NB : My dear friend Heather let me know that chapter 3 was the french version, sorry ! I changed it and put the english version instead.

Not many reviews for that fic, but I know from the stats and the alerts that people are reading it, so it must not be that bad :p

Enjoy this chapter !

Set between 2x18 & 2x19

Elena read once again Stefan's message, a bit confused. It was not his usual habit to cancel their plans by text and at the last minute. He always called her.

Then again things hadn't been quite usual between them lately. She could have blame the impending threat looming over their head, but she knew better. She couldn't blame Klaus for all the problems in her life, obviously. Especially that particular problem...the one with the gorgeous blue eyes and the killer smile.

She had been looking forward to that evening with Stefan, just the two of them away from the Boarding House...and its inhabitant. Stefan didn't mention why exactly he was canceling – just that it didn't have anything to do with the current events and that she needn't worry.

She tried calling Caroline but got no answer as she was probably with Matt. And Bonnie was in hiding with Jeremy keeping her company. And considering the uncertainty of their relationship right now, she didn't feel like calling Jenna.

That left...no, no way was she calling him. And as she was driving back to the Boarding house, she sincerely hoped he was out, doing the Damon-y things he was usually doing.

But no such luck.

She found him in his favorite spot, sitting in front of the fireplace, reading. He raised his head when she approached.

"Hey. Aren't you at the Grill with Stefan?"

"He canceled."

He looked at her, waiting for her to continue but she didn't. He focused back on his book, having a pretty good idea of where exactly Stefan might be and with whom. Not that he was going to blabber to Elena about it. She didn't seem in a good mood and he didn't feel like being once again the recipient of her sometimes very acerbic tone.

But after a few minutes of that silent treatment, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Something on your mind, Elena?" he asked with a fake concerned smile. "Would you like to share your feelings with me?"

She threw a glare in his direction. "I'm just thinking about Bonnie. Wondering how long she'll have to stay hidden."

"As long as Klaus is a threat to us", he said calmly, and for some reason this serene behavior irritated her. Oh, and his handsome face and abnormal blue eyes irritated her too, by the way. Her life and that of her friends were in the balance, and all she could think of was how unnaturally long and sexy his lashes were.

That was beyond ridiculous.

"We must find another way," she repeated probably for the hundredth time.

"And we will," he said, and there was a slight exasperation in his voice. "In the meantime, Bonnie's safe, and you are safe here with Stefan and me. We might not agree on the method, but we both agree on protecting you no matter what."

"Yes, because you did such a great job with protecting Rose," she retorted. And she regretted the words the instant they were out.

He stiffened as though she had struck him.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, "I'm sorry Damon. I didn't mean it."

"You meant every word Elena," he replied in an icy tone and closing his book sharply. He got up. His face was a mask of stone, but she knew she had just profoundly hurt him. And a deep sense of shame filled her. She knew she had that power over him, and she had used it without thinking because she was pissed for no real or valuable reason.

"No I didn't, I swear," she said, getting up and putting her hand on his arm. "I trust you Damon. Completely. I was stupidly upset and I took it out on you." She hated the supplication in her voice, especially since it seemed to have absolutely no effect on him. He was so rigid that she felt anguish spreading through her heart and her stomach. She couldn't believe what she had just inflicted on him.

She knew that Rose's death had affected him greatly and that he had always felt responsible. So throwing that back in his face was possibly the cruelest thing possible.

She felt him receding and grabbed his arm with both her hands. "Talk to me, Damon, please. Say something."

He raised his eyes to the ceiling, sighed before turning to her. "That was really nasty, Elena."

"I know. You didn't deserve that. You...you don't deserve most of the things we tell you."

He laughed humorlessly. "Of course I do. I'm the evil one, remember? If something goes wrong, just blame it on me. Everyone does after all, why would you be any different?"

He was watching her now with an impenetrable gaze, and she realized the extent of the damage she had done. How stupid was she? With a broken heart, she understood that nothing she could say now would make it better.

She let go of his arm, swallowing the sob that rose in her throat. But she couldn't help a tear from falling down her cheek. Damon's jaw clenched and he turned away.

"Come on Elena. You are the antithesis of Bella Swan, and I don't sparkle in the sun. So let's avoid the big emotional drama, ok?"

He walked to the stairs.

"Damon..." she attempted one last time.

"Good night, Elena," he said, his steely voice very clear in its frigidity. Right now he didn't want to have anything to do with her.

She pressed her hand to her mouth, a raw and primitive grief overwhelming her, a suffocating sensation tightening her throat.

No, she was nothing like Katherine. She was much, much worse.

Back in his room, Damon breathed deeply several times. He was not going to start crying like a girl. He was not.

Forget that crap about her making him feel alive. Right now, he just wished he was really dead.