Light in August


Author Note: I would like to thank you all for the feedback on chapter 1, especially confliction. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, let me know if you do or if you don't.


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This story continues from season 2 episode 22 "As i Lay Dying"


Copyright notice: The story and idea are my creation, all rights are reserved. The characters and general background story belong to their creator. For which they have my thanks.


Chapter 2 – The Deed

The scent of blood permeated the room, a sweet heavy scent that enveloped all things. Katherine lay on top of Elena on the bed with her head buried in Elena's neck; curled locks of hair splayed down her back and spilled onto Elena's chest. Katherine's fangs had pierced the skin of Elena's neck, and blood was flowing from the twin wounds.

Katherine was old, ancient even, but did not enjoy discussing it. It was too easy to remember. Hundreds of years of experiences aided by perfect recall; you could get trapped in memories, suffocated by nostalgia until you forgot the present and its necessities. It had happened, she had spent years simply remembering, feeding only incidentally, almost forgetting to keep hidden. Nevertheless, she delved into memories long laid aside, to search through corpses, wondering if she had ever tasted anything like this, like Elena. She had not, she was certain.

The blood flowing down her throat was ambrosia, the nectar of the gods. The sweetest and most nuanced blood she had ever consumed. One would think that all blood would taste the same, which was true, to the extent that all human beings are the same. But there was more to it; what sustained vampires was not the iron or the oxygen in the blood, it was the essence of life and soul attached to it; a magic that had never been fully understood, but that vampires devoured. This magic left an imprint on the blood giving an astute vampire a glimpse of its owner's nature. Elena's blood flowed into Katherine's veins, and as it did it felt a kinship with Katherine's own being and touched something within her, caressing something deeper and more primal than her mind. It was evident that their similarity went far below the surface.

Startled by these sensations and thoughts racing through her, she paused briefly and let out an involuntary moan. In the space of those few seconds of respite, blood pooled on Elena's neck and a stream ran down towards the bed. A single drop escaped and stained the sheet before Katherine was upon her again, licking the length of Elena's neck to catch the escaping blood and continuing her feeding with a renewed fervour.

Elena was whole. Before Katherine had started feeding on her she had been a shattered rock strewn along a beach and shaped by the waves of events. Her body was a manifestation of all the death, sorrow and fear that had consumed and usurped her life. The pain of her neck being pierced had strangely helped her. The act of willingly giving up her life's blood and completely surrendering, was incredibly freeing. 'This must be what it's like jumping from a building. You never want it to end, but you both long for and fear the ground, so you close your eyes and give yourself over to sensation.' Elena's thoughts cut off when Katherine paused for some seconds and shuddered on top of her. Glancing down, Elena could only make out Katherine's pale flesh, hidden by her hair and black bra. Elena wanted to touch her; to grab a lock of hair and curl it even more. She was given no time to act on or analyse this impulse. Katherine resumed her drinking, and sucked harder on the wounds; Elena's eyes rolled back into her head and all conscious thought disappeared for a long while.

Katherine's head swam with a heady feeling; she had never fed on anything as potent as Elena's blood. She had been drinking for what seemed like an eternity, as time had ceased to matter. The pervasive beating of Elena's heart had acquired a musical rhythm that spurred her on as she drank deeper. Still drinking; the music changed, the tempo altering as Elena's heart slowed. Katherine noticed Elena's faltering heartbeat and willed herself to stop. Her darker side wanted to drink fully until Elena was a beautiful bloodless corpse. 'No! Killing Elena would be killing a part of me,' fighting her instincts Katherine stopped drinking and pulled away. Straddling a near unconscious Elena and breathing hard, Katherine collapsed beside Elena on the bed with their legs tangled. Elena was still alive, and not too much worse off from the experience it seemed. Katherine let out a soft sigh, and smiled languidly at Elena.

Elena had surrendered; surrendered all. There was nothing left but the sensation of being taken; gently consumed and utterly devoured. Her blood continued to flow from her, and she imagined herself standing on the edge of an abyss. Both desiring and fearing the darkness that pulled her. As she began to succumb and start to melt into the void, becoming the darkness, she felt Katherine pull away from her, and settle her weight close on the bed.

Katherine got the impulse to kiss Elena, to let her taste her own blood that still coated Katherine's mouth. Thinking instead she must say something witty and malicious, but only coming up with,

'So, how was that for you?' Elena's eyes, still half closed, shifted towards her.

Elena started pulling herself out of the stupor of emotion and sensation and was almost fully conscious again when Katherine let out her jibe. Hearing her voice, so much thicker from the blood still coating her throat, Elena wanted nothing so much as to feel Katherine's mouth on her again, teeth scraping her skin, 'This could get dangerously addictive' she warned herself. Concentrating on moving her mouth Elena got out a defiant but somewhat inarticulate, 'Bite me.' Elena blamed the exsanguination. Katherine, however, broke out in peals of laughter that filled the small room with joy.

'She smiles so prettily,' Elena thought, 'She's so different when she's not killing people'. She let her head fall down on her pillow and let out a short laugh.

Katherine, still laughing said, 'If I knew you'd be funnier almost dead Elena I would have acted much sooner.' Katherine's laughter finally subsided into a chuckle that turned dark as she remembered the taste of Elena's blood. Sobered by the memories; she praised with a seldom seen sincerity, 'you taste wonderfully Elena, thank you.'

Surprised by the sudden change in atmosphere Elena merely nodded.

'Now, how do you want me my dear? I swear I'll obey' Katherine promised with a wicked grin.

'What are you-oh.'

Interrupting, Katherine said, 'yes. I believe we had a deal, and I always honour the ones I don't mind. So, unless you're backing out.'

'No!' Elena protested, still unsure but growing more excited as she watched the vampiress lying beside her, seeming utterly content from drinking her blood. Elena touched a hand to her neck feeling the fresh wounds; they had clotted and weren't bleeding anymore. Hesitating, Elena admitted, 'I don't have fangs.'

'Oh don't worry, I will give freely; you don't have to rip it from me.' Katherine demonstrated by drawing a sharp fingernail across her skin, parting the flesh and leaving a red thread. Licking the length of her arm the wound healed quickly.

'Doesn't that hurt?' Elena inquired.

'I had hoped i had shown you pain has many shades and nuances. In truth, all things are pain; you should strive to enjoy everything for what it is. Yes it hurts; it is a lovely pain—it is life. All moments are perfect within themselves.'

'Well, lay back and let me hurt you Katherine' Elena requested with a smile.

'As you will' Katherine responded. She lay down on her back, her hair spread around her head as a dark brown halo; she brandished her wrist offering it to Elena. Mimicking Katherine's earlier actions Elena straddled her. She took Katherine's hand with the still bloody finger and laid it on her neck above her jugular; 'Here'. The last time anyone had bitten Katherine's neck was when she was still human; still, she obliged, and cut a short deep cut that welled with blood.

With a hand sweeping her hair to one side Elena descended hesitantly on the wound; her eyes fixed on the blood that had begun to run down and drip, staining the pillow under Katherine's head. 'Damn, I got to do a wash' Elena thought, before her mouth filled with blood.

The blood was overwhelming; almost spilling before Elena remembered to swallow. The fast flow created urgency, and Elena matched her pace to it. She was drinking blood, and it tasted like blood, somewhat sweet, metallic and above all, pervasive. Underneath the simple smell was something else; something that heralded its power and expressed its desire; to consume and be consumed.

She had tasted of Stefan and Damon, almost always force fed near death. This was different. Katherine was giving willingly what Elena was eagerly accepting. The tempest of it overpowered her. Elena had felt lust before, with Stefan, Matt and, though she'd loathe admitting it, Damon. It seemed so insignificant now; everything did. Bloodlust swept over her and ruled her every thought and movement. She let the blood flow into her mouth; soon it was not enough, and she started to suck, drawing in more. Her body writhed on top of Katherine as Elena gloried in the blood; trying to satiate her blood thirst, growing frustrated when she was unable. Elena bit down on Katherine's neck. Her short canines enough to pierce the flesh and release more blood; eagerly devoured.

Katherine cried out in surprise and sweet pain, 'Elena! End it, or your mind will drown in blood, never to come back'

Katherine garnered no response; she gathered Elena's hair in her hand and jerked her off. Sitting them both up in the process; face to face.

Katherine's wounds began to heal, but her neck and shoulder was a mess of smeared blood. Elena's eyes were still fixed on the blood; she strained against Katherine's hold.

'Enough!' Katherine commanded, bringing Elena's eyes to her own.

Shocked, Elena's conscious mind emerged from the bloodlust; she relaxed into Katherine's lap. 'I'm ok; sorry I-the blood was so strong.' Elena apologized.

'Don't be, it was beautiful; though normal humans don't go into a bloodlust.'

'Normal would be boring. It's not me, not anymore,' Elena agreed.

'Whoever you are, you are covered in blood. You're going to make me hungry again.' Katherine warned.

They stood side by side in the bathroom, washing of the drying blood. Their reflections were almost identical, the fluorescent light of the bathroom left the blood an intense red and their skin a sharp white, lending an eerie taint to the already surreal night. Finally they were clean, and without a word returned to Elena's bedroom, turning of lights as they went, leaving them in a barely lit gloom. Elena collapsed on the bed. The blood had dried on the pillow and sheets; the smell of blood oddly comforting in its familiarity. Their eyes met on the way to the window, which revealed a faint light on the horizon.

'Sleep Elena, dawn is coming.' Katherine whispered.

Elena said nothing; with all that had happened Katherine still baffled her. 'What can I say in a situation like this?' Elena contemplated, as Katherine headed to the window, still open; a sign of her eternal defiance. Hesitating in front of it, 'Perhaps,' she paused, 'Perhaps—again?' the last word came out laden with promises, threats and sin.

Elena swallowed. Before she had time to think, regret or fear; she whispered, 'anytime.'

Katherine's eyes gleamed in the light of dawn. She smiled a small genuine smile, and was gone.

Before going to sleep Elena retrieved her journal, the keeper of all her secrets and desires; she opened to the current page. There, below the names of all the dead, but separated by the black inkblot, she wrote in her best cursive, Katherine.

In the glimmering light of dawn the fresh ink looked red, red like blood.


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