Chapter 38. Caution Ahead
Her fingers were gripping his dark locks, while her chest heaved with each breath. The satin sheets of Damon's bed welcomed her back. It felt like ages since she had been in his bed especially like this. Her eyes fell open and closed bringing in the view of his room filled with memories good and bad, however her mind was being altered back into the world of pleasure and passion.
The muscles in her core tensed. Damon's magic below eased her slowly into a concentrated plea for more. Each pulse of pleasure made her crave release. Her mouth gapped open as his eyes lingered on her panting figuring.
"Don't stop." She whined.
His playboy smirk evolved on his face quickly and he returned to the glory zone. If she had any tension before it was gone now. Neither the accident nor Alaric's rant simmered in her thoughts. All she could focus on was Damon building the up to her release. She was close and her hand yanked on his hair.
The vibration of his moaning against her skin and sensitive area left her effortlessly slipping into oblivion. Her legs shook while her back arched. Only he could make her feel like this.
Damon's mouth trailed up her stomach, to her breasts, and to the sweet spot on her neck. She gasped for air as she came down from her high. His naked body rubbed against hers. It was impossible for their sex lives to ever be dull, not with him. Elena curled her leg around his waist cranking her chin up and her neck to the right. She wondered how bad he wanted to taste her.
"You can do it you know." She whispered. "You can taste."
Swollen lips and blazing blue eyes, Damon rose up and stared down at her. He didn't appear happy with her offer.
"Not you." He exhaled. "Not ever. Not again."
Elena sighed. "You need human blood and from the vein."
"And I will feed myself, but right now I much rather feed my other hunger." Damon said changing the subject. She didn't dwell on it and let him have his way. Her core began to tense again.
Once the fireworks and moans diminished, Damon and Elena fell happily into place on his bed. She cozied up under his arm and rested on his chest. Her eyes wandered around his room again.
"I almost forgot what it looked like in here." She commented.
"You'll have plenty of time to take it all in now that you are the owner." Damon squeezed her.
"I like it here better than my house." Elena said. "Just you and me…"
"This place holds to many memories and not enough good ones." He spoke dully.
Elena licked her lips. She chose not to agree or disagree. The idea of going down memory lane and bringing up all the tainted thoughts of what happened here, which outweighed the good, didn't sound like fun. Instead she kissed his chest and looked up at him.
"I want a place of our own. A place where we can create new memories." Damon admitted.
"I do too." She replied. "But we have other things to worry about then finding somewhere else to live. No one can get in here without me saying its okay. We're safe here. I feel safe at least."
"I want you to always feel safe." He brushed her cheek.
Unspoken words passed, as she knew how badly he wanted to protect her from all of this. Deep down he wanted her to be free of all the evil knowing she was an innocent bystander. She never asked for any of this, however there was nothing she could do. Falling into his world meant all the bad came with the good whether you wanted it to or not. Elena was beginning to accept that. It was hard too, but she couldn't pretend like none of it mattered or existed when it was constantly being brought up.
"I want to take you somewhere." Damon said.
"Where?" She asked.
"It's a surprise."
"Surprises aren't my favorite thing right now." Elena responded hesitantly.
"This is a good one. I promise." He spoke sounding hopeful.
Elena couldn't deny him when he sounded like that. Not to mention how incredibly amazing he looked just after sex. It was the hair. Messy and thick, she touched it once more. Smiling at him she kissed him with a peck on his cheek and slipped out of bed signaling she would go.
Unsure of where Damon was taking her, she relaxed into the leather seats of his Camaro. Seeing him behind the wheel in his prized possession she grinned. So many times she had been nuzzled in the back seat of an expensive town car or an SVU with him, while his driver whisked them away to wherever. It was nice to be able to afford such a lifestyle he lived, but she liked the intimate setting of him driving a classic. His baby blue eyes were glued to the open country road ahead and his hand was caressing hers. For moment she forgot about the rest of the world and its troubles allowing her to live in the moment with him.
The trees were growing thicker continuing onward from town. They had to be a few miles out and she wondered how much further they would go. With Damon any destination was a possibility. He enjoyed escaping reality as much as she did.
When the reared to the left and on to a beaten, gravelly road she perked up. Her gaze scanned the giant field and the rising hill as they ascended up it. Nothing but acres of green grass and natures finest surrounded them. It was a place she was not expecting to go.
Slowing the car down, Damon put it in park. The engine died and he squeezed her hand.
"What do you think?" He asked.
"It's beautiful." She replied. Her mind was boggled with what else to say. "It's open and green."
Damon laughed. "It's ours." He said.
No longer being drawn to what was outside the window, she was now distracted by him. Had she heard him correctly? Ours?
"Ours?" Elena questioned his statement.
"Yes, all of this is ours." He smirked.
She heard what he said, but she didn't understand him. Stepping out of the car, Elena admired every blade of grass, every towering tree, and the endless view the hill provided as it overlooked pond. How could this be hers? It was too beautiful and too untouched to belong to her or Damon. Suddenly, she felt vulnerable realizing where she was standing.
"What if..." She spun around looking panicked for any threat.
"You're fine. We're fine." Damon assured her. "I won't let anyone hurt you, not here."
"But," Elena protested. Her heart accelerated and her palms became sweaty. Waiting for Katherine or Klaus or whoever was ordered to hurt her to come out of the woods, she found herself gravitating toward him.
Her hip touched his hip. His hands were massaging each side of her neck as his thumb softly rubbed her jawline. Warmth settled in her core knowing all it took was his touch to ease her out of worry. Elena reached for his wrists holding on to them and staring into his eyes. In this light, they were as blue as the ocean on a sunny day. Two perfect alluring blue irises were captivated by what was in front of him and not what was around him. It was his most attractive feature and even she could remember taking note of his eyes the first time they met.
"It's beautiful, Damon." Her voice carried with the breeze.
"You're beautiful." Damon corrected. "You're the most beautiful human being I've ever met."
On command, her cheeks rose and flushed with heat. She leaned in to his touch and looked over the picturesque view. If this was what she could gaze at every day from dawn to dusk, she would.
"Now that this is ours," she exhaled. "What are we going to do with it?"
Damon spun and walked to the middle of the field, just were the hill curved. His arms fanned out and he smirked. "I was thinking this could be our new home. We could start fresh as a married couple and build up from here. We could have a place of our own." He proposed with beaming pride. "That is if you want to."
A two-story home made of solid brick rising up from the ground came to life in her imagination. A garden on the left planted with vegetables and fruits just like her mother once tended to at her childhood home. A patio built in the rear overlooking the pond and the land of trees extending for miles. Large glass windows bringing in sunlight and moonlight could illuminate every wall and perfection that would go into a home. Elena losing herself in the thought wrapped her arms around her and joined Damon at the top of the hill.
"It's what I want." She confessed.
His arm looped around the lower part of her back. Her head resting on his broad shoulder letting nature's sounds enclose around them. A home their own, she had envisioned it many times, but nothing like this.
"Elena." Damon spoke her name delicately.
"Yes?"
"Why do you want to become a vampire?" He asked.
It was the dreaded question again. Alaric's rampage of how her decision was not rationalized or appropriate had left her with a sick feeling in her stomach still. Damon, on the other hand, had spoke to her aggressively and thoughtfully on the subject many times before.
"Damon, we've been over this." Elena sighed irritated by the topic. "Can we put it to rest? I'm not changing anytime soon so everyone can calm down."
"It's not that." He responded hinting his discomfort and running his hand through his hair. "I just want to know why you want to become something that will only lead you to a life that is destructive and bloody."
"Life is what you make of it." Her voice trailed.
The sunlight was blocked as his dark frame stood in front of her. Every line, muscle, and glare meant he was serious about discussing the matter. Elena wished he hadn't brought it up ruining a perfectly shared moment.
"True, but you can't avoid the obvious. When you become a vampire you will have this undying crave for blood. It will consume you and you won't be able to stop." Damon lectured. "All new vampires are like this. You will be no exception."
"And when the time comes I'll deal with it." She moaned.
"I just want you to understand." He sighed.
Elena reached out and touching his chest letting her palm lay flat. He covered it with his hand and pushed it close to his heart.
"I understand," Elena cocked her head to the side. "But I know I want this. I want to be with you. Forever."
"What you're doing means you're giving up every bit of your human life." Damon's voice went soft, but firm. "Your potential to do anything human will be erased. Do you understand that?"
"Where is the guy who claimed I would make one hell of a vampire the other day?" She asked searching for him.
Damon shook his head. "It's not that I don't think you won't. I think you'll transition better than I ever did. Plus, seeing you in vampire form is sort of a turn on." He smirked and dropped it immediately. "But that's beside the point."
"What is your point?"
"My point is, I don't want you to regret your decision later down the road. I don't want you to wake up one day and realize you can't go through the motions of aging with Caroline. I don't want you to curse your existence because you can't go on surviving without human blood." Damon spoke quickly finding every reason for her not to change. "I don't want you to grieve years down the road when you watch the people you love move on and realize you're stuck. I don't want you to be depressed because you know you'll never have kids. We'll never be able to create a family."
Every reason he struck she had thought about. The last one though hit her like a low blow to the stomach. Elena was aware by being with Damon he could never impregnate her nor would she be able to conceive a child. It was impossible. Thoughts of children had crossed her mind many times, but she wasn't sure if it was the right thing for her. After watching her parents pass, she wasn't sure if bring a life belonging to her was plausible. What if something happened to her? She didn't want her child growing up without his or her parents like she did. It was awful to think.
"Did you regret it?" Elena asked hiding the tremble in her voice.
"At first, yes." Damon answered. "The moment I woke up in my new state, I was livid. Katherine had left me. She was the only reason why I wanted this life and when she gone, I regretted it almost instantly."
It wasn't the answer she was hoping for him to give, but it was honest. Damon was never one to sugarcoat a situation. She recalled their conversation in his office as he explained his past and Katherine. He spoke of his trials, failures, and lessons learned as he went from decade to decade surviving as a vampire. Hearing him state his regret didn't sway her decision, it only made her feel wary.
"But I had to move on and I did. I made the choice to complete my transition and I went on massacres and binges, but you already know this." He explained. "I was awful and I hated myself. I had given up everything, all my potential in what I was brought up to become as a human all for a girl, an immortal one at that."
"You overcame all that though." Elena interrupted.
"With time and in the vampire world that's not months or even a few years." Damon rolled his eyes. "That's a couple decades or so. It took me a long time Elena to accept who I was and wanted to be as my new self. I had to understand I wasn't going to have a normal life as much as I strived for it. I was never going to grow old and settle down."
"Aren't you settling down though? With me?" She asked. A twinge of hurt was in her question.
Licking his lips, he brushed his hand through her hair. "You have to understand, I didn't think it was possible back then. My mind was permanently set on the bachelor lifestyle. No woman could persuade me otherwise and then I met you. It all changed. It became possible, but there is still so much with that possibility that could never be met."
"Like having a family." Elena stated letting her eyes drop down to the grass. It was smashed beneath her feet.
"I was torn when you told me you wanted to change. I hated myself for dragging you in this far because I felt like I was doing exactly what Katherine did to me." Damon told her. "But the certainty in your eyes told me otherwise that I was nothing like her. I know that now."
Elena smiled.
"I want you to become like me so we can be together forever, but at the same time I don't want you to have to go through all the pain that I went through when I changed. It was terrible, Elena." His eyes dropped down too. "At the same time though, you're different than I am. Maybe you'll have it easier. Maybe it won't be as bad."
"Damon…" She tried to comfort him.
A glimmer of water was glazed over his blue eyes. He tried not to let it fall.
"You wanting this means you'll give up everything just for me. You have no idea how wonderful and terrifying that makes me feel." Damon confessed.
"Did you want kids, a family?" Elena asked abruptly.
The pain in his face was all she needed. Her hands grasped both of his and she too fought the urge to let any tear stream down her face.
"I did." He said. "I saw my family as a projection of what I could have one day. The way my mother doted on Stefan and I. The way my father neglected his role. I wanted a family of my own so I could become a father not like my own and love like my mother did for us."
Her hand wiped away a tear quickly. She squeezed Damon's hand and stepped closer to him.
"You never told me any of this." Elena whispered.
"It's not something I dwell on." His cold-hearted voice broke though. He was switching gears. The humanity within him seeped through too far and she knew he hated that. Damon was pushing it away, trying to turn it off.
"It's something I wanted too." She professed. Damon's eyes went wide. "But I know I can't with you. I married you Damon knowing exactly what I was getting myself into. You are my family and I don't need a spawn of us to dignify that. You and I, we're all each other needs."
Her words were the honest truth. The thought of having a child with him made her happier than it should. Imagining a dark haired version of them running around in the open lawn and watching Damon smile and laugh knowing even someone as damaged as he could produce something so wonderful made her smile. It killed her to know it would never come, but as long as she had him, she was content.
"Are you sure?" He asked loudly. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
"I'm positive." Elena grinned as another tear fell down her face. "I was positive when I married you and I'm positive now that I only want you, forever. I want to be a vampire, Damon. I want you to teach me how."
Wet, needy lips forced themselves upon hers. She stumbled back and he steadied her with his hand. Each kiss was filled with desperation and love. Months in the making, this was who they became. Two very different people joined by compassion for one another. Her heart elated with endless and unconditional love for him. No argument or threat could get in the way of that. Elena was meant to be with him. This was who she was and she knew her mind and body was preparing for the biggest change of all.
Back at the Salvatore house, Elena laced up her running shoes and tugged on her slick ponytail. In preparation for a run, she had conversed with Damon about her need to build endurance and strength. Hesitant on the idea of her running alone, he told her to keep her distance close so he could tune in his senses and track her if anything were to happen. She kissed him passionately knowing she would never get enough of him.
"I'll only be ten minutes." She yelled.
"Hurry back and be safe." Damon responded loudly.
The sun was setting in the horizon and she knew she couldn't stray away for too long especially with the night hours approaching fast. Elena knew of the risk she was taking going out alone, but she had faith in herself. Zipping up her light running jacket courtesy of Damon's expensive closet of assorted clothes he had bought a while back when they were dating, she shoved one of Alaric's stakes inside it. He left it with her for safekeeping. Only training for a few hours she was educated on how to stake a vampire if need be, but she hoped it wouldn't have to come down to that. Being cautious was better than being unprepared.
Her feet tapped against the paved driveway and she started off with a slow jog down it all the way to the open street. Little to no cars passed along the highway usually. Looking both ways she veered to the left breaking into a run. Her lungs filled with air and she felt the wind wiping past her. It had been a long time since she had done anything of this sort. Exercise was never her forte, but a necessary activity she needed to endure if she was going to get anywhere with her training. She kept her pace steady.
To her back, a car zoomed on the opposite side of the highway hooking its horn at her. Elena ignored the rude gesture. She focused on the long stretch in front of her and she burst into a sprint. The music in her ear buds blared. Every angered thought of what happened to her and Damon seared through her brain giving her motivation to continue on.
Reaching half a mile, she turned on her heel and headed back slowing her pace. Her phone in the Velcro pouch on her arm buzzed and chimed her ringtone over the music. The pattering of her feet slowed as she paused to see who it was.
"Hello?" She answered.
Click.
Pulling the phone away from her ear, she checked the caller ID. It was an unknown, unregistered number. She figured someone had the wrong number and hung up when she answered. Thinking nothing of it, she went to replace her phone back in her arm pouch when it buzzed again. This time it was a text message.
Her heart stopped all blood flow as he gasped and panicked.
YOU'RE RUNNING THE WRONG WAY.
Was she being watched?
Another text came in and her thumb trembled as she opened it.
HEAD SOUTH. DECIDE TO RUN NORTH AND SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR PRECIOUS HUSBAND.
Literally shaking, Elena spun around and around trying to see if someone was lingering in the woods. No cars were coming either way. It was just she, alone and in the middle of a deserted road. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing straight up.
WHO IS THIS?, she texted back waiting eagerly for a reply. A response almost came instantly after she had sent her message.
DO YOU WANT TO SEE HIM LIVE OR DIE? IT'S YOUR CHOICE ELENA. HEAD SOUTH AND RUN!
Drawing in a deep breath, she turned back in the direction she had originally been running. It was the opposite way of where Damon lived and it was going out of boundaries of where she agreed to stay in. Elena exhaled rapidly as she picked up a jog again and snapped her neck left and right. She was most definitely being watched. Thankfully, she was glad she had her stake on her. Whoever was threatening her would be in for a rude surprise seeing as she was armed.
Her phone buzzed once more as she passed her half-mile point and she paused to read it.
DON'T STOP LOVE. KEEP RUNNING.
Elena gripped her phone in her hand as she walked fast. He was here. It was Klaus. She knew all too well his use of the word "love". Hearing it many times before as he said it within earshot, Elena grew furious. Her fingers ran rapid over the screen keyboard as she typed a response.
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? I'LL DO ANYTHING AS LONG AS YOU DON'T HURT HIM!
This had to spark his interest. By surrendering to him, if it were Klaus, would draw his attention away from Damon. Safe inside the walls of his own home thanks to her, she knew he couldn't be touched. However, as time passed and she went further out of his range he would worry and he would go out looking for her. Once outside the invisible safe barrier he would be in danger. Damon hadn't drunk enough human blood yet to be strong enough to take on Katherine. She could only assume it would be here torturing him again if she got her filthy paws on him. Vampire versus vampire, while human versus human was the scenario she conducted.
ANYTHING?
She replied, ANYTHING.
"Hello love." His cruel voice came to life before her.
Dark circles formed under his bloodshot eyes and his skin complexion was white as snow. He looked erratic and crazed. Klaus hunched over smirking wide and his mouth gaping open with saliva dripping from the corners.
"Klaus." Elena breathed.
It was him. He had been watching her and sending her the messages. But how had she not caught sight of him? Struck by something horrifying, she suspected the worse.
"You smell delicious." He hissed.
Bruises circled his neck and he appeared disheveled in his appearance. Paying attention to the details, Elena knew exactly what was happening. Despite her plea to save Damon from any danger, she ran. She sprinted as hard as she could down the road. Klaus glared over his shoulder catching a glimpse of his distorted face and angry demeanor. Her chest heaved with every stride and she reached into her jacket ready to strike.
"And where do you think you're going?" Klaus asked slithering his body as he appeared out of thin air.
Elena halted as he grabbed her shoulders. She couldn't move. He wouldn't let her. His head coiled back and a familiar sight transformed before her. The fear from earlier was proving to be true. Klaus was in transition and hungry. What came next didn't surprise her, but it still hurt like hell.
AN: Only two chapters left! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and who have actually left reviews throughout the series. You have no idea how much I love reading them and they help motivate me to write more. I could have ended this chapter with Damon and Elena's tender and tear filled moment on the hill, but I had to introduce Klaus back into the picture. If FSB has been intense before, its about to reach the highest level of intensity and suspense in the next chapter. Thank you for reading and leave your review below. Much love, MFF.