Sorry for the delay lol...here ya go:) Hope you enjoy and please review, review! :D

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She all laid up in bed with a broken heart;

While I'm drinking jack all alone at my local bar.

And we don't know how, how we got into this mad situation,

Only doing things out of frustration.

Tryin to make it work, but man, these times are hard.

A raven's caw fills the silence of the early morning, and she opens her eyes to find herself in bed, in Mystic Falls; not in London and not with Damon Salvatore. She feels something chafing the skin on her ring finger, and sitting up in bed, sees a simple silver band set with three diamonds, encircling her finger. Her heart skips a little at the thought of Stefan; was she finally with him? Then, her eyes drift to the photograph in the glass picture frame on her nightstand. Damon was holding her in his arms, placing a kiss on her forehead. She was smiling, blushing, actually. He was looking at her with the tenderness she had rarely seen from him, if at least she alone actually saw it. Her heart sinks a little before she sees the much withered red rose beside it. He always gave me red roses, she muses to herself.

Sighing, she slips out of bed and opens the small blue velvet book on her desk to yesterday's date. As her eyes drift over the words, her heart sinks even further, and the painful twisting of the beating muscle intensifies until she feels tears pricking her eyes. Day 2, 554 since he left, reads the diary entry, Day 2,554 of living half-alive without him. Day 2,554 of living with a broken heart without him…

"Almost seven years," she breathes. "Stefan?" Within seconds, the young Salvatore is at her door.

"Yes, Elena?" She closes the book and looks at him.

"Where's your brother?" The look of confusion on the younger Salvatore's face tells her more than what his words do.

"He's been gone seven years, Elena. Don't you remember?"

"So…this ring on my finger—"

"Is our mother's. He gave it to you when he proposed; Elena, did you hit your head or something?" There is a note of concern in Stefan's voice. She shakes her head.

"No, Stefan, I just—I had a dream last night…and it was so vivid…it's just—when I woke up now and I'm seeing these things, the dream was just so vivid."

The two of them fall to silence then, and Elena takes a breath before she speaks again.

"Has he—does he…come back, ever?"

Stefan nods.

"On your birthday. He leaves you a rose, why?"

"It's my birthday today. I don't want him to go," Elena nods, shooing Stefan out of the room.

Damon Salvatore downs another bottle of scotch, finally starting to feel the effects of the other six. He growls in frustration and slams the bottle down on the counter, unable to get the thought of her out of his mind. He wants to get the image of her entwined with his sniveling, whining brother out of his mind, but no matter how hard he tries, he cannot get her out of his heart. He loves her too much. Not to mention the fact that today is her birthday, and he always comes to see her on that day.

"Damon?" He freezes when he hears her voice. His heart falls right out of his chest when he hears the innocent, querying tone of her voice when she says his name.

"Elena, just go away. I'm drunk, and not in the mood for company this afternoon," he snaps, hating himself even as the words leave his lips. He knows they are just a defense mechanism—his way of protecting himself. Two years with her have shown him he really doesn't need to defend himself to her, but after seeing her the way did, on the day he did, he puts up the defenses once again. She hurt him that day—something she may or may not realize, and something he doesn't dare bring to her attention; he remembers the feeling of his heart breaking, shattering like glass to pieces she crushes underfoot. He remembers the shard-like pain in his chest, the tears that fell. He has no wish to go through that again, so he puts up his walls. As much as it pains him to push her away, he decides it is better to break his own heart keeping her at arm's length then exposing his heart to her only to have it broken for the sake of love.

"I'm sorry, Damon," he hears her whisper, hears her voice wavering the slightest bit. His heart just melts at the sound.

"Get lost, Gilbert," his voices rises to a growl. Matt the bartender wisely backs away. "You've made it perfectly clear I'm the wrong Salvatore; why don't you crawl back to Stefan like your whore of an ancestress!" His back is to her; he does not see her. He does not see the startled hurt written over her face. He does not see the tears that have started to slip down her cheeks. He cannot hear her heart breaking.

All he hears is the sound of a small silver band clattering to the hardwood floor followed by footsteps hastily leaving the grill. When the door slams behind her, he feels like the scum of the earth.

She needs me now, but I can't seem to find the time.

I got a new job now, in the unemployment line.

And we don't know how, how we got into this mess, is it God's test?

Someone help us, 'cause we're doing our best and trying to make it work

But man, these times are hard.