Realize.

Show/Series: The Vampire Diaries.

Couple: Delena (Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert)

Genre: Drama/Romance/Humor

Disclaimer: I do not, unfortunately, own The Vampire Diaries or any of the characters in it.

Plot: This takes place after episode 14, season 3.

Elena realizes her feelings for Damon and decides to drive to the boarding house to confess how she felt for him, but only to find Rebekkah (wearing Damons shirt, mind you) in Damons room on his bed with a smirk on her face, showing clearly that she had a good night. Feeling her breath stop and her heart break, Elena holds back a sob, turning around to leave, but not before seeing Damon exit his bathroom and sees Elena making a run for it. Will he run after, or will he let her go?

Stretching out on her bed, Elena Gilbert let out a yawn before opening her eyes and looking at her surroundings. She sighed, thinking about the dream she had last night.

Lately, all that's been on her mind was Damon. She would always find herself thinking of him in some sort of way. And she was always smiling at the thought of him.

She made a short replay in her head of what had happened the previous night at the ball.

Tears formed her eyes as she closed them, her head still lying on her pillow. She bit her lower lip, knowing that she had hurt Damon, but she was going to make it right.

At least try, even though she was a bit mad at him, for what he had said about her not being so different from Katherine.

After Stefan had dropped her off last night, she went straight to her room to get ready for bed. When she finally laid down under her covers, she realized how tired she was. But not of the lack of sleep she was getting. She was tired of fighting against her feelings. She was tired of always doing what's right for others, while getting hurt in the progress.

Getting back together with Stefan would be the right thing to do, everyone thought. They thought that Stefan was the one for her, because they were the 'it' couple before, and he was the nice Salvatore. When Stefan did something bad, everyone forgave him and just let it pass. But when Damon did something bad, it was the end of the world. And they wouldn't let anything he did pass. They saw through the fact that he had saved Mystic Fall so many times. They saw through the fact that behind that 'I'm a cold-heartless-emotionless-human blood drinking vampire' act, there was a man just as weak and vulnerable as everyone else.

She thought about how things were with Stefan at the very first beginning. She realized that she had felt an attraction to him because he was new and mysterious. He had this swag that none of the boys around her did. And she had convinced herself that she loved him, when really, to be completely honest, there was no sparks or fireworks between them. At least not anymore.

Her mind kept drifting towards Damon, and what had happened just hours before. She was hurt from the comment about Katherine. But she made no big deal out of it, figuring she deserved it.

She was in love with Damon, she admitted. But the situation with Katherine had not been the same as hers.

Katherine was in love with both Salvatore brothers, she messed with them both at the same time. She made them share her.

But her loved craved more for Stefan.

The situation with Elena was quite different. Yes, she will admit that she did love the two vampires at the same time for a while, though she didn't mess with them, she stuck to Stefan.

But only now did she realize that she had fallen out of love when it came to him. She still loved him dearly, and she cared for him so much, but she just wasn't in love with him anymore. She smiled, realizing that she had loved Damon all along.

Thinking deeply about it, she realized that her love for Stefan was nothing compared to her love for his brother.

The older Salvatore had changed for the better since she first met him. To be honest, he had used his charm on her already the first time, and it had worked. She was smitten, but she then found out about how he had been using Caroline and after finding out the brothers secret, she also found out how cruel and arrogant Damon really had been. But that was slowly changing. Suddenly, he was out there, saving lives, not much for his liking. But he did it and he did it for Elena.

He had done so much damage, but for everything good he did, there was no way to not forgive him. She had grown to get used to him. His sarcasm that seemed to always be there to make a cocky remark or comment about something. His way of making her smile but more often making her frustrated. The crocked smile and the way he raised an eyebrow. His deep blue eyes that she always seemed to get lost in. The way he looked at her, making her feel fireworks going off all around and the butterflies in her stomach.

She smiled, realizing that she was more than head over heels for the older, much more attractive, dangerous and adventuress Salvatore brother and she wouldn't want it any other way. Stefan was long gone, in her mind. Ever since he left Mystic Falls to be Klaus' little puppy, she had done everything to get him back, with help from Damon.
Teaming up to find Stefan, the two of them got so much closer and Elena was falling deep without even realizing it.

Damon had already known about his feelings for Elena, but he stayed back, knowing she loved Stefan and he just couldn't do that to his brother, once again. Though, that didn't really stop him from harmlessly flirting with her whenever he felt like it.

Lying there on her bed, after thinking long and hard. Elena Gilbert decided that she would finally make a move.

She was going to tell Damon exactly how she felt for him.

Smiling slightly, she opened her eyes again and dragged herself out of her big and comfy bed and tiredly made her way over to her dresser to get some clean underwear. She decided on red matching ones, for some reason and then continued her way to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Today was going to be a day to remember if things went as she hoped.

Meanwhile at the boarding house a certain vampire named Damon Salvatore slowly turned in his bed, groaning as the sun hit him right in the face. Sensing a body next to him, he groaned even more. He had forgotten for a second about last night events, now hoping that it was only a nightmare. He opened his eyes to see Rebekkah sleeping next to him. He made a face and then slowly made his way out of bed, only wanting one thing right now.

A warm and peaceful bath.

Standing next to his tub, he quickly turned on the warm water, letting it fill the tub with a little cold water to mix it. Pouring some soap in it, he watched as the tub filled with water, the surface surrounded with soap bubbles.

When he was satisfied with the amount of water, he stepped into the tub and slowly slid down in a seating position, instantly relaxing, tilting his head back and closing his eyes, not paying attention to anything else but the feeling of the hot water against his skin.

Stefan Salvatore was in for a big surprise when he walked into the boarding house after being gone hunting all night, and getting a view of the living room in front of him. It looked as if a freaking tornado had paid a visit to the room. Furrowing his eyebrows, he quickly called out for Damon, only to be greeting by a blonde a few seconds later, wearing a button up that was barely covering her breast or legs.

"Hello, Rebekkah… I see you and Damon had fun last night." He said, shooting a glance behind her, realizing the reason for all this mess. She turned around and giggled seeing the chaos that she and Damon had made last night. She then turned back to Stefan, smiling a wicked smile.

"I would say I'm sorry, though… I'm not." She smirked. Stefan rolled his eyes at the blonde, going further inside, sighing.

Turning towards Rebekkah, he asked, "Where is my brother?"

She pointed upwards, "Taking a bath. Bye!"

Before he could even move a muscle to react or speak, the blonde vampire was already gone and back in Damons room. Right as he was about to make his way to his bedroom to change, he heard a very familiar heartbeat by the door. He focused on the door, ready to greet her.

Waiting for Elena to open the door, he furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why she was standing there for so long.

She had keys to the door, even though that door was almost never locked, and Stefan knew that she always made her way inside without permission, considering this was her house too.

Finally after maybe three minutes, Elena had found the courage to open the door that led to the Salvatore brothers. Catching her breath from the shock of Stefan standing right in front of her, she closed her eyes, trying to calm down.

Stefan chuckled quietly, knowing if he'd laugh out loud at her, she'd probably stake him, seeing that she was not in a good mood. It was shown clear on her. Or Stefan was just really good at seeing through her.

"Hello, Elena." He smiled at her, then frowned when remembering that Rebekkah was here and knowing Elena's feelings towards Damon, she would not be the least bit happy about Damon and Rebekkah's wild night.

"Hi, Stefan. Is Damon in his room?" She got straight to her point, wanting nothing more than to just get this thing over with. Seeing Stefan nod, she was already running up the stairs towards Damon's room.

Stefan cursed under his breath for not stopping her, but then she's get suspicious.

'Oh, god, this is not going to end up good'.

Was all that spun around Stefan Salvatores brain at the moment.

As she came closer to his door, she hesitated before pushing the door slightly and stepping inside, only to be greeted by a blonde wearing one of Damon's shirts. Or more correctly, the shirt that Damon had worn last night at the ball. Looking up from her cellphone, Rebekkah smirked, seeing the shocked face on Elena Gilbert.

Knowing very well why blondie was here, in Damons room, on his bed, wearing his shirt, with that smirk on her face, Elena felt her breath stop and her heart break, trying to hold back a sob and turning around to leave, but not before seeing Damon exit his bathroom and sees Elena making a run for it.

Damon's POV

Shit. Fuck. God damn it. Shit. Shit. Fuck.

I saw her face right before she turned around to leave and I felt like killing myself. The look on her face made me want to break myself in pieces. I quickly out on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before running after her. I reached her just as she got to the hall between the front door and the living room, where Stefan was standing with unreadable eyes, his eyes looked on Elena.

I grabbed her wrist, making her jerk back, so that my front was pressed against her back, making my hormones go at full speed.

Damn it, not now, idiot. Not the time for this!

I quickly turned her around so that she was facing me, but I couldn't get a look at her face because her head was bowed down, towards the floor.

"Elena…" I whispered. She looked up at me, her eyes red from crying, and the hurt and anger clear in her eyes. I stole a glance to where Stefan was previously standing only to find him nowhere in sight.

"What, Damon?" She said harshly, making me cringe at her tone.

"I-I'm sorry, Elena. I'm so sorry…" I tried, not really knowing what to do or say. I felt like the biggest jackass in the whole entire universe. I looked at her as she tried to avoid my eyes, sniffing, and then shaking her head.

She scoffed, "Right. Of course you are. I mean, it must have been so bad fucking Barbie Klaus, right?"

I frowned at her, "Elena, please try to understand-" I was cut off by her screaming at me.

"What, Damon. What is it to understand? You slept with little miss Barbie doll. Gosh, are you fucking stupid or something? Sleeping with the enemy? Are you out of your mind?" She snapped.

I opened my mouth to say something, when I realized that she had no damn right to be mad.

I mean, I was single, so I could screw whoever the hell I wanted. Even though I would give all that up any day if it meant being with Elena. Getting to kiss her soft and delicious lips whenever I wanted. Holding her in public without her pushing me away.

Getting to wake up next to her in the morning…

No, Damon, focus!

"Hey! Now why the hell are you so damn pissed? You don't have a right to get mad at me for sleeping with someone, Elena. I can do whatever the fuck I want with whoever the fuck I want. Enemy or not, I needed a distraction, from you, might I add, and so I took whatever I could reach. You can't come here and snap at me for something that you have no business about." I said, making her close her mouth.

Her facial expression softened as she realized that I was right.

"You can't fucking expect me to just sit here and wait for you, Elena, while I watch as you love Stefan. I fucking can't. I don't want to go through the same fucking pain I've been feeling for the past hundred years looking for Katherine to save her, only to find out that she didn't need to be saved and that she didn't give a fuck about me. To hear her say that she loves Stefan more and that it was always him and it still is. I may have tried to shut my feelings down, Elena, but they are always there, whether you like it or not. I am sick of being the one to save your ass almost every fucking day. I am sick of being your shoulder to cry on, only to sit and watch in the end that you pick Stefan." I shouted.

I had heard Rebekkah and Stefan exit the house in the middle of my speech, probably not wanting to get mixed into this argument.

I sighed, going over to a shelf to grab a bottle of bourbon, opening it and drinking right from the bottle. I looked at Elena, only to find her sitting on one of the couches. Everything around was broken…

I didn't say anything, wanting her to speak first.

A few minutes passed before I heard her voice, low again.

"After what happened at the ball last night, I realized something after you had left. I couldn't sleep because you kept occupying my thoughts. And it wasn't the first time, Damon.

Gosh, you don't know how often I think about you. It's like I'm addicted. I finally realized last night that I love you but maybe it's too late." She paused, looking up to see my shocked expression.

"I realized that I loved you more than anything. You're the first to cross my mind when I wake up and the last one I think about before I fall asleep. And even in my dreams I can't seem to escape from you. You are everywhere, Damon. And the funny thing is, I don't want it any other way…" She paused again.

I was still frozen in place, not knowing how to react. I was sure that this was a dream.

I mean, Elena couldn't love me, she loved Stefan… It would always be Stefan…

But…what?