Hello Vampires, witches and mere mortals.
How is everyone?
Well this is my first one shot and my first song fic and it was written in one day, the day after I got the idea.
I hope you like it and it doesn't sound too rushed.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters (though I would give anything to own Damon) they belong to Kevin Williams and Julie Pec.
I do not own the lyrics to All or Nothing at All, O Town does. (I wish I was that talented.)
canon through season one, but takes place a few years don the line.
Enjoy the story...
Please Check out the companion piece to this, The World is Wrong (/s/6842216).
The same story but from Elena's POV.
All or Nothing at All
Stefan's POV
I know when he's been on your mind
That distant look is in your eyes
I thought with time you'd realise it's over, over
It's not the way I choose to live
And something, some where's got to give
As sharing this relationship gets older, older
I walk into Elena's bedroom and I see that she's a million miles away. Some might think she is lost in thought, thinking about homework, worrying about Jeremy or wondering what she'll do at the weekend. But I know better. I know she's thinking about him.
~7 months ago
"Well, I'm off, make sure Stefan doesn't rid the town of all its wildlife," Damon smirked to Elena as he put his bag in the trunk of his car.
"Why are you leaving Damon?" Elena asked, I knew she didn't want him to leave and it kind of hurt but I reassured myself; she didn't want me to leave when I was planning on going either.
"Because with me being in close proximity with the council they're going to notice my lack of ageing sooner rather than later. Stefan will be fine for another year or two, they won't pay much attention to him because he saved Caroline from the big bad vampire and his brother was a 'town hero'" my brother explained with his usual sarcastic flare.
"Do you really have to go?" Elena and Damon had become best friends since the events of founders' day I knew Damon loved Elena, and deep down, I knew she returned his feelings. The real reason he was leaving was the emotional strain he was putting on Elena because of those feelings.
"Afraid so," he replied, giving Elena a sad smile. Smile - Damon only ever smiled at Elena, no one else ... ever.
I walked down to bid my brother goodbye. "Don't kill too many people Damon, I know you miss hunting," I teased him trying to lighten the mood.
"Oh like you could stop me," he smirked. I smiled in return and held out my hand for him to shake. He took it and surprised me by pulling me into a brotherly hug. It was a nice moment and I suddenly realised that I had just gotten my brother back, and now I was losing him. I was actually going to miss Damon. "You'd better take care of her, or so help me I will come back here and rip your head off - slowly."
Okay, I wouldn't miss him that much.
We pulled away and Elena pulled Damon into a tight hug. They enveloped each other for over three minutes, saying nothing; just taking in each others' scent because the chances were they would never smell it again. When I couldn't watch anymore I turned and walked back into the house.
Two minutes later I heard Elena say, "I'm going to miss you Damon, so much."
"I'll miss you too," he replied.
"Just promise me one thing," she asked.
"What?"
"Don't turn back in to a dick."
Damon laughed, "I won't make you a promise I can't keep Elena." I heard Damon's voice again but it was too quiet for me to hear what he said. With that the car door slammed and Damon drove off.
At the time I'd thought Elena would miss Damon for about a month, two tops, and then we could be happy together but I was wrong. I didn't think that Damon would still be trespassing on our relationship when we don't even hear from him. It's not what I chose for our lives, but that was what had happened. Sharing Elena with Damon was getting old.
You know I'd fight for you
But how can I fight someone
Who isn't even there
I've had the rest of you
Now I want the best of you
I don't care if that's not fair
I spent two years fighting for Elena and I would fight for the rest of eternity because she's worth it but how can I when the person I need to fight is God only knows where? I've had Elena for two years, she's my girlfriend and she has so many amazing qualities. The best part of Elena is her heart, unfortunately, half of it belongs to Damon. It should belong to me! I know it sounds selfish but I want it to belong to me.
Cause I want it all or nothing at all
There's nowhere left to fall
When you've reached the bottom
It's now or never
Is it all or are we just friends
Is this how it ends
With a simple telephone call
You leave me here with nothing at all
It's like a scale of how happy Elena and I could be in our relationship. For one night we were on the top of that scale, Elena and I were in love and we could both barely stand Damon. Then Elena found the picture of Katherine and went on that stupid road trip with Damon. That's when he started pulling her away from me. Even after Elena had forgiven me we weren't as happy because everyday another piece of Elena's heart was being stolen by my brother. Now we are at the bottom of the scale, because Damon still has Elena's heart but he is not here. Most of the time, I don't feel like Elena and I are together anymore. I love her but I wonder, to her, are we just friends?
There are times it seems to me
I'm sharing you in memories
I feel it in my heart
But I don't show it, show it
I was with Elena at her house one night.
"Stefan, can you get some of my stuff together while I tell Jenna I'm staying at yours please?" she requested.
"Sure," replied and kissed her before she left the room. I went and got her tooth brush from the bathroom and her other essentials, I had gotten everything she needed. Then I remembered her diary. I picked it up off of the night stand when several pieces of paper fell out. I frowned and leant down to pick them up. The largest was a news paper cutting of the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, Damon was there, dancing with Elena. Then there was a picture of Damon and Elena in a bar, from what they were wearing it looked like it was from Atlanta, but I didn't think they had taken any pictures, it wasn't exactly planned bonding time. Then there was Damon and Elena at her 18th birthday, Damon and Elena playing pool, Damon and Elena with Jeremy just after he'd gotten his cravings under control, Damon and Elena at her 19th Damon and Elena at his 168th, Damon and Elena having a water fight with Jeremy and Bonnie, Damon and Elena dancing with their foreheads resting against each other, Damon chasing after Elena in the park when she ran off wearing his jacket, Damon kissing Elena on the cheek, Damon and Elena just hanging out in general, Damon holding Elena as they lay on her bed with her face buried in his chest, Damon and Elena hugging the day before he left and finally, one of just Damon, leaning against his car with a rare smile of his face. When I looked back, he was smiling or laughing in almost all of the pictures. I sighed.
This was my relationship with Elena now. Through the day she was with me and we pretended everything was fine. At night she's sat, looking at the pictures of her and Damon. I sighed one more and put the pictures back in the diary.
And then there's times you look at me
As though I'm all that you can see
Those times I don't believe it's right I know it, know it
Don't make me promises
Baby you never did know how to keep them well
I've had the rest of you
Now I want the best of you
It's time to show and tell
Elena and were sitting in the boarding house kitchen, eating ice cream and joking around. Elena laughed and looked at me like she did back when we first met, like the only people that existed were the two of us. It had been so long since she'd looked at me that way - I'd been craving it for months, but it didn't seem to fit anymore.
After a few moments of silence I cupped Elena's cheek, "Are we gonna be alright?" I asked her.
"Of course we are," she promised with a smile.
Just then the front door opened, neither of us moved, we were expecting Bonnie and just assumed it was her.
"Stefan?" a familiar voice called. Elena dropped her spoon and froze in shock. "Hello, anyone home?"
"Damon!" Elena whispered breathlessly, her eyes suddenly lit up. She ran from the room. I just sat there in shock for a moment before I followed.
"Damon!" I heard her exclaim and I got to the hall just in time to see my girlfriend run towards Damon and fling her arms around his neck. Damon wrapped his arms around Elena's waist and hugged her. He tightened his grip after a moment and picked Elena up spinning her around the hall like in a cheesy movie.
'The part where lovers are reunited,' I thought, bitterly.
"Somebody, miss me?" Damon asked cockily. Elena didn't answer, she just clung to him.
After a while Damon pushed her back and took her face in his hands. Neither of them spoke, Damon just rested his forehead against hers and they looked at each other for a long time.
I cleared my throat.
"Hello Stefan," my brother greeted, not taking his eyes off Elena's much like when the two of them first met.
"Damon," I replied coldly.
He ignored me. "I take it with your being here you honoured my request?" he murmured to Elena. I frowned, confused.
She nodded and glanced at me sadly, finally breaking away from Damon but still standing close at his side.
'You shouldn't make promises you can't keep Elena,' I thought remembering the last thing she said before hearing my brother's voice.
"What are you doing here Damon?" I asked harshly.
Damon, of course, smirked mockingly, "Well that's not a very polite way to greet your brother when he returns to his own house," came his reply.
"You said you weren't coming back," I reminded him.
"Well I changed my mind," he answered. "Come on Elena, let's go catch up," he grinned taking Elena's hand and pulling her out of the door.
"Later Stefan," she called back to me, not even turning around.
'Well at least she remembered I was standing there,' was my sarcastic thought.
Cause I want it all or nothing at all
There's nowhere left to fall
When you've reached the bottom
It's now or never
Is it all or are we just friends
Is this how it ends
With a simple telephone call
You leave me here with nothing...
Damon stayed in town after that. A week later Elena was supposed to come round for us to hang up. She was late and I was sitting in the living room, waiting for her when my phone started ringing.
"Hello," I answered.
"Hey Stefan it's me." Elena said,"I'm just calling to say that I won't be able to make it tonight. Something's come up and I have to go away for a few days."
"What do you mean 'something's come up'? Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.
"Everything's fine Stefan, don't worry. I just have to go out of town for a few days, a week tops. Before you say anything, calm down, I'll be fine, besides Damon's with me, he won't let anything bad happen," my jaw clenched at this. I heard Damon's voice murmur something in the back ground, Elena laughed. "Stefan, we have to go Jenna thinks I'm at yours, Jeremy knows I'm away with Damon. Thanks for understanding. See you when we get back."
"Elena! Wa-" she hung up on me before I could even agree to cover for her.
I really didn't like the way everything Elena did and said had suddenly become plural.
'WE have to go' 'when WE get back'. 'WE' being her and Damon – all the time. I threw my cell phone across the room in frustration.
Cause you and I
Could lose it all if you've got no more room
No room inside
For me in your life
Why were we - no, Elena and I - even keeping up the pretence of being together. It was obvious to everyone that Damon and Elena love each other. Since he got back they had spent practically every second together. For example; Elena used to stay at the boarding house in my bed now more often than not she fell asleep on the couch while talking to Damon until the early hours of the morning.
Cause I want it all or nothing at all
There's nowhere left to fall
It's now or never
Is it all or nothing at all
There's nowhere left to fall
When you've reached the bottom
It's now or never
Is it all or are we just friends
Is this how it ends
With a simple telephone call
You leave me here with nothing at all
Damon and Elena had been gone for a week and a half when she called me saying that she would be a few more days. I was way beyond annoyed now.
"Look Elena," I started, "You, me and everyone else in town know you are in love with Damon, so let's stop pretending. We haven't been acting like a couple for a long time and since Damon got back you and him have more or less been dating so why not make it official. We break up and you can go to Damon," I exhaled loudly afterwards, not believing I had actually just broken up with Elena.
Apparently she was in shock to; as well Damon for I heard a distant, "Wow" through the phone.
"You're right Stefan. I'm sorry. I haven't been fair to you," Elena finally spoke sounding generally apologetic.
"I just want to know one thing," I said quickly. "When Damon got back he asked you about 'his request', what did he mean?"
I heard movement and guessed Elena had turned to look at Damon,
"Before he left Damon told me he loved me and that if I cared about him at all I'd forget about him and go on with my life, being happy with you," There was a pause, "I- I tried Stefan. I tried my best to do what he asked, to try and let us be happy, but I couldn't forget him. I couldn't bare to even contemplate forgetting him."
"Hence the pictures in your diary," I sighed.
"Yeah," we were both quiet. "I'm sorry we didn't work out Stefan. Can we try being friends?"
"Of course," despite myself I smiled as I hung up. I wouldn't lose Elena completely.
I knew Elena would be happy with Damon and at the end of the day that was all that really mattered.
Is it all or nothing at all
There's nowhere left to fall
When you've reached the bottom
It's now or never
Is it all or are we just friends
Is this how it ends
With a simple telephone call
You leave me here with nothing at all
Three days later Damon and Elena returned, as a couple. Jeremy, Jenna, Caroline, Matt and Tyler all had the same reaction: "Finally!" which I laughed at.
Bonnie's reaction was: "I hope you know what you're getting into Elena, but I'm happy for you," and, "I'm so sorry Stefan."
Alaric said: "If you hurt her I will plunge a vervain coated stake through every part of your body, your heart being the last." I thought he was being a little sadistic but he smiled afterwards so I think he was joking.
Damon mock gulped, before pulling Elena on to the dance floor. I faintly heard him whisper something that resembled "our song". And I stared in shock for a moment before shaking my head in amusement.
"Jeremy?" I asked the boy standing beside me.
"Hm?" he hummed, sounding very much like my brother, as he watched the couple dance.
"Do you realise how amazing your sister is?"
He chuckled, "I do, but what makes you say that now?"
"She's managed to turnDamon into a romantic!" I pointed out incredulously.
Jeremy full on laughed now. "No, Stefan. Elena hasn't turned Damon into anything. He's just more himself around her. He doesn't hold his emotions back with Elena like he does with everyone else. That doesn't mean they're not there though."
I regarded Elena's little brother for a moment, wondering when he'd gotten so wise, and then turned back to my brother and his girlfriend.
Somehow all the bitterness I'd felt just melted away as I sure then pure love and happiness radiating from them.
