A/N: Is anyone else a little disappointed that Elena hasn't said thank you to Damon? At any point in season four? (He's helped her with her vampirism so much more than Stefan has, yet it's still Stefan this Stefan that -_- sorry I'm still pretty bitter).

Yeah so anyway that's what this chapter will be about – Elena thanking Damon.

Also irrelevant but I have two more exams to go after I post this chapter :D I'M NEARLY FREE! Enjoy the chapter, lovely readers.

Word: Thanks
Set: 4x04 or just post 4x04

Chapter Twelve: Thanks

It was awful. Those words echoed in her mind as she climbed the stairs that led to her room. Not long after saying this Elena had told Stefan that she wanted to go straight to bed, as she'd had a long trip and wasn't feeling up to anything. Stefan didn't try and stop her, either.

Lies upon lies upon lies. Elena wasn't sure how it had started – or why it had in the first place – but she had been lying to her boyfriend more and more recently. She was sure, though, that Stefan must have been lying to her as well. Were they never going to address this?

The first lie of the evening had been her telling Stefan that it was awful. She hadn't meant it at all. She'd actually loved every second of the stupid frat house party, because she got to have fun. She hadn't laughed or smiled like that in a long time - longer than she cared to remember.

Learning to feed without hurting anybody, by making it fun, turned out to be a lot more enjoyable and rewarding than Elena would have thought. She'd started out by feeding off of the pretentious douchebags at the party in corners of abandoned rooms, with Damon encouraging her and stopping her if she got too carried away. This then turned into her dancing and feeding from anyone she wanted to on the dance floor, which then turned into her licking Damon's victims' blood from his neck as she dirty danced with him. All in all, a pretty damn entertaining night.

Then Bonnie had to show up. She'd known immediately that Bonnie was not impressed, and would probably tell everyone what she'd seen. Elena hadn't meant to get carried away with Damon – after all, he wasn't her boyfriend – but he just had that effect on her. She lost herself when she was with him and everything around them became a blur.

She'd never openly admitted it, but that had never happened with Stefan.

Instantly killing the mood, Elena had raced out the door with Bonnie and ranted to her about how she should not be enjoying herself and that she should be at the party with Stefan; that she should be learning to feed from Stefan. Bonnie seemed to calm down after she'd admitted that, and Elena was relieved. But then Damon just had to be standing right behind them, listening to the whole thing.

He was clearly upset, Elena could tell that much. However, she couldn't very well contradict everything she'd said and tell him that she'd actually loved learning to feed the way Damon did, so the car ride back was extremely awkward and tense. Elena could feel the disappointment radiating off of Damon in waves.

It was awful. Elena couldn't believe she'd said that, if she was being honest. Stefan surely would have heard her conversation with Damon just moments before she said this, where she apologised and told him that he was right in believing that she had to feed that way, yet he hadn't said anything about it.

Elena collapsed on her bed with a groan. She wasn't sure where she was with Stefan, but she couldn't leave things like that with Damon. It wasn't nice to him, and she'd already done way too many bad things that had hurt him which she hadn't apologised for.


Elena walked into the boarding house, not bothering to knock. This house was still technically under her name, so she didn't need to. Plus, she was too familiar with the house's inhabitants to knock.

Completely avoiding Stefan's wing of the house, Elena went straight to Damon's room. He must have heard her coming, because he was watching the door when she came in.

"Elena," Damon greeted monotonously, one of his 'I'm smiling but I really don't mean it' smirks on his face. Elena sighed. He was still clearly upset.

"Damon," Elena replied. She moved closer to his bed, but stopped, unsure if he would want her that close. Deciding to get straight to the point, she launched into it. "Listen, I know Stefan interrupted us, but I wasn't really finished talking with you. I wanted to thank you. For what you did tonight, to help me."

"To be honest, Elena, it sounded like you didn't like me helping you at all," Damon muttered, rolling his eyes. "Also, a 'thank you' is not necessary."

"Yes it is," Elena insisted, moving closer to the bed. "You do all of these nice, wonderful things for me and you must think that I don't notice them or appreciate them, but I do. Especially with this, Damon. I still might not be okay with the whole vampire thing, but the way you handle it makes perfect sense to me."

"I'm glad you think so," he said sarcastically.

"I'm being serious, Damon! Thanks for everything you've done to help me so far." Elena said sincerely, hoping he'd believe her.

"You might be being serious, but why did you tell Bonnie that it was all a mistake?" Damon questioned.

"Didn't you see how disbelieving she looked when she saw us? I hate being judged more than anything, so-"

"-You're also such a people-pleaser it's ridiculous." Damon interrupted.

"Thanks. Anyway, I had to tell her what she had to hear. A part of me does believe that what we were doing was wrong, because of how...close we got...and also that I probably should have been with Stefan, but he can't help me the way you can."

"So you faked an entire conversation to please your friend? Elena..."

"Again, I'm being serious. You have to trust me, Damon."

"I want to," Damon said, moving so he was sitting on the edge of his bed. "But every time I try you just..."

"I know, I'm sorry." Elena meant it. She had no idea what her relationship with Damon was or meant, but every time they got closer one of them ended up hurting the other.

"So am I." Damon changed the subject. "However, this still doesn't mean that you need to thank me, Elena. I like helping you."

Don't I know it. "That's why I'm thanking you."

"You're a strange person."

"Just because I want to say thank you? I think that makes you a strange person, for thinking it's a weird thing to do."

Their childish bickering continued for a few minutes, before Elena said goodbye to him, both in much better moods than before. They hadn't even voiced the fact that if Alaric were there, he would have said, "Are you guys twelve?" like he always did when they argued with each other.

Stefan also had been listening to their conversation from his room, and wasn't trying to be worried, but clearly was. Another lie had announced itself and had been added to the pile. "Sorry Stefan, I just want to go to bed. I had a really long trip back..."

How long could lies hold a relationship together?

A/N: Okay as I was writing this I realised that Elena has actually said thank you to Damon, in 4x02 when he brought her a clean dress. This means that I'm upset not over the lack of 'thank you's' but the lack of her saying it to him when he does something truly amazing for her. Silly baby girl, thanking him over a new dress but not thanking him over helping her feed from someone with killing them l o l. Oh, Elena. I love you so much.

ALSO ONE MORE THING – WHAT HAPPENED TO ELENA AND DAMON'S HALLOWEEN OUTFITS!? DID THEY CHANGE IN THE CAR ON THE WAY BACK TO MYSTIC FALLS, OR WHAT!? ONE MOMENT, DAMON'S SAYING THAT THEY SHOULD HIT THE ROAD AND THE NEXT HIM AND ELENA ARE WALKING UP THE STEPS TO THE DELENA PORCH ELENA'S PORCH IN COMPLETELY NORMAL CLOTHES DEVOID OF ANY HINT OF HUMAN BLOOD.

I'M LAUGHING OMG WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR CLOTHES