It was hard to tell that just the day before I had been climbing the Tennessee mountain sides with Alaric and Damon. It was now a lazy day, gray and drizzling outside. I sunk down in a chair in the living room with the intentions on reading a book. I needed to find something else to concentrate on. All the thoughts crashing around in my mind had lately began to ware on me. The sleep I didn't get the night before had me feeling drained and weary. I wrapped the smooth cream colored blanket around me and opened up an old creaky copy of Wuthering Heights. After several pages I realized I had no idea what I had just read. I couldn't stop thinking about Stefan. It took our little adventure yesterday to make the reality of what was happening really sink in. Stefan...my Stefan was out there. Killing. I thought about the gentleness of Stefan, his soft kind words, his heart and compassion for the living. Now he was destroying life without hesitation.

I put the book in my lap and laid my head back, closing my eyes. Then I thought about just last night. I still felt the tingle on my face from Damons hands. It was the fact that I couldn't seem to shake the memory of how he touched or what he said that made me almost angry. I wondered what he thought was going to happen. He knows I love Stefan. I'll never love again like I love him. The house rattled with a low rumble of thunder in the distance. I looked out at the window and watched the silvery drops of rain fall. I couldn't help but to look at the rainstorm as a perfect comparison to Damon and Stefan. Stefan was the rain. It fell quietly and softly giving a sense of tranquility. Always washing away the surfaces of the world leaving it new and beautiful. The low rumble of thunder returned and thats when I thought about Damon. Damon was the thunder. Thunder feels powerful, dangerous. It makes you feel excited and alive. It fills you with an energy and a rush you would love to possess forever. No doubt thunder can even cause the earth to tremble under your very feet.

There was a sudden knock at the door and I dropped the book from my lap. Bonnie stood there smiling, her eyes lit up with excitement. I had never been so happy to see her.

"Oh my god, Bonnie!" I lunged into a hug. "You're home early!"

"I missed you!" She chimed.

We walked inside and she took a hurried seat at the island in the kitchen and took an apple out of the fruit basket.

I leaned over the counter in front of her as she told me about her time away. Then she seemed to suddenly stop talking and her face fell.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Listen to me sitting here talking about all this. How are you doing Elena? I mean...with Stefan and all." She asked.

I shrugged. "I'm trying to get by. It's not easy."

"Jeremy told me what's been going on. Elena don't you ever put yourself in danger like that again. You could have been killed." She said, her tone was serious as well as her eyes that grew dark with anger.

"Wouldn't you do the same thing for Jeremy?" I asked.

She opened her mouth to speak after a small hesitation when the door opened and Jeremy appeared in the doorway.

"Bonnie!" Jeremy's eyes widened with surprise.

She jumped off the stool and ran into Jeremy's arms. I was happy for them both but the affection twisted my heart a little.

After a while Bonnie I decided to give Jeremy his time with Bonnie so I got dressed and headed out into the dying storm.

I made my way to Damon's. Once I got there I walked in and took my sweater off and hung it on the coat rack.

"Damon?" I called. I heard a small roll of thunder outside. A small reminder. Damon was like thunder.

There was no answer so I headed upstairs. It wasn't long before I found him, standing quiet and still in front of all the collected papers he had on Stefan. I walked up beside him.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He took a deep breath and looked at me, his blue eyes looking like jewels in the gray light coming through the window.

"Trying to figure out a rescue plan. I'm not really the rescue type so I'm finding that it's a bit of a challenge." He said looking back at the papers.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out. I mean look at it this way. When you want something you always figure out a way to get it so since you want to get Stefan back then it should be easy." I explained not sure about my own opinion but hoping I was right.

"That's inspiring." He said lifting his brow.

I shrugged.

The sound of the rain grew louder and thunder crashed in the sky.

Damon's cell rang. He walked away talking and I took his place in front of the all the papers. I looked at all of them. Painfully reading over the horror that Stefan had caused. I couldn't help but see a flash of his murderous actions in my mind and I flinched away from the thought.

"Elena. I'm meeting up with Alaric. He said he might have a few ideas to get Stefan back. Want to come with?"

I realized that between the pouring rain outside and the fact that I had been trying my best all day just to get things off my mind that I didn't want to sit with the guys and hash over the plan. I just needed a break. I wanted nothing more than for Stefan to be home but I was beginning to question my sanity.

"Actually, I think I'll just get back home. Cook something maybe. I just need a break today." I explained.

"Don't go out in this." He hooked his thumb towards the window. "Just stay here. I've got plenty of food in the kitchen."

"Really?" I asked confused.

"Yeah. Cause of Andie." He shrugged.

Oh yeah. His girlfriend that my boyfriend recently murdered. I thought to myself.

A couple of hours later I stood in the kitchen almost in tears after burning a piece of chicken to a crisp. I turned off the stove and and opened the oven hoping the bread was still fine. I was met with a wall of smoke. My head was too cluttered. I was so far gone I couldn't even cook. I waved away the smoke and slammed the oven shut. I picked up the glass of wine I had sitting on the counter and in a sudden flash of true anger and I threw the glass at the charred chicken and watched as it busted into little slivers.

"Elena?" I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned in surprise. Damon's eyes looked worried as he looked at me.

"I messed up the food." I said, my voice cracking with on coming tears.

He smiled kindly and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Well Elena, I would say you went wrong with adding broken glass. They hardly ever call for that ingredient." Damon smiled. I I felt a laugh break through my lips even though I felt tears in my eyes.

"Somethings wrong with me Damon. I can't concentrate, my head is a mess. I can't read a book, or sleep or even cook without almost burning the house down."

Damon nodded and shook his dark jacket off , hanging it on the back of the kitchen chair. I noticed the brilliant turquoise shirt he wore matched his eyes perfectly. He moved the pan and all the glass and took out a new pan.

"Elena. Consider the fact that you have gone through at least eighty life altering situations in the last few years." He said opening the fridge and pulling out new stuff. "Then consider that your in fact going through the eighty first life altering situation. It's a complete wonder that you aren't completely crazy at this point." I watched him busy himself as he poured a little olive oil in the new pan and lay a new piece of chicken in to cook.

I sat down and watched him move around the kitchen like he was used to doing it everyday.

"I feel like that's exactly what's happening." I said.

He tossed in the fresh veggies and looked over his shoulder at me. "No Elena. You've been injured and kidnapped and almost killed but the one thing that won't ever break is your mind. You're extraordinarily resilient. You always have been. It's one of the things I love about you." He explained casually as he returned his attention back to the stove.

I felt my heart skip a beat when he said love.

Things fell silent as I listened to the smooth machinery of him working around the kitchen. It wasn't a bad silence, it was comfortable. Then he sat a plate down in front of me. Chicken with roasted red pepper and a sauteed assortment of veggies and fluffy Alfredo pasta.

"Damon, this looks amazing. I didn't realize you were such a cook." I smiled. He sat down across from me with a glass of wine.

"I've been a around for a while." He grinned.

I dug my fork into one of the roasted red peppers. It was perfect.

"These are amazing." I said pointing down at him. He reached over and took one off my plate and took a bite.

"Not bad." he grinned.

"It's so weird to see you eat food." I said digging into the pasta.

"It's not like you haven't seen me eat. Remember our Atlanta trip? We put away an entire plate of fries." He said.

"Oh my god I remember that." I laughed. I finally felt myself relax and it felt so good to be able to focus on something else. It felt so good to smile and mean it. Damon sipped on his wine as I ate.

"You know, my mom was only able to teach me one thing to cook before she died."

"And what was that?" Damon asked.

"Apple pie." I smiled. "I didn't do so bad if I say so myself. The first one I made. Jeremy ate most of it." I laughed along with Damon.

He leaned closer to me. "You'll have to make me one. I'd love to try it."

I felt the thunder. My heart began to race.

I had to change the subject.

"So, do you really think we are going to get Stefan back?" I asked.

Damon's eyes lost their sparkle in an instant.

"I believe so." He said leaning back and finishing off his glass of wine.

"Did Alaric have any good suggestions?"

"Yeah, but his number one rule is that you are not going to be involved in any of it." Damon smiled darkly.

"What do you mean? Of course I'll be involved!" I said

"No Elena, it's too dangerous. Just let us do this and stay out of it for once." Damon said sounding more angry.

I pushed my chair back and stood up. "No, you know I won't put up with this!"

In a blur, Damon was suddenly standing in front of me, his eyes angry and piercing.

"You will put up this Elena. I told you I would get him back. Not we. You just stay here. Safe. I'll deliver him straight to your doorstep." He hissed.

His face was inches from mine. His eyes held, so did mine. My body went weak. His eyes relaxed from anger to weakness. Weakness for me. He reached up, his fingers once again leaving a trail of tingling across my cheek. My heart hammered and my face burned. I turned away with every ounce of strength I had and walked out into the rain.

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