PART TWO
This idea came to me when I was watching Life In A Day (I'll leave the link on my profile later). I thought it would be cool, because I'm a freaking cool kid holla cool kid represent whoo! This is heavy rated T, not because of explicit content, but because of language. Alright.
-!-
Fumbling, fumbling. More fumbling. Lamp light. Too much of it. The silhouette of a statuesque man against the light. Fumbling. Fumbling.
"It's two in the morning," he whispers, slightly out of breath. "The lady of the house isn't in today. She's back at her own house—in fact I think she's just coming in. She, her brother and their stand-in daddy went to Florida last week and they're back."
He sighs, running his fingers through his hair.
"As you can see, the sun isn't out. That's what happens at two in the morning. No sun. Naturally," he says, laughing afterwards. "The brother is out too, probably with his girlfriend. It's funny how he and vampire bitch got together."
He places the camera on his side table as he reaches for his button down and puts it on. He forces his feet into his favorite pair of boots. He looks into the camera and grins.
"I don't actually know why I'm going her house right now. She told me not to, because she'd be here once she's all cleaned up and rested," he says, taking the camera again. "She's going to hate me for recording every second of this."
The camera takes in the house's interior as he makes his way to the door. The sky was still pitch black. The houses around had their lights on for the evening. It was eerily quiet. All that could be heard was Damon's breathing and his footsteps, plus the slight jiggling of his car keys.
"There's the car," he says, as his hand comes to the camera's peripheral view. "It's a piece of shit. I mean, it was in the garage when I came back to Mystic Falls like five years ago. And it's pretty fucking great once it gets running, but it looks like shit, nonetheless. Pardon all my French."
There's a blur of light as Damon speeds to the car, and the camera is placed on the dashboard in less than a second. The car revs to life and Damon's face graces the screen.
He laughs humorlessly as he backs out his spot. "It'd take, like, ten minutes to get to her place by car, and a few seconds on foot, but I'd rather not," he says, making a face to the camera. "Imagine if some random guy picks this up and wonders, 'Hey how did he get there so fast?' Do not want that, do we?"
He remains soundless as the journey to Elena's house progresses, and he speaks again when the car slows down to a halt. Damon looks straight at the camera and says, "We're here", hushed.
The house was still lit, not much activity in it, but lit. Shadows were playing at the ceiling up at Elena's room, and Damon knew she was awake. He grins to himself before taking the camera in his hand and slowly opening his door, so as not to be heard.
He didn't even bother closing the door; he just crept to the side of the house, to that one tree he was so familiar with. There was another blur of light as Damon lithely jumped, grasping branch after blanch to get to the spot parallel to Elena's room.
Nobody was inside. She was probably in the bathroom. Perfect timing, he thought to himself. He slid the window open with one hand, camera in the other. He slips into the room, still without a sound, and took his position on the seat on Elena's window after setting the camera on her vanity mirror.
He was gazing out the window when another person walked into the shot, in a purple tank top and deep green shorts. She gasps and Damon turns his head, eyebrows raised.
"Damon," the girl says to herself, a smirk on her face. She half-runs to where Damon sits and jumps on him, littering kisses all over him. "What are you doing here?"
"I don't think you'd care about what I'm about to say," he says, holding her to him. "Welcome back."
Elena stops her actions and pauses, looking at him in the eye. "I'm so glad you're here," she mutters, hugging him. "Florida was so fun, Damon. I mean, I've been there before with Mom and Dad, but—I don't know—it was just so much more magical this time."
"Maybe because you were with super legal guardian of the century," Damon teases, sitting up and letting Elena settle on his lap. "How was the flight?"
"It was normal," she responds. "I think I was sitting a row ahead of those actors we were dissing on TV before I left. What were their names?"
"I don't know, 'Lena, I wasn't there," he says, chuckling. "…Not that family again."
"Yeah, yeah, them."
"The Kardashians?" Damon suggests, quirking an eyebrow.
Elena laughs heartily. "Yeah, them. They were speaking the whole time and they're even more obnoxious in person. And the girl, what's her face… Never mind. It was normal."
They're quiet again. Damon was just looking at her, admiring that she was actually here, back here, in his arms, on him. His hands tighten around her waist, letting her know that he was there too, that they were there together, finally, finally. Elena's sigh breaks the silence.
"I'm tired, Damon."
"Sleeping is for the weak," he says as she slides off his lap. He gets up and saunters toward the camera and picks it up, turning it to her. "And look what I have."
"That's been here the whole time?" Elena says, outraged.
"No, just when I got here—What, you think it's been sitting here recording your room while you were gone? What is this, Paranormal Activity? No, Elena," he says, sitting down next to her again, the camera still focused on his girlfriend. "I saw this movie thing on the Internet."
"Porn."
"No," he says, rolling his eyes, "it was about life in a day—and I did remember that this camera still exists. And I thought, hey, this could be fun."
"Yeah, you thought wrong."
"Why?"
"Because I don't like being recorded."
"But you were fine the first time!"
"That was before."
"Really, Elena? Really?" he says. Elena grins, taking the camera from him.
"It's only fun if I have it. So, if you want this to work, I control."
"Deal."
-!-
"Time check," Damon says, as the camera struggles to find a focal point. They were in a car now and Elena had the device. "Elena, time check."
Elena groans groggily and mutters, "Ten in the morning" before she must have resumed her nap. The camera is at a weird angle, shaking with the car.
"You have to stay awake for this to be interesting, Elena—Were we running the past three hours?"
Elena breathes out and straightens the camera. "Oh, we stopped recording right after we left the house. You sure Ric will be okay with this?"
"I don't think he has much of a choice but be okay with it," Damon says, laughing. "I mean, I guess he's going to have to get used to us being together some time."
"You know Ric loves you but we've been together three years. I don't think he'll ever accept you."
"Harsh, lady. Real harsh."
"Truth, baby. Truth."
-!-
"We have arrived," Damon says as the screen comes back to life. The camera is out the window, and the sound of the wind rushing past was overwhelming. "Elena, wake up." He brings the camera back in to point at Elena.
"What time is it?" she says, voice laced with fatigue.
"Eleven," Damon says. "Come on, you don't want to miss this."
The camera is forced out of the window again as a picturesque skyline comes to view. "You're insane," a muffled voice says. Her voice was barely audible over the wind. "Are you crazy? Damon! What are we doing here?"
"What's wrong? I haven't seen you for a week. What's wrong with being here?" Damon says, perching the camera back on the dashboard.
"Yeah, I know, it would have been fine if we were at some park for the day, or something—anything other than this. Damon—"
"You can just tell me if you want to go back."
Elena squeezes her eyes shut; the edges of her lips turn up for a smile. She giggles to herself. "Damon, this is New York. New fucking York."
"I know," he says, taking her hand in his and pressing his lips to her knuckles. "Elena, it hurts to tell another living human being about how I feel, but I love you and I want to take you here. I know you're probably tired and all that, so this would be as serene as possible. Alright? Spend the day in New York with me."
Elena leans over the space between them and kisses Damon's temple. He leans into her kiss, eyes closed, grinning lopsidedly. "Thank you," she says against his hair, "and I love you too."
She sits back into her seat and rolls down the window. "Are you enjoying yourself yet?"
Elena just smiles back at him. "So, when did the idea come to you? The idea of coming to New York? Because I sure as hell didn't see it coming."
"I didn't either," he says. "Thought of it when we got into the car. When I told you that we should just get lost together, I thought we were going back the Boarding House and holing up in there. But, I don't know, felt like going to New York so we did."
"You're unbelievable."
"I know."
She laughs. "I really don't know what I'm doing to your ego, Damon," she says.
"Too much," Damon says, looking down at her. "Being with me, period, is already an ego-trip."
"No, it's not," Elena says. "Sure, I guess, but you did so much to get here. We did so much to be this way. I think this is exactly what we deserve."
"What are you talking about," Damon says, avoiding her gaze, "I don't deserve you at all."
"Shut up," Elena says dismissively. "Yes, you do."
-!-
"Elena, can you tell the camera where we are?" Damon says over the hustling and bustling of everyone around them. Tourists flocked the streets, decked out with cameras and camcorders. He didn't look out of place one bit.
"We're in Time Square," Elena says. She has her eyeglasses perched on her nose, her hands intertwined with her Vampire boyfriend. "And this place is magnificent."
"It really is," Damon says, letting the camera pan over the sky, the building around, everybody. "Are you happy, baby?"
"Extremely. I'm glad you took me here."
"Always a pleasure," he says, walking forward, leading her. "Where do you want to have lunch?"
"I don't know… Where do you want to have lunch?"
"I can have lunch right here, if it's fine with you," Damon says, shrugging. Elena swats his arm playfully. "I'm just kidding!"
She quirks her eyebrows at him and purses her lips. "Not funny, Damon," she says. "What time is it?"
"Lunch time for the pretty human," Damon says. Elena giggles. "C'mon, Elena. I know you're hungry. You haven't had breakfast, sorry."
"Are you going to be okay?" she says, shielding her eyes from the sun, creating a visor against her forehead with her hand. "I mean, did you bring anything for you?"
"No, but I'll be fine," he says as they aimlessly walk around.
"Can we just grab something to eat and go to the park?"
"How romantic," Damon says sarcastically with a laugh. Elena snorts and shoves him.
Elena runs ahead of him, to a random stand by the sidewalk and buys something for both of them. Damon was still in Time Square, right in the center, spinning around in a circle.
"It really is beautiful here," he mumbles to himself. "Last time I was here was… I don't know, like the 90's? Man. Forgot how wonderful this place is."
Elena returns with a couple of hotdogs and a bottle of water. She hands one hotdog to Damon and takes a bite out of hers. "You ready to go?" she says, opening her water bottle.
"It's quite the walk," he warns.
"I don't care."
-!-
"Start spreading the news," a low baritone voice sings. "I'm leaving today. I wanna be a part of it—Are you recording this?"
Elena giggles from behind the camera.
"Stop it," Damon says, stalking towards her, an angry look on his face. "I mean it. Delete that part. I'm going to regret this for the rest of my life."
"Oh, that's a really long time," Elena says, dodging as Damon tried to snatch the camera out of her grasp. "You're going to have to live with yourself for a while knowing that this footage would stay alive forever."
"Delete it, woman!" Damon says in a mock tone. The camera stops quivering and Elena keeps laughing, pointing the camera at Damon, whose hands were poised on his waist, waiting for her to calm herself. "Right this instant."
"Make me," she says, running around the park. A blur of greens and browns swept past, as she ran, Damon not so far away. She knew that he could just run to her in vampire speed, but the moment was much too fun to spoil. "Mr. Salvatore, it's impolite to chase a lady in the public's eye."
Elena gasps. Damon must have grabbed a hold of her, and they came tumbling down together. The camera was on the grass, positioned precisely so that both of them could be seen.
"I was never one to be polite, Ms. Gilbert," he says, lying on the ground. Elena rolls over and straddles him. "And why, Ms. Gilbert, must we display affection right here?"
"Why not?" she says alluringly.
"I took you as a woman of grace; this isn't very graceful, madam," he says, holding on to her tiny waist. He hums in desire and slightly more than that. "I say, Ms. Gilbert, what a fine lover you pose to be."
"I pose? Do you not know first-hand, Mr. Salvatore?" she says. She bends down and kisses him hungrily, Damon taking her readily. He entangles his fingers in her hair, holding her there.
Elena pulls away, her lungs screaming for air. "How does the song go again?" Damon rolls his eyes. "I wanna be a part of it—"
"New York! New York!" Damon burst in an almost-drunken fashion. "These vagabond shoes are longing to stray."
"Right through the very heart of it! New York, New York!" Elena sang along, chuckling in between.
"I wanna wake up in a city that doesn't sleep!" they sang together. The people walking past them were starting look and they couldn't care any less. "And find I'm king of the hill! Top of the heap!"
They end in a fit of guffaws—partly that and because they really didn't know how the song ended.
Damon retrieves the camera from the grass and sits up, sliding Elena onto his lap. "You know I love you, right?" he says, the camera awfully close to his girlfriend's face. "Right?"
Elena's eyes soften and she says, "Of course."
Damon holds out the camera an arms length away. He crushes his lips to hers and they just kiss, the camcorder capturing every breath they took. He turns his head, facing the camera and sighs, before turning back to Elena. Her arms were still around his neck, her cheek pressed against his forehead.
"Where to now, Ms. Gilbert?"
-!-
"Damon," Elena hisses. They were in complete darkness, the sound of singing filling the air. "What you're doing is illegal."
Somebody shushes them. Damon laughs. "Who cares?" he says, turning the camera around to face the stage. There was a boy in the center of it, singing at the top of his lungs, while various jungle animal props danced around him. "Just sit back, Elena."
"You're crazy," she says, huffing. Someone shushes them again. "You're going to get caught."
"You're arguing with a vampire, baby," he says, resting the camera on his armrest. "Just sit back and enjoy."
They sat there in silence, watching Lion King on Broadway. Damon grabs her hand, and Elena relaxes after fidgeting a good half hour. That was when footsteps started descending down the orchestra. Those who sat in front of both of them turn their heads, watching whoever that was causing the scene.
"Excuse me, sir, m'am," he says in his low burly tone. "I'm going have to ask you to leave the theatre immediately."
"Why is that?" Damon says, nonchalantly knocking the camera off the armrest, making it fall between Elena's arm and her cushioned seat.
"You are illegally recording this production. I must ask you to leave."
Elena gets the camera and shoves it up her shirt as Damon stands, dragging her upright. "Way ahead of you."
And with that, the whirling of wind hit the camera, the rushing of sounds and lights and color and wind. Elena gasps as they come to a standstill, the camera capturing an empty New York alley, filtered through Elena's shirt.
She brings the camera out and points it at Damon. "You're a jerk," she exclaims. She didn't even know where she was. "Are you crazy? You just ran out of there! He's probably wondering what the fuck you just did!"
Damon was just chuckling to himself. 'That was intense," he says, pausing as laughter came over him. "Damn, we were this close to getting caught, baby, that was fun."
"No, Damon, that wasn't fun!" she says. "That was dangerous and reckless and plain stupid. This camera—what the fuck is it even doing? Throw this thing away. I don't want to see it again. What if we did get into trouble, huh? What if we went to jail or something? Damon, I can't afford that."
He stops laughing, then. Just staring at the ground, chagrined. "I'm sorry," he mutters. "I really am. I didn't mean to—"
"Yeah, you didn't mean to, you never mean to! It's because you don't think, Damon! You're impulsive and crazy and stupid. You could have gotten us both into serious time."
Damon bites his lip and wrinkles his brow. Elena places the camera firmly on cart next to her, and crosses her arms over her chest.
"Baby—"
"Don't baby me!" she says angrily. "I thought we were over your stupidity phase! I thought we were into the let's-discuss-this-because-we're-a-united-front phase. Or are we not a united front anymore?"
"We are—"
"Then what the hell are you doing, Damon?" she says, dropping her hands in frustration. "I want to go home. Please."
Damon swallows hard, biting his lip again. "Elena, I'm sorry," he says, extending his hand to her. She dodges and holds her hand up. "Don't be like that—"
"Don't be like what? What, Damon? Don't be disgusted by you right now?" she says. "I said I want to go home."
He stands awkwardly in front of her, shuffling his feet. He opens his mouth to speak but nothing comes out. He stutters some unintelligible gibberish and shuts up sooner or later.
"What, you got nothing to say anymore?" she says, pressing her lips to a tight line.
"I thought today would be perfect, Elena," he says, avoiding eye contact. "I brought you here so we could have fun, so we could be… so we could be happy together."
She steps forward upon instinct when his voice breaks, but holds herself back the same moment.
"I didn't mean for you to be upset and… I'm sorry," he says breathily. "I'm sorry I'm so stupid, and I'm sorry I got you into it. I'm sorry for not discussing with you all the shit I wanted to get into today. I'm sorry, Elena, and I don't want to lose you to fucking Lion King, really. I'm stupid, okay."
Elena covers her mouth lightly with the tips of her fingers, suppressing a laugh. "Yeah, you were stupid, Damon, you really were." She sighs and lets her hands fall to her sides. "Do you realize what you did?"
"Yes."
"And are you sorry for them?"
"How many times do I have to apologize, because I really will make it—"
She silences him with a kiss and shakes her head. "I don't like fighting," she says, hanging onto his collar. Damon winds her arm around her waist, hugging her to him. Elena swings her hand and slaps him right across his face. He grins. "But you're such an idiot all the time. Don't do that again. We'll get into serious business if you do."
"Sorry."
"I know," she says, patting his face. "Now, throw that camera away."
"Why?" he says, whiny, holding her. "It didn't do anything wrong. And all the footage! I mean, we fought and all that, but there is some good stuff in there."
Elena scratches her eyebrow, takes the camera and holds it out for him. "I don't want any more of your… shenanigans, please. No more."
"Of course," he replies as the camera blacks out.
-!-
"Alright, we're on the car ride home," Damon says. "Elena is asleep. She doesn't know I'm filming her. Which is a good thing. Because if she found out, she'd kill me. I can't believe I'm in love with this woman."
His phone rings, blaring out Young The Giant in the car. He answers it immediately, an eye on Elena.
"Hello?" he whispers into the receiver.
"Where the hell are you?" Ric yells. "I've been trying to call you since this morning! Elena left her phone; no note, no sign of where she might have gone; no nothing. Damon, I get that you're together and everything, but really? I care about her and if she gets into trouble—"
"Calm your tits, Ric," he says, putting the camera on the dashboard. "We're on our way back to Mystic Falls. We'll be there by midnight, so your Cinderella is safe."
"On your way back to Mystic Falls? And you'll be here by midnight? No, you'll be here right this hour, Damon. Where the hell have you two been?"
"Well, we spent a half hour in Time Square, ate on the way to Central Park, stayed at Central Park for a few hours, watched half of Lion King on Broadway, got kicked out of Lion King on Broadway, had Grey's Papaya, stared at Statue of Liberty from Battery Park and went shopping at SOHO."
"Wait, what?" he says, in a rage. "You were in New York the whole day? And you didn't bother telling me? I have been worried sick, you ass."
"Relax, Ric," he says, rolling his eyes. "We're just fine. Alright? Two hours. Tops."
"Who was that?" Elena mumbles as soon as he hangs up on Ric. "Ric?"
"Yes," Damon replies, groaning. "That guy is turning into your dad and I know he is liking it, 'Lena. I mean, he calls and demands to know where you are like you're a child, I don't know, Elena, we should get rid of him."
Elena laughs. "Yeah, okay," she says absently. "And turn that camera off."
"Well," Damon says, one last time. "Life in a day, with Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert—"
"Damon."
"Sorry."