Title: Misery Loves Company

For all the Delena lovers out there, here you go. We all love some support when we have to deal with transitions happening in life. Who do you think comes to Elena's rescue one such night after she realizes that she has been robbed of her mortality and Vampirism is supposed to be embraced?

Disclaimer: I don't own any right to the Vampire Diaries, show or book series. I am writer and a Delena-lover and would love to share my take on the beloved characters of this show.

This one-shot takes place after the first episode of season 4.

The day was over and night had taken over, she was comfortable with her choice, Stefan, again, but the thought of what she lost and what could never be again, haunted her. Elena lay awake in Stefan's arms waiting for sleep to take over but soon gave up and sat upright. It would take her a while...a long while to get used to being...a Vampire! She'll do it, with everyone by her side, she knew she would get through. She knew she had to make the choice. What would Jeremy be thinking about her now? Will her friends accept her? Will Bonnie look at her differently? Will Damon look at her differently now? Elena's mind was whirling with questions she didn't have answers to and decided that she needed to clear her head stat.

She got up and wore her sweater that was recklessly thrown on one of the chairs in Stefan's room and decided to take a walk. As she stepped out, she could hear the faint music coming from the parlour and stopped before the stairs, staring dumfounded at the sight before her. He was moving downstairs with much ease and grooving to a strange song whose language was alien to her. It was classic Damon, trying to ignore every gloomy thing around him with bourbon in his hand and pretending to have not a care in the world!

Elena sat as quietly as she could on the first step and looked through the bannisters at a dancing Damon, letting the sight entertain her for a little while, because honestly she had forgotten why she got up in the first place. The fire blazing in the fire-place, a song she didn't understand and a Damon grooving like there's no end to his world, which to be honest, there necessarily couldn't be! "…feel free to join the party if you are done devouring me." His voice jolted her and it took her a moment…moments, to finally say something. "Huh?" "Come down Elena, I know you've been there all along!" he said with a satisfied smirk. "I wasn't…devouring you…I was just lost…" "Yeah! Lost, devouring me!" Elena came down huffing at him and wrapped her arms around herself as she stood in front of him, trying to hide the faint blush that appeared on her cheeks and as soon as she realized that, she was hit by another question- Do vampires blush? Giving herself a mental shake, she avoided looking at him.

Damon kept his eyes fixed on her, scrutinizing, realizing that his humorous remarks won't be helpful today. He turned down the music while still keeping his eyes on her and propped up her chin, "hey, what's wrong?" "Are we okay?" Damon knew what she was referring to. Their conversation at the Young's farm was memorable and so were their reactions. "Why wouldn't we be?" "Because somehow I blamed you for something that wasn't your fault….things that I can't change but I still won't condone, you going after Matt!" she said with a defiant thrust of her chin. They stood there silently until Elena spoke again, "so…do you forgive me?" Damon couldn't help but smile at the question. After everything she was put through, not just by life but by him, he was just glad that she still existed in his life. He behaved irrationally, going after Matt, but it wasn't something he considered big enough to demand an apology for… so, he didn't!

"There's nothing to forgive Elena….besides, you just lost the one thing today you wished to cherish for life…so you basically get a free pass for…" He began with a mock speculative gesture, "at least a couple of decades…until you are settled into your new self." His attempt at humour failed severely as tears welled up in her eyes. He should've known that Elena wouldn't be back to their usual bantering so soon. He saw flashes of his first day as a Vampire and everything he went through as the aftermath. Though Elena didn't have to contemplate a 145 years to reunite with her long lost love, she does have to rethink eternity…. Eternity! Suddenly, the term seemed foreign to him; even having lived multiple lifetimes, eternity was still and always be a long way to go, alone!

He brushed the glum thoughts away and focused on Elena again, only now realizing that she was all dressed up and was prepared to go somewhere. Damon could use some company and decided to try his luck. "Going somewhere? I'd suggest a strip-club but you are still young and mind you, will never be old enough to enter one…without compulsion…" He added the last part whispering in Elena's ears as if divulging something very classified. Elena was finally smiling and amused at the ease Damon could always put her at. She decided to purge. "I was…I…couldn't sleep…thought of going for a walk." "Why? Baby brother boring you in bed?" She let out a light chuckle at his interesting choice of words and smacked his arm before turning away and moving towards the door. There goes my chance at company, thought Damon!

Looking at the door now, the idea of going for a walk alone didn't seem so appealing anymore. Not only because she was a newbie Vampire and at a risk of eating the first person at sight, but because…she wanted him to come along. She stood there for a few seconds and having made up her mind turned around to a still staring Damon and asked with a smile, "wanna come?" "Tempting…but depends…is my flask invited too?" he asked wiggling it in his hands. "Hm, tempting….is there enough in it to get us both drunk?" she asked with a mock contemplating gesture. "Pfft….there's not even enough to get me drunk!" "Well then I suggest you grab two bottles of your finest for our late night adventure." Damon grinned at that and the fact that Elena was coming around. He did what Elena suggested and followed her out.

Mystic Falls would always be home to both of them but tonight…tonight, it was brighter, quieter and noisier all the same to Elena. Elena knew it would take a while for her to adjust to her new Vampire senses but she was glad that the overwhelming feeling had now settled. Maybe it remains settled…maybe it will remain settled until her next feed? She heard faint sounds coming from her neighbors' houses, parents fighting…, a child refusing to go to bed…, someone is sneaking out their date in their backyard… she wondered when had the neighborhood gotten so… Normal? The term would never be used now with reference to her, would it? She gave herself another mental shake to shift focus.

They walked and walked around the town, admiring the dim lights that weren't as dim as usual. They walked into the woods and were returning, now strolling through a peaceful path, covered with trees on both sides but no sign of inhabitance. The leaves were rustling louder and the wind touched her with all its might. Damon noticed how she kept turning around, observing her surroundings, sometimes….stopping abruptly, to make out a distant sound. He didn't miss the victory smiles on her face when she'd decipher it correctly. Maybe becoming a Vampire, won't take a huge toll on her…. maybe.

"The moon seems closer doesn't it" Damon asked mimicking her position on the middle of the road as she stared up at the celestial divinity. "How'd you know I was thinking about the moon?" She asked without taking her eyes off the sky. He shrugged before saying, "I didn't……" she turned her head to look at him, "it's what I was thinking…the night I turned." He continued with a smile on his face that told her that he was reminiscing his first night too, as a vampire. "Everything's heightened, isn't it?" "Yes", she said simply.

As Elena admired the moon and Damon was done adoring Elena in those moments, they once again carried on their silent walk until they reached the Salvatore house. Damon finally shut off the music system, only now realizing it had been playing all along. How did he miss it? He kept wondering while stealing a glances at her. Elena settled on one of the couches across from Damon and laid her head back on the headrest. Damon was now taking swigs from his flask again, given both the bottles were empty, just as his life would be without Elena. He mentally slapped himself for becoming so sappy before continuing his way toward the couch but instead, settled on the ground.

"It won't be so bad after a while" he said gaining Elena's full attention, "you may think it's all over and it's gonna be all doom and…gloom" he went on slurring as the alcohol was now inducing it's haze on his mind, "it gets better!" Ignoring that she was already better she bit her lip before finally she asked, "what was your first day like…was it…?" Towards the end she fumbled for words almost forgetting why she asked…what exactly she wanted to know. "It was just like yours! Getting acquainted to new senses, an overwhelming surge of power…thinking you're invincible…" Elena froze a bit at the word. Nothing about being a vampire, made her feel like she was invincible. She was less breakable, but vulnerable, all the same! As much as she desired to embrace the advantages of vampirism, her loss of living a human life was just too huge to be forgotten. She'd always grieve. Maybe, for Eternity! That didn't make her feel invincible… just more, trapped.

"I don't…I don't think I can ever feel invincible." She added softly after a few moments and Damon continued with a smile, "that's because you've seen a lot of death even before turning Elena…you already know the entailing bad parts to Vampirism and you are scared…so no…you might never feel invincible," Elena kept quiet and listened as Damon went on. Not realizing when exactly it was, that Damon started understanding her better than herself. A little more than her own self. "You'll feel power but you are gonna be scared to overpower anybody…that's not who you are, you never want any power over anybody and somehow that is the trait that gives you all the power over everybody…at least, that's true for Me." he smirked at the end but didn't look her in the eyes. He knew Elena was listening intently and that was all he needed.

They sat in quietly for a little while until Elena lay down on the couch in a sleeping position, with her head resting on the armrest. She kept her gaze steady at a space in front of her until she realized that Damon had finally emptied his flask and was shaking it upside down frantically to check for a last few drops. She chuckled at his antics and then a grim thought hit her. Damon wasn't just upset, couldn't be just upset about her having lost her mortality, he….lost his friend too. Alaric. For a few seconds she looked around if she could see his ghost looking out for her but since it was futile, she decided she'd talk to Jeremy about the same.

As a lone tear rolled down her face she said, "I'm sorry that…" choking on her words, "that you lost Ric." Damon didn't look up at her, instead just frowned and looked into the fire. Elena realized that it was maybe this… this…that he was trying so hard to escape.

He saw his friend dying in his arms and…..of course he didn't want to think about it or talk about it. He got up abruptly and went up to his trolley with drinks and without turning back spoke. "I didn't just lose Ric today Elena…" he knew very well that the message was conveyed but somehow his drunk mind made him speak more unnecessary truth, "those words that you…said to me, what like a year back? They've become my worst earworm and I haven't…I couldn't get rid of them, maybe I'm incapable of it! It will always be Stefan…." He muttered toward the end with a bitter grimace.

"They play on my mind on an infinite loop," he said gesturing his hand into a circle in the air, "I know I know, you care about me…," he turned around to look at her, "...just not enough to choose me, to love me!" He knew he was being unfair but that was the best part again, he couldn't care in the moment! He was hurt and wanted her to share that! He could use some company.

His face scrunched up and just now realizing his words, he made a mental note to thank Meredith Fell for her very appropriate remark; he really didn't have any tact! He knew the damage was done and he didn't have it in him to console her with fake, sweet nothings, so instead he tried a different approach. He approached the couch and crouching in front of her, gently rubbing of all the tears, he told her that she saved his life.

Even though she couldn't grasp at the depth of his words, her face lit up with his words and he continued… "...Ric was choking me and could have just as easily ripped my heart out, hadn't you…died." Elena didn't have anything more to add so she just stared at him as he retained his position across from her. "I won't help you diminish the population of bunnies and deer in the woods so forgive me for cancelling Christmas!" He said with utmost nonchalance and it took her a moment to understand his insinuation and soon enough Damon succeeded at making her laugh. Damon grinned big and wide looking at her. He missed her laugh! No matter what, he would anything to keep it in his life, he would do anything, to keep her in his life, even if it meant, just as a friend! If that's all she wants and can be, he vowed to protect that and treasure it with his life.

[endnoteRef:1]My note. [1: Author's Note: Hello Delena lovers, thank you so much for reading my story and I really hope you'll like my take on the two most spectacular characters I've come across. Please show some love and support by dropping down reviews and do keep checking for more updates. I promise to keep updating my stories regularly and I am currently working on some one-shots and one multi-chapter story too. It would really be encouraging for new writers like me to know what the audience thinks of their work so I would really hope for some reviews that help me keep going. Thank you.]