This chapter is a lot of dialogue, but I think ya'll will like it! :)

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Damon laid still in the hour following his sex with Elena.
And to be honest, he would choose to never move again if things could stay as they were in this very moment.
Elena was asleep, or at least drifting in and out of consciousness, while he held her against his body.
Things he had tried so hard to ignore no longer mattered.
This woman was all he could focus on.

But it pained him, because he knew he couldn't let her do this.
Because even though he was a Darkling now, he was an Arc once, and his conscience wouldn't let him forget that.
Wouldn't let him let Elena do this to herself.
She deserved to go home one day...back to the Light, before she realized the truth of her existence.
He would not ruin that for her.

There were only two ways an Arc could be eternally separated from their home.
Death in a mortal body or by falling to the sins of the Dark.
And Elena was too pure to lose her wings, even if that would mean he could keep her.
He'd have to convince her to leave.
Which was going to prove difficult, seeing how she clinged to him now as though she never planned on letting go.
So he would have to do it...and he'd have to keep his own heart out of the way.

Elena knew it was well into Dark by the time she awoke, as no coloring at all came through the windows.
And it was colder than it had been, though that could also be because she was in the bed alone.

"Damon?" She sat up.

"Over here," his voice called, and she glanced across the room.

He was standing, half dressed in black leathers, near a desk, and appeared to be focusing on a mirror hanging on the wall.
She knew this trick.

Had used it many times, before their powers had weakened.

"What do you see?" She stood, wrapping the red silk sheet around herself as she made her way to him.

She slipped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his back, between the two long, thin, scarred lines.
All Arcs had them, of course, seeing as their wings were tucked there, just beneath the mortal skin.
It was one trade mark that truly separated them from the Darklings.
The fallen didn't have their wings anymore, having had them rot off, according to the legend.
She wondered if Damon ever used his wings anymore, now that he was among them.
Probably not...which would explain why his opening had scarred over.
Her own slits were properly engorged, her wings ready to emerge at any time she needed.

Pushing this to the side, she focused, as Damon answered her.
"Stefan is furious," he sounded amused.

"Surprise, surprise," she rolled her eyes.

She could almost feel Damon's smirk, "He doesn't seem to like the fact that you still want me."

"He'll get over it...but please, tell me he's called off the attack?"

"It seems he's decided to postpone any further action at the moment. Mainly he's regrouping...and pouting."
Damon turned, facing her then, "How did you sleep?"

"Good," she assured him, "But I get the feeling that we should talk."

As if talking was really going to do them any good.

He knew how she was, how stubborn she could be, and none of this was going to be easy.
He nodded, and she grasped his hand, pulling him back to the bed, where she sat on the edge.

"Tell me you've come to your senses and realized what a mistake this all was," he commanded.

Elena shook her head, "No, sorry, senses are still completely lost."

He rolled his eyes, but she pressed her point, "I have no regrets about earlier, Damon. And even if it was a mistake, it's one I would gladly make again."

Damon smiled a little, holding her gaze, "I shouldn't be happy about that."

He sighed then, "Elena, listen-"

"I don't like it when you start your sentences that way," she interrupted.

He set his jaw, "Let's be real Elena...this...you and me, we both know it can't happen."

She rose a brow, "In case you forgot, it already did happen, Damon."

He shook his head, "But it can't continue."

She raised her chin, "It sounds like you are the one with regrets."

He sat down next to her on the mattress.
Then made sure her eyes were on his, before he started, "Elena, each moment I have spent with you, I hold in my heart. I could never regret you. But if you stay here, the Light will leave you."

"Then I would be like you," she noted.

"Which you are too good for," Damon hissed, "This isn't you, Elena...and I can't let you do this to yourself..."

She narrowed her gaze, "You seem to be under the impression that I want to join the Dark, Damon. And I don't. As an Arc, I am fighting my very nature just being here. But I refuse to be away from you anymore, so if you want me to go back, you come too. And that's the end of it."

He shot her a look, "You know I can't go back. Even if I renounced the Dark, the Light would never accept-"

"If you gave up your wings, you could come home," she insisted, remembering what Caroline had said, "You could die mortal, and your soul would join the Light again."

Damon's gaze hardened, "You know I can't do that."

"Not even for me?" she pressed.

Damon closed his eyes, "So, this is why you have truly come, then. To sway me?"

"No," Elena said coldly, "But you can not give me a speech on the Dark being the wrong place for me while it consumes you."

"That is my choice," he told her, his temper rising as he stood, "And you are an idiot to forfeit the Light for me."

"I must be!" she jumped to her feet, "Especially when you wouldn't even consider doing the same for me."

"Maybe once I would have," Damon admitted, "But I've told you that I've changed. And if you can't handle that, then you can leave. Which you should do anyway, if you know what's best for you."

She shook her head, "You really don't get it do you? I love you, Damon. I'm not going anywhere. I refuse to give up on you."

She should have known he would be stubborn about this, but still, it wasn't like she could just walk away, no matter how much Damon insisted.

"You are in love with a dream, Elena."

She shrugged, "You know what? Maybe I am, but I don't care. Because not long ago, that dream was our life. The one that we planned together, under the Light...and that is the only thing that keeps me going, keeps me fighting, keeps the love I feel for you alive, even when you turned from me."

Damon's lips were pressed together in a tight line, and she waited for him to throw another insult...but he didn't.
Instead he just shook his head, "So that's it then? You won't leave because of this duty, this love, you think you owe to me?"

She chose not to respond, but he took that as an answer anyway.
"Well, then," he mused, "I suppose I'll just have to make you hate me."

Damon grit his teeth as Elena crossed her arms.
Of course she wouldn't make this easy for him.

She never had.

"You can try," she insisted, "But you're only fooling yourself, Damon. Because it was only a few hours ago that you admitted your love for me, so I know that I am not alone in this! You want me here, so why fight it?"

She was right of course, but that didn't matter.
"Elena, it doesn't matter what I want, because yes, I do love you. But I don't let that rule me."

Lie.

She didn't cut in, so he continued, "Every day that you are here, the Dark will weigh on you. Every hour, the pressure will build and build, until you lose yourself in it. And that fire, that passion you feel, all of your goodness...it will go out like a flame. Maybe not immediately, because I know how strong you are, but it will happen. And you will start to hate yourself. Feelings more powerful than anything you've ever felt. You will think about the Light, how you will never return home to it again, and you will grow to resent me."

She shook her head, "You're wrong, Damon. I only ever wanted you. Sure, I'd prefer to have you the way it use to be, but that is obviously out of the question now...so I'll take you in any way I can get you. Even if that means giving up the Light."

She didn't know.
She had no idea what she was talking about. But her tone was so final that he knew he could never sway her opinion.

"So, you're telling me that in order to be with me, here," he gestured around the room, "That you would give up your position as an Arc, let the Dark have you, just like that? You would fight your own? Caroline, Bonnie, Matt, Stefan, all of them? Because they will come for you, just as Stefan planned on coming for me."

She swallowed at this, and he knew by her eyes that she was bothered by the thought.
"I'll do what I must," she finally stated.

He smirked, "Yeah, give it time. In a week, you'll be begging to go back."

Her eyes met his challenge, "I can last a week, Damon. I can last for however long it takes."

Damon shook his head, not knowing what else to say to make her see reason.
Then an idea struck him.
She thought their love was worth giving up the Light for?
He'd show her just how wrong she was.
He'd show her how crushing the weight of the Darkness really was.
Then he'd make her leave.

"Alright then," he met her with a hard gaze,"I'll make you a deal."

She eyed him suspiciously, "What kind of deal?"

He layered his voice with the charging tone he used on his warriors, "If you last a week under the Dark's influence, I will accept you by my side with open arms."

She seemed surprised, so he quickly added, "But it will be your choice, Elena. Remember that when you start to question your feelings. I am telling you to go home, and you refused. So this, it's all on you. Every action, every choice made from now on, and whatever the consequences, you brought onto yourself, for choosing to love me, and choosing to stand by me."

Of course, he knew what her answer would be, even before she gave it.
And he couldn't help but admire her bravery, or stubbornness, when she held her head high, and nodded, "Fine."

"I have to wonder at your willingness," he taunted, "That you'd truly come to the Dark for me, break your oath to the Light."

She crossed her arms, "When I made the oath to protect the Light, I wasn't aware I'd be saving it from you."

His head turned slightly, "Yeah, well there's a lot you aren't aware of."

He saw her eyes cloud a little, then she shook her head, "Just tell me why you did it, Damon. You owe me that much. Why'd you break your oath?"

He met her gaze, "Because I realized I'd blindly pledged my life for a cause that would eventually get us all killed."

Elena's brows furrowed, "But, the Light-"

"Doesn't give a damn about us!" He interrupted, his voice rising.

She didn't have to know this, and he shouldn't tell her, but it seemed he was doing a lot of things he shouldn't do, lately.

"How can you say that? The Light was our home. We were loved!"

He scoffed at her words.

Love?

"It created us for the single purpose of doing its bidding," he said, "We were born slaves to the Light. And the first chance it got, it threw us to this Darkened realm, and left us to stumble blindly as we were slaughtered. And when we failed, you can be sure they'd just create new Arcs to take our place. How is that love?"

She didn't answer, so he continued, "They didn't give us any warning. About what it would be like to be mortal, to be real. They didn't tell us, Elena. They didn't tell us how fucking hard it would be."

He ran a hand through his hair, "You want to know why I turned? Because I don't see the Light ever returning. Not for these people, not for us. All I see is a broken world ruled by the fallen...And now I rule them."

She didn't falter, "If that is truly how you feel, then why fight me? Why not accept me into the Dark with happiness?"

He stared at her, before cupping her face in his hands, "Because while I believe there should be more to our existence than serving, it doesn't mean this is the life I'd want for you. I've changed in more ways than you know, to survive the Dark, but you are not yet tainted. You could go home, forget all this..."

"So you'd prefer me blind," she challenged.

"I'd prefer you happy," he corrected, "Even if that means giving you up."

She rolled her eyes, "If you want me happy, then stop assuming that you know what's best for me. You aren't the only one that's changed since being in this mortal realm, and you haven't exactly been around lately. You have no idea what I can handle, so why don't you let me worry about it, and stop acting as if I can't think for myself."

Damon couldn't help but smirk.

There was his girl, all feisty and passionate, stubborn and very opinionated.

He really had missed her.

"I guess we'll know in a week," he finally said, dropping his hands.

Her chin came up defiantly, "I guess we will."

Stefan could hardly believe what had happened.
In a series of moments, the entire outlook on this battle had changed.
Elena.
Elena had betrayed them.
He knew that she was having a hard time, especially when he shoved the Damon situation down her throat, but he had never expected it would come to this.
That she would leave the Light!

For him!?
Damon didn't deserve her.
Not after this.

He barked at Jeremy and Matt to call a meeting.
He needed to touch base with the others, figure out their next move.
Because with both Damon and Elena on the Dark's side, the Arcs didn't stand a chance.
It was simply too much for them to handle.
So of course, Elena had gotten what she wanted.
Damon would remain safe a while longer.

But Stefan was driven, and he would find a way to win this, soon, because he wanted, no, he needed to go home.
Being away from the Light was practically killing him.

It was killing all of them.

And the only way to return was to defeat the Dark.
So that's what he would do.
And he would take out his brother in the process.

Because that was the only way Elena would ever let Damon go, and if they could reach her before the Light faded completely, she still had a chance.
But he had to be careful.
He couldn't afford to lose anymore of his warriors.
So they would need time to prepare, but had to act fast.

A week, he decided.
He would wait a week, then find a way to launch an attack on the Darklings.
In a week, the battle of time would finally commence.
And one side would prove victorious.
He just hoped it was the Light.

Soooo, there's that.

Review please! :)