Both Damon and Elena stood at opposite ends of her room, a faint air of animosity between them, the very air crackling with unspoken words and accusations. Elena's arms remained stubbornly folded across her chest, her chin raised in defiance. She was mad, that much was obvious Damon thought as he sneaked a look at her. His success at thwarting her twice that day was most probably the source of her frustration, but she wasn't the only one with an axe to grind. Gritting his teeth he turned to face her with steely-eyed determination.
"What the hell were you thinking? Running off like a lamb to slaughter..." he demanded, his voice harsher than he had wanted.
"What was I thinking? What about you? Jeremy, Bonnie... Stefan?" Elena eyed the vampire in front of her fiercely. They were all so willing to sacrifice themselves for her, always her. "So what because Bonnie's a witch, Jeremy's got that goddamn ring and you're one half of the big and bad Salvatore Brothers means that its ok? It means I just forfeit whatever rights I had to decide about my future, my friends, my family?"
Damon let out a frustrated yell bordering on growl as he turned away. Running his hands through his hair he faced Elena once more, refuelled.
"Dammit Elena. Because I can take it, because I deserve to have the crap kicked out of me... Because I've lived for God knows how many years and Elena you've only just started. That's the difference." Damon's eyes narrowed, they were alight with a mixture of anger, sadness and an overwhelming sense of guilt.
"Difference? It doesn't make any difference. My boyfriend... ex boyfriend..." Elena frowned, trying to shake her confusion; "vampire or not Stefan is stuck in a tomb with Katherine because of me."
Elena inhaled sharply as she screwed her eyes shut, stifling a sob as the tears she was close to shedding threatened to overwhelm her. Sitting down heavily on her bed, pulling her legs up to her chest she glared at the opposite wall, willing herself not to cry. Damon stared down at her, his anger evaporating in the face of her abject misery; he wanted to reach out to her, to hold her, to tell her that it would be ok, to make everything ok. Crouching down Damon's hand reached out placing a gentle weight on Elena's knee, the young girl shifted at his touch, raising her gaze their eyes met.
"Elena," Damon started, his voice cracking ever so slightly, "I will find a way of getting him out."
"But Bonnie cant," Elena began as the first salty tears started their journeying down her cheeks, "she'll kill herself trying, you can't even let her try... there's no way the seal can be broken."
"Elena," Damon said once more, his voice firm. She just about managed to look at him as racking sobs shook her body, consuming her. Within an instant the vampire had pulled her down to the floor cradling her gently, a hand moving to her head as she in turn clung to him. "Elena I will bring him back to you, I promise you I will bring him back." Damon whispered fiercely, his heart almost breaking as her breathing steadied, her clutch on his arms relaxing. And there it was, the harsh reality that seemed to endlessly stalk him. She didn't really need him, what she needed was Stefan. They always needed Stefan.
A/N: First time I've written for The Vampire Diaries so please dont bite my head off. Hopefully I got the characterization right and let me know what you think. Hope you liked it!