Elena sat on the large couch in front of the fireplace. She was attempting to read a book, but her mind was preoccupied with boy drama. Her friends had all left the house after breakfast. Stefan had said that he'd be at the house in thirty minutes, but an hour had already passed.

"Where's the boy toy?" Damon asked, walking into the parlor and pouring himself a bourbon. Elena looked up from her book and shrugged.

"Late, I guess," She passively responded. Damon watched her with curious eyes, trying to read how she felt about Stefan's absence.

"Are you upset about that?" Damon questioned, picking up Elena's legs from the couch and sitting down. She dropped her legs back on to his lap.

"I don't really have the right to be," Elena responded. She closed the book and tossed it on the coffee table.

"Actually, Elena, even with what you did last night, Stefan should still show up when he said he would. It's only gentlemanly." Damon stated. He didn't like that Elena was left waiting without any notice from Stefan.

"With this life we live, anything could've happened." Elena defended Stefan, "I don't know. I don't care."

"Okay, Miss Denial," Damon joked. No matter what, it seemed like Elena would always defend Stefan.

"Damon?" Elena asked hesitantly.

"Hmm?" Damon responded, taking a sip of his bourbon.

"I know about the deal that you and Stefan made." Damon stopped mid-sip and slowly set down his glass on the table. He turned to look her full-on.

"Which one? We make a lot." Damon said, "Are you talking about the bet we made about Jeremy's future?"

"What?!" Elena asked, suddenly curious.

"Nevermind…" Damon said with a little smile that was supposed to show innocence. Elena wasn't sure he could ever pull off the innocent look though.

"No, the one about you leaving…because I chose Stefan," Elena said hesitantly, she leaned up and scooted closer to Damon with her legs still draped over his lap.

"Oh yeah, that one." Damon gently rested his hand on her ankle, "Don't worry. I only stuck around long enough to help you with your transition. I'll leave soon enough…maybe go to visit Klaus in New Orleans." Damon joked, but his joke was empty, obviously a thinly veiled form of sadness.

"I don't want you to go," Elena confessed. She knew that she was walking on thin ice by telling Damon this and she knew that it could only complicate things further, but she needed to let him know, "I'm with Stefan and I know that's not how you want it to be, but I'm not ready to live my life without you."

"Elena…" Damon began, "I can't be a shadow of yours and Stef's past, hanging like a ghost over your relationship. To stay would be selfish, and I just can't be selfish with you." Damon raised his hand and lightly brushed Elena's cheek; she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. "You've already lived sixteen years without me. You'll survive."

"Now that I know what it's like having you in my life, I can't imagine my life without you!" Elena insisted. She took his hands in between her own to drive the point home. Her fingertips tingled at the contact, but she maintained her composure.

"But not all of me," Damon said sadly. Elena cocked her head to the side and looked down, ashamed and sad. It was undeniable that she did want all of him, but for the sake of everyone, that wasn't an option. "I think I know why you run from us, you're scared. What we have…it's messy and complicated."

"Hah, yeah. That's the truth," Elena looked at him and when her doe brown eyes met with the electric blue of his eyes, she burst out into spontaneous laughter. She was laughing because for the first time in what-felt-like forever, the biggest problem she had in her life was boys. Even if those boys happened to be 150+ year-old vampires. Damon furrowed his brow and confusedly watched her laugh. The longer he watched, the more he found himself smiling.

"Elena," Damon said, still smiling. Elena stopped laughing, but a smile was still plastered on her face.

"What?"

"I'll stay for you, if you really want me to. I'll do whatever you ask of me…granting that it's not absolutely stupid and dangerous," Damon assured her, "I will stay and I will always love you. Until you come to terms with your feelings, I'll lay off and just be your friend." He smiled to comfort her and she smiled back.

"Thank you," She whispered. Her voice seemed lost, stunned by the amazing amount of love and selflessness that Damon could possess when it came to her. Damon just nodded in response. The room fell silent and Elena watched as Damon stared mindlessly at the fire crackling in the hearth. He looked hurt and yet relieved about the fact that Elena had requested that he remain in her life. Watching him, all Elena wanted to do was take away his pain by giving him her love, but she knew she couldn't. Being with him would complicate everything and life was already too complicated.

So instead, she crawled across the couch and curled up under his arm, resting her head against his hard, yet somehow comfortable chest. She listened to the beat of his heart because, contrary to popular belief, vampires do have beating hearts. She listened to the steadiness of his breath and her breathing locked onto the same tempo as his. She began dozing off, comforted by the stillness of the whole situation.

Right before she fell asleep, it occurred to her that if this was what it would be like to date Damon Salvatore, she could probably justify doing it.

Elena woke up an hour later to the sound of the front door slamming. She popped up, startled. At the sudden coldness where Elena's head was, Damon opened his eyes. Apparently, he fell asleep as well.

Stefan walked into the parlor with quick footsteps. When he saw Elena cuddled up with Damon, he narrowed his eyes. He didn't look angry as much as he looked hurt. Reading his reaction, Elena quickly jumped up to explain the situation to him.

"We were just talking, Stefan, I swear. We just talked and fell asleep. Nothing else." Elena pleaded. Stefan stared at her disbelievingly.

Elena walked up to Stefan and touched his arm; there was nothing, no tingling, no warming sensation at the contact. "Damon and I are just friends." After a moment, Stefan's face relaxed and forgiveness replaced the pain in his eyes.

"I know. I'm sorry about how I reacted last night; that was awful. I should've been more understanding." Stefan said, taking Elena's hands in his own. As she looked into the light green eyes of this man who just apologized to her for her kissing his brother, she realized how different he was from his brother. Where Stefan is overly forgiving, Damon is challenging. Where Stefan is safe, Damon is unpredictable.

Stefan looked over Elena's shoulder at Damon who was sitting on the couch finishing the bourbon he poured two hours earlier.

"Give us a moment, Damon?" Stefan asked. Damon nodded in understanding and stood up. He began walking away when Stefan stopped him. "And Damon? I'm sorry about hitting you."

"It's okay, baby brother," Damon said with a smirk, "It's not exactly a new situation." Damon lifted his glass in the air and nodded before he left.

"Now, Elena," Stefan began, "I don't want you to apologize any more. I know you have feelings for Damon and I shouldn't try to just pretend like they don't exist. I've tried to block it out the moment I first noticed you falling in love with him." Stefan paused, hoping that maybe Elena would deny all that he said, but she couldn't. "It's fine for you to harbor him in your heart. You love and that's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. I just ask that you love me more than him."

Elena stood stunned by the raw honesty in his words.

"Okay," She choked out. "Yes, I love you more." Elena wasn't sure who she was trying to convince: Stefan or herself. Stefan seemed pleased with her response.

"I do have one request though," Stefan said.

"What's that?"

"Be open with me," Stefan requested, "Be honest with me and tell me every time you and Damon engaged physically." Elena stood in shock for a moment.

"Whatever happened to not wanting to know?" She questioned.

"Things change," Stefan responded, "Have you two—?"

"No." Elena said quickly, even though the thought of such actions with Damon did make her heart jump to her throat, "If you really want to know all of it, I'll tell you."

"I do. Come, sit." Stefan sat down on the couch where Damon and Elena were cuddling just moments earlier. Elena went and sat on the opposite side of the couch. It would feel wrong if she just immediately went and snuggled with Stefan there.

"Okay, where should I start?"

"The beginning is a good place," Stefan said, leaning back with his arm carelessly tossed over the side of the couch.

"Okay," Elena began. She felt awkward telling all of this to Stefan, but she knew that this was the only way to repair their relationship, "The first time we kissed was when he was dying by Tyler's werewolf bite."

"That early?! Tell me who instigated it," Stefan demanded. Elena just looked at him, unsure. Stefan read the look and said, "It's okay I won't get mad. I just need to know these things."

"I did, I kissed him," Elena said. Stefan just nodded, "The second time was after you almost drove me off the bridge."

"I wasn't actually—."

"I know."

"Good, continue," Stefan said.

"That was him kissing me, but I did kiss back," Elena didn't know why she added that second part, "And the third time was when you sent us on that road trip to Denver to pick up Jeremy."

"I knew it," Stefan whispered, "That was a stupid idea." Elena wanted to tell him that it wasn't a stupid idea, that in fact it gave her one of the best memories of her life, but she just continued the story.

"I instigated that one, too." Elena watched as Stefan pursed his lips and looked away from her, trying to keep his emotions under control.

"Continue," He choked out. Elena nodded.

"And finally, last night, which you know," Elena finished. Stefan let out a big sigh and then nodded.

"Thank you for telling me," Stefan said. Didn't have much of a choice, Elena thought. An awkward silence fell over the room.

Elena fished for some conversation to break the tension and eventually, she decided to ask the question that was burning inside her since his phone call that morning.

"Why did you forgive me so easily?" She inquired, leaning forward, eager to hear his answer.

"Because we all make mistakes," Stefan responded almost immediately, and his quick response made Elena suspicious as to what his mistake was.

A/N: I know this probably seems very Stelena-esk, but it's not and there's more DE to come. I believe subtext is really important to prove Elena's feelings about Damon. Anyway, more to follow. Reviews are greatly, greatly appreciated!