It was 4:00am when Damon awoke. "Elena," he whispered. She didn't respond. Her breathing was steady and shallow. She was sleeping soundly. He glanced over at the clock. It was the middle of the night. Now was probably a good time to leave. He unwrapped his arm from her waist and gingerly slipped out from under the sheet. He collected his clothes from the floor and quietly got dressed. As he pulled his jeans on, he paused a second to glanced at Elena's sleeping figure. It was a déjà vu moment for him. The last time he tried sneaking out, she'd busted him and he'd left with her upset. Now she barely stirred. He hated himself for doing this to her again, but was he really sneaking out this time? Or was he simply sparing them from a good-bye neither wanted? It would be torturous, feeling the softness of her lips, as they kissed goodbye, the heat of their naked bodies pressed against each other. He'd have to fight an intense urge to throw her back in bed and ravage her all over again. He wasn't sure he could resist. Besides, both had known when he came over that he couldn't stay. They were playing with fire as it was with him sneaking over there right after Stefan finished drilling him. The longer Damon was gone, the greater the risk of Stefan finding out. Plus she had to get up for school in a few hours. He knew she'd be disappointed, but he didn't want her to lose any more sleep. She'd need her strength for later. He smirked devilishly. I'll make it up to her when I see her tonight. Damon looked down at her sleeping contentedly, remembering the first time he'd snuck into her room while she was asleep. He couldn't get over it. It seemed so long ago yet just like yesterday. Despite the back and forth drama and hurtful times, he'd do it all over again just to be with her. Though his brother may never forgive him, he would still choose her. Her love was worth it. He leaned down and gently kissed her head. He whispered, "I love you Elena." She stirred but didn't wake. He made his way to the open window, looking back at her once more, and then swooshed out.

He arrived home 15 minutes later to a darkened house. Stefan's car was in the driveway, so he was obviously home. Damon snuck inside the foyer, shutting the door quietly behind him. He hung his leather jacket on the coat rack and headed upstairs. Down the hallway from his room, a glow of light caught his eye. It was coming from the stairway that led to the attic where Stefan slept. The shadow of light flickered against the wall unlike the steady reflection of a lamp. Stefan sometimes preferred to write in his journal by candlelight, reminiscent of his youth. Damon froze. Shit, he's awake. With his enhanced vampire hearing, Stefan would've heard him come home. He'd have to think fast. The hallway remained still. Stefan never came down. He had to know if his absence had been noticed. Quietly, he climbed the steps. He peered around the corner of the doorway. He called to him softly, "Stefan?" There was no answer. As he stepped inside the room, he saw a lit candle on the desk along with Stefan's journal. The journal was left open with the pen in the center like a page marker. Next to it was an empty bottle of Bourbon. Damon read the last entry.

"My mind has been so dark and gripped with anger, but I think I'm finally starting to see some light. Things are exactly as they're supposed to be. I see that now."

Was Stefan starting to accept the breakup? Damon's eyes glanced over to the bed where his brother was lying. He could hear Stefan's shallow steady breathing. His brother had probably passed out from the booze. He leaned over the desk and blew out the candle, before heading back to his bedroom.

Stefan's eyes popped open with Damon's fading footsteps. He'd only been pretending to be asleep. His jealousy and anger were churning too strong. Now wasn't the time to sleep. It was time to finish planning. In a few hours, he would put his plan into action.

A car horn outside the Gilbert house beeped three times. "Elena," Jeremy yelled up the stairs. "I'm leaving now."

"Ok, I'll see you later." Elena heard the front door open and close. She had just gotten out of the shower and was combing her wet hair. It was a good thing Jeremy had woken her up when he had. She'd forgotten to set her alarm clock. Her late night rendezvous with Damon had sidetracked her, causing her to over sleep. Now she was running behind for school. It didn't really matter anyway. It wasn't like she had parents or a guardian left the school could report her to. It was a sad truth. In any case, she had recently switched her emergency contact information to Damon's number, since she needed an adult's name on file. At 173 years old, he definitely qualified as an adult. Surely, he'd come up with a good excuse for her. It wasn't like he would say, 'Sorry, it's my fault she overslept. She couldn't keep her hands off of me.' Ok, he might. She chuckled, thinking about it. Last night, Elena sighed. Her only regret was Damon had left before she woke up. She absentmindedly brushed the same section of her hair over and over, while her thoughts wandered. She smiled wickedly. She imagined the look on Damon's face if she skipped school and surprised him by showing up naked in his car. The beep of her phone pulled her out of her reverie. It was a text from Caroline.

Caroline: It's 7:30am. Where are you?

Shit. I completely forgot. Caroline's car wasn't working. Elena had told her she'd pick her up for school. She didn't want to make Caroline late just because she was.

Reply: Oh no Caroline, I totally forgot. I'm running really behind. Can you get another ride?

Caroline: I guess I'll have to.

Reply: I'm so, so sorry. Maybe Bonnie could give you a lift?

Caroline: She's probably gone by now. Don't worry about it. I'll call my mom. Maybe she can swing by on her patrol and pick me up.

Reply: I can still drive you home.

Caroline: Alright. I'll catch up with you later.

Reply: Ok

Elena clicked back to the home screen on her phone to check the time. Yikes I'd better pick up the pace.

Twenty minutes later, Elena was flying down the stairs to the kitchen to grab a granola bar and her lunch before she headed out. She scarfed down the bar and chugged a cup of coffee to wash it down. Her phone chimed the familiar tune she'd selected for Damon. She couldn't help but smile. She dug around in her purse for her phone. Ok I need to act chilled. She didn't want him thinking she was ok with the way he'd left. "Hello?" There was an inflection in her voice that made it sound as if she had no idea who was calling her.

"Morning sunshine." Damon teased, "Miss me yet?"

"Who is this?" She said, trying to sound all serious.

Ah she wants to play, does she? Alright. "Hmm hmm hmm," he purred. "It's your sinfully hot lover. You know the one whose name you moaned over and over and over again all night long."

"Oh, you mean the guy who snuck out of my bed without saying goodbye like a one night stand? I've already forgotten about him."

Damon winced. "Ouch. Guess I had that coming."

"Seriously Damon, why didn't you wake me?" She polished off her coffee waiting for his explanation.

"If I had, you'd still be naked and wouldn't make it to school at all," he flirted.

She snorted derisively. "And that would've been so tragic why exactly?" She turned on the faucet, rinsed out her empty coffee cup and placed it in the sink.

"Always leave a woman wanting more." I'll bet she's rolling her eyes at me right now.

Elena rolled her eyes. Of course he would say something like that. They knew each other so well. She sounded sad. "You could've at least left a note."

His smile faded quickly with the noticeable shift in her mood. He'd expected her to be unhappy he'd left, but he was hoping she'd understand given the circumstances. He felt like an insensitive jerk. "I thought about it, but it would've been too risky."

For a moment, no one spoke. As if she expected him to see her through the phone, she nodded. He was right of course. Someone may find the note and then it could get back to Stefan, so much for being discreet. It was confusing why she was giving him a hard time. When he'd first called, she only intended on harassing him a little. Yet at some point in the conversation, she realized it bothered her more than she thought. Maybe it was because she feared each time he left might be the last time she saw him. The people she loved most had a way of being taken from her forever. Even though Damon was a vampire, it didn't mean he was impervious to death. He'd come close to dying many times in the course of saving her life. The intensity of their all-consuming love was something she had feared from the beginning. She knew if she ever lost him, it would destroy her. "I know," she said, sounding defeated. "It's just our time together is so limited. I want to make every moment we have together count."

"I'm sorry," he said with regret. "I thought it'd be better to let you sleep." This sneaking around, pretending like they weren't together, when they so desperately wanted to be, was wearing on them. He really hoped what he'd read in Stefan's journal last night was true and that his brother was finally accepting things.

"Promise me you won't leave again without saying goodbye." Elena's voice sounded like a child begging her father to stay.

Damon would do anything for her and she knew it. All she had to do was ask. "I promise."

"Thank you." The lightness in her voice had returned.

He didn't like giving her false hope, but right about now he thought a little hope is exactly what she needed. "Besides, we might not have to sneak around much longer. When I got home this morning, I read an interesting entry in Stefan's journal."

That piqued her interest. "Oh?" Elena glanced at the clock. It was 8:05am. "Oh shit." She snapped out of her funk. "I've got to run. I'm really, really late now. You'll have to tell me later." She grabbed her lunch off of the counter and swung her tote bag over her shoulder. Sounding more upbeat, she said, "I'll call you after school. I love you."

Every time she said that, it threw Damon for a loop. It left him fumbling for a response. And his response always came out lame. "Ok, bye." He smiled uncomfortably as he hung up. He shook his head, mad at himself. He didn't know why he hadn't said it back now that they were together.

Elena was in such a hurry, she hadn't even noticed his reply. She tossed her phone in her bag, picked up her keys from the end table and headed towards the front door. In her haste, she wasn't paying attention. She flung open the door and nearly plowed right into Stefan. Startled, she visibly jumped. Her hand flew up to her chest. "Oh my God Stefan, you scared me. I didn't expect to see you standing there."

He smiled at her strangely. "I know." His hands were braced on either side of the door frame blocking her exit.

She hadn't heard him approach the door. She was too engrossed in her conversation with Damon. A shiver of fear ran down her spine. Hopefully, he hadn't heard their phone conversation. Puzzled, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Stefan appeared humble. He bowed his head, nervously shoving his hands in his pockets. With his head hung low, he looked up at her with remorseful eyes. "I, uh, I wanted to talk to you. Do you have a minute?"

Of all times for him to want to talk, it had to be the day she was running late for school. He'd avoided her like the plague since their split. Now he shows up wanting to talk just after Damon tells her things might be getting better. How could she turn him away? She bit her lip. "Well, I'm supposed to be in class right now." She looked at the clock again. It was not 8:15am. She shook her head. "You know what, I'm so late anyway. I'll just skip first period." She motioned with her hand. "Come in." As Stefan walked through the door, something odd occurred to her. "How did you know I'd still be here?"

Sheepishly, he said, "I've been sitting outside for a while, trying to figure out what I was going to say to you. I saw Jeremy leave with his friend. The SUV was still in the driveway, so I figured you were home." It wasn't like he hadn't stalked her before. That's how he'd gotten to know her.

"But Jeremy left almost an hour ago." Something seemed off about Stefan. He wasn't angry like he'd been yet he wasn't quite right either. There was an uneasy feeling prickling inside her but she didn't know why. Maybe it was just nerves, his or hers, she couldn't be sure. The last time they'd spoken hadn't exactly gone smoothly. Or perhaps it was the guilt of knowing she and Damon had been rolling around in her bed just a few hours before.

Stefan chuckled nervously. "Yeah, like I said I was trying to figure out what I should say. I know I didn't handle the break up very well. I wanted to apologize for that."

Elena jumped in before he could go on. "No, Stefan I'm the one who's sorry. I'm so very sorry. I never meant to hurt you that way."

"I know you didn't." He sounded sincere. "I blamed you and Damon for everything when the truth is I was just as much at fault."

"What? No! You didn't do anything wrong."

He turned his back as he spoke, not able to face her. It was all part of his plan to gain her trust by playing on her sympathy. "I did Elena. I left you to go with Klaus."

She touched his arm consoling him. "You did it to save your brother, Stefan. I knew that."

He shook his head. "No, after Damon was safe. I pushed you away when you tried to help me. I gave up on us."

"Stefan don't…"

"It's true. I knew Damon was in love with you and that you felt something for him too. With me gone, it was inevitable you'd get close. I had no right to expect you to wait for me when I kept telling you I wasn't coming back."

Elena swallowed hard. She'd tried so hard to deny her feelings for Damon. Apparently she hadn't been fooling anyone but herself. Even Stefan had known the truth. It only made her feel worse. She never intended on falling in love with Damon. It was beyond her control.

Stefan turned around to face her. "After I came back, I wanted to pretend like nothing had changed between us even though I knew it had. You were willing to give it a try, so I thought I had another chance. When you told me about you and Damon, I just lost it. I guess I didn't want to face the truth that I'd lost you forever."

Another wave of guilt washed over her. "I really did want to try again Stefan." She shook her head feeling at a loss for the right words to explain it. "I should've been honest with you, but I wasn't even being honest with myself. I don't know. I felt it more after I transitioned. And then...," her sentence trailed off. She hung her head in shame. "I shouldn't have acted on my feelings with Damon while we were trying to work things out. I'm sorry."

He raised his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side in agreement. He took a step closer so that he was standing in front of her. "Look, I didn't come here to dwell on what's already done. I came here to say I realize now that it was for the best." He took both her hands in his. Looking her straight in the eyes, he said, "I don't want all this tension between us anymore. Let's put the past behind us and move on. I still care about you Elena, and Damon's the only family I have. I want you two to be happy."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was Stefan giving her and Damon his blessing? If it hadn't been for him squeezing her hands in his, she might have thought she was dreaming. This must be what Damon read in Stefan's journal last night. Everything was going to work out. Hope was growing inside her. She and Damon wouldn't have to hide anymore. Stefan could move on and find someone else, someone who could make him happy. Maybe in time the three of them would be as close as family. "Oh, Stefan I can't tell you how happy I am to hear you say that. Thank you!" She threw her arms around his neck hugging him tightly. That's when she felt it. A sharp prick in her neck then everything went black.

Elena's body went slack in Stefan's arms. He laughed. "Now the fun begins." He scooped up her limp body. Her tote bag was still on her shoulder when he laid her body on the couch. He riffled through it, searching for the keys to her SUV. Her cell phone was lying on top. Just as he'd suspected, Damon's number came up as the most recent in her call history. He stuffed her phone in his back pocket then continued searching until he found her keys. He shoved the bag under the couch, picked Elena up, and carried her through the kitchen to the back door. At this time of day, most people had already left for work. With her truck parked high up in the driveway, it was less likely anyone would see him. He hit the unlock button on her key remote. He looked around to see if anyone was outside before dumping her body in the trunk. Now for the long drive to hide her where Damon would never find her.