Letting Go

I do not own The Vampire Diaries. No copyright infringement intended as the genius belongs to the author and writers for the show. I do love to hang around in their world from time to time, though.

I am astounded by the 3,000+ views in less than 3 days. I expected a handful of views when I started this but this is overwhelming, so thanks to anyone who landed on my story and for sticking with it. And especially those of you who have taken the time to review or PM with me. I do try to respond to all messages and reviews if they are signed, so feel free to get in touch. And if you don't sign, I'll try to respond here, too :)

Much love,

Livi

BTW, one reviewer thought some of the last few chapters were a little too canon, so I wanted to mention this…I toyed with going completely away from canon, but I felt like the relationship with Stefan was too important to where this story is headed. So, bear with me. There will be some moments that don't stray too far from what we saw, but I assure you there are some twists that hopefully won't be too predictable and most likely at some point (being that the show is on break currently) I will be passing up the shows timeline and then all bets are off in terms of any similarities or differences...But, I really appreciate everyone's insights and wanted to be sure that I clarified since it is not completely canon, but there will be some moments that follow the shows path a little more closely. Anyway, hope that helps :)

Thanks for sticking with me and enjoy! A couple of familiar faces are going to pop by because you all are so amazing :)


Stefan sat in his bedroom toying with the idea of leaving. A part of him wanting to walk away so he didn't have to watch his relationship go down like the Titanic. Another part of him wanting to stay, and make sure Elena was safe and that Damon wasn't taking advantage of her.

Deep down, he knew his brother loved her and would sooner end his own life than cause her any undue harm. Something Stefan had been less successful at, of late, but he also knew his brother to be destructive and he couldn't help worrying that his needs would eventually consume her. Selfishly, he hoped that Damon would stay true to form so he could swoop in and be the hero once more.

As he stared at the blank page of his journal, he heard the floorboards creak outside of his door.

"Are you coming in, or are you just going to lurk outside?" Stefan asked.

"What the hell were you thinking, brother?" Damon shouted as he entered the room.

"I could ask the same of you." Stefan said.

"Look, I know what I did was crossing a line. One that I should have steered clear of. Under similar circumstances, I doubt your resolve would have been any stronger than mine, Saint Stefan." Damon said. "But, laying into her like that for something that she had no knowledge of, that was wrong."

"I know it was. I figured that out when I saw her crying on the driveway with YOU."

"Yeah, well it took me two hours to calm her down. Don't you remember how hard it was to rein in your emotions when you were new? I mean, I was devoid of humanity and I can still remember the discomfort that went along with feeling everyone's emotions around me. It surrounded me like a down comforter in July. You were the one with a conscience, so what's your excuse bunny killer?" Damon spat.

"I was angry. I shouldn't have taken it out on her."

"Damn right you shouldn't have! I was the one in control; I knew what I was doing. She had no idea what blood sharing would mean to either of us. In my defense, what I thought I knew didn't even come close, but I at least had some knowledge of the intimacy of the act. And, I still let it happen. Hell, I wanted it to happen." Damon said driving the proverbial dagger deeper into Stefan's heart. "So, if you need someone to take it out on, have at it."

"No Damon. You're right. Given the chance, I doubt I would have done anything differently. And I would have known it was wrong, too. I can see that her emotions are far more complex than I thought where you are concerned, and I need to give both of you the freedom to see what that means." Stefan conceded. "I never really gave her a chance to accept having me back in her life after the last year, and I certainly haven't been fair in assuming that she could shut off whatever she felt for you just because I returned. I know that you were there for her when I couldn't be, and I can't blame you for falling in love with her, I'd be surprised if you didn't, but I would prefer if you could not cross that particular line again though, at least until she knows what she wants."

"Fine. But, if you go at her again like that, I'll stake you myself. You won't have to worry about the hunter." Damon spat as he slammed the door closed behind him when he left.

Damon ran back to his bedroom at the other end of the boarding house and stood in the doorway as he watched Elena sleeping for a minute or two. He'd tucked her under the covers when she finally calmed down after her confrontation with Stefan.

Damon had been vibrating with anger towards his brother as she cried in his arms. He could feel Stefan looming, but he knew he wouldn't approach once he spotted Damon comforting a crying Elena.

He'd found it refreshing to be the one comforting her, as more often than not over the years, he himself had been the very cause of her tears.

As he'd stood watching her, he noticed she was dreaming. At first everything seemed peaceful, but the longer he stood there the more he began to feel the tone had changed. Her brow furrowed, hands knotted against the sheets and her breathing no longer even as it had been when he'd come back into the room.

"Lena?" He whispered as he pushed off the door frame.

When she didn't respond, he sat on the edge of the bed feeling the cool shift of the satin sheets beneath his hand.

"Elena, wake up." He whispered as he let his lips hover near her ear.

When she didn't wake up, Damon wrapped an arm around her hoping to calm whatever fears were plaguing her dreams.

She struggled against him jabbing an elbow in his ribcage as he crooned, "Elena, I've got you. It's okay."

But, still she struggled leaving him only one other option. An option he was certain Stefan wouldn't approve of. Though, the only thing he cared about in the moment was easing her mind as he settled beside her and let his consciousness fade into hers.

He could see her running down a dock, the hunter pursing her closely as her hair floated on the air behind her. She glanced back as she waited for the hunter to pounce when suddenly the scene changed. Damon focused his thoughts in a new direction yanking her back into a world of his creation, one that he hoped would give her peace.

Now, she stood in the kitchen with a bright smile on her face as she introduced her new boyfriend, him of course, to her Aunt Jenna and her boyfriend Alaric. He smiled as he shook hands with Ric, a stranger to him in the dream, but an old friend who he missed more than ever in the last few days.

What he wouldn't give to pick his brain as he'd helped Elena with her transition and learning to balance sustaining her new life and the blood lust that always threatened to control a vampire.

He felt Elena settle against him as she relaxed into his new dream. And he couldn't help the smile that formed as he watched Jenna and Elena move about the kitchen while he sat and chatted with Ric and reveled in the familiarity, in spite of the fact that such a formal introduction had never occurred, and most certainly never as Elena's boyfriend.

He would gladly have stayed in that moment forever to hear the laugh she shared with Jenna, knowing Klaus had robbed her of so many moments like this one. Her happy moments with family had long since been clouded by loss, one after another.

"God, I love that girl." Damon muttered unintentionally as he watched her.

"Anyone could see that." Ric said. "Love can make so many things possible, old friend. Even the unthinkable, so never give up on that."

Damon shook his head as he realized he no longer had control of the dream based on the way Ric spoke to him. Gone was the formality, replaced with the easy conversation of two old friends.

"Unthinkable?" Damon asked not really expecting an answer.

"A love true enough to transcend death. How do you think Jenna and I ended up here, together?" Ric asked before answering his own question. "Ha, you think this is your doing? Sure you got her here, but this is beyond even your abilities."

Damon gasped as he woke with a start just seconds after Ric had revealed flashes of Elena's human dreams and aspirations, only in her dreams he got to share them with her. Such and odd premise for a vampire to have, especially one as old as Damon Salvatore. That didn't stop him from wanting to close his eyes and crawl back into the warmth of her dream though.

Instead, he found himself staring into Elena's beautiful brown eyes as a tear fell from her cheek.

"Ric and Jenna?" He asked as he rubbed the drop from her soft skin.

She smiled as she cuddled into his side and said, "It felt so real. They were together, and happy."

"I know." He answered as he pulled her back into his arms and the two of them slipped back into a restful sleep.

TVDTVDTVDTVDTVD

The next morning, Elena woke up feeling relaxed and well rested. Her heart beat a slow and steady rhythm as she relaxed into Damon's arms and remembered the dream she'd had the night before.

Damon was no longer present in the dream, but it was filled with bittersweet memories of the life she'd always wanted for herself. A human lifetime with a loving husband and children. As sad as she was to know that life would never come to fruition, she was happy to find Damon was still by her side smiling as he watched her open her eyes.

"What would you like to do today?" He asked. "I was thinking maybe we'd go to college, put your restraint to the test at a frat party, besides it's Halloween so blending in should be easy and you could use a little fun. What do you think?"

"What if I can't control myself?" She asked.

"Do you trust me?" Damon asked.

"Yes. I trust you, Damon." She told him.

An hour later, Damon emerged dressed in a period costume and spotted Elena across the room. As they descended the stairs, Stefan looked up and smirked at his brother who was dressed as The Ripper, a fitting barb after his behavior the night before.

"Elena, I'm sorry for what I said last night. I know that you couldn't have known what was happening. Can you forgive me?" He asked cautiously.

"Under one condition." She answered.

"Anything." He answered.

"Don't blame Damon either. He warned me about blood sharing, and he never asked to feed on my blood. Instincts just took over." She answered.

Stefan pressed his lips together and nodded solemnly in agreement knowing her forgiveness was more important than the how or the why.

"We're going out for a Lena's first lesson in moderation."

"Really? Because it looks like you're going to a Halloween party." Stefan said as he looked over their attire.

"Well, if you must know…We're going to a frat party. She can feed and work on compulsion with morally bankrupt frat boys, it'll be like binging without the guilt." Damon smirked.

Stefan's eyes showed disapproval, but he kept the opinions to himself for Elena's sake.

"Be careful," was all he offered as he turned and headed for the stairs.

"Shall we?" Damon said as he held out his arm to Elena.

TVDTVDTVDTVDTVTVD

When they arrived at the frat house, Elena's eyes were wide in anticipation and trepidation. She was anxious to see how the night would go, but in the back of her mind she was also afraid once she had a taste she wouldn't ever want to stop.

"My lady." Damon said as he held out a hand and led her into the living room that was alive and vibrating with music. She could smell sweat, blood and sex in the air as dozens of bodies moved to the pulsing beats that filled the room.

Damon had made sure that they would be easily concealed within the room as Elena had been already covered in blood, albeit fake since she was dressed as a victim of the ripper. For his part, Damon was also covered in the thick syrupy blood substitute being that he WAS the ripper in the equation.

Elena stepped into the room and felt Damon press his lips to her ear to say, "Take your pick."

Elena scanned the room until she spotted two frat brothers off in a corner dividing up pill packs. She smiled as she decided that they would be her victims long before they could select their own.

"Them." She said as she pointed and headed in their direction. Damon followed at a safe distance as he watched her in predator mode. The sight made his entire body radiate heat begging him to follow her and revel in the euphoria that he knew would come after the feed.

"Hi." Damon heard her whisper innocently from a few feet away.

He was instantly aware of the interest the two frat brothers had in Elena as their pulses jumped and they glanced at each other in celebration.

Damon smirked as he listened to her play the lamb in their slaughter.

"I don't suppose one of you boys could point me in the direction of the alcohol?" She said as she ran a finger down the taller ones bicep.

"Uh, um…I'd be happy to get you a drink." The other one said as he winked at his friend and waved for her to follow.

The second one followed after glancing around to make sure no one noticed as they cornered their prey. Damon couldn't help the tiny little snicker that left his lips as he thought about the surprise they had coming. Slowly, he made his way after the trio and waited just beyond the door listening to the interaction.

"Mmm. Such service." Elena cooed to the first tool.

"I aim to please." He returned.

"Me, too." The second one offered as he attempted to sneak up on her, unaware that the predators were now officially the prey.

"I was hoping you would follow us." Elena cooed as she turned around and smiled with her red eyes and lethal fangs. She easily shoved him to stand beside his friend. "I brought a friend, too."

With that Damon entered the room and flew to Elena's side.

"You shouldn't have, love." Damon said as he watched her sink her teeth into the neck of the taller one before he joined her.

As they both pulled blood from the source, Damon's hand ran up Elena's arm and under her hair to her neck. She purred as her hand looped into the belt that settled against Damon's trim hips.

"That's enough." Damon whispered. "Now tell them what a lovely time they had."

Elena smirked, "You boys had a lovely time tonight. I want you to go upstairs, together and crawl into bed. When you wake up tomorrow, you won't remember any of this but you will find comfort in each other, and the next time you feel the need to roofie some unsuspecting girl I want you to instead seek out each other."

Damon laughed as she pat them both on the chest and said, "Sleep well. The hangover is going to be a real bitch."

They watched as the two men walked up the stairs hand in hand as several of their frat brothers looked on in confusion.

Once they were out of site, Damon turned to Elena and said, "That, was pure evil. Are you sure you didn't check your humanity at the door?"

Elena just giggled before she shoved Damon back against the wall and latched onto his mouth tasting the blood that coated his lips.

"My humanity is just fine, I just thought I could give them someone else to focus on besides some unsuspecting young girl." She smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Damon wondered. "Still hungry?"

"I want more." She purred as the veins darkened under her eyes.

"As you wish." Damon said settling in behind her as watched her scan for her next snack.

Twenty minutes later, Damon was feeding on a cute little bar wench while Elena sipped on a band geek before compelling them to enjoy the rest of the party and forget all about them. When she turned towards him, his body throbbed with need as he watched a drop of blood slip beneath the neckline of her top from her chin.

Damon let his thumb slid over her bottom lip before he brought it to his mouth, "Mmmm. You have good taste." He whispered.

"Want some more?" She asked as she pulled his mouth down to hers once again.

They swayed to the music, not an inch of daylight between them as they sipped the blood from each others skin until not a drop remained. The intimacy of the moment was not lost on either of them, as Damon turned her to face the crowd once more.

She moaned as she felt every inch of him pressed firmly to her back and another of the frat brothers pressed himself to her chest. Damon let his lips slide over the skin of her neck as she sank her teeth into the guy dressed as Dracula.

"Why do they always choose count chocula?" Damon whispered against her neck, his voice slipping over her like velvet.

Elena laughed as she told the frat boy to find his friends that had gone upstairs before turning back to Damon with a huge smile.

"Are you having fun?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her bringing her close enough to sample her latest meal.

Her hands tangled in his hair as he followed a rivulet of blood from her chin to the soft skin beneath her collarbone causing her head to fall back with a throaty moan. Damon's entire being went on high alert as his body begged him to take her to the nearest bed, but his head wouldn't allow it. He knew if he was lucky enough to have her in his bed, he didn't want it to be in a dirty frat house with dozens of people within earshot, and he certainly didn't want her to feel seduced by the feed.

He wanted her clear headed for that experience spread out before him on his king sized bed where he could revel in her beauty and make her feel every ounce of his desire until they were both breathless and sated. And he wanted her love, all of it. Not just the pieces that didn't belong to his brother.

"Come on, love. Let's go home." He whispered.

She smiled a sleepy smile as he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to his car allowing her euphoria to pull her into a deep sleep. As he laid her in her bed, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered, "You were amazing tonight, and so incredibly beautiful."

"Are you leaving?" She asked.

"Yeah, I just need to check in on our favorite vampire hunter. I'll be back in a few hours." He said.

"Be safe." She murmured as she slipped back into the satisfaction of her first real feed.

TVDTVDTVDTVDTVD

Damon circled the RV a couple of times making sure that the hunter was nowhere nearby before he entered and had a look around. He'd heard from Mayor Lockwood as he was leaving the frat house, she'd texted to tell him the hunter had attacked Tyler and stolen a syringe of venom, which had led him to the hunter's hideout.

He approached the table when he spotted a journal and a number of handwritten notes, but stopped in his tracks as two arrows pierced his flesh.

He grimaced as he noticed the thin filament that led back to a very large bomb.

"Um…Yeah." Damon said as he calmly pulled out his phone and dialed the one person who might be able to make sense of all the things he'd found in the RV, and who might be inclined to help him escape from his current predicament.

About thirty minutes later, he heard the sound of tires crunching on the gravel and hoped it was the arrival of help and not the hunter.

The door swung open and Meredith Fell popped her head in the door, "Why are you being so cryptic?" She said regarding his dodgy phone call.

He simply smirked and said, "The good news is I think I know why he jacked Tyler's Wolf Venom. The bad news is that he now has a very powerful weapon." He finished as he pointed to the various pieces of lab equipment in front of them.

"Now get in here and close the door."

"Please tell me that's not what it looks like." She said as she pointed towards the bomb.

"Okay, it's a kitten. An adorable, EXPLODING kitten." He snarked.

"Why didn't you call your brother?" She asked.

"Because at this point he's a lot more likely to pull the pin than help me. Oh, and look at that, you're already here!" Damon growled. "Now all I need is for you to be all doctor-y and cut out the arrows. I'd do it myself, but if I move….BOOM!" He said with dramatic flare.

Meredith just shook her head and started to cut into Damon's chest to dig out the arrows. He barely flinched as he read the letter from April's dad.

"So, how well did you know Pastor Young?" He asked casually as if she weren't gauging his flesh with a knife.

"He was a patient. Always a nice guy." She stated as she concentrated on her task.

"Nice CRAZY guy. He wrote a letter about sacrifice and destruction coming to Mystic Falls." Damon said as he handed her the letter once the arrows were safely removed and lying on the table.

"What does this mean, 'a greater evil is coming'? As if we don't have enough already."

"Yeah, you'd think." Damon smirked.

"So how did you pull lone hunter duty?" She asked as she looked over the items strewn about.

"Stefan and I aren't really seeing eye to eye on Elena's 'training'. So I'm trying to give him some space and he's trying not to murder me in my sleep."

"I see. So, I take it Elena's feelings for the two of you might not be the same as they were when she was human then."

"Well, Dr. Phil…I mean Fell, it would appear that Elena's doppelganger blood won't allow her to assimilate to Stefan's bunny population control program. So, I've had to…improvise if you will."

"And Stefan's not on board with your curriculum?" She asked.

"No. No he's not. And worse, he took it out on Elena last night. So, to say we're at odds is an understatement." Damon offered.

"And Elena? How does she feel about it?"

"Hurt, pissed off, confused and, well hungry. I'm trying to help with the hungry, and the confused. It's the hurt and pissed off that I'm not having much luck with."

"Well, she must be doing okay, it's not like I've been welcoming bodies into the morgue." Meredith said.

"Yeah, she'll be fine. I'm just not sure Stefan can accept that the Elena he knew is gone. And I don't know if he can love the Elena that she's become since the transition." Damon said with a hint of sadness.

Not for Stefan, but for Elena. She hadn't asked for this, but she was going to pay for it all the same.

"Well, she's lucky to have you. Sounds like you have a pretty good idea of who she is now."

"That's the thing, human or vampire…makes no difference to me. I love her either way, I'm just not sure that Stefan can." Damon said.

"Then maybe for once, Damon gets the girl." She offered.

"Maybe, but it still sucks that someone is going to get hurt in that equation. In spite of everything, Stefan is still my brother and I hate being the reason he is suffering. Or Elena, no matter what choice she makes she has to hurt one of us. And that still sucks, even if for once that guy isn't me." Damon added as he walked the doctor to her car and thanked her for her help before he headed back to Elena's.


I hope that you liked this chapter. I loved Jenna and Alaric hence the dream sequence, and I thought it was fitting that once more Damon couldn't control how Alaric behaved...I think that was part of what bonded them together in the first place. Damon seems to be very attached to the humans that he can't control, perhaps it's the challenge they pose for him :) And selfishly, I would really like to see what kind of conversation they might have now that Elena is a vampire...maybe a future chapter...who knows.

And, hopefully everyone is okay without the Bonnie/Professor Shadypants (thank you Damon for that perfect nickname) chaperone. I didn't invite them to the party (Besides, I don't know about you but we didn't tend to invite our creepy professors to frat parties when I was in college), though they will turn up a little later on :)

I am working on one more for today or tomorrow, then my week starts to get a little extra crazy with Holiday preparations and last minute work deadlines. But, I will do my best to post a few more chapters before Christmas :)

XOXO Livi