A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters, but I do wish I had stumbled upon Damon in a clear water stream…
This chapter actually went in a completely different way than I'd intended at first, but Damon sort of took things in hand and… well, you'll see.
She was just about to risk a peek when she heard a familiar voice call out to her, "Are you coming in or what?"
Cheeks flaming, she opened her eyes, hoping like hell he wasn't walking towards her. Damon stood in the water which was at a strategic level that afforded him a modicum of decency, but only just. At the water line was just a hint of what lay beneath and she realized she was staring. Shaking herself out of it, she recalled with embarrassment that he had spoken to her. Hesitantly she stepped into the clearing.
"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to… I didn't see anything I swear!" She babbled before she could get a hold of herself. What was wrong with her? It wasn't as if she had never seen a naked man before, and he wasn't even completely naked, well not visibly anyway. Still, she averted her eyes from his damp torso before she was tempted to do or say something incredibly stupid.
"It's no biggie, Elena. Like I said before, I handle this sort of thing all the time. You should come on in, the water's fine."
"In there with you?" her mouth went dry at the mere suggestion.
"Do you see another stream here?" Damon smirked. "Come on, you could use a bath. You sure didn't smell all that great in the tent," he teased.
Elena scowled at the dig, even as she realized he was doing it on purpose. "And swimming in creek water is supposed to make me smell better?"
"It couldn't make you smell worse," he shrugged.
"Ha ha," a roll of the eyes was given. The day before had been a hot and sticky day and her hair did feel like it had picked up all manner of dirt and leaves from the hike… Was she really considering this? It had bad idea written all over it.
"Oh come on, I won't even look," he turned his back resolutely.
"This is such a bad idea…" Elena muttered, kneeling in the grass to untie her shoes.
Once she'd committed to it, Elena moved quickly, not wanting him to turn around and find her half undressed. In the end she couldn't bring herself to strip down to bare skin, it seemed like a recipe for trouble, but she did pare down to bra and panties before wading to the water's edge. The water didn't feel too cold as she waded in, but as soon as she reached waist deep it got considerably cooler, and she impulsively dove under the water to get acclimated to it that much quicker, surfacing with a yelp at the temperature shock.
"Okay, so maybe it's a little cold." Damon's voice came from behind her and she turned to see his smirk of amusement at her discomfiture.
"You think?" Elena chattered, sinking lower into the water to keep him from seeing quite so much of her.
"Swim around, you'll get used to it."
"Says the guy who doesn't feel temperature changes," she muttered. Taking his advice, she swam away from him with long strokes, but he kept up with her easily. The stream was easily thirty feet across and slow moving enough that they didn't have to work too hard to fight the current. After a bit of movement Elena did start to feel less chilled and more refreshed. "How come you left camp so early this morning?" Elena only barely managed to keep from saying the first thing that leapt to her tongue – how come you left me so early this morning?
"Come on, you gotta check this out." Damon's eyes flashed playfully, ignoring her question, swimming away with powerful strokes to where the stream curved behind a copse of trees.
"Okay…" Elena frowned, gliding through the water to keep from losing sight of him as the stream disappeared from view. As she reached the trees, she saw that the water didn't come to an end, it curved away to a small lake, with a high waterfall, the source of the stream.
"Not bad, huh?" His voice came near her ear, and Elena couldn't help but wonder how it was he continually snuck up behind her without her even noticing. It wasn't unpleasant though, in fact, she had to suppress the urge to lean back into his chest as she looked up at the rushing water.
"It's beautiful," she agreed, the sight and the water chasing away the last vestiges of her restless dreams.
"Yeah, it is."
Elena turned, the breath catching in her throat as she found Damon's eyes fixed, not on the sight of the spilling water, but on her face, as though committing the sight to memory. For a long moment she thought he might say more, but the silence stretched between them, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth in place of his usual smirk. Instead of finding it uncomfortable, Elena found herself smiling back, some of the tension going out of her.
This Damon wasn't ogling her goodies or cracking obnoxious jokes at anyone and everyone's expense. For once he wasn't pushing, and she in turn, didn't push him away either. "Come on, I'll race you to the falls," she grinned, knowing all along she didn't stand a chance in the world of beating him.
"Loser buys lunch," he winked back, diving under the water to swim away from her, but at a leisurely pace. Elena took the challenge, pushing past him, her legs propelling her through the water with a splash. As soon as she passed him, she could feel him put on a stronger burst of speed, but Damon refrained from using his vampire strength, relying on his well muscled frame to give him the edge needed to get past her. The spirit of competition kicked in though and she worked harder, her smaller body cutting through the water as she kept pace by his side.
Until he cheated.
Strong arms closed around her waist, plucking her out of her rhythm as Damon lightly tossed her behind him to land with a splash in the water. "No fair!" she spluttered, chasing after him. Damon's laughter floated back to her as he turned to tread water just long enough to catch her eye before striking off again towards the falls. "Get back here you dirty cheater!" Elena's fingers closed around his foot and she tugged with all of her strength, a surge of triumph rushing through her as she felt him falter and fall behind. Darting past him as quick as she could, Elena's lungs burned with the effort and suspense of getting past him without him doing something sneaky and underhanded in return.
"Oh, no you don't…" Damon caught her up in his arms, swinging her around so she faced the wrong direction, but instead of letting him fling her aside this time, she threw her arms around his shoulders, clinging tight to his back as he turned away. Giggles burst out of her as he tried to shake her free but his hands kept slipping against her skin, tickling her in the bargain.
"Don't you dare tickle me or I'll, I'll…"
"You'll what? I'm not ticklish, Elena, let's face it, you've got no weapons to use against me."
Oh she had a weapon… and feeling playful, Elena leaned closer to his ear, knowing he could feel her body pressed against his back. "And here I thought I knew your weakness." Her voice fell, low and throaty by his ear. His low groan let her know she'd scored a point and a thrill went through her that had nothing to do with victory.
Still smiling, she let go of him, pushing away under the water again as she swam for the falls. The next time she came up for breath however, he was already up ahead, waving to her from the rocks next to the cascading water. "Lousy cheater," she grumbled, swimming at a more sedate pace to join him. Since he'd decided to use his vampire speed, let him wait, she thought to herself.
"Glad you could make it… finally," he teased as she swam up to his side. The water was deeper there, and churned up by the falling water, so that it frothed all around them.
"Oh, I'm sorry, were you in a hurry? Am I keeping you from important vampire business?" she retorted, setting a lazy pace. Reaching past him, she touched the rocks. "I win."
"You win. How do you figure that? I beat you by a mile."
"I touched the rocks first, you gave up before you reached them." She gave a delicate half shrug.
"We never said the rocks were the goal, I was racing to the falls, which I got to first, making me the winner," Damon declared indignantly.
"You got near the falls, there's a difference." Elena reached over and ran her hands under the edge of the falling water. "But if it makes you happy, there, I'm the first one to touch the water coming out of the falls. I still win."
"You did not."
"Did too." Elena knew she sounded like a five-year-old, but for the moment she didn't care. It was worth it to see that disgruntled look on his face as he considered she might actually be right. "I am the winner, which means you are the loser, and therefore…"
"Therefore…?" he waited.
"Therefore, you're buying lunch," she finished.
"I bought all the food."
"No, you didn't, you paid for it with a stolen credit card, that doesn't count."
"Is there a particular reason you're being such a pain in the ass today?" he grumbled.
"Maybe it's my turn?" Elena grinned, pushing away from the rocks to swim toward the water.
Damon was quick to follow, sticking his head under the falling water, spraying her in the process. "Well, let me know when it's my turn again, I'll be more than happy to take over my designated role," he grinned back, losing the grumpy tone from his voice.
"I think I'll hang onto it for a while. It's nice to see you like this for a change."
"What, naked?" He raised his brows at her, and she felt a rush of heat despite the cool water.
"In a matter of speaking," she returned, refusing to let him see how the idea of him nude under the water affected her. "But I meant like this, just spending some time together without you being you know… obnoxious."
"You mean without me being myself?" he snorted.
Her eyes narrowed, not wanting him to retreat into his shell again. "Are you honestly telling me that you're not being yourself here with me now?" Damon returned her gaze thoughtfully, and Elena wished like hell she could tell what he was thinking in that moment.
Moving closer to her, Damon backed her up against the falls so that the water ran down the back of her neck and shoulders and she reached out instinctively to hold onto his arms to keep her afloat. "Careful, Elena, you're coming dangerously close to sounding like you actually enjoy spending time with me."
"I do, when you're like this. When you don't make it so hard to be around you." She thought he might protest such a statement, but when he spoke, his voice was light.
"Come on, I want you to see something." Damon caught her off guard with his light push, sending her under the tumbling water until she emerged on the other side, sputtering as she pushed the water from her eyes.
"You could have warned me before you did that," she scowled.
"Don't be such a baby, it's only water." He turned her by her shoulders. "Take a look at that."
The moment between them forgotten, Elena gazed in wonder at the hidden grotto behind the waterfall. The water painted reflections on the cave walls, bathing them in soft, blue light. A crack in the rocks above cast a shaft of bright sunlight light down onto a smooth slab of rock on the opposite side, well above the water line. The sun warmed the space behind the falls, driving away some of the chill of the water. "It's magical," she breathed, swimming for the sunny rock.
"I thought you might like it," he smiled, following closely behind. "You want to get up there?"
Elena reached out to touch the stone, worn smooth from the water. "I'll fall," she shook her head, but no sooner had the words left her lips than she felt herself lifted up and out of the water, deposited safely into the center of the warm rock with Damon by her side. With a start, she averted her eyes, only remembering at the last second that he wasn't wearing anything.
"Elena…" His voice was thick with amusement, as she studied the ceiling with sudden interest. "Elena, look at me."
"No, I'm good, thanks," she replied, eyes following the edges of the crack in the rocks, the walls, anything to keep from being tempted to look at him.
"So, it's okay for you to be in your underwear, but not for me?"
"What?" Elena couldn't help but take a look, surprised to find him sitting in his boxer briefs, pulled low, but still safely covering everything. The wet fabric clung to him though, giving her a close look at what lay beneath the thin material. "I thought you didn't mind the cold," she remarked, looking away uncomfortably.
"I don't. But curious fish are another story," he winced. Somehow that struck her as funny and she started to laugh, relieved when he laughed beside her and everything was alright between them again.
"When did you find this place?" she asked, stretching out on the rock to warm up. Her eyes slid shut as she basked in the sun.
"This morning when I first came to check out the waterfall. I'd planned to bring you here later but you beat me to it. Not that I'm complaining, mind you."
Elena opened her eyes to find his gaze on her. Feeling exposed in her bra and panties, she started to think better of laying out on the rock. Sure, it covered the same amount of skin as her bikini, but it somehow felt more… vulnerable. It didn't help that he was stretched out in his underwear too, making the grotto feel much more intimate than it had even with him close in the water. A little voice inside reminded her that Stefan probably wouldn't approve of her sunbathing nearly naked with his brother.
"Maybe we should come back later then, we could have a picnic lunch here or something. There are some waterproof bags in the supplies we brought." Without waiting for a reply, she slipped back into the water with a gasp as the cool water hit her sun warmed skin.
"Coward," Damon muttered.
"Excuse me?"
"You're running away and I didn't even do anything," he complained sourly.
"I'm not running away," she insisted, even as she drifted farther away from him in the water. "I just think we should get back. Did you eat breakfast already? 'Cause I'm kind of hungry."
In the space of a heartbeat, Damon was in the water beside her, trapping her against the side of the cave with his body. "I ate, but it didn't satisfy me. Do you ever have a craving you can't satisfy, Elena?" His eyes flashed.
"You're making it harder to be around you again," she frowned, trying to slip past him, but he had her effectively pinned. Hadn't they moved past this?
"Why should I make it easy to be around me when you make it so hard to be around you?" he threw back at her, inching closer.
"Me?" she blinked in astonishment. "When do I ever make it hard to be around me?"
"Every second of every day, whenever you're near, and sometimes, when you're not." His eyes caressed her face, naked emotion leaving no doubt as to what he meant. Elena swallowed at what she found there, knowing she should move away, but his gaze held her transfixed. Obnoxious Damon was easy to repulse but this one…
"Do you know what that's like? Having something beautiful and shining, just out of reach?" He picked up a lock of her hair that floated towards his chest, winding it around his fingers, tugging her closer still. "To have everything you ever wanted, everything you thought you'd never find again, gleaming there, ripe for the taking?" Damon's eyes darkened, a different kind of hunger surfacing as it fought for dominance within him. "Because that's the man I am, right? I take what I want." His mouth dipped lower, a hairsbreadth away from her lips.
The breath froze in her body as his thumbs brushed along her hips, reminding her how close they were. A shiver of delight went through her at that simple touch, lips parting, and for a fraction of a second, she wasn't sure if it was to protest or to accept the kiss she felt coming. But instead his lips continued their path alongside her jaw to brush against the whorl of her ear.
"Do you ever wonder what it would be like?" His voice was low but it penetrated right to her very core. "If I took what I wanted from you?"
All manner of erotic images spilled into her mind from those simple words. In her most fevered dreams she couldn't help wonder what it would be like between them, but she would never really act on it. She was with Stefan. Stefan. She used his name like a shield in her mind but it wasn't enough.
"Damon, I…" Her mouth went dry and she had to swallow before she could continue, but he seized upon her moment of silence.
"No guilt, no surrender, if I just took what your body had to offer, because it's my nature," he continued, hands skimming lightly up her sides. Her entire body hummed under that light touch, and pinpricks of light began to swim before her eyes, reminding her she'd forgotten to breathe. "I can feel the heat coming off of you even through the water. You're ready for me now, aren't you? Just a scrap of lace between us, it would be so easy."
Sucking in a shaky breath, her eyes slid closed, trying to shut out the images he painted of them, but that only made it worse. If he could make her feel like that with the barest of touches, what would it be like if she gave him free reign of her body?
This was dangerous. Not because she feared him, or that he might do as he said, take her, consequences be damned, but because she was perilously close to giving in to those wants, her traitorous body responding even while her mind knew it was a terrible idea. "I wouldn't…" she tried.
"Oh, but you would," he purred, leaving her ear behind to return to her lips and Elena only barely found the strength to pull away.
"And then we what? Return to Mystic Falls and I go back to Stefan and you go back to… being you, and we forget it ever happened?"
"Who says we have to end it when we get back?" A wolfish grin appeared on his lips.
"Is it just my body you want then?" Elena challenged, meeting his gaze. "It didn't seem like it worked out all that great when you tried it before with Katherine." It was the only defense she had left, the knowledge that this physical attraction between them (because she could admit now that she was powerfully attracted to him) wasn't enough to make her throw away what she had with Stefan. And he knew that.
"Touché." Damon let go all at once, leaving her to tread water. "But you can't blame a guy for trying," he winked, retreating behind his mask.
Elena blinked at the rapid shift from him, realizing his withdrawal meant something more because he wasn't only interested in her body. Christ, what was she supposed to do with that?
A/N: Okay, I needed a minute to fan myself before I came back to do the comment. Damon wasn't playing fair in this chapter, but he'll get his in the next one when the shoe is on the other foot.
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