Definition of Sloth: the sin of doing nothing at all. It can take the form of general laziness and reluctance to exert oneself, or a failure to do specific things that one ought to do. For example, a man who stands idly by while a crime is committed instead of stepping in to prevent it is guilty of sloth, even if he is not directly involved in the crime itself.

CHAPTER 6: SLOTH

When Elena opened her eyes, she was shocked to find herself standing in the Salvatore boarding house. Everything was just as she remembered it to be, and she slowly turned around the living room trying to figure out what was going on. Flames crackled cheerfully in the fireplace, at complete odds with the chilling silence that permeated the house. "Hello?" she called out hesitantly, "Is anyone there?"

More silence.

Just when Elena had decided that maybe she should venture outside, she heard it.

A quiet sob, followed by a sudden gasp as whoever it was tried to hold back their tears.

Elena frowned and curiously made her way in the general direction the sound had come from. She ended up in the library where she saw Bonnie sitting at a table, her hands covering her face as she cried silently.

"Oh my god, Bonnie!" Elena exclaimed, rushing towards her friend, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Bonnie's eyes widened and then she abruptly stood up, holding a hand out defensively. "What are you doing here?" she spat, "I thought I made myself clear, Elena. We are no longer friends. Get out!"

Elena ground to a halt, her mouth dropping open at the pure venom in Bonnie's voice. "What? Wait—what are you talking about? What's going on?"

There was a small sound behind her, and Elena turned to see Stefan standing there. To say that he looked confused would have been an enormous understatement. "Elena? You...but I thought you...left?"

Realizing that something big had apparently gone down, she said the first words that came to mind, "I decided to come back."

"Why?" Bonnie snapped, "There's nothing for you here."

"She's right," Stefan agreed, though his voice sounded pained, "Why are you here, Elena? After everything that happened?"

"I..." Elena found herself momentarily speechless, unused to so much hate directed at her from two people that she had always counted on. "I wanted to fix things," she finally said, hoping that these words would mellow out the rising tension in the room. "Is that such a crime?"

"No, what your boyfriend does is a crime!" Bonnie shouted, her hands clenching into fists in her rage. "Where is he, anyway? Did you leave him at some rest stop to prey on more innocent people?"

Elena initially flinched at Bonnie's tone before she turned to look at Stefan questioningly. He, however, was staring at her with an almost wary expression. "Well? Where is he?"

"Who?"

"My brother, Elena."

"What? Oh, um, he's—"

"Home," a familiar voice sang out, sounding a little too devilish for her liking. "Miss me, honey?" Damon stepped into the library, his words seemingly directed at a furious looking Bonnie.

A chair tipped over and fell with a resounding thud onto the floor. A second later, Elena realized that Bonnie had kicked the chair over in her haste to get to Damon. "No!" Stefan shouted, leaping into Bonnie's warpath and forcing her backwards. "You'll only make things worse!"

"He killed them all!" she screamed, "They're all dead because of him!"

Damon's self-assured expression flickered only briefly, before it was once again replaced by the indifferent mask he had perfected so well. "Guess you didn't miss me, then?" he shrugged carelessly before moving to kiss Elena on the cheek. "Still think coming back was a good idea, sweetheart?"

Stefan glanced at them before firmly gripping Bonnie's shoulders and pushing her towards the doorway. "Go upstairs," he commanded, "I'll take care of this."

"But—"

"There's been enough bloodshed," he said roughly, "Just go!"

Bonnie's shoulders slumped forward in defeat, though she still sent one last glare in Elena's direction. "I hope I never see you again," she hissed, before her gaze flicked over to Damon. "Either of you."

Once Damon heard that she was climbing the stairs and safely out of hearing distance, he raised an eyebrow at his brother. "What was she doing here?"

"She lives here, now," Stefan answered stiffly, "In one of the guest rooms."

"What?" Elena sputtered, "Why?"

"Don't tell me you shacked up with the witch," Damon scowled, "Because that would seriously go against everything I stand for."

"She has nowhere else to go," Stefan said in a low voice, "After Klaus burnt down her house...tracked down her father and Lucy and killed them them too...Bonnie had no one left to turn to."

To Elena's surprise, Damon's expression softened for a split second. "Why would she choose to stay in Mystic Falls? She should've gotten out, like Elena and I did."

Stefan ran his fingers through his hair, and Elena was struck by how tired he looked. "I don't know, okay? I think maybe she wants to finish up her senior year before moving away. Not everyone can skip town whenever they feel like it."

This last sentence was weighed down with several different emotions, but mostly blame. Elena struggled to wrap her head around what was going on. So, this was a post-Klaus world? And apparently she (and Damon) had done something to majorly piss everyone else off...well, whoever was left alive, anyway—it didn't sound like too many people had escaped Klaus unscathed...

"I told you to come with us," Damon growled at his brother, "You're the one that refused!"

"Leaving after all the death and destruction we've brought to this town would've been wrong!" Stefan shouted, "How do you not see that?"

"There was nothing left in this town for me to stay for!" Damon roared back, "How do you not see that?" He took a deep breath, gripping the bookshelf next to him so tightly that Elena could hear the wood start to crack. "They're all dead, Stefan...all of them. Everyone that you—that we—ever cared about."

"I know."

Damon's face contorted with agony, and Elena found herself reeling back from the raw emotion she saw there. "All of them," he said quietly, "Andie, Caroline, Ric, Tyler, the mayor, the sheriff...Jeremy."

Elena suddenly found herself gasping for air. Everyone that she loved was dead in this world? Klaus had killed them all?

"I know," Stefan repeated bleakly, "Klaus tore this town apart when he was looking for me...and I'll never forgive myself for that. Th-that's why I stayed, Damon. I had to."

"Well, you always were a glutton for punishment," Damon returned harshly. "You think you can do anything for these people? For this town? You honestly think you can somehow help?"

Stefan closed his eyes, "At least I'm trying. At least I didn't run."

"Don't," Damon blurred forward to shake Stefan angrily, "Don't you dare act like you're somehow better because you stayed...you did it for your own selfish reasons—on your eternal search for redemption—"

"Stop it!" Elena cried when Stefan snarled and shoved against Damon, sending both of them flying across the room. "STOP!" She shook her head frantically, "I don't understand! Why is Bonnie so mad at me? Why does she blame me for what happened?"

Stefan picked himself off the floor, sending Elena a look of disbelief. "You left," he stated simply, "When she needed you the most. And worst of all, you left with Damon."

"Yes, that's what any SANE person would do after their town was nearly destroyed by a dangerous, vengeance-seeking HYBRID!" Damon bellowed, "We were right to leave!"

Elena pursed her lips, remembering Stefan's words (worst of all, you left with Damon) and Bonnie's rage. "But she thinks everything is Damon's fault? That he's responsible for killing...everyone?"

The door creaked open and Bonnie stepped into the room. It wasn't clear how long she had been standing behind the doorway, listening. But she had most definitely overheard Elena's last question.

Stefan groaned, "I thought I told you to wait upstairs?"

Bonnie appeared not to hear him, and her gaze focused solely on Damon as she answered Elena. "No, I don't blame him for killing everyone. It was Klaus and his little team of hybrids that killed Caroline and Tyler and their parents. It was Klaus that killed Jeremy and Alaric. It was Klaus that burned down my house and turned half this town into rubble."

Damon didn't back away, even when Bonnie walked towards him threateningly. She stopped when she was about five feet away, her eyes blazing with hatred. "But it was Damon who stood by and ALLOWED my father and Lucy to be sacrificed." Tears streamed down her cheeks, "He could have stopped it from happening, but he didn't."

Elena felt her throat go dry when neither Stefan nor Damon corrected this statement.

"We've been through this before," Damon said in a hard voice, without a trace of regret. However, an emotion flashed so quickly across his face that Elena wasn't even sure she had seen it. Sympathy.

"I don't care how many times we go through it," Bonnie seethed, "It doesn't change the facts."

"And I don't care how much you hate me for it," Damon straightened, "If I had to do it all again—I wouldn't change a thing."

Bonnie let out a gasp, and Elena balked at his cold attitude. "Damon," she began in a protesting tone, but he cut her off.

"I wouldn't change anything," he repeated, "Klaus offered me a deal, and I took it. I told you before, Elena, that I would do anything to save you." He met her gaze intensely, "That I would always choose you."

"But—"

"This was the only way to save you and Bonnie. I promised Emily Bennett that I would protect her bloodline, and I did." Damon swallowed, "This was the only way I could keep you both alive."

Bonnie didn't move a muscle, "And I'll never forgive you for it."

"I know."

"And as if that wasn't enough, you decided to leave," she raged on, determinately not looking at Elena, "Both of you."

Damon spoke softly, "You can't blame her for wanting to get out. She lost a lot of people, too. We all did."

Bonnie only shook her head, turning away. "I can't be here right now. Not while you guys are here. It's...too soon." With that, she turned on her heel and strode out of the library. A second later, they all heard the front door slam shut.

Stefan rubbed his neck, somehow looking even more exhausted than he had before. Damon looked at him sharply, "When was the last time you slept? You can't rebuild this town on your own, you know."

"I'm not, I'm just..."

"Hey," Elena interrupted, "Go get some rest. We'll wait up till Bonnie gets back."

"We will," Damon nodded curtly, "Don't worry."

It took several more minutes of convincing, but Stefan eventually headed off to bed. Elena and Damon decided to wait in the living room, and she sank down onto the sofa while Damon poured himself a glass of scotch. "What?" he asked when he sat down next to her, "You look like you have something you have to say to me. Something that I won't like."

"What's the real reason?" she prodded, "The real reason you wanted to leave?"

For a second, she thought he wasn't going to answer. Then he sighed, looking away from her. "Everything I did...everything I do, it's all to keep you safe, Elena. To keep you alive. I stayed in Mystic Falls for you...and I fought to protect it because of you. But then somewhere along the way, I realized that I had actually grown to..."

Elena was watching him carefully, "You had grown to care about the people in the town, too."

"When everyone died...I had nothing left to stay for," Damon glanced at her, "The only thing that mattered was you, and getting you away from all the heartache." He paused before continuing bitterly, "My brother stayed because he felt responsible for what happened. He stayed because fixing things was his way of dealing with the guilt. Typical Stefan."

"People deal with grief in different ways," Elena murmured, "I guess I decided to leave with you because I...wanted to take the easy way out."

"You didn't want to," Damon muttered, "But I convinced you that it would be for the best to leave this all behind. To start over." He placed his empty glass down at the coffee table and stared at it with unfocused eyes. "I was selfish with you, Elena," he admitted, "I was the one who was running away, and I made you come with me."

"You didn't make me do anything," Elena shifted on the sofa, her arms encircling Damon to pull him closer. "It was my choice, too," she whispered, "Maybe I wanted the same things you did."

Damon didn't pull away from her embrace, even though she felt him stiffen in her arms. "But you don't want the same things anymore," he tilted his head up to meet her gaze, "You don't want to leave."

"If what Stefan says is true, then we should be helping rebuild this town," Elena tried to reason with him, "It's the least we can do."

He stood up, extracting himself from her grip so that he could pace back and forth in front of the fireplace. "What if I don't want to stay?" he asked belligerently, "What if I have no reason to stay?"

Elena moved to stand in his path so he was forced to stop pacing. "Mystic Falls is your home," she told him quietly, "And it's my home, too. I'm staying, Damon."

Pain flashed across his face. "Don't do this," he said in a strained voice, "Don't—"

She stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and reaching up to kiss him gently on the lips. "Running away is too easy," she stepped back, "We were looking for a way out, and we took it. This...staying in Mystic Falls...it'll be hard. It'll be painful. But...it'll be the right thing to do."

Damon hung his head, slowly walking away from her and taking a seat in the armchair. For a long time, neither of them spoke. Elena stood still, staring into the fireplace. I have no idea what trial this even is, she realized, what if I'm not supposed to be leading him down this path?

"Come here," Damon's voice cut into her thoughts and she looked up to see him gesture to her.

She cautiously walked over to him, settling herself on his lap as he tightened his arms around her. "Did you think about it?" she asked, her voice muffled as she buried her face in his chest.

"You want to stay," he said simply, "That means I'm staying, too."

Startled, Elena lifted her head to look at him, "What?"

"If that means I have to stop taking the easy way out, then so be it," Damon shrugged, "It's about time I started owning up to my actions, anyway."

She blinked, "You're serious? You're going to stay?"

Damon nodded, the flames from the fireplace making his eyes glow. "I love you, Elena," he said strongly, "Wherever you go, I go. And if you want to stay and do the right thing, then that means that I will, too."

Elena smiled, and the words fell easily from her lips, "I love you, too." She settled back comfortably in his arms, closing her eyes as she felt him brush a kiss on her forehead.

She kept her eyes shut even when she felt a force begin to pull her away, choosing instead to hold on tightly to the feeling of warmth and love she got from Damon holding her.

*a bit of a darker trial, but I hope you still liked it! xoxo.