Disclaimer : I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any and all of the characters and settings used.

I Need To Know

Chapter 11 : Free Love

Elena looked at Stefan one last time. For the oddest reason, it seemed like he wasn't the same Stefan he saw the first they met. She stood there, waiting for something, a spark maybe? But to her surprise, only one feeling was displayed : indifference.

She walked down the stairs and headed towards her car, she had to get out of there, immediately. Stefan looked at her from afar, and even if she wasn't looking back, she felt his stare. She drove off, shaking but ready. That's how she saw it, she was ready.

Stefan felt at loss. He fell on his knees, and leaned on the railings. He looked up, hoping there would be any sign that things will get better. Only to notice that there were no stars that night, but emptiness. Emptiness. Exactly what he felt.

Inside the house, Damon was standing close to the door. Katherine was behind him. They both heard each and every word of the break-up. Katherine felt triumph. She grinned, knowing that she won the war. Damon, on the other hand, did not know what he wanted to feel. He shut his feelings out even before he could reckon it. Because he panicked, he sensed that what he would feel was not right. He should be happy that Stefan has finally fucked it all up. But in contrast, the feeling was different.

Katherine, seeing Damon's awe, moved in front of him and said, "Now that you know everything, what are you gonna do? Cry and be all Katherine I loved you, I trusted Stefan blah blah blah..." She mocked. She was hoping anger, or anything from Damon at least. But he only looked at her with disgust, then he ran off hoping to reach Elena.

Wow. Not one word. Katherine thought.

Elena finally got to her house. She wanted to go inside, pour out all of what just happened in her diary, but she couldn't even move. Instead she sat there, her hands on the wheel. She waited for the tears to come out. And in a snap, she broke down. Her hands held the wheel tighter. She wanted to break it, break it like how Stefan broke her. She hit the wheel as hard as she could. She shouted slurry words. She just wanted to get it all out. But no matter how much she cried, how loud she shouted, or how hard she hit, there was no cure. There was no solution. There was only pain.

She heard the door of the other seat open. She didn't look at who it was. Because she already knew. It was Damon. She was sure of the scent he carries along. But more surer of the feeling he brings when he's around.

She was waiting for something, maybe a sarcastic comment? Or any comforting words? But there was none. Instead, he was just there, perfectly mute. And a part in Elena's heart smiled, because it realized that Damon knew exactly what it needed : free love. The kind of love that did not have to speak, the kind of love which does not ask for anything in return.

Maybe hours or minutes, she didn't know how long she sat there, crying her heart out. Damon didn't leave her. It actually felt like he wasn't even there. But he was. And that was what mattered. Elena decided to stay at the porch, she got off the car. And Damon did as well, still, without a word.

Damon followed Elena. What was he doing? He didn't even know. But it felt a little bit right. Right enough to make him feel at peace. He slowed down, marking to Elena's pace. He was fighting every inch of him not to hold Elena, or at least say something that would make her feel better. But he knew that his presence was the only thing that was needed.

Damon started thinking about everything. His feelings went surging through his veins. He thought he shut it off, but then, he couldn't control it any longer. He figured out what feeling tried to get to him, it was pain and sadness. He didn't know why it was that. He should feel at least a little bit of relief, but no. He was in pain. Because Elena was. Exactly how he figured it out in his head. I'm hurt because Elena is. He drifted off to his thoughts only to realize Elena was too far already, she was almost at the porch. He was gonna walk faster, when he suddenly saw her stop at the bottom of the stairs.

She faced his way. And it felt like a long stare. Both of them weren't moving. They would look like they weren't even breathing unless you look more closely. With no word or any kind of signal, they both started walking, in the same pace, and in the same march. They were trying to close the gap between them, and when they finally reached the middle, they clasped.

Elena put his arms around Damon's shoulders, his arms were above her waist. She almost felt Damon lift her off the ground, as they held each other tighter and tighter. She started to cry small sobs. And Damon squeezed his eyes shut when he heard it. He held her tighter. He feared that he would break her, but he won't. He can't.

She felt good in his arms. The pain was still there, that she was certain of. But at least, there was someone with her. She wasn't alone. There was comfort. And who would've thought? That that comfort was actually Damon.

Stefan still sat at the railings. He refused to move. What did just happen? He asked. He lost everything in one blink, everything that mattered. Every single thing that made him feel alive. He needed to go to Elena's house and explain himself. It can't end like this, he convinced himself. He was about to stand up when Katherine came out of the house. She sat beside him.

"I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm very happy right now." Katherine said, her eyes not veering away from Stefan's.

"If you're gonna gloat, just -" Stefan said almost standing up when she took his wrist and put him down. She was silent for a while.

"Before I was turned, my dad died. My mom cried to me everyday... She told me that her biggest regret was not showing Dad her love for him..." Katherine looked down, as if uncomfortable with the topic. And Stefan looked at her, he wanted to hate himself because a part of him felt bad for her.

"This is the only way I know how to love Stefan. This is the only way I choose to love." Katherine said.

They both looked up the sky. She found his hand and held it tightly with hers. To her surprise, his hands held hers tight too. There were still no stars, by at least he wasn't alone. There was comfort. Who would've thought? That that comfort was actually Katherine.

Elena sat down on the porch with Damon beside her. She was breathing heavily, after all the crying that she did. She finally felt like talking about it. And she didn't know if it was a good idea to do it with Damon. But she had to, or she might go crazy, trying to carry everything alone.

Damon saw the hesitation in Elena. She wanted to talk to him, but she was still in immense trust-issues. So he decided to start it off, "You wanna talk about it? I have incredible hearing senses." Was it too early to joke? He worried.

"I don't know how to live my life anymore, Damon... Everything has all been one big lie. My parents, Stefan, even I myself, I lie everyday to Jenna and everyone else. Everything's just a mess." Elena looked afar, as if searching for answers somewhere.

"You wanna know something?" Damon asked as Elena turned her gaze to him. "It's never gonna get better. It's only gonna get worse and worse." Elena's brows met in confusion. Were those words of comfort?

He continued seeing Elena's reaction, "What I'm trying to say is that it's supposed to be like that. Because it's, well... life."

"Are you saying it's all okay?" Elena asked getting more and more confused.

"Quite the opposite actually. I'm saying that it's not okay because it's not supposed to be. It's supposed to be really bad... You see, life is gonna bring you down in more ways than you can imagine... But ask yourself. Are those the ones that matter?" Damon tried to get to his point, "No Elena. What matters is this... right here. That when life fucks you up hard, you find comfort in a friend... you learn... you become a better person."

Elena smiled, she was on her way to understanding him. He continued, "And after that, worse things will happen, then you get up again and fight. The whole cycle repeats again and again. But at some point, every single time, everything will fall into its place."

Damon looked at her and smiled back. Elena finally comprehended his point. She smiled because Damon explained it so intricately when all he wanted to say was that, it's not important if Stefan hurt you, what's important is that we are here, and here I am, comforting you. She almost gave out a laugh realizing how twisted Damon's mind really is. Wanting to hear more of his thoughts, she asked, "What if everything doesn't fall into its place?"

He moved closer to her, their eyes were glued, "If life doesn't make it happen, you don't have to worry... coz I will make it happen."He moved closer and closer, and stopped right about a few inches from her lips. It's not the right time, he thought. He cupped her face, and then decided to kiss her cheeks.

The night is still long, the pain might even be longer. But as the four of them looked at the starless sky, they reveled, knowing that as the night ended, so does one chapter of their lives. Tomorrow's a brand new chapter. Maybe this time, this chapter, would be a little less scary.

Author's Note : This chapter broke my heart while I was writing it. I hope it moved you guys as well. Your review is love. :)

To Vanessa, thanks so much for the immensely detailed review. :) Love it. :)