Chapter Thirty-Six
The day of the bachelor raffle Rebecca had to talk to Diana about stuff. She let Diana know that she had a boyfriend, that her family knew about the Slayer thing, and that a few of her friends also knew. Diana was not happy, to say the least.
"Secret identity, Rebecca," she said in her high and mighty British way. "Do you even know what that means?"
"Nope, I've gone temporarily dumb," Rebecca shrugged. "It was inevitable, really. They're in my life. They will not take a backseat to my slaying. My friends and family are more important to me."
Diana pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and sighed. "As long as you do your job . . . you can do whatever you want."
Rebecca was surprised. She'd expected a long but not so vicious fight. "Really?"
"Well, I haven't heard any complaining from the Council, so you have to be doing something right. Besides, you will be eighteen in a few weeks - I think you have the making your own decisions down to a T. You aren't one for towing the line, that's for sure."
Rebecca shrugged. "I don't like people telling me what to do."
"I've realized that. I've decided not to push anymore. You come to me when you need me and I'll help."
Rebecca wasn't as trusting as she used to be so she was immediately suspicious of the mood change.
"Why?"
"Most Slayers have a relationship with their Watcher; you don't."
"I let you train me. We have a business relationship. I trust you enough to train with you. That's just going to have to be good enough for now."
"Hm." Diana went quiet and got even more serious than she usually was. "I'm sorry about Sheila Bennett. I know you liked her. I imagine your Bonnie is quite shaken."
Rebecca didn't answer. She didn't know what to say. She hadn't explained any of this to Diana and she didn't know how the Watcher knew.
Diana smiled softly. "I knew Shelia when I was younger, before she moved back here to start a family. She was a good witch."
"Well, thank you."
Bonnie still hadn't called Rebecca and it had been two days since Shelia had passed away. She wasn't picking up the phone when Rebecca tried to call her, and Rebecca felt even more awful when Elena told her that Bonnie wasn't getting in touch with her either. Something was wrong.
The funeral was to be held the next day, so she would see Bonnie then and hopefully she could find out if Bonnie was mad at her. She wanted to apologize if Bonnie was angry with her, but . . . She knew if she had it to do over, she'd do the same thing. Nobody else would've been able to do it and she wouldn't have left Damon in there to starve.
That revelation was horrible because that meant she would've let someone die for Damon's sake - again. She was always having to choose between Damon's life and someone elses and she knew - always knew - what her choice would be.
Damon.
That night at the Grill Rebecca met up with Elena and Caroline. Rebecca really hadn't felt like coming because she had wanted a night off to be at home with her family. She'd wanted to talk to her aunt and father. She wanted them both to sit down and tell her the truth. She wanted to know about what her grandparents had been talking about before they'd left. That her dad wouldn't leave her mom because she'd been pregnant - it was like it had been a chore. That maybe her mom and dad had had a few nights together or something and then . . . Rebecca had happened and Robert hadn't wanted to leave her alone to deal with it like some other men would've.
Could it have been possible that her father had been a respectable man at one point?
But that wasn't the only reason she hadn't wanted to come. She'd started her period earlier and her monthly curse of cramps had hit her too. But instead of curling up in bed and watching a movie right then, she was standing in the Grill with her friends.
Caroline was in charge of the raffle - selling tickets and such. Kelly Donovan, Matt's mom, was there, and Elena gave her a hug. Rebecca didn't because she didn't really care for Kelly. Kelly had abandoned her family, her kids, and Rebecca didn't stand for that.
"He's already been hit on like 35 times," Caroline said, talking about Matt. "He's total cougar bait."
"It's embarrassing," Matt said bashfully.
The way Kelly acted about Caroline pissed Rebecca off. She kept making comments about the blond being a rebound girl and about how Elena had broken Matt's heart. And Caroline just took it. Finally Rebecca couldn't take it anymore; Caroline looked too crestfallen.
"How would you know exactly?" she asked. "You're never here. You didn't even come back when Vicki was attacked and now -"
Now Vicki was dead; but no one else in this group besides Elena and Rebecca knew that.
"Now she's missing," Rebecca said. "Has been since Halloween and you're just coming home now?"
Everyone looked at her. Once again, Rebecca had pointed out what other people were too polite to say. Elena looked at the ground and Matt wouldn't look at his mom. Caroline was smiling softly at Rebecca because at least one of her friends had stood up for her. Rebecca thought Matt should have, but it was his mom they were talking about - she understood the misplaced loyalty.
Damon, who was at the Grill also, was drinking up a storm. Stefan had annoyed him again - and annoyed to a vampire meant that said vampire could quickly become angry. He was nursing his bourbon when Liz came up to him. She had a folder in her hands so she obviously had something for him.
"I checked up on the history teacher. You want this before or after your big debut?"
"How's it look?" he asked.
"He checks out. Couple of speeding tickets. Rough story, though."
Damon waited expectantly. Even though the guy checked out there was still something off about him.
"It turns out his wife went missing a few years back in North Carolina."
"North Carolina?" The wheels in Damon's brain started turning. Stefan had asked him about some broad in North Carolina that Damon might've known. "She have a name?"
"Yeah. Isobel."
"Isobel."
Stefan's mystery woman. Alaric's wife. Liz showed him a picture of the woman and then he sneaked a glance at the history teacher, who, as it turned out, was also participating in the fundraiser. He understood now, though, why Mr. Saltzman was there. Damon knew Isobel, had fed from her, actually. She'd been smart and funny, maybe a little pathetic, but most humans were.
He knew that Isobel - he knew her as Isobel Flemming - had been a parapsychologist, and had searched him out. He hadn't known she was married, hadn't cared enough to know. But the teacher obviously knew about vampires and, since Stefan was asking about her, Stefan knew that Alaric knew and hadn't said anything.
So much for brotherhood, huh?
When the raffle started he saw that Jenna, Elena, and Rebecca were seated at a table together, and Stefan was standing close by.
Carol Lockwood was introducing the bachelors, who were standing on stage, and when she got to Damon she said they didn't have much on him.
"Well, I'm tough to fit on a card."
"Do you have any hobbies? Like to travel?"
"Oh, yeah. L.A., New York. Couple of years ago I was in North Carlina, near the Duke campus, actually. I think Alaric went to school there. Didn't you, Ric?"
In the audience, Rebecca was watching Damon's sort of confrontation with Ric. She shook her head, knowing things were going to get ugly fast.
"Yeah, because I know your wife did."
Ric's wife . . . Isobel . . . Elena's mother. Elena's mother, who had been killed by a vampire. Damon was a vampire.
"Oh, God," Rebecca muttered and looked at Elena, who seemed to be putting the pieces together too.
"I had a drink with her once. She was, phew, she was a great girl. Did I ever tell you that? Because she was . . . delicious. Mm! Mm-mm-mm."
"Are you okay?"
Jenna was looking at Elena, who had tears in her eyes. She'd obviously figured it out, and Rebecca was conflicted. She was loyal to Damon, she knew that, but he'd had no right to taunt Ric about Isobel. Yes, Ric acted weird, but if his wife had been killed, he had every reason to be a little strange.
Elena got up and said, "I just need some air."
Outside the Grill, Rebecca and Stefan tried to comfort Elena.
"He killed her? Damon is the vampire who killed her?"
"I don't know what happened. Alaric said they never found the body." Stefan looked at his girlfriend with sympathy. "I wanted to tell you. I just - I wanted to know more."
"If . . . they never found the body then how -" Rebecca began, but Stefan cut her off.
"Ric saw Damon feeding on her."
"Oh."
"Look." Stefan looked at Elena again. "He doesn't know about the connection to you. I thought about confronting him, but -"
"Why are you protecting him?" Elena almost shouted.
Stefan looked down at the sidewalk, then at Rebecca, and then at Elena. "Because he hasn't . . . he isn't as . . . He's different with her. I don't want to do anything that might push him back to that, okay?"
Rebecca realized Elena wouldn't argue with that, and then a couple seconds later the brunette recognized someone - a man that had been outside of Trudie's house.
"That's not weird at all," Rebecca muttered.
"Get back inside," Stefan said. "Come on."
"Run away and hide?" Rebecca asked, stunned. "Why don't we go find out who he is?"
"Too risky, now come on."
Stefan was being bossy; he was speaking out of concern, so Rebecca obeyed gracefully, though she couldn't help but think that if it were Damon in this situation they'd already have the unknown guy's name, address, and date of birth. On the other hand, they'd have a date of death too, probably, if Damon had dealt with it.
Back inside, Elena ran smack into Damon, who, of course, made some witty comment and didn't take in Elena's distraught expression at first.
"Whoa, easy. Buy a ticket like everyone else."
"Did you enjoy that? Rubbing it in to Alaric Saltzman?"
From the expression on Damon's face Rebecca thought he was going to say "Well, duh!" but he didn't.
"Just when I was starting to think there was something redeemable about you . . ." the brunette stated - or more like scathed.
Damon looked at each of them. "Am I . . . missing something here?"
"Did I forget to mention when we were talking about my birth mother, the one who gave me up . . . Her name was Isobel."
Rebecca watched as Damon went from cocky and aloof to being regretful when he made the connection. The smirk fell from his face and he frowned.
"Go ahead," Elena said. "Reminisce about how you killed her."
Elena's voice shook and she shoved past Damon. Stefan followed Elena after sharing a look with Damon. Rebecca, however, stayed put. She felt a longing to go after Elena, to comfort her, but there was nothing she could do, so she stayed behind. Her loyalties were torn.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head, though, and she heard Damon curse himself. At least now she didn't have to do it for him. But she didn't mention it. Yes, Damon had screwed up, but she could tell that he knew he had, so what would be the point of talking about it now?
Elena hadn't wanted to stay for the rest of the fundraiser so Stefan had agreed to take her home. Outside the Grill they were met with the man from earlier, the one Elena had recognized from Trudie's.
"I have a message for you," the man said simply.
Stefan grabbed Elena's arm and pulled her behind him. He didn't know what it was, but something about this man was off.
"Who are you?" Stefan asked.
"Stop looking," the man said.
"Stop looking for what?" Elena asked, confused.
"She doesn't want to know you. She doesn't wanna talk to you. You need to stop looking. Do you understand?"
"Isobel?" Elena whispered. "She's alive? Does that mean she's a . . ."
"Elena, he's under compulsion," Stefan said, figuring out what was so weird about the guy.
He should've figured it out right away from the robotic voice to the emotionless eyes . . . this guy had definitely been compelled.
"Do you understand?" the man said again.
"Yes, I do," Elena said.
"Good." The man looked away before turning back to them. "I'm done now."
Before Stefan or Elena could do anything, the man stepped backwards into the road and a truck ran right into him.
Elena instinctively grabbed Stefan and screamed into his chest. Whoever had compelled that man had also told him to kill himself after he delivered that message. Assuming Isobel had done it . . . Elena's birth mother had compelled someone to end their own life.
Stefan and Elena rushed forward after the shock had worn off and Stefan made sure the guy was dead. Elena, however, noticed a phone that was near the man and she picked it up, making sure Stefan didn't see her - he would probably take it away from her if he knew she had it.
If this phone belonged to the man . . . then Elena would have a way of at least knowing whether or not he'd been in contact with Isobel through the phone. She pocketed the phone as Stefan grabbed her hand.
"Come on, let's get out of here."
There was a small crowd gathering around the street so Elena was sure someone would call the cops. She left with Stefan.
Back inside the Grill, the time came for the bachelors to be raffled off and Rebecca went to sit beside Jenna again. Elena wasn't there - she'd gone home, maybe. As the men congregated on stage Rebecca watched Matt coddle his alcoholic mother.
Screw that, she thought. Mother or not, he shouldn't baby her. She only came around when she wanted something. Kelly Donovan left Matt to pay for the bills and everything, and he was only seventeen.
A few minutes after the bachelors had been ticketed off, Rebecca noticed that Damon had left. He was obviously in a mood because he hadn't said bye. He now had to go on a date with Carol Lockwood sometime soon. Her ticket was the one that had been chosen for Damon; Jenna had gotten Alaric; Kelly Donovan had gotten a bachelor, too.
Rebecca looked around and noticed that Ric wasn't there either. It wouldn't have bothered her if Damon hadn't just got through teasing him about Isobel, Ric's dead wife. Neither man was here and that didn't bode well for Alaric Saltzman. Rebecca knew that Damon would kill him if Ric went after him.
At the boardinghouse, Damon was pouring himself a drink even though he was completely aware that he'd been followed home. Alaric Saltzman, history teacher extraordinaire, had just come through the unlocked front door. The Salvatore's never locked their doors because what was the point?
"Are you really this stupid?" Damon asked coldly. He took a look at the teacher, who was holding a wooden stake in his right hand. "Guess so."
Damon understood; he did. If anybody had killed Rebecca, he'd go on a killing spree that would amaze even Stefan, so he shoved the teacher across the room just to put some distance between them. Because, even though Ric was human, he still had a stake in his hand.
Alaric landed with a thud and a grunt, and then got back up as quickly as possible.
"You gonna put down the stake?"
The guy wanted answers and Damon understood that too. But he wasn't talking until he felt comfortable enough. Ric was still on the other side of the room, though, watching Damon warily. He didn't drop the stake, the idiot. Did he really think a stick was going to help him.
"Wow. That's courage."
"Where's Isobel? What have you done to my wife?"
Damon moved closer and, to Damon's immense amusement, Ric stayed where he was. The guy had a death wish, maybe?
"Want me to tell you I killed her? Will that make you happy? Because I think you know what happened."
If Damon had let himself, he would've found the situation sad. Hilariously sad, because this guy was caught up on someone who obviously hadn't wanted him enough to stay with him.
"I saw you feeding on her," Ric said, beginning to back away now. Maybe his survival instincts were finally kicking in.
"Yeah, I did. And I wasn't lying. She was delicious."
That was when Ric attacked, which Damon had seen coming and blocked easily. It was strike two, and Ric was back on the floor.
"Oh, come on. What do you think happened? Not an inkling? Never considered the possibility?" Ric just looked at him. "I turned her."
Ric's brow furrowed and he asked, "Why?"
"She came to me," Damon said, shrugging. "All pathetic, looking for vampires. But there was something about her, something I liked, something special."
"You turned her because you liked her?"
The thing was, the teacher really was trying to understand what Damon's messed up psyche was trying to explain. So Damon told the truth.
"No, I slept with her because I liked her. I turned her because she begged me to." When all Damon got was silence he continued. "But you knew that, too, didn't you? Hm? I guess she wasn't happy at home. Wasn't happy with life in general, wasn't happy with you."
This time when Ric attacked he meant business. He came at Damon, stake-first, but Damon, being the more experienced fighter, grabbed his arm before the wood made contact.
For the first time in a very long time . . . Damon hesitated. He hesitated and he hated it. Damon Salvatore didn't hesitate in anything he did. And definitely not in killing someone. Especially not someone who had come to his home to kill him, not someone who he'd given three changes to leave. That was more than most people got from him.
And yet, he thought, looking directly at Ric. He squeezed the guy's arm almost to the point of snapping the bone and watched Ric clench his jaw to keep from making a sound. Damon respected him a little for that.
"Okay, we have two choices here," Damon said. "I can kill you right now, no big deal. Or you can go for door number two, and you can leave, forget about it, and go about living your life."
Ric glared for about fifteen seconds and then the wood hit the ground. But Damon didn't let him go right away.
"This is the only warning you get. You so much as look at me the wrong way again and I will kill you. You got it?"
The teacher gave an almost imperceptible nod and Damon let him go. He heard the front door open again and then footsteps as Rebecca and Stefan came into the living room or parlor or whatever people called it now. Stefan looked surprised that Ric was still alive, but so did Rebecca.
Rebecca . . . Damon knew he was the reason Ric was still alive - the teacher should thank her personally. It wasn't so much about her not wanting him to kill anybody; it was more about the changes she'd created in him. She didn't do it on purpose - she'd been willing to take him as he was - but the changes had taken place anyway.
"What happened?" Stefan asked, looking at the stake on the floor and then at Ric, who was favoring his arm.
"Oh, who cares?" Rebecca said, and Damon's lips twitched. "He's alive."
"And he's leaving," Damon added. "Right, Ric?"
Rebecca didn't know what had happened there at the boardinghouse, but, as she'd said, she didn't care. Both Damon and Ric were alive, up walking around so it couldn't be too bad. Damon had let Ric live for some reason. Rebecca didn't need to know said reason.
Stefan escorted Ric out and Rebecca stayed in the room with Damon. He seemed really tense, so she put her arms around him; he stayed tense until he chose to relax.
Damon was slowly becoming used to and addicted to Rebecca's spontaneous bursts of affection, and sometimes he could just accept it as that: Affection. But tonight he was acutely aware that her breasts were touching his chest as she squeezed him close. Forgive him for being a typical man at the moment.
Forgive him because . . . because he hadn't killed the teacher when he'd wanted to and now he was on edge because he'd kept the urge in check, and now it was coming back to bite him in the ass as another equally powerful urge. And he felt like he was about to pop.
He looped an arm around Rebecca's slender waist and focused on the feel of her being there, focused on her heartbeat because he knew that was the only thing that would keep him from snapping as soon as Stefan came back in the house. He kissed her neck and rubbed her back and though of rushing upstairs with her so they could be alone, and he could indulge in both her body and her blood. He actually needed it tonight.
Sex, of course, was a great stress reliever, and fresh human blood took the edge off better than the almost stale blood from the bags. He couldn't say anything about it with Stefan home, so he took her hand in his and rubbed her fingers along his already hard member and smirked when he heard her heart speed up.
When she looked at him, his smirk turned a smile because her cheeks were pink now.
"Really?" she whispered. "God, you're like a teenager."
Damon wondered if she knew she never considered herself one of the teenagers. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she'd never really lived the way other teenagers did.
"Please, I am so much better than a teenager," he teased.
He grabbed her ass and pulled her to him so she could feel how much he wanted her. He was well aware of the fact that his desire for her usually fanned her desire for him.
Rebecca squirmed uncomfortably in his embrace and he loosened his grip. Had he unintentionally been holding her too tight?
"Um . . ." Rebecca blushed further. "I don't think I can . . . you know . . . tonight."
"Why not?" Did she not want to? Did she not want him?
"Um . . . I'm having my period and I don't know if you -"
Just from the mention of her blood she felt Damon harden further and she looked at him, astonished. She knew that Damon, as a vampire, needed blood to survive and that it tasted good to him, but she hadn't known it turned him on.
She really had no problem having sex while she was bleeding - she wasn't a heavy bleeder - but with Damon being a vampire . . . she didn't know if it was such a good idea.
"I can handle it," Damon said. "I won't hurt you."
She smiled and wrapped his arms around his neck.
"Then you are free to do what you wish," she said. "Better hurry before Stefan interrupts."
"Mm."
Damon would stake him if Stefan even considered interrupting. Damon knew Stefan was going to want to know why Ric was up walking around, why Damon hadn't killed him. The only reason Damon could think of was Rebecca. He didn't wake up wanting to start the day off with a slaughter because of her - maybe it showed he was growing as a person. Sure, he remembered how much he had liked killing - to a vampire, it was like . . . Well, there was an unnatural thrill, a high that went along with killing. He didn't relish it quite as much as he used to.
Regaining focus, he raced them upstairs and covered her mouth with his own. He was surprised when she began to respond with unrestrained passion. Usually she was a little timid, a little shy. Maybe she was becoming comfortable with the fact that she was a very sexual woman.
Her hands roamed over his back as their tongues danced; his hands massaged over breasts, and he placed her against the wall so she couldn't move much. He took a brief pause and moved away a little.
"Just a warning, I don't think I can be gentle tonight." He'd had hundreds of nights like this one, but never with Rebecca. It was one of those nights . . . he didn't want to be tender or affectionate but he wouldn't let himself be with her this way without telling her first; he could hurt her if they got too caught up. She would have to let him be in control because it would be so easy to hurt her if he did one wrong thing. And . . . he couldn't and wouldn't compel her to be with him when he was on edge if she didn't want to be.
In fact, he was too on edge; the vampire part of him was too close to the surface. He would do what he could to make sure she was ready but he wouldn't be able to be as patient as he usually was with her. So he was giving her a chance to walk away if she didn't want to be with him when he was like this.
"I think I can take it," Rebecca said seriously. She knew what was wrong now. The power of mercy was not - hadn't been - Damon's usual way of going about things. Not even a month ago Alaric Saltzman would have been dead had he pulled a stunt like he had tonight. And to Damon, the fact that he'd let the man live probably presented itself as a weakness - when really, forgiveness was one of the greatest strengths anybody could have; it was a gift - and Damon hated appearing weak. To anyone.
"Will I live?" she asked lightly, trying to ease the tension.
"I've gotten used to your company," Damon answered dryly. "You will make it to see another day."
Damon began kissing her neck, which she loved. He found that ironic since she was the Slayer - by definition she probably shouldn't like anyone messing with her neck; she should guard it with her life, literally.
He knew he was taking a risk, doing this tonight with her, but he really didn't care. He knew he wouldn't do any permanent damage, and he had warned her. It was all her fault anyway. He was horny as hell - one urge had changed into another - and he wanted to . . . he wanted to fuck Rebecca senseless for being who she was, for messing him up so bad, for making him care so much, for making him into a person who wouldn't kill someone who was attacking him.
So, yes, it was her fault, and he was not going to make love to her tonight.
They hadn't made it to the room yet because Damon had stopped right outside to press her against the door, and to warn her, but now he went in. He removed Rebecca's shirt and almost ripped her bra off; he would have had he not thought Rebecca would've kicked his ass for his efforts. His jeans tightened uncomfortably as he took her in, and she leaned in and nipped at his earlobe. He wanted to tease her until she was begging but he knew tonight it wasn't going to happen. Tonight he couldn't wait to be inside her.
He began lowering her pants and watched as she stepped out of her ballet flats. She had them in ever color; he knew because he'd been in her closet. He pulled the pants down to her knees and then lowered her panties - navy blue lace. He couldn't even stop to admire her, so hot was his desire.
He groaned once the panties were down because he felt the string that was attached to her tampon. He really didn't have time to throw the thing away. When he pulled the offensive thing out of her Rebecca's eyes widened in surprise.
"These things are bad for you," he said, dropping it onto the floor, hoping it wouldn't stain the wood but also not caring much at the moment if it did.
"Not the best time to be discussing feminine hygiene," she muttered.
Damon was encouraged when he slid a finger between her folds and found she was already wetter than he'd expected her to be. Apparently she was on the same page as he was. He shouldn't have been surprised - they usually were on the same page; that was why they fit so well together.
Without so much as a by-your-leave, he buried his finger inside her and watched as she began to quiver. Already. Thank God, she was one of the girls who would respond positively when she was on her period. Some girls didn't like it, it hurt them. Rebecca wasn't one of those girls.
Rebecca gasped as he continued and she would've told him to get on with it had she been able to speak. He'd begun using his mouth on her breasts and all she could do was try to remember to breathe. Though she was sure Damon would get a kick out of it if she passed out from his ministrations. When he added a second finger she arched her back and the only thing she could say was, "Now, Damon!"
Damon had no problem listening to that particular instruction. He removed his fingers, amused when her hips tried to follow his digits. She shimmied out of her jeans and he unbuckled his belt and unzipped his zipper. Her scent lingered on his fingers and his hands trembled when he saw the blood. It wasn't because it was blood; it was because it was her blood.
Rebecca hurriedly helped remove his shirt and then she hoisted herself up and wrapped her legs around him. She let out a deep, throat groan as she lined herself up with his cock. He almost slammed her into the wall - they were forgetting they had a perfectly serviceable bed right there - but he leaned his arms against it instead.
Damon refused to think about the fact that he was still in his pants. The only thing he'd done was lower them far enough so they could do this. He ignored the fact that it maybe meant he was treating Rebecca with less respect than she deserved, ignored the fact that he was treating her like was was just some girl. He didn't want to acknowledge that he was taking her up against a wall like he'd done so many times with women in back alleys outside a bar.
But she didn't seem to mind. The noises she made were full of pleasure so he was doing something right. Rebecca's nails dug into his arms and he had to reel himself in just a bit so he wouldn't lose total control. He wouldn't, not with her.
She began rocking against him, and that was all he needed to know she was as ready as she'd ever be. Her lips were covering every inch of skin she could reach. It was like she was trying to devour him with kisses; it spurred him on.
Rebecca was on sensation overload. Between the pain and the pleasure she didn't know which way was up. Just when she was about to complain about being uncomfortable, pleasure would burst through her body and she literally wouldn't be able complain.
Damon was biting her, not enough to break skin, but his teeth were everywhere, marking everything they could reach. She didn't think he knew it; it was probably a subconscious thing. And that didn't hurt. Her being up against the wall limited her movement to a mere grinding motion - Damon seemed to like that he was in control of this because of his earlier incident with Alaric - and her back slammed into the wall a few times, but not enough to hurt. What was hurting, however, was Damon's belt buckle - it dug into the underside of her thigh every time they moved together. But she was so close she didn't want to say anything, didn't want to stop. What was a little pain to her when she was ready to reach her ultimate high?
Damon pounded into her over and over again but he wanted her to get hers first. He'd always been an unselfish lover, vampire or not. If he was going to take the time to sleep with a woman he was going to make sure they both enjoyed it.
Rebecca came more quickly than she normally did - Damon didn't know why but it was a statistical fact that most women physically enjoyed sex more when it was rough; something about hitting all the right places at all the right times, he guessed - and Damon moved faster than he normally allowed himself to. Rebecca was still human after all, even if she was the Slayer. He allowed himself to use a little of his vampire speed and was gratified when he saw her eyes grow wider with pleasure.
"Oh God!" she moaned. "Keep doing that."
Damon felt himself building and building and then as he felt her walls convulsing around him again - fuck, but she was tighter than ever - he skyrocketed, not even trying to control the vampire need for blood. He slid his fangs into the point where her shoulder met her neck and he was gentle with this. No need for Rebecca to be in anymore pain than necessary; not to mention he didn't want to hit the main vein in her neck - that wouldn't end well.
As he came back to himself he withdrew his fangs and moved them to the bed because he suddenly remembered he had one, and - he was ashamed to say - his legs were shaking.
Rebecca grunted as they hit the bed because somehow their bodies were still connected even though Damon had moved them.
"Hm . . ." She sounded content enough. "Feeling better?"
"Ugh, definitely. I've told you before, sex cures everything." Even a vampire being on edge.
He nuzzled her neck where his mark was and caressed her skin with his tongue. The wound was still bleeding slightly and he didn't want to waste any of the precious elixir. He allowed himself to be tender now because he could, and because he sort of felt like he owed it to her. He withdrew himself from her and estimated how sore she was by the look on her face. She only grimaced a little and then she was fine. She did what she normally did and curled into his side to go to sleep.
He noticed, though, that she had bruises - hand-prints, teeth marks, and the underside of her thigh was cut just a little bit from something. And even though he'd warned her, he still didn't like that he'd done that to her. Well, teeth marks were inevitable really, but . . . the other stuff could've been avoidable. He didn't like that he could see where his hands had squeezed too hard.
"Mm . . ." she sighed, seeming content. "That took my cramps away."
"You were cramping?" Damon asked. "You should've told me that. I could've hurt you."
Rebecca shrugged. "You didn't."
"Hm." She hadn't seen herself yet.
Rebecca got up slowly and went to the bathroom to clean herself off and to place another Tampon where it was supposed to be. She didn't care what Damon said, she hated pads and was going to continue using tampons like she'd always done.
She decided to ignore the bruises she had on her body. Honestly she didn't mind them. They were barely noticeable and they didn't hurt. And no one would be able to see them. There was a few on her hips where he'd been holding her and that was it. And the teeth marks - aside from his actual bite near the end - would fade quickly. They were just slight markings on her skin, they were barely there.
"Hey, you. Come take a shower with me. Or a bath."
She looked back at him through the archway of the bathroom and saw him smiling softly. He was still on the bed but when he looked at her he immediately got up to come to her.
She liked that response.
During the shower Damon made sure to treat her with as much tenderness as he should've treated her with before. He kissed all the marks on her body, trying to make up for putting them there in the first place.
He had to remove another Tampon to be able to show her his love and once she was wet enough he slid into her gently and smoothly.
He watched her expressions closely throughout the whole love-making session. She wouldn't complain if he hurt her, but he needed to know and watching her was the only way he could tell.
He refused to move any faster until the end, and by then she was begging him to give her her release. They both tumbled over the edge together and Damon had to work extra hard to keep them both upright.
"I love you," he whispered into her ear, his voice shaking. "I love you so much."
He felt her nod against his chest and then when she looked up at him he noticed her eyes were shining.
"I love you too, Damon. You have no idea how much you mean to me."
Damon thought he did, actually, but he wasn't going to start talking about it. He was tired and she seemed worn out and, after the workout he'd given her earlier, she deserved a good night's sleep.
The next morning Rebecca woke up sore in the "I was thoroughly sexed out" way. She felt Damon twirling her hair around his fingers and she sighed in contentment. The not-on-edge Damon was back.
"Good morning," she said, arching into a stretch.
"Very good morning," Damon corrected, looking at her appreciatively. Most of his marks had faded, which he was glad about. He never wanted to see her like that again. She'd looked used and abused - by him. "I needed that last night."
"I know," she said softly, looking up at him. "That's why I stayed."
Green eyes locked on blue and he had to look away for a moment. Sometimes her eyes held so much emotion that it was painful to look at. He'd used her last night to make himself feel better, less out of control, and yet she was looking up at him with loving, trusting green orbs. He knew he didn't deserve her, but he also knew it didn't matter because she loved him, wanted to be with him.
God, it was scary being loved, but good and exciting and unpredictable, and how had he existed for so long without her?
"Uh-oh. You look like you're having deep and meaningful thoughts." Rebecca trailed her fingers up and down his chest and kissed his pec. "It . . . bothers you that you didn't kill Ric last night."
"No. It bothered me last night that I didn't kill Ric last night. I'm over it now."
"Oh. Well . . . Good. And don't get mad, because I'm just trying to understand, but . . . why?"
"Why?"
"Does it bother you," she specified. "Why does it bother you?"
Damon looked into her earnest emerald eyes and debated whether to tell her or not. Then he remembered that she was willing to turn into a vampire if he wanted her to so she could be with him forever, and so she deserved the truth.
"Vampires kill, Rebecca, it's what they do. Because they're angry or hungry and sometimes because they're bored. Vampires, by nature, are predators; we hunt things. Animals, people, whatever. And so when Ric came here looking for a fight . . . it was against my nature to not kill him."
"So . . . do vampires hunt out of necessity or because they like it?"
"There's a thrill to it," Damon admitted. "And after the hunt, when you actually feed, there's a high that comes with it. Makes you want it even more."
"Oh. So it's like an addiction, only you actually do need it, you don't just think you do."
Rebecca was almost sorry that she seemed to be domesticating the hell out of Damon. He hadn't killed anybody since the young man outside the Grill the night he'd framed Lexi - Rebecca still felt a small pang whenever she thought of the blond vampire. She was glad he wasn't killing people; she just hoped it didn't get him killed because he hesitated at the wrong time or with the wrong person.
"It gets easier as you get older, and it all depends on your emotional state, how well you can control your emotions. It's easier to snap when you're a vampire. Anger turns to rage in a heartbeat if you're not careful."
"Have you ever felt like snapping with me?" she asked cautiously.
Damon chuckled. "You're infuriating sometimes, but you've never pissed me off, no. When I'm angry at you it's usually fleeting. Besides, I think you're smart enough not to push. You have a tendency to be stubborn but I can't fault you for that."
"You better not, because you are even more stubborn than I am."
Things were comfortably silent for a few minutes, and Rebecca had just about dozed off again when Damon decided to speak.
"I didn't kill Isobel," he said. "Per se."
"She's alive?" Rebecca lifted her head. "Or a vampire?"
"She wanted to be a vampire. I don't know who sent her to me, but it was her choice. It was what she wanted."
"Oh. So you didn't know her before that?"
"Nope."
Damon did not tell Rebecca that he'd slept with Isobel because it wasn't like they had been together at the time. It had been before Rebecca had even been in the picture, before Damon had come for her. It probably wouldn't matter to her, so there was no point in bringing it up.
Okay, so . . . here's the next update. I was a little squeamish during the sex scene because I don't particularly think you should have sex if you're bleeding, but . . . it fit the situation I guess. I know a lot of people who it doesn't bother, so . . . hope you enjoyed.