I Found Someone to Live for!

Hey guys, so I am back with another one-shot here! My previous one-shots are, 'Misery Loves Company' and 'The First Time I Knew'. I have another story that is a multi-chapter story, 'The things he felt while she was gone' and I'll be updating it soon with a new chapter. Meanwhile, enjoy this one and show some love.

I would dearly like to thank Carol (Scarlett2112), for recommending me as one of the new writers, writing for the Delena fandom. I totally agree that we need more sparks and even if the golden era is over, there'll always be writers like us who would want to keep the much-loved ship (Delena) sailing!

Carol is one of my favorite authors and mind you, she has completed 147 stories and is still writing for this fandom! Amazing!

The day was starting to feel heavy now; it had been a long time since Elena took a peaceful, stress-free breath and somehow even knowing that the threat was tentatively averted, it wasn't over, wasn't in anyway helping the cause.

It won't be so, for a long time and all three of them were acutely aware of it!

Elena was safe, if only for now, but that wasn't putting anyone's heart to rest, especially Damon's. He got what he wanted; Katherine in the tomb, and Elena safe, in front of his eyes… but that wasn't settling the redundant debate if he actually was in love with her.

He knew he was, he just couldn't, fight it anymore. Elena and they all had a lot to discuss and for some good reason, the only vampire who could guide them further guidance and tell her about her motivations behind the kidnapping was given mercy and freed! Typical Elena, he mused to himself.

Damon stepped away from the scene and he convinced himself, it had nothing to do with the fact that there was something bitter settling in his throat and he needed an out!

He found himself walking away towards his car but instead settled on a huge rock and sat there, looking at the sun-set, ahead of him.

If he was feeling poetic or sentimental, he wouldn't show and therefore held onto one of the reminders that made him feel like himself again and began sipping on his blood-bag. He couldn't help but admire the hues and the similitude between the ending of the day and the ending of the 'Katherine' chapter in his life, or so he thought. He went on pondering and reflecting over the past 145 years of his very long, very Vampiric life and the redundancy of all his actions and the point that it still wouldn't change his future actions, was something he couldn't stop thinking about.

He kept coming back to thinking about tomorrow and a whole set of tomorrows that would follow… now what?

He heard soft, tired footsteps making his way and he turn around even though, didn't need to turn around to know who it was. His face was graced with an involuntary smile and then with a contemplative frown. "Hey", said Elena and settled down beside him. "Hi", Damon gave her a brief smile and back to staring at the sun.

"Where's Stefan?" he turned around to take in the scene but seeing his brother absent from his sight, he asked! "He's burying the body… Elijah… didn't wanna leave any signs behind!" "Hm. Smart… for him!" "Shut up Damon!" He chuckled a little at that and they settled down into a calm silence. The soft breeze kept playing Elena's hair and she kept tucking it behind her ears. Damon could hear the shovel and his brother's soft grunts. He rolls his eyes and with great difficulty stops himself from commenting anything or being callous about his brother's weakness in front of Elena.

Elena couldn't stop massaging her arm a bit and that caught Damon's attention. "That hurts? Nothing a little Vampire blood won't fix." Damon said it with a smirk but his hidden concern wasn't well-disguised but however Elena refused it dismissing it saying it didn't hurt as much. The bruise from the previous night wasn't entirely healed and given that she did take a beating again from a 500-year old vampire, it wasn't farfetched for her to still be a little battered. Damon rolled his eyes again at her conspicuous stubborn attitude but let it go.

"How'd you get yourself kidnapped? I thought your boyfriend wouldn't let you out of his sight again now that the bitch is out of the picture." "Oh, that… I mean, ya, he did come to me that night but… I can't go there, not yet at least. I need to know that everyone I know is safe before…" Elena continued with a somber expression on her face and it wasn't news to anyone that staying away from Stefan was hurting her as well.

"…someone grabbed me from behind and the next thing I know I am waking up in this godforsaken mansion!" She continued. "Oooh… rough!" Elena snorted and starting studying Damon as surreptitiously as she could but he let out a groan and asked, "What? What is it now? Is it the blood-bag? Sorry, I lack manners at times…." "Stop it Damon! Are you okay?" she asked after a few moments of his unnecessary outrage and continued when Damon gave her a questioning look.

Elena just kept staring at him giving him a stern look to which he relented and spoke, "I am. Why? Are you, not okay? Considering you are sitting next to the hottest guy in town!" Elena shook her head when he did his eye thing but persevered again and asked him, telling him she wouldn't settle for deflection this time. Damon said that he was fine but of course Elena didn't believe him!

"Come on Damon, Stefan told me it was you who trapped Katherine."

"I did, and please don't me one of your Mother Teresa looks, because she absolutely deserved it!"

"Yes, she did, but that's not why I asked!"

Damon didn't know why he couldn't answer. Is it because he had his heart broken something spectacular in recent times? Or is it because he doesn't know what to do with time anymore? No longing. No pining. No waiting. No revenge!

"Honestly Elena, I don't know how I'm doing, so why don't we skip the therapy session and focus on the impending troubles that still await us!"

"So, seriously, you are like… okay? Not raging with frustration? Wanna go on a…" "A what? Murderous rampage? Play bowling with toppled off heads?" Damon cut off Elena sharply and she flinched. "Point proven!" She said dismissively and turned her back towards him. Damon mentally berated himself for pounding on Elena like that. She didn't deserve it. For the most part at least… she didn't know how messed up his head was and despite having a target on her back, she still cared if he was holding-up after having locked his supposed love of his life to rot in a tomb!

"Look, Katherine is gonna end up a desiccated, ugly-looking, wannabe zombie in that tomb, just like it should have been in 1864 and I am in no mood to dive into my existential well right now… so can we just, not talk about it?" Damon was feeling just exhausted even thinking about the future and unlike all the other times, he didn't have a plan! Nothing. Nada!

"Well, Stefan's burying a body and it is a time-consuming process though I can't understand why, since you guys have like a century worth of experience," Elena smirked in his direction and continued, "… so we might as well… talk!"

Damon groaned loudly but still didn't speak for a long time.

What was he supposed to say? That he won't kill? That he was practically dying to talk about his century worth of hideous and dastardly deeds that humans considered crimes?

He couldn't, didn't have a way to speak up. He just wanted to know that one day, it'll all be alright! That was as close to being human he came to in a long time. He just wanted to feel alright!

"Fine! What do you wanna know? I am not gonna go killing people if that's what you thinking. I have stocked my fridge with tasty O-negs and the town of Mystic Falls and my personal collection of Bourbon will help keep me in check! So you can relax."

"That's, good." Elena conceded, still a little unconvinced and couldn't stop herself from prying, "but that doesn't mean you're not hurting and as your friend…" Damon cut her off before she could elaborate and spoke, "Stop. Stop right there! I don't hurt Elena. Besides, now that I don't have anything in particular keeping me here, I thought I'd hit the road again…" Elena zoned out a little when she heard him talk about leaving. She knew that technically she should still be mad at him… for Jeremy! She told him that he had lost her forever, however, she knew that didn't stop her being his friend. They both knew loss acutely and she knew Damon a little too well by now for her own good to believe him when he says he isn't hurting.

"Now you stop mister, stop right there," she began and kept her tone firm so he knew he wasn't escaping again, "you, aren't going anywhere, so you can stall all your grand plans and suck it up because I am not letting you leave." Her tone was final and Damon let out one exasperated groan coupled with a roll of his eyes because he knew… he wasn't going anywhere!

A hundred and forty-five years, a hundred and forty-five, long, exasperating years, trudging through life, in wait, living for That one day, and it wasn't the first time he'd felt lost.

Life wasn't easy on him and neither was he, on anyone who had the misfortune to cross paths with him. He had his fair-share of pleasure and he enjoyed the fine things in life but at the end of the day, it wouldn't change the fact that he was lonely and nothing assuaged that loneliness in the long run.

He would often tell himself that he just had to get through another day, another insufferable day, in a sea of insufferable days until one day, when she'd be his and in the safety of his arms but of course, she had to change the entire course of his life! Katherine had him wrapped around her finger forever and he'd love to have stayed so, but she didn't return his affections, never did!

He was back to thinking, now, what? They say time can help you figure out life, that you learn on the journey but to Damon, it remained ever the enigma, not that he ever tried to solve the mysteries of life!

They both sat there in a contemplative silence until Damon decided to finally be the one to speak up. "Is it possible?" Elena looked at him perplexed, expecting him to elaborate and he looked at her with utmost sincerity, thinking that she might know, she might be able to relieve him! There was something about grief that is more binding than any other emotion and he knew no one better than her who'd share the affinity to the emotion.

"To not feel lost again? I waited for her… surviving every day, one day at a time, hurting people for fun… enjoying the high of being a Vampire, thinking… that one day, probably it won't feel so hollow anymore! That she'd be free one day… and I would get to have a life with her.

We'd begin something special, tour the world maybe! Instead, I get to know she couldn't care less about me!

I got my sweet revenge on her but... now what?

I mean it's not like I can go back to torturing Stefan again… I mean I could because he's my brother… but he's not at fault anymore! He never was!

I, chose wrong!

What do I have to live for?"

Elena thought about it for a little while. She overcame her initial shock when Damon himself talked to her about his feelings.

"You'll find something, someone. I did! When my parents died, I didn't know how to go back to the life I once had! It had all… disappeared... changed! Nothing seemed important anymore… like, my life held no purpose! I didn't know how to live anymore! That changed. It will change for you too! You'll find something. You can either go looking for it, or wait for it to come to you! I mean... that's a major perk of Vampirism… isn't it? Time! So take your time. You'll know how to live again… you'll find someone worth living for!"

Damon's gaze didn't waver from her face as she spoke and even as she turned behind to look at his brother with a smile. He then looked down at their hands; the way she held his hand while talking! Just feeling that little touch, that little comfort, could convince him that the Sun is setting in the east and that the Earth is flat and that Gravity is a hoax and that they are floating, all the time!

Damon knew he wasn't ' that someone' for her… but he was still something to her and after she claimed that she was lost to him forever, he's still grateful to be just that! A bittersweet smile plastered on his face as his mind kept wondering if he'd ever be more!

"Are you fine? I am too exhausted… I think I'll go sit in the car…"

Elena's voice snapped him out. "Sure." Damon nodded but kept looking at the retreating figure of the girl he so hopelessly fell for.

He maybe one of those who appreciate the ironies of life but of course, he thought he could live without the ones that end up in heartbreak!

"Maybe I did find someone too Elena…" he mused to himself as he watched the thinnest crescent drown in the horizon. He stood up and followed his brother and probably still his brother's girl into the car.