A/N: Hello again everyone. Here's Chapter Fourteen. Let me know what you think! Reviews and Favourites are appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters. The ideas and plot points of this story are my own, so please be respectful and do not steal them. This fic is purely for the entertainment of the fans.

Chapter Fourteen: Preparation

Elena looked at herself in the mirror one more time. She ran a hand through her hair and posed. She smiled at her reflection and was satisfied enough to finally leave the house. She was ready. Ready to beg and plead and apologize profusely until Damon even considered thinking about attempting to take her back.

Gah, how had she been so blind? This whole time, basically since she had met Damon, she felt this connection to him. She felt this need to be there for him, comfort him when he was struggling, hold him when he was upset and all she'd done was push him away. She'd made him leave, she'd lied to him about her feelings. Really, you name it, she'd done it.

But that was all over now. She was going to try to start fresh...with Damon.

She felt good about her talk with Stefan. She felt that they both knew where they stood and they were okay with how things ended, even though there was too much sleeping around on the side for Elena's liking. But then again, sleeping with Damon helped to solidify her feelings for Damon, as much as she tried to block them out and suppress them in the past.

Anyways, she was going to need to get going to see Damon. The sun had already set and she was running out of valuable time. The longer she waited, the longer he had to put the walls back up and push her out of his mind and out of his heart.

She pulled into the long driveway and turned off her car. She sighed heavily. She could feel her breathing speeding up and her heartbeat quickening in her chest.

She was gonna pass out. This was all too much.

Too much was at stake. She'd already lost Stefan. She didn't know what she'd do if Damon turned her away. She didn't think she had the energy to fight him – he was so strong willed and she'd become such a shell of her former self through this whole ordeal. If he didn't see what he used to see in her before their arguments...Gah, maybe I'll just move away from here.

She laughed aloud. What the fuck is wrong with you, Elena? She literally slapped herself in the forehead.

"Grow a pair and get the hell up to that front door," she told herself as she reached for the handle of the driver's side door.

She walked up to the front door and banged the knocker a couple of times.

She waited.

She pressed her ear to the door.

Not a sound.

"Well, that could mean anything," she whispered to herself. She reached for the door handle and turned, knowing, as always, that it would be unlocked. She let herself into the mansion, stepping over the threshold as quietly as she could.

She looked around. She didn't see anyone. No Stefan. No Katherine (thank God). But, no Damon. She ascended the stairs, hoping to find him still awake and in his room. She glanced into each room she passed and didn't see any sign of Stefan or Katherine, so that was probably a good thing. The last thing she needed was them around while she was begging for forgiveness. It would just remind her of all the mistakes she had made and the way she had felt and this was already too much without them here. She crossed her fingers that she wouldn't stumble upon them as she continued her search of the rooms for Damon.

She stopped in the hallway before she got too close to his room. She glanced at the wall across from his open doorway. She could see herself sitting there like she did so recently, though it felt like a lifetime ago – her huddled against the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks after Damon shoved her out of his room in anger.

As if her heart wasn't pounding enough as it was, she felt it speed up. That could easily happen again. She could ask for his forgiveness and he could slam the door in her face or worse, instead of just throwing her out of his house, he could throw her out of his heart. Emotionally it would hurt her more than the physical act and she wasn't sure she could take that right now.

Then again, she remembered what he'd done after that. How he'd pushed her back inside his room. How he'd let her into his bed. How he'd allowed her to cry against his chest. How he'd carried her to the bath he had prepared and the way he held her hand tight as they sat in the water together. And then the way that he'd thrust into her from behind the next morning, coming as his teeth pierced her skin...

She shivered as the memory overcame her. She needed him to forgive her because knowing how amazing they were, she wasn't ready to let that all go.

She found herself recreating the scene from that afternoon – her hands gripping the doorframe as she inched her face to peek into his bedroom.

He wasn't there.

The room was empty. She let go of the doorframe and moved to stand directly in the doorway. She stepped into the room and towards the bathroom, one eye closed and one barely open as she subtly scoped out the bathroom in case he was in there this whole time.

Nope. Nowhere to be found. She took a chance.

"Damon?" she called out. More like squeaked out. It didn't even sound like her own voice.

Silence.

She looked around his room before deciding that she wasn't going anywhere. Not until they talked. She kicked off her shoes and hopped onto his bed. Crossing her legs, she sat in the middle of the bed and stared at the doorway. She'd be ready whenever he came back. Though she still didn't know what on earth she was going to say to him.

"I loved you, Elena. I would have been so good to you; I would have given you the world."

She just hoped that it wasn't too late.