Chapter Eleven: Criminal

"So... This whole thing with you.. it was just pretend?"

Damon smiled slightly, shifting in his seat.

"Yes. Again, I'm really sorry about all of this."

Elena nodded. She had been listening to Damon's story for the past half hour, and was trying to tie up the loose ends.

"I was honestly trying to protect you from my brother. I found out that he had been watching you, that he was obsessed with you. When he started making all of these crazy plans to "get you," I knew I had to do something."

"So... you decided to do the same thing?"

He didn't miss a beat as he responded.

"Again, it was just pretend. I intensely regret scaring you so bad, but it's the only way I could make it seem real."

He had been repeating this the whole time, practically. Of course he was sorry, and he hadn't really hurt her Aunt. But staging this whole "thing" didn't really make it that much better.

Elena took a deep breath and folded her hands into her lap.

"How did he find me, then?"

"I led him to us. It was the only way that I would ever be able to catch him."

"I was the bait then, wasn't I?" The girl looked up at him warily, and another grim smile spread across his lips.

"Yeah, you were. That's why I had to play that whole game. There is something really wrong with Stefan. The only thing that would have gotten him off his rocker long enough to subdue him would have be something pertaining to you."

Damon paused, looking up at her.

"Thank you. For saving me, I mean. But I still think you should've told me what you were trying to do. I really thought that you were the psycho."

Damon broke into a small grin and tried to conceal it.

"You thought right." His smile faded then. "Have you forgotten what I am? What both me and Stefan are?"

Elena shook her head no.

He continued.

"Anyways, I couldn't have told you about what I was planning to do. Stefan would have been able to tell if you were faking it. I had to make him think I was just as delusional about you as he is."

"Speaking on that subject... where is he?"

"Nowhere he will ever be able to hurt you again." Damon put a hand on her shoulder affectionately. She brushed it off warily as he sighed.

"Look, Elena, you're safe, really. You can go back to your life now."

Damon stood up from the couch began to walk towards the kitchen.

Elena couldn't believe her ears. She was mad and all of her emotions felt as unstable as Stefan's.

"That's it then? You're just going to leave me to 'get on with my life'?"

Damon stopped walking, but he didn't turn around.

She could feel her face distort cruelly as she continued to bark at him.

"How could you be so stupid? You ruined my career! Three days with you and I don't even have a life to go back to!"

Damon turned around when he heard this. His eyes pierced into hers.

"Is that what you think?" His voice was soft, almost inaudible, but impacted her nonetheless.

"I saved your life! What did you think Stefan was going to do to you? Dress you up like a doll and tell you loved you all day? Hardly."

"No! This isn't about me! This is about you. You could've found another way to get to him! You used me without thinking for a second what would happen to me afterwards."

She sidestepped the broken coffee table from before and grabbed a lamp from the side table beside the couch.

They glared daggers at one another as Damon exploded back at her.

"If I hadn't have done what I did you would be dead! Stefan thinks he can handle his strength, but he can't! Don't you even know that he's fed on you before? How could you be so stupid Elena?"

Taking in his words, Elena dropped the lamp she had been meaning to hurl at him by her feet. She stepped back slowly, then faster as she sprang towards the door. She didn't know where she was going or what she would do when she got there. All she knew was that she had to leave.

Tears stung at her eyes and everything blurred as the shiny silver handle came into view. She wanted to rip open the door and never see the hauntingly polished wood again, but before she could do anything, she was pushed towards the floor. She felt her arms being retrained above her and was flipped around to meet his eyes. They were searching hers intently, confused.

"Why are you doing this?" He murmured, too close to her lips.

"Because I love you you stupid fool!"

And then she leaned up and kissed him for the second time this week.