Chapter 2
Elena paid the bell-boy a generous tip and shut the door. Pausing, she wondered for what seemed the tenth time today whether or not to confront Stefan. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she pushed the cart of food that she'd ordered for her dinner to the polished table in the room. Elena placed a plate of Cesar Salad on the table.
"Stefan!" she called.
The bathroom door opened and Stefan walked out, a white towel wrapped around his waist, beads of water dripping off his well-toned chest. Elena could not get over how hot Stefan was. If he was drop-dead gorgeous fully- clothed, he was deadly when he had no shirt on. And last night…
For a moment she felt like she was back in high school, but then she shook her head and said with mock cheerfulness, "Dinner is served."
Stefan paused in getting dressed as he caught a hint of tension in her voice. He moved to the table and sat, keeping his gaze on her as she sat down.
Elena felt awkward. She was the only one eating. She nibbled on her salad for a few minutes before putting her fork down. It was no use beating around the bush.
Stefan finally said something. "What's wrong?"
Elena almost melted. Why did he have to sound so caring? So worried? So-so… perfect? She didn't want to upset him, but she needed to talk about this.
"Stefan… I…" She realized how pathetic she sounded. She cleared her head. This was Stefan. He would understand. "Stefan, we all know that I'm human again. And… well, there's no reason for me to stay this way. I can't go back to my family; they think I'm dead. No, they _ know _ I'm dead. And what about us? It wouldn't work. I'm mortal; you're not. I highly doubt you want to watch me die."
Stefan's eyes darkened for a moment before returning to their normal shade of green. Elena laughed mentally; normal was a word that didn't apply to Stefan.
"Elena, think about it for a few years before making this decision. This is a permanent thing," Stefan warned.
Elena snapped bitterly, "What? And lose these good looks? I don't think so."
Stefan didn't laugh; she hadn't expected him to. His eyes just turned a dark shade of green. Elena could always tell what Stefan was feeling by his eyes. They darkened with his emotions.
"Elena, I won't take something sacred from you."
"What about me is sacred?"
Stefan sighed and looked away. "Your life."
Elena closed her eyes; she hadn't been back a day and already things were going downhill.
"Stefan, please. Be reasonable. I'm _ human _. You're a _ vampire _. How would you like explaining to people that you're in love with a woman who looks 60 years older than you?" Elena tried to explain without getting upset, but it was too hard.
"Elena, no. It's too soon. I remember how things were when you first became a vampire. You were devastated. I won't do it," Stefan replied.
There was suddenly only one thought going through Elena's mind: _ But I know someone else who will. _
~*~*~*~
Damon thrust his fist through the window of the car, the glass shattering. He kept walking, ignoring the annoying car alarm.
_ Damn, that felt good, _ Damon thought. Destroying things that didn't belong to him always relieved stress. He could hear the car's owner yelling profanity as he examined the damage, but Damon was already out of sight.
Damon's form shifted, and soon he was soaring above the tree tops as a crow. He dropped his mental shields, opening himself to the world.
He could hear the mental thoughts of others. _ "That slut slept with my boyfriend!" "God, she's a babe!" "Hmm… what flavor did she like? Cherry... Vanilla… Oh… Chocolate…" " I waaant candy…" "C'mon, Damon, I know you're out there…" "Damn, there's no more toilet paper!" _
_ Wait a minute! _ Damon thought. _ Elena? _
_ I knew you were out there! _ Elena's voice rang in Damon's mind. _ Where are you? _
_ New York… why? _
_ Um… long story. Can you meet me in the cemetery in Fell's Church? _
Damon was surprised. _ Why would you want to go back to that hell hole? _
_ Just shut up. I need to talk to you, and it's important! Can you make it? _
_ I'll try to squeeze you in between my photo shoot and my— _
Damon smiled as Elena cut him off from her thoughts. He turned and headed for Fell's Church.
~*~*~*~
"It's just so…" Bonnie drifted off.
"Yeah, I know. It's hard to find the right word," replied Matt. "But she's back."
Bonnie bounced slightly on the bed. "I'm so glad for Stefan," she said softly. "He was lost without her."
"I know…" Matt had come to face that they belonged together and he no longer felt dead without her. He ran a hand through his blond hair.
Bonnie, as though reading his thoughts, stated, "Maybe they're not the only ones who belong together…"
Matt smiled. Maybe they weren't.
~*~*~*~
Elena ran her hand over the engraved letters on her parents' tombstone. She traced the "G" with her index finger, trying hard not to notice the smaller gravestone next to it. She knew it would say "Elena Gilbert," and that was the last thing she wanted to see right now.
She'd been kneeling in front of the tomb for an hour now, lost in memories from the past. Elena debated just leaving, but she had a feeling he'd show up sometime.
As if on cue, she felt a hand brush through her hair, and she knew it wasn't Tyler Smallwood, out for an evening stroll. Elena didn't impulsively stiffen as she used to. Kissing her fingers, she lightly touched them to the tombstone and placed the single white rose on top of it. Then, she turned to face Damon.
"So you finally decided to show up."
Rather than reply, Damon flashed a cocky grin.
She briefly wondered if Satan wore leather pants.
"Baggy leather pants?" Elena asked, eying Damon's attire.
He shrugged. "I told you I had a photo shoot." He raised a brow. "So why did you ask me to meet you in this rat trap?"
Elena sighed. "I'm human."
"It's so nice that you finally figured that out."
"I don't want to be," she added.
Damon nodded and said, "And my righteous brother refused to change you. I'm not surprised. So what does it have to do with me?"
"Well I could only think of one other person to do it for me."
Damon cocked an eyebrow. "What's in it for me?"
Elena tossed her hair over her shoulder, pulling the collar of her shirt away from her pale neck. Damon's eyes lingered there before returning to her eyes. "Is that good enough?" she asked.
He nodded and Elena stepped forward. She tilted her head to the side, and Damon pushed the hair off of her neck. She felt his arm slip behind her head, and the other rested on her back. Elena put her own arms around his neck. He bent his head and Elena closed her eyes. His lips brushed against her neck softly, lingering there a moment before there was a sting as his teeth grazed her skin.
_ This is it. _
~*~*~*~
End Chapter 2
Author's Notes:
Don't ask about the leather pants. One minute Janie says that LJ Smith usually describes Damon's smile as "wolfish" and the next I'm thinking Satan in leather pants. (??) But… Damon in leather… Yum!
What will happen next? What will Stefan think? No one knows… not even us!
1.1
Elena paid the bell-boy a generous tip and shut the door. Pausing, she wondered for what seemed the tenth time today whether or not to confront Stefan. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she pushed the cart of food that she'd ordered for her dinner to the polished table in the room. Elena placed a plate of Cesar Salad on the table.
"Stefan!" she called.
The bathroom door opened and Stefan walked out, a white towel wrapped around his waist, beads of water dripping off his well-toned chest. Elena could not get over how hot Stefan was. If he was drop-dead gorgeous fully- clothed, he was deadly when he had no shirt on. And last night…
For a moment she felt like she was back in high school, but then she shook her head and said with mock cheerfulness, "Dinner is served."
Stefan paused in getting dressed as he caught a hint of tension in her voice. He moved to the table and sat, keeping his gaze on her as she sat down.
Elena felt awkward. She was the only one eating. She nibbled on her salad for a few minutes before putting her fork down. It was no use beating around the bush.
Stefan finally said something. "What's wrong?"
Elena almost melted. Why did he have to sound so caring? So worried? So-so… perfect? She didn't want to upset him, but she needed to talk about this.
"Stefan… I…" She realized how pathetic she sounded. She cleared her head. This was Stefan. He would understand. "Stefan, we all know that I'm human again. And… well, there's no reason for me to stay this way. I can't go back to my family; they think I'm dead. No, they _ know _ I'm dead. And what about us? It wouldn't work. I'm mortal; you're not. I highly doubt you want to watch me die."
Stefan's eyes darkened for a moment before returning to their normal shade of green. Elena laughed mentally; normal was a word that didn't apply to Stefan.
"Elena, think about it for a few years before making this decision. This is a permanent thing," Stefan warned.
Elena snapped bitterly, "What? And lose these good looks? I don't think so."
Stefan didn't laugh; she hadn't expected him to. His eyes just turned a dark shade of green. Elena could always tell what Stefan was feeling by his eyes. They darkened with his emotions.
"Elena, I won't take something sacred from you."
"What about me is sacred?"
Stefan sighed and looked away. "Your life."
Elena closed her eyes; she hadn't been back a day and already things were going downhill.
"Stefan, please. Be reasonable. I'm _ human _. You're a _ vampire _. How would you like explaining to people that you're in love with a woman who looks 60 years older than you?" Elena tried to explain without getting upset, but it was too hard.
"Elena, no. It's too soon. I remember how things were when you first became a vampire. You were devastated. I won't do it," Stefan replied.
There was suddenly only one thought going through Elena's mind: _ But I know someone else who will. _
~*~*~*~
Damon thrust his fist through the window of the car, the glass shattering. He kept walking, ignoring the annoying car alarm.
_ Damn, that felt good, _ Damon thought. Destroying things that didn't belong to him always relieved stress. He could hear the car's owner yelling profanity as he examined the damage, but Damon was already out of sight.
Damon's form shifted, and soon he was soaring above the tree tops as a crow. He dropped his mental shields, opening himself to the world.
He could hear the mental thoughts of others. _ "That slut slept with my boyfriend!" "God, she's a babe!" "Hmm… what flavor did she like? Cherry... Vanilla… Oh… Chocolate…" " I waaant candy…" "C'mon, Damon, I know you're out there…" "Damn, there's no more toilet paper!" _
_ Wait a minute! _ Damon thought. _ Elena? _
_ I knew you were out there! _ Elena's voice rang in Damon's mind. _ Where are you? _
_ New York… why? _
_ Um… long story. Can you meet me in the cemetery in Fell's Church? _
Damon was surprised. _ Why would you want to go back to that hell hole? _
_ Just shut up. I need to talk to you, and it's important! Can you make it? _
_ I'll try to squeeze you in between my photo shoot and my— _
Damon smiled as Elena cut him off from her thoughts. He turned and headed for Fell's Church.
~*~*~*~
"It's just so…" Bonnie drifted off.
"Yeah, I know. It's hard to find the right word," replied Matt. "But she's back."
Bonnie bounced slightly on the bed. "I'm so glad for Stefan," she said softly. "He was lost without her."
"I know…" Matt had come to face that they belonged together and he no longer felt dead without her. He ran a hand through his blond hair.
Bonnie, as though reading his thoughts, stated, "Maybe they're not the only ones who belong together…"
Matt smiled. Maybe they weren't.
~*~*~*~
Elena ran her hand over the engraved letters on her parents' tombstone. She traced the "G" with her index finger, trying hard not to notice the smaller gravestone next to it. She knew it would say "Elena Gilbert," and that was the last thing she wanted to see right now.
She'd been kneeling in front of the tomb for an hour now, lost in memories from the past. Elena debated just leaving, but she had a feeling he'd show up sometime.
As if on cue, she felt a hand brush through her hair, and she knew it wasn't Tyler Smallwood, out for an evening stroll. Elena didn't impulsively stiffen as she used to. Kissing her fingers, she lightly touched them to the tombstone and placed the single white rose on top of it. Then, she turned to face Damon.
"So you finally decided to show up."
Rather than reply, Damon flashed a cocky grin.
She briefly wondered if Satan wore leather pants.
"Baggy leather pants?" Elena asked, eying Damon's attire.
He shrugged. "I told you I had a photo shoot." He raised a brow. "So why did you ask me to meet you in this rat trap?"
Elena sighed. "I'm human."
"It's so nice that you finally figured that out."
"I don't want to be," she added.
Damon nodded and said, "And my righteous brother refused to change you. I'm not surprised. So what does it have to do with me?"
"Well I could only think of one other person to do it for me."
Damon cocked an eyebrow. "What's in it for me?"
Elena tossed her hair over her shoulder, pulling the collar of her shirt away from her pale neck. Damon's eyes lingered there before returning to her eyes. "Is that good enough?" she asked.
He nodded and Elena stepped forward. She tilted her head to the side, and Damon pushed the hair off of her neck. She felt his arm slip behind her head, and the other rested on her back. Elena put her own arms around his neck. He bent his head and Elena closed her eyes. His lips brushed against her neck softly, lingering there a moment before there was a sting as his teeth grazed her skin.
_ This is it. _
~*~*~*~
End Chapter 2
Author's Notes:
Don't ask about the leather pants. One minute Janie says that LJ Smith usually describes Damon's smile as "wolfish" and the next I'm thinking Satan in leather pants. (??) But… Damon in leather… Yum!
What will happen next? What will Stefan think? No one knows… not even us!
1.1