A/N: Please don't kill me. I promise I am attempting to write as often as I can. My muse has been hiding on me lately. (I think it's in petition of my new job, which keeps me away from my computer for long hours.) Regardless, here is the update of the week and I promise to try to get them up in more frequent intervals if for no other reason than to keep you all from revolting. On with the show!


Holding My Heart

What am I doing here, if you're not with me?
What have I got to live for, if it's just my own dream?
Take it back to the beginning, back to the start
When gravity's pulling, you're still holding my heart

Crashing Down by Matt Kearney


Elena was thoroughly relieved to find that Jenna was out when she returned to the house with Bonnie, Caroline and Damon. A brief thought ran through her head concerning Jenna and Mr. Saltzman, but she quickly dismissed it to focus on getting Caroline into clean clothes and tucked into Elena's bed. It was obvious that Caroline needed rest, even if Damon's blood had healed her; she was still visibly shaken from what had happened and no one had thought to erase the incident from her mind. Although now that Elena was thinking about it, that might not be the worst idea in the world.

Bonnie stayed with Caroline as Elena closed the door quietly and sat on the top stair. Damon leaned against the railing of the stairs, watching her.

"She really is going to be alright," he said quietly.

Elena sighed. "Just because she is going to be alright doesn't change what happened to her," she whispered back. "If you hadn't still been there… if you had left…"

"But I didn't."

"You could have. And I would be…" She broke of mid-sentence, unable to finish the thought. A quiet sob escaped her lips, although she had vowed not to let it until she was alone.

Damon sat down beside her and lifted her face to meet her eyes. "Nothing would ever happen to you, Elena. I wouldn't let it."

"Why are you doing this?" She asked quietly, confused by the gentle and careful way he was acting around her.

He rolled his eyes. "Despite what Stefan says about me, I am not completely devoid of feeling."

Elena smiled. "I already found that out last night…"

Damon smirked. "Atta girl."

Elena quickly became somber again, losing herself in thought for a brief moment before speaking. "You're very different around me… than Stefan I mean."

He shrugged. "I find you far more attractive." He nudged her gently and helped her to her feet. "Now no more of that pouting. I want to see that spark in you again."

She raised a brow. "Even if it's aimed toward you? We still haven't discussed the Katherine thing."

He smiled smugly. "I think I can handle your wrath."

"You underestimate me, Mr. Salvatore."

He feigned innocence. "Me? Never."

Elena looked back toward her closed bedroom door. "I think I should go check on them. You should go lay down on the couch. I know tonight took a lot out of you."

"Correction, Caroline took a lot out of me."

Elena sighed. "But she's safe and alive… and so are you… and that's all that matters."

"For now…" he forebode.

"For now," Elena agreed. And then she disappeared into her room and quietly shut the door behind her.


"Elena told me…" Bonnie admitted quietly, stroking Caroline's newly washed hair as the two of them laid in Elena's bed. The two girls were discussing vampires and how they came to be in Mystic Falls. More accurately, how each of them learned the truth about the Salvatore brothers.

"I had no idea there were so many of them out there…" Caroline bemused. "I mean, I knew Stefan and Damon, but I thought it was a rare thing. I didn't expect them to be showing up at parties like that."

"I have a feeling they are here for something. And I have an even worse feeling that I know what it is."

Caroline sat up and looked Bonnie in the eye. "You have to tell me…"

Bonnie shook her head. It had been a standing pact between Elena and Bonnie that neither would discuss the tomb of vampires hidden beneath their small town or any possible way to get into it. As far as she knew, Bonnie had destroyed the only entrance when Emily had inhabited her. She idly wondered if the vampire going after Caroline had anything at all to do with that. It seemed almost too coincidental that the events should occur so close together. But how would any other vampire know that it was her? Did word in that community really travel so fast? Would she ever find herself safe again?

Her mind was running rampant with possibilities when Elena silently entered and closed the door behind her. She padded quietly to the bedside and sat down, looking at her two best friends.

"Are you both alright?" Elena asked searching their faces for any sign of distress. Bonnie could tell that Elena was worn out both mentally and emotionally and she couldn't help but wonder if it was because of the spell.

Bonnie nodded silently.

"Just tired…" Caroline admitted. "But still kind of scared… I mean what if he comes after me again…"

Elena shook her head. "Damon is still here. And Stefan will be back soon. They are going to protect us."

Bonnie's gaze dropped to her hands, which were nervously pulling at the fray on the bottom of her jeans. "I think I know why he went after Caroline…" her words were so low Elena had to strain to make them out. She could see the heartbreak written all over Bonnie's face.


Everything was finally starting to sink in as Elena closed her bedroom door and made her way downstairs, where she pulled out a glass from the cupboard and filled it with tap water. And then she stared at it, realizing for the first time how badly her hands were shaking. And there were feelings and emotions swirling around in her head and heart and everything just felt so… bizarre. Like the earth was spinning backwards. For the first time in two days she found her thoughts lingering on Stefan and the way he had helped her. That caring, concerned look in his eyes when he pulled the book case off of her. The panic-stricken tone of his voice that made her realize that his feelings for her were still deep. Something little that caused her heart to jump and drop all at the same time. But the pain still lingered over learning the truth about Katherine. Not just anger and pain directed towards Stefan, but Damon as well. Both of them had kept the secret from her. And that made this whole thing that much more confusing.

It was like a veil had been lifted from her eyes and all of her feelings for Stefan from three days ago were there again. But now they were met with equally strong and possibly more fierce feelings for Damon. How could she be so stupid to fall in love with both of them? God, how could this day possibly get any worse?

Elena could hear Damon in the living room, arguing with someone. "Why does it matter what I was doing there? I saved her. I saved both of them and you're yelling at me?!"

Elena shivered. It was Stefan. And apparently he had called Damon's cell phone on his way over to Elena's house.

"That's not the point Damon."

Elena's blood ran cold. She hadn't noticed that Stefan had been in the house when she came down the stairs. Was she really that out of it? She found herself moving silently to the back corner of the kitchen to hear what they were talking about without being seen.

"Then what is the point? You think I'm trying to steal your position as town vigilante? I promise you, that is not even in the realm of possibilities."

"That's not funny Damon. I want to know what you're doing hanging around Elena."

There was a pause. "She called for me. Asked about Katherine. As far as I could gather someone at the party assumed that's who she was."

"Oh god…" the words were under his breath but Elena could still hear them. She slumped against the cabinet in the kitchen, feeling herself go weak in the knees again. She wasn't sure how many more blows she could take tonight. "What did you tell her?"

"The truth. Something you've never been able to do."

"And?"

"And she was pissed as shit, what do you expect? That's not news that a girl like Elena is going to take lying down." And she could practically hear his smirk at that. "I stuck around because I didn't want the vampire going after her once he learned she was human. Like you did." Damon practically spat.

Stefan made a noise at that; something crossed between a growl and a hiss that caused Elena to wonder if they were going to brawl right then and there in her living room. She stayed silent though, wondering what else Damon was willing to give away.

"That's not fair!" Stefan growled. "I have been protecting her!"

"She's a big girl Stefan. She can protect herself."

"Not against us Damon. You know that there are others out there."

"She seems to be doing just fine without you, little brother."

"Her best friend almost died tonight! How is that fine?"

There was another pause. "You're right. Caroline did almost die tonight. And where were you? How were you protecting either of them? Once that vampire was done with Caroline it would have turned on Elena; she was bleeding all over the place from that bookcase falling on her. You know what her blood smells like. He would have never been able to resist."

Elena could picture Stefan now. Hands bawled into fists and jaw clenched tightly as his teeth ground together. She could only imagine what he was thinking about doing to Damon.

"You're done here," Stefan said after a long pause. His voice was restrained, but Elena could hear the seething anger under the surface of his tone.

"I am not leaving until Elena asks me to. In case you hadn't noticed, you're the only one she doesn't want to be around lately."

Elena gulped. That was it. She had let it go on long enough.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Stefan asked harshly.

Elena walked swiftly into the room, heart pounding and eyes bouncing between both brothers. Her heart was torn. How could she have been in love with Stefan alone up until two days ago? And how could she have been smitten with Damon alone for the past few days? And why were all of her feelings melding into one another now?

"No one is leaving. Understood? I need you both here. So let's just work on our tolerance, alright boys?"

"Elena…" Stefan's voiced was quiet and her name sounded almost revered.

"Listen," she answered quickly. "We've all got major issues we want to discuss right now, but none of that is going to keep Bonnie and Caroline safe. And right now, that's all I am worried about. So can we please focus on that?"

Stefan took a step back.

"Who died and made you boss?" Damon asked, ticking up a brow.

"You did," Elena retorted with a smirk. "Besides, I'm the only one that knows what the guy looks like." She sighed. "The one that attacked Caroline… it was the same guy that called me Katherine." She held up her hand, looking at Stefan, and his apologetic demeanor. "And no, I don't want to talk about that right now. You can apologize later."

Damon grinned.

Elena turned and looked at him. "And don't think you're getting off the hook either. Just because you saved Caroline doesn't give you a free pass. We will discuss everything later on. But right now the three of us need to figure out who the vampire was that attacked Caroline and thought I was Katherine."

Damon's smile faded and he pointed to himself. "Doesn't work well with others."

"Well learn," Elena replied solemnly. "You're already involved in this. You're not taking the easy way out now."

"You better watch your tone, kitten," Damon shot back, taking a step toward her and invading her personal space.

Stefan stepped forward in tandem and grabbed Damon's arm. "Don't touch her."

"You get no further say in that, little brother." His eyes darkened and he leaned in closer to Elena. "Isn't that right, Elena?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Not now."

"What is going on here?" Stefan asked, looking between the two of them.

Damon grazed Elena's cheek with his thumb and his eyes darkened even more, an evil glint appearing. Stefan growled his obvious disapproval of the intimate way his brother was touching her.

"I think we should tell him," Damon said with a smile.

"Tell me what?" Stefan's voice was impatient now; frantic and upset.

Elena's glare hardened on Damon and she swallowed hard. Had it been yesterday, somehow she would have had no problems telling Stefan about her and Damon. But now it seemed wrong and heartless. How had things changed so drastically?

"Listen," Elena said, cautiously. "Over the last couple of days… I have been feeling… well… different. Mostly, well for lack of a better word- apathetic… about you and I. Which is why I said what I did the other morning."

"Aaaand…" Damon prompted.

Her eyes flew to Damon, who was enjoying this far more than he should have been. "And I think… I mean I know… that I have had this intense, mysterious pull toward Damon the past few days." There was a pause, and the room was so quiet that Elena wondered if they were both merely listening to the ever-quickening pace of her heart.

"I have feelings for him. Although for the life of me, right now I can't figure out why." She glared at Damon darkly. "Do you really have to be such an ass all the time? I mean seriously, I know you take some dark pleasure in hurting Stefan, but I really don't. This isn't something that I wanted to do. I didn't expect this." She turned back to Stefan. "And I don't want to hurt you… especially because now everything is different. It was like my feelings for you were just..." she paused. "Mysteriously gone or something for a few days. I can't explain it." She stopped long enough to look into his completely broken and defeated face.

"History repeating…" Stefan said quietly. "You were trying to tell me…" he said to Damon.

"God, Stefan. I really didn't mean for this to happen… I don't know why I have these feelings, or why they came on so strongly."

"Maybe I'm just that good…" Damon whispered.

Elena elbowed him quickly in the gut. Even if it didn't hurt him, it would at least get the point across.

A throat clearing from the bottom of the staircase caught all of their attention and all three swiftly turned their attention in that direction.

"I think I have some explaining to do…" Bonnie said quietly, positioning the railing of the stairs between herself and the other three as if to protect herself from them.


A/N: Sooo… what does everyone think so far? I needed some suspense. Loved it? Hated it? Review and let me know! Thanks lovelies.