A/N: Finally finished Chapter 7. This one took me a while, simply because life had me busy with other things. And also, because I kept changing things. But I wanted to finish it, because the next chapter has me insanely excited. I've been waiting since I started the story to write the next chapter.
I had a reviewer mention re: the last chapter that they didn't really understand how everything was fine between Elena and Damon after Damon brought Elena out of the cell. And I PM'ed the reviewer with an explanation, but I hope that this chapter helps explain it to all of you.
And, of course, THANK YOU to all who've favorited, followed, and reviewed my story. I wish that I could hug you all!
Chapter 7: When The Past Comes Back to Bite
Elena's POV
It's been almost two months since Damon first had sex with me. And since then, there's been a definite change in the dynamics of our relationship, or whatever you want to call it. It's been subtle, but there are definite differences.
For one, we agreed that we would be on a first name basis from here on out. Not that I ever really got into the whole deal with calling him Master or Sir, but it's nice to have the okay from him to call him Damon all the time. Also, he asked Caroline to go buy me some clothes. Well, a whole new wardrobe really. I didn't get to go with her, but everything she brought back fit perfectly. And she snuck in a few very risque pieces of lingerie that I wouldn't be caught dead in. I guess she thought Damon would like them. Too bad Damon will never see them.
Now, don't get me wrong, things aren't all bright and sunny. I'm still expected to do my duties around the house. I hardly ever get to go outside, and I've only left the house once with Ric to take a calculus test.
As far as Damon goes, some days are better than others. He hasn't hit me since I've been in the cell. But, he still gets irritated with me a lot, and I get minor punishments, but nothing severe. Usually, he'll give me a few extra chores here and there. Every now and then, if I really piss him off, he'll make me skip dinner.
We only have sex in my room. Damon says that his bed is reserved for Katherine and Katherine only. Although, she's never here. Ever.
We don't have sex every night. We have sex on the nights when he comes home from work really stressed out. Those are the nights that he is more forceful, primal, where I feel like he may split me in two, where I close my eyes and go to my happy place until it's over. Those are the nights where he comes to my room smelling like bourbon and leaves with a drunken saunter.
He uses the nights he's more relaxed to teach me. Some nights he'll give me lessons in oral sex, and how to keep from gagging and what feels good and how to use my hand and mouth simultaneously to please him. Other nights, he'll teach me a new position. Some of them even feel good to me. But, he still hasn't let me orgasm. All of this is for him, like he said.
I know he doesn't have any feelings involved in having sex with me. And I know that I'm basically his sex toy. But I get the feeling, especially on those nights when he's stressed out, that he truly needs me. I see it in his eyes sometimes, a pleading look, like he's in anguish, silent words asking me to be there for him as he's thrusting into me. And I am. I let him be with me until his need is met.
And I'm well aware of the fact that I'm acting differently, too. And I can't explain all of the changes in me. I can't completely explain why I seemed to do a complete 180. One day I'm saying that I'll never have sex with Damon Salvatore, that I'll never give my body to him, and the next day, I offer myself to him. I think it all boils down to my daddy issues.
In some weird way, Damon meets my needs, too. He makes me feel wanted and needed, and I know it's not his intention for me to depend on him like that. But I do. Growing up, I didn't have that. I had a dad who didn't care about me, a brother who despised me from the day I was born, and an extended family who were the perfect picture of dysfunction. Damon and I, we're two needy people. Although, neither one of us seems to have the ability to vocalize our needs, we just seem to know.
For instance, when Damon comes to me, I get the sense that he's trying to fill a void. And I can fulfill every need he has, except that one...I cannot love him. I can't love him, because I won't love someone who doesn't love me. But, even more than that, I don't know if I know how to love.
There is one woman in his life right now who should be meeting Damon's needs, and she's coming over today. Katherine is supposed to be the person that makes him feel loved. It's her job to make him feel important, and it's her job to show him that she needs him just as much as he needs her. At least that's what I envision when I think of love.
I can only be here for him so much. I can fulfill his needs sexually, but I can never fulfill his need for love. Not when I can't give it, and he won't accept it. But sometimes, when I see that pleading in his eyes, the pure need, I wish I could be the one to give that to him.
Damon's POV
It's only noon, and I've already had three glasses of bourbon. Katherine's coming over today. Not only is she coming over, but we're going out of town together. I have business out of town over the next few days, a client needs to meet with me to discuss an enticing investment opportunity. What I haven't told Kat yet, is that Elena is also tagging along. And...I haven't told Elena yet, either. Damn, I need another drink.
I just made the decision to bring Elena along last night. I can't seem to get her out of my bed, and it's been like that for nearly two fucking months, ever since I took her virginity from her. She's the only virgin we've ever had here. And, even though I'd like to say I've deflowered my share of virgins, she was actually the first. What can I say, I liked women with a little more experience.
Not only did she give herself to me physically, she also gave me the ring that I wear every day around my neck. She thought I wouldn't care two shits about it, but I do. I know she didn't have to give it to me. She could've waited and given it to someone she loves, to someone who loves her.
I'm fidgeting with that ring as I walk to her room to let her know about the trip. Her door is open, and she's diligently dusting her furniture. I knock lightly on the wall, and she jumps a little in surprise.
"I didn't mean to scare you. I needed to talk to you about something. I'm going to be going out of town tomorrow. Katherine and I are going to New York City. I have business there that I need to take care of."
"Oh...Would you like me to pack your bag for you?" I shake my head, smiling at her thoughtfulness.
"No, Elena. Actually, I would like you to pack your own bag...for yourself. You're coming with us." I almost laugh out loud at the expression on her face. First, she looks suprised, then confused, then surprised again, and then shyly happy.
"You-you want m-me to go with you? Out of town? I've...I mean...wow...It's just that I've never even been out of Mystic Falls."
"Well, what better place to start your journey to the outside than the city that never sleeps." I say with a broad smile.
She smiles back at me, and it's amazing. It lights up the whole room, and I know that's ridiculously cliche, but it's true. I've never seen her smile like that before, and I wonder with all of the shit that she's been through, if Elena has ever smiled like that before.
"We're leaving tomorrow morning. Flight leaves at 9 AM, so be ready to leave by 6. Think you can do that?"
"Of course!" She smiles at me as I head towards her door. "Thank you, Damon." She says quietly, smiling. I turn and smile back at her, as she pulls her suitcase out of the closet.
I'll give her the rest of the day for herself. And I wish she could stay this happy, I do. But this trip is extremely important for me, and I can't have her in the way. She may be coming to New York City, but all of her sightseeing will be done out of the window of our penthouse suite. I'm not doing that to punish her, though.
I keep asking myself why I'm bringing her in the first place, if she's only going to be sitting in a hotel room all day, all night, doing nothing. But, she needs to get out. And this trip will help me see how much I can trust her when left to her own devices. However, if she tries to run away, then the cell is going to seem like paradise compared to what I'll do to her. Hopefully, it won't come to that.
Elena's POV
Katherine got here an hour and a half ago, and I've been able to hear her and Damon arguing across the hall ever since then. I know it has to do with me and the fact that I am tagging along on the trip. Katherine doesn't want me to come, and Damon said it's not up for discussion, and Katherine won't leave it alone. And I wish they would stop yelling.
I'm almost finished packing my bag. I didn't really know what to pack, but I chose some jeans and some nice shirts. I'm not sure what exactly I'll be doing on this trip, but jeans seem like they're always a safe choice. I zip up my suitcase, sitting on top of it to get those last few inches of zipper zipped. Maybe I packed a little too much, but it's not everyday that I get invited to go to New York City.
It's almost nine o'clock, and I'm already exhausted. I managed to get some studying in today, did some laundry, freshened up Damon's room, made dinner, and packed. I decide to call it an early night and go to bed.
When my alarm goes off at five, I'm already awake. I had another nightmare about Jeremy, and this one felt disconcertingly real. l could almost feel the pain of that night again. I could smell the smoke coming from the engine. l could see the bloody body of my brother, stuck to his seat, a massive tree branch protruding through the windshield, through Jeremy, through the leather seat of my brother's new Dodge Charger. I could hear screaming, before realizing that the horrific noises were coming from my mouth.
I crawl out of bed and slowly make my way to the bathroom. When I look into the mirror, I can see the dried tear tracks that trail down my face and the dark bags under my eyes. Thank God for Caroline and her overpriced makeup. I make myself look presentable and get dressed in my comfiest pair of jeans and a scoop neck, white, long-sleeved shirt.
When I get downstairs with my bag, Damon and Katherine are sitting at the dining table eating breakfast. If looks could kill, I'd be a dead woman right now, because Katherine is looking at me as if she'd like to take her butter knife and stab me with it. I just smile at them both and make my way to the kitchen to make myself something to eat. I decide to take my breakfast in the kitchen. I'd like to avoid the queen bitch as much as possible.
Stefan and Ric stumble into the kitchen, both evidently very hungover. If I had time, I'd make them some of the magical mystery cure, but I don't. Damon's standing in the entrance to the kitchen, looking very amused at the current state of his brother and his best friend.
"I told you boys not to mix beer with scotch, and now look at ya. Shoulda listened."
"Shut the fuck up." Stefan mutters, before groaning and grabbing his head.
"You shoulda told us not to mix beer with scotch and then do tequila shots. The tequila did me in. It's always the damn tequila." Ric looks like he's about to vomit. And Damon just laughs at him.
"Well, we're headed out. You boys hold the fort down while we're gone. Don't let your ladies get out of control." Damon says with a wink. "You know how much of a lush Jenna is. And Stefan...stay outta my room. Don't do anything I would do."
I take my suitcase and follow Damon as he goes outside. Katherine is waiting for us by Damon's car, a beautiful, blue, convertible Camaro.
"Nope. Wrong car, sweetheart." Damon motions over to a silver SUV sitting on the other side of the driveway.
"WHAT? We're not leaving my car at the airport! Not gonna happen. That's like leaving $75,000 out in the open, just waiting for someone to come along and take it. What's wrong with your car? It's so old, no one would want it anyway."
Damon rolls his eyes. "It's called a classic car, Kitty Kat. And there isn't room for the three of us and all of our, er, your bags. So unless you want Elena sitting on your lap along with all 20 of your bags, I suggest you listen to me." I can tell Damon's having a hard time keeping his anger under control.
"Well, you could always leave her here...where she belongs." What part of Damon saying 'it's not up for discussion' does she not understand?
"Katherine, God damn it, no one is going to take your fucking car. Will you stop being so damned difficult and just come on? It's three days, baby. Three fucking days, in a covered lot, with fucking security guards on patrol twenty four hours."
I take my bag over to Damon, and he throws it in the back of Katherine's Lexus. She stomps over to us, practically throwing her bags at Damon, before getting in the passenger seat and slamming her door. And I know that Damon is doing everything he can to keep from lashing out at her. This is going to be a long trip.
The ride to the airport is silent. Damon's whole body is tense, and Katherine is looking out her window, huffing every now and then to let Damon know that she's still mad at him.
Damon was right. Katherine has nothing to worry about. This parking lot is guarded like a prison. Damon parks the Lexus, and we all get our bags out of the back. Well, Katherine makes Damon carry hers, as if he doesn't have three of his own bags to hold on to.
I've never been to an airport before, and there are so many people here, I have to walk fast to make sure I don't get separated from Damon and lost in the sea of people. We get our bags checked and do all the important pre-flight mumbo jumbo, and then it's just a waiting game. Our flight doesn't start boarding for another half hour.
Katherine tells Damon that she's going to get a drink so that she can deal with his ass. Damon just nods curtly at her with a sneer on his face. Once she's finally out of view, Damon leans against the wall, taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes.
I take a minute to look around and soak up our surroundings. There are all sorts of shops and restaurants in here, newsstands, burger joints, shops with kitschy little souvenirs. And the throng of people rushing about it is almost dizzying.
"Don't tell me this is your first time at an airport." Damon says, now standing next to me. He must have noticed the look of awe on my face.
"Um, yeah, it is, actually."
"God, have you ever done anything? From what I know about your life so far, it was incredibly boring." Boring, not really. Hard...just hard.
"Yeah. I guess it kinda was. I didn't get out much." At all.
I'm watching the hordes of people walking by, and I see two men whose presence makes me want to scream. I want to run and hide. I want to throw up. I want to move, but I can't.
Finally, my body gets some motivation, and I grab Damon's hand in mine. He looks down at me, confused, and at first he tries to pry his hand away from mine. But, he must sense my panic...probably because I'm crushing his hand with mine and I'm sweating and God, I can't breathe.
The two men spot us, and I wish I could disappear. But if I have to be here right now, I'm glad I'm with Damon. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but I feel safe with Damon. I feel like he won't let someone else hurt me. Them.
Damon sees my dad, Grayson, and my Uncle John approaching us. I can see his face turn from me to them and back again, waiting for someone to talk. He changes the position of our hands, so that he is now holding my hand. He holds it tightly, securely.
"Well, well, well, we certainly didn't expect to run into you here." Right back at you, Uncle John.
I can't speak yet, words have completely escaped me.
"I don't believe we've met," my dad says, extending his hand to Damon, "I'm Dr. Grayson Gilbert, Elena's father." Damon shakes his hand, but he's eyeing him suspiciously.
"What are you two doing here?" John asks.
"We're going to New York. I have a business trip out there. Elena's accompanying my girlfriend, Katherine, and I." Damon's voice is steady and strong, in complete opposition to how I'm feeling.
And insert awkward silence. My tongue feels like it's made out of lead. John and Dad keep looking at me like they want to beat me right then and there. And they probably would, if we weren't in such a public setting.
"It seems my daughter's forgotten how to speak. Or at least how to show her dad how much she's missed him." Dad looks at me with a nasty sneer on his face, smiling at how uncomfortable I am.
"Damon should be making her a little more agreeable for you, Gray." John says with a chuckle. "How's that coming along, Damon?" There is a hint of accusation in his voice.
Katherine just walked up to us, and she's taken it upon herself to introduce herself to my dad and my uncle. But Damon stops her in her tracks.
"Katherine, I need to you to take Elena away from here for a few minutes. Go shopping or something. You're good at that." Damon says, without taking his eyes off of my dad.
Katherine scoffs, and is about to go off on Damon, when he cuts her off, "Go! Now!" And she doesn't argue. We walk a few feet away, and she pulls me behind a wide brick column within earshot of Damon, dad, and John. I guess she wants to eavesdrop. I try to ignore the conversation happening just a few feet away, but I can't.
Damon's POV
So, this is the man that gave his daughter up to his psychopath of a brother. John and Grayson are lucky we're in a public place, that's all I've got to say. I've never seen Elena so scared. Never. Not when she first got to the house, not when I had sex with her for the first time, not even when she was in the cell.
"Damon, Damon, Damon, I thought I asked you to break her. Elena looks far from broken to me." John tells me, accusingly.
I decide, in order to not make a scene, to play along with John and Elena's sperm donor. I have a flight to catch, and I'd rather not go to jail right now.
"John, trust me, I'm working on it. You'll get your wish." I smile my most charming smile.
"I better. I paid you plenty of money. That should be a proper motivation for you to hurry your ass up."
"See, that's just it, John. There's a method to my madness. Ya gotta take things slow. I'll be nice to her for a while, then I'll start breaking her down slowly, chipping away all the parts of her that make her, well, her."
"My daughter's strong. It's going to take a lot to break her down. Believe me, I know. I've tried and failed multiple times. But if anyone can do it, my brother here assured me, it's you." Her dad is obviously just as much of a scumbag as John.
"You two need to relax. I'm not gonna let you down. I think she's already starting to fall for me. And once she does, I'll turn the tables on her until she's just a shell of the person she is now. 'Cause nothing breaks a person down more than having someone they trust betray them." I'm pulling out all the stops here, praying they can't tell that I'm bluffing. I must be a good actor, because they're buying every word, hook, line, and sinker.
"You're the pro here, Damon. I know you'll teach that little whore a lesson." And I've never wanted to punch a person more than I want to punch John fucking Gilbert right this moment. Elena is anything but a whore. I've got to keep my anger under control, though, if I want to keep up this ruse.
"Well, my brother and I have a flight to catch, so we'll be in touch." John and Grayson turn to leave, and as they do, I see her.
Elena and Katherine are back. Katherine looks blissfully happy. She must be over our fight about her stupid fucking car. Elena, however, is pale...yet, her cheeks are blazing red. When I look into her eyes, filled with hurt and sadness and anger, I know. She heard everything.
