Unspoken truths

Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.

Elena furiously jammed the key to her front door, missing the keyhole entirely. She growled at the door as if it was purposely keeping her out. She took a deep breath and tried again. Still unsuccessful, Elena screamed in frustration, dropping her keys in the process.

"Thank you so much for stealing my car," Damon said as he neatly caught the keys in his palm, dangling them in front of her, "Grand theft auto, Elena. Really? Are you that determined to cement this day in history as the day you tried every stupid idea your brain ever conceived?"

"Give me my keys, Damon," Elena said through clenched teeth as she reached out to take them from him.

Damon held her glare and pulled back his hand, a gesture that sparked a memory in Elena's mind but one she could not fully place. She shook the feeling away and repeated herself, "Give them back, Damon."

"Yeah, I don't see you returning mine. So, not a chance…not until we iron out your death wish," Damon said angrily.

"Here," Elena said throwing his car keys at him, "It's not like you need your car to get around. Obviously you don't because you got here just fine and just as fast as I did. Run along, Damon. Go home."

Damon caught the keys with his other hand and tucked it in his back pocket along with Elena's keys, "Running messes up my hair and the branches in the forest snag at my shirt. It's not fun. But that's not the point, Elena, stop changing the subject."

"Then what is the point, Damon?" Elena cried out in exasperation, "Enlighten me because I'm tired of all of this—arguing with you and watching things fall apart."

"The point?" Damon answered equally agitated, "Elena, you need to get smart not suicidal. You don't give up just because somehow you believe Katherine about how powerful this Klaus is. She's a liar, Elena. She's just manipulating you because in her convoluted mind all this fits into her unknown diabolical plan. I know the bitch—just because she strung me along for more than a hundred years made me wiser about actually listening to her."

Damon took a deep breath and placed his hands on her arms and forced her to face him, "You think I don't get why you feel like saving the people around you? I don't question that—you're that kind of person and precisely why I lo—,"he said, pausing a second," why I care about you. What I cannot comprehend is why you lack a sense of self-preservation when you do it. Elena, you don't have to lay down your life and wait for a truck to run you over to save a life. I should know—you've done it for me without shedding a single drop of your blood."

"I can't just watch when I can do something about it, Damon." Elena spat out.

"I'm not saying get yourself some popcorn and watch the festivities, Elena," Damon retorted, "I'm just saying you don't have to run towards the killer with a target painted on you—front and back. All I'm saying is let us try and be awesome, courtesy of our nifty little plan, then maybe Klaus won't even get to come close enough to touch a single hair on your head. If not then, we figure it out when we get to that particular fork in the road—but not a moment sooner. Do you hear me?"

Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking, feeling Damon's hands fall away as she relaxed, "Do you remember Atlanta?"

"Of course," Damon said shrugging his shoulders, "Drunk Elena was fun and how can I forget having my legs whacked, then getting completely soaked in gasoline. Fun times."

"Do you remember when you almost burned in my dad's old building? Do you remember the night of the carnival? When Bonnie tried to burn you?" Elena asked softly, "Or when Caroline's mom tried to kill you?"

"Yes to all, Elena." Damon said slowly, confused as he tried to figure out Elena's words, "I remember with blinding clarity…what are you getting at?"

"I'm done watching, Damon," Elena whispered, "I'm done begging for your life—not when I can finally do something about it, when the answer is in my control. I can't keep waiting for the moment when my words won't be enough, when I miss my chance to save you…my heart can only take so much, Damon."

Damon was silent for a moment, his eyebrows knit in concentration as he struggled to find the right words, watching Elena's eyes glisten with unshed tears, "Thank you."

"What?" Elena asked, her head snapping up in surprise.

"I keep forgetting to tell you…what I mistakenly told Katherine that night, here… on this porch," Damon said with a sad smile, "Somewhere along the way, you decided I was worth saving…and I wanted to thank you for that."

Damon leaned towards her and kissed Elena softly on the forehead as she closed her eyes. He pulled back gently even before Elena's eyelids fluttered open. "Goodnight, Elena," Damon said, opening the door for her and placing her keys on hand, closing her palm with his hand.

Elena started to go inside but she turned around and called out to Damon, "If it comes to it, I will do it you know. I'll put my life on the line if I have to. I won't stop trying to save the people that I care ab—that I love."

Damon nodded to her, "You'll save my life just by staying alive. Let me do the dying, I've had practice. Good night, Elena. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Damon," Elena said, her hand on her necklace, whispering when his car finally left her sight, "Be safe."