After Episode 4x01 … I hope it's a missing scene (but I have my doubts, so not a part of Lying to Herself…)

"Didn't expect you home so soon, Brother," Damon said as Stefan entered the Boarding House. Actually, he knew Stefan was coming. Elena had called him and asked him to meet her, which was the only reason he didn't throw in a jibe about his finally being able to leave Elena. She asked Damon not to say anything to Stefan, so Damon held back.

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked as Damon passed him and went through the door.

"Hunting," was all Damon said as he entered his car. If Stefan responded, Damon didn't hear it.

Damon hadn't really wanted to meet Elena. He started to decline, not really wanting to hear her justify why she chose Stefan, or why she saved Matt; but she asked him to do it 'for her'. That always worked on him, even though he had once told her to stop expecting him to do things just because it was her that was asking. He was considering saying it again as he arrived at the meeting place.

It was a picnic area in the woods outside of town. Elena had already arrived, and was out of her car, sitting at a picnic table. He wasn't sure what to expect from her as he exited his car. He walked to her at a normal pace, knowing his expression was hard, wondering what she could possibly want to say to him that she hadn't said the night before.

He could tell she was tentative as she rose to meet him. He stopped a couple of feet from her. She didn't close the gap, she just said, "Hey. Thanks for coming."

"Sure," he said.

She cringed a little at the curtness of his reply, but what else could she have expected? She reminded herself that she was here to fix this.

"I have a…" Elena began. She almost said 'proposition', but decided that wasn't the right word, though the word she used wasn't much better. "I have a proposal."

Damon's his hard expression moved to a slight smirk. "Proposal," Damon repeated, then looked down at Elena's finger, at her new ring. He looked back into her eyes with a bigger smirk, tilting his head as if it was a question.

Elena grimaced and shook her head. "It's a daylight ring – nothing more. Bonnie made it for me."

"Does Stefan know that?"

Elena looked at him, tentative again. "Did Stefan say something to you?"

Damon snorted. "Stefan is spending all of his time with his Elena. He's said nothing to me."

"He's just making sure I'm OK."

Damon nodded, his face serious again. "About time. Maybe he can keep you safe, now that you're a vampire."

Elena cringed again. She knew Damon blamed Stefan for her unwanted transition. She knew this was his way of reminding her of the difference between the brothers.

"What can I say, Damon? He did what I asked. He usually does."

Damon's smirk was back. "Sure he does, when he's not all Ripper."

"I know," Elena said quickly. "You're right. He saved Matt, you would have saved me. I get that."

She hesitated, as Damon's face became blank. When he didn't respond, she continued, "You would have given me what you think I wanted…"

"What I know you wanted." Damon interrupted.

Elena quickly nodded. "And you're right, it was what I wanted." She made sure she had his eyes as she added, "And since you told me that, sometimes I've wished that you had been there instead of Stefan. That you had saved me, that I could still have that life."

Damon softened, the glare was gone.

"I'm the selfish one," Elena continued. "I'm the one who still wishes I could have that life. I'm the one who never wanted to be a vampire, who never wanted to lose my humanity."

She lowered her head as she said, "You would have never taken that from me. Stefan took that life, my humanity from me. You would have let me keep it."

She looked into his eyes again, adding, "He took your humanity from you, and he took my humanity from me. And the selfish part of me hates him for it."

Damon had trouble believing what she was saying, but let her continue.

"So we're the same, Damon. Both of us wanting our humanity, but having had it stolen from us." She made sure she had his eyes again as she added, "Please, don't make me do this alone."

He looked confused again, as he added, "You have Stefan. You chose Stefan."

She had to look away briefly. "I didn't want to. You made me…"

"You chose him." Damon interrupted. "You told me you were going back to him when you called me."

"I told you that it wasn't just him, that it was to my family and friends. And I told you that I couldn't think about forever, I could only think about right now." She took a step towards him, a little relieved when he didn't take a step back. "Damon, I went back to Stefan because I thought he needed me."

Damon's face hardened slightly, so she rushed on. "Not just him, I thought Jeremy needed me. I think they still need me."

Damon looked away as she continued, "And I knew that you didn't. You've always been stronger."

Damon's voice sounded harsh, even to him. "You said it was because you met him first, that he came into your life at a time when you needed him."

"That was true, Damon, about me needing someone like him. Now I know that I met you first."

"But it doesn't matter," Damon said, a little bitterly.

"It doesn't, but not for the reason you think. Damon, a lot was going on and I didn't know everything. I said what I said because you made me say something, but it was only because I thought he needed me. I still think he needs me."

Damon shook his head. "At least you know he's needy."

"I didn't want to choose," Elena repeated.

"Is that what you told Stefan?" Damon asked, hard expression back on his face.

Elena had to lower her eyes again. "I didn't say anything, until we in a cage, and I wanted him to have hope. So I told him I was going back to him, I told him I wanted him to have hope."

"It worked," Damon growled. "He has hope." Damon started to turn around to leave.

"He needs hope," Elena said frantically, "but Damon, I need you."

Though he had taken a couple of steps away from her, Damon froze.

He did not turn back to her immediately.

"Please don't make me do this alone," she repeated.

He finally turned back to her. "Do what?"

She looked desperate as she said, "Damon, I've lost everything. All my dreams are gone. My only family left is Jeremy, and he probably hates me. The only other things I have are Stefan, who really is an insufferable martyr, and you. Please don't make me do this alone."

She was relieved that Damon was smirking now. "You think Stefan is a martyr?"

Elena snorted. "I'm selfish, not stupid. I know what you've been doing for me, and though sometimes I've been a bitch about it, I know I'm here because of it."

"Yet, you chose…"

"I choose you, Damon," she interrupted. "I choose you."

Damon stared at her in what she thought must be unbelief. "Do you remember what I said about not being able to keep track of your choices?" he asked.

Elena shook her head and lowered her eyes again. "I can't…" she began, before stopping herself and lifting her eyes to his. "You love me. I know that. And when I'm with you, you consume me." She let out a breath, but managed to hold his eyes. "I need that. I want that."

When Damon was sure she would not continue, he asked, "And you shared this with Stefan?"

The Doppelganger shook her head. "Stefan can never know."

Damon turned from her again, obviously unhappy, but she grabbed his arm and turned him back to face her. "Think about it Damon," she said desperately. "If Stefan loses hope, he may start killing humans again. There's no Lexi to save him. The only ones who can, are you and me. "

When he still looked a little unsure, she added, "I know you want him to keep control of himself. So do I. We want the same thing."

Damon shook his head again. "There's a lot of things you want from him that I don't want."

"I want you," Elena repeated.

"You mean want me to share you with him. Elena…" he began

She interrupted him. "I want you. I never said share."

Damon stared at her, but eventually managed to say, "You want me. You want him to have hope. He has hope when he thinks you love him. He can never know you want me."

Elena lowered her head and bit her lip.

"And no sharing," Damon finished summarizing.

Elena nodded her head. "I'll tell him I need time, that I still need to think things over."

"Giving him hope." Damon said.

Elena nodded.

"And he can never know that you choose me."

Another nod.

"Where's the fun, if I can't taunt him?" Damon asked, smirking.

Elena reached up and pulled him into a kiss. It wasn't the same intensity as some of their past kisses, but she hoped it got the message across.

"I'm the fun," she said, pulling back just enough to look into his eyes.

"This is your proposal?" Damon asked, holding onto her.

She nodded. "He can never know."

"You know he's clingy," Damon said, moving in for another kiss.

She nodded as best she could, then when they had pulled apart, said "I never said it would be easy. But I think it would be worth it. Don't you?"

He held her eyes only briefly, before saying, "I accept," before letting himself fall back into kissing her.