Court.
Sleep.
Court.
Sleep.
Court.
Sleep.
That was how I'd spent the last three weeks.
After Damon came to get me from the jail, every emotion I'd pushed away or buried came rushing back to me in a sloppy flood. I cried, I laughed, I got angry, I got bitter, I felt relief, I cried again. And those emotions were on repeat for several days until I finally got it all out and under control again. Then I was just left with exhaustion.
Bless Damon. He never left my side through any of it. He was with me at the highs and lows. And when it came time for us to start going to court, he stood beside me even when his lawyer told him he shouldn't.
He was absolutely amazing.
And that only made me feel guiltier.
The doctors said that Damon was lucky. The bullet entered and exited cleanly through his side. There was slight damage to a muscle, but with a regular workout routine, he'd be "as good as new in no time"- the doctors words, not mine. I'm not sure how anyone can be good as new after a bullet has pierced their skin.
I returned to my room at the facility following the jail cell. Everyone, including me, agreed that I needed the treatment provided there after experiencing this entire ordeal. The only thing I required was that Damon would be allowed to stay with me. This caused a great disturbance in the home. Most of the faculty was strict with their policies and patients simply were not allowed overnight visitors. "What would the other patients think?" they said. Bonnie pled a good case, though, and somehow got the request approved.
I later learned that Jenna helped Ric in taking me from the home. She lost her job, but I wasn't sure if I should feel pity for her. On one hand, she thought she was helping me get to a better place. On the other hand – the one situated in reality – she unlocked the door that led to my attempted murder. Damon was adamant about pressing charges against both her and Ric for kidnapping. I could never do that to Ric though. I didn't blame him for giving me up in place of Isobel. It's what he, as her husband, should have done. He vowed to protect her. I would have been ashamed of him had he chosen any other path.
"Miss Gilbert?... Miss Gilbert?"
My head snapped up to meet the snake eyes of the prosecuting attorney; Meredith Fell. Had I fallen asleep? Certainly I'd zoned out for a moment, but part of me felt like I might've actually gone to sleep right there in front of everyone.
Who could blame me, really? I'm tired down to my bones. I'm a walking zombie. Lifting my eyelids after a blink is a chore. And listening to hours upon hours of testimony and farfetched statements is downright boring.
"I'm sorry," I shake my head slightly. "Would you mind repeating your question?"
Meredith tilts her head slightly as she studies me. Her gaze is uncomfortable so I distract myself by scrutinizing the way she's put herself together for court today. Her dark brown hair is secured tightly in a twist along the nape of her neck. The tightness pulls back her face a bit, making her features seem sharper than they probably are. Her dark grey skirt hits the top of her knees exactly, elongating the short expanse of bare leg showing. I bet that usually gives her a leg up with the ogling judge – no pun intended. Her matching blazer has obviously been fitted exactly for her body, pulling in slightly in the middle to narrow her waste and give the appearance of a larger bosom; probably also to appease the judge.
"Miss Gilbert," Meredith begins, "on a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate your current mental state."
"Objection!" my defense lawyer, Niklaus Mikaelson, shouts and stands up behind his table. Niklaus, also referred to as Klaus by most in the courthouse, is a good friend of Damon's and was appointed to me after Damon requested it. He's been a pretty good lawyer; well, as lawyers come anyway. There's still something about him that sends chills up my spine, much like the effect Meredith has one me, but he's been resolute about proving my innocence. "Her question damages the accountability of my client," he continues.
"I was just making note of how the client has missed the last five questions I've asked, your honor," Meredith says to the judge.
Had I really missed five questions? Hm.
"Objection sustained," the judge declares and turns to Meredith. "Ms. Fell, simply re-ask the question."
Her lips press into a tight line, but I can see the corners wanting to turn down into a frown. Ms. Fell is not used to not getting her way. She narrows her eyes and turns back to me.
"Miss Gilbert, let me repeat my question. Could you please tell us what you told the police as to why Mr. Stefan Salvatore, quote, wanted you dead."
"He knew I knew he killed my family." The response from me was automatic. I'd said it probably fifty times over the past few weeks. The words rolled lazily from my tongue.
"And why did he kill your family?"
"To get a Faberge egg that had been passed down in my family."
"What proof do you have of this?"
"He told me so himself."
"Hearsay is not proof, Miss Gilbert."
This got my attention. I straightened a little and glared back at Meredith. "Hearsay may not be proof, Ms. Fell," I sneered, "but the undeniable evidence of my dead father, mother, and brother should count for something. Not to mention the bullet that was covered in his own brothers' blood. Stefan did not lash out because he was innocent."
"Do you have any other proof?" she asked, ignoring my previous reply.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, praying I'd calm down enough to not jump over the stand and bitch slap Ms. Fell. I nodded. "The egg is at the chief of police's house; Elijah. Well, it was there. With a tag saying it was donated by Stefan."
"Why didn't you report it to the police?"
I nearly laughed. "Who would believe me? I was a recovering addict whos reputation was for shit. I would've been laughed out of the station."
"But you could've told Detective Salvatore. You two were lovers, were you not?"
For some reason her questioning me about my relationship with Damon pissed me off. That was private and none of her business. I told her as much.
"Well, Miss Gilbert, we're simply trying to form a reasonable motive for Stefan Salvatore to want to kill you or his brother. And if all you say about him is true, it's odd that you never reached out for help."
"What I'm saying is true!" I lashed out, my palms slamming down on the stand.
Everyone in the courtroom reacted to my shouting except for Meredith. A sly smile turned her lips and I knew this was the emotional response she was trying to pull out of me. It would only help to damage my credibility if the jury found me emotionally unstable.
"I think we'll take a short recess," the judge interrupted any further questioning. "Adjourned until noon."
Meredith crossed her arms and swayed back to her table.
…
"Fuck, I hate her!" I cursed, stomping into my room at the facility and kicking the trashcan. The rest of the trial day had gone down hill after the recess. Everything I answered with, Meredith somehow threw back in my face to make me seem incompetent.
"Elena, I know. We all do. Lashing out at the poor waste basket won't solve anything," Damon tried soothing me, grabbing my arm and pulling me back until I was wrapped in his embrace.
I closed my eyes and let his scent waft over me. "Why is she such a bitch?" I groaned.
"Who knows. Maybe because her hair's pulled back too tight."
"You noticed that, too?" I sighed.
Damon pulled away and held me at arms length, looking over me head to toe. "How are you doing with all of this?"
"I'm tired," I answered honestly, and as I said the words, I felt my body sag an inch. "I'm just fucking tired."
He released me for a second as he closed the door then went to my dresser. He pulled out the facility's standard sleep clothes for me and brought me to the edge of the bed. Gently, he sat me down and began undressing me.
I was too tired to even really think about that fact.
As my court clothes were pealed away from my body, my skin felt fresher and less tainted. I stood and helped Damon slide me into a pair of white shorts and held up my arms for an oversized t-shirt to fall around my torso. He reached around my head and pulled out the clips to let my hair fall loose down my back. When he was done, he stepped back and I looked up at him.
Part of me wanted to cringe away from him seeing me like this – messy hair, unflattering clothes, sagging eyes and pale skin. He reached out and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear, then let his hand rest against my neck.
He sighed and I found his crystal gaze. "You are so beautiful," he whispered in such a hushed voice I wasn't sure I was meant to hear.
Despite my fatigue, I felt my cheeks flare in a blush. I reached up and wrapped a hand around his wrist at my neck. "Damon, why are you still here?" I asked him. The question had plagued my thoughts even before everything happened with Stefan. Damon staying with me just didn't make sense.
His lips turned up at the question as if it was such a foolish thing to ask. It took him several moments to finally respond. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
My heart fluttered at his words. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and abruptly he lifted me into his arms. With a quick swooping motion, I was nestled under the sheets with Damon hovering over me. I giggled.
"So now I guess we have an intimate moment? I mean, what did Meredith call us? Lovers?"
He bent down and gently pressed his lips to mine in a chaste kiss. He pulled back and sighed. "As much as I'd like to claim you as a lover in this moment, I won't. For now, it's time to sleep." He rolled to his side, effectively rolling off my body, reached out, and pulled me into his chest. Circling his arms around me, he kissed the top of my head and inhaled deeply. "I love you," he sighed.
I closed my eyes and matched his exhale. "I love you, too."
Wrapped in his arms, I felt small and entirely safe, as though nothing in this world could hurt me – including Meredith Fell.
Although he chose not to do something sexual with me, I found myself more attracted to him than I'd ever been before. He wasn't just taking care of my body. He was taking care of me. He knew I needed sleep and that's what he was providing.
Leaning my ear against him, I closed my eyes and let the beating of his heart lull me to sleep.
A/N: Hey, guys. I apologize it took me so long to post something, even if it was only this itty bitty chapter. Let me explain:
A good portion of you follow my Tumblr and already saw this explanation, but for those not on Tumblr, here's what's been keeping me from fanfiction. I'm currently in school, graduating in May with two degrees, I work a full time job with the hours typically running past midnight, and I'm also planning a June wedding. All of this is exhausting. My classes have me doing A LOT of writing and by the time I finish paper after paper or script after script, I'm all creatively tuckered out and just can not find the will nor the energy to write for fanfiction.
So, with that being said, I'm hoping approaching fanfiction with a different tactic will help me. Normally, I loathe updating the story unless the chapter is a good 5K plus words. I've decided that I'll try posting mini-chapters as often as I can with the hopes of getting a sort-of kind-of regular update schedule for you guys. I have a feeling a lot of these chapters won't have jaw-dropping revelations or twists as past chapters have had, simply because they're leading up to the action, but at least they'll be something to read. I don't foresee this story lasting a whole lot longer, but there's still some things I'd like to accomplish with it and hopefully do so before the world ends.
Thank you so so much for those who are still out there waiting for updates. Thank you even to those who send me nasty e-mails about not updating - you at least give me some sort of motivation. I love all you guys and promise I'm trying my best to find spare time to work on the story.
If you're not, please follow me on Tumblr. You'll be kept in the loop about where I'm at with the story way better than by not following me: aphobiac(DOT)tumblr(DOT)com
See you guys next chapter.