Beta: T.J. Wise, she kicks ass.

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Elena

"Elena" Is that all he has to say?

"I need to tell you something" Stefan won't meet my eyes.

WHY ISN'T HE MEETING MY EYES!

I look around as I feel a buzzing at my hip, in my hands which I have death gripping my waist for protection from the blow I know is coming.

Damon

I stride in, not feeling quite up to my usual strut as I see Barbie and Mutt talking in a corner; Mutt's face tells me that she just admitted it. Why let them have all the fun? I admit, my look as I approach could be less dark, but if you can't intimidate someone, somewhere, what's the point?

I do so HATE to see people happy when I get blamed for things that, for once, I DIDN'T do. "Well well Blondie, I have to hand it to you, way to stay true to that three musketeer's spirit. You know, all for one and someone else's boyfriend for you." I begin to clap slowly as tears fill her eyes. "Applause is due, I couldn't have hurt Elena better myself."

"Dude, this really ISN'T the time" well, well, Mutt grew a pair; now there's a surprise, or another surprise I should say. They seem to be pilling up today. Just my luck.

"SHUT UP DAMON! I don't need this from you; I have to think, and I don't know how I'm going to tell Elena! I'm like the worst person ever!" For once pinup Barbie isn't being overly dramatic.

"Oh I don't think there's any need for that." I pause "I had the responsibility of dropping THAT bomb on her a few minutes ago, thanks to your inabilities to copulate in places I don't live!" The Mutt visibly cringes, good "If you wanted to have an affair with the Edward Cullen wannabe, then you might have been a little more considerate of others' feelings. Not mine of course, but perhaps Elena's; you do remember Elena don't you? She's only been your best friend since your sandbox days."

"OH MY GOD! You mean she knows? How could you tell her?!" Caroline shrieks.

Hey, what do you know, Mutt is turning an unhealthy shade of red. "Well, what did you expect Caroline!" He snaps "You cheated on me and Elena in a way, this isn't some game. You can't take it back! You know what? I'm out of here." And he just stole my righteous indignation fuelled exit.

Damn.

"Don't forget your coat!" I call out as he leaves, because really, it is cold outside and it wouldn't do for him to catch the sniffles. *snicker* There's just something about others' misery that brings me joy.

"I have to tell her that I'm sorry!" Great Blondie's water works are getting worse. I should have brought a rain coat for this, and maybe popcorn too, this is better than that crap they have on CBS. Why didn't someone see this happening? God knows Princess Steffy can't go three minutes without committing a vampiric faux pas, it's a wonder he didn't cross his blood and sex wires earlier. This actually works really well for me though. Elena won't admit that she's miserable with him, that there isn't the spark between them that there should be, and what's worse is she knows it and hasn't done anything about it. YET. So here is her chance, or rather, my chance.

At the boarding house

Elena

Dear Diary,

I looked down at my phone feeling like I was disconnected from my body. Nothing feels real right now, just a few minutes ago everything seemed so sharp, now it's all hazy. I know this feeling, its shock. I'm in shock.

I opened my phone as I heard Stefan in the background "Elena, please don't so this." to see that I have a text from Caroline.

I begin to read "Elena, I am SOOO sorry! I swear to you I didn't mean to hurt you. It just happened and it was only that one time and it'll never happen again."

Then all I see is red. I press the send key. She picks up on the first ring. "Elena! I swear I never meant to hurt you!"

"How could you?" my voice breaks at the end. "I'm not even sure I can ask myself that. It's not like it's the FIRST time you did something like this to me. At least then you had the DECENCY to only kiss him! Tell me Caroline; are they better after you steal them from me? Was Matt not enough, so you had to go after Stefan too?"

I turn to Stefan as I end the call. "And you! How could you do this to me? To us? I TRUSTED YOU! I yelled at Damon when he told me! And how could you just stand there staring at me wearing nothing but a towel? Are those sheets in the corner from your time with her? Are they a reminder of your affair? If I were a vampire, could I smell you and her TOGETHER on them! Is that why you didn't want me to turn? It was, wasn't it? I wasn't enough for you."

I'm on a roll, anger fuelling my tirade.

"It was never about you being a monster, was it? You just didn't want me forever; a reminder of what you didn't quite want!" My breathing is harsh and I know I'm probably beet red while being half dressed - fantastic.

His head snaps up as he FINALLY meets my eyes. "Elena, it happened; I never meant to hurt you and I didn't mean to do it, I got caught in the moment. Bonding with Caroline in the last few weeks has been an emotional experience for the both of us; it brought me to the edges of my own origin and I slipped... I'm sorry."

"Slipped? Slipped! Slipped into bed with her?!That's rich! No, you don't get to be sorry, Stefan! I was horrible to Damon when he told me. I said such terrible things, unforgivable things! I have to go." I turn and head for the door when suddenly Stefan remembers he's a vampire and blurs in front of the door blocking my path.

"Elena just hear me out! We can work things out! Everything will be ok, just give it some time. I know you can forgive me. If you can forgive my brother for killing yours, then you can forgive me this. You have to forgive me! I NEED YOU TO FORGIVE ME!" his eyes are wild with desperation. Suddenly it is clear and why did I have to lie to myself for so long? I can't help but feel disgust and anger, but it is not aimed at him, no, it's aimed at myself for trying to deny the way I feel or rather, don't feel any more for Stefan.

"NO. Just stop. I'm so tired of trying to make you happy and not feeling the same level of happiness! I owe it to myself to do better, to BE better, for me. We're through. Goodbye Stefan. Stay out of my life!" I walk around him as I race back down the staircase, searching my mind for where Damon could be at … I look down at my phone… 3am? When did it get that late?

I drive around for an hour and I can't think of a single place he's likely to be at this hour. I head home in defeat as I swallow the tears back down. Oh God, I can't find him to apologize, god! How could I be this selfish? This stupid? This stubborn?

I unlock the door to my house as I try to be as quiet as possible as I come in, ever reminded of the hour in the silence of the Virginian night. I don't bother turning on the lights in my room as I set my keys on the deskand I clutch my phone in my hands like a lifeline. Tears are flowing like rivers down my face and I can't help it as I begin to sniffle.

"Why are you crying?" I squealed in the most embarrassing way as Damon's voice fills the room with his soft timbre.

"Is that really you?" I ask softly. I want to hear his voice so badly that I don't doubt that I could be imagining this after the day I've had.

"Were you expecting someone else?" his voice has to be the best thing I've heard in hours as I fling myself in the direction of my bed as he catches me in his arms, pulling me closer. I cling to him as my tears soak his shirt. I'm so relieved that he's here. I was sure he would hate me right now.

"What is it with women and this shirt? I need to get rid of it if this is what happens when I wear it!" even his snark is amazing, like a balm for my wounded soul.

I can barely talk through the tears "I'm sorry Damon, for everything, I was an idiot for not believing you, I'm so sorry."

"Shhh it's going to be alright. I know you didn't mean it, or at least I did after half bottle of the finest swill the grill WAS in possession of. They really need to elevate their taste you know; I've half a mind to take my business elsewhere!"

I couldn't help but sniffle a laugh against his shoulder

"There, there. Now, we need to get you out of these clothes. You are soaked and barefoot still, and you're going to wind up with a whopping case of the flu if you don't get warm."

He places his hands in my waist grabbing my tank top and slowly lifts it over my stomach and breasts until I raise my arms and feel it rise over my head and land in a pile on the floor by my door. My breath catches in my chest as he kneels down so his face is at my waist as he holds my hips and places his thumbs in the indentation by my hip. His thumbs bring my sleep shorts down and off leaving me in my panties with him staring at me with hot concerned eyes.

"Do it" I whisper to him as he pulls my panties off. He doesn't linger and I see his chest unmoving, I can tell he wants to smell my lady parts, but his concern is keeping him from it. This has got to be a wet dream for him, he both gets the girl and she's wet and naked in front of him. He moves behind me, hands still firmly on my hips as he undoes the strap of my bra and it falls to the floor, a second later I'm wrapped in a crème colored towel that I know has to be his because it's feather soft and smells like him, I can't believe he brought me a towel too. I could be surrounded in this towel and be content forever Diary. He takes care drying my body and then my hair and pulls the covers down when he finishes and gently places me in bed. I am still numb with shock and sorrow, this entire week has been hell for me and I'm impossibly glad for him right now.

I stare in to the darkness still in shock waiting for his next move.

He strokes my cheek tenderly and makes a motion to get up. My hand flies out and grabs his arm.

"Stay?" I ask softly

Damon smiles kindly and starts removing his shoes, shirt and trousers as I watch him in a daze of emotional tiredness and admiration. When he comes to lie down I lift the covers to let him in. There is a fleeting expression of surprise before he schools his features and get under the covers with me. I snuggle closer and wrap my body shyly around his.

"Thank you for coming back for me Damon."

"I will ALWAYS come for you. I knew you didn't mean what you said, just like I knew that you wouldn't know where to look for me, so I saved you some time and came to you, for your convenience of course." He shrugs the real meaning of this moment off

"I thought you'd be in bed snuggled beside a couple of co-eds by now." I try to keep the emotion out of my voice but fail miserably.

"Don't think it didn't cross my mind for a moment. "he answers bitterly "But they don't have what I want, so the ladies of Mystic will have to deal with the amazingness that is me unavailable. Also I snuggle with no co-eds, like I let them stay overnight!" Right I forgot his standards... Wait what?

"Unavailable?" I ask weakly because this can't be happening to me. I finally get my head out of my ass and he finds someone else who makes him happy. Who isn't me? Oh no…

"Unavailable, as in taken, that is if the lucky lady decides she's had enough of lame and wants the real man. So do you Elena? Want me?"

I stare at his face in the small amount of light that comes in from the moon in the open curtains; once again this man leaves me agape in wonder. "Me?" I almost don't dare to say it, with the amount of hope I know MUST be obvious in my voice; which is silly, because when has Damon hurt my heart lately? Then again it's only been weeks since he fake killed my only sibling. I guess the silence was getting to him because he started to shift around me, almost like a squirm, but slower, like he didn't want me to know how affected he is…

"I do." Possibly the most earnest thing I've said lately as I wrap myself tighter around him and his arms caged me in closer.

I know it's not sudden, and I know it's too soon.

But it's real. It's US and I wouldn't have it any other way. So that's how I spent the night that started as the worst and ended as the best night of my life to date; in the arms of My Prince, My wonderfully Dark Prince.

The next chapter will be posted Thursday July 4, 2013… for no other reason than I'm evil.