The Real Truth

The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Damon/Elena

Summary: Caroline confronts Elena with her sire bond theory. What will Elena say about it?

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: I think the sire bond theory is really pure horse manure. I sincerely mean that.

It happens just outside of the Grill. Elena was just heading in when Caroline cried out from the other side of the street.

"Elena, wait!"

Without taking her hand off the door handle she turns to look over her shoulder at her friend who was sprinting across the street with her blond hair whipping in the light breeze her movement was making.

Elena let her hand slip as Caroline finally reached her.

"Hey, where's the fire?" Elena joked at the urgency she saw on Caroline's face before quickly sobering at the sincerity of the look.

"What's wrong," she said as grabbed a hold of Caroline's shoulder and saw her friend's face light up before she spoke.

"I figured it out." Caroline announced.

Elena furrowed her eyebrows. "What did you figure out?"

Caroline put her hand on Elena's shoulder in what she assumed was supposed to be a comforting gesture but for some reason unknown to Elena, a knot was forming in the pit of her stomach.

"I figured out why your feelings for Damon have intensified since your change."

Elena continued to furrow her eyebrows, "Well, it's because everything is magnified when you become a vampire… so it's only natural that my feelings for Damon have—"

"No, you don't have feelings for Damon. You only think you do because of your sire bond with him. That's what I figured out, you only chose Damon because you're sired to him."

A triumphant smile spread across Caroline's face.

The knot in Elena's stomach tightened.

"What on earth made you come up with something so crazy?"

Elena's tone was so harsh that she saw it practically slap Caroline in the face and brought her down from her high horse.

"I thought you'd be happy… you and Damon just don't belong together," she continued, "Your epic love is Stefan so let's stop pretending it isn't."

Elena glared at Caroline but she put her hands up in defense and quickly blurted out.

"Wait, before you get mad at me just think about it. Damon's blood turned you, when he told you to kill Connor you did, and when he told you not to drink animal blood you couldn't keep it down then you suddenly tell Stefan that you can't be with him anymore out of your new found relationship with Damon. What else makes sense other than a sire bond?"

Elena could not control the growl the escaped her throat, her anger flaring at Caroline's self-righteousness and her ludicrous theory. If Caroline thought that Elena was going to jump into her arms, hug her with relief, and thank her for her explanation, and based on the expectant, hopeful look on the blonde's face that is exactly what she thought was about it to happen, then she had another thing coming.

Elena leaned in closer. "So you think the reason I broke up with Stefan so I could be with Damon, in every way I could, was not my own freewill but simply a sire bond? Well, then why didn't Tyler dump you to jump Klaus' bones when he was sired to him?"

Not expecting that response, Caroline furrowed her brows and muttered, "Well, um, I don't, I mean I…"

Elena cocked her head to the side, "You mean to say it never crossed your mind. And don't try telling me sire bonds are different in each case because Klaus made an army of perfectly sired hybrids not one of which who began to love him romantically because of the bond. Klaus is evil not kinky."

Caroline huffed. "I am trying to help you here, why can't you see that?"

Elena hissed back, "Why can't you understand that the reason I chose Damon is because my feelings for him became too hard to ignore after my change. And here's a newsflash for you, I went off that bridge that night completely in love with Damon but too much of a coward to explore what we had together. I know it's wrong and I'm not saying I don't love him but Stefan was the easier choice to make."

"But how can you say that? Stefan is your epic love—"

Elena growled again, "As God as my witness, if you say that one more time I will hurt you."

Caroline huffed again. "Fine, I won't say it but it's the truth."

Elena shook her sadly but a soft smile played on her lips. "No, the real truth is that if I have forever then I am not going to waste it on the wrong guy and Damon isn't the wrong guy whether or not you like that, please learn to respect it."

Caroline shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know if I can."

Sadness washed over her but Elena kept the tears at bay. "Then I don't know what to tell you because I am not giving up Damon, sire bond or no sire bond that has nothing to do with the truth. I'm in love with him."

Caroline nodded her head. "Then I suggest you get your butt over to the boarding house. Stefan is laying into Damon about the sire bond thing right now. We came up with it and we decided to tag team the two of you."

Elena let out a slow breath, "Oh no."

~x~

She burst through the door at a break neck speed and within seconds was in the living room.

Elena found Damon standing in front of a roaring fire with a tumbler in his hand, deep contemplation across his face.

She knew immediately that Stefan had gotten underneath Damon's skin.

He was visibly unnerved.

And he beat her to the punch by speaking first.

Without looking at her instead he stared into his glass, he said, "We need to talk."

Elena rushed to his side and made a mental promise to stand firm. "No we don't. We don't have to talk like that. The things that Stefan said are wrong. They aren't true."

Elena put her hand on his arm.

He didn't move it away.

It was then she knew she had a chance to talk him out of whatever he was thinking about doing.

Still looking into his glass, he continued. "But it makes a lot of sense. You've done the things I've told you to do."

Elena interrupted. "No, I haven't. Not everything."

Damon looked up for the first time and she was struck by the sad desperation in his icy eyes.

"But enough, you have." He said before trying to pull away.

Elena held his arm firm in her grip. It stopped him from moving anywhere. She then stepped closer into his body and brought up her other hand to cup his face and stared into his eyes.

"Fine… maybe I am sired to you," she said but continued, "but sire bonds are about loyalty not love. And it still doesn't take into account the way my feelings for you consumed me whenever you were around before I drove off the bridge that night. The reason I broke up with Stefan has nothing to do with a sire bond and everything to do with the fact that I could no longer deny the feelings I have for you. I love you, Damon."

Elena had to wait a moment before she saw the soft, almost whimsical smile spread across his face and she knew he was having a hard time believing she had finally said those three words.

So she said them again, "I love you Damon so don't let what we have go because Stefan and Caroline don't like it so much that they came up with the world's lamest excuse to explain it away."

Damon dropped the glass into the fire and it exploded on collision. Elena jumped in surprise but was quickly swept up in Damon's arms and hers found their away around his neck and were pulling him down to her.

Before their lips touched he whispered.

"I told you it was right. And it's finally right now."

Then their lips touched in a fiery and passionate kiss that led them all the way up the stair and onto his bed to reaffirm their love for one another. And it was a love that had nothing to do with a sire bond whether or not one existed.

The End