Title: A Human Moment

Rating: T

Parings: This story mainly focuses on Damon and Elena, but it has some Stefan and Elena, and Damon and Katherine thrown in here and there. Mostly just references.

Warning: This is set after episode the episode Fool Me Once, so it contains spoilers for those who are not yet that far in the series.

Summary: Stefan loses control of his vampire tendencies while he's with Elena, which makes him decide to leave Mystic Falls. Meanwhile, Damon lingers. After finding out that Katherine is actually alive, or was in the 1980s, he decides not to follow Stefan around anymore. In the absence of the people they love, Damon and Elena are drawn closer together. They remind each other of the ones they have lost. Unfortunately, Damon isn't the only one interested in Elena. When Katherine hears of her human doppelganger, she can't resist investigating. Eventually Damon will have to decide what is more important—Elena's life, or Katherine's love.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries show, or book. That just blew your mind, right?

Chapter one: Abandoned

"You're—leaving?" Elena's voice was so soft and breathless that it wouldn't have even been heard if it weren't for Stefan's uncanny vampire hearing. He stared back at her with sad eyes as he nodded. He then looked down to ground, ashamed. Elena placed a warm hand on his icy cheek, redirecting his gaze. Once she had his attention, she fought to keep her voice steady. "You don't have to feel guilty over of what happened. I don't blame you, Stefan."

"I blame myself." Stefan replied, removing her dainty fingers from his face. His eyebrows furrowed in painful thought and his mouth remained agape for several moments. He turned his back on her, but didn't walk away. He just stood there. Before Elena could say something, he continued. "I—almost crossed the line."

"But you didn't!" Elena came to his defense, finding her voice a little more enraged than she intended. She then took in a deep breath and softened her edge. "You stopped yourself. You would never do anything to—"

"Endanger you?" He asked, spinning back around to face her once again. The resentment in his voice did not go unnoticed to Elena. He was angry. It's something she rarely heard as it is, but was even more implausible since it was directed at her, which is something that has never happened before. "That's exactly what I did, Elena. I put your life at risk. I'll make sure that's something I'll never be able to do again."

Elena remembered back to the previous night. On her way to Stefan's house, she was in a dreamlike state of bliss. She was lost in her own head about how great things have been, funnily enough. Little did she know how quickly that would change. Pulling her away from her thoughts, she heard the sound of a car horn and noticed a flash of headlights before quickly jumping back to the side of the road. She fell on her side and scraped her hands across the pavement. The car stopped, and then reversed until the driver's window was directly across from where Elena sat.

"Elena?" A voice called out. Elena looked up to see Tyler Lockwood sitting in the car. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry. Man, you just came out of nowhere."

She wiped her hands against the grass to remove all the tiny pieces of gravel. She shakily began to stand up and she replied, "No, it was my fault. I wasn't paying any attention. I'm fine." She turned away from him to hide her face. She then placed a hand on her chest, and tried to slow her breathing and calm her fear. She was still extremely tense around cars ever since her parent's deaths.

"You sure?" Tyler asked. Elena turned and nodded convincingly, and with that he gave a light smile and a nod before driving away. It wasn't until then that she allowed herself to explore the extent of her injuries. It wasn't that bad of a fall—she just skinned her hands and knee. After she allowed herself a few moments to regroup, she continued on to Stefan's house, being more alert.

It was a night like any other. She would tell him all about her day, he would be unbelievably sweet, he would make her dinner, and then they would go up to his room. It was during a moment of intimacy that he lost control. The mixture of passion and blood was too much for him, and his eyes went black. Dark veins appeared around his eyes as his fangs extended. Elena gasped and distanced herself from him as quickly as possible. The transformation was brief, and within moments, he was Stefan again. But it was enough.

Back in Elena's room, Stefan's face was now emotionless; a mask. He remained statue-like, waiting for Elena to respond. He was waiting for her to recognize just what it was that he was doing for her, to understand why he needed to remove himself from her life. She did not give him that satisfaction. She held his gaze, not daring to speak. Finally, Stefan broke the silence with a long sigh. "Elena, I'm sorry."

Elena's face threatened to crumple, but she kept herself together. "I'm not interested in apologies" She snapped. The fire in her words was the only thing keeping her from crying in front of him. "If you're going to leave, and there's nothing I can do to change your mind, than I guess I can't just stand here begging you to stay with me—"

"Elena—" Stefan interrupted, feeling a great pang in his chest.

"No, let me finish." Elena ordered, taking a step back from him. "If you want to leave, than just do it. Just don't expect me to be appreciative of it. I'm not. This whole knight in shining armor routine—I didn't ask for it. So if you're going to leave, then you don't get to be the good guy."

Her fury burned her throat like acid. Her heart rate quickened, her face was flushed, and she clenched her hands in tiny fists at her sides. It was funny how Stefan had drawn out this reaction from her many times, but it was never caused by her anger. It was always out of love, and excitement. Something she had never felt for another person before.

It was a long time before anybody had spoken. They just stared at each other, both filled with their own emotions. Elena sat down on her bed, arms folding over her chest. Finally, after, Stefan sat down next to her and concentrated on the floor, prompting Elena to do the same. "Okay," He replied.

Elena looked up, but he was gone; completely out of sight. She then felt a bone-chilling draft as she noticed that her window has been opened. The super-speed was something she, a human, could never get used to. As she peered around her empty room, she felt more alone than ever. Was that it? Was he really gone for good? "He's gone," Elena answered her own thoughts out loud into the open air.

She moved across her room to slam the window shut. This was a betrayal. She knew all too well how deep abandonment could cut, because of her parents. The difference was that her parents didn't have a choice. They were taken from her. Stefan chose to leave her. He chose to abandon her. This was something she could never forgive.

A/N: Okay, so that was chapter one. I realize that it was very short, but there is a logical reason for this... I not really a fan of Stefan and Elena. Writing this first chapter was like ripping off a Band-Aid for me, but a little more painful. I tried to make it realistic though, since I know that Elena presently cares a lot about Stefan. Anyways, I just sort of rushed through it. It's main purpose is just to set up the chapters to come… Which Stefan will not be a part of. I'm not hating here, I'm just more of a Damon fan myself. ;)

Anyhoo, I really hope you enjoyed the first installment. I should be updating fairly soon, out of boredom. Just let me know what you think about it in a review!