AN: This just poured out of my head today because I was trying to write the events that lead up to and scene I had in my head. Funny enough, the scene that inspired this ended up being edited out! LOL! Enjoy and R&R please :)

Need you now

Elena had spent most of the night pacing backwards and forwards on the grounds surrounding the boarding house trying to find a loophole in Damon's orders to keep away. She wasn't discreet so she knew he knew she was there and that infuriated her even more.

Desperate for him, Elena had thought that a straight forward booty call would have bent Damon's dogged determination to keep his hands to himself. However when she called last night Damon sighed at her suggestion and tiredly told her to follow his orders before hanging up. Without even thinking Elena had sped to the boarding house only to find herself unable to come any closer than 100 meters to the door – hence the furious pacing.

Exasperated by the whole situation, Elena had shouted obscenities at Damon, at the house and into the night at anyone that would hear her. Surprise, surprise the front door finally opened to reveal an angered vampire – the wrong vampire. Stefan's expression was thunderous as he leaned against the door frame with his arm crossed – whether to hold himself together or to keep the anger at bay Elena didn't know.

"Where is he?" – Elena bellowed at Stefan. The tear streak on her face making for one hell of a pitiful sight.

"He is indisposed at the moment." – Stefan bit out.

"Oh, don't be an ass Stefan!"- she quipped back.

Stefan sped to tower over her.

"Oh, I think we know full well who is making an ass off herself here." – he answered with venom.

"This is all your doing isn't it?" – she started hitting her little fists against her ex's chest as she screamed – "Isn't it?"

Stefan looked at her with disdain, holding her wrists in his hands as if she was a spoiled little child.

"I am just trying to protect you Elena." - he answered with contempt- "You are like a bitch in heat and you are not thinking straight because of this fucking sire bond."

Inside the house Damon's hands tightened into fists. What the hell was his brother playing at? There was no need to be crass after all. Taking calming breaths, Damon tried to convince himself that Elena could hold her own – she did not disappoint.

A derisive laughter filled the night air as Elena yanked herself free from Stefan's hold.

"You don't get it do you?" – Elena hissed –"You pathetic, love sick boy."

"Elena… you are not…" – Stefan pleaded.

"No Stefan." – she screeched – "Enough. I'm going to speak and you are going to listen." – she stabbed an offending finger at his chest –"Because this is my mess and I am setting this record straight right fucking now."

Stefan didn't dare to say another word after that and just motioned for her to take the floor.

"Damon, get your ass out here this very minute." – Elena bellowed without moving her furious eyes from Stefan's.

Damon rolled his eyes. Great, even the teenager outside knew how wiped he was. True to form he walked outside to stand by his brother's side. Stefan raised an eyebrow but Damon just shook his head dismissively.

"Glad you could join us."- Elena quipped but the sarcasm didn't quite cover the longing in her voice.

Damon gave her a tight smile and dug his hands in his pocket for something to do.

"First of all." – Elena started fuming as she pointed in their direction –"Neither you nor you get to decide what I do, who I love and who I fuck, understood?" – Stefan visibly flinched whilst Damon tried to control his twitching mouth –"Glad we got that cleared."- she said acidly.

"Second of all." – she said tiredly and turned to face the younger brother –"Yes, what we had was sweet and it was epic. But it was also tragic and exhausting and whether you can accept it or not Stefan… The fact remains that circumstances, events and your own choices have sucked the romance right out of what we had."

Stefan hung his head low as his shoulders fell in defeat.

"So yes, I have loved you. I have loved you like a loyal, blind, love sick puppy. I chased you through hell to try to rescue you didn't I?" – her pleading watery eyes met Stefan's and he nodded –"I did everything I could do for you! To make you happy! I lied to myself, I denied what I felt for your brother, ignored how you terrorized me and I even chose to come to you when I though he was dying because I owed you this much for saving my life." – she whispered brokenly.

Damon's eyebrows rose at the confession and Stefan just looked bewildered as Elena squared her shoulders.

"But understand this Stefan." – Elena reached for his cheek –"Just because I loved you it didn't mean I didn't love him." – Elena spared a sideways glance towards Damon as Stefan moved away from under her touch as if it stung.

"These feelings, my feelings for Damon, are not new Stefan." – she begged him to understand –"They are not the result of the sire bond. They have been here for a while and they are real."

It was all that Damon could do not to run to her and kiss her stupid as elation caught like wild fire in his chest.

"When?" – Stefan croaked.

"When it started?" – Elena shook her head despondently -"When you first lied to me? Georgia? At the Miss Mystic Fall's dance? Who knows? Maybe it even happened before you rescued me Stefan when I met him for the first time."

"And us?"- Stefan whispered - "Was it all a lie Elena?"

"No Stefan… I loved you, I really did… And I fought not to let my love for him grow even before I knew of it…"- she pleaded -"The lying only started when I realized he was the one I couldn't lose." – she replied letting her head hang ashamed.

Elena looked up with a pained expression.

"I wasn't happy when you left in exchange for the werewolf bite cure Stefan. I really wasn't. But the feeling of loosing you was nothing to the horror of having Damon die on me…That's when I knew."

"How could you?"- Stefan growled at her and took a menacing step forward. Damon placed a strategic hand on his shoulder and Stefan halted –"All those times you swore you loved me…Only me"

"Would you have accepted the truth then any better than you are accepting it now?" – Elena challenged –"Or would you have found just the excuse you needed to plummet head first into full ripper mode?" - she pushed the challenge all the way -"I did this for you Stefan, can't you see?

"You... you made love to me Elena…" – Stefan replied affronted.

"Did I now?"- Elena replied sadly –"No Stefan. I was in bed with you but my heart and mind where with him every single time. Don't you see?" – she asked exasperated.

"It can't be…"- Stefan begged weakly.

"But it is…and you would never have had to know the truth if you didn't force my hand to breaking point." – Elena said bitterly –"All your meddling, all your "let's make Elena human again", it's all for naught!" – her voice raised a little –"Yes I am sired, and normally that would suck, but luckily I am sired to the man I love!"- Elena threw a loving glance towards a positively glowing Damon – "And because he loves me back, what he wants is what I want and it goes both ways." – she said with determination- "That was, until you guilt tripped him out of being with me." – she screamed loosing her composure.

Damon felt Stefan tense underneath his hand but didn't act quickly enough. Stefan's hand flew up and smacked Elena violently across the face.

"Bitch!" – he growled and disappeared into the night before Elena and Damon could react.

Damon bent down to check on her.

"Well, that wen't well." – he said sarcastically as he watched the bloody gash Stefan's ring had opened on Elena's cheek.

Elena tried to chuckle but winced with pain raising a hand to cover the wound.

"Does this means you are raising the ban on all things Damon?"- she asked hopefully as she covered his hand with hers.

Damon gave her one his signature smirks.

"Perhaps?"

"Damon…"

"Elena…" – he mimicked as he scooped her up and took her inside for the reunion they both longed for.

AN: Hope you liked it :)