Damon finds Elena directly after the events of season 3, and they have a conversation concerning the decision she needs to make, along with all the things that should be said before she decides. Expanded from the original one-shot. Damon/Elena. Spoilers through the end of season 3. Rating bumped up to be safe.

Elena made her choice and Damon kept up his end of the deal. He left Mystic Falls more than a year ago and he hasn't looked back since. Now the Original stake has gone missing and suddenly they need him again. But Damon has no intention of playing their whipping boy anymore and this time he has a powerful ally on his side.

Picking up after the S3 finale. Slow-burn progression of D/E relationship, as well as overarching plot involving multiple characters. First-person PoV of Damon. "One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious." Rated: M for Language, Violence, Adult Themes/Content.