After a long while when it was nearly dawn Damon decided to go back. He had a weird feeling about it all. He was thinking about what was in store for him. Actually he was dreading that he'd enter the house and find Melanie gone. 

He knew it was foolish to think so otherwise. He was so sure that she'd have chosen Stefan that he didn't even want to think about it. But still hope is a lingering flame. 

Cautiously he opened the door and found everything the way it was before he had left: destructed. He could see no one in sight. He listened for any sound but everything was gravely silent. 

Realization hit him and he felt hurt and broken. Of course he had known all along that she'd leave; who'd want to choose life with a monster by the way? But still he had hoped. And even though he hated to admit it, he knew he had been unnecessarily harsh and mean. 

His eyes flashed with anger and loss. He smashed his fist into the wall leaving cracks on it. He would have shut off his humanity in order to get rid of the pain he was feeling but was stopped by a tiny whimpering sound. 

He proceeded towards her room. His hand grabbed the doorknob almost certain that the room would be empty. He opened the door and for a second he couldn't believe his eyes. He stood rooted to the spot staring at the little girl asleep on the bed. 

He approached silently fearing that she was just a hallucination and would vanish anytime. There were traces of tears on her cheeks and her breathing was still raspy as if she had cried a lot. His hand trembled slightly as he reached out to touch her cheek so as to be sure that she was real. 

He gently stroked it with his finger, so gently as if he thought her to be extremely precarious and didn't want to disturb her sleep. Silently he got down on his knees not even blinking once with his eyes focused on her face and now he was almost close to her. He knew she was asleep but was probably envisioning a bad dream. 

"Don't go please," she mumbled in her sleep. 

Seeing her thus broke him. Tears trickled down her eyes and he felt guilty for all the pain she had to go through because of him. 

All of a sudden she sat up eyes wide with horror and a shocked expression took over her face, "STEFAN!" 

A pang of hurt coursed through him as he clenched his jaw in order to suppress it. He got up and sat beside her pulling her close in a hug. She broke down leaning into him as quiet streams of tears rolled down her cheeks and onto his shirt. 

After a while he made her lie down back in the bed and sensing her insecurity he slid under the covers beside her and tried to lull her to sleep. She gratefully snuggled closer to him and fell asleep within seconds. 

As her features relaxed he let out a relieved sigh. She had stayed for him. For the first time in his life Damon felt as if someone sincerely cared for him. 

He had been afraid that like everyone else she would abandon him too and he was aware that he couldn't deal with it if it happened.