Author's note: I'm ignoring at least one major plot point that has happened in the last two weeks. In this fic, Jeremy isn't dead. I'm going with Katherine bringing along some other poor human to use to feed Silas instead of sacrificing Jeremy.
Chapter 1
Damon watched as Elena sat close to Stefan smiling and talking, then placed her hand on his arm. When he had escaped from Vaughn and made his way back to the beach he had anticipated finding his girlfriend distraught over his disappearance, not cozying up to his brother. He shook his head as he continued toward them.
Stefan was the first to notice Damon's approach. "Damon! Where have you been?"
Elena jerked her hand away and stood up, running to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Are you okay?"
Damon closed his eyes to steady his emotions, leaving his hands by his sides. "I'm fine. Glad to see you weren't worrying yourself too much over me being missing."
Elena pulled away and stared at him. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing. Look, we have to find Bonnie and Jeremy or we have no chance to find the cure. And that's why we're all here in hell so let's get moving."
Elena looked at Stefan, who was watching his brother carefully. "Damon, what happened while you were gone?"
Damon looked at his brother. "A little torture, a little vervain, met another one of The Five who is after the cure to kill Silas. No big deal. I escaped and I'm here so let's get this done so we can get back to Mystic Falls."
Rebekah watched the interaction between Elena and the Salvatore brothers. As much as she hated what Damon had done to her in the past, she could see the hurt in him as he had watched the woman he loved cozied up to his brother all the while not knowing what had happened to him. He was working hard not to show that pain but it was something Rebekah recognized from experiences over her many centuries. 'What is happening to you,' she thought? 'Get a grip, Damon isn't someone to feel sorry for. He uses every advantage he can get to ensure he has the upper hand. You'd be well served to remember that silly girl.' She could hear her brother's clipped tone invade the last of her thoughts. She pushed her thoughts aside and joined the rest of the group as they planned their next steps.
One week later:
Elena walked into Damon's bedroom and sat on the edge of his bed, waiting for him to get out of the shower. Since they had returned from the island, there had been tension between them and she was determined to talk through it today.
He walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair wet. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her. "Hey," he said softly.
"Hey," she replied. "Can we spend some time together today? I feel like something is wrong but you won't talk to me about it."
Damon got dressed as Elena waited for him to say something. Finally he sat down next to her on the bed. "I've spent the last 3 years doing everything I can to make you safe and happy. You know how much I love you."
Elena nodded. "I know." She turned toward him and slid her arm through his. "And I love you."
Damon shook his head. "I want to believe that, Elena. But lately, I don't know. I don't even think the sire bond makes you love me like you love Stefan. Like I need you to love me."
Elena's eyes filled with tears. "What do you mean? I'm with you, Damon. I told Stefan that I'm not in love with him anymore and that I am in love with you."
"I know you did all of those things. But Elena, I saw you with him while you didn't know where I was. And I've seen you when Stefan or Bonnie or Jeremy or Caroline was missing. When any of them were missing you were tearing up all of Mystic Falls or Tennessee or Georgia trying to find them. I was missing and you were sitting on a log having a heart to heart conversation with my brother."
Elena stared down at her hands and realized that his words were true. That was exactly what she had done. What she didn't know was why. She knew she was in love Damon with all of her heart. She loved Stefan but was no longer in love with him. She looked back at Damon and saw tears in his eyes now too. "Damon, I love you. I don't know why I reacted like I did on that island but I know that I love you and I want to be with you. How can I prove it to you?"
"I don't know that you can. I don't think I spend the rest of my existence wondering if my brother is going to win your heart back and you'll leave. I need to be the only one and for you, I don't think I will ever be that."
"Are you breaking up with me?" Her tears began to stream down her cheeks.
He wiped her tears away and gently kissed her lips. "Yes, I am."
TBC
Love to hear your thoughts on the first chapter. It's hard for me to break up Delena but I want Damon to know he is "the one" and right now, there's no way he can feel that he is. Not yet anyway.
