I remain completely blown away by the response to this story. Thank you all so much for reading. I think there's a lot of fun still to be had. We'll follow the show when it makes sense, using it as a framework to explore our favorite couple, but there are some other stories to tell, too. Let's get to it, shall we?

"Flow from downward facing dog to mountain pose," the woman on the yoga video instructed soothingly. "Be conscious of your breath."

Alaric had suggested adding yoga to Elena's already rigorous fitness regime. "Flexibility can be just as important in a fight as speed or strength," he'd said. "It can help you pull yourself out of tight spots. And it might help relieve some stress, too."

He'd been right. It felt good to focus solely on her body, on each precise movement and subtle shift in weight. Her training regiment was becoming more and more of a solace these days, a way to escape the thoughts that constantly bombarded her and replace them with simple actions.

"I am conscious of my breath," echoed Elena as she rose from her arched position to stand tall. She'd laid her yoga mat in front of the fireplace at the boarding house; she still hadn't been able to spend much time at home. She'd even thought of selling the house, purging the memories once and for all, but she knew she never would. Those memories were important to keep, even if she couldn't bear to live among them.

"Plant your feet firmly. Feel yourself connect to the earth beneath you. Stand as tall and as strong as a mountain," the yoga woman said.

"I am as tall and as strong as a mountain," Elena murmured.

"Yeah you are." Elena's eyes flew open, her mountain crumbling as Damon spoke. His eyes meandered up her body, taking his time, visually caressing every inch of her body from her bare feet to the tip of her ponytail. "I think I still prefer the 'warrior princess' look, but there's something to be said for a girl who can put her legs behind her head."

"Damon. You are ruining my moment of zen," she said sternly, though she couldn't keep the flush off her cheeks.

"You know what ruined my moment of zen today? Caroline threatening to do...uncomfortable things with certain portions of my anatomy if I ever hurt you." Damon came to stand behind her, lips pressing against the nape of her neck. "I let her think she was intimidating."

Elena relaxed against his chest. "How's she doing? With everything?" Hearing about Caroline's own brush with death at Tyler's hands—and subsequent healing from Klaus—had been sobering in the extreme. Tyler could not be trusted. Ever. No matter how badly he wanted to do the right thing, he wasn't pulling the strings anymore.

"Honestly? Great. Weirdly great. She seems better than I've seen her in a long time, in fact. Once we'd established that I was not, in fact, going to break your heart, she started going on about plans for college and studying abroad in Paris." He shrugged. "Go figure. Guess the experience gave her some perspective." He wrapped his arms around her waist, his lips hovering against her ear as he spoke. "By the way, her warning was completely unnecessary."

Elena shivered at his nearness, turning in his arms until she faced him. "I know that. She was just trying to help. Thanks for letting her think she's scary. That was incredibly nice of you."

"Don't say that, Elena. You'll ruin my reputation. I don't do nice."

"Decent, then. It was incredibly decent of you."

Damon considered this for a moment, then nodded. "We'll go with that. I think my rep can handle it." He smirked down at her. "So what's my prize for being so decent to your friend?"

Elena started to laugh, but it died in her throat. "Whose blood is that on your shirt?" A crumpled area of flaky, rusty red marred his black shirt just around his navel.

Damon released her with a sigh, pulling the shirt away from his body so he could get a better look "I don't suppose you'd believe I spilled my lunch?" When she shook her head, unamused, he shrugged, dropping the shirt. "Stefan and I had a little talk about what happened last night. That's all."

The yoga video on her laptop was still running, its new-age music floating through the air. "Next, we're going to rest in corpse pose-" Elena slammed the laptop closed.

Well, what had she really expected would happen? That Damon would just let the whole thing drop? Not likely. While he'd laid down with her when she'd gone to bed, she'd awoken in the night to find his side of the bed empty, the sound of pacing footsteps echoing through the cavernous house. He'd tried to be strong for her, but she knew the whole bridge incident had affected him deeply.

But at the same time, what was the point of fighting? Elena knew that ultimately, Damon loved Stefan more than anyone else. Even her. "If we get him back, I think it's going to be because he loves you," she'd said once. "Not because he loves me." Now, she didn't think they were ever going to get Stefan back, but she also didn't think Damon would ever be able to drive a stake through Stefan's heart, watch his skin turn to ashes and the light die from his eyes. They'd fight, throw each other into walls, stab each other with makeshift stakes, scream in agony, and nothing would change. There was no real danger for either of them. If it ever came down to it, Elena knew she would have to be the one to put Stefan down.

The whole idea just made her feel tired and so very old. "Are you okay? Is it yours?"

"It's his. He got a couple of good licks in, but it'll be a cold day in hell when my brother beats me in a fight." Damon scowled down at the bloody shirt, then tugged it off over his head and headed for the bedroom. Elena followed. "I don't know that I knocked any sense into him, but it made me feel better, at least."

"I guess that counts for something, though I wish you'd told me you were going to do it. How did you even know where he was? Where's he staying in town?" Elena had been pretty far out of the Stefan loop. She'd preferred it that way, but after last night...well, they should probably be keeping closer tabs on all their many enemies.

There was the briefest of hesitations as Damon rummaged through his wardrobe for a new, identical black shirt that cost a minor fortune. But Elena couldn't help but admire the view of his broad, muscled back. "Ran into him at the blood bank. I was running low on B-."

"You fought in public? At the hospital?Does everyone in Mystic Falls know about vampires now?"

"No," Damon said with a hint of disgust, pulling the t-shirt over his head. "In the woods behind. We're still in the coffin, Elena, this isn't True Blood."

"You don't need to snap at me. I'm just worried about you, Damon. I know that it's even harder for you to see him like this than it is for me."

Damon looked at her, that cocky facade slipping. "Yeah. It's...it's never been like this with him before. Even when he was in his stupid Ripper phases, he was never quite so ruthless. I mean, yeah, he ripped people apart and put them back together, but he didn't know those people. They were just collateral damage. But for him to think of you as collateral damage? That scares me, Elena. I don't know what he'll do next."

Elena crossed the room to him, wrapping her arms around him. He squeezed her back, so tightly her ribs protested, but she didn't budge. She didn't offer words of comfort—she didn't have any to give, and none would be adequate to the task. But she could hold him as he'd held her in her darkest times, and try to give him what strength she could.

They stood locked in the embrace for a timeless moment. Then Damon screamed, a sound that made her blood run cold. He sagged, all the strength suddenly gone from him. She tried to keep her grip on him, to support him, but his dead weight crashed to the ground. He curled into the fetal position, that endless scream still slicing through the air, hands clutching his head.

Elena whirled towards the door to find Bonnie, her face transformed into a mask of cold triumph as she watched Damon writhe in agony.