Blood Sharing
Chapter 4- Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes
Thanks everyone for all the kind reviews. I'm really not sure where I'm taking this, I took a break for a while to see if I wanted to work in the TV plot or what. I'm really only continuing it for popular demand, It's my first time every writing smut and I'm not sure where to take it. So reviews welcome! Thanks for your support this far. I think I've devised something that will be a good mix of the actual plot and my own ideas and I think you'll like it.
The song for this chapter is "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes" by Beck. Enjoy the mood it sets
In a flash of vampire speed Damon was blocking the entrance to Jeremy's room. He leaned in the frame with a half smirk. "Hey Jere, how 'bout we have a little chat..."
"You're not going to compel him Damon." said Elena coming up behind Jeremy so that he was now blocked from either direction.
"...wouldn't work anyway." mumbled Jeremy.
"...what was that?" demanded Damon. Jeremy shrugged and Elena stared at him. What was that supposed to mean? Did he mean Damon wouldn't be able to compel him? She stared at him with a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"Don't look at me like that." said Jeremy turning his gaze away from them both. "You're the ones... hurting Stefan." he spat out. He shuffled his feet and through his hands in his pockets. He suddenly looked a lot younger than his age and Elena was reminded that he was still a little brother.
"You're right, we don't want to hurt Stefan." said Damon still blocking the way.
"...if he finds out right now, we're afraid he'll turn into a ripper again..." explained Elena quickly.
Jeremy looked up then, looked at his sister, looked in her eyes and took it all in. She hadn't been normal ever since the change. She hadn't been the same. He didn't expect her to be. But Damon? Of all vampires. Why Damon? "Look, you need to hurry up then and tell Stefan or I will." He set his lips defiantly. At least if Elena was preoccupied with Damon neither of them would know what Jeremy and Stefan had learned the past few days. With Elena in the state she was in, and Damon more impulsive than anyone else- this was right for now. At least that's what he mentally told himself.
Elena stood motionless, and then nodded her head. "We plan on it." she said. "We're just waiting for the right time." she looked up at Damon. "Can you give us a bit? Why don't you head home. I'll see you tomorrow."
Damon lingered a moment, nodded, and took a long gaze at Elena. Then he was gone. Both Jeremy and Elena relaxed their stance. Jeremy gave a shrug and headed into his bedroom and sad on his bed. Elena followed and sat next to him. "I didn't plan on this happening." she finally said.
"Damon? Really? I mean... Damon?" growled Jeremy. "If we never got mixed up with these brothers, you'd still be alive, so would Jenna, so would so many others!"
"You know that's not true. Klaus... Katherine... someone would have come. Because I am the doppelganger. Sooner or later." said Elena thoughtfully. Jeremy stayed silent. She had a point. "Look, in the time I've been a vampire I feel like all Stefan wants to do is fix me. He doesn't like me. I didn't like myself at first. But Damon is helping me feel good again. Feel more like me."
"It can't just be that." interrupted Jeremy. "Like, yeah, I get that. But you can't tell me you'd leave one brother for the other because one made you feel good. What does that even mean?" Elena sighed in response.
"I don't know how to explain it but ever since Damon and I-" she stopped. She realized Jeremy didn't know.
"You what?"
"Damon and I bloodshared." she said plainly.
"What does that mean?" he asked again.
"It's a thing... vampires do... it bonds them. You see inside the others heart, into their feelings, into their thoughts. It's like seeing them from the inside out Jere. They see you that way too." When she looked at him now her eyes were sparkling. Jeremy felt himself grow shaky. Just reliving the moment in her eyes felt intense.
"So what- it's like sex? Vampire sex?" he demanded. Elena half grinned. She remembered asking the same thing.
"No. But it's more than sex. I can't imagine anything a human could do to feel it. Maybe drugs."
"Oh great so you're getting high. I thought that was my shtick?" said Jeremy unimpressed.
"No. It's not like getting high. It's just sort of... surrendering. I saw myself through Damon, I finally understood that he loves me. When he saw himself through me, we both realized I loved him too."
"Love." said Jeremy. That was a monumental word.
"Yeah." nodded Elena. "I've never felt that way with Stefan. We love each other, but it's entirely different. With this... with Damon... it's like we're cut from the same cloth."
"But you're not." he interrupted. "You're nothing like Damon."
"He's like me." replied Elena. "He's more like ME than he even knows or admits."
The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Elena might have considered once or twice trying to compel him to forget. But she didn't want to do that. Not with her brother. She wanted to be honest.
"Well I don't like it." started Jeremy. "But I understand it." he put his elbows forward on his knees and rested his head in his propped up hands. "You need to tell Stefan soon. I don't want to lie for you."
Elena smiled and put her arm around her brother. "I'd never ask you to." she bumped her head against his. "Thank-you for trying to understand."
"Hey, you're Elena Gilbert. If you tell me you love him, I believe you. I just hope you know what you're doing."
The school day seemed to drag on and on. As a vampire Elena was becoming painfully aware of just how slow humans could be. She could flip through her textbooks in under a minute and retain the information, she could have run laps around the classroom and have her peers only notice a slight breeze! It wasn't hard to see why Damon always established himself as too old for high school. Stefan on the other hand had been changed when he was younger. Anywhere he lived he had to go through whatever social obligations were expected of guys his age. She wondered how many times he'd sat and listened to the same old boring thing year after year.
Stefan. She tapped her pencil nervously on the desk. Jeremy was right. She'd have to tell him soon. She needed to break up with him. He also deserved the truth. There was also the little matter of how distracted he seemed to be these days. Now that she thought about it, she'd been so caught up with Damon that she didn't realize how distracted everyone in her life seemed to be. Jeremy was rarely home and seemed more brooding than usual. She hadn't seen any sign of Klaus despite him being around, and Caroline and Tyler seemed pretty busy with breaking sire bonds of all the hybrids. Even Bonnie was distracted, rightfully so, trying to re-establish her witch powers. Everyone was rushing on with their lives, being busy, running their own story-lines, and for her it seemed like time had simply stopped with Damon.
Damon. Her head snapped up and she spotted him making eyes at her through the classroom door. Thankfully no one else had. Elena got up and excused herself to the bathroom. She quickly skittered out of the room doing her best to keep her vampire speed under control, her heart fluttering at the site of him. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked as he led her down the empty hallways.
"I didn't want to wait. Did you compel Jeremy?" he asked
"No. And don't give me that face." she snapped. "He's my brother, so it's my choice." Damon went to protest but thought better of it and led her into an empty classroom.
"Is he going to tell Stefan?" he asked once they were inside.
"No. He won't. But we have to. Soon."
"We?" Damon said, more than asked. Elena nodded.
"I think it's only fair..." said Elena.
"He's never going to forgive me." said Damon walking to the window and peering through the closed blinds.
"Damon." Elena stepped up behind him and leaned her chin on his back.
"It's true. I'm the bad guy. This always happens. I stole you from him. I stole his girl. I've been wanting to steal you for a long time." he felt Elena wrap her arms around him. "It's like I'm always waiting... for you to come to your senses. Realize I'm the bad guy."
"Damon..."
"No really. It doesn't matter how we tell him Elena. If he doesn't go Ripper on us first. I just don't know how we are even going to do this." he vented.
"Damon!" said Elena sharply. He turned around to look at her and she backed him into the closed-blinded window. She put her finger up to his lips. "I love you."
Damon stared at her confused for a moment. His pupils dilated and then went back again and he went to speak but she pushed her hand again to stop him. "I love you Damon. I love your brother differently. But I love you. You love Stefan. We're going to figure this out. But you don't have to keep being afraid that I'm going to just turn this off. I love you. More than anything I have ever felt or known to be true. I know this is it."
He just stood there, resonating in her words. She rubbed her hand across his cheek. He'd told her on more than one occasion he loved her. This was the first real time she said it to him. He ran his hand over hers on his face. "Elena..."
"Shhh..." she pulled her fingers away and kissed him, barely grazing his lips, like a whisper. He quivered under her touch and they both felt their blond bond awaken. He ran his fingers down her hand, trailed them down her arm, and lost them in her loose hair. She was his salvation. No matter how far he took things, how dark he got, here was Elena, his twin flame. Elena flickered inside him with an intensity that was starting to overcome him on a routine basis.
A murmur escaped her mouth as he trailed his lips down her bare neck. Classes were changing now, but the door never opened. It didn't matter what was going on around them. Just like Elena had thought only moment earlier, Damon was learning how time stopped when they were together. Every movement was in slow motion. Every touch was like the very first touch.
Elena looked up at him with those bright eyes. "We can do this. Together. Okay? Meet me in my room after school. We'll talk, we'll plan how to tell Stefan together. This evening we'll do it." she pulled away. He knew she had to. Being gone too long would only arise suspicion. Still, he held on to her until she gently broke away. "I love you. Okay?" she nodded at him, and he nodded back. In an instant she was gone and Damon was left in the vacant classroom with only his thoughts. Could this really be happening? Did he finally get the girl?
Finally the day had ended. Elena had asked Stefan to come to her place at 7, she had a few hours before he got there to brain storm with Damon and figure out their best plan. She felt guilty, but the thought of being without Damon was more painful than telling Stefan the truth. After everything Stefan had done for her, she needed to be honest. It would be nice to not have to keep this all a secret. Surely he'd understand if he could only know their bloodbond. It was the vampire equivalent of an imprint. She already had feelings for Damon but then to be so compatible with his blood... this was bigger than either of them.
Despite the weight of what she had to do, she arrived home feeling somewhat positive. It would be hard, but Elena would at least get it over with. As she opened the door Jeremy was on his way out. "Hey, Jere." Elena stopped him and smiled. "I was thinking about our conversation this morning."
Jeremy stared at her blankly, almost looking confused. "This morning?" he asked.
"Yeah, about Stefan? Jere? Are you OK?" something was off.
Jeremy stared again and looked like he was thinking. "Ah yeah, this morning, sure."
"I'm going to tell Stefan. It won't be easy, but you're right. It needs to be done. Thank you for listening to me." she smiled at him. He half smiled back.
"That's good, ah, I guess... I'm just on my way to meet Matt for some stuff." he shuffled past her awkwardly. Elena watched him as he went. Something was certainly strange with him. Like everyone else Jeremy seemed distracted as of late, but she chalked it up to the local return of April, a girl his age.
She made her way up the stairs. "Damon, you already here?"
There was no reply but when Elena opened her bedroom door, Damon was fast asleep on top of the covers, still in his leather jacket. She grinned and quietly closed the door behind her. They could afford an hour of rest, they had plenty of time before Stefan would show up, at least 3 hours.
She padded quietly over to the bed and by the time she got there she noticed her clock radio was on. Damon must have been listening to it while he waited for her and fell asleep. Elena crawled onto the bed and Damon shifted but remained asleep. She cuddled into him and watched him.
Change your heart, look around you. Change your heart, it will astound you. I need your lovin, like the sunshine... and everybody's gotta learn sometimes...
Elena looked at his face, her eyes drank in his skin and every detail. She carefully reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. He made a happy groan and his eyes haphazardly lulled open. Damon grinned at her through sleepy eyes. "Sorry. Power nap" she ran her fingers down his face and he kept his eyes closed. "Mmmm..."
Change your heart, look around you. Change your heart, it will astound you. I need your lovin, like the sunshine, but everybody's gotta learn sometimes...
Elena leaned closer and kissed his closed eyes. "It's okay. You can rest. We have lots of time." she whispered.
"Mmm but I don't like wasting any of the moments with you." he said throwing an arm across her.
"Still expecting me to slip through your fingers Damon?" she grinned snuggling in closer. "I'd rather slip through your clothes."
"Oh." he laughed as she undid his shirt and pressed her cheek against his bare chest. Somehow touching him always seemed to energize her, he had the same reaction. The sensation was a lot like pins and needles. In a good way. A very good way. "Elena" he said as she kissed his stomach. He laughed. "Elena..." she kissed down a line. "Hey.. that tickles." he put his hands on the sides of her face and she looked up at him lovingly from his naval. "Thank-you."
"For what?" she grinned. "I haven't done anything yet."
"For earlier. For, well, making me do the right thing, and for giving me hope that maybe I do actually get to keep you. That after everything, you love me." he stared down at her seriously and she stared back intently. Then in a rush of movement she was kissing him passionately and hard. He kissed her back, but he kept talking in between kisses. "You make me a better person, a better brother..." Elena continued to attack with kisses. "I'm just... I'm actually happy, for the first time... in a very long time." she paused at this and looked back at him.
"I am too. I don't know when I've ever been this happy Damon. " they smiled back at each other and then she pulled her shirt over her head. He ran his fingers up and down her rib cage, tracing the individuals bones through the skin, sending shivers and sparks all over her. Elena arched her neck and without missing a beat plunged her fangs into his neck. Damon responded by doing the same.
Their blood sharing was always intense, every time. It was obvious though, that every time they shared that things got more intense. They'd steal memories from each other and live them in under a second, taste everything the other had ever tasted, felt the sun, the rain, the wind, the snow, and above all felt their blood pulsating through them. Damon pulled at her hair and she raked her fingers across his back. It was like the moments inside them were so intense they had to physically grab on to each other as hard as they could to be sure they were actually both there. Blood sharing was like existing on another plane all together. The world simply melted away and they were nothing but entangled bodies.
After what only seemed like minutes Damon pulled away. "Stefan just arrived downstairs." Elena snapped back and in a heartbeat was standing in front of her mirror erasing all traces of what had just happened. She turned back to face Damon, and wiped a tiny droplet of her own blood from his lips, he licked it off her finger.
"We can do this, okay? But... I think you should wait on the back deck for me. Sit at the outdoor table and I'll bring Stefan around." explained Elena. Damon stared down at her and wordless headed out of the room. Then, he stopped and looked back in.
"I love you." he headed down the stairs.
While Elena was headed to the front door to greet Stefan, Damon headed to the back deck. He saw Klaus's reflection before actually seeing him, and moved with vampire speed through the sliding glass doors.
"Easy there mate. How about you have a seat and join us." Klaus was standing at the edge of the deck holding Bonnie by the throat with one hand, and Jeremy by the other. Damon put his hands up and edged himself into a seat.
"Easy Klaus, no one has to get hurt. Just tell me what you want..."
Meanwhile Elena was leading Stefan to the glass doors.
"Why is Damon here?" asked Stefan spying his brother first and taking note of his rigid body language.
"We wanted to talk to you but... what is going on?" said Elena furrowing her eyebrows and stepping through the glass doors only to see Klaus with her best friend and her brother in a vice grip. Her eyes blacked over and the little veins trailed down her cheeks.
"Do restrain yourself sweetheart." said Klaus with a smile. "Or I'll snap both their necks." her eyes darted to see that Jeremy was not wearing his ring.
"It's okay," said Stefan putting his hands up and taking Elena's hands up with him. "Just tell us what you want."
"Now that you're all here, I suppose I should get started. Have a seat." said Klaus glancing down at the other chairs.
It took all of Elena's restraint, and honestly some help from Stefan's strong hand on her shoulder, to not rip Klaus's throat out right then and there. She knew it wouldn't kill him, but it would feel damn good. "What do you want with them Klaus?" she snarled sitting between the two brothers.
"It's not really them I want something from love, it's you." he said grimly. Elena glared back at him, but her confusion ran across her face. "It seems you've all been having your own little adventures and no one has told anyone else anything. Let me shed a little light on the situation..."
"It doesn't have to be this way Klaus, things can still go as planned." said Stefan.
"What are you talking about brother?" groaned Damon.
"Sadly Stefan, thanks to your brothers extracurricular activities... yes, it does need to be this way dear Stefan. Oh, but you don't know yet do you?" Elena and Damon both went pale as Klaus starred them down.
"What's he talking about?" said Damon and Stefan at the same time to each other. Klaus grinned.
"You see Damon and Elena, Stefan has been helping me...it turns out there is a possible cure for vampirism..." he paused for dramatic effect, and let it sink in.
Everyone except Stefan stared at Klaus with a shocked impression. "That's not possible." said Damon
"Oh, but indeed it is. When one has been around as long as I have, you learn a few interesting pieces of information. It turns out, Jeremy and Bonnie here are two pieces of a very important puzzle. Isn't that right you two?" Klaus gave them each a little choking squeeze that sent them coughing.
"Stop stop!" yelled Elena. "Stop hurting them!"
"Sure love. But first, we have a little business to attend to." he let go of Bonnie for a moment. "Try to run, and I'll snap his neck." he said referring to Jeremy.
"Stefan, why didn't you tell us this?" asked Damon.
"Because he wants to make me human, and Klaus wants me human so I can give him blood for his hybrids again." spat Elena. "You knew I wouldn't cooperate if it meant helping Klaus, do you really hate me as a vampire that much?" she asked Stefan.
"I didn't have any other choice." said Stefan sternly.
"No, I didn't give him one." explained Klaus yanking Jeremy closer. "And thanks to Jeremy here, who I've compelled this very morning. I learned something very interesting, something I suspected, and now confirmed looking at you two here. Of course, poor Stefan here is still too young to see it. I see it all too easily. I can't let it continue... "
"What?!" demanded Elena.
"You are blood sharing. With Damon. You've blood bonded." said Klaus
All eyes turned to Elena, Stefan's face was wracked with pain. "What?" he stared at his brother, his eyes shining with tears that had come so fast he was now struggling to hold them back. "Is that true? You've bonded?"
"Oh they've done a great deal more than that, and from the smell of it, many times." said Klaus arrogantly.
"I-... I'm sorry Stefan we were going to tell you today... it just sort of happened..." stammered Elena trying to take his hand but he pulled it away.
"Yes, and I need to put a stop to it. It changes your blood Elena, and I need it to stay the same. There's no telling if it'll still work on my hybrids once you are changed." he looked at Bonnie. "That's where you come in. The potion. Now."
Elena's eyes darted to Bonnie questioningly. "I'm sorry Elena. He threatened to kill Jamie, and then he grabbed Jeremy. I had no choice."
"Nice try Klaus, Bonnie doesn't have any magic left." spat Damon.
"Ah this, is a potion made of very specific herbs. Elena, you drink it, or I kill the witch right here and now." grinned Klaus.
"I'm calling it again. You just said Bonnie and Jeremy were a piece of your puzzle Klaus," spat Damon again, staring him down, trying as hard as he could to ignore his brother who seemed to have been sucked into his own confused world.
"Ah, but so long as Elena and I are both vampires I can wait as long as it takes for new ones. Or I could simply kill you and Stefan. Do you know what it's like for a vampire when her blood bond dies? They experience their death, every inch of pain, all the agony, unbridled." Klaus stared down Damon.
"I'm sorry Stefan. I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you. We wanted to tell you. We didn't plan this. But it's true we're bonded. You know what that means. It doesn't just happen to any vampires..." pleaded Elena.
"I don't have time for this. Elena, drink the potion." he put it on the table in front of her.
"Screw that." Damon went to throw it off the table but Klaus intercepted his wrist and cracked it backward.
"I've still got millennia on you Damon." Klaus snarled. "Do it Elena or I swear to whatever Gods are up there that I will rip this arm off and then his heart." he twisted and Damon winced. He still had Jeremy by his free hand and Bonnie looked on helplessly.
"Don't do it." yelled Damon as Klaus twisted more.
"He won't kill her. He can't." said Stefan slowly rising from his fog of realization.
"Please stop!" cried Elena. "I'll do it just stop hurting him. If I drink it you promise me you'll let them all go, right Klaus?" Klaus dipped his head a little.
"Of course." something about his grin didn't convince her, but she reached for the vial anyway.
"Elena don't..." groaned Damon.
"I'm sorry..." she cried looking at both brothers. Elena held the vile up and looked at it. The liquid was clear and as she brought it to her lips it tasted faintly like nutmeg. She took a breath, then summoning all her strength she drank it back. She sat still.
"There. That should break the blood bond." said Klaus.
"...but I don't feel any different?" questioned Elena, now knowing that he wanted to remove the blond bond. It all fit together. If her blood mixed too much with Damon's it would be something new. There was a chance if he cured her, that she wouldn't be able to make hybrids like he said.
"Oh... it should hit any second now love." smiled Klaus.
As if on cue Elena began violently coughing. Both brothers grabbed her by the sides as she began to vomit blood. Tears streamed down her face from pain, her stomach twisted, every bone cracked.
"Elena!" screamed Bonnie, running to her side. Klaus let go of Jeremy who also ran to her, and stood back and watched. They all formed a half circle around her holding her up while she coughed.
Everything from earlier was flashing through her mind, flashing through Damon's, the world was spinning, and suddenly Elena was lying unconscious in a heap. Damon dropped be her side and put her head in his lap. "Wake up, wake up Elena, wake up!" he cried panicked.
"What the hell did you do?!" demanded Stefan
"I merely broken the bond Stefan, honestly... you should be thanking me." he gave a devilish grin and with that he was gone. Everyone crowded around Elena.
"She's alive, just knocked out. Come on Elena, wake up." said Bonnie reaching into her pocket and pulling out another herb. She held it under Elena's nose. "Come on girl..."
"What the hell was in that potion Bonnie?!" demanded Damon.
"I'm sorry Damon..." tears were streaming down her face now. "He made me. He made me. It was a-"
suddenly Elena began to cough again and opened her eyes. Everything was blurry and out of focus, all the sounds were muffled, her whole body hurt. She blinked.
"Elena? Elena? Hey... " said Damon looking down at her.
Elena stared up at him, her eyes confused. "Oh thank God you're okay." He pushed her hair out of her face and the motion didn't go unnoticed by Stefan.
Elena blinked slowly. "Who are you?"
All eyes turned, and heads whipped toward Bonnie. "... it was a memory erasing potion. She doesn't have any of her memories of the person she blood bonded with anymore. It was the only way I could break the bond without either of you potentially dying."