Disclaimer: Vampire Diaries and everything you recognize belongs to CW and Julie Plec.

AN: This is a short story about a love letter that Elena finds, It has som influences from the books but also from the show. I hope you enjoy and please review.

If you are afan of TVD you can follow me on Twitter and/or Tumblr my nick is missvampdies.

Thank you for reading!


Love Letter

I walked into the house that was starting to feel like my home. There he was: he was standing tall and he was so handsome! It surprised me every time I caught myself glancing over at him. I loved him so much.

"Hi," he said, and just like that, my heart was sent into this crazy fluttering that just didn't stop. Every time I saw him, every time I touched him, it took minutes for my thumping heartbeat to calm down again. It must have sounded so loud to him, but I guessed that's how he knew what was in my heart, which was only love, for him, for my sweet, adorable and sexy as hell boyfriend, Stefan Salvatore.

"Hi, Stefan" I smiled. As I ran up to him, he opened his arms to welcome me and I kissed him like I would never be getting this chance again.

"I missed you," he said in the most playful way one could imagine and I started pulling on his hand to guide him upstairs.

There, in the silence of his room, I undressed him, touching his well-formed body and pushing mine on top of it. His hands were careful and soft. He knew he had all this power and that made him so careful with me. Our lips crushed into each other and my body started to tremble. I wanted him so much; I wanted all of him with me forever!

I looked in his eyes. "How much time do we have?" I whispered. He looked up. "Slow down, I want to savour it," he said with a smile and kissed me again. I was so in love with these moments.

The sun had set and the house was quiet. In the lounge Damon was so deep in thought that I didn't feel like interrupting. I didn't want him to ruin my mood and Stefan was out hunting. I decided to go back upstairs and wait for him on his bed, ready for round two!

As I hopped onto the big luxurious bed, I heard a loud thud. I bent over the side. "What the…" When I picked up the box from the floor and opened it, the first thing I read was Katherine… "What's this?" I thought to myself. I looked around and then I got up and closed the door. I pulled out the letter from the box. Curved letters, ink stains… it was old. I could see it, I could smell it… it was definitely old. I started to read:

Your name means nothing to me, although when it touches my lips, it warms my heart and soul. I try so hard to keep away that meaning of nothing, but it brings tears to my eyes, making their escape towards my lips that are flushed with passion.

When you talk to me, I stand frozen because I will not allow anything to disrupt our moments. Those moments that only live in me in silence, those moments of ours that I will not let go, for fear that those moments are the only thing keeping us alive.

I knew it was a lie from the start, a preposterous notion that we could exist together in this life. My life continues with the idea that somehow you still exist in it, watching me loving you from a distance.

I wish for your body to become one with mine, I want you to feel my breath on your bosoms; I want to feel them harden when I taste the divine aroma of your skin. I need our bodies to become one once more, the feeling of your skin on mine, the power of our bodies dancing together under the moonlight.

How I miss you.

This dream will never be ours. I have lost you.

I am in love with the time of never. In love with the taste that teases my thoughts every night, and even though I know I hunger for something else, something that I would never have thought I could hunger for, I tell myself that this hunger is a disguise for you.

An idea of us is all that I have left, though I am convinced that that idea would have been the best part of my life.

I looked at you with envy - forgive me, my love - envy of all that you were, all that I would never be, all that I would never have. Hate has replaced a lot of my emotions, hate for not holding on tight to you and letting this joke of a world, that I will never understand, dispose of you, dispose of us.

Those mistakes have cost us our love.

Even now that I put down my thoughts on paper, my mind won't stop running to you. I shall write about all of those things I wanted to do with you. I shall write until the thought of you is a distant memory and my heart has stopped bleeding.

I see your eyes, crystal clear. I see no hope raising lust, I see us.

Wishful thinking. Spending my moments kissing you. I see your smile. I see no more.

Tonight, my room is empty and so is my soul. I never thought I would miss anyone like that. With you, my strength and will is gone and the only thing that can heal me is you, my love.

Was this a love letter? I knew he had kept a picture of Katherine, but a love letter? What was he thinking, hiding it like this?

I put the box in my bag and got dressed. I went downstairs, and just as I was going out the door, a voice said, "Going somewhere?" I turned around. There was Damon, all dark and gloomy. "Yes, Jeremy called, I am going home," I said sharply.

"Funny, I didn't hear any phone!" he said. "I heard panting and gasping… Oh, wait! That was before, but I am sure that I never heard a phone."

He was being a jerk, as usual. God, just when I wanted to be alone, Damon had to turn up. "Yeah, well, I had it on vibrate," I said, and before he could utter some clever remark, I shouted, "No jokes allowed!" He just shrugged his shoulders, and sat down on the big couch in front of the fire.

I walked out the door and texted Stefan that I was going home, that Jeremy needed me and that I would see him tomorrow.

I drove home as fast as I could, never losing the feeling that someone was following me. Lately, I always felt like everyone was on Elena patrol! As if I was a child that couldn't take care of herself.

I shed that thought quickly; I had more important stuff to think about, like that box and its content that were burning a hole in my mind. Why did Stefan keep it after all these years? Was he going to give it to Katherine, now that she was back? Why did he need the reminder, if he didn't love her?

I was getting more upset and suspicious of that letter with every passing minute. I ran upstairs to my room, closed the curtains and went straight to bed. I pulled the covers over me and turned on my flashlight. I grabbed my bag and pulled out the letter. I was scared, scared of emotions, of feelings that I didn't want to find out about, but I couldn't stop myself. I had to know, I had to see what it was like for him. He always said he'd never loved her, but now… I opened it again and started to read.

I sit alone in your room, thinking about our moments, thinking about your body and our kisses. How will I ever be able to let you go, my love? I lie. I lie to myself every night. I lie and hope that somehow he will put me out of my misery.

What am I without you?

I am going insane! I thought the other day that I saw you. You were walking up to me and then you were gone; I had lost you again. This is what I do, my love. I lose you again and again and the next day it all starts over, from the very beginning, from the day that I first saw you.

I promise you I shall never forget. I shall never forget.

My heart bleeds out, pain that will never vanish, but I shall NEVER forget you, my sweet, my one and only.

You smiled at me the other night, in my dream. You were laughing, I think, the way you looked at me when you saw me become this, this monster, this feeding monster that you created. Was that all that you wanted, I keep wondering? But no, I am silly. I know in my heart even if it does not beat, that you loved me and that I love you. I do.

Your eyes keep appearing in front of me and I could swear my heart skips a beat.

For now I will leave you to rest my love, maybe tomorrow will be a little bit better. They say time heals all wounds and all I have, my sweet, is time.

Time without you.

I woke up with the letter still in my hands. Tears had dried on my face. I was wondering how I was to confront Stefan with this and how? How was I supposed to explain what I felt about this?

I got up, put the letter back in its box, its safe place, and got dressed. Downstairs Jenna was picking on Jeremy about his date with Bonnie. I was so happy about that; he was finally smiling and opening his heart. I was so proud of him; he truly was a survivor.

I had some coffee and told Jenna that I had to go see Stefan and that I would stay there probably.

I got in my car. Before I could drive away, my passenger door opened. "Good morning, sunshine! Sleep well?" I gave him an annoyed look, "Damon… what are you doing here?"

He tilted his head slightly and looked all confused, "Well, Elena, I just can't seem to get enough of you…" he said, then one side of his lips curved upwards, in that half smile thing he does and he continued "I am to take you home safely, my dear! Stefan is hunting bunnies, so you're stuck with yours truly… Shall we?"

There really wasn't any point in arguing so I started the car and drove to the house. The drive was silent, but I got worried because Damon didn't stop looking at my bag. When we drove up to the house he glanced over at me, then at my bag, then back into my eyes with this intense look, "You're home safe! Job well done, good for me!" With that, he was off.

I grabbed my bag and looked in it: the box was still there. I got worried with his staring at it all the time, like he was superman and could see through it…"God, Damon and his eyes, always so intense." I shook of my worries and went into the house. After a while Stefan came in. My heart fluttered and he smiled. Damn it, always giving myself away, even now, I loved him so much.

"Hi! How was your night?" he leaned in to kiss me and even though I was mad, I was still going to receive this kiss, because really I could never refuse his lips. "Educating…" I said curtly. "Oh?" he enquired and sat down. I reached in my bag and got the box out. As soon as he saw it, he put his hands on his mouth and then touched his face, looking up at me… "Elena… did you…" he paused.

"YES, Stefan, I read it! I know, it's not my place, but…"

"Does Damon know you have this?" he asked, all worried. I looked at the box, then at Stefan,

"No, why would Damon know I have your love letter?"

Silence filled the space then, and just like that, Stefan stood up. I turned around. There he was, Damon, all pissed off and ready to take a lunge at Stefan. Before he got to make his move, I shifted and stood in front of Stefan, with Damon inches from my face. "Damon!" Stefan exclaimed.

"You're lucky, brother, because though I would never think twice about killing you, I would never hurt her," Damon's expression softened but his eyes were still piercing mine. A second later he was gone.

"It is Damon's, the letter is Damon's." Stefan said and as I heard the words, I felt a sense of relief come over me. I went and sat down on the old chair by the couch. Stefan followed me.

"Elena, I don't… I never loved her," I touched his face. Put my fingers on his lips. I kissed him. I was so happy, but in my mind, Damon was still present.

I went upstairs to look for him. I knew that I needed to talk to him, to explain that this was my fault. He was nowhere to be found. Stefan followed behind me. "Where did he go?" I asked. Stefan shook his head and looked around. After a while he approached me." He didn't know I had that letter. I think he is going to pick a fight with me about this."

I felt ashamed. "I'm sorry, Stefan; I thought it was yours… not that that excuses anything."

He walked over to me and touched my chin softly, "It's okay. I understand. You must have been worried." And I was. I was so worried, but I didn't speak, I just nodded. Stefan told me that he was going to look for Damon before he did something foolish. I agreed.

I went downstairs. I took a book from the library and started leafing through it… but there were so many pages! I thought: maybe this will work if I get some coffee first. But as I turned around, Damon was standing there, in the corner.

"Is he gone?" he asked. "Yes," I replied curtly. I was afraid, so my heartbeat must be all over the place… I tried to slow it down by taking a few steps back.

"Elena, relax! I won't hurt you. I am just pissed at Stefan. He had no right."

I walked over to Damon, took his hand and led him over to the couch. We sat down and I gestured for him to go on.

"Okay, I get that you read the letter. It was one letter, just this one letter that I wrote before we got out of our hometown, before we decided to travel, before I decided to hate Stefan. I loved Katherine so much. She loved Stefan the same way I loved her. It hurt! It hurt so much. I just wanted… I just needed a way to talk to her, even after her death. Even after my death, and whatever I thought I was becoming back then. So I wrote to her. Stefan must have found it. I thought for years that she was alive, even after the church had burned. This letter, it went missing the next day, which was why I started looking for her. It was my first clue that she might still be alive; I thought that maybe she took it. I could swear that I saw her from afar over the years; I could swear it! And we know it's true that she never died. But even now I still thought she had it…"

While I listened, I could hear his pain. But why did Stefan take the letter?

"Damon, I don't think Stefan meant to hurt you..." I said carefully. Damon snapped back at me, "NO! He never does mean to hurt anybody. Not saint Stefan! "He stood up and walked around like a caged tiger. "I am so tired of being here, in this place. I finally got over her. I finally understood my feelings for… for you. And now… your presence here, and her being here at the same time…it's too much for me, Elena! This is too much! Even stone breaks at some point."

Damon walked over to me and dropped back down beside me. I hugged him. I have no idea why. I felt sorry for him. All of us seemed to be in a happy place. But Damon couldn't find his place, not back then and not now.

"Listen to me," I said, "You need to resolve this with Stefan. Katherine is killing you both and you think you are the only one that is hurting. That is not true, Damon. It does not have to be that way. Maybe he has a good reason for taking the letter, maybe in his own way, he was protecting you."

He looked as if he was thinking about my words, but knowing Damon, he would just go on not believing his brother. "I don't think so." And with those last words to me, he left.

I must have dosed off because when I woke up, it was dark and Stefan was sitting next to me on the floor by the couch. "What time is it?" I asked. "A little over nine," Stefan replied. I got up and looked around, "He is not back yet. I came in at seven and he was not here. I guess that means that he didn't want to listen to you?"

I shook my head "No, he didn't want to hear it. He did say that he'd always thought Katherine had his letter? Did you know that?"

Stefan looked at me intensely. He seemed afraid to answer. "Stefan?"

"Yes, I heard you…No, I had no idea," He stood up from the floor, walked over to the mantelpiece and held on to it. Then he turned and faced me. "What have I done?" he sighed.

"Stefan, this is not your fault!" I tried to take away some of his guilt.

"Yes, it is! My god, he must have thought that… No!"

"He thought that Katherine took it. He said he thought he had seen her over the years. Why did you have it?" I was truly wondering. Why did Stefan have Damon's love letter to Katherine?

"I took it one night, the night after we turned. Damon had returned to Katherine's house, and spent the night in her room. I was worried about him. He left the guesthouse in the morning hours and returned to our hideout by the lake. I went up to Katherine's room afterwards, and I found the letter. I took it to tell him that she never cared for us and to tear it up, but he was hurting so much, and after a few days I forgot about it, since all I could think about was the blood. After he left me in New Orleans, I held on to the letter as a keepsake from him, a memory of our home and of the love we once had for each other and as a warning against the woman that tore us apart."

I was looking at him, speechless. Stefan was hurting too. He had missed his brother, and all he had left of him, the 'old' him, was a letter, a love letter where Damon's feelings were written on paper as proof that he once cared. Even if those feelings were for another person and not for Stefan, it was still the proof Stefan needed to hold on to, the proof that under all that anger, Damon was hurt, just as hurt as Stefan.

"You need to tell him that!" I said after a while. "He knows, Elena. He doesn't care. He thinks I am out to get him, and I have no idea why… I'm sorry, but Damon is a problem I don't want to resolve right now. We have other matters to attend to." "But…" he cut me off, "don't worry about it. Are you sleeping over?" I nodded. "Good, I will be up in a flash. I need to get some dinner inside me. There is food for you in the kitchen, if you want." He kissed me on my forehead and gave me a brave smile, as if to let me know that everything was going to be okay. Then he sped out the door.

Damon was standing in the parlor behind me when he spoke with his crooked smile: "So, he left you to do his dirty work? Classy!"

I knew that I was about to sink down to his level but I also knew that this was the only way to get some answers.

"Classy? You guys are giving me whiplash with al l this running around!"

"Ouch!" he winked at me and approached me slowly. "She bites back…"

He bowed down in a gesture for me to continue. He was always so theatrical when he was in this game mood of his.

I went to stand right in front of him.

"Be careful, Damon, one of these days you will get burned by these games you play!"

"So, what does the lady need to know?"

"Everything to be frank, I get bits and pieces. I don't understand why you just can't get over it. Katherine played you, but she played Stefan too. You say that you have understood your feelings… for me, and that you are over Katherine. You would forgive a woman that hurt you so bad, but when it comes to Stefan, you can't even begin to think about forgiving him? How can you be so… so cold and heartless?"

He stood there, speechless. He was not moving at all. He looked me in the eyes.

"Heartless? I thought you of all people believed I still had a heart! Why do you want to fix this between Stefan and me so badly? Would it be easier for you?"

"Yes! It's like I run a freaking kindergarten! You are like small children! Chasing after a skirt all these years! Get over it already!"

Oh my God, I couldn't believe my own words. At the moment I uttered them I took a step back.

He followed me with his eyes. He flashed a smile.

"Elena, I am sorry," he said. It took me by surprise.

He unfolded the letter he had written so many years back.

"What am I without you? I am going insane! I thought the other day that I saw you. You were walking up to me and then you were gone, I lost you again. This is what I do, my love. I lose you again and again and the next day it all starts over, from the very beginning, from the day that I first saw you. I promise you I shall never forget. I shall never forget." He read and then he looked up at me.

"I forgot. My anger took over and I forgot. For years I was wandering around seeing her. Now I know I wasn't crazy. But when I saw you all those feeling came back. It took me forever to settle down and have a moment with myself. I found the good in me, and my heart sparked again. I fell in love with you. I am truly sorry about all of this, but I need you to know what I felt. What I want to give to you. The anger part is just for Stefan."

I stood still taking in all of his words. His past had caught up with him, and all the emotions, old and new, where tangled up in this massive web.

"I hear you. There is this thin line that we can't cross, because I am the only thing keeping you and Stefan together. And Damon, you need Stefan, even thought you don't think so. He is your brother and that means something, even to you. Let the monster you have in you, go, it has tortured you enough."

I walked up and hugged him. "Keep to your word. You will never hurt me, and I will never hurt you."

I ate and went upstairs to take a shower and crawl into bed. This was one day I wanted to put behind me. Somewhere between the hot water and getting into bed my thoughts got lost.

The love letter kept popping into my head. Words echoed so loud and paragraphs started to appear in front of me.

Your name means nothing to me, although when it touches my lips, it warms my heart and soul. I try so hard to keep away that meaning of nothing, but it brings tears to my eyes, making their escape towards my lips that are flushed with passion.

I shook my head as an attempt to scatter them so I wouldn't hear them anymore.

I went back into Stefan's room and I stopped abruptly. There I was, standing with just a towel wrapped around me, and Damon lying on Stefan's bed as if it was the most normal thing in the world for him to do.

"Well, well, ..." he was drunk and his eyes were glittering in the dark. "Damon! What the…" "Now, now, Elena! Good girls don't use foul language," he said, getting up and walking towards me. He circled me twice, and I held on to that towel as if I was holding on to my life. "You are drunk, Damon!" "Ding-ding-ding! Correct! And you are afraid, my dear!" he sniffed my hair like an animal sniffing its prey. "Why is that? Why are you afraid of me?" I looked into his eyes. I had no idea what to say, what to do.

"I wonder if it is me you are afraid of or those feelings that keep turning up?"

"Damon! You should go!" I ordered.

"Why?" Yes, why? That was a good question, and it had a thousand answers, like: because I am naked, or because your brother is coming home soon, or because I am about to throw a fit, … but all that came out of my mouth was: "Because you need to resolve this with Stefan and not…" As soon I said it, I knew I gave him a chance to say more.

"Elena. Stefan and I are another issue. This, my sweet, is about us!"

"There is no us! You are drunk, and I need you…"

"You need me? I'm here, what do you need?" he had cut me off as he usually did, when he wanted the conversation to go his way.

He stood behind me at this point. I was frozen, I was barely breathing. He ran his index finger along my back. I shivered.

I needed Stefan to come home right now! For god's sake, how long could it take to hunt a few squirrels?

Damon pushed closer to me and I closed my eyes. I felt his breath on my neck. He took another whiff. "Stop shaking, Elena!" he ordered. "Please don't do this!" I cried out.

I felt so faint; I almost collapsed. He caught me and looked me in the eyes, "I would never hurt you. And that is the most honest thing you will ever get out of me, so stop trying to tear us apart and push me and Stefan together!"

He put me down on the bed. I was still clinging to my towel, my skin was bare and I didn't like Damon being so close to me. I wanted him to go away and leave me alone, but he dropped onto the bed next to me. God, was this never going to end?

"You know what I think?" I asked him. Where was I going with this? "I think you are afraid that Stefan is right and if you postpone your tantrums for just a second longer and actually hear him out, you will agree with him. I think you miss…" And there they were his vampire eyes, all-bloodshot! I should have kept my big mouth shut! He leaned over me, and my back at this point was flat on the bed. He pushed my thighs apart with his leg and crawled slowly over me. His eyes were examining my neck and his head slowly descended down to my ear. "You need to stop talking now!" he exhaled. Then his eyes softened and the pure blue colour was back in place. He was still hovering over me. "I would never hurt you!" he said again, as if he needed me to understand that but he also needed me to back off, and so I did.

I put one hand on his waist to stop him from pushing his body onto mine and he responded by leaning back, but he was still too close. "What is it that you want, Damon?" I said in a very low voice. "You" he answered. "I'm sorry that you now know what I felt for Katherine, but what I feel for you is stronger." I was paralyzed. A tear escaped my eye; he wiped it off.

"Elena, I will never hurt you." This time I felt safer, like he was claiming me, like he wanted me to be his. I closed my eyes, wished he was gone and when I opened them my wish had been granted. I was all alone in Stefan's cold dark room, and for the first time I understood Damon's sarcasm, love, hurt and loneliness. I got dressed and crawled under the covers, waiting for Stefan to come home

While I was lying there and looking at the ceiling I started to drowse off.

My mind spun away at all the details of today and everything they meant.
The way Stefan was keeping his memory of his brother intact, by holding on to this love letter and the way Damon never stopped pushing him away. The way Damon pushed himself on me. For a minute I was sure I was a goner. He was so mad. Why all this anger?

Then my mind drifted again to his wonderful words: I see your eyes, crystal clear. I see no hope raising lust, I see us.

I tensed as I heard a noise" Stefan?" I cried out. No answer. "Stefan? Is that you? You know I can't see in the dark!"

I felt him crawl into the bed. "Come here!" I reached for his hand and pulled him close to me. He slid closer to me and grabbed my neck and kissed me with such passion it made my head spin, "Someone fed well" I said, teasing him, he just let out a growl that sounded so deep it echoed around the room and kissed me again.
His hands were all over my body, first on my thigh then around my back pulling me closer to him. One hand curved around my breast and then tangled itself around the strap of my top, he ripped it loose and then tore the rest of it in half, he was so wrapped up in this passion that I noticed he wasn't being as careful with me as he usually was. I liked it.
He licked my lips with the edge of his tongue and kissed my jaw and continued down on my chest, I was moaning so loud I had to stop myself by biting down on the pillow when he decided to turn me over and lick my back. His tongue felt so warm, it made me moan again, and I felt so safe and so sexy at the same time.

I was lying on my stomach when he stood up behind me and pulled of my shorts, then in one move he turned me again and laid himself on top of me and his growl was even deeper than before.
He pulled himself up and created a small gap between us, I held on to him by putting my hands on his back and pulled him back in. With one move he was inside me and my sighs never sounded more intimate than that night.
He was kissing me over and over again and I couldn't stop enjoying my time with him. I was so fuelled with lust that my nails started to wedge into his skin. He let out a moan and pushed himself deeper in me. I was so crazed by his sounds I grabbed the back of his head and pulled his lips on mine. I didn't want this to end.

I felt so warm all over my body and then all of a sudden so cold like ice water was thrown on me. My eyes flew open and Stefan was standing beside me by the bed shaking me.

"Elena, Elena?"

I was so confused.

"Wake up, you are having a nightmare."

Nightmare? What nightmare!

"What time is it?" I asked him. "Late, go back to sleep."

Sleep? What was he talking about?

"Sorry it took so long, not much to hunt I had to go further out."

I kept looking at him like he was crazy. Then I touched my stomach and felt fabric. The same fabric that had been torn off just a few moments ago? I lifted the covers and yes, I was dressed.

"You just got home?" I wondered.

He gazed over at me "Yes, just now, why?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, I thought… never mind, it must have been a dream!" "Yeah, anything good?" he asked with a wicked smile. I smiled back kissed him and laid my head on his chest. "Nope, nothing special, just intense." He touched my hair and we drifted to sleep.

I felt his body getting warmer. I looked up at him and I was stunned.

"Nothing special?"

"Damon!" I cried out jumping up in my sleep.

Stefan turned on the lights.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes, I am sorry…"

He looked at me intensely, "What about Damon?"

I blushed, my heartbeat started to raise. I couldn't stop it. Stefan was waiting for an answer, but I was so embarrassed that I couldn't utter a word. I was looking at the covers, staring at them and then I finally looked in his eyes and lied to him for the first time.

"I think he was trying to kill you… the dream. I was screaming at him. Sorry I woke you." I flashed my innocent smile. He held off for a second but then caved in to my lie.

"It's okay, it was just a dream." He smiled. He put out the light and got back into bed.

A dream. I just had a dream. I sighed. I didn't close my eyes all night, and neither did Stefan.

The next day I was determined to get some answers, but when I went downstairs and saw him my legs felt so faint. How was I going to confront him about this? After all it was my dream. What was I going to say?

I turned and walked into the kitchen. As I was about to let myself sample the wonderful taste of coffee in the morning, Damon appeared in front of me.

"Good morning!"

I gazed over at him. He looked so mellow. No gloating though, so I figured I was safe. Just a dream, I said in my head. I took a sip of coffee and kept looking at him. In my head an image appeared from last night when he licked my lips with the edge of his tongue and kissed my jaw and continued... I interrupted those thoughts.

"I had a dream last night. It was… intense … for lack of a better word. How did you sleep?" he winked at me and walked out of the kitchen. I almost fell off my chair. I raised my hand to my neck. My necklace was gone.

I put down my cup of coffee and ran upstairs. I stopped at the doorway. Stefan was getting dressed. He turned and looked at me. I was sure I looked like something the cat had dragged in.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I can't find my necklace! I figured it must have come off in bed last night." One lie was enough!

"Wait, you are not wearing it?" he started to search the bed and there it was, between the bedpost and the mattress.

I grabbed it and put it on. "Oh! Thank god!" I let out. He was just standing there, looking all confused. "See you downstairs." I said, like nothing had happened. I ran down the stairs before Stefan could put one and two together.

Damon was lying on the couch.

"I see no hope raising lust, I see us…Elena, if you wanted a letter of your own, all you needed to do was ask!" he laughed.

"What did you do?"

"Actually I didn't do anything this time. It was all you!"

I wanted to smack him over the head, but that was not going to get me any answers.

"Damon! I am not playing here, what did you do?"

He walked up to me, just like last night when all I had been wearing was a towel. He circled me just like last night.

"Sorry, love, it was all you. You started it all. You came into my head, showed me what you wanted. Not me."

"I don't want that!" I cried out. I didn't want that, I repeated to myself.

"Are you sure about that?" he leaned in and I backed up walking right into the door to the parlor. He came closer, closing the space between us. "It is about us after all." He kissed me on the cheek and left. I was standing there all frozen with no clue of what to do or say. Stefan came down, took one look at me and darted after Damon.

Damon was sitting at the Grill by the bar. Stefan walked in and went straight for Damon. He pushed away his drink.

"She is not Katherine, and she is not yours! I have put up with this because I know you want to save her as much as I do. This letter she found is of a person that had some humanity. You are not him anymore. I am tired of seeking your forgiveness; this ends here! She doesn't want you, Damon!"

Damon grabbed the bottle from over the bar and poured himself another drink. He gulped it down and the filled it up again. He looked down at the glass and smiled. He turned to Stefan and in a sure and stable voice, said, "Keep telling yourself that, brother!"

He turned back and concentrated on his drink, leaving Stefan standing there.

The End