Chapter 28 Feeling Alive
"..i knew she shouldn't have given that much blood..."
" Last night was so reckless...I should have refused to take the blood she was offering me..."
"..I told her it wasn't healthy, but did she listen? No, of course not. Humans are more stubborn then ever before.."
I smiled to myself before my eyes even opened as I listened to Godric talk to himself as he paced back and forth on his side of the tunnel. I didn't even have to look at him to know he was doing this, my ears told me everything and to be honest, I found it very sweet that he was worrying himself about me. How many vampires can you say behave like he does? I opened my eyes completely, finding that I was lying on the floor of the tomb with my head still propped up on my bag like it had been since last night and my coat covering my body as a blanket. I sat up, my actions not being noticed by Godric and stretched my arms above my head with a yawn. It hadn't been my intention to spend the night here in the tomb but by the time I was through giving my second bottle of blood, I was so weak and dizzy that I could barely stand and I knew I couldn't drive home right away in this condition. So I had planned on resting for a while but eventually I did fall asleep and now it was morning and instead of moonlight dividing the tunnel, it was sunshine. I turned my head to follow Godric's movements and observed the way his eyes flickered back and forth from right to left before they finally fell on me and he stopped walking.
"You're awake." Godric spoke softly, relief flooding his face as he dropped to his knees on the dirt floor and gazed at me intently. "You look much better now then you did last night."
"I definitely feel a lot more like myself now." I nodded in agreement, pushing my coat off my body and ran my hands through my long tangled hair until it ran smoothly. "I can't believe I actually slept here all night."
"You were lucky that nothing happened while you were resting." Godric pointed out, his face narrowing slightly as we both seemed to think of what could have happened during the night. Godric shook his head. "Anything could have crept down here and attacked you and I couldn't have done anything to help you."
"Well, nothing did happen so we don't have to freak over that." I reminded him, knowing it could have been really bad but I preferred not to think about that. "If you were so worried, why didn't you just scream at me to wake up?"
"You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to wake you." He answered back with a smile that could best be described as being serene. He shuffled around as he made himself comfortable until he was sitting cross legged in front of me. "I watched you all night and I have never been as fascinated by watching a human dream as I am by you."
"Really?" I was amused by this comment and slightly thrilled that a 2,000 year old vampire was intrigued by watching me sleep. "I didn't say anything embarrassing in my sleep did I?"
"Well, that depends on what you consider embarrassing." Godric replied with a raise of his eyebrows and a wicked little grin. "Do you remember what you dreamed about?"
"Unfortunately yes." I grumbled, feeling my cheeks flare up with a wave of heat as I thought back to the images of the tall, blonde vampire who had haunted my dreams all night. "Eric has a way of always popping up even when I'm trying my hardest not to think about him."
"Do you dream of him often?" Godric wanted to know, his face lighting up at the mention of his progeny and he actually leaned forward towards the light. "Because you certainly mumbled his name more then a few times during the night."
"I dream about Eric more then I care to." I admitted, hating myself for all the times that his face entered my mind and distracted me. Sometimes it just didn't matter what walls I built or whatever mental blocks I threw up, Eric somehow managed to worm his way in and I was helpless to stop it. I didn't want to admit that it was because I was still fighting against my unresolved issues with him but that didn't make it untrue. I would eventually have to settle things with Eric but for now, I didn't care to think of him and just started turning my head to distract myself until I did find something that grabbed my attention. My eyes landed on a pair of empty plastic bottles lying against the side of the tunnel on the floor and I found myself grinning like a child on Christmas morning. My eyes shot back to Godric who was now looking at me with a grin of his own as he too had seen my reaction to the sight. "You actually drank both bottles."
"Well, you did tell me I couldn't stop you from drawing blood in the first place and I didn't want it to go to waste. Otherwise you would have put yourself through this for nothing. So I drank it." Godric explained, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "But I refuse to let you do that again. I understand that you were hurting last night but you will never behave that way again. Do you understand?"
"Yes daddy." I rolled my eyes at his over protective tone but I appreciated it none the less. I was going to tease him about it but as I turned my eyes more intensely on his body, I found the comeback being frozen in my throat. My eyes widened considerably as I took in his image and I was shocked by what I saw. I was so distracted by talking to him that I never saw that his body had become more solid then it had been last night. And as I looked at him, I could barely formulate a sentence. "You...you're..it's..you're becoming whole again. Aren't you?"
"Yes, the blood is working." He replied with an even bigger smile, the happiness overflowing from his eyes and reaching out to me in such a way that it made all thoughts of Eric disappear from my mind. Godric could barely seem to contain himself as he spoke. "The resurrection is really taking place now."
"Holy shit." I whispered, my eyes going up and down his form, amazed that I hadn't noticed before how solid he had become. "You really are regenerating. Oh man I wish I could just jump over to your side and hug you."
"Until I really am resurrected, then that wouldn't work. You would just pass right through me and fall to the floor." He laughed, his good spirits coming out through his statement and filling me up with more happiness then I had felt in the past 2 weeks. "But when I walk out of this tomb, the second I see you I will hug you like I have never hugged a human before."
"I look forward to that day. It will be the best day I have had in a long time."
30 minutes later
"Well, this is certainly a change of moods." Elena mumbled to herself as she stared at the figure in the distance that she had been observing for the last 5 minutes and grinned. "She looks so happy now. What happened?"
Elena thought this over and over again, trying to figure out what it was that had Allison looking like a completely different person then the sad, distant girl she had been for over 2 weeks. She watched Allison as she walked along the empty sidewalk across the street from her with her hands in her pockets and her bag thrown up over her shoulder. There was a lightness in her step and a carefree look in her eyes that made Elena wonder if something truly extraordinary had happened. She looked both way before she crossed the street and hurried after Allison, the girl not noticing or hearing her approach until Elena reached her and took her by the shoulders to spin her around. "Someone looks like they are having a good morning."
"Yea, you could say that." The older girl replied with a giggle as she clasped her hands together joyfully. "I feel more normal then I have in a really long time."
"And you look happier." Elena pointed out, amused but ecstatic at her friend's happiness and glow. "What happened to put you in this good of a mood? I mean, you were so down after the whole Sam thing and now you just look like a completely different person. What gives?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all." Another giggle escaped from Allison's mouth. "Let's just say things feel more alive then ever."
"Oh my god, you had sex with Damon didn't you?" Elena found herself blurting out, wondering if this was the real reason for Allison's renewed good spirits. She grabbed the girl by the arm again and pulled her over to a bench nearby and sat her down. "Did you finally jump into bed with him?"
"Why do you always think that is the reason whenever I am suddenly happy?" Allison asked, her hair being whipped back from the wind. "And for your information, I did not sleep with Damon. So stop thinking I did."
"Oh it's only a matter of time until that happens. I see the looks you guys give each other." Elena said wickedly, watching the blush creep up into Allison's face and Elena knew she was totally thinking about it right now. But there would be another time for teasing. "But seriously. Why so happy?"
"I just came back from seeing Godric and my blood is finally starting to take effect on him." She exclaimed, grabbing Elena's arm with both hands as she sat up excitedly. "Elena, the resurrection is really happening. It won't be long until he can walk out of the tomb and be a real vampire again."
"That is definitely cause for being happy." Elena nodded and then leaned forward to embrace Allison and hug her very tightly. "I'm glad that this has put you in a good mood. I was starting to think nothing would pull you out of this slump."
"Sorry about the last weeks, that wasn't fair to you guys when all you were doing was trying to help. And I appreciate your efforts, I really do." Allison told her when they had broken apart from each other and sat back with her hands in her lap. "But seeing Godric has really forced a turnaround and I finally feel like I can start to move on and let the past be in the past."
"Well good for you. It's about time you were really happy." Elena stated with a smile and a nod full of certainty. "And I'm glad to have my friend back."
"I'm glad to be back." Allison agreed, her white teeth showing as her lips parted in a huge grin. "But unfortunately I have to cut this reunion short. I have someone I have to go see."
"And who might that be?" But Elena had a feeling that she already knew the answer. She just wanted Allison to say it out loud.
"A Mr. Damon Salvatore to be perfectly honest." She said without the slightest hint of embarrassment as she stood up and adjusted her bag on her shoulder.
"Now that is one visitor he would love to have early in the morning. That is if is keeping himself awake for the day." Elena kept herself reigned in so she wouldn't explode with excitement over this little piece of news that Allie had told her. "I guess you will have to tell me about it later."
"If there is anything to tell." Allison pointed out with a smirk before she turned on her heels and walked away.
15 minutes later
Knock...knock...knock
"I can't answer the door you moron. I'm a vampire and it's light out." Damon shouted at the front door as he refused to move from his spot on the couch in the light tight living room and just screamed at whoever was at the front of the house. He wasn't worried, there was nothing out in the world that could over power him so he was quite confident when he said, "It's open, just come in already and stop it with the noise."
He heard the door open and a set of footsteps walk over the wooden floor as the person entered the house and then shut the door behind them. As soon as it was silent again, he found himself grinning, not because the noise was gone, but because he recognized the smell of sweet blood in the air and he instantly knew who it was that had come over. Still, he kept his position on the couch and waited for her to appear in the room and it took everything within him not to jump up and meet her halfway. He listened to her tiny footsteps as they began moving again and soon enough, there she was in the doorway, looking just delectable as she had from the first night he saw her. Except this time there was a smile on her face that he hadn't seen in a very long time, just like he hadn't seen her in just as long. He watched as she dropped her bag on a nearby table and shrugged herself out of her coat and toss it over the back of a chair before she stepped further into the room and grinned shyly at him.
"Hi Damon." She said quietly, sticking her hands in her back pockets as she strolled forward just as he finally got up off the couch.
"Well, long time no see." He retorted with a smirk as he stood there with his arms crossed. "Finally decided to stop hiding?"
"Yea I guess you could say that." She shrugged her tiny shoulders as she brought her hands up to her long brown hair and twirled it around her fingers. "But I'm here now and I wanted to see you."
"What for?" He asked, taking notice of the look in her eyes and seeing that she obviously had something on her mind and he was intrigued by it. "Well?"
Instead of answering him back with an explanation, he just stared in amazement as she started walking up to him with no hesitation in her face and reached out and wrapped her hands around his arms. He was going to ask her what she was doing when she somehow managed to move him backwards until he was sitting on the couch again and she was standing before him with a sexy little smirk on her thin lips. He didn't get a chance to even open his mouth before she moved again and swung her legs over his so she was straddling his lap with her arms around his neck and her breath falling warm against his cold cheek. He didn't even have to ask where this was going to lead because she answered it for him when she leaned in and pressed her lips against his. If her actions weren't so shocking, he would have been the one to initiate this within seconds of her speaking. But she had taken charge and was now the one man handling him in a way that he had never been before. Her hands moved from around his neck to his shoulders, her fingers touching the skin at the base of his throat as she continued to kiss him. Her taste was intoxicating and if he had been human, this would have been the moment when his heart started to race. His chest may have been still, but his blood began to boil as her lips traveled across his jawline, leaving a trail of fire wherever they touched and for a second, he remembered what it felt like to be just a man and to be with a woman. She was beautiful and sexy and just breath-taking without even trying. And the more he felt her hands on his body, the more he found himself losing his grip of the control he fought so hard to hold on to.
"Not that I don't like this..." He said, pulling back from her and setting his hands on her hips to hold her in place as he stared into her eyes with a grin. "But what's with this sudden display of affection?"
"I don't know." She shrugged, her face flushed pink as she was momentarily overcome with embarrassment and looked downward at her lap. "I had a good morning and I wanted to keep it going by kissing you."
Damon grinned at the embarrassed look that flooded her eyes and she turned to look away, but he grabbed her by her chin and pulled her face back to him. And then it was him forcing their mouths together, feeling the crackle of electricity between them as he kissed her. He brought his hands to the small of her back, pressing on her spine to make her arch into him and sure enough she did move closer into his arms. He ran his fingers up and down her body, feeling her shudder underneath his touch as he pulled back to look in her face once more.
"I am definitely not complaining about this..."
A few hours later
"I should go." I told Damon later that morning as I sat in the curve of his arm with my head against his shoulder and sighed. I really had no desire to move from this spot. Not only was I physically comfortable, but I was in a much better place mentally and I felt safe and at peace for once. And I didn't want it to end. I had felt this since the moment I walked into this house and kissed him like I had wanted to do for two weeks. And since then we had just sat here on the couch, him with his arm around me tightly and me with my hand on his knee, never saying more then just a few words at a time, but that was ok. Right now words didn't really need to be spoken. I was perfectly happy just sitting there with him and he seemed to feel the same. But eventually I had to break that moment and speak. "I have to get home and shower and run some errands. So I should leave now."
"Put it off." He mumbled, almost sleepily as he tilted his head to the side to look at me with a smile. "Do it another day and just stay here with me for the day."
"I can't do that. I wish I could, trust me. But I can't." I replied, honestly considering just throwing my hands up and saying the hell with it. But I couldn't overstep my boundaries for myself just because I was caught up in the moment. I sat up and felt his arm drop away from me as I moved. "Besides, you're supposed to be resting and you have the bleeds right now because its the middle of the morning."
"Oh it's nothing." He disagreed, using the back of his hand to swipe it across his nose to get rid of the trickle of blood that had rolled down from his nostrils and smirked. "See? All better."
"Nice try, but you've been bleeding onto my arm for the past hour and totally ruined my clothing. And I just did laundry." I pretended to be annoyed but my good mood was flying so high that I ended up laughing at myself. And still I stood up and headed over to where my jacket and bag where and began pulling both over my shoulders all while keeping my eyes on Damon. Once I was through and standing there ready to go, I spoke again. "Thank you for letting me stay. And thanks for all the other times you were here for me when I needed it. It means a lot to me."
"Don't get all emotional now. That is so like a human." He said, rolling his eyes as he sat back against the couch with his arms crossed. His blue eyes met mine and he smirked. "It was nothing."
I stared at him for a full minute without saying a word and just observed the way he was looking at me. Like he didn't think anything of what he was doing for me. Like his actions didn't mean anything and they could be easily dismissed and forgotten about. But that wasn't going to happen. And that was why I walked over to the couch and placed my hand on his cold pale cheek so he would look at me straight on when I did what I did next. I didn't let him speak and leaned down to kiss him, keeping my lips on his mouth for a long time and deepening the kiss as much as I could. I was hoping that by doing this he would be able to feel the gratitude I felt for all the little things he did. They may not mean much to other people, but they did to me. So when I pulled away, I smiled and leaned my forehead against his.
"It wasn't nothing Damon. It was something." I whispered, knowing he could hear me with his vampire senses and I could feel him moving as I spoke. "it was everything. Especially to me."
And then I moved away and walked toward the front door, leaving Damon to stare after me with a look of wonder on his face.
A/N: so there you have it...Allie is back on good terms with damon and elena...and damon got kind of man-handled by allie...and godric is on his way to being resurrected...goodness all around..so much fun to write...and now the finale is even closer...5 chapters to go!
