His bags were hastily packed and thrown carelessly in his Camaro, patiently waiting for him to join them. He had been contemplating this decision for the past few weeks but when he finally decided on it he had only hurriedly loaded his essential belongings with his luggage, along with the rest of his supply of blood bags and some loose wads of cash.
He had taken one last look at his room before leaving and had scowled at the sight. The bed had been unmade ever since Rebekah's sleepover with him there, although it had only ever been a few hours since he kicked her out of the boarding house. Several drawers were left half open with their contents overflowing, his closet doors were ajar, coat hangers and random assortments of clothes which he had deemed unsuitable to take had been haphazardly littered across his normally spotless floor. He didn't like the idea of his room being messy, but frankly he wanted to leave this town as soon as possible. He paused in his scan to gaze across at his beloved bathroom, his personal favourite part of the room, reminiscing over interesting activities that had been undertaken there. He then abruptly turned, and took swift strides out of the boarding house and towards his car, towards his new life, without a backwards glance. He was tired of feeling second best. He'd spent far too long in Mystic Falls and it was turning him into a sap. He had to leave; after all he did have a badass reputation to protect. After almost a century and a half of lovesickness, he had had enough. And he wouldn't be missed, that was for sure, so it was the best for everyone if he left.
It was a few hours later that Elena popped by at the Boarding House, pausing at the door, to consider her intentions again. She had come to apologise, to tell Damon that she hadn't meant anything of what she had said the night before. That she had been confused over Stefan, angered at his overprotectiveness, guilty over her betrayal to Elijah and that coupled with his confession of love had gotten to her. She messed up, messed up big time, and she had every intention of letting Damon know how she really felt. That she wouldn't have been alive if it weren't for him. She would never have grown stronger, matured into the person she was meant to be if he hadn't been with her every step of the way. That he gave her strength and brought out a side to her no one else did, the old Elena, the one from before her parents died that could smile and didn't have to have the weight of the world on her shoulders. That just a look from her, could allow him to understand exactly how she was feeling and how to comfort her. It was all because he cared about and for her, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Sure she was nowhere near the 'L word' yet, but she had strong feelings for him. After a night of tossing and turning, she realised that she had fallen out of love with Stefan. That she just couldn't understand him anymore, let alone be with him. At a time, she had thought he was the love of her life, but reality happened, and they couldn't survive the sheer magnitude of all the obstacles that stood in their way. Whilst what they had was beautiful, it wasn't meant to be and now it was just a distant memory. Too much had happened; they had made the wrong decisions both in regards to each other and themselves personally. She had realised that somewhere along the way she was maturing into a strong woman, much different to the girl that Stefan was used to before he left with Klaus. She needed more than Stefan; he couldn't give her the things that she now needed. She needed someone who challenged her, made her see her errors and bad decisions so she wouldn't have to face their consequences, someone who could make her smile and relax, someone who would put her before everything else. And whilst Stefan and her were 'perfect' together in many ways, they weren't in what mattered to her now. Her actions the previous night were because she just didn't want to let go of him; he was her first real love, and he had brought her back to life after her parents died. He had saved her countless times and had been her rock in her times of need. She couldn't bear to let go of the constant that he was in her life, another tie to who she was, regardless of his recent actions towards her. But after hours and hours of thinking, she realised that letting him go was just what she needed. He was the one last link to Elena Gilbert, the defenceless girl that constantly needed saving. She needed to let him go to finally be Elena Gilbert, the strong woman who could handle herself and protect her loved ones.
And so then there she was, paused at the boarding house door, unsure of what to do. Deciding to just get it over with she turned the door knob firmly only to find it locked. She was surprised at this; every other time she had been there it was open. But in light of the recent trouble Mystic Falls was facing, or well the continued trouble, it would be a wise decision. She scoffed at the idea then, as if a locked door would keep out any supernatural creatures from there. Deciding not to waste time, she lightly knocked the door calling out Damon's name. Stefan had told her last night that he would be staying somewhere outside of the boarding house the next few days. He hadn't told her the exact reason why, but she figured that his plan of staying away from his humanity and emotions wasn't as easy with Damon around. She rapped her knuckles against the door a few more times, but when getting no answer back, she grew suspicious. It was just a few hours after dawn, Damon shouldn't have been out anywhere at this time. A sense of urgency grew in her, she suddenly felt a great need to reach Damon. Instinctively, she picked up a stray rock from the ground and swung it at the window. A screeching, shattering noise made its way unpleasantly in Elena's ears but she didn't care, she needed to get to Damon right then. She climbed in through the window, thankful that her daily training sessions had left her more fit and flexible. Once inside, she all but ran, to Damon's room, and gasped at the sight. The walls had cracks on them, nail marks adorning them, and she was pretty sure a painting had fallen from the wall. Damon's bed was messed up and even broken at some ends.
Elena gasped; 'it almost seemed as if Damon had been attacked last night…. Or was involved in something similar…' she thought before picking up something that had caught her eye.
She fingered a long and very ripped stretch of dark green material as realisation dawned on her. The material, although in a tattered state, could not be mistaken as the one a certain blond vampire had worn last night to the ball. Suddenly Elena was slammed with a whirl of emotions that left her entire frame trembling. Pain seized through her as did a sense of betrayal. She sunk to the floor and brought her knees to her chest as she rocked her body shakily. She didn't know how long she stayed like that, her knuckles clenched pathetically at the torn dress, sobs escaping her as desperately as if they had been held hostage, her vision a complete haze from her breakdown. When she ran out of tears, she finally focussed on her surroundings and her aching shifted to confusion. She unsteadily stood up, gripping the walls for support, before peering across the room. Taking in her unnatural surroundings and Damon's absence, she put away her emotions and analysed the possibilities. She abruptly remembered the events of the night before.
'No, I'm mad at you, because I love you'
'Maybe that's the problem'
Elena recalled the look on his face at her words, his heartbreaking response as well as him attacking Kol afterwards. He was in a vulnerable state and he was hurting; he could've done anything for all she knew, could've killed anyone at that matter. She chastised herself at those last words, whilst Damon was no saint he really had come a long way since he met her and was above those things. Taking in the room again, she examined the evidence once more. She concluded that he had left, some place far away from here, somewhere he could blow off some steam. That familiar ache coursed through her again but this time, it was dull and more of a throb than a whole assault. Wiping the rest of her tears away, she went out of the boarding house via the window once more, calmly put the key into her ignition and returned home.
Damon had left her but she knew he would be back. Nothing else mattered, not even his latest indiscretion with Rebekah, as long as he came back to her. She would make everything up to him when he returned to his home, to her. After all, he did promise never to leave her again.
I'll never leave you again
Those were the words that were ringing in his head as he headed to the local B'n'B in Mystic Falls. He had driven away from Mystic Falls for about two hours before hastily turning back as guilt overtook him. Who was he kidding anyway? He could never leave Elena alone. He would always protect her and put her above everything else, even if it did kill him. After compelling the clerk to make sure no one knew he was there and falling onto the bed, he decided that leaving Elena unprotected like it wasn't a wise move. There was the whole Originals drama to consider now, let alone Klaus, and there was a strong likelihood that Elena wouldn't go through with Esther's plan. She was too pure for a betrayal of that nature.
So he fluffed his pillows dejectedly and got as comfortable as he could as he prepared for sleep to come to him. He would make sure Elena was protected and safe even if she didn't care for him.
Esther's plan had gone as planned, much to Elena's dismay.
Elena had decided to be strong for everyone and to put aside her feelings for Damon so as to focus on the Original Witch's plot to kill her children. After spending more time with the originals, and reacquainting herself with Elijah, she realised she couldn't go through with what was happening. They didn't pose a threat against Mystic Falls and being involved with such an action was against everything Elena believed in. So she informed Elijah of the plan and he made sure that his siblings were away from any danger and especially away from their mother. Esther redeemed herself though when she apologised and saw the error of her ways, or so everyone thought. As it turned out, the link she made between the siblings was permanent and she connected herself to the bond, before taking her own life and effectively all her children's.
Elena was distraught and filled with remorse, and it took several weeks for her to recover, although she never would completely be the same again. In truth it had been Damon himself who had comforted her, although indirectly.
He had been correct with his prediction that Elena would be the one to stop the Original family from being killed. It made him mad, but it also made him love her all the more, the fact that that she could be so selfless even towards the people that had played a part in ruining her life. He knew though that for everyone to be safe, they would need to be killed. He was the one who convinced Esther to come up with another scheme. And he was the one to allow Elena to recover from the disturbing incident. He had still been hiding out at the B'n'B and couldn't bring himself to come to her physically. And so he settled on reaching her in a more creative way.
Elena found herself in Damon's bedroom with herself lying on his bed with him. If she was in a position such as this, say a year ago, she would have jumped up in alarm and uneasiness. But now, Elena couldn't stand the modest distance between them and enveloped him in a fierce hug. Before she realised it, sobs wracked through her entire frame and Damon wrapped his arms around her and gently rocked her against him. When her sobs subsided she assaulted him with questions.
'Where were you? Why did you leave? Why did you leave me? I needed you, you promised you'd never leave me! Everything is horrible here and I don't know how I'll survive-' she began before he silenced her with his index finger.
'I was here. I'll always be here', he spoke gently and calmingly, 'that's all you need to know'.
'I'll always be here to protect you. Always. As long as I'm here you will be safe, that I can promise you' he spoke in a rush, his voice rising as he fought to keep his emotions at bay. 'Elijah and his family dying wasn't your fault, it was inevitable and you can't fight fate. At least now they are together without any of the problems they had here. If anything, I think they are happy being together wherever they are… And I know you will survive because remember we always survive. You are the strongest person I have ever met and I've been around for a long time. You're even stronger than me and I'm the one who survived becoming a vampire and having over my fair share of heartbreak…' he paused at those last words and Elena rushed in the words she had been dying to say ever since he left.
'I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry about what I said! I never meant any of it. I would take it back now if I could. You have to know that the way you feel about me is the best thing that's happened to me… that I could never even begin to understand all that you've done for me… You've saved me from dangers and yourself and even myself… I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for you… And that you do care, care too much, but that's what I love most about you' she trailed off as he took in an unnecessary breath that led her to gaze to his lips, 'Yes… I do love you'. She realised then that she really had spoken the truth, she really was in love with him, she just hadn't had the strength or courage to admit it before. She instinctively brought her lips to his and after a few seconds he reacted with equal fervour. The kiss ended all too suddenly when he tore his lips away from her with an apologetic expression framing his face.
She looked down with hurt evident in her eyes before voicing her thoughts, 'this is about Rebekah isn't it?'
'She meant nothing to me. What happened with her was a mistake. You are my everything Elena, you should know that by now' he spoke with a light caress on her cheek. 'It's not her, I have to leave I've spent too long here anyway'.
'You'll be back?'
'I told you I never left'
An odd calmness breezed through Elena as she felt herself being pulled from her surroundings, 'this is a dream, isn't it?' she whispered, but she had been swept into darkness before receiving an answer.
He hadn't lied to her, he did stay around her even if he wasn't with her. He ended up back in Georgia, his time there with her had been a personal favourite of his, and so he was close enough to keep an eye on her but far away enough for her to be unable to find him. The reality of Klaus's words from that last dinner party held a great deal of truth in them and although it hurt like hell he knew him staying away was the best thing for her.
Stefan had left some months later. Stefan and Elena had finally broken up properly when he realised that there was no point in hoping to salvage their relationship and both received the closure they needed to move on with their lives. She had to still live out her life and Stefan had some serious issues he needed to work though. So with a curt goodbye he left Mystic Falls, presumably forever, in a bid to bring himself to the right track away from her and all the painful memories of the town. Elena had thought that sooner or later Damon would come back but she was wrong. She tried searching for him but he left no clues behind him and could've gone anywhere for all she knew. She even had Bonnie try to do a locator spell on him but hadn't had the blood required for the spell and even then it was highly unlikely it worked for a vampire. After months and months of searching and of heartbreak and despair, she finally realised she had to move on. She would never get over him or forget him, but she couldn't spend the rest of her life hung up over him. She owed it to her family and her friends and even to herself to live her life out to the maximum; too many people had sacrificed their lives for her and it would all go to vain if she didn't spend it wisely. She would always love him but she would have to learn to get used to not being able to be with him. She knew he hadn't forgotten her. After the demise of the Originals as soon as she would hear of a new looming threat aimed towards her, it would be taken care of so she was safe. She knew he was doing this. She also knew that the crow that followed her everywhere was from him. She would often talk to the crow for hours on end, one-sided conversations entirely that made her doubt her own sanity, but it was the one link she had left of Damon. And that was reason enough.
Years passed and he saw her maturing into a young woman from afar. He made sure to keep her safe but in the past years she had faced no threats whatsoever and so he realised his work was done; he had fulfilled his promise to protect her. But now his life held no meaning at all. He had cut all his ties from Mystic Falls and that town held his life, people who he could loosely call 'friends', his love and even his humanity. It hurt like hell to stay away and he realised that he didn't want to deal with the pain anymore. Elena was moving on as evidenced in her latest talk with his crow. She had started talking about love and life to the bird and her plans for the future. He knew she loved him, but he also knew that she could love again if she wanted. He knew that she deserved the whole package: a dutiful husband, two children that looked exactly like her, a home complete with a white picket fence and yes, even a dog to complete the whole look. She had said to his crow last that while the idea of someone else was absurd (he knew better than this) she was looking forward to adopt some children in the future. Whilst she had always wanted her own children, she couldn't bear the idea of continuing the Petrova line and dooming her descendants. He pondered over the fact that he would hold no place in her life with the future she had planned as so he toyed with the ring on his finger in the bar that he and Elena had visited all those years ago. He removed it and left it on the counter as he made his way outside without a backwards glance, sitting under the shade of a tree, contemplating the decision he was about to make.
Elena felt a familiar feeling grip through her- it was a feeling from all those years ago when she had arrived at the boarding house to find Damon gone. The rushing need to be with him surged in her once more and at that moment she couldn't dampen the sensation at all. Her thoughts drifted to all those special moments she shared with him: at the ball, their confessions when they both thought he was dying, the Miss Mystic Falls dance, and countless others. Her favourite memory came to her mind though, the one in which they spent all day at Bree's Bar in Georgia. She felt a tingle at the memory and without a second thought jumped into her car and headed towards Georgia. It was an impulsive decision, yes, and one that would take her many hours to complete, but she just had to go there. For some strange reason, she had to be there.
When she finally reached the bar, she ran inside to find it empty. She scanned the bar only to have disappointment fill her. She knew it had been crazy to think Damon would be here but the feeling had been so intense that despair rang through her body. She dismally sat at a stool, one which had only been very recently vacated, her fingers tapping lightly against the counter before she noticed something out of the ordinary. There in front of her lay a ring, Damon's ring to be precise. She picked it up and gripped it firmly in her own hand till her knuckles turned white, understanding washing through her. She sprinted out of her seat and out of the bar before peering at her surroundings. The sun was just about to rise and her chances were looking unlikely but she was determined to stop him from doing something that would not only kill him but also her. She could not imagine a universe, no matter how many dimensions there were, without a Damon in it. There was no world for her, if there was no Damon. And it was with that thought that she found the strength to try save him.
She voiced her own words then to herself and him for that matter from all those years ago as she gave it her all to reach him. We'll survive this. We always do.
Damon was overly sappy in this o/s and this was all over the place but I had to get it out as I had been mulling over this for the past few days. Btw Damon's perspectives were the ones written in italics, whilst Elena/general POVs was in normal writing. And that last quote was from Midnight in the TVD Books :)