Last 30 minutes of the Season 3 Finale

Damon enters Elena's house ready to lay everything out on the line. He wants to be with her so badly because he loves her more than anything but he cant do this to her anymore. He cant put her between himself and his brother. He is going to tell her he will respect her and accept whatever choice she makes whenever she makes it. In the meantime he wont force her to chose or make her feel like she has to. He hates seeing what it is doing to her. How both of them were hurting her. As he opened her front door he could hear voices. It was Stefan and Elena in her room. He stood quietly trying to listen to their conversation. Stefan could have heard the door turn knob but he did not react as if he did so Damon stood frozen so he would not be detected.

"Stefan you know I love you. I will always love you". Elena sighed.

"Then choose me Elena because I cant live without you." Stefan replied.

Elena was quiet for a moment and whispered "I cant live without you either Stefan".

Damon flew with inhuman speed up the stairs and into Elena's room. Elena jumped at the sight of him in her doorway. Stefan didn't flinch. He could hear him coming.

"Damon". Elena gasped. "You scared me."

Damon smirked at Stefan. "So you cant live without Stefan huh"?

Elena began to walk towards Damon. "Let me explain please. You walked in on a conversation that was already in progress. You don't know what you heard".

Damon smiled. "I heard enough Elena. I came here to let you go. I wont do this anymore. If he is what you cant live without then I wont make it any harder on you." Damon walked out the door and sped down the stairs. Elena stormed out of the room to catch up to him.

"Damon". She called out as he flew out of the house and onto her front porch. Damon stopped dead in his tracks and turned to her. His face looked pained.

"Damon please don't go like this. You need to listen to me." Elena pleaded.

Damon interrupted, "You love him Elena".

Elena lifted her hands "I do".

Damon smiled. "He loves you back Elena. There you go."

Elena began to cry. Damon hated seeing her in pain. He walked over to her and lifted her face into his hands.

"It's ok Elena. I'm letting you go. You choose. I wont be here fighting anymore. Fighting just makes it worse for you."

Elena closed her eyes and cried. "So your giving up? Just like that?"

Damon wiped a fresh tear from her cheek. "I have to. I cant see you like this anymore. I gotta walk away."

"Please Damon". Damon lifted her head and placed his lips upon hers. Her eyes closed tight and when they opened he was gone. Elena began to cry helplessly on the porch in the same exact spot they shared that first kiss that awoken her heart to Damon's love. She then remembered Stefan and turned to her house. Stefan stood in the doorway looking pained.

"Stefan!" Elena said with guilt at the fact that he just witnessed what transpired between her and Damon.

Stefan walked out onto the porch and looked out towards the street. They stood there silent for a moment and then Stefan turned to her.

"You know every choice I ever made from the moment I saved you on that bridge has led me here. Right here, to this moment. I've spent so much time and energy being angry at Damon. Thinking how could he love you. But honestly I see how he could. I allowed him to."

Elena interrupted "It's not your fault".

Stefan cut her off. "No it's not my fault but I am just as much responsible for this. I asked him to be in your life Elena. Every choice I made to protect you involved Damon. It was a matter of time that he would see in you what I do. But what bothers me is that while in love with me you fell in love with him."

Elena looked at him pleadingly tears streaking down her face.

"Don't you see what's wrong there? Your love for me didn't stop you from loving Damon. You cant be with me. If you could let another man into your heart, the heart that was mine then , then I'm not right for you. Not right now. So I'm making the choice for you. If Damon can walk away so can I and I will. Elena my heart will always be yours. When your ready for it again I will gladly give it to you."

Elena starred at him listening to his words. Allowing them to sink in. Stefan began to walk away.

"Stefan" Elena whispered.

"I know Elena." Stefan said. He stared at the girl he loved then turned around and sped off.

Elena now stood on her front porch by herself. Both guys walking away freeing her of that hefty decision that weighed so heavily on her heart. But why didn't she feel free?

Alaric enters the Grill and sees Damon at the bar pouring drinks down his throat. He walks over to him and sees his face. The word Elena was written all over it and he knew it wasn't going to be good.

"Damon" Alaric said patting Damon's back and sitting on the stool next to him. "What happened".

Damon smiled at him and passed him a drink. "Let's drink Rick. Lets drink to Stefan and Elena. May they live happily ever after and all that fairytale I'm in love with a vampire crap". Damon raised his glass not waiting for Alaric and tossed his shot back.

"What do you mean Stefan and Elena living happily ever after Damon. Did she choose Stefan"? Alaric said holding the shot in his hands. Damon looked down at the shot glass and snatched it from him. Damon tossed Alaric's shot back and smiled.

"I walked away". Damon said with a seer. "I told her I was done fighting and I walked away. She can choose Stefan now. I wont keep her from what she wants".

Alaric digested Damon's words. "What if she wants you Damon"?

Damon smiles and begins to laugh. He is obviously getting drunk.

"Rick, if she wants me then what am I doing here with you drinking these?" Damon points to at least ten more shots on the bar waiting for him to drink. He obviously compelled the bar tender. "She let me walk away Rick. Don't you get it? She let me walk away."

Damon passes another shot over to Rick and picks up one of his own. He raises his shot to his best friend and tosses another one back.

Elena is sitting on her bed talking to Bonnie on the phone.

"Bonnie they both walked away". She explained.

"Well if they both walked away then you can make your choice now without any of their influence right. I mean you don't have to choose right at this moment anymore. You don't have to feel like there is some sort of time limit. Am I right"?

Elena hesitates and sighs.

"Elena you know who you want to be with. So just go be with him already". Bonnie and Elena sit silently on the phone. Elena begins to cry. "Letting go is the hardest part. I know. But your heart knows who you are meant to be with. You love them both but only one of them you couldn't stand if they walked out of your life right now."

Elena smiles "You're right. I know who I need to be with. I need some time to think. Thanks but I gotta go Bonnie".

"Love you Elena. You will be ok. Just follow your heart". Bonnie replies.

"Love you too". Elena places her phone in her lap and closes her eyes. She begins to cry. It's killing her to do this but she knows she must let one of them go. She opens up her eyes and says out into the darkness in her room... "I gotta go find him". And with that she grabs her coat, purse, and keys and runs out her door and down the stairs.

Damon walks into his house. He is drunk and sad and feeling simply unenthusiastic about everything. He throws his coat on the coach and somberly walks into his room. There on his bed Elena is sitting.

"Elena" he says frozen where he stands. "What are you doing here"?

Elena gets up. She smiles at him. "Are you drunk Damon"?

Damon laughs at the little game they always play. "Yes. But not that much". He admits. Elena and Damon are now standing facing each other. "What do you need? Looking for Stefan?"

Elena shakes her head no. "I'm not looking for Stefan. I need to talk to you".

Damon walks past her to his bed and throws himself down upon it.

"Ok Elena. Give it to me. I'm ready. I can take it". Damon said closing his eyes and talking into the air.

"Damon I think Stefan is gone." She speaks with certainty. "He left me and walked away."

Damon sat up and smirked. "If you want me to help you find him the answer is a big fat no! I'm not reliving that again".

Elena crunched her brows at him. "I don't want you to help me find him". She snapped and walked over to Damon who sat sitting. "Stefan said something to me tonight. Something I needed to hear. He said if while being in love with him I was able to fall in love with someone else then something was wrong and he was right".

Damon gazed up at her dumb founded. "What was he right about"?

"That I'm in love with you. That I was able to fall in love with you thinking I never would or could. That while I still loved him I fell helplessly for you. Where Stefan had my heart you captured." Elena smiles and places her hands upon his face.

"Wait you're telling me that you're in love with me? That you're choosing me?" He whispered with disbelief feeling that this girl in front of him he was not good enough for.

Elena smiles "Yes. That is exactly what I am saying".

And with that she was in his arms. They began to kiss with a fire that never burned in them before. It was as if the two of them had become ignited and were burning, flickering like flames in the night. His hands became impatient and hers hungered to touch him.

Damon pulled away and looked deeply into her eyes. She shook her head yes answering his question and he began to kiss her again this time lifting her blouse over her head. Before they knew it they were naked and in each others arms making love.

Damon thrusting his way into her with every beat of her heart pounding in her chest. It felt so right. This felt like it was always meant to be. The two of them kissing and making love the way he always imagined it. The way she hungered for it but would never allow herself to see. She felt free as his lips brushed against her neck. And all she could do was exhale because the man she wanted was right there in her arms making love to her. FINALLY.

A hand knocks upon a door. The hand has a ring upon it that has the Salvatore crest upon it. After a moment of silence a woman opens the door.

"What took you so long." Katherine says smiling. She reaches out and pulls Stefan Salvatore towards her into a passionate kiss. He kisses her back and closes the door behind them.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES