Well, here's the final chapter, sorry it took so long :/

I've been busy doing stuff, such as getting a Tumblr :D But I figured I needed to finish this story off before Thursday, sooo...here it is!

Speaking of Thursday...hating the no-humanity Elena -_- I dislike her...a lot. I want humanity Elena and Delena back :(

Well, at least it's certain that DE will be together in Season 5, 6, and that means endgame!

Enjoy :)

FINAL NIGHT (DAY/NIGHT 8)

"Are you sure we have everything?" Elena asked - for the fifth time.

Damon sighed irritably. "Check for yourself." He said coldly, zipping up his black bag and throwing it over his shoulder.

Elena bit her lip. Ever since last night, Damon had been mad at her. And it hadn't helped when he'd woken up to find her holding him like a teddy this morning. She'd silently agreed to give him his personal space, and yet had broken that promise. Damon was still angry with her for last night's incident, and she wasn't helping anything.

The rain had started to calm, and thunder and lightning no longer clouded the sky. It was still grey and dreary, and the rain was still pouring down, but it had lessened enough that they were able to drive.

She got down on her knees, peeking under the bed she and Damon had shared for the past week. Her black cardigan was lying in a heap under the headboard, and she grabbed it, stuffing it in her bag.

In just 12 hours, she would be back in her house, with Jeremy and Bonnie and Caroline and...Stefan.

And then things would go back to the way they were.

As always.

Elena wasn't sure how excited she was for that to happen. Sure, she'd go back to her friends and family, see her boyfriend...and lose Damon. After her choice a few weeks ago, when she'd chosen Stefan, things had been awkward between her and Damon. They'd barely spoken. Everytime Elena went to the boardinghouse to talk to him, he'd make up an excuse and leave immediately. She knew that he was blocking her out. But while on this trip...it was like things had gone back to the way they used to be with each other. They were like best friends again.

She caught her eyes tearing up slightly, and wiped them quickly. She'd been so stupid last night.

If she hadn't gone on his damn laptop, then she never would've started talking to Stefan, and this never would've happened. Damon wouldn't have seen her type 'I love you too' to Stefan, and nothing would've triggered this.

She turned to see Damon leaning in the doorway, the rain pounding behind him. "Will you hurry up?" He growled.

She sniffed, turning to look around their little motel room once more. It was absurd that so many huge things had happened between her and Damon in this small living space. The bathroom off to the right, the double bed they'd shared every night with the tacky beige covers, the little kitchenette...

"Can I just say goodbye?" She asked quietly.

Damon glared at her. "Are you kidding me? It's just a freaking room, Elena. Now, get out the door before I leave without you."

She sighed. "Fine." Elena strode out into the rain, giving the room one last look of sadness before Damon slammed the door on this little trip forever - literally. He'd pulled the car up in front of the room, and they set their bags down in the trunk. Elena jumped when he slammed the trunk lid down unneccessarily hard.

They climbed into the car. "I already checked us out." He said emotionlessly, and she nodded numbly.

And then Damon started the car, and pulled away from the little motel that so much had happened in. Elena allowed herself one glance back, and then they were too far away for her to be able to see anything.

"Can I turn the radio on?" She mumbled. They'd been driving for over 2 hours now, and she was exhausted. They'd left the motel at around 3:30 in the afternoon, and it was nearing 6 o'clock. The sky was starting to darken already, and Elena's eyes were drooping shut. She and Damon hadn't even exchanged a glance; he still refused to talk to her.

"No." It was the first thing they'd said to each other in 2 hours, and yet his voice was still steely cold. Deciding not to push it, she dropped the subject.

There was nothing around for miles, just trees and rain and the long, empty road. So Elena was overjoyed when she finally saw the dim lights of a small diner up ahead, and even more overjoyed when Damon pulled up in front of it.

"We'll stop for something to eat." He said coldly, and she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as she nodded.

They strode into the diner, and immediately, a blonde and very bubbly waitress greeted them. Something flashed through Elena's mind as she noticed how the waitress only smiled at Damon. The blonde was practically drooling over the dark-haired vampire, and Elena felt her hands curl into fists. She grew even angrier as she watched Damon smirk back at the waitress, who looked like she was ready to faint. So he could smile at some random, dumb blonde, but he couldn't smile at her?

Elena slid into a booth - Damon sat across from her, of course - and ordered fries. She ordered pickles, too, hoping that Damon would want to eat them. It would give them a reason to talk to each other.

Half way through the meal, Elena pushed her plate across the table to Damon. "Do you want these pickles?" She tried to keep her voice as friendly as possible, but he shook his head.

"Why in the hell would you order pickles if you didn't want them?" He growled.

Elena's stomach sank. Nothing was working. "I...I didn't order them. She just gave them to me." She gestured to the waitress, but he didn't even roll his eyes. Nothing.

"You did order them, Elena."

"No, I-"

"Don't even start this crap." He stood up from the table abruptly, and she watched with wide eyes as he turned away. She'd never seen Damon this angry before - not once.

"I'm going to get something to eat." He said coolly, disappearing around the corner where she knew the counter was. She sighed. Yeah, a bite of the waitress, probably.

She headed for the restroom, stepping inside and locking the door tightly behind her. Elena stared at herself in the mirror.

She was wearing a pair of faded skinny jeans that looked like they'd been folded in a suitcase a million times. The dark red henley she wore was rumpled, and her dark grey cardigan looked like it needed to be washed. Her feet hurt from wearing the same sneakers for the past 7 days, and she decided she'd take them off as soon as she got in the car.

She checked her slight make up in the mirror, realizing that her normally pin-straight hair looked like a wreck. Oh well. They were in a diner in the middle of nowhere, who was ever going to see her like this?

Elena pulled her phone out of her cardigan pocket. It was working again! She immediately checked her messages, finding one new one from Caroline sent earlier that day.

Can't wai be home! Bonnie and me r looking 4 prom dresses. I know prom's months away, but you know me ;)

She sighed, tucking her phone back in her pocket as she used the washroom and washed her hands.

Elena walked back out to their table, sitting down again and waiting for Damon.

When Damon didn't return as soon as she'd hoped he would, Elena hurriedly finished off her meal. They were in the middle of nowhere, she was a doppelganger, and being left alone didn't feel so great. She fished around in her pockets and pulled out a couple bills, throwing them on the table without bothering to ask for a check.

Hoping the other waitress hadn't noticed she was leaving, Elena followed Damon's path out the door. The sky had gone dark now, and rain was beginning to fall heavily again. Her hair became soaked immediately, but she didn't have the heart to care.

Elena slowly peered around into the dark alley. Where was he? She tiptoed around, then let out a scream as she bumped into something.

"Oh!"

Damon's mouth was covered in dark crimson liquid, the veins around his eyes still very prominent. Slowly, the whites of his eyes turned from red to their usual pale colour, and she sighed in relief. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" He snarled.

"I-"

"I'm feeding, Elena. You can't be out here with me." His voice was dark.

"Damon, I-I was scared. You didn't come back as soon as I thought you would, and I-I panicked...don't leave, okay? Promise me you're not so mad that you're going to leave..."

His eyes softened for a split second, and then the hard mask was back up. "Look, Elena. I'm not going to leave you in the middle of nowhere. You're safe with me, you know that. Go back inside right now."

She nodded, disappearing back inside and sitting down again. She watched with wide eyes as the waitress came back in the side door again, wearing a scarf around her neck.

Damon followed after the waitress, leading her to her table. "Take your money back." He told Elena, noticing the bills she'd laid out on the table. She stuffed them back in her cardigan pockets.

"Forget what just happened. We paid and left." His pupils dilated as he compelled her, and Elena watched, oddly fascinated as the blonde waitress nodded and walked away, the green scarf still tightly around her neck.

They left the small diner, quickly climbing into the car. She couldn't see him too well in the dim light of the car, but he didn't seem to be as angry as before. As they pulled away from the diner and back onto the road, she wondered if this time, she really had lost him.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Damon's voice was cold. It was 9 o'clock now, and they'd been driving for 5 and a half hours. Despite all her attempts, Elena couldn't will herself into falling asleep. Unlike 3 hours ago, she didn't feel tired anymore.

"I can't fall asleep."

"Go to sleep, Elena."

"But-"

"You'll be exhausted by the time we get home. Why don't you get sleep now so you won't be too tired to...greet my brother?"

There he went again, talking about Stefan. Elena knew that Damon was hurt, but it was hard to make him forgive her when he kept bringing up his brother.

"I'll be fine."

"Go the hell to sleep."

She rolled her eyes, but gave in, closing her lids and resting her head on the back of her car seat. It wasn't the comfiest or most ideal situation, but it would half to do. And it sure as hell wasn't as nice as the bed she'd been sharing with Damon 24 hours earlier. It had only been a cheap motel bed, and yet sharing it with Damon had made it beyond comfy. She remembered the way his bare skin had pressed against her own bare skin, and how she'd slept in his arms every night, except for the last.

"You should move into the backseat, and then you can spread out." Damon said quietly.

"I'm perfectly fine here."

"You don't look very comfortable."

"I want to stay beside you." Elena bit out, suddenly feeling exhausted again. She was too tired to fight with him any longer. He'd just have to accept that she felt safe around him.

"I still think you'd be comfier in the back." He told her, but she merely shrugged.

"I guess I'll never know."

"Elena? Elena, you need to wake up." A voice broke her out of her sleep, and she groggily opened her eyes. She was still sitting in the camaro, leaning back against the leather seat. It was still dark outside, but there was no rain. Did that mean that they were-

"Home. We're home." Damon told her, and she sat up.

"What time-"

"4 AM."

"Oh." They were parked outside of the boardinghouse, but she could see the light in Stefan's room on. She rubbed her eyes in exhaustion. Now it was time to face her boyfriend.

"Elena!" She stared out the window. Stefan was jogging across the grass, the front door to the boardinghouse wide open behind him. She didn't glance at him; instead, she stared at Damon. He turned his eyes away from her and climbed out of the Camaro, heading around the back to get their bags.

"Elena." Stefan tapped on the window, and she gave him a weak smile, climbing out of the car. He wrapped his arms around her, and she awkwardly hugged him back. These weren't the arms she'd gotten used to being in.

She noticed Damon staring at them out of the corner of her eye, and cleared her throat, stepping away from Stefan. The blue-eyed vampire handed her the beige bag she'd taken on the trip, and she took it, giving him a small smile. He said nothing, only turned away and headed into the house.

"I'm so glad you're home, Elena." Stefan told her, putting his hand on the small of her back as he led her back to the boardinghouse. They stepped inside, and light flooded through her vision.

"You must be exhausted. Let's get you to bed, it's still the middle of the night." Elena barely registered the fact that Stefan was leading her up the stairs, and then she was in his room, changing in silence as he rambled on about how happy he was that she was home.

She knew she should say something back, anything. But she couldn't.

"Sorry." Stefan apologized. "You must be exhausted." He repeated his words from only five minutes ago, then helped her into his bed. She didn't know why he was treating her like a child, but was too tired to argue.

Collapsing into Stefan's bed, Elena closed her eyes. She should dream about Stefan tonight; about being home with him again.

Instead, her dreams were filled with bright blue eyes and dark raven hair.

"Good morning." A cheery voice sounded in Elena's ears, and her eyes opened slowly. Stefan's arms were wrapped tightly around her, his lips pressed to her cheek.

"Morning." She whispered, trying to conceal her flinch when he kissed her fully on the lips.

"So...what do you wanna do today?" Stefan asked, jumping out of the bed and rifling through his drawer. She sat up in bed slowly, rubbing her tired eyes.

Last night had been the worst sleep she'd had in months. Compared to the motel bed she'd shared with Damon, Stefan's bed felt uncomfortable. The sheets were too scratchy. His grip was too tight. Her pillow hadn't felt comfy enough.

"We could go for a walk." Stefan suggested, pulling a grey hoodie on. "Or, we could go to the library and prep for finals. I know you were worried about those."

"Stefan."

"Oh, and Rebekah's having a party tonight!" He continued, his tone turning excited as he spun around to face her.

Elena's brows furrowed together. "Re..bekah?"

"Yeah!"

Her eyes widened. "Is that a joke? Stefan, she tried to run me off a bridge less than 4 weeks ago!"

Stefan shifted uncomfortably, and a feeling of unease settled in Elena's stomach. Why was he acting so weird? Surely that had been a joke, right? He couldn't possibly think she'd ever want to go to a party hosted by her almost-murderer!

"Rebekah's not so bad." He said quietly.

She shook her head, feeling weirdly disoriented. "Okay, Stefan, I don't know why you're being like this, but I'm so confused. She tried to kill me!"

Stefan looked at her for a moment, before turning back to the dresser. "Anyways," He continued. "We could so something else if you're not into that. We could see a movie or something."

"Stefan..."

"Oh, and the carnival's opening again! Remember last year when we went to that and sat on top of the ferris wheel? And then we kissed? Remember, Elena?"

"Stefan, I-"

"It was so romantic. We should do that again, sometime within the next few days - before the carnival closes. So, when do you want to go?"

"STEFAN!"

There was a silence for a moment as her breathing slowly calmed down. He stared at her with narrowed eyes, and she wondered if he coud possibly know what was coming next.

"Yes, Elena?"

She took a deep breath. "We need to talk."

"About what?" His gaze had turned cold as he moved closer, standing by the foot of the bed as she sat up higher on the mattress."

"Listen, Stefan, I-"

"This is about my brother, isn't it?" He hissed, his hands curling into fists as he glared angrily at her. "Ths is about Damon."

Elena's heartbeat sped up, a cold sweat breaking out across her olive skin. So he did know what they needed to talk about. The guilt was eating away at her, and she needed to tell him. She couldn't go another day without telling her boyfriend what had happened between his brother and her while they'd been away for a week. "Stefan-"

"Admit it!" He snarled. "This is about Damon!"

"Of course it's about Damon!" She shouted, not caring who else was in the house. They needed to talk this through. "How could it not be about Damon after we shared a bed every night, spent every passing moment together for the past week, and-"

She froze, slowly coming to terms with what she'd just said. Oh god. She'd meant to take this slowly, to talk it out calmly with Stefan...and in the heat of the moment, she'd just blurted it out without thinking.

"You...what?" For the first time since they'd gotten back together, Stefan looked dangerous.

"I..."

"NO! Don't even try to make up excuses, Elena! I heard what you just said! You slept with him! You, you-"

"No, Stefan! No! Damon and I didn't make love! I swear!"

"Make love? As if you and my brother would ever be capable of anything other than sex, Elena! Do you honestly believe that my brother would be able to make love to you? Your entire relationship is based on physical attraction, Elena! Not love!"

Anger surged through Elena's body, and she climbed out of the bed to face him. "Don't you dare talk like you know a thing about Damon and I's relationship! You don't know anything!" She yelled angrily.

"I know that he supposedly 'loves' you." Stefan growled. "But no matter what he 'feels' for you, I'll always love you more! He isn't capable of love! He's a monster, and he always will be!"

"How can you even say that?" She screamed. "He's your brother!"

"And a monster!"

"NO!"

"Does it matter?" Stefan hissed. "No. You know, Elena, I hope you had fun in the sheets with Damon! I know that I sure as hell did with Rebekah!"

Elena froze. Her muscles stiffened as his words hit her one by one, each opening a new wound in her heart.

"W-what did you just s-say?"

Stefan's eyes had widened in shock, and she realized that he'd made the same mistake as her: he'd blurted out something important in the heat of the moment.

"No, Elena-"

"Y-you s-slept with R-Rebekah?" Her voice shook and her hands trembled as she stared him directly in the eyes. A look of guilt was passing over his face.

"That's it, isn't it?" She whispered. "That's why you're acting so weird! The entire time I was away with Damon, you...you were cheating on me."

She prayed that he would say something, anything to contradict the horrifying words that had just come out of his mouth. But instead he was silent, confirming what she already knew to be true. Stefan had slept with Rebekah. He'd cheated on her. And it was over.

She numbly walked over to the dresser, grabbing the few clothes she'd shoved in his drawer last night when they'd arrived. This room felt suffocating; there wasn't enough air to breathe with.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving." She said emotionlessly. "We're over, Stefan."

"What?"

"You heard me. We're over. For good." Elena felt a pang in her heart as she watched him stand there, not even trying to win her back or comfort her. Instead he only stood lover by the dresser studying her as she slowly turned her back on him and walked out the door.

It was sunset when she finally found him. He was sitting by the falls, watching the water cascade down the rocks and into the pool below as the sun sank lower in the sky.

Elena took a seat next to the dark-haired vampire, watching as his blue orbs remained focused on the falls.

"I've been looking for you all day." She sighed, scooting closer to him.

"I didn't really want to be found." Damon said quietly. She nodded in understanding, but made no move to leave.

The last rays of the sun were reflecting across the falls, turning the water to gold as it calmly churned in front of them. Elena stared into it, transfixed. She was supposed to have died in water. Instead, here she was, finding it to be one of the most beautiful things on earth.

"You see that rock?" She was suprised Damon had spoken, but nodded anyways. It was a medium-sized rock just to the side of the falling water, about 8 feet up in the air.

"When I was 10, my mother finally said I was allowed to jump off it." Damon's voice was calm, and after the long day she'd had, it soothed her.

"The first time I tried I almost drowned. I told her I would wait for her to be there when I first jumped off it, but I didn't. I was too eager. And I almost died by not listening to my mother. But I kept practicing and it eventually became my favourite activity. During the summer, I'd always swim here, and in the lakes around this area. But jumping off that rock was the most fun, I think."

He'd never told her a story about his childhood before, or about his mother. Elena suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to know more about the raven-haired man sitting in front of her.

"Damon, we need to talk."

"I know." He sighed. "I was a dick in the car this morning, I know that. And I'm sorry."

"You had every reason to be mad at me." She said gently.

"Did I?"

"Yes, Damon. You did." She placed a hand on his arm, and to her relief, he didn't throw it off. And it was true. He would always have a right to be mad at her.

"I broke up with Stefan."

The silence that followed didn't scare her, for some reason. It only calmed her. It was as if not only Damon was absorbing the information, but so was she. Like she was finally coming to terms with it; accepting it.

"Why?" Damon tried to make his voice seem uninterested, but inside, he was dying to know the reason that would've made the picture-perfect couple break up.

Elena took a moment to study the water. It was just like Damon: always slipping through her fingers when she tried to hold it. In all the time she'd known Damon, honesty had been a key-factor in their strange and complicated relationship. So it was time she stopped keeping things from him. It was time she told him the truth about the one thing that mattered the most.

"You."

When he finally turned to face her, his eyes were bluer than she'd ever seen. They matched the water; only his ocean of blue was far more hypnotizing, and, in her opinion, far more beautiful.

"Me?" His voice betrayed his shock easily.

"You, Damon." She whisipered. "Stefan and I broke up...because of my feelings for you."

"F-feelings?"

She placed a hand on his cheek, turning his head to face her. "Yes, Damon. You. Because of my feelings for you. When I woke up, I found out that Stefan slept with Rebekah. Stefan and I argued...well, not really. The truth is, I'd been about to break up with him anyways, because of you. What he did just made me feel less guilty about it."

"Stefan slept with Rebekah?" Damon's voice shook wtih anger. She nodded.

"Yeah. He did. I never thought he would do anything like that, but...he did."

Suspicion filled his gaze, and she placed her left hand on his other cheek. "Listen to me, Damon. I'm not running to you because of what Stefan did. I'm running to you because I know how I feel about you now, Damon."

His eyes were wide, but he remained silent.

"I've known for a long time. A very, very long time. The problem was that I was too scared to admit it to myself. I know how much you love me, and it's consuming. It's dangerous. It's powerful. It's a destructive force, it's senseless, it's irrational and unconditional...but above all, it's real. And I know it's been hard; I know what I've put you through, and I'm so, so sorry. But I know how I feel now and I'm not going to run away from those feelings anymore."

Their noses brushed as she leaned in closer. "Damon, I love you."

Elena realized in that moment that she'd never known what true happiness looked - or felt - like. Damon's expression was one of pure joy, and then their lips were touching and the rest of the world was forgotten.

Somehow, they made it back to his car. And then they were in the boardinghouse, in his bedroom, between the sheets. Damon's skin was soft, his body was lean and hard, his muscles flexed underneath her fingers...

They fit perfectly together. Elena had no doubts anymore. She knew where she belonged. She knew who she loved; she knew who she wanted to spend eternity with. It had taken a while, but she'd finally realized the path her life was meant to take.

And that path was Damon.

THE END

Well, that's the end guys. Thank you all so much for reading. I know there were long breaks sometimes but we made it through, I guess. I love you all! Thank you so much for reviewing, favouriting, alerting...kisses to you all!

My tumblr (just got it) : delenarain . tumblr . com (remove the spaces) follow me? Pleeease? It's a Delena blog :)

I'm working on my other story, Giving In, right now, but if you guys have any REQUESTS/IDEAS FOR NEW STORIES to work on once I'm done that one...please tell me!

Bye guys, it's been a great ride! Delena forever ;)

~DelenaRain