It was a wonderful kiss. Elena Gilbert was standing on her porch with Stefan Salvatore, her vampire boyfriend, their lips locked. Although she loved them, Stefan's kisses were gentle, and he always pulled away too quickly, for he was afraid of hurting her.
"Good night, Miss Gilbert," Stefan said jokingly, as he stepped away from her. Elena giggled.
"'Night, Mr. Salvatore," she replied, giving him one last peck on the lips before going inside. She waved at him as she shut the door. "I'll call you tonight. Love you!"
As Elena approached her room, she noticed Jeremy standing in the doorway of their bathroom. "Hey, Jer," she said absently as she took her ponytail holder out of her hair. He just stared at her for a moment. He had been much quieter lately, but happier.
"Hey Elena," he greeted. She smiled at him and continued brushing her hair.
"Do you need something?" Elena asked when she realized that Jeremy was still standing there, just staring at her.
"Oh, no!" he said, startled. She looked at him with a furrowed brow as he picked up his toothbrush. After a while, Elena let her fingers go through her hair, and carefully removed her Vervain necklace, placing it in the wooden box that Stefan had given her. She crawled into her bed and picked up her phone. She dialed Stefan's number, just like she had promised.
After a few rings on the other line, Elena heard someone answer. "Stefan's phone," he said. It wasn't Stefan's voice though. Elena smirked.
It was Damon.
"Where's Stefan?" she asked, laying her elbow on her pillow.
"It's nice to talk to you, too, Elena," he said, sarcasm flowing through his voice. She rolled her eyes playfully.
"Fine. I guess I'll just have to settle for you," she said, pretending to be upset.
"Poor Elena. So, how've you been now that we're Katherine free?" he asked. Elena sighed in relief just thinking about it. Katherine was Damon and Stefan's first love. She had arrived in Mystic falls about two months ago. Luckily, Stefan and Damon no longer wanted her, for she was ruthless. The trio had exposed Katherine to the sun without her Lapis Lazuli necklace, destroying her, using the greatest form of trickery.
"Wonderful!" she cried. Elena heard Damon laugh on the other end flirtatiously.
"Well, I must say, it's been amazing to have her gone. No one hurts you and gets away with it," Damon told her. He still had the tones of mockery in his voice but Elena could sense that he was being serious. Elena rolled her eyes, but decided not to push the whole "just friends" issue anymore than she already had.
"Well I'm thankful to have such protective vampires on my side." Elena heard Damon chuckle again on the other line. She had to admit, Damon's laugh was highly contagious. Within seconds, she was laughing also.
"Well, I'll go find my boring brother and tell him that you called."
"Alright. Thanks, Damon. I'll talk to you later."
"Can't wait," Damon said seductively. Elena giggled and hung up, shaking her head. She enjoyed talking to Damon; he was fun. He always helped her smile when she had spent a day being brooding.
He really is a great friend, Elena thought, but felt somewhat strange thinking that. He's nothing but a friend. But she soon found herself thinking about him, the possibility of Damon being more than a friend. She couldn't help but smiling.
Elena. Snap out of it! she told herself, and let her head fall into the pillows as she grunted in frustration. I love Stefan, right? She brushed off the thought and fell asleep.
Elena stepped through the woods, her dark hair falling carelessly over her shoulders. Her green sundress blew with the wind as she walked around. She could hear the crunching of leaves whenever her bare feet would take a step. As she kept walking, the trees disappeared and she was left in a clearing full of nothing but wildflowers and the muddy forest floor. It was very beautiful at night.
Suddenly, strong masculine arms were around her, holding her from behind. Elena turned her head to look at the person who was holding her, although she could already tell who it was. As she looked at him, she gasped. He was absolutely beautiful. The shock of seeing him never wore off.
For she was looking into the deep blue depths of Damon Salvatore's eyes.
"Gotcha!" he laughed into her ear, lifting her up a bit. She giggled as loud as she could.
"Damon," she whispered, turning around so that she could face him. He lifted his finger and began to trace the curve of her lips.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, concern now overpowering his voice.
"I go here sometimes to write in my journal," she said, looking around. Elena let her eyes trail down to her feet but soon lifted them back up when she noticed Damon was pulling her close. She let a smile come across her lips, which he was still tracing. "A better question is: What are you doing here?" she asked, happier now. Damon always did brighten her mood.
"Well, I can't get my food at a grocery store, now can I?" he asked, smiling, looking at Elena with an overpowering love.
"I never thought you'd be out for animals, though!" she explained, as Damon's free hand intertwined with hers. "You told me stuff like that was 'reserved for your idiot brother,'" she said, imitating Damon's voice.
"Yes, he is an idiot," Damon said, laughing. Elena smirked. "Don't worry. I was trying to get to a hospital."
"Robbing the blood bank again? How worried should I be?" Elena joked.
"Not very," he said silently, pressing his forehead against hers, their faces inches apart.
Before Elena could reply, his lips descended upon hers. He lifted her off of her feet and let his fingers tangle through her hair. She shuddered, and then the kiss burned throughout every inch of her body. She was extremely happy. Her every worry was washed away, like a seashell being dragged off and lost in the ocean during high tide.
Elena raised her hand so that it was on the side of Damon's face. She gently pulled away, in danger of passing out. She was breathing quickly as she put her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair.
"I love you," Elena panted, looking up at him. He seemed shocked at first. But his shock slowly turned into a look of pure astonishment. It was the most innocent look she had ever seen on him.
And then he cupped her face in his hands and whispered in her ear, "Elena Gilbert, I lo_"
Elena bolted up in her bed, running her fingers through her hair. She had just dreamed about Damon. Everything had seemed so real. She had to constantly remind herself that nothing happened. She was absolutely terrified.
Not only was she terrified for herself, but she was scared knowing that it was just a dream. What was going on with her? Elena quickly went into the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face, trying to wake herself up more. She spent the next ten minutes pacing around her room.
She had never had a dream like that. She couldn't get over how real it felt. She could remember the exact feel of his lips against hers.
Afraid to fall asleep again, Elena got dressed. She went over to her necklace box to prepare herself for the school day. But the Vervain necklace was not there. She didn't want to panic again, and decided just not to wear it. She didn't even know what it would feel like to wear something Stefan had given her right after her dream. She felt like she was cheating on him!
And now, her mind was going haywire. She wanted to see Damon. She still felt the same feelings that she had in her dream. She wanted to kiss him; she wanted to hear him say how much he loved her. She wanted him to hold her.
It was the strangest feeling. It felt like a forgotten memory, just popping out after many years. But she knew it was only a dream.
As Elena's school day began, she was feeling better. After sitting up for hours in her room, she convinced herself that everything was only a dream. She didn't know why she was so worried in the first place. She tried to stop the scene from replaying in her head.
"Elena?" Bonnie asked, removing Elena from her stray thoughts. "Are you alright?"
"What? Yes, I'm fine," Elena stated, sitting in her desk. "Just a little distracted."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Bonnie asked, examining Elena's face intently. Elena laughed.
"Bonnie, I'm fine. You're the one who seems tense." Elena touched Bonnie's shoulder softly.
"I don't know," Bonnie sighed. "I've just had a really bad feeling lately."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. I just feel darkness, I feel death," she replied, and then her eyes became distant. "I feel like death is coming."
Elena's eyes were full of worry. She took her hand off of Bonnie's shoulder when she was startled by the feel of someone wrapping their arm around her shoulder. Elena turned around quickly, to look at Stefan's face.
"'Morning Elena," he said. Elena felt a little uncomfortable. She didn't know why. "Morning Bonnie."
After Bonnie said a simple 'hello', Elena sat back down, Stefan behind her. She turned around so that she could face him.
"Damon told me you called," Stefan explained, as Elena grinned at him.
"Yes. Why didn't you pick up?" she asked, a little annoyed.
"I didn't think you hated talking to Damon that much," Stefan said, chuckling. "Sorry I put you through that." He put his hand through Elena's hair, letting it brush through to the bottom. He couldn't tell what Elena was thinking; she seemed very distant.
"I don't hate talking to Damon," Elena replied. Before she could say anything else, Alaric walked into the room and began the lesson.
That night, Damon stood in the woods. He looked around, examining the many trees. He could see Elena's house from where he was sitting. The light in her room was on. He headed there. He couldn't help himself.
Get her out of your head! he shouted to himself as he tried to stare through her window. She doesn't love you! Get over her!
Soon after Damon thought that, Elena was staring out her window, looking at him with eyes full of wonder. "What are you doing here?" she asked him, smiling.
"What can I say, Elena? I can't get enough of you." His voice was sly and he was flirting with his eyes.
"Really?" she said, trying to act annoyed. She wasn't succeeding. "Whatever. Can I talk to you for a second? I just finished my homework, so I have some time."
Within seconds, he was in her room, standing too close to her. Elena rolled her eyes and took a step back. "What?" he asked, smirking.
"Do you know if there's a clearing around here?" Damon suddenly examined Elena intently.
"Why?" he said to her, stepping closer.
"No reason. It's stupid," she replied, looking at her feet. Damon didn't say anything for a while. He just looked into her face. She took another step away from him. She could tell that Damon knew something.
"What?" he asked, but his tone no longer made this a question. Elena looked into his blue eyes, and tried to keep her cool.
"I had a dream," she answered, her voice slowly getting quieter as Damon stepped closer to her. She couldn't move; her back was against the wall. "I was in a clearing. It was somewhere in the woods. It seemed familiar. I just thought I'd ask you since you think you know about everything."
"Really? A clearing? In the woods?"
"Yes. You were there too," she replied, no longer wanting to hide anything.
"Oh," Damon said, a wave of expressions quickly spreading across his face. Elena recognized two of them: astonishment and excitement.
A gentle smile covered his face as he began walking away, his strides full of wisdom, grace, and happiness. "What aren't you telling me?" she asked, grabbing his wrist. She felt a sudden shock when she touched his skin. And then Elena's mind spun until she was no longer in reality.
-Beginning of Flashback-
Elena's hand was entwined with Damon's, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. She was smiling at him as she let her finger run along the outline of his neck. They were sitting in the clearing. It seemed to be their secret hideout.
"You should be terrified of me right now," he said to her, looking at the finger that was making patterns on the side of his throat.
"Oh, I am," she said softly, putting all of her concentration on her designs. "But nothing can change the way I feel about you."
"You don't care that I've killed people?"
"Of course I care, but you know I would never judge you like that." She let her finger trail down from the side of his neck to his collarbone.
"Would you mind telling me what you're doing?" he asked, looking at her jokingly. He pulled her onto his lap and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I was looking for bite marks. Shouldn't you still have the scar from Katherine's bite?"
He laughed, and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "You're hung up on the mythology of it all. No, I don't still have Katherine's bite mark after 144 years."
"You'll have to tell me about the reality later," she said, as she leaned in to kiss him. It was a tender kiss, full of love and appreciation. "Vampire or no vampire, you're still mine," she whispered against his lips. She was absolutely amazed at how simple things could be, even knowing Damon had this dark secret. But then, her mind was lost as it spun back into reality
-End of Flashback-
Elena gained awareness. She was standing back in her room now, extremely close to Damon, tracing patterns on the side of his neck. She must have been doing that subconsciously while lost in her fantasy. He gave her a wicked smirk, and she quickly stepped away, looking at him with eyes full of fear.
"What have you done to me?" she asked, shuddering.
"Hmm?"
"You know what I'm talking about! My dream- and whatever just happened; they're not just fantasies are they?" she demanded, extremely terrified of what was happening to her.
"I can't tell you. You'll know the truth soon, though. I promise you." He took his hand and just held her face for a while. And then, he was gone, leaving Elena alone in her bedroom, extremely confused.
One thing she was beginning to realize was that these mental scenes were more than simple fantasies. She seemed to be lost in some sort of vision when it happened last time.
She knew that they weren't going in any specific order, whatever they were. In her first one, she was talking to Damon about his vampire feeding habits, and most recently she was just learning about vampirism. What was going on with her?
A better question was: Why was Damon being so secretive?
