Well I'm sorry for the delay, but for the rest of this month, unfortunatly, my updates will probably be inconsistent. But once July hits BAM I'll be back to posting regularly. : )
Stefan POV
(2 weeks after Elena's return)
I stood motionless by the bay window, absorbed in my own thoughts. The dull rays of the sun shone through the window, beating down on my cold skin. A thick blanket of white covered the earth, tiny snowflakes floated lazily to the ground. The sunlight that streamed through the cracks of the fluffy clouds danced off of the snow, making it shimmer like millions of polished diamonds.
The winter was always a serene time of year for me, still, quiet, most of the wildlife dormant, safe from the cruel intentions of mother nature.
I watched with envy as Damon and Isobel glided across the ice of the frozen lake. My blood boiled as he curled his hands around her tiny waist, and spun her around happily, as she giggled with enjoyment.
I wanted to be there with her, the one who was holding her…. but I couldn't.
Things have, relatively, gotten back to normal since Elena's return. Damon and Isobel were attached to the hip once again, although an unmistakable tension still hung heavily in the air, partly because of the sting of Damon's harsh words, which he still hasn't apologized for. And I doubt he ever will.
I was shoved back into my lonely existence, with only Elena to keep me company. Damon cared for her as she got over the superficial wounds of her trauma, while I was forced to help mend her emotional imbalance. But I guess me comforting her through her time of struggle is the least I owed her, when all I've given her is a loveless relationship.
She often awoke in the dead of night, in a cold sweat, shrieking from terrible nightmares. On more than one occasion, she had broken out into a violent fit for no apparent reason. Coming after anything that moved, with knives and wooden stakes, she stabbed me in the leg once, and Damon in the arm. Yet somehow, after the outbreaks, she would never be able to recall what she had done. We all tried to forgive her, for she seemed genuine, but it was easier said than done.
Her memory was very spotty lately, and it worried everyone in the house. Isobel wanted her put in an asylum. She was worried about our safety. She had screamed at Damon before, to get her some real help when Elena first stabbed him. But he claimed he loved her too much to put her through that, to let a bunch of strangers take care of her.
It was becoming apparent that Elena was becoming a wedge lodged in-between Damon and Isobel's centuries old friendship. And I could see how torn Isobel was over it, and it broke my heart to see her so sad. He was spending more and more time with Elena as the days progressed. This outing in the snow, was one of the few I've seen in the past weeks were it didn't end in a heated fight.
Everyone's been walking on eggshells around Elena, unsure of when she'd snap. Whatever happened to her in those 32 hours she was gone, scarred her beyond imagination.
Elena's distraught behavior, unfortunately, has caused her and Bonnie to grow apart, mainly because Bonnie is so terrified of her now. And Damon's attack on her didn't help either, Bonnie hardly ever came into the house anymore, at least not when Damon was there.
As Elena and Bonnie separated, Bonnie and Isobel were becoming good friends. Of course not scratching the surface of the intimacy Isobel and Damon shared, but it was a friendship nevertheless.
I was astounded by Isobel's ability to forgive. This girl tried to kill her, but somehow she managed to set that aside, forgive her, and become friends with her.
But that's one of the things I love most about her, she had the gift of judging a persons character. And once she likes you, you're stuck with her, and she will gladly lay down her life for you, as if it were nothing. However if she hated you…. well than she really hated you. And she didn't like the majority of people she encountered, that's why I thought it was so strange that she became friends with Bonnie. Especially because they were such polar opposites. Bonnie was naive, bubbly, optimistic, while Isobel was wary with whom she laid her trust in, she was a strong independent woman, who called you out on your bull, and was fully aware of the cruel nature of the world.
I sighed sadly, as I watched Damon tackle Isobel into the snow.
I didn't want to have to lust for her in secret, to sulk in the shadows, wanting her near me. But she made it clear that she no longer wanted me in that way.
I leaned nonchalantly against the windowpane, not ripping my eyes away from the scene before me.
I just wanted her to let me back into her life, even if it meant just being friends for now. I could live with that. I could choke down my strong feelings for her…. at least I think I could temporarily.
Damon POV
She twisted her head to me. Her eyes shone with amusement, her black hair was tossed over her delicate shoulders. I loved seeing her this way…happy. There were few occasions when she seemed genuinely carefree, and I was pleased that I was witnessing one of them.
" Race you to the other side of the lake." She challenged.
I plastered on one of my signature fox grins, "Be prepared to lose…"
She rolled her eyes at me blatantly, "I didn't want to be the one that had to break it to you Damon, but…. you're not that fast."
"I'm still faster than you." I drawled.
She waved her hands into the air and sneered sarcastically, "Yeah, ok hot shot."
"So you're finally admitting that I'm hot?" I said, cocking an eyebrow. "Not that I'm really surprised…I mean look at me."
She shook her head in disbelief, and although I could tell she was fighting it, a smile still managed to creep onto her face. God I loved her smile…
"Ok ready…. set…GO!" she shrilled, as she started to skate away.
Being the generous man I am, I let her have a few seconds head start. Then I dug my skates into the ice, pushing off, and gliding within seconds, past her.
"You're gonna have to skate way faster than that, if you want to maintain this delusion, you have, of beating me." I teased.
"Oh you just wait Damon…I'll get you when you least expect it. You just wait." She warned.
"Was that a threat?" I said with mock disgust.
"No Damon, it was a promise."
A human threatening me? I scoffed at the very idea.
I looked over my shoulder, her arms were pumping furiously at her sides, as she itched closer and closer to me. The silver blade of the skate, sliding gracefully over the sheet of ice that was dusted lightly with snow.
Did she not realize that I was a centuries old vampire? Has she not been able to understand by now, that I have inhuman speed? And that at the moment, I wasn't using even a fraction of that speed. Only because I wouldn't want her to lose that badly.
I continued to skim across the frozen water, taking only brief glances over my shoulder, smirking at her determination to beat me. Which of coarse would never happen.
I craned my neck back again, only to see the blade of Isobel's skate catch on a nick in the ice, causing her to fly forward, her hands outstretched as she slammed into the ground.
An audible crack echoed throughout the stillness of the air. I immediately stopped and hurriedly skated back to her. No longer concerned with this silly race.
I could hear the ice crunching beneath her, why wasn't she moving? The thin ice was cracking underneath her. I could see the water already drenching the back of her jeans.
She just sat there, examining her bloodied knee. I felt my fangs throb at the smell of the coppery fluid. I carefully skated over the broken ice, grabbing her awkwardly from her underarms, and placing her on a fresh sheet of ice. And in good time, the ice that she once sat on was no longer there, only a dark pit of cold water.
I crouched down beside her, placing her leg in my lap. After turning her leg over, observing the wound, it seemed as nothing was broken or injured gravely. It was simply just a scratch.
"You're fine." I stated blandly, fighting the urge to rip her neck open, and drain her delectable blood.
She snatched her leg away from me smirking, quickly scrambling up. "I know." She chirped.
I raised an eyebrow, lifting myself off of the ice as well. What was she up to?
Without warning, she lunged at me, smashing her hands against my chest. Unfortunately, my normally quick reflexes failed to work. I fell backwards, the ice shattering beneath me, water blanketing over me, my head plunging under the ice-cold water.
For a moment, I remained suspended beneath the water, shocked by her childish actions.
I pushed my head up through the frigid water, the crisp air flooding my lungs. I moved my stiff limbs, which were weighed down by my heavy clothes, and began treading water, shivering, completely stunned, as she starred down at me.
"You are such an idiot." She laughed, unable to hide her devious grin. "You should know better than anyone Damon, to never trust a pretty girl." She sung, skating away giddily. Doing little turns, and swirls along the ice.
"Oh you are so dead." I growled in a low voice.
The water wasn't that deep only about 8 feet, so I didn't have that hard of a time lifting myself back onto the ice. The moment I was on a steady slab of ice I barreled straight towards her.
She giggled happily upon seeing my aggravation. "Awwww Damon don't be so uptight, it's just a little water."
Within seconds I was behind her, I snatched her by the waist, and tackled her to the nearest patch of snow. She was breathing heavily underneath me, a sly grin spreading across her face.
"Why did you do that?" I mused, gritting my teeth, water dripping off of my clothes and onto her.
Her grin grew wider, "Two reasons." She began. "One, I warned you that I would get you when you least expect it, but you were to arrogant to believe it. And two, because I thought it would be funny…. and hmmmm…. let me see…I was definitely right." She chuckled.
Instead of being angry with her, or even remotely pissed, I found myself gazing down at her. My warm breath fanning over her, are bodies pinned together.
I felt this pull towards her…. and unconsciously I slowly began to gravitate towards her. Every brain cell, nerve, emotion, was screaming at me to kiss her. But I was snapped out of this strange trance, at Elena's angelic face popping into my mind.
I blinked a few times, trying to comprehend this new emotion I felt towards Isobel. It was this unquenchable desire for her. I've never felt something so strong in my life. But I shoved it away, deciding it was better to ignore it then to complicate things. I loved Elena…Elena. I repeated the name over and over in my mind.
I slipped my hand in hers and yanked her up, brushing off the snow on her shoulders. "We probably should change into dry clothes." I muttered softly, unable to tear myself away from her striking eyes. She nodded wordlessly. "These wet pants are starting to chafe." I stated, trying to lighten the mood. She began to snicker, looping her arm through mine, as we made are way back to the boarding house.
Once we got inside, we trotted up to my room, and she began to peel out of the top layer of her clothes. I wasn't surprised. I knew she wouldn't change in the bathroom. Nowadays, its usual occupant was Elena. She locked herself in my bathroom nearly everyday since her return, sobbing for hours and then sleeping restlessly in the bathtub, waiting for me to come soothe her.
"Turn around." She insisted.
"Come on…I'll show you mine if you show me yours." I smirked.
"I'm gonna pass…. trust me I've seen a lot of things, and I doubt your…'package'…is anything out of the ordinary." She teased.
My mouth dropped, "Excuse me! But I would like to have you know, that I am anything but ordinary down there. And I have pleasured many women, with my faithful comrade." I said smugly, "Plus, you're not worthy to see my glorious naked body anyways." I declared proudly.
"Just turn around Damon." She ordered once again, and I stingily complied.
Although I tried to resist, I couldn't help but steal a glance over my shoulder. And what I saw, I doubt I would ever be able to erase from my mind. Even though her back was turned to me, I could see how perfectly her curves were formed, creating an ideal hourglass figure. Her damp black hair trailed down her smooth back, the only thing covering her, was a pair of sheer black lace panties. The rest of her clothes were discarded in a pile on the floor.
I felt my fangs lengthen, and the veins in my face bulge, an animalistic urge that always seemed to be heightened when my emotions surged. I snapped my head back, focusing my eyes on the wall in front of me, trying to calm down.
What the hell was I doing? This was Isobel! Isobel! I wasn't allowed to feel this way about her. I love Elena god dammit!…I do love Elena right? -No of course I love her.
"You can turn around now." She answered from behind. I twisted back around, but unfortunately I wasn't able to thrust up my cool exterior quick enough to mask my true emotions. So instead, for a brief moment she saw me disheveled and confused.
She took a step towards me, "What's wrong Damon?" she questioned, her tone changing from teasing to concerned.
"Nothing." I snapped, a little too harshly.
Her brow furrowed, and she dropped her gaze to the floor. "Jesus…. forgive me for caring." She muttered under her breath.
"Remember…I can hear you." I replied coldly, trying to remain unfazed, to ignore the mounting tension between us, which has been building for weeks.
She whipped her head up to me, her expression firm. "I know you can hear me Damon, and frankly I don't give a shit. Because you and I both know that we were heading for an argument. Now seems as good a time as any, to get everything out in the open." She exploded.
"Fine if you insist. But ladies first." I hissed through clenched teeth.
"Ever since Elena magically appeared on your doorstep, things are…" I watched silently as she sifted through her mind for the right word. "things are different…..and you don't even seem to see it." She spat.
"You don't think I notice?" I snarled. "Trust me, I fucking do!"
"What the hell do you have to be angry about? I'm the one whose been treated like crap by you." She bellowed. "I'm the one who's going to lose everything. I'm the one who's going to end up alone." she whispered softly.
I sighed, "Enough with this self pity crap. It's old news."
Moisture beaded up in her eyes, "You're a complete dick you know that! You don't have any idea how I feel!"
She turned away from me sharply. I snatched her elbow, gripping it tightly. She jerked her head up to me, "You're right I don't know how you feel. But you don't know how I feel either." I growled, trying not to raise my voice, although it was proving to be a real challenge. She tried to tug her arm away, but I stayed firmly latched.
"Let go of me Damon." She warned.
For some reason, her resistance made me even more irritated, causing my grip to constrict around her arm once again. I saw her wince slightly but I didn't loosen up. "Do you know what it's like to have a suicidal best friend?"
"I'm not-"
"Shut up!" I yelled, silencing her. "Especially one who doesn't even try to act civilized, with the woman I love."
"I do try." She protested. My grasp on her stiffened again, and she tried to recoil it feebly.
"No you don't try. What was with that whole necklace thing huh?" I argued.
"I…." She trailed off. "I don't have to explain myself to you." She declared in a strong voice.
I couldn't help it, I tightened my clutch on her once more. She grimaced, "Damon let go of me." She ordered, trying to pull away. "Let go, you're hurting me Damon." She repeated again.
All the anger in her expression had washed away; her face was only covered with concern. "Damon… what's the matter with you?" she asked gently.
I don't know…what was the matter with me? Why was I hurting her? I never hurt Isobel. Not intentionally.
Isobel POV
His grip on me was narrowing. I was afraid that my bone would break under the increasing pressure. But I bit back the pain. The look in his eyes was wild, and utterly confused. Something was bothering him, and whatever it was, it would consume him. That's what usually happened to Damon. His emotions would overwhelm him until he just gave up, and either unleashed it, or simply drowned in it.
"Damon… what's the matter with you." I questioned tenderly.
His expression slowly softened, as he came to the full realization of his actions. His grip on me relaxed, and he dropped his hand to his side quickly, as though my skin had burned him.
"I-I…" he starred at me perplexed.
A rasp on the door brought us both out of our stand still argument.
"It's Stefan…are you there Isobel? I need to talk to you." His voice was low, muffled from the closed door.
Damon shook his head, silently pleading me not to say anything. Although Stefan clearly knew we were both in here…after all he was a vampire.
I ignored him, wanting a little break from Damon. We both needed some time apart to cool down.
"You can come in Stefan." I replied rubbing my arm, which had already begun to swell with black and blue marks.
He warily opened the door, taking a step into the room. "Ummm…" his eyes flittered from me to Damon, aware that he was interrupting something. "I can come back later." He mumbled.
"No it's ok. You and I can talk downstairs."
He nodded curtly, and I began to walk out of the room. But I was halted when I felt a hand enclose over my wrist, and pull me back forcefully. "Oh no you're not. We're not done yet." Damon seethed.
I threw my arm down forcefully, relinquishing his grip. "We are done Damon! Done with this whole conversation." I snapped. And I tried to subdue it, but the words spurted out anyway, "You've made it crystal clear to me these past weeks that Elena is your first priority, so go! Go talk to her. I can hear her sniffling in the bathroom. Go spend all of your time with her! Because right now, I'm going to spend my time with Stefan."
His midnight orbs bored into me. "Fine talk to whoever the fuck you want to. I don't give a shit!" he bellowed, whipping around, and pouring himself a glass of scotch.
Stefan and I left the room in silence. I clicked the door shut, only to hear a loud smash, and the tinkling of glass echo from Damon's room, seconds later.
"Yes Stefan." I sighed, as we ambled down the stairs and into the living room.
"Why is he so mad." He mused curiously.
"Things have been a little tense between us lately." I stated numbly.
"Oh…" he tilted his face away from me.
"Are you ok Stefan? You've been so…. blah these past weeks." I asked concerned, laying a hand on his forearm.
He starred down at my hand, and I quickly removed it. His deep forest eyes darted up to mine, blazing with an uncontrollable passion.
Stefan POV
"You know how I feel about you right?" I asked abruptly.
"Stefan you know I can't-"
"I rather have you in my life than not at all. I can learn to be just friends. Please just give me a chance." I pleaded.
"Just friends?" she repeated tentatively.
I nodded eagerly, "I won't try anything I promise." I reassured her.
She stood there for a few moments, contemplating. But soon enough, a grin broke out onto her beautiful face, and she tossed her arms around my neck. I went rigid. Trying to contain myself. I loved her so much it was hard to not want to do more than just hug her.
Realizing the awkwardness, and palpable tension of my desire in the air, she unwound her arms from me, smoothing out my wrinkled shirt.
"Sorry…this probably isn't helping the just friends thing." She muttered shyly.
"Not really." I answered truthfully.
"Thank you Stefan…I've missed not being able to talk to you. Believe me I have wanted to, and it hurt me to give you that ultimatum-but you have to understand why I did it."
"I understand perfectly, it's because of Damon." She nodded, her eyes wandering to the floor. "But you know if the positions were reversed, and you had a sister that Damon cared for, he wouldn't spare your feelings, he'd just go after her."
"I know." She whispered weakly.
I could tell that these constant fights with Damon have been killing her. Seeing her hurt and in pain like this...it made me sick. I tenderly, enveloped her in my arms. At first she was hesitant, but she eventually melted into my embrace, resting her head on my chest.
"I'll be all alone soon…." She mumbled into my shirt. "All those years ago, we drifted away from each other when he was with Katherine. He was going to abandon me for her, even though he promised me he wouldn't…. and now the past is repeating, and he's going to do the same thing to me with Elena. I can feel it."
I stroked her back, comfortingly, "I'll be here for you Isobel. You don't have to be alone anymore." She squeezed her arms around me tighter, nestling her face into my shirt and breathing deeply.
I wanted to lie to her, give her some sense of reassurance, and tell her that Damon would stay with her…. but honestly I didn't know. I know he cared deeply about Isobel, but would he put Elena above her? I don't know how she found out that he was going leave her once Katherine had turned him. But it was true. He lied to her before, but would he be able to lie to her again? Would he be able to leave her again? For her sake I hope not. But I don't know…. because when Damon is in love he is unpredictable.
