Chapter Four
Damon suddenly gasps and sits up. He looks around and his eyes land on Elena. "Elena?"
Elena's mouth drops along with the phone. It's eerily quiet for a few seconds and then she lets out a piercing scream. Stefan's still on the phone.
"Elena? Elena, are you still there? What's happening? Elena?!"
Elena blindly reaches for her phone while keeping her eyes glued on Damon. "Stefan, something's wrong."
"Elena, what are you talking about?"
"Honestly, I have no idea. He was dead, and now he's not. I am freaking out here!" Elena whispers harshly into the phone.
"Who was dead?"
"Damon! Damon died, Stefan! His neck was snapped by this woman who looked exactly like me...and now he's standing in front of me, alive as can be."
"Okay, Elena, where are you? Do you want me to come and pick you up?"
"No, I drove here...with Damon. So, uh, yes, actually. We're by the Falls. Please hurry…" Elena hangs up and remembers she's talking on Damon's phone. Warily, she holds it out in front of her. "Here...I had to use your phone."
Damon takes the phone and slips it back into his pocket. "Elena, what's going on? What were you just talking to Stefan about?"
"You seriously have no idea? Okay, tell me what the last thing you remember is."
"You were leading me further into the woods after you got your shoes. And then you told me not to scream or move. You shoved your bloody wrist into my mouth and then nothing. What the hell, Elena?!"
"Oh, no, no! That was not me! When I came back from getting my shoes, you were gone. I thought you left me here. I noticed two figures in the distance and followed them, who actually turned out to be you and my freaking doppelgänger! And then I had to watch her snap your neck, Damon! I watched you drop dead. I even checked for a pulse, and there wasn't one! And now you're suddenly alive again? I think I should be asking you 'what the hell', Damon!" Elena yelled back with watery eyes.
Damon's face softens and he reaches for Elena's hand. When skin-on-skin contact is made, Elena immediately pulls back. "You're freezing. You're freezing in the middle of June. Like, your skin is cold to the touch."
"Okay, well, according to you, I just came back from the dead. Probably bound to be cold, right?"
Elena just gapes at him. She hears a car pull up by the road. Tiredly, she puts her hand on her forehead and sighs. "Stefan's here. He's, uh, he's going to drive me home. Whatever happened tonight, we can talk about it tomorrow. Goodnight, Damon." The night had started out so well and now look where they were. Shaking her head, Elena starts to walk away when Damon grabs her hand, causing her to wince slightly from the temperature.
"I'm sorry. I...whatever happened tonight, and whoever...killed me is probably still out there. Just please don't leave." Damon implored, his blue eyes shining brighter than ever in the moonlight.
Elena sighs again and hesitantly agrees. After all, it couldn't be easy to learn that you were killed and came back to life, knowing that your murderer was still out there. "Alright. I'll drive your car to your house and just crash there. That okay?"
Damon gives a weak smile and nods. "Yeah. I'd give you a hug, but I'm apparently too cold to touch." Whatever he was feeling, he didn't like it. All he longed for was to hold Elena, but she shivered by his slightest touch.
"You are. Maybe if you shower, the coldness will go away?" Elena wondered aloud, feeling a bit hopeful because she just wanted to snuggle up with him and pass out.
"Yeah, maybe. Meet you back at the house then?"
Elena nods and gestures to where Stefan's parked. "Don't keep Stefan waiting. I'll be there soon." Elena gets in Damon's car and drives off just as Damon goes over to Stefan's car and gets in, hoping to have a silent ride home. No such luck.
"Care to explain what exactly happened tonight? I thought you and Elena were just hanging out for her birthday. It's nearly three in the morning, Damon," Stefan questioned, a little grumpy that he had to get out of bed for nothing.
"Uh, I don't exactly want to talk about it. Yes, Elena and I celebrated her birthday, but things got complicated."
"Complicated? She said that you died. And now you're just sitting in the car with me, acting like everything's normal. Are you okay? Did, uh, did you actually die?"
"I don't know, Stefan, okay? If Elena said that I died, then I probably did."
"Not possible," Stefan muttered under his breath. Damon looks over and rolls his eyes.
"I heard that. And yeah, I know it's not possible."
Stefan's eyebrows shoot up. "How did you hear me? I practically just moved my lips." When Damon shrugs, Stefan just looks back to the road. "You never answered me question. Are you okay?"
"As okay as I can be. I feel like I have a headache or something, though. Everything feels...really strong right now. I don't know how to explain it. Plus, I'm really hungry."
"Oh, yeah? You want a sandwich?" Stefan pulls one out of his pocket and tosses it to Damon.
"Why do you have a sandwich in your pocket?" Damon asks while slowly unwrapping the foil.
"In case I get hungry when people request a taxi service in the middle of the night."
Damon takes a bite of the sandwich. He suddenly gags and spits it back into the foil. "Ugh, this tastes disgusting. How old is it?"
"Damon, I just made it before I came to pick you guys up. It's even your favorite kind - chicken parmesan."
"Then why does it taste so bad? Maybe I'm just not as hungry as I thought I was." Damon tosses the sandwich in the backseat and closes his eyes, resting his head on the cool window.
"You sure you okay? We're almost home, so don't fall asleep. I'm not carrying you inside."
"I'm fine, Stefan. Look at that, we're home. Elena's already here, too." Damon unbuckles his seatbelt and exits the car, slamming the door with more force than he intended to.
"Geez, careful." Stefan chastised. Damon ignores him and goes inside. As soon as he looks up at the bright lights decorating the house, he winces.
"Wow, did Dad change the lightbulbs or something? Why are they so bright all of a sudden?" Damon covers his face with his hand and collapses on the couch in the parlor.
"No…they're the same lightbulbs that were here before you left. Are you sure you're okay?" Stefan murmured with concern edging his voice.
"I told you, Stefan, I'm fine. Just a little sensitive to everything, I guess," Damon snapped.
Stefan scoffs and turns his head when Elena comes downstairs in her pajamas. "Damon's all yours. Be warned, he's in a mood."
"I think we all need some sleep. It's almost four in the morning and I'm sure everyone's exhausted. C'mon, Damon. Bed, now."
Damon stalks up the stairs after Elena and Stefan. He watches Elena ruffle Stefan's hair before pushing him into his bedroom.
"Alright, grumpy, get in the shower before you get in bed. You're still pretty cold." Elena mumbles before slipping under the warm comforter.
Damon groans but takes a nice, steamy shower before getting in bed next to Elena. She rolls over and he places a chaste kiss on her cheek, which results in a small smile. Damon pulls her into his arms and murmurs, "Goodnight, 'Lena."
the next day
Elena grumbles as she feels the restless movements on the bed. She cracks an eye open and stares at the clock, which reads 8:00. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly sits up and looks over at Damon, who looks like he had an awful night's sleep. Dark bags are under his eyes, contrasting with alarmingly pale skin. His dark black hair is more tussled than usual as well. Though his eyes are still closed, the tossing and turning continues on.
After watching him for a while, Elena decides that whatever's going on inside his head can't be good. Making up her mind, she pokes him in the shoulder. "Damon," Elena whispers loudly enough for him to wake up.
His eyes shoot open and he looks around the room. When his gaze lands on Elena, she can tell that his thoughts are being haunted by something dark. Damon narrows his eyes and stares at Elena who gives a questioning look back.
"Elena…"
His voice was not filled with the usual sweetness that she heard every morning, but instead with malice and raspiness."
Elena's forehead creases with concern as she puts a hand to his pale and clammy skin. "Damon, you don't look so good. What's wrong?"
"I'm starving," was the only thing he muttered before closing his eyes again.
"What do you want to eat? I'll make you breakfast, okay?" Elena swings her legs over the bed and walks over to the windows. With a grand gesture, she pushes open the dark curtains hanging in front of the window. Letting the light warm up her face, Elena smiled but stopped when she could practically feel Damon's death glare burn through the back of her head. Turning around, she saw that Damon was shielding his face from the sun.
"Close them," he snapped, his tone laced with annoyance and exhaustion.
Elena cocks an eyebrow and shuts the curtains, inwardly restraining herself from flipping him the finger. "What crawled up your ass today?" Elena muttered quietly before she walked over to the bathroom, closing and locking the door. Mentally, she couldn't deal with whatever was going on. All she wanted was to take a warm shower, eat something, and then go for a jog to release her pent-up energy.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, she felt energized and refreshed. Her hair was still put up in a towel since she couldn't be bothered to blow-dry it today. Looking around the bedroom, she noticed that the bed was empty. She sighed and walked down the hall, coming to a halt in front of Stefan's door. Deciding against knocking, Elena waltzed into the room and opened his curtains.
"Rise and shine, Stef." Elena sang with a mischievous grin on her face. "Come on, get up!" When the lump under the covers didn't move, Elena ripped the blankets off of him.
"Ugh, early, bad." Stefan attempted stealing them back, but it was no use so he gave up.
"First of all, it's not early. And second, it's not bad. Come on, Stef, I need someone to go on a jog with!"
"Do it with Damon like you normally do. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a morning person," Stefan said while placing a pillow on top of his face.
"Damon's acting like a caveman this morning so his angry energy will only ruin the mood. Please? I'll make you breakfast if you come with me."
"Oh, you'll make me breakfast? Not a crappy bowl of cereal, but an actual breakfast?"
When Elena nods, Stefan gives her a big smile. "In that case, yes, I'll go jogging with you. If you're taking requests, I'll have a waffle and some eggs."
"Deal," Elena says while pulling Stefan out of bed by his hands. "You shower first and when you get out, a real breakfast will be ready for you."
"Ohh, Elena, you should sleep over every night. I only get pampered when you're around."
"Sorry, Stef, but we got college, remember? We graduated a couple of weeks ago, and as much as I'd like to live here, it's not an option. Not any time soon, at least."
Stefan pouts at this. "Guess that just means I'll have to make the most of the times when you're over here, huh? Alright, quit stalling and make me something delicious," Stefan says with a grateful smile.
"Of course," Elena says before exiting the room and walking downstairs. Giuseppe and Damon were nowhere in sight, which she thought was a little strange since Giuseppe was almost always sitting in the kitchen, reading the newspaper. At least she had the ability to cook and dance at the same time without getting embarrassed.
After putting a CD in the music player, Elena began dancing to her heart's content around the kitchen while gathering ingredients. Boxed waffles were no good, they had to be completely homemade. Putting in everything that she needed to make the batter, she began mixing it together. She got out the waffle iron and poured in the batter. While waiting for her waffles to cook, she got out the skillet and cracked some eggs. She bopped over to the fridge and pulled out the produce she was going to fill her own omelet with. Mushrooms, carrots, peas, and green beans were piled in her arms. She also got out some blueberries and strawberries to put on the waffles. Elena twirled the spatula around in her hand while flipping the eggs after checking on her waffles.
Deciding that there could never be enough food, Elena began filling a bowl up with more fresh fruit. Her favorites were the peach slices and green grapes. Popping a grape into her mouth, she deposited the eggs onto separate plates along with the perfectly toasted waffles. She drizzled her own with maple syrup and whipped cream, topping it off with berries. Doing the same with Stefan's, she decorated his and finished it with a nice whipped cream flourish.
She turned around with a smile on her face, but suddenly jumped and stifled a scream when she saw Damon watching her with a hint of a smile.
"Oh, god, Damon. Uh, how long have you been standing there?" Elena asked, slightly embarrassed.
"Enough to know that you were doing your usual routine cooking when you think no one's around."
Elena noticed that his appearance hadn't improved in the slightest and his voice still sounded cracked. After debating on whether or not to mention it, she decided not to. Instead, she chuckled, "You mean to say that you've watched me dance while cooking before? Whoops…"
"Don't worry, it's cute. Really." Damon stated with a slight smirk.
Elena shook her head and gestured to the stairs. "Can you let Stefan know that his breakfast is ready? I don't want it getting cold."
When Damon left the room, Elena grimaced at his behavior and appearance. The whole time he was in the room, he wasn't staring at anything except her neck, which disturbed her more than she liked to admit. Something was definitely off with him, but she wasn't going to dwell on it until her food was finished.
Elena's demeanor lightened up when she saw Stefan excitedly enter the kitchen, Damon following close behind. When he sat down at the table, Elena placed his food in front of him. "Bon appétit, monsieur."
"Merci, Elena. This looks really good. Heh, almost too pretty to eat." Stefan said gratefully.
"Just like you…" Damon murmurs so quietly that Elena almost didn't catch it. She turns towards him with a frown on her face, which he responded to with a wink and then walked out of the room.
Elena begins eating her own food, and after she was sure Damon was out of earshot, she decides to express her concerns about him to Stefan.
"Stefan, don't you think Damon's been acting...strange lately?" Elena questions in between bites.
"If you mean that he's been acting like an asshole lately, then yes. It's completely unlike him."
"Right? And when he confronted me in the kitchen, he wouldn't stop looking at my neck. I saw it in his eyes, Stefan. Lust." Elena shudders at the memory and pops a grape in her mouth.
"Honestly, yeah, Damon did the same when he came to retrieve me for breakfast. It's creepy and makes me uneasy. What should we do?"
"I don't think that we should do anything…" Elena says quietly. "It might make him lash out at us. We both love him, so we should trust him to tell us if something is seriously wrong."
Stefan silently nods. After they both finish their breakfasts, Stefan takes both of their dishes and puts them in the sink.
"I think we could both use that jog now, huh?" Stefan asks, slightly grinning.
Elena nods enthusiastically. "Yeah, we really do. Oh, and tonight, I'm not going to stay over."
"So it's back to boxed cereal for me, huh? Ah, well, I'm sure you'll be cooking for me again soon enough," Stefan dramatically sighs and then smacks Elena's ponytail. Laughing, he runs out of the house.
"Stefan!" Elena runs after him and catches up on the sidewalk. She playfully shoves his shoulder and they continue jogging.
later at night
Elena reluctantly returns to the Salvatore house, realizing she forgot her phone there. She's about to enter the house but stops abruptly due to hearing yells not too far away. Against her better judgement, she decides to follow the noise. Her conscience was telling her to walk away now, but she stubbornly refused to listen. She should have listened. She really should have.
When Elena approaches to the place where the yelling originated, the horrific scene becomes burned in her brain. She wants to scream or faint or run, but none of that happens. Instead, she just stares.
In front of her is Giuseppe Salvatore being brutally murdered by his own son. Blood is spewed everywhere, but there's no weapon. The thing that shocks Elena to her core is watching him, the love of her life, rip apart Giuseppe's neck with his teeth. Scratch that, fangs.
An involuntary gasp is what causes Damon to turn around and look at her. Elena's positive that the image she's seeing right now will haunt her dreams forever. Blood is dripping off his face and hands, soaking into his shirt. The beautiful blue eyes that she knows and loves have been replaced by darkness. They're pure black, just like the veins circulating under them. Razor sharp fangs are being bared at her, and the only thing Elena can do is blink. To her, Damon's never looked more inhuman, leaning over his own father's dead body.
black eyes just seem more fitting :P