It's Always Been Your Choice, a vampire diaries fanfic

A/N: I know it's been forever and I am so sorry. Please accept this one-shot as an apology present. School is over (I graduated, finally) so I will be resuming DNFSG. This takes place at the beginning of season 4. I changed a few things around. Stelena all the way.

She tossed and turned in her sleep, the sheets rustling with the sounds of her restlessness. Damon impatiently taped his foot as he sat on her windowsill. Stefan paced back and forth in front of Elena's bed, his shoulders knotted with tension. They had brought her home from the hospital less than an hour ago. She had fallen asleep in the car before they reached her home and Stefan had carried her up to her room.

Damon ran his fingers through his hair before letting out a frustrated breath. "She's gotta wake up soon! Damn it! She needs to feed or she'll die." His tone was full of anger, but his eyes were filled with fear.

Stefan shot Damon a look. "You think I don't know that, Damon? You think I don't know that if Elena wakes up and decides she doesn't want to feed that she will die? I know. And all I want is for her to choose differently. But, I know she won't. I know Elena. She never wanted this life." His voice broke and he stopped pacing. "As much as I want forever…" He couldn't finish the sentence. It was too painful to think about.

Damon buried his face in his hands. He needed Elena to wake up, but he was scared. Scared she would wake up and choose Stefan. That was Damon's biggest fear. Deep down he knew that when Elena woke up, the odds would not be in her favor. In Damon's idea scenario, Elena would wake up, take a big swig of human blood, and declare her undying love for Damon. He peaked out between his fingers, gaze falling on Stefan. As his eyes landed on his brother's face, Damon's fantasy came crashing down. Elena may have been Damon's obsession, but she was Stefan's world. And, as much as Damon hated to admit it, Stefan was Elena's world too. It was blatantly obvious to everyone around them, except for Damon. He may have managed to convince himself that Elena leaning on him while Stefan was away translated to her having true feelings for him, but he realized now, as he sat in her room, that her feelings for him would never measure up to those she had for Stefan.

He glanced around her room, trying desperately to distract himself, but what he saw only added to his growing despair. Not only did the room contain numerous pictures and trinkets documenting his brother's relationship with Elena, but it also smelled like Stefan. Stefan was in every nook and cranny of Elena's life.

The sound of Elena's voice jolted Damon out of his musings. He stood, speeding over to her bedside. Stefan was already there, bending lower to catch her mumblings, despite his enhanced hearing. She spoke again, louder this time. "Stefan." Damon felt his heart shatter. He took a slight step back even as Stefan moved closer. "Stefan?" She repeated. He retreated back to his previous position on the window seat. "Stefan, where are you? Stefan, I'm scared." Her voice rose. Stefan reached a hand out, attempting to soothe here. "Stefan!" Her body twisted. "Stefan, WHERE ARE YOU."

Stefan grabbed her shoulder, gently shaking her. "I'm right here, 'Lena." Her body stilled, she turned towards Stefan. Damon didn't think he could feel worse than he already did, but he was wrong. Her reaction was like a stake through his undead, broken heart. His brother's nickname for her didn't help either. Every time Stefan called her 'Lena, it was another reminder of the depth of their relationship. A relationship Damon would never have with her. "Right here, 'Lena. Open your eyes." Stefan's voice was soft, his words gentle. "Elena, it's okay. I'm right here. Wake up. Please." He was pleading at the end, his voice desperate.

Elena opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, her brown eyes zeroing on Stefan's green ones. "Stefan?" She reached for his face. Stefan caught her hand, slowly bringing her palm to his lips. He kissed her hand and each of her fingers softly. "You're here." She sighed.

"I'd never be anywhere else." He laced his fingers with hers and stroked her cheek with his other hand. "How are you feeling?" He asked, brow furrowing.

She rubbed her head, attempting to sit up. "Like I was in a car that drove off a bridge." They chuckled as Stefan helped her sit up against the headboard. "And I'm really thirsty. Is that part of the transition?" She looked up at Stefan inquisitorially.

Stefan opened his mouth, but Damon interrupted him before he could speak. "Yes, you either feed, or you die. Your choice." He smiled tightly at her. "Just like always." He muttered.

Elena looked back to Stefan. "What are my options?"

Damon laughed. "Don't you get it? Those are your only choices. Feed and complete your transition, or die."

Stefan glared at Damon. "Bonnie's been working on a way to stop this, but so far she hasn't been successful." Elena scooted over in her bed, silently indicated that she wanted Stefan to join her. He sat down next to her, taking both of her hands into his. "I'm not giving up just yet. I know you never wanted this." She nodded, taciturn as she mulled over her situation.

She looked up, gaze traveling from Stefan's face to Damon's before moving back to Stefan. "What do you think I should do?" She asked.

Damon stood, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Does it matter what we think, Elena? In the end, you always do exactly what you want. But, if you really wanna know, I think you should just except the fact that you're never going to be human again and drink the damn blood. Stefan," he nodded towards his brother, "is still holding onto some deluded hope that he can fix this for you. Classic Stefan, always the hero. But, we all know that's not possible. So quit being delusional and do the smart thing, for once." He huffed at the end of his speech.

Elena turned her head to Stefan. "There really is no other option is there? Drink or die." Stefan couldn't meet her gaze, too ashamed to admit that he couldn't give her what she so desperately wanted. What she needed. "You want me to drink the blood, don't you?" She murmured. Stefan's gaze lifted to meet hers. He said nothing. "In my dream, I was looking for you, but I couldn't find you. I kept running and running but you were never there. Everything was tinged red and I was so hungry. I thought I saw you, but when I went after you, I hit a wall. I was so scared I would never get to see you again. Never get to tell you how much I love you."

"I love you too." He whispered.

A tear dripped from the corner of her eye at his words. "I could hear you and Damon arguing at some point. I…" Stefan held his breath. "When I heard you say that you wanted me to feed, but knew I wouldn't, I was so mad at you."

"Why?" Both Stefan and Damon asked. They exchanged confused glances, before both returned their focus to Elena.

Another tear dripped down her face, she brushed it away angrily. "How could you think I was so against being a vampire that I would chose to die instead? How could you think you matter so little?" It was like Damon wasn't even in the room at this point. He felt like an intruder in the conversation, but that had never stopped him before.

"Because you told me, remember? That day I took you up to the top of the waterfall. You never wanted this." Stefan was fighting tears now.

"That was before I knew what it was like to be without you Stefan. And I know, if I died I wouldn't be living without you, but I don't want to give up anytime with you. If that means an eternity as a vampire, then I'll take it, as long as it's an eternity with you." Her tears fell freely now.

Stefan was crying now too. "I love you so much." He crushed her to him. "So so so much." He whispered, pressing kisses to her hair.

Elena clung to Stefan, crying into his shoulder. "Don't ever make me live without you again. I won't survive, immortal or not."

Damon turned towards the door. He had not desire to witness anymore of Elena's and his brother's reunion. His dream was over. Crushed by the love that was Stefan and Elena's. He shut the door behind him, exhaling slowing as acceptance washed over him. He turned, speeding into the kitchen where Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy, and Matt were gathered. "She's going to drink." He said. Caroline nodded. She had heard. Everyone else remained silent, unsure of how to respond. Elena not dying was definitely a good thing, on the other hand, Elena as a vampire wasn't exactly what they wanted either.

Damon crossed the kitchen to the fridge. He pulled a blood bag from the freezer. Caroline wordlessly handed him a mug. He pulled the spout out of the bag, pouring the contents into the mug. He tossed the empty bag into the trash as he left the kitchen. He took the stairs to Elena's room slowly, mourning the loss of the girl he had never really had. He set the mug on the landing before Elena's door. "It's here." He murmured, knowing Stefan would hear. Damon spun, speeding down the stairs and out the door. He heard Elena's door open and Stefan pick up the mug as Damon sped away from the house. The next time he saw Elena she would be a vampire. She would be alive, sort of. And she would be one hundred percent Stefan's.