I don't own the vampire diaries and I don't own the characters.
This takes place after the events in my fanfic Soulmates always find a way.
The POV's will be from Damon and Elena.
Enjoy.
Feedback is appreciated.


Thanks for all the feedback. I hope you like the game changer I threw in at the end here.


Chapter 12- Let the games begin...

Damon's POV

I didn't know how long I had been asleep but I was thoroughly surprised when I woke up. I looked up and saw Elena asleep against the wall, my head in her lap and our hands locked together. I looked to my left and saw Stefan leaning against the chair facing me asleep. To my right, there was Jeremy who was laying down with Bonnie tucked under his arm, and Asher was asleep on her chest. I shook my head lightly, I still had a massive headache.

"Try not to move your head too much Damon. I don't know the extent of your injury. How do you feel?"

I raise my head a little bit and see Elijah sitting in a chair in front of me, how I missed him before I had no clue. "Besides the headache and very sore ribs...I feel okay physically. Emotionally is something that not even you can cure."

"Caroline told her when she got back...that you were compelled. You need more sleep, you broke your scull when that guy threw your head into a wall. But...Elena never left you while you slept. Neither did Stefan, Jeremy, Bonnie or Asher. Get some sleep Damon."

I lay my head back down and close my eyes. Fractured scull, that's a new one to add to list of injuries. I had a lot more questions to ask, mostly to Stefan and Elena, but I knew they'd have to wait. I turned on my side and pulled Elena's hands to rest over my heart. I shouldn't have done what I did last night. I shouldn't have went out looking for a fight. 'You broke your skull...' The words kept playing over and over in my head, I could have died. I probably would have if it wasn't for Stefan. What the hell was he doing there anyway. I can tell I'm close to waking up because I can hear whispers and I can feel the light coming in the windows.

"Stefan. Thank you for saving him, how did you know to bring him here though?" Elena, I feel her run her hand through my hair as she whispers to my brother.

"I've always known where you were. It's a long story I'll wait til Damon's awake. I'm lucky I happened to be there."

She presses a kiss to my forehead. "He's lucky too. Is he going to be okay Elijah?"

"I think so, he woke up earlier with a headache. I told him to go back to sleep. I'm almost positive his skull is healed, his heart beat is stronger. Last night when Stefan brought him in it was almost gone. It only beat 10 times per minute after Stefan walked in with him, he was almost gone. Now it's almost to 60 times per minute. He still has a long way to go before he's completely healed but I'm pretty sure he'll be okay."

I blink my eyes open and place a kiss on Elena's hand. "I'm sorry baby." I turn on my back to look up at her and her eyes tell me everything I need to know. I can see the love in her eyes, the happiness, the thankfulness, I get lost in her eyes just like I always do.

"Shh. It's okay babe. How do you feel?" For a split second I see the pain flash through her eyes but she hides it quickly.

I sit up and scoot myself against the wall next to her. I close my eyes as I answer her. "Better. Can someone make the sun go away my head hurts like hell." I know that it's impossible but it's the truth. I decided while I slept to tell her nothing but the truth, no matter what. No more lies and no more hiding. "I'm sorry about everything Lena. I didn't sleep with her...I didn't want to...I was compelled."

I open my right eye and see her nod out of the corner of my eye. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. If I'd listened to you maybe this wouldn't have happened. Why were they fighting you Damon?"

I close my eye again. I don't answer for a minute because I'm thinking of how to word it exactly. "I wanted them to hurt me. I saw you were in pain and I hated knowing I caused it. I wanted to take it away. I wanted to feel the pain for you, but I knew I couldn't. You wouldn't let me in so I went looking for a fight. You were emotionally hurt but I needed to feel just as much if not more physical pain. I'm sorry Elena. I love you."

It's silent for a while. I keep my eyes closed mainly because I can feel everyone staring at me and I really don't want to see them staring at me. I consider going to back to sleep but for some odd reason I can't find sleep. After a while I feel Elena hit my arm.

"Are." Slap. "You." Slap. "Crazy!" Slap. "Damon." Slap. "Alexander." Slap. "Salvatore." "You could have gotten killed!" Slap. I open my eyes and turn my head to her. The slaps on my arm weren't hard but they got the point across. She was worried and upset at the same time.

"I'm only crazy about you." I give her my signature smirk that she likes. I instantly regret it as she hits my arm again.

"Don't you dare joke at a time like this Damon! You could have died if Stefan hadn't walked by! Why, why would you do that?!"

"I told you. I need to feel pain. I knew no one here would thoroughly kick my ass so I found someone who would." I shrug my shoulders. This completely honest thing is a lot easier than I thought it would be. Yet it was getting a bit painful on my shoulder, she kept hitting right where my shoulder hit the wall along with my head. "Although if I'd known you'd have this reaction I'd have come to you. My shoulder still hurts because it too hit the wall. If you want to hit me can you hit the other one...it doesn't seem to have any injury."

She looks down and then kisses my shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just...what would I have done without you?"

"Kick the guys asses as revenge? Just a suggestion. I've seen your revenge streak many times. It's sexy a little bit." I feel her slap my shoulder again. "Ow. Elena."

"THAT was supposed to hurt."

I half laugh at her and put my arm around her. I pull her into my lap and hold onto her as tight as I can. "So...Stefan. Spill the long story you were waiting to tell until I was awake. I'm very much awake now."

He sits up straighter and takes a deep breath. "Things are very different from how we remember them. I don't know if things have changed or if we were just thoroughly wiped of our memories, but Katherine knows. She knows everything, except that time is re-doing itself. She tried to compel me. I had vervain though and Damon you would have too if you'd have listened to father when he was telling us about Elena and everything. You stormed out before he could give you this." He holds out a pocket watch and I take it from him carefully. "It's got vervain in it behind the clock, just like mine. Katherine came to me the night I got it. She said, and I quote...'Sweet innocent Stefan. I need you to forget something for me. I need you to forget that little doppelganger, Elena, who is your best friend. You don't want to know her, she'll only cause you pain. I'm much more fun anyways and I intend to have a lot of fun with you and your dangerous attractive older brother. I'll see you soon, until then..don't tell anyone I was here.'...it didn't work because of the vervain. I pretended to be compelled, something inside me told me she was watching and I was right." He looks at Klaus who has joined our circle now along with vampire barbie herself. "Klaus you've been running in circles. She's been watching all of you the whole time. She knows exactly where Elena is and she knows exactly what you and Damon are up to. She's one step ahead of all of us and I also know who her next interaction will be with, she's just waiting for the right time." He looks at Elena apologetically. "I don't know what she'll do but I know Katherine. The next person she will talk to will be you Elena."

I feel Elena stiffen in my arms as she absorbs everything that Stefan has just thrown at us. Hell I'm still trying to process it. I barely notice that Jeremy and Bonnie are both hurteling questions to Stefan, I tune them out and keep to my own thoughts. My father knows everything that's going to happen, probably because he remembers the fact that Christopher told him about the rings and shit the last time he saw my father. My compulsion could have been obsolete had I taken the pocket watch my father was trying to give me but instead I lost my cool and stormed out once he said 'Elena's moved son...' I didn't even hear out the rest of his sentence. Katherine has been watching us this whole time, God we're idiots. Elena...she'll try to get to Elena next.

"Damon?"

I can't let her get to Elena.

"Damon!"

I feel someone shake my shoulder. "Huh?...Bonnie. What is it?"

"Where'd Elena go?"

I look around and jump up in alarm. I'm looking everywhere in that little church but she's no where to be seen. "I don't know. Jeremy...can you hear her?" He shakes his head no. Shit! I throw the doors open and then he grabs me, "I can hear her now...Katherine got to her. Come on!" He runs at a human pace and I follow him. Stefan and Bonnie are right behind us. I have no clue where baby Gilbert is leading us until I see the familiar road that leads out of town. Elena is on her knees and holding her head. Elijah is kneeling in front of her telling her something I can't hear.

"Elena?" I take a small step forward and she lifts her head to me. She's crying. "What's..."

"Who are you?"

My heart breaks into a million pieces. I'll fucking kill Katherine. "It's me. Damon. Best friend...lover...fiancee...I love you Elena. Please come back to me." I kneel next to Elijah and take one of her hands in mine. "Fight it baby please."

She closes her eyes and yanks her hand away. "I...I can't. I'm sorry." She gets up and turns around.

Elena's POV

"You want a love that consumes you. Passion, adventure, even a little danger. Remember Elena. You're stuck with me forever so please just try and fight the compulsion, if not for me and all the things you find in me, do it for our son."

I stop walking when I hear him tell me what he'll tell me on this road in the future. Memories come back to me and I remember him. "Damon." I turn around and walk back to him. "I'm not strong enough to do this. The memory starts to fade and then I push away from him. "I'm going to leave now." I notice people behind him but I don't recognize them, I don't even recognize the men who tell me their names are Elijah and Damon.

"You are strong enough Elena. I know it."

I shake my head. "There's nothing to fight." I don't want to fight anything. I said the truth, there is nothing to fight against or fight for. I have no one in this town and I need to start over. I need to find a home. I think of home and blurry pictures pass through my head that stop me in my tracks. A boy, a black hair blue eyed boy, Damon, my mind says the name, who helps me climb up to the top of the falls; he kisses me and I can tell that our friendship has changed at that moment. I loved him, I was 10 years old but I loved him. "The falls..."

"Our first kiss. Remember more Elena..."

I turn around and close my eyes. More images appear. A brown hair green eyed boy, Stefan, my mind tells me is chasing me around in what looks like a big maze. I find Damon and he pulls me into his arms and says 'She's safe Stefan. You lose.' I smile up at him and run away and he chases me instantly. When he catches me he laughs and says, "You are a girl who likes to be chased huh Lena?"

I hear Damon chuckle and I open my eyes to meet his blue ones. "We played many games of tag, the three of us. I'm the only one who ever caught you though." I look behind him and see Stefan. "See you are strong enough to fight it Elena. You're the strongest person I know. Katherine has nothing on you." He puts his arms around me and the images start to fade again.

"No." I push away from him gently and step back still facing him. "I can't hold it. I can't keep remembering. I'm not strong enough."

"Yeah you are Elena." Stefan steps forward and grabs me by the shoulders.

I struggle to keep the memories but the fade completely and I'm left with nothing. I search for them desperately because something keeps telling my mind that they are there I just have to find them. "It hurts." I don't notice I've said the words out loud until Stefan speaks to me again.

"I know. I've been there before. Fighting. So has Damon."

My eyes fly open and I grab his wrist. I turn it and he winces in pain. "Yeah and you both lost! I'm not strong enough! I've been strong for too long! I don't...I need someone to be strong for me." I feel arms grab around my waist and I feel Stefan hold my shoulders again. I look behind me and see Damon standing behind me.

"Let Stefan and I be your strength. We know how strong you are. You can fight this." I nod my head and interlock my fingers with Damon's. Stefan moves and stands next to me. "Now...let's go see our son and our friends. Can you do that Lena?"

Yes...No..."Yes." I say the word but it's barely a whisper and it doesn't sound confident at all. Stefan starts to walk but I don't move until I feel Damon take a step behind me. It forces me to walk first and at first I start to feel confident. Maybe I can do this. Then the words she spoke come back to me. "You will leave town and not return. You have no one here. No one loves you and no one wants you. Go." I stop and it causes Damon to bump into me.

"I have to leave town. No one wants me here. I have to go and not return." I unlock his hands from around me and walk back the way we came. I don't hear anyone follow me and for a minute I think maybe they've given up. I hear someone walking next to me but when I look over expecting it to be Damon I'm so stunned I stop walking.

"Katherine." I hear my voice say her name but I also hear three more voices added in with mine at the same time. I turn and see Damon, Stefan, and Elijah looking at her too.

"I see you are finally giving into me Elena. I always get what I want."

She's gone and I continue my walk. I shake my head and try to get rid of all the memories that I'm seeing in my head. They are on a loop and they are all the same. I can tell they're not from this century but from the next. Stefan is telling me to run and I run, he chases me and he stakes himself but ends up giving into the compulsion. The next memory starts and it's Damon. He's going after Jeremy and I call his name, he stops and snaps out of it for a minute. He chases Jeremy, and takes a bullet to the head. It goes back to me begging Stefan to fight it, "You can fight it Stefan. You just have to want it bad enough." "Why because I love you?" "Yes because you love me and after everything we've been through you owe me that!" I notice I'm on my knees again as the memory changes once again. "Damon stop. Don't do this. You can fight it I know you can." "Yeah like Stefan did?" "You can fight it because I love you. Because you love me and you'd do anything for me. So please do this for me." He tries to fight it but he loses just like Stefan. It all starts over and I open my eyes to be met by Elijah who is kneeling in front of me.

"They tried Elena. I'm going to keep these memories in your head until you fight."

I grab my head. "Stop. Please stop. I don't want to see it. I'm not strong enough." I shake my head and get up but the memories don't stop. He adds in more pictures. Klaus draining me for his ritual and I wake up afterward to see Damon, "Thank God." His words echo in my head. I see my car crash and Damon scares off some vampire trying to get to me, he saves me again. I see him show up in the hospital after Stefan feeds on me. I see myself let go of the bleachers and Stefan catches me. I see Stefan appear at my parents car and pull me out of the water. I see Damon drive up after Stefan left me on the bridge. Matt's car goes off the bridge and Stefan shows up again, he doesn't save me this time. The last memory is of Damon and I. We're on wickery bridge and I'm not wearing a daylight ring. "Damon..." I see myself and I'm scared, he grabs me and jumps me into the water.

"If you can survive all that, you can survive this. Don't let Katherine win. Fight it. Like you will tell Stefan, you just have to want it bad enough."

I don't reply and more memories take over my mind. The first time I met Damon. Every touch, every look, every word we said to each other. I see the first time we made love in the future. We dance and he spins me out and back in. We kiss. It's passionate and all consuming. "I'll do whatever it is you need me to do Elena." I see the memory where he trains me to fight and it's just as passionate, tension and all. "I love you Elena. I don't deserve you." He compelled me, but he was wrong. "I don't do the right thing! I fall in love with my brothers girl...but I have to do the right thing by you Elena." "I was supposed to evoke the sire bond and send you away, which is what I'm going to do right now." "Come to me." "I'm happy." The words swirl in my head and I look at Damon behind me.

"I just have to want it bad enough."

I get up and see Elijah stand behind me. The pictures don't fade but I know it's not him that's showing them to me anymore. "I will remember. I'm strong enough." I walk right past Damon and Stefan. I don't stop when I get to Jeremy and Bonnie. I keep my mind focused and I walk with a purpose. I hear Jeremy ask "What is she doing? Is she okay?" Damon answers him, "She's fighting." He runs and is now walking behind me. I can hear him and I smile. I know that no one else will follow me. I reach the falls and climb to the top with Damon right behind me. I turn around and look him in the eyes.

"I can fight this Damon. I know I can. She won't win. Want to know how I'll fight it?"

He raises one eyebrow. "How my love?"

I smile and shrug my shoulders. "I'll remember you. Every touch, look, kiss, word spoken. I just have to want all that bad enough to remember why I have to fight. You're the reason I know I'm strong enough."

He pulls me into his arms and holds me against his chest. I kiss his chest through his shirt and he grabs my face and pecks me softly on the lips.

"You're safe. Katherine loses." I smile at him and hug him tighter.

"I'll always be safe when I'm with you, whether I'm 10 or 15 huh?"

"Yep and I'll always keep you safe in my arms whether I'm 14 or 19."

We stand there for a little while until I grab his hand and lead him back towards the church. Once we get there I see Stefan walk up to me with Asher and he hands him to me. I look at the people in the church. Elijah, Bonnie, Jeremy, Christopher, Elliot, Klaus, Caroline, Stefan, Asher, Damon...my family, some by blood others just by being that close to them. I take a deep breath and I hear Damon's voice in my ear. "It's okay if I'm not the only reason you fight it. Just as long as I'm the main reason." I look up to him and smile at him. "They're our family too Lena, you know." We sit down and they all sit with us. It feels almost normal until the door opens again and Giuseppe Salvatore walks in.

"They know that vampires are here. They're coming for them, you have to find another place to stay hidden."

Just like that the world stopped spinning. At least to me.