~ Homecoming aftermath ~

This story takes place after the end of TVD Season 3 Episode 9.

"How did this happen?" - Elena asked as she paced around the boarding house living room trying to understand how their plan to kill Klaus went so pear shaped.

"We thought of everything Elena!" - Damon spit back. Her words where full of disappointment and he couldn't help feeling he was the one that let her down.

"Klaus having hybrids, Michael turning on us! We brought in Katherine so you weren't in danger." - his rage was so venomous and acid that Elena hugged herself against his pain - "Anything that could have gone wrong. We were prepared!" - he shouted in desperation and anger.

"I don't understand."- she mouthed despondently - "Stefan wanted Klaus dead, more than anything." - she took a deep breath – "That's what we were counting on!" - she concluded pleadingly.

"We blew it." - he hissed and she could see he felt responsible for it all.

"Where's Katherine?" - she asked looking for someone else to blame for this debacle.

"She is running for the hills like usual! The minute things got bad. And who blames her? Klaus would have crushed her!" – Damon spit out in one long tirade - "I had him Elena. I had Klaus!" – his anger hiding the apology in his words - "This could have all been over." - he said through gritted teeth.

Damon could barely contain the anger eating at his insides and in frustration he threw the bottle of bourbon into the fire with all his might hoping to find an outlet for his frustration. The act made Elena focus in the here and now and on calming him down.

"Hey..." - Elena reached for him

"Damon, hey..."- he angrily pulled away from her but she insisted - "Hey, listen to me." - she reached up and placed her hands on the sides of his face making sure he looked at her.

"We'll survive this." – he looked at her and searched her face - "We always survive." - Damon wondered if she could handle the truth that was crushing his own heart - "Trust me." - Elena said heartbreakingly and Damon couldn't help but to put his pain into words, to voice his loss, their loss.

"We're never getting Stefan back...You know that don't you?" - he said hoping the truth wouldn't crush her like it threatened to crush him.

Elena did feel something break inside her. She knew Stefan was lost to them, but what she couldn't endure is how much losing him would hurt Damon. She had to be strong. Strong for him.

"Then we'll let him go." - she said through trembling lips looking deep into his eyes - "Okay?" - she said looking into Damon's heartbreakingly sad yes -"We'll have to let him go."- she repeated more firmly as he slowly nodded.

Damon's cell rang, dissipating the spell of their closeness and Elena moved away letting him go as he spoke bitterly to the caller.

"Not interested in a play by play of our failure right now Katherine."

"I am just calling to say goodbye." - Katherine replied -"I don't know what to tell you...You had a good plan Damon... and that's high praise coming from me."

"Not very comforting at the moment." - Damon replied bitterly - "Are you going back into hiding?" – he asked already knowing the answer.

"At least my life's not boring." - she sighed - "Goodbye Damon."

"Take care of yourself Katherine."

As Damon hung up the phone he gave a deep sigh trying to reign in the emotional exhaustion and frustration that threatened to overwhelm him... He opened his eyes to find that Elena was studying him with those big brown worried eyes he loved so much. He couldn't shake the feeling he had failed her...

Automatically he reached for his bourbon and poured it down his throat in one quick motion trying to drink some strength into his weary heart. Placing the glass down, he reached for her hand and turned around to lead her out of the house.

"Common', I'll take you home." – he said wearily.

"No." - came her firm reply as she held firm to his hand and her chin jutted up in that determined look she got sometimes.

As he turned around in confusion and drilled his mesmerizing blue eyes into hers she felt self conscious, blushed deeply and dropped her gaze before continuing.

"I... I want to stay ...here...with you ...Damon" – she said shyly.

He looked at her searching, trying to grasp what she as saying - a million different scenarios shooting in different directions were scattering his thoughts. Sensing his confusion, Elena brought the hand she was holding to her heart as she covered the distance between them and gazed intently into his eyes. When he finally focused on her again, she slowly reached up to kiss him softly on his lips.

His breath caught as a plaintive moan came out of his lips and he closed his eyes in a pained expression - "Elena... I don't want to play games tonight... I...my... my heart cannot take it."

With that he opened his eyes just as she was reaching up to place her free hand on his cheek. Her eyes held so much love that it burned the image into his retina and left him speechless.

"Do you trust me?" - Elena said echoing his very words from earlier in the day.

Damon nodded slowly, never leaving her eyes and feeling her hands burning where they made contact with his skin.

".you. Damon" - she said trying to engrave every word into his heart as her eyes bore intensively into his. Damon studied her face as if seeing her for the last time. It occurred to him that maybe, just maybe, she was the one finally seeing him. However, months of denial hit the shores of his consciousness and he could not believe his ears or his eyes. Nor could he stop his mouth as it whispered - " ...you love Stef..." - only to be silenced as Elena's lips kissed him sweetly and briefly once more.

"We agreed to let him go." – Elena said as if laying down the law - "It is you and me now." - a tear ran down her cheek - "It has been you and me for a while Damon, I just didn't know how to show you..."

Damon remained frozen in shock and Elena's mind ran to the conclusion that maybe she was too late. So she flushed in embarrassment, cast her eyes down and made a move to untangle their hands and leave in shame.

The motion woke Damon out of his stupor and he held her hand tighter as he firmly pulled her to him and whispered - "You mean it?" - she nodded shyly – "As a consolation prize?"- Damon asked carefully and she shook her head strongly - "No, as the main prize." - she replied hoarsely.

"For how long?" - he said beyond the point of caring if he sounded needy - "For as long as you will have me Damon. " - Elena replied under heavy eyelids.

"Elena..." – he breathed as he bent down to kiss her, half fearing this was all a dream.

At first the kiss was chaste and shy and full of doubt. The road that led to this moment had been so long and trying, so full of denial and restraint that the kiss had that unreal and unsubstantial quality of dreams. But as their lips parted and their tongues met, Elena leaned in and started to pour her heart, soul and body into the kiss. Damon responded with equal intensity and all caution, doubt and uncertainty melted in the blaze the kiss ignited.

The kiss became deeper, rougher and more desperate. They had both been parched for this love for so long that neither knew just how great the need to consume each other was. Their hands roamed over each other's bodies desperate to touch, feel and possess. Their lips kissing and biting everywhere they could find purchase leaving a trail of need in their wake. Damon lifted Elena of her feet in an embrace that was all consuming as he moved them at vampire speed to the leather couch in front of the fire that mirrored their feelings.