Title: Love's Fool

Summary: Elena made her choice and Damon kept up his end of the deal. He left Mystic Falls more than a year ago and he hasn't looked back since. Now the Original stake has gone missing and suddenly they need him again. But Damon has no intention of playing their whipping boy anymore and this time he has a powerful ally on his side.

Spoilers: Everything through the S3 finale.

Pairings: Delena.

Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Diaries there would be a lot less of Damon getting left to die heartbroken and alone. As it is, I can only hope to vent my frustration by punishing those characters responsible.

Note: I keep thinking I'm going to get these chapters out faster but it just isn't happening. Sorry guys. I'm busy as crap right now and I can only do what I have time to do. I really appreciate all your continued support and everyone who has reviewed. You guys really do keep me going and inspire me to find the time to keep writing. I'll try to reply to your reviews.

Chapter Thirteen

"I love you, Damon."

Damon jerked his head from side to side. He couldn't believe she was doing this now. He couldn't fucking believe this shit. She tried to edge toward him and he quickly pushed himself to his feet and started pacing. "This is bullshit. You can't just say that! Do you have any idea what that does to me?"

"I've spent the last year hating myself for not saying it sooner," Elena's eyes blazed with passion as she stood up and placed herself in his path. He stopped and she faced him down. "I should have told you the truth, Damon. Even if I was determined to play it safe and pick Stefan, you deserved to know the truth. I loved you then and I love you a hundred times more now."

Damon scoffed and tried to push her off track. "That doesn't even make sense. You haven't seen me in a year."

"I'm a vampire," Elena growled. "It makes perfect sense. I love puppies and bunnies a hundred times more than I did a year ago." She stalked another step closer to him and pushed on. "But more than that, I know what it's like to lose you. I can't go through that again. I can't even bear the thought of facing my eternity without you in it. I don't work without you. You are it for me."

Damon was shaken. He needed distance and perspective. He needed her to back the fuck off and get OUT of his personal space. Grinding his teeth, he glared down at her. "It will always be Stefan. Remember that?"

"I was a stupid kid when I said that, Damon!" Elena yelled. "Even a year ago I knew that was a lie. I love you, dammit. Why can't you accept that?"

Damon saw red. "Because no one ever does!" he spat. "I'm not the brother who everyone loves, Elena. I'm the brother who gets fucked and then fucked over!"

"That is the bullshit, Damon!" she poked her finger into his chest. "You never let anyone close to you! You never LET anyone love you!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" Elena said. She put her hands on her hips. "Who hasn't loved you, Damon? Who all chose Stefan?"

Damon was afraid to move. If he moved, he might do something he'd never forgive himself for…like snap her pretty little neck to shut her the fuck up.

Refusing to back down from his daunting silence, Elena gritted her teeth and dug in instead. It had to be said. If they were ever going to work through all their shit then Damon had to face his demons too. It was the only way the two of them even had a chance. "Is this about your father?"

"Don't go there," he was like a statue, not even breathing.

"The man shot and killed BOTH of his sons," Elena forced. "He was a bastard! He was a pathetic excuse for a human being and I hope it HURT when Stefan killed him."

"Oh trust me, it did," Damon drawled. "Your epic love is a messy eater."

Elena started shaking all over. She could feel herself losing control. "HE'S NOT MY EPIC LOVE!" As she noticed the light in Damon's eyes, she ruthlessly forced herself back under control. She glared at him. "Stop it. I'm not going to let you manipulate me, Damon. We're doing this."

Damon cocked his head to the side and lifted one utterly sarcastic brow. "We're not doing shit, Elena. There is no us and there never will be."

Her chest clenched but Elena took in a long deep breath and blew it out. "Moving on then. Who's next? Katherine?"

Damon jerked backward and sped to stare out the living room windows.

"Katherine never loved you or Stefan, Damon," Elena forced. "By the time she met the two of you I don't think she was even capable of it. She'd sold too many pieces of her soul by then. Katherine is more fucked up than you or Stefan could ever hope to be."

"She chose Stefan," Damon spoke despite himself. "She wanted the golden boy, not me."

"She wanted the challenge, Damon," Elena said. As much as her arms ached to comfort him, she knew he needed his space and so she stayed across the room as she pushed on. "You were already a man. You knew women and you'd seen pain and death. Stefan was an innocent boy. She wanted to take that innocence and taint it. She enjoyed the challenge of leading Stefan into her darkness. She wanted to mold him into her perfect plaything."

Elena threw her hands in the air. "Look at her now! Stefan didn't turn out the way she wanted him to, so she's running around after you like a bitch in heat."

After letting the silence stretch for a moment, Elena spoke again. "So who else is there, Damon? Who else chose Stefan? Who else have you ever let close enough to even have a choice?"

He refused to answer and Elena felt tears clog her throat as she offered him her heart once again. "Are we to me yet? Because I'm standing here right now telling you that I chose wrong. I am so in love with you, Damon. My love for you consumes me and I'm not afraid of it anymore."

Still turned away from her, Damon reached up and gripped his hair in his hands. "I'm just here to find the fucking stake."

"The choice is yours this time, Damon," Elena said. "And I wouldn't blame you if you don't want anything to do with me after what I put you through last year. But I love you and I'm not letting you leave me again without a fight. You deserve to be fought for." She smiled and tears escaped her eyes to trail down her cheeks. "You always fought for me. The least I can do is return the favor."

When Damon finally turned back to face Elena his eyes were a swirling storm of emotions. She couldn't begin to sort them all out. She winced internally knowing she'd dropped a lot on him and that he was reaching his breaking point which was never a good thing. But she couldn't regret saying her piece. She had to get it out there. It had to be said before he could run away again. Now she just hoped Caroline's house survived the fallout.

Before either one of them could break the silence the house phone started ringing again. Elena stared at the handset charging on the end table in indecision. She knew she should answer it, but she couldn't seem to make herself move. Just as she'd decided to let it ring out, this time the answering machine kicked in and Caroline's perky voice filled the air asking the caller to leave a message.

The loud beep sounded and then the voice of the genuine article replaced the recording. "Elena? Hellooooo? Elena, pick up the phone."

Elena bit her lip guiltily. She should answer the phone. Caroline might have the answer to their current dilemma and as much as she hated giving Damon the chance to run away they needed to deal with the shades before anyone got hurt. Her heightened senses told her the two shades were still in the front yard and Caroline did have innocent human neighbors.

"HELLO! Elena, answer the phone!" There was a brief pause and then an outraged gasp filled the air. "So help me god Elena Gilbert, if you have sex with Damon in my house I will kill you both!"

Damon stared at the phone in disbelief. "Is she on crack?"

Elena snorted and covered her mouth with her hand to fight back horrified laughter.

"Damon, I will SO tell my mom and she will shoot you!" the blonde continued. "Besides, that is not appropriate for your first time. You two have been building up to this for years. There should be romance and candles and a suite somewhere paid for by the Salvatore family fortune. Do you two have no shame?" she paused. "Okay, let me edit. Elena, do you have no shame?"

Damon sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Would you answer that before she gives herself a stroke?"

Elena sped over and grabbed the handset. She placed it to her ear. "Caroline, chill! We're not having sex in your house. Seriously? You think I would do that?"

"Three words, Elena: skeezy motel groping," Caroline reminded her. "Jeremy was in the next bed."

Elena gritted her teeth. "We weren't in the room with Jeremy. We were on the balcony."

"Eww…public skeezy motel groping?"

Elena heard Damon chuckle and threw him a dark look. "Why are you calling us, Caroline? You know, other than to stick your nose even further into my love life?"

"I'm your best friend," Caroline said. "It's my job to stick my nose in your love life."

"Caroline!"

"Fine, be that way." Elena could hear the whine in the blonde's voice. "I'm calling with an update on the shades."

Elena and Damon's eyes met. "And?" she asked.

"Stefan called Bitchy Spice and she agreed to get the last ingredient Bonnie needs for the potion," Caroline told them. "She's supposed to be doing that now. Oh, and Bonnie found a spell that might let her kill the shades but she and Stefan are fighting about whether or not she should try it. She'd have to cross the salt to cast the spell and Stefan thinks we should wait to try the potion instead."

Elena frowned. "I agree with Stefan. We can't endanger Bonnie when the potion might work. We're fine for the time being, right?"

Caroline snorted. "Fine's a word. We've had a few complications over here."

"Where's Stefan?" Damon asked. "Why didn't he call?"

"Caroline?" Elena asked.

"Stefan's dealing with Katherine and two of the complications," Caroline answered. "Do you know she had people delivering furniture today? These two guys drove up in a delivery truck about half an hour ago. Stefan and Katherine managed to get them inside around the shades, but they started screeching about Zombieland and wouldn't shut up until Katherine compelled the crap out of them. I'm not even sure they know their own names anymore at this point."

"But she didn't really hurt them?" Elena forced.

"Last I checked, they were sitting on the couch eating invisible popcorn and watching a television that wasn't turned on," Caroline said. "Take that how you will."

Damon chuckled bitterly and shook his head. "This town is like Murphy's Law in practice."

"I can't believe we've got two random humans trapped in the boarding house with them," Elena told him.

"Katherine actually said at least we'd have snacks if we ran out of bagged blood," Caroline said. "She is SUCH a bitch. I thought Bonnie's head was going to explode."

"Is that everything, Care?" Elena questioned.

"Did Stefan tell you about Elijah earlier?"

"What about Elijah?" Elena and Damon asked at the same time.

"He finally called Stefan back," Caroline said. "He found Klaus. They both know about the stake and they said they're looking into it. Elijah said they have some leads and they'll get back to us. I'm assuming that means they're using whoever Klaus' newest pet witch is to try to track it down.

Then Elena remembered something or more accurately someone and a wave of guilt rolled her over. "Has anyone heard from Jeremy?"

Rolling his eyes, Damon motioned he was going to the kitchen. Elena nodded and continued catching up on everyone with Caroline. About ten minutes later she finally ended the call and turned to look for Damon. He was standing propped in the doorway holding two bottles of liquor.

"Jeremy's with Tyler and Matt," Elena told him. "They were together at the Grill when everything started going down earlier. They went back to the Lockwood mansion. They haven't seen any shades."

Damon nodded. "I heard," he reminded her. Elena felt her face flush and he grinned at her embarrassment. He held up the bottles and wiggled them at her. "If we have to be stuck here, I see no reason we have to be sober."

Elena recognized the reckless glint in Damon's eyes. She knew how close to the edge he was. They were both wound dangerously tight and she knew adding alcohol was a very bad idea. But the expression on his face was a dare, the curve of his lips an invitation she was helpless to resist. She'd missed him so damn much. The words were out of her mouth before she could second guess them. "I call the tequila."

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