Elena's POV
"Elena," Stefan said quietly as he nodded his head in acknowledgement. My eyes widened in shock as I stumbled back slightly. I watched as he hesitantly took a small step forward, his hands in the air to show surrender.
I stood there with my feet frozen to the ground below me while every emotion coursed through my body. I should hate him. I should hate him for what he's put me through. I should have saved all of the tears I cried over him in a jar so that I could drown Stefan in them. I should yell and scream for all the pent up anger that's been accumulating. But as Stefan was standing before me, the only thing I could feel in that moment was…relief.
"What are you doing here?" I asked. He shrugged lightly, taking a step forward. I bent over to turn on the lamp that was on my desk, and took in the sight of Stefan. If I ever saw Stefan again, I was prepared for him to be dressed up in bloody and tattered clothes followed by his vampire face on. but the Stefan that stood before me was normal…he was the person I fell in love with.
"I've missed you…" he answered simply. I shook my head in disbelief. Suddenly, anger coursed through my body as those three simple words sunk in.
"No…" I said through gritted teeth. I looked up to see a confused expression written all over his face.
"What?" he asked genuinely confused.
"You don't get to come back…not now…not after I've worked so hard!" I nearly shouted.
"Elena, I know that you have no reason to: but please let me explain" he pleaded.
"Give me one good reason why I should listen to anything you have to say?" I asked him as the anger in my voice intensified.
"Because I know you…you still care…you still love me…" Stefan said quietly. I folded my arms across my chest and opened my mouth to speak…but nothing came out. Why wasn't I fighting this? Why wasn't I telling him to take his apology and stick it where the sun doesn't shine? Why was I willing to listen to him?
I looked up to see that Stefan had taken a step closer, obviously taking advantage of my uncertainty.
"Elena…you are never going to know how sorry I am for the pain that I've caused you. After everything that happened with the sacrifice, I was prepared for us to finally move on…but you didn't seem like you wanted to…"
"I'm sorry I didn't seem like I wanted to move on after two psychotic vampires left like bats out of hell, my best friend nearly died, my brother did die, and my aunt, the only parent I have left did die!" I interrupted.
"I know. And I'm not blaming you for any of it… but I got scared," he admitted.
"You got scared of what?" I asked out of sheer confusion.
"Of what was becoming of you and Damon. I knew all along how much he loved you, and I became something I never wanted to: the jealous boyfriend. You were right. Everything he's done, he's done for either one of two things. He's done it for either love or for you, and 9 times out of 10, he's done it for both" he said.
"Feelings of friendship were all I had for Damon!" I said loudly. I was about to tell him how much that's changed but that was a different conversation for a different time.
"I know…I didn't think about it when I walked away…I just walked…" Stefan took a step closer until finally we were standing only a few inches apart. He took my hand in his and looked me in the eyes "And believe me when I say that I've spent every day for the past few months regretting it…" he said softly.
"Things are different now…" I breathed, averting my gaze to anywhere but his pair of emerald green eyes.
"But that doesn't mean they can't be the same…" Stefan tried. I tugged my hand away from his and threw my hands up in exasperation.
"I don't want them to be!" I said. It took me a moment to realize that I was yelling, but nobody downstairs would hear because of the loud music that was blasting throughout the lower half of my house. "I don't want them to be the same! Don't you get it, Stefan? Things will never be the same!"
Damon's POV
I felt like a stalker.
There I was, standing outside of Elena's bedroom door – listening to their conversation like a desperate high school freshman geek gunning after the quarterback's cheerleader girlfriend. I rolled my eyes at that reference before I remembered that Stefan was a quarterback…and Elena was a cheerleader. I shook my head to rid myself of the thoughts that had flooded into my mind.
I wasn't listening to invade the privacy of their conversation. I was only listening because he has been gone for months – and I needed to make sure that she was safe. At least – that's what I told myself. I pressed my ear closer to the door, careful not to move as the floorboards creaked underneath my weight everytime I shifted.
"Feelings of friendship were all I had for Damon!" Elena said loudly. My heart sunk into my stomach as I heard these words. I forced back the growl that was coming from my throat as I imagined the sheer glee Stefan must've felt from that.
"I know…I didn't think about it when I walked away…I just walked…" Stefan said. "And believe me when I say that I've spent every day for the past few months regretting it…" he said softly.
"Things are different now" Elena whispered.
"But that doesn't mean they can't be the same…" Stefan tried. It took everything in me not to knock that door down and kick Stefan back to wherever he came from. But my resolve faltered as I recognized that this wasn't my battle…these were the missing words that were left unsaid when Stefan left a very fragile Elena behind.
"I don't want them to be!" Elena said. I took my ear off the door to adjust to the new octave coming from Elena. When I listened again, Elena was speaking again "I don't want them to be the same! Don't you get it, Stefan? Things will never be the same!" she shouted. In that moment, I could feel my heart break a little bit. Not because I was afraid of losing Elena…no, I'd like to think I had more faith in her than that. This was about the fact that she was in pain – she was emotionally vulnerable right now – and it was my job to take that away.
But then I remembered that it wasn't my job. It wasn't anyone's job. I can't protect Elena from what she feels.
Elena's POV
"I don't want them to be the same! Don't you get it, Stefan? Things will never be the same!" I shouted. I watched intently as his face fell slightly. I inhaled deeply and wiped a stray tear from my cheek.
"Stefan…I love you. And I will probably love you for the rest of my life," I said softly. "But I'm not in love with you anymore. And thinks will never be the same…" I whispered almost inaudibly, "because I'm in love with Damon" I declared. I closed my eyes slightly, prepared for an attack. I opened my eyes cautiously to see that he was staring up at the ceiling.
I opened my mouth to say something but decided against it because he needs time. I pursed my lips in anticipation for what he was thinking.
"Say something please…" I pleaded. He averted his gaze back to me before closing the distance between us and crashing his lips onto mine. I could feel the desperation and sadness roll off his tongue, and I felt sorry for him. I moved my hands to his chest in an attempt to push him away but was unsuccessful. His arm wrapped themselves around my waist, pulling me closer. His lips left mine momentarily to kiss my neck.
"Stefan…" I breathed out of desperation. I didn't want this. I continued to shove Stefan but my touch probably felt like a feather. He was much stronger than I, and I realized it was probably better to stop fighting him and wait until his temporary bravery wore off.
But while Stefan was kissing me against my will: I had only one question. God, where the hell was Damon?
Damon's POV
"Say something please…" Elena pleaded desperately. I listened closely for a response from him, but what I was not expecting was the sound of their lips moving in synchronization. My heart sank into the deepest corner of hell at the sound of Elena breathing his name out of desperation.
In a way, I couldn't blame her. After all, she said so herself: it will always be Stefan.
I shook my head fiercely and took off down the stairs and out the door of the Gilbert house. If one night with Elena was all I'd get…I'd treasure it forever. The good brother was back. Doesn't matter how and it doesn't matter why. He is what Elena wants. I'll never be the better man…
I hopped into my car and drove on auto-pilot. I couldn't think straight. The only thing on my mind was the hole that was burning inside of me. My subconscious led me to the doorstep I was currently standing on. I was craving one thing. I needed one thing and I loved one thing…and those three things were all Elena. But she was never mine…and she never would be.
With a shaky finger, I pressed the doorbell lightly. I heard someone walk down the stairs and the door opened in front of me.
"Damon…" Andie said. Her voice was laced with confusion and relief. I looked up at her and her brown eyes made me yearn for the piece of my heart I left at Elena's. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"No, Andie…I'm not okay" I whispered before crashing my lips onto hers. She returned my advances immediately.
"I don't know what happened…but I'm glad it did…" Andie whispered seductively as she unbuttoned my shirt.
"No talking…" I ordered as I ripped the remainder of our clothes off.
"Yes sir…" she repeated and we dashed up the stairs, our naked bodies searching for comfort in eachothers arms.
I want to get at least 100 reviews on this story before continuing…please read and review! I love comments, they make my day! Thank you so much for all the positive feedback so far. You guys rock!