Gasping Elena pushed herself up into a sitting position as panic spread through her, strangely warming her up as she looked around to find herself in a morgue. Her throat was sore and she found it impossible to swallow before the rest of her body caught up with her, her mind working too fast he suddenly realised.
Water forced its way out of her mouth causing her to lean over the side of the slab she was now sat on. Never ending it felt like as it poured from her mouth, her body not being able to keep up as her mind struggled as they pain took over her whole body. She would have sobbed if she could, before someone was there, pushing her back onto the slab.
Blinking up in confusion she looked to the blurry figure she recognised too well considering who he was before darkness over stood her. This time her mind wasn't just full of darkness but dreams of a certain blue eyed man.
Opening her eyes slowly, Elena frowned in confusion as she realised she was led on a bed. Sitting up slowly she came to the conclusion it was her bed. Looking down she realised she was in dry clothes, maybe she was still dreaming.
"Elena" a voice the usual filled her with warm suddenly sounded so cold caused her to shiver before she looked up to the worried Stefan.
"How did you?" she started to ask but was cut off by another cold voice only this one did fill her with warm, it was usual for him to sound so cold and she grow to love it not that she would ever tell him that.
"Safe you, he didn't" Damon said dryly and worry started to make its way into her heart, she tried to push it away as she turned to Damon, maybe he saved her before she shook her head he was far away.
"How am I?" she started again and he cut her off in the same tone causing the worry to completely consume her as she looked to Stefan waiting for him to tell her everything was ok, waiting for him to explain.
"Alive, you're not" Damon said and her head snapped to him, begging him not to continue, her brain had worked it out so fast she hadn't even realised but she refused to believe it, she refused to even consider it because it was impossible.
"Elena" Stefan said after sending a warning glare to Damon who rolled his eyes, they both knew it was empty but for once, his brother listened. "I saved Matt, he's fine" Stefan said and relief flooded Elena who was confused with her emotions being all over the place but she let this happiness consume her. "But I couldn't save you Elena, I'm so sorry but it turned out when you went to the hospital things were worse than we thought and Meredith gave you some of Damon's blood to heal you" Stefan said and Elena shook her head the longer he talked, this all wasn't real she just never it.
"No" Elena said as she climbed out of bed and began to pace as she thought things over in her head. "No I can't be" Elena said as she looked to Stefan so lost, hoping he would tell her he would fix this. Stefan looked back and slowly gave her a reassuring smile.
"I've talk to Bonnie, we'll find a way to fix this" Stefan said and Elena relaxed a little as she nodded, feeling like she could breathe again.
"You feed and turn or die, there's no door number three" Damon said thickly, reminding the two he was there but the sudden truth caused Elena's chest to tighten as she walked over to the bed and sat now. She felt weighted down and suddenly light headed.
"We'll work something out" Stefan said turning to Damon and sending him death glared but Damon just concentrated on Elena before snapping his eyes to Stefan.
"You should go bother, we all know the truth, maybe it's really time to end things between us, once and for all" Damon spat out bitterly confusion Stefan but he nodded, non the less before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
"Damon" Elena said with confusion as her heart felt someone was holding it, squeezing it and was about to rip it clean out of her chest. "What are you talking about?" Elena asked in a panicked voice and Damon chuckled as he led down on his side of the bed. Elena blushed as she thought about that before lying down next to him and playing her head on his chest.
"I'll play your game one last time Elena, before this is over and done with, you decide how and what you need to do to end this once and for all, I'll be waiting" Damon said softly and Elena hid more into his chest before he started speaking again. "You don't want to be a vampire, I get it Elena and I know if you have a choice, you'll choice door number two and I won't be here to see that, to see my brother fall apart and watch you die not because it will destroy me because that will happen anyway but because it's your choice and I don't trust myself to let you make it" Damon said as he ran his fingers through her hair, ignoring the tears he felt soaking his shirt. "I love you Elena but you made your decision and I no longer have a reason to be here" Damon said causing Elena to tighten her grip on his shirt.
"You promised not to leave me" Elena whispered out as a weak reason for him to stay she knew she shouldn't be selfish but she couldn't help herself around him.
"And I'm breaking that promise today" Damon said before he stood up and started to walk towards the door painfully slowly.
"No Damon please, I'll do anything, I need you" Elena said and Damon sighed as he reached the door before turning back to her and walking over to her. Elena gasped in surprise as Damon slammed his lips into hers but pulled him closer.
Stefan growled from the kitchen and it took everything in him not to run upstairs and beat the shit out of his brother the second he heard the kiss, her moan but his words continued to play in his head and he stopped himself.
"It's too late for that Elena, you choose my brother, his yours because I can't do this not anymore, have a happy last day at life Elena because at the end of it when Stefan has failed you once again you're going to have to make a decision and both led to you dying only one leads to you starting a new life and if you really do love Stefan you would have made the decision to turn a long time ago or at the very least broken up with him, what did you think would happen in the end?" Damon asked silencing Elena.
"He would have been with me until I died, I don't want to be a vampire Damon, I want children and to live a long happy life" Elena said with tears running down her face.
"And you would have never had that with Stefan anyway so why are you still dreaming Elena, it's time to wake up and grow up because choosing Stefan has led you down this past like it always would have done because we both know that you dying will destroy him, so all I'm asking as his big brother one last time before I never see him again is to not to destroy him, you could have broken his heart twenty times over as a human and I would have forgiven you in a heartbeat but don't destroy him because you can't be selfish for him" Damon snapped never moving away as he kept his hands on her face as she gripped his shirt.
"Don't leave like this Damon, at least say goodbye" Elena said and Damon closed his eyes.
"Goodbye Elena, make my brother happy" Damon said to have Elena slap him across the face and Damon snapped his head back to her in confusion.
"Not like that, say goodbye like my lover" Elena whispered and Damon sighed as he whipped her tears away slowly, watching his thumb stroke her cheeks before looking into her eyes.
"Elena you are the most beautiful and strongest woman I have ever met, inside and out and I really wish things could have ended better for us, that we could really be friends after this but we both know that's something we never were, no matter how long you told yourself no matter how loud you shouted it at the world, lovers are what we have always been and nothing more" Damon said before kissing her and she kissed him back. "I want you to die happy Elena so do whatever you have to do to die happy be selfish for me because I know if you can for anyone it will be me, you do without thinking but there is one selfish little thing we both know I have to ask of you" Damon said as he stroked her cheek. "Don't forget me, no matter what because forgetting me means forgetting everything that got us to this stage and got you to Stefan because he is the person you love you just don't understand exactly how to be in love with someone because you're so young but all I can say is do what we do so effortlessly, do what it takes to keep him safe even if it's not what's right or what will make him happy and hope he does the same in return, god I hope he treats you right" Damon whispered out at the end before kissing her and she lost herself in the kiss.
"Damon you are the strongest person is this world and the next, don't forget that and don't give up because that isn't you and it never will be. You change me in ways I change you, I make you good and you make me bad and it's why we can't work because I would never forgive myself not now as a vampire and all the things you could easily make me do without realising it" Elena said before running her hands through his hair. "We're too similar to work but at the same time too different to not work at all and you're right you will always be a lover in my heart but nothing more because I can't let you be anything more, I will do my best to die happy but you have to do one selfless thing for me, you do without thinking but there is one selfless little thing we both know I have to ask of you" Elena said with a sad smile on her face. "Forget me, no matter what because forgetting me means you can move on find someone else to love and have for the rest of eternity because you need someone in your life Damon to fall in love with you, god I hope she can treat you right" Elena whispered out at the end before kissing him and they both lost themselves in the kiss.
"Goodbye, Damon/Elena" both said at the same time before Damon disappeared like a ghost, like he was never really there to begin with and Elena started to panic as tears ran down her face. Was she crazy? Did he exist? It confused her to no end that she suddenly couldn't understand, it should never be this hard to remember him.
"Elena" Stefan said walking in but she moved away from him as she looked back, everything about Stefan made her want to forget about Damon but she shook her head she wouldn't.
"I can't Stefan, Damon's right there's no door number three" Elena said and relief showed on Stefan's face as Elena stood up and kissed him quickly. "Goodbye Stefan, I'm breaking up with you because I can't deal with this now, nor never, don't let me destroy you don't let me drag you to the other side with me just think of me with a smile no matter how hard, think of the good times and the bad we got through because I really do love you" Elena said before she walked past him and out the door.
Elena took a deep breath in as night feel as she walked along the bridge, feeling weak but ignoring it as she felt the breeze in the air, allowing it to run through her fingers. As she came to stand in the middle she smiled as she remembers everything in her human life, the good and bad with a happy smile on her face.
"You sure you want to do this?" Damon asked appearing at her side and Elena smiled up at him and nodded her head slowly before she head Bonnie's father running towards her and Elena frowned in confusion as she turned back to him.
"Elena stop, this dream your living in, this endless dream about all your dead friends and family being vampires, witches and werewolves needs to end but not in this way Elena, you haven't turned into a vampire and you still have your whole life ahead of you and you know now, I let you carry out your little dream with everyone in town called you crazy for talking to yourself but this ends now" Rudy said and Elena turned back to see the first bit of sun.
"We'll he seems like a drag no wonder you allowed yourself to fall into such an extreme day dream about two hot Italian guys who died over one hundred years ago" Damon said with a low chuckle and Elena smiled lightly.
"It's ok Rudy, this is what I want, this is the answer to all my questions to all my dreams" Elena said as she climbed over the railing.
"Elena, I'm so sorry this happened to you, I always saw that being the out sider, the child who was pushed aside, picked on for not having a family, for having no friends was eating away at you but never this much" Rudy said as the first bit of sun could be seen and Elena turned to take Damon's hands as he started to burn.
She watched the sun set his heart on fire, his screams echoed in her ears until he died and she fell into the water below, drifting into a sleep holdings Damon's hands as her eyes slipped closed as she died peacefully.