Damon had just gotten out of the shower, it had to have been the longest he had taken in years; the thought of Elena and Stefan alone together in a car made him worry. Even when Elena said she loved him, he still feared Stefan would be able to weave his way back into her heart.

He loved his little brother, after everything that's happened in the hundred or so years they've spent as vampires, he still loved him. He would do anything to protect Stefan and make sure he'd still be alive at the end of the day.

Damon felt guilt for putting his brother through the worst times. He had killed his best friend, he had blame him for Katherine's death, and now…he stole the person he loved most. That was something Damon would never feel guilty about; feeling happiness with the girl who had annoyed him, defied him, but loved him endlessly.

He examined himself in the bathroom mirror, smirking at the scratches Elena had left on his shoulders. He had never actually thought she'd be so…rough.

"Stefan must have treated her like she was a porcelain doll." He thought to himself then shook away any thought of Elena and Stefan in bed together.

After getting dressed, or at least half dressed in Damon's case, He ran the towel over his head. It was about one in the afternoon and boredom got the best of him.

He parked his car in the school parking lot and actually went in through the front office so people wouldn't think he was trying to hurt anyone. He rolled his eyes as he was given a guest pass, thinking it would just be easier to sneak into the school and compel the staff. He smirked, waving goodbye to the ladies in the front office; he went through all this trouble for one reason…Elena. If he had done it his way, she would only be disappointed that he couldn't use the rules for once.

"Damon?" Caroline asked, walking up to him. "What are you doing here? Did you come to spy on Elena? Do you not trust her?" She bombarded him with questions.

"No, Barbie." He rolled his eyes. "I'm not here to spy on my girlfriend, I just came to visit her."

Carline narrowed her eyes at him. "Why don't I believe you?"

"Can you just tell me where she is?" He sighed, not wanting to deal with Caroline.

"In the cafeteria with Bonnie and Jeremy."

"Thanks." He gave her a sarcastic smile. "Now, wasn't that easier than ambushing me with ridiculous questions?"

She scoffed and walked away from him, leaving him rolling his eyes once more before going to the cafeteria.

"Damon!" He caught the brunette haired girl in his arms and spun her around.

"What are you doing here?" Elena smiled up at him.

"I was bored." He stated, walking her back to the table she sat at with Bonnie and Jeremy.

She giggled and didn't take her eyes off him. With him there, Elena had become the envy of half the girls at school, mainly because she had dated both Salvatore brothers while other girls couldn't even get their attention.

"Hi, Damon." Bonnie tried her best to be civil; she hated him, but if her best friend was willing to give him a chance, then she would too.

"Hello, Bonnie." He gave her a small nod, sitting beside Jeremy with Elena in his lap.

The four of them had managed to start an amusing conversation, laughing and joking around. Bonnie had actually been the one to start all of it when she teasingly asked Damon how long it took to get his hair to look the way it did, after Elena had brought up the fact that he had once taken almost an hour to get ready for their date.

"This doesn't just happen." He smiled at Elena, reaching down and kissing her lightly.

Bonnie, Jeremy, and Elena laughed again, not noticing Stefan from across the cafeteria.

Damon knew he was there, he sensed him the second he walked in and, for a second, thought he should go home instead. But when he caught sight of Elena and the smile on her face when she ran up to him, made him forget Stefan even went to the same school.

"You got kind of quiet at lunch." Elena stated, unwrapping her scarf from her neck and throwing it on Damon's bed.

"Sorry." He apologized impulsively without realizing she wasn't actually accusing him of anything.

"What do you mean 'sorry'?" She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Do you have something to be sorry for?"

He stared into her eyes, contemplating whether or not he should tell her his feelings about the entire situation. He sighed and smiled at her. "Nope, nothing." He decided against it because he wasn't going to risk her taking it the wrong way and running from him.

"I love you." He cupped her face and kissed her.

"I love you too." She smiled against his lips. "But I have to meet Bonnie and Caroline soon."

"Noooo." Damon whined.

"Yes." She laughed, pulling away from him. "I'll be back tonight." She kissed his cheek, grabbed a change of clothes, and walked into his bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, Damon waved as Elena's car disappeared from the driveway.

"Why don't you save her the trouble of having to find out who you really are, Damon?" He heard Stefan. "Eventually, she'll figure out that you're not everything she needs."

"I wouldn't take relationship advice about Elena from you, brother." Damon faced him, knowing that it was only a matter of time before a showdown with his little brother would happen. "If you can recall, I'm with Elena now and you're…not."

"You're going to hurt her, Damon." Stefan crossed his arms. "You're going to take her down a road, she'll never be able to come back from."

"I'm not making her doing anything." Damon snapped. "She knows what I'm like, Stefan. She knows I'm trouble and that I attract trouble. But it wouldn't matter because at the end of all of it, she'd still love me."

"You-."

"No!" Damon balled his fists. "I'm not listening to this anymore, brother. I get that you're hurt, I know that feeling all to well, Stefan, but I am not letting go of Elena. I know you want to leave because it kills you inside to see us together, I wanted to leave too. But know this, if you leave, I don't you saying anything to her. I won't let you make her feel guilty for finally choosing someone she knows she'd be happy with."

"I'm not leaving." Stefan reassured. "I'm staying because I don't want to hurt her either."

"Klaus was right when he said neither of us are good for her. But I'm going to prove him wrong, Stefan. Elena's mine and I have no intention of giving her up any time soon."

"But she will." Stefan nodded. "Because you're you, Damon. You would ruin it, just like you always do."

Damon smirked. "Oh, dear little brother, you don't know how wrong you are. As much as I wish this wouldn't tear us apart, I know it will. The difference being that I'd have Elena and you'd have no one."

Stefan shook his head and walked away from his brother; he knew Damon was right. In the end, Elena would be forced to choose again…and she'd choose Damon, no matter how close he was with her. He loved her, but it really was time he let her go.