She awakens to soft sheets and morning light as it trickles in through the blinds. Casting off the remaining glimpses of a dream, her eyes slowly open as she soaks in the warmth of the sun. Although she feels surprisingly well rested and refreshed, several minutes pass before she drags herself upright, stretches her arms above her head and yawns widely.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes with her knuckles, she can't help but recall her conversation with Jenna. It was pleasant and nothing out of the ordinary until she mentioned adopting Damon. She suspected as much but what put her senses on alert is the way Damon moved quickly to quash it, calling their family history boring. The only part of that stood out is Jenna's mention of his sad eyes... Rather than dwell on it now, she gets ready, jumps in her Range Rover and drives to work.
It's a little earlier than usual when she storms into the club. As soon as she reaches her suite, she takes a moment to drink in the aroma of Bonnie's freshly brewed coffee. After greeting her, she steps into her office and just as she's putting her bag in the desk drawer, Bonnie hurries in carrying a piping dose of 'first aid'. One of her guilty pleasures is purchasing the finest beans. Her morning coffee is always freshly ground and served with half and half. Taking the venti sized cup, frothy and steaming hot, Elena takes a swallow, evoking a sigh as the first milky sip creeps over and ignites her taste buds.
After taking another one, she sets it down and offers Bonnie a heartfelt thank you.
"Mmmm, Bonnie, you're a life-saver. I woke up early so I decided I might just as well come to work. As you know, I hate being late but normally I can't drag myself out of bed before eight." Turning to the woman, Elena gives her a beaming smile which her friend faintly returns.
Bonnie's not exactly sure what to make of this boisterous Elena. Her boss actually is a vigorous person but lately... She can't help but be curious as to where this newfound giddiness is coming from, her brother's death maybe?
Because she has her own work to do, she collects the dirty mugs from the day before along with a small bowl with crackers that Elena pushed aside and is about to leave when she's addressed again.
"Bonnie... wait, I'd like to have a few words with you." When she nods, Elena extends her arm, gesturing towards the couch. Please have a seat?"
Although she wonders what's going on, she nods and sits down. She carefully watches Elena get up and close the door before she settles next to her.
"I'm... concerned about you."
"There's no reason for..."
"Are you and Enzo having trouble?" She pauses for a minute to gauge Bonnie's reaction. When she says nothing, Elena continues, "I'd hate it if it's because of his busy schedule, I'm not always as considerate as I should be about his working hours. But if that's a problem for you two, just tell me, we'll figure something out."
Bonnie's looking in her eyes not quite sure how to respond to something so personal. She has no idea. Is she really so self-absorbed and oblivious that she cannot see that Enzo would rather drop dead than cut his hours... if for no other reason than Elena might need him?
He's too selfless to tell her she's taking advantage of his devotion. That's exactly why Bonnie knows with absolute certainty that Enzo will take Elena's secrets with him to the grave. Fiercely loyal, he would also rather walk through molten lava than to ever use his intimate knowledge against her. And of course, there's another guy who somehow started playing a role in Bonnie's life, he's new and exciting and perhaps he'll be able to do something about the dictatorship that exists at The Jungle.
She probably has to say something or her boss will find it strange. "No, Elena. There's been a few misunderstandings but I know he loves his work. Neither he nor I would have it any other way. I also enjoy spending time with other people, some he likes, some he doesn't... but don't concern yourself, we'll figure it out." And it's none of your damn business anyway.
Elena nods, knowing her hands are tied at least for now. "Okay, Bonnie, but please, if there's anything I can do for either of you, don't hesitate to let me know. I care about you both."
Bonnie nods and gives her a smile. "Of course. Do you need anything else?" she asks and gets up to leave.
"Oh yes there is one more thing... can you please give Elijah a buzz? If he's free, I'd like him to join me for lunch, tell him whatever time is convenient."
The first thing Damon does when he walks into police headquarters is to pour himself a large cup of rock gut coffee. Although bitter, he needs the caffeine and takes a long pull. He reaches for the carafe to top it off and then walks to his office.
"How was the game?" Damon doesn't even try to hide his eye roll. Of course it's the first thing that comes out of Ric's mouth.
"Don't remind me," Damon utters. He would rather not get into it the first thing Monday morning. But Ric has other ideas.
"That bad, huh?"
Damon gives him the middle finger. Only now noticing the good brew that Luka must have put on his desk, he pushes his mug aside in favor of it.
"Well?" Ric doesn't give up. "Was your family angry?"
"No, they all fell in love with Elena even more because she showed up in a fantastic mood and a promise to get Stefan a Reno Aces baseball cap. Apparently she's tight with the team's GM."
Ric's eyes widen. "You don't say!"
"The whole experience was surreal..."
"Has she gotten over the questioning thing? I mean, did she speak to you?"
"Nope, she barely said two words to me... the greeting included."
"Man, you need to forget about her. This Jungle thing is messing with your head."
"Don't go there," Damon warns and takes a deep pull from his cup.
"Yeah, yeah," Ric starts, "Let's just solve Jeremy's murder and move on. His is only one of many cold cases we have needing closure. Their families are waiting for justice too."
Damon's thinking that he should agree when Luka crosses the threshold looking awfully fresh and cheerful.
"Morning."
Damon and Ric's response is much less enthusiastic but the young man has been with them for some time now, he ought to know better than to expect cheerfulness this early in the morning. He brushes them off, not taking their less than personable attitudes to heart, but he doesn't let their moods deter him either.
"Didn't you mention the name Aaron Whitmore the other day, Damon?"
"I did. He's one of Jeremy's more nefarious buddies. Why? Did you find him?"
Luka nods and it's clear he's pretty proud of himself. "I sure did, he only recently returned to Reno. He doesn't go to The Jungle but he can be found at the Jolly Roger."
"Seriously?" Damon looks skeptical.
Luka chuckles, "Yes, I'm being serious, he's their newest bouncer."
Knowing Elijah is going to join her for lunch, she leaves her office to go to the restaurant. Along the way, a couple stops her to inform her of a great experience they had with one of her employees. Elena thanks them and makes herself a mental note to talk to her HR manager about thanking the girl.
Caroline has her table ready by the time she arrives. After seating her, Elena gives her friend a smile of gratitude. Taking a long sip of ice cold water, she sets it down and lets her eyes drift to the massive fish tank. As she watches all of the brightly colored fish dart in a out amongst the coral, she soon finds herself lost in thought so much so that she startles slightly when she hear his voice.
"You look... in a good mood," Elijah watches Elena for a moment before joining her at the table. Once he's seated, he takes the menu that Caroline offers and nods his thanks.
"Do I? Well, I did get a complement about one of the my employees so that makes me happy. And then there's the fact that you're here."
"I'm always happy to oblige the owner of this fine establishment. What's the occasion?"
Leaning forward with a twinkle in her eyes, she purrs with a teasing lilt to her voice, "I invited you, 'Lijah because I have something to share."
"And does your mood have anything to do with a certain detective? And if it does, did you have a good time at the game on Saturday?"
"What? How do you know all of these things!?" she blurts out in frustration.
Elijah chuckles. "Don't bite my head off, but lately your moods seem to depend on what Detective Salvatore did or didn't do. Plus, a social event like a Little league ball game is an event that the founding families have always been a part of. Need I remind you that my father and grandfather were instrumental in bringing it to Reno. So... let's just say that when my father goes to watch his grandson's team... you know Mikael, he notices everything?"
"Ouch, forgot about the founders thing," Elena grimaces. "I didn't notice Mikael at the game either."
"One, he was there, two, how could you ever forget that?" Elijah's jokes, taking a long swallow from his water glass.
They are silent for a few minutes while Caroline brings them their drinks and writes down their orders.
"So...," he starts, gauging her reaction, "What did you want to talk about?"
"Have you found out anything about Damon Salvatore?"
"I knew that's what you were..." Elijah utters but his answer is a serious one. "I can't say that I have. But the fact that I haven't found anything tangible, that I hit a brick wall everytime I think I'm on the verge of a breakthrough, is reason enough for me to believe there is something there. I would bet money that my father knows more than what he lets on. Unfortunately his sense of loyalty, in this case towards Giuseppe Salvatore, is why he's keeping his mouth shut."
"Really? Uncle Mike knows more? Hm... While I was at the game, I had a conversation with Jenna Salvatore. She told me she's not his mom, that she adopted him only after she married Giuseppe."
Elijah looks in thought. "That makes sense. I suspected that she's much too young to have birthed him but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Lots of women have adopted their new husband's children."
"I agree, but you weren't there. You didn't see the way Damon reacted, how he tried to silence her... It's my belief that he didn't want me to know about his or his family's history."
"Perhaps? I will do some more digging."
"I wonder... Stefan looks a lot like his father. But Damon...," Elena tries to grasp the thought. She feels like on the verge of something but can't quite figure it out. "Do you think it's possible Damon's not a Salvatore?"
Elijah thinks about it for a moment, weighing his answer. "I told you everything around him is sealed, which could be either related to teenage brushes with the law or an adoption so yes, I think it's entirely possible that he's not a Salvatore by blood."
Before she can give his words any thought, Caroline returns with their meals but neither seems to be in any hurry to start eating.
"I don't know why any of this is important...," she adds unsure when the waitress leaves them alone again.
Elijah gives her a roguish smile. "Trust me, Elena, anything we can learn about Detective Salvatore may one day come in handy."
"Is this the place?" Luka wonders, making a face when Damon parks the car on one of the side streets. This part of Reno looks like the kind of place where the dregs of society hang out. It looks seedy and dark and like a scene out of poorly made crime movie.
"Yep... What? You've never been to The Jolly Roger?" Damon chuckles at the naivety of his young Padawan.
"No!" Luka's offended. "I was a good kid, did my homework, got straight A's..."
Damon snorts but doesn't comment and walks inside first. The guy standing by the door is not Aaron but he looks familiar. Damon knows him from somewhere... And here we go.
"Detective," he addresses him frowning and that's when the light bulb goes on for Damon, now remembering how he knows this bloke.
"Josh Rosza," Damon acknowledges. "What are you doing here? Body building isn't enough to pay the rent these days?"
"They took my license... As if you don't know," he mutters under his breath.
He was a witness in one of Damon's cases, quite helpful actually, which was the only reason he didn't end up in prison when they found out he was dealing illegal steroids and growth hormone.
"Well, Josh, relax, we're not here for you, we're looking for Aaron Whitmore."
"He's right there," Josh says, gesturing towards the bar with his head. "A bunch of drunks arrived a little while ago and the boss wanted us to make sure they won't cause any trouble."
"Thanks Josh," Damon pats his back and Luka follows.
"Whitmore, long time no see," he leans closer standing behind Aaron's left shoulder. It kind surprises Damon that he's a bouncer, he's really not all that stout but he has bulked up a bit since the last time Damon saw him. He's 6', blonde hair, blue eyes, partial to plaid shirts and jeans. Aaron's always been able to pass for younger than he is but right now he looks like a startled teenager.
"Detective Salvatore..."
"Have a seat, we have some catching up to do," he's smiling sweetly but his eyes are steely. Luka really doesn't envy Jeremy's old crony.
Aaron motions for them to follow and tells the bartender to call for help if he needs it and that he'll be back as soon as possible. He takes them into the bosses office since he left early today. Damon checks twice before he sits down at one of the chairs.
"We found an old buddy of yours."
"Who might that be?"
"Does the name Jeremy Gilbert ring a bell?"
Aaron swallows, turning a shade of pale green. Seconds pass before he finally acknowledges the question. "I heard."
"He didn't look very pretty. If it was you or one of your cohorts who..."
"No! No. None of us had any reason to want him dead. He owed us big... money that we'd have no way of collecting if he was dead."
"You know as well as I do that he didn't have the means to pay off his debts... so maybe you and your buddies decided on revenge instead..?"
Aaron shakes his head no vigorously. "No, that's not the case. His sister is worth millions and we figured there was always a chance that she would bail him out. Jeremy often hinted about her poor health and if she died... But with the benefit of hindsight, he must have lied. His sister's business is doing even better than before he went missing."
Damon shares looks with Luka. Jeremy didn't really think he'd get the club if Elena were out of the picture did he?
"They didn't get along or...?"
Aaron snorts. "That's an understatement. The bitch was after him whenever he made an appearance at her club. Her club, as if it wasn't a family business. But he wouldn't back off. He knew one day she would have no choice but to accept him as her partner. So he went there now and then just to remind her of his existence. I guess it proved to be a fatal mistake."
"What you mean?"
"Well, he was murdered, right? Who else would want him dead?"
"I don't know, Aaron, everyone who was tired of waiting for Jeremy to cough up some money? It pretty common knowledge on the street that he pissed off a lot of people."
"He did disappear from the club though, right?"
"It's possible but we can't be sure because no one knows with any certainty the actual date he went missing."
"It was his birthday. We were drinking and Jer suggested we go annoy his sister. So... we ended up at The Jungle."
Damon's stunned by his admission. He should probably ask more but he suddenly has trouble swallowing around the lump forming in his throat.
"His sister wasn't happy, she sent Mikaelson to throw us out but Jeremy wasn't having it. When he promised her he'd make a scene that would force her to call the police, she backed off. I didn't see her again till later that evening."
"Did she... talk to her brother?"
"Yes, later, when the party really got into full swing, it was very loud," he chuckles. "She tried to talk to him. Even in the dim light I could see how red faced she was and that she was gesticulating wildly with her arms... That broad has a temper," Aaron adds, taking a long pull from his cigarette.
"And you're absolutely sure he disappeared on that night?" Damon holds his breath waiting for the answer.
"As positive as I can be. The girl he was sleeping with came to our table. Sometime later, he was getting a little shaky so he suggested they get something, you know what I mean. But before they left, we made plans to meet the next day around noon. It was only afterwards that he and Vicky took off, said they were going to her room... I never saw him again."
Why exactly didn't he share this information five years ago?
It's a rare occurrence that Elena finds herself still hard at work after everyone else has left for the day. Although she did drive herself this morning, Kol offered to follow her home but he found himself a hot date so he left after making sure it was okay with her. It's way past Kol's normal working hours and she practically had to kick both Bonnie and Enzo out hoping that they might use their free time to talk about their relationship.
Although nights like this don't happen very often, she actually enjoys these rare moments of privacy. The music from the club can be heard from this distance but since her floor is strangely quiet tonight. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she relaxes back into her chair for a few seconds. She knows she's safe because Kol takes great pride and joy in his team. He's personally is in charge of hiring and training security personnel. Even a tiny slip up will earn probation and if it happens a second time, he shows them the door.
Standing up, she stretches her limbs and then pours herself a small glass of Jack Daniels. Swirling it in her glass, she breathes in the aroma that only years in an oak barrel can achieve. Already the worries of the day seem to fade, even before her first taste. Just watching its gentle vortex is hypnotizing enough. Taking a sip, she savors the flavors as they blend and erupt on her taste buds.
Sitting back down, she resumes her work so she can go home. However much she hates it, it's a necessity, an integral part of running a business. It goes well though and she's almost done when she hears a light tap on the door. Her eyes shoot in that direction, stunned when they're met with Damon's stare. The bluish hue carry emotional currents and before she can take a breath, it feels like she's being pulled under.
Shaking it off, she challenges him, "What are you doing here?" No matter how good her security is, it's shocking to have someone knock on her door when she thought that she wouldn't be bothered.
Damon's look is... off. Unreadable. And sexy as hell.
"Sorry," he utters and walks inside. He knows he shouldn't be here but he needed to come. By the time they finished their conversation with Aaron, Damon knew he needed a drink. Luka tried to engage him in meaningful conversation about Aaron's character, meaning why didn't he reveal what he knew five years ago and could he be lying now? Unwilling and unable to deal with it anymore today, Damon simply waved him off, saying they'd give it a night before they make any decisions. He needs time to think everything through.
Frankly, he doesn't care what Luka thinks about it.
"I was at the bar... the security guy told me that you hadn't left yet."
"The bar?" Elena's eyebrow lifts. She gestures for him to sit but he doesn't. At least not in the chair she points to. He walks past her and settles on the couch. He pats the pillow while looking at her. Although she can't explain it, she feels like they're in another universe. She does however, get up, cross the room and take the seat next to him.
"What happened?"
"Work."
Elena snorts. "I am your work, remember?"
"Fair enough," Damon admits and leans against the back rest.
"What happened with Jeremy?" he asks unexpectedly and Elena's breath hitches. The sudden question catches her off guard. Is he serious? This is what his visit is about? She fixes her stare at him.
"It's none of your damn business."
He takes both of her hands in his and looks deep in her eyes. "Tell me. Please?"
His voice is compelling, his eyes never leaving hers.
She can't tell him.
Instead, a funny feeling starts to swirl somewhere deep inside of her stomach. It's hot and biting and it grows until she recognizes it as anger. Damn right, she's entitled to it.
He has no right... or he probably does, to ask these questions but he has no damn right to play with her emotions. It's unfair. But he never said that he'd play fair.
She takes a deep breath and her tone is frosty, cutting the words pointedly. "I am not talking to you about my brother. You don't get to use the effect you have on me to steal information that I'm not willing to share."
Damon's eyes widen at the bold way she admitted the attraction they both feel. He owes her the same courtesy.
"I'm not letting you get away just because you make my blood boil," he informs her in a low voice. He still holds her hands tightly and sometime during the exchange he must have drawn her closer because at this point it will take just a nudge to have her on his lap.
So he takes it.
He releases one of her hands to take her around her waist and lift her weight onto his knees.
It's not enough though.
He can feel her body stiffen for a moment and then she shifts, close enough to wrap her limbs around his mid-section. The movement is natural and Damon's not sure it wasn't of his own doing, as his palms are splayed on her bottom, keeping her firmly in place.
She's... magnificent. Her scent and soft curves enveloping him in the most torturous way, her lips seeking his, taking breaths right out of his mouth. Before he knows it his hands travel along her thighs under the skirt. Skillfully he unzips it, lifts it up and over her head, tossing it across the room. He can feel her fingers undoing the buttons on his shirt, sneaking inside, traveling across his chest. When her dark red nails lightly scratch his nipples he lets out a deep growl, catches her hands and before she knows it, she's lying on the couch, Damon hovering above her. She doesn't fight him, just curiously watching every contour on his face.
Then she does something unexpected. She lifts her hand and strokes his face wispily with her fingers.
He can't take it anymore.
His mouth crashes onto hers and he's swallowing her whole, mouth, teeth and tongue, her soft cries resonating in his head. His hands tear off her underwear and hers tug on his jeans and boxers until they're both bare, bodies and souls. It's more than just physical. Because when Damon sinks inside her pliant body he almost loses it. He chokes on the emotions messing with his senses, he's not even sure which are his and which come from her darkest place.
Again and again he buries himself in the heaven that is Miss Elena Gilbert, the queen of The Jungle, merciless businesswoman and the unloving sister.
He so wants her to be innocent but is she?
What is he doing?
He loosens his grip on her with that thought and Elena flips them over finishing him within moments. She breathes out heavily, her glistening body quivers with the last tendrils of her own orgasm but the light in her eyes is already dimming.
She knows.
And Damon's in no shape to save the situation, he's too overwhelmed by the brutal flood of emotions, quite literally torn to pieces.
She gives herself the last moment smoothing the few hairs on his chest before she looks him straight in the eyes, her face empty. "You were never going to give us a chance... You just wanted to get me out of your system," she accuses.
If Damon was able to speak, he'd say something, do something, find some convincing words to stop the monumental crash they're about to experience.
But he has none.
Ducks...
There's a lot of the story left to tell. We have maybe 3 chapters left to write.
Eva and I want to thank you all so very much. You're such an awesome and incredible bunch. We are truly grateful for all of your support. We do have lots of story ideas to flesh out after we finally put the final dot on the last sentence of this one.
Thank you to my sister Eva. I love you to pieces. Thank you for always going the extra mile to co-write these stories with me.
Chapter title: 'Expelled' by Pain.
I did post a teaser image for Delena Christmas 2018 on my FB page. It's called "Somewhere in My Memory." The only thing I'll say is that it's not an amnesia story.
My good friend Mara, aka AnglcDmn1986, reposted "All This Time" after getting the rights back from Amazon Kindle Worlds.
Have a safe and wonderful day, thank you all again. Take care and we'll see you next time.