"'Lena! Are you okay?" Damon's panicked voice came from somewhere in the distance as she lay crumpled on the ground.
She grunted in response. "You're an idiot." Damon had gotten over his original panic and was now convulsing in laughter lying next to her.
She managed to smack him on the chest which only made him laugh harder.
"I told you so 'Lens! What kind of fourteen year old girl climbs trees?"
She growled. "The kind that has you around all the time! You bet me I couldn't! I had to!"
Damon snorted and wrapped his arms around her. "Idiot. I can't believe you fell out a tree. You are so talented, Lay." He scoffed, she buried her face in your hands and snorted disbelievingly.
Even she had to laugh now. "I know. God. Is it pointless to ask you not to tell anyone? And forget it ever happened?"
He rose an eyebrow. "You kidding? I'm telling everyone! I'll never let you forget this, gorgeous."
She buried her face in his neck to hide her blush – yes, he was her best friend but he was gorgeous, sixteen and seemed to be enjoying throwing compliments at her recently – and laughed softly. His laughter died away and he began stroking her hair softly.
"I'm glad you're okay. I don't know what I'd do without you."
She smiled into his hair and pulled him into a hug. "I won't leave you, you're stuck with me."
"I know I am. And I promise I won't leave you, ever."
He smiled and tentatively kissed her hair before cracking a wide smile and sticking his little finger in her face. "Forever?"
She burst out laughing. "You're such a girl, Damon!" she nudged him with her shoulder before linking her little finger through his.
"Forever."
…
...
They were sitting on the roof of the Boarding House staring at the stars the night before Elena's eighteenth birthday.
She felt his arm wrap around her and pull her between his legs so his chest was pressed against her back and his chin was resting on her shoulder.
Somewhere below them a clock chimed midnight. She grinned widely. Finally.
"I can't believe you're eighteen! Little Lena all grown up." He whispered in her ear sounding just a little bit sad.
"You can't talk. You're twenty. You're gonna have to leave and start your life. Big cities, pretty girls." She leant her head back against his shoulder and closed her eyes. It was true. Damon had recently turned twenty, he would have to leave and start his career. He needed to get a job, he needed to transfer to a better college.
"You know I'd never leave you, Lay. Not really. Forever, remember?" He said softly, his lips touching her cheek in a whisper of a kiss.
"No matter how far away you are, we'll always be forever." Her eyes were still closed so she didn't see the sadness clouding his like a storm.
His arms wrapped even tighter around her, as if he was never going to let go.
God, she hoped he wouldn't leave. For fourteen years, she'd seen him every day – whether she wanted to or not. They fought like cavemen, and hurled abuse like they hated each other but hell, everyone could see how she felt about him.
Everyone except Damon that is.
She turned slowly so she was facing him and leant her forehead against his. She closed her eyes and smiled ever so slightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and moved her head from his to his shoulder.
"When you said you'd never leave me, did you mean it? You'll have to go to college, or I will."
Damon sighed and hugged her so tightly it was as if she might break. "I might not always be with you, but hell, I'll always be thinking about you."
"You say it like you're gonna leave." Damon laughed, she didn't realise until later how forced it had sounded.
"I'll love you forever, Lena." He smiled and kissed her cheek.
"I love you too, Damon." She said, smiling forcefully. It was close to how she really felt but never close enough.
She traced gentle circles on the back of his hand as he lay silently. Ric sat on the sofa against the wall whereas Elena had claimed the chair next to his bed.
She leaned forward and leant her forehead against his arm.
"Wake up." she whispered silently. She knew the doctor had said he was almost certain Damon would be fine but almost wasn't good enough.
Almost is just close enough to definitely for you to have hope before it's ripped away in a heartbeat.
The last time she'd been here she had sat in the same position, keeping her dad company as his life drained away.
She had wished for a miracle when there had been no hope. The doctors said there was such a slim chance of survival that she better say her goodbyes but yet, she still hoped.
Now, with such high rates of survival, hoping would only tear them away.
Ric sat silently. He didn't want to talk or listen, or scream or yell. He wanted to remember. Remembering all the times Damon had pulled through after an injury.
His own heart ached as he watched Elena. She had just got Damon back, just got him the way she needed him. He wondered if either of them knew how in love with each other they were. He knew Damon knew – he had told him he had been in love for years, most of his teenage years – but if Elena was anything like her aunt she would be in total denial, always insisting they were nothing more than friends. For God, or fate, or any other higher power to take him away from her – and from him – would be cruel. A chance at a life together gone before they could even live their own.
Damon groaned in pain as he tried to sit up, cursing spectacularly as he felt the pain of the gunshots.
"Wakey wakey sunshine." he smiling genuinely, glad his friend wasn't dead. Or brain damaged.
"Fuck you." was Damon's dry response.
Ric chuckled lightly, until Damon's laughter turned into groans of pain and incoherent cursing. Then he laughed, raucous, loud, full-bellied laughs. Damon flipped him off with his good hand and struggled to keep in the laughter.
"You have no idea how fucking lucky you are, man." Damon's laughter faded, as if he had just realised he could be badly injured.
"Three gunshots. Chest, back, stomach. You should be dead. You have a guardian angel somewhere."
Damon whistled softly through his teeth.
Ric cleared his throat. "Thank you, Damon. You saved mine and Kol's lives – and nearly lost your own."
Damon's powers of recovery bordered on miraculous as he now managed a wink and a shadow of his cocky smirk. "You have people to go back to. I couldn't live with myself if you had died and I knew I could have done something."
Ric rose an eyebrow. "And you don't have anyone? That's the most idiotic thing I've heard in a long time."
"It's been over two years, Ric. She'll either be pissed, or she'll be really pissed."
"And the day you walk through that door, 'cause you will. You seem to be immortal. The day you go back," Ric smiled. "Man, she'll be happy to see you."
"I've been in love with that girl since I was fourteen. Eight years, Ric. Eight fucking years."
"Then tell her."
"It's not that simple and you know it. Anything could happen, I could die, she could move on, move away. She might not even live in the same place!"
"Then you find her. Damon, you don't just give up." he smirked slyly. "Unless I have to tell the guys Damon Salvatore gives up-" he trailed off at the end.
"I hate you, you know that right?"
"Yep." He smiled infuriatingly.
"I love you man."
Ric chuckled softly. "Love you too, 'cept you're a little bipolar."
Damon attempted to shrug and hissed in pain.
"Get better." Ric said as he ducked under the door. "I'd fucking miss you if you didn't."
They had finally fallen asleep, Elena leaning crouched over the bed and Ric collapsed on the couch.
Ric stirred first, his phone buzzing in his pocket. He glanced at the display and groaned before forcing himself up and out the door.
"Mm- yeah?" was all the caller got as an answer.
"You coming home?" Jenna's soft voice came from the other side of the line.
"You mean, am I coming home, and leaving Elena knowing I get my happily ever after and she might get hers torn away any second? Do you think I'm coming home?"
He could practically see Jenna's angry scowl. "You're a dick were you're tired. Go get coffee, ass."
He managed a weak smile. "Sorr-" he broke off and yawned widely. "Sorry. We've not have a chance to explain everything but me and Elena..." he trailed off, unsure of how to explain their sudden friendship and how it came about. "-we need each other right now. I'll be home tomorrow."
Again, he expected a sharp answer, but Jenna had never been one to life up to the reputation of her fiery hair and her soft answer simply gave comfort.
"I'll see you tomorrow. Look after her." He hung up and yawned widely, deciding to pass on the coffee and crash out on the sofa again.
He edged into the room and saw Elena still hunched over. She was gonna be aching in the morning.
"Hey. Elena." he shook her gently until she lifted her head and glanced and the time.
"Ric? Hey." he pointed to the sofa smirking.
"Go sleep." she went without a fight and he took her place on the chair next to his bed.
Within minutes Elena's breathing levelled out as she dropped off to sleep.
"Come on, Damon. You gotta wake up. You've been through way worse than this. You got shot! Three times. Look, I know you're in bad shape an' all but after those shots? You were awake within the hour. That's why hospitals suck. They've got you all wired up of drugs and pain meds. You could cope without, it's not like you've not done it before."
He chucked lightly, it was true. Damon had been through worse than this. With that, he crashed out next to Elena and finally let sleep take him over.
Yes. the ending of this chapter sucks.
