Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries or these characters. I just write this story with Peachie X.

"Jealousy is a powerful emotion. It is filled with hate and love and it can make people do the craziest things! It overpowers all logic and it can bring down the strongest of the strong!" This sets after episode 2X21, 'Isobel'.

Elena couldn't help but replay Isobel's words in her mind."He is in love with you". She wasn't sure how she felt about that statement. She had grown closer to Damon and these past few weeks they managed to learn to trust each other. They had even bonded and become good friends. She knew she cared about him, a lot. Sometimes she would question if she cared more about him than his brother's girlfriend should.

She also knew that Stefan wasn't comfortable with her connection to Damon. Not at all. There was so much history between the two and he was afraid of history repeating itself. But, she wasn't Katherine, she would never come between the two brothers, she would make sure of that.

Elena wanted to set things straight, she had to talk to Damon and make sure that he understood. She had to know if what Isobel said was true.
Hearing the door bell, she walked down the stairs repeating in her head the talk she had prepared for Damon. She took a deep breath and opened her front door, but halted in her steps as she saw that it wasn't him. A big smile covered her face as she practically screamed "Meredith!" She hugged tightly the girl who was standing on her door step Meredith returned the hug with equal fervor. After a few seconds they pulled away, both seemingly overwhelmed with excitement.
"I am so glad to see you! Please come in." Elena let go of her friend and let her step inside.

Meredith was taller than Elena by a few inches her olive complexion seemed to glow as she smiled. Her hair was long and dark brown the contrast with her bright gray eyes made her already beautiful face more striking.

"I've missed you" Meredith said as she wrapped Elena in a hug again.
"Me too. Its been two years. So? What are you doing here?"Elena pulled back to look over her friend.

"We moved back to Mystic Falls actually." Meredith said smiling "My dad transferred back here. Oh my God we have so much catching up to do. I have to know everything? What is going on here? Anything interesting, or same old, same old?"

"Oh, you wouldn't believe how 'interesting' things had happened lately" Elena smirked keeping her meaning vague. Meredith seemed not to notice. "Come inside. I will make us some coffee and we will talk about everything" She smiled.

The two girls turned to walk towards the kitchen when the door bell rang again. Elena had completely forgotten that she was waiting for Damon. "Give me a moment." She said to her friend as she went to open the door.

Damon was leaning on the door frame casually "I'm here." he said "But you really have to stop inviting me over so often." He added with a playful squint in his eyes "It may give people the wrong idea, you know..."
Elena rolled her eyes at him "Come in Damon."

He stepped inside his eyes immediately falling to Meredith who was standing behind Elena. "Hi" his smirk turning into a smile. "I'm Damon."
"Meredith" The girl replied her cheeks flushing. Elena knew that look, after all Meredith was her best friend for almost 16 years, before she had to move to another state with her family. Elena knew her, as well as she knew herself and Meredith was obviously stunned by Damon's looks.
Elena watched Damon as he stepped around her to get closer to her friend and took her hand into his "Meredith." He seduced as he raised her hand to his lips "So nice to meet you."

Elena observed as her friend was obviously taken with Damon, their eyes locked in a gaze. Both of them seemingly forgetting that Elena was there.

She cleared her throat snapping them out of their 'moment' in order to get their attention. "Meredith is an old friend, whom I haven' t seen for almost two years and we have a lot to talk about." Elena said "So, Damon If you can come to the kitchen with me for a second."
Damon smiled, still looking at Meredith "Okay" He replied to Elena and followed her out of the room.

"What's up?" He asked opening the fridge and taking an orange juice from inside.

"I want to talk to you about something." Hesitation obvious in her voice "Actually, its about Stefan."

"What a surprise!" Damon deadpanned raising his eyebrows. "What is it this time? Feels bad about killing Bambi?"

"No." Elena said quietly, struggling to form her words while avoiding his intense eyes. "It's about our friendship. I think he is worried and... " Damon's faced turned serious his eyes slightly becoming darker "And?" He asked urging her to continue.

"Look.." Elena let her eyes find his lowering her voice. "I consider you to be a friend, I don't want that to change. So Don't make me regret it. OK?"

Damon nodded "Don't worry. I get it"

"Thank you." Elena smiled softly and squeezed his arm. He smiled at her and she noticed it didn't really reach his eyes. She sighed as he walked by her towards the door glad to have finally cleared the air. Damon stopped in the living room, where Meredith was sitting waiting for Elena. "Bye Meredith. It was so great to meet you. I will see you around." He smirked at her as she flushed at his words. She waved good bye to him.

Elena waited until the door closed behind Damon, running her hands through her hair she walked back to the living room. Meredith practically jumped on her "OK Who is he?" She almost screamed "Oh, my God. He is gorgeous! Tell me everything." Her grin widening at the prospect of more information about the gorgeous man she just met.
"He's my boyfriend's brother." Elena said "And, he is bad news. So, I think you should not get involved with him." she added raising her eyebrows to her friend to express her seriousness.
"I think not." Meredith laughed unable to believe Elena would think she would stay away. "Bad news? That's just makes it even more exciting" She winked. "You know that I never take the easy way! There is nothing more exciting than getting involved with a bad boy. So, does he have a girlfriend?"

"No Meredith, but really... "

"Great! If I knew that I could find a man looking like that in Mystic Falls, I would've come back sooner" Meredith interrupted.

Elena forced a smile in her face, she felt strange, listening to her friend who was blabbering on about Damon's eyes and his smile and his body... Meredith seemed to think everything about him was just perfect. Elena suddenly felt her face flush with anger and had to restrain her self from snapping at her friend and explaining that Damon was a ruthless vampire just so she could see that look disappear from her friend's face. 'When did I start caring about who Damon dated it's not like I'm interested in him' She mused. 'Damon is in love with me, anyway.' Shocked, Elena immediately scolded herself for being so affected by Meredith's interest in Damon. Twenty minutes ago she was feeling bad about what Isobel said and now she was feeling... smug?

"Elena." Meredith's voice snapped her out of her thoughts

"What?" Elena asked.

"Is there something that you are not telling me?" Meredith asked catching on to Elena's inner turmoil.

"No." Elena forced a smile "I just don't want to talk about Damon. I prefer to talk about his brother. You know, my boyfriend. You know, you haven't asked me about him yet. Right?" Elena said, playfully scowled at her friend.

Meredith laughed "Right. Come on, lets make that coffee you promised a while ago and then you can tell me all about your guy. If he looks like his brother.." She said tilting her head "I am sure that he is worth talking about"

"Meredith!" Elena laughed as they walked into the kitchen.

After arriving back at the boarding house Damon went straight to the bar. He poured his favorite scotch into a glass, downing half of it at once. He hadn't even realized he had any feelings for Elena, other maybe, than lust, until Isobel's comment, catching both him and obviously Elena off guard. 'Stefan though' Damon thought 'Seemed oddly unsurprised'

Damon tried convincing himself that he and Elena were just friends. 'Friends who were incredibly sexy and should be at least sleeping together' Damon chuckled to himself, draining the glass and pouring another.

But it was more, somewhere along the line Damon had fallen in love with Elena. He knew that this was a lost cause. Elena loved Stefan. That was that. He felt jealousy coursing through his body his eyes darkened at the temporary madness. It was always Stefan. Their father loved him more. Katherine loved him more. Elena loved him more. It was always him. He raised the glass to his mouth and finished it. He didn't have a choice though. He had to pretend to just care about her as a friend. He didn't want to lose Elena's friendship. Deep inside he believed that she felt more for him, but knowing Elena she would never admit it for fear of betraying Stefan. Her loyalty to those she cared about was just one of the many reasons Damon fell for her.

He shook his head. "I guess I have to accept that she will always love Stefan more and stop kidding myself. Jealousy is a powerful emotion." He whispered to the empty room. " It can overpower logic and make people do the craziest things... "

I hope that you will find this story interesting. It will be pretty emotional. Or at least that's my intention.