Author's Note:

So this is the first chapter of The Objection, my new Delena fic. This pretty much just shows the events that happen prior to the wedding, and there's a little good Delena-ness in the first scene of this chapter. Nothing special, just a little Elena and Damon bonding. This story, as mentioned in the description, is post 1x14. I'm not sure how much of the show I'll be keeping, but it's mostly AU. The only thing I changed about Fool Me Once is the ending with the fireplace, which is where I start going AU. The quote below is from a really great song by The Script called "Breakeven," and the quote reminded me of Damon's POV on Katherine's betrayal, so I thought I would include it. Also, many thanks to all of my readers who've been reading Five Minutes (my other Delena fic) and Angel of Mercy (Damon/OC.) I'm thinking of extending AOM and Shattered (Damon/Alice Cullen crossover) to 25 chapters each. What do you guys think? Extend one of them? Both? Neither?

Well, enough of my rambling! Here's the first chapter of The Objection.

"They say bad things happen for a reason, but no wise words gonna stop the bleeding. Cause' she's moved on while I'm still grieving.

And when a heart breaks no it don't break even."

~The Script

Long after Stefan had gone to bed, I walked into the boardinghouse looking for Damon. And there he was sitting in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames.

"Damon?" I said softly, walking closer. He didn't move an inch.

I walked over and sat next to him, placing my hand on his shoulder. I felt it tense slightly through his thin button down dress shirt, then relax. I was just going to sit there in silence, just for the sake of being there for him, but he started talking.

"A hundred and forty-five years. And she never cared about me. Never loved me," he said, his voice breaking slightly at the end of his sentence.

It was just too much, hearing his voice break like that. To see the stoic, sarcastic, flippant Damon Salvatore so completely lost and defeated. I slid closer to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, surprised to feel him lean into me. He buried his face in my shoulder, and I stroked his hair, not even remotely recognizing the formerly cruel, brutal vampire that was now falling apart at the seams. For a long time, I simply held him to me, stroking his silky dark hair. I didn't know how long we stayed that way, with him leaning into my side and me holding him and stroking his hair.

I didn't know how much later it was when I looked down, only to find his eyes closed and his breathing deep and even. Vampires don't have to breathe, but I guess after being human it's a pretty hard habit to break. I can't help but study him as he sleeps. The firelight dances off his face, causing his long eyelashes the cast shadows right under his eyes, and his lips are parted slightly in sleep.

And somehow, even asleep, he still looks wrecked and heartbroken. I cradled him close to me, holding him tightly. After awhile, I gently shifted him so that I was on one end of the couch, holding his head in my lap, and he was sprawled across the rest of it. He slept peacefully, not once waking or moving in his sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, I was on my side next to Damon, still holding him to me. His head was still against my shoulder, and my free arm that wasn't holding his head there was wrapped around his waist. He was still asleep, and one glance at a clock told me that it was only five o' clock in the morning. I heard Stefan moving around upstairs, but he wasn't coming down here. I assumed he was probably going to get dressed and then write some in his diary, according to his usual routine.

Probably an hour later, he came downstairs and seemed surprised to find me. I hadn't made any noise, so even with his vampire hearing he hadn't heard me down here.

"Morning, Elena," he said, his voice puzzled.

"Hey Stefan," I said quietly, still absently stroking Damon's hair.

Stefan's eyes traveled to my hand and then back to my face, looking even more puzzled than usual.

"He needs someone right now," I said, answering his unspoken question of why I was down here with Damon. He nodded and walked into the kitchen, grabbing his coat.

"Where are you going?" I asked softly.

"Hunting," he replied, sliding his feet in his shoes.

"See you in a little while," I said, giving him a little good-bye wave. He waved back and disappeared out the door at vampire speed, closing the door behind him.

I felt a slight stirring and looked down to see Damon's blue eyes flicker open, seeming slightly shocked to find that I was still there.

"You stayed," he said, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Of course," I whispered, giving him a small smile.

I pulled my hand back when I realized I was still stroking his hair, and he slid to his feet. Any other time, he would have gone and made an innuendo by now about him waking up and finding his head on my lap, but he was just too tired. Too tired to even be himself. Not even physically tired, just tired of his life, I supposed.

"I'm going to walk upstairs for a second. Thank you, by the way," he said, looking over his shoulder as he walked over to the staircase.

"For what?" I asked, not realizing I had done anything to be thanked for. He was (more or less) my friend. Of course I'm always going to be there for him.

"For…being there. For me. That means a lot to me," he said and went upstairs.

After he was gone for about forty-five minutes, I went up to check on him.

Damon

I closed my eyes as the hot water ran down my body, wanting to either get hammered or go back to bed. Probably get hammered. I ran my fingers through my wet hair, trying to block out what had happened last night.

I decided to consider shutting off my humanity again, which would make life so much easier.

I sighed and got out of the shower, grabbing a black towel off the hook to my left. I wrapped it around my waist and turned to the mirror, only to be shocked with my reflection. I looked very…dead. No pun intended. My skin wasn't any paler than usual, but it was in my eyes. They looked cold and flat, devoid of any life. They looked the way I felt.

Not wanting to meet the dead in eyes in the mirror any longer, I opened the bathroom door so I could go out into my room and get dressed.

Elena

I walked through Damon's room, and heard running water cut off in the room I had to assume was his bathroom.

I heard the door come open and out walked Damon. My breath caught in my throat as I saw the black towel wrapped low around his waist, and the water glistening on his skin and hair.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I was just coming to, um…" My voice trailed off and I ducked my head slightly to cover the heat rising in my face.

"I'll, um, go," I managed, walking towards the door.

"Elena?" I turned back when Damon called my name.

"Yes?" I asked, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

"Come over here for a second," he said.

I walked over to stand in front of him, and he stepped so close that I could feel the warmth emanating off of him. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against my cheek.

"Thank you," he whispered against my skin, stroking my hair once before pulling away.

I tried to quiet my rapid pulse, knowing he could hear it. But even as I tried, it would not stop thudding too quickly.

"You're welcome," I breathed, deciding to reciprocate what he had just done. I leaned close and pressed my lips to his cheek, inhaling his scent. I was more than slightly overwhelmed by his closeness and the feel of his skin under my lips.

When I pulled away, he had a faraway look in his eyes. There was something in his gaze that suggested that soon he would be faraway. Almost like this was goodbyes.

I realized within the next few seconds that my thought was right.

"Goodbye, Elena," he whispered, taking my face in his hands.

"Why? Where are you going?" I asked, shaking my head.

"The only thing I can do to make it better," he replied, looking down.

"Find her. You're going to go find Katherine," I said, feeling sad and defeated. He didn't reply, only gave me a sad little smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"You should go home. Stefan's not here and I'll be gone soon." The words he said stung me to the heart, and I was surprised to find how much I really didn't want him to go.

"But Damon-" I started, but he effectively silenced me.

He pulled my body against his and he kissed me.

And oh lord, was it a kiss. I could feel his lean, built body against mine, and felt my entire being melt at the way his lips passionately forced themselves on mine. I had never felt this before. Not even with Stefan.

He pulled away, looked at me for a long time, and then he stepped back. He walked over to his dresser, started pulling out clothes, and I knew that if I tried to say a word, he would probably ignore me.

Tears came to my eyes, and I ran downstairs and out into the morning light. My mind whirred and spun, aftereffects of the combination of both Damon's kiss and the fact he was leaving. I sat on the steps and closed my eyes, then laying down on the step and curling up there. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, the sun was high up in the sky.

I immediately cursed myself for falling asleep and raced upstairs to Damon's room. Empty. I walked over to the dresser and started opening drawers. Nothing. I walked over to the bed and curled up on it, wanting to cry. He'd been my friend, but I didn't realize I cared about him quite so much. Something laying on the end of the bed caught my eye, and I reached down and picked up the black button-down dress shirt. The only piece of him I had left. I folded it up and clutched it to my chest.

I looked out the window, at the sunlight streaming through and making a bright patch on the dark hardwood floor. Something about the sunlight unnerved me.

Six months later…

"Elena honey, mail for you," Jenna called. I came downstairs and took the envelope from her and then went back upstairs to open it.

It was unlike the typical white envelopes I normally received; this one was black with my name embossed on the front.

I slit it open with a letter opener and reached in. My hand didn't encounter paper, but something small and hard.

Brow furrowed, I pulled out the small, hard item. It was a ring. An all too familiar ring. Set in the front of it was a blue lapis with the Salvatore crest set into it.

It belonged to Damon.

"Damon, no…" I whispered, realizing what it meant. No ring equaled no protection from sunlight. No protection from sunlight equaled… oh god.

I doubled over and started sobbing, clutching the ring to my chest. Damon's dress shirt was still in the back of one of my dresser drawers, seeing as I hadn't been able to part with it. I curled into a ball on my bed, sobbing so passionately I thought I would never stop. No. He couldn't be dead. Not him. No.

My phone rang, but I ignored it, not caring who it was. I ran over to my dresser and opened the little wooden jewelry box there and dug around until I found a simple silver chain that used to have a locket on it. The locket had broke, but all I needed was the chain. I slid the ring on it and then clasped it around my neck, not caring at all that I would have to explain to everyone why I was wearing a lapis lazuli ring around my neck.

I sat down on my bed and pulled out my diary and a pen, flipping to a clean page.

Dear Diary,

this can't be happening. He can't really be dead. Yet I have the proof right in front of me. Now my heart's broken and I don't know how to fix it…

My writing trailed off as I began choking on sobs. I began shaking and gasping, clutching Damon's ring. I ignored my continuously ringing phone, and curled up into a ball in the bed. I closed my eyes, succumbing to a state of unconsciousness where I couldn't feel the hollowness that suddenly overwhelmed me.

6 months later…

Dear Diary,

I still can't believe I'm engaged! I have had so little time to plan, yet I know I will never forget my wedding. I could barely breathe when Stefan dropped to one knee on the bridge we had talked on so long ago. Of course, I said yes. One more week. One more week and I'll be married! I am so excited I can barely stand it.

Stefan and I were talking and he said he would've asked Damon to be his best man if he was still alive, and I started crying. "If he was still alive." The words broke my heart, which was still aching for Damon. And even though he'd never admit it, Stefan misses him too. I still wear Damon's old lapis around my neck, and Stefan doesn't like that too much.

Well, that enough for now, because if I write about Damon for too long I may start crying.

Until next time,

Elena

"The shadows are long and she fears if she cries that first tear, the tears will not stop raining down."

~Superchick

Another Author's Note:

So, what do you think? This chapter is pretty much just an introduction, but the next chapter will be the wedding. Thanks for reading, everyone!