Hey there,

Should I have done my homework this morning instead of updating? It's due in first period....:S

Oh well, this was more fun.

So this is what you've all been waiting for:

Brotherhood.

Friendship

Romance

What does Stefan do? What will happen with Damon and Elena?

Stop reading my crumby Author's Note and find out!


Stefan POV

I returned home and called out to my brother, "Damon? You home?"

"Kitchen," he called back. I walked across the house at human speed and found him pouring a bag of blood into a saucepan.

"What's with the pan?" I asked confused. Normally Damon fed and erased morning and night and drank cold blood from a glass through the day.

"I ran into the sheriff earlier," he began, "apparently the counsel have noticed that people have been feeling light headed at work. A few suspect vampires are behind it. Forbes, the Lockwoods and the other big players think it's just the hot weather, but I'm not taking chances, and I like my meals at 98.6."

"Mr. 'Anyone, anytime, anyplace' is giving up the hunt?" I asked mockingly.

Damon sent me a half glare, "Temporally declining from the hunt," he corrected. "So where have you been? I haven't seen you since I got back" my brother inquired.

"Hunting and walking," I answered.

"How poetic of you," Damon teased. I smiled lightly as Damon put the pan on the stove to heat. He turned to face me, looking serious, "Look Stefan... I..." he trailed off and mumbled that it didn't matter.

"I was going to drop by Elena's and catch up a little," I started, knowing that Damon wouldn't know how to start a conversation about his feelings with me. "I got to her drive way but stop because I heard her and Anna talking."

I saw Damon tense, "Do you make a habit f eves dropping on your exes Stefan? Some would call you a stalker," he tried to brush me off but I was doing this for him and Elena. He would talk to me, I'd make sure of it.

I turned the heat of the stove and pushed Damon into a chair at high speed, "Damon, we're having this conversation so for once can you drop the emotionless tough guy act and be honest with me?" I demanded.

He sighed in defeat, something I never thought I'd hear from my brother, "Okay, Stefan. Shoot."

"Do you want to be with Elena?" I asked.

Damon looked up at me, reluctantly, he nodded. I knew this was hard for him.

"Damon," I started slowly, "do you love her?" My brother looked me in the eye, trying to find why I was asking, why it mattered to me. "You're my brother Damon and I care about you. Elena is my friend and I care about her too. You're both important to me and I don't want to see either of you hurt," I felt more than a little awkward being so openly emotional towards Damon but I pushed it down. "Do you love Elena Damon?" I asked again.

"Yes," was his short answer and I could see the truth in his eyes. For the first time since we turned I was absolutely sure of what Damon was telling me.

"Is it because of Katherine?"

"No. Katherine can go to hell, for all I care. Despite what you think Stefan, I've never seen Elena as Katherine," he assured me and I didn't doubt it.

"Don't ever hurt her Damon," I told him making sure he knew how serious I was.

"I'd sooner stake myself," he promised.

I nodded and got up to leave.

"Where are you going?" he called after me.

I turned, "To talk to Elena. It's what you want me to do isn't it?"

"Only if this is okay with you, otherwise you're just lying to Elena and she'll know it," he replied.

I smiled at him seeing for the first time how well he knows both me and Elena and realise how well Elena knows us. "Damon I'm over Elena. I'll always love her but more like a sister than anything else. I'm going to make sure Elena knows that. After that, it's up to the two of you."

I turned and walked out of the kitchen hearing a soft, "Thank you Stefan."

"You're welcome," I whispered knowing he would hear. With that exchange we both understood the silent agreement that after this night this conversation would never be spoken of again.

"Was that so hard?" I heard Anna's voice and saw her sitting on the banister, swinging her legs back and forth.

"It's rude to eves drop and a total invasion of privacy," I quoted her. She smiled. "If Damon sees you on that banister you'll be eating vervain," I warned her. "Despite what he says he loves this house, it's the only place he's ever seen as home."

"What about the old Salvatore mansion?" Anna asked, remembering my old home.

"Memories of our father, for Damon it wasn't pleasant. He was never at home there.

Anna nodded and disappeared up to her room. I took out my phone and texted Elena:

Hey, can I come over? I need to talk to you. – Stefan.

A few moments later I got a reply:

Sure, I'm on the back porch, don't let anyone see you. Elena.

In a matter of minutes I was walking up the drive of the Gilbert house and around the side of the house.

"Hey," I called softly when I saw Elena sitting there.

"Hi," she replied with a small smile. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You, me and Damon," I answered.

Her face dropped and she looked down. "What about us?"

"I'm not going to lie to you Elena, we both know I'm not good at it so here it is; I heard you and Anna talking earlier, then I talked to Anna and then Damon." I paused as Elena's eyes widened. "Elena, look at me," I requested, she hesitated for a moment but looked up into my eyes, "I'm always going to love you, but not in the same way I once did. You're important to me Elena and I care about you a lot but you're more like family or a best friend than a girlfriend. I really want to get past the awkwardness."

"Me too," she whispered.

"Damon cares about you Elena, he wants to be with you and you want to be with him as well so stop worrying about me because as long as you and Damon are happy I'm okay," I told her.

"Are you sure? Because I don't want to get betwe-"

"Elena I know," I cut her off, "and I'm sure," I assured her.

She smiled and hugged me, I hugged her back. "Thanks."

"No problem." I pulled away from her, "You should probably get some sleep. Elena nodded and I started to walk away, "Oh," I turned back to her, "I'm not sure if Anna told you but Bonnie came to the boarding house looking for you last night. I think you should probably talk and I apologize on Anna's behalf if the little speech she made has made things worse."

"Thanks Stefan, for everything."

I nodded and walked away.

Elena POV

When I woke up all I wanted to do was go to Damon. I debated whether it was a good idea to go before school, if everything went how I hoped then I wouldn't want to leave, but I decided that if I didn't go straight away Damon might thing that I was only using Stefan as an excuse and that I didn't really want to be with him, when I did, I really, really did. Besides, I argued, it's early, I have hours before school and Stefan and Anna will be there.

So I quickly got showered and dress before scribbling a note telling Jenna where I was. I then got in my care and arrived at the boarding house before 7. I got out of my car and softly knocked on the door.

Anna opened up with a smile, "Hey Elena, come on in.

"Thanks," I said and walked passed her. "Is Damon home?" I asked.

"He's in his room," she answered shortly.

I was disappointed, "Well I'll talk to him after school then, mind if I hang with you here for a few hours?"

Anna laughed, "He should be awake Elena, he's already been down for coffee and blood."

I blushed slightly in embarrassment, "Oh. Thanks Anna." I walked half way up the stairs and turned, "No eves dropping," I warned.

"No promises," Anna smirked.

I continued up the stairs and to Damon's bedroom door. I raised my hand and knocked.

"Go away, I'm asleep," I heard Damon groan in boredom.

"You're not asleep, you're talking to me," I shot back.

Instantly the door opened, "Elena," Damon greeted in surprise.

"Hi," I greeted, reluctantly tearing my eyes away from his perfectly toned, bare chest, "Um... can we talk?"

"Sure," Damon answered, stepping aside to let me in. "Sit anywhere," he told me so I took the sturdy, black, wooden chair, in the corner. "What can I do for you today?" he asked though I was damn sure he knew.

"Well... You and Anna have talked, me and Anna have talked, you and Stefan have talked, me and Stefan have talked, I thought it was about time we talked," I listed not really knowing how to start the conversation we needed to have.

"Okay," Damon answered and sat on the bad, across from me. We were both looking at the floor, not knowing what to say.

"It's awfully quiet up there!" I heard Anna call.

"I swear I said 'no eves dropping'," I mumbled.

Damon smirked, "She has a point though," he got up and went over to his CD player and turned it on.

"Dance with me," he requested, pulling me from the chair as the music started.

I laughed but gladly obliged. It was Here Without You, one of my favourite songs after all. Damon placed my arms around his neck and moved his hands down to my hips.

We gently swayed to the and when it came to the chorus Damon leant down and sang, softly in my ear,

"I'm here without you baby

But you're still on my lonely mind

I think about you baby

And I dream about you all the time

I'm here without you baby

But you're still with me in my dreams

And tonight, it's only you and me"

I tightened my grip around him and leaned my head on his bare shoulder, taking in his sweet. Intoxicating scent, as we swayed. Damon spun me and sang the second chorus and the third verse

"I'm here without you baby

But you're still on my lonely mind

I think about you baby

And I dream about you all the time

I'm here without you baby

But you're still with me in my dreams

And tonight, it's only you and me

Everything I know

And anywhere I go

It gets but it won't take away my love

And when the last one falls

And when it's all said and done

It gets hard but it won't take away my love," with that last line he lifted my face and looked me directly in the eyes as he sang.

"I love you," I whispered and he leaned down and kissed me, softly at first and then growing more passionate.

"I love you too," he whispered back when we finally broke apart.

"It's about time," we heard Anna.

Both of our heads snapped up and we saw Anna standing in the doorway with Stefan behind her. He smiled at me.

"Can I ask why everyone is in my room?" Damon demanded.

Anna smirked.

"I just thought I'd remind you, Damon," Stefan started, "that Elena has to go to school. So don't get too carried away."

"Buzz kill," Damon muttered. I laughed and kissed him before I pulled him out of the room with me. "And what does Mi Lady want for breakfast?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.

"What makes you think I haven't already eaten?" I asked, missing the banter Damon and I share.

"Because you woke up, realised you couldn't resist me any longer and came running straight over here," he answered cockily.

I laughed, "You're full of yourself," I stated the obvious.

"And you love it," he whispered in my ear, causing me to shiver. I could practically feel him smirk at this reaction.

I turned around, ran my hands up the strong, muscular plains of Damon's bare chest and rested them on his shoulders as I reached up to kiss him. He pulled me closer and deepened the kiss, caressing every surface in my mouth with his tongue. We broke of the air but continued seconds later.

"I have a feeling this is going to be even more annoying than Noah's obsession," I heard Anna comment to Stefan, but I wasn't going to stop...not a chance.

"You're the one who decided to play Cupid, so stop complaining," he answered.

"Would you rather I'd left them both to be miserable?" Anna asked of the younger Salvatore.

"No, I'm not the one complaining. I would rather you be quietly satisfied with your handy work," Stefan shot back.

Damon and I broke off for air once more, "You know we can hear you," Damon spoke softly, but I knew the others could hear.

"You know we can see you," came Anna's reply.

"If it bothers you don't look," I told Anna and Damon smirked at me.

"Pancakes?" he asked leaning his forehead against mine.

"Perfect," I answered giving him one last, light kiss before turning to walk down the stairs.


Well, that's that then.

Damon and Elena are together.

I just want to make it clear that this is not the end of the story. I mean we still have the Bonnie thing to sort out, where will Elena and Alaric's relationship go? and Jeremy is still in the dark about both vampires and Elena's adoption! How could I end this story now?

Well I have to go deliver papers to the old, the disable and the just plain lazy (ha, my mum!) I then have to do my homework :(

Review please.

Love Thalia x