Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any of the characters. I do however own the new characters introduced.
Stefan stood on a hill in the woods behind the Gilbert house, focusing to hear what he could not yet see.
"How's my favorite Grandma doing today?" He heard Damon ask in a joking manner.
"No better than yesterday." Elena replied, the self-deprecation in her voice evident.
"Oh don't pout, you don't look a day over 65."
"Haha Damon, you're so funny. Just remember: I may look older than you, but you will always, always be older than me."
Stefan could picture in his mind the smirk on his brother's face, a special one always saved for Elena, betraying that he secretly loved her biting, sarcastic comments crafted only for his brother.
He strode slowly through the woods, coming closer to the house, listening for anyone else that may be there. He could see Elena's window now, the same room she'd been in all her life, and caught a glimpse of Damon sitting next to her bed.
"Caroline says you're rejecting her blood. Why?"
Stefan froze at the statement, and forced himself to climb into a tree to see better.
"Damon, no amount of vampire blood is going to cure what's wrong with me. The cancer was too far gone by the time I found out, earlier maybe, it would've done something ..."
Stefan could see through the window that Damon had laid down next to Elena, who's gray hair, still thick and beautiful, was splayed across the pillow. He watched as Damon drew Elena to him, fingers in her hair, hand on the back of her head, and for the first time, in what seemed like a century, Stefan actually felt something. Pain.
It hit him out of nowhere, a searing torch through his chest, and he gripped the branch next to him tightly, as his humanity came roaring back to life inside his body. But the agony he felt wasn't for himself. It was for Elena. And for Damon.
Stefan found himself outside the Gilbert house one rainy evening, two years after he had disappeared. Caroline, always a good friend to him, had kept him updated on the comings and goings on Mystic Falls, but he hadn't the strength to return until now.
He looked into the kitchen window, squinting around raindrops, watching Elena and Damon make dinner together. He was chopping and she was stirring something on the stove, most likely Damon's famous tomato sauce, and they were laughing. Damon came up behind Elena, dropping basil into the pot, and put his arms around her, burying his head into her hair. Elena leaned back and closed her eyes.
For a moment, Stefan had a heart pounding feeling that Damon had bitten her, but the look on her face was joy, not pain or shock. Damon turned Elena around towards him, placing a hand on her cheek, and kissed her.
It was then Stefan knew that Damon loved Elena more than he ever could. Because when and if the time came that Elena wanted a wedding, children, a normal human life, Damon's love for her would let him let her go.
Caroline had left that out.
Author's Note: I may expand this to be full length - reviews are always appreciated for encouragement.
Story and Chapter Title from Martin Larsen's "I Can't Love You Anymore"