Chappie 5! Yay! I know what you're thinking - "Late much!" But part of the reason I haven't updated this in a while is also because I wanted to create a time gap in the story.

"You know, I think it's best if we - ahh, Stefan!" She gets cut off as his hand takes hers and twirls her around into his broad chest playfully, keeping one hand on Elena's waist to make sure she didn't fall. She can't help the giggle of pure delight that escapes her lips. "What was that for?" she asks, unable to keep the grin off her face at his sudden spontaneity, because she adores it.

He ignores her question, instead giving her a small smile as he brushes the stray strands of hair out of her eyes, running his fingers against her skin. "Come here," he whispers, and she's more than happy to oblige, standing on her tiptoes so her lips can fully meet his. Her hands travel to his hair, where she runs his fingers through the chestnut locks. She feels him sigh into the kiss, and before she can ask what's wrong, he pulls away. "Yes, Damon?"

"Oh, don't stop on my account," he replies, and Elena's breath catches in her throat at hearing the voice of the man whom she hasn't seen or had any form of contact with for over a month. She turns slowly, a little too fully aware that her blood was pounding in her ears, but her anxiety wasn't her prime focus. Her attention was on Damon, who was leaning against the doorway with his arms across his chest, steely blue gaze fixed on her, and she hates that her heart sped up, giving away how she felt about his presence to the brothers.

God, I forgot how beautiful he was.

But she never gave in to her feelings so easily, so she kept her chin up high as she met his gaze with as much intensity as he was giving off. "I was just on my way out anyways," Damon continues, grabbing his jacket from the sofa and draping it over his shoulders, hoping that neither of them will notice the desperation rolling off of him in waves at seeing them together. "Elena," he acknowledges on his way out, eyes staring directly ahead, not daring to glance at her once more, worried that his eyes will warm considerably like they tend to do around her, and she stares at his retreating form a little longer than necessary.

Once Stefan hears the front door shut, he takes Elena's chin between his thumb and index finger and turns her head toward him, eyes searching hers. "You're still upset with him."

She arches an eyebrow and scoffs at his ridiculous observation. "Of course I am. When someone I trust neglects to tell me something of extreme importance, it tends to create a bit of tension," she tells him, not bothering to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

His eyebrows furrow, and he keeps his eyes on the ground for a couple of seconds before looking back at her face once more, jaw slightly tense. "You trust Damon?"

"Yes," she answers without hesitation, but then reevaluates her answer a bit more. "Well...I used to." She gives a sigh, rubbing her temples. "It's complicated."

Stefan arches an eyebrow, trying to not let the jealousy overtake his features. "What happened to - and I quote - self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities?"

A ghost of a smile dances on Elena's lips as she's reminded of how much she used to truly loathe Damon, and she resists the urge to roll her eyes at the obvious hint of disbelief in Stefan's question. "It's true. That's what I used to think of him, but...I don't know. I've seen different sides of him that have convinced me otherwise," she answers, and she can see that her boyfriend couldn't believe a word that had just come out of her mouth, and she laughs, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his waist. "He's really not as bad as you make him out to be."

He chuckles, eyes alight with amusement. "Unbelievable."

"What?"

"He might've murdered your birth mother and yet, here you are, defending him."

She bites back a snort. "Just because I stopped speaking to Damon doesn't mean I stopped caring about him," she explains, but what she hears in her head is a completely different thing.

...doesn't mean I stopped loving him.

She hates her conscience.

She shrugs. "It depends."

"On...?"

"On whether Isobel Flemming was my birth mother or not. I just have to meet Alaric - " Elena's eyes bulged, and she checked her phone. 4:54. She hastily put it back in her pocket and started for the door, fishing her keys out of her bag. "Shit. I have to go meet Alaric at the Grill. I'm over an hour late," she rushes. "He has the praternity results, and he wants to find out with me." Her hand lingers on the doorknob and she looks back at Stefan, who has nothing but amusement on his face and quickly goes back and gives him a peck on the lips. "Bye, Stefan, love you! I'll call you with the results."

Once she's in her car, she grips the steering wheel until her knuckles turn white.

Time to find out whether Damon will remain a constant in my life or not.

With a deep breath, she backs out of the Salvatore's driveway and makes her way onto the road.

The Vampire Diaries, The Return: Shadow Souls

"She cared about Damon. She really did, it was usually difficult being with him because
they were alike in so many ways.
Headstrong, each wanting their own way, passionate, impatient...
She and Damon were alike."

Chappie name comes from the song by Adam Lambert.

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