Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! I am so sorry it took so long to update, but school has seriously been crazy… I finally decided to write the chapter and get it out of the way so I wouldn't be thinking about it so much.

Also, this hiatus is driving me insane, and the preview for the next episode was such a tease it bordered on cruelty. Cannot WAIT for Thursday's episode though….hopefully Elena can get over herself for once.

Anyway, Enjoy! =D

Chapter 6: A Single Conclusion

"I don't mind where you come from,

As long as you come to me.

And I don't like Illusions,

I can't see them clearly.

I don't care, no I wouldn't dare

To fix the twist in you…

You've shown me eventually what you'll do.

I don't mind. I don't care.

As long as you're here."

All The Same- Sick Puppies

Elena strode up the sidewalk to the boarding house with an air of determination about her. Inside the house, Damon was peering out the window, amused by her annoyed expression. He hadn't expected her to show up this quickly. In a flash he was at the front door, holding it open for her and admiring her with a smirk on his face.

"Seriously Damon?" She waved the piece of paper around in her hand in an exasperated manner and then chucked it at the dark haired, blue-eyed vampire, watching proudly as it bounced off his forehead and onto the floor. "Was that really necessary?"

"What, you didn't like the joke?" He was met by a steely glare and crossed arms. "Oh come on, Elena! It was funny!"

She sighed. At least he was trying to ease the tension between them. She managed a small smile of appreciation before asking timidly, "May I come in?"

"I'm not stopping you." He motioned for her to come in and she followed him as he disappeared into the parlor for a glass of whiskey. He offered her a smaller glass of the amber liquid, and she took it gratefully, hoping it would calm her nerves and her racing heartbeat. "Sure didn't take you long to show up here. I'm just that irresistible, aren't I?" He flashed his all too brilliantly perfect smile at her, and she felt a blush creep onto her cheeks.

"Well," she struggled for words, thinking that he really was irresistible when he smiled like that. "I have something to say, and you left before I could say it." Her tone wasn't accusatory, but she couldn't hide the irritation at the fact that he kept denying her the opportunity of saying what was on her mind.

He considered her for a moment, listening to the sound of her heart thrumming loudly and rapidly in her chest, and vaguely wondered what had her so worked up. He dismissed the thought and then advanced towards her. He stopped mere inches from her and spoke softly. "Look, whatever it is you came here to say to me, don't worry about it. You're answer won't change anything." He ran his fingers gently through her hair, and held the silky locks in his hand as he gazed into her eyes.

"No, Damon. I'm going to say what I came here to say, and you're going to listen for once."

He loved it when she was determined like she was at the moment, even if it broke his heart at the same time. He took a step back, letting her hair fall back into place over her shoulder. He cocked an eyebrow, but nodded for her to proceed with her little speech.

This was her chance. She had to make right all the wrong she had done. She had to tell him how she really felt about him. But her words were lost somewhere within the chasm of her chest, and she stood there feeling like an idiot, with his baby blue eyes piercing her soul.

"Well….? I don't have all night," he paused. "Well technically I do have all night, but I could be doing much more productive things than standing here waiting for you to speak your mind." He began to pace back and forth in front of the fireplace, thinking about all of his options. "For instance, I could be…plotting my next big move against those original dick heads. Or I could be sitting here drowning out all my sorrows in whiskey. Or, and here's the kicker….I could go find myself another victim, and have myself a nice little drink."

"Damon! Stop it… You're better than that."

"Ah, she speaks… but no, I'm not better than that. You know this already, damnit."

Elena watched him from her place by the couch, choosing her next words carefully. "You're right Damon. I guess I misspoke. I know what you are, and I know that is part of who you are...trust me, I understand that perfectly by now..." She looked away from him, tears forming in her eyes as she thought about everything she had endured because of vampires. "I can accept it…I can forgive you for it. But it doesn't change the fact that it hurts me to see you give in to the blood lust."

"Elena… I—" he could see the tears that had pooled along her bottom lashes, and he felt a pang of guilt for every single thing he had ever done to hurt her. He wanted to hold her, and tell her how sorry he was for everything, but she cut him off when she spoke again.

"Don't interrupt. Just listen." She walked around the couch, took his hand in hers, and looked him straight in the eyes before continuing. "I'm done holding you to different standards than Stefan. If I can forgive him for everything he did…then there is no reason not to do the same for you. The thing is…I've been through so much tragedy and despair because of Klaus and every other out of control, blood thirsty vampire or other supernatural being who has threatened my life and the lives of the people I love, that it's been more than I can handle. But then there's you…You have been here for me through it all. And, unlike most other vampires, you have learned how to control the blood thirst. You don't let it rule your life…because deep down you don't want to murder innocent people. That is what matters the most, because it separates you from all of them! And that's all I can ask from you…" She looked away in shame and regret, not wanting to meet his eyes. "It's all I should have ever asked from you…but I was always demanding more."

Damon stared down at her in shock and disbelief, and then cupped her face in his hands. "Elena, everything I have ever done for you…I have done so willingly." He watched as a tear fell from her eyelashes, and gently wiped it away. "Why are you crying?" he whispered.

"Because…I have been so cruel to you," she sobbed. "What have I ever done for you or given to you in return for everything you have done? Nothing!" She threw her arms up in the air and walked over to the window. For some reason, any time she had something important to say, gazing out the window always helped her collect her thoughts. "I've constantly held you to higher standards than Stefan…partially because I wanted you to fulfill them," she admitted, glancing at him in the reflection.

He was merely observing her, drinking in every word she spoke, as if it was intoxicating. For the first time, he was about to get a straight answer out of her. He was anxious, but remained calm. "So what's the other reason, then?"

She sighed and returned to sit on the couch, resting her head in her hands before looking back at the man before her. "Well…because I knew that if you didn't, I could always use you as a scapegoat—as someone to blame for everything wrong in my life. When I realized that you were actually fully capable of meeting those standards, I came to rely on that goodness in you… and I—I took advantage of that. So instead of being grateful for all the good you have brought to my life… I have been angry, because being angry was much easier than admitting that I had feelings for you. I thought that if I could just be mad at you, then I could ignore my feelings… but I was wrong. And in my own selfishness, I have hurt you over and over again." She gave him a pleading look that was filled with sorrow and regret. "I'm so unbelievable sorry Damon…"

In a flash he was kneeling before her, resting his arms on her thighs, and holding her hands in his own. He gently kissed the top of her hand reassuringly. "Elena… you have done more for me than you could possibly know. You gave me hope again, after I found out that Katharine never loved me. You…you have made me feel alive, when I felt dead—when I felt worthless." He looked into her brown eyes with all the love and sincerity in the world, and she wondered why it took so long to admit that she loved him.

"Damon… I've been so blind. I don't know how I could have ever hurt you the way I did…Everything was just so crazy…"

"I know," he spoke gently. "I won't lie and say that the things you've said, and the ways you've treated me don't cause me pain even now…but all I want is for you to be happy, even if that happiness isn't in being with me. I can accept that you may never love me the way you loved Stefan—I can handle that pain—as long as you don't hate me for what I am and what I have done…"

Elena was shaking her head, denying Damon's words. He really didn't know that she loved him more than he could possibly imagine. "You should know… Stefan and I are over. I do not love him the way I once did—I mean, how could I? Nothing would ever be the same between Stefan and I after everything that's happened…"

Damon's blue eyes expressed bewilderment. "You two are…over?" he asked her, and his next words were more mumbled to himself than anything. "I'm an idiot." He stood up abruptly, running his hand through his dark locks. "I shouldn't have left so abruptly that night. I assumed, when he told you he loved you still, that you would take him back… God, I'm stupid. I got angry over nothing! And made you worry about me…made you cry. In the end I guess I'll always be the jealous older brother, who never gets the girl he wants. You deserve better than both of us."

Although part of him truly believed that this woman deserved better than either Salvatore brother, he desperately wished she would choose to be with him. He knew he didn't deserve her—hell, he had never deserved her. He wished he could go back in time, and allow her to make her own decisions without doing everything in his power to stop her. She had proven herself to be strong, determined, and perfectly capable of dealing with problems on her own. He had never trusted her enough to let her do as she wished—no, he had trusted her, but he was so afraid of the prospect of losing her that he couldn't accept that she might have had a better plan than he did.

"Damon, listen to me please…none of this is your fault. I caused this. I toyed with your feelings when it wasn't fair of me to do so. You may be overbearing sometimes, but that did not give me the right to throw your feelings back into your face after everything you had done for me in Stefan's absence. If it wasn't for you, I would have given up—lost all hope…for everything. And if it wasn't for what I said, you never would have felt the need to leave. So don't go blaming yourself. If anything, you should be grateful, because all of this led me a single conclusion…." She paused, unsure if it was really the right time to tell him that she loved him. If not now, then when? If she left the boarding house that night without telling him how she really felt, then quite possibly it would be too late.

They were finally talking it out—finally getting everything off their chests. She hadn't realized until she came over just how much there was to apologize for on both ends. There truly had been a giant elephant in the room, and it felt good to realize that it was shrinking in size the more that they talked. Unfortunately, it would never completely disappear until she was able to say those three little words to him. For some reason though, it was much more difficult to admit it to him than it was to admit it to herself and her friends.

He was staring at her curiously, waiting for her to explain what this conclusion was that she had come to, but the explanation never came. He watched as she opened her mouth multiple times as if she were going to speak, and then close it again without uttering a word. It vaguely reminded him of a fish, and he let out a small chuckle in spite of himself. "Are you going to let me in on this conclusion, or are you going to continue sitting there looking like a fish….Elena?" It was as if she was staring off into space, and hadn't heard a word he said.

He knelt in front of her again, and waved a hand in front of her eyes. Her gaze snapped to his face, and she blinked a few times. "I'm sorry, I totally zoned out."

"Clearly. So what is this conclusion that I should be grateful for?" He smiled softly, but she could see the suspicion in his eyes.

She let out a small sigh, knowing that her next words would change everything. The suspicion in his eyes would disappear, replaced by a certain liberation that only her words could produce. It would be a huge weight lifted off of her own shoulders as well, but despite the fact that she knew it was right, she was still terrified. She had no idea what the future held for them. But he was kneeling in front of her, ever so patiently, waiting for an answer—and so she gave him one.

"I love you, Damon."

=D Finally, huh? I really hope you liked this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it, and I think it flowed very well. I was a bit worried about writing this conversation; because I didn't want it to be too much dialogue—but it almost had to be, so I tried to insert inner thoughts from both of them when appropriate. As always, please read and review! There will be one more chapter!

~Aya Mae~