Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries. This takes place in Season 2, somewhere around the episode Rose.

Something's coming. Something's right behind her. Some shadowy creature that she can't see is chasing her. She knows it. She can feel it. Her heart pounds against her ribcage. She runs as fast as she can. The shadow picks up pace too. She can feel it spreading across the walls. She has never been in this place before, and she really hopes she can find an exit soon. Her breath catches in her throat as she runs, feeling the shadow getting closer and closer to her skin.

And then Bham! All of a sudden, right in front of her is this eye, this eye filled with so much pain that it rips her heart out, this eye with a single teardrop flowing out...

Elena Gilbert shoots up in her bed, hand over her pounding chest, still out of breath. A single teardrop flows out of her eye. Something's ripping her heart out.

Dear Diary. Hi. It's been a long time. With so much happening lately, i just don't feel like writing anymore. Anyways, something weird happened this morning. I woke up from a nightmare. I don't remember what i saw anymore. But since then, i've been feeling like i'm forgetting something. It's stupid right. I mean i can't possibly

"Damon."

Damon lets out a groan at the voice. That's the last person he wants to talk to when he's sitting in front of his fireplace with his bag of blood in hand. He raises his hand to make a half-hearted offering, waits for a while to see if the blood bag is grabbed, puts his hand down and continues drinking when it isn't.

"Damon"

"Stefan", he mimics the irritated exasperated tone. God he's so tired of his little brother sounding like such a parent.

"I know you gave Elena her vervain necklace back." Stefan states calmly.

"You're finding out about this now?" Damon fakes a dramatic gasp, just to piss his brother off a little more, gets up and faces him just to see the frown on his face. "The world moved on to twitter Stefan. You really need to stop living in 1864. If you want i can teach you."

Stefan shakes his head and smiles to himself, brushing the little insult aside. "Elena called just now. She said you paid her a visit."

"I paid Jeremy a visit." Damon defends. "I need him to keep Bonnie from going all Sabrina the teenage witch on me."

Stefan shakes his head, and fixes his brother with a glare. "What are you up to?"

"Ouch. Someone's grumpy today." Damon teases in a sing song voice. "Is it that time of the month again?"

Stefan's eyebrows twitch in irritation. "Seriously Damon. I thought we weren't gonna fight this time."

Damon holds his hands up in the air in a gesture of surrender. "And we won't."

Stefan scoffs in disbelief. "You really want me to believe you're not up to something? I mean, it's Elena."

Damon's eyes flicker with emotion for just a moment, the feelings-revealing mind-erasing memory coming back to him. The reason he made her forget was because he doesn't want to fight- he wants what's best for her, and sadly that's Stefan. And yet, here he is, being accused of trying to steal her. He takes a sip of blood to turn his pain into liquid rage. And then he's right in front of Stefan, foreheads inches away, eyes narrowed threateningly. "Exactly. It's Elena."

Dear Diary. Sorry I trailed off earlier. I ran into Damon. He was here to talk to Jeremy. I don't like Jeremy involved in all of this. And I don't like him talking to Damon, at all, not after Damon almost killed him. I wonder what Damon wanted from him today. He kept avoiding my questions. I can just punch him sometimes when he gets that look in his eye that says... His eye. It was his eye that I saw in my dream last night! I remember! I wonder why. I guess everything is just stressing me out. I wish I could remember more. But I can't. Anyways, I better get to bed now. I'm so tired. P.s. Talked to Stefan today. He sounded surprised when I thanked him for returning my vervain necklace. That's weird. Some things in my life just don't make sense anymore.

Elena Gilbert shot up in her bed, gasping for air, hugging her knees close to her chest. She had the exact dream last night. This was the same place, the same chase, the same fear clogging up her throat.

And then it was the same eye. Damon's eye. So pained, so empty. With a single teardrop flowing out. His eye was staring right into her soul, ruffling something within her.

That's how the restlessness in her began. It was like a headache screeching behind closed eyelids, a voice screaming with the mouth shut. There was no rhyme or rhythm to the anxiety that she was feeling. She just knew that she was forgetting something. Something very important, something life changing even maybe. Something that she needed to remember. It was so damn frustrating!

Elena tosses and turns in her bed for an hour, unable to go back to sleep in spite of being so tired. The sick feeling still doesn't go away, her heart still doesn't settle down. It just doesn't make any sense. Why would she see Damon of all people cry? And why would it make her feel this way?

She glances at the clock and sees it's 3.16 am. Damon is probably sitting on the couch sulking and drinking human blood. Maybe he's out hunting tonight, killing innocent people just because he felt like it. The thought disgusts her. Damon disgusts her. Especially even since he snapped Jeremy's neck. How could he be so cruel and ruthless? He had tried to kill her brother, he had turned her biological mother into a vampire. And yet she couldn't hate him. Yet she cared.

With that thought in mind, Elena sits up in her bed. She has to check up on Damon, she has to make sure he's alright. Or else she knows that her stomach would not stop these somersaults. Calling him up at midnight is not an option though, she knows it'll send Damon the wrong message and make Stefan upset.

Elena sighs. Even when it comes to such simple things, she has to think so much these days. Letting out a yawn, she picks up her cell phone from the bed side table and types the text. "Damon, are you ok?" She pauses for a moment to give it one last thought, before she pushes herself to hit send.

And then it's the terrifying wait. She is more worried than she first realized. It's silly, Damon's probably ok, she has nothing really to worry about. She keeps staring at the screen, waiting for a response, while her ears focus on the sound of the clock ticking. Her stomach is in knots, her mind is replaying flashes from her dream on loop, and her eyes feel heavy, as if she's hypnotized. Just as she's about to drift out to sleep, her phone buzzes, jerking her awake. Her head hits the board behind and she hisses, pouting to herself. Then she's reading the text. "Of course I'm fine, Elena. Why? Are U Ok?"

She sighs in relief, feeling the muscles in her body relax as the tension lifts. "I'm fine. Just had a bad dream. Goodnight Damon." She texts back quickly. She reaches for the glass of water and takes a long gulp, her throat still feeling dry with fear. Her phone buzzes again. "Good to know you dream about me ;) Goodnight Elena."

She makes a face at what he's implying, tempted to reply with a defensive text, but she figures it's useless anyway, it'll just drag the conversation on and make Damon more... Damony. It's better to leave it here and go to bed.

It's crazy that he's breaking into her room at midnight when she's sleeping. If anybody catches him it'll be super awkward. Stefan will probably try to kill him for real, not that he will succeed. And if Elena wakes up? The end.

And yet he's climbing in through the window of her room. Elena never texts him. He has to make sure she's alright.

He breathes out in relief when he finds her in bed, sound asleep, clutching her teddy bear close to her chest. She looks so peaceful, so innocent, and just so beautiful. He can't look away. He just wants to walk up to her and push those locks of hair behind her ears, and run his fingers over her cheeks.

Then his eyes drift to her bed side table, to the photo of her and Stefan. Smiling. It hurts to think that could have been him, that should have been him.

He runs away. He can't stand there and stand it anymore. He can't remember what he made her forget. It hurts so much. Like he's being stabbed in the chest. He has to run away.

Elena wakes up the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed. She didn't have another nightmare, and she's feeling relaxed. This can very well be just a normal day. She surely hopes it is. All the exhausting life threatening drama in her life is starting to choke her.

A week passes by. Nothing significant happens. Stefan looks sad, Jeremy remains curious, Bonnie remains suspicious of vampires, Caroline continues grooming herself, Matt continues to sulk, Tyler continues to remain mad. And Damon? She hasn't seen Damon in so long. It's weird. It's like he's intentionally avoiding her. Why? She wishes she knew.

It's a late Saturday evening. Alaric's taken Jenna out on a date. Jeremy's hanging out with Tyler and Matt somewhere. Elena's alone in the house. Something feels different today, the air feels so still that it's weird. She's scared to realize that the anxiety is coming back. She starts to feel like something very important happened that she forgot. It's crazy and it's driving her insane. She decides to head out to the bar, maybe get some fresh air. It's where she finally runs into Damon.

It's awkward for no reason at all, it's been so long. She hesitates before she decides to join him at the bar. "Hi Damon." She greets softly. This close proximity is making her nervous and anxious again. Damon is right in front of her eyes, yet she's feeling so strange.

"Hi Elena", he greets back in the same tone, without looking at her, and takes a shot.

She winces at the smell of alcohol on his skin. He's drunk again, and she hates it. She hates to think that he may be out tonight, hunting. She wants to scold him real bad and send him home and tell him to sober up and behave. Instead, she takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly to destress. "So... What have you been up to lately?"

"Funny" , Damon chuckles between shots, "that's the same thing my pesky litte brother and your pesky little best friend keep asking me as well."

She can see anger flashing in his eyes, and it oddly makes her feel uneasy. "I didn't mean it like that, Damon." She says in an apologetic tone, unsure what exactly it is that she's sorry about. "I just haven't seen you around lately."

"I've been busy", he almost snaps, chugging down another shot. His head is starting to spin a bit now, but he doesn't think he can stop. He turns to face her, and shoots her a dirty smirk. "Why? You miss me?"

She rolls her eyes and ignores his rhetorical question. Some things are best left unsaid. "I can drive you home."

He snorts. "I'm faster than your car."

"You're drunk." She points out.

He chuckles. "They don't arrest a vampire for drunk running, Elena."

She frowns, realizing this conversation has hit a dead end, and decides to take a more direct approach now. "I don't know why you're upset, but you know you can tell me."

He continues with the shots, pretending like he didn't even hear her.

"You know Damon, you didn't have to lock Katherine in the tomb."

He pauses, eyes fixed on a glare on his glass. "You think this is about Katherine?"

She is taken aback for a moment. His eyes scream with rage and his voice is steeped with pain. He's hurting inside, she can see it written on his face. "Damon", she pleads softly. "You know you can tell me."

She stares at him, watches him tense, tighten his grip on the glass, and take shots again and again. His eyes seem glazed over, like he's in some other world. She knows he's thinking about something painful. She feels this overwhelming urge to reach out and hug him. It hurts to just watch him being so miserable.

Suddenly, he slams his glass down on the table, and stands up. His head spins and he loses his balance, causing Elena to reach out and touch his arm, but he quickly brushes her hands away. "Goodnight Elena." He smiles a sad kind of smile that breaks her heart, and walks away before she can say anything else.

She silently watches him walk away, confused about what just happened.

Dear Diary. Damon's acting weird. I'm scared that he may do something stupid. I'm worried about him. I know I should hate him, but how can I, when he's the one who takes bullets meant for me?

That night, it's the same old dream again. Same chase, and same eye. But this time, she can clearly see Damon's lips moving. Her heart pounds in her chest even in her sleep. He is saying something, she knows he's telling her something very important. And yet she can't hear a sound, she can't comprehend what's being said. It's so frustrating. When she wakes up with a start, she has to punch her pillow. What is happening to her? And why is this happening?

It's early morning, and she's standing in front of her mirror, watching herself, her fingers playing with her vervain necklace. He thinks about her dream and tries to make sense of it. It feels like that actually happened, like Damon had actually told her something important, like she had actually watched a teardrop roll down his cheek. But that's impossible. If this had really happened, she had to remember, right? Unless...

It all fits together like a puzzle. Damon must have returned her the necklace. And he must have said something before he did, and made her forget it. But that just didn't make any sense. Why would he tell her something only to make her forget? What would he tell her only to make her forget?

Elena shook her head. That's just crazy. She must be imagining things and making too much of a simple dream. Yeah, that must be how it is.

This headache feels like someone is banging her head with a hammer. She even let Jeremy drive them to school today. She's not feeling so well. The anxiety is choking her up again.

As she's walking towards school, someone brushes shoulder with her. "Sorry", she mumbles absent-mindedly, lost in her confused thoughts. When she turns around for a second, she notices it's Damon, standing there, staring at her with a look of amusement.

She tilts her head to a side and sighs. "What, Damon?"

He grins, instead of answering her question. It makes her feel more irritated. She turns around and starts to walk again, but he rushes in front of her and blocks her way.

Her eyes subconsciously drift to her surroundings to see who's watching. "What is it, Damon?" She hisses this time, tapping her fingers on her backpack. "I'm getting late for class."

He takes a step forward, now inches away from her, and stares right into her eyes. She watches as the look in his eyes changes from amusing to confused to threatened to pained to defeat. She can see so many emotions in them that she normally doesn't see, it's scary. "Damon." She whispers, looking at him earnestly. Something just isn't right, she knows it. There's a missing piece in this puzzle.

Damon opens his mouth like he's about to say something, but only takes in a mouthful of air and closes it again. "Have a nice day, Elena." He mumbles and runs away, leaving her even more confused than she was before.

It all happens fast. Way too fast for her to cope up with. She's found out about her fate from Katherine. She's found out that she's the reason everyone she loves is in danger. It's all too much for her to bear. She just wants to rush up to her room, curl up in her bed, and cry.

Of course when she gets there, Damon's sitting there on her window. She just shut Stefan out, and now here's Damon. "Please, just leave me alone." She whispers in a barely audible voice, sitting down on her bed tiredly. She watches Damon watch her silently for a moment. The silent is oddly comforting, she doesn't want to break it.

Damon does though. He sits down on the bed beside her, but keeps his distance. He tries to brush her hair back, but she resists, and he doesn't push. Instead, he nods his understanding, and stares deeply into her eyes.

She knows it's working, knows it's melting her and making her want to talk. She tries again. "Please go, Damon. I don't want to deal with you right now."

He keeps quiet, holding his breath, waiting for the right moment.

It's scary how easily he breaks her. "She's right, you know." Her tear stained eyes glance at him for a second, before they drift to her floor and remain fixed there.

He stares at her with a look of intensity on his face. "Don't let Katherine get to you Elena. Please."

She scoffs, hugging her knees to her chest and now openly crying.

He wants nothing more than to kiss her pain away. It hurts so bad that he can't. "I can put you to sleep if you want." He whispers softly, tentatively inching closer to her.

She shakes her head. "How can I sleep knowing everyone's in danger because of me?"

He shrugs, watching her closely. "Just like how we sleep knowing youare in danger?"

She pauses to think, and finally makes up her mind. For once she'll take the easy way out. Tonight she can get a good night's sleep, so that tomorrow she can figure out a way to save everyone. She takes off her vervain necklace and looks straight at Damon. "Do it." She demands with determination.

He nods, and stares deeply into her eyes, slowly hypnotizing her. "Elena, you will relax now, go to bed and fall asleep without any worries."

"OK." She responds, before he breaks the trance. He watches as she goes to the bathroom, changes into her PJs and lies down on her bed. It only takes a few seconds before she's asleep. He watches her for a while. His blood boils at the knowledge that she is in danger. He will just rip out the hearts of everybody who'd even touch a hair on her body. He won't let anything happen to her. He nods his resolution to himself, pulls up the covers, turns off the light, and sits down on the window. He's going to watch over her all night and make sure she's safe.

Elena wakes up in the morning feeling refreshed. Her eyes take a while to adjust to the light, and she wonders how she got into her bed. She looks around, and sees Damon sitting there on the window. She sits up with a start, suddenly alert and noticing her necklace missing, and glaring at him with questions in her eyes and a look of disgust on her face.

It stings to know that she thinks he'd sink to that level. Then again, he hasn't exactly been the best man around. Flicking his emotions off, he quickly holds up his hands in defense. "I was just making sure you sleep ok." He walks up to her, holds up her necklace in his hand, and as he sees the look in her eyes change, places is around her neck. And then he's gone before she can apologize or thank him.

She places her hand on her head, frustrated, feeling bad. Then it all comes to her, slowly, like a movie scene watched a long time back, or a memory from another lifetime. She can clearly see Damon compelling her. She can see his eyes well up with tears, and a teardrop flowing out, his lips moving without making a sound.

Her heart jumps up to her throat on her realization that she was correct, he did make her forget something he told her. What and why? She could very well make her guesses. She could think of a thousand things he'd say and take back, some more probable than the others. She didn't know the exact facts though. This uncertainty was killing her. But she decided not to push. After all, some things are best left unsaid.

~ The end

A/N: I hope you liked it. Please review and let me know what you think. Thank you for taking your time to read :)

A very special thanks to Twilight Yuna for the idea of this fic :)