Disclaimer: Not my characters, obviously. Just playing in their world for a while. ;)

Author's note: Last chapter! Thank you so much to everyone who has read, commented, faved, and followed. I appreciate it more than you know!

"Wait For Me to Come Home"

Chapter Eleven

Now I've got you in my space
I won't let go of you

A frisson of pleasure shot up Damon's spine, making his back arch and a groan slip from his lips. Fighting his way out of the haziness of sleep, he cracked his lids, blinking as the bright sunlight that was no match for the thin curtains assaulted his sensitive eyes. He found himself longing for the heavy velvet drapes that kept his bedroom at home sunshine free when the thought was wiped from his mind by another wave of blissful sensation. His head jacked back against the pillows, and his hands gripped the sheets until the sound of tearing fabric reached his ears. "Fuck!"

The feel of something tickling his stomach and groin made him look down toward the foot of the bed. What he discovered there had him wondering if he hadn't died and gone to Heaven. For real, this time. Elena was kneeling between his spread legs, one hand braced on his thigh and the other circling the base of his sex, her hair falling over her shoulders to brush against his skin. Noticing that he was finally awake, she glanced up at him with a devilish grin. "Mornin', handsome."

Whatever he was about to say vanished from his mind as her tongue swirled around the head of his now painful arousal. Taking him into her mouth, she sucked and licked until his eyes rolled back in his skull. Pulling back, she dragged her teeth lightly over his thick shaft. "Christ, Elena," he growled. "You keep that up and I'm gonna come."

She gave a throaty purr of satisfaction, the vibrations pushing him to the brink. Releasing him briefly, she continued to stroke him while he cursed under his breath. "That's kind of the point," she murmured. Leaning down and giving him a leisurely lick, she slowly worked her way up his hard length.

When she reached the top, Damon shot up, snagged her by the arms, and tumbled her onto the mattress, quickly pinning her beneath him. She squirmed and tried to dislodge him, but he refused to budge. Unfortunately, all of her wriggling wasn't helping the situation in his nether regions. Out of pure primal instinct, he nudged her head to the side and latched onto her neck with his blunt human teeth. He didn't break the skin, but she received the message, going absolutely still in response to his warning bite. Letting go, he soothed the spot with his tongue before brushing his lips over her ear. "Easy, Feisty," he rasped. Bracing himself above her, he gazed down at Elena's flushed face, her expression a mixture of anticipation and exasperation.

"Dammit," she pouted. "I knew I should have used the handcuffs."

"Like those would've stopped me," he scoffed. "Plus, it's best that the headboard is still attached to the bed. Trust me." He winked at her, settling between her legs and sitting back on his heels. Hooking his arms under her knees, he dragged her toward him so that her cute little behind was flush with his thighs, her hips angled upward. Raking his eyes over the gorgeous woman splayed in front of him, he couldn't resist cupping her breasts and giving them a gentle squeeze. "I'll never be able to get enough of you," he murmured, trailing a hand over her belly until it came to rest at the top of her sex.

Elena opened her mouth to speak, but her words were halted by the moan that escaped her when he parted her slick folds, rubbing himself against her teasingly. "Damon!" she gasped.

"Hmm?" He skimmed his thumb lightly over her clit, delighting in the way she cried out in reaction to his touch. So responsive.

"You're doing it again," she accused, her breath coming in little pants.

"Doing what?" he asked innocently, shifting slightly so that the tip of his cock slid inside her.

"Tormenting me." She tried to lift her hips to draw him in further, but he held her still. "Mercilessly," she added, digging her nails into his arm.

"Oh, sorry," he grinned in a way that indicated he was anything but. Surging forward with a swift thrust, he filled her completely. "Better, baby?"

"God, yes," she sighed in pleasure as he rocked against her. "Don't stop. Ever."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Gripping her hips, he pumped into her with a steady rhythm, savoring every sexy sound that spilled from her lips. When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he took advantage of the change in position, driving even deeper. It wasn't long before she was writhing in ecstasy, her hands fisted in the already torn sheets. As she shuddered and tightened around him, he knew she wasn't going to last much longer. She wasn't the only one, he noted, recognizing the rapid approach of his own orgasm.

Elena's eyes closed briefly before refocusing on him. "Harder, Damon."

More than happy to oblige, he quickened his pace until they were both on the verge of release. "Let go, sweetheart. I've got you."

His words did the trick, and he followed Elena over the edge as she surrendered to the overwhelming sensations flooding her body. As they collapsed in a sweaty, breathless heap, Damon pulled her against him, nuzzling a particularly sensitive spot on her neck while she ran her hands soothingly over his slick skin. They stayed that way, quietly soaking up the peaceful moment, until he felt Elena nip his wrist.

Damon glanced at her, enjoying the sight of her sharp little fangs clamping down on his arm. "Hungry?" he asked, repeating the question she'd posed to him yesterday. When she nodded, he rolled them over so she was resting on top of him. "Guess we'd better do something about it," he said, tilting his head back and baring his throat. As she leaned in for a taste of him, a mischievous smile bloomed on his face. "After this, I think we should partake in some naked breakfast." At her skeptical look, he caught her lips in a quick kiss. "It'll be fun. No bacon, I swear."

###

New Orleans

As the powerful witch currently inhabiting the body of a petite teenage girl moved about the mausoleum gathering the necessary ingredients for her spell, the two men flanking the doorway watched her intently. Setting everything on a table in the center of the room, she began sprinkling various herbs into a bowl. When she was finished, she closed her eyes and began to chant softly. Every candle scattered around the small room flared in response to her words, the flames bathing the space in a warm glow.

After a few minutes, she paused to collect the three glass vials laid out next to the bowl. Opening each of them, she poured their contents into the herbal mixture. Once the vials had been emptied, one of the men—the more reserved of the pair—cleared his throat, drawing her attention.

"Pardon the interruption, Mother, but what exactly are you hoping to achieve with this spell?"

"Ah, Finn. I'm surprised it was you who chose to ask. I expected it to be Kol, whose incessant curiosity always gets the best of him," she mocked, directing her gaze at her sons, both camouflaged, as she was, in the guise of others. "Thanks to Elena Gilbert's naïve generosity, I now have the means to return to my original form and the additional powers that come with it. By providing me with the blood of not one, but two doppelgangers, plus that of a hunter as a bonus, she all but ensured the success of the spell." Lifting the bowl, she swirled the concoction around until the thick liquid had blended with the herbs. "Resurrecting her vampire beloved and the Bennett witch was a small price to pay. If they become a threat, they can easily be redisposed of."

Bringing the bowl to her mouth, she slowly drank the mixture while Finn and Kol looked on—one in wonder, the other in dread. When she was done, she dabbed at her lips with a handkerchief. As her sons continued to stare, her appearance gradually altered until the visage of the young girl had been replaced by that of the woman who had turned her entire family into vampires. Dusting off her hands, she gave them a smile filled with dark promise. "Now, shall we go pay your brother a visit?"

###

Elena was pretty sure she couldn't move even if she wanted to. She was sprawled on the couch in front of the fireplace dressed in one of Damon's black button downs, and well, not much else. Her body ached in all the best ways, and she stretched her tired limbs, wondering if she could talk Damon into giving her a massage later. Just as she was starting to doze off, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome himself padded into the room with nothing but a towel wrapped around his slim hips, carrying his prized acquisition from the previous day's shopping trip. Setting the ice cream container on the side table, he lifted up her feet and sat down on the couch, rearranging her legs in his lap.

"Are you falling asleep on me?" he asked, trailing his fingers from the top of her foot to her polished toes.

"If you tickle me, I will not be responsible for my actions," she warned, cracking open an eye to glare at him.

Chuckling, he raised both hands in surrender. "Okay, fine. Nice shirt, by the way."

"Thanks." She gestured to the terry cloth covering the lower half of his delectable self. "Nice…towel. I'm surprised you bothered."

He shrugged, reaching for the Ben & Jerry's. "You got a little messy last night with the spaghetti. I'm just taking precautions." Peeling off the lid, he dug out a spoonful of the delicious treat. "Want some?"

"Precautions, my ass. You loved it." Groaning, she pulled herself into a sitting position and scooched over next to him. "Of course I do."

After delivering the spoon to her waiting mouth, he scooped up some for himself. "Mmm, that's pretty good," he said, making a satisfied smacking sound with his lips before putting the ice cream down and focusing his attention on her. "Since you got to play Twenty Questions yesterday, tonight it's my turn."

"Okay, shoot. But can we eat and talk?" she asked, making grabby hands at the container that was just out of reach.

"If you insist," he sighed dramatically, passing it to her along with the spoon. "So, I couldn't help but notice the look Ric gave you in the woods when I mentioned the spell that brought us back. What was that all about?"

Shit. "I was hoping you didn't pick up on it," she muttered. "I should have known better." When he cocked a brow expectantly, she continued. "Ric thought it was too dangerous."

"He wasn't alone. I distinctly remember hearing something about your blood, Stefan's, and Jeremy's in one of the visions I had. Why do I get the feeling you're not telling me everything?"

Elena stuffed another gob of ice cream into her mouth to keep from having to answer him right away. She finally swallowed, staring into the fire. "The witch needed blood from the people with the strongest connections to you and Bonnie. She only took a small amount. It wasn't a big deal."

"And what about this witch? Who was she anyway?" When she stayed quiet, he cupped her cheek and turned her so she was facing him. "Elena?"

When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. "We think it was Esther Mikaelson."

"Holy fucking hell." He dragged a hand through his still-damp hair. "How? I thought Alaric killed her."

"He did. Maybe she came back while the Other Side was falling apart." She paused, her eyes locking with his. "She referred to Ric as her 'hunter.'"

"Dammit. Did she hurt you?" he asked, concern written on his features.

"No." She brushed a stray piece of hair off his forehead as she tried to ease his worry. "She knocked us out with some witchy herbs and took off, but that's all."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. "Well, she'll be a thorn in Klaus's side now. Let him deal with her," he said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Sounds like a plan." She offered Damon the next taste of Karamel Sutra, and he teased her by slowly licking it from the spoon. Laughing at his antics, she removed the utensil from his tempting mouth. "Perfecting the art of seductive ice cream eating, are we?" She was about to give it her best shot when a buzzing sound caught her attention. "Crap. I think that's my phone. I'll be right back." Carefully extricating herself from his lap, she made her way to the kitchen.

After pawing through her purse, she found her cell and checked the screen. Sure enough, she had a missed call and a voicemail. Thinking that it was probably Caroline checking to see if the house was still standing, she hit "play" and listened to the message.

Elena, love. Long time, no chat. I hear you were in my charming city not too long ago, but sadly, our paths didn't cross. I have a feeling that's about to change. You see, I had the misfortune of running into my bitch of a mother just now. She informed me that she has you to thank for the return of her body and her full powers. Since this conundrum is your fault, I'm going to let you fix it. And love? Let me be perfectly clear. If you fail to remedy the situation, I won't hesitate to send Damon and Bonnie back to the afterlife along with whatever friends and family you have left. Have a pleasant evening. I expect I'll be seeing you soon.

Click.

"Oh, God." Dropping her phone on the counter, Elena paced back and forth, wracking her brain for a solution that wouldn't be the death of all of them.

Unfortunately, Damon heard her exclamation and appeared in front of her seconds later. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, her brown eyes wide with fear. "We have a problem. A big one."

Hope you liked it! Thanks again for coming along on my first journey as a fanfic writer. Special shout out to Karolina94, who correctly guessed the origin of the story's title: Ed Sheeran's song "Photograph."

Next up is a DE Halloween one-shot that should be done soon. I'm also seriously considering writing a sequel to this story. Any interest? Let me know. :)