Title: Broken Arrow

Show: The Vampire Diaries

Season: 3 – After the Mid-Season Finale

Words: 1, 573

Pairing: Elena Gilbert & Damon Salvatore

Rating: K+

Summary: What can you do when your Heart is in two places? What can Elena do, when she found the right one, but at the wrong time? One-Shot. Based on Pixie Lott's song.

What do you do when you're stuck?

'Cause the one that you love has pushed you away

And you can't deal with the pain

Elena never felt so lost and broken like this. Not even when she woke up in the hospital to discover that her parents had died, and not even when Jenna died. No. This was far worse than everything she had ever experienced on her life. The loss of a great love, her first real love, and she didn't even lost it to Death, but to Evil himself. She could understand the need that Stefan had of protecting his older brother. The Salvatore's brothers would die for each other, there's no doubt in that, but Elena wished that Stefan didn't had to completely change who he was. She remembered how sweet and caring he was, and how he made her feel safe. Now? He's completely gone, replaced by a soulless and heartless creature that didn't respect one bit the human life. God, he was worse than Damon when she first crossed paths with him.

Damon…

And now you're trying to fix me, mend what he did

I'll find the piece that I'm missing, but I still miss him

I still miss him

Elena sighed and ran a hand through her long brown hair. How did he become such a big part of her? How that bad boy attitude and ego could strike her like lighting, even when she dated Stefan? Damon was the one that was there for her. Support her through the months when she didn't know if Stefan was alive or dead (to figure it out that he was mercilessly killing people, a part of her would rather have him dead). Elena wasn't stupid, she knew Damon loved her. But here's the catch. Between the two brothers, Stefan searched for her because she was a replica of Katherine while Damon fell in love with her gradually, not because she resemble his bitch of an ex-girlfriend, but because Elena was just Elena. And even thought she made very clear she loved and missed Stefan more than anything, he stood there, trying to mask the hurt, but never leaving her side. Ready to catch her! Ready to be the remedy to heal her pain!

And you're sitting in the front row, wanna be first in line

Waiting by my window, giving me all your time

You could be my hero, if only I could let go

"You seem in distress," the velvety and nonchalant voice startled as she turned abruptly to her doorway.

He gave her a sideways smile and she admired his beauty for a few seconds. His curly black hair, piercing crystal blue eyes and poise. How can a man so perfect have such a twisted soul? And how could that man be one of the two men that she loved more than anything?

"It's nothing, I was just thinking, that's all," she replied picking up her brush and running it through her hair.

"About Stefan," it wasn't a question.

"Yes," she wasn't going to deny it. Somehow, Damon read her like and open book – in most of the situations.

But his love is still in me

Like a Broken Arrow

He nodded and stepped into the room, sitting by the window. "You know, I'm getting tired of telling you that's he's gone. Unfortunately for all of us, he is. Elena, I would never give up on my brother. If I find a way to save him, I'll do it, because he's my little brother. I'll do it for him and for you," Damon spoke sincerely from his heart. He was tired of watching Elena hurt for Stefan. The oldest of the Salvatore brothers wanted to step in and replace his brother, but he knew perfectly well that Elena loved them both, and Damon would never replace Stefan, like Stefan would never replace Damon. Her heart, unfortunately for them, belonged to both. "I just want your happiness."

Elena sighed internally. How dare he? How dare he be so perfect? Elena had to remind herself of some less than noble actions from Damon's past to keep her heart from completely surrender. Sometimes, the fleeting thought that Damon loved her more than Stefan ever did, crossed her mind and while Elena found it silly at the beginning, now…not so much. He was proving himself worthy of her. Of her mind. Of her heart. Hell…of her body. "I miss him Damon. It's not easy to forget a year and a half of my life. Stefan was a huge part of me and I just can't forget how much I love him."

He's the thorn in my flesh, that I can't take out

He's stealing my breath, when you're around

And now you're trying to convince me, he wasn't worth it

"I'm not asking you to do that," Damon mumbled and mentally added but I wouldn't mind.

"Although, I'm starting to wonder if that would be the best for me," Elena sighed putting down her brush and walking towards her bed, sliding into the warm cocoon of her blankets. "Do you know where he is right now?"

"He left Mystic Falls," Damon sighed standing up. "So did Katherine," he added after a minute.

"Of course," Elena mumbled. "They deserve each other," she laughed sarcastically.

"Elena I…"

"Damon, it's late. I would appreciate if you let me sleep please. Tomorrow I'll start to try and live a human life," Elena grumbled, adjusting her pillow and closing her eyes.

Damon's face fell and he nodded. When Elena opened her eyes, he wasn't there anymore. She sighed. If she only could let go of Stefan, maybe she could find her happiness with Damon.

But you can't complete me,

He's that part that I'm missing

I miss him, I'm missing him

Next day was unusually normal. Even Bonnie and Caroline said it. They went to classes, had lunch, study and hang around the Grill, all the time without having to face an evil vampire, werewolf or witch. How rare these days were. While Bonnie stayed behind keeping Matt company, Caroline and Elena decided to have a girls night out in the last one's house. They were watching a re-run of Friends, when Elena spoke out.

"What can I do if my heart is in two places?"

What do you do, when your heart is in two places?

You feel great but you're torn inside

You feel love but you just can't embrace it

The blonde vampire looked at her best friend and sighed, shutting off the TV. "The Salvatore brothers," she guessed.

"Who else, Caroline?" Elena mumbled. "I'm so torn."

"No one blames you. After your good vampire boyfriend turned into your worst nightmare and your worst nightmare turned into your prince charming, you are allowed to feel confused and torn," Caroline said.

"I will hardly call Damon my Prince Charming," Elena snorted.

"Fine. Dark Knight, then," Caroline smirked in return.

Elena just shook her head. "I know that he loves me, Caroline, but I just don't seem to reciprocate," she whispered.

"That's BS, Elena, and we both know that. You too, love Damon," the vampire scoffed.

"Then why don't I embrace this feeling like I did with Stefan?" Elena cried.

'Cause you found the right one, at the wrong time

"Because you found the right one at the wrong time," Caroline said with a shrug.

"Argh! I hate my life," Elena growled, burying her face into a pillow.

"Elena, give Damon a chance," Caroline sighed. "Everyone is tired of watching you two suffer. Just get your act together and have sex with him!"

"CAROLINE!"

"What? You know you want it!"

Elena threw the pillow at Caroline's face and stood up. "Shut. Up."

Caroline laughed watching her friend's red cheeks and shrugged.

The next night, Elena passed in the Salvatore's house, to check on Damon. She was hoping to find something to make her hate him again, but no, he was quietly drinking for the crystal glass and gazing at the fire.

"Well, well. What brings you here?" he asked in a teasing tone.

Elena sat in front of him and shrugged quietly. "Checking on you. To see if you were ok and all…"

"You're forgetting who the immortal one is," he snorted and emptied his glass.

"Damon, I just want to tell you something," Elena started, clearly agitated. "I know that I will never get Stefan back, at least, the one that I knew. I also know about your feelings for me," his brow furrowed and he opened his mouth only to have Elena shush him. "Let me talk and don't deny it," he close his mouth and pursed his lips. "Damon I feel something for you too, but Stefan is clearly in the way of opening my heart."

"Elena, I know you love us both and like everyone else since he was born, you love him more," Damon said in a bittersweet tone.

"That's not true," he glared at her. "Not anymore at least!" his gaze softened. "Maybe we can have a chance," she sighed.

His baby blue eyes widened. "Very funny!"

"I'm not joking!"

"What kind of spell are you on? Oh my God! Katherine?"

"Shut Up, Damon, it's me," she grumbled smacking him upside the head. "I'm not under any spell, and I'm definitely not Katherine!"

"Can you blame me?" he replied.

"No, but I'm not joking about taking a chance on us."

Damon stood up and pulled Elena with him, cradling her face with his hands. "Really? A chance on us?"

And you're sitting in the front row, wanna be first in line

Waiting by my window, giving me all your time

You could be my hero, if only I could let go

"Yeah, you're not that bad after all," she teased.

He smiled pulling her bangs to the side. "I now that Stefan's love is like…a broken arrow in your heart, that you cannot just pull it out and be ok," Damon started and Elena's gaze dropped. "But I will do everything in my power to take that torn from your flesh and show you that you can still be happy."

"That we can still be happy," Elena corrected holding on to his biceps (did vampires workout?).

"We, we can be happy. Broken arrows and all," he said and she chuckled. "I'm about to do something. Will you allow me?"

Elena licked her lips in anticipation and nodded. Damon held her tight against him and slowly kissed Elena, knowing for the first time ever, what was like to be kissed with love – not by obligation, not by fun. Simply because…she also loved him. Who knows, maybe they'll be ok.

Like a Broken Arrow