Damon and I separated us from the outside world for the next week. Damon placed a wooden board over the hole in the window and we locked the doors. I answered Jeremy's phone calls only once to tell him that everything was over.

Damon spent the days drinking. I spent my days watching him.

He didn't sleep. He sat blankly in the straight back chair in the living room, staring at the place Stefan had died. He had a glass full of some alcoholic drink at all times.

He never expressed any sort of emotion after that one tear. He didn't show sadness or anger. There was no need to be revengeful because Katherine was already dead. I could see that he was numb inside. And I was okay with that, because I was, too.

I lay on the couch and watched him, finding peace in the fact that I wasn't alone in not knowing how to cope. I only got up to take care of the necessary human tasks when they beckoned and to change clothes.

As I walked from the kitchen on the eighth day, nibbling on some saltine crackers I found in the pantry, I frowned as I took in Damon's features. His skin had turned frighteningly pale and his ice blue eyes stood out against the dark circles beneath them. His lips were thinner and his hair had lost its' shine. He hadn't eaten at all since before the incident.

I slowly walked over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Damon?" I started softly. His eyebrows lifted in response but he didn't move. "You should eat."

"I'm not hungry," he responded and his voice was raspy. He lifted the glass to his lips and took a swig.

I shook my head defiantly. "You are. Your body is starving and it shows."

His heard turned to look up at me and the pain in his eyes caught me off guard. "How do you do it?" he asked quietly.

I didn't understand the question. "Do what?"

His brow furrowed as he answered. "Mourn."

I stared at him with my mouth hanging open. I hadn't expected the question and I had no idea how to answer it. Instead of replying I sat the crackers on the coffee table and climbed in his lap, my legs hanging off to one side and my head snuggling into the crook of his neck. I felt his body stiffen beneath me. I reached up with one hand and gently rested it on his cheek. "I don't know," I finally whispered.

His body relaxed slightly and his head tilted to rest on top of mine. "How did you do it when you lost your parents?"

I shrugged and closed my eyes, listening to the breaths entering and exiting his lungs. "I didn't, really. I just… shut down, I guess, until it became normal for Jenna to be my guardian and I fell into a new routine."

"Is that what we'll have to do? Fall into a new routine where Stefan doesn't exist? Things will be okay then?"

I sighed. "They'll never be okay. But we'll accept the routine for what it is and keep going."

"Do you regret it?" he whispered.

"Regret what?"

"Choosing me instead of him?"

I sat away from his chest and my eyebrows pulled together. "No, Damon, I don't. I wouldn't change how things went. Stefan knew that I loved you."

"Should I regret taking you away from him?" As he spoke the words, his voice cracked and I saw the muscles in his jaw tense. "I ruined his life, Elena."

I shook my head and placed both of my hands on either side of his face, forcing him to look at me. "No, you didn't. You didn't take me away from him, I chose to be with you. He didn't hate you for it, Damon. He might've hated me for a little bit, but I know at the end everything was fine. You and I were meant to be together."

His eyes closed and he inhaled deeply. "I don't know how to move past this."

My heart clenched as I watched him. "We'll get through it, I promise."

He nodded and as he did so, a few tears escaped his closed lids. As I watched him confront his emotions, I knew he was taking the right steps toward moving on. I decided that I would help Damon grieve first, and then I would take my own time later. Damon had always protected me. He had always made sure I was okay and now our roles were reversed. I needed to take care of him. This time I needed to be there for him.

The responsibility of the situation rested calmly on my shoulders and I accepted it willingly. Slowly, I removed one of my hands from his cheek and tilted it until I was able to press my wrist against his lips. His eyes shot open to meet mine and his expression was surprised. I simply nodded, knowing that this was the best way I could help him right now. I hadn't put vervain in any of my food for weeks, finding I had no reason to. My blood was clean for him to drink and I was offering myself to him.

Softly, he kissed my wrist before allowing his fangs to extend. He tilted to the side to sit his alcoholic drink on the floor and then I watched in silence as his lips parted and he quickly jabbed the sharp points into my vein.

My teeth clenched together as he began drinking the warm liquid flowing from my body. Immediately color began to return to his skin and I smiled at the sight.

After a few seconds, he pulled his head away and his mouth was painted red. His shoulders lifted with heavy breaths and slowly the vampire features disappeared from his face.

My brow furrowed. "Damon, that couldn't have possibly been enough," I scolded. I had expected him to take enough to leave me light headed and sleepy.

A small twinkle sparked in his eyes and his smirk appeared.

Abruptly, Damon lifted me from the chair and ran us up to the bedroom. The door flew open as he kicked it and I landed on my back in the bed with a small shriek, the sheets poofing around me from the sudden burst of air beneath them. He hovered over me and I gasped as his teeth suddenly found the bend of my neck. I immediately felt the pull of my blood leaving me again.

Part of my mind was sending off warning signals that Damon wasn't entirely stable and maybe this wasn't safe. I had an instinctive urge to fight off my attacker. The other part of my mind, however, recognized that this was Damon and I trusted him not to hurt me.

My hands wrapped around his head and my fingers intertwined in his hair, holding him close to me, yet my muscles ached to pull him away. I closed my eyes and concentrated on taking deep breaths.

I yelped when I felt another stab lower on my shoulder and I reflectively jerked at his hair. He moaned in response and drank harder. My lids started to get heavy. "Damon," I said softly, "I think you've taken enough." I gently tried pulling his head up but his arms flew up and pinned down my hands on either side of my head. My brow furrowed and I tried looking down at him. "Damon?" My heart began to pound in my ears and a pins and needles sensation began to splinter along my arm and to my torso, places that weren't getting enough blood. "Damon, don't hurt me," I whispered. I didn't know what else to say to get him to stop and I was beginning to get frightened.

Immediately his head lifted and I expected to see the crazed expression that had taken over his eyes. I whimpered softly and felt tears pool along my waterline. "Please," I begged. I knew that if I couldn't break through whatever mental state he was in, he wasn't going to be able to control if he hurt me or not.

Gradually the blood lust in his eyes melted away and was replaced with a mixture of horror and sadness. Relief flooded over me as he scrambled away from the bed and his hands flew into his hair. "Elena, oh god, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I remained lying on my back and reached up to touch the four new wounds along my neck and shoulder. Blood coated my fingertips and I frowned. Blinking away a haze that had started to settle over me, I sat up with shaky movements and sighed.

Damon was pacing the room and I knew he felt awful for scaring me.

I knew what had just happened wasn't his fault. When I had started dating a vampire, I knew there would be risks. I didn't want him to feel bad for this; at least he had stopped in time.

"Come here," I told him as I patted the spot beside me on the bed. He looked to me with wary eyes but did as I asked. I turned toward him and tried to smile. "It's okay. I'm fine. I just got a little scared." I was still in the position of taking care of Damon. The last thing he needed was additional guilt about this.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

I rotated the shoulder he had been drinking from and winced when it stung. I saw his muscles tense and I rushed to recover. "It's just a little sore. It'll go away."

He reached forward and pulled me into a hug, holding me close to his chest. "You were right, I was hungry, and it was stupid of me to think I could drink from you while in that state. Please forgive me. I'm so sorry. I will make it up to you."

Before I could respond, he began kissing down my neck and over the places he had bit me. His hands fell to my hips and gradually began sliding up under my shirt, causing me to gasp. "Damon, what are you doing?"

He looked up at me from under his thick lashes and grinned. "Making it up to you."

He lifted back up and gently placed his warm lips against my own before I had the opportunity to protest. As his tongue ran along my lower lip, a fog swept over my mind causing me to lose all concentration and I accepted the offer, allowing him to seek out my mouth. Even if I had wanted to stop, there was no resisting Damon. His sensual touches were enough to drive me wild and he knew exactly how to brandish his fingers as weapons. My emotions were like a yo-yo, one second I was scared, the next I was horribly turned-on.

As we kissed, he slowly lowered me back down on the bed, his hands returning to my exposed sides. I felt his fingers slide up and brush against the outer curve of my breasts. My nipples immediately hardened and I could see them pressing up against the fabric of the tank top. I could never deny my arousal when my body gave it away.

Damon's lips trailed away from my mouth and down my jaw to my shoulder. He began kissing and sucking on the wounds, not drawing new blood, but licking away the remnants of earlier. His hands ran up to my shoulders and I lifted slightly so that he could pull my shirt over my head. As my breasts became exposed to the chilly air, the peaks stiffened more and I heard a low groan emerge from Damon's lips. I looked to meet his eyes and the crystal orbs were filled with an entirely new type of lust.

His soft lips finished at my neck and shoulder and he pushed himself lower on the bed until his mouth found a nipple. Gently, he sucked it into his mouth and instantaneously a pleasing sensation bolted from my nipple to the spot in between my legs. My back arched giving him more access to my chest and my head pushed into the plush mattress. His fingers tweaked the other nipple between two fingers and his lips caressed the one they were attached to. I allowed my eyes to flutter close and my mouth to part slightly as he worked. I could feel moisture gathering at the apex of my legs and each time he bit down on my nipple, my legs automatically clenched together to find some sort of friction to relieve the building tension.

His free hand traveled down my side and slipped under the hems of my cotton shorts and panties. His fingers paused right above the folds and my mind was screaming at him to continue further.

He pulled away from my chest and I immediately missed the contact. I looked down at him and saw that his face was to my stomach. His breathing was labored and I could see the faintest crease of a furrowed brow.

"What's wrong?" I asked quickly, afraid I had done something on accident. He shook his head and took deep breaths, obviously trying to calm down. I reached for his face and gently lifted it. "Damon, what's going on?"

As he looked up, my heart fell into my stomach. His fangs were clearly exposed and the reddish veins zagged along his skin. The blue in his eyes was completely hidden by the black, but I could still make out the sorrow in them.

"I can't make it go away," he whispered.

"You're still hungry," I responded and it wasn't a question.

He nodded and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Elena."

I closed my eyes and let my head fall back. I knew how difficult this must be for him as I laid half naked below him, blood pumping furiously beneath my aroused skin. I was tempting him by simply being me and it was nothing either of us could help.

But I had promised myself that we would get through whatever was thrown at us and we would do it together. I was his and he was mine and this was a part of our lives that we would never be able to change. With a deep inhale, I opened my eyes and looked back to him. "Okay."

"Okay, what?" he asked in a cautious tone.

Slowly, I ran my hand down his arm until it rested atop his hand beneath my shorts. I laced my fingers with his and guided him down until his fingers were gliding between my folds. I sucked in a sharp breath of air.

I looked back up to his confused eyes and maintained eye contact as I stretched my head back, lengthening my neck and exposing it to him.

I saw the moment when he understood and he shook his head. "I can't, love. I'm afraid I'll hurt you."

I ran my tongue along my lips and let out a shuddering breath. "Just make sure you're making me feel good at the same time," I whispered, pressing his hand down on my sensitive area to make sure he understood what I meant.

I could see the fear in his eyes, but we both knew I would remain insistent until it happened. I pulled my hand back from my shorts, leaving his there, and lifted both of my hands to his face. Slowly, I pulled him down until his lips were pressed against my neck. I could feel the tips of his pearly fangs against my skin and a chill ran through me. "Bite me," I commanded softly.

Before he obeyed, his fingers down below began to massage me softly, causing my eyes to close and my head to fall back more. He pinched the bundle of nerves before sliding farther and teasing my entrance. My breaths quickened and I panted with his moves, writing my hips against him.

I forgot entirely about his job at my neck as I focused on the sensations shooting from my center and I cried out when he finally pierced my skin. Unlike before when his bite frightened me, the pain sparked along my body and heightened the intensity of his fingers exploring me below. I could feel the blood slowly leaving me, but my mind was too preoccupied to care.

His free hand went back to my breast and he lifted it in his palm, rubbing his thumb across the pebbled top.

Every nerve in my body was alive as pleasure shot from my neck to my breast to my wet middle. My hands clenched at the bed sheets beneath me and I moaned loudly, enjoying the workings of Damon.

As one of his fingers slipped inside of me, my hips lifted to meet his hand and a gargled groan escaped me. Damon pulled away from my neck and I felt droplets of blood land on my chest. He began kissing across my body until he found a nipple and I bucked my hips in response. He then left the spot and traveled lower, smearing blood across my body as he moved. He pulled his hand free of my shorts and I bit down on my lower lip as I lost the sensation of him pleasing me. I felt him grab my shorts and tear them completely from my body. I opened my eyes and as I looked down, I saw him connect with me below.

His hands pushed apart my legs. His tongue ran between the folds of my body and his fingers returned to my opening. Two slid inside and pumped furiously. His mouth caressed my clit and he sucked and licked simultaneously.

"Daaamon... Ughhhh..." I moaned and closed my eyes again. My hands lifted to my own breasts and Damon's free hand moved up to one, maneuvering my hand so that I was squeezing liberally. I had never before touched myself, knowing that it wouldn't feel the same, but with his hand on top of mine controlling me, the sensation was remarkable.

Light flicks of his tongue started the tightening feeling in my abdomen and his fast moving fingers coiled it more. He lifted away from the area and began kissing back up. As his lips hovered to the right of my navel, his fingers kept moving and his thumb replaced his lips at my clit, making quick circling movements. I could feel my release approaching and Damon guided my hand to find my nipple with my own fingers. I pinched and rolled it, panting and moaning with each touch. As my climax neared, I felt Damon kiss my stomach once before diving his teeth in. The pain sent me over the edge. My body stiffened and a long, loud moan broke from my chest as the tightly coiled bundle exploded, showering my nerves in pleasing waves. "God! Ungghhhh! Uh! Oh!" My vaginal walls contracted and released against his still moving fingers several times and I felt my thighs growing wet. Heat shot through my limbs and spots littered my sight as he continued drawing blood and my orgasm continued to hit me.

Before I could entirely come down from the orgasm, Damon pulled away, and undid the buttons of his pants. In a flash, they were slightly lowered and I felt his hardened flesh ram into me with no warning.

"Fuck!" he groaned, falling forward until he was holding himself up with his hands on the mattress.

He leaned down and kissed me and I could taste my arousal and my blood on his lips. He lifted us up and turned us around until he was on his back and I was straddling his waist, his cock buried deep within me. His hands grabbed my hips and gently he began lifting and lowering me. My lips pressed together and I let my head fall back as he rubbed against my overly sensitive center.

I began moving myself with the strength of my legs and Damon allowed me to set my own pace. His hands went up to grasp my breasts as I rode him and I leaned forward slightly so that he had better access to my nipples.

Our breathing increased and I moaned each time I slid down his shaft. "Ugh... ugh... Mmmm... ohh..."

His hands wrapped around me and abruptly he lifted me and turned us over. He began ramming into me roughly and quickly.

"Fuck, Elena," he groaned as he rocked against me. "So...fucking…hot," he panted between thrusts.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and locked my ankles together, altering the angle he was entering me. Now each time he moved, maximum contact was made with my clit and a new tightness began winding.

He grabbed my hands and held them above my head as his lips sucked on my nipples.

"Oh god!" I cried out as I neared my second climax. "Yeah... yeah... yeah…" I muttered as he slammed into me repeatedly, rocking the bed beneath us furiously.

He lifted up from my chest and when I looked up at him, a feeling of accomplishment rushed over me as I saw the features of his face were normal. He lowered his lips to my ear and I moaned as he whispered, "I fucking love you."

Instantly my second orgasm hit me and I screamed his name, lifting my hips to meet him thrust for thrust. "Oh! Daamon! Unnngghh…"

His movements became sporadic and it wasn't long before streams of curses were flowing from his mouth and his cock was pulsing inside of me.

"Ohhhhh, Elena," he groaned against my ear. "Fuck…"

His body fell slack on top of me and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, my legs still around his waist.

His lips kissed my neck softly as we waited for our ragged breathing to calm.

Finally, I released him and he rolled over and slid out of me.

We both lay on our backs, staring up at the ceiling. My thrumming heart was slowing and my breath was nearly normal.

My body ached all over and I smiled slightly at the sensation. If the worst I was going to feel after helping Damon get better was achy, then we were doing well.

His hand reached over and wrapped around my own, lacing our fingers together.

"Thank you," he whispered.

I giggled. "Thank you."

"So, is this where we start accepting our new normal?" he asked softly. "I mean, I could definitely get used to this new routine," he teased.

I nodded and smiled. "It is. Right now we focus on us getting better. You need me and I need you."

"I do need you," he agreed.

"I know," I responded, turning my head to look at him.

His head rolled toward me and our eyes connected. "So we find a new balance, right? Where we can live and grieve and flourish and love all at the same time?" he asked.

"Yes, because no matter what we do, we'll never be able to concentrate on one thing without destroying the others."

"We're walking an awfully obscure line, don't ya' think?" he grinned. "Our balancing act is kind of dangerous."

I laughed and rolled to my side, propping my head on my palm and my elbow on the bed. "Is the big bad vampire afraid of a little obscurity?"

He turned to face me, his cocky grin spreading across his perfect lips. "Not a chance," he whispered before leaning forward and gently kissing me. He pulled back after a moment and the joyous spirit alive in the features of his face thrilled me. He narrowed his eyes and grinned. "Bring on that obscure line."

A/N: Aaaaaaand Fin.

So, guys, thoughts? This story definitely didn't go how I expected as I was writing, but they never do. I'm pleased with the result, however. Everyone always knew Damon and Elena would be together, especially in one of my stories. Lol.

I can't wait to read the reviews. What were your thoughts on the final love scene? :P

Thank you guys for reading. All of the reviews and subscribers mean so much to me and I hope you all stick around to find out what I have in store for other stories. If you're not reading 'Addictions', you should be. Lol. And I have an awesome idea for another story that may post soon.

Thank you all again!