This missing scene occurs between the last two scenes of Season 3, Episode 17 – "Break on Through", between Elena's call to Jeremy and Damon's conversation with Stefan…

Elena was finding that she couldn't face Damon, couldn't look him in the eye. The last couple of times she had run into him, she found herself grimacing and looking away before she could force herself to talk to him.

Even in her most recent encounter with him, when he had come to the hospital to pick up Alaric, she had tried to just walk away from him - but he followed her. When caught her and tried to say something about Alaric being okay, she found herself turning on him, accusing him.

He didn't flinch, he never flinched. He didn't deny the truth, either; he just told it to her. She tried to argue with him, but he just told her that Stefan needed to learn control.

She knew he was right. She was even a little nervous the first time she had run into Stefan after seeing Damon, less so the second time. It was so strange. Even after all Stefan had done around her and to her, she could just talk to him. It didn't always turn out well, but she could do it. She could even talk to him about Damon.

But she couldn't talk to Damon. She wanted to talk to him as much as she wanted anything now. She had already talked to Bonnie, gotten her forgiveness. She had talked to Jeremy and satisfied herself that he was doing okay.

She had talked to Stefan and Caroline. She had even convinced herself that Alaric would be alright.

It was killing her that she wasn't able to talk to Damon, wasn't able to just face him, thank him and tell him about the feelings she had for him that just wouldn't go away. But she couldn't talk to Damon. If he wasn't being a sarcastic jerk to her, she was accusing him, walking out on him.

Worst of all, he hadn't stopped doing things for her. No matter what he said to her or what she said to him, her debt to him was getting bigger.

The face to face thing wasn't working, and getting messages about him through Stefan or Alaric wasn't much better. She decided to call him – to try to call him, at least. He had ignored some of her calls recently.

She found herself calling him after she talked to Jeremy, a little worried about what he would say if he answered. Not that he had said anything mean or sarcastic to her when she last saw him. She had been the angry one – Damon just told her the truth.

"Elena," Damon said as he answered. "How unexpected of you to call me. Surely you didn't catch Stefan snacking on anyone – he had to have been full from all of the blood bags he downed after talking to you."

"All of the what?" Elena asked, confused.

"And the Rebekah thing," he continued. "That was just a shot at getting some information. It worked, but really didn't end well."

"Alaric!" she blurted before he could say any more. The phone thing wasn't working out much better than face to face had. "I wanted to thank you for helping Rick, for making sure he got home OK."

"You're welcome," Damon said, sounding a little sarcastic. "He helps me, I help him. That's what friends are for. Anytime I have a Jekyll/Hyde friend, I will help him get home and try to keep 'Mr. Hyde' at bay."

Elena found herself nodding as he added, "Though I could learn to like the 'Mr. Hyde' side…"

"Damon!" Elena interrupted. "Please. I'm just trying to thank you. You were the only one that could take care of him in the condition he was in. I couldn't. Stefan was gone. You were the only one that could help, and you did. So thank you."

"You're welcome. Again," Damon's sarcasm was gone, and Elena almost had hope that she could say more, but he suddenly said, "Got to go. Stefan's drinking..."

He was gone, leaving her wondering whether he meant that Stefan was drinking blood, or something else.

She stayed where she was; holding her phone, rubbing her head and thinking. Jeremy, Alaric and Stefan were on her mind. Three people that she loved, three people who loved her.

Three people who were safe and/or alive right now, because of Damon.

Am I the only one that spells Rick with a 'k'? I know the full name is Alaric without a 'k', but I am really Jonathan without an 'h' between the o and the n, yet I put an 'h' in the abbreviated 'John'. Surely I'm not the only one…

Ever so brief break from my Elena Gilbert obsession to see 'The Hunger Games' earlier tonight. I know I am in love with Elena, but I find myself in love with Katniss Everdeen as well. There are times I am every bit as idiotic (or torn or whatever) as TV Elena…