Set between 2x18 & 2x19

Elena and Stefan were both sitting on his bed, but both were silent. She felt like they didn't get the chance to interact for several days, and that had only serve to drive them further apart.

But looking at him, Elena could still clearly remember the reasons why she had fallen for him in the first place.

"I still love you," she said, and he smiled back softly, understanding, reading between the lines.

I'm not in love with you anymore.

He understood perfectly because he felt the same way.

He couldn't quite place the exact moment when it had happened. And maybe there wasn't a moment, more likely it had been a progressing thing, their feelings slowly fading away without them being really conscious about it. Stefan was also not blind, and he knew that despite his often condemnable behavior, Damon was one of Elena's weaknesses. Stefan knew perfectly well that Damon was in love with her, and that it had changed him in a rather drastic – and better – way. And he wouldn't lie, it actually felt great to have hos brother by his side again, even if it was not perfect, and they still disagreed on a lot of stuff. Damon would always want to do things his own way, and Stefan would never be that reckless.

But he didn't want to spend another 15 years not talking to his brother.

He took Elena's hand and squeezed it gently. "Why don't we wait this this thing with Klaus is over, and then we'll decide what to do?"

"That's assuming we'll still be alive," she reminded him.

"Well if we aren't then our love life will be the last thing on our mind, right?" he replied with a tender smile, and she scooted closer to him to put her head on his shoulder. He had such a peaceful effect on her, and she sure appreciate that after the flood of emotions she had been through lately, especially with Damon.

She had never realized how denying her feelings could be so exhausting. And by doing that, she was hurting everyone involved in the process. The episode with Damon last night was quite a spectacular example of that.

He suddenly appeared on Stefan's threshold, and her heart jumped in her chest.

"Damon," she said, and there was so much relief and joy in her voice that the older vampire felt a little bit better. Just a little bit.

"Hey," Stefan greeted him, "I haven't see you all day. Where have you been?"

"Around," Damon replied, putting his hands in his jeans pocket and leaning on the door frame.

"How are you?" Elena asked, and the tentativeness in her voice alerted Stefan.

"I'm fine Elena, thank you for asking."

Stefan looked at his brother and his fake cheerfulness, then at his girlfriend, whose shoulder had slumped quite a bit.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Damon shrugged. "Nothing. We just had a little disagreement is all."

Elena sighed. "Be honest Damon. I was a super bitch, and there's no excuse for what I said."

Stefan watched her with disbelief. "You? You were a super bitch to him? Why?"

Elena opened her mouth, but she was still so utterly ashamed that she just mumbled, "He called me Bella Swan."

Damon protested. "No I didn't. I called you the antithesis of Bella Swan, and that was a compliment, by the way."

Stefan's gaze moved from on to the other. He was growing more confused by the minute. "You guys had a fight about Twilight?"

Elena smiled at that, and it somewhat eased the tension in the room. "No," she said honestly this time. "I've just be really mean to Damon and he didn't exactly deserve it."

Stefan gave his brother a questioning look, and Damon was reluctantly grateful to see that there was no accusation paired with it. He already felt pathetic enough for seeking Elena's presence when she should be the one to seek his.

But looking at her, he could see – no, he could actually feel – how miserable she was. He should have revel in it, but no, seeing her like that just succeeded in making him miserable too.

Hadn't he just say something about pathetic?

He smiled again. "No harm done, water under the bridge and all that. We have a Big Bad to fight, so we'd better get some shuteye while we can." And he walked back to his room.

After a silence, Stefan asked, "So, it was that bad?" and she acquiesced. "You should go talk to him.

"He won't listen." She sounded really defeated.

"No, he will try to make you think he won't. But believe me, he will."

He got off of the bed. "I have to go meet Caroline at the Grill anyway, so why don't you try to mend things with him?"

And he understood then how far she was already in her attachment to Damon, because she didn't even ask him why he had to meet Caroline. And he wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. But who was he to throw stones when he was himself falling hard for another girl – her best friend, no less?

She knocked slightly on Damon's door, even though it was open and he wasn't in bed yet. That huge bed which never missed to raise very uncomfortable thoughts in her mind.

"I could say I'm sorry over and over again, but somehow I know it will never erase what I said."

His brilliant blue eyes rested on her face, and she was relieved to see that he wasn't wearing that impenetrable mask anymore. Scrutinizing her, he just waited patiently for her to continue.

"But I need you to believe me when I said that I didn't mean it, Damon." She entered the room and walked to the bed, putting an arm around the bedpost. "I trust you with my life. I do." She finished quietly.

He sighed, tempted for one second to torment her a little bit more, but his heart wasn't in it. He gave her one of his rare, genuine smile. "Stop worrying about it, Elena. It's already forgotten."

She smiled back, that bright smile that he secretly liked to think was reserved just for him.

Elena fidgeted for a moment, trying to find something else to say, an excuse to stay a little bit longer.

"Something else on you mind?" he asked, turning on the lights in the bathroom, clearly marking his intention of taking a shower.

"No. Yes. Just one thing."

She walked to him and took him in her arms.

Elena had tentatively hugged Damon twice before, and he hadn't been very responsive. But he was so obtuse on not sharing any emotional stuff and refusing all marks of affection.

That was not the case now.

He put his arms around her and pressed her body tightly against his. One of his hand came to caress the tip of her silky hair. Her head fit perfectly in the hollow between her shoulder and neck. His face was pressed against her hair, breathing its sweet fragrance that was just hers.

Elena smiled, happy that he was finally letting go, that he was willing to let her in and have a glimpse of that vulnerability he was doing such a good job at concealing. She felt his lips next to her ear and heard him say, "I won't lose you." There was a possessive determination in his voice that made her shiver.

She took one step back, putting her hand on his cheek and looked at him with all the tenderness she could gather. She didn't know what to say, so she just touched her lips to his. They stayed like this a moment, more a caress than a kiss, just enjoying a blissful minute, pretending the world outside had stopped just for them.

When they finally let go of each other, there was a new light in his azure eyes.

"Was it you for real this time?" he asked, and she understood immediately and nodded, not trusting her ability to talk properly.

This, what she had experienced just by being in his arms...it was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.

They both took another step backward, knowing that it was too soon, the future was too uncertain and there were still too many things unresolved.

Before she left the room, he told her, "Elena, at some point we'll have to figure this out."

She smiled softly, acknowledging the slight warning in his voice. If he was ready to let her in, she would have to be completely honest.

Thank fully, she knew perfectly well now what she wanted.

"I promise you, Damon."

She left his room, more sure now than ever that she wasn't willing to let anyone die at the hand of Klaus. So she had only one option left.

Trying to be as discreet as possible, she headed down to the basement.