A/N: Is anyone else super fucking pissed about tonight's TVD episode? Alaric is my second favorite character (after Damon, obviously) and I don't want him to be psycho.
But I'm confused. If he takes the ring off is he normal again or is this like a permanent thing? Can someone clear this up for me? 3:
Anyway, listening to Damon make his witty jokes has inspired me enough that I should be able to squeeze a decent chapter out tonight. And there will definitely be some Delena goodness in this one, yippee!
If you like listening to music, go for One Of Those Girls by Avril Lavigne.

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or Damon would be tied up in my basement.

In the last chapter of Redemption:
Damon paid Anna and Pearl a visit asking them about Katherine, where they told him she'd gotten herself out of the church with the help of a lovestruck security guard, and Anna mentioned she'd seen Katherine in Chicago in the 80s. Damon thought about Katherine and why she hadn't contacted him at all, and Stefan unsuccessfully tried to talk some sense into him.

Elena

I sighed as I combed through my hair, deliberating on whether to ditch school or not. I really, really didn't feel like attending- what with everything that had been going down lately, I hadn't gotten a whole lot of sleep. I sighed and headed into my bedroom, deciding to drop school and go to bed- and biting back a scream when I saw a person in my room.

"Jesus, Damon! You scared me. What are you doing here?"

Damon turned and around and gave me one of his trademark smirks. "You. Me. Road trip. Let's go." He grabbed my hand, dragging me towards the door.

"Wait, wait, wait. I can't just go on a road trip! Why do you want to go on a road trip, anyway?"

Damon frowned. "Why bother with "why"? It just leads to heart to heart conversations, and as much as I'd love to spill my guts out to you- no, I can't even be sarcastic about that. Come on, let's go!"

I sighed. "If I go with you, will you talk to me?"

Damon made a face. "Do I have to?" I raised my eyebrows at him and nodded. "Fine. Let's go."

I smiled. "Alright. I didn't plan on going to school any way."

"So," I started when we had been in the car for about ten minutes, "tell me. Why the sudden urge to go roadtripping with your brother's girlfriend?"

Damon frowned, keeping his eyes on the road. "Aw, Elena, I like to think of you as more than just Stefan's girlfriend!"

I looked at him blankly. "Like what? Because last I check, Damon Salvatore doesn't do friends."

Damon smirked. "Oh, I do them, alright." I groaned. I'd totally walked into that one. I made a mental note to watch what I said around him.

"So. Anyway. What's going on? Are you okay? I haven't seen you since... the tomb." I bit my lip, looking at him.

Damon rolled his eyes. "You can say it, Elena. You haven't seen me since I found out the woman I've been trying to save for over a hundred years didn't need saving."

I sighed. "Yeah. That... are you doing okay? You can trust me, you know."

He sighed. "I know I can trust you. You've only informed me of that fact a million times."

I frowned. "Come on, Damon. You told me you'd talk to me about why you wanted to go on this road trip all of a sudden. So 'fess up." Plus, I'm seriously concerned for you, I added mentally.

Damon sighed. "I just want to get away, alright?"

"That doesn't explain why you chose me to get away with."

"Well... you're not the worst company in the world, Elena," he said with a smile, repeating the same line he'd used when we'd gone to Georgia. I couldn't help a small smile appearing on my face.

"You're just lucky I didn't feel like going to school today," I sighed. "And Damon..." I hesitated, not knowing how he would take what I was about to say.

He frowned, glancing over at me. "Yeah...?"

"Katherine didn't deserve you," I said quickly, "so don't beat yourself up over it, okay? Letting you think she was trapped... it was her loss." I reached out and put one of my hands on top of his that was resting on the gear shift. "And if she doesn't realize that, it's her problem."

Damon visibly stiffened for a moment before relaxing. He waited a few moments before replying. "Thank you, Elena," he answered uncertainly.

I smiled at him gently. "What are friends for?"

Damon

I wasn't quite sure what to think when she told me that Katherine (even thinking her name makes me want to punch someone out...) didn't deserve me. My first response was to correct her- it was me who didn't deserve her. That she'd probably done the right thing by not contacting me.

But then I thought about it... and Elena was right.

I am fucking awesome and it's the bitch's problem if she doesn't realize that. Even when I was human I was awesome, and I'm a million times better now.

So I'm letting Katherine go. I'll do whatever it takes- sleep with a million women if I have to (it'll be a huge sacrifice having sex with all of them, obviously), but I will no longer be Katherine's bitch.

And that's her problem.

A/N: Did I do Damon justice in this chapter? I hope so. I tried to still keep him Damon-esque even when I was trying to make him act more sensitively.
Next chapter will be up tomorrow, and I'll be working on it for longer so it should be at least 1500 words. At least.
I'll be doing some stuff from Stefan's POV next chapter as well. I know, I know, most of you probably hate Stefan, but I don't want to portray him as this evil jackass that a lot of people do in their stories. He's not a bad guy, he's just not right for Elena.
Reviews are always appreciated (8