She stood in the room that had been Stefan's. Even with human senses, she could feel his presence here. Stefan had mourned her in this very room. She closed her eyes, feeling his emotions wash over her. Then she moved onto Damon's room. His presence was even stronger. He had bought many girls here, to try and forget her. Elena could feel his anger. She closed her eyes, picturing Damon in this room. She could almost feel him standing behind her.

"You know you really shouldn't wander the streets alone at night." said a dark voice behind her, making her jump. "There might be vampires wandering around."

She opened her eyes and turned to face Damon. His expression was dark.

"Damon." she said, smiling at him. He didn't return her smile.

"I saw you today." she said. "You like my wedding dress?"

His amused expression lasted about a second. "Nice choice." he commented, before his expression darkened again. She took a step back, afraid.
"Damon?" she didn't understand why he wasn't happy to see her. "Aren't you glad to see me?"

"I've seen you since you arrived here." he stepped towards her. "You sometimes come and stand in my room here, hopping I'll show myself." He took another step. "You stand on your balcony talking to yourself. And you chose a dress that you wore when you danced with me, to get married in." He did grin then, showing her his white teeth in the dark. "Are you sure you're not marrying the wrong brother?" Elena let out a breath and she turned away from him to hide her smile.

"I'm marrying Stefan." she told him.

"So why do you stand here with me, instead of talking to Matt, enjoying the company of your knight, and your bridesmaids?" he asked. She turned around and found herself looking into his burning black eyes.

"I wanted to see you." she told him, barely able to breath at his closeness. He flashed another grin, his fangs gleaming in the darkness.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked. "You wanted to make sure I'm alright?" He had been reading her mind again. She could only nod. "And you risk your life coming to see me." he said, his voice and expression dark again. His eyes burned into hers. "I had to let 3 vampires know to back off, that you were mine." He said angrily. He stepped back and turned around. She looked at him, with his back to her. Why was he angry?

"Damon?"

"If I hadn't followed you, you would have been lunch to another vampire." he said. "Elena, even Stefan would be disappointed with you. I'm surprised he let you out this late."

"Stefan isn't…." But Damon was looking at her again, with his hypnotic eyes.

"You're lucky I'm around." he told her.

"It's good to see you again." she whispered. He was as he always was. His dark expression softened at that.

"It's good to see you too." he said finally and stepped back, allowing Elena to breath. His back was to her again, and he was looking out the window. "But then, I've seen you in every face." Elena frowned. This wasn't like him. She waited for him to explain.

"It wasn't meant to be like this, I know what I am. I'm a vampire, and I feed off humans…" He stopped and looked at him. "But I can't anymore. Because of you, I hunt in the darker areas now. The beautiful girls I once hunted, I see you in them all. So now, I'm reduced to killing the killers." Elena understood then.

"Is that really a bad thing Damon?" she asked him. He stared at her for a while, before looking away.

"I'm not like you." he said, repeating his words from the night she had come back. "I can't live in a world of light and be happy. I don't belong….." she held a hand up, silencing him.

"No-one's trying to force you to live in our world." she told him, smiling. She remembered how daring she was in her dream. She stepped up to him again. "But we would like you at our wedding. Stefan wants you to be his best man."

Damon closed his eyes. "And what do you want, fair lady?" he asked, looking down at her. She stepped back. He seemed to not want her presence so close to him. "What do you want me to be?" Elena understood perfectly what he meant. A fire blazed between them. He was her dark angel. The fire would always blaze between them. She understood him. He understood her. But she loved Stefan.

"I….I want you to be a brother." she told him gently, seeing the longing in his eyes. "I want you to be happy." She didn't know what else to say. Damon had saved his brothers life a few times now, and he had saved hers tonight and god knows how many other nights. Damon held out a hand towards her. She looked at him, confused.

"Let me show you something." he told her, and she took his hand.

Damon led Elena through the dark streets. She walked at his side, knowing she was safe from any danger. She knew where they were heading. He pulled her towards him at the foot of the building. She held on as he gathered his muscles for the jump. She felt the air rushing around her, remembering the last time he had done this, only they had jumped from a roof to the ground. She felt her balcony beneath her feet, and pulled back. "I thought you had something to show me," she said softly, annoyed. He had bought her home.

"Just look. Look inside." He directed her. She did so. They were looking into the lounge, where Stefan and the girls were still talking to Matt. She watched Stefan, her heart pounding at the sight of him. His eyes full of light that he had never had in Fells Church.

This is your world Elena. He spoke to her with his mind now. She looked at him questioningly. She didn't understand what he was getting at. He pulled her to him again and they were on the ground within seconds, Damon absorbing the impact. He led her through to the darker streets of Florence. Homeless people hid from them. There was a dark shadow at the end of the street, and she moved closer to Damon, feeling his eyes on her. This is my world. He told her. He led her again through the streets. She was still confused as to what he was trying to get at. Then she saw herself at the entrance to "The gardens" He picked a white rose for her, and handed it to her. She took it gently, so not to prick herself on the thorns. This was where her and Stefan were getting married. They walked, hand in hand through the garden.

"I know what you long for Elena. You are between worlds, one foot in light, the other in darkness." He let her hand go and vanished. She looked around and sighed. 'Still up to his old tricks' she thought to herself, and turned to go when she felt him return. He led her again away from the gardens.

"Damon! Where are we going?" she asked. But he only smiled at her. She saw he was taking her to a large estate. It looked very posh.

"I own this estate now. Legally I shouldn't. But I paid good money for it." He laughed, his laughter sending chills through her. "Imagine that, paying money for something that is mine." he led her up to the house. They walked around the garden. "this is where we lived." he told her, and finally she understood.

Damon felt her understanding and nodded. He had bought the estate to stop it being destroyed.

"For centuries, people have claimed that this place is haunted." he said to Elena. "That two brothers killed each other, and that they still roam the grounds." he laughed again. "I have watched over our home for the last 5 centuries and I guess the rumour pleased me, so I made it more believable. But Stefan forgot about this place. We woke up in there…" he pointed to the Tomb, and Elena turned her head to look. "….and he ran away after he realised that he no longer belonged here."

Elena's silence beside him worried him. He was showing her his past, and she wasn't saying anything.

"I woke up, confused." he told her. "Stefan called to me, but I ran from him. I was scared of my little brother when I awoke. I remembered that he had killed me, and I was afraid. So I swore to myself that I would pay him back for that small deed." Damon looked over to where they had fought. "We fought here. In this spot." he told her. He could see figures fighting not far from where they stood. Two brothers, intent on killing each other. He could taste their anger and hatred. And he knew that Elena could see too. He watched the scene from his past play out, feeling the cold blade stab his heart when the shadow Stefan killed the shadow of himself.

"You died here." whispered Elena. He nodded. Then her voice changed. "Damon, why did you bring me here?" Damon nodded, he had been waiting for that question.

"I want to give the house to you and Stefan." he told her. "I know that it may give Stefan bad memories, but it belongs to him, and to you." he paused. Then he repeated Elena's words back to her. "I want you to be happy."

Elena was speechless. Damon was giving her the estate that he and Stefan had lived in. The very estate that they had died in. Wordlessly she followed him into the house. He had taken good care of the place over the years. She could almost see the Stefan of 500 years ago wandering through the house.

"But he died here." she told Damon. "I'm not sure if this is very wise. You guys have a past here."

"Maybe it's time that brother of mine let go of the past." Damon muttered. Then he looked at her. "Time to get you home. Stefan is starting to worry about you. And with good reason."

Elena and Damon walked back to hers and Stefan's apartment. She stood again on the balcony, with Damon, and watched Stefan pacing the bedroom, not noticing them outside. She stepped forward, still holding Damon's hand. He pulled back and she looked at him. "Wont you come in?" she asked him, letting him know that he was invited. He didn't say anything, a dark expression on his face as he watched his brother. "I know what you said, this isn't your world Damon, but you're welcome in it anytime you like."

"Not tonight." he said, and then he was gone.

Elena opened the door carefully, causing Stefan to stop his pacing and look towards her, preparing for a fight.

"Elena." He said.

"Hi Stefan." she said brightly, hugging him. He returned the hug briefly, but then she was made to look at him.

"Elena, we are very high off the ground." he told her. She nodded in agreement, knowing how confused he must be. "You went out the front door." he said "When you went for a walk." again, she nodded. "so, how did you get up there?" Stefan was showing his confusion, and Elena laughed. But her reply was only one word.

"Damon."

"He's here? Where is he? Why don't you come in Damon? You invited him in right?" Stefan headed towards the door.

"He's gone, Stefan. He's not there." Stefan turned to face her. "He's not ready to come in yet. But he showed me something."

"What did he show you?" Elena looked out into the dark.

"His world." she whispered, shuddering. "but he also showed me your past"

Stefan was confused at this. "My past? But you know my past Elena." Elena shrugged that off.

"He showed me where you died, Stefan."