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DRABBLE PROMPT: THE SIRE BOND IS BROKEN AND SUDDENLY THE LAST MEMORY ELENA HAS IS THE CAR ACCIDENT WHERE STEFAN SAVED MATT.

MOVED FROM: TUMBLR ( .COM)

WRITTEN: JAN 28 2013

Elena shot up, looking around, breathing frantically. She could feel her lungs sucking in the water. She could see Matt float away in Stefan's arms. Was he alive? Was he okay? How was she alive? She was sure she'd felt herself slip into death. "Ssssh. You're okay."she heard a soothing voice come from beside her, a hand on her arm. She looked to see Damon, looking at her intently. "Wha-what happened?" she asked, looking around. "Where's Stefan?" she asked, her head jerking from side to side, looking for him frantically. "We found the cure…we didn't wait for him to return our call to try it. He's too busy these days screwing Rebekah to remember we exist."Damon said. "Wait…you don't remember any of this?"he asked. "Wha—no…the cure to what?….Rebekah? Wh—but…but I chose him." she said, sitting up. "Elena…that was months ago."Damon said, looking confused and heartbroken. "Tell me the last thing you remember."he said. Elena took a deep breath and focused, crossing her legs under herself. "I was on the phone with you…I was in the car with Matt. Rebekah…stood in front of us…we went off the bridge. Stefan was there….he…I told him to save Matt. Is Matt okay?!" she said. Damon sighed. "Get comfortable princess. I've got a long story to tell you."he said.

An hour later, Elena was pacing around the room. "So….I was a vampire?" she asked. "And I…we...I...with you?" "Yup." Damon said. Elena looked up and expected him to look smug...cocky that he'd finally gotten her between his sheets. Instead he looks exhausted."Tell me about the sire bond." she said. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it sounded. "Basically, you had to do anything I told you. But…I only invoked it twice, Elena….knowingly. I promise. I...didn't take advantage of you. I told you to drink from a blood bag, and it worked….and I told you to leave me. I never used it against you. And…the witch, we went to see about breaking it? She said that…the only way a sire bond is formed in vampires is…if the human has some pretty strong feelings before she's turned."he said, fumbling with his hands, nervously. Elena nodded softly. It hit her then how much Damon was hurting. All of this...she knew he loved her...and she finally felt the same way...and it all got ripped out from under him. "So…Stefan got mad that I slept with you…and he slept with Rebekah?" she asked. "Well…no, not exactly. I mean, it's a little more complicated than that. You didn't just…sleep with me. I mean, Rebekah compelled you to tell Stefan the whole painful truth."he said. "Which was?" she asked with bravado. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. "That you were in love with me. That…you slept with me because you were in love with me…that you felt….free…that I made you happy…"he said. Elena sighed...those were things...she had to have been compelled. They were all true...but she would have never admitted that to Stefan. "I guess…I get why he slept with her then." she said, shoulders slumping. Stefan hated her...her love, her choice...he hated her. But so much had happened...when it came down to it...was he still her choice? Did it even matter?

After a moment, Damon sighed."I know that…you're overwhelmed…and exhausted…but I have to know. The sire bond…did it…cause…us?"he asked. "I don't….I don't know, Damon. " she said. She saw his head drop and she walked over to him, touching his face. "I can't remember 'us'. I don't know what caused it. I don't even know what it's like to be with you. I know that I care about you…that by all accounts…as far as I can tell…I probably am in love with you. But…I have all these feelings for Stefan. I mean…I'm just so confused." she said. "I wish I could remember…being with you." she said, looking down, letting her hands move from his face."Hey….hey…sshh. It's okay. Don't worry about it right now."he said, shifting. He took her hand and pulled her up, zooming them both upstairs. Laying her gently on the bed, he looked down at her, sitting beside her."Just rest."he said, pushing her hair away from her face."We'll figure it all out when you wake up. I'll call Stefan…again. He'll come home. We'll figure it out. I promise."he said. Elena slowly sighed and nodded. "Stay with me?" she asked, taking his hand and tugging him toward the bed. Wordlessly, he nodded and climbed over her gently, laying in his bed beside her. Elena rolled over to face him and scooted in, curling up to his body. She knew it wasn't fair. What if this was just leading him on. All she knew was this was what she wanted...more than anything in the world...in that moment, Elena wanted Damon to hold her. He never sugar-coated things. And he never told her that everything was going to be alright unless it was. She trusted him. She sighed contentedly as Damon wrapped his arms around her."Just sleep."he said."We'll figure it all out soon." and with that, Elena's eyes drifted shut.