Title: After Dark

Summary: Elena can't sleep and Damon is dying to find out why…

Rating: M, eventually

Disclaimer: I don't, in any way, profit from this story. All creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s) – no copyright infringement is intended.

Thank you to those who left me a review and added this story to their alerts, here is Chapter 2 – dedicated to you!


Content that she was soundly asleep, Damon made his way to the living room. He couldn't contain his curiosity anymore. He knew he was walking a dangerous road but he had to see for himself what was keeping her up at night. He peered through the living room doorway. The sight of Elena curled up on the couch blanketed with his leather jacket and smelling of his Bourbon stole all coherent thought from his mind.

My, my Miss. Gilbert, what have we here?

It wasn't until two weeks later that Elena found herself in the living room of the Boarding House in the early hours of the morning. This time was different from the others though. Stefan had gone hunting and she'd found herself alone in their bed, unable to sleep at all.

On the previous occasions she had gone to the living room, she had done so after awakening from a troubled sleep and hadn't allowed herself any time to consider the reasons why. Now, she was wide awake and all she could do was think. It wasn't that she was unhappy with Stefan and it wasn't like she didn't love him but there was a niggling feeling that kept permeating her subconscious to the point that she found herself becoming increasingly more unsettled. Yes, not unhappy… just unsettled.

The problem was, this feeling and the intensity of this feeling was straying more and more into her conscious thoughts. Otherwise, why would she have thought it a good idea to use Damon's jacket as a blanket?

She wandered aimlessly around the living room, trying to make sense of something that clearly didn't make sense. Yes, Damon was hot, yes, he liked her, yes, he would do anything in his power to protect her, yes, he was hot… She bit her lip at the repetition. Damn it Elena, get a grip – you love Stefan. Stefan is hot.

It hadn't helped that Damon had hypnotised himself a girlfriend. Andie something or other. Miss hot shot journalist with legs up to her armpits. And they clearly had some chemistry – they couldn't keep their hands off each other… or their other body parts.

Stefan said he thought Andie was good for Damon, that she was just what he needed – that behind the compulsion she actually did have some genuine feelings for him and he suspected that Damon felt for her to – on some basic level at least.

Bingo.

The thought that Damon could actually feel anything for someone other than her made her skin feel tight and her pulse quicken. She knew it was unfair, she wanted him to be happy – she was his friend and she was the one who had fought with him time and time again to hold on to whatever shred of humanity he could find… and he had. And it had led him to her. To her bed.

Late at night, she would hear their giggles echoing up the landing; hear her moans as he touched her – or did whatever to her… She was pretty sure he drank from her. She'd noted that recently, Andie accessorised all of her outfits with a designer scarf.

Her stomach clenched. This thinking about things wasn't all it was cracked up to be. In fact it was downright uncomfortable. And she was pretty sure unnecessary now she had figured it out. A touch of jealousy, that was it. Jealousy?

She couldn't be – not of Andie and especially not of Andie being with Damon. As that would mean… that would mean things she was not even going to even contemplate, not now and not ever.

No – now she knew what had been bugging her, she could deal with it. She would make an effort to get to know Andie better. But then that would mean spending more time in Damon's company. Change of plan, she would just avoid them altogether. In fact, she might suggest to Stefan that they sleep over at her house for a few nights instead of sleeping at the Boarding House, at least until her unsettled feelings levelled out again. See? Easy – problem solved.

She eyed the bottle of Bourbon from across the room. One last shot couldn't hurt could it? Just to get her through tonight. As she reached the table, she eyed the glass seated separately from the others, already filled with a measure of Bourbon; Damon's glass, accompanied by a note.

Sweet dreams, Elena

- D


Thank you again to all whose who reviewed and alerted this story – it's inspired me so much! All feedback is greatly received :)