It was nights like this, when rain poured mercilessly down on the ground and hammered out angry patterns on the roof, that Elena found herself unable to fall asleep.
The rain seemed to play a song as it fell, a secret concerto meant only for those who found themselves awake and alert this late in the night. The raindrops seemed to sing in her ear, alerting her senses and sometimes startling her with the occasional crash of thunder as they left her staring at the ceiling. She watched the lightning illuminate the room for the briefest of seconds before it disappeared and once again cast the room into darkness.
She'd lain there, awake, wrapped in Stefan's arms as he snored softly in her ear, lost in the realm of sleep.
Her eyes had drifted closed as she tried to shut off her mind, but something about the rainstorm continued to keep her awake. Countless thoughts seemed to bounce around in her head, taunting and teasing her as they prevented sleep from overtaking her senses. She'd lain there like that for close to half an hour before realizing the battle was hopeless, and surrendered to the fact that she was to remain awake. Slowly tossing back the covers, she slid out of the bed and quietly left Stefan's room.
The Salvatore mansion seemed so much bigger as it was cloaked in darkness that night. Elena unhurriedly and quietly headed down the hallway outside Stefan's room, observing the various artifacts and family heirlooms that adorned the walls with the little light that seeped through the windows. She wasn't quite sure what she was planning on doing, but something seemed to captivate her and guide her further down the hallway.
She admired the paintings and sculptures and statues that decorated the walls and tables throughout the house, wondering what story accompanied each one. Her breath came in shallow, silent breaths as she ran her fingertips along the various decorations, finding that even the sound of her breathing was too much of an intrusion to the beautiful silence of the house. She continued her journey through the house, peeking in to the various rooms that adorned the walls and finding most of them either empty or used for storage. That is, until she reached the final room in the hallway.
Damon's room.
Her breath hitched in her throat as she realized where her expedition had taken her, but still she found herself drawn closer, rather than pushed away. Silent footsteps padded closer to the doorway, and only when she found herself just inside the room did she hesitate, second guessing herself as a voice in the back of her mind told her she should turn around and crawl back into Stefan's bed.
Just then a crack of lightning filled the air and lit up the room, startling Elena as she jumped in surprise. And in the quick flash of light, she found that Damon wasn't asleep in his bed, where he should be, but rather sitting on the edge of it, glancing out the window as the raindrops drew patterns across the pane of glass. She held her breath and caught her lip between her teeth, watching him and wondering what he was doing.
"Do you like the rain too, Elena?"
A gasp of surprise leaves her lips as he addresses her, voice soft and quiet as it reached her ears. The rational part of her mind berates her, scolding her for letting her curiosity overtake her and lead her where she most certainly should not be. But even as worry fills her at the fact that he'd caught her watching him, Elena still feels herself unable to leave the doorway. Something draws her into the room, guiding her to take slow, cautious steps as she walks into Damon's bedroom and seats herself next to him.
She glanced at him with wary eyes, but his gaze remained fixed on the trees outside. Only the sound of the rainstorm occupies the space between them, its hum so hypnotizing that words aren't needed just yet. Elena's gaze travels to where Damon's is fixed, watching the trees sway in the wind as the rain pummels its way across the dark expanse of the earth below. To Elena, it looks as if the trees are bowing before the rain, welcoming it and worshipping it at it bathes their leaves in glorious moisture.
"There's something about a rainstorm in the middle of the night that just changes you." Damon's voice suddenly breaks the silence, and Elena can't help but think how he's demonstrating his own observation. He's so quiet and reserved now, so different from the cocky and arrogant persona he portrays during the day. It leaves Elena wondering which one is the "true" Damon.
"You're right," She finds herself agreeing with him, her voice as hushed as his as she brings her gaze to his face, admiring the chiseled line of his jaw in the dim moonlight. "It… calms you. Like time's stopped."
He chuckles and she finds a blush rising in her cheeks, suddenly embarrassed at the observation she now sees as ridiculous. Of course he would laugh at her for saying that! "And here I thought I was the only one who thought like that," he takes a breath and sighs deeply, gaze still lost out the window as he seems to think aloud, "this is the only way that time feels like it'll stand still instead of going on forever."
And she pauses, her embarrassment beginning to fade as she is once again surprised by his words. The remark is something she would expect from Stefan, and it surprises her to hear the thoughtful observation in Damon's voice instead. "Do you wish for that?" She finds herself asking, as the spell of the rain has erased the animosity between them, leaving them in thoughtful reflection together, "for time to… stop?"
"Sometimes I do," he answers, and she can sense that he's telling the truth, "it would make it a lot easier to forget certain memories." He's much more somber, serious, and it shows in the lack of sarcasm and wit in his response. It's strangely soothing to her, to be able to hold a civil conversation with the man she'd previously labeled as a stubborn, self-centered jackass. She just hoped this would last.
And even though she doesn't want to ruin this moment, she finds her curiosity winning out over her as she wonders why he's acting so different now. "What's wrong Damon? You're… different."
He smirks, though there is no mirth in the action. Another sigh leaves his lips as his eyes trace the rivulets of water on the window pane, following their paths along the glass and wondering where they would eventually lead. "Today would have been Katherine's birthday."
And Elena's eyes widen, sympathy flooding her as a gentle gasp passes her lips. It's strange, she thinks as she continues to watch him, to feel sympathy and compassion, and hell, even pity for Damon, when these emotions fit so much smoother around Stefan. And it's here that she realizes the two brothers are much more alike than she could have ever imagined.
"I'm sorry she isn't here for you." Her words are quiet and soft, and she finds that she actually means them as her hand wanders closer to him. It comes to rest atop his hand on the edge of the bed, and it only takes a second for him to acknowledge the gesture and squeeze her fingers in response. Elena finds herself sliding closer to him, suddenly feeling the need to embrace him. Unused to the action, he awkwardly returns the gesture, as if unsure what he's supposed to do.
When they part, he meets her gaze, his blue eyes uncharacteristically soft and vulnerable. "You should go." He tells her and she nods, pausing for just a second before rising from the bed.
Another crash of thunder and lightning fills the house as Elena heads back to Stefan's room, leaving Damon to follow her with only his gaze as he continues to think about Katherine.
-End-