What Now?

I OWN NOTHING! All rights to the CW Network, Julie Plec, and all the writers of The Vampire Diaries.

Chapter 1 - Torture

Elena awoke to the sound of silence. She was seated in a chair, chained down, she tried to break free but the chains were too strong.

"Don't bother, the chains won't budge." Damon said as he approached Elena with a glass of bourbon in his hand. Of course he had a drink in his hand.

"What is this?" Elena said as she gave Damon the evil eye as he walked in front of her. She knew where she was, in the Salvatore library. But, all the couches and furniture were gone.

"It's how we're going to make you better." I turned my head to see Stefan standing at the window with the closed curtains. That sight made me immediately look down at my right hand. My ring was gone.

"So, you take my ring, tie me up, and you think that you can make me feel again?" I said as I cocked my head to the side with attitude.

"No, no our plan is a little more diabolical." Damon said as he shrugged his shoulders and leaned in on my face.

"Hmph, yeah and how many of your diabolical plans have worked out for you Damon?" He stood up one vertebrae at a time. Once he was up he looked over at Stefan and gave him a nod.

Half a second later I heard the curtains open and I was screaming. The sun burned me. It was excruciating, I've never felt that kind of pain before, not even when a family member died. After what seemed like a lifetime it stopped. I let out a big breath.

"You wouldn't really hurt me now would you?" I said in barely a whisper.

"No, we wouldn't hurt Elena. But you... are not Elena." Damon said right as Stefan opened the curtains again. Another long breathless scream came out, until the pain stopped yet again.

Damon spoke again, he was very chatty today. "So, now that we have concluded that we will in fact hurt you, why don't you just make this easy on yourself a help us help you."

"Yeah can't really do that." I said with a smile.

"Would you like to tell us why?" Stefan said as he approached us with his arms crossed.

"Yeah can't really do that." I said again with an even bigger smile.

"Well there is something I can do." Stefan said as he walked back to the window and opened the curtains.

This went on for quite a while, what seemed like hours, and hours. Until I was so exhausted I just feel asleep.

I awoke to Damon and Stefan talking over a drink, brotherly bonding as they called it.

"Ah you're awake." Damon said walking over to me. "Finally ready to give up?"

"Well, you've never known when to give up. You chased Katherine for 150 years, and even every time I broke your heart you still came back for more."

"Well I say that ended pretty well for me. I got over Katherine, got the girl of my dreams, and my brother can still tolerate me. I say that's a win." I laughed at that, although a small piece inside me knew that he was right.

"And look where we are now." I said again with that same attitude tone. "So what are you gonna do now? Are you going to continue to burn me until I crack."

"I figured we try a different approach." Damon said as he walked out of the room with Stefan on his heels. I didn't know what they were up to, but I sure as hell was going to find out.

They left me there for days. It was 3 maybe 4. They never even came back to check on me. I screamed a few times, asking, begging them for blood. Even a drop would make me satisfied. Damon walked into the room finally, wearing his signature v-neck black shirt, and jeans.

"Finally, I've been sitting here for 3 days!" I said in my angry voice.

"Oh I know. I'm the one that left you there."

"You know there are easier ways to make me hate you then starving me to death."

Soon after I said that my body couldn't take it anymore. It just gave up and soon enough I was passed out, sound asleep.

"Cute Pjs" I looked up and saw Damon sitting on my window seat.

"I'm tired Damon." I said as I put my hands together, one of my nervous tacts.

Damon stood up and grasped something in his hand. "Brought you this." He brought up my vervain necklace and showed it to me.

I took in a deep breath of surprise. "I thought that was gone."

He looked at me with hesitant eyes. I breathed out that deep breath I took in earlier and said

"Thank you" Damon pulled back his hand right as mine went up to grab it. We made awkward eye contact for a long couple of seconds until I worked up the courage to say "Please give it back."

Damon took a step forward and said "I just have to say something."

I took a step back with a scared look in my eyes. "Why do you have to say it with my necklace?" I asked, very curious actually.

He took a second to think about what he was going to say. "Well…because what I'm about to say…is probably one of the most selfish things I've ever said in my life."

I took in another breath and said "Damon don't go there," as I took another tiny step back. He took more steps towards me except this time… I didn't move.

"No I just have to say it once you just need to hear it." I looked into his big blue eyes as he matched with my chocolate brown one. "I love you, Elena."

I honestly wasn't that surprised to hear him say it, until he said more. "And it's because I love you that…I can't be selfish with you." The whole time he said this his eyes never left mine, and mine never left his.

"Why you can't know this? I don't deserve you." He said as he started shaking his head. "But my brother does." Those words took me by surprise, I never would guess that Damon would say something so low about himself. He took another step forward, I was going to say something but Damon kissed me on the forehead and caught me breathless.

His eyes met mine again, he put his hand on the side of my face and said

"God I wish you didn't have to forget this." His eyes met deeper into mine as they started to tear up and he spoke again saying "But, you do." I blinked and he was gone, my necklace back around my neck.

I awoke to Damon staring out the window at the night sky. It took everything inside me to speak and all I said was,

"Damon"