Part two of tonight's update! Hope you enjoy :)
Firework
Drink Till Ya Drop
"You are not going out with Damon looking like that!" Caroline shrieked at me as I came out of my bathroom to find her draped across my bed. It had happened so often now that I didn't even jump. There was an open door policy for friends in this house, which they took full advantage of.
"I thought you didn't want Bells going out with Damon Caroline?" Bonnie asked backing into my room with her hands full of snacks.
"I don't! But she can't go out with him looking like that. Sorry B, but really? No make-up, jeans, a t-shirt, and you're going dancing?" Caroline said sounding frustrated, her voice going all high pitched and shrill like it did when she was upset.
When I'd told everyone my plans for tonight they'd been up in arms. Alaric had almost tried to stop me. But in the end they'd grudgingly given in; especially when I'd explained that I was safe with Damon from the other bad stuff in my life, plus I knew how to use a stake and use it well. Not that I would need to with Damon, I was sure of that. He looked out for me. He was my friend, honest with me to the point of bluntness. And that was just what I needed in my life after being coddled by the Cullen's for so long.
"I'm not ready yet Caroline." I said with a lift of my eyebrows and a smile. "He's not coming till eight and it's not even six yet."
"Oh my god, you need to start getting ready! You've only got two hours!" Caroline gasped. Bonnie and I shared a look.
"How about we sit and chat for a bit before I start getting ready? I need to line my stomach after all." I said while hopping on the bed with the two girls and helping myself to a handful of chips.
"Fine!" Caroline said dramatically making us all giggle.
"Hey, where's Elena?" I asked as Bonnie pushed a spoon for the ice cream at me.
"With Stefan, getting all loved up." Bonnie replied with a wistful smile and sigh.
"So let's just cut to the chase. What is going on with you and Damon." Caroline asked me getting down to business apparently. Bonnie looked at me eagerly too.
"Huh?" I asked dragging this out for them, because it was funny.
"Don't act stupid - spill!" Bonnie said with a knowing look.
"Absolutely nothing is going on with me and Damon. Honestly he's just a really good friend. He makes me laugh and he tells it like he is. Plus he's an ass, and I enjoy being a bitch back." I told my friends sincerely.
"Uh-huh." Bonnie said sceptically. "And you haven't though about those baby blue eyes or those muscles at all?" At mine and Caroline's stunned looks she raised her hands. "What!? Just because I don't like the guy doesn't mean I'm blind!"
"Alright, he's good looking. But really we're just friends." I repeated myself while feeling the sting of regret. Which was stupid, I wasn't ready to date again, and even if I was it wouldn't matter because Damon was defiantly a no go area, I reminded myself.
"That's how it starts. Just friends, then the longing looks, the gazes that go on too long." Caroline started to tease me.
Bonnie cut in joining in. "The electricity as you brush against each other, wishing you had another reason to touch."
"Wanting to just fall into his arms!" Caroline and Bonnie both burst out laughing then.
"Ha ha." I said dryly, while blushing. What they'd just said meant nothing, it wasn't like that. It couldn't be like that.
"Alright, we'll quit. Now what are you wearing then?" Bonnie said her eyes still shining with humour.
~0~
"Wow! Don't you look... Smoking." Damon drawled at me, his eyes scanning me from the tip of my toes to my hair. My blush made its way typically to my face.
"Thanks." I said rolling my eyes. I could never quite work out whether he was being sincere or was trying to get a rise out of me, or maybe Alaric who looked like he was about to start spitting feathers.
"Right, well... We better be going then!" Damon said clapping his hands together once before offering me his arm.
"Hold on a second." Alaric said his face stern and his arms crossed in front of him. "You got your money, keys, cell?" Alaric asked me.
"Yeah sure, right here." I replied with a frown.
"Make sure she gets home safe. Sometime before the morning Damon." Alaric glared at the vampire.
"Yeah, yeah. We're going to have fun Ric, chill, it'll be fine." Damon said with his smirk, not really helping things.
"I'll be fine Ric. I've got you on speed dial. Don't worry." I smiled at my guardian who looked like he was a mix of worried and angry.
"Have fun Bella, but not too much fun okay?" Ric tried smiling at me. I nodded before heading to the door with Damon.
The door opened just as we reached it revealing Elena and Stefan. "Wow Bella, you look amazing! Totally hot!" Elena exclaimed with a smile for me.
"Thanks!" I replied with a bright smile of my own, I didn't quite believe her but I appreciated the sentiment anyway.
"Damon, a word before you go?" She said her voice harder as she looked to him.
Damon let out a huge sigh of frustration then groaned out "fine!" His patience apparently all but worn out. "Here, I'll be out in a minute. Don't touch anything!" Damon said to me as he chucked me the keys to his car.
"Cool. Can I drive?" I asked, wanting to get him in a better mood, plus teasing him was always fun.
"No." Was his simple answer, but I could see the corners of his mouth lifting into almost a smile.
I huffed out as I made my way out of the door, not meaning it but I didn't want him in a bad mood already. Plus I didn't think that I wanted to be with a drunk pissed of Damon.
I sat in Damon's car waiting for a minute or two before I got bored and put the radio on. I was happily singing along to some crap pop song when he opened the drivers side with a small frown creasing his forehead as though he had a headache.
"I thought I said not to touch anything. And your singing is terrible by the way." He said as he started the car and peeled away from the house as though he couldn't get away fast enough, which he probably couldn't.
"Thank you, I pride myself on my ability to annoy through singing alone. And did you really think I'd listen?" I raised my eyebrow, enjoying myself already, it was just so easy to be me around him. "What did Elena want anyway?"
"She just told me to behave myself. Like I wouldn't!" The fake hurt in his voice made me giggle.
"Uh-huh. So where are we going?" I asked with interest as we passed the town sign.
"Richmond. There's a bar there that's okay, then we'll head to a club. That's if you can keep up Wildcat." He smirked at me.
"I'll give it a go." I smiled back.
"So how are you liking living with the Gilbert's and co?" Damon asked me.
"It's nice. I finally feel like I've got a family, like I fit." I replied honestly, Damon just nodded with a small smile. "What about you, how do you like being Stefan's guardian?" I asked back with a smirk as I did.
"Saint Stefan doesn't need a guardian, he needs to lighten up." Damon grumbled, making me laugh a little.
The conversation carried on flowing, Damon would ask me questions; favourite food, colour, music. I'd answer then ask him one back; favourite city, fashion era, movies. His answers would always surprise me, and by the looks on his face so did mine surprise him. It was a good way to pass the hour it took us to reach the bar, the car was full of laughter, banter and thinly veiled insults.
"C'mon then." Damon said as we got out of the car and headed for the bar, which looked like a dive compared to the grill. "Oh, and by the way; you do look hot tonight Rocky."
"Yeah, you said. Thanks." Again I couldn't hold back my blush.
"And I meant it, but you didn't believe me." It was true, and I still didn't, but I'd take the compliment anyway.
I was wearing black skinny jeans with some black knee high boots which had a kitten heel - obviously Bonnie and Caroline had talked me into them, and taught me to walk in them - teamed with my black leather jacket and a tight red t-shirt with a deep v-line neck that showed off some cleavage. I'd straightened my hair and added some red hoop earrings, and let Caroline do my make-up so that it looked half decent. The effect was okay I supposed, defiantly better than how I normally looked.
"Let's get hammered." Damon said as we reached the bar. "Four shots of Tequila and two beers." He ordered as the bar man sauntered over to us.
"I'll need I.D first." The man replied looking at me.
Damon leant forward and looked the man square in the eye. "No you don't. And they're on the house."
"Here. On the house." The bar man smiled with raised eyebrows at me as he put Damon's order down in front of us.
"Thanks." Damon smirked before turning to face me.
"Yeah, that whole compulsion, jedi mind trick thing is defiantly handy." I smiled taking the beer and sipping it.
"Oh yeah. Now salt on the hand, lime in your other then pick up your shot. Lick the salt, down the shot, eat the lime. Think you've got it?" Damon smirked at me as he demonstrated the best way to take the shots he'd just ordered.
"On three?" I smirked back, I couldn't really believe I was doing this. The only reason I was doing this was because I promised to, I told myself sternly, so it didn't matter that it was so out of character. Right? Besides, my dad wanted me to enjoy life, to live a little, and that was what I was doing.
"One, two, three!"
~0~
"Tell me what it was like, being with Eddie? Did he treat you right Wildcat?" Damon asked as we started walking to the club four hours and way too many drinks later.
"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." I said in a singsong voice; everything felt really good right now, hazy, but good.
"I don't have one." Damon replied.
"Ah, but you did. I know you did. I can tell you did. You wear everything behind a curtain too... I can see it. It's like mine. But mines a girls one and yours is a boys one." I giggled.
"You're far too observant for someone who's wasted." Damon told me mock sternly.
"You're wasted too!"
"I'm drunk, not wasted, there's a difference."
"I think I passed drunk three teq.. Teuq.. Teil... Three shots ago." I was having a little difficulty getting my words out.
"Yeah I noticed when you and that other girl started dancing on the bar, by the way, I got that on camera, you are sooooo... Gonna regret that in the morning." Damon beamed at me. It was his first real wide smile that I'd seen him with, and the difference it made was astounding. He was no longer just handsome, he was a god. An adonis.
"Coyote Ugly! That was fun!" I carried on trying to distract him from my blush, not wanting the questions that came with it. "So what do you wanna know?" I asked, looking towards the clubs lights less than a block away. It was taking a long time to get there, and I was tripping more than usual.
"What was your relationship like? Did he take you out to meals, bring you flowers, all that pansy crap?" He actually sounded like he wanted to know.
"No, not really. He was a bit obsessed with my eating habits - always making sure that I ate the right foods at the prediscribed - that's not right is it? Erm... At the right times. I never got flowers, but then I hate gifts. He wrote me a lullaby, and he always use to stay at mine. He use to say I was in danger all the time too. And that I wasn't safe unless he was around. Guess he was right there." I said thoughtfully, only tripping on a couple of words.
"What do you mean? Did you get chased down by a lot of psychotic vampires hell bent on revenge?" Damon asked making me giggle.
"No, but I tripped up all the time and he was always there to catch me I guess." I said, trying to think how else I was always in danger, but then it was difficult, I didn't really get in danger until I met him.
"So? You trip now, and btw- by the way- I'm not catching you, it's too funny. But you trip, you haven't killed yourself from it yet." Damon replied with a small frown.
"Yeah... You're right!" I said heatidly.
"Did he use to stop you doing a lot of things cause you might hurt yourself? If he did, that's called controlling and there are people who can help you with that."
"Maybe..." I said thinking again. "Hang on, you've not told me anything yet. What's your story?" I asked as we stepped towards the entrance of the club.
"Later, it's time to dance now." Damon smirked pushing me past the bouncer who was too busy trying to look at my ass to card me.
~0~
"One more! Pleeaassseee...!"
"You said one more three songs ago!"
"One more dance and then we can go, please!"
"Fine, one more song. But then we go, it's gonna get light soon and Alaric will try to kick my ass." Damon said guiding me back to the dance floor once more.
We'd been dancing the night away, both of us together on the dance floor just letting loose and having fun, not to mention getting more drunk than was advisable. Or sensible. I'd had one of the best nights of my life, I'd not once felt awkward or stupid, I'd been completely at ease and had more fun for it.
"What's this?" I slurred out as a song started that I'd never heard before, it sounded like a Rock song which I thought was a little odd considering they'd been playing cheesy pop all night, but maybe the music changed after half four in the morning? I didn't even know clubs opened this late.
"This is Metallica, Devil's Dance." Damon smirked at me as he held his hand out. "Care to dance?"
"With the devil?" I mocked. "Sure."
I took Damon's hand and stepped to him, surprised as he wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled me into him. As my body started tingling in a way that was sure to mean bad news, Damon started moving us, almost a slow intimate waltz.
I looked up to see Damon actually looking serious, his face blank and intense, his eyes boring right into my own.
For the duration of the song my eyes and Damon's never strayed from each other. My hole body was humming with something. It stung, and it burnt and it felt delicious in its intensity.
Deep in my alcohol fuelled fugginess I knew that something was very bad, that this feeling was more dangerous to me than Victoria was, but I couldn't bring myself to care as Damon's hand caressed the small of my back, as his other huge hand gently held my small one.
As the song came to an end Damon slowly dipped me, like in the movies, before pulling me back up and holding me for another second or two. Our eyes still not breaking contact.
"I guess I better get you home." He sighed, breaking the spell.
My heart sank as I replied; "yeah, I guess."
~0~
"Where does Ric keep his whiskey?" Damon whispered to me as I tried to take my shoes off in the hallway, everyone was obviously asleep in their beds and I was trying very hard not to make any noise.
"I dunno, but when you find it, I want a glass too!" I giggled.
"You can have a cup of tea and sit on the sofa." Damon replied trying for stern but missing it since he was almost as drunk as I was.
"Milk with two sugars please." I smiled while attempting to take my jacket off, but the arms had shrunk or something, it was really difficult.
"This is the only time I'm doing this. And if you tell anyone I'll lie." Damon replied.
"Uh-huh. Little help?" I asked as my jacket was still proving elusive.
Damon chuckled at me but came over and tugged my jacket off of me anyway before blurring into the kitchen.
I tiptoed into the living room and carefully lowered myself onto the sofa so that I didn't make any noise. Grabbing the throw as I did so that I could put it over myself.
"Here drink this." Damon came in a minute or two later with a glass of whiskey in one hand and my steaming mug of tea in the other.
I took the tea and Damon sat next to me on the sofa tugging my feet up so that they were in his lap, his free hand was stroking my ankle.
I sipped my tea, happy, content and completely drunk. "Thanks for tonight Damon. I think it might have been the best night I've ever had."
"That is just sad and you need to go out more often." I could hear the smirk in Damon's voice as my eyelids started to droop. "I had fun too Isabella."
~0~
"Shit!" A voice started rousing me from my uncomfortable sleep that had been blissfully devoid of dreams. "Damon! Damon! Wake-up! You've got to get out of here before Ric comes down."
My head was throbbing and my mouth tasted like ash and ass. Even just trying to open my eyes hurt. Last night could not have been worth this. Nothing was worth this pain, surely.
"Five more minutes." I felt someone stirring next to me before settling down again. Oh god, had I fallen asleep with Damon? What had happened? And why was Elena in my room? Did she need me?
I opened my eyes with a groan, the light burnt. Damon was curled up on the sofa with me, it seemed that we had fallen asleep in the living room. A half full glass of whiskey and an empty cup of what I assumed was coffee was on the coffee table in front of us.
"Bella you're awake. You've gotta go to your room, Ric will kill you if he finds you sleeping with Damon." Elena said to me, her face one of worry, but also a tiny bit of judgement there too.
I looked under the throw that Damon and I were under. "It's fine, we're dressed. And I really, really don't think I can move right now." I groaned out putting my head back down.
Elena looked between Damon and me before heading to the kitchen.
"You don't have to be dressed you know, I wouldn't mind." Damon mumbled sounding almost as awful as I felt.
"When I can move I'm gonna hit you for that one." I quipped back. I felt Damon chuckling next to me.
"Here." Elena said, her voice harsher than normal as she banged two mugs of coffee down on the table in front of us.
"Thanks." I muttered meekly while attempting to reach for the mug and not move at the same time.
"Pass me mine." Damon demanded, I wasn't sure which of us he was talking to but I kicked him anyway. "Ouch. What was that for?"
"Not using your manners." I replied before taking a sip of the heavenly coffee.
"Right I'm gonna get a shower, I'll see you tonight Damon." Elena said, frostily. I didn't get it, she was never anything but nice to me, why was she pissed off now, what had I done to upset her?
"Tonight?" Damon asked.
"Movie night at your house." Elena said back before starting for the stairs.
"Who's choice?" He asked with a groan.
"Caroline's." Elena beamed before jogging up the stairs.
~0~
3rd Person P.O.V.
Damon's night hadn't started off brilliantly, first he had to put with Alaric bitching at him about taking care of Bella, then he'd had Elena bitching at him too.
"Damon, a word before you go?" She said in that moaning voice of hers. Sometimes Damon didn't get how his brother put up with her, she was nothing short of nagging most of the time. But then again she'd been a friend to Damon and now she was trying to be one to Bella, he supposed he couldn't begrudge her that. Much.
Reluctantly he'd followed her and Saint Stefan into the living room. Elena had turned and faced Damon, her face almost angry. "Talk, I've got a hot brunette waiting for my undivided time and attention." Damon smirked, knowing it would piss them both off and not caring.
"Damon, I`ve accepted the fact that your a self serving psychopath with no human quality`s. But Bella? She doesn't know that quite yet. Maybe it would be nice for you to have one thing on this earth that doesn't hate you?" Elena's voice actually started breaking through to Damon. She might have had a point.
"Do you have a point or do you just enjoy my company that much that you want to keep me here Elena? Cause I'm not so sure that your boyfriend would be happy with that." Damon teased, watching with satisfaction as a pulse started jumping in his brothers cheek.
"My point is, don't give her a reason to hate you Damon." Elena said exasperated. She didn't get how Ric was actually letting Bella go out with Damon, surely nothing good would come of it. And Elena didn't want to see another of her friends get hurt by the cocky vampire, especially one who was only just starting to get over being hurt by other people.
"I won't Elena. Now if you excuse me. I'm going to get drunk." Damon said in a bored voice while trying not to think about what his brothers girl had said, or why it bugged him so much. So what people didn't like him? That was just funny. People came and went, the only constant was Stefan, and that was just because Damon enjoyed tormenting him. Damon didn't have any redeeming qualities and that's the way he liked it. So why was he so worried that he might actually make Bella hate him?
Luckily for Damon the rest of his night went better. Him and Bella had a blast, drinking, dancing, shots. Despite spending a prolonged amount of time with her, Damon still found that the girl interested him and shocked him.
First was when she insisted on doing the dance from some chick flick on the bar with another girl - which he thought was totally hot by the way- and which Damon had caught on camera. Then there was the way that she saw through his mask, just like he saw through hers. Then the biggest thing for Damon was that she accepted and even liked him exactly like he was. She wasn't scared of him, she didn't tell him what he wanted to hear - the opposite in fact - just to stop him doing something stupid. She relaxed around him. And that more than anything interested him.
Damon was starting to like Isabella Swan.
~0~
I really hoped you liked these chapters, this one has been my favourite to write so far. :)
So leave me some love and let me know what you thought. Love as always,
Tametiger x