This story takes place on Thanksgiving Day, after the events of Episode 4x06 - We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes…

Elena approached the cemetery slowly , lost in thought. So lost in thought that she almost didn't see Damon there.

He was sitting, bottle in hand. She thought he must have been lost in thought himself, he didn't seem to notice her. She started to wonder about what she should do, but he soon spoke, interrupting her thoughts.

"It's Thanksgiving, Elena. Shouldn't you be with family?"

"Are you drunk?" she asked. Damon may have been the cause of her breakup with Stefan, but that didn't mean she wanted to spend any time with him if he was drunk.

"No," he said, and held up the bottle. She could see that it looked full. "Barely a swig."

She nodded and went to sit by him. She wasn't sure if Stefan had said anything to him about their breakup, and she wasn't sure exactly how to approach Damon about it anyway. But she decided she could sit by him, just like he sat with her right after he had saved her. She had been comfortable being with him then, this should be no different.

"I could ask the same of you." Elena said. "Why aren't you with your family? With Stefan?"

Damon snorted. "I wanted to be with family on my first Thanksgiving after becoming a vampire, but everyone was dead except for Stefan, and he was off being a Ripper douche."

Elena nodded as he took a swig from the bottle and added, "So I started a new tradition."

"But you, Elena," Damon said a few seconds later, when she hadn't replied. "You have a brother. You should be with him."

She shook her head a little and looked away. "I offered to make a dinner for him. He said it would be a waste to cook a whole turkey for just him. He's with Matt and April, she's making dinner for them."

"A survivor's reunion." Damon said. He started to move the bottle towards his lips, but when he saw Elena's expression, he put it down instead. "But surely Stefan would take you out to catch and drain a bird of some kind."

Elena looked at the grave in front of them. It was Alaric's. "Stefan and I aren't really…" She let herself trail off. She didn't really want to finish that statement, though she decided that Stefan had probably not said anything to Damon yet.

"Not in the best place now." Damon seemed to finish for her. "I'd offer to take you to hunt, but you probably don't want a human, and you still can't drink turkey blood."

Elena shook her head and finally turned her eyes to meet his. "What am I going to do, Damon? Holidays have always been about family for me. Now even Jeremy doesn't want to be with me.""

"That's not true," Damon said quickly, taking her hand. "He may not want to watch you feed, he may want to eat with other friends; but I'd bet he'd do something with you to celebrate the holiday."

Elena let a breath out and turned to face forward again, though she held onto his hand. "Like what? He's a hunter now, and I'm what he hunts."

"You know he would never hurt you, Elena, any more than you would hurt him."

She shook her head and looked a little sick. "I shoved a knife into his throat," she said. "Who knows what either of us could do to the other."

Damon put a finger from his free hand to her lips briefly. "We fixed that. You're yourself again."

Elena's talk with Stefan came back to her mind. "I don't know who I am, Damon," she whispered. "I'm changing. I don't know what I'm becoming."

"You're becoming a vampire. You're doing what you have to do."

She nodded and let herself lean against him. "I'm trying to stay who I was and still do this. It's so hard."

He pulled her into his chest, into a hug. She didn't resist – this was what she wanted and what she needed just then.

"Just let it come, Elena," Damon whispered. "You'll stay true to yourself."

Elena cringed as a memory came to her. "I almost killed Matt."

"I stopped you. I'll always stop you, before you do anything you would really regret."

She nodded again. "I know, you will - if you're there with me."

"I'll always be there – or at least I'll be there every time you let me."

"I know, Damon." Elena whispered. "I know."

She realized then that that she was feeling comforted in his arms. She was finally past Stefan and his lies, his judging everything she did, his expectations that she would be like him. She knew that Damon could be every bit as gentle and supportive of her as Stefan had ever been. She let herself relax as she felt his hands moving gently on her back, her neck and head.

Finally, when she was completely relaxed in his arms, he asked, "So why did you come here?"

Elena pulled away from the hug and shrugged. "Thanksgiving is about family. Jenna, Isobel, my parents. They're my family, and they're all here."

Damon nodded, but remained silent.

"I guess Rick's here for you." Elena added. "Aren't we pathetic?"

She was surprised at the sudden change in Damon's expression. He looked at her sharply, then stood. "Stefan has rubbed off on you, hasn't he?"

"Stefan?" Elena ask, confused.

"'Aren't we pathetic'?" He repeated, mockingly. "Martyr much?" He moved to stand in front of her and took both of her hands in his. "We're not pathetic, Elena. We're vampires. If you'll come with me, I'll show you what that means."

She looked into his intense eyes, recalling that when she had gone with him before, she had come to regret it. But she also realized that it was never what she had done that she regretted, it was her worry about what Stefan would say – what he did say. She didn't have to worry about that anymore.

"No one will get hurt?" she asked.

Damon was smirking now. "I'll stop you before you hurt someone, if you'll stop me before I do".

"Deal!" Elena said, rising, holding on to one of his hands as he started moving, feeling as good about her situation as she had in days.