This OS idea had been haunting me since last weekend. I'm happy I finally had time to write it down. A whole week with no school or homework is ahead of me. I'm gonna write till I won't feel my hand anymore *lol* Hope you'll like it!

I Wish It Had Been You

Night had fallen upon Mystic Falls. The last lights had been switched off a while ago when the clock had struck 3am. Nothing human was still outside wandering the streets. Nothing human but…

…Damon.

At half past three he entered Elena's bedroom through the open window. Quiet to not wake her he sneaked up to her bed then stopped, looking down at Elena's sleeping form. A smiled crawled upon his lips. She looked so peaceful. A pang of guilt shot through him because he would disturb her peace now.

He bent over her and leant in. His fingers clasped the piece of jewelry around her neck. Carefully not to touch her he opened the closure with a quiet click. Slowly he pulled on the strings and fully removed the jewelry from her neck. He put it on the bedside table and turned on the light. Elena grimaced in her sleep but didn't wake up. Damon turned to face her and started using his powers to get into her mind.

Elena was standing in front of her house. She was wearing a blue sweatshirt, dark-blue jeans and a leather jacket she didn't recognize and she was carrying a bag that seemed to contain a dress. Elena remembered this night. It was the night of Founder's day.

She was approaching the front door now without telling her body to move. She tired to stop but her legs wouldn't listen. As she was approaching the house the front door opened and Damon stepped outside. Their gazes met.

"What are you doing here?" Elena heard her own voice asking.

"I… failed a feeble attempt to doing the right thing," Damon answered. He sounded so sad.

"Which was…?" Elena inquired but he shook his head.

"It's not important. Let me take this for you," he offered, took the dress and her bag and put it on the swing on the porch.

"Thank you."

He turned around. "You know… I came into this town wanting to destroy it. Tonight I found myself wanting to protect it. How's that happened?"

He met her gaze with a confused one of his own. Elena opened her mouth to say something but Damon beat her to it. "I'm not a hero, Elena. I don't do good. It's not… in me."

Elena thought he said it like he had doubts about it. She definitely did.

"Maybe it is," she encouraged him but Damon shook his head again.

"No. No that's reserved for my brother and you and Bonnie." He sighed. "Even though she has all reason to hate me still she helped Stefan save me."

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

What? Did she really just say that? Of course Bonnie hated Damon for being responsible for her Grams' death. Damon didn't frown at her question. He simply answered it.

"Cause she did it for you." Elena was silent. She looked at him, waiting for more. "Which means…?" He slowly approached her. "Somewhere along the way… you decided that I was worth saving…" Elena felt like her heart was going to break. His voice sounded so shaky. His whole appearance seemed to be so fragile and vulnerable. She wanted to hug him like back then in the woods and assure him that he was indeed worth saving. "And I wanted to thank you… for that."

"You're welcome."

That was it? You're welcome? She was dying to say so much more but no sound would escape her lips. Damon was still giving her this sad look. She could hardly stand it.

And then suddenly he leant in and placed a sweet kiss on her cheek. Elena's heart skipped a beat and her mind was screaming at her. He's kissing you! Damon's kissing you! Damon's lips lingered on her cheek for a few more seconds. Then he pulled away but his face was still very close. Their gazes bore into each other as Damon slowly leant in again. Elena's eyes alternated between his eyes and his lips. There was chemistry between them. The tension was so strong. Elena knew what was going to happen would be wrong for so many reasons but she felt unable to protest or back away. Damon's gaze was burning before he closed his eyes and the last distance between them. When his lips touched hers Elena's heart stopped completely. Her eyes closed to savor the moment. After a few seconds Damon wanted to pull away but Elena grabbed his lips with hers and kissed him back.

At once the kiss grew deeper and more passionate. Damon increased the pressure on her lips and cupped her cheek with his hand. A firework started in Elena's stomach. The kiss was so intense that it evoked so many emotions in her: joy… passion… love…

And then out of sudden it ended way too soon when the front door opened, making them pull apart.

Elena woke up with a startle. She bolted up, breathing hard and clutching her heart with both hands. It was beating fast, skipping several beats in the process.

It was a dream, she thought. It was only a dream.

Her head turned to the side. Why was her lamp still on? She remembered switching it off. And why was her verveine necklace lying on the bedside table? She never took it off. Panic started to overwhelm her. Someone was messing with her…

Her hand reached out to grab the necklace but it stopped halfway when she caught sight of a little note next to it. She frowned, grabbed the piece of paper and read it.

I wish it had been you…

Elena started to tremble because of the emotions she was holding inside. Hot tears streamed down her face and she realized that her dream had been real, had actually happened before and was now part of someone's memories. She also realized that all the emotions she had felt during that moment hadn't originally been hers but reflections of…

"Damon." She cleared her throat and raised her voice. "Damon! Are you still there? Please come to me!"

Some seconds passed then Damon appeared in her bedroom. He had lowered his gaze but lifted it when he heard her sobbing. He grimaced at the sight of her crying before he walked over to her, took the necklace and hung it back around her neck.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "But I couldn't tell you and I couldn't figure out a different way to let you know what happened."

Elena nodded. "Katherine."

"She ruined everything."

Silence fell upon them. Elena couldn't bear it. It was driving crazy.

"Can we talk about it?"

"It's nothing worth talking about," Damon rejected.

"I think it is," Elena insisted and patted the space next to her on the bed. "Sit with me, please."

Damon hesitated for a moment but then he sat down beside her. He looked at her, pursing his lips. He wouldn't be the one to start the conversation so he waited for her to speak again which she did after a while.

"I don't know what to say," she began.

"Really, there's no need."

"Yes, there is. Look, I'm a little shocked, okay? But I want to talk about it because I want to tell you a couple of things Katherine wasn't empathic enough to think off." Damon looked at her expectantly. "I don't find it very surprising that you wanted to protect the town. After all it's your home. It's always been."

"It didn't use to for a very long time," Damon corrected.

"But it is now. Because Stefan's here and–"

"And you," Damon finished the sentence for her.

"Yeah…" Elena stared at her blanket for a moment. "We're friends, Damon and… I'm always here for you. You were right I really thought you were worth saving. I didn't want you to die." Damon was silent, anticipating more. "I know I said you were a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities…" Damon smirked. "But I realized that it isn't true. You do have redeeming qualities, Damon." His smirk disappeared. His face was blank. "You've changed so much, Damon. You are a hero in some way. Remember when you saved me from Noah? Or how you saved me from complete humiliation at the pageant? And during the last couple of months you did so much good for Stefan's sake and for mine. It is very much in you. Your humanity. Right here." She raised her hand and placed it on Damon's chest, on the spot where his heart was supposed to be. "And you have no idea how happy it makes me everytime I see a glimpse of humanity radiating from you. I've made it my goal to save you, Damon. And when you tell me that you're glad about it… and even thank me for it… you couldn't give me any more back…"

She gave him a warm smile which he hesitantly returned. She grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Damon was on his way to redemption. She could feel it. She had led him on this road and with her help he would become a better person. She had already forgiven him for hurting her and her friends… for turning her mother into a vampire… for all the mess he had made in her town… She knew everything he had done before they had become friends had been out of love and now everything he did was out of love… for her. And his actions only emphasized his love for her. How he had been protecting her from Katherine… how he'd helped her get along with her brother again… Deep inside him Damon's heart was pure, human. And that would never change as long as she was with him.

Their gazes were locked. They stared deeply into each other's eyes, getting lost in them.

"Thank you," Damon whispered now and leant slowly in.

Elena held her breath. She felt like she was back in the dream. It was so similar… The moment Damon's lips touched her cheek Elena's heart stopped. She was completely still, enjoying every seconds of his caressing. He pulled away after what seemed like eternity and gave her an insecure look, waiting for her reaction. A warm smile spread across Elena's face.

"Now it was me," she said softly.

Damon's face lit up and he smiled. A genuine smile was on his lips.

"It's late. You should get some sleep," he told her, looking at her alarm clock that said it was 5am.

Elena nodded though she would have rather stayed up and be with him. Damon got up and Elena crawled under the blanket. He walked to her window and turned around to face her.

"I'll try to be good," he promised. "For you…"

He flashed a smile to her and then he left. Elena stared at the spot where he had vanished and whispered "Thank you."