Chapter Eight
Elena:
Emily was tugging at the ties to the corset while Elena held on for dear life to the bedpost. She muttered to herself as a particularly hard tug nearly pulled her hands from the post. "Now I know why all the furniture was so sturdy back when…"
Emily snorted then got very thoughtful. "Can I ask you a question Elena?"
Elena panted as the other woman tied the corset. "Of course, as long as it doesn't involve me moving for a minute or two…"
Emily smiled. "The war…" She looked in Elena's eyes and asked. "Who wins?"
Elena smiled at her friend, because that's what Emily had become. "The north does. It's pretty miserable in the south for this entire generation. It takes a hundred years, but things get better…ex-slaves will be able to vote…women will be able to too…" Emily raised her brows a little at the thought of voting. "Things do get better. Your descendant, Sheila, was a college professor. And her granddaughter Bonnie is my best friend, and an extremely powerful witch." Emily looked proud as she lifted the dress over Elena's head and slid the silk gown over the layers of petticoats.
"There now. Pretty as a picture."
Katherine was suddenly in the room. "More like pretty as a mirror." She laughed. Her gown was a pale green, which contrasted nicely with Elena's deep rose. Katherine sized her up and nodded to herself. "Have you had time to prepare the spell to send Elena home Emily?" Emily nodded. "Good. She leaves the night after tomorrow, no matter what." Katherine touched the necklace. "If you would, leave the necklace…we'll hide it somewhere that's still standing in your time if we don't get the opportunity to use it on Klaus…" Elena nodded, shocked that it would be this easy…
Katherine grinned with mischief in her eyes. "All right Cinderella, let's go to the ball."
Damon:
She was leaving. In two short days. He didn't give a damn about propriety, he held her recklessly close while they waltzed, and refused to let her dance with anyone else. His father would hear about this, people would joke about engagements…if only. His sorrow threatened to overwhelm him as she moved in his arms.
Katherine was holding court in one corner of the ballroom, never letting Stephan out of her sight, but flirting with half the room. Lockwood had tried to horn in on his dance, but Damon had completely ignored his friend, the rules of society, and everything else in the world except the feeling of Elena in his arms.
Katherine was twirling across the room with Stephan, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight. Damon could imagine how the four of them looked on the dance floor…two incredibly beautiful sisters, dancing with their completely smitten suitors. Elena never looked away from him as they danced. He knew what she was doing, he was doing the same thing. Committing her to memory, every line of her body, every word, every sigh…
Lockwood was sniffing around Katherine, Damon hid a smile in Elena's hair. If he could take her from Stephan, he deserved her.
Elena:
She and Damon arrived home from the ball before Katherine and Stephan…Elena didn't even bother going to her own room…though it took Damon a long, long time to help her out of the dress.
His lips were like silk, warm, alive…she kissed him like she wanted to devour him, hands ranging everywhere as she stripped away the coat and waistcoat, the neck cloth and shirt and finally, finally was able to feel his body sliding along her own, teasing her, kissing her…driving her mad with every touch. His hands were everywhere, feverishly memorizing her body as she was memorizing his. She was more than ready when he finally entered her, screaming into one of his feather pillows when she couldn't keep it in anymore.
He found his own release just seconds after she did, and he fell on top of her, completely spent, sweaty and languid. She kissed the sweaty curls away from his forehead, and he pushed her hair away from her face to kiss her lips, so softly…her heart actually contracted and she couldn't breathe. How could she leave him? She closed her eyes and tried to focus. She had to do it. She had to go, and leave him here.
"Hey." He kissed her cheeks as he drew her attention back to the here and now. "Where did you go?"
She tried to smile. After all, she was doing this for him.
He rolled them over and pulled the blankets up around her.
She nestled into his arms, and tried to live only in this moment…to commit it perfectly to memory so she would never forget it. He held her, lightly stroking her back. She wanted to spend her remaining hours memorizing his face.
Damon, being Damon, had other plans. His lips found her neck again, kissing and lightly running his teeth along it until she was panting. He shot her that same mischievous grin he'd given her for years. She bit back a moan as his hands wandered over her body, caressing places that were already sensitive from their previous lovemaking.
Damon:
Elena gasped as he licked a particularly sensitive spot, her shell-like ear. He deliberately slowed things down between them, taking his time to explore her body more fully than he'd done before, finding all sorts of hidden erogenous zones as he roamed with his mouth and hands. He couldn't think about tomorrow, couldn't take his mind off of the present.
Elena's heated touches were insistent as she caressed him in turn, kissing wherever her lips happened to land, her pink tongue darting out to taste, licking the sweat off his chest in a way that made him shudder.
He wandered all over her body, by the light of a single candle he explored every curve, every tempting hollow. He left the most obvious area mostly alone…a few teasing caresses, one single swipe of the tongue. He'd planned to spend more time there, eventually, but he overestimated Elena's endurance. He caressing her leg and bent down to place a small bite on the soft skin on the bend of her leg (giving him a view that made his entire body twitch) when his doe-eyed lady pulled him into a sitting position and impaled herself on him.
He knew his eyes were wild with the feeling of her, but he just kissed her when her hungry mouth crashed into his. Soon he was too lost in the sensation, and when he felt her pulse around him, he didn't hold back. The learned to breathe again and he lowered her onto the pillows, pressing kisses along her sweaty skin.
She snuggled into his arms. He held her and beat away the thoughts of what the future might hold.
Elena:
1864 needed showers. Baths were all well and good in their place, but when you felt as sticky and sweaty as she did…she would kill for a hot shower…better yet, a hot shower with Damon in it. She smiled to herself, imagining what her Damon would say if he could hear that thought. Something incredibly cocky, no doubt.
Her lover noticed her small smile and must have realized she was thinking of him.
"So tell me…when I was in your time…did we do this a lot?"
Ah…she didn't want to have this conversation with him…
But how could she deny those blue eyes anything?
She had a feeling he wouldn't be happy about it. "I was Stephan's girlfriend when you and I met." Damon's eyes were hooded. She shrugged. "It's a different time…and you are a different man Damon. Hurt. Angry. You lashed out, turned off your humanity…you were so obsessed with Katherine when I first met you…" She looked down sadly.
"But time passed, and it heals." Why not tell him everything? Her Damon wouldn't be there when returned. This was her only chance. "Stephan…he's not a very good vampire…he gets lost in the blood lust, and he hurts people…kills people. He'd been fighting it for years when we met, but after a few months, he fell off the wagon."
She shivered when she thought about the events that led to that night. Damon's hands held her tighter. She kissed his chest because she didn't want to move enough to get to his lips.
"While he was on his little bender you and I became closer. You and I were always friends…we always had this spark…" She reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips. It was worth the effort. "But we never acted on it. Even when I wasn't with Stephan anymore, it always came between us."
Damon's brows lifted just the way she remembered. "You mean the first time you and I…"
She kissed him again. "That was the first time." She shrugged one shoulder. "I knew I loved you, but I couldn't find a way to let you know. And I knew you loved me, but you didn't really ever feel like you were worth loving…which is crazy." She sat up on her knees and looked down at him intently. She caressed his face, wanting to make certain that he understood, that his heart was free to live and love once she left...that he knew how special, how wonderful he was…
"I wouldn't trade anything in the world for these few days with you. I will remember you, this you and the other you, until the day I die." Which might very well be tomorrow. The sun was beginning to rise. She strangled back her tears, and pulled away from him slowly. "I'd better get to my own room before everyone gets up." Damon wrapped his shirt around her and put on his pants.
"I'll walk you there…don't want you to get lost."
Ok…so I sniffed a little when I wrote this. It's SUCH a Delena scene (more to come). Just two chapters and the Epilogue to go! What did you think? R&R! (Please and Thank you!)
