Disclaimer: TVD belongs to whoever receives the royalties and that sure as hell isn't me. I just pretend while I'm writing.

Summary: It starts as the taste of him hits her tongue and before all is said and done, tears and blood have been spilled and lives have been lost... but most importantly none of them will ever be the same.

Elena's journey to realization that she's in love with the other brother. AU from the moment Damon forces his blood on Elena. Prequel to Unsuccessfully Saying Goodbye, but can stand alone.

AN: Humf! I'd already envisioned this chapter looooong before that sudsy scene of Delena's became public. It made Damon all sulky and he refused to comply... or even play.

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Unwillingly Succumbing to Truth

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fraternizing with family

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Almost all of them wake up in a tangled pile on the overly large bed to the soothing sound of heavy rain smattering against tile. Once their collective eyes blink open they're greeted by the sight of a very smugly smirking and healthy looking Damon purposely ignoring them... and taking a shower... in the ensuite bathroom... which has nothing but glass walls... WOW, he's got a really large... bathtub.

Rolling her big brown eyes she listens to the others cuss, complain and gasp. Clearly the raven haired vampire is back to being his annoying and arrogant self... AND yes, she peeks. The hero always peeks and she did just save his very firm behind.

"OK, that's enough kids. Everybody out." It's – oh, crap on a cheese cracker – Alaric that walks in chuckling and ushering the lot of them out of the room. It's beyond embarrassing being caught blatantly checking out your soon to be ex-boyfriends brother by his best friend and you're almost stepfather uncle.

She reluctantly leaves with the others having to subdue her acute urge to stay and ogle the gorgeous specimen willingly putting himself on display. It feels a bit like she's done so much work to buy a ticket and now she doesn't even get to stay for the show... oh, good GOD... her old self is truly back.

"OMG." Bonnie mutters gesturing discreetly with her hands conveying her clear... appreciation of the raven haired vampires formidable physique.

"I know, right?" Caroline whispers conspiratorially widening her eyes as she smirks knowingly.

She can't help but giggle and waggle her eyebrows lewdly before she adds her two cents. "No wonder he has such a huge ego."

To her utter horror her brother who's apparently standing right behind her groans in disgust. "Gross. I swear, someone better fucking compel me or I'm going to have to lobotomise myself."

The three girls giggle and two of them blush brightly at being overheard.

"At least you can be compelled and lobotomised Gilbert. I have no choice but to live with it or possibly kill myself." Tyler says with his upper lip slightly curled in disgust as the seven of them enter the kitchen.

John, her father, is flipping pancakes, scrambling eggs and frying bacon all at the same time as well as setting the table and pouring coffee and juice. It's a bizarre sight and unfortunately she did NOT inherit this skill set of his. All the while her aunt sits half slumped over the table trying to finger-comb through her tangled strawberry locks... unsuccessfully.

The six teens... well, five teens and one century and a half old... freeze and gawk in awe at the ultimate multitasking going on.

"Your dad's got mad skills." Tyler says breaking the silence and the staring. Her dad is pretty awesome.

Her eyes dart to her brother gauging his reaction. She is happy that her dad has stepped up, but she is also very worried that that fact will unintentionally cause her amazing baby brother pain. He's had more than enough sorrow and in fact it's shining in his suddenly glassy brown eyes. She'll have to have a proper talk with her precious little brother as soon as possible.

"Sit. Eat." Her dad orders eyeing the group while stacking pancakes with one hand and cracking an egg with the other. It's almost like the man has some sort of superpower.

"Jonny there aren't any blueberries in these." Jenna whines and shoves a plate of perfect pancakes back towards him.

He chuckles and shakes his head shoving a different plate with equally perfect, but blueberry speckled pancakes in her direction. "Did you forget that you sat down in Alaric's spot?" He questions with a raised brow not even bothering to look at the row of mugs he's filling with coffee. "Those are his pancakes and I distinctly remember him asking for plain pancakes and bacon... which I see you've eaten."

After replacing Alaric's vanished bacon he takes orders from the rest of them and it turns out that her family and friends are quite demanding and have some odd requests for their breakfasts. Her father however looks unfazed as he gets orders of OJ with a splash of blood, almost raw bacon and an order of a ten egg-white omelette, not to mention her brothers and her own orders of miniature chocolate chip pancakes and caramelized bacon.

The best part of the breakfast turns out to be because of Caroline innocently asking... "How do you do it mister G?"

Her father chuckles mischievously before answering. "My dear, it's all in the genes us Gilbert men are graced with."

Jeremy snorts and rolls his big brown eyes muttering. "Not all of us."

John smirks and winks after a very cryptic. "I just haven't taught you yet son."

And there it is; the very best part when her sweet baby brother grins brilliantly as her father gives him a meaningful shoulder squeeze. After that it's all laughter and good eating, but unfortunately no Damon what so ever.

When it's time to go Tyler hops in his truck, Jenna and Alaric offer to drive Bonnie home and her father demands that Caroline come and stay with them until they figure out what to do with her mother. After some initial reluctance Caroline gives in with a shy smile and a not nearly quiet enough whisper that... "Mister G's pretty great." … which reminds her that although both of her BFF's parents are alive neither of them seem to give a shit and she thinks that just might be worse.

Her father might be a royal jackass at times, but then again she can be a real queen bitch so... maybe she gets it from him and it's not such a bad thing after all. He screwed up not coming for them right away and is that really so bad?

"Why didn't you come take care of us after the accident?" The question slips out before she has time to think too much and chicken out of the confrontation all together.

With a sad sigh he glances at her briefly as he drives them. "I couldn't risk bringing you into this supernatural mess; either of you. I've been knee deep in this world for longer than you've been alive Elena and I didn't want to be the one to bring the two of you into it." He sighs again. "It's no accident that Isobel started to study this world or that she had Damon turn her. It's a thick and tangled web that I'm not sure I'll ever be able to untangle."

Maybe he's not so bad. With the beginnings of a small smile the brunette asks. "So it's because you care?" She says sounding rather hopeful and she notices that her brother has leaned forward in his seat and is eagerly awaiting an answer.

Her father smiles in a warm affectionate way that makes him look more like her brother than usual. "I stayed away because I love you and Jeremy."

Her brothers expression instantly mirrors her fathers and she's pretty sure hers does as well.

There's a loud sniffle. "I'm sorry." Caroline says sheepishly when all eyes turn to her as she wipes her eyes. "It's just so sweet." She adds just as they pull up into the driveway.

She's right though, it is all really sweet and her dad staying away is suddenly one of the nicest things he's ever done.

Not long after they've settled in the living-room talking and watching a movie no one's actually watching, Jenna and Alaric arrive and the Gilbert household is suddenly filled with life once more. The rest of the day is blissfully uneventful and on the verge of becoming boring. There being three responsible adults residing under the same roof the three under-aged teens are sent off early to bed with promises of school in the morning. It turns out that being sent off to bed by a stern parental figure is pretty freaking fantastic... at least that's what the three broadly grinning teenagers seem to think as they settle in for the night.

Come morning there's a huge fight over the bathrooms and hot water that ends with a growling Jenna supplying a timer and sending two of them down for breakfast... sternishly. Just like the day before her dad is busy in the kitchen as everyone else rushes around. It all goes just dandy until Alaric almost has a breakdown trying to hurry Caroline up so the four of them wont be late to school. The whole thing is quite humorous.

School on the other hand is awkward at best. The three of them plus Bonnie, Stefan and Tyler have become the six students with the worst attendance records and that seems to have spurred on endless rumours and a severe decline of their collective status on the social pyramid. They've been deemed the bad crowd... there are whispers that they are cursed and considering all the death and mystery surrounding the tight-knit group, she isn't at all shocked... and she wouldn't be that surprised if they actually are cursed.

Matt avoids them like the plague and Stefan shines with his absence. None of it matters though. The five of them are family now, bound by something far stronger than blood... love and the knowledge that each of them would give their life for the other four.

The groups surrogate father is waiting for them in the parking lot after final bell. The same three that came with him pile into his car after Tyler's promise of giving Bonnie a ride home and making sure she gets all the way into her house... Klaus is still after all on the loose.

It's as they drive through the neighbourhood where Alaric resides that she's reminded of the promise she made to her mirror image. "We need to stop by your apartment." She says casually yet the three others in the car still look utterly startled. "I need to ask Katherine something." She says when they just keep staring at her.

Oddly enough none of them argue with her and Alaric simply pulls up to his apartment building and the three of them trail after her upstairs... albeit a bit fidgety, but they do so all the same.

The door is once again unlocked as she hesitantly pushes it open and what she finds inside isn't at all what she expected. Katherine is slumped on the floor with a vacant expression as seemingly endless tears stream down her face. Her hair is a tangled mess and she isn't wearing any make-up, but then again she has dried blood smears on her skin and clothes.

She sniffles pathetically once before she focuses her eyes on the four figures standing in the doorway. "He killed him." She says in a hoarse voice tainted with grief.

Her identical ancestress is scaring the crap out of her, but still she inches towards her. "Who?" She questions softly hoping the vampiress wont snap.

Her face contorts and a painfilled sob escapes her. "He killed Elijah." She answers brokenly once she manages to control her voice once again. "Klaus killed him and took him from me." She says and suddenly it's so obvious that his feelings for her centuries older twin were indeed answered in full.

She crouches down and cranes her neck to be able to meet the eyes she so often finds in her own mirror. "He can't be completely killed." She says softly as she blinks back the beginnings of her own tears. "Maybe we can find him. Lets just try and focus on getting you out of here first."

"What exactly did he say to force you to stay here?" Caroline thankfully asks from the other side of the threshold.

She tries to clear her throat, but her voice still comes out raspy. "I can't leave unless he tells me too."

Jeremy saunters lazily into the room. "OK then lets go." He says offering the both of them a hand to stand up.

"I can't." She says sniffling and looking so very human as she takes his offered hand and allows him to pull her to her feet.

He snorts and turns his back toward her. "Hop on." When she doesn't comply he turns back to the copy of his big sister that's drained him more than once. "You may not be able to leave unless he says so, but I can remove you from this place without a worry." And that seems to be it.

She hops onto his back and he walks out the door and that's that apparently, but just in case he carries her all the way down to the awaiting car. The whole thing is so disturbingly simple that she sort of feels stupid for not thinking of it the other day when she came for a visit. BUT then hasn't everything been just that; far simpler than it seems. They've obviously been over complicating everything and not been seeing the forest for the trees so to speak.

If Elijah was just some missing guy and not an Original they would just... "Trace his phone." She apparently says out loud because all eyes are on her as Alaric pulls up into the Salvatore's driveway. "We trace his phone and check it out. It's worth a shot, right?" She elaborates since the other four with her obviously had no clue what she was rambling about before.

After the other three have exited the car, but not before the identical girls have, Katherine grabs her hand and gives it a small squeeze. "Thank you." She whispers clearly trying to hide her gratitude from prying ears and eyes.

She only gives a curt nod in response, there's just a little too much bad blood between them for her to fully be able to interact with the other girl. She may understand, but that doesn't mean she can ever fully forgive her for all the damage she's done.

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"You have a problem." Katherine remarks as she makes a show of stepping over the threshold without an invitation. Well, that's just bloody brilliant one more fucking problem to take care of.

The never ending horror death match doesn't seem to be letting up any time soon, but what else can one expect from living in a supernatural sink hole? Maybe they have one of those hellmouths under the freaking high school here as well... that would just be his shitty luck, now wouldn't it?

"What the hell is she doing here?" A half naked and thoroughly inebriated Damon bellows just as the lot of them make their way into the sitting room. This is so not going to go well.

With a heavy sigh and quite a bit of jealousy... that should be him half naked and drunk out of his mind... he approaches his drinking buddy and decides to stay the hell out of this one as he flops tiredly down on one of the plush couches by the fireplace.

Elena the little troublemaker and heartbreaker hurries to the raven haired vampire in an attempt to placate the belligerently drunken boy.

"Sorry, it's my fault." She says smiling sheepishly. "I didn't know where else to take her." She adds cleverly taking one of his hands in hers... she better not be screwing with his head on purpose.

The guy may be a first rate dick at times, but he doesn't deserve to have another woman break his heart and yank him around by the balls... especially now that yet another one of his girlfriends has been brutally murdered within the span of a year... well, crap it's not even been a fucking school year.

The blue eyed vampire scowls and sways slightly where he stands... damn Jenna for volunteering him to be the designated driver... oh, fuck this freak show... one of the little ones can surely manage to drive. He quickly snatches a tumbler and fills it to the brim with some very expensive bourbon while the owner and the resident of the house have some sort of staring match.

He's tuned out the squabbling now that he's sipping at the delicious amber elixir, but he is following the show quite intently and there is something... something has changed. Did Elena just... no, no way... he must be imagining things. There is just no way that his innocent slightly suicidal little sort of stepdaughter just copped a feel of the drunken mess of a man, that just happens to be his best friend, while arguing with him. No wait! She totally just did it again and he's too fucking drunk to even notice. Poor love sick bastard.

Apparently he's chuckling out loud and someone just asked him a question because all eyes are on him and they're looking very expectant. "OK, enough." He finally musters up deciding that it's probably best to pretend that he's actually in the loop. "Katherine go fuck off and find yourself a vacant room and don't come out until tomorrow when we start looking for Elijah. Kiddies take my keys and get yourselves home. Jeremy you're homework is to somehow track Elijah's phone AND Damon sit down and I'll get you a refill. We have some serious drinking to get done." He rattles off at the stupidly gawking group as he tosses his car keys to cute little Caroline.

Predictably one of the identical brunettes opens her mouth and is about to speak, but doesn't get a word out because he has put his stern teacher face on and is holding up a finger in warning.

"Elena, you have some business to take care of first, don't you?" He asks looking pointedly at her hand that is splayed over bare abs dangerously close to the heartbroken boys crotch... who is blissfully ignorant of that fact.

His almost stepdaughter looks properly chastised as her cheeks turn bright red and she discretely tries to withdraw her hand. Damon may not need physical protection, but he does need emotional protection and unless she can prove that she's not just yanking him around for fun... he's not about to let her that near his friend... almost daughter or not.

He's quite surprised when all of them do as they've just been told... and relieved that there's finally a bit of silence.

"Refill." The drunken vampire mutters shoving his tumbler in the other man's face almost crashing it into his nose.

He fills the crystal tumbler to the brim and hands it back. "Here's to getting the fuck out of this death trap."

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AN: I hadn't actually planned to make Alaric such a bitter drunkard... he did that all on his own. Share some love and hit me with a review.