Elena let down her damp brown hair; the fruity aroma of her favourite shampoo filled the air. She glanced around the dim room, trying to find the photo she had gotten developed earlier today. She walked gracefully across the room toward her lamp, pausing briefly to scan the window for the source of movement which caught her eye. She couldn't see the cause of this distraction so she turned back to the lamp. As she turned it on light flooded the room and Elena instantly located the photo she had been searching for. It was resting against the bottom of her bookshelf, the result of a gentle breeze nudging it off the desk where she had placed it before. Carefully she picked it up and ran her finger over the two other people in the photo. She barely noticed herself in the photo, she seemed to have the plain features of most other teenage girls, and these two beautiful boys outshone her in every way. The Salvatore brothers, Stefan and Damon, were very different to one another. She traced the face of the figure on her left, Stefan, the gentler of the two brothers. His bright green eyes and short brown hair complemented his handsome appearance and seemed to fit well with his toned body. She could understand why she had been so fascinated to him at the beginning; he was obviously attractive and mysterious. And when she discovered the truth about his supernatural lifestyle it was his choices that had kept her from being frightened away. Although he possessed a lot of power, Stefan chose to try and only use it for good. Elena had eventually fallen in love with Stefan, never fearing his darker side or believing he would hurt her. She had found all she wanted in life with someone who wasn't technically living.
Elena refocused on the picture in her hand and now looked at the Salvatore brother on her right. Damon, the older of the two brothers, was much more dark and mysterious than Stefan was. Damon's hair was dark brown, but much longer and much messier than Stefan's. His blue eyes seemed to pierce through the photo and capture Elena for a moment. Damon was definitely the more dangerous of the two brothers, but Elena knew that deep down Damon had just as much of a heart and conscience as Stefan did. She had seen glimpses of his selflessness and love and knew that he was just trying to protect himself from being hurt again. She yearned for him to let go of the past and let go of his callous defense which kept her away but he seemed intent on keeping her at arms-length most of the time. She knew that eventually she would get through to him and get to know him as the person he was, not the face he put on, but she believed that time would be very far away.
Elena picked up a decorative photo frame, carefully put the photo inside and placed it on the desk next to a photo of her parents. She glided over to the curtains, took a momentary look into the impenetrable darkness and pulled them closed. Then, settling into her warm, soft bed Elena took one last look at the photograph on her desk before rolling onto her side and falling asleep.
Outside, Damon readjusted his weight again on the thin branch of the large tree near Elena's window. She would have seen him before if he hadn't swiftly moved behind the thickest part of the tree, hiding himself. What would she have thought if she had seen him there, watching her? He hadn't meant to be here for so long, but he was so enticed by her that just couldn't stay away. This human girl who looked so much like Katherine, yet acted so different to her, had taken his breath away. He couldn't understand why he was so attracted to her; she was so weak, so unimportant. He had considered just killing her, sucking her body dry of blood just so that he wouldn't have to see her wandering around town, or on the arm of Stefan, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It had hurt him to be the second choice, to be the leftovers. She had favoured Stefan because of his kindheartedness, but Damon knew he had not always been that way. Damon knew that he was just as capable of being "human" as Stefan, and hoped that one day Elena would see that. As much as it scared him to admit it, he wanted to change for this girl. He would change for this girl if that's what it would take to have her. It would take time to learn to trust her, but he knew it was what he wanted.
"Hello, Damon." Stefan said from behind him, with an amused expression all over his face. Damon had been so focused on Elena that he hadn't heard Stefan's approach. He took a step towards Stefan and they both jumped out of the tree and away from Elena's house.
"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked suspiciously, "Why were you watching Elena?"
"Me? I'm just scouting my next meal. She just seems so… appetizing." Damon licked his lips suggestively. Stefan's expression hardened, this was not a game he was willing to play.
"Just stay away from her. She's not like any of the other girls from this town. She's been through so much; it's not fair to just play with her like your other puppets." Stefan warned. He could feel the heat rising in his body and imagined that if his heart was able to beat, it would be pounding right now. "She may look like Katherine, but she's nothing like that cold hearted whore."
Damon sniggered; he remembered a time when Stefan had been infatuated with Katherine and claiming his love for her. That time was long ago, but the memories still burned fresh in his brain.
"As much fun as it would be to use Elena against you, I don't think she's worth my time. Besides, I'm having too much fun with those French tourists, if you catch my drift." Damon leaned towards Stefan and gave him an obvious wink. Damon spun around on the spot and began to walk away from Stefan.
"Her necklace is full of vervain, but I'm sure you realized that already. I'm going to protect her from you at all costs. She's worth it." Stefan warned.
"I know." Damon said so quietly that Stefan couldn't hear. Stefan could be so foolish sometimes, he thought to himself. If he had wanted to compel or kill Elena he could simply compel Jeremy and get him to take the vervain necklace from her. But that's not what he wanted; he wanted Elena to love him like he loved her. He didn't want a love forced by supernatural powers; he just wanted it to be normal, natural, and beautiful.
Keeping his back to Stefan, Damon waved and walked off into the darkness.