I walked into the Salvatore boardinghouse, putting my hair in a high pony tail.

"Mornin'" I hear and turn around to see Damon completely naked, dripping with bath bubbles.

"Oh!" I gasp and turn around. "You heard me. You knew that I was here."

"You know," Damon continues. "You should really learn to knock. What if I was...indecent?"

I can hear the smirk in his voice. With my eyes closed, I throw him a red blanket that was folded across one of the couches in the front parlour.

"Sheriff Forbes gave us another location to check." I continue pulling a piece of paper out of my pocket to give to him. "Memphis."

"Another dead end?"

"You don't know that."

"You're right, Elena. This could be the one. After almost two months this could be the clue that tells that Stefan is alive & well, and living in graceland."

"Fine," I resolve snatching the paper from his hands. "I'll go by myself."

Damon zips in front and grabs it back. "And let Klaus know that you're tracking him. He thinks that you're dead. Let's keep it that way."

"Its a new lead, Damon. We haven't had one in a while."

"Okay," Damon says, surrendering. "I'll check it out. If I find anything, I'll call you."

"But-"

It was no use. Damon was already up the stairs.

I had to admit, Damon wasn't all that terrible to me over these past few months. I personally, have been a wreck. I kissed Damon as he lay in his deathbed, then he didn't die and Stefan sold himself to Klaus in order to save him...

"You would've liked me in 1864," Damon said weakly, eyes barely open.

"I like you now." I whispered back.

"I know you love Stefan, and its always gonna be Stefan. But I love you, Elena. I just want you to know that."

"I do." Tears were falling as I placed a small kiss on his lips.

"Thank you," Damon whispered with a smile on his face, eyes closed. He looked content. I was happy to know that he would die peacefully, knowing that I did care about him, loved him in my own way.

But then it didn't happen like that at all.

Katherine came in, fed Damon Klaus's blood, told us that Stefan was off with Klaus paying for it, and right before she left she gave me these words: "Its okay to love them both... I did."

I remember feeling shocked, confused, heartbroken, so many things. I remember Damon slowly sitting up, as I sank down into a chair.

Stefan had sacrificed so much for his brother and in a way I felt that I had betrayed him by kissing Damon. So I had to do everything in my power to get him back.

The sound of my cell phone ringing brings me from my thoughts. "Hey Caroline,"

"Elena! Great! So meet at the boardinghouse tonight at 7, for your party!"

"Yeah the one I didn't want to have."

"Oh stop, you'll have fun."

"I hope so," I sigh. "Just keep it small."

"See ya later!" -click-

I sigh putting my phone back in my pocket. I see Andiewalking down the stairs on her way to go to work. Did she give me a look of pity? Does she know something about Stefan that Damon isn't telling me?

"You're going to be late to school, Elena." Damon says as he comes up behind me, fully dressed (thankfully), and begins pushing me out the door.

"Damon!" I complain.

"See you at Blondie's party. Happy birthday." And with a wink and a smirk the front door is in my face.

I used to love birthdays. I used to love a lot more things before my parents died, before I got a vampire boyfriend, before he left... I should be spending the day with Stefan. Not spending every waking moment, anxious as to whether or not he is alive.

School was, well, school. People wished me happy birthday in the hallways. I faked a cheery, "Thank you!" Before I knew it, I staring at myself wearing a dress Caroline picked out for me in Stefan's mirror.

"Don't worry I'm not gonna lose it," I say turning to Damon who is standing in Stefan's doorway. "At least not before the cake."

"Its your party you can cry if you want to." Damon gives me a smile and I can't help but to return it.

"Ah Stefan," Damon continues walking into the room. "Such a pack rat." He picks up a framed picture of the two of us for a moment, looking at it.

"I got you something." he says putting the frame down.

I go to protest but he cuts me off, "I know I promised not to buy you anything so don't worry, I didn't pay for it."

"You stole it?"

"No," he says opening a small box. "Found it."

Looking into the box, tears fill my eyes. "My necklace! I - I thought I'd never see it again."

"Alaric found it in his loft, I figured you'd be happy to get it back."

I try to dry the tears before the fall and give Damon a smile. "I am happy. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Uhm, can you..?" I ask holding the necklace in front of me.

"Oh, absolutely." Damon stumbles putting the box back in his pocket.

I turn around and watch as Damon puts the necklace on me, tears gathering in my eyes once again. Damon gives me a sad smile, before offering his arm. "Shall we?"

I nod taking it and Damon escorts me down into whatever Caroline has planned.

I can hear the noise before I see the chaos, and I grip Damon's arm a little tighter. As I walk past, people shout, "Happy birthday!"s to me. Once we hit one of the main rooms I see crowds of people, kegs and keg standers galore. My mouth drops. "I can't
/do this," I go to whisper to Damon but I see him compelling a girl to let go of one of his nicer bottles of Bourbon.

"You like?!" Caroline bounds but looking at my face she says, "Don't answer that."

"This is keeping it small?" Caroline gives me a smile.

"What are we drinking?" I submit, rolling my eyes walking off into the crowd with Caroline.

"I regret everything." I say as I relch once more into Damon's toilet.

"Its okay, Elena." Caroline replies, holding my hair and rubbing my back.

"No," The emotion that I have tried to hold in all day, hell all summer, comes flooding up and I burst into tears. "I miss him."

Caroline brings me into a hug. "I know you do."

"How much has she had?" Damon says barging into his room with an apologetic Bonnie behind him.

"I tried to tell him that nothing was going on but he wouldn't stay out." Bonnie pleads.

"Its okay, Bonnie." Caroline says. "Can you go get some towels, and water?" Bonnie nods and runs back downstairs.

"Leave me alone, Damo-" I begin but push myself away to vomit once more into the toilet, Caroline close behind to take care of me.

I sit myself down against the wall, wiping away at my lips loosely with a napkin. My whole body is loose. Damon goes to say something but Caroline shushes him. He leans against the doorway to the bathroom.

Bonnie comes up the stairs with everything Caroline had requested. "Hey Care, Tyler is looking for you. He said that some kids were trying to get into the wine cellar or something."

Damon juts upward with a look to kill. "I will handle it, Damon. Stay with Elena." Caroline gives me a quick hug, "Damon will take care of you." But I don't miss the warning glare she gives him as she leaves the room, towing Bonnie behind her. I laugh
/to myself.

"What's so funny, huh?" he asks crouching down to sit in front of me.

"You're afraid of her," I slur. "Of Caroline."

"Am not." he smirks.

"You so are.." I begin but trail off as I feel another round of contents wanting to push out of me. I lean over the toilet bowel, gagging as Damon takes up Caroline's role of protecting my hair and rubbing my back. "I'm sorry I'm ruining your toilet."

"As you long as you don't miss, you won't get in trouble." Damon says quietly with a joking smile.

"Okay," I whisper, looking up at him. I relch once more into the toilet before sitting up. "I think I'm done. I wanna brush my teeth."

Damon nods and grabs me a spare tooth brush, placing it on the counter before lifting me up under my arms. I lean against him as I slush the toothbrush around, and splash some cold water onto my face. I sigh, still feeling hot tears gathering behind my
/eyes.

"Do you want me to bring you to Stefan's room?"

Stefan's name is all it takes for the tears to spill. I lean myself over the sink, clenching hard onto the porcelain in every effort to hide my tears from Damon. But he's a vampire and I'm too drunk to be sly. He lifts me up in his arms and places me
/on his own bed, wrapping a blanket around me before taking me into his arms. "I know you miss him, Elena. I know."

"I found the newspapers," I slur through my tears. "Why didn't you tell me you were tracking him?"

And then I cried myself to sleep there in Damon's arms.