I'm baaaack...

I am so SO sorry that I haven't updated this story lately. I've been wrapped up in exams and other stories. And I'm also sorry that this chapter isn't as long as I would like. But I happen to think this chapter has a lot of drama in it, and has a lot of D/E moments. Will that make up for it?

So, read, review, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters; just this particular storyline.

XxX

Chapter Seven

Doesn't feel right

Elena couldn't shake the uneasy feeling as she drove up the drive to the Salvatore mansion. She was going on a date with Stefan tonight, in an attempt to be "normal". She snorted as she parked. What are the chances of that?

The girl had spent all morning in the attic, searching for the journal. She had forced herself to ignore most the memories and photographs, knowing that if she saw a picture of her parents she could lose hours staring at it. So far she had found three of her old dolls, a pile of clothes, a bunch of Christmas decoration and some dusty books, but no journal.

She now entered the mansion, taking a quick look round. She couldn't decide whether she was looking for Damon or trying to avoid him. She let loose of breath of relief when she realised he wasn't there.

Knowing Stefan would come down the stairs when he was ready, she slipped in the kitchen. She wasn't sure why – after all, they probably wouldn't have any edible food. But to her surprise, they did have hot chocolate. She smiled; Stefan was so sweet, he probably got it for her.

She spent ten minutes making it and waiting for it to cool before finally tasting it. It was delicious: hot chocolate was always so comforting. Elena didn't mind coffee, but hated tea. Hot chocolate, on the other hand, was one of her favourite drinks.

"Elena," a cool voice said, one that she knew well – too well. "How are you?"

She forced herself to be calm as she turned to him. Oh God, how her heart pounded when she saw him! He was dressed in black, but his shirt was slightly open. Oh God. She inwardly took a breath. "Hey Damon," she replied. "What's up?"

"The sky – what's down?"

"The ground." She grinned, despite herself. That man and his sarcastic tongue.

"Have you found the journal yet?" he asked. He poured himself a glass of water.

She shook her head. "No. I did look, I swear! But there were no books resembling the journal, I triple checked them all."

Damon muttered under his breath. "We need to find it before they do."

"They seem to be waiting for us to find it."

"So they say." He turned back to her, sipping his water. "Still, Anna seems desperate. If we don't find it soon she may decide to make us go faster." Damon sent her a knowing look, one that made Elena shiver, understanding.

"Why don't you just use your vampire speed?" she asked him. "Surely you'll find it faster?"

He was shaking his head before she ended the sentence. "We need to take it slow; don't want to miss it."

Elena nodded. "What are you doing tonight?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "Maybe I'll go to a bar. Meet a girl, see what happens?"

The thought of him meeting a girl caused her heart to clench. It wasn't just the thought of him taking blood from a human, but having sex with another girl...

"Don't," she said to him.

He raised his perfect eyebrows at her. "What, Elena? What's the problem?"

She glowered at him. "You know what the problem is, Damon."

"What does it matter? You don't care."

She didn't answer. Instead she said, "Why the fuck are you such a jerk, Damon? You know what, don't answer that; just forget it." She turned away, facing the counter.

Half a second later she felt the warmth of his body pressed up against her back. She immediately froze. Her shoulders were against her chest. She didn't dare turn round; he would see the redness of her cheeks. "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer. "You try to push me away, try to hate me, so you can fall out of love."

"Damon," she breathed. "Stop it." She made no move, however, to push him away.

He moved his mouth closer to ear. Elena's heart began to hammer against her rib cage, immediately turned on. His breath was in her ear; his tongue could just as easily be placed inside it. "Guess what?" he whispered. "It's not that easy."

He could have kissed her then; she was so full of desire she wouldn't – couldn't – stop him. But she felt his body move away from hers, and when she turned round, he was gone. "Damon," she hissed, furious. She shouldn't have been mad at the missed opportunity, but she found disappointment in the pit of her stomach.

"Hey." Elena whirled round, her hair landing beautifully though annoyingly across her face. Stefan stood before her, dressed in a nice shirt. "How are you?" he asked. It didn't sound as good as when Damon had said it.

She plastered a smile on her face. "Hey," she murmured as he kissed her. "What's up?"

He shrugged. "Not much. You ready to go? I thought that nice little Italian place would be nice?"

She liked the Italian place, but she had been there too often; she wasn't in the mood.

So why in the hell did she say yes?

As they made their way out, Elena thought she saw someone on the stairs. But when she looked, there was only a shadow.

XxX

Damon watched from his bedroom window. Stefan opened the car door for Elena, and his brilliant eyesight saw her smile and murmur a thank you. Damon wondered, if like himself, she hated the way he was always babying her; as if she couldn't do things for herself. He stayed by the window even after they drove away.

There was a pain in his chest: he hadn't had this pain for a long time, but all the same it was familiar. Yes, he missed Katherine; oh, how he wanted her! But he remembered how he used both him and Stefan. He was sure she loved him, absolutely positive. All the same, he was worried that there was going to be another love triangle.

Elena. Even her name made his heart fly and send shivers down his back. At the same time his stomach dropped, pain spread over his chest. He knew for sure he was falling for her.

Why? Why her? Was it because she looked like Katherine? He dismissed it quickly: though both girls were amazing, they were polar opposites. Maybe it was because, in some ways, she was like him: determined, quick-witted, smart.

Frustration came over him. He hated Stefan: why did he always find the girl first? Why did she always fall for his boyish innocence and his sweet ways?

He slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a large dent. It wasn't fair; his life was never fair. Why, after years of searching for Katherine and wanting her, had he found a girl that looked exactly like her? And why, both times, did they fall in love with his brother and not him? Why did neither of them return his love?

If you asked Damon Salvatore what the greatest pain in the world was, he would have the same answer from 1864 to 2010 – unrequited love.

XxX

"So," Elena said, trying to make her smile seem real, "what did you do today?" The conversation seemed strangely forced. Elena had always thought of Stefan as her safe heaven, the one that she could tell anything to.

Not anything. Not about Damon.

Stefan wished she hadn't asked that question. In truth, his thoughts had often wandered to a certain dark haired witch. He didn't understand it. He had a girlfriend – Elena, who was sweet and lovable, kind and beautiful. And yet... She had a fiery side that he didn't like; he worried that she was so impulsive that she would get herself hurt one day (so far they had been lucky); she didn't understand that, when he lied, he was trying to protect her.

He shrugged. "Finished some homework – you?"

She sighed. "I looked for the journal. I haven't found it yet." She looked up at him over her pasta. "Should I be getting worried?"

He shook his head. "It'll turn up. Once we give her it, we'll be rid of the problem."

She stared at him curiously. "But don't you want to know what she wants it for?"

"Does it matter? If it gets her to leave us alone, then isn't it worth it?"

"No," she shot at him. "What if she just makes things worse?"

A silence fell over the table. "Elena," Stefan said, his voice stern. "I will do anything to protect you."

Something inside her chest woke – a tiger that she thought was long since dead, that she hadn't felt since her parents' death. It had stirred before, she realised, when she was talking to Damon. Had it been him that had finally woken it? "I can take care of myself Stefan."

"Against vampires?" Stefan didn't seem angry; simply incredulous. "Elena, a vampire could kill you in an instant."

"There are ways," she snarled. "A stake to the heart; you've already given me the necklace. I can take care of myself," she repeated, as if it emphasis the point.

She could see Stefan was getting impatient. Part of her understood: he loved her, he wanted to protect her. But mostly she was angry; the amber eyed tiger was emerging in full force. "Elena, can we just drop this?"

She put her fork down. "No, Stefan, we can't forget this. You need to recognise that I can be independent; that I don't need a white knight to come riding in to save me."

Finally Stefan said the words that she would always hate him for: "No you can't."

It hit her like a ton of bricks. Was he implying that she was weak? She stood up, flinging her napkin down on the table. "Goodbye Stefan." She hurried out the restaurant, wanting to get an advantage over him and his vampire speed. Stefan stood to go after her, but the hostess quickly went over and reminded him that the food wasn't free. Since he only had a credit card, he would have to wait.

Elena knew where Stefan thought she would go, so she walked down through the park. It was the long way back to the Salvatore mansion i.e. her car, but she didn't care. A power walk would do some good; get some anger out of her.

How could Stefan say that she needed protecting? If anyone was tough, it was her. She had endured so much: her parents' death, Vicki's death...

But am I weak?

She didn't want to think that. But that was what she feared the most: she didn't want to be like a little girl, scared of stepping outside her house. Usually she wouldn't have thought she was terrified of anything, but vampires had given fear a whole new name.

This conversation hadn't helped with her feeling towards Stefan. She just wanted things back the way they were; when they first met, those few blissful days where she didn't know Damon.

As soon as he had arrived, Elena knew he would be trouble. When he had so slyly mentioned Katherine, when he arrived at the dinner she was having with Bonnie and Stefan, when he had tried to kiss her...

Her breath caught in her chest. Before she couldn't have been any more disgusted, but now... She wondered what it would be like to kiss him, to have his tongue wander through her mouth, to have his hands touch her burning body...

She shook her head. "For God's sake!" she cried, glad that no one was around to see her meltdown. "I love Stefan! I love Stefan Salvatore!" NOT DAMON.

Elena hated her heart; no matter what her brain said was right for her, her heart always disagreed.

XxX

Damon nearly jumped when he heard the front door slam; he hadn't expected Stefan and Elena to be back so soon; he had he would be out before they had their make out session.

But to his surprise, he heard only one set of footsteps. He turned, and twice in one night came face to face with Elena Gilbert.

She clearly seemed surprised to see him too. "I thought you were out."

He tried to appear casual. "Felt like staying in." In truth his heart hadn't been in it. Thoughts of Elena had swum through his head, her moral voice in his ear. He couldn't hurt anyone. "What are you doing back?"

She blushed, but her eyes sparked. She has such fire in her, Damon thought, not for the first time. "Stefan and I got into a fight."

Damon grinned. "So you've finally realised my brother is an annoying dimwit?"

Oh, Elena hadn't wanted to see Damon. After what happened in the kitchen before, she hadn't wanted to see Damon for at least a week. But, despite everything, she wanted to talk to him. He, out of everyone, would tell her the truth.

She followed him into the living room, purposely choosing an armchair instead of the sofa next to him, so she wouldn't be tempted. He was surprised, she could tell, but hid it well. Only someone who knew him would be able to tell, but the thought made Elena uneasy: did that mean she knew him?

Trying to strike up a conversation between the eldest Salvatore, she asked, "What're you drinking?" He was drinking out of a mug, but who knew? Maybe he put alcohol in it?

He smiled. "Hot chocolate." Her surprise must have shown on her face, because he laughed. "I've always liked it. When I'm depressed, it cheers me a little."

Not many people would have caught the pragmatics of that sentence, but of course, Elena did. "You're feeling sad?"

Damon bit his lip. He was not going to reveal his feelings to Elena. She was the last person he would share this with.

And yet, she was probably the only person he would.

"So what was the fight about?" he asked her.

Elena knew he had changed the subject purposely, but didn't call him on it. "Stefan thinks I'm weak," she blurted out. "He thinks that I need someone to protect him."

Damon laughed, leaning back in the sofa. "That's Stefan," he said with a laugh. "Always trying to protect people."

"Doesn't he get it?" she asked. "I can walk; I don't need him to put pillows on the ground to soften the blow when I fall."

He saw her eyes go darker. "What is it?"

"Huh?" she asked.

He sighed. "You're sitting with me even though you have your car out there. That means that you either feel sorry for me or you want to talk." He put his hand under his chair mockingly. "Ask me anything."

She smiled a little. Despite everything, it was nice to know someone knew her. "Am I weak, Damon?" she finally asked. "I mean, is Stefan right? I can take care of myself, can't I?"

The vampire stared at her for a long moment. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze: it was as if he could see right through her, know all her secrets. It scared the hell out of her. It would have been comforting if she knew that was what scared him about her.

"Forget it," she said quickly. His silence told her everything.

She began to stand up, but he moved in front of her. She hated that, how he could appear without warning. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Slow down princess. Sit down; I have an answer."

Feeling somewhat nervous – like she was about to walk into an exam – she sat down on the armchair. He sat opposite on the coffee table, only adding to her nervousness. "You couldn't stand against a vampire. They're strong, fast, and could kill you in an instant." When she opened her mouth, he said quickly, "However, I have to admit, I wouldn't want to face you. You're tough; you could talk you're way out of anything. I mean," he said, chuckling, "you already did. Remember Atlanta?"

She did; she smiled, remembered how she had convinced a vampire not to kill Damon.

"You're strong in other ways too," he continued.

Elena was liking this conversation. "Such as?"

He began to tick a list off his fingers. "For one thing, you're morally strong: you stand by your friends and family; you have a good sense of right and wrong." Some of us, he thought, lack that. "Secondly, you're brave. Look at the time you went looking for Vicki, or when you stopped that vampire from killing me. Those were scary situations; you didn't need to get involved, but you did anyway. You're also strong in endurance."

She looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"After your parents died, you could have sunk into a depression. You could have gone on anti-depressants, let their deaths kill you too. Take you brother – he turned to drugs to numb the pain. But you didn't: you stayed strong; you slowly came back to life."

Elena couldn't take her eyes off Damon. He had noticed all these things about her; had thought about them obviously in detail. She smiled, a sweet, pure one. "Thank you Damon."

He winked at him. "Anytime you need a pick me up. Just give me a call."

She stared at him, her heart pounding. His face was inches away from his. His lips just centimetres away –

Stefan suddenly came through the door. "Elena," he said, going towards her.

She stood up. Despite what Damon had said, she was still angry at him "I was just leaving," she answered coolly.

Stefan glowered at Damon. "What did you say to her?"

Her anger flared up again. Before Damon could retort, she snarled, "He was actually making me feel better. Unlike you, who just seem to get me more annoyed." She looked between the two of them. "Those jobs are meant to be opposite." She turned away, heading out of the house.

Stefan went out after her. "Leave me alone!" she called behind her.

He appeared in front of her; she instantly moved backwards. "Stefan-"

"Elena, I'm sorry, okay. I am so sorry. I just don't understand why you're so mad."

Damon heard this, and felt a little stunned. Stefan doesn't understand why she's annoyed? God, does he even know her at all?

For some reason, he couldn't stay out of it. "She's annoyed," he called out, "because you injured her pride." Both of them stared at the eldest Salvatore. "She likes to think of herself as a fighter, and you just undermined her. Plus, you made her worry that she wasn't." He stood, leaning against the archway.

Stefan glared at his brother. "Go away Damon. No one wants you here."

Ouch. Damon was surprised how much that hurt. He was use to comments like this, but this one stung. Still, he kept the mask over his face. "I'll leave for now, little brother. But I'm staying, just so I can annoy you." He disappeared, appearing up in his room. He instantly went to the drinks cabinet; he was going to need help tonight.

Back downstairs, Elena glowered at Stefan. "That was cruel, Stefan."

"What? He's only here to cause trouble. Now, can we please talk?"

"I'll talk to you later Stefan. I don't want to talk now." She moved towards him, but moved her hand behind to the doorknob. Before she left, she hissed in his ear. "And for your information, I want Damon around." She slammed the door loudly, letting him know she was angry.

Stefan stared after her. With those words, he felt his heart slowly sink. I'm losing her.

XxX

Halfway home, Elena gave in and pulled her car to a stop. She was sobbing, allowing her heart to acknowledge the pain. She knew the future, and it wasn't going to be good.

How do you tell someone that you love that you love someone else more?