When Elena's eyes fluttered open, she became aware of two things. The first was how safe and content she felt in Damon's arms. The second was a touch of fear, afraid of how they had pushed their relationship to this point. She cared about him, but she was still heavily grieving with the rest of her life and she wasn't sure what her feelings were for Damon. She slipped from his arms, almost whimpering at the loss, but she changed her clothes and quietly left the house. With amazing calmness she drove home and once inside, she looked around sadly before going upstairs, avoiding the kitchen entirely. She knew Damon had cleaned up the mess but that didn't mean she didn't see Jenna there every second. She just wanted to pack some more clothes and grab a few things.
She looked around her room, her eyes landing on a picture of Jenna on her mirror, right next to one of her and Stefan. Blinding anger consumed her as she ripped the pictures down and punched the mirror. How dare he leave her for Katherine. After all this time, all the promises how she was better then her evil twin and he just… he just left. She barely felt the pain as the glass pierced her flesh as she chucked her teddy across the room breaking a lamp. She stared at her bleeding hand, unable to comprehend the pain as she struggled to breathe. She couldn't do this.
She ran out of the house, not noticing the trail of blood droplets she was leaving. As soon as she got outside, it started to pour, but she paid no mind to the weather as she started driving. As she suspected, her phone started vibrating, Damon's name appearing on the screen, but she pressed ignore. And she pressed ignore the 4 times after that before he resorted to texting her.
'Dammit Elena! I'm going to kill you for making me worry like this. You don't have to do this alone. I'm sorry I spent the night with you. I promise I won't again.'
He thought what? He thought she was running from him? She wished she was. This would be easier if she could blame him and be mad at him, but none of this was his fault. He was doing everything he could to ease her pain to help her through this. But she couldn't be around him. She couldn't think or breathe when he was in the room. He never asked her how she was doing or made promises that this was going to be okay. He was just there with her, and she welcomed his comfort, more then he realized. She just wanted some control of what was happening around her. Damon was being so strong for her, something she wasn't used to. And her feelings for the older Salvatore were intensifying with everyday they spent together. He was being a very good friend and he had done nothing to make her angry, she just… wasn't sure if she was ready.
The rain started coming down harder, making it near impossible to see the road even with the wipers on high, but she was close to her destination anyway. She could walk the rest of the way. She pulled off the road and zipped her jacket up, knowing she was about to get soaked. After throwing her cell phone on the passenger seat, she climbed out, gasping at the cold water that immediately started pouring on her. The rain was freezing but she didn't care as she started across the grass, getting drenched to the bone.
"Elena!" Damon screamed, through her house as Jeremy and Bonnie jogged in after him. His heart dropped as the smell of her blood hit his nose and he followed the trail up to her room, pushing his wet hair from his eyes. When he woke up alone, at first he didn't have a reaction. He wasn't going to make a thing out of it. However once he had gotten dressed and headed downstairs, he had realized she wasn't here. Then when she ignored his calls, he thought the worst. Had he crossed a line by staying with her? He couldn't stand the thought of her being angry at him, especially over this.
"Did someone take her?" Bonnie asked, seeing the mess. "Katherine?"
Katherine would have to have a death wish if she dared to come to Elena's house and kidnap her. Damon glanced around only seeing the small amounts of blood and her broken mirror. "I don't smell anyone else," he said taking in the damage. The ripped pictures, the broken furniture, the smell of salt. She was crying when she was here, but she was alone. "How fast can you do a spell to find her?"
"Quick," Bonnie said, lighting a few candles and closing her eyes, her lips moving in a silent chant. "She's cold… sad. There's grass… and stones." Her eyes snapped open. "I couldn't make out what kind of stones."
"I know where she is," Damon said, and he was gone. There was only one place with stones that she'd want to be right now. She blamed herself for this, for orphaning her and Jeremy once more. She might say it was Katherine's fault, but she blamed herself more. The rain pounded on him as he moved through the woods and he double timed it to the cemetery. He hated getting wet like this, he much preferred to stay in, or at least drive, but if Elena was out in this, she could get sick. His eyes landed on her huddled in the mud leaning against Jenna's gravestone, her face in her knees. Carefully he approached her, not wanting to scare her, before crouching down in front of her. "Elena…"
She raised her face in surprise, her eyes full of anguish as they met his. "Damon?"
"Come on Sweetheart," he said lifting her into his arms. "God you scared me." His hold tightened around almost painfully as he headed in the direction of the boarding house. He just wanted to kiss her over and over again now that she was safe. She needed to get warm and soon. Even as they arrived home and he carried her upstairs to his bathroom, she remained silent. "Let's get you warm," he said turning on the shower.
"Why does it matter?" she mumbled folding her arms as she shivered. "No point in caring."
Damon yanked his soaked shirt over his head and cupped her chin. "I am not going to let anything happen to you or to Jeremy Elena," he said, stroking her jaw. The moment Katherine stepped foot in Mystic Falls Damon would kill her, if Stefan hadn't already.
"It's never going to stop," she cried. "People I love are going to keep dying Damon."
He had taken so many extra steps to keep everyone around her safe, especially her and Jeremy. Bonnie could do a spell on their house, he could take care of all of this, if she allowed him. He would need a little time, but she needed to trust him a little. "No they won't," he said in a desperate tone. "You and Jeremy and have me now but you can't ever disappear on me like that. You're going to get sick."
She shivered against him and sniffled. "Why do you put up with me?" she mumbled laying her head on his shoulder.
He couldn't believe she really thought he was just going to give up on her. After everything they had been through at least on the friendship level, he couldn't just throw that away. However, Stefan had. Stefan had broken her heart to pieces, and he couldn't exactly blame her for being scared of losing anyone else from her life. "You know why," he said kissing her wet hair. "You really need to get out of these clothes."
"Yeah I'm definitely cold," she muttered, her body shuddering once more.
Damon's hands covered hers and they were like ice, even for him. He was going to have to help her and… "You're gunna have to trust me Elena," he said softly.
She nearly raised an eyebrow. "I already do," she said. He would have chuckled at how silly they were being over this whole thing. They were both adults and he had amazing self control… he hoped.
Damon crouched in front of her, wondering how he was going to keep his hands strictly for help, and not caress her beautiful skin, and sculpt her body that he only dreamed about. "Hold on to my shoulders," he said. Once her trembling hands were settled, he removed her shoes and socks one at a time, frowning at the light blue color of her toes. His hands quickly moved to the button of jeans, undoing them and peeling the soaked denim off her freezing legs. Her skin was almost colder then his. As he stood up he took her top with him. "Come on cute." He helped her under the warm spray, clad in the cutest bra and panties he had ever seen and he joined her in his jeans. "We'll warm you up and get you in front of the fire."
Elena leaned into his arms and he stroked her back rocking her gently, almost expecting her to burst into tears again. He wondered when the last time she cried had been. She kept on such a brave front for everyone except him, which he found a little surprising. "I'm sorry you worried," she said. "I just… got so angry."
Damon kissed her hair and reached behind him to get the conditioner to at least smooth out her tangles. "Definitely not how I planned to spend today," he agreed. He'd never been so scared in his life. He didn't know what to think. She could have been hurt or worse and he'd.. never forgive himself if something happened to her.
"In the shower with me?" she asked coyly.
At least she could crack a joke at a time like this. However this was definitely not how he wanted his first time in the shower with her to be. "Very funny," he said, running the substance through her long locks. "I'm not.. Trying to make a sexual ploy at you, even though we're half naked, in the shower."
She frowned and brought a hand to his cheek. "I know that Damon," she said softly. "I never thought otherwise. And… I wasn't running from you this morning. I just wanted to get some clothes and stuff and just get some air. It wasn't about last night." He could feel the tension start to ease out of his muscles, not realizing how worried he had been.
"I just.. Thought you might want me to stay with you last night," he said carefully. "Rinse."
Elena tilted her head back and hummed softly as his fingers massaged her scalp, washing the suds from her head. They definitely needed clothes if they were going to finish this conversation or they could end up doing something neither of them were ready for. He turned the taps off and climbed out wrapped a large towel around her. "Let's find you some dry clothes," he said, leaving the bathroom, freezing when he saw a figure on his bed.