Ok, another chapter. Really should be doing revision right now.

Don't own the vampire diaries by the way. Just have a lot of story ideas

Anyway, enjoy.

Once Damon had left, allowing Elena to get dry and to put on some clean clothes, Elena's mind was still thinking about one thing and one thing only. On a good note, it stopped her thinking about him, she thought as she pulled on some trousers, on a bad note, it felt wrong to not have Stefan on her mind, but every time that he was in her mind, it cut her like the sharp blade of a carving knife. Elena cringed from that pain, so hastily, began reshaping all her thoughts on the way Damon had just touched her, massaged her, played with her hair.

She pulled on the rest of her clothes and cleared up the bathroom, picking up her shampoo, conditioner and hairbrush and putting it into her wash bag. Finally, she wrapped another dry towel around her head, picked up her dirty clothes, and regretfully opened the door, which would put her in the same room with the exact person that she really didn't want to be with right this minute.

There he was, sitting on a chair, a smirk etched upon his face. Elena decided to ignore it, not in the mood for fun and games, she was still in mourning, serious mourning, and just because he had managed to impossibly lighten her, it was no reason to look smug. This was something that she disliked about Damon, it would have been something that he- she wouldn't think his name- would never do.

"What?" Damon said, catching Elena staring it at him.

"It's nothing," she said in reply, walking over to the small mirror opposite the bed to put some make up on.

The room was filled with an awkward silence as Elena applied a layer or powder, blusher and finally a light coating of mascara. She didn't really need make up, in fact, she had been told she looked good without it, but it was a nice feeling when she had it on, like there was something to hide under. Always in the background, somewhat a distraction, was Damon perched on his seat, staring across the room drinking from a plastic cup which he had got from the tea and coffee making set, which Elena could only guess, contained blood. It reminded her that she had to eat, and indeed, she felt a little hungry, so without consulting Damon first, she quickly packed up her make-up, grabbed a jacket which Damon must have brought in last night that was lying over one side of the double bed, and strode out the door.

In the same second, a dark figure stood in front of her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Elena moved to dodge past Damon, but he blocked her again.

"Getting something to eat, now let me past,"

"Elena, it's not my fault that you gave into me this morning, it was purely an act of kindness and I didn't influence you," Damon said sternly, staring into Elena's eyes.

"I know, that's the reason why I'm mad. I wished you had influenced me,"

Damon looked at her in utter confusion until Elena explained herself.

"Then I wouldn't feel so bad, like I've betrayed... him," she finished quietly.

"Look, if it makes you feel better Elena, there was nothing intentional about it,"

"I know, I know. It's just.. it doesn't matter,"

Damon didn't want to push Elena anymore than he had done. He was just so pleased that he had her talking finally. The days and days of silence made him feel like he was dragging around a sad looking cardboard cut out because of Elena's recent permanent facial expressions.

"Well, it's nice to see a little life in you now," Damon said.

Elena's lips turned up just fractionally.

"Come on, we can talk more later, let's find you somewhere to eat."

There wasn't anywhere descent to eat in the town, so after a quick check around, Damon decided that over all, it would be better to just move on.

"So, do you have any idea at all, where we are headed, Damon?"

"Nope," he said as he held the door open for Elena.

"Is there anywhere that you would like to go, Elena?"

There was only one place that she really, truly wanted to go to. But this was something that she had wanted to do with... But Damon seemed so much happier in her presence, like she was his life force, his reason for existence after... I guess it would be appropriate to go to there with Damon, he, after all was her friend and, she thought, it would be nice to have somewhere to aim for instead of just deliriously driving around state after state.

"I would like to go to Italy,"

"Italy," Damon said incredulously.

"You asked me where I wanted to go, and I have told you."

"Okay," Damon sighed, " Let's go to Italy. Anywhere in particular?"

"I've always been attracted to Venice,"

"Then Venice we shall go, my lovely Elena," he said with a smile.

Damon started the car, driving way too fast, cutting into the traffic at an interval which Elena wouldn't have dared tried. After thirty minutes, Damon spotted a small cafe whilst passing through a small town. He pulled over on the curb by the cafe and he and Elena both walked in, choosing to sit in a secluded section away from the hustle and bustle of everyday conversation.

There, desperate for a warm drink to wake her up, Elena ordered a coffee and a bowl of fruit salad with yogurt whilst Damon refused to order anything. Once Elena was taking hot sips of coffee, she felt ready to face another day. She wished though, that Damon would stop staring at her, he hadn't taken his eyes of her once, since entering the cafe.

"What?" Elena whispered, accusingly.

"What, what?"

"You keep staring at me, why?" Elena demanded.

"I'm just wondering, thinking. Is that a crime?"

"It is if it's about me," Elena said flatly.

"Who else am I meant to think about then?"

"Yourself, you usually seem pretty good at that."

Damon laughed. "You definitely seem more like yourself today. Well, I'm thinking about what it could possibly have been to make you scream like that, would you care to enlighten me?"

At that moment, Elena's food arrived, and she took that time to make an excuse as to not talk, pouring yogurt onto her fruit and taking a bite, slowly chewing her mouthful. She heard Damon's feet tap as he grew impatient. She really didn't want to talk about it because it involved talking about... him.

Damon was glad that he had heightened senses, because he had to strain his ears to catch what Elena was saying, which was so quiet and so fast.

She explained about her dream, about Stefan and Katherine.

"I don't even know why I had it," she said, confused.

Elena put her fork down, suddenly not hungry. "It's not like I'm jealous of her or anything, or like I'm thinking of her all the time,"

Damon couldn't figure out the reason either. If anything it was suspicious. Especially when Elena described that she had seen the image as soon as she had closed her eyes. But it couldn't be... that was impossible. No, it was purely a coincidence. Katherine couldn't have possessed her. Because that could mean, that could mean Stefan could be with Katherine. That in itself was impossible. No Stefan was dead, he had seen it.

"I don't know," Damon admitted.

They sat there for another minute in awkward silence. It was always awkward with Damon, there had never been any awkward silences before.

"Are you finished?" Damon said finally.

"Yes," Elena said, getting up from her seat, sliding on her jacket.

Damon waved to the waitress, who gave him their bill. He didn't check it, but he gave her a note before striding out of the cafe.

With a backward glance, Elena saw the waitresses eyes bulge.

"How much did you give her?" Elena asked, shakily, still distressed from telling Damon about her dream.

Recognising she was uncomfortable, Damon pulled her close as they walked the remaining steps to his car. They stood facing each other quickly.

"Enough," Damon said simply, taking a strand of Elena's hair and placing behind her ear. The feel of it brought back a whole deluge of memories from that morning.

Elena then got into the passenger side of the car and Damon slid into his seat.

"Where to now then?" Said Elena.

"The nearest airport," Damon replied, flashing a smile as he revved the engine.

Then they sped off, both of them thinking of the sudden electrical spark that had ignited with Damon's touch.