a/n: I'm very pleased that most everyone seems excited with this idea. I really have no clue what S4 is going to hold for us, and as there are so many, many different possibilities the show could take I feel 'safe' pulling this one out. I don't think the writers would ever go this route, but I hope they do.
Anyways, on with the show.
p.s the lyrics that will appear at the top of every chapter may not reflect the chapter as a whole, but once the story in completed they will make sense. Of course, the song is 'find a way' by safteysuit and was a large part of the inspiration for this fic.
A LADIES CHOICE
Hold on, what's the rush? What's the rush we're not done are we?
Cause I don't need to change this atmosphere we've made, if
you can stay one more hour… Can you stay one more hour?
Elena let the breath she was holding out, sucking in fresh night air as she slid into the back seat of the car. Katherine took the wheel, her and Caroline's laugh filling her head and bringing a smile to her face. Her jaw felt like it may crack from the abnormal movement. Had it really been that long since she had smiled? Since she'd laughed like this? At first, getting her out of the house had been almost a hassle for her fellow vamps, but once they'd drug her into the club and got the first drink in her she'd loosened up enough to feel the atmosphere of the music and the sweaty dancers around her. They'd danced together, apart, with men they didn't even bother to learn the names of, but most of all they had lived. For the first time in too long. As she squirmed on the seat, tugging the red fabric of her dress down her legs as she'd been doing since the zipper was done up, she scooted forward and leaned between the front seats.
"Now what are we doing?"
Katherine laughed and threw a look at the clock on the radio. "It's a little after one…aren't you ready to go home?"
Elena shook her head, missing the shared conspiratory look between her two friends. "Not a chance, you got me out here; let's not waste the night."
Caroline gave a big yawn, surprisingly believable to someone that didn't realize she was faking it. "Well to be honest sweetie, the night is kinda over. We're into the morning you realize?"
Elena shot her friend a look. "Are you, Caroline Forbes actually telling me that you want to be the one that calls this whole thing off?"
"We can go out again tomorrow night." Katherine offered, gearing the car into drive. She'd always had a fondness for fast cars.
"Alright fine." Elena sat back to save herself from being thrown against the leather as her doppelganger took off out of the parking lot. "I just can't believe you are all so willing to bring me home now that you've gotten me out."
Caroline smiled at Katherine knowingly and twisted back in her seat to look at her best friend. "We both saw the look on your face when you were dancing. We have no fear of you turning back into a introverted hermit."
Elena grinned, the music still pounded in her chest and her head. Even she couldn't disagree how alive she felt. The craving for blood was definitely inside of her, and a few times she'd realized how easy it would be to overpower her dance partner, drag him into a dark corner and drain him…but she hadn't. And she hadn't been entirely sure she would be able to resist that until being put to the test. Both the pride from that and the new attitude her vampire nature was bringing out in her tugged her lips up a little more and she let her head fall back against the seat, her eyes focusing on the stars high above them. Even through the window and the glare from the headlights, her talented eyes could focus far and even make out a few constellations.
As Katherine and Caroline sang whatever top 40 songs came onto the radio, Elena merely listened, absorbing the night and all that had happened. They'd gotten her out, dressed and dolled up. Now that she thought about it, she barely wore eyeliner since getting out of the hospital. The familiar feeling of dread began to creep in on her, but she flipped the switch- which was really only like putting a lid on a box with a wild creature inside. Sooner or later, it would find its way back out. She did her best not to think about the look on Damon's face when he'd come into the cold, metallic sounding room to find her sitting up on the gurney, fighting to catch breath she didn't really need.
She'd looked between him and Stefan, shock keeping the three of them silent before he'd rushed to her, pulled her into his arms and simply held her for a few moments. Stefan had looked sullen, brooding and in quite a lot of pain. His choice to listen to her and save Matt had cost her the very humanity she'd told them both she craved, she needed. Now she was a vampire, or would be if she completed her transition. When Stefan finally did look up at her, he stayed silent and the only comfort she had was Damon's strong arm around her waist. She understood that Stefan was upset, depressed…but she needed someone strong. Someone that would wait until she was safe at home in bed before raging and throwing a fit. When Damon offered to take her home, she was only more than willing.
He'd sat on her bed patiently, waiting for her to cry her eyes out in the shower, wash the smell of river water out of her hair. He'd held her for a good few hours as she'd screamed and begged and ultimately lost a small piece of her mind, begging him to fix it, to let her go, asking him if she should complete the transition. There was time to make the choice, but not much. When the nausea and the first initial cravings of blood began to subside, she'd made him leave; for both their sakes, but she'd sat up and watched him walk out of her room long enough to see the pain in his eyes. It wasn't the same pain as Stefan's. This was different.
And she'd spent the last month thinking about just what that look had meant.
She wasn't human, she wasn't dead but she wasn't exactly a vampire either. Of course she had turned, completed her transition and then promptly, one by one she began shutting out every person that she thought she could harm. Aside from Caroline who had simply refused to leave her alone and immediately moved in, and Katherine answering Elena's unexpected shocker of a call, she'd created a perfect, protective empty bubble around herself. She'd honestly believed that it was easier this way. Keeping everyone away from her meant that she couldn't hurt them; or at least not as badly as she could if they were right in front of her. When Katherine pulled her car to a stop in front of the house, Elena shook herself out of the cold memory of her first night in limbo. Caroline stepped out of the car, her heel catching in the crack of the sidewalk so that she almost tripped.
Elena was at her side before her knee connected with the concrete, her hand firm around her elbow; a wicked smile on her lips. "I do admit, this speed is wonderful."
Katherine laughed and came around the side of the car to look down at them. "You gotta learn to hold your liquor."
Caroline snorted and righted herself. "Let's go inside. We can make popcorn and Katherine can tell us some more crazy stories."
Elena watched as Caroline threw a clumsy arm over the elder Petrova woman's shoulders, thinking more a moment how odd the dynamic of their group was. After all, it was Katherine that had turned Caroline. Not that a single person in this dysfunctional unit they all called a family made any sense. She took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. They'd driven from downtown where the city lights made it hard for one to see the stars, but now that they were back in her small neighborhood the sky was darker and the stars brighter. She'd been in that house for so long, she was afraid that if she went back inside she may talk herself into never coming back out. "I think I'm going to enjoy the fresh air a bit more. I'll be in soon."
Katherine looked at her with concerned eyes. "Are you sure? Blondie here could use a walk to shake off some of her alcohol haze. We can come with you."
Elena smiled at her mirror image and waved a hand. "Don't worry. I'm not sneaking off to go feed. I just want to go for a walk. It's been a long time since I've just…gone for a walk."
She almost laughed, thinking how funny it was that now that she was a vampire, she had more time for human things. Caroline had sobered up enough by now to understand what was going on. "She'll be fine."
"Alright." Katherine agreed a bit slowly. "If anything happens, just call us."
Elena moved forward, hugging them both. "It's like my own personal AA team." She laughed and Caroline looked confused.
"Alcoholics Anonyms." Katherine explained and helped Caroline into the house. "Be back soon." She called over her shoulder.
Elena watched till they were inside and the door was closed, then she turned down the street and started walking. The only sound around her was the clicking of her heels on the sidewalk, and then the low humming in her throat. She had no idea where she was going, and she didn't much care to find out until she arrived. Her head swam with memories, with ideals; same ones she'd been thinking about for weeks now, and occasionally a new one would pop into her head. It wasn't until she came face to face with a large oak door that she realized how far she had walked and just what she'd thrown herself into. There was no going back now, it was already too late. And besides, she missed him. Really missed him.
Damon stared down into his brandy, the warmth of the fire beating against his bare back. Ever since Katherine's visit this morning he'd been unable to think of anything but Elena. He'd done his damndest to try and shut her out of his life as quickly and easily as she'd shut him out of hers- but it just was not possible. If he slept, she was in his dreams. If he was awake, she plagued his thoughts. It was pathetic really, but couldn't be helped. He was so deep in thought that he hardly heard the knock at the door. She was banging by the time he broke out of his memories and looked up. With a growl he pushed off from the couch and stomped over to the sound, reefing the door open with something close to snarl on his face. And there she was, just standing there with a smile on her face, one hand raised in a fist as if she planned on banging away until someone answered.
"Hello Damon." She whispered, as if she were afraid he would disappear should she speak too loudly. "Long time no see."
He leant against the door, his arm up. "Long time no see? Really? That's your opening line?"
"Can I come in?" she spoke a little louder, her smile diminishing as she shuffled uncomfortably before him. "Please?"
He paused, looking her over. It had been a while since he'd actually gotten to look at her face to face and the red dress she'd been put into was a sight for sore eyes. It was half desire, half stupidity that had him stepping back and letting her in. "Make this quick, I was about to go to bed."
Elena hardly expected Damon to welcome her back with open arms, but still the hard edge to his voice made her heart hurt a little. She looked upward, as if she could see through the layers of the floor. "Did I interrupt something?"
"There is no one up there waiting for me if that's what you're asking."
"Oh." She wasn't sure what to say so she turned and slowly walked into the den, doing her best to avert her eyes from him. She could still picture every muscled line of his body when she closed her eyes, but imaging him and having him half naked in front of her were two different things. On the bright side she would have a little more to work with tonight when she was lying in bed thinking of him. "Can I sit?"
"Sure." He shrugged, doing his best to pretend like he didn't care. What did she want him to do, fall at her feet weeping? No, he'd done the sensitive beggar before when she was still human and that hadn't worked then. If she wanted tears and apologizes she could go find Stefan outside. "Want a drink?"
She shook her head and slid into her familiar spot on the couch, making sure to leave room for him. "No thank you. I try to stay away from that stuff. Caroline says it works great for cravings…but I'm trying to work on ignoring them my own way."
"And that would be?" he thought about sitting next to her, but perched on the arm of a chair instead.
She blushed and looked down. "I'd rather not say."
"Are you feeding on poor defenseless bunnies too?"
That made her glare at him. "No."
He smirked, taking a long swig on his brandy. "Ah, masturbating and blood bags then?"
Her blush deepened, but she didn't look away this time. "It isn't really any of your business, now is it?"
Damon shook his head, toasting her with his glass. "Not at all, you've made sure of that. I do see that you've made nearly everything Katherine's business. Did she dress you up like trampy Barbie doll, or was that Caroline?"
Elena felt a red flash of anger explode inside her and gripped the edge of the couch cushion tightly. She'd learned to handle her blood cravings well, but her new, high range of emotions had hardly gone through any training and throwing herself into a high tense situation with Damon was probably not the best choice. "Go to hell."
He let out a chuckle and drained the glass. "Meet you there baby."
His wink sent chills down her spine and she shivered in place. Why did it always look like he was undressing her whenever he looked at her? "Don't you even want to know why I came over here?"
"I'm all ears." He gestured for her to continue, putting an entirely interested look on his face.
She stammered, not sure how to say it without sounding like a complete idiot. "I…I guess…I just, well I missed you okay?"
"Okay." He shrugged and set the glass on the coffee table. "Now what?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well," he stood and walked over to her, sitting next to her a little closer then he needed to on the couch. "now that you're here and I'm here, what do we do?"
"I'm not going to bed with you."
He laughed outright then and shook his head. "Oh no, of course not. You'd rather go home and touch yourself, scream my name and wish I was there so much more than actually letting me touch you."
He slid his hand onto her knee, his devilsh smirk doing exactly what he wanted it to do. She felt her internal core energy heat up, yet she shivered beneath his touch. "Don't touch me."
She shoved his hand away and he only grinned, his hands up slightly in surrender. "I promise, from here on out to never touch you again until you ask for it. Better yet, until you beg me for it."
His smirk, his very essence had her leaning toward him. "Then you will be waiting a very long time."
"I don't have to touch you to turn you on Elena. You should know that better then anyone."
She watched with slightly wide eyes as his hand moved toward her, hovering an inch above her knee. Slowly, it traced a path up her thigh and over her hip. A breath of air was between his fingertips and the bare skin of her arm, but still he held back. She found her head falling back, welcoming his invisible touch to her neck and face. "I hate you." She whispered, opening her eyes to find him sitting back and staring at her.
"You can start begging anytime." He shrugged, acting nonchalant, but at the same time aching to brush her hair back from her face.
"I won't do it."
"Very well then." He moved even closer and reached out for her. "I'm calling a time out."
She didn't have time to speak before his hand fisted around her hair and drug her close. He didn't think he'd pulled hard enough for her to fall in his lap, which was why he was shocked when suddenly she was pushing him back into the cushions, straddling either side of his hips. The kiss was fast and hard, breath coming to both of them in short desperate gasps whenever their mouths broke contact. She clung to his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin, scratching down his chest and then suddenly, almost as quickly as it had began she was off him, off the couch and pressed against the wall a few feet from him. "I'm sorry Damon."
He let the wicked grin spread on his lips and slowly sat up, the scratch marks still red on him. "Don't apologize, I've been waiting to see that side of you again ever since that night at the hotel."
"It's crazy." She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "We're crazy. All of us, I mean…we're stuck in this crazy love triangle, and for what? Are we going to be like this for the rest of eternity now?"
"Elena." He sighed and stood, coming up to her. He kept a safe distance between them, the time out off for now. "I have an idea…if you're willing to hear it…"
She nodded, looking up at him finally when he lifted her chin with his finger tip. "How much more screwed up could this get?"
He laughed and stepped back slightly. "I'd like to take you out, on a date. Like a real date. You and me. No drama, no hunting, no worrying. Just a date."
Her eyes widened and she slowly took a second to realize that she'd never really been on an actual date with either Salvatore brother. Sure, Stefan had brought her flowers and they'd gone to the school fair, plus that one very bad double date with Caroline and Matt…but she'd certainly never gone out with Damon. The idea amused her and she found herself nodding. "Sure, I would…I would really like that."
"Good." He grinned and gestured toward the door. "I really think you should go though, before I call another time out and have you right here against the wall. After all, we do seem to be very good with walls."
She shivered at the tone of his voice and nodded, letting him lead her back into the hallway. "Good night Damon."
"Good night Elena." He stood there, just out of arms reach. When she'd turned and shut the door behind her he let out the breath he'd been holding. Now what the hell was he going to do?
Elena took a deep breath and let her back rest against the door. She'd very nearly relaxed enough to start the walk home when Stefan stepped out of the shadows. "Oh." She smiled and did her best to fix her hair, wondering if she looked ravished at all from the short stint she and Damon had on the couch. "Hi."
"Hello Elena." He stepped closer, keeping a respectable distance between them. "It's so nice to see you."
She stepped forward, not at all surprised at the brothers different reactions to her. "Damon hardly seemed pleased to see me."
"He's still angry for what you did. I understand though, you just needed your space."
"I did," she nodded and toyed with the hem of her dress. "I did need space, but now I'm just realizing how much of a mistake that was."
"You're forgiven." He held his arms out, and she stepped into them, comforted by his hug, but not nearly as excited by him as Damon's non touch. "I have a question for you…"
She pulled back and looked up at him. "I may have an answer."
"Would you be alright with us…trying again? I mean, we don't have to immediately go back to being together…but if you would like I would love to take you out on a date. We have eternity now, but that doesn't mean I want to waste any of it."
"So…you're asking me out?" she stumbled over the words, not believing the both Salvatore brothers had finally come to the same conclusion only moments apart.
"I am."
She hesitated, thinking of Damon inside. She'd promised him she'd go out with him…but not that it would be only him she dated. After all, who knew the number of women that had slipped in and out of his sheets in the last month. "Alright." She nodded and stepped out of Stefan's reach. "I would like that."
"Excellent." He grinned and held out his arm for her. "Would you like a ride home?"
"No," she shook her head and smiled politely. "I think fresh air would do me some good." She could already feel the nervous heat creeping up her neck. "We'll talk soon."
She stepped past him and down onto the driveway, promising herself that she wouldn't turn around and look back at him. Now what was she going to do?
a/n: alright everyone, what happens next is partly up to you. Who calls first? Who gets the first date? Any date ideas just yet? I apologize for the seemingly long chapter, but my updates are much more spaced out lately that I wanted to give you all a little more.
