As Damon and Stefan flew through the window, they were met with the sight of Katherine sitting in the floor, removing a stake from her chest and Klaus hovering above Elena. Racing across the room to pull the hybrid away from her, Damon was abruptly halted by the sight of Marissa's headless body lying in a heap on the floor.
A mixture of shock, relief and regret boiled in Damon's stomach. He was finally free. Marissa was gone. He would never see her again. And once again he'd failed.
As he looked down at Marissa's headless corpse, Damon felt a pang of guilt in his chest at not having kept his word to the girl he'd once cared about. She'd never asked for this life. It had been thrust upon her all because of him.
"Katherine, are you all right?" Stefan asked as he knelt beside her.
"Nothing a little blood won't cure. Elena?" Katherine thrust herself to her feet.
"I'm right here." Elena said from the bed. "I'm okay." Her brown eyes met Damon's. "Klaus killed Marissa."
Remorse flooded Damon as he watched Elena take Klaus's hand, squeeze it, and thank him for saving her. This was twice now in the same day that Damon hadn't been able to save her. And he hated himself for it.
"I couldn't just stand by and watch her kill you, love." Klaus kissed the back of Elena's hand. "It would have ruined my plans. Besides," he turned to look at Damon, "if anyone kills you it is going to be me."
Anger welled inside Damon as he and Klaus stared at one another. A wave of power flowed from Klaus and the lock clicked on the bedroom door. Alaric came in carrying blood bags. Stefan took them and ripped one open before handing it to Katherine.
"She was going to kill you, and you didn't even flinch." Klaus turned back to Elena. "You're bravery amazes me."
Damon cringed as a ripple of Klaus's admiration for Elena flowed through him. The thought that Klaus was starting to care for Elena had Damon's fists clenching at his sides.
"Well it helped that I knew I wouldn't really be gone. Stefan's blood is still in my system." Elena looked at Damon, who was frozen in place. "If Marissa had killed me I would have come back as a vampire."
Damon had forgotten about Stefan's blood. While the realization that he wouldn't have lost her forever provided a bit of comfort, Damon couldn't help but cringe at the thought of Elena losing her humanity.
"What the hell happened?" Alaric asked.
Elena told them about Marissa showing up and fighting with Katherine, then Klaus showing up and killing her. When Alaric asked what Katherine had been doing here in the first place, Elena told them about he plan to kill Marissa.
"Well thank God you were here." Alaric looked at Katherine. "But why didn't you just kill her? You're older and stronger."
"That would be my fault actually," Klaus said. "I had compelled both Stefan and Katerina, preventing them from killing Marissa."
"What? Why?"
"Because he wanted me to kill her." Damon looked at Klaus.
Nodding, Klaus said, "Yes. I thought that maybe if you killed one of your own kind then you would fully release the wolf inside you. But now I see that things are going differently with you. I'm not sure what my blood is doing to you any more."
"That's why you tried to get me to kill Stefan, then Caroline."
"Correct." Klaus walked over to Katherine and looked into her eyes. "Are you well enough now my dear?" When she nodded, he turned to look at Damon. "I'll be in touch. Stefan, dispose of Marissa."
Klaus and Katherine disappeared through the window, leaving Stefan behind. He silently walked over to stand beside Damon as they both stared at her headless body. Stefan placed a hand on Damon's shoulder and squeezed briefly before leaning down to retrieve her head from under the bed. Damon averted his eyes as his brother scooped up Marissa's body and disappeared out the window.
Once Stefan had gone, Alaric quickly excused himself and left the room. Finally alone, Damon and Elena looked at each other.
"Damon, you haven't spoken to me since you got here." Elena's voice was so calm, so quiet, that Damon's resolve shattered.
Dismissing all thoughts of Marissa, Stefan and Klaus from his mind, Damon rushed to Elena and scooped her into his arms. His lips crushed against hers, his tongue demanding entrance to her hot, warm mouth. Her mouth welcomed him instantly as her tongue met his. Her moan vibrated through him.
Pinning her against the bed, Damon's hands roamed her body as their kiss deepened. Relieved to find her skin cool again, Damon caressed the silky skin of her side along her ribcage and down to the elastic band of her panties. With a single jerk, the flimsy fabric disappeared down her legs. Finding her swollen, hot, and wet he shuddered excitedly.
Her hands gripped his shoulders as he delved two fingers inside her, grinning as he felt her muscles clench around them. As he began to pump his fingers slowly in and out of her, Elena's head thrashed against the pillow, her hips arching to drive them deeper.
Kissing her neck, Damon fought the urge to pierce her creamy skin with his fangs. He knew he couldn't because she was still recovering. She needed all of the blood flowing through her veins, especially Stefan's, to help her recover.
The thought of Elena drinking from Stefan had him freezing instantly. As if she could read his mind, Elena gripped his face and looked lovingly into his eyes. Then she smiled before she pressed her lips against his. At first her lips moved gently against his and then they became more insistent as her tongue darted past his lips and began to explore his mouth, caressing it, claiming it as hers and hers alone. He groaned as her tongue met his, delightfully claiming control and domination of this kiss. She moaned as her tongue raked along the sharp edges of his fangs.
They both cried out as Damon plunged into her, going as deeply as he could. Pausing briefly to let the pleasure of him being completely and fully inside of Elena, connected in the most primal way possible, wash over him, Damon gazed into her smiling face. She was his. He was hers. He just hoped it was enough to get them through whatever happened next.
Elena's heart clenched at the flash of sadness she saw in Damon's eyes as he hovered above her.
"Damon?"
He shook his head and the look was gone, replaced with one of love and devotion. And then he was moving within her at a wonderful pace. Arching her hips to meet Damon thrust for thrust, the familiar, delicious pressure began to build inside her. Gasping, she gripped his biceps as she lurched forward to kiss his lips, his cheek, his neck, his shoulder.
The room around them faded away as Elena welcomed the waves of pleasure that were coursing through her, creating a delectable pressure deep within her. And with each kiss, each stroke, she climbed higher and higher. Her breath quickened, coming in harsh gasps as every nerve ending in her body tingled in anticipation of release.
Everything about Damon, his touch, his scent, his taste, awakened her body in a way she'd never before experienced. She'd never felt so whole, so…complete.
When his thumb grazed her swollen clit she gasped at the exquisite jolt of pleasure that shot straight to her core. Her body bowed; Damon nipped at her ear. His moan echoed hers, sending her over the edge. White hot light flashed behind her eyes as every nerve in her body exploded. She gasped his name as the orgasm washed over her. And while her body melted into the bed as her muscles went lax, Damon's thrusting never slowed.
Regaining her strength, Elena raked her nails along his back, eliciting a hiss of pleasure. "Like that do you?" She chuckled.
"God, yes."
His shudder empowering her, Elena roughly kissed his lips before nipping at his neck and then his shoulder. She grasped his hand and sucked his middle finger into her mouth; he groaned and buried his face in her neck.
"Damn baby." The whispered endearment against her neck had Elena's head automatically dropping to the side.
Nuzzling her neck, Damon murmured, "No, sweetheart."
"Yes, Damon." Her hand fisted in his hair as he started to draw back. She held his head in place. "I'm fine. I promise. Bite me."
He stiffened and stopped moving instantly. Whimpering, Elena moved her hips, thrusting up to take him deeper and yet deeper still. He groaned. His tongue darted out to slowly circle against her skin.
"Please, Damon," she said breathlessly, "I want you to drink from me."
"You need time to recover, baby." He brushed his lips playfully across her neck, and she responded by yanking his hair. "Mmm. When did you get so feisty?" He pulled back to look into her eyes.
Arching an eyebrow, Elena grinned as she quickened the thrust of her hips, making him growl. "If you like it then I suggest you do what I say Mr. Salvatore."
And then he was at her neck again, his fangs piercing her skin, her blood flowing from her and into his mouth. Satisfaction zipped through Elena, making her exclaim in delight. Damon's hips matched her thrusts as they both flew up and over the edge together, crying out each other's name as they climaxed together.
Sweaty and gasping for air, Elena wrapped her arms around Damon as he gently kissed the bite mark on her neck. Now she felt one hundred percent better. Shit, one thousand percent better!
"Are you okay?" Damon nuzzled her ear, nibbling on its lobe.
"Better than okay." Elena released him and he plopped onto the mattress beside her. She snuggled against him, smiling.
His arm draped around her, pressing her into him, as he said, "You know, that wasn't a good idea. I shouldn't have taken any blood from you."
"You didn't even take that much. And I wanted you to. No, I needed you to." She sighed. "We needed to reconnect in every way possible, Damon. After…everything."
"You mean Marissa?"
"And Klaus." She buried her face into his chest as she tried not to think about Damon and Marissa having sex. Or her and Klaus.
"It didn't happen you know," Damon said quietly. His fingers gently stroked her hair. "With Marissa. Klaus's first assignment for me was to have sex with her, but it didn't happen."
Her breath caught in her chest. Hope filled her as she asked, "Why not?"
"Stefan stopped us. And then while he and I started arguing Marissa snuck away and showed up here."
Closing her eyes tightly against the pain of the realization that Damon had been fully prepared to have sex with Marissa, even after Elena had told him how she felt about it, Elena swallowed. Damn Klaus. Why was he so determined to rip them apart?
"Elena?" Damon rolled over to look into her eyes. "I was only going to do it because Klaus told me I had to. It wouldn't have meant anything." He kissed her lips. "You're the only one I make love to; with everyone else sex is just sex."
Eyes swimming with tears, Elena nodded. "Then you understand how it's going to be between Klaus and me." When his body stiffened, Elena continued, "Because there's no way around it, Damon. It's what he wants."
Damon rolled away from her and quickly dressed. His body radiated anger. "You need to rest, and I need to get out of here for a bit. All of a sudden it feels like I can't breathe in here."
Elena watched as he stalked out of the room. While she knew that he was angry about Klaus and upset about Marissa's death, she couldn't help but wonder how much of Damon's sudden mood swing had to do with the fact that it was a full moon tonight.