I gasp for air. Everything hurts. My head hurts. My jaw hurts. Oh god, does my jaw hurt.

" Elena." Stefan says tentatively. He puts a hand on my shoulder as I sit up.

" Stefan, what happened? Last thing I remember is I was at the bottom of the lake. I died. I mean I thought I did, but I'm here now. Oh god. Stefan. Does that mean…am I in transition?"

Stefan just looks at me sadly. He nods. And just like that my world stops. I am in TRANSITION. Everything has been for nothing. Everyone who has died protecting me died for nothing. I am dead, well sort of. I don't know what I am going to do. I don't want to be a vampire but I cant leave Jeremy. So many thoughts are running through my head. Stefan just looks at me like he can't live with himself. Stefan is alive, that means that Damon is too. DAMON. Where is he? I need to see him. And just like he can read my thoughts he barges into the room, doors swinging behind him.

" Damn it Stefan!" he yells pushing his brother against the wall.

" What did you do?" He looks furious. All rage and anger.

" Damon" I whisper. He turns to look at me his hand still around Stefan's neck. His eyes are full of so many emotions. First I see anger, sadness, pity. Then I see love, hope, and confusion. He walks over to me. First quickly but then he stops about a foot away. Hands at his sides like he doesn't know what to do with them.

" Damon its okay, I'm okay." I say standing up.

" No Elena, its not okay" he says. " Little bro over here decided to play the hero and do what you wanted. Nice lapse of judgment Stefan." he yells turning to face him.

" I only did what she wanted Damon" he says desperately.

" To hell with what she wanted. Its ELENA. That's the difference between you and me Stefan. I will always choose her. I will always save her. Even if she might hate me for it. Hell, I'll let her hate me if at the end of the day she's alive. If you had done that we wouldn't be having this pathetic back to life party."

I start to walk over to Damon but my head hurts and I get really dizzy. I stumble but Damon catches me. He sets me back on my feet. My hands are around his neck. His hands resting on my waist holding me securely. I get lost in his eyes. We stay like that for a few seonds too long, I see Stefan shift uncomfortably. I step back from him already missing being in his arms. No. I can't feel like that. I chose Stefan. I should want to be in his arms.

" I'm sorry" I say looking down " Everything hurts." Damon's look softens. He no longer looks like he wants to rip Stefan a part.

" That can go away, you know. If you decide to transition you wont have to fill pain anymore, at least not that kind." He says. I understand the hidden meaning behind those words. Sure, I won't feel physical pain but my emotions will be heightened. I wont be angry, I will be furious. I wont be sad, I will be depressed. And heartbreak can be crippling. He looks at me sadly and I can see all the hurt in his beautiful eyes. All the hurt that I caused. Stefan walks over to me and holds my hand and turns me to look at him.

" It's your choice." He says. " You do whatever you need to do. I will respect your decision. He kisses me softly on the lips. The second time in 24 hours that he has kissed me. He kisses me like its normal. Like he doesn't care if Damon sees, or maybe because of it. I turned around to see that Damon had left. My heart cringed at the thought that he had witnessed Stefan and I's kiss. When Stefan kissed me it felt nice. It was familiar and safe. But it doesn't consume me, not like how it did when Damon kissed me. Our kiss consumed me. Suddenly, I had a flashback. It was the night of the car accident.

/

"I know Bonnie, you're right, you and my mom both are. I just...can't bring myself to tell him..." I walk away from the bonfire, towards the dark road. "At least not tonight. I'll call you later."

I remember that phone call. It's what I remember after it that turns my world upside down.

"Katherine." I look up, seeing a stranger standing across from me. He's quite easily the most handsome guy I have ever seen. Hes breathtaking. But hes a stranger so I am cautious/

"Um no, I... I'm Elena." I look at him surprised.

He looks dissapointed. "Oh, you...you just look.." We stare at eachother for a minute. I get lost in his eyes but he continues on fast like he is determined to keep talking to me. "I'm sorry you just really remind me of someone. I'm Damon."

"Not to be rude or anything Damon, but it's kinda creepy that you're out here in the middle of no where." I reply a little sassily.

"You're one to talk. You're out here all by yourself." Damon smiles at me kindly.

"It's mystic falls, nothing bad ever happens here." I shrug.

Damon only stands there, smiling as if remembering a joke only he knows. "I got into a fight with my boyfriend." Obviously I want to talk to him too. There is something about him. I don't know what it is but I want to know him.

"'Bout what? May I ask." Damon questions.

"Life. Future. He's got it all mapped out." I'm talking about Matt.

"And you don't want it." Damon guesses, but he gets it right.

"I don't...know what I want." I sound so naïve. Its sad that I've repeated that sentence to him so many times since then.

"Well that's not true," Damon says, "You want what everybody wants."

"What? A mysterious stranger who has all the answers?" I say flirtily and cock an eyebrow at him.

Damon laughs, "Hm. Well, let's just say I've been around a long time. Learned a few things."

"So Damon, tell me, what is it that I want?" I stand there and cross my arms on my chest.

He seems to really think about it. "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, and adventure, and even a little danger." He smirks. He does the eyething and my heart skips a beat.

Im captivated by his words. He knows exactly what I want. I have a strange feeling about him, a good feeling. Im drawn to him. I feel like he could be that for me. But I'm crazy, I just met him. We stare at each other for a minute before I continue. "So, what do you want?"

Damon's eyes widen clearly not expecting my question. "Uh..."

Car lights come around from the corner of the road, disturbing his thoughts. He doesn't continue and seems glad for a reason not to go on. "My parents." I explain to him.

In a blink he's right in front of me. I feel electricity "I want you to get everything you're looking for, but right now, I want you to forget that this happened. Can't have people knowing I'm in town yet." He smiles, "Good night Elena."

I met Damon first.