Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
A/N: Thanks to my beta, Poppy.
"I've forgiven you but that doesn't mean we're back to normal," Elena clarifies as they talk in her bedroom. She keeps her fingernails firmly dug into the palms of her hands but her voice remains perfectly cool and calm.
"You know I never meant to hurt you or Jeremy, right? You know it was just in the heat of the moment, right? Right, Elena?" Damon interrupts.
Elena stares at the wall. "Can we not talk about that," she mumbles. "You can't just expect to get lucky. You didn't even know he was wearing the ring. What would have happened if he wasn't wearing it?"
"No one expects to get lucky; that isn't what luck is. The most important thing is Jeremy's alive. In a hundred years, we'll look back at all this and laugh."
Elena's heart skips a beat as her blood goes cold. In a hundred years? She didn't feel very comfortable thinking about the day she would be have to Turn… if that day ever came. Of course it would have to come eventually, unless she wanted what Caroline said to be true.
"If it's worth anything, nothing like that will ever happen again. Not because of Katherine. I'm past that. You of all people should know that. I won't let her get to me. Not anymore," Damon says, feeling the tight strings of Katherine wrapped around his heart loosening.
Elena forces herself to nod, biting back tears. "Remember, trust is earned-"
"Not given," Damon finishes for her. "I'll go now, if you want." He stands up, tossing Elena's teddy bear back on the bed. He half waits for Elena to grab his hand and tell him to stay longer.
But she doesn't.
"Yeah, it's getting late. You look… tired," Elena finishes off lamely.
Damon smirks. "I'm dead. I'm not tired."
"Have you been… feeding properly?" she asks, feeling slightly odd discussing blood.
More smirking.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head about me, Miss Gilbert," he opens her window, poking one leg out. "I'll pop a couple bags when I get home. Nuke 'em a little. Gotta keep my strength up to fight the Wicked Bitch of the West," Damon says; his smile wider than a Cheshire cat's.
Elena pushes the rest of his body out the window, in a joking manner. He falls to the ground and lands on his feet expertly.
"Just like a cat, eh?" he calls out to her from the darkness downstairs. "How many lives do I have?"
"Four," Elena calls back. She hears laughter.
"You're not actually keeping count, are you?" Damon says with a mocking tone in his voice.
Oh yes, Elena nods eagerly. She doesn't respond but holds her breath from the point where she can no longer see Damon walking down the road and Stefan enters her room. It isn't very long but she exhales heavily, flinging her arms around him.
"How'd it go with Damon?" he asks, hugging her tightly.
Elena inhales Stefan's scent deeply. "He thinks we're friends again," Elena says in one short breath. "I'm not liking where this is going, Stefan. Isn't there another way?"
She feels Stefan squeeze her hand reassuringly but she doesn't feel comforted at all.
"The person you are trying to reach is not currently available. Please leave a message after the beep."
Beep.
"This is Elena. I was thinking maybe we could grab a bite… I'll stop by later…" Elena hangs up, feeling stupid.
"I brought lunch," Elena says, holding up a brown paper bag.
Damon takes the bag from her, setting it down on the table. "Why are you being so nice to me?" he asks skeptically. "I killed your brother," he adds bluntly.
Elena goes stiff. "I know but with Katherine and all, we can't exactly be mortal enemies." She unpacks Styrofoam boxes from the Grill onto the table. "It's just a burger," she says, handing him a container. "You can have my pickle if you want." She doesn't say much but Damon is impressed she got him something even if he doesn't need to eat.
"But you still hate me," Damon says, heading to the fridge. He grabs a bag of blood, Type AB Negative, and tosses it into the microwave.
Elena chews on the inside of her gum. "Hate is a really strong word." She finds Damon standing in front of her, very close.
"Some say there is a very thin line between hate and love. Or lust," Damon says grinning. "What do you think, Elena? Do you ever find yourself crossing that line?"
Elena squeezes her eye shut. He was going to kiss her. Oh God, no, Elena begs silently. She can feel him getting closer before…
Boom.
The blood bag inside the microwave explodes and they both hear the sound of splattering blood.
"Shit," Damon mutters, grabbing a few paper towels to go clean up the mess. "You owe me a rain check on that kiss, you know?" he says nonchalantly, wiping up the blood from the microwave.
Elena's jaw drops. "I do not!" she says, appalled. She finds herself getting pissed. "Stop being a douche," she manages to spit out.
"Kinda hard when I am one," he taunts. He tosses the bloody paper towels into the sink and heads to the fridge to get another blood bag.
This time he doesn't bother warming it up. He tears at one of the edges, spitting out the piece of plastic. Elena watches it fascination as he gulps down the blood. She sees the faint trace of darker veins near his eyes. She diverts her attention to her own lunch, trembling slightly.
She takes a seat, trying to avoid watching Damon rip open another blood bag. The fries are slightly soggy from the steam and heat but that doesn't stop Elena from shoveling them down her throat. She takes large bites of her burger to avoid talking with Damon. It isn't long before she chokes and it isn't a surprise either, considering the fact she's barely chewing her food.
Damon is there to whack her a few times on the back and Elena nods somewhat gratefully. He takes a seat opposite her and waits silently as Elena spits out half-chewed burger bits into a napkin.
"I just saved your life… again," Damon says triumphantly like a toddler who'd just been potty-trained.
Elena rolls her eyes. "I was fine." She pushes her fries around, thinking of something to say.
"I guess. If it weren't for me though, you could have seriously choked. Then I would've had to do the Heimlich Maneouver or even mouth-to-mouth," Damon says with a lewd smile. He takes his own burger and practically inhales it.
He finishes it under four minutes, tops, before getting up. He wipes his dirty fingers on the side of his jeans. "Let's get out of here," he offers.
Elena agrees, only because she needs Katherine to see her in public with Damon. At least that's what she tells herself.
A/N: Okay, Damon and Elena are getting a little too OOC for me. Don't worry, I'll have Damon rip open a few throats next chapter:) Actually, next chapter is some Katherine scenes. Stefan/Damon interaction… Lots of good stuff. So make sure YOU leave a review. Loved it, hated it. I love 'em all. I'm just a whore like that.