a/n:i found this scene completly heartbreaking when I watched, and I'm sure the neighbours heard me scream in frustration when Damon's cell rang. I knew before the scene was even over that I would end up writing my own version of it, and sure enough five mintues after I finished watching my first request came through! i'm so excited about this, and I couldn't wait to write it. I originally intended for my version to be missing the interruption call from Katherine, but when I re-watched the scene I decided to keep it in. Hope it's still alright this way! Happy Reading!

p.s. Spot the Drabble!

Dedicated to Simone17 for being the first to request this scene!

_Salvatore Boarding House_Episode 3x09_

Damon could feel the fury boiling inside him, the flames of fire licking at his control as the disappointment and anger took over his emotions all together. He felt out of control, dangerous and he desperately wished that Elena would leave the room before he did something. The plan was perfect, flawless; he'd even had a backup plan for fuck sakes. It should have worked, it should have all worked. He was afraid the glass in his hand would shatter. Elena continued to pace before him, neither of them able to speak yet. Part of him hoped the silence would go on. He didn't want to talk to her, he didn't want to talk to anyone. He wanted to scream and break things.

"How did this happen?" she sounded upset, scared. She was disappointed in him.

That only fuelled his anger more. "We thought of everything Elena!" he hated feeling like he had to defend himself to her. He'd racked his brain for days deciding the perfect plan. He'd done everything in his power to protect her. "Klaus having hybrids, Mikeal turning on us! We even brought in Katherine so you wouldn't be in danger." She would never know how difficult it had been for him to ask his ex-vampire girlfriend to help. Elena shook her head and crossed her arms. "Anything that could have gone wrong, we were prepared!"

"I don't understand." Elena's tone was calming, and slightly comforting. She hated seeing Damon this way, she hated not being able to do anything to stop the rage of fire burning inside him, consuming the good she'd watched him work through right before her eyes. He down the remnants of amber alcohol in the glass and quickly moved to fill it. All his movements were fast, intensified and followed through with an anger she wasn't sure how to handle. "Stefan wanted Klaus dead, more than anything. That's what we were counting on." She hugged herself, not sure what had gone wrong herself. She felt hopeless and lost, but she couldn't be angry. All of that particular emotion was currently being sucked out of the room by the trembling vampire before her.

Damon let go for a moment, his shoulders sagging slightly and the gusto disappeared from his voice. He sounded defeated, and his eyes glistened with the pain of losing the fight. "We blew it."

Elena stepped forward slightly. "Where's Katherine?"

The mention of her set Damon off again. He couldn't even blame the mishap on her! She'd played her part perfectly and done everything he'd asked from her. "She ran for the hills, as usual! The minute things got bad. And who blames her! Klaus would have crushed her!" he walked around the table and onto the carpet. The glass was in one hand, the bottle in the other. He could feel the heat from the flames of the fireplace licking at his skin. Instead of comforting him, it only seemed to add more burning to the pain in his chest. "I had him Elena. I had Klaus!" he didn't want to shout at her, he didn't want to frighten her but if he didn't yell he would cry. "This could have all been over!"

He couldn't stand seeing the look in her eyes; the concern and the pity and the slight fear. He turned and threw the bottle into the fire with all his might. The sound of shattering glass calmed him a little. At least he could do that, destroy something. The roar of the appreciative flames thanked him as they licked at the liquid accelerant. "Hey." she took a step forward, reaching for his arm. He pulled it out of her reach violently. She couldn't touch him, he couldn't handle that right now, or the look that was surely still in her eyes. "Damon, hey. Hey!" she repeated with more force, grabbing onto him and turning him around, surprisingly forceful. "Listen to me." Her touch gentled as she framed his face in her hands. Her skin was so warm, so soft and he felt some of the anger seep out of him. "We'll survive this." His face had been locked in stone, hard and glaring, but her words softened him just a little more and he felt himself searching her eyes. Just what exactly did she mean by 'we'? His fingers tightened around the glass, restraining himself from reaching out and pulling her into his arms. "We always survive." It was like a promise, a vow from her to him that everything would be okay in the end. They just didn't know when the end would be. "Trust me." Her eyes pleaded and he found his voice again, thankful that he wasn't yelling at her anymore.

"We're never getting Stefan back." His eyes roamed her face, memorizing the shape of her lips, the color of her eyes. He would remember the way her hair fell, the way her skin glowed in the color of the fire, and that is what would keep him from doing anything stupid tonight once she left him alone. "You know that don't you?" it was more of a statement than a question, and he waited for her to deny the fact. She opened her mouth, ready to disagree, but then realization came over her eyes and she nodded slightly.

"Then we'll let him go." Her voice was oddly strong, and he realized she'd finally woken up. "Okay?" she searched his eyes, desperate for any sign of emotion other than despair and heartbreak. She had almost preferred it when he'd been shouting. An angry Damon was much easier to deal with than one that was on the verge of tears. "We'll have to let him go."

Damon felt her hands slide from his cheeks down his neck, in almost a caress. She took the slightest half step toward him, almost invisible movements so she was closer to him. He wasn't even sure if she was aware of it herself. He nodded and flashed a small smile, his eyes softening to hers. She looked down, the sick pain of letting go slowly working its way through her heart into acceptance. She'd been working so hard to get Stefan back, to fight for the love she was sure was what she wanted. Truth was, Stefan had his freedom back whether Klaus was alive or not.

But, did she see him here, waiting for her with open arms? He hadn't even come back to the Boarding House to make sure she was okay. He was really gone, and he wasn't coming back, she knew that now. There was no compulsion keeping his love at bay, and it was time she learned to accept it and move on. Damon was here, right in front of her just as he had been for the past couple of years. She'd just been too blind to see it, and she wasn't going to let herself be blind anymore. Before she could look up and say any of those things, before she could talk herself into kissing him the cell in his pocket rang.

She pulled back quickly, embarrassed and upset that she'd hurt him. Keeping her eyes on the ground she stepped back, not entirely sure how she had gotten so close to him to begin with. He was like a magnet pulling her, tugging on her body and her mind. She could no longer resist him, and that fact scared the hell out of her. The angry determination came back to his face, hardening the lines of his cheekbones. "Not interested in a play by play of our failure right now Katherine."

Elena could hear her 'twin' speaking if she really tried hard, but if she was being honest with herself she didn't really care what they were talking about. She had a decision to make, and the choice wasn't going to be easy, and maybe Damon wouldn't even like it at first, maybe he wouldn't trust her that she was being honest, but dammit she had to try. She'd been lying to herself and to him for too damn long, hiding behind the mission of getting Stefan back. "At least my life's not boring." Elena heard her own voice on the other line, but the similarities between her the Salvatore brother's ex had ceased to really amaze her.

"Take care of yourself Katherine." Damon said, and ended the call. He looked at the screen for a moment, watching it go black. The lines in his face were still deep and she wanted t reach out to him, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it yet. One more minute, just one more minute and she would find the right words for him. He looked at her, waiting for her to say something, waiting for her to do something. But she just stood there, looking at him with those eyes. He didn't sigh, he didn't speak he just turned silently around and headed for a new bottle of brandy.

a/n: yes, my loverly readers, I am going to leave you there for now. I have a lot of things to do today, but I promise I will find time to update this by tomorrow at the latest. I worked really hard on describing the scene for you guys, and I hope you all appreciate it. It was a short chapter I know, but I am still not entirely sure how I want to end it. I am currently wrestling with two ideas, and I'm sure after a little while I will be back here at the computer writing the second chapter for you. Let me know what you think so far, and I do apologize for the evil cliffhanger.