This missing scene begins the morning after the end of Season 3, Episode 10 – "The New Deal"…

Elena had wanted to see Damon, to say something about what had happened the night before, but as she entered the Boarding House, she still did not know exactly what.

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, trying to gather her thoughts. Then she moved to sit on the couch.

She hoped she was being quiet, she hoped she would be the one to confront Damon. Confront wasn't really the right word, but she wanted to be the first to speak.

It didn't work out that way. She was still on the couch, trying to clear her thoughts, when Damon was there, speaking from behind her. "Elena?"

The way he said her name made her shiver. She didn't look at him, didn't trust herself. She closed her eyes and spoke softly.

"I didn't ask to you to kiss me."

"I know." His voice was as soft as hers. She had to take a calming breath to build her resolve before she was able to speak again.

"I didn't want you t…" She couldn't bring herself the finish the statement.

He moved to face her, her eyes opening when she knew he was in front of her.

"You didn't hit me," Damon said, "you didn't push me away. Your hand was on mine, but if it was trying to pull mine away, I didn't feel it."

Elena bit her lip and looked down.

"You didn't try to stop it. You weren't repulsed by it."

"I didn't say I was."

Elena's eyes were closed again, but quickly opened as he said "What you felt, Elena, was guilt."

She held his eyes, but didn't speak. He finally said, "You feel as guilty about all of this as I do."

She knew he was right, but tried to explain.

"As bad as Stefan is," she began, "as far as he is from us, he saved you. Even at his worst, he's not trying to hurt me or you, he's still trying to save us."

Damon laughed without humor and walked a few steps from her, saying "You slapped him yesterday, told him to go to hell."

Elena found herself nodding as she said, "I don't understand him, Damon."

He turned to face her quickly, startling her, making her gasp. "Then let me remind you. He doesn't care about the danger to Jeremy or anyone else. He just wants to get Klaus."

"I know," she quickly said, wanting to cut him off, then repeated her question of the night before. "But what does it mean?"

"It means he only wants to hurt Klaus. That's all he lives for right now."

She rose and took a step towards him. "Because of you and me, Damon. Because he thinks he's lost us, because he thinks Klaus took us away."

Damon moved to stand right in front of her. "He doesn't care if those you love get hurt," Damon said slowly. "He may run around trying to save me, but you? Do you really think he cares about you?"

She found herself lowering her eyes again. She didn't really know the answer to his question, so, as she lifted her eyes to his again, she said, "He cares about you, which mean he cares about something. After what happened, all I wanted is for him to care about something."

Elena saw the slightly disbelieving look on his face, and continued "He won't hurt me. Even when I slapped him, he didn't hurt me. He's the same as you were. No matter what I did to you, you wouldn't hurt me."

"And you think it's because he still loves you." Damon said, his eyes skewering hers.

Elena closed her eyes and rubbed her head. "I never thought about what it meant with you, and I don't know what it means with Stefan. It just makes things…" she opened her eyes and looked at him, "complicated."

She looked a little desperate to Damon. As he looked into her eyes he said "So here we are, both filled with guilt because of Stefan. Neither able to get what we really want."

"I don't know what I really want," Elena said, turning to leave.

Damon followed her to the door. "But I can never get what I really want."

Her hand was on the door handle. She didn't turn around, she just opened the door as she spoke, "I never said that."

Elena opened the door and walked through it before turning around and asking, "Are you planning on trying to steal more 'guilt kisses'?"

Damon managed a slight smirk in return. "Would you try to stop me?"

"Maybe," Elena whispered as she resumed her walk to her car.

It was harder than usual to do this. During hiatus, I managed to get sick for awhile, then slipped on ice and sprained my knee. I was about ready to just stop, let it go.

Then the episode came, and though I didn't force it, things began to churn in my mind. This was the result.

I realize now that I am still sick, still unable to let this go. Or as one Lupe Fiasco put it...

"ain't nobody leaving, nobody going home

even if they turn the lights out, the show is going on…"

At lease the lights are still on at the Vampire Diaries (unlike some of my other shows…)