Elena stares through her window, watching intently as the detectives approach their vehicle. She doesn't flinch when Damon stops and looks up towards where she's standing, he stares for several seconds before crawling into the car. When they finally drive away, she breathes a sigh of relief. With her adrenaline waning from her beat down of that damn cop, she feels fatigued as if she'd run a marathon. Hearing footsteps behind her, she tightens her lips, lets the curtain fall free and narrows her eyes pointedly at Elijah.
"You didn't exactly help?"
"No I didn't. But in my defense, it was so much fun watching you spar with him," to Elena's shock, he's smiling. She can see Enzo giving him an incredulous look as well.
"What?" Elijah wonders. "First of all, you've told me too many times to count that you're a grown woman and that you're more than capable of handling yourself. Secondly, I was merely curious to see what you would do." Winking at her, he adds, "I seriously considered taking bets on whether or not you two would end up jumping each other in the middle of the argument or..."
"You can't be serious!" Enzo explodes, both of them turning to him astounded. "We're being harassed by those uniformed idiots and you have the gall to make jokes about it? What if they really find a way, maybe even invent a way to arrest you, Elena?" he looks at her. "Or what if she tells them something they don't need to know?" he gives Elijah a nasty look
"Oh thank you, Enzo, I'm glad you trust me," Elena adds sarcastically while Elijah rolls his eyes.
"Don't be ridiculous, I wouldn't let them get that far. You and I both know Elena's more than capable of standing her ground and Salvatore was asking for it. Plus, our boss obviously needed to let off some steam, otherwise she might have laid into us." His laughable quip earns a well-deserved smack on the shoulder.
He's right of course, Enzo realizes it as soon as he can see Elena's posture slacken at the same time the air in the room takes on a decidedly less heavy feel to it.
"Sorry," he mumbles, "I do trust you," he stresses. "Both of you."
Still, his face is troubled as he looks at his boss.
Having had a long, tense day, Damon is exhausted by the time he pulls into his driveway. After dragging himself in the house, he lays his attache case on the kitchen table then reaches into the cupboard to pull out his bottle of bourbon, the one he saves for occasions such as this. He opens another to grab a glass and decides to hell with it and takes a long slog straight from it. As much as he'd like to finish it off, he has to work in the morning so after taking one more long pull he screws the lid back on and slides it back into its place.
He slowly climbs the steps, strips out of his clothes when he reaches his room and steps in the shower. After washing his hair and body, he pulls on a pair of clean boxers, slips under the covers and closes his eyes. It takes mere minutes for him to drift off and dreams to fill his subconscious.
Elena moans against his lips when he kneads her breasts. Pressing them deeper into his hands, she slides her lips from his and runs her mouth down his throat, leaving opened mouth kisses along the way. When her lips reach his chest, she closes them over one of his tightened nipples. He doesn't miss the smile on her face when a deep groan vibrates in his chest, deepening when she circles it with her tongue. She moans herself when Damon runs his thumbs over her nipples in response. As he strokes, Elena pushes her lower body into him.
Sliding his hand between them, he presses her back against the shower wall. She winks at him then grabs his hand and deposits it between her legs. He sighs salaciously when he feels how wet she is. And it has nothing to do with the water pouring down around them. Damon slowly begins a seductive caress while at the same time he drops his mouth to hers. As their tongues join, he slides one finger into her tight body and starts to pump. As she squirms, he drags his thumb over her clit, his heart thumping at the way she quakes against his hands.
Damon sucks her tongue deeply into his mouth as he slips a second finger into her. She grinds against him, riding his fingers greedily. Damon pumps hard and fast, grunting against her lips when he feels her clit engorge even more beneath the pad of his thumb. She raises her leg, resting it on his hip to open herself up for him. He bends over to lick her nipple, moaning with hunger at the way it hardens beneath his onslaught.
With her heat coating his fingers and her walls tightening around them, he bucks his own hips when she reaches down, pulling him even closer to where she desires him the most. Damon watches mesmerized as she surrenders herself to her release, his name echoing repeatedly from her lips.
As her body writhes against him, Damon cups both hands around her bottom, picks her up and whispers for her to wrap her legs around his middle to give him access. Pressing his tip into her, he seeks out her lips, sliding his tongue in at the same instant he pulls her hips forward and slides deeply inside of her pliant body. At the erotic feel of her, Damon begins a rapid grind, his arousal pumping in and out, slamming her against the shower wall. Her hips press forward meeting each of his magnificent thrusts. Raising his hands up to grasp hers, he holds them over her head and threads their fingers together. Damon quickens his pace as he covers her lips with his, a deep guttural moan escaping her gorgeous mouth, matching his own.
It feels glorious when her vaginal muscles begin to tighten around him. Arching her back, she grinds down hard against each thrust, allowing him to go even deeper. Suddenly she yanks her mouth free from his, he watches enraptured as she throws her head back and cries out his name. The force of her orgasm ripping through her is so strong that he feels it against his length. He fills her one last time, tight and deep, the power of his release mimics hers as he empties himself inside of her.
Beep, beep, beep.
Damon's eyes snap open at the intensity of it all. Blowing out a breath, he drops his eyes, noticing how the sheet is tented at his groin. He rolls over and slams his hand down to silence his alarm clock. He lays there for a few minutes before dragging himself out of bed and directly into the shower so he can take care of his throbbing erection.
He still feels the echoes of his erotic dream replaying repeatedly in his mind when he enters the office. Ric and Luka are already there, the latter hands him a cup of Starbucks coffee. Damon mutters his thanks and sits behind the desk, the coffee instantly lifting him into a better, more lucid world.
"Well, what are we doing today?" Ric lays aside the report he was just reading, giving his partner a look. "Do you want me to help you or do you prefer that I go back to my other case?"
"I'll let you decide for yourself. However, I'd be grateful for your help. Luka and I can help you complete your reports, assist you with questioning later if you want," Damon answers without looking up from his computer screen.
"No problem."
"Alright, Luka, has the team finally finished processing Shane's residence? I have another complaint in my mail."
Luka nods, already leaving the room. "I'll find out."
"Now will you spill on what the hell went on in that office yesterday?" Ric unexpectedly speaks once Luka disappears through the door.
Damon's jaw tightens. "What do you mean?"
"And you still aren't looking at me," his partner adds triumphantly.
Damon's eyes shoot to him. "What exactly are you insinuating?"
"Look, Damon, we've been partners for several years now. I know you as well as I know my own brother. Can you honestly tell me there's nothing happening with you and Miss Gilbert? I mean, you've been deeply invested in this case since the very beginning. I get it that there are some parallels... and she's beautiful. However, that's not all is it?" Ric pauses for effect.
Leaning forward in his chair so Damon has to look at him, he continues, "What I saw yesterday... C'mon man, you enjoyed every minute of sparring with her. Even her sleazy lawyer didn't step in to break it up. The two of you were in your own world. Frankly, it felt like the rest of us were voyeurs."
Damon sighs mentally but he'd never admit it to anyone. "I have no idea what are you even talking about. Yes, it got a bit heated, Miss Gilbert has quite a temper but I was trying... to get a rise of her, as she said. And it worked! A few more times and she will spill her secrets."
"If that's really what you think, you're delusional. Hell, she didn't tell us anything that we didn't already know. Whether you admit it or not, yesterday was a bust and you know that as surely as I do."
"Maybe...," he reluctantly admits. "But it wasn't an act, she was truly angry."
"Yes, she was livid. And yet, she still managed to take total control the situation. You may think you had her in the crosshairs but if you want my opinion, I think she had you right where she wanted. A few more times..." Ric teases, quirking his brows suggestively and Damon chuckles.
"Point taken. I really didn't expect it to escalate the way it did, I'll have to be more careful around her."
"But why?" Ric tilts his head to one side curiously.
"I wish I knew, bro."
There is something happening with his friend.
Elena feels herself starting to become lucid when a bright beam of mid afternoon sunlight shines directly across her face. She doesn't want to open her eyes but when sleep refuses to pull her back under, she finally opens them. Rolling on her back, she stares at the ceiling and stretches her limbs, yawning as she does. It's been a hectic few days, mostly attributable to one insufferable cop.
She deserved to sleep in and did just that, stubbornly trying to ignore the disturbing dreams that haunted her slumber. They succeeded in waking her up more than once, although, not all of them were bad...
Not quite ready to drag herself out of bed, she shifts onto her side and contemplates everything and nothing, re-playing those vivid dreams in her mind. She's not sure if Detective Salvatore is her worst nightmare or simply reinforcing her belief that she needs to find a man, preferably a decent one to help her... release tension, she's almost certain that's where her dreams are leading her. What else could they mean?
"Want some company?"
Elena startles, her heart catching in her throat. "You!" she almost yells.
Kai looks pleased with himself. "Based on your vivid dreams, yeah... you need it."
She looks at him dubiously. "How would you know about my vivid dreams?"
"I've been here for awhile, I heard all the noises you were making..."
"You're a jackass. Not only do you scare me to death, not only are you a pig, you're also a peeping tom!"
He just shrugs and sits beside Elena on the bed. "Enzo was concerned when you didn't show up this morning and when noon and still no you... Lets just say that if I hadn't offered to drive out here, he probably would've had called our favorite detectives to report you missing."
Elena tenses at the word 'detectives' and knowing her as well as he does, Kai picks up on it. "So it was the detectives. Or should I say one detective in particular...?"
Elena grimaces. "I'm not responsible for what I dream. It's not like I can pre-program them."
Kai laughs wholeheartedly. "Of course you are. That sensual dance, I could hear how much you were enjoying yourself. I'd bet money it was with him...," he teases and winks at her.
Elena rolls her eyes at his antics. After elbowing him hard in the ribs, she points to the bedroom door, "Get out now so I can get dressed and then we can be on our way."
Damon and Ric have been working side by side, arms deep, scanning through reports for the last couple of hours. When Luka suddenly storms into the room, both of their heads shoot to the door.
"You do realize Alexander Graham Bell invented this little device, we call it a phone... Rather than run around like a chicken without its head, you are allowed to use said phone when you have something to say. Where's the fire anyway?" Ric mocks.
Luka actually has to take a few more breaths before he's able to speak causing the senior detectives to share a look.
"Sorry, " he finally starts, "I thought Damon would like to call Alex as soon as possible."
"The forensic tech?" Damon seems confused. "Why would...?"
Luka's nodding before Damon has a chance to ask the question. "They were finishing up their work at the murder scene... Alex accidentally pushed the cart they were using into the opposite wall. It made a strange hollow like sound so he examined it thoroughly. The room had been newly roughcast before the body was left there. And as luck would have it, the crack revealed the home's original foundation."
"What exactly are you saying?"
"The room has always been there. Get this, it actually connects both structures, the club and Shane's house...," he makes a dramatic pause, Damon and Ric wait with baited breath for him to say it. "It's possible that if Gilbert died in the club, his body could have been entombed in the Shane house via a direct connection to the club."
Huge thanks to each and everyone of you. You're all the best.
Thank you Eva, I don't know where I'd be without you.
Chapter title: 'In the Dream' by Savatage.
We've had several requests for an epilogue for 'November Rain'. I will tell you that there will be a one shot epilogue coming. I have started writing it, it may be a little while before I finish it though. We're also working hard to finish WTTJ. We also have several other story ideas.
Have a safe and wonderful weekend, thank you all again.