Chapter 10:
Naivety
November 20, 2010 - December 1, 2010
Katherine
The Hamptons remains as I remembered it—bright and beautiful. The family living here is quite accommodating as well. Elena has found a new friend in the little girl, Ambrosia. Jeremy has busied himself with the aunt, Jordan. And I have a new plaything—the single father named Julian.
He's a tiger in the sack, impressive for a human. He often manages to keep up with me. I'm thinking of turning him, of making a father-figure for my family. Elena and Jeremy have become rather restless these past few months and I believe it's because our lives have fallen—to my chagrin—into a routine.
Vampires don't really cope well with monotony.
However, if I do turn him, he'll want to bring along his own family. I know he would—I lived five hundred years alone, and it gets very lonely. If I do decide to turn them all, we'd have to wait until Amber is older. I will not put up with a child's antics for the rest of eter—
"Kat'rina!"
I held back a growl as the pen snapped between my fingers. It's her again. She always interrupts me when I'm writing. If she wasn't so young, I'd have killed her already.
I put the pen down and closed my diary, turning to see the 5-year-old girl. Thanks to Elena's insistence on calling me by my real name, little Ambrosia had taken to calling me that as well. It didn't really help that Elena and I looked alike. 'Amber' liked to bother us both.
"What is it?"
She smiled shyly at me, and even I had to admit that the little girl was adorable, with her curly brown hair and big green eyes and dimpled smile. "Daddy asks if you'd come to the basement now. He brought home a surprise for everyone."
I smiled back obligingly. "You know I love surprises," I reminded her, sinking to my knees to look her straight in the eye and calling on that magnificent power that made all humans do as I say. "Why don't you go to your room and play now?"
She grinned happily. "I'll just go up and play now, Kat'rina!" She ran off, leaving me to put my diary back into its hiding place. Elena and Jeremy were already in the basement when I arrived, happily ravaging a couple of teenagers.
It always pleased me whenever they let go of their inhibitions like this. After a year of her moping around, I finally took Jeremy's advice and got a witch to take away Elena's suffering.
Of course, this meant that Elena was much more reckless and cruel, even more than me. A balance had to be made, so the witch amplified her capability for love. This lead to her obsessive need to surround herself with people she considered family, such as me and Jeremy. And Isobel.
Two years ago, Isobel delivered a package to me while we were living in Romania. Elena had been torn with her anger at Isobel and her desire to keep her family close. Of course, Isobel had been angry at me for turning her daughter, but her anger faded after she learned the whole story from Elena. In the end, Isobel left, having delivered what I asked her to get, but she and Elena talk on the phone every day, mother and daughter getting to know each other.
"Having fun?" I asked, smirking as Elena pulled back from the boy's neck, her eyes glazed with satisfaction and lust. The boy gave me a look of frustration and fear, completely aware of what was happening, but accepting that death was at hand.
Like me, Elena liked to toy with her food, but I was more impatient. Elena made feeding an art, her fingers drawing up blood and orgasm to paint abstract pictures on her skin. She was such a messy eater.
If only the Salvatores could see her now—almost constantly drunk on blood and sex.
A true Petrova vampire.
Just like me.
Well, almost.
Elena licked her lips eagerly, trying and failing to get all the blood that stained her nose and chin. "Sorry, Katerina," she said, rolling my name on her tongue as she panted with the effort of keeping her fangs off her food. "I was hungry."
"It's all right, darling," I assured her, placing a kiss on her forehead, then licking the tip of her nose for a taste. There was just enough adrenaline in the blood, giving it more flavor. Yum. "You feed all you want, all right?"
"Okay," she replied happily, dipping her tongue into one of the leaking holes on the boy's neck. Funnily enough, he reminded me of her human ex-boyfriend.
I traced a finger down Jeremy's naked back and he looked up at me. He paused his movements, making the young girl underneath him buck and scratch, pleading for him to keep going. "What?" he asked, though despite his snappy tone, he was obviously amused at the way the girl whored herself up to him.
Jeremy had been such a surprise to me. Unlike his sister, he took to being a vampire quite well. While Elena brooded away her existence in the basement of the homes we stayed in, refusing to wear the Lapis ring, Jeremy and I painted the town red.
Literally.
For Jeremy, that morality switch that was available to all vampires for the first hundred years was kept off at all times, and he fed, fought and fucked his way through life daily. Elena had been devastated with his attitude until I gave in to Jeremy's constant whining to just magic her pain away.
"Nothing, dear," I murmured, leaning down to lick a path from the base of his spine to the nape of his neck. He mumbled something incoherently, his hips creating a whole new rhythm in response to my single act. The girl beneath him cried out in pain as he brutalized her. I smirked, watching the last of the Gilbert family as he traumatized his food. The humans we feed on don't normally die, but sometimes, we like to let our inner animal out.
So to speak.
I turned to the one reserved for me—a black-haired boy, still fully dressed, was waiting for me, compliant and untied. Elena must have compelled him for me because he wasn't panicking at the sight of his friends being used so thoroughly in front of him.
"Hello, dear," I greeted, straddling the boy. He hardened under me as I wriggled on his lap, making me grin as I unbuckled his belt. "We're going to have so much fun together."
Elena
My name is Elena Gilbert, and I am a vampire. It's been five years since I last saw anyone from Mystic Falls. Before, when I was still moping around and being all pathetic, I would've welcomed a friendly face, someone to tell me I'd be okay, and that I'd be able to make something of this life I now have.
But now, I was actually happy with what I had—a brother who helps me get away with murder, a biological mother who calls me every day and sends me thoughtful gifts every now and then, and a great-whatever grandmother who looks like me and plays games with me and indulges my every whim. Who wouldn't be satisfied with that?
I mean, what was I thinking, wanting the love and support of useless humans? I didn't need anyone else but my family. And if I had it my way, I wouldn't have to see any of them for the rest of my unlife.
But my life wouldn't be as messed up as it is if everything went the way I wanted it to.
"Long time no see, Bonnie." I stepped back, opening the door wider. "Come in." I know she sensed the mockery in my voice. It's what made her hesitate before crossing the threshold of my Hampton home.
To be honest, of all the people I thought I'd see again, she was not on the list. Katerina had told me she'd fed on Bonnie and left her to bleed out on the alley beside the Mystic Grill. I'd gone all these years thinking she was dead.
"Elena." I didn't need to turn around to know it was Julian. "Didn't know we were expecting guests," he said.
"She's an old friend, from when I was human," I replied. "Give us a few moments, please."
"Of course," he said subserviently. "I was just heading out. Amber is taking her afternoon nap."
"She's safe here, you know that," I reminded him, making him grin. God, he was so hot. Sometimes, I wish Katerina would share.
"Elena," Bonnie whispered, shaking her head. "What's happened to you? Why… Why would you choose to live like this?"
"Like how?" I asked, sitting down at the loveseat next to the stairs. Julian quietly left, leaving me with my 'old friend'. "Like a princess? Doted on by my family? Loved by all who meet me? What exactly do you mean, Bonnie? Why don't you be more specific?"
"Like a monster, Elena!" she bit out, eyes blazing with spirit. "Like you don't care!"
"Who says she doesn't care?"
Bonnie gasped, tears filling her eyes as she took in the sight of Jeremy coming out of the door that led to the basement. He was pulling up his pants and zipping it up, shirtless to show the blood that had spilled from his lips and down his chest.
"Jeremy," she murmured, almost breathlessly. "No. Not you too. We thought—"
"I ran away?" Jeremy asked, grinning in amusement. "Kat did say she used my computer to write my 'last message'." Suddenly he was flung away, smashing into a crystal vase Katerina and I had bought the other day.
Good. I hated that vase. But Katerina was going to be furious.
I hope.
Jeremy got back up, laughing delightedly. "Gonna have to do better than that, Bonnie." His bare feet crunched the broken glass, making it even more impossible to put it back together—not that anyone was going to.
Bonnie squinted her eyes at him, seeming to have forgotten about me. Jeremy laughed, scratching at his forehead.
"Tickles, Bon-Bon."
"That's enough, Jer," I told him. "You better clean that up. Amber might cut herself."
"Fine," he pouted, disappearing to grab a broom and dustpan.
"And you," I sighed, rushing over to grab Bonnie by the neck, "how stupid are you? Attacking a vampire in his own home."
"His own home?" she rasped disbelievingly.
I chuckled at her slip. So Amber hadn't simply been dreaming when she said she saw a shadow trying to open her window. "So you've brought the Salvatores along, huh? Or was it Caroline who you dragged here?"
"Damon," she gasped.
Damon. How predictable. Stefan was probably off wallowing in his despair, thinking of his lost love and unable to do anything but mourn my death.
Damon, however, was obsessive. He'd spent a hundred and forty-five years loving Katerina, and that love shifted to me when I'd been human. I wonder what he'd think when he sees me now.
"Well," I said simply as Jeremy returned, broom and trashcan in hand. "Tell Damon I want to meet him for lunch at the park tomorrow." I released her, making her stumble toward the door. It occurred to me that we never really left the foyer. "And tell him I missed him."
She rubbed at her throat, making her way to the door, dismay clear on her face. "Screw you, Elena."
I pouted. "Now, Bonnie," I sighed, crossing my arms under my breasts and leaning on stair-post. "You're still in my home. Get out before I change my mind and send you to Damon in pieces."
She jerked the door open, coming face-to-face with Katerina. A look of surprise appeared on my ancestor's face, but that quickly curled into a mocking smile. "Still alive I see. How've you been, Bonnie?" she asked mockingly as the witch moved back immediately and began running away.
"Tell Damon to bring me a snack, okay?" I shouted after her happily. My family laughed as I watched her get into a car and drive away.
And then Katerina growled. "She broke my vase?"
Jeremy stood, all the glass pieces safely in the trashcan. "We'll get her back," he assured her as he retreated. I followed him immediately, knowing that avoiding a pissed off Katerina was for the best.
My eyes fell on the blood still staining Jeremy's skin, and I licked my lips.
"Any leftovers?"
Damon
"Hello, Damon."
I turned to find Ele—
Wow. The vampire lifestyle really agreed with her. Her hair had curled slightly, and the leather…
Double wow.
I remember the last time I saw her. She'd been looking down at me in concern, and I'd thought she was Katherine. During the first week as a vampire, every emotion is heightened. Whatever you feel for others is magnified immensely. It took me days to realize that no matter how small it had been, Elena had loved me.
And it burned me more than anything to have lost her to Katherine.
She smiled up at me, and Jesus, but did she really expect me to think of something witty to say while she's looking at me like that?
"So you missed me," I ended up saying. Her eyes softened, the playfulness replaced with…well, with something else. I can't describe it, but the emotion in her eyes made me long for what I'd lost five years ago.
"Yeah," she whispered, looking away. "I really did."
Something in me felt heavy and happy at the same time. Elena missed me. How could I not be happy about that?
"Elena," I murmured, reaching for her. She came closer, and I felt my throat tighten, tears stinging my eyes as she embraced me.
Jesus. God. Please, if I'm dreaming, just let me be. Let me have this, at least for a little while.
Please.
She sniffled, making me realize she was crying. "…family," she muttered, holding me closer. "Don't leave me. You're family."
Well. Fuck.
She looked up at me when I tried to pull away. "Don't," she said, gripping my arms. "Please, I can't lose you again."
But it hurt. It really, really hurt.
Family? What, did she see me as her freaking brother? I love her. I'm in fucking love with her, and I'm just fucking family to her?
"Elena," I spoke, forcing my voice to stay steady. "You should come home. Stefan…he's—"
"No!" She released me, stepping away with wide eyes. "I can't leave!"
I steeled myself. "You don't really have a choice," I told her, waiting for Bonnie's spell to take effect.
But nothing happened.
Her face fell, disappointment clear on her face. "You didn't think Katerina would let me come here alone did you?" she asked, making me narrow my eyes. "Bonnie should be dead by now."
I couldn't keep my eyes from flitting over to the trees, spying Katherine standing next to Jeremy, who was leaning back on a tree, his arms around a limp, obviously dead, witch.
Damn it.
"You don't understand. I get it," Elena said, taking a step toward me. "But I'm Katerina's family. She made me a vampire because she wanted to be with family, Damon. And she turned Jeremy because she knew I couldn't leave him, because he's my family too."
I was starting to understand, I think. "And me?" I asked. "You said I'm family."
"You are," she confirmed, sincerity in her eyes. "Katerina turned you and Stefan not because she wanted to pit you against each other, but because she knew that you needed each other. You need family, Damon. To get through eternal life, you need family."
I would've called her bluff, but I knew she was right, in a way. Without Katherine, I'd depended on Stefan, followed him sometimes, and kept tabs on him all the time. I made good on my promise to make his unlife as difficult as possible, and that gave me a sort of purpose.
Jesus. Was Katherine right in turning both of us? But she chose Stefan, in the end. Not me.
Like she and Elena said, it's always going to be Stefan.
"Damon." I looked back at Elena, and she gave me a hesitant smile. "You're family." Not this again. "Wait," she said, grabbing my arm when I turned away, "just hear me out, Damon."
"You have a minute," I snapped at her, wrenching my arm away from her. No need to torture myself any further by having her hold my hand through this dreadful speech of hers.
She sighed. "I asked you to meet with me because I wanted to ask you to stay," she told me. My world stopped spinning all of a sudden, and my focus was entirely on her. "I know it's awkward, because of Katerina, but it'll work. Damon, I'll make it work."
I stared at her, waiting for the punch line. "Thirty-five seconds," I reminded her.
She huffed. "Okay, look. You're of Katerina's blood, just like me and Jeremy and Stefan. And—and Caroline, she's of your blood, and that makes her family too. And I know you won't get this right now, but I need my family!" She stepped closer again, her eyes frantically searching for something else to say to convince me to stay.
And I realized then that something was wrong. Elena cared about her loved ones, yes, but she's never had to have a reason before. She never had to identify bloodlines for her to love her friends. So what was all this about being 'of Katerina's blood' and Caroline being 'of my blood'?
Elena whimpered suddenly, her hands grabbing mine. "Please, Damon," she pleaded, and if I hadn't caught her around the waist, she would've fallen to her knees. "Please."
I sighed, realizing that I'd already decided anyway. I could never say no to Elena.
I pulled her up against me and enjoying the feeling of having her pressed up against me like this. "Stefan will come looking for me," I warned her. She froze, pulling away to give me a hopeful look. I rolled my eyes. "Stop being all cute-like and innocent. You're a vampire. Start acting like one."
A wide grin spread on her face, happiness twinkling in her eyes. She launched herself back at me, making me stagger back a little. "You won't regret this," she promised, laughing a little.
"Oh, I better not," I sighed, giving up and hugging her to me.
I knew that when Stefan came knocking at our door, she'd go straight back to him. I wasn't the love of her life, even if she was the love of mine. And it was because I love her that I tortured myself this way, because the loss of Katherine a hundred and fifty years ago hadn't made me as tormented as I had been when it was Elena I let slip from my grasp.
Literally.
"Hello, lover," Katherine greeted as she approached with Jeremy. Bonnie's body was nowhere in sight. "I see you're staying with us."
"I'm staying for Elena," I said, making it expressly clear to her.
Katherine smiled. "Don't be so naïve, Damon." She turned to begin walking toward the parking lot. "It doesn't suit you."
I wrinkled my face at her back, making Elena laugh. "I'm not naïve," I told her, making her grin.
"Of course not." She took my hand in hers, entwining our fingers together and making my heart jump to my throat as she gave me that Elena smile. "Let's go home."
Home. With Elena.
I could get used to that.
Author's Note
Finished! This is definitely the last chapter of Naivety. WOW, I ACTUALLY FINISHED A MULTI-CHAPTER STORY! Congratulations to me! :P
Please review, and tell me how I did with all the character POVs! AND REMEMBER! If you're going to flame me, better to just send me a message, not post it in the reviews page.
Thanks to KnKCullen, LivLifeLuvDream, DreamToAspire, Daydreamblvr6, Ghostwriter, ..Love, TVDFanatic24, Delena XoxoTvdoxoX Kefan, MasqueradePhantom, and LifeIsAMovie for your consistent reviews!
KnKCullen, sorry, but at DreamToAspire's request, I didn't kill Bonnie at first. But for you, I finished her off. Lol! Sorry DreamToAspire, but my fingers did the typing and next thing I know, Bonnie died. Haha! Hope you're not angry at me for killing her.
And what's this I hear about making a sequel? There's no sequel, sorry! Maybe a one-shot will pop into my head... I don't know yet, I'm sorry. But we'll see. :)
Again, thanks to my muse, who shoved the plot bunny into my head. I couldn't have done it without you.
Hope you liked the story!
~E
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries. I did dream that Damon Salvatore bit my neck and drank my blood and killed me and I woke up. Unfortunately, I did not wake up as a vampire. *disappointed sigh* Go team Damon! =))