Here is a second installment this Halloween day! What do you think of this one? All my love, OA.

CHAPTER 20: Reality check.

Disclaimer: I do Not own any of the characters in this story. There owned by The CW and the companies that work with the network. Any dialogue and or story likeness is coincidental and not intended to offend anyone.

EPOV

I was the first to break out of the spell. "Damon, we need to talk." I said a little to breathlessly for my liking as I took his hand and lead him to the couch.

He had a sad look in his face, as if he knew what I was going to tell him would bring him emotional pain. He looked down at our intertwined hands, my right, his left. Our finger had instinctively intertwined and I was taken notice on how perfectly our hands fit together, as if they were meant to be there, they were made for each other. I left out a sight as I tried to force myself to do what I had to do, no matter how much it would hurt me, it was for the best.

"Damon, I have to ask you something?" I started out my conversation.

"Yes, Elena?" His voice had this tone that almost resembled that of a pained, tired and wise old man.

I slightly move our intertwined hand so that his is on top. "Why do you wear the wedding ring? Why haven't you taken it off?" I couldn't meet his eyes so I kept studying the silver band on his hand, the one that matched my own.

I looked at him when he exhaled. Apparently he thought my first words would be worse?

"Elena, why do you ask me that?" I could see him trying to evade the question and take a side step.

"Because I really am curious, and you still haven't answered the question." I tell him as I start playing with the band in his hand.

He chuckles. "Was worth the try. I don't really know. I never took it off after that day, and then I had to say we are married in order to be able to look over your treatment while in the hospital and then I kinda grew accustomed to having it on and now its like its not there. It feels normal and natural, it became a part of me. In other words, Elena I have it on because I want to."

I knew he was looking at me but I evaded his eyes. I then decided to dive in headfirst to the rest of my questions.

"Damon what happened to us? That whole future we had wanted, we fought for?" By this time I was so tired of holding back all of my questions that I spilled them out in one breath.

He could feel my turmoil and in what swift movement he had us lying in the couch. My head rested in his chest and he had wrapped his hands around me in a very tender and protective stance. I felt at home, safe and happy there, this was where I was meant to be.

"Life, Elena. Decisions made, words spoken. One thing lead to another and here we are today. But answer this, do you think that in the beginning we could have imagined that I would be able to get my humanity back? Get a normal human job without using compulsion? Be a medical examiner and work at your precinct of all places? That circumstances would have lead us to be married? Cause if you ask me Elena, I would have told the person that would tell me that they were completely crazy!"

He was looking into space when I looked up at him. He had absentmindedly started to caress my arm as he talked and now stopped as he looked down into my eyes.

"Yeah, I know. I have thought of that before." I say as I look over at the balcony to evade his eyes.

"How about you, why do you still wear the rings?" He asked me as he thumbed my beautiful rings.

"Well, you better than anyone know that I did take them off. Actually right after the reception, so yeah. But then when I woke up in the hospital I had them on, I'm assuming it was you?" I look at him as he nods and I continue.

"Yeah, so after that I left them on because everyone knew we are married and that was key for you to look over my care and I knew that that was very important for you. So I left them and then, well, the same reasons as you, I grew accustomed to having them on and they just feel as if they are natural to have on." I say I now play with my own rings.

After a couple of minutes in silence, which was astonishingly not uncomfortable, Damon was the first one to speak.

"Elena, why are you asking these questions? Why are they important and why now?"

"I don't know. They have been in my mind for some time but I never thought it was the right time to ask them." I paused trying to regain my line of thought and decided that he needed an explanation and I needed one too. Here goes nothing!

"I think that they came to me because I sometimes had wondered what could have been, you know? How different our lives would be if we had decided to keep fighting for us. If we had decided to go for a life together as a couple and not just friends? I think that the whole battle with Klaus was it. So in a way I came to the conclusion a while ago that even though he lost by being killed, he won in killing our love. The way we handled the abductions and the tortures and the experiments and everything we both went through ended everything. And at that moment we were weak and decided to go for the easy road and be friends. Damon," I shift as that I am now directly looking into his eyes. " I know we moved on and we made our own lives but I just wanted to thank you."

"For what Elena?" He asked me as he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"For being my best friend. For being there for me when I need you and no one else was there. For having my back everytime. For accepting my friendship even though you know that I am broken and have issues and baggages. But especially for saving me, on multiple occasions. For not giving up on me when everyone else did on our wedding day." By now all my emotions are coming forward and I have tears of gratitude flowing freely from my eyes. As a few seconds pass I realize something. Damon is the only person in this world that has seen my weak side. I don't like people seeing it but with him my guard always falls and I can be truly me with him and for that I am extremely grateful.

He smiles down at me as he uses his thumb to wipe my tears away. "Elena, You know that I will always have your back and that I will never give up on you. Never, that I promise you. And Elena if we put all of our broken pieces and issues and baggages in a balance It would break with the large amount I have. So I really think it has to be the other way around. I should be the one thanking you for the friendship, for the hope and for the reality that I live right now. If it wasn't for you Elena Gilbert, I would either be still in denial, binge drinking on sorority girls or dead, so thank you for giving me a life." He tenderly caressed my cheek and I smiled up to him.

"I should go to bed, as should you. We have to be up bright and early cause Bonnie wants to give us our new assignments asap." We stand up and as I am starting to move towards my room, Damon gently takes my hands and spins me around. He then gives me a sweet kiss on the forehead as he whispers "Goodnight Elena."

I smile at him and head for my empty and cold bed, wishing that he would come with me, but knowing that this is an impossible dream.