Hinting Beneath the Shell

"Her Horrible Dreams"

She woke up panting and sweating. Her pounding heart screamed like thunder in her ears. Beads of sweat spilled down her nose, her trembling lips, her chin and then disappeared into the light green of her tank top. They were merely an echo of that which had thoroughly soaked her shirt, temporarily tinting it several shades darker, earlier.

Her shaking fingers reached for her pendant. She managed to get a firm hold of it after dropping it back against her skin several times. When she felt it, solid and warm from her burning skin, she knew her fear was fully warranted. He couldn't have planted the dream in her head. The vervain in her necklace guaranteed her protection from his influence.

A shiver ran down her spine. She had dreamed about him all on her own. She had dreamed of Damon Salvatore.

Her body slumped forward and she hid behind the veil of her long, chocolate brown hair. In an attempt to further escape, she buried her face as far as it could go into her hands. She wanted to disappear. She wanted to not think about it. She wanted to shut down and not feel the agonizing pain digging more holes through her heart.

Tears began to spill out between her fingers, further drenching the sheets. She let them fall until her eyes were raw, her tear ducks were dry and she could only sob without tangible release.

A gust of wind against her window finally pulled her from her endless self-pity. As she peeled back her wet sheet from her body, she turned and placed her bare feet against the icy floor. The cold didn't even register. Her mind was focused on one thing and only one thing. Her diary.

Dear Diary,

I spend my days with Stefan. We're together all of the time and even when we're apart he consumes my thoughts. I wake up thinking 'Stefan'. I go to sleep thinking 'Stefan'. I'm crazy about him. Literally. And yet… in my dreams Stefan is never there. At all. In my dreams I only see, hear, smell, feel, taste… I only sense, in every way imaginable and even in those ways I cannot imagine, Damon. I think Damon. I only know Damon. In my dreams Stefan does not even exist.

It has been a week of dreams plagued by Damon. I'm sorry I haven't told you until now, Diary, but I have been afraid to acknowledge this even to you. Every morning this week, I have woken up shaking, drenched in sweat and disgusted with myself. At first, I feared that I had lost the necklace and that Damon was planting dreams in my mind. If only it were so!

Every night I go to sleep with Stefan's necklace around my neck and every morning I wake up wearing it. I never take it off. So this has lead me to the only possible conclusion. My Damon filled dreams are all my own.

Why? Why am I dreaming of Damon? Looking at him like that? Holding him like that? Doing those things with him, which I'm only longing to do with Stefan?

She slammed the diary shut, unable to write anymore. Then, regretting taking her anger out on her most prized possession, she gently set it down next to her on the bed.

She stared out her window. The sun was up, which meant she would have to be up soon as well.

"Stop it, Elena," she commanded herself as her fingers dug into her bed so hard that she felt acid bite into her knuckles.

If Stefan knew about her dreams with Damon it would crush his heart. She cared about him so much that as much as it pained her to keep something from him, she just couldn't bring herself to tell him. Besides, it wasn't like she actually wanted to be with Damon. The dreams were merely a torment her stupid mind was inflicting upon her. She couldn't control it. It didn't mean she cared for Damon.

She closed her eyes, steadying herself. As she felt herself begin to relax, an image of Damon's light blue eyes were starring back at her.

A/N: Something I've decided to work on between my long updates for Becoming Isabella. These chapters will be noticeably shorter and (hopefully) updated more frequently.

Not exactly sure where I am going with this yet. Please let me know if you have any ideas... ;) Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything "Vampire Diaries"... well, except for a wish to see Damon and Elena together.