Okay people...HERE IT IS!
The FINAL chapter!
Now I don't know about the rest of you, but this is the chapter I've been waiting for! Once I wrote this story I knew Damon and Elena would definitely feature a big part in it. But I fought off the urge to just make the story about them, or even put them first, because then I would never write about the others – and as I said earlier, there's so much love and hate in Vampire Diaries, I was really spoilt for choice.
I am really proud of this chapter. As you can see, there's more words in this chapter than some certain chapters put together! But it's Damon and Elena, and you can't really express them in a small number of words. I think I've addressed a lot of issues about Damon and Elena in this chapter, some things I've really wanted to write for a while, so I'm glad I finally did!
Unfortunately this story hasn't got the reception I was hoping. However, a few special people have faithfully reviewed, and I would like to thank them: Tinkerbell90, bibi 13ca, driver picks the music, claudiadub, ItWasYouAlwaysYou, 2serendipity, Vampire-Diaries-Addict-Forever, The Green Eyed Cat and Itisjustmyself (I don't think I've left anyone out, and I apologise if I have! Thank you for reviewing!). I want to say to you all that your reviews have inspired me to complete this story, and without your thoughts and encouragement I couldn't have done it. So, thank you.
Well...I think that's it. So, for the last time, on with the story!
xXx
Life is cruel. Life is filled with missed opportunities and broken promises. Has it ever occurred to you how incredibly hard it is to find true love? To find that perfect person that can calm you when you're in a storm, or make you smile when you're in a crappy mood. Many people think they've found that person, but soon realise that they aren't perfect. Cracks appear in the "perfect" marriage – and the couple either covers the cracks or lets them grow, until they are both on separate sides.
But sometimes – a one in a million chance – those two people find each other. And while their journey is not always fun or even easy, they always go back to each other. They never allow the cracks to separate them.
They always go back to each other.
It's called fate.
xXx
Elena Gilbert cannot sleep. She has tried warm milk, tried counting sheep, tried taking deep breathes, but nothing works. So in the end, she does a sure-fire way of getting what's on her mind out: writing in her journal.
Friday, 17th June, 2011, 01:23
Dear Diary,
I don't get it. I really don't. Why can't I sleep? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?
This has been going on for weeks now. I can't even remember when it started. I just keep waking up in the night, and that's when I fall asleep at all. I know I annoy Stefan. He's so sweet when he's concerned, but now it's just sad. I want to sleep. WHY?
Elena bites her pen, staring at the wall. She knows why she can't sleep. It's the dream.
She keeps having the same dream, over and over again. It causes her to wake up, gasping and sweating. But the problem with the dream is that Elena cannot remember what in God's name happens. She remembers fragments, like a voice talking saying "Cute PJs", the taste of mint in her mouth, and her vervain necklace dangling in front of her.
What is it with this dream? Why has it bothered her so much?
Eventually she falls to sleep, and wakes up again. But this time, after she's calmed down, she has hope.
Damon stands, coming towards her. I tense up. "Brought you this." He dangles the necklace in front of her.
Damon?
xXx
It's just a dream. That's what Elena tries to tell herself. But as she sits in class not listening to a word that is being said (Alaric's, and though he won't give her a hard time for not listening because obviously he knows how much she's going through, she still feels bad) she realises that she needs to see Damon. If it's affecting my personal life, then it's obviously important. The bell rings suddenly, awaking Elena. Bonnie and Stefan, who both sit on opposite sides on her, both look at her in surprise. Elena gives them a weak smile.
"Are you okay?" Stefan asks once they're out in the hallway.
Elena sends him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine Stefan," she says, running a hand through her hair. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."
Stefan smiles, walking with her to her locker. "Don't worry – we'll get Klaus soon, and then everything can go back to normal."
Concentrating on putting her books away, Elena nods.
"Or are you still having problems sleeping?" Stefan continues.
Elena sighs. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she mutters. "I've been having this problem for weeks."
Stefan pulls her into a hug. "It's okay. It's probably just stress or something. Like I said, once Klaus is gone, everything will be fine."
Right now though, Elena finds it hard to believe that. Somehow things right now seem bad, despite the fact that no one had died today or been turned or been bitten by a werewolf etc. She wants...she wants life to be simple. Sometimes Elena wonders if she would have been happier if she had never met Stefan or Damon – then maybe none of this would have happened.
But that was a stupid way of thinking. At the end of the day, she still looked like Katherine.
"D'you want to do something after school?" he asks her.
She shakes her head. "I think I'm just going to go home and see if I can get some sleep."
Stefan nods. "Okay. Have fun in English Lit."
Elena smiles and gives him a limp wave as he walks away. She then shoves all her school books in the locker and walks out the building.
She can't be pestered with the rest of the school day. She would have English Lit and Chemistry, and while she loves English Lit, she wasn't in the mood for Chemistry today. Besides, she couldn't get the dream out of her head, and she needs to talk to Damon.
xXx
When all the teens are in high school along with Alaric, and when he doesn't have a Founders Meeting, and when there isn't a crisis, Damon actually enjoys the day. He has decided to indulge himself today. He super speeds to the bakery to get a selection of cakes before crawling back into bed and grabbing a book. Though Damon did buy new books, he usually preferred the classics; he is currently reading Pride and Prejudice. Aside from Gone With The Wind, it's his favourite book. He realises that they're slightly girly choices, but if he's honest he's never been the butch type.
He hears the front door slam and tenses, listening. Almost instantly he can tell its Elena by the way she walks, and her perfume. He debates about going to see her; he's slightly curious about why she's here when she has at least another two hours of school left. But right now he's too comfortable to be bothered.
Besides, sometimes it's just too painful to talk to Elena. Sometimes it's too painful to even look at Elena.
He turns on his side, reading his book. He's going to the part where Elizabeth and Mr Darcy first meet – one of his favourite parts. And he's also in the middle of an éclair. But he senses her coming up the stairs, towards his room, and he can only guess why she wants to talk to him.
A few seconds before she comes in his room, he quickly whips his shirt off so his chest is showing. May as well show the girl what's she's missing.
Elena gently taps on the bedroom door. "Damon?"
"What can I do for you, Little Miss Skiver?" Damon asks without looking up.
She walks towards him. "What're you reading?"
Damon doesn't really want to show her, just because it means she'll have another piece of him. After all, she already has his heart.
He stuffs it under the covers. Elena leans on the bed, peering as if she can see through covers. "And here I was, thinking you were a good girl."
"And here I was, thinking you didn't read books like Pride and Prejudice." She reaches over and tears off a piece of éclair; Damon slaps her hand away, but not before she's popped it in her mouth. "What's with the desserts?"
"I like sweet things," he says, making his eyes at her. She rolls her brown ones at him.
But as much as Damon pretends he's the ultimate flirt, it's a struggle sometimes to flirt with her. So he takes the conversation forward.
"So why you here then? Besides to see my gorgeous self?"
Sometimes he can't turn it off. Other times he worries that if he doesn't flirt with her, it won't seem right.
As he's thinking this, he realises that Elena looks nervous. She stares down at her hands, and then steals a corner of his chocolate cherry pie. Damon glowers at her, but she doesn't notice.
"I wanted to talk to you about something," Elena says. She looks at him in the face. "I've been having this...dream recently. And it's confusing me. I mean, it's not letting me sleep or anything, and it's just-" she breaks off, trying to find the right words. "It's gotten into my head."
Damon furrows his brow. "Tell me about it."
"What do you think-"
"It could be something Klaus is trying to do. Maybe he's got a witch casting a spell on you." He leans forward. "Tell me about it," he says, his silver eyes begging.
Elena frowns, biting her lip. "It's hard. Like it's almost blocked." She closes her eyes. "I remember... It's like bits and pieces. There's a voice that says 'Cute PJs', so I think it's night, and my vervain necklace, and the reason I've come to talk to you about it is because I saw you in the dream, and you were giving me back my necklace... Damon?"
His face has somehow gotten whiter than before. Elena knows he knows something. "Damon, what is it?"
"Nothing," he says quickly, trying to cover up his mistake. But his face is tight and closed, showing how he feels on the subject. "It's fine Elena. It's probably just a dream."
"Damon, you know something," she says. She is even surer by the way he gets up. She is momentarily distracted by the way he is dressed – or rather, not dressed – but presses on. "Seriously Damon, I need to know."
"It's nothing." His voice has a steely tone as he goes to his bathroom. "Forget it."
"No! I've lost sleep over this!" She doesn't want to go in the bathroom with him, but dammit if she needs to she will. "I don't understand-"
She sucks in her breath. Suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. She freezes, staring at Damon, who is studiously ignoring her. It's as if he already knows what she's thinking.
"You compelled me, didn't you?" she says quietly. It's not really a question.
Damon turns, his eyes wide and serious. He's putting on his menacing look, Elena thinks. "Leave it Elena. You don't know what you're talking about."
It did nothing but condemn Elena's thoughts. Her rage suddenly grows from the pit of her stomach. It's as if it had always been there, lying in wait, as if she was already mad at him for something. "You compelled me? How could you Damon?"
Damon steps away, heading into the shower. "I don't want to talk about this-"
"Why?" Elena growls. "Why did you compel me? What did you do?"
"Hypothetically, let's say I did something to you." The glass on the shower is fogged up, so Elena can't see his face. "Can't you just trust that what I did was the best thing for you?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because it's affected me Damon! Because for some reason whatever you've done to me has changed me!" Elena quickly blinks back the feeling of a stinging behind her eyes. "I'm different now Damon. I feel as if there's something wrong – I have for ages – but I never knew what it meant until..." Her thoughts are a whirlwind of emotion and she cannot control them. She wants to scream and cry all at the same time. "Please Damon," she says, her voice normal. "Please tell me what you did."
He slides the door open and his face looks at hers. His eyes are void of emotion when he says, "No."
Those words somehow calm her. She squares her shoulder, and determinedly looks him in the eye. "Then I'll find out some other way."
As soon as she leaves Damon slams his hand against the wall. It leaves a huge dent, ruining the decor. "What the fuck?" he yells. How had it happened? He had compelled her. She wasn't supposed to remember anything!
How was it that she could remember?
xXx
School isn't over yet, so Elena drives home first and takes to pacing up and down her bedroom. She is so furious that she can't even think straight. She wants to throw something, scream, break something, but she restrains herself.
Deep down, she had known. Something had happened, though she can't really remember when – it must have been something after the masquerade ball, or after being kidnapped? It was sometime after that she felt...different. Empty.
Once school is finished Elena walks over to Bonnie's. Usually she would drive, but she was so angry she settled for a brisk walk. She is worried that Bonnie's father or her brother will be there (she still isn't sure how she feels about her brother dating her best friend, but she figures that if they want to, who's she to stop them?) but thankfully it's just Bonnie.
"What's going on? I didn't see you in Chemistry."
Elena doesn't answer right away, pacing in the hallway. Bonnie watches with wide eyes, concerned. She hasn't seen Elena like this since Jenna had been in the hospital after being compelled by Katherine.
Finally Elena glances at Bonnie. "I think Damon compelled me."
"What?" Though despite the initial reaction,Bonnie can't say she's surprised. "When? To do what?"
"I think he had me forget something – but Bonnie, I remember! Some of it. I keep on seeing it in my dreams. That's how I know Damon was involved – I saw him!"
"But how can you know about it?" Bonnie asks. "If a vampire compels you to forget something, you'll forget it."
Elena shrugs irritably. Bonnie bites her lip, worried. A vampire's compulsion is so powerful, the only thing that can break through is something very monumental. If Damon had said or done something to Elena, it must have been something big. It immediately makes Bonnie feel on edge.
"Are you sure that you want to know, Elena?" Bonnie asks, a little timidly. "Whatever this is, it's probably going to affect in some way. Is it so hard to not know?"
She instantly knows this is the wrong thing to say. "No Bonnie, I can't," Elena snaps. "It's killing me, slowly. It may take years, but eventually it will. And it's the fact I don't know that killing me. How can I fix it if I don't know what I need to fix?"
Bonnie shakes her head. "I'm just worried that it'll ruin things."
Elena doesn't question what she means. "I need to know."
Bonnie sighs. She knew this would happen. This is Elena – once she wants something badly enough, she'll get it, one way or another. She knows it's easier to go along with her.
"I think I may know how to get the memory back," she says slowly. "It could take some time, and if it's traumatic it'll be painful."
"I don't care," Elena says. Her mouth is set in a thin line. "I need to know."
Bonnie shakes her head. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
xXx
It takes until nine, and its torture for Elena. Not one for patience in normal circumstances, Elena tries to do homework, but gives in and ends up baking two trays of brownies and writing in her journal.
Friday, 17th June, 2011 20:41
Dear Diary,
Damon compelled me to forget something. I just don't know what or why.
Why did he do it? Whatever he's done to me, it can't be good. Why else would he do it?
This is Damon. He doesn't do anything without a reason. He must not want me to know something important.
I can't help but think that Damon told me something. And whatever it was must have been so emotional twisted that he erased any memory of it.
No. Damon's a good guy, I know he is. Sometimes I even think he's better than Stefan He just does stupid things sometimes. I can forgive him, I think. I don't think he did anything to Jeremy or Jenna – surely there would be signs. Does Stefan know? No, he would have told me.
Then again, Stefan has lied to me before. I trust him now, I do, but sometimes I get the feeling that he could easily lie to me again
ARGH! I CAN'T WRITE! NOT WHEN I FEEL LIKE THIS!
"Elena, it's ready!" Bonnie calls.
A second later Elena is in the bedroom. She sits herself down on the bed opposite her friend. "So, what you gonna do to me?"
In response, Bonnie hands her a water bottle – except it's not filled with water, but some pink thick thing that looks like a bad strawberry smoothie. Elena raises an eyebrow.
"It's a potion. What it's going to do to you is make you fall asleep and you'll see what Damon compelled you to forget."
"Great," says Elena with a smile. Bonnie rests her hand on Elena's, getting her friend's attention.
"I've never made a potion like this before," Bonnie admits. "It all looks right, but I still can't say for certain."
"I don't care," Elena says. She's said it so much that it sounds repetitive.
"Okay," Bonnie says, nodding. She has resigned herself to this fate. "I've put two strong sedatives in there, so you'll probably go to sleep immediately. I thought you'd want that."
Elena grins gratefully. "Thanks Bonnie, I owe you." She gets up and slips on her shoes.
Bonnie looks surprise. "You're not taking it now?"
"No," Elena says. She doesn't know what she's going to see, but she knows that she wants to wake up alone when she sees it.
xXx
It's the vilest thing she has ever drunk. Elena has to hold her breath as she drinks it – if she wasn't desperate to see the memory she wouldn't put it in her mouth at all. It works almost immediately; her eyelids are heavy, and she closes her eyes and falls asleep in a second.
I can see my former self in the mirror, brushing her (my?) teeth. So far so good. I already remember this bit, so I'm not surprised. I watch as my former self turns the light off and walks into the bedroom. She freezes when she sees Damon.
My heart takes a leap when Damon smiles at my former self. "Cute PJs," he says.
My former self regards him warily. "I'm tired Damon."
He stands up and walks towards her. "Brought you this," he says, waving my vervain necklace. He sends a smile that seems almost broken, and when I see it I feel my own heart ache.
My former self looks surprised. "I thought that was gone," she says. I'm beginning to remember when this was now – it must have been after Rose had kidnapped me. When else did I lose my necklace? But I'm too busy watching the scene in front of me to think much.
"Thank you," she says gratefully, reaching out to take it. He jerks it back. The smile has gone from his face as well as hers. She looks worried now. "Please give it back."
"I just have to say something."
She takes a step back. "Why d'you have to say it without my necklace?" I can practically feel her heart hammering – then again, maybe it's because my own heart is beating like the wings of a humming bird.
"Well...because what I'm about to say is..." He pauses, seeming to think. I can't help but want to scream at him to just spit it out. "...probably the most selfish thing I've ever said in my life."
"Damon, don't go there-"
"I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it."
Don't say it.
"I love you, Elena."
Don't cry. Don't cry.
"And it's because I love you...that I can't be selfish with you. And why you can't know this. I don't deserve you...but my brother does."
Can't he see the way I'm looking at him? Can't he see that I can see the shine of his eyes?
He leans forward, I can tell my former self thinks he's going to kiss her on the lips. But instead he kisses her on the forehead. His eyes are closed. My eyes are streaming with tears, but I wipe them away. I need to see this.
I can see him breathe in my scent, and when he opens his eyes he has a haunted look. My former self looks shaken.
"God, I wish you didn't have to forget this," he says, searching her eyes.
For God's sake, SAY SOMETHING! I yell, though neither of them can hear me, of course.
He strokes the side of my former self's face. "But you do." I am quick enough to catch a tear fall from Damon's eye, and that breaks my heart even more.
A second later it is only my former self and I in the bedroom. She looks round, bemused, fingering the necklace. And then everything goes black.
She wakes up crying. Not crying – sobbing.
"Elena! Elena!" For some reason Stefan is there. Elena vaguely remembers ignoring phone calls from him. He must have been concerned. But what does it matter? Elena thinks. What does any of it matter anymore?
Through her tears she is aware of Jenna stumbling in the room, of Jeremy entering, all of them calling her name and asking what was wrong and what had happened, but Elena can't answer them. She tries to push away from Stefan's grasp, but he holds on too tight.
"Let me go!" she sobs.
"Elena," Stefan presses. His face is desperate, and all Elena wants to do is slap him. "Tell me what's wrong? Was it the dream?"
Yes. "Let me go!"
"Dude let go of her!" Jeremy forces Stefan to let go – he must have the element of surprise. Elena dashes into her bathroom and slams the door closed, making sure it's locked. She then allows herself to sob, properly sob. It's the kind of crying that causes your throat to ache and nose to block and your chest to move. She can't stop it.
She can hear them banging on the door, begging to be let in. Elena can't bear to see any of them. How the fuck can she talk to them?
Why didn't she talk to Damon? Why the fuck didn't she say anything? Why didn't he let her make her own decision?
She's not sure how long she's crying before she hears silence. She takes a surprised breath, attempting to clear her head.
What did she do now? Could she really go on living her life the same way she had previously? Could she really go on loving Stefan?
She hears voices again, and sucks her breath again. She's trying to keep quiet now. She's acting like an idiot. She needs to calm down. She needs to breathe.
"Elena."
She can't breathe. The one person that she absolutely could not see was out in her bedroom.
She turns round and flings the door open. There are other people in the room, but all she sees if Damon. He stares at her, giving her that smouldering gaze of his. She returns it with a look of intensity, not allowing her gaze to break from his, wanting him to see how much he's hurt her. He doesn't say anything, simply turns away and leaves the room (at normal speed, considering Jenna is in the room). Elena slams the bathroom door before Stefan, Jeremy or Jenna can say anything.
xXx
She spends the entire night in the bathroom. She had finally fallen asleep around, what she guessed was four in the morning, and though she couldn't tell what time it was, sunlight was flirting through the window when she woke.
She goes out of the bathroom and Stefan immediately confronts her. "Elena, what the hell is going on?"
She takes a shaky breath. "I can't talk with you right now, Stefan. I have some other stuff that I need to deal with right now." She moves past him, to the drawers.
Stefan turns to her, speechless. She can tell he's mad – maybe it's out of concern, but he's still mad. And Elena doesn't really want to deal with it right now. She has bigger problems.
"Elena, I need you to talk to me." He turns her round, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Please, tell me what's wrong."
"What can you do for me Stefan?" Elena asks, exasperate.
"I can't do anything unless you tell me."
"Stefan, no."
Elena is aware of Stefan staring at her. Very quietly, he says, "Is this about Damon?"
She closes her eyes. She should have known what was coming. "In a way," she admits.
Stefan nods, tight lipped. He crosses his arms. "Elena, Damon is my brother, and he's been a big help with this whole Klaus business – but he's still manipulative. As for as our relationship is concerned-"
"I can't talk about this-"
"Elena please-"
"No." Elena whirls round, her hair swinging over her face. "I do not want to talk about this with you Stefan. Know why? D'you really want to know why?" She runs a hand through her hair. "Because I cheated on a book report."
Stefan does a double take. "Huh?"
"I was stressed and dealing with this whole Klaus business, and I didn't have time to do it, so I just read the notes of another review and put it in my own words."
Stefan eyes shift on Elena. "Okay..."
"What I'm trying to say is that I'm not perfect Stefan. You want this shiny, wrapped up girlfriend, and I'm trying to be but-" Her voice cracks. She glances down, trying to fight back tears. She's so unbelievable tired. She just wants to crawl into bed with a good book. "I can't," she whispers. "I can't be who you want me to be Stefan. It's too exhausting. I need someone who accepts me for who I am, flaws and all."
"Elena-"
She holds up her hand. "I think we need some time apart."
Stefan's eyes goggle out of his head. His jaw works silently until he finally finds the right words. "Are you...breaking up with me?"
Elena can't say that she's never thought about breaking up with Stefan, but she always thought it would be more painful. She's not numb: her chest feels a little tight and she feels tears pricking behind her eyes. But why isn't her world crashing down? Why isn't she more devastated?
"I can't do this anymore Stefan. I need time to decide what I want. It's not about Damon, because I know that's what you're going to say. It's about me and you. We're perfect on paper, but in reality..." She raises her face towards him, needing to look at him when she says this. "I just don't think we're compatible."
Stefan observes her, his gaze suddenly hostile. She feels as if he would happily set her on fire and watch her burn. Elena has never seen this side of him before.
" Okay," he says, his eyes burning her. "If that's what you want."
"Thank you," she murmurs, her eyes on the floor. Suddenly it seems too hard to look at Stefan, and so she keeps her eyes on the ground. When she cautiously lifts her head again, he's gone.
Elena screws her face up and chokes out a sob. She slides down the fall and allows herself to have a cry, because so much has happened and she needs to have time to adjust.
But to her surprise the crying doesn't last long. She stays leaning against the bed, breathing slowly. She and Stefan had a good run really, considering... And at least now she doesn't have to worry about whether he thinks of her as a replacement for Katherine.
Elena goes in the shower and washes her hair. She takes time dressing, making sure she looks good. At first she debates about wearing a skirt or dress, but she settles for jeans and her favourite little red top that's really too small her, but makes her look good. She ties her hair back, even though she usually thinks she looks better with her hair down. And she goes without make up, because Damon's had enough pretence in his life.
And then she leaves to see him.
xXx
He's in his bedroom when she finds him, by the bookshelf. He freezes when he realises she's there. "Well?" he asks, his voice clipped.
Elena doesn't know what to say. She had driven here because she didn't want to look sweaty, but now that she was actually standing in front of Damon she couldn't find the words that she had been rehearsing so carefully. "Well what?"
He doesn't turn round to face her. "Say what you've come here to say."
Elena enters the room properly, closing the door behind her. She leans against it, her finger playing with the pattern of the wood. "What do you think I'm going to say?"
He whirls round, and Elena winces at the subdued anger on his face. He's like a volcano, ready to burst. "Just say what you came to say Elena!"
Her rage too, bursts. "Like you did?" she says, her voice strained. "When I asked you what was going on before? Or when you told me you loved me?"
It's out in the open then. She knows. In a way he already knew, when she looked at him from the bathroom door after Jeremy had called him, panicked. But now it's been confirmed.
His gaze hardens when he looks at her, and Elena recognises it; he's preparing for disappointment. Preparing for the insults that he expects her to hurl at him, for "it's always going to be Stefan." And that breaks her heart a little.
"You weren't supposed to remember," he tells her.
She raises her head. "But I did."
He waits; she waits.
"I'm not sorry."
"I didn't expect you to be."
They wait a little longer. Elena can see he is getting irritated and so tries to speak, but the words that bubble up inside her don't – or won't – come out.
"For fuck sake Elena!" Damon yells. She jumps, startles. "I can't take the silence! Just say what you want to say and get out!"
"Why?" she cries, feeling suddenly near tears. "Are you so desperate for me leave? Are you so scared not to hear what I have to say to you? Can you not stand the silence, the waiting?"
"No I bloody can't!" His breathing is fast. "You don't get it! You don't understand me at all-"
"I don't understand you?" She gives a sarcastic laugh. "You've got to be kidding. I know you better than anyone else in the world!"
"Why do you always have to argue?" he challenges.
"You should ask yourself the same question."
He makes a noise, something between a yell and a roar, and then shouts, "I hate that I love you!"
She's angry – no, furious. Damon can always do that to her. That's why she doesn't think before she speaks. "Yeah, well, I hate the fact that I love you!"
The world, the universe, time itself, seems to stop at that moment. Damon's face freezes, the words on his witty tongue forgotten. He stares at Elena, his silver eyes not leaving her face. She can't tell who is more shocked at the words – her or him. She clenches her fist, suddenly wishing for the noise back. The silence is deafening now.
Slowly he goes towards her. "Say it again."
Elena backs against the door. "What?"
"Say it again." He pins her against the wall, so there's no way to escape. "The last part."
She knows what he wants to say. The look in his eyes, the pure desperation of hearing those words that he needs to hear. Just once how it needs to be said.
So she says three words, eight letters, calmly, clearly: "I love you."
He closes his eyes. He's never heard those words been addressed to him before, never heard them been said out loud before. "Thank you," he whispers. He backs away, freeing her.
Damon had taken a chance by saying "I love you" first (even though technically he took it away again); now Elena wants to take a chance. So she steps forwards to him, as if they're doing a dance, and standing on her tiptoes and kisses him lightly on the lips.
Damon stills, his eyes remaining closed. When she moves away, suddenly shy, he opens his eyes. They are filled with bemusement, but something else too – wide with wonder.
And then he moves forward and kisses her back.
It's not about the kiss – that's the thing. The kiss may be good – great, even. But it's always about the feelings: the butterflies in your stomach, the way your heart leaps as if it's a horse jumping over a high fence. It's the way their hands move across your body, holding you so close you can feel the pace of their heartbeats; or how their breath is dancing over their skin, marking it like tattoos.
Elena and Damon break away. "What are you thinking?" he whispers.
What he is really asking is, is this okay? Are we okay?
Do you want to give it a try?
Kisses with Stefan had never felt that amazing. And that's when Elena knows: this is it. If she couldn't be with a guy that was perfect like Stefan, then she must be in love with Damon.
And she was screwed.
"I'm still angry about what you did," she says. "You shouldn't have left after you told me you loved me. And one day I'm going to do it to you."
The pain comes back to Damon, and he's too tired not to show it. "Then go," he says simply.
Instead though, she goes towards him, taking his hand. Smoothly she leads him to the bed. "I will," she says. "In another hundred years or so."
xXx
This is the thing about love that they don't tell you:
No matter how hard you fight it, the people who are made for each other always find their way in the end.
xXx
OMG, it's OVER! This is the first multi-chapter story I've actually completed! Wow!
So, since it's the final chapter, could I please have some reviews? Pretty please with ice cream and cherries and strawberry, chocolate and toffee sauce and...with Damon on top? Also I would like an opinion: do people think I should post this chapter out as a separate one-shot? Nothing would change, I just think more people would read it.
THANK YOU!