An Understanding (Damon and Elena)

Chapter Five

"Elena, what are you doing?" That Caroline girl asks me as I balance on the cracks of the sidewalk.

"I have this theory." I say excitedly. "If you walk just on the cracks then there would be no heat to make the sidewalks gain new cracks, and we wouldn't have to keep refreshing the sidewalk!" I exclaim.

"Since when did you have a green thumb?" She asks.

I glare at her. "Is it so wrong to love your planet? It's like art everywhere you go, designed by the one and only." I point to the sky, and she nods knowingly.

"I feel ya." She says.

"I don't really know if I even want my memories back." I shrug, tripping over a crack on accident.

"What do you mean?"

I grin. "I like me. I like me now. Before I was a sad little girl, but now I feel real and free."

"But Elena those memories make up who you are-"

"IVE ALREADY HAD ENOUGH FLASHBACKS FROM WHEN I WAS IN THE LAB!" I scream, my hands trembling. it's only then that I realize how crazy I sound.

"Okay.." Caroline says cautiously. "I should probably go." She gives me a little half smile before hopping in her car and driving home. I slap my hand to my forehead and sigh. What is wrong with me?

__________________________________

<Damon POV>

Barbie vamp barges in our house frantically. My eyebrows furrow. "Caroline what is it?!" I ask.

"It's Elena." She shakes her head. "I think she has PTSD." She bites her lip.

"Vampire with a mental disorder?" I say sarcastically, when it hits me. Vampires always have mental disorders. It's part of the package. "Oh my god.. We need to help her before she really hurts herself." I say to Caroline, and she nods in agreement.

"This does not mean that I am cool with you, you douchehat." She spits.

I put my hands up in defense. "Let's go get the witch." I say to her and she rolls her eyes.

We reach Bonnie's house and immediately spill the beans.

"I don't think it's PTSD.." She shakes her head.

"Well what is it then?" Barbie vamp shrieks.

"Schizophrenia." She states. "My dad was a doctor in psychological health. The symptoms sound more like schizophrenia."

"Great we have a schizophrenic vampire." I say.

"Please, we've had to deal with a full on lunatic vampire." Caroline says, her comment obviously directed at me. "Schizophrenic is nothing."

"Well said. I'll give you props for that."

"So what do we do to help Elena?" Caroline asks Bonnie.

"Get her focused on anything other than what happened to her in the lab. Because right now they're at the front of her mind." Bonnie says. She turns to Damon. "And by focusing on something else I don't mean killing people."

"Really? Is my rep that bad?" I ask, pretending to be shocked.

"Yes." Caroline answers. "Maybe Stefan should talk to her?"

"I don't know. Seems the only person that can ever get through to her is the other Salvatore brother."

Caroline scoffs. "But Stefan is her epic love!"

"Ok, really Caroline is that your catchphrase?" I raise my eyebrows.

She pouts. "Whatever. Anyways where is Stefan anyway?"

"Oh you know the usual. Out eating bunnies." I smirk at my humor, and cross my arms.

"Oh yeah? And what do you eat?"

"Well since I hang with goody-two-shoes I'm stuck on hospital blood like everybody else." I shrug.

"Such a struggle." She says sarcastically.

"It really is."

"Well let me know when you two old men are finished bickering, so we can start our intervention at the Gilbert house."

We call up Stefan to come to the Gilbert house to put our plan in action. Elena needs a distraction, and that's exactly what she'll have.

"Damon." Bonnie says, leading me behind the car to talk in private. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course I do." I assure her. "I love Elena, I don't want anything to happen to her."

She smiles. "You are really something Damon. You put on this wall of a shield and act like you don't care, but deep down inside everything really hurts you, and you do care."

I smile back. "Great, another person who knows my weakness." I pretend to sigh.

She laughs. "It's a hard life, isn't it? But once you find the right Gilbert it becomes worth it." She says referring to Jeremy.

I grin. "Well let's go to our Gilbert's!" I grab her hand, and run with her into the Gilbert house.

<Elena's POV>

"What's going on?" I ask, as Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, Caroline, and even Matt come anxiously rushing in.

"Elena there's something going on with you." Matt says.

I scoff. "Other that the fact that I'm beyond lost right now..?" I raise an eyebrow.

"We think you might be having your.... 20th birthday!" Matt shrieks, and the rest of the gang joins in, shooting streamers and ribbons in the air and cheering. They have their party hats and carry in a cake with 20 candles. I slap my hands over my mouth, overwhelmed by happiness.

"I can't believe you guys did this!" I shriek, wiping a tear away. I feel embarrassed over the fact that I had forgotten my own birthday. I turn to Caroline. "Was this your idea..?!" I ask, because she's usually the party planner of the group.

"No, actually it was Damon's." She says grimly.

I turn to damon with a huge smile. I laugh at how adorable he looks in his party hat. "Thank you, Damon! I love you!" I throw my arms around him and hug him tight as if our hug is the only thing keeping the universe in line, and that earth will collapse if we break apart.

"And I love you Elena Gilbert." He says, making me almost forget the one very thing lingering on my mind. That one plan for action I am going to do;

Suicide.