Unforeseen Consequences
DG32173
Sarah: here's chapter 3. I hope everyone continues to enjoy what I have in store. Starts in Elena's viewpoint. Beware of more viewpoints than just Damon's and Elena's, but just for this chapter. You'll have to wait to see it when it happens but I assure you, you're going to love it. One more thing: I know that the movie "Frozen" was only released last year and wasn't even thought about in 2009, but deal with it. I wanted something that Elena would talk Damon into taking her to only for him to swear he will never again let her choose what movie to watch at the cinema while Stefan, Caroline, and Bonnie are dumbstruck trying to figure out how she got him to watch it. By the way, I don't own the movie "Frozen".
CREDIT
The Mystical Gazette is a tabloids paper my beta, Cameron, and I came up with for Mystic Falls. Just thought I'd let you lovely readers know where it came from.
REVIEW REPLIES
YAZMIN V: yep, Damon is going to do everything in his power to make sure Elena becomes his while at the same time keeping Stefan at bay. And Stefan does feel betrayed but you're right in that he doesn't feel for Elena the way Damon does, though Damon doesn't know just yet that he is in love with Elena. And you're right that Elena does feel something strong for Damon. It was a mixture of those strong feelings for Damon, hormones, and seeing Damon topless that had culminated in their lovely times together.
vampgurl97: so glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Here's the next one.
damon-elena-delena: I'm glad you loved the last chapter. And no, Katherine hasn't made an appearance. I don't plan on having her appear in this fanfic as anything other than a reference and a picture. Here's the next chapter.
imarifirst: (chuckles) you'll see what happens when it happens. So glad you enjoyed the first chapter. As for your review to the second chapter, I'll admit I had a few giggles writing the scene where Bonnie admits that Damon is sexy. I'll do my best on future smut scenes. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you enjoyed the first two.
Damon'sBourbon1864: glad you enjoyed the second chapter as much as the first one. You're right, Damon will have Elena though she tries so hard to resist. I hope you continue to enjoy what I have in store for everyone.
dyalli: Yep, Damon's plan is working perfectly. Here's the next chapter.
kfulmer7: so glad you enjoyed last chapter. I hope you continue enjoying what I have in store for my lovely readers.
delena: I'm so glad you have enjoyed the story so far. Here's the update.
Leeginger: (blushes) you and PattyFleur87 are giving me such high praise and I swear I'm gonna have permanently crimson cheeks because of it! Here's the next chapter.
rcardinals4: so glad you have enjoyed the story so far. Here's the third chapter.
Gracy: here's the next chapter.
Chapter 3
It's Not a Date
I sigh as I stare in my closet, trying to choose the perfect outfit for today. I'm only dressed in a black lace-and-silk bra and matching panties and I'm sorting through my selection, trying to find something that is casual and welcoming but doesn't even whisper 'I'm on a date'. Damon's not due for another half hour. I've already had my shower and my hair is put up in a French braid down the middle of my back.
Suddenly an all-too-familiar masculine voice says from the doorway, "Loving the show, Elena. But hurry up, we're on a schedule."
I whirl around to glare at Damon. "Get out!" I scream.
He smirks, trailing his eyes over my front and quite obviously enjoying the view. "Go with the black off-shoulder blouse and the pair of skinny jeans your left hand is on," he suggests. "You won't need a jacket today. It's supposed to be unusually warm for this time of year."
I grab the first thing my hand lands on and throw it at him. My brush hits the door he had shut in the time it took for me to grab it. I hear his laughter echo back to me as he heads downstairs. I groan and look at the two articles of clothing he had named. I had half-expected that he'd suggest something that screams 'eye-candy' but he actually picked out just the kind of clothes I was trying to choose. I grab them and quickly slip them on. I then go to the bathroom to apply a light coat of silver eye shadow and strawberry-flavored lip gloss. When I return to my room I hesitate before adding a touch of the perfume he had once complimented to each wrist as well as a dab on either side of my neck.
I then shoulder my backpack and grab my purse before heading downstairs, where I find Damon chatting it up with Jenna as if he had done nothing wrong. I scowl at him when he trails his eyes over me again as I walk past him to grab the only remaining Poptart from the toaster. I eat it quickly before chasing it down with a glass of milk. 'Okay, let's go," I tell him.
"Right away, Miss Elena," he teases, pushing away from the counter he was leaning against. "See you later, Jenna," he says.
"Bye, Jenna," I tell her.
"See you two later," she calls as we make our way out of the house.
I make it to the bottom of the porch steps before I realize that Damon had put the top down on his convertible. I pause a moment to contemplate the situation but sigh, deciding that trying to figure out Damon's motives is impossible. Instead I finish crossing the distance between me and the passenger side of his convertible.
Damon
I smirk when Elena doesn't sense me coming up behind her. I scoop her up in my arms and immediately hear the sound of a camera snapping a picture. So that girl from The Mystical Gazette is back. The tabloid has had one of its star reporters following me around for a week now. Normally I manage to ditch her before she gets any pictures. But this is one time I want my picture in the tabloid, a picture of me and Elena that is. "Damon! What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demands.
"Just helping you in," I tell her, lifting her over the passenger door to gently deposit her in the front passenger seat of the Camaro. I tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear and hear another picture being taken.
"Show-off," Elena mutters as she fastens her seatbelt. I walk around the front of the Camaro to vault over the driver's door. "Why were you walking?" Elena demands. "I thought you were in a hurry."
I fasten my seatbelt with a smirk. "What if someone looked out their window and saw me moving quickly?" I ask. "It is the time of morning people in this neighborhood get moving."
She sighs, knowing I have a good point. I'm not going to tell her about the tabloid reporter that's been following me, not yet anyways. I start the engine and pull out of Elena's drive. I hear another engine start as I get a little ways down the road Elena lives on. I glance in my rearview mirror and am rewarded with the visage of a familiar maroon Ford F150. Definitely being followed. I focus on the face of the driver. Yep, tabloid girl. Ah, well, she won't get anything else because I can't very well get by with stealing a kiss in front of the whole damn student body of the high school. Elena would jam a stake in me for sure if I tried that.
When I turn into the high school parking lot, tabloid girl keeps driving because she knows damn well she won't be getting any other goodies. I also note that as I aim the Camaro towards a free parking spot, the grounds are getting quieter and quieter as people take note of who is in the passenger seat of my car. By the time I shut off my engine, it's dead quiet.
"They're all staring, aren't they," Elena asks softly.
I look around. "Well, there's one … oh, nope, his buddy just told him that you're in my car and he turned to stare. So yep, everyone's staring," I reply dryly.
She sighs. "Just my luck," she grouses. "Sometimes I wish I weren't so popular."
"Give it up, Elena. They'd be staring even if you were Average Jane Doe. You're in my car. That calls for staring," I tell her. Suddenly, two particular high school girls shake free of their paralysis and start making their way towards us, their all-too-obvious wrath causing those who are in their path to clear out of the way. "Your girlfriends are heading this way. I suggest you get out now or you're going to get it even worse. They're getting madder by the second."
Elena sighs and unbuckles her seat belt before opening the passenger door. "Thanks for the ride, Damon," she says, sounding tired. She climbs out and grabs her backpack and purse from the seat between us
"Anytime," I reply, starting the engine back up.
Elena
I shoulder my backpack and purse before turning to go face the Inquisition my girlfriends will put me through for this. Damon pulls out of the parking spot as soon as I'm up on the sidewalk. I sigh as Bonnie and Caroline stop in front of me in matching crossed-arm, spread legged poses with identical enraged expressions.
Damon
As I pull slowly out of the parking lot, I catch Stefan's gaze and flash him my wickedest smirk. If I didn't know just how impossible it is for a vampire to have a heart attack, I'd bet all my money on him having one in the next few seconds. He can see plain as day that Elena is still wearing the necklace he had given her to protect her from any vampire mind games I'd play with her. As soon as he sees my expression, his turns murderous. But he knows damn well there's nothing he can do. She had been wearing her necklace last night when she answered the door, after all. She had accepted this ride to school under her own free will, and he damn well knows it. I give him a mocking two-finger salute before picking up the pace of leaving the campus.
Elena
"Elena, what the hell are you thinking?" Caroline demands. "Was it Damon who … the other night?"
I sigh, deciding that honesty is best. "I told you, it was hormones," I tell her.
"Let me guess, the ride to school was also 'hormones'?" Bonnie grinds out.
"No," I tell her. "He showed up at my place last night while I was running errands after school and Jenna let him make dinner for us. Then we all watched Titanic, which he picked out."
"And what was the ride to school? A thank you?" Caroline demands.
"Look, Caroline, I know what he put you through. But I think he's trying to change. As in really trying to change," I tell her.
"Or maybe he's just trying to make you his next heartbreak," Caroline says. "Have you ever thought of that?"
"I told him that he's going to have to bust his ass to earn even friendship," I assure her. "He talked me into going to the movies with him after school as a start on that road. Hence the ride."
"Sounds more like a date to me," Bonnie says.
"A guy and a girl going to see a movie together, just the two of them?" Caroline asks rhetorically. "Sounds like a date to me."
I sigh. "It's not a date," I tell them.
"He wants you, Elena," Bonnie points out. "He's obsessed with you. He's a monster!"
I scowl. "And yet you were all for me hooking up with his brother," I point out cruelly. "Who, might I add, is just as obsessed with me. Stefan showed up last night as well but fled when he found out Damon was over. He wouldn't even tell me why he showed up in the first place."
"Ever think he might have wanted to ask you out only to find out you already had Damon in your house?" Caroline asks.
I snap at that. "Look, everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves," I tell them crossly. "If I didn't believe that so strongly, the three of us wouldn't be the friends we are, now would we?" Chagrin immediately takes over their expressions. They had both done some major things during the course of our friendship that would have made anyone else cut ties with them completely. "I gave you both more chances at redemption from the backstabbing you've both done to me than anyone else in the world would have. I'm giving Damon one chance at redemption. I warned him that if he screws up his one chance, he won't get another. If you two can stab me in the back countless times and still have me forgive you and give you a chance to redeem yourselves of it, then I think even Damon deserves one shot at redemption. I give you my word that he's going to have to bust his ass to prove to me that he deserves a chance at being my friend. But you should both know that I don't think Damon has any friends. I know I'd be a real bitch to be around if everyone around me, including my own family, took one look at me and decided I wasn't worth the effort of salvaging. That's the position Damon's in. No one believes he has good in him. So why should he try to show his good side when no one thinks he has one? I'm giving him the chance to prove to the whole damn world, including his own brother, that he actually has a good side, that he is worth the effort it would take to redeem him of the sins he's committed. If you two are too petty to allow me to try to redeem a man who hasn't had anyone on his side in Heaven only knows how long, then I'm going to wash my hands of you both because I am not friends with people who are that petty." With that, I turn on my heel and make my way towards the entrance to the school while they are frozen with matching dumbstruck expressions on their faces. I only get halfway to the school when I'm intercepted by Stefan. He opens his mouth but I don't give him a chance to speak. "Look, Stefan, I'm not in the mood to hear how Damon doesn't have a soul and how he's evil incarnate. I just got a similar story form my friends and I told them that if they are too petty to allow me to try to redeem a man who hasn't had anyone believe in him in Heaven only knows how long, then they couldn't be my friends because I am not friends with petty people who would let personal issues stand in the way of letting me try to redeem someone of their sins. Not even you believe in him anymore. He's your brother for Christ's sake. Family is the most important bond a person can have. No one should allow anyone or anything to get in the way of that bond. If you can't handle the thought of me trying to redeem your brother from his life of sin when you are too damn selfish to do so yourself, then you can pack your bags and get out of town tonight. If I'm not going to take that kind of pettiness from girls who have been my best friends since we were in diapers, I damn well won't listen to it from a guy who has only been in my life for a few months. Whatever claim you think you have on me doesn't exist in my mind. He's your brother, Stefan. Neither of you should have let Katherine get between you. Family comes first, before anything else. I'm not going to stand by and let you two use me as a reason to heighten a feud that shouldn't have started in the first place. Grow up and let me try to redeem your brother's ass from his life of sin that will undoubtedly send him straight to Hell otherwise. If you aren't going to be an adult about this, then you can leave town tonight. And if you think Damon's compelled me or something, I haven't taken this necklace off since you gave it to me, not even when I didn't know just how important the 'good luck herb' in it was. If you ever speak derogatively about him again in my hearing, I will ask Damon for a replacement and I'll return this to you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have classes to attend."
With that, I step around him and make my way inside. I'm feeling pretty damn righteous at the moment. It feels good to have a cause.
After last bell
I had successfully avoided Bonnie, Caroline, and Stefan all day, proving to them that I won't associate with them if they won't be supportive of my attempts to redeem Damon of his past. I make it to my locker without running into any of them. I rush to get the books I need for homework so I can get outside before any of them can corner me. I succeed in that much.
I'm halfway across the lawn between the school and the student parking lot, where I see Damon waiting for me by his car, when I realize that Caroline and Bonnie are closing in on me from my left and Stefan's zeroing in from my right. They're trying to catch me before I reach Damon. I mouth 'help' to Damon. He nods and jogs towards me while I pick up the pace from a walk to a trot.
I notice that the others are trying to pick up their pace but there are hordes of students between them and me while my path to Damon clears itself. Talk of my enraged speeches had spread like wildfire over the school day, the story getting more elaborate with each telling as rumor of my arrival to school in Damon's car spread with it. By last bell, I had people coming up to me asking if I really was engaged to Damon Salvatore and had forbidden my girlfriends from infancy as well as his brother from attending the wedding. That's how crazy small town rumor mills are. Running straight to Damon while avoiding Stefan, Caroline, and Bonnie is only going to throw another log on the fire. But, right now, I could care less.
Thanks to the help of the student body of Mystic Falls High, I make it to Damon without being intercepted by Stefan, Bonnie, or Caroline. He smirks at me and we walk to his car side-by-side as a cheer rises from the crowd. The cheer gets even louder when Damon insists on a repeat performance of this morning's act of getting me in the car. He trots around the front of the car to vault over the door into the driver's seat.
It's only when we're on the road to The Grill to hang out until time for our movie – which we picked out by way of text messages before I went to bed – that Damon speaks. "Mind telling me what that was all about?" he asks.
I sigh. "The combination of you dropping me off at school this morning followed by my verbally flaying Bonnie, Caroline, and Stefan has resulted in the rumor mill going into overdrive and resulting in us being engaged and those three forbidden to attend the wedding by last bell. My avoiding them all day and your stunt of lifting me over the door to put me in the seat did nothing to help the matter."
Damon chuckles. "Never thought I'd end up engaged without actually proposing," he teases.
"Funny, I thought you were married to your ego," I retort, though I'm smiling. "That's what I've been telling everyone who asked about the rumor."
He chuckles again. "So, what did those three do to earn your fury?" he asks, changing the subject.
"They were being petty, letting their grievances with you get in the way of letting me give you a chance to redeem yourself from all the horrible things you've done in your life," I reply. "I told them in no uncertain terms that I refuse to be friends with petty people and proceeded to avoid them the rest of the day to prove my point."
Damon
I open my mouth to make a wisecrack about her avoiding those three when I realize precisely what she said prior to that. I close my mouth without a word leaving it and frown. The rest of the ride to The Grill is made in silence as she lets me turn her words over in my head, trying to make sense of what she's saying. She has no notion as to just how black with sin I've let my soul become over the decades. But now she says she's giving me a chance to redeem myself from all that sin? This is a shocking new development and I'm not quite sure what to think about it.
When I pull into The Grill's parking lot, I decide that I'm going to just concentrate on winning Elena's trust and romancing her onto my arm and let the dice fall where they may. Pulling off a royal flush in hearts with Elena is going to be enough to tie up my attention. I smirk at Elena s we get out. "Up for a game of pool?" I ask when we meet at the front of the Camaro.
"Playing pool with a vampire?" she asks wryly. "You're going to kick my ass."
"We could always see if there's anyone else around and double up," I point out. "You and me against a couple of clueless townies. We're so going to win."
"And we'll get called cheaters because you're a 'natural' at it," she says.
"We're not going to hustle them, Elena," I tell her. "Just play for fun."
She sighs. "Okay, fine," she agrees. "Just don't pull off anything that a normal human can't do."
I chuckle. "I'll have you know I've been masquerading as a human pretty much since I was turned," I tell her as we head inside. I hold the door for her and she smiles gratefully at me as she steps inside. I follow after her. "I'd have been killed long ago if I hadn't kept up the charade."
We look around the bar and realize that we had arrived at one of those extraordinarily rare moments when there is no one but the staff in the building. "Looks like the two-on-two game isn't happening," she says softly.
"Nope," I agree. Then inspiration strikes in the form of a brilliant bet I could make with her. "But I'll make a bet with you."
She turns to me with a frown. "What sort of bet?" she asks cautiously.
"I bet that I can sink a pool ball before you can. I won't even have to use my vampire abilities. If I win the bet, I get to teach you how to double-up. If you win, I have to play the rest of the games we play until it's time to go to the theatre with only the abilities of the average pool-playing human," I tell her.
She frowns. "Double-up? As in two playing as one?" she asks dubiously.
"Yep," I tell her, popping the 'p'.
She gnaws at her lower lip as she debates the pros and cons of this bet in her head. "And anything goes excluding your vampire abilities in trying to sink a ball?" she asks.
I frown, wondering what game she's planning on doing. But I decide that this is my only chance at getting her to agree. "Anything goes excluding my vampire abilities," I reply.
She smirks and I know she's up to something. I just smirk right back. If all else fails, I'll just use my hand to pluck the ball into the hole. After all, even humans have hands. We make our way over to the pool tables and pick out our pool cues, carefully checking for the right weight and balance. Elena grabs a rack and we find our table. We fetch all the balls from the pockets and I set up the rack properly.
"I'll take the solid balls," she says.
"You like all your balls solid, Elena?" I ask cheekily.
"Too bad yours are striped," she teases.
I have to admit that throws me for a loop for a moment. Then I chuckle. "I like this fun Elena, you should bring her out more often," I tell her.
Stefan
Caroline, Bonnie, and I have finally tracked down Damon's car to The Grill. Just as we're walking inside, I hear Elena's voice from near the pool tables. "I haven't had this much fun since my parents died. Thanks, Damon," she says.
The girls hear that perfectly well considering the three of us as well as Damon and Elena are the only people here who aren't part of the staff. We exchange matching expressions of shock before turning our collective attention to getting a booth near the pool tables to watch what they do on what is supposedly not a date.
Caroline
My mind was instantly fried upon hearing those two sentences fall from Elena's lips. Seriously! What is wrong with her? That's Damon Salvatore, evil incarnate!
Bonnie
Rage fills me up upon hearing those two sentences from Elena. Grams had told me last night that Fate had mingled Damon and Elena's paths for a reason the night she gave her virginity to him. But this is absurd! After everything he's done to Caroline and this town, I'm supposed to just let him turn his evil attentions to Elena? Forget it!
Elena
I smirk at Damon. "Okay, who's breaking?" I ask.
"I was raised to be a gentleman," he replies. "Some of my manners may have slipped away over the years, but I still say ladies first. So after you, Elena."
I turn my attention to the pool table and bend over to get the perfect shot. I used to be a damn good pool player before my parents died. Right as I make to strike the white ball with my cue, Damon 'accidentally' bumps into me and my shot goes awry. The white ball hits the seven but the rack barely breaks. I scowl at him. "Anything goes, remember?" he points out.
'So that's how you're going to play, huh?' I think. I smirk and make sure to keep on the opposite side of the pool table from him so that when he bends to shoot, I can lean forward on my elbows and give him a glimpse down my blouse. That's enough to give him a lapse in concentration and his shot goes wild, hitting the edge of the white ball rather than the center. The white ball spins off wildly. He frowns at me and I just smile innocently. "Anything goes, remember?" I mimic him.
He chuckles and motions for me to make my play.
Stefan
'What the hell is going on here?' I think. This isn't a date, Elena said, but it sure looks like one.
Caroline
Okay, I'll admit it; using a view down her shirt to distract Damon from his shot was a little devious on Elena's part. But this isn't supposed to be a date!
Bonnie
I'm so tempted to make Damon spontaneously combust into flames, but Grams had warned me not to meddle in Fate's plans for them. She said a witch is a balance of nature but not one that interferes with the Tapestry of Time woven by Fate. Doesn't mean I have to like that the threads for Elena and Damon are intertwined right now. I just pray that they will separate soon. This is sure looking like a date.
Damon
It's safe to say that war has been declared between Elena and me in this bet. As we each try to sink one of our own balls, the other's methods of distraction become more heated. Before long I've unbuttoned several buttons on my shirt and Elena's pulled her blouse pretty damn low in the front, indecently so to be honest. While we are each quite distracted by the other, we still make valiant attempts to stay focused on the game. In the end, though, I just pick up the ten-ball and plunk it in a hole. Elena gasps in outrage. "What? Everyone has hands, last time I checked," I tell her cheekily. Though we have been focused primarily on each other, I have noted that the bar has steadily been filling during our game. It wouldn't do for a human to overhear any comments that would make them suspicious about me not being human. "We did agree that anything goes save for my special abilities."
She shakes her head. "I wish I had thought of that," she admits. She sighs. "All right, a bet's a bet. You won."
I chuckle, take her cue and put it up.
Stefan
It's grown rather crowded during Damon and Elena's competition so even I'm having trouble making out everything they're saying. When Damon places Elena's cue on the rack, I think that means they're done. But he keeps his cue as he returns to her. What follows that has my eyes widening in horror.
Caroline
Okay, I don't like that Damon's returning to Elena with just his cue. This can't be good. This really can't be good. She said this wasn't a date!
Bonnie
I feel my heart nearly stop when I realize why Damon's kept just his cue. What the hell is going on here? Elena was vehement in her denial of this being a date but it sure is turning into one!
Matt
As I walk into The Grill to start my shift, I happen to glance towards the pool tables. What I see has me stopping in my tracks as I watch one of my worst nightmares come true. It had been bad enough that Elena had broken up with me. It was worse when she seemed to become interested in Stefan almost from Day One. But now she's doing this with Damon? That's downright nightmarish. But I can't really stand here watching them. I have to clock in and get to work. The bills won't pay themselves, after all.
Elena
I allow Damon to come up behind me and place his hands over mine while my hands are gripping his pool cue. "Follow my lead," he whispers in my ear. I nod and he shows me how two people play pool as one.
And it's actually quite fun as Damon skillfully guides me into sinking one ball after another. As we lean down together to shoot the eight ball into the right corner pocket, Damon places a swift kiss on my cheeks. I turn and glare at him. "If my hands were free, I'd slap you for that," I tell him.
"Good thing they aren't," he retorts as he guides me into shooting the eight ball into its designated pocket while neither of us are looking right at the table. "Let's play another game. Full rack, double-up."
At that point his watch beeps to alert us that we need to get to the theatre for our movie. "Another time," I tell him. "We have a movie to get to."
He pulls away and bows his submission. "We did plan this night specifically for the movie," he concedes. "The pool game was just a bonus."
"True," I agree.
Damon puts the pool cue and the rack up and returns to my side. "Let's get going," he says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders to guide me to the door.
"Who said you could do that?" I ask.
"Do what?" he asks innocently.
"Wrap your arm around my shoulders," I reply.
"You didn't shrug me off," he points out.
"Because you're stubborn and wouldn't have removed your arm," I tell him as we step outside. He chuckles and guides me to his car. As he moves to lift me in his arms, I smack him. "I am perfectly capable of getting into your car on my own," I say, opening the door.
"Maybe I just like holding you," he teases.
"Dream on," I tell him.
He just chuckles and walks around the front of the car to climb in the driver's seat. When we get on the road, Damon glances in the rearview mirror. "Don't look now, but I think we have company," he says.
I glance in the side mirror and see an all-too-familiar white Prius. I can just make out two figures in front and one in the middle of the back seat in the twilight. I sigh. "Do you know how long they've been with us?" I ask.
"No clue. I was a little distracted by a certain brunette who is quite the tease when she wants to win a bet," he replies.
"Don't act like I was the only one doing that," I tell him.
"Never said you were," he points out, turning into the theatre's parking lot. I cast a surreptitious glance back and see the white Prius turn into the parking lot as Damon finds a parking spot. "They're still with us," he says.
"I can see that," I tell him as he pulls into a parking spot. We get out and meet at the front of the Camaro. There's no sense locking up when the roof is down. "Well, they're probably going to wonder if we've lost our minds to be watching our movie."
"If they even watch it, that is," he replies, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and leading me toward the ticket booth. "I think they're more interested in watching us than watching a movie."
I sigh. "True," I admit.
We arrive at the ticket booth. "Two for 'Frozen'," Damon requests.
The transaction is quickly made and we're told our movie will be shown in theatre six. We then head inside where Damon insists on getting us a huge tub of popcorn with extra butter to share and two large drinks. We both get fruit punch Hi-C. Damon takes the drinks while I take the popcorn and we make our way to theatre six. We make our way down to a pair of seats in the middle of the left section of seats, halfway between the doors leading to the rest of the cinema and the big screen.
Stefan
Caroline, Bonnie, and I make our way to the ticket booth. "Three for the movie those two are watching," I request.
"Three for 'Frozen'," the attendant says, getting the tickets ready. Caroline, Bonnie, and I exchange matching looks of shock. How did Elena talk Damon into taking her to a Disney movie? Before we can think too hard on it, the attendant tells us how much our tickets will cost. The girls insist on pitching in for their tickets. "The movie will be shown in theatre six," the attendant says.
We stop by the concession stand to each get a drink and a small bag of popcorn. I have a feeling things aren't going to go smoothly for much longer.
Damon
It takes a few minutes before I hear the three stooges trying to sneak into the theatre. I lean over and whisper in Elena's ear, "We have company."
She sighs. She opens her mouth to answer but that's when the lights dim to signal that the movie is about to start. She closes her mouth again and we proceed to watch the Mickey Mouse cartoon that precedes the movie, "Get a Horse". I find it to be a little amusing but I'm quite ready for the movie by the time it's over. When the movie starts, I soon realize that this is either going to be torture or hilarious. As the movie progresses, I realize that I was wrong: it's a little of both. Granted, the adult humor in the movie is hilarious but there is way too much singing and dancing and most of the songs are actually completely tasteless.
Stefan
Okay, what the hell did Elena do to get Damon to agree to take her to this kind of movie? I wouldn't mind it but Damon would consider this to be torture to watch because of all the music. But rather than watching the movie, I watch Damon and Elena with raging jealousy as they exchange soft commentary to each other over the scenes while sharing that tub of popcorn. Every time their hands 'accidentally' brush each other's as they reach for a handful of popcorn, Elena gives Damon a look that should be annoyed but the effect is ruined by the smile tugging at her lips. Damon just smirks at her.
Caroline
Damon never took me to the movies! All he wanted from me was sex and … I can't really remember what the other thing he wanted from me was, but I know it wasn't good. And why is a tough guy like Damon sitting through a movie like this? What is it he feels for Elena? More importantly, what does Elena feel for him?
Bonnie
Okay, I'll admit it. My attention got distracted from Damon and Elena at the first signs that 'Frozen' portrays someone with magical powers. True, ice and snow isn't really my thing, but I might be able to learn something from the trials Elsa is put through. So I confess that I paid more attention to the movie than to the two my attention should have been fixed on.
Elena
As the closing credits flash across the screen, I grab Damon's wrist as he goes to get up. He glances at me and I nod in the direction of where our three followers are seated. He smirks and settles back down. We're going to wait for the credits to finish rolling and the theatre to clear before leaving so that we can catch Stefan, Caroline, and Bonnie in their seats. They're not going to be able to easily explain why they are here.
Damon leans closer to whisper in my ear. "I am never letting you pick the movie again."
I chuckle. "Admit it; you got a laugh out of the adult humor. Particularly when Olaf rammed into an icicle and said 'Look! I got impaled!'" I retort softly.
He shakes his head, an amused smirk on his lips. "Well, that scene was pretty funny," he admits quietly. "You are still never picking the movie again."
"Okay, credits are over, let's get going," I say. We stand up and make our way out of our row of seats. We make it up to the end of the row of seats where our followers were before they do. They all immediately gain chagrined expressions to see Damon and me standing there. "Enjoy the movie?" I ask.
"Yes," Stefan says quickly.
"It was very good," Caroline agrees hastily.
Bonnie refuses to meet my eyes. I shrug. "Well, what did you think about Christoff? He made a good prince for Anna, don't you think?" I ask.
"Yeah, the song between them was good," Stefan replies.
"I loved his horse," Caroline pipes up.
I shake my head. "Christoff didn't sing any songs with Anna," I point out. Stefan and Caroline immediately find their shoelaces incredibly fascinating. Bonnie still won't meet my eyes. "He wasn't a prince. And he didn't have a horse. He had a reindeer, which was named Sven. Care to explain what you three are doing here if you didn't watch the movie?"
The three of them exchange nervous looks with each other. "I say they were spying on us," Damon speaks up. All three of them wince. "Looks like I'm right."
"Spying is rude," I tell them crossly. "It's invasive and unbecoming. I wouldn't have thought you three would stoop so low." Three guilty expressions appear right before three sets of eyes lower to examine their shoelaces. I sigh and turn to Damon. "Let's go, Damon," I tell him.
He smirks and nods. We turn and make our way out of the cinema, throwing away our empty cups and popcorn tub at the first trashcan we pass. We make our way outside and I roll my eyes when Damon uses his vampire speed to scoop me in his arms before I can stop him. He smirks at me, clutching me close to his chest briefly. I frown at him, crossing my arms. He chuckles and gentle deposits me into the passenger seat of his Camaro.
When Damon pulls the Camaro onto the road, he doesn't turn in the direction of my house. "Where are we going?" I ask tersely.
"I figured we'd top off this friendly evening together with a game of strip poker at the boarding house," he replies.
"I don't recall being asked if I wanted to play," I say tightly.
"Make you another bet," he tells me.
"And what kind of bet would make me willing to play strip poker with you?" I ask, turning a raised eyebrow at him.
He flashes me a smirk. "I bet I can get you completely stripped while I still have something on. If I win, you have to do what I say for the evening."
"And if I get you stripped first?" I ask, licking my lips thoughtfully.
"I have to do what you say for the evening," he replies.
I purse my lips thoughtfully. "Throw in unlimited access to your alcohol stash throughout the game and I'm sure I can handle this," I tell him.
"Elena, darling, indulging in alcohol is the only good way to play strip poker," he chuckles.
I sigh. "Fine, we've got our bet," I tell him, "on one condition."
"And what condition would that be?" he asks, smirking.
"My necklace doesn't count as clothing," I say sternly.
His smirk disappears. "I wouldn't ask you to remove your vervaine necklace," he replies, more serious than I have ever seen him. Then the moment of seriousness is gone. "Unless I was replacing that hideous piece of junk with something much more appropriate to your beauty," he adds wryly.
I roll my eyes. Damon Salvatore is completely incapable of being serious for more than ten second intervals, I swear it. And I feel the need to point that out. "Damon Salvatore, you are completely incapable of being serious for more than ten second intervals at a time, aren't you?" I ask. When he doesn't answer, I turn to look at him. I have never seen a look quite like the one in his eyes right now but I know that whatever he is thinking about that is causing that look sends chills down my spine. "Damon?" I ask, instinctively reaching my left hand out to pry his right hand from the wheel. He lets me, even letting me lace our fingers together. "Did I say something wrong?" I ask softly.
"I can be serious when there's a need for it," he says softly. "I'd rather see the humorous side of the situation when I can. Otherwise I'd end up just as broody and boring as Stefan." He squeezes my hand gently and flashes a smirk at me. "Tell anyone about this and you're going to regret it."
I nod my understanding and he turns his eyes back to the road. We keep our hands laced together between us until he has to free his hand to work with the clutch so he can pull into the driveway to the boarding house. We're three-quarters of the way down the driveway when Damon suddenly slows down. "What?" I ask, looking at him.
"Tabloids," he grouses. "I didn't think they'd actually try to stake out the boarding house."
I grimace. Then I realize what he's saying. "Wait, how long have you been followed by them?" I ask.
"Too long," he replies.
I smack him. "And yet you pulled off all those shenanigans today?" I snap.
"Don't know what you're talking about," he teases.
That's when we break into the clearing surrounding the boarding house. I immediately recognize the maroon Ford F150. "Huh," I muse.
"Recognize it, do you?" he asks, parking in his usual spot in the driveway.
"That truck belongs to Amy Spice, one of the full-time employees at The Grill," I reply as he turns off the engine. We climb out and I realize that the cab of Amy's truck is empty.
"Looks like your friend knows how to pick a lock," Damon says, nodding towards the front door, which is propped open.
I grimace. "She's the one who taught me the proper technique," I admit. "She never told me where she learned the skill."
We make our way inside to find Amy examining an old, leather bound book in the foyer. "You know, this is called breaking and entering," Damon calls to her, causing her to drop the book. "But then, I doubt you had expected anyone to come back so soon. It would be so easy to give my friend the sheriff a call and report this."
"No, no, that won't be necessary," Amy protests, grabbing her camera. "I was just leaving."
Damon cuts off her escape path and captures her eyes and mind with his own. "Let me see your camera," he compels. She obediently passes her camera over. "You will stand there and stay quiet while I make sure there are no pictures on it that shouldn't be," he further compels. He then turns his attention to the pictures on her camera. After only a few minutes, though, he starts deleting picture after picture, apparently ones taken here in the boarding house. When he's done he turns his attention back to Amy. "You will leave my property and have no recollection of coming here or of anything you saw in the boarding house. And you will never come back here," he compels. "Now, take your camera and go." Amy takes her camera and obediently walks out the door. I sigh. Damon arches an eyebrow at me. "It was either compel her or kill her, Elena," he says dryly. "She had some pretty incriminating evidence that Stefan and I aren't human on her camera. I can't let what she found become public knowledge."
I shake my head. "We came here to play cards and drink," I tell him.
Damon
"So we did," I reply with a grin. I motion to the seating arrangement near the fireplace. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll go find a deck of cards." I flash upstairs to the hall closet where the games and decks of cards are kept. I grab the first pack of regular cards my hand touches before closing the closet door and vamping back downstairs. I lightly toss the pack to Elena, who's seated on the couch opposite the one Stefan had claimed as his own. She catches it while I make my way over to the alcohol cabinet to select a couple of high quality bottles of bourbon as well as a couple of whiskey glasses. I carry my selection back to the coffee table between the two couches. "Allow me to set the mood and then we can play," I tell her with a chuckle. I ignore her frown as I go to build a fire in the hearth. The logs catch with the first match, as always. I then go turn off the overhead lighting to leave the foyer bathed in firelight. Finally, I take a seat across from Elena on Stefan's couch. "You can deal the first hand," I tell her, leaning forward to fill both our glasses from the first bottle of bourbon. I nudge her glass closer to her while picking mine up for a swallow.
"Five card draw okay?" she asks, pulling the deck out of the box and sorting out the jokers. She begins shuffling the cards quickly and easily.
"Sure," I agree. I watch closely as she shuffles then cuts the deck before dealing each of us five cards. I swipe my hand up and examine what I was dealt. I take a sip of my bourbon. I've got the sixes of hearts, spades, and diamonds as well as the two of hearts and the three of clubs. I decide to cash in the two of hearts for another card and am well-rewarded with the six of spades. I glance at Elena. "Cashing anything in?" I ask.
She has a small smile on her lips. "I like what I was dealt," she replies.
"Show your hand then," I say smugly. "Four of a kind," I say, showing my hand.
"That's good," she admits. Her eyes twinkle in the firelight. "But mine's better: royal flush in hearts," she says, lowering her hand for me to see.
I'll admit it, my jaw drops at that. "Okay, how on earth did you get such a good hand on first draw without stacking the deck?" I demand, placing my cards on the table and shrugging out of my jacket. "I watched you shuffle and cut the deck. There's no way you should have gotten that lucky," I continue, tossing my jacket on the floor next to me.
"I've always had a good deal of luck in card games," she says, sliding her cards towards me. "Your turn to deal," she adds, picking up her glass of whiskey to take a swallow.
I shuffle and cut the deck before dealing us each a hand. Elena sorts through her hand, organizing as she frowns thoughtfully. I examine my own hand and see that if I had one more heart card rather than a diamond, I'd have a flush. Elena puts two cards down and draws two from the deck. I get rid of the three of diamonds and draw an ace of hearts. I smirk and examine her expression. She studies her hand before sighing and folding.
"I fold," she says. She smirks at me and removes her watch to set it on the coffee table.
I scowl. "Okay, who said accessories counted?" I demand.
"Nobody said they didn't," she retorts.
"Oh, it's on," I tell her.
The game picks up from there. It takes nearly an hour and a half for us to get down to the last hand, at which point she's down to her panties and necklace while I'm down to my boxer briefs and daylight ring. As I examine my last hand, I decide that Karma is going to be a bitch on Elena. Where she started with a royal flush in hearts, I end with it. I smirk at her and see that she looks just as cocky as I feel. "Same time," I tell her.
"Three," she starts the countdown.
"Two," I continue.
"One," we say together, revealing our hands.
Well, I'll admit that she had a good reason to be cocky, having a final hand of a straight flush. But it's not going to beat a royal flush. "Hah! You have to obey me for the evening," I crow. I grin wickedly at her. "Off with those panties, Miss Gilbert."
She groans and stands up to slide slowly out of her panties. Since I've chosen to keep her glass topped off while only filling mine up when I empty it, she has no idea that she had drank most of the two bottles of bourbon. I examine her glorious body, made ethereal by the light from the flickering flames in the hearth. I once again take note of all the subtle differences between her body and Katherine's as well as the major one in the form of Elena's birthmark. Without her panties catching most of the scent, I am bombarded by the delectable aroma of her menstrual cycle coming to a close. Thanks to the alcohol in her system, Elena's not the least bit shy about her nudity. I finally raise my eyes to hers and let her see the hunger in mine, hunger for more than just her blood. Her delicious scent becomes even more mouthwatering as arousal is added to the mix.
"Now get over here," I tell her. She rolls her eyes but obediently rounds the coffee table. "Sit in my lap." She sighs but knows that a bet is a bet. She moves to sit across my lap but I stop her with me hands on her luscious hips. "Facing me," I tell her, grinning as she groans but changes her position.
"Now what?" she asks, her gaze fierce as she looks in my eyes.
I contemplate my options on the way this night could lead. When I make my decision, I smirk at her. "Give me a lap dance," I order.
She raises an eyebrow. "You do know a good lap dance always starts with the dancer standing and some form of music playing, right?" she points out.
"And what do you know about lap dances, Miss Gilbert?" I ask.
She chuckles. "Let's just say I learned about it early, without anyone knowing I wasn't old enough to legally perform them for tips," she replies. "I was the early-bloomer among my friends, though Caroline would never admit to not getting breasts first."
"Well, if you've performed for tips, you better be good," I tell her wickedly. "Show me what you have to offer."
"I'll need music," she retorts, standing up.
"What kind of music?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at her. I reach around her to grab the remote for the sound system I had installed throughout the first floor in the nineties and had upgraded when I came back this time.
"Hope you don't mind country because my favorite song to give a lap dance to has always been LeAnn Rimes' 'Can't Fight the Moonlight'," she replies.
"You know, I might actually have that song," I reply, turning the sound system on. I turn slightly so I can make out the display as I search the song. "Yep, got it," I say. I hit repeat then play.
Elena closes her eyes and loses herself to the music. And if it's not the most erotic thing I have ever seen, I'll eat my favorite jacket. She opens her eyes after a few seconds and dances her way to me, her body still moving in time to the music. She slithers into my lap and starts writhing against me in a way I have never had anyone move against me and my eyes try desperately to roll back in my head. It's a struggle to keep my focus on her. She places a quick kiss on my lips while her body moves against mine. Her hands trail slowly, sensuously from my shoulders down my chest, over my stomach until they wrap around my dick, standing at attention between us and hidden beneath my boxer-briefs. She squeezes slightly and I lose my battle to keep my eyes firmly on her. Dear God, this girl is a damn good lap dancer. I raise my hands towards her but she smacks them away, giving me a stern look. That's when I remember she used to do this thing for tips. She does the touching and doesn't get touched. I try to keep from squirming under her.
I let out my breath in a 'whoosh' when the song ends. I smirk at her as it starts over. "If this had just been for tips, I'd be tucking a hundred dollar bill in your jeans and trying to find out if I could get more action in a private place," I tell her.
She smirks. During the course of the dance, I could smell her arousal growing so I'm not surprised by what she says. "Well, we're all alone here, what kind of action do you have in mind?" she asks, her voice thick with desire.
"Oh, something like this," I tell her, pulling her against me and crushing her lips with my own. She hums her approval of where this is going. I use my vampire abilities to reposition us so that I'm on my back beneath her on the couch and she's straddling my hips. I smirk up at her as she smiles at me. "I think there is one thing that is wrong with this picture," I tell her.
She chuckles and rises up so that she can slip my boxer-briefs down my legs. "That better?" she asks coyly.
"Much better," I reply.
I'm already throbbing to be inside of her but I have to take it slow. This is only her second time, after all, no matter how many times I sent her over the edge of pleasure two nights ago. I trail my right hand over her left thigh until I can stroke a finger over her wet, bleeding slit. I stroke the pad of my thumb over her clit and she throws her head back as a hiss of pleasure escapes through her teeth. The sight of her long, slender throat is enough to make my fangs slip free of my hold and appear, the veins around my eyes popping up prominently as the whites of my eyes dye red with blood. I don't bother hiding my vampire face from her when she lowers her head as I slip a single finger into that tight, slick warmth. I'm proud to be a vampire. And I'm proud of Elena when she doesn't flinch or turn away when she sees that my vampire side has slipped out. Instead, she bends forward so that her hair is curtaining either side of my face. She trails her fingers gently over my vampire veins, her eyes alight with curiosity.
I smirk at her as I work at stretching her inner walls to more readily accommodate my rather large erection. At this point I have two fingers pumping and flexing inside of her. I decide I can add a third and do so. Soon I have her stretched as much as three fingers will allow for. I withdraw my fingers and lick them clean of menstrual blood and feminine juices one at a time, grinning as her arousal grows even more powerful as she watches me do so. I then place my hands on either side of her hips and lift her up and forward so I can slide her down onto my dick. We both hiss our satisfaction when the union is complete. She then lowers her mouth to mine, delving her tongue into my mouth to trail it delicately over my fangs. Okay, this one is definitely a keeper. I have never had a lover in all the years since I turned into a vampire who would willingly kiss me when my fangs were showing until now. Admittedly, the alcohol in her system has stripped away her inhibitions, but still.
I gyrate my hips against hers and she moans into our kiss. All-too-soon, she has to break the kiss so she can get oxygen in her lungs. I use my vampire abilities to flip us over so that it's her back that is pressed against the leather cushions and I'm carefully propped on top of her, using my arms and legs to keep most of my weight off of her. I wrap her legs around my hips one at a time so I can press further into her, far enough that my pelvic bone brushes against her clit. That elicits another satisfying moan of pleasure. I pull out as much as she allows me with her legs before rushing back in until my pelvic bone hits her clit again. Each time it does so, her gasping and mewling picks up a notch.
I vaguely hear an unfamiliar engine pull up the drive and stop followed by three car doors slamming. Three all-too-familiar voices pick up a conversation that was obviously taking place in Judgy's car. I tune them out. I don't mind an audience as I show Elena my exceptional skill in the bedroom. But I do morph my face back to that of the human I once was. When I thrust into Elena this time, I pause a moment to rotate my hips and am rewarded with a deliciously loud moan.
Stefan
Just as I'm reaching for the doorknob of the front door to the boarding house, a loud feminine moan echoes from inside. I exchange startled looks with Bonnie and Caroline. Damon couldn't have brought Elena here, could he?
Caroline
After getting caught by Damon and Elena while spying on them at the movies, Stefan, Bonnie, and I had gone to The Grill for dinner. Then Stefan invited Bonnie and me over to the boarding house so we could try to team up on Damon and demand answers in regards to his intentions with Elena. None of us had expected for Damon to bring her here! That sure sounded like Elena moaning in pleasure!
Bonnie
"Only one way to know for sure," I say softly.
Caroline and Stefan nod. Stefan takes a deep breath, twists the knob, and pushes the front door open. At first, it's hard to make out anything since the only source of light is the fire burning merrily in the living room hearth.
But then sweat glistening in the firelight as it rolls off two separate bodies writhing together on one of the couches near the fire catches my eyes. Then I just stare with my jaw dropped because naked Damon Salvatore glistening in sweat in the firelight is by far the sexiest thing I've ever seen.
Elena
When Damon morphed his face back to that of the human he once was, I knew we were about to have company. Even so, I don't try to push him off of me because he has me so close to the edge. And besides, he's sparing me the embarrassment of having Stefan seeing all of my completely naked body. Damon's next thrust into me is followed by a hip rotation that draws a very loud moan from my throat. I think he wanted to alert Stefan and anyone with him that they are going to walk in on something they might not want to see.
Then the door opens. Due to the room being lit just by firelight, I know it takes them a few seconds to locate us. There's a long stretch of silence after they see us. Damon's resting on top of me at this point, smirking down at me.
Finally I hear Caroline say softly, "I wish all my non-dates ended like that."
"That's my couch," Stefan protests weakly.
I arch an eyebrow at Damon and he gives a small nod to signal that the couch we're on is indeed Stefan's favorite place to sit. "Take a picture, it will last longer," Damon calls to them as he rotates his hips slowly against mine, his pelvic bone rubbing deliciously against my clit. I moan my pleasure again.
Where Damon's words hadn't even fazed the three standing in the front door, my moan of pleasure jump starts them into remembering they're basically watching real live porn. Caroline and Bonnie hastily tell Stefan they'll see him tomorrow before fleeing back to Bonnie's car. It seems like only seconds pass before her tires squeal as she speeds back down the driveway. Stefan, meanwhile, had fled to the scant sanctuary of his room as soon as the girls had gotten too far away to make him out clearly.
Damon chuckles as he thrusts into me again. "Now, where were we?" he asks cheekily.
"You're an ass," I get out around my panting as my climax draws closer.
"You love my ass," he teases, his eyes twinkling in the firelight as he thrusts again.
I gasp as he hits a sweet spot. He grinds his hips against mine, stimulating that sweet spot and drawing a long, loud moan out of me. I feel my inner walls fluttering around him while the pulsating in his dick is nearing fever pitch. When our simultaneous explosions hit, I throw my head back and cry out Damon's name while he groans mine as his seed spills into me, filling me. I vaguely wonder if it's possible for me to become pregnant with his kids but decide that now is not the time to ask. Damon rests against me, taking care not to crush me with his weight. He buries his face in the crook where my left shoulder meets my neck and I trail my hands up to tangle them in his sweat-soaked silken hair. We stay like that while recovering from our exertions.
When we've both recovered our strength, Damon reluctantly pulls away. We both hiss at the loss when he pulls out of me. He carefully climbs off of me so that he's standing next to me with his hand held out to help me up. I put my hand in his and he pulls me up off the couch onto my feet so quickly that I stumble into him, my hands splaying across his firm chest. I scowl up at him and he chuckles. "Sorry," he says with out the least bit of repentance, his hands on my bare hips to steady me. "We should get dressed. I still have to get you home. Jenna's probably thinking I kidnapped you."
He strokes his right thumb over my birthmark as I steady myself. I step away and circle the coffee table to put my clothes back on. "They're never going to believe this wasn't a date now," I mutter, grabbing my panties off the couch and slipping into them.
"You're the one who said it wasn't a date, not me," he points out as I grab my bra.
I glance over my shoulder to see he's already dressed and is thoroughly enjoying the show of me getting dressed. I turn my attention back to what I'm doing. I grab my skinny jeans and slide into them one leg at a time. "I didn't agree to a 'date'. I agreed to an evening together to build friendship," I tell him, pulling my jeans over my ass. "You said –"
"I said going to the movies and hanging out is what friends do. I never said that's what this evening was going to be for me," he says dryly.
"So you wanted to rub everyone's nose in the concept that we were on a date?" I ask, trying to figure out why I'm not as outraged as I should be. I pull my shirt over my head and settle it just right.
"You say that like I planned on them following us. I had planned for an intimate evening for two. Not an intimate evening for two with three pests spying on us wherever we went. They threw a kink in my plans," he says.
"As if having an audience is ever anything but kinky to you," I retort, turning to him with my arms crossed.
"There are times I like my privacy when I'm with a woman," he says mildly. His expression is anything but mild as his eyes focus on my chest. I belatedly realize that crossing my arms under my chest is not a smart move when around someone as lecherous as Damon. I huff and drop my arms and he pretends to pout. "The least you could have done was faced me while you got dressed," he teases.
"You already got your show while we were playing strip poker and again with the lap dance you made me give you when I lost the bet," I tell him. "If you wanted another, you'd have had to pay me for it."
"And what we were doing on the couch wasn't payment enough?" he asks, obviously highly amused.
"That was sex, pure and simple. I had enough of a buzz to get rid of my sensibilities. That combined with what happens when a guy and a girl play strip poker together and it resulted in sex," I tell him.
He almost flinches at my words. "I see my plan still has a ways to go before it reaches fruition," he says softly.
"What 'plan'?" I demand.
He gives me his best bedroom eyes again and I swear my knees turn to Jell-O. "It's simple, really. I plan on making you mine for eternity," he says as if it were common knowledge.
"Dream on, hotshot," I tell him harshly. "Why would I become a vampire?"
"Elena, baby, the only way to be with a vampire successfully is to become one yourself. Otherwise the vampire is just spending your human life at your side and then moving on to someone new once you die. Because there is no way of knowing for sure that the vampire will embrace final death once you take your last breath. The only way to be with someone forever is to live forever. I just made it blatantly obvious that I want that with you. And because I know just how much you care about your brother, I'd even be willing to turn him so that you don't lose him to old age. Stefan would never turn you, not even if you begged him to. In my mind, that is the biggest sign of all that he doesn't want forever with you," Damon says. "And if you don't want forever with someone, it's just not worth the hassle of letting emotions get involved."
"That's enough, Damon," Stefan's voice says coolly from the stairs.
I look over to see him glaring at his brother's back. "Just saying it like I see it, little brother," Damon says, not even glancing at his brother. He keeps his eyes on me. "C'mon, Elena, I'll take you home. Just think on what I said."
He wraps an arm around my shoulders to guide me outside. And even though I told myself I won't think about it, his words weigh heavily on my mind the entire ride home and are still there as I lie in my bed, clutching Teddy and staring at the ceiling with my alarm clock showing it's going on midnight. I have a feeling that his words will haunt me for a long time to come. And tonight is going to be the first of many long nights.