Just as noon hit, Elena's alarm went off. She rolled over, groaning. She didn't want it to be time to leave. In fact, she really just wanted to sleep the rest of her life away. Maybe then she could escape the pain of her heart.
She jumped in the shower, making it a quick one, then threw on a new outfit; sweatpants and a t-shirt. She had no reason to use her nicer clothes, she was going to be in her car the entire day, anyways. She was still on the move. She had to keep putting distance between herself and the town. She couldn't be too close. Elena headed out to her car with her things, getting ready to set out. Food. She needed a gas station anyways. She drove until she found one and pulled into the parking lot to a gas pump. She pulled out her money and she sat there looking at it. She hadn't been able to pull all of the money out she would need. She'd only gotten $2,000 from the Mystic Fall bank ATM. She would need to get the rest of it somehow. She walked inside to pay the cashier for gas and grabbed a lot of bag of different kinds of chips, a few pack of gum, and a cooler full of drinks. She finished up at the gas station after filling her car and was on her way, once again.
As she drove, she turned on music to try and clear her head of all thoughts, but no matter how loud she turned it, her thoughts seemed louder. And each of them involved Damon. She knew she wasn't going to let Mystic Falls go easily. She knew she wasn't going to let her heart go easily. She was going to have to fight her heart the rest of her life.
Elena reached smiled to herself as she passed the "Welcome to Georgia" sign. She fought to get Damon out of her mind. She couldn't rely on him anymore. She couldn't rely on anyone anymore. She had to start over. She had to make a new life for herself.
That's what she would do. Make herself a new person. She kept driving. She didn't plan on stopping for a while.
_
"Damon," Caroline approached him carefully. His back was turned towards the fireplace, and he was drinking. "Are…. Are you okay?"
"Why is something always going on with Elena?" His voice was hard. "Elena this. Elena that. Why does everyone love Elena?" He began pacing back and forth. "And why should we go after her right now? She wanted to get away. She wanted to leave…"
"You don't know what you're saying, Damon! Maybe if you could put down your drink and realize that the girl you love is…"
Damon was in front of her in seconds, starring her down in the eyes. If looks could kill, Caroline knew she'd be dead. "Loved." He cut her off. "As in past tense." And in another second, he was gone. Vanished from view, leaving Caroline alone. There was something going on with Damon. He didn't just give up on things, especially when it came to Elena.
She raced after him. She knew where he would be. The only place he went to think. The back woods of Elena's house. As she peered into the darkness, she saw Damon perched on a rock, looking out over the road, as if he was expecting Elena's car to suddenly appear out of the thin air and all would be right in the world. "Damon,"
"Come on, Barbie." He turned towards her with a smirk on her face. "Can't you just leave well enough alone?"
"Do you really plan on letting her go? Leaving her out there, all by herself, with everything going on? Is that honestly a smart plan?" Her tone was very patronizing, and judging. She wanted nothing more than to hurt Damon for even thinking about it.
"Do you really think I could do that?" He looked mad. Wondering how even Barbie could think that he would just give up on Elena. "I was giving Stefan a show. I don't want him with me while I look for her. But, as for letting her go. Come on, Caroline. You know as well as I do that she left for a reason. She doesn't want to be found right now. She needs time to herself. And if this is how she can get it, then I will not take that from her."
Caroline seemed confused, and sat down heavily on the ground trying to understand. "But you just said you were going to find her…"
Damon's smirk disappeared. "Right. I'm going to find her, not bring her back. I will let her have her life. That's all she's trying to do. But, I will always be there. I can't let anything happen to her. " He looked away at her house then back to Barbie. "And I can deny ever having this conversation. I don't do nice, Blondie." He smirked. Caroline understood. Even someone as tough as Damon Salvatore had a nice side. And she was beginning to learn that it only showed itself where Elena was concerned. If Damon was going to find Elena, Caroline was going to have to be the one to convince her to come back. She was finally starting to realize how much Damon needed her in his life.
By sundown, Elena found herself in Atlanta, Georgia. She found it's familiarity nice and comforting. But she knew Damon would look here first. And then began questioning why she even came this way. She had said, or rather written, her goodbyes. There was nothing left to take care of. She just needed to take care of her heart.
She settled in a motel right around the corner from a small, local bar and decided to take the edge off things. She was still itching to go back, and she needed to let loose. She needed to prove to herself she could still have fun. Even without her friends…. And especially without Damon….