All right, here we go, chapter 11! I do not have much to say right now since there have been quicker updates on my part, which I am sure you all are very happy about. So, please enjoy and leave a review when you are done reading. Thanks! :) -I Own Nothing -Lioness002
The voice that pierced the room and interrupted the moment sounded like thunder to my highly sensitive ears. My eyes snapped open and I felt myself rear back as Damon froze and whipped his head to the window. I felt myself slipping back, but before I could even begin to fall, Damon had a secure hold around my waist. I clung to him for a second before I slowly turned to look at the window. What the heck? Who in the world is out there spying on us?
The second I heard the voice that had disturbed Damon and I; my body went ridged from shock. No one was supposed to be here, tonight was supposed to just be Damon and me. No friends, no drama, no ex's, just two people getting to know each other a bit better. But of course something had to happen, and of course someone had to come in and ruin the moment. Why could nothing ever go as planned around here? Just once I wanted an important event to run smoothly, but of course that is just too much to ask.
Both Damon and I sat listening for a few seconds before we heard shuffling and saw the bush outside the window above the sink start to shake. I heard Damon growl softly in irritation before his enraged eyes met mine. "Why are Bonnie and Caroline perched outside the kitchen window trying to listen in on us?" Damon growled as he tilted his head towards the window.
"That is what I would like to know." I practically hissed as I stood up from the kitchen stool and stormed over to the window above the sink. I was beyond pissed off right now, Damon and I had been sharing a moment, and of course, someone had to come in a ruin it. I unlatched the window and glared down to see none other than Caroline and Bonnie hiding in the bushes. I leaned my elbows on the windowpane and stared down at them with a raised eyebrow.
"Well?" I asked coldly.
Caroline and Bonnie gave me a sheepish smile as they both stood up. "It was Bonnie's idea." Caroline mumbled as Bonnie elbowed her.
"Thanks for selling me out Care." Bonnie hissed.
"So you're spying on me now, huh?" I asked with a huge frown.
"Yes…but we are just being good friends and looking out for you." Caroline intervened cheerily. When I gave her a cold stare she deflated slightly and looked at Bonnie with a minuscule frown.
"We don't want you to do something you'll regret later." Bonnie said ignoring Caroline's irritation and narrowing her eyes slightly as she titled to her head in Damon's direction.
I turned to look at Damon over my shoulder who was silently fuming, he looked like he wanted to rip something apart and I didn't blame him. I turned back to Caroline and Bonnie with a secret smile and brushed my hair behind my ear. If they wanted something to freak out over, I would give them something to freak out about. "Well darn, I guess you've come to break up my ultra secret meetings with Damon to make it so we can no longer have wild, eye opening, and passionate sex." I said with my voice dripping sarcasm.
From beside me Damon tensed and sucked in a quiet breath. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and our glazes met for a brief second, enough time for us to confirm that no matter what anyone said nothing would change, before I turned back to Bonnie and Caroline who gave each other a quick glance before looking up at me silently in horror. Damon's gaze had been so full of turmoil; it was as if he was afraid to go into that topic with me because he thought I would shut him down. I shook my head and cleared away my distractions. I would talk with Damon about everything later. That was the point of tonight, to see if we really were compatible, but right now I needed to focus on flipping it to Caroline and Bonnie. I bit my lip to keep from smiling and I cleared my throat trying to look nonchalant as I leaned on the windowsill and placed my hand onto my cheek.
"I mean come on; I'm surprised you hadn't figured it out until now. I mean, I'm practically with Damon always, and I tell you guys how tired I am all the time." I said with a mock pout. From behind my back, I motioned to Damon to come over to the window and join in on the fun. I didn't have to hear him walk over to know he was very close to me, my body was practically humming with tension and my blood was pumping just a bit harder.
At this point Bonnie and Caroline's faces were frozen in a look of absolute terror. Caroline looked like a statue, but Bonnie was the first one to shake herself out of it. "WHAT!" She practically screamed causing Caroline to stir back to life. "You cannot be serious!"
"Why can't she be serious Bonnie?" Damon said leaning on the counter next to me so Bonnie and Caroline could see his smug smirk. "Is it because she is so desperately in love with Stefan? Is it because she is too innocent? Or is it because you both don't approve?"
Caroline opened her mouth to object but Bonnie silenced her and quickly spoke up. "All of the above!" Bonnie snapped giving Damon a death glare.
"Well, that's too bad, because she's already made her choice." Damon drawled draping his arm around my bare shoulders. Usually I hated teasing people, but right now Caroline and Bonnie were really annoying me and totally deserved to be screwed with. Well, mostly Bonnie. Caroline looked a little uncomfortable and she kept sending me, 'I'm sorry' vibes after everything Bonnie said.
"Elena, this is exactly why we are watching you, we need to stop you from doing something absolutely moronic. And this is not a funny joke!" Bonnie screamed throwing her arms in the air. "I know you are trying to get a rise out of us."
"So now you don't trust my judgment?" I asked incredulously. "You two are my best friends and you can't even trust me to handle my own life?"
"Not when it comes to him." Bonnie said pointing an accusing finger at Damon. "And get your arm off of her." Damon shook his head, removed his arm from my shouldesr, and held up his hands in surrender.
"Don't shoot!" He quipped with a nasty smirk. "I surrender!"
I watched Bonnie scowl at Damon as if she wanted to squash him like a bug and I saw her clench her fists by her sides. "You are such a jackass! Can you take anything seriously?" Bonnie hissed. "This may have started as a joke to get at me and Caroline, but now this is real. I am tired of watching you ruin my friends life!"
At this point, Caroline and I were standing on the sidelines watching the verbal sparring match between Damon and Bonnie. Everything Bonnie said about Damon was like a knife to my heart, how could she still hate him so much after all the good he had done? What was her problem? He had made mistakes, yes, but he had gotten so much better, he was such an amazing person and if Bonnie just took a little time to look beyond the past, she might like what she sees.
"Yes actually, I can take things seriously." Damon said narrowing his eyes at Bonnie.
"Really? Because from what I have seen, heard, and know, you can't stay with one person for too long. So what happens if you and Elena really do get together? What happens when you get bored? What happens when you see another piece of ass that you want?" Bonnie ranted walking closer to the window with every step. "You cannot be faithful! You cannot be good! You are a blood-sucking monster that needs to be put down. You cause nothing but pain and misery! You are scum of the earth! I practically had a heart attack at the thought of you two together." Bonnie said as if the thought of me with Damon burned her. "He isn't good enough for you Elena." She said glaring at Damon and turning her chin up in disgust.
Silence. Dead silence.
"Bonnie." Caroline breathed tugging on her shoulder. "That's enough, stop." She said tensely as her usually cheerful face clouded with confusion and pain. "Where is all of this coming from? We came over to make sure that Elena was alright, not to destroy friendships and bonds." Caroline said shaking her head.
"Yeah? Well I'm sick of dealing with him. I wish he would just go away and leave all of us in peace!"
"Wow, tell me how you really feel witch." Damon snapped from next to me as he clenched his jaw in irritation. I gave him a sidelong glance and saw his hands were clutching the counters edge tightly enough to make his knuckles turn white and he was taking in and letting out deep breaths. I felt my heart twinge for him and I quickly reached my hand out and placed it on top of his. At the angle Bonnie and Caroline were currently at, they could not see anything except for our shoulders up, so my comforting motion went unnoticed. Damon relaxed slightly and I brushed my thumb over the back of his hand before he flipped our hands over and intertwined our fingers. My fingers twitched at the new sensation but they quickly relaxed and I turned back to Caroline and Bonnie with a monstrous frown. I appreciated them looking out for me, but they were crossing the line here. Damon had done nothing terrible to anyone in the last few months, he had changed, he had saved all of our lives multiple times, but Bonnie was still treating him like the devil.
"You two need to leave now." I said firmly as I gave Damon's hand a reassuring squeeze. "You need to trust me and my decisions. If I choose to be with Damon, it is because I want to be with him, and you two will have no say in it. And when the time comes if you don't like my decision you have two options, one; get over it, two; stop being my friend." Caroline and Bonnie's mouths flew open in protest but I silenced them with a glare. "Tonight was supposed to be special for Damon and I, I told you both that in confidence. Now you have barged in, said awful and untrue things, and expect me not to be angry with you? No!"
"Elena we just want to protect you from-"
"Stop!" I yelled as I cut off Caroline. "Just stop! How many times do you think I could have done this to you or Bonnie? How many times do you think I could have come in and objected to the newest apple of your eye? Caroline, I could have said many terrible things about the men you have 'loved' through the course of your life. And Bonnie, I could have done it with you too. What you two don't realize is that I have given you my blessing about all the men you have been with because it's your life, not mine. Sure, I've said my bit and gently warned you about people, but never have I come in and tried to control your decisions. I was here as a friend through the triumphs and I was a shoulder to cry on in in the fails. I let you both do as you pleased because you are my best friends and I want you to be happy. Don't you want me to be happy?" I asked softly as I quickly wiped at my eyes to keep the tears away.
"Elena, of course we want you to be happy." Caroline said apologizing with her eyes.
"Then let me live my life!" I yelled. "Let me make good and bad decisions by myself! Let me live and learn from mistakes and expect me to never do them again!" I said practically leaning out of the window as I glanced into Bonnie and Caroline's eyes. "Part of life is making mistakes so you learn from them. How am I supposed to do that when you two won't let me be free?"
"Then you admit Damon is a mistake!" Bonnie exclaimed smugly. At that, Damon slipped his hand from mine and quickly exited the kitchen. I opened my mouth to call out to him but he was already gone. I sighed in defeat and turned back to Bonnie, I could only handle one battle at a time.
"No." I said shaking my head. "Right now he is an option, a chance, someone that could become something more to me. I want to take a chance with him." I said earnestly trying to get through to Bonnie that Damon was more important to me than she realized.
"Why do you want to risk that? Why do you want to risk having your heart broken again?"
"Because I love him, I love him and I owe it to myself and him to be willing to take a risk and go for it. I'll never know if I don't try." I said deflating slightly and running a hand across my face.
"You…you love him?" Caroline whispered in awe. I turned towards her expecting to see a judging or disappointed look, but all I saw was a smile. She brushed her hair out of her face and giggled softly. "Finally!"
"Yeah, finally." I breathed in relief, at least Caroline would be here for me. "I do love him." I confirmed as I smiled to myself. "I've loved him for a while; I've just been too chicken to say anything."
"How long-"
"I told him when he was dying." I said cutting Bonnie off. "I couldn't let him go without telling him the truth."
"So that's why Stefan left." Bonnie whispered as she shook her head in amazement.
"More or less, yes." I mumbled rubbing my shoulder. "Stefan…well, lets just say he became the epitome of a jealous boyfriend and he said some very cruel and hurtful things to me before he left."
"Oh…," Caroline said awkwardly as she looked at Bonnie, "so since you and Stefan aren't together anymore, you wanted to give it a try with Damon?"
"Yeah. Since Damon and I have worked well together so far as friends, and we've just started to get past the awkwardness, we decided now was the time to test the possibly of a relationship."
"And we ruined your night." Caroline sighed sadly.
"You did," I bit out, "but now I am going to try and fix it. So now if you will excuse me, I need to go find Damon and do some damage control." I said pushing off the windowsill.
"Wait! Elena!" Bonnie called out. I stopped and turned to look over my shoulder.
"Yes?" I called going back over to the window.
"I-I'm sorry." She stuttered ashamedly. "I should have trusted you."
"You should have." I said simply as I looked between Caroline and Bonnie. "Now go home guys, I'll talk to you about this later." I said as I quickly shut the window and slid down the cabinets and onto the floor. I moaned as I rested my head on my knees and pulled my knees to my chest with my arms. FML. I thought bitterly as I pulled my head up and rested it against the cabinets.
After a few moments of silence I got up and saw that Bonnie and Caroline had finally left. I turned from the window and saw that Damon was nowhere to be seen, he hadn't come back. I turned my head from side to side and looked around the kitchen just hoping Damon would be there, open and willing to talk about it what had just happened, but he wasn't, and I wasn't foolish enough to think he would be. I wouldn't want to be in the same room with someone that everyone you knew thought was too good for you, so why would Damon? I swallowed back the lump in my throat and sullenly leaned onto the counter as I looked around the room again. The room looked exactly the same as it had before, but why did it feel so cold and dreadful now? My eyes landed on the stool I had been sitting on earlier and I thought about where Damon and I both had been just twenty minutes before, comfortable, flirting, having a good time, and perfectly content with the idea of opening up and testing the waters of our possible relationship. Now, thinking back to all of the bitter, cruel, and hateful things Bonnie had said to Damon, I knew he would be livid. The cute teasing and almost shy sweetness would be gone now; I knew all to well that his eyes would be dark stormy blue, full of turmoil, regrets, and personal sorrows. He would be angry with me, push me away, try to hurt me with his words because he didn't want to face reality, he would close himself off. I hated it when he got that way, he hurt himself and he hurt the people around him. All I wanted to do now was go to him and comfort him, let him know that I didn't think of him that way, let him know that I believed in him and didn't want him to change. But with Damon, when something goes wrong, he makes sure everything goes wrong. But not this time, this time I am going to stand my ground no matter what. I am not going to give in, I am going to be just as stubborn, if not more so, than him. This time I am not going to let him rank himself down and convince himself he's the wrong person for me, that he isn't good enough for me.
While Damon portrays a strong and confident character, he isn't that way when it comes to his emotions involving me. Damon is sensitive when it comes to me, he has demons and baggage that he doesn't want to expose to me, and he doesn't want to involve me in something that could end up hurting me. But what Damon doesn't realize is that I know he would never hurt me, his goal was to always protect me, love and care for me, but I know for a fact he doesn't think he's worthy. More than once Damon has made comments to me about how he thinks he doesn't deserve my kindness or me. But what he doesn't realize is that he does deserve it, he deserves to be happy, more than many people. He has gone through pain and suffering all for the people he loves, he hasn't given up on me so I am not going to give up on him.
With determination blazing through my veins, I clenched my fists and pushed off the counter. I needed to steel my nerves and do some damage control, because this small scene could make or break our relationship. I wasn't about to let Damon run away from me just because my friends disproved. I wasn't going to let him win and have the easy way out. No matter what he thinks, he deserves love, real, honest, and passionate love.
All right everyone there is chapter 11! :) Poor Damon! :( At least Elena stuck up for him. Was anyone else annoyed that Damon and Elena were interrupted, like usual? Heh, oh well. So everyone, please do me a super big favor and leave a review. Last chapter I only got four reviews and it really deflated me because I am doing the best I can with the situations and amount of time I have. So please be nice and let me know if you liked it, loved it, or even hated it. Thanks for reading and I hope to update/finish this story soon. :) Thanks! -Lioness002