Chapter 4: 'The Devil's Jealousy'
A/N: Thank you everyone for taking out time to review. It means the world to me. Please do support me in future chapters with your kind words too. It really helps keeping my muse.
A/N 2: I accidentally uploaded un-beta version before. Here's the real chapter. Sorry for the multiple update emails.
It was such a strange, invigorating feeling, to be standing in front of his queen and actually talking to her. She was standing so very close to him. When she touched Damon's bruised hand, he felt lightening rush though his body. His eyes closed under her touch, as contentment and peace coursed through his being.
"You'll have to follow me to the ward so I can tend you." Elena spoke softly in her professional tone.
He gestured for her to show him the way, his eyes fixed with glassy earnestness to hers. Under this intense scrutiny, she felt her heart race. Did she know him? He felt strangely familiar. A storm was brewing inside her heart - there swelled a strange desperate yearning. She reluctantly tore her gaze away from his, surprised at the rush of emotions she felt for the complete stranger.
"Please, follow me." She motioned for him to follow her as she began to walk.
She skillfully guided him through a warren of corridors to her small nurse's office. It was a swirl of noises. Call lights chimed incessantly, nurses called for assistance, and pagers requested that varying doctors make their way to different stations. Above it all, his keen ears focused on one amazing sound. He could hear her heart beating, and it was beating quickly. Pleased, he realized that her heart recognized him even though she didn't. He knew that she felt the supernatural pull just like he did.
She turned away from him when they reached her office, her eyes refusing to meet his again. She asked him to sit down on a stool as she walked away to get a first aid kit.
Once she had placed all of her tools on a nearby table, she finally faced him. Reaching for his hand, she held it carefully, examining his wound. "Oh God, it looks like the devil ripped it open." She murmured, sympathetically.
He scoffed, and rolled his eyes. "Kind of."
For the first time, she looked up into his face, a brow raised. "What?"
He didn't reply. He seemed to be too lost in her eyes.
A light blush flamed her cheeks. She looked down, picked up the cotton ball and dipped it in antiseptic. Slowly, she started cleaning the wound. He winced and inhaled sharply, tensing as she tended the deep gash. He didn't realize that his artificial human form was capable of such intense feelings. He may have a human form but he was still a demon, after all. Curse the dark Night for making this as painful as possible, he growled to himself. One look at his queen working on his hand so busily made him forget his anger in a second.
"I had a fight." He finally spoke.
She jumped at the sudden sound, and looked up, eyes narrowing. "Fight? Why?"
"It's what I do." He answered noncommittally, never looking away from her eyes. He looked at her so intensely focused, watching her with a piercing interest. The intensity of his gaze unnerved her. Her sixth sense ticked as if warning her of unforeseen danger. She shook it off.
"I'm sorry?" She questioned. Clearly she didn't understand what he meant.
"Ever heard of a street fighting circuit?" He asked, relishing the feeling of getting to talk to his Queen at long last.
"Sort of." She replied quickly, her face betraying her curiosity for more details. Only a day ago, Sheriff Liz had been talking about the illegal street fighting circuit just outside the Fells. To on lookers, it harmlessly seemed like a bar outside the town. But in reality, the place was actually where all the illegal activities happened.
"I'm one of the fighters." He informed her, quite unashamed of his involvement.
"I don't understand." She looked so confused that he held up his other hand.
"Let me explain. There is a free style fight. Every night, we pick challenges. People bid on us, the winner gets the winning amount, and the loser goes with home with broken bones." He completed his explanation with a hint of pride in his voice. He cocked his head to one side, smiling, and enjoying the surprised look on her beautiful face.
"I assume you lost?" Elena was frowning deeply. She seemed disturbed by the way he earned his living.
He shrugged, "Just not my lucky day, I guess."
"Well, this is not good. You're being cruel to your body. One of these days, you'll get seriously injured. You could even become disabled or even lose your life." She seemed appalled by his carelessness.
She bandaged his hand, all the while still telling him how his recklessness could bring harm and doom and how she didn't approve of it in the least. She lectured him about life and the blessing of a healthy body.
He stared at her, uncomprehending, drinking in her beauty like untouched spring water from the high mountains. Her eyes were demurely downcast, hidden under long lashes. Her face was soft and sweet. Her eyes beamed light and her soul breathed purity. Was she truly fated to be his? How could someone so pure be his? She had to be a reward for all the terrible sufferings he had endured in his tormented fallen state.
"Done." She spoke suddenly, as she finished taping the bandage. "Be careful from now on. Life is a precious gift from God so please don't waste it frivolously." She spoke with a peculiar concern flooding in her eyes.
He felt something warm and fuzzy inside of him. It actually felt good to be taken care of. He enjoyed that feeling. He wanted her to take care of him all the time.
She turned away to put her aid box back where it belonged, still telling him the safety precautions. When she turned back toward him, he was standing close to her - much too close for comfort. His eyes held a strange glint that she couldn't understand and she felt unusually shy and unnerved by him but she just couldn't look away. He reached for her hand, holding it gently - a trait that was unusual for the devil - but then she didn't know that. Her eyes widened at his daring move but she didn't stop him. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. A faint trace of color washed her cheeks.
"Thank you, Miss." He breathed quietly.
"It's my job." She replied just as quietly, slightly out breath. She pulled her hand out of his grasp, not too harshly. "But do think about what I said." She reminded him, a formal smile playing on her lips. "Please fill out your form at the front desk before leaving." She added, her tone returning to its professional normalcy.
"I will."
She gestured for him to leave. Reluctantly, he walked past her out of the room, turning to look at her just one last time before he left.
..
..
The Dark Spirit had given to Damon the form of a human to win his soul mate but Damon was restricted to only take the shape of the sinner, a person that reflects the evils of their true world. So he chose to become a street fighter. To Damon it seemed pretty tame, but he knew Elena didn't approve of it either.
He looked down at his bandaged hand, a smile covering his lips. He could still feel her touch on his hand.
"I just got back from the hospital. I made sure the child won't speak about you." Klaus's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"What did you do?" Damon turned around curious; surprised that concern was his first fleeting thought. This human nature must be pretty strong, he thought quickly.
"I compelled her to silence." Klaus shrugged. "She'll see you but she won't be able to say a word." He added mysteriously.
Damon nodded carelessly, not giving it much thought as the demon form overrode the natural human care. The little girl was the least of his problems. He picked up a small bag from the floor and threw it toward the soul eater. "Here's the soul of the human man I hunted a month ago. Not fresh, but I hope this will do."
"Mmm…" Klaus took a deep breath, inhaling the scent as he tore at the bag like a hungry werewolf, his eyes gleaming in a cruel glow. "Serial killer."
Damon ignored the soul eater as he entered a dark room to his left. He stood in front of the mirror on the wall. He'd long ago forgotten his human face. It still felt surreal to him to again see his human reflection.
He closed his eyes and instantly his clothing changed. He became the epitome of the classic sexy bad boy, dressed up in a black leather jacket over his black shirt paired up with dark jeans and motorcycle boots.
"So what did you go as?" Klaus asked curiously when he came back out of the room.
"A patient." Damon replied, pushing back the smile that appeared of its own accord every time he thought of that first meeting. "A poor wounded patient."
"Did your brother see you?"
"He was fuming." Damon chuckled. "He really thinks he has a chance against me."
"That blithering idiot." Klaus commented snidely.
"I know, right." Damon replied, his own tone caustic as well. "The heavens and darkness knows she only belongs to me. She's my fate. But he actually thinks she is his," He added, a little anger creeping into the end of his comment.
"Well, not to ruin your righteous moment, my dear Damon, but she really is his." A harsh and familiar voice cut through the moment, making both men jump. The voice came from behind them, from the entrance to the room.
Damon turned around, eyes blazing at the sight of his estranged brother. "What the hell are you doing here Stefan?"
"What did you do to the little girl, Damon?" Stefan replied, his voice threatening, avoiding the question.
"Nothing too damaging. It was just a little compulsion spell." Klaus replied proudly, speaking for Damon.
"How can you harm a child's soul, Devil?" Stefan snarled, ignoring Klaus and directing his tirade toward his brother, his eyes glittering with ill-concealed rage.
"Is that a rhetorical question or are you asking for the procedure?" Damon replied casually not paying his brother any mind.
"Dark magic, Damon! You used dark magic on a child. Do you have any idea of the sin you have committed? You cruel filth!" He hissed. Stefan wanted to go right in there and knock some sense into Damon but he couldn't enter his brother's house because it was surrounded by a dark aura. He'd be powerless if he got too close. Then he would be at his evil brother's mercy and he couldn't risk that. "I swear on everything that is pure and good that I will destroy you. I'll snatch everything that means something to you and I'll burn you to ashes…"
"Get out, drama queen!" Damon didn't even raise a brow. He slowly walked toward the door, arms crossed, smirking.
"You'll regret this, Damon." Stefan growled. "Do whatever you want but I'll not let you corrupt Elena's soul. You can guard her all the time. You can even try to attract her but in the end, I'll steal her away, I'll…"
Damon didn't let him finish the tirade. He calmly snapped his fingers and the door slammed closed in Stefan's face, drowning out anything else he might have said. "Angels and their speeches." He snorted, turning away to head back to the dark room to resume his work.
..
..
She was working on her assignment. He was sitting next to her, but cloaked by his magic. Slowly, he reached out his hand to touch her cheek. "You looked so beautiful today, My Queen." He spoke aloud to her, not getting bothered by the fact that she still couldn't hear him.
"The way you touched me… I never felt something like that. You have no idea what you make me feel? How can you do that to me? How could you make me lose my mind by the slightest touch?" He asked patiently, untucking a strand of her hair from behind her ear.
The lock of hair fell before her eyes. She groaned, putting it back behind her ear. Eyes on her notebook, she extended her hand to a book which was away from her reach. Quickly he pushed it closer.
She opened the book and scribbled some text on it.
"You misspelled surgery." He told her, reading over her shoulder. When she didn't correct it, he rolled his eyes and flicked his hand, correcting her mistakes with his magic. "I'm not going to help you in your exams so you had better start concentrating." He chided, looking over at her face. They were so close he could feel her breathing.
His fingers wandered over to play with her hair again. He loved the soft feel of her long locks. When nights came, he'd wait for her to finish her work so he could bury his face in her hair and sleep with her.
He pulled her a strand of her hair out again which was captive behind her ear. It fell on her temple, tickling her nose.
"God, stop disturbing me! I'm trying to study." She hissed at no one in particular.
"Ooh, feisty." He smirked, amused by her anger. He touched her cheek to calm her down. She let out a sigh of frustration and instantly felt better.
A knock on the door disturbed their special moment, existing half in reality and half in cloaked invisibility.
"Yes!" Elena said loudly, without looking up from her notebook.
Jenna and her husband Alaric entered the room with their daughter Alice. Alice's face was void of all emotions; she saw Damon but she didn't react. She could see him in his human form so she wasn't scared of him, but even if she wanted to say something about him, she couldn't.
"Elena, dear, we're going out for Alice's checkup. She's been acting very strange lately. Are you okay to stay home by yourself?" Jenna asked in her sweet mothering tone.
"Yeah sure," Elena replied, nodding.
While Jenna instructed her to lock all doors, Alice kept looking at Damon. She seemed surprised by the fact that none of the adults in the room were acknowledging the stranger sitting on Elena's bed. When she opened her mouth to speak about him, no voice seemed to come out.
Alaric looked at the direction his daughter was looking, very confused. "What is it, Alice. What are you looking at?"
Elena looked at the empty place beside her. "There is no one here, baby."
Alice looked scared at this revelation and wrapped her arms tightly around her mother.
"Let's go." Alaric sighed, when Alice still said nothing.
"Don't forget to lock the back door and shut all the windows." Jenna yelled back up the stairs before leaving the house.
"Okay!" Elena called after them, still busy with her work.
Once they left, Elena started working on her assignment while the unseen Damon sat next to her, waiting for her to finish so they could sleep. She kept struggling with the rebellious lock of her hair, sighing and hissing in frustration. She took out hair band from her cabinet and tied her hair. He didn't know why but he felt irrational jealousy of the little thing that touched his Queen.
Her eyes were getting heavy and quite drowsy and she felt so sleepy, but she kept scribbling down her notes.
"You should lock the back door before falling asleep." He reminded her quietly.
"I should lock the door." She said aloud to herself, yawning as she finally closed her book and laid her head down on her desk. "Just five minutes' rest." She told herself.
He shook his head, knowing she'd fall asleep. "Lazy slob."
Damon clicked his fingers, locking all the doors with his magic. He turned to her, picking her up gently in his arms and laying her on her bed. He tugged the comforter on top of her, before jumping onto the other side of the bed.
He scooted closer, pulling her to him and running his fingers through her soft hair. "Do you realize what you do to me? You reign over my heart. You hold the cords to my fate. Every part of my being belongs to you, and you don't even know yet?" He chuckled at the last statement.
He brought his bandaged hand up to his face - the hand she touched. The wound she tended to.
"I'll come to meet you again tomorrow." He whispered to her sleeping form. "I'll woo you. I'll win your heart and then you will mine forever."
His adoration for her was bordering on worship. His obsession with her was becoming dangerous and boundless. He didn't know how much longer he could fight his impulse to take her away forever. But he had to win her love. He had to make her love him to keep her. And he knew it would take time. He dipped his head in the crook of her neck, burying his nose in her ear. He felt peace again, the peace he'd long forgotten when he entered the world of evil.
"Goodnight, My Queen."
..
..
It was a tough day at the hospital. Today was the day that the hospital hosted a blood drive. Many nurses were busy at the event so they were short on regular hospital staff and Elena had to do a lot of charting all by herself. She sat at the nurse desk, scribbling down details of cases.
A lock of her hair fell in her eyes. She huffed in a frustrating tone, pushing it back behind her ear. "I swear I'm shaving off my hair if it doesn't stop soon."
"What?" A fellow nurse asked, confused by the sudden outburst.
"My hair keeps falling down onto my forehead and into my eyes! Even when I wash it and brush it straight back, as it is drying it still ends up on my forehead. It's become quite a nuisance." Elena grumbled in an irritated tone.
"Just pin it." Her friend suggested helpfully.
"I was going to but I can't find my stash." Elena moaned. Damon rolled his eyes. Just like she couldn't find anything else in that messy room. He would have to put them on the dresser for her when they returned to her room for the evening.
"Elena," Doctor Stefan called professionally, gesturing her to come to his office. He then disappeared inside his office, which was right across from hers.
"Don't go." She heard a strange urgent whisper behind her.
She immediately turned around, surprised. "Did you say something?" She said to her friend, confusion furrowing her brow.
"No." Her friend shook her head, distracted with her charting.
"Ohh…" Elena tilted her head sideways, baffled.
Shrugging her shoulder, she rose up from her chair, grabbing her files to take with her. All of a sudden a gush of air passed her and scattered the contents on her table. All of the official papers flew helter skelter in all directions.
"Oh dear God!" She groaned as she ran to pick them up. Her fellow nurse rushed to help her.
"Elena," Doctor Stefan called her again, a patient smile on his deceiving face.
"In a minute, doctor." She replied as she tried to hurriedly collect all the papers.
"What happened here?" Stefan said, coming out of the office to see why she was taking so long. He didn't trust his brother.
"Doctor, I… I left the window open." She said fearfully, as if expecting to be scolded for her carelessness.
He look a little strained for a moment but then he smiled. "It's okay, Emma will be pick it. Please come to my office. I need your help urgently."
"Yes, doctor." She tossed the papers on her table as she followed after him.
..
..
Doctor Stefan had given her an order to write up some reports for him. He requested her to stay in the office so he could help her if she needed it. After all, he reasoned, a doctor's writing can be rather sloppy. For a while, they kept quiet. She felt him looking at her but whenever she'd look up she would find him busy reading a file or studying an x-ray. He broke the silence after a while asking about how her aunt and uncle were doing.
They chatted for some time as she made the notes. He asked her about her classes. She told him that she'd been lagging on some assignments because of work.
"What's the assignment about?" Stefan asked, playing his card. Ever the calm and collected doctor, he got up from his chair and took a seat next to her on the couch.
"Surgical analysis." She replied with a sigh. "It's a little tough and also I missed a class so…"
"I can help you." Stefan said, smiling kindly. "I love helping out beautiful girls with my vast knowledge." They both chuckled at his forward comment, but the raw emotions in his eyes told her he truly meant it.
She looked away, blushing. There was something about him that always made her heart race. His green eyes shimmered with warmth, heat that always made her go weak in legs. He was very kind and he cared a lot about her. Sometimes he would even do her work just to help her with her work load. And it wasn't just that. She'd seen how empathetic and sweet he was with his patients. Everyone at the hospital adored him and she was no exception.
"I'll like that," She replied, smiling back.
She turned her attention back to work, scribbling as fast as she could.
"Elena," She never noticed when he'd drawn closer, reading the reports over her shoulder. "You misspelled epiglottis." He let out a light laugh. He took the pen from her hand, correcting her error. She closed her eyes, breathing in his scent. Suddenly she felt a light pain in her heart as if someone had punched a hole in it.
Before she could panic, she felt Stefan's light touch on her hand. Like magic, the pain disappeared. She looked up at him, surprised. He was lost in reading the report. "You have to elaborate the Anesthetic stage; you can copy the text from my feedback notes." He instructed softly, his hand still lightly caressing her hand.
"Yes, doctor." She replied, her eyes fixed on his face rather than the report.
"Elena," He groaned looking up, staring into her eyes. "I told you to call me Stefan. We're friends. You don't need to be so formal."
"Sorry." She bit on her lip nervously. "Stefan."
His gorgeous lips transformed into a full-on smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I like the way you say my name." He breathed. Slowly, he reached out his hand to touch her cheek but before he could, a loud knock disturbed them.
"Doctor Stefan, there's had been an emergency case, you're needed." Nurse Emma announced as she opened the door.
"Okay, I'll be right there."
..
..
Damon was gleefully playing with her hair, loving the angry look on his face when Stefan saw him. Before he could do anything to stop him, Stefan called her in his office, away from the devil she couldn't see.
Damon tried to stop her, but the so called 'warlock of goodness' had his way and called her to his room. He couldn't follow her. Stefan had cast a spell on his room that assured his success and restricted darkness to enter. Damon was helpless.
He transported himself to the window, watching them from a distance. His jealousy ate into the core of his very being when he saw them sitting together, too close for his comfort.
Stefan knew Damon was nearby but he unashamedly flirted with his evil brother's Queen. Rage erupted in Damon's chest when Stefan touched her hand. He didn't even want Stefan to look at her let alone touch her. Stefan smiled. His brother's agony was his peace.
"Don't touch her," Damon warned, knowing Stefan could hear him. "She only belongs to me. She's mine."
The Angel warlock and Damon's Queen talked for a while, every second agonizing Damon more and more.
Stefan's aura was affecting Elena now because he could hear her heart race at his close proximity. Stefan leaned closer to her, instructing her about her work but she was looking at his eyes, an admiring smile gracing her face.
His heart, his soul, his entire being just popped like a punctured balloon. His soul mate, his peace, his fate, his Queen was slipping away from his fingers. But Damon wouldn't let that happen.
Just then Elena snapped out of her daze. She must feel the pain he felt too. After all, she was his heart. But before she could question this strange ache, Stefan mumbled a spell under breath, numbing her pain.
They were drawing closer; Stefan was leaning over to touch her soft cheek. But Damon wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let his brother touch her intimately. He alone had that right.
He closed his eyes, transporting to the help desk where Elena's fellow nurse was working.
"Listen to me, Emma, you'll go inside and ask doctor Stefan to attend a patient in the ER. You'll not let him come here." He compelled her, tricked her, mumbling a spell to make her his willing slave.
She nodded as she got up from her chair.
"Go now!"
She rushed to the door, knocking on the door (out of formality and training) before opening the door. "Doctor Stefan, there's had been an emergency case. You are needed."
..
..
Elena rushed out of the room to the front desk, lost in her thoughts. What just happened? What was Dr. Stefan about to do? Was he going to kiss her? Did she even want that?
She picked up the pile of files and hurried to her desk. Not even a minute had passed when she smelled the same intoxicating fragrance she was so familiar, though there was never an explanation for it.
A knock on the door of her office startled her. She looked up to see who it was and her eyes grew wide when she saw the street fighting gangster from a day ago. "You!"
A light smirk appeared at her startled appearance, "Can I come in?"
She motioned for him to enter. He duly complied, coming inside and standing beside her desk. The intensity of his eyes and the glint of mischief in them unnerved her.
She raised her eyebrow as if asking him what he was doing here.
"I hurt myself again." He said mournfully, pretend pouting.
"Your hand seems fine." She replied, glancing at his bandaged hand.
He took off his jacket, showing her his bruised arm that was bleeding copiously.
"Oh God!" She let out a gasp, hurrying to him. "How did this happen?" She asked as she examined his wound.
"Last night I had a fight with a Brazilian wrestler. I knocked him down and broke his hand and won fair and square but somehow he thinks I cheated. So he brought his friends to my house and had them beat me up." He explained patiently, pleased with his own creativeness.
Her eyes were wide, surprised at the brutality he'd suffered just for a couple of dollars.
"One of them dragged me on the road and…" He didn't even complete before she hissed. "Okay, okay, stop, don't tell…" She couldn't even hear it. How could people be so inhumane to each other?
"Sit down and let me fix you up." She sighed, ushering him to a stretcher.
She took out her first aid box from a locked cabinet and hurried back to him.
"You'll have to take off your shirt." She said as she settled her tools on the table, just like yesterday.
He moved his hand to unbutton his shirt but flinched from the strain of the muscle. She rolled her eyes and swatted his hands away. Standing between his legs, slowly, she unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off his shoulders, eyes downcast. She could feel his gaze fixed on her face. Her hands shook slightly as she inched closer to him, to clean his wounds.
She dipped the cotton ball in antiseptic and applied it on the gash. When she looked up again, she found him looking at her, lovingly, adoringly.
Ooh, the things he could do to her. He thought as some lewd images flashes in his mind.
"You look upset. Is it because I revisited your hospital?" There was a knowing smile on his face that she found confusing.
"No, fixing you up is my job."
He titled his face to get a better view of her eyes.
"Then why do you seem so angry, Miss Elena?"
She looked up once at the sound of her name coming out of his lips. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous at the way his blue orbs looked into hers. It made her weak in the knees. She looked away, not strong enough to keep the eye contact.
"How much money do you earn by these… street fights?" She asked, her mouth forming in a hard line to show her dislike to his 'profession'. She had to get his attention distracted from herself.
"About a hundred dollars." He replied, shrugging as if it didn't matter.
"Don't move." She spoke impatiently, looking up to his face once. The intensity of his eyes intimidated her and she looked away again, struggling to find words.
"Just for a couple of dollars, you're risking your life?" She finally spoke, still frowning. "Do you even realize how fortunate you are for living the life that you're living. You're healthy and alive. Not a lot of people have that. We have young children dying over here. Do you have any idea how their parents feel? They're spending every last penny they have so they could buy more time for their children and here you are, wasting your life and body like it doesn't mean anything."
It was an amazing feeling, to be taken care of. He liked the concern in her voice. No one had ever shown concern for him until now. He was drinking in the new feelings she gave him, feelings that he never felt before - and not paying any attention to her rant.
"And, do you know what you do is illegal?" Her eyes flashed with anger at his recklessness. She reminded him on a harmless angry kitten, fluffy, soft. She had no idea that she was scolding the face of evil. If anyone but her spoke to him in that tone, they would be dead by now but this was his Queen.
"I know."
"Then why do you do it?" She asked, a hand on her hip. He liked that saucy attitude.
"Because I have to eat and for that I have to earn money." He replied boldly.
"Then find a job." She suggested, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.
"This is my job."
She let out a sigh, understandingly. Then her features softened. "Look… what's your name?"
"Damon." He answered eagerly, waiting for her to say his name.
"Look, Damon," Tremors of desire crashed through his body when he finally heard her say his name after his many years of longing and suffering. "You're young now, so you don't seem to think it's an issue, but you're really damaging your body. One of these days, you could seriously get hurt." She lectured him again about life and his choices, but this time her tone was soft. She dressed his shoulder, and helped him put his shirt back on.
She felt a strange peace in his proximity. He sounded so familiar. But that wasn't possible. She'd remember him if she ever met him. Men like him couldn't be forgotten. She looked up into the most incredible blue eyes she'd ever seen. He was extremely attractive, no doubt too attractive for his own good or anyone else's. Everything about him screamed danger and it didn't help that his life choices were too unsettling for her.
No, not familiar at all. She tossed out the very idea as she looked away.
"Do think about what I said." She reminded him as he stood to his feet.
"I will." He smiled as he took a step closer to her.
"The door is that way." She said, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. She didn't know why her heart raced whenever he inched closer to her.
"Good bye."
"Bye." She said turning away from him, taking a deep breath. Yes. He was familiar. And how her heart knew? Now that she really wanted to know.
..
..
Elena had just finished her work at hospital. She was on her way to the Grill, a diner in the The Fells where all her friends gathered around to spend some time together and laugh and relax.
Winds were breaking the sky apart; a half moon sailed high through the clouds, then vanished again. Clouds roared and unexpectedly, it started to rain.
"Oh no." She groaned, trying in vain to keep dry by placing her handbag over her head.
"Miss Elena!" She heard the strange familiar voice calling her name over the thunder. She turned around and found her street fighter gangster patient of two days hurrying toward her, holding a black umbrella.
"You…" She started to speak but he interrupted her.
"Get under the umbrella."
"I don't think it's big enough for both of us." She said, looking skeptically at the small black umbrella.
"Fine, then you take it." He said, heroically handing it to her.
"No, I… I can't. It's yours."
"I'm fine, I'm used to harsh weather. You, on the other hand, look like a fragile doll that'll break with a gust of wind." He said with a smile that made her heart skip a beat.
"Oh… Thank you." She didn't know what to say in response to his gentlemanly consideration.
"Well, you tended my wounds so it's the least I can do for you," The gratitude in his voice shook her. Did he really think so highly of her? She just helped him because it was her job.
She held the umbrella up, settling her books in her other hand.
"Where are you going?" He asked, running a hand through his drenched hair.
"To the grill." She replied, stepping sideways to avoid a puddle.
"Let me walk you." He said.
"No, it's…"
"It's dark and there is no one out here. It isn't safe for you to walk alone." He reasoned.
She seemed a little taken aback by his considerations to her. Honestly, she never thought him as a person who would care about what happens to others.
"So, can I?" He asked, and the yearning his voice didn't go unnoticed.
"Sure." She replied, glancing toward him with a smile.
For a while, they walked quietly. She looked sideways at him. His hands were in the pockets of his soaked leather jacket. He was drenched from head to toe. She felt a little guilty but then he caught her eye and smiled, assuring her he was fine.
"I'm afraid your wounds will become infected if they get wet in this rain." She spoke worriedly.
"Don't worry, they won't. They're covered pretty well with the bandage." He replied calmly to allay her fears.
They walked and walked for a long time, from one alley to another, talking about causal things.
"So, why are you going to the grill? Shouldn't you be home by now." He asked, curiously, interrupting their casual chat. He wanted so much that they would go to her house. He liked having her all to himself.
"Oh, I made plans with some friends." She replied, not noticing his downcast expression.
"Girls night out?" He forced himself to sound cheerful.
"Sort of." She said, shyly.
"It better be girl's night out." He thought irritably. He wouldn't like it if horrible human boys were there too. Those scrawny pimpled jocks could really anger him sometimes. They would flirt with her and try to attract her attention. He hated how their dirty gazes lingered down her body. Her pure, untouched body. The body and the soul that only belonged to him.
"And you?" She asked breaking the silence. "You're not going to fight tonight too, right?" Her tone held a bit of threatening anger. She just wouldn't let it go. She really didn't like his life choices.
"No." He shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. "I had a motivational lecture today about how I should rethink about my life."
A smile crossed her face in approval.
And just when he was about to open his mouth to ask her to hang out with him, a car roared up the road and stopped beside them.
"Elena?"
Damon had never despised his brother more than he did in this moment.
"Oh, hey, Stefan." She waved, smiling.
Damon growled at the warm way she addressed him, his fists clenched, his eyes blazed. "Don't Stefan!" He mouthed the words where she couldn't see but his brother ignored his warning.
"Where you going?" Stefan asked through the half opened window.
"To the grill." Elena replied, leaning over so she could look inside the car at him.
"Hop in. I'll give you a ride." He offered, his eyes fixed on his brother's stormy expression.
Elena looked at the man beside her and then back at Stefan. She was confused at the tension between them. "Oh… you… you don't have to."
"Oh, come on, it's fine. I wanted to spend time with you anyway." Stefan said, pouting playfully.
She hesitated for a moment but then she nodded, turning back to Damon. "Thank you so much for the umbrella." She handed it back to him. "And… thank you for the… company." She added, awkwardly. What should she say now?
"Anytime." His eyes were as warm as honey but his tone was icy cold. He seemed furious with her - or Stefan -she wasn't sure which.
Elena turned away and climbed into the passenger's seat. Stefan had opened the door for her, smiling at her presence and his win.
When she settled inside, she waved at Damon one last time before Stefan drove off.
He stood there for a long time at the very point where they'd last been together, fuming and furious. The feeling of jealousy maddened him; his brain reeled. He wouldn't let this one go. His brother would get his just due for his actions. The Queen was only his. And the devil is a formidable force when what belongs to him is taken. Oh, Stefan would pay. He would pay dearly.
Beta credits to Rachael (JessicaRae95). You've done an amazing job, sister. Your additions to the story is pure gold. Thank you so much for your hard work.
Questions
If Elena is Damon's Queen why does Stefan thinks she is his?
On Elena's parents request, Stefan saved her soul from the darkness. He'd given her a part of his soul to save her on the deal that she'll be his. In a way, she belongs with him too. Besides, to Stefan, Damon is an evil bad guy and bad guys don't get happy endings.
Why is Elena so pure if she's made of darkness?
That will be answered in later stage of story.
..
There would be a little Stefan-Elena here ( I don't like it either) But that would be integral part of the story so bear with me. It is suppose to be a love triangle so...
Do review! I'll be eagerly waiting for your thoughts on it.
