DPOV
My mind was muddled with a hundred different thoughts. Where was Elena? Had Katherine hurt her? How could we have not heard something coming from the bathroom? How could I have thought that was Elena? How was I supposed to feel now that Katherine was really back? I shook my head slightly as if it would shake away the cluttered thoughts and I zoned in on the first question.
"Stefan, go after Katherine. I'll go back to find Elena." I started to turn around, but Stefan's hand grabbed my shoulder roughly and halted my movement.
"Why don't you go after Katherine?" he asked flatly.
I shoved his hand away and narrowed my eyes at him. "We do not have time for your jealousy, Stefan," I spat, speaking the words quickly. "If Elena's in trouble right now, who's going to be the most help to her? The one with or without human blood in their system?" I watched as his face fell slightly in defeat. He knew I was right. If Katherine had doubled back or if she had someone with her who was just as powerful as her, Stefan would be nothing but a mere nuisance. They would be able to swat him away like a fly. I was just as strong, if not stronger, than my vampire peers. "Make sure you find Katherine. Don't let her out of your sight. When I make sure Elena is okay, we'll take care of Katherine. Now, go!" Before waiting for his response, I spun around and headed back to where the bathrooms were.
EPOV
I stared at myself in the mirror and sighed. It was nice of the guys to let me walk in the park today, but once I really started thinking about it, it didn't change the fact that I still wasn't free. I basically had to get permission, like a child, to go outside. A brief flash of a memory entered my mind:
"Pleeeease, Moooom," I whined while sagging my shoulders and sticking my lower lip out into a pitiful pout.
"Elena, no," she said sternly from her place at the kitchen table.
"But I promise to be quick," my 8-year-old self promised.
She peered over her glasses at me with a slightly amused expression. "Elena, if I let you go play outside, it will be near impossible to get you back in. And it's almost bedtime."
My father walked around the corner with my younger brother hanging on his back like a monkey. "What does she want to do?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder at Jeremy.
"She wants to go outside," she answered, taking off her glasses and sitting them on the table. "But it's almost bedtime. And she's already had a bath."
"I told her I'd be quick, Dad. Please, please, please." I had only started saying 'Mom' and 'Dad' about a week before. It made me feel cool and grown up, whereas 'Mama' and 'Daddy' made me feel like I was a kid.
He laughed and pulled Jeremy around his side and placed him on the floor. He looked over at my mother. "How about 15 minutes?"
I felt my face light up with a huge smile. "Yeah, 15 minutes, Mom! Just 15 minutes."
She sighed and tried to hide her smile. "Fine. 15 minutes, not a minute longer." She picked up her glasses, put them back on, then lifted her book to her face again. I watched as she glanced at my father, gave him a small smile, then returned to her book.
I felt the warning signs of tears as my face heated up. I missed them. A lot. I had never really taken the time to grieve over their loss. I had to be strong for Jeremy.
With a heavy, uneven exhale, I leaned over the bathroom sink and reached to turn on the cold water. Just then, a small tap on the grimy surface of the sink caught my attention and I looked down. The greenish light of the fluorescent bulbs above me glinted off a tiny, wet, red circle. My brow furrowed and I watched as a second red drop hit the countertop. My hand reached up to my nose and I felt the liquid instantly. Looking up into the mirror, I tilted my head back slightly and saw the blood running under my nose. Quickly, I rushed to the paper towel dispenser hanging awkwardly on the wall and pulled two of the tough, brown paper sheets out and held them to my nose. I pulled out another sheet and went back to the sink where I dampened it with the water. For several minutes, I alternated between wiping my nose with the wet towel, then holding the dry towels up as more blood ran. I knew that the time Stefan and Damon had given me had already come and gone and I was slightly surprised that they hadn't busted in to find out what was taking me so long. I decided I should go tell them I needed a few more minutes to get control of the nose-bleed situation.
I stepped out into the bitter air and pulled my jacket around me tightly with my free hand. I took only a few steps before realizing neither Salvatore brother was sitting on the bench. I started to lower the paper towel from my face but instantly felt the blood run toward my lip, so I shoved the towel under my nose again. It wasn't the most comfortable way to move around, but I didn't seem to have much of a choice. I looked around me and took a few more steps away from the bathroom. Because of the paper towel, my words were nasally and muffled as I called out their names.
When no one answered me, an odd feeling hit the pit of my stomach. Neither Damon nor Stefan would have left me here alone, even if I had begged for a year. Something bad must've happened while I was in the bathroom. The hairs along my skin stood up as a breeze flowed past me, ruffling my hair uncomfortably. I tried their names again. "Stefan?...Damon?" This time I could hear the worry in my own voice.
In another part of my mind, I was thinking about how this was the perfect opportunity to get away. If neither man were here, there would be no one to stop me from running. My feet itched to start heading back to the opening of the trail while my heart tugged me the opposite way.
I stood completely still for several more minutes, half wishing someone would show up and tell me what was going on, half wishing no one would. When no one did, I decided that I would head back for the opening of the trail. If I didn't find Damon or Stefan there, I would continue on to my house.
Another thought stung uncomfortably in the back of my mind: What if they left you? What if they're finally giving you what you asked for? I bit down on my lower lip and mentally told the thought to go away.
The sun started to set and the forest around me grew darker and darker as I walked. Occasionally, the crunching of leaves off to my side would make jump and I would start to walk quicker. I was also starting to worry that I had taken a wrong turn somewhere along the trail; every time I would think I was getting closer to getting out of the park, I would turn the corner to find nothing but more trees. With the setting sun, the wind started to pick up and become much colder. My nose finally stopped bleeding after 20 minutes or so, but I had become extremely lightheaded and the mixture of cold air and fear did nothing to make me feel better. When the lightheadedness turned into disorienting dizziness, I sat down on a nearby bench and lowered my head between my knees.
Just as I was sure I was going to pass out, I heard my name being called and his voice instantly calmed me. Damon.
I quickly stood up and regretted it as I wobbled and fell forward onto my hands and knees, wincing as the crunchy leaves and tree branches dug into my palms. Two hands gripped my upper arms firmly and pulled me up.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, holding me at arms length so he could inspect me. There was obvious tenseness in his voice. My immediate thought was he was mad at me for leaving the bathroom area, but his eyes looked almost worried.
I nodded. "Yeah, just dizzy."
"Did she hurt you?" he asked, lowering his head until he was at eye level with me.
My brow furrowed. "Did who hurt me? And where were you guys, Damon?" I asked, feeling a bit angry that they had left me alone with no warning. "I kind of got scared," I admitted.
He dropped his head down and sighed deeply, then stood straight and pulled me against his chest. One of his arms wrapped around my shoulder while his other hand held the back of my head. "I thought she had done something. I mean, I saw the blood in the bathroom and I thought…I'm just glad you're okay," he rambled above me.
I was quickly becoming more confused. "I had a nosebleed," I said, explaining the blood. "When were you in the bathroom? I looked for you guys for everywhere."
His chest lifted and fell against my cheek as he took a few more deep breaths. Finally, he backed away and sat down on the bench, pulling me down onto his lap. At no time did he break contact with me.
I looked down at him and felt my heart picking up speed as I realized Stefan was still not here. "Damon, what's going on?" I asked slowly.
I listened in astonishment as he explained how they thought I had left the bathroom and they followed me farther into the park, only to discover it had been Katherine.
I looked down at the ground and thought back to when I was in the bathroom. When I had first gone in, I noticed I was the only one in the building and went straight to a stall. While I was inside, I heard the back door open, but I thought nothing of it. We had passed other joggers and bicyclers while walking. I heard the other person walk to a sink, turn on the water, grab some paper towels, and then they left out the front door. It was as simple as that. I never saw them and they didn't say anything. I told Damon as much.
With my new understanding of who it had been, my skin heated with anger. She had been that close to me and I hadn't even known it. The girl that was successfully ripping apart my life had been separated from me by a metal stall door and I had no idea. I looked back at Damon. "I don't understand why she would just pretend to be me and not do anything else. The other times she pretended she was me she actually accomplished something. She took away my jobs. She got into my apartment. What was the point of this?"
"To let us know how easy it is," he said coldly. "She knows we're trying our best to protect you, and she just proved how simple it would be to get around us."
I started to push away from him to stand up, but he tightened his grip around my waist. I looked down at him. "Damon, I want to go home. I'm tired of this – all of this. I don't think I can handle it anymore."
One of his hands snaked up to cup the back of my neck and he pulled my face down until I was just an inch away. "Elena, I promise to not let anyone hurt you. You already know this." His gaze was intense and I could see the fire behind the crystal-like eyes. I knew he would at least try his best to keep that promise. He lifted up so that our lips met and I instantly melted against him. I was tired, I was cold, and I was scared. Right now all I needed was Damon to make me feel better.
Damon took me back to the Salvatore home and we discovered Stefan wasn't there. "Damon, what if Katherine did something to him?" I asked, walking to sit on the sofa in the living room.
He shook his head and sat down in the chair across from me. "She's not going to hurt him. If that was her plan, she'd already have done it."
I leaned back and rested my head against the soft fabric of the cushion. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, deciding not to worry about Stefan anymore. I was just too tired to worry about him. If Damon said he was okay, then I believed him and that was that. I just wanted a few minutes of rest where I could pretend I wasn't in danger. "Living this way is exhausting," I sighed after a few minutes of quiet.
"What way?"
I shrugged. "Living a life full of anger and fear." I felt the sofa jostle slightly beside me and knew he had moved from his spot in the chair. His arm went around my shoulder and he pulled me sideways until my head was resting in the crook of his neck. Softly, he began to run his fingers through my hair, loosening the tangles the wind had created. It felt nice to be held so I didn't protest.
"This won't last forever," he whispered above me.
I snorted in a very unlady-like manner. "It doesn't feel like it's going to stop anytime soon."
He kissed the top of my head. "Elena, everything will be fine, I promise. As I've said before, I won't let anything happen to you."
I opened my eyes and sat up, leaning away from him. "What happened to you, Damon?" I asked guardedly.
His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"This," I started, indicating with my hand to him, "is not the Damon I first met. You're not this…this…" I searched for the word, "…gentleman. You're arrogant and chauvinistic, not to mention narcissistic. I don't understand how that could all change so quickly."
His devilish smirk appeared and he laughed. "Oh, I'm still arrogant, believe me." His eyes softened. "But I'm not the only one I think about anymore. You don't see yourself properly, Elena. You're incredible in every way. You're exactly the type of girl that would get men who've lived for centuries all hot and bothered." His hand fell from my shoulder to my hip and in one swift move, he pulled me around so that my knees were on either side of his hips and I was looking down at him. His hands went around to rest at the small of my back.
I felt myself blush and I leaned back to sit on his lap, my legs still folded on either side of him. "How can you joke around like this when there's so much to worry about?" I asked quietly, looking down at my fidgeting fingers.
He shrugged and one of his fingers started to rub circles into my back. The motion sent chills up my spine. "When I'm with you, that's pretty much all that matters. I really don't care that Stefan is out there either running after or running from Katherine. And besides that, I told you he was fine and I'm positive about that. If I doubted it even in the slightest, I would probably go help him," he chuckled softly. He then lifted a hand to my face and waited until I made eye contact with him. "Elena, it's just me and just you. The outside world doesn't matter."
His hand on my face went around to the back of my head and he pulled me forward and sat up to kiss me. His lips were cool and comforting and just like earlier, I gave myself over to the near peaceful release I found there. Slowly, I opened my lips and let his tongue slide in. His hand that was still resting on my back gripped my hip and he pulled me forward while turning sideways until he was on his back on the couch with me lying on top of him. One of his hands became tangled in my hair and I felt the other slip just under the hem of my shirt to touch my skin on my lower back.
Although there was no way I was going to pull away from him, I couldn't shake off the feeling of awkward timeliness. Here we were making out on the sofa in his living room, like any normal couple – though we were not a couple – while his brother, my ex-boyfriend, was out somewhere trying to protect me from his ex-girlfriend. Damon and I had literally found each other in the park, come home, and started kissing without any real effort to actually find out if Stefan was okay. I didn't know if I should blame that on the fact that I was emotionally drained and not entirely sure what to do anymore or if, like Damon, I found myself with the one person that really mattered, Stefan be damned.
Damon's lips started to trail away from my own and began to explore the length of my jaw line and down my neck, then back up again. Occasionally he would stop and I would feel his lips part as he sucked in my skin and let his tongue massage the spot. I could feel a moan building at the base of my throat, aching to get out. My eyes were closed and lips parted as I panted quietly for more air, gently tilting my head back to give Damon more room. The sensation of his lips quickly made me forget about the awkwardness.
His hand on my back slid up and I felt the support of my bra give way as he unhooked it in one smooth motion – I really didn't want to think about how many bras it had taken for Damon to get that well accustomed to undoing them. His hand then moved back down and he broke contact with my neck momentarily as he pulled my jacket, shirt, and bra over my head at one time – a task not done entirely easily because of the bulkiness – then tossed them to the floor. I sat back and let him lift up slightly as I grabbed the material of his own shirt and pulled it off him.
Both of his hands grabbed my hips and he pulled me back down so that our bare chests were pressed together. His lips found mine again and I was surprised to feel how his kiss had gone from sweet to hungry and passionate. He took my lower lip in between his teeth and pulled back slightly, sucking it into his mouth. This time, my moan did break free and he smiled as he let my lip go. His hands moved down and hooked into the sides of my jeans, but he didn't immediately try to take them off.
The feel of his chiseled body beneath me was leaving me breathless and I had to take a moment to sit up and breath. As soon as I did, his lips wasted no time in trailing down to one of my nipples and latching on. This action caused the air to rush out of me again, not helping at all with my breathless problem. He moaned against my skin and the sound caused my head to drop back. I could feel my pulse hammering against my skin as my pounding heart tried to keep the flow of blood moving. Every nerve ending in my body was alive like a wire and just the simple touch of his thumbs on my sides gave me chills. He began to roll his tongue around the hardened peak and my hips instinctively bucked forward, successfully causing my center to rub against his erection that was straining against his jeans. He bit down once and sent another jolt through my body, causing my hips to move again in response.
His fingers slid to the front of my stomach and he began to unbutton my jeans. Quickly, he pushed my pants and panties down my thighs until they stopped at my bent knees. I started to climb off of him so that they could be taken off the rest of the way, but he caught my hips and held me still. I looked down and watched as his fingers traveled along my skin and dipped down in between my legs. When the tips of his fingers stroked along my wet center, I bit down on my lower lip and suppressed a moan. He looked up at me with his sexy smirk and moved forward to place a kiss on my stomach. When his fingers started coming back forward, I closed my eyes and waited to feel him touch the sensitive bundle of nerves. Suddenly he stopped and slipped a finger inside of me. The unexpected feeling made my jaw fall slack. I moaned his name and he slid in a second finger as his thumb went to my clit and started to gently manipulate it. My hips automatically rocked back and forth against his hand.
He groaned and I looked down at him. "Is…" – breath – "something…" – breath – "wrong?" I asked, trying to tear my attention from the heat growing in my abdomen.
He grinned and shook his head as he thrusted his fingers up and then pulled them back out. "You're so fucking beautiful, Elena," he said softly.
My skin warmed even more with his words and I found myself completely captivated by his gaze. Even when his fingers started to move faster below me and I felt the knot growing inside, I couldn't break my eye contact with him.
"Come for me, Elena," he whispered and the words made my breathing even more labored. I could see in his eyes how thoroughly he was enjoying watching me and I instantly felt like I would follow every command this man made, but something in the back of my mind told me that what we were doing was wrong, given the current circumstances, and I shouldn't enjoy this. "It's okay, love," he said softly, as if he was reading my mind. "Everything's okay."
His words calmed the biting thoughts and as he entered me one last time, I felt the knot explode to every portion of my body, sending me entirely over the edge. "Daaamon! Ungghh, Damon!" I moaned, throwing my head back and continuing to rock my hips against his fingers as I rode the waves. White spots filled my vision and heat lapped over me. He continued pumping and massaging and I felt the knot building back up for a second round.
Just as I was about to reach my second orgasm, the glass of a nearby mirror shattered into hundreds of pieces and rained down onto the carpet.
Damon didn't seem to notice or care and he continued his movements. I tried to stop and figure out what was going on, but he held me in place, knowing that I was too close to the orgasm to stop it. With a few more quick thrusts, the sparks lit up along my skin all over again and I bit down hard on my lower lip to keep quiet and balled my hands into tight fists. I bent over and buried my head in Damon's neck as the orgasm hit me, knowing in the back of my mind that someone was in the room with us.
As soon as the sensation started to fade away, I backed away from Damon into the corner of the couch as I tugged my jeans back up. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, looking around frantically.
I spotted her across the room in the doorway leading from the living room to the front door. She, surprisingly, was wearing a cool smirk and her eyes were narrowed slightly with a coy glint in them.
My breath was escaping me jaggedly and I was finding it difficult to get it back as I took in how much she looked like me. I looked over at Damon and he was lying back against the arm of the couch leisurely, his eyes on me. "Hello, Katherine," he said coldly, not even bothering to look over at her.
"Hi, there, Damon," she responded with the same dismissive tone. I looked over at her. "Who's this?" She asked, eyeing me up and down. I felt extremely vulnerable half naked with this dangerous girl staring at me.
"Don't act stupid, Katherine," Damon chastised. I looked back to Damon, my mind screaming at him to do something, to help me. He nodded very slightly once and that simple act alone calmed me somewhat.
She chuckled. "Oh, I was just teasing, Damon. Of course I know who this is." My eyes went back to her. "Elena," she said, drawing out my name as if testing the sound of it on her tongue. She giggled again. "I must admit, Damon, the show you two just gave me has made me all… what did you say? Hot and bothered?" She took a few steps forward, swinging her hips side to side sinfully, her eyes locking with mine. "How about we do something to take care of that, Damon?"
Authors Note: Don't worry, don't worry, chapter 12 is almost finished. ;P
Guys, we officially passed 100 reviews during the last chapter and that made me incredibly happy! I heart you guys, like, a lot. Lol.
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This chapter also officially makes this the longest story I've written since my time joining fanfiction. Progress, people. :D
As always, thanks to my super awesome beta.
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