I can honestly say I am proud of myself for this chapter. This is the one I know everyone has been waiting for. It will definitely make you all happy, I can guarantee that. I hope you all enjoy. One mroe thing: Thank you again for all the love. I never thought I would get 50+ reviwes let alone 70+. I am more grateful than you all will ever know. Alright let me shut up. Here's the next chpater:

Elena walked through town with a lot on her mind. She had successfully avoided Damon when she was at work ever since their confrontation at her house. He did not call as much as he did but she always had at least three missed calls from him a day. She had texts messages from him wanting to see her but there were no more voicemails. He was gone in the morning when she spent the night with Amelia and Stefan. She assumed Stefan asked him to be gone before she was waked. Elena missed him, like he claimed to miss her. The difference this time was that she could no longer allow herself to be played over Isobel.

"Don't look so grim sexy!" Elena heard a voice yell from the side of the sidewalk.

She glanced over to see Tom in a pick-up truck smiling at her. Elena returned the smile, walking up to his car. She leaned into the open window of the passenger side of the truck.

"What are you doing in Mystic Falls Tom?"

"I thought I would come spend time with my favorite person. I called to see if you were free but I forgot you like to leave your phone off now."

"Just so Jer won't stalk me." Elena said getting into the truck.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" Tom questioned.

"Nope, it's Sunday. I do not work on Sundays. Plus Jer is like MIA, I think he's with Bonnie. For some reason it seems like she's going to be around for a while."

Tom laughed putting the car into drive and pulling away from the curve.

"Are you hungry?"

On cue, Elena's stomach grumbled.

"I'll take that as a yes." Tom said chuckling.

The two drove until they reached the town drive thru. Tom offered a burger, onion rings and a large Pepsi. Elena ordered a double bacon cheeseburger with a large chocolate milkshake. Once they had their food, Tom pulled off.

"Thanks for buying me lunch. I hardly noticed I hadn't eaten since I left the house this morning."

"It's alright Lena. You know I have to keep my girl fed," He said eating two onion rings, "So have you talked to Damon?"

Elena scoffed then took a large drink of her milkshake.

"Please. I am not talking to him. I have nothing to say." Elena said.

"Lena, you need to get some things off of your chest and you keep holding them in. It's not good for your soul. Balance your chi."

"I'll do that Zen master." Elena teased as her house came into view.

The two laughed in unison as the car came to a stop.

"Where's your sister?" Tom asked as the two got out of the car.

"Umm … she's with Stefan and his little sister, Amelia. They're having a day at the zoo in Richmond. I declined the offer. Stefan and I have been spending enough time together and I don't like to see him and Kat making out every five minutes." Elena explained opening the door to her house.

Tom nodded as they walked into the house. Elena led him back into the kitchen and the two sat at the large counter with their food.

"So have you talked to Jeremy since the fight?"

"We only talk if it's about the work he gives me at the clubs. The only good thing was that I got to one of their strip clubs Friday to file some paper work. Some of those strippers are hot."

Tom laughed sipping on his Pepsi.

"Your brother really let you go to a strip club by yourself?" Tom inquired.

"Well no, he sent his friend Mani with me. She's friendly with some of the girls well the ones who don't hate her." Elena told her friend.

"Why would some strippers hate your brother's friend?"

"If she was banging Jer, it would explain so much. I think it's because he takes care of her. She would be the wife and they would be the groupies who he never sleeps with. Jer actually treats her like a person, more than he does with Bonnie. I mean, she's a waitress and his executive assistant so it's weird." Elena explained with amusement.

"Maybe he likes her."

"Maybe that's true. Mani doesn't do dirt bags though so neither my brother nor Damon qualifies."

Tom laughed at the blow she threw to her ex. He knew Elena was a complex girl but she was one of the best people in the world. She was an awesome friend. She would never judge him or Lexi. She never judged the fact that Lexi cheated on Lee with him and that was enough to make her great friend in his book.

Baby I don't know what it is but you drive me crazy

And every time I'm around you girl it feels amazing

And I'm on my best behavior when I'm with my baby

Cause I can't lose my baby...

I done met a lot of girls in my life but they not like you

Tom looked down at his phone to see Lexi calling. Elena just smiled at him telling him to answer it.

"Hey babe." Tom said into the phone.

"Hey. I got out of class early. I should be home in an hour and I was wondering if you wanted to just hang out."

"Hey Lexi!" Elena exclaimed making Tom smile.

"Is that Elena?" Lexi questioned.

"Yea I saw her wondering the streets all lost and alone," Tom said making Elena and Lexi both laugh, "So I decided to treat her to lunch."

"That's nice. So will you be home in an hour or will you be treating Elena's broken heart with your genius advice?" Lexi teased.

"He'll be home in an hour Lexi. Don't worry. I won't nag him too much today." Elena shouted toward the phone.

Lexi laughed through the phone. Elena took a chunk out of burger and gave Tom her questionable look.

"Thank you Lena. I miss my boyfriend. He has been at work too much." Lexi exclaimed.

"Don't worry. Bye Lexi." Elena replied with a huge smile.

"Bye Lena. Bye Tom. See you later." Lexi said hanging up.

Tom put his phone on the counter and gave Elena a look with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" She asked with a mouth full of burger.

"I think my girlfriend loves you more than me."

Elena giggled swallowing all the food in her mouth.

"It wouldn't be that far off base. She used to love going shopping with me. You know she hated Katherine so I was her go to shopping buddy. Lexi didn't have many friends when we were fourteen."

"Why is it that she and Katherine hated one another so much?"

"Katherine wanted Stef and Lexi had him. It's as simple as that." Elena answered throwing her burger wrapper away.

"Well I guess Lexi could have felt like you then. Isobel wanted Damon and you had him." Tom said.

"That means we both lost them. I am not going to rejoice about that fact we have in common."

Tom smiled and Elena actually laughed at the sight of his smile.

"Seriously that is not funny. I am in pain here!"

The two continued to laugh together though.

"So I know you told me that you won't talk to him but you could at least tell me how you feel." Tom said.

"I did." Elena said with a confused face.

"No, you've vented about how you hate him and how you want to murder him. You haven't told me how you feel with all this coming up again."

Elena thought about it for a second then grabbed his hand. She started to drag him out the kitchen and down a hallway people rarely went down in her house.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to a special room. Just wait." Elena told him.

They turned a corner and went up a spiral staircase. They came to a room and Elena slowly opened the door. Tom stepped in to see a giant grand piano in the middle of the room. Acoustic and electric guitars lined the sides. There was a drum set in the far left corner. There was a huge mirror and dance floor with a bar. 'This must be where Katherine practices her dancing.' Tom thought to himself. A violin was set on a small table beside the guitars.

"What is this?" Tom asked Elena.

"My granddad passed away four years ago. He was a music teacher in Richmond, a great one actually before he got sick. When he had his third stroke, my dad made him move to Mystic Falls so we could all take care of him. He took us how to make music, how to read it and it was great."

Tom looked around to see a large couch lining the right side of the room.

"This room is huge." Tom awed.

"Yea, Dad had it built for my Pops. It was like his little special gift." Elena told him pushing him down on the couch.

"What are we doing in here?" Tom questioned her as she walked toward the piano.

"You asked me how I felt and I'm telling you the only way I know how." Elena said, sitting down at the piano.

"You play piano?" Tom asked skeptically.

"I play piano, acoustic, and violin. I told you he taught us how to make music."

The room got quiet as Elena swept all of her hair over her left shoulder. She relaxed her shoulders and began to press down on the keys.

Damon walked into the Gilbert home using the spare key Jeremy gave him. He needed to talk to his best friend. He walked down the hallway to the office he and Jeremy used for their meetings. Suddenly the sound of a piano caught his attention. Damon continued down the hallway, past the office, and saw a staircase he had never noticed. He climbed the staircase and the music got louder.

"It's probably what's best for you. I only want the best for you and if I'm not the best then you're stuck. I tried to sever ties and I ended up with wounds to bind like you're pouring salt in my cuts." A sweet voice filled the hallway he was walking down.

Damon caught himself walking toward the sound of a young girl singing. 'Who the hell was it?' He thought to himself.

"And I just ran out of band aids. I don't even know where to start cause you can bandage the damage. You never really can fix a heart." The girl's voice sang with a piano playing along with her.

Damon trudged down the hallway and finally came to the door where he knew the girl was singing from.

"Even now I know what's wrong. How could I be so sure if you never say what you feel, feel? I must have held you hand so tight you didn't have the will to fight. I guess you needed more time to heal."

Damon pushed the door open to see Elena sitting down at a piano as he fingers flew past the keys. Her eyes were closed as she sang the words to the song.

"Baby I just ran out of band aids. I don't even know where to start cause you can bandage the damage, you never really can fix a heart. Ohh ohh ... yeah ohh …Yeah."

Her fingers looked as if they just never touched the keys. They looked as if she was pretending but the nostalgic sound coming from the piano let Damon know he wasn't just imagining what was in front of him. He felt his heart squeeze with love.

"You must be a miracle worker, swearing up and down you can fix what's been broken yeah. Please don't get my hopes up no no. baby tell me how could you be so cruel It's like you're pouring salt on my cuts," Elena sang feeling every word that flowed from her mouth and then she paused for a brief moment before beginning again, "Baby I just ran out of band aids. I don't even know where to start. Cause you can bandage the damage you never really can fix a heart."

Her feelings for Damon, the betrayal of him choosing Isobel over her, her own self-stupidity were going into the song she was singing so Tom could fathom at least a tenth of what she was feeling.

"Baby I just ran out of band aids. I don't even know where to start. Cause you can bandage the damage, you never really can fix a heart. Oh no no no. You never really can fix a heart. Oh no no no. You never really can fix a heart. Oh hoo ohh. Oh hoo yeah ohh ohh ho oh oh oh. You never really can fix my heart." Elena sang hitting every high note and feeling like this was the first time she was actually letting all of her feelings about the entire Damon situation out.

Elena allowed her fingers to play a few more keys before she smiled. She opened her eyes to see the last person she thought she would see. Damon was standing at the door just staring at her.

"That was amazing!" Tom exclaimed.

Elena smiled, remembering he was indeed in the room. She turned toward him. She saw Damon look Tom's way. He had never seen the kid when he came in. Elena smiled at Tom.

"That's how I feel." Elena told him.

He got up and smiled at her. He saw Damon in his peripheral vision and turned his head to him. He smiled.

"Hi. I'm Tom, Elena's friend." He said waving with two fingers.

"I'm Damon."

Tom smiled at him, nodding. He looked down to his watch and feigned surprise.

"Whoa! Look at the time. Look Lena, call me later and let me know how everything goes. That was amazing. I am a bit upset I never knew you could sing but that's alright."

Elena got up and hugged Tom. She watched Damon the entire time. He was analyzing every move she made, she knew that look.

"I'll let myself out. Nice meeting you Damon." Tom said before leaving out the door.

Elena sat back down at the piano, letting her fingers press a few keys. Damon came and sat down next to her. They sat in silence for minutes without acknowledging one another.

"I didn't know you could sing." Damon told her breaking the silence.

"No one really knows. Only a few people know. It was my thing with Pops." Elena says with no emotion.

"You're an amazing singer." Damon complimented her.

Elena nodded and looked over at him. He looked like he was fighting sleep.

"What are you doing here Damon?" Elena asked.

"I was looking for Jeremy. I have some papers we need to decide over together as mutual partners."

"Jeremy has been gone since Friday night. I don't know where he's at. He took Niklaus to my Uncle John's and left." Elena informed him.

Damon nodded his head.

"How have you been?" He asked looking up at her.

She looked refreshed like she had just gotten out of the shower. He couldn't find an imperfection in her at the moment.

"Good. You look like hell though."

Damon laughed at her sudden bluntness.

"I've been having trouble sleeping for the last couple of weeks."

Elena wanted to laugh and roll her eyes. He had probably been with Isobel every night.

"Who was the guy?" Damon asked, pressing down on the C key.

"That was Tyler's cousin Tom. You've met him before. They were down here the summer Niklaus was born." Elena said looking at him curiously.

"Are you two … a thing now?"

Elena actually let laugh herself this time.

"No. Tom is dating Stefan's ex Lexi. We're just friends. He's been helping me with some stuff. He listens."

"Oh." Was his only reply.

"So how was your date?" Elena asked; she couldn't help herself.

"What date?" Damon asked confused as to what she was referring to.

"You just went on the date barely three weeks ago Damon. Your date with Isobel." Elena said getting irritated.

Damon let himself get a good laugh out of that one.

"Elena it wasn't a date."

"Isobel said it was." Elena disputed.

"Isobel is a little too overdramatic. She had been asking me out all summer. Jer heard about it. He asked me to do him a solid and finally agree to take her out. He said he couldn't have the girl losing her Gilbert confidence." Damon explained smiling.

Elena felt like someone had just thrown a huge bucket of water on top of her head.

"What?" Elena exclaimed, her voice going up in pitch.

"Isobel will never be my type. She likes me a little too much, it's almost stalker like." Damon said laughing.

"Jer asked you to ask her out?" Elena said like a zombie.

"Yea, I would have kept making up excuses otherwise. He didn't want her to get all down on herself. I'm surprised she still likes me after what I did to her three years ago."

Elena instantly perked up. That was the summer everything went downhill.

"What did you do to her three years ago?" Elena asked forcefully.

Damon looked at to see Elena looking at him with genuine curiosity and her eyes looked conflicted like she wanted to say something.

"It was like a week after you left for Georgia and Stefan like became obsessed with that Starbucks coffee," Damon began and Elena's breathing hitch when he mentioned Starbucks, "So I went to go get some for him seeing as he was too busy making out with your sister. I had just gone grocery shopping too. Anyways, she cornered me in Starbucks and was trying to ask me out. I kindly turned her down but it was like she was the energizer bunny. She kept coming back for more. I had to get Luca to distract her. Thank God he was taking Greta to get a latte. I snuck out the back with the coffee."

Elena couldn't stop herself form blinking. It was like her entire world tilted a hundred and eighty degrees in a few seconds. She was trying to stop herself from having one of her famous panic attacks. What the hell was going on?

"Wait, I think I'm going insane." Elena mumbled and Damon looked at her worriedly.

"Lena, are you alright?" Damon questioned her.

"You and Isobel … nothing ever happened between you two?" Elena asked him, looking right in his eyes.

"No," Damon said looking confused, "You look pale. Are you alright?"

"Why did you want to talk to me?" Elena asked ignoring his question.

"To tell you exactly what I just told you. Not the 'her being desperate' thing. That was kind of weird. I know … we were getting into something and I didn't want you to think that I was sneaking around with your cousin."

Elena started breathing heavily and held the piano keys to calm herself down. Damon looked at her with fear in his eyes.

"Lena, are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm just … I feel like I'm losing it. I need to ask you something." She told him.

"Go right ahead." Damon said.

"When I left for Georgia, did Isobel ever … did you and her … did you two get together?" Elena shouted out at the end.

Damon looked at her confused.

"What?"

"Did you let my cousin suck your dick Damon?" Elena shouted with wide eyes.

"No Lena. I just told you I basically had to hire five people to get her off my tail so I could get coffee to my brother. Wait … you heard that rumor?"

Elena looked at Damon with wide eyes. Her head was pounding but her vision was fine so she tried to keep her grip on reality.

"Yea, Care told me." Elena revealed to him.

Damon shook his head trying to contain his anger.

"So if you never … if she never … then it … I feel like I'm going to throw up." Elena said leaning into the piano.

"Elena, listen to me. Can you hear me," He asked and she nodded her head in confirmation, "I wasn't with anyone else that summer. Not when you came back, not when you were gone or before you left. It was … it was only you."

Elena could feel the tears building up in her eyes. She turned her head to look at him.

"Is that why you haven't been talking to me? You think I did something with Isobel? Is that why you ignored me when you got back?" Damon grilled.

Elena felt a pair of tears fall from her eyes and down her cheeks. Damon wiped them away. He leaned down as if to kiss her. Elena closed her eyes waiting for his lips to connect to her but a faint buzzing noise interrupted them. Damon sighed, pulling his phone from his pocket.

"What the hell do you want?" He exclaimed into the phone without looking at the screen.

"What the hell is wrong with you man?" Jeremy yelled into the phone.

Damon exhaled a long breath then laughed.

"Nothing man. Just tired. Do you need something?"

"Ray told me that the papers came in. I'm coming from John's. Sorry I was at Mani's. I should be in three minutes. Can you be there?"

"What were you doing at Mani's?" Damon questioned with a smile.

"Not what you think I was doing. Mani had to work and she doesn't like when I offer to pay for her to work when she doesn't. She needed a baby sitter and her grandmother is still in Florida visiting Mani's brother. Mani got off work and relieved me so I'm going to get my son." Jeremy explained.

"Well I'm at the house. Elena let me in." Damon lied.

"Can you ask her if she can watch Klaus when I get there? We haven't really talked in a while."

"Sure. I can do that. Oh and Jer, no more favors."

Jeremy laughed at his friend and Damon heard him pulling up on grovel.

"Isobel said you were a gentleman. I don't think you seemed to like her as much as she liked you."

"You know I don't. It was a favor. One I don't think I'll be repeating. Isobel's not my type."

"I know Damon. Thanks though man. She seems happier. Now if only I can cheer up Lena, I think she hates me." Jeremy said.

"No, she doesn't hate you. She loves you Jer."

"Coming in the house now. Klaus is sleep so I'm trudging a load. Bye."

Damon hung up his phone to see Elena looking at him with so emotion in her eyes.

"I guess I need to get Klaus." Elena said wiping off her face.

She got up from the piano and walked toward the door. Before she could step out of the room, Damon grabbed her hand and turned her to face him.

"We need to talk like I said. Maybe if you had talked to me three years ago we wouldn't be here."

Elena nodded her head as Damon cupped both of her cheeks in his hands. He slowly leaned down and captured her lips in his. The kiss was slow and tender. It spoke a thousand things and nothing at all. When they broke apart, Elena missed the contact his lips provided.

"Damon!" A voice yelled through the house.

"Coming man!" He yelled down.

He gave Elena a peck to the lips.

"We're going to talk."

She shook her head yes. A million things were consuming her right now. She didn't trust herself to speak. Damon kissed her forehead before heading out of the room. Elena waited a few moments before following him. She reached the stairs and went to their office. She grabbed Niklaus from her brother, smiling at him. 'This is so fucked up.' She thought to herself as she walked her nephew upstairs.

I know some of you are literally jumping for joy inside your head right now. Come on. Tell me you love it. Lol . -Nee