"What're you eating, kiddo?" Damon ruffled Elena's hair and she harrumphed.

She forgave him as he plopped on the couch next to her.

Caroline disappeared into Stefan's room.

"Cupcake bites." She popped another dry sugar ball into her mouth. "From the makers of Cookie Dough Bites," she said cheerily.

Damon just shook his head. "That's disgusting."

She laughed and waved one near his mouth. "You know you want one!" He swatted her away with mock horror which made her laugh again.

Daringly, she tackled him until she was on top of him where he sat. He laughed and she seized the moment to slip a nugget of the candy past his lips.

His teeth came down and the pressure from the tiny points made Elena catch her breath. Her eyes were locked on his and she didn't make a move to remove her finger. Slowly, Damon sucked her finger into his mouth and let his warm, wet tongue run over the trembling digit. His blue eyes were intensely fixed on hers. She almost couldn't keep them open. She didn't know how one small appendage could suddenly warm her entire body, or give her goose bumps everywhere. She learned forward and her lips were almost on his when suddenly laughter from the closed door jerked her away.

She hastily toppled off him, reluctantly pulling her finger along with her, and leaned so that her back was on the arm rest of the couch, her legs still partway in his lap. She didn't move them.

His hands drifted to rest somewhere on her thighs. She loved how warm they felt against her. She watched him stare blankly at some animal program on the TV. He absentmindedly started to chew the candy. When he was done he grimaced. "Ugh, the aftertaste is horrible."

Elena laughed. "Yeah, it kind of tastes like Athletes foot medicine."

Damon shook his head once more, "Disgusting."

Another bout of laughter came filing out of the room next to the them in the small apartment. Elena sighed. "Not as disgusting as that. How do you let them do it?"

Damon looked infinitely sad. "I guess because it makes them happy." His deep frown wavered as he looked at her. "But I'd never leave you alone while they did it, Elena."

"I'm not a kid you have to watch over," Elena said, frustrated.

"I know." Damon said seriously. "I'm just glad I don't have to feel left out when they do decide to do this. You're my excuse to say no, Elena." As it was, Damon couldn't understand why Caroline felt the need to bring Elena over when she decided to do this. Elena was still so young; she should be kept as far away from this as possible. The least Damon could do when they came over was close the door so Elena didn't have to experience it firsthand.

They were silent for a moment until Elena broke it by whispering. "Do you sometimes feel—like maybe we aren't enough for them? That maybe there's something wrong with us that we just can't make them happy?" Her lips trembled as she spoke, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Elena, darling," Damon voice was pained as he leaned towards her. He pushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "There's nothing wrong or not enough about you…It's them. They can't handle the world the way it is…and I can't really blame them." He leaned back on his side of the couch and frowned as he thought.

He probably thought about his parents, how they'd died when he was thirteen and Stefan was seven. Their father took a hit and then he took a gun to his wife's head before ultimately shooting himself. Damon and Stefan were clearly both traumatized by it. The only difference was that Damon tended to shy away from drugs whereas Stefan sought them out.

Caroline and Elena hadn't fared much better. Children of wealthy parents, they were only ten and five when their parents were in a car crash that took both their lives. Elena had been in the car and she still had nightmares sometimes. Caroline and Elena had managed to stay together—the only price was one abusive foster home after another. Elena had never asked, but now that she was older she realized Caroline may have paid the ultimate price in more than one of those homes. Maybe that was why Caroline needed the drugs, too. To take her mind off the constant pain her life had been.

And maybe that was how Caroline and Damon had met. Two orphans with two younger siblings who just needed one person to understand them in the world. Elena understood that need. That was partly why she felt so close to Stefan. Sometimes they even talked about how much of a burden they felt to their older siblings. But she wished he didn't need the drugs. She wished she was enough.

After what seemed like hours, Caroline and Stefan stumbled out of the room, laughing uncontrollably and unsteady on their feet. Caroline draped herself across Damon. Elena had to move her feet so they wouldn't get crushed. "Ready for a night on the town, handsome?" Caroline held Damon's head as she gave him a sloppy kiss on the neck. She sagged awkwardly the next second.

Damon stood, supporting most of Caroline's weight with his arms. "I think we better get you to bed."

"No!" Caroline shrieked and giggled. She groped him lazily and kissed him in just the same way. "Make love to me!" She demanded with a slurred voice.

Damon gave up on trying to make her walk and started carrying her to his room. "Maybe when you're a little more clear-headed," he proposed, but she didn't like that idea. She fought in his arms like a toddler against nap-time.

Damon closed the door behind him and deposited Caroline on his bed. He fully intended to leave her there until she had burned it off, but her arms stayed clasped around his neck. With a strength that surprised him, Caroline pulled him down and against her. She attacked his mouth with her own. "Stay, touch me!" She begged. She thrust her body into his.

Damon finally gave in and started to kiss her back. He pulled away and looked into her eyes. He kissed her sweetly on the lips. "I care about you so much Caroline." He watched her eyes start to water and wondered if it was the drugs or his words.

He continued to kiss her softly when she pushed him away. "No, no! Stop. Stop!" Damon pulled back, confused. Caroline was crying steadily now as she shoved him away. "No more kissing tonight. I can't, I won't. I can't." Her tears choked any more words she might have had to say to Damon.

He meant to hold her, to comfort her as she cried, but it only took a moment for her to pass out among the tear-stained sheets and damp pillows. She was soon breathing softly, her tantrum forgotten with the draw of sleep. She still frowned as she dreamed. Damon drew a cover over her.

Elena watched them disappear into Damon's room. She turned to Stefan. He was crouched on the floor before her. His eyes were glazed over.

"You're beautiful," he said. His eyes were still mesmerizing even when the green was fringed with bloodshot red. He leaned in close to her and grabbed her hands. "I love you," he said solemnly.

She smiled softly. "I know." She replied tiredly. She looked away and just wished he could say that to her when he wasn't as high as a kite.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't keep doing this to you." He rocked back and his eyes closed, only to snap back open. "You're a princess!" He suddenly shouted, alarming Elena. She tried to shush him but he continued. "Too good for me!" He deemed loudly and heatedly.

The anger she saw shocked Elena. "No, Stefan!" She grabbed his shoulders to try and protest, but he was already falling over as he passed out. Her hands just barely kept his head from slamming into the floor. She regarded him where he lay slouched over and willed the tears away.

Elena was surprised when she saw Damon walk out of the room. She thought they'd be in there for hours. He looked at his brother and sighed. "Let me help you get him on the couch. On his side, in case he pukes." They hefted Stefan up gently and set him down.

They sat back on their heels and admired their passed-out handiwork on the couch. "You can take Stefan's bed. I'll take the floor." Damon said resignedly. It was almost a routine now.

Elena groaned loudly. She wasn't afraid she might wake Stefan. It usually took a small army, anyway.

"What is it?" Damon asked, although really, it wouldn't have surprised him if it were everything.

"My homework and backpack are at home. And no way is Caroline going to wake up in time to take me back there before school. Sucks, too, because I actually did my Gov this time." Elena bit her lip. "I swear, Caroline said this was just going to be a quick trip. She didn't even mention the drugs."

Damon had forgotten she was still in high school. His little brother, too. "And no way will Stefan be up for going to school tomorrow." He put his head in his hand. He was not cut out to be a parent. It had been hard enough to get Stefan this far. Thank god it was his senior year and he hadn't dropped out yet. He looked up to Elena. Stefan might want to shirk responsibility, but Elena didn't. She actually wanted to get out of this rattrap city someday. To get away from shitty apartments and rude and untrustworthy people. He couldn't change Stefan, but he could help Elena. "Get your coat. I can drive you to your place."

Relieved, Elena got her coat. She so did not want to face her teachers tomorrow without her homework.

She followed him wordlessly to the door where he looked back at his brother. "Maybe we can stay there for the night, too. So they can have some time to sleep it off without us waking them when we get up in the morning." As he said it he wondered if he was doing them a favor, or himself. He cleared his head as he walked down the cold apartment to the garage. Maybe it was both.

When he got to the car he grinned at Elena and tossed her the keys. "Why don't you drive?" It was a crummy piece of shit, but it got from A to B pretty nicely. Damon was still waiting for Elena to reply when he noticed how pale she'd gotten. "Oh, shit, Elena, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Elena said, trembling. The keys shook in her hand. "It's stupid to still be scared after all these years." She took a deep breath and one small step towards the car.

Damon came around to face her. He took her shoulders and looked her deep in the eyes. "It's not stupid. You were in the car with your parents. It's enough to freak anyone out."

Elena fought her tears and nodded. She wordlessly handed him the keys.

He took them, looking thoughtful.

They both got in the car. Elena watched as Damon adjusted the seat. And then he kept adjusting it until he was so far back he was practically five feet away from the steering wheel. Elena looked at him with confusion. Then he patted his lap. "How about you just steer? I'll make sure nothing happens."

Elena had never considered anything like this before. In the city, it didn't really matter if you drove, there was always cabs, the bus, or the subway. But, in an odd moment of willfulness, Elena decided she wanted to know what it was like to drive. She wanted to be in control of her life, not the other way around. So she climbed and sat on Damon's lap and waited for instructions.

"Put your hands on the wheel," he said patiently. With a deep breath, she did as she was told. "Don't worry about backing out of the spot, I can do it." He put his hands over hers and shifted gears.

"Are you sure you can see around me?" Elena asked, worry dripping from her voice.

He laughed away her fears. "You're pretty small, Elena. I can see fine. Don't worry. And Trust Me." His hands moved to the back of hers and he positioned them at ten and two, holding them as he moved the wheel accordingly. His legs hugged hers as he adjusted his feet to the pedals. Elena felt the safest she'd ever been in a car with him wrapped around her.

She couldn't help the terrified squeak that escaped her when the car started to move. Damon pressed against her back to try and comfort her. He slowly backed out of the space with the smoothness of a pro. Elena let out a breath of release when the car was free of the confining space.

Damon kept his hands lightly on hers as he maneuvered around the parking garage. When they came to the first turn, Damon told her to put her hands on top of his and not let go. She did as she was told and he showed her how to do a hand over hand turn, being careful not to cross arms.

She gulped when he removed his hands from hers and let them rest at her waist, a butterfly's touch. "Now you do it." He whispered in her ear.

Her hands were alone now on the wheel and as the somewhat lacking midnight traffic moved around her she started to shake violently. "I-I can't—" she was on the verge of breaking down.

"Don't cry," he said quickly. His arms curled around her stomach and he held her close. "You can do this. We're already more than halfway there. Did you notice?" She shook her head. Damon nuzzled her hair. "Well, we are. You can do this."

She began to relax against him as he held her close. He was careful to keep her arms free of restrictions.

When they were almost there, Damon softly asked, "Elena, do you trust me?"

"Of course," she breathed, squirming on his lap.

His stomach twisted inappropriately and he tried to squash the feeling her wriggling had aroused down. "Then I'm going to close my eyes. You'll have to tell me when to stop and when to speed up."

"No!" Elena said vehemently.

But Damon had already buried his head against her back and was blind. Without her direction, the car began to slow until it was at a snail's pace. Elena hesitantly said to speed up. Damon put a little pressure on the pedals until Elena realized they would have to move faster if they had any hope of getting to the apartment before school started. "More," she said, a little more firmly.

Damon complied, and as he did so, smiled against her back. He noticed her hair smelled like vanilla.

Without his eyesight to distract him, it was harder for Damon to ignore certain truths. Like how hard it made him to have Elena sitting on him. He'd tried not to notice, but it was in vain. In the beginning when she'd been so tight and tense—it had almost killed him, but he'd swallowed and choked the lust down. But now she was so relaxed in his arms, so compliant. It was even harder for him not to notice. And that damn maddening vanilla! He shifted his face against her back just a little.

"We're here!" Elena's delighted cry shook him out of his improper thoughts.

His hands went back over hers once more to park. She got out and was buzzing with delighted energy. She was glowing.

What's more, Damon realized, was that she was glowing at him. The thought made him take a deep breath. She grinned and his smile couldn't help but respond. She threw her arms around him and he lifted her up in a flying hug. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you!"

"What for? You were the one who did it," Damon insisted.

Elena shook her head and her smile stayed stubbornly glued to her face. "Not without you. I'd have never been able to on my own."

They got into the empty and dark apartment. At first Damon thought they'd been robbed it was so bare. Then Damon realized Elena must just keep it clean. It certainly couldn't have been Caroline who kept it so tidy. He'd been with her for months, and never once did he see her clean anything. The only thing on the floor was Elena's backpack, resting against the wall.

Elena plopped down on the couch and started to flip through the channels.

"Hey, shouldn't you be in bed?" Damon asked as he glanced at the clock. "It's almost one."

Elena looked up at him with big brown eyes. "I don't really sleep that well. Sometimes old movies help me fall asleep."

Damon nodded. Sometimes the silence made it impossible for him to sleep, too. He always felt so alone. He settled on the couch next to her and regarded her choice as the title slowly filled up the screen. "Gone With the Wind," he said aloud and his mouth opened as he lost his next words.

Elena looked at him with concern. "It's one of my favorites."

He looked at her. "I haven't seen this since…" He blinked rapidly. "It was one of my mom's favorites, too."

They both fell silent as the film began to play out.

Sometime during the night and before the movie ended, Elena ended up closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep, her head resting on Damon's shoulder.

Damon put an arm around her to keep her close. He watched the entire picture, remembering better times when someone had held him as he drifted off to sleep.