It was a week later and Elena was outside in the woods once more awaiting Damon. She'd come home to find Stefan worried. She'd come up with a fairly good excuse about the store being crowded, needing to run to the bank and several other errands she had needed to get done.
She had debated telling him the truth right away. Now she was glad she hadn't. It had been a week and still after testing with the pregnancy tests in the privacy when Stefan was out hunting, there no result.
She was too angry at the time to be hurt. Betrayed and used.
There was a rustle of leaves and shimmer in the darkness as Damon took form. The moon shone on his liquid soft hair, the hair that she had lovingly run her fingers through only a couple of days ago.
"You lied." Her voice shook with her anger and attempt not to brake down.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, you damn liar. You fucking arrogant bastard."
Damon's eyes widened.
" I was a _fool_ to actually believe you. There's no baby. You _used_ me! What was all that crap? Just to get me in bed? Huh? I bet it was! I can't believe--" Elena was about to go on but he interrupted.
"I didn't lie! I honestly thought I had enough power. I wouldn't use you!" Damon stated, his voice rising.
"Oh, I'm sure."
"It was not a scheme to get you in bed, Elena. I wouldn't do that to you!"
"Like I'm supposed to believe a word you say? Oh, all that bullshit about you loving me....Well! That was good-- I must admit. I mean, the way you pulled that stunt, you had me fooled. Really, how _did_ you do it?" She spat, sarcasm dripping from every word. Though she could barely keep the tears back.
Damon was outraged. "How could you think that?" he demanded.
"You don't give a damn about anyone but yourself. It's always been that way. I was ridiculous to think you'd change. I was the stupid one for being so fucking gullible."
"Elena, I did not make one word of that up! I don't know why it didn't work! I thought I had the power to."
Suddenly, she slapped him. A good, hard slap. His head flew to one side, his cheek coloring and rising with blood. Her palm stung but she ignored it.
He turned slowly back to face her. He didn't say a word, didn't even touch where his face was turning a vivid scarlet.
"Stop lying! Just stop it!" she shouted, and the tears came, finally unable to be withdrawn.
The moonlight illuminated her tears making them glisten on her cheeks.
"Elena..." Damon stepped forward.
"Don't touch me!"
He sighed, frustrated.
"Do you realize how much you just put me through? If I had told Stefan what I assumed to be the truth, do you know what that would have done to my marriage?"
She hastily wiped the tears from her cheeks with a trembling hand.
"Don't be like this." Damon told her, pleading.
"Don't be like this?_ How the hell do you expect me to be? I thought you cared about me! I thought you were telling the truth when you told me you wouldn't hurt me! It was another lie and all this was a scheme."
Elena could feel the heat in her face.
Damon again tried to step to her, to calm her. She threw her hands up.
"I said don't _touch_ me. You're filth!"
"I didn't mean for this to happen. And I'll tell you again I did not do this as a plan to get you to sleep with me." His black eyes bore into hers.
"Can't you stop lying for a minute?" she cried. "You're just making it worse--"
"If you'd _listen_ for a minute-"
"Damon, stop. Just _stop_. Cut the crap. I hate your lying and your games." Her voice wavered and she collapsed to the floor.
She landed on her knees as she buried her face in her hands. She started to cry and her anger gradually faded. She wanted this to never have happened.
Damon knelt in front of her. "Why won't you believe me?"
"How can you expect me to? I thought I was getting a baby. I didn't think you would sink as low as lying to get my body." She said, refusing to look at him.
"But I wasn't. I love you, Elena and I treasure that night even if you didn't get your baby."
"I can't treasure it. Not when all it's caused is immense pain from knowing I've just betrayed Stefan." Elena slowly stood up.
Damon's dark eyes stared into hers and he wiped leftover tears from her face. She flinched at his touch.
"Elena...Don't"
"Don't what?" She whispered.
"Don't turn away from me now. Not when you know you love me and know how much I love you."
"How can you say you love me? After what you did?" Her eyes were swollen and red rimmed.
"It wasn't intentional. I didn't know it wouldn't work."
She took a shaky breath. "There was a time when I thought that maybe Stefan and I weren't meant to be together but now I'm not so sure."
"You don't know? Elena sparks fly when we're together. I can feel them, I can practically see them."
"But it's not your ring I'm wearing."
"So you don't love me?"
"That's not what I meant."
"Isn't it? Make up your mind Elena. You do. Or you don't. It is not a hard concept."
"Why do you push me so hard?" she fired back. "I can't take this."
"You either want Stefan or you want me."
She whirled away from him. "_Why was he doing this?_"
He read her thoughts. "Because I want you to be mine. But I can't have you if you won't have me."
She was silent.
"So make your choice Elena. Him or me?"
She thought about the electricity that was there when they were together, the sense of completeness. But then she remembered Stefan.
How it felt when he held her, how nice it was when she woke up to see him lying next to her. Her mind raced back to the night last week. When Damon had taken her back to his house and led her to his room.
She thought about what it had been like with him kissing her all night, he'd made her feel totally different as it was with her and Stefan. And his hands, his hands...
Elena shook her head. She leaned wearily against a tree bark. The gnarled bark dug into her head.
She could feel his eyes on her back.
"I choose Stefan," she whispered.
Damon placed a hand on her back and leaned toward the side of her face.
Softly he said, "Fine. Take him if it's whom you want. But when you lay next to him and remember how it was with me, think about how it could've been. Just remember what you could have had. The life we could have shared. When he kisses you, when he touches you, just think about what it was like with me. And remember Elena, just remember you could've had me."
Suddenly she was alone.
She started to cry again. Elena couldn't help it. She had no idea if she'd made the right choice.
Maybe she should have stayed with Damon.
Stefan. Damon. Stefan. Damon. Was it a never-ending circle?
Every time Stefan held her would she really wonder what it would feel like to be in Damon's arms? Every time Stefan kissed her would she really wonder what it'd be like if it where Damon kissing her?
She didn't know.
She wondered if she'd compare everything Stefan did with what Damon had done.
Light filtered off the tree tops and she turned. She was shivering, despite the warmth of the night.
"God, what have I done? Have I made the right decision? Or have I just made the worst choice in my life?"
She had debated telling him the truth right away. Now she was glad she hadn't. It had been a week and still after testing with the pregnancy tests in the privacy when Stefan was out hunting, there no result.
She was too angry at the time to be hurt. Betrayed and used.
There was a rustle of leaves and shimmer in the darkness as Damon took form. The moon shone on his liquid soft hair, the hair that she had lovingly run her fingers through only a couple of days ago.
"You lied." Her voice shook with her anger and attempt not to brake down.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, you damn liar. You fucking arrogant bastard."
Damon's eyes widened.
" I was a _fool_ to actually believe you. There's no baby. You _used_ me! What was all that crap? Just to get me in bed? Huh? I bet it was! I can't believe--" Elena was about to go on but he interrupted.
"I didn't lie! I honestly thought I had enough power. I wouldn't use you!" Damon stated, his voice rising.
"Oh, I'm sure."
"It was not a scheme to get you in bed, Elena. I wouldn't do that to you!"
"Like I'm supposed to believe a word you say? Oh, all that bullshit about you loving me....Well! That was good-- I must admit. I mean, the way you pulled that stunt, you had me fooled. Really, how _did_ you do it?" She spat, sarcasm dripping from every word. Though she could barely keep the tears back.
Damon was outraged. "How could you think that?" he demanded.
"You don't give a damn about anyone but yourself. It's always been that way. I was ridiculous to think you'd change. I was the stupid one for being so fucking gullible."
"Elena, I did not make one word of that up! I don't know why it didn't work! I thought I had the power to."
Suddenly, she slapped him. A good, hard slap. His head flew to one side, his cheek coloring and rising with blood. Her palm stung but she ignored it.
He turned slowly back to face her. He didn't say a word, didn't even touch where his face was turning a vivid scarlet.
"Stop lying! Just stop it!" she shouted, and the tears came, finally unable to be withdrawn.
The moonlight illuminated her tears making them glisten on her cheeks.
"Elena..." Damon stepped forward.
"Don't touch me!"
He sighed, frustrated.
"Do you realize how much you just put me through? If I had told Stefan what I assumed to be the truth, do you know what that would have done to my marriage?"
She hastily wiped the tears from her cheeks with a trembling hand.
"Don't be like this." Damon told her, pleading.
"Don't be like this?_ How the hell do you expect me to be? I thought you cared about me! I thought you were telling the truth when you told me you wouldn't hurt me! It was another lie and all this was a scheme."
Elena could feel the heat in her face.
Damon again tried to step to her, to calm her. She threw her hands up.
"I said don't _touch_ me. You're filth!"
"I didn't mean for this to happen. And I'll tell you again I did not do this as a plan to get you to sleep with me." His black eyes bore into hers.
"Can't you stop lying for a minute?" she cried. "You're just making it worse--"
"If you'd _listen_ for a minute-"
"Damon, stop. Just _stop_. Cut the crap. I hate your lying and your games." Her voice wavered and she collapsed to the floor.
She landed on her knees as she buried her face in her hands. She started to cry and her anger gradually faded. She wanted this to never have happened.
Damon knelt in front of her. "Why won't you believe me?"
"How can you expect me to? I thought I was getting a baby. I didn't think you would sink as low as lying to get my body." She said, refusing to look at him.
"But I wasn't. I love you, Elena and I treasure that night even if you didn't get your baby."
"I can't treasure it. Not when all it's caused is immense pain from knowing I've just betrayed Stefan." Elena slowly stood up.
Damon's dark eyes stared into hers and he wiped leftover tears from her face. She flinched at his touch.
"Elena...Don't"
"Don't what?" She whispered.
"Don't turn away from me now. Not when you know you love me and know how much I love you."
"How can you say you love me? After what you did?" Her eyes were swollen and red rimmed.
"It wasn't intentional. I didn't know it wouldn't work."
She took a shaky breath. "There was a time when I thought that maybe Stefan and I weren't meant to be together but now I'm not so sure."
"You don't know? Elena sparks fly when we're together. I can feel them, I can practically see them."
"But it's not your ring I'm wearing."
"So you don't love me?"
"That's not what I meant."
"Isn't it? Make up your mind Elena. You do. Or you don't. It is not a hard concept."
"Why do you push me so hard?" she fired back. "I can't take this."
"You either want Stefan or you want me."
She whirled away from him. "_Why was he doing this?_"
He read her thoughts. "Because I want you to be mine. But I can't have you if you won't have me."
She was silent.
"So make your choice Elena. Him or me?"
She thought about the electricity that was there when they were together, the sense of completeness. But then she remembered Stefan.
How it felt when he held her, how nice it was when she woke up to see him lying next to her. Her mind raced back to the night last week. When Damon had taken her back to his house and led her to his room.
She thought about what it had been like with him kissing her all night, he'd made her feel totally different as it was with her and Stefan. And his hands, his hands...
Elena shook her head. She leaned wearily against a tree bark. The gnarled bark dug into her head.
She could feel his eyes on her back.
"I choose Stefan," she whispered.
Damon placed a hand on her back and leaned toward the side of her face.
Softly he said, "Fine. Take him if it's whom you want. But when you lay next to him and remember how it was with me, think about how it could've been. Just remember what you could have had. The life we could have shared. When he kisses you, when he touches you, just think about what it was like with me. And remember Elena, just remember you could've had me."
Suddenly she was alone.
She started to cry again. Elena couldn't help it. She had no idea if she'd made the right choice.
Maybe she should have stayed with Damon.
Stefan. Damon. Stefan. Damon. Was it a never-ending circle?
Every time Stefan held her would she really wonder what it would feel like to be in Damon's arms? Every time Stefan kissed her would she really wonder what it'd be like if it where Damon kissing her?
She didn't know.
She wondered if she'd compare everything Stefan did with what Damon had done.
Light filtered off the tree tops and she turned. She was shivering, despite the warmth of the night.
"God, what have I done? Have I made the right decision? Or have I just made the worst choice in my life?"