The Boarding House
By: Darkest Ember
Chapter 25: Sanctuary
Summary:
Elena and Jeremy Gilbert are orphaned once again and have nowhere else to go except the mysterious Salvatore boarding house…
Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the Vampire Diaries characters. This is written purely for entertainment purposes.
Previously:
He was so absorbed in the experience that he couldn't hear Elena's desperate, weak cries for him to stop.
Katherine ran her fingers along the thick wooden railing as she ascended the stairs to the third floor of the boarding house. Her movements were slow and purposely hesitant, as with each step she took, the sound of Elena's screams seemed further and further away. It was an odd sensation, really. She almost felt a chill from how much she enjoyed basically hearing the sound of her own scream.
But it wasn't coming from her throat.
Eventually, she knew that Damon too would hear the faint sound and go running to Elena's rescue. Begrudgingly, she sped up her strut and entered Damon's room.
Damon had decided to take a shower, rinsing off Elena's blood. Of course he loved the sight of it, but that was just the problem. If he kept looking at it, then he would keep being tempted to go back down there and repeat the process. Despite what his darkest desires wished for, he had to admit that Elena needed a break. Damn human emotions, he thought bitterly as he wrapped a towel loosely around his waist.
The last thing he expected to see was Katherine Pierce sprawled out on his bed.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, bored and uninterested.
She pouted. "It's only been a couple of days, Damon. Surely you've missed me."
"I've had…better things on my mind," he smirked.
Katherine pushed herself up off the bed and sauntered over to him, shamelessly admiring his half naked body. "Are you sure about that? Elena doesn't really seem like she gives you what you're looking for. She doesn't truly satisfy you, not like I can."
"Don't give yourself too much credit." He glanced down to find her cleavage practically spilling out of her shirt. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to kill a little time, he thought, licking his lips as he sped up to her and shoved her into the wooden-paneled wall.
His lips placed bruising kisses along her neck as she dragged her nails down his back. They sped over to the bed together, with Katherine ending up on top. She crawled across his body, noting that the towel was barely clinging to his hips. A naughty smirk crossed her lips as she went to make her move. But he was quicker. He reached up and tugged on her curly locks, forcing her face down to meet his.
Katherine almost felt vulnerable under the intensity of his glacier-colored stare. Slowly, she leaned in for a surprisingly tender kiss. Damon remained still as her lips brushed across his. Reluctantly, he closed his eyes, just briefly allowing memories from the past filter into his mind.
But any emotion, memory, or thought Damon was experiencing instantly retreated once his brain registered a faint sound coming from the basement. Elena was in danger.
His eyes flicked open and quickly formed a scowl as he roughly shoved Katherine off of him. "What did you do?" he growled, speeding into the closet and back out with a pair of pants on in lieu of the towel.
Katherine sat up against the headboard with her arms over her chest. "How am I supposed to know? I just came here for a nice evening with you. Apparently that's not enough."
"There's always another motive for you," Damon said. His expression softened as another thought crossed his mind. "We both know that if you didn't come here to hurt her, then you came here because Stefan didn't want you either."
Try as he may, Damon was unable to hide the significant amount of hurt from his face. Katherine even felt the slightest pang of guilt tugging at her heart.
"Leave," he said lowly, pointing to the door. He didn't wait to see her leave. In less than ten seconds he was already downstairs, feeling his blood boil at the thought of someone else hurting Elena.
Elena clawed at Matt's shoulders after already giving up on trying to just push him off. "Matt, you've got to stop! You're killing me," she cried.
The words echoed in the back of Matt's mind, hardly even registering him. As a vampire, your emotions are practically tripled. Ever since Elena broke up with him, Matt has been haunted with feelings of rejection and unfulfilled love. Those feelings, ever so amplified, were driving him to keep feeding. In his delusional state, this is what she owed him. This is what he deserved.
Everything flashed white once he felt himself being abruptly ripped away from Elena. He couldn't stop himself from being propelled into the wall, resulting in the sickening sound of bones in his neck and shoulder snapping.
Matt groaned as he popped his bones back in place and felt the healing process begin. Damon wasn't done with him yet. He stormed over to Matt's crumpled body and picked him up by his throat.
"GET OUT!" he bellowed, a nasty snarl scarring his facial features. Matt was absolutely terrified. The moment Damon released him, Matt sped out of the room, unable to even offer Elena an apologetic stare.
Damon sped over to Elena's body and could just barely detect her heartbeat. He kneeled next to her, cradling her head in his lap as he placed his bloodied wrist up against her lips.
Of course he considered just letting her die. He remembered that he had given her some of his blood. He knew that she would turn into a vampire, but something was preventing him from letting it happen just yet. The desire to keep her alive prevailed over anything else. And it bothered him.
Elena's eyes fluttered open just long enough for her to realize that it was Damon who was staring down at her with what appeared to be a concerned expression. She realized, as she tasted the blood slide down her throat, that he was saving her life.
Using her last ounce of strength, she whispered, "Thank you." She passed out safely in his arms. After an ordeal like that, Damon couldn't just leave her down here while she healed. He carried her bridal style upstairs and gently placed her down in her bed. What is happening to me? He thought. Why the hell do I care?
Matt scrambled through the woods, unsure of where to go. Once he reached the main road, he decided that he would try to go to Bonnie's house. Maybe her magic could help him, some how. If he ever lost control like that again, especially around someone he cared about, he would drive a stake through his own heart.
Knocking on the door, probably a little harder than he should have, he felt the panic and sorrow settle in, creating an immense discomfort. Bonnie answered the door, concerned. Matt looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "Bonnie, I need help."
She noticed the blood that stained his plaid shirt and immediately tried to pull him inside, but found that he couldn't enter. Then she remembered something Grams told her about having to invite a vampire inside. So, she did. After closing the door, she gave him a long stare. "What happened?" she gasped.
"I went to go save Elena. Then something just came over me and I couldn't stop myself…," he breathed. "Oh God, Bon, she's never going to forgive me."
Bonnie found it difficult to breathe as she reluctantly reached over and pulled him into an embrace. "Is Elena safe?"
"If Damon wouldn't have stopped me, she would've died," he whispered.
"Matt, I don't know really anything about how being a vampire works, but we have to figure out a way for you to learn how to control your urges. Next time there might not be someone there to…to stop you."
"How are we going to do that?"
Bonnie rubbed her temples as her mind raced to find a solution. "I don't know…we need to go see Grams. Maybe she can help."
"I'll do anything," he said softly.
She nodded solemnly before collecting a few things and grabbing the car keys.
Elena awoke a couple hours later in her bed. Even in the process of healing, it didn't take her long to register Damon sitting on the other side of the room, watching her. "Is Matt alright?" she asked, her voice a little hoarse.
Damon stood up, explicitly confused. "Is that a serious question? He would've killed you. Actually, in this case he would've turned you into a vampire. Is that what you want?"
"He didn't mean to hurt me," she started, but then stopped, unable to hold back the tears. "Why is he even a vampire in the first place? How did that happen?"
"Beats me," Damon shrugged. "The only vampires in town besides me are Katherine and Stefan. I wouldn't put it past Katherine to do it, but I don't think it was her. And it can't be Stefan because, well St. Stefan hasn't turned someone into a vampire in years, decades even."
Elena gripped the blanket, hoping to vent some of her anger. "Someone had to turn him! It doesn't just happen on its own," she breathed.
Darkness flickered briefly in Damon's eyes. "Don't yell at me likes it my fault," he spat. "In case you forgot, I just saved your life."
"All of this is your fault! If you would've just let me go home, this wouldn't have happened. Why don't you just go find another town to terrorize?" Elena couldn't think straight. How could she? After enduring Damon and Matt's attacks, she felt like dying.
"Elena, if you don't calm down, I might end up doing something I regret."
"I don't think it'll beat your track record so far," she murmured, only half intentionally wanting him to hear her.
In a flash, he sped over to her, essentially straddling her, pinning her down to the mattress. "Stop it," he growled.
Elena was slightly fazed, though not deterred. With a simple sentence, she then managed to reduce Damon to a crumbled mess. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"
She barely had enough time to scream before his fangs slid into her neck, right near the same spot Matt had bitten. Damon only sucked a little bit of blood from her veins before pulling back. Elena couldn't stand how he looked the moment after feeding. Thick globs of blood – her blood – coated his lips and oftentimes dripped down onto her. His fangs were still sharp and menacing, his eyes still darkened and soulless.
Unable to stand the sight, she squeezed her eyes shut, only choosing to open them once she felt the weight shift on the mattress. Damon immediately left the room without another word, leaving Elena feeling an odd mixture of confusion and relief.
Damon didn't bother to wipe her blood from his face. All he wanted to do was sulk in his misery and get his thoughts sorted out. He reached for his favorite bottle of Scotch and poured a full glass. The amber-colored liquid sloshed in the glass as he walked across the room and slumped into the large leather chair.
He downed a couple of gulps, barely feeling the sting in the back of his throat. This wasn't supposed to feel like this. From the moment he hatched his plan to force Elena into the boarding house, he knew exactly what he wanted. In the time that she's lived as his "house guest," he's been able to check just about everything off of his to-do list.
But something was missing. He wanted more…something that hadn't originally been accounted for. He wanted to be loved. And that's not something you can just force. Sure, he could compel her, but it'd all be one big lie that would satisfy neither one of them.
He knew love was a hopeless pursuit, though. For someone like Elena to love him, that would require him to change every aspect of who he was. He couldn't do that, he just couldn't. But should he? He could feel himself going soft as it was. He should've let Matt do his dirty work for him, but he interrupted, unable to ignore the feelings of concern he felt for her well-being.
Lost in thought, though still aware of the world around him, Damon remained still as he heard shuffling on the floor above him…frantic movements…footsteps barreling down the staircase…a pause…then the front door opening and closing. Elena just walked out the front door.
And he did nothing to stop her.
Staring into the blazing flames inside the fireplace, Damon hung his head, letting all the despair and loneliness settle into his bones for the first time in nearly one hundred years.
The house seemed uncomfortably foreign, yet still offered Elena just the comfort she was longing for. Jenna had been surprised by Elena's sudden appearance, but quickly ushered her inside, unable to stop smiling.
"I never thought I'd say this," Elena said, dipping her finger into the sauce Jenna was cooking, "but I think I missed your cooking." Her and Jenna shared a laugh.
"Elena?"
She spun around and found Jeremy standing in the doorway, completely alive. Matt wasn't lying. "H-hey, Jer," she said uneasily.
"While you're here, would you mind coming upstairs and helping me with some chemistry homework? It's not exactly Jenna's best subject."
"I heard that!" Jenna called after them. "Dinner will be ready in 15 minutes."
Elena silently followed Jeremy up to his room, waiting until he closed the door before letting the tears fall. "How?" she cried. "How is this possible?"
He shrugged. "It's weird. At first I had no idea how this is possible. I was dead. I felt it. But then I ran into the new teacher, the one who's replacing Tanner. He was wearing a similar looking ring as this one, the one I got from Dad." He paused to point out the bulky ring. "The teacher, Mr. Saltzman, or something, said that his wife gave him his ring, saying it would protect him. Maybe this ring did something…"
"After everything I've been through, I can honestly say that it's not impossible…"
"So," he said solemnly. "I'm surprised Damon let you come here."
"Me too," she said quietly. "I walked right out the door. He didn't even stop me."
"Why do you sound…disappointed."
Elena jerked her head up and looked at Jeremy. How could he even think that? Who in their right mind would ever be disappointed that some psychotic, obsessive vampire hadn't come after her?
"I'm just still processing it all," she argued.
"What else has he done to you?"
"It's not even about what he's done…it's more about what Matt did."
"What do you mean? He was supposed to come save you."
"He almost killed me, Jer! He didn't have any control. How the hell did he become a vampire in the first place? Matt? He doesn't deserve this. None of us do."
Jeremy's hardened expression softened as he watched Elena start to crumble. He pulled her into a brotherly hug and promised her that it was over.
"You're home now. No one can hurt you."
Damon tossed the empty liquor bottle onto the floor and watched with drunken amusement as it shattered into a thousand pieces. He was oddly satisfied by the crunching sound his footsteps made across the glass remains as he made his way over to the fireplace, stumbling most of the time.
How could he just let her walk right out the door like that? What was he thinking? Of course anyone with a brain could tell that she had retreated to her former home, presumably the safest place to be at this point.
Because Damon hadn't been invited in. Yet.
"She belongs to me," he muttered, slurring some of the words. "She belongs to me." With his determination set, Damon grabbed a jacket and headed out the door. Knowing it would be stupid, even for him, to drive, he opted for using his vampiric abilities to their full potential, by speeding through the woods and into Mystic Falls suburbia.
He stood outside the Gilbert residence, leaning up against a large tree trunk. The front window was open, letting the outside world have a glimpse at Jenna, Jeremy, and Elena sitting down to a happy little meal, smiling and laughing their hearts out.
It was making Damon sick. When was the last time he had ever been in that kind of setting? Of course he knew the answer. Back when he was five or six years old, just before Stefan was born, he remembered how happy he was with his mother and father, just the three of them.
And then everything changed the day his mother died.
Damon was never one to enjoy dwelling on memories, especially painful ones, but he kept his feet planted in the ground, watching the sight before him.
As much as she was enjoying eating dinner with her family again, Elena couldn't help but feel strange…like she was being watched. Obviously, no one else was in the house, but why did she feel this way?
She tried to stay focused on the conversation, which involved Jenna sharing a story about something embarrassing that happened to her during freshman year of college. It was probably funny, but Elena still found the mashed potatoes on her plate to be far more interesting. With a sigh, she glanced up from her plate and nearly gasped.
Damon was standing right outside the window, just staring at her. So, he does miss me. She couldn't stop the thought before it had been planted in her mind. Repulsed by her thoughts, she excused herself from the table with every intention of heading up to her room. After all, she still needed to let Bonnie and Caroline know that she was all right.
With immense reluctance, Elena reached for the doorknob and stepped out onto the front porch. She blamed her compassionate nature for the detour. Why else could she be stupid enough to step out into the open where the predator was waiting?
"What are you doing here?" she asked, making sure to keep her distance.
He stumbled in her direction, but didn't completely step onto the porch. "Isn't it obvious?"
"I'm not going back to the boarding house with you," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Is that a challenge?" he snickered.
"You're drunk," she said, rolling her eyes. "Even as a vampire, that might put you at a disadvantage." She turned on her heel, heading for the door.
Damon, angered by her response, sped forward and blocked her just in time. "I'm not done with you yet."
"And I'm not interested. Just because you'll probably end up getting your way in the end, doesn't mean that I deserve to be put through all of this. I just want to be with my family."
"Why prolong the inevitable?"
"Just get out of my way," she sighed, starting to regret this decision.
He stepped closer to her, completely closing in. His twisted smirk and glint in his eyes caused Elena to involuntarily shiver. She prayed he didn't notice. "Make me," he whispered into her ear.
Her body slipped into its fight-or-flight mode. She quickly reached for a branch on the small potted tree next to the door and jabbed Damon's abdomen with it. He groaned a little, doubling over, giving Elena just enough space to reach the door.
But before she could slam the door shut all the way, Damon reached out and stopped the door. He ripped the stick out of his side and, much to her surprise, he didn't look angry. Rather, he appeared…excited.
"Hide in your house all you want, Elena. But we both know you won't be able to stay in there forever. The moment you step outside, you're mine."
Elena gulped and slammed the door in his face, unable to really think under that duress. She leaned up against the door and slowly slid down to the floor.
She wasn't sure which was more terrifying, the fear of what's to come or the strange anticipation to partake in this game.
Eh, I have mixed feelings about this one. It felt really filler-ish...kind of like a transition into this new situation between Elena and Damon. On the bright side, we get a little interesting insight into Damon's mind. I hope you all can bear with this till the next update ;)
Thanks for all your patience!
THANK YOU: KaterinaPetrova, XXCresent-RoseXX, ScottishGirlx, Caro, beverlie4055, unknown, Bella44, and Dez2sweet for your amazing comments! Words cannot describe how much I enjoy reading them.