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A Sinner before the Gates of Heaven

Chapter Ten: Insistence

Something bizarre is going on; Caroline decides a few minutes after Stefan has left the room. Something very bizarre is going on and Caroline's got a bad feeling her best friend is at the very centre of it.

Standing in front of an open window, waiting for Stefan to return, Caroline hasn't bothered to clean up the items scattered on the floor from when Stefan had thrown her clear across the room into his desk nor has she bothered to change the ripped sheets. There's no point in cleaning it up until she knows what's been going on in this house since Damon had carried Elena through the front door.

Though she doubts Stefan's going to tell her anything outside of apologizing for throwing her across the room again, Caroline knows that she's going to interrogate him until he breaks. She's not comfortable with the idea that there's something going on that could cause harm to him or even Damon and she has no doubt that Damon in trouble is what Stefan dreamed about.

Nothing in this world, Caroline knows, nothing shakes Stefan Salvatore up like the idea of his big brother dying or being harmed beyond reason.

She has never understood her boyfriend devotion to his big brother. It's something well beyond her scope, the bond the two brothers' share and Caroline has no choice but to accept that it's something she will never understand.

That doesn't mean, however, that Stefan has to bail on her after he'd thrown her into a desk during a nightmare or that their shared agreement on keeping her away from Elena didn't warrant some serious explanation.

Which was what gave it away, Caroline realizes. Between the two of them, Caroline's aware she hasn't really been denied anything in the time since Damon turned her to save her. In their own way, both have provided everything she's ever wanted and more from Damon refurbishing the entire kitchen so she could eat whenever she wanted to Stefan making sure she has the best of everything and more.

Both, too, have provided Caroline with a sort of stand in family she never expected would fill the hole left by her unsatisfactory family life before she'd been turned.

And both, she thinks with a scowl, have made it clear that on no uncertain terms was she to go looking for Elena while her best friend was in the house.

She doesn't buy Damon's reasoning that she wouldn't be able to control herself if she caught a whiff of Elena's blood and she really doesn't buy that Damon let Elena live out of some misplaced appreciation of her spunk.

There are, Caroline has discovered, very few coincidences in this world once one became aware of the supernatural entities that roam the world.

She knows that Elena being here, without having had her throat torn out by her boyfriend, is no coincidence.

Neither is Damon's current fascination with her and that's one of the things that worry Caroline the most. She's not an idiot and something about the way Damon had acted when he was telling her to stay away from Elena, something about how he'd been when he'd caught her after she'd climbed down the tree outside of his bedroom had sent warning bells off.

He was acting like Stefan had in the first few months after her transition.

It's enough to make her nervous for her friend.

Caroline still doesn't understand the full mythology behind the bond that she has forged with Stefan. She only understands that she's tied to him in a way that's deeper than anything she could have ever imagined when she was human. She also understands that the way Stefan had acted after she had recovered from the shock of being turned – the protectiveness, the watchfulness, the inability to be away from her for more than an hour – was just the beginning of a bond forming between a vampire and his mate.

She understands too, what happens when they give into the heat that's generating between them. The sex is incredible, the tentative sweetness afterwards hard to handle, the pull of blood that starts it all too hard to resist a second time around and Caroline's terrified of what's going to happen to Elena if what she's thinking is right and Damon has already started to bond with her.

Because Damon isn't Stefan and, as far as she knows, kindness is shown once every few years and cynicism and sarcasm are deflectors in case anything becomes too personal. The sweetness that Stefan shows her, she has never seen in Damon and Caroline can't help but be afraid of what will happen to Elena if everything she's observed is correct.

"You're biting your lip." Stefan's voice is low in her ear and his arms strong around her waist as she jolts. "You only do that when you're worried."

Immediately, Caroline let's go of her bottom lip, running her tongue over the sting to soothe it. "Well, someone has to be worried. Something weird is going on in this house. Or didn't you notice you threw me into a desk because of a nightmare?"

She decides that she's irritated with Stefan as she jerks herself away from his hold and turns, leaning against the window sill and folding her arms. Stefan settles his hands on her hips instead and she can see the remorse in his eyes.

"I'm sorry about that." He nods towards the desk before leaning down, Caroline knowing exactly what he's about to do, slaps a hand over his mouth. "What?" Stefan's question is muffled by her hand and Caroline smiles a little.

"Uh-uh. No. You tell me what the hell is going on before I make you sleep in a guest room." She says, her eyes warning him how serious she is.

Stefan narrows his gaze, as if assessing her patience and then reaches up to pry her hand away from his mouth. Caroline takes in the way his jaw is set and knows a fight could be brewing.

"Why would you assume something's going on?"

"Stefan."

"Seriously."

"Stefan."

Her warning comes out as a growl and then Caroline nearly groans when Stefan takes his hands of her hips and folds his arms because she knows that's a signal he's not going to tell her anything he doesn't want too because of the protective streak that's become a mile wide since they had bonded.

"No. Caroline. If there's something going, it's in your head." She can tell Stefan knows it's the wrong thing to say even before he says it and she pushes at him before he finished his sentence.

He takes a few steps back and she points at him. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. I'm also going to pretend you aren't acting like your brother and deflecting because you're trying to protect me. Stefan, tell me what's going on because I know it involves Elena and I'm terrified your brother is bonding with her."

Stefan pauses at that, his arm muscles tensing before relaxing. He blows out a breath and Caroline knows that she's introduced something to him that he hasn't thought about or observed. At least, she thinks she has until Stefan shakes his head.

"Damon's not bonding with her, Caroline. It's not in his nature." Stefan says. "He's too apathetic and he's never wanted – "

"You told me it didn't matter if you wanted to or not. You couldn't help yourself. Remember?" Caroline interrupts and then sighs. "Stefan, please tell me what the hell is going on. Something doesn't feel right."

Stefan reaches up to rub his jaw, his eyes closings as he exhales loudly. Caroline waits impatiently, wondering if whatever's going on is really worth keeping a secret. Somehow, she doubts it. Nothing in the supernatural world which she now lives in can surprise her anymore and somehow she doubts that whatever is going is more than they can handle.

That is until Stefan opens his eyes and looks her directly in the eyes, his expression sombre.

"A really long time ago, Caroline, back when we were human something happened. Something bad happened and a spell was cast, involving Damon." Stefan pauses, as if bracing himself for what he's about to tell her.

It irritates her.

"For God's sake's, Stefan. Just tell me!"

"In accordance to the spell, Damon's going to die, Caroline." She feels her knees go weak at the news as Stefan watches her. "Damon's going to die and there's nothing we can do about it."

Surprised, Caroline thinks numbly, is an understatement.

"Damon?"

Elena feels her breath backing up in her lungs as Damon's dark gaze holds hers.

Her blood starts heating and Elena can only wonder why this time, there are no alarm bells ringing in her head or irritation at this feeling or even fear at the thought of surrendering. All Elena can think about is what it would be like to kiss him.

It's amazing, she thinks vaguely, how when the right man is sitting in front of you, the only thing you can think of is what it would be like to be as close to him as possible.

Before she can think about how terrifying that thought actually is, Damon looks away and picks up his wineglass. It enough to make her realize her throat has gone dry and she reaches for her own glass of wine, trying not to notice the way Damon drains his and reaches for the bottle again.

She needs to get back on track, Elena thinks. She needs to ask him the questions she's had stored in her mind since she'd realized there was nothing in his library that could help him in regaining his memory.

She needs to push all thoughts of kissing him out of her mind until Damon has answered her questions and she's thinking straight again.

She also needs more wine.

The second Damon places the bottle back on the table; she reaches for it and pours herself some more, ignoring the raised eyebrow he gives her. She raises the glass back to her lips and takes another gulp, praying that the wine will settle the heat in her blood and the nerves in her stomach.

When it doesn't, Elena decides to go on anyway.

"Why are there no supernatural documents in your library?" Elena asks her eyes focused on the wall just over his shoulder.

Damon pauses for a moment and Elena wonders what's going through his mind when she sees his eyes go carefully blank and the curious, approachable man he had been before fall away. Damon leans back in his chair and tilts his head slightly, as if assessing her.

"Why do you assume there are none?" He replies and she scowls, her eyes flying to his at the question. Damon offers her a patronizing look, as if he knew that what he had said would draw that reaction from her.

"Because I've been over every source I could get my hands on and there's nothing. Save the fact that your father was a cheapskate."

Damon smirks a little at that. "True. Are you sure you looked in the right places?"

"Yes." Elena hisses, unable to help herself. "Damon, tell me why there is absolutely nothing personal on either the supernatural or 1864 in your library. It makes no sense. If this town has always known about vampires, why wouldn't there be any recordings of it?"

"What if there are no recordings of it because the town didn't know about vampires until 1864?" Damon inquires, making Elena pause in order to mull it over.

That would make sense, Elena acknowledges reluctantly. As far as she knows, the legend of Mystic Falls starts in 1864 with the turning of Damon Salvatore and his brother, Stefan. According to the legend, Damon and Stefan were turned in the summer of 1864 and then proceeded to massacre many of the families of Mystic Falls, including many of the founding families. Towards the end of the summer, when their bloodlust had cooled and they had taken to prowling the streets of Mystic Falls searching for humans, the occupants of Mystic Falls had chosen to try and kill the two brothers only to be slaughtered in their attempt. The townspeople had then been punished by being confined to their houses during the night as Damon had sworn to never leave the town, punishing them for their uprising against the two vampire brothers.

"Do you know it's fascinating watching you think? You get a line right between your eyes." Damon interrupts her train of thought with a cool smirk and curious eyes.

Elena meets his gaze and wonders if Damon knows the legend of Mystic Falls. He probably does, she allows and he probably, too, has no clue if it's true or not.

"I was just thinking you might be right. What if there are no records because no-one knew? I mean, according to everything I've ever heard, Mystic Falls was a peaceful settler town up until the summer of 1864. Why would anyone have known about vampires or even what was going to happen?" Elena muses, smoothing her brow because it annoys her that Damon had noticed she does that when she's thinking.

"Elena."

"No, seriously, Damon. Think about it. You have no records which mean that there probably were none. By the time people knew what was going on, half of them would have been dead and the other half too terrified to write it down. That's why there was only a verbal legend until the twentieth century when someone bothered to write it down." Elena can feel herself becoming excited as she thinks about it, the explanation both plausible and saving her from being overly irritated with Damon.

"Elena." Damon tries again and she ignores him.

"But that means we're going to have to figure out - "

Damon cuts her off, catching her hand in his and pulling her forward.

"Elena."

Almost of its own volition, Elena's hand turns in Damon's grasp, their fingers entwining even as she thinks 'too close, much too close.'

Her entire field of vision is Damon's face and Elena thinks dizzily, how unfair it is that a man could be this beautiful and this masculine all at once. She thinks, too, how unfair it is that his eyes can be so mesmerizing.

"What?" She breathes when it seems like Damon has forgotten what he was going to say.

He says nothing. His eyes searching hers and Elena wonders if maybe her frustration with him is bound up in the fact that whenever they get this close, whenever it seems like he's actually going to do something about what crackles between them, something interrupts or he pulls away when she knows – no matter how frightened of this attraction she is – she doesn't want him to pull away.

For a moment, Elena actually thinks he's going to do something about it. She actually thinks that maybe this time; he's going to kiss her.

Her blood swims at the thought, her body starts overheating again and Elena feels her pulse rapidly speed up as she considers it.

"Damon." Her voice is barely more than a whisper and Elena knows she would be shocked if she heard the pleading note in her voice.

He lets out a ragged breath at her voice. "God, you smell amazing."

Elena nearly whimpers as his other hand rises to sweep her hair away from her neck, his fingers trailing over her pulse point.

It should be frightening. Him touching her throat, his pupils dilating as he feels how quickly her pulse is hammering, what he wants from her clear in his touch.

It's not.

Elena is only aroused further by it. The thought of giving him her blood, the thought of him taking something so essential to her being is exciting. Sharing herself in that way, surrendering to it and everything else he's offered unknowingly is unbearably arousing and Elena aches with the thought of it.

Elena leans into the hand on her neck, her eyelids fluttering, her entire being focused on Damon and his touch.

That is, until he pulls away.

"Damon."

He moves quickly, standing and knocking the chair over in his haste. Elena try's to focus on him as he stands, though her heads still swimming from the ache of wanting and she shakes it to clear her thoughts.

"Stay here, Elena." Damon demands, his breathing ragged.

Elena stares at him, unable to comprehend that he has pulled away again even as he strides away, into the kitchen. For a moment, she considers obeying him and then decides that she's sick of him telling her what to do.

Knowing that if she does this everything might change; Elena stands and follows Damon into the kitchen.

He can almost taste her.

Damon grips the granite counter tightly; trying to control his urge to sink his teeth into the fluttering pulse point Elena had let him touch.

God, she was so trusting. So willing.

So unaware of what he actually wanted to do to her.

Damon wonders how the hell his careful plan to seduce and distract had spiralled out of control so quickly.

He'd so carefully controlled that primitive urge to sink his teeth into her neck as he sank into her. Then it had flared. Like a kindling in the hot sun, watching her figure out the existence of documents from 1864 had nearly made him spontaneously combust.

He'd never thought watching someone use their mind could be so damn erotic. But it had been. Watching Elena talk her way through an answer he hadn't wanted to give had been so arousing he hadn't been able to help himself and the urge to take her, to taste her had almost been impossible to resist.

Especially when she looked so willing as he'd grappled with what he wanted and what he knew was the right thing.

Damon has no doubt that he did the right thing in leaving her. He also has no doubt that if she walks into the kitchen, he won't be able to help himself.

He can already see himself pushing up the white skirt of her dress, sliding his hands up those long smooth legs as he takes her mouth in a kiss that's nothing short of possession.

"Damon."

He turns at her voice, infuriated and pleased that she hadn't listened to him.

She's standing there, her hands shaking as she looks at him, that dark waterfall of hair falling over one shoulder and he thinks everything anyone has ever said about willpower is overrated.

He moves towards her, like a predator stalking his prey. Elena eyes him warily as she back away from him slowly.

"What is it with you and not listening? Did someone forget to connect that wire in your head or something?" He asks silkily. "Stay in my room, stay in the library, stay in the dining room. You didn't listen to any of them, did you Elena?"

He can hear her heart speeding up and Damon watches as Elena bumps into the counter and flattens herself against it even as he moves close, his hands sliding onto her hips in a possessive grip he has no doubt she notices.

"Damon."

She all but whimpers his name as he presses against her. Damon looks down at her and Elena's gaze is at once clouded and determined, her hands coming to rest tentatively on his arms and her tongue darting out to lick her lips nervously.

It's amazing how that one simple gesture is enough for the last sliver of resistance to collapse into the primitive need to claim her.

"God, you're so perfect."

Elena never gets the chance to stammer her way out of that as he covers her mouth with his own.

A/N: So, how was it? I'm trying to push these characters along but, well, Damon and Elena get caught up in themselves basically. However, I love writing Caroline in this. I like being able to give her a background and a reason to worry about Elena. Interesting note too, when I first started this story, the entire thing was meant to be wrapped up within ten chapters. I'm kind of glad that it hasn't wrapped itself up and I'm really interested to hear your thoughts on what's been going on! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!