The Auction

Pairing: Damon and Elena—like I'd write anything else! Pfft!

Rating: Hmm? What do you think? Though this first part is a mild M for bad language—the next part is all me and my smutterfluff! :) :) :)

Summary: Who needs 'a few good men' when you have Damon? lol! Well, this is my take on what should have happened in 'A Few Good Men' Well, maybe not a serious take—it's actually not at all serious…I have one serious fic going so I needed some humor. Hope you guys like it. This is more a parody of what 'could' have happened in that episode blended with my need for D/E smut. Okay? Okay.

Enjoy…hugs & kisses,

Jen

Part 1:

Salvatore Boarding House:

"Stefan?" Elena said as she entered his room. The room had a lived in look, but right now, it looked like the he she was looking for wasn't there. Elena was about to leave when she heard his voice coming from Stefan's closet.

"Better…" he said, his boots clicking off the floor. "Me," he finsihed in a husky purr as he just kind of sauntered over, oozing a kind of sex appeal that should be illegal.

Elena's eyes nearly burst from her head as she stared at him. Why was he so hot? It was almost sacrilegious that someone so without morals could look so heavenly. He was dressed in nothing but boots and a pair of loose fitting jeans that rode so dangerously low that his hips that his pubic bones were plainly visible. Elena's eyes were mesmerized by that little line of hair that ran from his belly button down to his—her thoughts ground to a halt. 'Don't even go there,' she told herself. But she couldn't help the way her eyes ate up his spectacular body. He was stunningly attractive.

Elena finally found her voice. "You look…um…" God, it should be a sin to look that good, she thought. Oh God, say anything but that, she told herself sternly.

As if reading her mind, he smirked. "Dashing, gorgeous—irresis-sstible?" he teased. He was obviously drunk and coming a little too close for Elena's increasingly frantic heart rate.

Yes, yes and yes! She wanted to shout, but somehow managed to gather the tattered remnants of her control together and kept her cool. She was quite proud that her voice didn't even quiver as she said, "Wrecked…" She did however fold her arms over her chest tightly in order to not give in to temptation and feel for herself if his belly was as hard as it looked. "You look wrecked," she finished, nodding for good measure. There, that sounded strong—no hint of burning lust. Elena swallowed, now if only he'd cover that chest—she might be able to actually think again.

He gave a careless little shrug. "Hmm, don't see why? Did you know that I'm one of Mystic Falls most eligible bachelors?" he asked quirking a brow as if saying, 'how ironic-right?'

Elena couldn't help but agree—if only the lonely women of Mystic Falls knew… "So you've agreed to be auctioned off at the fundraiser?" she asked, smirking.

He made a face. "I'm doing it as a favor," he said grabbing a shirt and stepping in front of the mirror.

"Huh" she said. It didn't really surprise her that he'd been asked. Damon was sexy, single and rich—of course he'd be asked to participate, but what did surprise her was that he was doing it. He really must be hammered. "So, how are you doing?" she asked.

"Never better. Yep…'m dealing just fine," he said, shrugging the shirt on.

Elena had her doubts. Getting ripped day in and day out wasn't her idea of dealing, but then again, she'd never plotted to free someone for over a hundred years only to find out they'd never been captured at all, so who was she to say how she'd deal in that situation. Damon's eyes met hers in the mirror. "So what can I do for you?" he asked. "I'm a barrel full of favors today." Clumsily he tried to button his shirt. "It's my new found purpose in life—how can I help people," he said, weaving a bit. He couldn't seem to get the shirt buttoned and turned to her with a sigh. "Help a guy out will ya?" He motioned to the buttons. "I can't…get this," he finished, pouting slightly.

Elena swallowed. Oh lord, she so didn't want to put her hands on him. Damon—especially a half naked Damon, did weird things to her pulse, but she didn't see a dignified way out of it—running from the room would earn her nothing but his scathing sarcasm. He gave a little grunt and Elena rolled her eyes, crossing the room to where he stood waiting for her with his shirt unbuttoned. He turned with her, facing the mirror again when she took hold of the buttons.

"So…" she said softly, a smile lighting up her face and making it glow. "I found out who my birth mother is…" Elena wasn't sure why she wanted to share this with him, but she did—that is until he made a *blech* sound. Her brows drew down and her fingers still on the front of his shirt. Why did he have to ruin everything, she thought more upset than she should be.

Damon didn't notice her crestfallen look. "Who cares?" he said, making a face before he leaned down to stare at her while he gave her a bleary eyed lesson in the hard knocks of life. "She left you. It doesn't matter why—she sucks," he said pointedly.

Bizarrely that almost made sense and Elena's eyes drifted down to his lips as she wondered how Damon could see through her façade to her need to find out why when no one else had. She could smell the booze, mixed with expensive cologne and a scent that was just Damon. It was very distracting in a sexual way and she wet her lips nervously when he leaned even closer. "Trust me. You don't want to wait around for someone who didn't care enough to keep you to begin with. It'll only hurt worse in the end," he said softly.

Elena realized they weren't talking about her anymore. She resisted the urge to hug him. "I'm sorry, Damon," she said with genuine empathy. "I know Katherine's betrayal really hurt you."

He shrugged as if it didn't matter, but he still shied away from the Katherine topic. "So you're going to the fund raiser with Stefan?" he asked instead.

"Yeah, why?" she asked as she started buttoning his shirt again.

"Well, I thought you guys broke up again…for like the umpteenth time," he added with a roll of his eyes.

"We're still friends, Damon."

"Friends with benefits?" he asked with a smirk.

"No, at least not the kind you're thinking of," she told him with more than a slight trace of exasperation in her voice.

"Jeez, you two are so boring," he lamented. "No wonder it never works for you—where's the fire?" He leaned close to her again, close enough that his lips almost touched her ear, "where's the passion," he asked softly.

His breath on the delicate shell of her ear caused a shudder to race up her spine. Elena swallowed the sudden urge to moan before answering. "We—well we have that." He snorted and Elena scowled. "We do," she insisted, almost stamping her foot in exclamation of her point. "It's just not in the animal way you think of sex, Damon—not everyone is like you, you know?" she said with a smirk.

Her smirk vanished instantly when he merely smiled and said, "Correction—no one is like me, Elena—least of all my self flagellating little brother."

Elena did stomp her foot then. "You're wrong. What Stefan and I have is sweet and caring and—"

He interrupted her with a loud *snoring* sound. "Boring me to tears already." He put his hands on her shoulders. "That's why you never stay, Elena—you want more," he told her emphatically, staring into her eyes.

Elena's heart was thundering in her ears. His remark was far too close to the truth for her peace of mind. "There—all done," she said, letting go of his shirt and taking a hasty step away from him and the temptation he represented.

He grabbed her hands and placed them back on his chest. "Are you?" he asked. "I think there's something else you want to do right now, isn't there?"

"You're drunk," she said attempting to tug her hands away before she gave in to the desire to run them along his silk clad chest.

"I can hear your heart beat," he reminded her with his usual brash arrogance. "You want me."

His eyes were mesmerizing and Elena fell into them. Almost without conscious thought she leaned forward, getting lost in those strikingly blue/green eyes as her fingers curled and she gripped his shirt tightly. "I—" She froze, as it dawned on her like a bucket of ice water over her head that she was almost on her tip-toes and leaning in to kiss him. "Oh my God, are you compelling me?" she snapped, stumbling away from him.

He made a *tsking* sound and grabbed her arm. He reeled her back in and held up her vervain necklace for her to see, waving it in front of her face like a hypnotist would. "That'd be kind of hard with you wearing this, right?" She gave a tiny nod, but it was barely an acknowledgement since she was still unwilling to admit it was her own desires doing her in, but Damon sensed it. He hovered over her, smiling wolfishly as he crowded her space again. "No, that was all you, Elena. You want me."

She shook her head. "No," she said, but it sounded weak--pathetic even and Elena could see he didn't believe her. Hell, neither did she for that matter.

He didn't even bother to reply to that wimpy denial. "Here's a thought…maybe you should bid on me tonight." Her eyes widened and reasons as to why that was absurd popped all over the place, but all those reasons did not stop the little tingle of excitement that shot through her at his words. he cupped the back of her neck and rubbed his cheek against hers. "We could have a little moonlit picnic in the woods…just the two of us…under the stars, on a blanket…naked," he added, pulling back to witness her face flame. He chuckled with devilish glee and Elena's mouth opened and closed several times before Damon took advantage of her momentary stupor by dipping his head and brushing a kiss across her lips.

Elena's whole body *zinged* to life and Damon felt the current as it raced through her to him. He gasped as her heart thundered- so hard it was almost like his own was beating vicariously through hers. It was an amzing turn on and he crushed her to him, pressing his erection against her belly as he kissed her hard, but with a finesse that he'd perfected with over a hundred and fifty years of experience. Elena didn't stand a chance. She felt that hard arousal and imagined it inside her--her knees buckled. She'd dreamed about this, but never had she actually thought it'd happen.

"Damon," she moaned, clinging to his shoulders just to stay on her feet as she kissed him back with all the newly realized passion she had for him.

Suddenly he broke the kiss. "Think about it," he said, stepping back from her suddenly.

Stunned to the point of muteness, Elena's fingers went to her lips. His kiss, brief as it was, had made her entire body clench with hot, overwhelming desire. She stared at him, torn between anger that he'd stopped and fear that she was somehow irrevocably seared by his kiss. It had left her trembling with desire and far more turned on than making love to Stefan. Her boyfriend--ex-boyfriend, hadn't made her feel one tenth of that kind of passion and they'd been having intercourse at the time. It was crazy, and he was evil, she decided. These feelings were wrong—bad, and she had to make sure he knew to never, ever do that again.

Elena opened her mouth to berate him when she happened to spot Stefan behind Damon's shoulder, standing in the room, his arms crossed over his chest and a puzzled expression on his face. Her words died in her throat. "Stefan—finally," she breathed, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. "Are you ready?" she asked, taking hold of his arm and almost dragging him from the room as she set out to put miles between herself and the devil named Damon Salvatore.

Her teeth gnashed when she heard Damon's husky chuckle as they left. "See you two love birds' later tonight." Elena glared at him over her shoulder, not if she could help it, she thought, but Damon's next words stopped her in her tracks. "Oh, and Elena…" he called after her, "think about what I said, at the very least it'd be exciting," he told her as he stepped around them and headed down the hall to his own room to finish getting ready.

"What was that all about?" Stefan asked with a frown.

"Nothing," Elena snapped before she took a deep breath a put on a happy face. "It's just Damon being Damon. If he ever sobers up maybe this whole Katherine thing might make him remember he has a heart even if it doesn't beat," she said.

"Did he say or…do something to you?" Stefan asked, his brows lowering to a scowl now.

"No," Elena lied. The last thing she wanted was for Stefan to confront Damon. Lord only knows what beans Damon might spill! "Let's go." She looped her arm through his playfully and pushed thoughts of a certain sexy vampire out of her mind. "I'm tired of talking about Damon, tonight let's just relax and have fun for a change, okay?"

Stefan grinned. "That'd definitely be a change of pace." He paused. "So are we okay?"

Elena sighed. "Can we just keep things as they are for right now?" His face fell and Elena bit her lip, watching as his shoulders sagged in defeat. She felt guilty, but what could she do? Things were complicated. She loved Stefan, she did, but—her mind refused to go any further. Damon couldn't be right…could he? Did she want—need more?

He nodded, putting on a brave face and shuttering his look of pain. "I can accept that, just as long as I know I still have a chance."

Elena smiled. Now that was a definite. "Always," she said, refusing to think of the pair of flashing aquamarine eyes, and the sinfully delicious body of the vampire that not only haunted her dreams, but with that kiss, had now barreled his way into her waking thoughts too. Great—tonight was going to be a long one indeed.

A little while later, Damon came down the stairs pulling on his jacket. He'd changed. Now he was all in black, having abandoned Stefan's too tight green shirt for a silky black Armani button down that fit him across the chest better. His black jeans rode low on his hips the way he liked them, but the black suit jacket hugged his shoulders to perfection. He looked good and he knew it. He grabbed his shades, ready to go, but paused at the landing, surprised to see Stefan still there. "Where'd our girlfriend go?" he asked sarcastically, putting a definite emphasis on 'our'.

"She's on her way to the Grille," Stefan replied.

Damon smirked. "I thought you guys were going together. You know, doing the whole friends…" He air quoted the word 'friends', "thing."

Stefan's jaw tightened. "How about you stop worrying about what goes on between me and Elena.

Damon snorted. "Where's the fun in that?"

Stefan ignored the comment. "I want to show you something," he said, pulling something out of his jacket pocket.

"Grreat," Damon said, drawing out the word exaggeratedly. "What now?"

Stefan had a picture of an attractive brunette woman. "This is the woman, Isobel, the one from North Carolina that I was asking you about." He held the picture up for Damon to see. "Do you recognize her?"

Damon gave a perfunctorily glance at the photo. "Should I?" he asked instead of answering.

"Did you kill her?" Stefan growled.

"Are we seriously going to go through this again?" Damon griped. "Remember? Needle—haystack," he reminded with a curl of his lip.

"Look again," Stefan demanded, shoving the picture right up under Damon's nose.

The elder sibling rolled his eyes but gave the picture a closer look. "Sorry, but she doesn't look familiar," he said before heading for the door. Damon stopped and turned. "Are you coming? Cause I can give you a lift since I'm heading there to sign away my freedom for the night…" He winked, giving Stefan a look that set the younger Salvatore's teeth on edge due to its smugness. "Who knows what lucky lady might get to win a date with me tonight, hmmm? Think they'll let me snack?" he taunted, licking his lips exaggeratedly. Stefan just stood there, arms akimbo, glaring and Damon smirked again. "Jeez, I'm kidding. Come on bro. Get it together—the desperate housewives of Mystic Falls a-wait…"

Stefan gave an exasperated sigh, tucked the picture back in his pocket and followed his brother out the door. He wouldn't get any answers from Damon right now so he might as well get a ride. "I hope old lady Bindley gets your ass," he said. He suddenly smiled as the amusing, yet scary visual of the seventy-something, wrinkled and grey haired old woman who worked at his school and ogled the boys there, bidding on and getting her hands on his brother in the auction tonight. It definitely put him in a better mood. "Now that would be poetic justice," he said out loud as he shut the door to the boarding house and trailed after Damon to his brother's car.

The Grille:

"He's already been hit on like thirty five times," Caroline chirped. "He's total cougar bait!"

Elena wasn't sure how to respond so she made an *mmhhmm* sound and said, "That's impressive."

Matt gave Elena an 'I'm sorry' look. He wished Caroline hadn't brought the subject up and said as much. "More like embarrassing," he corrected.

Just then Kelly Donovan, Matt's mother came up to the receptionist's podium.

"Hi, Mrs. Donovan," Caroline squeaked, an 'eager to please' smile plastered across her pretty face.

Kelly ignored her, turning to Elena instead and drew her into a hug. "Elena honey," she said, pretending she didn't notice how Caroline's face fell at the blatant snub.

Elena actually hadn't noticed and returned the hug. "Kelly—it's good to see you. How are you?"

"Oh same old," Kelly answered pulling back. She gave Elena a mock frown. "Matty tells me you broke his heart…"

"Mom! " Matt interrupted. He glanced at Caroline's hurt face and frowned at his mother, but she just smiled.

"Just kidding," she told her son with a smirk. "Settle down." She gave Elena a knowing look. "He found his rebound girl," she said cattily, shifting her gaze to Caroline before flashing another warm smile at Elena. "Oh well, so what have you been up to?"

Elena glanced at Caroline giving her a silent show of sympathy with her eyes. Kelly prompted her for an answer and since Elena had no idea where to start and she absolutely couldn't tell the truth, she shrugged. "Like you—same old…just a different year," she answered without actually saying anything.

Kelly nodded. "I can relate." She handed Caroline a five dollar bill. "Consider me entered into the auction for tonight." She giggled at Elena. "I heard there are actually a few hotties up for bid tonight." She ignored her son's pointed, 'don't embarrass me look'. "Oh relax Matt, I'll behave, but I might as well indulge. After all, I am single," she said with a shrug. She noticed Carol Lockwood and rolled her eyes. "Stuck up snob," she sneered. "Though she did give me a good tip about who to bid on tonight…Do you know a Damon Salvatore…" she whispered to Elena.

"Um yeah, I—we all do…why?" Elena asked warily.

Kelly shrugged. "Nothing bad, it's just that I heard Carol Lockwood and your mother talking..." She directed that to Caroline. "And they said he's going to be the high bid tonight because he's like this amazing looking guy, who's rich, charming and…" she glanced at Elena and grinned. "Did I mention wickedly hot." Elena nodded numbly, but Kelly was already moving on to Caroline with a smirk. "I think your mom called him dreamy—is she bidding too? I mean, after your father, I could understand her needing reassurance…"

Caroline looked ready to cry and Elena couldn't help the sudden anger she felt for Kelly. She was being mean to Caroline; who was trying so hard to have the older woman like and accept her, but what was really gnawing at Elena's guts was the fact that she knew how Kelly was with men. She was a serious man-eater—and while Elena didn't judge, there was no way in hell she wanted Kelly to get her claws or any other body part into—or onto Damon! Unh-uh, it so wasn't happening. She'd bid on him herself first. That thought caught and held and while Elena didn't care to look into her reasons why. (That was a ball of yarn she couldn't even hope to unravel at this time.) She was certain of one thing. Damon was not going home with Kelly Donovan!

Kelly didn't notice the scowls that Matt, Caroline and Elena sent her way as she kept on talking. "Just as long as I don't get stuck with bachelor number three—dated him in high school—not impressive," she said with a smirk and flitted away after patting Matt affectionately, hugging Elena again and pointedly ignoring Caroline—for the second time.

Damon leaned against the bar barely managing to keep the fake smile adhered to his face after he'd been propositioned, prodded, poked and with one particularly crafty old lady, groped in ways that almost made him blush. Damon had dubbed her the Octo-Granny because he swore she had more that two hands. The entire time he'd chatted with her he'd constantly had to grab a hand here—a hand there…and always there was the one grabbing at his privates. It had been quite exhausting really. Right before she'd left to sit at the stage, she'd shown him a purse full of cash, told him she was buying him for the night and had actually had the gall to ask him if he was a good breeder! He'd been too stunned to even reply. What the hell did they think this was? He wasn't a stud for sale. He grimaced as he thought about it—shit, maybe he was. He rolled his eyes. Great, but if he was…on stud, there was only one mare in this room he wanted to mount. His eyes searched for and found her immediately. Elena.

"So what do you have planned for tonight?" Carol Lockwood asked, interrupting his thoughts as she slid up next to him and put her hand on his arm.

Damon wasn't used to being the hunted. He glanced down at her well manicured nails as she ran them up and down his forearm and his brows drew down. Her meaning was clear, she wanted him. He was starting to feel trapped by these women. "I was planning a romantic evening. You know, a midnight picnic—something woodsy," he said flashing his charm smile.

Carol's nails dug into his arm. "You're making me think I should make a bid."

He pulled his arm away without offending her "Well, you do run the place…"

She leaned forward, crowding him against the bar and as he backed away from her, Damon realized he really did not like being the prey in this scenario. "I could always rig it, right—that way I'd make sure I got you," she said in a flirty, teasing voice, pressing even closer to him.

Damon couldn't back away any further, his spine was already pressed against the wooden lip of the bar. If Carol Lockwood got any closer they'd need a spatula to get her off him. He loosened his collar. "Um, well I'll let you handle that," he said, resisting the urge to just tear her throat out for making him feel so stalked. After the groping he'd suffered from Octo-Granny, this was too much and Damon was about ready to say screw his relationship with the council and leave. He'd never felt so cheap in his life! He might as well have a fucking price tag stamped on his ass—wait he did, didn't he? Shit! He saw Elena break from Stefan and he made his move. "I—pardon me," he said, not bothering with an explanation as he patted Carol on the shoulder in a somewhat clumsy show of affection before making his escape. Not his best, but he just couldn't take any more of it, especially when he saw 'Groping Granny' and her purse full of cash heading his way again.

He met Elena just as she was about to go into the ladies room. "You've got to help me—I can't do this," he whispered harshly, his voice taking on an almost pleading note.

Elena knew exactly what was bothering him. She'd watched the whole scene with Damon and the lonely ladies of Mystic Falls with varying emotions. She traveled the entire spectra from amusement to anger, but she'd especially giggled when Mrs. Bindley, the office worker at her school had grabbed more than just his ass. Damon's face had been priceless. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she raked them over him like he was a piece of meat. "Feeling a little worn out—already? But you haven't even been purchased yet," she teased, unable to resist bringing him down a peg or two.

"Ha-fucking ha, Elena," he snapped. "Can you save the teasing for later? I have a serious problem here."

"I know, Mrs. Bindley never spends her money—she probably has a small fortune saved up just to get you for a night!"

He frowned. "Mrs.—" His eyes widened with recognition. At this time Damon was extremely glad he was a vampire and didn't blush. "Oh, you mean Octo-Granny." He made a face. "I know. She has a whole purse full of money and way too many hands for my piece of mind." Elena laughed and he scowled at her. "This isn't funny."

"But it really is. You're always spouting off at being God's gift—well tonight you are. Why so glum?"

"If Grandma buys me, I'm going to end up killing her and I haven't killed anyone in…" He sighed, "Too long. I was getting comfortable here, but I—"

"You're not going to kill her, Damon," Elena said confidently.

His lip curled and he frowned. "Haven't you heard a word I've said? She's not a normal Grandma—she's…" He grimaced, "horny," he finished in a comical stage whisper.

"So? What do you want me to do? I can't make her not bid on you."

"I know, but you could bid on me," he said, his beautiful eyes clear and bright, blinking at her earnestly. It was the most sincere expression she'd ever seen Damon sport.

But it was to save his own ass--literally! she thought with a grin. Pushing aside her sympathy, she rolled her eyes, trying not to show just how thrilling she found that idea—nor did she want him to know she'd already come up with this Master Plan herself. "Why should I? You've been an ass to me, maybe it'd be fun to watch you get dragged away by…Octo-Granny or…" Elena pointed to the burly blond stacking beer cases at the back door of the bar. "I heard she wants to bid on you too."

Damon gaped. "Is that even a woman?"

"That's Massive Marge—she owns this place and from what Matt was saying, she's seen you in here before and thinks you're really hot." Elena watched as Damon's jaw tightened and a muscle ticked in his jaw as his eyes roamed the really, really big tattooed woman he'd always assumed was a long haired man. "She emptied the till tonight--just for you," Elena taunted, knowing it was mean to tease him like this, but it was usually him who had her spinning, so this role reversal was refreshing.

Just then the massive woman looked up. Her homely face broke into a gaped tooth grin when she noticed Damon staring at her and without breaking eye contact, she made a lewd gesture with her fingers and tongue, and then blew him a kiss. "I'll be seeing you tonight," she said, but to Damon it came off as a threat.

His jaw dropped. This was intolerable. He was the predator--not the other way around. But in this instance he was well and truly crippled--he couldn't kill off any of these people--it was too public. His stomach cramped as he thought of the crude sexual finger gesture she'd given him. It wasn't going to happen. There was no way he was putting his face between those muscular thighs. He made a face. Ugh. No way. He felt sick. Since he couldn't kill any of them—there was only one option left. Run. "That's it! I'm out of here," he snapped, turning away from Elena to make his escape.

That wasn't what Elena wanted so she grabbed his arm to stop him. "Wait—okay, say I did bid on you…what do I get in return?"

In a flash the panic left his voice and that seductive purr she was used to was back. "What do you want?" he asked running his knuckles along her shoulder.

Suppressing a shiver at his touch, Elena managed to smirk instead of falling at his feet and telling him she lusted after him too. "I'll let you know," she said as she breezed into the ladies room, leaving him standing there in the hallway outside the bathrooms. "When or if I bid on you," she said over her shoulder before the door swung closed, giggling when she heard him growl in response.

Damon's jaw tightened as he watched the door swing open and shut-open and shut before it stayed closed. He wanted to follow her inside and demand to know what she meant by if! Like he couldn't sense her desire—hell he could smell it all over her every time he got anywhere close to her. She wanted him—why did she even have to think about winning a date with him? He pushed away from the wall, intending to go find a quiet corner and take up Stefan's role of the brooder until the dreaded auction when Octo-Granny turned the corner of the hall and stopped him dead in his tracks.

"There you are" she howled and quicker than Damon would have believed possible for someone her age she barreled her way towards him. He turned to run out the back, but Massive Marge was standing there. Was she licking her lips? Damon wasn't sure, but her large frame was blocking his exit and he didn't miss the come hither look she gave him—it made his stomach churn.

"Damon—Damon Salvatore!" they both called and he froze, trapped in the hallway like a delicious little mouse between two over-weight, over-aged housecats. This wasn't how he was going out, and with as much dignity as he could muster, Damon did the only thing he could in a crowded restaurant—he ducked into the men's room and hid.

Barely containing her amusement, Elena gripped her bidding paddle and pulled her chair front and center at the stage where the bachelors would be auctioned off. Though she hadn't seen hide nor hair of poor Damon since he'd gotten the bum rush in the hallway, (yes, she'd heard it all) she knew he'd show. He wanted to stay in Mystic Falls and he'd given his word to the Sheriff to participate tonight. He'd have his sexy ass up on that stage even if it killed him—which had he gotten crunched between Massive Marge and Mrs. Bindley—it might have—killed him, that is.

"Are you bidding?" Stefan asked, taking note of the numbered paddle in her hand and trying to appear casual as he took a seat next to her.

Elena bit her lip—it was like the fun had just got sucked right out of her night. Why did he have to be such a 'Buzz-Kill-Bob' all the time? She'd felt an affinity for it at first because she was depressed about her parents, but now…she was coming out of that and she wanted to be her old self again. The fun Elena. The one who loved life and lived it to the fullest no matter what, not the Elena she'd become. She was tired of moping and brooding with Stefan, listening to him lament about how he hated what he was. Sometimes she just wanted to shake him and say, 'get over it already! You are what you are now deal!' But then she'd feel guilty for that and the whole brooding cycle would start again. But not this time—they were 'officially' on a break and Elena wanted to have a good time.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am," she said surprising not only him, but herself at how confident she sounded.

"Who are you bidding on?"

Elena swallowed. Now this could get tricky. "Um…" She shrugged and said as casually as she could, "Well, your brother naturally. We can't have some woman getting a date with him—who knows what could happen!"

Stefan's eyes widened before they narrowed and he inhaled her scent. "You should have just told me you wanted him," he growled and got up from the chair.

Elena grabbed his arm. "I—it's complicated. I'm so tired of being sad and depressed. Please, I do love you, but I—well me and Damon have something too," she admitted.

He nodded. "I know. I've seen it since Atlanta." He took a deep breath and once again calm, trusty Stefan was back in control. Elena was almost disappointed—for a moment there he had fire in his eyes and it was sexy, but now…now his hum-drum-doom and gloom look was back and he gave her that gentle smile that was a key in making her feel guilty—now it was getting on her nerves. "I trust you to do the right thing," he said softly, running his hand down her hair. "But I hope you don't mind if I don't stay and watch."

Elena couldn't help but notice that he said that as if HE was making the sacrifice. Anger rushed forth and she gritted her teeth—all these things were reasons why they broke up. She'd just never examined them so thoroughly. But now wasn't the time to have this out. Let him go home and mope—Yay for him. She was staying right here. "I understand. I'll see you later," she said, glancing up at him as he hovered over her chair. She watched as a look of surprise came over his face and it only made her more determined. He'd actually expected her to go with the guilt and leave with him. Well, not this time—no more shame for Elena, she thought.

Stefan made some kind of reply, but it was drowned out when the crowd began to hoot and holler as Carol Lockwood took the stage. Elena glanced up to ask him what he'd said, but he was gone. Her brows drew down and she scowled for a second before she let it go. Fine—let him play the victim. She so wasn't going to dwell on Stefan's trauma and drama tonight. She'd told him she just wanted to have fun—guess he forgot that didn't usually include a sermon about doing the right thing!

Just then the bachelors came out and Elena's thoughts scattered as Damon strode across the stage like he owned it. He looked hot with his hair mussed, sans jacket and with his shirt half-way open down his chest. He looked almost too sexy, but rumpled, like he'd been manhandled by Massive Marge. Elena felt guilty. Maybe she should have stayed, but then he gave her a wink and struck a pose that was hotter than any male model she'd ever seen and she grinned. He was fine. Damon was like that—he bounced back. He didn't whine and mope—well he had been lately, but that was a little more understandable, but even in his moodiness, he was still electric. He sparked and Elena wanted to touch the lightning—hold it in her arms at least once before she decided what she really wanted in her life.

It was like he knew what she was thinking because that smirk that she was honestly beginning to love spread across his face and he flipped open another button of his shirt—much to Elena's and the howling ladies in the audience's pleasure.

Okay guys, the next part is going to be the bidding and the "date". Will Elena win or will Octo-Granny get all eight hands on out hero? *gasp* Yikes—maybe Massive Marge will win—or even Kelly Donovan. NO! I hear you screaming—say it isn't so! Well, you'll just have to stay tuned till tomorrow won't you? Same TVD time—same TVD channel…

Now feed the musie be-yatch so she'll crank out some more chappies, okay? :) :) :) Oh…Did I mention I love you guys? No? Sheesh, what a bad author I am! Well, I do. I truly love each and every one of you who R&R…now give musie her brownies. :) :) ;) ;)

Xoxo

Jen