[fic] Absence Makes the Fond Heart Wander

[badboy_fangirl]

Title: Absence Makes the Fond Heart Wander
Author: badboy_fangirl
Word Count: ~1800
Characters: Elena, Damon/Elena, Stefan/Elena
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Completely speculative, based on photos from the set of S3.
Summary: Damon gives Elena a gift.
Author's Notes: So, yeah. I saw a picture at this thread at Bloodstream, and a plot bunny had babies. This story is

Comments

[distant_autumn]

♥! Love it, and shall tl;dr you accordingly.

I love Elena's anger and confusion and fear over Stefan, because she absolutely should feel all of those things. I love her inability to stay away from the Boarding House no matter what Damon does, and that even trying to convince herself of all the legitimate reasons she has for going visiting, she is still barely even fooling herself. I love how little it takes for this thing between her and Damon to ignite, how even their usual back-and-forth has become heavy with meaning.

Now that Jenna's dead, and Stefan's gone, and Matt won't have anything to do with any of them, the rest of them get together and be social on a regular basis.

I really liked this mention of all they've lost, and the sense of them as people who have survived a war and are now determinedly trying to keep living. Which is all true, of course, but I really liked this little detail ♥!

("You know him, he's probably planning on drinking too much," she said when Alaric's eyebrows went up questioningly.)

Uh huh, I am with Ric; you work that denial, Elena.

full of seriousness he'll never let escape his lips.

Loooooove this line. LOVE. So effective.

Really enjoyed the banter between Damon and Elena ("And you came running. Isn't that interesting?" Hee!) and them trying to hide behind it, even as Elena begins to deal with the fact that it's not all she wants from him anymore. And gah, their moment of connection when their eyes meet when he gives her the necklace, and Elena's reaction to it. So great. And the way her denial starts to unravel is, like with:

(This is something that happens far too often to be mere coincidence; it's also the reason she should stop coming to the Boarding House.)

(It might be the biggest reason she keeps coming anyway.)

And when she's thinking she shouldn't have worn something so exposing, but you just know that she couldn't do anything else, because she's already in too deep. And oh, the physicality between them, the way every tiny little gesture is filled with this sensuality that is building and building.

She reaches up automatically to hold it, a habit she's acquired over months of temptation and confusion and need. Damon, at her fingertips, Damon, in her grasp, Damon, Damon, Damon.

Oh good lord, how awesome is that entire bit? Fabulous.

I really liked that the truth about the origins of the necklace came out via Stefan; it had so much more of an impact that way. I also loved the undercurrents of guilt and anger from both Stefan and Elena when they were reunited, and enjoyed that it ended with things still up in the air, yet with a sense of such inevitability about where things were ultimately heading. And:

Then Stefan embraces her, and she can't help but think they're even somehow. Maybe in the end, they'll both choose Damon. Wouldn't that be ironic?

Unsurprisingly, I adored this bit. It's so, so where I hope they are going with the show in the end, so fitting, and such a wonderful way of putting it. Yes yes yes.

In conclusion? Love it ♥!

[badboy_fangirl]

I love your reviews because you always pick up on all the subtlety that I like to use. It makes me think you're smart, and I really like that! :D

I think my favorite part of the whole thing was Stefan telling her--it's just so characteristic of Damon to not take any credit for anything, not even the simple thing of, oh, here's this very important, meaningful thing given to me by the only woman who ever loved me that I am now giving to you. And how could either of them, Stefan or Elena, deny Damon what he most wants and deserves to have, IMHO, after everything? It just seems ridiculous to me that any of them will go back to how it was. *crosses fingers*

[distant_autumn]

♥!

it's just so characteristic of Damon to not take any credit for anything,

Unless it's a bad thing and/or could get him killed. Then he's all over the "It was me! Me, me, me! I did this thing!" Oh, Damon.

And yeah, you know I'm crossing my fingers right along with you!