This is my first ever multi-chapter fanfic! It was inspired by the song "Come Home" by OneRepublic, and each chapter will start with lines from the song. These characters are not mine, and some lines are taken from the show, so they belong to both L. J. Smith and Julie Plec. This takes place post 3x19, but I've taken some liberties with the plot and characters. I'm thinking this is going to be 3 chapters, but it may be subject to change. I hope you like it!

Hello world

Hope you're listening

Forgive me if I'm young

For speaking out of turn

There's someone I've been missing

I think that they could be

The better half of me

Elena's POV

The nightmares are back.

I started getting them when my parents died. I remember closing my eyes each night, praying to God, praying to anything really, that I'd be able to have a dreamless slumber.

Those nights never came.

Each night I would see the car- our car- as it swerved off the Wickery Bridge. I would watch as the black water surrounded the car, submerging my family and I along with it. I could only stand idly by as the car sank, and I would recall the panicked looks on my parents faces, and to my horror, watch as they turned into ones of acceptance. My last memory of them is me trying to reach for them, to grasp them one more time, as if that single touch alone could tell them everything I needed to say- that I loved them and that they had given me a good life and that I was sorry that this was the way things had to end. The dreams would end there and I would wake up abruptly, sheets and pillows wet with tears or sweat or a mix of both, and I would cry until my ribs hurt. My sobs often woke up Jeremy and Aunt Jenna, who both understood the sting of loss but could not even comprehend the feeling of overwhelming guilt I felt for the deaths of my parents. They would try to comfort me, but to no avail. No one was able to help me when it came to those dreams.

I haven't had them for almost a year, and now they're back. I suppose they stopped because I had a lot more to focus on this year, other than that tragic accident. With my life and the lives of my loved ones hanging constantly in the balance, my brain knew that it had to shut off each night, not knowing what torments the following day would bring.

It also doesn't help that I'm alone.

The brisk fall air came in and seemed to have swooped up my friends away with it. Tyler and Caroline are somewhere in Europe, along with Matt, Rebekah, Bonnie, and Jeremy, enjoying some twisted type of extended triple date while they search for the remnants of Klaus, who is rumored to have taken over the body of his brother Elijah. Rebekah found this to be unforgivable and now she too is on the hunt to kill Klaus, like the rest of us.

Well, not me.

Poor, fragile Elena Gilbert was left in the care of her doting boyfriend, Stefan Salvatore. My friends call in to check every once in a while and ask how I'm doing. I always say I'm fine, which is far from the truth. How do you tell your best friends that your boyfriend left you for the soulless bitch you unfortunately share a face with?

That's right, Stefan left me for Katherine. I would say I'm surprised, but that's not the case. In the weeks before his departure, I saw the way he looked at me, as if he were disappointed that I wasn't someone else. Here I was, trying my hardest to not turn into Katherine, when all he wanted was her. I was just a carbon copy of the girl he loved, a distraction he used until he could get the real thing. I was stupid for thinking he actually loved me and not just the face of the girl who changed his life forever.

And then there's Damon. Where do I start with Damon?

When we returned from Denver, after sharing the most exhilarating kiss of my life, I might add, he left Mystic Falls. He literally dropped my off at house, got back into his car, and left. He hasn't turned back since.

I've called him probably five times a day since the day he left, but it goes straight to voice mail every time.

I won't admit this to anyone, especially not to the bad boy himself, but I really miss him. In the moments when I feel the most lonely, I always ache for him the most, his cocky smirk, our easy banter, the way his blue eyes would look at me so deeply, so intensely, as if he were gazing into me, looking at everything I was, not just at the face of a girl he had once loved… Damon made me feel like my old self more than anyone else had ever been able to since my parents died, and he accepted every single part of me, flaws and all.

And I wonder, in another life, if I could have done the same for him.

Enough of those thoughts, I think to myself.

I look at the alarm clock in my room, its glaringly red light indicating that it is five fifty-four in the morning.

Oh well, time to start another, uneventful day.

I walk into my bathroom and cringe when I look into the mirror. My hair is a mess of knots and tangles and I look like I haven't eaten in weeks, my once healthy glow replaced with sunken eyelids, cracked lips, and skin so pale and waxy it reminds me of that of a ghost.

Or a vampire. How ironic.

I quickly look away and jump into the shower. I silently think the words that have become my mantra in the last few weeks.

Today will be different. It has to be. I will not mope around the house. I will go out. I will smile. I will get things done. I will not think of Stefan or Damon or my parents, or anything negative that will ruin my mood. I will start fresh, be someone new. It's the only way I'll make it through.

This is how I've started every day since Stefan left. Some days, it works and I end up being productive. Other days... not so much. As I wash the conditioner out of my hair, I hope today will be a good day. I make a mental checklist of things I need to do.

Wash the dishes

Mow the lawn

Shop for groceries

Clean my room

Vacuum the floors

I sigh, realizing that my neglect has forced me to have quite the checklist to try and get through. I turn off the shower and wrap my fluffy, white towel around my body, ready to start my day.

Damon's POV

I look up at the highway marker as I speed past it. I'm only 10 miles away from Mystic Falls.

I put my foot on the accelerator and press as hard as I can, my Camaro zooming faster than ever. I clench my teeth, recalling the conversation I had earlier with my brother and getting pissed off all over again.

"Damon? I haven't spoken to you for a minute! What's going on, big bro?" he asks when he picks up the phone.

"Oh, the usual, snatch-eat-erasing my way down the east coast. What about you? How have you been?" I make it a point to not ask about Elena, the thought of her and him being together all alone in Mystic Falls puts images in my mind that I don't want to think about. Ever.

But Stefan hesitates and I immediately take notice.

"Is everything okay? How's Elena?" I ask before I think about what I'm saying. God, even after everything, I can't stop thinking about her, wondering if she's safe, reliving that kiss in Denver. Her lips were so soft and pliant against mine and it's times like this when I wonder what would have happened if Jeremy hadn't woken up and interrupted us… I feel like such a pussy.

"Um, well," he stutters helplessly and I start to get aggravated with him.

"Stefan, just fucking tell me," I bark at him over the phone, "What? Did I interrupt a moment between you two lovebirds? Did Saint Stefan and Martyr Elena finally tie the knot? Just spit it out!" I'm fuming by the time I finish and it takes everything I have to not return to Mystic Falls and break my brother's neck.

"I don't know how Elena is," he says quietly.

"What? What do you mean? You're with her Stefan! How could you possibly not know?"

"Because he's with me," says a cocky, feminine voice, one I'd hoped I never had to hear again.

My jaw drops. "Katherine?"

"Wow, you are a bright one Damon. I can't believe you figured it out," she says sarcastically. I swear you can hear her rolling her eyes through the phone. "Stefan is with me now and not just with me, but with me, if you catch my drift." I know her well enough to tell that she's smirking, but I don't find this amusing at all.

"Where. Is. Elena?" I say through clenched teeth. My patience is wearing thin and I'm losing control, so much so that my fangs threaten to come out.

"Oh her," Katherine says, as if bothered by the mere thought of her annoying doppelganger, "As far as I know, she's still in Mystic Falls. I would know for sure, but we left about a month ago, a little after the Scooby Gang, minus you, of course, went abroad to look for Klaus. Anything could have happened to her by now, not that I care, but you seem to," she says in her typical, smug voice.

"Put Stefan back on," I demand. Thankfully, she obliges.

"Listen Damon-" Stefan begins, but I quickly interrupt him.

"I swear to God, Stefan, if Elena is hurt, I'm holding you personally responsible. You'll wish you were dead when I'm done with you, the two of you, in fact," I say. And with that, I hang up.

I look at the time.

Shit, it's 2:43am, I think to myself, If Elena's home and safe, she'll be asleep.

I decide to take the chance and in a few, short minutes, I arrive in front of the Gilbert residence. I see the lawn half mowed, the other half overgrown with weeds and tall grass. My heart clenches. What if someone took her while she was mowing the lawn?

I quickly run up the driveway, to the porch, and turn the door knob. It's unlocked. Elena wouldn't leave the door unlocked, would she?

Dread begins to fill me, so I use vampire speed to get up the stairs and into her bedroom. It's pitch black, but I can see fine, thanks to my vampire vision. I've suddenly never been happier to be one of the undead.

That's when I see her.

She's curled up in the fetal position on her bed, her teddy clenched against her chest, the comforter tucked in just under her chin. She looks like a baby swaddled up like that and I can't help but smile.

When did I get so whipped for this girl?

I sigh with relief when I hear the familiar sound of her heartbeat. She's still human, still my Elena. I feel a pang of guilt for leaving her, but quickly dismiss it. Me staying would only have complicated things. It's not like she would have wanted me to stay anyway. She was probably only calling me to beg me not to tell her sweet Stefan that she jumped my bones in Denver, or at least wanted to. I didn't want to hear it, so I turned off my phone and kept driving. A girl like Elena could never be with a guy like me. It's not like she'd want to and even if she did, I'd never let her. I'm a monster. I ruin people. I would never, ever want to do that to Elena. She's too perfect for that, too pure. I will not be the one responsible for messing her up.

Suddenly, her heart beat begins to pick up. Worried, I rush to her side. Her peaceful expression is gone, replaced with furrowed brows and pursed lips, as if she is about to cry. Instinctively, I reach over and stroke her cheek, in attempt to soothe her. She told me about her nightmares once, a long time ago. I have a feeling that they've come back to haunt her. I curse my brother for leaving her alone like this, for leaving her for Katherine. He must be out of his goddamn mind to leave Elena for that manipulative bitch. Wrapped up in my thoughts, I don't notice Elena begin to stir awake.

It isn't until she says my name in the shakiest, softest voice I have ever heard that I notice her brown, doe eyes peeking up at me through thick lashes.

God, she's beautiful.

"Damon?" she asks again, her voice shaking less than it did the first time, her worry being replaced with something else. She sounds hopeful, happy even.

"It's me, Lena," I say softly and watch as her eyes grow wide.

She gets up instantly and before I know it, I'm being engulfed in the tightest hug of my existence. It doesn't take me long and respond, and I wrap my arms around her tightly. I've missed her. She hugs me impossibly tighter, as if she'll never let go and for a moment, I wish that she won't.

She feels so good in my arms.

She pulls away too soon, even though it's probably been more than a minute, and I reluctantly let her. She doesn't go too far, though, and just stands in front of me and stares. She remains like that for a few moments and then she speaks.

"Where were you, Damon?" she asks and my heart breaks a little. I hear all the pain she's been holding in since everyone left her and it nearly tears me apart knowing that I was the first one to do so, the one who started the trend of deserting Elena.

She starts to cry uncontrollably and I walk over to where she's standing and hold her to me tightly, as if my sheer force of will can put her back together again. Eventually, I move to sit on the bed with her still in my arms. I'm surprised as she climbs into my lap and starts sobbing into my neck. I cradle her in my arms, anchoring us together for the time being. I whisper soothing words in her ear as I stroke her face and hair until her sobs turn into whimpers, which eventually turn into nothing. Assuming she has fallen asleep, I lay her down on her bed.

I kiss her forehead and whisper, "I shouldn't have left. I promise, I will never leave you again."

She must have heard me, because when I start walking to go to the living room and sleep on the couch, I hear her whisper, "Then stay," in a voice so quiet I wouldn't have been able to hear if I was human.

I turn around in shock and see her looking at me again. She moves over on her bed and lifts up her comforter, inviting me in. I shake my head in disbelief, but decide not to question it. I could only imagine why she doesn't want to be alone tonight. I sit on the bed and take off my shoes and jacket, leaving me in my jeans and always-present black shirt. I get under the covers, and her body immediately comes in contact with mine. She nuzzles her head into my chest and her legs tangle loosely with mine. I hear her sigh as she gets comfortable, holding me closer to her than ever, like she's drowning and I'm the only thing that can keep her afloat. I wrap my arms around her easily, wondering if she notices the way we fit together perfectly. I begin to wonder if we'd fit together this way in other places, but I quickly put those thoughts away. This is definitely not the time to indulge in them.

Soon enough, Elena is fast asleep in my arms and I feel myself drifting away too, the sound of her breaths and heartbeat luring me to sleep like the sweetest lullaby I've ever heard.

So that's it for the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, be sure to follow, so you are alerted when I put up the next chapter! Thank you so much for reading and if you have the time, please review! I would love to know what you think! Until next time!