A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters, but I do like to take them for a spin every now and again…
So... I'd taken this fic down some time ago to publish it through Kindle Worlds, but that program has been closed down. I completely forgot about re-posting it here! Here it is again, with some of the original comments and responses to reviews.
This is set before the big showdown with Klaus at the end of season two, after Damon has already forced his blood on Elena. It begins during daylight hours, so no werewolf bite from Tyler yet either. This picks up right after Elena and Stefan spent the day hiking by the falls in episode 2.20 "The Last Day".
Three little days. That's all Damon needs to keep Elena safe until the next full moon. Klaus has assembled a witch, vampire and werewolf and waits only for the night of the next full moon to sacrifice Elena and finally get everything he's schemed for since Katherine evaded him hundreds of years ago. With his blood running through Elena's veins and her bitter contempt ringing in his ears, Damon decides to take matters into his own hands. Kidnapping seems like the best way to buy them some time to figure out how to defeat Klaus, and Elena has little choice but to go along with it.
Soon they're on the road with no distractions to keep them from getting to know each other better. With some extended alone time together, will Elena be able to see past Damon's caustic smirk for once and see the man inside? Will Damon risk letting Elena slip behind his carefully constructed defenses?
All day long Damon ran around town, frantically trying to salvage the situation to buy Elena another month until the next full moon. Desperate to try anything to keep that look out of her eye – the look that wounded him to the quick – he moved Heaven and Earth to place the werewolf out of Klaus' reach.
Confident he had things well in hand, there was only one more step to his master plan. A step he assumed Stefan would be on board with. When Damon entered the Salvatore mansion (make that the Gilbert mansion since Elena was technically the owner now) he heard the shower running and paused to let his imagination wander.
"Something wrong?" Stefan asked, coming upon Damon at the bottom of the stairs.
"Sorry, just engaging in a little mental voyeurism. So, what did you guys get up to today? I'm assuming a romantic interlude of some sort? Just in case she shuffles off this mortal coil tonight?" That was a mental image Damon had no interest in pursuing, and he headed straight for the bar to pour himself a drink.
"It was romantic, but probably not the way you're thinking. We hiked to the top of the falls to watch the sunset."
Damon's brows came up in surprise over the top of the glass. "You took her hiking? With everything going down tonight, that's your idea of the perfect day?" Was he the only sane person left in this screwed up world?
"I wanted her to experience the beauty of a completely human…"
"I think you're out of touch if you think tromping around through the tick filled underbrush is the epitome of the human experience, little brother," Damon smirked.
"I'm trying to respect her wishes. This isn't what she wants," Stefan insisted. "You aren't what she wants."
Damon let the hurtful words roll off his back. If he didn't stop to acknowledge them, they couldn't wound him. "She's a seventeen-year-old girl, she has no idea what she wants." He loped away, ascending the stairs two at a time.
The shower was off now and he could hear her moving around in Stefan's room, soft and graceful. Damon stood with his head leaning against the wall, trying not to imagine the simple routine on the other side as she got dressed and ran her fingers through the dark tangle of hair. Her misguided nobility would end up with her either dead or turned, and either option would spell misery for him. It was becoming clear to him that he'd have to take matters into his own hands where Elena's safety was concerned.
Again.
It was easy to sneak up on Elena. Damon had done more than his share of lurking in his day. Her attention firmly fixed on tying her shoes, all she had time for was a slight widening of her eyes the moment before he struck, hands closing around her neck. Just the right amount of pressure and she slumped in his arms, unconscious and pliable.
She'd be fine when she woke up, maybe a headache, but no permanent damage. Allowing himself the briefest of moments to drink in her beauty, even in this state, his fingers brushed across the curve of her cheek and down the smooth column of her throat. "I'm gonna fix this, Elena, I promise." Damon's lips moved almost soundlessly, the pledge given as soundly in his heart as if he'd shouted it from the top of Stefan's falls.
Elena stirred, stretching on a strange bed, in a strange room, the sound of music coming from the other room. What an odd dream. The furnishings were nice and modern, but with an impersonal quality that felt like a hotel room. Why was she dreaming she was in a hotel room alone?
A sneaking suspicion began to dawn on her – this wasn't a dream. Had Klaus come for her and whisked her away for safekeeping before he could complete the ritual? Or had Stefan decided to disregard her wishes and take her out of town? No, that wasn't his style, that was… "Damon." There was all manner of accusation in that single word when she came upon him in the living room.
"Oh, you're awake." He looked up with a cheery grin, waving a room service menu at her. "Hungry?"
"Where are we?" she demanded, ignoring the menu.
"Someplace safe," he replied, unconcerned over her tone, and that kicked her annoyance up a notch.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means… some place safe." Damon said each word slowly and deliberately until she wanted to throttle him, but instead she turned on her heel.
"Okay, you know what? I'm outta here." Elena headed for the door, but Damon was there in a flash, physically blocking her way.
"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast. The part where this is someplace safe includes you actually staying inside where it's safe."
"You can't keep me here against my will." This was so not happening. There was no way in hell she was going to spend the night with him in a hotel room, no matter how fancy it was.
Damon's eyes flashed mischievously. "Wanna bet?"
He was enjoying this far too much for her tastes and she returned his smile. "I'll scream."
"And then I'll have to hurt whoever comes to your rescue. You don't want that on your conscience, do you?"
Elena hesitated, losing her smile. He had her there. From the look in his eye she knew that behind the playful tone he was deadly serious, and the last thing she wanted was any more bloodshed.
"Fine. But you can't be vigilant all the time. The first minute you turn your back I'm gone," she threatened, refusing to be cowed by his icy stare.
"Fine," Damon imitated her tone of voice. "But if you keep this up I'll have to compel you to keep you quiet. In fact, that could make things all kinds of interesting to keep us entertained until we reach the other side of the moon." His grin widened.
"I have vervain in my system," Elena balked, not sure if she should take him at his word. He wouldn't really do that to her, would he? After everything they'd been through.
"But you won't by tomorrow night. I could keep you bound and gagged until then if you prefer," he said with a half shrug.
Elena's eyes widened in outrage. "You wouldn't dare!" she gasped, trying to hold it together. If he'd intended to keep her trussed up he would've tied her up while she was unconscious. He was looking to get a rise out of her and she was playing right into his hands.
Damon pushed away from the door, advancing a step toward her. "Elena, I don't have a whole hell of a lot to lose right now. The oldest living vampire wants to kill everyone I know, including me. I've alienated myself from my brother, not that that's anything new. You hate me… pretty much the only thing I've got going for me right now is the desire to keep you alive, and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen. Do we understand each other?"
She stared back at him, close enough to feel the flutter of his breath against her cheek.
"I'll bring you back in three days. You don't have to make a federal case out of it." Damon turned away from her, trusting her not to make a break for it, and she knew she'd be crazy to try. There was no way on Earth she'd be able to outrun him.
Three days. How hard could that be? She'd survived the death of those near and dear to her, betrayals, being stalked by her mirror image, and countless attempts on her life. She could survive three days alone with Damon.
"I don't hate you," she sighed finally, moving to the window to see if she could recognize anything from the skyline. All she could see was that they were in a fair-sized city.
Damon brightened, sitting a little higher as his eyes followed her with interest. "You don't?"
"It's more like… despise," she teased, unable to resist the dig, suppressing a laugh at the deflated look that came over his features before the protective armor came up.
"Ouch."
"I'm not happy about this." It felt important to say that.
"Yeah, no kidding," he snorted.
"And Stefan will be livid when he catches up to us."
"Leave him to me."
Elena could see he considered Stefan to be the least of his worries. "So seriously, where are we?" She tried again.
"Someplace no one would ever think to look for you."
"Which is?"
"In plain sight."
Pondering that cryptic response for a few minutes, she turned away from the window. "I'm stuck in here with you for the next three days?"
"So it would seem."
"What about a change of clothes? I'll need something else to wear," she pointed out.
"Already got it taken care of." Damon's smug smile was back in place, and Elena left to go look in the bedroom. Sure enough, there was a selection of clothes in her size that she didn't recognize, neatly folded in the dresser. The bathroom held an array of toiletries, and she had to wonder – how long had she been unconscious? Still, she couldn't fault his taste. It would be a cold night in hell before she put on the lacy nightgown that sat nestled in the top drawer, but she had to smile at him for trying. Hastily replacing it in the drawer, she rejoined him in the living room.
"Can I call Stefan and tell him I'm alright?"
"Do I really need to answer that?"
Elena couldn't help but roll her eyes as she plopped down on the sofa. "What if someone saw you bring me up here? They might report an unconscious girl."
"That's why I took the liberty of smuggling you in with that trunk over there."
"You did not!" Elena's head swiveled around to see where he was pointing, but there was no trunk anywhere in sight.
"I can't believe you looked," Damon snickered, and she fought the urge to roll her eyes again. "Believe me when I say I took care of it."
"What if someone spots your car?"
"Nope, I stole one on the outskirts of town. Give me a little credit, Elena. I have done this before."
"You kidnapped a girl before?" Her brows rose a fraction. Why did that not make her feel any better?
Damon laughed at the expression on her face. "No, but I have plenty of experience being on the run. I know how to cover my tracks. So relax, we'll order up some room service if you like, and all the pay per view movies you want."
Eyes slanted in a mutinous cast, Elena tried to think of a valid objection, but she came up short. "This is just for three days," she allowed begrudgingly.
"Unless you decide you like being on the run with me," he grinned.
Elena gave an inelegant snort, fat chance of that happening. "And this doesn't change anything between us," she insisted.
"Of course not." His hands came up in a supplicating gesture. "This is just me, cleaning up my mistake."
"What mistake?" Her head canted to one side as she studied him. Damon admitting to a mistake? Were pigs about to rain down from the sky?
"Forcing my blood on you," he replied, biting the words out as if chewing nails.
"Then you admit that was a mistake!" Elena all but hopped for joy. Did he finally get it? Could he understand how much it had hurt her to take away that choice? Kidnapping… sure, she could get over that, it was only for a few days, but she wasn't ready to choose between a mortal life and living an eternity as a vampire. She wasn't sure if she'd ever be ready to make that choice.
"For not seeing the simplicity of just removing you from the situation, yeah. But I'm not apologizing for the instinct to keep you safe," Damon qualified his response.
Typical. Of course he couldn't completely admit that he'd been wrong. "Whatever." Picking up the room service menu, she couldn't help but recognize the name of the hotel. "We're in Richmond? I thought you said we were safe?"
"We are. Klaus would never expect me to hide you this close to home. He'll be thinking I'd take you to the ends of the Earth. He won't even stop in Richmond, I can guarantee it."
"If you say so." Elena regarded him dubiously. She could follow his line of logic, but somehow she felt less safe now. Knowing where she was made it seem more real. Klaus was out there looking for her and he'd never stop. Not ever. He'd been chasing Katherine for five hundred years. Now that he was so close to getting what he wanted, it was a safe bet he wouldn't let her run around of her own free will any longer. The next time he found her, that would be it, she'd never see her friends or family again. It was a sobering thought.
"What?" Damon asked without looking up from the magazine he flipped through.
"Huh?" Drawn out of her reverie, Elena wasn't sure what he was talking about.
"What's going through that brain of yours? I can feel you thinking from here."
And that was supposed to encourage her to share her thoughts with him? "Nothing," she replied, dropping the room service menu, her appetite suddenly gone.
Damon set down the magazine with a drawn-out sigh. "No really, what's wrong?"
Elena's head snapped up, brows drawing together in disbelief. "Are you seriously asking me what's wrong? Have you not been paying attention or do I need to list it all out for you?" she scoffed.
"Hey, no reason to get your panties in a twist." Damon moved to lounge beside her on the couch. "The way I see it, we can get all doom and gloomy about things we can't change, or we can just let go of it and enjoy the time we have left." He smiled easily, gesturing to the elegant expanse of the room.
"Enjoy it how?" Her eyes narrowed skeptically. If he was hitting on her…
"Relax, Elena. I meant we could have something to eat, watch a movie, enjoy the view. The things normal people do when they're on vacation without a care in the world. Unless… you had something else in mind?" Eyes dancing with roguish charm, he picked up her hand. "I do happen to be a terrific distraction."
Elena's skin flushed hot where he touched her, despite his cool skin, and it spread through her body to pool low in her belly. "I, um…" She swallowed, trying to marshal her thoughts, but it was hard to do with him touching her. "A movie. Let's watch a movie," she managed to get out, tugging her hand from his. Reaching forward for the remote, she let her hair cover her face in a dark cloud, away from his prying eyes.
A knowing smirk tilted his lips, but Damon said nothing, allowing her to regain control for now.
Half of a chick flick later, a knock sounded at the door, and Elena started to rise. "That must be the room service."
In one smooth movement, Damon gently pushed her back onto the couch while he dashed to the door. "Don't even think about it. In fact…" He motioned for her to duck out of sight, which she did after an exaggerated sigh. Hiding the smile over her pout, Damon looked through the peep hole, his blood freezing at the sight on the other side of the door. "Get your shoes on, we're leaving," he hissed, backing away from the door. Of course she'd be able to hear him through the door, and there was no back way out. Unless he smashed a hole through the window and leapt with Elena in his arms. He was fairly sure she'd survive it, but it wasn't his first choice in leaving the hotel.
"What is it? Who's there?" Elena did the exact opposite of what he'd asked, sitting stock still on the couch, her eyes wide.
"Trouble," he replied, figuring where one went, the other was sure to follow.
"Oh… Katherine," Elena nodded, and he had to give her a look of respect for figuring out his meaning without spelling it out. "Can she get in here?"
"Yep, public building. I'm surprised she even knocked."
Another knock sounded then, Katherine's bored voice coming through the thick wood. "I'm getting tired of waiting. Are you going to let me in or not?"
"I'm thinking not, but thanks for asking," Damon replied in a normal speaking tone, moving around the couch to wrap his arm around Elena's waist. He couldn't care less about the rest of the stuff in the room, and if Elena didn't want her shoes, that was her problem. "I want you to wrap your arms around me and close your eyes," he told her, an undercurrent of urgency in his voice.
"Why?" Was her immediate response, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from swearing. Couldn't she for once trust him and do as he asked?
The door blew open with a fine shower of splinters as Katherine forced the lock, sauntering in without invitation. "Don't let me interrupt anything. You were asking her to hold you tight?" she smirked, resting the door shut again. It would never fully close without repairs now.
Elena's gaze went from one vampire to the other, unsure what to do.
"Katherine, how did you get out of Klaus' apartment?" Damon asked, keeping his hold on Elena.
"He needed all eyes and ears at his disposal on the search for his precious doppelganger," she replied, her eyes resting first on Elena and then Damon. "So he let me go. Thanks to you, he actually thinks I'll follow his compulsion to contact him the instant I find anything," she laughed.
"Then… you… haven't actually told anyone where we are?" Elena asked haltingly, and Damon couldn't blame her. He didn't believe anything that came out of Katherine's mouth either.
"Nope." She lounged on a leather chair, one leg hooked over the arm. "I gave some thought to telling Stefan, but then again, I wasn't sure what I'd find when I got here. I'd hate to break his heart by showing him his girlfriend shacked up with his own brother."
"I'm not…" Elena pushed at Damon's arms that still encircled her, but he wouldn't budge. "Damon kidnapped me."
"Yeah, I can see you're just sick about it," Katherine smiled, her eyes glittering with malice. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
"Is there a point to you being here?" Damon asked, fast losing patience with her digs. Since she didn't seem to be turning them in, she had to have some other agenda.
"It seemed safer than staying in Mystic Falls," she shrugged. "And part of me wanted to see if I could do it. And you know what? It was pathetically easy to find you. You can bet if I did it so quickly, Klaus won't be far behind."
Damon's lip curled in anger, but he tamped it down, not wanting to give her any indication she was getting to him. "How did you find us?"
"Are you kidding me? You're so predictable Damon. If you really want to hide her you should go to some hole in the wall, no-tell motel without internet, without video surveillance and without valet service. It only took me two tries to find the right hotel, and it was easy as pie to find the staff you'd compelled into forgetting who was in the penthouse suite."
Some of the air went out of his sails. Was he really that predictable? Was he putting Elena in more danger? Or was Katherine messing with his mind again? Damon's hold on Elena loosened, and he took a step toward the bar before stopping himself. He needed to stay sharp in order to keep her safe. "Fine, we'll move on. Thanks for the heads up." He gave her a cold smile.
"Wait," Elena protested, coming out of her stunned silence. "If you really are that easy to track, I'm not so sure this is a good idea anymore."
"Then you did think it was a good idea before I got here?" Katherine smirked, pushing herself up to her feet. "Don't worry, sweetie, Damon's just about the best person on this planet to keep you safe," she smiled, eyes sweeping over his face. "He'll die before he lets anyone hurt you, count on that." With a confident sway of the hips, she strode to the hotel door that had started to swing open again. "Send me a postcard," she called out without a backwards glance.
Thoughts spinning dangerously out of control, Damon pulled it together, tugging Elena with him into the bedroom to throw some things into the duffel bags he'd brought them up in. "We'd better get moving."
Elena pulled her hand free, backing up towards the door. "No."
Turning away from the bags, he gave a long-suffering sigh. "Elena, don't do this. I can keep you safe, I promise."
"But Katherine…"
"Katherine had a good point. We should be staying under the radar, not above it. But Klaus doesn't know me the way she does. Just because she found us doesn't mean he'd even begin to know where to look." Of that he was confident.
"Where would we go?"
"I'll know it when I see it. For now, we can't hang around here, Katherine saw to that." His eyes flicked to the broken door. First order of business was to get her moving again. After that there were any number of directions to go, though he intended to remain true to his first instinct not to go too far.
"We don't exactly have a lot of time here." Damon held out his hand expectantly, willing her to believe him. To trust him, just this once.
Elena took a deep breath. "Alright. Let's go."
A/N: If you've read this before, I hope you enjoy the trip down memory lane. If you're new to the story, I hope you like it! Either way, let me know what you think about it!
*** Feedback is Love ***