay with me in my suite so that if I needed his assistance he'd be there.

"As tempting as that sounds," I had told him, "I think you better not. I need to shower off the vomit and try and get some sleep. I have a feeling it's going to be a very long night."

"Well," Damon said, giving me the chance to change my mind, "Don't say I never offered to help."

"It's not like I don't appreciate everything you've done tonight," I assured him, "It's just that I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay in here, with me."

"I get it," Damon had teased, "You don't think you could trust yourself alone with me, in your room, with your bed…" He leaned in quick and kissed me on the corner of the mouth, teasing me. Then he was gone, and I fell asleep before I even had the chance to start the shower.

The next morning, when my alarm goes off at its usual time of 7am, I feel like I've been hit by a dump truck; it's comparable to my first hangover, which was twelve hours of pure hell. I got up a total of six times last night to soothe one or both of the twins back to sleep, and nearly resorted to sleeping in the hallway just so I wouldn't have to keep traveling to and forth from my room to theirs. In the end, the comfort of my bed beat out the hardwood floor, so I continued trekking back and forth. I turn off my alarm and re-set for 8am, since both girls are sleeping soundly, and I need more of it as well.

An hour later, I still feel tremendously exhausted, but I manage to climb out of my cozy bed and get myself into the bathroom for a much-needed shower. After washing off the previous day's grunge from the city and two sick little girls, I feel half-way decent. Better than before, at least. I get dressed and proceed to check in on Katherine and Emily. They are still in bed. Not wanting to wake them, I decide maybe it's time to check-in with Tatia.

I walk down the hall, descend the stairs leading into the kitchen, and first check for the twins' mother in the dining room, sitting room, and library. When she's not in any of those, I return to the kitchen to use the intercom and page her and Peppe's master suite, stating professionally into the speaker, "Tatia, it's Elena. Are you available to talk?"

I wait, but I get no response. I suppose she's not home.

Since she is their mother and should know, I send Tatia a text informing her of her daughters' condition. She wasn't awake last night when Damon and I returned with the girls, and I haven't had the chance yet to tell her they are sick. I type in: The girls have come down with the stomach bug. I plan to keep them home today so they can rest and get better. I wanted to make sure you knew what was going on. -Elena

After sending the message, I hear the doorbell ring. Checking the time, I groan. I forgot to text Rose and cancel swim lessons for the day! She's going to be ticked off at me. Actually, she always seems bothered by me, so what's the difference?

I put on my apologetic face before opening the front door, "Hi Rose." Rose raises her eyebrows and sort of dead-pans, as if I'm the weird one for saying hello and not her for ignoring formal greetings. Maybe she needs a few lessons from Little Miss Manners. "Listen, I'm really sorry, but the girls can't swim this morning. They came down with the stomach flu last night and are still sleeping. It totally slipped my mind to call you. I lost track of the time."

"Oh…" Rose replies, her cat-like green eyes staring down the long driveway with clear annoyance, like she's mad her boyfriend didn't know this would happen and isn't still waiting around for her, "Great."

"Sorry," I say again. "Do you want to come in and call him?" Him as in Trevor, her boyfriend.

"No," Rose says with a sigh, "His cell broke. He won't be back for an hour." She looks at me with thinly veiled disdain. I don't understand why she dislikes me so greatly.

"Well, at least come in and wait," I offer, "I was about to make myself some breakfast, if you want something?" I open the door wider and step aside so she can come in. She enters without acknowledging my question. I guess she's not hungry.

Rose follows me silently to the kitchen, where she plops down on a stool at the breakfast bar and leans lazily on her elbow, scrolling through her notifications on her cell, while I gather ingredients to make an omelet. As I whisk the eggs, I decide to offer a second time, "Do you want an omelet?"

Rose frowns at me before saying slowly, as if she were talking to an idiot, "I'm vegan."

And I'm not a mind reader, I think, inwardly rolling my eyes at her pretentious attitude. She's almost as bad as Rebekah, and I didn't think that could be possible. I decide to just keep 'killing her with kindness', as Caroline would say. I can't wait until she and Bonnie are here. Only five more days. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know," I say, "Well, there's plenty of fruit in the fridge, if you are hungry, so help yourself."

"I already ate," Rose says disinterestedly, her eyes not even glancing up from her cell phone.

Suddenly, I decide I don't want to kill this girl with kindness. I'd rather smack her. I snap, "What is your problem?" Finally, Rose looks away from her phone, seeming rather surprised at my tone. "Seriously, what is your problem with me? I have been nothing but nice to you, and you're always rude!"

Overcoming her shock, Rose quickly replies, "I didn't realize it bothered you so much that I'm not interested in being fake friends with you, Elena. I come here to work and get paid, not to make friends. Besides, we have nothing in common."

"How could you possibly know that?" I point out, "You don't know anything about me."

Rose rolls her eyes, listing off knowingly, "You're a shallow, naïve, seventeen-year-old girl from a little town called Mystic Falls, Virginia. You've got an inflated ego due to the fact that two rich boys have been 'fighting' for your attention since you got here; although you're a pretty girl and you know it, so I've got a hunch that inflated ego may have already been there. Boys seem to fall in love with you everywhere you go, don't they, Elena? You obviously don't come from a family with the kind of money the Salvatore's have, or you wouldn't be working for them, but I'd say your family is in the shrinking upper-middle class. Instead of seeing this family for what they really are – self-serving, manipulative, conceited, arrogant, wasteful…" She trails off, seeming to realize where she is and that she probably shouldn't continue to insult the family whose home she is currently in, and who writes her paychecks. She looks me in the eyes with determination, plowing forward, "No, Elena, you look at them with those big, hopeful, innocent eyes, and you wish to be one of them. You think you can change them." She shakes her head, warning, "You can't."

It almost feels like she slapped me, that's how much it stings to be told exactly what she thinks about me. I've never been critiqued so harshly, and I don't know why it hurts so much coming from a person I barely know. She is only saying what she thinks, not what she knows. Sure, she got some of her facts right, but a lot of the things she said were wrong. So…why do I care? Maybe it's because what she did say about me, the parts that were true, were things I'm not quite ready to accept about myself. Sometimes the truth is the hardest thing to hear.

While I stare at her, open-mouthed and indignant, Rose hammers the nails in the proverbial coffin, "Lexi told me about your stupid plan, and it's never going to work. Those boys aren't going to learn a lesson. There's nothing you can teach them. You're just wasting your time." She shrugs one shoulder, like it's not even worth the effort to shrug both of them. "And another thing, Elena. I've seen how you look at him. You've already made a fatal mistake. The only person going home with a broken heart this summer will be you."

I realize the pan I had been pre-heating on the stove-top is now smoking since I forgot about it, and I quickly pull it off the burner, praying the smoke detectors don't go off. I throw open the window above the kitchen sink just as I hear a door somewhere in the back of the house slam shut. I hear what sounds like bare feet padding across the floorboards, coming in this direction.

A moment later, Damon appears in the doorway, shirtless and bedraggled. "I need coffee," He proclaims in a husky, sexier than sin voice that makes me go weak in the knees.

Since I'm currently standing directly in front of the mug cabinet, I reach in and grab one for Damon. I also just finished brewing coffee, so I pour him a cup and then slide it across the breakfast bar to him. He smiles at me gratefully, "Thank you, Elena," before he even notices another presence in the room. He drops two sugar cubes in his coffee and begins to stir, "Hello Rose. What brings you to Casa del Salvatore?"

Rose rolls her eyes so hard it looks painful. I answer for her, "I forgot to call her this morning and let her know the girls are sick."

Damon takes a sip of his coffee, hissing at the heat. "Well what's she still doing here?" I suppose it's still too early for him to be charming.

"She doesn't have a ride," I explain shortly.

Damon takes another sip, this time seeming not to notice how hot it is. After considering it for a moment, he tentatively offers, "I guess I could give you a ride home. That is, if you want one."

"Uh, no," Rose immediately stands from the stool she'd been occupying, looking suddenly like a caged animal, "No, I don't want that. I would rather cut off my own hand with a dull fucking blade. Stay the Hell away from me." Before I can say anything to dissuade her, Rose has fled the room, and the house.

After a pregnant pause, throughout which Damon nonchalantly sips from his steaming mug, I state, "I'm sensing a bit of history there. Something that didn't end so well, perhaps?"

"Whatever gave you that impression, Elena?" Damon plays along, for a moment. Then, he swiftly changes the subject, "How are the girls this morning?"

"Still sleeping, last I checked," I reply, allowing the conversation about Rose to die before it really hatched. I already know what happened between them: Damon seduced Rose, Rose fell for the bait, and now Rose hates Damon. She's not the only one of us clever enough to read between the lines.

I get back to work cooking up omelets, one for me and one for Damon, now that he's decided to join me for breakfast. I ponder whether I should bother making anything for Katherine and Emily, since it has been over twelve hours from the first symptoms of the bug, but I decide to wait. In the unlikely event the girls are famished when they awaken, they are bound to have picky stomachs for the next day or two. I'll wait until they make a request to cook them something.

"I was thinking…" Damon says after he swallows the last of his cheese and green pepper omelet, "We could spend the day in the pool house, just relaxing and watching movies." At first, I wonder if I need to remind him that although his sisters are sick I'm still in charge of caring for them, but then he adds, "My bed is big enough for the four of us, and I've got snacks and drinks, so we'll have everything we need. What do you say?"

What do I say? I say it sounds like a bad idea. It sounds like yet another opportunity for me to deepen the feelings I have for him, even though I know he doesn't return those feelings. I say Rose is probably right when she told me I'd be going home with a broken heart this summer, though I'll certainly not be telling her that I agree with her. I also think spending the day in bed with Damon would be absolute heaven…

(Damon's POV)

It's been strange the past few days, ever since the twins' birthday party. After our fight, Stefan stormed off and hasn't spoken to me; only indirect comments, at dinner or in passing. He's being a real dick. I know he's got something up his sleeve, some big trick or gesture that he thinks will be the final push at getting Elena into his bed. If this were any other girl, I'd make my final move and seal the deal, but this is Elena. Elena, who has wormed her way into my mind, making it so that all my thoughts lead back to her. Elena, whose very name lights a spark inside me, and makes me feel like I'm on fire. She does something to me, something I've never felt before, and I want more of. And I don't care about a stupid game anymore, but obviously I'm not going to let Stefan win. If he wins, then that means he's had Elena, and he can't have her, so I have to keep playing the game, just to keep him from winning. It's like a sick circle of Hell and I can't get out of it, and I have no one to blame but myself, the Creator of the Game. I am the maker of my own misery…

Something else happened at the twins' party Saturday, something I've been puzzling over in my mind since, trying to figure out what it might mean. It was something I overheard Andie saying to Elena and Lexi, and for the second time in as many weeks I'm questioning whether or not Elena's already figured us out. Andie said, "You're not super human, Elena. I don't fault you for developing feelings for Damon; he's been doting on you for weeks," and then she'd seen another nanny approaching and warned the other two, "Anna's coming back." So…Elena has feelings for me…I thought so, but having a hunch and then having that hunch confirmed are two very different things. And then there's the way Andie was making it seem like she didn't blame Elena for not being able to resist me; what was that about? Why wasn't Elena supposed to have these feelings for me? Because of the stupid no dating rule neurotic Tatia made up this summer? Because Andie still felt like she had some claim over me since we had a fling last summer? Something else?

I don't like not knowing what those girls are up to. Especially since I've always had the upper hand with Elena, and I like the upper hand, but all of a sudden, I have to stop and wonder if I'm the one being played. I feel like a hunter who has realized he is now the prey. If Elena does know the truth, then the only feasible option I can see working out in my favor is to confess; I have to be the one to tell her first. If I don't, then she'll never believe me when I tell her I think I'm…No. No way. Don't even go there, Damon. Even if she doesn't know, and I'm simply being paranoid, the truth is bound to come out eventually, and it's still better coming from me. That could be Stefan's big play: telling Elena about our game, framing me to be the big bad brother, as always, making it seem like he had no part. I can see him doing it.

How do I tell her, though? How do I even start? Hey, Elena, I know you know what Stefan and I are up to. No, that's stupid. Elena, I have a confession to make, Stefan and I have been playing a cruel joke on you… No! What the fuck? This isn't Confessions of a Teenage Drama-Queen. Elena, I have to tell you something, and it's not going to sound good, but I promise things will make a lot more sense after you hear this. …Actually, that's a pretty good start. But when do I tell her?

As I'm debating when the best time to break this sort of news to a person would be, I fall asleep, and when I wake in the morning, my mind picks up where I left off. When do I tell her? What do I say so she doesn't hate me after? I stumble out of bed, running a hand lazily through my bed hair, and trudge towards the house, and the kitchen, for coffee. I am greeted with the sight of lovely Elena, standing in sunlight shining in the kitchen and looking beautiful as ever. I croak out that I need coffee, and, like an angel, she delivers. Then, I notice sourpuss Rose. I can't say I'm disappointed when she makes a swift departure. When I suggest a movie day in my bed with Elena, and the girls, I'm not even sure myself if I'm asking for the opportunity to tell her about the game, or just to spend more time with her. Why can't it be both?

I find myself, two hours later, cozied up in my California King bed, my three favorite girls snoozing in the bed beside me, and Mrs. Doubtfire playing on the TV in the background. I've got Elena on my right, tucked under my arm, and Kat and Bee are on her right, looking like a pair of Siamese twins as their arms and legs have tangled up together in their sleep, making it hard to distinguish which limbs belong to which body. Elena shifts in her sleep, unconsciously snuggling closer to me, her head moving to my chest, her hand sliding down and settling atop my lower abdomen, awakening something inside of me. I lift a hand to the back of her head, running my palm down the length of her silky, soft hair, coming to a stop at the small of her back, just above the curve of her toned ass.

"Are you trying to cop a feel while I'm sleeping?" Elena suddenly asks in a sleepy, teasing tone, prompting me to laugh.

"Hey, you started it," I point out, placing my left hand over her right, which is still resting very low on my abs. I can't see her face, since she's now hiding it in my chest, but I can imagine she's blushing. "If I were actually trying to cop a feel," I clarify, "I would have done this." I take my right hand and cup one of her jean covered ass cheeks, giving it a squeeze.

Elena pops her head up, crying out indignantly, "Damon!"

"Shh!" In one smooth movement, I scoop her body up so she's now laying directly on mine, chest to chest, and eye to eye. "You don't want to wake the girls, do you?"

Elena stares down at me breathlessly with those beautiful brown doe eyes of hers, so innocent-like. Her lips are parted slightly, as if she's about to speak. I can't help myself. I wrap an arm around her neck and pull her towards me, closing the distance between our mouths and covering hers with my own. I run my tongue across her lower lip, which tastes sweet and tangy from the orange juice she drank with breakfast, and she opens her mouth for me, allowing me to slip my tongue inside to tangle up with hers.

Elena, having the more dominant position of being on top, applies more pressure, grinding her body into mine, and moaning when her center comes in contact with my erection. Unexpectedly, she pulls away, her chest heaving and eyes wide. "What are we doing?" She whispers to me, putting her fingers to her lips to touch where mine have just been. "We can't do this. Your sisters are sleeping right there." She points to Kat and Bee, who are actually within arm's reach, and now that I've been made aware, I realize this is not the ideal location to be getting hot and heavy.

I sit up, taking her with me. "Wrap your legs around me," I order, and she complies, clinging to me like a baby monkey to its mom as I pick her up out of the bed and walk to the other side of my room in the pool house. I have a walk-in closet. Seems like the perfect solution. Once inside, I place Elena with her back against the wall and pepper kisses along her jawline. She sighs breathily in my ear, making my dick twitch within the tight confines of my jeans and boxers. What I wouldn't give to have her completely naked right now, her legs open and waiting for me to enter her. I groan, wrapping my arms more tightly around her, fusing my lips to hers and savoring the taste of her.

"Damon," She says, and I wonder how she's saying that when her lips are touching mine, "Damon." She repeats my name a few more times, and when I open my eyes, the scene before me abruptly changes.

What? What happened? We're still here in the pool house, in my bed, with the girls sleeping beside us, and Mrs. Doubtfire on the television…we're not making out in my closet, me about to convince her to take her top off, as I previously thought. I guess I'm the one who dozed off, not Elena. It was only a dream. Ugh, and what a good dream it was, too. I wonder what the chances are of me getting the real Elena in a similar position as I just had dream Elena? Only one way to find out.

"Yes, Elena?" I ask her sweetly, running my fingers through her hair, as I did in my dream.

"Um," She shifts awkwardly against me, and I realize I've sort of been spooning her, and in doing so I've made her aware of the boner in my pants. She doesn't know what to say, and I find her innocence completely endearing.

Instead of adjusting myself to relieve her of her embarrassment, I remain in the same position as I explain, "These kinds of things sometimes happen when a guy finds himself in the same bed as a beautiful girl."

Elena rolls her eyes, looking back over her shoulder at me as she asks, "You're not actually trying to give me a biology lesson, are you? I'm aware what causes…it." She tries to wiggle away from me, but I put a hand to the base of her throat, and she freezes. I run my fingers across her skin so lightly, it causes goosebumps to break out over her flesh and a shiver to run through her body.

Smirking confidently, I tell her, "Well, Elena, if you're so smart, you'd know that it isn't biology I'm talking about at all." I lean forward and whisper in her ear, "It's chemistry."

Elena gulps, trying to play it off as laughter when she tries to tease, "You're so cheesy." Her eyes tell a different story.

"Don't you mean adorable?" I correct, sliding my hands around her waist and tugging her body closer.

"Damon," Elena says, a weak attempt at warning me off. She doesn't really want me to stop touching her, I can tell by the tone of her voice, and her body language. Instead of pushing me away, she's leaning into my touch. If she didn't like how I was making her feel, she wouldn't be closing her eyes and leaning her head back on my shoulder. I continue rubbing my hands lightly across her sides, her flat stomach, up the middle of her chest, between her breasts. She tilts her head back further, exposing her neck to me, and I kiss her there, eliciting a breathy moan.

Elena moves so quickly, she's suddenly escaped from my arms, and I'm disappointed at the cold feeling that spreads over me. Then, she, and her warmth, are back, and I am comforted at the fact that she was only adjusting her position. She has sat herself in my lap, facing me now, straddling my legs, but looking down at me tentatively, like she's unsure of her own actions. I should tell her now, I think. Alternatively, I could just kiss her.

Allowing my hormones to take over, I raise a hand to Elena's face, tracing her jawline up to her ear lightly with one finger, intent on bringing her to me if she really wants this to happen. She leans in to my touch, her eyes falling almost all the way shut, and as she stares at me through thick eyelashes, I feel a strange sensation in my chest…a tugging, a pull, on heartstrings that I never knew existed. What is happening to me? Am I dying? If I am dying, at least I'll go in the arms of the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on.

Almost like she heard my inner monologue, Elena licks her lips, her gaze dropping down to my own mouth. She moves tantalizingly slow, her face drawing nearer and nearer, before finally connecting her lips to mine. Hers are soft, supple, and sweet as honey. She deepens the kiss, breathing into my mouth, exploring my lips and my tongue with her own. Her hands run up my chest, my neck, and into my hair, tugging on my dark strands as she kisses me passionately. When she breaks away for air, she leans her forehead against mine.

"Oh my God, Damon," Elena says, sitting back on her heels and running her hand across my forehead, "You're burning up! You have a fever." She switches from hot temptress to no-nonsense nanny in .02 seconds. "Do you feel okay? How's your stomach?"

As soon as she mentions it, my stomach lurches, and I catapult off the bed and run for the bathroom. Great. This is just great. From hot make-out sesh to bowing before porcelain gods in record timing, and there wasn't even alcohol involved? This is both shocking and very disappointing. Fuck me. I should have just told her.

July 14th

Dear Diary,

Well, it's official. Damon caught the stomach bug from Kat and Bee. It's only a matter of time now before I get it, and with my luck, I'll be coming down with the bug when Caroline and Bonnie are due for their visit. It's like when you plan that beach vacation all year, and a week before departing you realize your Aunt Flo is about to visit, and there go all your dreams of traipsing about in the sand in your white bikini, because no girl in their right mind is rocking a white bikini when Aunt Flo is in town. I don't want to be sick! This is supposed to be the best weekend ever, with my best friends ever, in the Hamptons, together, for two nights only!

Wish me luck, and a stomach of steel,

Elena

What did you guys think?! I'm DYING to know! Leave me a comment in the cute little box below, please!

Bonnie and Caroline are coming! It could be sometime in the next chapter...now is your last chance to tell me what you'd really, really like to see the girls do together while they are in the Hamptons! I'm currently accepting any and all suggestions for Bonnie and Care's visit ;)

Until next time, dear readers!

-Dee