A/N: So here's the final chapter. I know I said I'd have it up in a few days, but life sort of got away with me. We had our Science Olympiad invitational over the weekend (congrats Molly, for all your medals! :D) so it sort of took up ALL of my time. It was crazy and ... yeah ... *refuses to list more excuses that you don't even care about*

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed/alerted/favorited. You don't know how much it meant to me (and encouraged me to write) so thank you! C:

I'll say, once again, that the title of the story is taken from the song Lost and Found, by Katie Herzig, and it's worth a listen (especially for this chapter.)

As a last note, anyone who can catch the Harry Potter quote wins a hypothetical cookie! :D

So yeah, enjoy! :)


Chapter 2: Say It Again

Frozen. Her hand was frozen. Elena had been standing in front of the Boarding House's entrance for at least five minutes, but she couldn't move.

Before at her house, it had taken a 30 minute battle of pacing, inaudible mutterings, and much frustrated hair pulling to get her to move. She had finally built up enough courage to climb into her car and drive here. She just couldn't move past the entrance.

Sure Elena. Unkillable hybrid? No problem. Psycho ex-boyfriend? A walk in the park. Admitting your feelings to said ex-boyfriend's brother? … You're scared out of your wits.

Buck up Gilbert! she told herself. Gathering courage she didn't know she had, she raised her hand once again to knock. Before her first even touched the wood, however, the door swung open to reveal the formerly mentioned panic attack waiting to happen. His smirking, easygoing manner was almost insulting.

"Well, dear Elena, what brings you to my humble abode?" His eyes danced in their characteristic, heart-stopping manner. She was a goner.

"Am I not allowed to see you anymore or something?" she asked, too defensive. She was being ridiculous, and she saw his surprise at her snappy manner, but after a moment the expression was wiped from his face.

"Usually you just come in like you own the place, not stand on the porch for five minutes. I assumed you had a reason."

His smirk was well in place, and she considered reminding him that she did, in fact, actually own the place, but decided against it. Guarded, his eyes showed his trepidation at her odd behavior. They looked almost weary. She hadn't seen him for three days, since her lovely talk with Stefan, except for a brief phone call to inform her of Stefan's departure.

"I…" her pause was deafening in its silence, "I just wanted to see you," she finally said quietly. It was enough of the truth to convince him not to question her, at least. Still, he was curious, she knew. Stepping aside, he let her pass.

Was she the only one who felt the energy of this place? The house acted as if alive, now humming with the anticipation of what she planned. She felt as if crackling sparks of electricity were running through the air.

Damn her nerves, she thought. It shouldn't be this hard!

"Alright Elena, I'll bite," he said, seemingly fed up with her loaded silence. "What's got you so riled up?"

Taking a deep breath, she turned around to face him. At her house, she had planned a whole speech, down to every syllable, about how he was amazing and good and everything she ever wanted. It all flew out the window with one look into his eyes. Did he always look at her like that? It wasn't possible to have such a powerful stare and still assume an air of nonchalance at the same time.

"I…" her mouth wasn't working properly, it seemed. She took a deep breath and tried again.

"I haven't been completely honest with you," she said hurriedly.

Where did that come from? Well, she didn't know, but she'd roll with it.

"About what, might I ask?" She seemed to be confusing him more with every syllable uttered. Now, though, accompanying his confusions was suspicion.

If only you knew, she thought.

So she began, the words flying from her mouth without thought or any sort of control. "I've never been honest, with you or myself. All this time I've been so stupid Damon! But I didn't have a choice before really. How else could it have happened?" Her words sped up as she talked until they began slightly slurring together. "If I had been honest back then, it would have been a complete disaster! It's like you said before, 'Just not right now.' And I never understood you before, what you meant, but I do now, but I just don't know how to tell you what I–"

She was cut off in her almost senseless rambling as he walked toward her and placed his hands on her shoulders, saying, "Elena. Slow down. Now what are you talking about?"

His eyes weren't as confused as his words suggested, but they were extremely cautious, as if he dared not believe what he thought she was talking about.

Well then, she'd just have to reassure him.

"I love you," she said, her voice breathless after finally confessing it.

His eyes widened in shock. A few blinks were the only response she got.

"Damon?" she asked, slightly worried. "Did you hear me? I said I love you."

She had thought the moment she told him he would immediately pull her into his arms, or maybe question her words, or possibly just push her up against a wall and not give her the chance to speak for the next week. But not this… nothingness.

"Damon?" she asked again, her voice near a whisper. Was it too late? Had she made him wait too long? Even the possibility that he didn't love her anymore made her heart feel as if it was beginning to crack, tiny fissures moving along the surface. After all this time of him waiting for her, the irony that he didn't love her when she finally wanted him would be overwhelmingly cruel.

"Please," she nearly begged. "Would you just–"

"Say it again."

"What?" Now she was just confused.

"I said," he annunciated slowly, moving his hands up to cup her face, "say it again."

Understanding overtook her in an instant, and with a genuine smile, she said, "I love you, Damon Salvatore."

Not a second passed after the last syllable was uttered before his lips were on hers.

She had kissed Damon before. Once when he was drunk, desperately grasping at any sort of hope. Again when he was dying, and she was searching for that same hope. And a third time, on the porch, where they both openly acknowledged what they felt for one another, although not verbally on her part. Desperate, heartbroken, and gentle–all of their previous kisses had been different. This one, she should have known, turned out just as different as the others.

This was all fire.

His lips were fierce, demanding, and passionate. She had never been kissed like this before. Stefan had always held back, always been gentle with her–afraid of hurting her. Damon gave her everything, and he knew she could take it. She wasn't some fragile little human who would break at the slightest touch. And she proved it by giving back just as good as she got.

After several long moments, or it might have been half an hour–or possibly several sunlit days–they broke apart.

Damon gently laid his forehead on hers, his eyes still closed. She, on the other hand, couldn't stop looking at him. She had never been this close to him before and been able to study him. His creamy skin, sculpted cheekbones, and smooth lips all drew her attention. It was as if he were some Greek god, carved from marble.

His otherworldly blue eyes, her favorite feature on him, were not visible to her. She wondered if they looked the same up close. Were they more intense? Maybe they were a myriad of colors, rather than just the blue she perceived at a distance.

Her musings were interrupted by his soft voice.

"Elena," he nearly whispered, like a prayer he was afraid to speak aloud.

Her smile stretched across her face at the sound of her name on his lips. Surely he had never said it in such a way before, with such adoration and devotion and love. She would have noticed, right?

With a sigh, he pulled away slightly and opened his eyes. Where she expected to see pure bliss, she only saw guarded caution. Her smile slipped away at that look on his face. What could it mean?

"Is something wrong Damon?" She was tempted to remove her hands from around his neck, where they had found themselves somewhere during their kiss. But she didn't want to move away from him, refused to not be close to him right now. She couldn't stand the thought.

His gaze calculatingly searched her face before he said, "Do you really want this Elena? You have to mean it. I can't do this if you don't really want it." His voice sounded slightly desperate, like he was forcing himself to say something he needed to say, yet wished he didn't have to.

Is that what his hesitation was all about? He was afraid she would change her mind, regret her decision. She supposed she couldn't blame him, after first Katherine and then her continued rejections. There was only so much hurt a man could take, after all.

Smiling, she moved her hands to cup his face, mirroring his position earlier. "I'm completely sure, Damon. I know we have a lot to talk about, a lot of issues to work through. But I want this. I want to be with you. So I'll do whatever it takes, because I love you."

At her words, the smile that broke out across his face was phenomenal, breathtaking. She had never seen such an all-encompassing smile from him before.

Once again, his lips swiftly moved to take hers, the both of them smiling like crazy.

It can't get better than this.

Whatever it was they needed to talk about could wait until tomorrow. For right now, she just wanted to be with him. Soon they were wrapped up in the other's embrace, so close there was only a breath's space between them.

It was only later–God only knows how much time later–that he spoke.

"Just for the record, I love you too Elena."


A/N: And there you have it! The new episode comes on in 30 minutes, so now that I've posted this I get to anxiously wait for that. :)

I'd love it if you left a review. What you thought, hated/loved, etc, etc. I always appreciate them.

That's it for today. :)

Toodles,

Jamie


***"After several long moments, or it might have been half an hour–or possibly several sunlit days–they broke apart." - Quote taken directly from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and is the property of J. K. Rowling.***