One shot following 4x07

Elena finds out about the sire bond from Caroline, and runs back to the Salvatore boarding house to talk about it with Damon. Only, Damon isn't home yet.

Hope you enjoy this. I have a feeling something like this may happen in the next episode.

Elena Gilbert paced quickly around Damon's room, feeling white hot rage still burning through every vein in her body. She knew she was probably ruining his floorboards with her stomping, but she couldn't bring herself to care, knowing deep down that Damon probably wouldn't either.

Caroline Forbes was supposed to be her best friend, she huffed at the thought. 'Great, best friend', she murmured to herself bitterly.

This afternoon, she had run to Carolines's house with excitement the second she has realised she wasn't about to hurl the blood she had just downed from a blood bag, only to be greeted by the worlds most judgemental look and some stupid theory about being sired.

Sired.

That's exactly what is it was, anyway. A stupid theory.

She stared at the clock next to Damon's bed, blushing as she remembered hitting it to the floor in a sudden moment of blurred passion last night. Damon must have picked it up this morning, and she rolled her eyes at the thought. Always the perfect homemaker.

It read 8:32. So where was Damon? Much to everyone's surprised he had skipped out with Stefan around lunch time, sending a chill down her spine as he whispered to her he would be back later tonight. He had planted a soft kiss on her cheek and she watched him walk out with his brother, not sure what was wrong, but knowing that something sure was.

Was this what was wrong?

Did Damon think she was sired?

She laughed to herself at the thought as she flopped down onto his now familiar bed to wait for him. God, Damon would never believe that -he would laugh at the very mention of it. If anyone knew how real this was between them, it was Damon Salvatore.

She was alone, and she rolled over onto her stomach and found herself breathing in his scent that was entrapped within his pillows, not caring that it was probably the strangest thing she could be doing right now. She was furious with Caroline and as always, Damon calmed her. He sent rational thoughts back into her ever whirring brain. He made her believe that it was going to alright and when it completely wasn't, he wiped away her tears and soothed the burning in her soul by giving her a part of his own.

No, she wasn't sired.

She was just in love.

She thought of him holding her as she slept, his flushed skin against hers, feeling him trail light kisses down her neck as he lightly traced the curves of her body with his finger. She should have told him, then, that she loved him. Hell, she should have told him months ago.

And now? What if there was doubt creeping into his mind?, she pondered, as it now crept into hers. She watched the time tick closer to 9am, and longed for him more than she ever had. More than ever, she ached to hold his face, to tell him that it was so damn real for her.

Even more, she needed him to tell her it was Stefan and Caroline being paranoid, and she needed to see the corner of his mouth turn up in a smirk as he mocked them, sweeping her up into his arms and whispering that he knew it was real.

She was awoken harshly from her train of thought as she heard Damon's raised voice in the hall, and she jumped up suddenly, straining her ears to hear the conversation that was occurring downstairs.

She knew it was Stefan with him, that was a no brainer, but her heart ached as Damon's angry undertones rang through the house.

'.. the truth that is right in front of you, Damon! What did we spend today doing?" Stefan yelled, causing rage to bubble within Elena once again.

"I think you spent it trying to ruin my shot at happiness brother" Damon spat back. Elena's heart sunk and she sat back down onto the bed, willing herself not to hear any more.

The truth that is right in front of you

The words haunted her, gouging pieces of her soul slowly. If Damon was laughing it off as ridiculous, why did he seem so angry about it? the thought destroyed her until she heard the front door slam and Damon thundering up the stairs to her in his black boots.

She rounded on him before he could even enter the room, not surprising him in the slightest by her presence.

'What's going on Damon?" her voice was colder than she intended it to be, but she needed to know the truth. If there was one person in the whole world that would tell her the truth it was going to be Damon Salvatore.

Devastation shone through his crystal eyes and he swept past her quickly, not daring to look at her.

He stood over the other side his bed and stared at the floor for a moment before gazing upwards slightly, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

Elena had had enough of the silent treatment. She flew over to him, and grabbed his hands, pinning him against the wall furthest from the door so he couldn't quickly escape from her grip.

She determinedly stared into his eyes and wondered why he didn't fight back. All she wanted was for him to fight back, but it was like all the fight had left him. She saw a sigh leave his body and her expression softened.

"Damon, whats wrong?" she asked sincerely, staring at him now, forcing him to look at her.

There was only one thing that could upset him this much and she was determined to squash it out of him.

"It's the sire thing, isn't it?" she stared at him quizzically, before looking away. His beautiful face breaking apart was just too much for her to handle right now and she felt his weight increase against her as she grabbed his hands and squeezed them tightly.

"Baby, it's not true" she said gently, forcing a smile to form on her lips, as if she thought the very notion of it was ridiculous. He had to know this. She needed him to know this.

"Damon, this is real for us. You know that. You KNOW that" she begged him, slowly letting go of the pressure she had been forcing against him.

As her words, his eyes snapped into focus and he stood up straight, so close that Elena could feel the warmth of his body against hers. The warmth she so badly craved.

'It is true" he said softly. "I know it, because I have seen it before". he mused, and doubt clouded his vision of her as she saw herself reflected in his crystal orbs.

"You believe that this is just a sire bond, Damon? HONESTLY" she spat at him, trying and struggling not to let her emotions cloud her judgement. "Even after two years? Even after last night?" she could feel a fire blazing up inside her.

"Especially after last night Elena" he murmured, chancing a quick glance at her.

And just like that, her fire went out, a despair clouding over her heart. Of course, Damon Salvatore didn't think he deserved to be chosen, so as soon as there was some doubt to why he would be, any confidence he had was lost.

"Damon, please." she started, knowing it would be no use. "After everything, you can't believe that I am sired to you. Please, you can't" she stood her ground but her voice broke under his gaze.

He looked away from her, as if searching for something, for anything that would help him not fall apart and she say his eyes light up with rage for the first time since he had arrived home.

'Why could you drink from a blood bag as soon as i said you could? Why did you kill Conor when I told you to? Why do you like the red dress, Elena? WHY?" he was desperate now, his eyes pleading with her. He was beyond lost now, but she could see him and she grabbed his hands and pulled him into a tight embrace, feeling him struggle against her. She held him until he gave in to her and she inhaled his sweet scent, feeling tears pool in her eyes as he buried his face in her hair.

'Shhh' she placated him softly, pulling him down onto the bed and on to her lap. He lay with his head in her lap as she played with his dark hair, gently moving it away from his face. He closed his eyes gently, as if the only thing that mattered to him in the world was her touching him. Elena didn't know how long they sat like this, silently contemplating what lay ahead for them. Elena placed a chaste kiss on his forehead as she wiped away the one tear that had fallen down his face, silently placing kissing on his eyelids, as if that would erase the pain of doubting whether the girl he loved really - finally - loved him.

"I'll sleep in one of the guest bedrooms tonight, Lena. I don't think it's a good idea if we stay together" he said, finally pulling away from her gently. She knew that he wasn't trying to hurt her, but she had hurt him. Of course she had never intended to, but there was a certain pain associated with getting everything you wanted and having it ripped away from you within the same twenty four hours.

As Damon regained a small piece of composure and walked away from her out the doorway, he turned around and stared at her where she sat on the edge of his bed. To think just last night he had held her in his arms and prayed that he would hold her forever.

"I had you.." he said, shaking his head.

Elena smiled sadly at him, and gave him a little nod.

"You still do"

Elena Gilbert stared out into the empty room once Damon had left her there, willing herself not to fall apart as she touched the sheets where just fourteen hours ago, they layer happily. She didn't know what was happening to her. Overnight she had become consumed by feeling his touch, by simply seeing him smile, and she didn't know if she was sired or not, but Damon believed it, for now, so she didn't beg him to stay with her.

She knew it was deeper than that, and that it would have to be fixed for the two of them to be together, for Damon to be able to look into her eyes and believe her when she whispers that she loves him with all her heart.

In fact, the only thing she knew for sure as she drifted off into an uneasy sleep was that she was going to prove to Damon Salvatore she loved him if it killed her.

Hope you enjoyed this. I am elenasfire on Tumblr if you want to discuss this story or anything else TVD or DE related :)

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