***I am just a humble screaming fangirl. These are not my characters, this is just my way of showing appreciation for the story.***
Elena sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers curling around a framed picture of her and Stefan laughing together in a photo booth. A tear rolled over the tip of her nose, dripping down onto the glass.
A sharp wind sounded near her ear. Elena didn't look up; she wasn't even startled.
"Damon, not now," she murmured without taking her eyes off of the photo. She wiped at her nose and eyes, sniffing. She grasped for a tissue near her bed, where it once would have joined a larger pile six months ago.
She felt him sit down on the bed beside her, at least a foot away. She glanced up at him. His raven black hair curtained over his eyes. Maybe it was better that she couldn't see his expression. It was rare to see him angry, or even remotely upset. This she knew, would be an exception.
"It's been six months, Elena," he said. There was no emotion in his voice.
"Don't kid yourself. It hurts more for you that Stefan's gone," the girl replied.
"You can't just sit here moping about it," Damon replied. "Come on." His voice would have sounded alluring, if not for the underlying pain in his voice. He stood in front of her, but she didn't take her eyes off of the picture of Stefan.
The photo was pulled forcibly out of her hands and thrown onto the bed beside her.
"Damon—" She glared at him.
"He wouldn't want you to be depressed like this."
"It's not like depression is something that can be controlled," she murmured. "It was worse when it… when it first happened."
"Well, it isn't helping when you just sit around doing nothing."
Her face heated up. "I have a job, Damon. I'm trying to get on with my life."
Damon laughed. "And you're doing that by staring at pictures of your dead boyfriend? Get over yourself."
"You know, you can be a real asshole sometimes, Damon."
"Really? I wasnaware of this. Come on," he repeated. "He's gone, and there's nothing you can do about that. There's a festival tonight. Have fun for once. The pain numbs after a while. Get a mental narcotic, Elena."
"From a ferris wheel?" she asked, sardonically.
"Yes, a narcotic ferris wheel. You will literally be high. Whatever the hell you want Elena, just stop being so depressed." His larger hands took hers, and he lifted the girl up. She let him, considering that if she refused, he'd force her to stand, anyway.
She smiled for the first time in what felt like months. "You owe me a ferris wheel ride."
Snowflakes drifted down from the sky silently. Elena reached out a gloved hand to catch a few. Damon said nothing, walking beside her. She stopped at her car, reaching out her hand to pull open the door, when Damon's hand closed over hers.
"Why don't we just walk?" he asked from behind his scarf. She glanced up at him.
"It's freezing, Damon."
He smirked. "Come on. I'll even give you my coat."
"I have one, thanks."
"You forget, I can't really feel the cold."
"Then why do you wear a coat?"
"Because coats are stylish. Besides, girls can't get enough of me without one." He raised and quivered his eyebrows in the most Damon-like manner. Elena had to smile.
"It's been a while since you've done that you know," the girl said.
"What thing?" He repeated the action, and she smiled.
"That eyebrow thing."
He scoffed. "Come on, let's just walk."
He took her hand, and she nearly stepped away. An image of Stefan came into her mind. She continued walking with him. If anything, it was just to be comforting.
Damon stepped through a makeshift kissing gate and into the fairground, gesturing for Elena to walk through as well. He had let go of her hand momentarily, and Elena wondered if he would take it again. He didn't, and Elena quickly knew why.
Bonnie ran up to the two of them from somewhere unknown to Elena. The darker girl hugged Elena, smiling.
"Elena! I'm so glad you're here," she exclaimed. Over Elena's shoulder, she saw the silent silhouette. "Damon," she said, her voice visibly dropping.
"Bonnie," he replied in the same tone, his voice cool. "You don't seem glad to see me. You don't hate me that much, do you?"
"Well, no," the girl admitted. "I just haven't seen you around, much. You guys aren't—"
"Bonnie, no," the other girl interrupted.
Bonnie recoiled, as though physically struck. "Elena…"
Elena shook her head. "I'm sorry Bonnie…"
"No, I shouldn't have said anything. I uh… I'll catch you guys later," she said, her voice nervous. "Caroline and Meredith are waiting."
"Bonnie—" Elena started, but the other girl was already gone. She sighed.
"Don't worry about it too much," Damon said from behind her. "She's respecting your space right now. And rightly so."
"It's been half a year, I shouldn't be so…"
"Cold?"
She glared at him. "I wouldn't say that."
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Come on." He held out his arm, and she took it.
"Thanks."
"Now, about that ferris wheel, for my stoner friend," the man said, looking around the park as though Elena couldn't see it from where they were standing. "Ah," he said, mockingly. "There we are."
"Seriously Damon, you don't have to do this for me."
He stared at her. "Seriously? We're already here, and you're apologizing?" He scoffed. "Honestly, I don't know how Stefan ever put up with you."
The mention of Stefan's name made her flinch. Damon didn't seem to notice this, or just refused to acknowledge it as he strode toward the ferris wheel.
A large poster leaned up against the iron spokes beside the ferris wheel, stating in big, bold letters: "Adults: $5 Children: $3." Elena stood in line beside Damon, but they didn't have to wait long, since there were so few people at the festival. The snow falling, probably. She blinked, surprised, at the operator.
"Matt," she whispered. He glanced up, and his face faded when he saw Elena.
"Elena. How… How are you?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she lied. "You?"
"I'm… fine," he replied.
Elena knew she had to say something, but nothing was coming to mind. Damon pushed the small of her back with his fore and middle finger and onto the ferris wheel.
"Damon—"
"Thanks, whatever your name is," he said to Matt, who frowned at Damon, but otherwise said nothing as Damon slapped a ten dollar bill in his change box.
Elena climbed into the small compartment. Damon sat on the other side of her, staring out the window.
"What is it about you humans and ferris wheels? I swear, this is so boring," he said aloud.
"We haven't started moving yet, Damon."
"Are you serious? I brought you out here to have fun, Elena. Throw me a bone here, something."
"What do you want me to say?" she asked, her voice heated. She hoped Matt couldn't hear from the outside, so she lowered her voice. "That I'm depressed Stefan's gone? Go on, you want to see me in pain over this. You of all people…" she trailed off.
"What?"
"You loved him more than I did," she said. "Can't you at least pretend that—" her voice choked, but she refused to stop as tears trailed down her cheeks. "Can't you at least pretend that it hurts, knowing he's gone?"
Damon said nothing. He didn't even turn from the window. Before Elena could speak again however, he sat beside her. "You have no idea, Elena. It's why I shut out all of my emotions. I don't want to feel like you humans do."
She stood up, her voice rising with each word. "Because you don't care, do you?"
He stood up next to her, his face dangerously close to hers. "You have no idea, Elena, how I feel. He was my brother."
The ferris wheel stopped moving, forcing Elena to stumble and sit down. She covered her face in her hands.
"It's all my fault that this happened," she murmured.
"Elena, it's not. If you had anything to do with his death, I would never have come near you again."
She looked up at his face. Never in her living memory had she seen so much pain in his eyes. "I loved him, I—" She stopped, afraid her voice would choke again.
She felt the cushion beside her sink down. She didn't turn toward him, but she felt his hand on her face, turning it slowly towards him. Still, she averted her gaze.
"Elena, look at me," Damon told her. Her eyes flickered up to his. His irises were what she would describe as icy blue. Ice broken by a deep hole. "None of this is your fault."
She reached her fingers up to grasp at his hand. She neither held it closer, nor pushed it away. "Damon…"
He leaned forward, his lips so close to hers, she nearly closed her eyes in anticipation. Her stomach flitted, her eyes glancing at his lips before she stared into his eyes.
No, this is wrong. Images of Stefan flitted across her mind. She didn't feel the dreamlike state of Damon's Power clouding her free will, but she felt herself being pulled closer to him. "Damon—"
"Isn't this a sweet meeting?" a familiar voice rang out. A voice similar to Elena's, but more foxish and alluring. "I told you: it's hard not to want them both."
Elena jerked away from Damon, as though stung. Her body froze.
"Katherine, you bitch," Damon growled.
"I wouldn't have expected this. Not even from you Elena, but I honestly don't blame you," Katherine continued, her eyes momentarily flitting to Damon's.
Katherine stood in the compartment, her hands placed confidently on her hips. After a brief gust of air, Elena guessed Katherine had entered the enclosed space with the ugly orange seats and closed the door too fast for any human eye to follow.
"What are you doing here, Katherine?" Elena asked, struggling to keep her voice level.
" 'What are you doing here?' she asks," Katherine said, her eyes narrowing. "I wanted to check on my little doppelganger. How are you, Elena?"
"I'd be great if you weren't here," the girl muttered, glaring at Katherine.
"Why, because you'd get to spend time with Damon?" Katherine asked. When Elena didn't answer, Katherine smiled.
"What do you want?" Damon asked, frowning at her. "You were never the type to be selfless. Spit it out."
"So eager," Katherine simpered, frowning at Damon.
"He's right," Elena told her.
"You both are so rude," Katherine commented. "I heard one among your number is no longer with you, is that true?"
Damon was up faster than Elena's eyes could visibly follow. His hand wrapped around Katherine's throat like a vice. "Shut up," he whispered, dangerously. "Don't think I won't kill you."
"Please Damon," the woman replied. "If you had wanted to, you'd have done it a long time ago."
With that, she pulled his fingers off of her throat. Damon's face was a mixture of surprise and anger, fighting against her strength. Katherine pulled away from his grip and struck him in the chest, his body immediately shooting backwards and landing beside Elena, his body bent at an unnatural angle.
"Damon!" Elena cried, staring down at him, wide eyed.
"Shut up," Katherine said.
"What do you want, Katherine?" Damon asked, glaring at her.
"Same thing you do," Katherine said, smirking.
"What could we possibly want that you do?" Elena snapped.
"Mm…" Katherine twirled a truss on her head between her fingers, mocking pensive thought. "Stefan."
Elena's heart thudded in her chest, pumping what felt like too much extra blood into her veins. Her stomach went into her throat.
"Stefan… How—"
"Elena, she's lying," Damon cut across her. "Let's go. It's not like she has anything new or useful to tell us."
Damon picked Elena up by the knees and upper back, pushing out of the compartment door that had already risen fifteen feet above ground.
They landed; Matt stood beside the compartment, about to usher in other people into the ferris wheel, his face the picture of shock, Elena realized, glancing at him over Damon's shoulder, who was poised and ready to take them far, far away. He barely let her down before Elena spoke.
"Damon—"
"Elena, it's Katherine. Do you really think she'd have anything better to do than to toy with other people's lives? Get over yourself, there's no way—"
"That Stefan's coming back?" Katherine asked behind them. Elena stared at her. It was a miracle Katherine had let them past the door.
Damon stopped abruptly, slowly turning back to her, slowly.
"That's ironic, vampire," Katherine replied, nonchalantly. "What makes you so sure he won't be coming back?"
"How does this benefit you in any way, even if what you were saying were true, Katherine?" Damon spat.
"I've never seen you so worked up about something. Does it hurt, remembering how Stefan died?"
"Shut up, Katherine."
"What if I said Klaus could bring him back?" Katherine asked.
"That wouldn't happen, " Damon replied. The ice in his eyes intensified murderously.
"Fine," Katherine said, much to Elena's surprise. "I'll see you later, then."
Without a trace, she was gone.