Chapter 12: Role of a Lifetime
Elena woke up earlier than she wanted to, but couldn't bring herself to leave the comfort of this bed. She watched Damon sleep with an amused smile; he was laying on his back, his chest bare and the sheets hanging low on his hips, his hair was mussed and there was a sleepy pout to his full lips. Just thinking about last night gave her butterflies. She started tracing tiny patterns on his chest, watching as the pout turned into a smile, and his eyes popped open. Damon grabbed her hand, and brought it to his lips, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her.
"Good morning beautiful." His deep voice rumbled.
"Morning…I didn't mean to wake you." She ran her fingers through his hair, loving the silky natural waves that fell over his forehead.
"Not the worst way to be woken up. Maybe we can make a habit of it." he shot her a sly smirk and raised an eyebrow.
Letting out a laugh, Elena sat up, holding the sheet to her chest. "I can think of other ways…"
"Oh, do tell." he nearly purred, as she let the sheet drop and straddled his waist.
The door to the room flung open and Katherine stood there unfazed, with her hands on her hips. "Time to go." Elena rolled back over to the side, and scrambled to cover herself while Damon glared at her. "Oh please…If I see something I haven't seen before, I'll throw a dollar at it." She sauntered into the room, and threw the jeans on the floor to Damon. "Look, the honeymoon can wait, we have to get moving. Elijah will cover for us as best he can but it won't be long until Klaus gets on our trail."
Elena pinned her with a pointed look of annoyance. "Okay, can you go now?" Katherine rolled her eyes, and left the room, and Elena covered her face with her hands. "God, she sure knows how to ruin the mood."
Damon slipped out of bed and pulled his jeans on before leaning over and kissing the crown of her head. "We'll have plenty of time to pick this up where we left off. The upside to being on the run…plenty of hotels and inns that we can test the beds in." he chuckled, passing her clothes to her.
She got dressed, relishing in how he eyed her naked body hungrily. When they headed back downstairs, Katherine was waiting by the door with a somber expression, her and Elijah having a silent conversation from across the room. Saying goodbye was too hard; she knew that it could be years before she saw him again.
Elijah met them at the door. "You're best to stay off the eastern seaboard. Klaus has a compound in New Orleans. I'll keep you informed of his whereabouts, but if you suspect even for a moment that you are being followed you move on; no hesitation, no delays…you can't afford to waste time."
Elena nodded. "Thank you, Elijah. I won't forget this. If there's anyway I can repay you…"
He held up a hand. "There's nothing I want from you Elena…just stay safe." he offered her a kind smile, and opened the door. Elena and Damon walked out, Damon giving him a nod of thanks, and they headed out to Katherine's car. When Katherine moved to follow them, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him. "That goes for you too, Katherine…" He brushed the curls out of her face lovingly. "I couldn't bare the thought of losing you."
She nuzzled into his hand, letting her eyes close briefly. "You won't. I promise. I'll get them across the country then throw him off my trail with a few false leads. I know the drill." She held his gaze for a long moment, wanting to say the words out loud that had been rolling around in her head for as long as she'd known him. Words she knew he would say back but they had silently agreed to never voice for the fear of ever losing these brief pockets of happiness. She smiled when he nodded, telling her wordlessly that he knew, and kissed him quickly before speeding to the car.
…
Katherine handed Elena a thick manila envelope once they reached the airport. "This will have everything you need; passports, ID's, phones, some cash and a credit card. I provided you with a list of contacts, friends of mine that will put you up when you need it, or get you somewhere safe. When you get to Seattle go to this address." She handed them a folded piece of paper. "Ask for Pearl. She's expecting you."
"Thank you, Kat." Damon said with humble gratitude.
She smiled. "You're welcome. I still think you're crazy for risking your life by going with her, but you did always like a bit of danger." Her eyes swung to her sister again. "You call me at the first sign of trouble." Katherine pulled her in for a hug. She pulled away and looked Elena and Damon in the eyes. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this…if anyone asks, your name's are Audrey and Jackson Kennedy. Newlyweds. You're visiting from Portland, Oregon but you both grew up in a small town in Northern California. If someone asks you about Katherine Pierce, you've never heard that name before." She sighed when they blinked out of their trance. "Never use your real names when you're talking to people you don't know, and try to keep a low profile; blend."
Elena nodded. "Where are you going?"
Katherine shook her head. "That I can't tell you; but I'll be making sure Klaus is heavily distracted. Why don't go and check in, I need to talk to Damon." Elena risked a glance between them, curiously, and Damon nodded in reassurance. Elena headed inside the airport, and Katherine's eyes darted around awkwardly. "Now I think this goes without saying, but I have to say it anyways. Take care of her, Damon."
"Katherine, I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe-"
She gave a quick shake of her head. "That's not what I meant. You have no chance at standing up against a vampire, let alone Klaus…my friends will look out for her in that regard. I meant take care of her. I know you care about her; I know that she makes you happy." He seemed taken aback. "Don't seem so surprised…I've been on the receiving end of that look before, remember?" her voice tightened sightly, blinking away the emotions that rolled over her. She rested her hand on his chest, giving him a little pat. "Goodbye, Damon." And a second later she turned, pulling her sunglasses down over her eyes and walked back to her car.
Damon watched her go, and then headed inside. He spotted her at the self check in, and she turned around with a big smile, which he returned with a beaming grin and a sparkle in his eye; the look he was sure Katherine was talking about.
…
The next three months passed in a blur; so quickly that they forgot what they were running from. The two of them settled nicely into the Seattle lifestyle, keeping a low profile but still managing to make the most of it. They strolled along the pier catching the sunsets as they went down. They went to a couple of Seahawk's games, where Damon realized Elena's love and excitement for football. Damon showed her the Museum of Pop Culture, and Elena dragged him to the night clubs, where the two of the danced until the lights turned on. Damon got to see this side of Elena that was locked away for so long, and everyday he learned something new about her.
Pearl had compelled them a safe house in the city, a sweet little loft overlooking Pike Place, right above the bar Damon bartended at and down the street from the restaurant Elena served at. They didn't have to work; Katherine had provided them with plenty of funds to hold them over, but they figured it would be suspicious if 'Audrey and Jackson' didn't have jobs. It was important to keep up appearances.
Damon brought a tray of food back to the bed, where Elena still slept, and rested it on the nightstand, pushing the hair out of her face and smiling at the way her nose scrunched in her sleep. He ran his finger down the slope of her nose, watching as she stirred awake.
Groaning, Elena buried her face in the pillow, whining as Damon flipped the blankets back down with an amused laugh. "Whhhy? I have work in two hours and you know how cranky I get when I don't maximize my sleeping time." She grabbed the duvet and burrowed herself under.
"Nope. You're not working today. I asked Laura to cover your shift." She popped her head up with a curious frown. "Like I was going to let you work on your birthday." he scoffed throwing her a charming smile, gesturing the to tray, that held an assortment of her favorite breakfast foods; fresh fruit, eggs, bacon and pancakes. "Especially when I had this big day planned."
Elena's mouth dropped open in shock as she pushed herself into a sitting position. "I didn't tell you it was my birthday." She tucked her hair behind her ears, gazing at hm with playful suspicion.
He smiled with ease. "Not like I could forget. Katherine only drilled it into my head for six years." Realization came over her, and he saw her face drop. Things had been so comfortable between them these last few months, it was easy to let it slip her mind how she met Damon to begin with. They had come up with this elaborate story; more for fun than anything, of how they met – high school sweethearts that went ventured off to college together, only to drift apart. Then, years later, found their way back to one another. It was something they parroted anytime someone asked, and after a while it started feeling like reality. "What's wrong?" He asked with concern.
She forced a tight-lipped smile. "Nothing. it's just…sometimes I forget that you were madly in love with my twin sister." She tried really hard to keep the sharp bitterness out of her tone, but was failing miserably.
He had to smirk. "Is that jealousy I hear?"
Elena pinned him with a heated glare. "Yes. She got to build this whole life with you, Damon. Six years of knowing everything about you…how can I ever compete with that?"
Damon frowned, resting his hand on her thigh soothingly. "It's not a competition. Katherine was a part of my life that I don't ever want to go back to and if I'm being honest…the last few years weren't that great. I was in love with this fantasy of her…who she pretended to be, but she changed and so did I. Katherine was my past, you're my future and no matter how much I loved her then, it doesn't even compare to how much I love you now." He was delighted to see the happiness shine brightly in her eyes as tears welled in them. He loved making her smile like that. "You didn't think I dropped everything and moved across the country for just anyone, did you?" He laughed boisterously as she clamored out from under the blankets and tackled him to the bed, peppering kisses all over his face.
Elena straddled his waist, her hair falling around her face like a curtain. "Do you mean it?" she whispered breathlessly. She couldn't help feeling slightly insecure. No one had ever said those words to her and truly meant them. Marc Holland said it once in freshman year, and the next day she caught him making out with Tammy Black on the bleachers.
Damon reached up, cupping her face, letting his finger graze over her chin, looking at her with adoration. "More than I've ever meant anything." He sat up, wrapping his arms around her and capturing her lips with his in a tender kiss.
"I love you too." She whispered against his mouth, and linking her arms around his neck. "I feel like I've been holding that back for too long." She giggled prettily.
His gaze turned serious. "Don't ever hold back with me, Elena. Nothing you say or do is going to scare me away." He thought about what Katherine had told him that day she parted ways with them. "You make me happy…and I realized that pretending to be your husband has got to be the role of a lifetime."
She couldn't keep the giddy smile off her face. "So…what's next on the big day you have planned?" she cooed, looking down at him from her position on his lap, as her fingers twirled the hair at the nape of him neck.
Damon peeked around her to the untouched tray on the nightstand. Well, I was thinking breakfast…but now I'm hungry for something else." he purred back, kissing her shoulder, nipping at the sensitive skin there.
Elena let out a breathy laugh, very familiar with his insatiable appetite. "Oh yeah? What's that?"
He rolled her onto her back and set his smoldering smirk on her. "You."
…
It was noon before they even got out of the loft. He took her to her favorite ice cream parlor, and they laughed and joked a they walked through the fairgrounds. They sat at the top of the Ferris wheel, and imagined to conversations of the people moving round below them. Damon won her a stuffed animal at the ring toss and they took silly pictures in the photo booth. It was so normal and simple, but it went down as on of the best days of her life.
As the sun sunk in the sky, they walked the beach, one hand holding his hand and the other holding the elephant stuffy he won for her. It was the only left and the one she liked the most, and Damon was determined to get it for her. he found a log, and sat down, leaning against it, pulling Elena down to join him. She settled herself comfortably between his legs and he tucked her in close, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Did you enjoy your birthday?" he asked her with a smile.
She turned her head to look up at him. "I did. Being here with you…there's no other way I'd want to spend it. I love you."
A grin parted his lips. "I love you too, Elena." She turned in his arms, and crushed her lips to his in a heated kiss. They got so lost in the moment, neither of them were aware of the pair of eyes observing them from thirty yards down the beach.
AN: Sorry for the long wait! I've been bouncing back and forth between three different stories and sometimes, time just gets away from me. Please let me know what you think! - Vanessa