Dear diary, it's been a while since I have written but I didn't know what to say. After all I had made my choice, the hardest decision I've ever made - the choice to be with Stefan or Damon and I chose Stefan. Since then Damon just disappeared, he left us without really saying where he was going, just a vague. 'I'll be back soon.' Oh Damon - how long it has been! I miss him so much... I know I love Stefan but there is still a part of me-.

Elena stared at the page of her diary, put the pen she was holding, abruptly down and placed her hand over her heart feeling a pain inside, her eyes watering, realising that she missed Damon a lot more than she comprehended. Finally the tears dropped from her eyes and suddenly she heard the door opening and she looked to see Stefan walk into her room, watching as his eyes soften when he noticed her expression then he sat down, grabbing her softly and hugged her. "Oh lovely love." he murmured and kissed her head.
Elena's tears silently crept down her cheeks, weeping as she put her head on his shoulder - she couldn't tell him why she was crying, it would break Stefan if he knew that she still cared for Damon.

"Shh I'm here, it's alright." he stroked her hair, rocking her gently, comforting her then pulled away a little. "I have something for you." He smiled gently.
She looked at him in bewilderment as she tried wiping the tears from her eyes, and when her eyes refocused she watched him take something from his pocket but she couldn't see what he had retrieved because his long fingers were closed over it. "What is it?"

Stefan's smile just grew wider as he looked at her, then took her hand putting the gold ring set with Lapis Lazuli on her finger, kissing it. " I love you, Elena...so much."

She looked down at the ring in shock, she seen it before but was surprised at Stefan's willingness to put it on again so quickly especially because of the earlier time she had announced that she and Stefan were engaged to her aunt Judith, but of course she thought that Damon was poisoning her aunt's mind at the time but now what would her aunt think, what would she say. "You know I love you too."

"I know it may seem a little fast but I don't see the point in holding back, we should start our forever together and this...this I think is the perfect way to begin."

Elena glanced at him for a moment then back at the ring still in puzzlement and she tried to keep up with what he was telling her but she couldn't find her voice.

Stefan chuckled at her confused face and pulled her back into his arms and she buried her face into his shoulder and frowned, thinking of Damon, what would he think, how will he react?

Damon ran a hand through his dark hair, his mind on Elena and he frowned even at the thought of her name. He had thought of her a lot more than he should, he pictured her undeniable beauty those deep blue eyes,hair that shone like gold and those lips of hers that were the colour of rose petals, slightly moist and kissable-no, he mustn't think of her that way, not anymore because she didn't want him, didn't choose him.

He sighed to himself, he left Fell's church for a while for a distraction and it worked for a bit but he got bored, came back two weeks ago, of course staying away from Elena and Stefan...even his little red bird. How could he have shown his face when his heart felt shattered? Even more so, how could he try to exclaim his happiness for his little brother and Elena when he wasn't happy, when he wished that Elena was his, his princess-No! He should see her and Stefan...just to check in, to know they were safe and still out of danger.

He got up off the chair he was lounging on, walked out of his house then drove to Elena's house in his Ferrari and finally he walked in gracefully into the kitchen, hearing Elena's slow breathing and the natural beat of her heart, that was until she saw him.

Elena gaped at him, her eyes wide, she could feel her heart and her breathing accelerate at the sight of him. "Damon! Where have you been!" She moved her chair out and suddenly pulled him into a tight hug.

He chuckled a bit and gently returned the hug then pulled away from her and deliberately ignored her question. "Elena. Where is Stefan?"

She frowned when he pulled away, a little too soon, she thought.
"He is out hunting." She said frowning more noticing he hadn't answered her question.

He nodded once and leaned against the doorway casually his eyes taking in her expression. "Is everything alright?"

She felt tears spring to her eyes. "I missed you, Damon," the tears flowing slowly down her face. " Where did you go? You just went."

"I went on a trip." Damon turned on his brilliant smile at her but it wasn't his usual.

"You mean you couldn't tell me...and Stefan where you were going." Elena added Stefan's name slowly, knowing he couldn't have missed Damon as much as she had.

His endless black eyes softened a little looking at the tears that spilled down her face but he never moved an inch from where he was standing. "Elena, there's no need to cry. I was completely safe."

"How could I-we have known that? I worried so much!" She cried putting her head down and trudged to the table, sitting there.

Damon pursed his lips thinking of what to say but decided against it, he was never going to show weakness. Just then his brother walked in the back door. "I'm back love, see that wasn't long-" He trailed off. His green eyes flickered. "Damon." Then moved to Elena's face. "What happened?" He demanded.

"Oh, Damon just arrived in and-" she got cut off mid sentence.

Damon held his hands up in defence. "Listen, I just went on a trip. Why do I have to answer to you?" He said a little irritated when he saw Stefan's questioning eyes on him.

Elena sniffled lifting her head seeing a storm between the two brothers. "It doesn't matter anymore, you are safe and with us."

He softened again when he saw Elena, emotional as she was. " I was passing and I wanted to know if there have been any other monsters to come out of your closet."

She smiled a tiny smile, just a tug of her lips. She had heard the enquiry despite his humour. "Everything has been-fine..." She struggled for words to describe her recent time in her life with Stefan.

Stefan frowned at Elena's word 'fine,' he would have used the words that described his happiness of him and her together - finally. So words like 'wonderful,' 'terrific,' 'brilliant.' He was upset that Damon was asking about any complications. "I'm protecting her."

He felt anger build up inside him, he had only arrived in to see them and already his annoying little brother was beginning to start. He glared at him and found himself starting to walk towards Stefan.

She suddenly stood up though her legs were more like jelly and moved herself in between the floor of the brothers. "Please stop!" She cried tears appearing in her eyes. Both of the Salvatore's heads snapped to Elena then Stefan walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "Oh, please don't cry lovely love."

Damon felt his heart shatter when he watched Stefan embrace Elena, when he heard him calling her his love and now all the feelings he tried to keep down was rising up in him filling his heart with loneliness and sadness. "I should go." He announced and walked out of the house with a heavy heart.

Elena sipped her cup of coffee in the small but busy café she and her friends - Bonnie and Meredith were lounging in. "So what have you been up to?" Meredith asked Elena with a small smile.

She lowered her cup from her mouth. "Oh, I've just been spending time with Stefan."

Meredith raised an eyebrow. "Just?" she paused. "I hope everything is good between you."

"Everything is fine..." She said simply again, she wasn't going to announce that she was practically engaged. "Um...Damon is back."

Bonnie grinned bouncing in her seat. "He is? When did he come back? When did you see him?"

She laughed a little at Bonnie's excitement, she knew that she liked Damon they had shared a connection. "He came back yesterday I guess... that's when he came by."

"Exactly where was he Elena?" Meredith spoke again.

She put her head down, her gold blonde hair concealing her face. "I don't know, he didn't say." She frowned.

"That's strange. I wonder why he left in the first place." Bonnie looked at Elena.

She felt both of her friends' stares on her face and she raised her head back up again. "He likes to go away sometimes..."

"Sometimes? Without telling you or Stefan anything about his trip, like I don't know - where he was going or how long he was staying there." Meredith said in a cool voice.

She frowned deeper this time not having an answer as Damon hadn't told her where he had went or what he was doing there. Panic seeped through her, he had come back but for how long?

After her friends had left her, she sat reflecting on what Bonnie and Meredith had said to her and it made her think. How long was Damon planning on staying in Fell's Church? Was this really just a goodbye visit for him to go away and never return? Elena's heart was filled with grief even contemplating that. No she couldn't just sit around and wait wondering, she had to go straight to the source to find out.