A/N: It's a short one. I had a class and left it half finished the other day and when I came back, I had totally forgotten what I originally had in my head for this moment. :\ The best is yet to come... I hope :P
The Hallway
"Comin'?"
Elena shook her head. "I'm gonna stay here." Elena slid down and sat on the ground. It was cold and concrete just like the wall she was leaning against. Damon stood by the door and watched her. There was only one light close to the door close to Damon's head, casting his shadow and obscuring her face. His eyes were sharp in the dark and he could see her staring at nothing, conflicted about locking Stefan up. That was all it took. Damon lowered himself to the floor close to Elena, sitting across from her. He leaned his head back and looked at her.
It was a while before Elena could speak. So many things seemed to battling in her mind for her attention; Stefan's actions, how she stabbed him with the vervain dart, how he had roughly shoved her against the wall… She had never been more afraid of Stefan. He had become a total stranger to her, moody and violent. The only thing that had helped her keep calm was knowing that Damon was just around the corner in case things got out of hand. She shuddered, making Damon look over to her. There was the other thought that kept creeping up and demanding her full attention: Damon.
"I've never… seen him like that," she whispered. "How long does it usually take to recover from vervain?"
"Hard to say," Damon answered, "It could be a few hours before he wakes up."
Elena nodded. "How long….before the human blood passes?"
"A week maybe…"
"You think I made it worse?" asked Elena. "If it weakens him, won't he crave human blood even more?"
Damon could tell without even seeing her worried expression that she was struggling with her conscience. "Elena… I can't have him running around and catching the attention of the council…"
Elena groaned. She put her face in her hands and leaned forward, causing her hair to fall like a dark curtain around her face. She felt a hand gently pulled back her hair and looked up at Damon. He was leaning forward, bringing himself closer to her as he tucked her hair behind her ear.
His expression was serious. "It'll be fine." He moved away from her and leaned back against the wall again. She could feel her ears grow warm, her skin tingling where he had grazed his fingers. She began blush deeply as she mustered up the guts to ask him her next question. She was grateful that her face was hidden in shadow when she realized that he could probably see pretty well in the dark.
"Can I…would you mind if…" Elena hesitated a little, not looking him in the eye. Embarrassed, she continued, "if… I stay here with you… for a while?" Damon stared at her as she spoke.
"Of course you can." Damon's answer was sincere. The corners of his mouth turned up in a subtle but genuine smile that she couldn't see in the dim light of the hallway. Damon stood up, pulling Elena to her feet. "Come on. I'll check on him later." Damon began to smirk, his humour returning as he tried to lighten the mood. "You need to get some things for a sleepover." His eyes had a wicked glint in them, as he looked Elena up and down.
Elena rolled her eyes, secretly enjoying the attention from him. "Don't get any ideas."
Damon's smirk turned into a smug smile as he walked away from her. Elena began to follow him but stopped in the doorframe and looked back towards Stefan's cell. She felt guilty; guilty for hurting him and guilty because she was looking forward to staying at the Salvatore manor with Damon as her companion.