Break, mend and shatter

Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.

Prologue: Walking on broken glass

Elena

You know you don't live here," I said to Damon, not bothering to look up, as he came into my living room, dropping down tiredly by the end of the couch, lifting my feet and placing them on his lap. The familiarity of the gesture bringing a guilty sense of relief to me, like it has night after night, like a bad habit I couldn't shake.

"Is that an invitation?" he replied with that ever familiar smirk on his face and a wink in my direction.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head as I shifted to get into a more comfortable position, my legs sliding to rest on his thighs, letting my feet dangle a bit.

"You really wanna know why I'm here?" Damon said turning his torso towards me, his eyes sparkling with untold mischief.

"Do I even want to know?" I replied knowing he'll tell me anyway.

He sighed dramatically and tapped a rhythm near my ankle, as if one of the beats will cue his answer.

"Because I'm the only thing left to remind you it was all real." Damon said quietly, staring straight past me as if I wasn't there, before turning to lean back on the couch, head dropped back so he faced the ceiling.

His words surprised me but not the sudden shift in his mood. It happened more frequently now. His mask slips so easily now, as If he's slowly forgetting he's the big badass vampire with a thing for black and leather. Without his smoke and mirrors, I can almost sense vulnerability in him. Almost.

We were silent for about thirty seconds before he turned to me with a laugh painted on his face, as if the moment was still as casual as it started.

"And of course we can't have you missing me too much and acting all distracted at school everyday, signing my name inside little hearts in your notebook. Bonnie might start to think I compelled you. She's going to want to light me on fire, right? Or maybe pelt me with all the books in sight. I don't know…what do you think? Which looks better on me? Burns or bruises? Elena?" Damon teased, the words not really filling up the void that showed up in his eyes just moments before, "Helloooo? Anyone home in there?"

I shook my head and turned my attention back to the geometry problem I was solving. He shook his head and gave up. Damon absently picked up the tattered copy of Pride and Prejudice he started reading a few days back.

We fell silent, leaving each other to our books and ultimately our thoughts. It was comfortable kind of quiet that filled the space; there was no need to for trivial conversation. I only had to be content to have him there.

But it was also a silence that held back floodgates of questions, which seemingly multiplied each second since Stefan left to be with Katherine.

From the start, I had answers. Damon had them as well. But it's already been six months, three days and 12 hours since and at this point, we both understood enough to separate the truth from the lies.

Truth, Katherine bargained with Stefan. He leaves me to be with her, and she harms no one in Mystic Falls.

Lie, Stefan had no other choice. She was too powerful.

Truth, Stefan believed he was protecting me.

Lie, Stefan would never hurt me.

Truth, Stefan asked Damon to stay and protect me.

Lie, Damon is here, in my house and reading a "girly" book as he called it, because Stefan asked him to.

Truth, Damon was obsessed with Katherine and would follow her to the ends of the Earth.

Lie, Damon never got over her.

Truth, I trust Damon—to make me laugh, to protect me and ultimately, to annoy me to endless distraction that I don't remember my heart is still breaking.

Lie, Stefan will find a way to end Katherine and come back to me.

Lie, Stefan loved me more than Katherine.

I sighed audibly and Damon instinctively squeezed my ankle gently to comfort me, a gesture that wasn't lost on me.

"This Darcy, is he really going to get the girl by being a pompous ass all the way to the end? I bet he's not even as hot as me." he asked staring straight at me, eyebrows knitted in quest, "How can you possibly have read this more than once?"

"No one's forcing you to read it," I said, "Stop if you want, but you obviously can't wait to see exactly why and how he ends up with Elizabeth...How can an arrogant, self-serving snob win her over? Doesn't that make you curious, Damon? But, hey if you don't like it, by all means stop reading it."

He rolled his eyes at me, "Yeah, well I've never been this bored before."

"Thank you for thinking so highly of my company Damon." I shot back, smiling down at the same problem I've been trying to solve for the past half hour. Damon=distracting. I couldn't get anything done. "Go home, take the book with you, I don't care."

He reached out and lifted my chin with a finger so I'd look straight at him.

"You do." Damon said his blue eyes boring into mine, the intensity of his gaze making me look away.

"I don't." I said in a sing-song voice, still not brave enough to look directly at him.

He rolled his eyes and ripped my geometry book from my hands, taking my pen as well.

"You do," he repeated as he scribbled something on the scratch paper inside my book, "You care that I'm here or you wouldn't have been distracted enough to keep staring at the same problem long enough that I was able to solve it from over here."

He returned it to me before standing up, propping my feet on a throw pillow as he did.

H= 50

He scribbled it neatly, copying my handwriting with eerie precision.

"There, homework over. Time for bed. Chop, chop Elena." Damon said clapping his hands in front of my face.

I swatted it away and rolled my eyes at him. I closed my school book and picked up the pocketbook he left behind.

He threw up his hands in the air in mock frustration, "Well, I'm not going to tuck you in then. How's that Elena? I'm not checking under your bed to make sure there are no monsters there."

I pretended not to hear him, making him even more persistent in his attempts to get a reaction out of me.

"Elena, you better not misplace the bookmark I left there. Wickham had better not go anywhere when I start on that tomorrow."

Against my better judgment, a small smile formed on my lips, the kind that did not escape the sharp eyes of the vampire, "You're coming back?"

He shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh as if to say, duh Elena. I know. It was a stupid question but I had to ask. I needed to be sure that at least I can depend on that one constant in my life.

"Fine, I'm going if you're just going to ignore me. Time for the vampire to turn into a bat and go inside his coffin," Damon said dramatically as. he turned to leave

"Thanks." I said softly, closing my eyes as I sighed.

"I'm good at Math, you're not. It was the least I could do," he replied not bothering to turn around, his words light but his voice thick with veiled emotion.

"Damon…"I said eyes still closed, the annoyance seeping into my voice.

I thought he left, until I felt his lips press softly on the top of my head a few seconds later.

"I know," he whispered, "I get it."

Just like that and then he was gone.