A/N: I know it has been a while since I've updated. 12 weeks of student teaching had me super busy. This chapter is short.. kind of a filler. There's more excitement to come! Hope you enjoy :)
Chapter 7
All That Matters
"Soon brother," Stefan challenged, his eyes narrowing at Damon as he backed away.
Elena cowered behind Damon as if she had been his all along. As he walked away from the festivities, everyone stared, gawked really. They may not have heard the fight, but they sure as hell had seen it.
The girl attached to his arm, Bethany, or something like that, whimpered as they reached the parking lot. "Oww, you're hurting me Stefan."
Stupid bitch, he thought. He gripped her tighter as he turned her to face him, his eyes drilling into hers, dilating as he compelled her, "Shut. The. Fuck. Up."
She did.
They walked through the rows of cars until they found his. He opened the door and got in while she climbed in the passenger seat. He had stopped by the house and packed some things. He had taken his clothes, and his photo of Katherine, but beyond that, nothing else had any value. This town certainly held nothing for him anymore.
For a brief moment he thought it might be wise to release Bethany here; compel her to forget and then just leave. However, he just was not in the mood for such niceties today. Stefan was tired of being the nice guy. It had not gotten him anywhere.
He sped away, the tires spinning and screeching momentarily on the gravel as he hit the main road to leave town.
Goodbye Mystic Falls, he thought as he pressed the pedal down, his speed increasing as each second passed. Bethany just stared out the window, mind-fucked into submission, completely oblivious. She soon fell asleep, undoubtedly suffering from lack of blood.
The miles passed, as did the hours, but the distance did not ease the hate and anger that raged inside of him. By the time he pulled into Atlanta it was late, and he was hungry, very hungry. He pulled down a dark alley way and drove until he found a vacant parking lot and pulled in.
Bethany began to stir, rubbing her eyes, her skin so pale she almost resembled a vampire, translucent in the moonlight. She spoke, her voice weak, "Where are we Stefan?"
"Doesn't matter," he mumbled, unbuckling his seat belt. He reached over and unbuckled hers as well. He smiled as he pulled her close, pressing his lips right below her ear. He could hear her blood pulsing, though it was faint. He chuckled, "You won't be alive long enough to enjoy it." She jerked at his response, but it wasn't quick enough; it never would be quick enough. His teeth sprung out and his powerful jaw clamped down onto her jugular, silencing and paralyzing her as he drank, and drank, until she went limp in his arms; dead.
He leaned over, opened the passenger side door, and pushed her body out onto the cold pavement before he drove away, leaving her to be found by some innocent bystander.
He got back on the highway, not minding the speed limit as he sped further south, leaving everything behind; including all memories of his former life in Mystic Falls, Virginia.
Sometime the next day, Elena stirred from what could only be described as the best sleep she had experienced in a while. Rolling over, she realized she was alone in the bed. As if on cue, Damon waltzed into the room, holding a tray in his arms.
Her eyes widened at the sight; a tray adorning a full meal for her, made by Damon. The only thing that made the moment better was his apron that stated, "Kiss the Cook, Don't Steak him."
She covered her mouth with her hand and giggled as she propped her pillows up, leaned into them, and pulled the covers up around her. Before they had fallen asleep, Elena had found a plain slate grey t-shirt of his in his dresser, along with a pair of boxers to fall asleep in. Damon found this unbearably sexy.
He placed the tray over her lap, "Omelette, complete with fresh squeezed orange juice and side of strawberries."
Elena couldn't help but be surprised. This Damon was.. well, he was amazing. She'd fallen for the tough, bad-ass Damon. It was the badassness that had led her to cheat in the first place. The raw power of him was undeniable. But this side was tender and sweet; nurturing. It was almost surreal.
She must have been looking at him funny because he spoke, "Just because my meal preference is O+ doesn't mean I can't cook a mean omelette."
Elena threw her hands up in mock surrender, "I'm not complaining."
Apparently, this was "happy" Damon. This was probably how he was before Katherine corrupted him. He deserved to be happy like this, she thought to herself.
She took a bite of the omelette, the flavors immediately engulfing her taste buds, "Mm. This is delicious."
He smirked, "Glad you enjoy it. I figured you would need to eat."
She had to agree. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten; maybe yesterday morning? She couldn't remember.
"So, Sherriff Forbes called. It seems that girl Stefan was with has been reported missing from Virginia Beach. They are questioning his whereabouts. I have to meet with her and a Virginia Beach representative today."
"Do you think he took her?" Elena's stomach knotted at the thought of Stefan forcing the girl to go with him. She knew that the chances were high.
Damon just shrugged, "Maybe. Apparently she was a troubled girl. They assume she left willingly. She was certainly compelled when we saw her yesterday. Don't worry. I'll get it all straightened out."
That twinge of guilt surfaced in her again, but she squashed it quickly. The more reckless Stefan became, the angrier Elena became. One day, she hoped he would see what a stupid asshat he was being.
When I'm dead, she thought, he'll wish he had been nicer.
That thought conjured a different emotion she hadn't expected; sorrow. She and Stefan had never discussed a future together. Really, she had never thought about it. But the sudden thought of being without Damon left emptiness in the pit of her stomach. Eventually, she would grow old and die. Eventually, he would leave and she would be alone.
The sound of Damon's voice interrupted her internal pity party, "Are you okay? Look, if you're worried about the shit Stefan has stirred, don't be. I'll take care of it."
She nodded, deciding not to voice the current dilemma in her head. She made a note of it, that if things continued to get serious, then she would bring it up; but until then, she kept quiet.
A small chuckle escaped him, "You know, all the times Stefan cleaned up after my messes, I really understand why he couldn't stand me."
Elena's mouth turned into a wicked smirk, something that caught him off guard. "Well, you really were a number one douchebag when you first came back to Mystic Falls."
He leaned in, kissing her cheek, "Yeah well, maybe I still am."
She knew he was. She knew part of him would probably always be guarded and sarcastic. He'd told her so, and she believed it. Living for as long as he had, probably came with some sort of permanent damage. She hoped that maybe, over time, he would change. However, she wasn't sure how long she should hold out for that. As long as he treated her with respect and others when she was present, she could deal.
"I have to go talk to the Sherriff. Stay comfortable," he said as he proceeded to move from the bed.
"I should probably get home, Damon. I'm sure Jenna is pissed. I didn't call her last night."
He gave one nod, "All right then. I can drop you on the way to town. The Sherriff won't mind if I'm a few minutes late. She happens to think very highly of me," he said with a conceited chuckle.
"That's only because she doesn't know what you are," she responded, taking another bite of her omelette.
"Yeah. You're right. But I've done a lot for this town, both good and bad."
Wasn't that the truth.
"Did you bring a change of clothes?"
"No," she said. A moment of pause passed before she continued, "I had a spare or two of clothes in Stefan's room. I don't know if they're still there though."
"I'll go check. We'll have to get you a spare set in here," he grinned as he slipped from the room.
Elena continued to eat. Finishing off her omelette and orange juice, but unable to eat any of the strawberries.
He returned a moment later carrying a pile of clothes, "Retrieved m'lady." He bowed slightly and set them on the edge of the bed. "I'll leave you to get dressed. If I stay in here, well, we will most certainly be distracted." He kissed her on the forehead and left Elena to get dressed.
After she had dressed and gathered her belongings they got into Damon's car and headed back towards town. Elena knew that she was probably in trouble with Jenna. Her phone was dead, meaning if anyone had tried to contact, they would have been unsuccessful.
Damon dropped her off a little before lunch time, kissing her tenderly before driving away. She was really on cloud 9, feeling all kinds of warm and fuzzies; that is, until she reached the front door. She had not had the chance to even reach the handle before the door flung open in Elena's face to reveal both Jenna and her Uncle John, standing there, looking not so pleased.
Jenna spoke first. The sound of her voice was rigid and she looked like smoke was going to tumble out of her ears at any second, "Do you have any idea how worried we've been?"
"Where were you?" John asked.
She cleared her throat. She didn't want a fight, but she was going to have to stand up for herself and she knew it. "I was with Damon. You knew I left with him, right?" She did feel guilty for not calling, but after the stressful day, she had grown careless.
"What were we supposed to think? First, there was that public argument with Stefan? Yeah Elena, everyone saw it. Then you and Damon left in a hurry. I figured you were okay, but you should have called. Dammit Elena! You're being careless. I need you to be mature. Jeremy is finally shaping up and now you're going all rebel on me!"
"I'm sorry Aunt Jenna. I fell asleep. Then, my phone died." She could feel herself caving. However, she didn't want to indulge much more with John around. "It's been a rough couple of weeks. I've made decisions that have changed so much for me. I'm not trying to disappoint you." Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
Jenna sighed and John just looked at her.
"Get inside," she said, moving aside.
Elena slid past them and headed straight upstairs. Passing Jeremy's room, she heard him talking on the phone, probably with the new girl he was seeing, Anna. She went into her room, plugging in her phone and turning it on. After a few minutes, it began to receive incoming messages.
One from Caroline: Are you okay? You left in a hurry.
Two from Jenna: Where are you? and Call me please.
Then Bonnie: Can we talk please?
And finally from Damon: Sorry if I got you into trouble. }:)
She laughed at his little devil smiley and then responded to his first: It's okay. She is pretty upset, but I think I avoided a lifetime of grounding.
Then she responded to Bonnie's: What's there to talk about? You told me my choices.
Finally, she responded to Caroline's. She didn't want to, but she knew she wouldn't let up if she did: Yes, I'm fine.
Bonnie responded a few minutes later: I just want to talk okay? Please.
Elena wrote back: Lunch at The Grill? An hour?
Bonnie: Meet you there.
By the time Elena showered, it was time to head to The Grill. She talked it over briefly with Jenna, letting her know that she was going to lunch then coming straight home to work on her history paper. Jenna seemed hesitant, but let her go, saying it was Elena's "last chance".
When she arrived at The Grill, Bonnie was already seated and waiting. Elena made her way over and sat across from her. She made note of how remorseful Bonnie truly looked.
She started talking almost as soon as Elena sat down, "Look Elena. I'm not happy about yesterday. I.. I've missed you. You're my best friend! It's not fair for me to expect you to choose. I just think you're being careless. I mean, first Stefan, now Damon? I mean, at least with Stefan I could kind of understand. But Damon? After all the chaos he's caused? Vicki?" She stopped when she noticed that Elena was not looking too pleased about where this conversation was going.
Elena was about to defend herself but then Bonnie interrupted, "Wait. That's not my choice, Elena. You've never been one to make stupid, reckless choices without thinking. So, I have to think that you chose Damon for a reason. I mean, you're wearing a vervain necklace, so obviously, you're not compelled."
Elena nodded.
"What I'm getting at is, I don't want to put that ultimatum on you. Truthfully, I loathe the fact that you're with Damon, even more than I did that you were with Stefan. I was okay with Stefan, until Grams died. But really, I've just been looking for someone to blame when there is not really anyone. We wanted to help you. Grams thought that helping Stefan was important, so we did it. However, I can't throw years of friendship away over that, because it wasn't your fault. It was our choice. I just couldn't live with myself if something happened to you tomorrow and I wasn't around to let you know how much you mean to me."
Elena wasn't sure whether to take her words offensively or not. If something happened to her? What did she mean?
"I don't mean something supernatural, though in this town, it seems to be the biggest culprit of accidents. There's that saying that you should never let the sun settle on an argument. You don't want to regret the things you say to people. Which is exactly what I am saying, you're my best friend and very much like a sister. I'll work around Damon, if he's what you want. I'll even be civil, even if he refuses to be. Though, I would like to avoid him as much as possible."
She was silent for a moment, her face searching Elena's.
Elena drew in a deep breath, and then started her response, "You've always been like a sister to me, Bonnie. I accept your apology. I'm not going to defend Damon's worthiness to you. He's different than when he first came here, but he's by no means perfect. I know this, and I've come to accept it. What I have with him is very different than what I had with Stefan, and even Matt."
"And you're always wearing your necklace, right?"
"Yes, of course. All of my decisions have been my own, even if they seem rash and insane."
She sighed, "Well, I certainly hope you're right about Damon."
Elena didn't respond to that, instead she quickly changed the subject, "Have you started your History paper yet?"
"Ugh, not at all. I plan on working on it after I leave here," she said, signaling the waiter.
"Same here. I'm not sure what I'm going to write about."
"I've decided to write about some of the political side of the 1960s. I know it's a fairly easy topic, but I figure it's an easy bet," Bonnie said.
They ordered some lunch and ate, discussing their papers more in length. It was as if things were back to normal, as long as they weren't discussing the subject of Damon.
Not long after they finished eating, Elena felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out to reveal a message from Damon: Hey. I am done talking to the Sherriff. Everything okay?
She responded: Yes, just finishing lunch with Bonnie at The Grill.
Damon: Okay love, text me when you're done!
Her heart went a flutter at that. She was such a sap.
Bonnie's brow raised, "You're.. blushing!"
"What? No, I'm not!"
Bonnie laughed. Laughed, about this. She laughed at the fact she was blushing over Damon.
"I don't want to really talk about it, but damn Elena. I haven't seen you blush in a very long time. Maybe someday I will be able to talk to you about Damon. It just won't be today. I will say that I am glad that you are happy. You seem happy, Elena."
She smiled softly, sliding her phone back into her pocket, "I am."
"I suppose that is all that matters then," she responded.
Elena knew that it really was all that mattered.
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