This is a reasonably sized one-shot I wrote about how I would have preferred Damon and Elena's reunion to go (obviously in this story, she never compelled away her memories). \The episode was absolutely amazing (like on-the-edge-of-your-seat amazing). However, I was sourly disappointed in the Delena- damn the memory loss because a reunion scene would have been perfect.

Disclaimer: I don't own the vampire diaries. Simple. As. That.

It was as though every day managed to appear even darker than the last. As the days drew on, Elena knew that the chances of them being able to rescue Damon or Bonnie were growing slimmer, and those thoughts plagued her constantly. She couldn't possibly imagine a life without either of them.

A life without Bonnie would be a life without magic; both literally and figuratively. Without her ever-loving and slightly judgemental presence, the world seemed just a little bit darker. Losing one of the only people that had been with her since she was young, who had stuck by her through everything, was an excruciatingly painful thing.

It did however, pale in comparison to how she felt about losing Damon. It was as though her life was painfully dull and when he came along, light immediately burst across her eyelids and everything scorched bright with passion and danger and love. And suddenly, the fire behind her eyes burned out and with it, went everything that made her mind race and her heart flutter; Damon. The thought of living in such darkness for the rest of forever felt like an unjustified punishment, as though the universe was finally getting her back for every horrible thing she had ever done. It made her reckless and angry and incredibly emotional. Just imagining forever without her soul mate made her feel as though every other loss she had suffered in her life was nothing- nothing like the pain that now soured through her veins and fuelled her very existence.

She had spent months now wallowing in self-pity and rage. And finally, after 4 months, it began to dawn on her that there really wasn't some last minute spell or mystical being that could return him to her, not this time. It made her feel like she was going to die.

As she stood in the shadows of her Whitmore dorm room, she could almost feel the waves of her grief swallow her whole. It was one of those days.

One might think that with almost all of her loved ones around her, she would be able to get through her heartbreak. She hated herself for thinking she wasn't strong enough, that this was the straw that broke the camel's back, that he was her breaking point.

The sunlight slowly spread across the hardwood floor, reflecting across her arms. The light above her was off, much like the light in her eyes. Her face, the image of despair but gut-wrenching acceptance, was what made Caroline scramble to a halt when she entered the room.

Elena was stood completely still, caressing Damon's shirt between her fingers and her toes curling. Her deep, erratic breaths echoed across the room and made the silence even heavier.

"Elena?" Caroline called hesitantly. Her best friend stayed completely still but her eyes fluttered slightly, as though she had acknowledged the voice but not listened to it. "Oh, Elena", Caroline sighed sadly. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she ran to her friend's side and gently brought her into an embrace.

Without even thinking, Elena let her head rest on Caroline's shoulder and she brought the shirt to her face, inhaling the slowly fading smell of her boyfriend and pretending that it was his embrace she was wrapped in.

She didn't cry. At this point, her eyes were dry.

"It's gonna get easier 'Lena", the blonde tried to sooth. "We'll learn to cope. I promise." Even as she said it, Caroline closed her eyes as a tear escaped; she hated lying. Her face twisted into a mask of pure agony as she thought back to those they had lost over the years: from Jenna, to her father, to Bonnie and Damon.

They stayed in silence for what felt like their own little eternity but what was realistically about an hour. They didn't exchange words or even looks and simply stayed locked in the same position, praying that each other's company might sooth their pain. It didn't.

Eventually, Elena managed to pull herself away. She let the t-shirt fall onto her bed as she slowly lowered herself to the mattress. Caroline watched her carefully before joining her on the bed, both of them looking straight ahead at the array of pictures on her cabinet. Too many of them featured Damon or Bonnie, even one of them with both.

"Do you really believe that?" Elena asked quietly.

Caroline turned to her slowly, casting her eyes across the girl's face for any hint of emotion. "Believe what?"

Elena raised her hand and angrily rubbed at her eyes. "Do you really believe it will get easier, or were you just saying that for my benefit?"

A pregnant pause followed as the question hung in the air above their heads. Caroline blinked furiously to restrict her tears. "It wasn't just for your benefit, it was for mine too. But… no. I don't think it ever will, not really."

Elena felt her shoulder's slump as she let out a sigh. She nodded in agreement. "Yeah… I don't really see it improving."

Caroline grimaced. After taking a deep breath, she spoke, "I'm surprised." At Elena's look of confusion, she continued. "I never thought I'd miss him."

They didn't have to say his name; both of them shared a sorrowful look of understanding. Elena looked at her hands as she felt her eyes dampen. Caroline would never be able to grasp how much she was missing him.

"Do you think we'll ever be able to say their names without feeling like we're being staked?"

Caroline let out a huff of laughter before her features settled into a sad smile once again. "I don't know, Elena. I hope so because one day I'd really like to be able to think back to how much they changed our lives and smile instead of cry."

Elena let out a quiet sob at her words. She quickly brought her hand to her mouth as though it might help stop her weeping. Caroline chanced a glance at her but at the sight of her best friend curling in on herself, hand clutching her chest above her heart as she sobbed, she couldn't contain her own cries.

Soon, both girls were relishing in the opportunity to finally let all of their emotions loose. They hadn't had many moments like this to simply sit and reflect on what had happened. They both understood how much they needed each other in moments like this and Elena blindly reached for Caroline's hand, tangling their fingers together as they cried.

[…]

Alaric lay back against the mahogany desk in his new 'office'. The almost drained bottle of bourbon on his desk was tempting. As he curled his fingers around the neck, he let his eyes scan the expanse of space around him.

If Damon were here right now, there was no doubt he would be laughing at him. If anyone was going to find his attempt at a normal life humorous, it was his best friend.

But he wasn't here.

It wasn't as if Alaric hadn't thought about him at all, but as his lips met the rim of the cool bottle, he was tackled with an earth-shattering wave of emotion. The bottle slipped through his suddenly sweaty palms and met the floor with a startling smash that went unheard.

He sat in complete silence as his eyebrows narrowed and his face contorted into one of anger. The only thing that betrayed him was the tears that slowly etched themselves down his cheeks. Alaric's breath halted in his throat and his lip quivered.

He would never see Damon again. Maybe the thought would have been somewhat appealing when Damon was around, it now felt like a white-hot poker in his chest. Back when he was a ghost, the thought had barely occurred to him- he could see Damon after all – but now knowing that he couldn't even be granted that privilege… it hurt.

In complete silence, he rose from his seat and stepped around the broken shards of his bottle towards the liquor cabinet on his wall. He contemplated for a moment before pulling out a bottle of Bourbon Whiskey and a single tumbler.

Alaric made his way back over to his chair, kicking the shards of glass away from its legs and poured himself a glass. He set the empty tumbler on the desk beside his own and stared at it for a moment, deep in thought.

After a moment he let out a soft chuckle and poured a healthy amount into the second tumbler. Slumping in his seat, he picked up his glass and raised it above his head.

"Bye, bubby."

[…]

"I don't really know how I'm supposed to do this. Tell her, I mean."

"It's really not rocket science Stef! Just move and I'll tell her myself", he insisted.

Stefan held his ground and fought against the vampire's force. "Oh, and what? Give her a heart attack?"

Damon bit back a snarky retort. His throat suddenly felt very dry as he met his brother's eyes. "Stefan", he breathed, voice thick with emotion. "I need to see her." He inwardly cringed at how his demand had come out sounding more like a plea.

His brother looked him over critically and nodded gently. "I know, Damon. Trust me, I can't imagine how much you've missed her but you need to think about this a little before you run head on in."

Damon didn't attempt to hide the confusion on his face. Stefan sighed and slowly moved away from the door, surprisingly trusting his brother. After a moment he settled on one of the stone benches.

"She, er- Elena, she… wasn't doing too well."

"Wha-"

"-She couldn't handle it", Stefan interrupted. "Losing you was it for her; she just broke. I don't think I've ever seen her this far off the deep end."

Damon was silent for a moment as he absorbed the information. His fingers threaded into his jean pocket as he nodded and sucked in an unnecessary breath. "Well then I'm gonna go over to her dorm and I'm gonna drag her back."

Without another word, Damon was gone. Stefan bristled in the cold air and bit his lip before hastily following after him.

[…]

Elena watched her reflection as she coaxed her fingers through the tangles of her hair. She let her hand trail slowly down her neck, ghosting her fingertips across her collarbone as she let herself fall into the memory of her last intimate moment with Damon. She let out an involuntary shiver as she thought back to the last time she had felt someone's touch across her skin.

Damon had taken nothing short of hours peppering every inch of her body in kisses almost as though he was trying to mark her as his. He had slowly let his fingertips trace the protruding bone around her neck before trailing his hand along the smooth column of her neck. She had let out only the most frustrated of moans as his fingers carted through her hair before rounding to gently cradle her cheek. He had looked at her with every ounce of emotion he could muster before sealing their lips together.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered closed as she remembered every moment of that night. She remembered the pleasure that shot up her spine as he caressed her but more importantly she remembered the looks he had given her as he admired the expanse of her body. His eyes were never more expressive than when he was gazing up at her in the throes of passion. In that one look she could identify a hundred emotions; shock, hope, desire, fear, trust… love.

He had always treated her with the utmost care but when he was taking his time to relish in her presence, he was more gentle that she ever thought a man of such strength could be. He let every wall crumble around him the second their skin touched and he left himself vulnerable and open. In those moments, she had never been more hopelessly in love.

Elena slowly let her eyes open. The image of herself softly running her own hands along her neck brought her out of her memory. The ghost of his hands made her briefly close her eyes in regret.

She took a moment to resume her breathing. She refused to cry even more today, not after her emotional afternoon with Caroline, who had departed to find Tyler around 3 hours after she had found her.

She let out a gasp when she felt the impression of his touch across her shoulders. Refusing to open her eyes in case she was met with sour disappointment, she hesitantly leant back into the phantom touch.

This time, she couldn't spare even a moment to stop the tears from gliding down her cheeks. Her whole body swelled with hope as she allowed the touch, now slightly heavier, to comfort her. For the first time in a long time, she felt content to just lay back and let herself feel- good or bad.

Neither of them had the courage to break the spell that had settled over them. As he softly ran his fingers across her suave skin, he looked at her through the reflection of the mirror.

Her eyes were closed and her face was one of relaxation, however her eyebrows were furrowed in something he recognised as fear. He knew what she was thinking; he was thinking much the same.

He softly stroked down her arms, now prickling with goose bumps under his touch. He knew that realisation was starting to settle on her when she stiffened slightly. He let his fingers halt their journey down her arm, now gently circling the skin of her elbow. Very gradually, he felt her soften under his hands and, ignoring her own hesitancy, she gently let her opposite hand rise.

Damon watched as she lifted her hand, allowing it to hover over his briefly before she swallowed and her hand threaded through his on her arm. He felt more than heard her gasp and concentrated on the way she experimentally squeezed his fingers through her own. She slowly manipulated his hand until she was leading their now clasped hands across her stomach. Damon held his breath as Elena led their hands sluggishly up her chest until it rested on her breast, directly above her heart.

He gently squeezed her hand as she their hands into her chest as though she simply couldn't get enough of him. He heard her breathing become irregular as she separated her hands. However, before he could remove his hand, she purposely pressed it against her skin before moving her hand along the back of his and across his wrist. Damon shivered involuntarily when he understood.

Excruciatingly slowly, she moved her hand along his skin, his hair standing on end. As she grew ever closer to his elbow, Damon's heart soured. When she did reach the crease in his arm, she halted and began to very gradually twist her upper body. Her eyes remained closed as she continued her hands journey.

The silence around them was tense but incredibly familiar. When she finally reached his collar bone, she was turned to completely face him. Her eyes were scrunched together, no longer peaceful but she still kept them closed.

Damon took the opportunity to simply admire her features. Even screwed up in confusion and fear, she was devastatingly beautiful.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt her fingers tug at the hair that adorned the bottom of his neck. He watched as her lower lip quivered and her eyes fluttered.

After almost 10 minutes of complete silence, Damon felt like a criminal for breaking it. But he did.

"Elena?" he whispered timidly.

Instantly, the feel of the room flipped and Damon could feel nothing but unadulterated relief when he felt her arms crush him to her. His breath caught when he felt the smooth skin of her neck under his lips but he refused to waist even a moment before wrapping his arms around her midsection.

His heart physically must have shattered when he heard the muffled sob of his girlfriend as she clutched his shirt and nuzzled her head into his collarbone.

"D-Damon?" he heard her splutter through her tears.

For the first time in so long, Damon let his own tears fall as he pulled her even closer, burying his face even deeper into her hair. With an unsteady breath, he whispered against her ear. "It's me, baby."

Elena didn't need anything else in that moment; she didn't want an explanation, an apology or even a declaration of love. She simply wanted this moment to last; them in a perfectly silent bubble of their own blissful eternity, her arms around him like she knew they always would be.

They remained like that for however long it took for her tears to stop. And when they pulled back and Elena finally opened her eyes, she met those of her soul mate and instantly knew that they would spend the rest of forever like this; completely in awe of each other's existence but so full of love and adoration that not even the laws of physics would tear this moment away from them.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.

I was actually wondering if anyone thought this was a nice enough starting point to create a slightly longer story. What do you think? Should I carry on this story and make it my own version of Season 6? Send it in a completely different direction? Or not? Let me know in the reviews!