Damon walked towards the boarding house with a certain excitement to see Elena. Her presence always made him feel as if everything was okay, as if all of the problems constantly surrounded them had been lifted away. And after yesterday's failure, which was still looming overhead, that was just what Damon needed.

He walked through the front door expecting to see Elena lounging by the decadent fire place, but the house was empty. Elena's car had been out front and the car keys were sitting on a table in the entryway, but she was nowhere in sight. Anxious, Damon blurred outside to check the house's surroundings. There was no sign of Elena anywhere. Worry started to sweep over Damon. Elena really wanted to figure out a way to save Stefan. It wasn't like her to just up and leave without a word, especially when something as important as her precious Stefan's humanity was the topic.

Elena walked through the front door of the boarding house in a haze. She couldn't remember exactly why she had come here, but she had this nagging urge that she had to. As she walked inside, she immediately saw a frantic Damon turned away from her and cursing at someone on his cell phone. He was being downright cruel to whoever was on the other end, and Elena doubted that this person deserved such treatment. "Damon, stop it!" Elena yelled, over Damon's very loud insult.

Damon turned, his eyes wide, and whispered, "Elena?" as if he didn't quite believe she was really standing there. There was a looked of pure joy in his doe eyes. But just as fast as the joy came, a look of rage replaced it, and Damon, using his vampire speed, slammed Elena against the wall. He held her by her throat and Elena thought he looked like a wild animal.

"You have three seconds to tell me why I shouldn't kill you Katherine!" Damon spat venomously.

Despite her throat being almost completely closed off by Damon's hand, Elena managed to choke out, "Damon, you're hurting me," before raising her wrist to show it was empty of Katherine's trademark daylight bracelet.

Damon looked at her, puzzeled, and then dropped her from his grasp. He reached for her face and held it in his hands gently. "Where have you been Elena?" he whispered.

"What do you mean where have I been? I just came from home."

Damon's face looked pained. He started to say something, then stopped. They just stod there quietly for a moment, staring at each other. Elena didn't understand why Damon looked so concerned. She knew that things were bad, but they were always this bad and he never seemed so worried over nothing. And why had he thought she was Katherine? Katherine was gone.

"Elena I need you to come sit down," Damon asked very softly.

"Why, what's going on? Why did you think I was Katherine? Did she come back?"

"I need you to sit down."

Frustrated, Elena walked into the parlor and took a seat on one of the ancient looking chairs. Damon sat on the couch next to it and stared at Elena for a moment.

"Elena you've been missing for three days."

"Elena what is the last thing you remember?" Damon asked patiently.

"I remember the fire and coming here. Then I went home and went to sleep," Elena stated confidently.

"And after that?"

"I can't- I can't remember" Elena muttered. "I just knew I had to come here. I don't remember why though. Damon why can't I remember?" Elena asked in denial of what she knew deep down was the truth.

"You've been compelled to forget."

Damon expected the look of pure and unfiltered fear that consumed Elena's eyes when he told her the obvious truth. He knew how much it terrified her, the thought of someone else controlling her every action. However, Damon did not expect Elena to be in such denial.

"I ingest vervain, Damon. I can't be compelled."

But Damon knew she had been. He had seen it a thousand times. God, he wished she wasn't compelled, but she was. And the sooner Elena accepted that, the sooner they could figure out what happened and Damon could kill the son of a bitch who thought he could lay a finger on Elena and get away with it.

"Elena, you have been gone for days. The vervain would be out of your system by now."

"I can't be compelled," Elena whispered, almost to herself.

"We have to know for sure," Elena stated matter-of-factly. "Compel me to go get you a glass of whiskey. Maybe the vervain is still in my system."

Damon knew how completely afraid Elena was of compulsion, how much she loathed even the idea of it. If circumstances were better, this request might give him slight joy, it told him that she trusted him that deeply. But circumstances weren't different. And Damon didn't want to violate Elena. But he had to. So he looked her in the eyes and ordered, "Go and get me a drink. Whiskey."

And just as he expected, Elena walked across the room, prepared his drink, and returned, handing Damon the whiskey. Instantly, Elena realized what she had just done, and a tear slid down her cheek. Damon stood and grabbed her gently by the shoulders. "You'll be okay, Elena. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Nothing is okay. Who knows what else I have been compelled to do. I could hurt someone Damon. I could hurt Jeremy, or Bonnie, or even you."

Damon snickered at the idea of Elena hurting him. "Damon, I can't hurt anyone. I – I just can't," Elena whispered. "If we could just eliminate the risk..." She was beginning to reach hysterics. "I'm not going to let anyone else get hurt."

"No one is going to get hurt."

"How can you be sure? I'm not willing to risk it. If it comes down to me or the ones I love, I will always chose them."

"Elena, calm down. Just take a breath-"

"Just make it fast okay?" Elena begged.

"What are you tal-" Damon suddenly understood what Elena meant. "I am not going to kill you!"

"I understand if you can't. I'll just have to…" Elena started to mumble something and ran a hand through her hair nervously.

"Elena stop. Look at me," Damon begged, grabbing Elena again, " You will be fine. Just take a hot bath and get some sleep and tomorrow we will figure out what to do. Okay?"

Elena nodded, with wide eyes. She was so scared of what was to come, but she would do as Damon asked. For now.

"I think I'm just going to go to bed. Will you watch over me? I don't want any 'accidents' happening." Elena thought of the night Aunt Jenna stabbed herself while under Katherine's compulsion. She needed to be careful.

"Of course. I'll take the chair," Damon said, and sat in the ancient looking leather chair that sat to the right of his bed. Elena climbed into Damon's huge four poster bed and pulled the thick covers up past her shoulders. She shivered. It felt odd lying in Damon's bed, but he had insisted, and honestly Elena didn't think she could step foot into Stefan's room, let alone sleep in his bed. It was a kind gesture of Damon to insist she slept in his bed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep in Stefan's. The kind of gesture Elena knew Damon saved for only her. She wished he would let others see this side of him. There was so much good in Damon, but he almost never let anyone see it. And when he did, it was because of Elena.

"I know I'm gorgeous, but there is no need to stare. You'll see me in the morning," Damon teased, though his voice lacked its usual flare. Elena hadn't realized she was looking at Damon, but she was. And he looked tired; exhausted, really. His face was pale white and looked older than normal, and his beautiful eyes were held up by bags.

"Damon when was the last time you slept?" Elena asked firmly.

"Oh don't worry about me. Vampire, remember?"

"You still need sleep. How long has it been Damon?" Elean asked worriedly

"I haven't slept since you went missing."

Elena knew he had tried everything to find her. He hadn't told her that, but she knew. He had probably spent hours upon hours looking for her. She wished she could thank him for it all, really thank him, but "Thank you for not giving up," was all she could manage.

"I failed Elena. I promised I would always be there and I wasn't," Damon said mournfully.

Elena got out of Damon's gigantic bed and walked to the chair which Damon was sitting in. She gently placed her hands on his face and whispered, "It's okay, Damon. I'm okay."

Damon tilted his head to the left and let out a breath. "Get some sleep, Elena.