Blood Sharing

Chapter 6- Stellar

Rated M

Author's note: Thanks to everyone who has been reading so far and giving feedback. I've been doing my best to fix mistakes that pop up along the way etc. I don't consider myself much of a writer, and I've never tried anything like this... I'm shocked at how it took off, and I'm just hoping I can live up to your expectations. A lot of every chapter ends up influenced by songs I think fit the Delena theme. I hope you search them out and give them a listen. Also please remember this fic only takes place after "The Five" episode. Some things that have happened in Cannon haven't happened in the fic, so I can't reference them.

The song for this chapter is Stellar by Incubus. Give it a listen.

Elena had remembered there was a cure. She remembered it after Klaus convinced Bonnie to do whatever it was she did, but Damon had thought she wouldn't remember. That's why he came to see her earlier, and that's why she was sitting in his car now, driving through Mystic Falls. The whole day had been surreal. Elena knew before she'd given her diary to Damon what it contained... but it had still been so strange for her to read it like some novel. It was hard for her to believe she wrote it, but she knew it was true. Damon knew there was a cure and despite everything that had happened, he wanted to make sure she knew.

They drove in silence, Damon let his left arm dangle out the open window while his right arm steered. His hair moved in the slight breeze, and his eyes were focused on the road. Elena found herself staring at him a lot- but he never let on if he noticed. She wasn't sure what she was looking for. Part of her thought if she stared long enough her memories might come back. The way seeing Stefan smile might trigger a memory, or an expression on his face, or his body language.

Stefan. Elena felt a knot in her stomach. Her emotions toward Stefan right now felt very mixed up. From what everyone told her and what she read in her own diary, she knew she didn't see him as a boyfriend anymore. Even though there had been no official break up, Stefan still acted like there had been, tip-toeing around it in conversation. He was hurt. Even though Elena couldn't remember anything about Damon, Stefan was still hurt. That alone spoke volumes of whatever connection had been between herself and Damon. If it didn't mean anything, Stefan wouldn't care. But it did. So he hurt. She knew that right here in this moment, she didn't feel love for Stefan. Klaus didn't erase her memory of him, but he might as well of.

Elena didn't want to come between the two brothers, and she wasn't convinced that some miracle would happen and she'd be in love with Damon and have all her memories. But there was a nagging voice inside her that knew, it wouldn't matter what Klaus had erased. She was Elena Gilbert. She hated when other people tried to control her. It was like something was stolen from her. At the very least she needed to get her memories of Damon back for that very principal alone. Klaus didn't get to have his way. He was too used to power tripping everyone into submission. She'd be damned if she didn't put up one hell of a fight along the way. But still...

Damon. It was hard to believe the man in her diary was the man sitting next to her. He was so distant, his body rigid and tense, and he didn't speak a word yet on the drive. Elena knew that he had made her happy. That was the whole point of this little trip. She had written in her own words how happy she was. Didn't she deserve that happiness back? Who was Klaus to take it from her? She owed it to herself to overcome this amnesia spell. For her own happiness, and for the principle that she could not let Klaus win again.

"We're here." said Damon breaking her from her thoughts. She looked up and around the car, he was already stepping out.

"The Wickery Bridge?" asked Elena following his lead and stepping out of the car. "...but I have lots of memories of this place."

"Exactly." said Damon, matter-o-factly. "When someone loses their memory, I've learned is best to recap the very basics. Remember the fundamentals of who you are and continue to... bring up what you know. It can lead to other memories." he walked out on to the bridge and looked down. "When you're a vampire, you have so many experiences it's hard not to forget some things. Once you've lived for as long as I have, even without some potion a vamp gets foggy."

Elena nodded and stepped a bit closer to him, carefully inspecting the water from atop the bridge. "I always end up here." she remarked.

"Your parents died here. You died here. A lot of... well... vampire drama surrounds this place. " explained Damon.

"...do we have a memory here?" Elena asked, nervously.

"I wanted to have one here." said Damon turning to stare at her. "I always thought that this had been such a bad place for you, that you deserved a happy memory here." His face was dark and brooding, his body was rigid, but his eyes were alight. For a moment Elena felt butterflies in her stomach.

She wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she didn't. Instead she walked around the slope of the bridge and carefully made her way to the creek below. She sat herself on a large stone and looked up at Damon who was looking off into the sky. "We saw stars, you know." he suddenly said.

"Stars?" Elena replied looking up but seeing only a bright blue sky.

"When we blood bonded. There were stars. Not stupid romance novel stars, I mean actual stars." explained Damon taking his time walking down the slope to join her. "Blood bonds are rare. Blood bonds with such a connection as ours, are even rarer."

"That's why Klaus erased my memory." said Elena, her face falling into blank expression with tight lips.

"I guess, my blood was changing yours. Your blood was changing mine. I don't know how it all works yet. " he shrugged finally arriving at the stone, and sitting on the edge without touching her. "Bonnie's trying to get some info from Dr. Shane."

"Can you tell me more about it?" asked Elena, trying to get a little closer without making him uncomfortable. "When we blood-bonded?"

Damon shrugged again, and slouched on the rock. He looked down at his shoes. "It's funny, you're the one who wanted to do it. You're so head strong." Elena laughed in reply to this.

"Yeah, that sounds like me," she giggled. "But you seem like the kind of guy to take what you want anyway."

"Not with you." he said sternly quickly turning to face her. His expression was intense, his eyes bore into her, and she looked away feeling awkward. "I didn't want to take advantage of you, but you convinced me it would be okay." Damon paused sensing that the moment had suddenly become too intense for him, and too awkward for Elena." You convinced me to have sex too." he smirked.

"Now I know you must be teasing." laughed Elena rolling her eyes.

"No, it's true. I was worried you only wanted to because of the influence of the blood bond." he explained. It was strange to hear him say all this. To have this man who was virtually a stranger talk about sex they apparently had. To know she'd touched his body and she couldn't remember it.

"But I still convinced you?" she prodded. He nodded his head in response. She wanted to remember.

"When we bonded I could see inside you. You couldn't hide anything from me and I couldn't hide anything from you. I knew it was what you wanted so I agreed. Things got crazy. There were stars, blood, heat... and so much... spinning." his expression was one of someone lost in thought, lost in a memory. Elena was jealous. He seemed so serene in the memory, she wanted it too. For the first time since this whole mess with the potion happened, she actually felt hurt. Klaus had clearly stolen something previous from her.

"Why can't we just blood share again, wont that make it all come back?" she asked, letting a leg dangle off the rock and barely skim the water.

"I don't know if it works that way, but I do know if we blood share again it might permanently change your blood. Klaus will never give you the cure then. " Damon cast his eyes down and refused to look at her.

"I told you. I don't think I wanted any cure." said Elena crossing her arms.

"You don't know that for sure. You can't remember everything. I can't take that chance and get in the way of your only opportunity to turn back into the girl you were." Now he did turn to face her, his eyes twinkled with fluid but Elena didn't think he'd cry. He seemed to proud for that.

"What if we waited until all your blood has left my system in a few days, and then try? I could get my memories back." suggested Elena.

"...it could still change your blood." said Damon shaking his head. "I just can't risk you... losing any more of yourself because of me." he squatted down on the smooth pebbles beside the creek and scooped up a handful. "Believe me, I've been thinking about it non-stop. I don't have any white oak daggers lying around that I can stick Klaus with. If you aren't the doppelganger anymore, he won't have any reason to keep you alive. He'll be pissed, and we both know what Klaus does when he's pissed: he kills the closest thing." Damon tossed the pebbles from his hand into the water. They sprayed across the surface and sank. "He'll just kill you, or someone close to you. It's better for you if I just... stay away."

Elena felt angry now. "Well you're doing a real good job staying away." she grunted.

"You know what I mean. " said Damon rolling his eyes and standing back up. "I know even without your memories you love this body." he teased, trying to come across like his usual cocky self, but his heart wasn't totally in it. "You'll have to resist."

"Why is it that everyone else has just decided I'll take the cure, become human again, and let Klaus take my blood?" demanded Elena. "Doesn't anyone care what I think anymore? You read my diary. It doesn't seem like I would have taken a cure if I still had my memories!"

"Elena, this isn't really up for discussion. Let's just try and focus on getting your memories back, and making sense of this mess. My blood will be out of your system soon, and you can go on with your vampire life until Klaus has a way to bring your human life back." said Damon turning to head back up to the car.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE A HUMAN!" yelled Elena with so much strength that Damon stopped in his tracks. He didn't know what else to say, and neither did Elena. "...just, take me home please." she groaned.

Damon shrugged his shoulders and stepped up to the car, holding the door open for her to get in. She did so, silently, fuming on the inside. For some reason wanting to stay a vampire really did seem important to Elena. What if that was part of a memory coming back? Or something totally independent of her memories of Damon? She didn't know, but it seemed important, and the burning thought wouldn't leave her head.

"I didn't mean to upset you." said Damon once they'd been driving for a few minutes. "I just thought it might help. I guess I just made things worse." the sun was setting now and the colourful rays beamed into the car lighting up Elena's eyes and skin.

"It's not your fault. This would be so much easier if I just knew everything we were dealing with." replied Elena with a sigh. "I'm sorry for freaking out, thank-you for trying." she turned to look at him but he was smiling. There may have even been a chuckle. "What?" she asked with a confused look.

"It's just that, this is sort of how we are anyway. Even without a blood bond. I do something crazy, you tell me off, you apologize, and I get to be the cocky one. Maybe my idea worked after all." Damon grinned.

"Hmph." Elena smiled and faced the front again. "Maybe." She didn't think she'd remembered anything on this trip. But it did still seem familiar, to be like this, with him.

Damon pulled the car into her driveway and they both sat for a moment. It wasn't that long ago that he'd dropped her off like this before. He could be reminded of that, but she couldn't. It was sad. It made Damon angry too. He hated Klaus enough as it is for simply being powerful, let alone all the shit he'd put Damon and his group through. But all of this on top was just too much. If he could ever find a way to make Klaus pay for taking those precious moments away, the original vampire had better watch out.

"Thanks... for trying." said Elena stepping out of the car. "I'll let you know if anything comes back to me." she forced a smile but inside she was feeling hopeless. It didn't seem to matter if she got her memories of Damon back or not. One way or another, Klaus was going to force her to become human.

Damon gave her a smile but didn't get out of the car. He didn't touch her either, he just watched her walk up the steps. When Elena got to the door the car was already gone. She gave a sighed and unlocked the door. Jeremy was sitting at the kitchen table. "Did you remember anything?" he asked looking up. She shook her head. "I know you've probably had a long day... but I have to tell you something."

"Tell me what?" Elena asked with her eyebrow raised. "Are there more people I forgot about?" she kicked off her shoes, hung up her coat, and walked into the kitchen to sit with him at the table.

"No. Nothing like that. I need to talk to you about the possible cure." explained Jeremy.

"Ugh." Elena put her head in her hands for a moment then looked back up at him. "Everyone seems to be assuming I'll just take the cure." she complained.

"That's not what I wanted to talk about..." said Jeremy looking away and wringing his hands. Elena sat up abruptly and reached across the table.

"Jere..." she put her hand over his. "What is it... you can tell me...?"

"The cure..." he started. "Klaus can't even begin to search for it... without me. This whole time you've been dealing with Damon I was learning about the hunter, and the role he plays, and now I play, in the cure..."

Damon drove home in silence. Usually he liked to crank up the music to drown out his thoughts... but tonight he just felt numb. He needed to feed. Not just a blood bag. He knew his brother and Elena wouldn't approve but he needed to feel like a vampire tonight and actually go hunt someone. He wouldn't kill anyone. Well- he'd make an effort not to kill anyone if he could. But it was times like these where Damon really wanted to flip his own emotion switch off and just live off instinct.

He was surprised when he pulled into park to see Bonnie unlocking her own car. She looked up spotting him. "Damon, hey!" she left the keys in the car door and walked to his car. "I came here to talk to you or Stefan but no one was home. I was just going to go to Elena next."

"She's at her home." said Damon getting out of his own car and slamming the door.

"Stefan told me you went over there to remind her about the cure and say goodbye." said Bonnie furrowing her eyebrows.

"Yeah, something like that. Didn't exactly go as planned. Nothing ever seems to when it comes to Elena." he shuffled his feet and looked up at Bonnie impatiently. "What do you need witch? Got an amnesia potion for me?"

Bonnie bristled at his comment. "No. I came to tell you that all the potion did was make Elena forget you."

"I got that." spat Damon feeling like she was rubbing salt in an open wound.

"No, you don't. All it did was erase her memories of you. It's not going to affect your blood bond at all." explained Bonnie.

"I figured we just wait a few days until my blood is out of her system. Then she'll be free of it." replied Damon shuffling his feet and pretending like the pavement was very interesting.

"Damon. It's not going to change anything. I researched it with professor Shane. It doesn't matter what Klaus wants. What you've put in motion... a true blood bond... Elena's blood is already changed. It'll never go back to her doppelganger blood." Bonnie crossed her arms and waited for it to sink in. Damon was quiet for a moment. Then his eyes widened.

"...are you telling me that Klaus put us through this stupid amnesia trick, and it's not even going to change anything anyway? !" he yelled.

"Klaus can still change her into a human, but it's already too late. With some vampires it takes many blood shares, but you and Elena bonded right away. You said so yourself to Stefan. You bonded and that's why you needed to be together... right?" Bonnie explained. "Her doppelganger blood is gone. He'll never be able to make hybrids from her again. Which means..."

"Which means if we blood share again, she can get her memories back, and it won't matter. She's already changed so it doesn't even matter!" cried Damon. The way he looked at Bonnie , she suddenly could see a very human side of Damon. He looked like a young boy. He was full of hope and his eyes were filled with a light she'd never seen before. "Klaus is still going to flip when he finds out though!" said Damon bringing himself back to reality.

"Probably. But Stefan already went to handle it. " said Bonnie.

"You told Stefan?" asked Damon narrowing his eyes.

"I would of told you if you turned your phone on." said Bonnie pointing to his phone which Damon remembered he'd turned off when he picked up Elena. "I texted him the instant I found out. He went to tell Klaus. But you should know he still wants to see Elena turn human again. I do too. I think... we all do." she trailed off.

"Well, Elena will do whatever she wants." said Damon full of resolve.

"Yeah," Bonnie gave a grim smile. "You're right. She always did, she always will. I think Stefan has some crazy idea about continuing to find the cure, maybe tracking down the Petrova bloodline to see if there's the possibility of anyone else... and then there's Jeremy and his mark..."

"Jeremy?" interjected Damon.

"...it's probably better if Elena explains that one. Jeremy was supposed to tell her when she got home." Bonnie pulled out her phone to check it but there was no message from Stefan yet. "Well what are you waiting for Damon? You should probably go back over there." she gave a half smile.

Damon stared at her. He couldn't figure Bonnie out. She loved Elena like a sister, and while she hated him he knew that time in and time out Bonnie would make an effort for Elena's sake. So he nodded, and swallowing his pride he reached out and gave her a quick half hug. "Thanks Bennet." he let go quickly and got back into his car. "Don't wait up!" he screeched out of the driveway as fast as he could, wheels spinning.

Bonnie stood a moment staring, and gave a sigh. "It's what I do, apparently." she said to no one in particular and got back into her own car.

Elena was sitting on her bed, trying to digest all the information Jeremy had just told her. She was angry, scared, worried, and a little hurt. Jeremy was her brother and he'd been keeping this from her. Then again, she had kept Damon from him. She'd hidden her love for Damon away from everyone. At least that's what her diary said. It was all confusing, and she wasn't at all surprised when there was a quiet knock on her door and Damon pushed it open. She looked up. "Hey."

"Hey. Can I come in?" asked Damon cautiously looking about the room. Elena nodded and he walked in. "I need to tell you something."

"I need to tell you something too." said Elena. "I think I should start. Today just seems like it's been so long, and so much has happened. I just need to get it out so I can sleep." she looked up at him from her spot on the bed. She looked tired and worn.

Meet me in outer space. We could spend the night, watch the earth come up. I've grown tired of this place, wont you come with me? We could start again...

"Sure. You can start." Damon was trying to contain his excitement. He had to remind himself Elena didn't remember anything that had happened between them. He took a deep breath and reminded himself to stay calm, cool, and give her space. "Though I can't imagine anything quite as interesting as spending an afternoon with me." he crooned is his usual arrogant tone and rolled his eyes for good measure. It worked, Elena let out a sigh and rolled her eyes too with a grin. She seemed more relaxed.

"It seems that this whole time that we were doing, well, whatever it was we were doing... Stefan and Klaus were teaming up for this cure thing..." she began

"yeah, we figured that much out earlier." said Damon.

"What we didn't know is that the key to finding the cure is this Hunter that's been running around. Well. Was running around." explained Elena.

"Was?"

"Yeah. Was. Apparently he's not anymore. Jeremy was a little vague on those details. The problem is he saw Jeremy as some sort of potential hunter. Now that the other hunter is gone, Jeremy has a mark." said Elena.

"A mark? What kind of mark? I didn't see anything on him the last time I saw him." Damon crossed his arms. This was sounding strange, and certainly had Klaus written all over it.

"That's the thing. We can't see it. Only Jeremy and other hunters can see it. The mark grows every time he kills a vampire." Elena described a mark that looked like a tattoo and would travel across Jeremy's arm.

"Well, I have to admit that is interesting. What does it have to do with Klaus and the cure?" asked Damon.

"It apparently leads to the cure. It's a map." said Elena. Damon wore an expression that screamed epiphany. "The more vampires he kills, the more the mark grows, and Klaus can follow the map to find the cure."

"The map only Jeremy can see." lulled Damon. "Perfect. At least we know he won't be doing anything to Jeremy any time soon. He can't if he wants to use the map."

Elena nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much it." she sighed again and leaned back on her bed, hesitated for a moment, and let her entire body flop back with a thud. Damon laid down gracefully without a sound or a sigh, with his arms folded behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling.

"It doesn't matter." he finally said calmly.

"What doesn't?" moaned Elena turning her face to look at him. It was odd to be this close with him, and intimate. But she was tired. Tired of all the effort that today took. She just didn't care.

"Any of it. I talked to Bonnie, that's why I came back here. She talked with Professor Shane." said Damon.

"Oh and what did Dr. Shane have to say?" yawned Elena.

Damon stayed quiet for a moment, then he turned to look at her. They laid there for a moment, staring at each other. Elena had a certain punch drunkenness about her in the moment. She looked tired but still beautiful in his eyes. Her skin was pale like porcelain, her eyes were dark, and her hair wisped about her. Damon wanted to hang on to this moment just a little longer.

"He said it's too late. Klaus forced you to drink the potion too late. Your blood has already changed. It changed the first time we blood shared BECAUSE we were, I don't know, predisposed to bond I guess?" she blinked one eye closed and then the other, then forced them both open while Damon spoke. Part of Elena knew she shouldn't be this close to someone who was essentially a stranger. She shouldn't be drifting off... but the day left her so tired, she didn't drink much blood, and all of this had been draining her.

"What does that mean?" she asked sleepily. "Even if he used the cure on me it wouldn't work anyway?"

"Yeah. It wouldn't work. And it means if we blood shared there's a good chance you'll get your memory back of us, because of our bond." he smiled at her, the way a lover would. It made her uncomfortable. Like she was sharing in on someone else's special private moment.

"Oh." She knew in theory it was good news. Klaus wouldn't be able to force her to take the cure. No one would force Jeremy to grow his mark. She could get her memories back. "We'd have to blood share?"

"Look, I know... it seems like a lot to ask a you. It's hard for me to accept that I've been erased. But... if you could just... give me a chance and trust me... we can give you your memories back and you can choose what happens from there." Damon said softly, reaching out and brushing a loose strand of hair from Elena's face. It was a tender move, and it made her stomach flutter. It also scared her a little. She wanted to be excited. She wanted to feel full of hope the way Damon looked. But she was just scared, and feeling a little empty.

"Damon... it's been a long day..." she began. Damon's heart instantly sank and he tried to keep the realization of what she was about to say from showing on his face. "Blood sharing is kinda heavy from everything you've told me. Do you think... maybe.. we could talk about it tomorrow once I've had some rest and something to eat?"

Inside Elena was trembling. She felt like a girl waiting for her first kiss and not knowing if she was attracted to the boy who was about to give it or not. That scared unknowing. She appreciated how much was resting on this, but Damon was still a stranger to her. No matter how many interesting or cute moments they may have had getting to know each other through the day, blood sharing with a stranger felt like the idea of kissing a total stranger.

"Yeah. I think that's okay Elena." sighed Damon, but he smiled anyway. He had to be patient, he had to take this slow. He needed to remember that even though every part of his body was aching for their connection, Elena had no memory of it and this was all new to her. "How about I come by in the morning, and we can talk about it then okay? Just..." she nodded but was surprised to see him leaning closer to her. She gasped a little and slammed her eyes closed expecting a kiss on the lips, but instead felt a little whisp on her forehead. "...think about it. Okay?" said Damon pulling away. "...and get some sleep." Elena smiled, closed her eyes, and nodded. When she opened them, she was alone again.