Authors Note: So, I had this chapter written for a while but when I came back to university after the holidays I left my laptop charger at home so I couldn't submit! Just had a quick read through for any errors, so hopefully there aren't loads! I've got exams at the end of May but after that I've finished university for the year so my updates should, (fingers crossed), be a lot more consistent! I hope you enjoy the chapter (and its also a little longer than my usual updates- just couldn't stop writing!) Also don't own OTH or TVD or the song 'It could be you' from Alexz Johnson, whose lyrics I borrowed to name this chapter! :) Now, you can read away...
She bit her tongue as she felt as though every inch of her body was taken over by a fever; a burning heat rising from deep within her. His hands roamed her body; slowly travelling up the length of her thigh as his lips kissed the nape of her neck with an urgency that could suddenly no longer be controlled. Peyton found her hands reaching for the buttons of his shirt, her fingers feverishly unbuttoning as Damon's free hand, (the hand currently not occupying her upper thigh) began helping her. Before she knew it his shirt was flung off and tossed carelessly aside as her hands began to explore his firm chest as he stopped kissing her and lifted himself up; staring down at her from underneath him. "What's wrong?" She frowned, flustered and confused. He didn't reply, instead his hand slowly stroked her cheek, and before she knew it his lips were on hers and her lips seemingly put up no fight in guarding the entry to her mouth as his tongue wasted no time to slip effortlessly into her mouth. She moaned into his mouth as his hand moved from her thigh and found the small of her back, slowly creeping under her t-shirt. She was beginning to find it increasingly hard to breathe as his lips, much to her dismay, left her own. They soon found her check. And then her ears. And then back to her neck. She needed physical space; she felt as if her body was on fire and Damon was hitting every single spot that could cause her maximum pleasure. She needed… space, but all that came out her mouth was a low moan, as she called out his name.
Her eyes snapped open as she heard a ringing sound, "Can you hear that?"
"I didn't hear anything." Damon said, never pausing as his lips never left her neck as his hand occupying her lower back applied pressure arching her chest against his. She could feel every part of his body against hers and she was suddenly wondering why it hadn't always been like this; why she had been fighting this.
Then the ringing came again, louder this time, and she groaned in equal parts frustration and pleasure, she sighed "Damon, I think its-"
She awoke with a sudden jolt, snapping out bed. She threw the bedcovers off her body as she felt her body already feel the cool air against her flushed skin and turned her head to the cause of her premature awakening; her mobile phone still ringing from her bedside cabinet. Reluctantly she reached for it, ready to hit 'ignore' until she saw the caller ID.
"Nate."
"Hey Sawyer." Came the chipper reply across the phone.
"What's up?" She replied groggily, cursing as she tripped her way out of her bed and slowly walked to the bathroom to splash some water on her face in an attempt to wake herself up.
"God… I forgot how much of a late sleeper you were! I wake you?"
"Sorry not everyone gets up at 6am to do morning workouts."
"I also forgot how bitchy you are when you get woken up." He laughed, recalling how when they used to date she wouldn't talk to him for the rest of the day if he woke up her up before 12pm on weekends.
"Did this phone call have a point?"
"Yeah, sorry. I was just wondering where you are right now." He asked, instantly making her suspicious. "It's just I was playing in the River Court this morning and I swear to God I saw your Comet. You haven't come back again without telling me, have you?"
"Nope, I'm in Mystic Falls." She yawned, as she walked into the kitchen to make a coffee.
"Good, because next time you're in town, I expect to be told and not have to track you down to spend time with you."
"Nathan, I'm not-" She began when there was suddenly a knock on her front door. Caroline? But she swore Caroline spent the night at Matt's last night. "Give me a second- there's someone at the door." She left her bedroom and walked across the length of the flat, phone balanced between her head and her shoulder as both hands wrestled with the lock.
"Nate!" She cried as she opened the door to reveal the raven haired friend from Tree Hill. In her excitement, she dropped her phone, flying into the arms of her friend, "Hey, Sawyer! You missed me?"
…
"Why the hell didn't you tell me you were coming?" She asked once she had finally detached herself from her friend and they were sat down in her apartment.
"I wanted to surprise you." He shrugged.
"How long are you here for?"
"God, I've only been here two minutes and you already want to know when I'm leaving." He laughed. "Hales is out of town visiting her mom and dad at Taylor's new place, so I figured I'd come hang with you for the weekend."
"Oh my god, that's so great! So what place did you book to stay for the weekend?"
Nathan stared at her, dumbfounded, watching as a smirk grew on her face. "Ah," He exhaled sharply, "I've missed that trademark Peyton Sawyer sarcasm."
"I've missed you!" She smiled, so glad that her friend was there in front of her to hug, and talk to, and to just hang out with.
"Glad to hear it. Now, what have you got planned this weekend?"
"Seriously- you want to start now? Can't we have a nice nap together first?" She groaned.
"Peyton! I'm a happily married man!" He exclaimed.
"Oh my god, Nate!" She slapped his chest before taking his hand and pulling him up off the sofa. "Just let me brush my teeth and get ready and then I can show the wonderful sights of Mystic Falls." Mystic Grill or Mystic Bean coffee shop? Oh the sights Mystic Falls had to offer, Peyton thought to herself. Nathan got up and walked over to the kitchen; he figured making her a coffee for when she got out of the bathroom was probably the least he could do. Suddenly he heard a phone ringing, beginning to walk over to his jacket to check if it was his; it was only then that he noticed Peyton's cell phone still on the floor in front of the door. He picked it up to see 'Caroline' ringing. "Hey, Peyt! Your friend Caroline's ringing your cell."
"Just answer it- tell her I'm in the bathroom and I'll ring her back in a sec." Peyton bellowed out from the room.
Nathan flipped the phone open, before he even got a chance to talk, he was taken aback to hear a hyper girl's voice on the other end. "So, yes before you ask, I stayed the night at Matt's last night but he said he wants crappy macho guy time with Tyler today (whatever that means) and you still owe me for the whole blind date fiasco and I really want to go to the cinema. I am not talking no for an answer-"
"Hey, Caroline?" He interrupted her when he realized that he would otherwise have to wait a while longer before he got a word in.
"You are not Peyton…" She claimed unnecessarily. "And you're not Damon." She continued; if she had to take a bet on what guy would be answering her phone after presumably what would be a sleep over, her money would be on him. "So, hot sounding guy answering Peyton's phone…"
"Who's Damon?" This was certainly one development Peyton had neglected to mention when they spoke on the phone.
"Who are you?" Caroline completely ignored his question.
"I'm a friend of Peyton's from Tree Hill."
"Nathan, right?" Caroline deduced correctly; she knew he was the only one of Peyton's friends from Tree Hill that she was currently speaking to. "She didn't tell me that you were coming to see her."
"Yeah, she didn't know. I wanted to surprise her."
"That's so sweet!" Caroline smiled. "How long are you staying for?"
"Just until Sunday."
"What are you guys doing today?"
"I don't know. Hey Peyton! He began to shout over his shoulder, before he realized it would just be easier to just go to her bedroom. "What's up?" She asked, popping her head out the bathroom door, toothbrush still in her mouth.
"Caroline wants to know what we're doing today."
"Tell her to meet us at the Mystic Grill." Peyton told Nathan as she dried her face and walked to the wardrobe, picking out something to wear. She listened as Nathan said his goodbyes to someone he managed to hold a 5 minute conversation with despite the fact they had never met. Only Caroline…
Once he hung up the phone, Peyton asked "You don't mind I invited her, do you?"
"No, of course not." Nathan shook his head, "I wanted to see the world you have over here- she's a part of your world."
"Yeah. A pretty big part of it…" Peyton smiled, walking back into the bathroom to get changed.
"Hey, Peyton?" Nathan stopped in her tracks, "Who's Damon?" Peyton froze, "Apparently when Caroline thinks some guy's stayed over at yours she automatically thinks its Damon."
"We got a busy day ahead of us Nate, don't want to waste it." She replied hastily, slamming the door shut as her mind replayed images from the all too realistic dream she was trying her hardest to forget.
…
By the time they got to the Mystic Grill Caroline was already there, bubbly as usual and once she had introduced the pair Peyton turned to Nathan. "Do you want to get the drinks in?" Peyton looked at Nathan expectantly.
"See even though it sounds like a question, it's definitely a command." Nathan remarked, but he was already getting up from the table and making his way towards the bar.
Peyton immediately turned to Caroline once Nathan was out of earshot. "He's hot. Shame he's married…"
"And you have a boyfriend…. Anyway I need to tell you something."
"Not too bad from behind either." The blonde titled her head as she watched him stand at the bar.
"Ok, firstly ew! And second, Caroline focus- this is important."
"What's up?" She turned her attention back to Peyton, suddenly concerned.
"I had a dream." She started hesitantly; this was definitely going to be harder telling Caroline than she had anticipated.
"OK, Martin Luther- you want to expand a little?"
"It was a dream… about Damon."
"Okay…" Caroline stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to say something. When she instead began to chew her bottom lip anxiously, Caroline sighed "You're going to have to give me a little more than that, Peyton!"
"It was a sex dream okay!" She exclaimed, reeling as she had finally said it out loud.
Of all the times Caroline would talk without taking breath until Peyton thought she was literally going to pass out and all Caroline could offer to the shocking confession was "Oh."
"'Oh- that's all you have to say. 'Oh!' I just tell you I had a ridiculously hot dream about me and Damon and that's all you've got."
"What do you want me to say?" Caroline asked, flustered.
"That he's a terrible kisser, and so not good at the sex. Just something that makes me stop thinking about him kissing me, and touching me and about my hands all over his body…. Oh my god!" She finished, crying into her arms as she slouched onto the table. "This isn't me, Caroline." She mumbled as she talked into the table and Caroline was forced to lean in to hear what she was saying. Peyton lifted her head up to look at her friend. "I don't have these kinds of dreams. When I want to have sex with somebody I just do it."
"Then just do it!" Caroline replied, as if it was a simple solution. "It's not like Damon going to care whether it's a one time thing or not."
Peyton shook her head, "I can't. I don't just have one night stands. And even if I did… It's not just about the attraction. It wouldn't just be sex. There's too many emotions involved now for it to just be sex."
"From you or from him?" Caroline frowned.
Just as Peyton was about to answer, Nathan returned with drinks in tow. "Yeah its cool- not like I needed help carrying these over or anything."
"I'm sorry!" Caroline jumped up from her seat as she needlessly took the drinks from his hand to simply move them the few inches down to place them on the table. Peyton just shook her head as Nathan stared at her incredulously. "So," Caroline turned to the pair of friends sitting next to each other, "you're the legally emancipated, married one, right?"
"Way to break the ice, Caroline!" Peyton laughed as Nathan just widened his eyes, caught completely off guard by her open attitude.
"Hold on one sec." She smiled as she looked down at her phone, "It's Matt- I'll talk to him and be back in a bit. You guys can catch up."
Peyton rolled her eyes as the blonde slipped out of the booth and flipped open her phone. "She's really uh…." Nathan cleared his throat.
"Yeah you get used to it. So, how is Haley doing?" Peyton asked, though she already knew the answer. Since she had accidentally bumped into Nathan in Tree Hill when she went to sign over the papers for the house, Nathan and her had spoken on the phone almost every day, and if not, they text each other back and forth. Occasionally Nathan would slip in information about Lucas and Brooke; nothing much, just mentioning how Brooke was doing with Clothes over Bros and how Lucas seemed to finally be getting to terms with Keith's death.
"She's good; she's been helping Karen out with Tric and booking performers. But I came here to spend time with you- tell me about your life, your friends."
"Well, you've already met Caroline." Peyton smiled as Nathan nodded his head. "Then there's Tyler."
"Tyler sounds like a guy's name." Nathan smirked.
"That's because it is?"
"Is he your boyfriend?"
"Nate, you sound like you're nine years old. No he's not my boyfriend. My relationship with him is kind of like my one with you."
"You went out for two years, had great sex, but realized that he treated you like a jackass and that you were better off friends?"
"OK, so it's nothing like us two then- but we are just really good friends."
"Your dad come up to visit you yet?"
Peyton shook her head, sadly looking down at the table. "I've spoken to him on the phone a couple of times. And my history teacher who he's never mentioned to me before is apparently good friends with him ran into him before he moved here and gave me an art set that he had got for me."
"But it's not the same." Nathan finished for her, knowingly.
"Yeah…" She whispered, "It's just hard, you know? I mean, it was bad enough in Tree Hill and that was when I had you and Haley, Lucas and Brooke." She cleared her throat; no way was she getting into that whole drama right now. "I feel like I'm seeing him less and less and the phone calls are getting shorter and shorter." She explained.
"I know broken families and missing parents is kind of the Tree Hill MO but it doesn't have to be like that for you. You wouldn't be an unreasonable daughter by asking him to stay."
"And give up something he loves? You know how it is; Dan practically pushed you to do basketball- imagine if he was asking you to give that up."
"That's not the same thing." Nathan shook his head.
"Isn't it?" Peyton laughed, though her eyes were full of sadness. "I can't do it to him, Nate. I won't." She shook her head resolutely.
"OK, I get it." Nathan understood, and reluctantly decided to drop the subject. He just didn't want her to be alone. He was sure that she had made good friends here, but as the infamous drawing said, 'people always leave'; and he knew she still truly believed that. When Haley left to tour last year, Peyton had been the one to be there for him; to get through to him. And now she was alone, granted by her own choice, and no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't return the favour and be there for her. Not in the same way anyway.
So, though he had come to see Peyton and acquaint himself with her new life, his visit had an ulterior motive; he wanted to make sure that she was happy here, or that she could be happy here.
"So, you want to get something to eat?" He changed the subject.
Peyton nodded her head as she picked up a menu from the table, "Want to split a pizza?"
"Sure… Should we get something for Caroline?" He asked as he looked around the room, trying to locate the blonde who had disappeared to talk to, who he assumed to be her boyfriend.
"Yeah, just get a couple of baskets of fries and another pizza." Peyton reached into her bag and got out her purse.
Nathan automatically pushed her hand away, "It's on me. Consider it me making up for all the times you used to shout me pizzas and was the designated driver for my drunken ass when we used to date."
"Aw, Nathan…" She began as he expected a thanks, only slightly surprised when she continued, "It's going to take a lot more pizza's than this to make up for how many times I'd pay for you on dates."
"You're welcome." He rolled his eyes as he walked in the direction of the bar.
Moments after Nathan had left the table she was joined by yet another friend. Though she wasn't so sure she could consider him a friend after last night… "Damon."
"So, guess who had the pleasure of walking in on his baby bro getting busy with Elena this morning." Damon shuddered visibly as he relived the moment. Never had he been caught more off guard or visibly scarred; and this was coming from someone who had spent 145 years as a vampire. "If only it were possible to un-see something…" He lamented aloud.
"I know what you mean. I'm beginning to wish more and more every day that I could un-meet you." Peyton offered fake sympathy, all the while telling herself that this was not a big deal. He did not look attractive today. She was definitely not thinking about how she wanted that dream to be real. It's not like every time she looked at him she was thinking of him shirtless...
"You okay?" Damon frowned, "You seem a little... distracted."
"I'm fine." Peyton shook her head vehemently. She wasn't going to that place. No way.
"Okay…" Damon replied, unconvinced. "So you managed to get in touch with him?"
"Who?" Surely she didn't just blank out an entire conversation.
"Your dad- last time we spoke, you said you kept going straight through to voicemail."
"Oh, yeah- he rang at like 3am and left me a voicemail saying that he was really busy with work and he would ring to talk properly as soon as he could." Peyton sighed as she started making shapes out of the spilt salt on the table.
"He probably just loses track of time out on those dredging boats…. You know what they say about people being out at sea."
"No, what do they say?" Peyton asked, perplexed.
"I have no idea, but I'm sure they say something about being at sea and time moving faster." He offered at the top of his head. It was of course a lie; he had no idea about what was said about people being at sea but he definitely just made that up to make her feel better, as he reasoned that her missing her dad was probably the reason that she seemed so off.
"Ignoring the fact that you so obviously made that up- thanks." Damon smiled as he saw her smirk slightly for the first time since he had sat down at the table.
"Hey." Damon followed Peyton's eyeline to see a raven-haired, scrawny looking (ok, not that scrawny but Damon still didn't like the look of him) teen staring at the pair with curiosity. Damon also didn't like the way Peyton jumped from her seat and her smile grow tenfold as she stared at the boy. After what seemed like a lifetime, she finally introduced him. "Nathan this is Damon. Damon- this is one of my friends from Tree Hill, Nate."
"Hey, man, nice to meet you." Nathan held out his hand politely as Damon took it suspiciously, replying "Likewise," though his face clearly told a different story.
"Damon…" Nathan said, more to himself than anyone else as he suddenly remembered Caroline had mentioned him briefly on the phone. "So, how do you two know each other?"
.
"I'm friends with Stefan- his younger brother." Peyton answered simply as Damon raised a brow at her; they both knew that he was more than just 'Stefan's brother' to her, but she reasoned with herself that explaining everything to Nathan right there and then just wasn't appropriate. And thankfully, Damon didn't mention anything of it.
"That's how you two met?" Luckily before either of them could answer Nathan's next question, Caroline returned. "Damon, how long have you been here?"
"Not long, I should go- let you two catch up." Damon replied, getting up to leave.
"No! You should stay."
"He should?" Peyton and Caroline exclaimed simultaneously, staring at Nathan as if he had just suddenly grown two heads.
"Yeah, to be honest I'm feeling a little outnumbered."
"Like you've ever complained before…" Peyton murmured under her breath causing Nathan to nudge in her response.
"Married man now, Sawyer."
"You're married? What are you- 12?" Damon couldn't help but blurt out.
Peyton shot Damon daggers; was there any reason he was being more of a dick today than normal? But Nathan didn't seem to take offence, laughing instead. "Not quite; I'm 18. I've been married almost 2 years now."
"Since you were 16- are you kidding me? What possessed you to get married? And at 16 as well- at least live your life a little before you enter into the last legal form of slavery that's managed to slip through the cracks." Damon said, doing nothing to hide his feelings on the topic.
"God, I forget how much of a romantic you are at heart." Peyton commented sarcastically.
"Sorry I want to live my life a little. No offence." He turned to Nathan, though it really didn't bother him in the slightest if he was offended.
"Hey, it's cool!" Nathan shook his head, clearly unaffected. "I mean it wasn't really that much of a difficult decision. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Hales… I didn't want to waste any time." He said with a simplicity that couldn't be argued as Caroline aw'd from where she stood. It's not like Damon had a comeback; that was exactly how he felt about Katherine not too long ago. "Besides," Nathan continued, "I did the whole messing a girl around and being a player with this one." Nathan gestured to Peyton. "I was a dick to her. My brother treated her way better than I ever did and he wasn't the one that was even going out with her."
Suddenly Damon recognized the story. "You're that Nathan… Lucas is your brother." He said, more to himself than anyone seated round the table.
"Yeah." Nathan nodded his head as he finished the story, "anyway, she dumped me. She says it wasn't because of Lucas, but I'm not so sure. I met Hales. Her and my brother tried to make a go of it but…"
"Things change." Peyton finished for him; he really didn't need to finish the story; she had already told both Caroline and Damon and both of them seemed to understand she didn't want to talk about it as they simply nodded and didn't question the subject.
"So, how long did you and Peyton go out for?" Caroline asked, piquing Damon's interest.
"On and off- I guess for about two years." Peyton had mentioned Nathan to Damon and how madly in love he was with his wife but he still didn't trust the guy. He felt his fist clench as Nathan put him arm around the back of Peyton's seat. There was clearly something off about the guy.
"Longest two years of my life." Peyton muttered under her breath.
"Hey, you hardly would've won girlfriend of the year award either." Nathan folded his arms across his chest as he continued defensively, "You were a bitch for like half of our relationship."
"Only because you were such a dick." Peyton countered.
"And your dad absolutely hated me." Nathan continued.
"Because you treated me terribly!"
"Well…" Nathan began, soon realizing he didn't have an argument, he gave in. "OK, fine… Yeah, we're much better off as just friends. Sorry- you must think we're being rude." Nathan turned to Caroline and Damon who were sat opposite them, noticing considerable distance between the pair.
"Not at all," Caroline shook her head, "it's cute seeing Peyton with an old friend." Nathan furrowed his brows as he fought back the feeling of sadness at being referred to as an 'old friend'. He knew that she had made new friends her and had settled down and he was happy for her. But, in the back of his mind, he always thought that she would eventually come back to Tree Hill. She would finally come home for good.
Before he had time to dwell on it any further, Damon chipped in "Yeah, it's nice to know that she's a bitch to everyone and not just me."
"Is there any reason you're being more of a douche today than normal?" Peyton tilted her head and stared at him with a look of mild irritation.
"Douche is just my default setting." He lifted his hands up casually.
"Well, at least we agree on something…" Caroline muttered.
"Guy's, lay off double teaming him- I feel sorry for the guy!" Nathan laughed, as Damon fought back the urge to tell him he didn't need his pity. Before anyone could reply the waiter arrived with the food. "Oh Damon, you're going to eat with us, right? You're not busy or anything?"
Damon opened his mouth to answer but Peyton got in there before him, "Please… I can't remember the last time I saw him and he wasn't at the bar with a drink in hand." She scoffed, before realizing she had inadvertently taken away his only option of leaving.
"Guess that means you're staying." Nathan shrugged as he took a slice of pizza of the plate, now grateful he had ordered two large pizzas. "So what is it that you do then?"
Damon reluctantly leaned back in his seat; this really wasn't how he envisioned his day- on a double date with his ex, Peyton and Peyton's ex. "Not a lot… Peyton pretty much summed up every day of my life…. I'm on the founder's council- I'm one of the founding families." He finally conjured up, determined that he wouldn't sound as pathetic as some aimless drunk.
"What does that mean?" Nathan was completely perplexed; Tree Hill really didn't have founding families or a founder's council.
"It's just a council that organizes town events, tries to preserve the history of the town, makes sure the town is kept safe." Damon listed off the different role of council, though truth be told he was only involved in the safety aspect. In particular, the vampire problems that he and Stefan were still no closer to solving.
"What kind of safety does a town like this even need?" Nathan asked innocently.
Damon couldn't help but laugh, "Animal attacks are quite common around here actually."
Nathan widened his eyes in shock, "You never told me any of that when we talk."
"Please, like it's much safer in Tree Hill with the car crashes and bullet wounds."
"Bullet wounds." Caroline choked on her food. "Who was shot?"
"Me-I got shot last year." Peyton said, realizing she had never told Caroline about it.
"What? Geez, Peyton, first shot, then stabbed…" Caroline remarked, which in turn caused Nathan to splutter on his drink.
"Stabbed?" He turned to Peyton, "When the hell did that happen?"
"Its no big deal," Peyton waved her hand away a little casually for someone that had two near death experiences in the space of a few short months. "Some psycho attacked me."
"That's not true." Damon piped in from where he was sat as he stared intently at Peyton as she was leaving out a very important part of the story. Nathan simply stared between the two, completely lost, "What do you mean?"
"The guy- his name was Logan Fell, was after me. And Peyton saved me. She saw what he was going to do and she jumped in front of me." He retold the story as his eyes never left hers.
"You're making it sound way more heroic than it actually was." Peyton replied, unwilling and unable to just take the thanks that he only now realized he had never properly given her.
"You saved my life. That's pretty heroic."
"Yeah, well you didn't leave my side for the rest of the night." Peyton replied quietly as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"I figured it was the least I could do." Damon shrugged his shoulders, realizing that having this conversation in front of company probably wasn't the best idea. So, he cleared his throat, as he attempted to change conversation, "Of course, knowing your luck we will probably be even by next week by pushing you out of the way of lightening that's about to strike you in some freak accident."
"Aren't lightening attacks meant to be really rare- like one in million?" Caroline wondered aloud.
"Ignoring the fact that you just called them lightening attacks, I think they are a lot rarer than that." Damon replied.
"Are they as rare as how often, say… you're actually nice to someone?" Caroline glared at him.
"No, they are definitely more common than that…" Peyton added, as Damon narrowed his eyes at her. She simply shrugged, "It was too easy..."
Before Damon could respond, he heard his ringtone go off in pocket. He took it out, excusing himself from the table, "Hey Liz- don't tell me; another body's turned up?" Damon asked, already fearing the worst.
"No, the opposite actually. There haven't been any more bodies showing up."
"But it's only been a couple of days." Damon reasoned. "Whoever it is could just be feeding and compelling- they're probably being careful."
"Yes but without any bodies, as terrible as it sounds, we don't have any fresh leads." Liz sighed; he could almost see the stress lines appear on her face.
"Liz, we'll figure something out… We always do." He reassured her.
"Yeah, you're right- its just Mayor Lockwood is pressuring me to fix this problem."
"Mayor Lockwood isn't the one that's doing the hunting and killing."
"He just wants the town to finally be rid of vampires- who can blame him? It's what we all want."
After a moments pause Damon agreed. "Right…"
"By the way, have you seen Caroline lately?
"Yeah, she's with me right now- you want to talk to her?"
"No, its fine- I've just been spending most my nights at the station and I haven't seen her in a while." Liz explained.
"You sure you don't want to talk to her?"
"No, its fine. I should leave you to it."
"OK- I'll stop by your office tomorrow, see if we can find anything new." Damon offered.
Just as he was about to hang up the phone he heard her call him, "And Damon- thank you. I don't know what I would do without you." Damon nodded his head despite the fact she couldn't see him and hung up the phone.
By the time he got back to the table they were seated at the girls were nowhere to be found and Nathan was sat eating. "Hey man- the girls wanted to play pool. I said we'd join them once you got back." He explained as Damon sat back down in the opposing chair.
"Great." Was the less than enthusiastic reply that came from his mouth as he starting eating the fries from the basket that had just arrived. "How long are you staying in Mystic Falls then?"
"Just a couple of days- I wanted to see Peyton. Last time I saw her was when she came back to Tree Hill and even then it was only for a couple of hours. And I'm kind of finally coming to terms with the fact that she isn't coming back home- at least not for a while."
"It's hard for her, given the situation." Damon shrugged.
"Given the situation?" Nathan questioned, raising his eyebrows at Damon. "She told you why she left." He stared at the older guy incredulously, feeling slightly hurt that Peyton was able to confide in a practical stranger over someone she had known more or less her entire life.
"Yeah," Damon scoffed before staring at Nathan, "and judging by the look on your face, you don't know. Nice job, Damon." He muttered to himself.
"I mean- I kind of assumed it's about Lucas and Brooke." Nathan replied as he leaned back in his seat, trying to hide the look of disappointment on his face.
"I don't think it's just them. I mean, she's been through a lot this last year. I think she just needed a fresh start; some place new." Damon said, suddenly feeling sorry for the guy.
"I get it. I just… I wish she'd have come to me." Nathan sighed.
"That's just who she is." Damon shrugged his shoulders, "She's guarded and stubborn. She'd rather deal with her problems by herself than actually open up and tell someone and make herself vulnerable to them. It's the only way she knows how to be."
Nathan listened to Damon's words and nodded his head slowly as Damon turned in the direction of the pool table to stare at Peyton, his emotive expression unreadable by Nathan. "The only person that I think that's ever managed to break through the walls she's put up is Lucas." Nathan was completely oblivious at Damon's obvious wince at Lucas' name. "Yeah he's definitely gotten to her." Damon replied honestly, his voice tinged with a sombre tone.
….
"Peyton, you seriously need to chill!" Caroline told her friend as she started stacking balls up to play. "You can't control your dreams. I mean, I've had hot dreams about him since we stopped seeing each other." She admitted.
"I know. But it's not just that. I think…" She chewed her bottom lip as she tried to finally admit out loud what she had feared yet known for quite some time, "… I have feelings for him; like emotional, more than just-a-friend feelings for him. And he's not just an asshole. I wish he was so it would make this all so much easier."
Caroline walked over to her friend who was resting against the pool table, and put a hand on her shoulder. "You also can't control who you have feelings for."
"I know that too." She exhaled, her voice quivering slightly.
"So, you guys ready to play?" Their heads turned in unison to Nathan who was standing next to Damon. Peyton quickly plastered a smile on her face as Caroline squeezed her arm supportively. "Sure- boys versus girls?"
"I was kind of thinking Tree Hill versus Mystic Falls." Nathan grinned at Peyton, who nodded her head in agreement, picking up a pool cue as Caroline set up to break.
Damon walked over to where Peyton was standing, picking out the last remaining two cues for himself and Nathan. He leaned in to Peyton, whispering in her ear as his other hand found the small of her back, "You okay?"
Peyton nodded her head as she quickly detached herself from his hold, as she felt every cell of her body come to life like it never had before. "I'm fine." Was the soft reply that came from her lips before she went to stand by Nathan, figuring that distance was the safest bet right now.
….
A couple of hours of playing and Peyton completely forgot her troubles. They had lost track of how many games they had played or of who was in the lead as Nathan and Peyton tried to avoid breaking down into fits of laughter at how every shot made from Damon or Caroline would cause an argument to ensue between the pair. "What the hell is wrong with you- do you have absolutely no sense of direction?" Caroline screeched at Damon as he failed to pot a ball.
"Says the girl that hits the white ball into the hole in the last game!" Damon shouted back.
"Please! Like you would've potted that red either!" Caroline scoffed.
"It was an open shot!" His voice was a decibel higher as he struck out his hands in frustration.
"Whatever… Jerk!" Caroline huffed as she folded her arms across her chest.
Peyton leaned across to Nathan, muttering "Yeah, in retrospect we probably shouldn't have put the two of them on the same team."
"Are you kidding? This is the best game of pool I've ever played!" Nathan laughed as he watched Caroline hit Damon with the pool cue in an attempt to get him to move out of her way.
A waiter approached the foursome, holding a tray of drinks in his hands as he informed them, "Guys we're closing up." Peyton looked around and realized that everybody else had already left without her even noticing. "Ahh, I was having so much fun." Nathan calmed himself down, as finally stopped laughing, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "Caroline did you bring your car?" Peyton asked as she put on her jacket and the four of them left their cues and walked out of the bar.
"No- it's still in garage. Why?"
"We walked too- Nathan insisted on seeing the sights of Mystic Falls." Peyton explained as she looked at him as if he was an idiot.
Damon laughed, "The only sight this town has to offer is the new Starbucks opening on Maine Street."
"Yeah, well how was I meant to know how boring this town is?" Nathan exclaimed defensively, causing the other three to laugh as they began walking down the street. Peyton turned to Damon, "You didn't drive here either?"
"I left my car at the sheriff's office, but she wasn't in. I figured I'd walk into town, kill some time and then go to see if Liz was back." Damon explained.
"The sheriff- you got a problem with the law that I don't know about?" Nathan joked.
"No… Well, not yet anyway." There was still time, Damon thought to himself as he smiled inwardly. Peyton rolled her eyes at his optimistic tone, "Well me and Nathan can walk you two the sheriffs station and walk back from there."
"No, don't. I'll drop you off." Damon replied quickly before turning to Caroline, extending the offer, "all of you."
"You don't have to do that." Peyton replied.
"It's not an offer, I'm insisting." Damon told her, only expanding when she glanced at him with suspicion, "I'm not having it on my conscience if you all get robbed because I let you walk home at half eleven when I could have given you a lift."
"Ha! Like you have a conscience." Peyton joked as the pair walked side by side and Nathan and Caroline fell behind them, walking at a slower pace.
"I resent that comment, Ms. Sawyer." He clutched his chest as he feigned offence.
"I'm sure people have said a lot worse about you."
"Well, it's less about what the person says and more who it is that's saying it.", came Damon's effortless reply as Peyton turned to him with lips that conveyed surprise whilst her eyes softened slightly at his words.
"God, Damon." She punched him, not so lightly, in his arm.
"What the hell was that for?" He exclaimed, rubbing his arm.
"Why is it that every time I think I've got you figured out- you say something like that."
"Sorry for not being predictable." He mumbled.
"How about just being sorry for being an obnoxious dick one minute and then a decent human being the next? It gets confusing."
"Who was I a dick to?"
"Nathan." Peyton looked at him accusingly.
"I like Nathan," Damon countered, "and that's coming from someone who makes pretty harsh judgements of people they've just met."
"How harsh was your first impression of me?"
"Peyton, I spent the entirety of my Friday night trying to get you to tell me your name… What do you think?" He threw her a sideways glance and was pleasantly surprise at the coy smile she tried to hide on her face by burying her head in her jacket.
"Flattery will get you absolutely everywhere, Mr. Salvatore."
"Everywhere, huh?" He asked as his eyes roamed across her body. "You could've told me that when I met you- would've saved me a lot of time."
"Where's the fun in that?" She asked as a mischievous grin played across her face. "Besides," She continued, "let's be honest Damon- do you really think you would've looked twice at me if I invited you back to mine that first night we met?"
"Wait a second- let me just get over the really hot visuals I'm getting right now." Damon closed his eyes, completely unsurprised when she slapped him again. "Enough with the abuse!" He laughed, as they continued to walk down the road; to a stranger, they would seem like any other couple.
…..
"So what's the deal with the two of them?" Nathan gestured at the two walking in front of them.
"What's Peyton told you?"
Nothing. That they're just-"
"Friends." Caroline finished for him.
"Is that not the truth?"
"I think that's what she wants to believe. It's easier than dealing with the fact that he could be someone more than just a friend to her." Caroline sighed.
"And he wants to be more than that?" Nathan assumed.
"I think a part of her does too- she's just… scared."
"Same story, different town." Nathan laughed at the irony as he noticed the blonde walking beside him shiver slightly, only then realizing how thin the material of her clothing was. Without hesitation, he took his jacket of and offered it to her as she smiled, taking it appreciatively. "Is he a good guy?" Nathan asked, suddenly feeling very protective.
Caroline smiled, "Oh I am so not the right person to ask that question to. Me and Damon have kind of an ugly history."
"Ah…" Nathan nodded his head in understanding.
"Though honestly…" Caroline began again, "I don't think many people have a very popular opinion of him."
Nathan sighed, not exactly happy with what he had just been told. With her dad absent, it was normally his older brother's job to vet the guys that Peyton was seeing to make sure that they were good enough for her. Him and Peyton had the more flirty, playful but in a completely platonic way type of relationship. But for whatever reason Lucas was no longer in Peyton's contacts list and he felt the need to step up and adopt the protective older brother role in her life. And unfortunately he wasn't always going to be around to make sure she didn't get screwed over.
"For what its worth," The blonde interrupted the pensive teen, "I think he's different with her. He makes sure she gets home okay after late nights; he lets her shout at him when normally he wouldn't take that kind of crap off anybody; he can tell when she's upset and he's there for her; and more importantly, she lets him be there for her. It's like she makes him almost… decent. But like I said, I'm not the best person to ask- you're better off asking one of them. Then again, it would be pretty hard to get a straight answer out of either of them…"
…
"At least you've finally stopped acting like biazzro Peyton." Damon said as they continue to saunter down the street.
"What do you mean?" Peyton asked, confused.
"You've been acting strange all of today."
"I'm sorry… It's just been a weird morning."
"See," Damon stuck out his hands as if to prove his point, "you apologizing- bizarre!"
"Ok… Jackass- better?"
"A lot better, as a matter fact." He replied truthfully. "I've had enough weird experiences today without you actually being nice to me to add to the list."
Peyton thought for a second before exhaling sharply, as she remembered "Ah- Stefan and Elena having sex. Pick up any useful tips, douche bag?"
"OK- you don't need to overdo it with the names; it was merely an observation. And the second I go to my brother for any kind of advice; least of all sex, please feel free to check me into a mental institute."
"You know you and Nate have a lot more in common that you'd think."
"The kid that got married at 16!" He looked at her as if she needed to be checked into a mental institute, "Yeah, you might want to work on that theory."
Peyton rolled her eyes as she continued, "He hated Lucas at first too."
"But I don't even know Lucas." Damon played dumb; (even though there may be a small part of him that hated Lucas- like he needed to meet the guy to know him!).
"I meant Stefan." She pursed her lips.
"Nathan's never met Stefan." Damon continued.
"Damon!" She screamed shrilly at him.
"Now, that definitely doesn't make sense…" He trailed off, hiding the mischievous grin on his face, hiding how amused he was at how much he had just riled her up.
"What I meant…" She sighed deeply, "… is that Nathan, like you, didn't get on well with his brother at first either."
"Oh, I see. Did they fall in love with the same girl too?"
"No, but-"
"Then it's really not the same." Damon interjected abruptly.
"You are impossible to have a conversation with sometimes, you know that?" She huffed moodily.
"And yet you still try." Damon smiled as they both knew she had nothing she could say to that. "I guess you at least have Nathan to talk to now- probably easier conversation."
"It is." Peyton replied with less enthusiasm than Damon had been expecting.
"Gee, don't sound too excited- you might make a guy jealous." Was his sarcastic reply.
"I'm glad he's here- I don't want to sound like ungrateful bitch."
"But…" Damon sensed there was more to it than she was letting on.
"But it just sucks that he has to go. And it sucks that I can't remember the last time that I've had a conversation with my dad that hasn't lasted more than one minute. And it sucks that I know when Nathan leaves I'll have nobody again."
"Are you blind?" He widened his eyes at her, cocking his head to look at her, "When Nathan still leaves, you'll still have Caroline and that bratty high school kid," At Peyton's confused look Damon started again "the cocky mayor's son? I also happen to know that my brother thinks very highly of you. And… I don't think you're too unbearable either when you're not PMS'ing." He finished almost shyly.
"Damon, that was beautiful." Came the faked emotional response as she choked back an imaginary tear.
"I'm being serious. You won't be alone. For a start, Caroline physically would not let you… And for that matter, neither would I." He finished as they reached the door of his car and he swung it open for her.
Peyton slowly nodded her head and got in the car as they couldn't discuss the topic any further as Nathan and Caroline had finally caught up with the pair in front of them, reaching his car still parked outside the sheriff's office. Caroline paused and stared at the backseat door that Damon was still holding open before looking around anxiously. "Your mom's car isn't here- I already checked." Damon told her.
"That's fine, I can just walk back."
"If it helps I'll drop you off first." He offered; he wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect either, but they had already managed a whole day together without either killing the other; what was an extra 10 minutes? And more importantly, there was a still dangerous vampire on the loose who had gone eerily quiet since its first kill. When he saw her still hesitant expression he rolled his eyes, "Get in the car, Barbie!" Reluctantly, she walked past him and sat in the car with Peyton as he swiftly shut the door behind them. He looked at Nathan just standing there, waiting expectantly, "What- you want me to open the door for you too, princess?"
"I was kind of counting on it, yeah!" Nathan exclaimed as Damon grinned in spite of himself and opened the front passenger door for him. He chuckled as he heard Nathan give an indignant "about time!" as he walked around the front of the car to the driver's seat.
Aside from Peyton readjusting the radio in his car after initial arguments on Damon's part, the drive back was relatively drama- free. Damon first dropped Caroline off, as promised so as to avoid the two of them stuck in his car with nothing to fill the time but awkward silence. By the time the tires screeched to a halt outside Peyton's apartment block it had already passed midnight. "Thanks for the ride man." Nathan jumped out of the car as Peyton slowly slid across the seat, following her friend's lead. She walked over to the opened passenger seat window, leaning in, "I'll see you around… probably the next time I'm at a place that supplies bourbon."
"Without a doubt. And don't do anything I wouldn't do; he is, after all, a married man, Ms. Sawyer." He gave her a stern glance which she shrugged off with a smile and a shake of her head as she watched him speed off down the street.
…
Nathan shifted uncomfortably from side to side as he tried to find an agreeable sleeping position, "Could you be any louder!" Peyton groaned, unable to sleep due to his fidgeting from one position to another.
"I'm not used to sleeping in a different bed!" Nathan exclaimed defensively.
"Well get over it already and stay still!" Peyton said, her voice lacking anything resembling any emotion even close to sympathy.
"So, Peyton…" Nathan said, as he turned to lie on his back, staring at the darkness above him, "… has anyone else stayed the night in this bed."
"You really need to work on your subtlety, dude."
"Whatever… Well?" He asked again when she neglected to answer the question.
"Oh my god- no Nate!"
"Huh. OK, I believe you." Came the less than convincing reply
"What's that supposed to mean?" Peyton narrowed her eyes, unsure where this was leading.
"Nothing, calm down! Geez, Sawyer!" Nathan inhaled sharply. "We got to talk about your paranoia issues."
"I thought we were talking about my love life." Peyton sighed.
"Aha!" Nathan exclaimed as if he had just had a breakthrough, "So you admit you do have a love life."
"Oh my god Nate, give it up!" She groaned into her pillow. "Why the sudden interest?"
"Because I want to make sure that you don't get screwed over or get your heart broken."
"It's too late for that." Peyton replied sadly.
"Is this about Lucas?" Nathan asked though he didn't really need an answer, and wasn't surprised when he didn't receive one.
"He hasn't forgotten you, Peyton. I don't know if that's what you thought moving here would do but if it was, it hasn't worked. He's been trying to get through to your dad; he makes us run past your house every morning when we do our basketball trainings together. He's still looking for you." Nathan exhaled deeply when she remained silent; deciding that he wasn't going to press the subject. Not too long after, he drifted off to sleep oblivious to the tears that were silently making their way down his friend's cheek.
Her conflicted feelings tore her apart as she considered that whilst she may have woken up to confused, emotionally charged feelings about Damon that she still wasn't prepared to fully admit to, that night she fell into a light sleep thinking only about Lucas.
Author's Note: So I know the dream at the beginning may have been a little mean but it may be a while longer before there are real non-dreams like that in the fic! Hope how you liked Nathan's interaction with Caroline and Damon. I could kind of imagine Damon being jealous of Nathan to begin with, then eventually warming to him (at least in my head where this fic actually happens- oh what I would do for Damon and Peyton to actually react on TV together...) Also just wanted to give a quick shout out to SilviaPeyton- absolutely LOVE photosets and as long as you keep making them, I don't think I will ever not like them. Thank you!
And again, thanks to everyone that reviews and reads my story and reviews are always welcome! Will respond to reviews either next chapter or the one after! Thanks everyone!