Welcome to Mystery: Chapter 1
A/N; I don't own Vampire Diaries. I wish I owned Ian Somerhalder. Drool. Just sayin'. I know the first chapter has a lot from the last episode of Season 3.
Enjoy the Fluff
Damon's P.O.V.
"Matt's taking me home."
Those words echoed through my head long after Elena had spoke them. Even though breathing isn't essential to being a member of the walking dead, my breath hitched in my throat. Hmm. Now I remember why I shut off my humanity. Dammit..
"To Stefan." Even though I know there are other's who are linked to Klaus, none of them mattered. She wanted to go back to Stefan...
"So, since I'm possibly a dead man," I said with a defeated sigh, "Can I ask you a question?"
I know. I'm an idiot. I already know the answer.
"Yeah, of course." Elena replies.
Standing outside of the warehouse, on my deathbed, I still cling on to the little bit of hope that just maybe I have a chance.. Well, had a chance if I wasn't going to die.
"If it was just down to him and me, and you had to make a choice who got the goodbye... Who would it be?" I close my eyes, waiting for another rejection from the girl I love. The silence stretched on, stringing my nerves and my heart with it.
"I love him, Damon." was her reply. "He came into my life at a time when I needed someone, and I fell for him instantly. And no matter what I feel for you, I... I never un-fell for him."
"Yeah, I get it." I said, my eyes burning and creating another reminder as to why it was idiotic to accept my humanity for Elena. "It's Stefan. It's always going to be Stefan."
I could hear the tears in her voice. I know why she's upset. It's clear. But if she only knew... There is so much I want to tell her, but knowing I may not be here tomorrow keeps my thoughts locked inside. I can't leave her alone with my inner turmoils. She deserves nothing but happiness... I've long figured out that I don't get along well with happiness.
"I care about you Damon. And that's why I have to let you go." The other line was silent except for her quiet sobs. I knew that if I tried to speak, nothing good would come out of it.
"I mean, maybe if you and I had met first..."
"Maybe." Oh, Elena.
"You're going to be fine. You hear me?"
I turn around at the sound of footsteps behind me. Alaric. I lean on a pile of pallets, knowing these are the last words I'm going to hear from Elena, from the woman I love.
"You're going to be okay and I'm going to see you soon." Her voice tried to sound hopeful.
"Real soon." I agreed, knowing it was the biggest lie I have spoken. "Good-bye, Elena."
So this is it.. Klaus is dead and I am at the mercy of a man who used to be my best friend. Ironic how the universe gives me people to care about, a little sign that I'm not already living in hell, and takes all of them from me. Laying on the cold ground, writhing in pain wasn't necessarily the way I ever thought I would die. It seems fitting though. My vision began to blur and my thoughts went to the first night I saw Elena.
The ground was wet and cold, fog in the air. Sure, I was laying in the middle of the road, but hey, why the hell not? It's not like I was going to get run over and die. Plus, it was peaceful. Until I heard a teenage girl talking on her phone. Time for dinner.
"I know Bonnie, you and my mom both are. I just can't bring myself to tell him. At least not tonight."
I turned my head in her direction. Boy troubles? Of course. But wait... How? It couldn't be her?
"I'll call you later." With that she hung up her phone. She even sounds like her.
"Katherine."
For a moment she stared at me, shaken and nervous. My eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. She was supposed to be in the tomb.
"Um... no. I-" The girl looked behind her, looking for help no doubt. "I'm Elena."
"Oh. You-" I shook in my head in confusion, scrutinizing this girl. "You just look... I'm sorry." Smooth move, Damon. "You just really remind me of someone."
There was a moment of awkward silence as I tried to think of how to get this girl to trust me. She looks too good to be dinner and quite frankly, I'm a little intrigued.
"I'm Damon." I introduce myself.
"Not to be rude or anything, Damon, but it's kind of creepy that you're out here in the middle of nowhere." she said, stepping back cautiously.
"You're one to talk." I said, smiling. And release the charm. "You're out here all by yourself."
"It's Mystic Falls. Nothing bad ever happens here." she said matter of factly.
Another awkward silence. Great charmer I am.
"I got into a fight with my boyfriend." she finally explains.
"About what? May I ask." Why am I so curious? I'm hungry, where did my bloodlust go?
"Life. The future. He's got it all mapped out."
Her disappointment doesn't confuse me. She seems a lot like Katherine in that matter.
"And you don't want it?" It came out as more of a statement but she just shrugged.
"I don't know what I want." she claimed, nonchalantly.
"Well, that's not true." I stated, looking down at the ground momentarily. "You want what everybody wants-"
"What?" she asked, her head tilted to the side and quite the alluring smile on her face. "Mysterious stranger who has all the answers."
Well, now! Feisty and smoking hot.
I chuckled, looking to the side. "Hmm. Well, let's just say I've been around a long time. I've learned a few things." Man that smile is getting to me.
"So, Damon..." she begins. "Tell me. What is it that I want?"
"You want a love that consumes you." I being, using the voice I know seduces many women. I slowly begin to walk closer to Elena. "You want passion and adventure. And even a little danger." I smile at her and notice she's not backing away.
"So, what do you want?" she asks.
Well, that threw me off guard. "Ah..."
A horn honked in the background and I knew it was her ride arriving. Our time together has ended. Damn. She turns to look at the car driving around the corner.
"That's my parents."
When she turns, I lock onto her warm chocolate brown eyes. "I want you to get everything you're looking for. But right now I want you to forget that this happened. I can't have people knowing I'm in town yet."
I look down, knowing that she won't remember any of this thanks to my compulsion. "Goodnight, Elena."
With that, I disappear knowing my hold on her is broken and she will leave here and have no recollection of our intimate discussion.
I'm jerked back to my body laying on the cold floor of the warehouse, the taste of my blood in my mouth again. "Is that all you've got?" I choke out, knowing well that Alaric has much more he is holding back.
"Not quite."
I watch helplessly for once as Alaric, the man who I was able to call a friend, raised the invincible witchy voodoo stake. I started preparing for my afterlife. Surely I was going to Hell. As the stake came down I grabbed his wrist with as much strength as I could muster and kicked him away from me. As he stumbled backwards, I managed to throw a punch to his cheek and feel a crack under my fist. I threw a left hook and made contact with Alaric's jaw. He tried to stab me again with the stake in his hand and I stopped him once more. I could feel my energy seeping out of me. As I grabbed the collar of his shirt, and he grabbed mine, I knew something was wrong. His eyes unfocused and his grip loosened.
"What's happening?" he stutter as if he was unable to breathe.
"What?" I asked quietly, knowing something horrible was happening, but my mind didn't connect. I was dreaming. This is just a dream, right?
Alaric fell to his knees, letting go of me and gasping for breath.
"No." I muttered as he curled against my arm. "No, Ric. No!" The man lost his remaining strength and fell against me, clutching his chest. I knew what this meant. No.
I wrapped my arm around his back and shook him, holding the man close to me. "Ric." I panicked, my throat closing. No, no, no, no, no. I looked down at the man in my arms, desperately searching for a way to fix it, to make it stop, as his body began to desiccate and die, his eyes closing.
"You are not dead." I said, shaking him again.
I lifted my head, looking around for an answer but knowing there was nothing to help me.
"You are not dead!" I repeated, my voice cracking. Elena. She isn't dead. She can't be. I felt the tears fall down my face. No.
I turned and ran as fast as I could. I could save her. I had to. She can't be dead. My face grew numb with the wind beating against it but I couldn't feel. If I let them loose now, I know I would crumble to pieces. I wasn't dead yet, which was a mystery pushed to the back of my mind for the moment. There isn't a reason to live after Elena. Without her, all I could do is survive. And never feel again.
I shoved open the doors to the hospital, Meredith and another doctor were standing there going over papers. How could they be concerned about anything else right now?
"Where is she?" I growled, my chest heaving from my heavy breathing.
"No, Damon, wa-" Meredith tried stopping me but I pushed past them both. She. Is. Not. Dead.
"Where is she?" I said, screwing up my face in anger. I wanted to kill somebody. Shut off my humanity and rampage. Throw something. Break something. Drain the life from something to fill the void that was now a gaping hole in my heart.
I looked from room to room with no avail before Meredith stepped in front of me. My eyes were looking at her but I saw nothing. My rage blinded me to anything but Elena. I watched her lips move, my ears not receiving what she was speaking. Only a few words made it past my protective barrier.
Injuries were worse? Cerebral hemorrhage? Bleeding on the brain?
I snapped out of my reverie, my stomach forcing bile into my throat. "What are you saying?" I demanded through my teeth, my eyes beginning to burn.
"I was so worried that I didn't' want to tell anybody. I helped her. She needed my help." Meredith spat, her breathing heavy as well.
"You what?!" My fury grew. I knew what that meant. She gave her my blood. And when she died, it was in her system. She's not dead. Technically.
I pushed past Meredith and ran into Stefan. All I could do was look at the sorrow on my brother's face and know that it was echoed a million times in mine. I shoved past him and continued down the hallways until I heard a gasp.
"Elena."
I threw open two metal doors and saw her laying on a metal table. She was in the morgue. "Elena!" I exclaimed as she sat up gasping. "Oh my God, you're okay." I said, my relief making my knees weak. My hands shot up to her cheeks, holding her firmly. She's alive. Kind of.
"Damon, what's going on? I thought I-" she started her voice making my dead heart sing.
"I never thought I would hear your voice ag-" I began but stopped myself as she started looking around.
"Where's Stefan?" she asked.
My heart sunk and crumbled in my chest. Oh. Right. It will always be Stefan. I found it hard to breath as I dropped my hands. "Right. Stefan." I said, my eyes looking down at her hands that were clasped tightly in discomfort. Why must I push my limits? I know I'm no good for her. She doesn't love you that way, you moron. "I'll go get him. Stay. Here." I demanded. "It's not safe to have you move yet." She is going to need blood if she wants to complete the transition and a hospital full of bleeding patients and beating hearts is not the best place for a vampire in transition.
I returned to the hall and found my brother sitting in Meredith's office, sulking like usual. "Get up. She's fine." I said. With those words Stefan looked at me in disbelief and I tilted my head towards her room. "Go see for yourself."
He didn't need further convincing before he ran down the hall to see her. He wouldn't like the fact that she was in transition. He wouldn't want this for her and I know she doesn't want it. But she either completes the transition or dies. And Elena alive in any form is better than a dead Elena. I had been forceful when it came to that before and I'll be damned if I don't do it again.
After sneaking Elena out of the hospital, I was in charge of watching her as Stefan called Jeremy. I watched cautiously as she sat on the couch in the parlor. Anytime now her emotions will go haywire. She looked at me, frustration in her eyes.
"You don't have to watch me." she said sadly. "I'm fine."
"Funny thing is, I don't believe you." I said, my brows furrowing as I poured myself a glass of brandy. I swirled it around, watching the golden liquid before downing it in one toss. Ah, sweet, sweet, fire. I haven't eaten in days and something's gotta hold me until I can get a bag from the cooler in the cellar. Elena crossed her arms and legs, glaring at me.
"Watch it, you don't want to go on a rampage because of a little frustration, do you?" I said, pouring another glass and tipping it to her before downing it in one swig. Stefan motioned me over to the hallway.
"Matt's fine." he stated.
"He had better be fine. I'd rather his ass be dead than Elena. She could still be human if you would have just, well, I don't know, STOPPED LISTENING TO HER." I said with frustration. All along I've said Elena makes idiotic decisions but my brother doesn't know how to listen and just say no.
"She would've hated me. It would've been my fault if he died." Stefan tried to create an excuse.
"It wouldn't be your fault, you moron. Rebekah was the one standing in the road. If you would have saved Elena, she would be ALIVE. With a beating heart, Stefan. Why don't you understand that? How many times have you told her that you wouldn't wish this on anyone? Huh?! And you know as well as I do that she can change dramatically in the next couple months. But we cannot let her die again. You've already done it once." The thought of Elena dying made me search for a closer bottle of brandy, whisky, something. A nice glass of Jack will suffice, regardless of the taste. I threw down the whole glass before turning to my brother.
"It's her choice. She won't want to complete the transition." Stefan stated matter of factly.
"I know..." I said, leaning against the wall. "Goddammit why does she have to be so stubborn?!" I exclaimed, my hunger starting to surface. I slammed my glass down onto the small table next to me.
Stefan sighed. "We need to get back to her."
"Stefan, go out, grab a bunny or something and enjoy yourself. Neither of us can do this while hungry. Look," I said before he could interrupt me. "Go eat. She will be fine. She isn't moving. She doesn't have one of these, remember?" I said wiggling my finger with my ring on it. Stefan nodded in resignation and turned to head out the door, reluctance in his step. "And hey," I said, stopping him. "Don't worry about me interfering with you and Elena's little fairytale life. I'm getting out of this town. I can't take it anymore."
Stefan shook his head. "You know you don't mean that."
"Watch and see, my brother." I said, tipping my empty glass to him. I smiled and turned to go down into the cellar. I grabbed a blood bag and split it between two glasses. I inhaled and downed the blood, exhaling with relief. I sighed and picked up the other glass, carrying it upstairs with me. "Look, Elena. I'm not going to sugar coat this. You're hungry. You need to eat. You only have until the sun sets tonight to complete the transition. Otherwise, well, let's just say it won't be pretty."
Elena sighed and stood up. "Look, Damon. About Stef-" Her eyes averted to the glass in my hand. I noticed and held it in front of me. "I poured it for you. You don't have to make the decision now." She nodded, her eyes on the cup. "I just want some water." she said in hopes that it would fix her thirst. I chuckled. As she stood, her body swayed and she became pale, weak.
"Alright Elena, you don't have a choice." I said, holding her up by her arm. "Drink it. Now. You're dying and I'm not going to stand by and let you die. I'm not like my idiot brother. You can do it willingly or I can force it. You pick."
She shook her head. Stubborn woman.
"Listen, Elena. You need this. It's for your own good." Selfish bastard. You're doing it to keep her alive. She wanted to die.
Anger seeped in at my conscience. Who invited him anyways? I sat the glass of blood down on the table and dipped my finger in it, holding Elena tight against me. I forced any thoughts about her backside against me as I popped my finger in my mouth. I could feel the tingle under my eyes and the pressure in my mouth as my fangs grew. Oh, I was hungry and I'm only going to get angry. I shouldn't be doing this.
I breathed over her shoulder, the scent of blood washing over Elena. "Join the party, Elena." I said, dipping my finger again and popping it into my mouth. I could hear her breath quicken and I held her tight. Come on Elena. Please? After dipping my finger a third time, I noticed her head moving, watching my fingers. That's a good girl. I released her and she turned slightly as I stuck my finger in my mouth again. I dipped my finger for a fourth round and as it passed in front of Elena her face changed, her eyes turning red. She grabbed my finger and stuck it in her mouth, removing all the blood from it. I smiled. Success.
Suddenly, I felt a sharp twinge in my finger and I gasped.
"Chill, Elena. You're biting the hand that feeds." I joked as she sucked desperately on my finger. My breath quickened and I had to force my hand back. A drop of my blood slid down her chin and my insides quivered with the need to wipe it off. She looked towards the glass on the table and snatched it up, downing the rest of it in a few gulps. She stood up from her now kneeling position on the floor, blushing, and wiped her mouth on the back of her arm. Still slightly stunned at what she had done, I took a deep breath before breaking the news.
A/N: I won't have a lot of time to work on this, but I will work on it when I can. I apologize but hopefully you can get a chapter or two every week. Maybe. Ha..
Review please! (: