1. The start of a new life

Elena kissed Stefan before leaving the boarding house.

"I love you" Stefan whispered against her lips and she smiled and kissed him again.

"I really have to leave" Elena apologized, she had to, but she didn't want to. It was clear that Stefan didn't want it either but he couldn't do anything about it.

Elena stepped out of Stefan's room and walked downstairs. She was going towards the door when she found a big noise.

"Stefan?" She asked but got no reply. Probably he had left to feed from some rabbit or bird or something. Elena walked through the living room, directing her steps to the place where the noise had come from. There was no other sound and she frowned. She heard another noise similar to the one from before. She saw Damon holding a mirror in one hand, an empty glass in the other. Before she could say anything or he noticed her presence he let the mirror fall to the floor where it broke with a tremendous noise.

"Don't you know that breaking a mirror gives bad luck for seven years?" she asked half sarcastically, trying to wonder what Damon was up to this time. He turned around to face her and by the way he looked at her, she realized that he was drunk. Otherwise he would have noticed her presence before.

"Elena!" He smiled and then tried to drink just to realize that the glass he was holding was empty. "Damn it" he swore and then let the glass fall.

"Are you going to tell me why you're breaking everything?"

"Why is everything so fragile?" he asked looking his hands. Elena frowned again trying to understand if there was something behind his words or not. Then Damon looked at her and walked towards her, his closeness made her feel uncomfortable and take a deep breath but she didn't walk back. "Where's my brother?"

"I don't know." She replied slowly.

"And why are you still here?" he raised an eyebrow grinning that catlike-grin of his.

"Are you okay, Damon?"

"Why wouldn't I be okay? The sun shines which makes my eyes ache. Yep, life is great, it has only taken me a hundred and forty-five years to realize that the reason of my existence, that the one thing I was after, wasn't worth it." He said those words smiling and with a monotone tone of voice but Elena felt something deep inside of her contract, she felt really sorry for him.

"Does our existence really have to have a reason?" she asked trying to comfort him.

"Well now it doesn't." He replied simply showing the palms of his hands.

"You don't love her anymore, Damon." She wasn't sure of why she was saying this.

"I don't?"

"No. You've just been obsessed with her because she was the love of your life. You have convinced yourself that she was the reason for your existence and you've dedicated all your life to her. And now you didn't find her, you have to convince yourself that you still love her because if not, these last a hundred and forty-five years wouldn't make any sense. But you don't. And I'll tell you something, Damon, you can start a new life. Without her." Damon smiled and his eyes looked somehow happy. "And you could try to do goodness, repair all the wrong things that you've done or at least try not to do anymore." He shook his head with discontent.

"The last part was avoidable."

"I had to try." Elena smiled.

"I know." He accepted. He turned around and filled two glasses with liquor and then gave one of them to Elena. "I propose a toast for my new life."

"I don't think you shouldn't drink anymore" but before she had finished her sentence he had already finished his glass and was taking hers to empty it too. Elena felt angry but at the same time understood that he should be feeling miserable and decided that the best would be to leave him do whatever he wanted while he didn't hurt anyone. Damon took her face with his two hands and she felt somehow uncomfortable, her heart racing as she stared into those ice-cold blue eyes.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're absolutely adorable?" He asked.

"You're drunk."

"That's true" he nodded and then sighed.

"Let me take you to your bed." She offered him, the best would be to get him to sleep.

"Elena! What will Stefan think?" He asked funnily.

"You know what I mean." Elena rolled her eyes. He put his arm around her shoulders and she took him by the waist to help him walk. She helped him upstairs and then drove him to his bedroom. There he hugged her and she didn't oppose any resistance. She knew that he was feeling bad, he needed to be comforted. She hugged him back and he sank his face on her shoulder. For a second Elena thought that he was crying, but it was difficult to tell because he made no sound, she decided that she wouldn't make any comment no matter if he was or not. When Damon got away from her and looked her in the eyes his were red so she supposed that she had been right.

"Have a nice rest, Damon" she said sincerely. He didn't reply so she just left the room. When she was downstairs she found Stefan, he looked at her surprised.

"I thought you had left."

"Damon is not okay, Stefan. I think that now he's sleeping but you'd better take care of him."

"Why are you so worried?" There was a tone of disgust in his voice.

"Just walk where you step on. He has broken nearly all the glasses you had." She ignored the tone of his voice and the distrust it contained. "Now I'm leaving." She kissed him briefly. "I love you, see you tomorrow."

Stefan watched her as she left and then went upstairs to see how his brother was doing. He found he was asleep and he left to his own bedroom, to have a rest himself, he was tired.