I do not own, pretend to own or have the money to try and own (damn it) anything to do with the Vampire Diaries.

The Salvatore Boarding house was blanketed in darkness as the headlights of Elena's car went out. Stepping out she gasped softly as the nights air brushed against her face. Not a star could be seen and it made the yearning she had for warmth make its presence known again. It wasn't right and it hadn't been ever since she spoke without thinking, opening her mouth and saying four of the most hurtful words she could have.

"Maybe that's the problem"

It made her stomach turn at the memory of his face, she had pushed him too far after making so much progress and there was a chance it was too late. He had retaliated in a way he knew would hurt her and who blames him? She wasn't his girlfriend; he could sleep with who he liked, though he could have picked better than her. Pushing down her fear of what was within the Salvatore house, Elena opened the door, unsurprised at having found it unlocked but suddenly concerned by the lack of light within. Stefan wasn't here, her gut told her that.

"Damon?" Her voice was lost within the sheer size of the hall but if he was here, he would have heard her. With no answer, Elena found herself at the entrance of the living area. The fire was fully ablaze, casting shadows on the wall as a lone figure sat in front of it. It was Damon, and he made no move to greet her. Unnerved by the silence, she plucked up the courage to speak again. "Damon…"

"Don't you mean Stefan?" Damon's voice cut her off as she made her way to stand next to him, the heat from the fire making her cheeks glow. "Sorry to disappoint but your partner in crime is racing down the road of recovery, not a Bambi or bunny in sight"

"I saw the way he was" Elena began "With Meredith, there was so much blood and…"

"He took control. Bye bye imaginary wagon" He didn't sound surprised and Elena remembered the conversation they had about his and Stefan's 'blood binge crawl'.

"I still don't agree with what you did…but I'm glad you did it" Elena said.

"Yeah, well he'll be back to saint Stefan and there will be pixie dust and rainbows all over again" Damon smirked but Elena couldn't help seeing a shadow of sadness behind it "I can go back to being the brooding one" With that he stood up at made his way over to the drinks cabinet, pulled out a bottle of bourbon and poured himself a glass. "So if you don't mind, I'd like to get a head start...alone" he downed half the glass and topped it up. He was being cold, just like the Damon she had first met two years ago and Elena felt a stab at her heart as he brushed her off.

"Damon, please don't..."

"Go, Elena" he spared her a quick glance that held all the emotion to prove just how serious he was. Feeling defeated, Elena tried to ignore the burning behind her eyes and left the room. It wasn't over, not tonight so instead of leaving the house, she walked upstairs. He could hear her, she knew it but she doubted he would chase her just yet.

There was such bitter sweet history in this house for her. Her first kiss with Stefan, hours of searching for him and training to defend herself once she did. Then there was Damon.

The urge to go back into the room she had spend so many nights in with Stefan didn't burn within her so strongly any more. Instead she found herself in Damon's room. The only night she had spent here wasn't laced with sex and booze but with the fear as venom worked within Damon's veins. Time went slowly yet after Katherine brought the cure, it went too quickly for Elena to process what had happened between her and Damon only moments before.

A pity kiss, she had fooled herself to believe as much because to think otherwise would make her far too much like her. Looking like her was enough but she never wanted to mirror Katherine's soul. So she ignored it for a while but then he was there as a constant reminder and it all became too real. Elena knew she should have called him back that night he kissed her but even now she didn't know what would have happened. He got her like that.

"What would you have me do?" Elena whispered to herself. She sat on the end of his bed and buried her head in her hands.

"Go back to him" she didn't know how long she had been sitting there for but the voice of Damon snapped her out of the faze.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why what, Elena?" he said clearly annoyed. He was drunk or at least well on his way and this Damon was never easy to entertain.

"Why are you giving up now?" Elena stood up and walked over to him "You're acting like you've lost everything"

"I never had anything to lose, now please go"

"If this is about what I said, Damon I told you to get over it" Elena cut herself short, remembering what Damon did the last time she upset him. Go easy on him. "You wouldn't have let me talk to her and I knew Stefan was so far off the track that he would, I didn't want you to get hurt, Damon...especially not by me" she sighed and brushed her hand through her hair. This wasn't going to be easy.

"You want to know why I wouldn't have let you talk to her?" he said, anger clear in his voice "Because I knew she would use you and I knew that saint Stefan would let her. He had no boundaries, Elena. Someone had to take over but you got there before I could try"

"You always said you weren't him, Damon!" the tears were harder to hold back this time and the shake in her voice was obvious "You told me to stop trying to change you, so why!"

"You were so willing to accept the way he had changed, for the worse no less and when I show you the 'Damon' you want me to be, I become a liability" The conversation he had with his brother only moment after regaining consciousness reminded him of how far things had gotten.

"I never called you that, don't put your brothers words in my mouth. Damon I was scared because you were in a room full of originals that could have killed to like that" Elena snapped her fingers "and for once I knew that I was safe because Klaus still needed me, but you weren't and I didn't want your love for me cost you your life" Damon's face softened and a spark of hope lit inside Elena. Unknown to her he wouldn't act on what matter most in that sentence, he had received enough rejection to get another shot.

"What about Stefan?"

"Forget Stefan, this isn't about him" Elena said "You hate to be compared to him so why are you doing it yourself?"

"Because it's always going to be Stefan" Damon said and before Elena could speak he continued "I get it, you're mad at him because he went all anti-Stefan but he's back, Elena and no matter what I feel for you, it won't be enough" a tear rolled down Elena's cheek. He wasn't right but the words wouldn't come out to prove him wrong so she said all she could muster.

"I'm sorry Damon"

There we go! A very short one-shot or possible story. I haven't uploaded anything in over a year so it's good to be back with a fresh pen-name and writing stories for a new area :D