I didn't have long. I knew that. Klaus would here, and I'd be dead. I knew it was inevitable. I knew there was a lot of things I had to set straight first. I was working on those. I showed up at the boarding house, walking in, and into the parlor. Damon stood in front of the fireplace, glass of scotch in hand, of course. He never turned around.

"Hello Elena." He said. I smiled.

"Hi Damon."

"Stefan's not here right now." He said.

"Really? Where is he?" I asked.

"Out hunting down Isobel. He wants to know why she's here. I told him he could handle that one. Isobel hates me… and he's a bit more… mellow with our enemies." He said, chugging the rest of his drink. I rolled my eyes.

"Your not mellow with anyone though. It's not just our enemies." I said.

"Touché." He said, filling up his glass again. I dropped my bag and walked over to the couch and sat down. He came and sat down next to me, putting an arm around my shoulder.

"So my martyr friend, how are you doing? You know, with an original vamp after you, your dead, vampire mother coming back into town, and with your doppelganger running around?" He asked.

"Har har." I muttered, looking up to meet his dark gaze. He gave me that grin, the one that would make any woman's heart skip a beat.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked. I hesitated, and looked down at my hands.

"Sure."

"Would you really give yourself up to Klaus if it kept us all safe?" He asked. I looked up and met his gaze.

"Tell me something, if there was a way you could save me, if it meant dying for me, would you do it?" I asked. He met my eyes for a second, and narrowed his eyes at me, that small wrinkle forming in the middle of his forehead.

"In a heartbeat." He said, voice firm. "That still didn't answer my question."

"You already did." I said, getting up, and walking around the parlor.

"Elena, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. We're going to stop this." He said. I just nodded, knowing he had no idea what he was going up against. I didn't either, but I could feel in my bones, it was bad.

"I have a lot of things to set straight before it happens though." I said, the words barely audible. I knew with his vampire hearing, he heard perfectly.

"Like what?" He asked, hesitantly.

"Like things with a lot of people. Like Jenna, and Jeremy, all the people I care about. I want them all to know how much I love them, care about them before I can't tell them anymore." I said, looking down at my feet. I didn't have to look up to know he wasn't sitting on the couch anymore. I turned around to find him right behind me.

"What?" I asked.

"Your opportunity to set us straight, is now." He said. I met his gaze, and shook my head. I tried to walk around him, not wanting to do this now. He grabbed my wrist gently, and pulled me to look at him. "Please."

"I care about you Damon. I want to protect you. You're the one I'm most worried about, because I know you'll do anything, and everything to keep me safe." I whispered. His gaze softened, as he stared deep into my eyes.

"I don't want to lose you. You… you understand me, like no one else ever actually has. It scares me." He said. I'd never heard Damon really open up like this. It was scary, but I loved it though. It proved to me he did feel. He still had his humanity.

"I only understand you that way, because I don't give up on you. Everyone else gives up to easily. You push everyone away, but I never let you do that with me. I wont ever." I whispered.

"I don't understand why you bother." He said.

"I bother because I love you." The words came out in a rush, but I was positive he heard them. He sat there, silent for a second.

"You… you love me?" He asked, the words coming out in a whisper.

"I do. I love you."

"But Stefan-" I cut him off with a shake of my head.

"I love Stefan too. I know this is exactly how things happened with Katherine, but… I love the both of you. I can't deny that." I said.

"I can't believe it's took you this long to figure this out."

"What?"

"I've known it, seen it all along, the way you looked at me, cared for me, but you would never admit it to yourself."

"I loved Stefan to much to hurt him that way. I know what finding out about Katherine did to him." I said.

"Do you understand what finding out Katherine was in love with my brother did to me? Do you know what finding out…-" He stopped.

"What?"

"When I thought you were the one that kissed me, when you told me that it was Stefan, and only Stefan, do you have any idea what that did to me?" He demanded, pulling me closer to him.

"Damon-"

"Stefan was all you were concerned about for the longest time. Never once did you think about what everything with Katherine did to me, what all of this going on with you did to me." He said.

"That's a lie. Damon, I've always cared about you. I know it was hard on you."

"NO. Having two women who I was dearly in love with tell me that they both wanted my brother over me? You have no idea how hard that was." He said. He took a step towards me, causing me to take a step back, putting my back against the wall.

"Damon… I'm sorry." He shook his head.

"No.. your not. Neither of you were." He said, voice filled with pain. I could see it in his eyes.

"I am. I promise-" I was cut off by Damon moving closer, our lips almost touching. He was so close. I could practically taste his lips.

"I've never been one for forgiveness. This time… I'll make an exception." He smiled that smile of his, and leaned forward, pressing his mouth to mine. I was hesitant at first, but I gave up. Who was I kidding, I really did love Damon. Possibly loved him even more than I loved Stefan. None of that mattered now. All that mattered was that Damon knew. When he pulled away, he laid his forehead against mine.

"I love you Elena Gilbert."

"I love you too Damon." I whispered. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around him, laying my head against his chest. What a mess I'd just made.