Brief Lapse in Judgement
Elena lay comfortably in Stefan's bed, contently gazing around his room in wonder. She'd never been in his room before, and it was interesting to see each of the little trinkets that he still carried over the century and a half that he'd been a vampire. Elena wore Stefan's long-sleeved forest green button up with the cotton sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and a simple pair of navy blue satin boy shorts that Caroline had thrown at her when they had gone lingerie shopping. Stefan's sheets curled around her waist, still rumpled from their recent lovemaking.
Stefan lay sprawled on her left breathing deeply in his slumber. One of his hands laid reassuringly atop her stomach, spread apart like a starfish, keeping her in place, while the other rested beneath his pillow. It was peaceful moments like these with Stefan that made Elena fall all the more in love with him. She heard a little sigh escape his lips.
"It's considered rude to stare ya know." Stefan murmured into his pillow, slowly turning to face her while blinking the sleep adorably out of his eyes.
"If you were awake, I could do more than just stare at you." A genuine smile crossed his lips and he rolled over until he hovered over her.
"You couldn't have woken me sooner? Vampires don't need sleep; allows for great stamina." His forehead met hers, their noses brushing softly together.
"You looked so peaceful, I couldn't have woken you if I even tried." She breathed. Their lips molded together gently in an age old dance, tongues tangling together as their faces brushed impossibly closer to one another. Through it all their eyes stayed locked on one another, reassuring the other that they weren't going anywhere. Unfortunately, one of them needed to breathe, bringing an end to their moment.
"I love you." Stefan vowed sweetly.
"I love you too." She returned swiftly and honestly.
Their lips fused together once more for a longer period, only breaking apart for air when absolutely necessary. Just as they were about to start another round, Elena's stomach gave a loud growl, alerting Stefan immediately to her growing hunger.
At Elena's annoyed groan, Stefan chuckled, "How about I make breakfast?"
Elena pouted, "I'd rather you keep me company in this large bed."
"Breakfast in bed it is then." Stefan proposed quickly while silently agreeing with her. He wanted to continue their previous activities, and would love to stay with her in his room making love all day, but her human needs came first. Before she could protest, he silenced her with another kiss.
"I'll be quick." He promised, throwing on some sweats before flashing downstairs to their kitchen. Less than a minute later, Stefan comes into the room with a sheepish expression on his handsome face. "We're out of food…" Stefan shakes his head disappointedly and continues, "I'll have to make a quick trip to the store."
Elena groaned once more, and moved to protest but it died in her throat. Their previous ventures had made her ravenous for some sort of sustenance, and she couldn't ignore the growing ache in her stomach. She beckoned him over to her, to which he happily obliged, and proceeded to plant a lingering kiss on his lips.
"Hurry back." She smiled softly at him as he strode out the door. Once the sound of the Salvatore's front door being shut echoed around the house, Elena let out a lonely sigh and continued to gander around the room for several minutes. Her stomach grumbled hungrily once more, and in an effort to ignore it, she got up to go search around Stefan's room.
Starting at the bookshelf, she looked curiously at the spines of the books for their titles and couldn't help gasping when she saw a couple first editions in his collection. At further inspection, a couple of his first editions had signatures from the authors themselves. To be honest, when Elena first found out that Stefan and his brother were immortal vampires, she didn't have the time to really figure out what that meant. The Salvatore brothers had spent lifetimes on this earth, wandering from city to city, and experienced the day to day life of each decade.
The Salvatore brothers must have witnessed so much history, a subject that immensely fascinated Elena; the idea of it all was truly a wonder. Just thinking of the stories that they could tell of their travels caused a wave of awe to suddenly rip through her gut. Making a mental note to persuade Stefan into telling her a couple stories from his past, Elena moved on in her search.
A photo album soon caught Elena's attention, but just as she was about to open it, a thought struck her, making her cease entry. Would Stefan think this as an invasion of privacy? She didn't know what was in that album, and she knew that even though they're dating, Stefan probably wouldn't want her to be snooping around his things without his permission. Elena made a move to set down the album back into its place on the bookshelf when a lone photo fell out of the album and onto the floor. The faded white of the back of the photo stared up at her from the floor.
From the back, the photo looked worn, and she couldn't tell if it was taken when cameras were first made, or when mini portraits were still being painted. Elena didn't know why a feeling of unease swept over her as she reached down to carefully pick up the fragile photo in front of her, turning it over to look at it when her curiosity trumped the better of her.
She soon found out why when the photo was flipped over. All of the air seemed to have been sucked out of her lungs as she studied the photo. Elena was looking at herself in an old fashioned dress with beautiful brunette curls framing her face as she smiling angelically at the painter. A subtle mischievous sparkle resided within the eyes of her mirror image, contradicting the innocent smile curling on her full lips.
The questions that scrambled around her head vanished, and a feeling of something cold and sinister began to seep into her bones. A glance at the writing beneath the photo confirmed the feeling: Katherine Pierce, 1864.
A tirade of emotions swept through Elena, crippling her and making it hard for her to think straight. With shaky hands, Elena dropped the photo face up onto a wooden table as she began to back away disbelievingly from the photo. No. Stefan wouldn't do that to her. Would he? Then why hadn't he told her that she looked exactly like his ex-girlfriend? Was she just the rebound that Damon had hinted at when they'd first met?
Elena's nails dug into her palms, nearly drawing blood, as another wave of emotions overwhelmed her. Confusion, anxiety, disbelief, anger, heartbreak, sadness—to name a few—were just a few of the many that attacked her conscious viciously. She had to get away to fully process the information she'd just obtained. She had to run before she broke down, before Stefan came back. Elena didn't want to be near nor reminded of Stefan at the moment. Especially not when she found out that his ex could practically be her twin after they'd slept together. Tears began to gather in her eyes. Was everything he said a lie? His feelings too? Elena didn't know.
Gathering her clothes where they'd been scattered the night before, Elena was quick to slip them on after leaving Stefan's in a heap at the foot of the bed. Then she stumbled out of the room, trying to escape the confines of Stefan's room without breaking down. Another realization hitting her caused Elena to freeze just outside of his door. She was tired of crying. Ever since her parents' funeral she felt that's all she'd been doing, and she wanted—no needed—it to stop. She was a big girl now, and needed to face the situation head on.
I'll be needing some liquid courage tonight for sure, Elena thought tiredly and trudged down the steps in search of Damon's private stash of bourbon. Minutes of searching later, Elena was pouring herself a large glass of the strong alcohol and plopping down onto the couch to wait for her boyfriend's impending arrival.
Halfway through the glass she heard a throat being cleared. The strength of the alcohol had already made her deliciously tipsy, so she hadn't been coherent enough to care about his echoing footsteps until he was entirely too close.
"Are you trying to kill yourself?" Damon chastised from behind her before she felt the glass being snatched from her hand.
"Hey!" Elena yelped, reaching over him to grab the glass. Damon smacked her hand away from the glass with a flick of his wrist.
"Nope, not gonna happen, Gilbert. Not 'til you tell me what's got you so mopey." The drink was already causing Elena's emotions to go a little haywire, which in turn made her more on the honest side than she would be under the usual circumstances. So it was no surprise when she could feel herself begin to tear up once again. Her lips began to quiver, and in an effort to halt the sign of weakness, she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, effectively drawing his attention to her lips. God he wanted to bite those deliciously tempting lips of hers. They were so similar to the ones he'd been familiar with a century before. Damon wondered what they'd look like after he'd kissed her senseless, making them engorged with blood. Would they darken into a rosy color rather than their usual delicate pink? And the taste… Would she taste as sweet as she looked? Damon sure wanted to find out. The air thickened ominously around them as tension rose.
"It's nothing." Elena mumbled. Damon rolled his eyes.
"If it was nothing, you wouldn't have gotten into my liquor." Damon shot back, calling out her bullshit.
"Since when do you care?" She retorted, crossing her arms across her chest with her eyes narrowed in his direction.
"Once my bourbon got involved, I got involved sweetheart." Damon spoke as if this was the most obvious statement in the world. Elena released an exasperated sigh and stood swiftly. She walked over to grab another glass, ignoring his scowl, and poured herself some more of the inebriating beverage. The teenager was quick to gulp down the contents of her glass and refilled it just as quickly.
"I found the picture of Katherine in Stefan's room." She conceded tensely after a moment of silence. Her jaw clenched at the thought of being used. She'd only been with one other guy before, and she broke his heart. Was this the universe's revenge? Break someone else's heart just to have hers broken in return. If that's the case, then karma really is a bitch.
"I'd always wondered when you'd find out…" Damon trailed off at the look of fire she sent him. Her glare set his skin aflame in the most peculiar way. He honestly didn't think anyone could've turned him on as much as she could with just a single look. If he thought it'd been intense with Katherine while he was human, then boy was he in for a ride. The amount of fire and passion in her eyes threatened to consume him, and a large part of him wanted that to happen. But he wasn't sure if he could stand the aftermath. Would he be able to stop after having just a taste of the forbidden fruit?
"You knew?!" Elena spat vehemently at him along with a glare. Damon's eyebrows rose in mock surprise.
"No. I've never seen Katherine before in my life." Damon lashed sarcastically. "Of course I knew. She did turn me and Stefan, but you already knew that."
"Then why didn't you tell me?" Elena interrogated him.
"It wasn't my place to tell you. You're dating Stefan, not me, remember?" Damon explained before taking a swig of bourbon. Elena's gaze rested on him for a long while, scrutinizing him. Her gaze left him feeling weirdly exposed, more exposed than he'd ever felt before, and he'd been a part of many one night stands. She released a sigh, finishing her glass with a large swig, and refilled it once more.
"Yeah, well maybe I should be…" She muttered in a voice barely audible to herself, but Damon heard her just fine as if she'd yelled it to him from across the room. His eyes bugged out, and he gaped at her. Yet she didn't turn to look up at him, for she was too busy staring into the depths of her glass of bourbon. He wondered if she'd realized the significance of what she'd just said, or maybe if it was just the alcohol talking.
"What?" Damon stared at her more intently now, searching for any sign of doubt on her face. Her head snapped up to look him head on, a scarlet blush grazing over her cheeks.
"Did I say that out loud?" Elena's embarrassment grew at his nod of confirmation. She swallowed hard and looked down at the clean floor. Damon ghosted towards her until he kneeled down in front of her, putting his face in her line of sight. His only indication that he had her attention was the way her breath hitched as his icy blue eyes met her own.
"Say it again." Damon demanded, grazing his fingers across her cheek. The simple touch ignited her skin aflame, seeming to lick at her from just beneath the surface. Everything seemed to freeze, the only thing that existed was the feeling of his skin against hers, and the look he was giving her. Damon's eyes smoldered, and if she thought it were ever possible, they could've melted the polar icecaps with the amount of raw heat that exuded from them. Her teeth pierced her bottom lip as he dared her to repeat her previous statement. There's no going back now, Elena thought as a flash of confidence surged through her.
"I said, maybe I should be." Elena surveyed his reaction, receiving none as a blank mask rested across his features.
"Maybe you should be what?" Damon prodded further, praying she wouldn't lose her nerve, and that she would clarify her vague statement. Hope exploded in his gut when she leaned into his hand, now pressing it firmly against her warm cheek. The sound of her heartbeat rising caused hunger to sink its claws into him, yet it wasn't his thirst that demanded his attention.
"Maybe I should be with you, not him." Elena couldn't bring herself to say Stefan's name. Not during a moment like this. Not while Damon was holding her like this, and looking at her with those darkening blue irises of his.
That was all he needed for him to practically lunge forward, caging her in his arms, and capture her lips with his. The sudden force of him on top of her caused her to fall backwards until she landed with her back pushed into the cushions of the couch. The couch squeaked with the sudden impact of two bodies, and the sound seemed to echo in the otherwise silent house. Every inch of him weighed on her, covering her completely as they continued to exchange heated kisses. The fire that had been simmering beneath the surface was quick to become a raging inferno. Elena let it overwhelm her senses completely, tangling and twisting her fingers into his raven hair, tugging on it to bring him intoxicatingly closer. The closer he got, the more his unique scent flooded up her nostrils, and she couldn't get enough of it; Elena couldn't get enough of him. A particularly hard tug of his hair elicited a growl from deep within his chest. Soon, air became a necessity for the human doppelganger and she broke away from him, panting into open air as Damon trailed kisses down her jaw and neck, pausing to nip and suck at the sensitive patches of skin he found along the way.
"Bedroom." Elena ordered.
Damon didn't need to be told twice, and without so much as a second thought, he flashed them to his bedroom. All but one thought disappeared, but it was quick to retreat within the shadows. Will he be able to go back after he'd gotten a taste of the forbidden fruit?
"Damon, stop," Elena giggled, "that tickles." Damon smirked against her skin and continued to plant butterfly kisses on every inch of skin that he could reach, ignoring her weak protest. As he placed lingering kisses along her jaw and down her neck, she surveyed him. He seemed different somehow, lighter almost. When he kissed her, looked at her, he didn't smirk; an actual smile lit his face, and Damon was acting more playful than she'd ever seen him before. Elena couldn't identify the looks he sent her when he thought she wasn't looking, and she wasn't sure how they made her feel. It certainly wasn't something bad; it brought about thrill and anticipation.
Damon couldn't seem to keep his hands off of the beautiful brunette in his arms, keeping her pulled snugly against him as he continued his playful advances.
"Never." Damon vowed as he looked at her intensely with the tip of his nose brushing against her cheek, looking deep within the hazel depths of her eyes. His voice held a promise. Of what, she wasn't sure.
Elena's lips met his, hers catching his own when he began to dodge her own teasingly. She hummed against his mouth contentedly and softly ran her fingers through the soft and dark locks she found atop his head. His response was to tighten his arm around her waist and kiss her firmly. The sheets surrounding them twisted around them, tangling the two closer together, and moved to accommodate them with every twist and turn of their bodies. As both their hands began to wonder, each caught up in their own all-consuming lust, Damon froze. Something like an irritable whine sprung from his throat along with a silent curse.
"What is it?" Elena stiffened along with him.
"Stefan's home." Damon murmured to her as quietly as he could, not wanting to chance his brother hearing them. If it was any possible, Elena grew tenser and her eyes widened as she gazed into the cerulean orbs belonging to one Damon Salvatore.
"Where's he now?" Elena replied urgently, gripping him tighter as if for reassurance. What happened to the confident girl that was ready to confront Stefan the moment he got home? Oh, that's right; she fucked his brother while he was off getting groceries from the store.
"He's pulling the car in." Damon scrutinized her face for a reaction and only found panic along with a smidge of guilt. His hands moved to cradle her face gently and he began tracing small soothing circles on her cheeks with both thumbs. She let loose a shaky breath and looked at him pleadingly. He understood immediately and pulled away from her reluctantly with a disappointed sigh to throw on his clothes. While doing so he shot her a fleeting look, one full of seduction and promise; they'd pick up where they left off later.
"I'll distract my brother while you grab my keys and wait in the car. Got it?" Damon raised an eyebrow at her. Elena nodded energetically towards him and jumped up to find and pull on her own apparel.
The vampire stared after her for a beat, briefly pondering why he wasn't rubbing it in Stefan's face that he got the girl. He shook away the thought as he thought of Elena's panic upon the notion that she might come face to face with Stefan. He was so lost in thought he didn't notice the human walk confidently up to him until her face was inches from his own.
Elena noticed his preoccupation and leaned forward, closing the short distance to place a deep kiss on his mouth before removing herself to look at him expectantly. Damon heard Stefan's quiet footsteps as he walked around the kitchen along with the occasional sound of pots and pans being stirred. Go, Elena mouthed to him. Damon nodded his acknowledgement before flashing off into the kitchen.
"Sup Saint Stefan. So kind of you to cook me breakfast, little bro, but I'm more of an O negative kind of guy these days." Damon drawled sarcastically. Stefan glanced over at his brother and rolled his eyes.
"It's for Elena." Stefan replied, focused on chopping an onion.
"Right." Damon said lowly with a smirk. He could hear Elena tip toeing down the stairs and—for the first time in his life—he thanked Stefan for sticking to his bunny munching diet, or else there wouldn't have been a doubt in his mind that they'd have been caught. Well, he could always snap Stefan's neck, but he'd rather not go that far. Another plus that Damon noticed was that Stefan was distracted, pondering whatever goes around in that head of his. By this point, Elena had more than likely reached Damon's car, all he needed was to follow and everything should be smooth sailing from there.
That is until Stefan realizes his girlfriend is gone.
"I better get going, lots of stuff to do." Damon called out absentmindedly as he walked out of the kitchen. Stefan ignored him, thoughts of Elena consuming his mind completely. Damon crossed the distance from the kitchen to his car in the blink of an eye, startling Elena who sat quietly in the passenger seat. She pressed her palm against her racing heart as she sent a glare in the dark haired vampires direction. Damon could only chuckle in response, she looked like an angry kitten. The quirk of his lips widened at the unintentional nickname.
"Ready to go kitten?" Damon teased. Elena's eyes widened a tad at the pet name, but a twitch of her lips revealed her amusement.
"Kitten?" She questioned with a half-smile in place. Damon just shrugged in response, and twisted the key in the ignition, starting up the car. Then the duo was free, escaping the premises of the Boarding House, leaving it fading away in the rear view mirror. The weather was fair that day, and the temperature was perfectly cool. Elena rolled her window down to get a taste of the breeze, and Damon followed suit soon after.
After a while of driving around town, Damon asked, "Where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere but here." Elena turned to look at him without a trace of hesitancy.
Damon licked his lips as he pondered where to bring the beautiful doppelganger, drawing Elena's attention to his oh so tempting mouth. She remembered the way they kissed every square inch of her body less than an hour earlier, and she had to discreetly cross her legs when heat began to pool delightedly in her lower belly. She bit the inside of her cheek and turned her attention to the rich green fields that surrounded the vehicle.
They were on the outskirts of Mystic Falls, Elena realized with surprise. Perhaps he was going faster than she thought.
Damon's jaw clenched, and his fingers tightened along the stirring wheel as he looked at the brunette looking out the window from the corner of his eye. He could smell the sweet scent of her arousal from the moment it permeated his car, and it tested every ounce of control he possessed. Her taste was addicting; he'd realized from the first brush of his tongue against her core. He wished more than anything that he could be with her every second of every day, whether that be by her side during one of Mystic Falls' many founding family events or holed up in the seclusion of his room. Although, right now, he'd honestly prefer the latter.
Forcing himself to focus on the road in front of him, he futilely tried to ignore how tight his jeans were getting as flashes of Elena in various positions came to mind and the sound of his name spilling from her lips when she came apart in his arms echoed in his ears.
That last part did it, breaking through every layer of self-control he'd so carefully constructed, causing him to turn off onto the closest deserted and hidden road he could find, hastily bringing the car to a sudden stop. Elena's eyebrows furrowed and a puzzled expression crossed her features when she saw the tension in his posture. Unconsciously, she began reaching over the console to rest her hand against the flesh of his cheek.
"Damon? What's wro— "Elena was cut off when his lips crashed down abruptly onto hers. Her surprise was taken over by the need to get closer to him, causing her to twine her arms around his neck.
"Why…do you have…to be so… tempting." Damon panted between fierce kisses. He drew Elena into his lap, growing annoyed with the console between them, so that she now straddled him. She smiled against his mouth and continued to devour him like the world's tastiest dessert.
Elena couldn't get enough of the feeling of Damon under her, or of the intoxicating sensation that rippled through her entire being each time she ground her hips down into his. She could feel the hard length of him with each downward thrust and she yearned to remove all trace of the fabric between them. As if reading her mind, Damon popped the button on her jeans and jerked down the zipper. She fumbled awkwardly trying to slip off both her jeans and panties while he freed himself from the restricting fabric of his pants.
They're eyes locked as she lowered herself down onto him, and then they were one, both their eyes closing as the pleasurable sensation ripped through them. Elena used Damon's shoulders for leverage as she rose up off him before sinking back down onto him once again, prompting a low moan from her throat. Damon's hands moved to grip her hips, guiding her on and off him. Soon they were rocking together frantically for their impending release. Right about to pitch over the edge, Elena grips the back of Damon's head and pulls him down to kiss him hard, muffling her pleasured cry as she shattered into a million pieces. A couple thrusts later, Damon's release overtook him as Elena's name spilled from his parted lips, and rested his head against her heaving chest, spent.
"Not that I'm complaining, but what brought that on?" Elena spoke quietly into his damp, jet black, hair.
"Just can't keep my hands off you," came Damon's swift reply. A lazy smirk grew on his face when he breathed all of her in. If someone had told him exactly where he'd be now a couple days earlier, he'd have broken their neck. After all, he'd been searching for a way to open the tomb to save Katherine, so that he and she could spend the rest of eternity together. Yet, somehow, this particular human enraptured him more than even Katherine had during his human life in such a short period of time.
Damon marveled in the moment that was all their own, and decided he wouldn't change a thing. If searching for Katherine had lead him here, then maybe he should thank the curly haired vampire, but in order to do that, he'd have to open that tomb. Opening the tomb would certainly enrage Stefan too, which was just another bonus. Ah, why not? Besides, it'd give Stefan less time to mope, Damon smirked at the reminder that he was the one to get the girl this time around.
Wind echoed through the trees around them, breaking Damon out of his reverie. He pulled away from Elena and tucked himself inside his pants before zipping and buttoning them closed. Elena took the hint and began slipping on her own clothes with some assistance from Damon. Elena climbed over the console to deposit herself in her seat, feeling sated and relaxed as he drove off to their unknown destination.
Hey peoples! This is the first part of the Delena alternate ending. I hope you enjoyed it, and just you wait- there's more to come. Please read and review; it's always appreciated.