a/n: I wrote this before Kill or Be Killed aired and after seeing that episode six wasn't going to be on until the 21st, I decided to post this part and work on my redo of the actual episode later :) hope you guys like the little interlude :)

thanks again to everyone who read, reviewed, put me on alerts, and favorited this story. It means a lot to me :)

btw, did anyone else notice that the preview for the following episode has Damon and Elena hugging? so excited!

FIVE

Elena had tossed and turned through the night, waking up in time to see each hour as time slowly passed. By the time the sun had begun to filter through the windows, Elena gave up on attempting to sleep. After a long hot shower followed by a brisk, awkward talk with Jenna about the break up, Elena retreated to her room and settled on listening to music, reading, playing on the computer; anything to distract herself from thinking about the previous day. It wasn't until later that evening that Jeremy pulled her out of her own little world.

"Yes?" she asked tersely, wanting nothing more than to go back to her retreat from reality.

"You have a visitor," he informed her.

Elena rolled her eyes and nodded. She knew who it was before she even went downstairs. She could tell by the way Jeremy spoke and from the change in the atmosphere as she stepped from her room. "What do you want Damon?" she asked, leaning against the banister with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Well hello to you too Elena," he returned, staring at her with amusement. When it was clear she wasn't going to say anything until he answered her question, he inclined his head and obliged her. "I was a little concerned when you didn't call me."

She knew what he meant and she shrugged. "You were there; you heard the whole thing. I figured you would come here on your own like you always do. When you didn't, I decided it was for the best and went to bed."

He studied her for a moment through narrowed eyes. "You didn't sleep though."

"Nope."

He tipped his head to the side and smiled briefly. "But you haven't been crying either. That's a good sign. Stefan isn't worth the tears."

At the mention of his brother's name, Elena's eyes dropped to the ground and she shifted her weight. "What are you doing here?" she asked again, lightly this time.

"I wanted to see how you were doing. As your friend, I'm here for you."

Elena looked back up to meet his eyes. A slight shiver coursed through her body at his vague double meaning. Her head shook and her eyes closed. "Well, thank you, but I don't really want company," she replied and turned with the intention to go back to her room.

He moved forward and wrapped his fingers around her wrist, holding her in place. "I wasn't exactly asking if you wanted company."

He let go of her and she slowly turned to face him, gasping a little at how close he actually was. Elena knew from past experiences that if Damon wanted something, a "no" was out of the question. With a sigh, she nodded. "I don't want to go out."

"Fine, then we'll stay in."

"Damon-"

"I'll order pizza and we'll watch movies, gossip, play video games; I don't care, but you're not getting rid of me until the wee hours of the morning." He said this with a smirk, one that was infectious, causing Elena's lips to twitch in response.

As an idea formed, she grinned, taking Damon by surprise. He knew that look; he didn't like that look. She nodded once and looked over her shoulder towards the second story landing. "Ask Jenna for permission. Without your compulsion. If she agrees, you can stay." She saw the way his jaw ticked and smiled more. "It's what a friend would do. It would mean a lot to me," she added.

He mulled it over for a moment and then shrugged. "I like challenges."

Elena nodded and headed upstairs. She knocked gently on Jenna's door and went inside at the other woman's insistence. "What's up?" Jenna asked as she rummaged through her closet.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going on a date with Alaric. I know I probably shouldn't leave you alone tonight. You need girls around you after a break up, but..."

Elena nodded, shifting uncomfortably again at the mention of Stefan. "You've had this planned already, I know. It's your first official date, I'm not going to make you miss it."

Jenna nodded her appreciation before staring at her niece. "What did you come in here for?"

Elena couldn't help but smile and tipped her head towards the door. "Damon is downstairs."

Jenna straightened at that, giving her an irritated look. "And?"

"He wants to stay in with me tonight, but I told him he would have to ask you first."

Elena watched as her aunt's head shook automatically. "How do you feel about him?"

Knowing Damon was listening to their every word, Elena chose hers carefully. "We've developed this weird friendship. Yeah, he's not the easiest person to deal with, but he can be nice when he wants to be."

"When he wants to be," Jenna pointed out. "So did that kiss I witnessed have anything to do with you and Stefan?"

Elena's jaw dropped and her head shook slowly. "No..." she answered. "It only made the relationship I have with Damon a little rocky. We're working on it though."

"So what do you want me to say to Damon?" Jenna asked, clearly not happy about the situation, but she knew her niece was friends with him; for whatever reason.

"I'll go along with whatever you decide," Elena assured her.

Jenna nodded and pulled on a dress, having Elena zip it up before she went downstairs to talk to Damon. Elena listened to their conversation through the crack in the door. "What exactly are your intentions with Elena?"

"I don't know yet," Damon replied smoothly. "Our relationship is determined by her. It always has been," he added in a more serious voice.

"Alaric and I are going out, Jeremy will be out as well, leaving you and Elena alone. She's going through an extremely emotional time. Can I trust you not to take advantage of her?"

"I will never do anything Elena doesn't want me to."

They were silent before Jenna spoke again. "If anything happens, you're a dead man Salvatore," said pointedly.

Damon's chuckle could be heard all the way up to where Elena was eavesdropping. "Message received, loud and clear."

Elena backed up as she heard Jenna ascending the stairs. "You're going to be okay?" she asked the brunette.

"Yes. Thank you Jenna," Elena said and gave her aunt a quick hug before returning downstairs to Damon. "Thank you," she said to him as they made their way to the kitchen.

"I like your aunt. She's feisty, just like you," he commented as Elena got a glass from the cupboard for herself. When he sensed that she wasn't going to speak, he changed the subject. "Any movie suggestions?"

"No romance, nothing dirty, and absolutely no horror. I can't sleep as it is," she informed him and took a drink of the water she had filled the glass with.

"That doesn't leave me with much," Damon muttered.

Jeremy and Jenna came down the stairs then. "Alright, we're on our way out. Behave," Jenna demanded, looking straight at Damon before she waved and the pair left the house.

"Back to what you want to watch," Damon said the moment the car pulled out of the driveway.

Elena had her back resting against the sink, her head turned to look out the window into the backyard. Once she realized he was staring at her, she moved her head and returned his stare. "What?" she asked, vaguely recalling that he had said something.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

There was something about the way he was looking at her that let her know she had been right. If the break up hadn't been real, Damon would have seen right through them. He was suspicious of her now due to the lack of tears. She shrugged and let out a sigh. "I don't know."

His eyes narrowed a fraction. "You don't look too heartbroken. I guess you weren't as in love with my brother as you thought." The smugness in his voice was followed by a wince as her attention was turned towards the window again.

After a minute or so of silence, Elena spoke. "I guess it hasn't hit me yet."

For the first time, Elena didn't jump at the fact that Damon had used his speed to stand at her side. His hip rested against the counter so he could face her; his hand gently stroked the length of her spine. Elena just stood there, letting him touch her, enjoying the comfort. "I hope it never does. One, I absolutely detest weepy women and two, Stefan is no reason for tears. You're much better off without him."

Elena tilted her head enough to look at him. "How do you figure?"

"Stefan's all about following the rules. You have your moments, but they've become few and far between. Look," he demanded and turned her so that they were facing each other. He reached out and cupped her jaw with the hand that had been caressing her. "There is this fiery passion in you. I know because I've seen it. When you're with him, I know that he tried his best to quell that fire. Now that he's gone, you can let it blaze the way it was meant to."

They stared at each for a long time. Damon listened to her breathing as it became shallower by the second. As tears gathered in her eyes, Elena spoke in a broken voice. "It wasn't supposed to be real."

Damon went still as he watched two tears gliding down either side of her cheeks. "Come again?" he asked, but it was too late. Elena had already lost control of her sobs. Damon pulled her into his arms and let her cry on his chest.

Fortunately, Elena wasn't one of those girls that needed to cry for days before she felt better. "The break up," she mumbled against his shirt. "It was supposed to be fake."

Damon didn't know how to react to that piece of information. "Why would you stage a break up?"

Elena pulled away and straightened her clothes before wiping the tears from her face. "Katherine told him that if I wouldn't leave him, she would simply remove me from the equation."

Damon's eyes narrowed again. "What?" he asked slowly, getting the impression that he was missing something.

Elena sighed and told him everything; how she and Stefan had suspected Caroline of doing Katherine's bidding in keeping Elena away from Stefan and how Katherine had been at the boarding house all day. "When I got there I called for him, but she responded instead. It was eerie to see her right in front of me. I know I saw the picture but..." her voice trailed off and she shook her head. "Anyway, I'm going to freshen up. I'll leave the pizza up to you; no mushrooms," she warned.

"Movie?" he asked, still trying to process everything.

"Pick something. Surprise me," she demanded and headed up to her room.

As Elena closed the door, she rested her back against it and closed her eyes. It was strange how yesterday she had been afraid to be around Damon and today she was looking forward to it. Unable to understand what that meant, she pushed off of the door and went to the bathroom. A groan escaped her lips at her reflection. Her hair was a mess and there was a small streak of eyeliner on both sides of her face. Quickly, she redid her make up and brushed her teeth. While running a brush through her hair, she debated on changing her outfit. After realizing that Damon would only poke fun at her for the wardrobe change, she decided against it and headed back down to the living room.

As she entered the room, Damon was pressing the button on the DVD player that made the tray take the disk into the machine. She glanced at the stand where the television rested to see what movie case he had set down and raised one of her brows in curiosity at Damon. "X-men? Really?"

He pretended to look offended as he moved to stand in front of the couch, facing her as she stood behind it. "You're the one who owns it. I was only following your orders; no romance, horror, or nudity."

Elena shook her head and let a small smile grace her lips. "Out of the hundreds of movies we have, you choose X-men."

Damon stared at her, bewildered by her ability to find this strange. "I repeat, you're the one that owns it."

"Actually, it's Jeremy's."

"We can watch something else," he suggested, wondering why she was so awed over his choice of movie.

"No," she said a little too quickly. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "No, it's fine, I just...that's not what I thought you were going to pick."

"Is it because of my bad boy reputation or the fact that I'm a vampire?"

The small smile turned into a smirk. "The fact that it's a comic."

"Hey, it's an action flick with semi-decent acting," he said defensively as he flopped down onto the couch.

The movie was on the menu screen at this point. Elena decided it was time to sit as well. She sat on the opposite side of the couch, suddenly feeling aware that the house was empty. "I'm just surprised, that's all."

"You said 'surprise me'. Good to know I succeeded," he replied and smirked, frowning slightly at how far away she had chosen to sit. "Are you up for watching the trilogy?"

"You want to?"

His brow rose. "I don't have anywhere else to be. Do you?"

Elena shrugged and leaned against the arm of the couch. "Trilogy it is."

Half an hour into the movie, the doorbell rang, indicating that the pizza had arrived. Elena paused the movie while Damon paid the delivery man. Elena watched in astonishment as Damon handed him real money as opposed to compelling the man. She kept watching him as he went to the kitchen to get both of them something to drink before bringing everything to the living room. It wasn't until he sat down again that he looked at her. "What?" he asked.

Elena felt her cheeks heat up and she cleared her throat. Of course he had known she had been staring. It wasn't as if she had really made any attempt to hide it. "You're starting to freak me out a bit."

Damon could only stare at her. "How?"

"You're being normal."

As soon as the words left her lips, she knew what he was going to do. Sure enough, he surged forward so that he was practically laying on top of her, pressing her back against the arm of the couch. "That can easily be changed," he breathed as he ran a finger along her cheek bone.

Elena's breathing became shallow and after a minute of being lost in the feel of his body flush against hers, she put her hands on his chest and gently pushed up. He took the hint and sat back. "I didn't say it was a bad thing, it's just going to take some getting used to it."

"I wouldn't get used to it," he informed her as he reached towards the coffee table to extract a slice of pizza for himself. "I'm only doing this until you're out of your post break up depression. Then I am going to be my usual charming self," he said and winked at her while taking a bite. "This is fantastic by the way," he added with his mouth full.

Elena shook her head and reached forward to get her own slice. Damon hit play on the remote and the pair sat with their eyes transfixed on the television. Neither one of them dared to comment on the fact that they were sitting side by side instead of on opposite ends of the couch. When the first movie was over, Elena stretched and watched as Damon got up to clear away the empty pizza box. Once everything was cleaned up, he put in the second movie and returned to the middle cushion of the couch. Elena smiled, but said nothing.

Once the third movie began, Elena began to feel tired. At some point, neither one could recall how, Elena wound up lying on her side with her head in Damon's lap. She fought to stay awake, but her eyes refused to remain open. It didn't help that one of Damon's hands was playing with her hair, twisting it in his fingers, while the other hand traced patterns along the length of her side. It was lulling her into the sleep that had eluded her the previous night. "Thank you," she murmured.

"For?"

"For being here; for being my friend." Elena didn't stay awake long enough to hear his response; if he even had one.

Damon knew the instant she had fallen asleep. Her breathing had become deep and even as had her heart beat. She sighed softly and adjusted her body to be more comfortable. At the risk of getting too comfortable himself, he used the remotes to shut off the electronics and then gathered Elena into his arms. Her arms automatically went around his neck as he carried her bridal style to her room. He lay her down on top of the covers before turning them down and repositioning her so he was able to tuck her in. He smoothed the hair away from her face and smiled down at her sleeping form. As he stood up, her hand shot out and rested on his forearm.

He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to say something, but her hand slid from his skin. Damon smiled lightly and leaned in again, daring to press his lips against the smooth skin of her cheek. With that, he headed back downstairs to leave through the front door instead of her window.

Elena's eyes remained closed even though she knew he was gone. Her fingers went to the side of her face where she could still feel his lips against her flesh. A smile formed on her lips and she felt a rush of joy replace all the negative feelings inside of her. That small action allowed her to drift off into a deep, sound sleep. One that was filled with pleasant dreams about a dark haired man with steel blue eyes.

Elena was roused out of her deep sleep by the sound of a soft sigh as the mattress behind her sank underneath someone else's weight. Her body went still for a moment as an arm looped around her waist and the person settled in behind her. The smile she had gone to bed with returned and she let her body relax and scoot closer to the form behind her. Elena moved her hand to the forearm that held her securely in place and let it slide down to lace her fingers with the other person's hand. It was then that she froze and she began to panic. The hand she was holding sported manicured fingernails.

Elena scrambled as best she could to get off of the bed and placed her hand over her erratically beating heart at the sight of Caroline lounging on her side. "Who did you think I was?" the blonde asked, instantly regretting it the moment Elena's jaw clenched. "Oh God, I'm sorry," Caroline added and got to her feet. "I should have known that."

"It's okay, Caroline," Elena managed with a breathy voice. Elena was feeling a bit relieved that her friend thought Elena had assumed Stefan was in her bed. If she knew Elena had thought it was Damon... "What are you doing here?" Elena asked, shoving that thought aside.

"I came to see how you were doing," she said truthfully. "I wanted to come by yesterday, but I wasn't sure if you wanted to see me. I'm still not."

Elena locked eyes with Caroline. "Did Katherine tell you to keep me away from Stefan the other day?"

Caroline nodded, having expecting Elena to ask this at some point. "She said that she killed me once, she would have no problem doing it again."

"So everything you said that night, that was because Katherine told you to?"

"Not everything," Caroline mumbled. "Most of it was me and Matt. I'm sorry, Elena. I honestly didn't think it would affect you. I was a horrible friend. I knew you were worried about Stefan and I kept you from him, but it was for your safety too."

"She was there when I got there. I saw her."

Caroline's eyes widened significantly. "And she let you live?"

Elena nodded, but didn't comment; it was something she didn't want to think about. She knew for a fact that Katherine could have killed her that night. "Look, I haven't exactly been the best of friends with you either. I wasn't there for you when I heard you broke up with Matt."

"It's alright, you've been a little distracted."

Elena's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Caroline took a deep breath and leaned against the dresser. "I know it's hard to remember, but I can hear people clearly even if they're not in the same room. At the barbeque, you and Damon were in the kitchen while the rest of us were in the living room. I heard the two of you."

Elena cursed herself for not having realized that earlier. "Oh."

"Stefan asked me a few times if I noticed anything going on between the two of you. I never did until now." Before Elena could say anything, Caroline pointed at her. "By the way, I wasn't trying to steal your boyfriend. He was just helping me out with the change."

Elena gave a small smile. "I don't know where that came from, but I'm sorry I felt that way. I know he's just helping you."

"I think we should call a truce. You forgive me for eavesdropping and doing what Katherine threatened me to do and I'll forgive you for thinking I would steal your man. That way, we can be going back to being best friends and go out tonight to celebrate our single status."

"I don't think 'celebrate' is the right word," Elena mumbled even though she knew Caroline wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Use whatever word you want, we're still going out," Caroline stated, giving her friend a dazzling smile.

"Alright," Elena started and met Caroline in the middle of the room. "I forgive you."

"And I you," the blonde returned and pulled her friend into a tight hug. "As best friends again, I have a favor to ask."

"Uh oh," Elena teased as she pulled away to sit on her bed.

"Would you be terribly opposed to having a roommate for a little while?"

Under different circumstances Elena would have said no, but with Caroline's newborn stage still thirsty and hard to control, she felt weary. "Why?"

"Because things with my mom are getting weird. She keeps saying there's something different about me. You know how we fight all the time? Well it's getting harder and harder to keep my control around her. I need a break. I would go to Bonnie's, but she's not exactly speaking to me at the moment."

Elena believed her every word, but there was something else Caroline wasn't saying. When it dawned on her, Elena nodded. "Katherine's been invited into my house," she stated and judging from Caroline's reaction, that was the real reason she wanted to stay.

"That bitch is everywhere," she muttered in exasperation.

"Tell me about it."

"Never mind then," Caroline said with a sigh. "Anyway, I'll be back at around six. Wear something dressy and be prepared to have fun."

"See you then."

"Oh, and Elena?" Caroline started, turning back to look at the brunette. "You're going to have to tell me what's going on between you and Damon."

Before Elena could say there was nothing to tell, Caroline vanished. With a heavy sigh, Elena let her head fall onto the pillow with a thud. A smile took hold of her lips as she felt the ghost of Damon's lips against her cheek.