Crying Lightning
Disclaimer: I don't anything or anyone from the vampire diaries.
November 2011
"You get the fireworks?" Tyler Lockwood asks me with a grin as I step out of my truck to where he and some of the other boys are standing outside the Mystic Grille with Rose.
"Of course" I smirk and motion to the back of my truck "All there" I say before turning to Rose "You get the booze?"
"No it was a bust" she shakes her head in annoyance "Trevor and I went after school but the fucking asshole at the store went to school with my big sister so he knew I was underage"
"Don't worry about it, just leave it to the expert" I smirk before walking through the doors of the Grille and straight over to the bar.
"What can I get you?" the bartender asks.
"Six cokes please" I tell him with a fake smile and watch as he nods his head, before turning around to make the drinks.
I quickly glance around the bar to make sure no one is watching before leaning over the bar and pulling over a bottle of vodka. I smirk and quickly hand it to Rose who is standing slightly behind me and she hurriedly pushes the bottle into her bag. I'm feeling cocky and I like to show off a little, no harm in that, so I reach over again and pull over a large bottle of tequila as well as a bottle of whisky.
"My favourite" Rose smirks eyeing the bottle of tequila bottle in admiration before quickly fitting both of the bottles into her bag and walking away to the booth that the rest of the guys have claimed.
The clueless bartender soon turns around with a tray of our drinks and I quickly pay for these ones before picking up the tray. Just as I'm about to walk over to our table a voice near me stops me.
"Well I have to say, I'm impressed Salvatore"
I place the tray back on the bar and turn my head to the side to see the one and only Katherine Pierce sat staring at me with a smirk on her face.
"Katherine" I nod my head at her and smirk back. "Always a pleasure"
"Oh please, you always run away from me"
"I do not!" I immediately defend myself, and walk further along the side of the bar so I am now standing next to her. "Do you actually think I'm scared of you?" I ask astonished.
"I think I make you nervous" she smirks before running her finger down my shirt. "Am I right?"
I gulp slightly before looking down at her finger and back at her big chocolate brown eyes "Wrong"
"Then why do you never talk to me, Damon?" she questions with mock hurt, her entire hand now flat against my chest.
"Maybe it has something to do with the choice of filth you choose to spend your time with"
Katherine laughs. She actually laughs "Oh I like you Damon Salvatore. Even more so since Klaus despises the ground you walk on"
I shrug with a smirk, feeling quite proud of that.
"You scare him you know" she tells me seriously as she pulls me even closer "You make him nervous. His older brothers Elijah and Finn used to rule Mystic Falls, and then when it was Klaus' turn to follow in his brothers footsteps in comes this crazy arrogant jackass from out of town to ruin it all"
"Well, what can I say? I have impeccable timing" I shrug with a smirk before removing her hands from my body, much to her surprise. "But I'll have you know, I was born in Mystic Falls, I moved when I was seven, so you can tell Klaus that this town does not belong to him. Now, if you'll excuse me Katherine, my friends and I have plans for this evening and I don't want to keep them waiting. It's the 5th of November and we like to play with fire"
"You're running away from me again Salvatore"
"Maybe" I shrug with a grin and go back to my tray of drinks before picking it up "Come and find me when you decide to find better taste in the company" I wink at her before turning and walking away.
If only I knew then what I know now; I would never have given her the time of day.
Or at least that is what I try to tell myself.
Present time
"God why is he so freaking hot" Caroline gushes as we sit outside at a picnic bench during our free period, taking advantage of the late September sunshine weather before autumn comes.
"What?" I look up from my book confused as to who Caroline is talking about. "Who?"
"The older Salvatore" Caroline nods her head motioning to across the quad where Damon is stood talking with Tyler. "I love a bad boy" she grins almost excitedly and I wonder what the hell she is planning.
I gulp slightly and look back down at my book trying to ignore all the thoughts running through my head.
I was unsure what to do after last weeks after school encounter with Damon when he quite literally ran away from me. I tried to talk to Stefan about it, but as soon as I brought up the subject of his older brother he didn't want to hear anything on the matter.
I also tried to approach Damon a few times, not that it worked, it seems that although we never really had any form of relationship or communication between us before, now it is like I don't even exist.
Like seriously, it's like I'm invisible.
We share a few classes and he always sits at the opposite end, never once glances in my direction. I've never seen him at lunch time either, it's like he can just make himself disappear.
Over the times I've spent at the Boarding House over the last week I've not seem him once.
I discreetly asked Stefan why Damon was never around, but he just said that it would be more unusual for Damon to be at home, or at least any part of the house apart from his bedroom.
I don't know why I'm so bothered about this, it's not like Damon and I are even close to being acquaintances but a part of me really just wants to ask if he is okay. I saw the look on his face when he was at Katherine's locker, he looked a little upset but mostly he just looked lost.
It's in my nature to care about people, I can't help it. I just need to ask him one time if he is ok and then I can just forget all about it.
I just wish he would let me.
"Elena!" Caroline's voice snaps me out of my thoughts "Are you even listening to me?"
"Yes of course" I lie "Damon Salvatore, you think he is hot"
"Well yes, duh" Caroline rolls her eyes "But I'm gonna ask him out"
"Wait, what?!" I gasp at her in shock.
"I'm going to ask him out" Caroline repeats herself "He's hot, I'm hot, so why not be hot together?"
"Caroline I don't think that's a good idea…" I tell her honestly "This is Damon Salvatore…are you forgetting everything he has done in this town over the last four years? Especially what happened last April?"
Caroline waves me off and shrugs "Most of that was just rumours"
"They weren't all rumours Caroline!" I tell her seriously "Ok, he is dangerous! I mean…look what happened to the last girl he went out with-"
"Yes, look what happened to her"
I freeze and cringe recognising that ice cold voice immediately.
Fuck.
I slowly turn around and look up at Damon who is standing behind me not looking impressed, a nervous looking Tyler standing next to him.
I can't believe he overheard that.
"Damon I-" I feel so bad and immediately try and apologise but Damon just cuts me off.
"Caroline" he sends her a smirk and walks around the table to stand next to her "Tyler was just telling me that we all share Calculus together, I don't think I've formally introduced myself, I'm Damon Salvatore" he holds out his hand and I watch as Caroline's eyes widen in excitement.
"Caroline Forbes" she shakes it slowly, both reluctant to pull their hands away "Very nice to finally meet you"
"Likewise" Damon smirks at her before looking back at Tyler "Come on Lockwood, we got people to see" he motions at him, sending one last smile at Caroline, completely ignoring me, before walking away, Tyler following closely behind.
I groan and put my head in my hands.
"He is so much hotter close up! And his eyes are so blue! He is gorgeous!" Caroline gushes and I move my hands from my face and look at her in annoyance which Caroline actually notices for once and offers me a reassuring smile "Don't worry about it Elena, he is probably used to overhearing people talking about him, I mean he is number one topic around this place"
"That does not make me feel better Care" I sigh and shake my head, the guilt starting to take over me. I can't believe he heard me say that!
What are the chances that the one time he comes anywhere near me over the last week he happens to overhear me gossiping and judging him, making me no different from the rest of the small minded people in this town!
"What was that about?" Tyler asks me as he follows me around to the back of the school.
"What?" I ask not really paying much attention.
"With Caroline? You like her?" he questions me and I notice that there is something in his voice I do not like.
I shrug "She's hot"
"She's not your usual type…I mean, she's a cheerleader for one, not to mention the reigning Miss Mystic Falls"
I stop and turn around to face him "You seem to know a lot about her Lockwood" I smirk at him and I watch as his eyes widen slightly.
"No, no" he stutters "We just share a lot of the same classes, that's all" he tries to convince me and I chuckle knowing that there is probably more to it.
But to be honest, I don't really care. Teen drama is the last thing I want to get involved in.
We both walk quickly around to the outside entrance of the girls changing room and I look around to make sure that there is no one else about.
"Are you sure she is in here?" I question Tyler.
"Yes. Every free period she uses the empty gymnasium to train, I think she is trying to become head cheerleader next year"
"Right" I roll my eyes not really caring about her reasons for being here just as long as she is here "And she's alone?"
"Usually" he nods.
"Great" I send him a mocking smile "Stay out here and make sure no one comes in"
"Got it" Tyler nods his head in confirmation and I take one last look around before opening the changing room doors.
I walk through the small corridor that takes you to the main doors before slowly opening it. The changing room is empty but I look down at my watch and see that there is still time and notice that there is a coat hanging up on one of the racks and looking at the expensive leather I don't need three guesses to figure out who it belongs too.
I hear footsteps and I smirk, sitting up slightly as the door opens and in she walks, her cheeks flushed from her workout as she wipes her forehead with a towel.
It's not until she removes the towel from her face that she notices me.
"Damon" she gasps a little in shock and I slowly stand up with a smirk "What are you doing here? I'll scream!" she warns me taking a step back.
I chuckle and shake my head, walking around her and making sure that the door that leads to the gym is locked.
"Scream all you like Rebekah, there is no around to hear you unfortunately" I circle her a little before finally coming to a stop right in front of her.
"You shouldn't be here!" she tries to sound confident but her voice betrays her. She's scared.
Good.
"I can be wherever I want Barbie" I tip my head a little to the side "Now…I think you have information that I need"
"No" Rebekah shakes her head "I don't know anything"
"I don't believe you" I fire back immediately.
"When Kol finds out about this he will come after you Damon! He's stayed away from you so far but that is only because our father ordered him too, if he knew you were here right now he won't listen to anyone about what to do with you"
"Oh please!" I'm actually a little offended "You think I'm scared of your brother? Give me a break!" I scoff "I'll tell him myself if you'd like, I've needed an excuse to talk to that ass"
"Just leave Damon!" she shouts at me now and I chuckle and shake my head, the smile immediately falling from my lips as I take a step closer to her and grab her arm.
"Tell me where Klaus is"
"I don't know!" Rebekah tries to convince me and I can see the fear in her eyes. "I haven't spoken to him since he left town!"
"And like I said before, I don't believe you!"
"It's over Damon, why can't you just leave it alone? Klaus has gone and he is not coming back!"
"It's not over! This is far from over!" I hiss at her furiously "It will be over when I find your brother, and I kill him! An eye for an eye"
Rebekah shakes her head furiously, her eyes beginning to water "What happened that night, Damon, it wasn't his fault! It wasn't!"
"He shot me! He shot me and he shot Ka-…her"
"No" Rebekah shakes her head "No, he may have shot you, but he didn't shoot Katherine, I swear, he loved her Damon! He didn't kill her, he loved her! They loved each other!"
"SHUT UP!" I take a step back and run my hand through my hair frantically "God damn it Rebekah! Do not mention her name! Do not…GOD!" I punch the wall in frustration before pressing my forehead against it and hitting it over and over again against the tiled walls "Just shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
"Damon!" Rebekah tries to pull at my arm but I pull it furiously out of her grasp "Damon stop it! Stop!"
I hear the sound of Tyler's voice and before I know it I feel a pair of arms wrap around me and swing me away from the wall. I land on the floor with a thud, and I can feel the blood on my forehead but I don't feel the pain.
At least I don't feel it there.
I start panting and I can barely focus on anything.
"I think he is having a panic attack" I hear the sentence but I can't process the words or who it even came from.
My breathing is uneven and rushed and I can't catch my breath.
I can't breathe.
"Damon!" Tyler leans down in front of me "Calm down, ok? Just calm down" he tries to reassure me and I attempt to take deep breaths.
It works and slowly I start to see things clear again and I realise that I just let myself go crazy like that in front of Rebekah.
Fucking great.
She actually looks a little scared and worried when I look up at her, but before she says anything the door swings open and a girl I recognise as Stefan's friend walks in, looking at us confused and a little hesitant.
"What is going on here?" she asks nervously, glancing at sitting on the floor and probably wondering why there is blood all over my face.
This is the last thing I fucking need.
"Nothing Bonnie" Tyler attempts to appease the situation "Just a misunderstanding"
"A misunderstanding?" she questions not believing Tyler's feeble excuse for a second "What are you two even doing in here? This is the girls changing room!" she scolds before looking over at Rebekah who looks like she is about to cry and I watch as this Bonnie girls entire stance changes "What happened?" she asks in a hushed tone to the blonde cheerleader but I can still here "Are you ok? Do you want me to go get a teacher?"
"No" Rebekah shakes her head and snaps herself out of her little trance "No, just a little misunderstanding. Damon and Tyler were just leaving"
"Yes" Tyler nods his head furiously and I slowly stand up, trying to ignore the dizziness. "Let's go" he quickly scarpers from the room and I follow closely behind, not before sending Rebekah one last glance.
This is far from being over.
I'm sat on the bleachers outside by the football field waiting for the boys football practice to start with Stefan and Matt.
Matt is telling us a funny story about an awkward customer at the grille when I notice Bonnie walking quickly towards us.
I frown confused; it's not like her to stay behind after school to watch the boys train. "Hey Bon!" I call out with a smile as she gets closer.
"Hey" she sends a smile my way before turning all her attention to my boyfriend "Stefan I need to talk to you" she says with a serious tone and I frown confused.
"Um" Matt coughs awkwardly "I'm going to get a head start on practice" he mumbles before quickly jogging away.
"Now?" Stefan questions "Practice is just about to start Bonnie, can it wait?" he asks politely.
"I don't know Stef" she tells him honestly "I saw something today…" she starts and glances nervously at me.
"Whatever you have to say you can say it in front of Elena, we don't have secrets" Stefan smiles and I can't help but smile back at him.
"It's about your brother" I watch as my boyfriend immediately tenses up.
"Whatever you're going to say, I don't want to hear it" he tells her seriously "Damon and I have nothing to do with each other" he shoots her down "Sorry but I have to go, coach is waiting" and with that he takes off before Bonnie can say another word.
My friend turns to look at me confused and a little shocked at Stefan's words. I don't think she has ever heard him sound so cold.
"Yeah Stefan and his brother don't exactly get on" I try to explain in deference of my boyfriend's rude behavior "It's always a touchy subject, he never talks about him"
Bonnie nods her head slightly before taking a seat next to me on the bleachers. I guess she's staying to watch.
"So um" I start after a few minutes of silence, trying not to sound too curious "What was it you wanted to tell him?"
"I don't know if I should say" Bonnie says with a small cringe "If Stefan doesn't want to know maybe I should just keep my mouth closed and forget about it"
I frown wondering what it is she is talking about and hoping that she will decide to share this information.
"Ok, how about, you tell me what you were going to tell Stefan about Damon and I'll decide whether it's worth mentioning to Stefan or not?" I offer, hoping that she'll not find me to be too pushy and curious and that I'm just trying to be a good girlfriend.
Well wait, that is obviously why I want to know what happened, to see if it will affect Stefan or not.
"Ok fine" Bonnie sighs and double checks to make sure that there is no one close enough to listen in. "I saw something today, something that looked pretty bad"
"With Damon?"
"Yes" Bonnie nods her head "I walked in to the girls changing room this afternoon and I did not like what I saw"
"What did you see?" My heart starts pounding a little in anticipation and I have no idea why I care so much.
"Ok well, Damon was there, with Rebekah and Tyler"
"Rebekah?" I ask shocked, knowing that she is Klaus' sister and these two being in the same room together can not be good.
"Exactly!" Bonnie confirms my surprise to the situation "Well, Damon was sat on the floor and he had blood all over his face, I think it was coming from his head, and Tyler was there next to him and Rebekah looked really shaken up and scared"
"Oh my god" I frown shocked "What do you think happened? You don't think he hurt her do you?"
"I don't know Elena" Bonnie sighs in aspiration "I mean, there was blood on the wall which I thought was weird but it looks like Damon was the only one who was hurt, Tyler looked completely fine and Rebekah just looked upset, not physically hurt" she explains "I tried to help her and asked her if I should go and get someone but she said everything was fine and then Damon and Tyler left, I was with Tyler last period and I asked him about it but he just shot me straight down"
"Damon and I share English Literature together, he wasn't there last period" I mumble, not really knowing why his absence even stood out to me at the time. "I wonder what happened" I muse curiously.
"So, do you think we should tell Stefan?" Bonnie asks hesitantly and I turn to look over across the football field where Stefan is running laps around the field, laughing with his friends, looking like he doesn't have a care in the world.
"Not yet" I reply in deep thought. "I think we should keep this between us for now, Stefan has football and college to concentrate on"
I'm going to talk to Damon.
I wait until I hear the shower running when I jump up from Stefan's bed and sneak out his bedroom. I glance back to makes sure that he is definitely not coming out of his bathroom any time soon before walking along the hall.
It takes me a little while to find it, but I'm eventually able to navigate myself to the other side of the second floor of the Boarding House to find what I think is Damon's bedroom.
I always found it weird that Stefan and Damon's bedrooms were at the complete opposite sides of the house, even if it is ginormous, I can't imagine Jeremy and I living in a house this big and still not having bedrooms next door from each other.
I take a deep nervous breath before knocking. Praying that I've found the right room.
I hear movement inside and my heart starts pounding as the door swings open and it is in fact the right room.
Damon's eyes widen in surprise when he sees me standing there "Elena?" he questions confused and the way he says my name makes my stomach flutter a little. "Hello"
"Hi" I force a smile and that's when I notice the cut and bruise on his forehead. "Um, what happened to you?" I question immediately and I watch as Damon's entire body tenses up and I realize that I probably should have waited to ask him about that.
"Nothing" he replies bluntly "What do you want Elena?"
I frown at the immediate change in his tone before taking another deep breath and answering, forcing a smile onto my face even if he does look like he just wants to shut his door in my face.
"I brought you some notes, from English class, since you missed it…" I start nervously "I thought you could copy mine?" Damon looks a little surprised and then raises his eyebrow and motions to my empty hands "Oh" I immediately cringe at my stupidity "I left them in my bag…in Stefan's room, sorry"
This is not going to plan at all!
Why does he make me so god damn nervous that I start to act like a loser?
"Right" He nods his head at me a little amused "Thank you anyway, Elena" he just said my name again, why does that bother me that he keeps on saying my name? I think maybe it's just the way he says it. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. "Anything else?" he snaps me out of my thoughts.
"Yes actually" I begin realizing that I'll probably not get a chance anytime soon "I wanted to apologize for what happened earlier when you overhead what I said to Caroline. I didn't mean it"
"You meant it, Elena" Damon tells me seriously although all the coldness from before has left his voice "It's ok"
"No, it's really not" I tell him sincerely "I'm sorry, I don't know anything…about anything! Not you, not Katherine. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to judge you like everyone else in this stupid town"
"Elena" Damon forces a small smile "Don't worry about it" he tells me.
"Are you sure you're ok?" I ask again motioning to his forehead, hoping that I'm not pushing my luck.
"I'm fine" he replies simply and then just stands there staring at me and it's not until a few moments later when I realize that I'm just staring straight back at him.
I cough awkwardly and take a step back "Ok then" I clasp my hands together "I'll leave my notes for you downstairs"
"Thank you" Damon nods his head at me before closing his bedroom door.
I stand frozen in the hallway for a moment and let out a breath I didn't even realise I was holding.
Well fuck me. That was a little intense.
You probably already noticed but I'll mention it anyways: Yes, Elena just said Katherine's name out loud to Damon and yes, he did not react angrily to it and cut her off!
Thank you very very much to those of you who did review! It really does mean a lot and they do help to keep writing this story :) so again thank you!
Until next time :)