Impossible

Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.

Chapter 6: Return

Elena was half awake but she refused to open her eyes, choosing to be in between dreams and reality. She curled into a fetal position so she could cram herself in the small space that was uncomfortable enough as she was jostled every few seconds. Her eyes flew open as she suddenly realized she was moving and she was in a car instead of her bed.

"Good morning," Damon said cheerfully as he tapped his fingers on the wheel, following the rhythm of the song blasting out of the speakers.

"Where are we?" Elena said looking wildly around her.

"In Georgia," Damon replied humming along to the radio

"Georgia?" Elena repeated incredulously, "No, we're not. Seriously where are we?"

"Seriously, we're in Georgia." Damon said his smile widening, wondering when Elena would catch on, "How are you feeling?"

"What?" Elena asked in a slight panic, "We need to go back. Pull over. I mean it Damon, stop the car."

"Ugh, you are so much fun when you're asleep," Damon snorted and rolled his eyes as he slowed to a stop by the side of the road.

Elena stepped out of the car and somehow she knew that before she got out completely, Damon would be there. He had a playful look about him as she shut the car door and leaned back against it.

"I'm guessing you have my phone," Elena said wryly as she stared out, finally realizing where they were and how familiar everything was.

"Yep," Damon said patting his jacket pocket a second before the ringing started, "And look who's right on time…hello, Stefan? Uh huh, she's right here. No, she doesn't want to talk to you. Buh-bye, have a good day now, Stef."

Elena shook her head, soft laughter escaping her as she watched Damon tuck her phone back into his pocket, "What is this Damon?"

"One day, remember?" Damon said to her, his expression softening as he looked straight ahead.

"And you want to spend it doing everything over exactly like before?" Elena asked, "Why?"

"Because I'm trying to figure out something," Damon answered as he kicked a stray pebble, avoiding eye contact.

"What?" Elena asked eyeing him suspiciously

"The place and the time you fell in love with me," he answered with a shrug, "I figured if I can't solve every other problem I have I can at least unravel that mystery."

"You can just ask me, you know," Elena said with a smile, her heart constricting knowing this day wouldn't last and that beneath their light banter was a pain that only knows how to grow.

"Oh, honey, I don't think even you know the answer to that," Damon said smugly, "You were in the middle before you even realized you cared."

"So you think it started in Georgia?" Elena asked playing along even she desperately wanted to talk about all the worries that were left unsaid.

"Not really, not for you," Damon answered as he opened the door for her, "But that's were it started for me."

"Why?" Elena asked as she went in, leaving the door open to wait for his answer.

"Because I finally saw you, Elena," Damon answered with such intensity that Elena was held captive in his gaze, "You were suddenly no longer Katherine's double but just…Elena, the girl who is a fun drunk, who had the most unusual questions about vampire 101 and the girl who saved the life of her kidnapper. How can you not fall for that?"

Damon drove as fast as he moved that by noon they were already en route to their next location. "Any guesses?" he asked her, wiggling his eyebrows at her playfully.

"Disneyland," Elena answered deadpan.

"Ooooh, close but no," Damon said as he turned a corner, "The Mystic Falls Founder's Hall."

Elena traced circles on her window, trying to hide the smile that was fighting its way out of her as her mind saw nothing but blue. She could almost feel the banister beneath her fingertips ash her heart raced while she searched for the escort she already knew would disappoint her. But she kept moving, one step at a time, until her heart stopped and the world shifted in the slightest the second Damon stepped in her line of vision, looking up at her like he's been waiting for her all his life.

She turned to look at him as he concentrated on the road, tracing every feature of his face with her eyes. Elena wanted to memorize every single detail as if that act alone would mean she would never lose him. But she knew it wasn't enough. She would never be able to catalogue the hundreds of facial expressions he had, every single one that betrayed his emotions to her. She would never able to perfectly recall his hypnotic eyes and how they could see through every lie she said to his face. Elena wanted to memorize the man who made that face come alive but she knew it was impossible.

In her distraction she didn't even notice that they had arrived and in silence Damon parked the car and escorted her into the hall. Music played, familiar and bittersweet, as he took her hand and they went out to the grounds as they had once before.

They faced each other as the dance dictated that was how they should start. Elena looked at Damon as the pain settled in her heart and she repeated their words from the past but now meaning something entirely different, deeper and tainted with more hurt.

"What are we going to do?" Elena asked hoarsely, tinged with desperation, as she bowed to him, hoping he knew the answer that would save them both.

"Right now we just have to get through this," Damon replied in a low voice that cracked almost imperceptibly, echoing his own words from the past but with an honesty that cut through him worse than a lie.

I'm dying to catch my breath
Oh why don't i ever learn
I've lost all my trust
Though I've surely tried to turn it around

The near touch, something that both of them knew well. Close enough to make that connection but an invisible wall kept them apart. Elena knew how much they held back before, how much time they wasted and how many lies they lived through that kept them apart when all they wanted was to be together.

They circled each other perfecting the part of the dance that mirrored how they used to be. Damon was more than familiar with being around Elena yet knowing she was too far away to touch. He lived with the feeling of wanting what he couldn't have for so long that for a while it was the only kind of love he knew. It was what he knew and it was safe. The pain of unrequited love was his only friend for a long time.

Can you still see the heart of me?
All my agony fades away
When you hold me in your embrace

And then they stepped into each other's arms and the world fell away once more, just like the first time and just as how it will end. Damon knew that even if the world abandoned him, Elena would still fight to save him. It was as real to him as the feel of her in his arms, matching every step he took as she looked at him like there was nowhere else she would rather be than right there with him.

Don't tear me down
For all I need
Make my heart a better place
Give me something I can believe
Don't tear it down
What's left of me
Make my heart a better place

Elena placed her hand in his and her trust along with it. She had lost so much yet the world was not done with her. It was hell-bent on taking even the broken pieces of her and crushing it until she no longer recognized herself. She wanted Damon to save her…not her body but the part of her that wanted to live out a future with him. Otherwise, it would end much like their dance, they will pull back, and their arms will fall to their sides in defeat as they stare at the chasm of death that separates them.

Elena stared up at her house at a loss for words, completely raw with emotion as she held on to Damon's hands as she wondered why he brought her here. He led her up to the porch in silence, turning her so that she faced him, keeping her from going inside.

"What are we doing outside? Shouldn't we go in?" Elena said trying to pull her hand away to gesture at the door but Damon held tight, shaking his head slightly.

"This was never really a good place for us, Damon," Elena said when the silence became too heavy to bear.

"We tore down each other a lot here, huh?" Damon said as the memories ripped through him, her words and his screaming in his mind, when even 'good night' became a tired surrender to arguments that left him angry and cold.

"I'd rather not go down that road, Damon," Elena said softly.

Damon reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "But there was one time that it wasn't so bad…I just wish you were here to see it."

Elena leaned back in surprise, opening her mouth to speak but Damon silenced her with a finger to her lips.

"You know," he started, "I came to this town wanting to destroy it…but I found myself wanting to protect it. How does that happen? I'm not a hero, Elena. I don't do good…it's not in me."

"Maybe it is," Elena heard herself whisper as she reached up to touch his face, feeling his weight of his confession and the truth of how he saw himself.

"No," Damon replied with a faint smile, "That's reserved for my brother, you and Bonnie. Even though she has every reason to hate me…still helped Stefan save me."

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Elena asked taken aback, honestly wondering why it was that Damon failed to see himself clearly, the way she could even when they were barely even friends.

"Because she did it for you," Damon answered, "Which means that somewhere along the way, you decided I was worth saving…and I wanted to thank you for that."

"You're welcome," Elena said, filled with warmth as Damon kissed her lightly on the cheek, pulling back to open the door for her. She watched him, somehow understanding this was the moment Katherine stole from them, wishing she could find the words to tell him that she lied. She would have kissed him back because even then she knew that it would threaten the world as she knew it. She just wasn't ready to take that leap of faith for the right one and now it just feels like she's too late.

"There's one last stop to this tour," Damon said holding the door open and gesturing for her to go inside, "After you, Elena."

Somehow she knew to go to her bedroom, turning on the lights as she went inside, expecting Damon to be behind her. Elena gasped, her hand flying to her chest when she saw him quietly sitting by her window. Instinctively she closed her fist around her necklace but it wasn't there. Instead she watched Damon stand up, his hand extended as he dangled the chain from his fingers.

She reached out to take it from him but he pulled his hand back, "Damon, what is going on?"

Elena watched as Damon's jaw tightened, his internal struggle clear in his eyes, "Elena, do you trust me?"

She nodded, "We wouldn't be here if I didn't…you know that. Damon, what is it? You're scaring me."

"There's something I want to give back to you. Not the necklace," Damon said as he tossed it on the bed, "A memory."

"Cute PJs," Damon said with a forced smile.

"I'm tired Damon," Elena said a clipped tone, immediately becoming defensive, the horror of his last unannounced visit crashing in on her.

He stood up and held out her necklace, "I brought you this," he said as if it were an apology.

"I thought that was gone," Elena said relieved to find out he actually had a reason to be there, "Thank you."

She reached out for it but Damon pulled his hand back, his face filled with regret.

"Please give it back," Elena said as fear rose in her.

"I just have to say something," Damon said

"Why do you have to say it with my necklace?" Elena argued keeping her voice even and steady

"Because what I'm about to say is probably the most selfish thing I've ever said in my life," Damon reasoned.

"Damon… don't go there," Elena said, taking a deep breath as she shook her head, filled with disbelief that this was all happening.

"I just have to say it once," Damon said closing the distance between them, making Elena flinch for a second but somehow she held her ground as he continued, "You just need to hear it."

Damon nodded as he stared in to her eyes, holding her in the moment with him, wishing she'd believe him.

"I love you, Elena," he said simply. It was fact. There was no inflection or theatrics that would help explain it better than what it was and as his words settled on Elena, he saw that she understood and it was enough for him to follow through, "And it's because I love you that I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know this...I don't deserve you. But my brother does."

Damon kissed her gently on the forehead, somehow silencing the protest that was already on her lips, making her gasp. He held her face in his hands as he continued, his heart breaking with every word, "God, I wish you didn't have to forget this…but you do."

Elena gasped for air, catching her breath as if she had just been saved from drowning. She clutched Damon, holding on to him as if the power of the memory was a physical blow. Damon held her steady, his hands leaving her only to pick up the discarded necklace and to place it on her neck, clasping it securely.

"I still believe every word I made you forget," Damon said as he looked at her, "And if I had to do it over I wouldn't change a thing."

"So why did you give it back to me?" Elena said unaware of the tears streaming down her face.

Damon brushed away a tear that rolled directly on his hand as he cupped her face, "Because I'm running out of time and I need to tell you in as many ways I can how much I love you."

A sob escaped her and she couldn't stop once it started, finding it hard to breathe as she cried for all the wasted chances and the hopelessness that surrounded her. Damon held her close to him, saying nothing because he knew there was no comfort even in lies.

When finally she felt there were no more tears to cry, she looked up at him and kissed him with everything she had, her lips molding into his with the heat of desperation, fear and the love she took to long to recognize. Elena pulled back breathless, "I will fight even you to save your life. I love you, Damon. I hope that's reason enough to keep trying, to keep living."

Damon closed his eyes in pain, his lips tightly closed as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "I wish it were," he said as he kissed her lightly on the forehead, "Good night, Elena. I love you."

Elena blinked and she was alone. She reached up and touched the cold pendant that lay on her chest as she watched the curtains flutter in the open window.

Damon was gone.

A/N: The song in this chapter is All I Need by Within Temptation. Hope you enjoyed this update! :)