A/N – Ok I know a lot of you have been patiently awaiting a new chapter to Refusing to Run – but I am seriously encountering some major writers' block and I'm not even sure if I want to continue it or not. In the meantime, here's a quick one-shot that I haven't been able to get out of my head, because I just love it when Caroline and Damon go at it.
Twelve Rounds
Elena wasn't sure how it started, or who started it, though she was pretty sure if the blame was to be placed anywhere it would have to be placed on Damon. She could hear the commotion before she even stepped onto the porch of the Salvatore Boarding House, and as she stepped inside her eyes were met with pure carnage and destruction. Stealthily she dodged a flying vase that she was fairly certain was an antique, and entered her way further into the house. In the main room of the house she found shattered furniture, broken lamps and vases, priceless artwork torn to shreds. Quickly, Elena ducked behind the sofa that was no longer attached to its legs. From the corner of her eye she noticed the liquor cabinet had been toppled over and Damon's favorite bourbon had unceremoniously spilled onto Damon's precious Persian rug. Quietly she thought to herself that this could be a clue as to how this whole mess started.
"Get off of me Damon!" Caroline screamed as she pushed him off of her with all her strength causing Damon to his the mantle of the fireplace with a dull thud. Caroline quickly jumped to her feet and lunged for Damon, but Damon was too quick and managed to sidestep out of the way, causing Caroline to also hit the fireplace mantle with a slightly louder thud.
"Haha! Missed me! That's what you get Barbie!" Damon said as he bounced from foot to foot with his fists in the air, looking eerily similar to a boxer who just won a prize fight. Caroline growled as she grabbed one of the pokers for the fireplace and swung, hitting Damon square in the back of his head. Damon stumbled but didn't fall. Caroline prepared to swing again but Damon grabbed the poker in midair, tossing it and Caroline into a tall bookcase that shattered under the impact. Caroline didn't move for a few moments then quietly whimpered. Damon's face flashed a look of concern and he slowly stepped over one of the broken lamps to the small blonde crumpled on the floor.
"Hey Barbie, you alri-" Before Damon could finish his sentence, Caroline grabbed Damon's leg and pulled it out from under him, causing him to land on the floor on his back. Caroline didn't hesitate and pounced onto the still stunned Damon.
"Not cool, Barbie." Damon ground out through his teeth as he moved his head side to side trying to avoid Caroline's punches.
"Stop calling me that!" Caroline screamed as she tried to punch Damon and his perfect face. Damon grabbed her fists and squeezed, causing the bones in Caroline's hands to break, making her cry out in pain. With a little struggle she managed to free her hands from Damon's death grip. In a flash she was standing over him and managed to kick him in the ribs a couple times before retreating back to, what Elena could only surmise as Caroline's corner of the boxing ring.
Damon slowly stood up and grabbed a broken chair leg, snapping it in half over his thigh so that he had two crude wooden stakes. In a blur, Damon threw one, then the other at Caroline. Caroline caught the first and managed to duck out of the way of the second, causing it to stick out of the wall behind her.
"Seriously?" Caroline screeched as she threw one of the stakes right back at Damon. The stake grazed Damon's shoulder causing his shirt to rip.
"That's my favorite shirt!" Damon screamed.
"Looks like all of your favorite things are getting destroyed today," Caroline sneered. Damon cleared the span of the room in just a few long strides and lunged at Caroline. Caroline hunched over and lunged right back, causing Damon to fall a few steps back. Caroline kept pushing until Damon was pressed up against the wall. Damon roughly grabbed Caroline's hair and yanked, trying to pull her off of him. Caroline snarled and before she even realized it, her fangs were bared and she could taste Damon's blood ooze into her mouth.
"For fuck's sake!" Damon growled as he pulled harder on Caroline's hair until she was no longer biting down on him like a piece of steak. Damon quickly turned so that Caroline's back was to the wall and wrapped his hand around her throat and hoisted her up off the ground. Caroline grabbed hold of Damon's forearm and struggled to pull his hand off of her, but she could only feel his grip tighten, causing everything around her to slowly fade to black.
Elena had seen enough. Quickly she stood and grabbed one of the liquor cabinet's crystal tumblers. With just enough aim to get their attention, she threw the glass at Damon's head but missed. Damon with absolutely no grace, dropped Caroline back to the floor and turned.
"Elena…" Damon choked out. Elena crossed her arms and glared.
"That's enough, Damon." Damon's shoulders slumped in defeat. Slowly he turned to help Caroline up but instead was met with a hard copy of War and Peace to the head.
