Damon slammed the heavy wooden door of the boarding house closed behind them, shutting out the rough wind and stormy night. It was cold inside the boarding house. He hadn't bothered to light the fire today. He'd been on his way out to the grill to get drunk out of his mind after the stressful few days he'd had, taking care of everything on his own while Stefan was shagging Katherine in the tomb.
Oh brother, he thought. What an idiot you are. Who would want Katherine when there was Elena? Maybe Stefan he wasn't really going to get him out of there. He should have known better. There had been many times when Damon wanted to kill his brother. Many times he had wanted to see him suffer and has made him suffer, but Damon would never do anything to hurt Elena. He should have known he wasn't going to leave him there.
Damon turned round to go light the fire. Elena was freezing and sitting stiffly on one of the sofas. She was staring at her hands, but she didn't really seem to be home. The crying had stopped; she just looked exhausted and broken. Better get her warmed up.
As Damon lit the fire, Elena starred at her hands and tried not to see Stefan's guilt ridden face in them or Katherine's gleeful smile. She didn't know how she would sleep tonight; she just kept seeing the whole horrible thing over and over. She heard faraway clinking and looked up. The fire was lit and Damon was gone. It sounded like he was in the kitchen. A second later and he was kneeling down in front of her, his hand on her knee. He placed a warm mug in her hand and wrapped a blanket around her. Concern etched a new pattern on his face. He looked more handsome when he wasn't being smug, she thought and smile slightly at him.
He smiled tentatively back, some of the worry fell away from his face when she looked at him instead of through him, like with her hands.
"Drink this", he said gently, "it'll help with the shock and warm you up". He rubbed her arms trying to inject some warmth into them.
Elena shivered and took a sip of the warm milk Damon had heated for her. It was sweet, like he had put honey in it or something. He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Let's get you to bed, you're exhausted", he whispered.
Slowly Elena rose from the sofa, Damon held one of her arms incase she stumbled. They went upstairs and Damon picked the empty room beside Stefan's for her to sleep in. She flinched when she looked at Stefan's door and her eyes widened for a second, thinking he was taking her there. Elena never wanted to sleep in Stefan's room again.
In the next room, Elena sat down on the bed. Damon pulled her shoes off and nudged her down, pulling the covers over her.
"It's a bit cold in here because the room's unused, but you'll warm up soon under the covers. " He said. Damon smiled at her again kindly and left her alone with her pain in the darkness.
Try as she might, Elena could not sleep. Her eyes were tired; her body felt like dead weight but sleep would not come. How long had she been lying there? She did not know. It must have been a couple of hours at least. The ghostly moon glowed through the window brightly despite the black clouds that were being tossed frantically around it. There was a flash of lightning, which illuminated the world inside and out, giving the trees, the room, the furniture, a twisted, eerie appearance with the shadows they cast. A second later a roar of thunder pealed through the atmosphere. Elena's mind was racing along with her heart in the dark fusty old room.
She thought about Stefan and what he might be doing now. Was he upset? Was he weeping silently to himself in a dark corner of the tomb, listening to the same stormy night that she was listening to, wishing as badly as she was that he hadn't betrayed her? Or was he even thinking at all? Perhaps he was too busy doing other things right at that moment, like pushing Katherine up against the cave wall again. Kissing her lips. Running his fingers through her hair. Smelling her. Biting her. Pounding roughly into her as she moaned smugly in delight.
Elena sat up in the bed. He probably wasn't even sorry at all. Just sorry that he got caught. Especially the was that he did, with his pants around his ankles. Elena tugged at her own hair as her eyes prickled again, fresh tears threatening to fall. She was finished with Stefan. Even if he ever gets out of the tomb and wants to start again, she didn't. Elena would not forgive him this. Like her mum always said, give a second chance to a cheater and it's just a chance to cheat again. No. She would move on and get past this.
Damon was lying lazily like a lion on top of his own bed with his clothes still on. He couldn't be bothered doing anything this god awful night, including undressing. Nope, he would just lie there and drink and sleep like that with his clothes on. He thought about Elena. Poor Elena. There was nothing he could do to make her feel better, so he just left her to herself, gave her some privacy to work through it and maybe get some sleep.
Then he heard her. She had moved, she was sitting up in the bed. Still not sleeping. It was probably unrealistic to think that she would sleep tonight. Then he heard her feet on the floor boards, she quietly tiptoed out of her room. She kept walking and walking, past Stefan's room, past the bathroom, past the stair case. Damon groaned. She was coming to his room. She probably wanted a hug or something. Great, he thought, the dramas still not over tonight.
Damon loved Elena, he really did. He had told her not so long ago and made her forget. He knew she didn't love him, but he still wanted to help her. He would do anything for her, but right now he just wanted to sit by himself with his bourbon and his thoughts until sleep came.
Elena knocked tentatively at the door. She didn't want to be alone with her thoughts any longer and hoped he wouldn't mind. She knew always to expect the unexpected with Damon, but she didn't think he would turn her away right now.
"What." It was more of a statement than a question. He sounded annoyed.
Elena turned the handle slowly and peered around the door. He was dressed and lying on his four-poster bed on top of white sheets, white pillow and a burgundy blanket.
"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you", Elena murmured quietly. She hugged the blanket she had around her tighter, feeling the cold.
"You are."
Elena blanched slightly and dropped her gaze, embarrassed now. She'd never been in Damon's room before; she knew she shouldn't have gone looking for him in it.
"I- I'm sorry", she stammered.
Damon rolled his eyes and jumped off the bed. He was standing in front of in a flash, pulling the door open. He grabbed her wrist and guided her in.
"Come on in then. Your here now."
He closed the door and when he turned back she was still standing in front of him, all teary eyed. Elena took a small step forward, closing the distance between them and leaned against him. Damon let out an exasperated sigh and slowly but his arms around her.
"Alrite, alrite." He said in a tone of defeat.
They stood that way for some time, until Damon felt damp through his black shirt. She was crying silently again. She couldn't help it. Elena closed her eyes and cried into his shoulder. She felt Damon's hand at her chin. He tilted her face up to look at her and wiped away some of her tears.
His face was really close to Elena's. His earnest, blue eyes probed hers. "What am I going to do with you, huh?"
He continued to stroke her cheek softly. Before he his brain could catch up with what was happening, Elena's soft lips brushed against his. Damon froze. Elena didn't seem to notice; she simply closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his cheek. She didn't really know what she was doing, just that it felt good to be in Damon's arms.
"Elena..." Damon's voice sounded like a warning.
She looked up at him again and brushed her own hand across his cheek bone. He swallowed and his eyes widened. He wanted to move, push her away, and tell her it was wrong for her to use him like this, but he couldn't. He felt transfixed. Routed to the spot.
She blinked her teary doe eyes, hand still on his face, and moved closer again, touching his lips again with hers. Her kiss was sweet and gentle, chaste. It made Damon's dead heart flutter like a panicking butterfly, trapped and nervous, desperately trying to get free. He started to respond, he moved his own lips softly against hers. His hands on her arms brought her closer instead of pushing her away. Elena's other hand found its way to Damon's face, so she was gently caressing his face with both hands now as they kissed.
Damon abruptly broke away and turned his back to her. His senses and self-control had returned. She wouldn't be doing this to him, if she hadn't found Stefan with Katherine. He was tired of being second best. Always the consolation prize for Elena, the person who picked up the pieces when Stefan screwed up.
"Damon..." Elena whispered, pleadingly.
He slowly turned back towards her. When he did Elena could see shock and anger written on his face. His beautiful blue eyes flashed at her.
"Please Damon, don't..." Elena begged, trailing off.
"Don't." Damon repeated scathingly. "Don't? Don't what Elena?"
He was hurt she could see that. She had offended him.
"I- I- I'm sorry, I-"
"No. You don't, Elena." He said. "You have no idea how much I want you. You could have had me, but you chose Stefan. You said it would always be Stefan. So you don't get to use me to make yourself feel better about what he's done to you."
"I- I- " She started to cry again. Her hands flew to her face, trying to hide herself from him. She had thoroughly humiliated herself.
Damon's features softened. He felt bad now; he didn't mean to make her cry. Perhaps he'd been too harsh. He pulled her into his arms again. Elena started struggling and flailing her arms against him.
"No, Damon!" She cried. "Just leave me alone! Leave me alone, Damon!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Elena. Come on, don't be like that. I didn't mean to be a dick just now, its part of my DNA, I can't help it."
She stopped struggling and started sobbing against him again. She hadn't planned on kissing him when she had came to his bedroom, but it had felt nice and she wanted to do it again.
"I didn't mean to" she sobbed.
"I know, I know".
As she lay against his chest, Elena smoothed her hand over his muscles.
"Elena!"
"I'm sorry!" She shouted.
He pulled back, giving her an exasperated stare. What was she trying to do to him? He wanted to comfort her but she was taking it upon herself to torture him.
"Please, Damon..." she whispered.
Elena stepped towards him once more; her brown eyes were wide, pupils dilated, breathing shallow, heart rate speeding up.
Damon groaned. "Why are you doing this?"
"Please," she begged. "I'm sorry for hurting you, I care for you, Damon, I do. I just need you now. Just this once, please..."
She touched his face again; he could smell her breath, sweet from the drink he had made her earlier. He was tempted, he was sorely tempted. He had imagined before what it might be like to be intimate with Elena, but he never thought it would happen. He felt himself getting drawn back in. The way she looked at him now with such longing made him ache and his anger and reservations faded away.
