A/N: This is my first song-fic, but not my first writing. I figured I would try and dabble a little bit with writing this, and I hope it's good enough for your standards! lol. It's a DElena fic, which just happens to be my favorite pairing!

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, don't own Vampire Diaries, TV or books. If I did, I would have put Elena and Damon together! Or just steal him away from Elena myself... I also don't own the song, which is called "Stay" by Lisa Loeb. You should listen to the song while reading the story to get the full affect of it.


You say I only hear what I want to.
You say I talk so all the time so.

Elena and Damon were sitting in the boarding house, trying to think of something to do. While he was sitting in silence, trying to think, Elena sat on the couch next to him, rambling on to him about something or the other. He wasn't sure, and hardly ever paid attention to the ramblings of her. He would much rather just sit there and stare at her beautiful face.

When Elena noticed that he wasn't listening to him, she stopped talking.

"Weren't you listening to anything I said Damon?"

"No, should I have been?"

"Yes, when someone talks to you, you're supposed to listen!"

"You're beautiful when your angry."

"See? That's all you ever think about!"

"And you don't ever take my compliments and talk all the damn time, so why should I listen to EVERY word you say?"


And I thought what I felt was simple,
and I thought that I don't belong,

She wasn't supposed to be feelings like this for Damon. She was with Stefan, who is a wonderful, caring man who loves her and she loves him. But if Elena loved Stefan, why was she feeling like this for his older brother? Seems her feelings weren't as simple as she once thought..


and now that I am leaving,

Damon knew that Elena was starting to notice her feelings for him. He had known in all along, but actually hadn't made a move, in respect for his brother. He really needed to get away for awhile, all these emotions and people were making him feel...human.

Later that night, after Elena had left, Damon sat down at his desk and wrote a letter to Elena. He had no clue what he was writing, but knew it was from the heart. He had to finally admit his love to her before he left town. He wanted her to forget him and live a happy life with St. Stefan.

When he finished his letter, he ran to Elena's and left it on the pillow next to her head. He bent down and very gently, placed a kiss on her forehead. When he noticed that she was stirring, he quickly left, not waiting to see if she woke up and saw his letter. The only thing he felt as he was driving away from Mystic Falls was pain in his heart at having left Elena behind. He already missed her.

And you say I only hear what I want to:
I don't listen hard,
don't pay attention to the distance that you're running
to anyone, anywhere,
I don't understand if you really care,
I'm only hearing negative: no, no, no.

Elena woke up to see the letter from Damon. She knew he was just in her room, she thought that she felt him kiss her forehead, but it could have been a dream. As she started to read what Damon wrote, tears started falling from her eyes. She couldn't believe that he had left her. He apparently wasn't listening very hard when she told him he was her friend, that she cared about him. She never knew that he loved her. He had kissed her a few times, yes, but didn't know that his emotions ran so deeply; and she just continued to rub salt in the wound every time she showed Stefan affection in front of Damon. How could she have been so stupid!

Elena picked up her phone and tried to call Damon. He answered on the 3rd ring.

"Damon? Please come home.."
"I can't Elena. I need to do this."
"Damon, I..I need you here. I need you.."
"No you don't, you have St. Stefan."

As soon as he finished speaking, Damon hung up the phone. Elena wouldn't just leave it at that. She called him back numerous times and it just kept going to voicemail. She left a message every time she called, hoping he would call her or text her back. Knowing he was gone was hurting her heart in ways it had never hurt before. She got out of bed, turned on her radio, and grabbed her diary before sitting back down on the bed.

So I turned the radio on, I turned the radio up,
and this woman was singing my song:
lover's in love, and the other's run away,
lover is crying 'cause the other won't stay.

Elena was writing in her diary when she noticed the song playing. As she sat and listened to the lyrics, she started crying because she could relate to the feelings. It was like that song was speaking to her and telling about the situation she was in with Damon. As soon as the flood gates opened, they wouldn't close again. She picked up her phone one more time and dialed Damon. When his voicemail picked up, she started speaking.

"Damon, please come back. I can't live without you. All I've thought about these past few months is you. Everytime I'm with Stefan, your face appears in my mind. I can't forget the times that we've kissed or the times that you've made me laugh. I already miss our arguments and your teasing. Please come home to me. Damon I...I love you.."


Some of us hover when we weep for the other who was
dying since the day they were born.
Well, well, this is not that;
I think that I'm throwing, but I'm thrown.
And I thought I'd live forever, but now I'm not so sure.

It had already been a few hours since he left Mystic Falls, and Elena had left him numerous messages. He listened to every one of them, relishing the sound of her voice as she begged him to come home. He couldn't do it, he was only complicating her life and he wouldn't do it any longer. He had never done something selfless before, and now he knew why. It hurt to be selfless.

You try to tell me that I'm clever,
but that won't take me anyhow, or anywhere with you.

He thought he was being clever, leaving her behind. She had told him once before that he was clever, in a sadistic way, of course. He took it as a compliment. When she had told him that, he had tried to kiss her, but she brushed him off like she usually did.

"You can't do that Damon, I love Stefan."
"Just because you love him doesn't mean that you can't kiss me."
"Yes it does, I won't cheat on him."
"Fine. Be all holier-than-thou, you're starting to bore me."

You said that I was naive,
and I thought that I was strong.
I thought, "hey, I can leave, I can leave."
Oh, but now I know that I was wrong, 'cause I missed you.

He thought that he could leave her behind but he was just being naive. He loved her too much to hurt them both. He knew that him leaving hurt her, he could hear it in her voice as the messages started to get more and more desperate.

Yeah, I miss you.

Damon picked up his phone and decided that he would call Elena. When she picked up on the first ring, he just breathed her name.

"Elena..."


You said, "I caught you 'cause I want you and one day I'll let you go."

"I knew that I had caught you and thought that one day I would be able to let you go. But I can't.. I can't let you go."

You try to give away a keeper, or keep me 'cause you know you're just
scared to lose.
And you say, "Stay."

"You're a keeper Elena, but I tried to let you go because I was too scared to lose myself in you. I love you Elena. I have been wanting to tell you for months now, but I was... scared, of how you would react when I told you."

Elena was crying tears of joy at Damon's confession to her. She sobbed his name and told him said she loved him before saying one more word to him.

"Stay."

And you say I only hear what I want to.

When Damon heard the words he wanted to hear, he whipped the car around and headed back to Mystic Falls to his Dark Princess. He was finally getting everything he wanted.