Elena POV

I waited until I heard the front door slam before letting out the breath I had been holding. Anger surged through my entire body, pooling in my fingertips.

I wanted to break something. Badly.

Instead I opened the bedroom door and tiptoed out into the hallway. I don't know why I was bothering trying to be quiet about it; he had most definitely heard the latest war waged between his brother and I. It seems as if Stefan and I have done nothing but fight in these past few weeks.

Sadness rushed in to replace the fading anger. I had been stupid to think that we still had a chance after the past year: between our time apart, my still unclear feelings for his brother, and the fact that Stefan had come back a totally different person, what chance did we really have? And that was when I was still human.

Adjusting to this new life, had at times, seemed impossible. Still seems impossible. Stefan, inexplicably, is taking it even worse than I am. He can't even look me in the eyes anymore. I guess neither one of us is the same person the other fell in love with.

I make my way closer to the semi- lit bedroom down the hall. His door is cracked and I can hear his muffled breathing. When I look around the door and into his room I see that this is because he has his head buried under a pile of pillows. His bare arms are holding them down around his ears. He doesn't even look up when he speaks. "Tell me I can finally go to sleep now, Elena," he grumbles, sounding very much annoyed.

"Stefan left," I reply quietly, studying his floor.

He pulls himself up into a seated position and cocks an eyebrow my way. "So you're what… bed hopping." He smirks. "Does someone want a curling iron for Christmas?"

I ignore the jab and walk to stand next to the bed, absently running my fingers over the edge of the sheets. Everything feels different now that I am a vampire, and I find myself re-experiencing things in a whole new way every single day. Sometimes my new senses can be fun and exciting, other times they are just plain distracting.

"Elena," Damon says sternly, breaking me from my reverie. I pull my hand away from the silk and he shoots me a look. "What do you want? I'm tired."

I can't help but smile. "Well that sounds familiar… I seem to remember saying that to a certain guy that always seemed to appear in my room at the most inconvenient times." I climb in next to him and throw the blanket over my lap. "I think I'll repay the favor. Let's see how you like it."

Damon POV

Elena slides into bed next to me, completely ignoring the fact that I am currently shirtless, and, oh yeah, trying to sleep, and proceeds to wrap herself up in my blanket. I narrow my eyes at her to keep them from widening.

This girl seems to have grown some balls in addition to her new fangs.

She has the nerve to look shy after making herself comfortable. "Did you hear us fighting?"

I roll my eyes in reply. Of course I heard them fighting. A partially deaf human could have heard all that screeching and squawking from the next block over. Fortunately, although there is no way to ignore the volume, I have trained myself to tune out their actual words over the years. Otherwise, I ran the risk of hearing way too many sappy declarations of undying love from those two. Mental note: I should move out.

Elena has continued talking, completely oblivious to the fact that I have not been listening to a single word of it. I catch the end of her rant. "…and then he just left right in the middle of my sentence. He just stomped down the stairs and out the door before I even got to finish telling him how I feel."

Oh sweet Jesus.

"I am so sick of being cooped up in here, constantly monitored by Stefan and Caroline. I want to leave," she finishes in a huff, a pout pulling on her lips.

"What's stopping you," I motion toward the door, desperate to end this. She needs to get out of here before I do something stupid. I have never pretended to be honorable, and right now she is laying way to close to me.

In my bed.

After a fight with her boyfriend.

A look of confusion passes over her features. "You would let me leave? What if I hurt someone?"

"I am not your keeper, Elena," I scoff. I know her- she wouldn't dare leave this house. Caroline and Stefan have been her constant chaperons since she turned, and she would never risk going out without them and hurting a poor, defenseless human. Therefor this conversation does not need to take place.

I swear, being around all of them is like surrounding myself with children. Very stupid children.

Elena was going to kill someone eventually. It was just a matter of time. Better to get it over with sooner than drag it out all suspenseful- like.

Elena POV

I can't believe him! He is actually sending me off without a seconds thought; out into the world to do goodness knows what. I am unstable right now! I could hurt someone!

But through all of my silent indignation comes a quiet voice that is literally giddy with the idea of leaving the house. I have not been without my babysitters for weeks. Stefan is gone… Damon just said that he wouldn't stop me… Caroline is home, asleep.

I had only been venting when I said that thing about leaving earlier. Would I really have the courage to go out alone?

Part of me didn't trust Damon. He could just be messing with me. Why would he drop the guardian act all of a sudden? I decide to test this theory.

"So… you wouldn't mind if I left in the middle of the night, by myself, and let's say… went to a bar full of people and chowed down?"

"You wouldn't, so why ask," was his uninterested reply.

He had settled back down on his pillow, closing his eyes, and seemingly waiting for me to leave.

"You can handle yourself now, Elena. You don't need me or my brother protecting you from yourself anymore." He turned and shot me a look. "Now get out of here and go to bed."

I studied him silently for a moment before swinging my legs over the side of the bed. "See you tomorrow, Damon. Goodnight."

"Sweet Dreams, Elena."

I closed his door on my way out. But instead of turning right towards my bedroom, I turned left and padded down the steps. I didn't stop until the doorknob was in my hand. He didn't think I had the courage to do it: to go out on my own, and to trust myself. I would show him.

I turned to knob and stepped out into the cold night air. Mirroring Stefan's actions from earlier, I slammed the front door just hard enough for Damon to hear it. Then I walked into the darkness with a smile.