AN: I just saw the preview for next week's episode and just about cried. I hate that the writes are putting Damon through this. I can't believe they are being so cruel. I bet that they are going to find a cure for Damon in the first episode of the third season, and season two ends with Elena crying as Damon is in her arms dying. Hopefull though the writers will be nicer and have Damon pull through a bit sooner then next season. I mean they can't have the show without Damon. I'm pretty sure too many people would stop watching the show if that happened. Enough of my rant. It's just the person I normally talk to about the show has been sick and out of school for the past week, so I haven't gotten to talk to her. Anyway, on with my story. Review.
Elena watched Damon pull away from her driveway. She had seen him get into the car holding the divorce papers. Good, she thought. He should leave now. She had signed away all affiliation with him the second she signed those papers. She moved away from the window and flipped on the table lamp next to her bed and sat down.
When her parents died, she had inherited the house. Jeremy eventually moved out and bought a house with Bonnie while she decided to continue living in the house. It didn't feel right to see it. Their Aunt Jenna had come back to town after finishing up her degree at Duke. She and her new husband Alaric had an apartment of their own closer to the center of town and the school since Alaric was a teacher.
Elena changed out of her dress and hopped into the shower. She allowed the hot water to soothe the tension in her back muscles. She got out fifteen minutes later and wrapped a fluffy towel around herself. She slipped into a blue cotton nightgown and crawled into bed with her laptop. She opened a new word document and began furiously typing away into the night.
She didn't realize how long she had been working until she looked at the little numbers in to corner of her computer that read 2:38. She saved her work and put her computer on her nightstand. Elena pulled the covers over her and fell into a deep sleep forgetting all about her issues with Damon and her book.
The next morning Elena woke up later than usual. She got out of her bed and got dressed for the day. Once dressed in a black pencil skirt and a dark blue ruffled silk top with black stilettos, Elena headed down the stairs to check her messages on her cell phone. Caroline had called three times; Jeremy called twice, and surprisingly Damon called once as well. After listening to Caroline and Jeremy's messages, she promptly deleted Damon's without listening to it. She grabbed her keys and purse and headed out of the house. When she turned around though, she saw Damon leaning on his car waiting for her.
"Hey Elena," he greeted. "We need to talk."
"Why? I signed the papers," she said as she crossed her arms. "Aren't you supposed to be on a plane to New York forgetting about this mistake of a marriage?"
Damon looked up at her. "Just get in Elena. You know we need to talk." He opened the door on the passenger's side for her.
Elena looked at him warily. She knew they needed to talk to at least get closure before he left, so she got into the car. He drove them in silence until they arrived to their location. He parked the car, and they got out. Elena looked around and recognized where they were. He had taken them to the falls where they had gotten married. It was also not too far from Wickery Bridge where Elena's parents had died.
"Why did you bring us here Damon?' Elena asked looking at him as they walked around the grassy meadow.
He shrugged. "I haven't been here since the wedding. It hasn't changed much," he noted.
Elena pursed her lips. "You wanted to talk. Talk!" she demanded.
Damon let out a sigh. "I know we left things kind of hard for us, but I wasn't sure if I could ever forgive you for what you did. I think I can now, or at least I think I can. I don't want things to be so terrible between us Elena. We made a lot of mistakes. I'm just trying to right some of them."
Elena raised an eyebrow. "What? What did I do?" she asked confused.
Damon looked at her with a frown on his face. Was she really going to deny it after all these years? "Elena, I know what happened all those years ago. You don't have to keep lying to me."
Elena scrunched up her face. "What are you talking about?" she asked again.
Damon let out an exasperated sigh. "I saw him leave Elena. I know you slept with Stefan after our fight!" he roared as his temper flared. "Stop lying to me!"
Elena gasped and slapped him across the face. "How dare you accuse me of sleep with him? I loved you Damon. I would never sleep with him before or after you left," she said defensively. "Why would you think I would do something like that?" she demanded.
Damon gaped at her. He had never questioned his father all those years ago when he told him Elena had been sleeping with Stefan. He had been so blinded by his anger he never gave it a second thought especially when he saw Stefan leaving the room he shared with Elena wearing the same clothes he had seen him wearing the day prior. "My father told me…" he trailed off. Damon had been so furious he leapt at Giuseppe's offer to go to school in the city. One of his old business partners was interested in Damon's potential. Now he realized that his father had probably made him be interested in his potential.
Elena rolled her eyes. Of course it had been Giuseppe. Before they had gotten married, Giuseppe told her not to marry Damon. He had even offered her money to not marry him, but she told him she loved Damon and no amount of money would change that. He had finally found a way to get Damon to leave Elena instead. He had just been waiting for the perfect moment to strike. "He lied Damon. Stefan was leaving my room that morning because he had heard me crying all night and came in early that morning to check on me. He didn't stay for more than a couple of hours." When he didn't respond Elena continued. "Do you really think that I would do that to you? I loved you so much Damon. I never wanted anyone but you. I loved you so much sometimes it scared me."
"Why didn't you come after me then?" Damon asked.
Elena scoffed. "Come after you? You left me Damon. I was so devastated I didn't even want to live anymore. I kept asking myself what I had done wrong and replayed that stupid fight over and over in my head. I blamed myself for driving you away. I thought I had been a terrible wife who didn't love you enough or wasn't good enough for you. It was until a few years later when I realized it didn't matter because you weren't coming back. Now it's too late for us. You were right when you said we had made a lot of mistakes. Yours was not trusting me enough, and mine was loving you too much," Elena said as a tear slid down her cheek. She wiped it away promising herself that she would no longer shed any more tears because of Damon. Elena gave him a soft smile and raised herself up on her toes to bring herself to Damon's level. She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "It's time for you to go Damon. New York's waiting for you," she whispered as they found themselves back at Damon's car. She reached into her purse and handed him her engagement and wedding rings.
Damon was speechless. He closed his hands over the rings in his hands. He had no idea his father had lied to him. He couldn't believe he had just left before at least even talking to Elena. Damon got into the car, and he pulled away from the falls wordlessly. He watched Elena get smaller in his rearview mirror until he could no longer see her.
Elena watched Damon drive away. She knew she could call Caroline or Bonnie to come get her, but she didn't feel like getting back to reality just yet. Instead she took a seat on the grassy bank not caring that she was probably ruining her skirt. She just sat watching the water crash over the rocks not thinking about anything in particular. Finally she gave in after an hour or so, and she called Caroline to come get her.
Fifteen minutes later Caroline drove up, got out of her car, and pulled Elena into a hug. "Are you okay?" she asked. She pulled away to examine her carefully. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened when Damon left the first time.
Elena gave her a nod. She would be stronger this time. She had finally gotten the closure she needed. "Let's go home," she smiled. Things would finally go back to normal.
Damon looked out the window as the plane lifted off and flew over Mystic Falls. He would be back in New York in no time. As he took a sip of his scotch, he pulled out Elena's rings from his pocket. He looked at them carefully. Inside the wedding band, forever and always was inscribed. He never thought that things would come to this. He moved on to the engagement ring. It was his mother's ring; a gorgeous three stone, two-carat diamond set in platinum. It was less flashy than Katherine's four-carat ring, but it suited Elena. It had fit her perfectly the moment Damon slid it on to her finger. He remembered thinking about how it would never be removed. He slipped the rings back into his pocket and closed his eyes. After being away for a few days, his work was really piling up, so he might as well get some sleep in before he got to back to reality. Damon knew he should feel better now that he was free to marry Katherine, but why did he feel like he was just adding to his list of mistakes?
Later that night, Damon shrugged out of his suit jacket and slung it on the couch. Katherine was already home he observed when he saw her bag on the coffee table.
"Kat?" he called out. "Baby, where are you?" he tried again when he didn't get a response. Then he heard the clicking of heels on the hardwood floors.
"Damon!" Katherine squealed and launched herself into Damon's waiting arms. "I missed you," she said happily before crashing her mouth onto his. She fought him for dominance as Damon set her down. She let out a moan as Damon moved down her neck placing kisses along her collarbone. She weaved her fingers through his thick locks and pulled him back to her mouth. She undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt as they kissed. He picked her up by the waist and walked them to their bedroom. It was safe to say all thoughts of Elena were shoved to the back of his head. He flung her down on their bed and shrugged out of his shirt. Damon looked down at Katherine who had pulled off all her clothes leaving her in nothing but a dark red panty and bra set. She looked every bit of the seductive temptress she was. He stripped off the rest of his clothes and kicked the door shut behind him. It was going to be a long night.
A few hours later Damon gazed down at Katherine's sleeping form. He had never noticed how much she reminded him of Elena. When he first met her, he was so captivated by her charm, lovable cruelty, and most of all her brazen personality and irresistible looks. Now Damon could see the similarities between them that he had never taken in before. Granted there were clear differences. Elena had always seemed to have a smile on her face even as she slept that lit up her face. Katherine smiled a lot, but hers always seemed like she was keeping a secret rather than because she was happy. He leaned back into the plush bed and pulled the covers over them. When they moved into the penthouse, Damon had allowed Katherine to decorate everything, which meant she had hired some expensive Frenchman who always seemed to be hitting on him every time he was around. Damon made a point to stay away from him until the apartment was done. Damon stole another glance at Katherine who was faced away from him. He knew he loved her, but his love for her seemed different. She always seemed to keep him at arms length away. He wrapped his arms around Katherine and allowed himself to focus in on her breathing until he drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Everything would go back to normal; he hoped.
AN: Over 100 hits on the first chapter and only one review? It makes me sad. Hopefully this one will spark a review or at least a flame. Also I've been looking for a story that a read a few months back. I don't remember the title, but it was a Delena fic. Elena asked Bonnie what she saw in her future and Bonnie told her that the man for her would have electric blue eyes like Damon. It was only one chapter when I read it, so I'm not sure if it is any longer. If this sounds familiar to anyone, please let me know. I feel like I've gone through the archive a hundred times and still haven't found it.
