Title: When Fear Is No Longer An Option
Summary: Elena isn't used to being afraid. She's been groomed in Tritopia to face her fears and attack when in danger. But when she comes face to face with two mysterious strangers she realizes the Segnour never prepared her for this type of fear. The fear of coming face to face with your destiny.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.
A/N: I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter. I rewrote it again and again but it just didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. I blame DxE's attraction. Since it is mainly a filler chapter to get the vampire explanations out of the way this will have to do. Hope you like it.
"They're going to know we have her." A strained voice called out.
Someone seemed to be carrying her but it was a much faster pace than what Elena was used to. Wind whooshed past her and yet she felt warmth as the person holding her tucked her body closer to theirs.
"I wasn't going to leave her there to die. Maybe if someone, I don't know, didn't nearly drain her dry…"
Drain her dry? Elena had a million questions running through her and strained to listen to the rest of the conversation. Darkness won out and she soon found herself fighting off the heavy darkness.
"Elena… I need you to drink."
The voice of her creature sounded muffled through the darkness. That's who must've been carrying her, Elena thought. Elena honestly had no idea where she was or what had happened but she was in pain. She had been fighting off the oncoming darkness for what seemed like days and she had been losing. This was the end, she knew it, and all she wanted was to get one last glance at those icy blue eyes that somehow filled her with such warmth and hope. Hope that there was something more for her than just to take up her parents place on the council.
She felt pressure at her lips and then a metallic liquid slipping slowly onto her tongue and down her throat. Elena wanted to spit it out to refuse the drink but she was too weak to do much of anything. Once again she found the darkness taking over and slipped into oblivion.
Elena opened her eyes and took in the room she was currently lying in. She was in a massive bed, far too big for any one human, in a room that was a lavish as the capital buildings. It didn't hold statues and painting like the capital buildings but rather was vacant except for aged books scattered across the floor. Elena turned to her right and noticed light seeping in through cloth. She went to remove the blanket covering her body and took in her undressed state.
What happened to my clothes? Elena questioned.
It wasn't like her everyday clothes left much to the imagination but they still covered what was meant to be hidden. Her eyes scanned the room looking for some type of covering and her eyes landed on the blanket. Elena hastily grabbed it and wrapped it around her and then went back to surveying the room. Her eyes landed on a nearby mirror and she went over to it to inspect the damage done to her once flawless body. But when her fingers ghosted up to her neck to push back her hair there was no wound. Confused, she dropped the blanket and inspected the rest of her skin. There were no scrapes, no cuts, not even a scratch on her tanned skin.
"First time seeing yourself in a mirror?" An amused voice called from the darkness.
Elena jumped and quickly covered her breast, completely forgetting about her exposed lower body. Damon was standing in the doorway holding a tray of food with a smirk on his face. Damon's eyes looked hungry as he scanned her figure. When they had reached her tows they lifted back up and fell on her pushed up breasts before finally landing on her eyes. They lightened as they took in her anxious face.
"Nothing I haven't seen before." He stated as he strode towards her, dropping the tray on a nearby table, and picking up the fallen blanket. Elena took it from his outstretched hand and wrapped it tightly around her body before nervously pushing back her hair. Damon motioned to her makeshift outfit. "I could get you something better, if you'd like? You're outfit was rather damaged after the attack."
"That would be perfect… Yes, please." Elena stuttered. "And I've seen myself in a mirror before. We're not that primitive."
Damon smiled and walked over to a nearby dresser and picked out a black shirt that was fashioned similarly in what the elders of her village wore. He handed it to her and pointed in the direction of a nearby room. "You can go change in there. Shower too."
Elena nodded and made her way towards the bathroom. She stopped mid-step and turned back to Damon, worry seeping into her features. "Will you still be here when I get out?"
"Yes." Damon smiled.
Elena walked out of the bathroom freshly showered and somewhat clothed. The shirt had only reached a little above mid-thigh but it was nothing she wasn't used to. Her hair was wet and so she attempted to set it into a loose braid to dry but tiny tendrils of hair still fell on her face. When she entered back into the room, Damon was laying casually on the bed, catching grapes in his mouth.
"Thanks for the clothes… and the shower." Elena mumbled.
Damon caught a final grape and then sat up, patting the spot beside him. Elena walked over and fidgeted with the edge of the only fabric covering her naked body. She lay once more on the comfortable bed and Damon handed over some food for her to eat. With a bashful smile, Elena dove in to the delicious meal.
"Do I make you nervous, Elena?" She stopped mid-bite and her eyes ghosted over to his amused face. "I just can't but noticed that even though you are more clothed than the last two times I've seen you, you're fidgeting. You're not being your feisty self."
Elena dropped the piece of food dangling in her fingers and stared straight into his eyes. "What happened to me?"
"What do you say we hit the highlight reel and skip the gory details?" Damon asked and Elena nodded in response. "A werewolf went after you and I saved you forgetting that the real damage may very well be my brother. I momentarily forgot about your ability to hold your own against monsters and got hit with your vervain covered arrow putting me out of commission for a bit. Stefan attacked you, nearly killing you, and I pulled him off you, brought you here, fed you my blood, and now we're here on my bed."
Even though Damon had told the story in a somewhat bored voice, she couldn't help but notice the way he growled his brother's name. As usual, whenever she was around Damon, she found herself having more questions than answers. What was a werewolf? Were werewolves the creature the village was hunting? What was vervain? What were Damon and Stefan? Who was Katherine? How did he live in a house like this? And how did he have clothes similar to the elders? Her mind could explode from being so lost and confused.
But one question surpassed all the others and Elena asked it in a small, scared voice. "Am I like you?"
Damon leaned towards her and cupped her face in his hands. She was sure why, but a small tear made its way down her cheek. He wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. "No. You're not what I am. I would never damn you to this."
"'Damn me'?" Elena repeated. "Are you damned?"
She couldn't bear to imagine her creature being damned. He had risked his life to save her… twice. Elena looked once again at the piercing blue eyes that stared down at her. In no reality could those eyes, the first part of him she had ever seen, belong to a person whose soul was damn.
"It's a question that has plagued centuries, Elena. We're not going to be able to answer it tonight." His hands dropped from her face and picked a grape from her plate with a rueful smile.
Elena's hand reached out for his and they both jolted at the spark that emanated from their touch. Once again their eyes meet, icy blue meeting chocolate brown over and over. "I don't think you're damned." And she meant it.
Damon noticed the fire in her eyes and squeezed her hand. "You don't even know what I am." He paused, shaking his head. "I can't believe they don't even explain what it is you're hunting."
She had often wondered the same thing but it was rude to question the Segnour. That wondering had only escalated following her parents death. Elena was aware, now more than ever, how dangerous the forest was. One could think they had killed the monster when in reality they hadn't. Worse, even still, they could be attacked when their defenses were down. She reached up and touched the side of her neck in memory.
"The bite mark isn't there." Damon reminded. "Surely you noticed that. That once over in the mirror didn't leave much to the imagination."
"And why is that?"
Damon shrugged. "I fed you my blood." When Elena's brows furrowed, he added, "It has healing properties."
Her mouth formed a perfectly shaped "o" before her nose scrunched up in disgust when she realized what exactly he was saying. Blood, his blood, was now flowing through her veins, mixing with her own. It elicited raw feelings from Elena and she realized the intimacy of her current situation. They were in Damon's room, alone, and she was scantily clad in only his shirt. Damon seemed to have a similar thought process because his eyes fell to her mouth which was now slightly parted as the electricity sparked between them.
"Where's Stefan?" Elena whispered.
"Downstairs. He won't be hurting you again."
Elena's eyes dropped to Damon's lips before jumping back up to his eyes. "You didn't have to save me."
"I did."
Damon's eyes lingered as they're faces drew closer. His hand was now on her bare thigh as he lazily drew unintelligible shapes. The feeling of skin on skin was more than Elena could handle and her breath began to shallow out. As Damon inched closer still, Elena's inner monologue went wild. She had only met this guy, monster, creature a week ago and yet he was mere millimeters from kissing her. A normal girl would pull back. Normal Elena would. But this Elena could not fight the connection between them. The connection that called out to her and told her this was something she wanted, something she craved with her very soul.
This wasn't because he had saved her. This wasn't even because he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen (And, oh, God, was he). This was about the attraction between them reaching an overwhelming amount that needed to be put into action. It wasn't the time for talking or honesty. Elena had been raised in a primal environment and she wanted to do the most primal act out there. An act that would be raw and animalistic and would bring them both pleasure they had never experienced. And she was pretty sure Damon wanted to do that act as well.
But fate intervened. "Hey, Damon, has Elena woken—"
They froze and Damon pulled back to turn to his brother, angry resonating through his otherwise frozen appearance. He didn't remove his hand from her thigh, and Elena couldn't help but smile at the possessive gesture. Normally, possessive guys were a turn off but there was something about Damon's need to protect Elena that sent her libido into hyper-drive.
"Good to see you're awake." Stefan smiled, shyly. "I wanted apologize for what happened in the forest. You were bleeding and—"
"It's okay," she replied. "Well, it's not… but it will be."
"Don't be foolish, Elena." Damon snarled. "He almost killed you. He could've if I hadn't reached you in time."
Elena placed a hand on Damon's arm and watched as he visibly relaxed. "Listen, this is all new to me. I don't understand all this but from what I can gather, Stefan didn't attack me purposely. In fact, none of this wouldn't have happened if I wasn't distracted."
Damon arched an eyebrow in her direction. "Distracted?"
She felt the blush rise to her cheek and she chewed on her bottom lip and tried to formulate a response. It wasn't that she didn't know what had distracter that night. The evidence was staring at her waiting for response. His gaze at her was forcing her to forget her train of thought.
"Uhm…"
Damon laughed as his eye doing some weird eye thing. "Is it distracting you now?"
With a pout on her face, Elena playfully pushed Damon. Stefan carefully made his way over to the bed and sat down as far away from Elena as he could manage. She smiled at the sentiment. He was trying his best to make her comfortable. But Elena wasn't afraid or nervous. For some reason, she knew that with Damon nearby no harm would come to her. Her gaze looked around the room hoping to find her bow and arrows. Even though she felt comfort in Damon's protectiveness, she was used to fending for herself. Elena was capable of defending herself and she knew it. Depending on others didn't get your far in her village.
Her eyes narrowed at Damon and she placed her hands on her hips. "It's not distracting me anymore."
With a smirk on his lips, Damon leaned over and Elena felt her body freeze. His nose grazed along the nape of her neck and his voice was like a caress as he breathed along her skin. "You sure about that?"
Once again, Elena denied her primal desires and shoved Damon away. "Stop trying to distract me!"
Damon's crossed his arms, a satisfied smile on his face. He released one of his hands and moved it in a circular fashion. "Continue."
Elena narrowed her eyes but it was useless, he had her. She maneuvered her legs so that they were underneath her and leaned over, seductively. "So, care to fill me in on your dirty, little secret?"
"What secret?" Stefan asked as his eyes shifted between them.
"Elena is curious as to what exactly we are." Damon answered never taking his eyes off Elena. "It's simple really," he continued as his eyes wandered towards the wall across from them. "There are many terms: leech, succumbs, blood-sucker but they all come down to one name… vampire."
"So, you drink blood?" They nodded. "And how do you become a vampire?"
It was Stefan who answered. Damon's gaze was still lingering on the blank wall. "You have to die with vampire blood inside you."
"And you said Katherine made you a… vampire?" The word didn't sit easy in her mouth. "And she looks like me."
Stefan stood up and vanished. Elena was momentarily confused before he flew back with a small portrait in his hand. The photo was handed over to Elena and she studied it noticing the woman's features were identical to her own. Her fingers ghosted across the woman's face and that's when the thought entered her mind. As her eyes drifted upward and fell on the two men's faces that stared towards Elena with such pain and anguish she spoke.
"That's why you didn't kill me when we met." Elena's eyes fell back down as the notion hit her. "Which one of you fell in love with her first?"