You Lost Me

Chapter Thirty-Six - Compromise

To say things had been awkward in Damon's beach house was an understatement. After clearing things up between him and Katherine, she and Stefan came to visit. They stayed in the bed and breakfast she once abandoned him at but their visits to Damon and Elena had been uncomfortable to say the least. The tension between the two couples could be cut with a knife. More often than not Damon sent deadly glares to Katherine and no one could say he tried to be nice to his brother. It was like everyone was obliged to be there instead of doing it from free will. Maybe it was a bad idea after all…

"I need a favor" Damon approached his brother in one of the occasions he and Katherine came to visit.

"Sure" Stefan was happily relieved to know that his brother was the one trying to take amends. He really wanted to do it but Damon was unpredictable and Katherine had reported her conversation with his brother in detail so he didn't know what Damon's reaction could be. He was afraid of pushing Damon too much with the subject of rebuilding their trust because he knew it could lead the older Salvatore to snap and that was the last thing he wanted.

"I need to go to Mystic Falls. There are some things in the house that I need to bring here. I don't want to take Elena with me because I know the place will always be emotional for her especially with her newlywed brother and aunt in town but I don't want to leave her alone either" Damon explained as he filled a glass with scotch and downed it as soon as he finished talking.

"I understand" Stefan was still skeptical in his answer. If it meant what he thought it was a big step for the brothers.

"I want you to ask Katherine to leave. Preferably ask her to go visit the North Pole. I don't her around here while I'm not in the house" he refilled the glass and emptied even faster than the first time.

"Katherine would never hurt Elena, Damon" Stefan offered but he knew he crossed a line the moment Damon looked up from the drink cart to his brother.

"You do realize that while we are here they're upstairs? On their own?" Stefan pointed out but Damon didn't budge.

"Where I can hear them and kill her the moment she touches Elena" he said through clenched teeth.

"For two people who have generations between them and everything that went through them once they crossed paths I'd say they're bonding just fine" Stefan said and it was true. Elena was probably the only one who really understood what Katherine did. Some days even Stefan questioned Katherine's choices even if they didn't talk about it. He would never be fine with the older vampire turning her but Elena knew it was what needed to be done. She didn't want to be in the position the first doppelganger was or being responsible to carry on the curse by having her own kids. She was happy the curse was stopped and Klaus was dead and to both she owed Katherine. Damon had made her life as a vampire much easier than she expected and as each day passed it was easier to accept what Katherine did to her.

Surely there wasn't a BFF bonding between the doppelgangers but they talked about many things. Right now while they paid attention to the brothers' conversation although they pretended they didn't, Katherine was talking about the places she had visited with Stefan in the past years. It had been almost two years since he found her and they didn't do anything else other than travel. It gave Elena some ideas for the future with Damon.

Despite their plans to study and then work she also wanted to enjoy the life they could have as vampires. Traveling could be the perfect plan for their leisure time as they didn't get tired, older or were running out of money. The latter thanks to Damon wise and sharp administration of all the properties and investments he inherited from his father but also a few other Salvatores who died throughout the years without having any heir of their own.

But now her attention wasn't in her ascendant words but in the ones exchanged between the brothers.

"I'm trying really hard here Stefan. There's only one thing that matters to me in the whole world and I'm trusting you with this person for a whole day. Don't make me regret it because I'll make Katherine's life a living hell before killing both of you" his voice was venomous and putting the glass back on the cart he almost broke it while he walked away leaving his brother behind him without offering the time or the chance for Stefan to say anything.

Damon went upstairs and as he saw both girls sitting in the balcony, with two glasses of wine and talking while they watched the beach he wondered for a small moment that maybe Stefan was right. Elena had much more to hold against Katherine than he did against Stefan and there she was trying to make it better for everyone. But now it wasn't time for them to talk about it.

"As you already know per my conversation with Stefan you're leaving tomorrow. I won't leave until I can't smell you around fifty miles from this house and don't think about doing any funny stuff, Katherine, you know I meant every word of what I said"

"I trust her, Damon" Elena offered.

"No, Elena, it's fine. This week was the worst one I've had in the past two years I guess I really need to have some fun of my own. Too bad Stef can't go with me"

"I'm glad we have an understanding" Damon replied warily as he walked away being quickly followed by his girlfriend.

"I'm not a doll or a child who can't judge between right and wrong and safe and dangerous. I will never be close to Katherine and maybe not even to Stefan again but they're the only family we have left and I'm happy we left all our differences in the past"

"Speak for yourself, I didn't leave anything"

"I don't need Stefan to babysit me while you travel Damon and I should be the one who decides if going to Mystic Falls again will be too emotional for me or not. I'm my own person and I'm not going to let you treat me like I'm incapable!" she fumed and he was surprised by her reaction. It'd been a long time since she had talked to him like that.

"See Elena, this is the thing. We've been together for nearly nine months and if we count this right now as a fight it's our second and guess what the subject didn't change. I don't want to keep fighting with you over Katherine" he pointed out during their first fight she didn't sound so mad and hurt.

"No Damon, this has nothing to do with Katherine. This is between you and me. I trust you and your decisions and I don't mind when sometimes you make them for both of us but I can't go the rest of my days with you dictating everything about my life! I don't want to go with you to Mystic Falls because I have guests in our house that I welcome. I'll stay because of them and I mean both of them. I can defend myself in case I need to even if it means running faster than I ever did in my life but I just want you to know I'm in charge of my decisions, thank you very much" she vented and just like he did to his brother a few minutes ago she was gone before he had time to say anything back, not only from their bedroom but from the house as he heard the front door opening.

"I won't be here, don't worry" Katherine offered as she also headed outside though her leave had nothing to do with Elena's.

Damon was furious and the books of his small bookshelf were soon thrown against the floor and the glasses they kept on their nightstand shattered into thousands of pieces.

Stefan who obviously heard the whole ordeal between Damon, Katherine and Elena was already upstairs too and stopping by the doorway he looked at his brother who was thinking about what else he should break.

"Don't make the same mistakes I did, Damon. Although she forgave me for each lie I told, each secret I kept and each decision I made for her, it doesn't mean it didn't hurt her and made her question our relationship. Maybe that was the first thing that pushed her towards you. You have always been bluntly honest with her and allowed her to make her decisions, even if you followed closely the outcome to ensure she wouldn't be hurt. I can assure you it means a lot more to her than you think" he said and following the females, he also left the house. He knew his brother needed time to think and it would be better if he happened to be and to feel alone while he analyzed things over.

As Damon stood in the middle of their bedroom, alone, he thought about her words and about Stefan's words. It hurt him to know they were right. While they were friends, Damon loved Elena and would give his life to save her but now she had become his own life. The most precious thing he had and he couldn't help being overprotective of her. If he lost her he knew for sure it would be the last thing to happen to his life. But maybe his fear would lead him to lose her the same way and he had to get over it if he wanted to make her happy by his side. But while he wasn't that strong his old scotch would help him to get over their fight.

When Elena came back later that night she found only Stefan in the house. He was the last to leave and the first to come back but when he arrived nobody was there and now a couple of hours later Elena was the second to arrive.

She briefly talked to him and he said he would be staying until Damon came back as part of the favor his brother had asked him. She thanked him and excused herself to take a shower.

As soon as she entered their bedroom she saw the destruction her boyfriend left behind. The books were still all over the room, the glasses broken on the floor and even his old albums were out of place. She sighed and moved to fix his mess when a piece of paper over their bed got her attention.

I understand you. I just wish you understood me too and where I'm coming from. The one time I thought Katherine was harmless your neck was snapped and you were killed. We may have left it behind us but I'll never forget and I'll never forgive myself for that. I'll be back tomorrow. With all love in the world, Damon.

It was a short note but enough for Elena to drop the tears she held back while she walked by the beach the past few hours. Truth be told she had forgotten that Damon still felt that guilt about what Katherine did. The only thing she related to her death and his feelings was hate towards her doppelganger but there was more of it.

But the reason she cried wasn't because he reminded her that he didn't do anything to stop Katherine those years ago. She knew she hurt him with her words although they were true. She didn't want to talk to him like that. They usually talked things over instead of throwing them in each other's faces like she did. And mainly, they discussed their personal life in private, not with his brother and his girlfriend in the next room.

In all honesty Damon wasn't that overprotective of her. He had even encouraged her to try to go to the hospital to get their blood supply on her own last month. But when it came to Katherine he treated her like she was a newborn and she hated that. She felt like he didn't trust her judgment but that was before he reminded her of his guilt towards the older Petrova doppelganger. And still with his note informing her that he was gone and without one word in the subject except for the first three she knew it was his way to overcome his guilt and fear and let her have things her own way. He didn't know for sure if Katherine was coming back tonight or not and still he left. That was an example of actions speaking louder than words. And it was her turn to feel guilty.

It was his last stop before the beach house. Damon was happy to have made the decision to go to Mystic Falls at night instead of the morning. It had been easier to be there unnoticed in his blue Camaro.

While he pumped gas in his car he felt someone behind him and was surprised to see Katherine.

"I came across something that might interest you" she offered without any greetings.

"I strongly doubt it" he turned his attention back to the work of his hands.

"During our stay in Italy we met a vampire who is also a priest"

"And? Did he try to exorcise you or did he realize too late that you're the evil personified?" he quipped.

"This is me trying here, Damon"

"Being civil doesn't require as much Kat"

"He does weddings. Vampire weddings and while in theory it doesn't seem that different from human weddings he does have a couple of interesting things to say about love, God and stuff for creatures like us" she explained and that got his attention. Damon was silent and Katherine knew she had scored a point.

"Stefan and I aren't really into this stuff and if we ever get married I don't think we'll need a priest but Elena likes human traditions and I can see you're okay with them too"

"Getting married by a vampire priest isn't that traditional among humans" he offered before heading inside to pay for the gas. When he came back to his car she was already inside it, much to his dismay.

"But maybe it is the closest you can give her and I know you're proposing. I suppose that the only reason why you would leave just to get a certain engagement ring" she crossed her arms on her chest half-smiling at him.

"You're trying too hard and reading too much into it, Kat" he looked back at her before starting the engine.

"Let's just say while Stefan played babysitter to your girl I may have done a little trip myself. You went there only for the ring, Damon. The rest of the stuff was just some irrelevant stuff that was in front of you and that you took to cover for what this trip was really about. Well maybe except for the alcohol"

"That's a respectable collection of whiskey"

"Here is where you can find the priest just in case you change your mind about it" she winked and handled him a beautiful card and they were silent during the rest of the short trip to the house.

It was a little over eight in the morning when they arrived. Katherine didn't say anything and getting out of the car she headed straight to the bed and breakfast, knowing that Stefan would soon join her there now that Damon was back. On his way upstairs he crossed paths with his brother who was in the living room. He nodded to Stefan who nodded back in return and left the house knowing that Damon and Elena needed some time alone.

Much to his surprise Elena was still sleeping. They used to get up much earlier for their daily blood fix before going back to bed but maybe she had a long night he wondered seeing how the mess he left behind him the day before was gone and the room was tidy as usual.

He sat by her side on the bed and the small movement in the mattress was enough to wake her up.

"I'm sorry for yesterday" was the first thing he said.

"I'm sorry too" she offered as she sat on the bed as well.

"I know that…" he started but her finger sealed his lips together.

"I understand" she said simply with a small smile on her face.

"Good because I'm about to ask you something and understanding each other is definitely a requirement" he smiled back looking clearly relieved with her answer.

"Okay"

"This thing we have is real, right? You're really in this forever?" he asked and for the first time in her life Elena saw in his face what she could only name as insecurity.

"Of course I am" and instead of feeling offended by the question she realized he needed reassurance.

"Good. I know you know most changes and things I did in the past years were because of you, especially in the last nine months. But this is not about you, this is about me"

"Okay" she agreed once again and she was growing anxious.

"Marry me, Elena" he blurted and she was thankful that she was sitting because otherwise she knew she would have fallen.

"What?" she asked trying to recover her ability to speak.

He reached for the pocket in his leather jacket, revealing the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

"It belonged to my mother and I feel like she wanted me to have it as one of the maids gave it to me a few days after her death and asked me not to tell anyone"

"And do you want me to have it?" she asked teary, showing how touched she was by his actions.

"No, I want you to be my wife. The ring is just part of the tradition which I really suck at as instead of being on my knee I'm sitting by your side and I didn't even give you a speech" he looked shy and almost uncomfortable and Elena didn't want to prolong his anguish, so she threw her arms around him, hugging him really tight.

"It doesn't matter what tradition says and yes, Damon, I'll marry you" she broke the contact of their arms and seeing the growing smile in his face, she kissed him long and passionately.

AN: So here is the last chapter before the epilogue. I have a few ideas of what I'll write in the very final chapter but it may take a few days for me to put them together but I hope I'll update in 3-4 days. Thanks a lot for the reviews in the last chapter and I'm happy in the show Damon said he misses being human as that is the route I chose to make him and Elena work in a relationship as vampires: being as much human as they were allowed to be as vampires. Also thanks to May, my beta.

xoxo

Babi