A/N: Hi! This is my first fanfic so... Yeah. This story starts off in the season 2 and 3 of TVD when Stefan sacrificed himself for Damon's life. Just to let you know, I'm half shipping Delena and half Stelena.

This whole story is dedicated to Stalker Evrdeen. (: *Mimicks Damon* Hello, brother. Heehee

Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD.


Elena stepped into the Salvatore boarding house.

"Damon?" There was no reply. She sighed. Where had Damon gone to? She had a new lead on Klaus' victim, this time in Maine. Hopefully he didn't go looking for Stefan again without her.

She sighed and headed to Damon's room, hoping he was sleeping.

As Elena entered the room, the smell of alcohol hit her nose along with the smell of Damon.

Damon had been drinking again.

She wrinkled her nose at the strong smell of alcohol. But thankfully, Damon wasn't too drunk to smash his room to pieces. His room was neat and tidy, everything in place. But nope, no Damon to be found.

Elena headed back down to the living room. Taking out her phone, she dialled Damon's number, hoping that he'd pick it up and hurry back.

The phone ringed for a while and it went to voicemail. "Hey Damon, it's Elena. Come back to your house as soon as possible. I'll be waiting impatiently for you."

Deciding not to waste her trip back to her house and promising Damon he'd find her at the boarding house, she got up and turned the radio on, hoping for some news of another murder that consisted of a victim that died from the loss of blood.

Hoping was the wrong word, Elena thought. She did feel sad for the people who died but she couldn't deny it. She was hoping that there was another case.

Elena lay down on the couch, listening to the radio and reading through Stefan's diaries when he was struggling with blood in the past century. She sang along to the songs she knew and kept checking her phone for any messages.

After she finished reading one diary, she put it back and took out the next one from Stefan's bookshelf.

"Dear Diary, it's been a tough week," Elena read. "Lexi's plan is helping me and I've been able to keep down animal blood. It's a good thing I have her as a good friend for getting over this obstacle. It's tough but... I'm sure I will be able to make it..."

"Boo."

Elena yelped. "Damon! How could you do that? Please behave yourself!" Elena scolded. Damon smirked and said, "So what's the urgency? New lead? And turn off that radio please, I swear that Taylor Swift will kill my head one day."

"Hey! Don't insult her! And I think she's right. I knew you were trouble when you walked in," Elena jumped in Taylor's defense while taking out the piece of paper Sheriff Forbes had passed to her a few hours before.

"So shame on you now," he finished off for her. He snatched the paper out of Elena's hands. "Maine? Hmm."

Damon frowned and stared blankly at her while Elena crossed her arms and stared back at him with a questioning look. After a few minutes of - what seemed to Elena - awkward staring, she broke the silence. "So?"

Damon broke out of his trance and smirked, "So nothing."

"So after all these times I've passed you these few leads on Klaus, nothing?" Elena asked, annoyed. When Damon didn't answer, she practically screamed, "Have you been tracking him down and crossing the country without me?!"

Damon put his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm Elena down before she could start screaming and cause his ears to pop. Elena did calm down, but her breathing sped up.

"Elena, it wouldn't be safe if I brought you along. You'll only be an obstacle. You aren't a vampire, and you are a human," he stated the obvious and took his hands off her and paced the room, acting like he was some detective making analysis. "So that makes you a bait and if you get kidnapped by Klaus, there's gonna be trouble for me." And with that, he turned away and walked back up to his room, leaving Elena standing alone and listening to Taylor Swift singing "Trouble, trouble, trouble." Damon was indeed trouble. Turning off the radio, Elena huffed and left, remembering to slam the door on her way out.


Damon opened his closet and took a thumbtack, marking Maine. He took a step back and took a good look at the USA map. It was dotted with thumbtacks. Damon frowned. After 2 months of Stefan's disappearance, barely a handful of vampire attacks had made it to the papers. That made analysis of the attack difficult to define if it was Stefan, so Damon had to go down to the crime scene and investigate it himself.

Unfortunately, Elena was quite sticky. She pestered him for any information and signs if Stefan was still alive. Elena was obviously worried about Stefan, and so was Damon. But Damon didn't let it show too much, wanting to be Elena's support of pillar when Stefan wasn't around.

He wanted to be strong. Just for his princess of darkness. He loved her; he did. But he wasn't hers to take, after what his brother had done for him. He owed his brother his life. Now he didn't even know whether Stefan was suffering or gone.

The thought of never ever being able to repay his one and only brother back or even getting a chance of saying a simple word of gratitude broke him into pieces.

Damon picked up a bottle of whiskey that he didn't finish the night before and drained it. He needed distraction.


Elena pulled up at her driveway just to find Caroline's car parked in front.

"Ric? Caroline?" Elena shouted as she stepped into her home. She could hear laughter in the kitchen.

"Surprise, Elena! We're having a sleepover!" Bonnie giggled. Elena broke into a smile and hugged her. "And we're making pizza for dinner. Want to join us?" Caroline smiled.

"Yeah, of course!" Elena walked over to the sink to wash her hands. "So... What's the sudden idea of throwing a sleepover?"

"Elena, you know we're worried about you..." Caroline started but Elena interrupted, "Uh-uh. None of that talk please."

"We just want to take your mind off for a day or two. You know, scientific explanations show that stress and worry can cause aging!" Caroline gasped and gave a shocked expression. "That means you'll have wrinkles in 15 years' time! Oh no! You wouldn't want that, would you, Elena?"

Elena and Bonnie giggled and didn't answer Caroline. "Where's Alaric, by the way?"

"Oh, he said he was going out to buy groceries just after we arrived," Bonnie answered.

Elena nodded and decided just to have good girls' time with her two best friends.


Elena's phone rang again and again.

"Oh my goodness, who is that so early in the morning?!" Caroline whined, pulling the blanket over her head, causing Bonnie to suffocate along with her.

"Ugh. Damon?" Elena picked up the phone. "Why the hell are you calling me so early?!"

"Elena... Stefan... he... He's not coming back," Damon sobbed through the phone.

Elena stood there in shock. Was Stefan dead? Or is he still alive? No, it couldn't be.

"Oh my... No! How did you get this information? Did Klaus tell you or what?"

"No, I went to track Klaus at Maine and I spotted Stefan with him. Stefan pulled me aside and forced me to give him my word that I'll never think about him ever again. But when I reminded him of you, Elena..." Damon trailed off, blowing his nose.

"What? What did he say?" Elena panicked. By this time, Bonnie and Caroline were sitting up in Elena's bed, listening intently to the conversation. So Stefan was still alive. That was one relief. But what did Stefan say?

"Stefan... He... I'm so sorry, Elena... He said he doesn't...want... to see you... anymore."


A/N: Alrightie. That's the end of this chapter. I know it's nothing much, but there's more than this. (:

This chapter's song inspiration (and song used): I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift (Go watch the MV!:D)

Please review! *Throws popcorns to audience*