In that moment I knew.

Whether it was on Wickery Bridge or it was someplace in Europe, surrounded by millions of people, I knew that it was Damon. Fighting it... fighting the feeling was hard. Trying to tell myself a million times over that he couldn't be the one that I wanted. The one that I felt a connection with. But it was in that moment that he had saved me. Not just from physical danger; that happened all the time. And every time I thanked him for what he did. For being so selfless and more interested in my own needs than his own. After all that I've done to him, after the countless times I've given him shit for what he's done, for hurting me, Jeremy, his brother, I knew that whatever he's done, he's done not for his own amusement or his own joy. But for me. Everything he's done had been because of me, good or bad. Time and time again, I've sworn to myself that I couldn't.. I couldn't possibly choose to care about him. But he creeped in. He snuck up and he made everything a lot more difficult. And a lot more simple, too. During my transition, everything for him grew. My trust, our friendship, the connection... it all grew.

But when he saved me from myself, that was a different story. He saved me from making one of the worst mistakes of my life. From ending my life before it truly began. Even after telling me that everything Stefan had done he had done for me, it still got to the point where whatever feelings I had for him, they seemed to vanish with the transition. Sure, he was there and he helped, and I can't say that I was never attracted to him. But it was different. Things changed, and now... now I knew where I belonged.

I tossed and turned in bed that night, knowing that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fall asleep. I planned to tell Damon that next day about everything; my feelings, that I broke things off with Stefan, all of it. But something was begging me to tell him sooner. Now. I rolled over to my nightstand, grabbing my phone and sitting up, finding his number and sending a quick text.

I need to see you. Now.

It was simple, and she knew that if anything, he'd be awake, processing every moment of what had happened just hours before. It wasn't too long before she got her answer, and he had replied back.

I'll be right over.

Within minutes, he was knocking on my window, a look of deep concern on his face. He looked over, waiting for me to answer. I opened the window, giving him a small smile before I walked back over towards my bed, keeping quiet as I looked over at him, fear taking over my body. Everything I had planned, everything I knew went to hell just by one look. Fuck you, Damon Salvatore for being so good looking, I thought, before swallowing hard, deciding just to face the music. "Thanks.." I started shakily, looking back at him. By this point he was already sitting on the edge of my bed, and I was ready to loose it. I took another deep breath, before looking back at him. "I need to tell you something," I whispered, looking back over towards him.

Damon looked over at me, raising an eyebrow before he looked over at me with a faint smile. "What is it, Elena?" He said, his eyes on me. I took a deep breath, before I looked down, playing with my fingers. I was nervous, and I blamed his good looks and his charm for making me feel like this. For consuming me.

"I broke up with Stefan."

The room was silent, everything going quiet as I uttered those five words; those which Damon would've reveled in. He looked over at me, trying to comprehend what I had just said. He opened his mouth a few times to speak, but then closed it, and I wondered if he wanted to utter out some cocky remark. "Oh," he said, his voice calm. "I'm sorry?" He questioned, wondering if it was a good thing or a bad thing that this was happening.

I bit my lip again, before shaking my head. "No, it's okay. It's actually... good," I said, before looking back over at him with a small smile. "You were actually the reason why we broke up," I said quietly, looking back at him. If that wasn't enough to get him riled up, then she didn't know what was.

"What did I do? Or didn't do?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

I put my hands against his own, shaking my head as I looked back over at him. "You didn't do anything. I... I broke up with him because whatever I felt for him as a human... it never grew stronger. Not like ours. Not like us," I whispered, my voice quiet towards the end.

"What do you mean? Ours what?"

"Our... our relationship. Our feelings for each other."

That got him quiet, and he brushed his thumb over my hand, the touch alone calming me down and riling me up all the same. I looked back up at him, taking a deep breath as I leaned in a bit closer. "I.. I never really understood it, not until now. That what you've done, you've been doing to keep me safe. To protect me. Saving me tonight just... sparked something. It just made everything come back up at full force. We've always been different, and I know it's not what you're used to, but I don't really know how to explain it without-"

He had his hands wrapped around my face and his lips against mine in seconds, and this time, much like the time before, I didn't fight it. I kissed him back, closing my eyes as our lips moved together, his meeting a need that I hadn't felt in a long time. I felt a small noise erupt from the back of my throat, and I knew where he was going to take this. And it was the very place that I wanted to go. I pushed him away, before looking back at him. He had said it a million times. So he deserved to hear it from me just once. More than that. He deserved to hear it a million times over. "I love you, Damon," I whispered, looking back at him, my eyes softening. He looked back at me, his hands trembling as he brushed his fingers up my arm. I could feel how uneasy he was with the admission I had just made, but I knew that it was something he wanted. Something he had been desperately hoping to hear for the past few years.

"I love you, too."