Gravity

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from The Vampire Diaries.

April 29th 2017

Saturday 11.45pm

Mystic Falls

I wipe the bar clean with a loud sigh. It's been a long busy night and I'm exhausted. All I want to do is go crawl into bed, maybe have a beer and watch the sports highlights before I drift off into a much needed slumber.

I glance briefly at the clock, fifteen minutes until closing. Unfortunately I was given lock up duty this evening, which means that I'm the last bar staff standing.

"You sure we can't have a lock in?" Alaric questions me almost pleadingly in his slightly drunk state.

"I'm sure, Ric." I roll my eyes because he's been trying for weeks. "I'm still new to this job; I don't want to lose it already for the sake of a couple of glasses of bourbon with the local drunk." I smirk teasingly.

"Local drunk?" Ric scoffs offended. "Dick."

"Coming from the local ex-con, I think you're still winning." We both chuckle, and it's a nice relief that I can joke about it now. Things have been better lately. Not great, but better. I managed to get a job here at The Grill, it's not exactly where I imagined myself to be but it's a paying job and it's local so I can't complain. It also turns out that all my years of underage drinking have finally come in handy for something. Who new mixing drinks and measuring liquor would become to be a useful skill for me?

The owner of The Grill is surprisingly a pretty chilled out guy. He's also a complete slacker, who barely turns up to the place. Usually when he does he's back out of the door after a couple of hours of making sure the building hasn't burned down or no customers have died from food poisoning. He didn't seem to care that I had a record when he hired me, in fact, he already knew exactly who I was and he still gave me the job regardless.

Working here has its perks, I get discounted drinks which comes in super handy on my nights off. It's also walking distance from Klaus's apartment so I don't have to travel far. The only downside is probably the fact that it's full of our local gossips every night who some of, are still getting used to seeing me outside of prison. I can take the whispers and the gossips though, what I can't take however are my whining friends badgering me for free drinks on a constant basis.

I glance at the clock.

Five minutes.

I ring the bell for the second time to warn the few remaining stragglers that we are about to close. Luckily for me, there aren't many dawdlers today and they clear out without a problem.

"I guess it's time to take the plunge and head back to good old ball and chain." Alaric sighs loudly and I look at him amused.

"Ball and chain? Man who are you trying to kid? Jenna has you completely whipped and you love it."

He shrugs with a small smile. "I suppose I do. Are you working tomorrow?" I nod. "I'll probably pop in for takeout and a quick drink, make sure you have my usual ready."

"Will do." I wave him off as he leaves; I take another glance at the clock.

Two minutes.

I make my way to the bathrooms just to make sure everybody has left before I head towards the door to lock up. Just as I go to lock the hatch I jump as a hand taps onto the window, my eyes glance up and my heart stops when I see Elena's smiling face staring back at me.

I smile slightly and slowly re-open the door. "Hey,"

"Hi." she smiles shyly at me. "Am I too late for a quick drink?"

"You're two months too early." I smirk at her, reminding her of the fact that she's still not twenty one.

"You remembered my birthday?" she questions me softly.

"I remember everything." I step back and hold the door open wide. "Come on in, I'm sure I can spare you a quick alcohol-free cocktail." she pouts and I smile, locking the door behind us before leading her towards the bar.

She takes a seat silently as I round the bar. I go to grab a glass to make her the cocktail but I freeze. I internally berate myself because I could lose my job over this but I reach down into the fridge and pull out two bottles of beer.

I uncap the lids and pass hers over. She smiles widely. "Thank you," she nods gratefully and takes a large sip.

"Yeah well, don't tell anyone. I don't want to be seen as playing favourites." I smirk at her and her smile is shy as she hides behind her bottle.

"It can be our little secret." she winks at me and I blink slightly taken aback. I clear my throat and take a sip from my own beer as I lean back against the bar behind me.

"So, what brings you to Mystic Falls this weekend?" I ask her curiously. "Is there a town event that I'm not aware of?"

She shakes her head. "No. I just...I just needed to get away from a little while."

"Romantic getaway to the parents with the boyfriend?" the question falls from my lips before I can even stop myself.

Elena lets out a dry laugh. "Actually, Liam and I broke up."

I freeze. "What?"

"Well, I broke up with him."

My heart starts pounding hard against my chest. "Why?"

"Why do you think?" she stares at me pointedly and my eyes widen. I gulp and take a large swig of my beer, suddenly wishing I had opted for bourbon instead. I try not to let myself think about what this might mean. She is still staring at me but much to my relief she continues. "My Mom isn't exactly thrilled by the news but it was my decision and I'm sticking to it."

"And your Dad?"

She frowns. "I don't really care what he thinks."

"Ouch." I tilt my head at her curiously. "You two not on good terms right now?" she shakes her head silently. "Why?"

She looks back up at me. "Why do you think?" she repeats that question and my mouth drops open.

"Elena..."

"He lied to me." she saves me from desperately trying to think of the right thing to say. "He swore to me that there was nothing I could have done to help you. I asked him time and time again but he turned me away. If I had known even a slither of the information he found maybe I could have gotten you out of prison earlier...I could have spoken to Will myself if I knew he was involved...I...I could have spared you the last four years. You could have been out here...we could have been..." she trails off with a shaky voice, quickly wiping away a stray tear.

"What's done is done, Elena." I tell her firmly. "We can't change the past. There's no point in dwelling on the what ifs."

"I know." she clears her throat and forces a smile. "Anyway, enough about me. I should be congratulating you on the new job." she motions around the empty restaurant. "Alaric told me...I was going to send you a text you but…" she trails off and looks down briefly before continuing. "Anyway, congratulations." she smiles genuinely at me and I can't fight the small smile which creeps onto my lips.

"Thanks." I reply sincerely. "It's not exactly anyone's dream job but I'm actually enjoying myself. It's still early days but so far so good."

"Good." she grins happily. "I'm so happy for you, Damon." I smile back before we fall into a comfortable silence, the two of us just sipping on our beers and enjoying the rare peaceful moment. It's nice, just being here like this, it kind of feels like old times.

Elena is the first one to break the silence.

"Will you come take a walk with me tomorrow?" She's nervous. Her voice is shaky and her hands are fiddling with the label on her beer. "I...I want to talk to you about some things before I go back to Whitmore."

I swallow nervously. I know what this is about. We have four years of questions that need answering. We've done a real good job of avoiding it so far, I even went as far as to pretty much banishing her from my life - not that that lasted very long - I was definitely kidding myself into trying to believe that I could completely cut Elena Gilbert from my life.

I take a deep breath. "Are you sure that's such a good idea?" I have to ask. This could go either way - it could be a complete disaster. We could end up being more damaged and worse off than ever before.

I'm not afraid to admit that I'm too terrified to think of the other outcome.

"No." she replies bluntly, letting out a dry laugh. "I don't necessarily think it's a good idea...but...we need too."

I swallow the lump in my throat and nod slowly. She's right. She always is most of the time. "Yeah." I breathe out quietly. "Okay."

I check my phone distractedly as I tap onto Caroline's door. I glance to my right when a girl from one of my classes calls my name. I wave back with a smile and a cheeky wink, smirking as she grins before walking into the dorm room.

My attention is drawn back to the moment when the door in front of me swings open. "Booty call?" I question teasingly.

She tuts at me coldly before grabbing my arm and yanking me inside. I go to kiss her but she moves away swiftly, an annoyed look on her face. "God Stefan! Don't you ever think about anything else?"

Wow. She sounds pissed. I quickly trudge through my brain to try and think of anything I have done recently to anger her. Then again, she has been super pissy for a while now. I always seem to be getting her back up these days.

"What's your problem?" I ask her confused.

"My problem?!" she replies loudly. "My problem is you!"

I look at her in disbelief. "You're crazy."

"Oh I'm crazy?!" she shrieks. "I'd rather be crazy than an asshole like you!"

I look at her in complete bewilderment. How the hell did this turn into a slanging match so quickly? I take a deep breath to try and stop myself from going any further. "Caroline...if you've asked me over here just to insult me then I can think of better ways to spend my Saturday night."

"Oh you mean with other girls?"

I groan loudly in frustration. "That's not what I said!"

She responds by letting out a huffed breath before running her fingers through her blonde locks. "Look, I didn't ask you over to fight."

"Could have fooled me." I mutter under my breath but hold my hands up in defense when she shoots me a sharp glare.

She shifts nervously. "We need to talk."

I frown. "Okay..." I motion for her to continue, slightly confused and clueless to where this is going. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I think you should sit down."

My frown deepens. "Why?"

"Just...God Stefan! Can't you do ask I ask just once in your life?!"

I blink at her wide eyes. "Okay, okay." I roll my eyes slightly and take a seat on her bed. I try to hide my amused smile as she starts to pace up and down. She turns her head slightly to look down at me and freezes.

"Why are you smiling? This is not a smiling situation, Stefan!" she blasts me angrily.

I groan loudly. "Jesus Christ, Caroline. I'm not a freaking mind reader, just tell me!"

"Why can't you take anything seriously?!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"You're such a jerk!"

"Just freaking tell me!"

"I'M PREGNANT!"

I feel like I've just been hit by a steam train.

My ears are ringing loudly. Caroline looks startled herself before she takes a deep breath, tears springing in her eyes.

"I'm pregnant." she repeats quietly. I blink once, twice, three times. My mouth is dry, I feel like I've just swallowed a bucket of sand. She's...she's what? "Say something...please." I try to open my mouth but no words come out.

What?

I can feel myself heating up. I'm starting to sweat. My ears are still ringing and my throat is still clogged up with imaginary sand.

"Stefan...I know this is a shock...trust me, I know. But...I've took a test, heck I've took 10 tests, I'm definitely pregnant."

"How?" I wheeze out.

"How?" she sounds pissed again. "How do you think?"

"I...we...we were always careful and you're on the pill...you are, aren't you?" I look at her with a hint of accusation.

"Yes." she scowls back. "Turns out we are in that one percent category."

This can't be possible. She's joking right? She has to be joking?

"Is...is it mine?" I don't even flinch when her hand flies across my cheek in a loud crunching slap. I unhook my jaw slightly. I deserved that. "Sorry."

"Of course it's yours you ass. Unlike you I haven't been sleeping around with other people."

I frown defensively. "Neither have I."

She doesn't reply and I can't find my voice. We fall into a tense awkward silence.

I can't be a Dad. I'm only 21. I still have another year at college before I graduate and I want to move to New York or California or even Chicago. I don't want to stay here. I stayed here for college for the sake of helping Damon but he's fine now and I can't stay here for the rest of my life.

I feel myself starting to freak out. The air around me seems to be getting tighter and tighter and I'm finding it harder to breathe. The image of a screaming baby waking me up at sunset crosses my mind.

I feel trapped.

I'm ashamed to admit what happened next.

I bolted.

I ran out of the room without looking back.

I'm a coward.

I'm nervous.

You would think after everything that I've been through; after some of the things that I have seen in prison that it wouldn't take much to scare me anymore.

This however does scare me - Elena scares me - in the best and worst way possible.

I glance at the clock. I'm meeting Elena at The Falls in about fifteen minutes, which means that I have to leave in about five if I want to get there on time. I have no doubt in my mind that Elena will be early, hell she's probably there already.

I take a deep breath. We're about to have a conversation that I've been avoiding for the past two months. Hell, I've been avoiding this for the last four years. However I know deep down that Elena is owed some explanations, just like I'm owed some from her too. It's going to be tough, I know it, she knows it, but it's about time we stop hiding from our problems and face this head on.

No more running away.

Feeling slightly pumped and confident from my inner pep-talk, I grab my jacket and my phone and head towards the door. Who cares if I'm a few minutes early, the quicker we start this the quicker this will all hopefully all be resolved.

I swing open the door and jump back startled. Stefan is standing there on my doorstep, his fist raised high mid-knock. I frown confused because I didn't know he was also back in Mystic Falls this weekend. "Hi..." I trail confused. He looks a bit put off, a bit frazzled. "What are doing here?"

He swallows loudly. "Is Klaus home?" I shake my head no. "Will he be back soon?" Again I shake my head. He's out in Georgia for the day with his boss buying car parts - he won't be back until late on tonight. "Can I come in?"

I cringe, not wanting to turn him away but also picturing an anxious looking Elena waiting patiently for me alone at The Falls. "Actually, I'm kind of on my way out, Stefan."

"It's important." He stresses and my cringe deepens.

"So is this..."

"Damon..." His voices shakes and I blink surprised. Suddenly I get the feeling that this isn't something that I can just pass off until another day. "If I don't talk to someone about this my head is going to explode."

I stare at him for a long moment and realize that he probably means it. "Okay...yeah..." I take a step back and motion for him to come inside the small apartment. "Sorry. Do you want a beer?" He nods silently and I head over towards the fridge. I pick out my phone, cringing as I write out a text to Elena to tell her that I can no longer make it. I apologize, but I know that she won't believe my excuse of 'something came up' - I probably wouldn't believe it either. I uncap the beers and head back to Stefan who has made himself comfortable on the couch.

He looks tense. He looks even more nervous. I feel a hint of concern for him, we've always been close but ever since I came out of prison he hasn't just been my little brother. He's been my friend too.

"What's going on Stef?" I pass him his beer, watching as he takes a large gulp, nearly drinking the whole bottle in one. I sit down on the couch diagonal to him, waiting patiently for him to start talking. I quickly spare a sneaky glance at my cell but Elena has yet to text me back.

Shit, I hope she's not pissed at me.

Stefan clears his throat bringing me back to what's going on here. He shifts on the couch, putting his beer down and leaning his elbows onto his knees, his head falling into his hands. He groans loudly, his fingers clutching his hair.

I look at him surprised. "Jesus Stefan, you're actually starting to scare me a little bit now."

"I've fucked up, Damon. I'm starting to freak out." he stares up at me and I notice his bloodshot eyes. He takes a deep breath. "I've...shit...I've gotten a girl pregnant."

My eyes widen in shock. I didn't see this coming. "What?" I breathe out stunned. "You...what?"

"That was basically my reaction too." he sends a slight smile but it ends up looking more like a grimace. "I just...I can't believe this is happening to me. We were always careful! She was on the pill and I always wore a condom - I don't understand!"

"Shit." I whisper still in shock and run my hand through my hair. "I guess you're in that one percent huh?"

"Funny, that's what Caroline said." he mutters under his breath.

I freeze. "Caroline?" I question him slowly and his eyes widen when he realizes his mistake. "Caroline as in Elena's best friend Caroline? As in the Sheriffs daughter, Caroline?"

"Yes." he confesses meekly. "We've kind of been sleeping together for the past couple of months."

Another thing dawns on me. "Shit...she's Klaus's ex."

He groans and puts his head back in his hands. "I know!"

"Does he know?"

"No."

"Shit." I take a large swig of my beer. Holy cow. "What's she going to do?"

"I don't know," he looks up at me with a look of guilt and shame on his face. "I kind of ran out the door before we could really discuss anything." He lets out a frustrated breath. "God I'm such an idiot."

"Yep. You are." I agree and he glares at me. "You need to go back to Whitmore and talk to her. You're freaking out but imagine how she is feeling right now."

"I know." He sits up a little straighter. "I just freaked out. Damon, I can't be a Dad. I don't know the first thing about babies!"

"Yeah well...she might not even keep it yet. That's why you need to go back and talk to her. Discuss your options."

"And what if she doesn't want an abortion?" He questions me nervously.

"Then you need to grow some balls and grow the hell up." I tell him bluntly. "You're going to have a tiny little baby that you are responsible for. I know it's scary, but it's a real possibility now." He sits silently, his eyes glued to his feet. "Hey," I stand up and move beside him, my hand landing on his shoulder. "You'll be okay. Whatever happens, you know I've got your back." I smile slightly. "It's the least I freaking owe you." I pat him on the back, thankful when a tiny smile crosses his lips and he nods his head. "Come on, I'll get you another beer. You can crash here tonight but tomorrow you need to go back to Whitmore and talk to Caroline."

"I know." he agrees as I stand up and head across towards the kitchen. "But tonight I just want to get drunk enough to forget my own name."

"Sounds good to me, brother."

I let out a deep breath as I walk through the fairly crowded hallway. I notice that I'm getting a lot of stares, mostly from girls, but some from boys too - probably questioning my unfamiliar face. I wonder whose decision it was to pick a room in a mixed-gender dormitory but something tells me that it wasn't Elena.

I got her room details from Stefan, who is currently waiting anxiously in his own dorm for Caroline to pay him a visit. God I would love and hate to be a fly on the wall during that conversation.

Not that this one is probably going to be much better.

Elena never did return my text yesterday after I cancelled on her last minute.

I know she believes that I probably bailed because I didn't want to face her. I didn't want to talk about our problems or what happened in the missing four years between me turning myself in and now. But, she's wrong; she just unfortunately doesn't know it.

Which is why I'm here.

I look down at the post-it-note with Stefan's scribbled handwriting and realize that I have reached my destination. Sending a quick prayer that Elena is actually here and this wasn't a wasted trip, especially since I had to convince Matt Donovan of all people to swap shifts with me at The Grill. I take a deep breath and knock on the door.

No answer.

I knock again but this time I hear the sound of rustling on the other side and soon it swings open but I'm met with the wrong shade of brown eyes.

"Damon," Bonnie looks a little stunned to see me here.

"Hi." I wave awkwardly at her. "Is Elena here?"

"Um..." Bonnie gawps at me for a moment before clearing her throat. "No."

I raise my eyebrow. "Is that the truth or..."

She rolls her eyes. "Yes it's the truth. She's at class."

"Crap." I curse under my breath. "Do you know when she'll be back?"

"Probably not for another hour, that's if she comes straight home. Otherwise she could be gone until much later tonight."

I grimace, looking around the hallway briefly before glancing back at Bonnie. I didn't come all this way for nothing. "Don't suppose you could let me wait here could you?" I noticed a couple of campus security guards on my way up here but I did my best to pretend that I belonged and went by unnoticed. I doubt it would be as easy if I'm left to roam the halls alone for god knows how long.

"What here? As in herehere?"

I raise my eyebrows at her. "Duh."

She frowns. "I'm about to head out myself."

"Okay...even better." I grin. "No awkward small talk." she looks at me unsure. "Come on Bon Bon, help a guy out here."

"You want me to help you?" She questions me. "I barely even know you."

"But Elena does." I remind her. "You think she'll be happy to know that you turned me away?"

"Actually," she challenges me. "From what she's told me, you stood her up yesterday so that's rather questionable right now."

I groan. "I didn't stand her up! Something came up...I couldn't get out of it...I did text her to apologize." I try to explain but Bonnie still doesn't look impressed. "Look, that's why I'm here, to make things up to her. Come on, let me in. I promise I'll behave myself, no snooping, and no touching. I'll just sit patiently."

She stares at me long and hard before letting out a huffed breath. "Fine, but if Elena kicks you out and then gets mad at me for letting you in, I'll come find you, Salvatore."

I hold my hands up with a smile. "You're a diamond Bonnie Bennett." she rolls her eyes but pushes the door back to let me in. I stand awkwardly as she gathers up her things and heads back towards the door.

"Don't touch anything!" she warns me seriously, pointing her finger at me sternly.

"Pinky promise." I smirk at her but she doesn't pay attention, instead she flies out the door without looking back, slamming it closed behind her.

I let out a relieved breath and slowly look around the room. You can tell immediately which corner of the room belongs to whom and I hesitantly walk across to Elena's side. It feels weird being here, especially without her permission, but I push back those thoughts and try my best to relax.

I could be sitting here for hours. I lay back onto Elena's bed, gulping slightly as I picture her here lying here in her cute PJs every night.

I frown, wondering if she's ever been with Liam here. Ew. Gross. I throw the painful thought back out of my head. No. No way would Caroline allow that.

At least, I hope not.

Urgh. It doesn't matter anyway - they're over, done-zo. Elena dumped his douchey ass. Ha.

I do my best to stop the snooping. I really really do but it's hard, so hard. Curiosity of Elena's life right now is too much to ignore and I climb back to my feet. My eyes linger around the various photos spread across the whole room. Pictures of the girls at parties, themed or otherwise, dotted around on the walls - some just the three of them - others with people I don't recognize.

I smile to myself when I realize there is not a single photo of douchebag Liam in this room.

Elena's area is pretty basic, there's a photo of her in her graduation gown with Jeremy as well as a photo of her laughing with Jenna. I frown, noting that her parents are missing. I wonder if that's a recent development or not.

Apart from those two photos, the rest of her clutter is just college books and what looks like printed timetables and notes. Nothing worth commenting on - especially compared to Caroline's side of the room which is just completely ridiculous.

I stop myself from opening her drawers. As much as I want to know what she keeps in there, I know it would be an invasion of privacy and even I'm not that much of a dick.

So, after a few more glances and snooping around the room, to things only on show of course, I settle back onto Elena's bed and just wait.

And I keep waiting for over a freaking hour. I switch between playing games on my phone and just staring at the wall across from me. I suppose being in prison for four years taught me how to just be comfortable in my own company,

Which is what I did until I heard the sound of a key being pushes into the lock. I quickly jump onto my feet, praying that it's Elena and not Caroline back from her emotional talk with my little brother about an unexpected and unplanned pregnancy.

Jesus, I think I would bolt straight out the door just like Stefan did if it was a flock of blonde hair that came through.

I stand awkwardly, slightly anxious as the door seems to take forever to open, and when it does I feel relieved but nervous as hell when Elena slides through the door. She doesn't notice me straight away, however it doesn't take her long and I can't fight my grin as she shrieks, jumping back in fright, her hand flying to her chest.

"Jesus!" She pants breathlessly. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry." I smirk and she lets out a shaky breath.

I watch as she gets over the scare to surprise at seeing me. "What are you doing here?" she asks quickly. "How did you get in?"

"Bonnie let me in." I answer the second question first because it's the easiest, but Elena is looking at me expectantly and I know I won't be getting let off easily. "And...I came to apologize for bailing on you yesterday. I swear I wasn't lying or making up an excuse when I said something important came up."

Her face shifts from indifference to concern. "Is everything okay?"

I nod slowly. I know she probably knows already - which is why I don't hesitate with the words coming out of my lips next. "Stefan showed up completely freaked out with the news that Goldilocks is expecting the unexpected."

Elena's eyes widen. "Shit." she curses. "I didn't even know Caroline had told Stefan..."

"Yup. Saturday night apparently. He didn't take it so well but he's actually with her now. We had a chat yesterday - I think he's ready to actually have a sensible adult conversation with her now." I explain and I can practically see the million thoughts flashing through her brain. "So yeah, that's why I had to cancel. It wasn't...it wasn't because I didn't want to talk."

She smiles shyly. "I'm sorry for ignoring your text."

"No worries," I flash her a grin and her shoulders drop in relief. "How about we go swap that walk for a drink? I've just found out I could possibly be an uncle - I need bourbon - may as well kill two birds with one stone?"

"Yeah." she smiles and bites on her bottom lip nervously. "I'd like that."

Elena leads me into her local college bar. I frown; noting that this probably won't be an ideal location for a private chat but she points out that it's always quiet here on a Monday – especially during hand-ins and exam time – which is coming up fast apparently.

She's right, of course, and she leads me towards a dark quiet corner by the window - the furthest away from the bar. She takes a seat and looks at me pointedly. I smirk.

"No fake ID?" She shakes her head with a shy smile and I roll my eyes. "Beer?"

"I'll have what you're having." She replies softly and I shrug, heading over to the bar and ordering us two bourbons – double measure.

I get back and pass Elena her glass, she smiles appreciatively and I lean back into our chair. "I still can't believe Caroline is pregnant." She muses out loud.

"How long have you known?" I ask curiously.

"A few weeks." She admits almost guiltily but I'm not mad. Caroline is her best friend…I'm…well, I don't know what I am. I suppose that's why we're here.

"She scared?"

"Yup." She nods eagerly. "Terrified. She's also in complete denial, but I suppose it's a good sign that she's finally told Stefan. Maybe she's finally starting to accept it." She muses out loud, a distant look on her face. "Anyway," she shakes her head. "We didn't come here to talk about my best friend and your brother."

"No we did not." I agree and take a sip from my bourbon. "I just have absolutely no idea where to start." I confess nervously.

"Why did you turn yourself in?" she blurts out the question and I'm slightly taken aback... Okay then Elena, straight into the deep-end we go. "What happened with Megan…it wasn't your fault. We could have made it out of Portland…we could have left."

I shake my head. "What happened with Megan…I will always be partially responsible. At the time, I completely blamed myself. I figured since I'd sold her the drugs, I was the one who killed her." I frown slightly, briefly wandering what happened to Enzo – something which has always bothered me for the last few years but I try not to dwell too much on it. "But spending as many nights lying awake in a cell kind of lets you reflects on things. I turned myself in because I was tired of running. I was tired of being a coward. I wanted to finally take responsibility for my actions, but most importantly, I didn't want to ruin your life any more than I had done already."

She shakes her head furiously. "You didn't ruin my life."

"Because I turned myself in." I tell her pointedly. "I don't regret it, if I didn't do it, I wouldn't be sitting here right now."

She stays silent, but I can tell that she's not exactly satisfied with my answer. "I felt like you'd given up on me." She admits sadly and I feel a stabbing pain hit my heart. "You wouldn't let me see you; you wouldn't let me call you. You wouldn't even read my letters. I felt completely abandoned Damon. One day we were together and the next…" she trails off. "The next I was on a plane home with my Dad completely heartbroken."

"I'm sorry for how I handled things." I confess. "But look at you – you graduated high school, you're in college." I smile, being reminded of the reason why I did what I did all those years ago. "You're flourishing."

"I gave up on you." She replies harshly and I blink shocked. "I'll never forgive myself for that."

"Well you should," I tell her firmly. "I don't blame you, Elena. I wanted this for you. I wanted all of it."

"Things could have been so different though." Her voice cracks. "I should have tried harder."

"There was nothing you could have done." I tell her seriously. "You were a freaking teenager; there are just some battles that you can't fight." She looks down at her glass before taking a large sip. I know that this is something that will take time to heal from. She's still going to blame herself – there doesn't seem to be anything that I can say that will change that.

However time heals all wounds and she will learn to forgive herself eventually.

"Anyway, why don't you tell me about you?" I smile at her but she shakes her head. "Oh come on, Elena! I want to know what you've been doing!" I urge her enthusiastically. "What are you studying?"

"Creative writing and literature." She admits shyly and my smile widens. "It's stupid, I know."

"Elena," I shake my head at her. "It's not stupid. That's amazing. It's going well, right? You're grades and everything?"

"Yeah," she admits with a small smile. "I'm not exactly top of the class but I'm doing okay."

"You write stuff?" I see her cheeks redden and my smile grows. "Will you let me read it?"

"No!"

"Why not?" I ask amused. "Is it dirty?"

"No!" she shrieks embarrassed and I chuckle amused.

"Then why won't you read it?"

"It's rubbish."

"I doubt that."

"You'll laugh."

"Pfft!" I blow out a breath. "Don't be silly, give yourself some credit. You were obviously accepted onto the course for a reason."

"Well that is a reason you won't be finding out anytime soon." She tells me pointedly and I pout teasingly. She rolls her eyes but not before letting out a cute little giggle and my heart tightens.

I've missed that sound.

We continue to chat happily and I realize that most of the serious topics we were supposed to be discussing have been momentarily forgotten about. Only this time it's not because we are avoiding the problem – but because we are too busy enjoying each other's company to ruin the mood.

I smile widely as she giggles at a story I tell her about Klaus stumbling home into the apartment drunk in just his underwear.

I've missed that smile.

I've missed her.

I miss my girl.

Well? How was that?

Still plenty to discuss between DE but it will come with time! Elena still needs to find out why Damon pleaded guilty and there will be some stories from Damon's time in prison that he needs to open up about.

Baby steps!

Thanks for reading, and thank you all who took the time to review! I know I say it every time but I really do appreciate it!

Until next time!