Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries or the song "Freefallin'"

"Actually, I don't understand. And leaving without saying goodbye? I thought more of you than that, Elena" and with those words, and that signature smirk, she knew that leaving wouldn't be as easy as she had thought.

"Damon..." she gasped, "how did you find me here? You weren't meant to find me..."

"Well, Elena, I heard you were leaving," he said in a sing song voice, before adding more seriously "I wanted to at least be able to say goodbye."

"I didn't want to make it harder than it already is Damon. I can't explain my reasons and I can't justify hurting anyone. I just need time to figure out if this really is the life I want for myself. Vampires? Werewolves? Witches? It's the stuff of fairytales and bad dreams and I don't know how much more I can take."

"Nice speech Elena, but I'm not buying. So, let's get you home and we can talk about it properly."

"What if I don't want to talk, Damon? I'm sick of talking. I want to live my life, do all the things I should be allowed to, without having to look over my shoulder, or count on someone to save me when things go wrong."

Damon sighed, taking in the sight of Elena looking so broken and disheartened. He hated seeing her look so sad, her eyes, usually so full of light and optimism now brimming with tears threatening to spill over.

Elena looked at Damon, looking at her and in that moment she realised how much he cared for her, despite all those times she had pushed him away, told him she didn't want his help. He was still the one who came looking for her, he didn't run from a problem he faced it head on and dealt with the consequences afterwards. Damon had always been the one to fight her and to push her further, he was never afraid to piss her off, because he knew that in the end he would be the one to save her, consequences be damned.

After what seemed like an eternity of staring each other down and trying to figure out what the other was thinking, she finally uttered three words he thought he'd never hear from her lips, words that took him a while to process and even still he looked around to ensure his brother wasn't lurking...

"Come with me."

Stefan had returned to the boarding house after hunting, he could not accept what Elena was doing, and he was determined to get her to change her mind. After everything they had been through together he could not understand why he could not be by her side. He had thought they loved each other, although now, he thought, maybe it was just a fantasy that both of them wanted to believe.

As he drank away his sorrow, something which was rare and more his brother's taste, he spotted a note on the windowsill in his bedroom...

Stefan,

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I've gone with Elena, I'll keep her safe, and we'll be back sooner than you think.

Be safe brother,

Damon

And with that short note, Stefan's purpose became lost to him. He flew down the basement at vampire speed and ravaged the blood bags in the freezer. Then he cried.

Caroline found Stefan the next morning, in the basement of the Salvatore house, having also received a note from Damon, she knew that Stefan would need help. She was prepared for the scene that greeted her and was glad of the lack of dead bodies, only empty blood bags.

"Stefan, get up! Is this how you fight for the woman you love?" She shouted at him. "Because if this is what you do, maybe you don't deserve her."

Caroline knew her words were harsh, but she needed Stefan to be able to fight, and with the blood he had just drunk, he needed to fight the bloodlust as well. Over the past few months Caroline had picked up on a lot of insecurities and losing Elena to Damon was his greatest fear. Now that Elena had gone away with Damon she knew it was going to be a battle to get Stefan back to normal, but she knew she had to do it.

"Maybe I don't deserve her Caroline, this is what I am. A Ripper. I'm designed to kill, so are you, maybe we should just embrace it. Damon will end up killing Elena anyway and then I won't have to worry about protecting her anymore. So just leave!" He shouted the last three words, just as Caroline stuck a vervain dart in his arm.

Stefan had been taken unawares and fell to the ground as the vervain made its way around his system. Caroline dragged him to the cell and locked him in, vowing to stay with him as he "dried out". Then they would go and find Damon and Elena.

Racing down a highway on the way to an unknown destination, Elena felt guilty. Damon put the top down on his car and she was enjoying the wind in her hair, listening to the radio and singing at the top of her voice,

"And I'm free, I'm free fallin'
All the vampires walkin' through the valley

Move west down Ventura Blvd

And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows

All the good girls are home with broken hearts

She felt guilty and yet liberated and she couldn't help grinning as she threw her hands up and sung even louder, enjoying the feeling of being free and not caring about making a fool of herself. She never worried about that in front of Damon because he never judged her for anything, no matter how bad her decisions.

And I'm free, I'm free fallin'

I wanna glide down over Mulholland

I wanna write her name in the sky

I wanna free fall out into nothin'

Gonna leave this world for awhile

And I'm free, I'm free fallin'"

Damon smiled as Elena sung, he felt as though this could be a new start for them. As he raced down the highway he had a renewed sense of hope for himself, and for the girl who stole his un-beating heart.