A/N: Hello dear readers! Here is another one-shot for you all, another prompt fic. The prompt is at the bottom of the story because it basically gives away the plot :P (Also apologies for the lateness of this response fellow Fanficfighters! And I wrote this in half an hour so please don't judge it too harshly!)

'I'm sorry,' said Elena softly, 'But this just isn't working out. I think it's best for everybody if I ended this now rather than later.'

With this, the young woman turned from her now ex-lover, walking swiftly to the door. She looked back briefly before walking out, sadly noting that she had left a devastated Salvator brother in her wake. Unfortunately, she was aware that there was no way this could be avoided.

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Damon Salvatore was not in a good mood. It had been several weeks since he'd tasted fresh human blood, and what was worse, Elena didn't even seem to appreciate his sacrifice. Oh no, it was always about Stefan in her mind, and everything that he had done for her was accepted and then dismissed.

A part of him missed the days where he could live uncaring of others. The days when he and his brother were still estranged, fighting over a woman long gone from their lives. The days when he had turned off his humanity and given himself over to the bloodlust. The days when he never felt guilty for what he was, the things that he had done or the people he had killed.

The days before he had met Elena.

But on the other hand, meeting her had changed everything. It had made him realise that his supposed feelings for Katherine were false, a result of the compulsion she had laid on him. It had opened up his heart to be hurt again – but it had made him realise that his relationship with his brother was worth the pain of loving Elena.

Still, the thirst was driving him insane. Unlike his brother, he refused to stoop to drinking the inferior blood of animals – only the best for the elder Salvatore brother! But Stefan was in one of his Ripper stages, and there weren't any blood bags left in the house. And now the question – to go hunting, or to steal a bag from the hospital?

Well, he knew which one Elena would want – so there really wasn't a question, was there?

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Stefan Salvatore was not in a good mood. He had been searching for his brother all morning, but Damon was nowhere to be found. He had finished all the blood bags in their basement, and now there was nothing to distract him from the knowledge that Elena had broken up with him.

There was a time when it wouldn't have occurred to Stefan to go to his brother for support. It wasn't long ago that his brother would have laughed and taken a perverse pleasure in his pain. Ironic, that it was being in love with the same girl that had initially driven them apart – and now it was being in love with another girl bringing them together.

There was a time even longer ago than that, when Damon would have been the natural source of support for him. Growing up under the tyranny of Giuseppe Salvatore, his brother had always been there to defend him. Despite all the struggles and dramas that had occurred over the past few years, Stefan was grateful that it had at least resulted in a renewed sense of brotherhood between himself and Damon.

If nothing else remained of his relationship with Elena, at least there was that.

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Elena Gilbert was not in a good mood. She had been searching for Damon all morning, but the elder Salvator brother was nowhere to be found. She had finally made up her mind and broken it off with Stefan that morning; but with each passing hour unable to find his brother, her resolve was wavering.

The decision had been a difficult one to make, and Stefan's heartbroken expression that morning hadn't helped her resolve either. When they had first met, it had seemed like they had fit perfectly together. In spite of the fact that he was a vampire, despite all the crazy things that had happened in Mystic Falls since his arrival – she had believed that they were meant to be together forever. But that was before she had gotten to know Damon.

She felt the irony of the situation quite strongly. After all these years, wondering whether they only liked her because she was doppelganger to Katherine. All these years, determined to be nothing like the vampire that had torn the two brothers apart. And yet here she was, allowing history to repeat itself. So determined to have both of them that she refused to commit to just one. But no more – she had made her decision at last, and unlike Katherine, she was going to communicate it!

She heard the door open behind her at last, bringing with it a familiar scent, and relaxed infinitesimally. Damon had finally returned.

Sagging slightly in relief, she let loose the confession that she had been waiting so long to make.

"Damon... it was always you. And now I'm willing to admit it."

She turned to the door with a beatific smile, which was quick to disappear. Damon had heard her words and was looking back at her with relief and utter devotion in his eyes. But he wasn't alone.

Stefan stood beside him, looking even more devastated than he had that morning.

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Why, oh why, do I always have to hurt one of them?

AN: Thanks for reading! The prompt for this story was: "Character A is dumped by Character B and goes to Character C for support, unaware that Character A dumped them FOR Character C." This wasn't the first pairing to occur to me as a response, but it was the first non-crack-ficish idea that came into my mind!

Please leave your review, I love those things!

And feel free to write your own response to the prompt and send them to me!