Elena

She stretched sleepily as she woke smacking Damon's face while she did so.

"Sorry!" She laughed softly before rolling over to face him. At some point he had moved them to his bed. Normally she should have minded but today was different. She felt arms snake over to grab her waist as he pulled her close and held her tight.

"You have a death wish y'know" he murmured sleepily into her hair. "Smacking me in the face to wake me up." he looked at her, eyes smiling.

"Well I'm already dead, so I'm pretty safe" He rose his eyebrows before rolling onto his back and sat up. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the bed.

"Come on, breakfast. Vampire Style." She laughed and fell into step beside him with ease.

"Sit. And watch me cook" She rolled her eyes but sat down at the table in the next room anyway and watched him take a couple blood bags from the fridge and chuck one at her. She could feel the hunger growing in her throat and her eyes begin to change. She chugged down the bag within seconds and then after a moment, drank Damon's too.

"Hey! That was my breakfast!" he said indignantly fetched another.

She shrugged smiling. "Mine now." he huffed before sitting opposite her in silence.

"I suppose I should go home later." She said reluctantly "Clothes." She added, by way of explanation.

He looked slightly disappointed before smirking "You don't need clothes, mine look great on you." He winked.

She should have blushed when she realised she was wearing nothing but his black button-up shirt. She should have felt guilty about sitting here in the kitchen with Stefan's brother but she wasn't. This was where she wanted to be.

"Looks like I can survive for now" She said coyly "I didn't want to leave just yet anyway"

He looked at her with a look she could not identify. It was warm and happy but there was something else there. Hope? Hope at what? Hope that she might choose him? God, there was no competition.

He got up and walked towards the kitchen, taking her hand as he went by. She tugged on his hand and took him through to the lounge before collapsing on the sofa with Damon on top of her. He tickled her lightly, loving the giggles that broke through her smiling mouth.

"Stop!" She laughed uncontrollably "Damo-o-o-n! Stop!" She pouted for a few moments before bursting out laughing at his grin. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

"You need to know something." She took a deep breath "The night we met for the first time-" she paused, her feelings hard to put into words "I felt something that night, something more that Stefan has ever given me." She frowned, struggling "It was like you captured my heart."

She looked away. She didn't want to see his reaction. He pulled back form her embrace and cupped her face, pulling it to meet his.

He pressed his lips softly to hers, gauging her reaction. She responded instantly, meeting him passion for passion, heat for heat. She could hear footsteps heading towards them. They froze for a second.

"Don't." And I crushed my lips back to his.

"How sweet." Stefan's icy voice sliced through her. She felt Damon tense but he did not turn around. "My brother making out with my girlfriend." His voice was like a knife. She pushed Damon off of her a stood up, pulling him up with her.

"I'm not your girlfriend." Pain clouded his eyes.

"I know." He said softly, the ice gone, replaced with pain. "Elena, just give me one day with you. One day to change this. Please." His eyes pleading with me to understand. It tortured her to look at him like this. She felt Damon move away from her slightly, face impassive but nothing could hide the pain in his eyes. She glanced at him but he looked away.

"One day."

/

Why was she such a horrible person? Not only was she giving Stefan false hope but she was breaking Damon down, piece by piece with each passing day. She sighed and held her head in her hands. Her silent emotional waterfall interrupted by a rough voice, laced with pain.

"So that's it? Stefan? It's always gonna be Stefan." his eyes were hard, his walls were up.

"No, I don't want to be with him anymore." He laughed sarcastically "That's a new one." He shook his head sadly. "I don't get it Elena, why do you keep running back to him?"

She looked away, unable to meet his gaze "Because-"

Because why? Because he deserved another chance? Because she didn't want to hurt him? So by protecting Stefan she was constantly hurting Damon? She went with the first option.

"Everyone deserves a second chance." His eyes clouded with sadness, all anger gone.

"What about me Elena? Do I even get a first chance?" He rolled his eyes. "You say he deserves another chance with you after hurting you repeatedly." He sat down, head in his hands, mirroring her earlier position. "I don't get it."

In that one moment, that one confession she knew what she wanted. She'd lived without Stefan before hadn't she? She'd even be happy for a portion of it. She walked over to him, crouched in front of him, placing her hands over his.

"It's not for a second chance with him, it's a second chance for friendship. It's to say goodbye."

He held her face softly "What you said last night-" he only paused for a second before continuing "about only one vampire being able to give you what you wanted?"

She smiled slightly "You mean the mysterious stranger with all the answers who managed to capture my heart the first night we met?" He smirked.

"Yeah him. Let me guess was he ridiculously hot too?" She smiled and elbowed him.

"He was alright, you know, I've seen better." He chuckled.

"Who was it? Who did you mean?" His voice edged with anticipation.

"I meant a man who consumes me with his love. He gives me passion and adventure. He gives me danger. More than any girl needs." she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, leaning closer to his ear.

"He's you."

He crushed his lips to his with such passion it set her world on fire and she responded without hesitation, opening herself to him and letting her instincts take over.

"You still promised him one day." She pressed her finger to his lips before answering.

"One day to say goodbye."

A/n: Ugh, yes it's short but I'm building up to something ;) the layout has been changing without me meaning it recently so i'll be writing like this from now on, love hate?

-E x