A/N: Such a bittersweet chapter, this is one I loved writing. Hail Team Delena. ^^ Review... You know you want to. ;]

Chapter Ten: Bleeding Love.

Elena's tears started off fake. Nothing but an actress' trained crying. But now, now she was really crying. And no, it wasn't because of what she had done or rather what she was continuing to do to Stefan. It was because of what she was doing to Damon. She loved that man with everything inside of her and more; seeing him hurt, (especially since she was the one actually hurting him) was killing her. She wouldn't admit it though, she couldn't. Finally, she couldn't do it anymore. Elena looked at Damon. And he looked... She winced both inwardly and physically and had to look away fast. He was still impossibly beautiful. But he looked old... Real, old. His features were haggard and he looked so very tired. He did love her. Damon was in love with her; yes, Elena knew that. But knowing something, and having something said to you to back up that fact were two completely different things. And it was true, Damon just had to say the word and she would come running. Elena swallowed hard and watched him go. When she was sure he was gone, Elena let the sobs break free from her chest and Stefan ran over to her. He took her in his arms and kissed her hair.

"It's okay little lovely love.. I love you, he doesn't... He couldn't love anyone."

Elena knew if Damon heard that.. It would tear him apart.

Before he knew it, he was walking back to the house. He knew one thing for sure. He had to get out of that sick town as soon as he appeared here. He had to get his stuff, not that there was a lot, but he certainly was taking his doorframe with him. He was about to walk into the house, when he heard Stefan from outside.

"It's okay little lovely love... I love you, he doesn't... He couldn't love anyone. "

No.? He didn't love Katherine, no.? He didn't spend ages, trying to find a way to get her back, no.? And what had he been doing with Elena? He closed his eyes and clenched his fists before opening the front door violently, and storming off upstairs, not even bothering to close the door after him. He was just taking a few things and leaving. Once in his room, he grabbed his leather jacket off the bed, put it on, and moved to the doorframe. It wouldn't be the same, if he ripped it off. He sighed and banged his head off it.

"Keep an eye on Elena." He whispered and patted the wood, before walking downstairs, ignoring the couple.

He grabbed the best scotch from the bar and headed for the door. He was out of here. He looked up and through the banisters. He could see his doorframe through them. He smiled slightly, and continued to walk down the hallway. Goodbye doorframe, goodbye Stefan, goodbye Alaric, goodbye Mystic Fall, Goodbye Elena. He turned around to look at her, when he was right beside the front door. He then walked out backwards and shut the door and inhaling deeply.

Elena couldn't say anything, not in the state she was in. She was crying her heart out for Damon, for Stefan, for all three of them! What a good show she must have been putting on.. Neither brother would realise what she was doing. She didn't want to be a 'Katherine' so to speak. But it was the only way to get this right.. Get this through to them. Just as she raised her eyes to look at him, she felt rather than heard the front door fly open. Without realising what she was doing, Elena's eyes had flashed directly to the staggered figure standing at the door. Or rather the figure that was now storming upwards. She frowned. She'd talk to him in a moment. And then everything would be okay - it had to be. When she noticed Damon was out of sight, Elena swiped under her eyes, catching the falling tears before smiled through the thick veil of tears across her eyes and Stefan looked down to her.

"Are you okay, love?" Stefan, perfect as always asked.

She nodded, leaning up and kissing him for a few long seconds. When she pulled away, she noticed his triumphant smile.

"Yes, I'm fine.. I.. Just need some alone time."

He nodded, kissing her deeply before pulling away.

"I understand completely.."

And with that, he left. And with that, she made her way back towards Damon. She stopped a few feet away from him and stared.

Damon had never felt so many feeling at once. Elena was there, in front of him. For one, he felt like running away, and never ever showing his face again, two, he felt like collapsing onto the ground and letting the tears fall, three, he wanted to scream, shout and sob hysterically, four, he wanted to kick or kill something, five, he wanted to disappear and five and that was the dominant feeling right now, the feeling to just walk up to her and hold her, and never let go, and if Stefan decided to interrupt to growl at him and tell him to go away, only in not such a polite way, but he was not going to give into that feeling. All he was going to do, was stand motionlessly, staring at her. He won't be a coward. He tried to tell himself. He couldn't help but feel his mask slip away though. Piece by piece revealing all the pain. And he couldn't stand it. He didn't want her to see him so.. shattered. Instantly, he looked away. To the side, looking sternly, determined but that mask didn't last long either. The feelings overtook him once again.

Elena's arms once again folded neatly across her thin chest as she continued to watch him intently. Her expression was composed, careful and very unreadable. She wasn't really sure how an earth she was managing to do this, but she was. And all she needed to do was keep it up. But, seeing Damon like this.. On his own, with no Stefan, she wouldn't lie to him; she had nothing to lose. When he looked away from her, Elena took that as an invitation for her to close the now very small gap between them. Was he... Was Damon Salvatore shaking? Sure, he wasn't crying yet, but he didn't seem too far off that either. She really had broken him completely. Elena painted a soft smile across her face and touched his hand with one of hers to get his attention. Her hands cupped his face and she stared into his eyes.

"Don't be sad, Damon... You know I love you, silly. I get it you don't want commitment. So let me make this easy for you," and with that, she leant forward and kissed him.

And when she kissed him it was as if she pressed some button that activated a volcano eruption, and all his feelings resurfaced. Suddenly, he felt himself shaking even though it wasn't cold. And then the strangest thing happened. He couldn't remember when was the last time he had done such a thing. Slowly, but surely tears left his eyes and seemed now to be racing down his cheeks. He did kiss Elena back, but she just didn't get it. He broke the kiss, and stepped away, looking down. Too ashamed of his tears to look at her. As much as he hated to admit, he knew deep down inside that even Stefan never cried in front of Elena.

"You.." And his voice broke.

GET A GRIP, DAMON! He cleared his throat and choked back the tears.

"You don't get it." Instead of looking down, he was now looking away. "She just couldn't choose. It lead us to doom." He knew that he didn't have to say Katherine's name. Elena would know. " But you... "He raised his hand but dropped it as if trying to point at something - someone, Stefan - who wasn't even there. "You chose him. And.. You kept running back to him. "And right now, Damon freakin' Salvatore was shaking uncontrollably. "It.." He seemed to be choking on the next word. It was so god damn hard to get it out. "hurt.." He said at last, still looking away. "You kept running back to him AND DENYING ME."

And Elena Gilbert kissed Damon Salvatore. She kissed him with everything inside of her. Every intense feeling she'd ever had, ever said, that all went into that kiss. Their kiss seemed to last for not minutes, not even hours or days.. but for years and years, decades even. It was as if she was kissing away the barrier he'd built around his heart. He was letting her in. Every bit of pain Damon Salvatore had ever felt towards anything or anyone was exactly what Elena was feeling right now. Elena was still crying, and his pain only made her cry even more, even harder. And then, at the end of the kiss, she felt some extra droplets of moisture dominant her cheeks. But they weren't coming from her eyes, oh no... They were. Elena suppressed a gasp and blink through the even thicker haze of tears and to her astonishment, her eyes confirmed what her body had felt. Damon Salvatore was crying. Actually crying. It was so beautiful, it made Elena's heart throb and ache and throb and ache some more. She knew Damon's self control have been annihilated and all that was left was the scared, vulnerable little boy that she'd saw only once within his soul. And then she listened to him. Elena raised her hands and caught a tear drop from under his eyelash. She shook her head, linking her free hand with his and frowning.

"This is the Damon I fell in love with... I love you, Damon Salvatore. And I do get it. You lock me out, you lock the world out.. I just..That's what I can't deal with Damon.. I love you but.. But I can't deal with that anymore."

Damon didn't say anything. He didn't want to say anything for the fear of his voice breaking again. He simply wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into him, holding her. He tried to calm himself down, to stop the shaking and the crying, because it was ridiculous. He took a deep breath and felt the wind dry the tears off his cheeks. Sometimes, it was useful being powerful enough to control the weather.

"I'm sorry." He said

quietly, but very sincerely.

He really did mean it, just like he meant the last words. Of course, if anyone else saw them right now, they would probably be killed by Damon. He really wasn't good at showing his vulnerability, and didn't like it, because well, he felt vulnerable. He just stood there then, holding her for what seemed like an eternity that was way too short, but he didn't want to let go, not now, nor ever for the fear that it all would disappear and she would be back with Stefan and he would be blocking everything out again.

Elena didn't know what else to say; was there actually anything to say? Any words that would be said wouldn't be enough, she wouldn't get it right and there would always be something that she'd be missing. Mere moments later, she felt a heavy gust of wind come from nowhere and blow around them, she gazed up at Damon and noticed his tears had dried from his face but there were still embedded within his eyes. Right then she wore to never make him cry again, she never wanted to see those silent tears. It was true, she was his and he was hers. Elena's arms coiled tightly around Damon and she held him just as firmly. It was his next words that forced a response out of her, why was he apologizing? Elena shook her head then spoke.

"Don't be.. You know why I needed to do that, don't you Damon? I needed to know you needed me. And needed just me, that you wanted me," she sucked in a big gulp of air and looked into those deep blue eyes "Because right now, without you... I'm nothing."

He pulled away, but just as far so he could look into her face. He moved his hand up to brush hair out of her face, before smiling slightly. Could it actually be true? What was happening right now? He was speechless. Probably for the first time in decades Damon Salvatore was speechless. Some time would pass before he would be able to say those three words to her, but he wanted to take his time, not rush saying those words, because nowadays they were thrown around like it was a random sentence. Well, to Damon it wasn't. Definitely, and he wasn't going to throw it around. He locked his eyes on hers. But saying it to her, wouldn't be throwing it around. Because he really, honestly, truly meant it. He was perfectly sure of the fact that he loved her and was content to say that there was nothing else that he was surer of. A small smile tugged at his lips, but he was completely serious when he spoke. And he only said five words that meant the world.

"I love you, Elena Gilbert."

Danny+Jackie x3