A/N: I wanted to get this written and out earlier but I had to overwhelming desire to watch all my favourite moments from all four seasons and that took a while then homework and stuff got in the way but it's here now. I already have a fairly detailed idea of what is coming up next chapter and what the first Damon scene will be so my inspiration is flowing. I maintain it isn't exactly AU in that anything could happen between now and 10 years so this could all happen. It's about 12:45am so I shouldn't really be putting this up now but I just finished it so I will continue to slowly kill myself from self inflicted sleep deprivation and give you this. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or it's characters etc...

So on with the next chapter...

Chapter 3

Elena rushed out of the room.

"See? I knew this was going to be a good idea. Elena is going to realise how perfect you too are for each other, she's already starting too." Caroline piped up the moment Elena was out of the room.

"She just slipped up Caroline, she didn't mean it."

"A Freudian slip."

"Come on Caroline. We're doing this for Elena, so she can make her own choice. You can over-analyse everything later." Bonnie cut Caroline off before she could say anymore while she nodded her head towards Damon as subtly as possible trying to remind Caroline who else was in the room. Bonnie knew that Caroline didn't care whether Damon heard her or how he reacted but Elena would. She hoped Caroline would stop for Elena's sake if not for Damon's.

"Don't mind me, by all means carry on." Damon spoke up. Bonnie closed her eyes. Of course he had picked up on it. He picked up on pretty much everything, as annoying as it was.

"I play to. Just because you're here doesn't mean I can't at least pretend you aren't. Besides, we all knew that it's supposed to be Stefan and Elena. Really I'm doing you a favour by pointing it out."

"Caroline!" Bonnie raised her voice to scold her friend. She was surprised Elena hadn't heard them but then again, she had a lot on her mind. "You might think that but this is about Elena and she probably doesn't agree." Bonnie was pretty sure Elena would be furious if she knew about Caroline's 'favour'. Whether she belonged with Stefan or not, she wouldn't want Damon constantly being told so.

Everyone fell silent but the air remained thick with tension, everyone seemed to give a silent sigh of relief when Elena returned to the room.

"Alright, let's watch the next one." She said as she walked in and sat back down in her place. She was careful not to look Damon in the eye. Bonnie noticed, she was certain Damon picked up on it too by the way he seemed to tense again before finishing his drink and pouring another. If things kept up the way they were he was going to need another bottle, at least.

"Okay." Bonnie acknowledged before she started to chant again for the next scene. This time the scene appeared much faster.

A bedroom appeared; it looked as though it was part of the same house. As the picture cleared a mirror appeared with a woman's reflection in it. She looked older now. Her hair was shorter and she had wrinkles starting to form. Still, she was clearly the same person from the last scene, she looked to be in her 40's. She looked strangely tired too, more than regular tiredness. The same man, her husband, the ring on her finger implied, stood hovering behind her. He looked the same, not aged a day. He looked worried as he watched her remove her jewellery and place it on a table or chest of drawers next to the mirror, it wasn't clear which.

"Well, you're definitely human now." Caroline commented on the new scene first.

"Is it just me or do you not look very well?" Bonnie asked as she watched the older Elena.

"I wonder what happened." Elena pondered aloud.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Stefan asked Elena.

"We knew it was going to happen Stefan." She sounded weary as though it wasn't the first time she had this conversation.

"We found a way around it last time." He pointed out.

"I don't care. Caroline sold 10 years of her life already to save me, she wasn't doing it again, she isn't doing it again." Elena sounded angry at whatever had transpired.

"Well, she seemed happy enough."

"They broke up the minute the 10 years were over!"

"Come on Elena," He sighed as he said it, it was as though he too was fed up of this conversation and a little regret and guilt was present in his eyes, "They didn't break up the minute it was over, they broke up a few weeks later."

"I'm not saying she wasn't attracted to him, or that she wasn't happy at times, she may even have fallen in love with him but they still split up soon after the 'contract' was over. She didn't go into it entirely willingly." Elena argued, she still sounded exhausted.

"She knew what she was risking, what she was doing. She did it of her own free will."

"She did it to save me!"

"Elena, please, you're still weak. Just rest. Let's not fight." He tried to avoid the conflict.

"And the mystery is solved." Damon added as they watched Stefan help the older Elena get ready for bed.

"You think...?" Elena asked, turning to him as she finally locked eyes with him.

"Who else?" His eyes letting very little away of what was going on in his head, or at least from this distance. She longed to know what was going on in his head. His tone was sarcastic as usual, he was defensive. She knew it had to be more than just what she had said.

"So wait, I sell 10 years of my life for you?" Caroline was a little confused.

"You're a vampire. You have eternity, 10 years isn't much Barbie."

"How would I ever choose that? I wouldn't want that if it meant hurting someone else." Elena pointed out, although she wasn't sure who to.

"Maybe Saint Stefan finally made his own choice without your permission"

"Or maybe you popped up and force your decisions on all of us again." Caroline shot back.

"Guys, we're missing it." Stefan interrupted. He didn't want to miss anything of his potential future with Elena.

She was now settled in bed with Stefan sat beside her stroking her hair gently to calm her, while she looked exhausted she also didn't look relaxed.

"How can I help?" Stefan asked, apparently anxious to do something to make it better.

"Tell me what you know." She whispered. He froze for a moment before he closed his eyes as though he was bracing himself for something.

"Elena." She used the same told he had used in the last scene 10 years ago, it sounded even more practised now.

"Please." She sounded almost desperate to know but her voice came out as no more than a whisper.

"You won't like what I have to say."

"I still need to know."

"Alright," he finally relented, suddenly looking tired himself. "I still haven't heard from or seen him, but I've heard of him."

"And?"

"Here's the part you won't like, last I heard he was spending time with Katherine, the last 5 years anyway." He reluctantly revealed.

"He what?" Elena was no longer whispering.

"I told you, he's in a bad place, but he's getting better. He's not feeling nothing, he's just feeling less. That's an improvement." Stefan seemed to be trying to make it sound better.

"How is Katherine an improvement?" She asked incredulous.

"I know you don't think so but she is actually capable of feelings. And as much as I hate to admit it she did actually love us both. She actually admitted it once to me." Stefan tried to comfort Elena.

"And you believed her? When?"

"When she made me turn my emotions back on to save Damon from Mikael." He explained apparently ignoring her flinch at the name that was obviously not mentioned often, despite the topic of him obviously being a popular one.

"How long have you been lying to me?" She asked, her voice somewhat aggressive.

"What do you-"

"5 years Stefan? You can't tell me you only found out a few days ago. How long have you been lying?"

"I never lied, I just didn't give you all the details."

"How long Stefan?"

"A few months, maybe more. I didn't want to worry you."

"He worries me whether he's with her or not." All anger and aggression leaving her tone.

"Let me worry about him, you get some rest." Stefan was glad of the swift change in her attitude and conversation.

"I'll always worry about him but I will get some rest." She half whispered, half muttered as her eyes closed and sleep started to take her. Stefan lightly kissed on the forehead before exiting the room. And the picture faded.

Stefan was troubled by what they had just witnessed. There were downsides it seemed to her picking him, not that he knew whether it would be any different if she were to choose Damon. What really bothered him however was how she reacted to who was almost certainly his brother. He couldn't determine exactly what her feelings for him were but she was definitely worried in more than just a brother-in-law way, not that he should be that surprised. They had seemed to happy in the last scene, had that changed in the 20 year gap, or was one more reflective than the other, and if so which one? He was starting to see Bonnie's point, maybe it would just further confuse her.

"Look how he takes care of you." Caroline cooed.

"Yes, he tucks you into bed after letting Klaus take your blood to make more hybrids. Such great care" Damon's sarcastic comment brought Elena's attention back to him.

She wasn't sure how to take her reaction in the scene. She had obviously been asking about the same person as last time and she was almost certain that that person was Damon. The way she had flinched at the mention of his name, and Stefan had either not noticed or ignored it. It made her wonder how often she asked after him. She seemed almost fixated on him. She couldn't be sure why though, was she merely worried about him or was it something else, or was it just that they happened to see two scenes featuring her asking after Damon. She couldn't deny even now that she was worried about Damon's reaction in the future, it hadn't happened yet, it may never happen but she couldn't help but worry for him, 30 years in the future and he still hadn't gotten over it. Enough that he had possibly turned his emotions off. She looked up at him and their eyes met and locked onto each others.

He took a drink from his glass, his eyes never leaving hers. It wasn't easy to watch her with Stefan, seeing how perfect her life could be. Still, with this latest scene he couldn't help but wonder at what Klaus had done to her. Stefan had been powerless to stop it, it seemed. Or he had decided 'it was Elena's choice' that is what had gotten her killed in the first place but he couldn't exactly see his brother changing his philosophy. He could read the wonder in her eyes. She was thinking about what she had learned in this last scene, and she was no doubt blaming herself for all the bad things that had happened. Neither of them said anything, it was all communicated silently as they held each other's gaze.

Caroline was silent again. She did honestly believe that Elena and Stefan belonged together and the first scene had only supported that but this one had made her think. She hadn't changed her mind, but perhaps reality had set in a little more. There would be challenges, she knew that, perhaps ones that went a little beyond what she was expecting but she was certain that they could make it through. She was curious though about this deal, it had sounded like she had sold herself to Klaus for 10 years to prevent him from taking Elena but somehow she just couldn't see it, she would never agree to that , nor would Elena. Then again she conceded, she would do just about anything for her friend, and maybe it wouldn't be that bad. The only thing that really got to her had been Elena in the future. She still seemed blind to how perfect her and Stefan's relationship was. She couldn't just accept what she had with Stefan; she had to ask about Damon. Damon. Sure, she knew Elena would always care about him but the way she almost begged Stefan for information on him just got to Caroline, there she was happily married to a loving, caring husband who respected her and her decisions and she wanted to hear about her husband's man-whore of an older brother. She did have to admit, it sounded like he had taken it badly. Or maybe there was more to it. Caroline decided not to dwell on it. Right now she needed Elena to see the truth, and staring at it's brother like that wasn't the way to go about it.

"Isn't that the kind of husband you want Elena? Someone who cares for you and loves you, and respects your choices." Caroline added the last part pointedly at Damon.

"I don't know what I want anymore Caroline, that's the problem." Elena answered as she finally pulled her eyes from Damon's.

"Maybe it's just too big a risk, if I couldn't protect you from Klaus..." Stefan trailed off.

"No! You can't just give up, your love is epic." Caroline encouraged him.

Stefan couldn't deny that when it came to Klaus he had always assumed his brother would be there to help him fight, but that didn't appear to be true. It looked like Damon hadn't come to the rescue, from the sound of it he hadn't spoke to or seen his brother in between 20-30 years. Could he risk that? They had hated each other and not seen each other for 15 years when they first returned to Mystic Falls, but from what he could see he didn't hate Damon. Maybe Damon hated him, he couldn't know but the idea of not seeing his brother for so long? Damon and Elena were the two most important people in his life. Losing either one of them seemed impossible but if he had to lose one of them could that person be Damon?

"Even when she picks me she'd asking about him." Stefan said to no one in particular, almost as though he was just thinking out loud.

"Stefan, I'm sure I'm not..." Elena tried to comfort him but she didn't know what to say.

"It's okay Elena, I know."

"And there we have it, Saint Stefan understands." Damon mocked.

"We don't need your commentary right now Damon!" Elena turned to him, frustrated.

"I think everyone's made it pretty clear how much I'm not wanted here."

"Then why don't you just go then?" Caroline snapped.

"Caroline!" Elena scolded.

"This is my house." Damon pointed out.

"Well you spend about the same amount of time sitting next to an empty seat in the Grill."

"Caroline, Stop!" Elena's voice much firmer this time. "Damon, please," She begged as she turned to him, she could see him shutting down again. "She didn't mean-"

"You're right Caroline, I think I'll head out for a bite." He interrupted her as he downed the remaining liquid in his glass and headed out the door. Elena stood up.

"You just had to push him?" She was furious with Caroline.

"What, this is my fault?"

"I have to go get him." Elena said as she turned to Bonnie, "Give me 10 minutes." And with that she headed out the door to bring him back. She just had to find him first.

Okay, before Klaus and Caroline fans get upset I will just this once explain their motives. Yes Caroline 'sold' 10 years, which in her vampire life span isn't that much, to Klaus to save Elena. He agreed in hopes it would give him a chance to win her over not because he wanted to 'own' her. Whether she fell for him or not is as yet unknown. Their relationship probably wouldn't have lasted 10 years without the deal but they 'broke up' for more than just that reason. They aren't necessarily done. In that situation it could never last but it did give her a chance to fall, as I said we'll have to see if she did. Now if you haven't seen the latest episode this could be a bit of a spoiler. I know Bonnie is now dead and in the last chapter it was mentioned she was getting married. That was 10 years later, it could still happen whether she was dead or alive, Jeremy could have translated, they can't see her but she can see them and she could have met someone on the other side. That is if she didn't come back to life, we don't know her fate for sure. On that note, yay for the season finale. It was awesome, I, like others I'm sure, am sort of obsessed with that scene. I have to keep watching it. I think that probably clears up which 'team' I'm on.

To the guest reviewer who wanted to know whether to keep reading, I understand I would be exactly the same, I think, barring any very unexpected complications, you should be pretty safe to keep reading. Also I have decided against adding Stefan as a Character choice because I don't want a load of angry Stefan fans if/when I give in on my own pairing at the end.

Also to those of you that reviewed and I couldn't respond to, ie. guests, thank you for your reviews, I'd say more but I've babbled too much already. You're all awesome.

Okay, let me know what you think, I hope you enjoyed it and see you in the next chapter, I hope to have it up quicker but I make no promises.(*smiles*)