Disclaimer: If I owned The Vampire Diaries then I would have rated it M for Mature, it would be on HBO, and there would have been so many gratuitous nude scenes with Ian Somerhalder in the shower. Alas, I do not, so those scenes will just have to play in my head...Or, you can go back and read Chapter 5 ;)

Chapter 21: The Harsh Light of Day

Elena stares at her alarm clock.

The numbers tick by slowly and she curls up under the covers, wishing that she could just go to sleep.

Of course, sleep is a luxury that she just doesn't get to have right now, because her thoughts are still on last night's horrible turn of events.

She had expected Damon to feel hurt, maybe even a little betrayed. After all, Caroline had hinted that things had changed now that she was no longer with Stefan.

Apparently, the fact that she had let Stefan feed on her was breaking some Vampire cardinal rule of dating that she hadn't known about.

The whole thing with Jenna on top of that had just made things worse, but she had been prepared for any speech she would have needed to give to tell Damon that it wasn't his fault.

What she hadn't planned for was for Damon to do a complete 180 and decide he was bad for her and that she was better off without him. She hadn't expected him to break up with her. Not after what they had shared together.

To say that she was devastated was the understatement of the century.

Elena was gutted!

This was so much worse than any drama she'd ever had with Stefan! She'd thought she had known love then, but now she knew that there were far worse feelings than losing Stefan.

It felt like half her heart had been torn from her body. Losing Damon felt like death.

She had been up all night in a half-lucid state between sleep and dreaming. She'd gone over the events of their meeting, their fights, their confessions, the looks that had passed between them...none of this had made sense except for one thing.

He had relentlessly chased her, told her he loved her…but he hadn't claimed her.

He'd held back. And now she knew why. He didn't think he truly deserved her, and what they'd had in North Carolina had been a fantasy that couldn't last.

When the harsh reality had set in, Damon had put that wall back up, and Elena didn't know how to reach him.

She rolls over in her bed, wishing that she could go back in time and stop him from ending it.

Last night she had been too stunned to fight him on anything he had said.

I am bad for you, Elena.

She is too exhausted and emotionally drained to even cry. The tears keep threatening to fall, but they elude her. It just hurts so much, and she feels like a part of her soul is dying.

How is she going to face him after this? How is she going to be able to face anything?

The pain in her throat and her chest is unreal.

It's the worst pain, like her heart is shattering and at the same time her oxygen supply is being cut off.

Damon was her oxygen. That Jordin Sparks song pops into her head. How is she to breathe with no air?

He had been that one person in her life that she couldn't stay away from for long, no matter how mad at him she was. He had a part of her that she hadn't realized she had given until the moment he had ended things.

He had said he refused to change her…but the problem was that she already has changed.

She's known true love, and she hadn't wanted it or asked for it or even expected it to happen, but it had. Damon had consumed her. There had been passion, adventure, and even a little danger.

He had been everything she hadn't realized she had wanted.

When she had gone to him last night, she had wanted him to hold her in his arms and give her that safety that she had desperately needed. She'd needed to be with him, and he had pushed her away.

No, worse than that. Damon had pushed her away before, but that was when he thought he couldn't have her love.

Now that he had it…he was pushing away the love he felt for her, not just her.

She really wishes she could just turn off her emotions right now. Vampires made it look so easy.

As she's contemplating how a human might numb themselves of all feeling, she hears a cheerful voice from the doorway.

"Okay, time to wake up, sleepy head!"

Elena groans. Caroline's here. Because of course she is.

They had sort of repaired their friendship yesterday after the whole incident with the well full of vervain, and had even had a moment of understanding. Things weren't completely back to normal, but one thing about Caroline was that no matter what drama was going on, when her best friend was hurting she dropped everything and rushed to her side.

It wasn't surprising she was here now. It also wasn't surprising that Bonnie was with her. It was an unspoken rule of their lifelong friendship; when the boy you like breaks your heart, all is forgiven, forgotten, and they rally to your side.

She just wishes in this case that rule didn't apply.

"No…" Elena groans, pulling the covers over her head. "I'm not leaving this bed."

"Which is why we brought breakfast to you," Bonnie says.

She's holding a tray full of muffins, assorted fruits, and probably the most interesting thing of all, drinking glasses. Caroline holds a carton of orange juice and a bottle of champagne.

Elena turns to sit up in bed, confused.

"What's all this?" she asks.

"This is your breakup breakfast!" Caroline says, a little too enthusiastic.

"My what?" Elena says, still stunned.

"Stefan called," Bonnie says by way of explanation.

"He did?" Elena is even more confused. After all, she left Stefan for Damon. He should hate her!

"Yeah, he told me what happened and I told Bonnie, and we decided that we both love you enough to refuse to let you wallow a second longer!"

"Thanks…" Elena sighs. "But…I'm not really hungry right now."

"Of course," Bonnie says. "I get it. I mean, not really because it's Damon, but breakups still suck."

"Yeah, well this more than sucks," Elena sighs. "I just…I don't want to think about it right now, okay? But…I'll take the mimosa."

"So that's it? You and Damon are really over?" Bonnie asks, confused. "Because from where I was standing yesterday, you both looked…"

Elena shrugs. "Yeah, that's what I thought too. Guess he got me out of his system."

Bonnie shakes her head. "Are you sure it wasn't a fight and you misunderstood? I mean, Damon is pretty impulsive… And I really hate that I'm even suggesting this right now but…are you really just going to give up?"

"As she should!" Caroline chimes in as she pours the champagne into the orange juice liberally. "I mean, he did say, and I quote…I am a bad person. I am bad for you, and I am choosing to let you go!"

Elena stares incredulously at Caroline's dramatic rendition of Damon's words.

"You memorized my breakup?" she deadpans.

"Of course I did," Caroline replies matter of factly. She holds the mimosa out to her.

"Drink this," she says.

Elena sighs and takes the offered drink, downing it quickly. Already she can feel the calming effects of the alcohol as it hits her system. No wonder Damon drank so often. This is almost as good as just turning off her emotions completely.

Almost, being the key word.

She reaches for the bottle. Caroline bites her lip, but hands it over reluctantly.

Elena pours herself another glass. "I just have to face reality," she sighs. "If Damon makes his mind up about something, it's done."

"So, what are you going to do now?" Bonnie asks.

Elena shrugs and takes another sip of her drink. "Pretty much this," she sighs. "At least until I can think of something better…"

Damon is slumped over on the leather sofa, drink tumbler still in his hands. He can't even recall how many bottles he has emptied in the last 12 hours; he stopped counting after number 5.

Anyone else would probably be dead by now, but the beauty of being undead is that he can drink as much as he likes with little repercussions other than a pleasant numb feeling and an alcohol-induced coma.

The events of last night still play in his head and make him feel sicker than the pints of alcohol in his blood. Elena had been his, finally, and he'd fucked it all up. Worse, he'd broken up with her.

Of course, it was for the best. He can't watch her destroy herself for him and loving him has always been dangerous. Hell, just look at the mess he's made with his little brother! Stefan became a ripper because of him.

There's so many things Damon regrets in his long life, but letting go to keep the few people he cares about safe from him…well, those regrets are worth it.

Besides, he'll forget about it soon enough. He just needs more bourbon.

He rises from the couch, making his way to the decanter when he hears the sound of footsteps in the corridor.

"Don't you ever knock?" he asks, annoyed.

"Wow. Rude, much!" Caroline says, crossing her arms over her chest.

Damon rolls his eyes.

"Blondie," he says. "Don't you have anywhere else you could be right now?"

Like comforting your best friend and telling her not to waste time crying over me, he adds silently to himself.

"I need to talk to Stefan," she says huffily.

"Well, he's not here. No doubt off chasing bunnies or trying to swoop back in and pick up the pieces of Elena's broken heart."

He pours himself another drink.

"Which you broke," Caroline reminds him. "Seriously, who spends months pining after someone, finally gets them, and then promptly dumps them all in the span of days?"

Damon raises his glass in a mock toast to himself and downs the whole thing.

"Anyway, do you know where Stefan is? I really, really need to talk to him."

Damon rolls his eyes. Of course she wants to talk to Stefan! Now that Elena's fair game again she likely is rushing to sink her claws into his brother before he can play the White Knight again.

"God, you really are desperate for his attention, aren't you?"

Caroline stares at him in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Has it ever occurred to you that there are bigger things to worry about than the state of your love life?" Damon snaps irritably.

"You mean like Katherine threatening to kill everyone at the Masquerade ball tonight?" Caroline points out, exasperated.

Damon sets down the glass he was just about to fill again and stares at her in shock.

"What?" he says, suddenly alert.

"Yeah," Caroline confirms. "She paid me a little visit today while I was picking up an order for Elena. You know she can't even get out of bed right now, right?"

"Focus, Blondie!" Damon says irritably. "What exactly did Katherine say?"

"Basically if you don't give her the Moonstone, she's…and I quote…going to rip this town apart until it rains blood," Caroline repeats.

Damon smirks. He had expected retaliation, but this was definitely not Katherine's usual style. She was far too into the mind fucking and the subtle threats and doesn't like to show her hand. If she's suddenly threatening Blondie of all people, and not only threatening but using her as a messenger, then something has her spooked.

"Is that all?"

Caroline stares at him like he has two heads. "What do you mean, is that all? That's a lot! I'm freaking out here, Damon."

She paces the room anxiously for several minutes, frantically glancing at the door.

"Sit down, Blondie," he tells her impatiently, motioning toward the couch. "I'll text Stefan and tell him to come home," he says.

He pulls out his phone and shoots off the message quickly.

Come home. You're not going to believe this.

P.S.

Blondie's here.

Caroline sinks down into the sofa, visibly tense.

Damon pours another drink from the bar, this time handing it to her.

"Here, drink this."

She takes it gratefully.

"I'm still shaking," she says. Damon doesn't mask his annoyance. He really doesn't want to be comforting Vampire Barbie right now, but until they can talk to Stefan he's stuck with her. Besides, drowning his sorrows in alcohol, while a good plan prior to her arrival, is no longer his highest priority.

He has something better to look forward to now…

Stefan bursts into the house with impeccable timing and upon seeing Caroline's frazzled state, he rushes to her side. Damon can't help but feel like salt has been poured into an open, bleeding wound at the thought of them being all couple-y in front of him. He tries to ignore the obvious affection between them and pours himself another drink.

"What happened?" Stefan asks her, immediately concerned.

Caroline licks her lips nervously and sighs.

"Go ahead, tell him," Damon encourages her. He then looks pointedly at Stefan. "You're gonna love this."

Caroline takes a breath and looks up at Stefan, still with that nervous look on her face.

"I saw Katherine today," she says.

"Where?" Stefan demands, instantly on high alert.

"At the Grille. I just stopped by to pick up some food for Elena while Bonnie tried to convince her to actually leave her bed…"

Damon winces and takes a sip of his drink.

"How about we skip that part," Damon groans.

"Sorry," Caroline replies. She doesn't look sorry though from the way she's fixed her judgey blue eyes on him and has that smug smile on her lips. God, she must be loving this!

He barely listens to her rambling on about all the unimportant parts of the story, instead watching Stefan's face for a reaction. He can't wait to get to the good part, because killing Katherine is just the thing he needs to release all this frustration and pent-up angst right now. Alcohol only works for a little while, but brutally murdering the vampire bitch who started this mess in the first place would be cathartic.

"Anyway, I was waiting for the food and I ran into Matt and it was super awkward so I pretended I had to use the bathroom like a doofus, that that's when Katherine told me to deliver a message."

"What was the message?" Stefan asks, arching his brow. Damon envies his brother's ability to remain patient. He would have snapped at her to get to the point a long time ago.

"Basically that she wants the Moonstone, and if you guys don't give it to her she'll rip this town apart until it rains blood," Caroline replies.

"Tell him the rest of it," Damon smirks, knowing that while Blondie doesn't get the implications, his brother definitely will.

"She's going to do it tonight," Caroline adds. "At the masquerade ball."

Stefan is thoughtful for a moment, and then his eyes light up in sudden realization.

"She wants to do it in public. Killing Mason must have thrown her off guard."

Stefan starts pacing, deep in thought.

"She's running scared," Damon adds, feeling smug. "What she did to Jenna was desperate. She's outta tricks."

"We can't underestimate her," Stefan mutters. "We have to play this smarter than her."

"Can't we just give her the Moonstone so that she'll leave?" Caroline suggests.

Damon rolls his eyes. Of course Blondie would pick the least fun option ever! Clearly vampire strength has done nothing to boost her confidence. She's still that neurotic, insecure basketcase he'd first met. Of course, that's more Stefan's type anyway. He loves to play the hero, after all.

"No, Katherine's not getting dick," he snaps irritably. "I've had it! I'm gonna go to the masquerade ball, and I'm gonna kill her tonight."

He can already picture the look on her face when he drives that stake through her heart. It will be a sweet moment, and he can't wait.

"You're not gonna kill her," Stefan says firmly.

The hell he isn't! Damon's eyes burn into Stefan's, warning him not to interfere.

"Don't give me any of that goody goody crap," he growls.

"You're not gonna kill her," Stefan repeats.

"Oh really," Damon says in a tone that dares Stefan to stop him.

He's already had a horrible, no good, stupid day and besides, if he kills Katherine then at least he can rest knowing that Elena is safe. Then he can just leave town without any guilt, turn off his emotions, and forget that for one brief moment he'd been happy.

Killing Katherine would solve all their problems! Elena could move on with her life and marry Matt Donovan or some other pathetic human man, have a couple kids, and live a boring human existence as she deserves. He could finally leave this depressing town and never look back. Sure, he'd miss Stefan, but Stefan could always come find him in another few decades and they can try to repair that bond again once everything no longer hurts so much.

He's about to list everything that Katherine ever did to them, but then he sees the self-satisfied smirk on his brother's face.

"Because I am," Stefan says.

Damon smiles at his brother, because while killing Katherine on his own would have been fun, this is going to be so much better.

Author's Note:

Okay, there's another chapter full of angst mixed in with homicidal thoughts from Damon!

Anyway, HUGE thank you to OG Reader for all the reviews. Yes, lovely, I am seeing them and they are filling my heart with such joy. I appreciate you so much.

I'm sure you can tell that I've drawn a lot from Season 5 and how Elena reacted at the start of Season 6. Don't worry, I will try to speed through as much of Masquerade and Rose as I can. Just assume that all that background stuff from those episodes was still happening, but maybe make up your own conclusion.

Stefan and Caroline are not getting together officially in this fic. I just made Stefan a stand-in for Matt for now, and then of course Tyler will jerk her around because he sucks. This is mainly a Delena fic anyway, and I want to get this wrapped up because the final scene will be the claiming scene you all have waited over a decade for.

Oh! And for any of you newbies and Gen Z-ers who are wondering what the heck that song is that Elena was musing about, it was popular back in the late 2000s-early 2010s. Look it up. Jordin Sparks "No Air". I felt it was fitting to use music from that decade and…well, I don't know what you kids are listening to these days in any case. Lol. I'm in a perpetual time loop of TVD soundtrack songs and everything I listened to in my early 20s and my eldest kid is still young enough that he's picking up songs on Fortnite, so I have yet to hear anything other than Imagine Dragons most days.

Until next time…

~Temptress Kitten