Since I am using the Silas plot in this story, but it's different from canon, I'll try to make it clear. To kill Silas, all that's needed is for one of the five to kill him. It can be done any way. Stabbing, beheading, gunshot-whatever, it doesn't matter. He's immortal to everyone but the five. Maybe it's because the witches that made them used Silas's blood or something; like I mentioned at the start, the plot wasn't my priority with this story so I apologize for any inconsistencies. I'm rereading as I'm posting to try to clear things up. That's really the only difference about Silas though. He is still found the same way and the tomb is unlocked the same way. It'll be more clear once we actually get to that part.
Anyways, this chapter is pretty fluffy and the following goes back to smutty :)
"Stefan, tell me you haven't been forcing my brother to kill vampires!" Elena hissed lowly, just in case someone was trying to listen in on her conversation. One hand covering the already healing wound on her neck, she glared at her ex-boyfriend that had a guilty look on his face.
"It's the only way to complete the mark." He argued lamely, and Elena growled her response.
"He was just fine before you decided to take matters into your own hands! What the hell were you thinking!? Jeremy was controlling it!"
"For how long, Elena!?" Stefan snapped. "A week? Two weeks? A month? How much longer until the nightmares manifested into something more and he killed you in your sleep!?"
Though she hated to admit it, he was right. Jeremy confessed that he'd been having nightmares about killing vampires for a while now, he just hadn't wanted to worry anyone. And now Stefan was telling her this, that he was turning people into vampires for Jeremy to murder. He could argue all he wanted that the vampires were criminals as humans, but Elena barely even recognized the man that stood in front of her now. The Stefan she thought he was never would have forced anyone to kill, let alone kill people himself.
But the best part about all of it? Killing vampires, while it made Jeremy's tattoo grow, made his desire to kill grow as well. He attacked Stefan multiple times, saying things about how he couldn't be trusted, and he even managed to stake him in the stomach once.
Fast forward a few minutes to when he arrived at party again, and he attacked Elena. Drove a pencil into her neck. Stefan got there just in time to pull him away from her, and Matt managed to intercept just in time to pull Jeremy away from any and all vampires.
Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, this happened.
She wanted to blame Stefan for it, and while superficially she could, she knew that one day Jeremy wouldn't have been able to control himself. It was best if they saw this thing through and killed Silas, or at least she hoped it was.
At her responding silence, Stefan continued more calmly, "He's the only way to fix all of this, Elena. I'm not asking you to be happy about it, just realize that it's the only way."
Sighing, Elena accepted that they were going to see this thing through one way or another. "We have to figure out a way for him to get this under control. If he kills vampires, fine, so be it, as long as it's something he wants. Just make sure at the end of it, he's still him."
"Like you're still you?" Stefan muttered under his breath, but with her new sense of hearing she caught it just fine. "When I heard you decided to complete the transition, I was happy that I wasn't going to lose you. I still am. But I never imagined that you'd lose yourself as far as you have. You went to a college party and fed from humans, Elena, do I even have to tell you why that's wrong? I don't care if you don't drink animal blood, but to see you with so little empathy for others…it's just sad."
Guilt was an emotion Elena was all too familiar with, and now was no different. She swallowed the lump in her throat but steeled her resolve, "You don't have to love me like this. You should try to move on, because the human Elena died in that warehouse in Damon's arms. I'm not asking you to be okay with my decision, just to accept it. I'm sorry that our relationship ended the way it did, over the phone while you thought you were dying, but I won't apologize for anything else. Choosing to go to Damon, ending our relationship, becoming a vampire…you can't make me feel guilty for any of it. I won't let you. If you're not happy that I was feeding from humans, I don't care, because you are the last person allowed to judge me about control. I'm confident in my decisions, and they're not going to change anytime soon. I moved on from us. Longer ago than I care to admit. You should too."
Not a single emotion crossed Stefan's features, and while she could see the hurt in his eyes, she'd never seen him like this. Bottom line, they both had changed. They'd grown out of each other, or at least she had grown out of him. She didn't need him anymore the way she used to, and to put it bluntly, the thought of being with him again was nearly nauseating.
He was just different. And that was okay. He was someone she used to be in love with, but they had no future together. Her future was elsewhere, and as Stefan's gaze flickered over her shoulder and she turned to see what he was looking at, her eyes settled on that future.
Their life together was all she saw when she looked at Damon. She saw him waking her up in the morning with lazy kisses and breakfast in bed, even if it was in a plastic bag from the hospital. She saw him driving down the road in his Camaro with her in the passenger seat, grinning from ear to ear as she threw candy at him, begging him to tell her where he was taking her for the surprise road trip. She saw so far down the line that she had to stop and tell herself that she was getting a little ahead of their situation. White dresses, matching rings, and Damon in that damn tuxedo he just so happened to be wearing right now.
She smiled reassuringly at Damon, whose lips quirked up in a smile back before she turned to face Stefan. When she looked at him, all she could see was their past. As messy and ugly as it got, the good parts just didn't seem as good anymore. Not when he fed from her, nearly to the point of death, almost drove her off the side of the bridge her parents died on, and repeatedly broke her heart and betrayed her trust all for the sake of revenge.
One day, she would see a friend in him, but right now, all she could see was a stranger. Someone she didn't even want to know, nonetheless, not when he was making her brother kill people. He had gone way too far this time, and she wasn't sure if he knew it. All she wanted to do was tell him that he should leave town for a while and work on himself. While she still loved him as a friend and probably always would, that was when he was being him, and not this psychopath that was almost as bad as him on human blood.
When she changed, it hadn't been so drastically that she was unrecognizable, unlike him.
As he walked away, clearly distraught by the way her face lit up at the sight of Damon, she idly thought of how she hadn't wanted to lose anybody by transitioning, and that was exactly what had happened.
Bonnie thought she was a heartless monster that could drain a human dry without remorse.
Caroline thought she was an idiot for following her heart and accepting the inevitable after spending so long denying it.
Jeremy wanted to kill her all because of some curse.
Stefan was disgusted by her choice to embrace the vampire in her instead of deny and suppress it.
Who else could she possibly disappoint?
By the time she got to Damon, she all but fell into his arms and let him make the pain go away. If all of her friends and family made her feel like shit, Damon was the one that made her feel accepted. He understood the need to feed and he helped her control it, which was something Bonnie didn't understand and probably never would so long as she wasn't a vampire. He never pressured her decisions in her romantic life, even when she could tell he really wanted to, unlike Caroline. He'd never judge her for choosing to live as a vampire rather than pretend she was human, unlike Stefan.
She was happy with all of the decisions she made, it just seemed like nobody else was.
Nobody else except for Damon, that is.
If she knew one thing for sure, it was that he would love her through anything. He loved her when she was human, and he still loved her when she was a vampire. Never once had she felt the need to question that.
So you'll have to excuse her for clinging to the person that was most supportive in her time of need.
"Why don't we get you home?" Damon whispered soothingly, rubbing his hand up and down her back.
She shook her head into his chest, "Jeremy wants to kill me. I can't go home. Matt's going to stay with him."
"Even better. We'll go to my place." He said lightly, making her look up at him to see the smirk ever present on his handsome face.
"Hm, tempting…" She hummed, acting as if she was seriously considering not going to his place. "Do you have five star hotel quality? Freshly washed sheets, bathrooms scrubbed to the bone until they're clean, and a freezer filled with blood?"
He frowned playfully, "While the freezer full of blood would make me question your taste in five star hotels, all of that can be arranged."
She grinned, "Blood heated up to a toasty 98.6 and everything?"
"I'll even pour it in our finest glasses if that's what you want." He smirked.
She raised her brows, locking her fingers together behind his neck, "Wow. That sounds amazing. I think the only thing that could seal the deal would be if you joined me in that little scenario."
"Hm, tempting…" He teased, using her earlier words. "Assuming I'm able to get my favorite blood type we can call that a deal."
"You have a favorite blood type?" She asked skeptically.
He nodded casually, "Sure."
She narrowed her eyes and smiled, "What is it?"
Smirking, he said, "Type Elena. I'll grab you a bite to eat out of the freezer, and I'll just grab a bite out of you." He buried his face and her neck and pretended to bite her, just as he had that time they were training. Only this time, Elena's giddy squeal pierced the air as she giggled and pushed him away, wanting him anywhere but away from her. He tugged her right back to him, his hands on her hips, and they met in the middle for a kiss like a reflex. Kissing each other so casually felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Their hands automatically linking together as they began walking towards the car, Damon said, "Oh, BTW, that means by the way, Professor Creepy knows I'm a vampire."
Shrugging, Elena teased, "Oh yeah? Did he try to stake you?"
Damon scoffed, "Please, I would have his heart in my hand before he could even pick up a stake."
"I'm sure my big bad vampire would, too." Elena smirked, bumping her shoulder against his. "Which leads to my next question, where's his heart?"
"Still beating in his scrawny little chest, unfortunately." Damon grumbled. "Turns out, we need Bonnie to perform the spell that will unlock Silas's tomb, and if we want to get Jeremy through this, we need him to help her access her magic again."
"Well, there go your dastardly plans." She said jokingly, her teasing making him smile. He hadn't heard Elena act playful like this in months, and he had every intention of making it last.
"Dastardly?" He snorted. "Who am I, the villain in a spaghetti western?"
"Mm, spaghetti." She mused. "You should make me your spaghetti again sometime soon. Your sauce is way better than my store bought kind."
He shook his head chidingly, "My mother would be appalled that you use store bought. Well, actually that's a lie, back then we couldn't even buy store bought sauces. But still."
"Yeah, we get it. You're really old." She laughed. "God, the infinite amount of jokes available for how old you are…"
"And you better keep them all to yourself." He warned. "Don't even get me started on the jokes about you still being in high school."
"Like anything's ever stopped you before." She pointed out lightheartedly.
He pulled her in for a kiss right before separating so they could drive to their own houses. Elena had to pack a bag and she wanted to say goodnight to Jeremy before she went over to the boarding house.
Everything went smoothly with both Matt and Jeremy, and in no time she was at the boarding house. Just as she was about to go inside, Stefan opened the door, surprising her. Looking equally puzzled to see her there, she offered, "Matt is staying with Jeremy since he's prone to killing me right now, and it's not safe for me there. Damon said I could stay here…"
Noting the clear anger and hurt in his cold, expressionless eyes, Elena almost regretted bringing up Damon.
Almost.
"It's fine, I was just going hunting." He said shortly, moving past her without a second glance.
Elena wished it didn't have to be like this, and that he could just accept her for who she was now. She would miss his friendship, but he had a right to move on in whatever way he needed to. Especially when she had already moved on and was now with his brother. Despite the millions of reasons why it was wrong, Elena just couldn't bring herself to care when Damon felt so right.
She stepped inside, closing the door behind her, only to be greeted by a shirtless Damon with damp hair and jeans that hung so low on his hips that she doubted it was possible for him to be wearing underwear. He had a gray shirt slung over his shoulder, waiting to be put on. She smirked, taking in his state of undress, "Is this my welcoming gift? Like your version of chocolates on the pillow?"
He wiggled his brows, his hands on his hips, "That depends. Am I a better alternative to chocolate?"
She grinned, walking into his arms, "As a human, I would have said yes. But now as a vampire when I can taste chocolate so much better…"
He rolled his eyes and laughed, "Just be happy I'm giving you a place to stay. I easily could have sent you on your way to one of your BFF's."
"Like they're even talking to me." Elena scoffed, the words unintentionally slipping out. She hadn't wanted all of her problems to ruin the evening like this.
"Just give them time." Damon said, tracing a pattern of brushing her hair behind her ear and rubbing his thumb against her jaw. "It's only been a couple weeks. They'll come around. Anything I can do to help?"
"Being here helps." She answered easily, resting her cheek against his shoulder so her forehead touched his neck. "But being nice to them would help too."
"You've got a better shot at keeping my company than that." He joked, running his fingers through her hair.
She rolled her eyes a little then said, "Try? For me? I'm going to go upstairs and take a shower, could you heat some blood in a few minutes and bring it to me?"
"Taking full advantage of hotel services, huh?" He smirked. She blushed prettily and he bit his lower lip to stop from grinning at how beautiful she was. "Go. I'll take care of everything."
She smiled shyly up at him before picking up her bag and walking towards the stairs. He watched her go the entire way, her long legs taking her gracefully through the house and her hips swaying with her natural stride. Her long, shiny hair hung straight down her back, pulled out of the braid it had been in earlier, and a glimpse of her profile revealed that she had removed her makeup. She was a vision of perfection, and Damon still had trouble believing she was really his.
He put on his shirt then grabbed a drink before sitting in his favorite chair in the library and listening to the sound of Elena undressing over the crackle of the fire. He had just showered himself in anticipation of her visit just in case he got lucky.
Their relationship had been moving slower than a snail's pace, and not just the romantic part of it. After more than a year of wanting her, needing her, and not being able to have her, he figured he could wait just a little bit longer. He was so close he could taste it, and he knew once he ate that first bite he'd be hooked. There would be no going back after that; she would be his and he would be hers, forever.
They had already blood shared, which made her as good as his physically and to any other vampire, but he didn't want just that. He wanted her heart too. He loved her so god damn much that he'd do whatever it took to make her happy. Hell, her happiness was his happiness. It was as simple as that.
When he heard the water turn on, he heard the familiar squeak that occurred with his shower, and for some reason, he found it surprising that she'd chosen his bathroom. It made the most sense, he supposed, and Stefan's bathroom would have just been disturbing. Any of the guest bathrooms would have been just fine, but no, she chose his room, and his bathroom, and that made an involuntary smile tug at his lips.
He went down to the basement and grabbed a blood bag then threw it in the microwave in the kitchen. He was going to make tonight perfect for her, because she deserved it. After all the shit she's had to endure, she earned a night of relaxation.
He dumped a healthy amount of the red liquid into one of the good wine glasses before pouring the rest into another. He purposely gave himself less, both because she had asked for blood earlier and because he planned on topping his glass off with some alcohol. He found that vodka worked best to mix with blood, since the flavor wasn't too strong and wasn't really meant to be enjoyed on its own. It was kind of like a bloody Mary, with actual blood.
When the glasses were even he headed towards the stairs, a skip in his step and a smile on his face. He had a beautiful naked woman in his bathroom, and he had every intention of spoiling her rotten until the day he died.
He just wasn't expecting the glimpse of said naked woman as he made to go in his room. She had left the door cracked open, and it gave him a perfect view right into the bathroom. She was already out of the shower, drying off her body, but he saw enough to get his blood pumping south.
Suddenly their eyes connected out of sheer coincidence, and she screeched something unintelligible at him while he laughed. Quickly wrapping the towel around her body, she glared at him as he strode into the room. He set the two glasses down on the nightstand then moved into the bathroom, amused as she backed away from him.
"Elena." He said, his hands on his hips. "Come here." She pouted up at him, but obeyed, and slowly approached him. He pulled her flush against him and dropped his head to capture her lips in a kiss. When they separated, he smiled down at her red cheeks and said, "I love it when you blush. It starts on your cheeks, then spreads down your neck and to your chest…I wonder if it goes lower." She blushed even harder and closed her eyes, making him chuckle. He ran a hand up and down her back through the towel, saying, "I'm just kidding, Elena. While I certainly won't argue if you choose to forgo pajamas tonight, if you'd rather wear something then you should get dressed. I've got dinner ready for you."
Still slightly mortified, Elena gave a little huff then said, "Go back to your room and don't you dare look!"
He couldn't help but laugh at her embarrassment. As old as he was, he had no shame left for nakedness, so as she found a corner to hide where he couldn't see her he dropped his pants, stripped his shirt, and climbed into bed, propping up the pillows behind him so he could lean comfortably against the headboard. He couldn't wait to see Elena's reaction when she found out he was naked. Pushing her buttons was almost as fun as grating on his little brother's nerves.
His eyes just about fell out of his head when he saw the get up she had on as she sauntered into his room. From that damn sexy smirk on her face, she knew the effect she had on him too.
Dressed in only one of his black button downs, he was left to wonder what was on underneath, if anything. God, that thought had him reigning in his desire before it got out of hand.
"Cute pj's." He said, almost instantly realizing his mistake.
Elena's smirk fell and she raised a brow, "We never did talk about that."
He sighed, handing her the glass of blood as she hopped into bed a few feet away from him, "What's to talk about?"
"How about why you compelled me in the first place. Don't you think I deserved to remember the first time I heard you tell me you love me?" There was no anger in her tone, because she really didn't feel angry about it. Hurt, maybe, and cheated, but not angry. How could she be mad when she could clearly remember how much it hurt him to make her forget? He wasn't doing either of them any favors.
He sighed, intent on getting this conversation over with as soon as possible, "Yes, I know you deserved to remember it. Like I said, I wish I didn't have to make you forget. But you were happy with my brother, Elena, and I couldn't ruin that. I didn't want to confuse you or bog you down with my problems on top of everything else. Now can we please move on from this conversation?"
Elena resisted an eye roll and pushed right ahead, "You know what I think? You were scared of rejection."
He ground his teeth together, realizing that she wasn't going to let this go. "Who isn't? I don't see how that's relevant, and—"
"It's relevant because I don't think you know how much of an effect you had on me back then too." She confessed quietly, interrupting his irritated response.
He narrowed his eyes at her and with a tone that dared her to tread too heavily asked, "Are you telling me that if I had let you remember that you would have dropped my brother and come to me?"
"Well, no, but—"
"But nothing." He shrugged, trying to salvage his good mood for her sake. "That's all there is to it. We're here now, and that's what matters, so do you think you can let it go and forgive me?"
She smiled slightly and agreed, "Okay. Just don't do it again."
It wasn't until after she said it that she realized the ridiculousness of her statement. She giggled as Damon laughed, "Never."
She took her first sip of the blood then cringed, "What's in this?"
Frowning, he realized that he had handed her the glass with vodka in it. "Oops. That's mine." He switched their glasses and ignored her raised brows. When she still wouldn't give up her glare, he flashed her his eyes and wiggled his brows as he took a drink.
Rolling her eyes, she slipped beneath the covers with him and looked for the remote to the large flat screen that hung from the wall across from the bed. She spotted it on his nightstand, so without a second thought, she crawled over his lap to grab it. Damon froze as her ass stuck up practically in his face. The little minx just couldn't resist tempting him, but little did she know, he didn't do well with teasing.
He glanced once more at her face to make sure she was doing it on purpose, and when he saw the smirk playing at her lips, he gave in. His hand connected with her ass, pushing her flat against his lap while she gasped in surprise. Leisurely sipping on his blood, he groped her soft flesh through his shirt and smirked to himself. He was always more of an ass man, and this girl had a hell of an ass.
"Damon…" Elena said in a warning, unsure if she wanted more or less. Well, that wasn't true, she knew she wanted more. It was just a matter of whether they were ready or not. Though with him playing with her ass, she had a hard time convincing herself that they weren't ready. Sure, her emotions could be a little unstable, but her love for Damon wasn't. And wasn't that what mattered the most?
"Leaving the door open so I saw you naked was strike one, Elena. Wearing my shirt, strike two. Wiggling your ass in my face…well, I think you get the picture." He smoothed his hand down over the round curve of her backside and down to her thighs, feeling her soft skin warm his cool hands.
Elena stayed perfectly still, not wanting to move in a way that would make him stop. There was something about him, about the pure sex that he exudes, that made her want to explore that side of him. Seeing the way a man with more sexual experiences than a hundred men combined came apart when he looked at her was the ultimate turn on.
Damon slowly slid his hand beneath his shirt, his fingers lingering on the back of her thighs just in case she changed her mind. When she made no objections, he pushed his shirt up just enough to sneak a peak. He wasn't sure if he was excited or disappointed to see her wearing panties. On one hand, they were black and lacy, but on the other, they were covering what he really wanted.
"I don't remember these panties being in your drawer." He commented, covering her again with his shirt.
At his lack of touching, she moved so she was kneeling next to him and shrugged innocently, "I may or may not have a secret stash of all the racier things ever since you decided it was appropriate to look through my underwear. I couldn't have you seeing just how…scandalous I could be."
Through clenched teeth and narrowed eyes, he managed, "That was your last freebie before I snap, and you know I'll do it. Now pick something to watch or push me again and see what happens."
She bit her lower lip and grinned, then flipped on the TV to begin searching through channels. Damon gulped down every last drop of his drink, needing the alcohol more than ever. Elena settled on some chick flick he was sure he'd never even heard of as she snuggled into his side, curling her arm around his body and laying her head against his chest. He had shifted down slightly so they weren't sitting, but they weren't lying flat either.
As he forced himself to endure the awful movie, the only thing preventing him from demanding that Elena change the channel was the feeling of her tight little body against his. It was all he could think about, all he could feel, as his fingertips traced up and down her waist and hip. Grazing her outer thigh, his fingers danced beneath his shirt on her and slowly moved up until he reached the waistband on her underwear.
Elena tried to focus on the movie, she really did, but with Damon touching her in places he's never touched her before that was nearly impossible. Unconsciously, she began drawing circles on his stomach with the tip of her middle finger, swirling patterns around his belly button and teasing the dark happy trail that led below the sheets.
She felt Damon's fingers lift the waistband of her panties away from her skin so he could slide his hand beneath them, placing his palm flat against her hip. She would never admit it to him, but she had bought this set of lingerie with him in mind the last time Caroline took her shopping. She just knew that he would love the black lace.
Her rapidly beating heart calmed once she realized that he wasn't going to touch her any further than her bare hip. Or at least for now. Soon she was yawning, and Damon was shutting off the TV. When he leaned over to shut off the light, Elena's eyes followed the sheet as it slipped even lower and she gasped when she saw his bare ass.
"Are you naked!?" When he turned to face her in the dark, he had the widest shit-eating grin she'd ever seen plastered on his face. "Seriously!? You let me get this close to you while you were naked and I didn't even know!?"
He rolled his eyes as he repositioned the pillows so they could lay down, "Oh, don't get your panties in a twist, it's not like you've never seen me naked. Hell, if I remember correctly, you did a whole lot more than see me naked."
Elena's cheeks flamed at the memory. She still couldn't believe she had gotten so caught up in the moment that she gave him a blowjob without a second thought. She threw herself into the mountain of fluffy pillows, hiding her face from his amusement. Damon chuckled and rubbed his hand up and down her back, "You're adorable, you know that?"
She turned her head only to scowl at him, but all she could think about was his nakedness. He probably slept naked every night, which led her to wonder if the sheets they were lying in had been touched by his…nakedness before. And now when she instinctively wanted to cuddle with him, she knew she wasn't going to be able to fall asleep. No matter what position they chose, she would only be mere inches from touching him.
He motioned for her to come into his arms, and she sighed, climbing over him to turn the light back on. However, he took full advantage of her movement and tugged her down on top of him as she made to return to the bed. Her legs fell on either side of his hips and she swallowed thickly, trying to think of anything but how close their lower bodies were.
"Elena, come down here." He gently demanded, seeing her sitting straight as a board. She shook her head, wishing he would release her hips so she could move before she lost control. Seeing her resistance, he grabbed her forearms and lightly pulled so she had no choice but to lay down on top of him. He cupped her face in his hands and said, "Would you just relax? I'm not going to stick it in you when you're sleeping, for Christ's sake."
She laughed softly at his choice of words and buried her face in his neck, pressing kisses against his pulse point, "I know. Sorry."
"But you do want it in you at some point, right?" He asked, only half kidding.
Blushing furiously, she quietly admitted, "Yes…"
Grinning from ear at her shyness, he waggled his brows, "Then why don't we get started on that right now?"
She pinned him with a look, "We're supposed to be taking this slow, remember? Not only that, but Stefan is right down the hall, and I really don't want to rub it in his face. I wish I didn't have to hurt him, but I just don't feel the same things for him anymore, you know?"
"Well I'd hope not, or else this position we're in would be extremely awkward."
"Yes it would." She teased. "Now could you please put some pants on?"
"No." He answered instantly, reaching over to turn the light back off. "Now go to sleep."
Huffing, Elena decided that as long as she couldn't see or feel anything, she would manage. She slid from on top of him to his side, using his chest as a pillow, and closed her eyes. She was surprised by how quickly Damon's soothing touches put her to sleep.