I do not own anything in this story. The CW created the universe, and I just play in it.

This is my first fanfiction. Please rate and review!


Elena pushed open the door to their room, her lips still glued to Damon's as she slowly worked his shirt up over his head. He kissed her back even harder, his hands wrapping around her waist as they fell backwards onto the bed. Elena buried her hands in his hair and sighed happily as he kissed his way down her neck.

"We can't do this," she breathed as Damon's hands wandered over her stomach, stroking her skin with completely unDamon-like gentleness.

"Shhh, Elena," he murmured, his head still buried in her neck.

"Damon." Elena pushed him off her neck and framed his face with her hands. "I can't do this."

Damon groaned, rolling off her and slinging his arm around her shoulders. "Let me guess. It's because of Stefan, isn't it."

"You know I love you," Elena began, "but-"

"But," Damon finished, "you love him too."

"He was there for me when I need him," Elena said, not looking Damon in the eye. "I can't just let go of him that easily." Something in Damon's expression darkened, and Elena quickly added, "But there's no denying that I love you, Damon. It's just that I do love you both, and I know it's wrong and I shouldn't, but I do."

Damon sighed, and for a long time neither of them said anything. Finally, he said, "Stefan's right for you, Elena."

"What?" Elena turned to look at him.

"He deserves you so much more than I do, and I can't be selfish with you." He stroked her cheek with the same gentleness as before. "I want you to be happy, and I want my brother to be happy, even if it means...even if it means I lose you."

"But I don't want to lose you," Elena cried, grabbing his hand. "If choosing Stefan means losing you, and choosing you means losing Stefan, then I don't want to choose."

"Elena, you know you have to, and it might as well be him."

"Don't say that, Damon." Elena blinked back tears, and then suddenly, she sat up. Something was wrong. In the split second she'd closed her eyes, Damon had taken her vervain necklace. "Damon, where's my necklace?"

There were tears in Damon's eyes, something Elena had never seen before. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Elena, I want you to be happy with Stefan."

"Damon, no, you can't compel me!" Elena protested, but Damon just widened her eyes and she fell silent.

"I want you to go back to my brother," Damon continued, tears now flowing freely down his face. "I want you to forget about everything and anything you've ever felt for me. Forget that this trip ever happened, forget everything that happened after you opened your porch door two days ago. Forget about Annora and the cure, and most of all forget that you ever loved me."

Elena nodded, still under his compulsion.

"And now, I want you to keep your mind completely blank until we get back to Mystic Falls. Don't think about anything, just keep your mind blank." Damon was crying now. Actually crying. He leaned down and kissed Elena, slowly and softly. "I love you so much, Elena.


Thump. Thump.

Elena looked up from her book. She was in her own house, curled up in her favorite chair, reading The Great Gatsby just like she remembered, but for some reason, she felt like she'd blanked out. It was ridiculous to think something like that, because she'd been in the very same chair for over an hour, but it just felt like an entire day, maybe more, had gone by. Impossible. She'd probably been in a daydream or something.

The front door flew open, and in a heartbeat Caroline was standing in front of Elena. Her face was one full of pain, and Elena immediately assumed the worst. "What? What happened?"

Damon had just told Caroline what had happened in Boyce, and what he'd done to Elena. But what Damon hadn't known was what had been going on in Mystic Falls while he'd been gone. "Look, Elena, this is going to sound crazy and random and completely disjointed, but there's something I have to tell you."

"Okay..." Elena slowly sat back down. "What's wrong? Is it Stefan?"

Caroline gave her a tight-lipped nod. "Damon was bitten by Tyler, but it's all right, he's okay now because he drank Klaus's blood. But Stefan...Stefan gave himself over to Klaus in exchange for the cure for the werewolf bite."

"What?" Elena stared at her friend, not understanding. "What did you say?"

"Elena, he's Klaus's henchman now. I don't know what Klaus did to him, but...he's gone."

"No." Elena shook her head. "No, no, no. Caroline, we have to do something, we have to save Stefan! We have to get him back from Klaus! I can't lose him, Caroline, I can't."

"Shhh, it's okay, Elena," Caroline said. She was crying now, too, but her tears were for a completely different reason. She was imagining the look on Damon's face, the heartbroken one he'd worn when he'd told her what happened. "It's okay, Elena, we'll find Stefan and it'll all be okay."

"Come on." Elena stood up and grabbed her jacket. "Come on, we have to go find Damon. We have to find Alaric, and-and Bonnie, and Jeremy. I can't lose Stefan, Caroline. I love him!"

"I know you do," Caroline said softly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I know you do."


A humongous thank you to everyone who favorited/reviewed my story, and another enormous thank you to anyone who even read my story in the first place. I love, love you guys so much! This story is probably the only story I've ever written that I actually finished, and I have you guys to thank for that. Hope you've enjoyed it from start to finish! xox