Title: An Act of Compulsion
Summary: Following a nearly fatal occurrence, Damon removes Elena's memory of his love for her. Their lives as they know it changes after the compulsion but Damon can't seem to forget the past. What happens when Elena realizes she doesn't want to either? Based off of Lianne's photoset [delenawhore(dot)tumblr(dot)com/post/18616370988] and a youtube video [jaybunzy0(dot)tumblr(dot)com/post/18739835071/fatallyxfragile-damon-elena-the-vow-style-by]
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.
Damon downed the amber liquid in his glass and was already pouring himself a second. He felt completely empty, void of any and all emotion except for the undeniable pain that ripped apart at his chest. For years he lived with the stillness of his heart but being with Elena, letting himself love her and watching her begin to feel the same way, had opened up his heart and made him feel human. Now instead of the heavy stillness in his chest was a vast emptiness that he tried desperately to fill… with alcohol.
He wondered what Elena was doing. Would she still call him if she was in danger? Had the removal of their moments, threatened the foundation of their friendship? The problem with all of this was he still remembered everything and those memories threatened his sanity. Not that he was very sane to begin with. He did always tend to be a tad unpredictable.
"I'm sorry for barging in. The door was… open," Elena stated as she looked up at him in fright.
It was the first time she had talked to him. The first she had knowledge that he was there, seeing her. As far as she knew that was their first meeting. Her eyes widened when she bumped into him and she seemed flustered. Damon could sense her eying him, sensing his good looks. He knew she found him attractive but he couldn't be entirely sure if that's why she seemed so jumpy.
He had shown him around, talked a little bit about Stefan, and Damon's point of views on fate. He couldn't help but notice her intrigue when he had stated his belief that every relationship had been doomed to fail. Unfortunately, Stefan barged in before Damon could continue their conversation. He merely took her hand and placed a kiss upon it as she whispered, "It was great to meet you, Damon."
"Great meeting you too, Elena," he smirked, noticing her taken breath.
The anger got the best of him at the memory. He had been the cause of this failed relationship. Since their meeting, Elena had given him hope. Maybe everything in his life wasn't doomed to fail. Maybe everything with her could work out. Maybe it would work out because as Elena said they had something. The way they bickered back and forth, the way he playful slapped her fingers or when she threw pillows at him was playful. The way she had smiled when he had danced with her at the Decade Dance, simply forgetting about Klaus and the impending doom and instead was just there in the moment with him. The way she had laughed as he made a fool of himself, for her. She would never smile or laugh that way at him again because he had put an end to it. With his rising anger, he threw his half empty glass into the fire; the flames rising as the fiery liquid mixed in.
"I'm an idiot," he screamed in frustration.
"Careful, brother." Damon turned around to see Stefan leaning against the entryway. "Your humanity is showing."
Damon wasn't sure what it was—maybe the way he was smirking at him, taking humor in his utter despair—but he was on him in a second, his fist colliding with his face. They wrestled until finally Stefan was on his back, still chuckling. Damon backed off him, looking at him with true pity. "You really have given up."
"And you're pathetic. Did things go wrong in paradise?"
"Don't start, Stefan."
Stefan stood up and smoothed down his shirt. "That bad, huh?"
"I gave her what she wanted." Damon shrugged and sat down on the couch. "She won't have to worry about us anymore." He turned and gave his brother and pointed look. "Isn't that right, Stefan?" he challenged.
With his arms crossed over his body, Stefan eyed his brother curiously. "You backed away?"
"I took away her memories of my love for her."
"So, neither of us gets her. Sounds like a perfect ending to what could've been a horror story."
Damon sighed. He wasn't fooled by his brothers' indifference. Each phrase out of his mouth, each careless action, had been well thought out and planned to instill hatred in Elena. Inside his brother was overwhelmed with guilt over what he had done to her. His switch wasn't off because the switch never really existed. Once a vampire moved past the initial stages or years it was only humanity and guilt that cause them to put up a wall. But they felt every kill and lived with the pain of their emotions.
He studied his brother who was now pouring himself his own drink. "How did you do it?"
Stefan looked up at him, confused. "Do what?"
"How do you look at the girl you love and tell yourself it's time to walk away? How are you even functioning right now?"
Stefan's face softened. Damon could see the walls that his brother tried so desperately to hold up come falling down. He sat on the edge of the leather chair and crossed one leg over the other. "I wasn't healthy for her anymore."
Damon nodded in understanding. That was the conclusion he had come up with it.
"Come on, brother," Stefan stated as he slapped Damon on the back. "We could use a little getaway. We still have a coffin to solve and with the hybrids out of Mystic Falls Elena will be safe. Klaus won't let anything happen to her."
With Elena's promise nagging him in the back of his mind, he hesitated. He had promised her that he would never leave her again. Then it hit him that she no longer would have this memory to hold over him. So, he stood up and nodded, "Where to, brother?"
Elena entered the poorly lit hospital and bee-lined for the nurses' station. An elderly woman manning a computer smiled up at her, "Can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Matt Donovan. He was brought in here late last night."
The nurse typed away at her computer before answering. "Second floor. Room 214."
"Thank you!" Elena smiled, adjusting her purse strap and clinging to the flowers she brought. She headed towards the stairwell and climbed the steps. When she had received the call from Caroline that Matt had been brought to the hospital with a broken wrist and a concussion, she wasted no time getting dressed and racing over. Her memories from the previous night were a little muddied but she certainly remembered Stefan slamming Matt against the stone wall.
When she approached the door with the number "214" on it, Elena rapped lightly on the door. Matt's gruff voice answered and told her to come in. She opened the door to see Matt's smiling face before he shifted to sit up and winced in pain.
"It's okay!" Elena assured. "You don't have to sit up for me. I've seen you worse. Remember after the Brearley game?"
Matt laughed as he hissed in memory. "Yeah, I got pretty roughed up."
"That's an understatement." Elena placed the flowers on a nearby table which had several other flowers and balloons. She then reached into her purse and pulled out some takeout from The Grill. "This is for you. I remember how bad hospital food is."
With a nod in agreement and fork placed in his hand, Matt went about eating his food. He swallowed a few bites before Elena sat down, placing her hands in her lap. Matt looked towards her, "Are you okay? I mean, how are you feeling? What did Stefan want?"
Elena shrugged. "It's nothing." But truly she couldn't get the fear of what Stefan had done out of her head or how she had ended up back and home, alive and not in transition. There was also a few other things that were bothering her. More important things.
Of course, Matt picked up on that. "No, it's not. Something's bothering you."
"I can't help thinking about what you said last night… about being stuck."
Immediately, Matt was waving her concerns off. "I was buzzed, Elena."
"But, I do feel stuck, Matt. I feel like I've been holding on to the girl that was supposed to die at Wickery Bridge with her parents. The girl who had a normal life." She frowned and looked down at her clasped hands. To herself, she mumbled something about being in love with vampires. But she didn't feel that love with Stefan and she had no idea where these feelings for Damon came from. Their relationship was nothing other than convenience over keeping Stefan safe and wanting Klaus dead.
She looked up to see Matt's hand reaching out on the bed and Elena placed one of her ends in his, feeling the familiarity at his touch. This was a normal human love—what she felt for Matt. He knew everything about her and she had foolishly pushed him away because she couldn't hand the death of her parents or how she was changing because of it. Yet, here he was as understandable as ever. "You're not that girl anymore. It's okay if you want to let her go."
"Is it?" Elena questioned with tears filling her eyes. "Because I feel like I've let her down a little bit. Like I've disappointed them… my parents."
Matt hesitated a moment before a smile crossed his face. "My two cents, as a guy who knew that girl… you're doing a lot better than you think."
They both smiled at each other as Elena felt her sadness being lifted from her. She still felt off but now there was hope. Hope that despite all this supernatural that had affected her life she could still have a life to look forward to and her friends were a main part of that. Matt who always brought her back to normalcy was a part of that.
"Thank you, Matt," she smiled as her the pad of her thumb rubbed against his rough skin. "You always know just what to say."
He shrugged. "I just know you. That's all."
"So, when are you getting out of here?"
"Once my tests come back." Matt shook his head, feeling lost. "I have no idea how I'm going to pay for all this. I lost my health insurance."
Elena placed her other hand on his. "We'll survive. We always do."
She didn't know why, but a sense of déjà vu passed over her at her words.