Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, it belongs to L.J. Smith.

Mysteries Part Five

Damon paced anxiously outside in the clearing. It was hard to believe that just three days ago, Elena had been a ghost. It was hard to believe that just two days ago, Elena had trusted Katherine. It was even harder to believe that he had trusted Katherine. He was known for not trusting people.

A twig snapped. He spun around, but it was a mere deer. It looked at him, it's huge doe eyes terrified. He turned his back on it. Why would he want a mangy deer when he there was other blood? Speaking of blood, he would have to feed soon. The familiar burning was slowly returning. He always wondered what it would be like if he stopped feeding, how it'd feel to die.

"Damon?" a voice asked behind him. He spun around to find a small girl with red curls looking at him. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," he said to Bonnie and turned around. "This is where I think. It's my private area."

"Like a hiding place?" she asked, stepping closer. He shrugged.

"If that's what you want to call it. I can't hide though, Bonnie, I simply blend in because if people want to find me, they will," he said, turning again. She was staring at him with huge eyes. "I suppose you want to know what's going on."

"Maybe I could help," she said, sitting down on a log. He sat next to her.

"Elena wants to go to Katherine," he said. She stared at him. "If she goes to Katherine, she'll die. She proposed that if I go, Katherine will just turn around and kill us and that she can take care of herself."

"But Elena's human, Katherine's a…" she didn't say vampire because she was afraid of his reaction. He shrugged.

"I gave her an example. She turned her back on me and faced Stefan and I managed to get my arm around her neck before she realized it, and I didn't even do it as fast as Katherine. She'll just herself killed.

"If I went, I could manage to take care of myself. Maybe I could even kill her and have this entire shit over with. I'm tired of fighting now, Bonnie, and I never thought I'd say that. For once in my life, I just want to relax. I suppose that's never going to happen with Elena here, but it's possible.

"I'm old, but I'll live for eternity. I can't just…life never slows down for us either. We have to adapt to the ever-changing life. It's hard for us too, many people think it's easy, but it's not. Each time we move, we have to start over. We have to meet new people and gain everyone's trust again. It's not easy," he said, not looking at her the entire time he talked. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"I never said it was easy, Damon, but I do know that Elena appreciates everyone wanting to protect her, even if she doesn't show it or say it. She's just concerned for you and she doesn't want you and your brother to fight again. She wants you two to be…friends," she said the last word in a whisper.

"What do you mean 'fight again'?" he asked, looking at her, his brow furrowed.

"She's afraid that you're still in love with Katherine and that you want to be with her again. She's afraid…she's afraid that you two will try to kill each other again. She's in love with both of you, Damon, but she can only have one because she saw what happened with Katherine. She doesn't want that again. She wants you both to be happy," she said. He shook his head and took her hand in his. She jumped slightly at the gentleness.

"That's not going to happen again. You know why?" he asked. She shook her head. "Because I'm in love with someone else."

"Who?" she squeaked. He opened his mouth to speak, but a door slammed behind them and they heard Elena call his name. He ignored her and turned to Bonnie.

"Because I'm in love with you," he whispered. Her eyes widened.

"Damon!" Elena shouted. He sighed and let go of her hand.

"What?" he called as he walked out of the clearing with Bonnie at his heels.

"We need to talk," she said and froze as she saw Bonnie behind Damon. Bonnie blushed and looked away. "You know what, never mind. I'll go ask Stefan."

"What's wrong, Elena?" Damon asked, sighing. She turned to face him and was grinning.

"I know how to kill Katherine," she said. He stared at her. "And I can do it."

"Elena-" she cut him off.

"No, Damon, I'm doing this. This whole thing is because of me and I'm going to do it. Got it?" she demanded and crossed her arms over her chest. He sighed, but nodded.

"That girl's impossible," he said as Elena went inside. He turned to Bonnie and kissed her lips long and hard, catching her off guard. It didn't make her mad, it made her happy for once. Damon wanted her and her only.