Author's Note: First of all…sorry for the late update, I've been really busy with work and such! But here's an update for ya! Second of all, OMG The Sacrifice was AMAZING! And the previews are insane…lost my shit when I saw Stefan and Katherine, but I'm sure they're gonna twist it in some way to fool us, like they always do! And lastly….please please please don't hate me for this chapter, the next one will be better, and I will make up for it I promise ;) Remember this is Damon…and he is a wee bit fucked up. But like I said next chapter will redeem this one! Please enjoy and review!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 13: The Morning After

There was nothing to keep them apart now: no secrets, no Stefan, just them….and Rose. She glared and smacked his chest, hopping out of his arms.

"You slept with Rose!" she shouted.

Damon closed his eyes in regret of ever doing that. "I know, Elena and I'm sorry…but it didn't mean anything." He pleaded, in a sad tone.

"It doesn't change that you slept with her! How could you sleep with her if you love me?" she demanded a vein popping out on her forehead.

Damon got on the defensive. "Because I thought that you didn't want me!" he shouted. "I tried to make the pain go away…I tried to pass the time, Elena! As far as I knew you and Stefan were back together!" His eyes were blazing and any other person would have backed away in fear, but Elena narrowed her gaze and stepped forward.

"Well maybe if you didn't jump to conclusions, this would have never happened!" her face softened and she took a breath. "You never noticed…how I've been acting around you lately? You didn't pick up on anything different coming from me?" she asked tilting her head to the side. He shook his head in confusion. "I've been practically throwing signs in your face for the past two months." She laughed humorously.

Damon looked taken back. "I had no idea…"

Elena smiled. "Well now you know." she sobered. "I want her gone, Damon. I can't stand her enough as it is..." she rambled as Damon closed the distance between them.

"Done." He promised.

She smiled and relaxed. "Thank you."

Damon swooped her up into his arms and sped into his bedroom, gently laying her on his king-size mattress. He got in after her opened his arms for her to mold her body to his. They both sighed in contentment. Elena rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arm around his torso, while Damon ran his hand soothingly through her locks.

Elena giggled looking up at him when she heard a sound coming from him. "Are you purring?"

Damon frowned, his eyes still closed. "No…" he scoffed, before sighing. "Yes. I'm comfy, it's…nice to have you so close." He was trying to be honest with her, but it was still hard for him to say what he was really feeling.

Elena cuddled further into him. "I like it…" she whispered. "The purring, it's comforting." She placed a kiss on his clothed chest, and didn't miss his slight intake of breath at her touch.

"You've never heard Stefan-" Damon started.

"Can we not talk about Stefan right now?" she cut him off. "This is you and me…no Stefan." She stated, shaking her head to emphasize her point. Elena rolled her eyes when Damon continued.

"How are we gonna tell him? I mean…he's gonna be pretty pissed at me, not like I care really but-" he rambled looking at the ceiling.

She sighed, pulled away from him slightly to see his face. "He knows, Damon. We talked about it tonight…he said he's known that there was something between us for a long time." She explained, looking into his icy blue eyes.

"Really?" he gave her a half smile. "Well that makes things a little easier." He pulled her back into his arms when he saw her cover a yawn. "Go to sleep, Lena…we can talk more in the morning." He kissed the crown of her head, and hugged her to his body. He couldn't seem to get her close enough.

"Mmk." She mumbled sleepily, her eyes falling heavy.

"I love you…" he whispered, after she was already asleep, watching her for a few moments before closing his eyes. He wouldn't actually sleep tonight, he was too consumed with the thought that Elena was sleeping peacefully in his arms. That she had feelings for him, that she wanted to be his and wanted him to love her. His mind went wild with thoughts all night until the early morning.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena woke the next morning to the sun shining on her face. She smiled and stretched, feeling for Damon's toned chest beside her, but all she felt were his cold black silk sheets. She frowned and opened her eyes, glancing around the room and finding him standing looking out the window with his arms crossed.

Morning." She moaned out happily.

He didn't turn back to her when he answered. "Morning…"

Elena sat up and ambled over to him wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing his shoulder blade. "Why aren't you still in bed?" she mock scolded.

"I couldn't sleep." He answered flatly.

She leaned up to catch a glance at his face. "I'm disappointed in you Damon Salvatore…I was looking so forward to waking up next to you, you ruined it for me!" she joked, playfully biting his shoulder. She laughed, and then sobered when Damon didn't moved or say anything. "Damon?" she pulled on his arm and forced him to look at her. "What's wrong?" she asked him, her voice barely a whisper.

Damon caught her gaze before looking at a spot above her head. "I've just been thinking…don't worry about it."

Elena expelled a shaky breath. "How can I not worry about it when you're acting like this?" She searched his face for an answer and when he didn't she continued. "Please tell me?" Her voice constricted with emotion.

He finally looked at her and his eyes softened, taking a minute before speaking. "This…no matter how much I want it to," he started in a whisper. "…can't work." His jaw tightened, hating himself for saying this to her.

Elena's mouth dropped open in shock. "What?" Did he really just say that? Did she just imagine it?

Damon took her face in his hands. "What can I give you?" His blue eyes flashed back and firth to her brown ones, blinking away the tears that started to build up. "What can I give you besides death and pain and heartbreak?" his voice cracked as the power of his feelings weighed down on him. "That's all I know…" he shrugged in defeat. "That's all I can give you Elena…and you don't deserve that." He shook his head, and a tear ran down his cheek.

Elena let her own tears fall, holding his hands to her face. "That's not true, Damon." She cried. "You can give me love! That's all that matters!" she declared, stepping closer to him.

He shook his head and moved to sit on the end of the bed, letting his head hang. Elena shakily knelt in front of him, resting her hands on his thighs. "I can't give you a family…" he mumbled hoarsely. "I can't give you a life worth living…" he looked up at her and she was shocked to see the vulnerability and agony on his face caused by his own words. Damon blue eyes shone in a way she'd never seen before. "I can't grow old with you, Elena!"

She shook her head, her eyes so blurry from tears she could barely see him. "No, I don't care about that!" Damon reached out to wipe away her tears, but she pulled back, angrily wiping them away herself. "So, what was last night then?" she demanded. "Y-you, tell me how much you love me a-and then you just take it all back the next morning?" she stuttered miserably.

Damon ghosted a hand over her hair, twirling the ends around his fingers. "I'm not taking it back Elena…I love you. And it's because I love you that I don't want to hurt you." He swallowed hard, knowing that even though his heart wasn't beating it was breaking.

She swatted his hand away. "Yeah well, you just did." She stated harshly, as she forced herself to her feet and rushed out of the room.

Damon expelled an unnecessary breath, and dropped his head into his hands. He hated doing that to her, and to himself. He finally had the woman he loved and he pushed her away because he couldn't handle it. He knew she'd be better for it in the long run…and he would suffer everyday he was without her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena spent the next entire week holed up in her bedroom under the covers. Jenna would come in, bring her food that she barely touched, Jeremy would attempt to soothe her with words she didn't hear, and Bonnie and Caroline tried to get her out of the house to distract her from aching that she felt in her heart. Nothing worked…Elena didn't want to do anything but curl up in Damon's arms and sob, but even if she could, she was too mad to do so.

How could he do that? How could he make her feel all that love and passion and excitement one night, then make her feel nothing but pain, and loneliness and despair the next day? Love sucks…

She was all alone in the house. It was a dark day; reminiscent of her mood, and Jenna and Jeremy were out of the house for the day. Jenna was at Alaric's wanting to give Elena some space, and Jeremy was 'out staking a vampire for making his sister cry'. She knew Jeremy wouldn't actually stake Damon, for many reasons, but he hoped to knock some sense into him.

Elena heard three resounding knocks on her door, and ignored them. When they continued, she burrowed further into the bed hoping it would go away. It continued for a few minutes before it stopped for a couple of seconds. She jumped when tapping started to come from her bedroom window.

Hoping it was Damon; she flung the covers off and saw Rose on the other side of the glass pane. "Elena…you don't have to invite me in, but I'd like to talk to you if you have a minute." She smiled slightly.

Elena glared at the window for a while, before storming over and throwing to window up. "What do you want?" she demanded, coldly.

"You don't like me very much…" she stated jokingly.

Elena rolled her eyes. "What on earth gave you that idea?" she asked sarcastically.

Rose got right to the point. "What ever happened between Damon and I meant nothing."

Elena narrowed her gaze and cocked her head to the side. "Is that suppose to make me feel better?" she crossed her arms defensively.

"It was a sort of comfort." Rose explained. "It was solace."

Elena sighed and glanced around her room before sitting on her bed, tucking a leg under her. "Well I hope you feel comforted, because I don't. Damon's barely speaking to me." She mumbled, trying to keep the tears at bay.

Rose's eyes followed Elena, looking at her with sympathy. "Give him time, Elena. This is all new to him…" she laughed almost humorously. "He spent the last twelve months thinking he couldn't have you."

Her eyes dropped to her duvet cover. "And now he can, and he's pushing me away."

Rose was silent for a while before speaking again. "Damon…is a complicated sort of person. He hides his true feelings to protect himself. It's a defense mechanism." Rose leaned against the frame. "It's something he's been doing all his life and it's not easy for him to turn his back on it."

Elena held her eyes for a moment. "You can come in Rose." She didn't feel threatened, and if she was being totally honest she would say that Rose was a decent distraction from the pain.

Rose gracefully hopped through the window, and sat on the bed beside Elena like they were best friends. "Katherine hurt him…and for a man like Damon, it's not easy to open up to the chance of getting hurt again." Rose tilted her head to the side. "Have you even told him you love him?"

Elena frowned. "No, but he knows…he has to."

Rose smiled and dropped her gaze for a second before meeting Elena's again. "He won't know until you tell him. Show him that he's not the only one, and you'll see a change. I can basically guarantee it!" Rose said confidently as she stood and walked back to the window.

"Why are you helping me?" Elena asked curiously.

Rose turned back. "Because you deserve some happiness in your life…you both do." With that said, Rose disappeared out the window, leaving Elena to her thoughts.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon sat in the parlor in his chair nursing a bottle of scotch…not a glass the entire bottle; his second one so far. He was glad Stefan decided to stay somewhere other than the Boarding House because he couldn't really take dealing with anyone right now. He was drowning in his sorrows.

As if the world wanted to punish him further, the front door burst open cracking hard against the wall. He heard two pairs of clicking heels storming towards the parlor, and took a long gulp preparing himself for a bitching.

"What the hell is you're fucking problem, Damon!" Caroline yelled coming to stand in front of him, followed shortly by Bonnie. Both girls we're giving him death glares. "Elena is a complete an utter mess, and for some wild and crazy reason I think it has something to do with you!" she shouted, sarcasm lacing her biting tone.

Damon closed his eyes and blocked it out.

"Hey!" Bonnie bellowed, kicking him hard in the shin. "What did you do to her? I swear if you hurt her in anyway-" she threatened, narrowing her eyes to slits.

Damon sighed, bringing the bottle to his lips and drinking deeply before responding. "What…you mean to tell me she didn't tell you already?" he tried to sound like his usual cocky and unaffected self, but with the amount of alcohol and his emotions fluctuating the way they were, his voice sounded strained.

Caroline crossed her arms and flicked her hair back. "What, you mean in between the sobs, and the isolation and the not speaking to anyone? No…I think it slipped her mind." The blonde was fuming at the vampire in front of her.

That got his attention. "What?"

Bonnie's lips set in a firm line. "That girl…that's locked away in her room and totally broken; I don't even know who that is, because that's not Elena! She's a shell of Elena…she barely get out of bed Damon, so you better tell us what you did to her or I'm gonna start doing that thing you hate!" she threatened darkly.

Damon opened his arms up. "Go ahead Bonnie…I'm sure it'll feel a hell of a lot better than the pain I'm already feeling."

"What. Did. You do to her?" Caroline demanded.

"I broke her heart…" he laughed bitterly. "And then I broke my own."

Bonnie shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

Damon gulped some more scotch. "Last night we aired some dirty laundry." He slurred. "I told her I love her…and she admitted to wanting to be with me. But I can't give her what she needs…what she wants." He rambled. He ignored the part of his brain that told him he was baring his soul to Caroline and Bonnie. "I can't give her a family or, anything really…" he trailed off.

Both girls looked on in awe at the man that they thought was heartless, open up about his fears. They glanced at each other briefly before turning back to him when he continued to rant.

"And I love her…I love her so much but…I don't deserve her. I don't…so, I had to end it." He wasn't even looking at them; it looked like he was talking to himself. "I had to let her go…" he nodded. "She's better off without me."

Caroline looked at him with wide eyes. "Um, are you retarded or something? Did you not hear me? Elena is a mess right now, okay! She's missing you like crazy, clearly, and you're sitting here what, drowning yourself in a bottle of scotch?"

Damon blinked and looked at the bottle. "Pretty much, yeah…" he agreed slowly.

"Yeah well not anymore." Bonnie pried the bottle out of his hand with ease and put it back on the wet bar.

"Hey!" he cried moodily. "I was drinking that, Bonnie." He dragged out her name spitefully.

Caroline pulled him to his feet. "You are going to sober you're ass up and get you're shit together because you need to fix this!"

Damon pulled out of her grasp and stumbled to the wet bar grabbing his bottle of scotch and walking towards the stairs. "She'll get over it…it's not like she loves me or anything." He mumbled out. Bonnie didn't quiet hear it but Caroline did.

"You're an idiot if you think she doesn't!" she yelled back, watching him pause on the landing before continuing to drag himself to his room.

"Guess I'm an idiot!" he hollered back.

Caroline huffed. "God, he's a stubborn ass!"

Bonnie frowned glancing at her friend. "Do you really think she loves him?"

The blonde raised a brow. "Do you think she'd be this messed up if she wasn't?"

Author's Note: Sorry guys! Love me anyways though okay! Next chapter will be less angsty and drama filled! I thought it would be something Damon would do, because it didn't seem like him to just accept it right away no matter how much me loves her. Damon has too many problems in that department to readily accept the boyfriend role so quickly. Am I right? Anyways hope you liked it, please leave me a review an tell me what you thought.